Chapter 53 In the first quarter, Bai Qi’s strategy was abandoned for the first time

When Xingye, the special envoy of Zhongshan Kingdom, arrived in Xianyang, the monarch and ministers of Qin Kingdom were having a secret meeting in Zhangtai. Zhongshan Kingdom is a mountainous country on the east bank of the Great River, at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain.Although the land is not big, it is precisely stuck between the four strong forces of Qin, Zhao, Wei and Han: to the west are the two fortresses of Hedong, Lishi and Jinyang of Qin State, to the south is Shangdang Mountain, a Korean enclave, and to the southeast is Julu and Handan of Zhao State. To the southwest is the Hanoi area of ​​Wei State.It's like a cotton pad between the square pig irons. Once it is removed, the square pig irons will collide head-on.Before the rise of Qin State, Zhongshan State was mainly the focus of competition among the three kingdoms of Wei, Zhao, and Han.The situation changed drastically in the middle of the Warring States period. Qin State first regained the Hexi Plateau, and then captured Hedong Lishi and Jinyang, and became the most powerful force facing Zhongshan directly.After the Qin army seized the Hanoi area of ​​​​Wei State and established Hanoi County, Wei State shrank to the south of the river, which was tantamount to withdrawing from the competition for Zhongshan.Also because of Hanoi's return to Qin, the narrow channel that Hanoi used to be in Hanoi in Wei State was also integrated by Qin State, and the Han Shangdang became an enclave.Although it is also facing Zhongshan directly, due to the great decline of the country, South Korea has long since lost its ambition to compete for Zhongshan.It was during these two decades that Zhao State suddenly became stronger, so Zhongshan State actually became a buffer zone between the two great powers of Qin and Zhao.According to the general situation of geography, Zhongshan State has a more fundamental stake in Zhao State than Qin State.After the rise of Qin State, the momentum of expansion became bigger and bigger step by step: taking Hexi to Hedong, annexing Bashu, seizing Hanoi of Wei State, and then seizing Nanjun of Chu State, it became unstoppably strong.However, during the hundred years of Zhao Guo's entry into the Warring States period, except for the strategic gains from the Sanhu (Donghu, Linhu, and Loufan), there has never been a major expansion.But because of this, the capture of Zhongshan has extraordinary significance for the powerful Zhao State: the annihilation of Zhongshan not only eradicated a major problem, but also immediately formed a pressure to seize the South Korean Shangdang; once the Zhongshan Shangdang returned to Zhao, It can not only make the vast mountainous area of ​​​​Hedong a solid barrier against Qin, but also make the road to the Central Plains unimpeded.Because of such a general trend, King Wuling of Zhao destroyed Zhongshan Kingdom for the first time in the later period, but then Zhao's internal turmoil caused Zhongshan Kingdom to revive and re-establish the country.Now that the state of Zhao is strong again, it is determined to eradicate Zhongshan. This time, it is obvious that the 100,000 troops are dispatched to annihilate Zhongshan in one fell swoop.

Upon receiving the urgent secret report, Wei Xun realized that something was unusual, and immediately crossed the Weishui River to Zhangtai Palace. In summer, the aging Empress Dowager Xuan often finds the Xianyang Palace too hot.King Qin Zhao ordered Chang Shi to clean up Zhangtai, moved to Zhangtai with the Queen Mother to cool off the summer heat, and rushed to Zhangtai for business negotiations as soon as major state affairs were dealt with.When Wei Xun arrived, it was exactly noon, and the Empress Dowager Xuan was taking a nap, while Du Qin Zhaowang was in the study room staring at the newly drawn picture of the Great Qin Zhaoyu on the wall, meditating.King Qin Zhao, who is in his forties, still doesn't have many state affairs, but he never slacks off. However, when state affairs come up to him, or the queen mother and prime minister invite him to discuss, he always goes there immediately as always, and he never hesitates when he has something to say.After a long time, it unexpectedly became a situation where the queen mother, the prime minister, and the king of Qin are all in charge of state affairs.Although Wei Xun still held the military and political power, he no longer directly discussed matters with the queen mother as before. As long as King Qin Zhao was around, he would talk to the king of Qin first, and then discuss with the queen mother together. "Something has happened." Wei Xie was familiar with Zhangtai, and said something hastily as he stepped into the study.

