Tian Tai wanted to get angry, but forcibly endured it, and his face turned red.

There is no way, the young man in front of him is his uncle in terms of seniority, and the ceremony cannot be abolished.

He could only look directly at Meng Zhong with his round eyes open, so as to express the strong dissatisfaction in his heart.

Noticing Tian Tai's expression, Meng Zhong smiled and reassured: "Okay, second son, it's just a confirmation below, whether Brother Tian Zhang is in the army or not, in fact, your country has already lost this battle......"

Hearing this, Tian Tai frowned, very unconvinced.

It is true that with his ability, he may indeed not be able to defeat the little uncle in front of him, but if it is his father Tian Zhang, he may not be unable to win, right?

But when he thought that his father was indeed forced to retreat by this little uncle, Tian Tai couldn't say anything to refute even though he was dissatisfied.

Meng Zhong obviously noticed the unconvinced look on Tian Tai's face, and said with a smile when he heard this: "I have always respected Ling Zun, but Ling Zun is also powerful...... Why don't you think about it carefully, why am I in the Song Kingdom at the moment, and I am so calm and composed? ”

Hearing this, Tian Tai was slightly stunned and looked at Meng Zhong thoughtfully.

Indeed, this incident really made him wonder, it is rumored that this little uncle is not following the Fengyang Jun of the Zhao State Li Dui to crusade against the Qin State, and is at war with the Qin State in Xihe County of the Qin State? Why......

"Is it ......?"

His heart trembled slightly, Tian Tai felt as if he had vaguely guessed a few points, and his face became a little ugly.

He said in his heart, could it be that the Qin State was defeated? Or is it that Qin has made peace with Wei again?

The former's words, Tian Tai used to have a hard time believing it, after all, the Qin State was the most powerful country in the world, but considering that the army of the five countries crusaded against the Qin State this time, it was not unexpected for the Qin State to show weakness and ask for peace; As for the Qin State and the Wei State to make peace again, this is a precedent, when he attacked the Song State for the second time in the previous year, didn't the Qin State and the Wei State just stop abruptly during the Battle of Wanfang, and then the two sides shook hands and made peace to support the Song State together?

If you think about it, this second guess is more likely than the first.

Looking at Tian Tai, who had changed face and color, Meng Zhong suddenly said: "Second son, the following words are based on Ling Zun's senior brother, and the second son is called on the next uncle's affection...... Go back to Kuangyi, second son, when you return to Kuangyi, inform your eldest brother, gather the clansmen, and guard the fiefdom. You can rest assured, in the future, I will also send my henchmen to Kuangyi to protect your Kuangyi Tian clan from being implicated in the disaster of the Qi Kingdom......"

“……”

Tian Tai was stunned at first when he heard this, then his eyes widened slightly, and he asked urgently, "Uncle, what do you say...... What is the meaning? ”

Meng Zhong thought for a moment, obviously hesitating whether to tell the truth to the eldest nephew in front of him, after all, Tian Zhang was loyal to Qi Guo, Meng Zhong did not doubt that the eldest nephew in front of him was also loyal to Qi Guo, maybe he would secretly tell the truth to the Qi King Tiandi, so that Qi Guo could prepare in advance.

To be honest, even if Qi knew in advance, Meng Zhong didn't think that Qi would be able to escape this catastrophe, let alone that Qi would have a way to solve this crisis, after all, the countries that led this Qi crisis, like Qin, Wei, and Yan, all had their own firm strategic goals.

Qin was to divert the attention of Wei, Wei was mainly to show favor to Song and his Meng Zhong, and Yan was to avenge the hatred of Qi for its downfall, in short, none of these three countries would be easily persuaded by Qi's envoys to change their decision.

Excluding the purely familiar South Korea, Zhao is the only country in Qi that has the opportunity to 'rebel', but under the threat of Qin, Wei, and Yan, how dare Zhao turn his back on the countries and help Zhao in this situation?

In other words, Qin, Wei, Han, Zhao and Yan attacked Qi, this is already the destined fate of Qi, even if Qi knows about this matter one step in advance, it will not be able to make changes, so at this moment, Meng Zhong told Tian Tai the truth, even if Tian Tai went back to Linzi immediately, it didn't matter.

The main thing is that this news spread from the Song State, vaguely using the Five Nations Alliance, and the reputation is not very good, and besides, before the matter is over, Meng Zhong is not completely sure - of course he is more inclined to the Five Nations Alliance to attack the land of Qi State, Qi State has just learned about it.

