Sima Xi saw Zhao Xiangfeiyi visiting, bowed his hand and asked, "Zhao Xiang, what does Zhao Jun think about my king's request for peace." ”

Fei Yi replied: "I have come at the behest of my king. ”

Sima Xi pretended to be calm and asked, "Zhao Jun is unwilling to agree to peace. ”

"Definitely. Our king promised peace. Fei Yi saw that Sima Xi's eyes flashed with fleeting joy, and his tone sank, "But my king, there are three conditions." ”

Sima Xi asked, "Please speak up, Zhao Xiang." ”

"My king has three conditions." Fei Yi replied in a clear manner: "First, Zhongshan needs to compensate Zhao for his losses; Second, Zhongshan needs to cut a few cities. Third, the venue for the peace talks was on the south bank of the Hutuo River, and on the day of the peace talks between the two countries, Zhongshan Wang Zi should personally participate. If any of the above conditions are not met, our king will not agree to peace. ”

Sima Xi fell into a brief thought and asked, "What else does Zhao Jun want?" ”

Fei Yi replied, "These are all the conditions of my king. ”

"Good. I immediately returned to Lingshou and conveyed Zhao Jun's meaning to my king. Sima Xi arched his hand and said, "Zhao Xiang, farewell." ”

Fei Yi returned the salute and said goodbye to him.

After Feiyi finished talking about the conditions, he sent Sima Xi away, and came to Zhao Yong's residence to reply: "Your Majesty, the minister informed Sima Xi of our conditions. ”

Zhao Yong asked, "What is Sima Xi's reaction?" ”

Fei Yi replied: "Sima Xi replaced Zhongshan Wang Zi and agreed to the three conditions we proposed. ”

Zhao Yong was stunned for a moment and asked: "The three conditions proposed by the widow are quite harsh, and Sima Xi did not raise any objections to these three conditions. ”

Fei Yi said: "Sima Xi was anxious to negotiate peace and did not raise any objections. ”

Zhao Yong pondered for a moment and asked, "Why is Zhongshan in a hurry to negotiate peace?" ”

Fei Yi pondered for a moment and said: "Perhaps, Zhongshan Wang Zi sees that we can point to Lingshou from the south, north, and west directions, and level Zhongshan Kingdom." Wang Zi of Zhongshan was frightened by our military might and became a frightened bird, so he was eager to negotiate peace with us. ”

"If this is the case, the pacification of Zhongshan Kingdom is just around the corner. Zhongshan has been a country for a hundred years, and its ancestors are also considered heroes. However, when it came to Zhongshan Wangzi, they couldn't even defend their home country. Instead, they cut the city and pay reparations and sued us for peace. Zhao Yong's eyes were pale and he sighed: "It is sad that a country has no heroes." There are heroes who do not know how to admire and recite them, and they are destined to be hopeless. ”

Sima Xi returned to Lingshou, the capital of the country, and as soon as he entered the palace gate, he was blocked by a eunuch. The eunuch stepped forward and said, "Sima Xiang, you are finally back." The king is waiting for you in the great hall. ”

Sima Xi asked, "I have only been away for five days, why is the king so anxious?" ”

The eunuch replied in a low voice: "Since the king learned that Quyang, Dongyuan, and Shiyi had fallen into the hands of Zhao State, the whole person was in a trance. In the past few days, the king's spirit has deteriorated, and he has been babbling constantly in his sleep. Every time Wang Shang woke up, he would ask Zhao Guoguo if he would break through Lingshou? Will Zhao Guoguo set foot in Zhongshan? Will the widow become the king of the fallen country? If the king's question could not be answered, he would be put to death. ”

Sima Xixin said: "The king will not be frightened by Zhongshan and become a frightened bird!" ”

Seeing that Sima Xi did not speak or move, the eunuch said in a low voice: "Sima Xiang, please follow me into the palace." ”

After a short time, Sima Xi followed the eunuch to the main hall. The eunuch raised his voice and shouted, "Sima Xiang asks to see." ”

Sima Xi straightened his clothes, walked into the main hall, and saluted: "Minister, meet the king." ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi asked, "Sima Xi, you're finally back." ”

Sima Xi saw that the king's face was pale, his body and mind were haggard, and he did not have the sharpness of a teenager at all, nor did he have the image of a king. Today's Zhongshan Wangzi has completely changed from a few days ago. Although Sima Xi didn't know what had happened in the past few days after leaving Lingshou. But he could deduce that Zhongshan Wangzi had spent the past few days in fear, and his heart had also experienced indescribable torment.

