Zhao Guo, Handan

After the Handan people lost Ma Fu Jun and Ping Yuan Jun, they finally heard a rare good news, General Lian Po defeated Yan Guo and humiliated their monarch, this matter became the only interesting talk of Handan people, they lost their most admired Ma Fu Jun, but life still has to go on, the dead will be rested, and the living need to continue to live.

The busy season of farming has gone away, and the country of Zhao has become cold again, and this time in the cold winter, the Zhao people have no sun to shine on them, which makes them feel even colder, shivering, there are few pedestrians on the street, and crying can often be heard, which is to send away another person who can't resist the cold. In the general direction, King Zhao did say that he had reduced the taxes of the people and exempted some of the servitudes in these years.

And the officials, the meritorious ones were also rewarded accordingly, and the evil ones were disposed of.

General Lian Po will not show mercy at all, in terms of trial, few people can escape, coupled with a series of previous policies, the situation in Zhao began to pick up, which is really incomprehensible, in the past, they could not eat enough, did not dress warmly, but the life was still very happy, often gathered together, talking about Ma Fujun's feats, listening to learned people tell Ma Fujun's words and deeds.

And now, they are no longer hungry, but they can no longer hear the laughter of the past.

In a small courtyard in Handan, the elderly Pang Gong sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Tian Dan lying on the bed, his face full of worry. Tian Dan is weaker than before, his forehead is hot, and King Zhao has set up medical officers in various places, which is also a good thing, and now there are doctors who are treating Tian Dan. Tian Dan's face was not worried, nor worried, he looked a little relaxed.

He looked at Pang Gong on the side, shook his head, and said with emotion: "Pang Gong... Looks like I can't survive you... You're going to leave first. ”

Pang Gong also smiled, and he said, "Few people can survive me... Everyone in the world says that King Qin has a long life, but this King Qin will never survive me, do you believe it? Tian Dan laughed, and then gasped violently, he nodded and said, "I believe this, how on earth do you maintain your longevity?"

"You want to learn?"

"No, I'm just curious."

"Go to bed early and get up early, dance the sword early in the morning, don't be greedy, don't drink much."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

Pang Gong smiled and said: "When you are a little better, you can move to the vicinity of my house...", Tian Dan shook his head and said seriously: "No need, longevity may not be a good thing, most people in the world envy you, but they don't know that the longer you live, the more painful it will be." ”

"It's true... I sent away my three sons, sent away my seven grandchildren, and now even one of my great-grandsons has died of illness...", Pang Gong said with a wry smile: "Those friends in my past, there is only one drama left, and I am now very worried that he will be killed by Lian Po..."

"Pang Gong... I wish you had left sooner. ”

"Why are you cursing me?"

"I just don't want you to see the fall of the Zhao Kingdom... Oh, Ma Fujun is gone, and no one can stop the Qin State anymore...", Tian Dan squinted his eyes, and he said seriously: "As that Kong Bin said, at most twenty years, the world will belong to the Qin State... I don't care, even if the Qin State destroys the Qi State, I won't feel anything, after all, my Qi State has long since perished..."

"But you are different, you are dedicated to Zhao, if that day comes, and you are still alive, even if you have not suffered the insult of the Qin State, you will be very painful... After all, you can do something against your heart for the sake of Zhao Guo... When Ma Fujun was about to leave Zhao State, someone came to Shangjun and said: You can send a warrior to pretend to be a Yan person to intercept and kill Ma Fujun. This person is you, right? Tian Dan asked with a smile.

Pang Gong lowered his head and said nothing.

"Because you know, when Ma Fujun arrives in the Qin State, there will be no one in the Qin State who can stop it, and the Zhao State will definitely fall... But, you think wrong, even if Ma Fujun stays in Zhao State, Zhao State will definitely be destroyed, Zhao Dan is cunning, it's not that he doesn't know the benefits of changing the law, he just doesn't want to give up the honor of changing the law to his courtiers... As soon as Ma Fujun left, he began to fully implement Ma Fujun's policy..."

