Second possibility

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On the streets of Wei State, an unkempt old man with only his underwear on was sitting at the corner of the street with a jug of wine, surrounded by a circle of beggars.

The old man's eyes were cloudy and his voice was hoarse.

"I once polished the sharpest sword in the world with my own hands, and I broke it with my own hands"

"But I never regret it."

The beggars around only bragged when he drank too much, and laughed and wanted to snatch the jug of wine from him.

"Hey, what is your sword used for? The sword must have a name."

"So, you used to be a swordsmith? How did you become such a virtue now?"

As soon as the words fell, the beggars around burst into laughter,

As if he had never heard of it, the old man raised his head tremblingly, and raised the flagon upwards. There was a breathtaking light in his cloudy eyes, and he raised his voice sharply,

"As long as Wei Guo - ten thousand years!"

The beggars laughed even louder. Seeing that the old man was holding on to the wine bottle, they stopped thinking about getting started and scattered around clamoring with bowls.

"Let's go, let's go, you're so drunk that you still don't forget Wei Guo, what kind of person do you think you are?"

"It's a new day"

The beggars who were walking away did not see it. After a few moments, the sun rose, and a group of ministers in court uniform rushed over and carefully helped the old man onto a soft sedan chair.

In the 32nd year of Yuanfeng, King Wei Zhao, who was honored as Emperor Zhaolie by his descendants, died in his sleep after drinking. The whole country mourned, and the people cried for three days.

***

With the candlelight flickering, Qi Rang knelt and sat in front of the desk, which was the memorial tablet of King Wei Xiang, the founder of the State of Wei.

Different from the loving mother and strict father of ordinary people, Qi Rang's mother, the Queen Mother, treated him very harshly. On the contrary, Qi Rang's father, the hero who fought everywhere and shocked the world with Wei Jian, would take Qi Rang with him. Climbing trees and wrestling seems to be a naughty boy like him.

Later, I heard Uncle Qin who was next to the father say that it was because he looked exactly like his father when he was young, and his personality was also similar, so the father always favored him a bit.

The images of past and present lives were chaotic and noisy in his mind, and finally they were frozen at that moment.

The former king was good at fighting all his life, good at fighting, and finally died because of fighting.After being stabbed on the battlefield, his physical condition deteriorated day by day, and his waking hours became less and less. There was a depressive atmosphere inside and outside the court.

Until one day, the late king opened his eyes, and seemed to regain his spirit. Regardless of the imperial physician's obstruction, he got up and dragged Qi Rang and his younger brother Qi Lian to the ancestral hall.

That was the most stern face of the always gentle father.

At that time, Qi Rang seemed to have had a premonition of something. Kneeling in front of the tablet of his ancestors, he looked at his tall father who had turned gray at some point. He almost ran away in fear, but his knees were firmly nailed to the original place. land.

It was a long paragraph, but Qi Rang remembered it verbatim until now.

Father said,

"At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the royal power declined, and the princes rose together. Wei Wengong occupied Yizhou, sent troops to the north, and swallowed more than ten princes and princes. This is the beginning of Wei. Wei covers a vast area but is remote, and the national power is weak. Kanggong was the country of the Central Plains Underestimated, the Northern and Southern Qi and Zhao invaded the territory, and the Wei State was defeated one after another. Duke Kang made an oath in blood in the capital, that he would rather die in battle than surrender. The people of the country strive forward, from the old man in his sixties, down to the boy of Zongjiao, The whole country is a soldier.

After the death of Duke Kang, Duke Zhuang reformed the law to strengthen the country. When Duke Hui came to the reform, he proclaimed himself king.Later, it was passed by Jin Gong and Shan Gong.Wei Guo is one of the only three heroes left in this troubled world.

Ranger, you have to remember that the land under your feet was created by the painstaking efforts of the past lords of the Wei Kingdom and the bloody battles of several generations of Wei people.From now on, I will hand over the Kingdom of Wei to you, and you will move forward to level the Central Plains and rule the world. "

The look in his father's eyes made Qi Rang feel like a thorn in his back for more than [-] years, until his death in the previous life.

Purge the Central Plains and rule the world.

Just eight characters, exhausted his whole life.

In his previous life, he worked hard for the country and the people, without any regrets or hatred, so why did he have to do this all over again?

People around him are still fresh and immature, but he walks alone like an old man.Just because he knows everything that will happen in the future, he knows that there is a dead end everywhere around him, and he also knows that the people around him will leave him one by one sooner or later.

So why, let him relive this oppressive and difficult life again, let him experience this parting and lonely life again?

Suddenly, there was a sound of steady footsteps outside, and the door was knocked lightly three times.

Qi Rang let go of his hand with bulging veins, closed his eyes, suppressed the unceasing surge of unwillingness in his heart, exhaled with difficulty, and opened them again, his eyes were clear,

"Enter"

Li Yan, the servant, bowed and walked behind Qi Rang, "Your Majesty, there is a military report from the front line, Mr. Xiangguo has been standing outside the door for two hours."

"What day is the twelfth lunar month?"

"Back to the king, the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month"

In the third year of Yuanfeng, the destiny has just revealed its terrifying side, and all the chaos has not yet begun.

Qi Rang got up slowly, behind him Li Yan wanted to step forward to help, Qi Rang waved his hand.

After kneeling for a long time, he staggered a little. He stood there for a while before walking towards the door.

Pushing open the door, it was already dark outside.

Not far away, a young man wrapped in a blue cloak was standing in the snow with his head bowed. The palace guard behind him held a lantern in his hand, adding a bit of warmth to that thin and pale face.The man felt the movement of the palace people saluting behind him, so he raised his head. When he saw Qi Rang, he seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and hurried forward.

