Chapter 12: Only the Chief Evildoers Will Be Punished
Night falls.
Inside the central army tent, Qingji was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, reading a bamboo slip with great interest in the dim light of an oil lamp!
The content recorded on the bamboo slips is a military book.
In this era, "The Art of War" has not yet been published, but there are still many ancient military books that generals can read and review for use in battle strategies!
Most people in later generations only know about "The Art of War", but they don't know that there are various other military books such as "The Art of War of the Yellow Emperor", "The Art of War of Taigong", "The Art of War of Guanzi", and "The Book of Military Affairs" .
The content on the bamboo slip in Qingji's hand is a part of Taigong's Art of War.
When he had nothing to do, Qingji would read these military books, make notes from time to time, and write down his own thoughts!
"Sir."
At this moment, General Meng Ben suddenly entered the tent.
"What is it?"
"The patrol sentinels caught several people in Xiang Lake. One of them is suspected to be Ji Zi..."
"Jizi?"
Qingji was stunned for a moment, then he reacted.
At this time, the person who deserves the name of "Ji Zi" is his great uncle, the famous Ji Zha, right?
Qingji did not dare to delay and immediately asked Meng Ben to take him to see Ji Zha.
Ji Zha was an old man in his sixties. His hair and beard were all white, his face was ruddy, and he was seven feet tall. He did not look very old.
Ji Zha is different from most of the pampered nobles and princes of various countries!
He is a true sage who is strict with himself and lenient with others. It is this good mentality that makes Ji Zha win the praise of the world. At the same time, he can cultivate himself and prolong his life.
In his sixties, in this era when the average age is mostly under 30, Ji Zha can be considered to be very old!
When Qingji met Ji Zha, the latter was sitting cross-legged in a tent on the side with his eyes closed.
After learning of Ji Zha's identity, the soldiers of Qingji Army did not treat him badly. Not only did they treat him with courtesy, they also served Ji Zha with the utmost respect , so as not to neglect this world-famous sage!
Being a human being like Ji Zha is absolutely unique.
"Nephew Qingji, I meet my uncle."
Qingji recognized Ji Zha, so after confirming the latter's identity, he bowed respectfully.
What was strange was that Ji Zha, who was sitting on the cushion, said nothing and did not respond at all!
"Uncle is leaving the city now, I think there must be something important. If it is something important, please let me know, and I can send someone to escort him there."
Qingji said with a faint smile.
Ji Zha remained silent!
Just then, Meng Ben came in and whispered something in Qingji's ear.
"Sir, Ji Zi's followers have confessed."
"Ji Zi was ordered by Ji Guang to go to Yingdu to seek help from the State of Chu."
Qingji's face remained calm, as if he had already guessed it.
"Uncle, you really disappoint me."
Qingji shook his head and said, "I thought you were a reasonable person, but I didn't expect that you would be so confused about right and wrong and become an accomplice to the evildoer!"
"What benefit did Ji Guang give you that made you, my uncle, work so hard for him?"
Ji Zha opened his mouth, but didn't know where to start.
"Ji Guang will have to pay a high price to seek help from Chu. Will he have to cede cities and land, or spend money to avoid disaster? Or both?"
Qingji had a sarcastic smile on his face and said, "I'm not surprised that Ji Guang would do something desperate. But why did your uncle help the thieves?"
"If you just bribe the Chu people with rare treasures, it would be fine. But if you cede the cities and territories of our Great Wu, and bear the responsibility of selling out the country, then wouldn't my uncle be like Ji Guang and become an eternal sinner of the Wu State?"
"My great uncle's fame will be ruined in an instant!"
“…”
Ji Zha remained silent, with traces of tears still on his face.
Qingji is right!
Once Ji Zha was sent as an envoy to the State of Chu and ceded cities and lands, he would become an eternal sinner of the State of Wu.
But Ji Zha was coerced!
