Qin Official

"The ancients said that when a country is about to prosper, listen to its people; when it is about to fall, listen to God."

"But now, all the people have become captives of Qin, and the gods have abandoned Chu. What should I do?"

The King of Chu stood on the palace gate with his crotch on his back and his hair disheveled. He watched helplessly in one day and night, the eight land gates and eight water gates in Shouchun had been destroyed, and the flags of the Qin army appeared in the once prosperous "Ying City" in the north of the city. The resistance in the outer country has become weaker and weaker. Nearly ten thousand soldiers and civilians poured into the inner city. The rest were locked out by the closed palace gate and left to the Qin army.

Nowadays, the only things that stand between the King of Chu and the Qin army are the high palace walls and the moats surrounded by Zuodu and Shaopixidu. Many years ago, Lord Chun Shen, who built Shouchun and the palace city under the orders of King Chu Kaolie, seemed to have been worried that one day, while taking into account the grandeur, he also built the palace into a solid fortress.

But even if it is impregnable, it is useless. With no people around him and no gods above his head, the king of Chu can only hold on for a day or two at most in the face of the attack of 100,000 Qin troops.

The King of Chu didn't want to look any more, so he turned his head, threw down the Zuo Guang guard on the palace wall, let the long clothes hanging behind him drag on the ground, and staggered towards the lotus terrace where he usually liked to have banquets and entertainment.

Lotus is made into clothes, and hibiscus is used as clothing. Chu people in the south love lotus very much. The king of Chu often lets his concubines wear lotus as clothes and play together in the water. It was the beginning of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and the lotus flowers in the pond below the high platform were blooming side by side. Their faint fragrance filled the heart, but the King of Chu had long lost the mood to appreciate them.

The power of a country is like a lotus, which waxes and wanes. When it is in its prime, it overflows the pond, but in its decline, not a single leaf can be seen on the water.

When summer comes next year, the lotus leaves will still bloom, but when the sun rises tomorrow, Chu State may no longer exist.

Tears flowed from the eyes of the King of Chu, who was holding his cud. "It has been eight hundred years since our ancestors Wan Xiong and Xiong Yi were granted the title of prince by King Wen of Zhou. But today, after eight hundred years, the country will perish in my hands." !”

Cai Ci, the "Yin of the Gate" who was in charge of the entrance and exit of the palace, cried and bowed down: "Chu Shi died at the hands of King Huai of Qingxiang. Your Majesty has tried his best to save it!"

But Fu Chu shook his head: "I am trapped in a heavy load, but I can't take it with me. I am arrogant and beautiful, but I am aggressive, and I am humble and honest."

"At that time, Song Yu thought that although the short clothes made of lotus leaves were beautiful, they were too loose and could not be tied up; this is just like King Huai boasting about his civil and military skills and thinking that he is upright, but in fact he relies on sycophants and dislikes loyal ministers. The same is true for me, and I use Wu Ling. , Zuo Tu and others, but they are suspicious of Xiang Yan and Lord Changping. If they had been able to cheer up from the beginning of taking the throne, would they have been able to change the outcome of their destruction?"

Now that things have happened, he has begun to reflect.

"If I had known this day, I wouldn't have had to kill my brother to seize the throne a few years ago, or when my brother Xiong Qi returned to Chu, I wouldn't have sent him to Jiangdong, but would have given up the throne! I would have been a happy young man. Go boating for a long distance and be alone..."

Not to mention, half a year ago, I actually went to great lengths to send people to spread rumors about the life experiences of the two brothers, King Chu You and King Chu Ai. In the end, it all became a joke.

But it was too late at this time. King Chu wiped away his tears, turned around and asked Cai Cidao: "Is everything ready?"

"The firewood and anointing oil are all ready."

Cai Ci raised his head. Even though the King of Chu had many shortcomings in carrying the cud, at least he was still determined to die for the country.

"I should try my best to stop the Qin people and bid farewell to the king!"

After saying this, Cai gave San Jishou and left in a hurry.

The sound of the Qin army's fighting and siege outside continued for a long time. After bathing in the lotus pond, the King of Chu put on his royal attire and staggered towards the stage. He saw that the stage was full of jewelry and jade, and his concubines and palace maidens , all shed tears in the audience.

The King of Chu wanted to die, but his concubines all wanted to live and were unwilling to obey.

"I once heard that when King Wu of Zhou Dynasty came to court, King Zhou of Shang Dynasty was in Lutai, covered with his pearls and jade, and burned himself to death in the fire. I never thought that such a day would happen to me..."

The King of Chu laughed at himself: "Even if I die, I will not be able to see my ancestors. I just don't know where is Daji who doesn't eat?"

"Ji Mi is willing to be Brother Wang's Daji!"

A delicate girl dressed in bright and gorgeous clothes came out from the crowd of warblers and swallows. She fell on the ground and nodded: "Ji Mi would rather die with Brother Wang than become a prisoner of Qin!"

This is the youngest daughter of King Chu Kaolie. She is only sixteen years old, which is the most beautiful age of her hair. However, her originally gentle eyes are full of determination to die, even more determined than the King of Chu.

This younger sister had always been strong-willed. Because she was responsible for killing King Ai of Chu, she had not said a word to him for five years. Today, when Jingchu was about to be destroyed, she finally let go of the past.

"good……"

The King of Chu was stunned for a moment, laughed loudly, and asked her to follow him to the high platform! And took the torch handed over by the palace man tremblingly.

"Your Majesty!"

At this moment, there was a cry from behind. It was Zuo Tu and others who were usually favored by the King of Chu. They kept looking at their heads on the steps of the high platform, urging the King of Chu not to do such a stupid thing.

