Following the edict from King Yingzheng, the State of Qin entered a state of general mobilization for war. All the generals and soldiers of the Qin army who were at home on leave and those who were not serving as soldiers or above were recalled to the military camp.
After all, it is the best time to destroy Korea. Although there is no need to worry too much about the interference of Chu, Wei and other countries, heavy troops must still be stationed on the border just in case, and a mobile force must be prepared at any time. Rush to the battlefield where Zhao's attack has been blocked, or rush to the southern border with Chu.
The lineup sent by Qin State to attack Zhao State was also a complete all-star lineup.
With Wang Jue, a veteran general who had been stationed in Taiyuan County all year round to fight against the Zhao army, as the main general, Wang Jian and Zhang Ji served as the left and right deputy generals, Wang Ben and Tu Sui served as the left and right vanguards, Ren Xiao, Huan Jue, Li Xin, Meng Tian, Su Jiao, Shejian and others served as tooth generals and partial generals respectively, and Pang Nuan served as staff generals. The right prime minister Lu Buwei personally sat in Tunliu and was responsible for the deployment of grain and grass supplies and the guarantee of the army's retreat. The left prime minister Wei Zhuang sat in Xianyang, recruiting civilians, grain and grass and ordnance.
This is a rare luxury lineup in history, with a total of 400,000 troops, just to deal with one Li Mu.
Although with Pang Nuan's help and Luo Wang's in-depth investigation of Li Mu, no one dares to say that there will be no accidents on the battlefield.
Therefore, the Qin army simply used its strength to overwhelm others, and its main focus was to attack on multiple fronts to defeat them.
The Qin army had 400,000 soldiers. Excluding the troops left behind to guard the northern border to guard against the Huns and the troops left on the battlefield at Yan and Zhao, the Zhao army exhausted all the defenders from all over Zhao and could only mobilize at most 200,000 troops to fight the Qin army.
Even if Li Mu has the ability to fight one against two, what if the Qin army divides its forces?
An army of 200,000 people was divided to contain Li Mu. The remaining 200,000 troops were divided into multiple groups by a group of deputy generals, tooth generals and generals, and spread all over the hinterland of Zhao State.
No matter how powerful you are, Li Mu, you are only one person, and almost every tooth general and partial general in the Qin army has the ability to lead an army alone. Is it possible that you can use the clone technique to deal with multiple armies at the same time?
The Qin army has already done enough research on Li Mu's deputy general Sima Shang.
This person can be a deputy general, but only a deputy general.
He and Li Mu have had a long-standing friendship and a tacit understanding, and can fully implement any of Li Mu's orders, no matter how unreasonable they are.
However, if Sima Shang is allowed to lead the army alone, he will be considered a mediocre general and can only barely defend one side.
As for the southern border between Qin and Chu, Meng Wu was in charge, while the veteran general Meng Ao was in charge at the border between Qin and Wei. This old general who had beaten the Wei state several times in his life had become a nightmare for the Wei state.
Meng Ao's troops captured more than a hundred cities from the Three Jin Dynasties in their lifetime, especially Wei. Therefore, even if there were no additional troops on the border between the two countries, the old figure on the border still overwhelmed the Wei border defenders.
Finally, with Yang Duanhe as the reserve army, he was stationed at Lantian Camp, ready to provide support at any time.
…
Danhan, the capital of Zhao, in the palace of King Zhao
After reading the declaration of war submitted by Yao Jia, who was the envoy of Qin, the tall and majestic King Zhao Yan sat on the throne and remained silent. The body as strong as an iron tower trembled slightly for a moment, and soon returned to its former calm.
Zhao Wangyan threw the certificate of credence in his hand to the chamberlain beside him, glanced at the panicked ministers and the Qin envoy standing proudly in the hall, and smiled softly.
"Qin wants to fight, so let's fight. Zhao is not afraid."
King Yan of Zhao slammed the armrest of the throne, stood up and shouted: "In the battle of Changping in the past, the Qin army slaughtered 450,000 of our Zhao people, but lost 200,000 at the foot of our Danhan City!"
"I remember that the leading general at that time was Wang Ling, and then Wang Jue took over, but I didn't expect that the Qin State seemed to have never recalled the defeat suffered by Danhan City in the past, and sent the defeated army to fight against our Zhao warriors? "
Zhao Wangyan sneered and said: "Is there no one in Qin?"
As Zhao Wangyan said "No one cares about Qin", the officials in the court who were originally a little depressed burst into laughter instantly.
Although Wang Ye once beat Lian Po wildly in the Battle of Changping, and the veteran general was defeated steadily, and the defense line was withdrawn again and again. If King Qin Zhaoxiang hadn't hoped for a quick victory, the glory of the Battle of Changping might have been attributed to him. Wang Ye.
