Fifty miles outside Luoyi City, an endless line of black-armored soldiers crawled forward like giant dragons.
There was only one horse moving backwards at extremely fast speeds.
Before reaching an ordinary chariot, the horse stopped abruptly.
"What happened?" A middle-aged man standing on the left side of the chariot, wearing black armor and looking no different from an ordinary soldier, asked.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have thought that this man was the commander-in-chief of a hundred thousand Qin troops.
Zhang Ruo is slightly older than Bai Qi, but due to his extraordinary cultivation, time has not left many traces on his face, and his stern face reveals a certain degree of handsomeness.
If it weren't for the fact that the equipment on his body was too stretched on his hips, calling him an old handsome guy would not be too much.
"General, General Wang Lu is greeting you from the front." The knight did not dismount, but simply saluted with clasped fists.
"I understand." Zhang Ruo nodded, "Chen Zhuang."
"The general is here." A young general rode over from behind.
"You lead the army to set up defenses first to prevent the three Jins from raiding." Although he knew that Wang Lu would definitely make arrangements, Zhang Ruo still arranged for his men to set up defenses again.
"No." Chen Zhuang said, cupping his fists.
An hour later, Zhang Ruo saw a canopy standing by the roadside from a distance. Under the canopy, it was Wang Hao and others who greeted Zhang Ruo.
"The defeated general has seen the general." Seeing Zhang Ruo, Wang Hao quickly led his generals to greet him.
In terms of age and seniority, Zhang Ruo was above him. Wang Lu had no dissatisfaction with Zhang Ruo succeeding him as the general.
"General, you definitely don't have to be like this." Zhang Ruo got out of the car and helped Wang Lu up.
"General, fortunately you have lived up to your command." Lu Buwei stepped forward and leaned down to salute.
His return to Qin this time was not as smooth as expected. Qin's successive setbacks made Qin Wangji realize that Qin no longer seemed to be the invincible overlord in the world.
The conservatives in the Qin State continued to make suggestions, advocating giving up the Eastern Expedition and having good relations with the three Jin Dynasties. In this way, the world would be peaceful.
At the critical moment, Fan Ju chose to side with Lu Buwei, or in other words, had to side with Lu Buwei.
The ministers of the Qin State were mainly divided into two factions, one was the local faction and the other was the foreign faction.
Most of the local factions are nobles of the Qin State, with complicated relationships and deep roots.
The outsiders had no foundation, and their biggest reliance was the King of Qin.
If the King of Qin reuses him, it is possible for him to reach the sky in one step, and be inferior to one person and be superior to ten thousand people.
If the King of Qin abandoned him, he would have no choice but to leave Qin like a bereaved dog.
In order to suppress the nobles, the kings of Qin in the past dynasties almost always chose to appoint foreigners as prime ministers.
This also leads to an irreconcilable relationship between the two.
Conservatives mainly come from the Qin aristocracy.
When the Qin State was expanding wildly, they had little say.
But when Qin was defeated many times and lost its land, conservatives sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.
This is also the drawback of the military merit system!
Everyone tied their heads to their waists to follow you for military merit. Now it’s fine, military merit is gone, and you will be punished for defeat.
Originally, your damn Qin Fa was harsh and squeezed everything out of us. The only hope was military glory. Now that the only hope is gone, what's the point of beating us?
If it were other matters, Fan Ju might have stood by and watched, but in this matter, he had to unite with Lu Buwei.
Once the conservatives win, the first thing they will do is to eliminate them as outsiders, take power back into their own hands, and even dismantle the Qin State's century-old military merit conferment system.
After Fan Ju explained this to Qin Wangji, Qin Wangji immediately suppressed the conservatives and transferred Zhang Ruo from Hanzhong to serve as the head coach to attack Sanchuan.
If Qin can continue to expand its territory as before, this fluctuation will be considered a minor setback at best.
If Qin continues to be defeated and even loses its land, it will not be so easy to calm down.
"Thank you for your hard work, military advisor." Wang Hao said gratefully.
Although Lu Buwei did not say it explicitly, he understood that this time he was not removed from his post, but was demoted to deputy general. Lu Buwei must have contributed a lot.
Otherwise, if Qin Wangji favors him again, he will have to give an explanation to others.
"Let's go back to the camp first, and we'll talk about other things later." Zhang Ruo stopped others from coming forward to greet him, and pulled Wang Lu towards the chariot.
Soon, the army moved again.
After entering the camp, Zhang Ruo arranged for each army to go to their respective camps. Although he had not commanded the army for many years, there was still no unfamiliarity.
Until nightfall, the 100,000-strong army was finally arranged, and all the generals of the Qin army gathered in the main camp.
"Let me introduce you first." Zhang Ruo sat at the top seat, looked around and said.
Although they were both in the Qin Kingdom, he stayed in the southwest all year round and rarely returned to Xianyang. Except for a few people in the camp, he didn't even know most of them.
"Nuo." Wang Hao stood up and pointed at Wan next to him and said, "General. This is Wan, a transcendent realm. Thanks to him, the losses after our army's defeat were not so serious."
"Yeah." Zhang Ruo nodded towards Wan.
"This is Qiangxu..."
…
When Zheng Anping was introduced, Zhang Ruo's eyes suddenly widened, and Zheng Anping instantly felt a terrifying aura envelope him.
When he was in Xianyang, Lu Buwei told him the entire battle.
However, due to various reasons, Fan Ju helped his benefactor Zheng Anping to plead for mercy. Lu Buwei could not come forward to impeach Zheng Anping because Fan Ju helped him suppress conservatives.
