Meng Wu was a very reliable guard. Even when Zichu and Zhu Xiang asked him to leave, he still disguised himself, leaned against the wall and listened to the movements inside the house, and continued to guard the Prince of Qin and Lord Changping.
When he heard the screams in the courtyard, he immediately rushed in and saw an old but strong Confucian scholar beating Zhu Xiang, Zichu and Lin Zhi with an unsheathed broadsword, making them flee in panic.
"Xunzi, listen to my explanation!"
Meng Wu pondered for a few breaths, then quickly retreated and hid behind the courtyard wall.
Listening to the screams in the courtyard, Meng Wu leaned against the wall with his sword in his arms and looked up at the sky. Even if the Lord was here, he would not interfere with the teacher's teaching of the disciple.
This time Xunzi did not hold back, and Zhu Xiang, Zichu and Lin Zhi were all hit hard several times.
Fortunately, Xunzi hit them on the back and did not disfigure them.
After being beaten, the three men knelt in front of Xunzi with their heads down and listened to Xunzi's lecture for a full half hour.
If it weren't for Zhu Xiang's white hair, Xunzi would have taught him a lesson for at least two hours.
Xunzi glanced at Zhu Xiang, then looked away from his head of white hair.
He looked at Lin Zhi again, then quickly looked away as if he had seen something dirty.
Finally, he set his sights on Zichu: "Are you Zhu Xiang's friend, the prince of Qin?"
Zichu was embarrassed: "Yes..."
Why did I follow Lin Zhi and Zhu Xiang to do stupid things? Why did I think what Lin Zhi said made sense!
Recalling the past, when Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi were fooling around alone, he could hold on to his wits and ridicule them. When Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi were in step with each other, he seemed to have lost his soul, and would inexplicably feel that the two of them were very reasonable, and then join in.
Every time after he played pranks, Zichu would feel remorseful and constantly reflect on himself.
"Don't learn from Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi," Xunzi scolded. "If you learn from them, you will destroy your country!"
Zhu Xiang couldn't help but ask, "Xunzi, it's not that serious, right?"
Lin Zhi also said: "Yes, yes, playing music in front of the tomb was my father's last wish."
Xunzi slammed the broadsword to the ground, and Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi immediately shut up.
Zichu glanced at Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi from the corner of his eye. Qin would definitely not perish, but he was afraid that his two friends would perish.
Zichu immediately expressed his regret with the most sincere expression and words, and admitted his mistake so quickly that Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi's eyes were filled with contempt.
But when Xunzi's gaze swept over, the words they used to admit their mistakes were even more exaggerated than Zichu's, and they were despised by Zichu.
Xunzi looked at the three people flirting with each other, and his anger turned into helplessness.
"Forget it." He felt that if he continued to argue with these three people, he would die young. "Zhu Xiang, what's wrong with your hair?"
Zhu Xiang said, "I wanted to change my image after entering Qin. White hair looks good and it's easier to disguise myself when I go out. This time when I entered Zhao, even Lin Li didn't recognize me at first."
Xunzi: “…” His hands were itching again.
Zichu and Lin Zhi both covered their faces with their sleeves.
Even if you don't want to make Xunzi worry, you can use a more normal reason. Look at Xunzi's face, it's twisted with anger.
"It's really okay." Zhu Xiang smiled flatteringly, "Xunzi, I am now the Lord of Changping, a real lord!"
"The King of Qin is not bad." Xunzi breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that Xunzi's expression had eased, Zhu Xiang knelt down and moved to Xunzi's side, telling him some interesting stories after he entered Qin, in order to divert Xunzi's attention.
Zichu and Lin Zhi looked at each other.
Zichu: Zhu Xiang is still so good at getting along with elders.
Lin Zhi: Saved.
The two men suddenly relaxed, but immediately straightened their backs when Xunzi's eyes swept over them.
Zhu Xiang held back his laughter and continued to tell the funny story.
