Miserable shouts kept coming from inside a wooden house. Looking through the cracks in the wooden house, one could vaguely see two men tied to wooden stakes under the candlelight. Their bodies were covered in blood and flesh, and their dying expressions were full of pain.
,despair.
"Sir, it has been found out that someone knew that Zhang's uncle and nephew knew who framed Bai Yan, so they hired the murderer to silence him."
A man walked up to three men in silk clothes who were talking to each other and handed over his hand to report.
These two people were the ones who fled Qufu and killed Zhang's uncle and nephew. After arriving in Chu State, these two people were arrested and interrogated. Such a harsh and cruel interrogation meant that they were not telling lies.
It's a pity that Zhang's uncle and nephew were silenced before they could see Bai Yan!
"Have you found out who gave them fifty gold?"
A man in silk clothes asked. Seeing the servant shaking his head, the man came step by step with anger in front of the two men who were tied up and dying.
Looking at the two men whose bodies were covered in blood and flesh.
"For fifty gold, he killed the person! Do you two know who their uncle and nephew are?"
The man looked at the two men and was furious. Since they couldn't find out the real culprit, they could only rely on themselves to find out who framed Bai Yan.
"Kill these two people!"
The man said to the two burly men next to him, and then turned around.
The two men who were tied up were struggling weakly, their mouths full of pleading. When they saw the burly man approaching with a dagger, the two men's eyes were full of fear.
Teng County.
At this moment, on the streets of Teng County, the people coming and going are full of panic, and from time to time, you can see cavalry soldiers riding horses, galloping quickly on the streets.
In the mansion, Bai Yan was in the study, looking at the mountains and rivers inside the wooden tray.
"Who is the coach of Chu State?"
Bai Yan asked.
"General, this is Xiang Yan!"
Yanmao stood next to Bai Yan, reporting to Bai Yan and looking at the map. At this moment, Yanmao couldn't help but frown. According to expectations, the Chu army should have been attacking Xiaoju at this time, and Xue Yi was the one.
But the strange thing is that the Chu army has been standing still and seems to be in no hurry to recapture Qufu.
"Xiang Yan?"
Bai Yan frowned slightly when he heard the name.
It’s actually Xiang Yan!
Bai Yan never thought that the Chu State would send Xiang Yan as a general to lead troops to fight against him.
In the Chu State, Xiang Yan was the pillar of the state, and his status was second only to the King of Chu. He, Ling Yin, Mo Ao and others were all important ministers of the Chu State. Such a high-ranking and powerful person actually led troops to attack Chu Dong from the very beginning.
land.
This is really surprising.
"What to do General?"
Yanmao's expression was extremely solemn at this moment. Even Yanmao couldn't help but be extremely afraid of the name Xiang Yan.
"Since Xiang Yan won't attack, General, should we gather a large army to fight the Chu army and lure the Chu army across the river?"
Yanmao looked at Bai Yan and asked.
The more Xiang Yan stood still, the more worried Yan Mao became. In Yan Mao's eyes, whenever a general like the general stood still, he was not as simple as he appeared on the surface. He must have a conspiracy secretly.
"No!"
When Bai Yan heard Yanmao's words, he shook his head.
"Now everything has been arranged to guard against Chu's attack, and the grain, grass and baggage of each town have been prepared. Any movement at this time will affect the entire layout, which will give Xiang Yan an opportunity."
Bai Yan looked at the map.
Although it is not clear what Xiang Yan's intention is, if he attacks Chu State now, as long as he defeats Xiang Yan, Chu State will surely fall.
After Chu fell, Bai Yan could prepare to return to Qi.
Bai Yan would never allow this opportunity to destroy Chu to be lost. Bai Yan didn't want to wait a few more years.
"Is the Iron Armor Camp settled in?"
Bai Yan turned his head and looked at Yanmao.
Now, in addition to the traps set for the Chu army, Bai Yan has three biggest trump cards. One is the Chu nobles who instigated rebellion, and the other is the Iron Armor Battalion.
Different from Wei Wuzu, this iron armor battalion is a real iron armor. It is also a trump card that Bai Yan has spent several years of hard work and secretly prepared. It is also one of Bai Yan's confidence to attack Chu.
On the battlefield, a piece of iron armor is not only invulnerable to swords and can charge into battle, but more importantly, it can instill fear in enemy soldiers.
"Don't worry, general. We have already settled in Qiuyu. As long as the Chu army dares to cross the river to attack Xiaozhu and then Qufu, even Xiang Yan will not be able to return to Chu!"
Yanmao said to Bai Yan.
Now Qufu and all the roads leading to Qi are like pockets. If the Chu army dares to attack, they will not be able to leave.
