Not long after the war between Chu and Tang began, a major event happened in the capital.
King Li Ye of the Tang Dynasty fell ill. The prince Li Yu and the third son Li Kang used partisanship to compete with each other for the power to supervise the country, causing chaos in the court.
And this will inevitably affect the war on the front line, making some officials unavoidably worried.
In the Prime Minister's Mansion in the capital, Kong Wen was receiving the general Qin Zhen alone.
Since it was lunch time, the two of them usually talked while eating.
Qin Zhen suddenly put down the bones and meat in his hands and yelled at his servants: "Get out of here! Standing here is an eyesore!"
"Yes." Several servants were frightened and ran out without waiting for their master to say anything.
Kong Wen put down the wine cup and said with a smile: "Old Qin, you are getting more and more familiar with me. This will become your national palace."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Qin Zhen slapped the table, stared at Kong Wen and asked, "What's going on with you guys? You're fighting at this time. Do you know how much impact this has on the front line?"
"Of course I know, but we can't help ourselves. After all, the Crown Prince and the Third Young Master are going to fight, and we ministers can only take the lead." Kong Wen sighed helplessly.
Kong Wen knew that at this time, partisanship was harmful to the Tang Dynasty, but now it was the dispute between the prince and the third son.
If they don't support him, they will no longer have a foothold if the prince is defeated.
This time, the two factions can even draw, but they must not lose.
Because once you lose, you lose everything, even your wealth and life.
"Your Majesty is just sick. He hasn't died yet! You guys are fighting like this, you are not afraid of death!" Qin Zhen realized that his voice was too loud and hurriedly lowered his voice.
Kong Wen just sighed again, and then whispered: "There is news from the palace that your Majesty is now unconscious. He behaves strangely when he wakes up. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left."
"What!" Qin Zhen was shocked and asked hurriedly: "Is this news true or false?"
Kong Wen nodded and immediately grabbed Qin Zhen's arm.
"Old Qin, I know you have always disdained partisanship, but now it's time to choose a side."
Qin Zhen suddenly fell into deep thought. Kong Wen did not urge Qin Zhen, but just looked at Qin Zhen quietly.
Qin Zhen's eyes suddenly flashed with determination and he pulled his arm back from Kong Wen's hand.
"I, Qin Zhen, only listen to your Majesty's words and respect your Majesty's orders. As for the Crown Prince or the Third Young Master, I am not your Majesty yet!"
Upon hearing Qin Zhen's answer, Kong Wen's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, and at the same time a hint of worry.
As a general who controls the country, Qin Zhen's prestige in the army is even higher than that of the King of Tang.
If it weren't for the trust of King Tang, I'm afraid he would have ended up as a master of great achievements.
And Qin Zhen's loyalty to the King of Tang was unparalleled.
But now the King of Tang is critically ill. Once the King of Tang dies, can the next King of Tang still trust Qin Zhen?
If Qin Zhen doesn't choose to take sides now, how will he survive in the future?
You know, as long as Qin Zhen joins any faction now, with Qin Zhen's power, he can definitely win.
This kind of prestige and ability is definitely feared by the monarch.
Therefore, Kong Wen wanted to draw Qin Zhen into his faction and help the prince win the battle. With the prince's kindness, Qin Zhen could enjoy his old age peacefully even if it weakened Qin Zhen's power.
"Old Qin, it's time for you to choose a side, this is about your life and fortune!" Kong Wen continued to persuade.
Qin Zhen is naturally aware of his situation, but Qin Zhen's character is absolute. Qin Zhen will only be loyal to the emperor, not to any young master or prince.
"Needless to say, all I am thinking about now is the war on the front line."
Qin Zhen picked up the wine prince and put it down helplessly.
"I don't doubt Yu Chixiong's ability, but if you continue to fight, it will inevitably affect the war on the front line."
Seeing Qin Zhen's firm attitude, Kong Wen could only sigh helplessly.
"I have been prepared for this matter. In order to force the Chu State to retreat as soon as possible, I have sent people to the Qi State and plan to ask the Zhao State for help together with the Qi State."
"As long as the State of Zhao sends troops to attack Chu, the State of Chu will be trapped in a three-sided war."
"Don't have too high hopes. After Zhao State has undergone reforms in recent years, its focus has been on resisting the Northern Expedition, and it may not necessarily cause trouble."
Kong Wen smiled confidently and said: "You don't have to worry about this. After several years of reforms, Zhao State is not to resist the Rong and Di in the north, but to dominate the Central Plains."
"Among the seven countries now, Chu and Jin are the strongest. Now that there is an opportunity to weaken Chu's strength, Zhao will not fail to come."
Qin Zhen took a deep breath and took a swig of wine.
Asking for help from the State of Zhao, I am afraid that I will drive away the bad wolf of the State of Chu and fatten the tiger of the State of Zhao.
Qin Zhen had learned about the situation in the State of Zhao. After the reform of the State of Zhao, the country became powerful and had strong soldiers and horses. Even the Rong and Di in the north were beaten so that they did not dare to go south.
It is estimated that only the prosperous Chu State can resist such a Zhao State. Once Chu State is weakened, it will no longer be able to resist Zhao State's southward march.
As a general in charge of the army, he could see this clearly, but it was impossible for Kong Wen not to see it clearly.
