Chapter 103: Nations (two in one) (for leader zjm0911)
Continuous mountains, turbulent rivers, and passes that connect the sky and mountains, this is the majestic pass that connects the two capitals of Hengduan Zhou in the east and west.
At the foot of Hangu Pass, countless Qin people gathered here.
Although Hangu Pass is no longer as dangerous as it was hundreds of years ago and can now accommodate several vehicles at the same time, it is still not easy to break through.
This is still a barrier that requires blood and life to break through.
The only difference is that before, at Hangu Pass, ten lives were exchanged for one life, but now, five lives are exchanged for one life.
With the sound of war drums, the Qin people charged forward in waves like a tide.
Corpses fell from the city wall like dumplings, and countless pieces of flesh piled up under the wall. It was a brightly colored mixture of blood and brain matter, red and white, somewhat like a witch's dress.
Among the corpses, those with only bloody faces were considered good. The heads of most of the corpses were directly sunken, and those who didn’t know would think they were the ancient god of war Xingtian.
There were only a few scattered catapults, and because the terrain was too rugged to deploy them, they could only be slowly reassembled on a mountain level with Hangu Pass, using a lot of manpower.
It mainly relies on the powerful crossbow that has been invented in recent years. The power and distance of this crossbow far exceed those of bows and arrows. It can not only cause huge casualties to people, but can even cause some damage to city walls.
Faced with the high casualties, Qin Bo's expression did not change at all. Since he had already decided to attack Hangu Pass, this was the inevitable outcome.
"What are the casualties of the Wei family?" This is what he cares about most.
The Qin general who was in charge of organizing the attack finally looked a little better and said, "Wei's casualties are far lower than ours, but they have been attacking continuously for these days, and their losses are probably one-third of ours."
In a battle to defend a city, this casualty ratio is already incredible!
Qin Bo was very happy to hear this, and paced back and forth, saying, "Let's fight like this. The main purpose is to kill Wei's soldiers. Wei Qing will definitely not be able to hold on. Now let the people we arranged earlier persuade Wei Qing."
Above Hangu Pass, there are also traces of war everywhere, with powerful crossbows nailed to the city walls and deep pits created by the occasional catapults.
The defenders had an absolute advantage. According to the current situation, as long as there were no logistics problems, they could hold out for at least three to five years. However, Wei Qing of Jin State's expression was extremely ugly.
"Are these Qin people crazy? If they attack Hangu Pass like this, even if they take it, will they still have the strength to fight in the Central Plains?"
Since they arrived at Hangu Pass, the Qin people showed an attitude of fighting to the death, and they did not stop even at night. They suffered countless casualties, but they still did not stop for a moment.
Wei's retainer said anxiously: "Master, we can't go on like this. Qin is a big country with millions of people and 300,000 soldiers.
Even if all the Qin troops were annihilated at Hangu Pass, could the Wei clan remain unscathed?
Patriarch, what Young Master Gao said that day was right. For us, this is really an unnecessary war. "
The "we" mentioned by Wei's retainers are certainly not the Jin State. If it were the Jin State, even if all the Qin people died, they would not be able to break through the Hangu Pass.
We here are the Wei family who came to guard Hangu Pass.
One of the great noble families in the State of Jin!
The retainer's words made Wei Qing fall into deep thought. Seeing Wei Qing's expression, thinking of the beauties in his family and the endless treasures, he was secretly delighted.
Wei's fiefdom was close to Qin and Chu, and he was the Jin nobleman who had the deepest penetration into the two countries. Not only did he make friends with the nobles, Qin and Chu also bribed countless of Wei's retainers.
These people would not sell out the Wei family directly, but they could still make the Wei family closer to Qin Chu.
Back in the mansion, Wei Qing, a concubine from the Qin Kingdom, also advised him, "My Lord, I have seen with my own eyes how powerful the Qin Kingdom is. If the stalemate continues, the losses of the Wei family will be even greater. It is better to let the Qin army go directly. This will not harm the Wei family."
For several consecutive days, the increasing casualties of Wei's private soldiers and the overt or covert persuasion of everyone made Wei Qing couldn't help but recall what Gongzi Gao said a few months ago.
A few months ago, the Qin people just arrived at Hangu Pass.
Young Master Gao ordered his men to carry boxes of treasures into the hall. Wei Qing looked at these precious treasures greedily.
