By mid-September, King Qin's condition worsened and it was difficult to get sick. He ordered his grandson Chu to serve as regent, and appointed Tu Jia and Wang Lu as his assistant ministers to jointly govern the state of Qin!
At this point, Qin State entered the Zichu era.
However, because the King of Qin was still ill and not dead, and Fan Sui's advice was not far away, there was not much splash in the court.
However, such explosive news ignited the entire Shandong (east of Mount Wei) countries.
Fortunately, the King of Qin locked himself up in the palace and cut off the news. Even the Yulin Guards of Zhao State did not know the truth. Therefore, although the other countries were frightened, no one dared to act rashly.
Of course, there is no intention of acting rashly, it is just that there is no war, and there are many actions under the water.
In almost ten days, envoys from various countries flocked to Xianyang, and their purpose was obviously self-evident.
King Qin's retreat into the background, Fan Sui's sudden departure, and the little-known Ying Zichu, one by one, played on everyone's hearts.
For Wei and Qi, the most important thing is to find out whether the alliance between Qin and themselves is still intact.
Fortunately, Tu Jia, the doctor in charge of foreign affairs in Qin, was still there, which gave the two countries reassurance. .
As for the Chu State, they wanted to see what kind of Ying Zichu he was.
Even before the King of Chu received a reply from the envoy, he had already sent an envoy to the State of Zhao. The purpose is also very simple: to invite Zhao to attack Qin together.
It should be said that King Chu's timing was quite good.
Although this transfer of power in the Qin State had no apparent impact, in fact, it inevitably affected the entire Qin State.
In particular, Fan Sui's sudden death had an adverse impact on the operation of the entire Qin State.
After all, Fan Sui has been the prime minister of Qin for decades. Although he is greedy, he has also discovered countless talents for Qin.
It can be said that people from Fan Sui are almost everywhere in the Qin State.
This is naturally the reason why King Qin is determined to get rid of Fan Sui, but it is also conceivable that Fan Sui's sudden death, especially this kind of execution without instruction, how could the people promoted by his subordinates not feel panic, these scars are all It takes time to make up for it.
Naturally, in a short period of time, it will have a great impact on Qin.
If the government orders are not smooth, it is a minor matter. Even ordnance and supplies may not be guaranteed.
Besides, those who know about King Qin's retreat to the background will naturally know that King Qin took the initiative to retreat. What about those who don't know? Especially the sergeants at the bottom, would they think that something unexpected happened at the top and they were seized of power?
After all, sons killing their fathers and grandsons killing their ancestors were nothing new in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
These obviously require Wang Lu and Meng Ao to slowly appease the armies.
However, compared to the complexity of the political arena, the impact of the military with strict military discipline will not be too great.
But no matter what, taking advantage of the change of power in Qin, it must be the right thing to counterattack Qin.
The King of Chu had been obsessed with regaining the lost territory since the Qin State occupied Chendu last year, so he was naturally eager to seek help from the State of Zhao.
Of course, it was not just the King of Chu who knew the benefits. Why did the courtiers of Zhao not want to take advantage of this moment to tear off a piece of flesh from Qin's body.
Therefore, after receiving the request from the King of Chu, many courtiers of the State of Zhao also admonished Zhao Kuo: "The King of Qin destroyed his pillars in front of him and cut off his livelihood in the back. This is a God-given opportunity that cannot be missed. ! And when we meet the allies of Chu, although we cannot destroy Qin in one fell swoop, we can still seize the opportunity to seize the land east of Hexi and Chenjun. Then I, the great Zhao, will dominate China."
There was even a general who directly admonished and said: "When the troops are raised, they have already attacked from both sides of Shangdang and Yingchuan, entering Hedong and attacking Hexi to capture Han Valley, and then invade Guanzhong and occupy Xianyang to seize the Qin people's base. And take the power of the world!"
To be honest, when I first heard this, I felt a surge in my heart. Even Zhao Kuo wanted to capture Qin immediately.
Unfortunately, this is impossible.
Qin's fighting power
It may be slightly compromised due to the change of power, but with the resilience of the Old Qin people, the more times of crisis they are, the more they can come together.
At that time, as long as the King of Qin ascends to the throne and shouts, his followers will surely gather, and it will be almost impossible to defeat Qin in a single battle.
More importantly, Wei State, and even Qi State, would not stand idly by in such a situation.
Therefore, if this war is not fought, or if it is fought, it may become a chaotic war among the five countries.
Today's Zhao State does not have enough strength to face the battles of three major powers at the same time.
What? Chu State?
That scumbag's fighting power is almost negligible!
Moreover, Zhao Kuo has never been in the habit of placing his hopes on others.
Therefore, Zhao Kuo almost without hesitation rejected the suggestion of sending a large army to conquer Qin.
However, Chu State had to give him face, and Qin State could not let Zhao State let go of this opportunity so easily.
After much thought, Zhao Kuo decided: "Only thunder, no rain!"
To put it simply: If you want our Zhao State to cooperate with your Chu State’s military operations, we will send large troops from the two directions of Shangdang and Yingchuan towards the border to attract and delay the main force of the Qin Army and prepare for the Chu Army’s actions. Provide ample time and space.
