Zhao Kuo underestimated Touman's riding skills. As a wolf who grew up on the grassland, Touman did not abandon his riding skills even when he arrived in Zhao Kingdom.
When they were about to turn, the other riders pulled the reins one after another, preparing to slow down. Touman's eyes were like a torch, and he held his breath and concentrated. He gently pulled the reins, and the horse under his crotch immediately understood Touman's intention.
After crossing the corner, Touman suddenly accelerated, and the man and horse rushed towards the finish line as one.
When the other riders saw this, they immediately became anxious and began to speed up. However, although their war horses are worse than Touman's, they are not their own horses after all, and their coordination is far less tacit than Touman's.
And their riding skills are not even the slightest bit worse than Touman's.
When Touman surpassed them, they completely lost the possibility of winning.
"Your Majesty, I'm lucky to have lived up to my command!" Touman rushed to the finish line, quickly dismounted from his horse, ran to Zhao Kuo, knelt down on one knee, and said with cupped fists.
"Okay, okay, you are worthy of being an eagle on the grassland." Zhao Kuo stepped forward, personally helped Touman up, and patted his shoulder, "From now on, you will follow me and learn how to lead troops in battle."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hearing this, Touman knelt on the ground again and kowtowed three times.
"Get up and call yourself a minister from now on. Don't kneel down at every turn. You are my minister, not a slave. Do you understand?" Zhao Kuo said.
"I understand." Touman said with great respect.
At this time, other knights came one after another. Seeing that Touman was valued by Zhao Kuo, they were envious and jealous.
"Others will be rewarded according to regulations." Zhao Kuo said to the person in charge.
"No." The person in charge bowed.
The riders felt a little disappointed when they saw that Zhao Kuo didn't notice them after all, so they could only leave the arena under the leadership of the person in charge.
"Tell me, tell me why the war horse you raise is taller and more energetic than the horses raised by others?" Zhao Kuo asked curiously.
"Your Majesty, there are two main reasons. One is that I am good at judging horses. Even if it is a foal, I can tell whether it is a good horse. The horses raised by me are inherently better than the horses raised by others. It can grow taller. Secondly, I raise the horse as a child, love it and feel the horse's joys and sorrows. Therefore, the horse I raise is not only tall, but also very energetic," Touman said.
"Those who love horses must have a benevolent heart." Zhao Kuo said.
"Your Majesty, the officials are here." Liu Ping reminded.
When the officials saw that the horse racing was over, they came over one after another. However, when they saw that Zhao Kuo was talking to others, they did not approach, but stood not far away and waited.
"You go back first and report to the CRRC Mansion tomorrow, and then go to the palace to see me." Zhao Kuo said to Touman.
"No." Touman stepped back respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the barbarians are unjust and unjust, fearful of power but not moral, and are not worthy of trust." Liu Pingping reminded him quickly after Touman walked away.
"If the State of Zhao wants to be strong, it must be open to all rivers. Whether it is Zhao people, people from the Six Kingdoms, Hu people, or Huns, as long as they have the ability, they will use it. It is true that the Hu people are afraid of power and not moral, but as long as they are I am still alive, and as long as my country, Zhao, is still strong, he can only be used by me obediently." Zhao Kuo said with great confidence.
No matter how ambitious Touman is, if he wants to rebuild the Xiongnu, he must have the Xiongnu tribe.
In a few decades, the Xiongnu captives would almost die of old age, and a small number of them would integrate into Zhao and become Zhao people. Even if Touman jumped out stupidly, no one would respond.
To grow from a seed to a towering tree requires soil and roots.
Without a foundation and soil, even the best seeds cannot grow into towering trees.
If the Huns were still there, Zhao Kuo would not use Touman. It was not that he felt that he could not suppress the opponent, but that there was no need to take the risk. It is true that the other party is talented, but Zhao Guo has only one more talent and one less talent.
But now that the Huns are gone, even if ten Touman are added together, they can't make any waves.
"Your Majesty." When the officials saw that Zhao Kuo's conversation was over, they came over to salute in a sensible manner.
Then, Zhao Kuo led everyone to the Hall of Heroes, and together they offered a stick of incense to all the soldiers who died in the battle.
After coming out of the Hall of Heroes, he returned to the palace again.
The banquet has been arranged.
Zhao Kuo only held two banquets for these officials, one when they had just arrived in Handan, and the other today.
Everyone understood that this meant that they would leave Handan tomorrow and go to Yandi to take office.
At the banquet, Zhao Kuo didn't say anything encouraging, he just told everyone to eat and drink well and not be restrained.
Early the next morning, Zhao Kuo, with the help of Tian Shu, dressed up early and came to the front of the dormitory to see off the officials.
Zhao Kuo sent everyone to a pavilion ten miles outside the city. Then he stopped and said, "I'll see you off after a long journey, but we must say goodbye eventually. I will send you here."
