Chapter 64 In the first quarter, the Qin State is powerless for the first time

When all the mysteries of Zhao's rise were uncovered, the secret discussions between Qin's monarch and ministers in Zhangtai were at odds. According to Prime Minister Wei Xun's claim: Zhao Guo has rested for more than 20 years after King Wuling, King Huiwen and Zhao He's royal power has been stabilized, and the strength of the Zhao army is close to 600,000, and its strength has obviously surpassed that of King Wuling; At this time, it is inappropriate for Qin State to start a war with Zhao State. It should first deal with the countries in Shandong, trap Zhao State and isolate it, and then slowly plan it.However, in this way, a difficult problem immediately faced: how to explain Yan Yuzhibai to the government and the opposition?The loss of 80,000 troops, the Qin army has suffered unprecedented humiliation, and when Zhao Shenglang is raging, the warring states of the world are also opening their eyes to see how Qin will behave. With warrior spirit, even the Shandong princes who followed Qin would fall to Zhao.This situation is something no one wants to see.After such a debate, Wei Xun, who was in power, could no longer be stubborn, and just said: "The king has a plan, and I will implement it with all my strength!"

In the end, Bai Qi, who had been thinking silently, said: "Based on the balance of the general situation, we have to give Zhao Guo a color at the moment, otherwise it will be uneasy inside and outside. It's just that this battle should only be won quickly, not stalemate. After the victory, my king can Meet the king of Zhao, put him at a disadvantage, and let everyone in the world know that Da Qin has no intention of showing weakness to the Zhao country, so we end up with him. After that, we should act according to the prime minister's policy." Although they were not very relieved, the important ministers weighed it over and over again. It seems that this is the only way to make a temporary decision.If you don't say anything for a while, it is regarded as acquiescing to Bai Qi's plan.

"It's easy to talk about meeting the king." King Qin Zhao frowned, "The most important thing is that this battle must be won neatly." Bai Qi cupped his hands with emotion: "This warlord should personally lead the army, and he will give our king the prestige of the alliance." As soon as the words came to the fore, Wei Xun immediately clapped the table and shouted, and several important officials were all in admiration, and even King Qin Zhao seemed to be relieved with brows.Everyone knows Bai Qi's seriousness and reticence, and everyone can rest assured that he is calm and sharp when he leads the troops in battle.As long as the first battle is won, it will be a tie with Zhao Guo, and Qin State will be able to deal with it calmly.In such a situation, whose heart is not relaxed?

After the meeting, the ministers rushed back to Xianyang to get busy.King Qin Zhao, who stayed alone in Zhangtai to cool off the summer heat, was a little restless, always feeling heavy in his heart.The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the valley golden. King Qin Zhao walked all the way along the grassland by the lake, and before he knew it, he arrived at the Xuansi Garden, Xiaogong's courtyard hidden by bamboo forest.Strolling in this simple and quiet small courtyard, the ups and downs of the Qin State will emerge spontaneously before your eyes.The tragedy of Qin Xiaogong and Shangjun in his prime happened here, the tragedy of Qin Huiwang in his twilight years happened here, and the confusing succession of Qin Wuwang also happened here. It is the mother who has been in power for more than 30 years, the Empress Dowager. Also died here.This little Zhangtai unexpectedly became the source of storms every time the Qin State turned around. It was so mysterious that we could only sigh God's will.Now, it has been more than 30 years since I ascended the throne, Bingzheng's mother died, and the uncle and prime minister who governed the state affairs are also old. Seeing that I am about to take the power and unify the six countries in person, suddenly there is a mountain of Zhao Guo. In front of you!Lifting away the clouds and mists of this mountain, it is precisely in Zhangtai!If it is not God's will, why is the mystery in it so unpredictable?It is true that a country's internal affairs do not need to be changed because of the strength of another country.However, this is the age of the Warring States period, where great powers collide fiercely and confront each other fiercely, and the general trend of the world almost definitely determines the power structure of each country. How can we judge the pros and cons of foreign affairs and diplomatic relations in ordinary times?If Zhao Guo Dashan hadn't suddenly appeared in the sky and defeated the Qin army in the battle of Yanyu, with Ranghou's body in his seventies, the voices of the government and the opposition calling for him to abdicate and return to power would have become louder and louder. It is just around the corner.However, when the mountains of the Zhao State are in turmoil, the situation in the Qin State will suddenly become dangerous. Strong officials and fierce generals will become the country's treasures, and a stable power structure will also become a common desire. Confront Zhao Guo; although Ranghou is old, he is old and hot, not only physically strong, but also has a strong desire for power. If there are another ten years, Yingji himself will be an old man in his sixties. In a short life, is it destined to wear this hollow crown in the grave?

