After Gongsun Yue was buried, Zhong Li Chun came to Gongsun Yue''s home alone to see her sister Zhong Li Qiu, who had not seen her for a long time. Sisters see each other would have had a lot to say, but dressed in white mourning clothes Zhong Liqiu sitting on the couch, long time no words.
Seeing her sister like this, Zhong Li Chun heart is also very sad, “Sister, I know that you resent your sister ...... but Gongsun Yue can not be killed, he harmed the state of Qi, harmed Mr. Sun ......”
Zhong Liqiu said faintly, “Gongsun Yue should have died a long time ago.”
Zhong Li Chun was silent for a moment and said, “Sister, in the future, live with sister, sister take care of you, okay?”
“I''m not qualified to live in the royal palace, nor do I want to.” Zhong Li Qiu coldly rebuffed.
Zhong Li Chun was embarrassed for a while, then said, “Sister, you tell me, how do you want to live your life in the future, sister will definitely help you.”
Zhong Liqiu gambled, “I want to be with Mr. Sun, can you make him promise me?”
Zhong Li Chun was stunned, not knowing how to answer.
Zhong Liqiu let out a soft “humph” and said, “I knew you couldn''t say yes.”
Zhong Li Chun said, “Other than Mr. Sun, whatever kind of man you want to find, sister can help you.”
Zhong Li Qiu smiled coldly, “Sister, you should know why I hate you, you made me marry Gongsun Yue!”
Zhong Li Chun murmured, “I did it for Mr. Sun ......”
“Shut up!” Zhong Li Qiu interrupted her and said hysterically, “You claimed that it was for Mr. Sun, but in fact, you did it for yourself, you sent me away so you could marry Mr. Sun!”
“How can you ...... you say that ......” Zhong Li Qiu''s words pierced Zhong Li Chun''s heart.
“It wasn''t me who said it, it was Gongsun Yue who said it.”
“Gongsun Yue is trying to separate us sisters ......”
“What he said is the truth, doesn''t sister want to marry Mr. Sun?”
Zhong Li Chun didn''t know how to answer her sister.
Tears slowly flowed down Zhong Li Qiu''s cheeks.
Zhong Li Chun gently wiped away the tears on her sister''s face and said without guilt, “Sister, sister did think about the fact that if you married Gongsun Yue, sister would be able to get Mr. Sun....... However, sister is just thinking about it, and will never reluctantly let you marry Gongsun Yue... ...”
Zhong Li Qiu sobbed: “Sister don''t say it, sister''s heart I know, I just said angry words, I can''t be angry with my life, why the heavens have let me be so bitter ......” said and cried out again.
Looking at the grief-stricken sister, Zhong Li Chun lovingly embraced Zhong Li Qiu into his arms, sighed and said, “Sister, the bitter end of the sweet, this time, sister must let you as you wish ......”
Zhong Li Chun came to Sun Bin''s residence in Tianfu with a heavy heart and told Sun Bin she came to propose marriage, Sun Bin thought Zhong Li Chun wanted to leave the palace and didn''t say yes, saying it was too early.
“It''s not for me,” said Zhong Li Chun, ”it''s my sister, she''s been thinking of you ......”
Sun Bin didn''t realize that Zhong Li Chun was proposing marriage for Zhong Li Qiu, and looked at her blankly, saying, “What about you ...... what about you ......”
Zhong Li Chun smiled reluctantly and said, “I''ll continue to be my queen, and a real one at that.”
Sun Bin was confused and asked, “Miss Zhong Li, did the king force you to do this, or ......”
Zhong Li Chun said against her will, “No one forced me, it''s my own wish, I think being a queen is the best place for me.”
Sun Bin shook his head, “No, you''re not willing ...... Tell me, why is that?”
Zhong Li Chun pretended to be plain and said, “No reason, I''m really willing, I''ve gotten used to life in the palace, I''m used to giving orders to all the people, including the Great King, I think it suits my character very well, and I''m not willing to change this kind of life ......”
Sun Bin never believed that Zhong Li Chun was speaking from the heart, for the weight of the emotions they built up in life and death together in Zhong Li Chun''s heart, Sun Bin knew it all too well, he looked at Zhong Li Chun and said sincerely “Zhong Li Chun, I don''t believe you''re willing to stay in the palace forever, I''ll wait for you.”