Thinking of this, he said to Tian Tai: "Second son, Ling Zun and I have been brothers for many years, and the two of us have worshiped under Mencius together, and they are like brothers and sisters, in matters involving interests, I will not joke with the second son, let alone harm your father and son, believe me, go back to Kuangyi, gather the clansmen, gather the Yi soldiers, no matter what name Linzi asks your father and son to participate in the war in the future, don't interfere...... As long as your father, son, and brothers stay in Fengyi and don't come out, I can ensure that your Kuangyi Tian clan is safe and sound. …… For the rest, I can't reveal any more. ”

Listening to Meng Zhongzhengse's narration, Tian Tai's face changed greatly, and he could faintly hear that his Qi country was about to face a catastrophe, otherwise the little uncle in front of him would not have persuaded him to return to Kuangyi so seriously, defend Kuangyi well, and don't get involved in the affairs of Qi country.

Can......

Glancing at Meng Zhong in front of him, Tian Tai's heart moved slightly, and he whispered tentatively: "Uncle and my father have been brotherly for many years, so I can naturally trust my uncle, but my uncle is so concise, it is really difficult to make ...... As you know, I can't leave my position in the army and return to Kuangyi because of my uncle's words, unless you say something specific, uncle. ”

"Huh." Meng Zhong smiled when he heard this, and said, "I have revealed enough, I believe that with the intelligence of the second son, I have more or less guessed a few points...... Yes, I can tell the second prince bluntly that the Qi country is about to usher in a catastrophe, but I can't reveal the specifics. After all, this is the matter of the King of Qi, and it has nothing to do with your Kuangyi Tian clan, so the second son should not use words to trick me anymore, as long as the second son remembers my advice, he can ensure that your Kuangyi Tian clan is safe. …… Okay, that's all for today, I should go back too. ”

As he spoke, he stood up, and Tian Tai, who was sitting opposite him at this time, immediately stood up and gave him a hand: "Uncle go slowly." ”

Hearing that uncle, Meng Zhong really felt a little funny, but immediately, he seemed to think of something, and turned around and told Tian Taidao: "Second son, I know that you have just tried many times, in order to hear the news from my mouth so that you can tell the king of Qi, but I advise you not to do that, the king of Qi Tiandi is a mean person, and he does not remember grudges, if you tell the king of Qi the information you know a little about, the king of Qi will be angry and ask you, you can't tell you what the reason is, but it will make the king of Qi hold a grudge, and even cause unnecessary trouble, Therefore, I advise the second son to pretend not to know, and send a letter to Kuang Yi first, so that your brother can get ready, and as for the second son, he can leave the Qi army at an appropriate time...... This is not some trick set up to defeat the Qi army, the army of my Song State will not launch any surprise attack on the Qi army in the future, and will only cover up with the army when the Qi army withdraws in a big way. …… Remember, remember. ”

『…… Is it really okay to tell me this kind of thing so bluntly?'

Tian Tai was speechless in shock, he felt that Meng Zhong seemed to be very adamant that his Qi army would definitely withdraw from the territory of the Song State in a hurry.

But no matter what, he also felt the friendship that Meng Zhong thought about him.

He arched his hands and said, "Uncle's words, the little nephew remembers." ”

Seeing Meng Zhong leave, Tian Tai returned to the camp in Luyi with all kinds of thoughts.

As soon as he returned to the tent in the camp, Tian Da hurried over and asked, "Second son, how is the situation when you go to see Na Mengzhong this time?" Is that really Mengzhong? ”

Tian Tai thought for a while and said: "Although Meng Zhong has been a brother with his father for many years, in fact, I have not seen him, I don't know what his true appearance is, but the Meng Zhong I saw today is more than twenty years old, very imposing, I think it should be the deity." ”

"If someone is pretending, how dare he speak out and make an appointment with Zhangzi?" Tian Da nodded, and then asked Tian Taidao, "I don't know what he talked to you about?" ”

Tian Tai hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth: "He first deceived me with words and asked me how my father's physical condition was...... Subsequently, he persuaded me to return to Kuangyi, saying that my Qi country was about to usher in a great disaster, and asked me to leave the army and return to Kuangyi to protect myself. ”

Tian Tai frowned when he heard this: "Meng Zhong is a person who uses soldiers to deceive and scheming, and his words cannot be fully believed, but he and Zhang Zi are both disciples of Mencius, and he does have some affection with the second son, I wonder if he should deceive the second son in this matter...... Is it a disaster for my country? ”

Looking at Tian Da, who was muttering, Tian Tai asked, "Dazi, in your opinion, what will be the disaster that Meng Zhong refers to?" ”

