Master Kong Zhongni

Chapter 156 Qi and Jin, who is stronger? (4K2)

When Qihou heard this, he was quite surprised.

Originally, he looked down on Zaiyu and Zigong when they were young, thinking that such young people are knowledgeable, but after all they lack experience in dealing with the world, and there are always many deficiencies in governing the country and being a person.

He had rejected the minister's advice before, mainly because of this reason.

By the way, he can also take the opportunity to test whether Zaiyu and Zigong have the courage to speak out.

As many courtiers as can obey him, Qihou has as many subordinates as he wants.

But there are only a few people who can bluntly point out his faults, such as Yanzi, Xianzhang, and Tian Rangju.

Unexpectedly, if you don’t try it, you’re fine. This trial is considered to be a treasure.

Not only did these two young men have the courage to speak out, but all the words used to persuade them were well-founded, which not only took into account his face, but also achieved the purpose of admonishing him.

Among other things, this kind of courtier is much better than Xianzhang's extreme school of 'If you don't listen to me, the monarch, I'll kill you right away'.

Young and well-read, humble but not overbearing, polite and disciplined.

This is a rare talent!

Thinking of this, Qi Hou felt his love for talents moved.

His attitude towards Jae Yu suddenly became a lot more solemn.

Qihou apologized to him kindly: "I lived on the coast of the East Sea, in a remote and humble place.

Although Duke Huan of the late emperor is on top, but the few people have shallow knowledge, after all, they still can't understand the extensive virtues of the late emperor, so that they can't distinguish right from wrong, which makes you laugh. "

When Zaiyu heard the words, he just asked: "Although I am from Lu, I have heard about Duke Huan's virtues for a long time.

At the time of Duke Huan, the state of Qi had only a few hundred chariots, but it was able to establish an unrivaled hegemony of nine princes and one world.

After Duke Huan, overlords such as Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Mu of Qin, and King Zhuang of Chu followed one after another.

But either they have dominated for too short a time, or they don't have enough appeal to Zhu Xia.

Although these virtuous monarchs are also overlords, there are always princes who do not respect them in the world.

The reason, do you know why? "

When Qi Hou heard Jai Yu praise his idol Huan Gong, his joy was almost written on his face.

He replied: "Yes! The widow was also very confused before!

At that time, Duke Huan was able to dominate the world with only a few hundred military vehicles, but now he has thousands of military vehicles, but he still cannot make Zhu Xia respect him.

At first, the widows thought that this was the reason for the state of Jin, but the state of Chu in the time of Duke Huan was also powerful. Why did the Xias not respect the more powerful state of Chu, but were willing to obey the leadership of Duke Huan? "

Zaiyu replied: "My master once said: Jin Wengong is deceitful and not upright, Qi Huan is just and not deceitful.

The reason why Duke Wen was able to dominate was mostly because he used deceitful power tactics. When Duke Wen of Jin was in exile, Qi, Qin, Chu and other countries all treated him with courtesy.

However, after Duke Wen returned to China to inherit the throne, he crusaded against the allies of Chu, alienated the relationship between Qi Qin and Chu, created friction among the Xias, coerced small countries, and deceived big countries, so as to weaken the strength of other countries. Opportunity to strengthen yourself.

Therefore, Jin Wengong's hegemony was obtained by deceitful tactics and force.

This kind of hegemony is enough to bully the weak, but not enough to deter the powerful.

The hegemony of Duke Huan of Qi is different from that of Duke Wen of Jin.

During the time of Duke Huan, the Xias were weak, and the barbarians invaded the Central Plains.

Duke Huan advocated great righteousness, respected the king and fought against the barbarians. He met the princes in Beixing and helped the Song Dynasty, which was caught in civil strife, to get back on track.

At war with the State of Lu, the State of Lu was defeated in three battles and asked for peace.But at the alliance meeting, Cao GUI of the state of Lu drew his sword and threatened Duke Huan, demanding that the state of Qi return the land of Wenyang.

Due to the situation, Duke Huan had to agree.

After the alliance meeting, Duke Huan could have reneged on his promise, but in the end he followed Guan Zhong's advice, gave up the small profit in Wenyang's field, and fulfilled his promise.

Since then, all the Xias have praised Duke Huan for his virtue of keeping promises, and small countries have come to join him one after another.

Later, he helped Yan, Xing, Wei and other countries to resist the invasion of Yi Di. Zhu Xia was grateful for his kindness, so more and more countries followed him.

Therefore, when Duke Huan launched an army to attack Chu, which did not respect the emperor, the states of Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, Cao, and others all poured out their entire power to help Duke Huan.

Therefore, even a large country as large as Chu State had to convict Huan Gong, avoid the edge of Qi State, and respect Duke Huan as the overlord.

Since Duke Huan, Jin and Chu have fought for hegemony for a hundred years, but there has never been an overlord like Duke Huan who can convince all the princes of the world.

Therefore, the reason why Duke Huan ruled over hegemony, of course, is the role of force, but what is more important is Duke Huan's benevolence and faith! "

In fact, Zaiyu's words were not completely fooling Qihou.

