In the Longtai Palace, Tian Dan and Pingyuan Jun sat on the left and right sides of Zhao Kuo, while Pingyuan Jun's subordinate was Yu Qing, the minister of rites.
As for the two leaders of the Yulin Guard and the Dark Guard, they were waiting in the side hall. Several people had already read the military information sent back by Lian Po. After a short silence, as the king, Zhao Kuo naturally spoke first.
It's just that this head is not easy to open. Because in the military report submitted by General Lian Po, there was no clear hope for support from the imperial court.
It can be said that if you don't analyze it carefully, this is just a simple military report. But obviously, whether it was the strategy of fighting Qin or the matter of burning food, the court urgently needed to make decisions.
However, these words cannot be said clearly, especially the matter of burning food. Some things don't weigh as much as four or two. Once they do, they won't weigh even a thousand pounds.
Although Lian Po desperately hoped that the king could find a way to stop it, Lian Po knew that the matter could not be stated openly, and he must not let the king be accused of burning food and harming the people.
Therefore, Lian Po could only mention it vaguely. What Zhao Kuo had to do was to restore the requests for instructions in General Lian Po's military report one by one, and then determine the direction of the discussion.
"General Lian Po has stated three things." After waiting for a moment, Zhao Kuo immediately said: "The first is the battle with Qin. The coalition decided to adopt the method of 'forming camps and defeating Qin'. The second is the discussion of how the coalition forces are preparing to burn the food and grass to force the Qin army to fight decisively; the third is the discussion of whether and when the main force of our Zhao army will end." After saying this, Zhao Kuo paused. After scanning the people present, he continued: "This first one is my order, and it is also the most practical method of fighting for our army. There is no need to say more. We have gathered everyone today to discuss the next two things. . First, let’s talk about this matter of burning grain. Do we agree or oppose it? How should we act if we agree, and how should we stop those who oppose it? Please elaborate.” Obviously, Zhao Kuo was also very concerned about the matter of burning grain for a while. For headache.
After all, he is not Bai Qi. He still cannot do the thing of wiping out hundreds of thousands of people in one battle. The three people who heard this looked at each other with seriousness in their eyes.
Among the three things, the first does not need to be discussed, and the third is actually not a big problem. The most critical and troublesome thing is the second.
Burning grain is indeed a good way to weaken Qin. Even if there are no accidents, it can indeed squeeze out more of Qin's national potential, thus forcing a war to begin.
However, this price is really hard for everyone to talk about. If it were five years ago, perhaps this would not be a problem at all to everyone, but in the past five years, under the leadership of Zhao Kuo, the entire Zhao court has changed its mindset.
Perhaps, this is also related to the amazing power that the people burst out after everyone saw that their enthusiasm was stimulated.
Of course, the most important thing is that the reputation of burning food and harming the people in order to defeat the enemy is really unpleasant. Everyone is afraid that the historian's iron pen will leave an indelible stain on themselves and Zhao Guolao.
Fortunately, Zhao Kuo has given them enough time to think. Of course, the first assistant to speak was Mr. Pingyuan.
After weighing the balance, Lord Pingyuan still clasped his fists and replied: "To my king, I think that although this matter has immediate benefits, it will have eternal dangers. If our Zhao country is not involved in it and does not know its meaning, we may pretend to be deaf." Dumb, let it develop, and it won't hurt to make a little profit. Now that our army is deep into it, and even needs to be the main force to set fire, it must not be done. There are thousands of strategies to defeat Qin, and even the land of Zhou Wangji is lost to us. As far as Zhao is concerned, it is only a temporary injury; if it hurts the hearts of the people, if it is flooded and difficult to recover, it means that the land of the King of Zhou has been captured, and it will take many years to recover. When our army fought in the land of Qin and Changping, the people of Changping turned to Zhao Only by turning our backs on Qin can our army gain a foothold in Bishui. This is the result of the Qin army's endless killings for years. In today's world, the struggle between Zhao and Qin cannot be decided in one day or one battle. Therefore, the people's hearts and minds It is better than the harvest of the land a hundred times. I hope my king will observe it carefully."
"If you save the land and lose the people, everyone will lose the land; if you save the people and lose the land, everyone will gain the land." Zhao Kuo murmured to himself after hearing this.
However, Zhao Kuo did not express his thoughts. As the final decision-maker, he was most reluctant to express his thoughts at will before hearing all the opinions.
Immediately, Zhao Kuo looked at Tian Dan on his left. Sure enough, seeing Zhao Kuo's look, Tian Dan, who had already become impatient, immediately clasped his fists and retorted.
