King Zheng of Qin sent out his troops at the end of September and captured the city of Daliang in October.
Lian Po spent more than two months slowly sweeping across the entire territory of Wei. None of the Zhao, Yan, and Chu states sent troops to aid Wei.
Because the State of Chu was in civil strife, and King Yan of Zhao went to attack the State of Yan again.
Xiang Yan welcomed Prince Qi back and made him the King of Chu. The army returned to Chu and besieged the capital of Chen.
He made a very good excuse, saying that Li Yuan and the Queen of Chu had killed the late king, and that he had found evidence and wanted to avenge the late king.
Of course Xiang Yan didn't find any evidence, but he accidentally hit the truth.
The former Queen of Chu had been honored as the Queen Mother. Queen Mother Li had always felt guilty and blamed her brother Li Yuan.
His son was the crown prince, and the King of Chu was in poor health and would die in a few years. His son would naturally succeed him, so why did he have to murder the King of Chu
But she couldn't disobey her brother, so she had to do such a bad thing.
When the news that Xiang Yan had raised an army to rebel and seek revenge for the King of Chu reached the Chu Palace, Queen Dowager Li could not bear the pressure and guilt and hanged herself.
King Han of Chu was unaware that Li Yuan and Queen Mother Li were plotting to murder the late king.
He respected his father and emperor very much. Especially after his father and emperor exiled Prince Qi and re-established him as the crown prince, his relationship with his father and emperor became even deeper.
When Queen Mother Li hanged herself, King Han of Chu guessed that his uncle and mother might have really murdered the king and father, and he collapsed and fell ill.
Although Li Yuan announced to the outside world that Queen Mother Li died to prove her innocence because she was angry at Xiang Yan's insult, and King Han of Chu fell ill due to his mother's death, the Chu nobles always looked down on Li Yuan's background. Li Yuan had been too arrogant before, so many people took advantage of his situation.
Soon, the Chu nobles opened the city gates to welcome Prince Qi and Xiang Yan. Li Yuan and his entire family were exterminated, King Han of Chu was killed, and Prince Qi was enthroned as the King of Chu.
Xiang Yan finally got his wish and was granted the title of Lord Linwu.
The Linwu Lord of Chu, like the Wu'an Lord of Qin, was not named after his fiefdom, but had a special meaning. The previous Linwu Lord of Chu was the famous Chu general Jing Yang. Although the Jing and Zhao clans rebelled against Chu and established the Southern Chu, the Chu generals still took pride in this title.
King Qi of Chu increased the fiefdom given to Xiang Yan, but Xiang Yan was not satisfied.
The Xiang family originally originated from the Xiangzi State in the Spring and Autumn Period, which was destroyed by the Qi State and later belonged to the Lu State. After the Chu State destroyed the Lu State, this area fell into the hands of the Chu State again.
Xiang Yan, who suffered heavy losses and even had his clan members abducted, hoped to make Xiangcheng his fiefdom in order to wash away the humiliation of his clan members being abducted in front of his ancestors.
But after the Qin State drove King Xiang of Chu from Yingdu to Chendu, Xiangcheng, located right between the Huai River and the Yellow River, had a very safe geographical location and had become the secondary capital of the Chu State.
Now Xiang Yan wants the secondary capital of Chu as his fiefdom, how could King Qi of Chu agree
Xiang Yan refused to give in, and his stubborn temper, which he had been suppressing for a long time, came up.
Because the entire Chu clan was captured, he did not rebel against the Chu State. Instead, he went to welcome Prince Qi back to Chu to succeed the throne and drove away the foolish and vicious King Han of Chu and Li Yuan. He can be said to be the savior of Chu.
Without him, the State of Chu would have been destroyed and King Qi of Chu would still be on the run in the State of Wei.
Now King Qi of Chu relied on him to become the King of Chu, but they refused to grant him a mere Xiangcheng? They only gave him the title of Linwu Jun to send him away
Isn’t his contribution and the humiliation he endured for the Chu State enough for the Chu State to change its secondary capital? ! The Chu State had more than one secondary capital!!
