Chapter 52: Lian Po Gets Angry

  "Haha!" Lian Po's hearty laughter, like thunder, shook people's eardrums. He said: "When hitting someone, don't hit their face; when scolding someone, don't expose their shortcomings! This Qin Yiren only hits Su Dai's face and exposes Su Qin's shortcomings! What a poisonous tongue!"

  Huang Shi nodded slightly and said, "Su Qin learned the art of horizontal and vertical alliances from Guiguzi, and after completing his studies, he chose to enter the state of Qin to serve as an official. His father prepared a grand carriage and horses, and a large group of attendants, and they entered Qin with great fanfare, seeking an audience with King Huiwen of Qin. However, Su Qin had just come down from the mountains and was not yet clear about the overall situation in the world. He hastily proposed that Qin launch a major campaign to conquer the eastern regions and contend for hegemony over the world. Unbeknownst to him, although Qin had undergone reforms under Shang Yang, its foundations were still unstable, and its national strength was not yet sufficient to engage in a large-scale war with the eastern regions. It should have focused on recovering and rebuilding, accumulating national strength, as its priority. King Huiwen of Qin thought that Su Qin was all talk and no action, and did not employ him."

  Su Qin is famous for his "Vertical Alliance" strategy, which has been renowned for thousands of years and admired by people for centuries. The so-called Vertical Alliance refers to the six states in Shandong uniting together to deal with the Qin state. Su Qin carried out this strategy and wore the seals of the six states' prime ministers, making him a sworn enemy of the Qin state. Little did he know that after coming down from the mountain, his first choice was actually the Qin state, where he wanted to enter and show benevolence.

  After a long time in the State of Qin, he had spent all his money and finally had to sell his carriages and horses, which were still not enough for his expenses. When Su Qin returned to Luoyang, he was almost like a beggar, so hungry that his belly was stuck to his back. He asked his sister-in-law to cook for him, but she pretended not to hear him. He asked his wife to do it, but she pretended to be weaving at her loom and ignored him, letting Su Qin experience the coldness of human relationships.

  Su Qin was in deep thought, bitterly studying the "Yin Fu", and finally grasped the overall situation of the world. He then re-emerged, carrying the "Vertical Alliance" to persuade the six states, ultimately succeeding, becoming the Chancellor of the Six States, with power that shook the world.

  When Su Qin returned to Luoyang with great fanfare, his sister-in-law treated him with extreme respect. Su Qin was puzzled and asked her why she had changed from being haughty to respectful towards him. His straightforward sister-in-law replied that it was because he now had a lot of money.

  "Sui's face doesn't look good!" Lian Po laughed and said.

  Su Dai's face is not just ugly, it has become distorted and inhuman.

  He scolded Qin Yiren to the point where he was worthless, while Qin Yiren countered that Su Qin wanted to serve in Qin, which was no different from a loud slap in the face. In front of so many people, his resentment was not trivial, and he was about to explode with anger, but there was nothing he could do.

  "Come here!" Huang Shi called out, and the maid floated over, curtsying and saying: "Does sir have any instructions?"

  "Be brief." Huang Shi's order was very concise.

  The maid responded with a "yes" and floated away lightly.

  "Huang Shi, what are you trying to do?" Lian Po asked in puzzlement.

  "This Qin Yiren has a poisonous tongue, I'll give him a question and see how he solves it." Huang Shi smiled in response.

  The maid turned around, presented the pen and ink, and Huang Shi took up his brush to write on the bamboo slips. Lian Po stretched out his neck to take a look, looked surprised for a moment, and said: "Brother Huang Shi, why are you using my affairs?"

  "General Lian Po's affair has shaken the world, what harm is there in using it?" Huang Shi handed the bamboo slips to the maid and said: "Offer a reward of one hundred pieces of gold."

  The maid responded with a "yes" and floated out.

  "Huff! Huff!" Su Dai's chest heaved violently, like waves, as he panted heavily, his eyes shooting out rays of hatred. If looks could kill, Qin Yiren would have been killed a thousand times over.

  He was a famous figure in the world, with a sharp tongue that could talk his way through anything. But never had he been so thoroughly rebuked by someone like Qin Yi, who had wiped the floor with him right to his face. That he hadn't died from rage on the spot already spoke to his considerable tolerance.

  "Come here, you running dog!" Just then, Qin Yi Ren beckoned to Su Dai with a wave of his hand, looking like he was calling over a stray dog.

  "You..." Su Dai's hand pointed at Qin Yiren, unable to say another word.

  Qin Yiren's mouth curled up with a sly smile, his right hand raised high and gently stroked, extremely gentle, the crowd of scholars were bewildered.

  "Ugh!" A mouthful of blood spurted out, Su's body swayed back and forth, on the verge of collapse, scaring his guards into rushing to support him.

  Others did not understand the meaning of Qin Yiren's action, but he understood it very well. Qin Yiren was treating him like a Hachiko dog and petting him. He was a famous scholar in the world, and being insulted by Qin Yiren like this, could he bear it? Could he not be so angry that he vomited blood?

