Five days later, Zhao Kuo left Xinzheng and arrived in Daliang.
The King of Wei, who was seriously ill in bed, ordered the city gates to be opened and welcomed Zhao Kuo into the city. He left all the rest to the ministers, so that he could avoid the humiliation of surrendering in front of everyone.
In the palace of King Wei, Zhao Kuo saw King Wei lying on the hospital bed.
His face was thin, his hair was gray, his face was bloodless, and his lips were chapped. He looked really sick.
"Ahem...King Zhao, you can sit wherever you like. Anyway...the whole Wei Kingdom...ahem...all belongs to you." King Wei looked at Zhao Kuo, wanting to hate him but unable to do so.
As the winner, Zhao Kuo has done his utmost kindness.
Since ancient times, the winner takes all and the loser loses everything.
Zhao Kuo promised to retain the state of Wei, but only transferred it to another place. From any point of view, this was the most benevolent and righteous act.
It's just...as the king of a country, how could he give up the inheritance passed down by his ancestors to others!
He is not willing to give in!
"Your Majesty..." Wei Wuji looked at Zhao Kuo almost pleadingly.
Although the King of Wei indirectly drove him out of Wei State and did not follow his advice, causing the Wei family to lose the most important opportunity, he was still his brother after all.
Seeing his brother lying on the hospital bed waiting to die, Wei Wuji still couldn't bear it.
To be fair, King Wei did nothing wrong, but the two sides had different positions and were destined to make different choices and have different results.
In the final analysis, it is still a question of strength.
Between countries, weakness is the original sin.
"Show it to King Wei." Zhao Kuo said to Bi Ming.
Bi Ming stepped forward to inspect King Wei, then retreated to Zhao Kuo's side, nodding his head without leaving a trace.
It can be cured!
But whether to treat it or not depends on Zhao Kuo.
"Treat King Wei as normal, and ask Lord Xinling to reimburse the medical expenses." Zhao Kuo said with a smile, "Okay, let's all go out and let King Wei and Lord Xinling get together."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wei Wuji bowed and bowed, respectfully seeing Zhao Kuo off.
"Go and invite Wei Xiangzhou? We are waiting for him in the main hall." After leaving the harem, Zhao Kuo said to the guards.
Soon, Zhou? came to the main hall and saluted: "Meet the king."
"Sit down." Zhao Kuo pointed to the cushions and said. Although he had already made the seats, except for Zhao, other countries still use cushions in formal occasions. "Let me get straight to the point. Wei still lacks a governor.
, I wonder if Prime Minister Zhou is willing to share the worries of others?"
Zhou Xiu knew enough about Wei, had a good reputation among the people, and had no huge clan power behind him, so he was the perfect choice for governor.
"I would like to share the worries of your Majesty." Zhou? took a deep breath and said solemnly.
He had already made plans to remove his armor and return to his fields, but he did not expect that Zhao Kuo would be willing to use him.
Zhou? was not a die-hard loyalist to the Wei State. Moreover, even the King of Wei surrendered. The King of Wei's younger brother had been the Prime Minister of the Zhao State for more than ten years. He was an 'outsider', so being die-hard loyal had no meaning.
"Zhou Zhou knows the State of Wei best. There are talents in the court or in the local areas who can be used. In the past two days, I have compiled a list and handed it over to me." Zhao Kuo said.
"No." Zhou Xi leaned over and said.
"There are also rewards for the officers and soldiers. It is up to you to help Wang Jun and distribute them to the officers and soldiers." Zhao Kuo said, he may forget other things, but the rewards for the officers and soldiers will never be forgotten.
As long as the army is in hand, he will not be afraid no matter how big the chaos is in the Zhao Kingdom.
"Nuo." Zhou? bowed again and bowed. Seeing that Zhao Kuo had no other instructions, he turned around and left the hall.
"Only Qi is left!" Zhao Kuo looked outside the palace. He seemed to have been fighting for his life in the Battle of Changping yesterday. In the blink of an eye, fifteen years had passed.
Not only did he become the King of Zhao, but he was also about to complete the task of unifying the world.
Time flies by, fleeting, and I can't help but feel a little dazed.
Five days later, all matters in the Wei State were settled, and Zhao Kuo's chariot left Daliang.
After arriving in Linzi, King Qi happily handed over the seal to Zhao Kuo.
From then on, the Central Plains was unified!
No, there is another Weiguo!
Wei Guo stood silently beside him, did not participate in anything, and had no sense of existence at all. Zhao Kuo almost forgot about it!
"Bin, you lead an army to move the Marquis of Wei to Handan." Zhao Kuo called Bin and told him.
"No." Bin excitedly led the troops.
"Brother-in-law, when are we going to Handan? I want to go horse racing." King Qi patted Zhao Kuo on the shoulder and said excitedly, without the consciousness of a subjugated king.
