December of the twenty-fourth year of the Qin Dynasty (223 BC).
After trekking all the way, the Qin army finally entered Hangu Pass and returned to the real Qin land in Guanzhong.
Two years have passed since Qin State launched the war against Chu.
Excluding the 200,000 Qin troops from Guanzhong who accompanied Wang Jian out of the Pass, excluding those who died in battle and those who still stayed in Chu to guard, there were a total of 120,000 soldiers who returned to Guanzhong this time.
Not long after this huge Qin army entered the pass, the envoy from Xianyang came here. As in the past, they took away the tiger talisman from the hands of General Wang Jian and began to disperse the army.
How could the capital of Xianyang be allowed to be approached by a skilled general leading an army of more than 100,000 people?
Except for the 5,000 elite soldiers of Zhao Tuo who stayed behind specially to enter Xianyang City to present the "corpse of the false king" as a tribute, the remaining more than 100,000 soldiers were all dismissed according to their place of origin.
Just like the soldiers outside the pass, these Qin people in the pass took some monetary rewards and went home happily.
Everyone has accumulated a lot of military merit this time, and the number of people who have been promoted is extremely large. It is expected that there will be a wave of land allocation frenzy next.
After demobilizing the large army, General Wang Jian opened the way for his chariot and marched towards Xianyang with the generals and the army behind them escorting the body of the "Puppet King".
Along the way, Zhao Tuo observed and sometimes felt emotional.
"In ancient wars, most of the time was spent on the march, and not much time was spent on actual fighting. No wonder the king will build Chidao in the future."
This time he accompanied Wang Jian to attack Chu, which can be said to be a real battle in the north and south. He was in Huaiyang for a while, went to Zhencheng for a while, turned around and crossed the river to Huainan, followed Xiong Qi to Jiangdong and Yue, and finally had to rush back to Guanzhong from Yue.
He walked at least tens of thousands of miles back and forth. Even though Zhao Tuo often rode in a carriage and rode a horse, several pairs of shoes under his feet were still damaged, let alone the soldiers under his command who relied on their feet to walk thousands of miles.
The normal marching speed in this era was thirty miles a day. When converted to later generations' weights and measures, they could only walk about twelve kilometers a day. You must know that ordinary people in later generations could walk four or five kilometers an hour. The difference is that in addition to the weight and physical factors that need to be considered during ancient marches, roads also account for a big problem.
The Guanzhong of Qin State and the Sanchuan Avenue from the east were slightly better. Some of the paths Zhao Tuo passed in Huainan and Yue were simply not meant for people to walk. The army could cover twenty miles in a day, which was considered extremely fast.
"Among the major projects after the unification of Qin, the construction of roads is indeed necessary. It has great benefits for the country and the people. The manpower and material resources spent are not in vain. But other..."
Zhao Tuo couldn't help but look into the distance worriedly when he thought of this.
That is the direction of Lishan Mountain.
The reason why Zhao Tuo thought of the various projects after the unification of Qin was mainly on the way to Xianyang. From a distance, he could see Qin officials escorting a group of criminals who were being tortured, towards the depths of Lishan Mountain. Go to the huge construction site.
At the northern foot of Lishan Mountain is the tomb of the aloof emperor in Xianyang Palace.
Construction began in the first year of the Qin Dynasty, twenty-four years ago.
Every year, Qin people who served as corvees and prisoners who were punished went to build buildings.
However, the current Lishan Mausoleum is still in its early stages, and its scale is not yet large. It will be a long time before hundreds of thousands of people gather to repair the tomb.
Nowadays, the place where a lot of manpower is really consumed is in another place.
"The king's palace has increased again."
"With so many houses, can you live in them all?"
When the Qin army marched near the Wei River, they stopped temporarily to rest and drink and feed their horses.
Many Qin soldiers looked to the north and shouted in surprise.
There is a large group of magnificent palaces with different styles.
Although it was far away, everyone couldn't see the specific appearance, but because it was far away, the huge scale of the palace complex was just in sight.
"I heard that every time the king wiped out a country, he would imitate its palace and build a corresponding palace in Beiban, Xianyang. The palaces, houses, roads and Zhou Pavilions are all connected, which is very magnificent and glorious. The king also filled up the palace with all the beauties, bells, drums and utensils he obtained. Enter it. Tsk tsk, now that I see it, it really is the best place for enjoyment in the world."
Li Shiqi, who came back from Qi and joined the team near Xingyang, walked to Zhao Tuo.
He looked at the magnificent palace scenery on the other side of the Wei River, shook his head in admiration, and had a sense of envy in his tone.
Zhao Tuo nodded and said softly: "The king wants to prepare palaces for the seven kingdoms, and he wants to gather all the best palaces in the world in Xianyang. Now there are three Jin and Yan palaces north of the Wei River. I think after the Chu craftsmen entered Qin, they There will be one more Chu Palace.”
Zhao Tuo was talking, but worries were growing in his heart.
As the saying goes, be prepared for danger when you are in peace.
