A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 37 Guan Zhong was appointed prime minister and the alliance of Taiyuan

The first year of Qi Dynasty, the eighty-sixth year of Bai Kingdom

Young Master Xiaobai succeeded to the throne of Qi State as Duke of Qi.

The first thing that Prince Xiaobai did after he succeeded to the throne was to send troops to attack the State of Lu. Duke Qi borrowed Bai Cheng, the general of Bai State, as his commander to lead the Qi army to attack the State of Lu, forcing Duke Lu to hand over Prince Jiu and his accomplices. Lu Gong refused, so the two sides fought at Qianshi.

Why was Bai Cheng appointed as general? Because Qi Gong first came to the throne, he didn't know what military talents he had. After staying in the Bai Kingdom for several years, Qi Gong knew very well how powerful the Bai Kingdom's army was.

As a mountainous vassal state, the Bai army hunts in the mountains all year round. Therefore, the Bai soldiers are all tall and strong. Their combat skills have been trained by constantly fighting with wild beasts in the mountains and the fighting skills passed down by the Bai family for hundreds of years. In terms of individual soldiers, they can He is said to be invincible in the world.

On the other hand, because the Bai family attaches great importance to clan studies, the literacy rate in the Bai army is far higher than that of the armies of other vassal states, and the military literacy is also very high due to the Bai family's hundreds of years of exploration and research. A commander of the White Army can easily serve as a commander or even a centurion in other vassal states.

The military strategy of Bai Shizi, who specializes in military affairs, is also beyond that of his contemporaries. These are the consensus of the people of the world. If Bai Shizi was not trapped in the Taihang Mountains, I am afraid that in hundreds of years of development, he would have surpassed most of the princes. The strength of the country has been reduced. In the chaos of King You, I am afraid that there will be no other princes to deal with. This is also the reason why the Zhou royal family has been granting land to the Bai family since Duke Zhou. Even if it is a great achievement, it is only to grant land in the Taihang Mountains! After all, Bai’s surname is not Ji!

In the hearts of the princes in the world, including the Zhou royal family, the Bai family can only be an excellent helper, not a powerful prince!

During the Qian Dynasty, the Lu army and the Qi army fought here.

If Qi and Lu talk about etiquette, even ten Qi countries cannot win against Lu. But if Qi and Lu talk about military affairs, Lu will only be beaten. So naturally, the Lu army was defeated. Duke Lu was afraid that the Qi army would invade Lu's territory, so he immediately sent people to sue for peace.

Qi Gonggong was thinking of writing a letter to tell Lu Gong that if he wanted Qi to retreat, he would have to kill all the young master Jiu and his accomplices before he would give up. At this time, Bao Shuya came to ask for an audience. The first thing he asked during the meeting was:
"Your Majesty, what is your ideal? Do you want to recite poetry and make music? Do you want to govern the country of Qi well? Or do you want to achieve hegemony in the world?"

Qi Gong thought about it and felt that he wanted them all, so he said, "Is there any difference between these three?"

Bao Shuya said: "Your Majesty! If you just want to recite poems and have fun, then we should not return to Qi to inherit the throne of Qi Gong. The culture of Bai is suitable for comfort. So why should we come back after a narrow escape? ?But you chose to come back. I think you should have greater ambitions.

If you just want to govern Qi well, then you only need to cultivate benevolence and sharpen your military equipment. My uncle Ya and Gao Xi are enough. Even if you are not a monarch like Zheng Huan Gong, he is as famous as Wei Huan Gong. A benevolent king who is passed down to the world.

But if you want to achieve hegemony in the world, you must have a peerless talent. However, Gao Xi and I think that we are not as famous as our ancestors Taigong Wang, Zhou Gongdan, and Bai Zizhen.