"My king, this is a time of great strife! One step backward will lead to another step backward, and one wrong step will lead to a wrong step. Although Zhou Wangji has a small land, it is an important place to curb the Qin army's eastward march. If our coalition forces obtain it, it will not only be able to Completely blocking the Qin army's way out to the east, and firmly binding the three profitable kingdoms of Wei, Han, and Chu to our Zhao's chariot, it can also help our Zhao clear the rear of the Yan Kingdom and plot against the Qi Kingdom. It will last for at least several years; and if the Qin State gets it, it can enter the east and exit at the Guanguan Pass. Han and Wei along the way will become the fat meat on its lips. If it occupies this land, it can have a glimpse of the Central Plains and a distant view of Qi State. ; Retreating can also intimidate Han and Wei, forcing us, Zhao, to station heavy troops at Shangdang's land to prevent them from attacking. The importance of this place may be the key to victory or defeat for us, Zhao and Qin, in the struggle for hegemony, so we must not let our guard down. However, if there is a slight possibility of increasing the victory, we must not give it up." After saying this, Tian Dan looked at Lord Pingyuan again, and then continued: "As for what Lord Pingyuan calls the people's hearts, Weichen knows , this matter is indeed important, but Wei Chen refutes it with two points. First, this matter was not done by our country, Zhao, but by the four countries of Han, Wei, Chu, and Zhao, and the evil of Qin has long been Worst of all, in the battle between Yan and Ying, the Qin State diverted water from Ying and flooded it, causing more than hundreds of thousands of people to drown. Therefore, even if the people's hearts turn against them, where can they turn away from, Qi State? Or Yan State ? Secondly, the support of the people is a process of accumulation. Even in our country of Zhao, it took two years to implement the New Deal, even in the territory of the King of Zhou Dynasty. The matter of regaining the people's support can be planned slowly, and we will wait for the unification of our country of Zhao. The world can rest and recuperate with the people, and gradually restore the people's hearts. However, the success or failure of this battle can only be determined by a thought. The priorities are clear at a glance. My king must not hesitate." As soon as he finished speaking, Lord Pingyuan immediately retorted: " The heart of a husband and the people is easy to lose but hard to gain. A momentary loss today will take many years to recover in the coming year. No matter how critical this battle is, it will not be the last. Not helping our army would be a huge disaster. Loss, if it were not for the support of the people of Changping with food and supplies and the kindness of leading the way, our army would have been defeated in Changping, and how could we be as prosperous as we are today."
"In the battle of Changping, our army's military strength, combat power, and timing were not as good as those of Qin. As long as we capture Zhou Wangji, the strength of the weak can change hands. Although this battle is not the last battle, its importance is even greater than that of Qin. The last battle." Tian Dan also immediately retorted.
Listening to the argument between the two, Zhao Kuo was also a little confused. According to his inner thoughts, as a person in the 21st century, he obviously does not want to be the person who burns food and harms the people. After all, we are all children of China. Who wants to see the scene of starving people everywhere and thousands of miles of uninhabited areas.
However, as Tian Dan said, this battle is too important. If the national fortunes of Qin and Zhao are regarded as a function curve, the current battle of Luo City is obviously a stationary point in it.
But whether this stationary point can become an inflection point, the two forces are still entangled. If either party loses even a little bit of strength, the curve may be completely pulled away.
And if we want to welcome such a station again, we don’t know how many years we have to wait. Obviously, although Zhao Kuo brought many changes to Zhao State, Zhao Kuo himself was also being changed by this era unknowingly.
But now, Zhao Kuo's heart has actually tilted in a direction that is conducive to the war. At this moment, Zhao Kuo saw Yu Qing, the Minister of Rites, who was sitting on the right side of Lord Pingyuan and had never spoken.
By some strange coincidence, Zhao Kuo actually wanted to hear his opinion. After all, this person was a person who left a mark in history. Although he was overshadowed by the great masters of the Qin State at the same time, he could still leave a mark on his past. The people of Qingshi are certainly not ordinary people.
"Two dear friends." Zhao Kuo immediately stopped the debate between Pingyuan Jun and Tian Dan, saying: "I already know the meaning of the two dear friends, but before the two discuss, I still want to hear Yu Qing's thoughts. How?" After hearing Zhao Kuo's words, the two men immediately looked at each other, clasped their fists and said, "Yes." Immediately afterwards, the three people's eyes all surrendered to Yu Qing, who was sitting at the bottom of the table.
Facing the gazes of the three giants, Yu Qing did not panic. After all, it was
"Old minister". After slightly cupping his hands, Yu Qing immediately replied: "Thank you very much, my king. I think Lord Pingyuan and General Tian Dan are all for our Zhao Kingdom's century-old plan, and what they say is reasonable." In one sentence, it seems that It was nonsense that neither of them could offend, but everyone heard different meanings from it.
That's right, that's the name given to the two people, Lord Pingyuan and General Tiandan, one is the king, the other is the general, one is civil and the other is military.
The simple title directly points to the root cause of the conflict between the two - this is the difference in the ideas of civil servants and military generals.
Now that the cause of the disagreement has been found, there should naturally be a solution to the problem. Naturally, several people were more interested in what Yu Qing said next.
