Wu Xinjun was very happy after winning Handan. He had a party for several days and treated Kuai Che very politely. Zhang Er was very unhappy when he saw that Kuai Che had captured a county with the strategy of "spreading a message thousands of miles away", so he treated Kuai Che very coldly. Kuai Che knew that he was a jealous man, so he was ready to leave. One day, he resigned to Wu Xinjun and said: "General, I am honored to have listened to my words and saved the people from the disaster of killing. My goal has been achieved, and it is time to leave now!" Wu Xinjun heard that Kuai Che was leaving and was very upset. If you don't want to let him go, just try to keep him. Kuai Che was unwilling to listen and insisted on leaving. Wu Xinjun had no choice but to reward him with heavy gifts. Kuai Che declined: "I have been wandering for most of my life and witnessed the destruction of the Six Kingdoms and the unification of Qin. No matter who rises or falls, it is the suffering of the people! I just don't want to see the people bleed and suffer. I came to offer my advice. Fortunately, the general used my plan. I am extremely pleased. There is still some surrounding land that has not yet been acquired, so please ask the general to show kindness, use both force and softness, and slowly capture it." Lord Wu Xin agreed, and then So he set up a banquet for him to practice.
During the banquet, only Zhang Er and Chen Yu were present. Seeing that Kuai Che was leaving, Zhang Er happily said a few words, urging him to take care of himself and pay attention to his health in the future. Kuai Che said to Wu Xinjun: "After I leave, please general send troops to blockade Jingji Pass as soon as possible. Wang Li will definitely come out from somewhere to suppress it. We must prevent the Qin army from leaving the pass. Remember, remember!" Wu Xinjun said gratefully: "I dare not forget your old words. It's a pity that I can't keep you, sir. I wonder where you will go in the future? How can I visit you?" Kuai Che smiled faintly and said, "I will go where I should go. , General, there is no need to look for me anymore." Lord Wu Xin personally sent Kuai Che outside the city. When leaving, Kuai Che said again: "I have one more thing to tell you. General, please be on guard." Wu Xinjun asked what it was. Kuai Che said: "Although the general has won Handan County, the Qin generals are new and unpredictable, especially Li Liang. I think this person is loose in speech, arrogant and rude. He is a capricious person. The general must be on guard against him." Ah!" Lord Wu Xin said: "He has surrendered, does he still have second thoughts?" Kuai Che handed him a small box and asked him to take it back and think about it slowly, and then left. Kuai Che just left like this, walking very gracefully and calmly, which seemed very inappropriate for this boiling city. There is a poem lamenting Kuai Che:
The rise and fall of the Five Hegemons washes away the deafness, and the success or failure of the Seven Heroes turns to nothing.
After half a lifetime of seeing through human affairs, who puts the people in their eyes?
Wu Xinjun sent Kuai Che away and came to the city. He said to Zhang Er, "Why don't you keep Mr. Kuai?" Zhang Er laughed and said, "He's just a country boy. What's the use of keeping him? General, please put state affairs first." , don't feel sorry for that village old man for a little trick! Now I have something big to tell you, general, please listen attentively!" Wu Xinjun originally wanted to take out the box of books to show Zhang Er, but after hearing what he said, he didn't take it again. What's the big deal about Zhang Er? Zhang Er called Chen Sheng by his name without any scruples: "Chen Sheng has raised troops in Qixian and occupied Chenjun, and he has proclaimed himself the king of Chu. The general now also led his troops, and after dozens of battles, he captured two A large county should also be crowned king!" Lord Wu Xin was stunned when he heard that he was crowned king. After a while he said: "The king asked us to capture the land, but he didn't say anything about calling himself king?" Zhang Er said excitedly: "At the beginning, Chen Sheng You are the one who calls yourself the king. Why not call the general king now? Besides, only by doing this can you avoid being killed in the future?" Lord Wu Xin asked in surprise: "Where do you start talking about this?" Zhang Er said: "General, think about it, why did Chen Sheng kill General Ge Ying for no reason? Isn't it just because he was good at fighting and conquering land? And your achievements are now higher than those of ordinary people. This will inevitably cause His dissatisfaction, how can he tolerate the general in the future? Therefore, only if you claim the king in the south as soon as possible, can you escape from the unexpected murderous disaster! This is what I say from the bottom of my heart, and I hope the general will think twice." Lord Wu Xin said: "Ge Ying was killed. , because he secretly established the king of Chu." Zhang Er said: "But Ge Ying later learned that Chen Sheng had established himself as king, so he killed the king he established to plead guilty. What happened in the end? He was not killed. It's because Chen Sheng is very afraid that General Ge Ying's achievements will surpass his in the future. It was Ge Ying who challenged Chen Sheng's bottom line and made Chen Sheng feel that someone was trying to seize his power, so he wanted to kill him." Lord Wu Xin said: " What the gentleman said makes sense. Once we do this, we are afraid that King Chen will immediately add troops to Zhao! In that case, the powerful Qin State has not been eliminated, but there will be another enemy. This is not self-defeating. Enemy?" Zhang Er said: "Chen Sheng is sending troops to destroy Qin. He is not sure about dealing with Qin yet. How can he free his hands to deal with us?" Lord Wu Xin was silent.
