Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 115 Duke Xian of Qin

In the spring of the seventh year of Emperor Zibian's reign,

Qin Jun, who fell ill in the winter, gradually recovered in the warm spring.

He felt the aging of his body and the loss of vitality, and glanced at Crown Prince Qu Liang who had just been crowned not long ago.

Then, the King of Qin announced again that he would personally lead an expedition against the State of Wei.

He has no time.

He must fight for more space for the future of Qin!
He wants to take back the destiny of Qin.

Hexi!

then,

A war broke out again between Wei and Qin.

At this time, the State of Wei was immersed in the internal strife of the Three Jins and busy fighting with Zhao and Han. It did not respond in time to the fact that it was suddenly attacked from all sides.

Wei Houying could only hastily arrange for Prime Minister Gongshu Cuo and Crown Prince Si to guard Shaoliang, an important city in Hexi.

There is a prince in charge,
The Prime Minister assists,

Wei Houying thought there should be no problem.

But he did not expect that the 62-year-old King Qin would personally lead his army to attack Shaoliang.

After learning that there were Wei's second and third in command in Shaoliang City, the Qin army's attack became more fierce.

Qin Jun said in person, "I don't care how many casualties there are! I will kill Liang!"

He arranged most of the troops to besiege Shaoliang, and sent a small part of the troops to the banks of the river to snipe at the Wei army that was crossing the river to support.

Shaoliang was isolated and helpless, and the situation was extremely critical.

But in the end, Gongshu Zao still found a way to send the crown prince away.

He took the Crown Prince's hand and said, "I am the Prime Minister of Wei, and the commander of this war."

"If you catch me, Qin Jun should be satisfied."

"But you are the crown prince of Wei, the future marquis of Wei. You cannot be captured by the Qin people and accept such humiliation!"

"Please leave quickly. I will try to delay the Qin people so that they won't come looking for you!"

The Crown Prince was very moved by what he heard.

Then he eagerly climbed onto the carriage and ran away with a team of elite soldiers.

Gongshu Zhuo then put on armor himself and led his army to fight against the Qin people. After being defeated, he was captured and escorted before the King of Qin.

The old King Qin sat in the upper seat and smiled and greeted Gong Shuzao, who had refused to see him that year, "Prime Minister Wei, how are you?"

Gongshu Zao just smiled and said, "I am in good health, but I wonder how is Qin Jun's health?"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Qin Jun indeed coughed a few times, and there were some bloodstains on the handkerchief covering his mouth.

Qin Jun calmly put away the handkerchief and said to the people around him, "Prime Minister Wei is an old friend of mine from the Wei Kingdom. We must treat him with courtesy."

"After this war, Qin will have to get rid of the situation of being belittled by the princes of the Central Plains. We can no longer give them an excuse to mock us as barbarians!"

He waved his hand and asked someone to take Gong Shuzao away.

then,

Qin Jun suddenly bent his body, started coughing violently, and vomited blood.

Prince Qu Liang, who came with the army, stepped forward quickly, "Father!"

He stroked his father's back with concern and helped him lie down in a comfortable position.

Qin Jun said with a pale face, "Don't worry, I know my health very well, and I can go back to Qin to rest."

Prince Qu Liang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with tears in his eyes.

Qin Jun asked, "During this time, you have been following me. Have you learned anything?"

Prince Qu Liang replied, "I know the deployment and preparation required for war, as well as the handling and coping during the war."

Qin Jun asked again, "Many people died in this war. Are you afraid of war because of this?"

The prince shook his head.

So Qin Jun told him, "You are not afraid, that's good."

"In such a chaotic world, if you don't start a war, someone else will."

"The Qin State has finally recovered to the point it is today, and we cannot allow ourselves to be humiliated again!"

"For many years to come, only war can keep the Qin State alive and strong!"

"My father's body is no longer able to fight. This battle is the last thing I can do for you. You have to walk the rest of the way on your own and do better than I did. Do you understand?"

Prince Quliang held his father's hand and cried, "I know, son, I know."

……

Soon afterwards,

The State of Wei sent an envoy to redeem Gongshu Cuo.

After several rounds of negotiations, Qin finally released Gongshu Zhuo, and Wei ceded the important town of Pangcheng and surrounding small towns as ransom.

Wei Houying was unhappy because of this.

Although he won the war against Zhao and Han in the east, and restored the glory of Wu Hou in a trance,

But because of the disastrous defeat at the hands of Qin in the Battle of Shaoliang, the outcome was evened out and the happiness was gone.

Wei Houying thought:
We must speed up the pace of moving the capital, otherwise Anyi will definitely be affected if it continues to live next to the Qin State!

This time, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Wei were surrounded in Shaoliang City. Next time Qin crosses the river to attack Anyi, they will surround the Marquis of Wei!
How can this work!

Thinking like this,

Wei Houying issued another order, urging the officials responsible for repairing the new capital.

As usual, Wei Yang wrote down Wei's new decree and then went to welcome the "priceless" prime minister home.

"It seems that the Prime Minister has not been treated harshly by the Qin people."

Wei Yang met Gongshu Zao and said to him.

Gongshu Zao said, "The King of Qin treats me with great courtesy and does not allow others to treat me harshly."

Wei Yang said, "The Qin people are good at enduring hardships and wars. Therefore, even though Qin lost Hexi in the past few decades, it was still able to cause trouble to Wei."

"The current King of Qin is wise and talented, and the Qin State will soon become strong."

Gongshu Cuo remained silent.

