Chapter 24 Why a truce? It stands to reason that the Yong Kingdom treats each other as distinguished guests, and the diplomatic missions from all countries should have equal status.
But judging from the position where these people stood when they greeted the king of Yong, we can almost know how powerful their country was.
Standing at the front was the Chu delegation.
The Chu State uses the phoenix as its totem, which is good at farming and fighting. Although they have come a long way, they are all full of energy, hold their heads high and cannot be underestimated.
After the Chu State Mission, there was the Wei State Mission.
Among the seven kingdoms, Wei was the first to reform and become stronger, and it was even divided into three kingdoms, Han and Wei envoys like to wear white and white collars and black and dark clothes. They look majestic and energetic, and they are all talents who can help the world.
Jiang He followed Zhao Zheng's footsteps and walked into the palace, but her eyes kept searching inside the Wei mission.
Where is Wei Ji? Where is Wei Ji? Didn't Zhao Zheng say that he was not dead?
Since he is not dead, why is he not in the envoy to meet the King of Yong? The Wei delegation was led by a pretty woman, about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a dark red Jiang He guessed correctly, this was Wei Ji's sister, Wei Zipei.
Wei Zipei was born into a noble family and was currently the only royal princess in the Kingdom of Wei who was ready for marriage.
Perhaps this time she went on a mission to Yong with her brother, and she had the intention of choosing a son-in-law.
Zhao Zheng's footsteps stopped in front of the Wei delegation, his expression showed some concern, and he said warmly: "I heard that Mr. Wei has escaped from danger, but I can't see him today."
According to Su Yu, the commander of the Wei army, Wei Ji had returned to the embassy alone.
I heard that he stayed behind closed doors and refused to see guests. I wonder what he was doing.
Su Yu said that he wanted to investigate, but Zhao Zheng thought that he would know the answer by just asking, and he could also use this to express his concern for the Wei mission.
What Zhao Zheng asked was also what Jiang He wanted to know.
Wei Zipei behaved appropriately and saluted Zhao Zheng, and replied neither arrogantly nor humblely: "Brother was shocked to hear about the death of his friend a few days ago. He suffered from eye disease due to grief. I am sorry for missing your banquet."
It turned out to be the case.
Young Master Wei Ji had a lot of friends, so the death of a friend should be very common.
It would be too vulnerable to suffer from some kind of eye disease because of this.
Zhao Zheng nodded slowly, then walked into the hall and took a seat.
Under the spotlight, he didn't notice that Jiang He's movements were a little stiff.
She knelt down and thought about Wei Zipei's words over and over again.
Shocked to hear about the death of a friend...suffering from eye disease...
Is that "friend" her? Is it because I came to Kyoto and met the Qi envoy and heard that she was dead? Could it be that the eye disease he contracted due to shock was blindness?
How is Wei Ji?Is anyone taking care of him? The main hall where the envoys from the five countries were hosted was brightly lit, and the ceremony officials loudly sang out the gifts and dedications from each Zheng thanked him with a smile, and the host and guest toasted together. Songs and dances began, music sounded, and music and music were heard, and the guests and guests enjoyed themselves.
But Jiang He just wanted to leave here.
Leave here and go to the embassy where Wei Guo is accommodated.
She sat with her eyes lowered, dignified but confused.
The various meals during the banquet were cooked by the imperial chef who was brought to the palace, but even so, Zhao Zheng still did not move the dishes.
It’s just that I can’t help but drink wine.
Today's wine is brewed by the Queen Mother herself to express gratitude and welcome.
The Queen Mother's mother's family was good at making wine from millet and was famous far and wide.
The delegations from the six countries raised their glasses to express their gratitude.
Jiang He saw that the Korean monarch Han An, who was sitting opposite Zhao Zheng, couldn't help but drink it all in one gulp.
The maid knelt down to pour wine for them. Jiang He subconsciously picked up the wine glass, but Zhao Zheng held her hand and looked next to Jiang He.
Zongjun, the chamberlain, stood there and took the lead in picking up the wine cup and drinking.
He is the official of the palace's food bureau, the person who serves the king and the queen, and he is also the person who tests poison for Zhao Zheng.
It is said that Zongjun knows all kinds of poisons by tasting all kinds of herbs. Even if the poison is diluted ten thousand times, he can taste it.
