If Ah Ruo were still alive, he would never have made me, Da Chu, fall to this level...
In the huge and luxurious palace, King Xiong Xu of Chu sat on the floor tiles in the palace, covering his face with his hands.
The Ah Ruan he was thinking about in his mind at this moment was the nickname of Xiong Hao, Lord of Runan. After all, this virtuous Lord of Yi was said to have been weak when he was young, so he had such a nickname.
To be fair, if there is no comparison with King Lu Xi of Qi, King Xiong Xu of Chu can be regarded as a wise king.
It's a pity that this wise king has made wrong decisions in his life, and there are two things that make him more and more worried today.
One is that he did not fully support the reforms of Runan Jun Xiong Hao.
Second, he listened to the advice of the nobles of Eastern Chu and forced Xiong Hao, Lord of Runan, to death.
"well……"
King Xiong Xu of Chu sighed quietly.
It has to be said that the current war situation in Chu State is indeed not good, but to be honest, this is not what Xiong Xu cares about most.
So what if nearly a million troops were sacrificed in this battle?
You must know that the Chu State has a population that may be greater than the citizens of the other Central Plains countries combined. Today, one million troops were killed in battle, but the Chu State will still be able to raise another one million troops tomorrow.
Population has never been a problem for Chu State.
The problem lies in the various hidden dangers exposed in this battle.
"Wei Gongzi Ji Run..."
Picking up the battle report thrown aside, Chu King Xiong Xu frowned.
To be fair, Xiong Xu was not surprised that the Wei army captured Xiangcheng, Zhixian and other cities. After all, the strength of Wei's infantry was obvious to all.
But to be honest, he didn't pay much attention to this Wei army at first.
Because after all, no matter how powerful the Wei army is, the number of troops is there. With only 50,000 infantry, oh, and 50,000 cavalry have recently been added, can this total of 100,000 Wei troops really pose a serious threat to Chu?
?
You know, even if it loses Shouying, or even loses all the territory north of the river, Chu still has vast land in the south.
The depth of the Chu State is unimaginable by other countries in the Central Plains. This is the reason why the Chu State is still called a powerful country even though it is on a decline. It is unmatched by some small countries.
But unexpectedly, the 50,000 Wei infantrymen who first assisted King Lu Xi of Qi in attacking Chu faced Chu's massive human wave tactics. Instead of reducing their strength, they fought more and more.
Even today, the Wei army has nearly 200,000 infantrymen alone, which has tripled compared to the original 50,000 troops.
Isn't this too evil?
How can there be any reason in the world that the more troops we fight, the more we fight?
What's even more incredible is that the extra troops in the Wei army were actually soldiers from their Chu state.
As a foreign army attacking Chu, the Wei army actually recruited three times the number of Chu soldiers. What is even more incredible is that the Chu soldiers who surrendered to the Wei army actually helped outsiders attack their own country.
Where in the world can such a thing happen?
However, such a strange thing, which is rare in ancient and modern times, happened in Chu State, under the eyes of Xiong Xu, King of Chu.
"Aim the target at my Xiong clan, Wei Gongzi Ji Run...this little guy really has a powerful city."
King Xiong Xu of Chu sneered contemptuously.
The Wei army was committed to liberating the suffering civilians of the Chu state. The similar slogans shouted by the Wei army were nothing more than an excuse to deceive the king of Chu, Xiong Xu.
He never believed that a prince like Ji Run, who was born in the Wei court, would really help the common people of other countries without any selfish motives.
But the problem is that so far, more and more Chu people are willing to believe this excuse, and for this reason they do not hesitate to attack their own country, and they do not hesitate to regard their own royal family as their enemies.
How sad...
King Xiong Xu of Chu slowly closed his eyes.
It has to be said that as the king of the Chu Kingdom, he was regarded by the civilians under his rule as an accomplice who favored the domestic nobles and oppressed the civilians. This is simply the saddest and most ridiculous joke in the world.
Yes, the real enemy of the Chu State is not King Lu Xi of Qi, nor Prince Ji Run of Wei, but the domestic nobles who caused the Chu people to turn to the Wei people. It is precisely because of their long-term treatment of the common people.
It was oppression that led Wei Gongzi Ji Run to gain the support of tens or even hundreds of thousands of Chu people just by proposing a slogan that could not withstand scrutiny.
King Xiong Xu of Chu sat in the empty palace for a long time until the moonlight shone in through the window.
"Oh, this battle... I really don't know how to fight it."
King Chu Xiong Xu shook his head bitterly, and then he prepared to cheer up. After all, as the king of Chu, he could vent his anger, but staying in this state for a long time was not a good thing for the entire country.
.
However, at this moment, he vaguely seemed to hear someone saying in front of him: "Retreat, retreat..."
Xiong Xu raised his head in surprise and was surprised to see an illusory figure standing vaguely not far away under the moonlight, a figure that was extremely familiar to him.
"Ah...weak?" Xiong Xu opened his mouth, and then he seemed to have thought of something, and asked in surprise: "You want me to give up Shoying? Move the capital southward? Why? I haven't lost yet!"
"No, we have already lost... When Wei Gongzi Ji Run got hundreds of thousands of Chu people to fight for him with just a few slogans, our country Chu has already lost..." That hazy illusion seemed to be Jun Xiong of Runan
Hao's figure sighed.
"..." Chu King Xiong Xu opened his mouth and was speechless. Of course he understood the deeper meaning.
After thinking for a while, he said hesitantly: "Ke Shouying, that is the capital of my Da Chu..."
