After Zhang Han sent Sima Yi southward in Xiangyi, he led the Qin army across the Suishui River and marched toward Waihuang. At this time, the King of Wei appointed Chen Ping as the supervisor of the army, built hundreds of large camps on the vast flat land south of Waihuang City, and trained military horses all day long. Every time Zhang Han conquered a place, he had to send troops to defend it, so his troops were becoming increasingly scarce. When he came to Waihuang, he could only station the army first.
One day, Zhang Han was discussing matters with everyone in the military camp. Suddenly a sergeant came to report that Sima Yi had been defeated by Liu Bang again, and his entire army was annihilated. He himself had also been killed. Zhang Han heard that Sima Yi was dead and that his 20,000 armored troops had lost all their money. He was so angry that he punched several cases and said angrily: "Village Liu Bang, how dare you do this?" Sima Xin heard that his nephew was dead. He cried and asked Zhang Han for help, preparing to avenge his nephew. Zhang Han tried his best to control his emotions and said in confusion: "I didn't expect that a small pavilion chief and an assassin could defeat my 20,000 elite armored soldiers? This is simply unheard of, unheard of! I must avenge General Sima. ah!"
After a while, a sergeant suddenly came to report that Xiang Lianghuo had captured Jingju and occupied Liucheng, and the puppet Chu had collapsed. Zhang Han felt a little better after hearing this report, and asked the sergeant who Xiang Liang was. Someone replied: "I heard that he is the son of the former Chu general Xiang Yan." Zhang Han was shocked when he heard this. Another sergeant came to report that Liu Bang and the Wei people were fighting for Fengyi City, and the two families were fighting fiercely. Sima Xin asked Ying and said: "Now Xiang Liang and Qin Jia are at war, and Wei and Liu Bang are seizing the land. We should take this opportunity to go south and wipe out all the Chu invaders!" Zhang Han said: "General, don't be anxious, they are all gangsters. , if the attack becomes urgent, they will form a group; don’t worry about it for the time being, the thieves will continue to fight among themselves. Wei Jiu is the thorn in his side right now. Once Wei is destroyed, it won’t be too late for us to go south."
News that Zhang Han was going north reached Linji City. King Wei recalled his younger brother Wei Bao from Fangyu and asked Chen Ping: "Now that Zhang Han has destroyed Zhang Chu and is coming to attack our country, how should we meet the enemy?" Chen Ping said: "The Qin army has just defeated Zhang Chu, and their morale is high. We should avoid his aggressiveness first. However, when the Qin army comes to fight in Shandong, their food and grass supplies will definitely be insufficient. Zhang Han must want to fight quickly, but we did the opposite. If we can block the dangerous point, do not fight with him, and send troops to cut off his food route, Zhang Han will be in chaos without fighting." The king of Wei said: "Yesterday, military detectives came to report that Xiang Liang had captured Jingju by fire and had occupied Jingju. We stayed in Liucheng and helped us complete the task of exterminating the Chu invaders. Why should we be grateful to Xiang Liang?" Chen Ping said thoughtfully: "Xiang Liang is Xiang Yan's son and has a very high reputation. It is reasonable for him not to surrender to Jing Ju. Regarding the matter, we have not formed an alliance with Qin Jia before. It seems to be right. The king should immediately send an envoy to Liucheng and cordially invite Xiang Liang to go north. After Xiang Liang arrives, he will definitely start a war with Zhang Hanhui. This is good for us. There are great benefits!" The King of Wei followed Chen Ping's suggestion and sent an envoy to stay in the city while letting Chen Ping serve as the supervisor of the army and go to Waihuang to help Wei Bao resist Zhang Han.
