"Oh? This is indeed good news!" King Yan muttered unconsciously: "How many troops are currently stationed in Shangdang and Hanoi?"
"My king, there are still no less than 100,000 troops." Li Fu immediately said, "And after three years of fighting, although the Zhao army won, they are all exhausted."
"So, Zhao Jun's available troops now are probably only 30,000 or 40,000 people? Are they all exhausted?" There was already a hint of excitement in King Yan's tone.
Changguo Jun Lejian and Jiang Qu looked at each other, the worry in their eyes was beyond words.
Immediately, he went out to persuade the troops beside the canal: "Even if Zhao's 100,000 troops are distributed in Shangdang and Hanoi, it will only take ten days to draw the army back from Shangdang and Hanoi. Prime Minister, In ten days, even if everything went smoothly, our Yan army could only just reach the gates of Handan City.
As for the exploration of the Zhao army's exhaustion, the Battle of Changping had ended long ago, and the army had already been repaired, so there was no such thing as exhaustion. "
"What the doctor said is ridiculous!" General Qing Qin, who had been silent for a long time and stood quietly beside Prime Minister Li Fu, finally spoke up.
After taking the lead, Qing Qin gave a slight salute to King Yan, and then continued, "My King Rongchen: If Zhao still defends the Danshui defense line, or even just crosses the Danshui, maybe within ten days, the army can be turned back. But. What is the situation now? Shangdang and Hanoi have all fallen into the hands of the Zhao State. How can the Zhao army's defense line be able to hold on to Danshui?"
He turned around slightly and looked at Jiang Qu who had just spoken, and said: "At this time, the defense of Shangdang Zhao Jun has already advanced to the line from Duanshi to Yishi, and is widely deployed at the junction of Hedong and Shangdang. Even if you want to It is mobilized from Duanshi to Kongcang Ridge, then from Kongcang Ridge to Guanglang City, and then from Guanglang City to Guguan. After passing Guguan, it is considered to enter Handan County. And this road in Shangdang County bypasses the high mountains. The road cannot be completed in ten days.”
This is obviously a downgrade attack by Qing Qin, a general, on General Qu, a civil servant, who does not respect martial ethics! For Jiang Qu, there was no way to refute the marching route that involved so many place names.
But fortunately, there is General Qing Qin next to Prime Minister Li Fu, and there is also Changguo Junlejian next to Jiang Qu! Although Le Jian's ability is inferior to that of his father Le Yi, the comparison with General Qing Qin is not false at all.
"It's okay if you just stand still. If you have to do whatever you want, aren't you looking for death?" While thinking about it, Le Jian took over the words from Jiang Qu who was about to become speechless.
"Ten days are not enough, how can one month be enough!?" Changguo Jun Lejian immediately left the mission and asked with some disdain: "If one month is not enough, two months will be enough? General Qin, please don't tell me, with Lian You are quite capable of being a general, but you will not be able to gather your troops and rush back to Handan in two months? You know, it only took a month and a half for the Qin army to set off from Hangu and arrive at Shangdang County?"
General Qing Qin was silent when he heard this and refused to answer. Obviously, he already knew what Lezhen was going to say next. If you don't want to lose face, you can only remain silent and not answer.
However, Le Jian didn't care about that. He hummed softly and said: "If General Qing Qin is sure that he can break through Handan City with its high ravine and deep ravine within two months, I will support sending troops with both hands and feet. General Qing Qin, this military order , do you dare to stand?"
These words directly forced General Qing Qin, who was still aggressive just now, into a blind corner.
Come on, that's Handan!
The capital of the State of Zhao is located, not to mention the city is high and the ravines are deep, not to mention that there are at least tens of thousands of elites in the city of Handan of the State of Zhao. They are soldiers who have just come off the Changping battlefield, and they can fight hard. The elite army of Qin Army!
Even if there were no such soldiers, with the hundreds of thousands of people in Handan City alone, as long as King Zhao ordered to defend the city blindly, there would be no problem if he wanted to hold on to the city for several months.
Think about how powerful the Wei army was when it relied on its soldiers! Even after several months of hard work, Handan City could not be breached. In the end, Sun Bin used the method of "surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao" to send him back, and he suffered a lot in the Maling Road.
After issuing a military order, if we really don't win, or if we don't break through within two months, even if we are not subject to military law, I'm afraid it will be difficult to lead troops again in this life...
However, if you don't stand up, doesn't this mean you are admitting your incompetence? Being so humiliated by the younger generals, I
Where is my prestige?
For a time, Qing Qin fell into a dilemma.
Fortunately, Li Fu, the Prime Minister on the side, seemed to understand Qing Qin's embarrassment and ran out again.
With a slight salute, he said: "Your Majesty, Lord Chang Guo doesn't know something! Today's Zhao State not only lacks troops, but also has many generals who can fight: Zhao Kuo, who is the most difficult to fight, took the initiative to go to Daibei, and Lian Po was stationed there. Shangdang and Tian Dan are stationed in Tunhe, leaving only Pang Nuan and other generals in Handan. This is a God-given opportunity! My king must not let it go."
"Besides, now that Zhao State has Shangdang and Hanoi, it may still be a burden this year. However, once Zhao State completes its reorganization and completely digests its vast land, our Yan army will no longer be a match for Zhao army." Li Fu, the Prime Minister, said something exciting. He immediately bowed to the King of Yan and said, "If God doesn't take it, you will definitely suffer the consequences! My king should think deeply about it."
