544, Take Action

There were very few ministers who could influence the King of Zhao, and the only one who knew the princesses in the palace so well was Julu Marquis Zhao Mu. In addition, the news she had heard was that Zhao Mu had indeed advised the King of Zhao to make her the crown prince of Wei in order to appease Wei and gain a temporary respite on the border of Zhao.

There was a border incident between Zhao and Yan. Han was having difficulty protecting itself, and Qi was recuperating. After Yue Yi destroyed Qi last time, Qi had not recovered in just a few decades and was unable to go west. Chu was also half-crippled. After the Battle of Yan and Ying, under the attack of Bai Qi, the Lord of Wu'an, Chu lost its old capital Yingdu, and the entire Jianghan Plain fell into the hands of Qin. Chu had already moved its capital to Chen Ying at this time.

Among the seven powers of the Warring States Period, Qi, Chu, and Han were unable to influence the border affairs between Zhao and Yan, and only Wei had this ability. Xinling Jun stole the seal to save Zhao, which made the other countries deeply jealous.

"Princess Qian." Bai Gui cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and has already made up his mind. My father is just a humble minister, how can he affect Your Majesty's plan. Princess Qian's words in front of me are fine, but if she speaks in front of Your Majesty, it will be a crime." "This..." Zhao Qian was suddenly speechless. She didn't expect Bai Gui to be so eloquent. After this sentence came out, if she still blamed Bai Gui and Julu Marquis Zhao Mu, it would be questioning her father's decision. Don't look at her being favored by King Zhao on weekdays, but it involves the major affairs of the two countries and the prestige of King Zhao. Her father will not let her off easily. "After Li Gongzi fell into the water, this mouth has the ability of Zhang Yi and Su Qin, and it is used on me, a woman and child." After suffering a small loss, Zhao Qian did not dare to show weakness and sneered. Zhang Yi and Su Qin are both famous people in the world. If it is compared with these two humans on weekdays, it is praise. But the two of them were so verbal that they shocked the nations and frightened the princes... Compared to this, Bai Gui's verbal abuse of her seemed much more despicable.

Bai Gui did not answer, took a sip of the filtered turbid wine, and looked outside the palace.

As time passed, the guests took their seats.

The table near King Zhao was mostly filled with princes, ministers, and nobles. And in the back seats were the families of some ministers. The customs of the pre-Qin period were open, so there were many young women entering the venue, and they looked quite pleasing to the eye.

After a while, Lian Jin appeared in a warrior costume.

Lian Jin was handsome and had a good reputation among the nations. As soon as he appeared, he attracted the eyes of the guests. Especially some noble ladies, they frequently looked at Lian Jin.

"Chief Wu..."

Zhao Mu, the Marquis of Julu, who was sitting at the top seat, suddenly spoke up, "If you don't mind, Master Hongying, I have another good seat here. Please come and sit here."

"Chief Wu is magnanimous, so you shouldn't mind this."

He smiled.

Master Hongying Lian Jin is a guest of the Wu Mansion. Logically, he should sit in the row of the Wu Mansion. At this moment, Zhao Mu, the Marquis of Julu, said this in order to let Lian Jin join his army.

"If Lian Jin is willing, how can I disagree?"

Wu Shiluo was angry in his heart, but his face was very calm. He smiled and said, "The Marquis has the intention to attract guests from all over the world. Lian Jin is the leader of Wei. In time, the Marquis will be the next Pingyuan Jun of my Zhao State. The Marquis should be added to the list of the four great princes."

The four great princes of the Warring States Period were Mengchang Jun of Qi, Xinling Jun of Wei, Pingyuan Jun of Zhao, and Chunshen Jun of Chu. Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng was the son of King Wuling of Zhao. A few years ago, Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng passed away.

Today, only the four princes Xinling Jun and Chunshen Jun are still alive.

Julu Marquis Zhao Mu wanted to snatch Wu Shiluo's guests to suppress the prestige of the Wu family. Wu Shiluo was not to be outdone, and said that Zhao Mu was ambitious.

