In October 268 B.C., Tian Dan, the prime minister of Qi, once again wrote a letter of resignation "due to illness", and this time the king of Qi did not refuse again, but gave a thousand gold, rewarding 10,000 acres of fertile land in the East China Sea, for Tian Dan's "recuperation" needs. After a touching and tearful farewell, Tian Dan said goodbye to Linzi and went straight to the East China Sea.

Without the constraints of Tiandan, King Qi was like a caged bird entering the forest, a fish jumping into the deep sea, and began to govern the country according to his own thoughts. A series of decrees were promulgated, but they were also decent. This made Mink's heart settle down a little. Although the king of Qi likes to use some villains to check and balance the ministers of the court, he is still accurate in principle.

Tian Dan left, and the position of prime minister naturally became vacant. Many ministers thought that Mink Bo was the most likely to take over. On the one hand, Mink Bo has always been relied on by the king of Qi; Of the two, Mink Bo's prestige is incomparable, after all, he was the first to follow King Qi. Unexpectedly, the King of Qi made an unexpected decision - to appoint the doctor Hou Sheng as the prime minister.

Who is the winner after going to the doctor? but the younger brother of the Queen. He has never had any great talents, and the only thing that can be praised is a little bit of tongue. The position of the prime minister is so important, it is really incomprehensible that the king of Qi actually launched a foreign relative to govern. How did everyone know that what King Qi was worried about was a wise man getting along with him. Hou Sheng is his own family, and he is obedient to himself, this is one of them. There is no great talent, he cherishes his life, and he doesn't have to worry about his rebellion, which is the second thing. Lack of prestige, unstable position, need your own support to sit firmly, and you can be removed at any time, this is the third. King Qi took a fancy to these three points before appointing Hou Sheng as prime minister.

King Qi also knew that even if he didn't appoint Hou Sheng as the prime minister, when the crown prince succeeded to the throne, he would still be crowned Hou Sheng as the prime minister. Instead of this, it is better to train and train him earlier to win and establish his prestige. In this way, it can also make him a help for the prince in the future!

After receiving the news of Tian Dan's resignation, Yan Guo was the happiest. Looking back on the past, if it weren't for Tian Dan ruining the plan of the Yan Kingdom, the Qi Kingdom would have ceased to exist a long time ago. A Yan State standing in Shandong will be able to compete for hegemony in the Central Plains and compete with Zhao State. Instead of being like now, he didn't dare to go south to pass through the Qi State because he was afraid of the Zhao State.

But now, the opportunity has come, Qi Guo has cut off his arm, and he has just lost to Zhao Guo, if he doesn't bully Qi Guo at this time, I'm sorry for myself!

King Yan excitedly summoned Prime Minister Jiangqu, Changfu Ju Xin, Zhong Dafu Libelly, Yaqing Rong Worm, Changguo Jun Lejian and other important ministers to discuss the possibility of defeating Qi.

Hearing that King Yan intended to kill Qi, Changguo Junle immediately stood up. said: "Your Majesty, although the Qi State is newly defeated, it also has an army of 300,000. The king said that he wanted to destroy Qi, but the minister did not know what goal the king wanted to achieve, whether he could take three or five cities, or break through Linzi and destroy the Qi country, and asked the king to show him. ”

Yan Guo sighed. said: "The widow naturally knows that the strength of my Yan Kingdom alone. It is difficult to conquer Linzi and destroy the Qi country. This time to attack Qi, it is natural to capture as much Qi land as possible. As for how much to capture, do what you can. Yaqing has led the troops for many years, and he knows nothing about it. ”

Yaqing Rong said in the ranks: "If the Qi country is not prepared, there are 50,000 troops in hand." The minister was sure to attack Maiqiu. If the Qi State has been prepared, the minister thinks that it is enough to conquer Rao'an. However, Maiqiu is more than 100 miles south of Jishui, and if Qi knows that Maiqiu is lost, he will definitely raise a large army to counterattack. ”

The ministers all nodded. Linzi is only more than two hundred miles away from Maiqiu, and once the power of the Yan State expands to Maiqiu, the Qi State will definitely regard it as a major trouble. Even if Yan Guo wants to defend Maiqiu, the price must be expensive. Relatively speaking, the stimulation of conquering Rao'an to Qi Guo will not be so great, and it is worth considering by Yan Guo.

King Yan secretly allowed Rong Yi to make up his mind, he didn't plan to invade so much Qi land at once, and it was enough to attack Rao'an! After all, it's also a land of a hundred miles! For the sake of safety, weaken the Qi State step by step, and then annex it in one fell swoop when the Qi State is weak and unbearable, and the big revenge can be avenged!

"What does Yaqing mean that it is feasible to send troops?" King Yan asked.

