Chapter 223 Luo Ling
Luo Cai looked at Han Xin with enthusiasm, with surprise and smile in her eyes. The short conversation she had just had with Han Xin made her feel as if she had caught a big fish.
This poor boy, who looks shabby and disheveled, has strategies in his mind that are enough to shock the world. If he can be brought to Liu Bang's camp, he will definitely be an arm of his brother.
With the help of Luo, Han Xin will be able to display his talents more smoothly, without having to remain unknown and wait for opportunities like he is now.
Luo Cai couldn't help laughing when he recalled Han Xin who had just shown himself to him like a peacock spreading its tail.
Han Xin was feeling a little annoyed, and felt that his behavior just now was really a bit out of control. When he heard Luo Cai's laughter and saw her beautiful face, he couldn't help but said, "My lady, I was rude just now."
Luo Cai waved his hand indifferently and said, "Don't worry about those details. You are a wise man with outstanding talents. If my brother knew that the person he gave the jade to before had such talents, he would definitely be happy to recommend you. Your name will really be known throughout the world."
Han Xin originally wanted to go to Zhao to join Xiang Liang, but after meeting Luo Cai, he heard that the young man who had given him the jade was under the command of Pei Gong. Han Xin changed his mind. He was a man who would repay a favor, so he decided to follow Luo Cai to meet Pei Gong.
Listening to the chicken soup handed down from Luo's ancestors, Han Xin secretly glanced at Luo Cai's fair face, and said in his heart: Su Wang, please bless me, I will definitely be as noble as a king in this life, wear a seal of a prime minister, hold a sharp sword, perform unprecedented merits, and then marry your noble lady.
…
After the Zhaocheng League, Luo Ling essentially became the uncrowned king of the Shandong princes, responsible for the strategic planning of the entire Shandong princes, integrating the forces of all Shandong heroes to prevent the Qin Dynasty from defeating them one by one. War reports were handed to him, and suggestions for the future were issued from his hands and then reached the hands of various princes at the league.
Although it was a suggestion on the surface, in reality the princes had little room for flexible choice, because Luo Ling could fully understand people's hearts and the general situation of the world. His suggestions basically covered all aspects and also took into account the personalities and thoughts of each prince. Once everyone received the suggestions, they thought about it and could only do what Luo Ling said, which made the princes from all sides feel a little afraid of Luo Ling.
Xiang Liang led the Chu army across the river and entered Zhao territory with Zhao Wangxie. Zhao Wangxie said, "Lord Chu, Lord Luo sent a letter saying that Zhang Han is on the cusp of a winning streak and is good at luring the enemy deep into our territory. We must be careful. The King of Dai and the King of Yan are gathering their troops, and the Duke of Pei and others are leading their troops to attack Guanzhong. The Qin court will surely be terrified. We can then surround them from all sides and cut off their food supply first, and then we can win the battle."
Xiang Liang pondered and said, "Lord Luo is a man of genius and prudent in his work, but our army's morale is high. Let's have a small battle with Zhang Han first. His men are all prisoners from Mount Li. Are they willing to accept his orders?"
King Xie of Zhao agreed with Xiang Liang's words, so the elite troops of Zhao and Chu joined forces to fight Zhang Han. The cheers of the armies of Chu and Zhao shook the sky. In the war against the tyrannical Qin, their morale was high. After being equipped with armor and weapons from various counties, their combat effectiveness was qualitatively improved. On the other hand, the Qin's Lishan prisoner army was indeed not as effective as the righteous army. Xiang Liang and King Xie of Zhao won a great victory, beheaded thousands of people, and killed several Qin generals. Zhang Han led the Qin army to retreat.
This victory greatly boosted the morale of the rebel army. King Xie of Zhao, who participated in the entire battle, laughed wildly and said with emotion: "So this is the only way Qin soldiers can be?"
Xiang Liang laughed out loud, "King Zhao, favorable weather is not as important as favorable terrain, and favorable terrain is not as important as harmonious people. The Qin Dynasty is cruel and ruthless, and all the people in the world are hoping for its demise. The prisoners in Mount Li are the same. How can you win if you have the thought of not winning? That is irrational."
Zhang Han's face also looked a little unhappy. Although he intended to lure the enemy into deep territory, he was still dissatisfied with the result. If the opponent was more powerful, he would have collapsed at any moment.
