Chapter 129 The most famous county magistrate of Chu
In the end, Zhao Kuo did not listen to Lian Po's advice. Lian Po hoped to launch an attack while Bai Qi was at his weakest and annihilate him in one fell swoop.
Zhao Kuo led the army step by step and kept advancing, but failed to launch an attack. Bai Qi had no choice but to withdraw the ambushed troops and abandon the Danshui defense line. The Qin army stationed in Changping and Xuanshi.
The armies of the two countries faced each other across Danshui.
Bai Qi did not have the strength to attack Zhao again, and similarly, Zhao Kuo did not have the strength to cross Danshui and regain Shangdang.
The two armies were facing each other, and every day soldiers would yell curses across the water, take off their clothes and drown each other in the direction of the other side. Regarding their uncivilized behavior, no one seemed to express dissatisfaction with their uncivilized behavior, except for the people in the lower reaches of the Dan River.
Chu State, Chendu
The King of Chu was particularly happy because of Xunzi's arrival. He let Xunzi sit in his carriage and traveled with Xunzi. He took Xunzi to see the various counties and counties of Chu, the lives of the people, and the talents of the officials. This pair of Xunzi and Xunzi
It was not the first time that when he arrived at the Qin State, the King of Qin took him to see the Qin State's system and the people living under this system.
The King of Chu took this matter very seriously. Before leaving Chendu, he ordered the officials in various places to show their best appearance for Xunzi to see. If there was anything that angered Xunzi,
Xunzi was forced to leave the state of Chu, and officials from all over the country questioned him!
After receiving the king's order, officials and nobles everywhere were worried. What kind of scene would Xunzi praise after seeing it?
Someone suggested that Xunzi once visited the state of Qin and was full of praise for the state of Qin. How about we change all the city buildings to the style of the state of Qin? As soon as this person suggested it, he was reprimanded by others. This king wanted to come with Xunzi.
Look, you are building Qin-style buildings in various places. Wouldn’t that scare the king to death? Those who didn’t know would have thought that Chu had fallen!
Some people also suggested that what Xunzi liked was not the architecture of Qin, but the system of Qin. Why not temporarily switch to the laws of Qin? I heard that Qin people have twenty-first-class titles, so why not create a forty-class title?
Let the common people dress according to their titles, and then arrest a group of people to serve as prisoners. I happened to have heard of Shang Yang's deeds, and I can learn from his reforms. First find me a wooden stick, and then prepare a hundred gold...
..It is said that before this retainer could finish his words, his family master beat him out.
It is a pity that the mighty Chu State Reform was interrupted.
The nobles from various places discussed it for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that Xunzi was a Confucian scholar, so there should be no problem in arranging the arrangements according to what Confucian scholars wanted to do.
Then he got busy.
First of all, the King of Chu brought Xunzi to inspect the capital city of Chendu. Outsiders called this place Chendu, but the Chu people all called it Ying. For some reasons, the barbarians of Chu State had migrated many times, and the capital was constantly moving.
The frequency of changes and capital moves is unmatched by any of the six kingdoms. Every time a new capital is reached, the Chu people will call it Ying. The word Ying comes from Yun, and Yun is the hometown of the Chu State. The Chu people firmly believe that they
Ancestors were born in Yun.
Therefore, the Chu people, who had a deep love for the country, changed the word "Bei" in the word "惃" to "王" to refer to the capital. All cities, as long as they became the capital of the Chu State, they were Ying. No matter what outsiders said,
Call, this is Ying.
Sitting on King Chu's carriage and looking at Chen Du, Xunzi almost laughed.
The Chu State and the Qin State were completely opposite in their attitudes towards merchants. The Qin State valued agriculture and suppressed business, while the Chu State respected business. They attached great importance to economic exchanges and would send troops to protect the normal conduct of commercial and trade activities, even in In the covenants with other countries, there was an agreement not to persecute the merchants of Chu State and to ensure the normal conduct of commercial and trade activities. But now, Xunzi did not see a single merchant in Chendu.
There are old people everywhere. I don’t know where the officials found them. They are sitting in front of the door with a blank look on their faces. They are put on brand new clothes and even have meat such as mutton stuffed in their hands. Look. It can be concluded that the old people in Chu can wear good clothes and can afford meat. Behind the old people are young people. These young people are powerful. Xunzi knew several of them. Aren't those the warriors guarding the palace?
The young people held their rice bowls dutifully and stood beside the old people, smiling so hard that their faces became a little stiff.
In the courtyard, you can hear the sounds of children crying and reading books over and over again.
In order to show that there are no thieves, the doors of each house are open.
Someone also threw a piece of gold belonging to the boss on the road. Two people quickly caught up with him and handed him the gold in their hands with a smile.