"Your Majesty, please come back." The officials said one after another. Since ancient times, no king has sent his ministers ten miles away, but they are insignificant officials like them.
"When I say goodbye, I have a few words for you." Zhao Kuo said.
"Your Majesty, please speak." The official leaned over quickly and said respectfully.
"I don't ask you to report to the country and bring peace to the people. I just ask that you can live up to your conscience when you are an official. I thank you." After saying this, Zhao Kuo bowed deeply.
"I will never let the king down even if I die." All the officials said solemnly. In this era, when they said this, it meant that the vast majority of people were really willing to die for Zhao Kuo, not just words.
If the king regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart.
Even if a monarch is kind to his subordinates, his subordinates will remember it for a lifetime and repay him 100%.
"Everyone, please get in the car. I will watch you leave." Zhao Kuo said to everyone.
"Your Majesty, please leave." All the officials bowed and saluted, then turned around and boarded the carriage.
Zhao Kuo watched all the vehicles disappear at the end of the official road, and then turned back to the palace to prepare for handling government affairs.
Speaking of which, he has not come to the political hall for nearly a month.
It’s nice not having to deal with government affairs.
Unlike before, I got up at dawn every day to handle government affairs and didn't return to the palace until dark. It was simply more tiring than going to jail.
"Your Majesty, the envoy from Qi is here." Lu Zhonglian saw Zhao Kuo and stood up quickly.
The envoy from Qi State has been in Handan for several days, but Zhao Kuo has been busy these days and has no time to see him.
"Has Qi agreed to Zhao's conditions?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"No, Qi is here to seek peace." Lu Zhonglian said.
"Kick him out." Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
"Your Majesty, I think it would be better to meet each other. After all, Qi is the queen's home country, so it is not appropriate to make things too tense. And according to what the envoy of Qi said, the massacre of a whole village in our Zhao country was really not done by Qi. They are willing to Investigate this matter thoroughly and find out the forces behind it," Lin Xiangru said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, let's meet him." Yu Xin also said.
They value the interests of Zhao State more than avenging Zhao people.
The Yan Kingdom was annexed, the Liaohe Plain was to be developed, roads were to be paved, and colleges were to be built. The Loop is still being reclaimed, and it will take several years before all the water conservancy facilities are completed, making it impossible to feed back the Zhao State.
Zhao State is still fighting outside, relying entirely on Hebei, Taiyuan and other places for support.
In the past, Zhao's court supported the attack on Qi because he wanted to capture Qi's land and strengthen Zhao's strength. Now that Zhao has annexed Yan, its land has expanded to its limit.
Therefore, the mainstream faction in the court changed from supporting the defeat of Qi to promoting an armistice.
"Then let's meet." Zhao Kuo followed the good advice.
"By the way, Your Majesty. There is also a piece of information from the Qin State, saying that King Qin Ji Yujia has personally conquered the country." Lin Xiangru said.
"Prince Ji of Qin went on a personal expedition? Is he over seventy years old?" Zhao Kuo was a little surprised.
In troubled times, there were many monarchs who dared to conquer in person, but the Qin Wangji can be said to be unprecedented among the more than seventy people who dared to conquer in person. However, there are still some who have come.
There was an old guy named Murong Chui behind him, who also did this kind of thing when he was seventy years old.
But he started charging into battles when he was young and fought until he was old. How many battles did King Qin Ji have to fight?
If this person dies on the road, the Qin army will be completely ruined, and Bai Qi will not be able to save it.
"Qin Wangji ordered the prince to supervise the country and take charge of all the power of Qin, including the appointment and dismissal of officials and the dispatch of grain and grass." Lin Xiangru said.
"Has the news of the demise of the Yan Kingdom spread?" Zhao Kuo suddenly asked.
"No, only the ministers at the court level knew about it. The officials who were going to take office only informed them after they arrived in Handan, and they were told to keep it secret. The road and Jindu between Zhao and Yan have been blocked, and only I, Zhao, Only people with household registration or chamber of commerce can pass. However, the demise of the Yan Kingdom is a big deal after all. Our Zhao Kingdom will only block it for a few months at most, and other countries will still know about it." Lin Xiangru said.
It was very difficult to block this matter. That is to say, thanks to the slow circulation of news these days, Zhao State was able to block the news for several months, otherwise it would not be possible even for a few days.
"No wonder King Ji of Qin is so courageous. He is probably still counting on the State of Yan to threaten our State of Zhao from behind. I wonder what King Qin will think if he learns that the land of Yan has become the land of our State of Zhao." Zhao Kuo smiled. said.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Zhao State. I believe that we should mobilize the strength of the whole country, unite South Korea and Wei, defeat the Qin army, invade Guanzhong, and completely weaken the Qin State." Yu Xin said solemnly.
