Ten days later, Chu envoys Huang Huangsen, Jiao Mu and others who left Luoyang, the capital of Wei King, went down the river and turned to Cai River, and finally arrived at "Pingyu Yi" in the west of Chu, that is, Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu
of fiefs.
The original Pingyu city was just Pingyu, but since Xiong Tuo secured his position as King of Chu, as his most loyal supporter and cousin, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu has also been rising, and not only has he gradually become the king of Chu,
Chengcheng, Xu County, Shangcai and other places were taken into his pocket, and he transformed into one of the second generation Three Pillars of Chu State and one of the few Dayi kings in Chu State.
When Huang Er and Jiao Mu arrived in Pingyu, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu was actually preparing for the war, such as gathering troops, contacting the Xiong nobles in Western Chu, etc.
At this time, Xiong Hu, Lord of Pingyu, had two armies directly under his command. One was stationed in Pingyu, mainly composed of infantry and crossbows, supplemented by a small number of cavalry; the other was deployed in Xiangcheng.
Deploying a navy equipped with warships, this army was responsible for the smuggling trade between Pingyu and Shangshui in the first few years. It was not until Wei and Chu established diplomatic relations and the Wei-Chu trade was formally formed that the Xiangcheng navy gradually ceased
Smuggling operation.
In addition, there are some Chuxi nobles with military power in Chuxi. They have varying military power, ranging from tens of thousands to thousands. If they gather together, their strength cannot be underestimated.
Preliminary estimates indicate that once Chu and Wei formally declare war, Chuxi alone will have almost no pressure to send 200,000 troops.
Of course, among this huge number of troops, it is hard to say how many are elite soldiers who can truly shoulder heavy responsibilities, and how many are recruits who can only fight with the wind.
On that day, when Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu was thinking about the preliminary strategy in the study of his residence, comparing the maps of Wei and Chu, a soldier's report came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the official Huang Er is outside asking for an audience."
Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu was slightly startled when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Invite him in."
After a while, Huang Er, the envoy who had just been on a mission to Wei State, was led by a soldier to the study of Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu.
"Mr. Pingyu."
After the meeting, Huang Xu bowed his hands to Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu.
"Sir Huang Er." Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu returned the gift unhurriedly.
Looking at Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu in front of him, Huang Xu felt quite emotional.
Once upon a time, he, Huang Er, was a collateral branch of the maternal clan of the former Queen of Chu. Even Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng, and Xiong Hu, the king of Pingyu, had to bow respectfully when they saw him. But now, the status of both parties seems to have been completely reversed.
come over.
After looking at each other, Lord Pingyu Xiong Hu asked with a chuckle: "How come Mr. Huang Xu has time to come to my place this time?"
Huang Er was silent for a moment, then raised his hands and said, "To be honest with you, I told you a while ago that I and Jiao Mu, a new member of the Jiao clan, were ordered by the king to go to the State of Wei to negotiate..."
"Oh." Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu blinked and said with a smile: "It turns out that Mr. Huang Er is following the order of the king." At this point, he asked curiously: "Why don't you see Mr. Jiao Mu? Could it be one of them?
What happened?"
Huang Er was silent for a moment, and then explained: "Master Jiao unfortunately contracted wind and cold on his way back to his country and was bedridden. Therefore, he was not fortunate enough to come to visit you. I hope you will not take it personally."
"..."
Xiong Hu frowned slightly when he heard this.
Just as Wei King Zhao Run guessed, the seemingly stupid young man Jiao Mu was deliberately sent to Wei by Chu King Xiong Tuo to die. The reason is that the Jiao family is still trying to dominate "Chu King Xiong Tuo's lineage"
He and "Gu Lingjun Xiong Wu" are on both sides of the fence, like this kind of fence-sitting faction, even if Xiong Tuo dies, he won't feel bad at all, even if Jiao Mu still has some ability.
After taking a deep look at Huang Xu, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu said calmly: "Since Lord Huang Xu and Lord Jiao Mu have been ordered to go to Wei State, why don't they return to Shoying to resume their duties?"
Looking at the calm face of Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu, Huang Er was silent for a long time again, and then said in a low voice: "Why should Pingyu Lord ask questions knowingly?... This time, the king ordered me to go to the Wei Kingdom with Jiao Mu to discuss with the Wei Kingdom.
Negotiations require Wei to stop attacking Qi immediately, which is destined to be impossible. If Jiao Mu and I return to Shoying now, we will definitely be punished by the king... The king also did not forget to take advantage of the opportunity when he wanted to start a war with Wei.
