"The Zhongli Kingdom is also the country with the Ying surname after Boyi. After the fall of the old country, our ancestors took Zhongli as their surname and the family has continued to this day."
"So my surname is Zhongli. Going back to Shuo, I have the same surname and ancestor as Qin and Zhao. Therefore, the county prince is very willing to help Qin."
"Hearing that General Xin and the military commanders were coming here, the county magistrate immediately decided to help the Qin army cross the river. This is also a tribute to our ancestors."
On the south bank of the Huai River, Zhongli Mei had a flattering smile on his face. He introduced the origin of Zhongli and Qin to the young general Qin in front of him, and pulled out a fig leaf for the surrender of County Duke Zhongli.
This tracing was directly related to one or two thousand years ago, which made Zhao Tuo find it very funny.
If we were still in the Western Zhou Dynasty, it would be okay if everyone met and showed their surnames to establish relatives.
The so-called surname, the surname is used to distinguish marriage by blood, and the surname is used to distinguish clan affiliation. When two people meet, they will know if their ancestors are from the same family as soon as they reveal their surname.
But when King Ping moved eastward, the Zhou Dynasty declined, and all the countries in the world conquered, even King Zhou was shot in the shoulder with an arrow.
For the princes below, who cares what your surname is and whether you are descended from the same ancestor? All you have to do is start a war to destroy the country and seize people's land. This is the world in the past when Confucius said that "rituals have collapsed and music has collapsed."
After the Warring States period, all the countries in the world did not care about this. Qin and Zhao had the same ancestors, both were countries with the surname Ying. The two sides fought with rivers of blood and corpses everywhere. At the time of the war, they only wanted to kill each other.
***, who would mention the relationship between relatives one or two thousand years ago?
Therefore, Zhao Tuo couldn't help but laugh when Zhong Lizhen tried to establish a blood relationship at this time.
But if you really think about it, Zhong Lizhen and Zhao Tuo both have the surname Ying. Counting it up, they are really the same ancestors.
In fact, Zhongli Mei was also very depressed. According to the agreement he made with the Qin army yesterday, Zhongli's side only needed to provide the food, fodder, clothing and boats needed by the Qin army, and the agreement was fulfilled.
The county official didn't even need to leave the city in person. He, Zhongli Mei, could just stand on the wall and watch the Qin army cross the Huaihe River. Then he would go out on a flying boat to capture the general, capture the Qin general Xin Wu, and achieve great success.
Unexpectedly, early this morning, before the Qin army started crossing the Huai River, they sent people to the city to put forward new demands.
Their military commander named Zhongli Mei, who had gone to negotiate the surrender agreement yesterday, and asked him to meet him in person.
Military Marquis?
It's not that General Pi Xin Wu, but the Qin Army Commander who appears out of nowhere and asks him to go see him by name?
Even though Zhongli Mei had been quite conceited about his own resourcefulness since he was young, now he couldn't help but be confused when faced with this strange request.
He secretly thought about his performance yesterday. He shouldn't have revealed anything. How could he be called out by the Qin people to see him?
"Mei, why don't we just say that you suffered from a cold yesterday and couldn't get sick, so you refused to be summoned by the Qin people."
Duke Zhongli was quite concerned about him and thought of an excuse for him to refuse.
Now that a big event is about to happen, he still needs Zhongli Mei, a wise man, to encourage and guide him. As soon as Zhongli Mei left, he felt so scared that he could not bear to send out the city again.
Zhongli Wei thought for a moment, but refused.
"No, this excuse is too forced. It will arouse the Qin people's suspicion or anger them. They haven't started to cross the Huai River yet. It would be bad if they miss important events because of this."
….
"I, Zhongli Mei, am just a mere villain. I don't think they will do anything to me. Don't worry, the county magistrate." Zhongli Mei replied at the time.
First of all, he was really afraid that if he didn't go, he would arouse the Qin army's suspicion, or anger the other party, which would ruin the matter.
Secondly, he was proud of his intelligence and courage. He believed that even if he entered the Qin camp again, he would be able to come out again. This was his confidence in himself.
Thirdly, even Zhong Lizhen was very curious about who the so-called Qin army commander was, why he would meet this little person by name, and what to do if he went to the Qin camp with him. This matter was really strange.
So Zhongli Mei came and met Zhao Tuo.
The young General Qin whom he still remembered so clearly yesterday.
Good guy, a military commander who is less than twenty years old, could he be an important minister of the Qin State?
His son, at such a young age, actually held such an important position in the Qin army.
Zhong Lizhen was full of doubts, but he was very honest in front of Zhao Tuo and could only wait on the side, waiting for Zhao Tuo's questions.