That night, Chen Yu encouraged some celebrities from Handan to come to see Lord Wu Xin and said: "General, Chen Sheng was just a farmer in the fields back then, but after he captured the city, he felt comfortable and proclaimed himself King of Chu, and General Now you are also leading the army, wearing strong armor, charging into battle, and after dozens of fierce battles, you captured Zhao State. This credit is not inferior to that of the King of Chu. With your current reputation, how can you obey the orders of that garrison soldier again? Temperance? Oh, it's King Chu, we said it wrong!" Everyone said this deliberately, reminding Wu Xinjun that King Zhang Chu is just an ordinary person, don't worship him, and then continued: "So... Judging from the current situation, Mr. Wu Xin should still establish himself as the King of Zhao and establish a separate sect, so that he can achieve the achievements of the Five Hegemons in the future!"
Wu Xinjun was silent for a long time, then hesitated and said: "Of course what you said is reasonable, but General Ge Ying was killed just because he established the king. What's more, my family is still in Chencheng?" Zhang Er understood. Wu Xinjun asked why he didn't agree to be king, so he stepped forward and said: "Please relax, Wu Xinjun, I can guarantee with my head on my neck that if you become queen, Chen Sheng will definitely not harm your family!" Wu Xinjun Just ask why. Zhang Er said: "The State of Qin is still very powerful. Although Zhou Wen entered the pass, he did not capture Xianyang and capture Emperor Qin after all. So the State of Qin is not destroyed. How dare Chen Sheng return your family and offend you? If he offended You, don't you mean that he has established another strong enemy like Qin? So I dare to say that Chen Sheng will never harm your family." Chen Yuye said forcefully: "This is absolutely right! I also I am willing to risk my life to guarantee that Chen Sheng will never harm your family!" Wu Xinjun felt happy after hearing what the two said, but before he could say anything, someone ran in and reported: "Report! Wu Xinjun, General Zhou Wen's messenger Arrive!" Lord Wu Xin didn't know what was going on, so he immediately sent an order for the messenger to come in.
The messenger walked into the lobby covered in blood. It seemed that the messenger was very tired. In addition, he had been riding for a long time. When he came to the lobby, he collapsed on the ground. Seeing how embarrassed Wu Xinjun was, he hurriedly asked what was going on. But the messenger just opened his mouth and could not speak. Wu Xinjun asked someone to quickly bring a bowl of water for the messenger to drink. The messenger took a few sips before choking up and said: "General Wu, General Zhou, he led the army to victory all the way. After breaking through Hangu Pass, he marched straight in and hit the water pavilion east of Xianyang! We attacked from all aspects It was learned that Xianyang no longer had any Qin troops. It was really an empty city. But who would have expected that first Wang Ben came to pretend to surrender, and then Zhang Han's sneak attack actually killed all of my 300,000-strong army in one night! "When the messenger said this, he broke down in tears. The generals were shocked when they heard this. Lord Wu Xin asked, "Is General Zhou safe?" The envoy sent him out of seclusion and stationed the remaining troops in Caoyang. Now we are waiting for the army to come to the rescue. General Wu, can you please send troops as soon as possible? Zhang Er asked: "Since we know that Qin has no troops to send, where can we find the soldiers and horses to defeat you?" "The messenger said: "Qin State armed hundreds of thousands of prisoners in Lishan and let a man named Zhang Han lead them. They suddenly killed the water camp at night... It's pity that hundreds of thousands of my soldiers were dreaming. Li..." After hearing this, the army was stunned with shock. Zhang Er said calmly: "You have worked hard all the way. Go to the library to rest and eat first, and we will discuss the matter immediately. "After saying that, he motioned to the left and right and led the envoy out.
