Outside Maiqiu City, the Zhao army continued to attack the Qi army.
Although this battle resulted in tens of thousands of corpses lying under the city of Maiqiu and a section of the city wall broken, the Zhao army did not capture Maiqiu. Seeing that his father was so stubborn, Zhao Kuo once again remonstrated and said to Zhao She: "There are Mohist disciples among the city defenders. They are proficient in defense. Over the past few years, they have a good understanding of Zhao Jun's marching strategy, so they are especially good at resisting Zhao Jun." After several years and several battles, the Zhao army returned without success. I think our attack this time, except for the change of generals, is no different from the previous Zhao army. The king changed the generals, that is I hope my father can change the behavior of the previous generals and capture Maichu at the minimum cost."
Zhao She heard what Zhao Kuo said and thought that if the battle continued like this, it would be really difficult for Zhao Jun to capture Maiqiu City in the next twenty days. After hearing Zhao Kuo's remarks, the lieutenant generals in the army admired him very much. Everyone unanimously praised him: a tiger father has no dog son. As long as this battle can be won in one fell swoop under Zhao Kuo's suggestion, not only Zhao She will become famous, but his son Zhao Kuo will also become famous.
At this moment, the Qi army in the city, in order to turn passivity into initiative, often came out to sneak attack Zhao Jun at night. Many scattered armies composed of Mohist disciples often harassed Zhao Jun intermittently outside the city in order to tire out Zhao Jun. If this situation continues, it will be difficult for the Zhao army to capture Maiqiu within a month. At that time, Zhao She and his son will not only have no success, but their reputation will be ruined.
At this time, Zhao Jun also spread spies outside the city, and also tried to extend the spies' influence into Maiqiu City. Soon after, several Qi soldiers who were harassing others were caught by Zhao Jun. Zhao She then asked the captured prisoners about the situation in the city. Qi's military discipline in Maiqiu City should still be very stable, because Zhao She tried his best to get them to speak. Zhao Kuo saw that this move would not be effective, so he used psychological tricks on the prisoners. He gave them food every day, treated them with great courtesy, and gave them the grain and grass in Zhao Jun's hands so that they could go back and distribute it to their families. This was a method of "retreating in order to advance, attacking openly and secretly". Zhao Kuo's strategy soon bore fruit.
Some of the prisoners were inspired by Zhao Kuo's "good deeds", so they quietly told Zhao Kuo that there was not much food in the city, and it was all controlled by the Qi army. The people in the city have long been out of food, and many people have almost begun to exchange their food for food. Zhao Kuo asked how long the Qi army could hold on based on the current situation. The prisoners said that although the morale of the troops in the city was chaotic, they were afraid of the Zhao army because they were besieged, so they resisted stubbornly. No matter what happened, the Qi army could still defend for a few months. As soon as reinforcements arrived, they could risk their lives and survive.
So Zhao She said that Zhao Kuo indeed had foresight that ordinary generals did not have. Zhao Jun could not capture Maiqiu within a month, so he followed Zhao Kuo's advice and stopped attacking. Zhao Kuo also took the opportunity to speak to Zhao She, saying that in today's world, most armies are unkind people. As the so-called military attack is called, the most fearful thing for a city is that the disaster will cause the wall to collapse and turn into elbows and armpits. As long as the city is unstable, there will be an army. If the forces and the siege troops outside use external cooperation, then the day when the city will be broken will definitely be within a short time.
Sure enough, after these prisoners were returned to Maiqiu, they were like a stone thrown into a calm lake. In an instant, the stone stirred up thousands of waves. Both the people and the people in Maiqiu City had widespread rumors that Zhao Jun was benevolent. Not only did he not insult the prisoners, he also treated them favorably and gave them food to bring to their families in the city. The resulting chain effect was more powerful than the attack of ten thousand troops. Most of the people in the city were unwilling to perish with the Qi army and wanted to leave the city to join the Zhao army. Even in the Qi army's barracks, people's hearts were floating.
Seeing this, the generals of the Qi army knew that if they continued like this, Maiqiu City would inevitably collapse without attack. When the city was destroyed, the soldiers and the people naturally suffered no losses, but it was a great shame and humiliation for the army generals to be unable to be loyal to the country and to save their lives. Therefore, the generals of Qi decided to arrest all the prisoners, and the soldiers dared not speak out in anger.