"Wang Jian from outside has sent people to shoot a book inside, saying that Qin and Chu are the twentieth generation of in-laws. If the king surrenders, the King of Qin may be able to make the king live without worries, become a rich man, and even get a fief..."

The concubines and palace attendants under the high platform also cried and persuaded the King of Chu that it would be better to die than live.

"You villain! A sycophant! Instead of following the king to death, you are still here urging the king to surrender! Have you not seen how King Huai of Chu was humiliated by King Qin after he entered Qin?"

Princess Ji Mi of Chu was young and naive. Although she was a female, she had grown up listening to Qu Yuan's stories. She regarded Qin as an enemy and bandit, and now she spoke angrily against Zuo Tu and others.

"However, there is a king who has perished in Chu, but there is no captured king. There is no need for you to say anything more. If you can follow the deceased, you will die together. If you can't, then leave him..."

The King of Chu held the torch and walked towards the highest point of the high platform. There were piles of treasures from the Chu Palace. They were dazzling. He looked at the only square inches of land left under the high platform and looked at the treasures that the kings of Chu had painstakingly collected. Listening The man behind him couldn't help but keep him, and his eyes were twinkling.

When death is close at hand, people will hesitate.

"People say that a phoenix burns itself to ashes every five hundred years, and then rises from the ashes again. The cycle continues, and it becomes eternal life..."

Ji Mi raised her chin and said, "I wonder if Brother Wang can ignite the raging fire of our ancestor Zhu Rong today!"

After hearing this, the King of Chu did not think of Zhu Rong and Fengniao. Instead, he saw two rickety charred corpses.

He shuddered and let go of the torch in his hand.

But instead of throwing it on the pile of firewood, it was thrown into the lotus pond below. The fire in my heart was extinguished, leaving only a few wisps of smoke...

"You can't die if you don't eat."

"I don't want to die either!"

He left the high platform with a pale face, leaving behind Ji Mi who couldn't believe it, rolling on the ground and running in embarrassment down the steps!

…

Men Yin Cai Ci organized Zuo Guang, the last thousand kings, and tried his best to resist the Qin people's attacks and buy some time for the king of Chu to die for his country.

However, he felt something was wrong, because the fire in Hetai did not light up for a long time...

Just when he was doubtful, the second door behind him suddenly opened, and King Chu walked out unscathed, accompanied by Zuo Tu and others.

Cai Ci was stunned.

"Open the door and surrender to Qin!" The King of Chu was silent, while Zuo Tu was in high spirits. He had always advocated peace talks and surrender to Qin.

Seeing this scene, Cai Ci understood and began to curse: "King, where are the courage of the late King Xiong Qu who refused to give him the title of China, and the pride of King Chuzhuang to win the Central Plains?"

"If you open the door and come down, I will be able to live in a small town and live in wealth and honor, and my second and third sons will also be able to survive..."

The King of Chu murmured, not even daring to look directly at Cai Ci and Zuo Guang's guards.

Cai Ci was filled with grief and anger, but King Chu's attitude had demoralized the palace guards. He tried to stop him, but Zuo Tu ordered his men to push him to the ground and break his head.

Looking at the palace door slowly opening, and looking at Zuo Tu kneeling out with his watch in hand, Cai Ci could only grab the ground with his head and cried bitterly:

"Sadly, the people of the King of Chu were also yuānhu phoenixes. They became famous even without singing. How majestic and wise. However, their descendants have become timid and afraid of death. They can be satisfied with just a rotten rat from the King of Qin. The owl (hi)!"

…

“What’s inside this gate is so luxurious and magnificent.”

As the first batch of Qin troops who were ordered to follow Wang Jian into the Chu Palace to take over the defense, Heifu heard the two country bumpkins Dongmen Bao and Ji Ying behind him pointing at the tall gate above them and the sculpture of a phoenix bird spreading its wings above them and marveling at it. Incessantly.

Beside the long palace corridor, groups of Chu Zuo Guang palace guards were waiting silently for them to enter the city. Zuo Tu, who had just gone out to present his surrender, and a disheveled middle-aged man were kneeling at the front, facing Wang Jian. When all the generals surrendered, it was probably the King of Chu who carried the cud.

But Heifu's attention was attracted by the Chu people on the left and right sides. He saw a Chu official with a broken head and bleeding. He was still being held down by someone. The man raised his head with difficulty and looked at the neat and tidy people. The Qin army entering the city burst into tears.

Looking back at the majestic gate behind him and comparing it with the scene in front of him, Heifu suddenly remembered a World War II photo he had seen in his previous life: when the German army entered Paris through the Arc de Triomphe, the French were crying in tears along the way.

Despair, grief, anger, and helplessness are the emotions of Chu people.

Heifu somewhat sympathized with these people who were unfortunate enough to be born in Jingchu and in this era, but he had no sympathy at all for this country that was stuck in its own ways, had failed Qu Yuan, and had fallen from advanced and strong to decline and withering.

"The people are not the people who will perish the country, but the king is the king who will perish the country!"

He straightened the bronze armor on his head and looked at his men. Their eyes were full of pride and pride, and they were all looking forward to the Chu Palace in front of them. Unlike the last time when Wei fell, this time, Anlu soldiers, who had made more contributions in the battle to destroy Chu, were allowed to enter the palace to take over the defense and carry away property and treasures.

The war was over, and Wang Jian, who had experienced the destruction of his country several times, turned a blind eye to his troops who secretly took some things and put them on their bodies...

Eight hundred years of collection, forty-two years of management, the elites of Jingchu, jade, gold nuggets, beads, for several generations, they plundered their people, leaning against the mountains...

An unimaginable treasure house has opened the door to Heifu and the others!