The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 124: Big Move, Big Deal

At the court meeting the next day, Ying Zheng formally announced his intention to form an alliance with the State of Chu, and appointed Changping Jun as the second prime minister.

Changping Jun was overjoyed, but it was a pity that he was not given the title of Zhangtai Xingsanyi and could not enter the cabinet.

Nowadays, no matter how famous one is, as long as one does not hold the position of Zhangtai Xingxing Senator, he is not considered to have entered the core of power of the Qin Dynasty.

This is not bad. My sister hasn't really married into the Qin State yet, but I am already the vice-prime minister. If I really come to the Qin State, I will join the cabinet immediately.

On the same day, he ordered Yang Duanhe to attack South Korea and capture at least ten cities.

Fighting against South Korea was a free military achievement, and it was also a compensation for Yang Duanhe being kicked out of the Regent Cabinet for no reason.

The reasons to attack Han are even more ready-made. You, Han, came to Qin to congratulate the new king on his succession to the throne and sent ministers to Qin to serve as officials. Turns out you are a spy. Isn't it appropriate not to attack you?

I didn't hit you last year because the timing was wrong. Now the timing is right, and I can kill two birds with one stone.

Anyway, Zheng's family members had already been brought from Han to Qin. After this war, Zheng had no choice but to be loyal to Qin.

Yang Duanhe attacked Han with great force and captured eleven cities of Han in just two months.

South Korea was shocked and quickly asked for peace.

Ying Zheng sent envoys to threaten Han again, saying that Han was acting shamelessly and that if the King of Qin was not about to get married, he would not stop until Han was destroyed.

How could Han not congratulate the King of Qin on his wedding? The gift was five cities in the area of ​​Chongqiu and Xianghe in the south of Han. If they didn't cede the cities, they would continue to fight.

It was also clearly stated that these five cities were the betrothal gifts from the King of Qin to the State of Chu. If Han did not agree, it would join forces with Chu to attack Han, and Chu was already prepared.

The King of Han was so angry that his nose was crooked. Okay, okay, you want to use my city as your betrothal gift? Okay, okay!
I have endured it, and I wish the King of Qin a happy wedding!

King Huanhui of Han considered it over and over again. He felt that if the Qin and Chu attacked from both sides, the Han State would suffer more losses, so he decided to give the five small cities.

In desperation, they finally ceded the territory with great pain. Ying Zheng kept his word and stopped attacking Han.

The erosion comes little by little, and it’s enough. We will continue next year.

Now let’s change someone else.

After King Huanhui of Han ceded the city, preparations were made to send an army to the State of Chu to seek marriage and alliance.

The King of Qin offered the five cities ceded by the State of Han as a betrothal gift, together with a hundred carts of rare treasures, countless gold, silver and silk, and proposed to the State of Chu in marriage, asking for the princess of the King of Chu and for an alliance to form an alliance.

The envoys who went to the State of Chu to deliver the marriage alliance were also very important. They were the king's teacher, Ran Hong, a senior official of the State of Qin, and Zou Yan, two great sages of the Yin-Yang School.

Ran Hong was the childhood teacher of the current King of Qin, now an important official of the Qin Dynasty, and a world-famous Confucian master.

Zou Yan was the leader of the Yin-Yang School. He became famous long before Ran Hong. He was a well-known sage among all the countries, and his reputation in the State of Chu was of great importance.

The Qin State appointed these two as envoys, which was a very high standard.

The two envoys made a grand journey along the way, and the carriages and horses carrying the betrothal gifts alone stretched for several miles.

This news had already reached King Kaolie of Chu. Although he did not know the specific details of the betrothal gift, he was delighted when he heard about the grand ceremony and thought that the new King of Qin was indeed a respectable man.

When the delegation arrived at Yingdu Juyang, the King of Chu ordered the city gates to be opened wide and ordered Chunshen Jun Huang Xie to go out of the city in person to welcome the envoys. After a three-day rest, the Qin envoys dressed in their best clothes entered the palace to pay homage to the King of Chu.

King Kaolie of Chu also attached great importance to it and summoned all civil and military officials, nobles of all ranks, to receive him with the highest etiquette.

Ran Hong and Zou Yan bowed and said, "The foreign minister Ran Hong (Zou Yan) pays homage to the King of Chu."

King Kaolie of Chu was full of joy and said with a smile: "Gentlemen, please stand up. The King of Qin has invited you two to be envoys to Chu. It is really well-intentioned. Thank you for your hard work." Ran Hong replied: "I am loyal to the king and this is my duty. It is not hard work."

