In 344 BC, in March, the back garden of the Qin Palace was full of spring, with a hundred flowers blooming and birds singing.On Fang Lawn, several peacocks that the King of Shu paid tribute to last year are playing.In order to win the heart of the female peacock not far away, two male peacocks in estrus ran, sang, and opened their tails on the lawn, trying their best to show their masculine charm. Qin Xiaogong and Daliangzao (also known as Dashangzao, official name. In the early Warring States period, he was the highest official position in Qin Dynasty, held military and political power, and was also known as a noble name) Gongsun Yang (that is, Shang Yang) sat opposite each other on the Pavilion of Appreciating Spring, which was a hundred steps away. , It seems to turn a blind eye to these spring scenes.Qin Xiaogong had a gloomy face, and his eyes fell on the sandalwood biography on the case.The call was sent by Wei Huihou half a month ago, and the call asked him to go to Mengjin (now northeast of Mengjin County, Luoyang, Henan) before the time of Shenshi on Dingwei Day to meet the Emperor Zhou.

After a long period of silence, Gongsun Yang raised his head and pleaded, "Your Majesty, all the ministers who should be prepared have been prepared, and five thousand soldiers are ready to go. There are still three days left. If you leave immediately, hurry up on the way." , there is still time!" Qin Xiaogong's eyes were still firmly fixed on the biography, as if he wanted to see through the wooden trunks that were written in black and strung together with gold threads. Gongsun Yang pleaded again: "Your Majesty, why don't you let the minister accompany His Highness for a walk?"

Qin Xiaogong still didn't speak, and his eyes didn't move away from the biography. Gongsun Yang let out a long sigh, then lowered his head again. Qin Xiaogong finally raised his head and fixed his eyes on Gongsun Yang: "Huh, what is the Mengjin Dynasty king? When did he ever have King Zhou in his Wei Ying (ying) eyes? He is using ulterior motives to order the world!" Gongsun Yang responded: "Ordering the world is the second priority. Picking quarrels and attacking me is his heart! Your Majesty, over the years, I have reformed and strived to become stronger, and the power of the country is growing. Wei Hou is restless, and he has long been thinking about me. Right now He is ready for everything, all he needs is an excuse. For this alliance, Your Majesty must go!"

Qin Xiaogong was a little surprised: "Oh, Aiqing said that Wei Yu (that is, Wei Huihou) made an alliance with the intention of killing me?" "My minister found out that in the past few months, Wei Hou has frequently mobilized troops and horses in the name of escort, and moved 40,000 military soldiers stationed in Daliang to defend Xiaoshan, Hangu, Hexi Shaoliang, Linjin Pass, Yinjin and other places. There was also a large increase in troops, and the customs and defenses were very strict. Not to mention, many craftsmen were recruited from Shaoliang, Anyi, etc., and they rushed to make siege equipment day and night!"

Qin Xiaogong sneered: "If he dares to come, let him come!" Gongsun Yang said anxiously: "Your Majesty—" After a longer and more unbearable silence, Qin Xiaogong looked up at Gongsun Yang, and sighed softly: "Well, even if the widows go to the meeting, Wei Yu really wants to find the thorn, but can't find it?" "If Your Majesty doesn't go, there's no need to look for this thorn!" "If the princes of all countries don't go, but only the widows go, wouldn't they become the laughing stock of the world?" "Your Majesty, if it doesn't work out as I expected, the princes of various countries might have arrived long ago!"

"Why is Aiqing so sure?" "Because Wei Houxun's excuse is really good. Celebrating the 700th anniversary of King Wu's oath to defeat Zhou and meeting King Zhou sounds grand, and there is no reason for the princes of all countries not to go!" "Oh?" Qin Xiaogong didn't seem to believe it, "Tell me, which princes will go?" "Needless to mention Zhongshan and the small countries of Sishang, but just a few big countries, the country of Yan is the weakest, and Duke Yan dare not not go. Zhao, Han and Wei belong to the three Jin Dynasties, and they live next to Wei. Marquis Zhao and Marquis Han I will not go. Wei and Qi haven’t had any enemies in recent years, and Duke Qi can’t be guilty of falling out with Wei Yu on this matter. As for whether the King of Chu will give him face, I can’t say for sure!”

Qin Xiaogong pondered for a while, and frowned: "Aiqing is saying that even Duke Qi may go?" "Ok." Qin Xiaogong fell into deep thought again.Gongsun Yang's gaze never left Xiaogong, waiting for his final decision. Qin Xiaogong raised his head slowly, with a resolute expression, and he almost paused every word: "Gongsun Aiqing, eighteen years ago, in order to restore Hexi, the first king fought with Wei Yu for three months, and was killed by an arrow (death). Jun Ling made a heavy oath before, not to avenge the previous king, not to insult Hexi, and I vowed not to step into the Wei realm! For eighteen years, I have done this. This time, I don’t want to make an exception! If Hou Ruo goes to court, let them go to court."

Qin Xiaogong got up slowly, without saying goodbye to Gongsun Yang, he walked away along the corridor.Looking at his back that was fading away, Gongsun Yang's eyes were astonished. A hundred miles northeast of Luoyang, the terrain is suddenly flat.The river roaring down from Linjin Pass flows to this place, it is very strong but also softened by eight points.The banks of the river also doubled in width, looking from a distance like a string of ribbon-shaped lakes.In this ribbon-shaped lake, the rushing river finally calmed down, forming a natural ferry, which is called Mengjin. According to Zhou History records, in the late spring of 1044 BC, King Wu Jifa led his people out of Hangu to the east, and set up an altar on a high slope not far from Mengjin to worship the heavens. Eight hundred princes gathered and vowed to defeat Zhou.After the swearing-in, the Zhou people crossed the river from here. Two years later, King Zhou was defeated in Muye.

Seven hundred years later, that is, in 344 BC, also in this late spring, the always quiet Mengjin wilderness was noisy again.Cars and horses came one after another, stopped in front of the very famous loess slope two miles away from the ferry, and pitched tents around the high slope, forming a series of gates. There are fourteen gates in total, ranging in size and arranged in a patchwork order.There are long poles erected on each gate, and the flags of each family are floating on it, red, orange, yellow, green, black, white, and blue, in a variety of colors. In the afternoon of Ding Wei, when Shen Shi was approaching, the spring breeze blew gently, and the flags of different colors swayed from side to side, making people's eyes dazzled, and it was difficult to distinguish the font size on the flags.

In front of the gate of the "Chu" flag is a natural lawn.On the lawn, Prince Tian Pijiang of Qi State and Prince Xiong Huai of Chu State, who were dressed luxuriously and had a heroic posture, each drew their bows and arrows, glanced at the target, and shot three arrows in a row.The soldiers who reported the target rushed over with their arrow targets. Three sharp arrows are inserted into the bull's-eyes of the two archery targets.Tian Bijiang and Xiong Huai looked at each other's target and smiled. There was a slow clap of applause behind him. Both of them were startled, they turned around and saw Han Zhaohou, who was nearly fifty years old, was standing ten paces away.Han Zhaohou was short and stocky, dressed in a leather uniform, with a sword hanging from his waist, and with a secret smile on his face, he slapped three more times without haste.

