The plains of Hebei were filled with the sound of huge horse hoofbeats. The most powerful army of this era, more than 20,000 cavalry, surged across the land. Some people and horses were walking slowly in formation, and some were jogging in a circuitous way. The cavalry army occupied a large area, and the formation of more than 20,000 horsemen was earth-shattering.
The royal flag of Zhao State was fluttering in the wind in the middle of the army. Guards in bright armor surrounded Zhao Yong, and a group of people and horses rushed towards the house city.
What Zhao Yong wanted in this battle was to be quick, otherwise the hundreds of thousands of troops, with their daily food and fodder requirements, would really bring down Zhao. At that time, without the intervention of other countries, Zhao itself would have no choice but to return without success.
The river is still green, and the wheat and millet are bent along the river bank.
The massive army of justice returned to the court.
The army on its return journey did not go very fast. It took five days to reach the former Zhongshan border.
When the army arrived at the Huaishui River, Zhao Yong rode on a high-headed green-maned horse and accepted the greetings of people on both sides of the road.
He looked through the crowd and couldn't help but look at the high wall at the end of the road.
Returning to Fangfang City, this blood-stained Shura battlefield has slowly returned to its former glory after more than a month of reconstruction.
Yesterday's killings and chaos seemed to be a thing of the past, but the traces left by the war did not disappear so easily.
Zhao Yong knew that all this prosperity was just superficial. Perhaps for human beings, forgetting is the best gift God has given them. Painful things can be forgotten quickly, which is not a luxury.
As long as you live, there will be no eternal pain, life will always go on, right?
The people who have the least sense of existence in the war are the common people, and the people who suffer the most serious casualties are also the common people, who are difficult to even be counted. Due to the war, the population loss in Zhongshan District was extremely serious, and several counties in Beiguan were almost reduced to bare land.
In more than a month, the three counties of Taiyuan, Handan, and Jiuyuan moved more than 100,000 people to Xingxiang, so that basic production in the area could be restored.
Several large camps stationed outside the city were still lively and festive. Although the war will continue, after the battles are won, meritorious service has been achieved, and money has been distributed, who will remember the people who have died.
Towards evening, local officials brought wine and meat to reward the troops, and excited shouts suddenly came from the camp. A piece of meat and a bowl of wine for each person is the highest level of life for a low-level sergeant in this era.
A scout on horseback came running from a distance. Approaching the river, the scout dismounted and whispered a few words to the eunuch Ling Chen Zhong outside the crowd.
Chen Zhong hurried forward and whispered to Zhao Yong who was looking at the river bank in a daze: "Your Majesty, the envoy from Yan State has passed the Sophora River and is coming towards the house. Do you want to receive them later?"
"Well..." Zhao Yong made a habitual sound.
After receiving the answer, Chen Zhong turned around and whispered instructions to the guards.
After a while, Zhao Yong looked thoughtfully at a withered millet field in the distance, and said to the surroundings: "Those fertile fields were burned due to war this year, resulting in no harvest. Will there be a good harvest next year?"
Everyone was a little confused, and Lian Cheng on the side agreed: "The king practices benevolent government, and the people live in peace. The soil here is fertile and water-rich, suitable for the growth of millet and millet. There will definitely be a good harvest next year."
Zhao Yong Zigu nodded and said, "Millet has been harvested for one season and can be planted again. But if a human head is cut off, will it still grow?"
Lian Cheng was startled and quickly clasped his fists in prayer.
Zhao Yong looked around and said in a deep voice: "Although our army has won this battle, many people will definitely die regardless of victory or defeat. Zhongshan must be our territory, but I still hope that fewer soldiers will die."
After he finished speaking, he turned to Pang Nuan and asked: "Mr. Wu Yang, I heard you say in the past: 'To win a hundred battles is not a good person, but to win without fighting is a good person.' I want to hear your opinion." "
When everyone heard this, they all turned to look at Pang Nuan, who had not said a word just now.
In the State of Zhao, all generals admired this young monarch.
His achievements and words were widely circulated in China.
Seeing the king asking himself, Pang Nuan pondered for a moment, then he bowed his head and said, "I am not talented, and I have not been able to fully understand it after many years of military service. I only know its appearance. The words I present to the king are the words of Hezi who have been acting as ministers and learned from enlightenment." "
"It's okay to say so." Zhao Yong said.
Pang Nuan paid his respects and said, "I think that workers are too valuable to fight with, so the superiors use strategies, and secondly, due to personnel matters, subordinates defeat them through battles.
