In the blink of an eye, the sun was high in the sky. In front of the coalition camp, more than 10,000 soldiers of the Qin army sat on the ground in a swaggering manner, not looking at the 250,000 coalition troops at all.
And the leader was Meng Ao, the new general of the Qin Army. Looking at the exemption card hanging high, Meng Ao trusted Wang Lu's judgment even more.
Immediately, the soldiers under his command continued to challenge and even insult the coalition forces, trying to arouse the anger of the coalition soldiers and thus fight with themselves.
It's a pity that Lord Xinling has already reached a tacit understanding with the generals of various countries. No matter how the Qin army invites battle, the coalition's camp has never been opened.
The insults of the Qin army had no effect at all on the grassroots soldiers of Han, Wei and Chu.
Compared to one's own life, a little face is not worth mentioning at all. For the people in Guizhou who don't have enough to eat all year round, they actually don't have that much enthusiasm for fighting.
And because of the lack of a military merit system like that of the Qin State, the grassroots soldiers of the Three Kingdoms simply could not find a reason to fight to the death.
Is it for the meager salary and death pension that make it difficult to make ends meet? Of course, such a situation does not exist among Zhao Jun.
As early as the era of King Wuling of Zhao, the tone of strengthening the army had been set. Zhao's policy has always been heavily tilted towards the army.
The Zhao army was so powerful that it was the only one among the Six Kingdoms that could fight the Qin army back and forth. Of course there is
The reason is that "Yan and Zhao have many generous and tragic people", but it is obviously not just that. The simplest example is that the Yan State's combat power is not very good.
Naturally, the hundreds of years of grievances between Qin and Zhao made the people of Zhao deeply hate the Qin army and was one of the reasons why the Zhao army resisted desperately.
But this is obviously not the whole reason. There are many examples of this. From the Kingdom of Han to the Kingdom of Wei and then to the Kingdom of Chu in the south, no one has ever fought a bloody battle with Qin. Even the former capitals of several countries were occupied by the Qin army. But obviously, these countries have When facing Qin, fear was greater than hatred.
Therefore, the treatment of the army, especially the establishment of the ascending channel, is the key factor in maintaining the long-term combat effectiveness of the Zhao army.
The Wei State also did this. For example, Wei Wuzu, who was so powerful in the world, had a very high status and treatment, so that he had no worries, and he worked hard regardless of training or fighting.
It's a pity that one general's incompetence exhausted thousands of troops. After losing a large area of land in Hexi, Wei could no longer afford such elite troops.
But the less elite soldiers there are, the more they will be bullied by Qin. The more they are bullied, the more their national power will decline. Repeatedly, Wei, once the overlord of the Central Plains, gradually withdrew from the stage of history.
Therefore, the provocation of the Qin Army has no meaning at all to the grassroots soldiers of the Three Kingdoms, and the middle and high-level leaders of the Three Kingdoms have long formed a unified opinion. Even the generals with different ideas, after yesterday's battle, also Don't dare to object immediately.
As for the State of Zhao, that goes without saying. The main force of the Hu army did not understand what the Qin people were saying at all, and the Zhao army who did understood was very clear about their purpose of coming here: they were here to delay until the main force heading north could deal with the situation. The situation in the north was delayed until the moment when the main army was finished repairing and moved southward.
It can be said that the provocation of the Qin army had no effect at all. At least that's the case now.
However, both Wang Lu and Meng Ao had already expected this. Although he knew there would be no results, Meng Ao still rotated his troops to come to the coalition camp every day to yell and provoke, which was a good way to maintain morale.
Just when the battlefields of Zhou Wangji gradually subsided, the flames of the battlefield spread quietly to their respective courts.
Handan of Zhao State and Xianyang of Qin State received military reports from the front line almost at the same time. A silk letter lay quietly on the desks of King Zhao and King Qin, and a war without smoke began.
"Transmit the order, Fan Sui and Tu Jia will come to the palace immediately to pay homage." King Qin immediately issued the order.
"Call the order: All ministers of the cabinet in Handan should all enter the palace, and Yu Qing, the Minister of Rites, should come together to see him." Zhao Kuo thought about it briefly before giving the king's order: "In addition, send the message to Yu Linwei and An Guard commander, be on standby outside the palace." Although it was a short order, it was not difficult to see that the strength between Zhao and Qin had quietly reversed.
The Qin court, which was originally full of talented people, is now in such a state of decline. Internally, the only one left who could share worries with the King of Qin was Fan Sui, the prime minister, and Tu Jia, the foreign minister, was just following orders; externally, the only one left who could take charge of his own affairs was Wang Lu, a mediocre general, and Meng Ao, a rookie, although his performance was Eye-catching enough, but still lacking in experience.
