Chapter 161 Bai Qi is willing to die for my king
Qin State, Xianyang.
Countless defeated Qin troops passed through the Yaohan Pass and returned to the Qin State, suffering a tragic defeat.
The three countries of Han, Wei and Chu all began to recover the territories they had recently lost.
Those lands lost in Bai Qi's hands were eventually taken back by Luo Zai.
The Qin army, which had always been undefeated, had never been so embarrassed. Their armor was scattered and covered with blood and dirt.
Those soldiers who were actually injured had been left behind along the way and were probably killed.
Everyone had a dazed look in their eyes, wondering whether their titles were enough to atone for their crimes.
Fortunately, Bai Qi likes to fight annihilation wars.
This brought huge benefits to the Qin soldiers who needed to be rewarded with headshots, and most of them could still withstand it.
"General, are you going to see the king?"
The soldiers gathered around Bai Qi, their eyes full of worry, fearing that the defeated general would be killed directly by the furious King of Qin.
After that, it will be very difficult to get rewards for military merits.
Since Wei Yang's reform, after several generations, the Qin people love to talk about profit, even between parents and spouses, they have to make it clear.
Bai Qi could exempt these soldiers from various corvee labor assignments and even allow them to receive extra rewards.
These soldiers wished they could worship Bai Qi as their ancestor.
For these soldiers, if they had to choose one person to survive between Bai Qi and the King of Qin, it would definitely be Bai Qi.
What kind of person is the King of Qin? This is probably the most real thought of the Qin people.
Qin Palace.
The construction of the Qin Palace was very crude. There were no exquisite decorations on the palace, but rough textures.
Just like the Qin people, they walked out step by step from the western frontier, with their hands full of calluses and their faces showing traces of wind and frost.
The Guandong countries mocked Qin as a barbarian country, but their tough words could not cover up the fact that Qin occupied nearly half of the world's land.
Bai Qi walked into the hall with a heavy heart. This was the Qin State's meeting hall. He was a little surprised why King Ji of Qin would meet him here.
Then he discovered that under the pillars in the hall, there were two rows of people sitting neatly.
On the right are the nobles and relatives of the Qin State, and on the left are the Qin generals who followed him into battle, including Prince Ti.
All of them were wearing crowns and robes, with their heads bowed and their hands clasped, their faces serious and not saying a word. The silence in the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Bai Qi walked into the hall. Everyone took a quick glance at him and then returned to their original state.
King Qin Ji sat at the top, with no expression on his face.
Bai Qi's eyes were bloodshot, and he knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty.
I was defeated in the battle, which caused heavy losses to the Qin army. Your great wish was thwarted in one day. This is all my fault.
Please punish me, even if it means a sword or an axe, I will have no complaints."
The Qin generals who were following the army on the left side felt nervous when they heard this. If Bai Qi was killed, they would all be defeated generals. Is there any exception?
King Ji of Qin sighed and said, "Bai Qing, Qin is not Chu. We have never had the habit of destroying the army and killing the generals.
Besides, you're not right to say that it's all your fault.
Can the outcome of a war be decided by a general alone?
You are a great general who attacked Han and Wei and captured Jing and Chu, and achieved so many military exploits, which proves that there is no problem with your ability.
There are many reasons for the failure of the Battle of Luoyi, but the biggest reason lies with me.
Because my virtue is not enough to replace the Zhou Dynasty, but I sent you to Luoyi to overthrow the Zhou emperor, so God punished me.
But I didn't expect it to happen to you.
You are so innocent, I should compensate you with gold, pearls and jade."
As he said this, King Ji of Qin walked down, came in front of Bai Qi, and handed the sword in his hand to Bai Qi.
He said in a firm tone: "Bai Qing, I will cultivate my own virtues and work hard to gain the approval of heaven.
You should regroup in your country and wait until the mountains and rivers call the Qin people.
Bai Qing will take this sword and go east again to pacify the six kingdoms for me.
I remember when you first arrived in Qin, I asked you what you wanted, and you said you wanted my trust. Now is the time for me to fulfill my promise.
I believe you are still the unrivaled warrior. Without you, can Qin conquer the world?"
King Ji of Qin actually took on himself this huge defeat, which the Qin State had not encountered for many years!
Not only did he not blame Bai Qi, but he also trusted Bai Qi even more and gave him his own sword.
There was a trace of fluctuation in Bai Qi's eyes, which had been indifferent all day, and his eye sockets were slightly moist.
He bowed his head slightly, took the sword with both hands, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I swear to you that I will be your vanguard in this life and will never turn back.
Even if the great rivers dry up and the great rivers stop flowing, I will never break my oath today to repay your great kindness."
The veins on Bai Qi's hand holding the sword were even bulging.
There was a smile in King Qin Ji's eyes, but in fact, when he just learned about the defeat, he was almost mad with anger.
But Bai Qi was indeed a famous general in the world. Even if he lost this battle, it could only be said that it was normal for him to lose to the Luo family.
When fighting against other countries, Bai Qi was still invincible.
Especially since Qin had just been defeated, it had to guard against the possibility that the six countries would join forces to attack Qin while it was suffering heavy losses.
As King Ji of Qin let Bai Qi go, the stagnant feeling in the hall was finally swept away.