Whether in the palace or outside, Zhao Zheng will use it only after Zongjun has used it without any problems.
After Zongjun finished drinking, he nodded, then took a step forward and knelt down, pouring wine from the same jug for Zhao Zheng and Jiang He.
This is the only way to be foolproof.
After three rounds of drinking, some people began to talk about state affairs during the dinner.
The first person to speak was not the powerful Chu State, but Zhao State, which had been defeated by Yong State and killed 45 troops.
The envoy of the Zhao Kingdom first let out a long sigh and then said: "The fine wine of Yong Kingdom is indeed well-deserved. Wouldn't it be better if there were no wars among our seven kingdoms and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment and could drink and have fun every day?"
This is to use wine to accuse Yong Guo of being warlike.
Zhao Zheng's expression remained unchanged. He held the wine glass lightly and drank slowly. His face was as cold as a knife, as if he hadn't heard anything.
The strong never bother to reason with the weak. No matter how you appeal and defend, they will hit you if they say they will.
"So it turns out that Zhao Guo doesn't like fighting?"
The envoy of the Yan State who lives on the northeastern border said: "At that time, your three families were divided into Jin Dynasties, so you didn't think about peace and tranquility with a truce."
Yan State and Zhao State are adjacent to each other, so there is inevitably some this time, he made a sarcastic statement, pointing out that Zhao Guo had participated in the destruction of Jin State.
At this time, the atmosphere at the banquet was tense. At this time of anxiety, the Chu State envoy did not act as a peacemaker, but took the opportunity to laugh at Yan Guodao: "They are all dressed like bears. Do the barbarians from the Northeast have the nerve to start a quarrel?"
The State of Yan lives in the far north and does wear some thick clothes.
Unexpectedly, Chu people were sharp-tongued, and the palace immediately became chaotic and seemed about to start a quarrel.
Jiang He looked at them with his forehead raised.
Let's make a quarrel, it's better to flip the table and start a fight, until the face is bruised and no one recognizes anyone, so she can take the opportunity to sneak out.
But after all, these people only talked but didn't do anything. After arguing for a while, a clear and soft female voice suddenly asked: "In the opinion of the elders of each country, how can the seven Chinese countries come to a truce?"
The person asking the question was Wei Ji's sister, Wei immediately attracted everyone's attention as she sang like a bird.
When the envoys saw Wei Zipei blinking his big eyes and looking at him respectfully, they immediately lost their tidied their clothes a little sheepishly and sat upright.
However, no one answered Wei Zipei's words.
What caused the 500-year war?
It is narrow-minded and optimistic, and it is because as a noble family that governs the country, they have to expand their territory and plunder resources to feed the people.
Why a truce?It’s not that no one has thought about it, but they can’t get the answer.
Zhao Zheng, who was sitting next to Jiang He, raised his head slightly and looked around.
For the first time since the banquet started, he was interested in one thing, and that was how the missions from various countries responded.
How they answer will mean how their king thinks.
If you know how a king thinks, you will know the direction of the country.
After a long time, Han An, the half-drunk King of South Korea, raised his head and said: "According to what I see, if the seven countries want to have a truce, they must implement benevolence and righteousness from top to bottom, and educate the world with benevolence and virtue."
Can there be a truce if we practice benevolence and righteousness? Many people in the room shook their heads.
The envoy of the Chu State coughed slightly and said: "According to what I see, the kings of the seven countries should choose the strong to be respected. If there is a war in the other countries, the strong will make the decision. Only in this way can the disaster of war be avoided."
This sentence caused the Yan State envoy to sneer: "The strong are respected? What a loud tone!"
Jiang He thought about the distance between Yan State and Chu State, and was very convinced that Yan State dared to provoke so many times because he felt that it was far away and Chu State could not fight.
She couldn't help but smile, Zhao Zheng's eyes fell on her face with a hint of doubt.
At this time, someone asked Wei Zipei: "So according to the princess's opinion, how can the seven kingdoms achieve a truce?"
Jiang He also raised his head and looked at Wei Zipei.
When he was in the state of Wei, he often heard Wei Ji say that he had raised this sister with his own hands.
Then her views may have come from Wei Ji's words and deeds.
Wei Zipei's face showed the pride of a girl, but she pretended to be humble and said: "In my humble opinion, if you want a truce among the Seven Kingdoms, there must be the word 'checks and balances'."
