Chapter 164: Diplomatic Relations between Countries (2) [Two in One]
In the third year of Wei Xing'an, the Central Plains tended to be peaceful. Generally speaking, there were no wars, but it cannot be said that there were no wars at all.
At least in the southeastern part of the Central Plains, the conflict between Chu and Yue still cannot be resolved: Chu still insists that the area south of the Yangtze River (Yangtze River) belongs to its Chu State and does not recognize the existence of Yue; and Yue King Shaokang,
He was also dissatisfied with the aggressiveness of the Chu State and led the people of Wu and Yue to fight tenaciously.
To the great surprise of the people of the world, even the state of Qi lost its territory under the fierce offensive of the state of Chu. However, the small state of Yue blocked the offensive of the Chu army one after another. Even the general of the state of Chu, Xiang Kuan,
He was also powerless against Wu Yue.
In early April, Chu State General Xiang Kuan was ordered to send troops out of Zhaoguan again to attack Yue State.
As in previous battles, the Chu army had an absolute advantage in the initial battle, but when the battle line advanced to the areas of "Zhang", "Fujiao" and "Wucheng", the Chu army's progress was suddenly delayed.
The reason lies in two points.
First, the land of Wu and Yue is mostly barren mountains and rivers - the "barren mountains and rivers" here does not mean that the land of Wu and Yue is a barren land, but that it is too wild and undeveloped, so that poisonous weeds, poisonous insects, jackals and tigers can be seen everywhere.
Leopards are a great threat to ordinary people.
As for the second one, that is the way of fighting between the people of Wu and Yue and the Yue Yi.
Different from the legion combat methods of the Central Plains, the Yue people are good at sneak attacks. The Yue army, such as the most famous "Dongou Army", has a very average frontal combat capability. At best, it is better than Chu's army.
There is a front line, but if they encounter Chu's regular army, they may not be able to win steadily.
The reason is that the weapons and equipment of the Dongou Army are extremely backward. Even if they have secret support from Qi State, they can hardly compare with the regular army of Chu State.
In fact, the biggest threat in the eyes of the Chu army was the Yue "militia".
Because they have been oppressed by the Chu State for many years, the Yue State, which has a deep hatred for the Chu State, can be said to have all its people as soldiers. Especially when the Chu army launches a large-scale attack, the hunters and mountain people of the Yue State, including the Yi people, will spontaneously resist.
Chu army, try your best to create trouble for Chu army.
For example, ambushing and killing the sentries of the Chu army, trying to pollute the water sources controlled by the Chu army, etc. All these methods made the soldiers of the Chu army hate them.
It is undeniable that these Yue militiamen did not have enough weapons. Not only did they not have the mainstream iron weapons in the Central Plains, they even had very few bronze weapons. Except for the "Dongou Army", they also had a relatively complete set of bronze weapons.
In addition to weapons made of wood, ordinary militiamen basically hold weapons made of bamboo and wood.
The most common one is a sharpened bamboo.
Another example is blowing darts.
This kind of mid-range weapon that the Yue people learned from the Yue Yi, combined with the poisonous juice mixed with poisonous grass and poisonous insects, is definitely the weapon that Chu soldiers hate the most. After all, the medical conditions are not developed here, and even headaches and brain fever can cause it.
In the age of the dead, being shot by Yue people's poisonous arrows ultimately sentenced the soldier to death.
In addition, Chu soldiers who died of poisoning often ended up with skin erosion, pus flowing all over their bodies, and dying howling in pain, which filled Chu soldiers with fear.
In mid-May, Chu State General Xiang Kuan's army was blocked by "Zhang" due to environmental factors.
Xiang Juan was also extremely depressed about this.
You must know that as one of the Three Pillars and the younger brother of General Xiang Mo, Xiang Kuan is also a leader among the Xiang family's children. In terms of martial arts, he is as good as his brother, and he can be said to be the best at using soldiers in the Chu Kingdom.
That type of general.
But to attack the Yue State on Tantan is simply like using the crossbows of the Wei State to shoot wild geese.
Half a month later, Xiong Tuo, king of Chu, received a briefing from General Xiang Kuan in the royal capital Shouying. He learned that the attack on Yue had failed again, and Xiong Tuo felt very unswerving.
