The Eternal Beauty of the City of Wealth

But Duke Zhuang of Qi refused to follow their advice and insisted on sending troops to rescue.

So he led his army through Wei State and headed towards Jin State.

Since Jin State focused all its energy on attacking Quwo, the eastern part was basically undefended.

As a result, the Qi army captured Chaoge of Jin in one fell swoop. Chaoge was the great capital of the Shang Dynasty.

After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou Emperor granted it to the Duke of Wei, but later Chaoge was taken away by the State of Jin.

After the initial victory, Jiang Guang laughed happily: "Hahahaha... Sister Zixuan! Can't I still win the battle without your help? Hahahaha..."

After laughing enough, he calmed down again. He always felt uneasy and insecure.

I still can't go to Quwo. If the main force of Jin attacks, I'm afraid I will be deeply trapped.

So he changed his mind and decided not to rescue Quwo. He divided his troops into two groups, one to attack Mengmen and the other to go straight to Taihang Mountain.

After a crazy looting along the way, Jiang Guang decided to move his troops back to the capital.

Cui Zhu and Yan Ying looked at Duke Zhuang of Qi's actions and said in their hearts, "Jiang Guang, who are you?"

Didn't they say they would send troops to rescue Quwo? Why aren't they going? They just looted a bunch of junk and are returning home?

Jiang Guang, ah Jiang Guang! Ugh! You instigated Luan Ying's rebellion, and now you're turning your back on her when she's in trouble.

You are such a capricious, treacherous, deranged little man! Psychopath!

Haha! Jiang Guang! I, Cui Zhu, will replace you and establish a new ruler sooner or later. What a joke! Pah!

Cui Zhu gritted his teeth in his heart and said hatefully.

In fact, Duke Zhuang of Qi sent troops just for show, one for Luan Ying to see, the other for Zixuan to see.

This time we looted so many supplies, which means we won a victory and returned triumphantly.

Just as Duke Zhuang of Qi was preparing to withdraw his troops, he was followed by General Zhao Sheng of Jin.

When Zhao Sheng discovered the Qi army, he immediately ordered a pursuit.

Duke Zhuang of Qi was horrified when he heard the news. He immediately sent Yan Lai, the son of Yan Gong, to cover the retreat, while he himself fled in panic with the main force.

After a fierce battle, Zhao Sheng defeated the remaining troops of the Qi army and captured Yan Lai alive.

The rulers of the other vassal states all sneered at Duke Zhuang of Qi's audacity to attack the territory of Jin, saying, "Haha, now even mice dare to use knives to kill cats..."

In fact, the State of Jin did not take the invasion of Qi seriously. They knew that Duke Zhuang of Qi did not have the courage to go further.

Therefore, Fan Qi still focused all his energy on attacking Quwo.

Fan Yang asked Tu Gai, "Father, why didn't you send troops to rob and kill the Qi army?"

Fan Qi laughed heartily and said, "Yang'er, before we can resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country."

"Let's concentrate our efforts on attacking Quwo and let the Qi army run wild. Let's see what tricks they can come up with!"

At this time, the various vassal states had different thoughts. The State of Wei watched helplessly as Duke Zhuang of Qi traveled through time on its own territory.

But he was so frightened that he dared not say a word, for fear that if he said something wrong he would anger Duke Zhuang of Qi and be killed in the process.

But the State of Song pretended nothing happened and never thought that the State of Jin would come to ask for help.

Consider whether to send troops to rescue, but for now, wait and see before making a decision.

The State of Zheng had already prepared chariots, food, and supplies, and was just waiting for the order from the State of Jin to rush to the front line against Qi.

The people of Lu are the most loyal. "Erase everything and sleep with you."

Without waiting for the alliance leader's order, Duke Xiang of Lu had already ordered Shusun Bao to lead his troops to station on the border between Lu and Wei to threaten the flank of the Qi army.

As long as the Qi army dared to continue to advance into the territory of Jin, the Lu army would take the initiative to attack from the side and rear.

Just as the Qi army was withdrawing from Jin, the Jin army finally captured Quwo.

Luan Ying died in battle and the Luan family was exterminated. Only Luan Yu escaped in the chaos and fled to the State of Song.

At this point, the entire Luan family was destroyed.

In the study of the wealthy palace, Zixuan listened to Qiwu's vivid narration.

This behavior of Jiang Guang added a bit of dissatisfaction and contempt.

Qi Wu said, "Your Majesty, Luan Ying is actually a good person. He just took the wrong path and chose the wrong person."

"The Luan family is a royal family of the Jin State. Throughout their generations, they have been known for their loyalty and bravery. Luan Zhi and Luan Shu were both renowned generals."

"Only Luan Ying's father, Luan Xi, had a bad temper and offended many people."

"But there doesn't seem to be any bad record, and Luan Ying is a young talent."

"Based on his abilities, he could have become a pillar of the country."

"But he was framed by his own mother's family and eventually died and his entire family was wiped out. It is really a pity."

Zixuan nodded: "I think his demise is related to the strategy he chose after being expelled."

"Yes, my king. I heard that he devised three escape strategies after being expelled."

"The first is to defect to the State of Chu, based on his rank and ability, plus the skills of his brothers."

"There is no doubt that he is highly valued in the State of Chu. Even if he is promoted to the position of Prime Minister of Chu, it would not be surprising."

"It's only higher than my status in Jin. Of course, Chu also has its own political struggles."

Zixuan nodded appreciatively: "Then what is his second strategy?"

His second strategy was to seek refuge in a country like Zheng or Song.

"Then I will secretly find someone to smooth the relationship with the State of Jin, hoping that one day I can return to the court like Fan Yang did."

"I have learned from Jin's spies that the father and son of the Fan family did not kill him completely."

"There's still a glimmer of conscience. If the person we entrust our affairs to is the right one, we can't rule out the possibility that the father and son of the Fan family will have a change of heart."

"Plus, there are many people in the Jin court who sympathize with Luan Ying."

"Even if it takes a little longer, it won't be difficult for Luan Ying to return to China."

"Furthermore, the rulers of Jin all had a tradition of self-reflection, and generally would appoint the descendants of their veteran ministers after a period of time."

"Both Duke Jing of Jin and Duke Dao of Jin did the same thing."

Zixuan nodded again: "Then what is his third strategy?"

Qiwu shook his head regretfully: "The worst thing he could have done was choose the third strategy."

Zixuan interjected, "This strategy is to defect to Qi and then meet Jiang Guang."

"Yes, Your Majesty. He should never have listened to Duke Zhuang of Qi and started a rebellion. Choosing to rebel is tantamount to choosing destruction."

"The agent reported that after the Luan family was destroyed, the territory of Quwo was redistributed."

"Wei Shu finally got Quwo as he wished, and once again proved the rule that 'betraying friends is the quickest way to get rich.'"

"Zhouxian was Luan Bao's fiefdom. He was implicated by Luan Ying and had it confiscated by Duke Ping of Jin."

"Zhao Wu proposed that this piece of land belong to him."

"The reason is simple. This land used to belong to Wendi, but now Wendi is his own territory."