This plan of killing two birds with one stone by eradicating dissidents is truly admirable."
"..."
Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu narrowed his eyes when he heard this, and said coldly: "Huang Xu, considering that you and I have known each other for many years, I advise you to stay out of the matter."
Huang Xu smiled bitterly, looked directly at Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu and said: "The Lord taught you a lesson, but I have been friends with Jiao Mu's father Jiao Xu for many years, and I really can't bear that his son will die of a conspiracy without knowing what happened, and he will die with his eyes open... It's pitiful..."
Jiao Mu was young and thought that he would be used by the king to shoulder the important task of diplomatic relations, but he never thought that he was just a sacrifice sent to the sword of the Wei people by the king himself; nor did he think that even if he escaped from the hands of the Wei people,
, after returning to the country, the king will also take the opportunity to suppress the Jiao family on the charge of "ineffectiveness"... Mr. Pingyu, this is not the king's way."
"..."
Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu looked deeply at Huang Er, and then the murderous intent in his eyes gradually faded away.
He said calmly: "The matter of the throne has long been settled, but Lord Guling Xiong Wu still covets the position of the great monarch. This is a hidden danger of chaos in the country..."
"That's not what I mean."
Huang Xu shook his head and said seriously: "Guling Lord Xiong Wu, now he is just suffering from ringworm and scabies. Once Queen Liancheng dies, Xiong Wu will never be able to turn around... I am referring to Lord Chu Shui. Don't you think, since then?
After Chu Shuijun turned to the king, the king sometimes did things that seemed a little... unfair?"
"..."
Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu glanced at Huang Xu with some persistence after hearing this, but then his eyes showed a look of contemplation.
It is undeniable that Huang Er is right. Today's Chu King Xiong Tuo has great trust in Chu Shuijun.
I remember that this year, Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu also received a letter from Prime Minister Liyang Jun Xiong Sheng. The latter pointed out in the letter that Xiong Tuo gave Chu Shuijun more and more authority, which was not a good thing.
Unfortunately, Chu Shuijun has a group of witches working for him, and coupled with Chu King Xiong Tuo's favoritism, even Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu or Liyang Lord Xiong Sheng can't do anything about this.
Thinking of this incident, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu was a little dissatisfied with his cousin Xiong Tuo, King of Chu.
The reason is that the existence of Chu Shuijun has seriously affected the relationship between their cousins and another cousin, Mi Rui - the youngest daughter of their uncle, Runan Jun Xiong Hao, and the sister of the current Wei Queen Mi Jiang.
It turns out that a few years ago, Ji Rui returned to Chu from Ba and contacted a group of like-minded witches from the Zhu Rong lineage, trying to start a holy war with the witches from the Gonggong lineage in Chu to take revenge on the latter.
The hatred that once massacred several witch villages of the Zhurong lineage.
At that time, Mi Rui found her cousin Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu.
Like Xiong Tuo, when Xiong Hu was young, he studied under his cousin Xiong Hao, Runan Jun, because his father was a reckless man and was not good at teaching his son. During this period, he met his cousin Xiong Tuo, and thus became friends with Mi.
The two sisters Jiang and Mi Rui formed a deep family relationship.
Now that my sister has asked for help, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu will of course take action. Not to mention planning to kill Chu Shuijun and his group of witches who work together, even if it is to kill the monarch of another country, he will not hesitate. "
Note: I originally wanted to write this line a long time ago,』
So, under the pretext of "Ba Shu strategy", he invited Chu Shuijun to come to Chuxi to negotiate together. At the same time, he revealed Chu Shuijun's route to his cousin Mi Rui, and also summoned two thousand soldiers to prepare to help his sister.
A helping hand.
Unexpectedly, Chu Shuijun saw through his plan and sent a substitute. Xiong Hu and Mi Rui planned for a long time, but in the end they accidentally hit the deputy car and failed to get rid of Chu Shuijun.
You sued the king of Chu, Xiong Tuo.
King Xiong Tuo of Chu was very angry when he learned about it. He sent someone to scold Xiong Hu severely, scolding Xiong Hu for not understanding the overall situation and allowing Mi Rui to act nonsense.
After this incident, Mi Rui returned to Bashu in anger, and Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu also had some grudge against Xiong Tuo.
He felt that Xiong Tuo had changed a bit, because if it was the Xiong Tuo he was familiar with, he would definitely put "family members" first, just like Xiong Hu, who did not hesitate to attack his cousin Mi Rui for help.
