Chapter 35 The first section Yanshan weather impressive

Lu Zhonglian went northward in a starry night, and after several twists and turns, he finally found Tian Dan in Daliang. After rescuing King Huai of Chu, Tian Dan withdrew from Xianyang according to the original plan, temporarily laying the foundation of his business trip in Daliang.The state of Wei has declined year after year, and business has been sluggish, but Tian Dan no longer cares about revitalizing business and tourism, and is only busy planning another major event.At this moment, Lu Zhonglian arrived in a hurry.As soon as they met and sat down, Lu Zhonglian urgently asked: "Brother Tian, ​​how is Linzi? Tell me!" Tian Dan shook his head: "It's not good. People are in a state of panic. There are so many rumors that you don't want to hear them." Shen: "Where's Mr. Mengchang? Why don't you see him move?" Tian Dan sighed: "I was deposed again, what is there to do? This time, even Tian Zhen, who is the only follower of the king, was pulled down. Zhong Lian, I Look at the state of Qi..." "Don't talk about being discouraged!" Lu Zhonglian interrupted, "In any case, the state of Yan has not yet mobilized troops. After thinking about it all the way, you and I have to split up: I will go to the state of Yan and try to resolve the situation of Yan. Qi enmity; Brother Tian returned to Linzi, tried to mediate with Lord Mengchang, and forced the king of Qi to change his course, first to calm the world's fear of the Qi country! Brother Tian, ​​the family and the country are in danger, and we cannot retreat in spite of difficulties!" At every crisis, Lu Zhong Lian's resoluteness is always like a flash of bright eyes, which inspires Tian Dan.Although his words were harsh, Tian Dan felt at ease in his heart, and nodded immediately: "Okay! I'm going back to Linzi too. The elders said that the foreign businessmen in Linzi have been evacuated, and even the old clans are quietly looking for a place of refuge." The clansmen are all waiting for me to go back and decide where to go." At the end, I couldn't help but sighed heavily again.

After a long silence, Lu Zhonglian suddenly got up: "Brother Tian, ​​I'm leaving now!" "There's no rush, you don't even need food!" "Who says we won't be together for a while?" Lu Zhonglian had already picked up his long sword, "You only give me three days of dry food, one hundred gold, and a good horse. I want to travel day and night!" "Come here!" Tian Dan waved his hand, "Three days of dry meat and dry food bags, two hundred gold, and natural protection, come immediately!" "Hi!" As soon as he agreed, the capable old man hurried away.Tian Dan suddenly smiled and said, "Zhonglian, where's Xiaoyue girl?" Lu Zhonglian also smiled: "I went back to Nanmo and returned to my life, so why don't you always follow me?" "Are you back?" Tian Dan chased after him. .Lu Zhonglian's face flushed suddenly: "How do I know this? You are too noisy." Tian Dan laughed loudly: "Ah! Lu Zhonglian is also in a hurry, really rare! I mean, little You don’t have to lose the strange woman of Yue!” At this time, a long horse cry was heard, and Lu Zhonglian smiled, “I can’t lose it! Let’s go, the horse is coming.”

When we came to the porch, the capable old man was already waiting with his horse: "Report to the general manager: everything is in the horse's skin!" "Zhonglian, what about this horse? Is it a natural guarantee?" Tian Dan knew that Lu Zhonglian loved fine horses, and the iron gray horse under his crotch was unusual, so he asked first. "As soon as I heard the neighing just now, I knew it was a good horse!" Lu Zhonglian glanced at it after speaking, and his eyes lit up immediately.I saw this steed was black and shiny, but its kicks were snow white, its shoulders were more than six feet high, it had a rabbit head and fox ears, eagle eyes and a fish spine, it was really majestic.Lu Zhonglian has a lot of knowledge. He once read "The Classic of Appreciating Horses" and made friends with the grandson of Wang Liang, a famous horse appraiser in the state of Zhao. " Two words, you know it must be a good horse.The best horses in the world are divided into three classes: good horses, national horses, and Tianxia horses; Also called "Tianbao".When he took a closer look, he realized that this steed was absolutely the best among horses, and he couldn't help exclaiming: "How is Tianbao, it's just a god!" Then he suddenly realized, and put the rein of the horse into Tian Dan's hand, "You are more important than me. Urgent, God will protect you to stay here."

