By the time the situation of the war in the Lu State reached Julu in the form of a secret message and reached Zhao Hongrun, it was already around mid-June.
When he saw in this secret letter that Huan Hu had changed his appearance and became famous in Lu County as "the hero who saved the Lu State", Zhao Hongrun was stunned for more than ten breaths and could not recover.
When he saw the contents of this secret letter, Zong Wei Chief Lu Mu also looked like he had seen a ghost.
The master and servant looked at each other.
"This Huan Hu... is actually called a "hero" by the people of Lu?"
Zhao Hongrun opened his mouth with an incredible expression.
To be fair, although South Korea was once wanted by South Korea and Wei, and even Zhao Hongrun himself wanted to kill him for a time, in the final analysis, this Huan Hu was just a small person after all. Therefore, when Zhao Hongrun was busy dealing with Chu one after another,
When he was threatened by China, South Korea, and Qin, he ignored Huan Hu for a time - because he felt that such a small person could not cause much trouble at all, so there was no need to mobilize troops to encircle and suppress him.
When Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Southern Liang, led his army to attack Suiyang, the main purpose was only to recover "Suiyang" and suppress the Chu State, but by the way, it was to drive Huan Hu to the eastern part of Song County, which Wei State could not take care of for the time being.
However, such a grass bandit who was once ignored by Zhao Hongrun has now turned into a hero of the Lu State and is deeply loved by the people of the Lu State. This makes Zhao Hongrun feel incredible.
You must know that he has dealt with Huan Hu and had face-to-face contact. In his eyes, Huan Hu is a capricious and cruel guy. What is especially worth mentioning is that the guy is very courageous.
, to put it nicely, he has backbone, hard bones, and a strong head, but to put it harshly, he is a piece of meat that does not know life and death, sense of proportion, and the depth of the sky.
For example, despite Zhao Hongrun's various coercion and inducements, he still killed Wang Ming, the biological brother of the King and Queen of Wei, with one knife. He did not give him the face of Zhao Hongrun, nor did he give face to Queen Wang, the Wang family of Zhengcheng, or even the state of Wei.
Looking at the whole world, how many people dare to do such a bastard thing?
But Huan Hu dared to do so!
He would rather chop off Wang Ting's head in front of Zhao Hongrun, and then flee with the thieves than accept Zhao Hongrun's negotiation of "let Wang Ting live and spare his life". Everyone who came into contact with Zhao Hongrun
Among them, Huan Hu is the most hard-nosed - even Han Lihou Han Wu, who is also a hard-nosed man, is not as good as Huan Hu in this regard.
Then there was such a tyrannical and cruel guy who has now become the hero of the Lu State. What is even more incredible is that he has won the hearts of many people in the Lu State, which Zhao Hongrun really couldn't digest in a short period of time.
"Isn't it the same name?"
Beside him, Lu Mu also said with a strange expression.
Zhao Hongrun shook his head, pointed to the secret letter in his hand and said: "Since the secret letter mentioned "Chen Shou", then the hero Huan Hu of the Lu State should be the Huan Hu you and I know... Incredible.
"
After handing the secret letter to Lu Mu, Zhao Hongrun stood up and stood at the window with his hands behind his back, looking deeply at the early summer scenery outside the window, but he was still thinking about it in his mind.
The reason why he said "unbelievable" was not just that Huan Hu, a grass bandit who was driven away by the armies of Korea and Wei, one day actually became the "hero who saved the country" according to the legend of the Lu people, but also that Huan Hu
, actually defeated the armies of Zhangyang Lord Xiong Zheng and Pengli Lord Xiong Yi with more than 100,000 troops in Xuecheng with 50,000 troops, completely ruining Chu Gongzi's plan of Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo to launch a two-sided attack on Lu State.
In this regard, although Zhao Hongrun didn't like Huan Hu, he never took this grass bandit to heart. At this time, he couldn't help but praise in his heart: Well done!
