Chapter 116 Chapter Five General Discussion of Situation

Three days before Lu Buwei led the army to set off to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the envoy group headed by Xiang Shaolong, under the wings of a thousand elite Qin soldiers, left Xianyang, crossed the Yellow River east, and embarked on a journey. Except for Ji Yanran, Wu Tingfang, Zhao Qian, Teng Yi, Jing Jun and other outsiders, there are only twelve children of the Wu family in the direct line, but these people are all highly skilled, although they are small in number, their strength cannot be underestimated. In addition to Li Si and Xiao Yuetan, Lu Buwei also has three hundred well-selected generals. These people are directly under Xiao Yuetan's orders. Fortunately, this magic weapon has a good relationship with Xiang Shaolong so far, so he will not appear A situation where the command fails.

Of course, there are also Meng Ao's two young sons, Meng Wu and Meng Tian, ​​who are still young and worship Xiang Shaolong very much, and Teng Yi and others love them very much. The person in charge of leading the army was a partial general named Lu Xiong, who belonged to Lu Buwei's clan, although he was respectful to Xiang Shaolong on the surface, but his eyes flickered, Xiang Shaolong didn't have a good impression of him.Since we want to share the same boat, the only way to do it is to be vain and obedient. Compared with the trip to Zhao State, although the number of people has increased, Xiang Teng and others feel that their strength is not as good as before.

On this day, we will enter the territory of Korea and arrive at the west bank of Luoshui River. Where the river twists and turns to the east, the mountains are undulating and the scenery is pleasant. Starting from last night, the rain and snow that had stopped for five days began to fall from the sky again. Everyone put on fur cloaks. Ji Yanran and the three daughters looked more like beautiful dolls with pink make-up in the snow-white fur. Because they were able to accompany them on the road, they were all in a cheerful mood, and they couldn't help pointing out the beautiful scenery along the way, chatting and laughing, Chunying and other four servant girls followed behind.

Along the way, Li Si mingled with Xiao Yuetan's generals of the Lu family, lest Xiao Yuetan and others see through the special relationship between him and Xiang Shaolong. At dusk, they camped on the high ground between Luoshui and a red pine forest near the river, preparing to cross the river tomorrow morning. Lu Xiong dispatched hundreds of people to cut trees and build rafts. The sound of felling trees and shouting could be heard in the forest from time to time. While the girls were going to set up tents, two good brothers, Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi, strolled along the river. Despite the severe cold, the endless water did not freeze. It was cold and the water was warm, and the water vapor rose from the river surface and condensed on the branches by the river, turning into silver-white and crystal-clear ornaments, which is a spectacle.

At present, neither of them wants to talk.Wherever you set foot, the soft white snow under your feet is rattling, and the snowflakes are dancing on your head.Before he knew it, he walked out of the upper reaches of the river outside the camp. There was a sound of footsteps, and the two turned their heads to look. In the white snow, Li Si came. Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi glanced at each other, both knew that Li Si wouldn't just come to chat with them. Teng Yi smiled and said, "Is it cold?" Li Si tucked his hands into the sleeves of his cotton robe, and opened his mouth to spit out two balls of white air. He came to Xiang Shaolong's side, looked at the silver-white world amidst the flying snow, looked back at the red pine forest, and said, "These red trees are extremely durable after processing. It is a high-quality material for construction and furniture, and it contains rich turpentine, which can be used for lighting lamps."

Teng Yi said in surprise: "I was born in the mountains, so it's not surprising to know this tree. I didn't expect Brother Li to be so good at it." Li Si said with a smile: "Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand volumes of books. Since I was a child, I have loved to travel around to study and find friends. If I ask more questions, I will naturally know more. Brother Teng laughed at me." Xiang Shaolong listened to his elegant and well-informed speech, admired him in his heart, thought to himself no wonder he could help Xiao Pan to unify the world, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Let's go shopping as we please!"

