Ji Huo's heart suddenly sank. He knew that if he stepped out of the Qin Palace, Ba's request for help from Qin would be in vain.
After a moment of silence, Ji Huo said with some struggle: "I beg your Majesty to make a decision quickly. If the Qin State cannot send troops, the foreign ministers will immediately resign and return to the country. They will live and die with the Ba State."
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became solemn.
Ying Si frowned. He is also very confused now. Most of what he said to the ambassador just now is the truth.
As far as the Qin State is concerned at this time, the impact of the defeat to the Three Jin Dynasties in ten years has not been eliminated; the northern expedition to Yiqu last year consumed the foundation accumulated over the years; and now the national strength has not been restored. Now there are Qi and Chu countries outside the pass looking at him with eager eyes.
Qin itself was caught off guard, so how could it still be in the mood to help Bashu?
Whether the three kingdoms of Ba, Shu and Ju are fighting life or death, winning or losing, it will not have much impact on the Qin State. With the current state of the Qin State, Ying Si is unwilling to divide his troops.
Standing with a scepter in his hand, Zhang Yi saw the King of Qin who was above him bemoaning and did not respond for a long time. He hurriedly came out and said: "Young Master, please don't disturb me. There is a problem in Ba and Ju. Qin will never sit idly by and do nothing. Please go back to your Majesty first." Please take a rest for a while. I will give you an answer after my king's court discussion."
Hearing this, Ji Huo had no choice but to bow to his superior and say, "Foreign ministers, please retire!"
The moment he walked out of the high platform of the hall, Ji Huo had a decision in his heart. The perfunctory meaning in King Qin's words could not help but make him a little desperate. Just looking at the attitude of Qin's monarchs and ministers, his trip this time may have been in vain.
Thinking of his father's instructions before leaving, Ji Huo could only sigh deeply.
After walking out of Qin Palace, the waiting guards hurriedly greeted him. After getting on the carriage, one of the waiters asked in a low voice: "Sir, Qin is unwilling to send troops?"
Ji Huo had a sullen face and said nothing. He was minding his own business and glanced at the distant hall.
...In the main hall of Qin Palace, the envoy of Ba is waiting to leave the hall.
Sima Cuo came out of the queue and bowed to the leader Ying Si: "Your Majesty, if our Qin State does not send troops this time, Chu State may take advantage of the situation and divide its troops into Bashu. Once Ba and Ju are forced to fall to Chu State under pressure, what will happen to us?" The Qin State was a heavy blow."
Ying Si could only nod his head, and he was not unaware of the power of it. But now the troops that Qin can mobilize are really stretched.
It's not that he is unwilling to send troops, but that he has no choice.
Zhang Yi answered at this time: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, why not first listen to what the Shu envoy said?"
Ying Si glanced at Zhang Yi and nodded slightly.
The eunuch in front of the palace signaled and shouted: "Xuan, the envoys of the Kingdom of Shu have come to the palace to see you."
"Xuan, the envoys from the Kingdom of Shu came to the palace to have an audience..."
Compared with Ba, the relationship between Shu and Qin is not that good.
Since hundreds of years ago, the two countries have had geopolitical disputes, especially around Hanzhong, and the two countries have frequently fought wars.
In the past, Du Shang, the king of Shu, destroyed Xi'an, pacified the Zhou Kingdom, and enfeoffed Jiameng, in order to resist Qin's move southward.
What is deplorable is that the country of Jiameng and Ju turned around and betrayed its mother country.
Nowadays, Bashu and Bashu are at war. The Kingdom of Shu is at a time when it is making great progress, and the king of Shu, Du Lu, calls himself the overlord.
Although he was unwilling to show favor to Qin, Du Lu had to admit that Qin was powerful.
In order to be sure, he sent his son Du Lei as an envoy to the State of Qin. Firstly, he naturally hoped that the State of Qin would stand by and watch, and secondly, he wanted to inquire about news in the State of Qin.
As the stronger side, Shu made two plans, encircling Qin all the way and Chu all the way.
If Qin insists on sending troops to intervene, then Shu will look to Chu to protect itself.