Lian Jin gritted his teeth and secretly cursed Julu Marquis Zhao Mu for being unkind and righteous. Zhao Mu suddenly attacked and asked him to make a choice. If he betrayed his master, his reputation would be ruined. But if he didn't betray his master, he would fall into Zhao Mu's hands.

If he turned to someone else in the future... .

Who would want a traitor!

"Thank you for your appreciation, Lord Marquis, how could Lian Jin not obey your order."

Lian Jin bowed and joined the group of Zhao Mu.

His only choice was to join Julu Marquis Zhao Mu, and it was impossible not to obey his order. Originally, his plan was to wait and see between Wu Shiluo and Julu Marquis Zhao Mu, and then to join them openly after the general situation was settled. But now he thought about it carefully and understood.

He was just a swordsman, how could he be qualified to sit on the fence?

As Lian Jin chose his camp, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became much quieter, and you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was watching how Wu Shiluo would handle the matter.

Lian Jin's joining might seem like a trivial matter, but if Wu Shiluo couldn't get his place back from Julu Marquis Zhao Mu. Then it meant that the Wu Mansion was going to decline...

Lian Jin... was a signal from Julu Marquis Zhao Mu, or even the King of Zhao.

Although it was not a well-known fact that Wu Shi was flattering Qin, the officials in the court had definitely heard of this news.

"Lian Jin, you must win tonight, otherwise..."

Wu Shiluo sneered.

At this moment, the ceremonial bell rang, and everyone took their seats, waiting for the King of Zhao to enter the hall.

"The King of Yan overestimated his own strength and took advantage of the weakness of Zhao after the Battle of Changping to attack Zhao. Although Zhao is not as good as Qin, it is not comparable to the small Yan..."

After the King of Zhao sat down, he first said "All the nobles, please stand up", and then said: "The old and weak soldiers of Zhao can still defeat Yan. It can be seen that Yan's soldiers can be defeated, seize Yan's land, regroup, and compete with Qin again..."

"My dear nobles, help Zhao to destroy Yan!"

He raised the wine cup and shouted.

All the ministers of Zhao State cheered together and drank happily.

The Yan State stole the chicken but failed to lose the rice. On the contrary, it proved the weakness of the Yan State. This is a great time for Zhao. Even if there is a battle in Changping, all the elites of Zhao country will be lost. However, the martial arts of Zhao State is so majestic that no other country can compare with it except Qin State.

"The success of the first battle against Yan was due to the contribution of all the ministers. However, without the Wu clan chief to provide war horses and food for our Zhao country, the Zhao army would probably not be able to survive. Without Mr. Guo's weapons and shipping, I, the warrior of Zhao, can hardly attack the enemy..."

King Zhao stood up and encouraged Wushi Luo and Guo Zong.

In the pre-Qin period, because all the countries were aligned, wealthy businessmen appeared frequently. Those far away include Fan Li and Bai Gui, while those nearby include Lu Buwei, Widow Qing and others. Wushiluo and Guo Zong were wealthy businessmen in Zhao.

The worries in Wu Shiluo's heart gradually disappeared and a smile appeared.

As King Zhao commended the ministers by name one by one, the atmosphere of the banquet became increasingly lively.

"What a powerful scheming..."

Bai Gui was secretly shocked.

King Zhao Xiaocheng and Zhao Dan were not considered wise men in the Warring States Period, but they all had such scheming intentions. First, Juluhou Zhao Mu made trouble with the Jin Dynasty, and then King Zhao appeased Wushi Luo's heart. As a result, Wu Shiluo was firmly in the hands of King Zhao.

Wu Shiluo is not a simple person. To be able to make such a fortune, he must be a sophisticated person.

Shao Qing, after King Zhao finished commending the ministers, he summoned Lian Jin and Xiang Shaolong to the front of the palace, "Lian Jin, your swordsmanship is famous in other countries, and Xiang Shaolong, you are not bad either. With the power of one person, you can retreat wisely." Eight hundred horse thieves. Both of you are outstanding among men. Today I invite you two to the palace to compete with each other in order to promote the martial spirit of my father..."

