The night is really long!
Some people grow up overnight and learn to take responsibility, while others lose everything overnight and become beggars.
And one night can also rewrite the outcome of a war that affects the fate of the entire China.
If there is another chance to do it again, I think Zhao Kuo will definitely remember the lesson of "opening the champagne at halftime" and never dare or forget it.
However, no matter how long the night is, it will eventually pass.
The sun still rises high, shining on this ancient land.
At around 3 o'clock in the morning, the Qin army, which had been repairing all night, began to slowly wake up. A bowl of thin gruel drove away the last trace of sleepiness. This was already the only morning food for today's march.
Immediately, black dragons walked out of the camp with neat steps, walking past the already scorched camp of the Wei army, past the battlefields where fierce battles had been fought, and past the cemeteries where countless comrades were buried, heading towards home.
Wang Lu led 30,000 elite troops at the forefront of the team. As the commander-in-chief, Bai Qi naturally commanded nearly 80,000 troops in the central army, while Sima Cuo led 20,000 rear troops to gather supplies for the camp.
Even though most of the Qin Army's strength has been consumed, the more than 100,000 troops coming out of the camp are still vast and vast. After a night of repairs, the Qin Army's mental outlook has obviously improved a lot.
Perhaps due to the temptation to go home, almost every Qin soldier no longer had the worry of failure and the fear of death on his face, and the weapons in their hands were held tighter.
Summer marches are boring and long.
While Shangdang's 130,000 Qin troops were running for their own survival, there was also this group of people working tirelessly for them in Guanzhong, thousands of miles away.
In Hangu Pass, countless ordnances were moved out of the warehouses and quietly tied into carriages; in Guanzhong, tens of thousands of corvees and soldiers gathered in an orderly manner, and drove to Hangu one group after another. Pass; Yongcheng, where the granary is located in the heart of Qin State, loads of grain were pushed out, and cart after cart was sent to Hangu Pass.
In Xianyang City, the center of the empire, although the four gates have not been closed tightly and the government has not notified Jingjie, there is an endless stream of messengers and officials from various yamen who are shuttled through the streets. , the common people obviously also feel the atmosphere of the coming storm.
The center of this terrifying aura is naturally the Qin Palace in Xianyang.
"My king!" An attendant handed over a small silk letter again. It was also a letter from a flying pigeon on the front line.
Facing this small silk book, King Qin's mood was complicated. He was a little hopeful that Bai Qi could bring him some good news, but he was also a little nervous. The nervous frontline fell into trouble again before he could wait for his rescue. Deeper into the mire.
After all, with the mentality of "it is a blessing, not a disaster, it is a disaster that cannot be avoided", King Qin carefully took the silk book and slowly unfolded it.
The good news is that the situation on the front line has not worsened, and even most of the Wei army of more than 100,000 troops has been annihilated;
The bad news is that the situation of the siege has been confirmed, and Bai Qi has even discovered the unknown and mysterious participating country;
The most exciting and puzzling question has arrived, that country turned out to be Zhao!
This also means that the hard-working plans made by King Qin and Prime Minister Fan Sui last night were all in vain, because they targeted almost all countries and imagined various scenarios including backstabbing of their own younger brother, but they did not expect that it was Zhao Guo suddenly showed up with hundreds of thousands of troops.
Fortunately, Bai Qi is worthy of being called the God of War, and he is a rare good employee for the King of Qin. He is not only good at discovering problems, but can also come up with solutions along the way.
What's more coincidental is that his plan is similar to the goal set by King Qin last night.
What else is there to say?
"Come here, let me tell you that Xiangguo has come to the palace to discuss matters." King Qin immediately issued an order.
"Yes!" The attendant on the side immediately took the order.
After a while, Prime Minister Fan Sui trotted into the inner hall again.
King Qin handed over the silk book, and Fan Sui read it at a glance and was very surprised.
But obviously, whether it is Qin
Neither Wang nor Fan Sui had any doubt that Bai Qi's news was untrue. They absolutely believed in Bai Qi's military qualities, even if it seemed that the battle of Shangdang was about to be lost.
Even the more critical the moment, the more trust they have. It is precisely because of this trust at critical moments that Qin won the final victory in Huayang, Yique, Yanying... and on countless battlefields.
As for the plan and arrangement given by Bai Qi, it did not conflict with his own plan. Just trying to persuade King Zhao is so difficult that ordinary people may not be able to do it.
More importantly, Qin may need some blood! It is impossible to ask King Zhao to let him go with empty words, and King Zhao is not a fool.
First lure him with benefits, and then arrange for the army to suppress the situation, creating the illusion that there are benefits at least if he agrees, but if he doesn't agree, he will be destroyed. In addition, the bribed Zhao Chen turned a deaf ear, and then he had the opportunity to force King Zhao to retreat.
"What does the Prime Minister think?" Fan Sui, the general of the King of Qin, had already put down the silk book and asked immediately.
This question may seem confusing, but it is clear that Fan Sui understands King Qin. King Qin's question is not only whether Bai Qi's strategy is feasible, but also asking how sincerity Qin should show to impress Zhao.
Obviously, Bai Qi's method was not a big problem. The real problem was that King Qin was unwilling to pay a high price. If he had to exchange the land of several counties for hundreds of thousands of troops, King Qin would rather fight to the end.
Fan Sui obviously understood what King Qin was thinking. After all, it was about cutting flesh, and no one liked it.
However, things have already reached this stage. The so-called lesser of two evils is not to cut it, but not to cut it too much.
Fan Sui immediately led King Qin to the map from last night. He lightly slid his fingers and began to plan for King Qin: "My king, please see: the land west of Hexi is the ancestral land of our Qin State, and further away is Hangu. It can be said that The side of the bed is not adjacent to the land of Shangdang or Zhao. Even if it is given to Zhao, Zhao will not dare to ask for it. As for the land east of the river."
"The land east of the river is the key to our great Qin's eastward exit. We must not throw it away." King Qin immediately interrupted.
Fan Sui was a little embarrassed, but it was understandable. The land east of Hedong is not only an important place for the Qin Kingdom to come out from the east, but also the life-long effort of Ying Si, the father of Ying Ji, King Huiwen of Qin. As a son of man, he is naturally not willing to lose his father's inheritance in his own hands.
Fortunately, Fan Sui was not prepared to exchange it with Hedong.
"Then there are only two places left: Hanoi and Taoyi." Fan Sui continued immediately, and then looked at King Qin, as if to say: Your Majesty, please choose one!
