The Queen Mother of Qi did not immediately agree to form an alliance with Qin.
But soon, Qi State received bad news again. Chu State raised 150,000 troops and declared war on Qi State.
At this point, Qi State has no choice. The only way out is to form an alliance with Qin State and jointly fight with Qin State against Zhao State.
No one will listen to Qi Guo’s explanation, and no one will care whether Qi Guo was wronged or not.
In troubled times, weakness is the original sin.
Qin, who massacred the people of Zhao and blamed Qi, knew better than Qi how unjust he was.
The envoy of Qin left Qi State with satisfaction. He did not return to Qin State, but went to Yan State.
"The State of Qi has declared war on the State of Zhao, and our State of Qin will also send troops to attack the State of Zhao. Now all the main forces of the State of Zhao are in the south. If this opportunity is missed, the State of Yan will wait to face the powerful State of Zhao alone."
Secondly, the Qin envoy was very confident.
Although Qin and Zhao are at war, Yan's situation is more difficult than Qin's.
"I, the State of Yan, will gamble with the State of Qin." Jiang Qu's expression kept changing, and he finally made up his mind.
The envoy of Qin was right. He missed this opportunity. When Zhao Guo frees up his hands, Yan Guo will have no chance of winning.
"Sir, you are really a great talent. Qi and Yan have all sent out their troops." King Ji of Qin got the news and specially invited Fan Ju here and poured him a glass of wine himself.
The front line was defeated and Zhang Ruo died in the battle. Qin Wangji couldn't eat well or sleep well these days. He was worried about the front line every moment.
If the plan fails and Qi and Yan do not send troops, Qin will not know whether it will be too late to retreat.
"Our Qin State is finally able to give it a go. I suggest that the troops be divided into two groups. One group will attack Hanoi, the State of Wei, and the State of Zhao will be used to support the party. The other group will support the front line, and gather the strength of the whole country to complete the task in one battle and completely defeat it.
Sanjin." Fan Ju said solemnly.
"Wang Lu sent a message back, saying that the Zhao cavalry is very powerful in the plains, and our Qin cavalry is no match for us." Qin Wangji said.
Fan Ju lowered his eyebrows, Zhao's cavalry was indeed a problem. If the advantage of Zhao's cavalry could not be eliminated, the initiative would always be in Zhao's hands.
"How about...borrowing troops?" Fan Ju asked tentatively.
"Borrow troops? Who can I borrow troops from?" Qin Wangji looked confused. This war in the Central Plains had already involved the Seven Kingdoms, no, the Eight Kingdoms, and the Lu Kingdom.
The only one not involved is Weiguo.
Is it possible to borrow troops from Weiguo?
Regardless of whether Wei Guotong agrees or not, even if he agrees, if Wei Guo is drained, he will not be able to draw many troops.
"If you borrow troops from the Qiang people, as long as they are equipped with high-bridge saddles and stirrups, the Qiang people will be one of the most elite cavalry in the world, and they will never be inferior to Zhao." Fan Ju said coldly.
The Qiang people, like the Hu people, grew up on horses. When the Zhao people were still playing on the land, the Qiang people had already learned to ride horses. While the Zhao people were working hard to farm, the Qiang people had already begun to drive away the wolves.
Hunting tigers and bears.
"No." Qin Wangji refused without hesitation. Once the Qiang people were allowed to master the technology of high-bridge saddles and stirrups, Qin was likely to be at a disadvantage in the next battle with the Qiang people.
Winning against Zhao but losing to Qiang is no different from losing directly to Zhao.
"There are no technical barriers to high-bridge saddles and stirrups. The Zhao State has them, and our Qin State will soon have them. Likewise, our Qin State has them, and the Qiang people will also have them. It's just a matter of time." Fan Ju said.
There is no way to keep these two things secret. If they could be kept secret, Zhao would have kept it a long time ago, and it would not be Qin's turn.
Fan Ju felt that if he could exchange saddles and stirrups for a powerful cavalry regiment, it would be worth it even if he only helped Qin fight once.
"The threat of the Qiang people will be in the future. After our Qin State defeats the Zhao State, we can find ways to deal with the Qiang people. But the threat of the Zhao State is right in front of us. People who do not have long-term concerns must have immediate worries, Your Majesty." Fan Ju continued.
Qin Wangji hesitated a little. He looked at Prince Zhu: "What do you think, Prince?"
"As long as we can defeat the Zhao State and our Qin State has wiped out Liuhe, why should we fear the Qiang people?" Prince Zhu said in a deep voice. Qin Wangji was asking him if he had the confidence to suppress the Qiang people. He couldn't say that he couldn't do it.
"Okay, then let's borrow troops from the Qiang people." After saying that, Qin Wangji had some doubts again, "Will the Qiang people agree?"
"I'm going to talk to the Qiang people." Fan Ju said confidently.
The Qiang people were short of salt, iron, food, and silk. As long as they paid a certain price, it was not difficult to borrow troops.
…
"Inform Wei Qi that road construction should be postponed." Zhao Kuo was a little helpless. Going to war with Qi was not in Zhao's original plan at all.
