"General, last night General Huipu was worried that the Chu army would set up an ambush at night and it would be difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy during the battle, so he did not lead his soldiers in pursuit. Just now, General Huipu ordered someone to send news that the Chu army was already heading towards Qi State."
A general came to the top of Qufu City, beside Bai Yan, and handed over his hand to report.
Bai Yan nodded when he heard this. He was not surprised when he heard that HP did not pursue him deeply at night, but ordered people to block the road going south. This was also the best choice. It would make it difficult for Jing Xia, a veteran of the Chu State, to see HP's purpose and think that they Qin
The army did not expect that the Chu army would dare to go to the territory of Qi.
The reason why Jing Xia, the old general of the Chu State, wanted to leave at night was obviously because the Qin army would not dare to pursue him deeply.
"General, everyone has left."
Not far away, Mang heard a soldier coming to report. Then after the soldier left, he turned around and walked to Bai Yan, cupped his hands and said.
Talking room.
He couldn't help but look outside the city, looking at the people from the family he saw last night.
Last night, I could see that the general took great care of the people of that family, to a degree far exceeding that of other noble families in Qufu, and the old lady seemed to have a close relationship with the general.
"Just leave, I hope they can stay away from the war!"
At this moment, Bai Yan also saw the carriages of the Gongyang clan leaving the city gate, along with a few servants and maids.
Decades ago, his young grandmother received his kindness in the Lu Mansion. Decades later, he repaid the debt he owed her.
Just like he told the name of the Gongyang clan last night, when faced with the old lady's inquiry, his name was Bai Yan. In front of the old lady, he did not hide anything or hesitate at all.
"Xiao He."
Bai Yan suddenly spoke.
Xiao He, who was standing nearby, heard this and turned his gaze from outside the city to Bai Yan.
"Starting today, I will hand over all the food, government savings, money, luggage, and all the household registrations that will be sent to Yanmen over a period of time to you, and you will allocate them all!"
Bai Yan turned his head, looked into Xiao He's eyes, and spoke softly.
Seeing Xiao He's pupils trembled, full of surprise and at a loss, Bai Yan knew that Xiao He obviously did not expect that he would make this decision.
"You only have a month at most. When the news of Jiuding spreads all over the world, it will be a time of war in Qufu. The Chu people will not let us cut off the road to Qi, and they will definitely take it back at any cost.
At that time, the food, grass and baggage of the entire army will need your care."
Bai Yan looked at Xiao He and said.
The reason why Chu and Qi are retreating now is that they did not expect that the Qin army would attack Qufu so early, and they would still use a large army composed of Wei people. Chu State had no time to mobilize enough troops to face Qin and Wei at the same time.
Two large armies broke the siege of Qufu.
The second is to wait for news from Jiuding, attack Bai Yan from the temple, and achieve victory without fighting. In the worst case, Bai Yan will be confused by the incident in Xianyang of Qin State and make mistakes.
More than 100,000 Chu troops have gathered in the south, and with the mobilization of other Chu gentry, the number of Chu troops is continuously increasing. Once Jiuding is sent to Xianyang, the news that it is not the Song family and Song Ding will spread to Chu.
They will definitely react and take back Qufu when the time comes.
This period of time is the time left for Xiao He to adapt.
The food, fodder and baggage of the more than 200,000 troops needed Xiao He to get hold of them as soon as possible.
"General, Xiao He may not be able to handle such an important matter!"
When Xiao He heard Bai Yan's words, he greeted Bai Yan with fear and uneasiness, and for the first time, his face showed panic.
Everyone on the side was shocked by Bai Yan's decision. He knew that the general valued Xiao He, but he didn't expect that the general valued Xiao He to such an extent. This large army was about to fight, but the general was able to provide food, grass and baggage for the entire army.
Leave it to Xiao He.
With doubts, he couldn't help but look at Xiao He. After a few breaths, he still didn't see anything different about Xiao He.
"I appoint you because I trust you!"
Bai Yan looked at the panicked Xiao He, but he himself was very calm.
What Jin Gong and Mr. Wei once said in the past are still vivid in Bai Yan's mind. Looking at Ying Zheng's troubles now, it is clear that a scholar, no matter how many books he has read, may not be an official, let alone
Can become an official.
An official who manages a township may not necessarily be able to manage household registration and population allocation in a county, let alone a county with so many cities.