"Where are you talking?" Tian Dan tucked the reins back again, "You are traveling alone, and you are looking for a good horse and sharp weapon. Even if I am in a hurry, after all there are many people, I can change horses. Don't refuse, let's go." "Okay! Then I'll go." Lu Zhonglian sat on the horse's back lightly, and said "I will see you later", Tianbao was Xiao Xiaoyiming, and walked steadily towards the gate. "See you again in Linzi!" Tian Dan waved away. After leaving the north gate of Daliang, Lu Zhong patted the horse's head repeatedly: "Tianbao, let's go." Tianbao neighed shortly, stretched his hooves, and flew up like a black lightning bolt!Lu Zhonglian was an excellent rider. He leaned on the horse's back and connected his head to the horse's ears, with his legs firmly clamped. Then he felt the wind blowing from his ears. The mountains and forests on both sides fell backward one by one, like clouds and fog. He couldn't help shouting: "Tianbao——! Good skill——!"

Tianbao was really astonishing, not only was he as fast as lightning, but also had a long endurance. He flew for an hour at a stretch, then walked in small steps for a while, and then he ran like flying again when he regained his breath.After such a half day and one night, they only rested for half an hour in the middle, and the men and horses were on top of each other, and it was like flying northward again.Once across Yishui is the Kingdom of Yan. Even though he flew by, Lu Zhonglian also noticed an obvious change - in early summer, there were rolling waves of wheat in the fields, smoke from cooking houses in the roadside villages, chickens crowing and dogs barking. The sound is endless, obviously it is the steaming and prosperous atmosphere, which is completely different from the desolate and wild when Lu Zhonglian first came to Yan country.

In the afternoon of the next day, Qingqingyan Mountain was already in sight. "Tianbao, slow down." Lu Zhonglian patted the horse's neck lightly, and Tianbao suddenly became a trotter. In fact, Lu Zhonglian had to slow down.This official road leading directly to Jicheng was just a loose dirt road with pits and pits that could only tolerate traffic more than ten years ago. The weeds on both sides were knee-deep, and it was almost indistinguishable from the wilderness castles in the Central Plains.A business travel proverb goes: "Yanshan Road, bumpy and loose bones. The iron carts are scattered, and the wooden carts are crying." This is the only "road" from Yan State to the Central Plains.The most important official way is still like this, which shows that the country of Yan is poor and weak.Now it is extraordinary!As soon as you enter the country of Yan, you will see a rammed-earth road more than three feet wide. Except for the human and horse paths on both sides, three cars can run parallel in the middle.A hundred miles away from Jicheng, the rammed-earth avenue suddenly widens to six feet. There are two layers of big trees on both sides of the avenue, and the road is covered with thick shade. It is cool and pleasant in summer.But what surprised Lu Zhonglian the most was the continuous stream of business vehicles and the special envoy's vehicles that often bumped into his eyes.In today's world, apart from Qin's Guanzhong Avenue, there is no other country with such a scene.Yan State has always been remote, except for horse merchants and salt merchants, business travelers from the Central Plains seldom go north.For a long time, there were actually only two trade routes in Yan State - Qi State, Northern Xiongnu and Donghu.Now this avenue is full of business travellers, with all kinds of trucks in a row, it really makes people suspect that they have gone to the wrong place.Lu Zhonglian couldn't help but sigh with emotion, people say that water heating is a duck prophet, the prosperity and decline of this country is a prophet of business travel.Although Qi State is the glorious "Eastern Emperor", business travelers from Linzi have already fled quietly;Seeing the micro-knowledge, this flowing business travel wealth is a sign of the country's prosperity and decline.With such a great trend, the old country's monarchs and ministers are drunk but don't know that it is in danger, and the old country's common people are also Tao Taoran who don't know that the catastrophe is coming. What can Lu Zhonglian do with all his strength?

