Spring and Autumn I Am King - Chapter 1189

ps: I’m too lazy to score chapters, and there are two chapters on top of the big chapter.

Although it is located in the southern country, the wet pier still looks a little cool in the early morning.

When the sky was dawn, the official of the Nanyuan Water Gate in Yingdu was already standing outside the door. He was wearing thin clothes, rubbing his hands in his sleeves to keep warm, and staring at the big ship that was slowly approaching in front of him, complaining that it came too early. .

Ships arriving before dawn are not allowed to enter the city. This is a rule handed down from generation to generation in Chu, so most merchant ships will come back after the sun rises, instead of waiting outside all night and sailing at dawn.

The rivers and lakes of Chu State are vertical and horizontal, and the water transportation is developed, so boats, like cars, have become an important means of transportation for merchants and merchants, and they have also derived more abundant types of boats than those in the north. The ship in front of him was a large merchant ship, with merchants in soapy clothes on the bow, and boatmen in short swaying oars on both sides of the ship.

The clerk licked his dry lips and decided to extort a good sum of money for the fact that it came so early…

However, when he was seated in a small boat to meet him and shouted and asked where they came from, the leading middle-aged merchant bowed his body and replied with a smile: “Shangli, we are from Huainan, and I belong to Duke Bai. Merchant ships.”

“Bai Gong…” The little official sucked in a breath of cold air. He lost his previous blackmail thoughts and became awe-inspiring.

If it is said that ten years ago, when Wang Sunsheng first returned to Chu, the people of Chu basically did not know who Wang Sunsheng was, then now, the name of Bai Gongsheng is unknown to everyone. When the old man in the village hears his name, they will raise their thumbs up; the despondent poor people from all over the world have a new place to go in addition to going abroad; the children of Yingdu ride on bamboo horses to fight, and they will also pretend to be white. The Duke’s soldiers regarded the fallen Wu Wangfuchai as a villain and Baigong as a great hero.

Because of the lack of information and incomplete information, the commoners in Chu Kingdom only knew that this person was the son of the deposed Prince Jian, and expressed sympathy, but because of the lack of information, they did not know that he was the adopted son of Wu Zixu.

As a result, Bai Gongsheng was hated by the nobles, but he was very famous among the people.

So the little official’s attitude became much kinder, and the merchant didn’t miss the opportunity to hand over a bag of ant-nosed money, and said with a smile, “Shangli, Ying Road is a long way, we are extremely tired, can we enter the city sooner?”

Having said that, out of an abundance of caution, they checked their copper knots.

The festival is a certificate of water and land transportation, which is equivalent to the transportation pass of later generations. Those merchants who eat in the official government in Chu can only get the wooden festival, while the special class such as county officials can get the copper festival. The festival stipulates the types of goods that can be transported. , and tax deductions or exemptions are granted when passing through the pass.

After the inspection, it really was Duke Bai’s boat festival, and the clerk immediately felt that it was very hot. Although the current situation in Yingdu is somewhat incomprehensible, Bai Gong, who was originally an official to Zuo Yin and has power over the government, was suddenly attacked by the county magistrates and nobles, and hid at home in despair. right.

Even so, Duke Bai was still something that little officials couldn’t afford to provoke, not to mention, these low-level officials and scholars were indignant at Duke Bai’s situation.

Since it is the ship of Duke Bai, everything is easy to say. According to the practice of the State of Chu, merchant ships belonging to the Duke of Xian can enter and exit various passes and rivers tax-free, although the above strictly stipulates that the goods must be inspected to prevent some strategic materials unique to the State of Chu from flowing out. They went out, but as usual, Minato’s clerk decided to turn a blind eye to them and let them go, and just asked a question casually.

“What’s in the cabin is grain and wood.”

The little official nodded and stopped asking.

At the water gate, countless wharf coolies are trying their best to pull the ropes to help the boat sail into Yingcheng. These people are all dark, and it seems that they haven’t bathed for many days. Their short jackets are covered with macular spots. Some people simply showed their upper body naked, their hair was tied together, and everyone looked dead and numb.

This was the first scene that Huainan merchants saw in Yingdu for several years. From the moment he entered the door, he felt that the city was dead, the inner city smelled of extravagance and rottenness, and the outer city was the impoverished people.