Even so, this bewilderment is not so much caused by his own power situation, but rather because the thrilling Zhao Guo story gave him an unprecedented shock.After all, I am the king of Qin, and I am considered to be physically strong, so I can still walk ahead of my old uncle?No matter how late the pro-government is, Qin will eventually have Ying Ji to take power.In the final analysis, the most important thing for the Qin State right now is how to fight against the majestic rise of the Zhao State?However, according to Zhao Guo's current situation, Qin Guo is really powerless.In terms of military strength, since the Warring States period, the Wei State was the most powerful in the early days. In the middle period of King Wei Hui, it reached 500,000 elite troops; In the later period of the king, the army reached 800,000.However, the above-mentioned three countries have all declined suddenly, and they currently have only 300,000 to 400,000 troops, and they are not all elite new troops.Among the current seven great powers, the only one with a military strength of more than 600,000 is the present Zhao State.

If it is only superior in numbers but weak in combat power, why should Qin's army of more than 500,000 people be afraid?The most important thing is that Zhao's army of more than 600,000 troops is an elite new army trained after Hufu cavalry and shooting. Its fierce and brave combat power can swallow the Qin army's 80,000 cavalry in one battle, which is really amazing. Heart!Although Hu Shang's use of troops cannot be compared with that of Bai Qi, the two armies fought to the death. The Zhao army did not win with a large army surrounded by several times its strength, but with roughly equal strength.If it weren't for such a bloody battle, how could it have shocked the ruling and opposition parties of Qin, who is good at fighting?

If it is said that the battle between Yan and Zhi was only a surprise to Zhao Jun's combat power, after Bai Qi lifted the curtain of Zhao State, Qin Guojun and his ministers were already shocked by Zhao State's overall strength.If Zhao Wuling's father kept doing it, and Zhao Yong made frequent mistakes in his later years, maybe Zhao Guozhi's strength would be short-lived.But by accident, a mutiny became the pivotal oil of Zhao Guo's ruling and opposition parties, making this country with strong folk customs survive the crisis and continue to grow stronger!Originally, Zhao Yong might not have died, but it happened that the last maid, Dai Yunzi, had just left the Zhao country and disappeared forever.Originally, the young Zhao He might not be able to stabilize the state of Zhao, but who would have thought that the son Cheng would die after three years in charge of the state alone as Lord Anping.Although Li Dui, who planned the uprising, became the Minister of the Counsel, he was also executed because of the collapse of his power backing.So Zhao He was in charge of the government safely, and Zhao Guo passed the period of chaos.What is even more disturbing is that after Zhao He came to power, a large number of famous ministers and generals suddenly emerged in Zhao State, and the momentum seemed to be even faster than the rise of Qin State back then!Although Zhongshan came back from the ashes during the internal turmoil in Zhao, didn't the current Zhao state destroy Zhongshan again?As a result, Zhao He's king became more and more stable, and Zhao Guo also skyrocketed, God's will?People count?