Sima Xi looked at the expectant eyes of Zhongshan Wang Zi and replied: "The minister went to Dongyuan to negotiate with Zhao Jun, and finally reached an agreement with Zhao Jun, so he rushed back non-stop. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi listened to his words and had already guessed the answer in his heart. But he still wanted to hear Sima Xi say the answer with his own ears, "Sima Xi, whether Zhao Jun agrees to negotiate peace." ”

Sima Xi nodded and replied: "Back to the king, Zhao Guo promised to negotiate peace." ”

Hearing this, Zhongshan Wang Zi took a hard breath of cold air to calm his mood. His hanging heart was finally calmed because of this news. Zhongshan Wang Zi praised: "Sima Xi, you have made peace between Zhao and us, which is a great achievement. The widow will reward thee heavily. ”

"This is a matter within the minister's duty, and I dare not ask for a reward." Sima Xi pleaded guilty and said: "Your Majesty, although Zhao Guo promised to negotiate peace with us, there are three conditions. In order to promote peace between the two countries as soon as possible, the minister agreed to the conditions offered by Zhao. Because of the urgency of the situation, he did not ask the king for instructions. and ask the king to rebuke him. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi's face instantly stiffened, but he said in a calm tone: "What conditions does Zhao Guo offer." ”

Sima Xi replied: "The first condition of Zhao Guo is for us to compensate them for all their losses. ”

Zhongshan Wang Ziyu frowned and asked, "What is the second condition?" ”

Sima Xi replied: "The second condition is that we cut the city and seek peace. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi leaned forward and said in a cold voice: "What is the third condition of Zhao Guo. ”

Sima Xi replied: "The third condition is that the king personally negotiate peace. ”

Wang Zi of Zhongshan was silent for a long time, and shouted: "Zhao State attacked our country, and it was an invader. They even asked us to cut the city and sue for peace, and we also had to compensate them for all their losses. The widow can't win against Zhao Guo, only forbearance. Cutting the city and paying compensation are acceptable to the widows. But Zhao Jun wants to negotiate peace in person, which is simply too deceitful. ”

Sima Xi knew that the king would be furious when he learned of the third condition, so he had already thought of a way to deal with it, and advised: "Zhao is the victorious country, and we are the defeated country. If we do not agree to Zhao's conditions, the two countries will continue to fight. In the current situation, we can't win against Zhao Guo. On the king, Wu Wangfu sent to break through the Yue Kingdom and capture the Yue King Goujian. Goujian, the king of Yue, is the king of a country, willing to be humiliated, and he often suffered many humiliations in the former Wu country. However, Goujian, the king of Yue, hid the humiliation in his heart, and decades later, he defeated the state of Wu and achieved hegemony. We might as well follow the example of King Goujian, lie down and taste the courage, and wait for the opportunity. ”

"Zhao Jun is not a husband, and a widow is not a Goujian." Wang Zi of Zhongshan shouted angrily: "The Zhao State wants to humiliate the widow, and the widow would rather die in battle than go to the Zhao State to ask for guilt, let alone serve the monarch of the enemy country like Gou Jian." A man stands up to the sky and never bows his waist. ”

"Zhao Jun didn't mean to humiliate the king, and Zhao Jun didn't have the idea of imprisoning the king in Zhao Guo." Sima Xi saw that the king's face softened, and continued: "Zhao Jun asked the king to sign the contract in person, just to prove that he was the victor. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi said coldly: "Doesn't he just want to humiliate the widow with the attitude of a winner. ”

"The king, instead of being attacked by Zhao Jun to break through Lingshou and imprison Zhao State, he was humiliated. We might as well agree to Zhao's conditions and go to negotiate peace. Sima Xi saw that the king did not say anything against it, and said: "The Central Plains has a saying that is shame and courage." The king went up to negotiate peace with Zhao Jun and was humiliated. On the other day, we gathered strength and counterattacked Zhao. We doubled down on Zhao Jun to get it back. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi asked, "Do we still have a chance to regain the lost dignity and shame?" ”