Zhong Li Chun was speechless for a moment, then sighed softly and said, “Mr. Sun, it''s enough to have your words, but I can''t ...... I''ve already promised my sister that you''ll take him as your wife.”
“Why did you promise her? Could it be that you''ve forgotten our vows and don''t want to marry me?” Sun Bin couldn''t believe it and his emotions couldn''t help but get agitated.
Zhong Li Chun said with tears in her eyes, “No ...... why wouldn''t I want to marry you, Gongsun Yue begged me before he died to marry Zhong Li Qiu to you, I didn''t even say yes ...... but, faced with my sister''s tears and pain, I couldn''t say no ...... It was me who made her marry Gongsun Yue, I''m sorry for her ...... I can''t let her spend the rest of her life as a bitter woman ......” Zhong Li Chun wiped her tears, then continued. wiped her tears, then continued, “Mr. Sun, just say yes ......”
Sun Bin stayed for a moment, then said with a firm attitude, “Zhong Li Chun, I can''t let you wait for so many years in vain, tell Zhong Li Qiu that I can''t marry her.”
Zhong Li Qiu was leaving, she sold her house, packed up the clothes she was carrying and was going to Wei.
Zhong Li Chun advised, “Sister, don''t go, I will persuade Mr. Sun again, he will agree ......”
Zhong Liqiu smiled faintly and said, “The melon that is twisted by force does not smell good, Mr. Sun does not want to marry me, under compulsion, even if they are together, they will not be happy, just like me and Gongsun Yue ......”
“Mr. Sun is not unwilling to marry you, he is afraid ...... Gongsun Yue just died soon, marry you as a wife, outsiders will say that he is because of you, forced the death of Gongsun Yue ......”
“He is an excuse, he even if he marries me later, others will say so.”
“Sister, I can ask the Great King to grant a marriage and betroth you to him ...... so that others won''t gossip.”
“Sister''s piece of sincerity, sister heart appreciate ......” Zhong Li Qiu sincerely said to Zhong Li Chun, ”But sister heart understand, sister also like Mr. Sun, sister for his sake, now only pretend to be the queen of the king ......”
“By no means.” Zhong Li Chun hurriedly denied.
“Sister you do not hide me, I went to ask General Tian, this is what he told me.”
“I ...... have changed my mind, I want to be the true queen ...... I have already told Mr. Sun ......”
Zhong Li Qiu was silent for a while and said, “Sister, you have a good heart ......”
“It''s not that I have a good heart, it''s that sister is sorry ......”
“Let''s not mention the past ...... Sister, these days, I repeatedly thought, lost things can be retrieved, lost emotions can be retrieved? Even if you get it back, can it still be as good as the original ...... No, what was lost was lost after all, it''s better to take that good emotion and keep it in your memory forever ......” She paused for a moment and added: “I also have a small spring, I want to raise him to adulthood, I and Gongsun Yue after all, husband and wife a, I want to afford him.”
“Then ...... there is no need for you to return to Wei, stay in Qi, I can help you ......”
“Gongsun Yue died for Wei, Wei should raise his children ...... Besides, staying in Qi is touchy and easy to recall sad past events ......”
Zhong Li Chun no longer know what to say, no matter what to say, it is also very difficult to soothe his sister''s wounded heart.
On her way out, Zhong Liqiu instructed Zhong Li Chun, “Sister, don''t tell anyone about my leaving, including Mr. Sun, I don''t want to alarm them.” Zhong Li Chun promised her.
Zhong Li Qiu brought Xiao Chun Qiu and Gongsun Yue''s spirit tablet to Wei, where Pang Juan personally arranged a solemn funeral hall for Gongsun Yue. Pang Juan led his generals to kneel in front of Gongsun Yue''s spirit tablet, he looked at it with tears in his eyes and cried bitterly, “Mr. Gongsun Yue, with his liver and guts, his superhuman strategy, and his sword covering the world. For my cause, life and death regardless of, alone to Qi, wise enemy of the group ...... but unfortunately, a moment of inadvertence, the life of the Nine Springs ...... this is the heavens have no eyes, so that I want to break my heart ...... I want to the Nine Springs, goodbye! Mr. ...... can''t help it, the hegemony of Wei has not yet been accomplished. Mr. left, alone I bear, if I leave, the former success is abandoned ...... Mr. Gongsun, in the nine springs, temporarily lonely, until I achieve hegemony, will go to accompany Mr. ...... ”
Pang Juan cried and bowed to worship.
