There is not much to say about the battle between the Chu-Yan coalition and the Wei-Han-Zhao coalition; it was fought very perfunctorily.
Wang Jian occupied the Dabie Mountain Pass, and all the large cities on the north bank of the Yangtze River except Guangling City had been abandoned. The Huai River divided the Chu State and the Southern Chu State, and each actually controlled almost half of the territory.
But even so, the territory currently controlled by the King of Chu is the sum of the territory of Wei and Han combined.
The behemoth State of Chu suffered a lot of losses from the State of Qin, and was also divided by internal strife, but its strength in the Warring States Period was still one of the strongest, it just went from suppressing the State of Zhao to competing with the State of Zhao for the top spot.
Furthermore, the Southern Chu State was still nominally a "vassal state" of the Chu State, and did not claim to be a king. This time, when the King of Chu sent troops, the King of Southern Chu also sent troops.
After all, the King of Chu and the Lord of Southern Chu were closely connected, and Southern Chu only bordered Chu and Qin. It knew that if it wanted to gain a foothold in the Warring States Period, it had to stick together with Chu.
After all, Qin had already raised the banner of unifying the world and becoming the common ruler of the world. The King of Han begged so many times, but Qin did not agree to the King of Han's request to become a "feudal prince" of Qin. It was obvious that it was to deprive all the princes of their positions as monarchs.
Since being a dog for Qin was not an option, the King of Southern Chu naturally had to use his good interpersonal relationships in Chu to bribe a large number of Chu ministers, especially Li Yuan, the most trusted relative of the King of Chu, to restore relations with Chu.
Now the Southern Chu State and the Chu State are in love with each other, and it is hard to tell that they have just fought a war.
The nobles and the king of Chu were also very satisfied. In their view, Southern Chu was just a larger "fiefdom" of Chu. In fact, Chu did not split into two countries, and everyone was still a close family.
So if the King of Chu wanted to go to war, the "vassal" State of Southern Chu would naturally send troops to accompany him.
Wei and Zhao were both somewhat capable, while Han's army was basically nonexistent; Yan was weak but at least it could muster some capable fighters, while Chu and Southern Chu cooperated well. So both sides were evenly matched, and the confrontation was the main focus.
Xiang Yan and Wei Wuji were both famous generals of the time. Logically speaking, if they had really fought, it should have been quite interesting.
However, neither of them performed their duties as commander-in-chief well, and instead let the military generals act on their own.
Xiang Yan actually wanted to do something big, to conquer more land for the State of Chu and to bring the Xiang family back into the first echelon of the Chu nobles.
But Li Yuan wanted to get the greatest credit in this battle, so Xiang Yan was nominally the commander-in-chief, but in reality it was Li Yuan who was in command, and the generals in key places were all Li Yuan's men.
Xiang Yan was powerless, so he simply made an excuse of being sick and stayed behind instead of going to the front line.
Wei Wuji is really lazy.
He was once a main general, once he was rescuing the Zhou royal family from fighting against the Qin State, and once he was fighting against the Northern Hu in Yanmen County. All the battles he fought were meaningful.
Being the main general this time is extremely meaningless.
Defending the country? Conquering cities? Nothing at all. When the nobles had some quarrels, they would gather a group of troops to fight each other. After a while of fighting, whoever showed a disadvantage would start negotiations. The winner would get some small cities and compensation and then withdraw.
In fact, such battles were common during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Especially during most of the Spring and Autumn Period, this was the case when larger countries fought wars.
In the eyes of scholars, this is the embodiment of "propriety" and "aristocratic spirit". They fight in a very elegant manner and will not completely humiliate the other party.
In the past, Wei Wuji felt that such a war was better than the current wars in which countries attacked cities and conquered territories, where they had to compete for victory or defeat and where many people would be killed or injured.
Now Wei Wuji's thoughts have changed.
Unconsciously, the high-ranking Wei Wuji no longer only paid attention to the King of Wei and the ministers of various countries. The war damage figures he looked at were no longer just numbers, but were related to "people".
The Qin State launched the war in order to capture cities and unify the world.
Whether it was because of the ambition of the King of Qin or to end the chaos in which the princes continued to attack each other, the wars fought by the Qin State were purposeful and meaningful.
Although he was unhappy, angry and afraid, he knew that the Qin soldiers knew why they were fighting. In the eyes of the Qin soldiers, this was not an inexplicable sacrifice.
When Wei Wuji was stationed at the border in Yanmen County, he fought to resist the southward advance of the northern Hu.