Xiang Yan thought that after he escorted Prince Qi back to the country, he would be able to influence the King of Chu's decision.
But he didn't expect that things would not be the same after he led his troops back home.
Among the three clans of Chu State, the Qu clan has always been following the King of Chu, quietly developing their power during the civil strife in Chu State. The strength they have shown now cannot be underestimated.
When Xiang Yan led his troops to the south (to resist the Qin State) and the north (to resist the Qin State), Qu's troops remained intact and defended the capital of Chen.
After the fall of Southern Chu, many nobles from the Jing and Zhao clans moved north to join the Chu State.
The Mi clan was willing to accept the surrender of their family servants and soldiers even though they had rebelled before. Now the nobles of the Jing and Zhao clans who fled north were all under the jurisdiction of the Qu clan.
Not to mention the Qu family, even if the Jing and Zhao families were ambitious, they would not want someone from another family to become the King of Chu.
The destruction of Southern Chu made them realize the "mandate of heaven" of Chu - the King of Chu must still be a descendant of the Chu royal family, and we, the Mi nobles, should just stay on the sidelines and cheer for the king. Even if our country is destroyed in the future, we can still defect to Qin and become nobles.
The eldest son of King Zheng of Qin was born to a woman with the surname Mi, so they had a wide way out.
King Qi of Chu himself was no mediocre person.
After he fled to Southern Chu, he became friends with many of the country's nobles.
After he returned to Chendu, he secretly contacted the Southern Chu nobles who had fled north and promised them to restore the treatment that the Jing and Zhao families had enjoyed in Chu before the Southern Chu Kingdom split.
Not all the people of the Jing and Zhao clans went to Southern Chu. They left half of their connections in Chu as a retreat. Even though the status of the two clans became lower because the King of Chu hated them, they were still better than ordinary nobles.
After King Qi of Chu made the promise, the Jing family and the Zhao family immediately united around King Qi of Chu and became his "direct forces".
King Qi of Chu persuaded Qu Shi again. Jing Shi and Zhao Shi established the Southern Chu State, which was nothing more than a quarrel among the Mi clan. Brothers quarreled and fought. Brothers quarreled within the walls, and we had to defend ourselves from the outside. What does the affairs of our old Chu family have to do with Xiang Shi
King Qi of Chu was not a person who would burn bridges after crossing a river. He could give the title of Lord Linwu, increase the fiefdom and food, and even let Xiang Yan become the prime minister. But Xiangcheng, as the secondary capital of Chu, must not be given to others.
Xiang Yan's insistence on taking Xiangcheng as his fiefdom also made other ministers of the Chu State wary.
After the Three Families divided Jin and the Tian family replaced Qi, the "sacredness" of the monarch's position had been broken. The monarchs of various countries would be wary of their ministers being too powerful.
What's more, the State of Chu had also experienced the division of the Southern Chu State, and it only relied on the fact that "people with the surname Mi are all one family" to explain the division of the State of Chu as "feudalism" to save the dignity of the State of Chu.
Xiang Yan is now going to be the capital and become a fiefdom. What he will do next is simply beyond the imagination of others.
They all came to persuade Xiang Yan to give in. The secondary capital had too much political significance for Chu, and Xiang Yan could not grasp it. If Xiang Yan was willing to give in, they would persuade the King of Chu to double Xiang Yan's fief. Wouldn't this be better than Xiangcheng
But this time Xiang Yan was determined to take Xiangcheng.
In the hearts of the old nobles of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, ancestors and clansmen were more important than anything else. Xiang Yan lost his clansmen, and if he could not achieve results that would make him proud in front of his ancestors, he would be unable to sleep or eat.
What's more, when the whole Chu State was against him, Xiang Yan also felt the crisis.
The retainers around Xiang Yan said, "The lineage of the King of Chu is notoriously mean and ungrateful. General, you know what happened to Wu Qi, Qu Yuan, and Huang Xie, who once helped the State of Chu. Xiangcheng is between the Huai River and the Yellow River, the farthest from the State of Qin, and the city is also very strong. Only then can the general accumulate strength with peace of mind, so as not to suffer the same fate as those three people."