Further up is the country.
Later, Xiao He was able to go from being an official to managing a county, several counties, and finally the entire world in such a short period of time, a territory larger than that of the Qin State today. Even after Xiao He's death, the successors of the country's prime ministers remained the same.
Governing the world follows the rules set before Xiao He's death.
There is no doubt about Xiao He's talent. Moreover, Xianyang is collecting grains and millets from all over the Qin State and sending them to him. Xiao He only needs to get the grains and millets and make overall plans.
Bai Yan believed that Xiao He could do well and do better than him and Xun Shuo.
Before the news of Jiuding comes, Bai Yan will spend all his energy on Chu State and continue to follow the original plan to eliminate all Chu State's chances of winning bit by bit.
I don’t know if my uncle’s place is ready.
"General..."
Xiao He looked at Bai Yan who left after saying that. He stood there a little helplessly, looking at Bai Yan's back. Bai Yan's words echoed in his mind. Xiao He felt pressured, and inexplicably, the passion of his youth resurfaced in his chest.
.
The ambition and arrogance of his youth have been smoothed over the years. After so many years, Xiao He, who is now in his thirties, once again feels the throbbing in his heart.
Qufu City.
In the Jing family's mansion in the city, the sound of female musicians floated. All the noble men in Qufu City knelt and sat behind the exquisite wooden tables. During the singing and dancing ceremony, the eyes of each man were naturally looking at the wonderful appearance of the female musicians.
.
The youngest of these noble men are all in their thirties, and the oldest ones have gray hair, but these do not hinder the appreciation of the beauty of female musicians.
Perhaps just a few days ago, they often admired it together with the generals and generals of Chu State.
But everyone at the moment understood it and never mentioned what happened at the beginning.
After a long time, as the servants hurriedly ran to report to Mr. Leng, Mr. Leng got up and hurriedly walked out of the main hall.
Seeing this scene, the other noble men looked at each other, knowing that Bai Yan must have come, so they all stood up and looked outside the main hall.
really.
Not long after, Mr. Leng and Bai Yan, who had met once that night, entered the main hall under the gaze of everyone.
"Meet the general!"
"Meet the General!!"
One by one, the men in silk clothes bowed their hands to Bai Yan.
Bai Yan also bowed his hands and nodded to everyone, and then at the invitation of Mr. Leng, he came to the top wooden table on one side and knelt down.
A table of fine wine and delicacies has been set on the wooden table.
"I have heard about the general for a long time, but when I saw him today, it was indeed extraordinary. We are here to pay a toast to the general!"
After Mr. Leng sat on the table, he took the lead to lift the wine cup on the table. After taking a look at everyone, he looked at Bai Yan, held the wine cup and said.
After finishing speaking, he smiled, holding the wine glass in one hand, covering the front with the other, and drank the wine.
This can also be seen as the difference between the gentry and other people. Although the Zhou royal family has perished, many of the etiquette of the past have not only been passed down, but have also been recognized by the upper-class gentry.
Just like when drinking alcohol, you need to cover the front with sleeves and robes. This is the most popular and most important thing among the nobles. It seems that only in this way can the difference between them and ordinary farmers and common people be reflected.
"It's true that Bai Yan has troubled Leng Lao and spent a lot of money today. I would like to thank you all for coming here and drinking with Bai Yan! This is Bai Yan's luck."
Bai Yan also picked up the wine cup and drank. After drinking the second cup, he said to Mr. Leng and the noble men in the main hall, lowering his status very low.
As the saying goes, a person with ability and status will be sought after by others, but only by being humble can he stay awake, go further, and be respected by more people.
Therefore, even if Bai Yan knew that if Qufu had not been captured by the Qin army, these people would have had no choice but to surrender to Qin unwillingly. Bai Yan knew but did not say that these people needed safety, and Bai Yan needed time and Qufu.
of stability.
Everyone has what they need, so it's better for everyone to get what they want than to fight each other.
"I heard that the general is from Qi~!"
After a few polite drinks, Jing Leng, as the host, took the lead in looking at Bai Yan and asked with a kind smile.
When the Qin army entered the city, it was naturally impossible for the major noble clans to do anything because of Bai Yan's attempts to appease them. Therefore, more or less, they were trying to find ways to build a good relationship with some Qin army generals.
Bai Yan is Qi Ren's matter, and basically everyone in the main hall already knows about it.
