《Tales of Sun Tzu's Art of War》 The First Round: Remove the Ladder after the Enemy has Climbed Up More than two thousand three hundred years ago, China was in the period of Warring States when the vassals were in conflict and the powerful countries were dominating. In the Zhou State, which was located in the central plains, there was a valley with steep cliffs. Inside the valley, the trees and grass were thick, the clouds were misty, and everywhere was overflowing with immortal energy, but the people of the world called it the Valley of Ghosts. Guiguzi Valley is inhabited by a strange man, the self-proclaimed Guiguzi. Legend has it that Guiguzi knew the sun, moon, stars and phases of the stars, the law of war and strategy, good at the art of miscellaneous lobbying, proficient in the way of longevity, although more than a hundred years of age, is still a child''s face and crane hair, bright and energetic. Guiguzi lectured on a steep platform. Every lecture day, the disciples will climb up a long wooden ladder to the high platform. Standing on the platform, one can see the green mountains in the distance and hear the forest waves in the valley. On one side of the platform stood a grassy hall made of tree branches and mountain grasses. Inside the hall was Guiguzi''s place for cultivating himself, and in front of the hall was Guiguzi''s place for lecturing. Guiguzi took more than ten disciples to learn the art of war and strategy, among which Sun Bin and Pang Juan were especially outstanding. Pang Juan was a strong man, striving to be the best in everything; Sun Bin was a generous man, giving up one point in every way. Sun Bin and Pang Juan entered the Ghost Valley in the same year to study under the same master, and shared the same ambition to build a successful career, so they became brothers. Sun Bin was a few months older than Pang Juan, and Pang Juan called him his brother. Guiguzi lectured and often let his disciples express their views and talk about world affairs. At that time, the most talked about by the disciples was who could dominate the world. On that day, the talk went on as usual. Sun Bin believed that among the seven vassals, Qi and Qin had the most hegemonic appearance. Qi is rich and strong, is located in the east, the back of the sea, the tiger looks at the Central Plains, there is the benefit of fishing and salt, no worries, when the Duke Huan of Qi will be used to dominate the vassals; and Qin is located in the remote border, but by Wei Yang change the law, the state is strong, strict laws, the heart of the hegemony, but also the hegemony of the power. Therefore, I think the one who can dominate the world is either Qi or Qin. Sun Bin narrated, and a few disciples couldn''t stop nodding their heads in agreement. I don''t agree with what brother Sun said, I think the one that can dominate the lords should be Wei. Sun Bin looked at the voice, it turned out to be his senior brother Pang Juan who had gone out on a trip not long ago, and greeted him gladly, Senior brother, you''re back. Pang Juan nodded, and then continued to the crowd, The state of Wei is affluent, the people of the country are tough, and it is located in the Central Plains, so it can be associated with the state of Zhao in the north, the state of Han in the south, and the Country of Han in the west, and threaten the state of Qi to the east, and threaten the state of Qin to the west; it can also be associated with the state of Qi in the east, and the state of Qin in the west, so that the state of Zhao and the country of Han can be made to claim vassalage, and the state of Chu can be forced to cede its territories; what''s even more important is that, this time Pang Juan went down to the mountains, and witnessed with his own eyes the king of Wei''s ambition to be strong. Widely recruiting the world''s wise men, a country to dominate the world, the most important thing is to be able to reuse the talent, so I think Wei has the most hegemonic spirit. A disciple asked Guiguzi: Sir, who is more reasonable, Brother Sun or Brother Pang? Guiguzi laughed, One of them is from Qi and the other is from Wei, and each favors his own country, so it''s hard for me to comment. Sir, Pang Juan said to Guiguzi, my disciple would say so even if he were not a native of Wei. Are you thinking of leaving Ghost Valley? Guiguzi smiled faintly. Yes. The King of Wei is widely recruiting sages from all over the world, and I don''t want to let go of this opportunity. What about your studies? My disciple has been studying the art of war under Mister for more than three years, although I have yet to learn all of Mister''s tactics for my own use, but if I go out to assist the King of Wei, it will be enough for Wei to dominate the world. Pang Juan''s words were filled with the confidence of looking out of the world. Words can''t be too full. Guiguzi smiled. If you don''t believe me, sir, my disciple can swear by heaven. Pang Juan said and drew out his accompanying sword, kneeling down and pointing to the sky, If my disciple fails to assist the King of Wei to dominate the world, I will never see the face of Sir! Guiguzi looked at Pang Juan for a moment and said, Go to the valley and pick a mountain flower, and I will tell a fortune for you. Thank you, sir. Pang Juan kowtowed. The sun was blazing in the sky, Pang Juan looked around in the valley for a mountain flower but could not find one, so he could not help but be anxious. At this time, Pang Juan inadvertently glimpsed a weak grass flower mixed in the thatch, overjoyed, and rushed forward to pick it off. Turning to go, suddenly remembered what, the joy on his face disappeared, Pang Juan said to himself: This grass flower is so weak, Mr. will certainly think that I''m difficult to become a great weapon ....... After hesitating for a moment, Pang Juan decided to hide the grass flower in his sleeve. Returning to the Guiguzi Grass Hall, Pang Juan said to Guiguzi, Mr.Guigu,...... there are no flowers in the mountains. Guiguzi looked at Pang Juan''s sleeve and said, There are no flowers in the mountains, what is that thing in your sleeve? This ...... Pang Juan was shocked, panicked and took out the already withered grass flower from his sleeve and handed it to Guiguzi, defending, I thought this grass flower was not considered a flower. Guiguzi took the grass flower and said to Pang Juan, This grass flower is called Aristolochia, and it blooms twelve times a day. It foretells that you can enjoy twelve years of glory and wealth. You picked this flower in the Ghost Valley, and the flower was withered by the sun, ''Ghost'' is next to ''Committee'', your place of fortune will be in Wei. Pang Juan was pleasantly surprised and asked, Sir, so I''m sure I''ll be reused when I get to Wei? Guiguzi nodded slightly. Pang Juan could not help but get excited and said, Sir, if I am really reused by the King of Wei, I will definitely live up to the three years of teaching you have given me! Guiguzi looked at the grass flower in his hand and said in a slow voice, Pang Juan, you shouldn''t have deceived Master just now. If you deceive others, you will eventually be deceived by others, you must remove this fault. In addition, I''ll send you eight words that you must memorize: when you meet a sheep, you will be honored; when you meet a horse, you will be exhausted. Pang Juan nodded his head and said yes, then asked, I heard that sir has a rare book of war in the world, called The Art of War of Sun Tzu, which can teach people to win a hundred battles, if sir can send me a copy of The Art of War of Sun Tzu, I will be more sure of going down to the mountain to help Wei dominate the country. Guiguzi said without moving, The Art of War of Sun Tzu is indeed a rare book of war, back then, Sun Wu Zi offered this exhaustively written art of war to King Helu of Wu, who won many battles and dominated the vassals. The king of Wu treasured Sun Tzu''s Art of War so much that he hid it in the Gusu Terrace. Later, when the Yue Kingdom destroyed Wu and burned the Gusu Terrace, the Art of War was also reduced to ashes, and that was the only Art of War in the world. My disciple heard that Mr. Sun was once a close friend of Sun Wu Zi, who gave Mr. Sun a set of Art of War. Except for the King of Wu, Sun Wu Zi never let anyone else see his Art of War, let alone give it away. So, Mr. Sun doesn''t want to pass on the Art of War to his disciple? Guiguzi smiled faintly, If you don''t believe in what my master said, stay on the mountain and accompany my master day and night to see if my master has the Art of War or not. It''s not that I don''t believe in it, Pang Juan was a bit embarrassed , I want to get The Art of War too much. Guiguzi looked at the despondent Pang Juan, and taught him in a serious manner, What you should get, you will get; what you cannot get, you cannot get even if you force yourself. On the day Pang Juan left the Ghost Valley, Sun Bin saw him off. Halfway there, Pang Juan stopped and said to Sun Bin, Brother Sun, don''t see him off. Sun Bin lamented, My dear brother, once we say goodbye today, I don''t know when we''ll see each other again, let me send you out of Ghost Valley. Even if I send you out for thousands of miles, there will be a goodbye, it''s better to part here. You and I have been in the same class for three years, like-minded, like brothers, I really can not part with you ...... Alas, so do I, sighed Pang Juan, but we left our homes to come here to learn the art of war, is not it for the sake of one day building a career? Since we want to build a career, it is inevitable that we will go our separate ways. That''s true. Sun Bin hesitated for a while and said, My dear brother, if you are reused by the King of Wei, could you recommend me to the King of Wei? Pang Juan smiled, Didn''t Brother Sun think that Qi is the most dominant country, why don''t you go back to your own homeland? Sun Bin was about to say something and said, Forget it, just pretend I didn''t say it. Pang Juan laughed, Don''t take Brother Sun seriously, I was just joking. I have eight friendships with Brother Sun, since Brother Sun wants to think of Wei, after I meet the King of Wei, I will definitely recommend Brother Sun to the King of Wei, and you and I will work hand in hand to achieve great things together. Is what My dear brother said true? If I, Pang Juan, go back on my word, let me die under a hail of arrows! Pang Juan drew his sword and swore. Sun Bin complained, My dear brother, why make such a heavy oath just for a word? A heavy oath is not as heavy as love, Pang Juan said with a sincere look on his face, I sincerely look forward to Brother Sun working with me for a great cause. My dear brother ...... Sun Bin was deeply moved by Pang Juan, I await your news ...... Pang Juan nodded and arched his hand, Brother Sun, I will see you again. Sun Bin returned the salute, See you again. After Pang Juan left, Guiguzi summoned Sun Bin and instructed, These past few nights, there are a few rats always grinding their teeth on the old man''s pillow, and the old man especially hates this sound, so tell the other disciples to take turns to be on night duty in my chambers to drive out the rats every night, and this night starts with you. Sun Bin immediately promised and came to the Cao Tang that night to keep watch for Mr.Guigu. It was late at night, and Guiguzi was lying on his sleeping couch, looking asleep. Sun Bin sat on a mat a few paces away from the couch and listened intently, fearing that a mouse might come out and disturb Mr. Gu. Guiguzi rolled over, opened his bleary eyes, looked at Sun Bin who was seriously on night duty, and spoke, Sun Bin, what are you doing? Sun Bin replied, Disciple is following sir''s arrangement to be on night duty to drive away rats. Guiguzi sat up and smiled, Warriors often say that soldiers are established by fraud, haven''t you ever suspected that there is a fraud in the old man''s arrangement? Sun Bin honestly shook his head, No. Guiguzi sighed softly, Sun Bin, you will suffer in the future because you trust others too much. Sun Bin said, You are a gentleman, disciple should trust you; if you are an enemy, disciple will never trust. Guiguzi smiled faintly, said nothing more, reached out and opened a wooden box by his pillow, took out a brief volume from it, and said to Sun Bin, Sun Bin, these are the thirteen chapters of the Art of War written by your great-grandfather, Sun Wu, known as The Art of War of Sun Tzu. Sir, didn''t you say that The Art of War has been lost? Sun Bin was filled with doubt. It is both lost and not lost. The set of Art of War that your great-grandfather offered to King Helu of Wu was lost, but there is still a set of copies in the hands of my old husband, who gave it to me, and I studied it carefully and benefited greatly, and even made notes on the Art of War. For many years, I have not shown Sun Tzu''s Art of War to anyone. Sun Bin, you are loyal and kind, and a descendant of Sun Wu, so I will now teach you The Art of War. Pang Juan searched hard for The Art of War, why don''t you pass on the Art of War to him? A person who obtains the Art of War of Sun Tzu will benefit the world if he uses it well; if he does not use it well, it will cause great harm to the world. Pang Juan''s behavior puts my teacher at ease. Sir, Pang Juan is a man of love and trust, you shouldn''t be at ease. Sun Bin, let''s not talk about Pang Juan''s affairs tonight, let''s just talk about The Art of War, shall we? Guiguzi smiled. Yes, I am willing to listen to Mr. Teachings. Autumn went to spring, and Sun Bin memorized the Art of War by heart. One day, Guiguzi quizzed him, What is the interpretation of The Art of War, the Way of Artifice in Sun Tzu''s Art of War? Sun Bin replied, To fight with soldiers, guile is the way. Therefore, if you can fight, pretend that you cannot fight; if you want to fight, pretend that you don''t want to fight; if you want to attack near, pretend that you want to attack far; if you want to attack far, pretend that you want to attack near; if the enemy is greedy for profit, lure him with small profit; if the enemy is in confusion, take advantage of the opportunity to attack him; if the enemy is full of strength, pay attention to his defense; if the enemy is strong, avoid him for the time being; if the enemy is aggressive, seek to frustrate him; if the enemy is lowly in words and prudent in conduct, make him proud; if the enemy is resting well, tire him; and if the enemy is tired, make him weak. If the enemy is well rested, make him fatigued; if the enemy is in harmony, divide him ....... Guiguzi raised his hand to signal for Sun Bin to stop answering and instructed, I hope that you not only memorize The Art of War by heart, but also learn to apply it, or else you will not only fail to defeat your enemy, but will also be restrained by him. Yes, disciple understands. Guiguzi placed the wooden box on his pillow where he kept the brief book in front of Sun Bin and said, Go to the bottom of the cliff and find a secluded place to burn this Art of War, not a single bamboo slip shall be left behind. Sun Bin was stunned and said, Sir, this is the only set of Sun Tzu''s Art of War in the world, why burn it? Guiguzi laughed, You have memorized it by heart, there is no longer any use for me to keep it. Sir can teach it again to other disciples, how can it be useless? Old me promised your great-grandfather back then that I would only pass on the Art of War to a person I trusted the most. Then ...... can I pass on the Art of War to someone else? Not now, not even to the closest person. As for when you can, when the time comes old man will naturally tell you ...... Go on, burn the Art of War. At the bottom of the hill, Sun Bin looked at the ashes of the bamboo slips and shook his head, sighing with regret. He was about to go back, when he met a handsome young man dressed sharply and carrying a long sword, who made his intention clear to Sun Bin that he had come here to learn the art of war from Mr.Guigu. Mr.Guigu is very strict in accepting disciples, said Sun Bin, and it is good enough to accept one out of ten seekers. I am that one. Sun Bin laughed amusedly, Little brother, you are very confident. Of course, I wouldn''t have come if I wasn''t confident. Sun Bin let this descendant wait for a moment, he climbed up to the high platform, and reported the matter of that descendant seeking to learn to Guiguzi. Guiguzi, before he saw him, expressed his refusal on the spot, saying that the postulant was a woman. The handsome student was indeed a woman; she was Zhong Li Chun, who was dressed as a man. When Zhong Li Chun heard that Guiguzi had turned her away because she was a woman, she said in exasperation, What''s wrong with women? Women can kill people and lead armies in war too! You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Don''t be angry, girl, Sun Bin said in a soothing manner, It''s been a rule of the gentleman for many years that he doesn''t accept women as disciples. Bullshit rule! Hmph, I don''t believe that women are inferior to you men. Zhong Li Chun cursed and turned around to leave Ghost Valley without looking back. Let''s say that soon after Pang Juan returned to Wei, he was reused by King Hui of Wei, who made him a marshal. Pang Juan led Wei''s army to defeat Wei, Song and other small states, and then Qi, which made him famous. King Hui of Wei was so happy that he invited Pang Juan to eat delicious steamed sheep with him. He said to Pang Juan, I got Marshal Pang as King Wen of Zhou got Jiang Taigong. To the south of Wei was the state of Chu, and the king of Chu, also a king who wanted to dominate the world, sent 100,000 Chu troops out of Fangcheng to attack Wei''s Gaoling. King Hui of Wei and Pang Juan led Wei''s 300,000-strong army to repel the Chu army, and then their soldiers pointed to Fangcheng, intending to defeat Chu completely and dominate the Central Plains. The King of Chu''s army was stationed in Wancheng, which was south of Fangcheng. He sent the Chu army to attack Wei''s high mausoleum in order to lure Wei''s army to attack Fangcheng, and then take advantage of the favorable terrain of the Great Wall of Chu in the area of Fangcheng to defeat Wei. When the king of Chu heard that Wei''s army was attacking Fangcheng, he was so excited that he planned to lead his army to Fangcheng to fight with the king of Wei. The king of Chu was excited and planned to go to Fangcheng with his army to fight with the king of Wei. The king''s advisor, Shi Huang Dafu (ʷʴ), who was a wise strategist of Chu, told the king of Chu, Your Majesty, we should not rush to Fangcheng for a duel at this moment. The army of Wei has defeated Qi in a row, and its morale is very high, so it is hard to predict whether it will win or lose in a duel at this time. If Wei''s army fails to attack Fangcheng for a long time, their morale will surely be low, and then your majesty will send troops to fight again, and you will win the battle securely. The battle against Fangcheng was very fierce. When Wei''s generals were almost on top of the city despite the casualties, braving the rain of stones and arrows, Pang Juan sounded the retreat. King Hui of Wei was very dissatisfied with Pang Juan''s retreat, and immediately summoned Pang Juan to his tent and questioned him: Why did you stop attacking the city? If you had not sounded the retreat, my soldiers would have been standing at the head of Fangcheng by now. Pang Juan explained, My humble servant''s spies have discovered the Chu army in Wancheng, a hundred miles away, and the King of Chu is also in the army. Even if we capture Fangcheng, we will still lose our troops, and if the King of Chu leads a large army to fight me at this time, we will win less and lose more. Pang Juan ordered his army to retreat one shekel and had rumors spread that more than 30% of the army were sick due to the water and soil. When the king of Chu learned that Wei had retreated one shekel, he was so happy that he could not stop clapping his hands and decided to march into Fangcheng to fight with Wei at once. Dr. Shi Huang advised the king of Chu not to be fooled by Pang Juan''s illusion, saying, Pang Juan, the marshal of Wei, used his army with guile, and Qi lost to him because of it; if the wounded and sick in Wei''s army were really more than 30%, he would have withdrawn his troops quietly and returned to his country long ago. What should we do? The King of Chu asked. He has a thousand changes, I have a certain rule; the army of Fangcheng holds fast, and the army of the great king presses on. What if the king of Wei therefore retreats back to his country? The great king will win without a fight, and the lords of the world will thus abandon the king of Wei and submit to the great king. The king of Chu pressed on, and Pang Juan was worried. There was a young strategist under Pang Juan named Gongsun Yue, who was superbly wise and bold. He advised Pang Juan, Marshal, the difference between the high and the low does not lie in a single moment, why don''t we withdraw our troops and go back to our country first, and then fight with Chu in the coming days when it is favorable to us? Pang Juan considered more than Gongsun Yue: The battle of Fangcheng will not only decide the supremacy of Wei, but will also determine whether I can hold the marshal position in Wei. If I return without victory, the king will no longer trust me; if I win this battle, even if I lose in the future, the king will not abandon me. Gongsun Yue said, Not to mention that no one in Wei can lead the army except Marshal Pang. Even if the Great King recruits the world''s wise men, no one in the world is above the marshal except Mr.Guigu. Those who are below me may not be unable to be marshals. Pang Juan laughed, Under Mr.Guigu, there are many disciples who have studied the art of war and battle formations, although they are inferior to me, but to lead an army, everyone should be able to do it. This place is not too far from Mr.Guigu, Gongsun Yue asked, Why don''t you ride a fast horse to ask Mr.Guigu to give you a good advice? Pang Juan hesitated for a moment and said, When I left the mountain, I had a promise that I would never see Mr. Gwigu until I dominate the world. Gongsun Yue said that he could go to Ghost Valley on behalf of Pang Juan. Gongsun Yue came inside the Guiguzi Cao Tang and asked Guiguzi to tell him how to defeat Chu, but Guiguzi refused. Gongsun Yue said, Marshal Pang said that as a disciple of Mr.Guigu, if he loses his army to Fangcheng, not only will he lose his reputation, but he will also tarnish Mr.Guigu''s reputation. Guiguzi laughed, I am a recluse, I never value reputation. Gongsun Yue drew his sword in his hand, pointed the tip of the sword at his abdomen, and threatened, If you don''t agree, I will die in front of you. Guiguzi smiled faintly and said, The latter need not be lighthearted, if the old man does not help, someone else will. Who is it? The old man''s disciple, Sun Bin. Marshal Pang said that in Guigu, no one else can help him except Mr.Guigu. Pang Juan is also too proud of himself, Guiguzi laughed, Sun Bin is only above Pang Juan, not below him; the old man has summoned him here so that you can try him face to face. Sun Bin heard the summoning climbed up the wooden ladder and came to the high platform in front of the grass hall, Guiguzi has quietly left. Gongsun Yue gave Sun Bin a detailed account of the battle in Fangcheng. When the sun was about to set, Sun Bin still had not come up with a good strategy to win. Gongsun Yue was a bit anxious and said to Sun Bin, Mr. Sun, the hegemony of Wei, Marshal Pang''s reputation, and my life all depend on Mr. Sun, so don''t let anyone down, Mr. Sun. Sun Bin told Gongsun Yue to go eat first, and then discuss the war in Fangcheng after eating. Gongsun Yue said, The wooden ladder under the high platform has been drawn away, you can''t get down. Sun Bin was a bit unhappy and said, Plans are thought out, not forced. It wasn''t me who forced you, it was Mr.Guigu who told me to do it. He put the fate of Marshal Pang and Wei in your hands, and I wasn''t comfortable with it, he said that as long as he breaks your back, you''ll have a good plan. At this point, Sun Bin''s eyes lit up and he said joyfully, Mr. Gongsun, there''s a plan! What plan? Ascend to the ladder. Gongsun Yue rushed back to the military camp day and night, and told Pang Juan about Sun Bin''s plan under the name of Guiguzi. He said, Mr.Guigu was right when he said that the marshal should stop attacking Fangcheng and lure the king of Chu into a duel, but he should not show weakness to Chu. The fact that Wei''s army has defeated Qi several times has made the shrewdness of Wei''s commander and the toughness of its army known to the world, so if you show weakness to Chu before you lose to it, you are bound to make Chu feel that there is a deception in it and refuse to have a duel. Pang Juan nodded: Makes sense ...... Gongsun Yue continued, Mr.Guigu said that we should show strength at this time, so that Chu feels that Wei is belittling it and not putting it in its eyes, and in the middle of the show of strength, we will take the action of blindly moving towards the enemy lightly, in this way, we can entice the king of Chu to come to the battle. Pang Juan asked Gongsun Yue to be more specific. Gongsun Yue pointed to the military map and said, Sir told the marshal to leave 100,000 men to guard the camp, and the remaining 200,000 men and horses to head south along the Great Wall of Chu, and then bypassed the southern end of the Great Wall, as if they were going to push straight to Wancheng to find the King of Chu for a duel, but in fact, it is not like that. The marshal left 50,000 men to watch over the King of Chu, and the remaining 150,000 troops rerouted to the south, advancing towards the capital of Chu. The army will be able to take over the capital city of Chu in one go, and completely destroy Chu. At this time, the King of Chu will definitely think that Wei''s army is rash and presumptuous, and he will definitely lead his army to find us for a duel on his own initiative. Pang Juan not without doubt asked, But ...... this will put the Wei army to death, if you can not win, you will be wiped out. I also asked Mr., but Mr. said, ''Sun Tzu''s Art of War'' said: cast to death and then survive, trapped in death and then live ...... Pang Juan froze and asked, Mister mentioned The Art of War of Sun Tzu? Gongsun Yue nodded. Pang Juan was silent for a moment, then said, Go on, go on. The Art of War says: when a general is in the land of the dead and has no way out, he does not need to fix a decree to pay attention to alertness; he does not need to force himself to accomplish his task; he does not need to be restrained to work together; he does not need to be ordered to observe military discipline; cutting off his way back is like climbing a height and withdrawing the ladder, and every one of the generals will go forward. Pang Juan exclaimed, That''s so right! Gongsun Yue continued, Sir said that once the King of Chu''s army leaves Wancheng, the Marshal will immediately transfer 50,000 troops from the camp ...... Pang Juan interrupted Gongsun Yue and said cheerfully, Combine with the 50,000 troops left at the southern end of the Great Wall, cut off the way back of the Chu army, and encircle the Chu army in the dangers-free mountains and fields. Gongsun Yue nodded and continued, The Chu army is bound to panic, and with a courageous division against a panicked journey, there is no reason not to win? Pang Juan couldn''t help but high-five, Too good, too good! If I had studied Sun Tzu''s Art of War, I could have come up with such a marvelous plan. Gongsun Yue asked Pang Juan why Guiguzi didn''t pass on the Art of War to him, and Pang Juan smiled, As a teacher, I always have to keep a hand in it, or else the disciple will surpass the teacher! Gongsun Yue wanted to tell Pang Juan the truth, but he was worried that Pang Juan would not act according to the plan, so he had to stop. King Hui of Wei and 100,000 troops stayed in the camp outside Fangcheng, while Pang Juan led 200,000 troops, bypassed the Great Wall of Chu, and went straight to Wancheng. When the king of Chu learned of this news, he was unusually pleased and said, The people of Wei have finally lost their composure. They have traveled a long way to fight deep into my hinterland, and I will already have the upper hand. After Pang Juan''s army bypassed the Great Wall of Chu, a part of it stopped short, and the large group suddenly changed direction and headed toward Tang City. This perplexed the king of Chu. Shihuang Dafu thought that the Wei people might be trying to use part of their army to hold back the Chu army, and then attack the capital city of Chu via Tang Cheng. The king of Chu laughed at Pang Juan''s audacity and ordered the whole army to attack and catch up with the Wei army for a duel. Dr. Shi Huang was still a bit worried and discouraged, Your Majesty, should we check again so that the Wei people will not be fraudulent. The King of Chu smiled coldly and said, Check what? If they go deep into the Chu hinterland, they are entering the land of death, and even if there is fraud, they will inevitably perish. Pang Juan led the Wei army to the pre-determined battlefield, and very seriously admonished the generals, We are dueling with the Chu army in the land of death, and if we don''t win, we will perish, and we can only survive in the land of death if we are brave enough to fight to the death! At Pang Juan''s order, hundreds of thousands of Wei troops like hundreds of thousands of survival tiger and wolf pounced on the Chu army, and the 80,000 troops of General Sima of Chu were routed in no time. When the king of Chu was informed of the situation at the front line, he did not know what to do. Dr. Shi Huang advised the king to withdraw into Fangcheng immediately and join forces with the army of Fangcheng to deal with the Wei. When the king of Chu was about to order to retreat to Fangcheng, the rear troops sent an urgent report: the Wei army in Fangcheng suddenly appeared behind the king of Chu''s army and cut off the connection between the king of Chu''s army and Fangcheng. The king of Chu did not know what to do. The king of Chu was at a loss as to what to do. The king of Chu was advised by Shihuang Daifu to cede the city and submit to the state of Wei. The king of Chu firmly opposed, saying, No, my country is a great country, how can I submit to Wei? Your Majesty, General Sima''s army is the most valiant and warlike among the Chu army, but in less than two hours, it was routed, and what is left of the army of the king is not a match for the Wei people? Now that your majesty''s retreat has been cut off, what can you do if you don''t give in? The king of Chu was silent. Dr. Shi Huang said again, Your Majesty, if you can bend and bend, you will be able to achieve the ultimate hegemony. The king of Chu was still silent. Shi Huang Dafu finally said, If the king refuses to give in for a while, it will be hard for him to survive. How can we talk about the hegemony when our lives will be gone? The king of Chu heard this, had to promise to give in. Less than a day, a great country will submit to Wei, Pang Juan very pleased. On his way back, he asked Gongsun Yue, who was in the same car, with a smile: Mr. Gongsun Yue, do you think there is anyone else in the world who is my rival? Gongsun Yue did not answer him, but with an apologetic look on his face, he said, Marshal, there is one thing I have not made clear to you. What is it? The plan to break Chu did not come from Guiguzi, but from your senior brother Sun Bin. Pang Juan froze and asked, Is this matter true? Gongsun Yueun said, Sun Bin was afraid that the Marshal would not believe in his plan, so he asked me to assume Guiguzi''s name. Pang Juan''s face grimaced, So those words from The Art of War were also his? Gongsun Yue nodded and replied, Yes. He spoke about The Art of War like a family favorite. Pang Juan was very angry that Guiguzi had not told him the truth, that he had hidden a set of Sun Tzu''s Art of War and that he had passed it on to Sun Bin. Gongsun Yue said to Pang Juan without any concern, If Sun Bin comes out of the mountain, I am afraid that he will become a formidable enemy that will be difficult for the Marshal to defeat. Pang Juan was silent for a moment and laughed coldly, I''m going to make him work for me. Note: To draw a ladder from the roof means to climb the ladder, which is the twenty-eighth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, and the name of the stratagem is summarized by later generations. The meaning of this plan is: intentionally show a profitable point, lure the enemy on the house, into the battlefield in my favor, and then draw the ladder to break the way back, forcing the enemy to give in. This plan has another meaning, which is what Sun Tzu''s Art of War said, like climbing up and removing the ladder, placing one''s army in a place where there is no way to retreat, forcing the generals to break the boat and fight with the enemy to the death. Pang Juan was jealous of Sun Bin, who forced Chu to submit to his plan of pulling the ladder out of the house. To find out what happens next, please read the next installment: A dagger hidden behind a smile. The Second Round: A dagger hidden behind a smile When Pang Juan returned to Wei, he immediately sent someone with gold and white jade and a handwritten letter to the Ghost Valley to ask Sun Bin to come down. He wrote in the letter: Sun Bin my brother, thank you for your wonderful help in the battle of Fang Cheng. When we parted, I promised to recommend Sun to the King of Wei, but now I have fulfilled my promise, so I ask you to come down to the mountain and work together for a great cause. I am sending gold and jade with this letter, which is the bride price of the King of Wei, I hope you will accept it. Sun Bin told Guiguzi about Pang Juan''s invitation to come down to the mountain, and Guiguzi told Sun Bin to decide for himself. Sun Bin was eager to build up his career and said to Guiguzi, I had an appointment with Pang Juan when they parted, and today Pang Juan has honored his appointment by presenting me to the King of Wei, and I dare not break the appointment. Guiguzi was silent for a moment and said, Go and pick a branch of mountain flowers, and I will tell a fortune for you. Sun Bin promised, got up to go, then saw the vase on the case of the house containing a few branches of yellow chrysanthemums. Sun Bin walked forward, took out the chrysanthemums from the vase, and came to Guiguzi to present it, Mr., use these chrysanthemums to tell a fortune for my disciple. Guiguzi looked at the chrysanthemum in Sun Bin''s hand and said after a moment, Good, use this chrysanthemum. Sun Bin turned back and put the chrysanthemum back into the vase, then sat down beside Guiguzi. Guiguzi pointed to the chrysanthemum in the vase and said, Although this flower has been destroyed, it is hardy by nature and will not be defeated by frost, thus, although you will suffer from maiming in the future, you will not suffer from any great difficulties or evils; this flower has been offered in the vase on the case, which signifies that you will be honored by the world; this flower has been put into the vase by someone twice, so I am afraid that you will not achieve success and fame right away; this flower has been put back in the vase at the end, so it looks like you will build a successful career in your hometown of The vase in which this flower was placed was made of gold and copper, and it is similar to the bell and tripod, so you will be powerful in the world and your name will be engraved on the bell and tripod in the future. Sun Bin, I will change the name for you, which will help you to be enterprising and successful. He said he picked up a pen and added the word moon next to Sun Bin''s Bin, Sun Bin''s name changed to Sun Bin. Sun Bin name changed to Sun Bin. Sun Bin said goodbye to Guiguzi and came to Wei to join Pang Juan. Pang Juan brought Sun Bin to meet King Hui of Wei. King Hui of Wei was overjoyed at Sun Bin''s arrival and said I''ve been looking forward to Mr. Bin for a long time, like a long drought waiting for rain, today Mr. Bin has finally arrived, I''m really relieved. Sun Bin bowed his head and said, Sun Bin is nothing but a hillbilly, incompetent and unethical, it''s a shame to be treated so favorably by the King. Mr. Sun don''t have to be polite, Marshal Pang told me that Mr. Sun is uniquely endowed with Sun Wu Zi''s secret art of war and has the ability to win a hundred battles. Sun Bin said frankly, Your Majesty, although I have seen The Art of War from Mr.Guigu, I have not yet studied it carefully, thus I dare not say that I have the ability to win a hundred battles. Mr. Sun is too modest, if I have Mr. Sun''s assistance, no vassal in the world will be able to match me. King Hui of Wei said to Pang Juan, who was sitting on the other side: Marshal Pang, I would like to make Mr. Sun the vice marshal, so that you two brothers and master can be in charge of the army, how about it? Pang Juan pondered for a moment and said, I''ve studied with Sun Bin for many years, and we''ve been friends for eight years, Sun Bin is my elder brother, so how can I let my elder brother be the vice marshal? Your Majesty, in terms of sentiment, reason, and talent, you should let Sun Bin be the marshal and the micro-chen be the vice marshal. Sun Bin strongly disagreed and said, Marshal Pang recommended me to Your Majesty, if I take Marshal Pang''s place, the world will laugh at Sun Bin for being a brother in vain, this is one; two, I just arrived in Wei and have yet to build up any achievements and accomplishments, so it would be hard to convince the public if I were to become a marshal. Sun Bin and Pang Juan each insisted on their own opinion and pushed each other to give in, King Hui of Wei was so impressed with their behavior that he decided to worship Sun Bin as a guest secretary and gave him a mansion, saying that he would worship Sun Bin as a marshal after he builds up his merit and honor. Sun Bin had no choice but to kowtow and thank him. King Hui of Wei gave Sun Bin a spacious mansion and Pang Juan suggested Sun Bin to bring his relatives from Qi to share his wealth. Sun Bin sighed: My dear brother, you and I have been in the same class for three years, you asked me about my family several times but I didn''t say anything. When we parted last time, My dear brother asked me again why I didn''t return to Qi, and I didn''t tell My dear brother ...... I was unwilling to let anyone pity me. Pang Juan inquired with concern, What difficulties does brother Sun have at home? Sun Bin told him, I lost my mother at the age of four and my father at the age of nine, and it was my uncle Sun Qiao who raised me. Uncle Sun Qiao raised me. My uncle was a Dafu of Duke Kang of Qi, who was deposed by Duke Tian, and his Dafus were either killed or expelled. My uncle was also expelled from the country, he took my cousins Sun Ping, Sun Zhuo, and me, and fled to the Zhou country, then because of the calamity, my uncle had to send me to a family outside the city to work as a servant, and he fled with his two cousins to his home country ...... Sun Bin tried his best to hold back his tears. For many years, my relatives were nowhere to be found, I don''t know if they''re dead or alive ...... Sun Bin said here tears could not help but come out of his eyes. Pang Juan was also saddened by this and advised Sun Bin to start a family. Sun Bin said he had sworn that he would never start a family before his career was established. Pang Juan asked the beautiful young girl Zhong Li Qiu to take care of Sun Bin, saying it was the King''s will. Sun Bin couldn''t resist. Gongsun Yue, who returned from Zhao, heard that Pang Juan asked Zhong Liqiu to take care of Sun Bin and came to Pang Juan on the same day, saying that he wanted Zhong Liqiu and asked Pang Juan to replace her with another girl to take care of Sun Bin. Pang Juan had his own plans to let Zhong Liqiu take care of Sun Bin, he said to Gongsun Yue, You should have said so earlier, I Pang Juan am a man of my word, I can''t take back what I said. Zhong Li Qiu liked Sun Bin from the bottom of his heart after spending just a few short days with him. Sun Bin is knowledgeable, generous and courteous. She secretly made up her mind that she would marry no one but Sun Bin. Zhong Li Qiu took care of Sun Bin very much, leaving home early in the morning and returning late in the evening. Gongsun Yue came to see Sun Bin and met Sun Bin sent someone to send Zhong Liqiu home, they exchanged pleasantries and Gongsun Yue changed the topic and asked Sun Bin if he liked Zhong Liqiu very much. Sun Bin laughed: What do you like or not like, she''s a maid that Pang Juan found. This girl, you can''t just touch her. Mr. Gongsun, look at what you''re saying, it''s not like I''m a womanizer. Sun Bin was a little embarrassed. Mr. Sun, I''m doing this for your own good, this girl isn''t an ordinary woman, she has a sister with a rare sword skill in the world and a surprisingly bad temper, whoever is rude to her sister, she''ll want whoever''s life ...... If you miss out on Mr.''s cause for the sake of a woman, it doesn''t seem to be worth it. Thank you Mr. Gongsun for your kind words. Sun Bin laughed frankly as he pointed to the bamboo slips on the table, All I''m thinking about right now is how to make Wei even stronger and dominate the world. With women, I simply don''t have the energy to think about it. A stone in Gongsun Yue''s heart then fell to the ground. One day, a Qi merchant who called himself Ding B came to see Sun Bin, saying that his family lived in Linzi, the capital of Qi, and made a living as a merchant, Sun Bin''s cousins Sun Ping and Sun Zhuo were friends with him, and when they heard that Sun Bin was studying in Guigu, they asked Ding B to bring a letter to Sun Bin, and when Ding B arrived at Guigu, he took a detour here after Mr.Guigu said that Sun Bin had already arrived in Wei. Said Ding B took out the letter and handed it to Sun Bin. Sun Bin opened the letter. The letter reads: Sun Bin my brother, it''s been many years since we left Zhoudu. Your uncle is seriously ill and has passed away. Your uncle is seriously ill and has passed away. The two of us, brothers, have been wandering around in a foreign land and have suffered a lot. I am glad that the King of Qi is kind and generous enough to forgive us and bring us back to our hometown. I have heard that my brother is studying under Mr.Guigu, a famous teacher produces great students, my brother will become a great man in the future. I''m asking Mr. Ding Yi to send a letter to my brother to hope for an early return to our hometown so that our brothers can be reunited. After reading the letter, Sun Bin was already in tears. Ding Yi said at the side: Sun Ping and Sun Zhuo''s two elder brothers repeatedly told me to advise you to return home early and reunite our brothers. Sun Bin let out a long sigh, I''m now the King of Wei''s guest secretary, deeply loved by the King of Wei, and have yet to build a success for the King of Wei, so it''s not good to leave immediately. Ding B said, Brotherly love is deep, if you can''t return to your hometown, your two elder brothers will be eager to see you, if you go back for a few days to meet with your two elder brothers, I can also give an explanation to your two elder brothers. Sun Bin thought about it and said to Ding B: You stay at my residence first, I''ll find Marshal Pang to discuss it and give you a reply. Sun Bin told Pang Juan about his cousin''s return to Qi and Pang Juan pretended to be surprised. Sun Bin asked Pang Juan to take leave from the King of Wei on his behalf to go back to his hometown to visit his family and sweep the graves. Pang Juan pretended to be in a difficult situation and said, It''s human nature to miss returning home after a long time, but the King has just appointed Brother Sun as his guest minister and you''re taking a leave of absence to go back to your country, what will the King think? I will only go back for a few days to catch up with my two elder brothers who have been separated for many years, and I will be back soon. I can understand brother Sun''s feelings, but the Great King may not think so, he will think that you betrayed Wei and went away without returning. The Great King has shown me so much love, I, Sun Bin, am by no means ungrateful, how could I betray Wei? My dear brother, the Great King trusts you, can you explain this to the Great King? Pang Juan thought for a moment and said, I can explain it to the Great King, but I can''t be hasty, it''s best to wait until the Great King is happy. Brother Sun, allow me a few days, okay? Sun Bin agreed. Ding Yi waited for a few days and couldn''t help but get a little anxious. Sun Bin told him to go first, saying that when the King of Wei grants his permission, he will immediately return to his country to reunite with his two elder brothers. Ding Yi said he can''t explain to his brothers if he leaves like this. Sun Bin wrote back a letter explaining the reason and asked him to bring it to his two elder brothers. After leaving Sun Bin''s house, Ding Yi gave Sun Bin''s letter to Pang Juan, it turned out that Ding Yi was instructed by Pang Juan to do what he did. Pang Juan imitated Sun Bin''s handwriting and added these two sentences in the letter: Although I have been appointed by the King of Wei as a guest secretary today, my heart is filled with longing for my homeland and I will try to go back soon. If the King of Qi does not abandon me, I will do my best to assist him. Pang Juan handed the letter to King Hui of Wei and said, Your Majesty, my humble servant''s soldiers captured a Qi spy and found on him a letter written by Sun Bin to his brother in Qi with the intention of rebelling against Wei and returning to Qi, although my humble servant is a fellow student and friend of Sun Bin, I don''t dare to hide it from the King, so please have a look at it. The King of Wei read the letter seriously and asked Pang Juan: I have promised Sun Bin that I would make him a marshal after building up his success, why would he still turn his back on me? Who can forget and disregard the state of his parents? Even if Your Majesty made him a marshal, he won''t do his best for Your Majesty. Back in the day, Sun Bin''s great grandfather Sun Wu Zi was very well utilized by Wu and the King of Wu made him famous, but he eventually turned his back on the King of Wu and returned to Qi. Then why did you recommend Sun Bin to me? Sun Bin is well versed in Sun Tzu''s Art of War, if the Great King doesn''t use him, he will be used by Qi, and once Sun Bin is started by Qi, he will threaten the Great King''s hegemony. The humble servant suggests that the Great King should execute him, otherwise he will definitely be a formidable enemy of Wei in the future. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.King Hui of Wei pondered for a moment and said, Sun Bin came here in response to my call, now the crime of rebelling against Wei is not yet obvious, if he is hastily executed, who in the world''s aspiring sages will still come to join me? Pang Juan said Back then, Gong Shu Xiangguo recommended Wei Yang to the King, the King failed to use him, Gong Shu Xiangguo asked the King to kill Wei Yang, but the King was merciful and let Wei Yang go, Wei Yang went to assist the King of Qin and made Qin rich and strong, threatening the King all the time, do you want Sun Bin to be the second Wei Yang? King Hui of Wei still hesitated and said, Sun Bin''s talent is rare, it''s too bad to kill him ...... You are friends from the same school, you should explain the advantages and disadvantages to him and persuade him to stay and build a career for me, I will never treat him badly. Pang Juan met Sun Bin and said that he had explained repeatedly and the king finally did not agree. Sun Bin was very anxious and paced back and forth saying, What can I do, my two cousins received my letter and must be looking forward to a brotherly reunion day and night, but I can''t go back. After thinking about it, Sun Bin decided to explain to the King of Wei in person. Sun Bin went to see King Hui of Wei and asked for leave to go back to Qi. King Hui of Wei didn''t move and asked Sun Bin: You want to go back to Qi so badly? Sun Bin answered frankly: Yes. King Hui of Wei asked again, What if I don''t agree? Sun Bin said, My two cousins are my only relatives, I''ve been separated from them for many years, all I ask is to see them once, the king shouldn''t disagree ...... The King of Wei suddenly changed his face and said sternly: Sun Bin, I treated you well, why did you betray me? Sun Bin was shocked and asked in disbelief, The words of the Great King, I don''t understand. The King of Wei said indignantly, If you want to go back to Qi, you''re betraying me! Sun Bin knew that the King of Wei misunderstood and wanted to explain, King Hui of Wei couldn''t help but order the palace guards to kill Sun Bin. Sun Bin was dragged outside the palace by the palace guards and tied to a pillar. The executioner was about to execute when Pang Juan hurriedly arrived and stopped the executioner and asked Sun Bin what crime he committed. Pang Juan comforted Sun Bin and said Pang Juan comforted Sun Bin and said, The King must have misunderstood, don''t panic, I''ll see the King right away and defend you. Pang Juan bowed to King Hui of Wei and said, Great King, although Sun Bin has betrayed, his crime is not to death. Executing Sun Bin was your idea for me. I said yes, but if the Great King really wants to kill Sun Bin, I really can''t bear to do it, after all, I was in the same class with Sun Bin for three years. Sun Bin has a rebellious heart, not killing him will leave a future problem. Your Majesty, not killing Sun Bin will also leave no future problems and, moreover, will save the world from criticism. What do you want to do with Sun Bin? The Great King can exempt Sun Bin from the death penalty and inflict Bin punishment on him by removing his kneecaps, making him an invalid and unable to return to Qi for the rest of his life. In this way, the Great King can save himself from the world''s comments and leave no future problems, wouldn''t it be the best of both worlds? King Hui of Wei thought Pang Juan had a point and ordered Sun Bin to be exempted from the death penalty and be sentenced to Bin''s punishment. Following King Hui''s order, the executioner removed Sun Bin''s knee and he fainted. Pang Juan had his servants carry Sun Bin to his home and personally took care of him. When Sun Bin woke up, he saw Pang Juan sitting beside him and couldn''t help but cry. Pang Juan sighed and said, Brother Sun, it''s all my fault, I shouldn''t have asked you to take a leave of absence from the Great King. Little brother is sorry brother. Pang Juan said, also shedding tears. My dear brother, you can''t be blamed for this. Sun Bin stopped crying, sat up with the severe pain and said to Pang Juan, If you want to blame it, you can only blame myself, I shouldn''t have been so eager to return to my hometown. Pang Juan wiped a handful of tears and said, This matter should be blamed on my little brother, if my little brother stops you and doesn''t let brother Sun ask the Great King for leave to return to his country, brother Sun won''t ...... but my little brother didn''t ...... my little brother is sorry for brother Sun! ...... My dear brother do not blame yourself, this matter is not to blame My dear brother, or blame me ...... blame I did not expect the king of Wei to be so narrow minded ...... However, also thanks to My dear brother, if it is not My dear brother, I would have long been killed in the nine springs by now! Pang Juan said sadly: Although I saved the life of brother Sun, but did not save the legs of brother Sun, a soldier''s legs can not stand, how to conquer the sands and build a career? There was a silence in the room. Sun Bin was extremely hurt and couldn''t hold it in any longer, Sun Bin suddenly pounded his leg vigorously and shouted at the top of his lungs, King of Wei, give me back my leg! Give me back my leg! Pang Juan grabbed Sun Bin''s hands tightly and advised, Brother Sun, don''t be like this, don''t be like this ...... you''ll die of pain. Sun Bin once again burst into tears and muttered, What''s the use of living in the world for a soldier who can''t conquer the sands and build a career? It''s better to die! With that, he forcefully broke away from Pang Juan''s hands and vigorously pounded his legs. Pang Juan hurriedly grabbed Sun Bin''s hands again and comforted, Brother Sun, I''ll find a way to cure your leg and let you stand up. Sun Bin struggled and gasped, My leg can''t be cured! It won''t be cured until I die! It can be cured, I guarantee you with my life that your leg will be cured. Little brother will hire the best physician for you and will definitely let you stand up again. Sun Bin was touched for a moment and after a moment said, My dear brother, I know you''re comforting me, but it''s useless, no one who has received Bin punishment can stand up again ...... I can make you stand up again, I have a friend who was also punished with Bin punishment by the Great King, I''m the one who found him a physician to make him stand up again. Is this true? Sun Bin was half convinced. A thousand times true, if my little brother has half a lie, let me die under a mess of arrows. Sun Bin complained, My dear brother, why did you make such a heavy oath again? Pang Juan held Sun Bin''s hands and said sincerely, Not swearing a heavy oath is not enough to make brother Sun believe that I will be able to cure your leg. Sun Bin was very touched. Pang Juan ordered Zhong Li Qiu to take good care of Sun Bin without any negligence. Gongsun Yue was very unhappy about this and complained to Pang Juan, Marshal, why did you let Zhong Li Qiu take care of Sun Bin again? I did it to make Sun Bin spit out the Art of War in his stomach. Give me a month, I''ll help Marshal find a more attractive woman. One month won''t do, the night is long. Then fifteen days. If fifteen days doesn''t work, ten days. Pang Juan could see Gongsun Yue''s thoughts and said, Gongsun Yue, I know you''re afraid that Zhong Li Qiu likes Sun Bin, but it''s already too late, she''s already in love with Sun Bin or else I wouldn''t have specially asked her to take care of Sun Bin. Gongs Yueun reads a bit anxious: Marshal, you promised me last time to let Zhong Li Qiu marry me, but now ...... Pang Juan smiled slightly, As long as Sun Bin spits out The Art of War, I won''t let him live in the world anymore. By then, Zhong Liqiu will still be your Gongsun Yue. Zhong Li Qiu took care of Sun Bin in every way, boiling medicine, rubbing his legs, serving meals, getting up at night, taking care of Sun Bin was everything in her life. Sun Bin looked at Zhong Li Qiu who was busy for himself, he was grateful from the bottom of his heart but also very upset. One day, he took advantage of Zhong Liqiu''s absence and wanted to try to get down on the ground by himself, but he couldn''t help that his legs didn''t listen to him and he fell on the ground. After Zhong Liqiu complained about Sun Bin in pain, he never left easily again, day and night. Under Zhong Liqiu''s careful care, Sun Bin''s legs got better day by day. Pang Juan was so happy to hear about this that he asked Zhong Liqiu to bring a few volumes to Sun Bin to relieve his boredom. Pang Juan sent him a few volumes of books to relieve his boredom. Pang Juan''s books recorded his military records of the four directions he fought in Wei, Sun Bin looked at them with a lot of emotions and said Pang Juan knows me. Zhong Li Qiu saw how happy Sun Bin was and a smile appeared on his face as well, saying, Sir, Marshal Pang said that these military books will not only help you relieve your boredom, but will also help you in applying Sun Tzu''s Art of War. If you sir have experience in conquering again, you will be invincible under the sun. Sun Bin heard this and said with emotion, Pang Juan is truly a great man, Mr.Guigu has misjudged him ...... He asked Zhong Li Qiu to quickly invite Pang Juan here, he had something important to say to him. Pang Juan came to Sun Bin''s place, sat beside him and asked what important thing Sun Bin was looking for him. Sun Bin took Pang Juan''s hand and said, My dear brother, I''m sorry. Pang Juan was stunned, Sun Bin, where do you start, did I do something wrong? Sun Bin shook his head back and forth, I won''t hide it from My dear brother, I wasn''t going to pass on The Art of War to anyone, including you My dear brother ...... Pang Juan pretended to be generous and said, I know, my younger brother knew that Sun Bin had told me earlier that it was Mr.Guigu''s intention, and that my younger brother had no extravagant hopes for The Art of War. I''ve changed my mind now, Sun Bin said seriously, I''m going to pass on The Art of War to My dear brother. Pang Juan shook his head back and forth, No, you''re going against your master''s orders, heaven will punish you! Sun Bin said frankly: Heaven won''t punish me because The Art of War doesn''t belong to me or Mr.Guigu, as a soldier, neither of us has a reason to let The Art of War come to me, it''s our responsibility to let this rare book of war be passed on. Pang Juan thought Sun Bin had a point but said he still couldn''t accept it, saying Mr.Guigu is too shrewd and knows divination, you can''t hide it from him, he''ll definitely blame you when he finds out. Little brother has always put love and justice first, if for a art of war to let brother Sun aggrieved, little brother would rather life-long regret. Brother Sun, listen to my little brother, it''s better to follow Mr.''s instructions. Sun Bin was moved by Pang Juan''s words and asked, My dear brother, let me ask you, can one use The Art of War well without being a brilliant soldier? Cannot. In the world today, which other soldier can surpass you and me? None that I''ve heard of. Pang Juan shook his head. Sun Bin stroked his leg and said, I asked the physician who showed me my leg, and the physician told me that even if I can walk, I can''t drive a car to conquer ...... Pang Juan quickly said, If this physician is not skillful, my little brother will find you another ...... Sun Bin waved his hand, That physician said that there is no better physician in the world than him, and I asked Miss Zhong Liqiu to ask others, and they all said the same thing. Don''t believe them, they''re not telling the truth. Tell me the truth, is the physician who showed me my leg the best physician in the world? Pang Juan answered affirmatively, No. Sun Bin asked again, Do you dare to swear to heaven? Pang Juan was silent for a moment and said, Ok, I''ll tell the truth, he is indeed the best physician and was hired by me with a lot of money ...... Sun Bin sadly said to Pang Juan, Since I can no longer drive in battle, what''s the point of keeping Sun Tzu''s Art of War empty? His tears were turning in his eyes, but he tried his best to hold them back and said with a straight face, Therefore, I can only pass on the Art of War to you, My dear brother ...... and only you, a warrior of the same caliber as me, will not dishonor the Art of War. Sun Bin emotionally held Pang Juan''s hand, My dear brother, you say, if I tell this to Mr.Guigu, what other reason would he have to not let me pass the Art of War to you? Pang Juan''s heart snickered with joy, the Sun Tzu Art of War he had longed for was about to arrive. He pressed down his excitement and with tears in his eyes, he got up and knelt down in front of Sun Bin, swearing, Brother Sun, I will never degrade your expectations, and I will definitely make The Art of War of Sun Tzu powerful in the world! After saying that, Pang Juan bowed and saluted Sun Bin. Note: Smile and hide the dagger is the tenth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, which means that the surface is friendly, but there is a hidden killing opportunity. Pang Juan is trying to get The Art of War by hiding a knife in a smile and framing Sun Bin. To know how Sun Bin got out of the danger, please read the next installment: Feign Madness but Keep Your Balance. The third time ：Feign Madness but Keep Your Balance ԴӦΪ丳дӱ举;֪ѾˡӱĵһƪʱЩȲҪûȥȿһ Ƭ̣дġӱݸ˵ֳӱѶһȫòֳѧϰľ飬ȿȫòϸ ɴ˵֪Լĵܣ˵ȷӷŻдֵСϣְѱȫдûȥúÿʱһúøҽ⡣ĵشӦˡ һֿ˻صҿĵظ봺Ѿµ·ˣ̫ҽ˵ٹʮңһˡ 봺䵭˵ˣҲܼݳǺͲʲô𣿡 ֻҪһţҾˡ 봺ʣϲ ˼صͷ 봺Ž㣬ʣ޸ ͷԪ˧ѾӦˡ 봺ǹˣ޸кӵģ ǹˡ͵Ԫ˧˵DZԩģ꡶ӱ֮Ԫ˧ΪϴΪʦ봺Ц ɵãЩʿ˵ٻ˵滰Ϊ˴ﵽԼĿģ˵ٻҲ˵滰 Щ˵ãǰѱô 봺Ȱ㣬߱£ʲô˶ûм˵û ﲻֵԪ˧˵ǻѻҲţ㲻ƽһǻ޸ģϲ 봺ɫһ˵¸ĸ˵㣬Ǹĸˣҽ˾ҾԲ޸ һʱ֪ô㣬γ봺ĽԼϣ㲻Ҽ޸Ҿǰ 봺һʱȰ㣬ý㣬½Ǻú̸̸ ӦңҾͷ½ ɵ㣬ⶼΪã㲻ĻԺڵġ ھͺڣˣڱӦҡ 봺ã̾һãҴӦ봺ﲻͻȻǰȥڵأ˳ƶеĽȻŵڵϵЦҲŲӦ㣡ӵ ޺޵ĵ㲻Ӧңһǻ˵գʰðҪߡ 봺æǰȥ Ҳһû޸񲻿ϧ ǡҪȥ һһĻشҪԪ˧չ˵꣬ƹ봺߳ӡ Խһʱ䳤ˣϷö֮మˡһȥ丣ʵԪ˧ʮдˡĵһƪʲôʱдʮƪأ ҲżżʲôЦ ҲżԪ˧ͼӡ ġ֮дһ㣬³дÿһһһ顣 Ԫ˧ҹζ࣬Ǵдɡ ˵򲻿졣Ҫӱij˵Ҽųġ丿˹Խһۣ˵Խ㵣ĵIJDZ󣬡԰ɣ ҲȫǡҪԪ˧ סҡ丶ŹԽĬƬ̣̾ϢұDzϷģ룬ҲùˣϾͬ꣬ⱲӳŮ˵ζҲǾľȫͬͬѧˡҲΪŮ˻ҵĴ¡ Խô˵Ҳû˵ʲôﰵ¾ģõ򣬾ڶ죬һԹ˵ĵı⡣Թ룬ԽڳʹԹʱ򣬺йһ֮ʵԹһ 䱦ԽԹռɽɽֳκ׼Թ߹ԽӦ黹ɽκùԽǰΪԹ˵ûʹٹԹԽӦæ Խʣʲô£ ˵κ˵ͨӱһɶõĽ죬ֻϧΪҪκ̣˷ˣԶˡҼ𣿡 ʲô£ԽԽ ҪԸԸȥԹ ԽЦ̫쿪ˣԪ˧Źġ ֻҪҼһΣܲȥԹҶصĸл㡣 ֲǰ֮ˡ ŮôŮ϶ Խ뵽Ůߵһ˼ţβԹﵽԼĿأ գ˯ר־سдһ˵и뵱ܽñһܸ˵ġ ЦУŮӣŮѧҲûá ﲻÿɷ˵ΪʲôŮ˲ԣҽ˵ŮҲɱˣҲԴ̡ һ㶣ԼڹȵʱҲи˵ͬĻʵҼǵ˵ȥˣ ȥѧˣûȥ ȥʱŮװ𣿡 ƽʱŮŮװġ ͻȻôóаŮװĹĪȤ˵á ϲӦˡҲüѧŵҲϲ˵Ͳᷴˡ κĽֵϳˮˮĽֵؼҿáȻûã·ܳһʻŹԽװԽ򣬶ߵ˵ˣȥɡ һȳһգ߲ˣ㽫˽ֱߵһҾƹݣھƹϢԼؼҽƹݼ ߺ߽ƹݣ£˵ҼκʱԪ˧ԶκΪ䣬Ҷʮ־壬Ϊ˼棬ҶڸȺ˵ӹԩһֱȥӹӣԪ˧ǽԺܽȥռǸˡ ԣ䲻⣬òض˵лǵǸˡ ˡֱԡ˵֮ԳΪˣΪݺ ʲôˣ 両 ʾţȴʾԼ֤ˡ ²شøϵƹݵʱѾ뿪ˡ赽齵Ŀջ֪֤˾ǹԽԽ丵ıóöǴšϸؿűͿĹţʼ˵ġ ĬƬ̣ʹԽΪʲôҪ丵ı ΪҲϰߴϿ˱ɵҡԽָ裬Һܶ鱦 If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.