Xiang Yan looked at the location of Xiangcheng on the map and knew that what the guest said was right.
After he calmed down, he understood why King Qi of Chu was unwilling to grant him Xiangcheng.
Both Wei and Han had been destroyed, and Chendu was too close to Qin, so King Qi of Chu probably wanted to move the capital to the secondary capital Xiangcheng.
Because of this, I should take Xiangcheng.
Even if Xiangcheng was only his fief in name, when King Qi of Chu and the nobles of the Chu State with the surname Mi fled to Xiangcheng, they had to act in his favor. He would no longer be shackled like this.
The pain of losing his clansmen and the anger of being betrayed by the King of Chu have caused a great change in Xiang Yan's heart that was loyal to the King of Chu.
He remained loyal to Chu, but no longer trusted the King of Chu.
In Xiang Yan's eyes, the soldiers of the three Mi clans were just a mob that would break apart at the slightest touch. He didn't believe that this group of people dared to really fight him.
Xiang Yan held his general seal tightly in his hand, and told his soldiers that King Qi of Chu wanted to cross the river to demolish the houses, and that the three Mi clans wanted to steal their credit. Gradually, he turned this army he brought back from the battlefield of Qin into his own private army.
Neither King Qi of Chu nor Xiang Yan was willing to retreat, and the domestic situation was precarious and ready to break out.
After King Zheng of Qin learned of this, he once wanted to take the opportunity to send troops to attack the State of Chu.
However, he had been taught by Li Mu for many years, and had also been instructed by Bai Qi and Lian Po, so he had a keener grasp of the battle situation than ordinary people, and he calmed down after careful thinking.
Now is not a good time to attack Chu. If Qin attacks Chu, King Qi of Chu and Xiang Yan may take a step back and unite to resist Qin due to external pressure.
He wanted to provide a relaxed environment for the State of Chu so that King Qi of Chu and Xiang Yan would not have to worry about external situations and could focus on wearing each other down.
In this war of unification, the less losses Qin suffered, the better. He was patient.
Great-grandfather, great-grandfather and grandfather all suppressed their ambitions and patiently handed the credit of unification to him. How could he be impatient
After changing the era name, King Zheng of Qin immediately appointed Fusu as the crown prince and generously rewarded the Queen Mother Huayang and her family, giving outsiders the illusion that he was promoting the domestic Chu-based relatives.
He also named Mi Ji the eighth prince, making her the first woman to have a position in the harem.
As for why he did not make Mi Ji the queen, King Zheng of Qin also had enough excuses.
After Mi Ji gave birth to Fu Su, her health had been poor. King Zheng of Qin did not want the queen to die early, as it was unlucky. If Mi Ji's health improved, he would make her the queen after unifying the country.
The pie is painted.
Zhu Xiang, who was farming in Wei State, felt very complicated when he heard this.
Zheng Er was unwilling to kill the mother and save the child. So he made this promise to Mi Ji, which was to make sure that Mi Ji would not live long.
Zhu Xiang wiped the dust off his face with the towel around his neck and sighed.
Beside the ridge of the field, the Wei scholars and officials looked at Zhu Xiang busy in the field, picking up a lump of soil here and smelling a handful of dry grass there, all with contempt on their faces.
According to rumors, Zhu Xiang, the Lord of Changping, had the ability to understand the land. He would personally go to the farmland to cultivate, observe the conditions of the farmland, and tell the farmers the best way to plant.
When they only heard the rumors, they praised Changping Jun's actions highly.
But when they saw with their own eyes Zhu Xiang busy in the fields like an old farmer, with dust and sweat mixed together, and his straight figure hunched in front of the farmers, they covered their mouths and noses, and even if they wanted to pretend, they couldn't help revealing a look of nausea and vomiting.
Zhu Xiang has gotten used to it.
People in later generations always say that farming is a talent, but how many people would not feel nauseous or upset when faced with the stench of soil, sweat, and fertilizer
This is physiological and normal.
This is what real farming is like. If it’s not soily, dirty, smelly, and tiring, it’s not farming.