In the age of the Warring States, if it can be stabilized for two consecutive generations after the reform, it will immediately become a super powerful Warring States.If one generation reforms and the next generation stops, it will decline rapidly and helplessly.The former is like Wei, Qi, and Qin; the latter is like Chu, South Korea, and Yan.In the current state of Zhao, Zhao He has been stable for more than twenty years. They are united and adhere to the new law. The government and the public support the cohesion of national strength. If another generation persists like this, Qin's overwhelming power will be clearly divided by two.Although Zhao State did not abolish the old system of fiefdom, the old roots were not completely eradicated, which made Qin's monarchs and ministers feel a little more at ease.However, after the stability of the Zhao country, Anzhi will not carry out a second reform?If the second reform is really carried out, it will be as thorough as Qin's and Shangjun's reforms, how can Zhao Guo be shaken?If this is the case, doesn't Zhao Guo want to divide China equally with Qin Guo?Isn't Qin's great cause of unifying the world going to waste?At that time, how will Yingji, who is the fourth generation strong Qin monarch, face Ying's ancestors?How to face the reformers in the world?

That's right, this is the key point, and the root cause of King Qin Zhao's bewilderment is also here. At that time, Qin Xiaogong dreamed of breaking the Guanhe River before leaving east, and had a secret talk with Prince Yingsi alone when he was dying.Xiao Gong asked Ying Si, what is national humiliation?Ying Si replied that the six countries scorned Qin and did not join the alliance.Duke Xiao asked, what is the national oath?Ying Si replied, "Go out of the world and rule China."Duke Xiao gave his final instructions word by word: "The royal family is easy to lose, and if there is no long-term plan, it will quickly perish. Whenever I win Qin's descendants, I will be motivated by the unification of the world. Those who are desolate will not be allowed to enter the Taimiao after death!" Therefore, "Great out of the world and unify China" became the secret national oath of the Ying family.Although due to the strategy of dividing the six kingdoms, this secret kingdom cannot be made public to the ruling and opposition parties, but the royal family of the Ying family and the ministers have always been clear about it.Moreover, since King Hui of Qin, after more than 50 years of dealing with the six kingdoms of Qin and Shandong, the overwhelming advantage has become more and more obvious. Isn't it a big headache for such a powerful Zhao country?What is even more worrisome is that if the stalemate between Qin and Zhao continues for a few more years, it is entirely possible for the five major powers to recover. At that time, the six kingdoms of Shandong will unite against Qin with Zhao as their leader. Wouldn't it be a step backwards? Back to Qin Huiwang's difficult time?If there is a slight mistake, it is not known whether Qin was forced to return to the west of Hangu Pass.

In the blood-red sunset, King Qin Zhao suddenly trembled. "Prepare the car! Go back to Xianyang!" King Qin Zhao turned around and shouted to the old servant who was following behind him, and strode away. At three o'clock that night, King Qin Zhao returned to Xianyang, and drove straight to the prime minister's mansion of Ranghou Wei Xie without entering the palace.However, the clerk of the Prime Minister's Mansion hurried out to greet him, but reported that the Prime Minister only stayed in the mansion for an hour when he came back from Zhangtai, and then went north to Jiuyuan with a group of capable officials.King Qin Zhao thought for a moment, and drove back to the palace without asking any further questions.