"The business traveler stops, the rider dismounts, and the inspection takes place—" the continuous and long shouts came from the bottom of the city. With the Jicheng Archery Tower in front of him, Lu Zhonglian got off his horse and led Tianbao, walking from the edge of the crowd to the gate of the small city on the far side.By the way, he looked around and saw that the guards under the city gate were neatly organized into four teams, two teams at the big city gate in the middle, and one team at each of the small gates on both sides.Since Shang Yang's Reform Law implemented the "photographing post" to check the identity of pedestrians in Qin State, this "photographing post" quickly spread throughout the world.It doesn't matter whether you learn the reform or not. You must learn the "self-examination" system. It is convenient and quick to check the hiding of criminals, check the taxation of business travelers, and control the migration of Chinese people. Why not do it?Learning comes back to learning, but this "photographing" system changed when it came to other countries, and it became a unique weapon for city officials to extort money from passers-by!Tian Dan had been on a business trip for a long time, and he knew the secret well. He once said with a wry smile to Lu Zhonglian: "Oranges born in Huainan are tangerines, and those born in Huaibei are oranges. They are called oranges according to the body! If you want to support Qu Yuan's reform, you will be right He said: If the reform is not as thorough as Shang Yang, then there is no way to follow the body, otherwise, the business trip will be dead!" Lu Zhonglian is also a person who travels all over the world, so he doesn't know the truth of it, but it's not as painful as Tian Dan. Forget it, after hearing what Tian Dan said, he suddenly sighed: "Everyone says that Shang Yang's reform is good, but it's not easy to learn from Shang Yang's reform!"

"You, come out." Lu Zhonglian then took out something from the pouch in the lining of the cloak, a bamboo board as big as a palm and more than one inch thick, with his head portrait engraved on it, his name written on it, and more importantly, a piece of bamboo was branded on it. official seal.It was a kind of iron seal specially made by the government. It was burnt until it was barely red, and it was lightly branded on the bamboo board with the head's name engraved on it, and a fire-colored Yang Wen official seal immediately stood out clearly!Those who issue body photos are all big countries. Qi State implemented the body photo system during the Su-Qin Reform. They used this kind of solid, fine, smooth and whitish bamboo board, and a thin bright copper wire was embedded around it. , It is difficult for ordinary craftsmen to imitate it.

"A native of Qi." As soon as the city gate official took Fang Ji's exquisite body photo, he said something without looking at it, then took a look at the photo body, and then at the stalwart man in front of him, "Lu, Zhong Lian?" Lu Zhonglian nodded and smiled lightly, then took out a copper knife and stuffed it into the small pocket of the city gate official's skirt very naturally.This copper knife is an old-fashioned knife coin from the Qi State more than a hundred years ago. It has been passed down to this day and is very precious.For a city gate official, even if he keeps making small fortunes, this old Qi golden knife is an extremely rare and precious thing.

"Hey! What's the meaning of this?" The city gate official felt that his pocket was heavy, and he immediately took out the copper knife with a downcast face, "The Qi people are rich, so they want to ruin my official status? Take it back! And look at it with black eyes Is it Yan Kingdom today?" "Really don't want it?" Lu Zhonglian was not embarrassed, but laughed instead. "Noisy!" The city gate official was very impatient, "I want it, but did you lend me a head?" "It's serious." Lu Zhonglian held the copper knife in his hand, still smiling teasingly on his face.