He said angrily in front of all the ministers of the court: "Even the powerful Qi State in the past trembled under the army of our great Chu, lost its territory, and knelt down to sue for peace with our country. How could we, the great Chu, be helpless?"
A small country called Yue?!"
In view of Xiong Tuo's increasing power in Chu State, the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were only obedient and no one dared to respond.
Afterwards, Xiong Tuo invited his brother Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, who was the prime minister of the country, to the palace to discuss with him the strategy of conquering Yue.
Some people may ask, since the Yue State is so difficult to deal with, why does the Chu State insist on attacking the Yue State? Even if it is left alone, can the small Yue State still pose any threat to the Chu State?
In fact, the Yue people have always been a serious concern for the Chu State.
I remember that in the generation of Xiong Tuo's father, Xiong Xu, the Yue Kingdom had not yet been restored. At that time, there were many Yue people wandering in the Chu Kingdom to cause rebellion. After Wu Yue's leader, Shao Fang, restored the Yue Kingdom, the Yue people began to oppose the Chu Kingdom.
The resistance became more and more intense - I remember that when the Chu State attacked Qi, Lu and Yue a while ago, there were Yue people in the country harassing the towns and counties and carrying out sabotage.
If Qi and Chu have a feud for nearly thirty years, then the Yue State hates the Chu State for the destruction of the country - the Yue people hate the Chu people more strongly than the Qi people.
It is precisely because of this that when the Chu State attacked the Yue State, the Yue State's army and militia showed greater tenacity than the Qi people, and were willing to die together when necessary, making the Chu army very fearful of the Yue people.
"I didn't expect that this small country of Yue would be so difficult to deal with."
After inviting Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng to take a seat, Xiong Tuo said with emotion.
To be honest, Xiong Tuo is actually more inclined to attack Qi and Lu. However, the war with Qi and Lu in the past two years has made him realize that even though Qi has declined so much, as the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, so with Chu
With the current strength of the country, it is still a bit difficult to swallow up Qi and Lu in one go.
Therefore, he retreated to the next best thing and decided to solve the problem of Yue first while he was temporarily playing coy with Qi and Lu.
After all, the State of Qi has just reached an armistice agreement with the State of Chu. At this time, the State of Qi will not openly support the State of Yue. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for the State of Chu to destroy the State of Yue.
But I didn't expect that even if it was temporarily unable to receive assistance from Qi, the resistance from Yue's mainland would be so strong.
After listening to Xiong Tuo's words, Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, since we can't win completely, why not consider Fushun?"
Upon hearing this, King Xiong Tuo of Chu looked at Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng with some surprise, but the latter said: "The old hatred between Chu and Yue is that Chu destroyed Wu and Yue back then, and then persecuted the people of Wu and Yue; as for the
The new hatred lies in the fact that our country, Chu, refuses to recognize the status of the country of Yue as one of the countries in the Central Plains. It always insists that the country of Yue belongs to our country, Chu... But in fact, the barbaric land of Wu and Yue is really helpless to our country, Chu.
Or is it missing?”
"..." Xiong Tuo frowned slightly.
Does the vast Chu State really care about the land of Wu and Yue?
To be honest, Chu State doesn't care at all.
You must know that even though Wei State regained Sanchuan, Shangdang, and annexed Hexi and Hetao, its land area was still not as large as that of Chu State.
In contrast, the Wei State lacked enough population to develop the newly occupied territory, while the Chu State lacked money - yes, most of the Chu State's wealth was concentrated in the hands of the public and aristocratic classes.
, the national treasury is not rich, so there is not much spare money to invest in domestic construction.
What Chu State really cares about is status.
Shaokang, the lord of Yue, occupied the territory of Chu State and restored Yue State. If Chu State was indifferent to this, how would the world view Chu State?
Therefore, Chu State must attack Yue State!
Unexpectedly, the Yue State was so tenacious. In fact, the Chu State is also riding a tiger and is unable to dismount.
Hearing Xiong Tuo's concerns, Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng smiled and said: "This matter is easy to hear!... Just convince Shaokang to surrender to my great Chu!"
"this……"
Xiong Tuo thought for a while after hearing this.
Not to mention, if the State of Yue is willing to surrender to the State of Chu and make the State of Chu the suzerain state of the State of Yue, then the State of Chu can also save its face.
The question is, is it worth it?
Is the small Yue Kingdom worthy of being actively courted by the courtesy corporal of the Chu Kingdom?
