Even if Zhao Kuo was killed, he would not have thought why the Qin envoy would come to Zhao at this time.
It was clear that he had just sent an envoy to Qin to show weakness, but Qin took the initiative to come to the door. Could it be that Qin also wanted to show weakness to him?
Zhao Kuo and Ping Pingjun discussed it for a full day, but could not come to any conclusion.
It was obviously uncomfortable to feel that this situation was not in hand. As Zhao Kuo's little butterfly continued to grow, he finally turned the familiar Warring States period into new history.
Zhao Kuo knew that if he wanted to predict the future again, it might not be that simple.
Immediately, after comforting Lord Pingyuan and letting him go home to rest, Zhao Kuo called Sun Gu.
Zhao Kuo didn't want to experience such an uncontrollable situation again, and if he wanted to get rid of such a predicament, intelligence was crucial. Only with enough information can we make the most accurate judgment possible.
It has been several years since the establishment of the Habayashi Guards, and money has been poured into it like water. It is time to make some use.
Here, Zhao Kuo was still explaining Sun Gu's future development of the Yulin Guard in detail. Over there, the Qin envoy, who had just entered the city, could not wait to hand over his credentials and requested to see Zhao Kuo alone.
The word "alone" surprised Zhao Kuo.
After all, when big countries like Qin and Zhao send envoys to each other, they rarely do so in private unless they are old friends. But obviously, Zhao Kuo has no relatives in Qin.
There is not much possibility of asking to meet "alone". Either it is to play some kind of "unforgettable meeting", or the King of Qin really has some secrets that need to be reached in private.
Of course, Qin is still the dominant country in the world, and the Qin army suffered a defeat first, and no matter what, it will not play such a low-level thing as "pictures and daggers". Therefore, according to Zhao Kuo's judgment, Qin State really has something to discuss with him.
However, Zhao Kuo could not imagine what the specific matter was.
Since you can't guess what King Qin wants to do, let's meet him first.
Immediately, Zhao Kuo agreed to the Qin envoy's request to meet alone with a wave of his hand.
The envoy of Qin came very quickly. To be precise, the envoy of Qin was sure that King Zhao would receive him soon, so he had been waiting outside the palace gate, waiting for King Zhao's call.
Soon, under the leadership of the eunuch, the Qin envoy came to the side hall where Zhao Kuo was.
After greeting the emperor and sending the palace guests away, the envoy of Qin immediately handed over the letter of credence written by the King of Qin himself, and explained the purpose of his trip: "My king is deeply affected by the struggle between Qin and Zhao, which has shocked all countries and devastated all lives. , both Qin and Zhao were exhausted and had nothing to gain. Therefore, I sent a special envoy to Zhao to speak to the king, hoping that Qin and Zhao could turn their hostilities into friendship and establish a covenant of non-aggression and non-interference."
Hearing this, Zhao Kuo frowned slightly, but did not answer. While flipping through King Qin's credential, he felt a wave of confusion in his heart: What's going on? Is the Qin Kingdom unable to conquer it? Is it asking for peace with itself?
But reading the entire letter of credence, there is no sincerity in seeking peace!
In addition to the losses of the two armies, it is the gains of other countries. Indeed, from the perspective of the Qin State, it has indeed suffered heavy losses and gained nothing in recent years, but not the Zhao State!
The losses from the Battle of Changping were heavy, but there were many gains;
The losses in the war against Yan were average, but one county was gained;
In the Battle of Luocheng that just ended, Zhao lost no more than 50,000 troops, but he captured the two major counties of Jiuyuan and Huaisi.
It can be said that Zhao State has always taken advantage in the war with Qin State, and as time goes by, Zhao State's losses are getting less and less, and the advantages are getting more and more.
Under such circumstances, why should our country, Zhao, want to make peace with your country, Qin?
What about non-aggression and non-interference?
If you have designs on Zhou Di, how can I not send troops?
Zhao Kuo thought with some disdain in his heart, and suddenly he was shocked.
Yes, why do I have to send troops? He himself gave the land of Zhou to Wei because he wanted Wei to block Qin for him!
If Qin attacked Zhou, he would not go out
He sent troops to Zhou to resist Qin, but instead led his troops north to destroy Yan?
Even if the Qin State gets the land of Zhou Wangji, the Zhao State can also take the land of the Yan State.
What Qin got was just a piece of land for four battles, while Zhao cleared its rear area and completely eliminated the possibility of being held back.
Comparing the two, Zhao Guo is absolutely acceptable.
Perhaps, this is what Qin means by "non-interference" - each needs what it needs to attack.
It seems interesting!
Of course, Zhao Kuo knew very well that there are two prerequisites for this "mutual non-interference": first, the two countries have equal national and military strength, and neither country can engage in two-sided warfare; second, the two countries have equal desires and have confidence in each other. Get what you need before the opponent ends the battle.
Needless to say, there is no need to talk about national power and military power. If either Zhao or Qin could be crushed, this issue would not arise at all. The lagging party would have long ago gone to find allies to join forces.
This requires the same thing, but it requires a tacit understanding between the two countries, and it even has something to do with time.
For example, in the land of Wangji this week, if the Qin State sends troops to attack next year or the year after, without the obstruction of the Zhao State, the Wei State will not be able to stop the Qin army at all, and I am afraid that it will not last even a month.
