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Just a moment later, Hui Ang took Meng Zhong to the palace in a hurry and invited him to see Wang Yan of Song again.

At that time, Song Wangyan had just arrived at the schoolyard in the palace from the main hall, preparing to summon several swordsmen to appreciate the swordsmen's sword skills. Suddenly, when Hui'an came to ask for a meeting, he felt a little strange. After all, Hui'an was pestering him all afternoon that day and discussing domestic government affairs with him. Song Wangyan finally sent away this loyal but too rigorous Aichen away.

It has to be said that in the eyes of many subjects, Song Wangyan had a irritable personality and was therefore respected by many subjects. However, there were also ministers in the court who were not afraid of him, such as Hui Ang, and Xue Juzhou, a teacher who taught the Prince Dai Wu's studies.

To some extent, Song Wangyan still felt a headache for these ministers who were unafraid of death.

Especially Hui Ang, although this gentle and elegant person is usually a man, he will never give in even if Song Wangyan holds a sword on his neck. Several times, Song Wangyan almost couldn't get out of the way. After all, he just wanted Hui Ang to surrender, and he didn't really want to kill this loyal and conscientious minister. He killed Hui Ang. Who would handle the heavy government affairs of the country for him?

Because of this reason, sometimes even if Song Wangyan was secretly hated by Hui Ang, and even hated him, he would not be willing to kill such an excellent minister, which led to the "tyrant" like Song Wangyan. Sometimes he had to be a little careful in front of Hui Ang, so as not to use any major principles to persuade him, which made him upset.

Therefore, when he saw Hui'an strode towards him, Song Wangyan couldn't help but explain first: "Hui'an, I have been dealing with government affairs for a day. At this time, I went to the school to watch the swordsmen compete in martial arts to relieve my boredom. This is nothing, right?"

“Hmm?”

Hui Ang, who had just walked to Song Wangyan, was stunned for a moment, turned around and looked at the swordsmen standing not far away.

If it were on weekdays, he would definitely persuade Song Wangyan. For example, asking swordsmen to compete with each other is not only a waste of talents but also national strength. Instead of letting these swordsmen with superb swordsman be injured or even died in boring battles, it would be better to let them play their strength in the army. But at this moment, Hui Ann was not in the mood to persuade Song Wangyan. He took a few steps forward and said in a low voice: "King, my brother Meng Zhong fled back from Zhao State, saying that Zhao State has undergone a huge change. Zhao Prince Zhao Zhang and Tian Buluo failed to raise an army to seize power, which caused Zhao King Yong to die on his way to escape..."

"What?!"

When Song Wangyan heard this, his expression changed drastically. He only noticed that Meng Zhong, who had been away for more than a year, was following Hui'an at this moment.

"Go to the main hall!"

After learning about such bad news, Song Wangyan had no intention of appreciating the swordsmen's swordsmanship. He immediately brought Hui Ang and Meng Zhong to the main hall in the palace, and ordered the guards outside the hall not to allow anyone to enter for the time being.

Immediately, Song Wangyan turned to ask Meng Zhong and said, "Meng Zhong, what's going on? As far as I know, Zhao Zhang and Tian Bulu should have the upper hand, so how could they fail?"

It is not difficult to guess from his words that Song is not ignorant of what happened in Zhao State. I believe that Song State has also sent many spies to Zhao State to pay attention to the throne between Zhao Prince Zhao Zhang and Zhao King He.

"At first, Prince Zhang did have the upper hand, and even led his army to attack Handan for one time. However, because of the defeat of the army's Sima Niu Jian, Zhao Zhang failed and was defeated in Handan."

As he said that, Meng Zhong told Song Wangyan and Hui'an all the way through the transformation of the Sand Dune Palace, and only heard the king and his ministers frowning frequently.

Finally, when she heard that Master Zhao died in Lingqiu, Song Wangyan could not hide his shock and asked Meng Zhong in disbelief: "Seriously? Is Zhao Yong really dead?"

Meng Zhong nodded and said, "It's true that when Master Zhao passed away, he was next to him..."

When Song Wangyan heard this, he opened his mouth and then fell into a long silence.

And beside him, Hui'an didn't know what to say.

You should know that Zhao Zhufu and Gongzi Zhang are two major supporters of the "Zhao Song Alliance". Among them, Zhao Zhufu and Song Wangyan have known each other for 30 years and have shared common interests. Gongzi Zhang has always received support from Song Guo behind the scenes and the married woman is also the daughter of Song Wangyan, so she always has a good impression of Song Guo.

But unexpectedly, in a coup, Zhao's father and Prince Zhang both died.

"Ignorance! It's simply ignorant!"

After a long time, Song Wangyan suddenly cursed: "I actually hid behind the scenes and asked my son to come forward to raise an army to seize power. Is this the Zhao Yong I recognized back then?!"