King Qin Zhao turned around and said, "Zhao Yong sent troops to Zhongshan Kingdom?" "How does my king know?" Wei Xie's heart sank, if the king of Qin got the secret report first, the situation in the court would be very strange. "I'm thinking in private that Zhao Guo should do this." Qin Zhaowang smiled leisurely, "Zhao Yong wants to abdicate as the master father, and Zhongshan will not be destroyed, but how can he feel at ease?" "It's also the same reason." But Wei Xun was suddenly touched by King Qin Zhao's "prophet".This news was so abrupt to him, a minister who was in the central government, but King Qin Zhao, who was free all day long, had expected the opportunity in his "guessing". Wei Xie, are you really old?Although the thought flashed in his heart, he said lightly on his face, "When the queen mother wakes up, we must agree on a countermeasure immediately." "The queen mother's nap is getting longer and longer." Qin Zhaowang thought about it, "In my opinion , first summoned Bai Qi, Huayang Lord, Jingyang Lord, and Gaoling Lord to come to Zhangtai, and it happened to be a meeting after the time. What does Uncle Wang think?" I don't know when, King Qin Zhao no longer called Wei Xie the prime minister or Ranghou, And call him Uncle Wang. "Bai Qi is inspecting military affairs in Nanjun and expanding Yiling waterways, so he won't be able to come back soon." Wei Xie frowned, "Just summon the three of Lord Huayang to come." "The battle was not in vain, but it's hard to say .”

"One hundred thousand soldiers is considered a big battle?" Wei Wei smiled contemptuously, "The national policy is determined, and any general is enough to deal with it." "Okay, let's discuss with the three kings first." Qin Zhaowang turned around and said loudly , "Inform President Shi: Urgently summon Lord Huayang, Lord Jingyang, and Lord Gaoling to Zhangtai immediately to discuss matters." "Yes." The old servant in the corridor of the study promised and hurried away. "I'm waiting at the front office." After Wei Xie finished speaking, he came to the second entrance courtyard of Zhangtai Palace.There are nine stone houses in the second entrance, which are warm in winter and cool in summer, which is specially ordered by the Empress Dowager Xuan.Every winter and summer, whenever the Empress Dowager Xuan or King Qin Zhao came to Zhangtai, Wei Xun would come to discuss state affairs from time to time. In order to facilitate the handling of emergency state affairs nearby, six capable subordinates of the Prime Minister's Mansion stayed here to carry out orders. Much faster.Suddenly, Wei Xun felt that he needed to cool down, so he came to Xiangsu's study. "Report to Ranghou: Mr. Wu'an will arrive when you have Yu Shu." As soon as Wei Xun stepped into the study, the scribe came in a hurry. "Open it quickly."

