The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

Xiang Lige lied. There were not thirty, not even ten, Mohists in Ruyin City. Apart from him, there were only three people.

"Xiang Lige will not come back."

On the top of Ruyin City, looking up at the sun above his head, Deng Fuzi, the only and last leader of the Mohists in the south of Chu, sighed with a little sadness on his face.

In addition to the elderly Deng Fuzi, Ku Li, a nine-foot-tall strong man like a high wall, and Qi Chi, a thin man with a mouthful of rotten teeth due to a difficult life since childhood, looked at each other with some sadness.

Xiang Lige was different from those who became Mohists halfway through their lives. They were all Mohists for generations. Xiang Lige was not only Mr. Deng's most proud disciple, but also the only one among them who could lobby.

Unfortunately, this person was too stubborn and idealistic. Qi Chi knew with his eyes closed that the Qin army outside would not give up the siege, but Xiang Lige insisted on trying.

"It seems that if you read too much, you will become stupid." Qi Chi, who had joined the Mohists for less than two years, thought secretly.

Now, Xiang Li Ge has not returned for a long time. The three people speculated that he might have angered the Qin general because of his rude words and was beheaded for the flag.

But no one doubted that he would be ashamed to return because of his failed lobbying, or surrender directly.

"Such fragile people among the Mohists have left one after another in the past twenty years, and it is impossible for them to stay until now." Mr. Deng said so.

Mr. Deng is an old man with shaking teeth and hair. He is the "master" of Xiang Li Ge, Ku Li, and Qi Chi, and the one who taught them the Mohist morality. He was the only one who had the honor to see the scene forty years ago when the Southern Mo gathered dozens of people, responded to the request of Lord Pingyuan, rushed to Handan, and together with the benevolent people and people of lofty ideals in the world, assisted the old, weak, women and children of Zhao State to resist the tyrannical Qin army.

At that time, Master Deng was only eighteen or nineteen years old, and the Southern Mo was still very prosperous.

But that was their last glory. After that, Wei attacked Wei, and the Mohists helped Wei defend the city. Most of them died or were injured, leaving only a few people such as Mr. Deng who stayed in the south.

These people are gone. While the living congratulate them for dying a good death and traveling with ghosts and gods, they also have to start recruiting new Mohists to supplement their manpower.

However, in this world, ambitious scholars are pursuing fame and wealth. Mohism is no longer a prominent school and is not favored by the princes. Who is willing to be a Mohist?

Warriors would rather be knights and take revenge than Mohists who strictly require disciples and prohibit private fighting.

Literati would rather be Confucian scholars, with wide sleeves and wide belts, boastful talks, and enter the tent of feudal lords, which is better than Mohists wearing fur and brown clothes, standing on tiptoe, and dealing with wood and stones.

The Mohists in the south are strict with themselves, hardworking, and go against social customs. They advocate frugal funerals and dream that everyone in the world will be as frugal and restrained as they are, and love the world like brothers and sisters. All of this is daunting. Therefore, even the common people would rather continue to be their craftsmen, merchants, farmers, and even singing and dancing, medicine and divination, which is better than being Mohists.

Mohists promote the will of heaven and advocate that the big should not attack the small, the strong should not bully the weak, the majority should not rob the minority, the fraud should not deceive the foolish, the noble should not be arrogant to the humble, the rich should not be arrogant to the poor, and the strong should not take away the old...

However, everyone in the world likes to rely on the strong and bully the weak. Who is willing to help them fight against the strong and uphold morality?

So in the end, there were fewer and fewer Mohists, and those who occasionally joined them were only the disadvantaged groups who were grateful for the Mohists' rescue, and they died one after another...

Although Ku Li was nine feet tall, he was ignorant and was teased on the street. After being rescued by Mr. Deng, he followed him woodenly and never left.

Qi Chi was from a poor family. He was a craftsman in Huaibei and was fed by a feudal lord. His life was pretty good. But when the war between Qin and Chu broke out, his family was also affected and all the family members died. They were pulled out of the pile of dead bodies by Mr. Deng and Ku Li. After that, he also joined the ranks of Mohists.

