Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 132 Ma Ling
In the twenty-seventh year of the Emperor's reign,
The Central Plains is generally stable.
Only the State of Wei was in great sorrow.

Because in this year,
The King of Wei used the fact that Han refused to come to the previous meeting at Fengze as an excuse to send troops to attack and seize Han's Southern Liang.

Han was defeated and asked Qi for help.

The Duke of Qi originally wanted to agree directly. After all, Qi loved to beat up Wei and seize its hegemony.

But Zou Ji secretly pulled the sleeve of the Marquis of Qi, and after the Marquis of Qi asked the Han envoy to withdraw first, he advised, "Now is not a good time to send troops!"

"The struggle between Wei and Han has not yet consumed too much of the two countries' strength. If Qi goes to support them, it will face attacks from the Wei army, which will result in more sacrifices. Han is not willing to pay too much."

"It is better to delay for a while, and wait until Han can no longer bear it and Wei has suffered heavy losses in attacking Han, then send troops over!"

The Duke of Qi immediately said:
What a bad idea!
This really makes me happy!
So Qi State sat on the sidelines and watched the fight between the two tigers. Only after Han State repeatedly sent envoys to ask for help and promised huge profits did the Duke of Qi reluctantly agree.

Subsequently,

The Duke of Qi then sent Tian Ji as the chief general, Tian Ying as the deputy general, and Sun Bin as the military advisor.

The State of Wei sent out Prince Shen and General Pang Juan.

……

"Why are they the same pair of enemies again?"

Sitting in the sky on a cloud, He Bo conjured up a piece of melon. While lamenting the battle happening on the ground, he did not forget to share it with the dead ghost Shi Shen beside him.

Just this autumn, 65-year-old Shi Shen exhausted himself to death.

The reason is that after he completed the "Astronomy" and improved the calendar, his reputation spread far and wide, and farmers everywhere praised his merits.

So Shi Shen became arrogant and, despite his old age, he insisted on going to Qi State to show off his achievements to his old rival Gan De.

As a result, Gan De also wrote a book called "Star Classic". When he saw Shi Shen's proud look, he took it out and struck down his arrogance.

By the way, he also introduced his favorite disciple to Shi Shen.

Shi Shen first read the "Star Book" and found that it was similar to what he had written, except that there were a few stars that he had not discovered.

As for the disciples, they do have some skills, much better than Shi Shen.

The old man immediately became weak and degenerate, and left the State of Qi.

On the way back,

The old man was getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about it.
He patted the car and said, "How dare Gander know more than I do!"

"Damn it!"

"My disciples are no match for Gander!"

"Looks like I have to go out!"

He must find more stars to relieve his anger!

then,

Regardless of his age, the old man went hiking and stargazing again.

Finally, after an autumn rain, he fell down on the mountain. He lay in bed for a while, feeling angry and sad, and depressed himself to death.

He Bo picked up the old ghost and comforted him, "Don't worry, Gan De is definitely not as strong as you!"

The old man, still immersed in his own world, asked, "Which aspect?"

"He didn't die earlier than you!" He Bo said with confidence.

Shi Shen was so angry that he wanted to chase and beat him.

But in the underworld, how is it possible to offend ghosts and gods?
The old man failed in his pursuit and sat on the ground, wiping away tears without any manners. "I have to endure bullying when I am alive, and I have to endure bullying again after I die. How can this be!"

The doctor next to them was touched, and the two old men hit it off as soon as they saw each other, and they started crying while hugging each other.

He Bo could only continue to comfort Shi Shen, "You just died, how can you understand the beauty of death!"

Shi Shen didn't listen at all and was already on the spot trying to summon Gan De's soul.

The main theme is "If I die, you won't be able to live either."

So, He Bo had no choice but to stretch out his invisible big hand, grab Shi Shen, and lift him up to the sky in an instant, telling him that after becoming a dead ghost he could ride on clouds and mist to the sky, and his eyes would be restored to the state of his youth, so he could see the stars more clearly!
Shi Shen tried it and found that it was true, so he stopped summoning the soul and instead wished Gan De to live as long as possible.

"I will bear the pain of death alone! Gan De just needs to live to be a hundred years old, and when he is old and can't move, and can't see, and can only lie in bed and baa!"

"..." He Bo stared wide-eyed and didn't dare to speak.

This old man is really fussy about every little thing!
While Qi and Wei were fighting head-on on the ground, He Bo took Shi Shen to the sky as ghosts and continued to watch the stars.

Shi Shen took the melon and started to eat it, then said to He Bo:
"I met Pang Juan when I was in Daliang."

"He's even more petty than me!"

Pang Juan was arrogant by nature.
Because he was jealous of his fellow apprentice Sun Bin's talent, he found a way to trick him into the State of Wei and broke his legs.

Fortunately, the envoy of Qi State was sent to visit Wei State. He realized that Sun Bin was a talented person, so he found a way to put him on the car and took him back.

After returning,

The envoy recommended Sun Bin to the Marquis of Qi:
I found a talent in Wei State, Your Majesty!
He really wants to go home with me!
The Duke of Qi tested Sun Bin and after confirming that he was indeed capable, he immediately appointed him as a doctor.

In the fifteenth year of Emperor Tianzibian's reign,
Sun Bin served as a military strategist and helped Qi win the Battle of Guiling. He led the drama of "Besieging Wei to Save Zhao" and captured Pang Juan alive.

However, the conflict between Qi and Wei at that time had not yet reached the point it is today. After Wei paid a certain price, Pang Juan was finally released.

