The time goes back to a few days ago, when the State of Qi officially made its official statement to the outside world, recognizing the restoration of the Song State in Tengcheng, and threatened to send the "Northern Navy" and "Langya Army" to the eastern part of Song County to ensure the security of the Song State.

The news was learned in time through the Qingya people stationed on the border between Chu and Qi.

Neither the East Palace Prince Zhao Run nor the court officials were surprised by this.

Who asked Prince Zhao Hongrun to execute Qi envoy Tian Hu in anger?

Although the state of Qi is no longer what it used to be, as the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, but it is still known as the "powerful country of the Central Plains" or even the "overlord of the Central Plains". It is strange that it can swallow this bad breath.

In fact, at this point, the diplomatic relations between Qi and Wei can be regarded as a state of declaration of war. The reason why the two countries have not yet declared war is that Wei does not intend to actually use troops against Qi.

Excessively stimulating Qi State made Qi State side with South Korea. On the other hand, it was probably Wei Gongzi Zhao Zhao who helped in this matter.

It is undeniable that if Qi loses face as the "overlord of the Central Plains" and secretly reaches an agreement with South Korea in order to retaliate against Wei, Wei will actually feel a headache.

No, Zhu Jin, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, put forward relevant speculations and advised Zhao Hongrun to be careful.

However, Zhao Hongrun is not worried about this speculation.

In his opinion, with the arrogance of the Qi people, how could they join forces with South Korea?

You must know that the prerequisite for forming an alliance with Qi is to take Qi as the leader. Look at Qi’s allies. Whether they are Lu, Yue or the old Song State, including the original Wei State, they are all like this.

, if it insists on promoting the "Qi-Han Alliance", then South Korea must first recognize Qi's hegemony and alliance leader status - this is almost impossible for South Korea, which is currently competing with Wei for the status of "the new hegemon of the Central Plains".

May agree.

As for what Zhu Jin, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, said, Qi is likely to relax its standards and form an alliance with South Korea. Zhao Hongrun believes that this speculation is unlikely.

After all, the Wei State has not yet defeated the arrogant Qi people. Under such circumstances, how could the Qi people destroy their reputation and form an alliance with South Korea? - Once he forms an alliance with South Korea, doesn't it mean that he admits in disguise that he

Qi cannot defeat South Korea on its own? How can those Qi people who still claim to be the overlords of the Central Plains accept this?

It is worth mentioning that during this period, Zhu Jin, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, also made a suggestion: Since Qi is likely to unite with South Korea to suppress Wei, Wei should also make allies.

At that time, Zhao Hongrun immediately guessed that the ally Zhu Jin was referring to was Chu State.

In the Central Plains, only Chu State's location and national power could assist Wei State in suppressing Qi State.

"Forge an alliance with Chu", this suggestion put forward by Zhu Jin, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, quickly spread throughout the government and the public, and even reached the ears of Mi Jiang, the crown prince of the East Palace.

Since marrying into the Wei State, Mi Jiang has never interfered in the internal affairs of the Wei State, and seems to be indifferent to it. But this time, even Mi Jiang hugged her son Zhao Wei, and rarely asked Zhao Hongrun's opinion: "With the Chu State,

Isn’t it bad to form an alliance?”

Of course Zhao Hongrun understood that the "Chu State" Mi Jiang mentioned actually refers to Xiong Tuo, the king of Chu Yangcheng, or simply the current crown prince of Chu State - Zhao Run is her husband, and Xiong Tuo is her biological father.

A cousin who is like a biological brother, even Mi Jiang, who doesn't care much about worldly things, sincerely hopes that the two men she cares about can work together.

Out of his trust in Mi Jiang, Zhao Hongrun did not hide anything and asked directly: "Qi is just an old tiger. Since the death of King Lu Xi of Qi, the claws of this tiger are no longer sharp. However,

In Chu State, since Xiong Tuo came to Chudong and took power, he has put forward the ideas put forward by his father-in-law (Xiong Hao, Lord of Chu Runan) during his lifetime to improve the living conditions of civilians and domestic status. Today, Xiong Tuo is extremely prestigious in Chu State.

Gao, in my opinion, as long as Xiong Tuo can endure loneliness and steadily develop the country, if there are no major changes in the Central Plains in twenty years, then the strength of the Chu State will surely surpass that of other countries... This is a

A very threatening young tiger, if it were you, would you choose to form an alliance with a more threatening young tiger and let it continue to grow in order to defeat an old tiger?"

Hearing this, Mi Jiang sighed silently.

To a certain extent, Mi Jiang's situation in the relationship between Wei and Chu is also very embarrassing, no less than that of Wei Gongzi Zhao Zhao, who is caught between Qi and Wei. However, she is the Crown Princess of the East Palace.

She also gave birth to the future prince Zhao Wei, so no one dared to make things difficult for her. Of course, the more important reason is that the relationship between Wei and Chu is not tense at present, and I believe that there will be a long period of time.