As Yanmao finished speaking, a soldier came to the study with a bamboo slip and handed it to Bai Yan.
"General?"
Yanmao looked at Bai Yan and frowned at the bamboo slips, and asked worriedly.
"General Wang Ben is already at war with the Chu army!"
Bai Yan handed the bamboo slips to Yanmao, and then hurried to the hanging map. Xiaozhu didn't fight, Xue Yi didn't fight, and Pengcheng didn't fight. However, the Chu State sent another army of no less than one hundred thousand to go.
Fighting with Wang Ben of Jiao County.
Look at the map.
Bai Yan was a little confused, Jiao County!
"This is an attack on Wei!"
Bai Yan soon saw clearly the intention of the state. The state of Chu was planning to seize the land of Wei. Since Wei soldiers were transferred to Qufu by him, the state of Wei did not have many troops. It only had Pengcheng and Jiaocheng to defend Chu's entry.
Bai Yan's previous assumption was that if the Chu army wanted to seize Wei territory, the best option would be to attack Pengcheng. After all, compared to Jiao County where Wang Ben's army was stationed, Pengcheng had much fewer troops.
When the Chu army attacks Pengcheng, it will be surrounded by Jiao County and his troops in the rear. As long as it enters Wei, the Chu army will have no way out.
But unexpectedly, the Chu army directly attacked Jiao County and wanted to enter Wei from Jiao County.
In this way, the troops here in Qufu are beyond reach. Due to the long distance, once reinforcements are rushed, it is difficult to conceal their whereabouts.
"The State of Chu is not afraid that the State of Qin will send another large army to attack the State of Chu from Yingchuan and Nanyang County?"
Bai Yan was a little confused.
For some reason, Bai Yan had a vague hunch that since Chu State was attacking Jiao County, there must be some plan, and it was probably not as simple as Wei State.
Unfortunately, in Teng County now, not to mention Nanyang and Yingchuan, they are all far apart, and news cannot flow quickly at all.
"Yanmao!"
Bai Yan turned around and looked at Yanmao, watching Yanmao raise his head and look over the bamboo slips.
"I am leaving Teng County for a trip. This matter must not be known to outsiders. If the Chu army tries to attack, remember to show weakness!"
Bai Yan ordered.
Since the Chu State attacked Jiao County with the intention of capturing the Wei region, and then formed an encirclement force to force the Qin army in Qufu to leave, then Xiang Yan would never rush to attack Qufu, which he had already prepared.
Even if he attacks, it will be difficult for Xiang Yan to capture Xiaozhu in a short time, let alone Qufu and all the ambushes set for the Chu army along the way.
At the moment, Bai Yan is most worried about Daliang.
Although the Wei army surrendered, most of the Wei army generals had been sent to Xianyang. In addition to the previous efforts to win over the Daliang gentry and royal family members, Changping Lord should not be able to incite rebellion.
But just in case, Bai Yan was still a little worried and had to go see those nobles.
"promise!"
Although Yanmao was surprised that Bai Yan was leaving, he still nodded.
At night, as Yanmao left the study, Bai Yan held the bamboo slips and knelt down in front of the wooden table by the window of the study.
Relying on the light of the candle lamp, Bai Yan took a pen and ink and wrote on the bamboo slips.
As the main general in the battle between Qin and Chu, Bai Yan could only know the situation in Qufu and the wars in other places through the news. At the moment, when the Chu army attacked Jiao County, all Bai Yan could do was to trust Wang
Ben.
Different from when he attacked Han and destroyed Zhao, now Bai Yan, as the main general in attacking Chu, has more to do than leading troops on the battlefield, but appoints and trusts him.
Facing the Chu army and Xiang Yan, Bai Yan never intended to rely on himself alone, nor did he even rely on cavalry, side cavalry, Zan Shou, Zhong You and other generals, whether it was Wang Ben in Jiao County,
Or Meng Wu in central Guizhou, these are the powers that Bai Yan sees as destroying Chu.
Unfortunately, since I am not in Xianyang, I cannot know the actions of the Xianyang court.
Think of this.
In his reply to Wang Ben, Bai Yan looked thoughtful. After thinking about it for a while, he decided to write the following words.
"Although Wei has surrendered, there are still troubles..."
……………………
The next day.
Bai Yan got up early and put on black clothes. After washing, before having breakfast, he saw his cronies coming hurriedly to report.
Bai Yan was a little surprised when he learned that Ban Ding had brought three people outside the gate of the mansion, but after thinking about it, Bai Yan still asked his cronies to bring them in.
After a while.
Bai Yan was in the room and saw Ban Ding followed by three middle-aged men.
