Just when Wei King Zhao Run was speculating on how Qin would handle the relationship between Qin and Wei, in Xianyang, the capital of Qin, his old father-in-law, King Qin Hui, was also speculating on his son-in-law Zhao Run's attitude.
Last year, because of a letter from Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, Qin Shaojun exposed the matter of "concealing the truth on Wei's behalf". Since then, Qin has sent many more agents to sneak into Wei's territory and spy on Wei. The war situation with South Korea and the coalition forces of other countries.
However, around May of this year, these detailed works sent the bad news of "Wei defeated the coalition forces of other countries" back to Qin. I remember that when receiving those secret letters, the King of Qin was in disbelief.
Didn't it mean that the five kingdoms of Qi, Chu, Lu, Yue, and Wei were conquering Wei? Why did the armies of Lu and Wei turn to Wei in the most critical decisive battle?
Could it be that King Lu and King Wei actually signed an agreement with Wei in private?
Although King Qin didn't know the specific situation, he knew that his Qin State was in big trouble - after Wei State defeated the coalition forces of other countries, it would definitely turn around and deal with Qin State. Even before that, Wei State had to first Send troops to recover the two lost territories of Yingshui County and Song County.
If the sudden defeat of the allied forces had made King Qin Hui secretly complain, then when the agents sent abroad sent the news that "Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, had committed suicide" to Xianyang, King Qin Hui was even more shocked and dumbfounded. .
"Then what the hell is Li Mu doing?!"
At that time, King Qin returned to the main hall of Xianyang Palace, patted the case and cursed angrily.
To be fair, don't think that King Qin Hui didn't see the plan of "driving tigers and swallowing wolves" by Han general Li Mu. He had long guessed that Li Mu deliberately told him the news of "Jicheng's fall" to Qin, obviously hoping that he would come to Qin. Contain the Wei State so that Li Mu can take the opportunity to regain the lost territory and help the country.
Although he was somewhat suspected of being used by Li Mu, considering that once Wei completely controlled South Korea, it would also be a huge threat to Qin. Therefore, Li Mu's conspiracy finally succeeded in inducing Qin to attack Wei. The country goes to war.
At that time, King Qin thought to himself: The Wei State has not yet defeated the coalition forces of other countries. There are famous generals such as Yanmen Guard Li Mu on the Korean side to provoke the war again. Coupled with Qin's attack, the Wei State will fall into a three-front war. Dilemma, the chances of winning should be low.
Unexpectedly, because of the defection between the armies of Wei and Lu, Wei King Zhao Run led more than 300,000 Wei troops on the day of the decisive battle, defeating millions of allied forces from various countries in one fell swoop. Even famous generals such as Xiang Mo and Xiang Juan were defeated. Sadly died on the battlefield.
On the other side of Korea, King Qin returned to Han general Li Mu, who he thought could set Wei's backyard on fire, but he actually committed suicide inexplicably.
This caused the Wei State, which was supposed to be fighting on three fronts, to solve its enemies on two fronts at once.
pit!
It’s simply a sinkhole!
Especially the bastard Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, initially used the strategy of "driving the tiger to devour the wolf" to force the Qin State to join the situation. However, after the Qin State entered the situation, this guy actually committed suicide due to the pressure of public opinion.
What about taking the opportunity to help the country as promised?!
In response to this, King Qin returned to Qi and felt a dull pain in his liver.
If Han General Li Mu were in front of him at this moment, he would definitely grab him by the collar and angrily yell: Who the hell are you trying to trick?!
Faced with two unreliable allies, King Qin felt exhausted mentally and physically.
Of course, even so, King Qin would not say anything like "If I had known this, I would not have started a war with Wei", because he knew very well that once Wei became so powerful that no other country in the Central Plains could resist it, Wei would It will enter the hegemonic path of external expansion and annexation of weak countries - and among these weak countries that may be slowly annexed by the Wei State, there is no guarantee that there will be no Qin State.
Therefore, there must be a battle between Qin and Wei!
The reason why Qin and Wei were in harmony before was because the Wei State did not yet have the absolute strength to crush the other countries in the Central Plains. The balance of the Central Plains has not yet been broken, but as the Wei State becomes increasingly powerful, this balanced situation will sooner or later broken.
Therefore, the King of Qin did not regret going to war with the Wei State. He only regretted that he initially believed his daughter Qin Shaojun Yingying's lies and failed to stab the Wei State hard when it was at its weakest.
If the Qin State had declared war on the Wei State when it first declared war on South Korea separately in the Wei State and jointly declared war on Qi and Chu, the Wei State would never have had the last laugh like it does now.