King Zhao Wuling abdicated the throne to King Zhao Huiwen, claiming to be his father.

Lord father means the father of the monarch.

"The swordsmanship of the two of you must be hard to find in the world. I and I can't wait to be listed as my beloved. However, we need to know that soldiers are dangerous. You two have to point it out, and remember not to hurt anyone. The winner, I will call him the imperial swordsman. , you can lead the troops to conquer the Yan Kingdom with Lord Xinping.”

Zhao Dan smiled and said.

Lord Xinping is the title of Lian Po.

"I obey your orders."

Lian Jin and Xiang Shaolong took the order.

But at this moment, Julu Hou Zhao Mu stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."

"Julu Hou, please tell me?"

King Zhao was startled.

"It will be difficult for the two of them to show their swordsmanship until they reach the point. Furthermore, the king appointed the victor as the imperial swordsman and asked them to lead the troops on the battlefield. However, arrows on the battlefield have no eyes, so how can they pay attention to etiquette?"

"Now is a time of great strife. Song Xianggong's behavior has passed."

Zhao Mu, the Julu Hou, came forward and admonished him.

In the battle of Hongshui, Xianggong of the Song Dynasty, he followed the righteous war of the Spring and Autumn Period and attacked without crossing the water halfway, but failed miserably. This was also a turning point when the Spring and Autumn Rites collapsed.

"What Julu Hou said makes sense."

King Zhao nodded.

"If two people were injured or killed, it would be unsightly to turn the celebration into a funeral."

Mrs. Ya stood up and persuaded.

Mrs. Ya is the sister of Zhao Dan and the wife of Zhao Kuo, the son of Ma Fujun.

"Sister Wang, I have my own sense of propriety."

King Zhao frowned and waved his hand for Zhao Ya to step back. After Zhao Ya sat down again, he said: "Juluhou has won the hearts of many people. If our Zhao country doesn't have a brave heart, I can't avenge the shame of Changping."

"You two, let's fight to the death."

He made the final decision.

Immediately afterwards, he threw the wine glass to the ground, "The way of war is also the way of life and death. You two, decide the winner, whoever is my swordsman."

Lian Jin and Xiang Shaolong nodded in agreement.

The two competed in the palace.

One holds a golden sword and is a famous swordsman in various countries. The other one was taught the Mohist swordsmanship by Yuan Zong of the Mohist family, and also has the strong body of a modern person.

Clang clang clang clang.

The two started to fight dozens of moves, evenly matched, and there was no winner.

"Your Majesty, I have another suggestion."

Zhao Mu, the Marquis of Julu, smiled and said, "Lian Jin and Xiang Shaolong are both young and handsome men, and they are not married. If the two of them win, I will boldly ask the king to grant a marriage to the winner to show our Zhao Kingdom's heart to accept talents... …”

After saying that, he stared at Wu Tingfang, Wu Shiluo's granddaughter.

Wu Tingfang…. One is that she is the most beautiful lady present, and the other is that this is another good opportunity to attack Wu Shiluo.

On the other side, there are the princes and princesses in the palace.

"You father..."

Zhao Qian glanced sideways at Bai Gui and hummed twice.

She did not continue for fear of offending Zhao Mu, King Zhao's favorite. But the implication is obvious, it's disgusting to be so lewd.

"Princess Qian's words are wrong..."

Bai Gui also felt helpless. Zhao Mu is only in his thirties now, not in his seventies or eighties. Furthermore, Zhao Mu was a lucky minister, not ministers such as Lian Po and Li Mu who were promoted through military merit. Such domineering behavior is really to be expected.

But Zhao Qian humiliated Zhao Mu like this, and he couldn't turn a blind eye.

Zhao Mu was humiliated, but he didn't care much. But if he allowed it to continue, it would not only ruin Zhao Mu's reputation, but also his reputation.

"My father was devoted to serving the country, but he saw that Chief Wu didn't get along with him, so he tolerated each other as a good thing..."

