Chapter 16 The battle between Yan and Yu: the brave wins when they meet on a narrow road

Qin State's chariot rolled forward, and after shattering King Chu Qingxiang's dream of a great country, he turned his head east again, and once again pointed the spearhead at Wei State. In 277 BC, King Wei Zhao died, and his son King Wei Anxi (Wei Yu) came to the throne. In 276 BC, Bai Qi attacked Wei and took two cities. In 275 BC, Qin Prime Minister Wei Ya personally led an army to defeat Wei and attacked the city of Daliang.South Korea sent a general Bao Yuan to lead an army to rescue, but was defeated by the Qin army and beheaded 40,000.Baoyuan fled to Kaifeng (now Kaifeng, Henan Province), and the Qin army pursued them, forcing Wei Guo to donate Wendi (now Wenxian County, Henan Province) for peace.

There are two main reasons why Qin State besieged Daliang and did not go down. One is that Wei Ya has selfish motives.According to the "Warring States Policy" records, the siege of the Qin State was urgent at that time, and the Liang Dynasty was in danger.King Anxi of Wei sent a lobbyist to the camp of the Qin Army to lobby Wei Ya, believing that Wei Ya had already obtained a large number of fiefdoms such as Rang, Wan, Tao, and Xu. King Qin did not express any opinion, mainly because the beam had not yet fallen.Once Daliang falls and Wei State perishes, Qin State will connect Taodi with the mainland, and King Qin will definitely propose to take back Taodi.Considering Wei Ya's personal interests, it is better not to capture Daliang.

The second is that Qin State worried that conquering Daliang would arouse the common vigilance of the eastern countries.At that time, someone persuaded King Qin Zhao that if he compared the world to a snake, the state of Wei would be the waist of the snake. If you hit the snake's head, the snake's tail will come to rescue; if you hit the snake's tail, the snake's head will come to rescue;Qin State's attack on Wei State is tantamount to telling the princes that Qin State wants to cut off the backbone of the world, then all Shandong countries will do their best to save each other, and Wei State will desperately resist, which will definitely be very disadvantageous to Qin State.

Because of the above two reasons, Qin State maintained a certain degree of restraint when attacking Wei State, and deliberately let Wei State go. However, in 274 BC, the Qin army made a comeback.King Zhao of Qin forced South Korea to obey through diplomatic means, and sent his guest minister Hu Yang to lead an army across the territory of South Korea, conquering Juan (now Yuanyang, Henan Province), Cai (now Shangcai, Henan Province), and Zhongyang (now Zhongmou, Henan Province) , Changshe (now Changge, Henan Province) four cities. Under the powerful offensive of Qin State, Wei State had to move closer to Zhao State.In 273 BC, Zhao and Wei jointly attacked Huayang (now Xinzheng, Henan Province) in South Korea, and South Korea came to the rescue of Qin.Wei Ya personally led the army, divided into two groups, one led by Bai Qi and the other led by Hu Yang, and defeated the Zhao Wei coalition army at the foot of Huayang City.The Wei army was beheaded by 130,000, and the Wei general Mangmao escaped; the Zhao army was beheaded by 20,000, and the Zhao general Jia Yan died in battle.The Qin army took advantage of the victory to pursue and besieged Daliang again.The State of Wei had to cede Nanyang to the State of Qin, and Qin State withdrew its troops.

In 272 BC, Qin State established Nanyang County with Nanyang and Wan as the center. The Battle of Huayang was another major victory for the Qin Army under the leadership of Bai Qi after the Battle of Yique and the capture of Yingdu.After these three battles, Bai Qi firmly established his status as the God of War, which also caused all countries in Shandong to suffer from "white fear". The battle of Huayang further weakened the state of Wei, and actually broke the backbone of the world.After the war, Qin State adopted a strategy of wooing Zhao State, and the two sides sent hostages to each other to show their friendship.The state of Zhao proposed to the state of Qin that the three cities of Lin, Lishi, and Qi that were originally occupied by the state of Qin should be returned to the state of Zhao, and the state of Zhao would send Jiao (now Sanmenxia, ​​Henan Province), Li (now Junxian County, Henan Province), and Niuhu (now Junxian, Henan Province) to the state of Zhao. It is unknown today) and the three lands were given to Qin in exchange.

It is necessary to explain here that the hostage sent by Qin State to Zhao State is the grandson of King Qin Zhao, named Yiren.Yiren's father, Ying Zhu, was the youngest son of King Qin Zhao and was named King of An.Yingzhu has more than 20 sons, and Yiren is the least favored, so he is sent as a hostage.However, it was this Yiren who gave birth to a son in Zhao Guo, named Yingzheng, who later became the first emperor in Chinese history, and Yiren also became the first Supreme Emperor in Chinese history. This is a later story, and I will bring it up first. The people of Qin State were also very trustworthy, and returned the three cities according to Zhao State's request.Unexpectedly, Zhao Guo broke his promise and refused to hand over the three cities of Jiao, Li, and Niuhu.King Qin Zhao sent ministers to Zhao Guo to negotiate, but there was no result.