The scribe swiftly pulled out a slender dagger specially designed to open letters from the leather pouch at his waist, deftly picked apart the mud seal of the copper pipe, unscrewed the lid of the pipe, took out a roll of parchment, and held it over.Wei Xun unfolded it with a splash, and Bai Qi's bold handwriting came into view: Wei Xun couldn't help frowning after seeing it.His close relationship with Bai Qi is almost universally recognized. Since he met and worked with Bai Qi, he has always supported Bai Qi without reservation.Bai Qi also respects him very much. Although Bai Qi's current titles and powers are comparable to his as the prime minister, Bai Qi has always regarded Ranghou as the most important military and political minister, and he must consult with him first when encountering important issues. Advise the Queen Mother or the King of Qin alone.For such an important letter from Yu, Bai Qi could have submitted it directly to the Empress Dowager Xuan, but Bai Qi still sent it directly to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Judging from the look of his head, it was obvious that it was only for him alone.This has been a practice between Bai Qi and him for many years, but Wei Xun didn't feel that there was anything wrong with it at all. After a long time, he got used to it and felt that it should be so.After all, he was the one who pushed Bai Qi out of the water at the beginning, and besides, he and Bai Qi have always been frank and seeking the country first, as long as things are done quickly, who has carefully figured out some small ways?Now Wei Xun is frowning, but he feels that Bai Qi's thoughts are a bit wrong, yes, he is too cautious.With Bai Qi's calmness, resoluteness and military skill, Wei Xun felt it was a bit inconceivable that he should be so cautious in the face of 100,000 soldiers.Thinking about it carefully, after Bai Qi broke the joint vertical coalition forces in Hewai for the first time, he seemed to have gradually become deeper.Empress Dowager Xuan smiled several times and said: "Bai Qi has made great progress. He has read more books on military affairs, and he has learned a lot about things." of.With Wei Xun's rough temperament, he prefers the original Bai Qi, who only talks about the battlefield and doesn't think about the rest. Wars are thunderous, and state affairs are all decided by orders.But now, Bai Qi thinks a lot, he has already thought of the general trend of the world outside the battlefield, so he has become cautious, is this a good thing?The present letter of feathers is clearly Qin Guo's long-term plan for Zhao Guo. Facing a hundred thousand troops, he actually said that Zhao Guo "swallows Zhongshan and is unstoppable". where it goes?Bai Qi, oh Bai Qi, do you also want to be a Confucian general like Le Yi, who will never go to the city for six years in order to seek benevolence, and eventually fall short? "Report to the Prime Minister: The Empress Dowager has summoned you." The scribe went to the corridor lightly.

Wei Xie conveniently put the parchment into his chest lining pocket, and hurried to the last bamboo garden he entered.The back garden of Zhangtai is just a slightly repaired natural pasture at the foot of the mountain, a high wall made of clear stone strips, a dense bamboo forest on one side, and a natural pool of clear water.There is a thatched courtyard on the grass beside the pool, which was the residence of Qin Xiaogong in Zhangtai.Duke Xiao passed away at the age of forty-five, and Xuansi Garden became a sacred old residence.King Hui of Qin and King Qin Wu had to go to Xuansi Garden to report and pray to Duke Xiao's spirit tablet whenever there was a major event.After King Qin Zhao was crowned, he erected a stone statue of Xiaogong in Xuansi Garden, and asked the old servants in the palace to paint the statue of Xiaogong, and handed it to Sichuan silk workers to carefully embroider it into an embroidered statue of the same height as a real person, which was hung behind the spiritual seat in the main hall of Xuansi Garden. .Since then, this Zhangtai Xuansi Garden has become a solemn place to commemorate Xiaogong, and was called "Little Taimiao" by a group of ministers.Every time Wei Xun entered Zhangtai, he would go to Xuansi Garden to offer sacrifices to Duke Xiao.Even though he had some urgent business at this time, he stopped and solemnly bowed three times to Xuan Siyuan, before hurriedly walking towards the bamboo forest.

Deep in the bamboo forest is Yunfeng Tower.This Yunfeng Tower was specially built by King Qin Zhao for the Empress Dowager Xuan, but the name was chosen by the Empress Dowager Xuan herself.In fact, Yunfeng Tower is just a two-story bamboo building on thick wooden piles.This kind of bamboo building is the mountain dwelling custom of Chu people in Yunmengze, and Chu people call it "ganlan".The Empress Dowager Xuan in her old age had a sense of nostalgia, and she often said to King Qin Zhao: "If you want to talk about comfort, Yunmengze is better. The dry fence is so bright, and the wind blows from all directions. It is much more comfortable than this tall and big house!" King Qin Zhao said to him. Knowing Bai Qi, it happened to be the return of the squadron from the army who captured Nanjun. Bai Qi was grateful for the Queen Mother Xuan's concern for him on weekdays, so he urgently recruited more than ten skilled craftsmen from Nanjun who built "dry fences" and built them in Zhangtai Bamboo Forest within a month. This "dry column" bamboo building was built.When everything was ready, King Qin Zhao invited his mother to Zhangtai to cool off in midsummer.When the Empress Dowager Xuan saw the ganlan building in the dense bamboo forest, she laughed straight away: "Okay, ok, Mi Bazi has been living in this ganlan for a long time!" "Queen Mother, the ganlan should have a name." Qin Zhaowang was happy pointing.

