After arriving in Linzi, Wei envoy Tang Ju first took a bath and changed clothes in the post house in the city, and then handed over his credentials and sincerely requested to see King Lu Bai of Qi.
The story of Tang Ju's request to see King Lu Bai of Qi can be ignored. After all, Wei's diplomatic rhetoric this time was not very sharp. In summary, it was nothing more than a combination of hard and soft tactics to force Qi into the hope that Qi would defect to Wei.
It is not as sharp as Han Wangran's previous diplomatic strategy.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Zhao Zhao, the left prime minister of Qi, was quite distressed, because he already knew that Wei's diplomatic rhetoric was not enough to make Qi King Lu Bai, Tian Ba, Gao Xi, Guan Zhong, Bao Shu and others change their policies.
The mind changes camp.
I have to say that the rhetoric in Han Wangran's letter a few days ago was really sharp, and it was far more impressive to Qi than Wei's soft and hard diplomatic rhetoric.
That night, when Zhao Zhao was worrying about this at home, a servant suddenly came to the study to report that a man who called himself "Tang Ju of the Ministry of Rites" came to visit him.
As soon as Zhao Zhao heard this, he knew that it was Tang Ju, the Wei envoy who was on a mission to Qi. He quickly asked his servants to welcome him into the house and ask him to meet him in the study.
"Son."
When he saw Zhao Zhao, Tang Ju respectfully saluted and greeted Zhao Zhao, which earned Zhao Zhao a wry smile. The latter sighed slightly, shook his head and said with a complex expression: "There is no Young Master Zhao in Linzi, only Zhao Zhao."
Tang Ju was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Zhao Zhao meant and smiled disapprovingly.
He came here this time not to seek help from Zhao Zhao, the son of his Wei State, but just to pay a visit. After all, even if Zhao Zhao was an official in Qi State, even if Zhao Zhao and his brother Zhao Run, the king of Wei, wanted to
People are not happy, Zhao Zhao is still the son of his Wei Kingdom after all.
Just looking at the vacant "Prince Rui's Mansion" in the new capital of Luoyang City, we can guess that although Zhao Run, the monarch of the Wei Kingdom, did not say it, deep down in his heart, he still hoped that his brother Zhao Zhao would be able to live there in the future.
Return to the Kingdom of Wei to reunite the brothers and sisters.
Even based on this, Tang Ju must show respect to the left prime minister of Qi and the son of Wei.
After ordering the servants in the house to serve fragrant tea, Zhao Zhao asked about the affairs of Wei State.
I remember that he and his brother Zhao Run still exchanged letters. Although there were not many letters throughout the year, they were still in contact. However, since the last time Zhao Zhao returned to Wei to mourn his father Zhao Si, he did not accept Zhao Run.
Despite his persuasion, Zhao Run still returned to Qi State, and Zhao Run no longer had any correspondence with Zhao Zhao. This may be due to anger or dissatisfaction.
This makes Zhao Zhao still feel a little bit unhappy.
"You mean Your Majesty?"
Seeing Zhao Zhao asking about Zhao Run, Tang Ju blinked and thought about how to respond.
In fact, Zhao Run, the monarch of the Wei State, now only spends three days fishing and two days drying nets in the Wei State. Most of the state affairs are handled by the Inner Dynasty and the Six Ministries. Even Tang Ju has this point.
Heard.
But even though this is true, Tang Ju must not say this to the outside world, because it will seriously affect the glorious image of "King Zhao Run of Wei" in the eyes of the world, and even hinder some of Wei's foreign strategies.
Therefore, even in front of Zhao Zhao at this moment, Tang Ju still fabricated a story about his Wei monarch's daily affairs against his will, which made Zhao Zhao sigh with emotion.
Perhaps because it was rare to see people from his homeland, Zhao Zhao was in high spirits that night and invited Tang Ju to have a talk, from "A Hundred Schools of Thoughts Contention" to "National School", from "Daliang Academy" to "Moving the Capital to Luoyang".
He asked Tang Ju in detail about the major events in Wei that he had learned over the years, and Tang Ju took the trouble to explain them in detail.
When he learned that Wei had moved its capital to the newly built royal capital Luoyang and was vigorously developing Sanchuan County, Zhao Zhao, as a pure Wei man, was sincerely happy for his homeland. Of course he could see it clearly with his vision.
