Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 89 Casualties
The Marquis of Wei led the army in person.

Constant attacks allowed the Wei army to advance rapidly and achieve many victories.

The land west of the Yellow River was recovered quickly.

The Marquis of Wei therefore boasted about his military prowess in front of his ministers, saying, "When Wu Qi was in Hexi, he failed to defend this place."

"Now that I have personally led the army here, I have repelled the Qin army and recovered a lot of territory. What does this prove?"

Gongshu Zhu was the first to loudly congratulate, "Your Majesty is so powerful, how can Wu Qi compare to you?"

The other ministers also followed suit and congratulated the Duke of Wei, without mentioning the internal problems of Qin at all.

The Queen Mother of Qin spent money to stabilize her son's throne, which had some effect for a while, but it is of no use now.

The Qin State was once again caught up in the turmoil of seizing the throne, and some people even deliberately gave up cities to let the Wei State take them away as evidence that "the king is incompetent and cannot support the Qin State."

But what does all this have to do with the current happiness of the Wei monarchs and ministers?

As long as the land west of the Yellow River was in the hands of Wei, Qin would never have the opportunity to move eastward.

The Qin people will go crazy later.

Then let them go crazy!
A madman trapped in a corner will eventually become the object of entertainment for the Wei monarch and his ministers, who will treat him like a beast.

However, Ximen Bao did not appear at the celebratory banquet.

he got hurt,

He was lying on a soft mat to recuperate, with wounds on his hands and feet.

Because on the battlefield, without the high defense provided by the rattan armor, the stray arrow finally broke through the layers of obstacles and hit Ximen Bao's shoulder.

Ximen Bao cried out in pain on the spot, covered his arm and fell off the chariot, injuring his leg. A tooth fell out, and his crown was also knocked off, revealing his sparse white hair.

When he heard the sounds of singing and dancing from the banquet in the palace not far away, Ximen Bao struggled to get up, limped to the door while covering his wound, then let out a sigh and shed tears silently.

The monk who was in charge of taking care of him asked, "Doctor Ximen, what are you doing?"

"Does the wound hurt?"

Ximen Bao said sadly, "I am just sad that Wei's hegemony cannot last much longer."

The king loves money, pleasures and beauty.

This is not a big deal.

However, if one fails to stick to one's bottom line when it comes to money, fame and wealth, and uses one's power recklessly, one will lose the support of the people and undermine the country's national strength.

For now, Wei can still hold on.

But what about the future?
Duke Wen was a great ruler.
His son could only maintain the hegemony established by his father.

What about the next generation of monarch?
Although Ximen Bao's life was about to end, he couldn't help but worry about the Wei State decades later.

He is always like this.

I can't help but think too much about the future.

Facing ghosts and gods,

He had to consider his descendants who would live for who knows how many years, worrying that they would be immersed in the favor of ghosts and gods and forget the hard work of their ancestors in establishing the Chinese nation.

Facing the monarch,

He had to consider the future of the Wei State, fearing that as it declined generation after generation, the hegemony would be transferred to others, and then the Wei State would be destroyed.

"It's useless to think so much."

"If you are willing, you can advise the king again after your injury is healed!"

The eunuch helped Ximen Bao back to the soft mat where he was resting and let him lie down again.

Ximen Bao sighed again, "I'm afraid I won't get better."

The ghosts and gods who loved him were far away on the other side of the river and were not on this battlefield filled with smoke.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

Ximen Bao thought for a moment and said to the monk, "I still have some money, which I can give to you as a reward."

The eunuch was very frightened, "With my status, can I still help the doctor?"

"Please speak first!"

Ximen Bao said, "My wife is still waiting for me in the back. If I cannot follow the king back, please tell her when you pass by not to miss an old man like me and let her go back to Anyi to take care of her children and grandchildren."

"And then, there is this..."

He took out a silk book from his arms with his intact hand, which was full of words.

Ximen Bao handed it to the eunuch and said, "This is for another friend who lives in Dongjun, Wei State."

"Please give it to my wife and ask her to pass it on to my old friend."

The monk accepted the gift and said, "I won't forget it."

"Thank you!"

Ximen Bao tried to stand up again with difficulty and salute the other party.

But his hands and feet were not convenient and he ultimately failed.

But this still moved the monks.

"I am only following the king's orders to serve you, a disabled person. But you value me so much and treat me with courtesy. How can I disappoint you?"

"I will definitely take the doctor's message back!"

Ximen Bao thanked him and then fell asleep due to fatigue from his injuries.

A few more days passed,
The wound has not healed yet, but the injured legs and feet can barely walk normally.

The Marquis of Wei then asked Ximen Bao to continue to follow him.

Someone advised, "Doctor Ximen is old and in poor health, so let him rest more."

The Marquis of Wei disagreed, "I am only three years younger than him and still full of energy, how could he be so old and disabled?" "Besides, the gods and ghosts are protecting him, he will not die here!"

"keep going!"

"I will drive those mad dogs from the west out of Hexi and let all the people of China see the might of Wei!"

