Chapter 8: Expelling the Quanrong

  To alleviate the urgency of King You of Zhou, Marquis of Shen brought in the Quanrong from outside and thoroughly eliminated the corrupt leadership of King You of Zhou. Unexpectedly, the Quanrong wreaked havoc in the capital city and had no intention of leaving the capital city.

  As one looks around, after this upheaval, the supreme leader King You of Zhou is dead, the treacherous officials Guo Gong and Yin Jiu are also dead, and the loyal minister Zheng Bo is also dead.

  The only hope of settling the troubles in the royal city lies with Marquis Shen.

  The Earl of Shen was weak and his army was small, with no ability to resist the Quanrong. However, when two armies meet, the wise one wins. The Earl of Shen, a master of Taiji, wanted to make the Quanrong retreat, so he had to borrow power to defeat them by introducing external aid. Last time, borrowing the Quanrong's army to defeat King You of Zhou was already a model of borrowing power, unfortunately, it didn't anticipate the final result being uncontrollable. With last time's experience, this time the Earl of Shen borrowed an army and became more mature.

  Marquis Shen sent three secret letters to the three vassal states, requesting a meeting for the three countries to work together to rescue the king. Which three vassal states? The three vassal states were Marquis Jin of the north route, Marquis Wei of the east route, and Duke Qin of the west route. He also sent someone to inform Zheng Bo of the State of Zheng about the heroic sacrifice of Zi Zhuang, asking Crown Prince Jie Tui to join forces together.

  It can be seen from the rescue troops invited by Shenhoulord that practical struggle has indeed made him mature. The several lords came from all directions and could rush to Wangcheng from different positions; in terms of rank, there were members of the Zhou Tianzi's clan, as well as vassal states without a title - Qin. This avoided the occurrence of power struggles after the true expulsion of the Quanrong.

  The first of the princes who received the letter was Zheng Guo's Crown Prince Ku Tu.

  Why? Just because he was eager to avenge his father, he led three hundred chariots and rushed overnight. After arriving, he was impatient and immediately requested to advance the troops. Gongzi Cheng, who followed him, held an opposing view. He believed that the Zheng army had been marching continuously at night and was exhausted, so they should build fortifications to confront the Quan Rong, and wait for the arrival of the allied forces before launching a joint attack. The "Gongzi" in the Zhou Dynasty did not refer to a title of respect for young men, but rather to the sons of the vassals, excluding the heir apparent. Gongzi Cheng was of noble status and spoke reasonably. Unfortunately, Xue Tulu was single-mindedly seeking revenge at this time and would not listen. He believed that avenging his father could only be done by advancing, not retreating, which conformed to the ritual system. Moreover, the Quan Rong were now at the height of their arrogance, so wasn't our army's attack just catching them off guard?

  The young master saw that this person's mind was already muddled by hatred and couldn't listen to advice. Since you're the boss, naturally what you say goes.

  The army of Jitou marched straight to the Wang City, but strangely, there was no movement on top of the city wall. After several shouts and curses, no one responded. Jitou thought this was a trick to lure them into a trap, so he ordered his troops to start attacking the city. Just then, a loud shout came from behind, and it turned out that the Quanrong tribe had launched a surprise attack from the rear. Jitou panicked, and his rear troops became the vanguard to fight against the Quanrong. Before the two armies clashed, the city gate opened wide, and more Quanrong soldiers poured out of the city.

  Buding and Manyasu attacked from both sides, the Zheng army could not withstand it, and they ran away quickly! The enemy soldiers chased for thirty miles before returning to Wangcheng.

  It was only then that he regretted not listening to Gongzi Cheng's plan and asked for his advice. What can be done now?

  Gongzi Cheng said: "This place is close to Puyang. The old Marquis of Wei, Chong'er, has many plans. It would be better to rely on the Marquis of Wei. If Zheng and Wei join forces, they will surely win."

  Two days later, Zheng's army marched and met Wei Hou. This old man was over 80 years old, with white hair but a youthful face, truly having the majesty of a feudal lord. He rushed forward to pay his respects and told him about the defeat of his troops. Wei Hou smiled and said: "I will devote my entire country to helping the king, and the armies of Qin and Jin will also arrive soon, so don't worry that the Dog Rong won't be defeated."

  The two armies marched forward and set up camps twenty miles away from the capital of Jing. Before long, reinforcements from Qin and Jin arrived, and the leaders held a council to discuss battle plans.

  To say that the one with the most experience in fighting against the Quanrong is none other than Qin Bo. Although at this time Qin was only a vassal state of the Great Zhou, not an imperial clan or royal relative, Qin and Quanrong shared borders and frequently went to war. Moreover, the Qin army was brave and skilled in battle, always making the Quanrong wary.

  As expected, Qin Xiang Gong came up with a good idea for this battle. He suggested taking advantage of the army's initial arrival and launching a surprise attack before the Quan Rong were on guard, dividing the troops into three routes to attack the king's city from the east, south, and north, but leaving the west gate open to let the Quan Rong escape. This was not to give them an escape route, but to have Shi Zi Zhu Tu ambush soldiers there and launch a surprise attack from behind.

