Chapter 539: A Real Man Can Be Killed But Not Humiliated
Xiang Liang's words had just fallen, but the tail end of his voice was still lingering in the hall, and many of the old and frail officials of Chu had not yet reacted.
King Xiong Xin of Chu nodded immediately and said with a smile:
"Just follow what Ling Yin said."
The King of Chu actually did not hear clearly what Xiang Liang said, let alone understand what these words meant.
For a shepherd boy, what Xiang Liang said was really too profound.
This king, who nominally held the highest status in the State of Chu, only knew that as long as he listened to Xiang Liang, he would be able to eat mutton every day, which his master would only eat on major festivals.
The taste of mutton is really good...
The King of Chu licked his lips, touched his stomach, and began to look forward to the meal after the court meeting.
"I wish the Great Pillar State will achieve more great success!"
"The one who can save the country of Chu must be the Prime Minister!"
"There cannot be two Chus in the world! I am willing to follow Ling Yin to fight!"
"The Emperor of the East protects the Great Pillar State!"
All the officials in the court were singing praises. A few old officials exchanged glances in the crowd, then looked away, closed their eyes, and stood there without saying a word or moving.
I don’t know if it is a reef in the waves or a stone in the toilet.
Three days later, the State of Chu sent troops to attack Zhang Chu. This was the first major civil war among the rebel forces.
The movement of 50,000 troops could not be concealed, and the news spread like wildfire.
Yiyang, the holy land of Mohism, this county town has expanded again.
The great leader of Mohism reappeared, and Yiyang was completely controlled by Mohism again. Mohist disciples from all over the world rushed here to realize their common ideal and ambition - love each other and benefit each other.
Everyone in the city is a disciple of Mohism, and there is a captivating light in everyone's eyes.
They wore patched clothes that were just enough to cover their bodies, ate millet and wild vegetables that were just enough to fill their stomachs, and occasionally had meat.
This city is filled with laughter every day, and most of the arguments come from debates in pursuit of truth rather than out of personal feelings.
In a craftsman's house, a great scientist from the Mohist school was arguing fiercely with a craftsman who was covered in sawdust, his face flushed.
The scientist held a three-inch-long iron nail between his two fingers and shook it vigorously in front of the squatting craftsman, feeling extremely angry.
"With nails!"
The craftsman pushed the scientist's hand away with an impatient look on his face.
He held a piece of wood in each hand, the piece of wood in his left hand had a convex piece, the piece of wood in his right hand had two concave pieces, and there was a pile of convex and concave pieces of wood on the ground.
The craftsman worked very quickly and used up all the wooden blocks in no time to assemble a table leg. He held it up before his eyes to take a look, then blew away the debris on it, and a cloud of fine wood dust flew around.
"Master only taught me to create things this way. I don't need this iron needle."
The scientist frowned.
"The mortise and tenon structure is too slow. With more and more people coming, we need to make objects faster."
Finding a wooden board and a long wooden strip on the ground, the scientist used the hammer to hammer the iron nails from the wooden board into the long wooden strip to connect the two together.
He was holding up this small stool with only one leg.
"Use nails to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
The craftsman turned his head away and didn't look. The scientist moved in front of the craftsman and said earnestly:
"I'm not asking you to give up the mortise and tenon structure, but what Yiyang needs now is not a perfectly shaped vessel, but a usable vessel..."
The two of them talked incessantly, quoting from classics.
He couldn't reply to a single sentence in eight sentences. He was obsessed with the task at hand and acted like he couldn't win over you and didn't want to bother with you.
All the Mohists who saw this scene smiled kindly.
The craftsman in front of me may not have the best craftsmanship, but he has the most stubborn temper. He insists on using mortise and tenon structures to create objects, and is one of the representatives of Yiyang's rejection of new things.
But today's Mohists do not distinguish between Qin Mohists, Chu Mohists, Qi Mohists, or conservatives and innovators; we are all Mohists.
