Chapter 57: Blood for Blood
On the table to one side of the big tripod, there are three animals used for offering sacrifices to the sky, namely, an ox head, a sheep head, and a pig head!
The three animals are indispensable for offering sacrifice to heaven.
In addition, there is also a silk book!
After kneeling down to pay homage to the heaven, Qingji picked up the silk book and recited the sacrificial text on it: "The Supreme One God , the Emperor of Heaven and Earth, has great virtue and carries all things."
"There is a successor king of Wu who dares to use the auspicious jade and the Xuanbi, and asks his clan priest Shao Buzhong to report to the Emperor of the East..."
"In the time of our ancestors, we established the state of Gouwu, located in the land of Jingyue. People cut their hair and tattooed themselves, ate rice and fish soup, benefited all directions, and the Jing and barbarians were prosperous..."
"I, Wu Qingji, have come to rule the country and become the 24th ruler of Wu... I hope you will respect me!"
After reading this eulogy with great enthusiasm, Qingji finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Afterwards, he kowtowed towards the bronze tripod again with a solemn expression on his face, showing the utmost piety!
After all the heaven offering rituals were completed, Qingji finally stood up, holding the silk book in his hand, and stood at the forefront of the altar with a domineering look!
For a moment, his figure became infinitely taller in everyone's mind.
The Grand Chancellor Ji Zha, who was in charge of the coronation ceremony, shouted: "Stand up—"
"Long live the king!"
The ministers and officials who had been standing in an orderly line under the altar immediately turned around quickly, holding the ivory tablets in one hand and lifting their skirts with the other, and began to dance.
"Ten thousand years!"
The ministers and officials circled around again, jumped, and paused.
"Ten thousand years!"
"Ten thousand years!"
After repeating this three times, all the ministers immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the high and mighty Qingji, holding their ivory tablets in their hands.
This coronation ceremony finally came to a successful conclusion!
This year was 513 BC, and also the first year of King Qingji of Wu!
After the ceremony of offering sacrifice to the heaven, Qingji, who was standing on the altar, suddenly looked gloomy. He pointed at Gan Dang and other Han people standing on the side of the altar and said, "Come here, arrest these Han barbarians for me!"
Upon hearing this, the nearby Wu soldiers in armor and weapons rushed forward immediately and arrested all the Han soldiers who had not yet reacted !
Gan Dang reacted quickly. He immediately drew his sword and started fighting with a group of Wu soldiers.
However, before long, all the Han people, including Han King Gan Dang, were captured by Wu soldiers. Each of them was pointed at by a long spear and could not move!
This sudden change shocked everyone present.
No one understood why Qingji suddenly attacked.
"King Wu! What do you mean?"
Surrounded and pointed at by many bronze spears, Gan Dang could not help but shout loudly.
"I am the ruler of a country, and I have come to Wu to offer you gifts and congratulate you despite all the hardships and dangers! But now you are repaying kindness with hatred and want to capture and kill me!"
"If this gets out, won't the world laugh at us? Isn't the King of Wu afraid of revenge from the State of Han?"
Gan Dang was obviously driven into a panic.
Although he was extremely brave, two fists could not beat four hands. Now they were on the territory of Wu. If Qingji wanted to kill Gan Dang, wouldn't it be just a matter of saying a word?
At this moment, Gan Dang already regretted going to Wu in person and provoking King Qingji of Wu!
“Your Majesty…”
At this time, Taizai Jizha on the side couldn't help but step forward and try to dissuade Qingji.
But Qingji seemed to have made up his mind and waved his hand .
He has his own ideas!
No matter what, Han State was one of the vassal states granted by the Zhou Emperor, and Gan Dang was the king of Han State.
Although the Central Plains countries have always regarded the Han State as a barbarian, Qingji's arbitrary imprisonment or killing of Gan Dang during the coronation ceremony had a very bad impact after all!
At that time, the princes in the Central Plains, including the Zhou royal family, would inevitably treat the State of Wu as a barbarian like the State of Chu.
There were no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period, but the wars in the Spring and Autumn Period were fought for the sake of name, and the wars had to have a reason!
Qingji glanced down at Gan Dang and said in a cold voice, "King Han, I will neither kill you nor imprison you. You have repeatedly humiliated me and ridiculed the State of Wu, but I can tolerate this."
"Of course, you should never, ever hurt the people of Wu!"
Qingji waved his hand, looked at the people who had been whipped by the King of Han's followers and were covered in wounds, and said loudly with great righteousness: "I would rather be humiliated thousands of times by others than hurt one of my people!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Qingji immediately won applause from everyone.
Including Shi Mimu, all those who heard Qingji's words were filled with admiration and respect!
With such a king, why should the State of Wu not prosper?
At this moment, the subjects of the Wu State standing outside the venue could not help but shed tears.
You know how noble the face of a king is?
But Qingji was able to humble himself and put his own face above the safety of the people!
What a kindness this is!
What a love for the people!
"Qingji, what exactly do you want to do?"
Gan Dang asked through gritted teeth.
After hearing that Qingji had no intention of imprisoning and killing him, Gan Dang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But he knew that today's incident would not end well!
But Qingji said coldly: "Who among you Han people has whipped the people of Wu just now? Stand up!"
Faced with Qingji who had raised an army to call for punishment, all the people of Han, including Gan Dang, could not help but feel terrified.
They looked at each other and kept silent, trying to escape Qingji's punishment!
"No one admits it?"
Qingji sneered and said, "Well, then. If that's the case, don't blame me for preferring to kill a thousand people by mistake rather than let one go!"
"Except the King of Han, all Han people present here should cut off their left ears and offer them to the Taiyi God! "
"promise!"
Following Qingji's order, the Wu army soldiers, who had been ready, immediately restrained the fifty or sixty followers of King Han Gan Dang.
Then he tied their hands, and no matter how they struggled, he forced them to kneel on the ground. With one strike of the sword, a bloody ear immediately fell to the ground!
“Ahhhhhh!”
The soldiers of Han State who had their ears cut off screamed in agony.
The scream sounded very harsh to Gan Dang!
But he was helpless!
The situation is stronger than people!
Losing an ear is better than losing your life, right?
"good!"
"color!"
Seeing this bloody scene, the people of Wu who were watching the scene were not afraid, but cheered loudly.
So relieved!
It’s really refreshing!
Qingji's eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-tooth approach is truly pleasing to the people.
The most respected value of the Wu people is that if you don't seek revenge, you are not a gentleman!
It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge?
No, no!
The common people of Wu generally do not bear grudges.
Because if they had a grudge, the people of Wu would often take revenge on the spot!
At this moment, Shi Mimu looked around, looked at the domineering King Qingji of Wu on the altar, and then looked at the people of Wu nearby who were excited, and he couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
With such a King of Wu and such people of Wu, I really don’t know whether it is a blessing for the State of Jin or a disaster?
At this moment, Qingji ordered the execution of the Han soldiers who were harming the people of Wu. This undoubtedly made him instantly win the favor of the people of Wu and greatly increased his prestige!
"Long live the king! Long live the king!"
The people of Wu State present all cheered and supported King Qingji very much.
The envoys from Qi, Wei, Lu, Song and other countries, including Shi Mimu, all had gloomy faces.
Because of the domineering spirit displayed by King Qingji of Wu, it is unknown whether the rise of Wu will affect the countries in the Central Plains!
With such a wise and brave King of Wu, and such hot-blooded people of Wu, how could the State of Wu not be strong?