As soon as he entered the study, the Chief Shi Wang Ji came to report: The Marching Sima of the Wu'an Lord's Mansion sent an urgent letter, saying that Wu'an Lord and the Prime Minister had already traveled north to Jiuyuan, but there was a military situation, and Yu Shu urgently reported it at any time.King Qin Zhao felt a little relaxed, so he immediately ordered the chief historian to issue an edict to all counties and counties and inform the government and the people: General Bai Qi has already launched an army to attack Zhao for revenge. Stationed in the ground, once the Guowei Mansion will be integrated later!This is a plan determined by the Zhangtai meeting. The government and the public were notified in advance of this battle, and the Anguo people's eagerness to fight was a sign of the government's determination to avenge its shame.After the edict was issued, King Qin Zhao ordered to hang up a map of the Jiuyuan area.The huge sheepskin map is very clear under the six copper lamps that are as tall as a person. King Qin Zhao stood under the map and looked at it for a long time-is Bai Qi going to fight Zhao Guo here? Because the battle was not big, the Zhangtai meeting did not ask Bai Qi to make a detailed plan.Of course, the more fundamental reason is that this is Bai Qi's commanding troops to fight, if it is another general, it will have to be discussed with many parties anyway.In addition, Bai Qi and the prime minister Wei Xun have always been excellent military and political partners. Bai Qi generously asked for a fight, and Wei Xun agreed with all his strength. Is Qin's monarch and minister still worried?King Qin Zhao was thinking on the way back from Zhangtai, where would Bai Qi choose the battlefield?King Qin Zhao was originally resourceful and thoughtful. Although he did not hold the real power of the country since he came to the throne, he has always carefully observed Bai Qi's way of using troops, especially those military strategies.Although it is said that the king does not need to lead the army, after all, there are continuous battles in the Warring States Period, and the king does not know how to use tactics on the battlefield. If he does not know anything about military strategy, something will happen sooner or later.According to Qin Zhaowang's speculation, Bai Qi fought fiercely and steadily, and seemed to be an upright banner, but in fact it was unpredictable; in terms of temperament, he was brave and deep, and his desire to win was extremely strong.From this point of view, Bai Qi's battle must have been chosen outside Anyang, Hanoi. Anyang is a new fortress set up by Bai Qi after he captured Hanoi County, just at the border with Zhao State.Sending troops out of Anyang, Congtai Palace (Zhaowangtai) is a hundred miles away, and a hundred miles north will directly threaten Handan.Of course, more importantly, there are hundreds of thousands of Qin's elite cavalry stationed around the Anyang Fortress, and most of the large siege equipment is stockpiled here, which is almost the second largest base camp of the Qin Army outside of Lantian.The distance to attack the enemy is short, and the Qin army has a great advantage, but when they go out, they go straight to the key points of the capital of Zhao State, which will shock the world and deter Zhao State even more.King Qin Zhao thought that this place was the best place to avenge Zhao, and Bai Qi would undoubtedly choose this place. However, it is unbelievable that Bai Qi chose Jiuyuan. Jiuyuan and Yunzhong are the two fortresses on the northern section of the Great Wall of Qin to defend against the Huns, with a total of 80,000 cavalry stationed there.And since King Wuling set up Yunzhong County, Zhao Guo has been stationed in the Yinshan prairie with 100,000 horsemen in Hufu under Commander Lianpo. More than two hundred miles to the southeast is the army camp of Yanmenguan. It is convenience.According to military reports from various parties, Bai Qi did not dispatch a large army this time, and it seemed that he was going to fight Zhao Jun with 80,000 cavalry against 100,000 troops.Although the Qin army's combat power is outstanding, but now this is the Zhao army who has fought in the bloody battle, how can it be sure to win?Bai Qi, Bai Qi, you have always been calm, why did you take a risk at this joint point where you can only win but not lose? However, King Qin Zhao did not want to intervene, nor could he intervene. There is Wei Xun behind Bai Qi, not to mention that Wei Xun is in power at the moment, even when discussing military affairs, Wei Xun is also an almost first-class talent in commanding the army.In any case, there is no doubt about Wei Xun's loyalty to King Qin Zhao in his pursuit of the country. He can fully support Bai Qi and, as always, personally sit in charge of food and supplies for Bai Qi, which must make sense.The battle is imminent, if I express my dissent, although