"Is it because of remorse? Or is it because Ma Fujun can no longer preside over the law change? ”

Pang Gong said seriously: "At least, Zhao Guo is on the right path, and Zhao Guo will become stronger and stronger in the future." ”

"You'd be wrong... I see that today's prince is arrogant and domineering, contemptuous of the law, and despises ministers, Zhao Dan wants him to learn from me, but he is unwilling, saying: I would rather die than learn the way to govern the country. Can you believe it? Today's changes, after the crown prince succeeds to the throne, will be destroyed... And now these ministers who wholeheartedly assist Zhao will be expelled by him... Zhao Dan didn't know how to educate his son... He was also unwilling to use the law to govern the Zhao State. ”

Pang Gong said solemnly: "I am a Zhao person, no matter what price I pay, I will protect my country." ”

"I remember, your ancestor Pang Juan is a Wei person?"

"I was born here and grew up here."

Tian Dan nodded and said, "What you said is good... You're right. It's just that sometimes, the country you want to protect, you may not be able to appreciate it, this is the sorrow of being a human being, everything will not develop according to your thoughts, from the common people to the king, no one does not suffer, the common people have no food to fill their stomachs, the merchants endure harsh taxes, the soldiers are constantly killed, the ministers are feared, they are expelled, there is no opportunity to display their talents, and the king watches his country gradually decline..."

Pang Gong didn't say anything more, he stood up tremblingly, and said: "This doesn't make me give up, I will still do my best, complete my duties, and live up to my mission... I'll see you another day. ”

"No need... You're just going about your business... Shan died a long time ago.. Even if you die again, it doesn't matter..."

"I have a letter to Ma Fujun, can you send someone to deliver it to him?"

"Okay."

Three days after Pang Xuan left, Tian Dan passed away. He walked very quietly, slept for a while, and the next day, the retainer walked in and found that he had left, the general who was abandoned by his own country, did not want to bury himself in the Qi country, but the king of Zhao still buried him according to the customs of the Qi people. King Zhao was very sad, his talents left one after another, and now, he has lost a top talent.

Tian Dan's face was full of relief, perhaps at the end of his life, he was completely relieved.

There are still a lot of people who come to mourn, Tian Dan is very famous, and there are many people who know him, but it is only because he is too cold that everyone does not come to visit him, Tian Dan's grave is very close to Le Yi's grave, and the two former opponents, after working together for many years, have become eternal neighbors.

And when the news of Tian Dan's death reached the Qi country, it finally caused a huge sensation in the Qi country, the people of the Qi country spontaneously sent Tian Dan away, they neatly walked on the streets, there were common people, there were merchants, there were rangers, there were scholars, at this moment, these Qi people, all put down their own things, gathered together, they wore linen and filial piety, walked on the street, howling and crying, calling Tian Gong's title.

Qi people believe that after death, people have to return to their hometown.

And to get them to find it, you need to keep calling their names and let them listen to the sound and return to their hometown.

The Qi people played the banner of Anpingjun, which was Tiandan's title when he was in the Qi country, gathered under this banner, and the Qi people roared loudly: "Anpingjun!" Please come back! An Pingjun!! Please come back!! The king of Qi was also taken aback by this posture, and hurriedly asked the minister what happened, and the minister told him that Tian Dan had passed away.

King Qi asked with some doubts: "Few people know about this matter, but why do the people do this?" ”

The minister couldn't answer.

Such mourning behavior spread all over the Qi country, and more and more people participated, those elderly people stood up excitedly, and talked about An Pingjun's restoration with tears in their eyes, they listened to the shocking slogan, as if they had returned to the past, they waved the weapons that did not exist in their hands, and seemed to want to return to An Pingjun's side. Some of the old men, who were already delirious, vaguely returned to the past in the slogan, and shouted angrily: "Restore the Qi country!" Kill the swallow people!! ”

The Qi people have never forgotten their savior, and the Qi nation has never abandoned his valiant general.

The only thing that left him behind was the foul-smelling moths.

Even when the King of Qi died, there was no such treatment, and all the Qi people wept for their heroes, and the ancient nation whispered the name of its illustrious son.