The Chu State, which was committed to its own development, did not care about the threat it posed to the Wei State for the time being.

Feeling the sadness and loss in Mi Jiang's heart, Zhao Hongrun quickly persuaded him: "Don't be disappointed yet. I just want to say that the potential threat of Chu State is much greater than that of Qi State. I did not say that I, the Great Wei, will definitely

We cannot form an alliance with the Chu State." After a pause, he frowned slightly and added: "This time, there is about a 70% chance that we will form an alliance with the Chu State."

"Are you serious?" Mi Jiang showed a rare look of joy when he heard this, and that fleeting smile was so gorgeous that even Zhao Hongrun was slightly absent-minded.

You must know that the princess in front of you has an expressionless face all day long. She rarely shows a sincere smile throughout the year, so that sometimes when she sees Mi Jiang smile unconsciously, whether it is Concubine Shen Shu, Zhao Hongrun, or the maid serving Mi Jiang

They all felt vaguely as if they had earned something.

Seeing Zhao Hongrun smiling and nodding, Mi Jiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "If we form an alliance with Chu, how long can this alliance last?"

Today, she is no longer as naive as she was back then. Of course, she knows that for the countries in the Central Plains, the alliance is sometimes a piece of paper that can be torn up at any time. In the final analysis, whether the alliance between two countries is strong or not mainly depends on these two countries.

Are there any fundamental conflicts?

Just like the two countries of Qi and Wei, one is the old overlord who refuses to abdicate, and the other is the today's overlord who has risen sharply. It seems that this fundamental contradiction cannot be reconciled, even if Wei Gongzi Zhao Zhao serves as the left prime minister of Qi, he cannot

Save the nine-year alliance between the two countries that has lasted for nine years since the time of King Lu Xi of Qi.

"Twenty years..."

Zhao Hongrun thought for a while and gave a deadline that made Mi Jiang feel a little relieved.

This "twenty years" is Zhao Hongrun's preliminary estimate, which refers to the time it takes for Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, to develop the Chu Kingdom. After all, although the Chu Kingdom is vast and has many people, its domestic foundation is too poor, compared to Zhao Hongrun's father.

Zhao Yuanci was still lagging behind when he accepted the Wei State. Even if it had more people and strength, Zhao Hongrun felt that the Chu State would need at least twenty years to be in good shape - in the first ten years, the problem of food and clothing for the Chu State's civilians should be solved first, and in the second ten years,

Only then did Chu have enough energy to consider catching up with Qi, Wei, Han and other countries.

Of course, this is only a preliminary estimate after all. As for the specific situation at that time, it will still have to be combined with the changes in the Central Plains at that time.

"Twenty years?"

After hearing that the alliance between Wei and Chu could probably last for twenty years, Mi Jiang felt quite happy.

Perhaps for the entire history of the Central Plains, twenty years is just a blink of an eye, but for people in the world whose average life span may only be about thirty years old, twenty years is already a very, very long time.

Twenty years later, both the couple and her cousin Xiong Tuo, Lord Yangcheng, will probably be in their twilight years. By then, Mi Jiang will naturally not have to worry too much about Zhao Run and Xiong Tuo, the two people she cares about most. Men can become enemies.

As for what will happen to Wei and Chu after this, it depends on the youngest son Zhao Wei in her arms.

I don't know what she thought of, but Mi Jiang stroked the head of her sleeping son Zhao Wei, and smiled for the first time. Zhao Hongrun's eyes widened: in a moment, this woman with facial paralysis actually smiled twice. What a profit. arrive!

The next day, Zhao Hongrun came to the Manlu Palace where his father, Emperor Zhao Yuanci, was, and mentioned the idea of ​​"possibly forming an alliance with Chu" to his father.

In this regard, Emperor Wei did not express any opinions. He just asked Zhao Hongrun: "Are you worried about Qi State?"

Zhao Hongrun nodded and said: "The proud Qi people are destined to be defeated this time because of their underestimation of the enemy and arrogance. However, after the Qi people were defeated, they learned from the pain and it is possible to put down their arrogance and form an alliance with South Korea... In my relationship between Wei Dynasty and South Korea When fighting for supremacy, an ally is needed to restrain Qi and contain its army."

Although Zhao Hongrun firmly believes that under the current situation, it is impossible for the arrogant Qi people to put down their airs and form an alliance with South Korea. However, once some time passes and Wei's army defeats the Qi people, the situation will be greatly changed. It’s different.

At that time, it is difficult to guarantee that Qi State will not form an alliance with South Korea out of resentment, prevent Wei State from defeating South Korea, and replace Qi State as the new overlord of the Central Plains.

In this case, if the state of Chu helps to contain the state of Qi, it will help the state of Wei to concentrate on dealing with the war with South Korea.