Qin Wangji returned to the top and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, this defeat has resulted in the obstruction of the eastward march, and even the three countries of Han, Wei and Chu have recovered some of their lost territory. What Qin should do in the future still needs to be discussed."
Bai Qi immediately said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that when swordsmen compete with each other, it is often not the one who attacks too hard who wins, but the one who is good at defense who wins.
This is because the attack will be too open and expose flaws, making you more vulnerable to harm.
I guess it's the same with war.
I kept attacking in an attempt to alienate the State of Chu, but was eventually discovered by Prince Zai. Isn't this one of the reasons for the failure of the Battle of Luoyi?
I am very worried.
The three kingdoms of Han, Wei and Chu have become so powerful under the leadership of Crown Prince Zai. If the six kingdoms in the east of the Guanzhong River unite, can Qin still stop them?
So the top priority now is to deploy defenses along the line.
If the six nations come to attack, we can rely on the mountains and rivers to attack them by surprise, and let them die in blood before Hangu Pass and the great river. "
What Bai Qi said was exactly what King Ji of Qin was worried about. "You are right. Whenever a country becomes strong, other countries will unite to attack it.
Previously, Qin's strategy of making friends with distant states and attacking nearby states, coupled with the cowardice of the six states, was able to prevent the six states from joining forces.
Now that Qin has been defeated, and there has never been any trust or loyalty among the various countries, I believe they are going to attack Qin.
If the Crown Prince Zai leads his troops to attack, can you hold on?"
Bai Qi immediately said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, defending a city is completely different from fighting in the field.
Although the Qin suffered heavy losses this time, it will have no problem defending Qiaohan."
Finally, King Qin Ji asked a question that caused the temperature in the entire hall to drop by a few degrees.
“Prince Zai, how should we face him?
He has prestige among the nations. If Prince Zai leads the coalition forces of Han, Wei and Chu again the next time he goes east, he will surely return empty-handed. "
If the Qin State wanted to move eastward, this was a problem it could not avoid.
Bai Qi frowned tightly, thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty.
The Crown Prince was brave and strategic, and was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered in his life.
Moreover, he is of noble status, so it is impossible to alienate him.
We can only start with Han, Wei and Chu. No matter how powerful Prince Zai is, he is just one person.
It is too difficult to defeat him in a head-on battle, and I am afraid that the final result will be a loss for both sides."
Everyone understood what Bai Qi meant. No matter what method was used, they had to either get rid of Prince Zai's helpers first, or stay in Guanzhong obediently and not think about a head-on confrontation. This was a strong man who could determine the outcome of the war.
Qin Wangji's expression changed several times, and finally he sighed: "You are the general who led the troops to fight against Prince Zai, and we should listen to your advice."
…
Prince Zai understood that the best thing to do now was to organize the troops of the six countries to attack Qin together, break through Qiaohan, and take this important pass back from the Qin people.
Now that Qin is weak, the fear of the princes towards Qin has greatly weakened.
But the coalition alliance could not be organized.
In particular, a group of old nobles were detained in the capital of Chu.
If we lead a large army to attack Qin now, the rear of Chu will definitely be in flames.
Recapture Yingdu, seize a large amount of merit and political resources, and then promote reform, this is what the State of Chu should do most.
Xiang Zeng said apologetically, “Prince.
It must be right to unite and attack Qin, but given the situation, is it possible to do everything according to the ideas of a stranger?
This is too difficult. We can only take care of the present. Otherwise, not only will we lose our future, but we will also lose the present.
If the reform of Chu is successful, we will join forces to attack Qin in fifteen years."
After saying this, Xiang Zeng led the Chu army back to Chu.
The two countries of Han and Wei were already satisfied with recovering a large amount of lost territory, and had no interest in going to Hangu Pass to engage in a bloody battle with the Qin people.
Faced with this situation, Luo Zai, who was invincible on the battlefield, said helplessly: "This is probably fate.
If you don't seize the opportunity when it comes, will the opportunity always exist?
Fifteen years later?"
"cough!"
Luo Zai suddenly coughed, and a trickle of bright red blood flowed out.
His expression did not change. He gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, waved his hand and said, "Go back to Luo Country. I won't come here again."
The sky was clear blue and cloudless, and the warm sunshine was shining down.
Luo Zai felt as if his whole body was soaked in hot water, but his heart was cold, and it was a bone-chilling cold.
He turned his head to look at Luoyi, then looked up at the sky. On his chariot was the spear that had carried him through battle and killed the two kings.
It is solemn and cold, and the chill is overwhelming.
————
Bai Qi was defeated in Luoyi and returned to Qin.
Qi said: The defeat is caused by me. Please punish me, I will obey you.
When King Zhaoxiang heard this, he said, "Victory or defeat is determined by heaven. How can it be the responsibility of the generals? I am not virtuous enough. Please do not speak any more."
The king replied: I have read history. Qi Huan conquered a thousand miles of territory and had a hundred thousand soldiers, and he was able to dominate the world because of Guanzi.
This is an example of the relationship between a ruler and his subject. I present this sword to you, please take good care of it.
Tears burst into tears.
The character of Zhaoxiang can be measured by this. - "Historical Records: The Family of Qin"
(End of this chapter)
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