Prince Gao bowed to Wei Qing very respectfully, which was a courtesy that only ministers would perform to foreign monarchs, and it shocked Wei Qing at the time.
He quickly said, "Sir, what do you mean?
I am only a minister of Jin, not a king, so your etiquette is inappropriate."
Unexpectedly, Prince Gao smiled and said, "Wei Qing, this is our king's congratulations to you, because you will soon become the leader of a vassal state."
Before Wei Qing could respond, Gongzi Gao continued, "Wei Qing, you are the Shangqing of Jin State, and you and other noble families take turns to manage the state affairs of Jin State.
The fiefdom and population of the Wei family account for 30% of the Jin State. Whether in status or strength, you are far superior to most monarchs, but you are just a prince. Is this appropriate?
These territories were conquered by your ancestors. The royal family of Jin did not sacrifice a single soldier, but instead collected taxes from these territories. This is not the way to be a monarch.
Look at these treasures. The Qin State has always been poor, but it can easily take out so much wealth and present it to you.
And you?
Your fiefdom is so rich, but you have donated most of the wealth to the royal family. Are you really willing to do this?"
A blatant conspiracy to sow discord does not need to be embellished with clever words.
Upon hearing this, Wei Qing flew into a rage and said, “So the King of Qin sent you here with such an intention?
Do you want to alienate the relationship between the Wei family and the royal family, and then let me let the Qin army pass through Hangu Pass?
Qin Bo is wrong. The king and I are not only king and subject, but also close friends. We once swore an oath of blood in Yicheng to never betray each other. "
Gongzi Gao didn't care about Wei Qing's furious attitude. Wei Qing was so angry after just a few words, which just showed that the words just now hit his weak spot.
"Mr. Wei, the King of Qin is a gentleman famous in the western border. His benevolence is praised throughout the Guanzhong area. How could he possibly sow discord between you and the Duke of Jin?
The Qin State is doing this for your and the Wei family's sake.
Of the great noble families during the time of Duke Wen of Jin, are half still alive today?
How glorious was the Zhi clan in the past?
In the State of Jin, he was second only to one man and above ten thousand men. Where is he now?
Fifty years ago, the Zhao family was almost exterminated. Have you forgotten?
Now that you have become the largest noble family, can the Jin royal family tolerate your existence?
The Duke of Jin knew that the entire Qin State was attacking the pass, but he still sent your clan to Hangu Pass. Was it out of trust?
Even with the natural barrier of Daguan, who doesn't know the Qin people's reputation for bravery?
Wei's soldiers will definitely be consumed.
The king asked me to tell you that even if more Qin lives are killed or injured here, Qin must pass through Hangu Pass.
After both Qin and Wei were defeated, the worst that could happen to Qin was that it would retreat back to Guanzhong, and the area west of Hangu Pass would remain in Qin's hands.
Although not as strategic as Hangu Pass, the countries in the east of the Guanzhong area still had to pay a bloody price if they wanted to enter.
But what about the Wei family? I'm afraid the only outcome waiting for you is destruction.
It's such a pity that the Qin Dynasty has lasted for 500 years and will last for another 500 years, while the Wei Dynasty may no longer exist in 30 years.
Wei Qing, if you want to be a loyal minister of Jin State, you should ask other members of your family whether they agree.
That’s all I have to say, and I hope you can think about it carefully.
The Qin army will begin to attack the city tomorrow, and you will see the determination of the Qin State!"
After saying this, Gongzi Gao still paid homage to Wei Qing with the etiquette of a monarch and left.
He only left one heart-piercing sentence, "How can a noble clan always be invincible? Only by turning a family into a country can one achieve the highest honor and power."
After several months, Prince Gao returned to Hangu Pass again.
This mighty city was shrouded in war and filled with a murderous atmosphere. Countless wounded soldiers were transported to the city for treatment. The sounds of painful groans were everywhere, and it was no different from the Qin army's camp.
Gongzi Gao still bowed to Wei Qing respectfully without any arrogance, and brought more wealth than last time.
This made Wei Qing feel a little better, and he felt the sincerity of Qin.
"Mr. Wei, the king asked me to bring you greetings. I hope that the Qin and Wei can maintain a lasting alliance."
Wei Qing sighed, "Sir, what you said last time was indeed the truth.
However, although the Wei family's fiefdom was large, it was scattered. Although the Wei family was powerful, it was not recognized by the Zhou emperor.