"worth!"
Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, said seriously: "As far as I know, the State of Wei is now vigorously building up the country. However, our country, Chu, is still restrained by the State of Yue. If things go on like this, the gap between our country and the State of Wei will inevitably become wider and wider...
If your Majesty has the ambition to compete with the Kingdom of Wei in the next twenty years, then the Kingdom of Yue is worthy of me, the Great Chu, putting down my dignity and trying to win over him!"
King Xiong Tuo of Chu was shocked when he heard these words.
It is undeniable that Wei is an ally of Chu. The current King of Wei, Zhao Run, is his brother-in-law. The current Queen of Wei is his cousin Mi Jiang, whom he regards as his biological sister. Even the crown prince of Wei, Zhao Wei,
He is also his nephew.
But all these relationships are not enough to make Xiong Tuo give up leading the Chu State to compete with the Wei State for supremacy. After all, becoming the hegemon of the Central Plains has been the lifelong pursuit of all the monarchs of the Central Plains countries.
And since the Chu State is determined to compete with the Wei State for supremacy in the next twenty years, then time is even more precious - the Chu State should use all its time to catch up with the development of the Wei State. There will be no spare time to entangle with the Yue State. If it cannot be shortened,
If the Yue Kingdom is overthrown within a short period of time, then try to win over him.
Once the Chu State wins over the Yue State, then the Chu State will be able to solve the internal problems that have persisted.
"Shaokang...will he accept our offer from Chu?" King Xiong Tuo of Chu asked with a frown.
Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng heard this and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do my best to convince Shaokang!"
Xiong Tuo was stunned when he heard this, frowned and objected: "Brother Xian wants to go in person to persuade Shaokang? How can this happen?!"
It's no wonder he has such an attitude. After all, in today's Chu State, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu, who is in the west of Chu, and Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng, who serves as the Prime Minister, are Xiong Tuo's right-hand men and the most relied-upon ministers of the Xiong clan.
.
Furthermore, Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, has always been wise. It was precisely because of his help that the nobles of Eastern Chu gradually accepted Xiong Tuo - and even today, he is responsible for reform strategies involving the nobles of Eastern Chu.
Xiong Tuo still had to rely on Xiong Sheng to visit the respectable nobles one by one to persuade them to support the court's new policy.
Xiong Tuo could not imagine what he would be like if he lost Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang.
But Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, said: "Chu and Yue have been grudged for a long time. Now that they have contacted rashly, we need to show our sincerity to impress Shaokang... There is no one in the country who is more suitable than me."
King Xiong Tuo of Chu hesitated for a long time, but due to the persistence of Lord Xiong Sheng of Liyang, he finally agreed.
However, Xiong Tuo requested that he be sent as an envoy to Yue under the protection of General Xiang Juan's troops.
Two days later, with Xiong Tuo's permission, Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, embarked on a journey to Yue.
He first came to the military camp of General Xiang Juan. After explaining the situation to Xiang Juan, he asked the latter to send someone to inform King Shaokang of Yue.
Since the soldiers sent out held high the flag with the word "envoy", they were not assassinated by the Yue people. Those soldiers were eventually brought to Kuaiji by the Yue people militia who showed up.
"Chu Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng wants to see me?"
After learning the news, Yue Wang Shaokang seemed very surprised.
You must know that since he restored the Yue State, the Chu State has only sent an envoy once, asking him to immediately give up the attempt to restore the Yue State.
But now, Xiong Sheng, the king of Liyang as the Prime Minister of the Chu State, unexpectedly sent him on an emissary to cross the country. This surprised Shaokang and he also realized the seriousness of the problem - no matter what the purpose of the Chu State was to call him Liyang Lord
Xiong Sheng sent an envoy to cross the country, which is enough to prove that Chu's plans are not small.
"See? Or not?"
Shaokang, the king of Yue, was pacing back and forth in his palace.
After thinking about it for a long time, Shaokang, the king of Yue, decided to meet Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, to see what the purpose of his trip was - anyway, there would be nothing to lose by meeting Xiong Sheng.
After the decision was made, Shaokang sent someone to deliver a message to Chu general Xiang Kuan's army: both sides would temporarily stop fighting and welcome Chu envoys to Kuaiji.