"I've thought about it." The Empress Dowager Xuan said after a moment of pondering, "Yunmeng from Chu, Xifeng from Qin, they are called Yunfeng Ganlan!" King Qin Zhao smiled: "Queen Mother, 'Yunfenglou' is more elegant. indivual." "How? Is the soil dry?" The Empress Dowager Xuan stomped her bamboo stick and smiled, "After all, in Zhangtai, it's up to you, Yunfeng Tower!" Therefore, Yunfeng Tower became the regular residence of the Empress Dowager Xuan, and it lasted for a year. Spent most of the time here.Wei Xie didn't take this Yunfenglou very seriously, he always felt that this old lady didn't have to be so pretentious, it would be an eyesore to the old Qin people.The rough Wei Xun young man left Chu to do as the Romans do. He has completely become a Qin person in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation. He is also tall, dark, mighty, and gaited.However, Wei Xun is also meticulous, and would never quarrel with the old lady on such a trivial matter, and he also understands that even if he said it, it would be useless.The old sister's unscrupulousness is as famous as her unyielding heroism.Back then, he insisted on accompanying his son into Yan as a hostage, which caused King Qin Hui a lot of headaches, and in the end he had to let her go.Even though he became a hostage, he still went his own way, and openly had a love affair with Yaqing Leyi, and he still couldn't forget it when he returned to Xianyang.I remember that before Le Yi was about to enter the Qin Dynasty, Wei Xun seriously dissuaded her sister once, asking her to stop thinking about being with Le Yi, so as not to attract ridicule from all over the world.Unexpectedly, the old sister smiled contemptuously with her mouth curled up: "Le Yi is a widower, Mi Bazi is a widow, and the relationship between men and women is just right and proper. Who will laugh at you?" remarks.

When the state of Chu attacked South Korea's Yong family fiercely, the Han envoy Shang Jin went to Qin to ask for help. Wei Xun, his elder sister and the king of Qin jointly received the Han envoy.After talking for a long time, Shang Jin couldn't get enough of what he said, and always used moral words like dead lips and cold teeth without involving reality.The Empress Dowager Xuan interrupted Shang Jin abruptly: "When I served the late king, the late king put his thighs on me, and I felt the weight was unbearable. But the late king was completely on my body, so I didn't feel the weight. What is the reason? Press me with your whole body, give me joy, and benefit me, so it’s not heavy. Qin Guo’s rescue of Han is not about sending troops, but about whether I can benefit? Shangzi understands?” After speaking, Shang Jin, who studied under the Confucianism Embarrassed, his face was flushed and he was dumbfounded.Empress Dowager Xuan giggled and said: "Speaking is not righteous, you are a hypocritical person! Just wait, I will go." She went straight away with her sleeves swayed.Wei Xun remembered very clearly that at that time only King Qin Zhao was calm and composed, and even he felt embarrassed, so he had to make an appointment with Shang Jinye to discuss it again.Since that time, this old sister's unscrupulousness has attracted the attention of the world, and there have been criticisms and reputations for a while.Special envoys from all over the world came to Qin, but every time the Empress Dowager Xuan felt like a thorn in her back, even Wei Xun, who had to be present every time, was always worried, for fear that she would not hold back her words.Such an old sister, what kind of house can you manage her to live in?Go up the four-foot-wide solid wooden ladder, turn two corners along the wide verandah, and arrive at the water-facing side of Yunfeng Tower. The valley breeze blows against your face, and Wei Xun suddenly feels refreshed.Hearing the voices in the room, he knew that the three of Huayang Jun had arrived.

