People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

But then again.

Compared to later generations who studied abroad, Zhu Qizhen, the first Ming Dynasty war god, the "gatekeeper emperor," and the Tumu Fort reformer, he was a far cry from Zhu Qizhen.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, kings who had served as hostages or studied abroad generally seemed to have fared quite well.

Leaving aside the distant Spring and Autumn period, let's talk about the more recent Warring States period.

From King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji, to King Ying Zheng, three generations of the Qin state studied in the state of Zhao.

King Huai of Chu and King Kaolie of Chu, three generations of the Chu state, studied in Qin.

It's true that international students are saving the world.

Chapter 116 Putting the Meal Together

Cao Ze and Ya Fei were chatting.

A short, stout, middle-aged man with a bulbous nose walked over.

"Your Highness, the Grand Master requests your presence."

Ya Fei's beautiful eyes showed confusion as she asked, "Who are you?"

"Hehe, you can call me Old Man Ban or Master Ban, it's all fine."

Looking at Master Ban, Cao Ze thought of Old Man Lü who had built his carriage and muttered to himself, "They're all talented!"

They arrived at a clean, ordinary farmhouse.

Cao Ze immediately noticed the tall and robust old man in the courtyard. His imposing presence made Cao Ze feel a little intimidated. He was another master swordsman, no less than Lu Goujian.

Ya Fei exclaimed in surprise, "General Gongsun, you're here too?"

Gongsun Yu clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Your Highness, Consort Ya."

The Six-Fingered Black Knight said, "Senior Gongsun, Princess Yafei has arrived. Can we speak now?"

Cao Ze looked at Gongsun Yu and saw a smart and neatly dressed young girl next to him. Could this be Li Ji, who was later rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms?

He learned from Ya Fei that Gongsun Yu, who had once come from the Guigu School, would represent the School of Diplomacy at the Hundred Schools Conference the next day.

This Gongsun Yu is now the Grand General in charge of all the troops of Weiguo.

It sounds prestigious, but as the name of the Seven Warring States reveals, the State of Wei was the weakest of the weak, even worse than the State of Han.

Gongsun Yu sighed and said, "I came to Handan this time to ask for help."

The Six-Fingered Black Knight asked, "Has the Qin state attacked Wei again?"

With Gongsun Yu's strength and ability, he could go anywhere in the world, and many powerful countries would be willing to offer him a military position.

However, he was too loyal, and in order to repay the favor of the former ruler of Wei, he was willing to stay in the State of Wei forever.

Cao Ze's heart skipped a beat. If he remembered correctly, after this war, the State of Wei would lose its capital, Puyang, and thus become a mere shell of its former self.

It was likely this war that led to Li Ji being captured and taken to the Qin state.

Speaking of which, according to the Qin Dynasty accounts, Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin was so successful that the young girl in front of us could be considered the instigator.

Gongsun Yu sighed again.

"Indeed, Qin intends to establish the Eastern Commandery. In the past two years, Meng Ao has already captured more than ten cities, including Suanzao, Xu, and Shanyang. Originally, I thought that the alliance against Qin would give Wei a chance to breathe, but alas..."

The Six-Fingered Black Knight remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What are your plans, Senior?"

Gongsun Yu said, "I hope the Mohists can send Mohists to support Puyang and help Wei overcome the crisis of national subjugation."

Six-Fingered Black Knight shook his head slightly, "Back then, the founder of the Mohist school and his ancestor Qin Huali helped the Song state and put the Mohist ideals into practice."

"However, after the founder of the Mohist school passed away, Meng Sheng, the leader of the Mohist school, inherited his will and then led most of the elite Mohists to help Lord Yangcheng of Chu defend the city."

"You probably know what happened next. Meng Sheng, the leader of the Mohists, and those Mohists did not die on the battlefield, but rather in the civil war between King Su of Chu and Lord Yangcheng."

"After that, the Mohist school split into three factions due to their ideologies. Although our lineage still acknowledges our founder and Grand Master Meng Sheng, we will not blindly try to save them."

"If I remember correctly, Puyang is located on the border between Qin and Wei. If a large number of Mohists from Chu go there, they will be attacked by both Qin and Wei."

“If Senior Gongsun can wait, I can issue the Grand Master's Decree to inquire about the wishes of the Mohists in Chu.”

After Six-Fingered Black Knight finished speaking, he quietly looked at Gongsun Yu.

He only mentioned Chu Mo's situation, not Qi Mo's.

During the reign of King Zhao of Yan, General Yue Yi attacked Qi. Qi Mo, adhering to the Mohist principle of non-aggression, mobilized all his forces, but all of them perished in the battle.

As a result, Qi Mo declined, and the entire group turned to Mohist debate, never to return to its former glory.

Gongsun Yu said sadly, "No need."

He understood the Six-Fingered Black Knight's polite refusal.