How can one become the ruler of a vassal state?"
Gongzi Gao laughed loudly and said, “Mr. Wei, the Duke of Jin has been disrespectful to the emperor over the years, and the Qin State in the west has heard of it.
If you are willing to let the Qin army enter the pass, the Qin army is willing to unite with you to attack the Jin army in the Han family's fiefdom.
The Chu army is in Nanyang. If the Jin army attacks from three sides at that time, will it not fail?
When the time comes, he will annex the Han family's fiefdom, then report the slanderous words of the Duke of Zheng to the emperor in Dongping, and finally go to Luoyi to ask the Zhou emperor to confer the title on him.
You have made great contributions, will the Emperor of Zhou not reward you?"
Wei Qing was a little shocked. Was he going to use a knife to force the Emperor of Zhou to confer the title?
As expected of a barbarian from the western frontier, he really has no idea what etiquette is.
Wei Qing sighed and said, "Qin is far away in the west, but they still know how to advise the emperor. They are really loyal.
The Duke of Jin repeatedly asked the emperor to bury him with royal rites. How disrespectful was that?
As a subject, I should have advised the Duke of Jin, but I have not done so before. Now is the time to propose it to the monarch."
The two sides hit it off immediately. The Qin army had been knocking on the pass for months without any sign of failure, so the door was now open to the Qin people!
The best strategy is to attack the enemy’s plan. It is difficult to break through a strong pass, but it is easy to break people’s hearts!
…
In the State of Song.
The Qi people were driven down from the city wall in disgrace again. The generals of the Wu army looked at the Qi people in a strange way, with obvious sneers in their eyes.
The nobles of the Wu army were basically trying to hold back their laughter, but the soldiers of the Wu army did not have so many concerns. They all laughed and said, "Qi people, you have been beaten again and are retreating in disgrace."
The soldiers of the Qi army blushed with shame, waved their hands and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Failure in the siege is not a failure. This is a very normal thing."
The Wu soldier pointed to the other side of the Wu soldier who had already rushed up the city wall to fight with the Song soldiers and said: "You retreated last time, and you will retreat this time too."
So the soldiers of Qi army returned to the camp in shame, saying something like "Qi is the overlord of the princes".
The Qi army was obviously not as strong as they talked. These Qi people who were obsessed with restoring Duke Huan's hegemony were beaten with blood in their faces by the Song people.
The Qi army completely lost the face of its former overlord in this attack on Song.
After Duke Huan of Qi, Qi gradually declined for hundreds of years. However, because it had always been on the same side as Luo and Jin, it had never suffered a major failure. It even made a big splash in the Yingshui Peace Conference more than a hundred years ago.
However, this time when Qi and Wu attacked Song together, the Wu people were brave and managed to do a decent job. But once the Qi people attacked the city on their own, the result was simply horrible.
The individual quality of the Qi people is not too bad, but they may come from different Yuanshi. Once the number of people increases, their combat effectiveness will appear very strange.
This situation even attracted the attention of Luo State.
Because the subsequent wars were all fought by the main forces of large military groups. Even if the logistics troops were not included, the number of combat troops alone was tens of thousands.
If Qi State remains in its current state, it will only become a breakthrough point in subsequent battlefields, which Luo State cannot allow.
For this matter, Luo Zhi also wrote a special letter to Linzi, hoping that they could select a general who could command the army to make unified plans for the Qi army.
It took several months of adjustments before the measures gradually began to show results. During this process, more than ten thousand people from Qi died on the land of Song.
Of course, even more people from Song died, not just soldiers, but also countless ordinary people. In troubled times, it was extremely difficult to survive.
In the State of Zheng, Luo Zhi led an army of 100,000 strong. Together with the royal army that had been gathered before, and those of the State of Zheng, there were a total of more than 200,000 troops in the State of Zheng, which put an enormous pressure on logistics.
In just a few months, 20 to 30 percent of Zheng's grain was consumed. With Zheng's reserves, it could only sustain such a war for one or two years at most.
The 200,000-strong Luo-Zhou coalition army chased the Song army all the way, leaving behind countless corpses.
After Luo Zhi saw that his great-aunt's assessment of the situation in various countries was basically correct, he completely understood that this battle must not end in complete defeat.
