Chapter One Hundred and Thirty The Good News of Dai County
"What do you think, sir?" King Yan rubbed his head, tried to concentrate, and looked at Jiang Qu.
I don't know what's going on these days, but he feels more and more weak physically.
At the beginning of his succession, Chu and the Three Jins attacked the Yan State, and the country was in chaos. In order to help the Yan State settle down as soon as possible, he often worked continuously until late at night, and he was still energetic the next day without any fatigue.
Now, as long as I sit in front of the eucalyptus desk for half an hour, I will be in a daze, and I will even forget the things I just dealt with.
This time, I almost forgot about such an important thing as fighting on the front line!
Because of this incident, King Yan's temper became more and more irritable and weird.
"I am getting old before my time." King Yan felt a surge of sadness in his heart.
He did not dare to tell anyone about this matter. The Yan State was in a state of chaos at the moment. If something happened to him again, the Yan State would face the same situation as the Zhao State now.
Moreover, Yan State does not have the strength of Zhao State.
Once he dies in the middle, Yan will face the danger of national destruction.
"Seek peace." Jiang Qu said solemnly.
"Isn't it okay to stick to it?" King Yan asked, because he was unwilling to seek peace in his heart.
"Zhao has many famous generals, and its soldiers are good at fighting. The allied forces of the four countries are all on the border of Zhao. Therefore, water from far away cannot quench the thirst of the people nearby. Moreover, Zhao's army is facing a tight front, and it is difficult for our country to stop it from moving north." Jiang Qu pondered for a moment, then leaned over and said.
.
"If the king wants to continue to hold on, I would like to ask the king to make Qin Kai his general."
Qin Kai was a famous general of the Yan State. He and Le Yi were two sides of the Yan State. One went south and almost destroyed the Qi State, while the other opened up the north and was two thousand miles away from the east. This is how the current Yan State came into being.
The strong soldiers of Liaodong were trained by Qin Kai and became the pride of Yan State.
If there is any famous general in the Yan Kingdom who can compete with other countries, then it must be Qin Kai.
Unfortunately, after the death of King Yan Zhao, Le Yi left the Yan State, and Qin Kai, who was close to Le Yi, was also hidden away and was not reused.
King Yan looked hesitant. If it had been before, he would have chosen to use Qin Kai without hesitation, but it was different now. In addition to external troubles, Yan State also had internal worries - his body.
King Yan knew very well that his body was very likely not to survive next year.
After his death, can his son control Qin Kai?
"Let's make peace." King Yan said slowly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his body.
"May I ask, Your Majesty, the bottom line is..." Jiang Qu asked cautiously.
He did not dare to be like Zhao Kuo and directly bypass King Zhao and talk to Qin. This kind of matter must be decided by the monarch. Even so, they may be blamed by the monarch afterwards.
This is a thankless task, but there is no way. Now that there is no one in the Yan Kingdom, he can only be the envoy.
"South of Yishui." King Yan gritted his teeth and said. If it weren't for his physical weakness and the urgent need for internal stability in Yan State, he would never have paid so much.
Originally, he attacked Zhao State this time to get rid of a foreign enemy for his descendants. Unexpectedly, not only did he not get rid of it, but he also completely offended him!
"No." Jiang Qu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, King Yan was not so stingy, otherwise it would have been difficult. The area south of Yishui was equivalent to half a county. He hoped that Zhao Guo's appetite would not be too big. He leaned over
A salute, "It is no longer necessary to delay, I plan to set off south immediately."
"Yan Guo, I'll leave it to you, sir." King Yan personally sent him to the outside of Jicheng. He bowed and bowed, and watched him leave. Then he slowly turned around, raised his head and looked at the tall and majestic Jicheng. His eyes suddenly felt like
In some cases, the body fell to one side involuntarily.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Hurry, go and fetch the imperial doctor." The eunuchs around him suddenly looked panicked. While fetching the imperial doctor, they carried King Yan to the car and drove quickly towards the city.
…
On the other side, Zhao Kuo quickly recovered all the lost territory of Zhao State, and then divided his troops into three groups. One group had Pang Nuan as the general, commanding an army of 20,000, and attacked the lower reaches of Yishui from Qi Di Pingshu. The other group had Yanzhou as the general, commanding 20,000 troops. The army marched north along the Qian River to attack the Guo region of Yan State and relocated their territory.
At the end of the journey, Zhao Kuo personally commanded an army of 40,000 troops and approached Wuyang City, the capital of Yan State.
Wuyang was once built by King Zhao of Yan and was one of the three capitals of the Yan Kingdom. It was the most prosperous city in the Yan Kingdom. It was no less than Jicheng, the capital of the Yan Kingdom, in terms of city size and area, as well as population and economy.
Moreover, its geographical location is particularly advantageous. It is adjacent to Yishui in the south. Its handicrafts and industries are very developed. It is the largest military manufacturing factory in Yan State. More than half of the weapons of Yan State are made in Wuyang.
