Qin Official

On the second day after the northeast corner of the beam collapsed, a group of Wei people gathered here in an area in the east of the city that had been flooded with turbid water and was completely unable to move. They were all exhausted and depressed.

During the three-month flood siege of the city, although the food in the city was still enough to eat, and there was no tragedy of exchanging children for food, due to the lack of a dry open space, they had to cook in pots, and because of the lack of firewood, what happened to the food? Getting it into your mouth has become the most difficult problem.

First burn the wooden furniture in the house, then burn the expensive lacquerware, and finally the gorgeous silk. These things, used for cooking, are not worth a piece of worthless firewood. When the silk, silk and linen cloth are also burned, it is Gaoguan and Kuanxiu's turn to suffer.

This is still the method of rich people. Poor people are even worse and can only survive by chewing uncooked rice.

So this group of elegant and noble scholar-bureaucrats in the past were all in rags, their crowns and belts were missing, and their lower clothes were shortened. They looked like the mud legs they despised. They stood barefoot in the turbid water, but they still spoke and behaved cautiously. Wear etiquette.

Their chat didn't last long. As something was being transported out of the yard, everyone rushed over to help. Although they are all doctors and scribes who are not engaged in childbirth, they all rolled up their sleeves and worked together to carry an unpainted coffin. Then they waded through the streets with water up to their shins and walked towards the high-stage palace in the distance, which was much higher than the ground. …

The high platform is called "Fantai". It was a palace built during the reign of King Hui of Wei. It is located on a very high ground, with flowers, trees and susu, birds singing and flowers fragrant, and pavilions and pavilions making it extremely beautiful. At that time, King Hui of Wei brought his two most beloved beauties, Bai Tai and Lu Xu, to Fan Tai for entertainment all day long.

Nowadays, it is like an isolated island in the sea, and it has become one of the few places in the east of the city where you can stay. During the siege, the King of Wei allowed the aristocratic officials in the east of the city to bring their families to take refuge here.

The nobles and officials of the Wei State flocked to visit him, but only one person did not leave. The ninety-year-old Tang Ju stayed at home, vowing to work hard, live and die with the people of the Wei State, and determined not to go to Fantai.

When his disciples persuaded him, Tang Ju reprimanded:

"When I was thirty-one years old, the Yan army entered Qi and killed King Min of Qi. They attacked more than 70 cities in Qi, leaving only Ju and Jimo. At that time, Tian only guarded Jimo, and he was in charge of the printing plate. He shared the same food and clothing with the soldiers. We worked hard together, and our wives and concubines were organized among the troops! Only then did we achieve the feat of restoring the country after being trapped for three years!"

"Now that Daliang is surrounded, it is extremely dangerous. As a high official, how can I abandon the people and take refuge on a high platform? We must work together, and the high officials and the people are one. Only in this way can we unite the will of the people and build a city!"

Even so, Tang Ju could persuade his children, grandchildren and disciples to stay, but he could not persuade the King of Wei and the nobles to go to the high platform of the palace, close the door tightly, continue to feast and play, and be drunk all day long, so as to numb themselves and pretend. Zuo didn't know the fate of Wei State being destroyed at any time.

The actions of the Wei nobles made the Wei people feel more and more chilled, and their morale became lower and lower day by day.

Now, the walls of the beams have finally collapsed, and Tang Ju, who was the last spiritual support for the guards in the city, was also shocked to hear that the city collapsed. He regretfully and unwillingly breathed his last...

The coffin carried by many people contained Tang Ju's body.

…

The group of people trekked to Fantai with difficulty. A few days ago, there were many private soldiers of the nobles and nobles guarding the place, preventing people from going up. Now, the palace gate is empty.

After the city was broken, King Wei immediately announced that the whole city would lay down their weapons and choose to surrender. Tomorrow, the public officials and nobles will follow King Wei out of the city to surrender and leave this drowned city. The retainers and private soldiers will disperse and go their separate ways.

Tang Ju's children, grandchildren and disciples plan to bury the old man's body here, because this is one of the few places where there is still a touch of loess.

However, a young man of seventeen or eighteen years old stood at the gate of Fantai Palace, stretched out his hand, and stopped everyone.

"Great-grandfather cannot be buried in Fantai!" he said loudly.

Tang Li is one of Tang Ju's many great-grandsons. He has been with Tang Ju since he was a child. In the past few days, he was the one taking care of Tang Ju's daily life.

When Tang Ju entered the coffin, everyone could not find Tang Li. He was probably crying somewhere, but unexpectedly he came here to stop the coffin.

"Tang Li!" Tang Li's father, Tang Ju's grandson, scolded him angrily: "How dare you block the coffin, you unworthy descendant? Why don't you get out of the way!"