Ji Lingjun had previously analyzed the situation of the various states for Luo Zhi, and even predicted the possibility of a major war, “Even if we win this war, the situation in Bang Zhou will not get better, because both Jin and Qi have already deteriorated.
If this war is lost, the destiny of Bang Zhou will fall directly, and Luo State will perish along with Bang Zhou.
If this war had ended in a draw, or a small-scale defeat, the Zhou Dynasty could have lasted for more than a hundred years, or even two hundred years.
But no matter what the outcome is, the emperor's crown will be completely knocked to the ground, the patriarchal system founded by our ancestors has come to its end, and the existence of Zhou rituals will completely become history.
These sins will be borne by you, you are such a poor child."
This is what his great-aunt said to him.
Luo Zhi didn't care about his future reputation, but he was extremely terrified by his great-aunt's predictions for the future.
He knew that the continuation of Bangzhou would benefit King Su. Facing the current complicated situation, he could only pray secretly, "Old Ancestor, although I am stupid, I am willing to use my blood to win another two hundred years for you. All the descendants of the Luo family and the people of the entire Luo country are willing to do so."
As for those precious divine artifacts, Luo Zhi adhered to the principle of not using them if possible, because his great-aunt had made it very clear that even if this war was won, the situation in Bang Zhou would still not get better.
The wisdom of my great-aunt is unquestionable. If that is the case, then there is no need to waste the divine artifact here.
Duke Song and Marquis Chen led their army and fled towards the territory of Ying State.
Ying was indeed a small and weak country, and with Chu in the south, Ying's army was defeated in just a field battle, and was unable to stop the armies of Song and Chen at all.
The armies of Song and Chen kept fleeing. At this time, they had already learned the news that Chu and Wu had declared an all-out war, which made them ecstatic.
"If Chu and Wu go to war, then Chu will certainly send out all its troops."
When they finally encountered the Chu army and hurried to join forces, they discovered that Chu was actually using the excuse of military remonstration.
This made Duke Song and Marquis Chen look at each other in confusion. What was going on?
Shouldn't you just rebel?
Shouldn't you be shouting that you want to go to Luoyi to test the weight of the Nine Cauldrons?
Xiang Cheng did not expect that Song and Chen were beaten so badly. When he heard that the Duke of Song and the Marquis of Chen had defeated the Zhou emperor's army, Xiang Cheng laughed out loud.
When Xiang Cheng heard that Luo State's army was coming to support him, the expression on his face became a little gloomy.
"My two kings, start gathering your troops and the baggage you brought. The real battle is about to begin."
The news that the Chu army was heading north had arrived, and Luo Zhi led the army to stop a hundred miles north of the Huanghuai Plain, which was once the land of the Cai State.
The general of Luo State analyzed the current situation, "Your Majesty, my Lord, the current military strength of Chu State is unknown, but Chu State occupies a large area of fertile land and has developed water conservancy. With the national strength of Chu State, it is no problem to have 30,000 to 40,000 combat soldiers and a total strength of 200,000. The Song-Chen coalition should still have 100,000 soldiers.
Now we have to wait for the army of Jin and the remaining troops of Luo to arrive. I am afraid that the armies of Qi and Wu will not be able to wait."
Qi's weak combat capability became a hidden danger in the war. Qi was originally planning to break through Song quickly, but unexpectedly, it was hindered by Song.
The Wu and Chu states were in a blood-thirsty fight east of the Dabie Mountains, and it was impossible for them to provide support. In an emergency, they might even withdraw their troops from the Song state.
The two states of Qi and Song were left to fight each other.
The envoy of Chu State came to the camp of Luo State and said to Ji Bai with a proud face: "The king heard that the emperor attacked Song without reason and was very worried.
The State of Song was a descendant of the Shang Dynasty and was one of the Two Kings and Three Kes established by King Su. It existed as a guest in Bang Zhou. It was not the emperor's duty to criticize such a distinguished guest.
The Duke of Zheng has made slanderous statements to you. Such a minister should be executed so that the Duke of Song can be treated well and the people of Song can be appeased.
The king believes that you should learn from the ancient sage kings, explain your sins to the whole world and express your repentance.
If you do this, the people of the world will surely appreciate your kindness and put an end to the current war."
As soon as the words of killing Marquis Zheng were uttered, everyone in the tent changed their expressions at the same time.
The Chu State came here deliberately to disgust people. They clearly knew that the Marquis of Zheng had been executed, and it was the emperor who did it himself, but they still said this, just to put the blame on the emperor for attacking Song without any reason.
