It is said that the soldiers and Sun Tzu returned to China, went to the Hajj to see King Wu, returned the Lingjian seal, and returned to their homes without mentioning it.

The next day, King Wu went to court. He glanced at the ministers sitting cross-legged on both sides, glanced at the first empty case on the right with his spare eyes, and only unfolded the bamboo slip in front of him for a long time, and said slowly: "This time it has been a thousand miles and has gone through several formations. Burning the temple of Chu, falling to the king of Chu; Let the enemy be frightened, so that Chu Jun avoids others; The outnumbered people led tens of thousands of people, and they were able to attack the country of strong Chu, all of which relied on the collective wisdom and great achievements of all Aiqing. Today, the widows will be rewarded according to their merits and deeds to encourage the morale of the army. ”

All the ministers congratulated King Wu. The state of Wu is only a medium-sized country, with a small territory and a limited population. Today, being able to attack the powerful Chu State and drink Ma Han water has already shocked the princes and the countries to look sideways, and King Wu will naturally reward him according to his merits.

King Wu paused for a moment, although today was a day of great joy, it was still difficult for him to get excited.

Although Wu broke through the strong Chu in this attack and won a glamorous appearance, it lost the opportunity because it failed to adopt Sun Wu's weak Chu strategy at the beginning, and later made repeated strategic mistakes, making the substantive gains of this campaign lackluster.

For the powerful opponent of the Chu State, the defeat of Yingdu was a heavy blow this time, but in the end, due to the strategic mistakes of the monarchs and ministers of the Wu State, the Chu State was given a chance to breathe, so that the Chu State could become strong again in the hands of King Zhao, which is naturally not mentioned later.

In his heart, this is the deep regret he left after the end of this war. Not only that, but there was also a person's betrayal that hit him even worse.

Looking at the empty cases of the husband, He Lu controlled his emotions, and then said: "After collegiality, Sun Wu is in the first place in this breakthrough. followed by the soldiers, Bo Ya, Gongzi Mountain, Yue Peng......"

King Wu looked at the bamboo slips on several cases and began to read the long list of rewards, and in this list, there was one person missing.

After reading the list, his face was no longer as gloomy as before, and he turned to Yan and said: "Grandson is the first to take the lead this time, but the widow doesn't know what Aiqing wants to ask for as a reward?" ”

Sun Wu said: "Although the minister said that there were some slight achievements, even if this battle could attack the city and pull out the village, the enemy could be defeated for thousands of miles. However, the murder weapon of a soldier cannot be used as a long-term strategy for seeking the country, and it is a last resort - the use of soldiers. That's just a last resort for the state. This military matter can be presented, but if you make a mistake in seeking the country, you will also be at fault! ”

King Wu knew what his grandson meant, but he failed to plan the state of Chu this time and failed to obtain the desired strategic return. It is the pain in the heart of the monarchs and ministers of Wu State.

King Wu said: "Aiqing has immortal merits, and the widow will entrust him with the phase." How is it? ”

Sun Wu bowed to the ground and said, "Thank you for your kindness." But the minister has no intention of being an official, and the minister asks to return to the mountains and retreat, and is committed to the mountains and rivers, and asks the king to allow it. ”

After hearing this, King Wu was shocked and said: "Aiqing is the time to become famous, why did he suddenly retreat, is it not enough to be a widow and a gentleman?" ”

Sun Wugu said: "The minister once traveled the world to study. I don't want to be entangled in the mundane affairs of the temple, and I want to place my affection between the mountains and rivers. The minister asked the king to resign and return, and the minister was grateful! ”

Seeing that Sun Wu was resolute in retreating, he still hadn't figured out the reason behind Sun Wu's resignation. King Wu announced his retirement from the dynasty and discussed Sun Wu's resignation in the future.

Seeing that the ministers had retreated, King Wu got up and ordered the soldiers to follow him back to the palace.

Because King Wu broke Chu this time, he lived in the palace of King Chu in Yingdu for a long time, and he often sighed in his heart that the atmosphere of the Chu Palace was luxurious, and he had the demeanor of a great country. After the class teacher returned to China this time, He Lu ordered to go down and govern the palace. Therefore, the Wu Palace is being expanded and renovated, and there are many craftsmen who are on errands, so the two monarchs and ministers found a remote place to sit outside the small garden of the Hou/Palace.

He Lu raised his eyebrows, and said gloomily: "This time to break Chu, Sun Tzu has immortal achievements, but he does not want to be an official, I don't know why he suddenly has a will to retire, I don't know what Zixu thinks of this matter?" ”

"Sun Tzu is a genius in the world, very good at using soldiers, and a minister of the pillars of the country, and the king must not let him go."

