From Hangu Pass to the coast of the East China Sea, across a vast territory of five thousand miles, the four kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, Han and Qi had been facing each other for several years. Both sides felt that the moment of decisive battle seemed to be coming.
This may be the highest-quality battle in the land of Xia in decades. Wei is the old overlord of the Central Plains, and the results of the reform are still supporting Wei.
The Qi State was an upstart in the reform process. It captured Huaisi, defeated the Chu State, and annexed the Eastern Overlord of Wu.
Both Han and Zhao have strong soldiers and soldiers, and their strength cannot be underestimated.
The three border countries of Qin, Chu and Yan are also paying attention to this war. Qin and Qi previously besieged Wei's land in Huaisi, but after Qi turned south, they signed a peace agreement with Wei in Hexi.
The two sides agreed not to invade each other, and Qin Bo also made a bloody alliance with the Marquis of Wei, promising never to participate in the war between Wei and Qi. Qin is now in decline, and he only hopes that Wei can let Qin go and let Qin recuperate.
The State of Wei prospered in the past because of the defection of a large number of talented people. However, after these talents became new nobles, they also began to crowd out the new scholars who entered the ranks of the aristocratic bureaucracy of the State of Wei.
Many scholars who were depressed in Wei State went to Qin State to serve as officials.
Wei Yang rose from a white body to become the chief of Zuo Shu in charge of the state affairs of the Qin State, and the down-and-out nobleman rose to take charge of the military power of the Qin State. These are excellent examples.
Especially at present, countries are frequently fighting each other, and all countries are rebelling against each other. Don't look at the current battles between Wei and Qi. Once there is a profit, they will be able to reconcile immediately.
Strategists who are good at rhetoric are even the guests of the monarchs of various countries. These people have an extremely profound insight into the human heart and can always hit the pain points in the hearts of the monarchs. Almost all alliances between countries are decided by the politicians with a single word.
Along the eight hundred miles of Qinchuan, countless Qin people were organized to build water conservancy projects. Especially with the technical support of Qin Mo, they became increasingly prosperous.
Qin State loves to build water conservancy projects, not only because water conservancy can promote food production, but also because water conservancy can control population.
As long as the government controls the source, when to open the gate, when to cut off the water, who irrigates the land, and pays for irrigation, these are all excellent ways to collect taxes, which is much better than the method of door-to-door tax collection.
In the Xianyang Palace, the top officials of the Qin State gathered together to discuss the major affairs of the Qin State. Uncle Qin, Gongzi Sheng who was in charge of the Qin army, Liang Xi from Wei, Wei Yang, the chief of Zuo Shu, and Chu people who were in charge of the foreign affairs of other countries. In Shanghai, there are also some talented and intelligent people from other countries.
Facing the crowd, Uncle Qin laughed loudly and said: "The ancestors of Qin State have always been determined to make great plans to go eastward.
In the past, the war between the Xia Dynasties and the Xia Dynasty failed because of Wei Houqing's betrayal, and the late king ended in hatred.
Now, with the help of all the great talents, Qin's troops are well-fed, and the Central Plains has been fighting continuously, they will definitely be weak. It seems that the great wish of the ancestors of the past generations will be realized. "
Perhaps this is also one of the advantages brought by geography. Chu State has been determined to go north for more than 800 years, while Qin State wants to go eastward. Their strategy will never change.
Unlike Jin and Wei, which can expand in all directions, the strategic certainty is very poor. When the strength is strong, it does not gain enough advantages. When the strength declines, it will be besieged by enemies from all directions.
"The war between Qi and Wei is about to be decided. If Wei wins, Qin can continue to cultivate Bashu, enrich its granaries, and oppress Chu.
Second, we can also take advantage of Wei's exhaustion after the war with Qi to quickly occupy Hexi, and then build a defense line around the Yellow River to unite with South Korea to fight against the powerful Wei.
But from what I can see, the military strength of Wei's soldiers is no longer as strong as it was in the past. The politics in Wei's country are dark, and a great talent like Liang Xi cannot hold a high position. Qi's chances of winning are better.
If Wei is defeated, our Qin army will directly capture the land west of Hexi, oppress Hedong, and plan for Hangu.
