This time, almost all the doctors couldn't sit still, and they didn't know what Yang Zilu thought. At this time, the army was not ready to fight, so that the Han army could take advantage of the expedition of the main force of Wu to attack Wu. It must be known that now that Wu has mobilized an army of 50,000 to go to the army, it is not only an army of 50,000, but also a people. And this distance can be continuous, from Gusu City, which is now Suzhou, to mobilize grain and grass, and transport it to Lu State, which is now the southeast of Shandong.

Converted into the distance of the Spring and Autumn Period, it is about 3,000 miles. How much manpower and material resources do you need? And what about protection along the way? This is not just the Qi [***] team, the bandits along the way and the like, some of them want to make a fortune along the way.

In this way, the manpower and material resources of Wu State can be said to have been used to the extreme, although it is said that there are about 40,000 soldiers and horses left to the prince, but these 40,000 soldiers and horses are placed on the huge land of Wu, but they are so sparse.

In the area of Zhaoguan, it was convenient for the Chu State to prevent 10,000 troops, and there were scattered in the cities of the Wu State, which accounted for more than 10,000. In Gusu City, the capital of Wu State, there are about 8,000 people now. The state of Wu can be described as unprecedentedly weak, and the husband is three thousand miles away, according to the normal marching speed, about one hundred and forty li (about forty-nine kilometers) a day, and the normal march takes about twenty-one days, even if it is a rapid march, it will take fifteen days at the earliest.

As long as the Han army is fast enough and sudden enough, it can occupy Gusu City before the main force of the Wu army returns, occupy all the land south of the Yangtze River, and rule the river with Wu State! What an alluring prospect!

The doctors couldn't bear this temptation anymore, but this time they didn't look for the Imperial Doctor, but Kan Pingtian. Although in terms of qualifications, Yu Yu defected to Yang Zilu earlier than Kan Pingtian. And Yu Yu is still a disciple of Yang Zilu, you must know that in ancient times, it was said that he was a teacher and a father for life, just like Zigong, who served as Ji Kangzi's family leader in Lu State, and his rights can be called one person under ten thousand people. But Confucius was just a scroll of letters written in bamboo slips, so he asked Zigong to obediently return to Confucius. Of course, this is due to the filial piety of Zigong, but the concept at that time still occupied a lot of weight.

But in fact, the most important thing under Yang Zilu is Kan Pingtian, because Yang Zilu has always paid attention to meritocracy. Although Yu Yu is loyal, Kan Pingtian is more capable, compared to the think tank of Hou Xiong, Kan Pingtian can be said to be the first minister under Yang Zilu.

Kan Pingtian originally didn't want to go, but he couldn't stand the persuasion of many doctors, so he went to find Yang Zilu after the court meeting. Yang Zilu also met Kan Pingtian in the back garden this time, and Yang Zilu said as soon as they met: "But is it for the matter of sending troops to Wu State?" ”

Kan Pingtian was not surprised, as if he had known that Yang Zilu would say this. To be honest, Yang Zilu didn't know that Kan Pingtian was strange, and after Kan Pingtian saluted Yang Zilu, he sat on the stone bench on the side, and then said without saltiness: "The Lord is wise!" ”

"Then do you understand why the widow has not prepared at all until now?" Yang Zilu asked.

Kan Pingtian thought for a while, and said, "I understand a little, but the Lord thinks that the time is not yet ripe?" ”

Yang Zilu nodded and said, "That's right, do you think Qi Army Coach Bao Mu is a fool?" Tian begged to stop him for two consecutive months, wouldn't this make him suspicious? ”

Kan Pingtian showed a thoughtful look and said: "Bao Mu has seen this person several times, maybe not as cunning as Tian Qi, but his attainments in the art of war are still good!" ”

Yang Zilu nodded and said: "So the widow estimates that the husband will either lose this time, or win a small victory!" ”

When Kan Pingtian heard this, he asked curiously: "Why is it that the Lord has no possibility of victory for the Qi army?" ”

"Youtian is begging, do you think Bao Mu can win?" Yang Zilu asked rhetorically.

Kan Pingtian was stunned for a moment, a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes, and he sighed: "It's a pity that the ancestor didn't listen to what Yan Zi said, except for the Tian family, how could the Qi country fall to the point where it is today?" ”

"Qi Jinggong is old!" When Yang Zilu heard this, he sarcastically said disapprovingly. This sentence was the reason used by Qi Jinggong to reject Confucius, who had defected to him in the first place.