Upon seeing this, the ministers of Qi State hid their faces and resigned. They could not afford to lose this man.
"Isn't it possible for Qi to race horses?" Zhao Kuo looked at King Qi doubtfully.
"Those people in Qi State only know how to give in to the few. There is no point in competing with them." King Qi said, "By the way, brother-in-law, I can keep a city as a fief."
"Except for Handan, you can choose any city in the Central Plains, but it will be moved out later, and Qi will still exist. Of course, if you want to change the name of the country, you can do whatever you want." Zhao Kuo didn't care.
The King of Qi was very obedient. Except for the initial attack on Zhao by the Five Kingdoms, he never fought against Zhao again.
Although the two countries in the middle fought once, it was Qin who instigated it.
Besides, he is his uncle after all, so he should be more generous.
As for the name of Qi State, it came from Jiang Qi. In order to appease the people of Qi and increase their sense of belonging, the name was not changed.
As for the future, it will be up to Tian Jian to make the decision.
If the country's name is changed, Tian Jian will be the founder of Qi and the founding king of the new country.
If the country's name is not changed, then Tian Jian will be both the founder of Qi and the founder of Qi.
It can be regarded as a unique existence in the world!
"Then I can leave the fief and go to other places?" King Qi asked.
"Okay." Zhao Kuo nodded.
The King of Qi is not the King of Yan, so they need someone to watch over them, and their movements are restricted.
Although the State of Qi has perished, it will not be long before the State of Zhao is defeated and a new territory will be assigned to the State of Qi. Even some ministers and nobles who are loyal to the State of Qi will not jump out to oppose the State of Zhao at this time.
, and rebelled under the banner of restoration.
After all, the restoration will definitely lose, but if you are honest and obedient, even though you will be moved to a barbaric land and suffer punishment, Qi will still be there, and there is still hope for the future.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "I want to go to the Western Regions and see the big birds in Tiaozhi." King Qi's eyes were shining, and the bright future seemed to be waving to him.
No matter what he did before, those ministers would stop him in the name of loyalty to the emperor.
From now on, I am finally free!
The world is so big, you can go wherever you want!
"Actually, Zhao Guo can also watch it." Zhao Kuo said.
"Can those in a cage be the same as those running outside?" King Qi glanced at Zhao Kuo.
"... That's up to you, but the Western Region is not very peaceful. If you have to go, you'd better bring enough people." Zhao Kuo said.
"Don't worry, even though the state of Qi is gone, it's still easy for a few people to recruit hundreds of martial arts warriors." King Qi said.
Zhao Kuo nodded. Although the martial arts warriors were somewhat outdated in the Central Plains, they were still very powerful in the Western Regions. As long as they did not encounter the elites of the Mauryan Dynasty and the Seleucid Kingdom, self-protection would not be a problem.
"At that time, if you like any piece of land, come back and tell me. As long as it is not a very important place, I can give it to you." Zhao Kuo patted King Qi on the shoulder.
Anyway, it's not Zhao's land, so I won't feel bad if it's given away. It's better to give it to the King of Qi than to be taken over by those barbarians.
"Then it's settled." King Qi left happily.
"I have done well in Qi State in the past few years, and I am somewhat like a prime minister." Zhao Kuo looked at Li Si.
Compared with before, Li Si is more mature.
The difficulty of governing the State of Qi is far greater than that of governing a county before. When he came to the State of Qi alone, he faced obstruction and resistance from all over the State of Qi. Although he had the support of the State of Zhao behind him, he was still walking on thin ice.
If Li Si experienced warmth and care in Zhao State, both Zhao Kuo and Lin Xiangru were constantly nurturing and supporting him without any pressure.
So in Qi State, what he experienced was the darkest side of officialdom, intrigues, officials protecting each other, stigma and slander...
Only then did Li Si realize that the officialdom of Qi was the norm, while the officialdom of Zhao was abnormal.
Li Si quickly began to transform, and his methods changed from gentle to harsh. When he encountered those who followed the rules, he would keep a line, and when he encountered those who did not follow the rules, he would never be merciful.
The school in Qi State taught him far more than what he had learned at Handan College.
"I'm not worthy of being a minister." Li Si said respectfully. If it weren't for Zhao Kuo's recruitment order, he might still be a petty official in Chu, spending his life in confusion.
"Have you thought about where to go next? Should you stay in Qidi, return to Handan, or go to the Western Regions?" Zhao Kuo gave Li Si three options.
"minister……"
"There is no need to answer in a hurry. Just tell me before I return to Handan." Zhao Kuo said.
"Your Majesty, urgent report from the southwest." At this moment, a guard quickly walked in from outside the palace and handed the letter to Zhao Kuo.
"The Mauryan Dynasty moved so quickly!" Zhao Kuo opened the letter and was surprised. Historically, the Mauryan Dynasty did not attack the Central Plains.