And Guan Zhong is such a talent. I am very clear about Guan Zhong's talent. It can be said that as long as Guan Zhong goes to any country, that country will be strong. Therefore, if you want to achieve hegemony in the world, then you must rely on Guan Zhong, and you must not lose him. "

When Qi Gong heard Bao Shuya's advice, he immediately stepped forward, held Bao Shuya's wrist, and said excitedly: "Oh! Uncle Ya! Thank you for your reminder, otherwise I would have lost such a great talent. !”

After saying that, he returned to his seat to write a book for Lu Gong: "Gongzi Jiu is Qi Gong's brother. Qi Gong can't bear to kill him, so he asks Lu to kill him himself. Gongzi Jiu's teachers Zhao Hu and Guan Zhong are enemies of Qi Gong. Please invite Lu The state has sent them here, and the Duke of Qi will deal with them personally. If they do not obey the order, the state of Qi will send troops to attack the state of Lu."

When Lu received this letter and saw the power of Qi's troops, he was frightened and killed Prince Jiu, imprisoning Zhaohu and Guan Zhong, waiting for Qi to send someone to accept it. During this period, Zhaohu committed suicide because of his loyalty to Prince Jiu, but Guan Zhong was willing to be imprisoned.

Soon, the motorcade escorting Guan Zhong arrived in Tangfu. Bao Shuya, who had been waiting for a long time, quickly stepped forward and removed all Guan Zhong's shackles, and then took him to bathe and offer sacrifices. After making these preparations, he took him to see Qi Gong.

Guan Zhong's father, Guan Zhuang, was a senior official in the state of Qi. Later, his family declined and Guan Zhong lived in poverty. In order to make a living, he teamed up with his friend Bao Shuya to do business, but in the end he lost all his money.

Guan Zhong was a merchant who was considered humble by the people in the world. I have traveled to many places, met all kinds of people, and seen many worlds, thus accumulating rich social experience.

While doing business with the Bai family's caravan, I heard that the Bai Kingdom could pay for admission, and that the collection of books and classics in the Bai family academy was no less than the collection room of the Zhou Dynasty, so I sold my belongings and went to study in Bai land.

He studied at Bai's Academy for two or three years, which greatly enhanced Guan Zhong's knowledge. In the end, he had to return to Qi because he was in vain. In order to eat, he had no choice but to join the army. When he was a soldier, he escaped from battle several times to save his life. He wanted to be an official many times but failed.

Finally, he was introduced to Duke Li of Qi by Bao Shuya and obtained the identity of Master Jiu's teacher. As soon as Guan Zhong was brought into the palace of Qi by Bao Shuya, he saw Qi Gong Xiaobai who was also bathing in incense. When Guan Zhong saw Qi Gong, he immediately saluted, and Qi Gong also stood up and returned the salute. Then he motioned for Guan Zhong to sit opposite and Bao Shuya to accompany him.

When the Duke of Qi saw that Guan Zhong had finished eating, he said, "I heard from Uncle Ya that your husband is a talented person in the world, so I have to use some means to ask Lu Gong to send him back to Qi by escorting criminals. This is really what I want." Sir, I don’t want to lose my talent! I hope you will forgive me for any rudeness."

Guan Zhong responded and said: "Your Majesty, you have broken me. I have heard that there is a thousand-mile horse that toils and dies in a manger because there is no one who knows the horse. There is a white jade that is broken into pieces because it does not have the knowledge of an expert." In the wilderness, your Majesty now treats me with the etiquette you would treat the world's talents. This is my luck, Guan Zhong! How dare I not serve you!"

Qi Gong said: "My uncle Ya told me that if I want to achieve world domination, I cannot lose my husband's assistance. Please teach me the strategy of dominating the world!"

When Guan Zhong heard that Qi Gong had the ambition to dominate the world, he immediately felt that he finally had a place to display his talents, and said with excitement:
"So that your Majesty will know that governing a country and seeking hegemony is nothing more than having both civil and military skills. Cultivating literature also means cultivating politics, education, and friendship. Cultivating politics can strengthen your control over Qi State, increase Qi State's food and money, and then enrich Qi State and its people. powerful.