"I'm all sitting down." The Queen Mother Xuan, who was already gray-haired at the temples, woke up from her afternoon sleep, and she seemed extremely energetic. "The king of Qin has already explained the matter, and the prime minister has also come. They all said, what's the matter?" It's just these few people who are in vain.The difference is that whenever Bai Qi is not present, the Empress Dowager Xuan is extraordinarily solemn and almost never smiles.Of the five people present here, King Qin is his son, the prime minister is his half brother, Lord Huayang is his half brother, Lord Gaoling and Lord Jingyang are his two sons when he was not married to King Hui of Qin, and they are all ministers of the close family .Although the Qin people have coexisted with various tribes and states in the west since their ancestors, as long as they are talented, they have never cared about people of different races and countries holding power.However, except for Bai Qi, Lord Wu'an, all the important officials of the court went abroad. After all, this was the first time in Qin State.The government and the opposition have already called Wei Xun and the three monarchs the "four nobles", which shows that the old Qin people are quite critical.If you don't follow the rules and miss a few major events, many troubles will arise, and even lead to the overthrow of the Mi family who entered the Qin Dynasty.Empress Dowager Xuan Mingrui is unusual, she weighs the importance of the matter, she speaks to everyone as an official title, and she is always reminding these extraordinary dignitaries that they must understand their own power and status, and don't use personal affection to mislead the country !