Qi State is originally a peaceful country. Although the domestic resources are rich and the people are rich, there is no danger to defend the country, and the country is flat.

The Qi State and the Lu State are two brothers and sisters in distress. From south to north, from east to west, the country is full of unobstructed plains.

The chariots of various countries rush forward and can penetrate their borders within a few days.

If it weren't for this sinister terrain, no matter how foolish King Qi Min was during the Warring States Period, no matter how powerful Yan Guo's Le Yi was, it would be impossible to take down more than 70 cities in Qi State within half a year.

In other words, even if Le Yi was really that ruthless, why did it take Tian Dan just over a year to restore Qi?
The state of Qi squatted in the corner of the East China Sea, and the states of Jin, Chu, and Qin could continue to attack Yidi and expand outward.And after Qi State finished fighting Huaiyi, if it wanted to expand, it could only go to sea.

Therefore, their development is naturally limited. Once a war starts, both terrain and human factors restrict their performance.

It was precisely because Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong understood the inherent shortcomings of Qi that they came up with the idea of ​​commanding the world by dominating the world, mobilizing the power of all countries in the world to leverage their strength, and using this to maximize the interests of Qi.

Therefore, Huan Gong's hegemony is obviously different from those later overlords.

Duke Huan ruled because he could not overthrow Chu by himself.

So they borrowed the method of hegemony to help countries solve some family problems. From time to time, they even had to "benefit" a few waves, taking the opportunity to gather people's hearts, and finally take it back for their own use.

And those later overlords mostly wanted to fight for the title of overlord, completely forgetting that dominance is actually just a means used by Duke Huan to make up for his congenital deficiencies.

It is precisely because of the mutually beneficial relationship between Duke Huan and those small countries that everyone can get along happily. The emperor was also very moved by Duke Huan's behavior of "respecting the king and fighting barbarians, and living and dying intermittently".

For these small countries, although following Duke Huan may sometimes get you a leek, but in general, although there are many people, they also benefit a lot!

Xing and Wei were invaded by Yi and Di, and they were beaten to the brink of subjugation. Duke Huan of Qi was able to help them up again.

The internal turmoil in the Song Dynasty also had to be quelled by Duke Huan.

The State of Yan was invaded by the Shan Rong, and Duke Huan of Qi sent troops to help the State of Yan counterattack, and they did not withdraw until they fought against Guzhu.

Duke Zhuang of Yan was grateful for this, and insisted on personally sending Duke Huan of Qi back home, but in the end he was sent all the way from the State of Yan to the territory of the State of Qi before returning.

Duke Huan of Qi saw that Lord Yan Zhuang was so sensible, so he also said very generously: "I am not the emperor, and the princes can't leave the country if they send me off. But the Lord Yan sent me with good intentions after all, I can't let him be rude."

So he ordered that all the land of Qi State that Yanhou visited should be given to Yan State.

All in all, Qi Huan's public transportation friends never look at whether the other party has money, anyway, you are not as rich as Qi Guo.

You respect me one foot, I respect you one foot.

And the rules established by Duke Huan for the princes at the five league meetings before and after were also very appetizing to everyone.

First, punish those who are unfilial, do not easily change heirs, and do not regard concubines as main wives.

This article safeguards the interests of the princes of various countries, so the second generations of each country have become loyal dogs of Qi.

Second, respect the worthy, cultivate the talented, and commend the virtuous.

This article bought the world's sages who controlled public opinion, and from then on, Duke Huan of Qi secured the top position in the Spring and Autumn Period in one fell swoop.

Third, respect the elderly, love children, and do not despise guests and travelers.

This article bought common people from all over the world, and the big guys praised Duke Huan's kindness one after another.

Fourth, the official position of the scholar is not hereditary, and the public office is not concurrent. The selection of scholars must be qualified, and the scholar-bureaucrats cannot be killed arbitrarily.

This one can be regarded as challenging the hereditary system since ancient times, but it is not too radical.

It not only opened up the ascending channel for poor scholars from various countries, but also appeased the ministers and officials who held power in various countries.

Although those scholars with hereditary official positions will definitely object, their voices are not as loud as those ordinary Chinese with a large base.

So for Duke Huan personally, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Fifth, don't build dikes at will, don't ban the import and export of grain, and report to the emperor all feudal titles in the country.

This is a clause that is both public and private.

The point of not building dikes at will is mainly to give eye drops to Lu, Song and other countries located in the upper reaches of Qi, and it is also to warn in advance, and to give courtesy first and then soldiers.

Our country of Qi has already notified everyone in advance that anyone who dares to block the river upstream and pinch the sluice gate of our country will be punished with an iron fist!
Instead of banning the import and export of food, it is to be able to control other countries through trade wars at any time.

After all, no matter what period it is, pinching a country's rations is tantamount to pinching their lifeblood.

As for the fact that the title must be reported to the emperor, it seems dispensable, but in fact it is very useful to the emperor of Zhou.

In this era when everyone doesn't take the emperor seriously, a big country like Qi still misses the royal family. How can this make the emperor not moved?

