"Your Majesty, the Great Wall of Qin is in front of us." Wei Shun, the governor of Hexi County, said, pointing to the Great Wall on the other side of the Wuding River.
The Great Wall of the Qin State was not used to defend the Huns and other barbarians, but to defend the Zhao State.
The terrain of the Qin State is difficult. To the east are Hangu Pass, Zhi Pass, and the Yellow River. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. To the north, although it is not a flat plain, there are no male passes to garrison.
In order to find a way to destroy Qin, King Wuling of Zhao once traveled south from Hetao to survey the terrain, and finally arrived in Xianyang.
After Qin Wangji learned about it, his expression suddenly changed.
For a long time, the main forces of the Qin State were placed in the east, and the remaining forces were deployed in Longxi and Bashu to deal with Yiqu and Nanman. There were no troops stationed in the north.
Once Zhao's cavalry marches straight in from north to south, the entire Guanzhong will fall under Zhao's iron heel, and Qin will inevitably suffer heavy losses.
In order to resist Zhao's cavalry, King Ji of Qin recruited civilians and built the Great Wall on the south bank of the Wuding River.
However, the Great Wall did not play a long-term role. King Wuling of Zhao died within a few years, and the State of Zhao also changed from strategic offense to strategic defense. After that, Fushi and other places were captured by the Qin State, and the Qin Great Wall was gradually abandoned.
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Until Zhao Kuo recaptured Fushi again and established Hexi County. In order to defend Zhao's cavalry, Qin sent people to repair the Great Wall.
Zhao Kuo patrolled along the Wuding River for two or three miles. There were not many Qin troops on the other side. There were patrols and guards every thirty or fifty meters, but the defense was very tight.
As soon as Zhao Kuo and others appeared, there was movement on the other side of the river. Soon, a strong and powerful Qin army appeared on the other side of the Wuding River.
There were no provocative words or friendly conversations. Neither side said a word. Zhao Kuo continued to observe the Qin army's defense as if he had not seen the Qin army.
The open space between the Great Wall and Wuding River was cut down very cleanly, without a single tree. If the Zhao army made a sneak attack, they would be discovered by the Qin army from a long distance.
After crossing the river, they will inevitably face a fierce attack from the Qin army.
The Qin army followed step by step on the other side. If Zhao Kuo took a step, they would take a step. If Zhao Kuo stopped, they would stop.
"Has Qin made any tentative attacks in the past few years?" Zhao Kuo glanced at the Qin army and asked.
"No." Wei Shun shook his head, "Since Hexi returned to our Zhao State, the Qin State has been staying on the other side of the river without any drastic actions."
"If Qin comes with a large army, what will Wei Qing do?" Zhao Kuo looked at Wei Shun.
Zhao's Hexi County is only a small county with a small territory and few people. It only has one strong city, Fushi, and it does not have the Great Wall to rely on like Qin. It is also very far away from Handan. Once Qin sends the main force to attack, Hexi County will not be able to hold on.
Sex is minimal.
Hexi County serves as a barrier to the Hetao. Once Hexi County is lost, the Hetao will face the risk of being split in two by the Qin State, so Hexi County must not be lost.
"Strengthen the walls and clear the country, waiting for reinforcements." Wei Shun thought for a moment and answered honestly, not exaggerating about Haikou.
He knew that his king was a man who knew the military and was very familiar with the Qin army's combat effectiveness. Exaggerating about Haikou would not only not attract the king's attention, but would also make him feel disgusted.
"How long can we guard it?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"If an army of 100,000 comes to attack, I can defend for three months. If an army of 200,000 comes to attack, I can defend for one month. If there are more than 200,000, I...I can't guarantee it." Wei Shun lowered his head and said.
This was the best outcome he expected. There were only tens of thousands of people in Hexi County. Excluding women, old people, and children, there were not even 20,000 strong men. It was impossible for anyone but a famous general to stop the main force of the Qin army.
Although Wei Shun was conceited, he knew better how much he weighed.
"If the Qin State comes with an army of 200,000, please be sure to hold on for a month and wait for the reinforcements to arrive. If after one month, the reinforcements have not arrived, whether you surrender or flee, I will not blame you. If the Qin army exceeds 20
Wan, I will not blame you for allowing you to abandon the city, but before abandoning the city, please ask Wei Qing to send information to Handan and Hetao so that I can prepare." Zhao Kuo said solemnly.
To be honest, the possibility of Qin sending more than 200,000 troops to attack Hexi County is very small, and it can even be said to be impossible.
Hexi County has no minerals, is not a wealthy plain, is not a place of prosperous commerce, is not a strategic location, and is far away from Xianyang, making it difficult to transport grain and troops. Although it is next to the Yellow River, water transportation is not possible near Longmen of the Yellow River.
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The Qin State sent a partial army to attack Hexi County.
But Zhao Guo did not dare to gamble.
Hexi County is of average value to the Qin State, but it is of vital importance to the Zhao State. If the Qin State sees that there is no hope of expanding eastward and sets its sights on Hetao, it will inevitably attack the Hexi County of the Zhao State and threaten the Hetao.
Hetao is one of the future granaries of Zhao State and must not be missed.
One month was enough time to deliver the news to Handan and send troops over.
If Zhao Feiqi is the fastest and travels at full speed, it will only take a few days to reach Hexi from Handan.
If the Qin army exceeds 200,000, then Zhao will be prepared to face a major battle on the level of the Battle of Changping, and the gains and losses of one city or one place will no longer be so important.
However, Zhao Kuo knew that Qin would not take this path unless absolutely necessary.
The most attractive thing for the Qin State has always been the prosperous Central Plains.
Moreover, Qin and Zhao are the two most powerful countries in the world. Once a war breaks out, no matter who loses or wins, the other five countries will definitely benefit in the end. Just like the Battle of Changping, whether it is in this life or in history, the two countries will win.
The country was destroyed.
It was Wei and South Korea who gained the greatest benefits, and successfully obtained all the land east of Qin's Hangu Pass.
Historically, the war between Qin and Zhao lasted longer. It took more than two years for the Battle of Changping and more than two years for the Battle of Handan. After the Battle of Handan, South Korea and Wei also took the opportunity to defeat Qin and recapture the east of Hangu Pass.
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Therefore, both Qin and Zhao are trying their best to avoid direct conflict between the two sides and prevent this kind of thing from happening again.
"I will never betray your Majesty's trust." Wei Shun said with clasped fists.
If Zhao Kuo directly ordered that no matter how many troops came, they must hold on, he might feel strange.
But now he is only allowed to hold on for a month. If the Qin army exceeds 200,000, he can abandon the city, which instantly made him feel a lot more determined.
"Go back." Zhao Kuo turned around and walked towards Fushi.
Lin Hujun and Lou Fanjun looked at each other and quickly followed.
After receiving Zhao Kuo's order, they both rushed to Jinyang despite some inner struggles.
The two of them thought that what awaited them would be a series of questioning and warnings, and that they might even be stripped of their status as kings.
Who would have thought that Zhao Kuo just said a few words and said that he had not seen each other for several years and missed you two very much. However, Zhao Kuo has been carrying out reforms in the past few years and really couldn't get away. This time he finally had some free time, so he
Invite you two to come over and inspect the Kingdom of Zhao together.
The two of them were on tenterhooks for a few days, wondering what tricks Zhao Kuo was playing, but nothing happened. Two days later, Zhao Kuo set off for Hexi County.
Zhao Kuo said nothing except chatting about home affairs along the way.
Zhao Kuo didn't say anything, and Lin Hujun and Lou Fanjun didn't dare to ask, so they could only follow Zhao Kuo obediently.