Luo Ling naturally couldn't stay in Zhaocheng forever. He was always collecting intelligence from the world and paying attention to the situation in the world, even the barbarians outside the Xia Dynasty.
However, the people of the Xia Dynasty now look down on the barbarians. During times of war, Yan, Zhao and Qin were able to defeat the north. By the time the First Emperor unified the world, it took only two or three years for the north and the south to open up countless lands.
The biggest problem Zhao Tuo faced in his expedition against Nanyue was the climate, not the fighting power of the Nanyue people. Meng Tian led the Great Wall Corps and easily swept across the northern Hu people, forcing them to leave the fertile Hetao area. Who would care about such a rotten fish and shrimp?
However, the news he received today made him frown slightly. The capable man sat in front of him and said, "Master, the merchants who trade with the grasslands have sent news that the grassland tribes have suddenly increased their demands for supplies, and the tribes are gradually fighting each other. The climate in the north has been suitable in recent years, and the population has gradually increased. It would be a good thing for them to attack each other now."
Luo Ling tapped the frame of the carriage gently as he pondered. The outbreak of war between the northern Hu people was not necessarily a good thing. King Su had said a lot about war. He was an invincible god of war, but he had clearly warned future generations.
All wise politicians should do their utmost to prevent themselves and their enemies from being drawn into a war without political purpose, because war is the greatest uncertainty in the world.
It may cause a country to collapse in the quagmire of war, but it may also allow a country or even a race to be reborn from the ruins and gather from the chaos.
Luo Ling was about to make some arrangements when he heard a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the car. "Master, something bad has happened. Lord Chu was badly defeated in Hebei and is in imminent danger."
Luo Ling frowned upon hearing this, but there was no panic on his face. Hearing that his most important ally had been defeated did not affect his mood at all. He just said in a deep voice: "Calm down, don't be so anxious. The sky won't fall as long as I'm here. Tell me what happened slowly."
After hearing Luo Ling's calm words, the man who had hurried over began to organize his words while panting slightly. Luo Ling gently tapped the frame and said, "Notify them to go to Hebei, to Zhao."
At this time, the man who came to deliver the letter began to narrate: "Master, Duke Liang of Chu and King Xie of Zhao fought with Zhang Han. The Qin army was defeated and retreated, so Duke Liang of Chu and King Xie of Zhao pursued them. They fought for a while, then won battle after battle, but eventually fell into Zhang Han's trap, their food supply was cut off, and they were defeated and returned. The Chu and Zhao armies suffered heavy casualties."
Luo Ling looked at the battle report in his hand, which was roughly the same as what the messenger had described. He knew that there must be something wrong with Zhang Han. He sighed softly, "Lord Chu is really confused. The information in this battle report shows that Zhang Han was defeated but not broken, and was defeated but not damaged. Could this be a real failure?
It would be unreasonable to pursue them in such a situation without encountering failure."
If Xiang Liang heard Luo Ling's words, he would probably feel very aggrieved. He didn't see the meaning of defeat without collapse and defeat without loss. If he had seen it, would he still be fooled?
Not everyone can see these things at a glance from the messy information. Luo Ling is a typical example of someone whose level is too high.
"How are Duke Liang of Chu and King Xie of Zhao?"
It's just a war. If you lose, you lose. Luo Ling doesn't care too much. If the world is a chessboard, no one can win all the time. Luo Ling can guarantee that he will always win, but he is just one person and cannot be busy in two places. As long as the allies do not cause irreparable consequences, it will be fine. He can wait until he personally goes into battle and fights back.
"The two led the army to retreat, but Duke Liang of Chu seemed to be seriously injured, his face was as pale as paper, and he was in danger. King Xie of Zhao was afraid that Zhang Han would hunt him down, so he took Duke Liang of Chu with him for days, and his condition was probably even more serious."
Luo Ling's already upright body became even stiffer, and his expression, which had been a little indifferent, suddenly became serious. Although Luo Ling valued Xiang Yu, a potential military leader, the most, and believed that Xiang Yu was the sharpest sword to destroy the Qin Dynasty.
But Xiang Liang was the head of the Xiang family. The power of the entire Xiang family and the power of the Chu State were also integrated under Xiang Liang's command. Moreover, Xiang Liang was a qualified politician, unlike generals like Xiang Yu who only knew how to fight and kill.
