A close enemy of the North?
The eyes of the officials in the palace looked over.
The First Emperor swallowed back the words he was about to say, and his thoughts were attracted by Zhao Tuo's words.
He pondered slightly and said, "The enemy you mentioned is a barbarian?"
Zhao Tuo responded: "What your Majesty said is true. Compared with the people of Baiyue in the south, for us, Da Qin, the Hu people in the north are a thorn in our side."
Now that he had started, Zhao Tuo no longer had any scruples and said directly: "The people of Baiyue live in the mountains with few soldiers. They are divided internally due to the terrain and kill each other. These Yue people rarely covet the Central Plains. Heart, even if our Qin State does not send troops to conquer, they will not dare to harass the Central Plains and invade our territory."
"But the Hu people in the north are different. They live in a land with luxuriant water and grass, and their folk customs are sturdy. Young children can ride sheep and shoot birds, and strong men can gallop on horses and shoot with bows. They come and go like the wind. Their customs are wide and follow the wind. They make a living by shooting and hunting poultry and beasts, and if they are in a hurry, they will practice military warfare to invade and conquer. Every autumn, when the grain harvest in the Central Plains is good, these Hu people will gather in groups and drive south, plundering the border areas and killing Xia people. "
"I heard that since the Tang and Yu Dynasties, Shan Rong, Hunchu Rong and other Hu Rong have been fighting endlessly against the Central Plains. During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, Emperor Gaozong conquered the Guifang, and during the Zong Zhou Dynasty, the King of Zhou conquered the 猃狋, and later the Dog Rong wreaked havoc. Kill the Emperor of Zhou in Mount Li."
"Since the war between the princes, the people in the north have repeatedly invaded southward. Our first king of Qin once annihilated the Yiqu tribes and fought several battles with the Xiongnu. Later, he devoted himself to the Eastern Expedition and built the Great Wall to ward off the Hu. Only then did he gain peace. .”
None of the ministers objected.
Compared with the Yue barbarians in the south who only hide in the woods to amuse themselves, the Hu people in the north are obviously more aggressive.
Back then, Zong Zhou was killed by the Dog Rong, and King Zhou You was killed on Mount Li. Who can forget this lesson?
Not to mention that Qin had fought bloody battles with Rong and Di for hundreds of years since the founding of the country, and had suffered greatly. No one could deny Zhao Tuo's words.
Seeing no one to refute, Zhao Tuo continued: "Today, to the west and north of Da Qin, there are still three powerful grassland countries, namely Yuezhi, Xiongnu and Donghu, who often intend to invade and harass our Central Plains. Previously, when I led troops to attack Dai, I fought with them. Although the Huns killed ten thousand people in the war, they did not damage the bones of the barbarians. After a year of rest, these barbarians may have the intention to go south again."
"Therefore, I believe that instead of sending a large army to attack Baiyue, which is suffering from scabies in the south, it is better to use partial troops to build roads in the south, use envoys and merchants to buy off Yue tribes, instigate internal fighting, and prepare for subsequent conquests. Our Qin State is now Our top priority is to defeat Beihu first and seize Henan, Hexi and other places!"
"These two lands are rich in water and soil, suitable for livestock breeding. If our Qin State captures these lands, they can graze cattle and horses. This is an advantage for a strong country, and is far better than occupying the hot, humid and barbaric land in the south!"
Qin Shihuang narrowed his eyes slightly.
What Zhao Tuo said is true. The Hu people in the north have repeatedly waged war with the Central Plains, and the threat is indeed greater than that of the Yue people in the south. If we talk about the inevitability of launching a war, the north is naturally more urgent.
At the same time, Zhao Tuo gave the last reason, which completely moved the First Emperor.
"In the past, King Wuling of Zhao, riding on horseback and shooting in Hufu, defeated Linhu and Loufan in the north. He built the Great Wall, which was connected to the foot of Yinshan Mountain, and the highest tower was a fortress. These areas are all the land of the Xia Dynasty."
"But now, the barbarians in the north took advantage of our Qin state to destroy the six kingdoms in the east and went south to occupy Gaoque, Beijia, Henan, etc., turning the former Zhao land into a place where the Hu Rong ravaged."
"Your Majesty, you are now the lord of the Xia Dynasty in Pingyiyu. You should regain the land of Zhao and completely restore the territory of the Xia Dynasty to show the emperor's majesty to the barbarians!"
A gleam flashed in Qin Shihuang's eyes.
Before this, he actually had the idea of driving the Xiongnu northward, but he just thought that Zhao Tuo had defeated the Xiongnu Chanyu army in Daijun before, and felt that the threat from the north had been temporarily contained.
Therefore, he did not dispatch Meng Tian to garrison Shangjun to ward off the Xiongnu after the world was pacified, as was the case in history.
The First Emperor's strategic vision was to take advantage of Feng Wuze's troops in the south, dispatch his army to quickly pacify Baiyue, and then send troops north to attack the Xiongnu a few years later.
Baiyue and Hu people.
The emperor wants to fight them all!
But in his mind, the order was Baiyue first and Xiongnu second.
But now, Zhao Tuo's words reminded him.
Gaoque, Beijia...