Tian Bijiang and Xiong Huai looked at each other, took a step forward, and said, "Your junior has seen Marquis Han!" Han Zhaohou returned the salute, walked over, took the target from the soldier's hand, and praised it while examining it: "Good arrow skills! Since ancient times, heroes have been born in youth, and now seeing the two highnesses, I know that this statement is true!" South Korea, Wei and Zhao belonged to the state of Jin, known as the Three Jins in history.For decades, the strength of the Wei State has not diminished. Han and Zhao are both affiliated to the Wei State, and only the Marquis of Wei is the leader.After Han Zhaohou succeeded to the throne, he began to plot changes.Soon after Gongsun Yang went to Qin Dynasty, Han Zhaohou adopted Zheng Renshen to apply for the Buhai reform, and Korea became stronger and stronger day by day.Five years ago, there was a border conflict between Han and Chu. Han Xiang Shen Buhui led an army of 40,000 to fight against Chu for six months. Chu attacked and occupied Yiyang in Han. Shen Buhui led his army to bypass Fangcheng and attack Wancheng in Chu. The two sides took each other's iron-making land, and the battle was a tie.A few months later, under the mediation of Wei Huihou, Wei, Chu, and Han were at the Shangcai Summit. Chu returned Yiyang to Han, and South Korea returned Wancheng to Chu. The two countries shook hands and made peace. This time Wei Huihou convened the meeting of Mengjin, Chu and Zhou were tied as kings, so he could not come, but Chu Wei Wang wanted to spy on the trend of the Central Plains, and secondly wanted to experience the crown prince, and by the way to give Wei a face, he accepted Wei Hou's invitation. So Prince Huai came to support. Because of the previous holidays, and because of the relationship between Han and Wei, Han Zhaohou's appearance at this moment has a special charm.Xiong Huai, Crown Prince of Chu State, glanced at Tian Bijiang, and said in a nonchalant way: "Thank you Hanhou for your commendation!" Sure enough, Han Zhaohou put the arrow target on the ground, his tone was very slow, and there was something in his words: "I heard that His Royal Highness Ying Si can lead a bow of five stones and piercing Yang with a hundred steps. If you are here today, the three of you will be a match!" Tian Bijiang was young and energetic, and said with a long smile, "Han Hou is talking about that prodigal son of Duke Qin? Bijiang heard that when Gongsun Yang first carried out the reform, it was that brother who took the lead in resisting the law, and he was cut off. Not to mention the humiliation, even his teachers Gongsun Jia and Grand Tutor Yingqian were implicated, tattooed on his face and tortured his nose, and became a joke of the world!" Xiong Huai continued contemptuously: "It's not that the prodigal brother won't come, but he probably won't dare to come!" Seeing his arrogant tone, Han Zhaohou was unhappy, and responded with a smile: "Well, not only did your Highness dare to come, but he never missed the time limit set by the Marquis of Wei. I really admire you! By the way, Yingdu (the county town of Chu State, It is more than three thousand miles away from here in the north of Jingzhou, Hubei today, and your Highness must have had a lot of hard work on this journey!" Xiong Huai sneered: "If you go back to Marquis Han, Xiong Huai is relaxed and happy all the way to the mountains and rivers! In terms of hard work, how can Xiong Huai catch up with you, Marquis Han? I heard that Marquis Han set off on a starry night after receiving a message from Marquis Wei. , arrived in less than three days after a journey of thousands of miles!" Han Zhaohou laughed a few times: "Hahaha, good eloquence! The King of Chu has His Royal Highness, and he is indeed a successor! To tell you the truth, the widow and the King of Chu have been friends for many years. At the Cai meeting, the widow bet with the King of Chu. The king of Chu was careless for a moment, and lost a jar of old wine to the widow, saying that it would be a gift when we meet next time. The widow did not want to come to this meeting in Mengjin, but when I thought that the king of Chu might come to pay back the jar that I owed Old wine, two old legs are not listening." Xiong Huai also laughed a few times, confronting him tit for tat: "What Han Hou said is very true. When the younger generation was leaving, the father did indeed take out a jar of old wine, and with the younger generation's hand, he asked that the Wei Hou called a meeting of Mengjin, and the other princes It is very hard to say whether to go or not, but Han Hou must go. You have nothing to do when you go to Mengjin this time, you just need to pass this altar of old wine to him. Please also tell Han Hou that this wine was made by the widow himself Brewing, if he knows the true taste of it, he must taste it carefully!" Han Zhaohou was stunned for a moment, glanced at Tian Bijiang, then at the dozen or so courtyards arranged far and near, and laughed at himself: "Hehehe, from today's perspective, Wei Yu's face is really too big, and no one from all countries, big or small, can't get rid of it! In any case, to be able to drink the personal brew of the King of Chu this time is a worthwhile trip for me!" Xiong Huai looked at the sun that was setting in the west, and said with a smile: "Han Hou is afraid that it is too early to say. According to Wei Hou's biography, the princes must arrive before Shen Shi today. Looking at the sun like this, Shen Shi should also arrive. Xiong Huai Huai's eyes are not looking good, why didn't he see Qin's behavior?" Tian Bijiang picked up without losing the opportunity: "Yes, yes, Bijiang also wants to ask Marquis Han for advice. Since