The snowstorm did not subside until the next morning, and when Qi Xianggong came out of the tent, he saw that the place was white as far as the eye could see. The snow in the barracks was knee-deep, many tents were scraped away, some thin and weak people were blown away, and many miscellaneous servants and wounded soldiers were frozen to death; Several catapults outside the camp also collapsed, and there were casualties; Looking further into the distance, the towers were either burned down or blown down and fell apart, leaving the tower in shambles as far as the eye could see.

The commanders of the armies of the countries looked at Qi Xianggong with innocent faces, hoping that he would give the order to withdraw their troops. However, after cursing the heavens and the people of the country fiercely, Qi Xianggong said: "Wei Qianmu violated the Zhou rites and usurped the throne, and he should be punished. The widow knows what is in your heart. Before setting out on the expedition, the widow and the monarch of the Three Kingdoms swore an oath: 'I will punish the rebellious ministers!' Suffering setbacks is not a reason for us to return to our teachings, let alone to give up and be betrayed of our oaths.

"Now is the time to test our will, if the soldiers can't even endure the heavy snow, it is better to pull out their beards and go home to pick mulberry brocade! Defending the country is the mirror of every country, and if the crimes committed by Qianmu cannot be punished today, the Qianmu of other countries will come out on a cloudy day. If you do not punish these rebels, do not expect others to help you. If anyone insists on demanding the withdrawal of troops, the widow will definitely regard him as an accomplice of Qianmu. ”

In this way, the commanders dismissed the idea of returning home. Instead, the coalition captured some of the smaller towns of the kingdom and forced the locals to provide shelter and provisions. It was in those places that the coalition forces spent the last winter.

In the spring of the following year, when the snow and ice melted, the coalition forces prepared to besiege the capital again.

When Qi Xiangcheng was holding a combat meeting, he suddenly received news that King Zhou Zhuang had sent troops to rescue and defend the country. The military commanders invariably turned their gaze to Qi Xianggong. They want to see if Qi Xianggong can still adhere to the so-called "justice" he advocates in front of Wang Shi's heavenly might.

Qi Xianggong's face suddenly turned red, but he quickly calmed down and said: "The widow doesn't know what the king is, he only knows that Qianmu's accomplice is coming." Those accomplices will be the enemy's last hope; You continue to besiege and defend the country, and the Qi division will independently take on the task of defeating the reinforcements. ”

The armies of the three countries continued to encircle the capital as planned, preventing the defenders from breaking through the defensive line and joining up with the reinforcements; The Qi division drove to a dangerous place fifty miles south-west of Weidu, preparing to meet the Wang division here.

When the royal army marched to the opposite side, the Qi people could hardly believe their eyes: this was a sparsely numbered and poorly equipped motley army. What's even more incredible is that they carry almost no baggage. In the eyes of the Qi people, Wang Shi either felt that he could easily defeat his opponent, or he had no intention of returning alive at all.

The king set up camp opposite the Qi division, and the Duke of Qi sent an envoy to the other side. The commander of the Wang Division was the Great Master Zitu, and the Qi people had hardly heard of this name, and even suspected that he was an imposter who had come to blackmail the Qi people.

Zitu said to the envoy: "Qianmu is the guard of the Heavenly King, and he has also been given an order. The Heavenly King didn't know why Qianmu had offended the kingdom, so he sent his subordinates to inquire. ”

The envoy of Qi said: "Wei Hou Shuo fled to the city eight years ago, saying that the second prince of the left and right usurped the throne and summoned the criminal minister Qian Mu to poke the position of the prince. The royal family has regular etiquette, and the princes have laws, which cannot be easily shaken. The widow couldn't bear Wei Shuo to be expelled without guilt, and in order to maintain the order of Zhou Li and defend the country, he came to crusade against the rebellious ministers. As for the matter of the Qinfeng's life, it is not for the widow and the foreign ministers to dare to know. If the doctor can withdraw the army, the widow will not dare to cherish the jade silk treasure. ”

After speaking, the messenger took out a gift slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zitu.

Zitu still sat upright, not moving, not even glancing at his gift list. "Loyalty to duty cannot be bought with a bribe," he said. Please tell Qi Hou: Although my official position is low, my duties cannot be bought; Although Wang Shi is weak, his dignity cannot be violated. ”

When the envoy saw that the other party was very resolute, he said no more. After the Qi envoy left, Zitu sent someone to reply to the battle letter of the Qi division. Qi Xianggong felt in a dilemma, he didn't know how to deal with that weak brigade.

Later, the Qi scouts captured several of the opposing soldiers. During their interrogation, the Qi people learned that the king of Zhou Zhuang had not agreed to send a division, and most of the doctors did not want to get involved in the dispute between the princes—they had learned the lesson of Zheng Guo's battle, and they could not see any hope of defeating the coalition army.

But one of Qianmu's friends, that Zitu, was adamantly opposed. He thinks: If you don't dare to go out because you are afraid of defeat now, it is better not to canonize Qianmu at the beginning; Although the royal family is getting weaker and weaker, and cannot command the princes again, they must show their own position and show their existence. Otherwise, the princes of the world will never respect the royal family again.

King Zhuang of Zhou said: "Yin knows that he is invincible but wants to go out, in addition to burying his life and aggravating the victory of the enemy, what consequences can he get?" ”

Zitu said: "It is glorious for a soldier to die on the battlefield, but it is shameful to flee war and death." Only the shameful thing will aggravate the victory of the enemy, and you are doing such a thing, O my king! ”

King Zhou Zhuang suddenly turned red-faced. Later, the Zhou people reached a compromise plan: the royal family did not send troops, and Zitu himself recruited volunteers. Zi Mutant sold all his possessions, and with the money he had obtained, he collected thirty chariots and five hundred warriors who were determined to die like him.

Zitu told the volunteers that this battle was destined to come and go, and what they died for was not victory, but the inviolable dignity of the royal family. So as soon as spring came, 500 warriors who shared the same noble beliefs set out for battle.

Qi Xianggong figured out the details of the royal family, and his heart was not so entangled; At the same time, he admired the courage of the enemy, and he issued an order not to cause the enemy's death if it was not necessary to fight on a cloudy day.

In the early morning of the next day, the two sides began to line up, and the Qi people lined up in a defensive formation. Zitu made a terrifying move the Qi people at the moment before launching the order to attack: he raised his face and stuffed a piece of jade into his mouth; Then all the warriors followed his example and rushed straight at him with jade in their mouths.

Qi Xianggong couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, he shouted: "Then fulfill them!" Don't leave a single one! ”

Those brave men charged suicidally, and their attacks were tactically and methodically undisciplined. The Qi soldiers almost shed tears before killing their opponents. After a few moments, there was not a single attacker left, and all of them fought to their deaths.

The Qi people collected the bodies of the victims. Qi Xiang ordered a special person to guard it, and sent someone to notify Cheng Zhou's people to come and collect the body, but only a few people's coffins were transported back. The rest of the coffins were properly buried by the enemies of the martyrs (Qi people).