The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 72: Naive Li Mu and Greedy Guo Kai
Li Mu took a deep breath through his broad nose, a habit he developed over many years in the border counties.

The wind and sand are so strong in Yanmen, Daidi that sometimes you have to cover your mouth and nose with a cloth and breathe hard.

He was a little moved.

It has been six years since he was ordered to garrison Dai and Yanmen to defend against the Huns.

In these six years, he has only done three things.

First, train soldiers.

Second, the collected goods and taxes were kept in the garrison office to cover the daily expenses of the soldiers. Several cattle were slaughtered every day to reward the officers and soldiers and treat them well.

Third, intensify the practice of horseback archery, increase the number of reconnaissance personnel, and focus on strengthening vigilance.

He never had any conflict with the Huns.

In order to prevent his men from going into battle without authorization, he issued a military order:
[If the Xiongnu invade, rush in to protect them. Anyone who dares to capture them will be executed.]

This means that if the Huns invade the border to plunder, they should immediately enter the camp and defend it. Anyone who dares to fight without authorization or capture prisoners will be beheaded.

During these six years, the Huns invaded many times, and most of them were discovered by scouts.

Every time, Zhao State closed the city gates in advance.

The Huns cursed outside the city gate for a long time, but no one responded.

The Huns, who were not good at attacking strongholds, could only retreat cursing before the Zhao army gathered in the face of the tall and solid city walls.

It continued like this for six years.

Li Mu's reputation and prestige in the border counties became increasingly low, and reached the bottom before he was recalled.

The Huns looked down on him and said he was a coward.

The Zhao army also looked down on him, saying that they would never get ahead if they followed him, and that dying in battle outside was better than being scolded and dying in a cowardly way in a turtle shell.

[Since the King of Zhao does not recognize my ability, why don’t I go to Qin?]
Once this thought came to my mind, I could no longer suppress it.

Li Mu turned around and saw that there was no one around. He lowered his head and said softly and anxiously:

"Is what the father said true?"

Li Chong pretended to be angry and said:

"How can that be false? Can I bully a junior like you?"

Li Mu suppressed his joy and left happily.

Li Chong plucked a piece of black straw from the dirty straw mat and held it in his mouth without feeling disgusted.

Cross your right leg over your left leg and lift your legs.

He swung his right leg lightly, casually, and hummed a leisurely Qin tune.

On the other side, Li Mu returned home and immediately went to the study to find his father Li Ji, and said impatiently:

"Father, I have met my father."

Li Ji is two years younger than Li Chong, but he looks almost the same age as his son Li Mu.

He had thick, black hair, was wearing a moon-white robe, and was holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand.

He sat on the couch, leaning against the wall, reading attentively, and occasionally drawing circles and dots with a brush.

His eyes were still fixed on the bamboo slips, but he was responding to his son.

"Well, I didn't say anything I shouldn't have said."

"No." Li Mu snatched the bamboo slips from his father's hand with his flexible left hand, unable to hide his joy any longer, and said, "My father wants me to go to Qin with him. Father, let's get ready to go now!"

"Qin?" Li Ji raised his eyebrows, his expression was obviously serious, and he sat up with his hands on the bed: "What did you say? Repeat it to me word by word!"

Li Mu was infected by his father's attitude, and his restless heart calmed down a little. He recalled what he said to his father in prison.

The two of them didn't talk much, and Li Mu had a good memory, so he actually repeated it word for word.

But the more Li Ji listened to these few short sentences, the paler his face became.

After his son finished speaking, Li Ji, who did not look old, picked up the bamboo slips, covered his face with them, and said weakly:

"Son, you haven't even said what you're saying yet, you've already said what you're saying."

Li Mu's mind was full of question marks.

"Father, we didn't talk about state affairs at all..." Li Ji's voice came from under the bamboo slips, as if he couldn't bear to see his son.

“When your father asks you why you don’t bring wine and meat, you say you will bring some to him tomorrow.

"Doesn't this clearly show that he will be fine tomorrow? If he is executed tomorrow, you will be the devil!
“Your father said that you had lost power and wanted to take you back to Qin, and you, an idiot, asked if it was true.

"First, you admitted that you had lost your power. Second, you told your father that you, a man who had lost his power, could still bring him wine and meat.

"This clearly tells your father that the detention is just a show..."

Li Mu suddenly realized, gritted his teeth, and said angrily:
"My father said he would not deceive me! But he turned out to be so cunning! He said he recruited me to Qin just to gather intelligence!"

Li Ji took the bamboo slips and his face returned to normal color.

"Asking you to go to Qin is not necessarily a lie.

"But he is recruiting you in the name of a prince of Qin, which shows that he is not sincere. If Qin really values ​​you, he would have come here on the king's orders.

"Well, just accept it.

“If it really comes to the last resort, this is also a way out.

“It’s better to give a heads up than to say nothing.

"Now, you should give up the idea of ​​going to Qin for the time being, and just stay in Zhao State.

"A big family like ours has always branched out and blossomed, so whichever side wins is a win.

"Don't blame your father for being cunning. This is the way to be an official. It's your fault for not learning and only reading military books."

In Dai and Yanmen, Li Mu, who held all the power, was unhappy because he was scolded by his father at home.

"Father, let's go out and get some fresh air." He said in a muffled voice.

Walked out of the study.

Li Ji picked up the bamboo slips again and stared at the words on them, but his mind was no longer there.

When he heard Li Mu's footsteps gradually fading, he sighed helplessly.

"What a fool...

"Have you ever thought about why your father, knowing your character, would ask you to deliver food to Li Chong?"

He turned his head and looked at the west wall where a landscape painting was hung, which was the direction of the Tingwei Prison.

"Li Chong, you must remember this favor, right? If my son is defeated in the future, will you spare his life?"

Hundreds of Qin envoys were sent to Zhao.

Li Chong was the chief envoy, and there was another deputy envoy.

The Chief Justice of Qin State was Zhao Di.

While the chief envoy was detained, the deputy envoy was not idle either.

Zhao Di found Guo Kai, the favorite minister of King Dan of Zhao.

Boxes of jewels were placed in front of Guo Kai. The dazzling array of jewels made Guo Kai dizzy and he wished he could throw himself into them.

Zhao Di half-bent his waist, with a very humble attitude and a smiling face.

"When I was in Qin, I heard that it was actually Lord Guo who was in charge of Zhao State, and the King of Zhao would listen to whatever Lord Guo said."

Guo Kai smiled in a reserved manner and waved his hand:

"Not everyone will listen. Most, most..."

He seemed to point to the five boxes of jewels on the ground unintentionally, and then said unintentionally:

"Are these all for the king? Are you bringing them to me so that I can deliver them to him on your behalf?"

Zhao Di looked around and gave Guo Kai a look that said "There are too many people here, it's not convenient to talk".

Guo Kai immediately understood, coughed twice lightly, and ordered the stewards and servants in the mansion to leave. He was no longer afraid that Zhao Di would assassinate him.

Until he and Zhao Di were the only ones left in the room.

Zhao Di walked up to Guo Kai like a thief and said in a low voice:
"These are for adults, just a deposit. After the matter is completed, there will be a generous reward!"

(End of this chapter)