, once Sanchuan County becomes Wei's next Yingshui County, Wei's annual grain output will more than double, which will greatly enhance Wei's strength, both in terms of the country's heritage and the army's endurance in foreign wars.
It has to be said that Zhao Zhao is probably the only high-ranking official in Qi who did not feel heavy-hearted after hearing this incident. Unlike the right prime minister Tian Bao, who felt solemn in his heart for a long time after vaguely guessing the incident.
However, as they chatted, the topics the two of them talked about gradually began to become a bit heavy. The reason was that the two of them accidentally brought the topic to the position of Qi State this time, that is, Qi State's "Confrontation between Wei and Han".
, how to stand.
When this issue was mentioned, Zhao Zhao remained silent.
Like any other time, Zhao Zhao always remained silent in Qi when it came to issues involving Wei. However, King Lu Bai of Qi, Tian Bao, Guan Zhong, Uncle Bao and others also understood him and never expressed any concern about this.
It is no exaggeration to say that only a few Qi officials such as the scholar-bureaucrat Lian Chen expressed dissatisfaction with Zhao Zhao's behavior and made several attempts to use the topic to pull Zhao Zhao from the position of left prime minister.
But unfortunately, as long as Lian Chen cannot convince Shang Qing Gao Xi, there will be no threat to Zhao Zhao.
As for Shangqing Gao Xi, leaving aside the last "Alliance of Nations", the Qi Shangqing had already realized his blind self-confidence in Qi, and truly began to accept Zhao Zhao's ideas frankly. Just talk about Zhao Zhao
This position of left prime minister was given to the late king Lu Xi during his reign, which meant that Gao Xi would not go against the will of the late king unless Zhao Zhao really betrayed Qi.
After being silent for a long time, Zhao Zhao suddenly asked: "Master Tang Ju, does Qi's attitude really have a great influence on Wei?"
Tang Ju was stunned when he heard this and didn't know how to answer this question for a while.
After all, he is just a diplomatic envoy of Wei State, and his duty is to persuade the visiting country as much as possible to make its position favor Wei State. As Zhao Zhao asked now, does Qi State's attitude seriously affect the relationship between Wei State and Wei State?
He really doesn't know the outcome of the confrontation between South Korea and South Korea.
He was only an official of the Ministry of Rites, not an official of the Ministry of War or even the Tiance Mansion, so how could he know about this?
Perhaps for Zhao Zhao's sake, Tang Ju thought for a while and said, "I don't know the specific details, but based on what I saw and the information I have, I, the Wei Dynasty, have a good chance of winning.
It's very big... Even if a war breaks out between Wei and South Korea at this moment, our Wei Dynasty's chance of winning is at least 70%."
Zhao Zhao looked at Tang Ju with a hint of gratitude, because under normal circumstances, as an envoy of the Wei State, Tang Ju would never be able to reveal this kind of information, even if it came from his private information channels.
, it can only be said that Tang Ju did this entirely for Zhao Zhao’s sake.
Zhao Zhao was not surprised by what Tang Ju said.
After all, he had actually known for a long time that South Korea's chances of winning were not great, because just like last time, once the Wei-Korean war broke out, South Korea would not only have to face the Wei State, but also the Qin State. With the current situation in South Korea,
In terms of strength, it is barely enough to fight alone against a Qin State whose national power is inferior to his own. However, if coupled with a Wei State whose national power is stronger than his own, there is a "30% chance of winning". This is already enough for Tang Ju to give South Korea face.
Otherwise, the chances of winning are almost slim.
"Whether it is as the prime minister of Qi or as a Wei person, Zhao hopes that Wei and Qi will live in peace..."
Zhao Zhao sighed deeply, and then told Tang Ju that he would try his best to persuade the country, hoping to achieve a harmonious situation between Qi and Wei.
At this time, Tang Ju did not know that Han Wangran had used excellent diplomatic methods to turn Qi State towards South Korea. He mistakenly thought that Qi State had not yet made a decision on this matter, and he did not dare to make any decision against Wei State's wishes.
It happened, so I didn’t pay too much attention to it.
That night, because it was late at night, Tang Ju did not refuse Zhao Zhao's kindness and rested for the night at the latter's house.