If something happened to Xiang Liang, the State of Chu would inevitably experience some internal friction. It would take time to regroup the strength of Chu. Every delay would extend the life of the Qin Dynasty, which would not be good for the people of the world, and would also be very uncomfortable for the Luo family who were eager to end the current situation.
Luo Ling asked in a deep voice: "What's going on? Did Duke Liang of Chu go into battle himself? He is not a brave general like Xiang Yu. If he doesn't stay in the rear, is he going to charge into battle himself?"
Luo Ling was a little angry. He had previously advised Xiang Liang not to advance rashly and to wait for the kings to take their positions. Xiang Liang did not listen and ended up suffering a defeat. This was actually not a big deal.
After all, a general is away from the emperor and does not even obey his orders, let alone his words. It is normal for a general to have his own judgment and make certain adjustments.
But he made such a low-level mistake twice, and even ruined a good situation. This was Xiang Liang's problem.
Luo Ling closed his eyes slightly and exhaled softly. Now that things have come to this, he might as well see Xiang Liang first. He hopes he can still see him alive.
…
King Xie of Zhao's army did not suffer as heavy losses as Xiang Liang's, and he himself was not seriously injured, just slightly scratched, because he was a rather timid person and did not rush to the front of the battle like Xiang Liang did.
Xiang Liang lay on the sickbed with a sallow complexion. The decoration in the room was very plain. This was their temporary stay. Xiang Liang was still immersed in regret. "King Zhao, what is the situation now?"
King Zhao Xie sighed, "We have stabilized temporarily, but Zhang Han is relentless in pursuit and continues to attack us. If no reinforcements come, we will definitely not be able to resist. We still have to continue to flee eastward, towards Zhaocheng and Qi."
Hearing Zhaocheng, Xiang Liang's eyes flickered a little, and he sighed: "I don't know if I can see Luo Gong again. Liang is really...
well!"
Xiang Liang couldn't continue speaking.
Squeak.
The door was pushed open, and the sunlight shone in directly, making the whole room very bright. A group of people walked in directly, led by a man with a face as beautiful as jade and a heroic appearance. His eyes swept over with a majestic look, and the holy mark on his forehead was shining. It was Luo Ling.
Xiang Liang ignored his own body, forced himself to sit up, and said in a sad voice: "Lord Luo."
Luo Ling's heart was cold, but he sighed: "Lord Chu, you should lie down quickly and take good care of yourself. The people of Chu still need your leadership, and they still need your efforts to overthrow the tyrannical Qin. Do you want to fall down at this time? I'm sure no one in the world would agree to that."
Xiang Liang grabbed Luo Ling's hand. His weak body was very strong. He held it tightly and stared at Luo Ling and said, "Lord Luo, all these days, so many medicines have not been able to cure me. I'm afraid that Taiyi Su Wang is calling Liang. I can't handle everything in this world anymore. Liang is holding his breath just to see you again."
Everyone in the room was awed when they heard this. Xiang Liang was a big figure among the princes of Shandong. Five to six out of ten of the princes' soldiers came from the State of Chu. His prestige among the princes was no less than that of Luo Ling.
Judging from their bloodline alone, the Xiang family has been aristocratic family of the Ji clan for more than 800 years, and the Lu family has been aristocratic family for a thousand years. Although they do not have something as miraculous as the Luo family's stigmata, they are still similar in the eyes of ordinary people.
Kings, princes, generals and ministers are born nobles, and it does not just refer to the Luo family. In the Bang Zhou era, the entire aristocratic class was shrouded in sacred glory.
The Luo family relied more on the prestige of King Su at the grassroots level and their own good political reputation, which made many rebel leaders in Shandong willing to gather under the fair and bottom-line political rules established by the Luo family.
Luo Ling knew that Xiang Liang wanted to tell him something. King Xie of Zhao walked out of the house, and the others walked out one after another. Xiang Liang's hand gradually loosened, and he first asked, "Lord Luo, will Liang's failure have a big impact on overthrowing the tyrannical Qin?"
Xiang Liang was most concerned about overthrowing the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, and was indifferent to his own life and death. Luo Ling said calmly: "The tyrannical Qin Dynasty will eventually fall. This is the will of the Su King, and no one can disobey it."
