To split up the troops in broad daylight is an extremely dangerous gamble. A more serious problem is: this place is still dozens of miles away from the planned mountain forest where the march can be hidden. In other words, the elite soldiers of the Qin Army not only had to take the risk of being separated from the envoys in broad daylight, but also had to rush dozens of miles into the mountains and forests in broad daylight.
This is no longer a gamble, but a suicidal act.
It was almost impossible not to be discovered for dozens of miles. Once discovered, Zhao Guo will respond quickly. A well-armed mission appears, but what is it doing? Even if the people in power did not expect that they would ambush Zhao Kuo, they would immediately send troops to verify it, and the garrison troops in Zhao's cities along the way would definitely get the news in advance and become alert.
Even if Zhao Kuo can be ambushed by then, once the beacon is ignited, it will be difficult for him and others to escape from the swarming Zhao Kuo, and it will only be a matter of time before the entire army is annihilated. The action that was originally a narrow escape from death would turn into a near-death operation because of this early action.
In other words, if he divided his troops and left at this time, it would be tantamount to exterminating his entire army in exchange for the possibility of ambushing Zhao Kuo. Moreover, if the Zhao people who got the news thought of Zhao Kuo immediately and sent soldiers to notify him in time, they would not even have the possibility of ambushing Zhao Kuo.
Even if Zhao Kuo's marching speed were faster, even if he ventured forward, he would probably have no choice but to follow Zhao Kuo and eat dirt. Once the ambush effect was lost, Sima Cuo believed that after Zhao Kuo got the news, at least one person In a thousand ways, he and his six hundred warriors remained in the land of Zhao.
If you are an ordinary person and see that there is nothing you can do about it, the best way is to continue to pretend not to know, follow the envoy into Handan, and then return to Xianyang from Handan. Even returning directly to Xianyang would be a good direction.
By doing this, no matter how harsh a person is, they will definitely not be able to say anything. Without him, the chance of winning was too small, and the chance of killing Zhao Kuo was almost zero. On the contrary, the chance of his own army being annihilated doubled. In this case, giving up may be the wisest decision.
However, he was Sima Cuo.
A guy who will fight to the end if he sees it right. Just as they had identified the land of Bashu that day, even the Prime Minister Zhang Yi, who was in full swing, did not hesitate to lead tens of thousands of Qin soldiers into the barren land to conquer Bashu.
It's the same today. It’s not that Sima Cuo couldn’t calculate this account, it’s just that Sima Cuo had already calculated it very clearly! With the hatred of the country and the family, six hundred warriors were given a chance to strangle Zhao Kuo. Sima Cuo's decision clearly illustrates his attitude - it's worth it!
The envoy was about to say something more, but was immediately interrupted by Sima Cuo.
"Your Majesty, you can return to Xianyang immediately. We have long been determined to die in this battle. Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, we will not let it go." Sima Cuo was still terrifyingly calm. He raised his head and looked at the sky, slowly Said: "If you can exchange our lives for Zhao Kuo's, this life will be enough!"
"General, why do you have to make such a fearless sacrifice when you have just arrived?" The envoy finally asked the question in his heart, even though Sima Cuo in front of him already looked determined. But as an old Qin man, the envoy couldn't bear the death of the only two outstanding generals in the army.
Sima Cuo shook his head and sighed: "There will never be a better opportunity than now. You don't know what Zhao Kuo is capable of. If Zhao Kuo is not eliminated today, I don't know how many of his colleagues will be on the battlefield tomorrow." Zhao Kuo's plan will kill him. Even if he wants to exchange hundreds of thousands of troops for Zhao Kuo's life, I'm afraid it won't be possible."
"If Lord Wu'an is still here, maybe we don't have to be so afraid, hey..." Sima Cuo let out another long sigh and said slowly: "Wang and I are both withered bones in the grave, no matter what we do..." Protecting the Qin Dynasty for ten years is already the limit. If we leave again, I'm afraid Zhao Kuo..."
"No matter what, we must fight this battle." Sima Cuo restrained his slightly melancholy expression and said seriously: "Your Majesty, you don't have to make fearless sacrifices. Please report the situation here to our king as soon as possible."
After saying this, Sima Cuo no longer hesitated. He immediately packed up the map on the ground and prepared to set off. The messenger on the side understood and hurriedly passed on the order.
And go.
"This." The envoy looked at Sima Cuo who was already sorting out the map, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Since the general is willing to go to hell for the Qin Dynasty, why should I regret this life."
Sima Cuo raised his head in surprise.
The envoy didn't care and continued immediately: "Our mission continues to march towards Handan with great fanfare. Although it may not be able to help the general much, it can at least confuse the eyes and ears of the Zhao State. It can be regarded as our victory to fight for the general even for a moment. Wait until your trip to Zhao country is in vain."
"Your Majesty, you?" Sima Cuo's words actually contained honorifics, and he was obviously a little surprised by the envoy's spirit of self-sacrifice. After all, he still had his sword with him, and even if he was surrounded by the Zhao army, he still had a chance to fight to the death. But once the delegation left, they might not even have the ability to resist when facing the Zhao army.
"Why bother!" Sima Cuo was a little puzzled, a little regretful, and even more admirable.
The envoy did not answer, but took half a step back, clasped his fists towards Sima Cuo, clasped his hands to the bottom, and said: "Jiujiu, old Qin, let's fight against the national calamity together!"
Sima Cuo was slightly startled. These words actually came from the mouth of a civil servant.
Suddenly, Sima Cuo realized that it was never the privilege of the Qin people to fight together in the national disaster, but the rights of every old Qin person. Without the frugality of every old Qin person, where would the money and food come from to build weapons and train new armies? Without the hard work and courage of every old Qin person, where would the courage and strength come from to recapture Hangu and Hexi?
Immediately, Sima Cuo also took half a step back slightly, clasped his fists at the envoy again, then bowed his head to the bottom and said: "Jiujiu, old Qin, let's fight against the national calamity together."
The two people who finally reached an agreement quickly began to act separately. The envoy naturally entangled the Zhao ministers who were following the envoy, trying to delay the departure of Sima Cuo's troops; while Sima Cuo also quickly gathered his troops, assembled war horses, and distributed war blades.
Soon, the stagnant queue started again, but the long queue turned into two dragons exploring the sea. The heavy carriage convoy continued to move slowly towards Handan, while the other team, one Shui'er's cavalry team headed northwest in a mighty manner.
The two teams drifting away naturally fell into the eyes of Zhao Guo's spies who were following the mission along the way.
