Zhao State's actions were indeed much more generous than those of Chu State. That night, after conferring Chen Yu the title of Shangqing and Chen Sheng the title of Captain, Zhao Xie summoned Kuai Che again.
"Does Mr. Kuai think Er Chen can be trusted?"
Kuai Che said with a smile: "The current situation is the same as a hundred years ago. Scholars wander around the princes, just seeking to get ahead. Today they will join Qin, tomorrow they will surrender to Chu, and the next day they will serve Zhao. But they will not be loyal to Zhao, nor will they be loyal to Chu.
…”
"Only be loyal to your own interests!"
"Your Majesty gave Er Chen more than Chu, so they can contribute to the Zhao Kingdom. Chen Sheng is an outsider, so he can only gain a foothold in Zhao by doing meritorious service for your Majesty. As for Chen Yu... he used to stay in Hengshan all year round.
The county has many friends with local heroes, so the king might as well let the two of them go and capture Mount Heng."
This is also the strategy Kuai Che formulated for the emerging Zhao State. He used Li Zuoche to resist the Qin troops in the south, and sent Lu Goujian to the north to favor Yan territory to expand his territory. Now that there were two more Chens, Hengshan County could also send an army there.
"If Zhao can seize Dahe in the south, Taihang in the west, swallow Yan in the north, Dai will definitely become a frontier country, not weaker than Chu, Xiang Ji will not dare to issue orders to Zhao. In the future, taking advantage of the cover of the north and south Qin, he can capture Taiyuan, Shangdang,
Hedong and Hanoi are all controlled by Jizhou, and we are determined to conquer the world!"
"Thank you sir." Zhao Xie was very grateful. Without Kuai Che, the restoration of the Zhao Kingdom might not have been so smooth.
But before Kuai Che left, Zhao Xie asked what he had always doubted.
"Mr. Kuai has spent many years planning to disrupt the central government of Qin in order to change the world. Now he is traveling between Qi and Zhao. He has even refused the position of the widow and the state of Qi. He does not want to take any land or land. He only wants to be a guest. Mr.
, where are you loyal to?"
Kuai Che did not answer, just smiled, said goodbye and left.
After leaving Congtai, he looked up at the winter night sky and said to himself: "I am only loyal to the way of Zongheng!"
When it comes to verticality and horizontality, there is no horizontality without verticality, and there is no verticality without horizontality. Horizontal can be turned into vertical, and vertical can also be turned into horizontal! This is the true meaning of vertical and horizontal!
For politicians, unification is boring.
For them, the best era should be to sacrifice gifts and favor war, and to abandon benevolence and righteousness in favor of deceit.
Those who are usurpers and thieves are made kings; the country that is deceitful and treacherous becomes strong!
There is no emperor above and no magistrate below. If you compete with others for strength, the winner will be right!
That’s the stage where talented people can shine!
Kuai Che said with a smile: "If we can really make a tripartite tripartite, and Northern Qin, Southern Qin, and the six countries are evenly matched and each has its own territory, then all the people in the future will have to thank me, Kuai Che."
"Thank you for creating a paradise for them! Strategists like Zhang Yi and Su Qin can prosper the country with one word and destroy it with another word; the country they live in is important, but the country they leave is light; when they are angry, the princes are afraid, but when they live in peace, the world
Rest!"
As for the endless wars and revolutions brought about by this division, the rise of fraud and counterfeiting, and the proliferation of murderers?
As for the countless innocent people in the world who were brought to grief by this dispute, and the corpses of fathers and sons were exposed in the middle and wild, which are countless?
Sorry, these things are matters of Confucianism, Huang Lao, and Fa Mo, and are not considered by politicians!
…
Kuai Che only digs holes but doesn't bury them, and uses his words and intrigues to stir up trouble in the world, but he doesn't care how the chaos will be settled in the future.
But Cao Shen of Jiaodong was tossing and turning, thinking about how to keep Jiaodong safe.
More than three months have passed since Cao and Chen Ping united with 13 major merchants in July to seize Jiaodong, and the situation in Jiaodong has been completely stable.
In accordance with Chen Ping's policy of "dead lip and tooth cold", Cao Shen led 5,000 troops to support Langya County, and faced Chu State Mo Ao Longqie in Ju County, between the cities. Because the main force of the Chu army followed Xiang Yu to attack the Central Plains, although Long Qie supported the troops
Although it was still difficult to break through the defense line, Langya City was even controlled by Jiaodong, and ships also used it to go south.
The route from Langya to Kuaiji has existed in ancient times. The trouble is that the thousands of miles of coast are all occupied by the Chu State. Fortunately, east of Qu County, Donghai County, there is a large island named Yuntai (Lianyungang). It is deserted, but there are rivers of fresh water. , Sima Luoyu, a large-scale ship, occupied it. As the hub of north-south navigation, Jiaodong and Kuaiji were able to sail once a month to deliver information.