Although he prides himself on his strength, at this moment he only dares to bow his head and stand.
Because Zhongli Mei was unarmed, but the opponent was armed with armor and a sword, and there were many short soldiers following behind him. If Zhongli Mei made any move, he would probably lose his head immediately. Therefore, he could only pretend to be a flattering villain and chat with Zhao Tuo.
At this moment, I saw that a Qin army was already preparing to board the boat to cross the Huaihe River, and headed to Huaibei to explore the road and take the lead.
Zhongli Mei's heart tightened and he began to think of a way to escape.
"The villain comes from a humble background and is a subordinate of the county government. Today, I was summoned by the military commander to ask about Zhongli. I am not very honored and frightened. But the villain has always been timid. Seeing the mighty warriors and the outstanding armor, the villain can't help but feel...
I'm timid and my legs are trembling. If the military commander doesn't tell me, can you let me go? I thank you."
As he said this, Zhong Lizhen's legs really softened, and he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Zhao Tuo, looking like a timid servant.
The few soldiers behind Zhao Tuo couldn't help showing contempt, wondering why their military commander would recruit such a coward to meet him.
Zhao Tuo's face was indifferent.
The reason why he called this man out of the city early in the morning was to confirm whether this Chu man was the famous Chu-Han general Zhong Lizei in history.
Zhao Tuo always had a dangerous premonition in his heart. If this person was the conspirator Zhongli Mei, Zhongli's surrender might be a fraud.
Although he didn't know where the scam came from, after all, the most dangerous night had passed. But just in case, it was safer to keep him by his side. Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst.
Good for opportunistic actions.
Of course, if this person just has the same name and family name as the general, it would be fine, and it can be treated as entertainment on the road.
So is he?
Zhao Tuo ignored the other party's request to leave, but pointed to Zhongli City in the distance and said with a smile: "I once heard that in the past, when the State of Wu was still there, Zhongli City was a border town of the State of Chu.
The incident and the attack on the border towns of Wu State eventually led to a war between the two countries, and the King of Wu wiped out Zhongli, right?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Zhongli Mei was startled. From the corner of his eye, he had already caught a glimpse of a group of soldiers from the Qin Army getting on the boat and were about to row north. Time was getting tighter and tighter.
But at this moment, he had no choice. Facing Zhao Tuo's inquiry, Zhongli Mei had no choice but to ask to leave. He could only bite the bullet and said: "What the military marquis said was that this was a matter between Zhongli and Beiliang, a border town of Wu State.
.”
….
Zhongli Mei also heard what Zhao Tuo said from his father.
That happened during the time of King Liao of Wu. At that time, the state of Wu rose and bordered the state of Chu. Zhongli of the state of Chu and Beiliang of the state of Wu were adjacent to each other.
One day, a girl from Zhongli and a girl from Beiliang of Wu State were competing to pick mulberry leaves, and they refused to give in. What started as a verbal abuse between the two girls gradually evolved into a physical conflict.
Later, the families of the two girls arrived and started fighting on the spot.
Zhongli had a large number of people and destroyed the Beiliang girl's family.
After receiving the report, the Beiliang doctor of Wu State was very angry and sent his troops to attack Zhongli. He killed the girl Zhongli's family and also killed many Zhongli people.
When the King of Chu heard about it, he was furious on the spot. He sent the Chu army to attack Beiliang, showed the heads of the Beiliang officials to the public, and captured the Beiliang people back to the Chu State and made them slaves.
When King Wu heard about this, he was also furious. He sent a large army to conquer Chu and destroyed the two cities of Chu, Zhongli and Juchao.
At this time, the King of Chu was frightened by Wu's offensive, and quickly strengthened the city defense of Yingdu, not daring to retaliate again, and this matter was finally over.
Zhong Lizhen didn't know why the other party suddenly mentioned this matter.
Calculating the time, it would be almost three hundred years ago. Could it be that he wanted to show off his erudition in front of him?
But immediately, Zhong Lizhen was angered by Zhao Tuo's next words.
"The people of Chu are so courageous."
Zhao Tuo chuckled and said: "In the beginning, the two families were fighting over each other, but it was just a matter of dispute among the common people. The officials of Wu State led their troops to attack Zhongli, but they started a national war. The fault of this matter was clearly the fault of Wu State. How come the Chu State ended up in the end?
The Wu people destroyed two cities, but they bowed their heads to the Wu State."
"You think it's funny or not? Judging from this, Chu people are really cowardly."
In front of the people of Chu, do you say that the people of Chu are courageous?
Zhong Lizhen narrowed his eyes and clenched his palms.