It is also located at the exit of Puyinxing, one of the eight mountains in Taihang, and is the passage connecting Yan State to Dai and Taiyuan. With developed commerce, the Yan army attacked Daijun of Zhao State from Puyinxing.
As long as the Zhao army captures Wuyang, it will cut off Qing Qin's retreat route and achieve what Bai Qi did to the Zhao army.
However, Zhao Kuo had just seen off Pang Nuan's army and Yan Zhou's army, and before they could get on the road, an uninvited guest came to the army.
After the announcement, he walked leisurely into the camp and looked ahead, as if he didn't see the murderous soldiers holding spears on both sides.
"The foreign minister asked him to pay homage to Mr. Zhao." As soon as he entered the door, he saw Le Jian and Rong Ben sitting on both sides. His face suddenly changed, and he recovered in an instant. He pretended not to know anything and looked down calmly. Salute.
Lejian and Rongben were a little embarrassed, but after all, they were both people who had experienced strong winds and waves, and they quickly returned to normal.
Zhao Kuo gave him a look, and a guard immediately moved the chair over.
Jiang Qu was not surprised to see the chair and sat down directly. He had seen a similar bed in Donghu before. Although it was not exactly the same, it was not much different overall.
If you see a chair in other countries, you may feel a little strange about it, but in Zhao State, there is nothing strange about it.
Back then, King Wu Ling rode and shot in Hufu, even throwing away the servants of his ancestors. Now it is just a Hu chair, what's the fuss about it.
It would be strange if Zhao Guo didn't make some moves.
"I wonder what brought Yan Envoy here?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"He came to negotiate peace. This time Yan State attacked Zhao State because he believed the Qin State's slander. It was not what the king wanted. In fact, the king often said in front of his ministers that Mr. Zhao was young and promising and was his role model. He wanted to We have always struggled to have a good relationship with the State of Zhao, but this time we, the State of Yan, are willing to take this opportunity to re-establish the alliance between Yan and Zhao and restore the good relationship between the two families." He leaned over and said.
"Don't talk nonsense, tell me the conditions directly, I will continue the march later." Zhao Kuo waved his hands repeatedly, looking impatient.
"We, the State of Yan, are willing to cede the three cities of Gecheng, Guocheng and Mocheng to the State of Zhao in exchange for the State of Zhao to stop its troops." Upon seeing this, Jiang Qu did not dare to continue to go around for fear of offending Zhao Kuo, so he said directly. However, he also said It's impossible to expose Yan's bottom line right away.
To talk about peace, to talk about peace, doesn’t it have to be done first?
"Continue." Zhao Kuo leaned back, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Jiang Qu.
Seeing this, Jiang Qu's heart suddenly became cold, and he gritted his teeth and said, "If Zhao Jun is not satisfied, our Yan State is willing to dedicate all the land south of Baoshui (Nanyishui) to Zhao State."
Zhao Kuo said nothing.
Jiang Qu had no choice but to tell Yan State's bottom line: "We, the State of Yan, are willing to cede all the land south of Yishui."
"I, the State of Zhao, can go get it myself." Zhao Kuo said nonchalantly.
The area south of Yishui is not the essence of Yan State. It is often flooded, and it belongs to Zhao State for a period of time. Even if it is lost, Yan State will not be too distressed.
What Zhao Kuo wants is to cut off a large piece of flesh from Yan State so that it will not dare to attack Zhao State within ten years!
How could he be satisfied with just the land south of Yishui?
Jiang Qu didn't expect Zhao Kuo to be so difficult to deal with. He didn't even follow the superficial etiquette and openly talked about killing and invading the Yan Kingdom.
What about aristocratic etiquette?
"May I ask what Lord Zhao wants?" Jiang Qu asked in a deep voice. He had already told King Yan the bottom line, but Zhao Kuo had not agreed. Even if he risked being punished, adding a few more cities would not be useful.
As for more, it's not up to him to decide.
Now, he could only find a way to test Zhao Kuo's bottom line, and then go back to discuss with King Yan.
"First, the State of Yan cedes Wuyang City and all the land south of Yishui. Second, it compensates our country for one million stones of grain. There are no specific requirements for the type of grain. Corn, wheat, rice, and soybeans will all do. Third, all Yan troops will be
The families of the captives were sent to the Kingdom of Zhao. Fourth, we declared war on the four kingdoms of Qin, Qi, Korea, and Wei, and sent 100,000 troops to help our country attack the four kingdoms." Zhao Kuo said slowly.
What he wants most here is actually food and population. As for land, although it is important, it is far less important than population. Especially there is a large area of land south of Yishui that is a floodplain area, which is difficult to manage and requires a lot of manpower and material resources.
It's hard to see results.
