Chapter four hundred and ninety seventh the overall situation is the most important
On the border of Jincheng, a large army marched meandering under the banner of "Zhao".
There was a luxurious carriage at the center of the army, slowly moving forward with the footsteps of the army.
The carriage was surrounded by a group of cautious-looking, fully-armed guards. Half-lying on the carriage was a middle-aged man wearing a royal robe, opening his mouth from time to time to swallow the rare fruits handed over by the maid next to him.
This middle-aged man was a military minister who proclaimed himself King Zhao. Two months ago, after receiving the letter from Chen She, he immediately expanded his army and gathered an army of 200,000.
After arranging things on the territory, Wu Chen personally led the army and set out from Handan, intending to join Chen She's army and destroy Qin together.
On the third day of the army's departure, the military minister suddenly received a secret report from his subordinates. Chen She appointed his general Zhou Shi as commander, with an army of 600,000, and he himself was stationed in Chen County, the capital, to provide support.
After receiving the news, Wu Chen's expression changed on the spot. We agreed to destroy Qin together, but you actually hid at home and couldn't come out?
Who is not a king anymore?
So the next day, Zhao's army, which originally marched one hundred and twenty miles a day, immediately dropped to fifty miles a day.
After marching for two days, Wu Chen felt that the march was still too fast, so he summoned his generals Fumi Chen, and after careful discussion, he formulated some plans:
The sun is too strong, and soldiers can easily get sunburned, so they need to rest for a while; it’s raining, and they will get sick if they get wet, so they need to rest for a day; the wind is too strong, which is not conducive to marching, so we won’t break camp today.
Even if they march like this, the Zhao army will inevitably get closer and closer to the agreed-upon meeting place of the two parties - Yangzhai. Compared with Qi and Chu, Zhao army is really too close to the agreed-upon place.
However, this did not trouble Wu Chen and his military generals. The Wu Chen who was approaching Yangzhai suddenly received information that the remaining Qin loyalists in Zhao State gathered to cause chaos.
When the military officials learned of the "great chaos" in Zhao, they hurriedly sent a letter to Chen She, and then hurried back with their army to put down the rebellion.
After two months of repeated efforts, 200,000 Zhao troops were able to reach Jincheng.
This time Wu Chen did not plan to come again because he received news that the Qi army and the Chu army were approaching.
In the face of the great enemy Qin, even if the military officials wanted to preserve their strength, they still had no intention of completely breaking up with them.
The army had just left Jincheng and had marched no more than thirty miles. Suddenly a horse came galloping from a distance. The knight on the horse held up the bamboo tube with the letter and shouted as he ran: "There is an urgent report from the front. Go and report to the king quickly."
When the former general heard this, he did not dare to neglect and immediately ordered: "Stop the whole army and stand by."
Then he led his bodyguard to greet him and asked, "Who is coming?"
Arriving in front of the army, the messenger couldn't help but relax. When the horse stopped, he felt that the hand holding the reins was sore and weak. He shook twice and fell down.
The former army general immediately waved his guard to come forward and help the messenger up.
The messenger panted and said weakly: "Go and report to the king quickly. Zhang Chu's vanguard of a hundred thousand troops was ambushed by the army and the entire army was wiped out."
The former army general was startled and said decisively: "Let's go with me to meet the king." He took a few personal guards and supported the messenger and drove to Wu Chen's chariot.
The central army suddenly stopped. The military official frowned slightly and asked, "What's going on?"
The commander of the guards next to him immediately replied: "Your Majesty, I don't know what happened. The front army suddenly stopped. I have sent someone to ask. News will come soon."
The military official stood up from the carriage and opened the bead curtain. He happened to see the former generals coming with their messengers. They were stopped by the guards a hundred meters away, so he shouted loudly: "Let them come."
When the guards heard Wu Chen's voice, they immediately let the former generals and others go, and then the messenger told the news in front of Wu Chen.
When he heard that the vanguard dispatched by Zhou Shi and the entire army of 100,000 men had been wiped out, the military minister's expression suddenly turned gloomy and uncertain.
After a while, the military minister suddenly gave an order: "Come here, pass the order of the solitary king, and the whole army will return to Jincheng."