But if we wait two or three years and Wei's national power gradually recovers, it will not be so easy for Qin to win the land of Zhou Wangji.
Similarly, after this year's snow disaster, the Yan State that Zhao Kuo has been thinking about is bound to be in panic. Attacking the Yan State next year when it is in decline may have miraculous effects.
Of course, from the perspective of King Qin, although Zhao may be able to gain blood, Qin will definitely not lose. This is a win-win result.
If it is feasible to destroy Yan, by extension, Han, Qi, and Wei will all follow suit. Then the two countries will share the Chu State's cake, and finally have a decisive battle.
It seems that what King Qin thinks is exactly what he thinks! They even have similar approaches but similar results.
By postponing the decisive battle, it was obvious that not only Zhao Kuo was confident in the New Deal he was implementing, but Qin was also full of confidence in the reforms it had implemented for a century. After all, they had used this method to dominate for too long.
The more he thought about it, the more Zhao Kuo felt that King Qin's idea was feasible.
However, Zhao Kuo looked at the Qin envoy with a troubled look on the surface. He had to try his best to find out King Qin's bottom line and his next plan.
Immediately, Zhao Kuo shook his head and said to the Qin envoy: "I know the concerns of the King of Qin, but I have an alliance with Wei and Chu, which cannot be broken lightly."
The envoy of Qin smiled and said: "Zhao has loyalty to Wei and Chu, and my subordinates are pleased and admire it. However, do Wei and Chu have the intention to serve Zhao?"
"If so, why are there the flags of Wei and Chu on the Zhou Dynasty today?" The Qin envoy also looked at the Zhao State, and continued in a rather humble tone: "If so, the Zhao State was in trouble due to heavy snow today. , Where is the support from Wei and Chu? Others may not be there, but the two countries still have something to do with food and supplies."
"Chu's grain and grass are on their way." Zhao Kuo said calmly.
The Qin envoy obviously did not grasp this news, and this news was not unimportant to the Qin State. But the envoy of Qin was the envoy of Qin after all. After being slightly stunned, the envoy of Qin quickly calmed down.
The grain of Chu State is being transported. In other words, where is Wei State?
Between Wei and Chu, does Zhao State favor Chu State? But in Qin's plan, the direction of attack in the coming year is Chu!
If the Zhao-Chu alliance is so strong, does the offensive plan for the coming year need to be adjusted?
With his brows slightly furrowed, the Qin envoy said, "I just don't know what price Zhao paid for this batch of grain."
Obviously, these were the probing words of the Qin envoy.
But isn't this Zhao Kuo's probing words?
If Qin wants to go east, there are only three ways to attack Zhao, Wei and Chu. Zhao Kuo would naturally bet him hard on the first path, so which of the other two paths would the Qin State choose?
Zhao Kuo's words seemed to be talking about things between Zhao and Chu, but in fact they were a test of Qin.
The Qin envoy naturally saw it
The alliance between Zhao, Chu and Wei, but Zhao Kuo also drew a conclusion from the Qin envoy's questions - compared with Wei, Qin seemed to pay more attention to Zhao's attitude towards Chu.
It's very simple. If the Qin State cares about the Wei State, the Qin envoy's answer should be "What happens to the Wei State?" Even if he wants to refute the issue of Chu's provision of food and grass, he must put it at a lower position.
However, the Qin envoy raised questions about Chu's provision of grain and fodder almost without thinking, but did not mention a word about Wei.
The reason is already obvious.
Qin's aspirations lie in Chu, not in Wei!
This seems understandable, after all, Qin had just suffered a heavy loss in the battle of Luocheng.
Although he now wants to divide the kingdoms with Zhao, he does not dare to pursue the idea of Luo City. Firstly, Qin also needs to see the sincerity of Zhao. Secondly, taking down Luo City will not be conducive to the process of dividing the countries. It is very simple. Once Luocheng falls into the hands of Qin, the border between Qin and Zhao The land will increase exponentially, which is obviously not conducive to Qin's next move.
However, Qin wanted to attack Chu, which was great news for Zhao Kuo.
If others don't know, how can Zhao Kuo not know the strength of Chu State?
Although he is an amateur in foreign wars, he is an absolute expert in civil wars. Of course, the "foreign war" mentioned here does not refer to external warfare, but fighting in other places (country), while "civil war" refers to fighting at home.
Without him, the defender of the land will always have some buffs.
Historically, the First Emperor used his power to sweep away Liuhe, and was repeatedly defeated in the process of attacking Chu. In the end, he relied on the veteran general Wang Jian to defeat Xiang Yan's Chu army and incorporated Chu into the Qin Dynasty. within the scope of the country.
Today's Qin State's national power is obviously far inferior to that of the First Emperor. Now he wants to invade Chu State? It would be strange not to touch the ashes on the nose.
Of course, the Qin State's national strength is not as good as history, but Chu State's Xiang Yan has not yet emerged, and it is still unclear who will win in a real fight.
But no matter what, Qin's attack on Chu is definitely good news for Zhao. At least, Zhao Guoguo had enough time to take action on the land of Yan that he longed for.
After making this judgment, Zhao Kuo immediately felt confident.
Ignoring the Qin envoy's sharp questions, Zhao Kuo smiled and said, "I already know the King of Qin's wishes. It is my wish that Qin and Zhao live in peace."
"But..." The conversation changed, and Zhao Kuo immediately looked at the Qin envoy...
