At that time, it was not only Qin who wanted to seize Shangdang and then invade the Central Plains; Zhao was also actively planning to control Shangdang's activities in order to join South Korea and Wei in resisting Qin's invasion. Qin is preparing to realize two strategic intentions in the next battle: to gain Shangdang and to attack Zhao.
The guardian of Shangdang is Feng Ting. Although he is just a South Korean county guard in Shangdang, he is not an ordinary person. He has a very clear and realistic understanding of the current situation. He knew that he was facing three choices, either leading a small number of Korean troops to actively resist and coexist with Shangdang County; or uniting with Zhao or directly surrendering to Zhao and resisting the powerful Qin together; or surrendering to Qin The country surrendered and donated the land to the party. In comparison, it seems that the second option is the best policy. South Korea is already too weak to compete with powerful countries, and can only survive in the cracks between Zhao and Qin.
At that time, only Zhao State had the strength to compete with Qin State. If Han and Zhao jointly build a deep city in Shangdang, they may be able to resist the Qin army's attack. For many years, in order to preserve its own strength, Zhao State has always exercised restraint against Qin's encroachment on the three Jin Dynasties, and tried its best to avoid a decisive battle with Qin. The effect of this is very obvious. Zhao State has become the most powerful country in terms of military strength among the six eastern countries. Qin knew that if he fought with Zhao, he would kill one thousand enemies and suffer eight hundred losses. The Qin State, which had been engaged in war for many years, consumed a huge amount of its national power, and numerous men in Guanzhong were killed or injured. The State of Zhao took this opportunity to step up its efforts to accumulate strength. Under the ebb and flow of one another, the strength of Qin and Zhao will soon be revealed. Therefore, Qin needs to seek a decisive battle with Zhao as soon as possible.
Feng Ting saw that the reason why Qin was pressing so hard at this time was to get Zhao to join the war. Since the decisive battle between the two countries is inevitable, it is better to let this war break out in advance. It is certainly unpredictable who will win, but what is foreseeable is that South Korea will no longer have to be in a dilemma between Qin and Zhao.
After some analysis, Feng Ting sent an envoy directly to Handan, the capital of Zhao State, with a map of Shangdang County without waiting for the consent of the King of Han.
According to historical records, at the same time that Feng Ting made this decision, King Zhao Xiaocheng actually had a strange dream. In his dream, King Zhao Xiaocheng saw colorful clouds floating in the sky towards him, and soon dispersed to both sides. Immediately afterwards, a five-clawed golden dragon descended from the sky and flew directly to the feet of King Zhao. So, King Zhao rode the golden dragon and flew into the blue sky. However, the golden dragon suddenly disappeared in mid-air, and King Zhao began to fall. As he fell, a golden mountain stood in front of him, shining brightly. King Zhao woke up at this moment.
As the saying goes: think about it every day and dream about it at night. Wang Fu of the Eastern Han Dynasty believed: "When people are thinking, they dream about their arrival; when they are worried, they dream about what they will do." He also said: "Thinking about it day and night, dreaming about it at night." He also said: "Confucius was born in troubled times. , I think about the virtues of Duke Zhou during the day, and dream about them at night." Liezi also believed that "day thoughts" and "night dreams" are closely related. Xiong Bolong of the Ming Dynasty also believed: "As for dreams, they are more 'caused by longing and thinking'. You think about it during the day, and you dream about it at night." Wang Tingxiang, a thinker at the same time, also believed: "Dreams are thoughts and fate. It’s a touching trace.”
Perhaps King Zhao projected this dream out of concern for the future of Zhao, but what exactly it hinted at was unknown to King Zhao. Therefore, he informed the officials about the dream in the early morning, and asked the knowledgeable people among them to analyze the dream.
Doctor Zhao Yu stepped forward and said, this is a symbol of good fortune. If the hands are separated, they will be reunited, which means that the three Jin lands will become a unified body; traveling on a dragon to the sky means that the Zhao Kingdom will be prosperous; falling can After getting the land and encountering a golden mountain, isn't the king going to make a fortune?
