Wei Jing and Ji Huan were right in their guess.
As early as when the King of Qi raided Nanping Pass and broke it, and the news was passed back to Jizhou, Wei Xu commented: "The King of Qi is both wise and brave, and a great talent."
The great talent of the King of Qi was not good news for the King of An. He and Wei Jing were mortal enemies. The other party had already occupied half of the country, while he only occupied the lower half of Jizhou.
If he waited until Wei Jing conquered Yu, Xu and Yan and then looked north to Jizhou before considering fighting the enemy, it would be too late.
Prince An had long intended to take action in advance, but due to the long distance and lack of opportunity, he kept a close eye on the battlefield in Yuzhou.
He finally waited for a good opportunity and fought a great battle at Wangyuan. The armies of Zhenquan and Xuzhou were defeated and Wang Ji fled in a panic with more than 10,000 remaining soldiers.
He immediately led his army south and "borrowed" the northern part of Yanzhou.
There were benefits but he couldn't eat them all, so he sold a good one to Zhou Hong, an ally who needed to make friends at this stage, and the two of them went south together.
A large piece of territory was acquired without any effort, but the matter was far from over.
"After the King of Qi takes Xuzhou, he will definitely go north to Yanzhou," Wei Xu asserted.
The territory was seized, but it would be meaningless if it could not be defended and soldiers were lost. He said slowly: "If we take Xuzhou, it won't be difficult to bring our troops to the Yellow River."
Xuzhou is a place that military strategists must fight for. Located between the north and the south, it is an important military springboard whether the north is attacking the south or the south is attacking the north.
Now that the south is unified, the King of Qi has his troops approaching Yuzhou and his power is strong. If he takes Xuzhou as well, the north, which is divided among large and small forces, will be in danger.
Wei Xu looked at King An and said slowly: "The best strategy is for the Central Plains and the northern forces to unite their forces and fight against King Qi before he takes Xuzhou."
In Jizhou, King Hong of Zhou and An had a total army of 300,000 under their command; in Youzhou, Gan Yuan had an army of 150,000 under his command; King Ji of Xuzhou had 270,000 to 280,000 troops; and King Ji of Qingzhou had nearly 100,000 troops.
There is also Bingzhou, which is even more chaotic than Jizhou in the previous two years. There is no large force, but there are more than ten or twenty small and medium-sized forces. If we lobby here a bit, we may be able to gather a force of over 100,000.
A million-strong coalition army attacked the King of Qi.
This is the most likely and only best strategy that can defeat or even kill the King of Qi.
After the Battle of Wangyuan, the time for lobbying was ripe and it was also the best time for the coalition forces. Otherwise, once the King of Qi took Xuzhou, it would be too late.
Prince An stood up with a bang: "That's right!"
His face flushed red, veins on his forehead throbbed, and his face looked ferocious, as if he wanted to bite someone. "Jinzhi is right."
King An did not hesitate and immediately wrote more than ten letters in succession, appointing ministers such as Guo Huai, Jiang Xin, Zhang Ping, etc. to go on diplomatic missions to the four states of Bing, You, Qing and Xu respectively.
When Prince Ji was mentioned, the image of the arrogant young man in red robe in the past immediately flashed before his eyes, and Prince An could not help but frowned.
One of them had a noble mother who had been arrogant since childhood and never restrained herself; the other had a humble mother who had to depend on others for support. Prince Ji had looked down on Prince An since he was young, and he had even mocked and bullied the latter. The relationship between these two people is not very good.
"Shuhe, when you meet Prince Ji, you must explain the pros and cons and promote an alliance."
But all the old feuds can now be put aside for the time being. Prince Ji has a strong military force and is indispensable. Therefore, Prince An of Xuzhou selected Guo Huai, who was the most intelligent, and gave him special instructions.
Later, he will send a message to Chu Zhu.
Guo Huai bowed solemnly: "I will definitely fulfill your mission!"
"good!"
…
Guo Huai traveled day and night, passed through Yanzhou, crossed the Heshui River, and arrived at Xiayi, Yuzhou on the morning of the fourth day to ask for an audience with King Ji.
Prince Ji disliked Prince An quite a bit. As they were both born to a palace maid whose mother had risen to power, Prince An's submissive demeanor disgusted him. In recent years he has understood the reason, but the impression has been so deep that it cannot be changed, and he is extremely disgusted by this way of development that regards the thief as his mother and brother, and his contempt has only increased.
It was Chu Zhu who persuaded him: "Your Highness, there is no need to come to the palace. Now that Xuzhou is facing a powerful enemy, there may be an opportunity to resist the enemy. Why not meet him?"
"In that case, let's meet."
Prince Ji sat at the head of the table. Seeing Guo Huai being led in for the ceremony, he raised his eyebrows and said, "I heard that Prince An's new wife is about to give birth. Your master is not in Hejian waiting for the birth of the new prince. Why did he send you here?"