Hearing this, Tian Da let out a long breath and said with a somewhat depressed expression: "The worst result is that Qin and Wei shook hands again and made peace, united to support the Song State and fight against our Qi State...... You also know that last year, the king listened to Su Qin's suggestion, reneged on the alliance with Qin, and called on all countries to crusade against Qin. …… Damn Su Qin, Zhang Zi is right, this guy is definitely a traitor sent by someone to harm my Qi country, but the king is really hateful to his words and deeds! ”

After that, he looked up at Tian Tai and said with relief: "The second prince doesn't need to panic, if Qin Wei makes peace again and aids the Song Dynasty to resist Qi, you and I can retreat to Tancheng, it's a big deal to retreat into Jucheng, don't believe too much in Meng Zhong's alarmism." ”

Having said that, Tian Tai could still see the strong worry in Tian Da's eyes, he knew that this was Tian Da comforting him, so he didn't say anything more, just nodded: "I know, Dazi." ”

After Tian Da left, Tian Tai lay on the straw couch in the tent and tossed and turned.

He could see that Tian Dafang's words were not finished, and he obviously had a strong fear of Qin and Wei shaking hands again and making peace and aiding the Song Dynasty, but ...... Is this really what the little uncle said, about the catastrophe of his Qi country?

Tian Tai did not think so, he believed that the disaster of Qi this time was more serious than the joint aid of Qin and Wei to the Song Dynasty.

After thinking about it, Tian Tai finally decided to follow the advice of the little uncle, first wrote a letter and sent someone to Kuangyi, and sent it to his brother Tian Ru, asking the brother to immediately gather the people who went out, and start repairing the walls and defenses of Kuangyi.

At the same time, Meng Zhong also returned to the military camp outside Pengcheng and met Dai Busheng.

When Dai Busheng asked about the situation of the appointment with Tian Zhang, Meng Zhong replied with a smile: "As I expected, Brother Tian Zhang is really not in the army, and the 'Zhangzi' rumored by the Qi army should be Tian Tai, the second son of Tian Zhang, pretending to be ......."

As he spoke, he told Dai Busheng about the process of meeting Tian Tai, and then said with emotion: "I don't know if Tian Tai believes my advice, if it is Brother Tian Zhang, I'm afraid that as soon as he sees me, he will be able to associate all kinds of ......."

As if seeing Meng Zhong's concern, Dai Busheng said with a smile: "I will tell my subordinates in advance, that Tian Tai is the son of Tian Zhang, and he will not be stupid if he thinks about it, even if he does not listen to your advice, but if it is not violated, I don't think I should die for King Qi...... The Qi people slandered the king of Nai, and where was the land of his Qi country? Just like Tian Jia back then, I don't know how many people from the Tian clan can't wait to die in the field! ”

Listening to Dai Busheng's taunt of Qi Guo, Meng Zhong also shook his head slightly.

Indeed, no matter how cruel and mediocre a monarch was in the past, at least he would treat the people of his own clan well, but the land of the King of Qi was good, and the domestic princes and nobles were all offended, and even the nobles of the same clan who were the same as his ancestors were eager to kill him, not to mention other subjects, it has always been rare for a monarch of a country to do this.

Meng Zhongxin said that although King Qi has been building a palace for his deceased father King Qi Xuan for the sake of filial piety over the years, if King Qi Xuan knows underground, he may be angry and open the coffin to give him a slap in the face of this 'filial son'.

Shaking his head, Meng Zhong asked Dai Busheng, "What is the situation in Liuyi and Suqiu?" ”

Dai Busheng nodded and said: "I have sent someone to give an order, ordering the countrymen of the two places to withdraw to Pengcheng in batches, as for the local defenders, I ask them to hold for a while, if the Qi army is very fierce against those two attacks, I will also allow them to withdraw to Pengcheng......"

"Hmm." Meng Zhong nodded and said: "As long as the Five Kingdoms attack on Qi is launched, this group of Qi troops is destined to withdraw to the Qi State for defense, and when the time comes, I will have the opportunity to pursue, so there is no need to fight them to the death here...... If they want to stay in the city and Jiangqiu, they will give it to them, and the buildings in the city do not need to be set on fire, anyway, sooner or later they will fall into the hands of the Song State. ”

"......Not necessarily," Dai Busheng pouted and said, "Don't burn the city with a fire when the Qi army withdraws......"

Saying that, he didn't wait for Meng Zhong to pick up, so he sneered to himself: "If the Qi army dares to do this, then don't blame our army for not paying attention to benevolence and righteousness!" ”

Meng Zhong could feel that this military horse was very murderous.

It's no wonder, after all, Dai Busheng withdrew from Tancheng all the way to Pengcheng, and his heart was naturally angry.

