"The land south of Wuyang and Yishui is the best land in Yan State except near Jicheng. Foreign ministers can make the decision and cede it to Zhao State."
"However, the soil in Shanggu County is poor, mostly mountains, and there are foreign enemies such as the Xiongnu, Donghu, and Linhu in the north. Zhao State obtained Shanggu County. Although it increased the territory on the surface, it actually needed to send more soldiers to guard the border, which greatly increased the territory.
The burden on the country has been reduced. On the whole, the harm outweighs the benefit. I am planning for the king, so it is better to leave Shanggu in the Yan State, and let the Yan State help the king share the burden of foreign enemies." Jiang Qu looked like he was thinking about the Zhao State.
Although Shanggu County is not as prosperous as the Central Plains, it is actually not as bad as the canal said, and its strategic significance is of great importance.
Duxing, the last of the eight armies of Taihang, is located in Shanggu County. As long as Shanggu County is occupied, Zhao can attack from the north and south and send troops to destroy Yan at any time.
Jiang Qu obviously understood the reason, so he was unwilling to cede Shanggu County to his life or death.
Zhao Kuo thought for a while and realized that it would be difficult for Yan to cede the land of the two counties, so he said: "Let's do this. Yan will cede Shanggu County to Zhao, and then I will exchange Shanggu County and Yan for one person. That's it.
Once this happens, it means that Yan State has not ceded Shanggu County."
"May I ask who Zhao Jun wants to replace?" Jiang Qu asked.
"Li belly." Zhao Kuo said.
"Isn't Li Fu already captured by Mr. Zhao?" Jiang Qu was a little confused.
You already have everyone in your hands, what else do you need to change?
"He hasn't surrendered yet." Zhao Kuo said with a headache.
No matter Le Jian, Rong Ben, Qing Qin, or Ju Xin, they all surrendered after being captured. Only Li Fu, who was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, refused to surrender life and death, and even went on a hunger strike to commit suicide, like a stubborn donkey.
If Zhao Kuo hadn't taken a fancy to his talent, he would have given him a knife and asked him to kill himself.
But everyone has weaknesses, and so does Li Fu.
He is loyal to the Yan State. If the Yan State sells him to the Zhao State at this time, Li Fu's own belief will collapse in an instant, just like Tian Dan did back then.
When the time comes, it will be effortless for Zhao Kuo to recruit and surrender again.
"This... the foreign minister doesn't dare to make the decision." Jiang Qu was a little embarrassed.
Although King Yan ordered that he be solely responsible for the peace talks, he really didn't dare to sell the chestnut belly casually.
Even though Li Fu was defeated and captured, he was still nominally the Prime Minister of the Yan State, and he was still willing to die rather than surrender. He could not bear this responsibility.
"It's okay, you can send someone back to ask King Yan, and we will continue to talk about the rest." Zhao Kuo said.
He believed that King Yan would definitely agree.
"We, the State of Yan, are willing to surrender to the State of Zhao and offer ten thousand yi of gold in exchange for our prisoners." Jiang Qu leaned over and said.
"You want to exchange 10,000 yi of gold for 200,000 jinzhuang? Haha, sir, you are really a good calculator. How about this, I offer 20,000 yi of gold and only ask Yan State to sell it to me for another 100,000 jinzhuang. I don't know what to do?" Zhao
Kuo sneered.
There was some embarrassment on Jiang Qu's face, and he cupped his hands and said: "If Zhao Jun is not satisfied, our Yan State can add more. Moreover, it is useless for Zhao Jun to keep these captives. They have to be fed with food. If they are killed, they will be injured."
Tianhe."
"I will not hide anything from you sir. I can make concessions on all other conditions, but it is absolutely impossible for me to release these two hundred thousand captives back to the Yan Kingdom. You also know the reason. If these prisoners are released, what will happen to this situation?"
Fighting against our country Zhao is equivalent to fighting in vain." Zhao Kuo said in a deep voice.
"Can your Majesty have the heart to separate two hundred thousand wives and children?" Jiang Qu said sadly.
"It is your country of Yan that caused the separation of 200,000 families, wives and children, not this king." Zhao Kuo slammed the platform and said loudly, "If your country of Yan does not want their wives and children to be separated, you can let all their relatives move in
Zhao Guo. I hereby guarantee that all Yan people will be treated equally and will never be treated unfairly. Do you dare?"
"Your Majesty should know what the family records of the 200,000-strong army mean. If they are all handed over to the Zhao State, what is the difference between our Yan State and the subjugated state?" Jiang Qu said.
"Don't you think the country will perish if you don't give it?" Zhao Kuo's voice was full of chill.
"Is Mr. Zhao threatening our Yan country? If our Yan country perishes, Zhao will also perish." Jiang Qu stood up abruptly and said sternly.
Countries can watch Yan cede territory and seek peace, but they will never watch Zhao destroy Yan and become bigger and stronger step by step.