Sima Xi replied with a firm look: "As long as the king is still there, the country is still there." We can regain the dignity and shame we have lost. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi thought for a while and asked, "What if the widow went to negotiate peace and was detained by Zhao Jun." ”

"Zhao is a country of etiquette, and Zhao Jun is the king of etiquette. Zhao Jun will not do anything treacherous and discredited. Zhao Jun's seizure of the king will be ridiculed and despised by the princes of the world. Zhao Jun will also lose his trust to the princes. Sima Xi said again: "The king is worried about the situation. We can ask the left envoy and other generals who can fight well to lead a heavy army. If Zhao Jun intends to detain the king, we will go to war with him. ”

Zhongshan Wang Zi thought for a while and compromised: "The current situation is the only way. The widow promised. ”

The next day, Wang Zi of Zhongshan asked the prince to stay in the national capital, and he personally led his important ministers south to Dongyuan to negotiate peace with Zhao.

Three days later, Zhao and Zhongshan held a peace ceremony on the south bank of the Hutuo River.

Zhao Yong led Feiyi, Tian Buli, Zhao Yuan, Xu Jun, Zhao Xiao, Sima Wangzu and Le Yi and other civil and military generals to attend. Zhongshan Wang Zi led Sima Xi, Gongzi Shang, Zhang Deng, Zhan Qian, Ledian and Ji Xin and other military generals to attend. Both sides are fierce in rhetoric and do not give in to each other, both fighting for the best interests of their countries. After three hours of negotiations, the two sides finally reached an agreement. Zhongshan compensated Zhao for all its losses and ceded four provinces to Zhao. Zhao accepted the four provinces of Zhongshan and withdrew the army from the territory of Zhongshan.

The two sides reached an agreement and each received the paperwork.

Zhao Yong asked: "King Zhongshan, if the widow refuses to sue for peace, will you fight for the country?" ”

Seeing Zhao Jun provoking him, Zhongshan Wang Zi was not to be outdone: "The widow is not Zhao Jun's opponent, but he will also fight with Zhao Jun with the country's troops." ”

Zhao Yong saw that he was still a little ambitious, and said: "If we conclude peace, will Zhongshan Wang Zi attack Zhao State?" ”

"If the widow cultivates and recuperates, he will definitely attack Zhao Guoxue." Zhongshan Wang Zi asked: "Zhao Jun and the widow negotiated peace, do you regret it?" ”

Zhao Yonghao replied dryly: "The widow will never regret it. Zhongshan Wangzi, if you are not convinced, we will compete in the future. ”

After Zhao Yong finished speaking, he led the army to begin withdrawing from Zhongshan Kingdom. Before leaving, Zhao destroyed all the military installations in the occupied Zhongshan Kingdom. Those who surrendered to Zhongshan were placed in the newly acquired territory.

Zhao Jun arranged to demote the generals like this, leaving a big trouble. Fei Yi and others all said: "In order to avoid Zhongshan from surrendering to the generals and rebelling, it is better to move them to Handan." ”

Zhao Yong's eyes were very confident and said: "They are willing to be widowed, how can the widow be suspicious of them." ”

Fei Yi and the others knew that they couldn't change the king's mind, and they didn't mention it. The generals of Zhongshan listened to Zhao Jun's words, and they were all impressed by Zhao Jun's personality charm and swore allegiance to Zhao Jun.

Gongzizhang asked, "Why did the monarch destroy all the military facilities of Zhongshan Kingdom. ”

Zhao Yong looked at his son with gentle eyes, "The widows destroyed these facilities, and the Zhongshan Kingdom wanted to defend against us. They will spend manpower, material and financial resources to rebuild. The Zhongshan Kingdom, which had been washed by the war, did not let the people rest and recuperate, but instead made a big effort to work and waste money. The actions of the King of Zhongshan will definitely provoke the anger of the heavens and the resentment. ”

At this time, Zhao Yong got the latest news from Lou Yan, and asked everyone: "The widow didn't expect that the ultimate beneficiary of this civil strife in the Qin State would be Mi Bazi. Our attack on Zhongshan has come to an end for the time being, and the widows should also intervene in Qin's internal affairs. ”