Chapter 26 Disobedience in vain

Bai Qi told King Qin Zhao unceremoniously: "No, I can't fight this battle." King Qin Zhao's first thought was that Bai Qi was still resentful for not letting him go straight to Handan!This is also understandable. Although Qin was exhausted at that time, as long as he worked harder, the possibility of conquering Handan existed.And judging from what happened later, accepting Zhao Guo's peace proposal was undoubtedly played by Zhao Guo, and he was tricked by others to delay the army.Therefore, it is understandable and acceptable for Bai Qi to get angry and act coquettishly.Of course, King Qin Zhao did not express his true thoughts, but said from another angle: "At this time last year, the national treasury was empty and the soldiers were exhausted. You did not pity the hard work of the people and asked for more military rations to destroy Zhao. Now One year has passed, the common people have rested, the soldiers have rested, the granary has been filled with food again, and the supplies of the troops are better than before, but you say no to the widow, why is this?"

Bai Qi replied: "In the battle of Changping, the Qin army was victorious, and the Zhao army was defeated; the people of Qin State were happy, but the people of Zhao State were terrified. The people of Qin State buried the dead generously, treated the wounded, comforted the meritorious ministers, and the whole country was immersed in the joy of victory. It is also a matter of course. However, we should also see that the Zhao people are not immersed in grief and cannot extricate themselves. They are united as one, working hard to cultivate, actively preparing for war, and contacting the princes everywhere in an attempt to establish a joint vertical alliance. Now One year has passed, and even if Your Majesty gives me twice as many troops, I still have no confidence in taking Handan, because Zhao's defense force is ten times that of before. If I am not sure, I will not fight."

"Sun Tzu's Art of War" Chapter 4, Article 4: "Victorious soldiers win first and then seek war, and defeated soldiers first fight and then seek victory." Bai Qi is well aware of this truth.He didn't want to attack Zhao at this time, not because he was angry or afraid of taking responsibility, but because he thought the timing was wrong and there was no need to send hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the front line to work hard. Seeing Bai Qi's resolute attitude, King Qin Zhao felt very unhappy, and said, "If you don't want to go, then I will send someone else to go."

Bai Qi arched his hands, meaning please go ahead.King Qin Zhao then ordered the five great officials, Wang Ling, to lead his army to crusade against the State of Zhao. Wang Ling sang all the way and rushed forward, and soon attacked the city of Handan.King Qin Zhao was overjoyed and quickly dispatched reinforcements to besiege Handan.But I didn't expect that Handan was still standing firm after being surrounded for eight or nine months.Zhao Jun also went out of the city from time to time to harass and fight back, killing more than 4,000 Qin soldiers. King Qin Zhao had no choice but to invite Bai Qi to go out in person.

At this critical moment, Bai Qi fell ill.With a white towel wrapped around his head, he paid homage to King Qin Zhao with the support of two servants, and said weakly, "My lord, it's not that I don't want to share your worries, it's that this body is really unbearable!" King Qin Zhao had no choice but to discuss with Xiangguo Fan Ju after returning, and asked Fan Ju to lobby Bai Qi.From the bottom of my heart, Qin Zhaowang also has some opinions on Fan Ju. Back then, Bai Qi wanted to attack Handan with all his might, but you didn't agree; now the widow wants to attack Handan, but Bai Qi quit.To untie the bell, one needs to tie the bell. I will leave it to you to do the work of lobbying for nothing!

Fan Ju is so smart, he immediately smelled distrust.He didn't refuse, and soon came to Bai Qi's mansion. First, he put a high hat on Bai Qi: "Chu has a radius of five thousand miles, and there are millions of soldiers. You led tens of thousands of Qin troops to attack Chu and conquered Yan and Ying." Burned the ancestral temple of the Chu people, forcing Chu to move its capital to the east, and never dared to go west. Han and Wei joined hands to fight against Qin and mobilized a large number of troops. You command less than half of the opponent, but you can fight them in Yi Que, beheaded 240,000 people, blood flowed into rivers, and even a large shield can be floated. This kind of military exploits is unprecedented. Your prestige is far-reaching, and no one in the princes knows it. As soon as you hear your name, you will be afraid, lest you be killed on the battlefield. I met you on the battlefield. It is really a blessing for the king to have a general like you in Qin!"

Bai Qi just nodded, noncommittal.Seeing Bai Qi's expression, Fan Ju's heart sank, but he didn't dare to show it, so he could only bite the bullet and continue: "Now, Zhao Guo lost 70 to 80% of his troops in the Battle of Changping. The strength of the troops, Your Majesty has launched an army several times larger than that of the Zhao State. I hope you can lead the troops to the battle and become a hero to destroy the Zhao State. You have defeated many with fewer and used soldiers like a god many times, but this time you are outnumbered. Why do you instead Don't want to?"