Looking back at Zhao State, the northern Xinjiang has Lu Buwei and Li Mu in military affairs; Lian Po and Zhou Qi, one old and one young, are the inheritance partners of the army going south.
And after so many people were scattered, there were still a lot of talents in the court - Pingyuan Jun, Tian Dan, Yu Qing, to name a few, as well as Yu Lin and secret guards to escort them. Judging from the number and number of talents alone, In terms of quality, today's Zhao State is much stronger than Qin State.
Even for this war, Zhao's methods and ambitions were obviously much stronger than Qin's.
And this is only five years later. Of course, this doesn't mean that two or three people can't come up with a good solution, nor does it mean that Qin will never recover.
Qin State still has the most vast land, the most majestic passes, and a political system that is very suitable for this era.
And all this also shows that Qin is still strong enough. A battle at Changping can lift the originally weak Zhao State to a high position; then, a battle at Luodu can also bring a powerful country to dust.
It can be said that the battle has just begun and anything is possible. Soon, Fan Sui and Tu Jia, who were summoned, hurried to the Qin Palace.
In the huge palace, King Qin sat alone on the throne. The chirping of cicadas in summer was the last bright color in the dark Qin Palace.
Hurrying footsteps sounded outside the palace, and King Qin immediately raised his head.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Fan Sui and Doctor Tu Jia have arrived at the king's command." The eunuch ordered the gentle words to ring in King Qin's ears.
"Pass." King Qin's angry voice immediately sounded. Soon, through the thick door pillars, two figures appeared in front of King Qin.
"I have met my king." The two of them stood in front of each other, and then they both bowed to the bottom and said.
"No need to be polite." King Qin's voice sounded again: "Come, please take a seat."
"Thank you, my king." After hearing this, the two people thanked King Qin again, and then sat down carefully. In order to facilitate the discussion, the eunuch did not arrange the two people to another position. Instead, according to King Qin's instructions, he placed two soft cushions opposite King Qin.
So, across a large table, King Qin sat opposite Fan Sui and Tu Jia. Stretching out his hand, King Qin handed over the silk book on the desk.
Fan Sui quickly took the silk book with both hands, and then started reading with Tu Jia. After the two of them glanced over briefly and raised their heads, King Qin finally said, "What does the Prime Minister think General Wang Lu thinks of this proposal?" Fan Sui heard this, but did not answer immediately.
Then he glanced at Tu Jia beside him, and he already had some guesses about King Qin's thoughts. Obviously, the purpose of the king calling him here was not to solicit his opinion on this matter, but to allow him to perfect and implement Wang Lu's suggestions. Otherwise, the king did not need to call Tu Jia, who was in charge of diplomacy, to come too. .
After making this judgment, Fan Sui quickly understood how he should answer.
"Send it to my king." Fan Sui nodded slightly and said, "I believe that what General Wang Lu said is reasonable. The strategy of disintegration and disintegration can enable our Qin Dynasty to achieve the greatest results at the lowest cost." After hearing this, the King of Qin also Nod slightly.
However, Fan Sui's words did not stop there.
"But." Fan Sui raised his head slightly and looked at King Qin. King Qin was slightly startled when he heard the turning point, and even sat upright, but did not interrupt Fan Sui's explanation.
Although the King of Qin has been very powerful since he took back the royal power, he still has two skills to bring the Qin State above the six kingdoms, and naturally he will not easily reject the suggestions of his ministers.
In particular, this proposal is still a matter of life and death for the country. Seeing that King Qin had no intention of interrupting, Fan Sui continued: "However, Wei Chen believes that there are two issues during this period that must be considered."
"Prime Minister, please speak." King Qin's interest was obviously aroused by Fan Sui.
"First, the State of Zhao." Fan Sui didn't waste any time, and immediately pointed out the State of Zhao, which was the most troublesome to King Qin, and said: "Now the main force of the State of Zhao is still in Northern Xinjiang, but how long can Northern Xinjiang hold Zhao State back for one year? ? Two years? Or one or two months? According to General Wang Lu, the Zhao army will carry out large-scale reinforcements next autumn, but that is based on normal theory. And the current King of Zhao is not the King of Zhao back then. With his ability, coupled with his performance in the battle of Changping, it is not surprising that he caught me unawares and attacked me unprepared." After hearing this, King Qin nodded slightly and said: "What the prime minister said makes sense."