  Qin Yiren is the kind of person who will retaliate if he has a grudge. Su Dai can do it once, and he can do it fifteen times. Since he wants to take revenge, he must trample Su Dai under his feet, humiliate him severely, and make him never forget.

  "Tigers and wolves of Qin, you are so slow and lazy! Alright, alright!" Su Dazi finally caught his breath and bellowed loudly.

  "You also deserve to be called a scholar? With such a famous scholar, it's really the sky is not open-eyed." Qin Yiren sneered and laughed: "One meal can make you act as a running dog, such a famous scholar is not worth much money at all." Qin Yiren glanced at Lü Buwei with a slanted eye, raised his head, extremely provocative.

  Su Dai was caught out and exposed in public because he had eaten Lv Buwei's food and drink, and he was left speechless with a bright red face.

  Qin Yi Ren made up his mind to strike back and avenge himself. Just then, a green-clad maid arrived and said in a crisp tone: "A reward of one hundred pieces of gold."

  "What's a hundred pieces of gold?" The scholars' eyes lit up, and they no longer paid attention to the quarrel between Qin Yi and Su Dai.

  A hundred pieces of gold is not a small sum, this is a very heavy reward. In the Warring States period, debating was in vogue, and any decent inn or tavern would set up a debate platform where scholars could go to engage in debates at any time. If they encountered a wealthy patron, they would offer a reward and propose a topic for the scholars to debate.

  "What topic?" Whenever there is a prize for debating, there must be a corresponding proposition.

  "The Great Victory of Changping: The Gains and Losses of General Lian Po." A soft, gentle voice echoed.

  "Good! Adopted!" This is currently the most popular topic of debate, and the scholars applauded loudly.

  The green-clad maid retreated with a flutter, and the debate began at once.

  "The Qin state is a sharp soldier, unmatched in the world, like a tiger and wolf. Even Zhao's strong forces cannot withstand its edge. General Lian Po is mature and steady, taking a defensive stance to consume the strength of Qin. This is indeed the best strategy! At this moment, some scholars praised Lian Po's plan: 'Once the power of Qin is greatly consumed, while the sharp spirit of the Zhao army still exists, the momentum is still there, one battle will defeat the Qin army.' Alas! The King of Zhao did not use Lian Po, but instead used Zhao Kuo who only knew how to talk about military strategy on paper, brewing this ancient tragedy! What a pity! What a pity!"

  "General Lian Po's name shook the world, and he was good at planning for war and defense. His plan for the Battle of Changping was divided into two parts. One was to have the Zhao army consume the Qin force, waiting for the right moment to mature. The second was for the state of Zhao to unite with the six states of the eastern mountains, forming an alliance to resist the Qin army together. As long as the Qin army's strength was weak, the alliance would rise up, and the six-state coalition forces would emerge together, and Qin would definitely be defeated." Moreover, many scholars greatly praised General Lian Po's plan.

  After the outbreak of the Changping War, Lian Po's strategy was to use the Zhao army to hold off the Qin army and not engage in a decisive battle with them, thus depleting the Qin army's strength. Then, Zhao would form an alliance with the other five states and jointly attack the Qin army, which would surely be defeated.

  Since Su Qin proposed the strategy of "Vertical Alliance", it has been like a ghost, the most powerful cornerstone to block Qin's eastward advance, and from time to time, it will revive from the ashes, causing great trouble for Qin.

  It is said that many scholars in Shandong believed in the Hegemony of Qi, and eight or nine out of ten Confucian scholars supported it. They highly praised Lian Po's plan.

  Gentlemen, you say one word and I say another. Most of what we say are old clichés with little new ideas, and everyone praises Lian Po in the same way.

  "Sir, quickly engage in battle, outdo them and let them see the splendor of our great Qin warriors." Meng Zhao's eyes shone brightly as he urged Qin Yiren.

  Even if he doesn't say it, Qin Yiren will have to participate in the debate, and the reward of 100 gold is a heavy prize. If he wins this reward, he will inevitably attract attention. This is an opportunity to boost his reputation, and Qin Yiren will not miss it.

  "In my opinion, Lian Po's removal from military power is his good fortune. If he were still in command, it would be difficult to avoid the disaster of total defeat." Qin Yiren said loudly.

  "Bang!" Lian Po held his wine cup, perked up his ears to listen to the Shi Zi's discussion of war, and was extremely pleased with their flattery. However, just then Qin Yi Ren opened his crow mouth not only to refuse praise but also to belittle him, causing his face to change color, and he heavily slammed down the wine cup in his hand, about to rush out and reason with Qin Yi Ren.

  "General Lian Po, calm down and don't be impatient." Huang Shi hastily stopped him.

  "Qin Yiren, how dare you belittle General Lian Po!" The scholars' voices rose in a chorus of rebuke.

  "In the hundred years of the Warring States period, there has never been a plan as inferior as Lian Po's." Qin Yiren's derogation was even more unbearable.

  "Tigers and wolves of Qin, you have deceived people too much!" Lian Po's anger burst forth, his whiskers stood on end, his face twisted, one foot kicked open the door of the elegant room, and he stormed out in a rage.

  "Qin Yiren, how will you deal with this?" Huang Shi raised his bronze wine cup, a smile on his face.