Although he already knew why they came, and Changping Jun had already discussed the marriage with the State of Chu, King Kaolie of Chu still asked, "You two envoys, what is your purpose this time?"

Ran Hong replied: "Your Majesty, this trip to Chu is a great joyous event."

"My king has reached the age of marriage. I have long heard that your daughter, Princess Miyun, is a talented and beautiful woman with a virtuous and graceful appearance. I have specially sent you here to propose marriage to her."

"My king is willing to give five cities in the Chongqiu and Xianghe areas, plus three hundred carts of rare treasures, gold, silver and silk as a betrothal gift to the State of Chu to form an everlasting friendship and sign a treaty of alliance."

As soon as these words came out, the entire Chu court was in an uproar. There had never been such a generous betrothal gift in the world! Even if King Kaolie of Chu knew that the betrothal gift was generous, he had never thought it would be so generous, five cities.

At this time, Chunshen Jun stepped forward to calm the ministers down, and said to Ran Hong: "The betrothal gift from the King of Qin is indeed very heavy, but it seems that Chongqiu and Xianghe are still the territory of Han. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to betroth Chu with the territory of Han?"

Ran Hong smiled and said, "Han State was disrespectful to Qin State and was taught a lesson some time ago. It has already ceded five cities in this area to Qin State. Now it is Qin State's land, and it is only natural to use Qin State's land as a betrothal gift."

That’s right, when Ying Zheng sent people to intimidate South Korea, the Chu State had no idea that it had been used as a gun.

Chunshen Jun bowed and said, "I see. I am sorry for being rude. Please forgive me, envoy Qin."

Ran Hong returned the greeting: "It's OK, I don't blame Lord Ling Yin, after all, this matter has not spread throughout the world yet."

King Kaolie of Chu was about to accept the offer, but Ran Hong spoke first.

Ran Hong continued, "My king heard that Wei humiliated Chu last year, and in order to show his sincerity in forming an alliance through marriage, he is willing to join Chu in attacking Wei."

"Qin is attacking the northwest, and Chu is attacking the southeast. Wei will certainly be unable to split its forces. With the strength of Qin and Chu, they can definitely help Chu avenge its defeat last year, and they can also reap great rewards."

Ever since Lord Xinling convened an allied force to attack Qin, the State of Wei has gained great momentum, as if it had regained its glory as the overlord of the Central Plains. Yan, Han, Zhao and Chu were all greatly uneasy.

The State of Chu took the initiative and attacked Wei last year, but unfortunately, it failed to win.

Hearing what Ran Hong said, King Kaolie of Chu was overjoyed and even showed his joy on his face. It was a double happiness!

The King of Qin was a generous man! Not to mention the five cities, even if he gave nothing, he was willing to form an alliance with Chu through marriage, and Chu would be willing.

What's more, he got five cities for free without doing anything, and he was willing to join me in attacking Wei and help me get revenge and seize the cities. What a kind man!
Last year, we attacked Wei but suffered heavy casualties and lost both our men and our reputation. I am still depressed about this to this day. Moreover, the Wei State is so powerful that it is really disturbing.

Now we can unite Qin and suppress Wei, which is exactly what we want. Moreover, the new King of Qin is young, and our own daughter knows that she is extremely beautiful. If we can win the heart of the King of Qin, it will be of great benefit to the State of Chu. It is perfect.

The conditions offered by Ying Zheng were too good to be rejected by the King of Chu. After comprehensive consideration, King Kaolie of Chu readily agreed.

He said excitedly: "Okay, I have seen the sincerity of the King of Qin. In this case, I am willing to sign an alliance with the State of Qin and establish a friendship that will last forever."

"As for the matter of jointly attacking Wei, that is also possible. We can attack Wei together at the agreed time."

Ran Hong bowed and said: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. May our two countries forever form a brotherly alliance and maintain everlasting friendship."

"As for the attack on Wei, Great Qin is already prepared and can send troops at any time. Once Qin and Chu sign an alliance, we can launch a large-scale attack."

King Kaolie of Chu said with a smile: "Very good, very good. It is impolite not to reciprocate. The King of Qin has given me such a generous gift that I must return it. Please rest and play in Yingdu for a while. I will also prepare a wedding gift for my daughter."

"I also need to make some preparations for the attack on Wei. This time, Wei will be devastated."

Ran Hong and Zou Yan bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."

(End of this chapter)