Chapter 71: Wang Meng is very fierce!

  As expected, the scout climbed up to the city gate tower, knelt down at the entrance of the main hall with a look of panic and exclaimed: "Report to Your Excellency, Qiang's Fu Jian is leading an army of 30,000 infantry and cavalry from the west, less than five kilometers away from Jincheng!"

  Gongsun Ce slowly put down his wine cup, turned his head and smiled at Guo Liang: "It seems that this time it's more interesting, as you wished."

  Guo Liang stood up, put on his helmet, shook his head and sighed: "Feng Jin's arrival is just in time. With the addition of 4,000 troops from Xiyue and 3,000 from the eight Western Liang tribes, plus the surrendered Western Liang army, we still don't have half of Feng Jin's forces. This battle will indeed be interesting."

  "No, today our army is at its weakest, but there's no need for Fu Jian to attack the city in the rain!" Gong Sun Ce felt that something was off about this whole thing. He had heard of stealing a city in the rain before, but attacking a city in the rain was rare.

  Chu Mengmeng also frowned and said, "What the lord says is extremely true. Moreover, how can Fu Jian know that our army is weak at this time? Zhuge Shuang's troops have been patrolling outside the city all along, and it's hard for the Qin scouts to infiltrate."

  "Report!" Another scout shouted loudly under the city tower.

  The scout, drenched from head to toe, ran to the front of the main hall and fell to the ground. The scout's face was filled with joy as he shouted loudly: "Reporting to my lord, the Western Qin army has set up camp three kilometers outside the city! Fu Jian, the king of Former Qin, has sent General Wang Meng to come here, and he is on his way!"

  "King Meng?" Gong Sun Ce had some impression of Wang Meng, seemingly a fierce man, a very fierce person!

  "It is indeed Wang Meng, less than a kilometer away from Jincheng, arriving in an ox cart with only a few guards by his side." The scout responded loudly.

  For a low-ranking soldier like him, the war between them and the Former Qin might stop with Wang Meng's arrival. No war means no death. Although he had merged with Zhuge Zhan's battle spirit, it didn't mean he wanted to die in battle. Despite his hatred for the military spirit, not everyone would lose their lives seeking revenge against it.

  "Let's go, we'll meet Wang Meng at the west gate!" Gong Sun Ce said, got up and took his helmet to head out of the main hall, Guo Liang and Chu Mengmeng quickly followed.

  Zhang Chonghua also let out a sigh of relief, seeing Xie Ai still kneeling in the main hall, he gestured for Xie Ai to follow Gong Sun Ce together, but Xie Ai pretended not to see and continued to kneel there.

  Out of the city building, Gong Sun Ce took big strides walking down to the bottom of the building. Li Wei opened an umbrella to shelter Guo Liang from the rain, but Guo Liang handed the umbrella over to Chu Mengmeng to shelter her instead. His elder brother was in the rain, how could he use an umbrella?

  Hua Xiong was very appreciative of this, but Chu Mengmeng just smiled at Guo Liang.

  Outside the gate, Gong Sun Ce was holding an umbrella with Chu Mengmeng, and together with his generals and soldiers, they were standing in the rain, looking at the black shadow that was getting closer and closer from afar through the rain curtain. Next to them, the history department of the big mansion wasn't blowing, and Wang Meng's information was told from head to toe cleanly.

  Wang Meng, courtesy name Jinglue, was a native of Juxian County, Beihai Commandery (now Shouguang, Shandong) in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He later moved to Weijun. He served as the Chancellor and Grand General of the Former Qin Dynasty, and was a renowned statesman and military leader. He assisted Fu Jian in conquering warlords and unifying the north, earning him the reputation as "the greatest hero since Zhuge Liang".

  Two years before his birth, Qingzhou was conquered by the Later Zhao regime established by Shi Le, a Jie general, and 30,000 Eastern Jin soldiers died. By the time Wang Meng was born, the Later Zhao had swept across the Central Plains, marching southward, and faced off against the Eastern Jin across the Huai River. Shi Hu, who succeeded Shi Le as emperor, was a brutal and bloodthirsty ruler who exhausted his troops in endless wars, leaving the people of Later Zhao without peace or livelihood. The young Wang Meng wandered with his family, eventually settling in Wei Commandery.

  Wang Meng's family was extremely poor, and to make a living, he started selling bamboo products at a young age. He wasn't consumed by the flames of war or crushed by the weight of life. Amidst the chaos of war, he observed the changing tides; in the midst of bitter winds and rain, he studied tirelessly, absorbing all kinds of knowledge, especially military science.