Tang Li knelt down in the water, lowered his head and said: "My great-grandfather kept saying when he was dying, if Uncle Boyi didn't eat Zhousu, he didn't want to be buried in Qin!"

Someone said: "How can we come to Qin in Daliang City?"

The young man pointed to Fan Tai behind him and said: "Now the King of Wei has brought hundreds of officials from the public family to leave the city and surrender to Qin. After today, Wei will be dead. After tomorrow, this will be the territory of Qin! My great-grandfather fought with Qin all his life. Under the Yellow Springs , how can he rest in peace?"

"Furthermore, Fantai was built by a foolish king named King Hui of Wei. King Hui indulged in drinking and debauchery and delayed state affairs. Great-grandfather has always been displeased, let alone buried him here!"

"Then where do you think we should be buried?" Tang Li's father, carrying the heavy coffin, said sadly and angrily with tears in his eyes: "Within this hundred miles, how can there be any soil of the size of Wei!?"

Others also sighed.

"The country has perished, let alone the country!"

"The city is full of water and chaos. We can't wait to be sent outside the city. Do we have to wait for the Qin people to humiliate the master's body?"

"When a person dies, he must always be buried."

"I..." Tang Li had no idea for a moment and could only watch helplessly as everyone carried Tang Ju's coffin onto the platform.

As a junior, his words were useless. In the end, he could only wipe his tears and follow. Together with everyone, he buried the coffin in a corner of the platform and began a simple funeral.

The conditions in the city were simple, with no plain silk or black cloth, but there was no shortage of people singing elegy and beating their chests and crying bitterly.

They were not only mourning Tang Ju, but also mourning the imminent demise of the State of Wei.

"More than four hundred years ago, Bi Wan, an official of the Jin Dynasty, was granted the title of Wei family. A fortune teller predicted that after Bi Wan, there would be a great number. Ten thousand means a full number; Wei means a great name. The emperor calls him Zhaomin, and the princes call him Wanmin. . Today’s destiny is so great that if I follow the full number, there will definitely be many people..."

"Sure enough, two hundred years later, a grandson of the Wei family named Wei Huanzi, together with Han Kangzi and Zhao Xiangzi, attacked Zhibo and divided his land."

"Another fifty years later, the grandson of Huanzi was named Wenhou of Wei. Under the orders of the emperor, he led Han Wei to attack Qi. He entered the Great Wall and fought at Zhenqiu. He beheaded 30,000 people and captured two thousand chariots. He captured the princes of Qi and returned to the Zhou Dynasty. As a prince, the Wei Kingdom begins to rise!"

"At the time of Marquis Wen, Wei had Li Kui and Zhai Huang as prime ministers, promulgating Dharma scriptures, Ximen Bao ruled in Ye, and the people in Henei, Hedong, were well-off, and the government was well-connected. Zixia, Tian Zifang, and Duan Qianmu also gave lectures in Xihe. At that time, all the scholars gathered in Wei. With Leyang and Wu Qi as generals, they raised military soldiers, defeated Qi in the east, forced Qin in the west, swallowed Zhongshan in the north, and defeated the powerful Chu in the south. At that time, the Wei state was worthy of being the leader in the world. overlord!"

"As for King Hui, he still continued his hegemony for three generations. There was a meeting of Fengze, and the twelve princes of Sishang bowed their heads and proclaimed themselves ministers. Qin and Qi also went to Wei. Unfortunately, King Hui was dim and unclear. In his later years, he was defeated by Qi in the east and his eldest son died; he died in the west. The land of Qin was more than 700 miles away, and tens of thousands of soldiers died..."

"By the time of King Xiang, Wei had lost its hegemony and was sandwiched between the three great powers of Qin, Chu and Qi, and was becoming increasingly humble."

"Tang Gong was born in the year when Mencius met King Xiang of Wei." A doctor who had family connections with the Tang family sighed.

"Tang Gong lived for ninety years. He saw the decline of the Wei State. Although he assisted Mr. Xinling to revive the country for a while, the Wei State still could not escape the fate of national subjugation."

"Fortunately, Duke Tang didn't have to be like us and witness the scene where King Wei surrendered!"

More and more people gathered, most of them lying in front of Tang Ju's tomb crying and lamenting the pain of the country's subjugation. Seeing that everyone was getting more and more sad and angry, Tang Li couldn't listen anymore. After bowing his head three times to his great-grandfather's tomb, he silently left Fantai.

…

The four gates of Daliang have been opened, but the Qin people have not come in yet. The city has been soaked in water for too long, and the epidemic is prevalent. The Qin people will not take this risk.