Zhu Xiang didn't go to the ground very often, it was just for guidance, so his back was still straight.
If an ordinary old farmer reached his age, his back would not be able to straighten up due to hunching over all day long.
His dirtiness was temporary, but the dirtiness of the peasants lasted a lifetime. He pulled these Wei scholars to the edge of the field to watch him farm, and then he would drive these Wei scholars to the field to farm with him, not hoping that they would realize how hard the peasants' lives were, but to let them know how difficult the lives of the common people were, so that they would seize the present wealth.
Many scholars would shout "It is better to resign and become a self-cultivating commoner" when they were filled with passion.
When most people yell like this, they don’t know how hard the lives of the “self-employed farmers” are.
Even the so-called self-cultivating farmers they mentioned were actually equivalent to the small and medium-sized landlords of later generations, and were not real farmers.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people who were reduced from scholars to common people were the first small and medium-sized landlords, which was the prototype of the "poor family". After that, except for a few literati such as Du Fu who could see people who were as low as dust, the "common people" in other poems and songs basically referred to the "poor family".
The lives of small and medium-sized landlords were much better than those of farmers. However, if we put it in modern terms, they were still really miserable.
Landlords and their wives had to work in the fields, and only in good years could they have rice and flour to eat. In bad years, they would starve and even become refugees.
Even in good years, they could only eat as much meat as they wanted and drink a little wine during festivals.
The scholar-officials of today are still half slave owners. They really have nothing to do with the real world.
Zhu Xiang would use mud to educate them. If they did not obey the Qin State and wanted to become common people who farmed the land on their own, could they endure such hardship
Zhu Xiang specifically instructed that as many young men as possible from the noble families of Wei State be selected to take turns to follow him in farming, and that no one should be left behind.
Even the Wei nobles who were dissatisfied with Qin immediately sent their young men over.
They themselves despised Zhu Xiang, who was sent to the countryside, but they supported their young sons in the family to do the same.
The elders are all like this. The work is hard, dirty and tiring? This is all for the young people to temper. As long as you don't have to work in the fields, everything is fine.
When Zhu Xiang asked scholars from Xianyang Academy to lead these young nobles of Wei, whose skin would peel if exposed to the early spring sun, to farm, he kept telling them that this was the life of common people. If their family was no longer aristocratic, they would have to farm their own land even if they had it, and they would have to suffer like this every day.
Who doesn’t want to be rich? Who wants to work
Even if the older generation of Wei scholars still had some blood in their veins and were willing to endure such hardships, would the delicate young nobles who had grown up in luxury be willing to do so
A family that can raise a delicate young aristocrat must have many elders who love pleasure.
When these young nobles go back and cry, what will the elders who love pleasure and feel sorry for their children do
The old nobles of the six countries are so powerful that they cannot be killed in a short time. Only by letting them attack themselves from within can they be killed thoroughly.
Zhu Xiang organized the experimental results of the "labor reform" of the Wei nobles and had them handed over to King Zheng of Qin.
King Zheng of Qin watched and tapped the table with his fingers. When his fingers became numb, he didn't say "Uncle is so awesome", but muttered "When will uncle come back to bring Fusu back?"
Of course, he did not think that Zhu Xiang's move was not powerful. Although it was a bit tactful, and gave too much face to the old nobles of the six countries who were dissatisfied with Qin, tactfulness has its advantages. Qin Wang Zheng did not like tactfulness, but he did not deny that sometimes tactfulness is better than toughness.
Although he really doesn’t like euphemisms (emphasis added).
It is well known that my uncle has the talent to assist the king. There is nothing surprising about it. My uncle has already taken the lead in the affairs of Wei State, so he can hand it over to others.
Otherwise, wouldn't the Xianyang Academy have been in operation for more than ten years, wasting Qin's money and grain in vain
My aunt returned to Nanqin.
Nanqin is an important production area of silk and cotton, and those large official workshops are all managed by my aunt.
Although Li Si and Han Fei were in the south, King Zheng of Qin trusted his uncle and aunt more.
