When the letter returned to Emperor Wei's hands again, Emperor Wei sighed quietly.
He had no direct conflict with Qi King Lu Xi. Even though he and Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo attacked the Song Dynasty more than ten years ago, Qi King Lu Xi did not make a fierce counterattack because he focused on the overall situation. An envoy was sent to make a denunciation, which was not painful.
As the saying goes, heroes cherish each other. Although the Emperor of Wei is not shameless enough to call himself a wise king, he has always respected King Lu Xi of Qi. After all, this King of Qi is the only one in the history of Qi who suppressed Chu from the beginning to the end. , a monarch who checks and balances Korea.
Suddenly, when he heard that King Lu Xi of Qi was about to die soon, Emperor Wei felt as sad as the death of a rabbit or a fox.
You know, even King Xiong Xu of Chu, who had been suppressed by Qi King Lu Xi for half his life, felt inexplicably sad after learning about this incident. Maybe this is the so-called difficulty in finding an opponent.
The monarchs of a country at their level would not casually regard anyone as an opponent, so there were only a few in the world who could be considered opponents.
The death of one person means that there will always be one less respectable opponent.
"I'll leave this matter to you, Hongrun... Before you set off, come one more time and I will hand over the Dangshan Army's Tiger Talisman to you."
Emperor Wei seemed to feel a little inexplicably disappointed.
"Yes, I will retire."
Zhao Hongrun retreated knowingly.
After returning from the palace to Prince Su's Mansion, Zhao Hongrun called Zongwei Mu Qing to the post house in the city and informed Qi envoy Tian You.
Perhaps a few days ago, Zhao Hongrun was reluctant to send troops to assist Qi in its attack on Chu, because in Chu, he had planted an unstable factor, Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng, who was sure to plunge Chu into civil strife and had no time to take care of Wei. country.
But as the saying goes, changes are not as good as plans, so Zhao Hongrun couldn't refuse the generous price offered by King Lu Xi of Qi.
Whether it was to allow his sixth brother Zhao Hongzhao to take power in the Qi State and become an extremely popular minister, or for the "Secret Records of Lu Gong", Zhao Hongrun had to send troops to assist the Qi State in its crusade against the Chu State.
He is sending troops sincerely and without any pretense!
Since we want to send troops and since we want to offend the Chu State, then we should simply take "the destruction of the Chu State" as our fundamental purpose.
As for the private agreement with Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo, Zhao Hongrun no longer cares about it at the moment.
To put it harshly, it can also be understood as being torn apart by him unilaterally.
After all, this is not a private matter, but concerns the interests of the entire Wei State. Not to mention that Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, is just Mi Jiang's cousin, even if he is his biological brother, Zhao Hongrun will still make such a decision.
The interests of the country come first. This is Zhao Hongrun's obligation and responsibility as a Wei man and as the prince of Wei.
"...20,000 Yanling Army, 20,000 Shangshui Army, and 12,500 Dangshan Army. These three armies, led by me personally, rushed to Jiangdong to join forces with the coalition forces of your country and Lu... In addition, I will Depending on the situation, the king will also mobilize 30,000 northern Sichuan cavalry from Sanchuan to attack Western Chu."
When Qi envoy Tian You arrived at the hall of Prince Su's Mansion, Zhao Hongrun told the former the details of his plan to send troops without saying a word, which made the former slightly absent-minded.
Fifty thousand... no, eighty thousand!
"Wei State actually sent 80,000 troops?!"
Qi Shi Tian You couldn't help but feel a little dumbfounded.
Because in the eyes of King Su of Wei in front of him, he seemed to see the same determination as their King Lu Xi of Qi: to destroy Chu!
This determination made Qi envoy Tian You, who was still doubting that Wei Guoguo would hold back their Qi State a while ago, now have another conjecture: If I, Da Qi, hold back this King Su, what will happen?
I’m afraid the consequences would be unimaginable, right?
Thinking of this, Qi Shi Tian You smiled unnaturally, swallowed his saliva and complimented: "Prince Su understands the righteousness, I..."