It is precisely because Qi State has the support of the emperor that he can repeatedly order the princes in the name of the emperor. No matter who he crusades against, Qi State can always stand morally.

Because of this, there is no such thing as "unjust" in any war launched by Duke Huan of Qi.

Although this may seem silly, it is actually very effective.

Although the royal family of Zhou has declined, face is at stake after all. Even if you don't want to obey Duke Huan of Qi, you have to sell the emperor of Zhou for favors, right?

It's not the Warring States period yet. During the Spring and Autumn Period, you offended the emperor, and the emperor cut off your title in a rage. Wouldn't that make everyone look ugly?
Although the state of Chu kept saying "I am a barbarian", they never hesitated when they should confess!
How can Rongdi barbarians be so easy to be?

Most of the countries that have been expelled from the "Zhu Xia Ji" will not end well.

Qihou thought about what Jai Yu said, and the more he thought about it, the more reasonable he felt.

He also knew that the strength of Qi State was not enough to compete with Jin State.

That's why he tried his best to win the support of Zheng and Wei countries, hoping to unite them to fight against Jin.

But at this stage, the reason why these countries support him is not at all because of his benevolence in Marquis Qi, but because Jin is too inappropriate.

Zheng Guo's reason for betraying Jin State is actually very simple: Who told you not to allow me to offend the emperor!
This is not because Zheng Guo is born rebellious, but because Zheng Guo's geographical location is really unlucky.

The state of Zheng is next to the Zhou royal family and is located in the most affluent area in the world.

If this was a time of peace and prosperity, it would have been a good thing to be in such a region.

But troubled times are approaching, if you don't expand outward, you can only sit and wait for death.

So since the Zhou royal family moved eastward, Zheng Wugong, the hero of Zheng Guo, did something against the sky.

He successively destroyed the Dongguo State, the Qi State, and the other eight vassal states that had been responsible for defending the emperor for generations.

And his son Zheng Zhuanggong fully inherited his father Zheng Wugong's excellent quality of "big rebellion and injustice", and he went so far as to work directly in Sui Ge and King Zhou Huan.

In the battle of Sui Ge, Zheng Guo had fewer enemies and more enemies, and used the strength of the three armies to face the six armies under Zhou Tianzi's command. In addition, he had to deal with the Qin King's division sent by Chen, Cai, Wei and other countries.

Zheng Zhuanggong was ready to admit defeat at the time, and begged his grandpa to sue his grandma everywhere to ask the emperor to forgive him.

Who knew that when King Zhou Huan saw this battle, the six armies had the upper hand against the three armies, and I had the advantage!
So after a little bit of manipulation, King Zhou Huan was decisively defeated by Zheng Guo, and he himself was shot in the shoulder by an arrow.

The Zhou royal family lost all face in the battle of Suige, and since then Zheng Guo has never put the emperor in his eyes again.

In order to be able to expand their power, Zheng people have been chasing and beating the emperor's younger brothers for hundreds of years.

In the past, when Jin and Chu fought for hegemony, in order to win the support of Zheng Guo, the two countries could only turn a blind eye to the ugly behavior of Zheng people.

But now that Chu State is gone, Jin State naturally cannot allow Zheng State to behave like this.

And Zheng Guo is also an old wall that has repeatedly jumped for hundreds of years. Chu State is gone, and they naturally joined Qi State.

As for the state of Wei, Marquis Wei was purely angered by the state of Jin, and had been holding back an evil fire in his heart, that's why he wanted to jump back.

As for the other small countries, they couldn't stand the increasingly greedy Liu Qing, and wanted to find a hegemony country whose asking price was not so high.

As for Yang Hu of Lu State, the reason why he insisted on taking refuge in Jin State was mostly because he felt guilty.

After all, he still had to find a strong person to endorse for himself in the matter of taking the life of the country, so he didn't pay much attention to actual interests, but more to the strength of the overlord.

In this way, as long as Lu Guo can be replaced by a normal person, if the widow is willing to cede some benefits, it seems that it is not impossible to talk about it!
Qi Hou took a deep breath, and suddenly asked: "Listen to what you said, are there any senior officials who yearn for 'benevolence and righteousness' and abide by 'loyalty and trustworthiness' in Lu State?"

As soon as Zaiyu heard this, he knew that Qihou must have figured it out.

However, he did not immediately give a positive answer, but replied with a smile: "My master once said: In a city of ten houses, there must be loyalty.

Even where there are ten families, there are faithful people.What's more, what about the huge state of Lu?
As long as you are willing to promote 'benevolence and righteousness', then Zai Bucai, I am willing to do my best to find trustworthy and loyal people for you in Lu State. "

Hearing this, Marquis Qi couldn't help being overjoyed and said: "Okay! Okay! Then do you need any help from the widow? As long as it is within the reach of the widow, you can ask for it!"

"Help, of course we need it..." Zai Yu smiled warmly and innocently: "Just listen to me slowly..."

　At four o'clock in the morning, I saw that the crabapple flowers were still awake.

　　I always feel that at this time, the recommendation ticket should be by my side.

　　——Excerpt from "Zaiyu's Diary"

　　


(End of this chapter)