Looking at the two people staring at each other with big eyes and small eyes, they are almost in a deadlock with each other refusing to give in. It was even difficult to continue the conversation.
Lord Pingyuan knew that the contradictions involved were not irreconcilable. After all, the most irreconcilable contradictions had long been resolved with Zhao Kuo's compromise. The confrontation between the two is more of a battle of spirits, or in other words, the two are afraid that once they give in, they will need to give in again and again.
As a Zhao native, Pingyuan Jun certainly hopes that Zhao Kuo can win the final victory in the confrontation, but Pingyuan Jun also knows very well that Lou Chang, who was just suppressed by Zhao Kuo, has only temporarily died down. If the confrontation is allowed to continue, he has the king's life in hand. Under Lou Chang's inducement, Pingyang Jun is very likely to fall to Qin.
That’s when it becomes troublesome.
On the Zhao side, neither Lian Po nor Tian Dan is obviously suitable to join in at this time to negotiate an alliance between the two parties. After all, in terms of their positions, they are both direct subordinates of Zhao Kuo, and they are even more closely related to Zhao Kuo. With a tacit understanding of cooperation, it was impossible to oppose Zhao Kuo; and from a personal psychological point of view, the two of them definitely supported Zhao Kuo.
It seems that I am the only one left! But obviously, this messenger is destined to be disliked by both sides. If the final result is biased towards Zhao Guo, that's fine. If not, maybe he will be equated with that Lou Chang person!
Mr. Pingyuan sighed secretly in his heart: Why did he have to go through this muddy water? My future is extremely bright!
However, with the current national interests, Mr. Pingyuan could only bite the bullet even if he didn't want to.
"Fan Xiangguo." In order to ensure "fairness", Lord Pingyuan still aimed his breakthrough at Fan Sui: "Put yourself in his shoes, will you let the heavily armed Qin army pass through Jiepailing without any scruples? Don't say anything. You and I both know what credibility means. In the face of huge interests, the so-called credibility is not worth mentioning at all."
Fan Sui was a little silent when he heard this. Indeed, although this move is suspected of insulting the army, it can also be regarded as an act of self-protection by Zhao Jun. If he could really enter Jiepailing in a majestic manner, even he might not be able to resist attacking, let alone the bellicose Qin soldiers.
However, putting down the weapon is tantamount to putting his army of hundreds of thousands on the chopping block.
Fan Sui obviously couldn't agree to the matter of cutting meat and fish for others.
Of course, Lord Pingyuan obviously came with the attitude of making peace, so Fan Sui couldn't bear to be cold-faced, and immediately replied: "Jun Pingyuan, I would like to treat others as well. If our army completely puts down its weapons and enters the city, then we can't do it again." We have no power to resist. If General Zhao has inappropriate thoughts, how can our army protect itself?"
Lord Pingyuan nodded when he heard this, and then looked at Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo then sighed lightly and said: "It seems that the Prime Minister has missed what I said about dividing into batches. The Qin State's army of more than 100,000 people entered Jiepai Ridge together. I am afraid that Jiepai Ridge will be overcrowded and blocked. . Therefore, the Qin army can be divided into several batches, each batch can be as large as 20,000 to 30,000 people, and as small as 10,000 to 20,000 people, and pass through them in order. The credibility of my general is worthy of the 10,000 to 20,000 troops!"
"Wonderful!" Mr. Pingyuan continued, following Zhao Kuo's words: "In this way, both the Zhao and Qin armies have their own interests, and both sides can ensure their own safety. Prime Minister, what do you think?"
Fan Sui thought for a moment, and then continued: "Of course, a military force of ten to twenty thousand is not in your eyes, General. But even if our army enters in batches, without weapons, it still has more than half a day's marching time after leaving Jiepailing. We are still within your attack range, General."
Zhao Kuo shook his head and said with some helplessness: "You are so worried about me? In this case, I will provide you with two plans: first, the Qin army will still be divided into batches, and after entering the royal city, the second batch will set off; second, the Qin army will be divided into two groups. , after the first batch of Qin troops have left the Boundary Pailing for three miles, the weapons can be returned for the Qin army's self-protection. What does the Prime Minister think?"
"Where is the follow-up army?" Fan Sui asked immediately.
The first plan is for the Qin army to leave in batches. Although almost every trip only takes less than a day, there are still more than 100,000 troops in the army today, which means it will take at least five or six days. The span is too long, and the longer the time, the more likely accidents will occur. Fan Sui obviously does not consider this plan.
"If all the following armies are equipped with weapons and equipment, it is hard to guarantee that Lord Wu An will not be able to attack from both front and rear. Please be considerate to the Prime Minister."
. "Zhao Kuo also replied immediately.
Fan Sui pondered silently for a while, then finally nodded silently and said, "I will follow the general's instructions and return our weapons to our army for self-protection after we go three miles outside the boundary sign ridge."
Indeed, if you want both parties to ensure safety, this approach is considered the best and only way. Fortunately, Fan Sui never wanted to counterattack Zhao from the beginning to the end. After all, counterattack meant risks, and the Qin army's critical combat power did not allow for more risks. Obviously, Zhao Kuo in front of him would not give himself this opportunity.
Of course, the reason why Zhao Kuo asked the Qin army to disarm was obviously not just to ensure the safety of the border leader. What is more important is actually the disarmament itself.
An army's usual training, logistical support, and even the general's command are all known to be key factors that can directly determine the army's combat effectiveness.
However, there is another key point that is often overlooked by everyone.
That is the spirit of an army!
When facing the same desperate situation, the combat effectiveness displayed by an army that has always been invincible on the battlefield and an army that has surrendered on the battlefield are often very different. Even though the two armies have almost the same training, logistics and command. Even armies that have experienced surrender will directly surrender again under such circumstances.
You know, a person who is used to winning often finds it difficult to accept his own failure. And people who have always had smooth sailing will often never recover due to a single adversity.
Obviously Qin Jun is such a person. At least after Shang Yang's reform, the Qin army almost never lost in foreign wars, and even if it did lose, it was only a partial defeat. Therefore, the Qin army almost always maintained an absolute psychological advantage in battles against other countries.
What Zhao Kuo did was to amplify the Qin Army's failure and carve the shadow of failure deeply into the hearts of every Qin Army soldier. By collecting weapons, the Qin Army's belief in invincibility was silently destroyed, and every soldier of the Qin Army was told that they were real losers.
Of course, there may be many Qin troops who learned their shame and became braver, and became more and more brave in the subsequent battles with Zhao. However, more Qin troops will naturally become anxious in the subsequent battles against Zhao. Even lose the confidence you should have.