Young Master Du Lei stepped into the palace, knelt down and bowed to the King of Qin, his attitude was extremely low:
"The envoy from the Kingdom of Shu pays homage to the King of Qin."
Ying Si smiled angrily and said: "Without courtesy... The envoy from Shu came here this time for the sake of fighting on the border between Shu and Ju."
Du Lei couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't expect King Qin to come up and attack with a single sword. It was a bit caught off guard.
Du Lei changed his mind and hurriedly bowed: "No, no, how dare you, a small country, bother your country. The foreign minister is here to make amends."
"Oh?" Now it was the turn of the Qin monarchs to be stunned.
Du Lei continued to bow to his superior, and then nodded slightly to the deputy envoy beside the palace door.
After a while, the Shu waiters waiting outside the hall walked into the hall carrying more than a dozen gorgeous wooden boxes.
Du Lei pointed at the wooden box and said slowly: "In the past, our ancestor of Shu had conflicts with Qin due to border disputes. Now that our ancestor has passed away, my king feels ashamed of Qin, so he specially surrenders The foreign minister brings me a small gift to apologize to the king."
Ying Si couldn't help but narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly: "The envoy from Shu is here, he won't just apologize."
"Your Majesty, it is clear that I do have something to ask of the State of Qin." Du Lei bowed deeply.
"It doesn't matter if you say it, Mr. Dan," Ying Si said.
"We, the Kingdom of Shu, are currently at war with the two countries of Bazhu. My king asked the Kingdom of Qin to sit back and watch and not to interfere." Du Lei said.
"This..." Ying Si pretended to be deep in thought and said: "The State of Ju and our State of Qin have an alliance..."
"Your Majesty, the two countries of Ba and Ju are immoral and secretly colluded with the Chu State to attack and destroy the Chong Kingdom. Now they are taking advantage of the mourning period of the Shu Kingdom to raise troops to attack me. We, the Shu Kingdom, are fighting for the sake of defending the territory. Please give me your warning." Du Lei was quite angry.
But these words also contained a vague threat. If Qin State sends troops, Shu State will think of Chu State and attack Qin State.
Ying Si couldn't help but sneer in his heart. He never cared about the threats from weak countries.
Although his heart was full of contempt, he said: "I see. Don't worry, envoy of Shu, I have no interest in the war between Bashu and Bashu. If the envoy of Shu comes here only for this matter, I can promise you now, Qin We will not send troops into Ju."
Du Lei's face was filled with joy and he quickly bowed his head and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I also ask Your Majesty to sign the covenant so that the foreign ministers can return to the country and resume their duties."
According to Shu's plan, it is best to make Qin sit on the sidelines and watch. After all, compared to the Qin State, the Chu State was separated by the Ba State.
"Yes. The Shu envoy will go back to the posthouse to rest first. I will wait until I have drafted the alliance letter in the past few days before forging an alliance with Shu." Ying Si said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I take my leave." Du Lei bowed and retreated out of the palace.
Du Lei didn't expect that Qin Hui would go so smoothly this time. But then I thought about it, I am afraid that the Qin State at this time really does not have the extra power to intervene in other countries' affairs.
Wait for the Shu envoy to leave the palace. Ying Si stood up and walked off the king's couch. He walked to the wooden box sent by the Kingdom of Shu and glanced inside. It was filled with gold, silver, pearls, jade, silk and Shu brocade.
"Now the two countries of Ba and Shu asked Qin to send troops with huge sums of money, but Shu offered generous gifts to stop them." Ying Si turned around and said, "Do you think Qin should send troops?"
Gan Mao came out and bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the Qi State has already sent troops, and the Chu army has captured Qucheng. We, the Qin State, are now inseparable. As for the battle between Bashu and Bashu, I thought that we, the Qin State, could sit here Judging from the changes, neither party can accept the courtesy, persuade or make peace, all it takes is to cut off the Chu army's way north from Hanzhong."
Ying Si seemed not to have heard Gan Mao's words. He picked up a piece of Shu brocade in the box and sighed repeatedly: "This Shu cloud brocade is really the best in the world. Take a look, take a look. , how determined the Shu Kingdom is."
