In the early morning of the next day, King Wen of Chu led Peng Zhongshuang to inspect the camp, and he was very worried about the strict appearance and high morale of the Chu army. After lunch, the two sides began to discuss other issues and talked until late at night.

For three whole days, the Shen people did not receive a single word about the state of the mission. Kind-hearted people are anxious, worried that Peng Zhongshuang and others will be harmed; The evil people showed a gloating face, and they couldn't stop laughing at the thought that Peng Zhongshuang might be beaten into a cripple.

In the early morning of the fourth day, King Chu Wen was about to send the delegation away, and he whispered in Peng Zhongshuang's ear in front of the other members of the mission: "If we can't convince the other party, then use victory or defeat to decide who is right and who is wrong!" Then he straightened up, smiled and patted the other person on the shoulder, and said loudly, "Remember what Fugu said, don't let Fugu down." Peng Zhongshuang's face immediately turned red.

The mission returned safely to Shen, and Peng Zhongshuang brought back a handwritten letter written by King Wen of Chu to Shenhou. The letter wrote that the monarch of Shen had said that "he would not tolerate a single barbarian setting foot on the land of Shen", and he strongly agreed with this, because this would soon not be the land of Shen. Ask the monarch of Shen to gather troops, feed the horses, sharpen the weapons, and come to Japan to fight.

Shenhou decided to start a decisive battle with the Chu army according to the time stated in the letter. However, Peng Zhongshuang opposed his decision, saying: "Chu Zi has not been on the throne for a long time, the people's hearts are uncertain, the position is unstable, and now he is on an expedition to our country, and the country must be empty and uneasy, and he must not be able to stay here for a long time." That's why Master Chu was in a hurry to fight. If we hold on to the capital and wait for reinforcements to arrive, the Chu army will naturally retreat. ”

But Ziming expressed a different view, saying: "The heavy towns in the south of our country have been occupied by the enemy, and they have controlled a large number of people and major grain producing areas. The enemy has sufficient resources and is not afraid to drag it out, but we need to fight quickly. Otherwise, if the capital is besieged for a long time, food and weapons will become increasingly scarce; At that time, even if there was civil strife in the Chu State, it would not be able to save the country's social affairs. ”

Peng Zhongshuang said: "The enemy's army is besieging the capital, and the cities such as Haoye will inevitably be empty. If we unite with reinforcements to recapture the wilderness, the Chu people will inevitably withdraw when they see that the back road is cut off; This time is not too long, and you don't need to wait until the next time the wheat is ripe. ”

The two argued for a long time. Ziming was originally a decent and steady person, but now he was obviously out of control, and he shouted loudly in a hurry: "Okay! Even if you are right, then you stand here, facing the princes and ministers, what did you talk about with Chu Zi in those days? Why did Chu Zi ask you to remember his words and not live up to his expectations before leaving? ”

The air in the entire palace instantly froze, and the people present all looked at Peng Zhongshuang. Peng Zhongshuang's face did not change, and briefly introduced the content of their conversation in the past few days, and then explained that Chu Zi deliberately did this to drive a wedge between the monarchs and ministers of the Shen State.

But one of his main political enemies said: "As you say, you and Chu Zi sit face to face, and the saber is in front of you; You claim that you can give everything for the country, and you have such a difficult opportunity, why didn't you assassinate Chu Zi to save the country, but instead talked to him about the country for three days? Is he your enemy, or your new master? ”

After that, there were more and more people attacking him, and the voice became more and more noisy, Peng Zhongshuang never looked down on those villains who ate and drank by patting Shenhou's ass, he suddenly thundered into anger, drew his sword and rushed towards the person who was the most cheerful, but was immediately thrown to the ground by a group of people. His impulsiveness was seen by Shen Hou as a source of annoyance, and Shen Hou ordered his sword to be taken away and driven out of the court.

Shenhou gave the order to go out of the city to fight, but Peng Zhongshuang was deprived of his command, and he was only allowed to fight as a soldier. Peng Zhongshuang felt that his whole soul was hollowed out, he complained that the monarch was stupid and incompetent, and hated the courtiers for being incorruptible and shameful; He decided to preserve his last dignity with the heroic act of dying on the battlefield. He incorporated all his adult sons into the clan armor, and ordered them and his subordinates to fight with jade in their mouths, only seeking to kill the enemy, not survive.