When the generals saw this, they could not help but weep.
Pang Juan ordered his men to take care of Zhong Li Qiu and her children without fail. Pangcong said to Pang Juan, “Uncle, you must not be unguarded against Zhong Liqiu, she is probably a spy of Qi.”
Pang Juan sighed, “Whether she is a spy or not, I have to take good care of her, and take good care of her firstly for Gongsun Yue, and secondly to make those who follow us feel that following us, whether in life, or in death, there are people to take care of their wives and children, and only in this way will they be ironclad enough to follow us around the north and south, and fight for supremacy over the Central Plains.”
One day, King Xuan of Qi ordered Tian Ji and Sun Bin to recover the border cities and quell the rebellion of the Duke''s suburban division. Sun Bin said to King Xuan of Qi, “The reason why the Duke''s Suburban Division dares to be the enemy of the country is because it is backed up by the State of Wei. Qin is Wei''s strongest enemy, the king can send a good lobbyist to Qin to persuade the king to make an alliance with Qi and ask Qin to send troops to attack Wei; Han and Zhao have long had the intention to make an alliance with Qi, but only because of our internal turmoil, they didn''t set up an alliance, so the king can send a messenger to Country of Han and Zhao to make sure that they set up an alliance, and then ask Han and Zhao to send their troops at the same time. If the three countries send troops, Pang Juan will have no time to take care of Noble son JiaoShi. In addition, the king will send an envoy to Chu and promise to cede cities and towns to Chu, so that Chu will no longer make peace with Wei and Wei will be even more isolated, and then we will send troops to recover the border cities, which will be a breeze.”
King Xuan of Qi asked Sun Bin who would be the most suitable person to go to these countries, Sun Bin said “Qin Gu is smart and eloquent, he can go to Chu and Country of Han, he can make the capricious King of Chu repeat himself again due to greed for profit, and he can make the wise and indecisive King of Han see the advantages and disadvantages, and send out his troops to help. The king may order Gao Daifu to send an envoy to Zhao, whose straightforward character will easily convince the king of Zhao of our sincerity. Finally, the great king may order Zou Ji to go on an envoy to the state of Qin ......”
“Wait.” King Xuan of Qi didn''t understand and interrupted Sun Bin: “Zou Ji took the blame and resigned, he doesn''t say it on his mouth, but in his heart he should be very dissatisfied, if he is allowed to be the emissary, it''s a small matter to go and not return, if he intends to jeopardize my big event, how is it?”
Sun Bin laughed: “No it won''t be, Zou Ji has been giving orders for many years in the position of a prime minister, now he''s not used to being an ordinary citizen, he''s very eager to find an opportunity to show his talents with a view to getting the king''s appreciation and return to the dynasty, if the king gives him this opportunity, he''ll surely do his best.”
King Xuan of Qi asked, “Why must I give him this opportunity? I can totally send someone else to Qin.”
Sun Bin said, “This time, Qin is the most important country to fight against Wei, because only Qin can fight against Wei, and Qin will send troops to make Pang Juan look after the west but not the east. The king ordered Zou Ji, who had lost his post as a minister, to go to Qin, so that the king of Qin could see the king''s heart from it without saying much. Any king, as long as it is not a confused king, would like to be allied with a generous king, and do not want to be with a calculating country, this is one of the first. Secondly, Zou Ji would do his best to lobby the king of Qin, which would make the king feel that the situation of the country must be very stable as the person who had been the enemy of the king was also so fully devoted to the country. No country would want to ally with a country that was in crisis and in turmoil, unless that country had other plans. What''s more, Zou Ji''s speech was watertight and quite like that of an emissary of a great state. Therefore, the emissary to Qin is none other than Zou Ji.”
King Xuan of Qi sincerely admired Sun Bin''s generosity and his way of employing people, and agreed to send Zou Ji to Qin.
Qi delayed to send troops to recover the border cities, Pangcong estimated that Qi intends to send emissaries to lobby Han, Zhao, Chu, Qin and other countries to deal with Wei, he said to Pangcong: “This is Sun Bin''s usual trick, which is known as cutting down the traffic in the military. Pangcong, if you were me, how do you plan to deal with Sun Bin''s plan to cut down the traffic?”
