Qin Official

"I didn't do all this for the sake of your position as Ling Yin."

In Chenying City, after hearing the news of Li Xin's defeat in Huaibei, Lord Changping seemed to be talking to himself, or explaining something to his cronies Chen Ta, but with just this sentence, there was a long pause. No words were spoken.

He was still standing on the site of the majestic Chen Ying Chu State Palace. From here, outside the palace wall, there were several local children playing, riding bamboo horses and chasing around outside the wall.

When children are five years old, they play the game of doves and chariots, and when they are seven years old, they play the game of bamboo horses. Unlike girls who like to play house, no matter what era, boys' games are always very offensive.

Although these local Chu children in Huaiyang were still young, they had seen a lot of soldiers coming and going in this city, so they learned to stuff a bamboo stick under their crotch and hold it with both hands, pretending that it was a chariot and they were riding on it. A general who commands an army.

They usually divide into two groups to fight, but what is interesting is that these children are arguing over who will play the role of "Qin Kou".

"I already pretended to be a Qin bandit last time and made you wait for a beating. Why do you still have to pretend to be a Qin bandit this time?"

The child who always acted as the bad guy was very aggrieved. The children couldn't come to an agreement and in the end they had to guess the outcome.

The loser wrapped a black rag around his head in frustration, just like the black soldiers in the Qin army, while the kid who won the guessing game got a red cloth from nowhere and carried it with a bamboo pole. As the red military flag of the Chu people. He held the bamboo horse with one hand while running forward, shouting the command loudly, and led several other people to pursue the "Qin Kou" with a black scarf on his head boldly and arrogantly.

"It's been almost half a year, and children still regard Qin as a bandit." Xiong Qi thought to himself. In the past, he would be worried about this, but now, he is not worried but happy.

Chen Ying's Chu people's attitude towards the Qin army stationed here doesn't need to go deep into the village to ask. You can tell the clues just by watching the children playing. If it weren't for adults' ears and eyes, how could these young children have such a bad feeling for the Qin army, whose military discipline was not too bad, for no reason?

At this time, one of the seven or eight-year-old children accidentally fell down. The eldest boy, who was eleven or twelve years old, immediately dropped his bamboo horse and went to help him up. It seemed that the two were brothers.

Seeing Lord Changping frowning, Chen Ta thought that these children were disturbing him, so he wanted to call someone to expel them, but Lord Changping stopped them.

"I have been left alone in Qin since I was a child. I have neither brothers nor playmates. It is refreshing to see these young people playing around."

He immediately asked Chen Ta: "Do you have any brothers in your family?"

Chen Ta Weng replied angrily: "Yes, three brothers, two sisters, I am the youngest."

Not every family loves their youngest son. The third boy is beyond the need to continue the family line, but it means another mouth waiting for food, and the clothes will soon be out of stock, which is a waste of fabric.

Therefore, Chen Ta left home very early and began to wander around the world. Relying on his good martial arts, he gradually gained some fame. Later, he became a disciple of Changping Jun and joined him as a dead soldier.

"I am the eldest son."

Lord Changping sighed in his heart: "It's a pity that he is just an orphan abandoned by his father."

Although his three brothers are all real young masters in Chu State, Xiong Qi actually has a "brother" in Qin State.

Or rather, there once was.

Xiong Qi still remembered that at that time, when he was still in his teens and naughty, he met "Gongzi Zheng" for the first time in the palace of the Queen Mother Huayang, who had come back from Handan, Zhao State, after going through a lot of hardships...

…

Before meeting Gong Zizheng, Xiong Qi had heard about his deeds and always felt that he was quite similar to him.

He was also left in a foreign country by his father, and he was also dependent on his mother.

The only difference is that Xiong Qi received preferential treatment from the Qin royal family thanks to the Empress Dowager Huayang.

But Gong Zizheng was not so lucky. Even though he was protected by his mother's family, he still suffered a lot in Handan and was bullied by the Zhao people.