With a sweep of the palm of the city gate official, he took the copper knife from Lu Zhonglian's palm very neatly, "clang!" and threw it into a nearby pottery figurine.This terracotta figurine is as tall as a person, with its mouth open, but there are two big red letters written on its body-Guan Tun Jin!The city gate official smiled and said, "Are you satisfied? How many more, feel free to throw them here, I want one hundred and eighty thousand!" Lu Zhonglian laughed loudly, turned around and left with Tianbao in his hand. He was full of emotions and couldn't tell what it was like all the way.Yan and Qi are neighbors with a long history. Qi merchants have always been the mainstream of business travelers in Yan. In the ten years since King Yanzhao came to the throne, Qi merchants went northward in a big way, and their business was booming.The Qi State Trading Company in Jicheng was originally the most inconspicuous of the foreign trading companies of the Qi State. In less than 20 years, it has developed into a large company standing shoulder to shoulder with the Qi State Trading Company in Xianyang. A courtyard with six entrances and eight bays has been built in the small street!When Tian Dan came here, he told him: the chief executive of Jicheng Qishe used to be Tian Dan's business traveler student, he was shrewd and reliable, so Lu Zhonglian should still live in the business company.It is also Lu Zhonglian who has never liked posthouses where diplomatic guests gather. The cumbersome etiquette and frequent entertainment with envoys are really inappropriate for confidential matters, so he readily accepted Tian Dan's motion. The benefits of business associations are obvious.The general manager seldom spoke, even to the majestic Tianbao, he only said two words: "What a horse!" Then he settled Lu Zhonglian in a secluded small courtyard, and specially ordered the servants to take care of Tianbao. Rest in the trough, and leave another sentence: "I am a member of the Tian family. If you have something to do, you can come to me at any time." Then he hurried away.After Lu Zhonglian finished bathing and freshening up, an old servant brought in the meal, and no one came after the meal. Birds chirped on the big tree, making the small courtyard even more quiet and unusual.Just as dusk fell, the evening breeze from Yanshan Mountain swept across the courtyard, which was really cool and pleasant. Lu Zhonglian strolled in the courtyard in a toga with big sleeves and a shawl.Although he was running all the way, he didn't feel sleepy at all.He wanted to think about it, should he see King Yan first, or Le Yi first?According to the lobbying tradition of strategists, they usually directly invite the monarch to see whether they succeed or fail immediately.But in the country of Yan, this Le Yi is too important. Even if the king of Yan can be understood, all previous efforts may be wasted if Le Yi fails to understand.It's not that Le Yi is monopolizing power, but that King Yan Zhao is very dependent on Le Yi, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he obeys what he says. With the ability of King Yanzhao, Ji Ping, to straighten out the chaos and recruit talented people to rejuvenate the country of Yan, but he respects Le Yi so much, isn't Le Yi a strange person? Before entering Chu, Lu Zhonglian had done some research on Le Yi's family background. Although he had never seen this Le Yi, he had admired him for a long time.In the Spring and Autumn Period, the first prominent figure of the Le family was Lexi, the great Sima of the Song Dynasty.Da Sima was in charge of soldiers, and Lexi was used to fighting. He made outstanding contributions in the Song Dynasty's hegemony, and Lexi became famous all over the world.Later, the Song Dynasty declined, and the Le clan migrated to the Jin Dynasty. They became "nationals" in the territory of the Wei family, a family in the Jin Dynasty, and made a living by farming.In the early years of the Warring States period, another genius emerged from the Le family, who was later the famous military general Le Yang.Although the Le family at this time was a "national", they were the kind of common peasants who could only support themselves with food and clothing. They were far from wealthy aristocratic families.This Leyang is intelligent and thick. When he was young, he repeatedly pondered over the two carts of books at home, and his conversation and insight often amazed the people!The year of Leyang's crowning coincides with the division of the three families of Wei, Zhao and Han into the Jin Dynasty. The Wei family has just established the country.Le Yang was so excited that he wanted to join the army and make meritorious service.The elders of the clan praised him greatly, and with the strength of the clan, they built him a chariot and a pair of high-quality armor, and bought two Fen horses, and Le Yang became a knight of Wei State.At that time, the state of Wei was expanding its borders, and there were frequent wars. Within ten years, Le Yang became the general of the state of Wei with his illustrious military achievements. After becoming a general, Leyang's first battle was to attack the mighty Zhongshan Kingdom.The Zhongshan Kingdom was just stuck in the mountains on the east bank of the Great River between Wei, Zhao, Yan, and Qin. After winning the Zhongshan