Marquis Wei has such face, how dare Duke Qin not come?" Han Zhaohou glanced over Pijiang and landed on Xiong Huai: "Young man, if Mr. Qin doesn't come, maybe he doesn't like your old bar!" Xiong Huai replied: "What Hanhou said is very true. I heard that Qin Gong can't drink, unlike Hanhou, you have a lot. As long as someone gives you a drink, you will leave before dawn!" Tian Bijiang laughed loudly, and echoed: "Yes, yes, since Marquis Han has such a large capacity, someone will give him wine tonight, so Marquis Han can show his skills!" Han Zhaohou let out a long sigh: "Oh, my lords, my widow—let's put it this way, it's useless to be young and vigorous. Tonight's wine, whether it is strong or not strong, must be drunk. Both of you Be optimistic, if it is as expected, Qin Gong, who is too strong to drink, may be punished!" The two princes were taken aback for a moment: "Wine fine?" Han Zhaohou turned his head, his eyes slowly fell on Wei Guoxing's shaft, and he nodded affirmatively. Among a row of fourteen gates, there are two in the middle. One is the gate of the Son of Heaven, facing south, with a red flag flying in front of it, with a big "Zhou" character embroidered with blue thread on it.On the right side of it is the Xingyuan of the State of Wei, which is juxtaposed with the Xingyuan of the Son of Heaven, the same size and specification, and a big "Wei" character is embroidered with red thread on the blue flag.Looking from a distance, two flags are floating side by side, one with blue characters on a red background and the other with red characters on a green background. Wei Guo Xingyuan was surprisingly quiet, even the air seemed to freeze. Xiangguo Baigui, the senior official Chen Zhen, and the senior general's son Ang (ang) sat in front of the table, motionless, as if they were three clay sculptures. Sitting upright at the main seat, Wei Huihou's eyes were slightly closed, his expression was relieved, his right hand was slightly clenched into a fist, and the knuckles of his middle finger touched several sides rhythmically, like knocking, but there was no sound. After knocking a few times, Huihou opened his eyes suddenly, raised his head slowly, and shot his eyes like a torch to a beautifully decorated water leak placed on the left side.The leaker was waiting by the leaker, his eyes fixed on the scale of the leaker without blinking. Everyone's gazes also shot in unison. In this deathly silence, the "click" sound of the water leak was particularly ear-piercing. The water line below the hourglass finally rose to a mark.After another tick, the leaker sang loudly: "Ding Wei's application time is here—" Wei Huihou raised his head slightly, his slightly obese face seemed to be smiling but not smiling, his sharp eyes moved from several sides, swept towards Bai Gui and Gongzi An in turn, and landed on Chen Zhen. Chen Zhen caught a glimpse of it, and played at the right time: "The application time has come, just as your majesty expected, Duke Qin disobeyed his order!" Wei Huihou twitched his cheeks slightly, and nodded slightly: "My dear friends, you have seen this. It's not that I want to fight this black eagle, but that it has long wings and wants to fly!" Young Master Ang suddenly stood up and took a step forward: "Qi Zou Junfu, my son invites you to march west, and vows to wring its wings off and serve you wine!" Wei Huihou slowly shifted his gaze to Bai Gui: "Old Aiqing, what do you think?" The old minister Bai Gui glanced sideways at the young master, and frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, the state of Qin has undergone ten years of reforms, and its national power has grown rapidly. I think that the urgent task at the moment is not to conquer, but to meet the emperor. This is a century-old event, and the world's princes gather, and if there is a slight mistake, it may plant the root of disaster and become unmanageable!" Wei Huihou nodded again and again: "Well, what Lao Aiqing said is very true!" Turning to Young Master Ang, "An'er, you heard me, everything should not only consider the overall situation, but also consider the long-term, don't force it at will!" Young Master Ang rolled his eyes at Bai Gui, and replied in a low voice: "Father Jun taught me the lesson!" Wei Huihou turned his gaze to Chen Zhen: "Chen Aiqing, is everything ready for the court meeting?" Chen Zhenlang said in a loud voice: "Report to Your Majesty, everything is ready! According to the arrangement of the court, in another hour, that is, at dusk, when the emperor gives a banquet, your Majesty should also prepare it!" Wei Huihou nodded: "Well, this is a big event, so we can't go wrong!" After thinking for a while, "Chen Aiqing, since you are the master of ceremonies, the widow and the emperor of Zhou, um, and the princes of the world, you have to obey your arrangements. Serve carefully. go!" Hearing that Your Majesty deliberately ranked "The Widow" before "Tianzi Zhou", Bai Gui's heart tightened, and he clasped his fists and played: "Your Majesty——" Wei Huihou seemed to have guessed what he wanted to say, and waved his hand: "Old Aiqing, the grand ceremony will be held tomorrow, please go through it again, and don't make mistakes!" Seeing that Huatou was blocked, Bai Gui had no choice but to swallow the advice that had reached his throat, and replied in a hoarse voice: "My minister obeys the order!" Bai Gui resigned, his wrinkled old face became more and more gloomy, and he walked quickly along the path back to his tent, and his doorman Gongsun Yan greeted him.Bai Gui whispered for a while, and Gongsun Yan walked out of the camp quickly. In order to guard against the Wei people, Qin Xiaogong had followed Gongsun Yang's plan as early as the early