The real trouble lies in the west. Last month, the governor of Qin Linzi County accepted Chen Ping's proposal and the two sides called a truce. Linzi was able to concentrate the county troops to deal with Peng Yue, the giant bandit of Onezawa who wanted to seize Qi.
However, Peng Yue was cunning and good at fighting. After several battles, Linzi suffered heavy losses. In addition, Long Qie saw that Langya was difficult to capture, so he sent people across Dongtai Mountain to attack the south of Linzi. Attacked from two sides, Linzi was difficult to support, and it was expected to be spring at the latest. Linzi will fall before that.
For a time, a large number of Linzi refugees fleeing the war flooded into Jiaodong. Chen Ping took them all in and arranged for them to live east of Weishui. He selected young men for training, hoping to increase new sources of troops for Jiaodong.
But the county governor Cao Shen was a little pessimistic:
"I am confident of holding the southern front, but on the western front, can the temporarily organized refugees, merchants, and servants be able to stop the menacing bandits?"
Cao Shen has written to Chen Ping about his troubles, but Chen Ping has not yet replied.
Just as I was thinking about it, a military officer came to see me outside the door. It was Yu Guang, a native of Lu County (Shandong Mengyin). He was originally from Langya. He was transferred to Jiaodong a few years ago as a commander. He was a subordinate of Cao Shen. Chen and Cao When the two rebelled, Yu Guang resolutely resisted and helped them capture Jimo, and was promoted to Sima.
Yu Guang was Cao Shen's right-hand man, so he let him in and explained his purpose.
"The county lieutenant and the subordinates were inspecting the military camp today, and they met an old fellow countryman. He was a commoner scholar. The Chu soldiers entered Langya. He escaped here and was recruited into the army as a garrison soldier to carry out the task of pulling the chariots. "
The crossbar of the cart is a chariot, and the front pull is called a pull. To put it bluntly, it is a person who works hard to pull the cart, and is the lowest-ranking garrison soldier in the army.
"Are you feeling pity for him and want to intercede on his behalf?"
Cao Shen understood that he was always very flexible in doing things, so he smiled and said: "Then let him serve as a personal guard in your camp."
"it's not true."
Yu Guang cupped his hands and said: "I did intend to save him from this hard work, but he asked me about the recent situation in Jiaodong. I told him what I could tell him, and he said that the guard of Jiaodong must be in trouble. He said that he had a clever plan. This will save Jiaodong from having to face enemies from both sides. I hope I can introduce him to the county captain."
"oh?"
Cao Shen was a little surprised. A Guizhou garrison soldier in the army could tell that he was in trouble through a few words about the situation?
But then I thought about it, didn't Marquis Wu Zhong and Chen Ping all start from humble beginnings? Then I became interested and asked Yu Guang to bring in his fellow countrymen.
Not long after, people arrived. As expected, it was a Guizhou man who had just finished the heavy work of pulling a cart and was smelling of sweat. He was in his thirties, with a short beard and a flat bun. He knelt at the door with some restraint and faced Cao Shen. Long greetings.
He was dressed inappropriately, and Yu Guang was a little embarrassed. He was afraid that Cao Shen would be angry, so he hurriedly explained: "The subordinate wanted to give him fresh clothes to show him some dignity, but he said, 'I wear silk, and the silk is visible, and the clothes are brown, and the clothes are brown. Seeing brown, I dare not change my clothes."
Cao Shen asked the man loudly: "It's just a change of clothes, why don't you dare?"
The man raised his head and said with a smile: "If you can bully a county captain with your clothes, you can also bully a county captain with your words. A villain would not dare to bully a county captain!"
"Ha, you are quite eloquent."
Cao Shen asked someone to give him food and asked him, "What is your name?"
The garrison soldiers bowed again: "Little man Lou Jing!"
Cao Shen tore a chicken leg in his mouth and asked vaguely: "Lou Jing, you asked Yu Sima to introduce you to me. What do you want to say?"
Lou Jing also had fish and meat placed in front of him, but he just swallowed his saliva and did not take action: "Let's talk about the safety and survival of Jiaodong!"
Cao Shen sucked the chicken bones: "Go on."
Lou Jingdao: "Although I am from Langya, I have heard that Marquis Wu Zhong governed Jiaodong, punished the wealthy families, prospered merchants, and repaired crops, which also prevented Jiaodong from chaos in the fields. In recent years, Chen and Cao have also
Following the legacy of Marquis Wuzhong, Jiaodong rose from being the poorest county in Qi Province to being on par with Linzi."
"After many years of savings, there is no shortage of food and fodder in Jiaodong, so Chen and Cao will accept all the refugees from Linzi and Langya who seek refuge."
"But although Jiaodong is rich, it only has the power of one county and limited soldiers. Even if it accepts tens of thousands of refugees, it will not be able to form an army for a while. Cao Jun guards the cities to make it difficult for Chu thieves to cross Langya, but I am afraid that Linzi will not be able to resist Peng Yue.
Once it falls, the Qi and Chu armies will form an alliance and attack Jiaodong. Long Qie will surround Cao Jun in the cities, and Peng Yue will march into Weishui. Jiaodong will be in danger!"