After the messenger went out, Zhang Er immediately knelt down to Wu Xinjun and said sonorously and forcefully: "Now you proclaim yourself King of Zhao. This is a God-given opportunity!" Wu Xinjun was shocked and said: "General Zhou has just been defeated, and he is still waiting for us to go. As for the rescue, how can I think of becoming king?" Zhang Er said: "Now that General Zhou Wen has lost the battle, this is the time for Chen Sheng to use you. If you become king now, Chen Sheng must be afraid that we will not rescue General Zhou. I will send your family here as soon as possible, so don’t miss this opportunity! I heard that ‘If you can’t take it from heaven, you will be blamed for it; What a great achievement!" Lord Wu Xin was overjoyed and immediately agreed to become king.
So everyone spent the night preparing the crown and attire, and also cleaned the lobby of the county mansion. As a palace, they decorated it inside and out with a new look. The sergeants and the people were all happy and cheering. But after being detained by them for a meal, Zhou Wen's messenger was ignored again. When the envoy heard that Wu Chen wanted to proclaim himself King of Zhao, he rushed to see him and was ready to ask him to send troops as soon as possible, but was blocked by the guards. The messenger knelt on the ground, looking up to the sky and crying bitterly. His helpless cry had long been drowned out by the fierce shouts of kingship around him.
Three days later, the soldiers built a sacrificial platform in the south of the city. Zhang Er and others gathered around Wu Xinjun and came to the audience. They first dressed Wu Xinjun in his dragon robe and crown. Lord Wu Xin offered sacrifices to the Black Emperor, and also to the eight generations of ancestors of the State of Zhao. Then the ministers knelt down and worshiped King Zhao together and said: "Long live the king, long live, long live!" King Zhao granted all the ministers a life, and then came to the city surrounded by everyone. Luan chariots and umbrellas were used along the way, various weapons covered the sky and the sun, various flags were as bright as clouds, and the great banner of Zhao State was also fluttering in the wind. At this time, people had already transformed the county hall in Handan into a palace. King Zhao came to the palace and ascended the throne of King Zhao.
The king of Zhao then named Zhang Er the prime minister of the right, Shao Sao the prime minister of the left, Chen Yu the general, Li Liang the deputy general, Zhang Qiang and Xue Yue the captains, Bao Chao from Handan the chief minister, Zixia the censor, and Han Guang. , Zheng Tiao was appointed as the captain of the school, and the rest of the troops were given rewards and first-level titles. The three armies were given a large reward and were given wine for three days. After the reward was completed, the officials once again wished him long live. The voice echoed for a long time in the empty Zhao Wang Palace. This is really a one-of-a-kind act of kingship and selfishness. Kuai Che's last words have been completely forgotten. After all, he has no thoughts about the past and the present.
Wu Chen was so proud that he was crowned queen, so he immediately sent an envoy to Chencheng to prepare to welcome his family back. The messenger came to Chencheng. When King Chen heard that Wu Chen had proclaimed himself King of Zhao, he was furious and immediately ordered the arrest and execution of Wu Chen's family. Cai Ci of the Shangzhu State hurriedly advised: "Qin has not yet been eradicated. If you kill the military minister's family, you will create another enemy just like Qin. Your Majesty, why not send envoys to Handan to congratulate you, stabilize the military minister first, and order He sent troops to march westward, and when the Qin State is destroyed, it is not too late to question the military officials." King Chen said angrily: "Zhou Wen has already captured Hangu Pass, and the false king's army is also in Sanchuan County, why bother? Use Wu Chen's fellow!" At this time, Taishi Kong Kun also advised: "'Three armies can seize the commander, but an ordinary man cannot seize the will.' Wu Chen has established himself as the King of Zhao. Fundamentally, there is no way to change it. Now kill his family, On the contrary, it will increase his hatred. Why don't your Majesty recognize his title and become an ally with him? In this way, we can share the same hatred and destroy the Qin Dynasty first." Wang Zhi said: "It must be Zhang Er's idea for a military minister to become king. He now supports King Zhao. , this is also imitating your Majesty!" After hearing Wang Zhi's words, King Chen was very angry, but he had no reason to kill, so he ordered the messenger to be dragged out and chopped into pieces. No one dared to persuade me again.