Xunzi laughed loudly, but King Chu's face became darker and darker. Xunzi laughed for a long time, and then he looked at King Chu aside and said seriously: "Your Majesty, please give an order so that the officials should not deliberately cater to you. If your Majesty because of If you want to keep me, if you persecute the people everywhere, close the markets, and delay the cultivation of mulberry trees, will I still stay?" Then the King of Chu hurriedly stood up, called several officials, and ordered them Withdrawing these, he took back his original royal order, and then returned to the palace with Xunzi.
"Your Majesty, on the way here, I have seen many places in Chu State. I did not see the people starving to death, nor did I see the officials oppressing the people... However, I also did not see too many places. There are many students, as is the case in Qi State, and the scholars from Chu State are the fewest..." Xunzi chatted with the King of Chu, and the King of Chu saw that Xunzi was not angry, and happily asked him for advice on governing the country. strategy.
When they entered the palace, a warrior hurriedly walked to the King of Chu and whispered: "A messenger has come and brought a letter from Pang Nuan." The King of Chu was stunned, and then he hurriedly asked the warrior to bring the man to the palace. The envoy brought it. The envoy came to the King of Chu and handed the bamboo slips to the King of Chu with some grief and anger. The King of Chu sat down, looked at it carefully for a moment, became furious, slammed the bamboo slips on the ground, and said: "Let Jun Chun Shen come to see me!"
Xunzi said nothing and just sat aside.
Huang Xie came to the King of Chu very quickly. He looked very calm, as if he had known that the King of Chu would ask him to come. He paid homage to the King of Chu, then met with Xunzi, and then sat opposite Xunzi. , looked at the King of Chu and asked: "Is it Pang Nuan's envoy?" The King of Chu was stunned and could not reprimand him directly. He nodded and asked: "Is what he said true? Why do you think so? Not delivering food and grass in time?"
"What he said is true. The reason why I seized the food and grass is because the general is not Jingyang." Huang Xie said seriously.
The King of Chu was very angry. Huang Xie was his best friend. He had never been really angry with Huang Xie, but this time, he was really angry. Pang Nuan's army was no match for Pang Nuan. Pang Nuan attacked four counties in a row, and the Qin people were defeated one after another. The King of Qin had no way to fight back Chu's attack. But at such a good opportunity, Huang Xie secretly Withholding subsequent supplies of food and grass, Pang Nuan was unable to continue his march.
The King of Chu asked: "Because of your fault, the Chu army cannot continue to attack and can only wait for the subsequent arrival of food and baggage. I trust you so much, why do you do such a disgraceful thing to me?"
Huang Xie frowned and said seriously: "Your Majesty, Pang Nuan is from Zhao. He will only think about how to save his country and will not care about the safety of Chu's soldiers. He is not trying to get more for Chu. The city, he wanted to attract the attention of the Qin State to reduce the pressure on the Zhao State. Therefore, he could attack the tall and solid city without mercy on the soldiers, and use the national power of the Chu State to save the Zhao State. This is why I want to deduct the The reason for planting grain and grass."
"I know that your Majesty wants revenge. Since you came to the throne, you have attached great importance to farming and selecting talents. The Chu State has gradually revived. Qin has repeatedly provoked us, but we have endured it. It is not because we are afraid of Qin, but because Chu still needs time. Only when the children in Chu grow up, the treasury has enough food, weapons are well prepared, and there are enough chariots can Chu take revenge on Qin."
"Even if the current behavior allows Chu to regain Nanyang, how can it resist Qin after it defeats Zhao and Wei?"
The King of Chu became even more angry and asked: "Why do you think that the coalition forces will be defeated?"
"The grain and grass of Zhao State are insufficient, and the generals and kings of Wei State are at odds with each other... Bai Qi led the elite soldiers to attack Zhao State, and there were also veteran generals like Wang Lu and Meng Ao to help him. Zhao State's Lian Po is arrogant, I know he will definitely Looking down on Zhao Kuo, Jin Bi of the Wei State only knows how to obey the king's orders, and the King of Wei is at odds with Lord Xinling... May I ask, Your Majesty, what can the combined forces of Zhao and Wei rely on to defeat the Qin State?" Huang Xie asked in return.
"Ma Fujun."
The King of Chu did not say anything, but Xunzi on the side suddenly spoke.
Huang Xie was stunned for a moment, then looked at him and asked, "What did you say?"
"I said, Ma Fujun can defeat Qin."
Huang Xie suddenly laughed and said: "You may not know that Lian Po served as the general of Zhao State and the Qin people could not defeat him. Fan Ju deliberately spread rumors in Zhao State, praised Zhao Kuo, and wanted the King of Zhao to replace Lian Po with Zhao Kuo. Po, I heard that he defeated the Yan State and was appointed as a general by the King of Zhao to succeed Lian Po. This happened to fall into the Qin people's plan. Perhaps the Yan people also deliberately lost to him because of the Qin State's orders."