The Northern Hu were a group of barbarians who only knew how to kill, burn and plunder. If the Northern Hu entered the Great Wall, all the villages and towns along their way would suffer disaster.
The soldiers guarding the border certainly know why they are fighting. Every battle they go into is meaningful.
What now
The King of Chu used his drunken chat as an excuse to send troops, and various countries were involved.
Does it make sense
Am I wrong in my assessment? Even if I am wrong, isn't it a bit absurd for you to fight over a verbal dispute
Well, Wei Wuji looked at the ministers and nobles around him, and it seemed that they all took it for granted.
The King of Chu was humiliated, which meant that Chu was humiliated. Of course, Chu had to send troops when it was humiliated.
No problem. What's the problem
Wei Wuji's reason told him that there was no problem.
But even in a passive confrontation, both armies suffered casualties every day.
After a day or two, dozens, hundreds, tens of thousands of soldiers fell one by one in the repeated probing attacks.
The nobles in the army all felt that there were no casualties and that there was no fighting. Because in a battle of this intensity, even the middle-level generals would not go to the front line in person, but would just command some soldiers to charge forward and fight for a while before calling it a day.
Wei Wuji had been at the frontier for so long, living and eating with the soldiers. When he was in the mood, he would just "grab" a few strong soldiers to drink and chat, and he felt like a fish in water in the military camp.
He is a person who only cares about whether he can get along with others, not about their status.
There were many common people among his retainers, including dog butchers, gatekeepers and even farmers. If Zhu Xiang had not been in Handan but in Daliang, he would probably have been personally invited to his home as a distinguished guest.
Therefore, Wei Wuji's close relationship with ordinary soldiers in the army was a natural result after the two sides had been getting along for a long time.
When Wei Wuji regarded the ordinary soldiers of Yanmen County as "people", after his sight had been lowered, he saw the soldiers in the two armies and regarded the ordinary soldiers as people.
A merciful army is not suitable for a merciful one. When Wei Wuji led his troops to fight, he was not a hesitant person. He did not even care about his own life, often leading his troops to the front in person, and of course he would not be "stingy" with casualties.
"But are the casualties this time really meaningful?" Wei Wuji was so drunk in the big tent that he could hardly speak clearly. "Is it meaningful? For the sake of the king's momentary anger, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians were conscripted, countless grains were collected, the fields were barren and the farmers starved to death. The soldiers died in battles without strategic goals time and time again, which was meaningless."
"Ah, it's worthless, worthless!" Wei Wuji's hand slipped and the wine wet his clothes.
He looked at the wine on his body and said, "In the army, alcohol should be prohibited. Although I drank in Yanmen County, it was during the truce. Why can I drink without restraint now?"
"Listen, what's that sound? Is it a party?" Wei Wuji shook his head and opened his sleepy eyes wide, "Are they having a party?"
Zhu Hai, who was guarding Wei Wuji, sighed and said, "My Lord, today is the New Year, and the nobles have invited my Lord to a banquet, but my Lord has refused."
"New Year's Day?" Wei Wuji shook his head again. "New Year's Day. Zhu Xiang wrote in his letter that Wucheng was very lively during the New Year. Even the farmers in the fields would change into new clothes and eat meat."
Zhu Hai said: "If it were under the rule of Duke Xiang of Zhu, farmers would be able to eat meat once a year."
Wei Wuji smiled: "Definitely."
He stood up unsteadily, supporting himself on the table with his hands.
"Zhu Hai, I shouldn't be here."
Wei Wuji's body swayed and he almost fell down.
Zhu Hai quickly supported Wei Wuji.
"Zhu Hai, before Lord Hou closed his eyes, he said that although he couldn't return to Wei, he could close his eyes after seeing me full of vigor and vitality." Wei Wuji suddenly burst into tears, "Now if Lord Hou saw me like this, would he still be able to close his eyes?"
Hou Ying, who was almost eighty years old, followed Wei Wuji to Zhao State to guard the border. He was buried under a big tree in Yanmen County. The tree trunk was used as a tombstone, and he continued to accompany Xinling Jun Wei Wuji.
"Zhu Hai, I miss Lord Hou." Wei Wuji cried, "I don't want to be here. I shouldn't be here. Zhu Xiang said I should guard the border. I should guard the border!"
Zhu Hai sighed deeply, hugged Xinling Jun Wei Wuji like a child, patted Wei Wuji's back gently, and comforted his father who was crying after getting drunk.
Since the Chu State sent out its troops, although Wei, Han and Zhao States recommended Xinling Jun as their commander-in-chief, both the army and the people were spreading bad things about Xinling Jun.
