A mighty 20,000-piece Chu army set out from Licheng and marched eastward. Along the way, chariots rumbled, flags covered the sun, fighting clashed and the pace was vigorous.

Since the reorganization of troops in Licheng, Zhoushi has systematically deployed the army. Moreover, Licheng is the military hub of Jibei County and has a full treasury. If Zhoushi's army had not been extremely powerful, it would not have been easy to conquer Licheng.

thing.

Not long ago, Zhou Shi set his sights on Linzi County. He did not intend to annex Linzi, but Linzi County was adjacent to the sea and was one of the important salt producing areas in this era. This is why Zhou Shi strongly moved his troops to this place.

Because of this, Zhou Shi did not want to injure too many soldiers, and did not want to fight in Linzi and severely weaken his own vitality, so he came to intimidate the magistrate of Di County, hoping to attack Linzi County without any bloodshed.

At this time, the army was still marching eastward in a mighty manner, entraining dust and blocking the sunlight.

Several scouts galloped on the country road. They avoided the large group of people and went straight to the Chinese army. Soon, they saw Zhou Shi, who was dressed in silver armor not far away. They hurriedly marched forward. Soon, they arrived at Zhou Shi.

In front of him, he jumped off his horse, knelt on one knee, and said loudly: "General, we have the latest battle report!"

Zhou Shi halted his horse, and behind him, Chen Ping and Li Yan also stopped. At this time, a follower behind Zhou Shi ran over and took a bamboo slip from the scout. The bamboo slip was written by the scout Bai Chang.

At that time, the bamboo slips had been delivered to Zhou Shi. Zhou Shi took a quick look and saw that his face was extremely ugly. Soon, Zhou Shi turned around and ordered: "Camp in the open space ahead, stop the army!"

Seeing the change in Zhou Shi's expression, everyone knew that something big must have happened, but they didn't want to ask more questions, so they had to accept the order and leave.

Next to a mountain col three hundred miles north of the Ji River, 20,000 Chu troops set up camp. On both sides of the mountain road, there were scouts patrolling. After about five hours, the camp was basically completed. The soldiers were busy going up the mountain to cut down trees.

Make antlers and prepare to spend the night here.

In an inconspicuous mountain forest, Zhou Shi's commander's camp stood proudly here. There were more than a hundred people patrolling the door. Inside the camp, an oil lamp was lit, and several people gathered around the map. Zhou Shi was silent.

After a while, it finally opened

Mouth: "I have just received the latest battle report. Tian Dan, a descendant of the Qi royal family, killed the magistrate of Di County and established his own army in Di County. Under the banner of Qi State, he recruited troops and horses. The four parties responded. At this time, he had more than 30,000 troops.

People, the momentum is huge."

When Zhou Shi said this, he looked at the crowd and saw that everyone was staring at him. Zhou Shi said again: "Moreover, I heard that he has sent troops to the mausoleum to set up defenses there and prepare to fight our army. Now the situation has changed.

We have to discuss countermeasures, war or peace?"

Zhou Shi's words carry great weight. When they first marched eastward, Linzi County was still in the hands of Qin. They could use the slogan of attacking Qin to call on the people of Qi to rise up against Qin. Then Zhou Shi would hold high the banner of righteousness and mobilize troops to attack Qi.

The land can be determined, but at this time, Tian Dan is holding high the banner of righteousness in Qi, and the people are responding. So if Zhou Shi intervenes in Qi, can he still get the support of the people of Qi?

If it cannot get support, then it will be difficult for Zhou Shi to gain a foothold in Qi. This is an invasion. If it is not done well, it will lead to enmity with the Qi State, and the gain will not be worth the loss.

But Li Yan didn't think so. He was a war general, and his thoughts were always to conquer the Lord. At this time, he slapped the case and said angrily: "There is nothing to be afraid of in a small field. Besides, we have traveled thousands of miles across mountains and rivers. How can we do it?"

Are you going to withdraw from the army?"