it will not necessarily shake the alliance between the two generals, but after all, it will distract them from defending and spreading the word, which will even more disturb the morale of the army for no reason.However, if you don't say it, what if you fail at this critical moment?Qin Zhaowang's heart suddenly brightened - if this battle is defeated, not to mention nothing, it is an excellent time to depose Prime Minister Wei Xie, and the power can be returned in one fell swoop!But in a moment, that ray of light dimmed.If he is really defeated, Qin will be in trouble at home and abroad. Even if Wei Xun can be deposed, who will replace him?The prime minister of a great country governs the state affairs, and he has no extraordinary talents, so the king immediately falls into the vortex of complicated state affairs and is embarrassed everywhere.One general and one prime minister have always been the pillars of the country. If no great talents are born, changing positions for no reason is futile to disrupt the country. How can we act when the defeat is in crisis? "Long history draws up an imperial edict." After standing for a long time, King Qin Zhao suddenly turned around. Chang Shi Wang Ji drew up the edict quickly, and within half an hour he copied and engraved the slips and sealed them with inkpads.At daybreak, three fast horses flew out of Xianyang and went straight to Beiban, and then headed for the far north like lightning. Two months later, the Jiuyuan battle report came: the Qin army was victorious, beheaded 60,000 Zhao troops, and drove Lian Po's army out of the Yinshan grassland north of Yunzhong in one fell swoop, Zhao Guoyunzhong County no longer existed. King Qin Zhao's spirit was lifted up, and he asked the military envoys about the plan of the war in detail, and he couldn't help but praise: "Bai Qi and Qin are bestowed by God, it is really the Great Wall of Qin!" It turned out that the plan of Bai Qi and Wei Xun was: this battle is determined to make a clear announcement to the world-Qin's army is stronger than Zhao's army, and the battle between Yan and Yu is just an accidental defeat. The countries should not misjudge the situation and attach themselves Zhao Kangqin!For this reason, it is necessary to seek a decisive battle with the main force of the Zhao army.Prime Minister Wei Xun once proposed to capture the Congtai Palace from the north of Anyang, Hanoi County.Lord Wu An disagreed, saying that attacking Zhao's hinterland from the direction of Hanoi is a big name but a small one. It can neither transform Congtai into Qin, nor capture Handan. Galloping and fighting quickly; but when using troops, it is necessary to seize the land and destroy the enemy and achieve both. As a strategy, Jiuyuan Yunzhong should be the battlefield for this battle; the frontier cavalry on the Yinshan Prairie has always been the most elite main force of the Zhao army , It is also the foundation of Zhao State's arrogance to the world. If it wins the battle, it will not only firmly prove the power of the Qin army, but also greatly weaken Zhao State Zhao Yunzhong County, and even turn the Yinshan Grassland into the power of Qin State.After Wu Anjun said it, the prime minister agreed, and immediately gave up Hanoi's idea of ​​attacking Zhao, and the two of them took only 3,000 cavalry and went northward. Jiuyuan is in the west, and it is more than a hundred miles away from Yunzhong in the southeast.The battlefield is in the clouds, but Bai Qi was stationed in Jiuyuan in advance, in order not to make Zhao Jun aware.After more than half a month of secret reconnaissance and scouting, Mr. Wu An already knew the situation of Zhao Guo's frontier army like the back of his hand.At this time, Zhao's Great Wall frontier army was stationed in three camps: Pingcheng Camp in the east, Yanmenguan Camp in the middle, and Lianpo's army around Yunzhong Commandery in the west. The main army of the army is still "Zhenfu" in the Loufan and Guangwu areas between Yanmen Pass and the hometown of Zhongshan Kingdom. Lianpo's Yunzhong army is only 80,000, and it is defended by two camps back to back: the north defends the Huns going south, The Qin army in the south defended against the north, and the camps were strong with deep ditches and high forts, which actually moved the tactics of the Central Plains to the prairie. The enemy's situation was found out, and Lord Wu An immediately rushed to Yunzhong to dispatch the army: 10,000 light cavalry in the middle road, led by Wu An Jun himself, entered from the valley of the two camps of the Zhao army, and divided the Zhao army; On the prairie to the north, attack Zhao Beiying; 15,000 troops from the South Route went straight out of Yunzhong Fortress to attack Zhao Nanying; The 5,000 infantry were all converted into a strong crossbow battalion and carried fierce fire oil tanks. Before attacking the camp, they secretly sneaked into