Because the Mohist school has a great leader.
As long as the master is alive, the Mohist school will not split.
A black-robed Mozi stepped into the shop and said in front of the craftsman and his apprentices:
"Master, the Chu State has sent out troops."
The scientist stopped talking the moment the black-robed Mohist entered the door. He looked back, with anger still on his face, but there was no anger in his words.
"Which Chu?"
"Yunmengze, Yingdu."
"Wei is still Zhang Chu."
"Zhang Chu."
The scientist rubbed his face, turned around and said to the craftsman who was listening carefully to the words of the black-robed ink man:
"Use nails. This is the order I give you as a giant."
The Mohist school does not distinguish between high and low status in people or things, but there is a hierarchy within the school.
On the contrary, the hierarchy of Mohism is still very strict.
The words of the emperor are above all else, and the words of the great men are second only to the emperor.
But usually, a leader will not use his power to bully others. If one does so, he cannot become a leader of the Mohist school.
The craftsman's face changed. The only things that were more time-consuming than daily necessities were war tools. The Mohist School was going to join the war!
The most conservative Mohist said in a deep voice:
"Master, you forgot the word 'non-aggression'. The Mohist School has always been against all offensive wars!"
"You are wrong. What we Mohists oppose is unjust wars."
The scientist picked up his clothes, turned around and walked out, his words floating back.
"This trip is only to save people. Fighting is the worst option."
He lowered his head slightly to hide the blazing fire in his eyes.
"If you don't help Wei, you will use space to exchange for time. You can use your majesty to suppress the rebellion of Wei to expand your power. The two Chus will be united, and there will be no justice for the rebels."
When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang started the rebellion, scientists wanted to lead the Mohists to suppress the rebellion. Not only the Mohists, but also hundreds of schools in Han wanted to stop them.
Those who had no way out all joined the Mohist School in Yiyang, and the rest were scattered in hundreds of cities and hundreds of schools. The land of Han was thriving and prosperous, and the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang was destroying the ecology of Han.
The reason why they did not take action and let Chen Sheng and Wu Guang use the chicken of Han to lay the egg of Zhang Chu was because the imperial court had an order - if Chen Sheng and Wu Guang did not attack Han, they could not be stopped.
In addition, the Mohists received another secret order - Chu attacks Zhang Chu, it’s time to move!
Bian An is 300 miles away from the Wei capital Daliang. Forty thousand Qin troops are stationed here in the city.
When Ying Chengjiao led his army here, Bian An opened the four gates wide, and the people welcomed the royal army with food and drink, insisting that the Qin army be stationed in the city instead of outside.
The will of the people cannot be violated.
The Liusha Group led by Jing Ke performed a great deed. A few days before the arrival of the army, they assassinated the resolutely resisting Magistrate Bian An, as well as a group of nobles and wealthy people.
Nearly half a month had passed, and the Qin army's style of not disturbing the civilians and killing all the nobles was known to everyone who should know. No county magistrate or gentry took the lead in surrendering anymore.
The counties and towns that have now voluntarily surrendered either have their leaders fleeing voluntarily, or the people have risen up to eliminate the evil and surrendered with the heads of these leaders.
As night falls, an oil lamp lights up the dark house.
"Chu will not help Wei."
Ying Chengjiao picked up a piece of paper and whispered, then placed the small piece of yellow letter paper in his hand on the oil lamp. The bottom of the paper touched the flame core, and a bean of fire spread along the paper and climbed upwards like a snake spitting silk.
"Then there's nothing to wait for..."
The flames burned and swallowed the word "Wei" on the yellow paper.
Under the city of Daliang, the sky is clear and the air is fresh.
Two hundred and fifty thousand black-armored Qin soldiers stood still and surrounded the four sides of the city, leaving no gate unopened.
Like the devastating flood a few years ago, which left no chance for the people of Daliang City to escape.