The purpose of studying is to increase the cultural accomplishment of Qi State, so as to cultivate more talents for governing the country and excellent generals for the king, so that Qi State has enough and outstanding talents to govern the country.

Establishing diplomatic relations means handling the attitude towards other countries in a reasonable manner, whether to pull or fight, to ally or to annex, to suppress or to support. It must be in line with the interests of our country, Qi, and have a good external environment, which will enable Qi to win in the world in the future. Get more helpers on the stage.

Xiuwu means to rectify the army, strengthen armaments, and improve the quality of weapons. Only a strong army can protect Qi from being invaded by other countries, and can help the king realize his ambition to dominate the world.

However, I believe that the urgent task now is to repair the government. Qi's military strength is more than enough to protect itself. We should take this opportunity to develop internal affairs so that we have the financial resources to develop schools and the army. "

After hearing this, Qi Gong praised him and said, "Sir's words are truly valuable!"

Then Qi Gong said: "I have a question, sir!"

Guan Zhong said: "Please speak frankly, your Majesty. I will tell you everything I know, and I will tell you everything."

Qi Gong said: "What is your attitude towards Bai Guo?"

Guan Zhong said: "Bai is a very special country. I went there to study when I was young. I know that your Majesty also stayed in Bai for several years. Even if you can return to the country smoothly this time, Bai will be out of trouble." A lot of force.

It can be said that the Bai Kingdom is a beautiful country, and the style of gentlemen in the Bai Kingdom is prevalent. Because of the existence of a large collection of books, most of the Bai family members are knowledgeable people, and there are also many Bai family talents. In addition, their military strategy is very outstanding. I have traveled all over the world, and no clan or vassal state has as profound family knowledge as the Bai family, and no military strategy can match the Bai family.

But they are trapped in the Taihang Mountains, and they are willing to be trapped in the Taihang Mountains. We don’t have to worry about betrayal when we interact with them. Therefore, I think Qi State should have in-depth exchanges with Bai State, in literature, military, and business. Bai's marriage.

Not only that, the relationship between Bai Kingdom and Wei Kingdom is also very close, not to mention that your aunt is the princess of Wei Kingdom. You can be close to Bai Kingdom and Wei Kingdom in heaven. This is really a gift from God to you. Your help! "

Qi Gong was also very happy after hearing this. Afterwards, Qi Gong and Guan Zhong talked about each other for three days and three nights. Although Bao Shuya next to him did not say a word, he also made a lot of guarantees for the conversation between the two.

After the two men finished talking, Qi Gong fasted for three days, worshiped Guan Zhong as the prime minister of Qi, and called Guan Zhong "Father Zhong". In this way, he showed his respect and trust in Guan Zhong, and also let everyone in the world know the virtuous and generous nature of Duke Huan of Qi.

The first thing Guan Zhong did after assuming the position of Prime Minister of Qi was to visit the Bai Kingdom. Bai Xuan, the king of Bai Kingdom, personally received Guan Zhong and held a banquet to welcome him. Bai Xuan then asked Bai Guo's state ministers, the retainers Su Zhi and Guan Zhong, to discuss specific cooperation between the two countries.

In the end, the two countries reached an alliance: a marriage between the two countries, and Bai Xuan's daughter married Qi Gong as his wife. The two countries exchanged business, and the Bai Kingdom sent a support group of 300 people, including bachelors, generals and craftsmen, to help The state of Qi improved its national strength and trained its army.

At the same time, Duke Wei also sent people to Taiyuan, the new capital of the Bai Kingdom (a small basin in the Taihang Mountains), to discuss the Three Kingdoms Alliance. In the end, the three countries signed the Three Kingdoms Alliance in Taiyuan, the Taiyuan Alliance, and the three countries exchanged what they had.

(End of this chapter)