Those who use stratagem confuse the enemy's lord, causing him to change his good customs, causing him to behave immorally, violently, arrogantly, and indulgently, abandoning great righteousness in favor of small gains, and failing to follow the way of a wise king. Let them reward and punish their merits and demerits according to their personal preferences, make them knights for their incompetence, and receive rewards for their hard work; if they are happy, they will acquit the guilty, and if they are angry, they will kill innocent people indiscriminately. They seek their own interests based on the laws of the country, and they abandon capable ministers and think they are right. Seeking complexity is useless, and being superstitious is divination. Keep them away from loyal ministers with high righteousness, and become loyal ministers in their confidants. Those who are good at planning use money and property to bribe people close to the enemy's monarch based on their circumstances, and use bribes to block their mouths. Make them regard right as wrong and wrong as right. To drive a wedge between the enemy's monarch and his ministers, so that the monarch loses access to and appoints loyal ministers.
The so-called "conqueror" means that his country has been empty and ruined due to conspiracy, and when the time comes, he can attack it with troops. In the past, Gou Jian used this method to destroy the Wu State; the Chu State used this method to occupy Chen and Cai; and even the three states of Zhao, Han, and Wei in the Jin Dynasty used this method to destroy the Zhi family; South Korea used this method to attack the Zheng State. , occupying the eastern land.
The so-called "conqueror" means that his country has been empty and ruined due to conspiracy, and when the time comes, he can attack it with troops. In the past, Gou Jian used this method to destroy the Wu State; the Chu State used this method to occupy Chen and Cai; and even the three states of Zhao, Han, and Wei in the Jin Dynasty used this method to destroy the Zhi family; South Korea used this method to attack the Zheng State. , occupying the eastern land.
When discussing the art of war in today's world, everyone thinks that the strong will win and the weak will be destroyed. In this way, the king of a small country has never become a king, and the lord of ten thousand chariots and the king of a big country has never been defeated. In the past, Xia was big and Tang was small, Yin was big and Zhou was small, Yue was weak and Wu was strong. This is the so-called victory without fighting, and the good is the best. This is the method of Yin Fu, the way of night walking, great martial arts and so on. Looking at today's battles in the Central Plains, there are often millions of corpses and bloodshed for thousands of miles, but still no victory is achieved. If calculated based on results, the gains often outweigh the losses.
Therefore, the sage clearly thinks alone and is happy. If you hear the sound of the golden drum and hope to achieve military success, see the colors of the banners and hope to prepare troops, hold the handle of the sword and hope to fight, send troops to attack in the hope of victory, then your country will be destroyed. Using the master's strategy and using the soldiers to win, this was the way for the first lord Xiangzi to destroy Zhiyao. "
As Pang Nuan talked, Zhao Yong couldn't help but fall into deep thought on one side.
He vaguely heard that Pang Nuan had a division, but he thought they were just Taoists from the mountains and did not expect them to have military skills.
Pang Nuan's words not only include the way of military strategy, but also metaphors the way of rejuvenating the country.
His teacher is truly a great talent.
The generals around him were all high-ranking officials in the empire. They were familiar with Sun Tzu's Art of War, but they did not make full use of it in how to conduct troops.
It can be said that I have benefited a lot from Pang Zi's method of military solution today.
"Wu Yangjun's words are truly good." Zhao Yong suddenly laughed.
The generals reacted and bowed respectfully to Pang Nuan.
Pang Nuan said hurriedly: "What I said is what I learned from my teacher. I should not be praised by the king."
Zhao Yong waved his hand and turned to Lian Cheng: "You are the governor of Xingxiang County. Don't rush to build the dock for the time being. You only need to control the Hutuo line. We will wait for news about the Lechi in Northern Xinjiang before taking action. Today in Xingxiang Xiang is in ruins and waiting to be revived, and you still need encouragement."
Lian Cheng bowed and said: "I will obey the king's order."
As soon as Lian Cheng finished speaking, a horse suddenly rushed out of the camp and rushed straight to the Zhongjun River.
The military general dismounted and saluted Zhao Yongzhi: "Your Majesty, the envoy of the State of Yan has arrived outside the camp. The envoy Su Dai is seeking an audience outside the camp, and he is bringing the Yan State clan with him!"
Zhao Yong nodded slightly. Then he said to the generals beside him: "Follow me to greet the Queen of King Yan."
The generals did not dare to have any doubts: "Here."
Zhao Yong personally welcomed him, which was actually a bit inappropriate.
But this also represents the importance that Zhao State attaches to the Yan State clan.
At this time, Yan State was firmly controlled by Qi State. When the King of Qi saw that Zhao wanted to interfere in the internal affairs of Yan and become an enemy of Qi, he was naturally unwilling. He then dispatched the elite Qi army with the intention of plundering Yan's armament potential to fight Zhao in a decisive battle outside the homeland.
Zhao Yong was naturally unwilling to devote Zhao's main force to the battle with the Qi army, and he was even less willing to harm Zhao's strength for Yan.
Now, Qi and Zhao have entered a stalemate.
But Zhao Yong couldn't wait any longer and wanted to strike first to break the balance in the North.
Therefore, Zhao Guo urgently needs the participation of a third party to break the balance of Yan.
The Yan clan is the most important meson.
The king and ministers of the State of Zhao then came to the entrance of the camp...to the east bank of Huaishui River. Zhao's army was stationed five miles southeast of Fangfang City, not far from Ha City.