Just as he said this, Zhao Hongrun raised his hand to interrupt him and said seriously: "It goes without saying that it's useless. I just want to ask one question... How long can Lu Xi live?"
If someone else had asked this question, I am afraid that Qi Shi Tian You would have jumped up and cursed, but facing the king of Wei Su in front of him, whose eyes showed the same determination as their Qi King Lu Xi, Qi Shi Tian You had no idea in his heart.
I don't mean to get angry, but I regard it as an extremely critical issue very rationally.
"The palace doctor's diagnosis... can probably last until the middle of next year." Qi asked Tian You to lick his lips and whispered.
"Just one year?" Zhao Hongrun took a breath after hearing this, nodded and said, "One year is enough!"
After that, he stood up and said to the Qi envoy Tian You: "You should return to your country and tell the King of Qi that I, the Wei Dynasty, will send troops this month!"
Qi's envoy Tian You perked up, bowed his hands and went back happily.
Having said that, although Zhao Hongrun said so decisively, in fact, he was also a little uneasy in his heart.
Because he told Concubine Shen Shu a few days ago that he would stay in Daliang until the end of the month and spend more time with Concubine Shen Shu.
Sure enough, in the evening of that day, when Zhao Hongrun carefully mentioned this matter while dining with Concubine Shen Shu and her brother Zhao Hongxuan in Ningxiang Palace, Concubine Shen Shu's eyes showed disappointment.
But this woman who understood justice well would naturally not stop her son from doing great things. She immediately put away her disappointed expression and just told Zhao Hongrun to be careful when going out and put safety first.
Hearing this, Zhao Hongrun felt very uncomfortable: Although Concubine Shen Shu was not his biological mother, she had treated him no differently from her biological mother since childhood. But he could not even spend more time with this mother...
At this time, Zhao Hongxuan seemed to have noticed his brother's emotions, and he patted his chest swornly and promised with a smile: "Brother, you can go with peace of mind, I will take care of my mother and concubine."
"Can you talk?" Zhao Hongrun glared at his brother angrily.
Another day passed like this, Zhao Hongrun came to Chui Gong Hall again, bid farewell to the Emperor of Wei, and asked for the military talisman of the Dangshan Army.
After all, both the Yanling Army and the Shangshui Army were from Chu. Although Zhao Hongrun could use his prestige and the awe-inspiring slogan of "liberating the common people of Chu State who were oppressed by the nobles" to lead these two armies to attack the Xiong family in Eastern Chu.
Noble, but more or less, Zhao Hongrun is still a little defensive in his heart.
Although he knew very well that the class conflict between civilians and nobles in the Chu State was extremely acute. For example, the Yanling Army and the Shang Shui Army, which were mostly composed of civilians, even if they were all born in the Chu State, they were also hostile to the Xiong family in the east of Chu.
The nobles didn't have any good impressions, and even wanted to personally kill those nobles who had exploited their common people in the past.
However, unexpectedly, Zhao Hongrun saw a person with a special identity in Chui Gong Hall today.
The general of the Fenxing Border Guard Army, Xu Yin!
And just when Zhao Hongrun was looking at this general who came for unknown reasons, Emperor Wei opened his mouth and revealed the secret.
"Hongrun, Xu Yin has volunteered and hopes to go with you. What do you think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yin bowed towards Zhao Hongrun, clasped his fists and saluted, and said respectfully: "Your Highness, King Su, please allow Xu and his Fenxing Army to participate in this battle..."
"..."
Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but hesitate.
We must know that in terms of the combat effectiveness of the army, Zhao Hongrun naturally hopes that the Dangshan Army will come to help him. After all, the combat effectiveness of the Dangshan Army in the mountain and forest areas is simply incredible. The Pengyue area in the east of Chu has mostly hilly and mountainous terrain.
It is the most ideal battlefield for the Dangshan Army.
Unfortunately, he couldn't say it.