years of the reform and reorganization, and moved the capital from Liyang to Xianyang to the west. The moat, which is about ten feet deep, draws water from the Wei River for environmental sanitation, and protects the palace city as if it is a golden soup. In the evening, the atmosphere in the Hall of Yiqing was stagnant.Qin Xiaogong sat on the dragon chair on the main seat, and Prince Yingsi, Grand Tutor Yingqian, Shangdafu Jingjian, and Guowei Cheying sat on both sides.Everyone's faces were solemn, and their eyes were all on the doctor Jingjian. Jing Jian's voice was low: "Your Majesty, I have found out that the twelve princes of the Central Plains responded to Wei Hou and went to the Mengjin Dynasty! All the countries in Shandong, big and small, except for Qi and Chu who are the princes, are all headed by the kings!" Obviously, on Mengjin's side, apart from the somewhat discrepancy between Qi and Chu, the other situations really fulfilled Gongsun Yang's judgment.Qin Xiaogong seemed to have suddenly realized the seriousness of this problem, frowning, and slowly closed his eyes. Yingqian, who had his nose punished by Daliang's Gongsun Yang, raised his head slightly, turned his eyes to Yingsi, and buzzed, "Si'er, Uncle Gong doesn't understand, why don't we go to the Mengjin meeting?" Ying Si, who also had old resentment towards Gongsun Yang, understood it, and immediately replied: "I don't know about this matter when I return to Uncle Gongsun. Maybe Daliang Zao has other ideas." Ying Qian let out a snort from his nostrils, and looked at Duke Xiao: "It's not that I'm complaining, Brother Jun shouldn't have listened to Gongsun Yang in everything! In the Mengjin meeting, all the countries were nominally courting the Son of Zhou, but in fact it was the Marquis of Wei. Who is Marquis Wei? Even big countries like Qi and Chu dare not offend easily. What does he know about Gongsun Yang? He dares not to go if he can’t say it! Now it’s good. , why don’t you take the opportunity to swallow us up?” Jing Jian glanced at Che Ying, as if about to say something, stopped again. Qin Xiaogong slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Yingqian and Yingsi, seemed to blame himself, but also seemed to answer Yingqian: "This matter is not the fault of Daliang! It is the widow who is thinking about Hexi's hatred. I can't get rid of my anger for a while. It sure caused trouble!" After Xiaogong explained it this way, Yingqian knew that he had made a slip of the tongue and kept his head silent.Everyone was silent. Qin Xiaogong raised his head: "Da Liang made him—where are people?" Jing Jian cupped his hands and replied: "Report to Your Majesty, Daliang Zao went to Zhongnan Mountain to inspect the barracks two days ago!" Qin Xiaogong was a little surprised: "Zhong Nanshan inspected the military camp?" After a moment of contemplation, he let out a long breath, "Please come back quickly!" "My minister obeys!" It was just getting dark, and the candles and candles were all lit outside the palace of the emperor, and the elegant music was played, and it was peaceful.At this moment, Young Master An led a thousand soldiers to run over and spread out along the outside of the gate, leaving only a passage full of spears and halberds at the gate. This sudden move made the emperor's banquet, which was originally beaming, suddenly horrifying.The twelve princes waiting for an audience about an arrow away from the Xingyuan Gate of the Son of Heaven all looked at each other with angry faces.Xiong Huai and Tian Bijiang looked at each other, and were about to walk away, Chen Zhen waved his hand towards the band, and sang loudly: "The emperor gave a banquet, His Highness Chu and His Highness Qi are here!" All the musicians played the Son of Heaven Welcome Music.Xiong Huai and Tian Bijiang were slightly taken aback when they heard their names, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk towards the gate of Tianzi. Then, Chen Zhen called out one by one: "Marquis Zhao is here! Marquis Han is here! Duke Yan is here... Duke Wei is here!" The princes whose names were called by Chen Zhen all had sullen faces, and walked into the Jimen in the order they were called. Dressed in a dragon robe, King Zhou Xian, with a thin figure and a slightly pale complexion, sat in the main seat, with a smile on his face, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that his smile was forced. According to the order Chen Zhen called, the princes kowtowed three times and bowed nine times to the emperor of Zhou in turn, and performed the great ceremony of seeing him, and the emperor of Zhou also gave him a seat one by one.The last one to meet was Wei Chenggong with fluttering black beard. Duke Cheng of Wei took a few steps forward, and after prostrating three times and bowing nine times, he said in a loud voice, "The twenty-third Sun Ji, the official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, quickly kowtowed to His Majesty the Son of Heaven!" King Zhou Xian said with the same forced smile and the same forced gesture: "Ai Qing, please stand up!" Wei Chenggong thanked him, got up and walked to the last position.According to historical records, when countries meet with the emperor, they should strictly follow the order of their blood relationship with the Zhou family and the order of titles, and they should not be reversed at all.The Kingdom of Wei was the fief of Uncle Kang, the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. He was closely related to the Zhou family by blood, so it should be ranked first, or at least alongside Duke Lu and Duke Yan.However, Chen Zhen's list of seats this time is completely determined by the strength of the country and its strength, completely