  Slowly, Wang Meng grew into a handsome and majestic young man, with a serious and solemn demeanor, deep and resolute, with great ambitions and extraordinary bearing. He was far removed from trivial matters like chicken feathers and garlic skins, and even more so, he would not deign to interact with the dusty and mundane.

  As a result, he was often met with disdain and ridicule from those superficial and arrogant young men. However, Wang Meng remained calm and composed, doing his own thing. He once traveled to the city of Ye in Later Zhao, where none of the high-ranking officials looked down on him, except for Xu Tong, who "saw and admired him". Xu Tong, who was a Chamberlain during the Later Zhao period, invited Wang Meng to be his aide, but Wang Meng declined and hid himself in Mount Hua, waiting quietly for changes in the situation before making a move.

  When Wang Meng was thirty years old, Huan Wen, the governor of Jingzhou in Eastern Jin Dynasty, launched a northern expedition and defeated Fu Jian. He stationed his army at Ba Shang, where the elderly people from Guanzhong welcomed him with cattle and wine, while men and women gathered on both sides of the road to watch.

  Wang Meng heard the news, wearing a hemp short shirt, and rushed to Huan Wen's camp to ask for an audience. Huan Wen asked Wang Meng to discuss his views on the current situation, and Wang Meng, in the midst of a large crowd, scratched lice with one hand while freely discussing major national issues with the other, speaking endlessly as if no one was around.

  Huan Wen saw this scene, and in his heart he secretly thought it strange. He blurted out the question: "I have received the Emperor's order to lead 100,000 elite soldiers on a righteous expedition to punish the rebels and eliminate harm for the people, but not one of the heroes from Guanzhong has come to serve under me - what is the reason for this?"

  Wang Meng replied bluntly, "You have traveled thousands of miles to penetrate deep into enemy territory, and Chang'an City is within arm's reach. However, you do not cross the Wei River to take it down. Everyone cannot fathom your thoughts, so they do not come."

  Huan Wen was a famous warlord of the Eastern Jin, who controlled his own troops and did not want to waste his strength for the sake of the Eastern Jin's conquests. However, he could also tell that this poor scholar in front of him was no ordinary person. After a long while, Huan Wen finally lifted his head and slowly said: "In Jiangdong, there is no one who can match your talent!"

  Huan Wen's army was short of food due to the Former Qin forces' scorched earth policy, and his soldiers were demoralized. He had no choice but to retreat. Before departing, he gave Wang Meng a fine chariot and horse, and appointed him as the Grand Protector, asking him to go south together with him.

  Wang Meng thought that in the Eastern Jin court where the aristocratic clans dominated, he would have little opportunity to achieve anything; following Huan Wen would be equivalent to helping him usurp the Jin throne, which would inevitably tarnish his reputation. So he returned to Mount Hua to ask for his teacher's advice, and his teacher also expressed opposition to going south. Therefore, he continued to live in seclusion and read books.

  Later, Fu Jian saw that his cousin Fu Sheng was cruel by nature and caused instability in the state of Qin, so he wanted to get rid of him.

  Fu Jian was widely learned and had a strong memory from childhood, and he was skilled in both literature and martial arts. He also had the ambition to bring order to the world and unite the whole country under his rule. He understood that "good governance has no size, with getting people as the foundation" and widely recruited talents, networking with heroes, to plan for a big move. When he asked Shangshu Lü Polou for advice on how to get rid of Fu Sheng, Lü strongly recommended Wang Meng. Fu Jian immediately sent Lü Xian to invite Wang Meng to come out of the mountains.

  Fu Jian and Wang Meng met as if they had known each other all their lives, discussing the rise and fall of great events, every sentence hitting the mark. Fu Jian felt like Liu Bei when he met Zhuge Liang, like a fish in water. So, Wang Meng stayed by Fu Jian's side, making plans and strategies for him. In the first year of Ping Yuan, Fu Jian wiped out Fu Sheng and his accomplices, proclaiming himself Emperor of Great Qin, changing the era to Yongxing, and appointing Wang Meng as Imperial Secretary, in charge of military and national secrets.

  Fu Jian trusted Wang Meng very much, letting him take charge of the government and handle all internal and external military affairs. He himself "sat back and relaxed". He once said to Wang Meng with great gratitude: "You work day and night, worrying about everything, I'm like King Wen of Zhou who got Jiang Taigong, can enjoy a carefree life!"