If we can use Hangu Pass and the Yellow River as natural barriers, and then go north along the edge to the plateau and connect with the enclave, we can suppress Wei from the south.
From then on, it can be in an invincible position. Even if Zhao, Wei and Han jointly attack, Qin can retreat to Hangu Pass.
The only one who needs to worry is Qi State. Qi State already has a great reputation. If it defeats Wei State, South Korea will definitely surrender. Add Wu State, and almost all the most fertile land in the east will fall into the hands of Qi State. "
Qin and Qi are currently working together to weaken Wei's alliance, but Qin's strategic vision is very long-term. Qi is still fighting for life and death, and he has already begun to consider attacking Qi.
Wei Yang muttered: "My lord, I have been thinking about a question.
What is the attitude of the Luo State towards the rise of the Qi State?
What is the attitude of Qi towards Emperor Zhou?
Do we still want to support the Zhou royal family?
If Qi State still respects Emperor Zhou, Luo State will definitely help Qi State secretly.
Gold, silver, grain, silk, swords, guns, swords and halberds, these are not needed by the Luo Kingdom for the time being, but they are enough to prosper the country.
The existence of the Zhou royal family is not a good thing for Qin. "
Luo country!
Uncle Qin's heart sank. As the power of the Zhou royal family declined, the monarchs of various countries had thoughts of replacing them. Now it was not just the Chu family that wanted to aspire to the throne.
However, due to the powerful power of tradition, no one has dared to directly raise it. This is why South Korea's brazen attack on the royal family caused a huge sensation.
The existence of Luo Kingdom has become an obstacle to Chengtian's destiny. In the eyes of everyone, Luo Kingdom will definitely fight to defeat Bangzhou's destiny!
The Luo Kingdom did not react much now, firstly because of its weakening strength, and secondly because the Zhou royal family was still in Luoyi City after all.
After all, King Su is still the chief priest of all countries. Although the monarchs of other countries have frequently transgressed, even the King of Chu has never said that he is the emperor who has been appointed by heaven.
When Wei Yang saw everyone pondering, he said: "If Qi wins, he will consecrate Qi, and coerce Zhao, Wei, Han and other countries to consecrate Qi together, completely tearing the relationship between Luo and Qi.
It's like going up a tall building. You have to go up step by step. If you want to reach the sky in one step, you will only end up dead.
Moreover, everyone in the Qi State, from the official office to the ministers, dreamed of restoring Duke Huan's hegemony all day long.
In the past, Duke Huan of Qi had already obtained the position of Fang Bo, and was given the title of Jiuxi, making him a Duke. Wouldn't the monarchs and ministers of Qi State want to take a step further? "
! ! !
Everyone couldn't help but be shocked by Wei Yang's words. Even Uncle Qin didn't expect Wei Yang to come up with such a radical idea, but after thinking about it, it was wonderful that he didn't need to apply this idea to himself.
So he happily said: "The Prime Minister of Wei is really a talented person who can assist the Holy King. With you here, won't the Qin Kingdom prosper?"
So the ministers began to make arrangements around the battle for the land in Hexi. Once Wei and Qi began to engage in large-scale battles, they would immediately attack Hexi.
As for the previously signed peace treaty and covenant?
When Wei Guoguo stabbed the old Qin people in the back, he didn't mention any peace talks or covenants. This is called retribution.
On the land of South Korea, countless troops are being mobilized.
The decisive battle between Wei and Qi basically combined several elements. Wei was short of food and was eager to fight a big battle, and the pressure on Qi's food road became increasingly heavy.
In fact, if a war lasts for several years, especially when the monarchs and ministers on both sides are not yet at the stage of stupidity, it is extremely difficult to leave any secrets.
Both sides are basically playing cards. It depends on who can bear it better and who can persist in the key decisions until the end.
The reason why the State of Wei dared to fight Qi State despite the lack of food and grass was because the State of Wei knew that there might be food and grass in the State of Qi, but there was none in Qi State's camp!
In other words, Qi is now more likely to be short of food than Wei.
