At the same time that the king of Wu and the king of Jin were secretly fighting, Ji Zheng also led a thousand soldiers and horses of the Yue Kingdom to Huangchi, and after stationing, Ji Zheng looked at the fluttering flag of the Zhou State, and finally understood the reason why he had been restless recently.

After settling the soldiers and horses, Ji Zheng came to the camp of Zhou Guo alone and walked outside a camp tent.

"Stop! What people! The guards outside the tent stopped Ji Zheng and asked.

"Ji Zheng, the general of the Xia Yue Kingdom, asks to see His Royal Highness the Prince."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is busy with official business, if there is nothing important, he will not see guests!"

"Oh, I see, I'll come back another day." Ji Zheng was just about to leave, but he stopped again, turned around and said to the guard: "Please inform His Royal Highness the Prince, just say that Ji Zheng is here, and I have something important to ask to see." When Your Highness hears my name, he will see me. ”

The guard looked at Ji Zheng, hesitated for a moment, and then entered the camp to report.

It didn't take long for the guards to come out and invite Ji Zheng in, and Ji Zheng followed the guards into the camp, which was simply furnished, except for a few cases where the pen and ink had not dried and the bamboo slips piled up everywhere, only a row bed remained. An emaciated man was propped up by the pillar of the tent, anxiously waiting. This person's name is Ji Zhi, and he is the prince of Zhou.

"Big brother!" Ji Zheng's voice trembled a little.

Ji Zhi staggered forward and hugged Ji Zheng in his arms excitedly, "Second brother! ”

Although they haven't seen each other for 20 years, the moment they saw each other, the two already recognized each other. The joy of the reunion made the two extremely nostalgic, and Ji Zheng remembered the situation in his mind, at that time, the eldest brother was like the warm sun in winter, and he always loved him in this cruel and indifferent world.

"Big brother! Twenty years...... I haven't seen my big brother in 20 years! ”

"Yes, second brother, I didn't expect this parting to be twenty years! Ahem......"

Before Ji Zhi finished speaking, he coughed on his chest, Ji Zheng hurriedly helped Ji Zhi to sit down, and asked with concern: "Big brother, how is your health?" ”

Ji Zhi shook his head and said with a wry smile: "It's still the same, it's been twenty years, it's getting worse day by day, and recently I often have severe pain in my heart and mouth, and even fainting, hehe, I'm afraid it's really coming." ”

"Big brother, don't talk nonsense, eldest brother is the prince, Ji people have their own natural appearance, I believe that the eldest brother's illness will definitely get better."

Ji Zhi's expression was relieved, and he waved his hand and said: "Twenty years ago, when I had my first illness, the imperial doctor asserted that I had a heart and lung disease and would not live to be twenty years old. But by now, I'm thirty-five years old, hehe, that's enough. For me, I have already tasted the beauty of the world, and this life is enough, enough. Ahem! Ahem! ”

With a violent cough, Ji Zhi coughed up blood. Seeing this, Ji Zheng was anxious, and hurriedly stepped forward to support Ji Zhi, but Ji Zhi took out a piece of Jinpai unhurriedly and gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his pale face always had a smile, obviously used to such symptoms.

"Big brother, don't commit suicide, you must insist on healing!"

Ji Zhi patted Ji Zheng and said with relief: "Second brother, you really haven't changed at all, and you are still the same as when you were a child, you will never give up hope." Don't worry, Big Brother won't give up. ”

"Hmm!"

"Second brother, I heard that you are now a general in the Yue Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's good, that's good. The king of Yue is working hard, and he will definitely have a lot to do. ”

"Hmm......" Ji Zheng bowed his head and nodded slightly, he thought about King Yue's plan, maybe at this time, the Yue army had already assembled on the Wu-Yue border, preparing to attack Gusu.

"Second brother, you said you have something urgent to see me?"

"I didn't ...... There's nothing important about it, I just want to meet my eldest brother......"

"Hehe, it's okay, I know what you're thinking, Yue Guo's sneak attack on Gusu should be in the next two or three days."