Ever since the Qin State seized a large area of land in Hexi, the Duke of Wei has been feeling resentful, fearing that this would make other princes think that the State of Wei was in decline and that the hegemony established by his father would fail after only a decade in his hands.

Wei Hou Ji absolutely could not tolerate such a thing!
He will not give any prince the opportunity to challenge Wei's hegemony!

He wanted to use this battle to recover Hexi and the blood of the Qin people to completely eliminate those hidden delusions from other people's hearts!
With such ambitions, the Duke of Wei continued his war.

Ximen Bao was helped to climb onto the chariot. As he watched the Wei State advance, he became more and more worried.

His wounds took time to heal and gradually became festering.

As a result, Ximen Bao began to have fever and shortness of breath, and was so uncomfortable that he could not sleep or eat.

Fortunately, not long after,

Wei Hou Ji finally announced that he had recovered all the lost territories and was about to return to the capital!
When Ximen Bao was dragged back to Linjin in a coma, which was a city established by the State of Jin on the west bank of the yellow river, his body was already very weak.

The temple servant who took care of him found his wife, told her about Ximen Bao's situation, and gave her the words of entrustment and the documents.

The wife wore the yarrow stick that had been divined to indicate "good luck", but at first she did not dare to believe it and was unwilling to listen to the temple attendant.

"I don't want to hear your words. Please let my beloved tell me these things in person."

But when he heard the temple servants say that Ximen Bao's wounds were festering and he was unconscious, he picked the yarrow and threw it on the ground with tears in his eyes.

She accepted the frivolous letter, took out the money and gave it to the eunuch, "Thank you for your kindness, please take me to see him."

The eunuch did not take the money or property, but still took Ximen Bao's wife with him.

When they arrived, other temple servants were also making preparations.

They said, "The king heard that Doctor Ximen was not well, so he asked us to help him."

His wife angrily rebuked them, "You are making preparations for a man who has not even died yet. Is there such a monarch in the world?"

After saying that, his wife hurried in and saw Ximen Bao who was unconscious.

She lay down beside him and burst into tears.

Perhaps he sensed something, Ximen Bao, who had been unconscious for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes, his face flushed, and he had the strength to speak.

His wife threw herself on him excitedly, wanting to scold him for his unreasonable loyalty, but she couldn't say anything.

Ximen Bao gently held his wife's hand. His eyes, which had been cloudy since his serious injury, now seemed very clear and bright.

He said regretfully, "I originally wanted to go back to Ye County with you and go for an outing by the Zhang River in March, but now it seems there is no chance."

The wife choked up and said, "I pray to the gods every day, and the divination results are also auspicious. How could something bad happen to you?"

Ximen Bao smiled and comforted his wife, "How can ghosts and gods decide all human affairs?"

"I used to worry that I would be oppressed by ghosts and gods after I died, but now I don't have such worries anymore."

"You must remember what I said. Your descendants will still depend on you, so you must take good care of yourself."

"Please also send the letters I left behind to Ye County and burn them for the ghosts and gods."

The wife covered her face and said, "If you don't go back with me, I will never do what you say!"

Ximen Bao sighed helplessly, and finally chose to comfort his excited wife, "If I can cross the river alive, I will definitely accompany you back to Ye County!"

Hold on a little longer!

Simon Bao thought:
For this woman who has accompanied me throughout my life,

He can hold on a little longer!
So his wife went to see the Marquis of Wei that night and asked him to send a car and a boat to bring Ximen Bao back.

The Marquis of Wei was woken up in the middle of the night and became furious. "Where did this crazy woman come from? Drag her out and kill her!"

The eunuch explained, "She is Doctor Ximen's wife."

The Duke of Wei then calmed down a little.

Although he had a fierce personality, Marquis Wei also knew that Ximen Bao was seriously injured for the country, and his injuries worsened because he dragged him to the battlefield.

At times like this, he always had to act kindly and not just kill people outright.

"Is Dr. Ximen still alive?"

Marquis Wei remembered that he had sent people to prepare for Ximen Bao during the day.

"I heard there are still two breaths left."

The Marquis of Wei snorted, "It's already like this, and you still want to cross the river?"

"Doctor Ximen was born and raised in Anyi. Perhaps he wanted to die in his hometown." The eunuch made excuses for Ximen Bao while holding the money given by Ximen Bao's wife in his arms.

"Then let him go!"

"If you are in a hurry to die, can I stop you?"

The Marquis of Wei waved his hand and ordered someone to prepare a small boat, lift Ximen Bao onto the boat, and then carry him across the river.

Ximen Bao's wife was on the boat, scolding her husband all the time.

Scold him for his stubbornness,

Call him stupid,
Clearly it was a gift from the gods and ghosts, but because the monarch wanted it, he gave it away.

Although he was in poor health, he still came to Hexi because of the monarch's order.

At the end of the scolding, his wife lay on him and cried, trying to stop Ximen Bao's life from slipping away and not allowing him to lose consciousness.

This old thing,
He clearly promised me that as long as we crossed the river, he would insist on accompanying me back to Ye County.

How could he die halfway across the river?
The wife held her husband's hand, feeling him slowly growing colder, and her heart was filled with grief.

(End of this chapter)