Li Si nodded happily, and the three of them went up the river. Teng Yi pointed to the snow and ice hanging on the trees and said: "When the sun rises, the snow on the branches will fall like flowers. It will be a rare spectacle." Seeing that Li Siruo didn't hear, Xiang Shaolong murmured to himself, knowing that he had something to say, and said sincerely: "They are all my brothers, if you have anything to say, brother Li, feel free to say it!" Li Si smiled and said, "The two eldest brothers are both highly experienced people. What do you think about the rise and fall of the Six Kingdoms?"

Teng Yi smiled and said: "Brother Li is a well-learned man, why don't you wake us up, two rough people!" Li Siqian said after a few sentences: "You two big brothers, please don't laugh at me. I like to think wildly, but there is one thing that I can't think about. It is the current six countries of Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Han, except for South Korea. In addition to the descendants of the people, other countries all once had a very prosperous national power, and there are a large number of talented people, why can't they rule the world?" Xiang Teng and the two were stunned at the same time. This seems simple, and it is difficult to dominate if you can't beat others, but if you really want to come up with an answer, you don't know where to start.

Li Si stopped and looked at the rushing river below, his eyes were shining with wisdom, and he fell into the memory and said leisurely: "One evening three years ago, I saw a strange scene at the junction of Chu and Wei. In the dry well, a group of frogs fought viciously without knowing how. Some of them were particularly strong and kept invincible. After the weak ones were exhausted, they finally fought each other. I lost too much blood and died. Then I suddenly realized that the Six Kingdoms were like frogs in a well. They were limited by the well and fought endlessly. In the end, they all lost and died. Then I was tempted to try my luck in Qin. At that time, I thought of The most important thing is: only Qin, a frog fighting outside the well, can become the final victor."

Both Xiang and Teng nodded. This metaphor vividly pointed out the reason why Qin came from behind and surpassed other countries. It was because she lived in a secluded place in the west and had not been directly devastated by the flames of war. Li Si has never had a chance to show his talents. At this time, when he talked about Xingtou, he said eloquently: "The person who has the most conditions to achieve hegemony in the six countries is originally from Chu. Chu is located in the south and the land is fertile. Since King Hui destroyed Chen and Cai After the kingdoms of Qi, Qi, and Ju, they have a vast territory, but because of their rich resources, leisurely life, and the people's customs are gradually declining, although they are famous for their wealth and greatness, they are actually ostentatious. .”