Pangcong thought for a moment and said, “Zhao and Country of Han are afraid of Uncle, Uncle can send a messenger to intimidate them, if they are allied with Qi, Wei''s army will push straight to their capitals; The King of Han is a greedy and pretentious person, Uncle can give the King of Han jewels and praise, the King of Han will not help Qi; Qin is an insatiable country, Country of Han sends cities and towns to Qin for the battle of Chenggao, Qin is still not satisfied, Uncle can give the king of Han jewelry and praise, Qin won''t help Qi; Qin is a country with insatiable appetite, Country of Han sends cities and towns to Qin for the battle of Chenggao, Qin is still not satisfied. , Qin is not yet satisfied, uncle can promise the King of Qin to divide the land of Country of Han together, Qin will certainly not ally with Qi.”
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!“Pangcong, you have grown very much.” Pang Juan smiled in satisfaction. “However, you underestimate Country of Han and Country of Zhao too much, Sun Bin conquered Shang Dang for them, making Han and Zhao as one, it''s just intimidation, can''t stop them from allying with Qi, we should divide and conquer, we can intimidate Country of Han, we can use grace and authority to Country of Han, after Sun Bin''s training, Country of Han''s army is not as unbearable for us to hit as it was in the old days; as for Country of Qin, don''t easily agree to their conditions. Qin has always wanted to advance eastward, no matter you promise him any conditions, you can''t satisfy his desire to advance eastward, you can only oppose them with might.”
Pang Juan asked Pangcong to go on a mission to Country of Han, and he instructed Pangcong, “Country of Han is very important to us; if we convince Country of Han to ally with us, Qin will not be enough to worry about; if we fail to convince Country of Han, things will become troublesome.”
When Pangcong arrived in Country of Han, Qin Gu also arrived in Country of Han. The envoys of Qi and Wei both came for the alliance, and the king of Han could not make up his mind for a while, and he asked the Dafus in the court what should be done.
Dr. Shen was in favor of honoring the alliance with Qi and against making peace with Wei, and he said to the king of Han, “Wei is ambitious, and is not true to its word. It has always wanted to annex Han and Zhao, but it has only failed to do so because of Qi in the east and Qin in the west; we cannot make an alliance with such a state.”
Dafu Zuo''s opinion was diametrically opposed to that of Dafu Shen, who said to the King of Han, “I do not deny that Wei has ambitions; all great states have ambitions, and as long as we are good at maneuvering among the great states, they will not be able to destroy Country of Han. The reason why we agreed to ally with Wei is to maneuver with it so that Wei will have no excuse to use its army against us; otherwise, if we make it too stiff, Wei will really use its army against us, and Qi will have more than enough internal turmoil and will not be able to help us, and Country of Han will find it difficult to defend itself against the enemy.”
The king of Han didn''t want to confront Wei to the end, and he was worried that Wei would not keep its word, so he wanted a strategy that would do both.
Dr. Sima said, “The king can tell Wei''s envoy that Country of Han will ally with Wei if he lets Crown Prince Shen of Wei come to Han as a hostage. Crown Prince Shen is the favorite son of the King of Wei, and with Crown Prince Shen as a hostage, Wei will not dare to invade Country of Han.”
Pang Juan didn''t want to agree to the harsh conditions of Country of Han, but when he heard the secretaries say that the envoy of Qi to Qin is Zou Ji, he said to Pangcong: “Sun Bin is too good at choosing people, Zou Ji is envoying to Qin, and Qin will surely be allied with Qi, and if Country of Han takes the opportunity to make waves, it will be hard for us to deal with it. ...... Agree to the King of Han''s request first, and then think of ways to make the King of Han''s request later on. request, and then think of a way to get the Crown Prince back later.”
Country of Han agreed to ally with Wei, Shen Dafu felt ashamed of Sun Bin and Qin Gu who came all the way here, he specially apologized to Qin Gu. Qin Gu comforted him and said, “Mr. Sun didn''t expect Country of Han to help Qi, as long as Country of Han doesn''t send troops to help Wei, the purpose of my trip is achieved.”
