Time goes back to the day when Zheng Bo, Zichan, and Li Ran arrived at Zhanghuatai.
That day in Zhanghua Terrace, the King of Chu held a banquet to entertain Uncle Zheng and his party. After the banquet was over, the King of Chu summoned Guan Cong and Wu Ju in his palace.
At that time, Guan Cong's words could be said to have awakened the King of Chu: Bo Shi and Dr. Zi Xi of Zheng State both criticized Li Ran, and this may be the starting point.
Since Li Ran is unwilling to serve as an official in the Chu State, let the Zheng State cause some trouble and expel Li Ran with an excuse, leaving him with nowhere to go. Then he will have no choice but to stay in the Chu State.
The King of Chu acted according to the plan and wrote a letter in his own handwriting and sent it to Zheng Guofeng.
And this was the cause of the Sihei Rebellion in Zheng Guo.
Regarding this trick, both Li Ran and Zichan had actually guessed it before.
However, what everyone didn't know was that at night, after Wu Ju had arranged the concubines of the King of Chu to sleep with Li Ran, Wu Ju actually returned to the King of Chu's chamber.
It turned out that after that, they actually had a conversation between the two of them.
"Your Majesty, I wonder why your Majesty is so polite to Li Ran now? He actually gave up his concubines to him?"
Wu Ju naturally understood the intentions of the King of Chu. The so-called hero is saddened by beauty. If Li Ran could just indulge in the land of gentleness, that would be the best.
But what Wu Ju didn't understand was that since the King of Chu had already made up his mind to enter the war through Zheng's imperial wall, wouldn't it seem a bit unnecessary for the King of Chu to treat Li Ran with such "courtesy"?
Unexpectedly, King Chu just smiled proudly and said unconcernedly:
"Haha, Feng Duan and Si Hei are always outsiders. Even if they are willing to do things for me, they may not be able to do it. Li Ran and Zi Chan are by no means idle people, and there are rare tigers in Zheng Yi who rule the country. How can it be so easy?
What? Let them make a lot of troubles within the Zheng Kingdom. At best, they will just rush back to the Zheng Kingdom to make money."
"However, if Li Ran can understand the good intentions of this person after spending this night, then the matter of becoming a servant tomorrow will naturally be a matter of course. Moreover, if there is civil strife in Zheng State, if Li Ran can still say that his family and relatives are all there by then,
Because of Zheng Guo, those people will have another reason to take charge of it."
The King of Chu gave his most "beloved" concubine to Li Ran, which was enough to prove his sincerity in recruiting Li Ran. He thought that Li Ran should be able to understand this.
In fact, Li Ran did realize this, although it was extremely uncomfortable for Li Ran, and it was also extremely embarrassing.
But even so, he still did not readily agree to King Chu.
Therefore, this is what the King of Chu later said: How far can the State of Zheng be from the State of Chu?
And this is another method that the King of Chu said, and it is also another wonderful use for the "Sihei Rebellion".
When Wu Ju heard King Chu's plan, he nodded slightly. It is undeniable that King Chu's two-pronged approach would be difficult for anyone to resist.
And why did the King of Chu deliberately try to get rid of Li Ran?
It is obvious that Li Ran is a man of great talent. And the King of Chu himself has great ambitions and is determined to rival Qi Huangong.
Since it is Duke Huan of Qi, he must be assisted by a great sage like Guan Zhong.
And Li Ran, in the eyes of the King of Chu, was obviously his Guan Zhong.
The King of Chu will definitely get it!
Therefore, although Wu Ju was not too fond of Li Ran when it came to recruiting Li Ran, he never objected.
"It's late at night today. Why did Wu Qing leave and come back? Are there any doubts?"
The King of Chu glanced at Wu Ju's face, and when he saw him leaving and coming back again and again, he suddenly felt something strange.
As expected, Wu Ju also heard the voice and responded:
"Your Majesty has clearly investigated and found out that I have something to say, but I don't know whether to say it or not."