"I, the king, can give up the State of Zhao and retreat to the State of Yan. Where is your State of Yan?" Zhao Kuo said indifferently.
"..." Jiang Qu was speechless. He knew it was impossible for Zhao Kuo to do this, but what if?
In the end, although both Yan and Zhao suffered losses, Zhao State at least still had a glimmer of hope, while Yan State had nothing left, and everything they did would become the wedding dress of Qin, Qi, Han and Wei!
"I would like to ask Mr. Zhao to tolerate it for a few days, and the foreign minister will go back and discuss it with the king." He said through gritted teeth.
"Since you, sir, can't make the decision, why don't you let King Yan come over and talk to me." Zhao Kuo said directly.
Once the wrangling begins, it will be impossible to negotiate within ten days and a half. But now Yan State can afford to wait, Zhao State cannot afford to wait, and there are four countries attacking Zhao State behind the scenes.
In his opinion, the purpose of King Yan was to let the general pass the message and delay the time.
Then simply call King Yan over and the two monarchs can talk directly.
But what Zhao Kuo didn't know was that King Yan really wasn't trying to delay time this time, but that he really couldn't come!
Historically, King Yan Wucheng had to wait until next year to die, but this defeat was such a huge blow to him that he fell ill all of a sudden, and he may not be able to survive even this year.
"The king is seriously ill and cannot travel far. I hope King Zhao will forgive me." Jiang Qu sighed.
Zhao Kuo looked at the four people in Lejian and found that their eyes were a little surprised, and they immediately did not believe Jiang Qu's words. However, at this time, Liu Ping leaned over and whispered: "I have received news that King Yan is indeed seriously ill.
"
"Since King Yan is seriously ill, sir, please send someone back. It just so happens that Shanggu County has also reported the exchange of chestnut bellies. I can give you two days," Zhao Kuo said, as if Shanggu County had become
It belongs to the State of Zhao.
"The foreign minister obeys the order." He leaned over and retreated.
In less than two days, on the evening of the next day, the knights of Yan State hurried back and handed over the orders of King Yan to Jiang Qu.
He immediately asked to see Zhao Kuo: "Your Majesty agreed to exchange Li Fu for Shanggu County."
"King Yan is wise, but what about the relatives of the captives?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"The king did not agree." Jiang Qu shook his head.
Zhao Kuo was silent. He originally thought that he could even ask for part of it, but he didn't expect that Yan State would be so tough in this regard.
"The king said that our country, Yan, can exchange 20,000 yi gold and 15 cities for the captives. I wonder if King Zhao can agree?"
Jiang Qu's heart was filled with a sense of powerlessness. After this battle, even if the Zhao State returned the prisoners to the Yan State, the Yan State would not be able to recover within five years.
Zhao Kuo shook his head and said: "I should help the State of Yan to raise these prisoners."
He sighed deeply and did not continue to ask.
It is obvious that neither Yan nor Zhao are willing to give in in this regard.
Soon, both parties signed a peace treaty.
The peace treaty stipulated that Yan State ceded Shanggu County, Wuyang City, and all the land south of Yishui to Zhao State, and Zhao State exchanged Shanggu County for Yan Prime Minister Lifu.
The State of Yan compensated the State of Zhao with 1.3 million shi of grain, 50,000 jins of copper, and 50,000 jins of iron.
The State of Yan surrendered to the State of Zhao and was not allowed to send troops to attack the State of Zhao within five years.
As for the prisoners and family records, they were not mentioned.
Zhao Kuo knew that it was impossible for the Yan State to hand over the prisoner's family records.
General Qu also understood that it was impossible for Zhao Kuo to release the prisoners.
After signing the peace treaty, he looked back at the majestic and tall capital of Yan State hundreds of meters away, and his heart was filled with sadness.
From now on, this city no longer belongs to Yan State...
"Foreign minister, please leave." With a bitter look on his face, he bowed and turned to leave.
"The king is sending you off, sir." Zhao Kuo personally sent him to the north of the city. After returning, he said to the guard next to him, "Go and call Li Fu."
Not long after, Li Fu was brought into the camp. He didn't speak, but looked at Zhao Kuo coldly.
"Let's take a look." Zhao Kuo handed the peace treaty to the guard, who handed it to Li Fu.
When Li Fu took the contract and looked at it, he was stunned for a moment, his body trembled slightly, and two lines of tears spewed out of his eyes. He slowly knelt on the ground, facing the north, and cried bitterly.
"Your Majesty, why do I owe you anything? You want to sell me." Lifu roared hysterically.
The sky was surging with wind and clouds, and Li Fu's mental power rushed out of his mind crazily, sweeping up the sky and completely disregarding his own life and death. Everyone present felt a terrifying pressure spreading from Li Fu's body.
For about a quarter of an hour, Li Fu slowly calmed down, and his huge mental power gradually disappeared into his body. He stood up slowly, his stern face expressionless, and his whole person was as cold as cold iron. He walked to Zhao Kuo and leaned over.
Salute: "I, Li Fu, pay my respects to the king."