Wei Xiang, Qi Yuan.

Qi Rang took a few steps forward, waited for someone to stand in front of him, stopped his salute, took the hand warmer prepared for him from the palace man behind him, and stuffed it into the hand of the person in front of him. Bearing forbearance so that he could not see the slightest abnormality on his face at the moment, he smiled and said,

"It's my fault that Xiangguo waited for a long time."

Qi Yuan raised his eyebrows with a smile, and slipped the stove into his sleeve, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compassion."

Qi Rang couldn't deny it, and changed the subject.

"Xiangguo came here this time because of General Chu's attack on Lu?"

"Wang Shang Shengming"

Qi Rang walked forward, watching the palace people light up the palace lanterns on the corridor of the main hall one by one. It is not known when this war will end, but even the Wei Palace, which is always brightly lit, is starting to save.

Qi Yuan followed behind Qi Rang half a step away, and seeing that Qi Rang did not speak anymore, he asked tentatively, "General Chu wants to ask for food and grass, and he invaded the capital of Lu State in one fell swoop. I heard that the king has been pressing it down?"

Qi Rang, who suppressed his smile, spoke indifferently,

"Since the time of the first king, the Wei State has been fighting for years, and the people have been shrinking their clothes and dieting all the year round. The food collected is directly transported to the front line before it is sent to the granary. Where is the food and grass coming from at this moment?"

Qi Yuan's expression became serious,

"The art of war says that soldiers are precious and fast. This time, General Chu won a great victory all the way. Before the Lu State could react, he should catch them all. The food and grass will be dragged down for a day, and the battle will become urgent. Why is your majesty retreating at this time?"

Qi Rang asked back without flinching,

"The state of Lu and the state of Wei are fighting, and the state of Qi is watching the fire from the other side. When the state of Lu is taken down, the Wei army is exhausted. How can it compete with Qi?"

Qi Yuan stopped,

"The Qi court is in turmoil at this time, and it is too busy to take care of itself, and the national power has been weak for a long time. Where does the king worry?"

The government is in turmoil and the national power is weak. Listen to the evaluation of Qi Guo by the people of this world.

The two confronted each other, and Qi Rang was so mocking in his heart that he was on the verge of laughing out loud.

He turned his head to look at Qi Yuan, who still had a young face. If another ten years passed, Qi Yuan would be keenly aware of the secrets involved, and then he would make plans thousands of miles away.

But now, he is still young, and Qi Yuan is also young. Qi State has been lurking for decades, using the countries as the flag, the world as the chessboard, and laying out a net of heaven and earth. The only one who notices something is wrong is Chu Zhao who is currently fighting outside. , but none of them believed him.

But it's too late to stop now.

Seeing that Qi Rang stopped his voice and showed a mocking face, Qi Yuan became more and more suspicious, "Your Majesty?"

Qi Rang changed the subject,

"Do you know who Qi Xiang is now?"

Qi Yuan nodded, "Xun Ren"

"Then have you read Xun Ren's conspiracy theory in his early years?"

"The next step is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and the second is to attack the city."①

Qi Rang nodded, "That's right."

Qi Yuan still doesn't understand,

"My humble minister is dull, please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

A mocking smile flashed across Qi Rang's face, his voice was as light as a feather, but it sounded like thunder when it fell on Qi Yuan's ears.

"There is no problem with words, but if they are widely publicized, there will be problems."

In a world of great contention, who doesn't want to win the world, and it is a problem in itself to convince others that they are unwilling to use troops because of their strategy of seeking friendship.

The State of Qi keeps saying that it is best to seek diplomatic relations, and it looks like its national power is weak. It seems to have been shrunk to a corner, but it has been recharging its energy for decades, and its wealth is flowing.

Like a tiger and a wolf lying on the side, waiting for Wei and Lu to fight each other, the two show weakness, and then swallow the two countries in one fell swoop, pointing the sword at the world.

They are rich, and those who are rich have no food and grass in their previous lives. Qi Rang, who watched 20 Wei soldiers being starved to death, was about to die of jealousy.

Qi Yuan saw that Qi Rang became silent again, his mind was spinning rapidly, recalling the information from Qi State in recent years, seeing that Qi Rang didn't intend to send him away, he bit the bullet and asked,

"What is your majesty going to do next?"

Qi Rang lost his patience and looked up at him,

"Is the widow raising you for nothing?"

Qi Yuan coughed twice, a little embarrassed.

Qi Rang waved his hand,

"You go back first, think about it before you come to see the widow."

Then with his fingers, he gently touched a branch of wild plum that was protruding from nowhere on the wall, and watched Qi Yuan salute and leave in the snow.

In fact, there is nothing to think about, because Qi Rang knows exactly what will happen next,

Jingzhou was destroyed and Qi Lian died.The Qi State sent troops to attack Wei, and Chu Zhao led the army to resist. The strength of the two sides was very different, but Chu Zhao seized more than ten cities in Qi State. In the end, due to insufficient food and grass, he was trapped in the city, and 20 Wei soldiers starved to death. Wanma fled back to Wei State, but was killed by Qi Rang at the junction.

In exchange for the truce agreement with Chu Zhao's head, the Qi State will not believe what it said within a month and raise its troops to attack again.

One piece after another, one chain after another, I was forced to abandon everything to support it.

Qi Rang clenched his hands tightly, and the plum blossoms fell on his palms, and then drifted away with the wind.

He heard a voice in his heart asking, Qi Rang, do you really have no regrets?

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①From "Sun Tzu's Art of War: Conspiracy to Attack"