From the bottom of his heart, despite the current alliance between Wei and Chu, Zhao Hongrun still does not want Chu to annex Qi and Lu this time, because this is not in line with the long-term interests of Wei. It is for this reason that after Han Wangran made a compromise, he , once made a decision: As long as Qi State showed an obvious disadvantage in the war with Chu State, then he would immediately lead all his troops to attack Qi State before Chu State.
Out of self-respect and considering the credibility of the Wei State, Zhao Hongrun certainly could not do anything to hinder the Chu State, just like his father Zhao Si did in the past. Although he successfully deceived Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng, it also made the latter The emperor had a grudge against the State of Wei, which led to the ten-year-long attack on the State of Wei by Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng.
Therefore, deliberately holding back allies will not only harm your character and reputation, but will also turn your original allies into enemies, causing huge consequences.
But as Zhao Hongrun decided, there is no such problem in attacking Qi before Chu. After all, Zhao Hongrun had only promised to "attack Lu" in order to let Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, send people to take over the war in Ningyang as soon as possible. The rights of the "State" were transferred to the State of Chu, but it did not involve the State of Qi. Therefore, even if Zhao Hongrun led his army to the State of Qi to intercept Hu, the State of Chu could not say anything more and could only admit that it was a dumb loss - after all, the alliance There is no corresponding agreement between China and the State of Qi. Is it right to say that the State of Qi can only be occupied by your State of Chu?
But again, the plan could not keep up with the changes. It was clear that Zhao Hongrun had made such a decision and was waiting for the Qi State to show its defeat. But who would have thought that Qi State would actually come back and create some "martial arts warriors" , abruptly blocked the offensives of Chu State Shouling Lord Jingyun and Diyang Lord Xiong Shang, and even Qi State's fierce general Tian Wu relied on these martial arts warriors to sweep away the previous disadvantages and gradually gain some advantages, which forced Yang Xiong Tuo, the king of the city, had to change his original plan and led the main army to attack Qi.
If the war situation on the side of Qi State is enough to surprise people, then the situation on the side of Lu State is even more astonishing.
Who would have thought that Duke Shupan of Lu would recruit such a huge bandit as Huan Hu, and who would have thought that under the general trend of the Chu State attacking Lu, Huan Hu would have the courage to defect to the Lu State and compete with the behemoth Chu State. The giants competed with each other, and more importantly, he actually defeated the Chu army.
"Could it be that... Qi and Lu can really resist Chu's attack this time?"
Reaching out and patting the window lattice, Zhao Hongrun thought secretly.
The interests between countries have nothing to do with family ties. Even though Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, is his brother-in-law, Zhao Hongrun still prefers the failure of Chu's attack on Qi and Lu.
This is not a superficial question of selfishness or not, but a deeper consideration.
As far as the Wei State is concerned, the current Wei State has obtained land and abundant pastures that far exceed the country's needs, and has basically secured its position as the "Hegemon of the Central Plains." If nothing unexpected happens, it will not be the "Hegemon of the Central Plains" for at least twenty years. Will actively provoke foreign wars.
Therefore, the State of Wei is basically harmless to the State of Chu, and there is no reason to tear up the "Wei-Chu Alliance" agreement.
In contrast, Chu State is more likely to tear up the agreement.
As long as the Chu State annexes the two countries Qi and Lu, and not only obtains the land of the two countries, but also possesses the wealth of the State of Qi and the craftsmanship and technology of the State of Lu, then in less than ten years, the Chu State, whose national power will advance by leaps and bounds, will be able to challenge the Wei State.
It posed a threat to its hegemony, and even Chu State itself became ambitious because of this, trying to replace Wei State and become the overlord of the Central Plains.
At that time, the friendship between Wei and Chu will no longer exist and they will attack each other for their own benefit. This is the worst thing.
On the other hand, if Chu fails to annex Qi and Lu, it can only develop its national strength honestly and will not extravagantly hope to replace Wei, so there will basically be no conflict with Wei.
This situation is actually quite beneficial to both Wei and Chu.
Of course, the more important thing is that Mi Jiang will not have to be caught between Wei and Chu.
Therefore, when Zhao Hongrun did not take action himself, Zhao Hongrun was actually very happy to learn that Chu had encountered obstacles in the war against Qi and Lu. He even deliberately wrote a letter to Huan Hu to commend the latter.