When the Duke of Qi heard that Pang Juan was among the generals sent by Wei, he released Sun Bin.

After all, after the blood feud,

Sun Bin evolved into Pang Juan's nemesis, and he was able to hit every target accurately.

"Alas, Wei State..."

Shi Shen therefore predicted that in this battle between Qi and Wei, the latter would most likely fail again, and he sighed.

Thinking about it again, the King of Wei continued to use Pang Juan after the Battle of Guiling and did not learn any lessons. He sighed again, "Alas, King of Wei..."

He Bo asked, "Why are you so worried? Do you want to help Wei?" Shi Shen curled his lips and said, "I'm already dead, why would you help me?"

"How can people be as beautiful as stars?"

"Besides, the King of Wei and Pang Juan have both reprimanded me!"

In order to study astronomy and stars, Shi Shen once asked the King of Wei for funds. However, the King of Wei, who had just built a palace for him, refused and said that he was wasting money.

After the Battle of Guiling, when Wei was defeated, the feud between Pang and Sun was exposed and spread. Shi Shen also lamented:
You reap the consequences of your own actions.

The crime of one person can implicate an entire country!
When Pang Juan heard about it, he sent people to Shi Shen's house, smashed it up, and almost burned the old man's hard work.

Now that the other party is about to suffer again, Shi Shen can only say one thing:
What a death!

Seeing him like this, He Bo didn't say much.

Then the god and the ghost sat on the clouds and looked up at the stars, while the little people on the ground were fighting each other.

Shi Shen occasionally glanced down and said, "Pang Juan is too arrogant!"

Under the command of Sun Bin, the Qi army implemented the strategy of reducing the number of cooking fires to lure the enemy. Pang Juan did not doubt it at all and followed them directly like a chicken pecking at rice.

Because of the power of the ghosts and gods, Shi Shen could still hear Pang Juan's men dissuading him, "Our confrontation with the Qi army wasn't fierce, and there weren't many corpses left on the battlefield. Yet, their cooking stoves are decreasing rapidly. Is this normal?"

"I'm worried that this is a trick by the Qi army to lure the enemy. There must be an ambush behind!"

Pang Juan didn't care at all and only thought about chasing Sun Bin, his greatest enemy in life.

"How could I not know Sun Bin's talent!"

"He is just a common man. He defeated me once with conspiracy, and then secretly occupied the court of the Marquis of Qi and became a famous and wise man... I have great contempt for this person in my heart!"

"Since I have met him this time, I will go and eliminate this villain for the Duke of Qi!"

The subordinates thought helplessly:
If Sun Bin was just a figurehead, then what about the Battle of Guiling?
Then why did you, General, try to break his legs, making him disabled and unable to serve in the government?
Ugh!
Arrogance and selfishness had blinded the commander's eyes and ears, making him unable to listen to his own suggestions at all.

The Wei army will definitely suffer another defeat in this pursuit!

The men withdrew and found the retainer whom he had brought to the battlefield. He held his hand and cried, saying, "I am a retainer of Wei. Now I must fight to the death for Wei. You have never received the grace of the King of Wei. You can leave the battlefield."

"Please return to Daliang now and tell my relatives to hold a funeral for me!"

The retainer said, "Pang Juan is determined to do what he wants. What does that have to do with you?"

"Since you are worried about an ambush ahead, please come back with me!"

The subordinate wiped his tears and said, "Since I have gone to war, I must obey the orders of the commander-in-chief; since I have enjoyed the grace of the monarch, I must defend the monarch against the enemy!"

"Two years ago, Mencius came to Daliang. I once sought to see him and received his guidance, which taught me the principles of loyalty and righteousness."

"There is not much benevolence and righteousness in the world now. I am willing to be a loyal and righteous person!"

So his subordinate dictated his last words and asked his retainers to take them back.

after that,

The Wei army, under the command of Pang Juan, continued to advance until Maling.

The narrow passage was cut off,
Countless arrows poured down from above.

On the barkless tree, blindingly white in the night, it was written:
"Pang Juan died under this tree!"

Hearing the roar of war, and seeing that he could not escape, Pang Juan just laughed, "I was careless today, and I actually let a common man become a famous general!"

finished,

He was shot to death by arrows.

On the other hand, the retainer rushed back to Daliang overnight and gave the master's last words.

After saying this, he rushed back to the battlefield to follow his lord.

The mistress cried and tried to persuade him to stay, "What's the point of going now?"

The retainer said, "The master has received the kindness of the monarch and is willing to die for him."

"Since I have received the kindness of the master, how can I let him go to the battlefield alone to fight the enemy?"

So he rode his horse back to Ma Ling, where the situation had calmed down.

Among the countless dead in battle, he found his lord.

The retainer kowtowed beside him, then uttered a mournful cry, "I am too late!"

finished,

He drew his sword and committed suicide.

The bodies of the two men were lying on the ground, not far from the barkless tree.

　This chapter uses a story from the Spring and Autumn Period:

　　A man went to the battlefield and lost his weapon, but picked up someone else's and got lost from the main force.

　　So he simply went home and met a farmer on the way.

　　The soldier told the farmer about his situation, fearing that he would be punished for running away.

　　The farmer consoled him, “The weapon is still in your hands. You are returning only after completing your service.”

　　Then the soldier continued walking and met another nobleman, and told him the same story.

　　The noble said, "How can your weapons be the same as others'? You can't be a deserter!"

　　So the soldier returned to the battlefield and died in battle.

　　The nobles saw him return to fight and rushed forward with their chariots, saying, "I can't let a gentleman die alone!"

　　The nobles also died afterwards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)