"Sir, please get up." Zhao Kuo helped Li Fu, "I have used some means to get my husband before. I hope you don't blame me."
"This matter is not your fault, Your Majesty." Li Fu shook his head, two cold gleams flashed in his eyes.
Compared with Zhao Kuo, the King of Yan who sold him was obviously more hateful.
"Sir, please take a seat." Zhao Kuo pointed to the seat next to him and said.
After Li Fu sat down, Zhao Kuo also walked to the seat and sat down.
"Send someone to pass the peace treaty back to Handan, and ask Pingyang Jun and his second brother to come over and take charge of the handover with Yan State. In addition, Hejian County was established in the area between the two rivers, with Wuyang as the county and Jinmao as Hejian County.
Sheriff." Zhao Kuo ordered.
The Yellow River is different from ordinary rivers. Generally speaking, rivers have many tributaries and few branches. As they go downstream, they merge into a main trunk.
But the Yellow River is different. It has many tributaries and even more branches. The whole land of Hebei is covered with its branches, and it is impossible to count how many there are.
The river flows near Wushe County and divides into two main trunks and numerous tributaries. Then the northern main trunk splits into two again near Wusui, and the northernmost end reaches near Jicheng.
There are nine large tributaries alone, known as the Nine Rivers, and there are countless small ones.
The river usually refers to the largest branch, which is the boundary between Zhao and Qi.
As for the Hejian County divided by Zhao Kuo, it was a large area north of Wusui, south of Wuyang, and east of the river.
There were no people living in this area during the Spring and Autumn Period. It was not until the Warring States Period that it was gradually developed. Historically, it was not until the Han Dynasty that it was developed into the granary of the world.
"I accept your order." Jin Yao immediately took a step forward, leaned over and said.
He has no objections to this arrangement. Rather than leading troops in battle, he really prefers to be in charge.
"If you are a prisoner..." Zhao Kuo couldn't help but feel a little pain when he thought of this.
Xunzi wants to investigate corruption, Zhao Bao wants to hand over to Yan State, Xu Li has not come back from visiting the farmers, Zhao Sheng is still on the party organization to provide relief through work, Lin Xiangru is recovering from illness, Yu Xin and Wei Qi need to sit in the central government, dignified
There is no one in Zhao State anymore!
"Dai County and Hejian County are each responsible for 50,000 prisoners, and the remaining 100,000 prisoners are left to Lejian, with Li Fu and Gongsun Long assisting," Zhao Kuo said.
"The last general/I accept the order." Lejian, Lifu, Gongsunlong and Jinbo leaned over and said.
"This king requires you to cultivate farmland, build water conservancy projects, and build city walls in Daijun, Zhongshan, Hejian and other places. All captives will be managed in a joint-seating system. If one person escapes, the whole group will sit together. If a group escapes, all will sit together, and so on.
Tell those prisoners that they can go home as long as they serve for five years. If they perform well, I can let them go back in advance." Zhao Kuo said.
All these 200,000 young men are free laborers and do not need to consume any money except for food and accommodation. Five years is enough to develop most of the land in the Hebei area of Zhao State.
And no one will scold Zhao Kuo for this. Prisoners do not have any human rights. Even the so-called celebrities and gentlemen will not put their thoughts on the prisoners.
Zhao Kuo did not kill them all, but promised to let them go after working for five years, which was very merciful.
You know, the prisoners killed by the old Qin family next door have piled up like a mountain.
"Don't be too harsh on the prisoners. You must provide enough food every day, and leave a certain amount of rest time. In addition, I will negotiate with the Yan State to take over their family papers, and tell them anything that the Yan State does not agree with." Zhao Kuo
Said again.
"No." Lejian and others said.
Li Fu's eyes suddenly widened and he looked at Zhao Kuo in shock. Others may not have noticed, but he immediately understood Zhao Kuo's plan.
The hatred caused by one's own people treating oneself badly is far more profound than the hatred caused by one's enemies treating oneself badly.
Similarly, the kindness to oneself by the enemy is much better than the kindness to oneself from one's own people, and one is more grateful in the heart.
These prisoners did not know a single Chinese character. They would not think about why the Yan State did not send their family documents to the Zhao State to reunite with them. They only knew that the Zhao State had made efforts for this, but the Yan State did not agree.
As a result, their original hatred for the State of Zhao would be transferred to the State of Yan.
What's more, the Yan State was originally sorry for these soldiers. Every time the rewards were exploited, very few fell into their hands, or even none.
Now Zhao State is not harsh on them, and they only need to work for five years to return to Yan State. For most people, five years is not a long time, and it will pass after they endure it.
However, in the past five years, their hatred for the Yan Kingdom has continued to deepen.
Even if Zhao Kuo adds some "material" in the middle, even if these prisoners finally return to Yan State, they will not become Yan people, but "Zhao people" in Yan State!
In the end, Yan State found that there was no way, because Yan State could no longer expel or kill these people, let alone separate them!