Since Shang Yang's reform, Qin has been the enemy of the six eastern countries. Even if Kuang Zhang broke through Hangu Pass and Zhao Kuo led the coalition to attack Guanzhong, Qin gave up in time and suffered no fundamental losses.
Such Qin State is very dangerous to Zhao State.
"I second the proposal." Zhao Sheng and Lin Xiangru also said.
"Okay, pass on the order, I want to lead the army to fight in person." Zhao Kuo said loudly. This old guy like Qin Wangji is going to fight in person. If he shrinks back, won't the Zhao army's morale be suppressed by the Qin army?
"Your Majesty, no." When Yu Xin heard this, his expression suddenly changed. He said that he would weaken the Qin State at all costs, but he did not say that he wanted Zhao Kuo to personally conquer it.
"The King of Qin is not afraid even though he is seventy years old. What do you have to be afraid of?" Zhao Kuo suddenly became unhappy. It's not like he has never fought before, and you haven't been like this before.
"Your Majesty, King Qin has a lot of sons and grandsons. Not to mention sons and grandsons, even the eldest grandchild is almost an adult. Even if he dies on the battlefield, his son will inherit the throne. If his son dies, his grandson will inherit. When the grandson dies, the children and grandchildren will inherit. Where is our country, Zhao? If you have an accident, what will Zhao do?" Yu Xin said in a deep voice.
The Zhao State was able to achieve what it is today, was able to destroy the Yan State, and was able to dominate the world, all because of Zhao Kuo.
If Zhao Kuo hadn't been there to hold it down, the State of Zhao wouldn't know what it would be like, and even the newly annexed State of Yan might even spit it out.
Zhao Kuo's son is only a few years old, and he can do nothing at this time.
"Your Majesty, why don't you let General Meng Ao or General Lejian lead the troops to support Wang Jun?" Chulong said.
"You can also call General Lian Po back from Shangdang. Shangdang is not the main direction of Qin's attack. Feng Ting himself is also a famous general. Defending Shangdang is not a problem. Besides, now that the road has been repaired, Handan can support Shangdang at any time." Lin Xiangru suggested. road.
"If that doesn't work, you can still let General Qin Kai lead the troops." Cai Ze said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, our Zhao country doesn't have many other people, it just has many famous generals. There is no need for a charioteer to conquer personally." Zhao Sheng said.
When they attacked the Huns, no one tried to dissuade them because Zhao Kuo had just ascended the throne and everyone had not really returned home yet. At the same time, everyone also understood that it was impossible for Zhao Kuo to hand over military power to others at that time.
At that time, military power was Zhao Kuo's only support.
But in the past few years, everyone in Zhao State has really seen the changes in Zhao State, and they agree with Zhao Kuo from the bottom of their hearts.
Without Zhao Kuo, there would be no current Zhao State.
Moreover, Zhao State is now in an advantageous position and has not yet reached the point where it is necessary for the emperor to personally conquer the country.
"If the King of Qin appears on the battlefield and I am not there, the morale of our Zhao army will be hit." Zhao Kuo said. He believed that he would definitely improve the morale of the army more than King Ji of Qin. "Besides, who else can make the army better than the King of Qin?" I hope you, Lord Duping, Lord Xinling, and Lord Duwu will all be convinced?"
Everyone fell into silence when they heard the last sentence. Le Yi, Tian Dan, Wei Wuji, and Lian Po were all qualified to become commanders of the coalition forces regardless of their ability or qualifications.
When the armies fought separately before, the nominal commander-in-chief was Le Yi.
But this does not mean that other people have no objections to Le Yi at all. The more capable a person is, the prouder he is deep down, but he just doesn't show it at ordinary times.
Once Tian Dan, Wei Wuji, and Lian Po questioned Le Yi's order, Le Yi could not rely on his prestige to suppress the three of them.
What's more, Le Yi leads the coalition forces.
The 300,000 troops and the 300,000 coalition forces are two completely different concepts. Once there is a slight mistake or gap in the coalition forces, Bai Qi will seize the opportunity, and then continue to magnify it, eventually leading to defeat.
Except for Zhao Kuo, no one as the head coach can make everyone have no opinions.
"This matter has been settled. Pass the order and order Qin Kai, Meng Ao, Meng Wu, He Zongjun, Lou Fanjun, and Lin Hujun to go out with me on the expedition." Zhao Kuo ordered.
"Your Majesty, there are no soldiers." Lin Xiangru said helplessly. At this time, there was not a single soldier in Handan except the imperial guards.
"Aren't there prisoners from the Yan State? Pick out 50,000. Tell them that as long as this battle is won, I will release them back to the Yan State. If they behead or capture the enemy, they will be rewarded according to the military merit system. Then recruit an army from Handan Thousands. Including the Imperial Guards. Send 66,000 troops." Zhao Kuo said.
"No." Lin Xiangru agreed when he saw that Zhao Kuo was determined to lead the expedition himself.