Zhou Shi was struck by Li Yan's words. If he retreated, his morale would definitely be dampened. Thinking of this, Zhou Shi couldn't help but sigh. One wrong step, one wrong step, how should it end at this time?

Just when Zhou Shi looked helpless, Chen Ping said with a smile: "General, are you worried about how to withdraw the army?"

When Zhou Shi was told the central issue by Chen Ping, he couldn't help but ask: "Is there any good strategy?"

Chen Ping nodded, looked at the map again, and sighed: "What can the general do even if he occupies all the land? Once we return to attack Wei, we must stay in Linzi with a heavy army, otherwise the place will be unstable. But once we return to attack Wei, we will have to stay in Linzi.

There are heavy troops left, so how many troops can we take away?

From Linzi to Dongjun, the battle line is so long. How many troops and horses do we need to maintain it, and how many logistical troops and horses do we need to transport supplies? Therefore, the general might as well give up the eastward march, sell favors to Tian Dan, and form an alliance with Qi State in the future.

But wouldn’t it be better to be Wei’s backup?”

Zhou Shi listened to Chen Ping's analysis and thought secretly in his heart. Chen Ping's words hit the mark, but what Zhou Shi was thinking about at this time was how to explain to the soldiers, and what excuse could he use to legitimately retreat?

At this time, Chen Ping continued to smile and said: "If you don't give up, general, I am willing to send an envoy to the state of Qi. I have already spoken with my tongue to persuade the state of Qi to form an alliance. But why don't you, general? There are Qin troops in Dongjun, and our army is in danger in the rear."

So, withdraw your troops and march westward? At that time, who would dare to discuss this matter in vain?"

After a brief silence, both Zhou Shi and Li Yan thought Chen Ping's strategy was good, and the three of them laughed in unison.

...

Ten days later, a cavalry team of thirty people came along the mountain road to the south gate of Yuling County. There were heavy troops stationed outside the gate, and antlers lay on both sides of the road. At this time, a group of Qi soldiers wearing green military robes

They gathered around and shouted: "Who is it?"

"Please tell King Qi that Chen Ping, Zhou Shi's special envoy, is here to visit." Immediately, Chen Ping cupped his hands and said.

At this time, an officer of the Qi Army stopped Chen Ping and his party and ordered the soldiers to restrain themselves. Then he turned his horse's head and ran towards the city. After about a stick of incense, the officer ran back again and shouted the order.

He said: "Your Majesty, please come with me."

Under the escort of more than a hundred Qi soldiers, Chen Ping and others walked through the long streets towards the county government office. Outside the county government office, the Qi army formed an array in two groups. At this time, there was the sound of military music in the county government office.

A young officer wearing brown leather armor came out and said with a smile: "Are you General Chen Ping? My king is waiting, please come with me."

The defense in the county government office was extremely tight. Chen Ping and others crossed several barriers before arriving at the living room. At this time, Tian Dan was already sitting high and had been waiting for a long time.

"Chen Ping, under Zhou Shi, has met the king." Chen Ping stepped forward and bowed his hands, but Tian Dan ignored Chen Ping. The hall was very quiet. All the generals of the Qi army glared at Chen Ping, as if they had deep hatred.

After about a cup of tea, Tian Dan asked: "Your Zhang Chu army did not obey the rules and invaded our territory of Qi. What do you say?"

Seeing that Tian Dan was neglecting him for this, Chen Ping couldn't help laughing and said: "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. When we sent troops to march eastward, we also wanted to liberate Qi and support the Qi royal family to control Qi. Now that your Majesty has risen, my general will not

If you dare to offend the power of Heaven, you hereby retreat, and let me come to Yuling, pay homage to the king, and offer a little bit of our heart."

When Chen Ping said this, he turned around and looked at one of his attendants. The attendant immediately took the box and took a step forward. A chamberlain had already come to pick up the box and brought it to Tian Dan. The chamberlain opened the box and found a pair of jade slips inside.

, very beautiful. At this time, Chen Ping said with a smile: "My general asked me to pay homage to the king again and again to congratulate the king on his enthronement. If there is an opportunity in the future, my general will pay a visit to congratulate the king."