Zichu supplemented and Lin Zhi asked questions, and when it got dark, Xunzi and Lin Zhi finally found out everything that Zhu Xiang had experienced.
They lit a fire, baked bread, cooked millet porridge with lots of bean leaves, and continued chatting.
Lin Zhi laughed loudly: "You two actually performed your poor sword skills in the Qin Palace? And Xia Tong lost? Xia Tong, didn't you hire a sword teacher after you returned to Xianyang?"
Zichu covered half of his face with a bread and did not want to answer this question.
Xunzi stroked his beard and wanted to scold, but this was the request of the King of Qin. He did not want to cause trouble for Zhu Xiang, so he could not insult the King of Qin directly and could only endure it.
Zhu Xiang said proudly: "Now I am Teacher Xia Tong. Xia Tong, call me Teacher."
Lin Zhi immediately said, "Hurry up and call me Uncle Master."
Zichu: “Haha.”
Xunzi met Zichu for the first time. He was very curious about this prince of Qin who had fled from Zhao and was valued by the crown prince and the king of Qin. Such a person, a scheming man, would definitely not be able to escape. He was worried that Zichu was making friends with Zhu Xiang just to use Zhu Xiang.
Although he was very angry about the three boys making trouble in front of Lin Xiangru's tomb, he was also relieved. Zichu could follow Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi to make trouble, which seemed to indicate that their feelings were sincere.
Now seeing Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi teasing Zichu, Xunzi felt more relieved. At least now, Zichu was indeed making friends with Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi on an equal footing.
Even if they became kings, as long as Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi did not fight for power with Zichu, this friendship should have continued.
As it happens, Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi were both people who had no desire for power. Zichu should be able to get along well with both of them.
"The King of Qin has been good to you, you must repay him well." Xunzi said very pertinently.
Zichu was inspired by Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi and spoke more casually to Xunzi: "Zhu Xiang has given back a lot. He has done in one month what many people cannot do in their lifetime."
Zichu recounted in detail what Zhu Xiang did when he left Qin.
Lin Zhi ignored Xunzi's presence and laughed wildly, "Zhu Xiang, you are too... Hahahaha, what do you mean you haven't done anything for the King of Qin yet and you're embarrassed to leave? The King of Qin must have been amused by you."
Zichu said: "I can't tell whether the Lord is amused or not, but the Lord has replaced the guards with General Mengwu, and told General Mengwu that it doesn't matter whether I can return to Qin or not, but Changping Jun must be safe and sound."
Zhu Xiang laughed and said, "Do you feel the pain now? What did you say at the beginning? Zheng'er doesn't care, right?"
Zichu glanced at Zhu Xiang and said, "Yes, Zheng'er and I don't care. You are the most important. Are you happy?"
Zhu Xiang: "Get lost!"
Lin Zhi slapped his thigh and laughed, "Xia Tong, you know that Zhu Xiang considers his relatives and friends more important than himself, but you have to poke him in the wrong place? I think you are really stupid. Such words can also reach Zhu Xiang's ears. You don't know how much he dotes on Zheng'er. If you treat Zheng'er badly, he will put croton seeds in your rice."
Zichu sneered: "I wanted to hide it from him, but the Lord betrayed me, what can I do?"
Lin Zhi stroked his chin and said, "It seems that the King of Qin really likes to laugh at you? I didn't expect the King of Qin to be this kind of person!"
Zichu thought to himself, he hadn’t expected that either.
Seeing that Zichu could even make a joke about the fact that his status in the King of Qin's heart was not as good as Zhu Xiang's, Xunzi finally felt relieved.
He said: "The King of Qin allowed Fan Ju and Bai Qi to live in Zhu Xiang's house. This is not only the greatest guarantee for Zhu Xiang, but also Xia Tong, this is also the King of Qin's recognition of you."
Zichu bowed his head: "Yes."
