On the king's couch in the palace of Wei Dynasty, King Wei Ying was slightly dizzy. What Zhang Yi described is indeed the current actual situation in Wei.
The hegemonic status of Wei in the past no longer exists, and how could those princely states that Wei had offended in the past turn around and help because of a piece of alliance?
If South Korea had not been on the same front as Wei Guoshuan, I am afraid it would have been adding insult to injury from behind.
No matter what Zhang Yi was doing, what he said really touched Wei Guo's pain point. Regardless of whether Zhang Yi entered Wei as a spy for the Qin State as rumored, Wei Ying actually didn't care about this. As long as Zhang Yi did not do anything that harmed the interests of the Wei State, it was true, so what? Judging from Wei's current situation, he seems to have little choice. Relying on Qin is more reliable than Chu and Qi.
Wei Ying immediately asked: "What will happen to our country, Wei, according to what Xiangbang sees?"
Zhang Yi raised the corner of his mouth slightly, pointed at the map of Kanyu and said: "Your Majesty, please see, our country of Wei is vast and thousands of miles deep from east to west, but its borders are long. The terrain of our country is flat, and there are no dangerous mountains. If there is another war, if you want to defend it, It can be said that it is very difficult to consolidate the country.
Now, due to the continuous wars, I am afraid that the number of capable warriors in Wei State will not exceed 300,000. If the entire country's troops are guarded at the border, the troops will inevitably be dispersed.
Today, our country, Wei, is in a land of four wars. There is Chu State in the south, Zhao State in the north, Qiang Qin in the west, Qi State in the east, and Korea in the belly. They are all powerful countries in the world. And if Wei, our country, is on good terms with Chu, we will neglect Qi, and Qi will definitely attack Wei. If Wei, our country, is on good terms with Qi, we will alienate ourselves from Zhao, and Zhao will follow suit. As for South Korea and Chu, they cannot be offended. Gu Chen believes that if our country of Wei wants to come and go freely, we should Lian Heng! "
"Lian Heng?" Wei Ying frowned.
"Lian Heng!" Zhang Yi's tone increased slightly. "Qin is the most powerful country in the world. If our state of Wei is an enemy of Qin, and if the King of Qin gets angry and attacks our state of Wei, can our state of Wei be able to resist it?" Zhang Yi's words can be said to clarify his attitude.
"You are shameless in your words and dare to intimidate the king! How can the three Jins be afraid of Qin!" The prince's heir immediately stepped forward and shouted loudly. Zhang Yi dared to intimidate the King of Wei as the Prime Minister in the Wei court. It seemed that he had also shown his cards.
"Shut up!" Wei Ying scolded.
"Father..." Wei Si was unwilling to give up and wanted to say more.
Wei Ying glared at Wei Si, then turned to Zhang Yi and said, "Keep talking."
"He Zong..." Zhang Yi smiled sarcastically, and then continued: "If the Qin State raises a large army to attack the outside of the river and attacks the Wei State, the Zhao State will not be able to go south, and the Wei State will not be able to go north. Even if it is cut off, how can the prince talk about joining the line?"
"Nonsense!" Wei Si refuted.
Zhang Yi didn't pay attention to Wei Si's disorderly words. He drew his right hand horizontally towards the map of Kanyu, and Gu Zi continued: "If our state of Wei is attached to the state of Qin in the west and connected to the state of Qi in the east, then Zhao, Chu, Han, The Song Dynasty will be frightened by Qin's power and will not dare to send troops to Wei."
Wei Ying pondered for a while and said: "Xiangbang's words are reasonable. Let me think about it for a while and then reply to Xiangbang."
Zhang Yi's eyes darkened and he said quietly: "Qin's main targets are Zhao and Chu. Why does the king need to protect the two countries from the disaster of war?"
Wei Ying's face darkened when he heard these words.
The prince also held his mouth, gritted his teeth secretly, but did not answer a word.
The hall fell into a situation where you could hear a pin drop.
Wei Xin took a step forward, cupped his hands in front of Zhang Yi and said, "Xiangbang, this policy is a big matter, and we cannot make rash judgments. More research is needed."
Before Zhang Yi spoke, his favorite minister Tian Xian stepped forward and said to Wei Ying, "Your Majesty, I think the strategy of Lian Heng is feasible. Looking at the current situation, the unity of our Wei State has been broken! In the past, the intentions of all countries We formed an alliance to resist Qin, but what was the result? Qi and Chu refused to participate. Instead, they took advantage of Wei to fight against Qin and plundered our borders. How can we unite Qi and Chu to deal with Qin?"
"I second the proposal!" Dr. Zhang Shou agreed.
"I agree!" Wei Li, the chief minister who had been wandering around, also agreed.
Wei Ying raised his head and glanced at His Highness, sighed, and said slowly: "Then let's follow Xiangbang's policy and conquer Qin. Please work hard to make an alliance with Qin on behalf of Xiangbang."
Wei Ying also knew that what Zhang Yi said was reasonable. Wei could not withstand Qin's big stick today. Zhao and South Korea obviously have too much to take care of themselves now.