"Meet the general!"
When Ban Ding saw Bai Yan, he quickly stepped forward to salute Bai Yan, then turned around and introduced the three people behind him to Bai Yan.
"General, these three people are Peng Bo from Peng Ni City!"
Following Ban Ding's words, the burly-looking Peng Bo raised his hand to Bai Yan and saluted slowly: "Meet General Bai!"
"These two are the Zhongli brothers of the Zhongli clan, Zhongli Chuan and Zhongli Hao!"
Ban Ding looked at the other two men.
When the two men saw Ban Ding introducing themselves, they also saluted Bai Yan.
"Zhonglichuan, meet the general!"
"Zhong Lihao, meet the general!!"
Compared with Peng Bo, Zhong Lichuan and Zhong Lihao are a little thinner. It can be seen at a glance that they have been hanging out in restaurants all year round.
"Bai Yan!"
Bai Yan returned the gift with his hand, and was a little surprised that Ban Bing would bring these three people from the Chu clan here.
Thinking of this, Bai Yan looked at Ban Ding.
"General, these three gentlemen were in Qi State before, and they passed by along the way. They also heard that the general had a dream and found the Jiuding, so they wanted to pay a visit to the general."
Ban Ding looked at Bai Yan calmly and explained to Bai Yan softly.
Peng Bo, Zhong Lichuan, and Zhong Lihao also looked at Bai Yan at this time.
"Especially now in the Chu Kingdom, the King of Chu is unethical, killing his brother and killing good people, and appointing the treacherous minister Jing Qi, which makes the Chu Kingdom unpopular both inside and outside the court! I heard that the general had a dream, so I wanted to clear up the confusion!
"
Ban Ding raised his hand and said to Bai Yan.
Regarding the fact that the big tripod that Bai Yan sent to Xianyang was the Jiuzhou tripod, when Ban Ding learned the news, everyone was shocked, especially when he heard how Bai Yan found the Jiuzhou tripod!
Later, Ban Ding found out why Bai Yan was not worried at all when he told Bai Yan that the cauldron was fake.
It turns out that the tripod in Pengcheng at that time was really the Kyushu tripod.
"The three of you are visiting, Bai Yanding should explain in detail, please!"
How could Bai Yan not understand what Ban Ding said.
The sentence "Jing Qi is unpopular in the Chu Kingdom" is telling Bai Yan that these three people representing the Chu Kingdom's gentry came here because of Jing Qi's unpopularity, in order to know whether they can win the hearts of the people here.
'.
If it can win people's hearts, it will naturally be what people want.
In the main hall.
As they knelt down behind the wooden table, Bai Yan, who was sitting behind the master's wooden table, whispered what he had dreamed about in his dream.
Following Bai Yan's words, not to mention Peng Bo, Zhong Lichuan, and Zhong Lihao, even Ban Ding listened carefully and looked at Bai Yan in surprise.
“It seems that Qin’s acquisition of the Nine Provinces Cauldron is really a blessing from God!”
After hearing the whole process of how Bai Yan obtained the Kyushu Cauldron, Zhongli Chuan shook his head and sighed, and then looked at each other with Zhong Lihao and Peng Bo.
"If it weren't for God's instructions, how could I entrust General Meng to do so?"
Zhong Lihao also spoke, and then looked at Bai Yan: "I have often heard that the Qin State is cruel, the laws of Qin are harsh, and the King of Qin is even more cruel and unkind. Now that I heard that the general has a dream, it suddenly made us realize that right and wrong actions should be witnessed with our own eyes.
Only then can we tell the truth."
Zhongli Hao first complimented Bai Yan, and then took the opportunity to talk about the Qin Law of Qin, as well as the character of the King of Qin, and what he had seen with his own eyes. He asked Bai Yan both inside and outside his words.
Everyone in the world knows that the Qin State is cruel and the Qin laws are strict, and countless people say that Ying Zheng is cruel and unkind. If the Qin State defeats the Chu State, will those rules and regulations of the Qin State be transferred to the Chu State? Will Ying Zheng remember their merits and give them good treatment?
The status, power, and wealth of their Chu country (in front of them).
"Yes! How can ordinary people's words be heard!"
"No, only the general, who is an important minister of the Qin State, can know the good and bad, and the character of the King of Qin!"
Zhong Lichuan and Peng Bo naturally understood and agreed with each other with a smile.
Because before getting a reply from Bai Yan and the Qin State, even Peng Bo had a conflict with Jing Qi a long time ago and forged a grudge. Now that Jing Qi has gained power, the Peng family and Peng Bo are spending all day in the Chu State.