Rong Yan nodded again and again, and replied: "I think it's feasible!" In recent years, the Qi State has first annexed half of Tao County, then destroyed the Lu State, and taken half of the Huaisi land, and there are already signs of recovery! On the contrary, in addition to expanding some land in Liaodong, our Yan Kingdom has almost no strength. Now is a good time to suppress the Qi State, otherwise, in a few years, the strength of the Qi State will increase greatly, and our Yan Kingdom wants to suppress it, it will be difficult! ”

King Yan was noncommittal, turned to Chang Guojun Lejian and asked, "What does Chang Guojun think?" ”

Le Jian knew that King Yan had made up his mind, not to mention that it was not a good move to attack Rao'an and expand the border to the south for more than 100 miles, so he immediately shook his head slightly, and said: "The minister also agrees with Yaqing's plan, but the minister has a doubt, this land within a radius of 100 miles west of Zhangshui, I don't know if the king plans to take it?" ”

King Yan's face changed, Qi has more than 100 miles west of Zhangshui, it is easy to take, but it is difficult to keep. If Yan Zhao is good, it will be safe, and once he is evil, this hundred-mile land will change hands in a moment. I have never been able to make up my mind about whether to capture this land, and it is precisely for this reason that I avoid talking about it.

However, since Le Jian said it here, King Yan just asked for the opinions of his ministers. King Yan, who had a plan in his heart, asked calmly: "The widow is also very troubled, what is the high opinion of Chang Guojun, it is better to talk about it." ”

"In the opinion of the ministers, there is a county in the land of Qi to the west of Rao'an and the plain, and if you get it, you can collect 70,000 households. Among them, the circle of Zhangshui to the west is not more than 100 miles, but there are 30,000 people. For the great plan of Yan Kingdom, this hundred miles of land should be obtained! ”

Doctor Zhong couldn't help but ask: "It is easy to take west of Zhangshui, but it is difficult to guard. Zhao Guo has coveted Qi Guo for a long time, in this way, haven't we offended Zhao Guo?! It is better to unite with Zhao to conquer Qi, Zhao to take the land of 100 miles west of Zhangshui, and we will take Rao'an, Maiqiu and other cities. ”

The eldest husband Ju Xin immediately retorted: "The minister thinks it's inappropriate! The country of Zhao is already a behemoth, if it increases its land and expands its people, my Yan country will be more constrained. Even in order to safely unite with Zhao, he could lobby Zhao and make Zhao attack Anyang, Gaotang and other places. ”

King Yan nodded secretly, it was not impossible for Yan Guo to attack Qi State alone, but the casualties were greater after all. The most ideal is to unite the Chu State or the Zhao State to attack Qi together, among them, it is especially best to unite Chu. On the one hand, Yan and Chu can advance together in the north and south, and there will be no conflict of interests. The two have not been occupied for a long time by Qi State, the land of Huaisi. If the Chu State invests more troops, it may be able to hit the land of the original Lu State in one go, and at that time, the Qi State will really be "lively"!

The second is to unite the Zhao State, the advantage is that Yan, Zhao, and Qi border each other, and Yan and Zhao can act in unison. The downside is also obvious, that is, there are differences of interest. If you take a closer look at the map, you can clearly see that the Zhao State has completely surrounded the west of the Qi State, stretching thousands of miles from north to south; And the land between the rivers bordering Yan and Qi is only more than 100 miles wide from east to west. If Zhao sent a large army to cut off Yan Guo, Yan would be cut off from the Central Plains, just like the current situation of Qin. Increasing the depth of Yan Kingdom as much as possible naturally became the first choice of King Yan. In King Yan's vision, if he had to join forces with Zhao State, he would join forces. The best thing is that the Qi State is from the direction of Liaocheng, and the Yan State is from the south of the river, so that they do not conflict with each other, and each depends on his ability.

"What does the prime minister think?" King Yan did not express his support for which side, and asked Xiang Jiangqu.

Jiang Qu replied solemnly: "If the king is content with the status quo, if the Yan State is willing to submit to the Zhao State, he can send the hundred miles west of Zhangshui with his hands, in exchange for the trust of the Zhao State in the Yan State." But. If the king intends to check and balance the Zhao State, he will not be at the mercy of the Zhao State. This hundred miles west of Zhangshui must not be cut off. ”

Seeing that Jiang Qu said solemnly, King Yan couldn't help but ask curiously: "Is the prime minister saying that this hundred miles of land can be obtained by a few people?" ”