Bai Gui confused right and wrong.

When Zhao Ya heard this, she was stunned for a moment. Her beautiful eyes stared at Bai Gui seriously, as if she couldn't believe it. She had previously ridiculed Bai Gui for being just a talker, but now it seems that Bai Gui is really as talented as Su Qin and Zhang Yi.

The battle continues on the field.

King Zhao also agreed to the proposal of Julu Hou Zhao Mu and thought it was a good proposal. Lian Jin is from the Wei Kingdom, and Xiang Shaolong's identity is unknown, but he is probably from another country. If he grants a marriage to the winner, it will indeed show Zhao Guo's willingness to accept talents...

Suddenly, Xiang Shaolong deliberately sold a flaw, causing Lian Jin to accidentally miss. His heavy wooden sword accelerated suddenly, each sword was faster than the other. As he stepped forward, Lian Jin's exquisite swordsmanship could not withstand the power of Xiang Shaolong's heavy sword.

Lian Jin stumbled backwards, his mouth cracked, and he was about to be stabbed by Xiang Shaolong and die.

Everyone present was surprised, stood up quickly, and stared at this scene.

However, at the moment when Xiang Shaolong was about to stab Lian Jin in the chest, a black scabbard collided with the ridge of Xiang Shaolong's heavy wooden sword, causing his sword edge to miss.

With the help of this blow, Lian Jin quickly retreated and avoided death.

"Who is it?"

Xiang Shaolong was angry and asked.

He and Lian Jin have a bloody feud.

Seeing revenge right at the moment, someone stopped him.

The guests present in the palace also looked shocked. This is a sword competition in the palace ordered by the king himself. Who has the courage to intervene in it?

"Your Majesty, it's me."

Bai Gui stood up. He wore a high crown on his head and a deep red robe with a curved train. He walked slowly into the front of the palace, turned around and bowed his hands to King Zhao, "Lian Jin was my master. Seeing that my master is about to die, Zhao Li was impatient, so he intervened and asked my king to punish him. "

Lian Jin cannot die, at least not now.

Lian Jin is Juluhou's minion. If Lian Jin dies, Julu Hou Zhao Mu will be looked down upon. This is detrimental to his future plans.

He may have already guessed the chance of becoming a golden immortal.

He Shibi….

Heshibi has a mysterious power.

Lian Jin once presented He's Bi from the Wu Mansion to Zhao Mu, the Marquis of Julu, as a token of trust. And this Heshi Bi was naturally seen by Bai Gui. He Shibi has an energy that can travel through time and space.

However, if you want to make use of this Heshi Bi, it is inseparable from the human destiny of this world.

Besides, he is Zhao Mu's son, so how can he side with Xiang Shaolong. People who can't recognize their own butt will definitely not end well.

"It's Li'er, you..."

When King Zhao saw that it was Bai Gui, his face that was about to become angry softened. He nodded, "What you said makes sense. Lian Jin taught you swordsmanship. You are eager to save your teacher. It is unusual for you to do this."

If it were someone else who stopped the fight between the two, he would definitely punish him. But Bai Gui is the son of Zhao Mu, and he has always regarded him as his nephew. Furthermore, what Bai Gui said is justified.

"Your Majesty, our army is exhausted and can no longer continue."

"I am willing to fight on behalf of my teacher."

Bai Gui cupped his hands again.

"Master Li, Xiang Shaolong has already won, there is no need to fight again."

Wu Shiluo frowned.

He didn't want anything to go wrong, and it was only right to preserve the fruits of victory.

"I'm not good at swordsmanship. If I fail to win with three moves, it will be considered Xiang Shaolong's victory. What does Chief Wu think?"

Bai Gui smiled and backed down a step.

"But a life and death battle?"

Wu Shiluo narrowed his eyes and asked.

If I can kill Zhao Mu's son, I will agree. As for Zhao Li's tragic death, it was not his fault, it was Zhao Li's fault. At most, the blame can be shifted to Xiang Shaolong.

.