With his uncle in Xianyang helping him pacify the newly conquered lands, and his aunt in Southern Qin helping him guard the rear, he could realize his ambitions with greater peace of mind.
Since both his aunt and uncle were not in Xianyang, King Zheng of Qin first tried to let Mi Ji raise Fusu for a while.
Mi Ji was in poor health, so she arranged many wet nurses and servants for Fusu. King Zheng of Qin went to take a look and was dissatisfied with the prince being raised by servants, so he handed Fusu over to Queen Mother Huayang and Queen Mother Xia to raise together.
He thought that Queen Dowager Xia had raised his father when he was young, and Queen Dowager Huayang had raised Cheng Jiao when he was young, so they should know how to raise children.
After a while, King Zheng of Qin went to take another look and found that Queen Dowager Huayang and Queen Dowager Xia also handed Fusu over to wet nurses and servants, but they were a little more diligent than Mi Ji, and Fusu was still raised by servants.
How can the prince of Qin grow up in the hands of servants
When King Zheng of Qin learned from his spy that the wet nurse often whispered in the ear of Fusu, who could not speak yet, asking him to be filial to her when he grew up, King Zheng of Qin was completely furious.
You are a slave, and you actually want the prince to be filial to you?! What kind of wet nurse is this? Do you really think you are a "mother"
King Zheng of Qin wanted to kill him, but was persuaded to stop by Queen Dowager Huayang and Queen Dowager Xia.
It was only then that King Zheng of Qin realized that this was how aristocratic women raised their children.
King Zheng of Qin fell into deep thought and returned to his already crumbling dream room to ask himself in the dream if this was the case.
Daying Zheng said I know nothing.
He was busy with government affairs and only went to the harem to work. Even before his eldest son Fusu was able to receive education, he did not often ask about him. At most, he would meet him occasionally and tease him.
What man would raise a child himself? This is not nonsense!
Although Emperor Qin Shi Huang did not say a word, King Qin Zheng could still read such thoughts from Emperor Qin Shi Huang's memory.
Even though he had many servants at home, King Zheng of Qin, who was raised and taught by his uncle and aunt, still could not accept it.
Well, in the dream, I was self-taught, and all the Qin kings were raised by servants. As long as I keep up with the education, Fusu will not grow up crooked.
should
King Zheng of Qin was unsure.
He dared to appoint the dissatisfied Fusu in his dream as the crown prince because he believed in the teachings of his uncle and aunt.
If Fusu had been raised by servants and had held the title of crown prince, he might have changed from a brave, benevolent and filial Prince Fusu who was eager to do good to others into a spoiled dandy.
For example, the King of Zhao, the new King of Zhao, and the brand new King of Zhao.
King Zheng of Qin couldn't help but shudder, and gritted his teeth to keep Fusu by his side.
Although he was still taken care of by servants, at least he was watching over him, and no one dared to instill in Fusu the idea of being filial to servants since childhood.
As for the nagging wet nurse of Fusu, she was naturally killed by King Zheng of Qin.
Even though the two queen dowagers and other elders told him that the children of the nobles were very close to their wet nurses and took good care of them, and that some people regarded their wet nurses as elders, this was not a big deal.
These words, "it's not a big deal", made King Zheng of Qin even more determined to kill.
When King Zheng of Qin was handling government affairs, Fusu's cradle was next to his desk.
He originally thought that raising children was easy, since others would do everything and he only needed to give orders.
Only after he actually started raising a child did King Zheng of Qin realize how troublesome children were.
He peed, pooped, was hungry, and there was nothing else but he just cried. He might not have cried but he was laughing foolishly... Fusu was extremely energetic at a young age, and his sleep and rest schedule was very regular. He would wake up during the day and sleep at night, and he would keep crying when King Zheng of Qin was the busiest.
King Zheng of Qin even wanted to seal the baby's mouth.
Cheng Jiao lay beside the cradle, shaking a rattle, and said in a condescending manner: "Fusu is already very obedient. My wet nurse said that it is very rare for a child to sleep through the night. How dare you despise him."
King Qin gnashed his teeth and said, "Then you will take care of it?"