Wei Zipei stood up slowly, her arms sliding smoothly in front of her, and she said with a graceful and solemn expression: "The so-called 'checks and balances' means that the seven countries are afraid of each other and dare not fight, and cannot fight. For example, Yong Guo is afraid of Zhao. Wei formed an alliance, so it called a truce; Chu was afraid that Yan was far away, so it called a truce; Qi was afraid of retreating and had nothing to defend, so it called a truce; as for Wei, it was surrounded by heroes, so it called a truce. In this way, everyone is afraid of others. If people are afraid, they will not fight.”
It turned out to be the case.
This is the application of the emperor's art among various countries.
Only Wei Ji's sister could have such a broad vision, weigh the pros and cons in a few words, and say so much.
Some people in the audience gently touched their palms, some cheered loudly, and some even raised their wine glasses to salute Wei Zipei from a distance.
But Wei Zipei looked around and landed on Jiang He.
"I want to ask Queen Yong for advice. Is this what I said?"
Jiang He, who was watching the excitement, was mentioned and turned to look at Wei Zipei.
The little girl's eyes were full of hostility, and she didn't know what was going on.
Jiang He looked at Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Zheng was still sitting upright, as if he didn't care how Jiang He answered.
Forget it, I just know that the princess of Qi is not good at horoscopes, and people come to her for discussion wherever she goes.
Jiang He looked at Wei Zipei, shook his head and said, "Not good."
Wei Zipei's face turned red instantly.
Jiang He continued: "Not only is it not good, it is even more idiotic. Is Yong worried about Zhao Wei forming an alliance? Don't you know that Yong can unite with Yan and South Korea to attack Zhao Wei? Is Chu worried about Yan being far away? He can use Qi to attack Yan, as long as the land and people are promised, the royal family of Qi will be very happy; Qi is afraid of retreating and has nothing to defend? My mother country is rich in food and grass and has thousands of islands. No matter how bad it is, it can still be defended for ten or eight years; as for your Wei State, surrounded by heroes Do you want to change your ways first to get stronger, just to survive? The princess is young, I believe that even if your brother teaches you the word 'checks and balances', it doesn't mean this."
The Dongzhu mask in front of Jiang He's forehead obscured her expression, but her voice was clear and melodious, and she spoke the "elegant language" understood by these countries, which immediately made everyone in the envoy change their expressions. Voice.
South Korea was shocked that he was actually useful, Yan State looked at Chu State in fear, the Wei State envoy was embarrassed and excited, and the Yong State Minister behind Jiang He couldn't help but look up at Jiang He.
Their expressions were complicated, and a light flashed in their eyes.
The original objection to the marriage between Qi and Yong was because he was afraid that the monarch would be bewitched by the princess of Qi, which would affect the overall plan.
Who knew that this princess was so wise and intelligent, she could be a help to the king.
In the palace that was stagnant due to shock, Zhao Zheng suddenly asked: "In the Queen's opinion, how can we quell the war that has been going on for 500 years?"
Jiang He smiled faintly, looked up at the hesitant expressions of the envoys, and replied loudly: "Stop the war with war! Fight until the strong annex the weak, fight until the winner annihilates the loser, fight until only one of the seven kingdoms is left, One of them is the Son of China, the Nine Provinces Divine Dragon!"
The six kingdoms are destroyed, and the remaining strong one becomes the king! With a "click" sound, the cup in Zhao Zheng's hand fell to the ground.
His lips parted slightly, and he stood up in the silence of the envoys who were stunned by the idea.
Dongzhu covered her face and shook slightly, while Zhao Zheng tried to see Jiang He's eyes clearly.
There seemed to be a surge of water in his heart, hitting the rugged rocks together and playing a passionate war song.
"Jiang He," Zhao Zheng's lips moved slightly, and his voice was so low that only the woman opposite could hear, "Jiang He!"
There was a lot of noise in the palace. Some people agreed, some refuted, and some took the opportunity to say that the Yongwang royal family was too warlike.
But only Zhao Zheng stared at Jiang He's face.
He knew every arc on this face.
But he still couldn't help but watch, couldn't help but suddenly opened his arms, and embraced Jiang He in his arms in full view of everyone.
"Jiang He, Jiang He!"
He called her name in her ear.
It seemed that what Jiang He just said was not to express her point of view, but to call him.
(End of this chapter)