"The widow also has this intention. However, the grandson is very strong, Zixu and his grandson are confidants, so it is better to persuade them in private. The widow wants to settle the Central Plains and dominate the southern Xinjiang, and there is a long way to go, and he cannot do without the help of his grandson! ”

The soldier was ordered: "The ministers try to keep it for the king." ”

King Wu said: "Sun Tzu Dacai, if it is used by other countries, what should it be?" ”

Wu Yuan knew the meaning of King Wu and admonished: "According to the minister's observation, Sun Tzu will naturally not seek to serve in other countries. If you want to make a name for yourself, why should your grandson give up the fame you have acquired? After this battle to break Chu, Sun Tzu will go down in history, why do you need to draw snakes? The king doesn't have to worry too much. ”

King Wu was silent for a long time, but then said: "This mutiny almost caused a catastrophe. However, if the husband and the widow are brothers, this fratricidal matter will be despised by the people. Now that the husband has been defeated, he has fled to the Song Kingdom, but it is a problem for the widow, and Aiqing is seeking it for the widow. ”

The soldiers understood, said goodbye, and left the Wu Palace. The soldier got into the carriage and instructed Gu Xin: "Go to the council hall of the Longwei camp first." ”

The first purpose of the Longwei camp was to secretly assassinate Prince Qingji and his henchmen, and it was a private institution set up by King Wu to cut off his political opponents, and was not subject to the control of the state administration. When King Wu invaded Chu in person, Yue Peng led part of the elite of the Longwei battalion as the close guard of the king of Wu, and later the king of Wu returned to the country, and the Longwei battalion returned to the throne.

The soldier is the supreme commander of the Longwei Battalion, and he is directly ordered by Helu.

On the dim meeting hall of the Longwei camp, the ground is a pine floor, in the center is a dark red carved table, and there are four low tables on each side, and the furnishings are still the same.

The soldiers summoned Yue Peng, Ali Sell and Tian Fang, and ordered: "Last time, the husband rebelled, which made the king very angry. In order to consolidate the position of the crown prince, the king has the intention of plotting against his husband. And the husband has fled to the Song Kingdom, and my Longwei camp will want to get rid of him. ”

The three of them were ordered, and the soldiers ordered Yue Peng to preside over the daily affairs of the Long Wei Battalion, and Yue Peng was also responsible for the specific arrangement and execution of the pursuit of the husband.

After the soldiers finished their official business, they ordered Gu Xin to drive straight to Sun Wu's mansion.

Sun Wu greeted the enlistment and sat in the study. Sun Wu ordered the waiter to serve tea, and then the two talked behind closed doors.

Wu Yuan said with a smile: "On that day, I recommended the virtuous brother to go out of the mountain, and today the virtuous brother relied on the battle of Chu to win the world's miraculous feats, and his fame shocked China, and it was the sun hanging in the sky; However, he had the intention of retreating, and the foolish brother was really a little puzzled. ”

Sun Wu replied: "Brother, do you know the way of heaven? The full moon waxes and wanes, the summer goes and the cold comes; Spring is not far away, autumn is coming, and the cycle of the four seasons is self-aware. The king of the younger brother is a man: now that the country is rich and the people are abundant, and the four realms are safe, the king will have the ambition of arrogance and luxury. Moreover, the king will rely on his strength and prosperity, and he will inevitably use troops frequently, and in the long run, the people's resentment will boil and the country's power will decline. The younger brother heard that the king had built the Changle Palace and built a high platform in Gusu Mountain. The king is proud of his life, and it is difficult to have great ambitions in the future. ”

Seeing that Sun Wu's analysis was very pertinent, the soldier pondered for a long time, and said: "Although the king also has mistakes, in the eyes of the foolish brother, he can be regarded as a generation of Ming monarchs. Does the virtuous brother think that the king is really not worthy of assistance? ”

Sun Wu shook his head and said, "Although the king is a generation of promising monarchs, what about the monarchs behind him?" Now that we have achieved fame, if we do not retreat at this time, there will be troubles in the future. The younger brother not only wanted to protect himself, but also persuaded the elder brother to accept it when he saw it, and take advantage of this success to get out. ”

Wu Yuan thought for a long time and sighed: "The situation of the foolish brother and the virtuous brother is very different. I am a deceased minister of the Chu State and defected to the king. I am trying to get the throne for the king, the king sent troops for me to break Chu, and avenge me all over the house, our monarchs and ministers have been suffering together for more than ten years, how can we abandon each other lightly! Although the words of the virtuous brother are reasonable, there are also words of concern. ”

Sun Wu was speechless for a long time, and said to the soldiers: "My brother has already made up his mind to resign." Everyone has their own aspirations, and if the king asks his brother, I hope that my brother will fulfill my heart of retreat. The little brother has thanked me here, and from now on you and my brothers will say goodbye: they will have a life and keep each one safe. ”

Seeing Sun Wu's intention to resign, the soldiers were very resolute, and it was difficult to persuade them again.

He Lu knew that Sun Wu was stubborn and only wanted to return to the mountain, so the king of Wu no longer forced him to stay, and rewarded Sun Wu with gold and silk and several cars, and allowed him to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests of Wu State.

On this day, Sun Wu boarded the car, did not say goodbye to his colleagues, and drifted away, along the way to scatter the goods and gold silk rewarded by King Wu to the poor people's homes, and returned to the people. (To be continued......)