"In my opinion, Zhao Guo cannot be allowed to destroy Zhongshan!" Huayang Jun Mi Rong was originally a general of Lantian, with a generous disposition, first said generously, and then apologized in a low voice, "It's just that I have no idea how to stop Zhao Guo. " "Family affairs are uncertain, and state affairs are not settled. Does the madam lose herself when she is in charge of the house?" The Empress Dowager Xuan said coldly, and Mr. Huayang blushed.Although this Lord Huayang was born as a general, he doted on his wife who did not have a son. In normal seasons, Mrs. Huayang was in charge of almost everything, and she became a miracle among the ministers of the Qin State.This is something that everyone here knows, the Empress Dowager Xuan has already faced the reprimand, so it is difficult for others to talk about it. "If the State of Zhao destroys Zhongshan, the foundations of our river will be separated from rocks, and Jinyang will become an isolated island." Gaoling Lord Yingxian broke the silence.He is currently in charge of the Black Ice Terrace, and he knows the situation of each country like the palm of his hand, and he is extremely confident, "Zhao Yong was extraordinary back then. His ambition was comparable to that of King Qi Min, and his extraordinary talent and heroism were far beyond that of King Qi Min." .Zhao Yong left an elite army for Zhao Guo, and put down Donghu, Linhu, and Loufan, and encroached on Zhongshan three times. Now Zhao He is clearly going to start from swallowing Zhongshan, and take the first step in the southward struggle for hegemony. If If you can’t retaliate at this first step, Zhao Guo will immediately seize Shangdang and directly oppress Hanoi, which will become a serious problem.” "Mr. Gaoling is right." Lord Jingyang, who is also in command of Xianyang's city defense, immediately followed up, "If Zhao attacks Zhongshan, I will attack Handan! This is Sun Bin's plan to encircle Wei and save Zhao. If we make a decision, I will lead an army of 100,000 to attack Zhao! " "You?" The corner of the Empress Dowager Xuan's mouth twitched slightly, and she looked at Wei Xie, "Where's Bai Qi? Nothing to say?" "Yes. This is Bai Qi's Kuai Ma Yushu." Wei Xun didn't want to take out Bai Qi's Yushu at first, but he took it out immediately in a flash of thought.Wei Xie was always afraid of this old sister who knew how to kill and make decisive decisions. When she asked a question, she knew that Bai Qi would not let the court discuss such an important military matter, but if she concealed it, she would be embarrassed immediately. "What's the Prime Minister's intention?" The Empress Dowager Xuan squinted her eyes to read the feather book, handed it to King Qin Zhao, and then looked at Wei Xie again. "Reporting to the Queen Mother, I think that Lord Wu'an Bai Qi was too cautious." In front of the Queen Mother Xuan, Wei Xun would never speak without official titles like he did in front of King Qin Zhao, and his words must be in line with the law. The military strength is several times that of ours, so we should proceed with caution. However, the five countries in Shandong are weak at present, and none of them can compete head-on with the Great Qin. Only the Yu Zhao State has improved a little, and it seems wrong to treat it as an unprecedentedly powerful enemy. As a matter of fact, Zhao has more than 300,000 troops, and I have 400,000 troops. Zhao's national strength and army's combat power are far weaker than mine. Let's talk about the deployment: Zhao's elite army is stationed in the Yinshan grassland with more than 100,000 troops, and 100,000 The army attacked Zhongshan, and the remaining troops were at most 120,000 to 30,000. Excluding the fortress and the defense of Handan City, only about 80,000 people could be mobilized. At this time, if Zhao Guo is allowed to swallow Zhongshan, it will greatly boost the arrogance of the six kingdoms of Shandong. It's unknown if it will come back from the ashes." Wei Xie didn't want to waste his time talking about such an obvious little battle, but in normal times, with his arbitrariness and quickness, he would have ended it in a few words.But when Bai Qi disagrees, things get very complicated, at least Wei Xun is clear about Bai Qi's weight in the Empress Dowager Xuan's mind, if you don't make it clear, the old sister will put you aside with one word. "It's also the same reason." Empress Dowager Xuan nodded, and said to King Qin Zhao, "King Qin takes the big idea, tell me." This Empress Dowager is strange, she clearly decides the state affairs by herself, but every time she has to make decisions at the most critical moment. The son pushed the right position, and seemed to always emphasize a subtext over and over again: No one can ignore the King of Qin except me.However, King Qin Zhao frowned: "After reading Bai Qi Yu's book, I thought Bai Qizhi had a far-reaching plan and could make a long-term strategy. However, I also think it is reasonable to say what the prime minister said just now. It is good for military strategists to be cautious, but if they are too cautious, It will also delay the opportunity of the battle. To be honest, it is really difficult to make a decision at the moment." "Yo, I have no idea." The Empress Dowager Xuan made an exception and smiled, "What are you waiting for three? How do you say it?" "Fight!" Lord Huayang was the first to speak, "The prime minister is right, a mere 80,000 to 90,000 troops, how can there be any face if they don't fight?" With success in mind, "A battle for supremacy on the battlefield is a contest of strength. I only send out a surprise soldier to attack Zhao's confidant, so that he will not be able to destroy the country. It may not be possible to fight the whole country with him. There is really no need to worry about it." Lord Jingyang immediately followed up: "I also agree with the Prime Minister's opinion! For a big battle, Lord Wu An must go out in person. For such a small battle, Lord Wu An is not around, so there is no need to hesitate." The Empress Dowager Xuan lightly nodded her bamboo stick, "At the end of the day, when it comes to fighting, it's still worthless. Even if there is a mistake in the plan, the military affairs still have to rely on nothing." In a few words, he made it clear that he still relied on the importance of whiteness, saying After that, he stood up with his bamboo stick, "King Qin is hard to decide, so I made an idea: Prime Minister Qin Wang went to the Lantian camp to gather generals. They were all grown up in the battlefield, so they have their own weight; if there are good generals, ask for orders to fight. That’s what it takes to fight.” "The ministers agree!" The four of Wei Xun said in unison. "Good idea!" King Qin Zhao stood up, "Prime Minister, when are you going to Lantian?" "Leave after dinner, and arrive at the beginning of the shift." Wei Xie said, then turned and left the hall, "One hour later, Zhangtai Ferry." When the voice fell, there were already heavy and hurried footsteps on the stairs.Three days later, the special envoy of Zhongshan Kingdom was urgently summoned to the prime minister's residence.An hour later, the special envoy hurried out of the prime minister's mansion without even going back to the post house, so he left Xianyang starry night and headed north.