裬㣬Ϊʲôأ Ҫõش ùԽȳȥҪ赥̸̸Խȥһ˵лܸ𣿡 ¹Խ͵С˵֪ҵҲûãֻܸԹˡ ʣ˵ңDzҪȥԹ ̹Ȼ˵ûУҶԹԽ˵Ļ ΪҪ֪ʵ飿 κԹвҲԸκ˧õ ֻҪȥԹҾԹκ ҡͷ˵УڵҹңɲΪһˣ͵ǿκ Ĭ˼Ƭ̺̾ϢѵҪκˡ ԽصߴϽȥóٵɡ صסһϵȴޱ飬·𱻶סһӶߡһ˵Ͳں㡣 ˼˵ʲôˣҪ¡ãؼҰɣȥԪ˧һˡ ＱæϻӸסֻ˯ϣ۷ֱôһҲԸķˡ̲ס˵ʲôѴ˵ҰԽ ߽ͷץסԽĸ첲˵ԽϽȥԪ˧˵һԲȣҲ˵вԪ˧Ͻ̫ҽ Խο̫ҽĽᣬһ˾һ룬ĽȻͺˡ Խؼңﲻģ˵ҪչԽô˵Ȱ˵뿪 ߺ󣬹Խߵ˯齱ߣ˵ﲻΪ˽ӣΪ˵õǷҿһ˼㣬ȥԹ Ŀɿڴ˵ Խвòʧȥ·úɡ˵깫ԽҲ뿪ķ䣬 ֻʣһˡ̾һĵն񰡣DZ飬̾ϢһΪһȻֵ壬˶߲֡ˣܲˣҲûңDzҪҪﲻҪ ͻȻɽʱ͸һңѣ򿪴˽ңơæӴͳһҡ򿪽ңһƳ񣬻Ƴϻԣһǡ͡ԣһǡϡԡ˵ԣ͡ѣҪ棬ڰɶϡԢ֪ɡԺһ˼ǣͨװ֪ɣͿڰѡ͡ԤԵѣ֪ӦԵǰΣա ҹˣ主ڿ飬ÿֻҪû¾Ϳ鵽ϰߣףһҪɴ£Ҫµ顣 Խæ˵Ԫ˧ˣˣ һ㶣˵ʲô ˣֿЦִ֣Լıˡȥɡ 为͹ԽϽϵסĵطֻЩδڻð̣չ޵Ƭɢһأͷڵϣȫ̵ͺڻңʱԵ޹ʵؿЦš ߣеʵ֣ôˣ 丣ͻȻޣ޵ķҡ ֣ôˣС˵ɣ졣 ͻȻЦ˵κ뺦ңΰɣʮ콫ңȲңЦֿޣ޵κˣˣ˷ˣκû˿սˡ Խһţ˵κԪ˧ô˵ûأ ߵͷȾͽκҪɱͽմͻҳ֣丵ӣȾңȾң 串ͷ֣丣 ֱס丵ȣ޺ңκҪɱĵӡ Խǰסſ˫֣޺ҪңҪҡ 临ǽȡĽָٺ֣ɱ㣡 ЦκɱҰɣҵ콫ѾΧסˣ㲻ߡִЦ 串ķˣʿϽȦԽȰԪ˧ȻˣϾѧԴ˶˵Ԫ˧塣 ЦҾ뿴Dzķˡ Ȧʿ׷ԣ˵׷жʿϡʿһ֮£飬ȴԵýζʿΪ㱨丣Իװ衣 ˵Ȧŭ丣ʲôȦŰ 丸ţ˵ֵܰ㣬ܿˣԼҪȦϣֻҪĺǻķ財һκá ͻԭסϸɾ·˯ϡߺߣ棬޵ϹΪʲôΪʲôķ𡭡 Զԣûκα顣 룺Ů˵ȥһġһѱס̲סһ£ֻһ˲䣬侲ƿеҵѪ뺦ңκļϸ ٴǰס˵ҲǼϸΪá ڵأ˵ϸƭңȥ վ涵ؿĵس㲻ϵңһϻʲôá˵ţĽ˵شңҪҪ𡭡 һ˿ײԥЦƭңҲŲļƣ콫 ˮ̾һ˫ۣеĽڲϡ ʱԽŶ룬һƽеĽ䡣ʱҲ˽˵ǰ޺Ԫ˧Ⱦķˡ 丶ķԱлɣųţȻм ۹վڼ·֣˶ܶԶ̯֮Ӱ⣬ûһּ̯֡ȻŭǰһŽߵڵأ˵ٲߣҾʹ㣡 ̯ͷңκҪҡ ̯ȥҽ֣ ̯ͷңκҪҡ ̯ŲߣֽŰˡſڵϱͷ󺰡ңκҪңңκҪҡ վڲԶ丿һУǻֶ˼죬ûʲôɵĵطԽ˵Ԫ˧ҿķˡ ̾Ϣһϧˣ ԽοˣѾˡԪ˧ûбҲ޵еġ 主Ǹ̾һô˵ϾҲòˡ עװͿʮеĵڶʮ߼ƣǼװͿܲصۼһıƭ丣ԾΣաûȫΣգ֪ᷢʲôѿǼơ The fourth time：The Stratagem of the Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell Ǹӣ鰮顣ﵣĵòԲȣ˯ţƾ봺ôȰ˵ȥ죬ԽŰң봺˵ĽòͻݣȢΪޣƸ¡봺ԹԽûʲôøУ ԣ뿪 ԽȻ˵޸ңҿ ԽĻ봺ܸжǵ֮࣬ԹԽ˵ԽΪԪ˧ľʦӦöڣƸӦĸĸֳġ ԽЦﲻ֪Խˣңĸ˫һ߱£κԪ˧ңԪ˧ֳЩƸԪ˧͵ġ ҲˣͬΪҶߣԽô˵Ƹش߳ԹԽ˵ԽƸûȥɣ ԽЦǺǵ˵ѾƸˡ ﻹҪǴӦҾͲӦҪȢȢ˵꣬תͽҡ ľٶ봺ڹԽǰ²ȥ֣ԹԽ˵ԽʵڱǸȻȥȥȰȰ 봺߹ԽصңߣȰãԽúÿԪ˧ıʿʲô䲻أ Ц㲻˵ЩıʿĻصģ˵Ļš ˵丣޸Ŀĵġ ԽͲһܾˣijȢġ Ҳģ 봺̰˵Ǹӣ֪ζζ붯ﶼֲ壬ôܼ޸أ ҵҾͼ޸ һӶβأ ۺỨ˵βãҾͲޱˣ 봺˲ŭɶҲüޣҲüޣĻ˵㣡 Ķ˵ҼޣҾһβǿЦ˵仰ͨһڴϷޣ鵽 봺ʹĿʹ˵ñޣҲ㣬ҪعԽȥ 봺 ŹԽƸ˹ԽĸϣǸĶԹԽ˵ӣŮˣģԽʵڱǸ㲻ϴӦֻðƸͻȥˡ ԽĬһ˵봺飬ҿԵ꣬ʮ꣬ʮ꣬ҵһӶУ 봺Խ˳飬Ҳ˵ʲôֻ뿪 봺Ϊ˶ϵ飬ɱڽˣ˵Լģ㽫˽˼봺˵Ҵģɱģ˵Űγ˽ һ㶣һȳһյܣһһ߼еңκҪɱң 봺һڵǰסȥ·һת봺ٴεǰеĽָʺЦȣܣ һƨڵϣ봺ֲͣضͷͷһһҲˣҲ콫ˡ ͷҲǴ봺˵ ǴҵڴһɡһĶ봺ٴοͷ˵ 봺ýݺݵļͷҲûãɱ㣡 ֱӣĿɿڴؿ봺ʡΪʲôҪɱң 봺Ϊ㣬ˣ㡭ֻҪϣޡҲ㺦ãһҪɱ㣡 ָ˼ķɣ쳤̾бܳ۳ҽҵԼСסⰡ봺ԣؿ ɵʵˣװ裿 ЦȻװˡ ΪʲôҪװأ ҪɱңΪ˱ɱҵΣգֻװ衣 ֵһ㣬ôɱ㣿ֺ˵˵𣿡봺Dz⡣ ݺǰԭԭ˵һ顣봺ǸŮŭЦصݺܵأȰκ̾ϢȽŲ㣬û˰æôӳȥ 봺˵Ҹҳӣκ ҡͷУһ˲УҪǷʧˣһ׷ƾһ˵ӲʹӳȥҲҵŵĵط 봺ʣ˵أ һҵ 봺ΪŮװҹκߵ˵ɸֱձȨȥݷɣݺȳɵκطȳκؽٱû 봺˵ʹκв ΢΢һЦ˵ԹʵһûôȨơ IJԶ֮ϣСӱ԰սʤ ӱʧˡ һݣڹ ˵Һŷ ɵعǸ۹ˣɾʱһֱڹ۲Ůװ봺ʱ˵⡭һ봺Ȼ˵ԣ޵ǰЩĪի˵һڹУӲⱾˣӵĺҲDzܡ ֪عΪѵ˵Ʊصκ¹ش󣬱 ع˵Ϊ¹شԲŴΰκ֪ˣΪκ Ȼع˵еЩԥ عȿóɶIJŻdzֻ̬ȵģðôķգ˵Ϊʹߣκһˣݼ濼ǸвŻˣҾ취ûвŻҾ·عˣΣ 룬մӦعȡ봺˺ܸмعȡ عԵͱ봺봺ݣʾΪ봺ŮװѲҼֲиӡ̣ԼһҪ봺봺عȸǸмع ʹߵκȰǰݼκκϣͽ˼عȥ丣鱦ｫԪ˧ѡ丵һЦ˵ｫijˣôܺأ عƽ˵ԣǿʤΪ˸ԹҵĴǵˣѣֻʱġ عȣ˵ҲԸｫأ Űκκԣֹ˳κκԵֻعκҪսʤعӦｫѡ ֮飬ֻҪѣｫν Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Ԫ˧ô˵κ֮ǿ󣬲ΪκΪԪ˧޵УԪ˧ӦｫѣｫҪʳѰ丹Ц ˵˵Σعл串⣬ʵ˵ｫɾͳԲˡ鱦Ӧøл㣬Ϊʲôлأ عȻش˵кܶԸԪ˧鱦Ԫ˧ٻܵģֻҪԪ˧Ըܣ˵ǸҽѡԪ˧鱦˵ѡԪ˧ѣҾͲСˣΪʹߣȻӦøлԪ˧ 为عȣд 봺֪عκϵع齵ĿջһֱȵϦңûعȻ봺ｹѡعȵ̴˵عǸӦˣһ¾ͻͨﵩԾ봺 봺ҪߵʱعȻˣ봺Ҫ̴ȥعȿŴɫ˵ôˣǵɡ 봺˵˵ ع۾һ˵ã仰˵úá߰ɣȥ Դ丽ķ񲵱һֱ飬ʱ֣ʱʱ˵˵ЦЦʱĿֹ主˶иˣоǻҹؼҡһҹ봺ԼͷڽֱߣȺ봺 Խڽֱߣóȿ뿪ԽߣȰ㻹ǻظϢɡͷ ˵ظ츮ǵظ ԽЦ㵽ʲôǰ衣 ܣ˵Dz˵ˣҵ㲻ܣҲ𣿡 õڻûӦҪ취 Ů˵飬Ҳû취 ԽЦҵò봺ûˡ о봺ҪˣҪϽѹԽ˵Ҽʱ俼ǡ Խߺбڽֱߡ봺һݺߵǰ˵ ܣԶԶظ봺 ԽûԶһҵ̵ӰԶ봺¶Ц 봺һҼªĿջһװعȡعȻ봺ڲϯϡ ȿм˫ȣţˡֱԣȽôԺôս̣ ƽ˵ǽսֻ߽ıʿȰڱ߽ʤ̡ ıʿһӶĬĬš һˣֻ󹦡 ع룬ʵңһǿһСľ¼ңôľӴǿأ شһͨ˺ͣʹպ;ͬģҪʱҪеġǡšʡ¡֮Ϊ塢ݾӱ˵ĵ졢ء ع ΢΢ͷʣսʤ˵ϲʲô ˵ϲߣսʤˡƻ˵սԡ أ أ أ ܾܵ˵ľӡ أشǡعȻƵãشãع¸ͿҲҪΣ֮Ужѣ˵عȣĴǵġ˵Ҫعǰ봺һץססȣܹ򡣡򣬶лͱﲻ ڲǸжʱ򣬸øϽһô뿪κˡعȶ˵˵ĶԣҪȥֲܾκʲôð취𣿡 һ취ջ⴫ҵĽŲһʿŶ룬ģ봺ǰȴعһ˻عȵв;Ǵ봺̾һôˣ裬ʵ޿̡ Ϊ裬޿̣ҲҪ̡봺عĿʿǰ̧ߡֱؽȦ첻ܳȥЩȣɹԽװɵظ両вȦĹԽҵ¸丶ûôй¶ıԽҲ⣺ҵòԸðաҲʾðգֺηһûκθķӣô𣿡 ԽЦƾ봺ʹߣҲҡ һ㶣ʣô֪ģ Խش𣺡һȥջҶˡ Խɡ Խ˵Ҫû˿ˣǾ͸ˡ串ûд⣬ÿ춼˿㣬˰ҵõΪҵİĻرûбİ취ˡ ĬƬ̣˵ҹٸš ԽһЦ˵ٹ죬Ͳκˡ ˵ΪҲκŲᰭ¡ Խ˵еӦ뿪κ һҹڷߵҹ봺ع̵һӷӸԺǽȦǰѵȺȦĹԽӺڰȦš봺߽Ȧӻ໻˶Է·ŪŪͷһȦԽ뿪Ӹ ڶһ磬ع̵ʻ̫ܵôIJã̾û뵽гͷһ졣 δ䣬Զ׷˹ع̼æԸڳ鲼¡ ۵׷һ両临ع̣عΪβǶ𣿡 һظǣԪ˧ڡ عӣ㲻뿪κ عһ㶣Dz֪ˡܿ侲˵ʹߣΪʲô뿪κ Ц˵عǸܴˣҺ㣬κһκ㡣 عŰһ˵عţ¸мعŴӦｫ̷꣬عҲʳԡ أ µһ ãҵ󡣡 丵һߡ ع̵ͷ⣬򶫳ȥ עѿǡΪʮеĵڶʮһƣDZԭΣԻˣн˱Ч´˼ƣ̴ӰװĿǣԼǣκҪ֪飬뿴һƪ÷ҡ The fifth time： Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree After Sun Bin left Wei, Gongsun Yue quietly released the fake Sun Bin in the pigsty and then reported Pang Juan that Sun Bin didn''t return last night and today he searched the whole city and didn''t see Sun Bin''s shadow. Pang Juan was full of anger and blamed Gongsun Yue for not telling him earlier, ordering, If there''s nothing inside the city, immediately take people outside the city to look for it and make sure you get Sun Bin back! Gongsun Yue led a group of soldiers to look outside the city for a long time and finally found Sun Bin''s worn clothes by the river. After returning to the marquee, Gongsun Yue speculated to Pang Juan that Sun Bin most likely drowned in the river. Pang Juan remembered that when he was in Ghost Valley, Sun Bin liked to touch fish in the water, and after receiving Bin''s punishment, he was delirious and couldn''t move easily, so he believed Gongsun Yue''s speculation. Hearing that Sun Bin drowned, Zhong Li Qiu was in pain and cried her eyes out. Zhong Li Chun helped her sister bury Sun Bin''s clothes in a quiet forest in the countryside and piled up a grave to be considered Sun Bin''s grave. Zhong Li Qiu knelt in front of Sun Bin''s grave and continued to cry until the blood-like sunset slowly set. Zhong Li Chun was worried that her sister had cried her body out and advised her to forget Sun Bin. Zhong Li Qiu said she could never forget Sun, Sun was wrongly accused and died. Seeing that Zhong Li Chun was so infatuated with Sun Bin, Zhong Li Chun sighed softly and said to herself, If I had known this, I shouldn''t have agreed to Gongsun Yue. A thought flashed through her mind: kill Gongsun Yue! The moonlight was like water, flowing into Gongsun Yue''s room through the window. The door of the house was gently rattled open, and a sword-wielding person dashed into the room, it was Zhong Li Chun. Zhong Li Chun gently walked to Gongsun Yue''s sleeping couch and said in a low voice, Gongsun Yue, I''m really sorry ......, she said as she swung her sword and slashed at Gongsun Yue. With a metallic clash, the sword in Zhong Li Chun''s hand was blocked aside. Gongsun Yue, who was holding a long sword in his hand, leapt up from the bed and stood in front of Zhong Li Chun, laughing coldly, Zhong Li Chun, I didn''t expect you to have such a hand! Zhong Li Chun froze for a moment, and after calming his mind, he said, I have no choice in the matter, my sister, she is unwilling to marry you even if she dies. I don''t care if she is willing or not, since you promised me, you have to find a way to make her marry me. My way is to kill you! Saying that, Zhong Li Chun stabbed at Gongsun Yue again with his sword, Gongsun Yue blocked it with his sword. Zhong Li Chun stabbed again and was again blocked away by Gongsun Yue''s sword. Zhong Li Chun stabbed again, and was again blocked by Gongsun Yue''s sword. Gongsun Yue drew himself up and jumped aside, saying, Zhong Li Chun, you can''t kill me, although you are good at swordsmanship, you are not my opponent. Not necessarily! Zhong Li Chun was very unconvinced, she said and made a few more moves, Gongsun Yue waved his sword to resist. Gongsun Yue said carelessly, Zhong Li Chun, stop, you really are not my opponent. Zhong Li Chun attacked more and more urgently, but he could not win. Zhong Li Chun changed his stance, but Gongsun Yue dodged and knocked down Zhong Li Chun''s sword with his swiftness. Gongsun Yue picked up the sword and gave it to Zhong Li Chun, saying, Go back and persuade your sister. Zhong Li Chun took the sword and turned around to leave, Gongsun Yue seemed to have thought of something again and shouted, Wait. Zhong Li Chun stood still, his back facing Gongsun Yue. Gongsun Yue said, Tell your sister, if she doesn''t say yes, I''ll tell Pang Juan about Sun Bin''s escape, Pang Juan will surely lead his troops to attack Qi, Qi is afraid of Pang Juan and will surely hand over Sun Bin. Zhong Li Chun turned back and laughed coldly, Sun Bin escaped, you''re also implicated, and when Pang Juan finds out, you won''t survive either. Gongsun Yue said to Zhong Li Chun very seriously, If I can''t get Zhong Li Qiu, I''d rather die. Zhong Li Chun returned home, not knowing how to persuade her sister. After thinking about it, she had to truthfully tell Zhong Li Qiu what happened before and after Sun Bin fled Wei. Zhong Li Qiu knew that Sun Bin didn''t die and her heart finally fell to the ground. Zhong Li Chun said guiltily, Autumn, in order to save Mr. Sun, we had to agree to Gongsun Yue, and there was no other way ...... I know that you will resent your sister for this for the rest of your life ...... Sister, I don''t resent you. Zhong Li Qiu calmly said to Zhong Li Chun, If I were you, I would have done the same thing ...... However, Mr. Sun has already arrived in Qi, so there is no need for us to take on promises made under duress. Zhong Li Chun said helplessly, Sister, you don''t quite understand things between countries. If Pang Juan knows that Sun Bin is still alive, he will never let it go. Qi is afraid of Pang Juan, and under Pang Juan''s coercion, it''s very likely that he''ll hand over Sun Bin. Therefore, the fact that Mr. Sun has arrived in Qi must not be known to Pang Juan. Sister, if I don''t say anything, if you don''t say anything, if Gongsun Yue doesn''t say anything, Pang Juan won''t know that Sun Bin is in Qi. Gongsun Yue threatened me that if you won''t marry him, he''ll tell Pang Juan about Sun Bin. But ...... if Pang Juan knew about Sun, Gongsun Yue he wouldn''t survive. Gongsun Yue said that if he can''t take you as his wife, he''d rather die. Zhong Li Qiu said hatefully, Then let him die! I also thought so, tonight I go to kill him, but I am not his opponent ...... I have to come back to beg you ...... Zhong Li Chun deeply felt a powerless lack. Zhong Li Qiu was silent, tears like pearls breaking off, kept flowing down. Zhong Li Chun looked at her sister and said, Good sister, sister knows that it is difficult for you ...... but sister no longer has any other good way ...... Zhong Li Qiu hugged Zhong Li Chun and cried, Sister, why is my life so bitter ...... Zhong Li Chun wrapped her arms around her sister''s shoulders and couldn''t help but weep as well. After Zhong Li Chun finished her sister''s wedding, she left Wei the next day and went to Qi to find Sun Bin. Sun Bin was overjoyed at Zhong Li Chun''s arrival and Qin Gu was happy too. Qin Gu tentatively asked her how it would be to live in General Tian''s mansion, to which Zhong Li Chun replied, I''m here to take care of Mr. Sun, so of course I''ll be staying in the General''s mansion. A hint of jealousy and embarrassment flashed across Qin Gu''s face. General Tian Ji was a good horseman, and on the day Zhong Li Chun came he was preparing for a horse race with King Wei of Qi, and asked Qin Gu to come to the track to watch the race with him. As a result, Tian Ji''s first-class horse, second-class horse and third-class horse all lost to King Qi Wei. King Qi Wei smiled proudly at Tian Ji and said, General Tian, you have lost three times in three battles with me, it''s time for you to admit defeat, right? Tian Ji said he was not convinced. Zou Ji, the prime minister of Qi, said to Tian Ji without irony: General Tian will lose every match with the king, and is already a frequently defeated general, so it''s better to submit. Tian Ji and Zou Ji had always been at odds. Zou Ji assisted the king of Qi Wei to make Qi strong, since then he is proud of his achievements, not to put Tian Ji in the eyes. Tian Ji''s military power is in his hands, but he also does not buy Zou Ji''s account. After Tian Ji''s defeat by Pang Juan of Wei, Zou Ji had appealed to King Wei of Qi to remove him from the post of general. The King of Qi did not grant the request because Tian Ji was of the same clan as him. The conflict between Tian Ji and Zou Ji also deepened. Tian Ji and shy and annoyed face red, ignoring Zou Ji, he said to King Qi Wei: King, five days later, I have to compete with the king, must win! King Qi Wei stroked his beard: Good, a promise is a promise. Zou Ji stirred the pot from the sidelines, General Tian, is there enough gold left to place a bet? Not enough for me to lend you. Thank you for your kind words, Minister Zou, I have plenty of gold! Since there is plenty of gold, I wonder if the general would dare to place a heavy bet next time? What''s there not to dare? Next time, one horse, one thousand taels of gold. Zou Ji was secretly pleased when he heard this. He thought to himself, Since Tian Ji has agreed to place a heavy bet, and will lose his family''s money if he loses, Tian Ji will not sit back and wait for death, he will do whatever he can to amass wealth. As long as he is unscrupulous, we can catch him and force him to surrender his military power. On the way back to his house, Qin Gu complained that Tian Ji shouldn''t have gambled with Xianggu to place such a heavy bet. Tian Ji said helplessly, Hey, I was forced by Xiangguo. Do you know what he said about me? He said I am a general who always loses! He was explicitly talking about horse racing and implicitly referring to fighting, ridiculing me for losing to Wei several times, so how can I swallow this? Tian Ji asked Qin Gu to find a way to buy a few good horses, and Qin Gu managed to find a few after several attempts, but when he inquired about them, they had all been bought by people from the Xiangguo Palace. Qin Gu hated and angry, but there is nothing he can do. Qin Gu walked back along the market, frustrated, and while walking, he surveyed the passing cars and horses for a miracle. Zhong Li Chun meets Qin Gu on the street and hears that he is choosing a horse on the street and laughs at him for buying a horse in the marketplace as pure nonsense. Qin Gu also laughs at himself and says that he just wants to take his chances. An old man leading a horse walks past them, drawing Qin Gu''s eyes over. Qin Gu sprinted after the old man and asked, Elder, are you selling this horse? As he spoke his eyes couldn''t stop sizing up the old man''s horse. The old man looked at him for a few moments and said, For sale. How much? A penny for it, and a thousand gold for it. You mean your horse is priceless? The old man laughed, It''s not priceless, I''m unwilling to haggle, make your offer. Qin Gu thought for a moment and said, Ten taels of gold, how about it? Before the old man could reply, one of the servants from the Zou Mansion grabbed forward and said, I''ll offer twenty taels. Qin Gu glanced at him and said, I''ll offer twenty-five taels. The Zou Mansion servant upped the ante and said, I''ll offer thirty taels. Thirty-five taels. Forty taels. The old man looked at the two, leading the horse to leave. Qin Gu hurriedly chased after him and said, Elder, I offer fifty taels. Without looking back, the old man said, I won''t sell it even if you offer as much as two taels. Qin Gu followed the old man and asked, You said you would sell it, why don''t you sell it again? As I said just now, I''m not willing to bargain. Well then, how much did you say? No price. Qin Gu''s face was full of smiles as he said, Elder, even the best horse has a price, so name a price. The elder stood still, and said in a bad humor, Three thousand taels of gold, can you afford it? So much gold, Qin Gu indeed can''t afford it. The old man led the horse to go, Qin Gu suddenly on the horse''s ass vigorously pat, the horse hoofs galloped. The old man anxiously chased after the horse. Qin Gu shouted behind him, Old man, hurry up and chase after him, that''s 3,000 taels of gold! Zhong Li Chun laughed his ass off and shouted along. A carriage stopped beside them, Qin Gu, why are you fooling around here if you don''t go buy a horse! The one who spoke was Tian Ji, who was full of sulkiness. Qin Gu went up to Tian Ji and saluted him, thinking while saying, General, we are not fooling ...... around, it''s like this, that ...... Zhong Li girl said just now that she has a good idea that can outwit the great king, and when we were happy, we got a bit got carried away. Tian Ji''s face eased a lot, asked Zhong Li Chun: Zhong Li girl, what good idea do you have? Zhong Li Chun was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to answer. Qin Gu said to Tian Ji, General, it''s not convenient to talk on the street, so I''ll let Miss Zhong Li tell you when we get back to the house. After Tian Ji left, Zhong Li Chun complained to Qin Gu, What are you babbling to the general, how could I have any good ideas? Miss Zhong Li, I''m really sorry, I was in a hurry just now. It doesn''t matter if you got wise in a hurry, how can you ask me to explain to the general? Qin Gu''s eyes lit up and said, We can go to Mr. Sun and let him help us out. Qin Gu and Zhong Li Chun came to Sun Bin''s place and told Sun Bin about the horse race and the purchase of the horse and asked Sun Bin to give them an idea. Sun Bin thought for a moment and asked, Last horse race, how much did the General''s top quality horse lose to the Great King''s horse? Qin Gu said, About a horse length. And the medium horse? Also a horse body. And the inferior horse? Still one horse body. In that case, the general''s horse is about the same as the great king''s. It is not much, but it has lost many races, so the general will have to change his horse. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.There is no need to change horses, I can still let the general win. Qin Gu laughed: That''s impossible, you probably haven''t raced a horse, don''t look at the difference of one horse body, to catch up, you can''t practice without half a year and a year, besides, the Great King''s horse is practicing too. Sun Bin smiled slightly and said, By giving up one horse, you can exchange it for an overall victory. Qin Gu seemed to comprehend something and said, Please tell me more about it, sir. Sun Bin said in a deep voice, Let the general''s inferior horse face the king''s superior horse, the general''s superior horse face the king''s medium horse, and the medium horse face the king''s inferior horse. In this way, by giving up the inferior horses, the general''s superior and medium horses will win a solid victory. Lose one game, win two, and the general will still win a thousand gold. Zhong Li Chun high-fived from the sidelines, That''s fantastic! Qin Gu told Tian Ji about the horse race countermeasure, Tian Ji looked hesitant and said, Sun Bin''s idea is good, but I''m worried that doing so will be a suspicion of deceiving the king. Qin Gu laughed: General is over worried, this is not deceiving the king, it''s strategizing. The playing field is like the battlefield, allowing for strategy to win. That''s what I said, but the Great King is a person who loves face very much, if he knows about it, he will definitely blame me ...... Qin Gu glanced at the hesitant Tian Ji, coughed lightly, and said, General, with all due respect, one of the major reasons why the general lost to Pang Juan several times is because of his indecisiveness. Tian Ji''s face instantly grimaced and he slapped the large table in front of him with force, saying angrily, Qin Gu! In vain I value you so much, I didn''t expect you to belittle me like this too! General calm your anger, I have no intention to belittle you, just want to say something. No matter what you do, when you make a break, you will lose. Qin Gu said in a deep voice: I don''t know if the general has thought about it, if you don''t dare to take this risk even for the horse race, when the two armies are fighting, you won''t dare to use Sun Bin''s plan even more. In that case, even though you have Sun Bin, what''s the use? Tian Ji eased his emotions, nodded slightly and decided to adopt Sun Bin''s strategy. The day of the horse race finally arrived, this time there were a lot of people watching, Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun were among the crowd. King Qi Wei was sitting in front of the tent where he was watching the race, on his left was Tian Ji and on his right was Zou Ji. There was a pile of gold on the table in front of Tian Ji, but not a single piece of gold on the table in front of King Qi Wei. Zou Ji glanced at the gold in front of Tian Ji and said with a smile, It seems that General Tian is ready to lose. Tian Ji smiled brightly, Also ready to win. Zou Ji also stroked his palm and laughed, General Tian does have the demeanor of a great general and is very good at comforting himself. The order flag in the hands of the tournament director was raised, and the war drums on the front side of the tent were beaten. At the starting point, two horses galloped out. One horse had a yellow silk tied around its neck, the other had a red silk tied around its neck-the former was King Qi Wei''s horse, the latter was Tian Ji''s. King Qi Wei''s horse gradually took the lead, and ran faster and faster. Tian Ji''s horse tried desperately to catch up, but after all, it was too weak to do so. King Qi Wei shook his head and said to Tian Ji: Tian Ji, why is your horse getting worse and worse? Tian Ji said with equanimity, If this horse doesn''t work, there''s the next one. The drums stopped amidst a cheer, and King Qi Wei''s horse reached the finish line a dozen paces ahead. The Dafu in charge of the race stood in front of the tent and said loudly, The first race, comparing the top grade horses, is won by the king. Win the gold of one thousand taels. The palace guards took away the gold in front of Tian Ji. Zou Ji gloated and said to Tian Ji, General Tian, have you brought the gold for the next game? Tian Ji hummed, Don''t worry about it, I''ve got it all ready. King Qi Wei smiled, If you don''t have it, you can owe it first. Please don''t worry, Your Majesty, I will never owe Your Majesty''s gambling money. The war drums beat again and the second race began. Two horses came galloping in, one tied with two yellow silks, the other with two red silks. Tian Ji''s horse ran faster and faster, gradually overtaking King Qi Wei''s horse. The people watching were quite surprised and puzzled, and there was a great deal of talk. The two horses crossed the finish line one after the other, the one in front was Tian Ji''s horse, it was two lengths ahead of King Qi Wei''s horse. Zhong Li Chun happily grabbed Sun Bin''s hand and shouted Winning! We won! Sun Bin calmly said, It''s only a tie now, we haven''t won yet. The third race started soon after. The two galloping horses were almost indistinguishable from each other. All the people watching were glued to the two racehorses. Tian Ji stared nervously at his horse, and King Qi Wei was even more nervous, his fists clenched as if he was cheering for his horse. Tian Ji turned around and asked Qin Gu behind him in a low voice, It''s not a mistake, is it? Qin Gu replied back, It won''t. Tian Ji''s horse gradually led by half a length. The King of Qi''s horse was not willing to lag behind and desperately tried to catch up. Zhong Li Chun was so nervous that he didn''t have the courage to look any further and raised his hand to cover his eyes. Deafening cheers suddenly erupted around them - Tian Ji had won again! In front of the tent, King Wei of Qi''s face was very ugly as he said to Tian Ji: General Tian, I don''t have any betting money with me, I''ll give it to you after I return to the palace, is that okay? Tian Ji bowed and said, Your Majesty''s gambling money, I don''t want it. King Qi Wei was very unhappy and said with a sullen face, What do you mean by this? Do you want the world to say that I am not faithful? Tian Ji replied, No, this horse race was won by chance by the microscopic minister, so I dare not ask for the Great King''s betting money. Zou Ji said from the sidelines, I don''t think General Tian won by chance, but by tampering. I didn''t do any tricks, I used a stratagem. King Qi Wei was stunned and asked Tian Ji what scheme he used. Tian Ji told King Qi Wei about Sun Bin''s plan to win two by giving up one. King Qi Wei couldn''t help but high five and said, Wonderful, wonderful win! Who came up with this plan for you? I would like to tell the king alone. Tian Ji followed King Qi Wei back to the palace and told King Qi about Sun Bin''s life and experience and recommended Sun Bin to King Qi Wei, saying that Sun Bin was able to defeat Wei. King of Qi was surprised and immediately summoned Sun Bin. Sun Bin walked into the palace of Qi on crutches, he walked step by step in front of King of Qi Wei and didn''t kneel down, he arched his hand and saluted, Grassman Sun Bin, I pay my respects to the Great King. No one in Qi has ever paid a visit to the King of Qi without kneeling, King Qi Wei was a bit upset and asked, Sun Bin, why don''t you kneel? Sun Bin said frankly: I''ve been punished with Bin punishment, I can''t kneel. King Qi Wei looked at Sun Bin''s legs and was relieved. And asked I heard you''re a key criminal of Wei? That''s true, but I''m also a mortal enemy of Wei. Can you defeat Wei for me? Not at present. Why can''t I? Currently, Wei''s army is stronger than Qi''s army. When can I defeat Wei. One needs to wait for the right time. How long to wait? Three years at most, one year at least. King Qi Wei doesn''t quite believe Sun Bin''s words, he thinks Sun Bin is not waiting for the right time, but is just passing the buck, so he asks Sun Bin again, I want to know how can you defeat Wei after one year, or after three years? Sun Bin saw King Qi Wei''s doubt and said, Your Majesty, if you''re willing to listen, the grasshopper can say more. King Qi Wei smiled slightly and said, As long as you can really help me defeat Wei, not to mention a few sentences, even if it''s dozens or hundreds, I''m willing to listen. Sun Bin bowed and saluted, and said eloquently, In today''s world of great struggles, whether or not a country can win a war is a matter of life and death! Only the victor can avoid the death of his country and continue the kingdom for generations; if he cannot win the war and invites the vassals to bully one after another, he will be forced to cede his country to the extent of jeopardizing the state of his country. King Qi Wei could not help nodding. But, Sun Bin then turned serious, Victory is not something to be coveted by chance. To achieve victory, one is to be well prepared in all aspects before the battle. In this way, even if the city is small and the enemy is outnumbered, we can still defend ourselves and even reverse the situation in the face of the incoming enemy. Secondly, the war launched by the need to be just. War is not a child''s play, the use of military must be cautious, those who militarize for the pleasure of war will one day be humiliated and be destroyed. When he heard Sun Bin say that waging war needs to be righteous, King Wei of Qi was a bit dismayed, some Confucian scholars in the Jixi Academy of Qi often expounded to him the ideal of unifying the world without the use of force by instilling a benevolent government and convincing people with virtues. Could it be that this so-called descendant of Sun Wu Zi in front of him was also a pedant who did not know how to use power and change? King Qi Wei just frowned lightly and said, Sun Bin, go ahead and speak. To avoid King Qi Wei''s misunderstanding, Sun Bin further elaborated, War is admittedly brutal and it''s understandable that people don''t like it. What the grasshopper opposes is the behavior of rash belligerence and fighting for the sake of fighting, but to oppose war purely out of aversion and advocate convincing people with virtue and serving them with courtesy would be too pedantic and naive. King Qi Wei''s eyes lit up and signaled Sun Bin to speak plainly. Sun Bin said, In the past, Shen Nong cut down the flint, Yellow Emperor fought Chi You, Tang Yao discussed Gong Gong, Yu Shun conquered the Three Miao, Shang Tang and Zhou Wu Wang overthrew Jie and Zhou, and Zhou Gong conquered the East. None of them is not through the means of war to solve the problem, to achieve unity. Nowadays, people are not as virtuous as the three kings, not as talented as the five emperors, not as wise as the Duke of Zhou, but they talk about eliminating war with benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and music, which makes a mockery of the whole world. The sages are not not want to dissolve the war with benevolence, righteousness, etiquette and music, and rule under the arch of the arch, but in reality, it simply does not work! Therefore, the last resort and use the military. Especially in today''s era of great struggle for supremacy, the only way to stop the war of injustice through the war of justice, so that they are in a strong position. If you win, you will be strong, and the world will submit to you, not to mention a Wei state. King Qi Wei was greatly shaken by this unique analysis and then asked Sun Bin to talk about the situation of the countries and specific strategic issues, nodding his head and agreeing every time he heard something wonderful. After listening to Sun Bin''s grand theory, King Qi Wei couldn''t help but stand up and said to Sun Bin with a bit of excitement: Sun Bin, it''s my good fortune that you''ve come to Qi, it''s the good fortune of the Qi state! I worship you as a great general ...... Sun Bin quickly said, Your Majesty, you can''t. King Qi Wei was puzzled and asked, Why? Grasshopper''s legs are handicapped and his face has torture marks, if the Great King worships Grasshopper as a Great General, the world will laugh at Qi for having no one. Moreover, I have not yet accomplished anything, so it is difficult to convince the public. It is better to let Tian Ji be the general. Then how about I make you a military advisor? Not at the moment. Why? Sun Bin said, Pang Juan doesn''t know that Grasshopper is in Qi, so he doesn''t take Qi as a problem, if Your Majesty appoints Grasshopper as a military commander, it will definitely reach Pang Juan''s ears, and if Pang Juan brings his troops in to invade, it will be difficult for the current Qi army to withstand it. King Wei of Qi nodded slightly, he inwardly praised Sun Bin for his thoughtfulness, he asked Sun Bin: When do you think is a good time to take the position of Military Advisor? When the Great King has no choice but to move his troops. Note: Li replacing the peach is the eleventh of the 36 stratagems, the name of the stratagem comes from the later, similar to the Chinese Chess Throwing away the car to protect the marshal, the meaning is to give up the localization, in exchange for the victory of the whole situation. Sun Bin used this plan to help Tian Ji win the horse race and made the King of Qi respect him. To know when Sun Bin will show his power on the battlefield, please read next time: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao. The Sixth: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao In 354 BC, Pang Juan led an army of 100,000 to invade the state of Zhao. The army of Wei was invincible and pushed the capital of Zhao, Handan, which was in great danger. Zhao Li, an envoy of the state of Zhao, came to Linzi, the capital of Qi, on the order of the king of Zhao to persuade the king of Qi. He told King Qi that the king of Zhao intended to offer three cities to Qi, and asked King Qi to send troops to save Zhao. King Wei of Qi summoned the great ministers of the court to discuss the matter of saving Zhao, Gentlemen, he asked the ministers, will it be to my country''s advantage to save Zhao, or will it be to my country''s advantage not to save Zhao? Zou Ji stepped forward and said, Your Majesty, I think it is advantageous not to save Zhao. Handan is the capital of the state of Zhao, and Zhao will certainly not give it up easily, and will surely fight with Wei to the death; even if Wei breaks through Handan, it will be greatly wounded, so that Wei''s threat to my state of Qi will be lessened. If your majesty sends troops to save Zhao, there will be a bloody battle, not to mention that the Qi army is not a match for the Wei army, and even if it is a match for the Wei army, both of them will lose. Therefore it is still advantageous not to save Zhao. King Wei of Qi thought that Zou Ji had a point, and many of the great physicians were in favor of Zou Ji''s proposition. Tian Ji, however, opposed Zou Ji''s idea, and said to King Wei of Qi, Your Majesty, I beg to differ with what you have said. In my opinion, saving the state of Zhao is favorable to my state of Qi. Zhao and Qi are the common enemies of Wei. If Zhao falls, Wei will deal with Qi with all its strength, so the threat of Wei to my Qi will increase instead of decreasing. If your majesty sends troops to save Zhao and save Zhao from extinction, the king of Zhao will be grateful to your majesty for the rest of his life, and once Wei invades Qi, Zhao will go all out to make it difficult for Wei to take care of its head and tail, and in that case, Wei will not dare to invade Qi rashly. Therefore, it is to my advantage to save Zhao. King Wei of Qi thought that what Tian Ji said was more reasonable, and many of the great physicians favored Tian Ji''s proposition. Zou Ji said, What General Tian Ji said is certainly reasonable, but I don''t know whether the king has thought about it or not, the Qi army has been defeated by Pang Juan several times, and if it is defeated by Pang Juan again in a faraway country, not only will it not be able to save the state of Zhao, but it will also be in danger of being wiped out by the whole army. Zou Ji''s words led to a flurry of discussion, the Dafus have expressed support for Zou Ji''s advocacy, not to save Zhao, while King Qi Wei pondered in silence. Tian Ji anxiously said to King Wei of Qi: Your Majesty, if you do not save Zhao, Zhao will be destroyed, and if Zhao falls, Qi will also cease to exist! Zou Ji said to Tian Ji, General Tian, don''t be an alarmist, if Zhao is destroyed, we can still ally with Chu, Qin, Country of Han and Yan, and Wei can''t destroy Qi. Tian Ji sneered back, Xiangguo, I don''t know whether you are really confused or pretending to be confused. This time, when Wei invaded Zhao, these countries you mentioned were all afraid of Wei and didn''t dare to save each other. In the coming year, if Wei invades Qi, will they not be afraid of Wei? Zou Ji laughed coldly, General Tian, I am not pretending to be confused, I understand everything you say. However, the army you lead is no match for Pang Juan, so how can you save Zhao? Knowing that Zou Ji was mocking him for his incompetence in commanding, Tian Ji couldn''t help but blush and said, I can surrender my military power and let someone with talent lead the army. You should have said this earlier, it''s too late now! In the heat of the moment let alone not being able to find such a person, even if you do, he is no match for Pang Juan. I can find one, and this person is absolutely certain to defeat Pang Juan. Zou Ji burst into a sneer and said, Anyone can say big words. What I''m saying is not big words, it''s the truth. Who is this person? A descendant of Sun Wu Zi, the heir to Sun Zi''s Art of War, his name is Sun Bin. Tian Ji said to King Wei of Qi, Your Majesty, I recommend Sun Bin as a great general, he can definitely defeat Pang Juan. King Wei of Qi also thought of Sun Bin and he personally went to Tian''s house to ask Sun Bin to be the Great General of Qi. Sun Bin saluted King Wei of Qi and said, Your Majesty has personally come to invite Grasshopper, I''m sincerely afraid, but Grasshopper once had an agreement with Your Majesty, Grasshopper will not be a general, but only a military advisor. King Wei of Qi said A military advisor doesn''t have the right to command an army, it''s hard to utilize your talent sir, I don''t feel comfortable with that. Sun Bin said, I''ve been with General Tian for many days, General Tian is a general who is good at listening to others, with General Tian in command of the army, I can still give full play to my talents. On the side, Tian Ji said to Sun Bin, I''ve already agreed to hand over my military power in front of all the great generals, if I become a great general again, wouldn''t I be going back on my word? Mr. Sun, you should stop excusing yourself. General Tian, I''m not excusing myself, as a great general in charge of the whole army, I should have majesty, I''m handicapped and have torture marks on my face, I have no majesty to speak of, how can I lead the whole army? Sun Bin also said to King Qi Wei: Your Majesty, it''s better to let General Tian lead the whole army, I''ll be his military advisor. King Wei of Qi pondered for a moment and said, Alright, let''s do what you want. But I have a word in advance, for major matters of conquest, we must listen to the advice of the military advisor, if we lose to the Wei army again, the military advisor and General Tian will be equally guilty. Zhao Li heard that Qi''s military advisor was Sun Bin, and rushed to the Qi camp outside the city in a hurry to pay his respects to Sun Bin. After a long time, it''s not what it used to be, after they exchanged pleasantries. Zhao Li lamented, This time our country of Zhao is saved. Mr. Sun, Pang Juan would never expect you to be alive and facing him. Sun Bin smiled faintly and said, He''d even less expect that instead of going to Zhao, I''d go to Wei. What, go to Wei? Zhao Li asked in disbelief, If you don''t go to Zhao, how will you solve the siege of Handan? Sun Bin said, If the Qi army goes all the way to Zhao, it''s hard for a tired division to win, then not only will they not be able to save Zhao, the Qi army itself will be hard to protect. Now Wei is empty, if I send my army to Wei, Pang Juan will definitely withdraw his army, so won''t the difficulty of Handan be lifted? Zhao Li was uneasy about Sun Bin''s approach and asked What if Pang Juan doesn''t withdraw his troops? Sun Bin said with confidence, The Qi army is threatening Daliang, the capital of Wei, so he wouldn''t dare not to withdraw. What if Pang Juan breaks through Handan before the Qi army poses a threat to Daliang? If Handan was really that vulnerable, we would have arrived in Zhao, and Pang Juan''s army would have long since captured Handan. Mr. Sun, the most certain way is to go straight to Zhao, the Qi and Zhao armies will work together inside and outside, and Pang Juan will surely withdraw. The most certain is often the least certain. Mr. Zhao, you don''t have to worry, I will definitely make Pang Juan withdraw his army is all. Zhao Li was very dissatisfied and coldly said, Are you afraid of Pang Juan? Sun Bin smiled, Don''t provoke me, it''s useless to provoke me, I won''t change my mind. Zhao Li thought Sun Bin was just afraid of Pang Juan and intentionally told Qi General Tian Guo about Sun Bin''s intentions. Tian Guo is a straight-tempered and cranky general, he angrily walked into Sun Bin''s tent and nonchalantly questioned Sun Bin why he didn''t go to Zhao. Sun Bin said lightly: Sun Tzu said: Generals are quiet to be quiet and correct to rule. It can fool the ears and eyes of the soldiers and make the people ignorant. The time is not ripe for the general''s plans to be known to his subordinates so that they can follow the general''s plans without fail. Tian Guo sneered, I already know about your ploy. You want to go to Wei, not Zhao. Sun Bin was frank: So what if it is? Hmph, you''re afraid of Pang Juan and bluffing to go to Zhao! You''re a disgrace to our Qi! Who said this? Tian Guo said with a straight face, I said it, I just said it. Come on man. Sun Bin snapped, Drag Tian Guo out and cane him for thirty. Before Tian Guo could respond, two guards stepped forward to hold his arms. Tian Guo was furious and pushed the guards away with all his might, pointing at Sun Bin and cursing : Sun Bin, how dare you! You don''t even ask me who I am? Let me tell you, I''m the cousin of the Great General, a great servant of Qi, I''ve fought hundreds of battles and killed thousands of enemies, the Great King respects me even when he sees me, how dare you hit me? You''re too out of your depth! It doesn''t matter who you are, you should be beaten for ignoring the military master''s orders. Sun Bin very sternly told the guards, Drag him out and cane him for forty. The guards dragged Tian Guo outside the tent and executed him. Tian Guo was lying on the ground cursing Sun Bin for being a coward and disgracing Qi. Several generals came at the sound and snatched the bamboo cane from the guards'' hands. A general named Cao came forward to help Tian Guo up and asked, General Tian, what''s going on? Tian Guo angrily cursed, Sun Bin was afraid of Pang Juan and didn''t dare to go to Zhao, so when I chided him about why he didn''t go to Zhao, he used the cane on me. General Cao angrily said to the crowd, How can such a coward be a military advisor? Let''s go, let''s go to the Great General. The other generals chimed in to find the Great General to dismiss Sun Bin. Sun Bin walked slowly and said to the crowd, It''s useless for you to look for the Great General, the Great General and I have the same idea. General Cao didn''t give Sun Bin a second thought and said Don''t be ridiculous, the Great General is not a person who is afraid of death. Sun Bin said, This isn''t greed for life and fear of death, this is a secret of army combat. General Cao sneered Bullshit secret, if you don''t go to Zhao, who are you fighting? Sun Bin wanted to stop and said Fighting with whom is not something you should ask. General Cao pressed Sun Bin: What if I have to ask? I advise you not to ask, otherwise the caning will not be pleasant. It''s the death penalty, I still have to ask! General Cao''s chest puffed out, looking righteous. Sun Bin ordered to the guards, Someone, thirty strokes of the cane. The guards outside the tent came forward to arrest General Cao, who drew his sword and shouted, I''ll see who of you dares to touch a hair on my head? Daring! Sun Bin became furious and snapped at General Cao, How dare you threaten the military master with your blades, military law will not tolerate it! He commanded the guards, Drag him to the camp gate and behead him! The generals heard this and drew their blades to protect General Cao. Sun Bin swept a glance at the generals and said, What, do you all want to die? One of the generals shouted, Death is better than having people point at my spine and call me a coward! The two sides were in a stalemate when Great General Tian Ji walked up. The generals immediately withdrew their weapons and dodged aside. General Cao went up to sue Sun Bin, but Tian Ji interrupted him and said, No need to say anything. Everything will be done according to the Military Counselor''s opinion, it''s the King''s will! The crowd was dumbfounded. Sun Bin pointed at General Cao and said to his soldiers, Drag him to the camp gate and behead him. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itThe generals knelt down in unison and saluted, Military Master be merciful, spare General Cao''s life. Tian Guo also stumbled to Sun Bin and knelt on the ground saying, Military Master, General Cao offended Military Master because of Tian Guo, if Military Master wants to kill, just kill Tian Guo. Sun Bin pondered for a moment and said to the generals, When your subordinate violates military discipline and you don''t punish him with military law, can you uphold the dignity of military discipline? When you issue an order to your subordinate and there is no error in your order, are you able to retract it without jeopardizing the majesty of the military order? If an army is not strict in military discipline and its orders are not dignified, can this army go into battle and do whatever is necessary? Can an army that can''t go through fire without hesitation defeat a powerful enemy? The generals were speechless. Sun Bin said to the guards, Drag General Cao to the camp gate and behead him. General Cao was honestly carried away by the soldiers. The crowd silently looked at the racked away General Cao. Sun Bin turned around and two teardrops rolled out of his eyes. Afterward, Tian Ji complained to Sun Bin, Warlord, you should have told the generals the true purpose of going to Wei, then today''s incident wouldn''t have happened and General Cao wouldn''t have died. Great General, if you tell everyone the true purpose, there are so many mouths to feed, it''s inevitable that word won''t get out, and if it reaches Pang Juan''s ears, he won''t withdraw his troops from Zhao, and we won''t be able to achieve our goal. Sun Bin explained, Therefore, it''s necessary to conceal our true purpose and put up a front of a real attack on Wei, the so called real attack, we have to block all the news, conceal our whereabouts while suddenly appearing in Wei, Pang Juan is a man who can use his army, he''s not afraid of bluffing, what he''s afraid of is a sudden attack. The morning light illuminated the wilderness, the Qi army''s horses didn''t neigh, the people didn''t clamor, the flag didn''t fly, and they quickly drove towards Wei. The faces of the soldiers wore the grim look that precedes a great battle. Zhao Li returned to Qi capital and reported what Sun Bin did to King Qi Wei. King Qi Wei explained to him that this was one of Sun Bin''s tricks. What a whimsy, Zhao Li said disdainfully, Pang Juan won''t fall for Sun Bin''s trick at all, Sun Bin''s real purpose is to borrow the King''s army to avenge his personal revenge. King Qi Wei was deep in thought. Zhao Li added, Wei is powerful, even if it''s empty for a while, Sun Bin will have a hard time getting what he wants, if Pang Juan breaks through Handan and immediately returns to his army, the Qi army will be rested! King Wei of Qi ordered his palace guards to catch up with Tian Ji immediately, ordering him to stop his crusade against Wei and immediately lead his troops to Zhao. Tian Ji received the King of Qi''s order and asked Sun Bin what to do. Sun Bin told Tian Ji: Once the battle deployment is finalized, it''s most important not to be erratic. Tian Ji was skeptical and said, If the King blames us, we can''t account for it. Sun Bin said decisively, Generals are outside, the king''s orders can be disobeyed. Tian Ji is still skeptical: That''s true, but the Great King is most jealous of generals who go against the King''s orders. The Great King''s order is to save Zhao, as long as we make Pang Juan withdraw his troops, we haven''t violated the Great King''s order. With Sun Bin''s insistence, the Qi army advanced according to the original plan. The Qi army laid down and entered the territory of Wei and went straight to the capital of the country, Daliang. When King Hui of Wei heard about this, he immediately summoned his Dafus to discuss the matter. Some of them thought that Pang Juan should be transferred back to the army immediately, so that the Qi people could not come back; some of them thought that the Qi people did not have the guts to attack Daliang, but were just bluffing, and took the opportunity to seize the border city of Wei. King Hui of Wei ordered the border city army to attack the Qi army along the way, forcing the Qi army to reveal their attempts. The Qi army was constantly attacked by Wei''s soldiers, but they ignored Wei''s attacks and continued to drive towards Daliang without any hesitation. King Hui of Wei no longer hesitated, and ordered a Dafu, taking his military talisman, to travel day and night, and transfer Pang Juan to return to Wei immediately to destroy the Qi army. When Pang Juan received the order from King Hui of Wei, he was at first a little puzzled by the behavior of the Qi people, but then he heard that the Qi army had laid down its flag, disregarded the harassment of the border guards, and marched straight to Daliang, and only then did he resolve to return to the army. When Tian Ji and Sun Bin learned that Pang Juan had returned to the army, they immediately summoned the generals to their tent. Sun Bin said to all of them, Pang Juan has always despised Qi, this time when he returns to the army, he will surely split into two armies before and after, he will personally lead the first army to go straight to Daliang, we will lay ambushes at Guiling, the road Pang Juan must pass through, to catch him by surprise, and Pang Juan will surely be defeated. The generals were excited. Tian Guo stepped forward and said Military Master, I want to make up for my mistakes, please let me be the first to meet Pang Juan. Sun Bin shook his head, You can''t. Military Master, do you not trust me? You can ask the Great General, I, Tian, have always put life and death aside in combat, killing the enemy bravely and never backing down. I believe in what you say, what I''m uneasy about is that you can''t fight according to my deployment. Tian Guo stated with conviction, I can! Warlord, you tell me, I''ll fight however you want me to fight! I want you to lose. Sun Bin spelled out his plan, The first person to meet Pang Juan must be defeated, you can''t let Pang Juan see the slightest break before you can lure Pang Juan into our ambush zone. Tian followed Sun Bin''s deployment and led his army to stop Pang Juan. Pang Juan was furious that the Qi army had disrupted his plan to attack Zhao, and personally supervised the battle, intending to eat the Qi army that stopped in front of him in one gulp. Tian''s army fought and retreated, with Pang Juan''s army following close behind. Tian abandoned his wagons for his horses and fled, and Pang Juan also abandoned his wagons for his horses and led his soldiers in hot pursuit. Tian''s army fled into a long valley in great fear, and his soldiers were in a terrible state of disarray. Pang Juan himself led his army into the valley, and the sound of shouting and killing was overwhelming. At that moment, the rumbling of war drums suddenly sounded in the valley, and many Qi soldiers with shields swarmed out from the grass and trees, stopping in front of the Wei army. Behind the shields were soldiers with bows and arrows aiming at the Wei army. Pang Juan was shocked, but quickly calmed down and said in a loud voice, Shields to the front, bows and arrows at the back. The Wei soldiers holding shields quickly formed a shield wall in front of the Wei army, and the soldiers holding bows and arrows surged behind the shield wall. There was another drumbeat. On the hills on both sides, a large number of Qi flags were raised, and many bow-wielding soldiers poured out from among the grass on the hillside. Pang Juan was startled again, and seeing that the situation was not good, he said in a loud voice: The front group will be the rear, the rear group will be the front, withdraw! Before the words fell, his familiar voice came from the hill, Pang Juan, you can''t leave! Pang Juan was shocked and turned his head to look. Sun Bin was standing at a high slope, beside him stood Tian Ji, behind him stood Zhong Li Chun, surrounded by many soldiers holding shields. Pang Juan looked at Sun Bin in surprise and asked in a trembling voice: Who ...... are you? Sun Bin smiled faintly and said, Senior brother, don''t even recognize your senior brother? Pang Juan couldn''t believe his eyes and shook his head, No, you ...... are not my senior brother, my senior brother is dead. Zhong Li Chun, who was on the side, said in a loud voice, Have you seen Mr. Sun''s body? Pang Juan was stunned. Sun Bin said, That was my golden cicada trick, got it? Sculptor''s trick, let you have your way for once! Pang Juan was furious. Sun Bin calmly said, Then let''s get away with it one more time, this time it''s called Surrounding Wei to Save Zhao! Pang Juan was so angry that he couldn''t speak for a moment. Sun Bin continued, Pang Juan, you''ve been surrounded, put down your weapon and tie your hands, there''s still a way to live, otherwise, I as a senior brother can''t save you. Pang Juan gritted his teeth and said, You are dreaming! Your Qi army, straw men as usual, can''t stop me! Let''s try then. With the sound of a drum, arrows raining down on the hills on both sides flew towards Pang Juan''s army, and the Wei army in the valley was tumbling over in a matter of moments, with blood flying everywhere. Another drumbeat sounded, and the Qi soldiers rushed down from the mountains with long spears in their hands, their momentum unstoppable! Team after team of Wei soldiers fell at their feet. Pang Juan''s guards held up their shields, protecting Pang Juan''s sides. As one guard fell, another one topped it up, and they retreated towards the way they came under Pang Juan''s command, protecting him with their blood and lives. The fierce shouts of killing in the valley faded away. The blood-like sunset colored the valley red after the fierce battle. At the entrance of the valley lay many Wei soldiers who had died in battle, and there were also quite a few Qi soldiers, so it was obvious that there had been a bloody battle here. Some Qi soldiers with bloodstains were organizing the battlefield. Sun Bin, Tian Ji, Zhong Li Chun and a few guards passed by. Tian Guo greeted them and said, Great General, Military Master, the advance Wei army was almost completely wiped out, we just let Pang Juan run away, we didn''t dare to go after him without Military Master''s order, if we did, he couldn''t escape. The general next to him pleaded, Military Master, Great General, give the order, it''s not too late to go after him. Sun Bin shook his head and said, You can''t go after him, you should quickly withdraw your army and return to your country. Tian didn''t understand and asked, Military Master, we defeated Pang Juan, the Wei army has become a bird of prey, if we take advantage of the victory and pursue, we will win, why should we withdraw our troops? Sun Bin said, Although Pang Juan''s advance army was defeated, but the large group was not thwarted, defeating the Wei army is not an easy task. Besides, we are deep into Wei territory, we can''t fight for a long time, a long fight will make the army tired and frustrated, at that time, even the most resourceful person can''t save the danger. Tian Ji and Sun Bin led the Qi army back to Linzi. King Wei of Qi led his ministers to meet the triumphant army outside the city, and the roadside was filled with the people of Qi who cheered and greeted them. Qi has never raised its eyebrows so much in all these years. Note: Surrounding Wei to save Zhao is the second of the 36 stratagems, which comes from the story of Sun Bin''s rescue of Zhao. The meaning of this plan is, to attack the front of the strong and concentrated enemy, it is better to detour to the weak rear of the enemy, forcing the enemy to retreat or divide their troops, and then look for opportunities to destroy the enemy. Sun Bin used this plan to save Zhao and hit Pang Juan hard. Pang Juan will never give up, to know what will happen next time, please read next time: Capture the Ringleader to Capture All. Seventh: Capture the Ringleader to Capture All Pang Juan was infuriated by the defeat of Guiling, what he especially couldn''t tolerate was that Sun Bin escaped under his nose. Pang Juan suspected Gongsun Yue was involved and angrily questioned Gongsun Yue: How did Sun Bin escape? Did you help? Gongsun Yue respectfully said, I am loyal to Marshal, I would never help Marshal''s sworn enemy. Pang Juan drew his sword and pointed at Gongsun Yue and said sternly, If you don''t tell me, I''ll kill you! Gongsun Yue said frankly, You just kill me, I still don''t know. Pang Juan''s eyes looked straight at Gongsun Yue. Gongsun Yue remained frank. Zhong Liqiu must know, you call her here. With that, Pang Juan drew back his sword. She doesn''t know either. How do you know? Zhong Li Chun''s affairs are never told to her. This isn''t about Zhong Li Chun, this is about Sun Bin, she''s liked Sun Bin, she must know about Sun Bin. You call her here, I want to ask her face to face. Gongsun Yue was unmoved, It''s precisely because she liked Sun Bin that she doesn''t know. If she knew Sun Bin was still alive, she would never marry me. Pang Juan pondered for a moment and said, Although what you said makes sense, I still need to ask her face to face. Zhong Li Qiu heard that Sun Bin led the Qi army to defeat Pang Juan and happily clapped her hands, Great! I''ve long said that Mr. Sun will definitely be able to achieve great things. Don''t be happy yet, Gongsun Yue gave her an unhappy look, Pang Juan already knows about your sister''s trip to Qi, and he''s tracking down the person who helped Sun Bin escape. Zhong Li Qiu blurted out, Just say it was me, it has nothing to do with any of you, if he wants to kill, just kill me. It''s not just one person he wants to kill, it''s a full family. I don''t have any relatives in Wei, I''m not afraid of killing the whole family. What about me? Am I not your kin? Zhong Li Qiu was stunned, lowered her head and whispered, You can escape, it''s enough for me to die alone, I don''t want to implicate you ...... Gongsun Yue held Zhong Liqiu''s hands and said gently but firmly, If you die, I won''t live either. Zhong Liqiu was touched by Gongsun Yue''s words, she asked Gongsun Yue what to do, Gongsun Yue told her to see Pang Juan and said ...... Zhong Liqiu came to Pang Juan''s place, Pang Juan put on a frank look, Maybe you already know, Sun Bin is still alive and has become the military advisor of Qi ...... said, he swept Zhong Liqiu a glance, You must be very happy right? Zhong Liqiu coldly said, Not happy. Pang Juan stared at Zhong Liqiu and asked, Why are you unhappy? I hate him, he cheated me. Zhong Liqiu reveals a sultry look and says in a hateful voice, I don''t care about his legs or his status, I willingly married to be given to him, but he deceived me, pretended to be crazy, fled, and left me alone in Wei ...... He was afraid that I would kill him, that''s why he pretended to be crazy and fled Wei. Marshal will not kill him, to kill, he has long been gone. Then you say, why did he flee? He took a fancy to my sister, Zhong Liqiu sobbed, In order to abandon me, they both fled ...... I hate him, I hate my sister ...... She didn''t know which of her nerves her words had touched, and suddenly tears welled up in her eyes, I hate all of you! You''ve all deceived me ...... Zhong Li Qiu couldn''t say any more and lost her voice. Pang Juan gazed at Zhong Liqiu for a few moments, did not find any cracks, so he believed Zhong Liqiu''s words. To avenge the battle of Guiling, Pang Juan asked the King of Wei for permission to unite Chu, Country of Han, and Yan in a joint crusade against Qi. The King of Wei asked him what he could do to get Chu, Han and Yan to send troops to attack Qi. Pang Juan replied confidently, The king can promise Country of Han to return the occupied cities; Yan to share the land of Zhao with it; and Chu to ally with it against Qin, and they will send troops. King Hui of Wei said in a deep voice, I can promise the State of Chu and ally with it; I can also promise the State of Yan and share the land of the State of Zhao; only the return of the city to Country of Han, I can''t agree to that, that''s the fruit that my generals and soldiers have exchanged their lives for. Pang Juan said, As long as Qi is destroyed, the great king will have no worries, and after that I will lead the army to attack Han, and the great king will get not only a few cities, but the whole Country of Han. King Hui of Wei agreed with Pang Juan''s suggestion, he cautioned Pang Juan, Marshal Pang, even if you have the help of the three kingdoms'' armies, don''t belittle Sun Bin, his talent is above yours. He looked at Pang Juan and added: I can more or less see the brow of the grudge between you and Sun Bin, the reason why I didn''t point it out and followed you in everything is because you''re from Wei and he''s from Qi. King Hui of Wei''s words caused a fine bead of sweat to break out on Pang Juan''s forehead, he stated to King Hui of Wei, I will never fail Your Majesty, if I don''t defeat Sun Bin, Pang Juan vows not to be a human being. Not defeat Sun Bin, but defeat Qi, defeat all the countries. At Pang Juan''s invitation, Chu, Country of Han, and Yan sent troops to attack Qi, occupying several of Qi''s border cities, and pushing right up to Linzi, the capital of Qi, which was in a state of panic. King Qi Wei called the Dafus to ask about the retreat strategy, two consecutive questions, the Dafus are silent. King Qi Wei some annoyed, said: you are my strategist sage, the current difficulties, should be for my advice, one by one why do not speak? Seeing that no one opened his mouth, King Qi Wei was about to get angry when Tian Ji and Sun Bin, dressed in general''s uniform, hurriedly stepped into the palace. Sun Bin arched his hand and saluted, while Tian Ji knelt down and saluted, Your Majesty, I was in a hurry to leave with my military advisor and was unable to change into my court uniform, please forgive me, Your Majesty. A great enemy is at hand, in the future, when the generals ahead meet me, they may not change their court dress, please rise. King Qi Wei said, General Tian, Military Counselor Sun, do you have a good plan to retreat from the enemy? Yes. Sun Bin said, I''ve discussed with General Tian and intend to divide and conquer. How to divide and conquer? King Qi Wei asked. Sun Bin said, Chu sends troops because Wei promised to ally with it to deal with Qin, the Great King can promise to mend the alliance with Chu; Country of Han sends troops because Wei promised the King of Han to return his cities, the Great King can send a messenger to Country of Han to reason with him, saying that if Qi is dead, Wei will have no worries, and Country of Han''s cities will be gained and lost again; Yan sends troops for the sake of Zhao''s land, the Great King can give the land given to the Great King by Zhao to the Great King. The three kingdoms of Chu, Han, and Yan were trying to achieve the same goal. When Chu, Han and Yan have achieved their goal, they will withdraw their troops and return to their countries. With the withdrawal of the three countries, Pang Juan will be alone. This is the plan to cut down the traffic. King Wei of Qi asked again: What if we fail to conquer? Give up Linzi. Sun Bin said, Chu, Han, and Yan are invading our country, each with their own purpose, after they get Linzi, Wei will fulfill its promise as promised. The three countries will automatically withdraw their troops when their purpose is achieved. Our army took the initiative to give up Linzi, the vitality is not injured, the strength is not damaged; Wei army get Linzi, will be proud of the enemy. We can take the opportunity to retake Linzi and recover all the lost land. Just after Sun Bin spoke, Gao Dafu said Your Majesty, Sun Bin''s idea is not feasible, Linzi has Qi''s clan temple, giving up Linzi, Qi will cease to exist. Sun Bin rebutted: When the capital of Chu was captured by Wu, Chu didn''t perish, it was Wu that perished later, how can this be explained? Gao Daifu was speechless. Dafu Yan also objected, Your majesty, if you give up Linzi, the people of Linzi will suffer, if you can''t protect your own people, you will lose the trust of the people, your majesty mustn''t do this! Sun Bin said, What we leave for Pang Juan will be an empty city, not only no people but no food, Pang Juan won''t be able to stay for long. Zou Ji was about to say something when Bao Dafu stepped in and said Your Majesty, whether it''s an empty city or a real city, Linzi is the capital of Qi, giving Linzi to the enemy is betraying Qi! Sun Bin said: If you don''t give up Linzi, there will be a bloody battle, the enemy is outnumbered by us, the odds are very slim, once Linzi falls, the army will be hit hard, and within a few years, it will be unable to recapture Linzi. Give up Linzi, is to recapture Linzi as soon as possible, how is to betray Qi? Bao Daifu laughed coldly, My Qi is a great country in the east, if I retreat without a fight, won''t I let the world laugh at me! I would rather die in battle than let the enemy scare me to death. Your Majesty, you must not give up Linzi! Most of the Dafu do not want to leave their homes, and so does King Qi Wei, who said to the crowd, I agree with the plan to cut off the traffic. But to give up Linzi is to give up my country, I will never agree. If anyone says give up Linzi again, he will be punished for collaborating with the enemy. King Qi Wei''s idea was set, Sun Bin was not in a position to insist on giving up Linzi, he immediately sent Qin Gu and others to secretly lobby the generals of Chu, Han, and Yan to persuade them to withdraw their troops. He immediately sent Qin Gu and others to secretly persuade the generals of Chu, Han and Yan to retreat. When the intermediary told Pang Juan what the Chu general said, Gongsun Yue urged Pang Juan, Marshal, it''s not too late, we''d better attack Linzi earlier, otherwise, when the lobbyist of Qi persuaded the generals of Country of Han and Yan, we''ll be alone. After hearing this, Pang Juan not only did not intend to attack Linzi, but also prepared to withdraw his troops. Gongsun Yue was perplexed and asked, Linzi is just around the corner, why is the marshal withdrawing his troops? Pang Juan laughed: Withdrawal of the army is conditional, Qi must hand over Sun Bin, and when Sun Bin is handed over, I will then swing east. Can ...... Qi agree to this? Can, they definitely promise. Pang Juan sent someone to inform King Qi Wei of the conditions for withdrawing the army, and King Qi Wei immediately summoned Tian Ji and Zou Ji to the palace, and said to them, I''m looking for you guys, there''s a very important thing ...... He paused for a moment, and continued, Pang Juan took the initiative to Pang Juan took the initiative to withdraw his troops on the condition that he would hand over Sun Bin, the key criminal of Wei, within three days. What do you guys say about how this matter should be handled? Tian Ji said, Your Majesty, this is Pang Juan''s plot, if Sun Bin is not there, Linzi can hardly be protected. Zou Ji retorted, Even if Sun Bin is around, he''s not sure he can keep Linzi. Tian Ji asked Zou Ji unhappily, What basis do you have to say that Sun Bin is unsure? If he was certain, he wouldn''t have offered to give up Linzi. What Sun Bin said was that he would only give up Linzi if he fails to conquer Jiaotong. And now that the plan to cut down the crossroads has seen its first results, Chu has promised not to engage us, Country of Han and Yan also have this intention, and with only Pang Juan''s one country''s army, Sun Bin will not only be able to hold Linzi, but also defeat Pang Juan''s army. What if Chu changes its mind? That''s impossible. The corner of Zou Ji''s mouth hooked and smiled, Anything can happen when two armies face each other, as a great general, you must be prepared for all sorts of things. Even if Chu changes his mind, Sun Bin will still be able to hold Linzi. Then why is he advocating giving up Linzi? Sun Bin made it very clear that he was trying to conserve his strength and ultimately defeat the enemy. Zou Ji shook his head, You''re only talking about one aspect. From another aspect, Sun Bin was unsure about holding onto Linzi, if he was, he wouldn''t have risked the crime of abandoning the people of his clan and temple to evacuate Linzi. King Qi Wei couldn''t help but nod slightly. Zou Ji continued, Since he has no certainty in guaranteeing the safety of the Great King and the people of Linzi, we must think of another way. Pang Juan is plotting by asking us to hand over Sun Bin, but as long as we hand over Sun Bin, Pang Juan will have no reason to keep the armies of the other three kingdoms, and with the three kingdoms withdrawing their troops, it will be difficult for Pang Juan to attack Linzi, and at that time, if he doesn''t want to, he''ll have to withdraw. Tian Ji is not good with words, but still insisted on his position, If Sun Bin is there, Pang Juan wouldn''t dare to belittle Qi; if Sun Bin is not there, Pang Juan can play Qi in the palm of his hand. Don''t argue you guys. King Qi Wei stopped the two from arguing, I know what''s in your hearts. Although you each have your own plans, I hope that when the enemy is at hand, you will put the country first. Therefore, I''ve decided to promise Pang Juan to hand over Sun Bin within three days. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Tian Ji pleaded with the King of Qi not to hand over Sun Bin, and King Qi Wei added: I''m doing this as a delaying tactic, within three days, Sun Bin must try to get Chu, Han and Yan to retreat. Otherwise, I will hand over Sun Bin as scheduled. Tian Ji worried, Your Majesty, three days ...... is afraid that it will be difficult to get the three countries to retreat. King Qi Wei coldly said, Since Sun Bin is so resourceful, he should be able to retreat in three days; if he can''t, what''s the use of me keeping him? Two days have passed since the three day deadline, Sun Bin still hasn''t come up with a good plan to retreat the enemy, Tian Ji let out a long sigh and said to Sun Bin, Mr. Sun, I''m really sorry for you. Sun Bin comforted him and said, Don''t say that, I don''t blame you, I can only say that Pang Juan used this plan well. At that moment, Zhong Li Chun angrily barged into the tent, pointed his sword at Tian Ji and questioned, General Tian, why are you handing Sun Bin over to Pang Juan? Sun Bin rushed forward to stop Zhong Li Chun, Miss Zhong Li, it''s not General Tian''s fault, it''s the Great King''s decision. I''m going to tell the Great King that even if the three kingdoms don''t withdraw their troops you can still defeat Pang Juan, he can''t hand you over. Things have been decided and cannot be changed. Then, we''ll leave the ungrateful Qi and never come back! Sun Bin advised, If I leave, General Tian won''t be able to explain to the King and Qi won''t be able to explain to Pang Juan. Zhong Li Chun complained about Sun Bin: Mr. Sun, you always think of others, but they never think of you! You''ve done so much for Qi and they want to give you away to your enemy, don''t you feel a chill? Sun Bin was speechless for a moment. Let''s go, Mr. Sun. Zhong Li Chun urged Sun Bin in a pleading tone. Tian Ji also advised Sun Bin from the side: Mr. Sun, Qi has wronged you too much, just go. Sun Bin asked Tian Ji: If I leave, what about General? What about Qi? Tian Ji laughed bitterly, Handing you over to Pang Juan will make Qi even more unsure of what to do. Before Tian Ji could say anything, Tian Guo barged in with a few generals. Tian Guo said to Tian Ji, Great General, we know what to do. What to do? Kill the palace and kill all the dim-witted mediocre ministers who advocate handing over the military advisor ...... Before the words left his mouth, Tian Ji slapped Tian Guo''s face so hard that blood flowed out from the corner of Tian Guo''s mouth. You bastard! Tian Ji scolded, If outsiders hear this, your wife and children will all die because of you! Tian Guo said, I''m not an asshole, I understand very well that if I hand over the military advisor, Qi will die. If Qi dies, the lives of my wife and children will also be hard to protect. Instead of the country dying and the family perishing, it is better for the family to perish and the country not to perish. I would rather have my entire family killed than let Mr. Sun stay in Qi and in the army! The generals beside Tian Guo said in unison, So do we! Tian Guo stretched out his arm, which bore the sword marks left by the oath of alliance. Several other generals also stretched out their arms, all of which were also left with sword marks from the oath of alliance. We''ve sworn an oath of alliance to keep Mr. Sun with our lives along with our families! Large teardrops flowed from Sun Bin''s eyes. Tian Ji also shed tears as he turned his body sideways;Zhong Li Chun couldn''t help but cry out. Sun Bin fiercely wiped the tears from his face and said to the crowd, None of you can die! Your wives and children can''t die even more! I will find a good plan to stop Pang Juan''s plot! It was night and the moon was already in the middle of the sky. Sun Bin sits alone in his tent, gently plucking a zither in front of him. Outside the tent, Tian Ji, Zhong Li Chun, Tian Guo, Qin Gu and the others are sitting by the campfire with anxiety and uneasiness on their faces, no one is talking, just glancing at the tent behind them from time to time. The slow and difficult sound of the zither drifted out from within the tent, and for a moment the sound of the zither came to an abrupt end, and all of them turned back almost at the same time, looking at the tent with anticipation in their eyes. But the sound of the zither sounded again, still as difficult and slow. The color of expectation on everyone''s face disappeared immediately, and what came after was the same anxiety and uneasiness as before. Tian Guo finally couldn''t stand it anymore, and said with chagrin, I see that the military master has no way out, and no wonder, even if the gods come, there is nothing that can be done! I wonder if Mr. Sun is intentionally delaying ...... Qin Gu spoke up at this time. The crowd was stunned. Tian Ji asked, What do you mean by that? Mr. Sun doesn''t want to involve the general with all of us present, he wants to stabilize us and drag it out until the final time limit to die in the name of righteousness. We can''t let him do that! Tian Ji said, standing up violently. Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun also rose with him. Don''t worry guys, this is just my estimation ......, Qin Gu said while listening to the sound of the zither drifting out of the tent. At that moment, the sound of the zither became smooth. Qin Gu suddenly stood up with great excitement and said, Great General, the military division has something! The crowd excitedly rushed into the tent and asked Sun Bin if he had an idea. Sun Bin stopped playing, smiled slightly, nodded, and told everyone, Promise Pang Juan that you''ll hand me over to him as scheduled, but ask him to accept me in front of the other three great generals. On that day, find two generals who are incredibly courageous and will die as if they were dead to escort me, hand me over to Pang Juan, ask him to verify my identity, and we''ll take advantage of the opportunity to capture Pang Juan, and force him to die, so that he''ll agree to our terms in front of the three kingdoms. Previously, the three kingdoms already had the intention of withdrawing their troops, the reason why they did not put it into action was because they did not have a decent opportunity, as long as Pang Juan agreed to withdraw his troops in public, they could leave Qi in a dignified manner, and Pang Juan would no longer have the face to stay in the territory of Qi, and the difficulties of Qi could be solved! Tian Guo high-fived and praised, Good plan! Good plan! Tian Ji said worriedly, This plan is too dangerous, if it fails, the consequences will be unimaginable. Qin Gu was also very worried and said to Sun Bin: Mr. Sun, the Great General is right, if you miss, the whole game will be lost. Do you have another plan? Sun Bin said, This is the only feasible plan, it''s because the sword is going off the edge that Pang Juan didn''t expect it. It''s just like Sun Tzu said: Attacking the unexpected, taking the unexpected by surprise. Therefore, this counter would be the safest ploy. Zhong Li Chun spoke up, Can you find someone to dress up as you, just as you fled Wei. No way, Sun Bin shook his head, Last time it was because Pang Juan didn''t think of it that I was able to muddle through. This time Pang Juan will be on guard, plus I''ve been with Pang Juan for three years, he''s very familiar with my every move, if I let him see through it, it''ll be a total loss. After a moment''s pause, Sun Bin smiled at Tian Ji, Great General, you should trust me, I won''t do anything I''m not sure of, I''ve thought about all the steps, including the people who will escort me, decide. Good, let''s do it. Tian Ji nodded. The place where Sun Bin was handed over was on the field in front of the two armies'' formation, where there was a high earthen platform with the flags of Wei, Chu, Han and Yan flying on it. In front of the platform, on one side there were neatly arranged soldiers of Wei and on the other side there were soldiers of the other three countries. The soldiers were holding halberds, like an impenetrable bronze wall. A long passageway was formed between the two columns of soldiers. Pang Juan and the great generals of Chu, Han and Yan stood under the flags of each country. Gongsun Yue was also there, and he and the other generals of Wei stood on the side of the earthen platform. Two carriages came from afar, followed by many Qi soldiers. On the first carriage were Tian Ji and Sun Bin, and on the second were Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun, who was once again dressed as a woman, wearing the same general''s costume as Tian Guo. The carriage stopped a hundred paces away from the earthen platform, Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun helped Sun Bin off the carriage and escorted him towards the earthen platform. Pang Juan who was standing on the earthen platform looked at the approaching Sun Bin and a smug sneer appeared on his face. Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun escorted Sun Bin to the soldiers, one of the soldiers stopped their way with a halberd and ordered, Put down your weapons. Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun handed the swords they were wearing to the soldier next to them. The soldiers got out of the way and Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun continued toward the earthen platform escorting Sun Bin empty handed. Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun arrived at the bottom of the earthen platform and a general stopped them, Alright, hand Sun Bin over to us. Tian Guo said, The Great General has orders, we must hand Sun Bin over to Marshal Pang in person, Marshal Pang will verify his identity before we can go back and resume our duties. Pang Juan on the dirt stage said to the general below the stage, Let them come up. That general dodged aside and Tian Guo and Zhong Li Chun escorted Sun Bin up to the earthen platform. Gongsun Yue on the side of the earthen platform recognized Zhong Li Chun and couldn''t help but stare, his right hand quietly gripped the sword at his waist. Gongsun Yue thought to himself that Zhong Li Chun must be up to something by dressing up as a general and escorting Sun Bin, he wanted to go up and expose Zhong Li Chun but was worried that Zhong Li Qiu would part ways with him because of this. Gongsun Yue was hesitating when Tian Guo had already brought Sun Bin to Pang Juan. Tian Guo saluted Pang Juan and said, Please ask Marshal Pang to examine Sun Bin. Pang Juan walked over and looked at Sun Bin and said, Sun Bin, raise your head. Sun Bin raised his head and looked at Pang Juan scornfully and said, Senior brother, could it be that my brother is a fake? Pang Juan smiled smugly at Sun Bin and said, You always say that soldiers stand by fraud, I wouldn''t dare to be sloppy ...... Before Pang Juan could say anything, Tian Guo suddenly stepped forward and punched Pang Juan to the ground, extremely quickly pulling a dagger out of his sleeve and holding it to Pang Juan''s throat. At the same time, Zhong Li Chun reached out and grabbed Pang Juan''s sword in his hand to protect Tian Guo. The entire process was completed in a flash of lightning. The people on and off the stage froze for a moment before a few generals reacted and drew their swords forward. Zhong Li Chun was quick with his hands and cut down one of the generals who rushed to the front with his sword. Tian Guo shouted, Nobody move, move again and I''ll kill Pang Juan! The generals stopped immediately, not knowing what to do. Gongsun Yue''s sword has been drawn, and then thought, Zhong Li Chun has already won, will not stop until the goal is achieved; besides, his own hands may not be able to save Pang Juan, and there is also the possibility of losing Zhong Li Qiu ...... he put the sword back. Pang Juan lying on the ground viciously said to Sun Bin: If you kill me, none of you will survive! Sun Bin calmly said to Pang Juan, Pang Juan, a few of us never wanted to live in the first place, especially me, instead of being killed by you, I''d rather watch you die before being killed by someone else. Pang Juan gasped in anger and was momentarily speechless. Sun Bin continued, If you don''t want to die, you must agree to our conditions. After holding each other for a moment, Pang Juan slowly said, Fine, go ahead. First, the armies of the four countries withdraw immediately; second, return our Qi border cities; third, promise not to invade Qi again. Pang Juan was silent. Sun Bin smiled, Pang Juan, you''re a man capable of greatness, now that the greatness is yet to come, wouldn''t it be a shame to die at our hands? Pang Juan bit his own lip vigorously, and after a few moments, said with great reluctance and hopelessness, Okay, I promise ...... Note: Capture the Thief and Capture the King is the 18th of the 36 stratagems, which means destroying the enemy''s main force and capturing the enemy''s leader will disintegrate the enemy''s overall force. Sun Bin used this plan to force Pang Juan to retreat, which temporarily saved Qi from danger. Pang Juan was so humiliated that he will surely take revenge on Sun Bin. To find out what happens afterward, please read the next installment: Conserve Energy and Wait for the Exhausted Enemy. The Eighth Round: Conserve Energy and Wait for the Exhausted Enemy After Chu, Han and Yan withdrew their troops, Pang Juan led the Wei army out of Qi. He was haunted by the fact that he had been captured on the altar of the alliance and had been humiliated. He was silent and frowned all the way. When he was about to travel to the border of Wei, Pang Juan glanced sideways at Gongsun Yue, who was in the same car with him, and asked as if casually, One of the two Qi generals who turned on me is Zhong Li Chun, can''t you see that? Zhong Li Chun? Gongsun Yue was startled and covered up, No, it can''t be Zhong Li Chun! I''ve already sent my detail to inquire, she is Zhong Li Chun. Gongsun Yue froze for a moment, then said, Why didn''t I recognize her? Pang Juan sneered, If you had recognized her, everything wouldn''t be the way it is now. Gongs Yueun could see that Pang Juan was beginning to doubt himself, so he changed the subject and asked, Marshal, could it be that you''ve really admitted defeat? Pang Juan smiled slightly and asked in return, What do you think? Gongsun Yue knew that Pang Juan was a person who refused to admit defeat easily, not to mention that he would never give up after being humiliated like this. So he said, I just don''t understand why Marshal didn''t kill back to Qi at this time and catch Sun Bin off guard? The time is not ripe. What timing is the marshal referring to? Heh, the heart of the army. Wei''s army set foot on their own land, and even though many of the soldiers felt stifled about withdrawing without a fight, they were still very happy to be back in their own country. It was night, and they made a bonfire, and while shouting loudly, they danced gaily and roughly. Pang Juan came among the soldiers and greeted them casually, then sat around the bonfire with the soldiers and chatted about family matters. He asked a young soldier sitting beside him, Young man, are you happy to be back in Wei? The young soldier replied unabashedly, That''s for sure, I can see my mother now. A soldier next to him interjected, Hey, hey, and a beautiful daughter-in-law. The young soldier laughed in embarrassment and scolded, Don''t be ridiculous, I''m not married yet, how can I have a daughter-in-law? The soldier quickly corrected, It''s an unmarried daughter-in-law, right? The young soldier nodded with a red face, Even if it is ...... Pang Juan patted the young soldier''s shoulder and said, When you get married, invite me, okay? The young soldier said excitedly, Yes, yes, of course, I want to treat the Marshal to the most fragrant wine from our hometown. Pang Juan laughed, We have a deal. He turned sideways and asked a middle-aged soldier with a beard sitting on the other side, What kind of people do you have in your family? The middle-aged soldier replied, A wife and two sons. Pang Juan asked again, Your family must be very happy to have you home? The middle-aged soldier nodded and said, They are happy, I am not. Pang Juan was puzzled and asked, Why are you not happy to see each other after a long time? The middle-aged soldier sighed and said, What does going home say? Victory, or defeat? Both and neither. This battle is ...... holding my breath in my heart ...... Pang Juan s face became very ugly, and he stood up violently. The middle-aged soldier hastily stopped his words, glanced at Pang Juan, bowed and said, Marshal, I speak straight, don''t take offense. Pang Juan sat down again, patted the middle-aged soldier''s shoulder, and said movingly, I''m not blaming you, I''m blaming myself, I''m incapable of being a marshal, and I''m sorry for subjecting you all to the humiliation of Qi. No, Marshal, we don''t blame you, the middle-aged soldier busily said, You have led us through many victorious battles, you have made us, the soldiers of Wei, the greatest honor. This time, although Sun Bin''s plot succeeded, Marshal''s army didn''t lose, if Marshal leads us to kill back to Qi, we can definitely defeat the Qi people! The surrounding soldiers yelled: Marshal, we shouldn''t withdraw our army, we should fight our way back to Linzi! Marshal, we should teach those Qi people a hard lesson! Marshal, take us to fight back, we can definitely defeat the Qi people! Marshal, take us to fight back ...... Pang Juan was very touched, he arched his hand and saluted the soldiers, saying gratefully, My good brothers, I thank you, thank you ...... The middle-aged soldier said to Pang Juan, Marshal, give the order, as long as you give the word, we will die to erase the humiliation that the Qi people have inflicted on us! Pang Juan shook his head, We can''t go back to Qi ...... Is the marshal worried about losing his trust to the world? No, I''d rather lose faith in the world than in my soldiers. Then why? You have been away from home for many days, your families miss you ...... The middle-aged soldier was touched by Pang Juan''s words, and he said firmly to Pang Juan, Without honor, we have no face to go home, Marshal should lead us to kill our way back to Qi and reclaim our honor! Pang Juan looked at the middle-aged soldier and then looked around at the soldiers and said, I don''t know if all of my brothers are willing to kill their way back to Qi and reclaim their honor. The middle-aged soldier turned around violently, drew his sword and held it aloft, and said loudly, Brothers, those who are willing to kill their way back to Qi and reclaim their honor, raise your weapons. The soldiers present raised the various weapons in their hands and shouted: Kill back Qi and reclaim the honor! Kill back Qi and reclaim the honor! ...... The shouts of the soldiers echoed for a long time in the vast wilderness. Sensing that the time had come, Pang Juan led the vengeful Wei soldiers in a great rush to kill Qi again. Wei''s army once again invaded Qi, King Wei of Qi urgently summoned Tian Ji and Sun Bin and said, Pang Juan has betrayed his trust and betrayed his honor by invading my country again, I want to fight Pang Juan to the death. If I win, Wei will no longer be able to dominate the Central Plains; if Pang Juan wins, my country will be at rest. Therefore, we can only win, not lose. How do you two think we should deal with Pang Juan? Sun Bin said to King Wei of Qi: Your Majesty, in order to defeat Pang Juan, you must grant us one condition. King Wei of Qi said, As long as we can defeat Pang Juan, I''ll agree to ten conditions, not to mention one. Say it. Sun Bin said, To defeat a strong enemy, we must concentrate our military power and unify our command, Your Majesty should concentrate the power to mobilize the army in the hands of General Tian and my humble servant, and by my servant, I mean all the armies of Qi. King Wei of Qi nodded slightly, Yes. Also, the daofengs in the court shall also follow the dispatch of General Tian & Weichen, giving men to men and food to food, and if there are any who do not follow, no matter who they are, General Tian & Weichen shall have the right to decapitate them first and then report them to the king. Is this ...... necessary? King Qi Wei was somewhat reluctant. There is. Sun Bin''s attitude was resolute, War is a matter of national importance, it can''t be won by the army alone, especially in such a big battle, the top and bottom, inside and outside, must be coordinated. King Qi Wei pondered for a moment and finally agreed to Sun Bin''s request. Sun Bin and Tian Ji gathered the court''s Dafus and started to deploy the battle. Sun Bin said to the Dafus, At a time of national crisis, General Tian and I have been commissioned by the King to lead the army and courtiers to defeat the strong enemy. Sun Bin hopes that all the Dafu in the court will do their best to assist General Tian and I and defeat Pang Juan. Sun Bin swept a glance at the crowd and called out, Zou Xiang Guo. Zou Ji is a phase state under one person, no one has spoken to him in such a tone except for the King of Qi, so, with a disdainful look on his face, he didn''t even look at Sun Bin, and responded slowly, Listening. Sun Bin, without showing his might, continued, Zou Xiang Guo, come forward and listen to the order. Zou Ji stood without moving. My words, did you hear me? Heard. Zou Ji responded impatiently. Sun Bin asked with a dignified face, Then why don''t you come forward and listen to the order? Zou Ji sneered, You''re not the Great King, there''s no need for me to come forward to listen to orders. I am under the orders of the Great King, my orders are the orders of the Great King, please come forward to listen to the orders. As a prime minister, I am under one person and above ten thousand people, to listen to orders here is already giving you a great deal of face, so don''t hold a personal vendetta and intentionally make things difficult for me. This is not intentionally making things difficult, I am acting according to military orders. Please come forward to listen to orders. What can I do if I don''t follow your military order? You disobeyed a military order, you should have been beheaded, remembering that you have merited Qi, you can be spared the death penalty, but you can''t escape the living penalty. Sun Bin said in a loud voice: Are the palace guards available? Two palace guards walked up and said Yes. Sun Bin ordered, Pull Zou Ji out, tie him up in the market, and publicize him for three days. There was an outcry from the Dawgs: Military Master Sun is too bold, how dare he make the Prime Minister publicized in the street! The army is like this, the military order is like a mountain to fall ...... But we''re not his soldiers ...... Seeing the palace guards hesitating, Sun Bin snapped, Do you hear me? Pull Zou Ji out, tie him to the market, and show him to the public for three days! Violate the order and behead him! Wait! At this moment, King Qi Wei walked out from the side door. King Qi Wei came to Sun Bin and said Master Sun, Zou Xiangguo is my meritocracy, you can''t tie him up and show him to the public. Sun Bin said, Your Majesty, if I don''t severely punish Xiang Guo, I won''t be able to dispose of anyone else who disobeys military orders. If I don''t dispose of those who disobey the military order, the military order can''t be enforced, and if the military order can''t be enforced, how can I defeat the enemy? King Qi Wei said, Can this ...... be a lighter punishment to save face for Xiang Guo? Sun Bin said, I can save face for him, but Pang Juan won''t save face for me; to defeat Pang Juan, I can''t save face for anyone. King Qi Wei''s face gradually solidified and said You won''t give my face either? Sun Bin said, If the Great King wants to preserve Qi, the Great King''s face can''t be given; if the Great King doesn''t want to preserve Qi, the Great King''s face I can give. King Qi Wei looked at Sun Bin for a moment of silence and said with a sullen face very unpleasantly, You see to it! After saying that, he turned around and went into the back room again. The palace guards followed Sun Bin''s order to frame Zou Ji away. Zou Ji shouted indignantly as he was leaving the palace gate Sun Bin ...... come on! Sun Bin punished Zou Ji, and the other Dafus in the court, none of them dared to be slow to Sun Bin''s order, some supervised the city''s grain and grass, some were responsible for issuing weapons to the young and strong people, some were responsible for making bows and arrows and repairing the weapons and carriages....... All of them were mobilized in the court, and Linzi soon formed a military and civilian integrated combat system. After Sun Bin finished arranging the fortifications in Linzi, he went to the Qi army camp dozens of miles away. Before he left, he instructed Tian Ji who stayed in Linzi to mainly defend and not to attack, if he had to attack, he would discuss with Qin Gu and then make a decision. Tian Ji promised to act according to the battle deployment. Sun Bin came to the camp 20 miles away from Linzi and told Tian Guo and other generals about the battle deployment. Sun Bin told them: Our camp and Linzi form a hand in hand, echoing each other. If Pang Juan sieges the camp with all his strength, he will be worried that General Tian will attack from the back; if he sieges Linzi, he will be worried that we will attack from the back; if he sieges both Linzi and the camp at the same time, it will be difficult for him to keep up his strength. Therefore, you can rest assured that he will never dare to throw his weight around and attack Linzi or the camp. Wei army came from afar, plus one to go back and forth, the soldiers have been exhausted, we hold out not to come out, drag Pang Juan, when the Wei army lack of food and grass, military fluctuations, we then fight with them, Wei army, although powerful, but also will be defeated undoubtedly. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.In order to deal with Sun Bin''s one city and one camp, Pang Juan planned to bypass Sun Bin and besiege Linzi, mobilize Sun Bin to leave the camp and rescue Linzi, then fight Sun Bin outside the camp. Gongsun Yue thinks Sun Bin won''t fall for it, Pang Juan doesn''t think so and thinks the King of Qi will force him to fall for it. Pang Juan''s army launched a fierce attack on Linzi city and fought above and below the city. Tian got sullen and asked Sun Bin: War Master, Pang Juan''s army is besieging Linzi, why don''t we send troops to help? The art of war says: don''t move like a mountain. Sun Bin replied. If Linzi is lost, we can''t account for it. With the Great General around, Linzi won''t be lost. When Pang Juan saw that Sun Bin was holding his ground, he transferred another 5,000 soldiers to attack Linzi. Gongsun Yue suggests he move more troops to attack the city, Pang Juan disagrees, he wants to reserve enough troops to deal with Sun Bin. As more and more Wei troops attacked the city, King of Qi was worried that Tian Ji couldn''t defend Linzi, and the court officials slandered Sun Bin for having other plans by keeping his troops still despite Linzi''s danger. King Qi Wei sent his palace guards out of the city and ordered Sun Bin to rescue Linzi immediately. Sun Bin told the palace guard who went out to convey the king''s order that the Wei army is just bluffing and Linzi won''t be in danger. Before the palace guards returned to Linzi, Sun Bin specially instructed them: Tell the king again that there are 5 ways to win, one of them is: the general is talented and the king doesn''t hold him back. I hope the Great King will trust it. When Pang Juan saw that Sun Bin didn''t send troops for a long time, he ordered his army to stop attacking Linzi and besiege Sun Bin''s camp, planning to lure Tian Ji to send troops and destroy him first. He said to Gongsun Yue: You send more spies, mix into Linzi, spread rumors, say Sun Bin''s grain and grass is burned, people are restless, no more help, it''s hard to protect the camp. Gongsun Yue said, I''m afraid Tian Ji won''t believe it. Pang Juan said meaningfully, I''m not asking Tian Ji to believe it, I''m asking the King of Qi to believe it. King Wei of Qi really believed Pang Juan''s rumors, and he immediately summoned Tian Ji and ordered him to send troops to rescue the camp. Tian Ji advised King Qi Wei not to believe the rumors, Sun Bin valued grain and grass the most, grain and grass won''t go wrong easily. King of Qi Wei said to Tian Ji: General Tian, in my opinion, regardless of whether the grain and grass matter is true or false, you should bring an army to attack Pang Juan from behind, so that it will be difficult for him to take care of his head and his tail, on the one hand, you can reduce Sun Bin''s pressure, and on the other hand, you can take advantage of the enemy''s confusion to send someone into the camp to understand the true situation. Speaking of this, King Qi Wei said proudly, How is it, my plan is no less than Sun Bin''s, right? The Great King''s plan is indeed very good. Tian Ji thought of Sun Bin''s instructions and explained to King Qi Wei, But the military advisor said in his farewell that holding fast is the main thing, not attacking ...... General Tian, King Qi Wei was very unhappy and interrupted him, No wonder you lost to Pang Juan several times, it''s because you are indecisive. The matter of sending out troops is decided by me. Tian Ji was pressured by the King of Qi and intended to go out to war, Qin Gu disagreed and said to Tian Ji, The Great King once said that all matters of war are decided by generals and military advisors. After all, the Great King is the Great King; how can I disobey him? If this causes the military division''s battle deployment to fall through, who will be responsible? I am responsible. You can''t afford it! The entire Qi state can''t afford it! Tian Ji was silent for a moment and said, Alright, let''s proceed as planned. When Tian Ji did not send out his troops, Gongsun Yue said to Pang Juan, We underestimated Tian Ji. Not underestimated, but overestimated, Tian Ji simply doesn''t have the guts to go out of the city, even if the King of Qi wanted to kill him, he wouldn''t dare. Pang Juan said, picked up a bottle of wine and drank it all in one go, then bit into a large piece of meat. Gongsun Yue, seeing Pang Juan so calm and relaxed, thought he had an idea and asked, Marshal, do you have an idea? Pang Juan shook his head with a bitter smile and said, It''s even less of an idea if I don''t eat or drink. He poured a bottle of wine and handed it to Gongsun Yue, Come, let''s drink together. On the other side, Sun Bin and Tian Guo were also drinking. Tian Guo drank a bottle of wine, wiped his mouth and said, Military Counselor, I count myself convinced of you, some people say you anticipate things like a god, but I think a god is no better than that. General Tian Guo, you''ve learned to flatter people too. Sun Bin said with an amused smile. It''s not flattery, it''s true ...... Tian Guo took a sip of wine, It''s just that you''re so powerful that everyone is afraid of you and doesn''t dare to talk to you, and I mean from the heart... ... Could it be that General Tian has something in his heart? There''s no harm in saying it. Hehehe, Tian Guo drank another large mouthful of wine and laughed nervously in embarrassment, Military Master, ah, I''m a person who can''t stand it in my heart if I don''t fight in a war, and it''s so unbearable to watch the Wei soldiers hanging around in front of us these past few days, especially when they''re pointing at our faces and cursing us for being cowards. I hate that I can not rush out and kill a pain ...... But for the sake of the big picture, I can only ''not move like a mountain'' and honestly get scolded ...... Military division, can you give us a chance to go out to Relieve hatred, even if it''s just a very little bit of a chance. To be honest, I also want to go out and fight a battle, but my legs ...... Sun Bin said, looking down at his legs, thinking for a moment, suddenly raised his head, and said to Tian Guo, General Tian Guo, we''ll go out to battle tonight . Tian Guo was a bit incredulous and asked, Warlord, you''re not kidding, right? Sun Bin replied seriously, There are no jokes in the military. Tian Guo happily slapped his thigh, Great! Military Master, what do you say to fight? You take a few hundred of your best soldiers and sneak up on the Wei army and tell them to have no peace. It was night, another bonfire was lit inside the Wei army camp, and the Wei soldiers sat around the bonfire, silently listening to a piece of music filled with homesickness, and that tall middle-aged soldier was among them. The soldier next to him asked him if he was homesick, and he said, Of course I want to, originally I wanted to win a battle and go home in style, but I didn''t realize that nowadays, I can''t fight, and I can''t leave ...... Suddenly an arrow shot over from the night, the young soldier who was preparing to go home to marry his new daughter-in-law fell headlong to the ground. Immediately after that, a rain of arrows shot over. The arrows were shot by Tian''s soldiers, who wore the armor of Wei''s soldiers, and while shooting arrows, they shouted, Qi''s army is coming! The Qi army is coming! In an instant, the Wei military camp was in chaos, and a fire was also started, burning down many tents. Many Wei soldiers died in the chaos, and the tall middle-aged soldier also died. The next morning, the Wei camp was quiet. Pang Juan''s face was blue as he stood in front of a burnt out tent and watched the bodies of soldiers being carried past in front of him. He saw the body of the middle aged soldier, stopped the people carrying the body, went forward and held the middle aged soldier s hand, tears streaming down his face, and said, Brother, I am sorry for you ....... He drew his sword and pointed to the sky, swearing, If I don''t take this revenge, I, Pang Juan, am a man in vain! The Wei generals stormed the Qi camp with hatred. The Qi soldiers, on the other hand, retreated inside the fence wall made of round logs, and very orderly shot arrows outward in alternating rows one after another. The first Wei soldiers were hit by arrows and fell down, and the ones behind them stepped over the dead bodies and continued to charge towards the Qi camp. The sound of shouting and killing and the clash of weapons inside and outside the Qi camp was terrifying ...... Qin Gu learned that Pang Juan had attacked the Qi camp and urged Tian Ji to send troops. Tian Ji asked, Pang Juan won''t be fraudulent, right? Qin Gu said, I reckon not. Pang Juan was dragged by the military division, and it is easy to lose one''s head in a hurry; moreover, he thought that the great general did not dare to attack. So ...... said Qin Gu, only to see Tian Ji threw back his head and laughed, I am not afraid, is the timing is not. Immediately, he led his army out of the city to attack Pang Juan. When Pang Juan heard that Tian Ji had marched out, he was shocked and quickly calmed down. He asked his detail: How many men did Tian Ji send out? The agent replied, A great number, as many as 300 horse-drawn carriages. Pang Juan sneered, I''ll tell them to come back. Pang Juan immediately ordered the Wei troops to evacuate the Qi camp and Sun Bin knew that Tian Ji had marched out. Tian said to Sun Bin: Warlord, are we going to raid behind Pang Juan as well? Sun Bin said, No, we''re still not moving like a mountain. Pang Juan attempted to block Tian Ji outside the city for a duel, urging his soldiers to advance at a brisk pace along the way. The soldiers were out of breath from running, and with all the tossing and turning over the past few days, they were on the verge of physical exhaustion. Unbeknownst to him, Tian Ji had already withdrawn to Linzi, and on his return he smiled at Qin Gu and said, Falsehoods, true falsehoods, this hand of the military counselor, I have also learned. Afterwards, Pang Juan was infuriated, angrily questioned the details of the report: You lied about the military situation, what should be the crime? Yuan ...... Marshal, I saw Tian Ji go out of Linzi ...... with my own eyes Who thought that they went back again halfway ...... The fine work stammered and answered. You only have long eyes, not long brain, keep you what have? Pang Juan said indifferently, giving instructions to the guards beside him, Pull out and kill. After disposing of the spies, Pang Juan orders the entire army to eat at cock-crow tomorrow morning and gear up for battle. Marshal, will we still fight tomorrow? Gongsun Yue asked Pang Juan. What do you think? Pang Juan asked in return. Gongs Yueun thought about it, understood and sighed, Marshal, you should have killed Sun Bin in the first place. Pang Juan slanted a glance at Gongsun Yue and said, Are you saying that I''m no match for him? No. In today''s world, only you two are worthy opponents. But this time, it''s hard for the Marshal to win, it''s just that we can''t help that our soldiers are too tired ...... Sun Bin is playing chess alone in his tent, he looks at the board in front of him and says to Tian Guo who is sitting beside him, Pang Juan will surely withdraw his army tomorrow, you''ll lead your whole army to tail and pursue, are you sure you can defeat Pang Juan? Tian Guo laughed: With my army, I can''t be sure that I will win if I follow Pang Juan''s laborious and exhausting journey. It''s just that we shouldn''t tail and fight, we should intercept Pang Juan and completely destroy the Wei army. Sun Bin said, Sun Tzu said: don''t curb the returning division. The enemy is eager to return to their country, if they are stopped, they will fight to the death, not only will we fail to destroy the enemy, but we will be hit by the enemy, which is not worth the loss. Therefore, it is sufficient for us to tail and pursue. He said and placed a piece on the chessboard. The next day, Pang Juan really withdrew his troops, and Tian led the Qi army to tail and pursue, and once again defeated the Wei army. Note: The phrase Conserve Energy and Wait for the Exhausted Enemy is from Sun Tzu''s Art of War, this is the fourth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the idea is to make sure that you keep your strength and force the enemy to be exhausted and in an unfavorable position, so as to win over the enemy. Sun Bin was immovable as a mountain, waiting for the enemy to get tired, and defeated Pang Juan again. To know how Pang Juan will fight with Sun Bin next time, please read next time: Creating something out of nothing. The Ninth：Creating something out of nothing After Pang Juan led the defeated army back to Wei, the more he thought about it, the more angry he got, he hated Sun Bin, he hated Zhong Li Chun, and he hated those who cheated him ...... He ordered his soldiers to arrest Zhong Li Qiu. Zhong Li Qiu, do you know why I invited you here? Pang Juan sneered at Zhong Liqiu. Zhong Liqiu had a sulky look on his face and shook his head. Your sister humiliated me in front of everyone in Qi, making me shameless. That''s her business, it has nothing to do with me. How is it not related? You guys let Sun Bin go, Sun Bin instructed her to do that. I didn''t let Sun Bin go. Who is it if not you? Wasn''t it Gongsun Yue? Pang Juan pressed. No, it wasn''t him ...... Zhong Li Qiu firmly denied. Pang Juan burst into a sneer and threatened, If you don''t say it, I''ll hand you over to my soldiers and let them dispose of you ...... Do you understand what I mean? Zhong Liqiu was furious: You ...... you shall not die well! It is you who shall not die well. Pang Juan sneered, Men, take her to the barracks and let the soldiers take turns enjoying her. The soldiers guarding the door walked in and racked Zhong Liqiu in preparation to take her away. Let go of me, I''ll talk! Zhong Liqiu shouted at Pang Juan. Pang Juan signaled for the soldiers to let go of Zhong Liqiu. Zhong Liqiu said to Pang Juan, I''m the one who let Sun Bin go. Pang Juan asked, Who else? Zhong Li Qiu replied, My sister. Pang Juan sneered, You two alone can''t do it. Zhong Liqiu said disdainfully, What''s so impossible about this? I hid Mr. Sun in my house, threw his clothes by the river, and after the wind and waves calmed down, my sister drove Mr. Sun to Qi in her car....... Before the words left his mouth, Pang Juan slapped him hard, knocking Zhong Liqiu to the ground. Zhong Liqiu struggled to get up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said to Pang Juan, Go ahead and fight, if you beat me to death, Mr. Sun will avenge me, you''re no match for him, and sooner or later, he''ll kill you ...... Pang Juan was furious and ordered his soldiers to drag Zhong Li Qiu to the market and behead him. Gongsun Yue heard that Pang Juan was going to kill Zhong Li Qiu, he quickly ran to the execution ground, grabbed the executioner''s knife, and asked them to wait for a moment, he went to beg Marshal Pang to leave the man under the knife. Gongsun Yue came to Pang''s mansion and knelt in front of Pang Juan, begging him to spare Zhong Li Qiu. Pang Juan looked at Gongs Yueun and said coldly, She let Sun Bin go, I can''t not kill her. But she didn''t let Sun Bin go, it was Zhong Li Chun. Gongsun Yue defended. She let Sun Bin go with Zhong Li Chun. She didn''t, it was me who let Sun Bin go along with Zhong Li Chun. Pang Juan smiled coldly, Ruining your life for a woman, is it worth it? Gongsun Yue categorically said, Worth it. She is the woman I need the most. Pang Juan looked at him for a moment and sighed, Get up, I can release Zhong Li Qiu. Gongsun Yue was grateful and said to Pang Juan, Marshal, I will go through fire for you! Pang Juan added, Gongsun Yue, I want you to help me get rid of Sun Bin. Okay, but don''t let Zhong Li Qiu know. No need for you to do it yourself, borrow someone else''s hand to get rid of him. You command, how do I do it? The reason I''m making a big deal today is to let people know that I''m going to kill Zhong Li Qiu. If you take Zhong Li Qiu and defect to Qi, they will definitely not suspect you. When you get to Qi, go to Zou Ji and try to get his trust. Zou Ji has always been at odds with Tian Ji and Sun Bin, you can use Zou Ji''s hand to get rid of Sun Bin. Pang Juan said, a murderous aura coming out of his dark eyes. Gongsun Yue clapped his hands and happily agreed. Gongsun Yue left Wei with Zhong Li Qiu and headed to Qi. Along the way, Zhong Li Qiu was very happy, looking forward to seeing her sister and Mr. Sun as soon as possible. Gongsun Yue drove the carriage while saying, When Sun Bin escaped, there was a contract between us, I helped him escape and he helped me get you and swore never to see you again. Zhong Li Qiu said, Sun was forced to do that. Gongs Yueun looked back at Zhong Li Qiu and sighed, A man who truly loves a woman is dying, but he won''t promise not to see that woman. The other day, Pang Juan forced me to make a choice: on one side, death, but to be with you; on the other side, life, but to lose you forever. I chose death because I truly like you. Sun Bin he wasn''t sincere about you, so he chose life and to never see you again. Zhong Li Qiu was silent and speechless, looking into the distance, looking a bit bewildered. After Gongsun Yue came to Linzi, he defected to Zou Ji. After the two sat down, Zou Ji asked Gongsun Yue, Why did you leave Pang Juan and defect to Qi? Pang Juan wanted to kill my wife. Gongsun Yue replied. Why did Pang Juan want to kill your wife? My wife once helped Sun Bin escape from Wei. Then you should have defected to Sun Bin, you shouldn''t have come to me. My wife was in love with Sun Bin, if I defected to Sun Bin, wouldn''t my wife and family be separated? Zou Ji thought for a moment and said, I can take you in, but, for the time being, you should not show your face. Gongsun Yue said, I understand that the Minister needs to verify what I said just now. It''s not that I don''t trust you, Zou Ji explained, I not only need you to be my strategist, but I also need you to be Qi''s strategist. Therefore, one has to act with caution. Zou Ji sent someone to Wei to inquire about Gongsun Yue and made sure that what Gongsun Yue said was all true. He then set up a banquet to entertain Gongsun Yue and apologized to him. The two of them had a good conversation. During the banquet, Gongsun Yue said to Zou Ji, Minister, do you know why I joined you? Zou Ji laughed and said, I am the prime minister of Qi, I can let you get glory and wealth. Gongsun Yue shook his head, Gongsun Yue doesn''t value glory and wealth, if it was only for glory and wealth, I wouldn''t have to leave Pang Juan. Then what do you value? Women, the woman I love. You don''t already have one. But she could go back to Sun Bin at any time. What can I do to help you? Get rid of Sun Bin. How do you know I''ll help you? Gongsun Yueun said, Sun Bin once tied up Xiang Guo in the market and humiliated him, Xiang Guo hates him to the bone. Zou Ji shivered with anger whenever he remembered this, he gritted his teeth and said, I swear to be at loggerheads with Sun Bin! Gongsun Yue continued, To get rid of Sun Bin, you must get rid of Tian Ji. Zou Ji slammed the table, Not a single one of the two of them can be kept! After saying that, he sighed and added, Since Sun Bin and Tian Ji defeated Pang Juan, the Great King''s trust in them is growing day by day ...... It''s too hard to get rid of them. Gongsun Yue said sorrowfully, It''s not difficult. The Great King is most worried about others taking over his throne, and he is especially worried about his clansmen turning on him. Tian Ji is the Great King''s clansman and has military power, so as long as we convince the Great King that Tian Ji has ambitions to take the throne, that''s enough. Tian Ji doesn''t have such ambition, the Great King won''t believe it. We can induce the Great King to believe it. Zou Ji used to play a pot-throwing game with King Wei of Qi, and the loser drank wine. On this day when they were having a good time, he said to King Wei of Qi: Your Majesty, people''s hearts are wicked, Tian Ji and Sun Bin have military power, your Majesty must not be unguarded. King Wei of Qi said, Tian Ji and Sun Bin are loyal to me and won''t do anything to wrong me. Zou Ji added: Has the Great King forgotten that when Wei''s army pressed the border, they ignored the Great King, had no one in their sight, repeatedly disobeyed the Great King''s orders, and didn''t put the Great King in their eyes at all, and one must not be unguarded against this kind of people. King Qi Wei laughed, That was for the sake of the war, they did the right thing and ultimately defeated Pang Juan for me. Zou Ji returned to his palace and told Gongsun Yue that the King did not believe that Tian Ji and Sun Bin were ambitious. Gongsun Yue said, The number of times that Xiang Guo has said this is too few, if you say it once doesn''t work, then twice, if twice doesn''t work, then three times, if you say it more than once, the Great King will have doubts even if he doesn''t believe it completely. Zou Ji said helplessly, Empty words have no proof, there must be evidence. Gongsun Yue laughed, That''s the next step, need to wait for the opportunity. Since Zhong Li Qiu came to Qi, she has been living in Zou Ji''s mansion, she misses her sister Zhong Li Chun, but Gongsun Yue won''t let her see, saying to wait for some days. Many days passed and Gongsun Yue still had no intention of letting her see her sister. Zhong Li Qiu said to Gongsun Yue, I have waited for days, how much longer do you want me to wait? Gongsun Yue smiled bitterly and said, We are in Qi, we are not familiar with the land, we are relying on Xiang Guo, Xiang Guo and General Tian do not get along with each other, and your sister is General Tian''s guest, at this time if you go to see her, if Xiang Guo knows about it, what will he think? Then ...... when will I be able to see my sister? After I have gained the trust of the Xiangguo. Zhong Li Chun instructed Gongs Yueun, Well, you can work well for Xiang Guo so that he trusts you earlier. Zhong Li Chun since she knew Sun Bin, she had admiration for him, admired Sun Bin for not giving up on himself because of his disability, instead he became more and more energetic; as the days went by, it gradually changed from admiration to love, especially after Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan several times with his brilliant plans and strategizing, this love was even stronger. She wanted to marry Sun Bin and accompany him for life, but she was a girl after all, it was hard for her to ask. On this day, Qin Gu asked Zhong Li Chun to throw a pot, and when she was playing happily, Qin Gu asked her: Miss Zhong Li is talented and beautiful, what kind of husband do you want to marry? Zhong Li Chun did not answer. Qin Gu asked again: Do you ...... want to marry Mr. Sun? Zhong Li Chun still did not answer. Qin Gu laughed: Not answering is admitting. Zhong Li Chun busy: I did not admit. Qin Gu asked again, Then who do you want to marry? Zhong Li Chun said unhappily, I don''t know! Miss Zhong Li, Qin Gu tried, If, Mr. Sun does not intend to marry you, I would be willing to ...... Zhong Li Chun''s face immediately sank, angry: This kind of words I do not want to hear. Qin Gu''s words made Zhong Li Chun couldn''t hold back any longer, she wanted to tell Sun Bin what was in her heart. That night, she found Sun Bin who was studying the art of war and asked, Mr. Sun, do you want to start a family? Sun Bin put down the brief book and said, I once promised Mr.Guigu that I would build my merits first and then have a family. What kind of woman are you going to marry after you establish your merit? I haven''t thought about it yet. You''re still thinking about Zhong Li Qiu? Sun Bin was busy saying, No, she''s already someone else''s wife. Then you ...... think of me? Zhong Li Chun gathered enough courage and asked in a small voice. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.Sun Bin froze, not knowing how to answer. Zhong Li Chun looked at the blushing Sun Bin, knowing that he was thin-skinned, so she said, You don''t have to answer right away, I''ll wait for you, for as many days as it takes, but you have to give me a clear answer. Zhong Li Chun got up and said, Mr. Sun, have an early night, I''m going back. Saying that, he turned around and left. After Zhong Li Chun left, Sun Bin''s heart was in turmoil, he genuinely liked Zhong Li Chun, not just because Zhong Li Chun had saved his life ...... but he was suffering from a disability, how could he let Zhong Li Chun take care of him for the rest of his life? That night, Sun Bin didn''t sleep for almost a night. The next day, Qin Gu came to Sun Bin and asked him if he wanted to marry Zhong Li Chun, Sun Bin pondered for a moment and said, Zhong Li girl is as kind to me as a mountain, but I have a disability and life is inconvenient, if I marry her she will have to take care of me for the rest of my life, and I don''t deserve her to give so much. Qin Gu said, If she is willing to take care of you for the rest of your life, how can you refuse? Sun Bin thought about it and said, Then I''ll say that her character is too much like a man, it''s fine to be a friend, but not suitable to be a wife. Qin Gu shook his head and said, You can''t say that, it hurts her self esteem too much to say that, she is ...... still a girl after all. Then what should I say? Qin Gu thought about it and said, I''ll take you to take a divination, if the soothsayer says your marriage is hard to make, you can tell her what the soothsayer said, and it will count for both sides. Qin Gu and Sun Bin came to the soothsayer''s home in Tian Ji''s carriage, after explaining the reason for their visit, the soothsayer took a fortune, he said to Sun Bin: You go back and tell that girl that it''s not that I won''t fulfill you guys, it''s that you''re destined for each other, just like water and fire, even though life can''t be separated from them, if you force them to merge together as a single entity, they will end up not being compatible, so it''s better to not merge them together! ...... Do you understand? Understood ...... Sun Bin gave the old man a piece of silver. While Sun Bin was at the soothsayer''s house to divine, Zou Ji brought Gongsun Yue with him who was also planning to come to this house to divine. On the way, Gongsun Yue said to Zou Ji: I believe in strategizing, not divination, if divination can predict victory and defeat, why do I need a strategist? Zou Ji explained to him, You haven''t come to Qi for a long time, and you don''t know much about some things. All the Dafus of Qi have come to this house for divination, and I''ve done it a few times, and every time it''s true. They rode the carriage to the place where the diviner lived and suddenly found Tian Ji''s carriage parked outside the house, Zou Ji frowned and told Gongsun Yue that Sun Bin and Tian Ji might have come to the divination as well. Gongsun Yue heard this, pondered for a moment, and said to Zou Ji, Xiang Guo, the opportunity has arrived. What chance? Gongsun Yue said in a low voice, Xiangguo said just now that all the Dafus in the court come to this house for divination whenever they have something important to do, and I''ll dress up as Tian Ji''s attendant. ...... Zou Ji understood what he wanted to say, afraid of the people on the street to hear, let him go back to the house to tell the details. After returning to the house, Gongsun Yue told Zou Ji his plan in detail, Zou Ji high-five: Good idea, so do it! After that, he thought again and said, In case the king wants to confront both sides, how is it? Gongsun Yue said, You can tell the king the advantages and disadvantages, say Tian Ji and his men have military power in their hands, if they confront them, it will alarm them and force them to start a war, so the king won''t dare to confront them. That night, Sun Bin came to Zhong Li Chun''s place and told Zhong Li Chun what the soothsayer said, before Zhong Li Chun finished listening, he said furiously, He''s talking nonsense, damn it! Sun Bin said, You can''t say that, he''s very accurate in divination, all the Dafus in the court believe in him. Zhong Li Chun laughed coldly: Sun Bin, I remember you said that Sun Wu Zi never believed in divination when predicting the victory or defeat of a war, instead he looked at whether the planning was well thought out and whether the conditions were sufficient. Sun Bin was at a loss as to how to justify himself for a moment. Marriage is the same as combat, you should trust yourself, not divination. Zhong Li Chun lightly bit her lip and said, Mr. Sun, tell me the truth, are you willing to take me as your wife? Sun Bin pondered for a moment and said, Miss Zhong Li, we can be good friends, but we can''t be husband and wife. Why? Zhong Li Chun asked. Our personalities ...... are too different, I''m afraid ...... if we become husband and wife, Sun Bin stammered. You don''t have to say it, Zhong Li Chun interrupted, I understand, you can''t see me. You go away. No, you''ve been so kind to me ...... Sun Bin wanted to explain. Zhong Li Chun didn''t want to listen to him and pushed him out the door, closing it heavily. Sun Bin looked through the door and said to Zhong Li Chun, Zhong Li girl, it''s really not that I can''t see you, I''m ...... alas, forget it, don''t say it, you''ll understand later. Sun Bin''s departing footsteps faded away. Two lines of tears flowed down from Zhong Li Chun''s eyes. Sun Bin told Qin Gu about going to see Zhong Li Chun. Qin Gu understood Zhong Li Chun''s temperament, he came to Zhong Li Chun''s place, intending to persuade her, but realized that Zhong Li Chun had already left. Qin Gu immediately recruited a few retainers and went to look for Zhong Li Chun with torches. That night, Gongs Yueun dressed up as Tian Ji''s attendant and knocked on the door of the old man''s house, placing several pieces of gold in front of the old man. The old man was stunned and asked, What are you doing? Gongsun Yue said, I was ordered by General Tian to ask you to divine for him. The old man said, I never charge so much money for divination. Gongsun Yue said, This divination is not a small matter. My general is from the same clan as the king, he is in charge of Qi''s military power, and with Sun Bin''s assistance, he is powerful in the world. Now, the general wants to plan a big event, please take a divination to know whether it can be accomplished or not. I''ll give you a hundred taels of gold. At this moment, there was a knocking sound from outside the house, followed by a shouting sound: Elder, I''m from the Xiangguo Mansion, the Xiangguo State has something important to ask for. Gongsun Yue forced the old man with his sword and whispered, What I said just now must not be divulged, otherwise, I will kill you. The old man of divination nodded his head repeatedly. The old man of divination followed Zou Ji''s entourage to the Zou Mansion, and on the way, he met Qin Gu who was searching for Zhong Li Chun, and the old man of divination took the initiative to go up and greet Qin Gu. Because of Zhong Li Chun''s departure, Qin Gu was angry with the old man and gave him a cold reply before brushing past him. The soothsayer came to Zou Ji''s residence and asked him what he was looking for. Zou Ji asked: I heard that the Tian Ji House of people looking for your divination, I do not know what is asked? The old man replied, It''s about marriage. Zou Ji sneered, If they were asking about marriage, they would never have given you so much gold. The old man heard this and could not help but feel a little weak. Zou Ji asked again, I heard that Tian Ji is spying on the throne and plotting against it, he is not asking about this kind of thing, is he? The old man was shocked and quickly kowtowed, Xiangguo Mingcheng, I did not divine for them. Zou Ji took the old man to the palace at night and told King Wei of Qi about the divination that Tian Ji had sent. Zou Ji said to King Wei of Qi, My lord, Tian Ji has military power, if the king does not make a decision early, the throne will be rested! Although there is a soothsayer to testify, King Qi still has doubts, he asked Zou Ji to take the soothsayer to the Tian residence to find the person who went to the soothsayer. Zou Ji said, Your Majesty, Tian Ji military power in the hands of the public to find, is bound to alarm Tian Ji, he if the dog jumped over the wall, how is good? Well ...... what Xiangguo considered is very true. Zou Ji added: The Great King should make an immediate decision and arrest Tian Ji and Sun Bin. King Qi Wei shook his head and said, Tian Ji and Sun Bin are the merit of the Qi state, I can''t dispose of them just based on the diviner''s side of the story. Zou Ji said, Your Majesty, if you don''t dispose of them, they will dispose of Your Majesty; back then, wasn''t the Duke of Qi Kang deposed by Duke Tian Taigong a lesson? King Qi Wei was silent in contemplation. The next day after the court meeting, Tian Ji and Sun Bin traveled back to his house in the same car. Not far behind the car there was a carriage following them, and on that carriage sat two palace guards. Sun Bin glanced back and whispered to Tian Ji, General, the more I think about it, the more wrong it is, the Great King suddenly announced that there must be an order from him to mobilize the army, and he also sent someone to spy on us, there must be someone who is slandering the Great King. It must be Zou Ji ...... He has offered many good ideas for the Great King to rule the country before, and the Great King trusts him very much. To be able to talk the Great King into being suspicious of us to this extent, it is only him. And why is the present Zou Ji such a villain? Jealousy has compromised his character. Tian Ji sighed softly and helplessly. I see, Sun Bin also sighed, he and Pang Juan both suffer from the same disease ...... The two were on their way back to their house when they passed by the house of the old man of divination, where many people were gathered around as if something had happened. Sun Bin got off the bus and asked the old man''s neighbors, only to learn that the old man of divination was killed last night, as far as the neighbors know the old man never offended anyone and they don''t know who did it. Sun Bin had a serious look on his face, he went up and lifted the burlap covering the old man''s body, he saw a piercing sword wound on the old man''s neck, he froze and at the same time Zhong Li Chun''s angry voice rang in his ears last night: He''s bullshitting, damn him! Could it be Zhong Li Chun? The news of the soothsayer''s death soon reaches the palace, and Zou Ji believes that Tian Ji has killed to silence him. King Qi Wei''s suspicion of Tian Ji increases, and orders the palace guards to summon Tian Ji to the palace quickly. Note: Creating something out of nothing is the seventh of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, which originally means to fabricate something out of thin air and plant evidence to frame someone. This plan is used in combat, refers to the first use of false images to confuse the enemy, and then false to create the real. Gongsun Yue and Zou Ji used this plan to make King Wei of Qi suspicious of Tian and Sun, paving the way for getting rid of Tian Ji and Sun Bin. To know what will happen next, please read the next installment: Kill with a Borrowed Knife. 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The King of Chu hesitated and felt it was too bad to kill them. He said to Shihuang Daifu: Heart for heart, yellow earth becomes gold. As long as I am truly kind to them, they will come around. Let them continue to live in my guest house, treat them well, and give them whatever they want, including women. Dr. Shi Huang specially found two beautiful girls to take care of Tian Ji and Sun Bin. The girls brought Tian Ji and Sun Bin wine and food, Who let you in? Tian Ji had a stern face and loudly reprimanded, We don''t eat, get out! Get out! The girl was on the verge of tears and said, Please, if you don''t eat, Dr. Shi Huang will punish us. Forget it, don''t make it hard for them. Sun Bin spoke up, Girls, he''s joking with you guys, don''t pay attention. Put down the wine and food. With tears in their eyes, the two girls placed the wine and food on a few tables and turned to walk out. Why are you being so bitter? These two girls didn''t mess with you. Sun Bin said, poured a bottle of wine for Tian Ji and himself and laughed, Beautiful women and beautiful wine, the days of a god. Come on, cheers. It''s come to this, you still have the heart to make fun. Tian Ji didn''t move the wine bottle. Sun Bin took a big gulp of wine and said, This is much better than when I was in Wei. ...... Back then, sleeping in a pigsty and eating pig food, you can''t even imagine what it''s like, but I''m still laughing all the time. Don''t say so easy, if the smile is always open, will not pretend to be crazy. Pretending to be crazy is to laugh and open your mouth often, Sun Bin took another big sip, And laugh as much as you want ...... That said this wine is really good, General Tian come and drink with me too. You can drink if you want, I''m not in the mood. Sun Bin said to Tian Ji, General Tian, since we left Qi, we haven''t had a painful drink yet, let''s get drunk today, and when we''re drunk, we''ll go home. Tian Ji didn''t understand what Sun Bin meant by go home. Sun Bin smiled and explained, If you get drunk, you can dream of going home. Tian Ji laughed bitterly and had to pick up his bottle of wine and said, Okay, for the sake of going home, drink. The two of them didn''t drink more than a few bottles before they passed out. It turned out that Shihuang Daifu had tampered with the wine; he had two Chu girls guard them and memorize every word they said, including in their dreams. Outside the window the moonlight is like water. Inside, Sun Bin is lying peacefully on his sleeper couch, the flickering light of the fire candles waving on his face. The Chu girl sat beside Sun Bin and watched his face. Sun Bin moved a bit and mumbled, Zhong Li Chun ...... The girl probed and leaned down in front of his face and softly asked, Mr. Sun, what did you say? Sun Bin mumbled, Zhong Li Chun ...... The girl heard him clearly this time and asked, Who is Zhong Li Chun? Is it your wife? Sleeping Sun Bin didn''t say anything else. The girl looked at the sleeping Sun Bin, slowly sat up straight and silently recited, Zhong Li Chun ...... At this moment Zhong Li Chun was standing outside the window, she looked at Sun Bin on the sleeping couch with affection through the small holes in the silk between the window panes. The next day, Dr. Shi Huang asked the Chu girl who took care of Sun Bin: What did Sun Bin say? The girl read word for word: Zhong Li Chun. Dr. Shi Huang asked again, What else did he say? The girl shook her head and said, He kept saying these three words over and over again. Dr. Shi Huang asked the girl who took care of Tian Ji, What about Tian Ji, what did he say? The girl replied, Go back to his country, back to Qi. Inside the King of Chu''s palace, Shi Huang Dafu said to the King of Chu: Tian Ji and Sun Bin don''t want anything, neither do they want a pretty girl, they just want to go back to Qi, and in their dreams, they think that they are irredeemable, so let''s kill them. The King of Chu thought for a moment and said, No, don''t kill them, put them in jail, when they promise me, when will they be released. What if they don''t promise for the rest of their lives? Then let them not see the light of day for the rest of their lives! When Pang Juan heard that Sun Bin and Tian Ji were being held in Chu, he was so excited that he praised Gongsun Yue for doing a good job, and he planned to go to Chu himself to meet the king of Chu. His nephew Pangcong was worried about him and said, Uncle had defeated the Chu army in Fangcheng and disgraced the King of Chu, if you go to Chu in person, the King of Chu will jeopardize Uncle. Pang Juan laughed and said, The king of Chu likes two things the most, one is beautiful jade and the other is compliments, if I bring his favorite things to meet him, not only will he not give me a hard time, but he will also treat me as a guest. Pang Juan came to the state of Chu and went into the palace to see the king of Chu. The palace of the king of Chu was filled with a murderous atmosphere, and the palace guards, weapons in hand, stared intently at Pang Juan as he walked into the palace. With a straight face, Pang Juan came to the King of Chu, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, Foreign Minister kowtow to the King. The King of Chu looked at Pang Juan with murderous intent in his eyes and said slowly to Pang Juan, Marshal Pang, you''ve got some guts. Pang Juan pretended to look at the King of Chu in disbelief and said, The words of the Great King are not understood by the foreign minister. The King of Chu smiled coldly and said, In the battle of Fangcheng, you made me ashamed to face the world, and now that you''ve come to Chu alone, aren''t you afraid that I''ll kill you? Pang Juan smiled frankly and said, Foreign ministers are not afraid. Your majesty is known as a wise king who is faithful and reasonable, and never kills envoys from other countries, so how could you kill a foreign minister? Moreover, in the battle of Fangcheng, the foreign minister, as a marshal of Wei, should fight to the death for the king of Wei, and a wise king will never kill a minister who is loyal to his king. The King of Chu was dumbfounded, gazed at Pang Juan for a moment and said, Marshal Pang is very good at talking. Pang Juan took advantage of the situation and complimented, It is not the foreign ministers who are good at talking, it is the king who is good at being a king. With such a wise king, Chu will eventually dominate the world despite a momentary loss. The King of Chu''s face eased up a lot, and he asked Pang Juan to sit in the seat of the honored guest. Pang Juan thanked the king of Chu, took the box with the precious jade from his attendant, held it high, and said to the king of Chu, Your majesty, the foreign minister has a little gift for your majesty, please accept it with a smile. The king of Chu took the box, opened it, and could not help but be enraptured - inside the box was a large and beautiful piece of precious jade. The king of Chu was full of praise: This piece of precious jade is so beautiful that it can be completely comparable to the He Shi Bi! He asked Pang Juan, Marshal Pang must have something important to ask for when he gives me such a precious jade? Pang Juan smiled and said, A small matter. The King of Chu held the precious jade lovingly and said to Pang Juan, Marshal Pang, feel free to say anything, I will definitely satisfy you. Foreign Minister heard that Sun Bin fell into the hands of the Great King, I wonder what the Great King has planned? I want him to stay in Chu and assist me. Foreign Minister had been a fellow student of Sun Bin for three years and understood his character, being a native of Qi, he highly valued his native land. The foreign minister had recommended him to my king, and my king valued him so much that he worshiped him as a guest minister, promising to let him replace the foreign minister as the marshal of Wei in the future, but he betrayed my king. My king remembered that he was a talented person and spared him from death, but he used trickery and fled to Qi ...... The great king would not be of one mind with the great king even if he kept Sun Bin. What Marshal Pang means is ...... Kill him. The King of Chu looked at the precious jade in front of him, then looked at Pang Juan and asked, You sent me such an expensive gift just to let me execute Sun Bin? Pang Juan said, Sun Bin is both a key criminal of Wei and a sworn enemy of Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister requests that Your Majesty hand Sun Bin over to Wei, who will execute him. The King of Chu smiled faintly and said, I see, Sun Bin has defeated Marshal Pang several times, causing Marshal Pang to lose his prestige, Marshal Pang is trying to use this to take personal revenge. Pang Juan cursed the King of Chu in his heart but forced a smile on his face and said, Your Majesty, it doesn''t matter what the foreign ministers think or do, what''s important is that the foreign ministers get rid of Sun Bin, then it will be the foreign ministers that Qi resents, not Your Majesty. The King of Chu weighed the advantages and disadvantages and decided that what Pang Juan said would be beneficial to Chu, so he agreed to Pang Juan''s request. Dr. Shi Huang strongly opposed to handing Sun Bin over to Pang Juan, and said to the King of Chu, Your Majesty, if someone captures your enemy, can your Majesty trade rare treasures for the pleasure of disposing of your enemy with your own hands? The king of Chu said, That depends on whether the value of this enemy is more valuable than rare treasures. A man as smart as Pang Juan never makes a losing deal. Your Majesty, if I''m not mistaken, he must be after Sun Tzu''s Art of War. The Art of War is in Sun Bin''s heart, how will he get it? The microscopic minister hasn''t figured it out yet ...... However, this reminds us, why don''t we think of a way to get the Art of War of Sun Tzu? With the Art of War, wouldn''t the Great King still be able to dominate the world? The King of Chu thought that Shi Huang Dafu had a point, and he asked Shi Huang Dafu to try to get Sun Tzu''s Art of War from Sun Bin. Shihuang Dafu came to the prison where Tian Ji and Sun Bin were being held and said to Sun Bin with a smile, Mr. Sun, I have bad news for you, Pang Juan is here and he wants to take you back to Wei. What about me, does he want me? Tian Ji asked in a nonchalant voice. You''re not worth him wanting! Shi Huang Dafu slanted him a glance. Tian Ji said, I am a brother in need with Mr. Sun, if he doesn''t want me, Mr. Sun can''t go. Shi Huang Dafu said, Mr. Sun can not leave, as long as Mr. Sun writes down The Art of War, the king not only won''t hand you over to Pang Juan, but also let you guys go back to your country, how about it? While Tian Ji disagreed, Sun Bin agreed wholeheartedly and said to Shi Huang Dafu, The King of Chu must agree to one condition. Let General Tian return to his country first. No way, Mr. Sun. To go back, we''ll go back together. Tian Ji firmly said. Hmph. Shi Huang Dafu sneered, None of you will be able to leave. Sun Bin said, If I don''t let General Tian go, I won''t write. Handing it over to Pang Juan is just handing it over to Pang Juan, it''s just a death, I''ve already died once, it''s no big deal to die again. Dr. Shi Huang looked at Sun Bin and sighed, Alright, I''ll report your thoughts to my king. Said he got up and left. Tian Ji didn''t agree to let Sun Bin stay in Chu alone and Sun Bin said to him, If only one of you and I go back, Zou Ji won''t dare to do whatever he wants. If Zou Ji uses this to say that you betrayed Qi and victimized your two cousins, what''s the best thing to do? I have to aggrieve them ...... to let them leave Qi once again. Tian Ji was overjoyed and still refused to go. General Tian, Sun Bin said to Tian Ji from the bottom of his heart, It''s not just for your sake, it''s also for the sake of Qi, you must go back! The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Tian Ji was so moved that he promised to let the King of Qi try to rescue Sun Bin once he returned to Qi. Sun Bin said, I don''t need the King of Qi''s rescue, the King of Qi can''t save me either, as long as the King of Qi doesn''t give the military power to Zou Ji as well, it''s worth it for me to stay in Chu. The king of Chu agreed to let Tian Ji return to his country in order to get Sun Tzu''s Art of War. Dr. Shi Huang asked how to deal with Pang Juan. The King of Chu said, Just say that Sun Bin has agreed to stay in Chu and sincerely assist me, and let Pang Juan go back. Shi Huang Dafu told Pang Juan what the King of Chu meant, and Pang Juan accused the King of Chu of going back on his word and breaking faith with the world. Shi Huang Dafu condescendingly laughed at Pang Juan and said, The King has Sun Bin to assist him, even if he breaks faith with the world, what can the world do to the King? Pang Juan sneered, Sun Bin is deceiving the King of Chu, he''s afraid I''ll kill him, he''s using a delaying tactic, he''ll still change his mind when I''m gone. Tian Ji and Sun Bin were about to part ways, it was already late, Tian Ji sat inside Sun Bin''s room or he didn''t want to leave. Sun Bin advised him to rest early so he can be on his way tomorrow, Tian Ji said, I want to stay by your side for a while longer and guard you. Sun Bin laughed: The assassin died a long time ago, there''s no need for you to watch the night. Tian Ji sighed, I wish the assassin was still ...... around. At this time, someone outside the window gently knocked on the window. The two froze, Tian Ji drew his sword in his hand and asked sternly, Who? The person outside the window whispered, It''s me, Zhong Li Chun. The two were so surprised that they hurriedly walked out of the inner room and opened the door. Zhong Li Chun dodged into the house, closed the door, and said to the two, I have bribed dozens of daredevils with strong swordsmanship, and they have promised to help you escape. Tian Ji asked, Is it reliable? Zhong Li Chun said, Absolutely reliable. Tian Ji said to Sun Bin: Sir, let''s go. Sun Bin disagreed. Zhong Li Chun anxiously said to Sun Bin: Pang Juan is here, he wants to kill you! Sun Bin confidently said, Pang Juan can''t kill me for a while, the King of Chu needs me to write the Art of War. The King of Chu is a capricious man, even if you write out the Art of War for him, he''ll still hand you over to Pang Juan. Sir, go! Tian Ji also thinks the King of Chu won''t let Sun Bin go and urges him to run away together. Sun Bin said to Tian Ji: General, the King of Chu has already promised to let you go back to your country, if we fail to escape, none of us will be able to return to Qi. Zhong Li Chun said from the sidelines, Yes, we can definitely escape. The state of Chu is so big, if the Chu army intercepts us along the road, we can''t escape. Not being able to escape is still better than waiting here to die! I''m not waiting to die, I''m waiting for the right time. So I''m being redundant? Zhong Li Chun was a bit upset and said gamely. Sun Bin was about to explain when an uninvited guest came outside the house, it was Dr. Shi Huang. He knocked on the door outside the house and said Mr. Sun, open the door. Sun Bin signaled Zhong Li Chun to hide in the inner room, Zhong Li Chun hesitated for a moment, but followed Sun Bin into the inner room. Tian Ji opened the door of the house, and Shihuang Daifu came into the dwelling, gazed around, and asked, With whom was Mr. Sun talking just now? Tian Ji said, It was me. Shi Huang Dafu laughed and said, That was not your voice. With that, Shi Huang Dafu walked toward the inner room. Tian Ji quickly stopped him, Shi Huang Dafu, you can''t enter. Shi Huang Dafu flicked his sleeve: Why, is there something unseemly inside? Tian Ji stammered, This ...... no ...... Mr. Sun is asleep. Shi Huang Dafu sneered, You can t even tell lies. He was talking to someone just now, and in a few moments, how could he have fallen asleep? You''re right, I''m still awake. At this time, Sun Bin walked out. Dr. Shi Huang smiled smugly and asked, Who is that person in the inner room? You don''t need to know. My king has asked me to protect you, and anyone who is with you, I should know. And if I don''t agree? I''ll just have to get the soldiers to help. Shihuang Daifu threatened. Tian Ji angrily pointed at Shihuang Dafu, Shihuang Dafu, don''t bully me too much! Shi Huang Dafu sneered back, It''s not bullying people too much, it''s doing your duty. The three of them held each other for a moment, Sun Bin said, Dr. Shi Huang, you can go in, but I have a favor to ask. Speak. You can''t tell anyone what you saw. Dr. Shi Huang agreed and Sun Bin let him into the inner room. Shihuang Dafu entered the inner room and saw a woman sitting on a sleeping couch. It was Zhong Li Chun, she had changed back into her female clothes to match Sun Bin. When Zhong Li Chun saw someone walk in, she turned around shyly. Dr. Shi Huang sized up Zhong Li Chun for a moment, walked out of the inner room and smiled at Sun Bin, Mr. Sun, you''re not a gentleman. I didn''t say I was a gentleman either. Last time, why did Mr. Sun refuse such a beautiful girl? I was afraid of being subjected to someone. I won''t disturb your good deed, farewell. Dr. Shi Huang smiled wistfully and turned to leave. Zhong Li Chun is also leaving, Sun Bin is unwilling to let her leave with a misunderstanding, and wants to explain what happened just now, Zhong Li Chun said, Don''t explain, I understand in my heart, so be on your best behavior. Zhong Li Chun said goodbye to Tian Ji and told him to be careful on the way, then quietly left. The next morning, Sun Bin gave Tian Ji