Xiang Li Ge, on the other hand, was a Mohist for generations, and he had his own persistence and stubbornness that had been passed down for two hundred years.

It is these four people who constitute the last Mo of the South...

"Now, there are only three of us left to defend this city."

Qi Chi's mouth was a little bitter: "The old man, the fool, and I, the widower."

This scene is really ironic. When Ruyin was in danger, it was not its feudal lord Dou Ran, not Xiang Yan, but these three people who protected it.

Qi Chi was a little pessimistic. He didn't think that relying on just three Moists, Ruyin, with its low walls, could resist the attack of the Qin army.

He asked Master Deng: "Master, you once told me that in ancient times, there were people who knew how to defend a city, but they did not treat the people well, did not make peace with foreign countries, had few soldiers but alienated countries with more soldiers, and were weak but looked down on powerful countries. As a result, they lost their lives and were laughed at by the world... Therefore, we should be cautious when helping others. If we are not careful, knowing how to defend a city will become a burden to ourselves."

"Are we also burdened by our own city-defending skills now?"

"It's a contract."

Although Mr. Deng is old, he is also busy on the top of the city like them, wearing short brown clothes. He said: "The great men of all ages have a will. If there is an unjust war in which the strong bully the weak and the big invade the small, the weak and the small ask the Mohists for help, and the Mohists must not refuse!"

Because of this contract, over the past two hundred years, countless Mohists have died in the battle to defend the city, but they still go forward one after another, as if their sacrifice can be turned into firewood to keep the fire of ideals forever...

Master Deng turned around and pointed at the local residents who came to the city wall to help defend the city under the arrangement of the feudal lords of Chu and the Mohists: "Qin and Chu have fought three times in two years, and the people are suffering. Now the Qin army has entered the Chu territory, cut down their crops, and killed their children. The people are terrified and regard Qin as a tiger or wolf. Compared with Qin, they are of course weak. At this moment, what they most hope for is someone who can help them keep the tiger and wolf out of the city and prevent them from biting their lives."

He pointed at the nobles who had finally put aside their noble status as feudal lords and ministers when the disaster was imminent, and had their wives and concubines enlisted in the army to help boil water under the city: "These are usually rich and noble, but the Qin army broke through Chu, cut down its trees, destroyed its city walls, filled its ditches, killed its livestock, burned its ancestral temples, and moved its heavy equipment. Now, they are also helpless and weak. If they don't fight hard to save themselves, they will only become prey."

The Mohists did not join every war without choice, but when the weak voiced their voices and hoped to get help, they would get involved in the war and always stand on the side of the weak.

It is absolutely not allowed for the strong to kill the weak unilaterally!

This reminded Qi Chi of himself. When he was at a loss and helpless in the chaotic city, it was the Mohists who saved him.

"Let's talk about it later."

Mr. Deng smiled and said, "This city may not be undefendable. Although Ruyin is not high, it is very strong, with sufficient defense equipment and firewood and food. This is why I asked people to abandon Hucheng and concentrate on defending here."

"Disciple understands."

Qi Chi nodded, and his slightly shaken heart settled down. He began to walk among the soldiers and civilians and issue orders to them.

A large number of people gathered on the top of the city to add bricks to the battlements, and the progress was good. But on the other hand, the pile of rickety buildings growing under the city wall was very annoying. They were close to the city wall, like barnacles attached to the hull of a ship. Among them were shops, wine shops and houses, as well as brothels of cheap prostitutes.

According to the rules of Mohists defending the city, all buildings within ten steps of the city must be cleared, without leaving any, otherwise they would easily be ignited by the smoke arrows thrown by the enemy, causing chaos.

After arranging people to demolish these buildings, Qi Chi added to a Chu military officer: "In the city, all the firewood piles and houses that can be shot by arrows from outside the city must be covered with a layer of mud."

He was responsible for commanding the preparations for defending the city, while Ku Li was a stupid man who didn't say much. He just hung his sword and helped the people carry heavy bags of earth.