ignoring the rules of the Zhou family.Wei Chenggong, who was closer to the Zhou family, was ranked last because of his weakest national strength.This can also be regarded as a characteristic of the Warring States Period, and no big country has any objections, so Duke Wei Cheng naturally dared not show his grandeur. There is only one vacant seat in the whole banquet, which is the accompanying seat next to Emperor Zhou.The princes present knew that this was specially reserved for Wei Hou.As the host, Marquis Wei, who was supposed to be the first to arrive, showed up late, and his intentions were self-evident. About a dozen steps away, where the Tianzi musicians were originally seated, stood two rows of military soldiers standing upright, and the murderous aura exuding from their armor made people shudder.At the front of the two rows of military soldiers, stood majestically and majestically, Prince An, the top general of the State of Wei.This chilling air is exactly the reflection of the welcome music that the Tianzi Orchestra outside the gate is still playing. Seeing that everyone was seated, Chen Zhen waved his hand, and the welcome music played again.Chen Zhen sang loudly without losing the opportunity: "Wei Hou is here——" All the soldiers retreated to the two sides with a swipe, and a road about three steps wide flashed in the middle.Wei Huihou stepped forward vigorously, striding towards the Emperor Zhou in the midst of the welcome music, knelt down, only kowtowed, and said loudly: "Wei Kowtow pays homage to Your Majesty!" King Zhou Xian's heart sank, but he said in his mouth: "Ai Qing, please get up!" Wei Huihou couldn't get up, but still knocked on the ground.King Zhou Xian's complexion changed slightly, and he repeated "Aiqing, please get up", Wei Huihou still didn't move, just knocked on the ground.King Zhou Xian glanced at the princes, but no one paid attention to him, all eyes seemed to be on Wei Huihou.King Zhou Xian hesitated for a while, so he got up and walked down, and helped Wei Huihou up with his own hands. Seeing this scene, all the princes looked at each other with different expressions. Zhou Tianzi took Wei Huihou's hand to his seat, and the two sat down at the same time.Welcome to Yale.Chen Zhen clapped his hands, Gongsun Yan and another wine waiter stepped into the hall, and poured wine in order. Seeing that the wine had been poured, Wei Huihou coughed forcefully on purpose, and all the princes looked up. Wei Huihou, who was nearly fifty years old, was tall and strong like a bull, with a square face that was not angry but majestic.In his superior position, King Zhou Xian, who was ten years younger than him, looked like a weak scholar, and the stiff smile on his face could hardly conceal the fear deep in his heart. Wei Huihou coughed again, glanced at the two rows of soldiers not far behind the princes, his face darkened deliberately, and asked loudly: "Chen Zhen, what's the matter with these warriors?" Chen Zhen kowtowed: "Your Majesty, it is the general who is worried about the safety of the emperor, so he came here to escort him!" Wei Huihou shouted sharply: "Where is the general?" The young master said loudly: "The end is here!" Wei Huihou's voice was stern: "The emperor will give you a banquet tonight, and the monarch and his ministers will have a good time. If you make these warriors stand here, wouldn't it be a disastrous sight? Don't step down!" "The general obeys orders!" Young Master Ang turned around, waved his hands, and withdrew with all the warriors. Wei Huihou sat up straight, glanced at the twelve princes, smiled slightly, cupped his fists in apology and said: "The current situation is chaotic, and all the princes are rich and precious, and His Majesty the Emperor is here in person. Therefore, the punishment is stricter. I don’t want them to be overly cautious, but it will surprise you all!” The twelve princes looked at each other, everyone understood, so no one said anything. Wei Huihou clasped his fists again to salute: "Thanks to everyone who thinks highly of Wei Yan, and traveled thousands of miles to visit Mengjin, Wei Feng appreciates it!" Seeing this, the twelve princes had no choice but to return the salute.The real host, King Zhou Xian, was put aside with an extremely embarrassing expression. Wei Huihou just pretended not to see him, raised his wine cup and said, "All the princes gathered in Mengjin, and the world returned to its heart. This is indeed a great event in the past century. Congratulations! On this auspicious day and night, Wei Yuquan borrowed the emperor's wine to express his thanks to all the princes!" After speaking, Wei Huihou raised his neck and drank. Everyone looked at each other in surprise.Prince Chu Xiong Huai coughed loudly, and then cleared his throat several times.Zhao Suhou and Yan Wengong also coughed a few times, and there was a sudden noise in the seat. Tian Bijiang turned his head to Han Zhaohou, and asked in a low voice: "Pijiang is the first king, and he doesn't know the etiquette. Excuse me, Hanhou, should this person drink the wine today?" Han Zhaohou shook his head slightly, and said softly: "According to the usual practice, when the emperor gives a banquet, the first one should be held by the emperor to respect the sky, the second one should offer sacrifices to the land, and the third one should drink with us!" Tian Bijiang nodded and said, "Thank you Hanhou for pointing it out! Pijiang knew that there was a saying that the guest took over the master when he was three years old, and he didn't know what it meant until today!" Han Zhaohou was waiting to answer when Wei Huihou's sharp eyes swept over him.Han Zhaohou's mouth moved slightly, but he didn't dare to say anything.Wei