Xunzi said: "The power of Qin is concentrated in the hands of the king. As long as the king of Qin values you two, he can ignore the relatives of Chu and other princes of Qin. The king of Qin rarely delegates power to the crown prince. The princes of Qin can fight with each other and show their talents in front of him, but after he decides on the successor, anyone who dares to move is challenging his authority. You don't need to do anything unnecessary, and you can't do anything unnecessary."
Zichu's heart trembled: "Yes!" Xunzi actually taught him about the struggle for the throne of Qin? !
"Xunzi, you worry too much. Do you think Zhu Xiang is someone who would argue with others?" Lin Zhi said, "Even if someone plotted against him, as long as nothing goes wrong, he would probably just want the other party to apologize and let it go."
Zhu Xiang and Zichu's expressions became interesting at the same time.
Lin Zhi was curious: "Why? I was right."
Zhu Xiang gritted his teeth and said, "Shut up."
Lin Zhi: “Hahahahahahaha!”
Xunzi held his forehead and said, "Zhu Xiang, you can't... Never mind. You won't learn even if I teach you. You have Xia Tong and Cai Ze to help you, and Lin Zhi will also serve you. Apart from assassinating the King of Qin, the three of them can protect you in other matters."
Lin Zhi continued to laugh: "Xunzi, with Zhu Xiang's swordsmanship, he can only assassinate him after Xia Tong becomes the King of Qin, hahahaha."
Zhu Xiang and Zichu both blushed.
Xunzi put his clenched fist to his mouth, coughed lightly and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Lin Zhi laughed and said, "By the way, does spanking Zheng'er count as assassinating the King of Qin?"
Zichu was speechless: "When spanking Zheng'er is considered assassinating the King of Qin, then I can't protect Zhu Xiang."
Lin Zhi nodded: "That's right, you have become the former king..."
Xunzi took out the ruler from his sleeve and hit Lin Zhi, Zichu and Zhu Xiang on the head in turn.
Zichu: “…” Shocked!
Zhu Xiang: “…” Unfair!
"Lü Buwei is very tactful. As long as you keep the upper hand, he will not only not be hostile to you, but may even become your most useful tool." Xunzi's words now do not sound like a great Confucian sage at all. "Villains are driven by profit, but they should not be reused, so as not to ruin the atmosphere of the court."
Lin Zhi nodded vigorously: "Yes, use me. Since I am an official, I will at least be a prime minister."
Zhu Xiang: "I don't want to be anything, and I don't want to go to the palace for meetings."
Zichu: "Okay."
Then the three of them were hit on the head again by Xunzi.
This time it was Zichu's turn to feel wronged. What did he do wrong? Why was he beaten
Xunzi held his forehead with his hand, it seemed that he had no choice but to enter the Qin State.
Do these three look like a qualified monarch and minister? Especially Xia Tong, he would rather the King of Qin be a king of tigers and wolves than become like Lin Zhi or Zhu Xiang! The Qin State will really perish!
"Many people are watching this place now, you can't hide it for long. Since you have already offered sacrifices, return to Qin tomorrow." Xunzi was very tired now and didn't want to teach them anymore. He would teach them slowly after entering Qin.
Zhu Xiang hesitated. Lin Zhi immediately said, "Yes, I will leave with you tomorrow. Xunzi, do you want to go to Qin with us?"
Lin Zhi knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Thank you, Xunzi."
According to etiquette, Lin Zhi should have built a hut to mourn for Lin Xiangru for at least one year. However, Xunzi did not reprimand Lin Zhi, but helped him cover up.
Xunzi is different from Confucius and Mencius. He is more realistic. Although etiquette is important, Xunzi knows that Lin Xiangru hopes that Lin Zhi will go to Qin as soon as possible and that both Lin Zhi and Zhu Xiang will be happy. Therefore, etiquette should give way to people's wishes. If etiquette is strictly followed, and Lin Zhi loses the opportunity to enter Qin and Zhu Xiang encounters danger, that would be "unfilial".