Mr. Deng was their backbone. At this time, he was asking craftsmen to place the Mohist's weapon: the crossbow car on the top of the city!

This machine placed on the city wall uses a crossbow bed made of wood with a size of five inches in circumference. The bed weighs 120 kilograms and can shoot sixty large crossbow arrows ten feet long in succession, which is extremely lethal! But it takes ten people to operate it. Mr. Deng can only temporarily teach some archers in the city, hoping that this thing can come in handy when defending against the enemy.

The three Mohists and the three thousand soldiers and five thousand people in the city were nervously preparing to defend against the enemy, but were interrupted by the urgent sound of the gong in the evening!

"The Qin army is coming!"

Sharp shouts resounded through the top of the city, and everyone's face froze, and then they all went up to the top of the city to resist the enemy.

The Mohist method of defending the city is that the whole people go into battle. In addition to sixty soldiers, there are ten men, twenty adult women, and ten old and young people for every fifty steps of the city wall, totaling one hundred people. The soldiers guarding the tower under the city, one step per soldier, are sufficient for defense.

At present, the manpower in the city can barely fill the top of the city according to this standard.

It should have been a noisy and chaotic scene, but the Chu army and civilians on the top of the city looked at the enemy in the distance with fear and anxiety. Except for the sound of drums and gold for the alarm, there was silence on the city wall.

Qi Chi also climbed up to the top of the city and stood next to Master Deng and Ku Li. He now understood why everyone was silent.

He saw that two miles away, dark black battle flags fluttered in the wind, and the bright spears, swords and halberds were solemn and eye-catching. Teams of black-armored Qin soldiers lined up in neat rows, and rows of chariots and cavalry guarded them on both sides. Under the command of the deep and deep drums, they stepped in unison, pushed the hastily made siege equipment, and walked towards Ruyin firmly.

This is the Qin army...

On the city wall, the Chu people tried their best to suppress the fear in their hearts. Many people couldn't hold their spears, and couldn't help but lick their lips to relieve their emotions. Looking at the enemy gradually approaching the city wall, everyone's heartbeat was beating nervously with the pace of the Qin army.

Qi Chi was the same. This lonely craftsman who had joined the Mohists for only two years remembered the terrible Qin army and the death of his wife and children in Wang Ben's war against Chu.

"Qi Chi, your legs are shaking."

Mr. Deng reminded him lightly, and then looked at Qi Chi. His old eyes seemed to say to him: "Get down from the city now, quit the Mohists now, it's not too late..."

Mr. Deng has lived long enough and participated in countless wars. He has long looked down on death. Facing the powerful Qin army in front of him, he has no fear in his heart, but a trace of unspeakable comfort. If he can hold on, it will be a good thing. If he can't hold on, dying here, isn't it a kind of relief?

He has the will to die, but the three disciples don't have to do so, especially Qi Chi, he can take off this brown clothes and continue to be his craftsman.

However, Qi Chi straightened his back and whispered: "It's the wind!"

He showed his rotten teeth and smiled: "It's the wind that makes my legs shake!"

The stupid Ku Li opened his broad palm in doubt, but found that there was no wind on the top of the city.

But in Qi Chi's eyes, there was. The invisible wind was gathering into a storm a mile away, rolling up dark clouds, and pressing towards Ruyin City like a tidal wave!

However, as a Mohist, he would not yield to any power!

He mustered up his courage, stepped forward, and stood side by side with Ku Li on the left and right of Master Deng.

...

A mile away from Ruyin City, Hei Fu, who was ordered to serve as a follow-up force to cover the first batch of soldiers to capture the city, was in this layer of clouds, leading his thousands of men to gradually advance forward.

When he looked up, he could see the short Ruyin City. Among the two groups of Chu soldiers and civilians standing, there were three Mohists in brown clothes, standing side by side, smiling at death...

They were like three stubborn salmon in the surging waves of this great era. When everyone knew that the world was changing and learned to go with the flow, they kept swimming upstream!