It seems that because of his changes, the Central Plains and the Maurya Dynasty intersected in advance, which attracted the attention of King Ashoka.
Zhao Kuo never thought that an empire would love peace unless its territory was given away for free.
The Mauryan Dynasty had never expanded externally before. It was just that the benefits obtained from the war were far less than the expenditures of the war, and the gains outweighed the losses.
At the same time, the Maurya Dynasty and Zhao State are far enough apart that they will not pose a threat to each other.
But when the Maurya Dynasty discovered that they could reach the Central Plains from the Hengduan Mountains, the situation was different.
The Hengduan Mountains are indeed an insurmountable natural chasm, but with the emergence of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it is possible to violently open a channel to connect the Central Plains and the Ganges Plain.
After the passage is opened, the distance between the two places will be instantly shortened several times, and the army can rush from one place to the other in about a month.
For the empire, this distance can already be included in the core area.
In other words, as long as the countries in the Central Plains can be destroyed, the Maurya Dynasty can occupy this wealthy land.
Similarly, as long as the Maurya Dynasty can be destroyed, Zhao can also firmly hold the Ganges Plain in its hands.
Whether it was the threat from Zhao State or the attraction of silk and ceramics, it gave the Mauryan Dynasty enough reasons to start a war.
As long as this war can be won, the rewards brought by the war will definitely make the Maurya Dynasty make a lot of money.
So the Maurya Dynasty started this war without hesitation.
It’s just that the Mauryan Dynasty wanted Zhao’s silks and ceramics, and Zhao also wanted the Mauryan Dynasty’s Ganges Plain.
It depends on who can have the last laugh.
"Jun Du Ping, we may need you to come and take charge in the southwest." Zhao Kuo handed the battle report to Tian Dan.
The Maurya Dynasty cannot give up easily after failing once. It is difficult for Pang Nuan alone to resist the reinforcements of the Maurya Dynasty.
The Central Plains were initially decided, and Zhao State could not mobilize many troops. In this case, Tian Dan could only take action.
"How far does it need to be?" Tian Dan said directly after reading the battle report.
As for the combat effectiveness of the Peacock Army mentioned in the battle report, I'm sorry, but he hasn't taken it seriously yet.
"As long as the battlefield is not held at home, everything else is up to you." Zhao Kuo gave Tian Dan the greatest autonomy. Unless the Maurya Dynasty mobilized the whole country to attack Zhao, he did not think Tian Dan would lose.
"General Mo will need to bring the Shesheng Battalion over," Tian Dan said.
"I'll give you the Shesheng camp and Wei Wu soldiers." Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
"General Mo, go back and prepare now," Tian Dan said, cupping his fists.
"Your Majesty, I have thought about it. I and Lord Du Ping will go to the southwest together." Li Si said loudly.
"Have you thought clearly?" Zhao Kuo asked again.
"Yes." Li Si nodded solemnly. Sitting in the rear, it would be better to open up front and expand the territory. In the future, whenever future generations mention this land, they will inevitably mention his name Li Si.
"Okay, then you and Du Pingjun can go together." Zhao Kuo nodded.
"Publish this incident in a slanderous newspaper and spread it throughout the world. Write about the Maurya Dynasty in a more vicious way. It is best to burn, kill, loot and commit all kinds of evil." After Tian Dan and Li Si left, Zhao Kuo handed the letter to Guo Kai.
The Central Plains has just been unified. If you want everyone to identify with the Zhao Kingdom and identify themselves as Zhao people from the bottom of their hearts, in addition to time, you also need a common enemy, just like the Huns did to the Han Dynasty in history.
Decades of oppression by the Xiongnu made people from all over the Han Dynasty closely unite, identify with the Han as the main body, and work together to defeat the Xiongnu. Only then did the real Han nation form, standing in the world for more than two thousand years.
The Xiongnu played an important role in defeating the Han Dynasty.
Now the Xiongnu have long been pacified by the State of Zhao, the Donghu are gone, and the entire north has become the pasture of the State of Zhao.
But the more powerful Maurya Dynasty stood up. Compared with the Xiongnu Donghu, the Maurya Dynasty was obviously more qualified to play the role of enemy.
"The Central Plains has just been pacified. If the news spreads, it may cause everyone to panic. I hope the king will think twice." Guo Kai said.
"If we don't really call in, how much panic can it cause?" Zhao Kuo said indifferently.
If just one piece of news can cause Zhao people to panic, then Zhao people are too fragile.
Even if the Maurya Dynasty really invades, as long as there is no internal corruption in the Zhao Kingdom, it can still afford the rewards, and the military merit system is still there, I am afraid that not only will everyone not be afraid, but they will be extremely excited.
It is not impossible to prepare your own horses and weapons to go to the front line.
Never underestimate the martial spirit of people in this era!