The former general said in astonishment: "Then we won't conquer Qin?"
The military official glared at him fiercely and said, "It's useless to conscript him. I'm sick and need to rest, okay?"
The general of the former army suddenly broke out in cold sweat, and he quickly bowed and saluted: "I obey the king's order, and I will go and order the front army to turn around."
…
In Yangzhai, the news that Zhao Jun had returned halfway soon reached Zhou Shi's ears. His face turned extremely ugly, and he drew out his sword and chopped the table in front of him into pieces.
"Strikes are not enough," Zhou Shi said angrily, then wrote a secret letter and sent someone to Chen County.
After Chen She received the secret letter from Zhou Shi, he immediately called Wu Guang for discussion: "Wu Qing, Zhou Shi sent a letter saying that the armies sent by Zhao, Qi, and Chu had different intentions and were unwilling to attack Qin with all their strength. He suggested that the lonely king come forward to subdue Zhao.
, the three kingdoms of Qi and Chu should collect all their armies and put them under the command of one person. Only in this way can internal strife be avoided."
"Zhou Shi also said that if the four countries do not work together, even if they join forces, they may not be able to defeat Qin's army."
After hearing this, Wu Guang pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, we have no way to take the armies of Zhao, Qi and Chu into our hands. If your Majesty really does this, we will be in chaos before Qin comes to attack."
, General Zhou’s method is not advisable.”
Chen She sighed slightly and said, "But what Zhou Shi said is not unreasonable. How can we defeat Qin if our troops are not united in spirit?"
Wu Guang smiled slightly and said: "Could it be that your Majesty wants to fight?"
Chen She's eyes lit up and he quickly asked: "Why did Wu Qing teach me?"
Wu Guang composed himself and said: "Your Majesty, please listen to me. Although the Qin State is now separated and disintegrated and has lost its previous power, Guanzhong is still there, and its strength is only stronger than Zhang Chu. There are even two masters who suppress Guo Zuo.
"
"Therefore, destroying Qin is not a one-time achievement, it needs to be done slowly."
Chen She said with a worried look on his face: "According to what you say, then why do I want to unite with Zhao, Qi and Chu to attack Qin?"
Wu Guang said calmly: "Your Majesty, don't be anxious. Please listen to me slowly. There are several advantages in uniting to attack Qin at this time."
"First, when the Zhang Chu Kingdom was first established, its national strength was still weak, its territory was unstable, and its people were not yet attached. If the Qin army came to attack, it would be difficult to defend it for a long time. Therefore, it is better to take the initiative to delay the Qin army's footsteps, and then take advantage of the situation to develop strength and consolidate itself."
"Secondly, after the Qin State loses a large area of land outside the customs, both resource output and labor will be reduced, and the national strength will continue to weaken. As a result, the two sides will always have different offensive and defensive capabilities."
"Third, you can take the opportunity to consume the strength of Zhao, Qi, and Chu. For allies like this, there should be two correct ways to get along with each other: if they are strong, unite with them; if they are weak, unite with them."
Chen She's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said: "No need to say it, the lonely king understands, but how should I respond to Zhoushi?"
Wu Guang coughed lightly and said quietly: "Your Majesty, the way forward is clear. Your Majesty can only reply to General Zhou. The overall situation is more important."
"Of course the king cannot just sit back and ignore this matter. He should send an envoy to strongly condemn the three kingdoms of Zhao, Qi and Chu for being greedy for life and afraid of death and not keeping their promises. The king also said these words to General Zhou. With his wisdom,
You can definitely understand that your Majesty has no control over your actions, and you won’t feel any resentment for this.”
Chen She nodded and said: "Okay, let's do this. Wu Qing will do the reply. After I confirm that there is no problem, I will send someone to deliver it to Zhou Shi."
Wu Guang bowed and replied: "I respect your order."
…
In Yangzhai, Zhou Shi received a reply from Chen She. When he opened it and saw the four words "overall interests are important" in the letter, he felt like a sharp knife piercing his heart. He tried his best to plan for Zhang Chu, but what he got was an evaluation that ignored the overall situation.