After Zhao She saw that the city was clearly divided into two factions, he thought the time had come and ordered the besieging Zhao army to use trebuchets to throw grain into the city. After Zhao Jun threw grain into the city every day, he returned to camp to rest without taking any measures to attack the city. The soldiers and civilians in the city were even more interested in defecting to the Zhao army. However, due to the tight security of the Qi army, the common people and ordinary soldiers in the city could only look back and sigh.
A few days later, the generals of the Qi army guarding the city believed that if Zhao Jun was allowed to do this, the Qi army would be completely devastated. In order to prevent Zhao Jun's plan from succeeding and to cut off the surrender of the soldiers and civilians in the city, Qi Jun simply sent representatives to return all the food that Zhao Jun had thrown into Maiqiu City, expressing their determination to be irreconcilable. Representatives of the Qi army even told Zhao She that if the Zhao army wanted to fight, they should attack openly and openly, and stop carrying out conspiracies and tricks against the Qi army. Zhao She just smiled lightly and did not embarrass the envoy of the Qi army. He asked him to go back to the city and wait. However, there was still no movement. He just threw food to Maiqiu City from time to time as before.
Seeing that Zhao Jun was unmoved, Qi Jun decided to use the battle out of the city as bait to cut off Zhao Jun's intention to surrender. Therefore, the Qi army once again sent an envoy to write a letter of war to the Zhao army, requesting to choose a day for a decisive battle with Zhao She. Those who attack the city certainly hope that the generals who defend the city can lead their soldiers to come out and decide the outcome with their own side, instead of relying on high walls and deep pools to resist stubbornly. Therefore, the bait thrown by Qi Jun this time is not small. But now that the matter has come to this, Zhao She knows that breaking Maiqiu City is only a matter of time, and there is no need to make a small mistake. So he followed Zhao Kuo's advice again and refused to meet with the envoys, thus cutting off the Qi army's plan for a decisive battle.
A few days later, news suddenly came from the direction of Maiqiu that the general guarding the city of Qi was killed by his subordinates. The soldiers and civilians in the city surrendered to Zhao Jun with their families. Zhao Kuo's method finally worked. After this battle, Zhao She secretly admired his son's military talent. Zhao Jun also had great admiration for Zhao She and his son. For a while, "a tiger father has no dog son" became the most common evaluation of Zhao She and his son by Zhao She's sergeants at that time.
Cao Cao once said: "In the past, Zhao She and Dou Ying were generals. They received a lot of money and dispersed it in one day, so they were able to achieve great success and be famous forever. When I read his article, I can't help but admire him as a person." It can be seen that Zhao She The reason why he was able to become one of the top ten famous generals of the Warring States Period must have something extraordinary about him. With the help of the battle of Maiqiu, Zhao She became famous, and Zhao Kuo became famous in the first battle. King Zhao Huiwen greatly appreciated the talents of his father and son and awarded them both generously.
However, while this war established Zhao Kuo's reputation and status, it also developed Zhao Kuo's habit of underestimating the enemy to a large extent. In fact, whether Zhao She did not follow the advice and attacked the city at the beginning, or later after the siege was frustrated, he fully cooperated with his son Zhao Kuo, all show the fact that without Zhao She, Zhao Kuo would still be just a " People who talk on paper". Just imagine, if Zhao Jun had adopted the strategy of releasing food to Qi Jun from the beginning, would it still have been effective? The results are self-evident, Jiang is still very old, and it is Zhao She's maturity and ability to control the timing that enables him to successfully realize Zhao Jun's strategic intentions and Zhao She and his son's intention to become famous.
When we meet on a narrow road, the brave wins
With the victory in the Battle of Maiqiu, Zhao She's military talents began to be widely praised among the Zhao army, especially his ability to conquer the city without a single blow, which was even worse than that of Qin general Bai Qi. Zhao She has since become a figure who can hold up half the sky of the Zhao Kingdom.
After everything was ready, Qin launched an attack on South Korea at all costs. However, South Korea and the State of Zhao both belong to the land of the Three Jin Dynasties. As the saying goes, "the lips are dead and the teeth are cold, and the houses are in danger." The Qin army's attack on South Korea is actually the same as the attack on Zhao State.
In the 30th year of King Zhao Huiwen (270 BC), the Qin army sent heavy troops to besiege Yanyu (now Heshun County, Shanxi). The general of the Qin army was Qin Ranghou Wei Ran.
Qin Ranghou Wei Ran, also known as Wei Ya, was a minister of the Qin State at that time. Wei Ran was originally from the Chu State, the uncle of King Qin Zhaoxiang, and the half-brother of Queen Mother Xuan. When King Wu of Qin was 23 years old, he died violently while lifting a tripod. After his death, he had no sons, which led to his brothers fighting for the throne, and Qin fell into chaos in an instant.