The soldiers in the army all had a hint of hatred towards Lord Xinling, because this war was fought on the pretext of Lord Xinling, and they believed that the misfortunes they had encountered were caused by Wei Wuji.
In fact, it was not originally like this.
The King of Chu was criticized by the wise men of the world for forcing Chunshen Jun to death, but Wei Wuji said it in a rather tactful way. Everyone knew that the King of Chu was just looking for an excuse to divert the criticism from the people of the world and to increase the territory of Chu, which had already lost most of its territory.
All the scholars in the world knew about this. They all supported Lord Xinling and despised Chu and Yan, which had allied with Chu because of repeated defeats in battles with Zhao.
Therefore, Xinling Jun did not take the rumors seriously.
He is a man of strong character and this little thing will not break him down.
There is only one person who can truly make Xinling Jun lose his balance.
That was his biological brother, King Yu of Wei.
When all the scholars in the world stood on the side of Xinling Jun, and after Xinling Jun had taken over the seal of the commander-in-chief of the National Alliance Army, King Yu of Wei actually issued an edict of "self-reflection", saying that the war was caused by Wei Wuji.
He was very worried. If Qin took this opportunity to attack Wei, break through Daliang, and flatten the ancestral temple of Wei, how could he and Wei Wuji live in the world with dignity? So Wei Wuji had to win quickly and not let Qin take advantage of the opportunity.
Wei Wuji originally thought that this war was inexplicable and was sad for the soldiers who died in vain on the front line.
After Wei Wuji heard these words from Prince Yu, his spirit felt as if it had been hit hard by a huge bronze hammer, and the crack in his heart that had almost healed opened again.
After King Wei Yu made his public speech, rumors about Wei Wu Ji soon broke out, and it seemed that people were saying bad things about Wei Wu Ji everywhere.
The originally numb soldiers gradually "learned" about this matter, and their dissatisfaction with Wei Wuji grew.
From then on, Wei Wuji got drunk every day and handed over his military power.
"Lord Father, let's go back to Yanmen County." Zhu Hai said, "Don't pay attention to the King of Wei. We should listen to Duke Zhu Xiang and stay in Yanmen County to guard the border for the rest of our lives."
Wei Wuji seemed not to hear what Zhu Hai said.
Wei Wuji, who was almost fifty years old, actually fell asleep while crying.
Zhu Hai sighed, helped Wei Wuji to the bed, changed his clothes, washed his face, and covered him with a quilt.
He turned and went to another tent to discuss with Xinling Jun's followers, persuading the Lord to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
I also advise my Lord Father... I advise my Lord Father not to have any more hope in the King of Wei.
When Zhu Hai left, Wei Wuji opened his eyes.
There was drunkenness in his eyes, but he was very sober.
Although he drank a lot of wine, he seemed to have cried so hard that the drunkenness was almost washed away by his tears.
After the sound of Zhu Hai's footsteps completely disappeared, Wei Wuji stood up wearing his outer robe, took out a white silk inner garment and tore it into pieces.
He took out his dagger and cut his finger.
"Zhu Xiang, my letter should reach you soon." Wei Wuji talked to himself in a very calm tone, completely different from the out-of-control emotion he had just displayed.
"I promise you that I will never give you the chance to risk bidding farewell to your friends."
"Although I am loyal to Wei, I am also afraid of death. If my brother wants to kill me, I will definitely run away."
Wei Wuji smiled bitterly and looked at the bloody words on the cloth.
"But my brother won't give me a chance to escape, so there's nothing I can do."
"Sorry, it's not my fault."
He closed his eyes, but no tears came out.
Maybe I cried too hard just now and it dried up.
The Qin State had been recuperating for many years, and Prince Chu of Qin had already been repairing his weapons.
Lord Xinping Lian Po has been more active recently and has just captured several small cities in the State of Wei.
Everyone knows that the Qin tiger has rested enough and is ready to hunt again.
It would be unwise for the five countries to fight each other at this time.
Wei Wuji originally guessed that although the King of Chu was impulsive, the Chu State should withdraw its troops when the spring plowing season comes.
No one will benefit from the conflict among the five countries, so they will definitely take a step back to avoid affecting spring farming.
But the King of Wei told the world in winter that the war was caused by him, Wei Wuji, and that the State of Wei was in danger because of him, Wei Wuji, and he should be held responsible.
"Ha. If I die at your hands, the State of Wei will surely perish." Wei Wuji laughed at himself and brought up the words that "triggered" the war again, "Brother, will the State of Wei perish at your hands?"