Of course, Zhao would not do it by crossing the border to attack the enemy.
Unless the Qin army is really fully attracted by the Chu army, and the front is extremely easy to be broken through, the Zhao army will really enter the battle.
As for the reason, it's very simple: Zhao Jun was tired from last year's battle and needed to rest.
It should be said that such an answer was a great honor to the King of Chu, and the King of Chu was also very satisfied with Zhao Guo's answer.
Therefore, after receiving the secret order from the King of Chu, the Chu State's envoy also began to ask Zi Chu to return Chen Du and several other important cities to the Chu State.
These words were harsh to the ears of many Qin people.
Therefore, Qin Taisun Wang Lu decisively rejected Chu's unreasonable request.
For this reason, within a month of Zi Chu's appearance on the political stage, the King of Chu was ready to make a move.
In mid-October, the Chu State sent 100,000 troops to retake Chendu and other places occupied by the Qin State. If everything went well, the Chu army would even include the land of Yanying in the scope of recovery.
At the same time, Chu State sent envoys to Wei and Qi one after another, trying to persuade the two countries to attack Qin.
As for the Zhao army, they responded actively when the Chu State sent troops. The Yingchuan army increased its strength to 50,000, and the Shangdang army's empty defense line also increased to nearly 80,000 troops.
This is already all the troops that Zhao can use without affecting the autumn harvest.
I have to say that the Zhou land given by Chu State was really earned.
Fortunately, apart from increasing troops, Zhao Jun did not take any more actions.
However, just such an action can already make Qin Jun have a good drink.
Chu Wen, the grandson of Qin, heard that the two countries were attacking. Although he was inexplicably angry, he still remained relatively calm.
In the name of the King of Qin, Zi Chu ordered Meng Ao, the rising star of the Qin army, to lead 80,000 soldiers from Chu to fight against the Chu army. He also ordered Wang Lu to supervise the generals in the east and west of Hexi to help defend the Zhao army with 60,000 soldiers.
On the other hand, as early as the end of September when the Chu State was ready to take action, Zi Chu quickly sent envoys to Wei and Qi, promising "heavy profits" and ordering the two countries to send troops to calm down the trouble.
Qin's grandson Chu's idea is very clear. To stabilize Wei and Qi, even if they send troops, it will be good news for Qin.
In fact, the situation was much better than Zichu thought.
Under the persuasion of Lord Xinling, Wei agreed to send troops. Of course, they are also more like the Zhao State, who only increase their troops but are unwilling to join the battle.
However, the direction of Wei's increase in troops was not the direction of Chu, but the Zhou Dynasty.
Yes, Wei wanted to threaten the Zhao army's logistics supply line, which could be regarded as indirectly reinforcing the Qin army.
Of course, with the entry of the Wei army, it was inevitable that the relationship between Zhao and Wei, which had been relatively good at first, gradually began to fall apart.
However, Wei obviously doesn't care about that much. Wei knows very well that once Qin falls, he will be next.
It has to be said that Lord Xinling is Lord Xinling after all, and his grasp of the situation is really unmatched by ordinary people.
Just like Qi State.
Qi State obviously does not have this kind of sobriety. Qi State, obsessed with internal fighting, chose to stay out of the matter even when it was possible to decide the outcome.
Therefore, after the various forces had made arrangements, the war immediately began in the homeland of the Chu State.
With the advantage of its military strength, the Chu State slowly advanced, trying to force the Qin army back with a majestic formation.
General Meng Ao of Qin State followed his wishes and retreated continuously. In just more than thirty days, he had ceded more than ten cities, and almost conquered a city in three days.
Everyone in the Qin army complained about this. Even Qin's grandson Chu who was far away in Xianyang sent a question to the king, but he was ignored by the newly promoted general Meng Ao!
You can't blame Zichu for interfering on the battlefield, but Zichu needed this victory too much.
As a rights holder, nothing is more inspiring and secure than a win.
Of course, Meng Ao was not stupid, and he naturally understood that this battle was crucial to the stability of the crown prince of Chu.
However, the more important it is, the more careful Meng Aocai must act.
Retreating is always for the sake of better progress.
Unfortunately, not everyone understands this truth. Fortunately, the Qin army's military laws were strict. Although there were occasional complaints, Meng Ao's general orders were still implemented to the letter.
The opportunity finally appeared quietly amidst the Qin army's continuous retreat!
Because as the Chu army occupied more and more cities, many Chu armies were assigned to garrison the cities, and the Chu army's front line was continuously stretched due to the continuous occupation of cities, and the troops were successfully dispersed by the Qin army. Originally, the Chu army Qin Jun's clenched fist was unknowingly loosened by Qin Jun.
Soon, as the arrogant enemy of the Chu army advanced easily, Meng Ao knew that it was time!
Then, Meng Ao decisively led his army out and used a small number of troops to combine with the terrain to trap the Chu army's head and tail, preventing them from looking at each other. At the same time, he concentrated his superior forces to launch a powerful attack on the Chu army in the middle in order to defeat it.
Sure enough, on one side were the Chu troops who were accustomed to the Qin army retreating, and on the other side were the Qin army tigers and wolves who had just been released from their cages, filled with anger and extremely ferocious. It didn't take much to think about what would happen.