At the East City Gate, a basket was placed on top of the city wall, with a person sitting in the basket.
After landing, the man stood up from the basket. He was about thirty years old, with a handsome face, wearing official clothes and a jade ring around his waist.
He marched towards the dark and heavily armed Qin army, and remained unafraid even though thousands of sharp arrows were pointing at him.
Two soldiers , holding ropes in their hands and Qin swords on their waists, rushed out steadily, intending to tie up the thirty-year-old man.
The thirty-year-old man took a step back and said sternly:
"I am an envoy of Wei! How can I be attacked by swords and axes? And tied up with ropes! This is the etiquette of Qin to treat envoys!"
When two countries are at war, it is customary to treat envoys with courtesy.
When Zhou Shi didn't know Ji Bu's name, he didn't get angry even though Ji Bu mocked him several times, and he also required his personal soldiers not to be rude, all because of this rule.
Ji Bu was treated favorably not because his name was Ji Bu, but because he was an envoy of the State of Chu.
The two soldiers looked at each other and did not dare to act rashly.
One of them grabbed the hilt of the sword, revealing half of the blade, and threatened:
"You stay here, and then we'll cut further!"
The other man ran back to the army and reported the news of the suspected envoy from Wei State to the captain of five hundred who had been paying attention to this place.
The captain of five hundred continued to report to the captain of a thousand, the captain of a thousand reported to the captain of ten thousand... and so on.
The door of the big tent was opened, Liu Bang stretched out his arms and said with a smile:
"Sir, please."
"General, please."
The thirty-year-old man returned the salute solemnly, held his head high and stepped into the huge tent of the Qin army.
He represents the State of Wei today and is an envoy of Wei. He cannot bring shame to the State of Wei, even if there is only one isolated city left.
"Zhou Ji, meet the King of Qin."
The man in his thirties bowed slightly towards the King of Qin.
The eyes of the generals around him were sharp and dangerous, looking at him as if he were a prey.
He accepted it calmly, without any fear, just like he was facing the deadly arrows from the soldiers outside.
"Sir, you are very courageous."
Ying Chengjiao clapped his hands and laughed, looking at the face of the thirty-year-old man and felt that he was somewhat similar to Zhou Shi who had committed suicide in front of him.
"Is Mr. Zhou related to you?"
"It's my brother."
Ying Chengjiao's face was filled with natural smiles. He liked Zhou Shi very much, who put aside his position and died for the Wei Kingdom and refused to surrender.
"Two heroes in one family. The Zhou family has produced two great figures."
Zhou Ji showed no joy or sorrow, his face was calm.
"Thank you, King Qin, for your praise.
"Ji was honored to be the prime minister of Wei and negotiated with Qin on behalf of Wei."
Before he finished speaking, a sneer came from the side.
Li Xin had a look of disdain on his face, with a smile full of sarcasm on his lips.
"Why would Wei negotiate with the Qin?"
The young and energetic General Daqin looked Zhou Ji up and down with an extremely aggressive look and no courtesy at all.
"Except for Daliang, all the lands of Wei are in the hands of my king. What can the king of Wei use to negotiate with my king? How many cities can your seven-foot body protect you from?"
Zhou Ji caught Li Xin's gaze and met those cruel eyes of a veteran in the battlefield. This scholar who had never been on the battlefield and had just been the prime minister of Wei for less than ten days did not give in.
He showed no fear and said firmly:
"With the unity of the people in Daliang, we can become a strong city!
"One Zhou Ji is not enough, so what about 100,000 Zhou Jis? Are you worthy of discussing this with the King of Qin?"
As generals, each led 20,000 men to attack cities and capture strongholds. As soon as Tu Sui, who accepted the least surrenders, opened his mouth, a strong smell of blood surged out.
"Yes! One hundred thousand military merits are enough to increase my rank by one level."