But Kong Wen still chose to do this. Obviously the fight in the court had reached an extremely serious stage, and Kong Wen had to make such a choice.
But after all, he is only a military commander, and he is one of the few neutrals.
After the Tang Dynasty became seriously ill, no one would listen to the neutral factions like them. Even if they had any ideas, they would be useless.
After drinking the glass of wine, Qin Zhen threw the wine master aside and stood up.
"Old Qin, why don't you drink some?" Kong Wen asked.
"Do you think I'd like to invite you to drink?" Qin Zhen shook his head, turned around and walked out.
After Kong Wen watched Qin Zhen leave, he picked up the wine jue and took a sip.
"Oh! I can't help myself, I can't help myself! If I had the chance, why wouldn't I want to live a life of plowing the fields?"
······
In Cang County, Qin Yu, who had a war horse, immediately formed a cavalry force.
In the age of cold weapons, cavalry was definitely a powerful unit.
Qin Yu directly organized a thousand cavalry, five hundred infantry, and one thousand archers.
This configuration is also a helpless move. After all, Qin Yu has the most bows and arrows in his hands, and those are the only armor weapons made of fine steel. If there are not enough, he can only use the previous copper weapons.
The next problem Qin Yu faced was a bit troublesome.
Gongsun Qi or Qin Yuan, who should be the general?
Gongsun Qi brought it up by himself and was absolutely loyal to him.
Qin Yuan was sent by Qin Zhen. If there was no order from Qin Zhen, he would still obey him. Moreover, most of the current army was brought by Qin Yuan.
And in terms of talent, the two have similar talents so far. It is really confusing who should be the coach.
After thinking for a long time, Qin Yu couldn't make up his mind, so he asked someone to call the two of them over.
As soon as the two of them entered the hall of the county captain's mansion, the dark armor on their bodies made people's eyes dim.
Qin Yu frowned and asked, "Aren't you both wearing new armor? Why is it so dark?"
Gongsun Qi smiled and cupped his hands and said, "Sir, this is the new armor, but it was dyed black by my subordinates."
"Is it dyed black?" Qin Yu stood up and walked to Gongsun Qi's side to take a closer look. It was indeed a newly issued armor.
Suddenly, Qin Yu smelled the fragrance of ink. When he got closer and smelled it, he found that it was coming from the armor.
"The armor you printed with ink?" Qin Yu asked.
Gongsun Qi cupped his hands and said: "I used ink, but I also added some other dyes to it so that it can be soaked in the armor and prevent it from getting wet."
"Yes, you are really surprising." Qin Yu smiled and patted Gongsun Qi on the shoulder.
After returning to the main seat and sitting down, Qin Yu looked at the two of them and asked, "Do you know why I asked you two to come over?"
"Please give me your instructions!" Qin Yuan cupped his hands and said.
Qin Yu looked at Qin Yuan, then at Gongsun Qi, and said: "Although I am a county lieutenant and the commander-in-chief of an army, to be honest, I have never read any military books or learned the art of war, so I want to Among the two of you, choose one to assist me in commanding the soldiers."
Qin Yuan and Gongsun Qi looked at each other at the same time, and immediately said at the same time, "I recommend Qin Yuan (Gongsun Qi)!"
After these days of getting along, the two have become friends and more or less understand each other's abilities.
Qin Yu rolled his eyes after hearing the two people's replies. He said, "I want to choose from the two of you. What do you mean by recommending each other to me?"
Qin Yu tapped his fingers on the table and said in a deep voice: "Since you two recommend each other, let's talk about why."
Gongsun Qi was the first to say: "Most of the soldiers in the army were brought by Brother Qin Yuan, and they all obey Brother Qin Yuan's orders, so Brother Qin Yuan is the most suitable."
"Furthermore, Brother Qin Yuan is surprised to be the leader, so my subordinates feel that Brother Qin Yuan is the most suitable."
"That's wrong," Qin Yuan said, "When it comes to commanding ability, Brother Gongsun is far better than me. I am more suitable for charging into battle, rather than commanding soldiers and horses."
"I think Brother Qin Yuan is more suitable."
"It's more appropriate to give it to Brother Gongsun."
The two began to push each other, and both felt that the other was more suitable than themselves.
"Okay!" Qin Yu suddenly interrupted the two of them.
After the two men made such statements, Qin Yu had already made a decision.
Dang Ji said: "After my careful consideration, Qin Yuan, you will be the commander-in-chief, and Gongsun Qi will assist you."
"Gongsun Qi, in addition to assisting Qin Yuan, you must also accumulate experience in leading troops."
"Promise! I understand!" Gongsun Qidang immediately accepted the order.
"Sir, I think it's better for me to switch with Brother Gongsun." Qin Yuan still refused.
"That's it, don't talk nonsense." Qin Yu said, "Gongsun Qi still needs experience and learning, and you have experience in commanding troops, so teach him more."
"No! I understand." Seeing Qin Yu's firm attitude, Qin Yuan no longer refused.
After confirming the commander-in-chief of the army, Qin Yu can make the next deployment.
The Chu army was so close in front of him, like a sharp sword hanging on his neck, which made people panic. Qin Yu planned to push the edge of this sword away!