the dense forests on both sides of the camp, and attacked the Zhao camp first with fierce fire.Lord Wu An specifically stated the general order: This battle will not block the reinforcements of the Zhao army, and gather all the troops on the Great Wall of Qin to attack the Zhao army. In order to be brave and brave, the Zhao army must be defeated before dawn. As soon as it got dark, the Qin army quietly marched from the prairie in four ways with no flags and drums, and arrived at the outskirts of Zhao Guoyun's camp in the middle of the night.An hour later, at the moment of Yin Shimao, three wolf howls came along with the sound of the wind.This is the night attack order agreed upon by Lord Wu An and the generals.Just as the wolf's roar landed, the strong crossbow battalions ambushing on both sides of the mountainside immediately fired all their arrows. The grown arrow clusters, with thick cloth heads soaked in fierce fire oil and burning violently, rushed towards Zhao Jun's camp like a fire dragon!Inside and outside Zhao Jun's trenches are thick log deer villages, and there are many wooden barriers, lookout cloud carts and other wooden things in the barracks. Once the rockets are nailed to the deer village tents, they will burst into flames.It didn't take a moment for the fire to spread endlessly amid Zhao Jun's shouts.At this time, the drums of war were raging on all sides, and the three armies rushed into Zhao Guo's camp like a tide. Although Zhao Jun was brave, he was also in chaos under the surprise attack of strong troops.Rao Lao Lian fought bravely, but the Zhao army had been divided by Wu Anjun's 30,000 cavalry, unable to fight in formation, he had to rush out of the barracks in the valley that had become a sea of ​​flames, and fight to the death with the Qin army on the prairie.As soon as they rushed to the open grassland, the 20,000 armored cavalry of the Qin Army spread out into a huge fan-shaped array three to five miles wide and surrounded them.The armored and heavy cavalry is the essence of the Qin army's cavalry. The horse is covered with iron leather armor (the inner leather is lined with iron and the outer is covered with iron), and the knight is wearing a fine iron armor of more than 60 kilograms. In addition to a heavy long sword for each person, there is also an iron spear more than one foot long and twenty long-range long arrows.This kind of cavalry is only suitable for powerful charges in the plains with flat terrain, but not suitable for fighting in the mountains. Therefore, Lord Wu An specially deployed them in Jiuyuanyun as a sharp weapon against the Huns on the grasslands, but it has come in handy today.The heavy armored cavalry unfolded, and iron towers were connected one after another, as if a boundless black iron stream was rolling over the grassland, which was in stark contrast to Zhao Guo's light cavalry in red Hu suits. As soon as the two armies collided, Zhao Jun's light knights were immediately exhausted.This iron stream presses down with a long spear and a long sword. You can be nimble and fierce, but you can't get within one foot.Zhao Jun's knights are all barbarian swords, about three feet long and seven or eight catties in weight. In close combat, they are not as powerful as Qin Jun's heavy swords of more than ten catties, and in long-distance combat, they are not as powerful as Qin Jun's grown-up refined iron spears.In this way, neither men nor horses can fight in close quarters, they can only look for opportunities to fight while dodging constantly, but if they dodge slightly wrong, they will be pierced by a spear!There was a flow of heavy armored iron blocking the front, light armored cavalry chasing the rear, and there were more than 20,000 strong crossbows specially designed to deal with skirmishers on all sides. After more than an hour before and after, Zhao Jun's cavalry collapsed across the board.Lao Lian had experienced battles for a long time, and he knew that if the stalemate continued, the entire army would be wiped out, so he kept roaring, and the horn of withdrawing troops was blown, and he led the broken cavalry and fled to the northern grassland. At dawn, the battlefield was counted, and the Qin army had only more than 6,000 casualties, but the Zhao army had beheaded more than 60,000. With such a record, how could King Qin Zhao not be deeply moved?He was very glad that he did not express any objection to this battle, but supported this war with that edict.Excited, King Qin Zhao immediately sent a special envoy to go north to reward the army, and at the same time issued an order to the government and the public: The Qin army defeated Zhao's main frontier army!After the two imperial edicts were issued, King Qin Zhao thought of the second move that he should make himself. After thinking about it for a long time, King Qin Zhao ordered his servants to call Chief Shi Wang Ji into the palace immediately.