This Lou Jing was worthy of being well-educated. Although he was reduced to a chariot-pulling garrison, he spoke of the difficulties Jiaodong was facing now.
Unknowingly, Cao Shen stopped his movements and wiped his greasy fingers: "What's your best plan?"
"It's very simple."
Lou Jing said: "Destrange Qi Chu!"
"Although Qi and Chu seem to be working together to attack Linzi, in fact they all have their own agendas."
"Xue County used to be the territory of Chu State, but now it is occupied by Qi State. Langya was the territory of Qi State, but now it is occupied by Chu State. They can still coexist with each other for now. Once Linzi falls, Qi and Chu will have to fight for the big city of 70,000 households.
Discord arises!"
"Why didn't the commander-in-chief try to intensify the conflict between Qi and Chu, making them wary of each other and unable to jointly attack Jiaodong?"
After hearing this, Cao Shen muttered: "It's feasible."
He also asked people to give Lou Jing more food:
"Looking at your sallow complexion and thin skin, I guess you haven't had any oil or water for many days. Eat!"
Lou Jing was really hungry, so he was not polite this time. He picked up a whole chicken and started to bite it, biting hard every time.
He left his hometown and had a hard time fleeing. The strategies he had in mind were of no use to the hard work of pulling a cart. Fortunately, he met Yu Guang, a fellow villager, and was able to meet Cao Shen. He only hoped that he could offer advice and suggestions to change the current situation——
Lieutenant Cao seemed to be very open-minded in accepting advice.
After Lou Jing had a feast, Cao Shen offered him a glass of wine and asked again: "How do you specifically want to alienate Qi Chu? Do you have any ideas?"
Lou Jing said: "Does the county commander know that more than a hundred years ago, Qin pretended to invade Han and Wei attacked Qi? King Wei of Qi sent General Zhang Zi to respond?"
Zhang Zi is Kuang Zhang, King Wei of Qi. During the reign of King Xuan, he was a famous general of Qi. He defeated Yan in ten months, defeated Chu in the sand, and defeated the Qin army.
Cao Shen is eager to learn. Although he didn't know it before entering Qidi, after a few years, he has become clear about Qidi's affairs.
He thought for a while and said: "I have heard people say that Kuang Zhang and the Qin army camped opposite each other, and many envoys exchanged messages with each other. He even asked the Qi army to change their badges to clutter the Qin army..."
By changing his badge, flag, and armor, Kuang Zhang successfully allowed the Qi army to sneak into the flank of the Qin army. He suddenly launched an attack during the battle and won a great victory.
Cao Shen suddenly said: "What do you mean..."
Lou Jing said: "Of course, Qi and Chu jointly attacked Linzi, and the soldiers were at odds with each other. They couldn't understand each other. In order to fight for property, conflicts would inevitably occur. Why didn't the general send someone to fake the Qi army badge, attack the Chu soldiers, and send someone to pretend to be Chu?"
Soldier badge, attacking Qi soldiers!"
"Good idea." Cao Shen raised his hand. If he did this, the Qi and Chu armies would lose trust. Even if they didn't fight, it would be difficult to cooperate.
"Lou Jing, you don't have to do the hard work of pulling a cart anymore. Come to my side and work as a civil servant. You will have a cart to travel and fish and meat to eat."
Lou Jing was overjoyed and thanked Cao Shen. At this moment, Chang Shi knocked on the door and came in. It turned out that the letter from Jiaodong that Cao Shen had been waiting for for a long time had finally arrived.
After unfolding it, Cao Shen couldn't help but laugh.
"Driving a wedge between Qi and Chu, causing them to break up the treaty and defeat them, thus making Qi and Chu appear as a tripartite. What a good Lou Jing, your strategy is exactly the same as what Chen Ping thought!"
…
On the other side, Cao Shen was delighted to find a wise man, but Chen Ping, who was in Jimo, was frowning at the news from the north.
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Chen Ping looked at Qi Dajia Daojian. In September, seeing that the situation in Jiaodong was stable, Chen Ping asked Daojian to take a few ships north to resume navigation with Haidong, which had been interrupted for several months.
He also knew that the Jiaodong County alone might not be able to defeat the Qi and Chu bandits. He remembered that there were still three thousand Qin troops left in Haidong, stationed in Xi'anping (Dandong, Liaoning), Liekou, and Hancheng. They were Fusu's old troops.
, maybe we can get in touch and come to Jiaodong to fight against the Chu bandits together.
But on the last day of October, when Dao Jian returned to report in a hurry, Chen Ping learned that someone was ahead of him and got there first...
"Your Majesty, it's absolutely true."
Daojian looked serious: "I was on the boat and saw Hancheng in the east of the sea. The two thousand garrison at the entrance were slowly heading north. Xi'anping was also on guard and detained all ships entering the port. So I didn't dare to enter. I just
I asked the boy servants to try to trap a group of soldiers who were out patrolling. After interrogation, they said..."