Because the Wei State intercepted the exact time of the arrival of Qi State's grain and grass, and after suffering a large number of casualties, it successfully burned all the grain and grass that could feed 100,000 elites for a month.
Even if Qi State can still mobilize food and grass from Qi State, that will happen later, let alone South Korea. Now South Korea is full of hungry corpses and corpses. Years of wars have occurred in South Korea. Produce so much food.
The subsequent battles confirmed Wei's guess. In an encounter involving thirty to forty thousand people, Qi only lasted less than a stick of incense before retreating. This made Wei generals beam with joy, "Qi The faces of the Chinese troops clearly looked hungry, they had indeed run out of food."
Qi General Guan Chenglin and Qi Prime Minister Lu Ji had unusually calm faces. How could Wei understand Qi's wealth?
The food and grass supplied to one hundred thousand elites can be used as bait. This is Qi's confidence. Qi's real army still has sufficient food and grass and strong morale.
Guan Chenglin pointed at the atlas and said: "Prime Minister, here and here are the places where our army fought with the Wei army and failed.
The Wei people were relatively cautious at first, but with the victory of two or three consecutive encounters and the continuous rout of our army, the Wei people began to lose their vigilance.
Now that the news about our army's food shortage has convinced the Wei people, they are now leading the Wei people into an ambush.
Once caught in an ambush, it is completely different from frontal combat. Even a powerful army like Wei Wuzu is just a stronger pig and dog, and can still be slaughtered at will. "
Lu Ji looked at the ambush points on the map carefully and nodded with satisfaction, "After Guan Qing is Guan Zi, if this battle can severely damage Wei Wu's soldiers, the king will definitely seal the land for you again.
For having made such a great contribution to the Qi State, Guanzi above the Nine Heavens must be proud of you. "
Burning their own food and grass during the war and paying such a high price for planning, it would be strange if the Wei people did not fall into the plan.
When the Wei people fell into an ambush during the pursuit and march, countless Qi people appeared, causing the Wei people to panic instantly. Guan Chenglin yelled: "Kill!"
The Qi army brought almost all the bows and crossbows in the country. Arrows fell like raindrops. Chariots and rolling stones completely blocked the Wei army.
There was only a small mountain road left for the Wei people to break out. This was to dispel the will of the Wei army. With the rain of arrows falling, using high to hit the low, the Wei people's counterattack seemed too weak. Moreover, there were enemies on all sides, and the command system Where can it still work?
Especially as the sky gradually darkened, these soldiers, who were generally night-blind, were extremely frightened and had no idea how to survive.
The screams and the waving of weapons echoed for an unknown amount of time. The fear of not knowing when they would die made everyone rush towards the only way to survive.
Then there were countless crowds and tramples. The number of people who died in this way was unimaginable, far exceeding the number killed by the Qi army.
The morning light breaks, and the sky breaks.
There were corpses everywhere in the mountains, countless incomplete flags of the Wei army, and many messy arrows were shot on the ground, but a large part of them still hit the Wei army. There were not many complete corpses, and many corpses were in complete shape. But part of it turned directly into pulp, which was the result of being trampled by the rebels.
Most of the dead people had fear on their faces, and some of the soldiers who were obviously tall and strong were wearing thick bronze armor. These were extremely powerful Wei soldiers on the battlefield, but they were trapped and died here.
The bronze armor provided them with some protection, at least they survived the arrows, but once they were knocked down, the heavy armor would become a burden. It seemed that many Wei soldiers fell to the ground and were trampled along the way. die.
Next to the Wei army's banner, the people of Qi saw the bodies of the Wei army's general and the Wei prince. These two people committed suicide in grief and anger when they saw that the situation was over.
Guan Chenglin and Lu Ji looked at the corpses stretching across the valley, and laughed loudly: "Qi's hegemony has been accomplished!"
————
The war between Qi and Wei for the hegemony of the Central Plains was a complete victory. After the Battle of Yanling, Qi once again dominated the Xia. Zhao and Wei were forced to surrender to Qi, and South Korea and Wu even surrendered. The Qin State also gave countless kind words to the Qi State, and the complacent Qi State fell into a heavy strategic misjudgment. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
(End of chapter)