Wei Bao, the military commander guarding Waihuang, was the younger brother of the King of Wei. He was young and vigorous, ambitious but not talented, and he acted recklessly with his brute force. One day, he heard that Zhang Han was attacking and wanted to fight in person. Chen Ping quickly dissuaded him and said: "Zhang Han became arrogant after destroying Chu. This was the first reason why he couldn't fight. Li You stayed in Daliang and faced off with generals Wu Pu and Huang Xin. The outcome was still undecided, so Linji City In fact, they are still under the attack of the Qin army. This is the second reason why they cannot fight. Although the Wei army is large in number, it is not well trained. Zhang Han's army is small but they are all regular Qin troops. This is the reason why they cannot fight. The third reason. Now the general should ask Qi and Zhao for reinforcements, and if we look at the opportunity to cut off Zhang Han's food route, in less than a month, the Qin army will be short of food and in chaos. By then, Qi, Zhao The armies of Zhao and Xiang Liang will arrive. Our four armies will attack Zhang Han at the same time. How can the Qin army be undefeated?" Wei Bao thought it made sense, so he followed Chen Ping's suggestion and sent reinforcements to Qi and Zhao. request, and then stand firm and not fight.
Zhang Han commanded the army to attack Waihuang. The Wei army's camp was very strong and the Qin army could not attack it at all. Zhang Han felt that Wei must have an expert to guide him. The two sides faced off for a period of time. Zhang Han finally found out clearly: It turns out that Wei Jiu used Zongzong It was with the help of a man named Chen Ping that the Wei army became so powerful. This Chen Ping's strategy of using troops to govern the country is like Li Mu of Zhao State back then, so the Qin army is impeccable. Suddenly one day, Zhang Han received another report that the Wei army had intercepted a large amount of grain and grass luggage shipped from Sanchuan. Zhang Han was shocked when he heard the report. He became anxious and hated Chen Ping deeply. It was already April in summer, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter. The soldiers were very tired, so Zhang Han said to Sima Xin: "I want to give up attacking Wei and avenge your nephew first!" Zhang Han's younger brother After hearing this, Zhang Ping hurriedly said: "General, what if we leave and the Wei people attack from behind? It is absolutely impossible to leave at this time!" Zhang Han said confidently: "I'm afraid they won't come to catch up. ?" All the generals were puzzled, and Sima Xin asked the general what his intention was. Zhang Han smiled slightly and said: "Now that Chen Ping is here in Waihuang, it will be difficult for us to win, let alone capture Linji. I have to find a way to get rid of Chen Ping first, this hateful boy! With him here , let’s not even think about conquering Wei!”
Sima Xin asked: "How should the general deal with that boy?" Zhang Han thought: "Find a way to get Wei Jiu to transfer that boy!" Everyone was surprised and said: "I heard that Wei Jiu thinks highly of Chen Ping, so I'm afraid He won't be transferred?" Zhang Han lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "Since Wei Jiu hired Chen Ping, many people around Wei Jiu are dissatisfied with Chen Ping, especially Prime Minister Zhou Shi. If If their conflict intensifies, it will be very beneficial to us!" Sima Xin said, "I just heard that Wei Jiu thinks highly of Chen Ping." Zhang Han sneered and said, "I have sent people to find out clearly. There are people around Wei Jiu. There is a favorite named Wang Weiguo, who likes to make money very much. I want to send someone to bring enough treasures to find this person, and then let him slowly frame Chen Ping. We will spread rumors in the city, saying that the Qin army is not afraid of Chen Ping. What I'm afraid of is Zhou Shi. If Zhou Shi comes to Waihuang to supervise the army, the Qin army will retreat without a fight! I'm sure Wei Jiu is an imbecile, and he will definitely transfer Chen Ping. If Zhou Shi becomes Waihuang, Huang's supervisor, hehe..." All the generals said in unison: "The general's strategy is good, but what's the matter with your plan to feint to attack the southeast?" Zhang Han said: "Now the Chu people are leaderless. If If we attack them urgently, they will unite to deal with us. If we feign an attack and then withdraw, the thieves will definitely fight again. When they kill both sides, we will destroy Wei. Then we can launch a large-scale attack. Go south, and the southeast will be determined without fighting!" After hearing Zhang Han's analysis, the generals were so impressed that they all praised Zhang Han: "This strategy of the general is indeed brilliant!"
