According to historical records, Zhao Kuo died in 259 BC. He appeared repeatedly almost accompanying the rise of Zhao She. Therefore, it can be said that Zhao Kuo's first half of his life was always on an uphill road. Under the leadership of Zhao She, Zhao Jun was invincible and never suffered a defeat. It was obvious to everyone in the world. Zhao Kuo's talents were not inferior to those of his father Zhao She, but he was even slightly better in strategy.
From the Battle of Maiqiu, Zhao Kuo began to rise to prominence. Especially with the cooperation of his father Zhao She, his reputation grew and he gained the favor of King Zhao. Later, when Zhao She was about to send troops to fight against the enemy, he did not forget to ask his son for advice on how to relieve the siege of the enemy in the shortest time and at the lowest cost.
Zhao Kuo once again demonstrated his unique talent for analyzing the country and strategizing. The Qin general responsible for attacking Yanyu at that time was the famous general Hu Yang. Hu Yang was a general of the Qin army that Bai Qi valued, and he was good at using troops. Although Zhao Jun had a strong front and even had Zhao She as his general, he was not even sure of victory. Moreover, the Qin army relied on the bravery of its soldiers, the strategy of its generals, and the hegemonic momentum. At best, the Zhao army had only half a chance of winning.
So Zhao Kuo compared the advantages and disadvantages of the two armies and the current war situation, and advised Zhao She: The current Qin army is nominally attacking South Korea's Huaye first, but in fact it wants to force South Korea to form an alliance with it by occupying Huaye. Then use the Han Road to attack Zhao. In the past, the Jin State deceived the Yu State into taking advantage of the road, killing two birds with one stone. Not only did they attack the Guo State through the Yu State, but they also took advantage of the situation to destroy the Yu State. This was a false way to destroy the Guo State. South Korea is very worried that it will also be taken advantage of by the Qin army. The Qin State has always been unfaithful. If it leads to the country's subjugation because of coveting Zhao's territory, it will really be more than the gain is worth the loss.
On the other hand, the Qin army, through successive attacks on South Korea, even if it can force South Korea to become its ally, cannot make the capricious South Korea effectively respond to the Qin army's attacks from the side. Therefore, it can be said that the Qin and Korean armies actually had concerns about each other. The Qin army traveled thousands of miles to attack Yanyu, and the advantage was to fight quickly. When the Zhao army traveled thousands of miles to save Huan Yu, they also sought a quick battle, but at the critical moment, the Qin and Zhao armies still needed to compete for patience. The Zhao army should let the Qin and Han armies step up their attacks to distract the Qin army from the Zhao army. As long as the Qin army is fearful and intends to retreat, then they will definitely not be able to defeat the Zhao army and will be more eager to seek a quick victory. At this moment, the Zhao army only needs to show its inability and concentrate on setting up defenses, which can give the Qin army the illusion that the Zhao army is temporarily unable to rescue Yan Yu and dare not attack the Qin army, causing the Qin army to relax its vigilance. At this time, if the Zhao army takes advantage of Zhao's unpreparedness and launches a quick attack, the Qin army can be wiped out in one fell swoop, and the siege of Yan and his troops can be broken.
Therefore, Zhao She sent people to sneak into Lanyu and told the troops guarding Lanyu that Zhao's army was approaching and the siege of Lanyu would be broken within a month. He asked them to hold on and wait for the changes. On the other hand, select a group of brave, resourceful and courageous troops to insert secretly between the armies of Qin and South Korea. When encountering the Qin army, they will transform into the Han army to attack, and when encountering the Han army, they will transform into the Qin army to attack. Let's go. I won't be reluctant to fight. In this way, the Qin and South Korean armies will definitely fight to the death. Regardless of the outcome of the final war, it will be difficult for Qin and South Korea to form an alliance in a short period of time.
From this point of view, the so-called "paper talk" of Zhao Kuo in history seems to be an exaggeration.
On the other hand, Zhao She's fame not only relied on his military ability to assess the situation and predict the enemy's movements behind the scenes, but also relied on his experience in hundreds of battles and nine deaths. Although he was slightly inferior to Zhao Kuo in strategy formulation. But when it comes to the cruelty and difficulty of war itself, understanding and cognition, understanding and experience, it is beyond Zhao Kuo's level. As mentioned earlier, Zhao She never hid anything when he was rewarded by King Zhao. Instead, he directly dissipated his property and gave it to his own deployment and soldiers. The resulting effect was huge. There are no less than one hundred and eighty people who are close to him, and no less than fifty or sixty people who are willing to die for him. But it cannot be said that Zhao She, as a general, just cares for the soldiers and wins people's hearts. Zhao She was famous for his strict military discipline and selflessness in running the army. This can be well reflected from the fact that during the battle between Yan and Yi, he ordered that no one be allowed to speak without permission, and one person who violated the ban was killed. In addition, Zhao She was able to change his strategy according to changes in the situation. In this way, he repeatedly violated military discipline and spoke to Zhao She. In the end, he was not only exempted from punishment, but also reused. These are all things that Zhao Kuo, Zhao She's son, can never hope to achieve.
