Chapter 281 Eight hundred years of prosperity and decline
"The ancients said that when a country is about to prosper, it is up to the people; when it is about to fall, it is up to the gods."
"However, now that all the people have become captives of Qin, and the gods have abandoned Chu, what should I do?"
The king of Chu stood on the palace gate with his crotch on his back and his hair disheveled. He watched helplessly in one day and night, the eight land gates and eight water gates in Shouchun had been destroyed, and the flags of the Qin army appeared in the once prosperous "Ying City" in the north of the city. Waiguo
The resistance was getting weaker and weaker. Nearly ten thousand soldiers and civilians poured into the inner city, while the rest were locked out by the closed palace gates, leaving the Qin army behind.
Nowadays, the only things that stand between the King of Chu and the Qin army are the high palace walls and the moat surrounded by Zuodu and Shaopixidu that divert the Fei River. Many years ago, under the command of King Kaolie of Chu,
Chun Shenjun, who ordered the construction of Shouchun and the palace city, seemed to have been worried about the day when he not only took into account the grandeur, but also built the palace into a strong fortress.
But even if it was impregnable, it was useless. With no people around him and no gods above his head, the king of Chu could only hold on for a day or two at most in the face of the attack of 100,000 Qin troops.
The King of Chu didn't want to look any more, so he turned around, threw down the Zuo Guang guard on the palace wall, let the long clothes hanging behind him drag on the ground, and staggered towards the lotus terrace where he usually liked to have banquets and entertainments.
Lotus is made into clothes and hibiscus is gathered into clothing. Chu people in the south love lotus very much. The king of Chu often lets his concubines wear lotus as clothes and play in the water together. It is the beginning of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and the lotus in the pond is full of flowers under the high platform.
The faint fragrance is refreshing, but King Chu has long lost the mood to appreciate it.
The power of a country is like a lotus. It waxes and wanes. When it is strong, it overflows the pond, but when it is weak, not a single leaf can be seen on the water.
When summer comes next year, the lotus leaves will still bloom, but when the sun rises tomorrow, Chu State may no longer exist.
Tears flowed from the eyes of the King of Chu, who was holding his cud. "It has been eight hundred years since our ancestors, Xiong and Xiong Yi, were granted the title of prince by King Wen of Zhou. But today, after eight hundred years, the country is about to perish in my hands."
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Cai Ci, the "door Yin" who was in charge of the entrance and exit of the palace, cried and bowed down: "Chu Shi died at the hands of King Huai and Qingxiang. The king has tried his best to save it!"
But Fu Chu shook his head: "I am overwhelmed by the heavy load, but I can't take it with me. I am arrogant and beautiful, but I attack the martial arts, and I am arrogant and honest."
"At that time, Song Yu thought that although the short coat made of lotus leaves was beautiful, it was too loose and could not be tied; this is just like King Huai boasting about his civil and military skills and thinking that he is upright, but in fact he relies on sycophants and dislikes loyal ministers. I am the same way, and I use Wu Ling.
, Zuo Tu and others, but they are suspicious of Xiang Yan and Lord Changping. If he had been cheering up from the beginning of his accession to the throne, would he have been able to change the outcome of his destruction? "
Now that things have happened, he has begun to reflect.
"If I had known this day, I wouldn't have had to kill my brother to seize the throne a few years ago, or when my brother Xiong Qi returned to Chu, I wouldn't have sent him to Jiangdong, but would have given up the throne! I would have been a happy young man.
Go boating and travel far away, be alone..."
Not to mention, half a year ago, I actually went to great lengths to send people to spread rumors about the life experiences of the two brothers, King Chu You and King Chu Ai. In the end, it all became a joke.
But it was too late to say all this at this time. King Chu wiped away his tears, turned around and asked Cai Cidao: "Is everything ready?"
"The firewood and anointing oil are all ready."
Cai Ci raised his head. Even though the King of Chu had many shortcomings in carrying the cud, at least he was still determined to die for the country.
"I should try my best to stop the Qin people and bid farewell to the king!"
After saying this, Cai gave San Ji the head and left in a hurry.
Outside, the sound of the Qin army's fighting and siege continued for a long time. After bathing in the lotus pond, King Chu put on his royal attire and staggered towards the stage. He saw that the stage was full of jewelry and jades, and his concubines and palace maidens.
, all shed tears in the audience.
The King of Chu wanted to die, but his concubines all wanted to live and were unwilling to obey him.
"I once heard that when King Wu of Zhou entered the court, King Zhou of Shang was in Lutai, covered with his pearls and jade, and burned himself to death in the fire. I never thought that such a day would happen to me..."
The King of Chu laughed at himself: "Even if I die, I will not be able to see my ancestors. I just don't know where is Daji who doesn't eat?"
"Ji Mi is willing to be Brother Wang's Daji!"
A delicate girl dressed in bright and gorgeous clothes came out from the crowd of warblers and swallows. She fell on the ground and nodded: "Ji Mi is willing to die with Brother Wang, rather than become a prisoner of the Qin Dynasty!"
This is the youngest daughter of King Chu Kaolie. She is only sixteen years old, and she is in her most beautiful age. However, her originally gentle eyes are full of determination to die, even more determined than King Chu.
This younger sister has always been strong-willed. Because she was responsible for killing King Ai of Chu, she didn't say a word to him for five years. Today, when Jingchu is about to be destroyed, she can finally let go of her past hatred.
"good……"
The King of Chu was stunned for a moment, laughed loudly, and asked her to follow him to the high platform! He also took the torch handed over by the palace man tremblingly.
"King!"
At this moment, a cry came from behind. It was Zuo Tu and others who were usually favored by the King of Chu. They kept looking at their heads on the steps of the high platform, urging the King of Chu not to do such a foolish thing.