Zhao Tuo had just followed Wang Jian to destroy Chu and returned to Qin with a great victory. He was about to receive a generous reward and seemed to have a bright future.
But when he saw the continuous palaces on the north bank of the Wei River, as well as the palaces that were still being built and the tombs in Lishan Mountain, he couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis in his heart.
As a beneficiary of the Qin Army's meritorious service, Zhao Tuo has long been firmly tied to this country.
Faced with possible changes in the future, he has only one choice.
Protect Qin!
Although the Chu Kingdom is now destroyed, the ghost of Jingchu has not left. There are still countless Chu people in that land who want to overthrow the rule of the Qin people. In the Three Jin and Yan regions, and even in the Qi region that will be conquered in the future, there will also be many remnants of the Six Kingdoms who always want to expel the Qin people and restore the old kingdom.
This is one of the external causes of Qin's demise in history.
Within the Qin State, in addition to institutional issues. The rulers' abuse of people's power and the construction of various large-scale projects were also an important reason for the eventual collapse of the country.
In the future, the saying that the world will suffer from Qin for a long time is really not just talk.
Zhao Tuo is now in a high position in the Qin State. If he wants to save his life and maintain long-term wealth and power in the likely future changes, he must try his best to change the ending.
In Zhao Tuo's view, among the various large-scale projects of the Qin Empire in history, the Zhidao Chidao, the Great Wall, and even the Ling Canal in the south were at least beneficial to the country and had merits.
Only building huge mausoleums and a large number of palaces is a waste of people's energy.
Just like those Qin soldiers asked, with so many palaces built, can the king live in them all?
A large number of palaces and palaces look extraordinary, but they are actually more harmful than beneficial to the entire country.
Now, Qin Wangzheng has begun to have the momentum to carry out large-scale projects. Although it's not too much, it makes Zhao Tuo very worried.
Today you, King Qin, dare to build the palaces of the Six Kingdoms.
You dare to create an Afang Palace tomorrow.
One project after another was launched, leaving the people of Guizhou Province no time to breathe.
If this continues, will Qin be able to survive?
Once the Qin Kingdom is over, he, Zhao Tuo, will also be over.
"I have to advise the king!"
"But not now."
Zhao Tuo had the intention to dissuade, but he also knew very well that nowadays, others are talking lightly. Despite their repeated great achievements, they are actually rootless. They only rely on the appreciation of the king to gain some status in the Qin State. If he casually advises and offends Qin Wangzheng, Zhao Tuo can be deposed with just one sentence.
Just like Fusu in history, his own son was sent to the border for advice.
Therefore, not only could Zhao Tuo not be persuaded, he even had to follow the king's wishes. At most, he would use some curveball strategies to save the country.
If he wants to strengthen his voice, he must climb higher.
"This time to destroy Chu, it shouldn't be a problem to be promoted to two levels based on my merits. But if I want to have a say in national affairs in the court, this is not enough. My title must be raised."
Thinking of this, Zhao Tuo turned to Li Shiqi and asked: "Mr. Li, you have a good understanding of Qi State this time. If Qin State destroys Qi, in your opinion, will it be difficult or easy?"
Hearing Zhao Tuo's question, Li Shiqi laughed and said: "Qi people have not fought in more than forty years. Everyone is slack and can't even stand in line. How can they be the opponent of Qin's elite who have fought in hundreds of battles?" The first time they sent out troops, they were defeated by the general in Zhencheng, and they were already as afraid of the general as a tiger."
"If those evildoers from the Four Kingdoms were still in Qi, they might have to pay more attention, but now those people have all been expelled by the King of Qi and fled to Yan Dynasty and Jingchu. There is no serious internal danger in Qi. If the general leads the army to attack Qi, he will It can be easily captured."
At this point, Li Shiqi lowered her voice again and said: "I have already investigated the situation in Linzi clearly. As long as the general leads the troops to attack Qi, I can use my sharp tongue to persuade the King of Qi to surrender. In this way, the general can obtain Full credit.”
Zhao Tuo nodded.
Historically, when the Qi State faced the Qin army approaching the city and surrendered directly, the difficulty should be very low.
In this time and space, although Hou Sheng, who advocated surrender, was assassinated by the remnants of the Four Kingdoms, Qi State also suffered a great defeat in Zhencheng, and its arrogance was directly destroyed. Thinking about it, as Li Shiqi said, if Qin destroyed Qi, it would be easy to capture it .
In today's world, all five kingdoms have been destroyed, and the only ones that have not yet been planted with the black Qin flag are Daidi, Liaodong and Qi.
The country of Dai was weak and Liaodong was remote.
The only country that is big, fat and delicious is Qi.
"The main general who destroyed Qi in history was Wang Ben."
"This time, I should take the initiative to ask for help and take this task away from Wang Ben."
Zhao Tuo raised his head and looked at Xianyang City on the upper reaches of the Wei River. His eyes were full of confidence and determination.
"I, Zhao Tuo, will be the coach to destroy Qi!"
