After eating and drinking, Zhao Kuo took Yanxiong and Ben to the military camp outside the city for inspection.
Zhao's army totaled 400,000, and naturally it was impossible for them all to live in Changping City. Lian Po built many defensive fortresses between Changping and Danshui.
If the Qin army wants to attack Changping, they must first break through these fortresses.
But if Changping is not captured in the end and these fortresses cannot be defended, they will have to retreat and attack again for the second time.
In the end, the Qin army won many battles, but still failed to capture Changping.
However, Lian Po was defeated repeatedly in battles and lost troops and generals, but he firmly defended Changping.
Qin Jun was disgusted by Lian Po and cursed Lian Po in his heart every day.
Moreover, Lian Po had a characteristic of leading troops in battle, which was stability. No matter how the Qin army tempted him, or even when King Zhao told him that there was no food and asked him to attack, he remained unmoved.
In Lian Po's view, as a general, I can just be responsible for fighting the war. Isn't food and grass your problem?
You guys go figure it out!
What's the use of telling me?
Do you want me to collect food?
What? attack?
Excuse me.
Or change the general!
Either listen to me!
At this time, King Zhao was also disgusted by Lian Po.
So, Zhao Kuo is here!
"What do you think the soldiers want most?" Zhao Kuo suddenly asked.
"Get promoted and make a fortune." Ben said directly without thinking.
"What do Yan Xiong think?" Zhao Kuo looked at Yan Xiong.
"I don't know what others know, but what I want most now is to go home." Yan Xiong said, "I haven't been home for more than two years since I followed General Lian Po to garrison in Changping."
"How can the Qin army return home before they retreat?" Zhao Kuo sighed, "What do you think if the soldiers each write a letter home? This can not only relieve the soldiers' homesickness, but also give them peace of mind. , so that the family will have less to worry about.”
"Commander, these are 400,000 people. Each person can pile up a hill with a letter from home. Not to mention there are not so many bamboo slips. Even if there are, they still can't send them out." Yan Xiong said in shock.
Although Zhao State had a post responsible for delivering messages, these were not for civilians and ordinary soldiers, but for transmitting urgent military information and government orders.
"I'll find a way." Zhao Kuo said.
"If the general can really accomplish this feat, the soldiers will definitely be willing to fight to the death for the general."
…
"Brother, I'm illiterate. Come and help me read what's on this notice?" A soldier pulled his companion toward the camp gate.
"What notice?" my companion said reluctantly.
"The commander-in-chief just sent someone to post it. It's in every military camp. It says it's a family letter or something. I can't read, so I have to look for you." The black-faced soldier from before said embarrassedly.
"Let me see... after years of fighting, the generals in the army are suffering. They may be away from home for a few months, or for two or three years. They don't know what is going on at home. The parents, wives and children at home don't know whether their two or three sons are alive or dead. This is the fault of the general. However, if Qin invades, if the two or three sons are sent home, there will be no one to protect Zhao."
"In order to alleviate the pain of homesickness for my second and third sons, I have decided that all soldiers in the army can write a letter home, and I will arrange for personnel to deliver the letter to each soldier's home. If you cannot write, you can go to the main camp, and I will communicate with you All the disciples will help the second and third sons write family letters."
"The general is going to help us write a letter home. The general is going to help us write a letter home..."
The companion turned back suddenly, hugged the black-faced soldier and shouted happily, tears welling up from the corners of his eyes.
"Really?" The black-faced soldier didn't believe it.
"Really, really, wuwuwu..." The tall soldier squatted on the ground and cried loudly.
"The general is going to write a letter home for us, is it true?" All the military camps were excited. All the soldiers of the Zhao army rushed out and gathered at the camp gate. Regardless of whether they could read or not, they all stared at the notice.
"You can't lie to us." Some people didn't believe it.
A general writes letters to soldiers personally and helps them send them home. Since ancient times, how can such a good thing be done?
"Really, it's clearly written on the notice. I'll read it to you." A soldier raised his head proudly and read the notice again.
"Let's go and write a letter home..."
"Let's go and find the handsome man to write a letter home..."
The soldiers were enthusiastic and rushed towards the commander's tent with friends and companions.
…
"Commander, all the soldiers are here. The outside of the military camp is densely packed with people everywhere." Liu Ping finally squeezed in and said breathlessly.
"Commander, you are too impulsive." Lian Po said with a bitter face.
In his opinion, Zhao Kuo was acting on his own initiative.
Doesn't he know that the soldiers are suffering from homesickness? Didn't he know he could write a letter?
Why didn't he help the soldiers write letters before?
It’s really hard to write a letter, and even harder to send a letter.
There was no paper during the Warring States Period. Rich people could use cloth to write. The middle layer could only be written on bamboo slips and wooden slips. Dozens or hundreds of words would require a roll of bamboo slips.
Four hundred thousand soldiers, each one has a letter home, which is four hundred thousand volumes, without mentioning where these wooden tablets and bamboo slips come from.
Just transporting these bamboo slips back to Zhao State would require at least a hundred carriages.
As for delivering it to every household, it will require even more manpower and material resources.
Compared with the pain of missing someone, sending letters is not cost-effective at all.
"Wooden tablets and bamboo slips are easy to get. They are everywhere in the Taihang Mountains. I have arranged for people to cut them down two days ago. They are only used for writing letters and do not need to be stored for a long time, so there is no need to bake them with fire to bake out the history. It can be used once it is split, and there are as many as you need. The brushes and ink are also ready, so General Lian Po can rest assured." Zhao Kuo said.
Zhao Kuo saw a dark stone at the foot of the mountain during his inspection the day before yesterday. When he picked it up, he found that it was coal.
Although the ink made from coal is not good, it can be used. How can there be so much care at this time.
The wooden tablets and bamboo slips were all ink, and Zhao Kuo's heart became stronger.
The next day, Yanxiong was sent to Zhongmou to buy five hundred brushes.
"I have also thought about how to transport it back. The vehicles that carry medicine, leather, wood, and food are full when they come, but they are empty when they go back. These letters ask them to go back a little bit. At that time, if we borrow some oxcarts from surrounding cities, we can almost send them all out of Changping in more than ten days." Zhao Kuo said.
"At that time, I will write to Pingyuan Jun, Lin Gong, Fei family, Dong family, Xun family and the caravan in Handan, asking them to help deliver it to each county according to the address, and the nobles of each county will deliver it to each county. They are placed in a pavilion or a li, and then delivered to each household by the pavilion chief and li chief." Zhao Kuo said.
The royal power did not go to the countryside, and only the squires and nobles in various places could deliver complete letters to every household.
Lian Po was just about to say why they should help you, but suddenly he thought that with Zhao Kuo's current reputation, the possibility of these people helping him is very high.
"Don't worry, except for a very few people who are not smart, they will all help." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
There are only three people in Zhao State who can do this, and Zhao Kuo happens to be one of them.
"The general is benevolent." Lian Po said with admiration.
Sending letters home to an army of 400,000 was something that no famous general had been able to do before.
Zhao Kuo looked at the earnest faces outside the camp, and his voice sounded like spring thunder, spreading throughout the city.
"Everyone line up and come one by one. I will ensure that no one is left behind."
"Thank you, Marshal."
"Thank you, Marshal."
…
The soldiers bent down and saluted one after another, and their voices formed a torrent, like a stormy sea rolling over the battle camp. Thunder roared in the sky, and rocks in the distance were shaken down.