In the early morning of the next day, while Tang Ju was still soundly asleep, Zhao Zhao set off for the palace, planning to tell King Lu Bai of Qi and the officials at home about what he had discussed with Tang Ju last night, hoping to persuade them not to
To follow South Korea into the pit of fire, in fact, in his opinion, South Korea's chances of winning are very small.
But what surprised Zhao Zhao was that when he walked out of the main entrance of the mansion and was about to step into the carriage, the Zongwei Cao Liang who was on duty to drive him nuzzled towards a carriage not far away and gestured:
"Your Highness, Lord Gaoxi's carriage has been waiting there early in the morning."
At that moment, a driver came from the carriage in the distance, walked to Zhao Zhao and worshiped: "Master Zuo Xiang, Master Gao Xi, please ride with Zuo Tong."
Zhao Zhao immediately understood that the Shang Qing Gao Xi must have known about Tang Ju's visit to him yesterday. Otherwise, the Shang Qing would not be so carefree and come to the door of his house to block him early in the morning.
After explaining a few words to Cao Liang, Zhao Zhao moved to the carriage. Sure enough, Shang Qing Gao Xi personally raised the curtain and invited him inside.
It is worth mentioning that since Gao Xi personally went to Wei to participate in the League of Nations and witnessed the power and prosperity of Wei, this minister who once thought "I am the strongest in the world" finally
I have changed my mind. At least when it comes to viewing the Wei State, it has improved a lot compared to the past. From now on, I will never mention the words "If Qi and Wei are allied, Qi State should take the lead."
"Lord Gaoxi."
"Left Prime Minister."
After greeting each other, Gao Xi and Zhao Zhao sat down in the carriage, feeling the slight bumps as the carriage slowly started.
After a moment of silence, Gao Xi took the initiative and asked, "I heard that Tang Ju, the envoy of Wei, went to visit Zuo Xiang at his residence last night."
Zhao Zhao did not hide anything, nodded and said: "It is true... Zhao and Tang Ju had a long talk until late at night, and even let him stay at his house temporarily."
"Oh." Gao Xi stroked his beard, rolled his eyes slightly and asked, "I wonder what we talked about?"
If it were anyone else, Zhao Zhao might have misunderstood these words as questioning him, but since it was Gao Xi, he would not think so at all. After all, although Gao Xi is a bit pedantic and stubborn, he has always been upright and at the right time.
, there won’t be so much beating around the bush.
Therefore, he told the truth: "At first Tang Ju refused to disclose it. It was not until Zhao repeatedly asked that he was willing to reveal a little bit... As he said, South Korea's chance of winning is very small."
"The chance of winning is very small...?"
After hearing this, Gao Xi stroked his beard thoughtfully. He did not doubt the credibility of Zhao Zhao's words, just like Zhao Zhao did not doubt Gao Xi's character. Although he had conflicting political views,
The two of them know each other very well as people.
After about ten breaths, I heard Gao Xi let out a breath and said solemnly: "Actually, I also think that South Korea's chances of winning this time are very small... If I guess correctly, King Han is the next one."
It’s a game of chess with high stakes. Maybe he didn’t expect South Korea to defeat Wei from the beginning, even with the help of Da Qi. Maybe he pinned his hopes on Chu from the beginning..."
Zhao Zhao looked at Gao Xi in surprise when he heard this.
As the saying goes, the authorities are obsessed with it. Because it involves the Wei State, Zhao Zhao did not consider this matter in detail. But now after hearing Gao Xi's judgment, he thought about it carefully and felt that this might really be the case.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Gao Xi with some admiration: Although this Lord Shangqing is pedantic and stubborn, his eyesight is really great.
"Then why did Lord Gao Xi support me, Daqi, to form an alliance with South Korea a few days ago?"
Zhao Zhao couldn't help but ask.
"Because of Wei's ambition."
Gao Xi stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "I, Da Qi, stand on the most fertile land in the Central Plains. I am successful on this land, and I am defeated on this land..."
Zhao Zhao knew what Gao Xi meant by this. It was simply that the Qi State had been too wealthy from ancient times to the present. Basically, it had everything it should have. Even a very small number of things that some individuals did not own could be obtained from other countries through money. This made
The monarchs and subjects of Qi State lacked the belief in enterprising struggle and were content to live in peace. Even wise men such as the late king Lu Xi did not have any lofty ambitions in "opening up new territories".
