Chapter 177: Another Estrangement
The wind blew across the ground, making a deafening whistling sound, and it felt painful on the face of people who were blown by it, as if it were being cut by a knife.
The north wind blows the white grass to the ground, and snow falls in the Hu sky in August.
The Central Plains is the only paradise in the world with a suitable climate.
Everyone agrees that neither the north nor the south is suitable for human survival.
To the north of Qin, Zhao and Yan, there lived a group of people who were very different from the other ethnic groups.
The Xia people called them Hu.
The Hu people are completely different from the tribes such as the Western Rong that were wiped out by the Zhou Dynasty in the past.
Among the four barbarians that the Zhou Dynasty defeated in the past, many had existing civilizations, and their level of research on bronze ware was even not bad.
But the Hu people were truly barbaric, a nomadic people who lived by following the water and grass.
It is unrealistic to want to develop civilization.
"Boom boom boom."
As the sound of horse hooves like drumbeats sounded, everyone understood.
The Hu people are coming.
The entire border was in operation in an instant, but no one was nervous.
In the past, Li Mu was stationed in a border town. He first held his ground and then lured the enemy deep into the border and defeated the Hu people.
Although Li Mu was transferred to the imperial court and left here, he left behind ways to fight against the Hu people.
Wang Jian led 400,000 Qin troops to attack Zhao.
The entire Zhao State was in a state of panic.
Handan city.
In the court, the king and his ministers of Zhao sighed and lamented.
After King Zhao became incompetent and lost an outstanding politician like Lin Xiang.
The entire State of Zhao fell into a state of leaderlessness.
The King of Zhao said with fear on his face: "My lords, the Qin army is approaching, what should we do now?
King Zheng of Qin was the son of Yiren, a hostage of Qin State. After Bai Qi killed the surrendered Qin State, although I did not kill him, I did not treat him well. He lived a very miserable life and must have hated Zhao State very much.
He was a monarch as ferocious as a tiger, leopard, jackal or wolf. He had no hatred towards Han and Wei, but he raised an army to destroy Han and Wei.
If the State of Zhao offended him, could it get away with it?
Now is the time of life and death, I hope you can come up with a brilliant plan to save Zhao. "
The ministers were silent. The gap in national strength was too great. Chu at least had a huge depth and could still fight relying on its familiarity with the terrain.
But what did Zhao rely on? Was it the dying young and strong, or the narrow territory?
At this time, a loud voice resounded throughout the hall.
"I am willing to go to war, to fight against Qin, and to protect Handan."
Li Mu stood up with great dignity, and the King of Zhao was overjoyed, saying repeatedly: "Wu'an Jun is truly worthy of being the pillar of the Zhao State.
The general will lead the troops to fight against the Qin State."
The nobleman who was on good terms with Li Mu stepped forward and whispered, “Wu’an Jun, why are you standing out?
Have you forgotten the old story of Lian Po?
In the past, King Zhaoxiang of Qin asked Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an of Qin, what reward he wanted. Bai Qi said he wanted the trust of King Zhaoxiang.
And this is exactly what the foolish king cannot give you. I dare to assert that once you leave Handan City, rumors will spread.
King Su said that if the monarch does not regard his subjects as his confidants, the subjects will not need to worry about the monarch's country.
You are a person who would rather break than bend, I am very worried about you."
The so-called story of Lian Po refers to the fact that the current King of Zhao and his favorite minister Guo Kai replaced their generals in the middle of a battle, which eventually led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers on the battlefield.
Although Lian Po had anticipated that he would be replaced, he still left Zhao after it actually happened and never returned until his death.
Li Mu was silent for a moment after hearing this. He thought of the days when he fought on the battlefields in the north.
There wouldn't be so many disturbances as there are now. It would be enough to just win the battle.
He looked towards the direction of Qin and said firmly: "You are right, but I am not fighting for the king, but for the country and people of Zhao.
The Qin State killed hundreds of thousands of Zhao State's surrendered soldiers. What a deep hatred this was.
Even if Taihang was overthrown, it could not stop the Zhao people from seeking revenge.
If Qin Wangzheng were allowed to enter Handan City, Mu really didn’t know what kind of hell Handan City would become.”
Upon hearing this, the friend said with emotion: "Perhaps this is why the soldiers and people of Zhao love you."
Li Mu led the Zhao army to fight against the Qin army, a war that was bound to be lost.
He was a general as talented as Wang Jian, but Zhao's national strength was not even worthy of carrying shoes for Qin.
Wang Jian led 400,000 troops to attack Zhao, including countless elite soldiers.
However, the number of troops that Li Mu could mobilize was less than 200,000.
He secretly calculated, "Relying on the city's defense, it is enough to resist the Qin State for several years. This is what I can do. The rest depends on the blessing of King Haotian Su."
Unfortunately, Li Mu didn't know that he wanted to have a fair fight with Wang Jian.
But Wang Jian was not just a general, he would directly use unconventional tactics.
Before Wang Jian went on the expedition, he and King Zheng of Qin, the king and his minister, had a conversation.
King Zheng of Qin asked, "General, are you sure you can win against Zhao?
If you have any requests, please let me know, I will satisfy them all."
Wang Jian replied: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, with God's blessing, we will surely win this battle.
However, there are different kinds of victories: quick victories, slow victories, complete victories, tragic victories, big victories, and small victories.
I wonder which ones you want, Your Majesty?
Your choice is different, and what I need is different."
Upon hearing this, King Zheng of Qin said: "I want a quick victory, a complete victory, and a great victory.