The warring sides were arrayed under the city. The war drums of Chu were the first to sound, but before Shenhou gave the order to attack, Peng Zhongshuang led his troops to rush straight to the enemy formation without hesitation. This sudden move disrupted the established plans of both sides, and Shen Guo's death squad immediately tore a hole in the enemy formation, and Shen Hou commanded the main force to follow.

The Chu army quickly restored order and made tactical adjustments, and the two flanks of the army quickly outflanked and cut the Shen army into two sections, so that Peng Zhongshuang and Shen Hou were all cut off. ，

Peng Zhongshuang found that the monarch was in a critical situation, so he desperately squeezed in, wanting to help him break out of the encirclement. But King Wen of Chu ordered before the war: Peng Zhongshuang must be captured alive. As a result, there were far more enemies attacking him than attacking Shenhou.

Peng Zhongshuang saw through King Chu Wen's intentions, and he had to give up the idea just now, and turned around and rushed in the opposite direction. Shen Hou watched Peng Zhongshuang ignore his danger and run farther and farther, so he scolded him in the direction of "running away".

Peng Zhongshuang's method worked, his actions attracted a large number of troops, and Shenhou's pressure was suddenly reduced a lot. The Shen army outside the encirclement attacked desperately, and as a result, the Chu army's defense line was broken open, and Shenhou escaped by chance, but Peng Zhongshuang and many of his subordinates were captured.

The battle lasted a whole day, and the moon rose before the two sides withdrew their forces. The two sides fought a draw in this battle, but the arrogance of the Chu army was not so arrogant; On the contrary, the people of Shen felt that it was a great victory for them to be able to defeat a strong enemy when they were at a disadvantage in terms of troops; As a result, the morale of the Shen army became high.

The villains around Shenhou took advantage of the topic and put the hat that put Shenhou in danger on Peng Zhongshuang's head, saying that he deliberately lured Shenhou to fight, and after achieving his ulterior purpose, he went to the new master without looking back. Shenhou was furious and immediately ordered the arrest of his family.

Thus, the most prominent man of the kingdom of Shen and his sons were imprisoned in the enemy camp, while his family members were imprisoned in the country. But Peng Zhongshuang and his sons were treated well by the enemy, and the family members were brutally beaten and humiliated.

The next day, Shen envoys came to the Chu camp, and they expressed their willingness to negotiate peace and exchange prisoners of war (in fact, they came to inquire about the news). King Wen of Chu told the other party that as long as Shenhou brought Peng Zhongshuang's family to Chuying safely, he would agree to Shenhou's request.

When Peng Zhongshuang heard the news, he cried and said, "Monarch of Chu State, aren't you forcing the widow to kill my family? What's in it for you to kill innocent people?"

King Chu Wen said: "If he were still your 'widow', he would not kill the innocent, and if not, he would kill even if I did not ask for it." ”

The envoy's reply finally convinced Shenhou that Peng Zhongshuang was a traitor, and he executed Peng Zhongshuang's family and sent the body to the people of Chu.

King Wen of Chu told Peng Zhongshuang that if he could help him obtain the Shen Kingdom, the Chu people would not exterminate the sacrifices of the Shen people, but would move the population to a new place to continue the community, as he had previously expressed. Peng Zhongshuang said he didn't want to see more casualties — whether it was a Chu or a Shen, if King Wen could make good on his promise, he could do it for the Chu. King Chu Wen said, don't you dare to keep your promise! The two then held a bloody ceremony.

Peng Zhongshuang told King Wen of Chu that Shenhou was a man who was arrogant, irritable, and did not know what danger was; In order to be able to obtain the kingdom of Shen at the lowest cost, it is neither possible to fight nor to attack the city, but a trap can be set up to lure him out of the kingdom of Shen. King Wen of Chu agreed, and the generals then drew up a battle plan based on his suggestion.

After the meeting ended, Peng Zhongshuang quietly asked King Wen of Chu: "The minister knows that there is an internal response of the State of Chu in the Shen State Mansion, please tell me who he is, so as not to be accidentally injured in the battle later." King Chu Wen said with a smile: "Ziming." ”