But he still had sense, and with a flattering smile on his face, he continued to act like a villain and said, "That's what the military commander said."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Tuo did not let Zhong Limei go because of his response, but continued to pursue him: "What a pity, the King of Chu has no courage, and the people of Chu have no courage, but it is of no use, and in the end it makes the people of Wu look down on him even more.
"
"Tsk, tsk, but more than ten years later, King Helu of Wu led the Wu army to attack Chu. The battle was like breaking bamboo. In the battle of Baiju, he defeated the Chu army and entered the capital of Chu."
"The king of Chu Zhao abandoned the capital and fled, allowing the Wu people to indulge in wanton behavior in the Ying capital of the Chu state. They dug up the tomb of the king of Chu and whipped the corpse of the king of Chu. Such things are a strange story through the ages. Even today, it still makes people laugh when talking about it.
I can’t help it.”
Zhong Lizhen clenched his hands into fists and said nothing.
Zhao Tuo continued to increase the stakes step by step.
"I also heard that after the Wu people occupied the capital of Ying, their monarchs and ministers lived separately in the palaces of Chu monarchs and ministers, and each took the wife of Chu monarchs and ministers. The Wu people burned the ancestral temple of Chu State, and also removed the treasures and regulations of Chu State, so that
The former great power in the south and the overlord of the Central Plains has become the laughing stock of the world."
"In the end, I had to rely on Shen Baoxu to cry to the Qin court. I just moved in reinforcements from my Qin country, drove away the Wu people, and restored the state of Chu. Don't you think so? The people of Chu have no courage to go so far. It's really ridiculous.
!」
In front of the Chu people, he used his past national humiliation to laugh at him.
In this day and age, it is tantamount to insulting one’s ancestors and the country. Which man with backbone can endure it?
….
Although Zhongli Mei is resourceful, he is a military commander!
In the future, he will be Xiang Yu's fierce minister, a bloody and brave general, and a man full of heroism.
Not to mention that he has just turned 20, which is the age when men are in their prime.
In this case, if someone like Chen Ping faced Zhao Tuo's insult, he might have endured it and continued to smile and cater.
But how could he, Zhongli Mei, endure it!
Although Zhong Lizhen didn't dare to get angry on the spot because the opponent had soldiers and armor in hand and was short of guards, he could not help himself after all.
"The words of the military commander seem to make sense, but may I ask where the country of Wu, which defeated my Chu capital in the past, went?"
Zhong Lizhen held his head high, and the brilliance on his face was completely different from before.
Zhao Tuo's eyes lit up, and the other party seemed to be showing his true colors.
He smiled and said: "Of course they were destroyed by the Yue people. This has nothing to do with the Chu State."
Zhongli Mei sneered and said: "Yes, the Yue people destroyed the Wu State, but where did the powerful Yue State go during Gou Jian's time? In the end, it was not destroyed by our Chu people!"
"Yue destroyed Wu, and Chu in turn destroyed Yue. The Wu and Yue states mentioned by the military commander, no matter how powerful they were in the past, were not all annexed by our Chu state in the end. The land of Wu and Yue in the past is the land of our Chu state.
, all the people of Wu and Yue in the past were our people of Chu!"
"It doesn't matter if our Chu country is conquered by the Wu people and invades Yingdu. In the end, everything in his Wu country will be owned by my Chu country. The one who wins in the end is the real strong one!"
【In view of the general environment,
"The military commander should also look at the final result, not the momentary struggle. Just like in the past, the Qin State was not beaten by the Wei people and fled westward in a hurry, leaving the land west of the Hexi River, losing its elite soldiers, bowing its head and heading eastward. Now,
Speaking of which, it is worthy of ridicule. Not to mention what happened to Li Xin in the north of the Huai River, haha..."
Speaking of this, Zhongli Mei raised his head proudly.
He said he won!
Not only did he perfectly explain the question of who is the strongest between Wu and Chu, but he also used the national humiliation of Qin's defeat by Wei in the past and today's defeat of Li Xin to retaliate against the other party.
Didn't you see that the few soldiers standing behind the military commander had angry faces on their faces?
This is because he said it hurt his feet, and he was angry.
Zhongli Mei felt comfortable all over his body at this moment. Even if he died now, it would be worth it for him.
Aren't we just fighting for one breath in our lifetime?
If he wins, the other party will definitely be furious.
Huh?
Why is there something wrong with Zhao Junhou's expression?
Zhong Lizhen blinked, because Zhao Junhou opposite him was not only not angry, but looked at him with joy.
Those shining eyes were like seeing a peerless beauty.
The next moment, Zhao Tuo stepped forward and held Zhong Lifei's hand.
"Yes, yes, you are right."
Zhao Tuo smiled and agreed, looking at the other party with bright eyes.