"Then is the Lord not doing this?" Kan Pingtian asked.

"Of course not!" Yang Zilu smiled mysteriously and said, "Haven't you noticed that the Ou Bijiang, who is familiar with business, is gone?" and Yu Miao, who came back to post, do you remember the city gate when he left? ”

Kan Pingtian thought for a moment and said in shock: "Didn't they come to the Wu Kingdom?" ”

"Clever!" Yang Zilu said with a smile: "They went to Wu Guomin to buy grain!" ”

"Next year, if Wu sends troops again, there will definitely be a famine! And that's when the outnumbered people send out their troops! And even if you can send troops this year, do you think the widows have the ability to send troops? It's only been half a year since the widows annexed the country of Yue! Don't look at the current appearance of Yue Guo is very stable, but in fact, if the widow and the main force of the Han army leave, no one dares to guarantee what will happen! Yang Zilu said.

When Kan Pingtian heard this, he nodded with deep sympathy and said: "What the lord said is very true, so the minister will go down to appease the doctors!" ”

And the prince friend and Wu Zixu, who stayed in China, were unaware of Yang Zilu's conspiracy, not that they were stupid. It's that Yang Zilu is too smart, Yang Zilu came first, claiming that there were big thieves in Zhejiang, and it was a disaster. Yang Zilu mobilized a thousand troops to unite with local soldiers to encircle and suppress this giant thief who existed on his lips.

Wu Zixu and Prince You only said that Yang Zilu wanted to cross the river, so they were very nervous to send additional soldiers on the southern border as a guard. In addition, at that time, the village was an area where the state was very weak. In terms of the appointment of officials, the governor of the province or something, these are all appointed by the state. But at the level of the village chief or something, these basically belong to the local powerful hereditary. It was only when it was time to levy troops and collect taxes that nearby cities would send officials to the villages to recruit troops and collect taxes. And they don't have any channels to communicate with the upper echelons, so they can be said to be one of the people who have the least sense of belonging to the country.

This also made Yu Miao and Ou Bijiang's actions, even if someone as smart as Wu Zixu did, he didn't notice Yang Zilu's small movements at all. Ou Pijiang and Yu Miao calmly exchanged inferior Wu coins and salt for 150,000 stone grain. This grain is only equivalent to the annual income of 500 ordinary families. But don't forget that Wu is still at war, and there are thousands of grains needed every day, and it is a big problem for people to lack food for a month, and 150,000 stone of grain is enough for 100,000 people for a month.

Speaking of the husband in the Lu country, the husband was in the war with the Qi country, as Yang Zilu expected, it was just a small victory! It can even be said that Fucha did not achieve victory. Bao Mu was a little puzzled after receiving the order sent by Tian Qi in the name of Qi Mourning Gong, and he also wondered if this was Tian Qi's conspiracy. He asked his henchmen to send a letter back to China to his son Bao Xi and let Bao Xi investigate.

What the reason, Bao Xi couldn't investigate, but he also knew that this order was sent by Tian Qi at the instigation of Qi Mourning Gong, so he passed the news to his father Bao Mu. When Bao Mu heard this, he immediately said in his heart: You have to be vigilant about this matter! Tian Qi, this guy is extremely cunning and cunning!

Thinking of this, Bao Mu couldn't help but think of the reason why the current Qi State Yangsheng was established, and couldn't help but feel a little angry. At the beginning, Bao Mu and Tian Qi joined forces with most of the doctors in the court to expel the heads of the country and the Gao Er clan, but Bao Mu and most of the doctors did not plan to abolish Jiang Cha, the son of the then monarch. But Tian Qi secretly sent people to Lu State to welcome back Gongzi Yangsheng. Yangsheng returned to Qi and was hidden in his home by Tian Qi.