Ji Zheng was shocked, looked at Ji Zhi with wide eyes, and said hesitantly: "Big brother...... How do you know? ”

Ji Zhi waved his hand, signaling Ji Zheng to relax, and then he smiled and said: "In recent years, the Wu State has been reckless in military force, and it has long been strong in the outside world, and the Yue State has been strong in the past ten years, and now the soldiers are strong and strong. Fucha is not unaware of the threat of Yue, but now that he is bent on hegemony, he can only put the plan of exterminating Yueguo in the next two years. As the saying goes, there are 3,000 nails in a broken ship, after all, Wu has a strong foundation, two years later, when Wu Guo eases up, Fucha will point the finger at Yue again, in that way, waiting for Yue Guo is only perished. Therefore, now is the best and only time for Vietnam to retaliate. ”

Ji Zheng admired and exclaimed: "The eldest brother will manage the affairs of the world without leaving home, and the younger brother will obey!" ”

"I'm just a dying man, and the strife in the world has long been irrelevant to me. My father felt sorry for me and didn't want to depose me, but only wanted to make my third brother the crown prince after I died. Unexpectedly, I should have died at the age of twenty, but I would have lived for another fifteen years. Hehe, since I am still alive, since I am still in the position of the prince, then I should do what the prince should do. ”

Ji Zhi said, pointed to the book on the desk, and continued: "This is the planning of the ritual of sacrificing to the sky, seven days later, it will be the grand ceremony of sacrificing the sky, Wu State, Jin State, whoever is in front, who is the new overlord." Hehe, second brother, which of them do you think should be in front? Who's going to be behind? ”

Ji Zheng thought for a while and replied: "It should be that the Jin Kingdom is in front, since the eldest brother already knows the plan of King Yue, he will definitely be able to think of the fate of the Wu Kingdom." After this war, the state of Wu was seriously injured at least and lost at worst, so the position of overlord should be given to the state of Jin. ”

Ji Zhi shook his head, "You said the opposite, this time to worship the sky, I will arrange for Wu Guo to be in the front and Jin Guo in the back." Of course, my father also intended to do so, but our thoughts were different. ”

"Oh? How is it different? ”

"My father didn't know about the plan of the Yue Kingdom's sneak attack, and he still hoped that a powerful Wu State would give the third brother new support. After my death, my father will appoint my third brother as the new crown prince. King Jin's sister is the mother of the third brother, and King Jin is also the uncle of the third brother. Therefore, no matter what, the Jin Kingdom will unconditionally support the third brother. In order to win the support of the Wu State, my father had long planned to agree to the overlord of the Wu State, and he ordered me to arrange for the Wu State to worship the heavens in front of him, in order to maintain a stable situation with the help of the strength of the Wu and Jin families. ”

"Well, it makes sense for my father to do this." Ji Zheng nodded in approval, and then asked, "Then how did the eldest brother think about it?" ”

"My mind is the opposite, I don't think that this will stabilize the situation, I think that the world has long fallen apart, and the stability of the past can no longer be sustained. Do you think your father's checks and balances worked? It's useless! Since the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, the Son of Heaven of all dynasties always wanted to call on the princes to support the Zhou Dynasty and try to win over the strong, but whether the Wu State was the overlord or the Jin State was the overlord, the attacks and wars between the princes would never stop, but what was the fundamental reason behind this? It's because the Son of Heaven is too weak! Hundreds of years ago, the Zhou State was strong, the princes surrendered, and the world was peaceful! However, now the way of the world has long changed, the princes are strong, and the Son of Heaven is weak, who still takes the Son of Heaven in his eyes? If the Son of Heaven does not have strong strength, he will not be able to restrain the princes at all, and he will not be able to quell the conquest and killing in the world! ”

"Big brother is right, but how can I do it?"

"This world needs a strong son of heaven, a person who has the ability to create an era! Second brother, the eldest brother hopes that you can replace me and become the new prince in the future, and eventually become the son of heaven who opened the era! That's why I'm going to arrange for King Wu to be in front! ”

Ji Zheng was shocked, he was short of breath, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

Ji Zhi grabbed Ji Zheng's shoulders with both hands and continued: "If the Jin Kingdom becomes the overlord, the King of Jin will inevitably call on the princes to support the third brother with all their might. In this way, there is no hope for you, and the third brother will undoubtedly become the new crown prince, and become the son of heaven after the collapse of his father. But that's not what I want to see, I have to create opportunities for you! ”

"But...... The third brother he ...... He...... And I'm ...... I...... Father doesn't even know I'm alive......"

"The third brother is gentle, kind to others, sympathetic to the people, and has never had bad deeds. If it was placed a hundred years ago, he would be more suitable to be the Son of Heaven than you and me. But in the face of today's world, he is not suitable at all, and today needs you to create a new order. ”

"The New Order? What does Big Brother mean? ”

"Hehe, didn't Mr. Sun Wu tell you?"