As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw several carriages parked outside the camp, and a group of Zhao Jun guards were standing guard beside them.
Standing in front of the motorcade were a dozen men and women wearing silk robes. Standing at the front of the crowd was a middle-aged man; beside him stood a woman in a purple robe, with a veil on her head and a veil covering her face. She was not tall, but her figure was extremely well-proportioned, and she was made of soft silk. The material showed off her curvy figure beautifully. The woman was holding a boy in his early ten years.
Seeing Zhao Yong and his entourage approaching, Yan Guo's entourage hurriedly greeted them.
Zhao Yong smiled and said: "When I heard that the Queen and the Crown Prince of Yan State were arriving, I immediately came to greet you."
The middle-aged man hurriedly came forward and said: "Foreign Minister Su Dai, pay your respects to the king."
The woman also opened the curtain and hat, let go of Prince Ping's hand, stepped forward, and said politely: "Concubine, pay homage to King Zhao."
Zhao Yong suddenly saw her face and was stunned for a moment. This woman is really beautiful, her facial features are very beautiful and symmetrical, and her skin is very fair. Perhaps she has traveled a long distance, but there is a look of exhaustion between the woman's eyebrows, which makes people feel pitiful. Judging from her face, she was definitely no more than thirty years old. She was wearing a purple silk robe. She was really a lady.
Boying also looked back at King Zhao in front of him. She was careful that once she entered Zhao's territory, mother and son would be unable to control themselves. So I have been thinking about this person for a long time and have heard many things about him. When they met suddenly, she didn't think the other person was a stranger.
But King Zhao was not what she had imagined. The young man in front of her had long hair tied casually with a hairpin. He was dressed in nondescript barbarian clothes and wore a pair of leather boots. He had a very majestic figure and a copper-colored complexion. He was the same as the royal family nobles she imagined because of their pampering. , the appearance of excessive drinking and sex is completely different.
When King Zhao gradually came over, Boying suddenly smelled the unique smell of men's sweat.
Looking at the approaching man, a look of panic suddenly appeared in Boying's eyes.
"Ping, meet the king." Prince Ji Ping whispered, with obvious timidity in his tone.
Zhao Yong heard the sound and stopped about half a foot away from Queen Yan. When he saw the panic in her eyes, he realized that he was a little out of control and immediately said: "Queen and Prince, there is no need to be polite. Queen, Prince, please, Come and talk in the tent."
Boying quickly looked away and turned to worship: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhao Yong nodded calmly and welcomed Boying, his mother and son, and Su Dai to the large tent where the Chinese army marched.
As for the other Yan clans, Zhao Yong did not need to pay attention to them. The Chinese army had many civilians, military generals and eunuchs, and they would be accommodated on their own.
"Please!" Zhao Yong guided him to sit down and said.
Everyone bowed again and took their seats.
Zhao Yong took advantage of the situation and glanced at Bo Ying again. These people are coming to Zhao State now, which means that Yan State is definitely doomed and come to ask for Zhao State's asylum. But Zhao Yong couldn't tell the truth and still treated them as guests and invited them to take a seat.
At this time, Su Dai stepped forward and bowed to him: "Today the Yan Kingdom is in great trouble, and the Zhongshan Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom are taking advantage of the situation to rob them. I have heard that the king is righteous, and he is chasing Zhongshan to return to Yan. I hope that the king will protect the Yan clan!"
Zhao Yong praised Su Dai in his heart. Then he said: "The Qi State is unruly and has burned, killed, and looted from the land of Yan. Yan and Zhao are brothers. Today, the Yan State has suffered a great disaster. I am very sad."
Boying said with a sad look: "The State of Qi used the name of Fu Yan to confuse the people of Yan, plunder my sacrificial vessels, and kill my clan. I also ask the king to borrow troops from Yan to drive out the Qi troops and bring justice." After saying this, he looked at Yi Yi. Looking up.
Zhao Yong noticed her gaze and turned his head to look. His eyes glanced down from her thin shoulders, and he felt that her side breasts were higher. This Queen Yan can make people feel uneasy from time to time, but Zhao Yong is a battle-hardened person after all, and he is still calm about beauty.
He was unwilling to act rashly and ruin a major event just for the sake of a momentary impulse. Zhao Yong now needs this queen and her son very much, which will be of great use to Zhao Guo's next plan. He must be very careful with this queen who seems to be in a desperate situation, because she has more important value than beauty.
Zhao Yong muttered: "Queen, don't be sad. The actions of Qi's army will definitely be criticized by the people of the world. Zhao is willing to fight for Yan, but Zhao has just fought with Zhongshan and its national strength has not yet been restored. Moreover, Qi is powerful, and Zhao The power of a country may be difficult to defeat... It is better for the queen and the prince to stay in Handan temporarily. When we unite the countries, we will definitely attack Qi and restore Yan."
Bo Ying could only nod slightly and said, "Concubine, thank you, Your Majesty."