Teng Yi nodded in agreement and said: "Brother Li is right. The Chu people are arrogant and self-reliant. build." Thinking of Li Yuan and Chun Shenjun, Xiang Shaolong couldn't help but sigh. Li Si continued: "If you only talk about soldiers, the most promising of the six kingdoms is the Zhao people. The land covers two thousand miles, with hundreds of thousands of armour, thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of riders. There is Changshan in the west and Changshan in the south. In Hezhang, there is Qinghe in the east, and the kingdom of Yan in the north. When King Zhao Wuling came out, he did not stick to established laws, dared to innovate, dressed in Hu suits, rode and shot, and was unmatched in the world. It is the most regrettable thing to lose peace and never recover from a setback. Just like a frog in a well, no matter how powerful it is, as long as there is a wound that bleeds, it will be fatal." Xiang Teng and the two felt strange, did Li Si come to them just to express these high opinions? Teng Yi said: "The Han people are weak, while the Yan people are facing the Xiongnu in the north and between Qi and Chu in the rear. Although there is a Prince Dan after the fourth son, it is still difficult to do anything. Only Wei and Qi are left. The former has Lord Xinling, and the latter has Tian Dan, both of whom are unborn talents, what does Brother Li think?" Li Si smiled proudly: "Qiangji is just two wounded well frogs!" After a pause, he said calmly: "Mr. Xinling's injury is caused by the jealousy of the King of Wei, and it is difficult to use his strength; Tian Dan is injured by the mentality of the people of Qi." Xiang Shaolong remembered that he once worshiped under Xunzi's sect in Qi State, and he said in his heart, "I wish to hear the details!" With his hands behind his back, Li Si continued to walk upstream. Xiang Teng and Teng exchanged glances, both of them felt that this Luopo scribe suddenly seemed to be another person, with a look of disdain for the world, he hurriedly followed on both sides. Li Si was completely unaware that he had become the protagonist. He raised his head proudly, let out a deep breath of pride in his heart, and said, "It's better for Qi people to talk empty words, hey! To be honest, I have also been infected with this It is a kind of habit. Among other things, there are as many as a thousand Jixia scholars. If you want them to discuss politics, play and give lectures, no one in the world can match them. But if you want to go out to fight, no one has the interest and ability. Tian Dan Standing up because of the situation, to save the country when it is about to perish, but the situation has changed, those who only love empty words, no one can arouse the energy to fight for hegemony." Turning to Xiang Shaolong, he said, "The purpose of the Grand Tutor's missions to various countries is to defuse their unrest. If we start with Qi State first, we will be able to get twice the result with half the effort. As long as the people of Qi can't shrink back, the people of Chu will not dare to go to war lightly. Qi Chu Now that the Zhao people are entangled with the Yan State, what else can the Wei State do?" Xiang Teng and the others suddenly realized, and only then did they understand the real purpose of Li Si's words, which was to point out that the first goal of this trip was not Wei Guo but Qi people. Although they are eager to meet Zhao Ya and Zhao Zhi, but the matter is very important, so it should be fine to put personal matters aside temporarily.But for such a change, all aspects must be redone. Xiang Shaolong sighed: "Brother Li is indeed very insightful, someone Xiang felt enlightened, so he asked us to divert to Qi, and then to Chu State, so as to complete the mission assigned by the King." The three of them talked about the Qi State for a while before returning to the camp. Xiang Shaolong immediately summoned Xiao Yuetan and Lu Xiong to the main tent, and told about the diversion to Qi, but deliberately did not explain the reason. Xiao Yuetan murmured: "Since that's the case, I'll immediately send someone to Qi State to submit a document to inform about this matter, but Zhao State is different from Han, should we say hello first, so that we can use the road, but we can't get in through the door?" , only attracts Zhao people's taboo." These words are reasonable, Xiang Shaolong hastily decided to change the itinerary, he couldn't think so thoroughly in a short while, he couldn't help but feel a headache, it was difficult to make a decision. Now that Zhao and Qi are fighting against each other, if he is so open to win over the Qi country and ignore the Zhao people, maybe Queen Jing will change his mind and send Li Mu to deal with them, it will be terrible. Lu Xiong's complexion changed slightly, and he said: "Ms. Lu has clearly instructed that the first place to go on this trip is Wei Jing Liang, and the itinerary has been arranged well. If the Tai Tuo said so, he will change it. I am afraid it will affect the strategy and the morale of the army, and the future is dangerous and unpredictable. Can Tai Tu give up this idea?" I don't know if it's too sensitive, Xiang Shaolong faintly felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't say it for a while, and fell silent. However, Xiao Yuetan stood on his side and said: "The general may have misunderstood the meaning of Xiangye. Xiangye once told Xiao that after leaving Xianyang, the Taifu will do everything expediently. Seriously, General Lu should study it to see how to make proper arrangements." Xiang Teng was stunned, he didn't expect Xiao Yuetan to be so merciless towards Lu Xiong. Lu Xiong's reaction was even more strange. Instead, he became