Qi is one of the most powerful countries in the world today.

Situated on the coast of the East China Sea, with favorable conditions for fishing and salt, Qi State is blessed with unique conditions.

It was precisely with this innate advantage and the assistance of Guan Zhong, Bao Shuya and others that Duke Huan of Qi more than 300 years ago was able to raise the banner of respecting the king and resisting the barbarians.

"Nine princes unite, and one unites the world."

Under Qi Huangong's diligent governance and Guan Zhong's determined reforms, the Qi State, rich in fish and salt, stood out from the world's princes and became the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Although with the subsequent deaths of Guan Zhong, Duke Huan of Qi and others, the power struggle that broke out in the country caused Qi to lose its hegemonic status;

But to this day, Qi, with its highly developed industry and commerce, is still a very important country in the world.

When talking about the most prosperous place in Qi State, we have to talk about Linzi, the capital of Qi State.

Decades later, Su Qin, a strategist of the Warring States Period, once commented on Linzi's prosperity when he met with the King of Qi:

"There are 70,000 households in Linzi, and I have stolen them. They have three men in each household, 37,210,000, and they are not waiting to be sent to distant counties. However, the number of soldiers in Linzi is already 210,000."

"Linzi is very rich and prosperous, and its people all play the yu, drums and harp, play the harp and build buildings, fight cocks and running dogs, and play six games and play juju."

"Linzi is painted, the hubs of carriages are beating, people's shoulders are rubbing against each other, the folds are joined together to form a curtain, the sleeves are lifted up to form a curtain, the sweat is like rain, the family is prosperous and the people are prosperous, and the ambition is high."

Although these words were spoken by Su Qin to persuade the King of Qi, they are inevitably suspected of being deliberately exaggerated, but from between the lines, we can still get a glimpse of the prosperity of Linzi, the capital of Qi.

In a tavern in Linzi City, bustling with people and pedestrians, Ying Quliang and Zheng Sheng, who had come to Qi from Qin State, were sitting opposite each other behind their desks.

Gently raising a glass of fine wine in front of him, Zheng Sheng invited Ying Quliang: "Master, come..."

But before he could finish his words, the obviously absent-minded look on the opposite side of Ying Quliang made Zheng Sheng stop what he was doing unconsciously.

He gently placed the wine cup in his hand on the tables in front of him, and after staring at Ying Quliang for a while, Zheng Sheng's voice appeared in Ying Quliang's ears.

"Master, is there something on your mind?"

Zheng Sheng's question pulled Ying Quliang across from him out of his thoughts. With a somewhat gloomy expression, he met Zheng Sheng's gaze across from him.

"gentlemen……"

Before Ying Quliang could say what was in his heart, a hint of understanding appeared on Zheng Sheng's face, "If I guessed correctly, what the young master is worried about should be the Qi State sending troops, right?"

"Exactly." A bit of worry flashed in his eyes, and Ying Quliang said to Zheng Sheng: "Although Qi has agreed to send troops with Qin to attack Wei, but..."

Halfway through his words, he recalled the scene of meeting Qi Gong Tian Wu that day, and Ying Quliang showed some hesitation on his face.

After pondering for a moment, Ying Quliang continued: "But for such a long time, not only have I not received any news about the mobilization of the army or the transfer of grain and grass, I have not even seen any signs of sending troops."

"Don't you sense something unusual, sir?"

After the words fell, the expression on Zheng Sheng's face not only did not change at all, but instead showed a natural look.

Seeing the expression on Zheng Sheng's face, Ying Quliang's eyes suddenly showed a bit of solemnity, "Please teach me, sir."

When Zheng Sheng looked at Ying Quliang across from him, his expression immediately changed a bit, and a touch of solemnity slowly appeared between his eyebrows.

However, he did not directly answer Ying Quliang's questions, but asked him a question.

"Young master, do you think our Qin State is stronger or weaker than the Wei State?"

Upon hearing the question raised by Zheng Sheng, Ying Quliang almost didn't think about it, and the answer already appeared in his mind.

Although Qin had a small victory over the three Jin coalition forces in the Battle of the Royal City a year ago, knowledgeable people in the world would not conclude that Wei was weaker than Qin just because of this war.

.

Likewise, Ying Quliang, the son of the Qin State, will not do it either.

Ying Quliang, who was aware of the power gap between the two countries, knew very well that even though the current Qin State had experienced nearly twenty years of reforms by his father-in-law Ying Shixi, it still could not compare with the Wei State that had been strong for decades.

If Qin wants to completely defeat Wei, its current strength is far from enough, and it may need a more profound change.

Putting back the thoughts in his heart, Ying Quliang stared at Zheng Sheng in front of him and said in a deep voice: "Of course Wei is stronger."

"Master, let's look at the relationship between Qi and Wei, which one is stronger and which one is weaker?"

Facing Zheng Sheng's second question, Ying Quliang's thoughts were not as decisive as before.

After pondering for a while and sorting out the contests between the two countries over the past years, Ying Quliang gave a somewhat hesitant answer.

"If it were a competition of national strength, the two might be on par with each other; if it was a competition of combat power, then the Wei army would be obviously stronger than the Qi army."

The moment these words were spoken, Ying Quliang seemed to realize something, and a glimmer of understanding suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"Sir, what you are saying is that the State of Qi is prepared to sit back and watch the war between Qin and Wei, and will not send troops to attack the State of Wei until the outcome is decided between the two sides?" Ying Quliang asked Zheng Sheng with some speculation.

.

"Exactly."

Seeing that Ying Quliang had understood what he meant, the expression on Zheng Sheng's face suddenly became a little solemn.

"Sir, I think that in the eyes of Qi State, Qin and Wei are like two tigers about to fight, and Qi himself is the hunter watching the tiger fight."

"If Qin shows signs of decline in this battle, Wei will be exhausted, and Qi can send troops to give Wei a fatal blow."

"If Qin State has the upper hand in this fight, Qi State will immediately send troops without hesitation, and together with Qin State, we will beat Wei State's defeated wounded tiger."

"All in all, Qi will always be in an invincible position no matter what."

After explaining Qi Guo's plan clearly, Zheng Sheng couldn't help but show a look of admiration on his face.

Today, Qi Gong Tian Wuyuan is only the youngest son of Qi Taigong, and has no chance of inheriting the throne of Qi Kingdom.

But as a young master, Tian Wu was not willing to be subordinate to others, so he killed his brother first and his nephew second, and then he sat on the throne of the king of Qi.

It must be said that this monarch, who would later be called Duke Huan of Qi, was indeed a true hero.

And this plan against Qin and Wei showed the extraordinary means he possessed.

"Using the Qin State as bait to easily catch the big fish of the Wei State, the Marquis of Qi in Linzi City has a really brilliant plan."

After listening to Zheng Sheng's comments, Ying Quliang had different views on the current state of Qi and the current Duke of Qi.

In Ying Quliang's view, Qi Gong Tian Wu only focused on planning and ignored the disadvantage of his own lack of combat power compared with the Wei army.

If Qi and Wei really encounter each other in war in the future, Qi may pay a bloody price for today's negligence.
Chapter completed!