Originally, the war between Qingji and Helu was a civil war in Wu and a dispute over the throne. Ji Zha did not want to get involved and just wanted to stay out of it.
However, Helu was so cruel that he forced Ji Zha's two sons and one grandson to death!
Separation of flesh and blood!
How could Ji Zha not be heartbroken?
Ji Zha agreed to go to Chu as an envoy to Helü out of helplessness, and he had already put his life and death aside.
Helü also imprisoned Ji Zha's son, grandson, and their families, and forced Ji Zha to go to Chu.
But Ji Zha was already disheartened!
Why?
He is not afraid of death, and his descendants are even less afraid of death!
Ji Zha's two sons and one grandson died tragically because they did not want to embarrass Ji Zha, so they committed suicide to show their determination.
How could Ji Zha let them down?
Therefore, although Ji Zha openly agreed to Helu's mission to Chu, he was secretly planning to escape from the capital of Wu and come to Qingji to discuss the rebellion.
For this, Ji Zha would not hesitate even if it meant the destruction of his family and the death of his loved ones.
However, how could Ji Zha confide these things to Qingji?
"Uncle, I don't know your difficulties. But, no matter what the reason is, you shouldn't help the thieves!"
Qingji said righteously: "Haven't you heard about the incident in the past when the State of Jin used the pass of Guo as an excuse to destroy the State of Guo?"
"Chu is a dominant country with many soldiers and generals and thousands of chariots. Ji Guang asked for help from Chu. If the Chu army invades and destroys Qingji, how can we let Ji Guang go?"
"When the capital of Wu is destroyed, the country is overthrown, and the ancestral temple is in danger, how will my uncle face you in the afterlife, and how will he face the ancestors of Wu again?"
Hearing this, Ji Zha, who was usually eloquent, just opened his mouth and said: "I..."
How could Ji Zha not know about the incident of using the pretext of passing through Guo to destroy it more than a hundred years ago?
In 655 BC, Duke Xian of Jin sent envoys to the State of Yu, requesting permission to allow the Jin army to pass through the country to attack the State of Guo.
At that time, the King of Yu did not listen to the advice of his ministers, but insisted on his own way and asked the Jin army to pass through his country. As a result, after the Jin army destroyed Guo, they destroyed the State of Yu on the way back to the capital!
As the saying goes, the mistakes of the past are lessons for the future.
How could Ji Zha not have such worries in his heart?
"Uncle, you can go back now. Please tell Ji Guang that if he is willing to surrender, I will leave his body intact!"
Qingji said coldly: "If Ji Guang still persists in resisting, when the capital of Wu falls, I will tear him to pieces and expose his corpse in the wild for three days."
"In this battle, I will only punish the ringleader. I will forgive the rest!"
"If you are willing, please let my uncle tell the people in the city about this."
When Ji Zha heard this, he couldn't help but feel filled with emotion.
Compared with Helu, Qingji does seem more benevolent and more suitable to be the King of Wu!
Ask yourself, Ji Zha believed that Helu's situation was hopeless, and if nothing unexpected happened, it was a foregone conclusion that Qingji would kill Helu and ascend the throne.
"Sir, another follower of Ji Zi has confessed."
At this moment, Meng Ben entered the big tent again and looked at Ji Zha, who was sitting on the ground on a cushion, with a complicated expression.
There is mostly admiration in their eyes!
"explain."
"Ji Zi was indeed sent to the State of Chu on behalf of Ji Guang, but there is another hidden story..."
Meng Ben glanced at Ji Zha, then stood beside Qingji and whispered, "Sir, according to his followers, Ji Zi resisted Ji Guang's order and opposed the mission to Chu for help. His two sons and one grandson committed suicide one after another to strengthen Ji Zi's determination."
"Moreover, according to the follower's confession, Jizi bumped into us on his own. It seems that he wanted to serve you..."
“…”
Upon hearing this, even though Qingji could understand Ji Zha's difficulties, he was deeply touched.