Moreover, Zhao State is not short of land now. Whether it is Hebei or Hetao, if it is developed, it will be as fertile as the Central Plains, but it has not been fully developed yet.
The most important point is that the population of Zhao State is insufficient.
As for the last one, it is purely because Zhao Kuo hates Yan and Qin, Qi, Han and Wei. The five countries have joined forces to hate Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo will definitely retaliate. He wants to see if Yan changes sides, what will happen to the other four countries?
Why do you have the face to continue attacking Zhao?
"This is absolutely impossible." Jiang Qu stood up immediately and said loudly.
He didn't even need to go back to ask King Yan for instructions on this condition. He knew that King Yan would not agree to it, because it was impossible for him to agree to it.
This is more than just cutting off the flesh of Yan State, it is simply amputation of Yan State's limbs.
What is the concept of family members of a 130,000-strong army? Even if brothers and sisters are not included, only parents, husband, wife, and children are counted, it is still more than 400,000.
There are only more than one million people in the Yan Kingdom, and one-third of them are Han Chinese.
"Our country can cede at most the land south of Yishui, plus 300,000 shi of grain." Jiang Qu said in a deep voice.
"Then the State of Yan will just wait for the Zhao State's army to arrive at Jicheng. I hope that the envoy of Yan will still be so strong-willed." Zhao Kuo said.
"Add another Wuyang City!" Jiang Qu was ready to go back and be punished.
But he had no choice. Zhao Kuo had no access to oil and salt, and the Zhao army was elite. Whether it was the soldiers he saw when he first entered the camp or the generals in the room, they were not comparable to those of Yan.
For the sake of Yan State, he could only risk being punished by King Yan.
"I can remove the last condition." Zhao Kuo said.
"In this case, our country, Yan, can only fight to the death." He stopped his chest and said forcefully.
"Oh." Zhao Kuo waved his hand, looking indifferent.
"Foreign minister, please retire." He handed him over and walked out angrily with a livid face.
"Wait." Zhao Kuo suddenly stopped him.
"I wonder if Zhao Jun still has something to do?" He pretended to be angry, but he was happy in his heart.
Finally stopped me!
"I don't know what position you hold in the Yan State?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"The foreign minister is stupid, let me be the doctor." His heart darkened, and the hope he had just ignited was extinguished again, but he still leaned forward and said.
"If you, sir, come to our country of Zhao, I would like to treat you as a minister," Zhao Kuo said.
Rong Chen's eyes showed envy. Until now, although Zhao Kuo treated him very politely, he had never given him a title or official position.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for your kindness. It's just that foreign ministers are used to being in the Yan Kingdom." Jiang Qu said.
"Sigh." Zhao Kuo sighed deeply, "General Lejian once told me that there are many officials in Yan Guoqing, but they are all mediocre and wise. I want to keep you by my side so that I can often ask for advice.
Since your husband is not willing, I will not force you to do so, but I have already arranged a banquet, and I hope that your husband will appreciate it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jiang Qu felt moved, and thought that he might try to persuade Zhao Kuo at the banquet, so he agreed.
"This banquet is not for the envoys of Yan, but for the generals." During the banquet, Zhao Kuo raised his glass and said.
After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Kuo gestured to the left and right. Le Cheng, Yan Xiong and others immediately understood what Zhao Kuo meant and approached him one after another to toast him. General Qu kept asking Zhao Kuo to toast him, hoping to make Zhao Kuo relent.
But who was Zhao Kuo, and how could he let Jiang Qu succeed?
He also kept vigilance in his heart. After feeling a little tipsy, he immediately stopped drinking, no matter how much others tried to drink him, it was useless.
After the banquet, it was already night, and Zhao Kuo sent him out of the camp.
"Report, Your Majesty, a victory report for the county." At this time, a cavalryman quickly rushed into the military camp, dismounted, knelt on one knee, and held up a battle report.
Zhao Kuo recognized that the person coming was one of Zhao Feiqi's thousand-man generals.
Generally, when a general of this level is sent to report, it is either a great victory, and it does not matter if there is one more general or one less in the army. Or it is a great defeat, and support is urgently needed, and a significant one needs to be sent back.
But from what the thousand-man general said just now, it is clear that Zhao Jun won a great victory this time!
Jiang Qu, who was about to leave, suddenly froze and stopped.
"Nian." Zhao Kuo said.
The centurion glanced at Jiang Qu with a hesitant look on his face. As a veteran who had been on the battlefield for nearly twenty years, he could tell at a glance that he was from the Yan Kingdom by his clothes.
And what they are fighting this time is Yan State!
"It's okay, just read it." Zhao Kuo waved his hand and didn't mind eavesdropping.
"No," the centurion read loudly, "I report to you, the commander of the Yan army, Qing Qin, led the entire Yan army to surrender."
"What!" Qing Qin was shocked when he heard it. He almost became paralyzed and fell to the ground.
"How is this possible? How can Qing Qin surrender?"