Xiang Liang smiled when he heard this and said lightly: "As long as the tyrannical Qin is destroyed, Liang can go to see my father and ancestors."
Luo Ling was silent, and Xiang Liang seemed to be talking to himself, mumbling: "Duke Ziling, more than 800 years ago, Duke Yan of Luo Hui entered Chu. He was the ancestor of the Xiang family of Chu. After three generations, he lost the holy mark and changed his surname to Xiang. This is the origin of the Xiang family.
From then on, the Xiang family completely became Chu people, and assisted the King of Chu generation after generation. During this period, they wanted to carry out reforms, and they had failures and successes.
After eight hundred years, many people in Chu State actually had no idea what the Xiang family wanted. They called the Xiang family "the ministers who assist the king", and the whole family was tense, wanting to make Chu the common ruler of the world like the Zhou emperor.
Finally, when his father died at the hands of the Qin people, this dream was completely shattered and the State of Chu was destroyed at the hands of the Qin people.
Do you know how much Liang hated Ying Qin? Do you know how many Chu people died at the hands of Qin? Do you know how many Xiang clan members died at the hands of Qin? "
Xiang Liang almost gnashed his teeth, "It was Qin that destroyed Zhou, and it was Luo that destroyed Qin. I guess Luo's style would not be to kill all the Qin royal family, so let Xiang do it. Liang asks you, if Yu wants to kill all the Qin royal family in the future, please don't stop him!"
Being as scheming and scheming as Luo Ling is, he would hardly reveal any of his emotions, and no one would be able to detect his inner thoughts. All the emotions he exposed to the outside world were done intentionally.
Facing Xiang Liang now, Luo Ling knew what he really meant. Xiang Liang wanted Xiang Yu to be the future head of the family, but Xiang Yu was too clear in distinguishing between his own people and outsiders. If the people of Chu were in front of him, he would be the most benevolent monarch in the world, but if the people of other countries were in front of him, he would be no different from the First Emperor and would not treat people as human beings.
Xiang Liang knew that Xiang Yu would certainly take revenge on the Qin people, and was worried that Xiang Yu's cruelty would displease Luo Ling, which would be detrimental to Xiang Yu's future. So he gave Luo Ling a shot of prevention in advance, using his deep hatred to endorse Xiang Yu's possible future behavior.
Xiang Liang was so pitiful. Luo Ling held his hand tightly and said in a deep voice: "If you want, it's fine. Have you chosen Xiang Yu?"
This was Luo Ling's answer. As long as you can bear the consequences, you can do anything in this world. Killing all the royal family members of Qin is not unacceptable to the Luo family. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. That's how it is. For hundreds of years of wars to annihilate nations, there is no such thing as gentleness, courtesy, frugality and modesty, but naked killing.
Xiang Liang said helplessly: "Yu'er is not the best choice, but he is the only choice. Lord Ziling, even the tyrannical Qin could obtain the Mandate of Heaven. Is it possible for the Chu people to carry the Mandate of Heaven?"
Luo Ling heard this and said softly: "I am just an ordinary person, how can I know the will of heaven? But the cycle of heaven is always in the human heart. Otherwise, even if a tyrannical Qin Dynasty was given the Mandate of Heaven, it would only take more than ten years for the whole world to rebel. What's the use of such a Mandate of Heaven?
I don’t know whether Chu can obtain the Mandate of Heaven, but as long as the general trend of the world is concentrated on Chu, and when the people’s hearts are concentrated on Chu, then Chu has obtained the Mandate of Heaven.
Just like Bang Zhou, even the nobles of the Shang Dynasty abandoned King Zhou of Shang and turned to welcome King Wu's army. This is the people's support, and the destiny must be reflected here. "
In fact, what Xiang Liang wanted to ask was whether King Su was willing to let the Xiang family carry the Mandate of Heaven. Although no one in the Xiang family had seen King Su, after all, even many direct descendants of the Luo family had never seen King Su, but the Xiang family was sure that King Su must be there, otherwise how could the Luo family always suppress the Xiang family? This was a mysterious self-confidence.
After several generations of separation, although the other royal families still respected King Su in their hearts, after all, he was their ancestor, they still had doubts in their hearts about whether King Su really existed, so the Xiang family was really special.