After thinking about it, Zhao Hongrun's mind once again returned to the current "War between Wei and Han".
Yes, even though Zhao Hongrun and Han Wangran met on that small mound in March of this year and reached some agreements, the war between Wei and Han is still continuing.
This is no wonder. After all, although Han Wangran made a compromise and was willing to "cede all the cities in the southern part of Handan County, including Handan" in exchange for Wei agreeing to terminate the war between the two countries, this private agreement will eventually
It’s not easy to put it on the table.
Just imagine, how should Han Wangran explain to his ministers? Could he say that I ceded the city or even the royal capital to beg for peace?
If he dares to say this, then Han Wangran will lose most of his support in an instant.
Therefore, Han Wangran could only "help" Wei secretly. For example, using the lack of food and grass as an excuse, he ordered the frontline troops to retreat slowly, and in disguise gave up the city south of Handan.
It is for this reason that the armies of Wei and South Korea are still fighting, but the battlefield has slowly moved from Wei's Hanoi County to South Korea's Handan County. During this period, Wei also gradually regained Jixian County.
, Qixian, Gongdi, Linli and others lost their land, and even defeated the feudal city of Dangyin, Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin.
However, during this period, in order to be able to send troops to Qi at any time, Zhao Hongrun did not divide his troops to attack the hinterland of South Korea, and always maintained a situation of standing still.
I have to say that this made many officials, ministers, commanders and generals of both Korea and Wei a little confused. After all, it is unimaginable that Wei Gongzi Run was slacking on the war and still carried it out in such a critical war.
Only a few people understand that the reason why Zhao Hongrun stood still was so that he could send troops to the Qi State at any time to intercept the Hu State of Chu.
For things like this, it only needs to be tacitly understood by each other, and there is no need to make it known to everyone.
Among these very few people was Zhao Yuanzuo, the King of Southern Liang.
It cannot be denied that Zhao Yuanzuo, the king of Nanliang, was indeed a talented commander with a strategic vision. When he saw Zhao Hongrun leading a hundred thousand Wei troops stationed in Julu and standing still for nearly three months, he guessed that the prince probably wanted to attack Qi.
, By the way, I also guessed the outcome of their "War between Wei and Han" - His Highness the Crown Prince is preparing to fight against Qi State. Does this mean that South Korea has secretly expressed its intention to seek peace?
As for the Korean army, the leader of the Korean army, Bao Yuan, received a subtle hint from Han Wangran.
Although he was unwilling to accept it, Bao Yuan also understood that they would probably not be able to escape from this battle, so they secretly released the water slowly, so that the two sides became more and more tacit in the battle between the Wei and Korean armies in Handan County: in the morning
The Han army evacuated from a certain city, and the Wei army stationed in the city in the afternoon. In order to cover up others' eyes and ears, they fought outside the city, but the two sides also ended hastily.
When the fight has reached this point, it can actually be said that the war between Wei and Han is over, and all that is left is just the finishing touches.
Many Koreans see these things in their eyes, such as South Korea's Prime Minister Shen Buhai.
When the old prime minister learned that Han Wangran had met with Wei Gongzi Run, and combined with Bao Yuan's subsequent negative combat behavior, the old prime minister immediately guessed some of the truth.
Therefore, after Han Wangran returned to Handan in early April, he met with Han Wangran alone to verify his suspicions.
Han Wangran did not hide anything and told Shen Buhai in detail about the private agreement between him and Wei Gongzi Run. Shen Buhai remained silent for a long time.
To be fair, Shen Buhai was not against Han Wangran's decision. In fact, he even admired the young king's decisiveness in cutting off his arms. After all, ceding all the cities in the southern part of Handan County, including the royal capital, was not such a big deal.
I dare to say it casually.
The old prime minister just felt a little sad: Korea used to be so powerful, but now it has been reduced to begging for peace from Wei by ceding the royal capital. Damn it, you must know that Wei was their defeated general in the past.
For fifty years, he did not dare to take the initiative to provoke.