He was on tenterhooks, fearing that Jing Qi would take the opportunity to get rid of their Peng family.
But at the moment, Peng Bo didn't dare to rashly say that he wanted to help Bai Yan and the Qin State, which would cut off all his escape routes.
"In the past, there were disputes in the world, constant conquests, annexation of various countries, and sometimes the country was destroyed. In this way, Qin wanted to be strong, so it was governed by Legalism. Over the past hundred years, Qin was able to get rid of the weak and survive among the countries, but the strictness of Legalism
, it is also rare in the world, and it is difficult for the world to accept it, even if it is Bai Yan, it cannot be avoided!"
Bai Yan also spoke with a smile on his face and explained the reason.
Peng Bo, Zhong Lichuan, and Zhong Lihao all listened attentively. When they heard Bai Yan's explanation, the three of them couldn't help but nod. In fact, the Qin State had indeed become strong through Legalism, and now it was destroyed one after another.
Lose Han, Zhao and Wei.
"General Bai Yan, do you also think Legalism is strict?"
Zhong Lichuan looked at Bai Yan, raised his hands and asked, in fact, the most unacceptable thing about Qin is that Qin's laws are too strict.
They were born in the Chu Kingdom and their families owned fiefs, but they still preferred the Mohist idea. The etiquette was not as good as that of common people, and the punishment was not as good as that of officials. That is to say, only they, the children of noble families, could have it. Other common people could not have it.
qualified.
And even if they break the law, they cannot be punished.
This is a rule that has been handed down since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and is also followed by all the princes in the world, with the exception of Qin.
"If Legalism is not strict, how can it be called Legalism? In Qin, if one person makes a mistake, the whole family will be affected."
When Bai Yan heard Zhong Lichuan's words, he smiled and shook his head.
This made Peng Bo, Zhong Lichuan, and Zhong Lihao look happy. As long as Bai Yan agreed with them, that would be fine. As expected, even Bai Yan wanted to restore the Zhou Dynasty's rule of Confucianism and etiquette.
It seems that Bai Yan is also a person like them.
"However, now that all the countries are standing side by side and fighting for years, when the Qin State is determined to inherit the destiny and unify, the country cannot leave Legalism, and the people must become a strong country. Only when the world is unified and there are no more disputes can we choose
Its good governance!”
Bai Yan changed the subject and said to several people.
Bai Yan also told several people that it was not that the Qin State wanted to use Legalism, but that it could use Confucianism to govern the country now that there was no choice, or when the world was unified.
certainly.
This is definitely not Bai Yan's innermost thoughts. Although Bai Yan does feel that Legalism is harsh and ruthless, compared to the current Confucianism, Bai Yan would rather have Legalism.
The current Confucianism swears that the people are the first priority, the country is second, and the king is the most important. But in fact, it upholds the Zhou rites and disparages the legal system. It wants to punish the officials but not the common people.
Behind the saying that the people can be followed but not understood, it is revealed that Confucianism does not take the people into consideration at all.
If the current Confucianism is really applied, it is estimated that there will be countless ordinary people who have grievances but no lawsuits.
The Confucianism advocated by later generations is another Confucianism, and this Confucianism is not Confucianism!
In the main hall.
Bai Yan, who was kneeling behind the wooden table, looked at Peng Bo, Zhong Lichuan, and Zhong Lihao with hesitant expressions on their faces. They looked at each other, and finally nodded slowly. Bai Yan looked at Ban Ding calmly.
Looking at Ban Ding, who also had a thoughtful expression on his face, Bai Yan knew very well that the issues that Peng Bo and others were concerned about were not things that Ban Ding had always been particularly concerned about.
At the moment, Ban Ding also wanted to ask Peng Bo and the others.
Thinking that since Ban Ding could take the initiative to see these three people and persuade them to come to see him, Bai Yan was almost completely sure that there must be a force behind Ban Ding, but Ban Ding didn't want him to know about this force.
, or Ban Ding has his own ideas.
Bai Yan couldn't help but look at Peng Bo.
"In Peng Ni City next to Jiujiang, Peng Qi, the ancestor of the Peng clan, raised more than 6,000 clan soldiers. His son Peng Bo once had a conflict with Jing Qi. Peng Qi and Xiong You had a private agreement before."
When he first investigated the Chu State and later returned to Xianyang, he wrote the incident on bamboo slips and sent it to Ying Zheng. Therefore, Bai Yan always remembered this incident deeply.
Previously, Xiong You defeated Xiong Fuchu and succeeded to the throne as the new King of Chu. This meant that it was definitely impossible for Ban to have contact with Xiong You, and it was even less possible for Peng Bo to tell others such a fatal secret.