A few days later, Tian Qi invited the doctors and said, "Tian Chang's mother has the wine and food left behind after the sacrifice, please come to the gathering and drink." ”

The doctors did not doubt him, so they naturally readily agreed, and they all came to Tian Qi's house to drink. Tian Qi put Yang Sheng in his pocket and put it on the seat in the center, and during the banquet, Tian Qi opened his pocket and released Yang Sheng, he said: "This is the monarch of Qi State." "The doctors all leaned down to pay their respects. was about to make an alliance to support Liyangsheng, Tian Qi made up a lie and said: "I conspired with Bao Mu to support Liyangsheng." ”

Bao Mu didn't know about it before, so he naturally didn't want to use his strength to give birth to Yangsheng, and immediately said angrily: "Have the doctors forgotten Jinggong's will? ”

When the doctors heard this, they immediately wanted to repent, but Yang Sheng kowtowed according to Tian Qi's teachings and said, "If you can see me, you can set me up, but if you can't, forget it." ”

Bao Mu was afraid that the disaster would fall on him, so he said again: "They are all the sons of Jinggong, why can't they!" ”

In the end, although Bao Mu was a little reluctant, he still established Yangsheng as the monarch in Tian Qi's family, which is the current monarch of Qi - Qi Mourning Gong. So Bao Mu and Tian Qi joined forces again, sent someone to move Gongzi Jiang Cha to the place of 'Xiao', and killed the exiled Gongzi Jiang Cha after not long after. And Tian Qi was also appointed as the left minister by the Duke of Qi Mourning because of his single-handedly planned this strategy, and almost monopolized the power of Qi State. And Bao Mu, who is more powerful than Tian Qi, can only be condescended to the right side.

Bao Mu thought about it, and immediately became more vigilant in his heart, so he let the army strengthen and occupy the two cities of Lu State.

When the Wu [***] team came to Lu State, Bao Mu immediately realized that Tian Qi wanted to borrow a knife to kill people! Bao Mu was very cautious, and fought against the Wulu coalition army for three consecutive days, all of which were steady and steady. Although the Qi army can't help the Wu-Lu coalition army, the Wu-Lu coalition army can't help the Qi army.

In the end, the husband used a plan to select a thousand warriors from the 80,000 Wulu coalition army, and took advantage of the night to ambush these 1,000 warriors on the flank of the Qi army. Although the number of people is small, it is like a sharp knife, stuck in the soft underbelly of the Qi army.

But how could Bao Mu not be prepared? Immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat while fighting, and retreated into the two cities that occupied the Lu state. The Qi army has about 70,000 people, and it has strengthened two cities for two consecutive months, and its defensive strength can be imagined! As soon as the Wu army approached, arrows immediately rained down, and the wood and stones flew over.

The husband had no choice but to order the soldiers of the Wulu coalition army to retreat. The next day, Bao Mu made up his mind not to fight with his husband, and used the two cities as a corner to resist the Wulu coalition army.

The difference in strength between the two sides is not large, and there is no way for a while, after all, it is too cost-effective to storm the Qi army. Besides, in this case, it is still two to say whether it can be captured or not, and it is not good to give the Qi army an opportunity to turn over.

In this way, the two sides were at a stalemate for two months, from September to November. In the end, the state of Lu was deadlocked, and the state of Lu was only a medium vassal state, with no more than 1,000 military vehicles and no more than tens of thousands. And although Wu said that he had a grain road, he came for Lu State, how could Lu not provide some food for Wu's army?

It's good to say that the time is short, but after a long time, Lu Guo can't support it at all. So Ji Kangzi, the ruler of the Lu State, said to the husband: "King, there is no way to continue the stalemate now, I think it is better to send an envoy to the Qi State, no matter what, it is more useful than the current useless confrontation!" ”

Fucha happened to receive a letter from the prince's friend who stayed in Wu's state, saying that the price of grain in Wu was soaring now, and he hoped that Fucha could end the war as soon as possible. Fucha was also quite worried about this, since Ji Kangzi said so, Fucha also pushed the boat down the river and said: "It's okay, let Lu send an envoy!" ”

However, this mission is not a simple matter, first of all, you can't return in vain, otherwise not only will you have a hard trip, but you will also leave an incompetent evaluation in the eyes of Ji Kangzi and other superiors. In addition, it will consume a lot of food and property in the country, which will make Ji Kangzi's flesh hurt.

Some people will wonder, why does Ji Kangzi have a pain in the flesh? The military system of the Spring and Autumn Period was similar to that of the Western Middle Ages, giving you a fiefdom as a fiefdom. But when fighting, troops should be sent according to the size of the fiefdom, and this dispatch was okay in the past, it was to pay attention to the service of righteous military service, and the soldiers provided everything except weapons.