However, in the Battle of Danhan, Wang Ye faced the Zhao people who were united and united. The already exhausted Qin army could not conquer this strong city at all, but Wang Ye still went to pick up the mess left by Wang Ling halfway.
Morale was low, military rations were insufficient, the soldiers were tired and had no intention of fighting, and Zheng Anping was holding them back.
At that time, Lord Xinling led the coalition forces to rescue Zhao. Facing a new force of 200,000 men, the Qin army was not only short of strength, but also tired of veterans. It was doubtful that Wang Yan could win.
Therefore, this time the Qin State has Wang Jue as its general. In addition to Wang Ye's understanding of Zhao Jun's combat style and tactics as well as the terrain of Zhao State, he also has the idea of avenging the current head of the military.
"In the past, the State of Zhao was rescued by the three countries of Han, Wei, and Chu, and the defeat of Danhan was just now." Yao Jia, as the envoy of Qin, refused to give in at all. He looked at the King of Zhao and choked back, "Today's State of Zhao will not No more foreign aid.”
"And, with all due respect, there is a huge gap between King Zhao and King Xiaocheng."
Yao Jia looked at King Zhao Yan with contempt visible to the naked eye: "King Zhao wants to defeat the Qin army, but does he know where King Zhao's Xinping and Pingyuan are safe?"
"Is Zhao Ting still in trouble today?"
After Yao Jia finished speaking, the whole hall fell into silence.
Lord Xinping refers to Lian Po, and Lord Pingyuan refers to Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Wangyan's eyes were red like a wounded lion, his breathing was heavy, and the hand holding the sword hilt was trembling.
As a son, he always aims at his father and hopes to surpass his father.
As the king of a country, he naturally wants to surpass the previous king in his contribution to the country.
Especially when Zhao Wangyan's throne was not legal and reasonable.
In the past, Chunping Jun of Zhao State was King Zhao Xiaocheng's preferred crown prince.
King Zhao Xiaocheng had three sons, the eldest son was the prince, but he was sick and died young.
The second son was Chunping Jun. Although King Zhao Xiaocheng never appointed him as the crown prince, the second son was named Chunping Jun, while the third son Zhao Yan did not receive any title or title. The meaning is self-evident.
Later, Lord Chunping entered Qin as a hostage. Under Guo Kai's plan, Zhao Yan secretly communicated with Lu Buwei and designed to force the wiser Lord Chunping to stay in Qin and refuse to return him when King Zhao Xiaocheng died of illness. Zhao Ting Reluctantly, Zhao Yan was chosen as the king.
Therefore, Zhao Wangyan increasingly wanted to do something great and let the old officials who looked down upon him in the past see who was more suitable to be the king. Therefore, Zhao Wangyan agreed to Pang Nuan's strategy of attacking Qin. , and mobilize the whole country to help.
However, He Zong was defeated.
Moreover, in the past few years, all the talented and wise ministers of Zhao State have died.
There was only a group of arrogant people left in the court, and his royal orders were hindered by a group of veterans and nobles who relied on their elders to control their power and refused to let go. Otherwise, why would he reuse people like Guo Kai and Han Cang?
Doesn't he know that Guo Kai and others are villains?
They are indeed villains, but they are loyal!
But when something really happened, neither villains like Guo Kai nor the group of veterans and nobles could do anything to help.
Yes, among his courtiers, where are there such wise ministers as Lian Po and Zhao Sheng?
Zhao Wangyan laughed and released the hilt of his sword.
But there was a bit of sadness in the laughter, his face became paler, and his body like an iron tower seemed to be crumbling.
Advocate Hou, who was wearing heavy makeup and was extremely enchanting, looked at this helpless man and felt a slight pain in his heart.
Zhao Wangyan is a very ambitious person, but he is also a very lonely person.
Although he looks tall and majestic, he is actually very easy to satisfy. He only needs some attention to feel satisfied.
However, the courtiers could not give it, and their families... and the nobles of the Zhao Kingdom could not give it. There were no wise clan children like Pingyang Lord Zhao Bao and Pingyuan Lord Zhao Sheng, but only a group of jackals and hyenas who were greedy for power and money.
She and Guo Kai may be one of the few people who think wholeheartedly about Zhao Wangyan, but they really can't help Zhao Wangyan. She could only silently hug this man when Zhao Wangyan was sad.
Just when Zhao Wangyan was laughing, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the palace.
"have!"
A figure that was taller and more majestic than Zhao Wangyan slowly walked into the hall, with his hand on the sword on his waist and his eyes bright, he saluted Zhao Wangyan.