After saying that, Song Wangyan turned around suddenly and asked Meng Zhong sternly, saying, "Why didn't you persuade Zhao Yong to come forward in person at that time? If Zhao Yong came forward in person at that time, I think he would have taken Handan long ago!"

Meng Zhong was not disgusted with the anger of Song Wangyan at this time, but he was not afraid. Hearing this, he said lonely: "I have persuaded you, but Master Zhao cherishes his reputation and does not want to lose the reputation of "taking the position of son" and refuses to obey the persuasion..."

Hearing this, Song Wangyan stared at Meng Zhong with a gloomy face. Seeing that Meng Zhong looked calm and did not dodge at all, he knew that what Meng Zhong said was not false. He couldn't help but sigh, shook his head and murmured "ignorant" and "ignorant".

He gently patted Meng Zhong's shoulder, as if expressing his apology for the harsh questioning Meng Zhong just now. Then, Wang Yan of Song sighed and said, "This is really unexpected. When I first met Zhao Yong, Zhao Yong was not as old as the one in the past, but he had the heart of a hero. Even when facing the threats of Qin, Wei, Yan, Chu and Qi, he was not afraid. He went to our Song State to meet me in person, saying that he would unite Song Han to resist the strategies of all countries, and his words were turbulent and bold... Ha, I never thought that in just thirty years, the heroic ruler of that year became a person who was greedy for fame...."

When saying this, Song Wangyan's face showed a strong look of pain and regret.

Meng Zhong may not know it, but Song Wang Yan and Zhao Wang Yong really have confidants who have been in love for 30 years. After all, among the monarchs of the Central Plains, Song Wang Yan and Zhao Wang Yong have the most similar personalities. Both advocate force and have the ambition to make the country stronger.

More importantly, because of the limitations of national strength, Wang Yan of Song clearly realized that Song State had no ability to compete with Qin and Qi for at least a hundred years in a short period of time. Therefore, he decided to follow the former "Jin and Song Alliance" and help Zhao State dominate the Central Plains.

After Zhao ruled over the Central Plains, Zhao would also report that even if the King of Zhao was not willing in the future, under the threat of Qin and Qi, Zhao could only support and strengthen their allies, Song, and compete with Qin and Qi.

Yes, in the conception of King Yan of Song and King Yong of Zhao, the Zhao-Song Alliance should have been a hundred-year alliance. Just like the Jin-Song Alliance back then, from the early stage of the dominance of Jin to the end of the gradual decline of Jin, for more than a hundred years, the Song State was always the unswerving ally of Jin.

During that period, the State of Song helped Jin to fight against Chu again and again, and Jin also gave Song a reward one after another. For example, the case of Song annexation of Cao without the acquiescence and secret support of Jin, how could the other Central Plains countries sit on the sidelines watch Song annex Cao and occupy a city like Taoyi, which is still one of the most prosperous cities in the world today?

Therefore, the Zhao-Song Alliance concluded by following the example of the alliance between the Jin and Song dynasties was a solid alliance that was beneficial to both the State of Zhao and Song dynasties, and it can be regarded as the most solid and reliable alliance in the world today.

It’s a pity that when the father of Zhao and his son Zhang die, no one in Zhao will hold this covenant firmly again.

What impact will this matter have on Zhao State? Let's not talk about it for now, but it is very unfavorable for Song State. After all, without Zhao State helping, Song State will face the threat from Qi State alone. Although Song State is actually not weak, it is inevitable that it will be a bit difficult to fight against a country like Qi State alone.

At this time, Hui Ang frowned and said, "King, as my brother said, Zhao He, the new king of Zhao State, is still young. I am worried that Zhao State's national affairs will be controlled by Anping Lord Zhao Cheng and Fengyang Lord Li Dui. These two have always been kind to Qi State, and may affect the relationship between Zhao, Qi and Song State..."

“Um…”

Song Wangyan nodded slightly with a calm face, and then ordered the guards outside the hall to say, "Come on, ask the revenge to come to the hall to discuss matters!"

The Qiu Xiang he mentioned was Qiu He, the sent-in minister sent by Zhao Lord’s father.

About a moment later, Qiu He, who heard the summoned, came to the hall. When he saw that Hui Ang's righteous brother Meng Zhongshi was standing in the hall, besides Song Wangyan and Hui Ang, Qiu He was also quite surprised.

Because Meng Zhong was speechless in front of Song Wangyan, Qiu He dared not underestimate Meng Zhong, a young man who was not yet in a weak position.

"Huh? Isn't this the brother Meng of Doctor Hui's brother? I heard that the little brother went to Zhao State and was valued by Zhao's father and did a 'big thing'. How could he suddenly return to China?"