"It can be seen that he is a man with a false reputation but no talent. How can he defeat Qin?"
King Chu's eyes widened and he looked at Xunzi.
Xunzi stroked his beard and said with a smile: "If replacing Zhao Kuo is Fan Ju's plan, then Fan Ju is also a virtuous man."
"When the State of Zhao needed a warrior, he gave it to the State of Zhao. If I can see him again, I will thank him for his kindness to the people of the State of Zhao."
Huang Xie pursed his lips and didn't say much. He just looked at the King of Chu in front of him and said, "Your Majesty, you can't allow Zhao to be favored just because Chu has to pay the price. If your Majesty can order Pang Nuan to be dismissed, Jingyang will be replaced." As a general, I will fully support his march, because he will not ignore the soldiers of Chu State, he will value the interests of Chu State, but if the king continues to use Pang Nuan as his general, then please let others do it for him. Just transporting supplies, I'm willing to go back home and work on the farm."
King Chu looked at him and then at Xunzi beside him, feeling a little confused.
He said helplessly: "Jingyang is a good drinker. Even when he goes out with the army, he often gets drunk. How can I safely let him serve as a general with such a person?" He sighed and said: "Now This is the best time to attack Qin. If we miss it, when Chu is ready, won't Qin be even stronger and more difficult to defeat than it is now?"
Huang Xie was silent for a moment, and then said: "I am willing to go to Qin to see the King of Qin and tell him the current situation. I will persuade him to return the Chu city, and the Chu army will not continue to attack. In this way First, if Zhao Wei is defeated and we retreat, we can also take back the originally occupied city. If Zhao Wei wins, we can continue to march and take back Nanyang and other places. This will only be good for the Chu State and not harmful, what do you think?"
Huang Xie is most famous for his eloquence.
The King of Chu also trusted him. After hearing his suggestions, the King of Chu looked at Xunzi with some embarrassment. After all, Xunzi was from Zhao. Xunzi also saw the embarrassment of the King of Chu. He calmly looked at the two monarchs and ministers in front of him The man shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be in trouble because of me. I am not a minister of the State of Zhao, nor am I a minister of yours. I cannot give you any advice."
Huang Xie suddenly bowed to Xunzi and said: "Please stay in Chu State. You are a great sage praised by people all over the world. You are more suitable to be the governor of Chu State than me... I am a man with no morals and no morals." I am a mediocre person with no talent. I have no way to better govern the Chu State. I can only use my words to benefit the Chu State. But you are different. If you govern the Chu State, you will definitely make the Chu State strong again. "
The King of Chu was not a ruthless person. He and Huang Xie had stayed in Qin for many years. He always regarded Huang Xie as his best friend. When Xunzi came to Chu, he also thought about whether to use Ling Yin's However, the King of Chu quickly gave up this idea. Although he was eager to obtain Xunzi's service, he could not hurt his friend, a friend who shared the joys and sorrows.
Now that Huang Xie himself proposed to give up Ling Yin's position to Xunzi, the King of Chu was a little shaken, but he gritted his teeth and stood up and said to Xunzi: "Jun Chunshen has done nothing wrong. Although I hope you can stay." I come here to serve, but I cannot give you the position of Ling Yin." Huang Xie was shocked, and when he was about to say something, Xunzi smiled and said: "I have no ability to govern a country."
King Chu was a little disappointed, sat down decadently, and sighed.
Huang Xie thought otherwise. He carefully recalled Xunzi's words and asked hurriedly: "Then can you master the criminal law?"
"I don't understand criminal law."
"Then can you manage the mulberry trees?"
"I don't know how to work."
"Then can you govern a county?"
"I don't have the talent to govern a county."
The disappointment on King Chu's face became more and more serious. Just as he was about to dissuade Huang Xie, Huang Xie suddenly asked: "What do you think of governing a county?"
Xunzi did not refute. He thought seriously for a moment, then nodded and said, "I can govern a county."
Huang Xie smiled, looked at the King of Chu, and said, "Please appoint Xunzi as the county magistrate."
King Chu was stunned and looked at Xunzi blankly.
County magistrate???
If I let the world-famous sage Xunzi stay in Chu as a county magistrate, who would dare to serve Chu?
King Chu asked hesitantly: "This is really unfair. How can you..."
Xunzi shook his head and said calmly: "I can make the people in a county have enough food, not starve to death, be able to wear clothes, and not be afraid of the cold winter. This is what I can do. If the king trusts me,
You can hand over a county to me to manage. If you don't trust me, I can leave Chu State."
"Please stay...I will accept you as the Order of Lanling."
.......
Have you heard? There is a new Lanling Order coming.