Chu Shuijun and other important ministers of the country.
Therefore, when Xiong Sheng, the Prime Minister of Chu State, Liyang Jun, mentioned Chu Shuijun's influence on Chu King Xiong Tuo in a letter, Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu was also alert. He also felt that Chu Shuijun was a very special person.
Dangerous guy.
Perhaps because of the mention of Chu Shuijun, Pingyu Jun Xiong Hu once again thought of his cousin Mi Rui's disappointed look at that time. He felt a little unsatisfied and did not have the leisure to continue arguing with Huang Er. He asked directly: "Huang Xu
Lord Arsenic, you are not coming here just to criticize a certain prince in front of me, are you?... Please tell me your purpose of coming."
After hearing this, Huang Xu raised his hands and said, "I hope that you will speak up and speak up to prevent our great Chu from internal strife again... After all, Wei is the top priority, isn't it?... Please!" At the end of the sentence, he raised his hands and bowed.
.
Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu thought for a long time and finally nodded.
At that moment, he wrote a letter in his own hand, and then did not seal it in the letter box, but handed it to Huang Xu: "It seems that you and I have known each other for many years."
Huang Xu took the letter and glanced at it briefly, and then said from the bottom of his heart: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xiong Hu, Lord Pingyu, nodded, took the letter returned from Huang Xu, sealed it in the envelope and handed it to Huang Xu again, saying: "You owe me a favor."
Huang Zu was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: "If you have any important matters in the future, please just give me your orders."
Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu shook his head and said seriously: "I don't ask for anything else. As long as you keep an eye on Chu Shuijun for me, I always feel..." At this point, he stopped abruptly, probably because he didn't know how to describe it.
Bar.
Hearing this, Huang Xu nodded heavily.
After bidding farewell to Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu, Huang Er and Jiao Mu immediately returned to Shoying to meet Xiong Tuo, King of Chu.
It is worth mentioning that deputy envoy Jiao Mu was really sick at this moment, but it was not because of the cold, but because of a fright.
The reason is that on that day, when they were severely rejected by Zhu Jin, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites of the Wei State, Huang Xu naturally understood that they had "fulfilled their duty", but Jiao Mu refused to give up and still tried to negotiate with the Wei State again.
In desperation, Huang Xu told Jiao Mu the conspiracy behind their mission to Wei, and pointed out in a subtle way that this was a plan to kill two birds with one stone by Xiong Tuo, the king of Chu. This frightened Jiao Mu and immediately packed his bags and escaped with him.
to the State of Wei.
However, this kid was too timid. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he actually fell ill.
From Pingyu back to Shouying, it was basically just a matter of taking a boat and going down the Yangtze River, so within a few days, Huang Er and Jiao Mu arrived at the royal capital of Shouying.
When returning to Chu King Xiong Tuo, Huang Xu told Xiong Tuo everything about their mission to Wei and Wei's reaction to it. Xiong Tuo frowned and said displeasedly.
: "So, you two have not completed what I told you to do? Then what are you doing back here?"
Upon hearing this, Jiao Mu was so frightened that he trembled all over, because at this time, he was no longer as ignorant as he was in Wei.
At this time, Huang Xu said with a face of shame: "When we returned to China, we passed by Pingyu, and Mr. Xiong Hu, Lord of Pingyu, also reprimanded me like this."
Hearing this, King Chu Xiong Tuo was slightly startled: "Xiong Hu?"
"Yes." Huang Xu took out the letter from Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu from his arms, handed it to Xiong Tuo respectfully, and said: "In addition to scolding the two of you, Sir Xiong Hu also entrusted me to send a letter to you.
Letter to the king."
"..."
Taking the letter from Huang Xu's hand, Xiong Tuo glanced at the handwriting on the cover and found that it was indeed the handwriting of Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu.
He was seen holding the letter with one hand, staring at it with a gloomy expression. After a while, he said: "Although you two have been entrusted by Gu Gu, there is hard work without credit. This time Gu Gu will not
I've punished you two, please go down and have a rest."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Huang Er and Jiao Mu knew each other and immediately resigned.
After Huang Er and Jiao Mu left, in the dark hall, a figure emerged from behind a pillar, it was Xiong Tuo's uncle Chu Shuijun.
Chu Shuijun glanced outside the palace and said with a chuckle: "This Huang As, it seems that you really can't underestimate it, right, Your Majesty?"
"Humph." Chu King Xiong Tuo snorted coldly, still looking at the letter in his hand.