“From today onwards, we will follow Duke Bai and bring Yingdu a new look!”

Thinking like this, the boat has completely entered the water gate. The merchant was standing on the side of the boat and was saying goodbye with a smile to the little official, but suddenly he picked up a hand crossbow, aimed at the doorman behind who was about to raise the wooden fence, and shot it out. An arrow, a plop, and someone fell into the water…

“Go!”

With the loud roar of the Huainan merchants, the merchants in the soapy clothes on the side of the ship lifted their camouflages and showed the armor hidden inside, and the cabin that was originally only filled with “grain and wood” also rushed out several times. Ten armored soldiers rushed to the water gate, wanting to kill the gatekeeper and control it!

Some people froze in place, some fled, some went to seek help from nearby guards, and some people on the shore suddenly violently murdered, and Nanyuan Water Gate was in chaos.

And on the hazy Hanshui River in the morning mist, dozens of ships have already spread their sails, and soldiers are approaching the city!

…

“uncle!”

Reining in the reins, standing in front of the inner city gate of Yingdu, Bai Gongsheng raised his head and said loudly, “I never thought that one day my uncle and nephew would become enemies on the battlefield. It’s a pity.”

“The most regrettable thing for this old man is that he followed the king to attack Lu Hun and did not capture and kill Ru, and when Zixi called you back to Chu, he failed to scuttle your boat and let you die at the bottom of the river to feed the fish and turtles! “

Sima Ziqi of Chu State spat under the dusty city walls, his face still indignant. He never expected that just one month after the postponement of the reform of Chu State, Bai Gongsheng would suddenly rebel. I don’t know where a large number of soldiers were transferred, and a great turmoil was set off.

As a Sima, Ziqi knew nothing about such a huge military operation. After realizing it, Waiguo had fallen, and he could only defend the inner city.

At this moment, Bai Gongbing came to the inner city wall of Yingdu and began to call Ziqi.

“Traitor! Rebel!” Ziqi was furious and cursed loudly.

“You have the blood of Zhu Rong and Vend Xiong in your body, how can you turn your back on the royal family and do something rebellious!”

“I was also forced to help!” Bai Gongsheng seemed to want to defend himself.

He wanted to control the state of Chu by implementing reforms, but Zhong Jian and other members of the public clan, the county magistrate of Jianghan, and even the child in front of him blocked his way. choose?

This sneak attack was naturally the plan of him and his adviser Gao She. In the face of the aggressiveness of the county magistrates, he first used retreat as an advance to let them relax their vigilance, and then sent them back to Huainan by boat Xingye to deploy troops.

Five thousand soldiers from Huainan travelled in boats, disguised as merchants, and came west along the big river. The patrols of the Chu State pier along the way did not arouse alarm, so the journey was smooth, and they arrived in Ying before the bloated and slow agency of Chu State could react. All, use the copper boat festival to cheat to open the water gate.

With a sword in his hand, Bai Gongsheng no longer had to disguise. With a long sword in his hand, he led five hundred personal soldiers out of the mansion that was holding back Yueyu. He cooperated with the inside and the outside, defeated the patrols in the streets and alleys, and occupied the gates of the outer kingdom.

In the end, he stepped over countless corpses and stood here. In the face of Ziqi’s abuse, Bai Gongsheng raised his head and said, “My uncle called me a traitor? This sentence is wrong. I am the son of Crown Prince Jian, did my uncle forget how your brother was framed by a traitor and exiled. dead.”

Bai Gongsheng reminded Ziqi: “Since the day I was born, I have been in exile and haven’t returned for 30 years. When I finally came back, I was regarded as an outlier by the royal family and the county magistrates. They did not listen to my dispatch when they attacked Ying6. Lue Huainan was constrained everywhere. When I returned to Yingdu, I supported the new law, and the county magistrates made things even harder. My uncle also kept saying that I had the blood of Mi surname on me, but he never took care of me as a king and grandson of Mi surname. Xiong Sheng betrayed him today. It is not the king, nor the state of Chu, but the dead branches and rotten leaves on this big tree, I will cut them down with my own power!”

“absurd!”