a farewell, far away from Chu capital, Tian Ji was still reluctant to leave. He shook Sun Bin''s hand and said ashamedly, I''m so sorry to let you stay in Chu by yourself. Don''t worry, they wouldn''t dare do anything to me. When two people are together, they can still discuss when they are in trouble, but now it''s just you and you have a bad leg ...... Sun Bin comforted Tian Ji, Don''t worry General, I have a solution, get on the carriage, your family is looking forward to you. Tian Ji got on the carriage and stood on it, slowly raised his hands, arched his hands and saluted, telling Sun Bin to take care of himself. Sun Bin also arched his hands and saluted back, wishing Tian Ji a safe journey. Tian Ji turned around violently, tears turning in his eyes. The coachman shook the reins and the carriage drove off. The tears in Tian Ji''s eyes finally overflowed and flowed down his cheeks. Sun Bin stood by the side of the road and looked longingly at the far away carriage ...... Pang Juan didn''t leave Chu, he had his entourage buy out the palace guards and after inquiring about the King of Chu''s true intentions of leaving Sun Bin behind, he came into the palace to see the King of Chu. He asked the King of Chu: Does the King want to get Sun Tzu''s Art of War? The King of Chu didn''t expect Pang Juan to get the news so quickly and asked, Who did you hear this from? Pang Juan said, This is the speculation of a foreign minister. The Great King''s thoughts at this time are the same as Foreign Minister''s at first. When Sun Bin committed a capital offense in Wei, he also said that he would write a set of art of war for my foreign minister so that he could intercede for him in front of my king. The foreign minister believed him and agreed to do so. In the name of writing the art of war, he spied the time and fled from Wei. This time, he is up to his old tricks again, and the foreign minister hopes that the great king will not fall for his tricks. The King of Chu laughed, I won''t fall for it; I''ll send heavy guards, and until he finishes writing the Art of War, he won''t be able to leave Binsha. Does the king know the contents of Sun Tzu''s Art of War? No. Who in Chu knows it? As far as I know, no one knows. Sun Bin is a trickster, if what he wrote for the King is not the real Sun Tzu''s Art of War, how does the King know about it? The King of Chu didn''t know how to answer. Pang Juan said, When I was studying at Guigu, I heard Mr.Guigu speak about the relevant chapters of Sun Tzu''s Art of War, and I can help the Great King identify the authenticity of the Art of War. The King of Chu happily clapped his hands and said, Excellent! General Pang, if you help me get the real Art of War of Sun Tzu, I will reward you heavily! Pang Juan smiled and said, Your Majesty, I don''t want a heavy reward, all I ask is that you let me copy a set of Sun Tzu''s Art of War, and I will be satisfied. The king of Chu agreed at once. A very delicate and ornately decorated box was placed on the table in front of Sun Bin. Sun Bin sat in front of the few, silently looked at the box in front of him, and silently said in his heart, Mr.Guigu, I''m sorry, I''m forced to do it, please forgive me, sir ...... After calming his mind, Sun Bin took out a few slender and delicate bamboo slips from the box, and held a pen and dipped it in ink and started to write it up. At this time, someone pushed the door in. Please go out. Sun Bin didn''t look up and was fully focused on writing. Unbeknownst to him the person not only didn''t go out, but instead walked over and sat in front of Sun Bin. It''s you? Sun Bin froze, the visitor was none other than Pang Juan. What, not welcome? Pang Juan smiled. Sun Bin put down his pen, looked coldly at Pang Juan and said solemnly, The King of Chu has ordered that no one is allowed to enter while I''m writing the Art of War. The King of Chu told me to come. Pang Juan caressed the exquisite chest on the table and tsked, The King of Chu is really willing to put down money, giving you his chest that holds treasures as well. He raised his head to Sun Bin and said, Do you want to know why the King of Chu called me here? Don''t want to know. You''d better know. Pang Juan picked up a bamboo slip and looked at it, saying leisurely, The King of Chu is afraid that you''ll cheat him with fake Art of War, so he specially asked me to supervise you, and I can recognize the authenticity of Sun Tzu''s Art of War. He put down the bamboo slip and looked at Sun Bin with a smile on his face and added: The King of Chu also agreed to let me copy a set of Sun Tzu''s Art of War to take back with me. When Sun Bin heard this, he packed up the bamboo slips and said, I''m not writing it! Pang Juan sneered, Gambling won''t do any good, if you don''t write it, the King of Chu will kill you. Sun Bin said lightly, People always die, it''s the same if they die early or late. You''re different, you''re one of the few generals and marshals in the world, you haven''t established a career yet, isn''t it a shame to die? There are big and small feats, I''m in Qi, I defeated you three times, I''ve already made a name for myself. Sun Bin sneered at Pang Juan, I''m already content ...... Sun Bin! Pang Juan couldn''t help but feel a surge of annoyance, he drew out his sword and pointed it at Sun Bin, saying, You''re content, I''m going to tell you to return to the Nine Springs with your life! Sun Bin was very calm and said, You don''t dare to kill me, if you kill me, the King of Chu will want you dead! Pang Juan sneered, I''ll kill you and throw your body to the countryside to feed the wild dogs and say, you escaped! Note: Strike while the fire is burning is the fifth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, the original meaning is that when the enemy has a serious crisis, you should take advantage of the opportunity to strike. Pang Juan took advantage of Sun Bin being trapped in Chu and came to Chu to push his way to get Sun Bin and The Art of War. To know how Sun Bin got out of the crisis, please read the next installment: Concealing the truth to cross the sea. The Twelfth： Concealing the truth to cross the sea Dr. Shi Huang went to the guest house to check on Sun Bin''s copying of the Art of War and pushed his way in, he was stunned to see the scene in front of him and asked, Marshal Pang, what are you doing? He''s trying to kill me. Sun Bin was the first to speak. Marshal Pang, Shi Huang Dafu sniffed and sneered, This isn''t in your state of Wei, it''s in the state of Chu. Pang Juan was busy putting away his sword and explained, I''m serving the King of Chu, who asked me to oversee his writing of the Art of War, and he''s not writing it, so I''m warning him. Sun Bin pinpointed, I''m not not writing, I''m not writing for you. Writing for me is the same as writing for the King of Chu. It''s not the same, if I write for the King of Chu, I''m honoring my promise, if I write for you I''m aiding and abetting the enemy. Dr. Shi Huang laughed as he applauded, Well said, excellent! Pang Juan glared at Shi Huang Dafu and said to Sun Bin: I don''t care what you say about me, the Art of War you write must be authenticated by me. Shi Huang Dafu told the King of Chu about Sun Bin and Pang Juan''s quarrel, and the King of Chu said cheerfully, Good, good quarrel! I''m just going to let them make a scene, and in the end, Pang Juan won''t get The Art of War. Dr. Shi Huang said, Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Pang Juan should be sent away now. With him gone, who will identify the authenticity of Sun Tzu''s Art of War? Tell Sun Bin that when the Art of War is all written, then let Pang Juan identify the authenticity, with Pang Juan against him, Sun Bin wouldn''t dare to use a fake as the real thing. The King of Chu nodded slightly, You think the same as me. Shi Huang Dafu relayed the King of Chu''s decision to Pang Juan asking him to leave Chu for the time being, Pang Juan was very angry but on the surface he looked indifferent and asked Shi Huang Dafu: After Sun Bin finishes writing the Art of War, does the King of Chu intend to let him go? No, the Art of War he wrote is not yet known to be true, how can he let him go? What if the truth is known? Whether it''s true or false, we can''t let him go, if we let him go, won''t we let the tiger return to the mountain? This I am relieved. In that case, when will the marshal leave? The day after tomorrow. Good, I''ll report back to my king immediately, and ask my king to host a feast to send the marshal off! No need, I have to come back, next time. Pang Juan sent off Dr. Shi Huang and immediately came to find Sun Bin, this time he was very polite and knocked on the already open door and asked, May I come in? Sun Bin was playing the zither, when he heard Pang Juan''s voice, he looked up and said, As long as I''m not writing the Art of War, you can come in. Pang Juan walked in, sat next to Sun Bin and said to Sun Bin, Sun Bin, I''m here to say goodbye. Oh, no longer supervising my writing of the Art of War? Sun Bin asked. Pang Juan looked frank and said, Actually, there''s no need for me to supervise at all, you''re a man of honor, as long as it''s something you''ve promised, you''ll definitely do it. Sun Bin said, That''s not necessarily true, it depends on when, where and to whom. Pang Juan smiled slightly, Dr. Shi Huang told me that even if you write the Art of War, the King of Chu isn''t going to release you, he said he can''t let the tiger return to the mountain. Sun Bin also smiled slightly, Heh, I admire you for telling lies as if they were true. Pang Juan said despondently, I know, I''m despicable in your eyes, you''ll never believe me for the rest of your life. In fact, we were not like this before, in Ghost Valley when we were classmates ...... You don''t deserve to mention Ghost Valley fellow students again! Sun Bin interrupted him. Yes, I''m not worthy. The reason I''m not worthy is because of jealousy. Those who are more talented than me, I''m jealous; those who have more status than me, I''m jealous; those who are more fortunate than me, I''m jealous; those who can''t get what I can''t get, I''m jealous ...... Jealousy has made me forget the love of my fellow classmates, and has turned us two brothers against each other; Jealousy has made me do so much to wrong you! Jealousy makes me the most despicable person in the world ...... Pang Juan said more and more excited, his eyes could not help but redden. Realizing his outburst, Pang Juan let his mood calm down and continued to Sun Bin: You probably think I''m faking this, and I don''t blame you, I once set you up for death and made you lose your trust in me forever ...... But today, I''m never faking it, and the reason why I hate myself isn''t because of remorse, it''s Or because of jealousy. I am jealous of the King of Chu, who is about to get the Art of War that I cannot get. That statement, I believe to be true. Sun Bin said lightly. That''s why I want to help you escape Chu, what I can''t get, the King of Chu won''t be able to get either! What''s in it for you if I escape Chu and return to Qi? Pang Juan laughed: Brother Sun, when I said I''d help you escape Chu, I didn''t say I''d let you return to Qi. Sun Bin was stunned, If I don''t return to Qi, where do I go? Wei, Country of Han, Zhao, Yan, Qin, you can go to all these countries, just not back to Qi. As long as you promise, I will help you escape from Chu. Just this one condition? No, there is one more, give me a set of Sun Tzu''s Art of War. That''s your real purpose. Sun Bin sneered. A set of the Art of War, in exchange for a life, you should agree. What if you''re like the King of Chu, who got the Art of War and still won''t let me go? I can swear to heaven. I don''t believe in your oath. Then what do you say? Sun Bin thought for a moment, then said, After you help me get out of harm''s way, and by that I mean not only Chu, but also you, Wei, I''ll give you the Art of War again. Pang Juan agreed. Sun Bin said he had one more request and wanted to know how Pang Juan would help him escape. Pang Juan laughed, Not too much to ask, I can tell you first. He lowered his voice, The King of Chu told me to go back and come back when you finish writing the Art of War. After I leave, you tell the King of Chu that the Art of War is the work of the Sage of War, so it must not be written in a noisy city, and that you need to find a valley similar to the Ghost Valley, or else you will be defiling the Holy Spirit. Defiling the Holy Spirit will be punished by heaven. Chu people have always respected the ghosts and gods, you so say, the king of Chu certainly believe. Then you said that there is such a valley on the border of Chu and Wei, the king of Chu will never suspect that there is a fraud, because I am your mortal enemy, you will not flee to Wei. When you arrive at the valley, I will immediately lead an army to raid the valley and rescue you. What do you think? Sun Bin was deep in thought and didn''t say anything. Pang Juan knew that Sun Bin still didn''t believe him, so he said, Danger and opportunity go hand in hand, I won''t go back on my word. Sun Bin finally made up his mind and said to Pang Juan, Then I''ll take another risk. Saying this the two of them high-fived as a letter. Dr. Shi Huang urged Sun Bin to write the Art of War as soon as possible, Sun Bin said he couldn''t do it in a noisy city. Sun Bin said he can''t do it in a noisy city. The Shihuang Daifu accused Sun Bin of playing tricks. Sun Bin said: Dr. Shi Huang, don''t get me wrong, when Mr.Guigu passed on the Art of War to me, he repeatedly warned me that the Art of War was made by the Sage of War, Sun Wu, and that teaching the Art of War should not be done in the noisy city but in a quiet valley, otherwise it would be a defilement of the Holy Spirit, and defilement of the Holy Spirit would result in the punishment of heaven for the one who writes the Art of War as well as the one who holds the Art of War. Therefore, when I write the Art of War for the Great King, I must find a secluded valley. Why didn''t you say so earlier? I can''t say it if Pang Juan doesn''t go away, if he finds out, more trouble. Dr. Shi Huang no longer doubted Sun Bin''s words and promised to find a valley as soon as possible. Sun Bin added: Shihuang Dafu, not any valley is suitable for writing the Art of War, the valley must have spiritual and immortal energy, otherwise, the Art of War will lose the blessing of the gods. Back then, Mr.Guigu took several years to find the Ghost Valley, and I''m afraid it will take several years for you to find a place similar to the Ghost Valley. Taking such a long time to find the valley, Shihuang Dafu could not agree, he stated that the King of Chu was anxious to see the Art of War. Sun Bin said, If the King is desperate to see the Art of War, it''s not impossible, when I went to Wei, I passed by a valley on the border of Chu and Wei that was extremely similar to Ghost Valley, and it would be extremely appropriate to write the Art of War there. However, it is too close to the state of Wei, and I am afraid that Pang Juan will harm me when he learns of it. Dr. Shi Huang said, You don''t have to worry, the King can send an army to protect you. Sun Bin waved his hand and said, Hey, if I send an army, it''s the same as telling Pang Juan about my trail, if he pours in the army of Wei to invade, what''s the best thing to do? Besides, Sun Tzu''s Art of War says, using 100,000 men and horses, crossing the border to send food for a thousand miles, all sorts of expenses, costing thousands of gold per day. The king''s army is heavily deployed in the barren valleys along the border, which is not as expensive as crossing the border for a thousand miles, but it costs no less than five hundred gold per day. The art of war cannot be written in a few days, how many 500 golds does the king need to consume? This is not the second thing, if other countries take advantage of the situation, how can we do? Shi Huang Dafu thought for a long time and had a hard time deciding. Sun Bin told Shihuang Dafu to go back to the King of Chu and weigh the pros and cons over and over again and let the King of Chu decide. Shi Huang Dafu told the King of Chu what Sun Bin said, the King of Chu said Pang Juan is not enough to worry about, I''ll send an elite army to ambush in the valley, and then send more secret agents to enter Wei, as soon as Pang Juan has a wind blowing, he''ll immediately protect Sun Bin to withdraw from the valley. What I''m worried about is Sun Bin, he said there''s such a valley on the border of Chu and Wei, is there any deception? Dr. Shi Huang pondered, Your Majesty, even my humble servant has considered it over and over again, Sun Bin would not be deceitful. Pang Juan is his sworn enemy, it would be bad for him to go to the Chu-Wei border, if he were to go to the Chu-Qi or Chu-Han borders, then it would really be a fraud. The King of Chu nodded slightly and then said, Take my military talisman and transfer 5,000 troops to protect Sun Bin. Dr. Shi Huang told Sun Bin of the King of Chu''s decision and urged him to move the next day. Sun Bin said there was one thing he needed Dr. Shi Huang''s help with. Shi Huang Dafu asked him what it was, Sun Bin was a bit coy and said, This matter is a bit difficult to talk about ...... I''d like to ask you to help me find someone ...... Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.Is it a woman? Shi Huang Dafu said with a bad smile. Sun Bin nodded shyly and said, I don''t want to find just any woman, I want to find the one who was here last time ...... What, a one night stand for life? Shihuang Dafu had another bad laugh and asked what the woman''s last name was and where she lived, but Sun Bin didn''t know anything about it. He drew a picture of Zhong Li Chun and asked Dr. Shi Huang to send someone to hang it on the street where there are many people. Soon after the portrait was hung up, Zhong Li Chun saw the portrait, and many onlookers were talking about her in the portrait. Zhong Li Chun tore the portrait off the wall and took it to Sun Bin. With an angry face, she questioned Sun Bin: Is there a way for you to find someone like this? Thousands of people looking, ten thousand people touching, making me lose face! Miss Zhong Li, I''m really sorry. Sun Bin looked apologetic and explained, I''m leaving tomorrow, I''m in a hurry to find you, and I couldn''t think of any other way for a while, so I had to come up with this. Sun Bin told Zhong Li Chun about going to the Chu-Wei border to write the Art of War and then asked for her help. Zhong Li Chun was still angry with Sun Bin and said coldly, How did you know I would help you? You and I are friends, you wouldn''t see death to help. You''re not enough of a friend! Zhong Li girl, I know I am sorry for you, but I ...... really can''t marry you ...... I am not talking about this matter, this matter, I will never mention again. Then, what do you mean? You know it in your heart. Could it be that last time ...... I didn''t go with you? Sun Bin pondered. What''s that, that was me asking for trouble. Zhong Li Chun teased. Sun Bin thought seriously and said sincerely, I really can''t remember. Whenever you think of it, go find me. Zhong Li Chun turned around to leave after saying that, Sun Bin pulled her back, It''s too late, I''m leaving early tomorrow morning. Zhong Li Chun looked at Sun Bin pulling her hand, her face slumped and she snapped, Let go of me. Sun Bin was busy letting go of his hand. You go your way, I''ll go mine, there''s nothing between us. After saying that, Zhong Li Chun turned around and walked out. Sun Bin was a bit confused at first, then carefully pondered Zhong Li Chun''s words You go your way, I''ll go mine. He realized that Zhong Li Chun has something in her words, she will walk with her in the dark. A stone fell from Sun Bin''s heart and he couldn''t help but smile with relief. Shi Huang Dafu with 5,000 troops escorted Sun Bin quietly to the valley on the border of Chu and Wei. Pang Juan who was waiting for Sun Bin near the valley was informed of this and said happily, Sun Bin has been tricked! Pangcong sent his men to secretly enter the valley to look for Sun Bin''s place and then ordered Pangcong to immediately transfer the follow up army to the border and at the same time secretly blockade the border between Wei and Chu to prevent the spies sent by Chu to Wei from returning to Chu. The grass in the valley is high and the forest is dense, and from time to time mist drifts through. In the deep woods of the valley, there stood a straw hut, this is where Sun Bin wrote the Art of War. Sun Bin and Shi Huang Dafu walked along the valley and carefully checked the defense of the 5,000 troops. Sun Bin said to Shi Huang Dafu: These 5,000 soldiers are so well fortified that Pang Juan can''t enter the valley without five times the army. When they returned to the hayloft, Sun Bin''s legs couldn''t stand the dampness in the valley and it was even harder for him to walk. Zhong Li Chun who was hiding in the forest saw it and felt the pain. Just after Dr. Shi Huang left, Zhong Li Chun came out of the woods and entered Sun Bin''s hut. Sun Bin complained that she shouldn''t have come and Zhong Li Chun said she was uneasy. Sun Bin said What''s there to be uneasy about, didn''t we all say it''s done, as soon as Pang Juan''s army comes, Shi Huang Dafu will immediately take me away, you guys just wait for me at the bottom of the mountain. When Sun Bin had just entered the valley, Zhong Li Chun had quietly looked for Sun Bin, she told Sun Bin that she had brought dozens of daredevil soldiers with her, and that she could save Sun Bin from escaping from Chu at any time. Sun Bin said a lot of words of gratitude and then told Zhong Li Chun about his plan to escape and drew a diagram for Zhong Li Chun and told her to bring those men who dared to die and follow the location on the diagram and wait outside the valley. Zhong Li Chun said, Pang Juan is tricky, what if he enters the valley from a place you wouldn''t expect? Sun Bin said, I''ve seen all the terrain, he can''t get in. Go back, those people you left at the bottom of the mountain, the group is leaderless, if anything goes wrong, we''ll lose everything. Zhong Li Chun said, Don''t worry, those people under the mountain are bowing down to me, without my words, they would never dare to act without authorization, and won''t make the slightest mistake. Mister''s legs are bad and you have to go over mountains and valleys, I''ll be by your side and can take care of you. Sun Bin still insisted on persuading her to go, saying, If Dr. Shi Huang sees it, he''ll get suspicious. Well ...... then I''ll quietly guard the mountains and forests outside the shed so that no one else will notice. Sun Bin heard this and was sincerely moved. At night, in the dead of night, Zhong Li Chun sneaked into Sun Bin''s hayloft again, she made Sun Bin sit on a bamboo-tied sleeping couch with his bare legs, then dipped silk and silk in wine and repeatedly scrubbed Sun Bin''s bare knees, saying that this would drive away the dampness. After scrubbing her legs, she held Sun Bin''s legs in her arms. Sun Bin couldn''t help but blush and wanted to pull his leg out of Zhong Li Chun''s arms, embarrassedly saying Don''t be like this, no need ...... Zhong Li Chun pressed down on his leg and said frankly: Don''t be embarrassed, I don''t have any other ideas, I''m just healing your leg. At this moment Sun Bin felt warmth not only in his legs but all over his body, warmth that he''s never felt before. Outside the hayloft someone was hitting the door curtain with a small stone, Sun Bin told Zhong Li Chun it was a spy sent by Pang Juan to find him. He went out of the hayloft and gave Pang Juan''s spy the map of the Chu army''s defense. Wei''s detail returned outside the valley and gave Pang Juan the defense map. Pang Juan asked him if he had looked at the map as it was drawn. He said he did and it was the same as Sun Bin''s drawing. Pang Juan was relieved that Sun Bin hadn''t figured out his plan, or even if he had, there was nothing he could do about it now. Early in the morning, when the fog filled the valley, Wei''s army split into several groups and crept into the valley along the forest path. The Chu army, ambushed in the bushes, blew the bullhorn. The Chu army in the valley immediately moved into the battle position after changing its defense. Dr. Shi Huang learned that Pang Juan''s army sneaked into the valley and came panting to the grass hut and said to Sun Bin: Mr. Sun, it''s bad, Pang Juan''s army is coming! Sun Bin pretended to be surprised and asked accusingly, What are the spies you sent out for? How come not a single bit of news has been sent back? Dr. Shi Huang gasped and said, Who knows, none of the spies sent out came back. Sun Bin grumbled I told you not to come but you didn''t listen, now it''s good, what do you say? Shi Huang Dafu swore with conviction and said, Mr. Sun, don''t worry, I''m just going to put up these 5,000 men and horses to save you back to the capital. Wei''s army failed to win the sneak attack, Wei''s generals reported to Pang Juan that there was a change in the Chu army''s deployment, Pang Juan knew that it was Sun Bin who was up to no good, he had already thought of this and told his generals, We''ve encircled the valley, Sun Bin can''t escape from me even if he''s up to no good. He ordered his army to force their way into the valley. The war drums of the Wei army sounded all over the valley. The Wei generals led their soldiers with shields and long gorges to kill along the valley. The Chu army on both sides of the valley fought bravely to stop the Wei army, with clashes of weapons, shouts and killings. Shihuang Dafu followed Sun Bin''s pre-set path to escape from the valley and led a dozen soldiers to protect Sun Bin to the top of the mountain, then prepared to escape out of the valley along a rugged, steep and overgrown mountain path. The shouts of murder in the valley gradually faded away. Shi Huang Dafu let out a long breath and thankfully said to Sun Bin, Mr. Sun, there won''t be any more danger, Pang Juan would never think that we would escape from a place where there is no road ...... Before the words fell, a dozen or so men with weapons flashed out from the woods and stopped in front of them. Dr. Shi Huang froze and asked, Who are you ...... people? The leading han replied, Marshal Pang''s people. With that he waved his hand. The hans waved their weapons to kill them. There was a flurry of swords and shadows, and a dozen Chu soldiers fell to the ground. The leading hanyou walked over to Emperor Shi Dafu. Shi Huang Dafu was shaking straight, kneeling on the ground with his legs and kowtowing, Good Han spare my life, I am willing to hand over Sun Bin ...... The leading man grabbed Shi Huang Dafu''s collar, lifted him up, and asked Zhong Li Chun who was beside him, Miss Chun, what to do with him? Zhong Li Chun said, Leave him alive, let him go back and report to the King of Chu, say Marshal Pang thanked him. Dr. Shi Huang stared blankly at Zhong Li Chun, he seemed to have seen her somewhere, before he could figure it out, the leader of the han punched him over, Dr. Shi Huang fell heavily to the ground and fainted. Zhong Li Chun''s men pulled out the fast horses from the forest that had been prepared long ago and helped Sun Bin on the horse, Zhong Li Chun also mounted the horse and protected Sun Bin as he flew towards the east to Qi. Note: Concealing the truth to cross the sea is the first of the 36 stratagems, the name of the stratagem comes from Tang Dynasty, but the contents of this stratagem were mostly used in Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. In this plan, heaven refers to the emperor, and crossing the sea refers to insurmountable obstacles. The key of hiding the sky from the sea is to hide the hidden ploys in the open and exposed behaviors. Sun Bin used this strategy to hide from the King of Chu and Pang Juan to escape from danger. To find out what happened next, please read the next installment: Stealing the Beam and Replacing the Pillar. 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Qin Gu was relieved and said to Shi Huang Dafu, We are almost there at last. Dr. Shi Huang looked around and asked Qin Gu, Are Zhong Li Chun''s men still following us? Qin Gu counted the days and said, They have already left, when we were leaving, Zhong Li Chun told me that after five days they can hide in the deep mountains, as long as they enter the deep mountains, her people will no longer follow us. As soon as the words fell, Shi Huang Dafu fiercely drew his short sword and pressed it against Qin Gu''s throat, and the Chu follower in the same car shouted to the convoy behind him, Stop the car! The caravan immediately stopped and the Chu entourage grabbed their weapons and jumped out of the car, surrounding the fake Sun Bin and the Qi entourage. Qin Gu looked at Shi Huang Dafu in surprise and asked, What are you ...... doing? Shi Huang Dafu sneered, You think I''m a fool? You''re not intending to defect to me, but rather to keep an eye on me to prevent me from sending someone to inform the Chu army along the way to intercept Sun Bin. Qin Gu defended, You''re wrongly accusing me ...... If I was really trying to keep an eye on you, I might as well just kill you! Dr. Shi Huang laughed, I don''t care if I''m wronged or not, I''m only concerned about how I can deliver to my king. He ordered his Chu entourage to tie up Qin Gu and bring him back to the Chu capital. Qin Gu was tied up on a stone pillar in the courtyard with two halberd-wielding soldiers standing beside him. He exclaimed in a hyperactive voice, King of Chu, if you are so rude to the envoys of another country, the lords of the world will rise up and attack you! The King of Chu walked closer and laughed coldly, saying, A messenger who comes for friendship is treated with courtesy; a messenger who comes for deception is treated with death. All the lords of the world are like this, and no one will blame me for it. The foreign minister did not deceive the Great King. What is it if letting Sun Bin go is not deception? I didn''t let Sun Bin go, he let himself go. Nonsense! How could he let himself go by himself? Sun Bin has many daredevils traveling with us, if we don''t let Sun Bin go they will kill us, we can only watch Sun Bin escape. Soldiers can be killed but not humiliated. The King of Qi ordered you to hand Sun Bin over to me, you''re greedy for your life and let Sun Bin escape, what is your crime? Your Majesty, if Sun Bin escapes, it will jeopardize Your Majesty and my King, Qin Gu will just die and spray him with blood. However, his going away would be beneficial to the Great King without any harm, so Qin Gu just let him escape. The King of Chu burst into a sneer, Well said, how is Sun Bin''s escape beneficial to me? Qin Gu replied, If Sun Bin falls into the hands of the King again, Pang Juan will still ask the King for someone, and if the King doesn''t give it to him, Pang Juan will, like last time, lead his army to intimidate the King, and a big battle is inevitable. I am not afraid of Pang Juan. It is true that Your Majesty is not afraid of Pang Juan, but Your Majesty cannot disregard Qin. Qin is the Great King''s formidable enemy, if Pang Juan were to invade Chu, Qin would surely take advantage of the fire and seize the Great King''s territory. With Sun Bin fleeing, the Great King avoids being attacked on both sides, which is an advantage. Well ...... say on. The generals of Qi have been holding a grudge against the Great King for claiming Sun Bin, if Sun Bin leaves Chu safely, they will calm their resentment against the Great King, and if the Great King encounters a strong enemy advancing, and asks Qi to send troops to help him, the generals will do their best to help the Great King. This is the second advantage. The King of Chu nodded slightly, I have thought of that as well. Qin Gu continued, The third advantage is that the Great King has obtained the treasures that Tian Ji has treasured for many years. Tian Ji didn''t offer the treasure willingly, he did it so that the Great King wouldn''t harm Sun Bin. If Sun Bin doesn''t leave, Tian Ji will make use of the excuse to ask for the treasures; since Sun Bin has fled, Tian Ji won''t mention the treasures again. This fourth advantage ...... Don''t you say it. The King of Chu interrupted him, Let me ask you, how does it benefit you to think of me in every way? Qin Gu respectfully said, The foreign minister is thinking about the king in order to facilitate the alliance and reconciliation between Qi and Chu, the biggest threat to Qi is Wei, if Qi and Chu are in an alliance, with the help of the king, Wei won''t dare to underestimate Qi, and my king will reward and reuse the foreign minister for this. The King of Chu admired Qin Gu so much that he ordered his soldiers to untie him and then hosted a banquet for him. Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun came to Country of Han, Dr. Shen received them warmly, let them stay in his residence, and intended to recommend Sun Bin to the King of Han, to which Sun Bin disagreed. He said, It''s fine if the King of Han doesn''t reuse me, but if he does, it won''t take long for the news to reach the Country of Han, and Pang Juan will make things difficult for Country of Han because of it. Dafu Shen laughed: Mr. Sun had defeated Pang Juan several times in Qi; with Mr. Sun here, Pang Juan is not enough to worry about. Nonetheless. Sun Bin analyzed, Country of Han is not as strong as Qi in terms of national strength and military power, and there is the threat of Qin in the west, so it would be extremely unfavorable for Country of Han to be an enemy of Wei. Dr. Shen asked, Is Mr. Sun unwilling to help Country of Han? Sun Bin sighed, Sun Bin is a homeless person, I''m really grateful to Dr. Shen for taking me in, I''ll never give half of what I have. The reason why I''m not showing my face for now is precisely for the sake of Country of Han. I can help Dr. Shen behind the scenes to come up with ideas to make Country of Han gradually stronger, and by then, it won''t be too late for me to step forward. Country of Han was located between Wei and Qin, and Qin was constantly attacking the border cities of Country of Han in order to expand its territory and eat away at the territory of Country of Han. Worried that he would have no place to stand if this continued, the king of Han summoned the important ministers of the court to discuss how to deal with the state of Qin. The general opinion of the ministers was that the soldiers of Country of Han were not too brave, and the generals of Country of Han were not too disloyal, but the reason why they lost to the Qin army was because of the incompetence of the general who was in charge of the army. The king of Han said that the crown prince should be the general, but the generals objected, saying that the crown prince had no courage but was headstrong and self-opinionated, so they were afraid that he would not be able to do the job. The more they discussed, the more pessimistic they became. The king of Han couldn''t help but feel sad and lamented, Alas, I am incompetent, and so are my great generals....... There is no way to deal with a single state of Qin, and if Wei and Chu come to take over my territories, my country will cease to exist... ... Dr. Shen couldn''t hold back any longer, he told the King of Han about Sun Bin''s arrival in Country of Han, the King of Han was overjoyed and said, Why didn''t you say so earlier? Sun Bin was worried that if word got out and Pang Juan knew about it, Pang Juan would make things difficult for the King because of it. Sun Bin is here, what is Pang Juan to you! You quickly go, quickly pass Sun Bin into the palace ...... No, quickly invite Sun Bin into the palace. Shen Dafu wanted to recommend Sun Bin to the King of Han, and Zhong Li Chun was firmly against it. She questioned Shen Dafu: Mr. Sun had an appointment with you first, why don''t you speak of faith and justice? Shen Daifu said sincerely, It is not that I am not faithful, it is that Country of Han is currently in too difficult a situation ...... without a general who is good at using the army, and the territory is constantly being eaten up by the Qin State, so in the long run, Country of Han will cease to exist. That is why I had to recommend Mr. Sun to my king ...... Zhong Li Chun said coldly, Pang Juan will thus know that Mr. Sun is in Country of Han, and if he asks the King of Han for someone, the King of Han may not dare to offend Pang Juan because of Mr. Sun. Dafu Shen said, Miss Zhong Li, my king is not the king of Qi, nor is he the king of Chu, no matter who comes to ask for someone, my king will not give in to their lewdness, because my king understands that as long as the army is handed over to Mr. Sun, no country will dare to belittle Country of Han. Zhong Li Chun mocked again, Words can be said by anyone, when danger comes, it''s another matter. Dafu Shen swore, Miss Zhong Li, if a crisis comes, no matter who it is, if he dares to wrong Mr. Sun, I will kill him! If you guys don''t believe me, I can swear to heaven. Dr. Shen said, drew out his sword, knelt on the ground and pointed to the sky with his sword. Sun Bin, who had been silent all this time, rushed forward, helped up Dr. Shen, and promised to go into the palace to pay his respects to the King of Han. When Queen Han heard that the King of Han was planning to hand over the army to Sun Bin, she said to the King of Han: Sun Bin is from Qi, if he is disloyal to the King of Han, won''t he be raising a tiger? The King of Han explained, At the moment no one can lead an army against Qin except Sun Bin. I''ve heard that Sun Bin was not a general in charge of the army when he was in Qi, but a military advisor, Your Majesty can let the Crown Prince lead the army and let Sun Bin be his military advisor. The Crown Prince is young and headstrong, I''m afraid he won''t adopt Sun Bin''s strategy and misuse my big event. Queen Han suggested, If the Crown Prince doesn''t adopt Sun Bin''s strategy, Sun Bin has the right to report to the King for his decision, in this way, we can use Sun Bin''s strengths while not letting him hold the military power, wouldn''t it be the best of both worlds? The King of Han thought the Queen had a point and readily adopted her opinion. The practice field of Country of Han was located in a dry, wide river valley. Hundreds of Country of Han soldiers fought together on the practice field in pairs of two, one with a halberd and the other with a shield, one attacking and the other defending. The Crown Prince of Han and Sun Bin stood on the riverbank and watched the soldiers practicing. The Crown Prince of Han said to Sun Bin, Mr. Sun, how are my soldiers, how do they compare to Qi''s soldiers? Each to their own. Sun Bin responded, The soldiers of Han are not as tough as the soldiers of Country of Han, but they can treat military orders like heavenly orders, and follow orders strictly. Not daring to make the slightest mistake. Crown Prince Han''s face sank as he signaled to the training officer beside him, Stop the training. The training officer shouted stop several times to the soldiers on the field, and some of the soldiers heard it and stopped; some did not hear it and were still practicing. The Crown Prince was annoyed and said to the training officer, Go, anyone who violates the order, each of them will be beaten with fifty army sticks! Great General, wait. Sun Bin stopped. The reason why those soldiers disobeyed the order just now was not intentional, but they couldn''t hear the call. Sun Tzu''s Art of War says that in combat, soldiers cannot be heard when commanded by words, so golden drums are used; soldiers cannot be seen when commanded by movement, so flags are set up. In night battles, golden drums are often used, and in day battles, flags are often used. Just now, the soldiers practiced, if they use the flags to command and signal, the soldiers will not be unclear about the orders. The Prince said unconvincingly, This is a drill, not a battle, no need to be so troublesome. The usual drill is for formal combat. Sun Bin said seriously, If the drill is unclear about the orders, it won''t enable the army to develop the habit of forbidding orders. If the army''s orders don''t work and prohibitions don''t stop, even if the general has the best plan, it will be difficult to realize it. The Crown Prince slightly pondered and lightly smiled, I can adopt the military counselor''s opinion, and in the future, all drills will be set up with flags and golden drums. But this time, as a great general, I can''t take back my order since it was given, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public. He continued to the training officer, Go, punish those soldiers who don''t listen to the orders as I said. The news that Sun Bin had become a military advisor in the Country of Han soon reached the State of Wei. Pangcong said to Pang Juan, Uncle, we should travel to Country of Han and ask the King of Han for someone. Otherwise, when Sun Bin is firmly established in Country of Han, it will be difficult to get someone. Pang Juan had his own idea on how to get Sun Bin for a long time, and he said to Pangcong, You should immediately travel to Country of Han, not to ask for someone, but to invite the King of Han to meet with my king in Cheng Zhou to deal with Qin. Qin has always been a threat to Country of Han, and the King of Han must agree to an alliance; Cheng Zhou was once a place where the Son of Heaven of Zhou ordered his vassals, and nowadays, even though it is a name in vain, the King of Han has no reason to object if we meet in Cheng Zhou. Pangcong asked in confusion, Uncle, what does the alliance have to do with Sun Bin? Pang Juan''s lips lifted up and said, If we meet in Cheng Zhou, we need to pass through Country of Han''s territory to take the shortcut, so I can take advantage of the opportunity to take over Cheng Gao, a key place in Country of Han. Chenggao is the northern barrier of Country of Han, Country of Han will never give it up, when the time comes, I''ll exchange Chenggao for Sun Bin. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.When Wei borrowed a road from Country of Han, most of the Country of Han''s Dafus discussed and disagreed to lend the road to Wei. The King of Han said to the Dafus, If I don''t agree to lend the road, the King of Wei will say I''m not sincere about the alliance. Sun Bin said to the King of Han: Your Majesty, more than 200 years ago, there were two states, one called Yu and the other called Guo. Jin wanted to annex these two states, so it gave the king of Yu beautiful jade and good horses, and asked to borrow a road to crush Guo. The king of Yu was mesmerized by Jin''s rhetoric and agreed to lend Jin the road. Jin''s army passed through Yu''s territory and annihilated the State of Guo, and when it returned, it took advantage of Yu''s unpreparedness to occupy the State of Yu....... This time, when Wei borrowed the road, it is highly likely that it will follow the example of Jin in those years. Military Counselor Sun is overthinking it. Crown Prince Han said, Wei''s army that participated in the alliance is only 5,000 people, if it wants to plot against Country of Han, it''s too self-conscious, right? Sun Bin said to the Crown Prince solemnly, Crown Prince, it''s not too much to worry about, although Pang Juan''s army won''t plot against Country of Han, they can plot against Country of Han''s Chenggao, which is the barrier of Country of Han''s north, and if Chenggao falls, the enemy army can drive straight to Country of Han''s hinterland. If that happens, Country of Han will be in danger. When Pangcong heard that Sun Bin was doing his best to oppose Wei taking the route to Country of Han, he took the precious jade to see the Crown Prince of Country of Han. The Crown Prince of Country of Han picked up the precious jade and looked at the bright spot, and said to Pangcong sitting on the side: Indeed it is a rare precious jade ...... Isn''t this gift too heavy? Pangcong laughed, That depends on how it is said. If a piece of precious jade can prompt Han and Wei to ally against Qin, this gift is too light; if it''s just for the sake of getting to know Great General, this gift is too heavy. Do you think the gift is light or heavy? Of course it is light. In that case, I should accept this piece of precious jade? Of course ....... Before Pangcong''s words fell, the Prince raised his hand and threw the precious jade heavily. The precious jade hit a piece of bronze artifacts, emitting a crunching sound and shattering into broken jade. Pangcong wanted to have a fit, but held back, and said coldly to the Crown Prince: If Great General does not accept the precious jade, he can return it to me, why do you want to waste it? The Crown Prince smiled, I''ve already received it, so I''ll deal with it however I want. The strategist who came with Pangcong said on the side, What the great general loves is not the treasure, it is the name, the name of incorruptibility ...... which is really rare and precious! Pangcong pretended to react when he heard this and said with a humble face, What the Great General has done is truly honorable. However, as the commander of Han''s army, if Great General only has a reputation for honesty and integrity, but not merit, the entire Han army will only know of Sun Bin, but not Great General. The Crown Prince smiled and said, Don''t worry about it, I will have a reputation for merit and it will never be below Sun Bin. Not really, Sun Bin is most afraid of others'' merits surpassing his own, for example, the matter of the alliance, the reason why Sun Bin is strongly against it is because the Great General is in favor of the alliance, if the alliance succeeds, Country of Han will be free from the threat of the Qin state, and this merit will be the Great General''s. Sun Bin''s objection was not to the alliance, it was to the borrowing of the road, he was afraid that you Wei would use it to occupy our Chenggao. If my king really wants to get Chenggao, there is no need to borrow a road, as long as he allies with Qin, not to mention one Chenggao, or even the whole Country of Han, my king can get it. My king''s reason for allying with Country of Han is by no means for the sake of the cities of Korea, but to stop Qin from coloring the Central Plains. Wei and Han are the barriers of the Central Plains, and our alliance is not only for us, but also for the lords of the Central Plains. If the alliance between Han and Wei is successful, all the lords of the Central Plains will be grateful to the Great General. The Crown Prince was so good at persuasion that he promised Pangcong that he would persuade the King of Han to lend a passage to Wei. The Crown Prince met the King of Han and talked about the benefits of lending the road to Wei, but the King of Han still did not agree. He said to the crown prince, My son, you are still young, and you don''t understand much about the affairs between states. Nowadays, the vassals are competing with each other, disregarding the morality and righteousness, and they are all deceiving each other, eating the weak and eating the strong, and many small states have been destroyed one after another. Among the seven kingdoms, we, Country of Han, are considered weak, and now both Qin and Wei are spying on our territory, so if we relax our vigilance, they will take advantage of the situation. Therefore, my father has to be on guard against Wei. The crown prince asked, In that case, why does Wei still want to ally with father? King Han said, Earlier Qi and Chu allied against Wei, if Wei wants to deal with Qi and Chu with all its might, it must stabilize Qin, and the best way to stabilize Qin is to ally with me, so that Qin will not dare to act rashly, and the purpose of my alliance with Wei is also to defend against Qin, which is called mutual exploitation. Therefore, if Wei is sincere in his alliance, he will not change his mind even if we do not lend him the road. Although the king of Han did not agree to lend the road to Wei, the king of Wei still agreed to hold an alliance with the king of Han in the temple of Cheng Zhou. The king of Han was so happy that he thought Wei was sincere in making an alliance with Country of Han that he took his crown prince and came to Cheng Zhou as scheduled. On the day of the alliance, the temple was solemnly decorated. The helpers placed the three sacrificial animals - ox, sheep and pig - on the altar in front of the main hall, the musicians played harmonious music, and the king of Han and the king of Wei, dressed in ceremonial clothes, as well as the accompanying Dafus of the two countries, knelt down on the altar in a dignified manner. King Hui of Wei lifted the jade kuai with red writing high in the air and said in a loud voice: Wei Country of Han, a brotherly state, the same ancestors, living in the Central Plains, lips and teeth, flesh and blood ...... At this time, the King of Wei''s body suddenly shook a little, and his face penetrated with pain, and he was panting heavily. He was gasping for breath. King Han looked at the Wei King beside him and asked in a low voice, Wei King, what''s wrong? The king of Wei tried his best to endure, and after a moment, he said, It''s nothing ...... He continued to say in a loud voice, The tigers and wolves of the Qin state have invaded my brothers and spied on the Central Plains, and a state of brothers should be allied to defend the enemy and share the same pain. I would like to form an alliance with Country of Han. The King of Han lifted up the Jade Kyu and said in a loud voice: Country of Han and Wei, countries of hand and foot, hand and foot can hardly be separated, and the benefits and harms are common. We share the same interests and losses. Qin tyranny, want to occupy the central plains, in order to resist the tyranny of Qin, to protect the central plains, hand and foot countries, should be allied. I would like to form an alliance with Wei. The assistant priests in black ceremonial clothes came over, took the jade kuai in their hands, and placed it on the altar. The King of Han and the King of Wei made a great salute to the altar. The king of Wei looked strained as he performed the salute. After the salute, King Hui of Wei wanted to stand up, but his body could not help but sway again, and King Han rushed forward to support him. The king of Wei whispered, It''s okay, I can do it ....... The two walked down the altar of alliance side by side. King Hui of Wei suddenly swooned and nearly fell, Pang Juan rushed forward to support him, calling out with an anxious face, Great King, Great King ...... King Hui of Wei opened his eyes and said breathlessly, The temple of the son of heaven, no clamor, help me back ...... Pang Juan assisted King Hui of Wei out of the clan temple compound. Han went to visit the sick King Hui of Wei at his residence in Cheng Zhou, and Pang Juan hurried in and presented an urgent letter from the country. The letter said that Qi and Chu were deploying troops on the border and intended to invade Wei, and the Crown Prince asked King Hui of Wei and Pang Juan to return to the capital city of Da Liang as soon as possible. King Hui of Wei planned to leave for his country the next day, but Pang Juan disagreed. Pang Juan refused, saying, It''s a long and bumpy journey, and the king is not feeling well, so if anything happens to him on the way, how can I explain to the people of my country? King Hui of Wei insisted on going, but his body was indeed difficult to hold on and sighed, I am no longer useful ...... If because of me, the state affairs are delayed, I am ashamed of my ancestors. The king of Han, who had never spoken, thought to himself that since Wei and Country of Han were now allies, he could not turn a blind eye to Wei''s distress. He said to King Hui of Wei, There is no need for the King of Wei to be in a hurry; rest at ease for two days, and I will lend you a road, so that you may pass through the territory of Country of Han and return to Daliang by a short cut. King Hui of Wei wore a difficult look on his face and said, How can this be? I heard Marshal Pang say that when he came here, because of the matter of lending the road, the Country of Han''s Dafus were quite opinionated ...... I think it is better not to lend it. The king of Han said, Hey, since Wei and Han are allied, you and I are like brothers, and we should not see each other as brothers. Pang Juan said to the king of Han, My king is not seeing outsiders, my king is afraid that when the king returns to his country, he won''t be able to explain to the Dafus. The King of Han was a little displeased and said, I am the head of a country, and there is no need for me to explain to anyone the decision I have made. He faced the king of Wei and made a statement, King of Wei, when the allied countries are in danger, Country of Han will never stand by and do nothing, not to mention borrowing a road, even if it means borrowing troops, I will not say a word against it. The king of Han, who came with him to the alliance, was firmly against lending a road to Wei, and said to the king of Han, Wei wants to lend a road on the way here, and then wants to lend a road on the way back, so there must be some conspiracy in it. The Crown Prince of Country of Han, who came with him, said, We are not afraid of Wei even if there is a conspiracy; they have only 5,000 men, and I will follow them with 10,000 men; if they dare to act rashly, I will make it difficult for them to return to their country! Si Ma Dafu said, Pang Juan is good at using troops, 5,000 men in his hands is like a crowd of 30,000, if there is any mischief, the prince''s 10,000 men are by no means a match for him. The prince was displeased, and accused Sima Daifu of growing others'' ambition and destroying his own, and the two argued endlessly. The king of Han said, You should not argue any more; as I have spoken my words, I can no longer take them back; let us do as the prince wishes. Before the army of the crown prince went on the road, the king of Han instructed the crown prince, What Dr. Sima said is not without reason, you can be sure to be more careful. The Crown Prince of Han led the Korean army to follow Pang Juan, and was on the alert all the way, not daring to slacken off in the slightest. After the army passed Chenggao, there was still no sign of Pang Juan''s mischievous attempts, and the Crown Prince of Han was relieved. That night, Wei soldiers in the open space between the tents burning bonfire, Pang Juan and soldiers in the bonfire drinking and singing, hand dancing, joyful abnormal. When the Crown Prince of Han heard this, he completely relaxed his guard and also let his soldiers drink and sing and be merry. Early the next morning, the Country of Han realized that Pang Juan''s army had abandoned the provisions that came with them and was nowhere to be found. The Crown Prince of Country of Han was puzzled when the defending general of Chenggao burst into the Crown Prince''s tent with a bloodstained body, and he cried out to the Crown Prince that the Wei people had won the sneak attack on Chenggao. The crown prince was shocked and dumbfounded, and only then did he realize that King Hui of Wei''s fainting at the altar was most likely a disguise, in order to take the road to Country of Han to seize Chenggao. Press: False Road to Cut off Guo is the twenty-fourth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, which is to borrow a road from the other side for the purpose of destroying the other side or seizing the other side''s important land. Pang Juan used this plan to take over Chenggao in Country of Han and intended to use it to blackmail Country of Han to hand over Sun Bin. To find out if Pang Juan''s plot can be realized, please read next time: Make a Sound in the East, Then Strike in the West. The Fifteenth Round: Make a Sound in the East, Then Strike in the West When the Crown Prince of Country of Han heard of the loss of Chenggao, he cursed Pang Juan for his lack of credibility. In spite of his generals'' discouragement, he vowed to recapture Chenggao. Chenggao was lost in his hands, if he could not recapture it immediately, where would he put the face of the Crown Prince? So, the Prince led the 10,000 men he brought to attack Chenggao, only to be heavily defeated by Pang Juan''s army under the city of Chenggao, and was forced to withdraw his troops. Pangcong requested to lead his army to pursue the Country of Han and capture the Crown Prince alive, while Pang Juan stated that it was not the Crown Prince of Han he wanted, but Sun Bin. Pang Juan ordered Pang Onion to go to Han capital to ask the King of Han for the man. Pangcong came to the capital of Country of Han and said to the king of Han, As long as the king agrees to our marshal''s conditions, the marshal will return Chenggao immediately. The king of Han asked, What conditions? Pangcong said, It''s very simple, give Sun Bin to Wei. The King of Han was furious about Pangcong''s use of intrigue to seize Chenggao, he rebuffed Pangcong and said, No, I can''t agree to this condition. Your Majesty, don''t say no yet, wait for the foreign minister to finish his reasons before your Majesty makes a decision. I will not agree no matter what reasons you have. The King of Han looked impatient. Pangcong said without haste, The Great King''s purpose for keeping Sun Bin is nothing more than to deal with Qin. And Wei. King Han said coldly. Pangcong was unimpressed and continued, I don''t know if the Great King has thought about it, can one Sun Bin deal with the two powerful states of Qin and Wei? This ...... can, he knows Sun Tzu''s Art of War and can win a hundred battles. The King of Han was a bit understated. Great king, that is all a legend, not enough to believe. You don''t believe it, I do. Even if Sun Bin can, can Country of Han''s national strength and military power be spent? The King of Han didn''t answer. Pangcong added, The King only needs to hand over Sun Bin, and our marshals will not only return Chenggao, but will also help Country of Han defend against Qin. The King of Han said in a deep voice, Pang Juan''s words are not trustworthy, he said he was borrowing the road but took my Chenggao, I can''t trust his words. Your Majesty, Marshal Pang''s purpose of temporarily lending his presence in Chenggao is for Sun Bin, who is a key criminal of Wei, and if he can''t capture Sun Bin, the marshal can''t explain himself to my king. That is your business. I won''t hand over Sun Bin even if you make up 10,000 reasons now, so please go back. Pangcong''s face turned threateningly, My king, when my foreign ministers came, Marshal Pang instructed my foreign ministers to tell my king that Wei''s army is gathering towards Chenggao, and if my king doesn''t hand over Sun Bin, the marshal will lead his army to drive south until my king agrees to hand over Sun Bin. King Han sneered, I''m not afraid of your threats! Pangcong said with a smile, Foreign ministers know that the Great King is not afraid, but if Qin takes advantage of the fire, it will be quite unfavorable to the Great King. The King of Han looked somber. Pangcong swept a glance at the Han King and said, The Great King should also think twice before acting. King Han gathered his important ministers to discuss the matter of exchanging Sun Bin for Cheng Gao. Two camps were formed in the court headed by Dafu Zuo and Sima Dafu respectively. Dafu Zuo said, Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan several times when he was in Qi, if Sun Bin leads the army to defeat Pang Juan again, not only can we take back Chenggao, but it will also deter Qin, so Qin won''t dare to do anything rash to Country of Han. Therefore, not handing over Sun Bin is favorable to the Great King. Sima Dafu said, Although Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan several times in Qi, he may not be able to do so in Country of Han today. First, Country of Han is not as strong as Qi; second, the city of Chenggao is strong and Pang Juan is defending it, so it''s hard to predict the victory or defeat. If Sun Bin loses to Pang Juan, Pang Juan can go south and enter Country of Han''s hinterland, if you ask Pang Juan for peace, you''ll have to cede more cities. Your Majesty might as well hand over Sun Bin, so that not only can Chenggao be returned to your hands, but you can also make peace with Pang Juan, and use Pang Juan''s power to deal with Qin. Dafu Zuo countered, Pang Juan is treacherous and untrustworthy, even if he hands over Sun Bin, he won''t truly help the Great King, the Cheng Zhou alliance is a case in point. Sima Daifu was right on target: At the Cheng Zhou alliance, Pang Juan intends to seize Cheng Gao and exchange it for Sun Bin. Once he gets Sun Bin, he will help the Great King in good faith, he needs to work with Country of Han against Qin. The two argued endlessly. The King of Han is a forward looking person and what Dr. Sima said made more sense to him, so he planned to hand over Sun Bin to Wei. When Dr. Shen heard that the Han King wanted to hand over Sun Bin, he couldn''t help but feel anxious and said to the Han King, Your Majesty, you can''t hand over Sun Bin. If Sun Bin is there, although Chenggao is lost, it can be recaptured; if Sun Bin is not there, although Chenggao is gained, it will be lost. King of Han slowly said, Dafu Shen, I understand what you are saying, however, Pang Juan''s army is gathering in Chenggao and has a tendency to violate the south, if Sun Bin can''t defeat Pang Juan, Country of Han is at stake, I have to be cautious for the sake of Country of Han. Your Majesty, I can guarantee with my life that Sun Bin will be able to recover Chenggao. Dafu Shen, even if you guarantee it with the lives of your entire family, I wouldn''t dare take the risk. Zhong Li Chun was very angry at the King of Han''s move and cursed, From the King of Qi to the King of Han, one is more ratty than the other, words are not trustworthy ...... one by one, they should all be killed! Zhong Li girl, forget it, Sun Bin said, Things have come to this, it''s useless to complain ...... Dr. Shen kept his head down. At this time he suddenly stood up silently, took the sword hanging on the wall, and said with a grave expression, Mr. Sun, let me borrow your sword ...... Dafu Shen, what do you want? Sun Bin froze. Shen Dafu calmly said to Sun Bin, Mr. Sun, I swore that if danger comes, no matter who it is, and he wrongs Mr. Sun, I''ll kill him. He said and was about to walk out. Dr. Shen calm down! Sun Bin stopped him and said, If you kill the King of Han, your whole family will lose their lives not to mention that Country of Han will be thrown into chaos, and Pang Juan will have even more opportunities to take advantage of it. What''s more, Zhong Li Chun, who was on the sidelines, spoke up, You can''t kill ...... with your skills. Dafu Shen sighed long and loud and said, If I can''t kill the King of Han, I won''t fulfill my promise, and if I don''t fulfill my promise, how can I face living in the world? Shen Dafu said that he wanted to cut his own throat to thank, Zhong Li Chun quick eyes and hands, a palm knocked down the sword in the hands of Shen Dafu. If I don''t die today, I will die sooner or later, unless the king changes his mind! Shen Dafu said sadly. The Crown Prince of Country of Han, a man who valued his reputation more than his life, when he heard that the King of Han wanted to hand over Sun Bin in exchange for Cheng Gao, he personally drove a carriage back to the capitol from the military camp outside of the city and begged the King of Han to keep Sun Bin. He said to the King of Han in shame, The fall of Chenggao is the fault of my son, I can''t let Sun Bin suffer on my son''s behalf. Sun Bin is not suffering on your behalf, Pang Juan seized Chenggao to get Sun Bin. King Han said. I don''t care what Pang Juan thinks, father if you hand over Sun Bin, the world will laugh at my son''s incompetence, that''s why I exchanged Sun Bin for Chenggao. It''s my decision, the world won''t blame you. My son is my father''s son, the world will say that my father handed over Sun Bin to cover up my son''s incompetence. I''ll punish whoever says that. Is that okay? If the world says that, how will Father punish? Unable to answer, King Han asked in return, Then, what do you say? Please allow my son to lead the troops to retake Chenggao. The crown prince volunteered. You are no match for Pang Juan. My son doesn''t want to argue with my father, the facts will do justice to my son, please give me this opportunity. What has already been agreed upon by the great physicians in the court cannot be changed at will. Father is the head of a country, if father is willing to change it, the court physicians can only listen to it. King Han''s face was stern and he said in a deep voice, You can''t act out of anger when it comes to matters of state. You go back! So, father is determined not to change? The crown prince''s face changed slightly. No change. King Han replied firmly. The Crown Prince drew his sword and said to King Han, If Father doesn''t agree, my son will cut off the index finger of his left hand. King Han huffed and said, How dare you threaten me?! It''s not a threat, it''s a sign of my son''s confidence in defeating Pang Juan. As confident as you are, I won''t agree ...... Before the King of Han''s words fell, the Crown Prince''s hand rose up and his sword fell, his left index finger flew out, and the broken finger was suddenly drenched in blood. Queen Han, who was hiding in the inner room, could no longer hold back, she rushed in and pounced, hugging the Crown Prince''s hand as she cried, My son, how could you do this?! The Crown Prince pushed the Queen away and faced King Han, Father, if you still don''t agree, my son will cut off his middle finger; if you don''t agree again, he will cut off his left arm. The queen defiantly hugged the crown prince''s sword-wielding hand, crying and begging King Han, My king, just say yes ...... The King of Han snapped, What does a woman know? If Country of Han is defeated, the country will not survive! The Crown Prince blandly said, If father does not agree, my son will not survive. Your Majesty, just give the Crown Prince a chance. The Queen wiped her tears and said, If we can''t recapture Chenggao, it''s not too late to hand over Sun Bin. King Han shook his head and said, It will be too late by then. The Crown Prince responded, It''s not too late, Father can put the blame on my son, who took Sun Bin along to meet Pang Juan. King Han was silent. The Queen continued to beg, Your Majesty, give your son a chance, if our son establishes his career, no one can take away the future Country of Han. The crown prince nodded and said, Father, give me this chance, I will never fail you. The King of Han, facing his beloved wife with two eyes and his son with his hands full of blood, sighed hopelessly and said, Alright, I''ll gamble for a second time, gamble with my country ...... The King of Han urgently summoned Sun Bin and Dafu Shen, and said to Sun Bin, who was sitting on the side, in a fervent manner, Mr. Sun, I actually don''t intend to hand you over to Pang Juan, the reason why I agreed to Pang Juan''s request in the court today was to see how the Dafus reacted to this matter, I didn''t expect that they''re all people who see the wind in their sails, and that only the Crown Prince, and Dafu Shen, are genuinely looking out for my best interest. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.On the side, the Crown Prince of Han wore a smug look on his face. In addition, King Han continued, this is also a ploy on my part, as a way to confuse Pang Juan and leave him defenseless against me. King Han said and looked at Sun Bin and Dafu Shen, I wonder if Mr. Sun and Dafu Shen can appreciate this bitterness of mine? Sun Bin was silent. Dafu Shen pondered for a moment and said with a little self-deprecation, Your Majesty is really far-sighted. I was short-sighted and couldn''t appreciate your majesty''s painstaking efforts before. Now that I have heard the king''s explanation, I can see clearly, if I can no longer appreciate the king''s painstaking efforts, is it not worse than a dog or a pig? Han King looked at Sun Bin who was indifferent and added: Mr. Sun, Dr. Shen, I am determined to recapture Chenggao, Mr. Sun will remain as the military advisor, Dr. Shen will be the vice general, and will march into Chenggao with the Crown Prince. Seeing that Sun Bin was still showing nothing, King Han said, Mr. Sun, are you still angry with me? Sun Bin said, No. King Han asked again, Then why are you silent about marching into Chenggao? I am sure that I can retake Chenggao, but I just lack the necessary conditions ...... No matter what conditions, as long as I can do it, I will definitely promise you. Sun Bin replied, When I was in Qi, the King of Qi promised that all matters of combat must be approved by the military division before they can be carried out, and if the military division doesn''t agree, the Great General doesn''t have the right to act. It is this condition that I want. The King of Han expressed his agreement, but the Crown Prince was reluctant, the King of Han boarded up his face and said to the Crown Prince, I''ve already made my decision, it can''t be changed. He turned his gaze to Sun Bin and waited for Sun Bin to state his position. Sun Bin nodded and said he had one more request, Please ask the King to send an emissary to Qin and promise to cede two cities to Qin in exchange for a temporary truce in the territory. No, refused the King of Han, Qin is a country of tigers and wolves, and is insatiable; if they get two cities today, they will ask for three, four, or even the whole of Korea tomorrow. Your Majesty, now that Country of Han is facing enemies on two sides, if we don''t stabilize Qin, we can''t deal with Wei with all our strength, Wei is a strong country, if we don''t do our best, how can we win? But ...... my territory, how can I let Qin possess it so easily ...... Losing it today is to recapture it tomorrow. After defeating Han, Country of Han will shake the Central Plains with might, and all the lords in the Central Plains will fear the Great King, and at that time, they will ask Qin for the border cities back, and Qin will not dare to refuse to give them. Your Majesty, not only will I be able to take back Chenggao, but I will also make the whole world fear Your Majesty. Hearing Sun Bin''s words, the King of Han seemed to see the prospect of the world''s vassals fearing him. Although King Han was in charge of a modest country, he also had the ambition to dominate the world. So, King Han promised Sun Bin that he would exchange his territory for a temporary truce from Qin. Sun Bin mobilized his troops and prepared to fight with Wei. The Crown Prince of Country of Han said to Sun Bin: Do you know why the King finally changed his mind and left you behind? Sun Bin shook his head. The Crown Prince stretched out his injured left hand and said, It''s because I admonished him with my death, and for that, I lost the index finger of my left hand. Great General''s favor, Sun Bin will never forget it. Sun Bin arched his hand and thanked him. Spare me, the Crown Prince waved his hand, Then please ask the Military Counselor to give me this opportunity to command the attack on Chenggao. The attack on Chenggao would have been commanded by the Great General, I was merely responsible for the decision. What I mean is that the decision-making should also be determined by me. What the Great King decides cannot be changed. The crown prince''s face sank as he said, You''re not trusting me! It''s not that I don''t trust Great General, I''ve fought with Pang Juan many times, I know him like the back of my hand, and Sun Tzu''s Art of War says: if you know yourself and know your enemy, you''ll never be in danger in a hundred battles. Shen Dafu rounded off the conversation, Great General, no matter who determines the decision, the first credit for defeating Pang Juan still goes to the Great General, because the Great General is the commander of the army. Sun Bin nodded his head and said, Dafu Shen is right, the commander of the Country of Han army is the Great General, and the victory of the Country of Han army is the victory of the Great General. The Crown Prince was much happier in his heart and said to Sun Bin, Military Counselor, the decisions can be made by you, but once the combat decisions are finalized, I''ll be the one to release them to the generals. Sun Bin agreed. The Crown Prince asked him how to attack Chenggao, Sun Bin took the military map and pointed to the markings on it and said, Dr. Shen led 30,000 troops towards Chenggao, bluffing along the way, if Pang Juan advances to the south, do not engage Pang Juan, retreat immediately and retreat to the national capital. The general and I will lead 50,000 troops to cross the border and head straight for Zhongmou of Wei, which is the barrier of the Wei capital, Daliang, and if we take Zhongmou, Daliang will be down in a few days. We''ll exchange Zhongmou for Chenggao, and if Pang Juan doesn''t, the King of Wei will. Good, this sound east strikes west tactic is good! The Crown Prince clapped his hands. Shen Dafu led 30,000 Country of Han troops towards Chenggao, Pang Juan guessed that Sun Bin was bluffing, so he pressed on at Chenggao. Sun Bin and Crown Prince''s 50,000 troops crossed the border of Han and Wei, Pang Juan immediately deduced that Sun Bin''s intention was to attack Zhongmou and then threaten the capital city of Daliang, and then besiege Wei to save Zhao or exchange Zhongmou for Chenggao. Pang Juan smiled with disdain and ordered the Wei army to leave immediately and march to Han. He said to Pangcong, Pangcong, let''s surround Han to save Wei. Zhong Li Chun, who was sent to Chenggao to spy on the news, rode a fast horse to the Han army camp outside of Zhongmou and said to Sun Bin, As expected by Mr., Pang Juan''s army left Chenggao and headed straight for the capital of Han. The Crown Prince was upset and said, Warlord, why didn''t you tell me since you already expected Pang Juan to attack our capital? Sun Bin replied, What is predicted may or may not happen, if it doesn''t happen, it''s not good to tell. The Crown Prince grimly asked, What do we do now? Split the army into two ways, one way immediately return to the country to relieve the siege of the capital; one way travel by day and night and head straight to Chenggao. The Prince asked again, So we''re not attacking Zhongmou? Sun Bin said, Great General, to be honest, I never intended to attack Zhongmou in the first place. The Prince was even more upset and said coldly: If you didn''t plan to attack Zhongmou, why didn''t you tell me earlier? Sun Bin said, Great General is young and not good at disguise, I''m afraid that when Great General knows the real intention, he can''t sternly urge his subordinates to act swiftly as usual and let Pang Juan''s spies see the cracks. The Crown Prince thought Sun Bin was underestimating him and gambled, I''m the commander of the army, I have the final say in mobilizing the army! I''m going to continue attacking Zhongmou, I''ll return to my country when I''ve conquered Zhongmou. Sun Bin couldn''t help but get anxious and said, Great General, the safety of the country and the army depends on you and me, you can''t gamble on this! I am gambling, what can you do to me? Although I can''t do anything to you, Pang Juan will destroy Country of Han because of your gambling! It''s not that serious. Great General, Sun Wu Zi once said that the upper strategy is to attack the enemy, and his lower strategy is to attack the city. The reason why he listed attacking the city as the next strategy is because attacking a city takes a long time and is extremely labor-intensive; we are deep in the hinterland of Wei, and if we fail to attack Zhongmou for a long time, we will be broken by the enemy. If the Crown Prince''s army is broken by the enemy, how can Country of Han not die? What about Chenggao, if we can''t take Zhongmou, how can we get Chenggao back? The purpose of marching into Zhongmou is to move Pang Juan out of Chenggao and then seize it. To seize Chenggao, isn''t it equally necessary to attack the city? Although both are sieges, they are very different. General''s army is deep into Wei territory, it''s impossible for the Wei army in Zhongmou to be unguarded; but Chenggao is different, we send a competent army, lightly loaded, and attack it unguarded, plus the number of Wei troops defending the city is not large, we will be able to seize it quickly. The Crown Prince was finally convinced by Sun Bin, he agreed to take the army back to his country, and said to Sun Bin: Military Counselor, I will definitely give Pang Juan a little color. Sun Bin said, Prince, you can''t rush into battle with Pang Juan on this return trip. The Crown Prince was puzzled and asked, What am I doing back in my country without engaging in battle? To hold Pang Juan back so that he can''t attack the state capital with all his might. Once the Great General''s army returns to Country of Han, immediately choose a place that is easy to defend and set up camp, forming a handhold with Dafu Shen and waiting for Pang Juan''s arrival. What if Pang Juan''s army does not come? If he doesn''t come, you will send a small army to attack him. What if he returns to Chenggao? You''ll tail him and continue the assault. Prince had the intention to be angry with Sun Bin and said leisurely: What if I don''t do what you say? Sun Bin changed color and said, Combat is like playing a game, one wrong move and the whole game is lost! The Crown Prince must not play games. Prince followed Sun Bin''s plan and led the Country of Han''s army to evacuate Zhongmou and return to rescue the capital. Pang Juan thought Sun Bin was tricked and ordered to stop attacking the capital of Han, leaving part of his army to watch Han''s army in the Country of Han capital, and leading the majority of his army to prepare to encircle and annihilate Han''s army on their way back. Sun Bin led 5,000 Country of Han soldiers traveling by day and night and secretly came to the outside of Chenggao city. Zhong Li Chun with dozens of elite soldiers sneaked under the cover of night to the east gate of the city. Zhong Li Chun was the first one to climb up the rope to the top of the city, and before the Wei soldiers guarding the east gate realized who the enemy was, they became the ghosts of their swords. At dawn, Sun Bin''s army successfully occupied Chenggao. Note: Sound movement strikes the west is the sixth of the 36 stratagems, the idea is to confuse the enemy with false images, so that the enemy can''t figure out our real intentions, and thus have no precautions, so that our attack can be a sure victory. Sun Bin''s Sound East Strikes West to recapture Chenggao, Pang Juan will not take it lightly, to know how Sun Bin will fight with Pang Juan again, please read next time: The Empty Fort Strategy. The Sixteenth： The Empty Fort Strategy The Crown Prince of Han followed Sun Bin''s instructions and withdrew to Country of Han territory and set up camp dozens of miles away from the national capital to form a handhold with the Han army in the national capital. Pang Juan led a few generals to the camp of the Crown Prince of Country of Han to check the reality, the gate of the Crown Prince''s camp was closed. Pangcong said to Pang Juan, Uncle, Sun Bin has been keeping the camp gates closed for days without going to battle, is he trying to stall us? Pang Juan was silent for a while and slowly said, Sun Bin doesn''t seem to be in the camp. Pangcong was puzzled and asked, Where does Uncle know this from? Sun Bin fights in a false sense, if he''s afraid of us, he''ll put on a show of not being afraid and won''t close the camp gate tightly without coming out; if he wants to stall us, he''ll put on a showdown and won''t close the camp gate tightly without coming out ...... Pang Juan suddenly thought of something and Suddenly realized, said: Yes, he must have gone to Chenggao ...... Pangcong, I''ll lead the army to rush to Chenggao with light clothes, so that Sun Bin will be caught off guard. You stay here with 10,000 men to hold the Prince of Han. After Sun Bin captured Chenggao, he knew that Pang Juan would not let up, he first blocked the news of the recapture of Chenggao, then ordered his generals to leave a small number of troops behind and take most of the soldiers outside of the city to collect food and get ready to hold Chenggao for a long period of time. Sun Bin was uneasy about the Prince and asked Zhong Li Chun to ride a fast horse to the direction of the national capital to keep an eye on Pang Juan''s army. Zhong Li Chun soon returned and she said to Sun Bin: Sir, there is bad news ...... Pang Juan''s advance army is only 30 miles away from Chenggao. Sun Bin, even though he''s a great strategist, was a bit overwhelmed, he was surprised and said, How did they come so fast! Zhong Li Chun said, It seems that the Crown Prince failed to restrain Pang Juan. Sun Bin was very regretful and sighed longingly, It''s true that one careless move is a total loss ...... Zhong Li Chun comforted Sun Bin and said, Sir, ghosts and gods still have moments of miscalculation, not to mention people ...... It''s better to quickly think of a plan to deal with Pang Juan. There really isn''t much of a plan ...... There aren''t many soldiers in the city, and most of them are soldiers with injuries and illnesses ...... Then quickly call back the army that is collecting grain. It''s too late. Sun Bin shook his head. Then abandon Chenggao and let''s gather the army that collected the grain outside the city. A mere 5,000 soldiers, and then without the city, can''t fight Pang Juan''s tens of thousands of troops head on. We won''t confront Pang Juan, we''ll go back to the capital to join the Crown Prince''s army and retake Chenggao. Sun Bin said, If Chenggao is lost again, the Great King won''t give us another chance to recapture it. Then ...... what do you say, stay in Chenggao and wait to be captured with your hands tied? Sun Bin is silent, a skillful woman can''t cook without rice, nowadays Sun Bin can''t fight and can''t fight, can''t go and can''t go, he really feels a bit at the end of his rope. Zhong Li Chun looked at Sun Bin who didn''t say a word and urged: Mr., you speak, there''s really no way, we''ll go. Zhong Li Chun urged Sun Bin to calm down, he asked, I forgot to ask you, is Wei''s advance army lightly loaded or heavily loaded? Zhong Li Chun replied, Lightly loaded. Sun Bin immediately perked up and said, I have an idea. What idea? Zhong Li Chun asked. Sun Bin calmly said, Open the gate, have all the soldiers hide and let the Wei army in. Zhong Li Chun got anxious and said, Open the gate, what kind of plan is that? What''s the difference between that and tying your hands and waiting to be captured? Sun Bin said, Not necessarily, this might be the best plan to retreat the enemy. Sun Bin ordered General Feng to quickly go outside the city and ordered the army outside the city to stop collecting food and stand by in hiding, then he recruited the generals inside the city and told them about his ploy, then calmly explained, Opening the city to meet the enemy is not something I imagined out of thin air, three hundred years ago, Duke Zi Yuan of Chu led a large army to attack Zheng''s capital, the people of Zheng had no choice but to open up the gates of the city, and in return, they swindled and retreated from the Chu army, and now I have no choice but to do the same. Pang Juan''s advance army lightly loaded straight to Chenggao, the intention is to catch us by surprise, if we use this plan will make him doubt, do not dare to attack easily, we then let the army outside the city to collect food pretend to ambush, in the ambush to reveal the cracks, so that the suspicion of suspicion on suspicion, Pang Juan is a suspicious person, he will retreat dozens of miles. At that time, the army outside the city will immediately enter the city and prepare to defend it. A general asked, War Master, if Pang Juan and the others see through your scheme, we''ll be in danger! Sun Bin laughed: I''ve always used my army to be realistic in my falsehoods, Pang Juan has suffered losses time and time again, and this time, even though we''re not realistic in our falsehoods, they''ll still think that there''s reality in our falsehoods. The generals thought Sun Bin did have a point and stopped doubting Sun Bin''s plan. In less than an hour, Wei''s advance army had arrived outside Chenggao city. General Fei, who was leading the army, was puzzled to see the gates of Chenggao were wide open and pedestrians were moving around as if there was no defense at all. The general accompanying him said, General Fei, since the enemy is not on guard, let''s make a surprise attack. General Fei mused, Marshal said that Sun Bin has always fought in a false sense. And now that the city gates are wide open, I think they must be pretending to be defenseless to lure me into attacking and then figure it out. General Fei ordered his detail to immediately blend into the city and find out the details, while sending people to check around the city to see if there are any ambushes. He then ordered the army to prepare for the attack. The accompanying general was puzzled and asked, General Fei, didn''t you say that Sun Bin is deceitful, why are you still attacking the city? General Fei smiled and said, I''ll give him a false and real one too. General Fei''s army started to make preparations to attack the city, this move alarmed the Country of Han generals who thought the Wei army had seen through Sun Bin''s ploy. Zhong Li Chun said to Sun Bin, Sir, it''s not too late to close the city gates. The generals chimed in, Yes, yes, yes, if we don''t close the gates, Pang Juan''s army will be in trouble if they suddenly attack. Sun Bin pondered for a moment and said, They''re testing us. A general said, Warlord, it''s better to be careful. Sun Bin said with a straight face, I never do anything I''m not sure of. You tell everyone to follow the plan and those who disobey will be beheaded. The generals were skeptical but still followed Sun Bin''s orders. People say Sun Bin has the ability to win a hundred battles, but he''s also a mortal in the flesh, a human being has a human weakness - vulnerability, only Sun Bin is good at hiding human weaknesses. When the generals left his quarters and he was surrounded only by Zhong Li Chun, he let out a long breath and sat heavily on the mat cushion. Sir, aren''t you very sure of yourself? Zhong Li Chun asked Sun Bin. No. Sun Bin replied honestly. Then why did you open the city gates? There''s already no way back. Then what should Pang Juan''s army do if they see Mr. Mister''s ploy? It will have to be recognized ....... Zhong Li Chun was anxious and said, Sir, I''ll take you away quietly now! Sun Bin was adamant, saying, No, an army commander can''t abandon his army even if he dies! If you abandon your army you''re no longer qualified to be an army commander! I''m a soldier, since I can''t fight in the battlefield, if I abandon my army, what else can I do in this world? I might as well die! Zhong Li Chun was not without sadness and only shouted out Mr. ...... before being unable to speak. Sun Bin suddenly felt a weakness and helplessness he''d never felt before, and softly said, Miss Zhong Li, you go alone first. I''m not leaving. Zhong Li Chun said flatly. You go! Sun Bin said in a commanding tone. Zhong Li Chun had tears in her eyes and said, I''m not leaving, since I''m following Mr. I''m going to stay with Mr. I''ll live and die together. Maybe everyone can only realize the preciousness of love when they are about to finish the whole course of their life; maybe everyone can only tell the last secret of their heart when they come to the end of their life. At this time Sun Bin finally opened his heart that had been closed for a long time and gently said to Zhong Li Chun, Miss Zhong Li, I have hurt you before, don''t hold a grudge against me, I shouldn''t have rebuffed you when I was in Qi ...... Zhong Li Chun pretended to be indifferent, That is already in the past, let''s not mention it anymore, okay. I can''t let go of it in my heart ...... I know you''re doing it for my pride. Sun Bin shook his head and said, No, it''s not ...... actually I''ve had you in my heart for a long time, at the time I was handicapped and Pang Juan was endlessly chasing me, I didn''t want you to live a life of upheaval with me, so that''s why I had to push you back. Zhong Li Chun tried her best to control her emotions but tears still flowed out of her eyes, she jumped head first into Sun Bin''s arms and sobbed, Mr. Sun, I ...... I''ve long been looking forward to you ...... saying you like me! ...... Sun Bin stroked her shoulder and said to himself, I hope we can get through the crisis this time ...... Zhong Li Chun opened her tearful eyes and looked at Sun Bin who was deeply in love. The two lovers then hugged each other tightly, waiting for the end to come or for a miracle to happen. General Fei''s soldiers prepared everything to attack the city. General Fei stood on his chariot, looking ahead, as he waited for news from the spy. The detailer finally came back on a fast horse, and General Fei couldn''t wait to ask, How was it? The detailer responded, As expected by the General, Sun Bin had prepared for this, I blended into the city gates and saw the hidden Han army. How many are there? It looks like quite a few, and there are Han army figures and flags everywhere in the courtyards on both sides of the street. General Fei''s men said, General, it looks like we only have to wait for Marshal''s army. General Fei did not take a stand, he still had to wait for news from outside Chenggao City. A general rode in on horseback, he was the general who had just been ordered by General Fei to send his detail around Chenggao to check for ambushes. That general gasped and came to General Fei and said, General Fei, on both sides of us, we found Sun Bin''s ambush troops ...... The generals present were shocked. Someone asked, How many are there? The general said, The detail said there are many, the woods and grass are full of them ...... and they are moving towards us ...... General Fei smiled coldly, Fortunately, I have an extra eye. He ordered his army to retreat thirty miles. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.General Fei''s withdrawal won Sun Bin precious time, Sun Bin ordered the army outside the city to quickly return to the city, bring back as much food as they can from the levy, and what they can''t bring back must be hidden so Pang Juan can''t get it. At the same time, Sun Bin ordered to recruit the young and strong people in the city and integrate them into the army, gather the grain and grass from the people''s houses and distribute them uniformly. By the time General Fei, who was thirty miles away, realized he had fallen for Sun Bin''s scheme, Pang Juan''s army had already arrived. General Fei pleaded with Pang Juan, Marshal, I am incompetent, please punish Marshal. Pang Juan graciously said, It''s not your fault, only Sun Bin''s too cunning. Pang Juan spared General Fei, who was so grateful that he asked for orders to lead his army to attack Chenggao. Pang Juan''s eyes flashed a cold light and said, I don''t intend to attack Chenggao, I want to besiege Chenggao and capture Sun Bin alive without bloodshed. Pang Juan ordered a spy with a scar on his face to find a way to get into Chenggao before Wei''s army surrounded the city to find out how much food Sun Bin was storing and instructed him not to come back and report if he didn''t find out clearly. The Crown Prince of Country of Han learned that Chenggao was trapped and planned to lead his army to reinforce Chenggao. The King of Han sent an urgent letter ordering the Crown Prince to lead his army back to the capital immediately. The Crown Prince conceitedly said to the general sent by the King of Han, Tell your father that the general is outside the country and the king''s order can be ignored. The general advised, Great general, your words are a capital offense. The Crown Prince was very unconvinced and said, The military advisor also said this kind of thing and Father King didn''t execute him. Sun Bin is a foreigner, the Great King is trying to utilize him, you are different, you are the Crown Prince and must listen to the Great King. If Chenggao is lost because of this, who is responsible? The Great King is responsible. Father has said such a thing? The Great King''s letter has this meaning. The Crown Prince of Han had nothing to say but to return to the capital of his country. Sun Bin was looking forward to seeing the Prince of Han''s reinforcements, and since all the food in Chenggao City was not enough to be used for thirty days, Sun Bin had to send Zhong Li Chun back to the state capital to find Dr. Shen. He said to Zhong Li Chun: Tonight, take my letter with you and immediately go back to the capital to find Dr. Shen and ask him to assist the Crown Prince to lead the army to break the siege of Chenggao. The letter contains a plan to retreat from the enemy, so please ask Dr. Shen to try to persuade the Crown Prince to act according to the plan. Be careful on the way, Chenggao''s safety is in your hands ...... Zhong Li Chun reassures Sun Bin that she''s infallible when it comes to this kind of thing. The King of Han summoned the court officials to discuss the siege of Chenggao, Dafu Zuo said smartly, Wei''s army is strong and Pang Juan is good at trickery, from the beginning I was against fighting with them, and now Sun Bin is trapped in Chenggao, I think this is just the beginning of Pang Juan''s trickery, and there''s a bigger conspiracy in store for him. King Han asked, What plot? Dafu Zuo said, Sun Bin is guarding Chenggao with less than 5,000 people, Pang Juan''s 100,000 people could have easily attacked Chenggao, but he didn''t ...... Dafu Zuo glanced at the crowd and continued, The microconsultant thought that he was using Chenggao as a bait, lure the king''s army to Chenggao, destroy it in one fell swoop, and then wielded his division to the south to take the national capital ...... King Han nodded and said, Pang Juan''s intentions are very sinister ...... Shen Dafu Zuo advanced, Your Majesty, what Dafu Zuo said is baseless. The reason why Pang Juan surrounded but didn''t attack is because he''s afraid of Sun Bin, and secondly, he''s afraid of the Great King. The city of Chenggao is strong, easy to defend and difficult to attack, plus Sun Bin uses his army like a god, Pang Juan is worried that once he fails to attack the city, the Wei army will lose its vitality, and if the Great King''s army is approaching Chenggao at this time, Pang Juan will surely be defeated. Therefore, the Great King should immediately send troops to relieve the siege of Chenggao, which is the best policy. Han King pondered: What you said also has reason ...... He faced Sima Dafu and said: Sima Dafu, tell us your opinion. Sima Daifu said: Pang Juan siege Chenggao, the king should send troops to rescue, but Pang Juan siege Chenggao, is not difficult for the king, but for Sun Bin, the king might as well sit back and watch the tigers, if Pang Juan can not conquer Chenggao, to wait for him to be exhausted, and then send troops to Chenggao, you can be sure of victory; if Pang Juan siege Chenggao, the king will push the boat into the water and push the hostility against the state of Wei''s responsibility to Sun Bin, Pang Juan! The siege of Chenggao was originally for personal grudges, and he can also step down from this and make peace with the Great King ...... This plan is not desirable, Shen Daifu interrupted Sima Daifu, Chenggao is the Great King''s Chenggao, Sun Bin is the Great King''s strategist, how can the Great King ignore Chenggao''s danger and sit back and watch the tigers fight? Sima Dafu snorted coldly, Pang Juan has 100,000 people, Sun Bin didn''t earn any advantage by attacking from the east, who''s sure to defeat Pang Juan? Me! A loud voice came from the entrance of the king''s palace. Everyone turned sideways to see the dusty Crown Prince standing at the palace entrance. The Crown Prince came forward and bowed to the King of Han before saying to him, Father, Pang Juan is not scary, if not for the fact that my father summoned my son back to the capital in a hurry, my son would have already killed his way back to Chenggao and competed with Pang Juan. Please ask my father to give orders, my son immediately led the army to kill Chenggao. The King of Han said, Don''t be hasty, Crown Prince, wait for me to weigh the pros and cons with the Dafus before making a decision. The Crown Prince said, The military advisor always says that the army is precious and quick. And you guys are discussing and discussing, and you miss the opportunity of war, who will be responsible for it? King Han was very unhappy and scolded lightly, How dare you! They are all my strategists, I invited them to discuss the siege of Chenggao. Father, my son can swear to my ancestors in the clan temple that I will defeat Pang Juan outside Chenggao! Please, Father, send troops. Last time it was also you who swore an oath, and Chenggao was not lost in your hands? But earlier, it was my son who used a plan to restrain Pang Juan, and the Military Counselor took advantage of this to recapture Chenggao, so my son has already made up for his mistakes. You guys fell for Pang Juan''s trick and are still in the dark ...... Pang Juan was using Chenggao as bait to lure Sun Bin onto the hook. King Han sneered. Father, Pang Juan isn''t that smart, Father was probably scared by Pang Juan ...... Nonsense! No one in the world can scare me! The King of Han became infuriated and snapped. Seeing this, the crown prince had no choice but to curb his sharpness. After the Dafus left, King Han said to the Crown Prince kneeling in front of him with a serious look on his face, As the Crown Prince of Country of Han, you are so contemptuous of my strategists, what will they think of you? After a moment''s pause, King Han calmed down his emotions and then said in a serious tone, As my father told you, and in today''s world where the weak is strong and the strong is strong, a king must rely on a group of wise ministers and strategists who are loyal to you if he wants his country to be undefeated, and to offend them is to damage your own country. Father, my son knows he is wrong. The crown prince whispered. Get up. The crown prince got up and sat next to King Han. King Han asked, What do you think about Chenggao being trapped? The Crown Prince said with a straight face, Father, as a great general, if I can''t even protect a city, what will the generals and soldiers think of me? If the enemy invades and you don''t dare to meet the enemy, where will my son''s prestige begin? You can''t just think of your own prestige, you should also consider the safety of the country. But Father, if we give up Chenggao and abandon Sun Bin, will Pang Juan just let it go? Not necessarily, he will think that we, Country of Han, are weak and can be bullied, thus gaining an inch. King Han sighed long and said, In fact, I don''t intend to give up Chenggao, nor do I intend to abandon Sun Bin, the reason why I let the Dafus talk about it is to borrow their brains and weigh the pros and cons ...... This is just like a merchant doing business, if you don''t do the math right, you''ll lose money. The difference is that merchants lose money this time, and can earn it back next time, but if you lose money, there is no next time. Father, how do you know that my son will lose money? The general strategist of the world''s great powers, except for Sun Bin, there is no one who has defeated Pang Juan, and now Sun Bin is trapped in Chenggao ...... for father can not help but worry about you. The Prince was very unconvinced and said, Father, without Sun Bin, my son can defeat Pang Juan just the same. King Han said in a serious tone, Crown Prince, I appreciate your courage, but you can''t defeat the enemy with only courage, you must rely on wisdom to defeat the enemy. In that case, father does not intend to send out troops to relieve the siege of Chenggao? No, troops should be sent out, but not recklessly. Then what father king means is ...... You lead the army to set up camp thirty miles away from Pang Juan and see what happens. If Pang Juan captures Chenggao, you will hold your troops still and my father will find a way to ask Pang Juan for the city; if Pang Juan fails to capture the city after a long time, you can take advantage of his fatigue and try to retreat from the enemy by working with Sun Bin inside and outside. Doing this, it''s too sorry for Sun Bin right ...... the crown prince hesitated. The King of Han laughed: In the battle of nations, there are only national interests, not mixed with personal feelings ...... Do you know who said this? It is your mother ...... A woman can still have such an opinion, we men, especially those who are in charge of the country, are we still inferior to a woman? The crown prince thought for a moment and said, Father, my son understands...... The Crown Prince understood, but all the Country of Han people, including Dr. Shin, didn''t understand why the Country of Han''s reinforcements were holding their ground thirty miles away from Chenggao. Chenggao''s generals asked Sun Bin, and Sun Bin didn''t know the reason either. The Empty City Strategy is the 32nd of the 36 Strategies, the meaning of this strategy is: when you can''t defend a city, you deliberately expose its emptiness, so that the enemy will not move forward or withdraw their troops for fear of being ambushed. Sun Bin used this plan to solve Chenggao''s momentary danger but a bigger danger is coming. To know how Sun Bin got out of Pang Juan''s siege, please read next time: Use Double Agents to Spread Disinformation. Seventeenth: The Counterespionage Strategy As night fell, Zhong Li Chun quietly left Chenggao and traveled only through the Wei army camp to the tent of Crown Prince Han, thirty miles away. She questioned the Crown Prince: Great General, Chenggao is in danger, why are you holding back your troops? Are you afraid of Pang Juan! The Crown Prince was most afraid of being told that he was afraid of Pang Juan, and said angrily, There is no one in the world that I am afraid of! Zhong Li Chun pressed the Crown Prince and said, If you are not afraid, why don''t you send troops? The Crown Prince said coldly, I must act cautiously. Shen Dafu said to the Crown Prince on the side, Being cautious is not the same as pressing ...... Pang Juan''s soldiers are more numerous than ours, but he has surrounded Chenggao on all sides, and his troops are bound to be dispersed, so if we follow the plan in the military advisor''s letter and send a portion of the army, bluffing in the other three directions, and then gathering our troops and attacking one side of it If you follow the plan in the military advisor''s letter, send part of the army to bluff in the other three directions, and then gather troops and attack one side, you will be able to break Pang Juan''s encirclement and send the army and food into Chenggao. With food and enough troops, we will not be afraid that Pang Juan will continue to besiege Chenggao, and then we will send troops to attack his grain routes, so that Pang Juan''s 100,000-strong army will not be able to stay outside Chenggao for long, and the siege of Chenggao will be solved. The Crown Prince said to Dr. Shen, Dr. Shen, it''s easy to say, but harder to do. Pang Juan won''t let us get what we want. Zhong Li Chun said in no uncertain terms, If you don''t do it, you''ll be even less able to get what you want! How do you know I won''t do it? I have another brilliant plan. What brilliant plan? Wait for Pang Juan to attack the city. If he attacks the city, he will definitely expose his weak points, and then I will go out to battle again, won''t I be more sure of winning? Hearing such a brilliant plan, Zhong Li Chun immediately became furious: Pang Juan won''t attack the city at all, he wants to trap Mr. Sun to death in Chenggao! Oh, Military Counselor''s brilliant plan, is there no way for him to make Pang Juan attack the city? The Crown Prince said leisurely. Zhong Li Chun pressed down the urge to punch someone and said angrily to the Crown Prince, If you''re afraid of Pang Juan, just say so, there''s no need to beat around the bush like this! The Crown Prince''s temper has always been fiery, but this time, he was instead very composed, he said nonchalantly, It''s useless for you to provoke me any further, as a great general, I have to be responsible for my tens of thousands of troops. You should also be responsible for Chenggao! Of course I should be responsible for Chenggao, if not I won''t come. How can you be responsible if you don''t go to war? The Crown Prince brought the conversation back around and said, I have already said just now that as long as Pang Juan attacks the city, I will go to war. Zhong Li Chun really couldn''t stand it anymore, pointing at the Crown Prince''s face and cursing, King Han really has no eyes when he lets someone like you be a great general! How dare you! The Crown Prince finally couldn''t help himself and said angrily to Zhong Li Chun, You dare to insult the Great General, you will be punished by military law! Zhong Li Chun ignored the Crown Prince and turned around and left the tent. Dr. Shen was worried that it would be hard to clean up the situation, so he comforted the Crown Prince and said, Great General, Miss Zhong Li has this kind of temper, so don''t be offended. After Dr. Shen finished persuading the Crown Prince, he caught up with Zhong Li Chun and said, The Crown Prince has a stubborn temper, and even nine horses can''t pull him back from what he has decided. You go back and ask the military division to think of a way to lure Pang Juan into attacking the city, by then, if the Crown Prince still doesn''t go to war, not to mention that I won''t agree to it, the whole army won''t agree to it either. Zhong Li Chun thought about it, it''s the only way, and sighed, Alright, I''ll go back and let the gentleman try. When Zhong Li Chun was late in returning, Sun Bin had trouble sleeping, he took his guards up to the city wall and waited for Zhong Li Chun to return. In the distance a little campfire reflects the Wei army''s tents, but Zhong Li Chun is still missing in the vast wilderness. Sun Bin is still waiting on the city wall as the day is about to dawn and there is light in the east. The guards advised him with concern: Master, go back. Sun Bin didn''t seem to hear a thing. The guard added: It''s so foggy and your legs are bad, you''ve been standing for so long, if Miss Zhong Li sees you, she''ll complain about me. Sun Bin looked into the distance and said, Do you think Miss Zhong Li can come back today? The guard said with certainty: Yes, if Miss Zhong Li says she''ll be back, she''ll definitely be back. Sun Bin lamented, She''s carrying the weight of the entire city''s military and people, I need to see her sooner, let''s wait a little longer, okay? You''re the military master, you call the shots. The guard pouted his lips. What? Sun Bin looked at the guard and snickered, Unhappy ...... Well, let''s go. The guard was a bit embarrassed and said, It''s not that I''m not happy, I''m afraid that Miss Zhong Li will be upset, last time I didn''t dare to take a look at her for a few days because of the dampness in your leg. Is she that scary? Sun Bin asked curiously. It''s not scary, she loves you with all her heart, if you''re not feeling well she can''t eat well, she can''t sleep well, and those of us who are guards feel sorry for her. Sun Bin fell silent, there are many kinds of love, but Zhong Li Chun''s love is the kind of love that comes from the bottom of his heart, he couldn''t help but feel his heart fluttering. When Sun Bin passed by a corner of the city wall, he noticed something suspicious: a man with a scar on his face said something to a strong man named Zhao, Zhao abandoned the defense of the city and left cursing the general named Feng. Sun Bin sent his guards to spy on that Scarface. At dawn, Sun Bin limped back to his place. The guard caught up with Sun Bin and told him that Scar-face and Zhao are both city guards under General Feng. Sun Bin plans to go to General Feng after dinner, the sooner this element of trouble is resolved the better. With the help of his guards, Sun Bin limped back to his quarters. Zhong Li Chun has already returned and is here waiting for Sun Bin, she sees Sun Bin seems like his leg sickness is back and anxiously asks What''s wrong with you? Sun Bin tried his best to hide it and said Nothing. Zhong Li Chun asked the guard after her, What''s wrong with Mr. Sun? I said it''s nothing. Sun Bin coughed lightly from the sidelines. I didn''t ask you. Zhong Li Chun glared at Sun Bin without a good look before asking the guard again, Tell me, what''s going on? The guard only had to say truthfully, The military division went to the southeast city wall to wait for you and stood there for half the night ...... Alas, you, Zhong Li Chun complained heartily about Sun Bin, I didn''t keep you from waiting ...... I''m not at ease. A few four words made Zhong Li Chun''s heart surge with warmth. Sun Bin asked about the Crown Prince''s situation and Zhong Li Chun immediately got angry and said, Ch, don''t mention it, I really hate that I can''t slap him twice. The Crown Prince doesn''t know whose ecstasy he ate, no matter how much me and Dr. Shen said, he insisted, he had to wait for Pang Juan to attack the city before he would go out to battle. So, as long as Pang Juan doesn''t attack the city, he won''t go to war? Sun Bin pondered. Yes. Hmph, I know whose idea this was. Whose idea? Sun Bin waved his hand and didn''t say who it was. At that moment, a general ran to report, Warlord, it''s bad, someone is robbing the grain. Sun Bin was shocked and asked, What kind of people rob food? The general said, The young and strong people guarding the city. Sun Bin hurriedly rushed to the grain depot with Zhong Li Chun. The one who led the trouble at the granary was that Zhao Strongman, Scarface was there too. Zhao Zhuangshi led dozens of men armed with weapons and sticks gathered at the entrance of the granary compound and pounded on the door. Strongman Zhao shouted at the door, If you don''t open the door, we''ll bang on it! The soldiers guarding inside the gate of the grain depot did not answer. With a wave of his hand, Strongshooter Zhao shouted, Ram the door! The hanzi door pushed the logs and crashed into the door ...... one time, and then another time, and the door began to shake. Brothers! Zhao Zhuangshi shouted, One more push and we''ll have food ...... The hans slammed into the gate once more. The gate was almost smashed open. Scarface shouted at the top of his voice, Almost there, step it up! Just then, Sun Bin''s carriage came rushing in with Zhong Li Chun on board. Many soldiers with bows and arrows and halberds followed close behind. As soon as the soldiers arrived outside the grain depot courtyard, they surrounded the troublemaking hans, bows and arrows in their hands aimed at the hans. The hans panicked for a moment, and some quietly lowered their weapons. Zhao Zhuangshi said in a loud voice: What''s the point of panicking? The big deal is death, starving to death is still death, beating to death is still death, pick up all your weapons! The Han who threw down their weapons picked them up again. Sun Bin stood on the cart, looked at Strongman Zhao and asked, Strongman, as the commander-in-chief of the city defense, I had warned all the city''s soldiers and civilians that anyone who robs food will be beheaded, do you know that? Know. Then why did you gather a crowd to rob grain? If you don''t rob food, you will starve to death. Nonsense, Sun Bin refuted, All the people, especially the young and strong men defending the city, get a share of grain every day, and although they can only be 80% full, they''ll never starve to death. Zhao Zhuangshi laughed coldly, said, You say good, we these people can only get half a portion of food a day, in the long run, although not to starve to death, but also unable to defend the city, if the enemy attacked the city, it is difficult to avoid a death. Are you telling the truth? If there is half a lie, I would rather be split into five horse corpses. Is the general who commands you General Feng? So what if it is? Sun Bin gave an order to the general under the car, Take him away. The general waved his hand and two soldiers stepped forward to capture Strong Zhao, Strong Zhao swung his large axe in his hand, knocking the weapon out of the soldier''s hands and glaring angrily, How dare you! Before the words fell, Zhong Li Chun flew forward from the car, within three to five strokes, he seized the big axe in Zhao Zhuangshi''s hand, and his long sword went straight to Zhao Zhuangshi''s throat, Zhao Zhuangshi and the men behind him were dumbfounded. The soldiers came forward and tied up Zhao Zhuangshi. Sun Bin said to the hans, You guys go back, I''ll tell General Feng to replenish your food. As Sun Bin spoke he saw Scarface again, who was peeking at Sun Bin ...... A scheme came to Sun Bin''s mind. Zhao Strongman was brought to Sun Bin''s warlord''s mansion, he was ready to be beheaded, but Sun Bin surprisingly untied him personally and rewarded him with silver, which made Zhao Strongman puzzled. Sun Bin guiltily said to Zhao Zhuangshi: Zhuangshi, don''t blame General Feng, it was me who told him to withhold your food. Do you know why I did that? Could it be that ...... there is not enough food? There''s plenty of food in the city, you won''t be able to eat for three months. If that''s the case, why is the military division withholding our food? Zhao Zhuangshi was a bit angry. Sun Bin said, To force you to rob the grain. Zhao Strongman was confused. Sun Bin explained to Zhao Strongman: Actually, this is a plan of mine. Pang Juan thought that the city doesn''t have much food and grass and it won''t take long for us to be captured, so he surrounded the city but didn''t attack. In fact, there is plenty of food and grass in the city, we won''t be able to use it all in three months. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.If he knows we have enough food and provisions, he will definitely attack the city in force. Although the Crown Prince''s army has already arrived outside the city, only the Country of Han army is not enough to defeat Pang Juan, and we must wait for reinforcements from the State of Qin. What worries me most is that Pang Juan will attack the city at this time, so I asked General Feng to withhold your grain and force you to rob it. When word of this reaches Pang Juan, he is convinced that the city will run out of grain and will wait patiently. If we drag this out, the Qin reinforcements will arrive, and Pang Juan will surely be defeated by then. Zhao Zhuangshi listened to this and was convinced, exclaimed No wonder people say that Military Counselor has thousands of brilliant plans, even though Pang Juan has an army of 100,000, he can''t beat the Military Counselor. Sun Bin smiled faintly: Words are overstated, it''s up to everyone to defeat Pang Juan. Zhao Zhuangshi got rewarded for inciting the grain robbery, it was really a fall to pick up gold, although Sun Bin repeatedly instructed Zhao Zhuangshi not to tell anyone when he got back, Zhao Zhuangshi still told Scarface about this strange event, Scarface felt puzzled, he thought to himself, where did Chenggao get so much grain? If Chenggao really has plenty of grain, he must tell Pang Juan as soon as possible, he can''t drag on like this with Sun Bin outside Chenggao. Sun Bin dismissed Zhao Zhuangshi and immediately ordered his guards to call General Feng and the others to the warlord''s mansion and sternly reprimanded: If it wasn''t for the fact that I''m in dire need of men in the face of a great enemy, you all deserve to be killed one by one! The generals defended: Master, we didn''t eat more than one bite of food, the food we withheld was given to the soldiers, it''s hard for the soldiers to defend the enemy if they don''t have enough to eat ...... Master, we are also trying to hold Chenggao! Sun Bin said in a serious voice: What do you rely on to defend Chenggao? We can''t rely only on our 5,000 soldiers, we have to rely on the people of the city to work together! But what about you guys, if you push the people, it won''t take Pang Juan, the people will drown us like a flood! He took a breather and continued, Forget it this time, I won''t punish you all, including General Feng. By the way, General Feng, among the people in your division, is there a person with a scar on his face? General Feng thought for a moment and said, Is it a tall skinny guy, about thirty years old? Sun Bin nodded and asked, Is his family in the city? No, he lives outside the city, he entered the city just before Pang Juan''s army surrounded it. He may be a spy sent by Pang Juan. Spy? General Feng was stunned, Warlord, I''ll go arrest him. Sun Bin smiled faintly, No, we''re going to use him. At night, General Feng gathered the hans who were robbing food under his command, Zhao Zhuangshi and Scarface were there. General Feng smiled coldly and said to the crowd, You guys have made a name for yourselves, you''ve done a good job, the military division rewarded me with fifty army clubs to redeem myself! If you guys make another mistake, I won''t just get fifty army sticks, but kill my head ...... Humph, in order to save my head, if any of you in the future if you make half a mistake, I will kill his head first! The crowd did not know what General Feng meant by this and looked at each other. General Feng''s tone eased a bit and said, However, I should also thank you all, it doesn''t matter if you all make such a mess, the military division has promised to share more food with us, so that everyone can fill their stomachs. The crowd raised their heads again and looked at General Feng suspiciously. General Feng swept a glance at the crowd and said, Remember, this matter must not be told to anyone outside of you, if anyone leaks the news, don''t blame me for being ruthless! General Feng led the hans to the granary to collect the grain, at this time there were several wagons full of grain sacks parked at the entrance of the granary, some hans were unloading the sacks from the wagons and carrying them into the compound. The general in charge of the granary told General Feng to wait for a while, and after unloading the grain, he would distribute the grain to them. However, just as these wagons finished unloading, several more wagons loaded with grain came. Scarface came to the front of the wagons and pretended to casually probe and look inside the door. The general who was looking after the grain store came over and slapped him, What are you looking at, there''s no grain inside. Scarface asked in disbelief, How is there no grain, isn''t that a lot? The general boarded up his face, If you keep talking nonsense, I''ll kill you! The general who was watching the granary was afraid that the hans would cause further trouble, so he distributed the grain on the wagon to them and sent them back. General Feng pulled the general watching the granary aside and asked in a low voice, Where did you get so much grain? The general guarding the granary also replied in a low voice, You forgot, the last time we collected grain, we were almost blocked outside the city by Pang Juan''s army, thanks to the military master''s empty city plan ...... Didn''t you say that those grains weren''t brought in? That''s what the Military Master intended for us to say, for Pang Juan ...... Scarface walked past the two generals carrying the grain bags, which the two generals had intentionally said to Scarface. General Feng stared at the walking Scarface with his afterglow, an imperceptible smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Scarface wanted to leave the city to report the news to Pang Juan, but he was afraid that Sun Bin was deceiving him, so he stayed behind and wanted to see the situation again. In order to force Scarface to leave Chenggao as soon as possible, Sun Bin asked General Feng to track down spies all over the city and put the word out that someone suspected Scarface was a spy. Scarface couldn''t wait any longer and quietly slipped out of Chenggao and returned to Pang Juan''s tent and told him about the news that Chenggao had plenty of food. Pang Juan thought twice and decided to attack the city. Pang Juan''s army attacked Chenggao, and the Country of Han defenders resisted to the death, with arrows flying up and down Chenggao and blood flowing. The Crown Prince of Han wanted to wait a little longer. Dr. Shen questioned the Crown Prince, How much longer do we have to wait, do we have to wait until Chenggao is in the enemy''s hands? With Sun Bin, Chenggao will not fall. The Crown Prince laughed. Sun Bin only has 5,000 men under his command, Pang Juan has 100,000 men, if we don''t go to war, Pang Juan will surely attack the city with all his might, Chenggao will be in danger! Dr. Shen is too worried, Pang Juan will not attack the city with all his might. The Prince still insisted on his view. Dr. Shen pushed down the fire in his heart and said, Why not? If we don''t move, Pang Juan will have nothing to worry about and will definitely attack the city with all his might. The Prince was silent. Dr. Shen added, If Great General is really afraid of Pang Juan, then give me 10,000 men and I will go. The Crown Prince was a bit embarrassed and retorted, I''m afraid of Pang Juan? Ask my soldiers, who have I ever been afraid of when I''ve been fighting in the battlefield? If you''re not afraid, why don''t you go to war? Do you think I don''t want to fight? The Crown Prince said, aggrieved and helpless, It''s my father who won''t let me engage Pang Juan in battle. It was only then that Dr. Shen came to a realization, followed by an inexplicable feeling of sadness, If you won''t allow us to fight, then what did you send us here for? Is it really to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight? If the king does this, can he stand up to the military counselor? Can you stand up to the five thousand soldiers? Can you stand up to the people of Chenggao? After Shen Dafu said that, seeing that the Crown Prince still had no intention to go to war, he sighed: Great General, I don''t have the power to mobilize the army, but I do have the power to conquest, if your army doesn''t go to war, I''ll go myself! Seeing that he could not dissuade Shen Dafu, the crown prince ordered his soldiers to tie up Shen Dafu. Shen Dafu shouted angrily, Crown Prince, you fear of death! Pang Juan has scared the guts out of you! If you dare to say I''m afraid of death again, I''ll kill you! The Crown Prince snapped. What kind of skill is it for you to kill me? Dafu Shen laughed up in the air. If you have the ability, go kill Pang Juan ...... Hmph, you wouldn t dare even if you were scared out of your dog''s guts! The soldiers had just taken Dr. Shen down when General Wu also came to ask the Crown Prince to fight. The Crown Prince said to General Wu without any good humor, Whether to go to war or not is something I consider, your responsibility is to listen to my orders! General Wu said, I can listen to the Great General''s orders, but if I delay going to war, my soldiers will not listen to my orders! The Crown Prince angrily said, Kill anyone who dares to disobey orders! General Wu said indifferently, The soldiers are disobeying orders, can you kill them all? Without waiting for the Crown Prince to answer, several more generals walked in and they said to the Crown Prince, Great General, if you don''t go to war, the soldiers under my command will take liberties! The Crown Prince drew his sword and said indignantly, Tell them that whoever dares to act without authorization will die! A general said : They said that there are their brothers inside Chenggao City, and that even if they die, they will die together! General Wu also chimed in, Great General, Pang Juan certainly has an army of 100,000, but it''s not invincible, if we don''t even dare to fight, and just watch Chenggao fall into Pang Juan''s hands, I don''t know what will happen to you, I will have no face to face my folks! Another general responded, I am also ...... a great general, if Chenggao falls, I can''t die by Pang Juan''s hand, I will die by my own sword! The Crown Prince was speechless, not knowing how to answer the words of the crowd, he yelled, Don''t force me, you guys! Great General, we''re not forcing you, it''s the soldiers who are forcing us, if Chenggao falls because we hold our ground, the soldiers won''t forgive us! Great General, please, order the battle ...... The crown prince bowed his head. General Wu said in a serious tone, Great General, if we don''t fight this time, the Country of Han soldiers may never listen to the Great General, and us generals, again. You are threatening me ......, the Crown Prince backed up, breathless and weak. Not a threat, I''m speaking from the heart. The other general said, Great General, General Wu''s words from the heart are also my words from the heart ...... The crown prince looked at the two generals and sighed, Why did I ever not want to go to war, but Pang Juan has an army of 100,000, in case ...... I can not explain to my father ...... Great General, I heard that Military Advisor Sun has a wonderful plan here, using the military advisor''s plan, we have never lost ...... General Wu looked at the crown prince, and added, Great General, we are fighting for the territory of Country of Han, for the prestige of the great generals and for our own honor, we will surely defeat Pang Juan! The other generals echoed in unison. The Crown Prince finally made up his mind, Go to war! Note: The Counterespionage Strategy is the 33rd of the 36 Stratagems, the common explanation is to skillfully utilize the enemy''s spies, and in turn, use them for our own purposes. Sun Bin was unable to hold Chenggao for a long time, and used the counter strategy to make Pang Juan make a wrong estimation and give up the strategy of long term siege and attack the city. To know how both sides won or lost, please read next time: Let the flowers bloom on the trees. The 18th： Let the flowers bloom on the trees The generals of Han army outside Chenggao city were ready to go to war with their fists in their hands. The Crown Prince of Country of Han shook his spirit and said to the generals of Han army, In these few days, not only the generals are holding their breath, but also I am holding my breath, but as a great general, I can''t be emotionally involved, I have to wait for the time to go to war. Today, this time has finally arrived, I hope that all generals can put life and death aside to break Pang Juan''s siege and send food and reinforcements into Chenggao. The generals were excited and said: Great General, we put life and death aside long ago! Don''t worry, Great General, if we don''t break Pang Juan''s siege, we''ll have no face to see our parents back home! There are our brothers in Chenggao, even if we die, we will still send food and reinforcements in! The Crown Prince looked around the crowd and then said, To free Chenggao, we must attack from four directions at the same time, so that Pang Juan will lose sight of both sides, but we don''t have so many armies, so we can only concentrate our troops on one side, while in the other three directions, deploy a small number of troops, bluffing, and dragging some branches behind the troop carriages and the warhorses, and the warhorses will run, as if they have a thousand troops and ten thousand horses. This is like no flowers on the tree, do some fake flowers inserted in the tree in order to fake the real, show people the illusion. This is the plan for the tree to blossom. In this way, with flowers blooming on the tree, Pang Juan will have difficulty distinguishing where our army is, while our army will see the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and send food and reinforcements into Chenggao. The generals praised, Great General, your plan is so brilliant that it would be nothing more than that even if Military Master Sun were here. Without a brilliant plan, I will not go to war easily. The Crown Prince was very pleased with himself, he issued orders to the generals, General Wu, General Sima, General Han, each of you take 5,000 men and bluff your way through Chenggao in the east, west, and north directions, while I take the army to attack the south of the city, and Dafu Shen will lead reinforcements and food to follow me, and after I defeat the Wei army, you''ll take advantage of the weakness and enter... ...Do you understand? The generals said in unison, Understood. Shen Dafu was a bit uneasy and said to the Crown Prince: Great General, you cannot personally lead the army to attack the south of the city. The Crown Prince was displeased and asked, As the Great General, why can''t I personally lead the army? Shen Dafu said, If Pang Juan knows that the Great General is in the south of the city, he will definitely know that it is the main force of my Han army, and it will be difficult to mess up the truth even if the other three routes are well camouflaged. The Crown Prince was a bit hesitant and asked, Then what do you suggest? Dafu Shen suggested, Have the Great General lead a group of men to bluff, and have General Wu lead the main force to attack the south of the city. The crown prince agreed to go to war as Dr. Shin said. The Country of Han''s army appeared in four different directions outside Chenggao, with flags flying, war drums rumbling, and tree branches dragging behind the chariots, creating a cloud of dust and smoke that looked like thousands of horses and thousands of armies. Pangcong rode a fast horse to the bottom of Chenggao City and reported to Pang Juan, who was commanding the siege, Uncle, the Crown Prince of Han has marched out, and Korean troops have been spotted in all four directions, east, west, south, north and south! Pang Juan laughed contemptuously, He is so bold as to attack on all four sides ...... Which way is the Crown Prince of Han? On the west road. How many men does he have? The detail said there are thirty thousand. What about the Han troops in the other directions? There are also all tens of thousands of people ...... That''s impossible, the Han army isn''t that large. This is what the spies said. Pang Juan pondered for a moment and said, The other roads may be a bluff ...... Pangcong, you command the siege here, I will deal with the Crown Prince of Han. The Crown Prince was commanding his group of men and was in the midst of a lively tree blossoming in the western part of the city, when an agent shot his horse and came: Crown Prince, Pang Juan''s army is coming toward us. The Crown Prince asked, How many are there? The detailer said, Not many it seems ...... Meet them and destroy them. The Crown Prince ordered to the general beside him. One of the generals under the Prince said, Great General, the warlord''s blossom on the tree plan is a bluff, if we engage ...... What did you say? The Crown Prince''s face grimaced and interrupted the general. The general didn''t understand what the Crown Prince was asking and replied, I''m saying that the blossom on the tree was meant to be a bluff, and that if we engage, the Wei army will be able to see our falsehoods. I am not asking this, said the Crown Prince, still gloomy, I am asking who told you that the blossoming of the trees'' was the plan of the military master? Dr. Shen ...... Nonsense, this is my ploy! Great General, I don''t dare to talk nonsense, it''s really what Dr. Shen said, he also took out the military division''s letter to show us, let us must act according to the plan. Alright, stop talking, prepare to meet the enemy. The Crown Prince''s face looked very ugly. Great General, Dr. Shen said ...... The Crown Prince interrupted and laughed coldly, He also said that I''m afraid of Pang Juan, I''m going to show them today, whether I''m afraid of Pang Juan or Pang Juan is afraid of me! Great General, you must not gamble in battle! I''m not gambling, I know in my heart. Pass the order. The general was a bit reluctant and said, Great General, you should still think twice before you act ...... The Crown Prince said with extreme displeasure, Pass the order. Those who disobey the order will be beheaded! The general didn''t dare to say another word and immediately summoned the entire army to meet the Wei army. The army of the Crown Prince of Han soon entered Pang Juan''s ambush zone, and Pang Juan laughed at the Crown Prince of Han for being too easy to bait this silly fish. He ordered 20,000 men to detour behind Han''s army and surround the Crown Prince of Han. The flag of the Crown Prince of Country of Han fluttered in the wind, and the Crown Prince of Country of Han stood majestically on his chariot, intending to command his army to destroy the opposite Wei army with a single blow. The fast horse of the detailer arrived again, and the detailer on the horse reported to the Crown Prince with a panicked face, Great General, Pang Juan''s army has been spotted in front of us ...... The Crown Prince froze: Didn''t you say that the Wei army doesn''t have many men? The detail stammered, There were indeed not many, and then I don''t know where such a large army appeared from ...... Lying about military information should be a capital offense! The prince''s eyes penetrated the killing gas, said, he took the halberd in the hands of the same car guards, violently stabbed at the fine work. The spy fell off his horse and died. The Prince then said to the general beside him, Pass on my order, the front group will be the rear, the rear group will be the front, withdraw! The general answered yes, turned his horse around, and was about to pass on the order to the rear troops when a soldier rode his horse from the back of the group to the Prince and reported urgently, Great General, Wei''s troops have been spotted at the rear. The Crown Prince was shocked and asked, How many of them are there? The soldier replied, A lot, can not see the head ...... The prince was silent for a moment and let out a long sigh, I really regret ...... Pang Juan commanded his army to complete the encirclement of the Crown Prince of Han and proudly said to his generals, This time I will not only capture Sun Bin alive, but also the Crown Prince of Country of Han ...... Before he finished speaking, Pangcong, whose face was covered in blood, rode up to Pang Juan, flipped off his horse and kowtowed, Uncle, kill my nephew, my nephew''s army was defeated by Sun Bin ...... What did you say? Pang Juan was stunned. Pangcong continued, After uncle left, tens of thousands of Country of Han''s army arrived, Sun Bin was working with them from the inside and the outside, although nephew''s army fought valiantly, it eventually collapsed due to being attacked from both sides, and Han''s grain fleet went into Chenggao. Pang Juan''s eyes showed killing intent, trembling with anger, viciously cursed: Son of a bitch! Uncle, my nephew has failed to fulfill his uncle''s heavy responsibility, kill my nephew! Pangcong was mortified and kowtowed again. Pang Juan was silent for a moment and spoke, This matter is not your fault, it''s uncle''s fault, get up. Pangcong stood up and said, Uncle, gather a large army, let''s kill our way back and re-siege Chenggao. Pang Juan shook his head, It''s useless, and now Sun Bin has food and soldiers, he''s no longer afraid of our siege. So us, are we just going to forget about it? Forget it? Hmph, it''s not that cheap, the Crown Prince of Country of Han is already surrounded by us, capturing the Crown Prince will be just as good as blackmailing the King of Han. Pang Juan sneered, and instructed a general on horseback beside him, Go, tell the armies in the south and north of the city that part of them will withdraw from the camp, and part of them will immediately rush to the west of the city, and wait for dispatch. The face of tens of thousands of troops surrounded by the crown prince of Country of Han, Pang Juan is not eager to eat a bite, he figured out the crown prince of South Korea to eat soft, but not hard temperament, with the method of the crown prince invited to the front of the two armies, staring at the crown prince looked at a long time. The Crown Prince of Country of Han was stared at by Pang Juan, coldly said: Marshal Pang have something to say, looking at me for what? Pang Juan laughed and said, When a scholar is separated for three days, he should be impressed, not to mention the crown prince of a country. The Crown Prince was displeased and said, Did you ask me to come just to be sarcastic? Pang Juan said, I have no intention of being sarcastic by any means, last time I sneak attacked Chenggao, I beat the great general by one step, today the great general bluffed and beat me by one step, of course it impressed me ...... It''s just that the great general was eager to save Sun Bin, and he fell into my encirclement, so it''s kind of to get back a little bit of face for me. The Prince said unconvincingly, If I acted according to the military strategist''s plan and didn''t fight you, you wouldn''t even have that face! What you say if simply cannot happen, it is determined by your nature. Saying that, Pang Juan sighed fervently, Sun Bin is shrewd, he''s exactly figured out your nature, that''s why he''s letting you go to the west of the city to blossom on the tree, because he knows that I''ll be leading a large army to deal with the Great General, and in that case you''re bound to be caught in my encirclement, and only if my large army comes to encircle you will the food and reinforcements be sure to be sent into the city! Only then will you have the certainty of being sent into the city ...... However, Sun Bin is moving such a heart against the Great General who is a friend in life and death for his own sake, as your rival, I can''t even look at it. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.Have you finished your words? The Crown Prince''s face clouded over. Pang Juan remained unhurried and said, I pity the Great General ah, the Great General should not have deserved to die. It is a supreme honor for a general to die in battle! Great General is different, as the Crown Prince of Han, the Great General will be the King of Country of Han from now on, the honor a King receives is far more than a General who died on the battlefield. Not to mention the one who deserved to die was Sun Bin, you died on Sun Bin''s behalf, that''s why I feel sorry for you. The Crown Prince seemed a little shaken and didn''t say a word. Pang Juan looked at the Crown Prince and said, Great General, how about you and I make a deal? What deal? Great General condescend for a while, come live in my army for a while, and I''ll use the Great General as a reason to ask your father for Sun Bin. Are you asking me to surrender? No, it can only be described as being a hostage. Hmph, it''s all the same thing, if word gets out, I''ll be disgraced. Great General, in today''s world, the crown princes of many countries have gone to other countries as hostages, and not only did they not lose their reputations, but they fortified alliances for their own countries. Great General this time you have helped me, in the future when you become the king, no matter what kind of danger your country encounters, I will lead the Wei army to come and help. How''s that? What about my five thousand soldiers? Not one of them will be killed, all of them will be put back. What about Chenggao? All of my army will evacuate Chenggao and return to Wei. The prince remembered his father''s advice to him, and said, You let me go back and think, and I will answer you in the morning. Tomorrow is too late. I have to go back and convince my generals. The other party was already in the net anyway, and Pang Juan readily agreed to the Prince''s request. Wait. The Crown Prince was about to leave in his car when Pang Juan called out to him again. The Crown Prince looked at Pang Juan suspiciously and asked, What else does Marshal Pang have to say? Pang Juan laughed, I forgot to tell you, Sun Bin hasn''t shown any signs of sending troops to save you until now, he probably won''t save you, and he doesn''t have the ability to do so even if he wanted to. Of course Prince understood the other party''s meaning and proudly said, I don''t need you to tell me, I estimated it long ago. The Prince''s estimation was definitely wrong. The reason Sun Bin is holding his troops back is because there''s nothing he can do during the day and he wants to wait until night. General Wu didn''t understand the mystery and asked Sun Bin: Mr. Sun, the Crown Prince fell into Pang Juan''s hands to save you, if you don''t go forward to save him, the King will kill you when he finds out. Sun Bin explained, General Wu, it''s not that I won''t save him, there''s really no way to do it during the day, Pang Juan''s military power far exceeds ours, if we rush things, not only will we not be able to save the Crown Prince, but we will also bring about the end of the Country of Han''s army! If Han''s army doesn''t exist, how can Country of Han survive? General Wu, don''t worry, Pang Juan doesn''t want to kill the Crown Prince for a while yet, think about it the Crown Prince is only 5,000 soldiers, in the middle of the wilderness, and there is no dangers to defend, Pang Juan''s army can destroy the Crown Prince in less than an hour, but he''s besieging but not fighting, which means that the Crown Prince is still safe for now. Dr. Shen asked Sun Bin how he plans to free the Crown Prince at night and Sun Bin said, It''s still tree-hugging. A ploy was used twice in a row and in one place, the generals, though they would be skeptical, carried out the warlord''s orders without compromise. After nightfall, group after group of Country of Han soldiers, horses without a sound, people without a sound, out of the east gate, in from the south gate, and back and forth many times, everyone was puzzled but in the spirit of trust in Sun Bin, they went however the military division told them to go. General Fei quickly detected the movement of Han''s army, he said to Pang Juan: Marshal, the Country of Han''s army is still entering Chenggao from the south gate in a steady stream, it seems Sun Bin does want to give up on the Crown Prince of Country of Han ...... Pang Juan laughed, On the contrary, Sun Bin is making this move to free the Crown Prince of Country of Han. He pointed to the military map and said, If I''m not wrong, at first light, in our south, west, and probably north, there will be Country of Han armies that will look dusty, vast, and put on an imposing appearance, he''s trying to use another bluff to move our army to any of them, then the Han army hiding in the city will take advantage of the situation and come out of the west gate , attacking our weak spot by surprise ...... The west gate is the closest to the Crown Prince of Han, and they will break out of the encirclement and rescue the Crown Prince of Country of Han into Chenggao in a swift and swift manner. General Fei seemed to understand and said, Sun Bin is too cunning! Pangcong snorted disdainfully, Sun Bin he''s dreaming! Pang Juan ordered his generals, Pangcong, you take 5,000 men and when you spot Han''s army to your south and west, you bluff your way there as well, pretending to be the main force of Wei. General Wei, you take 20,000 men and ambush northwest of Chenggao overnight; General Fei, you take 20,000 men and ambush southwest of Chenggao, when Sun Bin''s army exits the city through the west gate, I''ll lead 30,000 men to meet it from the front, and you guys will lead your army to close in on it from the side and rear to annihilate Sun Bin in the west of the city. Early the next morning, the wilderness outside Chenggao City was filled with a cloud of fog. Pang Juan and his soldiers were holding their shields and halberds, facing the direction of Chenggao, waiting in a tight formation. A fast horse ran out of the morning fog, and on the horse was a Wei general. The Wei general rode up to Pang Juan and reported, Marshal, the Country of Han''s army has been spotted to the west and south, and it is impossible to see how many there are in the fog. Pang Juan said to Pangcong, who was on the sidelines, Pangcong, your army is ready to go. Pangcong''s army had been gone for a long time, but Pang Juan still did not see any movement in the direction of Chenggao, the scarred city wall that stood silently in the morning mist. Pang Juan was able to keep his composure, he calmly stood on his car and watched Chenggao, he seemed to see over the city wall, Sun Bin''s army was gearing up, about to open the city gates and charge out, a long awaited big battle was coming. Behind Pang Juan, there were shouts from afar. A general next to him said to him, Marshal, the direction behind us is fighting fiercely, is it better to transfer part of the army to reinforce General Fei? Pang Juan waved his hand, That''s just an illusion, the real ferocity is in the direction of Chenggao. Before Pang Juan''s words fell, a fast horse ran out of the fog on the right, the general on the horse was covered in blood. He came to Pang Juan and panted, Marshal, it''s bad, Sun Bin''s army broke through our encirclement from our rear and saved the Crown Prince of Han ...... Pang Juan drew his sword in his hand and said angrily, Impossible! There''s no way Sun Bin''s army is at our rear, it must be your incompetence! The general jumped off his horse and knelt on the ground, Marshal, I wouldn''t dare to lie, the mountains are full of Country of Han troops, and ...... I saw Sun Bin ...... Pang Juan was stunned, his lips closed tightly, and he was speechless for a long time. Pangcong is a very facetious person, he will not stop, but his 100,000 army has been on the road for a long time, and his financial resources are poor, he can not afford to delay, and he is also unwilling to delay, he immediately sent Pangcong to the Han army camp, and asked the Crown Prince of Country of Han to fight to the death. The Crown Prince of Country of Han, who had just broken through the encirclement of the Wei army and returned to the camp, could not withstand Pangcong''s agitation and agreed to fight with the Wei army. He said to Pangcong, If you lose, Wei will give me three cities, and if we lose, I will give you three cities and promise to live in peace with Wei. Pangcong said, We don''t want your cities, just Sun Bin. Shen Dafu spoke up, The military advisor is with Country of Han, using the military advisor as a bet is using Country of Han as a bet, we will never agree to that. Pangcong coldly smiled and said, I really didn''t expect that the Country of Han were a bunch of cowards ...... Farewell. Said want to go. The crown prince drew his sword to stop Pangcong. Pangcong looked at the long sword in the hands of the crown prince, without the slightest bit of timidity, he said calmly to the crown prince, Great general, killing me here is not considered a hero, if you have the ability to kill me in front of the two armies, only then is it considered a hero ...... Unfortunately, you do not have the guts to fight against our marshal. The prince was provoked to mouth, said: A gentleman''s word, a team of horses can not catch up! Tell me, when are we going to duel? This statement is exactly what Pangcong wants, Pangcong takes the opportunity to say, How about three days later? The Prince agreed. Pangcong was worried that something might change, and said, High five. The Prince and Pangcong high-fived. Things have come to this point, Sun Bin had to make a mistake and said to Pangcong, I would like to remind General Pang that since the bet is made, both sides should have the same stakes, General Pang offered to use me as a bet, you should also have someone of the same status as a bet. The Crown Prince thought Sun Bin had a point and said to Pangcong, General Pang, you should also take Marshal Pang as a bet. Sun Bin laughed, Pang Juan isn''t qualified enough, he''s lost to me repeatedly, how can he be compared to me? Pangcong couldn''t be more pissed off that his admired uncle was bullied by Sun Bin every time and said to Sun Bin: Sun Bin, don''t think you''re untouchable because you''ve won a few times by fluke with tricks and ploys ...... Hmph, our Marshal really doesn''t have you in his sights yet! Sun Bin coldly said, Didn''t put me in his eyes, then why is he jealous of me and secretly harming me? Why does he follow me wherever I go and has to take my Art of War? Pangcong had nothing to say in reply. Sun Bin said to Pangcong, General Pang, go back and tell your Marshal Pang that if you''re willing to make a bet with the Crown Prince of Wei - Crown Prince Shen, I''ll make a bet with Country of Han. Note: Let the flowers bloom on the trees is the 29th of the 36 stratagems, which means to create a false impression and bluff to confuse the enemy and achieve the purpose of fighting on your side. Facing a strong enemy, Sun Bin used Blossom on the Tree strategy to save first Chenggao and then the Crown Prince of Country of Han. To know more, please read next time: throw a brick to attract jade. Nineteenth time： throw a brick to attract jade Pangcong returned to the Wei army camp and told Pang Juan what Sun Bin said. Pang Juan mused, Crown Prince Shen has been loved by the King since he was a child, it would be hard for the King to agree to using Crown Prince Shen as a bet. Pangcong went to rebuff Sun Bin, Pang Juan stopped him, No need, I didn''t expect Sun Bin to respond to the battle in the first place, I wanted to test him, he''s still smart enough to win two battles in a row and yet he still manages to keep his cool, I''m going to have to capture this harridan if he gets carried away! After saying that, Pang Juan sighed softly, Unfortunately, it made me right in my estimation, he wanted to drag it out with me. My 100,000 troops have been abroad for a long time, I can''t afford to drag it out ...... Pangcong asked Pang Juan how he could force Sun Bin into a duel. Pang Juan thought for a moment and said, You send some strong soldiers and go around and grab food. Pangcong asked, Uncle means that with grain, we won''t be afraid of Sun Bin dragging on? Most of the grain around Chenggao has been requisitioned by Han''s army, even if we grab all the grain left, it''s still just a drop in the bucket for a 100,000 strong army. Pang Juan laughed and asked Pangcong, Do you know how to fish? When Pang Juan mentioned fishing at this time, Pangcong was puzzled and asked, What does this have to do with fishing? Fish won''t take the bait if it''s not baited. Sending soldiers to grab grain is to lay bait to lure the Country of Han''s army into battle. The Wei army sent thousands of soldiers to the surrounding people''s homes to forcefully rob food, and at first the Han army was unmoved. Pang Juan then ordered the Wei army not only to rob the grain, but also to kill people and kill more Country of Han. Faced with the bloodshed of their own compatriots and the violent corpses in the wilderness, the soldiers in the camp of Han finally became sullen. Hundreds of soldiers disobeyed military orders and rushed out of the camp without authorization. Prince Han ordered General Wu to immediately lead men to recover the soldiers who left the camp. Sun Bin instructed General Wu: Not only should you intercept those soldiers back, but you should also feign an attack on the grain-robbing Wei army and snatch some grain back from the Wei army, and if Pang Juan''s army makes an attack, you should immediately withdraw and not engage in battle. Pang Juan''s army didn''t attack, Pang Juan was worried about Sun Bin''s deception and only sent out 5,000 men. General Wu ordered his men to immediately withdraw to the camp with the grain they had recaptured from the Wei army. A dozen Country of Han soldiers, eager for revenge, refused to withdraw and insisted on continuing to pursue the Wei soldiers, led by a pawn commander with a beard. General Han was about to abandon the Country of Han soldiers, when a tall pawn commander requested to bring men to intercept the bearded pawn commander. General Wu did not agree, fearing that he would be stopped outside the camp by the Wei army. The tall pawn captain pulled General Wu''s horse and said, General Wu, not many Wei troops are coming, we can not retreat. General Wu said without question, This is the order of the military division! The Military Master, who is not a Korean, doesn''t care about the lives of our Country of Han compatriots. The Military Master cares about the victory or defeat of Country of Han! General Wu ordered the tall pawn commander to let go of his horse, the tall pawn commander refused and begged, General Wu, I beg you, you can''t just leave Big Beard and the others alone ...... General Wu ordered his soldiers to tie up the Tall Pawn Leader. The tall pawn captain cried out, General Wu, Sun Bin could care less about our Country of Han lives, you shouldn''t do this ...... you shouldn''t ...... General Wu stopped paying attention to the tall pawn captain, led his army, and withdrew to the camp. The bearded pawn captain and his soldiers, being outnumbered, were surrounded by the Wei army in the woods and died in a tragic battle. According to Pang Juan''s order, the Wei soldiers piled up dozens of corpses of Country of Han soldiers, including the bearded pawn commander, outside the gate of Han''s camp. Inside the camp gate, Country of Han soldiers could only look at the bloodstained corpses of their companions with bated breath, part of them were saddened by the death of the rabbit and fox, their souls were broken; part of them were eager to take revenge, and the group was furious, especially the tall pawn commander, who couldn''t bear to swallow his breath and said that he would avenge the death of his brothers with all his might. The tall pawn commander led the soldiers who swore to avenge their deaths to break into Prince Han''s tent with their weapons. The tall pawn commander angrily questioned the Crown Prince: Great General, have you seen the bodies of the dead brothers in front of the camp gate? The Crown Prince said, I didn''t see it, but I heard about it. Why don''t you send troops, are you afraid of the Wei people? It''s not fear, it''s waiting for the right time. What timing are you waiting for? Asking this, the tall pawn commander already had a murderous look in his eyes. All the soldiers'' eyes were filled with murderous aura, waiting for the Crown Prince''s answer. The crown prince did not know how to answer for a moment. The general next to him said disdainfully to the tall pawn commander, Don''t ask him, his words don''t count, if you want to ask go ask the military division. The tall pawn commander stared at the Prince and asked, Great General, is that so? The Crown Prince knew that in the face of these extremely angry soldiers, if he didn''t obey them, anything could happen, so he might as well go along with it and let them go to Sun Bin. So he acquiesced to the general''s words. Sun Bin was worried about the soldiers causing trouble, he knew that if he couldn''t control the soldiers'' emotions, the consequences would be unimaginable. Just then, the tall Pawn Leader led the soldiers angrily into Sun Bin''s tent and surrounded him. When Zhong Li Chun heard that Sun Bin was surrounded by rowdy soldiers in his tent, he immediately rushed with a few generals and the soldiers at the entrance of the tent stopped them. Zhong Li Chun drew his sword and barked at the soldiers, Get out of the way, if you don''t, I''ll kill you! The soldiers were undaunted and responded, If you kill me, the military division will not live either! A general pointed at the soldiers and said, You are rebelling, those who rebel are guilty of death. As long as we can avenge our dead brothers, we are willing to die. Faced with soldiers who aren''t even afraid of death, Zhong Li Chun is anxious but there''s nothing she can do about it, she can only silently bless Sun Bin in her heart to get through the danger safely. Sun Bin''s tent was crowded with murderous soldiers. The tall pawn captain stood in front of Sun Bin and said to Sun Bin: Warlord, we''re only asking you one thing, do you want to avenge us. Sun Bin said, Of course I want to, not only do I want to avenge you guys, I want to avenge me. Well then, please take us to fight Pang Juan. I can promise you guys. Go to war now. Not now. A soldier in the crowd shouted, We must go to war today! Yes, we must go to war today! The crowd chimed in. Sun Bin looked at the soldiers whose faces were overflowing with murderous anger and asked, Do you really want to take revenge? A soldier impatiently said, Nonsense, why would I call you if I don''t want to take revenge? Another soldier shouted, Don''t listen to his nagging, if he doesn''t agree to go to war, kill him! Everyone be quiet for a moment. At this moment, the tall pawn leader raised his hand to signal. The tent quieted down. The tall Pawn Leader said to Sun Bin, Military Master, if we don''t go to war today, the brethren won''t agree. Sun Bin thought for a moment, had a plan in mind and said, Alright, you can go to war today. The tall pawn commander fell to the ground with a thud. The other soldiers also kneeled down. Sun Bin said, Don''t kneel yet, I haven''t finished my words. Tall Pawn Leader said, Go ahead, Master, we''re kneeling to listen. Sun Bin lamented, If you guys are kneeling to listen, then I should be kneeling to speak, but my knees were crippled by Pang Juan and I can''t kneel while alive, so I have to stand to speak. The tall pawn commander could not help but be moved and said firmly, Master, we will definitely avenge you. You guys can''t avenge me. Sun Bin shook his head. Army Master, you don''t believe us? I believe in you guys, but if we go to war today, we''ll be in a bad way, or we might not return, our lives will be gone, how can we avenge ourselves? Speaking of this, Sun Bin couldn''t help but let out a long sigh. Warlord is scaring us. I''m telling the truth, by tomorrow, your corpses, including me of course, will be lying in front of the gate of the camp just like those of our fallen brethren today, I mean, if the camp of our Country of Han army still exists ...... The military master has used his army like a god and defeated Pang Juan several times, why did he only talk about defeat today but not victory? The tall pawn commander asked. Sun Bin explained, Pang Juan sent the bodies of his brothers to enrage us and make us eager for revenge. People lose their wits in a hurry and are prone to fight rashly, and those who fight rashly will not be defeated when faced with a powerful enemy who has prepared for it. Then what do you say, how can we win? You guys stand up, stand up and I''ll tell you. The tall pawn commander stood up. The soldiers stood up. Sun Bin said, As you may have heard, I have practiced the book of war passed down by Sun Wu Zi. It is written in the book of war that in ancient times, a good warrior would first try not to be defeated by the enemy and then wait for an opportunity to defeat the enemy. Although we won twice, we did not hurt the Wei army''s muscles and bones, and the overall situation was still strong and weak. In order not to be defeated by Pang Juan, I have been holding out these days. Pang Juan understands that it would be difficult to win if we forcefully attacked the camp, so that''s why he''s letting the Wei army rob the grain with the aim of luring us into battle, and as long as we don''t fall prey to his temptation and continue to hold out, he won''t be able to defeat us. We want to know, when will we be able to defeat the Wei? The pawn captain asked. Whenever there is an opportunity to do so. And if there is no opportunity? The art of war says that if a general who is good at mobilizing the enemy confuses the enemy with falsehoods, the enemy will listen to the mobilization; if he lures the enemy with small gains, the enemy will come to take them. At this point, the time to defeat the enemy will come. How does the military master plan to confuse Pang Juan and lure the Wei army? This is something only generals should know. We also want to know. There are many mouths to feed, and if word gets out to Pang Juan''s camp, not only will we fail to confuse him, but we will be taken advantage of by him. The tall pawn captain turned back to the soldiers and said, You believe me, right? Believe! The soldiers almost spoke in unison. The tall Pawn Leader said, Well then, please go back and let the Warlord speak to me alone. If we all leave, the generals will arrest you. A soldier worried. The tall Pawn Leader said, If the Military Master has a plan to win, I''d rather let the generals arrest me and use my blood to sharpen the generals'' long swords to kill the enemy! This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.Sun Bin looked at the tall pawn commander for a moment and said to the soldiers, Go back, I can swear that I will never punish your pawn commander. The soldiers still hesitated. The tall pawn commander said to the crowd, Not believing in the master''s oath is an insult to the master. Those who insult the Military Master will no longer be my brothers. The soldiers then turned around and walked out of the tent. Just as the soldiers left, Zhong Li Chun and Dafu Shen dashed into the tent. Shen Dafu said to Sun Bin: Military Master, these soldiers who violate military discipline should be dealt with severely. Sun Bin said, I''ve already promised them no disposition. But Military Master always says that not disposing of those who violate military discipline will condone more people to violate military discipline. Today''s situation is special, special things should be treated special. Sun Bin looked at the tall Pawn Commander and said to Shen Daifu and Zhong Li Chun, You guys go out first, I have something to say to this Pawn Commander alone. Zhong Li Chun was reluctant but walked out with Shen Daifu. Only Sun Bin and the tall Pawn Commander remained in the tent, Sun Bin said to the Pawn Commander, I''ll say it first, don''t tell anyone about what I said today, if it leaks out, tens of thousands of Country of Han generals will die without a burial site. Tall Pawn Commander nodded: I understand ...... Warlord, go ahead. Sun Bin slowly said, As I said before, Pang Juan robbed the grain, the purpose is to lure me into battle, I plan to use this as a plan, send an army of 5,000 men out to attack every day, and then withdraw after the fight, but not all of them are withdrawn, half of the generals go out but don''t return, and hide in the dense forests, and then when it''s dark, these generals will secretly go to the western mountains dozens of miles away from Chenggao. So for several days, when the generals hidden in the western mountains have more than 20,000 people, we send 10,000 troops to attack, and strike hard at the grain robbing Wei army, Pang Juan is bound to send out a large group of people to fight with me, and our attacking troops pretend to be defeated, and flee to the western mountains, luring the Wei army into our ambush zone. The tall Pawn Leader seems to know a little bit about the art of war, he said to Sun Bin: If Pang Juan''s army is all out, the ambush on the west mountain won''t be able to hold them. Sun Bin said We have 30,000 men in our camp, there are 10,000 left in Chenggao city, Pang Juan''s army doesn''t dare to send out all of them, at most 20,000 men. There are only 10,000 men left in the camp, how can there be 30,000? Pang Juan doesn''t know that there are 20,000 ambushes in the western mountains, he thinks that these soldiers are still inside the camp. The tall pawn commander had an epiphany and said, I see, the reason why the military master showed falsehood and concealed the truth to confuse the enemy is to lure the enemy into taking the bait, and secondly to hold Pang Juan back from sending out too many troops to the point where our ambushes can''t be eaten. Sun Bin nodded his head in approval, You''re very smart, if you become a general, you''ll be a good one. It''s truly a blessing for Country of Han to have Sun Military Counselor. The tall Pawn Leader sighed sadly and saluted Sun Bin, Farewell, Military Master. Sun Bin instructed him again, Remember, what I said today, don''t tell anyone. The tall Pawn Leader swore, Don''t worry, what you said today will rot in my stomach forever! After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the tent. As soon as the tall Pawn Leader walked out of Sun Bin''s tent, he was surrounded by soldiers waiting outside the tent, who asked: What did the military master say? Is the military master sure to defeat Pang Juan? When will we go to war? The tall pawn commander shouted to the soldiers, Brothers, don''t argue, let me speak slowly. The general guarding the outside of the tent came over to the tall pawn commander and said, Don''t talk here, go back and talk. The tall pawn captain responded, General, I''ll just say a couple of words, and after I finish, I''ll never say another word ...... He turned back to the soldiers and said, Brethren, in fact, we should have believed in the military division a long time ago, Pang Juan has never defeated ever defeated him, and this time, the Military Master is still the victor! A soldier said, Pawn Commander, can you be more detailed? The tall Pawn Commander shook his head and said, I''ve promised the Military Master that I won''t tell anyone ...... But I can tell you one thing: as long as you listen to the Military Master''s command, you''ll be victorious. The tall Pawn Leader looked at the crowd and continued, One more thing, in the future, any of you must never violate military discipline and gather a crowd like we did today. He swept a glance at the crowd of soldiers, Anyone who causes trouble again will end up like me ...... He said as he drew his sword in his hand and violently plunged it into his abdomen, blood gushing out. The soldiers were stunned, watching the tall Pawn Commander slowly fall, I don''t know who let out a cry of surprise, Pawn Commander! The crowd then came to their senses and gathered around. Sun Bin heard the soldiers'' cries of surprise, he walked out of the tent and squeezed into the crowd, hugged the tall Pawn Commander''s head and called out to him softly. The tall Pawn Leader slightly opened his eyes and looked at Sun Bin, who chided him heartily, You shouldn''t be like this ...... The tall pawn captain forced himself to endure the severe pain and said brokenly, Violating military discipline ...... should be ...... disposed of. I promised not to dispose of you. So ...... I will die myself ...... I will not die ...... enough to ...... uphold the majesty of ...... military discipline ...... Sun Bin looked speechlessly at this pawn commander who had followed him in bloodshed many times while he had only just met him. Also ...... I would like to reassure the military master ...... that your schemes ...... are with me... ...will never ...... leak ...... out ...... With that said, the tall pawn commander closed his eyes with a smile on his face. Sun Bin couldn''t hold back his tears any longer. Han''s army followed Sun Bin''s deployment, with thousands of troops striking every day, and withdrawing as soon as they hit, with part of the army withdrawing to the camp, and part of the army hiding in the forest and quietly turning into the western mountains at night. Pang Juan thought Sun Bin was trying to tire out the Wei army and didn''t take it to heart, he ordered his army to kill more Country of Han while getting ready for the big battle. When the army on the west mountain was gathered to 20,000 people, Sun Bin sent out 10,000 troops to attack the Wei army. Pang Juan didn''t send his troops at first, wanting to wait until Han''s army was farther away from the camp. Han''s army killed and left the camp far away. Pang Juan ordered Pangcong to take 20,000 troops and split them into two, one to cut off the Han''s road back to camp, and the other to attack head on and defeat the Han troops that attacked. Pangcong asked Pang Juan to give him more troops to destroy all the Han troops that went out of the camp. Pang Juan said, Sun Bin has always been a trickster, we need to leave enough troops to deal with the 30,000 Han troops in the Country of Han camp. Pangcong''s army engaged the Han army and quickly gained the upper hand. The Country of Han army lost their armor and fled towards the western mountains, and Pangcong led his army in hot pursuit. At this time, there was no movement in the Han camp and Chenggao city, Pang Juan was a bit puzzled and thought: more than 10,000 Han troops were defeated by us, will Sun Bin sit back and do nothing? Then he heard from the Wei general that some days ago, Han soldiers made trouble and had to go to war, and a pawn commander died. He estimated that the Han soldiers who fled to the western mountains might have acted on their own and couldn''t help but feel smug, thinking, if that''s the case, Sun Bin, even if he has great skills, will have trouble undoing the defeat. Pangcong''s 20,000 troops were ambushed by tens of thousands of Han troops on the west mountain and almost wiped out, Pangcong desperately tried to break out and survived but was seriously injured. Pangcong said to Pang Juan, Uncle, I am too incompetent. It is Uncle who is incompetent. Pang Juan sighed. Uncle, next time, when I fight Sun Bin again, I''ll be sure to grow an extra set of eyes. Son, go back to your country and recuperate from your injuries, get well, then we''ll talk. Uncle, I''m not going back to my country, I want to stay by your side and watch you defeat Sun Bin. I''ll go back to my country too, all of our troops will go back to my country. Pangcong said anxiously, Uncle, we still have 80,000 troops, we can defeat Sun Bin, we can''t go ...... Pangcong became more and more agitated, his body couldn''t help but move, and a sharp pain shot through his wound, and he let out a loud scream. Pangcong pressed Pang Onion with concern and advised, Son, don''t move, you''re hurt too ...... badly. Pangcong rolled down beads of sweat on his forehead and murmured, Uncle, I am not willing ...... not willing ...... to do this. Pang Juan was in a very heavy mood and said, Uncle is even more unwilling ...... But now, the battle can not be won quickly, and the delay can not afford to delay ...... Unwillingly, but also have to go ...... Wei''s army retreated, Country of Han''s crown prince was excited and wanted to lead the whole army to chase Pang Juan, Sun Bin objected. The Crown Prince asked: Pang Juan was defeated and fled in haste, why can''t we chase after him? Sun Bin said, Pang Juan is retreating, not defeated, and even if he is defeated, he''s just pretending. Sun Tzu''s Art of War says, If the enemy pretends to be defeated, don''t follow them; if the enemy retreats back to his own country, don''t block them. If you pursue an enemy who pretends to be defeated, you will fall into his trap; if you intercept an enemy who returns to his own country, he will fight with you for his life. Pang Juan still has an army of 80,000 men, so even if he doesn''t fall into his trap, if he fights for his life, he will lose both of them. Furthermore, we have been fighting with Pang Juan for many days, and Country of Han is very tired. Both the country and the people need to recuperate for future battles. Therefore, it is better to let Pang Juan return to Wei. Note: throw a brick to attract jade is the seventeenth plan in the 36th plan, and the name of the plan is taken by later people. Throwing bricks refers to throwing small profits as bait, and luring jade is the purpose. Pang Juan used Throwing Brick to Lure Jade plan to grab grain as bait to try to lure Sun Bin into battle; Sun Bin also Throwing Brick to Lure Jade, he is more skillful than Pang Juan in that before Throwing Brick to lure the enemy, first show the fake and hide the real to confuse the enemy. Sun Bin also threw a brick to attract jade, he was more skillful than Pang Juan in that before he threw a brick to lure the enemy, he first showed the falsehood to confuse the enemy, Pang Juan was fooled and 20,000 troops were lured into the pre-set ambush circle To know how Pang Juan competes with Sun Bin again, please read next time: Fishing in troubled waters. The twentieth time: Fishing in troubled waters The King of Han set up a feast to entertain the triumphant Sun Bin and the Country of Han generals, he was overflowing with joy and raised his wine bottle to the crowd, I''ve never raised my eyebrows so much in front of a great country before, and no words can express my feelings at this moment ...... Come on, I''ll toast to all of you here. All of them raised their bottles to thank King Han, and then drank it all in one go. King Han said, Although Pang Juan was defeated, he will never be resigned to it, I still have to rely on you all to defend my country. Don''t worry, Father! Crown Prince Han smiled spiritedly, With me and the Military Counselor here, not to mention one Pang Juan, even if there are two or three Pang Juan, they won''t be able to take away an inch of Father''s territory. King Han nodded his head and said, This I believe, but Wei is powerful after all and threatens me all the time, you must not take this lightly. Sun Bin spoke up and said, Your Majesty, to remove the threat of Wei, it''s not enough to just cut down the army, you also need to cut down the traffic, and eliminate the enemy''s threat by socializing with other countries. King Han asked Sun Bin how he planned to cut down the intercourse, Sun Bin replied, Pang Juan once offended Chu and Qi, the Great King can send an envoy to lobby the King of Chu and the King of Qi so that they will ally with the Great King to deal with Wei together. In this way, the Great King will not have to levy a single soldier, and Pang Juan will not dare to act rashly against the Great King. Dr. Shen said that he had had dealings with Dr. Shi Huang, an important minister of Chu, and offered himself to go to Chu, to which the king of Han agreed. Han King asked all the people who would like to go to Qi, no one promised for a while. Sun Bin suggested: Your Majesty, Gongsun Yue, the brother-in-law of Miss Zhong Li, is the strategist of Zou Xiangguo of Qi, and Miss Zhong Li also has a relationship with General Tian Ji, she can take on the mission of your Majesty. The king of Han then ordered Zhong Li Chun to go on a mission to Qi. Zhong Li Chun didn''t agree to go to Qi, she said no one would protect Sun Bin after she left. Sun Bin laughed and said, I''m now the King of Han''s important minister and the military advisor of the Country of Han''s army, who would dare to harm me? Zhong Li Chun had no words to retort but still said she was uneasy about the Country of Han. Sun Bin added with a straight face, It''s very important for Qi to be able to ally with Country of Han. You know the King of Chu''s character, an alliance with Chu can''t be relied upon, unlike Qi, the Qi generals have always hated Wei, if the King of Qi agrees to an alliance, they''ll genuinely help Country of Han. Is it necessary for sir to be so devoted to Country of Han? It is necessary to do your best to establish yourself in Country of Han. The King of Han is a wallflower who falls with the winds of the great powers, and if the great powers are soft and hard, it is highly probable that he will abandon Mister again. This can''t all be blamed on the King of Han, Country of Han is located between the three powerful states of Qin, Wei and Chu, to survive, it is inevitable that it will fall with the winds of the great powers. Since this is the case, it is difficult for Mr. Han to build great achievements and establish a great cause in Country of Han, it is better to return to Qi. Let you return to Qi, I also have this consideration, you see General Tian Ji, ask him to probe the attitude of the King of Qi, then I will make plans. If you say so, I promise to go to Qi. When King Hui of Wei heard that the King of Han intended to ally with Chu and Qi against Wei, he summoned Pang Juan to the palace to discuss a plan. Pang Juan said, Your majesty can send a good speaker as an emissary to Chu with jewels. The king of Chu is good at talking and loves jewels, so the emissary only needs to honor the king of Chu as the head of the seven kingdoms, and then salute the jewels, and the king of Chu will not be an enemy of your majesty. King Hui of Wei also asked how to deal with Qi, Pang Juan laughed and said, Gongsun Yue sent a secret letter saying that the King of Qi is seriously ill and will die soon, so I asked him to try to create chaos in Qi, so that Qi will have more than just internal strife, and then force Qi to bow down and submit to the king, and then deal with Country of Han with all his might. As Pang Juan said, King Wei of Qi was indeed seriously ill and could not stay on his bed. He summoned Tian Ji and said breathlessly, I may die soon. ...... I regret very much that I should not listen to the slanderous words and take back your military power. ...... I am now returning the military power to you... ...I hope you will assist the crown prince and revitalize the state of Qi once again...... Before he finished speaking, King Wei of Qi let out a violent cough, and the palace guards gently pounded his spine. Tian Ji asked King Wei of Qi to rest assured and said that he would do his best to assist the Crown Prince and revitalize the state of Qi. King Qi Wei added: There is one more thing I regret, that is, I shouldn''t have let Mr. Sun leave the state of Qi. ...... People are old and easily confused. ...... You send someone to tell Mr. Sun that I look forward to his return... ... Tian Ji promised King Qi Wei again. King Qi Wei coughed a few times and finally said, You and Zou Xiangguo ...... are my right and left arms ...... Although Xiangguo''s heart is narrow ...... governing the country is still a good way ...... I hope you can ...... donate your former suspicions ...... and live in harmony ...... in the future. Tian Ji did not answer. King Qi Wei sighed softly, I am about to enter the ancestral temple ...... I hope you can promise me ...... Tian Ji finally nodded. King Wei of Qi then summoned Prince Paijiang as well as his half-brother, Duke Jiaoji. The king of Qi said to Paijiang, Heaven wants me to go ...... Heaven''s will cannot be disobeyed ...... After I leave ...... you must take charge of the late king''s state ...... General Tian Ji is loyal to the country, he is the one who can be relied upon ...... Sun Bin is an unrivaled marshal, he must be invited back and entrusted with a heavy responsibility ...... Paijiang promised one by one with tears in his eyes. When King Qi Wei and Paijiang were talking, the Noble son JiaoShi was uncomfortable, and he thought that he was the best heir to the throne. When King Qi Wei passed away, the whole state of Qi began to be busy with the great mourning and the succession of the crown prince. Gongs Yueun said to Zou Ji, The crown prince is very close to Tian Ji, and the succession of the crown prince will be unfavorable to Xiangguo. We should try to make Noble son JiaoShi succeed to the throne. Zou Ji said, It''s too late now ...... Not too late, as long as we get rid of the crown prince, Suburban Division can logically inherit the throne. Zou Ji pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, No, it''s too risky, killing the crown prince won''t work, and it will lead to fire. Gongs Yueun said, Not risky now, once the crown prince succeeds to the throne and reuses Tian Ji, Xiang Guo''s head will fall to the ground. Zou Ji was silent. Gongsun Yue said, If it is inconvenient for Xiangguo to come forward, I will come forward. Zou Ji disagreed and said, You are my strategist, even if I don''t appear, others will suspect me. Gongsun Yue said, I will no longer be your strategist, and from now on we will not communicate with each other ...... so that others will not suspect Xiangguo. No, Qi will thus be in internal turmoil, and the enemy will take advantage of the turmoil to profit. Gongsun Yue saw that there was no opportunity for Zou Ji to take advantage of here, so he went to find Gong Zi Jiao Shi. Noble son JiaoShi was in the palace of the Empress Dowager, using the fact that Duke Huan of Qi had seized the throne before his brother, Duke Kao, to persuade the Empress Dowager to intervene and allow him to succeed the throne. When he heard that Gongsun Yue was asking for an audience with him, he immediately rushed back to his own palace to summon Gongsun Yue. The Suburban Master smiled at Gongsun Yue and said, Mr. Gongsun Yue, even if you don''t come, I will send someone to invite you. Gongsun Yue said respectfully, Your Excellency, don''t say please, if there is anything, just command. Have you heard of the succession of the late ruler Duke Huan? I have heard of it. I want to be Duke Huan. Duke, if this gets out, you''ll be killed! Gongsun Yue pretended to be surprised. I''d rather die if I can''t inherit the throne! I''m not talking about the Duke, the Duke is the Empress Dowager''s own son, as long as the Empress Dowager is around, no one dares to kill the Duke, I''m worried about killing my head. No need for Mr. Gongsun to step in, as long as you give me an idea. Gongsun Yue pretended to be difficult and said, This matter is too big ...... The Suburban Master sneered and said, Mr. Gongsun, you already know what I intend to do, if you don''t give me an idea, I won''t let you go out alive! Gongsun Yue''s face appeared fearful and agreed to Suburban Master''s request. He thought for a moment and said to Jiao Shi, The idea is actually very simple, get rid of the Crown Prince, and the Gongzi will be able to inherit the throne as a matter of course. Jiao Shi paced a few steps and said, Mr. Gong Sun, I plan to do it today, do you think it''s okay? No. Why not? You don''t have the power to fight against the Crown Prince, and you won''t be able to kill the Crown Prince, instead you''ll be killed by the Crown Prince. What do you say? Gongsun Yue said, At the initial stage, Gongsun Yue should spare no expense to enlist people''s support, and then offer his official to make wishes, and make a wide range of diehards inside and outside the court, and then think of a way to get rid of the Crown Prince. Jiao Shi agreed. Noble son JiaoShi''s activities of making wishes and gifts to the officials and gathering diehards aroused the alertness of Tian Ji and Qin Gu. Tian Ji wanted to transfer General Tian''s army into the city to protect the crown prince, but during the period of great mourning, no army could be raised without special changes. Qin Gu lamented, If only Miss Zhong Li were here. At the entrance of Linzi Street, a carriage came with the dusty, female-dressed Zhong Li Chun in it, and was noticed by Gongsun Yue as it drove through the street, when he was about to take a ride to the royal residence of Gongsun Suburban Shi. As soon as Gongsun Yue arrived at the royal residence of Suburbia Master, Suburbia Master told him joyfully that he had contacted hundreds of dead soldiers, who were all willing to sell their lives for Suburbia Master, among them there was also General Gao, who was guarding Linzi. Suburban Master asked, Mr. Gongsun, what should be the next step? Gongsun Yue thinks for a moment and asks, What is the Prince''s favorite? Beautiful women. Do you have a beautiful woman in your mansion? ...... There is one. How beautiful is she? Better than Xishi. Do you like her? Without her company, I can''t eat or sleep at night. Like her better than the throne? No, I prefer the throne. Then trade a beautiful woman for the throne. Mr. Gongsun means to give the beautiful woman to the crown prince? Right. In the midst of a great mourning, beautiful women cannot enter the palace. Invite the crown prince out, invite him to your palace to enjoy himself with the beautiful woman, and then ...... The Suburban Master understood Gongsun Yue''s meaning. Zhong Li Chun came to Tian Ji''s mansion and met Tian Ji and Qin Gu, who were overjoyed. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Tian Ji asked about Sun Bin''s recent situation, so Zhong Li Chun told them all about their sweet and sour experiences in Country of Han, and when he got to the sad part, he couldn''t help but shed tears. Tian Ji and Qin Gu were also sad with them. Zhong Li Chun finally said, Although Mr. for the Country of Han has made great achievements, but if there is any wind, the King of Han will still abandon Mr. Therefore, Mr. asked me to probe the attitude of the King, I did not expect the King he entered the ancestral temple ...... I wonder what the Prince''s attitude towards Mr.? You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.Tian Ji said, The crown prince also hopes that Mr. Sun can come back, the crown prince needs him. That''s good. Mr. Sun said that if Qi needs him, he will come back once Qi and Han have successfully allied. The alliance with Country of Han will need to wait until the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne....... But don''t worry, the Crown Prince will definitely agree, and an alliance with Country of Han will be beneficial to Qi as well, especially now. When will the Crown Prince succeed to the throne? After ten days if we get through the crisis ...... Zhong Li Chun was stunned and asked, Listening to the general''s meaning, the crown prince seems to be in trouble? Tian Ji nodded and said, Someone is trying to harm the Crown Prince. Gongsun Yue returned home with an excited look on his face, and he told Zhong Li Qiu that Zhong Li Chun had returned. Zhong Li Qiu did not believe it. Gongs Yueun said, Really, I bumped into her on the street, she wore an official uniform and went to General Tian''s house. Gongsun Yue said, If you don''t believe me, go and take a look. Zhong Li Qiu missed her sister too much, she stood up and went out. Gongsun Yue stopped her and told her to dress up before going. Zhong Li Qiu hurriedly came to the dressing table and looked at the bronze mirror, organizing her hair. Gongsun Yue said from the side, You tell General Tian by the way that Gongsun Suburban Master wants to harm the Crown Prince. Zhong Li Qiu wondered, Who did you hear that from? The servant of the Duke''s family ...... Noble son JiaoShi intends to invite the Crown Prince to a banquet this evening and secretly poison him at the banquet. Is the servant''s words credible? I don''t know, you ask General Tian to check. Before Zhong Li Qiu left the door, Gongsun Yue instructed with an uneasy face, You tell General Tian to keep it a secret, don''t say it was me who said it, if it reaches the ears of Gongsun Yue Shi, we can''t afford to ...... Also, you tell General Tian, it was for the sake of your sister''s face that I risked killing my head by revealing to him this news. After Zhong Liqiu left, Gongsun Yue proudly hugged his son Xiaochunqiu and turned around, laughing: Son, Qi is going to be in chaos. Zhong Liqiu met her sister at the Tian Mansion and told Zhong Lichun and Tian Ji and Qin Gu what Gongsun Yue had said. Zhong Lichun was very serious and said to Zhong Liqiu, Sister, this is a matter of national importance, and you can''t lie half-heartedly about it. Zhong Li Qiu said, Sister, you should know that I have never told you a single lie since I was a child. Qin Gu said to Zhong Liqiu, Your sister is not talking about you, she is afraid that Gongsun Yue is fraudulent. Gongsun Yue has always been against General Tian, and the Suburban Master''s usurpation of the throne is detrimental to General Tian, so why did he tell General Tian about the Suburban Master''s secret? Zhong Li Qiu replied, He said that it was for my sister''s sake that he asked me to tell you guys this news, and that he was trying to slowly eliminate his sister''s resentment towards him. Zhong Li Chun let out a humph and said, My resentment towards him will never be removed in my lifetime! Zhong Li Qiu advised, Sister, you can not forgive him, but you can not let your resentment towards him cause you to miss the state''s major events, if you don''t believe him, you can go and check. Tian Ji said, It''s too late to investigate now. Qin Gu said, General, whether Gongsun Yue''s words are true or false, we can use them as a trick. How do we do that? Tian Ji asked. Qin Gu looked at Zhong Liqiu and did not answer. Zhong Liqiu understood the meaning in Qin Gu''s eyes, Sister, General Tian, Mr.Qin, you guys discuss it, I''m leaving. She walked to the door and turned back to Zhong Li Chun, Sister, I''ll see you again when I have time. Looking at her sister who came and went in a hurry, a trace of melancholy flashed across Zhong Li Chun''s face. Tian Ji said to Qin Gu, Tell me, how do I put the trick in place. Qin Gu said, Decide first, borrow Gongsun Yue''s message, and once it''s dark, secretly move the army into the city. If Gongsun Yue tells a lie, the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince blame it, how to explain? Gongsun Yue lied about the army, and if the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince blame it, it is Gongsun Yue who is guilty. Tian Ji thought Qin Gu was right, he asked Qin Gu if the crown prince would still go to the banquet, Qin Gu said, Of course I will go, if the crown prince doesn''t go, how can I know if Gongsun Suburban Division really wants to harm the crown prince? Tian Ji was worried about the safety of the Crown Prince and said, If it''s true, wouldn''t it be too dangerous for the Crown Prince to go to the banquet? Qin Gu smiled faintly, Have Miss Zhong Li bring someone to pretend to be a palace guard and accompany the Crown Prince to the banquet, the general will then send troops to ambush the surrounding area, and if Suburban Master makes a move, he will be captured immediately. Zhong Li Chun pretended to be a palace guard and came with the Crown Prince to Suburban Division''s royal residence. At the banquet, several beautiful women danced to the music, and the leading beauty was especially outstanding, graceful, with a pair of beautiful eyes that rippled in autumn waves, taking in the heart. Prince Paijiang held a bottle of wine and looked at the beautiful woman. Prince Paijiang asked the suburban division sitting on the side: What is her name? The Suburban Master replied, Meiyu. The Crown Prince exclaimed, Good name, she is truly a piece of beautiful jade! The Prince''s gaze was filled with desire as he stared intently at the dancing Meiyu. The Suburban Master looked at the Crown Prince and a trace of hatred flashed across his face. But once he thought of the throne, his gaze became softer and he asked the Crown Prince, How about it brother, is my woman beautiful? Beautiful, too beautiful ......, the crown prince not without envy said to the suburban division, brother, can get such a beautiful woman, life is enough. Suburban division leaned over the prince''s ear whispered: Beautiful jade is not only beautiful, treating people wonderful ...... The crown prince''s gaze became even more greedy, staring at Meiyu. The suburban master said he could let Mei Yu stay with her brother for the night. The crown prince''s heart hoped for these words, he whispered to the suburban division: Never let the empress know ...... Don''t worry, no one will know. A hint of imperceptible killing intent was revealed in the suburban division''s smile. When Prince Paijiang and Meiyu entered the land of tenderness, Suburban Master''s retainer told Suburban Master that General Gao had sent a message that Tian''s army had secretly marched into Linzi. This surprised Suburban Master. The retainer said, General Gao asks if he is still moving tonight? Suburban Master''s heart crossed and he gritted his teeth and said, Do it, kill Pi Jiang, and there''s nothing more armies can do to me if they enter the city! After Meiyu and the Crown Prince lingered for a while, she snuggled in the Crown Prince''s arms and asked the Crown Prince in a delicate manner, Crown Prince, are you still satisfied? The Crown Prince caressed Mei Yu''s jade-like skin and nodded, Very satisfied ...... I''m happy to be able to satisfy the Crown Prince. Mei Yu smiled shyly, and after saying that, she brought tonic soup for the Crown Prince, urging him to drink it while it was hot. The Crown Prince said to Mei Yu, My body doesn''t need tonic, you drink it. This is a man''s tonic soup, Mei Yu blushed, If the Crown Prince drinks it, he will have more fun tonight ...... The crown prince looked at the shy Meiyu, gladly took the soup, and was about to drink it, when a figure flashed into Aman, took a few steps to the front of the crown prince, and snatched the pot of soup from the crown prince''s hand. The person who came was Zhong Li Chun, who was disguised as a palace guard. The prince looked at Zhong Li Chun blankly, asked: You ...... what do you want? Zhong Li Chun said: The soup is poisonous, you can not drink. The crown prince angrily said, Nonsense, this is the tonic soup that Meiyu cooked just for me. Zhong Li Chun sneered and handed the pellet to Mei Yu, ordering, Drink it, if you don''t I''ll pour it! Mei Yu fell to her knees, tears flowing from her eyes, pleading, Lord Gongwei, I don''t want to die ...... Zhong Li Chun coldly said, Say it if you don''t want to die, who let down your poison? Is it the Gongzi Suburb Master? Mei Yu was about to open her mouth, suddenly from the window flew into a thing, is hitting the head of Mei Yu, Mei Yu lightly grunted, fell to the ground. Zhong Li Chun was afraid that the crown prince would be assassinated again, he pulled the crown prince and hurried out of the bedchamber. A figure jumped in through the window, it was Gongsun Yue. He picks up Mei Yu and turns back to jump out of the window. Just as Mei Yu attempts to poison the Crown Prince, General Gao''s army begins to surround the Crown Prince''s residence. General Tian''s army repulses the rebels led by General Gao in one fell swoop and then breaks through the Suburban Master''s Mansion. After a melee, the retainers of the Suburban Master died and surrendered, but only the Noble son JiaoShi was not found. During the melee, Gongsun Yue rescued him from Linzi City. Suburban division sighed: I am really upset, only one step short of the chess ...... Don''t be discouraged, Gongsun Yue consoled him, Next time, Marshal Pang will help you make a good move. The Suburban Master bade farewell to Gongsun Yue, and with General Gao and his army, traveled to the borders of Wei to join Pang Juan. When the Crown Prince Pi Jiang ordered Tian Ji to lead his army in pursuit of the Suburban Master, the Empress Dowager intervened to stop him. The Crown Prince said to the Empress Dowager, The Suburban Division is in rebellion and jeopardizes the state, so it should be captured and punished. The Empress Dowager said in a serious tone, The Suburban Master is young and doesn''t know what''s right, so let him live, will you? The prince did not agree. The empress dowager was very unhappy in her heart and said with a stern face, Even if mother is pleading with you. The Crown Prince was afraid of the Empress Dowager and hurriedly said, Empress Mother, ten thousand must not say begging, what the Empress Mother tells the child to do, the child will do. The face of the empress dowager only then eased a lot, said, You will be the head of a country, should be forgiving to treat people, not to mention to their own brothers it ...... She turned the topic, and said, In a few days, you should be on the throne to inherit the throne, and this is the is the most important event for the country. After the Empress Dowager left, Tian Ji said to the Crown Prince, Crown Prince, if you don''t get rid of evil, you will suffer from it. Alas, I am not the king yet, said the Crown Prince with a sigh of helplessness, and then with a look of determination, General Tian, when I succeed the throne, I will never let Suburban Shi go. Noble son JiaoShi defected to Pang Juan, who was pleased, for Qi would henceforth have no peace. He ordered Pangcong to occupy the border towns of Qi in the name of Noble son JiaoShi of Qi. Within a few days, the border cities of Qi, such as Maling, Fan Cheng, and Gangeqiu, all fell into the hands of Jiao Shi. Note: Fishing in troubled waters is the twentieth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, which means to take advantage of chaos. Pang Juan let Gongs Yueun stir up Qi in order to deal with Sun Bin''s attack, and then took advantage of the chaos to capture several border cities of Qi. To find out what happened next, please read the next installment: Secretly Cross the Chen Cang. The Twenty-First： Secretly Cross the Chen Cang ̫ӱٽλΪ ʮոꡢǡ߳ǡ˵ңֱӺκսȡʤ㲻ȴӦҪ󣬺ͺˣʹκܶΣȻٰصո߳ǾͺˡˬشӦ ˣɾ Խ֪Ҫع޼˵ص϶ҪԼҪ취ֹع޼ɱʾԼҲû취ùԽ丰æԽԼ临޼ЦԽôӵκ߾ôõ丵֧֣⻹ȫ𣿡 Խ޼ɣӦȥ両 Խصκȥ両˾ñط꣬пǧԽֹ롣ʮ˵Ҫ룬ͲᾭκǻȥѾҽֹͣƼ˵Ԫ˧ ֹҾͰԪ˧ˡ ܵӽ ֪Ǹɫ֮ͽԪ˧κѡһ͸Ԫ˧ù˽ʦʦң˹ƻģҾͲԪ˧ˡ ˵ΪԽѰһλɫŮӣ˳ƼŮԽdz⣬DZ丣żŮķ 봺صȰ뿪˵Ҿ֣ٹٶչֵĺߣ봺취̾ϢʵԽѾѺع¸丣主ϳǻ·Ҫ丶ѡˣ ͱԴ˵Ҳߵġ ˵Ϊ󽫣ȥҲûȥˡ ̫˴󽫾ô죿 ޵˵̫Ӻ󽫾Ϊ Щˣ˵̫ûΪȨҲܽǺˣһġشǿ֮䣬вͻɴܵˡ صۡһĶ˵ұټԴںǴɹҪ߾߰ɡ ЦҲߡ ˵ᣬ֮顣ļ磬ɽȥ ˵һȥԸ丣ںҲ԰ǶԸ丣αðΣջأ 꿪ĵ˵԰һһвӲܣں԰ ˵꣬һҪ󣬴һҪ㡣 ֤һ˵ʵҪ ҪǣϣĹʹһĵijdzΪء˵ҲǺijdzؾôҸҲõĵijdzأʲôأ˵ ûҪ ǶĹҲܿǡ Ĺùǿ󣬴ӦýΪЧˣΪЧˡ ԥǸҶ꣬ȻĹҲܺ˱ˡȥһеȴСijdzؿ𣿡 򽫺Ļת˵Уһǣû⣬Ҫˡ ˵Ĵô฻ǺҪŵ͵㣬Ժ˵ ˵ϣҴӦˡ ϲôһõͳdzء ҡͷ˵ҲҪͳdzأҪDZҽҪĸǡ Ц˵ֻҪдҽʿûһdzزҪġ ϵ˭ҪЦ Ϊѣû˵ϵֲǺĵ̡ ΪϵϵǺĵ𣿡 ˵Ҫϵټض˵õϵˣdzػϵǵõϵͿؾκˡʦǹϵҲϵΪʦҪٷdzظʦ ˵ҪأΪ˳פôڳҵijӵɺ˿һϵ͹ˡ ҪӣҪ 򡣡 ϵκκϵУʿھ̫캫һ𹥴ϵ ڶ࣬ãڹ㣬ǡî˾ʮ򣬳îܹϵԸڴǰ ȻӦͬȥ صУʼоͼ봺DzDzˡ봺˵ҹϵΪ˴ͨԹĵ·ԹκͷԹ룬举޷סǡǿǹµġҰһΪ֪С·dz䲻عϵ ˵ֻϵΪд㣬Ժ˵ѵ𣿴ϵȥԣԿȥ롣Ӧϵ ̾һ˵ϵ˵̫ҪˣûдӦҽˣȻӦҽˣԶˮѽ⡣һʱʱܵκвϵͿԺֶԸκ ̫Ӵϵ ̫Ӳԡҡͷ ô̫ӵľʦɡ Ӧֻ֮Dz̫ӵͳ˧ Ǿ̫Ӵϸʵϼ ͷ˼һƣȫ ˵ǰ̫ںֱϵƬ̣Ӵ˵㼴̴һװڳɽɽͨϵıؾ֮·ʾϵ ˵һˣ赲򺺾Ӵε˵ ɽѹƣ׽ ʶƣǿнɽأ ˵սֻ߳Ҫס죬Ҿ͵ ľӿ쵽ɽʱκκسƺܶࡣֹͣǰӪ ˴̽ɽκֻһˣ˵һ磬ǾͿԽ ˵һκնأ 񣬸ûеڶ֧κ 丽ƻɽѹǽΪá ˵ٱսᣬκԮͻԮϵ װIJ˵ǣDz١ ǧIJòϵܷ㡣 ο򣬡ģаϵ ȥԾɰ临Ѿ˳ɽһɥض˵临Ѿ˳ɽ㲻еȰɣ Цᣬ֮е¡ ڣ㻹㹥ϵ𣿡 Ȼˡ Ƶ˵սʧɽѹѾ嵽ɽɽˣôϵأ Ц临δұ޷ϵ临ѵұɳ֮ˡ 򡰺ߡһ˵Dzҵ ˵ʵһ˵̾沿ӭУ䲻⣬֮ڳɽǰս֣临ɽȻӲ͵Ϯϵ If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.ñң֪˳ɽûб·ȥϵ 봺Ѿҵ·һΪ֪С·ͨϵţǧһһҹܵҴǧDZϵסӪկ Ųæ˵ǧȥϵ̫ˡ Ц֮ǰǧ̫٣ˣǧ־㹻ˡ 򲻽ʣԽ˵Խף֮ǰҹѣΪβأ丵ľˣҲ𲻴Ϊʲô˵ǧ־㹻أ˵丵ľˣҲ𲻴ˡ ˵临δ֮ǰϵؾ͵ijɽκԵֵл̫ӾԴʱԴʱ˵ǧˣһҲȡʤ临֮סϵǵκΪ临سɽǺѽʱǴС·͵ϮϵǸûκηɳһ֧ȥ޷ĵˣܲʤ ѣ̾Ӱ ̫ӵľӾפӪԶ̫ʱʱ˹鿴ӪڶӪŽգ޶Ϊǵ̬ΣӪǰȰˣлٹϵ ̫еãҲûӰ̫Ҳ֪ġ̫ӲͷˣҪ뿪ȴˡ̫˵ұ˵ǣǹȻǾʦͳľӣȴǺھͳ˧ҲDz˵ǡҽյһȥǵӪʣʦӰͳ˧ҲٳٲӰǴʱӦ 򹧾дܣ串ҽ ̫װһӣ׵ģʦߣDzҸǣҪDzǣƾ˵ϵֻغزˡ ͻȻ¶֮ɫ˵ȴֹסˡ ̫һʯijҡڵʵʦ׶㵽ȥˣСˣҲöòˡ ̲ס󽫾ʦûҸ䣬Ǻӵͳ˧Ȩ֪Ҹ㡭ʦȥϵһˡ̫һ ʣ˶ ش𣺡ǧ ̫ɻ󣬵ɽ丵ľأ˵ǧˣ˶ȥôܹϵأ ûй³ɽߵһС·һΪ֪С· С·̫룬ͻȻļƣȥϵdzûԹ ôġ Ϊʲôȥϵֻһ취³ɽͲȥϵһҪԹԹҴǰȥһۣ˵Ը㡭 󸻲Щ£ģǿô......ã ޷̫Цȥɱ ¶æ󽫾ǧҪҪĹϵǻ˴£ ̫ ʵʲôʱϵ ϡ ãȵһҹûϵϢȥ䡣 ɽ֮УʿIJ£ʿ᫵ɽ·ǰС ǰ봺һ£һԱʿнӹꪹ£ţȻ¡˿봺ϵжԶ ӡ봺ش ˿ɫԸԼɽķ뽫˵뽫ȫӿٶȡ 뽫ɻʦѾӵʿˣټӿٶȣֻµӵʿ࡭ ١һ룬ҲҪӿٶȡǴDZҹɫһ丷֣ƾͱˡ ϣӴеϷӴϣ˵һô Ӵ룬˵˰ɡ ûġ Ӵһӣ̣̾Ӯˣ塭ΨߣΨֱ һ㶣ǰôû뵽أϵ˵ǼıĵؾϵԹٴԹصڸԼ١ 뵽Ӵ˵Ӵϣ˰ͨϵе·κͨ⣬ſȥ֪ͨϵؾǰͨԹе·۴Сˡ սУոմ˸˯һҹû˯Ϣ̫ˣҲһҹû˯ϵDZûϢ˵ʱûС̫Ц϶ûȥϵӣ͸˵ˣȥˡ Ȱ󽫾㲻ôϾΪǺ˴󹦣ˣҲܶɺӣ丵ϡ̫ӵͷ ҲôΪˣ߰ɡﲻǾĵطǻdzӪعɡ Ƭ̣󽫣ǡҪٵȵȣǾʦĹϵһߣ۾ʦ İɣǹϵ͸Ϣˡ ϵҲǴģ»ǧ죬ˣǧô죿 ΪԼ棬Ѿǧ죬ǾҲ޼¡糷Ҫǵ֪ܣǷǾҲ߲ˡ ε̾˿󽫾˵ʲôʲôɡܾ ̫Ӳмĵ˵˲ΪؽʥˣҲ⡭ ̫ӵĻûڣſھʹһ³ɳƵʥˣDZҵʥˣ ̫ӺŤͷȥſվһѪĿĺʿɻģ·κأƴһŻӪ ̫ӴĿʣ㡭ʲô ϱš ϱʲôţ ʦѾϵˡ ʱϵǽ棬ƮվϵͷḧŰ߲ijǽԶɽ塣 뽫еķ뽫˵Ҹˡ ʦҪȥ뽫һ㶡 Թ ʦԹʲô뽫ٴһ㶡 Թ롣 ԭʦعĴģ ͷ˵Ҳƭ㣬ҹϵһҪĿģǾԹ룬ȻҲΪ뿪֮ǰһݺ񡣡 һҪ𣿡 뽫ڱĹңΣҪȥȥ𣿡 뽫ĬƬ̣˵ܲߣϵվȽŸ֮ߣ ֪ǹռϵͻΧϵʱôأ ˣϵôأ ҵԹȥ˵ϵ͸һɱΧġ 뽫˵ϵΧ֮Ҫϵôأ Ȼǰ̵͸ˡЦ 뽫ƣʵʦ˵ϵǴ͸ôȥأ ˵ȡϵΪͨԣֿκϵ뺫ؽԶԹأϵҪķѴҪķѴϵ͸ԹȽʡͲƽȵ߽ͨ磬Ҳ˸л뽫˵һֶԺأ 뽫˿סصͷ̾ϢΪԸûλȡʦںϧҲǡ ע ܶɳ²֡Ϊʮ֮ڰ˼ƣ˼ֳԺĩšɳ²֡Ĺ¡˼Ƶ˼ǣǣƵˣػس䲻⡣˼롰򡱼Ƽ֮ͬв֮֮ͬͬڡؽص㣬ܶɳ²֡ؽ·ߡ취Ѻź丶Ȼϵ뿪˺֪ʲô뿴ڣ˼ơ The Twenty-Second： The Stratagem of the Beautiful Woman Gongsun Yue intends to give King Xuan of Qi the beautiful woman he brought back from Wei and the beautiful jade of the Gongsun Suburban Master, which he renames Beauty. Mei Yu said that she had a one night affair with the King of Qi and that the King of Qi would recognize her even if she was not called Mei Yu. Gongsun Yue couldn''t help but laugh, When the king recognizes you, he can''t get away from you anymore. Gongsun Yue had saved Meiyu during the rebellion of Gongsun Yue, and now he is going to send Meiyu to the king''s palace to enjoy the glory and wealth, Meiyu is so grateful that she wants to stay with Gongsun Yue for the night to thank him with her body. Gongsun Yue looked at Meiyu''s beautiful face and said: I would like to stay, but I am afraid that once I stay, I will never want to let you go again....... This will delay my big event. Grass and trees in one fall, life in one life, a man if you can not do one or two big things, is to live a life in vain. Gongsun Yue went to see Zou Ji, who was worried about Sun Bin''s return to Qi. Gongsun Yue said to him, I found two beautiful women, they can be said to be the best of the best, the king is so horny that he will be mesmerized when he sees the beautiful women, if Xiangguo gives them to the king, the king will be closer to Xiangguo, and will listen to what Xiangguo says, even if Sun Bin goes back to Qi, he won''t be able to do anything about Xiangguo. Zou Ji didn''t want to be the sinner of Qi and didn''t want to be held back by Gongsun Yue anymore, so he said, Mr. Gongsun is not using the beauty plan just to deal with Sun Bin, right? King Zhou of Yin and King Yu of Zhou both lost their countries because they were obsessed with beauty, Mr. Gongsun is using the beauty trick because he wants the King to become King Zhou, or King Yu, right? Sangguo misunderstood, I didn''t think that much, I was just thinking about Sangguo. If I don''t use this trick, Xiangguo will not be able to stop the Great King from reusing Sun Bin, if Sun Bin gets reused, Xiangguo''s life won''t be too good, right? Zou Ji laughed coldly: If you were really thinking of me, you should have asked Pang Juan to stop Sun Bin from returning to the country, but you didn''t. Therefore, I suspect that you are intending to make Qi contradictory and eventually destroy it. Gongs Yueun sniffed and also sneered, I didn''t realize that the hallowed Sangguo would use the heart of a villain to gauge the heart of a gentleman! This is not the heart of a villain, I am the Prime Minister of Qi, I have to think about Qi. Hehe, if Xiang Guo really thought about Qi, he wouldn''t have created something out of nothing and framed Sun Bin in the first place. I was deceived by you. You''re wrong, it''s not deception, it''s mutual utilization. But I don''t want to be used by you now. Zou Ji smiled faintly and said as he clapped his hands twice, two hans with swords came out from the inner room. Gongsun Yue looked at the two hans and smiled coldly at Zou Ji, It seems that the Minister has prepared for this. For people like you, I have to be on guard. After Zou Ji finished waving his hand, the hans unsheathed their swords, their eyes filled with murderous aura. Gongsun Yue calmly said to Zou Ji, Xiang Guo, they are not my opponents, don''t let them send them to their deaths. Zou Ji grunted twice, Don''t scare me with big words! Immediately, he orders the two hans to take down Gongsun Yue. The two hans immediately swung their swords forward. Gongsun Yue quickly dodged aside and drew his sword in his hand, then with a flash of sword light, the two hans cried out and both fell to the ground with their swords. Zou Ji was shocked. Gongsun Yue turned around and looked at Zou Ji and said proudly, Xiang Guo, I am not bragging, right? Zou Ji is trembling, beads of sweat roll down on his forehead. Gongsun Yue put away his sword and said with a smile, Xiangguo, don''t be afraid, I won''t kill you, we have to continue to utilize each other. Zou Ji, under Gongsun Yue''s coercion, sent the beautiful woman and the beautiful girl into the king''s palace. King Xuan of Qi was extraordinarily fond of these two shapely and charming women, and especially doted on Beauty. That night, after King Xuan of Qi and Beauty had lingered in the clouds and rain, he sighed to Beauty, I once loved a girl, her name was Meiyu, and when I was having fun with you, I clearly felt that you were Meiyu. The beautiful woman laughed and said, Your majesty is treating my concubine as Mei Yu''s double. King Xuan of Qi lamented, No, your every move, your knitted brows, your smile, and even the sound of your gasping breath, are all like Meiyu. Beauty tentatively asked King Xuan why he didn''t call Mei Yu into the palace. King Xuan of Qi sighed and said, Mei Yu is dead, if not, I would have called her into the palace long ago. King Xuan was so attached to Mei Yu, the beautiful woman could barely hold back, she threw herself into King Xuan s arms and said, Your Majesty, can my concubine ...... replace Mei Yu? King Xuan of Qi held the beautiful woman tightly in his arms and allowed her to change her name to Meiyu in the future. King Xuan of Qi heard Zou Ji say, these two lovely women are his doorkeeper Gongsun Yue selected for the king, King Xuan of Qi admired Gongsun Yue, want to appoint him as the upper Dafu, in charge of the royal palace. Gongsun Yue was delighted, but he refused, saying that he was not familiar with the rules of the palace. King Xuan of Qi laughed and said, If you don''t know the rules of the palace, you can learn them. The reason why I like you is that you are very meticulous, and you don''t have to tell me what you need, so you are very suitable to be in charge of the royal palace affairs. When the court officials heard that Gongsun Yue had become the senior official in charge of the royal palace, there was a lot of discussion: Who is Gongsun Yue? I heard that he is a guest of the minister''s residence. How did he become a senior Dafu overnight? It must be recommended by the Minister of Xiangguo. ...... After the court meeting, Tian Ji walked to Zou Ji''s side and said in a low, serious voice: Zou Xiangguo, Gongsun Yue''s entry into the palace is a danger to the state of Qi, so you can''t afford to make the same mistake again and again. Zou Ji had no words to argue, but only silence. King Xuan of Qi all day and all night with the beautiful jade and good girl play drinking feast, lingering pleasure, ignore the government for many days, the dynasty Dafus are anxious. Gao Daifu said to Zou Ji: Xiangguo, you are the former king''s old minister, the king respects you the most, you should strongly advise the king to remove the demoness and reorganize the government. Zou Ji sighed, It is not that I have not remonstrated vigorously, but the king cannot listen to me. Bao Dafu, an honest and upright old minister, saw that Zou Ji refused to intervene, so he insisted on going into the palace to persuade King Xuan. He asked the king, Do you know how the Yin dynasty came to an end? King Xuan of Qi was not pleased with Bao''s question and said perfunctorily, Yes. Dr. Bao then asked, You must also know how King Yu of Zhou lost his life, right? King Xuan of Qi, his face showing a huff, asked in return, Why do you ask these questions? Dafu Bao said, The Yin Dynasty was destroyed by Daji, and King Yu of Zhou died because of Baosi! Now, Daji and Baosi are pestering the king again, they are the king''s two newest beauties, if the king is mesmerized by their beauty, the state of Qi will be destroyed by the hands of these two demonesses ...... Ridiculous! King Xuan of Qi angrily interrupted Dr. Bao''s words, Dr. Bao, I miss that you are the former king''s old minister, forgive you for slandering the princess, you go down! If the king does not grant my humble servant''s request, my humble servant does not dare to leave! King Xuan of Qi ordered his palace guards to drag Dafu Bao out of the palace and flog him for fifty years. When King Xuan of Qi returned to the harem, Meiyu took his arm and sobbed, Your Majesty, you must decide for my concubine ...... My concubine has not offended Dr. Bao, why does he want to get rid of my concubine ...... King Xuan of Qi comforted, Meiyu, don''t cry, I have already heavily punished Dr. Bao. Jia N said from the side, The king only whipped Dr. Bao, it wasn''t enough to stop the court officials from slandering our sisters. Mei Yu nodded her head and said, The Great King might as well kill Dr. Bao as a way to make it clear to the daiyoukai in the court that those who slander our sisters as demonesses again will be beheaded and displayed in public. This ...... is not so heavy. King Qi Xuan hesitated. Mei Yu and Jia Nu refused to stop. Mei Yu said, If we don''t kill Dr. Bao, the king shall not be quiet. Jia N also fanned the flames, Your Majesty, these old ministers of theirs are using our sisters as a reason to bully your Majesty for being young, if you don''t kill them, they will still look for an opportunity to bully your Majesty. King Xuan of Qi hated the old ministers bullying his youth, so he made up his mind to kill Dafu Bao as a warning to all the ministers. The killing of Bao Daifu alarmed all the courtiers. The friends of Bao Dafu gathered in Zou Ji''s residence and asked him to think of ways to get rid of those two evil girls. Gao Daifu said to Zou Ji, Xiangguo, now you have to step in, you are an old courtier of the former king, the king dares not kill you. Zou Ji shook his head repeatedly and said, I have already said that the Great King cannot hear my words. You go and find Tian Ji, his words the Great King will surely hear. General Tian has always been at odds with the Sage; if we go to him, can he help? It''s not me he''s helping, it''s Qi. Gao Daifu and the others came to Tian''s house and explained their intention, and Tian Ji said, If you don''t come to me, I will go to see the great king, and as long as I, Tian Ji, am around, the demonesses won''t be able to destroy the state of Qi! Qin Gu said to Tian Ji, Zou Ji, as a prime minister, does not advise the great king, but lets his close friends in the court advise the general to do so; I suspect that he has bad intentions. Regardless of Zou Ji''s intentions, it is the duty of a minister to advise the Great King. The Great King has been mesmerized by those two women, and if the general enters the palace at this time and speaks a little carelessly, he may be in danger of being killed. Tian Ji told Qin Gu that he knew what to say to King Xuan. Tian Ji entered the palace, paid his respects to King Xuan, and before he could speak, King Xuan of Qi said, General Tian has come to persuade me to expel the princess, hasn''t he? If so, don''t blame me for not showing mercy! I''ve already made it clear to the great physicians in the court that whoever mentions this matter again will be beheaded and put on public display. Tian Ji said, I am not here for this matter. That''s good ...... King Xuan of Qi sighed in relief, Some people in the court love to make a fuss, I just took in two princesses, how can they make such a fuss, which of the lords in the world do not have concubines, I am not as good as they are. I am not as good as them. Tian Ji said, It''s not wrong for the king to accept concubines, but it''s wrong for him to feast and play with them all day long and ignore the government. King Xuan of Qi defended, I have not been to court these days, not because of the king consort, but because of my ill health ...... Furthermore, with General Tian and Xiangguo presiding over the dynasty, I am 10,000 percent assured that I don''t want to intervene too much. Tian Ji advanced, The micro minister and Xiangguo cannot replace the Great King. As a king, it is difficult to control the country if you ignore the government for a long time. Many vassals after many years, the reason why the king is not a king is because of this reason ...... Not to mention that at present, Qi is threatened by Wei outside the country, and there is Noble son JiaoShi within the country relying on the border cities to oppose the great king, so how can the great king not ask about the dynasty politics personally? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Noble son JiaoShi is the heart of King Xuan of Qi, Tian Ji''s words he can not refute, King Xuan of Qi very reluctantly agreed to go to court tomorrow. Mei Yu and Jia Niang complained that King Xuan had not kept his word, promising to take them out of the city to hunt tomorrow, but then going to the court, clearly not taking their sisters seriously. King Xuan of Qi explains, I have promised General Tian that if I don''t go to the court, he will come back to trouble me. Jia N''s eyes twinkled as she laughed and said, Your Majesty can send him to attack the border cities, so that he won''t come to trouble Your Majesty. King Xuan of Qi thought Jia N''s idea was good and immediately summoned Tian Ji to the palace. King Xuan of Qi said to Tian Ji, General Tian''s words in the morning reminded me that I must not forget about the external and internal troubles; I order you to lead the Qi army at once to recover the three border cities of Maling, Fan Cheng, and Grange Qiu. Tian Ji asked, Your majesty had promised last time to wait for Mr. Sun''s return before recovering the border cities, why did you change your mind today? You lead your troops to the border cities first, and when Mr. Sun returns, I will immediately order him to rush to the border cities. Your Majesty, it''s hard to win with hasty troops, not to mention that we''re facing a powerful Wei army, it''s better to wait for Mr. Sun''s return before recapturing the border city. At this time, Gongsun Yue was also at the palace, he sneered at Tian Ji from the side, General Tian, is the army of Wei that scary? Tian Ji smiled coldly and said, It''s not Wei''s army that''s scary, it''s Wei''s spies that''s scary, they''re pervasive and can''t be defended against! Gongsun Yue smiled, It is the incompetent ones who attribute their failures to others. Tian Ji said, Although what Gongsun said makes sense, it''s not comprehensive. Incompetent people not only attribute their failures to others, but also use unseemly and lowly schemes to undo their own failures. Gongsun Yue sneered back and said, There is no difference between high and low strategies, if you can win, then it is the best strategy. What Tian Ji and Gongsun Yue said made King Xuan of Qi feel like he was in the clouds, and he asked them, What are you talking about, why can''t I understand? Gongsun Yue said, General Tian suspects that I am a spy of Wei. King Xuan of Qi said to Tian Ji, You don''t know Dafu Gongsun, but Xiangguo Zou knows him; his wife was nearly killed by Pang Juan, and he has an undying grudge against Pang Juan, so how can he be a spy of Wei? General Tian, I know you and Zou Xiangguo long time discord, some things Zou Xiangguo do also indeed ...... sorry you, but things have passed. The Xiangguo has also admitted his fault, so you should no longer hold a grudge against the Zou Xiangguo, and even less should you hold a grudge against the Xiangguo against the Gongsun Dafu. Tian Ji defended, Your Majesty, Xiangguo Zou is also very dissatisfied with what Gongsun Yue has done, and I was asked by Xiangguo Zou and the others to come in to see Your Majesty this morning. King Xuan of Qi wondered, This can''t be, Gongsun Daifu was recommended to me by Zou Xiangguo, how can he be dissatisfied with Gongsun Daifu? If the king does not believe me, he may summon the minister to ask him. Zou Ji was summoned to the palace and met Gongsun Yue, who had been waiting there for a long time, outside the gate of the king''s palace, and he asked Gongsun Yue: Dr. Gongsun Yue, what has the king summoned me for? Gongsun Yue said leisurely, General Tian Ji said that Xiangguo was very dissatisfied with what I had done, and therefore asked him to come into the palace to denounce me. Zou Ji swore with conviction that this was by no means the case, and then, pretending to remember something, said, Oh, perhaps it was a close friend of Dr. Bao who assumed my name; or perhaps it was Tian Ji who intended to separate you and me. Gongsun Yue asks him to explain clearly to Tian Ji in the presence of the king, and at the same time must force Tian Ji to send out troops to recover the border city. Zou Ji was worried that Gongsun Yue would be even more unscrupulous after Tian Ji left Linzi, so he said, Sun Bin hasn''t returned yet, the Great King won''t agree to it ...... Gongsun Yue smiled coldly and said to Zou Ji without any threat: If Tian Ji doesn''t leave, he will sue me in the name of Xiangguo, and once the falsehood becomes true, won''t he force me to the end? In that case, it will do no good to anyone! Zou Ji heard Gongsun Yue''s words and had to agree. Zou Ji explained to Tian Ji in front of King Xuan, General Tian, you are mistaken, how can I ask you to advise the king? If there is advice must enter, I as a prime minister, can personally meet the king, and why entrust you? Tian Ji hated Zou Ji''s words and said, This is what Gao Dafu said to me. Zou Ji said, Gao Daifu and his friends were close friends of Bao Daifu, Bao Daifu was killed, they have a grudge, they had begged me to advise the king, but I didn''t agree to it, that''s why they are looking for you. Maybe because of their admonition heart eager, so under my name, this is also reasonable. This Dafu Gao, stirring up right and wrong, I must punish him heavily. King Xuan of Qi said indignantly. Zou Ji was busy mediating and said, Your Majesty, forget it, Dafu Gao and the others are also well-intentioned, at present Qi has a strong enemy outside the country and rebels inside, they are also anxious, afraid that the king will spoil the princess and delay the affairs of the country. If you order your army to recover the border cities at once, they will not talk about it. King Xuan of Qi thought that what Zou Ji said was reasonable, and again urged Tian Ji to recover the border city immediately. Tian Ji said, If you want to be quick, you can''t do it. It''s better to wait for Sun Bin''s return before making a decision about recovering the border city. Tian Ji''s repeated excuses upset King Xuan of Qi, who asked Tian Ji, General Tian, are you really afraid of the Wei army? Zou Ji said from the side, Your Majesty, General Tian Ji is not afraid of the Wei army, the reason why he wants to wait for Sun Bin to come back is because Sun Bin has defeated Pang Juan repeatedly, and waiting for Sun Bin to come back before attacking the border city is much more certain ...... But then again, Sun Bin is delayed in coming back, and we can''t just sit back and watch Noble son JiaoShi rebel in the border city and not care about it We can''t just sit back and watch Noble son JiaoShi rebel in the border city and not care, right? Moreover, the king''s order has been issued and can''t be taken back, if the ministers disobey the order, how can the king still talk about his majesty? King Xuan of Qi said to Tian Ji, General Tian, what Xiangguo said is reasonable, my king''s order has been issued and can''t be taken back, you quickly lead the army to recover the border city. I ...... obey the order. Tian Ji kowtowed hopelessly. Gongsun Yue heard that Tian Ji had to go out, and happily said to Zou Ji: Still, Xiang Guo has a way! If Tian Ji loses the border city, the military power will no longer belong to him! Zou Ji was afraid that Gongsun Yue would force him to do something harmful to Qi again, so he said to Gongsun Yue, Mr. Gongsun Yue, in the name of the Minister of Qi, I beg you to be merciful, and don''t let Qi perish, okay? Gongsun Yue just smiled and said, No, it won''t happen, Marshal Pang and I just want to get rid of Sun Bin and Tian Ji, and then make Qi a brotherly state of Wei. Qin Gu was worried about the fact that at this time King Xuan of Qi ordered Tian Ji to lead the army to recover the border city, he said to Tian Ji, Recovering the border city at this time is a conspiracy of Gongsun Yue and Zou Ji, once the general is gone, they can do whatever they want even more inside the city of Linzi. I know it is a conspiracy, said Tian Ji helplessly, but the king has ordered it, and I cannot well disobey. Mr.Qin, do you have a good plan to deal with them? The two were worried about not having a good plan, when a servant ran in with great haste, saying, General, it''s back ...... Mr. Sun and Miss Zhong Li are back! The two were overjoyed at the words and immediately went out to greet them. Tian Ji and Sun Bin met each other after a long time, there are a thousand words in their hearts, but they don''t know where to start, and they looked at each other for a long time before Tian Ji choked up and opened his mouth, How come you''re just coming back? I''ve missed you to death ...... Sun Bin also had mixed feelings Sun Bin also had mixed feelings and said, Me too ...... The tears in both of their eyes rolled down almost simultaneously ...... After everyone sat down, Tian Ji told Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun about the beautiful women haunting the king''s palace and Zhong Li Chun said angrily I''ll sneak into the king''s palace tonight and kill these two demon girls! Sun Bin disagreed and said to Zhong Li Chun, Gongsun Yue is in the palace, it''s hard for you to get your hands on him, and even if you do, he will offer the beauties again. The key now is not to kill the beauty, but to find a way to make the Great King lose his way. At this time the servant came to report that Zou Ji was asking for an audience, Tian Ji refused on the spot, saying he didn''t want to listen to his nonsense. Sun Bin advised Tian Ji, It''s better to meet him, knowing the enemy and knowing yourself, you will not be in danger in a hundred battles, you can use this to feel Zou Ji''s bottom. Zou Ji was invited into the living room and Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun temporarily recused themselves in order to block the news of his return. Zou Ji came to see Tian Ji this time to get rid of Gongsun Yue''s control, he said to Tian Ji: Today the king summoned me into the palace, I have no intention to make things difficult for general, I am not in the same boat with Gongsun Yue, and some of his doings, I am not in favor of them either. Tian Ji sneered, That''s not what you said in front of the Great King. Zou Ji sighed and said, The Great King listens to Gongsun Yue because of the beautiful women, I have no choice but to say this ...... General Tian, Gongsun Yue''s heart is not right, we should try to transfer Gongsun Yue out of Linzi, even for a while, he stays by the Great King''s side, it''s too dangerous for the state of Qi! I have no way to transfer him out of Linzi. I have a way, report to the Great King and ask Gongsun Yue to be the Supervisor and accompany the General to attack the border cities. The Supervisor is sent by the Great King, he can restrain me at every turn. When the general is outside, the king''s orders can be disobeyed, back when Sima Rang Tho was a general, he once beheaded the supervisor because he was overdue, so the great general can be completely free from Gongsun Yue''s constraints. Qin Gu said from the side, What the Sanggu means is that he wants to borrow the general''s hand to get rid of Gongsun Yue? You can say ...... that, Zou Ji nodded. And then through the beautiful women in the palace, get rid of us? Zou Ji swore with conviction and said, Great General, what I said tonight, in no way fraudulent, completely for the sake of Qi, Great General if you do not believe, I can set up a word for evidence! Tian Ji did not want to agree, but thought that this could make Gongsun Yue leave the palace, and help to persuade the king of Qi, so he said to Zou Ji: Since Xiangguo is so sincere, I will believe you once. Note: The The Stratagem of the Beautiful Woman is the thirty-first of the Thirty-six Stratagems, which was first published in the ancient art of war called Six Towers (legend has it that it was made by Jiang Taigong). The meaning of beauty trick is to utilize beautiful women to achieve one''s purpose. Gongsun Yue utilized the Beauty Trick to become a close minister of the King of Qi and the King of Qi did everything he said and obeyed him, putting Tian Ji and Sun Bin in a very passive position. To know how Sun Bin dealt with Gongsun Yue''s beauty trick, please read next time: Turn the Guest into the Host. The Twenty-Third: Turn the Guest into the Host Zou Ji came out of Tian Ji''s house and went in to see King Xuan of Qi that night. He said to King Xuan, General Tian seems to be reluctant to go on this expedition, and I am worried that General Tian is just doing it for show. As a precautionary measure, the king may send Dafu Gongsun as a supervisor to accompany General Tian on the expedition and supervise him. King Xuan said, General Tian and Dafu Gongsun have mutual prejudices, so it is not appropriate for Dafu Gongsun to be the supervisor, is it? Zou Ji said, It is precisely because they have mutual prejudices that neither of them, no matter who they are, would dare to conceal themselves from the Great King. King Xuan thought that Zou Ji''s words were reasonable, and ordered Gongsun Yue to be the supervisor and accompany the army to the battlefield. The hesitant Gongsun Yue came to Tian Ji''s tent, and after he saluted him, he laughed, General Tian, I didn''t expect it, did I, that the Great King sent me to be your supervisor. It must be Zou Ji who recommended you, right? Tian Ji smiled faintly. Gongsun Yue didn''t answer, he smiled as he sat on the mat cushion and absently said to Tian Ji, Does General Tian know the power of an overseer? Every soldier knows. Tian Ji said impatiently. In that case, I would like to know General Tian''s battle plan for recovering the border cities. That''s not too much to ask, is it? Tian Ji said, I haven''t thought about it yet. The army has already assembled, it''s impossible for Great General to have not thought of it. Gongsun Yue sneered. This expedition was too hasty, it''s only natural that I haven''t thought it through. What the general said seems to be very reasonable ...... Gongsun Yue said and stood up, I do not force you, when you think well, when to tell me. Please General arrange a tent for me, I will wait for you in mine. After Gongsun Yue left the palace, Sun Bin planned to have Zhong Li Chun disguise himself as a servant and enter the palace to look for an opportunity to persuade King Xuan, he purposely took a fortune for this purpose. In the living room of Tian Ji''s mansion, Sun Bin was sitting on a seat, holding a handful of yarrow for divination, in front of him there was a four-sided wooden plate, in which yarrow was arranged in two trigrams: the left one was Gradual trigram, the right one was Compulsion trigram. Tian Ji sat next to Sun Bin and stared at the wooden disk. Sun Bin changed one yarrow at the bottom of gradual trigram, the first six lines changed to yang, the trigram changed to family, and then changed continuously, family changed to small animal, and small animal changed to small animal. Small Animal, Small Animal into Zhongfu, Zhongfu and then change Crawl, Crawl then Partition. When Sun Bin put down all the yarrow in his hands, looking at the trigram disk, like self-talk, but also like to Tian Ji murmured: The geese fly down on the high mausoleum, although there are nine three and six four block, nine five, six two love, love birds even if a moment to be broken up, and ultimately will be reunited....... The ending of the auspicious, Zhong Li Chun can be in the palace. But ...... this hexagram is an anticlimax, if the king looks at the Zhong Li girl ...... Tian Ji looked at Sun Bin worriedly, Why don''t we change the woman. There isn''t a second woman who can take on such a heavy responsibility. There was a silence. At night, Sun Bin found Zhong Li Chun and explained his idea to her. Zhong Li Chun''s face sank and she said in a resolute tone, Don''t say any more, I won''t go even if you tell me to break the sky. It''s okay for me to kill people, it''s not okay for me to persuade people, and it''s even worse for me to persuade the King of Qi. Sun Bin repeatedly reasoned with her, but Zhong Li Chun just wouldn''t agree. Sun Bin had no choice but to kneel down for Zhong Li Chun, Zhong Li Chun was heartbroken for his leg and backed down, agreeing to go to the palace but with one condition, to dress up as an ugly woman to go to the palace. How can that be, ugly women can''t enter the king''s palace. Sun Bin disagreed. Zhong Li Chun said, I have my own way to enter the palace. Even if an ugly girl enters the palace, she can''t get close to the Great King. I have a way to get close to the Great King. Even if you get close to the Great King, the words of the ugly girl will not be listened to by the Great King. Zhong Li Chun huffed a bit and said, According to you, I have to dress up beautifully and then the Great King sees me at a glance and accepts me as his consort. Sun Bin was stunned and mumbled, How can this ...... be ...... Zhong Li Chun snorted coldly and said, How wouldn''t it? Since the Great King is horny, he''s bound to want to take possession of a beautiful woman when he sees one. Sun Bin was speechless for a moment, then asked, But ...... if you dress up as an ugly woman and the Great King doesn''t even want to see you, how will you persuade the Great King? As I said, I have a way. Zhong Li Chun dressed herself up in a strangely ugly manner, called herself a saltless woman, and applied for a job as a maid at the king''s palace. The state temple people who were in charge of managing the chores of the king''s palace disliked her ugliness and refused to accept her. Zhong Li Chun said, The royal palace recruits servants, not princesses, as long as they can work, what''s the harm in looking beautiful or ugly? The king''s temple man yelled, The palace is the place where the king lives, and all women, whether they are princesses or servants, must be beautiful to make the king feel comfortable. If I take in an ugly woman like you, the Great King will be disgusted at first sight and blame it on me, I can''t afford it. Zhong Li Chun cried and pestered Guo Ji Man, saying that she would not go home until she saw the king. The state temple was pestered and promised to give the king a word. King Xuan of Qi was playing chess with Mei Yu and Jia Nu, and when he heard that the ugly girl from Wushan wanted to see him, he impatiently said to Guo Si Ren, Guo Si Ren, why bother me with such a trivial matter, aren''t you getting more and more confused as an official? Is it possible that all the decent people in the world can see me? Get rid of that ugly woman! Mei Yu suddenly had a whim that she had to see the ugly woman, she wanted to see how ugly she really was. The state temple people brought Zhong Li Chun to King Qi Xuan, who looked at Zhong Li Chun for a few moments and couldn''t help but laugh out loud, It''s really ugly enough. If I were that ugly, I would have run headlong into the ground. Mei Yu also tsked and laughed. Jia N was original and said, If I were an ugly girl, I would accompany sister Meiyu at all times, an ugly girl accompanying a beautiful girl would better reveal sister''s beauty. Meiyu thought that an ugly girl with a beautiful girl was really interesting, so she asked King Xuan to keep Zhongli Chun in the palace. King Xuan couldn''t help but agree. When Zhong Li Chun was leaving the palace, he turned around in a way that looked familiar to King Xuan, and he called out to Zhong Li Chun and looked at her for a moment, but he could not remember where he had seen her before. Zhong Li Chun had once saved King Xuan of Qi in the Suburban Master''s Mansion, although she was disguised as a palace guard at that time, but after all, she had a one-sided acquaintance with King Xuan of Qi, so Zhong Li Chun turned around again with caution. Qin Gu was worried about Zhong Li Chun entering the palace, he said to Sun Bin: Mr. Sun, Zhong Li Chun entering the palace is a risky enough move ...... I have a premonition that Zhong Li Chun will be the master of the king''s palace, I''ve taken a divination for this and that''s what the divination said. Sun Bin also secretly worried when he heard Qin Gu''s words, but on his face he pretended to be unconcerned and said, Mr.Qin is overthinking it, the king can''t even look at an ugly girl. On this day, Zhong Li Chun was cleaning the palace courtyard when King Xuan of Qi passed by with Meiyu, Jia Nu and many court ladies returning from a trip. Zhong Li Chun put down the broom in her hand and raised her eyes and showed her teeth to the King of Qi. King Xuan of Qi couldn''t help but stop and look at Zhong Li Chun curiously. Mei Yu frowned slightly and said to Zhong Li Chun, Ugly girl, you''re even uglier when you look like this, stop it. Zhong Li Chun stops raising her eyes and showing her teeth and raises her hand repeatedly, then taps her wrist and says to King Qi Xuan, Dangerous, isn''t it? Dangerous, isn''t it? Meiyu said to her, Ugly girl, what''s wrong with you today, you don''t look good like this either. King Xuan of Qi laughed and joked to Zhong Li Chun, Ugly girl, are you trying to amuse me and make me like you? Bitchy girl has no such intention at all. Zhong Li Chun replied indifferently. Then why are you doing these odd maneuvers? Other people say that the Great King is smart, I want to use this to test the Great King ...... May I ask the Great King, what is the meaning of the Bitch Girl''s movements just now? Well ...... I didn''t pay attention, you do it again for me. Zhong Li Chun once again raised his eyes and showed his teeth, then repeatedly raised his hand, tapped his wrist, and asked, Dangerous, right? Dangerous, right? King Qi Xuan thought for a moment and said, I don''t know. Turning to Jia N, he asked, Jia N, do you know? Jia Nui shook her head. King Xuan of Qi then asked Meiyu, Meiyu, what about you? Meiyu said disdainfully, Your Majesty, these strange movements of hers don''t mean anything at all, she just wants to use them to get close to Your Majesty. Jia N thoughtfully said, No, these movements of the ugly woman are interesting. King Xuan of Qi pondered for a moment and said to Zhong Li Chun, Ugly Lady, what exactly do you mean by these movements? Zhong Li Chun intentionally sold out and said, Your Majesty is so smart that you were even quizzed by the cheap girl. King Xuan of Qi laughed coldly: Don''t be complacent, you can''t test me with these two tricks. Zhong Li Chun said, Within three days, can you tell me the answer? King Xuan of Qi laughed, It won''t take three days, tomorrow at the latest, I will tell you the answer. At the end of the night, except for the palace guards on night duty, most of the people in the palace went to sleep. King Xuan of Qi still did not come up with an answer, he sat on the mat like a demon, and over and over again, he followed Zhong Li Chun''s example, raising his eyes, showing his teeth, raising his hand again and again, and then tapping his wrist, saying to himself, Dangerous, isn''t it? Dangerous, right? Mei Yu walks over to King Xuan of Qi and urges the King to say, Great King, go to sleep. King Xuan of Qi ignores her and raises his eyes again, showing his teeth. Jia N walked over to King Xuan and said, Your Majesty, I suspect that the ugly girl is a witch. King Xuan of Qi was stunned, stopped moving, and asked, Why do you think so? The Beautiful Lady said, Those movements of hers are witchcraft, that''s why the Great King is wasted, like a demon. King Xuan of Qi shook his head and said, I asked Tai Shi during the day and he said that it wasn''t sorcery, it was cryptic. Mei Yu asked, The Great King didn''t ask Taishi what these cryptic words meant? King Xuan of Qi said, Taishi couldn''t say either. Mei Yu said with hatred, This damn ugly woman, I will drive her away tomorrow! You can''t drive her away, if you drive the ugly girl away, King Xuan of Qi said, She must have underestimated me, thinking that I couldn''t come up with an answer to drive her away. Tonight, even if I don''t sleep, I will think of the answer. Jia N thought for a moment and said, Your Majesty, I have an idea that will enable you to get the answer without having to think hard about it. King Xuan of Qi asked her what idea she had, and Jia N replied, Tomorrow, the king can go to the court and use the ugly woman''s cryptic words to test the Dafus in the court, and if they get the answer right, they will be given a heavy prize, and then the king can use their answer to answer the ugly woman again. What if the Dafus in the court can''t answer either? Mei Yu asked. Jia N laughed, If they all can''t answer, the Great King will be able to plug their mouths with this, so that they don''t think they are right and talk about what the Great King is doing at every turn. King Xuan of Qi nodded his head and praised it as a good idea. The next day, King Xuan of Qi went to the court on time, and said to the Dafus in the hall, I was not feeling well the other day, and was not able to go to the court, and I have heard that some people have quite a lot to say about this ...... Here, he swept the crowd, I don''t want to pursue this matter, I just want to take a test. This matter, I just want to test all of you here, if you answer what I asked, I reward a hundred taels of gold; if you can''t answer, don''t think you''re right in the future, and judge me at every turn for what I''ve done. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.Gao Daifu said, Your Majesty, if my humble servant answers, my humble servant does not want a hundred taels of gold. King Xuan of Qi asked, What do you want? Gao Daifu said, I ask the king to allow the microscopic minister to speak his mind to the king without blame. King Xuan of Qi granted his request. King Xuan of Qi made the Dafus look at him, then raised his eyes, showed his teeth, raised his hand again and again, tapped his wrist, and said to the crowd, Dangerous, isn''t it? Dangerous? When he was finished, King Xuan asked the crowd, These actions of mine are cryptic, do any of you know the meaning of this cryptic? The Dafus did not know how to answer. What, is there not a single smart person in the court? King Xuan of Qi looked at the crowd. The crowd was silent. King Xuan of Qi said directly to Dafu Gao, Dafu Gao, don''t you want my reward very much, why don''t you say anything? Gao Daifu thought for a moment and said, Although I want to be rewarded by the Great King, I don''t know if I understand the cryptic language correctly. There is no harm in not being right, speak. To raise one''s eyes means to see far; to show one''s teeth means to speak loudly; to raise one''s hand again and again means to have great strength; to tap one''s wrist means to be able to do things for others; to shout ''danger'' means to be cautious in doing things. After retiring from the court, King Xuan of Qi told Zhong Li Chun the explanation made by Dafu Gao. This interpretation is not correct. Zhong Li Chun shook his head and continued, To raise the hand means to take the place of the king in observing the change of the beacon fire, and that there will be war in the country; to show the teeth means to take the place of the king in opening the mouths of the ministers, so that they will dare to criticize; to raise the hand means to repel the treacherous and sycophantic, and to recommend the virtuous to be the ministers; and to slap the wrist means to take the place of the king in tearing down the platform of amusement and drinking in honor of the winds of thrift and frugality. King Xuan of Qi thoughtfully asked, Then ...... what does danger mean? Zhong Li Chun said with a straight face, The country is about to have a war, but turn a blind eye to it, dangerous or not? The ministers are only concerned about their own safety, and do not dare to criticize directly, is it dangerous? Is it dangerous to have sycophants in power and not to have good ministers? Is it dangerous to indulge in fun and feasts without honoring thrift and frugality? Your Majesty, it''s dangerous! King Xuan of Qi suddenly felt that this ugly woman is not ordinary, staring at her and asked, You ...... are really who? Zhong Li Chun hurriedly hung her head and answered in a low voice, A saltless woman. King Xuan returned to the court and repeated Zhong Li Chun''s explanation of the cryptic language in front of the Dafus. The Dafus praised it and said that the explanation was simply a good strategy for governing the country, it was wonderful! Gao Daifu bowed to King Xuan of Qi and said, Your Majesty, to be honest, some days ago, I saw that the king did not care about the dynasty, and was with his two royal concubines day and night ...... He realized that he had slipped his tongue, and immediately kowtowed, Your Majesty , the microscopic minister should be damned and should not have mentioned the royal consorts. King Xuan of Qi at this time consciously in front of all the ministers to raise eyebrows, the heart is happy, then did not count, let him continue to say. Gao Daifu face with excitement, continued: I thought that the king thought no great wisdom, chest no big plan ...... Today, the world, the vassals contend for supremacy, do not think of progress, will be destroyed by the strong, I am deeply worried about the state of Qi ...... Today, listening to the king''s words, my heart is clear. Today, listening to the words of the king, I have a clear mind, so the king is such a smart person, as long as the king will put this smart into action, the state of Qi why worry about not hegemony! King Xuan of Qi was infected by the words of Gao Daifu, frankly said, Gao Daifu some words, said I am very ashamed ...... pause for a moment, he continued to say, Do you know, this cryptic language, is the interpretation of the person? The crowd looked at King Xuan of Qi in great confusion. Wasn''t it you, Great King? Gao Daifu asked. No ...... King Xuan of Qi shook his head, It was a woman, a very ...... usual woman... ... What the king said, is it true? Gao Daifu could hardly believe it. King Xuan of Qi said seriously, As the head of a country, how can I lie? Where is this woman? Right here in my palace. Is it a royal concubine? King Xuan of Qi did not answer. Gao Daifu said, If it is a king''s consort, the king should have crowned her queen; hasn''t the king not crowned a queen yet? King Xuan of Qi shook his head and said, She is not a king consort, she is a servant who does rough work ...... Another Dafu said, Your Majesty, how can such an intelligent woman be made a servant? She should be made the king''s consort, no, the queen! Gao Daifu nodded his head and said, Your Majesty, if you have such a queen to assist your king, Qi will surely dominate the lords! But ...... King Xuan of Qi hesitated for a moment and said in a difficult manner, But this woman is ...... a bit ugly looking ...... Gao Daifu said, The queen of the king should be the internal master of the palace affairs, and external knowledge of the country''s safety and security, should be an intelligent person, looks are only secondary. The next Dafu added: In the palace of the king, there are many beautiful princesses and courtesans, and there is no shortage of people who compete for favor, if there is no intelligent woman in charge of the harem, the king will have no peace. Still hesitant, King Xuan of Qi asked Zou Ji, who hadn''t said a word: Zou Xiangguo, what do you think? Zou Ji did not want to let the beautiful woman Gongsun Yue gave to the king do whatever he wanted either, and he responded, What Dr. Gao and the others have said makes sense; the queen should be an intelligent person, and her looks are only secondary. King Xuan of Qi finally made up his mind and made Zhong Li Chun the queen. King Xuan of Qi''s decision left Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun dumbfounded! They were panicked and didn''t know what to do. Are they going to lose all the years of love between them? Zhong Li Chun was extremely reluctant since she was in a hurry, Mr. Sun, quickly think of a way ...... she said to Sun Bin, If there''s really no way, I''ll have to leave the king''s palace. Sun Bin paced back and forth a few steps, shaking his head, No, if you leave the king''s palace, we will have given up all our previous efforts. How about ...... we just tell the Great King the truth. Even less, deceiving the Great King, not only will we be unable to escape justice, but General Tian''s family will also be implicated by us. Zhong Li Chun said impatiently, This won''t work, that won''t work, is it only possible if I marry the Great King? Sun Bin didn''t know how to answer. Sir, speak up! Zhong Li Chun urged. Sun Bin was in a dilemma, and after a long time, he spoke with difficulty, Maybe this is fate ...... Heaven''s fate is hard to disobey, only if I marry the Great King ...... When you become queen, you can take Gongsun Yue''s beautiful woman ...... Before hearing him finish, Zhong Li Chun raised his hand and slapped Sun Bin in the face, roaring in anger: Sun Bin, did you have this in mind long ago and deliberately let me drill your trap? I could tell long ago that you didn''t want me and wanted to get rid of me! Sun Bin couldn''t wait to rip out his heart and show it to Zhong Li Chun, he said to Zhong Li Chun, Zhong Li Chun, I would never do this even if I were to die! For so many years we''ve lived and died together, in times of trouble, I love you from the bottom of my heart ...... Tears turned in Zhong Li Chun''s eyes as she grunted and asked, Then why did you delay marrying me? If you had married me earlier, I wouldn''t have gone on to become some bullshit queen! Zhong Li Chun, don''t I want to marry you? Sun Bin said from the bottom of his heart. It was Pang Juan who caused us to be uprooted, not even a little bit of peace and quiet, and I didn''t have the chance to marry you ...... I had planned to return to Qi this time, and as soon as we settled down, we''d do the marriage, but, I didn''t expect to run into this... ... Tears wept from Zhong Li Chun''s eyes as she hugged Sun Bin and cried, Sir, I can''t live without you, I can''t ...... Sun Bin''s cheeks were also covered in teardrops, he gently stroked Zhong Li Chun''s shoulder and murmured, I can''t live without you either ...... But, seeing our homeland, being messed up like this by Gongsun Yue, and those two damned demonic women, I can''t think of any other way... ...For you and me, such an ending is the last thing we want to see......But for Qi, for General Tian, and for the subjects and people who want Qi to be strong, this ending......should be said to be the best. ...... is the best. ...... An intelligent queen is enough to subdue the lecherous demoness, free the king from evil entanglements, alienate the treats and sycophants, and get close to the wise and virtuous, so as to revitalize the state of Qi ... ...Zhong Li Chun, I don''t force you, and I don''t want to force you, you see to it ......If, in your opinion, our marriage is more important than the state of Qi, than the people of Qi, than General Tian, Mr.Qin, who are all friends of the liver, I''ll follow you to a place where there are no people, to live our own life ...... Outside the window was a serene night sky with a bright full moon hanging high in the night sky. Zhong Li Chun was silent for a long time. On the day the queen was crowned, King Qi Xuan and his royal concubines all gathered in the harem, waiting for Zhong Li Chun, who was dressed. With a scornful look on her face, Mei Yu whispered to Jia Daughter, An ugly girl as a queen, a wonder of the world. Jia Daughter whispered in agreement, There will be times for her to cry in the future. Although King Xuan of Qi favored Meiyu and Jia Nu, he did not want them to talk about the newly appointed queen in public, especially not to talk about the queen being ugly! Having an ugly queen was already a hidden sickness in King Qi Xuan''s heart, and he turned his head to stop Meiyu and Jia Niang''s comments with a look. Great King. A soft and somewhat familiar voice came, King Xuan of Qi turned his head back to look ahead, and he suddenly froze. Zhong Li Chun, dressed in the queen''s full regalia, came down to the harem hall accompanied by two palace maids, and for the first time, she revealed her true face of radiance and grace. King Xuan of Qi was stunned! Mei Yu and Jia Nu were also stunned! The concubines present were all stunned! Zhong Li Chun slowly stepped in front of King Xuan of Qi, saluted, and said softly, Greetings, Your Majesty. King Xuan of Qi sized up Zhong Li Chun for a long time and sighed, Queen, I didn''t expect you to be so beautiful ...... Then King Xuan of Qi praised in a loud voice, This is my queen, the queen of Qi! King Xuan of Qi held Zhong Li Chun''s hand, walked to the front of the king''s consorts, and said in a loud voice to all the concubines and courtesans present, From now on, the harem up and down, everything must obey the queen''s orders, if there are those who disobeyed the orders, the queen can be disposed of as she pleases! Note: Turn the Guest into the Host is the thirty-third plan in the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The meaning of the plan is: from guest to master, strive for the initiative. Sun Bin in order to break the beauty plan, sent Zhong Li Chun into the palace to persuade the King of Qi with cryptic words, the King of Qi recognized Zhong Li Chun''s intelligence and wanted to appoint Zhong Li Chun as the queen, Sun Bin gave up his personal feelings for the country and persuaded Zhong Li Chun to become the master of the palace, turning passive into active. To know how Zhong Li Chun dealt with the beauty that haunts the palace, please read the next installment: Pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree. The Twenty-Fourth Time Pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree At night, in the harem chamber, King Xuan of Qi looked at Zhong Li Chun repeatedly under the candlelight, and the more he looked at her, the more beautiful she became. He asked Zhong Li Chun curiously, Your Highness, if you are so beautiful, why did you disguise yourself as an ugly girl to enter the palace? Since Zhong Li Chun could not reveal her true thoughts, she said, There are so many beautiful women in the palace of the great king, if my concubine did not dress up as an ugly woman, could I attract the attention of the great king? Because of dressing up as an ugly woman, the Queen almost couldn''t enter the King''s palace, thanks to Mei Yu leaving the Queen behind. I will not forget Princess Mei''s kindness. Zhong Li Chun smiled faintly. I am also very fond of Mei Yu and Jia Nu, King Xuan of Qi said, glancing at Zhong Li Chun and tentatively asking, I hope that the Queen treats them like sisters, is that okay? It is possible. Zhong Li Chun said perfunctorily. King Xuan of Qi asked Zhong Li Chun to take a rest with her clothes wide open, Zhong Li Chun said that she had a request, she said to King Xuan of Qi, I hope that the Great King will take the governance of the country as the most urgent task, and select the virtuous and capable as the first major event, and no longer crave for comfort and indulge in the beauty of the inner palace ....... King Xuan of Qi replied casually and then urged her to rest again. Zhong Li Chun said that she had not finished her words and King Xuan of Qi asked her what else she had to do. Zhong Li Chun said, Before the king revitalizes the state of Qi, he cannot use my concubine''s body for the time being ...... Why is that? King Xuan of Qi said, Is the Queen worried that I will once again delay the state affairs because I am enamored of the Queen''s beauty? Zhong Li Chun shook her head, then asked, Has Your Majesty heard of the story of King Goujian of Yue lying on his back, destroying Wu and restoring his country? I''ve heard of it, King Goujian of Yue lied down on firewood and grass at night and tasted bitter guts in the day in order to destroy Wu and restore the country, if I were in Goujian''s situation, I could also do the same. The most valuable thing about the king of Yue is not lying down on firewood and tasting gall. The state of Yue had the stunning beauty Xi Shi, the king of Yue could have kept her by his side, but the king of Yue did not, he gave the beautiful Xi Shi to the king of Wu ...... The king of Yue restrained his desire so much, and devoted all his energy to the affairs of the state, can the state of Yue not be revived? King Xuan of Qi was pondering. Zhong Li Chun continued, The reason why my concubine begged the Great King not to accept my concubine''s body for the time being is that I want to show my determination to revitalize the state of Qi, not only for the Great King, but also for my concubine ...... She looked at King Xuan of Qi, Great King, when the Qi state is When the state of Qi is revitalized, can we then enjoy our conjugal pleasures to the fullest? King Xuan of Qi was pleased, Queen, it is rare that you have such good intentions for the sake of my country, I promise you. Zhong Li Chun was relieved and said, Also, some days ago, the king accumulated too many zhang books, until these zhang books are dealt with, the king should not go to the concubines'' place to spend the night for the time being, okay? King Xuan of Qi laughed, Don''t worry, Your Highness, if you can be so hard on yourself to revitalize my country, why can''t I, as the head of a country? King Xuan of Qi heeded Zhong Li Chun''s advice and was diligent in his court affairs by focusing on state affairs. He said to the Dafus in the court, I will give heavy rewards to those who offend my face and point out my mistakes; I will measure the talents of those who are talented; and I will honor those who recommend the virtuous as my guests. Sun Bin came into the palace to see King Xuan of Qi, King Xuan of Qi was so pleased that he immediately appointed Sun Bin as the military advisor and listened to Sun Bin''s advice, ordering Tian Ji to withdraw his troops and recover the border cities when the time is ripe. Gongsun Yue, who accompanied the army, didn''t know about the change in the palace, he didn''t believe King Xuan agreed to withdraw the army. When Tian Ji took out a personal letter from King Xuan, Gongs Yueun suspected that the letter was forged and wanted to ride back to Linzi to find out the truth. Tian Ji said to him, If Mr. Gongsun leaves the barracks without authorization, this general can also punish you severely according to the military law! Gongsun Yue sneered, I am a supervisor sent by the Great King, and my actions represent the Great King; you have no authority to dispose of me. Tian Ji also responded with a cold smile, Back then, Sima Rang Tho had disposed of the late king''s supervisors for the crime of failing to exceed the time limit. Gongsun Yue knew that Tian Ji was not just talking, he was outnumbered in the military camp, and was afraid that Tian Ji would take the opportunity to get rid of himself, so he sneered at Tian Ji and said, Although General Tian is not good at fighting, I didn''t expect to play with power, and there is still a set of ...... good, I''ll just let you be complacent for a few days for the time being. Afterward, Tian Guo said to Tian Ji, Great General, why don''t you take advantage of this to finish him off. Tian Ji said, We can''t be too hasty, the military division has a letter telling us to stall him first, and then go back and design to get rid of him. King Xuan of Qi was busy reviewing the zhang book in the evening, and was cold to Meiyu. At night, Mei Yu came to see King Xuan of Qi and said resentfully, Your Majesty has a queen and has forgotten about my concubine. King Xuan of Qi smiled and embraced Meiyu in his arms, he pointed to the piles of pamphlets in front of him and said, There are so many pamphlets that need to be dealt with in the past few days, and I don''t have the time to deal with them. Mei Yu picked up a volume of brief albums and flipped through them, as if casually asking, The Queen of Kings, she ...... does she satisfy the Great King? King Xuan of Qi nodded his head and said, Of course I am satisfied, the queen is in charge of the harem and is well organized, she spurs me on at all times to revitalize the Qi state, I am satisfied with such a queen. Mei Yu''s face reveals an embarrassed look and says, My concubine means that the queen serves the great king at night ...... King Xuan of Qi pondered for a moment and did not speak. The queen looks so beautiful, she serves the great king, must satisfy the great king more than my concubine ...... Her mind is not on that ...... King Xuan of Qi sighed softly and said, Her mind is all on assisting me and revitalizing the state of Qi ...... Mei Yu intentionally provoked: Such a wise queen is really rare ...... However, then again, the great king is a man, a man without a woman''s ...... companionship will never be physically or mentally pleasant ...... Great King, my concubine will go to the Queen and talk to her about this. King Xuan of Qi did not let her go to the queen and let her stay with him for the night. Meiyu let out a sigh and said, I wouldn''t dare to do that, I''m afraid that the queen will see it and resent me. ...... However, if the king goes to my residence and the queen doesn''t see it, her heart won''t be confused... ... She looked at King Qi Xuan and deliberately said, Forget it, just take it as if I didn''t say it, I can''t afford to delay your majesty''s political affairs ...... After Mei Yu finished speaking, she twisted her delicate body and walked away. King Xuan of Qi looked at Meiyu''s figure and could hardly hold himself, saying to himself, The next one will not be an example. Saying this, he stood up and followed him out. King Xuan of Qi relived his tender dreams on Mei Yu''s sleeping couch. Mei Yu hugged King Xuan of Qi tightly and said, King, can you sleep beside my concubine every day? King Xuan of Qi said, I have to deal with many affairs of state, it is impossible to have fun with your favorite concubine every night. Meiyu still pestered King Qi Xuan and said, As long as the Great King is not dealing with state affairs at night, come to my concubine, okay? King Xuan of Qi nodded his head in agreement, and then held Mei Yu tightly in his arms. Afterwards, Mei Yu said to Jia N disdainfully, I had thought that the saltless woman had such high means, but I didn''t realize that she couldn''t pleasure men at all, and no matter how beautiful a woman who can''t pleasure men looks, men won''t stay with her. Zhong Li Chun learned that King Qi Xuan had gone to Meiyu''s place to spend the night, and chided King Qi Xuan, saying, My lord, have you forgotten your oath to revitalize Qi? King Xuan of Qi coughed lightly and said, No. Then why did the Great King travel to Princess Mei''s place to spend the night before he had finished dealing with the Sentence Book? Princess Mei is not feeling well and I went to visit her. Zhong Li Chun said sensibly, Your Majesty, male pleasure and female love are commonplace, I only dare to be harsh on myself, I dare not be harsh on Your Majesty, but we have a word in advance, state affairs come first, pleasure comes second. If we don''t keep our word, how can Qi be revitalized? Your Highness, this will not happen again, okay? The Great King is the head of the country, the Great King has the final say. In the harem, it''s still the Queen''s call. Since the Great King says so, I will make three rules of engagement for the concubines in the palace. The next morning, Zhong Li Chun gathered the concubines in the palace and said to them, Nowadays in Qi, there is a strong enemy outside and a rebellion within, in order to make the Great King concentrate on the affairs of the dynasty, this Queen has three rules for the concubines in the harem: Firstly, the Great King shall not be interfered with during the night if the Great King has any zhengzhu () to be approved; secondly, the Great King shall not be stayed overnight when the Great King is tired; thirdly, if the Great King stays overnight, it shall not delay the Great King''s early morning court. Thirdly, if you stay overnight, you shall not delay the king''s morning court. If there is any violation of the law, the palace law will be dealt with and severely punished. Do you understand? If the Great King hasn''t finished approving his pamphlets but has to spend the night in my concubine''s room, what will my concubine do? A concubine asked knowingly. Persuade the Great King to go back. Zhong Li Chun calmly said. What if the Great King doesn''t listen? Send someone to tell this Empress, and this Empress will persuade the Great King to go back. What if the Great King does not listen to the Queen either? The Great King is a wise ruler, knowing the reason for the prosperity of the country and moving to strengthen the country, the Great King will not not listen. Another concubine, intending to make things difficult for Zhong Li Chun, asked, If the Great King forces his concubines to violate the Queen''s covenant, who should the Queen dispose of? Zhong Li Chun said, The Great King is true to his word, the Great King has favored the three rules of the covenant, the Great King will not break his promise. The concubine said, The Great King is a man, and a man cannot be separated from a woman, if the women around the Great King will not serve the Great King, the Great King will find it difficult to serve himself and violate the Queen''s covenant law ...... If this is the case, what should the Queen dispose of? Zhong Li Chun''s face sank and said, Don''t worry about it, I have my own way. Mei Yu didn''t give Zhong Li Chun''s covenant a second thought as she said to Jia N, I''m going to go find the Great King tonight, let''s see what she dares to do to me! Jia N advised, Sister had better not confront the Queen directly, she is after all the head of the Harem, and if there is a stalemate, the Great King will not be able to speak up for sister. Mei Yu coldly smiled and said, I don''t directly confront her ...... I want the great king to come to me, see what she dares to do to me? In the evening, Jia Nu was entrusted by Meiyu to see King Xuan of Qi, who was reviewing the zheng book, Jia Nu said, Meiyu would have liked to come to see the Great King with my concubine, but ...... she swallowed back the latter words. King Xuan of Qi put down the pen in his hand and asked, Is she also afraid of the Three Rules of the Covenant? Jia N shook her head and said, No, she is sick. King Xuan of Qi''s heart stirred and asked with concern, Did you ask the Imperial Dafu to look at her? The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.No need to ask the eunuch, she is thinking about the king, she does not see the king for a day, she can not eat or sleep ...... a woman can not eat or sleep and still can not be sick? Jia N sneaked a look at King Qi Xuan and continued, If the Great King can stay at her place for a night tonight, her illness will naturally get better. I still have so many preaching books that I haven''t approved, how can I leave ...... King Qi Xuan was in a difficult situation. Your majesty don''t be difficult, I''ll go back and tell Meiyu to wait for two more days ...... Jia N sighed, Meiyu is also really, she is too infatuated with your majesty, and people being infatuated is a disease... ... Jia female so say, Qi Xuan Wang can no longer sit down, he put down the zhang book to visit the beauty of the jade. As soon as she saw King Xuan coming, she jumped into his arms. King Xuan of Qi asked with concern, Mei Yu, how is your illness? Your Majesty, my concubine''s illness was caused by missing the Great King, and as soon as the Great King came, my concubine''s illness was cured. Mei Yu said, pulling King Qi Xuan''s hand to the sleeping couch and sat down, Great King, tonight my concubine will definitely make Great King extra satisfied. King Xuan of Qi said, Mei Yu, I can''t sleep here with you tonight, I''ll sit with you for a while and then go back, there are still a lot of zhengzhi waiting for me to approve. Mei Yu hugged King Xuan tightly and said, There is still tomorrow, it is not too late for the Great King to approve them tomorrow. What is done today must be done today, otherwise, how can the country be revitalized? Mei Yu let go of King Xuan of Qi, purposely put on airs and said, Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty is afraid of the Queen, if that is the case, I will never make things difficult for Your Majesty, I will zoom the King back. King Xuan of Qi was displeased in his heart and said, I am the head of a country, how could I be afraid of her? The Queen''s covenant, the Great King obviously likes my concubine, yet he dares not stay in my concubine for the night, what is it if he is not afraid? This is not fear on my part, this is upholding the majesty of the Queen. Mei Yu pouted her lips unhappily, The great king only cares about the majesty of the queen, but doesn''t care about my concubine''s affection, if my concubine doesn''t have the great king''s favor, she has no taste in her food, no sleep in her sleep, and no fun in her life....... Forget it, it''s no use to say all this to the great king, who has an endless number of concubines, and such a beautiful queen. It doesn t matter whether there is a beautiful jade or not ...... Great King, you go ...... King Xuan of Qi looked at Mei Yu speechlessly. Mei Yu looked at King Xuan and said, Your Majesty, let''s go, the Queen doesn''t let Your Majesty spend the night at the concubines because she wants to keep Your Majesty by her side ...... The Queen needs Your Majesty too ...... Hearing this, King Qi Xuan''s eyes flashed with lust, No, she doesn''t need it, no ...... He said picking up Mei Yu and putting her down on the sleeping couch ...... The morning sun was already high, King Xuan of Qi and Meiyu were still sleeping soundly with their arms crossed. A palace maid woke up Mei Yu and told her that it was already time for the king to go to court. Mei Yu looked at King Xuan of Qi lying beside her and said to herself, I just won''t tell the king to get up, let''s see what she dares to do to me. King Xuan was late for court, and it was inevitable that the Dafus would not stop talking about it. Dr. Gao said, The king has not been diligent in the court affairs for a few days, but he has become inert again, I don''t know why? The state Dafu said, Perhaps the king is indeed unwell today. Dr. Yan said, Yesterday when I sent the royal scroll to the king, the king was still fine, how could he suddenly feel unwell? He must have had too much fun last night. Dr. Guodao said, I heard from the temple that the queen has three rules for the concubines, and if anyone delays the morning court by staying with the king, he will be severely punished. Gao Daifu said, Those who can make the great king happy not to think about politics must be the concubines favored by the great king, although the queen is smart, but after all, she is a woman, and she is a new queen, the three rules of the covenant are just words,. The state Dafu sighed: In that case, the queen is also powerless over beauty ...... The Dafus discussed for a long time, and King Xuan of Qi finally went to court. As soon as King Xuan of Qi left the harem, Zhong Li Chun immediately ordered the temple to gather the concubines together, and with a murderous look on her face, she said to the concubines, Only the day before yesterday did the Queen announce the three rules of the covenant, but last night someone blatantly violated the covenant, not only disturbing the King''s reading of the scrolls, but also inducing the King to spend the night, and delaying him from going to the court, if the Queen lets it go, then all of the concubines will follow suit, and how can the King, who is so addicted to beauty, be able to devote himself to dealing with government? How can the King be so absorbed in beauty that he can''t devote himself to the government? When will Qi be revitalized? She swept a glance at Meiyu, Therefore, this Empress must punish those who violate the law with the palace law! Mei Yu was full of unconcern and said to Zhong Li Chun, Your Highness, last night''s incident, it wasn''t my concubine who went to the Great King, but the Great King who came to my concubine, if Your Highness wants to deal with it, she should deal with the Great King, not my concubine. Zhong Li Chun asked, Princess Mei, if you don''t let Princess Jia lie to the Great King about being sick, can the Great King go? Mei Yu replied, It can go. The Great King said that my concubine knows how to serve the Great King ...... while some people don''t ...... she said, slanting a glance at Zhong Li Chun. Zhong Li Chun wanted to be angry but stopped and asked again, Then, what is the matter with delaying the Great King''s morning court today? Mei Yu thought that Zhong Li Chun''s anger was suppressed by her own words, and said complacently, The great king slept too late last night because he liked my concubine ...... It''s no wonder that the great king couldn''t get a woman to be considerate for many days, and it was naturally doubly pleasurable for him to see my concubine, so my concubine couldn''t bear to wake up the great king. Zhong Li Chun then asked, In that case, it was because you didn''t wake up the Great King that the Great King was delayed in going to court? Mei Yu smiled and replied, Of course! Jia Nu, who was beside her, pulled Mei Yu a bit and whispered, Don''t admit it ...... At this time, Mei Yu did not put Zhong Li Chun in her eyes at all, she pretended not to hear, and continued to say carelessly: The king for the sake of the country, so laborious, sleep for a while more, what can be fussed about, is not just an early morning court, so that those Dafus wait for a while more is also just ...... Zhong Li Chun interrupted her and said, Alright, don''t talk about it, this queen understands everything. She said to the several temple men standing beside her, Pull Princess Mei out and strike her to death with a messy cane. The crowd could not help but stare. Two monks stepped forward to hold Mei Yu, who then reacted and asked in panic, Queen, what do you want to do? This Queen has already said, Zhong Li Chun said word for word, Pull out and strike to death with a messy cane! Mei Yu, shocked and angry, struggled and cried out, You ...... you can''t be rude to my concubine ...... without the permission of the Great King! Harem matters do not need to go through the Great King. Zhong Li Chun snorted coldly and ordered the temple people to pull Mei Yu out. Mei Yu cried out, Saltless Lady, you are jealous, jealous that the Great King likes me ...... Saltless Lady, you are jealous ...... Jia Nu knelt in front of Zhong Li Chun and pleaded for Mei Yu. The concubines fell on their knees in front of Zhong Li Chun, begging Zhong Li Chun to forgive Mei Yu. Zhong Li Chun swept a glance at them and asked sternly, What do you all mean? Is it to make this Queen''s three rules of the covenant null and void, and then you all can also violate the covenant without being punished, just like Princess Mei? Jia Nu said, Your Majesty, the Great King favors Princess Mei, if the Queen executes Princess Mei without the Great King''s approval, the Great King will not be indifferent. Zhong Li Chun''s tone changed and said, You are using the Great King to threaten this Queen, right? Jia N busily said, I don''t dare to threaten the Queen, I am reminding the Queen that it would be more appropriate to wait for the Great King to return before disposing of Princess Mei. Zhong Li Chun said, That''s good, next time you break the covenant, this queen will wait for the Great King to return to dispose of you, this time, this queen''s words have been spoken and will never be retracted. The Dafus in the court praised the queen when they heard that the queen delayed the great king''s morning court because of Meiyu, and struck Meiyu to death with a messy cane. Dr. Gao exclaimed, This queen is truly marvelous! In the future, those concubines will never dare to use beauty to pester the king again ...... marvelous! It''s marvelous ...... Sun Bin was walking past him, Gao Da Dafu pulled Sun Bin down and asked Mr. Sun, what do you think? Sun Bin said with emotion from the bottom of his heart, Of course it''s marvelous, such a queen can win over a thousand armies and tens of thousands of horses! King Xuan of Qi was furious at Meiyu''s death, he questioned Zhong Li Chun, Queen, you caned my beloved consort without my permission, do you still have me in your eyes?! Zhong Li Chun was nonchalant and replied, The king has already given his approval. Nonsense! I don''t even know about this matter, when did you give your approval? When I formulated the three rules of the covenant, I received the Great King''s approval: anyone who violates the covenant will be dealt with by the palace law and severely punished. King Qi Xuan was dumbfounded for a moment, and after a moment said, That was for concubines in general, Mei Yu is my beloved concubine, and cannot be discussed in the same breath as them. Zhong Li Chun said, The Great King did not say that a beloved concubine could violate the covenant law, nor did he say that a beloved concubine violating the covenant law would not be dealt with by the palace law. King Qi Xuan stammered, I did not say ...... but, as a queen, you should know the position of Mei Yu in my heart. Zhong Li Chun said faintly, Of course I know that if the Great King has Princess Mei with him, he can forget about everything, including matters of the court and the revitalization of Qi, that is why Princess Mei does not take the covenant law into consideration and tramples on it arbitrarily, and if I don''t dispose of Princess Mei, the concubines in the palace will follow suit and pester the Great King, so how can the Great King deal with matters of the state and revitalize the state of Qi? King Xuan of Qi was speechless. Zhong Li Chun then said, If Your Majesty does not want to revitalize the state of Qi, my concubine can admit my fault to Your Majesty and offer my concubine''s life for the life of Princess Mei. King Xuan of Qi immediately compromised down and said, I have no such intention whatsoever, what I mean is that ...... you should wait until I have retired from the court before disposing of Princess Mei. Your Majesty, my concubine is impatient, and I can''t for a moment allow those who trample on the covenant to get away with it; if your Majesty thinks that my concubine''s character is not suitable for being a queen, you can expel my concubine from the palace. King Xuan of Qi needed Zhong Li Chun for his throne and for his country, and he had to acquiesce to what Zhong Li Chun did. From then on, no one of the concubines dared to violate Zhong Li Chun''s covenant. Press: Pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree is the twenty-sixth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, which is commonly interpreted as killing the chicken to warn the monkey and knocking the mountain to shake the tiger. Throughout history, the army commanders often use this plan to establish the majesty, strict military discipline; the big countries often use this to deter small countries to comply. Zhong Li Chun kills Mei Yu and shakes the harem, so that the concubines dare not disobey Zhong Li Chun. To find out what happens next, please read the next installment: Interlocking Stratagems. The twenty-fifth Interlocking Stratagems Gongsun Yue returned to Linzi, heard that the king of Qi Xuan newly appointed a servant from the ugly woman as the queen, this queen is also strong to make the decision to kill the beauty of the king''s consort, the heart must feel strange. Regardless of how this woman is in the palace, to see what she did, if there is not a resourceful person behind the scenes to plan for her, it is impossible for her to say such a subtle cryptic language, and even more unlikely to become a queen from a servant. Gongsun Yue vaguely felt that there was Sun Bin''s shadow behind this, he even suspected that this mysterious Queen was Zhong Li Chun. For this reason, he once sneaked into the king''s palace to peek at what was going on and was discovered by Zhong Li Chun. Zhong Li Chun didn''t dare to slack off and quietly left the palace and went to Tian Ji''s mansion to report Sun Bin and the others. Qin Gu deduced that Gongsun Yue would be on the rampage the next day and sue Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun for the crime of deceiving the king. Faced with this sudden change, everyone was at a loss. Sun Bin told Zhong Li Chun to go back to the palace first and explain the truth to the King of Qi to stabilize him before deciding on a countermeasure. Zhong Li Chun returned to the palace and saluted King Xuan of Qi, Your Majesty, I have done something wrong, please forgive me. What is it? King Xuan of Qi asked curiously. Great King first say that you forgive my concubine, and my concubine will say it again. Fine, I forgive you, say it. Great King, my concubine''s name is not Wushan female, it is Zhong Li Chun, my concubine is guilty of deceiving the king ...... Is it not just a name, what is there to deceive the king or not ...... King Xuan of Qi laughed indifferently, then he suddenly thought of something