"Xunzi, when I entered the village, I heard from the villagers that the harvest this year was not good." Zhu Xiang originally wanted to go and find out tomorrow, but now Xunzi asked him to leave tomorrow, so he had to ask in person, "There was auspicious snow in winter, and the spring drought will be alleviated after the snow melts. This spring is also considered to be good weather, so how could the harvest be bad? What happened? Is there anything I can help with..."
Lin Zhi patted Zhu Xiang's shoulder hard and interrupted him, saying, "Zhu Xiang, you are a minister of Qin now, don't do unnecessary things."
Zhu Xiang clenched his fists on his legs and asked, "What happened to Zhao's fields?"
Lin Zhi said, "Anyway, there will be no famine in Zhao this year, so don't worry about anything else."
Zhu Xiang asked: "Really? But the villagers said..."
"There really won't be a famine." Lin Zhi said, "Believe me. Although my father has passed away, Lord Lian is still the prime minister of Zhao."
Zhu Xiang lowered his head: "That's right."
Lin Zhi said, "Go and have a rest. We will go to Qin together tomorrow. After we enter Qin, I will tell you slowly."
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Okay."
He knew he couldn't get any more answers, so he stopped pestering her.
Tired from the journey, Zhu Xiang fell asleep quickly.
Zichu felt a little tired, put on his clothes and went out. He saw Lin Zhi, who had said he was packing his luggage, was still chatting with Xunzi.
Seeing Zichu coming out, Lin Zhi turned around and asked, "Didn't you tell Zhu Xiang about the Zhao State?"
Zichu said: "Zhu Xiang had been through so much that his hair was all gray when he arrived in Qin. Your Majesty was afraid to tell him about Zhao, and he depressed himself to death."
Lin Zhi said, "In the end, his hair turned completely white. Why would my father go to dream for no reason?"
Xunzi used a ruler to hit the unfilial Lin Zhi's head as if it were a drum.
When Zichu saw this scene, he felt warm in his heart.
He was so eager for Zhu Xiang to enter the Qin State. In addition to the fact that Zhu Xiang was a great talent who could make the Qin State stronger, this scene was also one of the reasons.
Zichu missed his life at Zhu Xiang's house, even though he often quarreled with Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi.
"Although Zhu Xiang's hair is completely white, he can still stir up huge waves in Qin." Zichu sat beside the brazier burning straw sacrifices, staring at the flames and said, "In fact, I think even if we don't tell him, he will find out by himself. Why don't we tell him from the beginning so that he can be mentally prepared. Zhu Xiang is not a fragile person."
Lin Zhi, a close friend of Zhu Xiang, the Iron-Headed Boy, who is also the Iron-Headed Boy, said, "Look at his white hair. Say it again?"
Zichu smiled bitterly: "No matter how hard you try to hide it, he will find out."
Lin Zhi sighed deeply and rubbed his hair vigorously.
"But I didn't lie to him. There will indeed be no famine in Zhao this year."
"The country that will experience famine will be Yan."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Don't listen to slander. Zhao cannot be attacked!" The doctor dissuaded Qu.
King Yan frowned and said, "Didn't you say that Zhao State lost Duke Zhu Xiang and the people were in a state of panic?"
Jiang Qu crawled to the King of Yan on his knees and said: "Your Majesty, Zhao is indeed weak, so we can discuss an alliance with Zhao to strengthen Yan's influence, but we must not attack Zhao."
"Although the people of Zhao were in a panic, the Zhao army had not been seriously injured because Qin had returned the prisoners of war in the Battle of Changping. Now the King of Zhao has appointed Lian Po, and there are good generals leading the army. The people of Zhao were upset when they lost Zhu Xianggong, and a country sent troops to divert their attention. Both the nobles and the common people of Zhao would fight hard."
He put his face to the ground and said, "The other five countries did not attack Zhao because of its weakness. Instead, they extended a helping hand to Zhao. They wanted to keep Zhao in its current state of panic and not give it a chance to recover. If Yan attacks Zhao, it will help it recover! The people of Zhao are brave and good at fighting, and the people of Yan are invincible!"