"Here! I would like to do the work for you." Zhang Yi replied.
"Now the capital of the Zhao Kingdom is empty, and the King of Zhao is about to march north again. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I hope the King will send troops to attack Zhao." Zhang Yi continued to encourage.
After hearing this, Wei Ying turned a deaf ear and waved his hand to His Highness with a tired face.
The eunuch beside him immediately shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, please withdraw from the court!"
Zhang Yi used Wei Yu to attack Lianheng again, and Wei's alliance with Qin was a foregone conclusion, but Wei Ying's attitude towards Zhao was still unclear.
But the wheels of war don't seem to stop turning because of his attitude.
…
…
The capital of Zhongshan, Zhongshan City.
The bleakness of autumn seems to be more obvious in this city within a city surrounded by mountains. The wind blows and rolls through the withered yellow leaves, brushing against the busy shoulders.
Although the territory of Zhongshan State is small, its economy is quite developed. Zhongshan has extremely rich reserves of various mineral resources. The rich copper and iron resources have also created a developed handicraft industry in Zhongshan State. The smelting and casting of copperware and the smelting and casting of ironware are completely different. It is inferior to other countries in the Central Plains, or even worse. It has always been known as "many beautiful things" among the countries.
Moreover, the Zhongshan Kingdom cannot help but make handmade private weapons. In addition to the Zhongshan Treasury, you can see various handicraft shops in various large and small cities throughout the Zhongshan Kingdom.
The Hengshan Mountains are to the north of the Zhongshan Kingdom, and the Taihang Mountains in the middle run through its hinterland. Since most of the country is mountainous and the land is not suitable for farming, about one-third of the people in Zhongshan make a living by hunting. The Autumn Festival is considered to be the grandest annual festival in the Zhongshan Kingdom. Prey need to store food before winter comes and move more frequently. Prey in autumn and winter move slowly due to preservation of physical energy and are easier to hunt.
In this era, hunting was not only a life skill, it was also used in military ceremonies as a comprehensive exercise for military training. Based on military needs, sergeants can learn the skills of riding and shooting through hunting. Zhongshan people are originally barbarians and have a natural passion for riding and shooting.
Prince Jicuo of Zhongshan was very fond of such sports. Since the beginning of his succession, at the beginning of autumn and winter every year, he would summon all the ministers to go to the mountains together for autumn exercises.
And this fall is clearly going to disappoint him.
When the Qiuyi Brigade was about to leave for Taihang, two riders suddenly came from a distance and stopped in front of the team. Judging from the small flag and feathers in the knight's hand, it must be an urgent military situation.
Although Ji Cuo was arrogant, he was not faint. He naturally knew what was important and what was light, so he immediately sent back Qiu Xi's team and rode back to the palace.
In the Zhongshan Palace, Ji Cuo frowned slightly as she looked at the Jian Du Urgent Report that had just been sent from the border in her hand. There are two copies of Jiandu, one was passed down by the defenders of the South Great Wall, and the other was passed down by the defenders of Hongshangsai (Daomaguan, Tang County, Hebei Province).
Are the two places, the south and the north, encountering enemies at the same time?
After Ji Cuo opened the slip and scanned it carefully, his brows relaxed, and then he asked the eunuch to pass the information to the ministers for circulation.
After His Highness's ministers watched, some people's faces immediately showed surprise, while others were full of sorrow.
Gong Shujie immediately stood up and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Lou Fan and Lin Hu have invaded the northern border of Zhao. I, Zhongshan, will immediately raise an army to attack Zhao."
Gongshu Jie strongly opposed the war against Qi State, but if there was a war against Zhao State, he would support it with both hands.
Because in Gong Shujie's view, Zhongshan State is like a goat, a strong goat, while Qi State is like a shepherd dog. Although the dog occasionally drives the sheep, it also protects the sheep.
To Zhongshan, the State of Zhao was like a wolf, a wolf with a thirst for blood. Even if Zhao Guoguo occasionally came to Zhongshan's aid, in Gongshujie's opinion, it was just a wolf using fresh grass to lure the sheep to relax their vigilance. No matter how strong the sheep is, it can only be a sumptuous meal in front of the wolf.
This is the relationship of interest between the three.
When a dog chases a sheep away, it will only collect the wool at most, but will not harm the life of the sheep, because to the dog, a living sheep is far more valuable than a dead sheep. But the wolf will try his best to eat the sheep alive.
It's an obvious truth, but his own monarch just couldn't understand it and completely drove away the sheepdog for some unrealistic benefits.
How can a sheep without a shepherd dog defeat a wolf? But the sheep of Zhongshan had no choice but to fight with the wolf of Zhao.
Now the sheep's opportunity has come. The wolf relaxed its vigilance and turned its back, exposing its most vulnerable waist and abdomen. How could Gongshujie not be excited?
Although sheep do not have the fangs and claws of wolves, their horns are still a fatal threat to wolves.
"Your Majesty, don't hesitate any longer. If the war breaks out, Qin and Wei will definitely launch an attack on Zhao. At that time, I, the Zhongshan Kingdom, can take the opportunity to completely cripple the hungry wolf next to me." Gongshujie urged.
