As the Qin army was defeated and fled, the Zhao army successfully captured Xianyang and occupied the capital of Qin.
At this time, Xianyang City no longer had the prosperity of the past. The rows of houses were only ruins, and the people coming and going on the streets turned into a torrential flood.
Countless houses were washed away, and homeless people stood on the roadside, looking at Zhao Jun in fear, not daring to make any noise, for fear that Zhao Jun would kill them all if he was unhappy.
The elderly collapsed in the mud. Long-term heat, humidity, hunger, and mental torture made many elderly people sick.
They have no money for medical treatment and can only resign themselves to fate.
"Lian Po!" Zhao Kuo said in a deep voice.
"The general is here." Lian Po took a step forward, cupped his fists and said.
"Immediately take people to block the Jingshui embankment to prevent floods from flooding Xianyang." Zhao Kuo said.
"General, let's go now." Lian Po said, leading his Xuanjia army towards the gap in Jingshui River.
"Lecheng." Zhao Kuo ordered another general, "Immediately lead people to dredge the river between Xianyang and the Wei River and release the flood as soon as possible."
"No." Le Cheng also took people away.
"Feng Quji and Huang Shigong, you lead the doctors to treat all the sick people in the city, regardless of age." Zhao Kuo said.
"Nuo." Feng Quji and Huang Shigong said.
"Li Si, Han Fei, you organize some people to work for relief and build damaged places in Xianyang and houses destroyed by floods." Zhao Kuo said.
"No." Li Si and Han Fei said.
"Your Majesty, do you want to..." Xunzi looked at Zhao Kuo in surprise.
"Yes, since Xianyang has been captured by the few, there is no need to return it to Qin. Since it belongs to my country, Zhao, naturally it must be rebuilt properly." Zhao Kuo said matter-of-factly.
Guanzhong, with Xianyang as the center, is one of the few good places that can rival the Central Plains. Zhao had no chance before, but now that it has conquered Xianyang, how could it possibly give up the fat on the lips?
"Your Majesty, King Qin..." Meng Wu couldn't help but say. .
"There's no rush. Let him hide for a few days." Zhao Kuo said nonchalantly. In Qin's current situation, even Qin Wangji would be unable to recover, let alone Qin Wangzhu.
If he wanted to organize his forces to compete with Zhao Jun, he could only stand up openly, and he could not hide forever.
"Your Majesty, we have captured several young masters and grandsons of the Qin Kingdom, as well as several concubines of the King of Qin. However, the prince and queen of the Qin Kingdom have all run away with the King of Qin." Li Mu reported.
"Lock them all up. Don't run away or die. It will be useful when negotiating with Qin later." Zhao Kuo said.
He did not expect that this battle would destroy the Qin State. Although the main force of the Qin State was gone, the people's hearts were still there. Qin Wangzhu could pull up tens of thousands of troops to compete with the Zhao State at any time.
Zhao State has experienced more than a year of war, the treasury has been wiped out, and the soldiers are waiting to go home. If the fight continues, Zhao Guo will be injured.
The gain outweighs the loss.
Secondly, Zhao State does not have so many people and cannot occupy such a large territory. It will also arouse the covetousness and targeting of the other four countries.
Instead of doing this, it is better to keep the half-dead Qin State and wait until Zhao can free up manpower before annexing it.
Three days later, Zhao Kuo received news that Qin Wangzhu and some of the remaining troops fled to Jingyang.
Just as he was preparing to lead his troops northward, Qin sent an envoy.
"Mr. Zhongzhong, long time no see." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
The envoy sent by the State of Qin this time was in the middle period of the last time.
"The foreign minister pays homage to King Zhao." He bowed helplessly in the middle and saluted. He really didn't want to see Zhao Kuo, but Lu Buwei was not in Qin State, Fan Ju had to take charge of the overall situation, and Lou Huan, Shou Zhu and others were too old, so only He is fit for mission.
"Give the envoy of Qin a seat." Zhao Kuo waved his hand and said.
"The foreign minister came this time...to represent Qin to seek peace from King Zhao." This time in the mid-term, it was very direct, without any detours like last time. He didn't even say 'talk about peace', he just said 'seek peace'.
The last mission let him know that he
His own tactics were of no use in front of Zhao Kuo. The only thing that could convince Zhao Kuo was interests.
"Yes." Zhao Kuo nodded and signaled the Qin envoy to continue.
"We, the State of Qin, are willing to surrender to the State of Zhao, and send the prince to the State of Zhao as a hostage, cede Shangjun to the State of Zhao, and give Shaoliang City to the King of Zhao as Tang Muyi." Zhong said through gritted teeth.
"Not enough." Zhao Kuo said calmly.
Except for Shangjun, Shaoliang City barely meets half of the conditions.
The first two conditions are useless in Zhao Kuo's view. Zhao Kuo's purpose is not to compete for hegemony, but to unify, and becoming a vassal has no appeal to him.