As if seeing through his thoughts, Runan Jun Xiong Hao shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, you are wrong. Today, the Chu people in the country have long lost their excellent moral character and firm beliefs. The nobles are no longer leaders who lead the common people.
, instead became a murderer who oppressed the common people... At the moment, I am a big Chu, and I don't need a big victory to stabilize the power of the nobles... I am struggling to hold on to Shouying, the nobles are still high-ranking nobles, and the common people are still trampled in the mud.
For the common people, what happened yesterday will be what tomorrow will be, there will be no change at all...Today, our country needs a heartbreaking defeat, a defeat that is close to destroying the country, to wake up the people of the country...
…Why did Zhurong’s people end up like this?”
"..." Chu King Xiong Xu opened his eyes wide with shock on his face.
At this time, Xiong Hao, Lord of Runan, said again: "...Don't worry about competing with Lu Xi. He is the king of Qi, and you are the king of Chu. He dragged his terminally ill body and led his army to conquer.
Is he going to war? No, he is doing it for his country... If you stubbornly want to defeat Lu Xi in this battle, then you will miss the only chance to draw a tie with Lu Xi... Even if you win
We surrendered to Lu Xi, but we sacrificed the future of our great Chu... Give up the fight with Lu Xi, give up the royal city to the coalition forces, and let thousands of our great Chu sons experience the shame of the country being invaded by foreign enemies... After the defeat.
, blaming the defeat on the scum among the nobles, severely punishing them, and alleviating the hostility of the common people towards our nobles. From then on, we will work hard to govern and encourage people's livelihood. Next year, our country will have thousands of bloody men who will actively join the army.
, help you regain your lost territory, and maybe you can use this momentum to attack Qi State... Your Majesty, our great Chu needs a heart-wrenching defeat."
"..."
"Your Majesty, juniors like Wei Gongzi Ji Run are gradually rising to prominence. The era of you and Lu Xi is over... I am already old, and now is the era of young people..."
Saying this, Runan Jun Xiong Hao's figure gradually faded under the moonlight and then disappeared.
"A Ruian..."
King Xiong Xu of Chu stretched out his hand to grab it because he still had too many things to say to his younger brother.
However, at this moment, he only felt a stagger and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, a hand held him up.
Taking a closer look, King Xiong Xu of Chu discovered that there was an old eunuch standing next to him.
"He...where is he?" Xiong Xu looked around for the figure of Runan Jun Xiong Hao.
However, the eunuch showed a confused look on his face and asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, who are you referring to?"
"The one who was here just now..."
"Except for the old slave, there was no one else here just now?" the old eunuch asked puzzledly. Then, he seemed to have thought of something and asked with a smile: "Your Majesty, are you dreaming?"
"Dream?"
King Chu Xiong Xu was stunned for a while, and then smiled bitterly: Yes, his brother Xiong Hao, Lord of Runan, has been dead for more than ten years.
"Your Majesty, who did you dream about?" the old eunuch asked curiously.
King Xiong Xu of Chu stood up, with a trace of bitterness flashing across his face, and murmured: "I dreamed of a person who preached to me after his death... a person who made me regret my whole life."
After saying that, he shook his robe and walked towards the outside of the palace.
...Is it the dream of Brother Wang? Or is it the thought in Gu's heart? No matter what, my Da Chu... really needs a big defeat! A defeat that hurts the heart and lungs! ...The old Da Chu, with the longevity
Become ruins and become the past, and I, Da Chu, will be reborn from the ashes in these ruins!
With these words in his mind, Chu King Xiong Xu's eyes returned to their previous sharpness.
This made the old eunuch who was following him secretly surprised: The king today is more powerful than before.
Stepping into the palace, King Xiong Xu of Chu met Xiang Yan, a veteran of the Xiang clan who had been waiting outside the palace for a long time.
"Your Majesty."
Seeing King Xiong Xu of Chu walking out of the palace, Xiang Yan, who had been waiting for a long time, hurriedly stepped forward, kowtowed to the ground and clasped his fists, saying: "Please allow me to go to war. Even if I risk my life, I will not let the Wei army touch me."
Shouying is a wall brick!"
"..." Chu King Xiong Xu's eyes flashed for a few times, and then he comforted him with kind words: "I understand the old general's intention, but... hey, let's think about it in the long run."
Seeing the strange expression on the face of Chu King Xiong Xu, Xiang Yanhui misunderstood and lowered his voice and asked: "Is it possible that the king is... worried about those who escaped from Shoying in the past two days?" At this point, he said in a cryptic way.
: "I think this evil trend cannot help the rise."
King Xiong Xu of Chu seemed to have guessed Xiang Yan's thoughts, shook his head and said: "Don't move lightly."
Hearing this, Xiang Yan showed a hint of indignation on his face, and said eagerly: "How can we tolerate it if it disrupts the morale of the army?"
However, to Xiang Yan's surprise, Chu King Xiong Xu just patted him on the shoulder and said lightly: "Those people will have another use in the future."
Looking at the flash of murderous intent in the eyes of the king in front of him, Xiang Yan was stunned.
At this time, King Xiong Xu of Chu whispered something that made Xiang Yan even more horrified.
"Xiang Yan, Gu ordered you to defend the west city wall, but Gu wants the Wei army to attack the city... Are you willing to bear the infamy for Gu?"
"..." Xiang Yan opened her mouth and was so horrified that she couldn't recover for a long time. (To be continued.) 8