Kingdom, the Wei Kingdom was the largest country that could directly reach the Yinshan Mountains in the north and reach the Huai River in the south.Because of this, the battle against Zhongshan became the focus of the world's attention at that time.The Zhongshan Kingdom was terrified, so they imprisoned the eldest son of Leyang, who was doing business in Zhongshan, as a hostage, and sent secret envoys to coerce Leyang to retreat.Le Yang said coldly to the envoy: "Father and son are private affairs. A state is a public weapon. How can a general use his personal life and death to disrupt the advancement and retreat of public weapons?" The son of Leyang was thrown into a huge oil pan to cook!Then immediately sent a special envoy to the military camp of Wei State, claiming to give Le Yang the most lucrative Zhongshan gift.Sima of the Chinese army opened the wooden box, but it was an extremely exquisitely crafted wooden barrel with copper hoops. On the body of the barrel were four large characters - Le's Meat Soup!Le Yang was startled and almost fainted, but he insisted on supporting the commander-in-chief with astonishing determination, and said calmly: "Let's serve it with a cup." He would be delirious and unable to command the army, but unexpectedly Le Yang was calm and indifferent as usual, and he was terrified. When Le Yang sat in front of the case and sipped a cup of soup, the special envoy was shocked and died on the spot. When the news reached Anyi, Marquis Wen of Wei sighed with emotion: "If Le Yang is a country like this, he would eat the flesh of his son!" The prime minister who was standing next to him saw Shizan but smiled and said: "If you eat the meat of his son, how can you not eat the meat of that person?" Wei Wenhou's eyes flashed, but he was silent. When Leyang was destroyed in the first battle and returned from the army of Zhongshan, Wei Wenhou sealed Leyang in the land of Lingshou, guarding Zhongshan, and enjoying the people of tens of thousands of households.However, Wei Wenhou has since become wary of Leyang.Le Yang was deep and bright, knowing that the monarch had doubts about him, but he kept his face. Then he fell ill and needed to rest. He handed over the military talisman and dismissed the private soldiers of the clan, so he asked Marquis Wen of Wei to return to the fief to take care of him. It's time to go.Everyone in the clan thought that Le Yang was very puzzled when he was making achievements, so several clan elders came to ask for encouragement.Le Yang said with a smile, "everything succeeds in one and loses in two. Kuang Tian has two minds?" Since then, he has lived in seclusion and never cared about state affairs.Later Wei Wenhou planned to seize the Hexi land of Qin State, and wanted to invite Le Yang to come back several times, but he couldn't let go of his teacher's praising the cold arrow, and he never made it.Later, if Wu Qi hadn't come to vote from the state of Lu, the state of Wei might not even be able to sustain its hegemony for a generation.Le Yang, who possessed the three talents of public loyalty and ability, failed to gain the trust of Marquis Wen of Wei throughout his life, and died in his prime amid long-term depression. At the end of his life, he told his descendants: "I will bury Lingshou, and I will not return to Anyi." Later, Lord Mengchang told Lu Zhonglian a story: His ancestors once asked Bai Gui, the late prime minister of Wei Wuhou, "Wei Wenhou was more famous than Duke Huan of Qi, but his achievements were not as good as the five tyrants. What is the reason?" The prime minister of the country, with extraordinary knowledge, replied leisurely: "Wei Wenhou regards the scholar Zi Xia as his teacher, and the famous scholar Tian Zifang as his friend. He respects and raises his guest Duan Ganmu. The reason why this name is Duke Huan of Qi. However, the three of them are only personal. It’s just that, it’s doubtful if it’s reused in the country. It’s the shortcoming of Marquis Wen to use selfishness to win the public, and to be suspicious of the virtuous. Therefore, although the name of Marquis Wen is prosperous, his achievements are not as good as those of the five tyrants.” Meng Changjun said to Lu Zhonglian, Bai Gui’s This paragraph is actually telling the story of Wei Wenhou and the famous general Leyang, but he just borrowed the names of Zixia and others because of scruples. Because of this unspeakable heart disease, after Leyang, members of the Le clan never pursued careers in Wei.When De Leyi became a famous military strategist, he did not hesitate to defect to the weakened Yan State, instead of staying in Wei State, which was far stronger and richer than Yan State despite its constant decline.This is Le Yi, who is currently in charge of the army in the country of Yan, and he is very close to the king of Yan, whether he is the first to see the king of Yan, each has its own advantages and disadvantages.Of course, it would be best to be able to see the two monarchs and ministers at the same time, but this also has the same disadvantage: once you hit a wall, there is no room for maneuver.Lu Zhonglian has traveled all over the world, and he has never thought about such a detail so carefully. After all, this is a major event related to the fate of Qi. After thinking for a long time, Lu Zhonglian finally made up his mind: see Le Yi first.