"Yes! Why is the king worried about Zhao State, and why the previous kings of the past dynasties befriended Zhao State, Gai Mo is not because the Dai County of Zhao State is only two hundred miles away from Jicheng. If the king wants to change the situation, he must occupy a hundred miles west of Zhangshui. Once the Zhao State is not conducive to the Yan State. The king can connect the countries, go south from Lucheng against the Zhangshui, and besiege Handan. As for whether Zhao Guo will be dissatisfied with our Yan Kingdom, has the king forgotten that the princess is the queen of Korea? ”

King Yan's heart was a little calm. Zhao Guo is strong, but he has just lost to South Korea! If it weren't for the fact that South Korea was not adjacent to Qi State, he could have united with South Korea to attack Qi State, and he didn't need to look at Zhao State's face at all. After such an analysis by the prime minister, King Yan, a hundred miles west of Zhangshui, is determined to win! This is the first step to change the Yan State, if the first step is to show weakness, the Zhao State may continue to suppress the Qi State!

Not necessarily, now that Han, Wei, and Zhao are vying for power in the Central Plains, it is unlikely that Zhao will set up Yan as an enemy again, and Zhao should not suppress Yan.

When Han, Zhao, Wei, and Yan formed an alliance, Zhao took Qi as their prey, but now the alliance of the four countries has long fallen apart, and Korea and Wei have just occupied several cities in Zhao, and Yan can be completely exempt from the constraints of this alliance. This time can be used as a test of Yan Guo's attitude towards Zhao Guo, no matter how strong Zhao Guo is, he can't be arrogant to the point that he can't eat it and won't let others eat it.

King Yan, who had made up his mind, nodded and agreed: "What the prime minister said is very true! Today's world is a world of great contention, and if you fight, you will live, and if you let you die. The Lu State is so obedient to the Qi State, and it cannot escape the disaster of the country. The widow has made up his mind, and sent troops to attack Qi and capture all the Qi lands west of Rao'an and north of Maiqiu! ”

The ministers were silent, waiting for King Yan's next orders. Listening to King Yan's tone just now, Vaqi was already a sure thing. But whether to unite the Zhao State or the Chu State is open to discussion. I'm afraid the next thing is to discuss this matter and how to deal with South Korea. After all, now that Qi and South Korea are on good terms, once Yan is defeated by Qi and Qi asks for help from Korea, it will turn into a scuffle.

This time, King Yan directly put forward his idea and said: "The widow intends to send someone to lobby the King of Chu to fight Qi, if the King of Chu refuses, and then lobby the State of Zhao, what do you Aiqing think?" ”

"Good!" The prime minister was the first to second.

"No objection to the ministers!" The ministers looked left and right and replied in unison. This is also the safest idea, the strength of the three kingdoms of Qi, Yan, and Chu is equal, and there will be no such thing as a big bully like Zhao Guo. If you really can't, if you go to lobby Zhao Guo again, presumably Zhao Guo will not refuse.

Changguo Jun wanted to talk and stopped, and King Yan secretly remembered it in his heart. Seeing that the confidants and ministers were unanimously inclined to Lian Chu Vaqi, King Yan slapped the board and said, "Then ask the eldest man to go to Yingdu for the widow and lobby the Chu State?" ”

Ju Xin bowed his head and said: "The minister obeys the order!" ”

"You Aiqing are busy with business, and when you go back, you will perform your duties and prepare for Vaqiduo. Chang Guojun stayed, and the widow still had something to ask. ”

"Whoa!"

Seeing off the ministers, King Yan asked with interest: "Chang Guojun, the widow just saw that you wanted to speak and stopped, but what is the secret of what is difficult to say?" You might as well sue the widow! This is even the matter of Chu Vaqi. It's about the fortunes of the country. Chang Guojun, but it doesn't hurt to say! ”

Lejian shook his head helplessly and said, "The minister is not worried that Chu State will not agree, but is worried about South Korea's reaction. ”

King Yan didn't know what he meant, and asked suspiciously: "Zhao Guo is afraid that we will be co-opted by South Korea, and South Korea is also afraid that Zhao Guo will win us over, and we will check and balance each other." We should not be afraid of South Korea's obstruction. Even if South Korea wants to obstruct it, when the Korean army enters Qi State, the war will be over long ago. Chang Guojun is too worried, right? ”

"Return to the king! What the minister is worried about is not long-term! After all, it is not a long-term solution! For example, the Qi State and the Wei State can profit because of their dependence on Korea. For example, those in the Chu State are trapped in a corner because they are mavericks. The Yan State wants to rise, and its own position determines that it cannot coexist with the Zhao State. Therefore, the minister thought, why not make friends with South Korea as soon as possible. For example, this time, we can use the princess to blow the pillow wind to King Han. First, to show goodwill to South Korea. It shows our respect for South Korea and avoids unnecessary trouble. ”

"But Qi is currently friendly with South Korea, but we are going to attack Qi State, so it's probably not appropriate to sue South Korea in advance!" King Yan was very puzzled by the mention of Lejian.