"Your Majesty..." Gan Mao whispered.
Ying Si stroked the silky satin with his palms and said, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"
Zhang Yi bowed to Ying Si's back and said: "Now, on one side, Qi and Chu are approaching fiercely, and on the other side, Bashu is eagerly waiting. However, with the strength of Qin at this time, we can only choose one side to attack it. I think that first of all, When we have to fight Qi and Chu, this battle is related to the survival of Qin, so we have to put aside the affairs of Bashu for the time being."
"After this opportunity, it will be hopeless for Bashu to try again." Sima Cuo said.
Zhang Yi shook his head: "Qin's main strategy is to go east. The southwest road is dangerous and far apart. It is easy to get there, but it is difficult to get the county. And today Chu and Qi have aggressively attacked Wei and Han. If our front line before Qin The division of troops will definitely cause Qin to be alienated from Wei and Han. If Wei and Han do not defend at that time, we, Qin, will be in danger."
Sima Cuo retorted: "I don't think so. Now the disasters in the Yan region in northern Xinjiang are not over, and turmoil has arisen again. Although Qi is strong, one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians are trapped in the north. At this time, fighting on two fronts, it will be difficult to use all our strength; and Qi King Chongyi, the Qi army first attacked Chu's Ju territory, and then Yinyi joined the Chu alliance. Looking back at this time, Qi's attack on Wei and Han was probably just to compete for territory. However, Chu was guilty of Wei and Han's crimes, and betrayed their alliance to attack them. Today The Three Jin Dynasties are so powerful that they will never turn their backs on Qin and face Chu without any reason for fame or benefit.
Looking at the situation of our Qin State at this time, we were defeated first by Qi and then by Zhao. In the battle of Hangu, we suffered a loss of one hundred thousand soldiers. Our Qin Dynasty became strong due to reforms, but weak due to national policies and conquests. "
After Sima Cuo finished speaking, he bowed to Zhang Yi and continued: "I heard that to make a country rich, it is necessary to expand its territory; to strengthen its army, it is necessary to enrich the people first; to dominate the world, it is necessary to implement virtuous policies. If the three are combined, the Qin State can achieve hegemony. Although it is strong now, it has not yet reached the stage of becoming the most powerful nation among the nations. It is still necessary to regard the country as a small country and the people as poor, and to be prudent and prudent first. Instead of blindly going east to conquer, causing all the countries in the Central Plains to regard our Qin as a tiger and a wolf."
Ying Si was silent in thought. He understood that Sima was wrong in calling out Dong Chu's strategy.
Zhang Yi thought carefully for a moment, nodded, and then shook his head: "Bashu is a land of poor mountains and harsh waters, and the people of Bashu are fierce and unruly. How can we be cautious if we attack Bashu? Moreover, the Chu Kingdom is currently in a critical situation. This is a near-term worry that has not been eliminated. , but we have to go on an expedition, and if we return without success, our Qin country will be in chaos!"
After saying that, Zhang Yi bowed to Ying Si and said: "I have heard that those who strive for fame are in the court, and those who strive for profit are in the city. Today, Sanchuan (the land of Heluo) and Zhou Dynasty (the two capitals) are the cities and dynasties of the world; on the contrary, Fighting with Rong and Di is useless and has no name to use. In fact, it is far away from the royal family."
Sima Cuo argued: "No. In the past, Duke Mu chased Xirong to expand our Qin territory today. Xirong can be compared to today's Bashu. Although Bashu is a remote place with barbarian people, at this time, Bashu was in civil strife, and Qin had internal responses. , when Qin attacks it, it is like sending wolves to drive away a flock of sheep, driving straight in, and getting it at your fingertips. The land can be enough to expand the country, the wealth can be enough to enrich the people, and the troops can be repaired without hurting the people, and they have already surrendered. As for the barbarians, we Qin will take them. In this land, the world will not accuse Qin of being tyrannical and taking advantage of it, and the princes will not accuse Qin of being greedy."