In a chaotic situation, people of insight will naturally not be content with the status quo, but will actively take action to plan for their future. At this time, Wei Ran was stronger. He chose to support King Qin Zhaoxiang and helped King Qin Zhaoxiang eliminate his rivals for the throne. Therefore, Wei Ran quickly became a pivotal figure in the Qin State. Since the time of King Hui, Wei Ran has been serving as a minister. When King Zhaoxiang came to power, Wei Ran was appointed as a general to guard Xianyang (today's east of Xianyang, Shaanxi Province) because of his meritorious service in helping him seize the throne. Because he lived in Rang (today's Dengzhou City, Henan Province), he was named "" "Ranghou".
Wei Ran had outstanding military exploits throughout his life and defeated Korea and Zhao many times. Relying on his special relationship with King Zhao, he was able to influence the Qin Dynasty and monopolize power. He served as the Prime Minister of Qin four times in his life. He had many party members and was deeply trusted by the Empress Dowager Xuan. In addition, when he served as prime minister, he also lost no time in recommending talents to the King of Qin.
In addition to his outstanding political vision and outstanding military talents, Ranghou Wei Ran also had unique talents in diplomacy. In 288 BC, he was ordered to go to Qi and made an appointment with King Min of Qi and King Zhaoxiang of Qin to proclaim themselves emperors at the same time. Qin was the West Emperor and Qi was the East Emperor. He was preparing to unite the five countries to attack Zhao and divide Zhao into three parts. It was a pity that other countries later saw Qin's evil intentions, and Wei Ran's strategy of joining forces and horizontal movements was defeated by Su Dai's conspiracy.
In 284 BC, the five kingdoms of Han, Zhao, Qin, Wei, and Yan combined their military forces to defeat the Qi army and defeat the Qi state. Unexpectedly, Wei Ran actually used the power of the Qin State to attack Qi and seize Taoyi (today's northwest of Dingtao, Shandong) as his own fiefdom. After Qin Xiaogong, successive Qin kings set the strategic goal of unifying the world. Although Wei Ran was powerful at this moment, "rich in the royal family" and "exercised in power over the princes", his behavior without regard to the interests of the country would inevitably lead to resentment and dissatisfaction among the people. The King of Qin believed that Wei Ran's move had seriously threatened the stability of Qin's regime. In 266 BC, the King of Qin deposed Wei Ran and Fan Ju replaced him as the prime minister of Qin. Wei Ran, a hero in his lifetime, ended up with the tragic end of "lost his body and power and died of worry".
At this time, among Zhao Guojun, there was no suitable third candidate besides Lian Po and Zhao She who could stand alone and compete with Wei Ran. However, most of the ministers in the DPRK did not agree with brazenly fighting the Qin army. Because the Qin army at this time was so powerful that none of the six eastern countries dared to compete with it. How could Zhao defeat the powerful Qin? In addition, the Qin army did not attack Zhao directly. Zhao had no need to offend such a powerful opponent for the sake of South Korea. In the entire court, although only King Zhao, Lin Xiangru, Lian Po and Zhao She expressed their willingness to assist South Korea, because these people represented almost most of the forces in Zhao State, the plan to assist South Korea was still approved.
But when it came time to implement the specific steps of the rescue, everyone in the Zhao Kingdom began to have difficulties. They wondered whether they could save Yan Yu, because "willing" to rescue and "able" to rescue are, after all, two completely different concepts.
So King Zhao asked his ministers how to rescue Yan Yu, and Lian Po replied: "The road is long, dangerous and narrow, and it is difficult to save him." ("Historical Records: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru") King Zhao did not give up, so he summoned Le Cheng again. , Lecheng’s answer is roughly the same as Lianpo’s. This Lecheng was also a famous general of Zhao State at that time, the son of Le Yi, a famous general of Yan State, and the same clan of Lejian. Although he has not yet demonstrated his talents at the moment, with Le Yi's reputation, his status in the eyes of King Zhao cannot be underestimated.
Seeing this, Lin Xiangru thought that it was impossible to directly assist Lian Yu, so he proposed to abandon Lian Yu and set up defenses in Wu'an. King Zhao couldn't help but feel troubled, so he turned his attention to Zhao She, the general who became famous in the Battle of Maiqiu. Zhao She had a clear understanding of the situation above the court. King Zhao was eager to directly assist Yan Yu, but Lian Po and others were hesitant because they were concerned about the long distance, dangerous mountains and narrow access. Zhao She then smiled, already having a plan in mind, and said: "The road is long and dangerous, just like two rats fighting in a hole. The brave one will win." ("Historical Records: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru") This is the origin of the phrase “the brave will win when we meet on a narrow road”.