Qin Wangji needed Wang Lu to stay as his deputy. If Zheng Anping was to be dealt with, Wang Lu would have to be dealt with first. After all, Wang Lu was the person primarily responsible for the defeat of the Qin army. Zheng Anping was at most responsible for not recovering the disadvantage in time after the Qin army was defeated.
In addition, after Hu Yang, Sima Geng, and Yang Xiong died in the battle, there were not many middle and high-level generals in the Qin State. Zheng Anping could still lead an army alone no matter how incompetent he was.
For various reasons, Zheng Anping's matter could only be left alone.
Qin Wangji did not deal with Zheng Anping, so Zhang Ruozi would not slap Qin Wangji and Fan Ju in the face.
However, Zhang Ruo still gave Zheng Anping a label in his heart that he could not be reused. In the future, unless it was absolutely necessary, it was better not to assign tasks to him, but to stay with him and do military work. Quan should give Fan Ju a face.
"I'm Zhang Ruo. You should have heard my name. No more gossip. From today on, I will be your coach. There is only one requirement: obey orders. Do you hear me?" After the introduction, Zhang Ruo stood up slowly, the aura of the leader of an army exuding from his body.
"No!" Everyone stood up and said in unison, no one showed dissatisfaction.
"Before coming, your Majesty told me to capture Luoyi at all costs. Only by capturing Luoyi can we occupy the Three Rivers. Only by occupying the Three Rivers can we conquer Han and Wei. Only by conquering Han and Wei can our Qin State become the overlord of the world." Zhang Ruo turned around and pointed at the positions of Luoyi and Sanchuan.
Sanchuan is located in the middle of the world, and its geographical location is particularly important.
To the east is Wei State, to the southeast is South Korea, and to the north is Wei State Hanoi.
The Hulao Pass, Yinque Pass, Xuanyuan Pass and other passes in Sanchuan are the only natural dangers for Han and Wei that can resist the Qin State. Beyond Sanchuan, all the way to the East China Sea is a flat plain without any big mountains blocking it.
Sanchuan is to Han and Wei, just like Shangdang is to Zhao State, it is the location of Cliang.
As long as Sanchuan and the surrounding Luoyang Pass are captured, Han and Wei, who have no natural defenses, will be like fish on the chopping board, allowing Qin to slaughter them.
In the past, the Qin State was concerned about the Zhou State's status as the co-leader of the world, and its strength was not enough to crush the six kingdoms. At the same time, the Zhao State in the north made provocations every day, ignoring Qin's status as the world's hegemon.
Therefore, Qin State chose to send troops to Shangdang. Although it was attacking South Korea, the real threat was Zhao State.
There is nothing we can do now. Hedong has been recaptured by Wei State. Qin State no longer borders Shangdang. Even if it borders Shangdang, it is not Zhao's opponent to take the initiative to attack.
The only way out is to occupy the three rivers, suppress Han and Wei, and separate the three Jins from the middle so that they cannot unite.
At that time, Qin State can attack Han and Wei at any time. I don't believe that Zhao State goes out of its way to support the two countries every time.
As long as there is no support even once, our Qin State can pull the two countries onto our Qin State's chariot.
This road is difficult, and if you are not careful, all your previous efforts may be wasted, but fortunately, at least it is developing in a good direction now.
Although the Qin army suffered a great defeat, it can be seen from the fact that there were only three Jin Dynasties as reinforcements that the princes of the world did not take Zhou State into consideration at all.
This is a good thing!
This is also the main reason why Lu Buwei was able to convince Qin Wangji.
If we were facing the Six Kingdoms' attack on Qin, King Ji of Qin would immediately withdraw his troops and retreat to Hangu Pass without saying a word.
"The general will do his best to help the general capture Luoyi." Everyone said in unison.
"Okay, everyone, go back and rest. We will attack the city with all our strength tomorrow. Today, I will personally guard the camp for you." Zhang Ruo said loudly.
Everyone bowed their hands and said goodbye. Only Zhang Ruo stayed in the tent, looking at the map in the dim light.
It was dark outside, there were no stars in the sky, and the moon was hidden in the clouds. The thin oil lamp could not illuminate the entire camp, but with the strength of the extraordinary realm, as long as there was a little light, it would not affect the vision.
"Does the general say that the Three Jin Dynasties will choose to attack at night?" Wang Hao asked after the generals left.
"What's the difference between a night attack and a night attack?" Zhang Ruo glanced at Wang Hao.
"The last general's intention is... maybe we can lure the three Jin Dynasties to attack at night. There is a saying in the art of war, 'The way to attack a city is as a last resort. It will take three months to repair the oars and equipment, and it will take three months to complete them; it will take another three months to get to the ridge." If the general cannot bear their anger and the ants attack them, killing one-third of the soldiers, but the city is not taken out, this attack will be a disaster. 'Although our army is powerful, it still cannot be ten times the enemy. If we can lure the three Jins out of the city, even if Capturing more than a thousand can also reduce the pressure of siege." Wang Lu said.
"General Wang must not be eager to win." Zhang Ruo sighed. From Wang Hao's haggard face, it can be seen that he is a little obsessed with winning, otherwise he would never say such a thing based on his level.
"The three Jin Dynasties are reinforcements. Do you think they will fight tooth and nail for the Kingdom of Zhou? What can they gain by fighting for the Kingdom of Zhou?"
If Zhang Ruo was a member of the Three Jin Dynasties, he would definitely defend the city for as long as he could. If he could no longer defend it, he would abandon the Western Zhou Kingdom and run away.
This is what normal reinforcements do.
Risking your life in a night attack? Only a fool would do it.
Even if it was a night attack, it would still be a night attack from the Western Zhou Dynasty.
However, at the level of the Western Zhou Dynasty, even a night attack would only result in a loss of lives.