Thinking of this, King Qin's hatred for his daughter Ying Ying became even stronger, because this daughter betrayed his Gaoyang Ying family, betrayed the Qin State, and chose to help her husband Zhao Run, causing the Qin State to suffer the consequences now. Caught in this dilemma.
On the ninth day of the seventh lunar month, the King of Qin summoned Wei Yang, the chief concubine of the left concubine, and Zhao Ran, the chief concubine of the great concubine, to discuss countermeasures.
The atmosphere in the palace at that time seemed a bit depressing, and even the chief concubine Zhao Ran couldn't think of any countermeasures for a while.
In fact, to be honest, the war between Qin and Wei is quite optimistic at present, although Wei's Hexi and Hedong counties are temporarily unable to defend themselves under the defense of Wei generals Sima An, Wei Ji, Zhao Xuan and others. After conquering, Wu Xinhou Gongsun Qi was also refuted by Wei general Lian, and Feng Ting bit his tail. Even the surprise troops who "sneak attacked Sanchuan County" were blocked by Wei generals Pang Huan, Zhao Tan and others. But in general, Qin's army did not gain a disadvantage.
To be honest, when the number of fighting troops between the two countries is similar, it is really remarkable that Qin can fight equally with Wei.
Don't think that all the elites of the Wei State are in South Korea, and the Wei army on the Wei-Qin battlefield is not elite. In fact, Wei general Sima An's Hexi Army, Wei Ji's Hedong Army, Zhao Xuan's Northern First Army, and Pang Huan's Suppression of Rebellion These troops are all the elite divisions of the Wei State, with a full strength of approximately 200,000. Together with the rest of the militia, the number of Wei troops on the Qin and Wei battlefields is no less than 300,000, which is comparable to the Qin army. Basically the same.
Under such circumstances, the Qin army could still barely hold on to the slight advantage brought by the previous sneak attack, which is really remarkable.
Today, when Korea is in decline, no country in the Central Plains can compete head-on with the Wei army with similar numbers of troops like Qin.
Qi can’t do it, and Chu can’t do it either.
But unfortunately, the Wei State did not only have the four elite forces of the Hexi Army, the Hedong Army, the Suppression Army, and the Northern First Army, but also Jiang Bi's Shangdang Army, Zhao Jiang's Hanoi Army, Qu Cheng's Yanling Army, and Wu Ji's Shang Shui Army, Shao Hu's Wei Wu Army, and the "Jiang Guards" that became famous in the "Battle of Daliang".
It is no exaggeration to say that if Wei decided to deal with Qin, it could mobilize at least 300,000 more elite troops to rush to the battlefield between Qin and Wei.
Of course, the difference in military strength is actually nothing. For the Qin State, which has a strong folk custom and a desire for war, if the Wei State recruits 300,000 elite troops, the Qin State can also recruit another 300,000 troops - even if these 300,000 elite troops are recruited Among the tens of thousands of troops, militiamen (similar to tattoos, but not limited to tattoos) may account for the majority, but once a real confrontation occurs, Qin's militia may not necessarily be defeated in front of Wei's warriors.
The real key lies in money and food, that is, Qin cannot afford to support so many troops.
If Qin and Wei really sent out 500,000 to 600,000 troops each for a decisive battle, regardless of victory or defeat, the Qin State would most likely be overwhelmed by the daily ration expenditure of these 500,000 to 600,000 troops.
The comprehensive national strength cannot keep up with that of Wei. This is the biggest weakness or drawback of Qin's war with Wei.
If there are one or two reliable allies to contain some of Wei's troops at this time, this can greatly reduce the pressure on Qin. But unfortunately, neither the Qi-Chu coalition nor the Han general Yanmen guard Li Mu are so reliable. Pu, withdrew early, leaving Qin alone to continue the stalemate with Wei.
This hurts.
"Now that things have happened, we can only find a way to make peace with the state of Wei..."
Zhao Ran, the chief concubine, sighed and said.
After hearing this, King Qin glanced at Zhao Ran with some frustration.
"Making peace with Wei? Do you think I don't want to?"
King Qin snorted secretly.
He knew the character of his son-in-law Zhao Run very well, and he would never agree to make peace with Qin.
In fact, if it were him, he wouldn't agree - what? He attacked our country before, and now he wants to make peace when he sees that the situation is not right? How can it be so cheap?
At this time, Wei Yang, the commander of Zuo Shu, stroked his beard and said calmly: "In my opinion, the Wei State is at war with Han, Qi, Chu and other countries at the same time. I believe that its national power will not be able to sustain for a long time. If our country proposes at this time To make peace, it may be possible for the Wei State to..."
"Zhao Run will not agree."
King Qin shook his head and said with certainty.
In essence, King Qin Hui and his son-in-law Zhao Run have very similar personalities. They both cannot stand provocation and will fight to death if someone provokes them.