On that day, Prince An abandoned his wife and fled the capital alone. He later married Gao and established a stable position in Jizhou. It is a decisive move, but it has also been criticized. Some people admire it very much, but there are also many who despise it.
As soon as Prince Ji met him, he mentioned his "new wife" and "new prince", which was not without sarcasm. Guo Huai paused, cupped his hands and smiled, "My master is in Yanzhou, and he has specially written a letter to present to His Royal Highness Prince Ji."
When the letter was presented to Prince Ji, he glanced at it with little interest but opened it anyway.
"The rebel king led 500,000 soldiers to the north, and his power is unmatched. If we don't come up with a good strategy to drive him out and annihilate him as soon as possible, the Central Plains and even the states north of the Yellow River will be in danger!"
Guo Huai bowed solemnly: "The only way to resist the enemy is to form an alliance!"
"Allied forces?"
The careless Prince Ji suddenly sat up straight. Guo Huai took a step forward and said loudly: "The threat from the rebel prince is imminent. My master has sent a letter to the three states of Youqing. Your Highness Prince Ji should think twice before acting!"
Guo Huai had followed Prince An for many years and knew that Prince Ji was arrogant. He did not use the usual methods to persuade him, but went straight to the point and explained all his seriousness in a concise manner.
"The rebel king has firmly established himself in Yuzhou. Tomorrow, the target of his sword will be Xuzhou!"
All the officials and generals from Xuzhou present had gloomy expressions.
Prince Ji lowered his eyes to think, glanced at Guo Huai, and said nothing, only asking the man to be taken away.
Although he did not like King An, whether to form an alliance or not was an extremely important military decision at this stage and he had to consider it seriously.
As soon as Guo Huai was dismissed, he immediately summoned all his ministers and generals to gather in the conference room to discuss the matter.
"Your Highness, I think the coalition is the best strategy!"
Chu Zhu received the news last night. He naturally spared no effort to promote the formation of the alliance. He stood up and said, "The King of Qi will soon attack Xuzhou. His military force is twice as strong as mine. It will be very difficult to stop him. If he loses, Xuzhou will be hard to protect."
"It would be a great help if we could borrow the power of the princes at this time!"
Chu Zhu's starting point was selfish, but it must be said that what he said was the truth. As the next target of the King of Qi, Xuzhou can no longer avoid war. Tying all the northern forces to the chariot is the best way to solve the current urgent problem.
Many of the ministers and generals present agreed.
Prince Ji looked at Yang Shu.
Yang Shu had been thinking for a long time. Seeing Prince Ji looking at him, he slowly nodded.
…
While the northern part of the Central Plains was turbulent, Liling in the rear was calm.
Shao Qing received a letter from Wei Jing's family in mid-February. In the letter, he mentioned official business and said that he missed his wife and daughter very much, but his daughter was still young and he didn't know whether it was good or bad for him to go out. He was distressed and asked for her opinion, and said that if she wanted to bring her daughter, she should remember to consult Yan Ming first.
Xu'er is ten months old and is a healthy and lively baby. In fact, Shao Qing felt that going out was not a big deal. After all, it was not too far and the climate did not change much. Besides, given her family's conditions, it was impossible for her children to suffer any hardship.
Just moving from one comfortable place to another comfortable place.
When asked, Yan Ming said that children should not be overly pampered. Not even allowing them to see the wind or go out of the room would do more harm than good. Xu'er is very healthy and there's nothing wrong with her.
Shao Qing felt at ease taking her daughter with her.
We passed through Nanping Pass, arrived in Yuzhou, and headed all the way to Pingyang.
"You'll see daddy soon, are you happy?"
As Pingyang got closer, Shao Qing was delighted. He hugged his daughter and said with a smile, "Wait a minute, remember to call me daddy, okay?"
Jiu'er crawled very fast, played with toys and imitated movements very flexibly. She could understand some of her mother's words and her emotions became richer. However, after two months of separation, she had completely forgotten about her father. It was only after Shao Qing taught her to call "Dad" every day that she learned to crawl.
This little girl could already call for help vaguely more than a month ago.
"Tsk!"
She shouted loudly, a not very standard "Dad", and giggled.
The mother and daughter were laughing and playing when suddenly a hurried sound of horse hooves came closer from afar. Shao Qing had already heard the news that Wei Jing was coming out to greet them in person. She was delighted and quickly lifted the curtain of the carriage. Sure enough, in the dust flying ahead, a handsome man with sword-like eyebrows and long eyes came riding a horse at full speed.
Wei Jing!
She was overjoyed. From afar, the couple's eyes met in joy. Shao Qing didn't dare to lift the curtain any further just waiting for him to come closer.
She had a little one in her arms, and she didn't dare let the dust raised by the galloping horse fly in.