They asked the King of Wei to take everyone in the city to surrender. At that time, the King of Wei's family would be sent to Guanzhong as spoils of war, and the Wei people in Daliang City would be separated and resettled.

As a man who had subjugated his country, Tang Li did not know where he should go. After being soaked in water for more than two months, the demoralized Liang Wei people no longer had the spirit to resist. He could only bleed in the water and sleepily. Walked home and opened the study door...

The place was also flooded, up to the base of the feet. In order for the family to have a hot meal, all the dry things in the house were burned as firewood. Even the bamboo slips that Tang Ju had collected for many years were not spared. But in the corner of the bookshelf, there was a pile of old bamboo scrolls wrapped in Gebu, and Tang Ju was not allowed to burn them.

Tang Li walked over and opened them.

Among them, there are "Duan Chang", "Zhang Zi" and "Su Zi", all of which are the deeds of politicians. They record the speeches and behavior of Zhang Yi, Su Qin, Su Dai and others who lobbied the princes and looked down upon them. A must-have for young people who want to learn the theory of balancing shortcomings and longings.

Tang Li once had such a dream. From the age of ten, he read these books as stories. He admired Zhang Yi and Su Qin's feat of single-handedly leveraging the balance of the princes. He tried to figure out its sentences, deliberately imitated and excerpted them!

He hoped that one day he would be able to develop such skills, inherit his great-grandfather's business, lobby the princes, initiate a coalition, and turn the Wei Kingdom into danger!

Unfortunately, before he could finish learning his great-grandfather's skills, Tang Ju passed away and the Wei Kingdom was about to fall...

Tang Li closed the slips and took out a few bamboo scrolls that had been hidden in his arms and had not been taken out at the funeral just now. They were originally intended to be burned to his great-grandfather.

This is "Tang Zi", which Tang Li quietly wrote before the war began. He wanted to record his great-grandfather's deeds that fulfilled his mission through his own pen, so that his great-grandfather could be remembered by future generations like Zhang Yi and Su Qin...

But as soon as he finished writing, Daliang fell into siege.

When I unfolded this half-volume of "Tang Zi" on the case, I saw that three stories had already been written on it: "Qin and Wei Wei for the Country", "Tang Ju Speaks of Lord Xinling", and "Tang Jie Meets Chunshen Lord", all of which were written by Tang Ju. He cleverly used Zongheng's words to persuade King Zhao of Qin and Lord Chunshen, as well as the true events of persuading Lord Xinling.

It stands to reason that when Tang Ju dies and Wei dies, the story of "Tang Zi" will come to an abrupt end.

But, is that really the end of it?

Big drops of tears fell on the bamboo slips, moistening the withered bamboo slips.

"I'm not willing to give in!" Tang Li gritted his teeth, thinking of his great-grandfather who regretfully passed away, and of the Wei State that he had worked hard all his life to save and now fell. Tang Li's heart was bleeding...

He was somewhat unwilling to accept this fact and wanted to do something to make himself less uncomfortable.

Driven by this unwillingness, Tang Li found a pen, rubbed the ink with the turbid water below, rolled up his sleeves, and began to write a new, but fictitious story on the bamboo slips...

"The King of Qin sent people to say to Lord Anling: I want to use the land of 500 miles to Anling. Lord Anling will allow me..."

He placed the beginning of the story in Anling, a place where Tang Ju took him to visit the territory of the Wei Kingdom a few years ago. Lord Anling resisted the Qin army at the beginning of the war, but his small armed forces were quickly wiped out, and Lord Anling had no choice but to surrender.

Tang Li reshaped Lord Anling and turned him into the wise monarch that the people of Wei had longed for...

Then, in Tang Li's writing, the dead great-grandfather Tang Ju came back to life.

"Tang Ju said to him: Lord Anling inherited the land from the previous king and guarded it. Even though he dared not change it for a thousand miles, how could it be five hundred miles straight?"

Tang Li had tears in his eyes, as if he really saw his great-grandfather still sitting in front of him, telling him the art of short and long. He asked his grandfather to say the words he often said to Tang Li when the King of Qin was tempting him.

Don’t dare abandon the land of your ancestors!

This is in sharp contrast to the previous Wei kings who did not cherish the land of their ancestors and promoted it to Qin.

As he wrote this, he got stuck, but after biting the pen barrel and thinking about it, and flipping through some passages in "Zhang Zi" and "Su Zi", Tang Li's eyes lit up, and the pen in his hand became faster and faster. The thrilling conflict clearly appeared on the bamboo slips.

The King of Qin is domineering and wants to seize any piece of land in the world. Since he can't do it softly, he wants to do hard work!

He arrogantly called himself the emperor, and said that the emperor's wrath would "lay millions of corpses and bleed for thousands of miles", trying to intimidate Tang Ju!