"What if Shaojun comes forward?" Zhao Ran, the chief concubine, suggested.
"Young Master?"
When King Qin returned, he immediately thought of his daughter who had betrayed the country and her people. He snorted and sneered: "Do you still expect her to stand by our great Qin?"
"There is no need for Shaojun to stand by my side, Da Qin." Zhao Ran said seriously: "As long as she can persuade King Wei to stay calm... King Zhao Run of Wei is a very impulsive person. Thinking back to those days, he was a very impulsive person. When our country was attacked by the Korean army, he led his troops to the capital of Qin at all costs, in order to force Qin to stop using troops against Wei with the threat of "destroying the fish and breaking the net". This can be seen... The King of Wei was actually still calm when he was calm. It’s not the most difficult thing. I’m just afraid that he will be impulsive out of anger and drag me, Da Qin, to death at all costs. Although this move can be said to be harmful to others and not beneficial to oneself, but based on my understanding of the King of Wei, His Majesty can definitely do it when he is angry. .”
After a pause, he continued: "Therefore, I suggest that your Majesty try to persuade the young master to understand that the current Wei State should take advantage of the trend to attack Qi and Chu to expand the results of the war, instead of fighting with our great Qin to the death. The two countries of Qi and Chu can take a breather... Even if the young prince has his heart set on Wei, I believe he will choose the latter after hearing this suggestion."
King Qin thought for a long time after hearing this, then nodded slowly and said, "Good!"
Seeing this, Zhao Ran, the chief concubine, continued: "If we can lead the Wei State to Qi and Chu, we, the Great Qin State, will be able to gain a few years. I suggest that we, the Great Qin State, should immediately go south to annex Bashu... I think that our Great Qin State, Compared with the Wei State, the weakest thing is food. If we can get the land of Bashu, which is rich in grain, our Great Qin will have enough food. If the Wei State goes to war with our Great Qin again, our Great Qin will have as much food as Wei. Qualifications for war, at least, so that the national strength will not be brought down by the troops on the front line."
"Hmm."
King Qin nodded in agreement.
After Zhao Ran, the chief concubine, and Wei Yang, the chief concubine of the left concubine, left, King Qin walked back to the depths of the palace.
During this period, Ying Ying has been under house arrest in Xianyang Palace. Although the relationship between father and daughter was once very tense, Ying Ying, her mother, and her younger brother, who is now the crown prince of Qin, "Ying Zhu" ”, but we still get along well with each other.
Speaking of the current crown prince of Qin, Ying Zhu, although he seems taciturn and gloomy to the outside world, in fact, this is just because Ying Zhu has been weak and sick since childhood. In addition, the King of Qin did not have many children, so Ying Zhu gradually developed a bad temper. He has an autistic personality that likes to be alone, is not good at communicating with strangers, and likes to read books.
After the alliance between Qin and Wei, Ying Zhu often read Wei's books. Every time his sister Ying Ying returned to Qin, she would bring some Wei books to her younger brother. "Etiquette", "Confucianism", "Dharma Theory", etc., Ying Zhu has a very complete set in his hands.
In addition, Ying Zhu also likes to read miscellaneous books such as "Yi Tan". This is quite similar to Wei Wang Zhao Run, both of whom are very miscellaneous readers.
The only difference is that Wei Wang Zhao Run read books more to pass the time, while Ying Zhu did it to relieve boredom and use books to allow his weak body to come into contact with the culture, scenery, anecdotes, etc. of the Central Plains.
Therefore, every time Ying Ying returned to Qin, Ying Zhu would always ask him about new things that happened in Wei, including the fact that this time Ying Ying was put under house arrest in Xianyang Palace by her father, King Qin.
On this day, when Ying Ying had nothing to do to accompany her mother Yong, King Qin walked back into the palace.
It seemed to be clearly visible at that time, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly solidified.
"Your Majesty." Queen Yong reminded her daughter in a subtle way while returning the gift to King Qin.
Seeing the anxious look on her mother's face, Ying Ying reluctantly saluted her father. Unfortunately, it was not the way Yong wanted to be called: "Your Majesty, King Qin."
"Hmm."
King Qin snorted softly and didn't care about his daughter's deliberate name. After all, he knew very well that both he and the daughter in front of him, including his son-in-law Zhao Run who was in Wei State, were all paranoid people. I really agree with that sentence, it doesn’t mean that one family does not enter the same house.
After sitting down on the main throne in the palace, King Qin looked back at his daughter Yingying for a while, and suddenly said: "Your husband-in-law defeated the coalition forces of all countries."
Ying Ying's face was expressionless when she heard this, showing no signs of surprise, because she had already learned about this a month ago - it was her brother Ying Zhu who saw her worrying about the safety of her husband Zhao Run day and night, and secretly told this Sister's.