This is natural. Zhao Guogang killed more than 400,000 people in Changping. Handan was still besieged by the Qin army. The Qin generals who attacked the city did not care about the life and death of their mother and son. As the son of the Qin State, Gongzizheng was not eaten alive by the Zhao people. It’s considered good.

At that time, the young Gong Zizheng had already shown some extraordinary qualities. When facing a group of relatives he had never met before, he was polite and behaved like a prince. He also said some cute words, which made the Queen Mother Huayang love her. .

But Gong Zizheng's precocious eyes were full of distrust for everything around him.

Only by grasping power and being a superior person can he ensure his own safety. From that time on, he understood this truth that Xiong Qi only understood very late.

The Queen Mother of Huayang was deeply dissatisfied with the suffering Gongzizheng suffered in Handan, and specifically asked Xiong Qi to take Gongzizheng around Xianyang more...

"Although you are an uncle, you are of the same age as Zheng, so you can treat me like a younger brother."

It's funny to say that the future King of Qin's first impression of Xianyang was made familiar to him by the young master of Chu who was detained here. It can be regarded as a rare "bamboo horse" time for Xiong Qi.

The royal family cannot compare with the common people. As they grow older, they have to abandon their bamboo horses and dove carts and devote themselves to the more exciting and bloody game politics.

A few years after Prince Zhengcai returned to Xianyang from Zhao, he defeated his younger brother, Prince Chengqi, who was born and raised in Xianyang through his flawless performance, and successfully succeeded to the throne as King of Qin.

As the new generation of hope among the relatives of the Chu family, Xiong Qi was also pushed to the position of imperial censor by the Queen Mother Huayang.

At that time, the government of the Qin State was controlled by Lu Buwei, and Lao Ai was favored in the palace. The orders of the Qin State were not allowed to leave Xianyang Palace. He could only endure it silently, waiting for the day when he would be crowned an adult.

Xiong Qi was one of the few people who was frequently summoned by the King of Qin to discuss with him how to govern the country after taking charge.

So during those few years, his younger brother, mother, and father-in-law, they betrayed the King of Qin one after another. Only Xiong Qi and his relatives from the Chu family loyally surrounded the King of Qin, helping him put down the Lao Ai Rebellion and replace Lu Buwei.

The King of Qin also rewarded Xiong Qi and Chu's relatives by making him the prime minister of Qin.

Xiong Qi, the prince of Chu State, stayed in the position of Qin Prime Minister for ten years. During this period, he and the King of Qin were as close as brothers. Under the auspices of Queen Mother Huayang, King Qin even married a princess from Chu State, who was also the younger sister of Lord Changping, like many generations of Qin kings in the past, and gave birth to the eldest son Fusu...

At that time, the Qin State was busy conquering Zhao and had not yet established any difficulties with the Chu State. Xiong Qi sincerely hoped that the two countries could restore the friendship of the past eighteen generations and let those wounds slowly heal. One country would be based in the northwest, and the other would be in the southeast. Let’s keep our noses in the river…

In this way, he can stay in Qin with peace of mind.

But when Queen Mother Huayang died and King Qin truly took over the government, his true ambition began to be revealed.

Xiong Qi clearly remembered that the conflict started at a banquet for Prince Yan Dan.

Prince Dan of Yan and Wang Zheng of Qin were held hostage together in Handan when they were young. They were also playmates who rode bamboo horses and dove carts together.

Nowadays, the King of Qin has become the master of life and death, but the Prince of Yan seems to have no consciousness of being a prisoner or a caged bird.

After being polite, he raised a bottle to toast the King of Qin, and then questioned the King of Qin's decision to stay in Han instead of killing him. He pointedly pointed out that the King of Qin sent Teng, the governor of Nanyang County, to attack Han and besieged Zheng in March, which was too intimidating. Too much.

"In ancient times, Shang Tang and Zhou Wu destroyed the country without destroying the country. I hope the king can imitate it." Prince Dan not only begged the King of Qin on behalf of South Korea, but also on behalf of Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu, and Qi.

King Qin, who was rarely drunk, revealed his ambition for the first time in front of Prince Dan and Xiong Qi.