There is now a manpower shortage.
The land has to be cultivated, the iron ore and coal mines have to be mined, and the factories have to work. We can only draw people from road construction.
Fortunately, the main official roads in Zhao State have almost been repaired. The remaining roads repaired a few years earlier or later will not have much impact.
The State of Chu has agreed to attack Qi State together with the State of Zhao. The two countries have one in the west and one in the south. The territories they have conquered belong to each other, thus avoiding conflicts to the greatest extent.
Zhao Kuo was not very interested in capturing Qi's territory, but with the help of Chu, at least Zhao did not need to continue to increase his troops, which greatly reduced the domestic pressure.
"Should the water conservancy in the Hetao be suspended?" Chulong asked.
"We cannot stop water conservancy and continue to build it. If there are not enough manpower, we will mobilize manpower from other places to build it." Zhao Kuo said firmly. Only when the water conservancy facilities are built can the Hetao become the granary of Zhao State and Zhao State have the confidence to conquer the world.
"By the way, there is news from the Navy that they have updated the warship to the fifth generation." Lin Xiangru said.
The first generation warships of the Zhao State were the Yue warships, and their technology was still at the time when Wu and Yue were competing for hegemony two hundred years ago. Even so, they were already very advanced.
Afterwards, Zhao State perfected the sails, perfected the oars, turned the boat hammer stone into an iron anchor, and lengthened it from more than thirty meters to more than forty meters. This was the second generation warship of Zhao State.
Later, in order to solve the problem of capsizing easily during long voyages, flat-bottomed boats were changed into pointed-bottomed boats, and some boats were even wrapped with copper sheets. At first, they were wrapped with iron sheets, but the corrosion was too serious, so they were replaced with copper sheets.
The fourth generation added watertight compartments, using bulkheads to divide the cabin into separate compartments. If one area leaks, other areas will not be affected, which greatly improves navigation safety.
Today's fifth-generation warships are equipped with wooden impellers on the bottom of the ship, which can be rotated by manual pedaling to propel the ship. If the paddle wheel is continuously rotated and the blades continue to paddle, continuous propulsion can be achieved.
Multiple pedals can be installed on the same bearing, which can be stepped by many people at the same time to increase the speed of the ship. At the same time, a lever can be installed on the arm to borrow force.
This kind of ship has great advantages when sailing on inland rivers and in water battles. Because the wheels are on the bottom of the ship and the oarsmen are in the cabin, it is difficult for the enemy to destroy them.
"Okay." Zhao Kuo was very happy. This is not all bad news, there is also good news!
"They... asked for a large amount of funds... saying they were testing fifth-generation warships and developing sixth-generation warships..." Lin Xiangru glanced at Zhao Kuo. If it had been before, he would have approved it directly, but now Zhao Kuo
The country needs money everywhere, and the amount requested by the navy this time is quite large...
"How much?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"One hundred million..." Lin Xiangru spit out two words.
Everyone took a breath, the navy master really dared to ask for it.
Money is very valuable these days. No country in the world can spend 100 million in cash at once, because there are not so many copper coins... Even when wages and rewards are given out, they are mainly based on food and supplemented by money.
There is also cloth and other things added to it.
If it were pure money, no country could provide so much.
"Give them 10 million, and we'll deal with the rest next year. Let them save some money..." Zhao Kuo said helplessly. The reason why the navy can develop so fast is inseparable from his continuous throwing of money.
of.
Those old men were indeed very skilled, and they also trained several young people for Zhao State.
Just do the work if you give me money, there is no ambiguity at all.
But now Zhao Guo really can't bear it anymore.
Money is needed everywhere, even if Zhao Kuo really has a mountain of gold, it will be spent sooner or later.
Fortunately, although countries are at war and there are fewer businessmen coming and going, commercial taxes have not been reduced. As the risk increases, prices will naturally become higher, and commercial taxes will also increase.
Lin Xiangru quickly approved 10 million, stamped it and handed it over to the clerk below.
Zhao Kuo sighed and thought about where he could get the money. He reached out and picked up the tea on the table. Just as he was about to take a sip, Xu Li hurried in from outside.
"Your Majesty, there is news from the State of Yan that the State of Yan has formed an alliance with the State of Qin and declared war on our State of Zhao under the slogan of recovering lost territory and rescuing the people." Xu Li said loudly.
"What!" Lin Xiangru stood up suddenly!
"Your Majesty, Shangdang urgently reports that the Yewang has fallen. The Qin army went north to attack our country Shangdang. The governor Feng Ting recruited the people of Shangdang as soldiers to defend the Qin army in Xingcheng and asked for support." Lian Po also strode in.
.
Now the others couldn't sit still either.
The Qi State alone disrupted the Zhao State's plans and was forced to divert people from road construction and cut naval funding. Now the Yan State and Qin State are attacking Zhao State together...
"What is supposed to come has finally come!" Zhao Kuo looked calm, finished the tea he had not had time to drink, and slowly stretched himself.
Zhao State wanted to use this battle to defeat Qin State, and Qin State also wanted to use this battle to weaken Zhao State.