submissive, nodded and said: "The young general is a little confused, so I'll go to Qu Douqi to discuss it. After the preliminary march deployment, I will report to the Taifu and Mr. Xiao." Let's go out of the account. Xiao Yuetan watched him leave, eyes showing disdain, and snorted coldly. Xiang Shaolong couldn't help but said: "Brother Xiao doesn't seem to be very satisfied with this person!" Xiao Yuetan sighed, shook his head and said, "I don't understand why Master Lu was so shrewd, why he was chosen to be in charge of leading the army. This kind of people who only know how to flatter and play tricks, their virtue and ability are not enough to convince the public. Back then, me and When Mr. Tu was running for Mr. Lu, the members of the Lu clan didn't know where they were, but now Mr. Lu has ascended to the position of Xiangguo, but they are vying to curry favor with them, and Mr. Xiang uses them again." Only then did Xiang Shaolong understand the relationship between them. From this point of view, even under Lu Buwei, it can be roughly divided into two systems, one is the family and general faction headed by Tu Xian and Xiao Yuetan, and the other is Lu Buwei's own clan including Lu Xiong. And lead to each other. Qu Douchi, whom Lu Xiong mentioned just now, is the other general who leads the army. Although he is from Qin, he is Meng Ao's confidant. Xiong, who was mentioned exceptionally, can be held up to par. Struggle is inevitable everywhere.It's just that the situation of this small envoy with a thousand people is very complicated. Xiao Yuetan lowered his voice and said, "Shaolong, why did you suddenly change your itinerary? Are you afraid that Mr. Yangquan will collude with the Koreans and ambush us on the road?" Xiang Shaolong didn't think about this issue, and knew that if he concealed what he had just said to Li Simi, this old friend would definitely feel very uncomfortable, so he took the opportunity to say: "This is just one of the reasons. I just found Mr. Li and asked After learning about the situation in Qi State, he found that Qi people are the easiest to talk, so he changed his mind and decided to go to Qi State first." Xiao Yuetan said happily: "It turns out that Shaolong really knows how to employ people. Li Si is a man who is well-versed and knowledgeable, and he knows the world situation like the palm of his hand. It's a pity that he was not liked by the Prime Minister and was not reused." He smiled again: "Now I understand why Shaolong appointed Mr. Li to accompany him!" Teng Yi interjected, "Is Lu Xiong reliable?" Xiao Yueze sighed, and said: "This is really hard to say, basically there is no problem, if something happens during this trip, no one will be exonerated." After a pause, he continued: "Shaolong is my own, and I am not afraid to confess Come out, there was a big dispute over the selection of the envoy this time, Mr. Tu and I both insisted that you be the envoy, while Lu Xiong and his Lu clan insisted that Mrs. Lu's younger brother Zhu Meng should be the envoy. , but after weighing the pros and cons, Mr. Xiang finally accepted our opinion, but the trouble has already become very unpleasant." Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that it would be best if he didn't pick me, but now that the rice was cooked and he was on the back of a tiger, resentment would be a waste of energy, so he sighed with him and smiled wryly. Xiao Yuetan said sincerely: "Master Tu and I both know that Shaolong is indifferent to fame and wealth, but now we are in conflict with the Lu family headed by Zhu Meng, Shaolong must fight for us." At this moment, Xiang Shaolong realized that he was the one being fought by Tu Xian's faction, and he couldn't help but laugh. At this time, the sound of weapons clashing and applause suddenly came from outside the tent, and the three of them came out of the tent in great surprise. In the open space outside the main camp, Ji Yanran, who was dressed in military uniform, was practicing with Meng Tian holding spears, very intense.Wu Tingfang, Zhao Qian, Meng Wu, Jing Jun and a group of personal guards cheered and cheered, it was very lively.Although Ji Yanran had the upper hand, Meng Tian still struggled to support her, seemingly indifferent. Xiang Tengjun couldn't think that this seventeen-year-old boy was so good, so he couldn't help applauding in unison. Seeing Xiang Shaolong watching the battle, Meng Tian's spirits were greatly lifted, and he shot three spears in a row, making him look like a swimming dragon, and saved a little bit of his decline. Ji Yanran swiftly dragged away the opponent's heavy spear, and when Meng Tian lost power, she backed away, put the spear behind her back, and said with a coquettish smile: "In time, I'm afraid Yanran will not be Xiaotian's opponent!" Meng Tian hastily saluted and humbled, which made people feel good. The sound of footsteps sounded, and Lu Xiong led Qu Douchi, who looked angry, towards them with a smile on his face. The three of them exchanged glances, they all knew that Lu Xiong played tricks and instigated Qu Douchi to become the first ugly person. The two came in front of the three of them, and were about to talk, Xiang Shaolong preemptively said with a smile: "These days, I haven't had the chance to talk to General Qu Pian, please!" Turn around and enter the account. Qu Douqi was slightly astonished, and followed him in. When Lu Xiong wanted to enter the account, he was blocked by Teng Yi, and said politely: "General Lu must have made up his mind about the diversion, the Taifu has ordered me to discuss it with the general, why don't you come to my tent to discuss it! " Lu Xiong had no choice but to let him go.Xiao Yuetan was left with a beard and a smile.