Now that Zhou Shi has retreated to this point, Tian Dan couldn't put too much pressure on him, so he had to smile and said: "It seems that I have misunderstood. Come and have a banquet. I want to help General Chen wash away the dust."

...

When Zhou Shi's army arrived at Fan Yang, it was already the end of March. At this time, Chen Ping had returned and reported Tian Dan's willingness to form an alliance to Zhou Shi. Zhou Shi was also happy about this.

But soon, another great event came one after another. Zhoushi, where Fan Yang had been stationed for nearly half a month, welcomed envoys from the State of Zhao and the State of Qi. They followed the national etiquette and came to visit.

At this time, in the county government office, Zhang Er, the envoy from the State of Zhao, and Tian Xian, the envoy from the State of Qi, Gaoling Jun, walked towards the lobby together. At this time, Zhou Shi quickly came up to greet them. Everyone greeted each other and walked towards the lobby together.

Laughter resounded throughout the hall, and soon everyone took their seats one after another. At this time, several of his followers brought tea, placed them on the tables in front of everyone, and turned around to leave.

Zhang Er picked up the teacup, took a sip, and spoke first: "My king asked me to pay tribute to General Zhou again and again."

At this point, Zhang Er nodded slightly to Tian Xian, expressed his apology, and then continued: "The majesty of General Zhou has spread throughout Wei. The people of Wei are all on the same side and serving in front of the army. My king specially ordered me to bring fifty chariots."

I will give it to the general as a gift, and declare the general as the King of Wei, to regain the Wei Kingdom and fight against the Qin Dynasty."

After Zhang Er finished speaking, Tian Xian also smiled and said: "My king also presented fifty chariots. I hope that the general can ascend to the throne and become the king and regain the Wei industry. You, me, Zhao, and the Chu family can work together and violently attack Qin."

Destroy."

The words of the two made Zhou Shi sigh with emotion, what a glorious thing it would be to ascend to the throne and become king. The Zhou family has been loyal to Wei for generations, who would dare to have such an idea?

But more importantly, Zhou Shi saw from the purpose of the two men that they had another purpose in admonishing him to become king, which was to make the Wei State become the first line of defense outside Hangu Pass and become the backbone of their two families.

The barrier allowed him to directly face the Qin State. However, Zhou Shi could directly ignore these, but he could not be sorry for Wei Jiu or the oath he had made.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Shi first let out a long sigh, then stood up and walked around in the hall, pretending to think, and then stared at the two of them and sighed: "I was granted the title of Lord Canghai in the Kingdom of Wei, followed Wei Gongzi Jiu, and lived far away in Suiyang.

, the purpose is to support Wei Jiu, a descendant of the Wei State, to become king. Now that he has just established his feet, he has tampered with the throne and betrayed his oath. Just imagine, how can I, Zhou Shi, face the elders of the Wei State?"

At this point, Zhou Shi handed over to the two of them and sighed: "But I am grateful for the good intentions of the two countries. Tomorrow soon, I will support Wei Jiu to ascend the throne. At that time, I will personally go out as an envoy to make a bloody alliance with your country.

, we will always be united."

Seeing that Zhou Shi had no intention of becoming king, the two of them could only hold their hands and smile and said: "I am willing to wait for this day to come."

...

At the end of May, Zhou Shi's army returned to Puyang, stationed troops in Puyang City, and conducted rigorous training. By this time, Zhou Shi's troops had expanded to more than 40,000 people.

In the school grounds, Zhou Shi inspected the army training situation, waved the flag and commanded the formation in person. However, besides the training, Zhou Shi also lamented that time was wasted. In the blink of an eye, he had been fighting for nearly two years. Looking back, Wei Jiu was still there.

Chen County was waiting for him so hard that Zhou Shi felt a trace of sadness in his heart.

Three days later, Zhou Shi finally made up his mind to go to Chen County to welcome Wei Jiu back and help him become king.
Chapter completed!