Cheng Jiao said cheerfully, "Okay, I dare to raise one. Big brother, do you dare to raise one for me?"
Why would the King of Qin not dare to do it? He just didn't want to.
King Zheng of Qin finally couldn't hold on any longer and could only write a letter to his uncle.
Uncle, come back soon, Fusu needs you!
After Zhu Xiang received Qin Shi Huang's letter for help, he was completely confused.
Even if Zheng'er is not satisfied with Mi Ji, a novice, taking care of the child, there are two queen dowagers in the Xianyang Palace. Can't they take care of Fusu
But nephews and grandchildren are important. Fusu is almost one year old, so it's time to hold a celebration. Wei's affairs have been arranged, so there's no need for me to do it myself. It's time to go back.
In this era, people call their children nephews and grandsons. Should they be called nephews? Zhu Xiang was thinking about his relationship with Fusu.
When Zhu Xiang returned to Xianyang Palace, King Zheng of Qin actually came to greet Zhu Xiang holding Fusu in his arms.
Zhu Xiang was shocked.
Oh my god! A picture of Zheng Er holding a baby! He must record this scene in his diary!
"Here!" King Zheng of Qin stuffed Fusu into Zhu Xiang's arms with a dark face.
Fusu was almost a year old, and had grown several times bigger than when Zhu Xiang had seen him before. His arms and legs could no longer be contained in the swaddling clothes. He was dressed in thick little clothes, and his hands and feet were free.
When King Zheng of Qin handed Fusu to Zhu Xiang, Fusu raised his foot and kicked his king and father.
King Zheng of Qin dodged the kicks from his unfilial son very swiftly.
Seeing his own Zheng'er's skilled appearance, Zhu Xiang had a strange expression on his face.
It seems that Zheng'er has been troubled by this child a lot.
Although Zhu Xiang had not held a child for a long time, the experience of raising Zheng'er had been ingrained in him. After finding the feeling for a while, he let Fusu lie obediently in his arms and started playing with him by pulling the folds of his clothes.
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "This child is indeed energetic, almost as energetic as you were when you were a child."
Qin Wang Zheng said with disgust: "I was not like this when I was a child."
Zhu Xiang gave his nephew some face in front of everyone and said, "If you say it's not true, then it's not true."
King Zheng of Qin's face became even gloomier.
If the ministers around him saw his expression, they would tremble in fear.
Zhu Xiang just shook his head and smiled, muttering that Zheng'er was still so easily angered.
But Zheng'er was so angry that he left quickly, so just pretend you didn't see it.
After Zhu Xiang carried Fusu to his arms, he returned to the carriage.
King Zheng of Qin followed Zhu Xiang into the carriage, just as he did in previous times.
"Uncle, I don't want Fusu to grow up in the hands of slaves."
"Oh, good. Then uncle will take care of him from now on. He is already one year old and strong enough to be carried around by me."
Zhu Xiang patted the back of the child in his arms and spoke slowly.
Fusu yawned, clenched his little hands into fists and pulled them against his chest. He curled up like a puppy, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
King Zheng of Qin gave Fusu a look of disdain, and asked in a low voice whether Zhu Xiang had a safe trip and whether anyone had made Zhu Xiang angry. He would deal with those people.
Zhu Xiang replied that everything was fine and going well, and then asked King Zheng of Qin if he had eaten well and slept well.
Of course King Zheng of Qin answered, absolutely not!
Zhu Xiang almost laughed out loud.
"Fusu needs to grow up for another year before he can follow me on long journeys. I will take good care of your health this year. Don't be like your father."
“Who will learn from him?”
"Hahaha, if you don't want to learn it, don't learn it."
When Zhu Xiang returned to Xianyang and took Crown Prince Fusu to his permanent residence to raise him, Meng Ao served as the main general, Sima Jin and Wang He served as deputy generals, and they once again led the army from Yanmen County to attack Dai County.
King Yan of Zhao was sending a large army to attack the State of Yan. Meng Ao wanted to occupy Dai County and cut off the Zhao army's passage back to the country.
(End of this chapter)