Zhou Ji could no longer remain calm. The nose, eyes and mouth on his face all turned into the word "anger". He bowed to the King of Qin who was smiling and silent.
"Is this what the King of Qin intended?"
Without a butcher's knife to kill both humans and dogs, Fan Kuai, who still looked more like a butcher than a general, folded his arms and said regretfully:
"If your majesty wants to surrender, you must pay me one more person to ascend the battlefield first."
"Get lost!"
Ying Chengjiao didn't even turn his head, and scolded with a smile:
"Are you so sure that you can be the first to reach Daliang? Can't Zhao Tuo go up first?"
Young General Zhao Tuo curled his lips and said disdainfully:
"I am a general, not a soldier. I don't seek the credit of being the first to ascend the city, but only the credit of taking the city. I am different from this reckless man."
The old general Lian Po smiled slightly, frowning as he thought of his old friend.
[If Lin Xiangruo knew that I had become the Qin State Commandant and used the method you taught me to unite with the Qin generals, he would not have removed the thorns behind me back then...]
The difference between "rough man" and "butcher" is just one word, which represents the acceptance of the Pei County team by the Qin military group.
Zhou Ji was shaking and felt cold with anger.
The Qin monarch and his ministers did not take Wei seriously at all. In their eyes, Daliang was just a piece of fish on the chopping board. The heroic city was still standing intact outside, and they had already begun to divide the merits of the war!
Zhou Ji really wanted to walk away in anger, saying that a real man could be killed but not humiliated!
But he couldn't, because his first identity today was not a real man, but an envoy from Wei.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the involuntary shaking of his body, and said coldly:
"The King of Qin's army of tigers and wolves marched across the world, and no country could stop them. Daliang was also unfortunate, but I don't know whether the King of Qin wanted an intact and majestic city or a ruin!
"My king will not surrender and will fight to the death. If the King of Qin wants to take Daliang, he will have to sacrifice more lives! It is still unknown whether the fish will die or the net will be broken! What he will take will only be broken walls and fragments of bricks and tiles.
"But if the King of Qin can agree to one of my king's requests, he can take the entire Daliang City without any effort."
Meng Tian smiled contemptuously and said:
"It's just that I'm afraid of death. I beg Your Majesty to spare the life of King Wei."
"I agree."
The two emperors stood up from their seats, holding each other's hands, and bowed solemnly to Zhou Ji.
"Mr. has suffered."
He stood up straight and looked around at the generals, his eyes sharp as wheat spikes.
All the generals were shocked and responded solemnly.
"Gentlemen, don't forget this day."
The second emperor spoke slowly, each word sounding sonorous.
“A weak country has no diplomacy.
"In our lifetime, if the Qin envoys are humiliated by Zhou Ji today, everyone in the big tent will be a sinner for all eternity!"
The generals looked at Zhou Ji, who was indomitable, enduring humiliation, and was indignant at being ridiculed, but still gritted his teeth and refused to leave.
Bow your head and clasp your fists.
The nine sounds are like thunder, and they represent two words in unison.
"Remember!"
"King Qin!"
Zhou Ji, who had been a little dazed since the second emperor said he agreed, was shocked by the generals' voices and came back to his senses.
He shook his head and pointed at Meng Tian .
"My king's conditions are not what this general said."
"I know."
Ying Chengjiao walked up to Zhou Ji, whose face had a look of “you know what” written on it.
"I know the King of Wei's conditions.
"Sir, this time the history books will not leave out the teacher."
Five hundred steps away from the Daliang city wall, Ying Chengjiao rode his horse and waited, while Zhou Ji walked alone to the bottom of Daliang city.
There was a hanging basket lowered from the city wall, and Zhou Ji shook his head at the Wei soldiers who were peeking out.
He looked towards the top of the city, bowed, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
"My king! Zhou Ji has fulfilled his mission!"
After saying this, he slammed his head against the city wall, blood spurting out. A real man can rather be killed than humiliated.