The following part that asked the emperor to admit his mistakes to the world made Luo Zhi change color. It was really too cruel. This was going to deprive the emperor of all his sacredness.
It is not a big deal for a king to issue an edict of repentance, but it can only be done when the situation is under control. The purpose is to ease sharp contradictions and explain to the world the correction of policy direction.
Now the two sides are at loggerheads. If Ji Bai issues a self-criticism edict, the Chu State will immediately say, "As expected, you are a tyrant. The current situation in the world is because of you. All loyal officials and righteous men will follow me to raise an army, kill the tyrant, and save the world!"
Ji Bai was enraged by the arrogant attitude of the Chu envoy. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he was held down by Luo Zhi. Luo Zhi stared at the Chu envoy and said coldly, "The Marquis of Zheng is indeed a treacherous minister. The emperor has already executed him.
However, the Duke of Song and the Marquis of Chen did not send any envoys to the king to state their grievances, but instead directly betrayed and even attacked and killed the king. Is this what loyal ministers do?
He is clearly a treacherous person who attempted to assassinate the king, and he should also be killed!
Please return to Chu and inform the Marquis of Chu to kill the Duke of Song and the Marquis of Chen and send their bodies to the camp. This will surely prove the Marquis of Chu's loyalty."
Luo Zhi skipped the process of entanglement with the envoy of Chu State and went straight to the core of the relationship between the monarch and his subjects. Since the Duke of Chu wanted to be a loyal subject, a loyal subject needs a token of allegiance, so give it to him.
The Chu envoy was speechless and left in anger, "The emperor ignored the loyalty of the Chu people, and he deserves to be punished."
Looking at the Chu envoys walking out of the camp, Ji Bai said angrily: "The Chu people are rampant. For more than a hundred years, they are still as ambitious as ever. What kind of thing can fill the gulf of their desires?"
Luo Zhi said quietly: "Of course it is the Nine Cauldrons in Luoyi that symbolize the destiny of Zhou. Get ready to meet the enemy. The Chu army is not so easy to resist."
The State of Chu would naturally not give up until it achieved its goal, and the State of Luo would never retreat without even fighting.
Since Chu wants to deprive Zhou of its Mandate of Heaven, it might as well use swords and guns to do it.
Only blood can bring the sacred crown to the ground!
The heroic King of Chu was not surprised, but this in itself was an excuse for war. "Uncle, organize the army, defeat the Luo State coalition, and attack the Jin State together. It is time for the world to listen to the voice of the Chu people."
The Chu army, joined forces with the Song and Chen states, was very powerful, with more than 300,000 troops deployed on a battlefield of a hundred miles. The army of the Luo state present plus the combined forces of the Zhou and Zheng states had less than 200,000 troops.
The Chu army was elite, and it was impossible for Luo Zhi to consume Luo's most sharp and brave warriors in a tug-of-war, so Luo led the coalition forces to continuously shrink the front line.
Everyone had the same idea in their mind, "Wait for the Jin army to arrive. This is the main battlefield. The army Jin sends here will definitely be the most elite and the largest in number.
At least 200,000 troops will arrive here, and when Jin enters the battlefield, the situation will change."
The commander of Luo State fought with Chu State every day in an orderly manner, and then slowly retreated. Every time a war ended, the battlefield was filled with smoke and fire.
Because the corpses on the ground must be burned. This is the experience gained from countless years of war.
In this regard, both sides had a tacit understanding and cleaned up the battlefield separately.
Along with the huge fire and strong wind, countless dust, smoke, and powder from burnt human corpses were blown towards the soldiers of both sides.
…
In the late Spring and Autumn Period, the balance of power among the nations had undergone major changes, and the contradictions between them had become more acute. Chu and Qin had reached the peak they could reach in a short period of time, and they had to challenge the old patriarchal order once again.
According to records, the four countries of Qin, Chu, Jin and Qi did not have any real strategic goals. Qin and Chu only wanted to enter the Central Plains to replace the position of the Ji-Jiang alliance, while Qi and Jin followed convention to stop Qin and Chu.
But the outcome of the war was beyond everyone's expectations. Perhaps only the Luo State understood that this was a war that would destroy all the states. - "The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
Woohoo, I just saved the draft. Thanks to the leader. I still need to save more.
(End of this chapter)
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