Huihou looked past the princes, and shot at Wei Chenggong who was sitting at the bottom.Wei Chenggong shuddered, picked up the wine jue with trembling hands, and drank it first.Wei Huihou nodded in satisfaction, and swept towards the monarchs of Song, Yiqu, Lu, Zhongshan, Tao, Chen and other small countries one by one, and everyone drank their wines one by one. When Wei Huihou glanced at Yan Wengong, who was over sixty years old, Wengong thought for a while, picked up the wine jue, turned his eyes to Xian Wang, nodded slightly at him, kowtowed the jue three times on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.Without waiting for Wei Huihou's eyes to sweep over, Zhao Suhou and Han Zhaohou each picked up the wine jue, following the example of Yan Wengong, looked at King Zhou Xian from all over, tapped the jue three times on several cases, and then drank.The princes of Qi and Chu who sat on the two sides, neither looking at the emperor nor Wei Huihou, looked at each other with a smile, Duanjue congratulated each other in the air, and each drank. Among the whole audience, only King Zhou Xian did not have Duan Jue, and stayed behind like a piece of wood. Wei Huihou's eyes quickly turned to King Xian.King Zhou Xian turned all kinds of bitterness into a dry smile, raised the title to his lips, smacked lightly, and placed the title on the table. The two bartenders hurried forward to refill all the barbeques, stepped aside, and stood there waiting. Wei Huihou smiled with satisfaction, clasped his fists and said, "Wei Yu, thank you for your kindness! Wei Yu still has a few gossips, and I hope you will listen to them!" The audience was silent, all eyes were on Wei Huihou. Wei Huihou coughed lightly, and said in a loud voice: "My lords, seven hundred years ago, right here, on the mound not far in front, King Wu of Zhou met the eight hundred princes of the world and vowed to defeat Zhou. Think about King Wu of Zhou How could he be able to form an alliance with the eight hundred princes? Because he has virtue and talent! There is an ancient teaching that only those who have both virtue and talent in the world will win. King Zhou lost his virtue and lacked talent, so he lost the world. King Wu had both virtue and talent, so Win the world! Lords, today we revisit the old place, and look back on the events of the past, can we not feel emotional?" This remark is equivalent to publicly announcing that Emperor Zhou has no virtue or talent, and anyone can replace him.Therefore, as soon as Wei Huihou's words fell to the ground, Zhou Xianwang suddenly felt blushing, hooked his head down, and quietly wiped his tears with the skirt of his clothes. Han Zhaohou lightly touched Tian Bijiang who was sitting next to him, and said darkly, "Do you understand? Wei Hou has both talent and virtue, and the world should belong to him!" Tian Bijiang glanced at Wei Huihou, snorted coldly, and turned his face away.Xiong Huai looked straight at Wei Huihou with piercing eyes, and asked loudly, "Excuse me, Marquis Wei, who has both virtue and ability?" Wei Huihou turned his gaze to Xiong Huai, and smiled slightly: "There is someone, but it's not Xiong Huai, the prince of Chu!" Xiong Huai said coldly: "So, this person should be you, Marquis Wei!" Wei Huihou let out a long laugh: "Hahahaha, those who have both ability and virtue can prosper the king's career and rule the world. Wei Yu's talent is shallow and his morals are weak, so why should he take on this important task! Besides, even if Wei Yu really has this ability, it's not good at all. Brag yourself!" As a feudal lord, he actually talked about the king's career in front of the emperor, thanks to him being able to speak out.Everyone was looking at each other, Wei Huihou changed the topic: "However, there is really such a person in the world. He thinks he is highly respected and talented!" The princes were startled suddenly, and turned to Wei Huihou in unison.Xiong Huai asked loudly, "Excuse me, Marquis Wei, who is this person?" Wei Huihou put away his smile and paused every word: "Duke Qin wins Quliang!" Everyone looked at each other again.Han Zhaohou touched Tian Bijiang again: "Did you see it? I went around and around, and finally got to the point!" Wei Huihou narrowed his face, and his voice became more and more serious: "Today, the princes are kings, the world is returning to their hearts, the monarch guards the way of the king, and the ministers guard the guidelines of the ministers. It can be said that the people are blessed. Only the Duke of Qin in Guanzhong is arrogant. He neither bows down nor explains the reason. What is this? This is contempt for the world! This is no emperor! This is against the bottom! This is against the law of heaven!" Wei Huihou buckled so many big hats in a row, and his voice became louder and his face became more and more angry, which was unexpected by all the princes present.Wei Chenggong, who is known for his timidity and fear of getting into trouble, seemed to be unable to bear his series of thunderous questions, his hands trembled, and he knocked over the wine bar that had just been filled on the table, and the wine spilled all over his body. Zhao Suhou, who was sitting beside him, reached out to pick up the wine jue calmly, and straightened the table.Gongsun Yan hurried forward and refilled it. Yan Gong, Lu Gong and others sat upright, their eyes were slightly closed, as if they didn't hear or see anything. The monarchs of several small countries looked at Wei Huihou uneasily, for fear that the wrath of thunder would fall on their heads.Tian Bijiang shot at Wei Chenggong contemptuously, and let out a snort from his nostrils. However, Wei Huihou was very satisfied with Wei Chenggong's