This seems to have decided the final outcome of Zhao She and Zhao Kuo.
After experiencing victory in two wars, Zhao Kuo, who had learned the art of war since he was a child and was good at talking about war, developed an arrogance. He believed that although the world is so big, it is really difficult to find anyone who can catch up with others in military affairs. Zhao Kuo gradually became proud and complacent, and Zhao She gradually saw some clues about this. Although Zhao She believed that his son was full of military theories but had no actual combat experience, once he discussed military affairs with him, Zhao She would be rendered speechless by his son Zhao Kuo's eloquent talk and ambition.
Facing Zhao Kuo's arrogance at the moment, Zhao She made a decision to let him wake up secretly through subtle education without hurting his face. It's a pity that Zhao Kuo is blinded by his false reputation at this moment. How can he see his father's good intentions? So Zhao She decided to ask his wife, Zhao Kuo's mother, to go and persuade him. Zhao Kuo's mother had always been proud of giving birth to such a peerless genius as Zhao Kuo. She didn't want her husband's family to be dissatisfied with him, so she asked why.
Zhao She said earnestly: "War is a matter of life and death. Zhao Kuo only read it in military books. When it came to discussing the victory or defeat of the war and the strategies of the soldiers, Zhao Kuo was naturally eloquent and eloquent, but when it comes to practical matters In the war, those life and death confrontations, blood and fire, movement and stillness, truth and falsehood, as well as the depth of advance and retreat, offensive and defensive success or failure, Zhao Kuo is far from enough. If Zhao Guo uses him, he must have a Someone who is enough to assist him, but where can he find such a person? If King Zhao does not allow him to become a general, although it is the misfortune of our Zhao family, it is the great blessing of our Zhao country. As a parent, there is no greater pain than this. .”
Although Zhao Kuo's mother loved her son as much as her life, she understood the difficulties of Zhao She, who was the pillar of the country, and even more understood the importance of talent selection for a country. After Zhao She's suggestions and her mother's usual observations, she could easily see Zhao Kuo's flaws. Therefore, the two evils were weighed and the lesser was chosen. In order that her son would not cause a big disaster in the future, Zhao Kuo's mother began to warn her son, hoping that he would be cautious in joining the army and listen more to the teachings of his father Zhao She. He even told him that if possible, it would be best not to inherit his father's legacy.
However, Zhao Kuo, who has great ambitions, will not settle for mediocrity no matter what.
After the death of King Zhao Huiwen, Prince Xiaocheng ascended the throne as the king of Zhao. In the seventh year of King Xiaocheng (259 BC), Zhao She had died, and few people in the world could restrict Zhao Kuo's development. Seeing that King Zhao was about to re-appoint Zhao Kuo, Zhao Kuo's mother hurriedly warned Zhao Kuo not to join the army. Lian Po's generation of famous generals was still defeated by the Qin army. How could Zhao Kuo be able to defeat the general Bai Qi? However, Zhao Kuo was dazzled by blind self-confidence at this time. He thought that his chance to become a prosperous person was here, and he did not listen to his mother's advice at all. So, his mother wrote to King Zhao again: "Kuo cannot make a general." King Zhao said, "Why?" Zhao Kuo's mother replied: "When I served Zhao Kuo's father, Zhao She was a general at that time. It is up to him to He personally served dozens of people with food and drinks, and hundreds of people were treated as friends by him. Zhao She never coveted the things that the king and the royal family gave him, and distributed them all to the military officials and subordinates. Since he accepted From the day the king gave the order, he concentrated on military affairs and no longer interfered with family affairs. Now Zhao Kuo has become a general without making any great achievements. He has risen rapidly, is arrogant and arrogant. When facing the east to receive an audience, there is no one in the army. Sincerely supporting him, no one dared to look up at him. Contrary to Zhao She, Zhao Kuo directly took all the gold and silk that the king had rewarded him home and kept them. For his own personal gain, he went around to check out suitable land and real estate. When he saw the one he liked, I bought it without hesitation. From this point of view, Zhao Kuo is not like his father at all. Using him as a general is really not a blessing to the country. I hope the king will depose him."
Unexpectedly, King Zhao had long heard that the Qin army was afraid of Zhao Kuo, and also heard that Zhao Kuo had a unique talent, so he was determined to use Zhao Kuo. In desperation, Zhao Kuo's mother could only pray to King Zhao that if Zhao Kuo must be sent to lead the army, Zhao Kuo's family would not suffer disaster after the accident. King Zhao thought that Zhao Kuo's mother was just alarmist and had no intention of understanding the meaning behind her words, so he agreed wholeheartedly.
From then on, Zhao Kuo's tragic life became a certainty despite his parents' efforts to no avail.
The next incident completely shocked the Seven Kingdoms!