and pursued, What did you say, what is your name? Zhong Li Chun. King Xuan of Qi sized up Zhong Li Chun who was standing in front of him, You are the Zhong Li Chun who was so skillful and courageous that you captured Pang Juan alive in the midst of ten thousand troops and forced him to retreat? Not bad, it is exactly me ...... Last time Noble son JiaoShi wanted to harm the Great King, it was also me who dressed up as a palace guard and rescued the Great King from Jiao Shi''s mansion. King Xuan of Qi, with an excited look on his face, said, That''s right, that''s right, I said why you looked familiar when I saw you, so you are my savior ...... Zhong Li girl ...... No, Queen, why didn''t you tell me earlier? Zhong Li Chun replied, I was once a member of General Tian''s residence, and I drifted abroad with Mr. Sun, so if I used my real name, I was afraid that Zou Ji and Gongsun Yue would know about it and talk about it in front of the king ...... The queen is overly concerned. King Xuan of Qi interrupted her and said, The queen entered the palace to revitalize my country, no matter who says anything, I will not believe it. The next day at court, Gongsun Yue really turned on Sun Bin and accused Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun of deceiving the king. King Xuan of Qi said to Gongsun Yue, Dafu Gongsun, what you said just now, the Queen has already told me, the Queen went incognito to persuade me to revitalize the state of Qi, not only is the Queen not guilty, but also meritorious. The Queen has many other things to hide from the Great King, for example, her relationship ...... with Sun Bin, Gongsun Yue said, slanting a glance at Sun Bin. The Queen has also told me that Sun Bin is her good friend, even if the Queen doesn''t say anything, I know. Your Majesty, the Queen isn''t just Sun Bin''s good friend ...... Sun Bin is also the Queen''s teacher, which the Queen also said. Gongsun Yue simply made peace with this and said, Sun Bin is not only a teacher, he''s also the Queen''s best friend. When the court officials heard this, there was a burst of whispers. King Xuan of Qi, with a sulky look on his face, said, Dr. Gongsun, the court is a place for discussing politics, don''t talk nonsense, and don''t slander the Queen. Gongsun Yue said, Your Majesty, I am not talking nonsense, I have evidence in hand. Sun Bin and the Queen are out and about, inseparable, and outsiders say they''re a married couple. At this point, Sun Bin spoke up, Your Majesty, what Mr. Gongsun said is untrue, the Queen is a loner, and has not been with the microman, let alone inseparable. Gongsun Yue sneered, Sun Bin, you can deny the truth, but I have witnesses, the Crown Prince of Country of Han, Dr. Shen, Dr. Sima, General Wu ...... they can all testify. Sun Bin calmly said, Dr. Gongsun can invite any of them here, and if they can prove what Dr. Gongsun said, Sun Bin is willing to do as the king pleases. Gongsun Yue laughed disdainfully, You know they can''t come, that''s why you said so ...... But don''t be complacent, I''ll get the witnesses. He said and swept a glance at the silent Zou Ji. Zou Ji pretended not to see and remained silent. Sun Bin said to Gongsun Yue, I''ll be waiting for Dr. Gongsun anytime. Alright, you guys stop arguing! King Xuan of Qi got impatient, I won''t allow you guys to talk such nonsense and slander the Queen again! If there''s nothing else, retire from the court! After retreating from the court, Sun Bin, Tian Ji and Qin Gu are discussing together. Qin Gu believes that if Gongsun Yue and Zou Ji are not removed, the potential crisis of Zhong Li Chun will always exist. Tian Ji thinks Gongsun Yue and Zou Ji are not the same, Gongsun Yue is afraid that Qi won''t be messed up, while Zou Ji doesn''t want to betray Qi, he is only in such a state because of jealousy, the two of them should be treated differently. Sun Bin said he has a plan to make Zhong Li Chun''s crisis disappear, get rid of Gongsun Yue and force Zou Ji to give up his position as a prime minister. Qin Gu followed Sun Bin''s plan and asked Zou Ji to meet him at an inconspicuous inn. Zou Ji asked Qin Gu: Mr.Qin asked me to come to the inn in my humble attire, it must be about Zhong Li Chun, right? Zou Ji then laughed, Don''t worry, Mr.Qin, as I said, I am not in the same boat or in the same mind as Gongsun Yue, I can help with Zhong Li Chun''s matter. Qin Gu said, Zhong Li Chun is as innocent as water, he doesn''t need Xiang Guo''s help, I asked Xiang Guo to the inn because I want to help Xiang Guo. Zou Ji laughed, Where did Mr. Fowl start with this, I am not in any trouble right now and do not need anyone''s help. Qin Gu smiled faintly and said, Confucius said: if a man has no far-flung worries, he will have near worries. Back then, when Xiangguo took Gongsun Yue in, he did not expect that he would override Xiangguo in the future and give orders to Xiangguo, so now he is subjected to Gongsun Yue at every turn, which is something Xiangguo can''t tolerate, right? Zou Ji smiled and said, Mr.Qin is too worried. Although Gongsun Yue is no longer my disciple, he is still my good friend. Moreover, his position is only that of a senior Dafu, so how can he be above me as a prime minister? And where does he come from to give me orders? The Minister has repeatedly confessed in front of everyone that he and Gongsun Yue are not on the same path, if the Minister has no hard feelings, why would he say so? That''s just because it''s not comfortable with some of his practices ...... As a minister, you are under one person and above ten thousand, Gongsun Yue was once your disciple, so you can stop him if you are not happy with him, why do you have to confess to others many times? Zou Ji stammered, I ...... am unwilling to tear up the love affair between me and Dr. Gongsun ...... Qin Gu shook his head and said, Xiang Guo is not the kind of mediocrity that disregards the interests of Qi for the sake of sentimentality; still less is he a villain who allows the country to decline for the sake of personal self-interest. Zou Ji was a bit surprised, and after a moment said, Mr.Qin has a knack for flattering people. Qin Gu said with a straight face, I am not complimenting Xiang Guo. When Xiangguo assisted the previous king, he played the qin to advise him, and was determined to reform and govern, which is something that is obvious to all in Qi. Although General Tian and Mr. Sun have a gap with Xiangguo, they have to admit these facts. General Tian said that since Xiangguo had promised the late king, he would not allow Qi to have more than its fair share of internal turmoil, much less be complicit with Qi''s enemies. Zou Ji was really unwilling to be coerced by Gongsun Yue any longer, and since Tian Ji and the others were able to view him in this way, he should show something himself. He sighed and said, Speaking of which, it''s all my ...... fault for listening to the instigation of a villain and creating something out of nothing, framing Mr. Sun and General Tian ...... making us old and dead... ...I wonder if Mr. Sun and General Tian can forgive me? Qin Gu said, I asked Xiang Guo to come here because I was entrusted by Mr. Sun and General Tian, who said that the past can be forgiven, and that at the moment, Qi has a strong enemy outside the country and a rebellion within it, so we should join hands to deal with Qi''s enemies together. Zou Ji nodded his head and said, Sir is extremely right. Qin Gu continued, The most dangerous enemy of Qi is Gongsun Yue, he is a spy sent by Pang Juan, if this person is not removed, Qi will be in trouble. Zou Ji sighed and said, I do not hide from Mr. Poultry, this phase of many ...... confusing moves, are Gongsun Yue forced, this phase has long wanted to get rid of him, but because he dedicates beautiful women to the king, deeply trusted by the king, and the sword art is unbeatable, to get rid of Gongsun Yue, it''s too difficult ...... I have a plan to get rid of Gongs Yueun, but this plan can only be done by the prime minister, no one else can do anything. Tell me, as long as this prime minister can do it, I will do it with all my strength. Gongsun Yue is Pang Juan''s spy, but we don''t have any handle in our hands, Xiangguo can induce Gongsun Yue to contact Gongsun Yue to plot a rebellion ...... As long as we get the evidence, won''t it be easy to get rid of Gongsun Yue? Zou Ji is worried that what Qin Gu said is a trap set by Sun Bin to make him and Gongsun Yue fight with each other so that they can fish for profit ...... But if he doesn''t take this opportunity to get rid of Gongsun Yue''s control, he is afraid that it will be hard to have another chance in the future. Zou Ji finally agreed to act according to Qin Gu''s plan. Gongsun Yue met with King Xuan of Qi alone and told the King about Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun''s relationship in detail with some untruths, he said Sun Bin and Zhong Li Chun are actually husband and wife and Zou Ji can testify for him. King Xuan of Qi was furious with Zhong Li Chun, who denied that she and Sun Bin were husband and wife, King Xuan of Qi immediately summoned Zou Ji to the palace to confront Zhong Li Chun face to face. King Xuan of Qi asked Zou Ji with a very serious face: Zou Xiang Guo, tell the truth, have you ever heard anyone talk about the Queen and Sun Bin before? Zou Ji replied, I''ve heard ...... about it, and then bowed to Zhong Li Chun, Queen, please don''t be offended, the humble servant doesn''t dare to lie in front of the great king. Zhong Li Chun coldly said, If you don''t do anything wrong, you''re not afraid of ghosts, so you can say whatever you want. Zou Ji said to King Xuan of Qi: Your Majesty, I heard from the microcosmic minister that when the Queen didn''t leave Qi, she once intended to marry Sun Bin, Sun Bin didn''t agree, he borrowed the mouth of the diviner to rebuff the Queen, and the Queen left Qi in a fit of anger....... After that, the Queen never mentioned marriage again, even though she had helped Sun Bin many times. King Xuan of Qi asked, How do you know they didn''t mention the marriage? Is it because they didn''t dare to say it in front of the Queen? Zou Ji said, My humble servant is only inferring. The Queen is a strong person, if the Queen proposed marriage to Sun Bin for the second time and Sun Bin refused again, the Queen would have parted ways with Sun Bin long ago; if Sun Bin hadn''t refused, they would have become a couple long ago, and no one in the world would know about it if such a well-known person were to become a couple. But there is no such rumor in the world, and they didn''t part ways, doesn''t it mean that the two of them didn''t have this intention long ago. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.King Xuan of Qi''s face eased up a lot and said, What Sangguo said makes sense ...... He apologized with an apologetic face and said to Zhong Li Chun, Your Highness, I was wrong to blame you last night, please don''t hold a grudge against me, Your Highness. Zhong Li Chun said, How could my concubine hold a grudge against the great king, what my concubine hates is Gongsun Yue, Gongsun Yue has not only tarnished my concubine''s reputation, but also damaged the great king''s reputation, the great king should seriously deal with him. King Xuan of Qi mused, This can''t be blamed on Dafu Gongsun, you killed Princess Mei, he has anger in his heart, when he passes this breath, he won''t bother with you ...... again, he is also your brother-in-law, you forgive him once. Zhong Li Chun said, I can forgive him, but if we don''t dispose of Gongsun Yue this time, there will be more and more people in the court who will stir up quarrels, which is very unfavorable to your majesty''s country. Zou Ji said to King Xuan, What the Queen said is also true, not disposing of Gongsun Yue is unfavorable to the country ...... but Gongsun Yue did not intend to tarnish the Queen''s reputation, he is indeed because of the death of Princess Mei''s momentary impatience, so the Great King must not dispose of him, nor dispose of him too heavily. King Xuan of Qi said, According to the opinion of the Minister, how to punish is good? Zou Ji said, Demote him to the rank of middle Dafu, and then relegate him to a remote capital as a euphonious zai. Gongsun Yue, hearing that he had been relegated to a remote capital, angrily questioned Zou Ji, Minister, what is going on? Zou Ji said, I think it is the Queen''s doing. Gongsun Yue asked, The king called you into the palace to testify, what did you say? Zou Ji looked bitter and said, That wasn''t testimony, that was interrogation! I said according to the words you and I discussed, the great king not only did not believe, but said that you were instigated by me ...... He sighed: The great king was mesmerized by Zhong Li Chun. Gongsun Yue said without any doubt, No way, the Great King seems to harbor resentment towards Zhong Li Chun. Zou Ji explained, That''s because in front of you, the king is ashamed of Princess Mei. ...... Duke Gongsun, be content, if it wasn''t for the late Princess Mei, your head would have fallen off long ago! Gongsun Yue said coldly, Hmph, want me to lose my head, not so easy! Zou Ji continued, Zhong Li Chun is holding the harem, if you and I want to gain the Great King''s trust again, I''m afraid it''s impossible ...... This time the Great King dealt with you lightly, next time, Sun Bin and the others will find another excuse, you and I might not be able to survive... . in order to save our lives, the only way is to borrow Pang Juan''s power to get rid of the Great King, so that the Noble son JiaoShi can take his place. Gongsun Yue sized up Zou Ji and said, Hasn''t Xiang Guo always been against Gong Zi Jiao Shi? Zou Ji sighed, This is one thing, but this is another, if Noble son JiaoShi can''t take his place, my whole family''s lives will be in danger. Well, I can go to Marshal Pang and ask the Minister to contact Noble son JiaoShi''s diehards extensively in Linzi, and we''ll work together inside and outside to force the Great King to give up the throne. Duke Gongsun had better send someone with your personal letter to find Pang Juan ...... I''ll stay in Linzi alone, I''m weak and afraid I can''t deal with Sun Bin ...... Gongsun Yue smiled faintly and said, The guts of the phase state are really getting smaller and smaller. Zou Ji smiled awkwardly and said, It''s not that I''m timid, it''s that Sun Bin is so full of tricks that it''s really hard for me to deal with. Gongsun Yue said, Okay, I''ll stay ...... However, Xiangguo will also have to write a letter. Zou Ji was stunned and said, I ...... don t know Marshal Pang, what is the use of writing a letter? Gongsun Yue gently hooked the corners of his mouth and said, Not for Marshal Pang to write, but for Noble son JiaoShi to let him know your attitude. Pang is a veteran minister of the late king, and if Pang promises to assist the Noble son JiaoShi, the Noble son JiaoShi will increase his confidence in seizing the throne. Zou Ji hesitated. Gongs Yueun stares at him and asks, Is Xiangguo worried that this letter will later become a handle for me to blackmail Xiangguo? Zou Ji is afraid that Gongsun Yue will see the cracks, and busily says, No, you and I have long been linked together in our destinies, and when one is in trouble, the other is in danger, so there is no need for anyone to blackmail the other. Then what are you still concerned about? Not concerns, I am thinking about how to write this letter ...... The han Gongsun Yue sent to deliver the letter was just out of Linzi and was robbed by Tian Guo who was ambushed outside the city, Gongsun Yue''s letter to Pang Juan and Zou Ji''s letter to Gongsun Yue''s Suburban Division both fell into Sun Bin''s hands. Sun Bin handed Gongsun Yue''s letter to King Xuan of Qi, who was so shocked and hated that he ordered Tian Ji to immediately surround Gongsun Yue''s house, arrest him and split him into five pieces. Sun Bin said to King Xuan of Qi: Gongsun Yue is unrivaled in swordsmanship, if we surround his house, he will fight to the death like a trapped beast, in this way, not only is it a lot of trouble, but it will also affect the Queen''s sister, Zhong Li Qiu, the King can send a decree to summon him into the palace, the Dafu can''t carry weapons into the palace, I will lay ambushes inside the palace, and capture Gongsun Yue who is defenseless is just like an object in a bag. When Jiang Ji Ren summoned Gongsun Yue to the palace by order of King Xuan, Gongsun Yue was chasing and playing with his son Xiao Chunqiu in the courtyard of his home, looking so happy and joyful. Zhong Li Qiu was sitting aside, sewing the child''s small clothes while silently watching her son and husband chasing and playing, she was very cozy, she had never felt her home was so warm. The Jiang temple people looked at such a beautiful family, really can not bear to ask Gongsun Yueun to go, but the king''s order can not be disobeyed, Gongsun Yueun must go. Gongsun Yue followed the temple people into the palace, King Xuan of Qi had already left there, sitting on the seat of the King of Qi was Zhong Li Chun. Zhong Li Chun looked at Gongsun Yue with a slight smile and said, Mr. Gongsun Yue, we meet again. Gongsun Yue sneered, I really didn''t expect that you became the queen. There are a lot of things you didn''t expect ...... Do you know why the king summoned you to the palace? I don''t know, probably to persuade me to make peace with the Queen. It''s not for the sake of making peace, but for the sake of raising the offense. Zhong Li Chun said and clapped his hands twice. Two palace guards walked in with the bound and gagged messenger man on their racks. Gongsun Yue could not help but be stunned. Zhong Li Chun waved his hand and the palace guards escorted the han down again. Zhong Li Chun blandly said, Mr. Gongsun, the stolen goods have been captured, what else do you have to say? Gongsun Yue smiled coldly and said, You can''t catch me! Zhong Li Chun laughed, Gongsun Yue, don''t think you are ...... summoning you to the palace, it is Mr. Sun''s scheme, inside and outside the hall, there are archers ambushed everywhere, if you want to escape, you will be pierced by ten thousand arrows. Gongsun Yue alertly swept a glance around, there are archers vaguely outside the window of the harem. Zhong Li Chun added, If you don''t believe me, you can give it a try. Gongsun Yue was silent for a moment and slowly spoke, Zhong Li Chun, count yourself as a winner. It''s not me, it''s Mr. Sun. Gongsun Yue let out a long sigh and said, No wonder Pang Juan refused to let Sun Bin go, Sun Bin''s strategy, ghostly! Zhong Li Chun smiled faintly and said, Mr. Gongsun, there''s no need to be so emotional, Mr. Sun said that this time, he only used a small trick to capture you, it''s not enough. I am not talking about this time, I am talking about the fight with him for several years ...... Zhong Li Chun looked at Gongsun Yue for a moment and said, Mr. Sun said that besides Pang Juan, you are his most difficult opponent. Gongsun Yue smiled bitterly and said, Sun Bin said so, Gongsun Yue has not wasted his life ...... Zhong Li Chun, I have one thing to ask, can you promise? Say it. In my whole life, the person I like most is Zhong Li Qiu, the person I''m most sorry for is also Zhong Li Qiu, she married me to save Sun Bin. In these years, although her body is by my side, her heart is still on Sun Bin, after I''m gone, please help the two of them, so that lovers can become lovers, okay? Zhong Li Chun was silent. Gongsun Yue looked at Zhong Li Chun and added, Zhong Li Chun, I know your heart also misses Sun Bin, but you''re the Queen now, there''s no way you can give up your position as Queen. Zhong Li Chun grimaced, Gongsun Yue, I don''t need you to worry about my affairs! I''m not worrying about you, I''m worrying about Sun Bin. You''re in the Queen''s position, you can help Sun Bin achieve great things ...... Zhong Li Chun, if you really like Sun Bin, you should help him achieve great things, a man lives in the world, there''s nothing more gratifying and satisfying to him than to achieve something great. Mr. Sun can definitely achieve great things, not only will I help him, the Great King, General Tian, and many others will help him. In that case, you agree about Zhong Li Chun? Zhong Li Chun was speechless again. Gongsun Yue sighed, Pity, Zhong Li Qiu, when I live, you can''t become a family member with Sun Bin; when I die, you still can''t ...... He said to Zhong Li Chun, Zhong Li Chun, when I''m gone, please visit Zhong Li Qiu often. Is this okay? Zhong Li Chun nodded his head and said, Yes. Gongsun Yue bowed to Zhong Li Chun, and then he raised his voice to the sky and shouted, Zhong Li Qiu, take care of our child! After he shouted, he suddenly leapt to the side ...... His head hit the pillar heavily, blood splattered everywhere, and he landed dead. After Gongsun Yue died, Qin Gu went to see Zou Ji. Zou Ji clapped his hands at Gongsun Yue''s death, then asked Qin Gu: Mr.Qin, in order to lure Gongsun Yue on the hook, I had written a letter to Gongsun Yue suburban division, have you searched it? Searched. Qin Gu took out a piece of silk. Zou Ji was relieved and breathed a sigh of relief, This I am relieved ......, he said and went forward to take it. Qin Gu quickly took back the silk and silk and said, The phase country is in a hurry, I have a condition. What conditions? Xiangguo is no longer suitable to be a minister, if Xiangguo resigns from the post of minister, I will return this letter to you; if not, we will give this letter to the king. Zou Ji did not expect Qin Gu to have such a hand, and was so angry that he was trembling, You ...... turned out that you had premeditated! Qin Gu said in a serious manner, We are thinking for Xiang Guo ...... Xiang Guo in order to exclude dissenters, with the Wei spy Gongsun Yue collusion, even if there is no this letter, we can also report to the Great King, that way, Xiang Guo whole family life is difficult to protect... ...The reason we are doing this is that we want to preserve the lives of Xiangguo and his entire family. Qin Gu looked at Zou Ji, who had his head bowed in silence, and continued to persuade, Xianggu Zou, it''s better to agree to it ...... If Xianggu agrees to it, we promise not to pursue this matter any further. Zou Ji understand things now, had to be from, he reluctantly agreed to resign from the post of Minister. Note: The Interlocking Stratagems is the thirty-fifth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, which refers to the use of multiple tricks, which are connected and interlocked. Sun Bin in order to get rid of the internal trouble in the dynasty, first separated the alliance between Zou Ji and Gongsun Yue; then utilized Zou Ji to lure Gongsun Yue into submission; then used Gongsun Yue to force Zou Ji to resign from his post as the Minister of State. To find out what happened next, please read the next installment: Make Distant Friends and Attack Nearby Enemies. The Twenty-Sixth Round: Make Distant Friends and Attack Nearby Enemies 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. The Twenty-seventh Round: Stir Up the Grass to Scare the Snake”. Noble son JiaoShi fled to the border city of Wei, thinking of rising again, he waited for Pang Juan''s army to return and practiced his army at the same time. One day, Noble son JiaoShi took some guards to the woods to practice archery, and the target was a straw man wearing the clothes of the King of Qi. The target of the arrows was a straw man dressed in the clothes of the King of Qi. The Duke said that the straw man was the King of Qi, and he fired several arrows, which hit the chest of the King of Qi. The guards shouted for help. At this moment, a man with loose hair and a sword-like gaze came out from the woods and scoffed, A bold man shoots tigers for a living, but a cowardly man shoots grass for fun. Noble son JiaoShi shot a glance at the han and asked, Who are you? The hanyou walked straight to Noble son JiaoShi and said, A man of great courage. You know who I am? Noble son JiaoShi of Qi. Noble son JiaoShi smiled faintly, pointed at the straw man and asked, Do you know who I am shooting at? The hanyou said, That''s not a person, it''s grass. Noble son JiaoShi laughed disdainfully and said, An ignorant man in the wilderness is not to be blamed for not knowing, what I am shooting at is King Paijiang of Qi. The Hanzi laughed lightly and said, Heh, King Pi Jiang of Qi is in Qi, this is just a pile of grass. Noble son JiaoShi division was a bit unhappy, coldly said, Now I''m not in a bad mood, you quickly go away, otherwise, once I''m in a bad mood, you can''t leave even if you want to! The hanyou laughed and said, Since I''m a bold man, I won''t be afraid of your intimidation. Give him a sword. Noble son JiaoShi said to the guards at the side. The guard handed the sword to the hanyou. I don''t need it. The hanyou didn''t even look at it and didn''t bother to pick it up. Noble son JiaoShi drew his sword in his hand, Don''t you regret it. The hanyou responded, I''ve never known what regret is. Noble son JiaoShi swung his sword at the hanyou. The hanyou did not dodge and looked at Noble son JiaoShi with a light smile. Noble son JiaoShi''s sword stopped above the hanyou''s head. Why don''t you dodge? Said Noble son JiaoShi, withdrawing his sword. Why should I dodge? A bold man is not afraid to die. You think I don''t dare to kill you? You dare to kill, but I am not afraid. Don''t blame me for killing innocent people presumptuously, you forced me to kill you! Gongzi Suburb Master said, swinging his sword at the hanyou once again. The hanyou still looked at Noble son JiaoShi with a light smile. As Noble son JiaoShi''s sword slashed down, the clothes on the hanyou''s chest were cut by the sword and blood flowed out. Good swordsmanship! The hanyou shouted in praise, Half an inch more, my life will be over; half an inch less, no blood in sight, good swordsmanship indeed! Duke Suburb Master once again scrutinized the Han''s candid face, clapped his hands and praised, It''s a man! Strong man, are you willing to follow me? The hanyou laughed, Follow you for what? Shoot grass for fun? Noble son JiaoShi tensed his face and said, I''m talking about business. Your proper business should be seizing the throne. Shooting grass and practicing archery today is to seize the throne in the coming day. Gongzi with one bow, can you defeat Sun Bin''s 100,000 strong army? I have Pang Juan''s support, he has a 300,000 strong army. Pang Juan is in the middle of a fierce battle with the Qin, it''s hard to say if he''ll be able to return. Furthermore, even if he comes back, he''ll have trouble defeating Sun Bin with a tired army. According to you, I''m hopeless? No, there is another person who can help you take the throne. What person? Noble son JiaoShi asked curiously. Cao Yang. The hanyou calmly said. Who is Cao Yang? That''s me. You? Noble son JiaoShiist looked at him suspiciously, You''re able to defeat Sun Bin? Cao Yang said, Although I can''t defeat Sun Bin, I can help you assassinate the King of Qi, and once the King of Qi is dead, the Duke can rightfully inherit the throne. Noble son JiaoShi asked, The king''s palace has high walls and deep courtyards, the guards are tightly defended, how can you kill Pi Jiang? Cao Yang said confidently, Crossing the high walls and deep courtyard is like walking on the ground; killing the palace guards is like slaughtering a lamb. Noble son JiaoShi found it funny, Strong man, your ambition is honorable, but your words are too big. If the Duke doesn''t believe me, please see ...... Before Cao Yang''s words left his mouth, he leaped and landed on a high tree branch. Good stance! Noble son JiaoShi couldn''t help but marvel. Cao Yang casually broke a section of the branch and landed back on the ground, saying to Jiao Shi, Look again. He said to the guards standing aside, Draw your swords and go together. The guards looked at Noble son JiaoShi. Noble son JiaoShi said, Go on, let him know how powerful you are. The guards swung their swords at Cao Yang. Cao Yang dodged lightly while using a branch instead of a sword to stab at one of the guards. One of the guards was hit by the sword and fell to the ground. Another guard was hit by his sword and fell to the ground. Noble son JiaoShi watched in amazement. The last guard was also stabbed by Cao Yang. Noble son JiaoShi waved his fist excitedly and said, Great, great! Getting a strong man is better than an army of 100,000 men. Strong man, please accept my obeisance! Noble son JiaoShi said and saluted Cao Yang. Cao Yang did not return the salute and said to Noble son JiaoShi, Gongzi, we should leave. Noble son JiaoShi shouted to the guards lying on the ground, Bunch of idiots! What are you still lying down for? Get up quickly and go back with me! Cao Yang faintly said to Suburban Master, They will never be able to get up. Noble son JiaoShi was stunned and took a closer look at the guards on the ground, who were already dead. He angrily drew his sword and pointed at Cao Yang and said angrily, You, how dare you kill my guards! Cao Yang said, Assassinating the King of Qi should not be known to a third person other than you and I. If we reveal the wind, it will be difficult to get the job done. Saying this, he casually threw the bloody branch. The branch was deeply inserted into the chest of the distant grass man. The Noble son JiaoShi was secretly happy in his heart, Cao Yang was exactly the person he was hoping to draw in, he said to Cao Yang, Speak, your conditions. After the Duke succeeds to the throne, carve my assassination of the King of Qi on the four city gates of Linzi in the east, west, south, and north, and let all the people of the world know that the Duke was able to succeed to the throne because of me, Cao Yang. What you want is too little, I can still give you high officials, generous salaries, beautiful women, and cities. Cao Yang smiled and said, Has the Duke heard of the names of Zhuanzhu and Yao Li? Gongzi Jiaoji nodded and said, I have heard of them in my childhood, Zhuanzhu stabbed King Bureaucrat of Wu with a sword hidden in the belly of a fish, and Yao Li stabbed Qing Ji with a broken arm, those are heroes whose names will live on for a hundred generations. Cao Yang said, What were they for? Isn''t it also a name? High officials, generous pay, beautiful women, and cities are all dung; only a name that shocks the world will last forever. Cao Yang''s words made the Noble son JiaoShi admire him even more. Since the Qi army recovered the border city, the empress dowager threatened her death three times and insisted that King Xuan of Qi should invite back Noble son JiaoShi, and King Xuan of Qi was so obedient that he suffered from anger every time. This evening, King Xuan of Qi mentioned this matter to Zhong Li Chun, can not help but sigh. Zhong Li Chun said, Your Majesty, I don''t understand, the Empress Dowager is not your mother, why do you fear her so much? King Xuan of Qi said, Although I am not the Empress Dowager''s biological mother, I was brought up by the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager is like my biological mother. Zhong Li Chun shook her head and said, I don''t think it is the same, the Empress Dowager cares for Noble son JiaoShi a hundred times more than the Great King, if Noble son JiaoShi kills the Great King, she will never say half a word of no. King Xuan of Qi sighed softly, Regardless of how the Empress Dowager treats me, I have to be worthy of the Empress Dowager''s nurturing, otherwise, my father in the clan temple will accuse me of being ungrateful, and the world will argue that I am unfilial ...... I didn''t expect King Qi to be a stupid filial son. Only to see a light-hearted man leisurely walk in. Seeing that a stranger dared to intrude into the harem without authorization, King Xuan of Qi snapped, Daring madman, how dare you intrude into my chambers without authorization! King Xuan of Qi said and clapped his hands twice, shouting, Someone come! Your Majesty, the guards outside the door can''t come, they were all killed by me. King Qi Xuan could not help but be shocked and said, Who are you ...... and what do you want? My name is Cao Yang, entrusted by the Noble son JiaoShi, came to ask the king for something. Want what thing? The life of the Great King. How dare you?! King Xuan of Qi was shocked and afraid. Of course I dare, otherwise I wouldn''t have come. Cao Yang smiled faintly as he drew his sword, Will I do it, or will the Great King do it himself? King Xuan of Qi looked at Cao Yang in horror and trembled, Do you ...... know that assassinating the king is a scourge for your entire family, for your entire clan! My family is not in Qi. Cao Yang laughed again. What you ...... you want, I can give you ...... anything. I don''t want anything, I want your life. Cao Yang threw his sword in front of King Xuan of Qi, It''s better for you to do it yourself, or let me see the guts of Qi''s king. A hand picked up the sword on the ground, it was Zhong Li Chun who stood aside and had yet to speak. Cao Yang''s gaze turned to Zhong Li Chun and said, There is no woman''s business here, if you want to die, wait for the King of Qi to die before you are buried with him. Zhong Li Chun smiled faintly, What if I don''t want to die? Cao Yang said, Then go away. King Xuan of Qi pulled Zhong Li Chun by the hand, Queen, you can''t go, you have to save me. Zhong Li Chun comforted him, Don''t worry King, I won''t leave. Cao Yang watched the scene with interest and said, I really didn''t expect that the Queen, a woman, would be so courageous. There are many things you didn''t expect, Zhong Li Chun sneered, You wouldn''t be surprised if I told you that you shouldn''t have let me get the sword, would you? What good is it for a woman to get the sword? If you can''t hold it well, you''ll even hurt yourself. Cao Yang smiled disdainfully. I am not an ordinary woman, before I entered the palace, I was also a sword player. Zhong Li Chun said as she beautifully played a couple of sword hops. You know swordplay? Cao Yang was stunned at this. Regret it, right? No regrets, I would love to see a woman playing with a sword, what is it like ...... Come on, Queen. Zhong Li Chun swept a glance at Cao Yang and said, Do you still have any weapons on you? Of course I do. Cao Yang said. Take it out. I don''t need weapons when dealing with women. Don''t be too cocky, you''ll suffer if you''re too cocky! Cao Yang smiled contemptuously, I''m not arrogant, fighting a woman is already a disgrace to my face, if I use my weapon again, won''t I be shameless? Zhong Li Chun snorted, You''re dead to the world and still want a man''s stinking face ...... Well, I''ll tell you to be faceless! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.Zhong Li Chun said as he struck out several swords in a row. Cao Yang never expected Zhong Li Chun''s sword technique to be so swift, he couldn''t dodge in time, and Zhong Li Chun''s sword cut a long bloody slit on Cao Yang''s face. Cao Yang hurriedly pulled out two daggers and fought with Zhong Li Chun. King Xuan of Qi watched the dazzling sparring between the two men with rapt attention and was stunned. Zhong Li Chun said as he fought, Good hands, I haven''t been this hearty in a long time! Cao Yang responded in between, Same to each other. The two of them went back and forth for a few more rounds. Zhong Li Chun launched a series of vicious moves. Cao Yang was unable to dodge and was stabbed in the abdomen by Zhong Li Chun. Cao Yang hurriedly leapt backward and threw out two daggers violently with his hands. The daggers went straight at King Xuan of Qi. Seeing this, Zhong Li Chun suddenly leapt towards King Qi and casually swung his sword in mid-air, but only one of the daggers flew away, while the other stabbed King Qi in his right chest. Zhong Li Chun embraced King Xuan of Qi and called out anxiously, King, King ....... Cao Yang took advantage of this to turn and escape. Cao Yang staggered out of King Xuan''s chambers, endured the severe pain through several courtyards, and fell headfirst to the ground. Behind him came the sounds of disorganized footsteps, and shouts. Cao Yang struggled to get up, he couldn''t let the palace guards catch him, he hadn''t been able to kill the King of Qi yet. He had already mapped out the layout of the palace before entering the palace, he stumbled and turned through a courtyard and entered the Empress Dowager''s chamber. The Empress Dowager was still awake at this time, and when she heard the shouts faintly coming from outside the palace, she was about to send her palace maid out to check, only to see Cao Yang, whose face and body were covered in blood, appear in front of her. The palace maid beside the empress dowager almost fainted in shock, the empress dowager wasn''t afraid, she looked at Cao Yang with a calm face and asked, Who are you? Cao Yang strained to take out a jade pendant from his pocket, which was given to him by the Duke Suburb Master before his departure. He said to the Empress Dowager, Do you recognize this? The Empress Dowager couldn''t see it clearly, and she asked the palace maid to bring the jade pendant over. The palace maid came forward warily, took the jade pendant in Cao Yang''s hand, and handed it to the Empress Dowager. The empress dowager took the jade pendant and glanced at it, she couldn''t help but be shocked, This is the jade pendant of my son''s suburban master, how did it fall into your hands? Cao Yang replied, Noble son JiaoShi asked me to give it to the Empress Dowager. My son Jiao Shi, where is he now? He is in ...... Cao Yang felt a sharp pain and hurriedly covered his abdomen, Wei ...... Before finishing a sentence , Cao Yang could no longer support, fell to the ground headlong. The Empress Dowager immediately secretly summoned the state Dafu to their own chambers. Cao Yang came to his senses after some treatment by Dr. Guo. The Empress Dowager rewarded Dr. Guo and instructed him to treat Cao Yang three times a day, in the morning, in the middle of the day, and in the evening, and warned him that he should not say anything about this to anyone, or else he would be killed. Dr. Guo promised. After Dr. Guo left, the Empress Dowager asked Cao Yang, Is my son, Suburban Master, really still alive? Cao Yang said, Not only alive, but also alive and well, he is recruiting the world''s aspirants to rise again, if not for his determination, I would never risk my life to assassinate the King of Qi. The empress dowager took out the jade pendant and asked again, He asked you to give it to me? Yes, he said that as long as I gave the jade pendant to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager would help me. You should have come to me earlier. I don''t need anyone else''s help, with my skills, killing the King of Qi is like pinching an ant, at this point, Cao Yang sighed, But I didn''t realize that the Queen Mother had such great swordsmanship. The Empress Dowager said gruffly, If you had come to me earlier, you wouldn''t have never thought of it. However, I still stabbed the King of Qi, I just don''t know if it''s fatal yet. King Qi did not die. This is the will of Heaven. Cao Yang sighed again. The Empress Dowager said, Child, you recuperate well here in the old woman''s place, and when you have recovered, the old woman will pray to the heavens for you, so that the will of the heavens will be obedient to my son, Suburbia Master. The palace guards were busy all night in the palace and found nothing. Tian Ji''s soldiers were also busy all night inside and outside the city, again with no luck. Zhong Li Chun estimated that the assassin would not run out of the king''s palace compound with his serious injuries, and was probably hiding in the empress dowager''s palace. However, without King Xuan''s order, she can''t search the Empress Dowager''s chambers and King Xuan is unconscious, so she asked Sun Bin what to do. She asked Sun Bin what to do. Sun Bin told her to withdraw the palace guards and keep a loose exterior and a tight interior to secretly monitor the Queen Dowager''s residence. Dr. Guo went to the Empress Dowager''s place three times a day in the morning, midday and evening, claiming that the Empress Dowager had hurt her foot, and because the Empress Dowager was old and not easy to heal, she went there more diligently. The State Dafu is a Dafu who specializes in treating traumatic injuries, Zhong Li Chun speculated that his frequent visits to the Empress Dowager''s palace are most likely to treat the assassin''s injuries. Sun Bin thought for a moment and said, Arrest Imperial Dafu Guo immediately. Tian Ji hesitated, This will alert the Empress Dowager, the King is still in a coma, if she intervenes, it won''t be easy to clean up. Sun Bin laughed, I just want to alarm the Empress Dowager, if she intervenes, she can conclude that the assassin is in her palace, it''s called spooking the snake. Zhong Li Chun immediately ordered the palace guards to arrest Imperial Dafu Guo and interrogate him severely. When the Empress Dowager learned of this, she immediately rushed to Zhong Li Chun''s residence and said that Imperial Dafu Guo was frequenting her chambers because he had a crush on her palace maid. The Empress Dowager took Dr. Guo back to her own chambers and then ordered him to be struck to death with a messy cane. The Empress Dowager kills the assassin and confirms that the assassin is in the Empress Dowager''s palace. Zhong Li Chun wanted to surround the Empress Dowager''s chambers immediately to capture the assassin. Tian Ji said, Queen, don''t be in a hurry, the king is still unconscious, it''s better not to clash with the empress dowager head-on. Zhong Li Chun said, There''s no rush, this assassin is a skilled swordsman, if we let him get away, he''ll still assassinate the Great King, and next time, I''m afraid he won''t miss. Sun Bin spoke up, Miss Zhong Li, I have a way to make the assassin walk out of the Empress Dowager''s chambers and throw himself into the net. As night fell, Jiang Ji man led a group of palace guards into the Empress Dowager''s chambers, saying that he was ordered by the Queen to search for a suspicious looking person. The Empress Dowager was furious when she heard this, she pointed at Jiang Ji Ren''s nose and told him to get out. Jiang Temple Man was not in a hurry and said to the Empress Dowager, The Queen has orders, I dare not roll back. The empress dowager was so angry that she shivered, You ...... well, if you don t go back, the old woman will die in front of you. She said and slammed into the pillar, and the empress dowager s palace maids immediately came forward and pulled her. Jiang Temple Man pretended to be afraid and told the palace guards to leave the Empress Dowager''s chambers immediately. After the palace guards left, Jiang Ji Ren whispered to the empress dowager, Empress dowager, villain to be honest, villain didn''t want to search, it is the empress dowager he had to villain to search, the empress dowager suspected that the assassin who assassinated the great king was hiding in the empress dowager''s palace. The queen dowager sniffed and said with a stern face, She is talking nonsense! I know that the queen is talking nonsense, but the queen''s temperament the empress dowager also knows that the path she recognizes, she must go to the end. This afternoon, she called General Tian into the palace, saying that if I can''t search for the assassin tonight, she will let General Tian''s army surround the Empress Dowager''s chambers tomorrow, and she must catch the assassin. Hmph, if she dares to let the army into the palace, the old woman will dare to die for her. Empress Dowager, you can''t say it in front of the Queen, the Queen doesn''t believe in evil, if she really lets you die, you won''t be able to get down. Do you think the old woman doesn''t dare to die? The queen dowager said without good humor. Jiang temple people busy snapped and said, Dare to die, dare to die, the empress dares ...... anything However, the empress is also a person who dares to do anything ...... Empress Dowager, the villain should say all said, farewell. Jiang Temple people this mess, Cao Yang can no longer live, he said to the empress dowager, Empress dowager, the palace I can not stay, if the army into the palace tomorrow, I want to go can not go. How is your injury? The Empress Dowager asked with concern. Can walk. I''ll find a car and send you out of the city early tomorrow morning. No, I''ll leave now. Can it be done? The Empress Dowager was still uneasy. I can''t cross the wall, but I can still climb the wall. You can''t get out of the city even if you leave the palace, they are still catching you. As long as there are ropes, the city walls can''t stop me. In the dead of night, Cao Yang took the rope and touched the courtyard wall of the harem, he skillfully pulled the rope and slid from the high palace wall to the outside of the palace, just as his feet landed on the ground, a familiar voice came from behind him, Strong warrior Cao, we''ve been waiting for you for a long time. Cao Yang froze and looked back, Zhong Li Chun and a dozen soldiers armed with bows and arrows came out from the shadows. Cao Yang subconsciously drew his sword. Zhong Li Chun said, It''s useless, you can''t charge out, these archers are all a hundred shots, it''s better to put down your sword and tie your hands, in this way, you can still stay alive. Cao Yang looked at the soldiers holding bows and arrows aiming at him and smiled coldly, Since I, Cao Yang, dared to assassinate the King of Qi, I have already seen death as a homecoming! Even if I can''t make a name for myself, I will never steal my life! As Cao Yang said, he violently raised his sword and stabbed himself in the abdomen. Press: Stir Up the Grass to Scare the Snake is the thirteenth of the Thirty-six Stratagems, which has two meanings: first, when the enemy is not clear, use different means to strike the grass to scare the snake, and then eliminate it; second, it means that we should not act rashly against the hidden enemy, so as not to strike the grass to scare the snake, and let the enemy realize that the enemy is not aware of our intention, and put us in the position of the enemy. Sun Bin used the term beat the grass to scare the snake to move and then destroy it. Sun Bin used the plan of Spooking the Snake to find out where the assassin is and then startled him to move out and finally eliminated him. To know what happened next time, please read the next chapter: Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain. The 28th time： to Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain Noble son JiaoShi''s heart to assassinate King Xuan was not dead, General Fei of Wei identified three assassins for him, they were Wei Bo, Wei Zhong, and Wei Shu. The three Wei brothers had different images and were of different heights. Noble son JiaoShi was not too satisfied, and he frowned at General Fei and said, General Fei, the assassins you found this time seem to be not as good as the last time. General Fei laughed and said, The Duke will draw conclusions after he tries them. Noble son JiaoShi walked up to Wei Bo first and sized him up: a robust man with almost no extra flesh on his body. Noble son JiaoShi asked, Strong man, what are you best at? Wei Bo said, Killing people. I am asking by what means you are best at killing. Both hands. Can you show us? Can. Wei Bo said, suddenly stretching out a hand and lifting Noble son JiaoShi easily above his head like an eagle catching a chicken. Noble son JiaoShi asked in panic above his head, What ...... do you want to do? Wei Bo laughed loudly and said, This is my best killing method. Noble son JiaoShi quickly said, Put me down, I appreciate ...... it. Wei Bo gently placed Noble son JiaoShi on the ground. Noble son JiaoShi calmed down for a moment and asked Wei Bo, Tell me, what do you want? Wei Bo said, Gold. The Noble son JiaoShi asked again, How much do you want? As much as I can take with both hands. Noble son JiaoShi promised him. Noble son JiaoShi came to Wei Zhong again, and he looked at this small but solidly built man and asked, How about you, what means are you most skillful at killing people with? Wei Zhong replied, Stones. Gongzi Suburb Master nodded and said, Give it a try. However, don''t come at me. Wei Zhong smiled and said, Of course. He said as he casually picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it out again as if casually. A man dozens of paces away who was hiding behind a tree and poking his head out to peer this way was hit by the stone and fell headfirst to the ground. A soldier beside Gongzi Jiaoji ran over quickly, bent down and reached out to try, then straightened up and said in a loud voice, Gongzi, he''s dead. Wei Zhong spat and said, Nonsense, there''s no one I''ve hit that isn''t dead. Noble son JiaoShi nodded in satisfaction and asked Wei Zhong, What do you want? Wei Zhong said, Beautiful women. How many? Wei Zhong smiled and said, The Duke is also too stingy, how can a few? You tell me, how many do you want? A hundred, any? Gongzi Suburb Master laughed lightly, Give you so many women, you can''t handle it. Wei Zhong said in a decent manner, I have raised a thousand horses and ten thousand sheep, women are the same as horses and sheep, as long as you can raise them, there is no such thing as not being able to cope with them. Noble son JiaoShi also promised him. At last, Noble son JiaoShi came to Wei Shu. Wei Shu was dressed as a scribe, with a strange appearance, and a pair of small eyes with a bit of cunning. The Noble son JiaoShi asked Wei Shu, What about you, how do you kill people? Wei Shu said, With my tongue. Noble son JiaoShi was puzzled and curious at the same time, and asked, How does the tongue kill? Upside down black and white, confuse right and wrong, make something out of nothing, create rumors ...... and kill people with a three inch tongue, which can''t be defended against. Can I try? Of course. How do you plan to try? Wei Shu pointed to General Fei, who was standing not far away, and whispered, Let the Duke kill General Fei. Noble son JiaoShi sneered, You simply can''t do it. Wei Shu lightly scratched his nose and laughed, If Gongzi is a fool who can''t distinguish between black and white, I''ll admit that I can''t do it. I am not a fool! If Gongzi is not a fool, there are no fools in the world. Noble son JiaoShi had never been so verbally humiliated before, and he pointed at Wei Shu and angrily rebuked, You are too unbridled! How dare you humiliate the Duke of Qi in public. He ordered the soldiers around him, Arrest him and cut out his tongue. The soldiers surrounded Wei Shu with their weapons in hand. Wei Shu said slowly and methodically, Duke, hear me out, if my words don''t make sense, I don''t need you to arrest me, I''ll bite my own tongue off. The Noble son JiaoShi looked at him and said in a nonchalant manner, Speak. Wei Shu said, It''s not convenient here, I want to talk to the Duke alone. Noble son JiaoShi didn''t want to hear any more of Wei Shu''s nonsense, but he wanted to know what Wei Shu was going to say, so he took Wei Shu to a secluded place. Wei Shu said to Noble son JiaoShi, Do you know why General Fei asked us to help you kill the King of Qi? Noble son JiaoShi said, After I become the king of Qi, I can make peace with Wei for eternity. And? Nothing. Wei Shu laughed, Duke, you only know one thing but not the other. General Fei''s purpose is not only this ...... I know, interrupted the Noble son JiaoShi, They have another purpose, which is to use me to hold Qi back, even if I don''t become the King of Qi, I can still drag Qi down so that it is incapable of competing with Wei for supremacy. I really didn''t expect that Your Excellency turned out to be such a smart person! Wei Shu pretended to be surprised. Noble son JiaoShi sneered condescendingly, Anything under the sun, don''t think you can hide it from me! Wei Shu nodded his head and flattered, That''s, that''s ...... He suddenly knelt down in front of Noble son JiaoShi, kowtowing as he said, Gongzi, I deserve to die, I shouldn''t have deceived Gongzi... ... Noble son JiaoShi was stunned, then asked, What are you hiding from me? Wei Shu said, I can''t hide anything from Your Excellency, Your Excellency is such an intelligent person, sooner or later you will find out the truth, I am deceiving myself by deceiving Your Excellency. Noble son JiaoShi division can''t help but be pleased, his mood is also much better, said, You are right, you can''t hide it from me, say it yourself, it''s better than me finding out. Speak up, what exactly are you hiding from me? Wei Shu stood up, moved forward, and said in a low voice, My lord, what I''m telling you, you must not tell anyone, especially General Fei. I can guarantee that. Marshal Pang''s battle with the Qin army is not holding, Country of Han intends to help the Qin army, if Country of Han sends troops to help the Qin, Marshal Pang will definitely be defeated, Wei hopes to get help from Qi as soon as possible, Marshal Pang for this reason secretly ordered General Fei to immediately make a move to kill the King of Qi, so that the Duke will succeed to the throne as soon as possible ...... Noble son JiaoShi division laughed: I thought there was something remarkable, you said this thing, I already know. Duke, hear me out, the key point is at the back. Wei Shu paused for a moment and continued, General Fei thinks that if he kills the King of Qi to make the Duke succeed to the throne, time is short and there is no certainty, he wants to capture the Duke and give him to Qi in exchange for the King of Qi to send his troops to help him. The Noble son JiaoShi sneered, You lie, if General Fei did not intend to kill the King of Qi, what did he seek you for? Wei Shu said, He came to the three of us brothers, not for the King of Qi, but for the Duke. The Noble son JiaoShi was stunned, What do you mean by that? Wei Shu said, He asked us to come and arrest you. He dares? Noble son JiaoShi colored. Wei Shu said contemptuously, Why wouldn''t he dare? Those two elder brothers of mine have already seen the skill of Gongzi, my elder brother is of great strength and is specially here to catch you; my second brother is invincible in flying stones and is specially here to deal with your guards; my three-inch tongue is here to persuade you to tie your hands and don''t ask for trouble. Noble son JiaoShi division looked frightened and asked, Then ...... why haven t you guys done it yet? Wei Shu laughed and said, Just now, the Duke made such a generous move, the three of us brothers are very impressed, and General Fei''s move is too petty, we do not intend to follow his orders. What are you guys going to do? As long as the remuneration that the Gongzi gives us remains the same, we will listen to the Gongzi. Fine, the reward remains the same, you guys kill General Fei! Your Excellency, General Fei can''t be killed, we should capture him and have him presented to the King of Qi by us, after exchanging the King of Qi''s trust, then killing the King of Qi will be much easier. With Wei Shu saying this, Noble son JiaoShi was even more convinced of what he had just said, he angrily walked back to his original position, pointed a finger at General Fei, and said to the soldiers, Arrest General Fei. The soldiers looked at Noble son JiaoShi in disbelief. General Fei was even more in a fog as he asked Noble son JiaoShi, Gongzi, what do you want? You know in your heart. Noble son JiaoShi sneered, then scolded the soldiers in a stern voice, What are you all waiting for? Arrest him! The soldiers immediately swarmed up and pressed General Fei to the ground. General Fei looked at Noble son JiaoShi in confusion, struggling and asking, Gongzi, what are you doing? Noble son JiaoShi laughed, Not doing anything, giving you to the King of Qi as a meeting gift for the Wei brothers, it will be easier for them to kill Pi Jiang again. General Fei was furious to the core and cursed, Noble son JiaoShi, you ungrateful villain! Despicable and shameless villain! Noble son JiaoShi said angrily, You''re the one who''s a despicable and ungrateful villain! If I don''t arrest you, you will arrest me! Haha ...... A wild laugh came from the back, and Wei Shu walked up to Noble son JiaoShi and said, Duke, you''ve been fooled. Noble son JiaoShi was stunned. Wei Shu said, I created something out of nothing, General Fei is innocent of being wronged. Noble son JiaoShi immediately understood, he drew his sword and pointed it at Wei Shu, How dare you tease me! Wei Shu laughed, Don''t be angry, Duke, didn''t you want to test me? I did it to show you my ability to kill with my tongue. Noble son JiaoShi said unhappily, You ...... joke is too big! The angry General Fei got up from the ground, went forward and grabbed Wei Shu, raising his hand to hit, Wei Bo stretched out a hand and grabbed General Fei s wrist, coldly saying, General Fei, if you want to hit you should hit the Duke of Qi, it is he who wants to see Lao San s tongue! Wei Shu said, General Fei, you shouldn''t be angry but should celebrate for this, with the skills of our three brothers, we will surely stir up the state of Qi. General Fei ignored him with a grunt and drew back his hand and stepped aside. Wei Shu walked right up to Noble son JiaoShi and said, Duke, it''s time for you to ask me what I want. Noble son JiaoShi''s anger had not subsided, he did not want to ask, but had to ask, coldly asked, What do you want? Official position. What official? Sage. Noble son JiaoShi sneered and flirted, A phase state can''t create rumors out of nothing. Speak of people when you see people, speak of ghosts when you see ghosts, and naturally speak of a phase state when you become a phase state. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.If you are incompetent, I will have to dismiss you. It is only natural. Noble son JiaoShi agreed to his request. As King Xuan of Qi''s wounds were getting better, Tian Ji and Sun Bin asked for troops to attack Wei''s border cities and get rid of Noble son JiaoShi. King Xuan didn''t agree, he told Sun Bin that if he got rid of Noble son JiaoShi, the Empress Dowager would give him no peace. Tian Ji thought he could capture Jiao Shi alive so that the Empress Dowager would have nothing to say. King Xuan of Qi still disagreed, he said he knew the temper of Noble son JiaoShi best, he would rather commit suicide than to be captured alive. Just when the king and ministers were silent, Sun Bin spoke up and said he has a way to capture Noble son JiaoShi alive. Since Zou Ji returned from Qin, although he was highly regarded by King Xuan of Qi, he has not yet joined the court because he has not been offered a suitable position. Sun Bin''s plan was to ask Zou Ji to go to the Wei border city of Li Du to lure Noble son JiaoShi back to his country. Zou Ji agreed to do so in order to further gain King Xuan''s appreciation. Zou Ji came to Li Du and said to Gong Zi Jiao Shi: Since the king was stabbed, he has not left the harem for a step, when the court Dafus asked about the king''s injuries, the queen always said that his injuries were getting better and better, and then a few of our old ministers found out that Tian Ji and Sun Bin''s behaviors were furtive, and then we bought through the palace Dafus, who said that not only was the king''s injuries not getting better and better but they were getting worse and worse, and that the Dafus were already unable to do anything about it. Good, the news brought by Xiang Guo is too good! Noble son JiaoShi was overjoyed and high-fived. Zou Ji, however, shook his head and said, Duke, don''t say good first, I haven''t finished my words yet ...... A few of our old ministers estimated that there must be a conspiracy in Tian Ji and Sun Bin''s blocking of the news of the Great King''s injuries, so they sent their men to secretly monitor the situation, and it was not as we expected that Tian Ji and Sun Bin were secretly searching for a successor to the throne. Pi Jiang has no queen, I am the rightful successor to the throne. I heard that Tian Ji found a man named Jie Jiang in Gaomi, saying that he''s the son of the late king who was born to a courtesan, and that they want to use this man to prevent Noble son JiaoShi from succeeding to the throne. Noble son JiaoShis face suddenly changed, and he said indignantly, We can''t let their plot succeed! Zou Ji nodded his head and said, Yes, if we let their plot succed, the Duke will have no day to return to his country, much less get the throne again. We, the few old ministers who have offended them, will also die without a burial place ...... He glanced at the Noble son JiaoShi, In order to stop their plot, I have been commissioned by these old ministers to risk my life to see the Duke. I will immediately send someone to get rid of Tian Ji and Sun Bin. No, Tian Ji and Sun Bin have the protection of the army, one or two assassins can''t help them ...... Besides, there is also a queen with great sword skills, Cao Yang was killed by her ...... Then according to the opinion of Xiangguo, how can we stop Jijian from succeeding the throne? Gongzi immediately sneak back to Qi. The Noble son JiaoShi froze: Go back to the country ...... Once they find out, won''t it be a death sentence? Zou Ji laughed: With the Empress Dowager, even if they find out, they can''t do anything about the Duke. Noble son JiaoShi remembered the last time almost fell into the hands of Tian Ji on the fear, he said to Zou Ji: No, there is the Empress Dowager also can not, go back too dangerous! Zou Ji said, If you go back to your country, you can inherit the throne logically; if you don''t go back to your country, the one who will inherit the throne will be the so-called Jijian. What Zou Ji said is also the truth, there is no shortage of such successors to the throne in the past generations who have faked their way to the throne, and the Noble son JiaoShi hesitates. Duke, I have contacted dozens of the former king''s old officials in the court, and all of them are willing to embrace the Duke''s succession for the sake of the state of Qi, Zou Ji said as he pulled out a piece of silk from his pocket, This is a letter that dozens of our old officials have jointly written to the Duke. Zou Ji handed the letter to Noble son JiaoShi and continued, If the Duke returns to his country, with the support of the Empress Dowager and the adherence of us veteran ministers, the throne will not be the Duke''s....... If the Duke does not return to his country, there will be nothing we can do. Noble son JiaoShi and his strategists discussed it again and again, they didn''t want to miss the opportunity, but also worried about falling into Sun Bin''s trap. Thinking about it, the Duke decided to send General Gao to sneak back to Linzi first, try to see the Empress Dowager, let the Empress Dowager find out the truth of what Zou Ji said, and then make a decision. General Gao came to Linzi, dressed up as a craftsman into the palace, after seeing the Queen Dowager, first on behalf of the Duke of suburbia division of the salute, and then asked the Queen Dowager to see how the King of Xuan injuries. Cao Yang''s death, the Empress Dowager felt sorry for herself, has not been out of the bedchamber half a step, she also wanted to know the King Xuan injury, so she agreed to General Gao''s request. The Empress Dowager was assisted by two court ladies to King Xuan''s bedchamber, and Zhong Li Chun brought her to King Xuan''s sleeping couch. The Empress Dowager saw that King Xuan''s eyes were slightly closed and his face was pale, she could not help but feel sad, after all, King Xuan was also the one she watched grow up. Zhong Li Chun softly called out, Great King, Great King, the Empress Dowager has come to see you ...... King Qi Xuan feebly opened his eyes. The Empress Dowager bent down and asked softly, Wang''er, are you better? A teardrop rolled down from the corner of King Qi Xuan''s eye. The Empress Dowager reached out and gently wiped away the teardrop from the corner of King Qi Xuan''s eyes, comforting, Wang''er, don''t be sad, you''ll be better ...... King Qi Xuan shook his head feebly as another teardrop rolled down from the corner of his eye. Zhong Li Chun could not help but let out a soft sob, and then tried his best to hold it back. The Empress Dowager could no longer hold back her muddy old tears. King Qi Xuan murmured, Mother, my son is not worth your tears, not worth ...... it. The empress dowager could not help but be moved and said, Wang Er, how can you say this ...... Although you are not the old woman''s own son, but the old woman has watched you grow up, the old woman to you, like a dear son ...... King Xuan of Qi said, No, son is not this meaning ...... son means that ...... son if early to give the throne to the suburban division ...... we two brothers ...... wouldn''t ...... have made such a mess ...... The empress dowager wiped her tears and sincerely said, Wang''er, it is the suburban division that did wrong ...... When he returns, I must punish him, punish him heavily. Mother ...... with your words ...... I am ...... relieved ...... King Xuan of Qi seemed tired and slowly closed his eyes. Wang''er, Wang''er what''s wrong with you ...... the Empress Dowager anxiously called out. King Xuan of Qi closed his eyes and murmured, Mother ...... son is tired ...... want to be quiet ...... Tears once again flowed from the Empress Dowager''s eyes. When the Empress Dowager returned to her chambers, her face was still streaked with tears as she complained to General Gao, The Suburban Division has gone too far, too far! General Gao explained, If the Duke didn''t do this, he wouldn''t have gotten the throne ...... The Empress Dowager was furious: Is it possible to kill one''s elder brother for the sake of the throne? Killing one''s elder brother is unkind and unfaithful! General Gao, seeing the Empress Dowager''s anger, quickly corrected, Empress Dowager, it is the Prince who is wrong ...... The Empress Dowager instructed General Gao, Go back and tell the Suburban Master that he should come back immediately, kneel before his elder brother, and ask for his forgiveness, or else the old woman will not be able to spare him! General Gao immediately returned to Liudu, the capital of Wei, and relayed the Empress Dowager''s words to Noble son JiaoShi. Only then did Noble son JiaoShi become convinced of what Zou Ji had said, and he immediately returned secretly to Linzi with the three Wei brothers and General Gao. Noble son JiaoShi first put General Gao and others in the guest house, and then he himself went into the palace to see the Empress Dowager. Suburban division kneeled in front of the empress dowager to ask the empress dowager for forgiveness, the empress dowager''s eyes glittered with tears, stretched out a trembling hand to stroke his face, murmured, Suburban division ...... you make the mother want to die ...... Noble son JiaoShi hugged the Empress Dowager and cried, Mother, in the future, son will never leave you again! The empress dowager stroked Gongzi Jiaoji''s head and said, You can be true to your word ...... Gongzi jiaoshi swore: I keep my word, never leave mother! The Empress Dowager remembered the dying King Xuan lying on the sleeping couch, wiped her tears, and said to Gongzi Jiaoji, You quickly go to see your elder brother, who is no longer able to do so, and kneel in front of him, begging him for forgiveness until he dies ...... This way, the father and king in the ancestral temple will not blame you, and the Dafus in the court will forgive you. Noble son JiaoShi cried and walked into the bedchamber of King Xuan, and while walking, he said, Brother, brother, brother, brother is sorry ...... for you. Noble son JiaoShi couldn''t help but freeze when he walked to King Xuan of Qi''s sleeping couch. King Xuan was not in his sleeping couch. Jiao Shi, wipe away your tears! A majestic voice came from behind him. Noble son JiaoShi turned back with a puzzled look on his face. He only saw King Xuan of Qi and Zhong Li Chun standing behind him. King Xuan of Qi said disdainfully, I detest false tears! The Noble son JiaoShi then realized, and exasperatedly said, So ...... you are deceiving me! King Xuan of Qi said, It''s not a deception, it''s a ploy, and this ploy is called Tuning the Tiger away from the Mountain. King Xuan of Qi said and clapped his hands. A dozen palace guards came out from behind the curtain and surrounded Noble son JiaoShi. Noble son JiaoShi pointed at King Xuan of Qi in horror and said, You ...... If you kill me, mother will not spare you! King Xuan of Qi smiled coldly: I won''t kill you, I''ll let you never see the light of day. Note: Transferring the tiger away from the mountain is the fifteenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, which means: to lure the enemy away from a favorable place, and then make them fall into line. Sun Bin used this plan to lure Noble son JiaoShi out of Wei''s protection and returned to Qi alone, easily capturing him. To know what happened next, please read next time: Want to catch the enemy and then indulge him.