Hearing this, Ji Zheng recalled that he and Qingmen were trapped in the valley, and sure enough, the old man that night was Mr. Sun Wu. Suddenly, Ji Zheng's back was cold, and a layer of goosebumps appeared on his body, and he asked nervously, "Big brother, is it ...... Did you let Mr. Sun Wu test me? ”

Ji Zhi smiled: "Sort of, I've been paying attention to you." I have a close relationship with Mr. Sun Wu, and we both share the same opinion. He came to me after he gave you a war book, and he said to me, "The world needs you to turn the tide, and I am convinced of this." ”

"But Mr. Sun Wu didn't tell me anything about the new order."

"Well, maybe the old gentleman still wants me to tell you personally. The so-called new order is the new steady state, today, the princes are strife, the people are miserable, in the final analysis, the reason is that the princes are strong, and the Zhou family is declining, and the original stability has been destroyed. My Great Zhou Dynasty has stood for more than 600 years, although the previous kings of the past dynasties tried their best to maintain the steady state between the princes, but as everyone knows, this steady state has been completely broken a hundred years ago, and it can never be restored. It's just that neither the father nor the third brother can realize this, and they don't want to believe it anyway, the princes and countries have long regarded the Son of Heaven as nothing, and the world is no longer the world of the Zhou family! But I clearly know that if we want to establish a new stable state, we must rely on power and completely subvert the political pattern of the division of princes! ”

Ji Zheng looked at Ji Zhi, he didn't expect that the eldest brother he hadn't seen for twenty years would have such a deep and rational understanding of the trend of the world. He hoped that the eldest brother would be in good health, so that the eldest brother could calm the world and establish a new order, and the people could be saved from war and enjoy peace. How can God be jealous of talents, the eldest brother's body is already terminally ill.

"Second brother, each of us has our own mission, you must also shoulder your own mission, you must become a new son of heaven! Establish a new order with might! ”

"But...... I...... I don't even know who my mother is...... I'm just an illegitimate child......"

"So what?! You have the blood of the Zhou clan in your body, and after my death, you will be the eldest son! Since ancient times, there has been no reason to abolish the growth and youngness, and you deserve to be the new prince! ”

"But twenty years ago, when my eldest brother was fifteen years old and I was nine years old, my eldest brother fainted for the first time that year. The mother of the third brother heard that the eldest brother only had five years to live, so she tried every means to put me to death, if it wasn't for my uncle quietly sending me out of Luoyang, I'm afraid I would have died! Now that my uncle has passed away, if my eldest brother leaves me again, how can anyone support me as an illegitimate child?! ”

"Yes! Yue Guo! ”

"Yue Guo?"

"Yes, maybe even the King of Yue himself doesn't know how powerful the current Yue Kingdom is after ten years of Taoguang cultivation. I believe that in this sneak attack, King Yue will definitely win a great victory, even if he can't destroy the state of Wu this time, within ten years, the state of Wu will definitely perish! And the Yue Kingdom will inevitably become the most powerful prince in the world within ten years! In this war, the Yue Kingdom will emerge among the princes. A prince who has defeated the overlord, no one dares to underestimate it. In this way, with the support of the Yue Kingdom, you can compete with the third brother and then compete for the position of the crown prince! Second brother, you have to believe in the eldest brother, the eldest brother will definitely do his best to clear the obstacles for you before he dies! And you have to give it your all! ”

Listening to Ji Zhi's bold words, Ji Zheng lowered his head silently, and after a long while, he said slowly: "Big brother...... This road is really too difficult...... I don't know if I'll be able to keep going......"

Ji Zheng raised his hand and pressed it against his forehead, revealing a shocking scar on his wrist.

Ji Zhi saw the scar, he knew that his younger brother must have experienced too much suffering over the years, and the road he designed for his younger brother was afraid that it would be more difficult and more difficult, he gently ** Ji Zheng's head, sighed, and said, "Yes...... If you want to become the new crown prince, you have to get support. To build power, we need greater support. After that, the power of support may become a new shackle. In the future, you will have to sacrifice too much, hey...... The road is arduous and long for you...... But you have to go on without hesitation, no matter what the cost! That's your calling! ”

"No matter what it takes......"

Ji Zheng lowered his head and repeated this sentence word by word, and countless images flashed in his mind quickly, Hana's face when she withered, the beach dyed red by seven thousand captives, and the sea of corpses and blood under the starry sky.

Ji Zheng's chest was full of blood, his trembling body suppressed the powerful energy, and finally his eyes were on fire, he looked at Ji Zhi and nodded fiercely.

"No matter what it takes!"