However, the ninety-year-old Tang Ju was used to seeing the world, so how could he be afraid of him? He asked, "Has your Majesty heard of the wrath of Bu Yi?"

In Tang Li's works, Qin Wangzheng, who was born with the face of a villain and a nouveau riche, waved his hand disdainfully and said: "The anger of the common people is also to use the head to snatch the earth and ears..."

The real climax came. Tang Li bit his nails while writing down Tang Ju's answer: "This is the anger of a mediocre man, not the anger of a scholar..."

So, what is the wrath of a scholar?

The images of chivalrous assassins who were not afraid of rape in history appeared before Tang Li's eyes.

When Zhuan Zhu stabs Wang Liao, comets hit the moon; when Nie Zheng stabs Han puppets, a white rainbow pierces the sun; when Yao Li stabs Qing Ji, the warehouse eagle strikes the palace!

In Tang Li's view, the times need such lone heroes. When the military and national power could not compete with Qin, they single-handedly killed the greedy King of Qin and took out his tiger and wolf heart!

The first Jing Ke fell, but there will definitely be a second and third Jing Ke!

As he wrote this, Tang Li was completely intoxicated. For the plot he wanted, he ignored facts and logic and directly asked Tang Ju to stand up with his sword!

"If a soldier is angry, he will lay two corpses down and bleed for five steps. The world will be plain. This is the case today!"

What? Can't you bring a sword when you meet the King of Qin? It doesn't matter, Tang Ju's "sword" did not come from hiding, nor did it come in through manipulation, nor was it taken from others. It is the sword of people's sympathy for the weak hearts, and it is a sword of justice falling from the sky!

"nice!"

He burst out laughing, as if he really saw that although his great-grandfather was gray-haired, he exuded the heroic spirit of a common man, which frightened the King of Qin and made him kneel down to apologize...

Tang Li, the man who lost his country, relied on his own pen on this bamboo slip to win a victory for the Wei people that could not be achieved in reality.

"Hahahaha, so happy, so happy! King Qin, who has the heart of a tiger and a wolf, will be forced into such an embarrassing situation by his great-grandfather!"

But his laughter became smaller and smaller, became more and more unpleasant, and finally turned into howling.

Doesn't Tang Li know that this is all fake?

The land of the ancestors had long been cut off piece by piece by the King of Wei. His great-grandfather had never seen Qin Wangzheng in his life. Lord Anling had surrendered a long time ago, and there were no civilians to draw their swords to force the king...

He made it all up!

Faced with the death of his great-grandfather, the pain of national subjugation, the messy Daliang City, and the cruel and biting reality, Tang Li could only comfort himself with exaggerated stories and flamboyant words.

"What is the use?"

He broke the pen, slapped the table, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The beams have collapsed, and the King of Wei will lead the entire city tomorrow to surrender to the Qin army!"

"The State of Wei two hundred years ago is dead! It's dead!"

After returning to reality, Tang Li began to look for knives and candles everywhere, trying to destroy what he had just written.

But when he pressed the knife on the first ink character, he hesitated again. After a difficult choice, he finally threw away the knife, put away the bamboo scroll, and put it together with the other three chapters of "Tang Zi".

That's it, regardless of whether it is true or false, the Wei Kingdom has died, and Tang Ju has also passed away. What does it matter if it is true or false, just keep it.

Perhaps, letting it spread can balance the hearts of many subjugated and perishing people.

Perhaps, it can inspire more people just like it inspires itself today, telling them that even if the country perishes, the country collapses, and the home is deserted, don't forget the soldier's heart that is not afraid of violence!

Tang Li squeezed the bamboo scroll tightly and swore: "As long as this heart does not die, I believe that one day, the Wei people will finally be able to recover the country and regain the great beams. By then, there will no longer be Qin on Fantai. Great-grandfather I can also rest in peace!”

So, let’s give this story a name.

Tang Li has already thought about it.

"Tang Ju, you have fulfilled your mission!"

…

Different from the hearty stories written by Tang Li, the winner is always the winner, the loser is always the loser, the winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. The reality will not change in any way because of a strategist article or a diary.

On the third day after the collapse of Daliang City, bells and drums rang out loudly outside Daliang City. The Qin army was neatly arrayed here, with their General Wang Ben majestically riding a horse and cart in front.

Heifu, who was standing in the crowd of soldiers watching the excitement, kept standing on tiptoe. He finally saw that inside the open west gate of the beam, the last king of Wei was bound with his face naked, leading a sheep on his left and holding a straw on his right, walking on his knees in the water one foot deep. Then, he knelt all the way to the outside of the city gate and surrendered to the Qin army...