"Haha, why do you and I, my king and my ministers, have to do this? Wu Qing just said it doesn't matter."
King Chu waved his hand and said rather proudly.
Wu Ju immediately bowed and then asked with a slight hesitation:
"Li Ran is a man with a mind close to that of a monster. If the king can take him under his command, that would be the best."
"But what if in the end, even if the king tries his best, it still doesn't work? What should we do then?"
Yes, what they just said was just discussing how to keep Li Ran in Chu State. But what if Li Ran would rather die than obey? Or would he refuse to stay in Chu State and serve the King of Chu?
After Wu Ju finished speaking, a cold look suddenly appeared on King Chu's face.
Ever since he became the commander of Chu State, he has never failed to get what he wants. Even the throne of Chu State is inevitable for him.
There is only one Li Ran, who has repeatedly recruited people and shown sincerity again and again. It stands to reason that he has already achieved the ultimate level of courtesy and virtuous corporal.
But if this is the case, he still can't be taken under his command, and he can't even keep Li Ran in Chu State...
"I think our ancestors of the Chu State all took it as their mission to dominate the world. Drinking horses from the Yellow River, pointing swords at Jin and Qi, and becoming the world leader are our long-cherished wishes. But if we want to do this now, Zheng Guo will
This will become the first hurdle that our country of Chu has to overcome."
"And Li Ran repeatedly claimed to be from Zheng, and was a close friend of Zichan, who was close to the Jin state. He even refused the king's good intentions several times on the grounds that his family members were in Zheng, which shows his loyalty to the Zheng state."
"If the king cannot recruit him this time and allows this person to return to the state of Zheng, then the state of Zheng will definitely become our strong enemy of Chu. By then, with Li Ran's resourcefulness and Sun Wu's generals around him, the king is sure that he can deal with it.
What?"
What Wu Ju hesitated about was precisely this last sentence.
Just as Zhou Yu was wary of Zhuge Liang, what Wu Ju hesitated about was the almost inevitable confrontation between Li Ran and Chu in the future.
Therefore, if Li Ran is allowed to return to the State of Zheng safely, is the King of Chu really sure that he can deal with the State of Zheng or even the State of Jin who has Li Ran?
King Chu did not speak, but the clouds on his face were gathering.
He understood very well what Wu Ju meant and knew that what Wu Ju said was true.
After a while, he said in a low voice:
"Wu Qing means... to make it impossible for him to return to Zheng?"
After saying this, he turned to look at Wu Ju again.
However, Wu Ju did not respond, but looked directly at King Chu's feet with a strong evil look in his eyes.
King Chu understood instantly.
I saw his eyes narrowing slightly, and his eyes instantly became sharp.
"What Wu Qing said is actually quite reasonable..."
If you can't get it, destroy it. You can never let the tiger return to the mountain just because of a moment of kindness. This has been the case with those who have achieved great things since ancient times.
What's more, if Li Ran insists on refusing to stay in Chu and serve him, then he really has no use value.
And such a person must not be allowed to become an obstacle to Chu's dominance over the world!
It is impossible for the King of Chu not to understand this point.
"Haha, Wu Qing is asking me to do my best..."
I don't know if it was self-deprecation or a sneer, but King Chu suddenly sneered.
But just his smile made Wu Ju understand everything.
Wu Ju knelt down and kowtowed again and said:
"I will do whatever it takes to make your Majesty's life miserable!"
Then, he kowtowed heavily again to show that these words really came from the bottom of his heart.
While King Chu looked at Wu Ju who was lying on the ground, and thought about Li Ran's various performances at today's banquet, there was a hint of coldness in King Chu's eyes.
There are some things that, as the King of Chu, it is not convenient for him to do or give orders.
For example, for the death of Chu King Jia Ao, although many people knew that it was Chu King Xiong Wei who did it, what was the reality? Perhaps only Chu King himself knew who did it.
The same goes for Li Ran.