  When the Marquis of Shen heard that the king's great army had arrived, he was overjoyed and ordered his men to wait for the attack on the city before opening the gate to respond. The Marquis of Shen still didn't feel at ease and came up with another plan. He told the leader of the Rong tribe, "You see, we are surrounded on all sides now. You have come so far and worked so hard, isn't it just for some gold, silver, and treasure? Why not send the gold, pearls, and precious stones back to your country first with the vanguard, Ping Ding, to avoid any losses in case of a battle?"

  Rongzhu was already blinded by the gold at this time, and he didn't expect that the contradiction had transformed, it's no longer a cooperative relationship, but an enemy relationship. Isn't sending treasures just a small general? Rongzhu ordered Boding to escort the gold and silver treasures back to the country, and Man also quickly went out to meet the enemy.

  The Mongol envoy agreed to meet in battle the next day.

  Who would have thought that after the third watch, the Wei army launched a surprise attack on the camp. The lights were extinguished and everything was in chaos, making it impossible to distinguish who was who. The three armies attacked the city together, and the Qiang soldiers were defeated like a mountain collapse, with over 100 people escorting the Qiang leader out of the west gate.

  It's so tiring to run for one's life!

  Just out of the west gate, I heard the sound of killing shaking the sky, and ambushing soldiers were lying in wait here!

  Kuai De Man also quickly killed his way out of the city, saved Rong Zhu, and escaped with his life!

  I reckon these Qiang barbarians will still be secretly cursing on the road, these subjects of Great Zhou are too cunning! They don't keep their word!

  You can't count on it, you're already an invader far away from your hometown in Hagane, and you still expect the invaded side to be benevolent, righteous, courteous, wise and faithful to you? All that can be said is that the canine Rong army invaded for profit, which is not benevolent; refusing to retreat after occupying the city, which is not righteous; engaging in a great war with Zhou, which is not wise! Isn't this just asking for a beating?

  Inside the royal city, a chaotic battle raged for one night and drove away the fierce enemy - Quan Rong. The Marquis of Shen set up a grand banquet to entertain all the kings who came to rescue him. Unexpectedly, one person stood up in opposition: "Everyone, is this the time for us to drink? Our country has been destroyed and our king has perished!"

  It turned out that Wei Wu Gong was opposed.

  Marquis Shen's face didn't look too good at the time. Indeed, Marquis Shen's biggest shortcoming was that he couldn't distinguish between important and trivial matters, often sacrificing greater righteousness for petty gains. However, Duke Wu of Wey's subsequent proposal made him overjoyed. Duke Wu declared in a loud voice, "A country cannot be without a ruler for even one day. The most pressing matter at hand is to welcome the crown prince Yi Xie." Everyone agreed unanimously, drafted a memorial, and decided to send Ju Tu to Shen to escort Crown Prince Yi Xie into the capital to ascend the throne.

  The Crown Prince Yijiu had been in Shen, so he was completely unaware of everything that happened in the royal city, and his mood was extremely anxious. It wasn't until he saw the joint petition from the vassals that he learned King You of Zhou had been killed by the Rong leader. Yijiu couldn't help but burst into loud wailing. This cry was a reluctance to part with the father-son affection of King You, a grievance towards his own and his mother's misfortune, and perhaps also a relaxation after the crisis had passed.

  No matter what, let's set off and go on our own way!

  The vassals and civil and military officials welcomed Yi Xu thirty miles outside the royal city. Crown Prince Yi Xu saw the royal city, which had been damaged by the Quan Rong, and the palace buildings again shed tears. After reporting to Queen Shen, Yi Xu ascended to the throne and became King Ping of Zhou.

  King Ping's first act upon ascending the throne was to reward each of the feudal lords according to their merits.

  First, the Marquis of Shen was promoted to Duke of Shen. The Marquis of Shen repeatedly declined, saying that this was everyone's achievement, how dare he take credit for it? Moreover, having offended the former king, how could he dare to accept rewards?

  King Ping of Zhou restored Shenyi Hou as a marquis.

  Secondly, in response to Duke Mu of Wei's request, he demoted and banished the treacherous officials including Bo Ji's mother and son, Guo Gong, and Yin Qiu.

  Finally, the vassals were divided among the various marquises and earls. The Marquis of Wei was promoted to Duke, the Marquis of Jin was granted additional territory in the interior, and Zheng Bo You was posthumously awarded the title of "Huan". Tu Zhuo was ambushed and killed, and his territory was given to Qin Jun, who was originally only a vassal state. The Queen of Shen was promoted to Empress Dowager.

  King Ping then issued the Announcing Peace to the People proclamation, comforting the people. He reappointed the Marquis of Wei as Minister over the Masses and Zheng Kaofu as a high-ranking official, retaining him at court to assist with governance.

  The politics are basically stable, the people are basically satisfied, and Shēn Hóu and Jìn Hóu prepared to bid farewell one after another. Shēn Hóu should not only have seen Zhèng Bó's boldness and bravery but also mainly considered stabilizing the ruling relationship by marrying his daughter Wǔ Jiāng to him.