It seems that this time, King Zhao Huiwen really decided to play the hooligan to the hooligan. King Zhao of Qin reacted quickly and sent Hu Yang across the Shangdang area of ​​Korea in 270 BC to attack Yan (yan) and (now Heshun, Shanxi Province), an important military town in Zhao State. King Zhao Huiwen summoned Lian Po and asked him if he could lead an army to rescue Yanyu. Lian Po replied "no", because the road from Handan to Yanyu was "long and narrow" and it was difficult to rescue.Zhao Huiwen was very disappointed, and turned to Zhao She, the Minister of Tianbe (head of the tax bureau) beside him: "What do you think about this matter?"

Zhao She replied: "The road is long and the road is narrow. The two armies are fighting like two mice meeting in a cave. Whoever is brave will win." About Zhao She, it is necessary to introduce.This person was originally just a small official of the Tianbu, who was responsible for collecting land taxes. Once he collected the rent and tax of Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng's family, but Pingyuan Jun's housekeeper relied on his power and refused to pay.Zhao She brought out the national decree and told Mr. Pingyuan's housekeeper that if he did not pay taxes according to law, he would be beheaded!When the butler heard this, he smiled instead of anger, stretched his neck and said, "Cut, cut here, don't be soft."Zhao She arrested the housekeeper and nine of his subordinates, and beheaded them all.

When Mr. Pingyuan heard about this, he was furious and wanted to kill Zhao She.Zhao She took the initiative to come to the door and said to Mr. Pingyuan: "You are a nobleman of the State of Zhao. If you don't abide by the laws, the laws will not be able to control anyone, and the country will decline or even perish. At that time, You can't keep your wealth, so what good does it do you? On the other hand, if you, as the king's younger brother, take the lead in obeying the law, everyone will abide by the law, Zhao Guo will become stronger, and people will only respect you more , will definitely not despise you just because your housekeeper was killed for resisting the law."

Lord Pingyuan immediately accepted Zhao She's opinion, and thought he was very capable, and recommended him to King Zhao Huiwen. Facts have proved that Mr. Pingyuan was right.Zhao She worked vigorously and impressively in the position of Minister of Tianbe, the burden of the people was lightened, and the country's warehouse was enriched.During the reign of King Zhao Huiwen, although Zhao State was also invaded by Qin State, it generally maintained the country's stability and economic prosperity, which is inseparable from Zhao She's contribution. In 270 B.C., when Zhao Huiwen heard Zhao She say, "Meeting on a narrow road, the brave wins", he couldn't help having a new understanding of the comrade who had been working on the economic front for a long time.He tried to ask: "So, how about sending you to lead the army to rescue Yan?"