Therefore, it was not rash for Jing Leng to speak.
"Yes! Since the general is from Qi, why doesn't he serve in the country of Qi?"
The head of the Tu family, Tu Suichu, who was in his fifties, couldn't help but look at Bai Yan curiously when he heard Jing Leng's words.
The Qi people served the Qin State, and also helped the Qin State attack Zhao and Wei. Such actions are indeed puzzling. Since ancient times, talented people have always liked to help the weak defeat the strong in order to show their own abilities. Why did Bai Yan do so well for Qi?
People, but want to go to Qin.
The people who wanted to help the Qin State were all without exception, those who were famous throughout the ages, such as Shang Yang, Zhang Yi, and Fan Ju. These were all forced to go to the Qin State because their talents were not found in their mother country, or they were persecuted.
This made Tu Suichu and others a little curious. Could it be that Bai Yan was being persecuted like those people?
"Master Tian Dingtian is known as a virtuous and famous minister in Qi State. If General Bai has been unfairly treated, you can tell Tian Ding. I am sure Tian Ding will not let the culprit go."
At this time, Xia Houyan also looked at Bai Yan, Leng Lao and others, hesitated, and agreed softly.
In fact, in the eyes of all the nobles, after learning that Bai Yan was from Qi, they now wanted Bai Yan to leave Qin and return to Qi even more than they did from Qi.
After all, compared to the Qin State, the Chu State is the place where they are based, and right now, the one who is helping the Qin State lead the army to attack their Chu State is Bai Yan, a native of the Qi State.
They even wished Bai Yan could turn around and return to Qi to help Qi attack Qin.
This is beneficial to them.
Therefore, they thought that if Bai Yan had encountered some injustice or something and was just grudged against him and did not want to return to Qi, then they could tell Tian Ding that Tian Ding's reputation was obvious to all. In addition, Tian Ding
There is no need to worry about the identity, status, and power in Qi State, Tian Ding cannot make the decision.
"It's okay not to mention the things of the past, but if you are here today, I should get drunk and sing, drink with you, and enjoy all the happiness in the world!"
Bai Yan heard a few people's inquiries and looked at the curious eyes of others. He didn't explain anything and just said with a smile.
When everyone saw this, they could only give up in anger. Since Bai Yan didn't say anything, they were probably overthinking it. It must be possible that Bai Yan went to Qin because of his personal ambitions, and it was not like Shang Yang was almost killed or Zhang Yi was killed.
He was slandered for stealing jade, and Fan Ju was humiliated for his talent.
"please!"
"please!!"
With disappointment, everyone had no choice but to pick up the wine glasses and drink with Bai Yan.
Jing Ling was actually a little disappointed. He thought he might be able to understand Bai Yan through conversation, but he didn't expect that Bai Yan seemed unwilling to tell others about the past.
………………
Linzi Palace of Qi State.
Bang~boom~boom!!!
Outside a room, the palace maids and eunuchs were listening to the movements in the room. Everyone was trembling with fear. They could all hear that the king was venting his grievances in the study again.
"Why? Why can't Bai Yan's origin be found yet?"
In the room, Qi Wangjian, who was already very old, felt a little dizzy after smashing everything. He was obviously very angry.
Concubine Li came outside the room with the tonic soup. When she saw the maid and the eunuch, she looked scared. Then she asked her personal maid to guard the door and entered the room alone.
"Your Majesty! It's time to drink the broth!"
Concubine Li looked at the bamboo slips scattered on the ground and the overturned wooden table, and finally came to Qi Wangjian with a wooden plate in hand.
Looking at Wang Jian of Qi who was livid with anger, Li Fei was not afraid at all. Instead, she just stood there, as if she wanted to use her hands as wooden table legs and the wooden plate as the tabletop.
"My beloved concubine!"
Qi Wangjian shook his head and rubbed his forehead. No matter how angry he was, when he saw the appearance of his beloved concubine, he didn't want to vent it on his beloved concubine.
"Your Majesty, are you still worried about General Bai Yan?"
Concubine Li asked, looking straight at Qi Wangjian with her beautiful eyes.
Ever since King Jian of Qi learned that Bai Yan of the Qin State was from Qi, he had been thinking about how to win Bai Yan back to Qi all day long. From the excitement at the beginning to the trembling, to the excitement later, he was impatient, and then experienced a long journey.