Since Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, was the Prime Minister of his Chu state, General Xiang Kuan naturally could not allow Xiong Sheng to go to Kuaiji alone. Therefore, he personally selected two hundred elites and pretended to be Xiong Sheng's bodyguard to accompany Xiong Sheng.
Sheng went to Kuaiji.
Along the way, Xiong Sheng and his party passed through the land of Wu and Yue. It has to be said that thanks to the Yue King Shaokang sending people as a guide this time, Xiong Sheng and his party would not get lost, and Xiong Sheng and his party would not drink those drinks by mistake.
A water source that can cause poisoning and diarrhea.
On the way, General Xiang Kuan, who was pretending to be a guard, secretly remembered the route in his heart and sighed with emotion. The land of Wu and Yue was really too wild. If there were no native-born locals to lead the way, he would not be able to capture this land.
, it is really extremely difficult.
In this way, about half a month later, Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng and his party finally arrived at Kuaiji, the capital of Yue Kingdom - it is said to be the capital, but compared with the cities in the Central Plains, Kuaiji is just an inconspicuous earth city at best.
.
On the other hand, King Shaokang of Yue also learned the news that Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng had arrived in Kuaiji. While sending people out of the city to greet him, he prepared a banquet to welcome Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, in accordance with the rules.
During the banquet, the dishes were very sumptuous, mainly based on mountain delicacies, such as some mushrooms, and the meat of wild beasts such as jackals, tigers, and leopards. They were all dishes that were rarely seen in the Central Plains. However, these uncommon dishes made
Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng was a little confused and hesitated for a long time before he dared to take down his chopsticks.
But not to mention, the taste is quite good.
After three drinks, Shaokang, the king of Yue, asked Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng about his purpose of coming.
Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, did not hide it, but truthfully told Shaokang his intentions. He probably wanted the Yue Kingdom to surrender to his Chu Kingdom.
Shaokang, the king of Yue, laughed loudly when he heard this and said with a sneer: "Your army has been repeatedly frustrated in my country of Yue. Seeing that your country cannot overthrow our country of Yue, your king wants to make me surrender. This is really a good plan!"
After hearing this, Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, said seriously: "No, our great power is actually to reduce the casualties of the two countries!" At this point, he did not wait for the Yue King Shaokang to sarcastically say, and raised his voice and said: "Xiong Sheng is not talented.
But there is a plan to break through!"
Shaokang was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xiong Sheng with a sneer and said, "I am all ears and listening."
Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng raised his hand and said sternly: "Burn the mountains, build roads, build cities, build a camp step by step, and slowly encroach on Wu and Yue. Ten years later, there will be no more Yue in the world!"
"..." Yue Wang Shaokang opened his mouth and was speechless for a moment.
In fact, Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng's strategy cannot be said to be very clever, and is even a bit clumsy, but it is undeniable that this is the most restrained strategy for Yue.
You must know that the reason why the Yue State was able to resist the Chu State was not at all its own army, but the complex terrain of the land of Wu and Yue.
If the Chu State really followed the strategy of Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, and set fire to the nearby mountains and forests every time it conquered a place, and built a city on the top of the mountain, then the scope of activities of the Yue people would definitely be greatly reduced.
If there was a head-on confrontation, how could the Vietnamese army with its backward equipment be the opponent of the Chu army?
Seeing that Shaokang, the king of Yue, was silent, Xiong Sheng, the king of Liyang, struck while the iron was hot and said seriously: "Perhaps the king of Yue believes that with the support of Qi, your country may not be unable to defeat Chu again. But unfortunately, Qi may not be able to help the king of Yue at the moment."
With that said, he told Shaokang in detail the process of his Chu army's attack on Qi in the past two years, emphasizing that Qi had tried its best to block the Chu army's attack this time, and even in the end,
Even after losing Sishui and the two counties of Donghai, they still couldn't wait to make peace with Chu State - this move fully proved the weakness of Qi State.
"...If it weren't for the lack of food and grass in Chu, I would have captured Linzi long ago." Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, vowed, blaming the Chu army's defeat at the hands of martial artists entirely on the lack of domestic logistics.
His vows made Yue Wang Shaokang feel a little uneasy.
It has to be said that compared to the fact that the Qi State was temporarily unable to help the Yue State, Shaokang was even more afraid of Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng's outspoken strategy to defeat the Yue State.
In his opinion, if the Chu State really implements Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng's plan, and the Qi State cannot help him to Yue State, then the outcome of his Yue State may be exactly as the other party said - there will be no more Yue State in ten years
.