Zhao has always been a strong rival of Qin, so this must be extremely difficult. I don’t know what you need.”
Wang Jian smiled and said, “Your Majesty.
The State of Zhao is a strong enemy of the State of Qin, but the King of Zhao is not your strong enemy.
If I were to go to war against the State of Zhao, the King of Zhao would certainly order the famous Zhao general Li Mu, Marquis of Wu'an, to lead the troops to resist.
You have lived in Zhao State for many years, and you must know Li Mu's reputation.
If Li Mu leads the troops, I can still win, but I am afraid I won't be able to organize an attack on Luo immediately after defeating Zhao.
I need you to send an envoy with a large sum of money to Handan City to bribe the treacherous Guo Kai at the right time, following the example of Wu'an Jun.
Let Zhao change its generals.
A wise man never makes the same mistake twice, but a fool does.
King Zhao is such a stupid person. Last time he replaced Lian Po, this time he will definitely replace Li Mu.
Li Mu's prestige is too high. If he is replaced, the Zhao army will certainly be in turmoil, with dissatisfaction among the soldiers and officers who will lose their will to fight. I can win in one battle.
The Zhao army became strong because of Li Mu, and would also weaken without Li Mu. This is not only a principle of military strategy, but also a principle of rise and fall.
I am absolutely sure.
Your Majesty, the King of Zhao is such a foolish and immoral monarch, but he was born under the same heaven and earth as a sage king like you who is gifted by nature.
Isn't this the heaven's gift to you?"
Among the four famous generals of Qin and Zhao, Bai Qi, Lian Po, Li Mu and Wang Jian, Wang Jian is truly an outlier.
The other three were typical generals, invincible on the battlefield, unstoppable in power struggles, and even aggressive when their tempers flared up. But Wang Jian was as experienced as a veteran in officialdom.
King Zheng of Qin patted Wang Jian on the shoulder gently and agreed to his request.
…
"Beat the drums, go ahead!"
"Beat the drum again, and move forward again!"
"Projectile!"
The Zhao army was unable to resist the Qin army that came like a tide.
The Qin army was already brave, and they also obtained strong bows and crossbows from South Korea, combined with Qin Mo's skills.
In terms of weapons, perhaps only Luo State could surpass Qin State.
However, under Li Mu's command, the Zhao army was defeated but not collapsed, and successfully retreated to the city.
For several months afterwards, the Qin army was unable to break through Li Mu's defense line.
Although the Qin army suffered little loss, its morale was severely damaged.
Although Li Mu's brows were still furrowed from time to time, there was not much worry in his eyes.
The Qin army is still the same. His prediction is correct. At least they can hold out for a few years. The longer the timeline is, the more flaws Qin will reveal.
It is not impossible for Zhao to defeat Qin.
Wang Jian was also not worried at all. He had not launched an all-out attack in recent days and was deliberately letting Zhao gain the upper hand.
Li Mu was planning a battle here, but he didn't know that undercurrents had already surged in Handan City.
An invisible net started from Xianyang, spanned thousands of miles, connected with Handan City, and entangled him.
Handan city.
Guo Kai straightened his clothes and saw the person in the mirror with a righteous look on his face. He was the type that people would like at first sight.
Since ancient times, there have been no treacherous people with ugly looks and treacherous faces. How could a monarch like someone who does not have a good appearance?
Guo Kai never felt that he had done anything wrong in attacking Lian Po, and it was not just because of the bribes of gold, silver and treasures from Qin.
Lian Po is not one of us. If Lian Po’s contributions were so great, would there still be a place for Guo Kai and others in the State of Zhao?
As for the Zhao State, one defeat would not lead to the destruction of the country.
Even though their countries were destroyed, looking at the nobles of Han and Wei, they seemed to be living quite well.
It's better than slaughtering them all after Lian Po comes to power.
When Guo Kai arrived at the palace of King Zhao, King Zhao was playing the game of "King Zhou Catches His Concubine" with several maids. They were laughing obscenely and seemed to be very happy.
Seeing Guo Kai coming, he called out, "Guo Qing is here too, who have you caught?
I will give it to you as a reward."
It is really shocking that the relationship between the emperor and his subjects could be so absurd in broad daylight.
After some fun, King Zhao asked, "Mr. Guo, did you come to the palace for something important?"
Guo Kai then hurriedly said: "The general stopped the Qin army and won a small victory, and hundreds of Qin soldiers died in the battle.
As soon as I got the news, I came to report to you. I hope you don't worry about the war on the border."
In fact, with the stability in the past few months, King Zhao no longer worried about the border war, otherwise he would not have been having so much fun during the day.
So he waved his hand and said, "Wu'an Jun is a famous general of Zhao State. With him in the battle, I have no worries."
A flash of jealousy flashed across Guo Kai's eyes, and he hated Li Mu even more in his heart.
Recalling the past when Lian Po and Li Mu relied on their own abilities to look down on them.
He immediately said sinisterly: "Your Majesty.
Wu'an Jun does have the ability to stabilize the country and ensure its security. His prestige in the army is probably far greater than that of Lian Po in the past.
With the love of the army and the people, we will surely be able to defeat the Qin army.
I have heard that before Wu'an Jun left, he said: "Even if I cannot fight for the king, I will fight for the country and the people of Zhao."
What a loyal minister.
I do not have the military and political talents of Wu Anjun, so I can only stay by your side and entertain you. I am really ashamed. "
King Zhao, who was good at accepting guidance and liked to daydream, looked a little unhappy.
(End of this chapter)
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