"Your Majesty, Li Mu, the general guarding Yanmen Pass, has led an army of 150,000 on behalf of the border troops, and is here to relieve the king of his worries!"
Zhao Wangyan looked at the figure in front of him excitedly. In the past, he was guarded day and night, and he was always worried about the rebellion of the border army on behalf of the territory and the uprising south to Danhan. Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen Pass, now faces a national crisis, but he takes the initiative to lead his troops south and is willing to fight with him. He went to the national disaster together.
"Good! My dear 'Xinping-Jun' has returned!"
Zhao Wangyan excitedly held Li Mu's hand, compared Li Mu to Lian Po, and did not hesitate to praise him.
"I have General Li Mu, so why should I be afraid of Qin's thousands of troops?"
"The king's order was passed, and Li Mu was appointed as the general of Zhao State. He pretended to be the prime minister of the state. He was the only one who obeyed Li Mu's order!"
Zhao Wangyan laughed again, and this time there was a touch of joy in his laughter.
…
After the court meeting dispersed, Li Mu and several Dai generals, as well as Zhao Cong, Yan Ju and other Zhao generals were all called into the palace by King Yan of Zhao to discuss ways to withdraw from Qin.
However, the dispersed ministers had completely different views on Li Munan's next move than Zhao Wangyan.
"The generation is about to rise."
"Haha, the 150,000-strong army marched straight into the capital of the Zhao Kingdom without receiving the king's order. I don't know whether they are dedicated to serving the country or have different aspirations?"
All the courtiers expressed great unwelcome to Li Mu's arrival. Although they knew that Li Mu had to go south to defend Zhao State, they still felt unhappy about Li Mu's arrival.
After all, as soon as the civil and military officials from Dai and the Di family arrived, they were entrusted with important responsibilities by Zhao Wangyan and handed over several important positions to Dai, especially Li Mu.
He is also a general in charge of the country's military power, and he is also a false prime minister in charge of the country's government affairs. With great power, he is even more glorious!
Zhao people and Dai people have had a long-standing grudge. During the Hezong War a few years ago, Zhao Wangyan secretly sent Zhao Cong and Yan Ju to suppress the Dai people on the border. Moreover, due to their retreat, the Dai people were in trouble. The army suffered heavy casualties, adding a new source of hatred.
The generals of the Daichi line, except those who were originally from Daichi, were the losers of the political struggle who were suppressed and demoted to Daichi by them.
In the past, Li Mu also served as the prime minister of King Zhao Xiaocheng. As a prime minister, he went to Qin to meet with King Zhuangxiang of Qin and signed an alliance. He briefly recovered the hostages and brought back Chunping Jun who was the hostage.
Therefore, Zhao Wangyan always believed that Li Mu supported Lord Chunping, and after he ascended the throne, he drove Li Mu back to Daidi.
And if Li Mu returns, it means that the courtiers who drove Li Mu to Daidi in the past may be subject to political liquidation.
Even if Li Mu is righteous and does not care about personal honor and disgrace, what about the civil and military officials in Daidi?
Those people are either generations who are not on good terms with the Zhao people, or they are people who failed in the political struggle and were demoted. They have a blood feud with the ministers in the court today.
If people from the Daichi family gain power, will they be let go?
In other words, would Li Mu have to sacrifice his loyalty to his Daidi civil and military forces for their sake?
"It doesn't matter, the prince doesn't like to act for others."
Among the officials, Young Master Han Cang suddenly spoke and sneered.
Like Guo Kai, Han Cang was a close minister of Prince Qian and the young master appointed by King Yan of Zhao.
The Tai Tu begins with Qi and is the teacher of the Prince.
As a close minister who was both a teacher and a friend of Prince Qian, Han Cang naturally understood Prince Qian's preferences and flattered him as much as Guo Kai did in the past. At the same time, he continued to instill in Prince Qian the concept of ambition and tampering.
When the other courtiers heard this, their worries turned into joy.
Who would have thought that the tall and majestic King Zhao was actually strong on the outside but capable on the inside?
He thought he had concealed the fact that King Zhao Yan was seriously ill, but the officials had known about it for a long time.
In fact, Zhao Wangyan has not been in good health since last year. He summoned many famous doctors but they were unable to do anything. He even tended to fall down just now. It was obvious that he was indeed terminally ill.
According to the news from the palace, Zhao Wangyan is running out of time to live.
Let the people of the Daidi family be prosperous for a while. Once the Qin army retreats and the prince moves to the throne, will they, the Zhao people, have the final say in the Zhao court?
As for the group of guys in Daidi, Zhao Ren was so generous that for the sake of retreating from Qin, they would just let them return to Daidi unharmed!
(End of chapter)
