Chapter 187: Reserved Magnanimity

  "Does Brother Zhang mean to give up Ba and Shu?"

  If there is such an action, the Shu side will inevitably be wary of Qin and almost abandon the attack on Shu.

  Zhang Yi nodded, "Not bad, Qin's dominance is aimed at the Central Plains. If we can annex all the other states, why worry about Ba and Shu?"

  Song Chu slowly drank a few mouthfuls of water and did not hastily continue the conversation.

  Zhang Yi saw this and asked, "Does Huai Jin disagree?"

  "Brother Zhang, you and I have different schools of thought, our ways of doing things are naturally vastly different, but our goals are the same, both for the unification of the world. What do you think, Brother Zhang?" Song Chu put down his tea cup and looked at Zhang Yi.

  "That's right." This is also one of the reasons why Zhang Yi temporarily did not put Song Chu as a competitor.

  "Nowadays, the seven powerful states have different strengths, but overall the gap is not large. Can Qin state with its current national strength defeat six other states? Song Shi paused for a moment and said, 'Brother Zhang's words are right, using the emperor to command the vassals is indeed a good strategy for claiming kingship and hegemony. However, I wish to hear about the long-term strategy for maintaining hegemony.'"

  The meaning of Song Zhongyi is that the destruction of Han and entering Zhou to claim kingship and plot hegemony has a certain feasibility. Qin also has this ability, but what about after becoming hegemon? Qin will become a thorn in the eyes of the various states of Shandong. If they unite to oppose Qin, who will win or lose?

  "I travel far and wide, relying on just one mouth. A single word can make a country prosperous or destroy it." said Zhang Yi.

  "Haha" Song Chu slapped his thigh and laughed, "Your demeanor is truly admirable."

  Scholars have the bones of scholars, strategists must have the proud bones of strategists, it is this proud bone that supports their majestic and powerful spirit.

  "This is a gamble, what are the chances of winning?" Song Chu smiled slightly and said, "I'm afraid I lack this kind of boldness, I always think three steps ahead."

  "I'd like to hear more about it." Zhang Yi was confident in his own abilities and would never go overboard, despite the fervor in his eyes, but his heart remained forever calm.

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, one said, "Using the Son of Heaven to order the vassals. Does brother not know that nowadays this Zhou Son of Heaven is already a mere figurehead? Using the Son of Heaven can rarely achieve substantial benefits. The next step after claiming kingship is to plot for hegemony. The six states in eastern China have always regarded Qin as a barbarian and an alien. If Qin does not have the power to overwhelm the six states, it will be unstable in the future."

  Zhang Yi fell into deep thought. Song Shi paused for a moment before continuing, "The Son of Heaven is right there; whenever he wants to take control, he'll find an excuse to provoke the Han and Qin into war. I think the most pressing matter at hand is to strengthen our national power. And the fastest way to do that is to conquer these three wealthy states: Ba, Shu, and Yu. Moreover, Shu has a waterway that leads directly to Chu; plotting against Chu can be done in no time."

  The state of Chu has always been a giant, even though its national strength is not as great as it was in the past. It is still one of the largest countries among the vassal states. If we can really swallow Ba and Shu and destroy the state of Chu, then our plan to conquer the world will be just around the corner.

  Zhang Yi suddenly swung open his large sleeves and gave Song Chu a deep bow, "Huan Jin's words awakened the dreamer, I thank you."

  Song Chu Yi Zheng Shen Huan Li.

  Zhang Yi snorted, "You don't have any grandeur, think about what you just said, isn't Huan Jin mocking me?"

  Song Chu Yi's grandeur is introverted. Unaware of sharpness, yet shocking people.

  "I found out you not only hold grudges but also like to dig up old debts." Song Chuyi said with disdain.

  "Haha, no old grudges, only old favors and old debts!" Zhang Yi burst out laughing.

  One word can reveal human relationships in the world. Affection will gradually become a thing of the past, but all hatred that can be remembered has no distinction between old and new.

  "Come, let's substitute tea for wine, and offer congratulations to Brother Zhang." Song Chu raised his teacup.