Maybe he didn't notice the atmosphere in the hall. Qiu He, who had just walked into the hall, greeted Meng Zhong with a smile. Until he saw Meng Zhong reluctantly smile at him, he felt something was wrong.

At this time, Song Wangyan did not hide anything, pointed at Meng Zhong and said to Qiu He: "Meng Zhong fled back to the country this time, just because Prince Zhang failed to raise an army, which caused King Zhao to be killed on the way to escape... Meng Zhong, please explain."

Seeing this, Meng Zhong briefly explained to Qiu He, and only heard it made Qiu He look shocked, even more excited than Song Wangyan and Hui'an.

It's no wonder. After all, unlike Fei Yi, who had served in Zhao State during the reign of the Marquis of Zhao and held important positions, such as Qiu He and Lou Yan, who were not from Central Plains, they were all ministers promoted by Zhao's father himself. Zhao's father had the kindness of knowing them. Therefore, when he learned that Zhao's father was dead on the way to escape, Qiu He was inevitably excited and stared at Meng Zhong and asked, "Who, who dares to harm Zhao's father?"

Meng Zhong hesitated for a moment, but in the end, for some reason, he still did not say that King He of Zhao: "It was Anping Jun Zhao Cheng and Fengyang Jun Li Dui."

“…”

Qiu He opened his mouth, clenched his fists and turned his face red.

At this time, Meng Zhong could finally see a bit of the cruel look of the Huns from Song Xiang, who was very similar to that of the Central Plains, as if he wanted to kill directly to Zhao State and dismantle Zhao Cheng and Li Dui.

"Qiu Xiang calms his anger for the time being."

Hui Ann, who was next to him, reminded him: "The most urgent task is to come up with a countermeasure." Speaking of this, he looked at Wang Yan of Song, saw the latter nodding slightly, and said to Qiu He: "In my opinion, the great changes in Zhao State have become a foregone conclusion, and the King of Zhao and Zhao Zhang, the son of Zhao, have both died. My Song State has no position to intervene in Zhao State again, so he can only try to maintain the current relationship with Zhao State... Therefore, I suggest that the king send envoys to Zhao State to congratulate Zhao State on quelling the rebellion, and by the way, see if there is still a turning point in this matter."

The turning point he mentioned actually refers to the attitude of Anping Jun Zhao Cheng, Fengyang Jun Li Dui and others to look at Song State. As long as these two powerful ministers are still willing to maintain the alliance between Zhao State and Song State, then, although Song State lost the father of Zhao and the most stable alliance relationship, at least Zhao and Song State can still have an ordinary alliance. Although this kind of alliance is like the alliance between most countries in the world today, it may be torn apart at any time, but it is better than not.

After hearing Hui'an's words, Qiu He suddenly heard the implicit sound. He looked up and asked Hui'an: "Doctor Hui means that I hope to go to Zhao State to explore Zhao State's tone?"

Before Hui'an could speak, he heard Song Wangyan say, "I asked Li Shi to go with you. You two find a way to meet the new king of Zhao and state his interests. In addition, you should try to win over relationships with Zhao Cheng and Li Dui. If Zhao Cheng and Li Dui take the opportunity to make any requests, as long as those requests are not excessive, you can agree... Qiu He, it is most appropriate for you to be responsible for this matter. What do you think?"

Qiu He remained silent.

I have to say that Qiu He has always been very clear about his status in the Song State.

Although he was a noble prime minister in Song State, after all, he was a sent-in minister sent by Zhao Zhufu. In order to communicate the connection between Zhao and Song countries and reconcile the disputes between the two countries, but now that Zhao Zhufu died, the relationship between Zhao and Song countries is in danger. Then, he lost his original value in Song State, and he is completely different from Hui Ang.

If Qiu He wanted to preserve the position of Song Xiang, he had to go to Zhao State as Song Wangyan's orders and find ways to consolidate the Zhao and Song alliance. Otherwise, if he lost his value, he would be destined to lose his status and power in Song State.

To put it bluntly, this is something he cannot refuse.

"I... do my best."

After bowing, Qiu He took on the errand with a sad face, and then left the hall with a little distracted heart.

Shortly after Qiu He left, Song Wangyan briefly talked with Hui Ang about the "new allies". After all, if the alliance between Zhao and Song cannot be kept, then Song must find another allies and join forces to fight against Qi.

In fact, in addition to Zhao, Song was also an ally with Qin. But the problem is that Qin was too far away from the Central Plains. Qin and Song were separated by the Three Jins. Before, when Zhao's father was still there, Zhao could serve as a bridge to the Qin and Song countries, but now Zhao's father is no longer there. If Zhao turns to Qi and cut off the relationship between Qin and Song countries, then to be honest, Qin, an ally, can't help Song at most, can only help Song by putting pressure on the Three Jins, and cannot directly send troops to help Song to fight against Qi, because the Three Jins cannot allow Qin to set foot in the Central Plains.