quick response, and looked closely at him: "May I ask Wei Gong, Qin Gong has ulterior motives and risked the world's displeasure, should the world punish him?" Wei Chenggong, who was still in shock, couldn't bear this question, and immediately said incoherently: "Ji Su no-no-yes-" Wei Huihou smiled slightly, with a kind attitude: "Wei Gong, what exactly do you want to say?" Wei Chenggong became more and more flustered: "I-I-is-is-" Wei Huihou's eyes left Wei Chenggong very satisfied, and swept everyone one by one. Seeing that no one stood out, he nodded, and his eyes fell on Zhou Tianzi: "Qin Gong has no majesty, which is against ethics. Wei Gong thinks that Qin Gong is an impostor. The world is so bad that its crime should be punished, what does your Majesty think?" King Zhou Xian, who was originally in a state of confusion, suddenly asked this question, and became even more panic-stricken, looking around: "This—" Wei Huihou's voice was stern, and his eyes were like swords: "Duke Qin was born with a disobedient heart early on. Humans and gods were all angry. Wei recognized that he should be punished for his crime. What does your majesty think?" King Zhou Xian became more and more panicked, with sweat dripping from his forehead, he wiped the skirt of his clothes several times, and said in a murmur, "Ai——Ai Qingyi—what do you think?" Wei Huihou increased his tone, leaned forward, and looked straight at King Xian: "Wei Yu is asking His Majesty!" Ever since he ascended the throne, King Zhou Xian had never seen his subjects speak to him like this. In desperation, he was stunned, and even his tongue seemed to be frozen in his mouth. punish!" Hearing this, Wei Huihou finally seemed to think of his minister, and slowly left his seat, straightened his clothes, walked to the front of Zhou Tianzi, and kowtowed to the ground: "Your Majesty is holy! Wei Yu is willing to lead the army of justice, choose a day to attack Qin, and uphold the way of heaven. Please give your Majesty permission!" King Zhou Xian looked around again, but seeing no one answered, he had no choice but to respond: "Just——just follow Aiqing's play!" Wei Huihou said loudly, "Wei Fu leads the decree!" Wei Huihou got up, walked to the position next to the emperor again, sat down, glanced around, and said slowly: "Young princes, Wei Wei was ordered by the emperor to punish the army and punish the Qin thieves. Contribute, if you have the money, pay. The specific amount will be coordinated by the senior official of our state, Chen Zhen. Wei Wei will not say more, I hope that after the alliance ceremony, everyone will raise food, money and soldiers according to the agreement, and punish the wrongdoers together. Qin!" The princes looked at each other in blank dismay, no one responded, but no one objected either. Wei Huihou changed into a smiling face as if by magic: "Come on, come on, the moon is full tonight, everyone should drink to your heart's content! Go to the doctor, and serve you with singing and dancing!" Chen Zhenzhi said triumphantly, "This humble minister has received the decree!" Chen Zhen waved his hand, the music played, and maikos entered the arena. The dancer was "Da Wu" composed by Zhou Gong after King Wu's triumphant return from defeating Zhou.This song and dance mainly expresses the great achievements of King Wu in overcoming the Zhou Dynasty, and it is played in all court ceremonies.This is a routine repertoire, which is understandable in the first place, but there is still something unusual about this day, that is, all the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty armed with spears and halberds were all decorated with Wei soldiers, while the soldiers of King Shang Zhou wore Qin clothes.Obviously, Wei Huihou had planned to attack Qin by taking the opportunity for a long time. The emperor's banquet suddenly turned into an oath to defeat Qin, which was something no one expected.Although the flames of war did not burn on his own head, Wei Huihou's domineering behavior made the princes feel uneasy.The original six-piece "Da Wu" had just danced to the second piece, and Tian Bijiang pulled Xiong Huai to leave the table first.Seeing this, the other princes also resigned one after another.Wei Huihou seemed to have expected this ending, sent off the princes very politely, and turned back to his own place. Gongsun Yan escaped, hurried back to Xiangguo's tent, and relayed the details of the banquet to Bai Gui.Bai Gui frowned while listening, and said loudly: "I'm really dizzy, your lord is self-destructing the Great Wall!" Gongsun Yan said anxiously: "My lord, is there any rescue now?" Bai Gui pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head and sighed: "This old man has long known that things will go this way! Three months ago, when Chen Zhen mentioned the Mengjin Dynasty king, I muttered in my heart. I don't want Your Majesty to not only listen to everything, but also It seems that he has made up his mind. Alas, in the past few years, since Chen Zhen became a senior doctor, Your Majesty has thought more and more." "This person has ulterior motives, my lord, you have to be careful! Gongsun Yan heard that he has been eyeing your seat!" Bai Gui sneered: "Hmph, it's still too early for him to become Xiangguo! Let's go, I'm going to meet you now!" In the Xingyuan of the State of Wei, Wei Huihou's personal servant and eunuch Biren waited on Huihou to take off his fur coat, and just helped him to sit down, when the senior official Chen Zhen and the senior general's son An also came in and kowtowed to the ground. Wei Huihou was clearly in high spirits, and helped them up with his own hands: "Chen Aiqing, An'er, please get up quickly, the widow is about to summon you!" The two sat down, and Chen Zhen said: "Just now, your majesty's aura is like a rainbow, and the power shakes the princes! On the other hand, the King of Zhou, who is obedient and trembling, how can he have the air of an emperor?" "Alas," Wei Huihou sighed softly on purpose, "Your widow is also on the verge of death, so I have no choice but to let it go!" "Your Majesty, according to this minister, it seems that the kingly spirit of the Great Zhou Dynasty has been exhausted!" Wei Huihou pondered for a while: "Love Qing, don't talk nonsense. Can the princes discuss the matter of defeating Qin?" “秦人触犯天威，诸侯皆曰该伐！” 