  This prolonged storm seems to have passed.

  The only one who did not gain from this turmoil was Quanrong.

  Chapter 11: The Debate on Moving the Capital Host of the debate, Zhou Pingwang: Ever since those barbarians invaded our capital last time and caused trouble, thanks to the efforts of all the vassals, they were forced to retreat without achieving their goal. However, this gang of bandits has been eyeing our strategic locations ever since, and after returning home, they have not been honest and have launched a large-scale attack. By now, half of the land in Qi and Feng has already been occupied by the barbarians. Moreover, after the invasion by the barbarians, countless palaces were burned down, and it's really dilapidated, just like the headquarters of the beggars' gang.

  We have already established our capital in Zhou and also built Luoyi. Now let's discuss whether we should move the capital under these circumstances?

  Zheng Fang represents Taizai: I think the Son of Heaven's words are reasonable. Look at the current palace, it has been burned to ashes, you say if we rebuild it again, won't it be a waste of manpower and resources? The common people have already suffered enough from the previous invasion by the Quanrong. If we were to rebuild the palace and the Xirong invades again, how would we defend ourselves? It's better to move the capital to Luoyi, those are existing buildings, how convenient!

  The opposing representative, Situ Wei Wu Gong: Actually, as a 90-year-old old minister, there are some things I really don't want to say. However, thanks to Your Majesty's appreciation, I occupy the position of the six ministers. If I know but do not speak, it is disloyal to you; and if my opinion differs from everyone else, it is unfriendly. But this old minister would rather offend friends than be disloyal to you.

  (The officials: Alas... Indeed, as people age, they talk more. You might as well speak directly, who can still cover your mouth?)

  Opponent Shu Wei Wu Gong: Let's analyze the situation in both places. Haojing, to the left is Xishan and Hangu Pass, to the right are Long and Shu, as they say, "mountains and rivers intertwined, fertile plains for thousands of miles!" There isn't a better place under heaven! Luoyi, although it's located in the center of the world, but the terrain is too flat. If there's war, it would be vulnerable to attacks from all sides. This is also why the previous kings built two capitals, but established Haojing as the capital. The eastern capital Luoyi was just a temporary residence for the emperor when he went on tours. Now if you abandon Haojing and establish Luoyi as the capital, I'm afraid our great Zhou dynasty will decline from then on!

  Host Zhou Ping Wang: You see what you said, isn't this making the dog barbarians* uninvited? This palace is in ruins, and there are still dog barbarian disturbances, can't live at ease!

  Opposing Minister Situ Wei Wu Gong: To mention the dog Rong, they are jackals and tigers! They should not have been introduced into the royal city in the first place. Now you should be frugal and love the people, practice martial arts to strengthen the country, and follow the example of the previous kings' southern and northern expeditions, capture their Rong masters, and offer them to the seven temples. Only then can we avenge our past shame. If you now retreat one inch, the enemy advances one zhang, at that time it will not only be Qi and Feng in danger! Moreover, during the era of Yao and Shun, the palace was still a thatched cottage, but they did not feel ashamed! A country's prosperity cannot be judged solely by its palaces.

  Zheng Fang said to Taizai: "Elder Sutu, this is a rather conservative view and doesn't take into account the changing circumstances! Wasn't it the previous king who provoked the invasion of the Quanrong? Let's not talk about that now. Although the current emperor has repelled the Quanrong invasion, the national treasury is empty and there's no money to do anything! Moreover, the common people are still afraid of the Quanrong. If they launch a large-scale attack, who can bear the responsibility for the mistake of misleading the country?"

  Fan Wugong said: Since the Marquis of Shen can summon the Quanrong, he must have a way to retreat. It would be better for the Son of Heaven to ask the Marquis of Shen for advice, and he will certainly have a good strategy to bring peace to the country.

  King Zhou Ping: (sweating... wasn't my grandfather forced to make this decision because he was anxious about me?) Marquis Shen submitted a memorial a few days ago, saying that the Quan Rong tribe is launching a general attack on his territory of Shen, probably seeking revenge for last time. He can barely take care of himself now, how can he still care about me?

  It's settled then. Both sides have their pros and cons. The urgent task now is for the country to be stable. It's decided, we'll move the capital to Luoyang!

  Opposing Minister Wu Gong: Since you have made up your mind, we cannot let the common people suffer to the point of having no way to live. This is the responsibility of the Prime Minister, and I, an old minister, will not shirk from it.

  Practical part: Wei Wu Gong posted a notice to inform the people, those who are willing to follow the Holy Carriage to move east, hurry up and pack their luggage, everyone will set off together.

  Zhu Shi, also known as the official in charge of sacrifices and prayers, wrote an article to inform the ancestral temple of the reason for the capital's move.

  At the time of the Eastern Han migration, Da Zongbo reported to the seven ancestral temple gods and boarded a carriage as a vanguard.

  Qin Bo won personally led the army to escort the emperor. The people supported the elderly and carried their children, with countless followers.