When King Yan heard this, he felt that what the Prime Minister said seemed reasonable, and nodded unconsciously.
Le Jian, who was on the side, still didn't take it seriously and continued slowly: "It doesn't matter whether it's a famous general or a large army. I still say the same thing, as long as the prime minister can conquer Handan within two months, the general will definitely agree with the prime minister. Please. If the Prime Minister is unable to attack Handan, it is meaningless whether General Zhao and the main army are in Handan."
Obviously, Le Jian was sure that the other party did not dare to issue a military order.
The Prime Minister glanced at Qing Qin who was standing aside. Obviously, whenever Qing Qin gave him an affirmative look, Li Fu would dare to fight to the end. It's a pity that Qing Qin still didn't dare to make this decision.
Looking at Qing Qin with evasive eyes, Prime Minister Li Fu knew that direct persuasion was impossible. But it is impossible to give up. Once the King of Yan can be persuaded to send troops, he will be the one to lead the troops, and he will also be responsible for the preparation of food and fodder in the rear. How can you give up such power?
Since you can't get through from the front, let's try another way and come from the back!
"To my king: The so-called war is a joint effort between the officers and men of the two armies and even the subjects of the two countries. It cannot be decided by the general alone. Moreover, on the battlefield, everything is changing rapidly. How can there be a battle that is 100% sure? If it is determined to be A general must issue a military order before he can lead troops into battle. Then I'm afraid no general will dare to lead troops." Li Fu first refuted Le Jian's idea of a military order.
King Yan nodded silently again.
Li Fu then continued: "The reason why I insist that the king sends troops to Zhao is because there is a battle between Yan and Zhao over there, sooner or later."
"Oh?" King Yan was obviously a little surprised by Li Fu's judgment: "How can the Prime Minister say this?"
"My king, just imagine, the situation of Zhao State now. Since it has won Changping, it will definitely join the struggle for hegemony. How to fight for hegemony? It is nothing more than opening up territory and expanding territory." Li Fu looked at Lejian aside, and continued with a smile: "Chang Guo Do you think so?"
"Of course." Although Le Jian knew that Li Fu must have evil intentions, he still answered his question.
"Since we want to expand our territory, where does Lord Chang Guo think the Zhao army should go?" Li Fu continued to ask.
Hearing the words, Le Jian knew something was wrong, but in an instant, he already had a plan in his mind. He immediately followed Li Fu's thoughts and replied, "Go north to the Kingdom of Yan."
"Oh? Why our country, Yan? General, can you help me understand the king's doubts?" Li Fu obviously had a plan in mind, and then continued to make things difficult for him.
Le Jian cooperated and immediately started talking.
"To the west of Zhao is the Qin State. Although Changping wins, it has no tendency to crush it. Moreover, Qin's national power is so powerful that Zhao will not want to fight Qin again without an absolute advantage.
To the south of Zhao, there are only two countries, Han and Wei, which belong to the three Jin Dynasties. Because of the help from Wei this time, it is unjust to attack. Moreover, Han and Wei are in the Central Plains. Attacking them will block Qin's eastward exit, and Qin will definitely block it;
To the east of the State of Zhao is the State of Qi. Although the situation was no longer the same after the Five Kingdoms conquered Qi, after all, it was a country that once stood side by side with the State of Qin, and Zhao did not dare to take it lightly.
The only one we fight is the north! One is a barbarian from the grasslands, and the other is from my country, Yan.
Now Zhao Kuo is going north to solve the problem of the barbarians in the grassland. However, the barbarians have no power to expand the grassland, and they will eventually come to our country, Yan. "
I have to say that Le Jian obviously got the true inheritance from Le Yi.
Even Li Fu, who had been preparing for a long time, could not find fault with his words. Even if he spoke in person, he would not be able to speak so clearly and thoroughly.
Just what Le Jian said made the general on the side dumbfounded - who is Le Jian?
"Thank you Lord Chang Guo!" Li Fu slightly saluted Lejian.
Then he looked at the King of Yan and continued: "As Lord Chang said, if Zhao wants to compete for hegemony, Zhao's only choice is to attack our Yan State and seize our Yan State's land to enrich itself."
Li Fu paused for a moment, looked at the ministers, and concluded: "There must be a war between Yan and Zhao. Either I attack Zhao, or Zhao comes to attack me! In this case, why not introduce the war into Zhao's territory and protect the country?" How safe is our Yan land? This is one of them."
"Second, as I said before, now is when Zhao is at its weakest, and it may be the best time for our army to attack Zhao. Since there must be a battle between Yan and Zhao, why not attack while Zhao is weak? If you attack it, even if you cannot destroy it, you can at least order it to cede territory and seek peace to weaken Zhao. If Zhao is weak, Yan will be safe!"
"What the Prime Minister said makes sense!" King Yan nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing that King Yan was about to agree to Prime Minister Li Fu's proposal, the doctor on the side saw that he was anxious, but it happened that this reason was provided by his ally, and he really didn't know how to break it. Of.
Fortunately, Le Jian had already anticipated this, and had already thought of countermeasures from the moment he analyzed Zhao's strategy.
Only at this most critical moment, Le Jian decisively interrupted King Yan's thoughts.
"slow!"