Therefore, if the Song State was destined to lose the Zhao State, the ally, they must find another country among the Wei, Han and Chu State that is willing to join forces to fight against Qi State.

I have to say that this matter is very difficult.

First of all, let’s talk about the reason why Wei and Han countries tied up Wei and Han countries was because with the rise of Zhao, Wei and Han countries were threatened by Qin in the west and Zhao in the north, and had to unite. Therefore, in many cases, Wei and Han countries advanced and retreated together to avoid being defeated by one by one.

The alliance between Wei and Han is dominated by Wei. As a veteran power among the Three Jins, Wei's strength has actually been surpassed by Zhao. However, as the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. In today's world, the fourth place is definitely Wei, not Chu.

But the trouble is that the relationship between Wei and Qi has always been broken, and it is always a matter of time. When Zhang Yi was still alive, Wei had no choice but to surrender to Qin. However, Zhang Yi had passed away long ago. Wei once again concluded an alliance with Qi. Although this alliance was not actually very solid, it was at least an alliance. To be honest, it was not that easy for Song to convince Wei to unite against Qi.

There is nothing to say about Han, so he can only join forces with Wei to resist Qin, Zhao, and Qi. Its relationship with Wei is coexisted and will perish. If Wei refuses to form an alliance with Song, Han will never ignore Wei's attitude and form an alliance with Song.

After talking about Wei and Han, the state of Chu, which borders Song and Qi, is actually the country that can directly help Song. But the problem is that since King Huai of Chu was deceived by Zhang Yi and cut off the alliance with Qi with "six miles", the fate of Chu has plummeted. First, he was defeated by Qin in the war of revenge on Qin, and nearly 100,000 troops were killed in battle. Then he was attacked by Qin, and Wei and Han also took the opportunity to attack Chu, resulting in frequent defeats and lands. In the end, even King Huai of Chu, who went to Qin to beg for peace, died in Qin because he was detained by Qin.

Now the King of Chu, Xiong Heng, is the son of King Huai of Chu. It is said that he was a foolish and debauchery. The Qin State was obviously aggressive and repeatedly captured the city of Chu. However, the King of Chu Xiong Heng was not enterprising and mingled with wine and beauty every day, and did not listen to the advice of the wise ministers of the country, "Qu Yuan" and others.

At this time, the Chu State would not mention that the Chu State had a difficult national hatred with Qin State because of the incident of "King Huai of Chu died in Qin State", which made many people in Chu grit their teeth when they mentioned Qin State. Therefore, it was difficult for Song State to place Qin State and Chu State in the same camp. Even if it was possible, the Chu State at this time was unable to help Song State to fight against Qi State.

This is precisely because after eliminating the three most powerful countries of Qin, Qi and Zhao, Wei ranked fourth rather than Chu, Chu was weak and powerful, and it was no longer the Chu State that once dominated the Central Plains.

As for why Yan State, located in the northeast of the Central Plains, was not within the considerations of Song Wang Yan and Hui Ang, the reason is very simple, because Yan State is too weak, let alone Qi State, even if Song State has the ability to surrender, such a weak country cannot help Song State at all.

Otherwise, Yan State would be a good target for alliance. After all, the King of Yan hated Qi State very much and believed that it would help Song State to fight against Song State.

Therefore, after counting, if Song was destined to lose the ally of Zhao this time, then Song had to seek the help of Wei and make an alliance with Wei, otherwise Song would have to fight against Qi alone.

After a few simple discussions, Hui Ang took Meng Zhong to bid farewell to Wang Yan of Song. After all, the current situation is still unclear. Although it is necessary to prepare for the future, the State of Song must first see the reactions of all parties.

That night, Hui'an held a banquet in the mansion, entertained Meng Zhong, Le Yi, Meng Hu and his group, and arranged them to live in his mansion.

In the evening, Hui Ang found Meng Zhong alone and asked Meng Zhong what he planned next, whether to return to his hometown Mengyi first or stay in Pengcheng for a few days.

Meng Zhong thought about it and decided to live in Pengcheng for a few days because he had a bad premonition.

After going back to the house to discuss with a group of friends, Meng Zhong decided to let Meng Sui, Wu Ying, Hua Hu, Mu Wu, Le Jin and others return to Mengyi first. On the one hand, they report safety to their family and teacher Zhuangzi. On the other hand, they also hope that they will wait for Mengwu, Le Xu, Xiang Liao and others will be on their way to escape. Because Le Xu, Xiang Liao was infected with the cold wind, Meng Zhong asked his clan uncle Mengwu to take care of them. Maybe they are on their way back to Mengyi, Song State.
To be continued...