He looked at Wei Yang, who was becoming increasingly cold and sharp, and admired his talent in his heart. However, because he was captured in the Battle of Shaoliang, he was worried that Wei Houying would dislike him.

If he recommended Wei Yang to become the minister of the Marquis of Wei, would the Marquis of Wei distance himself from him?

Gongshu Zhuo thought so and gave up the idea of recommending Wei Yang. And Wei Yang didn't care about it.

In his opinion, the State of Wei had lost the possibility of competing for hegemony.

After Wei Houying moved the capital to Daliang, he was able to make friends with the princes in the Central Plains, but the land in the west was destined to be lost.

The Qin State continued to encroach and expand. By that time, how could the Wei State resist?
It was only after Gongshu Zhuo came back that he repeatedly asked him about the characteristics of the Qin people's combat and how brave they were on the battlefield.

Gongshu Zhuo just felt that this person was mocking the fact that he was captured, so he didn't want to recommend Wei Yang anymore.

And wait till everything is over,
When the leaves fall in autumn,
Qin Jun is finally leaving.

He summoned his sons and ministers so that they could hear his final orders and regrets.

Prince Qu Liang held his father's hand and stood beside him.

The King of Qin said, "After I leave, Qu Liang will be the new king. You must do your best to assist him."

"Yes, sir!" All the ministers bowed and kowtowed to the prince.

Then, the King of Qin said to his eldest son Ying Qian, "I hope that as an elder brother, you can assist your brothers and not let the chaos of the four generations of Qin happen again!"

Ying Qian kowtowed and swore that if he had any other intentions, he would be torn into pieces by five horses.

Qin Jun believed him.

At last,
He asked his successor, "Ying Quliang, I am handing the Qin Kingdom over to you today. Will you protect the Qin Kingdom and make it stronger?"

Ying Quliang knelt down and said with tears in his eyes, "How dare Quliang betray my father and king!"

Qin Jun nodded, and finally said weakly:
"When I first ascended the throne, Qin had just gone through four generations of chaotic politics. Its national strength was depleted and its prestige was lost. Among the princes, few respected Qin."

"Now, Qin's national strength has been restored and its national prestige has been enhanced."

"Logically, there should be no regrets."

"But there are so many things I want to do, and my life is coming to an end."

"The Qin State has not yet completely recovered the old territory of Hexi."

"The new land in the Western Regions has not yet been fully developed by the Qin State."

"But I...I can't see it..."

Qin Jun struggled to grab the hand of Prince Qu Liang, and held it with his last bit of strength, "Qu Liang, you must fulfill your father's wish, understand?"

Ying Quliang burst into tears and just kept nodding his head.

With the consent of his son, Qin King Ying Shixi went into exile in Wei at the age of ten, returned to the country and succeeded to the throne at the age of forty. He reigned for more than twenty-two years. During this period, he opened up trade routes in the Western Regions, stabilized the country internally, and centralized power to expand the territory. Then he passed away.

The new king and his ministers evaluated his achievements and finally posthumously named him "Duke Xian of Qin".

He is knowledgeable and capable,

Hui Er Ned is the offering;
The wise and the sage have saints to offer;

Offering wisdom and intelligence.

then,

The life of Qin Xian Gong Ying Shixi has come to an end.

The whole Qin state was in mourning.

The ringing bronze bell spread the news throughout the world with its deep and long-lasting sound.

Tian Zibian was very sad.

The other princes were delighted.
The monarch who revitalized the Qin State finally died.

And Wei Houying was obviously the happiest one.

He held a night-long singing and dancing celebration in the palace and decided to move the capital to Daliang the next year.

In Anyi City,

Wei Yang observed quietly, looking forward to the performance of the next Qin king.

In Luoyi,

He Bo, who had finally crawled out of the mountains of books and oceans of history, also got the news.

Before he had time to feel the joy of conquering Yishui and finally taking root on the south bank of the river, he immediately became sad.

"I once went fishing with him by the Sushui River in Anyi."

"When he escaped from Anyi and returned to Qin, I was the one who rowed the boat and took him to the river."

"This Duke Xian of Qin and I are friends."

He Bo felt a little regretful.

He thought that if he went directly to the Qin State, he might be able to capture the other person's ghost and let him enjoy his life after death.

but now,

The news spread everywhere.

It's too late.

Although he was very old, Taishi Dan, who had not yet died, was still wrapped in his clothes to resist the chill of late autumn.

He asked the ghosts and gods, "Will the ghosts and gods also feel sad because of the life and death of people?"

He Bo sighed and said, "The birds flying in the mountains and the fish swimming in the water will miss the trees and rivers, let alone me, a ghost who can run and jump?"

So Taishi Dan comforted him, "The life and death of people is the law of heaven and earth."

"All who live must die, and all who are young must grow old."

"Just like me."

Taishi Dan pointed to his sparse hair and said, "It turned from black to white, and then fell out like this."

"Maybe this winter, I will be buried under the loess and go to see my teacher."

He Bo had been with the old historian for a year and was reluctant to leave him, so he asked Taishi Dan, "Do you really not want to go to Haoli?"

"No."

Taishi Dan still refused.

The old man has always insisted on his principle of "following nature".

Since he was not born, he had no perception of the human world or the heaven and earth.

Then after his death, he should have no perception of the human world or the universe.

It is enough to live until now in this troubled world.

There is absolutely no need to continue to add to your own suffering after death.

Even ghosts and gods can't do anything to him.

Who made Taishi Dan Laozi's disciple?

(End of this chapter)