Later, Zhang Han sent a lobbyist named Qingsheng to pretend to be a businessman and went to Linji City to make plans. After Qingsheng came to Linji, after some hard work, he met Wang Weiguo. When celebrating his birthday, he took out all his treasures and dedicated them to him. Wang Weiguo was very confused and asked if he needed help. Qingsheng said: "I am a businessman, and because I have an enemy, I am now a high official in Wei State. I can't do anything to him. Please avenge me!" Wang Weiguo asked who the enemy was. Qingsheng said: "He is your country's servant Chen Ping. If you can get this revenge in this life, you will have no regrets even if you die!" After hearing this, Wang Weiguo laughed and said: "Who did I think he was? It turns out that It's that poor boy! Don't say he is your enemy, he is my enemy, the enemy of all the people of Wei!" Qingsheng pretended not to understand and asked: "Sir, what is going on?" Wang Weiguo said angrily: " Ever since this kid came to the Kingdom of Wei, I don’t know what methods he used. The king actually obeyed him, and even the prime minister couldn’t do anything to him?" Qingsheng was secretly happy and said: "If I can achieve my purpose of revenge, I am willing to spend the rest of my life in the future. All the money I earned will be dedicated to you, sir!" Wang Weiguo was so happy that he agreed. After celebrating his birthday, he said goodbye and came out. When he reported the matter to Zhang Han, Zhang Han immediately sent people to Linji City to spread rumors. People in the city said: Zhang Han is very afraid of Prime Minister Zhou Shi. If Zhou Shi goes to Waihuang to serve as a supervisor, the Qin army will withdraw.
At this time, Zhang Yue and Yong Chi came from Fengyi, and they reported the affairs of Fengyi to the king of Wei. When the King of Wei heard that Fengyi was lost, he was very angry and said, "Fengyi is the old capital of Wei. We should take it back!" Some of the ministers said that it should be taken back, and some said that it was not necessary to take it back. They couldn't agree. Seeing the opportunity, Wang Weiguo said to King Wei: "Your Majesty, your servant Chen Ping is very resourceful. Why don't you call him back to ask?" King Wei suddenly realized and said: "Oh, how come I have forgotten him? But he is here He serves as a supervisor on the front line, can't he be recalled?" Wang Weiguo said: "The two armies faced each other under the city, and there was no fighting. It will be fine if the king calls him back and asks him to go back." King Wei thought it was very reasonable, so he immediately sent People went to summon Chen Ping back for questioning.
After Chen Ping arrived, King Wei told him about Fengyi. Chen Ping said: "The war in Waihuang is very tight now. The war is imminent. If you really defeat Zhang Han, your Majesty will have your hegemony. And even if that distant Fengyi is lost, what regrets will there be?" Before he finished speaking, a man came out and said angrily: "What nonsense! Fengyi is the old capital of Wei State and the place where the late king moved. How can you just throw it away? I heard that Feng and Pei areas must be destroyed." If there is a king's rise, it means that this place is very important, and Wei must not lose it!" It turned out that it was Prime Minister Zhou Shi who said this.
Chen Ping said: "Now that Zhang Han is attacking Waihuang, how can he have the time to think about Fengyi? Moreover, Qin is the common enemy of the six countries. If we leave the Qing enemy alone, we will instead fight for small cities hundreds of miles away. This It’s just to sacrifice the basics for the sake of the end, to gain a small amount but lose a big thing! In my opinion, not only should we not be at odds with Liu Bang, but we should also join forces with him to deal with Zhang Han." Zhou Shi said angrily: "Liu Bang is a A villager, a small pavilion chief, a person with no faith, and a traitor to the Qin State. You want to join forces with such a villain. This will definitely make the knowledgeable people in the world laugh. What a child's knowledge!" Chen When Ping saw that Liu Bang was a villager in the Zhou market, he thought that he was also a child of a poor family, so he plausibly said: "Since ancient times, talented people have come out of the shabby alleys, and generals have never had any talent." In ancient times, Yi Yin, Lu Wang, Baili Xi, Ning Qi, Fan Ju and others were not from a poor background, but they could all help the king achieve great things. Why do you insist on saying that Liu Bang was a village man? Although this man came from a humble background, he could stand up and dare to fight against the strong. Qin launched an army to fight, defeated the Qin army several times, and killed Zhang Han's favorite general Sima Yi, which shows that he is an amazing hero! In my opinion, we should unite with such a hero!"