This is also the reason why the minister wants to stop talking. At present, although Qi and South Korea are on a rampage, the alliance is not unbreakable. If South Korea wants to dominate the Central Plains, it is bound to be wary of the rise of Qi. The king looked at the map and knew that the area of Qi was larger than that of King Qi Min at the moment! When King Min of Qi was king, the State of Qi was once comparable to the State of Qin! ”

"What do you mean by Chang Guojun?" King Yan said tentatively.

"The minister is willing to do it. He sent an envoy to South Korea for the king to test the tone of South Korea. Waiting for the king's choice! Rakuma suddenly pleaded.

King Yan hesitated for a moment and agreed. If South Korea also supports Yan to attack Qi and weaken Qi, then Yan will have more articles to do. This is also a shortcut to get on the Korean boat! Don't miss out! Lejian has always done things in the style of a father, cautious and steady, and will not let himself down.

Half a month later. Changguo Junle arrived at the heart of the Central Plains, the prosperous place of South Korea - Xinzheng. Because of the rapid increase in population, the outer city of Xinzheng has continued to expand outward in recent years, and compared with five years ago, it has expanded by ten miles. This is also because all the craftsmen have moved to Hanyi. Otherwise, it won't be able to accommodate it at all. Up to now, the population of Xinzheng has been compared with Daliang and Handan, and it has become the largest city in the Central Plains.

After receiving the greeting post from Chang Guojun, Prime Minister Zhang Ping was very puzzled. Over the years, Yan Guo has maintained a lukewarm attitude towards South Korea and stayed out of the world's disputes. However, because the queen of Korea is the sister of King Yan, there must be a group of envoys from Yan Kingdom back and forth between Jicheng and Xinzheng every year to give small gifts between brothers and sisters. It's just that this time, the envoy of Yan came too early, and the formation was more grand. You must know that in the past, a doctor came on behalf of King Yan, and the time was also December. Now, it is the leader of the feudal monarch, and the time is only the beginning of November.

Who is Changguo Junlejian, but he is the son of Wangzhu Junleyi. Listening to the new Yingchuan County Lieutenant Lecheng said, the music room is quite fatherly! However, unlike Le Yi, who is good at using soldiers, Le Jian is better at handling political affairs. Because of his uprightness and straightforwardness, Lejian is very favored by King Yan. Zhang Ping keenly felt that this was an opportunity to improve the relations between Yan and South Korea! What's more, if she comes from afar, she is a guest, and if she does not entertain herself, the queen will not be able to forgive herself. Zhang Ping also wanted to test the other party's intentions! The purpose behind Yan Guo's unusually sending important ministers is very intriguing.

Pushing away all the things at hand, Zhang Ping instructed the housekeeper that except for the edict of King Han, no one could disturb him to receive distinguished guests, and then went to the study to wait for the music room.

After a while, Le Jian walked into the study under the leadership of the butler of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Zhang Ping got up and walked a few steps quickly, walked in front of Le Jian, and said: "Chang Guojun came from afar, and he failed to meet him from afar, he is guilty of sin!" ”

The music room was 'annihilated' by the sudden enthusiasm, and after a slight gaffe, he said: "The music room came uninvited, disturbing the prime minister's rest, but it is a sin!" Ashamed! Ashamed! ”

Zhang Ping waved his hand again and again, and said with a smile: "Ping wishes that Chang Guojun would come to 'disturb' more!" Ha ha! Speaking of which, Ping admired Ling Zun for a long time, but he couldn't see it. I have always heard that Chang Guojun is quite respectful, and now I have to taste it, and sure enough! ”

"The ability of the family is not as good as one-twelfth of my father, and it is all falsely praised by the times! However, the prime minister and the five generations of Lingzun are said to be beautiful talks, which makes the room quite envious! Rakuma said modestly.

Zhang Ping was in a good mood, which was also what he was most proud of. His father Zhang Kaidi successively served as the prime minister of Han Zhaohou, Han Weihou, and Han Xiang Wang, and he successively assisted the former king - King Han and the current King of Han as prime minister, so some people call their family five generations of Xianghan. The prestige of the Zhang family's South Korean politics is definitely not comparable to that of any family.

Although he had never dealt with Lejian before, just by virtue of a few words, Zhang Ping probably pinched the temperament of Lejian. As rumored in the streets, Lejian is modest and cautious, such a person is not deep, but he is outspoken and dares to admonish, and has the style of an ancient gentleman! (To be continued......)

PS: Please subscribe! A little smaller, it is recommended to get your hands.