After hearing what Zhao She said, everyone thought it was reasonable. Even Lian Po, who had always been conceited, couldn't help but look at Zhao She with admiration. When King Zhao heard this, he expressed his approval and immediately appointed Zhao She, who was leading the battle, as general and led his army to Lanyu.
A famous general who does not accept advice
For this battle, "Historical Records" gave a very high evaluation. It was through this battle that Zhao She established his status as one of the top ten famous generals in the Warring States Period. This year was the forty-sixth year of King Nan of Zhou (269 BC).
At that time, the Qin army had already explored the movements of the Zhao army, so when it sent troops from the Guanzhong area, they headed westward and directly entered Wu'an, an important place in the Central Plains (today's Wu'an, Hebei, located at the junction of Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan provinces). From then on, this Qin army and the army besieging Yanyu formed a close relationship, and they could rush to help each other when the Zhao army attacked in large numbers.
However, the Qin army underestimated Zhao She's wisdom.
Before the war, Zhao She carefully analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the Qin and Zhao armies. As the saying goes, "Know your enemy and yourself, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles." Zhao She was by no means a reckless person. Although he showed contempt for the Qin army before going to war, it was just strategic. When the troops actually arrived at the battle site, Zhao She began to re-examine the right time, place and people in terms of tactics, and paid more attention to the enemy.
Just as Lian Po said, this rescue mission was characterized by high mountains and dangerous roads, making the march difficult. At this time, the Qin army set up pocket formations in the Yanyu area, waiting for the Zhao army to arrive, and then completely besieged it; on the other hand, it stepped up its march towards the Wu'an area, and attempted to reach behind the Zhao army and launch a attack. Attack from both sides. Zhao She has long been aware of all this.
Therefore, Zhao She led his army thirty miles out of Handan and set up camp. He also built many barriers around the camp, deliberately making no progress and fearing the powerful Qin.
In order to conceal his combat intentions, Zhao She ignored the Wu'an crisis, the dilemma, and the raging mood of the army officers, and issued an incredible military order to the army: "Anyone who dares to talk about military affairs will be beheaded." ("Historical Records·Lian Po") "The Biography of Lin Xiangru") Of course, there were also passionate people among the Zhao army who did not understand Zhao She's strategic intentions, expressed disdain for his actions, and even "risked their own lives to remonstrate". But the chess game in Zhao She's heart has been decided. In order to win the war, he will not allow any changes to occur. Once factors that threaten Zhao Jun's victory appear, Zhao She will eliminate them without hesitation. Therefore, this general who risked his life to remonstrate directly met his fate.
Killing a general in the army not only reassured the army, but also made the Qin army even more confused about Zhao Jun's intentions. There is nothing more terrifying than the unknown. Now, it was the Qin army's turn to lose heart. They didn't know what Zhao She wanted, and judging from the current signs, it seemed that Zhao Jun had no plans to send troops.
Soon, 28 days passed. Zhao Guo only built more forts and looked on coldly to the Qin army's repeated provocations. Qin Jun was even more confused about Zhao She's intentions.
Therefore, the Qin army sent spies into the Zhao army's camp to conduct reconnaissance, check the Zhao army's strength, and then make further plans. The reason why Zhao She's troops have been here all the time, singing about the strategy of doubting the soldiers, is waiting for this time, so that the Qin army can make a plan. Therefore, when the Qin army arrived, the Zhao army did not notice it at all. They treated them as ordinary people, greeted them with good food and food, and then allowed them to move around freely after they had had enough food and wine.
At the right time, only a handful of people in the Zhao army understood Zhao She's intentions. Zhao She understands that in order to deceive others, he must first deceive himself. Only in this way can the enemy not notice. Especially ordinary soldiers, they only need to follow orders to fight. If they know too much, they will become a leaky wall. Sure enough, with Zhao She's painstaking efforts, Tan Ma told the Qin generals everything he saw.
The Qin general did not know what the plan was, and thought that Zhao's army "went thirty miles to the country and could not do it, so he built more bases and was not in Zhao's territory." ("Historical Records: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru") Therefore, he relaxed his vigilance towards Zhao Jun. This move is similar to the counter-insurgency plan during the Three Kingdoms period, when Zhou Yu relied on Jiang Qian to convey the news of the incompatibility of the Soochow camp to Cao Cao, which ultimately led to the burning of Cao Cao and the destruction of his boats and oars.