The King of Zhao was overjoyed and turned to the officials of Zhao State who were responsible for divination to ask about good or bad luck. The official was shocked after hearing King Zhao's narration, saying that traveling on a dragon to heaven was originally a good thing, but it was a pity that it fell down halfway, and the Jinshan Mountain was just a virtual thing, which could be seen but not obtained. .
This person was completely different from what Zhao Yu said, which made King Zhao feel in a dilemma and felt very uneasy. It was originally a very common thing, but it made King Zhao uneasy. At this time, an envoy sent by Feng Ting, the governor of Shangdang County, came to Handan, the capital of Zhao State.
As soon as the envoy saw King Zhao Xiaocheng, he couldn't wait to say: "Qin is violently attacking South Korea, and Shangdang is about to become the land of Qin. However, the soldiers and civilians of South Korea are unwilling to linger under the oppression of Qin, and I am willing to bask in the glory of Zhao's prosperity. There are 17 cities in Shangdang County, and South Korea is willing to dedicate them all to the king!" When King Zhao heard this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. There was such a "pie in the sky" in the world. "Good thing. Unexpectedly, his dream was in response to Zhao Yu's explanation, but within a few hours, God sent Zhao the coveted Shangdang. From now on, Zhao State can attack Qin State if it advances, and can strangle the throats of the three Jin states if it retreats. Maybe Zhao State will be the one to conquer the world in the end. Shangdanghui is the key for Zhao to get out of the Three Jins and control the entire Warring States process.
At this time, King Zhao Xiaocheng's uncle Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao came. King Zhao hurriedly discussed with him. He believed that Zhao State should send troops immediately and accept the 17 cities donated by South Korea to Zhao State. From then on, Zhao State could flex its muscles and realize its ambitions.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Bao not only showed no intention of being happy, but also directly poured cold water on King Zhao. Zhao Bao believes that if Zhao Guo can get Shangdang so easily, there must be a reason. The current situation is obvious. The Qin State has spent a lot of effort on Shangdang and is determined to win. If the State of Zhao takes Shangdang away, the State of Qin will definitely not be willing to do so. Feng Ting's move was to drive away wolves and tigers, divert disaster to the east, and then use Zhao's troops to resist the powerful Qin soldiers. His real purpose is not to move closer to Zhao State, but to use Zhao State's power to defend South Korea.
It's just that King Zhao Xiaocheng has not established any meritorious achievements since he came to the throne. He is willing to take risks even if there are dangers to be able to enjoy such good things. Therefore, King Zhao Xiaocheng turned to Pingyuan Lord Zhao Sheng to see if he could give him some more insightful suggestions.
Zhao Sheng naturally understood what King Zhao was thinking. He knew that King Zhao had actually been ready to accept the Shangdang for a long time. What he needed now was a group of people who supported him and a reason to send troops. Zhao Sheng has clearly seen this. Since he can't be persuaded, he simply goes with the flow.