"What are your plans, Your Majesty?" Shen Buhai asked, looking at the young king in front of him with slightly cloudy eyes.
Facts have proved that Han Wangran did not disappoint him. After hearing his inquiry, the young king said loudly: "I plan to move the capital to Jixian to temporarily avoid the power of Wei, and then work hard to govern in the future."
Looking at Han Wangran with bright eyes, Shen Buhai nodded slightly.
In his opinion, even though South Korea lost this battle, the loss was not very great, given that Han Wangran persuaded Wei Gongzi Run in time to end the war secretly, which allowed South Korea to preserve a lot of effective military strength.
At least it is much better than the country being destroyed by Wei.
His only concern was whether the young king would become disheartened after suffering this setback, or whether the young king would have the ambition to lead South Korea to a comeback.
The result of the test made Shen Buhai quite pleased: the young king in front of him was not discouraged at all, and had even thought about the next step.
There is actually nothing much to talk about in the following discussion. After all, "ceding Handan" is simple to say, but the significance of it is believed to be felt by every Korean.
Of course, not everyone is as rational as the old Prime Minister Shen Buhai. For example, Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, after he was vaguely aware of the private agreement between Han Wangran and Zhao Hongrun, he firmly opposed begging for peace from Wei. Even, he
He also quoted the strict order issued by Li Hou Han Wu when he was kidnapped by Wei General Wu Ji: In this war that is related to the rise and fall of South Korea, whoever dares to surrender lightly will be the sinner of the entire country.
For this reason, Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, traveled frequently to lobby Qin Kai, Le Yi, Sima Shang and other generals, hoping that these generals could cooperate with him to put pressure on Handan and even Han Wangran, follow the orders of Li Hou Han Wu, and continue the war with Wei at all costs. At least Wei must be forced to take the initiative to propose a draw - not at the expense of "ceding Handan, the royal capital".
At first, Han Wangran was tolerant of Dangyin Hou Han Yang. After all, these behaviors of Dangyin Hou Han Yang were enough to prove that this monarch was indeed loyal to the country. It was just that the two sides looked at things from different angles, which led to differences.
Therefore, Han Wangran secretly asked his confidant "Yan Ju" to visit Dangyin Hou Han Yang, trying to make the latter accept this situation.
Unexpectedly, Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, not only kicked Yan Ju out of his residence in Handan, but even tried to make the matter public, accusing Han Wangran of "conspired to frame Duke Kang Han Hu" and "failed to save his sworn brother Lihou Han Wu." ", "attempting to cede the royal capital to beg for peace with Wei" and other charges, forced Han Wangran to ask Yan Ju to send people to take him into prison and put him in prison.
After learning about this incident, Ma She, the Shanggu Shou, became even more melancholy, so he temporarily left the army and returned to Handan, where he visited Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, in prison.
Visit Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin who cursed Han Wangran as a foolish king in prison.
In fact, both Shanggu Shou Ma She and Dang Yin Hou Han Yang were loyal ministers loyal to the country. However, their different stances and different perspectives on things made these two enemies - to be precise, Han Yang He regards Ma She as an enemy bandit.
It’s no wonder, after all, after Li Hou Han Wu was captured alive by Wei General Wu Ji, it was Shanggu Shou Ma She who secretly sent his son Ma Kuo to Handan day and night to assist Han Wangran in plotting Kang Gong Han Hu and Wu An Shou Zhu Man to recapture the power.
Therefore, Ma She must bear at least half of the responsibility for the death of Kang Gong Han Hu, the uncle of Dangyin Hou Han Yang.
But these are not important. What makes Dangyin Hou Han Yang unbearable the most is that after Han Wangran regained the royal power, instead of trying to rescue Li Hou Han Wu who was trapped in the Wei camp, he instead begged for peace with Wei at the cost of ceding Handan, the royal capital. , what is this?
In the view of Dangyin Hou Han Yang, this is simply a loss of power and humiliation of the country!
Compared with Li Hou Han Wu who was captured alive by Wei generals, he still shouted loudly to continue attacking the city, and had previously made it clear that anyone who begged for peace with Wei was a national traitor. Han Wangran's various actions after regaining power really disappointed Han Yang, the Dang Yin Hou. .