Ziqi was angry: “According to what you said, the old man is also withered branches and leaves, and Ling Yin is also withered branches and leaves? Zixi regards you as a child, you are opposed by the county magistrates, and Zixi is always defending you. To save your life, you don’t want to repent, but today you act rebelliously, how can you be worthy of his trust? For this old man, the indelible mistake in this life is that he promised Zixi back then, granted you military power, led troops If you can go back in time to conquer Wu State, this old man will not give you the Tiger Talisman! Although Wu State is dead, you are a more hateful confidant than Wu State!”

Bai Gongsheng was extremely irritable and said, “Uncle, don’t insist on scolding the past, but look forward. I’m here to persuade surrender!”

“Persuade to surrender?” Ziqi laughed, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

Bai Gongze said: “As far as I know, although my uncle is the Sima of Chu State and can dispatch chariots, horses and infantry throughout the country, the army is stationed in Wan, Deng, Shen, Xi, as well as the three places of Datun, Zhiyuan, and Ming’e. Guan, there are only a few thousand soldiers in Yingdu, and most of them were defeated by my soldiers in Waiguo and surrendered. Now that the inner city has a palace, there are only a few thousand people. How to defend? It is better to surrender early. The following are my conditions, before sunset Open the gate of the inner city, all the guards will surrender, those who surrender will not be harmed, and those who dare to disobey will die without a burial!”

Ziqi’s laughter stopped, and he said coldly, “Xiong Sheng, you are still as arrogant as before, and always think too much of yourself. It’s really hard to change your nature.”

The old Sima pointed at Bai Gongsheng with a finger and said: “There are 20,000 households in the outer country of Yingdu, and a man in each household will stand up to you as an enemy, and your mob will be defeated without a fight. There are countless nobles, and each family can send a hundred soldiers to stand on the city wall. Even if you can’t expel you from Yingdu for the time being, you only need to stick to the food you can’t eat for three years. Outside Yingdu, Jianghan Hundreds of county magistrates and city lords can lead troops to serve the king within a month, and who will be surrounded by that time?”

Bai Gongsheng dismissed it: “The new law can bring benefits to the people, and the people of Yingdu may support me more than oppose me. The county magistrates only know how to enjoy the disabled people, and they have long forgotten how to fight. It’s just a chicken and a dog, how can I defeat my Huainan teacher of hundreds of battles?”

He assured: “Yingdu has already fallen into my hands, and the entire Jianghan will soon be swept down, the general trend is over, uncle, come down!”

“Shuzi is arrogant!”

Ziqi confronted him tit-for-tat: “Even if the Ying people are deceived by you, the army of the county magistrate cannot fight against you, and the armies of Wan, Ye, Rushui, Dongxibutang, and the three passes of Yiyang that are far away inside and outside Fangcheng, together, there are nearly ten troops. All of you, when Duke Ye and my son, Gongsun Kuan, will be the generals, they will surely be able to retake Waiguo, and at that time you and your rebels will become powder!”

His spittle splashed down, and said proudly: “What’s more, we still have a king sitting here!”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Chengtou’s morale became high with Ziqi’s remarks, and he began to shout loudly for the King of Chu, so that he could comfort himself, and orthodoxy would definitely prevail over rebellion.

“Your Majesty?” Bai Gong laughed dumbly, and when the shouting from the city head stopped for a while, he pointed to the back of the wall and said loudly: “Uncle, wake up, look back, who is in the hands of the king now!”

Sima Ziqi was startled suddenly, and when he looked back, he saw a thick smoke billowing from the palace of the King of Chu in the inner city, and the streets and alleys of the entire inner city were full of killing sounds…

…

“Uncle has been in Yingdu for fifty or sixty years, but his understanding of this city is still not as good as that of a junior who has lived in Yingdu for less than a year…”

An hour later, at the head of the inner city of Yingdu, standing at the head of the five flowers **** and held by his cronies in front of Sima Ziqi, Bai Gongsheng had a triumphant look on his face.

“Traitor! Despicable!” Ziqi’s eyes were red and he gritted his teeth.

Just now, Bai Gongsheng actually used deceitful means, and buried his son in the inner city beforehand. When Ziqi was behind closed doors, he raided the palace. Although he did not conquer it, he also set fire to a tower. When Ziqi saw the fireworks, he was shocked and divided his troops to rescue him, but there were not enough manpower on the wall.