With Gongshujie's strategic vision alone, he could accurately predict the trend of the next war with just two border letters. If he were the King of Zhongshan, Zhao Guo would definitely have one more powerful opponent. but……
Ji Cuo paused and said, "I have an alliance with the King of Zhao. I am afraid it would be inappropriate to take advantage of Zhao's crisis and rashly attack Zhao."
Gongshu Jie was shocked. He did not expect that his king had become so pedantic. In the past two years, Zhongshan State was influenced by Qi State and vigorously promoted Confucianism and Mohism in the country. In Gong Shujie's view, the original intention of such doctrines was to imprison the minds of the people at the bottom. This... now, how come even the majestic king of the country has been brainwashed.
Gongshu Jie turned around and saw that no one from the left and right courtiers spoke for him, and he felt disheartened.
"Your Majesty, you must not be rigid and conservative at this moment. If we, Zhongshan, do not take advantage of Zhao's weakness today to conquer it, we, Zhongshan, will surely suffer the consequences in the future." Gongshu Jie lay on the ground and persuaded with sincere eyes. .
Ji Cuo frowned slightly, turned to Sima Xi, and asked: "What does the Prime Minister think? Can the State of Zhao be conquered?"
Since Sima Xi's "big victory" against Qi in Fuliu, his status in Zhongshan Kingdom has risen even more. Even Wang Jicuo of Zhongshan ordered craftsmen to carve Sima Xi's achievements on the sacrificial vessels.
Sima Xi thought carefully for a moment, then slowly bowed his head to his superiors and said: "As stated in the Great Wall Letter, Zhao's troops in Xingxiang and Wucheng have not been mobilized. Perhaps this is because King Zhao is secretly guarding our Zhongshan Kingdom. , if our Zhongshan army goes south, I am afraid that we will not get any benefits at this time. Moreover, our Zhongshan State has just severed diplomatic relations with the Qi State. If we start a war with the Zhao State again, our Zhongshan State's trade with other countries will be completely blocked, and the people will be full of complaints. , I’m afraid it will not be good for the name of the king. Moreover, our country of Zhongshan will be completely surrounded by war on all sides. Gu Chen believes that it is inappropriate to start a war with Zhao."
When Gong Shujie heard these words, he immediately turned his head and glared, and refuted loudly: "How can the Prime Minister be so pedantic? Today Lou Fan and Lin Hu have invited me to hunt in Zhao together in Zhongshan. If we miss this opportunity, we will No more!"
Sima Xi was not angry, and said calmly to Gongshu Jie: "In my opinion, the letter of invitation from Lou Fan to Yu Hong Shangsai cannot be followed. I, Zhongshan, have enmity with Lou Fan and Lin Hushi. "In the past, when I regained my kingdom in Zhongshan, the two clans often used the road to harass me. Last year, I was buried in Zhao with all the other states, and Loufan led a large army to attack me in Zhongshan. Have you forgotten?"
"I dare not forget, but has the Prime Minister forgotten the enmity between Zhongshan and Zhao?" Gongshujie replied.
...Sima Xi was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt that what Gongshu Jie said made sense, but he still replied: "This moment, that moment."
Gongshu Jie was not prepared to argue with Sima Xi in the court, because it was useless.
He turned around, made up his mind secretly, and then continued to worship Ji Cuo: "Your Majesty, I beg you to send troops! I am willing to be a general. If I don't achieve even an inch of merit, I am willing to be punished by the military!"
Ji Cuo's eyes narrowed slightly, looking at her stubborn uncle.
It would be good to succeed in the war against Zhao State, but failure would leave Zhao State with an excuse to launch a massive crusade.
"Uncle Wang really dares to issue military orders?" Ji Cuo asked.
Uncle Gongjie raised his head and said in a sonorous tone: "I serve the country and have no fear!"
Ji Cuo nodded secretly and asked Sima Xi, "What does Prime Minister think?"
"My lord, I would like to respect the king's order!" Sima Xi surprisingly had no objection.
"Okay! I will take Uncle Wang as my general and rush to Zhongren (today's Tang County, Hebei Province) to take advantage of the situation to attack the State of Zhao. But... in order to prevent Xing Xiang's troops from the State of Zhao from going north, I can only send hundreds of additional chariots to Uncle Wang. Riding, riding ten thousand on foot. Does Uncle Wang think it is feasible?"
One chariot can carry seventy-five people, and hundreds of chariots can carry nearly ten thousand people. Including the cavalry and the original garrison of Zhongren City, there are also thirty thousand soldiers.
Gongshujie thought for a moment. Although his troops were small, he knew that this was the maximum that Ji Cuo could tolerate. Then he immediately bowed and said, "My lord, I will definitely make contributions to the king!"
Ji Cuo said happily: "Okay! I will wait in the royal city for the good news about Uncle Wang heading north to Feihu Valley."
"I will live up to the king's orders!" Gong Shujie said solemnly.
"Whether Uncle Wang succeeds or not, don't act recklessly, focus on preserving yourself." Ji Cuo said in a leisurely tone.
"My lord, please respect the king's orders!"