"It's just that if the main force of the Zhao army is directly added to it, this battle will be even more unwinnable." After thinking for a moment, King Qin said helplessly.
"Perhaps we can set a limit of three months." Fan Sui had obviously thought of a countermeasure before he said the words, and then said: "Before winter this year, the possibility of Zhao Jun's intervention is extremely low, and it can be divided into stalemates; if After winter comes, our army will not have to prepare for the Zhao army that may come to support." After hearing this, King Qin felt that it was reasonable, but...
"March? Is the time shorter?" King Qin asked immediately, but looked at Tu Jia beside him.
Not only King Qin, but also Fan Sui who made the suggestion looked at Tu Jia aside. The meaning couldn't be more obvious: Can it be done in three months?
Tu Jia knew very well that his answer would affect the national policy of the entire Qin State and even shake the foundation of the victory or defeat of the Battle of Luocheng.
Faced with such a situation, to be honest, this was the first time for Tu Jia, and he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
However, after all, Tu Jia was also the diplomatic spokesman of the Qin Dynasty, and he could speak freely in front of the kings of various countries without any scruples. Of course, this was more due to the confidence given by the Qin State, but Tu Jia himself was obviously not a small person. Role.
Even though he was facing such huge pressure now, Tu Jia quickly adjusted. There is no point in thinking too much. He knows that he only needs to do what he is good at - if he can, he can, if he can't, he can't. As for the rest, he can leave it to the king and the prime minister to weigh.
After thinking about it for a while, Tu Jia quickly came up with the answer.
"This is for my king, the Prime Minister." Tu Jia cupped his hands slightly, and then said slowly: "General Wang said that instigating rebellion against Han is indeed the best strategy, and it is also the only country where I have some confidence." Like Prime Minister Fan Sui, Tu Jia first agreed with General Wang Lu's suggestion.
Of course, both King Qin and Fan Sui also understood that this sentence was not important, but what was important was the words that followed.
Seeing that the king did not speak, Tu Jia continued randomly: "If it is just an alliance between Han and Zhao, or an alliance between Han, Chu and Zhao, I should be confident that I can disintegrate the alliance within three months, not to mention causing the country of Han to rebel. , and at least the King of Han ordered the withdrawal of the troops. But now, there is a Wei State among them, is it true that Wei Chen is in a bit of trouble? "
"What do you mean by this?" King Qin asked in confusion.
"With the addition of a country, shouldn't its alliance become more fragile? How can it be in trouble?" Fan Sui was also a little confused, so he immediately followed up what King Qin had said.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, Prime Minister." Tu Jia then nodded slightly and continued: "Since the Wei army was defeated by our army in the Battle of Changping and suffered heavy losses, although it was nominally still on good terms with Zhao, it was to prevent our army from But in fact, there are frequent exchanges with the country of Han. There are quite close exchanges between Daliang and Xinzheng, both overt and covert, especially in the past two years, the steps of the two countries are almost frighteningly consistent."
"Is that true?" Fan Sui was also a little surprised by Tu Jia's description, and then said with some self-blame: "In recent years, I have focused on Zhao State, but I have relaxed my vigilance against other countries. These are all minor officials. I have done this, please forgive me, the king."
"I love you and control all the ministers at home and guard the princes externally. I have devoted my whole life to you. How can I be guilty?" King Qin waved his hand to help Fan Sui up, and then asked Tu Jia: "Even if Han and Wei move around frequently, it does not mean that the two countries have Let’s share what we have, and stick together to keep warm.”
"My king, Rongzhen." Tu Jia immediately continued: "We can also see clues about this from the current affairs of the coalition forces."
"Oh?" King Qin said quickly, "Speak quickly."
"Yes." Tu Jia continued to analyze: "Chu is an ally of Zhao, so joining the alliance is not a problem, but the country of Han has a small country and weak people, so why would it join the coalition? Fear of our army may be one thing, but to convince the country of Han, I am afraid that Wei is also indispensable. Even because of the alliance between Han and Wei, in order to gain the support of Han and Wei, there was a scene where Lord Xinling was the commander. Otherwise, no matter in terms of combat power, national strength or even qualifications, he should be General Lianpo of the State of Zhao is the commander-in-chief."
"What Tu Qing said makes sense." King Qin nodded, agreeing with Tu Jia's analysis of Han and Wei's alliance, and then asked: "In this case, even if Han wants to withdraw, he will definitely communicate with Wei. Once this happens, I’m afraid it will be difficult to instigate rebellion.”
"It's not difficult!"