Regarding Ziqi’s rage, Duke Bai pretended to ignore it and said to himself:

“The high halls of the palace are always high above, but today the king rarely enters the outer kingdom to share with the people, while the nobles in the inner city, relying on the shadow of their ancestors for hundreds of years, occupy the court in a grand manner, bullying the master from above and coercing from below. The people, who have eaten fat and big ears, have long lost the spirit of their ancestors’ martial arts and pioneering efforts. As for Waiguo, the mediocre commoners and merchants crowded together to support the king and nobles, but there were many people of insight among them. And the brave people, but the upward channel was blocked, and they were not allowed to be promoted. They could only run abroad, and then in turn harmed Chu. My uncle really thought that this reform was just me thinking? You are wrong, this is Thousands of people in Chu country want it!”

After speaking, Bai Gongsheng took the bronze amulet that helped his army enter Yingdu smoothly, and showed off: “The most ironic thing is that this mutiny succeeded because the new law failed to be promoted. I have stipulated in the decree that the county-owned talisman must also pay taxes in the future, and must inspect the things on the boat, and those who violate the order will be punished severely. And the uncle just now was able to resist for two or three hours, only because I presided over it ten years ago. After the construction of the inner city of Yingdu, the two-version method was replaced by the stronger three-version method, which is ridiculous, ridiculous, now my uncle knows the importance of reform?”

Ziqi’s face under the white beard was flushed with rage. He felt humiliated by his failure, struggled constantly, and cursed:

“Shu Zixiu is going to humiliate me! If you are still a man from Chu, then you will talk to me one-on-one with a sword!”

“Does uncle want to die with what little honor he has left?”

After repeated persuasion was useless, Bai Gongsheng finally lost his patience, and the madness in his heart surged up. He ignored the obstruction of his staff and said, “Release the Da Sima and give him a sword!”

In Chu State, nobles must carry swords, and they must be buried with swords even when they go to the grave. It is normal for nobles to disagree with each other and fight with swords. Hundreds of years later, Xiang Yu still adheres to this principle and challenges enemy generals in battle.

“The royal family is against the grandson, the old man will kill you here!”

At this moment, in front of everyone’s eyes, with boundless anger, as soon as Sima Ziqi got the sword, he slashed it to Duke Bai’s eyes, but was swept away by Bai Gongsheng carelessly.

“When the boy was in Wu State, he used to practice swordsmanship with Zixu and Sun Wu…”

After speaking, Duke Bai also clasped his hands and counterattacked neatly. Although Ziqi was old, he still had a stubborn and savage savagery that was still fighting with beasts, while Duke Bai fought against him with quickness and dexterity. The tip of his sword was biting like a poisonous snake from time to time, attacking his weakness. In an instant, Duke Bai’s sword was everywhere, left and right, like a rainstorm, the sword followed his heart, and he was free and unrestrained.

Ziqi is old after all, not as good as in the past. He stumbled back and tried to stabilize his pace, but he still showed a flaw in an instant. Bai Gongsheng moved forward, handed out a sword, and hit Ziqi’s chest…

Looking down at the sharp sword that almost came out of his chest, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com Ziqi’s eyes were a little blurred and unwilling, his sword slipped from his right hand, and his eagle-like left hand pinched the hand of Duke Bai’s sword , leaving five bloodstains on it…

Heart-piercing pain came from the back of his hand, but Bai Gongsheng didn’t even look at it, and he didn’t dare to look into Ziqi’s eyes, instead he stared at the scarlet blood line emerging from his chest.

In the next instant, the blade was pulled out, blood gushed like a spring, and Sima Ziqi fell down.

The cheers of Bai Gong’s soldiers sounded, and then subsided, because Bai Gongsheng also threw his sword and knelt down and hugged his uncle.

Perhaps it was because he recalled that when he first entered the state of Chu, Ziqi also gave him some help and concern. Bai Gongsheng was not as decisive as before, so he murmured in a voice that no one could hear: “Uncle, I did all this, It’s all for the Chu country…”

“Do not…”

Ziqi let go of his hand weakly, the last ray of light was fading from his eyes, but he was still staring at Bai Gongsheng with unwillingness, cracked his mouth, and squeezed out a sentence from between his bloodshot teeth.

“You are for yourself!”