Li Ran's name is now famous all over the world, and he is a well-known virtuous man. As the king of Chu, of course he cannot do it himself, but what if the officials under him accidentally fail?
That, at least to the outside world, is not the responsibility of King Chu.
——
Chapter 33_The State of Wu invades the country
Zhou Yu kept looking for opportunities to kill Zhuge Liang before, during and after Red Cliff. According to the novel, was he just jealous of Zhuge Liang's clever calculations?
of course not.
What Zhou Yu is afraid of is that if Zhuge Liang is let go, it will not be so easy for Soochow to deal with Liu Bei in the future.
This is the same as what Wu Ju is thinking now.
Although Li Ran stayed in the Chu State, if he was only in the Chu State and his heart was in Zheng, he would not offer a plan or plan for the King of Chu. He would even try every means to think of how to return to the Zheng State.
Then Wu Ju could never let such a powerful enemy leave Chu State alive, so he met with the King of Chu again late at night to remind the King of Chu that he must not let the tiger go back to the mountain.
And what about Li Ran? In fact, he had already guessed Wu Ju's intention today. Therefore, he unintentionally not only directly pointed out the current diagnosis location of Chu State, but also said it clearly in a subtle way:
As long as he stays in Chu State for one day, the King of Chu will never kill him. If he kills him, it will be difficult for Chu State to recruit talents in the future.
This can be regarded as Li Ran's response to Wu Ju's temptation.
…
Just as Wu Ju was about to leave Xiangyuan, he suddenly heard the summons from the King of Chu. Wu Ju glanced at Wu Ju and signaled him to go home quickly, and then hurried to the main hall of Zhanghuatai.
When they came to the main hall, they saw all the ministers arriving, and the King of Chu was pacing back and forth in the hall, with a gloomy look on his originally heroic face.
"Your Majesty..."
"Well, let's wait until Mr. Ziming arrives."
Before Wu Ju could ask when exactly it happened, King Chu waved his hand slightly and motioned for him to sit aside.
Wu Ju couldn't help but look blank, knowing that King Chu's move was intended to show Li Ran's face in order to test his attitude, and he immediately understood what he meant.
Not long after, Li Ran also arrived. After greeting the King of Chu, he was arranged to sit down next to Wu Ju.
After everyone had arrived, the King of Chu winked at one of the doctors. The man stood up quickly, bowed to the King of Chu and announced the news on the spot:
"Everyone, ten days ago, King Zhufan of Wu personally led his army to seek provocation. However, Shu Jiu, a small state that was originally vassal to Chu, has now defected to Wu."
The doctor's short briefing made the entire Zhanghuatai main hall tremble.
The bold and unbridled Wu State has actually captured Shu Jiu directly!
How awesome is this?!
No wonder King Chu looks so ugly today.
As soon as he ascended the throne, it was logical that the Wu Kingdom would not come to perform Hajj, but he did not expect that he actually did the opposite. Not only did he lead his troops to invade, but he also directly rode on his face and forced Shu Jiu.
This vassal state was taken away.
Can this be tolerated?
Even Wu Ju couldn't help but be startled after hearing this.
Because he knew very well that Shu Jiu, as the leader of Qunshu, this country was the most important stronghold in the Jianghuai River Basin, and the terrain was also extremely dangerous.
If the Chu State once lost control of Shu Jiu, it would mean that the Chu State not only lost control of the Jianghuai area, but also lost a stronghold that could further suppress the Wu State in the future.
Similarly, if the Wu State controls Shu Jiu, it will be a great deterrent to the Chu State in the southeast. It can advance, attack, retreat, and defend, and thus it will have the initiative to compete with the Chu State for hegemony in the south.
Therefore, although Shujiu is just a small country, its strategic significance is quite important.
Obviously, the reason why the Wu State raised its troops to invade this time was largely due to the fact that the new king of Chu State was coming to the throne and his foothold was not stable, so he wanted to make a big profit!
But now, since Wu State has taken the advantage, Chu State's countermeasures must not be careless, let alone give in!
