The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 219: Qi Wangjian's Strategy for Governing the Country (Two More Updates)
King Qi Jian felt dazed when he heard this, and his mind was filled with a sense of unfamiliarity.

How many years has it been since I heard similar words?
Before becoming king, he learned the history of Qi from one teacher after another.

King Jian of Qi was also very excited and wanted to ask all the princes to come to the East Sea and worship him as the Eastern Emperor.

After succeeding to the throne, he wanted to show his talents, but was repeatedly blocked and scolded by his mother, who controlled the government.

In the first few years, King Jian of Qi resented his mother.

He complained that he, the King of Qi, didn't act like a King of Qi at all, but was just a puppet.

Starting from the sixth year, as one grows older, one matures mentally.

King Qi Jian gradually realized that his mother's decision was correct, and slowly he stopped hating her.

After giving up his ambitions, King Jian of Qi discovered that there was nothing wrong with letting his mother take control of the power.

You don't have to do any government affairs, just eat, drink and have fun every day.

He changed his mindset and no longer thought about taking back power.

Just like when I was a child, I would willingly hide behind my mother and play happily.

The Queen Mother controlled government for fifteen years and only gave up power when she passed away last year.

King Jian of Qi had been the King of Qi for fifteen years, but it was only last year that he truly felt like a king.

But it doesn't feel good.

The endless meetings with ministers, the endless memorials to review, and the endless decisions to make all made King Jian of Qi feel annoyed.

King Jian of Qi, who had enjoyed the benefits of King of Qi for fifteen years, was suddenly burdened with the responsibilities of King of Qi and felt under tremendous pressure.

King Jian of Qi considered himself a man of strong will.

No matter how hard this king's job is, he will never tell others.

He smiled and thought about the history he had learned in his youth:
"As the Zhou Dynasty declined, the princes rose up.

"On this grand stage in the Central Plains, you perform and I take the stage, each leading the trend for decades.

"Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Mu of Qin, Duke Xiang of Song, King Zhuang of Chu... when they were alive, their prestige was higher than that of the Zhou emperor.

"Now, where are they?
"Hegemons often exist, but they do not last forever. Sooner or later, there will be newcomers who will take over.

"In that case, what is there to fight about?

"It is unwise to prepare for war and fight in the battlefield just to briefly possess a land that has not changed for thousands of years.

“I won’t do this useless work.

"In this life, I only hope to keep the name of Qi and the foundation of my ancestors intact. That is enough."

Ying Chengjiao's face was as calm as water, but his heart was surging like the East China Sea.

King Qi Jian's words sounded very reasonable, like a god (qi, second tone) who was looking down from a high position and saw the truth of the world.

But the gods possess the power to destroy the world. In an instant, they can turn everything in the mortal world into nothingness, causing the world to fall into chaos and start over again.

King Qi, do you have the ability to do this?

The young man clapped his hands, cheered with admiration, and praised the King of Qi for his thought-provoking and truthful words.

Qi Wangjian was overjoyed, but his face was reserved:
"It was just a casual remark. You are overpraising me."

The boy seemed to suddenly think of something, his expression turned sad, and he asked with a worried look:
"The King of Qi did not want to start a war or invade other countries. He was a virtuous king who could be praised along with Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang a hundred years later.

“But the King of Qi is benevolent and righteous, but the princes of other countries are not like that.

"Like Wei and Chu, they are now attacking Qi. What should Qi do at this time?"

King Jian of Qi looked at Ying Zi meaningfully. He said nothing, but his eyes were full of words - that's why I need Qin as an ally.

Ying Chengjiao felt like he had become a mercenary, facing a wealthy man named Sha.

But the world situation is different.

Rabbits won't invade, but Qin will.

At this moment, the young man wanted to figure out what was going on in King Qi Jian's mind.

All the other nations were terrified of Qin, so why did King Jian of Qi feel so confident in Qin, a country known as a tiger and wolf?
The young man smiled bitterly and said in a seemingly very frank manner:
“Although I was born in Qin, I am the son of the King of Qin.

"But I will not protect the Qin State or the King of Qin because of this." I don't like the title of Qin State as a country of tigers and wolves, and I don't like the title of Qin King as a king of tigers and wolves even more.

“But I have to admit that this is all true.

“It can help the people of Qi and prevent unjust wars.

"Even if the King of Qi does not make any demands, I will definitely promote an alliance between Qi and Qin.

"The reason why I didn't do that is that when I first entered the palace, I proposed that Qi should unite with other countries to resist Qin.

"It's because the kings of Qin don't care about morality and justice, they only care about profit.

“Isn’t the King of Qi afraid that the Qin army will drive out the states of Chu and Wei and stay in Qi?

"Ally with Qin to defeat Chu and Wei.

"Chu and Wei have retreated, but Qin has not. May I ask the King of Qi what to do?"

King Jian of Qi looked at Ying Chengjiao with a look that said "How could Yingzi ask such a childish question?" This look reminded Ying Chengjiao of all the English teachers who had taught him.

Stroking his beard, King Jian of Qi kindly advised:
"Yingzi, your learning should be pragmatic.

"You can't just talk about reason without considering the reality."

Ying Chengjiao's mouth twitched. He didn't know where Qi Wangjian got the confidence to teach him. He asked sincerely:
"Please give me some advice, King Qi."

King Jian of Qi waved his hands, his face showing satisfaction, and said modestly:
“I can’t say I’m giving you any advice, I’m just telling you some things that Yingzi doesn’t know.

"What Yingzi is worried about does not exist.

"Qin and Qi had formed an alliance as early as the time of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. At that time, there was a special term for it - Lianheng.

"The reason why there is the term lianheng is because Qin is located in the extreme west of the Central Plains, and Qi is located in the extreme east of the Central Plains.

“The alliance between the two countries is like drawing a long horizontal line in the Central Plains.

"With such a thousand-mile long horizontal line, it is impossible for Qin to invade our country and seize cities and territory.

"Take the recovered Liaocheng as an example.

“Liaocheng is located on the border between Yan and Qi.

"The State of Yan occupied Liaocheng and expanded its territory, so Liaocheng was connected to the mainland of Yan.

"If Qin occupies Liaocheng, there will be no Qin territory on all sides, and Liaocheng will become a Qin enclave.

“It is a long-proven fact that enclaves cannot be defended.

"Back then, Le Yi led the coalition forces of five countries to attack us, and Qin was among them.

"All the states gained something. Qin gained our city Tao, but now Tao belongs to Wei.

"Qin will attack Chu, Zhao, Han, and Wei, but it will never attack me."

Ying Chengjiao said "Cai" loudly for the second time and nodded repeatedly:

“Teach yourself, kid.

“The King of Qi’s knowledge far exceeds that of this boy.

"If the King of Qi is not the King of Qi, I will ask the King of Qi to be the chief priest of Jixia Academy."

King Jian of Qi obtained a promise of alliance with the State of Qin from Prince Cheng Jiao of Qin, and praised the knowledge of Ying Zi, the chief academic officer of the Jixia Academy.

It was a double blessing, and he was so overjoyed that he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

In order to deal with Qi in the future, Ying Chengjiao asked again:
"I have another question, kid.

“I have seen with my own eyes what happened to Liaocheng after the war. A large border city turned into a dead city.

“I also know that Chu and Wei are still occupying the cities of Qi.

"Qin can help Qi resist invasions from other countries, but it cannot help Qi recover its lost territory and population.

"Every time we go through a war, Qi becomes weaker.

"How will the King of Qi protect Qi in the long run?"

(End of this chapter)