If we were to inquire of all the tens of thousands of Mohists in the Chu region, we would not know when or how long it would take.

Six-Fingered Black Knight sighed and said, "Senior is a friend of the old master. As for the Mohists in Chu, I can't control them. However, I can take Jing Ke, Han Shen, and some Mohists from the Mechanized City who are willing to go to help defend the city."

Gongsun Yu said gratefully, "Thank you very much."

Although some experts are of no use in the war, it's better than nothing.

Cao Ze felt admiration.

For hundreds of years, the Mohists have suffered countless losses and setbacks here. As the leader, the Grand Master actually took action personally to put into practice the few remaining tenuous principles of non-aggression.

Gongsun Yu looked at Consort Ya and said, "Your Highness Consort Ya..."

"General, I know what you want to say. However, I'd like to know why you didn't seek help from the State of Wei, but instead came to Handan."

"If I remember correctly, the current Lord Wei Yuan was the son-in-law supported by King Wei Anli."

If Ya Fei still couldn't guess what Gongsun Yu wanted to say, she could go and sleep with Xue Nu tonight.

Gongsun Yu gave a bitter smile. Back then, when Lord Huai of Wei went to pay homage to King Anli of Wei, he was captured and killed.

Afterwards, they sent troops to attack the State of Wei, intending to support Lord Yuan of Wei to become the ruler.

In order to preserve the little territory that Wei had left, he had no choice but to agree and recognize Lord Yuan of Wei, thus making Wei a vassal state of Wei.

"Your Highness may have forgotten that King Anli of Wei passed away two years ago. The current King of Wei is cowardly and fearful, and has always been afraid of Qin. When I came to plead for help, I was simply thrown out. Alas!"

Gongsun Li's nose tingled as she said, "Grandpa..."

Over the past two months, she has witnessed her grandfather's hardships firsthand, and the bitterness he endured has deeply saddened her.

Of course, Consort Ya knew that King Wei Anli was dead.

However, as a woman, she also knew that matters of national importance were not child's play.

"General, I understand your difficulties, but I am just a woman and cannot interfere in important matters of the court. I hope you can understand."

Gongsun Yu said, "I understand. I would like to ask Her Highness Ya to introduce me to the King of Zhao."

Being unfamiliar with the place and its people in Handan, his old acquaintance Pang Nuan suggested that he try seeking out the younger sister of the King of Zhao, Consort Ya.

Therefore, he took advantage of the opportunity when Prince Jia Guang invited all the philosophers to participate in the Hundred Schools of Thought Society, and came to Handan as a strategist.

Consort Ya said, "My brother is ill and has given instructions that he will not see anyone except for important officials."

"This……"

Ya Fei suddenly smiled and said, "But the old general has come to the right person."

"I can make the decision to arrange a meeting between the old general and my brother the day after tomorrow."

"However, whether things succeed or not is not up to me."

Gongsun Yu said happily, "That's settled then. As for the rest, it has nothing to do with Her Highness Consort Ya. I will personally persuade the King of Zhao."

Cao Ze was not optimistic about Gongsun Yu's persuasion.

Judging from the historical fact that the State of Wei was destroyed and the State of Qin moved its capital to Yewang, the State of Zhao did not send troops at all.

Cao Ze and Ya Fei found Xue Nu, who was having a meal with Duanmu Rong.

Ya Fei was speechless.

Cao Ze found it somewhat amusing; he remembered some netizens saying that Duanmu Rong died from overeating steamed buns.

After seeing Cao Ze, Duanmu Rong slightly restrained her eating habits.

The food from the Mo family is so much tastier than that from the medical family!

The snow woman felt a little embarrassed and put down her chopsticks.

"Sister Rong, I have something to do. We'll see each other another time."

After a cup of tea.

As Xue Nu sat on the donkey cart, she still reminisced about the delicious food she had shared with Duanmu Rong.

Thinking of Sister Rong's promise to treat her to a meal, she considered inviting Cao Ze to go along.

Yafei noticed that Xue'er, whom she was raising, was becoming increasingly unruly.

I couldn't help but sigh, what a terrible thing she did!

It was nearing dusk.

Cao Ze escorted Xue Nu and Ya Fei back to Fei Xue Pavilion, then rode his donkey all the way back to Qing Ping Residence in high spirits.

I haven't seen his giant salamander for a day, and I miss it terribly.

Chapter 117 Honey Pot

Tian Mi had just finished dinner and shaken off Zhu Zhong, who was like a leech, and was now taking a leisurely stroll in the city.

When they saw Cao Ze driving a donkey cart approaching, their eyes lit up.

"Mr. Cao Ze?"

Cao Ze looked up and saw a beautiful woman in a pinkish-purple high-slit dress smiling at him.

He looked closely at Tian Mi; her makeup was quite exquisite.

Although she was still quite young, her tall figure gave her a subtle yet alluring charm.