Immediately, Yu Qing began to describe his thoughts: "The minister is short-sighted and has some benevolence as a woman. He neither wants to see the violent Qin gain the upper hand, nor does he want to see the people starving to death in the fields and exposing their bones on the roadside." Obviously, Yu Qing continued to lay the groundwork, stacking armor for herself in a very low posture.
Mr. Pingyuan, you are of course right, I know, but I am a little short-sighted, so I really don’t want Qin to occupy Zhou Wangji.
You can understand this, right? General Tian, of course you are right, and I know it, but I have some womanly kindness and cannot bear to see the people suffer, let alone become the executioner myself.
You should be able to understand this, right? With just one sentence, both parties were instantly comforted. Whatever he said next was for himself.
"Short-sighted" and
People have already apologized in advance for the interpretation of "women's benevolence", can you still criticize it? Zhao Kuo, who was at the head, listened to Yu Qing's two sentences and suddenly had a new understanding of this figure who was briefly mentioned in history. Immediately, an idea appeared in Zhao Kuo's mind - the Minister of Rites seemed to be still empty. Where are you?
After five years as a minister, it's time for a promotion, otherwise the young man will lose his motivation. Just when Zhao Kuo was feeling excited, Yu Qing's words rang out again.
"Wei Chen is just thinking! Can we not only rob the Qin army's food, but also let the people have food to eat, even if it is less?" Yu Qing continued.
"How is that possible?" Tian Dan immediately shook his head and said, "Not to mention that if our army is robbing food, it will
It goes against the purpose of "building a strong fortress and fighting a dull war". Even if our army really seizes the food and grass, if it is distributed to the people again, the Qin people will not care about the life and death of the people. I am afraid that it will take less than two days to finally seize it. The food will be returned to the Qin army. "After the words fell, Mr. Pingyuan who held different views on the side also nodded. Obviously, everyone is well aware of the brutality of the Qin army.
Yu Qing, who spoke so wonderfully just now, is naturally not the only one with such a level. After Tian Dan's words, Yu Qing then affirmed Tian Dan's words and said: "It's extremely, extremely, if the people are still in the hands of the Qin army, our army will not be able to distribute food to the people at all!" After an obvious nonsense, Yu Qing finally stated his intention: "Since the food cannot be distributed, let the people come over!" After saying this, everyone suddenly understood.
"You mean, let the military camp accept, oh, no, the military camp cannot accept so many victims. Shangdang County?" Lord Pingyuan suddenly said: "Let Shangdang County accept the refugees?"
"Can Shangdang County accept so many refugees?" Tian Dan frowned uncertainly.
"Of course not." Mr. Pingyuan immediately waved his hands and said: "There are at least five or six hundred thousand people in the Zhou Dynasty. Even if only half of them come to Shangdang, it will be close to two to three hundred thousand people. This is almost the number of people in Shangdang County." Half of the common people in the country. With such a sudden increase in population, if nothing else, without using military rations, even if the Changping Granary just established last year is opened, I am afraid it will not last ten and a half days." As the chief assistant, he also Lord Pingyuan, who is in charge of the army's logistics, naturally knows the situation on the front line best. Yu Qing's suggestion may be a good one, but unfortunately, Zhao's national strength is still too weak.
If Zhao is given even three or two more years to build four or five more permanent warehouses, it won't be a problem even if all five or six hundred thousand people come, let alone a mere two or three hundred thousand people.
After Mr. Pingyuan finished speaking, the faces of Yu Qing and Tian Dan were obviously a little lonely. Sure enough, even Tian Dan was not willing to do things like burning food and harming the people.
"Can we set up a traffic jam on the road to allow only a small number of people to pass?" Tian Dan asked reluctantly. This is obviously not possible. The so-called worry about inequality is not about scarcity. If you can't get there, it's none of Zhao's business. But if you don't let them in, it involves a fairness issue. Maybe something big will happen. of.
What's more terrible is that if the separation of flesh and blood is caused, I am afraid that even if they enter the Zhao State, they will not feel any gratitude to the Zhao State, and may even suffer from the consequences of raising tigers.
General Tian Dan obviously made a mistake in his haste. However, before Lord Pingyuan could refute, Zhao Kuo's voice sounded first: "What if we use all the strength of our Zhao country?" Hearing this, everyone was obviously shocked again!
Use the power of the whole country? How courageous is this? You know, if a county's food is gone, it's nothing more than tightening its belt and living a hard life for a year.
But if a country's granary has bottomed out, it is not a matter of suffering. The tragedy of the Changping Battle is still before our eyes!
For the sake of the people, pushing the entire country to the brink of danger is obviously not what a rational monarch should do.
But no one raised any questions. The reason is simple, this may be the only way to solve this dilemma.
For the sake of hundreds of thousands of people, and for the long-term peace and stability of Zhao State, this risk is worth taking. Almost instantly, everyone reached an agreement in their eyes, and then everyone looked at Pingyuan Jun: Whether it is possible and whether it is enough depends on the chief assistant.
At the same time, Mr. Pingyuan's mind was also running crazily...