Dafu Shen said, “Mr.Qin can rest assured, although Country of Han is not allied with Qi, but the court officials, including the king, regard Qi as a friendly country, and will never send troops to help Wei attack Qi.”
Qin Gu explained, “By sending troops, I don''t mean helping Wei to attack Qi, but helping Wei to deal with Qin, if Qin sends troops to attack Wei and Country of Han doesn''t send troops to help, Pang Juan won''t be able to take care of both the east and the west, so we can take the opportunity to recapture the border towns and quell the rebellion.”
Shen Dafu was a bit embarrassed, saying, “Qin has always threatened Country of Han, and now still occupies Country of Han''s border cities, the Great King dreams of recovering the border cities, and if Wei engages in war with Qin, I guess the Great King will have to send troops.”
Qin Gu smiled faintly and said, “It may not be necessary to send troops to take back the border city, with just one word, the King of Qin will return the border city to Country of Han.”
“Oh? Please ask Mr.Qin to clarify.”
“When Qin sends out troops to attack Wei, it will go through Hangu Pass. When Qin sends troops out of Hangu Pass to fight with Wei, Country of Han can troop on the border of Qin and Han, threatening Hangu Pass, and then send someone to tell the King of Qin: if Qin returns the border city of Han, Country of Han will hold its troops still, and if Qin doesn''t return the border city, Country of Han will send out troops to cut off the Qin army''s grain route and retreat road. Qin will have to return the border city.”
Dr. Shen exclaimed, “Good, good plan! Mr.Qin''s wisdom is comparable to Mr. Sun''s!”
Qin Gu smiled and said, “I won''t lie to you, this was Mr. Sun''s idea. When I came here, Mr. Sun asked me to tell you that as long as Country of Han doesn''t help Wei this time, Qi will never stand idly by when Country of Han is in trouble.”
Dafu Shen bowed to Qin Gu and said, “Please ask Mr. Poultry to tell Mr. Sun that my king will never help Wei as long as he can take back the border city.”
Qin Gu''s mission to Country of Han went well, and all went well on Zou Ji''s side, as Qin agreed to ally with Qi, and 300,000 troops marched out of the Hangu Pass to press Wei. Pang Juan led Wei''s army to meet the Qin army, determined to compete with the Qin army. Before his departure, Pang Juan was still thinking about the Duke of Qi, and he instructed General Fei, who was stationed at the border between Qi and Wei, “It is better to lose the border cities of Qi than to lose the Duke of Qi, as long as the Duke of Qi is still alive, Qi will not have any peace.”
King Xuan of Qi would never allow Noble son JiaoShi to be separated from himself, and he ordered Tian Ji and Sun Bin to immediately recover the border cities and quell the rebellion. When Queen Dowager of Qi heard about this, she questioned King Xuan and said, “I heard that you are going to send out troops to crush Suburban Division again?”
King Xuan of Qi explained, “It is not a crusade, it is to invite the brothers of Jiao Shi to return to the Empress Dowager.”
Empress Dowager Qi laughed coldly, “Inviting what? Don''t fool me, an old woman! I know it in my heart. Your Majesty, I still say the same thing, I don''t care about the affairs of the country, but I can''t care about the affairs between you brothers, no matter what reason you have, you can''t hurt Master Jiao, if you hurt Master Jiao, I will die in front of you.”
Under the Empress Dowager''s coercion, King Xuan of Qi could only promise, “Don''t worry, Empress Dowager, the King''s son has already given the order that he is only allowed to recover the border cities, and shall not harm the Suburban Master, and whoever harms the Suburban Master will be buried with the Suburban Master.”
“What if Tian Ji and Sun Bin disobey the order?”
“Disobeying the king''s order is a capital offense.”
Tian Ji and Sun Bin commanded the Qi army to encircle Grange Hill, Fan City and Maling, where Noble son JiaoShi was entrenched. Relying on Wei''s support, Noble son JiaoShi resisted and ordered the rebels to defend the city to the death, and a bloody battle seemed inevitable.
Tian Ji said to Sun Bin: “Mr. Sun, inside and outside of the border city are all Qi soldiers, some of them are neighbors and relatives, if we can recover the border city without bloodshed, that''s the best strategy. I don''t know if Mr. Sun has a good plan?”
Sun Bin said, “Attack the heart.”