First, when he decided to counterattack the Chu State two years ago, Xu Yin responded to his call. After that, he had a good relationship with the general Xu Yin.
Secondly, this general had a deep blood feud with the Chu State, so he took the initiative to join the army, probably in order to legitimately take revenge on the Chu State.
But the question is, with this general who hates the Chu people, will nothing really happen?
You must know that the army Zhao Hongrun is planning to take to Jiangdong this time, the Yanling Army and the Shangshui Army are both from Chu people.
"Last time it was Sima An, and this time it's Xu Yin...Why do I always encounter such difficult things?"
Zhao Hongrun's face couldn't help but wrinkle up, and his embarrassment was clearly visible.
However, it has to be said that Xu Yin is more knowledgeable than the rebellious Sima An. When he saw Zhao Hongrun's embarrassed expression, he immediately promised: "Your Highness, King Su, must not misunderstand. I know the difference between public affairs and private matters very clearly."
I just want to serve my country, and I have no intention of taking revenge on the people of Chu... If Your Highness doesn't believe it, Xu is willing to issue a military order in front of Your Majesty. If Xu disobeys His Majesty's order in the future, Your Highness, please behead me.
Xu Yin has no complaints!"
After hearing this, Zhao Hongrun looked at Emperor Wei and then at Xu Yin. After thinking about it for a while, he suddenly understood.
Thinking about it, it was the unfavorable rumors about the general at the beginning of last year that caused the general's reputation to plummet, so much so that he was recalled to Daliang by the court and let the Junshui Army take over the defense of Fenxing Fortress.
After that, Xu Yin and the Fenxing Army practiced every day in the camp of the Dredging Navy Army outside Daliang. Although they gradually faded out of the discussion between the government and the public, there was no opportunity to be transferred back to Fenxing Fortress.
If he follows Zhao Hongrun to Jiangdong this time and establishes great achievements, the people in the country will no longer doubt the loyalty of this general to Wei. In this way, Xu Yin can be transferred back to Fenxing fortress.
After all, Xu Yin was a general who had been stationed on the border for a long time. He was used to fighting and killing Chu troops in the past. Now that he was transferred to the peaceful capital of Daliang, how could he endure loneliness?
Thinking of this, Zhao Hongrun nodded.
"Okay!... Since General Xu has said this, if I refuse again, it will be my fault." After saying that, Zhao Hongrun took two steps back, bowed his hands, and said seriously: "Xu
General, please lend me a helping hand!"
"How dare you? How dare you."
Xu Yin hurriedly helped Zhao Hongrun up, and at the same time did not forget to give the latter a grateful look, grateful that the latter could give him the opportunity to restore his reputation, even though he thought that he had never done anything detrimental to the state of Wei.
It has to be said that as long as Zhao Hongrun makes a decision, he will act very quickly.
No, two days later, the Fenxing Army stationed in Junshui Camp, led by Xu Yin, set off for the border between Qi and Chu.
In order to shorten the travel time, Zhao Hongrun once again requisitioned the transport ship of the Ministry of Revenue and carried 15,000 Fenxing troops to Shangshui County.
If possible, Zhao Hongrun would like to reach Jiangdong by boat in one go, but unfortunately, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu has already dispatched Chen County's warships to blockade the river area.
Therefore, Zhao Hongrun could only let the army land in Shangshui County, then join the Yanling Army and Shangshui Army, go directly east across Song County, across the Lu State, and join the Qilu Allied Forces in Jiangdong.
During this period, Zhao Hong heard that Xiong Tuo and Xiong Hu had deployed heavy troops on the Wei-Chu border, such as Pingyu County and other places.
Yes, no one is a fool. Although Zhao Hongrun, Xiong Tuo, and Xiong Hu have a secret agreement in private, it does not mean that they are really open-minded to each other and have no precautions.
This has nothing to do with their personal relationship or their private agreement. This is a country-to-country war and is no child's play.
After all, there have always been national wars, and those who subjugated their countries were slaves!