In his eyes, Han Wangran only cares about his own throne and power. For this, he can sacrifice his sworn brother Lihou Hanwu, and even the interests of the entire Korea. What is a king like this if not a faint king?
Full of indignation, Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, cursed angrily in prison: "I, Han Yang, will not seek for your unjust and ignorant king in my whole life... Go up to the valley and seek your own wealth!"
Instead of persuading Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, he was scolded by the latter. Mashe, the guardian of Shanggu, was ashamed and angry, but could not explain it. That night, he was depressed and bedridden.
Although Han Wangran was shocked when he learned about this, he quickly took the palace doctors to visit Ma She.
However, those doctors were unable to do anything about Ma She's condition. They even said that heart diseases could not be cured with medicinal stones.
That night, Shanggu Shou Mashe took Han Wangran's hand and gave him heartfelt instructions and wishes.
Originally Han Wangran thought that Ma She would explain his posthumous affairs to some extent. Unexpectedly, Ma She did not mention his posthumous affairs. He only told Han Wangran: "I know that the king prefers my son Ma Kuo. After I die, I may
Ask my son to take charge
Gu Jun, but Wei Chen has always known my son's abilities. Although he has strategic skills, he still lacks experience. On the other hand, Wei Chen's deputy general "Xu Li" has been following Wei Chen all year round. He is brave, resourceful, mature and prudent, which can make him
I am acting as a minor minister, and I hope the king will make a clear decision."
After that, Ma She gave some advice and suggestions on the many shortcomings in South Korea. Then, this veteran of three Korean dynasties passed away with regret.
Following the death of the former county governor Ju Xin Zhan, the former Shangdang governor Feng Ting and the former Taiyuan governor Lian Pi have defected to the Wei state, the old "Ten Beiyuan tycoons" have lost another capable general, and he was both civil and military.
Ma She, the Shanggu Shou, was quite outstanding in both military and political affairs.
From beginning to end, Ma She never mentioned his son, his family, or his death.
This made Han Wangran inexplicably moved.
After all, from the beginning, Ma She, together with Li Mu, Bao Yuan and others, resolutely supported the royal family and tried their best to deal with Han Hu, Han Wu and others. Now, Han Wangran was in power and wanted to repay this man who always supported him.
However, he didn't expect that this loyal veteran would die of depression because he was scolded by Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin.
This made Han Wangran extremely moved and sad, and finally he had murderous intentions towards Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin.
But in the end, the old prime minister Shen Buhai and the Lieutenant Qing waited for the persuasion of the important ministers, even saying that the country was in crisis and it was not appropriate to kill the general again. This made Han Wangran suppress his anger and go easy on Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin.
However, he also issued an edict to demote Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, to the rank of a commoner, expelled him from Handan, and never hired him again.
At this time, Han Yang also learned that Ma She, the guardian of Shanggu, died of anger after visiting him. He felt a little regretful and speechless, so he took his family and silently left Handan, never to be heard from again.
This incident hit South Korea particularly hard. After all, South Korea suddenly lost two generals, Shanggu Shou Mashe and Dangyin Hou Hanyang. You know, this time Wei and South Korea have been fighting for so long, and they have never lost anything like this.
Generals such as Ma She and Han Yang - Lihou Han Wu were captured only because he did not want to be shaken by his retreat. In other words, Han Wu himself gave the Wei army the opportunity to capture him.
Afterwards, Han Wangran followed the will of Shanggu Shou Ma She and issued an edict to promote Ma She's deputy general "Xu Li" to Shanggu Shou and take charge of the Shanggu Army.
But he did not forget his favorite Ma Kuo, and even appointed Ma Kuo to be in charge of the palace guards.
As the name suggests, Ma Kuo's status is equivalent to Li Zheng, the president of the Three Guards Army of Wei State, and his successor Wei Jiao.
During this period, the Wei army successively broke through "Fangling" and "Anyang", crossed the Ye River, and approached Handan, the capital of South Korea.
The battle between Wei and Han may usher in the final situation.