Some people may ask, isn't it possible that King Lu Xi of Qi frequently attacked Chu in order to open up territory?
In fact, it is not true. King Lu Xi of Qi attacked Chu State just to suppress Chu State and take revenge on Chu State. In fact, even Chu Dong, who was very wealthy as far as Chu State was concerned, was completely looked down upon by Qi State.
Just like the Chu State, they actually looked down upon the barbaric land of the Yue State.
The arrogance of the Qi people comes from this: they believe that they have obtained the richest and most fertile land in the entire Central Plains, and there is no need to occupy more territory.
And this has caused the Qi State, from the monarch to the subjects, to be content with settling in a corner. Unlike the Wei State, the Chu State, and especially the Qin State, due to various reasons such as the barrenness of the domestic land, they have no intention of opening up new territories.
Great enthusiasm.
"...But Wei is different. During the period of Wei King Zhao Si, Wei showed great desire for the Song Dynasty, and today's Wei Jun Zhao Run is far better than his father in this regard, regaining Shangdang
, Sanchuan, occupying Hexi and Hetao, doubling the area of Wei in just ten years..." Gao Xi continued.
"This is just a coincidental meeting. My brother Zhao Run is by no means a militaristic person..." Zhao Zhao immediately defended, but his words seemed a bit unconfident.
It's no wonder, after all, Gao Xi is right. Wei's territory has indeed doubled in the past ten years. From ancient times to the present, no country has been so 'aggressive', even if it is
Qin's speed in this regard is far less than that of Wei. How can one believe that Wei is not a very aggressive country?
"...Actually, I also know that South Korea's chances of winning are very small. Maybe even Chu is not the enemy of Wei. But..." At this point, he stroked his beard and let out a long breath, and then continued
Said: "I have to do it... Wei is getting bigger and bigger. If we, Qi, do nothing, wait until Wei annexes Han and Chu one day, how long can we, Da Qi, sustain it?"
Zhao Zhao shook his head and said: "Lord Gao Xi overestimated my brother Zhao Run... Growing up, my brother Zhao Run was a man without any ambition. I remember that when he was young, he even disdained the throne.
I just want to be a idle king..."
"People change."
Gao Xi said earnestly: "What you know is only the Young Master Run of Wei back then, not the King of Wei today..." After a pause, he added: "When Young Master Run of Wei helped the late King conquer Chu,
Although I regret that I have never seen it with my own eyes, I have heard about it. For example, General Tian Dan mentioned Wei Gongzi Run's behavior.
People say that he is approachable to those in lower positions, but arrogant to those who are arrogant. Although his words and deeds are different from ordinary people, they are not difficult to negotiate with... But when I went to Daliang two years ago to participate in the League of Nations, I couldn't see it at all. In my eyes
The king of Wei, Zhao Run, issued orders and prohibitions, and his subordinates obeyed them all, as if he were an overlord..."
"..."
Zhao Zhao was slightly stunned. He couldn't help but think back to those years. He had to admit that the "Eighth Highness Zhao Run" in his mind was indeed the same as the "King of Wei Zhao Run" he met when he went back to pay his respects two years ago.
They are two completely different people.
This kind of change is not good or bad, it just means that Zhao Run has shouldered the entire country, so he must change accordingly. Under this premise, that brother may no longer be the familiar person deep in his memory.
's brother.
This made Zhao Zhao unsure whether that brother had any intention of annexing Qi.
Especially when Gao Xi later mentioned what he saw when he went to Daliang of the Wei State: "The threat from the Wei State was not groundless. As far as I know, there were some ministers in the Wei State who instigated the King of Wei to accumulate national power and annex neighboring countries.
The country has created unprecedented hegemony... Two years ago, a Confucian scholar named "Gongyang Gao" from our Qi people went to
Daliang was appreciated by the King of Wei. Soon afterwards, Gongyang Gao wrote several letters and sent people back to the country, inviting his classmates to go to the Kingdom of Wei, saying that he would show his ambition... I later saw his
"Gongyang Theory" found that he advocated "the unification of the Central Plains" in his books... This person was reused by the King of Wei, isn't it proof?"
Zhao Zhao was speechless.