Wei Wuji put away the blood letter, straightened his hair, and said, "Come here, get me some water to wash up."
Hearing Wei Wuji's voice, someone quickly came in with hot water and helped Wei Wuji take a bath.
When Xinling Jun's followers heard this, they felt relieved.
Wei Wuji changed his clothes and said to Zhu Hai while drying his hair, "I'm not going back to Yanmen County. Let's go find Zhu Xiang."
Zhu Hai said without hesitation: "I will prepare it right away."
Wei Wuji looked straight into Zhu Hai's eyes and said, "The journey south is dangerous, you must protect me well. I still owe Zhu Xiang a drink, I must drink with him."
Zhu Hai knelt down and pledged, "I guarantee it with my life."
Wei Wuji nodded.
Then he sighed and said, "After I entered Qin, I did not want to be hostile to Wei, so I would not enter the government and delay the future of my retainers. I plan to dismiss my retainers, give them some money, and let them find their own future."
Zhu Hai said, "Yes." He didn't care, as long as his lord father was safe.
Wei Wuji waved his hand to let Zhu Hai leave, and then fell asleep peacefully.
On the first day, he summoned his retainers who had already learned the news and told them of his decision.
Although Wei Wuji was in the army, he had a lot of money with him.
Some of the money he brought was used to reward his soldiers, as this was his habit when leading troops; some of the money was given to him by nobles from various countries. He was famous, and wherever he went, people would give him gifts.
When the retainers followed Lord Xinling, they had already gained a lot of money and property. Even if Lord Xinling dismissed them without giving them money and property, they had no complaints. With money and property, they were naturally happier.
The retainers who followed Xinling Jun from Wei to Zhao were reluctant to leave, and most of the retainers who followed Xinling Jun left after he arrived in Zhao.
Xinling Jun persuaded them one by one and visited the nobles in the army, introducing his retainers to them one by one and finding a way out for them.
He also wrote letters to familiar nobles in various countries, recommending his retainers to serve in the government.
After Xinling Jun did this, his retainers had no choice but to leave.
Although they truly admired Xinling Jun, talented people became retainers of the nobility in order to seek a way to display their talents.
Before, when Xinling Jun was on the frontier, they could still follow him. Now that Xinling Jun said he was just going there to retire, there was no need for the retainers to continue following him.
What's more, Xinling Jun didn't want them to continue following him, saying that he was afraid that his power was too great and would make the King of Qin wary.
When it was almost the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Wei Wuji had finally arranged for all his guests.
At this time, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is not the Lantern Festival.
But Wei Wuji still watched the moon with Zhu Hai, the only one who stayed with him.
Zhu Hai was originally just a dog butcher. Although he was very capable, he never thought of becoming an official.
He was a very strange person. He did not want to enter the government, nor did he want wealth and honor, but he was willing to follow Xinling Jun through fire and water for his respect for the wise and humble.
In the original history, the first time Zhu Hai helped Xinling Jun was to help him steal the seal to save Zhao.
In Zhu Xiang's previous life, many people accused Xinling Jun of stealing the seal to save Zhao out of loyalty and betraying Wei.
But please expand the map and look at the location of Wei.
With the power of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, if the State of Zhao was destroyed, which country would be destroyed next
Xinling Jun's stealing of the seal to save Zhao not only saved Zhao, but also stopped King Zhaoxiang of Qin from unifying the world. Since then, Bai Qi was unjustly killed, the six kingdoms counterattacked Qin, and King Zhaoxiang of Qin almost vomited out all the territory he had captured in Jin.
The lips and teeth are interdependent.
This is such an important truth that the world needs to understand. Xinling Jun Wei Wuji understood it very well.
When the King of Qi was afraid of the army and expelled Mengchangjun, Mengchangjun, who had served as a prime minister and a general in another country, turned around and attacked Qi.
In the original history, Wei Wuji was feared by the King of Wei and fled to Zhao State, only to return to Wei State ten years later. But after being betrayed by the King of Wei again, he stayed in Wei State and died in Wei State.
All the countries invited him to be generals and prime ministers, but he went nowhere.
Because ten years later, when Mao Gong and Xue Gong advised him to return to Wei, they said, "Now Qin is attacking Wei, Wei is in a hurry but you don't care. If Qin destroys Daliang and destroys the ancestral temples of the previous kings, how will you rule the world?"
How can you rule the world with dignity
He couldn't go anywhere.
"Zhu Hai, have a good rest today. Tomorrow we will flee south to meet Zhu Xiang." Wei Wuji only drank a little wine today and smiled with a clear mind.