As for protons, it's even more ridiculous. Protons from other countries may be of some use, but Qin's protons are useless.
At that time, the prince of Qin was held as a hostage in Wei, but it did not affect Qin's ability to kill 150,000 Wei troops.
Qin's king and grandson were held hostage in Zhao, which did not affect Qin's launch of the Changping War.
In the face of national strategy, all sons and grandsons are just political victims.
"Plus Longxi..." Zhong said in a deep voice.
"Longxi doesn't have to worry about Qin. I, Zhao, have already conquered it." Zhao Kuo said, if Longxi had not been conquered, he would still be tempted.
Now that the Qin State is ceding the land that the Zhao State has already occupied to the Zhao State, do you really think that he is one of those pedantic people? Fighting for that little bit of face?
"Plus Zhangye County." Zhong said.
Longxi has been captured by Zhao State, and Zhangye will belong to Zhao State sooner or later. It is impossible to keep it with Qin State's current strength, so it is better to give it to Zhao State as a bargaining chip.
"Zhangye County can do it, but... it's not enough." Zhao Kuo said.
"This is all the price our country of Qin can pay." Zhong said in a deep voice.
He was not lying. In addition to the above territories, Qin State only had two areas left in Guanzhong and Bashu. Bashu was far away from Zhao State. Even if Qin State was willing, Zhao State would not be willing.
Guanzhong is the foundation of Qin State. No matter what, Qin State cannot give Guanzhong to Zhao State.
"In this case, I, the State of Zhao, will take it based on our strength." Zhao Kuo said nonchalantly.
"Although our Qin State was defeated in this battle, I am afraid that Zhao State will not feel comfortable. King Zhao is so determined to go his own way, is he not afraid of Chu State and South Korea and Wei? Or does King Zhao think that Wei State and South Korea will never betray Zhao State? ." Zhong said.
"Hehehe. The Qin envoy can give it a try. Is it Zhao who cannot hold on first or Qin? As for the relationship between Zhao, Wei and Han, it is not something you can instigate." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
Of course he does not believe in the loyalty of Wei and South Korea to Zhao, but even if Wei and South Korea really attack Zhao, they must have this ability.
The State of Zhao went through a war for more than a year, and the State of Wei and South Korea experienced wars for several months longer than the State of Zhao. The country was already empty, and there was no food and grass to fight the war.
"Please also ask the King of Zhao to speak frankly about what price Qin needs to pay before Zhao is willing to retreat." After a while, Zhongzhong finally spoke.
"First, the State of Qin ceded Xianyang and its surrounding 23 cities, all the land east of the Jing River, and Zhangye County to our State of Zhao. Second, the State of Qin opened all the border passes and cities to the State of Zhao, and allowed the State of Zhao to The Chamber of Commerce in and out of the Qin State's border is exempt from customs duties for the Zhao State Chamber of Commerce. Third, the people of our Zhao State died because of the Qin State. I asked the King of Qin to issue a criminal edict and went to the tomb to worship the deceased of the Zhao State. Fourth, the Qin State Compensate our Zhao country with five million stones of grain and fifty thousand pieces of Shu brocade." Zhao Kuo said one by one.
"This is impossible!" Zhong stood up suddenly and looked at Zhao Kuo angrily.
In the past, asking for peace was at most a matter of bloodletting. Zhao Kuo was directly seeking Qin's life. If he agreed to Zhao Kuo's conditions, what would be the difference between Qin and subjugation.
What's more, five million stones of grain and 50,000 pieces of Shu brocade, even if the entire Qin State was drained, it would not be able to come up with this much.
Le Yi and others also looked at Zhao Kuo in shock. Zhao Kuo had not discussed these conditions with them before. They had no idea that Zhao Kuo was so open-minded.
"It's impossible. The envoy of Qin's decision doesn't count, but the King of Qin's. It's better for the envoy of Qin to go back and ask the King of Qin." Zhao Kuo said calmly. He didn't expect to be able to do it in one go.
Negotiated.
"Foreign minister...resign." He took a deep breath in the middle, suppressed the anger in his heart, stood up and resigned.
"I'll wait for you for three days." Zhao Kuo said to Zhong Zhong's back.
Zhong was shocked all over and continued walking outside.
After Zhong Zhong left, all eyes focused on Zhao Kuo.
"I'm afraid Qin will not agree to the king's conditions." Xunzi said with a bitter smile. Zhao Kuo's request was too harsh. After this battle, Qin had only changed from a first-rate power to a second-rate country. Zhao Kuo suddenly let Qin If you fall directly into a third-rate country, you will have to pay off the debt to Zhao in the next few years.
"I will make Qin agree." Zhao Kuo said with a smile, "Li Mu."
"The general is here." Li Mu walked to the center of the camp and said with clasped fists.
"Lead 50,000 troops north and surround Jingyang, but do not attack." Zhao Kuo said. .
"No." Li Mu received the military order and strode outside.