Although the two countries of Qin and Zhao share the same origin, they regard each other as a thorn in the flesh. They did not take action before because they were afraid of each other's strength.
Once you start taking action, you will be as ruthless as possible until the opponent is killed.
Zhao Guo was able to unite with Han and Wei, and the Three Kingdoms attacked Qin.
Qin can unite with Qi and Yan, and the three kingdoms can attack Zhao.
"How many troops did the Yan State send?" After a while, Zhao Kuo asked.
"One hundred thousand, the commander-in-chief is Qu Jing." Xu Li said.
The State of Yan had no secrets in front of the State of Zhao. Even though it tried its best to keep it secret, the State of Zhao still easily obtained the number of troops sent by the State of Yan and who the commander was.
"Haha, it seems that Yan State is planning to give it a try." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
Yan State still has 200,000 troops in Zhao State, and 100,000 is the current limit of Yan State.
If Zhao had not helped Yan to defeat Donghu, Yan would not have been able to raise an army of 100,000 men.
"Where is Qin?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"According to the news sent by Feng Ting, the commander of the Qin army should be Wang Ling, with a strength of about 50,000," Lian Po said.
"I give the general 10,000 newly recruited soldiers, plus the Xuanjia Army. Can we defend Shangdang?" Zhao Kuo looked at Lian Po and asked seriously.
It's not that he doesn't want to give more, there are no soldiers in Handan except the imperial guards. It will take about ten days at the fastest for the newly recruited armies from all over the country to gather in Handan, and then 20,000 will be selected.
These all take time.
The only large armies that Handan can mobilize at any time are the Imperial Guards and the Xuanjia Army.
"As long as your Majesty lets the last general lead the Xuanjia Army, let alone 50,000, even 100,000 Qin troops will not be able to defeat Shangdang." Lian Po beat his chest loudly.
"It's better to bring more soldiers to be safer." Zhao Kuo said.
"No." Lian Po said, cupping his fists.
"Then let the general be the commander-in-chief, um... Let Huang Shigong be the military adviser, Meng Wu, Lian An be the deputy generals. Command 16,000 troops to support the Shangdang." Zhao Kuo thought for a while and decided to let Huang Shigong cooperate with the strategist.
Steady Lian Po.
After Lian An came back from the Western Regions, his abilities also improved a lot. He just happened to be studying with his father. He didn't expect to surpass Lian Po. Even if he learned only seven or eight points, Zhao could still have many famous generals.
"General, I will go back to reorganize the army right now. I will take the Xuanjia Army to Shangdang first." Lian Po cupped his fists and saluted, turned and left.
Seeing that other generals were leading their troops to go on an expedition these days, Lian Po was the only one who stayed in Handan. Lian Po couldn't wait for a long time. Now that he was leading his troops to go on an expedition, he didn't want to delay for a moment.
"Let Li Mu lead the Great Wall Army south to resist the Yan Army, and ordered Qing She to lead the army. Feng Wuze led 10,000 new troops to the north, and ordered Yuan Hua to command the navy to respond and follow Li Mu's orders." Zhao Kuo continued.
When Zhao Kuo originally planned to destroy Yan, he would go on a personal expedition, with the Great Wall Army as the vanguard, plus the navy, to attack Yan in three directions. Now the Yan Kingdom came first.
Fortunately, in order to defeat Yan, Zhao State had stationed a large amount of grain and grass in Wuyang and Daijun, which greatly reduced the logistical pressure.
"The logistics and food arrangements will be left to the Prime Minister." Zhao Kuo looked at Lin Xiangru.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, as long as I am here, I will never let the soldiers on the front line fight hungry." Lin Xiangru said confidently.
Due to the curved shaft plow and waterwheel, the grain output of various countries has increased a lot in recent years, and the price of grain has not been very high. Zhao State purchases a large amount of grain and grass every year and stores it.
In addition, the country has a bumper harvest every year, so although it is not enough to burst the warehouse, there is really no shortage of food.
"Your Majesty... As for manpower..." Yu Xin frowned. Fighting not only requires soldiers, but logistics also requires a large number of manpower, transporting grain, raising horses, and auxiliary personnel...
Like the Xuanjia Army, each soldier must be equipped with an auxiliary and a war horse to help them transport heavy armor and help them wear armor during battle.
The State of Zhao is not without manpower, but it has already recruited a lot of people before. Continuing to recruit people will further affect the development of the State of Zhao.
In the past, the manpower would have been recruited, but after seeing the rapid development of Zhao State, everyone was unwilling to slow down the development speed because of the war.
"I hope Zhu Jun and Du Ping Jun didn't send a message saying that many Qin troops were captured? Let them all be sent back, and they should be sent to farm, and they should be sent to build roads, and then they should be sent to build roads.
Recruit good men to transport grain and grass," Cai Ze said.
He didn't dare to let prisoners like the Qin army transport food and grass. If he encountered a ruthless person, Zhao Guo would have no place to cry.
But it is still possible to let these people do other things to make up for Zhao's shortage of manpower.