After Sima Cuo finished speaking, he paused and said in a deep voice to Ying Si: "The people of Zhao chased the Hu and merged with them, so that the country would be prosperous and the army strong; the people of Qi used righteousness to occupy Yan, and now the civil strife continues. Your Majesty, on this occasion , the benefits of the four barbarians will be the foundation of our great Qin, the royal road."
Zhang Yi was speechless and fell into deep thought.
Ying Si, who had been silent for a long time, let out a long breath: "The princes of Wuling, fight in battle, go east to attack the country, and the army is unknown, so that our Qin is exhausted today... Now if we attack Bashu, we will have far-reaching benefits, and if we reject Qi and Chu, we can Relieve recent worries."
Zhang Yi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, you want to attack Bashu?"
"Sima Cuo said this and moved me. I have this intention. What does the Prime Minister think?" Ying Si said.
Zhang Yi turned around and bowed to Sima Cuo: "Zuo is more far-sighted and able to contribute national policies. Qin is lucky."
Sima Cuo hurriedly bowed back.
Zhang Yi continued: "Leaving aside the defenders against Chu, Qin has very few troops left to mobilize. It is not possible to fight on two fronts at the moment. Moreover, the Chu army's chief general Qu Gai, deputy generals Jing Cui and Zhao Sui are all well versed in the Qin army's tactics. , if we divide our troops rashly, there may be something wrong."
"Now the Chu State also wants to intervene in the war between Bashu and Bashu. The Chu army has divided its troops into Hanzhong and Qianzhong, and the pressure on the Wuguan line has been reduced. There is no need for the Chu army to retreat, just a stalemate. After Zuogeng and Bashu return in triumph, we can then seek a decisive battle with the Chu state. "Gan Mao said.
Zhang Yi shook his head: "Zuo Geng's strategy has a long-term vision, but it is a big gamble for the Qin State. If the Qin army falls deep into the land of Bashu, Qi and Chu will definitely use their full strength to defeat Qin, and the three Jin Dynasties will probably do the same. Waiting for the opportunity to move."
"The soldiers of Bashu are unable to fight, and we can definitely take them for the rest of the year!" Sima Cuo bowed to his superiors.
"Does Xiangbang think it's inappropriate?" Ying Si said in a calm tone.
"Your Majesty, our Qin army is insufficient at this time. If we want to plot against Bashu, we may need help from other countries." Zhang Yi said.
Ying Si immediately said in a deep voice: "Zhao Guo?"
In fact, it is not difficult to guess. Nowadays, all the countries in China are fighting endlessly, isolated and powerful, and the only country with strength is Zhao.
Zhang Yi nodded.
Ying Si said: "Zhao has always stayed out of the war, taking advantage of the wars among other countries to destroy Lin Hu and Lou Fan. Now that Zhongshan has surrendered, how can we let Zhao help Qin?"
"Your Majesty, at this time, the only way to seduce Zhao is by promising huge benefits to Zhao." Zhang Yiyi said: "With the gold and silver tribute from Bashu and Shu as a guide, and in the name of restoring the homeland of Yan, Unite the Three Jin Dynasties to put pressure on Qi State and shift the attention of all countries to Yan. Only in this way can the Qi army be forced to return for reinforcements. I believe that the King of Qi will not take this piece of meat from Yan State lightly. Talking nonsense."
In fact, it would be best to invite Zhao to send troops to Bashu, but annexing Bashu is a conspiracy. If the more powerful Zhao is involved, what will happen to Qin?
Ying Si pondered for a moment, "What do you think?"
Your Highness was silent.
"Okay, now it's decided that Xiangbang will go to Zhao today and ask for reinforcements from Zhao in the name of Fu Yan," Ying Si said.
Zhang Yi said: "Here."
"Sima Cuo!" Ying Si turned around and said.
Sima Cuo came out of the queue and said: "I am here."
Ying Si said in a deep voice: "You are taking the initiative to conquer Bashu, and you will lead the troops in this battle. You will go to the Lantian camp immediately and mobilize 30,000 infantry!"
"Here!" Sima said wrongly.
"This battle is the first time that our Qin State has drawn the battle line to the southwest. I have few people to help you and return in triumph!"
All the ministers in the palace echoed: "Help the general return in triumph!"
