For the soldiers responsible for packing the boxes, this was probably the most incredible and easiest job they had ever done.
Most of them were from common people and were illiterate. They had no idea of the importance of this task, which was related to the lives and fortunes of countless people in the court. They only knew how to follow the Prime Minister's instructions wholeheartedly. Whenever they saw any written documents, slips, or silk books, they stuffed them into the palace. In a dozen large wooden boxes with an open mouth in the center.
They murmured inwardly, thinking that there would be a killing and looting in this trip, but they did not expect that after waiting and waiting outside the palace, they only waited for a few empty palaces.
And the prime minister and all the great gentlemen actually sat upright and supervised their work. This was an unprecedented experience.
The soldiers did not dare to talk privately, but they were really confused. They filled and sealed the boxes one by one, and took advantage of the time to catch their breath to quietly observe the reactions of everyone outside the palace.
I saw General Li leaning against the pillar at the entrance of the palace, with his head lowered, as if he was carefully studying the laying method of the horizontal and alternate bluestone tiles on the ground. He seemed to think that he was not clean enough, and he did not even want to go into the palace to take a look. Take another look.
Realizing that the soldiers' eyes were on him, he straightened his back and stood up straighter, and cursed with a smile,
"This errand is much more important than the number of people on your neck. Don't just look around. Pay careful attention to the items in your hands. Don't miss anything.
Also, keep your hands and feet clean. Today is different from the past. If you do it well, the Prime Minister will naturally reward you. Don't always worry about some trivial things and lose big for small things. "
These two sentences sounded like a joke, but the soldiers were all carefully selected by him and brought out all year round, so they naturally understood the serious warnings contained in them.
No omissions are allowed, and no petty theft is allowed. Keep these incomprehensible heavenly books intact, and there will be a heavy reward afterwards.
***
"Yes, if you do your job well, you will be rewarded.
After a while, after the box is sealed, another team of people will be sent out, working day and night, to deliver the box to the camp.
I don't care how many horses are killed on the road, we are not allowed to stop for a moment, and we are not allowed to throw away a box. You guys discuss it and see who can take on this job. "
Prime Minister Wen, who was sitting upright, was very pleased with himself. After saying these words, he drank wine and continued to persuade the senior officials sitting next to him. He also commented on a few poems from time to time, which was very elegant.
It's a pity that his elegance seemed a bit high-key today. The expressions of several audience members were uncertain, full of worries, and completely unintentional to talk loudly.
Seeing that the audience was particularly cold, Wen Xing did not feel dissatisfied. He just stared at the progress of the soldiers with a smile, and occasionally turned his head slightly to look at the palace gate in the distance, as if he was waiting for some news.
Just as the box was being sealed, a soldier hurriedly ran in holding the military newspaper. Wen Xing hurriedly took it and read it quickly. The looming worry that had been lingering between his brows finally completely dissipated.
He put down the silk with dense words written on it, looked around, and said excitedly,
"General Zhaoshe turned his back. Yesterday he led his troops to attack from east to west with the imperial court's West Route Army, and surrounded Zang Ni in Dai County."
"Ah, it turns out that Zhao She tailed him——"
The officials were still confused. The war was changing rapidly. Why did Wen Ming, who had always been cautious and cautious, act so abnormally and radically, without leaving any way for himself to retreat?
It was only then that they suddenly realized that from beginning to end, every civil and military officer, every general and every minister was Liu Ji's secret.
"Your Majesty, today, you dare to use strange strategies, recruit talents and talents, and finally achieve great achievements."
Everyone knew that the master had changed this time, and there was a sigh of relief.
"Come on, lords, stop being so arrogant,"
Wen Xing waved, and a young swordsman and penman immediately ran up not far away and stood by him respectfully.
"Let's record what we did today to clean up the palace and send it to His Majesty."
***
The war in Daichi is progressing more smoothly than expected.
At first, Zang Tu was misled by the false information deliberately released by the Han army. He went westward and easily invaded Daijun, intending to engage in a head-on battle with the West Route Army led by Liu Ji.
Unexpectedly, when the battle with the Han army in Dai County was about to begin, Zhaoshe, who was in charge of the rear, suddenly switched sides and counterattacked, completely cutting off the channel between the Yan army and his own country, and blocking the Yan army's retreat.
Zang Tu's army was completely trapped in Daidi, and he heard that Jicheng, the capital of the rear, had been lost, and that future military and food supplies would be ineffective.
He couldn't help but become angry from shame, wishing he could quickly have a showdown with the Western Route Army, and then go back to fight the two nasty traitors Wen Bing and Zhao She Tuo Tai.
Zang Tu had an impatient temper, and he was so angry that he went to war rashly. He thought that since the Western Route Army was personally led by the emperor, Liu Ji himself would arrange the troops and command the battle.
After fighting for so many years to destroy Qin and Chu, Zang Tu had an inkling of Liu Ji's commanding skills in front of the battle, and thought he still had a chance of winning.
Unexpectedly, when the two armies were fighting with blood and gold, he realized that the emperor himself was not in the West Route Army at all. The generals who came to take his life this time were the brave and invincible Guan Ying and Fan Kuai, as well as nearby Chen Xi, the guard general of Yanmen County.
Among the heroes of the early Han Dynasty, Zhang Liang and Xiao He were undoubtedly Zhang Liang and Xiao He when it came to strategy. As for military strategy and the use of troops, except for the handsome man Han Xin, the others were all generals, and their levels were basically the same.
Therefore, Liu Ji's army used the larger force to attack the smaller force, used the strong force to attack the weak force, used the righteous king's division to fight against the rebellious single-man thieves, and used the vast Han Empire behind him to fight against the mere corner of the Yan Kingdom. The outcome of this decisive battle is self-evident. Metaphor.
At the same time that the good news on the western front was spreading frequently, the eastern route army, which started from Luoyang, quickly moved northward, and penetrated directly into the hinterland of Yan State, also approached Jicheng.
***
Just as Lu Pheasant in Luoyang City expected, Liu Ji, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, was firmly in the East Route Army from beginning to end. He was accompanied by his servant Xia Houying, general Zhou Bo, and guard lieutenant Chen Ping. , together with Taiwei Lu Wan and others.
It can be said that the core of the Han Dynasty is the East Route Army, and the reason why the East Route Army dared to borrow roads and collect grain from Zhao without any scruples depended on Zhang Cang's early investigation.
In Zhang Cang's view, all the old ministers of the Zhao Kingdom are rebellious and will change sooner or later. However, Zhang Ao's own background, greedy and cowardly, can still be controlled for now.
When King Wang passed through the border, the people of Zhao did not want to be affected by the war again, so they naturally ate pots of pulp and lined the roads to welcome him.
Since Liu Ji's army was sure of victory, they acted calmly. Although they marched day and night at full speed, they were still under the strict military laws of the emperor. They were calm and did not harm the people's homes.
This was not so much a conquest as it was a grand march that demonstrated the country's prestige and benevolence. The King of Han Dynasty punished the people and deeply won the hearts and minds of a group of Zhao people.
The batch of boxes sent from Jicheng were delivered to the Han army's camp within a few days. Liu Ji beamed with joy.
He walked around a dozen boxes a few times, squinted his eyes and glanced at the intact lacquer seals, then unfolded the letter delivered with the box, read it briefly, handed it to Chen Ping, and kept praising him. road,
"I didn't expect that such a talented person would be so good at it!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement and he asked Chen Ping with a smile,
"You know, these things are most valuable when they are burned to the ground.
Where is the best place for us to do this?
You have to call all the officials of Yan State to watch the ceremony, right? "