Zhao She accepted the task without hesitation, and led the army to the front line under Lian Po's surprised eyes. Just thirty miles out of Handan, Zhao She gave an order: Lieutenant generals, if anyone dares to make any suggestions for this operation, behead! This order was a bit strange, and most people were thinking: the new general doesn't understand military affairs, and he is afraid of others' opinions... The troops arrived near Wu'an (now Wu'an, Hebei Province) in a feeling of unease. At that time, the main force of the Qin army besieged Yanyu, and sent a partial division to station in the west of Wu'an City to monitor and block Zhao's rescue troops.Even if it is a partial teacher, the momentum is extremely huge, lined up and shouted in unison, even the roof tiles in Wu'an City shook. An officer in charge of intelligence in Zhao She's army, after inquiring about the movements of the Qin army, suggested that Zhao She move quickly to rescue Wu'an, lest the Qin army get there first, because once the Qin army takes control of Wu'an, it will be even more difficult to rescue Wu'an . Without saying a word, Zhao She immediately beheaded the official for public display, and ordered the whole army to build fortifications on the spot. Everyone knows that building works means standing still.Since ancient times, rescuing soldiers is like putting out a fire. I only wish I could fly over with wings. How can there be any reason to draw the ground as a prison and stick to one's old ways?But with the heads of intelligence officers hanging there, no one dared to raise any opinions. They could only silently build fortifications while listening to Qin Jun's slogans. Zhao She stayed here for twenty-eight days.On the twenty-ninth day, he still ordered the soldiers to strengthen the fortifications.Judging from this posture, he is going to build the camp into a city.One day, a spy from the state of Qin sneaked into the barracks of the state of Zhao. He was discovered and escorted to Zhao She. Zhao She ordered people to untie the spies, entertained them with good wine and meat, and then let them go.After the spy went back, he reported the situation to General Qin. General Qin was overjoyed and said to his subordinates: "Zhao She is a coward. He dare not challenge our army at all. He only wants to protect himself. It can be concluded that Yan Yu will no longer belong to Zhao State. "So he relaxed his guard. That night, Zhao She suddenly ordered the whole army to gather in the dark.He briefly issued an order: Except for a few troops who remained in the fort and continued to confuse the Qin army, all the soldiers rolled up their armor, carried it on their backs together with three days' dry food, and marched towards Yanhe. Zhao Jun quietly bypassed the Qin Army's camp, and the operation went smoothly without being noticed.After dawn, the troops began to march in a hurry. It took only two days and one night to arrive from Wu'an to Yanhe, which was supposed to be a five-day journey.At this time, the Qin army stationed in Wu'anxi was still in the dark, thinking that the Zhao army on the opposite side was repairing fortifications! Zhao Jun set up camp at a distance of 50 li from Yan.When Hu Yang got the news, he was shocked and angry, and immediately led the main force of the Qin army to rush over.At this time, a sergeant named Xu Li came to Zhao She's camp and asked for his opinion. Everyone was sweating for Xu Li, but Zhao She met him.Xu Li said straight to the point: "The Qin army didn't expect us to appear here. Now the whole army is attacking with ferocious momentum. If you don't concentrate on holding your position, you may fail." Zhao She said, "Continue talking." Xu Li said, "I'm afraid I'll be stabbed after I finish speaking." Zhao She smiled: "We'll talk about the punishment later." Xu Li led Zhao She out of the tent, pointed to Beishan in the distance and said, "I have carefully observed the terrain, whoever can control this mountain will win this battle." Although Zhao She has never fought a war, he is also familiar with military books on weekdays, and he knows everything.He accepted Xu Li's suggestion and immediately sent 10,000 elite soldiers to seize Beishan. As soon as Zhao Jun had set up his formation, Qin Jun arrived. After a long time in the battlefield, Hu Yang soon discovered that Beishan was a battleground, and personally commanded the troops to charge Beishan.Zhao Jun had been prepared for a long time, and arrows, trees, and rolling stones rained down.The Qin army charged three times, leaving countless corpses on the hillside, but the Zhao army's position remained motionless. Hu Yang was restless, Zhao She ordered the gate to be opened, and led Zhao Jun to attack quickly.The Beishan defenders also condescended and launched a counterattack against the Qin army.Hu Yang couldn't resist, and was beaten and defeated.Zhao She took advantage of the victory to pursue, and Yan and the Zhao army in the city rejoiced, and also killed them.Hu Yang's army fell apart, so he had to lift the siege of Yan Yuzhi and withdraw his troops back home. The Qin State punished the defeated generals very severely. In order to save the situation, Hu Yang made extra troubles to attack several cities of the Wei State (now the name of Hebei Province) on the way back to the army.Lian Po led the army to rescue them and defeated Hu Yang. The battle between Yan and Yu was a rare military defeat of Qin State in the past 30 years.It reminded King Qin Zhao that if he wanted to gain the world, the state of Zhao was an insurmountable hurdle.Because of Zhao She's great achievements, he was named Ma Fujun by King Zhao Huiwen, on the same rank as Lian Po and Lin Xiang; Xu Li was also exceptionally promoted to the rank of Guowei. However, the world is somewhat dissatisfied with Zhao She's success.In this year, Tian Dan, the Prime Minister of Qi State, visited Zhao State and said to Zhao She: "It's not that I disagree with your military art. What I don't admire is that you use too many troops. You use too many troops, and the people who plow the fields will not be able to plow the fields." There will be fewer people, and food production will be weakened. This is not the way. I heard that the ancient emperors could conquer the world with only 30,000 troops. Now you must have 100,000 or 200,000 troops in hand before you dare to go to the battlefield , This is what I don't admire." The implication is that you win battles not by your military skills, but by your numbers.It's not like someone in my field who can recover the Qi State with just a few thousand people in Jimo. Zhao She replied very bluntly: "It seems that you not only don't understand the method of using troops, but also don't understand the current situation. Wu's general sword can cut iron like mud, but if it is used to chop pillars and stones, the sword will be broken. In ancient times, the world was divided into ten thousand countries, and the big countries were only tens of thousands of households. If you use a well-trained 30,000 troops to conquer these countries, there is really no difficulty. But now? The world has been divided into seven countries, and everyone owns several Hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops. Taking 30,000 troops to fight against the army of a powerful country now is like chopping pillars and stones in the future. In 2000, an inch of land was not captured; Zhao Guo attacked Zhongshan with 200,000 troops, and it took five years to win. If you look at the siege, there are now thousands of feet of high city and ten thousand households in the city. With 30,000 troops To encircle the city of thousands of feet, you can only surround a corner of the city, and it is not enough for field battles. With this little force in your hands, what can you do?" After hearing this, Tian Dan sighed and said, "My knowledge is indeed not as good as yours!" Indeed not as good.