  Zhang Yi smiled in agreement. "Congratulations"

  Korea's current offense is not necessarily a good thing for Zhang Yi. Gong Sun Yan won the battle against Wei State and achieved great merit, Qin Gong regarded him as a treasure, if Zhang Yi could retreat Korea without bloodshed, he would have the condition to compete with Gong Sun Yan.

  Zhang Yi congratulated Song Shiji for the same reason. If he destroys Ba and Shu, it will be an achievement that will last for generations. For Qin, Song Shiji is one of the people who laid the foundation stone, no different from Shang Yang.

  As for this, Zhang Yi was not jealous. Since Song Chu'er voluntarily became the cornerstone, he would have to step on these cornerstones and become the one who achieved success. However, it is also possible that he was just another cornerstone, and in the future, someone would borrow the ladder he built to achieve success.

  A capable and confident person will never put their mind on suppressing others. Zhang Yi is such a person.

  As for the future direction of Qin State, after reaching a consensus between the two, they had someone go and invite General Sima Cuo to discuss and hand over the progress of the Bashu affair.

  At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, in name only, he was separated from the Qin State, so he couldn't often meet with Sima Cu to discuss matters. Therefore, everything was done by him on his own initiative, and when encountering major changes, he would consult with Song Chu Yi.

  Although Sima Zuo was a military general, his strategic planning ability was not weak and he had great foresight. Wei Yan ordered him to assist Jiang Wei, mainly because he feared arousing suspicion in Shu.

  The next day, Zhang Yi set out with the horse team from Bashu and took Jin Ge away.

  Bai Jing couldn't bear it for half a month and lost control of his emotions. Every night, Song Chuyi would dream of slapping him unconscious with one palm.

  By mid-May, Shu was already quite hot.

  The King of Shu finally returned from his outing, and he was somewhat unenthusiastic about the several beauties. Zhu Li Ji then presented him with a letter and told him an interesting story about Qin State.

  The letter roughly says: I heard that Qin Gong has recently obtained a treasure, which is a large stone cow. This cow is a divine object and can turn anything it swallows into gold. I know that Your Majesty is still angry with me for hiding my identity, but at the time it was unavoidable. In order to beg for Your Majesty's forgiveness, if you are interested in this treasure, I will find a way to persuade Qin Gong to present it to you.

  Sincere tone, humble attitude, and even the awkwardness of King Shu's jealousy towards him for being handsome, was all because he had concealed his identity at first.

  The King of Shu was delighted after hearing this. The land of Ba and Shu deeply believed in the divine, so when the King of Shu heard about a cow that could defecate gold, he was extremely curious and wanted to see it for himself. He immediately sent someone to respond, saying that if Qin Gong really had such a cow to offer him, he would put aside their past grievances.

  Two months later, Chu Liuxiang indeed surrendered to Qin Gong.

  And for these two months the King of Shu had not been idle either, and he ordered a thorough investigation into the truth or falsehood of this matter. As a result, it was found that there really was such an ox in the state of Qin. The King of Shu then happily accepted it.

  In less than half a month, the prince had someone return to Wang City. He had already sent people to Qin Guo to take a look and indeed there was a cow that could defecate gold, but the cow was enormous, if they wanted to transport it in, the plank road would have to be widened by another zhang to be safe.

  The King of Shu thought it over and felt that widening the path by one zhang wouldn't make much difference. In case the Qin army came to attack, dismantling it wouldn't be too troublesome either. So he didn't bother discussing it with his officials, and also wanted the crown prince to gain some experience, so he let him handle it himself.

  Taking advantage of this period, Song Chuyi traveled extensively and when she arrived at Jiameng Pass, the Crown Prince of Shu heard that Daoist nun Song Huaiyin was there, so he made time to meet her amidst his busy schedule.

  Looking at the plump young man sitting in the main seat, Song Chuyi lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea, thinking to himself: Little fatty, I didn't plan on bothering you anyway. Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, you should make some contribution at least.

  (If you like this work, welcome to (.), your support is my greatest motivation.)

  .RT