The envoy was beheaded, and King Chen wanted to send troops to attack the military officials. Wang Zhi quickly remonstrated: "Your Majesty, now is the time to destroy Qin. If we kill each other, is this the reason why the six countries failed to unite and fell in the past? I think that not only can we not have internal conflicts now, but we must maintain the appearance. Therefore, you should escort Wu Chen’s family to Handan as soon as possible. Only in this way, Wu Chen will be grateful to the king, and if he is grateful to the king, he will definitely join hands with our country to destroy the violent Qin Dynasty!” King Chen said: “Wu Chen is just one of the few. General, if you don't ask questions now, what should you do if other generals follow suit?" Cai Ci said: "What the king said makes sense, but Qin has not yet been destroyed. Please be patient for the time being and wait until Qin is destroyed before adding more troops to Zhao. Isn't it a bad idea?" Wang Zhi also arrived: "Why don't you just do a favor and recognize the title of King Zhao as Wu Chen, and in this way an alliance between Chu and Zhao will be formed." Kong Yu said again: "As the saying goes, 'You can go away with one move. Wrong, everything will be lost', let alone a national event! Don't always think that your power is very strong and do whatever you want. The war on the front line is immeasurable. As the saying goes, 'The roc spreads its wings, just rely on its wings.' If you are doing your own harm now One wing, how can it fly? If the Qin army wins and suddenly arrives in Chen land, our family's strength alone cannot do it. It would be better for your Majesty not to engage in a stalemate with the military officials!" King Chen gave up the idea of attacking the military officials.
The next day, King Chen discussed with his ministers: "Wei and Qi have not yet been captured. If the military officials send troops south, the east of the river will not be owned by Chu." Cai Ci further said: "Your Majesty is right, why not Choose a reliable person as the general, and in the name of conquering Wei, we will lead our troops north to capture Dongjun and Jibei, and then station troops there. After we capture Guanzhong, we will immediately advance together and cross the river to defeat Yan and Zhao. The land of Heshuo is under the control of the king!" King Chen said: "There is no one to attack the south of the Yangtze River, so it is better to send out two armies. If both armies succeed, the world will naturally return to Chu, what do I have to worry about?" Wang Zhidao said "Two routes are good, but if too many troops are sent out, Chen City will be empty. If the West Route Army is frustrated, we will have no troops to support." King Chen said without thinking: "How could it be? I have already asked the world for help. Troops have been sent everywhere, and the total number of troops is no less than a million! Moreover, the false king is now occupying the strategic capital of the world - Xingyang City, what is there to worry about?" He appointed his confidant Zhou Shi as a general, raised 50,000 troops, and marched north to capture Wei. , and asked his brother-in-law Zhaoping to raise 30,000 troops to attack Donghai County. Zhou Shi and Zhao Ping set off on the same day.
The news that King Chen killed King Zhao's envoy and sent troops to capture Dongjun reached Handan City. King Zhao was very frightened and said to Zhang Er: "Gu was originally an ordinary citizen in Chen. I remember one time he ran away to escape. As a result, Gu's parents were arrested by the government, and they were almost killed that time. The two elders often worried about Gu, and the family always lived in fear and uneasiness. Today, Gu finally has his day. But I still can't fulfill my filial piety under the knees of my two elders. Thinking of them, Gu's heart feels like a knife. Now that they are in Chendi, good or bad luck is really unpredictable. King Chen has sent troops to attack Dongjun again. Is this obviously to ask Gu for guilt? "Zhang Er said: "It is the nature of a child to worry about his parents. Your Majesty will now send another envoy with your handwritten letter to express your feelings to King Chen, and King Chen will return your family to you." King Zhao sent another envoy to Chencheng to negotiate.
The envoy came to Chencheng and saw King Chen. He handed over a letter from King Zhao, which read:
His Majesty the King of Zhang Chu State: I have heard the ancient saying that 'a mother is valued by her son, and a father is honored by his son'. Although I have proclaimed myself king without your consent, this makes you very angry. If you cannot accept my title, I am willing to give it up. However, if my two elders are harmed due to my fault, I will be like a walking corpse. An army of one million people will not be able to accomplish anything. It is hoped that the king can take care of his past relationship, so that my family can reunite and enjoy the happiness of family harmony. If I can get my wish, I will definitely donate my body to serve the king with my life, and I will never dare to be arrogant for the rest of my life.