  Wang Meng said: "I didn't expect Your Majesty to evaluate me so highly, I am not worthy of being compared to the ancients."

  Fu Jian said: "In my opinion, Jiang Taigong can't be better than you." He often instructed the crown prince and other royal children to say: "You should respect the king and nobles as if serving me!"

  Wang Meng was very diligent in governance, and overwork led to illness. He finally fell ill in June of the 11th year of Jianyuan. Fu Jian personally prayed for Wang Meng's recovery and sent attendants to pray at famous mountains and rivers. Happily, Wang Meng's condition improved, and Fu Jian was overjoyed. He issued a special pardon for all prisoners whose crimes were not punishable by death.

  Wang Meng ultimately failed to survive the July of that year, and before his death, he told Fu Jian that although the current Qin state was vast, it was internally unstable. The Eastern Jin, though safe in the southeast, was the orthodox dynasty of China. If they could not conquer the Eastern Jin in one move, the Qin state would definitely fall into turmoil and eventually perish.

  Wang Meng died at just fifty years old, what a pity.

  Unfortunately, Fu Jian later forgot Wang Meng's teachings and eight years after Wang Meng's death, in the 19th year of Jianyuan, he mobilized more than 900,000 troops to attack Eastern Jin despite widespread opposition from his ministers. As a result, he was defeated at the Battle of Fei River.

  Wang Meng repeatedly urged Fu Jian to eliminate the upper-level Xianbei and Qiang conspirators, such as Murong Chui, Murong Chong, Yao Chong, etc. Because they were not eliminated, they took advantage of the situation to rebel and establish their own independence, causing the unified territory of Former Qin to be fragmented.

  By the 21st year of Jianyuan, Fu Jian was killed by Yao Chang of the Qiang ethnic group at the age of 48. Nine years later, the Former Qin also perished. The divided situation continued until the 16th year of Yuanjia when the Northern Wei unified the north.

  Wang Meng's dying words were brief, but they all related to the rise and fall of the Former Qin state. His death eight years later completely confirmed his extraordinary foresight. After Fu Jian's defeat at Fei River, he often regretted forgetting Wang Meng's last words, which led to a great mistake, but it was too late to repent, and ultimately became an eternal regret!

  It's just like Cao Cao sighed after the Battle of Red Cliffs, sighing that if Guo Jia were still alive, he would not have let Cao Cao fall into such a predicament.

  After Wang Meng's death, the state of Qin buried him with the highest honors, similar to those given to Han Dynasty's Grand General Ho Guang, and posthumously honored him as "Wu Hou" - just like Shu Han posthumously honored Zhuge Liang as "Zhong Wu Hou". The whole country of Qin mourned for three days without stopping.

  It can be seen that Wang Meng is in no way inferior to Zhuge Liang. Wang Meng's military ability is unknown how much higher than Zhuge Liang. As for why Wang Meng's reputation is not as good as Zhuge Liang, there are only two reasons: First, the Former Qin was defeated too quickly; Second, the ruler Wang Meng assisted, Fu Jian, was a Di person.

  Chu Mengmeng sighed after finishing the story of Wang Meng: "A good bird chooses a tree to perch on, and a virtuous minister chooses a lord to follow. Since ancient times, how many heroes have been wasted due to their lack of discernment in choosing a lord? A bright pearl is thrown into darkness, resulting in great talents being squandered, leaving regrets for eternity! Wang Meng's abilities were fully utilized, all thanks to Fu Jian's ability to recognize talent! Compared to Fan Zeng by Xiang Yu's side and Tian Feng by Yuan Shao's side, who knows how many times more fortunate he was?"

  As for Chu Mengmeng's words, all the generals beside Gongsun Ce nodded in agreement. Finding the lord is like buying stocks, one's own capital is very important, but what kind of stock to buy is even more important!

  "I am not Xiang Yu, nor am I Yuan Shao. Although I have inherited the legacy of Lü Bu, I am not Lü Bu either. I, Sun Ce, admit that my strategic thinking is inferior to Ah Meng's and my military leadership is inferior to Ma Chao's and Gao Shun's. However, I believe I can measure the strengths and weaknesses of all of you, allowing each of you to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses!"

  "So Ah Meng would serve the master, otherwise she would have fled thousands of miles away!" Chu Mengmeng smiled in response, and others also nodded.