But now the military system has changed a little, and the soldiers who are called are no longer countrymen, but Ji Kangzi's private soldiers.

But time could not be delayed by the selection of envoys, Ji Kangzi could only gather a group of guests and asked: "Which of you is willing to send an envoy to the Qi State to quell this war for the Lu State?" ”

The doormen looked at each other, they were not stupid, they all knew that this trip to the Qi country was in great trouble. Of course, the rewards are also great, but no one has the courage and ability to take it.

At this time, the Confucian Fan Chi stood up.

Ji Kangzi raised his eyebrows and said, "Zi Chi (Fan Chi character), do you want to envoy to Qi State?" Cannot! Cannot! ”

There was also a burst of mocking laughter among the doormen.

Although Fan Chi was a disciple of Confucius, he was most famous not for his morality and knowledge, but for his bravery and force, and his attainments in the art of war. The famous clumsy and stupid man actually asked Confucius for advice on planting crops, forcing Confucius to say: "I am not as good as an old peasant!" Fan Chi still didn't give up, and asked Confucius for advice on planting vegetables, but Confucius could only continue to say helplessly: "I am not as good as Lao Pu!" After Fan Chi withdrew, Confucius couldn't help but reprimand Fan Chi as a villain.

It can be seen that his surname is loved, and others naturally look down on it. Although Fan Chi heard Ji Kangzi's words and those ridicules, Fan Chi didn't sit down, but arched his hand to Ji Kangzi and said, "My lord, the minister doesn't want to ask for orders to envoy to the Qi country, but to recommend someone!" ”

"Oh! I don't know who it is? Ji Kangzi asked in a perfunctory tone.

"Naichen's senior brother, Zigong!" Fan Chi said seriously.

When Ji Kangzi heard this, his eyes lit up, he sat up straight, and asked, "Is Zigong back?" ”

The other doormen didn't sneer anymore, and looked at Fan Chi with a complicated expression, Zigong's three-inch incorruptible tongue, they knew.

Fan Chi nodded and said, "Senior Brother Chen has just returned from the north, and he happened to stay in the mansion of Fangyi, which is fifty miles away from here, to rest!" ”

"Good!" When Ji Kangzi heard this, Huo Ran stood up excitedly. He opened his mouth and commanded: "You go and invite Zigong at once!" ”

As soon as Ji Kangzi's words fell, before Fan Chi could speak, Ji Kangzi had already shook his head and denied what he had just said. "No! Or I'll go to find Zigong in person! Come! Get ready for the carriage! ”

Fan Chi asked: "In this way, the minister is driving for the lord!" ”

"Good!" Ji Kangzi nodded, suddenly paused, seemed to be thinking about something, and it didn't take long to turn his head sideways and say to Ran You, who was sitting at the head of his right hand: "Ziyou will also go with me!" ”

"No!" Ran You's face was a little complicated and responded.

Like Zigong, Ran You is a proud disciple of Confucius, and someone asked Confucius who was the best among the 3,000 disciples to handle political affairs, and Confucius said Zigong, Ran You, and Zilu. It can be seen that Ran You has a status in Confucius's mind, but unlike Zigong, Ran You can be regarded as an unworthy disciple. He did things for Ji Kangzi, and also reformed the field for Ji Kangzi, so that Ji Kangzi could get more wealth.

Confucius angrily reprimanded him and asked him to return to him, but Ran You did not agree to Confucius's request. And Zigong, who was also a retainer of Ji Kangzi, obediently returned to Confucius.

The completely different reactions of the two also made Ran You criticized by many people, and also made Ran You have a unique emotion towards Zigong. You say it's jealousy and jealousy, you say it's admiration and admiration, you say you hate and hate, you say guilt and a little guilty.

Under the complicated emotional torment, Ran You accompanied Ji Kangzi to the pavilion where Zigong stayed (that is, the ancient hotel). As soon as Ji Kangzi's identity was revealed, the shopkeeper immediately took Ji Kangzi to the outside of the room where Zigong lived. The shopkeeper just wanted to knock on the door, Ji Kangzi stopped the shopkeeper, took out a handful of coins from his sleeve robe, handed it to the shopkeeper, and said indifferently: "You go down!" ”

"Yes! Thank you, Doctor, for the reward! Thank you, Doctor, for the reward! The shopkeeper's dead fish eyes immediately lit up, and their pupils turned into two golden coins. The shopkeeper hurriedly took the coin given to him by Ji Kangzi and hugged it in his arms, as if someone wanted to rob him.

