Qin and Qi officially declared war in November.
After the King of Qi issued the imperial edict, the entire Qi State began a large-scale mobilization, and all soldiers and grain from cities and towns in various places were transported to the eastern border of Qi State.
On the other side, Qin general Zhao Tuo stood still. From the time the Qin army gathered in Dongjun in November until January of the same year, there was no action except for training soldiers every day, giving Qi time to recruit a large army. .
The news quickly spread throughout the world in more than a month.
In Xianyang, the capital of Qin, everyone was talking about General Zhao's battle to destroy Qi.
Some people say that Qin general Zhao Tuo was a gentleman, and he had made an agreement with Qi State Chief Sima to fight an upright battle.
Some people also say that Zhao Tuo has always been deceitful in his actions, and there must be deceit in his actions this time.
Some people even say that Zhao Tuo was too arrogant after winning a series of battles, and wanted to let Qi State recruit an army of 300,000, then defeat it in one fell swoop and achieve a world-shattering feat.
"Father, Zhao Tuo is arrogant and arrogant. It is clear that our Qin State has the advantage of time and troops, and he can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. But now he is stationing troops in Dongjun and sitting back and watching the Qi people recruit troops. This is wasting the opportunity and living up to the king's order. My father should write to the king and severely denounce this matter."
In Li's mansion, Li Yu danced and shouted excitedly, salivating at Li Si, the Tingwei who was peeling oranges and eating them on the couch.
Li Si raised his head, glared at his son-in-law, handed the remaining half of an orange to Li Yu, and said calmly: "Eat the orange first."
Li Yu didn't dare to disobey his order, so he reached out to take the orange from his father, peeled off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, and immediately frowned.
"It's so sour."
After seeing Li Yu eat the orange, his mood calmed down.
Li Si then spoke: "I know that you have some hatred for Zhao Tuo because of your brother, so you want to use this matter to let me attack Zhao Tuo."
Li Yu's face turned red when his father poked his brain.
Li Si shook his head and said: "But you have to be clear, who is Zhao Tuo? Since he entered the battlefield, he has made many military exploits and is victorious in every battle. Even if Li Xin suffered a huge defeat when he attacked Chu, he could still Returned victorious. Now Zhao Tuo is deeply trusted by the king and leads the army to destroy Qi. With his character, he is very cautious and strives to destroy Qi. How can he be arrogant and arrogant as the rumors say? I'm afraid that this move of stationing troops has other plans. We don't want to express our opinions if we don't want to participate in the military struggle."
"Not to mention that after Zhao Tuo destroyed the Zhao clan with his own hands, the king loved him very much and had great trust in his actions to destroy Qi. At this time, anyone who dares to say that Zhao Tuo is at fault has fallen out of love with the king."
At this point, Li Si glared at his son again and said, "Yu, let me tell you, regarding Zhao Tuo, you must not speak in front of others in the future, let alone say a bad word. Now Zhao Tuo is here The emperor's heart, I, Mrs. Li, should focus on making good friends."
Li Yu was still a little reluctant and said: "Zhao Tuo has married the princess, and my brother will..."
"Hmph, it's not that your brother failed to live up to his expectations and was outmatched by Zhao Tuo. Fortunately, he surrendered the Yi people this time, which can be considered as a contribution. As long as he can wait, there is still a chance for Princess Shang."
When Li Si said this, thinking of his son's irritable temper, he decided to reveal important news and ask him to keep his mouth shut.
Li Si whispered: "The eldest son is crowned this year and it is time to marry. Your Majesty intends to marry me, Mr. Li. This is a big deal. At this time, you must pay more attention to your words and deeds. Don't let me, Mr. Li, miss the opportunity."
Li Yu's eyes widened.
A smile spread across Li Si's lips.
This is probably the compensation given to him by the king.
The son cannot become the eldest princess.
But the daughter can marry the eldest son.
He, Li Si, and the king are still in-laws.
…
At the end of January in the twenty-fifth year of the Qin Dynasty (222 BC).
The eastern border of Qi State, between Zhencheng and Ayi, is full of camps.
Countless Qi army battle flags fluttered in the wind, and the camp was crowded with people and loud voices.
Here gathered the Qi army recruited from more than 70 cities in Qi.
The number is terrifying, with nearly 300,000 people, which can be said to be the largest force used by Qi State in fifty years.