When King Yan heard this, his face changed drastically and his heart was filled with humiliation.
Yan was not a strong country. When King Kuai of Yan was tricked by Prime Minister Zizhi into abdicating, Yan was almost destroyed by Qi. In order to prevent Qi from becoming strong, King Wuling of Zhao sent troops to Han to escort Prince Zhi, who was a hostage in Han, to Yan to ascend the throne as King Zhao of Yan.
King Zhao of Yan was a very wise king. During his reign, he used Guo Huai for domestic affairs, Yue Yi for military affairs, and Su Qin for foreign affairs. Yan State jumped from a small country on the verge of extinction to one of the seven major powers in the Warring States Period. Yue Yi led his troops to attack Qi State to avenge his grievances, and almost destroyed Qi State.
In order to disrupt the situation in other countries and intervene in the struggle for the throne of other countries, King Wuling of Zhao sent Prince Ji back to Qin to become King Zhao of Qin, and sent Prince Zhi back to Yan to become King Zhao of Yan. His vision in selecting people was really amazing.
But after King Zhao of Yan died, the succeeding King Hui of Yan immediately fell into the trap of Tian Dan of Qi and became suspicious of Yue Yi. Yue Yi fled to Zhao and the Yan State immediately declined.
However, Qi did not seize this opportunity for revenge, because the king of Qi sold Tian Dan, who had made great contributions to the restoration of the country, to Zhao in exchange for three large cities.
Le Yi and Tian Dan, once mortal enemies, were abandoned by their respective kings. When they were forced to leave, people from their hometowns knelt down and cried. They lived out their lives together in Zhao State, and could not return home even after their death.
The King of Yan was incompetent, and the slanderous words that led to the decline of Yan were placed on the successor King of Yan. They tried to replicate the achievements of King Zhao of Yan, but they were powerless, so they took their anger out on the State of Zhao, which had taken in Yue Yi.
Moreover, the current King of Yan was enthroned after Prime Minister Cheng'an Jun murdered the king. King Huiwen of Zhao once did not recognize his identity.
He once tried to attack the State of Zhao, but before his troops left the State of Yan, he was suppressed by King Huiwen of Zhao and obediently submitted a letter of surrender. In the end, he married King Huiwen's daughter as his queen in exchange for the support of the State of Zhao.
Zhao was the thorn in the side of the King of Yan, who had murdered his king to ascend to the throne. When he saw the decline of Zhao, he immediately thought he had seized his opportunity.
Now telling him that Yan is weak and even if Zhao is in decline, Yan will undoubtedly be defeated is like stabbing the King of Yan in the heart with a sword.
The old King of Yan blushed and said, "Zhao has Lian Po, Yan has Lord Chang! Lord Chang, tell me if we can fight!"
Changguo Jun Lejian cupped his hands and said coldly, "No."
Le Jian was the son of Le Yi who was forced to leave the State of Yan. When Le Yi left and the State of Yan declined, King Hui of Yan appointed Le Jian as the Lord of Changguo to appease the people.
Le Jian was always silent in the court and never contradicted the king's opinion. The King of Yan thought that Le Jian would behave the same as before, but he did not expect that Le Jian would disobey him for the first time!
The gray-haired Le Jian took a deep breath and bowed his head resolutely, saying, "As the doctor said, the Zhao people are brave and good at fighting, and they just need a victory to boost their morale. We cannot give the Zhao people this opportunity."
The veins on the King's fists were clenched, and his face was twisted like tree bark: "I will send five times the number of troops! I will personally attack Zhao!"
Le Jian raised his head and said indifferently, "Yan State does not have five times as many combat-ready soldiers as Zhao State. Temporary conscription of untrained soldiers on the battlefield would be a burden and even a burden to veterans. Your Majesty, Yan State does not have five times as many combat-ready soldiers as Zhao State!"