"Wang Jian outside has sent people to shoot a book inside, saying that if the king of Qin and Chu's twentieth generation is married, if the king surrenders, the king of Qin may be able to live without worries, become a rich man, and even get a fief..."
The concubines and palace attendants under the high platform also cried and persuaded the King of Chu that it would be better to die than live.
"You villain! A sycophant! Instead of following the king to death, you are still here urging the king to surrender! Have you not seen how King Huai of Chu was humiliated by King Qin after he entered Qin?"
Princess Ji Mi of Chu was young and naive. Although she was a female, she had grown up listening to Qu Yuan's stories. She regarded Qin as an enemy and bandit, and now she spoke angrily against Zuo Tu and others.
"However, there is a king in Chu who has lost his country, but there is no captured king. There is no need for you to say anything more. If you can follow the deceased, you will die together. If you can't, then leave him..."
The King of Chu held the torch and walked towards the highest point of the high platform. There were piles of treasures from the Chu Palace, a dazzling array of things to see. He looked at the only square inches of land left under the high platform, looked at these treasures that the kings of Chu had painstakingly collected, and listened.
The man behind him couldn't help but keep him, and his eyes were twinkling.
When death is close at hand, people will hesitate.
"People say that a phoenix burns itself to ashes every five hundred years, and then rises from the ashes again. The cycle is endless, and it becomes eternal life..."
Ji Mi raised her chin and said, "I wonder if Brother Wang can ignite the raging fire of our ancestor Zhu Rong today!"
After hearing this, the King of Chu did not think of Zhu Rong and Fengniao. Instead, he saw two rickety charred corpses.
He shuddered and let go of the torch in his hand.
But instead of throwing it on the pile of firewood, it was thrown into the lotus pond below. The fire in my heart was extinguished, leaving only a few wisps of green smoke...
"You can't die if you don't eat."
"I don't want to die either!"
He left the high platform with a pale face, leaving behind Ji Mi who couldn't believe it, rolling and crawling on the ground, and ran down the stairs in embarrassment!
…
Cai Ci, the gatekeeper, organized Zuo Guang, the last thousand kings, and tried his best to resist the Qin people's attacks and buy some time for the king of Chu to die for his country.
However, he felt something was wrong, because the fire in Hetai did not light up for a long time...
Just when he was doubtful, the second door behind him suddenly opened, and King Chu walked out unscathed, accompanied by Zuo Tu and others.
Cai Ci was stunned.
"Open the door and surrender to Qin!" The King of Chu was silent, while Zuo Tu was in high spirits. He had always advocated peace talks and surrender to Qin.
Seeing this scene, Cai Ci understood and began to curse: "King, where are the courage of the late King Xiong Qu who refused to give him the title of China, and the pride of King Chuzhuang in his quest to conquer the Central Plains?"
"If you open the door and come down, I will be able to live in a small town and live in wealth and honor, and my second and third sons will also be able to survive..."
The King of Chu murmured, not even daring to look directly at Cai Ci and Zuo Guang's guards.
Cai Ci was filled with grief and anger, but King Chu's attitude had demoralized the palace guards. He tried to stop him, but Zuo Tu ordered his men to push him to the ground and break his head.
Looking at the palace door that slowly opened, and looking at Zuo Tu coming out on his knees holding a watch, Cai Ci could only grab the ground with his head, and cried bitterly:
"Sadly, the people of the Chu Kingdom were also yuānhu phoenixes. They became famous even without singing, how majestic and wise they are. However, their descendants have become timid and fearful of death. They can only be satisfied with a mere rotten rat from the King of Qin.
The owl (hi)!"
…
"What's inside this gate is so luxurious and magnificent."
As the first batch of Qin troops who were ordered to follow Wang Jian into the Chu Palace to take over the defense, Heifu heard the two country bumpkins Dongmen Bao and Ji Ying behind him pointing at the tall gate above them and the sculpture of a phoenix bird spreading its wings above them and marveling at it.
Endless.
Beside the long palace corridor, groups of Chu Zuo Guang palace guards were waiting silently for them to enter the city. Zuo Tu, who had just gone out to present his surrender, and a disheveled middle-aged man were kneeling at the front, facing Wang Jian.
When all the generals came to surrender, it was probably the king of Chu who carried the cud.
But Heifu's attention was attracted by the Chu people on the left and right sides. He saw a Chu official with a broken head and bleeding. He was still being held down by someone. He raised his head with difficulty and looked at the neat and tidy people.
The Qin army entered the city with tears streaming down their faces.
Looking back at the majestic gate behind him and comparing it with the scene in front of him, Heifu suddenly remembered a World War II photo he had seen in his previous life: when the German army entered Paris through the Arc de Triomphe, the French were crying in tears along the way.
Despair, grief, anger, and helplessness are the emotions of Chu people.
Heifu somewhat sympathized with these people who were unfortunate enough to be born in Jingchu and in this era, but he had no sympathy at all for this country that was stuck in its own ways, failed Qu Yuan, and fell from advanced and strong to decline and withering.
"The people are not the people who will perish their country, but the king is the one who will perish the country!"
He straightened the bronze armor on his head and looked at his men. Everyone's eyes were full of pride and pride, and they were all looking forward to the Chu Palace in front of them. Unlike the last time when Wei died, this time, as a way to destroy Chu,
The Anlu soldiers who had made more meritorious service in the battle were allowed to enter the palace to take over the defense and carry away property and treasures.
The war was over, and Wang Jian, who had experienced the destruction of his country several times, turned a blind eye to his troops who secretly took some things and put them on their bodies...
Eight hundred years of collection, forty-two years of management, the elites of Jingchu, jade, gold nuggets, beads, for several generations, they plundered their people, leaning against the mountains...
An unimaginable treasure house has opened its door to Heifu and the others!