These strongholds located north of the Hetao were fortresses built by King Wuling of Zhao.
Now even Henan further south was occupied by the Xiongnu, and the fortresses of the old Zhao Kingdom were naturally occupied by the Hu people.
The homeland of the Xia was in the hands of the Hu people, but he, the emperor who claimed to be the lord of the Xia, did not take it back.
How unreasonable!
Thinking of this, the First Emperor, who originally thought it didn't matter if the barbarians were put behind him to fight, suddenly felt as if a thorn had been stabbed in his heart.
He did not agree immediately, but kept a calm expression on his face. According to his habit, he asked the ministers in the palace calmly: "What do you think Mr. Zhao wants?"
So scary!
This was Li Si's idea. He stared at Zhao Tuo's young face with fear in his heart.
Zhao Tuo's strategy of conquering the South was abandoned by the First Emperor, and it seemed that the major event of the Southern Expedition to Baiyue was about to be led by Tu Sui and others.
This Zhao Tuo unexpectedly found another way and backhand led the conflict to the Hu people in the north. He used the old Zhao territories in the hands of the Xiongnu to stimulate the emperor and let him take the initiative.
And judging from the emperor's expression, I'm afraid he was persuaded.
This son knows the emperor's heart very well.
This scheming is very terrifying!
But no matter which way Zhao Tuo wants to fight, as long as he leaves Xianyang, Li Si will support him.
Li Si did not hesitate and immediately stood up to express his position: "I think what the Shaofu said is good advice for the country. The harm of the Northern Hu is far greater than that of the Baiyue in the south. We, the Qin Dynasty, should attack the Hu Yi first, wipe out the northern border, and regain the lands of the Xia."
At this moment, the thoughts of the officials in the palace were similar to Li Si's.
Everyone could see clearly that the emperor wanted to attack Baiyue, but Shaofu Zhao's strategy did not suit the emperor's liking, and when he was about to be left idle, he immediately led the war to the north, hoping to compete for the position of commander.
Zhao Tuo wants to fight and make meritorious deeds!
Zhao Tuo had ambitions to become a marquis, but his title was now that of a concubine, and he was only one military merit away from becoming a marquis. Therefore, Zhao Tuo had to try his best to lead a war in order to become a marquis on the battlefield.
Thinking of this, Zhao Tuo's behavior makes sense.
Most of the Qin generals standing on the west side showed excitement.
They want to achieve meritorious service and be promoted to nobility, or let the young people of the clan go to the battlefield to fight for a better future.
But they are not fools. Compared with the hot and humid land in the south, these generals who were born in Guanzhong naturally prefer the environment and climate in the north.
If a war is to be fought, then of course it will be fought in the north. Those miasma poisonous insects in the south will make you feel terrified just by hearing about them.
Zhao Tuo's strategy of advancing north was in line with the wishes of most generals, far more than attacking Baiyue in the south.
In addition, when they saw that the emperor had changed his mind, they had no need to offend Mr. Zhao, so they immediately agreed one by one.
"What Shaofu Zhao said is true. Compared with the Baiyue in the south, the Hu Yi in the north have been fighting with our Xia for hundreds of years. They are a close enemy and we should attack them first!"
"I, Qiang Yu, are willing to lead my army out of Longxi, attack the Yueshi and other Qiang, and seize the land west of Hexi for Your Majesty!"
The military generals changed their previous attitude of supporting the southern advance and spoke out one after another, clearly expressing their support for Zhao Shaofu.
Among the generals, Tu Sui was the only one who looked at Zhao Tuo with resentment on his face.
Brothers!
He is really a good brother who takes credit!
In the blink of an eye, all the officials and generals in the hall basically agreed with Zhao Tuo's strategy, showing a one-sided trend.
The First Emperor sat on the imperial couch and had a panoramic view of everything.
Beihu, Baiyue.
He wants them all.
But we also know that with Qin's national strength, it is impossible to launch two large-scale wars at the same time, and they must be sequential.
What Zhao Tuo said makes sense.
Ministers and generals also expressed support.
On this issue, the First Emperor was no longer stubborn.
He looked at Zhao Tuo thoughtfully.
"In that case, I will attack Beihu first."
After hearing the emperor's words, Zhao Tuo, who had been tense all the time, relaxed and felt that his back was already wet with sweat.
He lowered his head and looked at the black floor tiles under his feet.
The battle of 500,000 Qin troops to conquer Baiyue in the south, which was originally launched after the unification of the world, was disrupted by him.
The emperor may also send partial troops south, but at least this time there cannot be as many as 500,000. Qin's national strength cannot support two major battles involving hundreds of thousands of people.
The northern campaign against the Xiongnu that should have been launched in the 32nd year of Qin Shihuang was also put on the agenda six years in advance.
Of course, a war of this level cannot be fought at the drop of a hat. Various preparations before the war will take at least a year, but in any case, Zhao Tuo's participation did disrupt the historical process.
Zhao Tuo doesn’t know what the future will look like.
But this time, he saved countless Qin people who should have died in Baiyue.
Thanks to book friend Gnshwwllrpt for the reward and all book friends for voting and supporting, thank you!
(End of chapter)