"Destroy the country without destroying the country?" Xiong Qi remembered that King Qin laughed loudly at that time, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"When King Ping moved eastward, there were hundreds of princes in the world. Now five hundred years have passed, but there are only seven countries left in the world. Where did those hundreds of countries go? Did they disappear out of thin air?"

"The Yan State is two thousand miles wide. From Shanggu to Liaodong, this land once contained the Ji, Guzhu, Ji, Zhongshan and other countries. If it were not for the destruction and annexation, where would the Yan State have such a large land? Zidan, you want to be widowed today? Following the example of the benevolent kings of ancient times who spared Korea a life, why not return home first and restore the Ji Kingdom, which is said to be the successor of the Yellow Emperor, to the commonwealth?"

"During the past five hundred years, countries have merged with each other and launched endless wars. The people of the world have suffered. There are no two masters in the sky, and as long as there are more than two kings in Kyushu, the wars will not stop. This is the so-called peace, the so-called benevolence and righteousness, Prince Yan, how long do you want to maintain the status quo and let the people of the world suffer?"

Prince Dan of Yan was speechless, but King Qin said categorically: "You can hate me, but destiny cannot be violated. Someone must eventually unify the world and end this troubled world! Therefore, I will not pretend to be benevolent and righteous, and will destroy the six countries, leaving no one behind."

With drunken eyes, he looked at Prince Dan of Yan and Xiong Qi and said with a smile: "Yes, in five or ten years, the Yan State will be destroyed, and the Chu State will be destroyed, but what awaits you will be even greater." Country, the world becomes one country!”

"Whether it is within sight or beyond sight, everything will be unified under the decree of a few people. The people of the world will become the heads of Qin and Guizhou, using unified writing, unified currency, and unified weights and measures! The whole country will be ruled by counties. The counties will be divided and let honest and dedicated officials govern. All royal ministers will no longer be enfeoffed as princes. They will only be given salaries and nominal food. With the weapons of the world, there will be no more wars in the Central Plains. The army will go to the frontiers to open up new territories. New land, or to resist the invasion of Rong and Di. The crops are harvested every year, and the people in Guizhou live and work in peace and contentment. They also need to build roads leading to the whole country, and erect stone monuments at the ends of the mountains and seas, so that in a thousand or ten thousand years, People can also know the merits of a few people..."

King Qin's ambition shocked Xiong Qi, and King Qin's ambition confused Xiong Qi.

At that time, he completely woke up from his dream. It turned out that he and King Qin were not the same people from the beginning.

The King of Qin wanted to sweep across the six kingdoms, but Xiong Qi just wanted to bring peace between Qin and Chu and maintain the status quo.

Even though he did not set foot on the land of Chu for the first time until he was thirty years old, in the final analysis, he still recognized himself as a Chu person in his heart. This was the painful memory left in him by King Chu Kaolie using Jing and Chu.

While beating him, his father told him that he was a descendant of Emperor Gaoyang! Zhu Rong's blazing fire bloodline flows through his body!

How could Chu, who had lived for eight hundred years, be said to have perished?

From that day on, the King of Qin began to accelerate his plan to conquer the empire, and he felt that Lord Changping was not active enough in carrying out the strategy of destroying the six kingdoms. He gradually used Li Si and other new ministers who could do their best to help him become an emperor.

Finally, when Qin had destroyed Han and Zhao, and the war with Chu was just around the corner, King Qin began to clean up the Chu foreign relatives in the court, and Lord Changping was dismissed as prime minister.

After that, as Xiong Qi's younger sister suddenly died of illness, their personal relationship also deteriorated. The monarchs and ministers who were once close to each other gradually drifted apart. Although Lord Changping was appointed last year to inspect Shandong counties on behalf of the king, in Xiong Qi's view, this was like exile.

That's the thing about politics, once you've lost the king's trust and are far away from the center, you can never go back.

Xiong Qi could only rely on a series of conspicuous achievements such as pacifying the Zheng rebellion, killing the King of Han, and subduing Chen Ying to show his loyalty and beg the King of Qin to give him a decent exit...