Xiang Liang actually had some worries in his heart. The Luo family would not become king, which must be the will of King Su. Would the Xiang family also not be able to become king?
He did not directly call himself the King of Chu because of this consideration, but when he was dying, he decided to ask directly. Luo Ling gave him a very satisfactory answer. He said that he could be crowned the King of Chu and even obtain the Mandate of Heaven and become the Emperor of Chu.
Xiang Liang began to cough heavily, and finally said, "Lord Ziling, Zhang Han is very arrogant. He is indeed a famous general in the world. Even if he comes ten times, I am afraid Liang will still fall into his trap.
However, you have wisdom that Liang does not have. I believe no one in this world can deceive you. I am afraid that Zhang Han will not be able to play that kind of treacherous tricks in front of you.
The only thing you need to worry about is that Zhang Han's Lishan prisoners are not that vulnerable. They are very strong and you must have elite troops to fight them. Liang's previous victories were all intentional by Zhang Han. Once Zhang Han started to fight with all his strength, he immediately found that the Qin army was as sharp as the elite troops of Chu. "
Luo Ling was of course very clear: "The laws of the tyrannical Qin were harsh, and many soldiers were easily convicted of crimes. Their titles were not enough to offset their crimes, so they could only be punished with corvée and hard labor. Most of the prisoners in Mount Li were elite soldiers from the battlefield. Once organized, they would naturally have strong combat effectiveness. I have warned you before to be careful of Zhang Han's prisoners."
Xiang Liang smiled bitterly and said, "I asked Yu'er before. He fought against Meng Tian's Great Wall Corps. Yu'er said that the Qin soldiers were cowardly and not as brave as the Chu people. He won three battles, beheaded thousands of people, and suffered eleven casualties. He said that the Qin soldiers were nothing to worry about.
When Liang and King Zhao crossed the river and fought against the Qin army, they found that the Qin army was really not worth mentioning. This was Liang's fault.
Luo Ling was speechless when he heard this. You, an ordinary general, actually went to ask a military leader like Xiang Yu who was so strong that he could lift a tripod. To him, the Qin soldiers might really be very cowardly. In fact, to him, there was no difference between ordinary soldiers and generals. Anyway, they were no match for him.
But ordinary people still need to have self-knowledge, and not spend all day dreaming about such unrealistic things as defeating the enemy with fewer troops, beheading the generals and capturing the flags.
"Don't worry, Duke Chu. I have sent a message to the King of Dai and the King of Yan. They have been very successful in gathering the powerful and the common people in Dai and Yan. Now they have gathered more than 100,000 troops and are stationed east of Taihang. After you and the King of Zhao were defeated, the King of Dai and the King of Yan were a little afraid of Zhang Han and hesitated to move forward.
The best plan now is to mobilize the volunteer army in Henan to Hebei, first defeat Zhang Han and force him to withdraw from Zhao, and then slowly make plans. Xiang Yu will certainly avenge you, and he may have already led the Chu army to Hebei.
I have already sent letters to the King of Qi and the King of Jiaodong. They will not refuse my request. When the righteous armies of the world gather in Hebei, they will surely make sure that Zhang Han is killed without a burial place."
As for whether Meng Tian would sit idly by and watch the rebels make such a large-scale connection, and whether he would support Zhang Han in Hebei, Luo Ling's eyes turned to Liu Bang who was in Nanyang. Although Liu Bang was a small shrimp compared with the Xiang family, the position of this small shrimp was too critical, which made the Qin Dynasty feel like a thorn in the throat. Meng Tian had already sent a large number of troops to pursue Liu Bang, and he was unable to cope with it.
No one knew how much time would be wasted between Liu Bang and Meng Tian, but Luo Ling seized this brief gap keenly and killed Zhang Han within this short period of time!
————
Shandong heroes came out of Zhaocheng. Duke Liang of Chu and King Zhao fought in Hebei. King Qi, King Jiaodong and Xiang Yu fought in Henan. Duke Pei fought in Nanyang. Dai and Yan gathered elite troops and powerful people and went down to Zhongshan. All the heroes bowed their heads. Emperor Fusu was terrified and said: I have the four seas, and I am trapped in the sky. I am in control of the world and I will command the world to destroy Qin. - "Records of the Grand Historian: The Family of Duke Zhao of Luo"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