Zhu Hai clasped his fists and said, "Yes, Lord Father."
He got up and left.
Wei Wuji held the wine glass and looked at the moon for a while, but did not drink the last glass of wine.
He poured the wine on the ground, stood up and returned to the tent.
"Uncle, what did Xinling Jun write?" Ying Xiaozheng rubbed his freshly washed hair vigorously with cotton cloth, not worrying at all about rubbing his thick black hair off.
Zhu Xiang pushed Ying Xiaozheng's wet head away and said, "What else can he write? Of course, he cursed the King of Chu and complained about the King of Wei. Oh, he also said that the cattle and sheep raised by the northern barbarians are delicious, but it's a pity that they are difficult to send."
Ying Xiaozheng said, "Is it really delicious? When we reach Yanmen County, we'll ask the teacher to catch cattle and sheep from the Northern Hu for us to eat!"
Zhu Xiang laughed and scolded, "Is the great Wucheng Lord Li Mu here to catch cattle and sheep for you?"
Ying Xiaozheng had a spoiled expression on his face: "Go ask the teacher if he will let us catch it? The teacher will definitely say yes!"
"Catch cattle and sheep to eat! I want to go too!" Little Cheng Jiao arched his body from Zhu Xiang's arms and almost knocked Zhu Xiang's chin out of place.
Zhu Xiang covered his chin and said, "Why is Cheng Jiao becoming more and more like you when you were a child? Zheng'er, how did you teach Cheng Jiao?"
Ying Xiaozheng said unhappily, "What does it have to do with me? Uncle, are you going to reply? I'm afraid Lord Xinling is having a hard time recently."
Ying Xiaozheng sneered and said, "The King of Wei wants to spread rumors to force Wei Wuji to death."
"I know. Xia Tong, Cai Ze and Lin Li even wrote to me specifically to tell me that this matter has nothing to do with the Qin State, and they are all very puzzled." Zhu Xiang did not expect that a friend would actually write to me for this, and send it urgently, as if he was afraid that he would not be able to explain it in time.
Although he regarded Wei Wuji as a friend, he also knew that he and Wei Wuji were hostile. If Chunshen Jun's death was part of Qin's plot to sow discord, he would feel sorry for it, but he would not hesitate, and would not vent his anger on his friends.
How could I vent my anger on them! What do these three think of me?! I got angry when I saw this letter of explanation! This is an insult to me!
Listening to Zhu Xiang's scolding, Ying Xiaozheng laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten his back: "Yes, uncle will go back and give them a good beating. Uncle, you can definitely do it! Ouch!"
Zhu Xiang tapped Ying Xiaozheng on the head, spread out the letter paper and wrote back to Wei Wuji.
He told Wei Wuji not to believe the rumors, saying that the King of Wei was jealous of Wei Wuji, so he finally got hold of something he thought was a handle on him and was happy to discredit Wei Wuji.
"According to the information I received, Chu will definitely withdraw its troops by the end of January. The death of Chunshen Jun has a great impact on Chu. If famine occurs again due to no one to plough in the spring, I am afraid that a civil uprising will be aroused in Chu."
"Similarly, Xiang Yan and you are both passive in the fight, which will result in pure consumption for both sides without any benefits. Han, Zhao, and Yan will definitely withdraw their troops immediately to stop the losses when they see that there is no benefit."
"If you endure it for a few more days, you will be able to return to Yanmen County soon and continue to catch cattle and sheep on the grassland to eat."
"If you are really depressed, come to Nanqin to relax. Rest for a few months, and then consider where to go in the future."
Zhu Xiang thought about it and drew the tropical fruits that Li Mu brought from the south on the letter paper, and briefly described the taste of these tropical fruits.
Especially lychees, which would quickly rot and go bad if they were away from the branches. In order to let Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng eat lychees, Li Mu specially dug up a lychee tree full of fruits.
It's a pity that the seed didn't survive. Alas.
"Let Xinling Jun come to Southern Qin? Then he won't be able to return to Wei." Ying Xiaozheng snorted coldly, "If he doesn't submit to Qin, I will let the teacher tie him up and take him to Minyue, and he won't be able to return to the Central Plains."
Zhu Xiang laughed.
"Master, it's time to get up and get ready to go... Master?!!"
Zhu Hai's body swayed, and he fell to his knees on the ground, his eyes bloodshot and his voice of grief and anger was heartbreaking.
Wei Wuji was dressed neatly and hanged himself on a pillar of the tent. He had been dead for a long time.
(End of this chapter)