Shao Qing withdrew his hand for a while. The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, but it did not stop. The carriage sank, the curtain was lifted, and a familiar tall figure appeared in front of him.
"Husband!"
She greeted him joyfully, and was embraced in a familiar embrace, with his thin lips pressed against her brow, and a pair of deep black eyes filled with joy.
"Ah Qing, ..."
“Ahhh!”
Wei Jing hadn't finished his words when he was interrupted by Yu'er. She felt a sense of crisis when she saw her mother being so intimate with a stranger. She pursed her lips and looked at the other person, then quickly stretched out her hand and pushed him.
After pushing, he raised his body and put his chubby face close to his mother's lips.
"Cool~"
Shao Qing kissed her and said with a smile: "This is Daddy. Didn't Mom tell you that we are here to find Daddy? Why don't you call me Daddy?"
father?
Very familiar words. Xu'er widened her almond-shaped eyes, which looked very similar to her mother's, and looked at her father curiously.
Wei Jing was happy and sad at the same time, as his daughter didn't even recognize him.
He leaned over and kissed her: "Xu'er, I am your father."
Babies are most sensitive to their mothers' emotions. When their mother smiled, Xu'er did not reject her. After Shao Qing coaxed her for a while, she shouted to Wei Jing, "Stop!"
Wei Jing was overjoyed. He took his daughter and kissed her again and again, "Yes, yes, Daddy's good daughter!"
Xu'er was ticklish and giggled. Wei Jing tried to tease her and called out to his daughter several times to coax her.
The man laughed deeply and the little baby girl giggled. Perhaps it was their nature, and the father and daughter soon became one and had a lot of fun.
Shao Qing watched with a smile.
The carriage moved slowly forward towards Pingyang City. At this moment, she was filled with joy, thinking that this time, the couple and father and daughter would at least be able to spend some time together.
But as she approached Pingyang City, she discovered that something seemed wrong.
The atmosphere is very tense.
Galloping scout horses kept coming in and out, and small groups of soldiers kept passing by in a hurry, wearing neat armor and with solemn expressions.
We just took over the four counties of Yuzhou. Aren’t we currently in a period of adjustment?
What's going on?
"Ah Qing, I'm afraid I won't be able to spend more time with you and Xu'er for the time being."
Shao Qing looked at him.
"Prince An sent envoys to You, Qing, and Xu to unite with Prince Ji, Wang Ji, Zhou Hong, and eleven forces in Bingzhou, with an army of 800,000 to attack us."
Prince Ji agreed to Prince An's request, as did Wang Ji, and most of the warlords in Bingzhou also agreed to this matter. Because Wei Jing was eyeing them covetously, the alliances were formed very quickly and each family had already taken action.
Due to Gan Yuan of Youzhou's deaf-muteness, the army was still far from the million-strong army that King An had expected, but it was still a large number.
A full eight hundred thousand.
The smile in Wei Jing's eyes had not yet faded, and his voice was gentle, but Shao Qing was shocked when he heard it.
"how so?"
Why did they suddenly form an alliance?
The 800,000 allied troops faced Wei Jing's 500,000 southern troops, which was a full 300,000 more troops.
She was in a state of confusion. Originally, it would have been safe to conquer one state at a time. No one had a force comparable to Wei Jing's. He had no shortage of counselors, many soldiers and generals, and extremely rich experience in fighting.
But, but now...
An army of 800,000, almost the entire Central Plains and the North are united together, right?
"This Prince An!"
Shao Qing was in a state of confusion and kept cursing Prince An. Wei Jing held her hand and comforted her softly.
"Although the allied forces have many soldiers, they all have their own leaders. They are not as good as me. Don't be afraid."
His voice was steady, his expression was calm, and deep in his dark and deep eyes, there was a sparkling light.
The fighting spirit is high.
After confirming the news, he was not afraid. Instead, he felt a burning sensation surging in his blood, washing through his veins.
This is a battle of changing circumstances.
But it is also a decisive battle.
This battle will decide the outcome of the battle!
This was not the first time Wei Jing faced a similar battle. The first time, he was still under the age of adulthood, and he inflicted severe damage on the Tatars, rendering them powerless to invade the south for 20 years. The second time, he defeated the imperial court's 600,000-strong encirclement army in one fell swoop, making the Tatars so frightened that they would never attack him again.
He was not afraid at all.
"Ah Qing."
Wei Jing's voice remained calm, and in the slightly dim carriage, his deep eyes flashed with a fierce light of determination.
"If we win this battle, the overall situation will be decided."
Including Ji, Qing, Xu and Yan, all five states were in his hands.
As for Sizhou, by then, it would be nothing more than something in his pocket, and he could take it if he wanted.
Cut the enemy into pieces.
The great Chu kingdom will also change hands.
The author has something to say: The battle to decide the outcome of the war is extremely difficult, and will be harder than before. Come on, classmate Wei! !
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