But after Li Ran heard about this, he didn't say anything, not even blinking an eyelid.
After all, this is the state affairs of Chu State, and he, an outsider, doesn't have much to do with it at the moment.
At best, he is just a spectator.
"During the meeting in Guodi, these Fans refused to attend because the journey was too far. Humph! It turns out that they had harbored evil intentions for a long time!"
"Zhufan, my son, has been harassing our Chu State Jianghuai area many times in recent years, and this time it has been intensified. It is really abominable!"
"Fight back!"
"Yes! King Chu, please give the order!"
All the doctors in the main hall expressed their opinions one after another after a moment of silence.
And they also carried forward the tough attitude of their Chu people as always: Yes! There is nothing more to say, just fight back!
In terms of overall strength, Wu State is definitely not their opponent of Chu State. However, due to the long distance and beyond reach, they are left in a corner for the time being.
But this time it was Wu Guo himself who hit their guns, how could they just let it go?
When Wu Ju heard this, he immediately turned his attention to King Chu.
He knew that according to the character of King Chu, the use of troops against Wu was certain. But when Shu Jiu was dispatched this time, who should control and command the troops? This was the key question.
Not long after the King of Chu came to the throne, although there were many ministers and officials in the main hall who could be loyal to him, there were only very few generals who could lead the army to kill the enemy. In addition, Shu Jiu's new defeat caused the morale of the Chu army to be low, so
This person who leads the army appears to be very crucial!
After thinking about it, Wu Ju felt that it was of course his duty to do so, and he was about to invite him to go to war, but who knew that the King of Chu suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Ziming, regarding this matter... what do you think?"
Yes, the King of Chu did not ask the opinions of any other Chu officials in the palace, but looked directly at Li Ran.
As an outsider, Li Ran pretended to be dozing off. When he heard King Chu's question, he immediately opened his eyes and pretended to be energetic.
What do you think?
Do you believe me when I say I’ll use Qvod?
Oh, it’s true! You can make up your own mind about this kind of thing, so why do you have to ask me?
Li Ran cursed in his heart, but his face remained calm.
"Mr. Ziming? I wonder what you have to say about Wu Guo's seizure of Shu Jiu?"
Seeing that Li Ran was actually closing his eyes and concentrating there, the King of Chu was not angry. He just thought that he had not heard the whole story clearly, so he repeated it again.
After this operation, Li Ran naturally could no longer shirk the blame, so he had to respond:
"Shujiu is an important place in the Jianghuai River. The terrain is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we abandon it here, it will be bad for the Chu State."
"However, I have heard that all princes and small countries must have a big country to threaten them with military force. Only by making them fearful can they be kind and kind, and only by making them kind can their country be peaceful."
"Now that Shu Jiu is in chaos, it is time for the Chu State to use its troops. Besides, all the ministers of the Chu State are so united. However, they also think that it is the best policy to lead their troops to fight back at this time."
Li Ran just found a high-sounding reason, but it seemed to be true. But if you want to talk about Li Ran's inner monologue at this moment? But it may not be able to be put on the stage:
Let's fight, let's fight. If you Chu people don't go to the south to fight against Wu, why don't you keep talking about how to go north to fight for hegemony every day?
At this time, Li Ran only said this to himself, and then sat down again without changing his expression.
Of course, if Wu State can contain Chu State, what harm will it do to Zheng State and Li Ran?
When Wu Ju heard this, he nodded slightly. Of course, he also knew that Li Ran had selfish motives for agreeing to use troops against Wu, but now it was more important to recapture Shu Jiu.
"Your Majesty, I also think this should be the case."
"The State of Wu has invaded our borders many times over the years, and has long wanted to compete with me for hegemony. This time, Zhufan personally led his troops to capture Shujiu. His intentions are very clear!"
"If we don't fight back, won't our position as the leader of the world's alliance in the Chu Kingdom directly become the laughing stock of the world?!"
Wu Ju made it clear directly that he must be beaten, and he must be beaten hard!