Today's Qin Wangzheng is no longer the young man Xiong Qi took him to wander around Xianyang, but a conceited, impatient and distrustful king.

"I had no choice in the past." Xiong Qi looked at the palm of his hand.

Whether it was to be left behind in Qin or for his relatives abroad in Chu, Xiong Qi had no choice.

But now, after returning to his homeland, he suddenly has a choice.

Do you want to be a Chu Ju who is hard to move and more ambitious?

Or is he Qin Zhi, who looks bright on the outside but is depressed on the inside but only he knows about it?

Xiong Qi already had the answer in his heart!

This time, he wants to be a Chu man again!

"Let's go, it's time."

…

Xiong Qi hung his sword on his waist and put on an armor that was as red as blood. This was a color that he had avoided before. Qin Wangzheng was not his father Zi Chu who wore Chu clothes to please the Queen Mother Huayang. He liked deep and dark The black color is dark, and I don’t like the dazzling red color.

Xiong Qi brought his confidant Chen Ta to the courtyard of the official residence. At some point, there were already more than a hundred swordsmen in white kneeling on one knee, holding long swords in their hands, waiting for their master's call.

In half a year, he had gathered so many dead soldiers, pushing them with clothes and food, just for today.

Xiong Qi bowed to them heavily.

"If things don't work out, Qi will die first."

"It's done, all the kings are the heroes of Chu! As the prince and commander of the Chu Kingdom, Qi Qi will never let down the kings!"

"I am willing to die in the service of my lord!" More than a hundred dead men fell down and worshiped.

Xiong Qi has already established a relationship with Xiang Yan of Chu State. As long as Xiang Yan proves to him that the Qin army is not invincible, Xiong Qi is willing to start an incident in Chen Ying!

But Chen Ying still had three thousand Qin troops on guard. Is it enough to rely on one hundred dead soldiers? I'm afraid they were surrounded and wiped out as soon as they rushed out.

Xiong Qi was confident. He had been preparing for today for a long time.

"Chen Ying is a large city with ten thousand households and a population of nearly fifty thousand. From the elderly to children, no one wants to be a Qin citizen."

"Therefore, every household in any market has our reinforcements!"

The mansion was opened, and Lord Changping led the crowd out. The Qin soldiers guarding the gate were not surprised at all. Now, rumors have spread to Chen Ying, saying that the Qin army was defeated. As the governor of this city, it is true that he led troops to defend the enemy. normal.

The children playing in the corner stared at the general in fluttering red robes in amazement. Wasn't the reviled "stinky man" living in this mansion?

Chang Pingjun and his party walked along the familiar road and headed towards the busy city!

Today is market day, and with every step they take, the crowd becomes denser. They all turn around in surprise and look at Xiong Qi, who is fully armed and coming to the front. In the past, Xiong Qi often walked this road. , he was secretly pointed out by the local Chu people, saying that he was a "bad Zhi", which meant that Xiong Qi had forgotten his roots and became a Chu traitor who helped the Qin people, and was unworthy of his ancestors.

Sometimes, someone would even throw rotten oranges at him...

But now, they all looked at Xiong Qi in confusion, watching him standing on the military chariot, holding a phoenix bird flag in his hand.

"Two or three sons!"

Xiong started shouting to everyone he could reach in the Chu dialect that he had neither dared nor been able to speak for the past ten years.

"Xiong Qi is here today, not as a guard of the Qin State, but as a prince of the Chu State, to inform the second and third sons of the matter!"

"The Qin army has been defeated by Chu. I am willing to do something for me to revive Chen Ying. Those who kill Qin officials will show their right arms!"

He raised his arms high, and the red flag was flying, as if he was a phoenix that has been dying from the fire...

That's right, Xiong Qi, a descendant of Emperor Gaoyang, will be reborn together with Chen Ying today!

On that day, there were three thousand people in Chenying Market, all with their right arms open! Following Changpingjun, he attacked the Qin guards, but Chen Ying rebelled!