After thinking for a long time, Shaokang, the king of Yue, asked tentatively: "Is it just a nominal surrender to your country and a vassal state of your country?"
"Yes!" Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, nodded, and then added: "But on this basis, there are two points that require the King of Yue to agree!"
"Your Majesty, please speak." Shaokang said in a deep voice.
Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng raised his hand and said seriously: "First of all, I hope that the King of Yue will come forward to call on the Yue people, including the Yue people in our country, not to be enemies of our great Chu in the future."
"Of course..." Shaokang nodded.
"Furthermore, Chu and Yue have formed an alliance to advance and retreat together!" Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, said again.
"..."
Shaokang, the king of Yue, took a deep look at Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng.
In his opinion, Xiong Sheng's second article was obviously aimed at Qi.
Thinking of this, he asked quietly: "With the strength of your country's army, do you still need the help of our country's army?"
"King of Yue, please don't belittle yourself. Even if Chu's army is strong, won't it still be unable to defeat your army?" Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, gave a false compliment.
But in fact, from the perspective of Xiong Sheng, Lord of Liyang, it really doesn’t matter whether the Yue State’s army will help Chu State send troops in the future, but the key point is that he does not want the Yue State to do it behind the scenes when Chu State sends troops in the future.
What a small move.
For this reason, he didn't mind sharing some of the benefits of Vietnam.
"Oh."
Faced with the praise from Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng, Yue Wang Shaokang chuckled and shook his head slightly.
Then, he smiled and asked: "Only these two?"
"Only these two!"
Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng nodded and said.
"..." Shaokang looked at Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng thoughtfully and said nothing.
To be honest, the conditions of Chu State are really not harsh, and can even be said to be very loose, so loose that even Shaokang can't believe it.
Could it be that the newly appointed King of Chu, Xiong Tuo, is actually a very generous monarch? So generous that he doesn’t care about the huge land in Jiangdong?
Shaokang secretly shook his head. He was more inclined to another point of view: that is, the Chu State had a bigger plot and did not want the Yue State to hold him back.
Thinking of this, he asked tentatively: "Is your country trying to accumulate strength for attacking Qi in the future?"
Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng smiled and said nothing.
Due to the difference in vision, Wang Shaokang could only see this level when he came to Yue. However, the real purpose of Chu State was to compete with Wei State for supremacy in the future - Qi State? Haha!
"I wonder what King Yue wants?" Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng asked with a smile.
Shaokang, the king of Yue, thought for a long time.
To be honest, the State of Qi did treat the State of Yue very well. When the young master recovered and restored the State of Yue, the State of Qi was the first to respond, not only providing support, but also providing a lot of material help.
Considering that the state of Qi is now weak and the state of Chu is strong, it is indeed unethical for him to abandon the state of Qi and join the state of Chu.
But having said that, for the benefit of one's own country, so what if it is unethical?
Anyway, in the view of Yue Wang Shaokang, he only needs to hold on to a line, that is, he cannot sit back and watch Chu State annex Qi State: it is precisely because of the threat of Qi State that Chu State will win over him to Yue State; and once Qi State is defeated, Chu State will
Will the country still win over him like today?
After thinking for a long time, Shaokang, the king of Yue, asked quietly: "What's the benefit of Ruogu agreeing to this?"
Hearing this, Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng immediately smiled on his face, because this sentence meant that Yue had fallen into the arms of his Chu country, and his Chu country would no longer have to be held back by the Yue people in the future.
As for the benefits demanded by King Shaokang of Yue, Xiong Sheng, the king of Liyang, did not care: for a small price, in exchange for Chu State being able to fully develop its national strength and catch up with Wei State while eradicating internal troubles, it was worth it!
Two months later, the Yue State and the Chu State formally reconciled, and the Yue King Shaokang came forward to call on the Yue people in Jiangnan and Jiangdong areas to stop their grievances with the Chu State, so that the two countries could make peace and work together to help each other.
This incident was simply incomprehensible to the people of Western Vietnam. Some Western Vietnamese even became prejudiced against King Shaokang of Yue because of this.
But the vast majority of Yue people still listened to the call of Yue King Shaokang - for the Chu State, this was enough.
At the same time, the Wei State was also committed to completely solving the hidden dangers of "Song County".