Seeing this, Chu Shuijun chuckled and said with a smile: "This Huang As probably thinks that the king wants to take advantage of this opportunity to kill people and eradicate the Huang family, the Jiao family, the Lian Cheng family and others... Hehe, he doesn't want to either
I think, even if the king wanted to eradicate that group of people, he would not choose to do something so obvious..."
At this point, his voice suddenly dropped: "But, if we lose the battle with the Wei army in the future, we will be punished for both crimes... Haha. But having said that, Lord Pingyu intervened, which is a bit..."
"Okay."
Xiong Tuo interrupted Chu Shuijun's words and said calmly: "According to the previous arrangement, Chuxi will be handed over to Xiong Hu, and Song County will be handed over to you... I heard that the Wei State is stationed in Hulingshui near Weishan Lake in Song County.
The army has been trained for a long time, so don't be careless."
Even though he was interrupted by Xiong Tuo, Chu Shuijun didn't care and said with a chuckle: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have my own way of dealing with it."
After saying that, he bowed and retreated into the palace pillar, and then there was no more movement.
At this time, Xiong Tuo held the letter in his hand and walked to the candle and lit it.
"eventful."
Looking at the letter that was slowly burning, King Xiong Tuo of Chu murmured in a low voice.
A few days later, the news that "Wei and Chu were at odds" gradually spread like wildfire in Chu State.
To be fair, manipulation of public opinion is not unique to Wei State. In fact, all countries are good at it.
For example, this time, the Chu State seemed to criticize the Wei State from the highest moral point, accusing the Wei State, as the overlord of the Central Plains, of not thinking about harmony with its neighbors, attacking Qi State for no reason, etc.
All in all, Chu State's scolding of Wei State was so righteous that only a small number of people could see it. The reason why Chu State was dissatisfied with this was probably because the war between Wei State and Qi State had seriously affected Chu-Qi trade.
To.
However, the truth seen by this small group of people is actually just the surface. The real reason for the discord between Wei and Chu is that the Wei State has endured for a long time and has shown terrifying strength that can overwhelm the two countries of Korea and Qi.
If the Chu State remains indifferent, then after the Wei State annexes Han Qi, the Chu State may become the next victim, let alone compete with the Wei State for the hegemony of the Central Plains.
Therefore, Wei's momentum must be interrupted at this moment.
In July of the tenth year of Wei Xing'an, the relationship between Wei and Chu deteriorated rapidly in view of Chu's public remarks accusing Wei of the unjust war against Qi.
At the same time, Qi State immediately responded to Chu State's denunciation of Wei State, accusing Wei State of being overbearing and not worthy of being a leader of the Central Plains, and implicitly expressed its willingness to respect Chu State as its overlord and resist the unbenevolent Wei State.
Faced with the denunciation of Chu and Qi, the literati of Wei also launched a counterattack, and in turn denounced Chu, accusing Chu that it should not stand with a country like Qi that appeared to be one thing but had another behind its back.
All in all, from July to August, the three parties of Wei, Chu, and Qi started a war of words from a distance. Each party hoped to occupy the highest moral position, which confused the people of the world and couldn't tell who was right and who was wrong.
In fact, it doesn't matter what is right or wrong. Neither Wei nor Chu would be naive enough to think that they could defeat the other party by relying solely on public opinion. In the final analysis, the public opinions they each guided were just to provide
This "War between Wei and Chu" is just a warm-up, allowing more Wei people and more Chu people to stand up and support their country.
No, when the time came around autumn, Chu State saw that the time was ripe, and immediately issued an ultimatum to Wei State: Stop this unjust war against Qi State!
Of course, Wei State ignored Chu's so-called ultimatum.
In view of Wei's "obsession", Chu finally declared war on Wei in November of that year and formed the "Chu-Qi Alliance" to jointly boycott Wei.
In December, South Korea responded to the call of Chu and Qi and officially announced that it would join the alliance to form the "Three Kingdoms Alliance of Chu, Han and Qi", forcing Wei to compromise and oust itself as the hegemon of the Central Plains.
In response to the persecution from the three countries of Chu, Han, and Qi, Wei King Zhao Run made the most powerful response:
In the first month of the eleventh year of Wei Xing'an, Wei King Zhao Run issued an edict to His Highness Chui Gong in the Luoyang Palace to change the name of the year to "the first year of Zhaowu". On the same day, he declared war on the three kingdoms of Korea, Qi and Chu.