“How to attack the heart?”
“Anyone who has neighbors and relatives in the city, have them write a letter in which, in addition to catching up on old times, tell the neighbors and relatives in the city that those who abandon their darkness and turn to the light will be spared by us, and then use bows and arrows to shoot the letter into the city.”
Tian Guo, who was on the side, spoke up and said, “But, if we send the letter in this way, the letter will fall into other people''s hands.”
Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, “That''s the result I want, in this way, a letter will spread from one to the other, and all the rebels in the city will know our attitude. Sun Tzu''s “Art of War” says, “Throw yourself into the land of the dead and then survive, trap yourself into the land of the dead and then live. I''ll do the opposite, let the rebels have a way to survive, survival is human instinct, as long as there is a way to survive, most of the soldiers won''t have the heart to defend the city, and the army''s heart is bound to float, the generals are not able to control the army even if they have great ability, if we attack the city at this time, even if we can''t kill the soldiers without any bloodshed, it''s still going to be an easy task.”
Tian Ji exclaimed, “Good, a letter is better than an army of 100,000!”
As the offensive arrows of the letters fell into the hands of the rebels, it was true that the word spread to the rebels, and the rebels defending the city were floating, and more than half of the rebels in Gogangqiu deserted, and the rebel general of Fan City opened the city and surrendered. General Gao, the leader of the rebel army, said to Noble son JiaoShi: “Sun Bin attacked the heart but not the city, which shows that he does have a better plan ...... However, at the same time, it also shows that he doesn''t dare to act rashly against the Duke. As long as the Duke is there, we have hope, why don''t the Duke do a passing favor and notify the entire army that those who are willing to leave, can leave, and those who are willing to stay, go with the Duke to Wei, and wait for Pang Juan''s army to triumph, and then we''ll make a comeback.”
The Noble son JiaoShi''s face sank, whipped his sleeve and said, “I''m not going to Wei!”
General Gao said, “Sun Bin uses his army like a god, we''re not his match, we should avoid him first ......”
Noble son JiaoShi interrupted him and said, “You''re all afraid of Sun Bin, I''m not! I just want to see how capable he really is!”
“Duke, now is not the time to show off, if we lose this time, even if Duke is lucky enough not to die, it''s impossible for him to gather so many troops again, much less seize the throne!”
“Is it possible to seize the throne by hiding in Wei? Eating other people''s leftovers, looking at other people''s faces, and being ordered around by other people, is it good to feel like a dog that has lost its way?”
“To listen to others today is to call on others in order to seize the throne in the future. Your Excellency, a man who achieves great things must be able to endure humiliation. When the Prince of Jin, Chong Er, drifted abroad for more than ten years, suffered hardship and humiliation, and finally returned to his country, he not only became the king of a country, but also became a generation of hegemony, and his name will remain in the annals of history. Why can''t Gongzi become the second Chong Er?”
Noble son JiaoShi realized that General Gao had a point, and still complained, “I really can''t stand the way the people of Wei are overbearing, especially Pangcong ......”
General Gao comforted, “There is a saying from Confucius, a little impatience will lead to a big plan. For the sake of the throne, the Duke should just endure ......”
Noble son JiaoShi finally listened to General Gao''s advice and fled with the remnants of his army abandoning the city. The Qi army netted a favor and let Noble son JiaoShi live.
Tian Ji was a bit regretful, he said to Sun Bin: “If it wasn''t for the Great King''s order, I would never let Noble son JiaoShi go!”
Sun Bin looked into the distance and said, “He''ll be back, and next time, he''ll be in trouble.”
Note: “Befriend from afar and attack from near” is the twenty-third of the Thirty-six Stratagems. “To befriend from afar is to befriend a distant country; to attack from near is to attack a close neighboring country. This plan is intended to divide and disintegrate the enemy''s alliance, and to attack and break them one by one. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, lords often used this strategy to achieve their own goals. In the late Warring States period, strategist Fan Ju summarized his predecessor''s plan and proposed “attacking from afar” when persuading the King of Qin, hence the name of this plan. Sun Bin used the plan of “attacking from afar” to make alliance with Qin and Han to quell the domestic rebellion and fundamentally change the passive situation. To know what happened next, please read next time: “Stir Up the Grass to Scare the Snake”.