Of course, Wei can also consider Qin as an ally, but the problem is that Qin is too far away from Qi. By the time the Qin army reaches Qi, the day lilies will be cold, and Chu is the only country that borders Qi. Only the country can pose the greatest threat to the latter.

After listening to Zhao Hongrun's words, Emperor Wei frowned slightly and said: "Hongrun, you should know that the potential threat of Chu State is much greater than that of Qi State..."

"Of course this son understands." Zhao Hongrun nodded.

Indeed, the development potential of Chu State, which claims to have a total population of 40 million people, is really terrible. In addition, the current Chu State's crown prince, Xiong Tuo, Yangcheng Lord - if this man is still the ruthless person in Zhao Hongrun's impression, Zhao Hongrun was not so worried about the martial guys, but what was unexpected was that after Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, moved into Chudong, he did not take revenge on the nobles of Chudong as Zhao Hongrun had guessed, but instead devoted himself to maintaining Chudong. The balance between Chu and Western countries encouraged both to focus on developing Chu itself, which surprised Zhao Hongrun.

In his impression, Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo is not someone who compromises for the sake of the overall situation!

"...The most important thing is that Xiong Tuo. I really didn't expect that this kind of aggressive and ruthless guy would gradually change his violent behavior after taking over Chu Dong and becoming the crown prince of the Chu Kingdom... " Zhao Hongrun added with emotion.

"Because he has taken responsibility."

Emperor Wei looked at the son in front of him with a smile, and secretly snickered in his heart: If you just talk about others, aren't you yourself a completely different person than you were back then?

Once upon a time, in the eyes of Emperor Wei, the son in front of him was more than "naughty". But now? This bad boy has become so reliable. But I don't know if this son still remembers his "willing to be a dandy". King's ambition.

As if he felt something, Zhao Hongrun frowned slightly and said, "Father, I feel like you are thinking of something very malicious at the moment."

"...Can you guess all this?"

"How is that possible?" Emperor Wei looked stern, coughed and then said seriously: "In short, the next step is to see whether Xiong Tuo can endure loneliness."

"I understand." Zhao Hongrun nodded.

The emperor of Wei, Zhao Yuanxi, endured loneliness and immersed himself in developing Wei for twenty years, which laid a solid foundation for his successor Zhao Hongrun. If Xiong Tuo, the king of Chu Yangcheng, could also endure the loneliness, then, twenty years later, Chu It is very likely that the country will gradually frighten the Central Plains, just like the Wei State now.

Finally, when Zhao Hongrun asked his father if he wanted to form an alliance with the Chu State, Emperor Wei Zhao Yuanci looked at his son intently, and after a while he said angrily: "Weren't you just weighing the pros and cons? These words made me sad. Now that you’ve finished speaking, do I have anything else to say? In the future, you can just make your own decisions about this kind of thing."

It is undeniable that Emperor Wei was indeed a little touched that his son still remembered to discuss important matters with him, but what was embarrassing was that his son's decisions were always wise, and he really couldn't come up with any constructive suggestions - to be honest, As an old man, he felt very embarrassed.

"Moody and moody, it looks like I'm entering menopause..."

With malicious speculations about his father, Zhao Hongrun left inexplicably.

Looking at his son's back as he left, Emperor Wei couldn't help but sigh again: "I... am really old."

The great eunuch Tong Xian watched from the sidelines from beginning to end. At this time, he persuaded with a smile: "I think that your Majesty is now proud of His Royal Highness... This is enough."

Looking at Tong Xian, Emperor Wei nodded melancholy: Having such an outstanding son is indeed a blessing in life.

Perhaps this is a common problem among many fathers in the world: when they find that their sons are gradually surpassing themselves, on the one hand they feel proud of their sons, but on the other hand, they feel a little uncomfortable in their hearts.

On the same day, after returning to the East Palace from Ganlu Hall, Zhao Hongrun invited Du You, the Minister of Rites, to the East Palace.

After hearing the summons, Du You, the Minister of Rites, hurried to the side hall of Changqing Hall.

He knew that although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince usually left state affairs to them in the Chui Gong Palace, every time he summoned them, there must be some big event. Recalling that Zhu Jin, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, had submitted a letter suggesting an alliance with the Chu State two days ago, Du You probably guessed a little bit.

Sure enough, when he arrived at the side hall of Changqing Hall, Zhao Hongrun, who had been waiting in the side hall for a long time, actually told him about the matter: "Master Du, I asked the Ministry of Rites to send an envoy to Chu State. After our army of the Wei Dynasty defeated the Qi army, we tried to seek an audience with Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, to promote the "Wei-Chu alliance"..."

Hearing this, Du You was not surprised. After nodding, he asked: "I accept the order... I have a talented Tang Ju in the Ministry of Rites, who is enough to take on this important task, but I don't know that during this negotiation, I, the great Wei Dynasty, Please tell me what you can promise to the State of Chu, His Highness the Crown Prince."
To be continued...