Tian Gong's soul must have returned to his hometown, in the cry of the Qi people, in their resounding call of the heavens and the earth, flew back to his hometown, happily watching everything, and throwing himself into the arms of everyone.

This send-off to mourn Tian Gong lasted for seven days in the Qi State before it ended.

In the midst of winter, a new year has arrived.

In the fifty-sixth year of King Qin, Zhao Kuo received a letter from his homeland.

He thought it was sent by Xinlingjun or Li Mu, but when he opened the bamboo slip, he was surprised to find that it was a letter written by Tian Dan to himself.

"Kuo, I see my former self in you. We are all the same people, people who do not hesitate to fight to the death for the sake of our countrymen. But people like us are always betrayed and forced to leave their homeland. As early as the first time I met you, I understood that you were destined to leave the Kingdom of Zhao. For no king can tolerate having a minister in his kingdom who is followed by his people. ”

"At the beginning, someone once persuaded me that I could take the opportunity to kill the king of Qi and serve as the king of Qi myself... But I didn't do that, I didn't want my country to fall into war again, I just let him get out of the war... I guess that's probably the same for you... You are now in the Qin Kingdom, but don't think that if you leave your hometown, this kind of embarrassment will be over, unless you don't say a word, stay in the mansion and don't go out, otherwise, you will definitely be persecuted again..."

"However, the child you raised... If he came to serve as the king of Qin, maybe he wouldn't have such worries. ”

"You're so lucky..."

Tian Dan wrote a lot, Zhao Kuo read it for a long time, this time I read his letter, in the letter, there was no admonition, and there was no explanation, just some small talk, just like talking to his friends, Tian Dan wrote a lot of words that he hid in his heart, and even some interesting anecdotes, including the grievances between him and Zhao Hao, Tian Dan and Zhao Hao quarreled fiercely, the two of them had different ideas, and every time they got together, they always broke up unhappily.

Tian Dan still feels that in addition to educating children, Zhao Hao is inferior to himself in other fields.

Obviously there are a lot of anecdotes, obviously it's just a small talk between friends, but Zhao Kuo still read a kind of deep sadness, the sadness that is covered by humor, Tian Dan quarreled with Zhao Hao because Tian Dan felt that the country only needed to raise an elite, and there was no need to recruit too many soldiers, this was because when he was at war with Le Yi, all the people of Qi were soldiers, which seriously damaged agriculture, and the cultivated land of Qi was empty, no one came to take care of it, and there were orphans and widows everywhere.

He had seen the greatest scourge of war, so he felt that it was important to save people's resources.

And what Tian Dan said, you are so lucky... But it was his greatest misfortune.

Zhao Kuo was vaguely uneasy after receiving the letter, and a few days later, he received the news that Tian Dan had died of illness in Handan.

Zhao Kuo was very sad, and his heart was unspeakably uncomfortable.

In the following days, Han Fei talked about what he knew, it was said that a funeral event broke out in the Qi country, and all the Qi people poured into the streets to call Tian Dan's name and mourn for him, Han Fei reprimanded this behavior, believing that such behavior was useless, only delaying farming and other normal work. But Zhao Kuo didn't think so, I don't know why, Zhao Kuo felt a little relieved.

At least, the Qi people have not forgotten Tiandan.

Not long after Zhao Kuo got the news of Tian Dan's death, a major incident also happened in the Qin State.

King Qin fell ill.

The tiger who looked incomparably majestic, always in good spirits, and made people dare not look at it directly, the king of Qin, who swept through the six countries and made others dare not compete with him, finally fell ill, in this cold winter. When Wu Anjun fell, the soldiers were a little uneasy, and when Ying Hou died, the ministers missed him very much, and when the King of Qin fell ill, the entire Qin country was in chaos.

An Guojun, Zhao Yiren, hurried to take care of King Qin.

The ministers gathered in the palace to discuss the next situation.

Even Zhao Kuo took Zhao Zheng to visit King Qin.

The weak King Qin lay on the sickbed, held Zhao Kuo's hand tightly, and said sadly: "If you give the widow another ten years... Decade... Ten years is fine. ”