The waiting, the anxiety after getting nothing.
With the news about Jiuding, it undoubtedly completely ignited Qi Wangjian's anger.
Jiuding was the most precious treasure in the world given to Qi by the Zhou royal family. Logically speaking, it belonged to the Qi royal family. But what happened...
News spread from Surabaya that someone had encountered Jiuding, and then Bai Yan led his troops south. Bai Yan only used three thousand cavalry to take Pengcheng away from the Chu general Huang Ye, who claimed to be equal to Li Mu. More importantly, Bai Yan
Under the command of Chu general Huang Ye, there were also thirty thousand elite soldiers from the Chu state.
Bai Yan was originally a famous general. After learning that he was from Qi, Qi Wangjian thought about him day and night. Now that Bai Yan is becoming more and more outstanding, Qi Wangjian longs for him even more.
However, the news about Bai Yan was not found, so Qi Wangjian still had to watch helplessly, thinking about Bai Yan day and night, and sent Jiuding to Qin and to Ying Zheng.
This made Qi Wangjian feel so good.
"Your Majesty, let's eat something first. I cooked it with my own hands. My hands are still a little sore..."
Concubine Li pretended to look pitiful, and her look in her eyes made King Qi Jian unable to express his anger.
"Someone is coming!"
King Qi Jian wanted to call the maid in, but he never thought that when he opened his mouth, he saw Concubine Li's resentful eyes.
"Your Majesty~!"
In the end, under the gaze of Concubine Li, although Wang Jian of Qi had no appetite, he couldn't bear to look at his beloved concubine all the time. He just held the wooden tray and could only pick up the hot soup and drink it one mouthful at a time.
At this time, a palace guard hurriedly came outside the room.
"Your Majesty, Lord Tian Ding has sent a secret message!"
The palace guard reported the incident outside the room.
Then a eunuch took a roll of bamboo slips from the palace guard and turned around and came to the room.
"News from my clan brother!"
When King Jian of Qi heard the news that it was his clan brother Tian Ding, he was very excited. He was very eager to read the news, but he didn't know where he put the bowl in his hand. Finally, he looked at the wooden plate in Concubine Li's hand.
Qi Wangjian bent down directly, put the soup on the ground, then stood up and took the bamboo slips from the eunuch's hand.
Concubine Li was already used to this scene, so she didn't find it strange at all. Instead, she looked at Qi Wangjian curiously and looked at the bamboo slips in Qi Wangjian's hand.
"What, fake tripod?"
Qi Wangjian suddenly looked stunned and his tone was full of surprise.
Concubine Li placed the wooden tray on the ground, and finally couldn't help but be curious. She came to Qi Wangjian's side and looked at the bamboo slips quietly. After a while, Concubine Li's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise after reading the bamboo slips.
did not expect.
What Bai Yan sent to Xianyang turned out to be a fake tripod, not the real Jiuding.
Just when Qi Wangjian was about to say something, suddenly another eunuch hurried into the study.
"Your Majesty, it's not good, Your Majesty! Qin Prime Minister Wei Zhuang has been assassinated!"
The eunuch said with a pale face.
After hearing the eunuch's words, not to mention King Jian of Qi, even Concubine Li, their expressions suddenly changed, and Wei Zhuang was assassinated! How is this possible? Not to mention that Wei Zhuang himself had followers and Qin soldiers to protect him, even Qi State also sent people
protected.
After all, Wei Zhuang was the prime minister of Qin.
However, now they were told that Wei Zhuang was actually assassinated in Linzi City. How could King Qi Jian and Concubine Li believe this?
"Brother? No, it can't be brother. Assassinating the Prime Minister of Qin is a disaster. It can't be done by brother. It's a Chu person!!!"
Qi Wangjian murmured in a panic. Qi Wangjian had a vague hunch in his heart that this matter must be closely related to the Chu people.
"Your Majesty, it's better to let Mr. Tian return to Linzi as soon as possible. The Prime Minister of Qin has been assassinated. This matter is by no means a trivial matter!"
Li Fei suddenly thought of something at this time. After she stabilized herself, she hurriedly suggested to the panicked Qi Wangjian.
"Yes! What my concubine said makes sense! We must ask our clan brother to come back immediately to handle this matter!"
After hearing this, Wang Jian of Qi finally realized whether it was the clan brother who ordered someone to do it. He will find out if the clan brother comes back.