However, the shopkeeper is also smart, and after receiving the reward, he immediately retreated, and he didn't seem to want to take this opportunity to curry favor with Ji Kangzi. In fact, the shopkeeper knows that Ji Kangzi and him are two types of people, and his flattery will only make Ji Kangzi annoyed.

When the shopkeeper left, Ji Kangzi knocked on the door.

"Who!" Through the door panel, Zigong's voice came.

When Ji Kangzi heard Zigong, he couldn't help but be a little excited, took a deep breath, and calmed down his slightly excited mood. said in a calm tone: "Zigong, do you recognize Ji Sun Fei?" ”

(Ji Sun Fei is Ji Kangzi's name, and Ji Kangzi is his honorific title.) Just like Confucius, he is not actually surnamed Confucius, his full name is Confucius, and General Confucius is an honorific title. "Oh! It turned out to be in power! Wait! When Zigong heard this, his voice was full of surprise. Soon through the door panel, there was the sound of clothes rustling. It didn't take long for Zigong, who was dressed neatly, to open the wooden door, and when he saw Dao Ji Kangzi, he immediately smiled and said, "Please!" ”

Immediately seeing Ran You and Fan Chi behind, Zigong smiled and nodded to the two.

Ran Qiu smiled reluctantly with some complications, which was considered a return gift. It was Fan Chi who squeezed his eyebrows at Zigong, which made Zigong a little crying and laughing.

Ji Kangzi and the others entered, sat down as the guest and host, and Zigong asked straight to the point: "I don't know what the ruling is looking for Zigong?" ”

Ji Kangzi didn't answer directly, smiled mysteriously, and asked, "Guess!" ”

Zigong thought for a while, and said: "The biggest time for the Lu State now is probably the war with the Qi State. When the ruling came, he must have come for the affairs of Qi State! ”

Ji Kangzi had obviously seen Zigong's wisdom a long time ago, and he didn't have much surprise on his face, but nodded with a smile, just like Zigong's words.

Zigong continued: "Since it is a matter of Qi State, it will definitely not be to ask Zigong for advice." When it comes to military affairs, Zigong is far inferior to Ran You and Fan Chi. And Director Zigong only has a battle of words, so it seems that the ruling party is here to envoy the Qi country! ”

"Zigong is very human! Would you like to continue to be my housekeeper? Ji Kangzi said with a sincere face, and in order to show his sincerity, Ji Kangzi, the ruling doctor of the Qi country, also bent down slightly in the direction of Zigong.

Zigong was inevitably moved, but thinking that Yang Zilu was also kind to him, Zigong shook his head and said, "I'm sorry to be in power, Zigong has devoted himself to the Han Kingdom!" Therefore, the matter of the envoy is really difficult to obey! ”

In fact, Zigong said this, not entirely because of Yang Zilu, but also because of the role he played in this matter. One offered a plan to Tian Qi to make the Qi army and the Wulu coalition army die, but now only about four months have passed, and he immediately turned into a messenger of peace, so that this war can end with a small defeat for the Qi army. Will Tian Qi agree? No, he will hate Zigong afterwards, and Zigong has also changed from a virtuous man to a traitor in Tian Qi's mind.

Offending a powerful minister of a country is not a trivial matter, let alone offending the powerful minister of a big country like Qi State. If Zigong wants to eat in diplomacy in the future, he has to take into account Tian Qi's feelings.

Ji Kangzi was originally very displeased when he heard Zigong's words, but Ran You thought that he immediately pulled Ji Kangzi's sleeve, and when Ji Kangzi looked at him sideways, he said a beggar mouth.

Ji Kangzi received a letter from Zigong to him, and he generally knew what he had done. Otherwise, Zigong pretending to be an envoy of Lu was discovered, and Zigong would offend several monarchs. Of course, even if the husband found out afterwards, as long as Lu Guo recognized Zigong as an envoy, it was okay for everyone to pretend to be stupid.

(To be continued)