"Didn't the king say... wait for Qin for three days?" Xunzi was dumbfounded.
"We are waiting for the Qin Kingdom for three days. Didn't I tell Li Mu not to attack for the time being?" Zhao Kuo said confidently.
Touman looked at Zhao Kuo excitedly. He learned another move today.
"Sir is back." Qin Wangzhu looked at the middle stage expectantly, hoping that the other party could bring him good news.
"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my duty." Zhongzhong knelt on the ground and didn't know how to speak. Zhao Kuo's conditions were impossible for any Qin country to agree to, let alone four.
"King Zhao refuses to negotiate peace?" Qin Wangzhu's face instantly turned pale when he heard this.
"King Zhao has put forward new conditions." Zhong said.
"What conditions?" Qin Wangzhu's eyes lit up. As long as there are conditions, it means there is still hope for negotiation.
After telling Zhao Kuo's conditions in the middle, Qin Wangzhu became furious, kicked the desk away, drew his sword and slashed it at the shelf behind him, roaring: "Zhao Kuo, you are bullying me too much!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down." Fan Ju and others quickly grabbed Qin Wangzhu.
"Let me cede half of the country, and then make me punish myself and worship those untouchables. This is simply too much!" Qin Wangzhu's eyes were burning with anger, and the veins on his forehead popped out, like a furious lion.
"Father, even if you agree to the conditions of Zhao State, you are just lingering. I, the descendants of Qin State, are never afraid of death. At worst, we will be defeated by Zhao State. I am willing to be a pioneer." Zi Chu walked to Qin Wangzhu and solemnly said said.
When Zhao was a hostage, he never thought that the situation would change so quickly, and that he would have the opportunity to return to Qin and become an heir or even a prince.
He never thought that the prosperous Qin State would decline so quickly, and that Zhao State would defeat Qin State, replace Qin State, and become the overlord of the world.
Fan Ju also regretted it extremely. If he had known that things would be like this, he would not have used counterintuitive tactics to ask King Zhao to change the coach from Lian Po to Zhao Kuo.
"Your Majesty, Prince, no." At this time, a voice came from a distance.
Seeing the person coming, Qin Wangzhu and Zichu's eyes lit up, "Young Master!"
"Your Majesty, Prince. You can keep the green hills and don't worry about having no firewood. In the past, Yan was destroyed by Qi, but it was still able to recover. Qi only had two cities left, but it was able to retreat from Yan. As long as we, Qin, are still there, If the king and the prince are still there, they can always wait for the opportunity. If the king and the prince are gone and the Qin Kingdom is destroyed, then there will really be no hope." Lu Buwei said quickly. He still doesn't know what happened, but he must Dispel Zi Chu’s desperate thoughts.
The State of Qin cannot compete with the State of Zhao. It may be able to bite off a piece of meat from Zhao State before dying, but it will cost the entire State of Qin!
"By the way, what did Chu say?" Qin Wangzhu grabbed Zi Chu and asked impatiently.
"The State of Chu is unwilling to directly conflict with the State of Zhao." Lu Buwei shook his head. After receiving the message, he immediately went to ask the King of Chu, but the King of Chu refused on the grounds that the army was on the front line and there was insufficient strength.
The State of Chu and the State of Zhao are not bordering each other. If you want to encircle Zhao and save Qin, you can only cross the State of Wei. However, at this time, Wei and Chu are at war, and the State of Wei cannot
Can agree.
Moreover, if Chu attacks Zhao, it will directly offend Zhao, Wei and Han, as well as Qi, which it had beaten before.
If the four countries were put together, Chu would not be able to bear it.
How Qin was pinned to the ground and beaten by the Four Kingdoms, Chu could clearly see from the side.
Even if the Chu State wanted to save the Qin State, it would be impossible for them to do so.
Seeing that there was no hope of persuading the Chu State, Lu Buwei rushed back to the Qin State without stopping. When he entered Guanzhong, he received the news that Xianyang had been captured. He then inquired all the way until Qin Wangzhu issued a notice calling everyone in the Qin State to resist Zhao, and then he found him. .
"Since Chu State does not keep its promise, then the seven Badong counties..." Qin Wangzhu said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, our State of Qin has become an enemy of the State of Zhao, and we can no longer offend the State of Chu." Lu Buwei said quickly.
"Can I just wait to die like this?" Qin Wangzhu said through gritted teeth.
"Please tell the prince about the current situation." Lu Buwei leaned over and said.
Zi Chu recounted what happened during this period, including the conditions proposed by Zhao Kuo when he just sued for peace.
"The King of Zhao has a huge appetite. He only annexed the Yan Kingdom last year, and this year he wants to annex half of the Qin Kingdom. He is not afraid of dying." After hearing this, Lu Buwei's face was gloomy, but he felt extremely powerless. Read the book
Between countries, strength is fundamental.
Now Zhao is strong and Qin is weak. No matter how arrogant Zhao is, Qin is powerless.