After King Chen looked at it, he thought of his parents and felt very sad. Suddenly a sergeant came in and reported: "Report! Your Majesty, after General Zhou Wen entered the pass, he was attacked by the Qin army. He was defeated and has withdrawn from Hangu Pass. He is now leading the remaining troops to retreat to Caoyang City and requests your Majesty for reinforcements as soon as possible!" This news was like a slap in the face, and everyone was stunned. King Chen couldn't believe his ears and asked again: "How is this possible? How could it be defeated? Did you mistransmit the message?" The sergeant said it again. Cai Ci immediately asked the military minister's envoy to go out first, and then said to King Chen: "Your Majesty, anything is possible. Although I cannot accept this news, it is fact. Now we should find ways to reinforce General Zhou as soon as possible, right?" Chen The king asked: "How to save? There are only tens of thousands of people here." Cai Cida said: "Chencheng is the capital of Chu State, so it cannot be guarded by troops? But the false king has been at a stalemate with Li You in Xingyang for more than a month. He is far away Cao Yang recently, why didn't he save him?" Kong Kun objected: "Xingyang is located at the strategic point of the world, and Li You is a famous general of the Qin State. If Xingyang cannot be captured, or Li You takes advantage of our army's division of troops, he can defeat the false king. , Sanchuan will be lost. It is very inappropriate to let the false king divide his troops! I think King Zhao has just recovered Hebei and their morale is high, so let him rescue Zhou Wen?" King Chen agreed to Kong Kun's suggestion. In order to express his sincerity, King Chen also named Zhang Er's son Zhang Ao the King of Chengdu, asked him to go to Handan to congratulate him, let the military minister enjoy the title of King Zhao, and escorted his family back to Handan.
Far away in Handan City, Hebei Province, one day King Zhao asked Zhang Er anxiously: "According to the time limit for the envoy's return, they should have come back. But there is no news yet. Could it be that King Chen killed the envoy again?" Zhang Er said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Chen Sheng will never do that! If he doesn't send your family here, he will attack Chu first!" Just as he was talking, the guards came in to report that Prime Minister Zhang's son was escorting the King His family has arrived at Handan City. Zhang Er and King Zhao were overjoyed when they heard this and hurried out of the city to greet him. King Zhao saw that the whole family was safe and sound, and Zhang Er saw that his son was back. They were extremely happy. Zhang Ao paid a visit to Queen Zhao, and then came to pay a visit to his father Zhang Er. He also said that King Chen had made him King of Chengdu, and specially congratulated King Zhao. He also said that King Chen asked King Zhao to send troops to reinforce General Zhou Wen as soon as possible. King Zhao happily agreed, then led his army into the city, and held a banquet in King Zhao's palace to celebrate the reunion.
The next day, Zhang Er and Chen Yu came to see King Zhao and said: "I heard from the Lord of Chengdu last night that the king was proclaimed king in Zhaodi. Chen Sheng was actually very angry. On the surface, he came to congratulate him because of the rescue, so we have to treat him It's true that you've promised to send troops, but you've violated it." King Zhao said: "I have already promised to send troops, how can I go back on my promise?" Zhang Er smiled and said: "Those who do big things must not be too pedantic! Now Chen Sheng wants us to reinforce Zhou Wen, I think it is inappropriate. What do you think, If the state of Chu destroys the state of Qin, Chen Sheng will definitely blame Zhao! If he will suffer losses in the future, it is better not to give Chen Sheng a chance now." King Zhao asked what should be done. Chen Yu said first: "We entertain King Chen's envoy well and agree to all his conditions. After he leaves, King Zhao will send troops to expand our country's territory. If we can get the whole territory of Hebei, we will occupy Dahe in the south and Yan and Yan in the north. In the future, even if the Chu State destroys the Qin State, Chen Sheng will not dare to add troops to Zhao. At that time, the King of Chu and the King of Zhao will go hand in hand and rule by dividing the river. This is the achievement of the five hegemons!" King Zhao listened. I was overjoyed and fully adopted their suggestions.
King Zhao then summoned King Chen's envoy, entertained him with wine and meat, and promised to rescue Zhou Wen immediately. But after the envoy left, King Zhao sent Chen Yu to attack Julu County, Li Liang to attack Hengshan County, and Han Guang to attack Guangyang County, but ignored General Zhou Wen.