Zhao Sheng had thought a lot before meeting King Zhao, so as soon as King Zhao spoke, Zhao Sheng responded directly: "This is a good thing, and it is not a bad thing to have it. If it is managed well, maybe Zhao can still rely on this An opportunity to rise. Over the years, Zhao Jun has repeatedly sent millions of troops to attack other countries, trying to capture one or two cities, but every time they returned in vain. Now Zhao can capture 17 cities without any effort. Why not build a city? Shangdang has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Once occupied by Qin, Handan of Zhao will be directly exposed to Qin's iron cavalry. Handan is the capital of Zhao. , blocking the Zhang River in the south, and relying on Shangdang in the west to defend Taihang. Now Wei's Hanoi has been occupied by Qin. If Shangdang is also occupied by Qin, it will be difficult for Zhao to compete with Qin for the land of Taihang. It's even more difficult. When Qin is condescending, the entire Central Plains will become Qin's prey. Therefore, instead of letting Qin easily acquire Shangdang, it is better to take the lead in occupying this strategic location to consolidate Handan. Zhao is now With strong troops and strong horses, Zhao need not be afraid even if Qin wants to fight a decisive battle. Even if Zhao does not capture Shangdang, when the Qin army captures Shangdang, it will definitely send troops directly into the land of the three Jins, and then it will still have to fight the Qin army. "
When Zhao Sheng said this, everyone in the Zhao country suddenly became enlightened, and the opinions of the civil and military officials tended to be unified. Therefore, Zhao Guo decided to send troops to occupy Shangdang. The person leading the troops this time was Zhao Sheng, the king of Pingyuan who supported the troops. King Zhao ordered him to lead an army of 50,000 to go to Shangdang to collect the land. After Zhao Sheng came to Shangdang, the first thing he did was to convey King Zhao's will to Feng Ting, to confer him the title of Lord of Hualing and give him 30,000 households. In addition, King Zhao also named 17 county magistrates as marquises. They were given food for 3,000 households, and all officials and people were promoted to the third level of nobility, with a reward of 6 taels.
Zhao Sheng believed that Feng Ting, who had been treated so well, would be grateful and happily hand over Shangdang to Zhao Guo. Unexpectedly, Feng Ting closed the door and didn't even meet Zhao Sheng. He even cried and said: "I sold my master's land to gain wealth, which is unfaithful!" He also listed three of his greatest injustices in words. The first injustice is that Feng Ting dedicated Shangdang to the State of Zhao without the permission of the King of Han; the second injustice is that the King of Zhao gave Feng Ting such a high official and generous salary, and Feng Ting really deserved it, because this He got it by relying on the seller to seek glory; the third injustice was that the King of Han regarded Feng Ting as a confidant and handed him such an important strategic location, but he did not defend it desperately based on the danger of the Shangdang.
Feng Ting's move touched Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng: he didn't expect that Feng Ting turned out to be a loyal minister.
In fact, Feng Ting cried for another reason. The reason for all this was not only his disloyalty to South Korea, but also his injustice to Zhao. After handing over 17 cities in Shangdang County to the State of Zhao, the State of Qin regarded Zhao State as an enemy, and other countries would also be jealous. As a result, the State of Zhao was placed in an "immoral" dilemma. Even if other countries did not attack the State of Zhao, they would not provide assistance to the State of Zhao in the struggle between Qin and Zhao.
However, the historical community has another explanation for what Feng Ting did: Feng Ting was not only disloyal to South Korea, but also disloyal to Zhao. In fact, Feng Ting had been in secret contact with Qin Jun before this. The Qin army's primary combat target was Zhao Jun, and the purpose of offering Shangdang was to lure Zhao Jun to come. Qin's military strategy at this moment is actually very contradictory. It wants to have a head-on contest with Zhao, but it also has doubts about Zhao's strength. Therefore, the Qin State spent a lot of money to bribe Feng Ting, making him rebel against Han and then feign surrender to the Zhao State. Eventually, the Zhao Army was lured into the Qin Army's encirclement and ambushed him.
This speculation is not unfounded: after Feng Ting, Feng Wuze, Feng Quji, and Feng Jie all became prime ministers and generals in the Qin Dynasty, which proves this speculation to a certain extent.
If this speculation is true, then the depth of Feng Ting's scheming and the terrifying strategy are really chilling. It's just that Zhao Jun is only full of joy at this moment, so how can he consider this level? According to historical records, Lord Pingyuan waited for Feng Ting to cry outside the city gate for three days and three nights before entering the city. Zhao Sheng assured Feng Ting that Zhao Jun would go all out to defend Shangdang. Feng Ting also said that high-ranking officials and generous salaries are not important. As long as the Shangdang is still in the hands of South Korea or Zhao, the safety of the Three Jins can be ensured.