Seeing Ying Ying's expressionless face, King Qin replied: "Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen in South Korea, is also dead."
This news had just been delivered to Xianyang, so Ying Ying didn't know about it, so when King Qin said it, Ying Ying's expressionless face finally showed a bit of surprise and joy.
After all, Ying Ying also understood that the death of Han general Li Mu meant that the Wei State had eliminated a major hidden danger. At least it no longer had to worry about the Wei State's backyard being on fire when it went to war with Qin.
Ying Ying said calmly: "Li Mu doesn't know how to advance or retreat, and tries to go against the general trend. Even if he dies, it won't be a surprise."
"General trend?"
King Qin snorted back and asked unhappily: "What is the general trend?...Don't forget your identity. You are first of all the daughter of the Ying family of Gaoyang, and secondly the wife of the King of Wei!"
Ying Ying wanted to talk back, but because her mother Yong secretly pulled her sleeve and shook her head, she endured it and asked the King of Qin expressionlessly and replied: "I wonder what your Majesty, King Qin, has learned from this?"
Having said this, she looked up and down at her father in front of her, and said with a chuckle: "Li Mu died, and the coalition forces of all the countries were defeated. The Wei Dynasty no longer has any worries. I believe His Majesty the King of Qin also has a headache at this moment, right?...With the national power of Qin, , I’m afraid it would be a bit reluctant to counter the Wei State by myself.” At this point, she seemed to have thought of something, and said as if she suddenly realized: “Could it be that His Majesty the King of Qin wants me to come forward and make peace with the Wei State?”
"Young Master." Upon hearing this, her mother, Mrs. Yong, quickly interrupted Ying Ying's words and scolded: "How can you talk to your father like this? He is your father, and he is the father who loves you the most in the past."
Hearing this, a trace of hesitation flashed in Ying Ying's eyes. After a long time, she sighed slightly and said: "My daughter reminded you, my father... When my father chose to go to war with the Wei State, today, he must bear the consequences." The consequences. Don’t you think it’s already too late to make peace with Wei State now?”
Seeing that his daughter finally called him the father, King Qin turned around and said seriously: "Young Master, I also know that it is difficult to recover when water is overturned. Therefore, I do not force you to intervene. I just feel that if the Qin and Wei countries are reunited, If the fight continues, it will be nothing more than a lose-lose situation... It is true that Wei's national power is stronger than ours, Great Qin, but don't forget that before this, Wei had already fought a fierce battle with South Korea and the coalition forces of other countries, and How much grain should we have to fight against our Qin Dynasty? If the war between Qin and Wei continues to stalemate, our Qin Dynasty will suffer huge losses, but I believe that Wei will not get any benefits... The only ones who will benefit are Qi and Chu."
"..."
Ying Ying frowned slightly, thoughtfully.
Immediately, she raised her head and asked in surprise: "Is your father planning to divert trouble eastward and ask Wei to attack Qi and Chu?"
Of course King Qin knew that this plan could not be concealed from the daughter in front of him, so he did not deny what he heard, and said with a chuckle: "Qi and Chu are newly defeated. If Wei takes advantage of the victory and marches in, wouldn't it be better to have a stalemate with Qin? You are also Qin. Man, you should know that our Great Qin is not a weak country like Qi Chu. If Zhao Run expects to completely defeat our Great Qin, then he must be prepared to be dragged down by at least half of the Wei Kingdom by my old Qin people!"
When he said the last sentence, the smile on King Qin's face was gone, and his solemn look made Ying Ying feel a little shocked.
As the daughter of the Qin people, she certainly understands the Qin people's attitude towards war, which is by no means comparable to that of the weak Central Plains countries like Qi and Chu.
"I don't need you to come forward to plead for me, Da Qin. As long as you convey my words to my good son-in-law, it is up to him to choose whether it is war or peace!" King Qin said seriously.
After looking at her father in front of her for a long time, Ying Ying nodded slightly and said, "I will convey your father's words to your son-in-law."
The next day, after King Qin Hui released his daughter Ying Ying from house arrest, Ying Ying took her bodyguard Peng Zhong and others back to Daliang, the capital of King Wei, by boat, and conveyed the words of her father King Qin Hui to her husband, King Zhao Run of Wei.
Standing on the boat returning to Wei State, Ying Ying looked at the rough river and sighed quietly.
To be honest, Ying Ying was actually in a very difficult position between her father, King Hui of Qin, and her husband, King Zhao Run of Wei, as her husband-in-law, because these two men were both her true loves.
But unfortunately, there will always be a fight between the father-in-law and his father-in-law.
Because this world is too small to accommodate two heroes who aspire to dominate.