Two years ago, when the Wei State launched the Hundred Schools of Thought Contention, the Qi State was also affected, causing a large number of talented people to defect to the Wei State. Zhao Zhao also heard about this, but he was not as thorough as Gao Xi.
After taking a deep breath, Zhao Zhao said with a complicated expression: "Does Lord Gao Xi mean to advise Zhao Zhao to give up what he is thinking?"
Gao Xi smiled slightly and said: "I learned that Wei's envoy Tang Ju visited the left prime minister last night, and I guessed that the left prime minister might try to persuade the king, me and others because he cares about Wei... Please be sure not to do this."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhao frowned slightly and was about to speak when Gao Xi said first: "I don't mean anything malicious when I say this. It's just that this time, I, Da Qi, will never stand on Wei's side.
, Wei State is so powerful that it makes other countries tremble, I am as powerful as Qi Ruo
If we support Wei for the sake of temporary peace, then if Wei is defeated and seizes the opportunity to annex Chu and South Korea, the national destiny of Da Qi will probably come to an end... Therefore, regardless of victory or defeat, our Da Qi will
We must all try to cut off Wei's momentum here."
At this point, when he saw Zhao Zhao's worried look, he smiled and comforted: "You don't need to worry too much. I just hope to weaken the Wei State and never want to destroy the Wei State. If one day in the future, South Korea or Chu State
When it rises again, I will definitely support uniting with Wei to suppress South Korea or Chu... You should understand this truth."
Zhao Zhao nodded slightly: There is never an eternal covenant between countries, only eternal interests.
Seeing that Zhao Zhao seemed to accept his words, Gao Xi nodded slightly, and then said with a smile: "Today I came to stop you, not for anything else, but to leave a way out... I am old, and the late king stayed here.
I'm afraid I won't be able to maintain our foundation for a few more years. In the future, it will still depend on your generation..."
Having said this, he said earnestly: "If Wei is defeated this time, I will recommend you to go to Wei to promote the alliance between Wei and Qi and contain Chu; if Wei wins this time... I will bear the blame, and you will be responsible for it in the future."
My head, go to
The State of Wei seeks forgiveness. Therefore, no matter what, you do not need to show your feelings during this period, let alone when we, Da Qi, try to challenge the State of Wei, and the people of Qi State are also very supportive of this, you will come out to favor the State of Wei... What I mean
, do you understand?”
Zhao Zhao looked at Gao Xi with a complicated expression and nodded slightly.
Of course he understood that Gao Xi was doing this not only to protect him, but also to leave a way out for him in the future.
Although this is indeed the best way, is it really just doing nothing?
Sitting on the bumpy carriage, Zhao Zhao was in a state of confusion.
In the end, the diplomatic rhetoric of Wei envoy Tang Ju did not defeat Han Wangran, and Qi State had no intention of supporting Wei State after all.
In other words, Qi State only expressed support for Wei State on the surface, but did not take any corresponding actions.
On the contrary, Wei Guo, who was stationed in Qi State, worked carefully and found out that Qi State had a fleet traveling by sea to assist South Korea in transporting batches of arms to Chu State.
This move is enough to prove that Qi State has actually turned to South Korea secretly.
About twenty days later, Wei envoy Tang Ju returned to Luoyang, the capital of Wei King, and reported back to Wei King Zhao Run with shame and dejection, saying that he could not persuade Qi State, which made Zhao Run frown slightly.
After returning to Ganlu Hall, Zhao Run frowned and examined the rough map covering the entire Central Plains.
To be honest, Qi itself is not something to be afraid of. The problem is that it is located between South Korea and Chu. Once Qi joins them, these three countries will be like an iron plate, faintly surrounding Wei (including Wei). In addition,
Qi State still has considerable wealth, so if a war breaks out in the future, Qi State can well support the war between Han and Chu and Wei State, which is a bit troublesome.
"How to break this iron plate?"
As he murmured, Zhao Run's eyes suddenly fell on the Lu State on the map, and he did not look away for a long time.
"This may be a breakthrough point..."
Narrowing his eyes, Zhao Run suddenly had an idea in his mind.
If everything goes well, when the war breaks out in the future, he may get a surprise army and deal a fatal blow to the "Three Kingdoms Alliance of Han, Qi, and Chu".