When Duke Zhuang of Lu learned that Duke Huan of Qi had appointed Guan Zhong as prime minister, he regretted not listening to his men's suggestion to kill Guan Zhong. However, there was no medicine for regret in the world.
In 684 B.C., in the spring of the second year after Duke Huan of Qi became king, he said to Guan Zhong,""A new official takes office with three fires. Kick the head three times and establish prestige. Only then will things be easier in the future. I want to send troops to attack the State of Lu and establish prestige among the vassals.”Guan Zhong said," Qi has experienced many years of civil strife. The political situation is still unstable, and the army has not been trained well. We cannot attack Lu now.”
However, Duke Huan of Qi did not listen. He appointed Bao Shuya as a general and led the army to Changshao.
When Duke Zhuang of Lu learned that the Qi army had come to invade, he said with a frown,"The reason why I followed Qi Jun's request to kill my grandson Gongzi Jiu and give Guan Zhong to Qi Jun was because I was afraid that Qi would attack us. He was really afraid of ghosts and lice. In the end, he did not escape the attack of the Qi Kingdom.”He could only brace himself and prepare to fight.
There was a man named Caogui in the Lu Kingdom. He was the descendant of King Wen's sixth son, Cao Shuzhen Duo. He had been reduced to a commoner in Caogui's area. However, Caogui was a man of great ambition. He liked to read and learn. He had a good understanding of the world's affairs and had a set of theories for marching and fighting. He heard that Duke Zhuang of Lu was preparing to fight the Qi army in fear and trepidation, so he wanted to pay a visit to him and help him fight the Qi army. His neighbor laughed and said," This is the concern of the court nobles who eat meat every day. You are a commoner. Why should a person who eats sweet potato flour and steamed buns worry about people who eat big fish and meat?”
Caogui said," Those nobles of the Imperial Court are short-sighted and have no ambitions. They only know how to enjoy themselves. They are useless at the critical moment. Once the Qi army breaks into our country, there will be no intact eggs under the overturned nest. Our citizens will also be killed, our property will be robbed, and our houses will be burned.”
Caogui ignored the mocking and cold gazes of others and entered the court to pay his respects to Duke Zhuang of Lu.
Duke Zhuang of Lu looked at the shabby looking Caogui standing in front of him and asked in surprise,""Who are you? I'm in trouble. Don't give me trouble.”He wanted to chase Caogui out.
Caogui said,"I am here to help the king defeat the Qi army. If the king is willing to use me, he will definitely be able to defeat the Qi army."”
"What ability do you have to help me defeat Qi Jun?”
"May I ask how Your Majesty is going to fight against the Qi army?”
"I never dare to monopolize things like food and clothing. I must share them with the ministers around me.”
"This kind of small favor can't be extended to the common people. The common people won't follow you.”
"I never dare to exaggerate the number of pigs, cattle, sheep, jade, silk, and other sacrifices used in the sacrifice. I will definitely tell the truth to the heavens.”
"It's just a little credit. If you can't gain the trust of the gods, they won't bless you.”
"Even if I can't investigate all the lawsuits, I will make a reasonable judgment based on the facts.”
"These are related to the vital interests of the people and can win the hearts of the people. Only then can I fulfill my duties as a king and fight a war with this. Please allow me to go with you when we fight the Qi army.”
Duke Zhuang of Lu thought about Caogui's words and felt that they made sense. On the day of the battle, he and Caogui would sit in the same chariot and fight against the Qi army in Changshao.
The two armies faced each other. The Qi army beat their drums for the first time. Duke Zhuang of Lu was about to give the order to beat the drums and march. Caogui said,"Wait, not now.”The soldiers of the Qi army saw that the Lu army was silent and wondered,"Hey, what's going on?"”
The Qi army beat the drum for the second time, but the Lu army still did not react. The Qi soldiers thought to themselves, Are the Lu soldiers scared silly by us?”
The Qi army beat the drum for the third time, but the Lu army still did not react. The Qi soldiers relaxed their vigilance and began to mock the Lu soldiers."Look at them, they don't dare to fight. Surrender quickly.”
Caogui saw that the Qi soldiers had let down their guard and quickly said to Duke Zhuang of Lu,""We can beat the drums and march."
Duke Zhuang of Lu immediately ordered the drums to be beaten. The drums of the Lu army were deafening. The soldiers charged at the Qi army like tigers descending from the mountain. The Qi soldiers were caught off guard and were thrown into disarray. One place was in chaos, and the others did not know the truth. Following that, chaos ensued. Instantly, the soldiers were defeated and fled.
Duke Zhuang of Lu was about to give the order to pursue the defeated Qi army. "Wait," said Caogui. He hurriedly got off the chariot and carefully observed the traces left by the wheels of the Qi army. He then boarded the chariot and held onto the crossbars in front of the chariot to look at the formation of the Qi army."We can pursue." So Duke Zhuang of Lu ordered the pursuit of the Qi army. The Lu army pursued for more than 30 miles before returning, capturing countless baggage and armor soldiers.
Duke Zhuang of Lu did not understand the reason for his victory. He asked Caogui,""I defeated the powerful Qi army in a daze. What happened?”。Caogui said,"War depends on morale. The first drumming could boost the morale of the soldiers. The morale of the soldiers began to drop after the second drumming, and the morale of the soldiers was exhausted after the third drumming. Their morale has disappeared and our morale is high, so we defeated them. It is difficult to predict the situation of a big country like Qi. I am afraid that they will pretend to be defeated and lead us into an ambush circle, so I asked the king to stop pursuing. Later on, I saw the tracks of their wheels in a mess. They were completely focused on running for their lives. Seeing their flag fall, I concluded that they had really fled in defeat. There were no ambushes, so I agreed to chase them.”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]