Zhao She would naturally not let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As soon as Qin's probing horse left, Zhao She suddenly made a decision to gather his troops and advance with all his strength. Before the Qin army could react, Zhao She had already rushed westward. After two days and one night, Zhao Jun successfully reached Lilan and fifty miles away. The news soon spread to the Qin Army's garrison in Wu'an. The Qin Army generals were so shocked that they let Zhao Jun slip away from their eyes without even realizing it. The Qin army was still guarding Wu'an, dreaming of great dreams of the Spring and Autumn Period, but Zhao She arrived at Yanyu without anyone noticing. As the saying goes, it is not too late to mend the situation after the sheep has been lost. The Qin army hurriedly ordered the troops to rush to the aid of Yanyu.
Although Zhao Jun was temporarily freed from the constraints of the enemies of Wu'an, he did not rest easy. Firstly, the enemies of Wu'an arrived in an instant. When the time came, Zhao Jun would still be in danger when attacked from both sides. Secondly, Zhao Jun's strategic purpose was to rescue Yan Yu. At present, Yanyu is still under siege by the Qin army; thirdly, the Zhao army went deep alone and jumped thousands of miles into South Korea. Without a good supply of food and grass from the rear, the army was always in danger.
At this time, a sergeant named Xu Li risked being killed for violating Zhao She's military order and spoke to Zhao She. To sum up, Xu Li's words can be summarized into two sentences:
First of all, the Zhao army needs to remain vigilant at all times and strengthen the defense of the camp to eliminate the possibility of a surprise attack by the Qin army. Especially the current Qin army did not expect that our army would actually descend from the sky. Taking it by surprise, the Qin army would inevitably press the entire army to prevent our army from further action. If our army wants to remain undefeated, it needs to retreat when the Qin army arrives, temporarily avoid its sharp edge, strengthen its military formation, and wait for work.
Secondly, send troops to seize Beishan. Beishan is the strategic commanding heights and has a commanding advantage. Whichever of the two armies seizes Beishan first, the balance of victory will be biased towards that side.
After Zhao She listened carefully to what he said, instead of punishing him, he greatly appreciated and adopted his suggestions. Zhao's army of 10,000 troops, led by Xu Li, marched to Beishan, one step ahead of the Qin army, and took the initiative in the war. Zhao She personally led the rest of the Zhao army and quickly attacked the besieging troops. One force of the Qin army continued to besiege Yanyu, while the other force hurriedly responded. The Qin army that rushed to the foot of Beishan quickly fell into a situation with no way forward and pursuers. When Zhao She came to kill, Xu Li's 10,000 army also descended from the mountain like tigers and attacked the Qin army. The Qin army was defeated like a mountain and quickly fled in all directions, and the siege of Yan and his troops was also lifted.
This battle caused Qiang Qin to suffer an unprecedented blow in many years. For a long time after that, Qiang Qin did not dare to act rashly, for fear of repeating the mistakes of the war. This battle also demonstrated the decisive role of the right time, place and people in the war. Those who have the right time know how to seize the opportunity. When the Qin army besieged Yanyu, they decided to leap forward thousands of miles to attack. When the Qin army was paralyzed in Wu'an, they quickly sent out troops to Yanyu on a starry night. Those who had the right geographical location divided Qin and South Korea by the boundaries of their territories. The difference is to use the danger of Beishan to strengthen the strategic advantage against the Qin army, and to use the advantage of Zhao She's military revolution to shock the world; to be harmonious, firstly, the generals in the Zhao Kingdom are in harmony, the monarch and ministers are of one mind, and secondly, the alliance with South Korea , the unjust attack on the Qin State won the hearts of the people in the world, and it can be said that those who are enlightened will be helped. However, the Qin army brazenly launched an attack on the land of the Three Jin Dynasties, slaughtering cities at every turn and bleeding for thousands of miles. It can be said that the unjust people have little help. There is a saying: "When there is little help, relatives will be by your side; when there is much help, the world will obey. If the world is submissive, attack where relatives are by. Therefore, if a gentleman does not fight, he will win in battle." Mencius Gongsun "Ugly"
After this battle, King Zhao Huiwen named Zhao She the Lord of Mafu, and his status was on par with Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. From then on, he established his status as one of the famous generals of the Six Eastern Countries. Xu Li was also named a national captain because of his outstanding performance in this battle. Zhao's status among the vassal states has been greatly improved, and it became the only vassal state among the six eastern kingdoms at that time that could shake Qin's status.