Jiang Qu crawled to the feet of the King of Yan and cried bitterly, "Your Majesty, this is not possible! If you personally lead the expedition to Zhao, you might be captured by Lian Po! That would be a disaster for Yan!"
The King of Yan could no longer bear the anger in his heart, so he drew the long sword from his waist and smashed Jiang Qu's head with the butt of the sword.
The officials in the Yan court heard a shrill scream. Those who had bowed their heads raised their heads and saw Jiang Qu, a man with gray hair and beard, hunched over. The blood on his head and the tears on his face had wet the ground.
The thin old man cried and cried while crawling on the ground towards the King of Yan with difficulty: "Your Majesty, for the sake of Yan, please do not send troops! Please do not send troops!"
His voice was shrill, and the King of Yan left the court without even looking back.
A sound like the howling of a dying beast came from the canal, as if the State of Yan had already perished before his eyes.
Le Jian got up from the ground, rushed to Jiang Qu, and shouted, "Imperial Physician! Call the Imperial Physician!"
Most of the Yan officials followed the King of Yan and left. Only a small number of Yan officials of lower status followed Le Jian and stood beside Jiang Qu, watching Jiang Qu wailing while covering the wound on his head with their hands, shedding tears.
The imperial physician of Yan State came over quickly and stabilized Jiang Qu's condition.
He kept his eyes open, tears flowing silently.
Le Jian smiled bitterly and said, "General, why are you doing this?"
Jiang Qu whispered, "The State of Yan is about to perish. Why are you asking me this?"
Lejian smiled bitterly and said nothing.
Jiang Qu's vision was blurred by tears again. Through the blurred vision, he seemed to see General Yue Yi going to the battle.
He remembered himself standing in the crowd, proudly clasping his fists as he bid farewell to General Le Yi.
King Zhao of Yan and his officials were singing the Book of Songs, and King Zhao of Yan himself beat the drums to make music. He stretched his neck and sang loudly, and he did not feel any pain even when his voice became hoarse.
How happy the king and his ministers were at that time, and how powerful the State of Yan was at that time.
"Perhaps... the State of Yan has already perished." Jiang Qu said again.
His voice was so soft that even Le Jian couldn't hear it clearly.
In February of 259 BC, the second year after the Battle of Changping, the King of Yan sent troops to attack the State of Zhao.
Lian Po was wearing armor and looking ahead indifferently.
He pointed his whip forward and said: "Whether your family will starve to death depends on whether the sword in your hand is sharp enough."
"Conquer the city of Yan! Kill the people of Yan! Grab all the food of Yan! Then your family will survive!"
"Follow me to fight!!"
"Yes!!!" The Zhao soldiers were in high spirits, like a group of hungry wolves, pressing towards the border of Yan State.
In March, Lian Po defeated the Yan army several times, and the King of Yan, who had led the expedition in person, fled back to the Yan capital in panic.
Historical records show that the Zhao army was brutal. They massacred people in every city they attacked, killed, burned and looted, causing widespread grief in the State of Yan.
In April, Lian Po besieged the capital of Yan. The King of Yan asked for peace, and Lian Po agreed, but he did not ask for the city of Yan. Instead, he asked Yan to give an exaggerated amount of food, even reducing the food storage in the King of Yan's palace by half.
Not only that, Lian Po also forced the Yan people to work as coolies to transport food, and countless Yan people died of starvation and exhaustion along the way.
Afterwards, there was famine in Yan State and people began to eat each other.
The King of Yan became frightened and depressed and fell ill. He died the following year (258 BC) and was posthumously named King Wuli of Yan.
The queen of King Wuli of Yan was the daughter of Queen Wei of Zhao and King Huiwen of Zhao. On the day King Wuli of Yan passed away, Queen Wuli of Yan hanged herself.
After this battle, Lian Po became more notorious than the butcher Bai Qi.
(End of this chapter)