魏惠侯的嘴角边却蹦出一丝冷笑：“哼，他们哪里想伐，不过是想浑水摸鱼而已！不瞒爱卿，此番孟津之会，寡人心里所想，就是寻个把柄收拾秦公，同时也为天下立个规矩。不想把柄尚未去找，秦公自个送上门来了！” “君上圣明！秦人日益壮大，已成心腹大患。今日天赐良机，君上立断，非天下明主莫能为也！” 魏惠侯点点头：“嗯，爱卿所言甚是。秦公用公孙鞅改制，严刑苛法，听说是怨声载道，民不聊生，寡人即使容他，上天也不答应！”将头微微转向公子卬，“卬儿，如果由你挂帅伐秦，可有几成把握？” 公子卬跨前一步：“启奏君父，儿臣只需五万精兵，保证踏碎咸阳城门，让嬴渠梁（即秦孝公）、公孙鞅跪地认罚！” 魏惠侯满意地看一眼公子卬：“嗯，不愧是寡人的儿子！” 毗人走进：“君上，相国求见！” "Xuan!" 公孙衍被军士拦在辕门外面，白圭独自走进帐中，跪地叩道：“微臣叩见君上！” 魏惠侯不无关切地望着他：“老爱卿呀，夜已深了，你当歇息才是，何事这么匆忙？” 白圭再拜：“微臣听说君上欲伐秦国，窃以为不可！” 魏惠侯惊讶道：“哦，有何不可？” “君上，今日之秦已非昨日之秦。公孙鞅变法十年，秦仓满库足，兵革犀利，早不可等闲视之。君上定要征伐，必将是两败俱伤啊！” 公子卬从鼻孔里哼出一声，打断白圭：“什么两败俱伤？老相国，你屈指算算，六十年来，秦、魏大小三十余战，秦人胜过几次？河西七百里本是秦地，六十年来，秦人可曾在此站稳一步？” 白圭睬也不睬公子卬：“君上，烦请听老臣一句，伐秦一事，断不可行啊！” 魏惠侯眉头微皱：“依老爱卿之见，何事可行？” “君上，王霸之业，首在务本！国之根本，为治在人才，为政在农商，不在兵革之利。昔日文侯招贤纳士，求本务实，方使大魏雄霸中原数十年。时过境迁，今非昔比。齐自田因齐（即齐威王）始，励精图治，急追直上；秦自嬴渠梁始，变法改制，日新月异，君上不可视而不见哪！” 魏惠侯面现愠容：“你是不是想告诉寡人，寡人既不及齐公，也不及秦公？” 白圭连连叩首：“老——老臣并无此意——” 魏惠侯从鼻孔里哼出一声，缓缓说道：“看样子，爱卿你是真的老了！” 白圭泪下：“君上——” 魏惠侯责道：“老相国，不是寡人数落你。你呀，治国、治民都算高才，可就是看不清天下大势，更不用说料理列国事务了。看来，孟津这儿没你什么事了，你还是去大梁修大沟吧。大沟能否如期完工，既关系到农，也关系到商，正是你方才所说的求本务实！” 白圭涕泣道：“君上——” 魏惠侯不耐烦地扬手：“去吧！明日辰时立即启程！” 白圭再度顿首，沉痛地说：“老臣告退——” 白圭步履沉重地退出。 看到白圭颤巍巍的身影渐渐消失在辕门外面，魏惠侯从鼻子里哼出一声，转对陈轸、公子卬道：“迂腐之见！务本务本？什么是本？战无不胜，攻无不克才是本！若是没有吴起①、乐羊②的攻伐谋划，若是没有所向披靡的铁骑、武卒，先君何以威服列国？大魏何以雄霸至今？魏卬听命！” 公子卬陡地起身：“儿臣在！” “封魏卬为征西大将军，龙贾为副将，魏申为监军，领武卒一十二万，战车五百乘，铁骑五千，择日兵出河西，直取咸阳！” “儿臣领命！” 魏惠侯转对陈轸：“陈爱卿！” 陈轸起身应道：“微臣在！” “列国那边，你可有安排？” “回禀君上，微臣以为，可使韩、赵各出武卒两万，其他国家，视财力多少，分别承担大军的部分粮草辎重！” “好！”惠侯点了点头，“列国重在参与，不能指靠。你可知会赵侯和韩侯，就说秦降之日，凡是赵、韩所得土地，尽归他们所有！韩、赵只要出兵，寡人就不能让他们白忙一场！” “微臣领旨！君上赏罚分明，实乃天下之幸！” “安排细作，详探秦国君臣动向！” "The humble minister obeys the order!" 在八百里终南山中段一处群山环护的山坳里，坐落着一片军帐。正对辕门是一个巨大的演兵场，大良造公孙鞅站在观兵台上，正全神贯注地观看一场特技表演。 眼见孝公执意不赴孟津之会，公孙鞅的第一反应就是巡视三军。迄今为止，公孙鞅变法已有十余年，前些年的重点在富国，近两年开始强兵，特别选出五万青壮组建一支新军，分散在这片大山深处，按照他亲自编写的强军新法秘密教战。 竞技场上，一个身上未着任何盔甲的士兵灵敏地左蹦右跳，一手执盾牌，一手执一种西方戎狄所用的可刺穿牛皮的利刃，正与一个身披重甲的士兵演习攻防。不一会儿，全身重甲的士兵上气不接下气，破绽百出，“伤”痕累累，而那名无甲兵士却毫发未损。 公孙鞅看得呆了，问道：“这叫什么招法？” 站在他身边的千夫长应道：“回大良造的话，这叫丢盔卸甲，专门对付魏国武卒！” 公孙鞅连连点头：“嗯，以无甲对有甲，颇有创意，你说说看，其理何在？” “魏国武卒全身裹满铠甲，防护有余，灵活不足。末将仔细算过大魏武卒的负载，一般士兵的全身铠甲及盾牌、刀矛等一总儿加起来，至少也在八十斤上下。负重八十斤，且又身裹一层厚而坚硬的铠甲，既不利于长途奔袭，又不利于山林搏击。我若丢盔卸甲，轻装上阵，选择山林地带与大魏武卒捉迷藏，定可致胜！” “嗯，此法甚好！你还有何宝贝？” 千夫长双手击掌，不一会儿，一个全身披甲的士兵走上场来，一手执盾牌，一手执一个足有人头大小的木棰。士兵左右腾挪，盾牌左挡右遮，棰头所击之处，发出沉闷的咚咚声响。 公孙鞅看了一阵，仍是迷惑不解，转向千夫长：“这里又有什么名堂？” “回大良造，这叫棰子兵，是末将特别应对魏国铁甲车骑的！” 公孙鞅大是惊奇：“噢，如何对付？” “魏国铁骑全身裹满重甲，寻常武器根本伤不到它们。我试过此物，只要砸在马头上，轻可将马震晕，使马发狂，重可将马震死。失去战马，魏国铁骑还不只有挨揍的份儿？” 公孙鞅沉思良久，连连点头：“嗯，不错！小伙子，你叫什么名字？” “司马错！” “司马错，从现在开始，你不是千夫长，而是左庶长了！” 左庶长是公孙鞅变法之初由秦孝公亲自授命的职位。从千夫长一举跃升为左庶长，连越四级，司马错目瞪口呆，好半天，方才反应过来，跪地叩道：“末将谢大良造提携！” “左庶长大人，我先予你两万步卒，由你亲自训练他们。不过，不能完全丢盔卸甲，你可召集工匠，研制轻甲。记住，在战场上，我们的兵士少死一个，敌人的尸体就增加一个！” 司马错朗声说道：“末将遵命！” “还有这把戎刀，不能拿来即用，要改进，要设法一举刺透魏国武卒的铠甲。琢磨去吧，司马错，你的对手只有一个，就是大魏国的武卒和铁骑！” 司马错应声说道：“末将遵命！” “听闻附近有眼寒泉，你可知道它在何处？” 司马错指了指南面一个山尖：“越过那个山尖就是！” “走，陪我那里走走！” 司马错当下选了几名亲兵，换了便服，陪公孙鞅朝寒泉走去。约过两个时辰，他们翻越一处山垭，转入一道幽谷。 果然是一处绝妙所在！峰峦叠翠，鸟语花香，几幢草舍掩映于苍松翠柏之间，甚是宜人。草舍旁边是几株古楸，虽只合抱粗细，据说却有数百年高龄。 司马错指着远处山坳里的几幢草舍道：“寒泉就在草舍前面。听人说，草舍里住着一个怪老头，是个隐士，叫寒泉子！” 公孙鞅点头道：“知道了，你们候在这里吧！” 公孙鞅说完，信步走向那片草舍。当他走近靠边的一株古楸时，一个白须老者迎出草舍。公孙鞅近前一步，深揖一礼：“请问老丈，此处可有乡民所说的寒泉？” 白须老者回揖一礼，伸手指向一处地方：“客人请看！” 公孙鞅顺手望去，百步远处，一股清澈的泉水汩汩流出。 “请问老丈，为何叫它寒泉？” 白须老者微微一笑，指着泉水道：“此泉夏寒似冰，是谓寒泉。时常饮之，可祛百病，寿及天年。” 公孙鞅笑道：“怪道老丈在此结舍！” 白须老者微微摇头：“在此结舍的是关尹子，并非老朽！” “关尹子？”公孙鞅大吃一惊，“可是在函谷强留老聃写《道德》五千言的那个关尹子？” 白须老者微微点头：“是的。老聃骑青牛辞关西行后三日，关尹子恍然顿悟世间诸事，悬挂关印，纵马西追。可惜为时已晚，再也寻不见老聃踪影。关尹子追悔莫及，在此后数年里踏遍终南山，终也未能再见老子。他知道是老子不愿见他，连叹数声，就在此处结草为庐，长住下来。” “听您说来，老丈是关尹子的高足？” 白须老者点头道：“关尹子晚年，收徒二人，一是老朽，二是师兄王栩。恩师仙去后三年，师兄出山仙游，结舍于云梦山鬼谷，自号鬼谷子。老朽割舍不下先师故舍，留居于此，被仙友们称为寒泉子！” 公孙鞅伏身叩道：“寒泉子前辈在上，受晚生一拜！” 寒泉子一把将他扶起：“客人躯体尊贵，叫老朽如何承受得起？” 公孙鞅起身，心中略略一怔，顺口说道：“晚生不过一介书生，前辈何来尊贵之说？” 寒泉子微微一笑：“观客人天庭饱满，气宇不凡，绝非等闲之辈！只是客人眉心黑气郁结，似有大事淤心！” 公孙鞅惊道：“晚生心事，果然瞒不过前辈慧眼。只是——” “客人可否随老朽草堂说话？” 公孙鞅与寒泉子走进草堂，见几个弟子模样的人席坐于地，各入冥思。寒泉子引他穿过两间屋子，步入后堂，在那里分宾主坐定。一个年轻弟子走进来，倒上茶水后退出。 公孙鞅亮明身份，就孟津朝会之事向寒泉子约略陈述一遍，末了说道：“魏侯发起孟津之会，意在谋秦。晚生力主君上赴会，屡次劝谏，君上只是不听。若是不出晚生所料，魏侯必于近日伐我。眼下秦国之力虽可一战，但要取胜，并无把握。如果结局真是这样，无异于玉石俱焚，于秦失去击败魏国、收复河西良机，于民则是一场劫难，因为战场就在秦境。近几日晚生心中苦闷，听闻此泉之水可以醒神，慕名而来，不想在此幸遇前辈！” 公孙鞅如此这般说了半天，寒泉子脸上始终挂着笑，神情似听非听。公孙鞅忽然意识到说得太多了，赶忙打住：“晚生不才，乞请前辈赐教！” 寒泉子的脸上依旧挂着笑，朝外喊道：“舍人！” 方才沏茶的那个年轻弟子闻声走进，躬身望着寒泉子。 “你去接一盆泉水，客人要醒神！” 名叫舍人的弟子快步走出，不一会儿，端着一个陶盆进来，里面是半盆泉水。 寒泉子指着陶盆：“大良造，请醒神吧！” 公孙鞅心中一怔，但话已至此，不好再说什么，硬撑着走上前去，将手伸入盆中。两手刚一入盆，果然感到一股透心的清凉。公孙鞅深吸一气，朝头顶、面部连掬几捧泉水，大声叫道：“快哉！快哉！” 寒泉子微笑着问道：“大良造之神醒否？” 公孙鞅觉得寒泉子的话中有话，沉思有顷，轻声问道：“神醒与否，可有征象？” “若是神醒，大良造必能忆起老聃的《道德》五千言！” 公孙鞅寻思一会儿，不得其解，抬头问道：“《道德》五千言，晚生烂熟于心，即使不喝此泉，也能背诵。” 寒泉子依旧微笑着点了点头：“请大良造背诵第三十六段！” 公孙鞅脱口而出：“将欲歙之，必故张之；将欲弱之，必故强之；将欲废之，必故兴之；将欲取之，必故与之。是谓微——” 后面的“明”字尚未出口，公孙鞅已如醍醐灌顶，恍然大悟，当下叩拜于地：“晚生谢前辈指点！” 寒泉子也不答话，顺手指了指石几上的茶水，含笑道：“大良造，请用茶！” 二人又品一会儿茶，公孙鞅心中有事，不敢多停，当下拜辞下山。刚至军营，果然有快马候在那儿，说是秦公召他速回咸阳。 山路甚是难走，公孙鞅一行尽管马不停蹄，回到咸阳时已是第二日傍黑。公孙鞅在宫前跃身下马，快步登上台阶，候在宫门口的内臣立即迎上：“大良造，快，君上在怡情殿里候您多时了！” 公孙鞅略一点头，随内臣疾步入内。二人来到怡情殿，内臣进去禀道：“君上，大良造求见！” 秦孝公急道：“快请！” 公孙鞅进来，叩拜于地：“微臣公孙鞅叩见君上！” “爱卿免礼！” “谢君上！” 公孙鞅起身，缓缓走至自己的座位，席坐于地，环视四周，见太子嬴驷、太傅嬴虔、上大夫景监、国尉车英等几个要臣个个正襟危坐，面色凝重。看样子，他们已候多时了。 秦孝公头也不抬，话却是说给公孙鞅的：“果然不出爱卿所料，魏侯以寡人不赴孟津朝王为名，欲兴大军！”不待公孙鞅接言，抬头望向景监，“景爱卿，你来说说情势！” 上大夫景监接道：“据微臣探知，魏侯欲分三路出兵，中路为大魏武卒一十二万，战车五百乘，铁骑五千，主将公子卬，副将龙贾。公子卬将兵七万，由函谷关；龙贾将兵五万，铁骑五千，由河西。左路为韩人二万，兵出宜阳，主将是宜阳令唐秋；右路为赵人二万，兵出晋阳，主将为晋阳令赵豹。” 不说韩、赵之兵，单是一十二万武卒，亦足以令人色变。在场诸人谁也没有说话，巨大的压力使气氛分外凝重。 孝公缓缓抬起头来：“诸位爱卿，你们可有退敌良策？” 嬴虔“咚”的一声将拳头擂在几上，嗡声吼道：“狗日的魏人，河西之耻还没雪呢，今日竟又欺上门来，真当老秦人是孬种啊！” 嬴驷更是热血沸腾，忽地站起身子：“公父，儿臣不才，愿引死士一万先驱破敌！” 秦孝公斜他一眼，嬴驷喘着粗气坐下。 孝公慢慢地将目光转向国