General Tian Dan of Qi, wearing armor and a long sword on his waist, led his short soldiers to inspect the camp on behalf of Grand Sima.
As he walked forward, he sighed: "Da Sima is right. That Qin general Zhao Tuo is really a gentleman. He didn't launch an attack while our Qi army had not yet assembled. Wow, now that I think about it, it feels a bit incredible. .”
Tian Rong, who was one position behind, heard this and said in a deep voice: "Brother said that Zhao Tuo is a gentleman, but I look at his achievements. This man has always won with cunning tactics since he was a general. In the battle of Surabaya, he used surprise troops to bypass the enemy." He defeated the Chu army and defeated our Qi army with a night attack in the battle of Zhencheng. I heard that he also used the night attack method when fighting the Hu people in Dai. Judging from his various behaviors, he is not easy to fight with. How can we allow our Qi army to assemble with peace of mind?"
Tian Dan turned around, glanced at his brother, nodded and said: "When I first heard the news, like you, I always thought that Zhao Tuo was deceitful. Maybe he wanted to make Da Sima relax his vigilance so that he could launch a night attack. , so always be on guard.”
"But now our army has almost been assembled. The strength has reached nearly 300,000, which is only a lot more than the Qin army. There are also scouts patrolling day and night. From the border to the military camp, there are sentries stationed every other mile. Qin Even if the army wants to make a sneak attack, it will not be successful like last time. So what do you think Zhao Tuo’s purpose is?"
Tian Rong shook his head. This was also the reason why most people were suspicious of Zhao Tuo but could not explain it.
Because Zhao Tuo did not make any sneak attacks midway.
Too strange.
Tian Dan smiled and said: "Brother Rong, don't think too much. No matter what the Qin army's purpose is, Zhao Tuo's doing this will be of great benefit to our Qi country. Although Da Sima is... a bit honest, he is indeed proficient in military affairs." The art of war is one of the great masters in the world. I stayed with Da Sima and gained a lot in the art of war. This time you join the army, you must also learn it well."
While the Tian brothers were talking, bursts of noise suddenly sounded from a distant military camp, and even angry roars were heard.
Tian Dan raised his thick eyebrows and asked, "What's the matter?"
After a while, a general from the Qi army came to report with a grimace: "General, the two battalions of soldiers from Jimo and Gaomi started fighting because football turned into a private fight."
"Football is in trouble again!"
Tian Dan's face turned dark immediately.
Football is a way of playing Cuju. It is said that the Qin army came up with it as a game to consume the energy of the soldiers during the battle to destroy Chu.
Later, Wang Jian, the commander-in-chief of the Qin Army, believed that football confrontation contained the art of war, which could allow soldiers to cooperate tacitly, and also enable low-level military officers to adapt to battlefield command, so he promoted it vigorously.
The people of Qi are wealthy and enjoy a variety of entertainment life, so they already have a fondness for Cuju. As soon as this kind of football, which turns a single player into a group confrontation, was introduced to Qi State, it immediately became popular in Qi State and became a very popular game in Qi State.
Grand Sima Tian Chong also believed that this football had the shadow of the art of war. Like Wang Jian, it was promoted in the army to consume the energy of the soldiers, so that these Qi people would not have anything to do all day long and cause trouble.
But I didn't expect that since the game started in the military camp, there would often be a small game a day and a big game every two days. Private fights between soldiers in each battalion were frequent, which was very troublesome.
"Arong, go ahead."
Tian Dan spoke with a cold face.
"only."
Tian Rong took the order and went to deal with this private fight.
Tian Dan continued to patrol the camp, but not far away, he saw another military camp starting to make a large noise.
"General, the soldiers from Liaocheng and Linzi are fighting."
Some military officials came to report.
Tian Dan asked: "Why?"
The military officer replied: "It seems that a soldier from Liaocheng said that the roasting was the best in the world. Some soldiers from Linzi heard it and expressed their dissatisfaction, so they started a quarrel and dozens of people from each group gathered to fight."
"The quarrel turned into a private fight? Arrest them all and give each one ten lashes, including the leader twenty!"
Tian Dan spoke with a dark face.
Looking at the endless Qi army camps ahead, his head felt a little swollen.
It seems that the larger the number of troops, the better.
…
At the same time, outside Puyang City, the Qin army was in the camp.
Zhao Tuo, the commander-in-chief of the Qin Army, also received news that all 300,000 Qi troops had gathered.
"The opportunity to decide Qi in one battle has come."