Bai Qi coughed twice, drank half a bowl of hot wine, and replied: "The Xiangguo didn't know something. Back then, the King of Chu relied on the strength of the Chu State and ignored the state affairs. The ministers took credit for their pride and jealousy. The flatterers came to power. The virtuous and virtuous ministers were excluded, the people were alienated, the soldiers had no fighting spirit, the cities were not solid, and the defenses were not repaired. That's why I was able to lead the troops deep into Chu and occupied many cities. At that time, wherever the Qin army went, The bridges were demolished and the ships were burned to show their determination to die. The soldiers regarded the army as their home and the generals as their parents. They were very close to each other, trusted each other, and had the same heart and mind, so they died without regret. The Chu people are just the opposite. They only care about their own family when they fight in their own country. In the Battle of Que, the Han army was single and weak, and pinned their hopes on the Wei army. The Wei army also wanted to preserve its strength and pushed the Han army to take the lead. Let me have the opportunity to set up an ambush against the Han army, and then concentrate the elite to attack the Wei army and win a complete victory. This is all due to our well-planned plan and the enemy's flaws. Victory is a natural thing. How can there be such a thing as a god?"

The more Fan Ju listened, the colder his heart became.It is said that thousands of people wear flattery and don't wear it. As soon as he came up to put a high hat on Bai Qi, he was ruthlessly blocked by Bai Qi. This ideological work probably won't work. I don't know what bad words will come next. ! Sure enough, Bai Qi quickly talked about the Battle of Changping. "The State of Qin defeated the State of Zhao in Changping. It was not at that time that the people of the State of Zhao were terrified and destroyed it, but they were afraid of this and that, so they gave up the opportunity to fight, so that they could recuperate and improve their defenses. People like Pingyuan Lord Zhao Sheng sent their wives and concubines to the army to comfort the soldiers, just like Gou Jian, the king of Yue, tried his best to rule the country. At this time, if Zhao Guo is attacked, the people of Zhao State will definitely stick to it with all their might, even if they are surrounded. Handan is also a hard bone that cannot be chewed. After a long time, our army is exhausted, and the princes will take the opportunity to rescue Zhao. At that time, even if you want to retreat, it will be impossible. To put it bluntly, I only see The danger of attacking the State of Zhao has not seen any advantages, and besides, I am sick and cannot go out."

Fan Ju was ashamed of being told, and returned to report to King Qin Zhao.King Qin Zhao was also annoyed, and slammed the table: "Without him, can the widow not destroy Zhao?" So he sent Wang Yan to replace Wang Ling with reinforcements, and ordered: "If Handan is not captured, Just don't come back." But things are just as Bai Qi expected.When Wang Yan arrived in Handan, the battle situation did not improve. Instead, he was attacked by Zhao Guo's guerrillas and lost a lot of rations.When the battle report spread to Xianyang, King Qin Zhao was anxious and angry, Fan Ju was helpless, but Bai Qi said sarcastic words in front of others: "Look, if you don't listen to my opinion, it's hard to ride a tiger now!"

This remark was heard by King Qin Zhao, and it was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.He patiently came to Bai Qi's mansion again, and said to Bai Qi: "I am begging you! Even if you are sick, you have to command for the widow. After this battle, the widow will definitely reward you. If If you still don't want to go, that widow will be really angry!" Bai Qi knelt on the ground with a "plop", kowtowed to King Qin Zhao, and said, "I know that if you go to war at this time, even if you can't succeed, you can avoid being convicted; if you don't fight, you will die. But I still Admonish the king, listen to my opinion, give up attacking Zhao, let the people recharge their batteries, and let the army revive. At the same time, use the conflict of interests among the princes to appease the timid, crusade the bold, and eliminate the foolish. Yes, if you order the princes in this way, you can achieve hegemony, and the world can be settled." King Qin Zhao frowned, but did not attack.Bai Qi didn't care so much, since he said it, he stabbed it to the end, and said: "Why do you have to destroy Zhao Guo at this time? Is it just to make me Bai Qi submit? But by doing that, you will gain a moment Is it worth it to lose the great opportunity to command the princes? I heard that Mingjun loves his country and loyal ministers cherish his reputation. The country is destroyed and it is impossible to restore it; the soldiers died innocently in battle, it is impossible Resurrection. I am willing to die for offending the King, and I will not be a general who will let the soldiers die in vain. Please think carefully, Your Majesty." At this point, the negotiations broke down.King Qin Zhao didn't say anything, turned around and left. Bai Qi looked at his fading figure, but what flashed in his mind was the scene of Zhao Jun being murdered after the Battle of Changping, and Qin Jun's shouts and Zhao Jun's screams filled his ears.He said to himself: "Perhaps, this is my fate in vain!"