"That's right." As if thinking of something, Dai Busheng turned to Meng Zhong and said, "I heard that you asked the guards to look for your clan uncle for two days?" I remember it was called Meng Zhi, right? I'll help you keep an eye on him, he's currently stationed in Liuyi......"

"Oh, I said my guards were looking for them in Pengcheng, but there has been no response so far." Meng Zhong suddenly realized: "Thank you Dai Sima." ”

"It's not necessary to be grateful, it's just a gesture...... Won't you call that uncle of your clan back to Pengcheng? ”

"No, anyway, Dai Sima, you have already given an order, as soon as you see that the situation is not right, my clan uncle will withdraw to Pengcheng, and then I will reunite with him and drink together."

"That's up to you, you're my boss right now......"

"Dai Sima's words are really frustrating......"

"Hahaha, I'm not making fun of me, as long as you can let me defeat the Qi army, I'm willing to be driven by you!"

"Dai Sima and rest assured, in this battle, the Song Kingdom is already invincible!"

"Of course I believe in Da Sima...... Hey. ”

In the following days, although it was suspected that Qin and Wei might have joined forces to support the Song State again, due to the royal order on the Linzi side, Tian Da, the real commander of the Qi army on the Lüyi side, still stepped up the attack on the two cities of Liuyi and Suqiu.

Faced with this situation, Meng Zhong, who temporarily took over the post of 'Great Sima', decided to avoid war with the Qi army for the time being.

To tell the truth, Meng Zhong is currently in the Wei State, and without the consent of the King of Wei, he took over the position of the Great Sima of the Song State without authorization, even if it is just to facilitate the command of the Song army against the Qi army, which is not a reasonable thing.

But they can't stand the crown prince Dai Wu and Hui Ang to persuade Meng Zhong with 'justifiable' - without the name of 'Song State Grand Sima', how can he command the Song State army in the name of it? You can't let the 'Marquis of Wei' lead the army of the Song State, right? This is the wrong name and the wrong word.

All in all, Meng Zhong, who has always been good at strong arguments, was dumbfounded this time by Hui An, the righteous brother of the five schools of learning, such as Jingdao, Ming, Confucianism, Law, and Mo, and took over the position of Da Sima in a daze.

But then again, Meng Zhong, who was born in the Song Kingdom, is now in the Song Kingdom for the first time to hold such an important position as Da Sima, which doesn't feel bad.

After all, his feeling for the crown prince Dai Wu is still very good, if he is replaced by Song Wangyan, then Meng Zhong may not be willing.

And when the Song side tried its best to avoid a fearless battle with the Qi army, in Handan, Zhao, under the pressure of the envoys of Qin, Wei, Han, and Yan, Zhao Wang He finally decided to draw a clear line with Qi and participate in a joint crusade against Qi.

As Meng Zhong had previously guessed, Zhao Wang He made the decision to 'cut Qi', and Li Dui, the Fengyang Jun who advocated 'uniting Qi to resist Qin', lost his political status, although Li Dui is still the state minister of Zhao, and Zhao Wang He also named Li Dui's son Li Ji as Yang Anjun in order to show Li Dui's meritorious service in defeating Qin.

But who was the one who ended up attending the meeting with the nations to discuss the war?

Zhao Wang He finally entrusted this matter to the Zhao general, Han Xu, who advocated 'Lianyan to resist Qin'.

It can be seen that the loss of power of Li Dui and even the Li family in Zhao is not far away.

On 29 September, a joint meeting of the Expedition was held at the palace in Handan, attended by Bai Qi of Qin, Tang Zhi of Wei, Storm Kite of Korea, Han Xu of Zhao, and Le Yi of Yan.

It is worth mentioning that when these five people met for the first time, Bai Qi looked around at everyone present, and finally set his eyes on Tang Zhi.

"You...... Tang Zhi, what are you doing? ”

"I'm here to participate in the Vaqi meeting." Tang Zhi glanced at Bai Qi and said without being salty.

"Huh?" Bai Qi was stunned, and then frowned and asked, "What about Meng Zhong?" ”

"Knowing that the war situation in the Song Kingdom was not good, the Marquis of Yun went to the Song Kingdom in advance and ordered me to participate in this meeting on his behalf." Tang Zhi said lightly: "Oh, by the way, Marquis Yun said, he won't have time to come back, so you don't have to wait for him, he will not participate in this joint battle, but he will lead the Song army to support the coalition army from the side." ”

“…… That bastard! Crusade against a mere Qi country, I want him to help from the side?! ”

Staring at his teeth, Bai Qi scolded in a low voice.

Everyone turned their heads to look, only to see that the envoy of the Qin State clenched his hands into fists and his face turned red, as if he was holding back his anger.