Zhou Shi said angrily: "Who is Liu Bang? How dare you compare him with the ancient sages? Should Wei Guo have an alliance with a pavilion chief? I heard that you had an affair with your sister-in-law before, and you were kicked out by your brother. When you are in the bullpen, can you also be granted a title of lord and general? Or become a sage?" After hearing Zhou Shi's words, Chen Ping was furious and said in his heart: "I just use the world situation to analyze the matter at hand, and also mention the cooperation again. Verification is important. The mistakes of history are right in front of us. If we don’t learn from them, things will definitely not succeed. But instead of talking about serious things, the Prime Minister made up irrelevant things to insult me. What’s the truth?” King Wei asked. He scolded the two of them to shut up. Chen Ping reluctantly withdrew.
That night, King Wei was sitting alone with Wang Weiguo. He remembered what happened during the day and asked Wang Weiguo: "Who is right, the prime minister or the servant?" Wang Weiguo took the opportunity to say: "The prime minister is loyal to the country, how can the king doubt it? He? When the Prime Minister conquered Liang, some people advised him to proclaim himself king, but the Prime Minister said, "It is only when the world is in chaos that you can tell who is a loyal minister." He sent people to and from Chencheng five times before he was welcomed. You are the king, has your Majesty forgotten this? Chen Taipu is just a humble poor boy. He has just arrived and has not made any contribution to the state of Wei. He became the servant only by his glib words. How can he convince the prime minister and ministers? ? What Chen Taipu said today was obviously intended to praise himself and belittle the Prime Minister and the King. Can't you hear it?" King Wei asked how he was belittled. Wang Weiguo replied slyly: "'Since ancient times, talented people have come out of the back alleys, and the generals have never been blessed with a good job.'" This does not mean that the king is a descendant of the royal family and a descendant of the good people. He will definitely not be able to achieve great things, and those who achieve great things are those who were born in the back alleys. Poor boy, isn't this the servant's boasting?" After hearing this, the King of Wei became furious and started to fight.
Wang Weiguo continued: "Recently there have been rumors in the city that Zhang Han is very afraid of Prime Minister Zhou and not afraid of Taipu Chen. If the Prime Minister goes to Waihuang to supervise the army, the Qin army will definitely retreat!" King Wei asked in surprise! "Is this true?" Wang Weiguo replied affirmatively: "The whole city's soldiers and civilians have spread the news. It's just that the king is very fond of Chen Taipu, so no one dares to report this to you!" King Wei didn't believe it, so he sent someone I went outside to inquire about it, and it turned out to be the same as what Wang Weiguo said. The King of Wei began to hate Chen Ping and stopped listening to him. Not only that, he also wanted to verify whether what people said was true. Wang Weiguo said: "You asked the Prime Minister to go to Waihuang to supervise the army. Let's see how Zhang Han reacts?" King Wei nodded and immediately sent Prime Minister Zhou Shi to Waihuang to supervise the army.
Zhang Han was overjoyed when he learned that King Wei had indeed replaced Chen Ping with Zhou Market, and said to the generals: "Although Wei Jiu has replaced Chen Ping with Zhou Market, Chen Ping is still in Linji City. If we don't evacuate, Wei Jiu will still be here." He will reuse Chen Ping, but he will not believe what people say." So he ordered an immediate evacuation from Waihuang City. The Qin army marched south with great fanfare.
