The roof of Mingyu Hall that was lifted has been re-covered long ago.
Lin Ze sat on the main seat and said calmly: "The cause and effect of the matter are roughly like this. In response to the sage's decree, I will lead an army of 150,000 to attack Qin. I hope that all the ministers will help me."
The audience, led by Chen Ping, Wu Fan, Qianyuan and other six chief officers and adjutants, said in unison: "I will obey the order of the Lord."
Lin Ze nodded and said: "This matter is managed by the Prime Minister. The Ministry of War is responsible for dispatching troops and generals and formulating marching routes; the Ministry of Household Affairs prepares money and food, recruits civilians, and ensures logistics; the Ministry of Industry speeds up the production of ordnance to ensure that the army can be used for battle."
"The Ministry of Etiquette prepares matters for offering sacrifices to heaven and determines the date of the expedition; the Ministry of Punishment inspects corruption and illegality; the Ministry of Personnel evaluates the actions of each department to see if the corpses are in good order."
"Do you have any objections to sending troops within half a month?"
Everyone replied in unison: "Please rest assured, Lord, I will live up to your expectations."
When Lin Ze heard this, he waved his hand and said, "The Prime Minister will stay, and all the ministers will go and do their work."
Everyone bowed and left, leaving Chen Ping alone.
When everyone left, Chen Ping ignored Zhuang Zhou's presence and advised with a worried look on his face: "Let me tell you, the lord of the country, the land of Yan and Zhao has just been decided, and the people have not yet returned home. If we rush to fight, there will be chaos."
"In my opinion, this battle should be avoided and avoided. If it cannot be avoided, it should not be launched into a large-scale war. Can the army of 150,000 be reduced to 50,000?"
After Chen Ping finished speaking, he deliberately looked at Zhuang Zhou, as if observing his reaction.
Zhuang Zhou looked innocent and said, "What do you think Pindao is doing? It's the head of your country who, in front of the saints of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, said he would send 150,000 troops. It's not Pindao who forced him."
Chen Ping couldn't deny it and replied: "If the king hadn't been a disciple of the Taoist Saint, how could he have been forced to send out 150,000 troops?"
"With the elite combat power of the Western Qin Dynasty and the master's superb military tactics, there is no need to send out so many troops. It is easy for up to 100,000 troops to enter the pass."
Zhuang Zhou touched his nose and said: "I thought about it, there seems to be not much difference between an army of 100,000 and an army of 150,000."
When Chen Ping heard this, his voice suddenly became much louder: "How can it be that there is not much difference? Does Ya Sheng know how much burden these 50,000 troops will bring to the Western Qin court?"
"Let's not mention the basic consumption of food, grass, ordnance for the moment. Just the monthly military pay and post-war pensions will cost a lot if you add them later."
Zhuang Zhou was speechless for a moment and could only look at Lin Ze for help.
Lin Ze chuckled lightly and said in a deep voice: "Chen Ping, don't get excited. This time I decided to send 150,000 troops, not just to enter Guanzhong."
"The land of Guanzhong has thousands of miles of fertile land and a population of more than 20 million. Are you not tempted at all?"
Chen Ping was stunned when he heard this and asked: "The king wants to take Guanzhong?"
Lin Ze said calmly: "If the Qin Kingdom is destroyed, the land in Guanzhong will become an ownerless land. Rather than taking advantage of the rebels, it is better to take advantage of the orphans."
"At least Gu Zeng was a minister of Qin and could barely be considered a member of his own family."
Chen Ping hesitated for a moment and said: "If the attack on Qin fails and the army suffers serious losses, there will definitely be chaos in the land of Yan and Zhao. With the way the king behaves, he will not fail to consider such a situation."
Lin Ze didn't take it seriously and said: "Gu will naturally consider this kind of situation. In addition to the 150,000 troops that Gu took away, there are still 50,000 troops in Yanzhao, as well as you, Wu Fan, several masters
Stay behind.”
"This kind of camp is a little stretched to completely guard the land thousands of miles away, but if it only threatens the place, it is enough."
"Before, whether it was tax exemption for three years or punishing local bullies, it was all to show kindness to the people. However, governance of a place cannot be done by kindness. It should be appropriate to use power. A combination of kindness and power is the long-term way."
"Those who are unruly are afraid of power rather than virtue. After the orphans leave, those who commit crimes and commit crimes should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others."
Seeing that Lin Ze had made up his mind and could not shake it, Chen Ping showed a hint of helplessness and said, "I obey."
"I wonder if the king of the country has left me alone. Apart from these words, does he have any other instructions?"
Lin Ze replied without changing his expression: "The main thing is to talk about sending troops. We have fifteen days to prepare, which is relatively sufficient. It will definitely not work any later. Ke Gu also doesn't want to send troops too early. The auspicious time calculated by the Ministry of Rites, you
Keep an eye on it."
"I don't want to appear on the battlefield too early and compete with Qin's main force. Please pay more attention to the marching route and marching speed formulated by the Ministry of War."
"Prepare a group of officials in advance. After the Qin Dynasty is destroyed, Guhui will expel the other two families as quickly as possible and monopolize Guanzhong. If we want to completely take Guanzhong into our hands in a short time, we will need a group of loyal officials to stabilize the place."
When Chen Ping heard this, he bowed and responded: "I understand."
Lin Ze thought for a while and continued: "After Gu leads his army and leaves, as usual, you will be responsible for running the Western Qin court as usual. If there is anyone who is really short-sighted and jumps out to cause trouble, you can kill him first and report later."
"Nothing else, please go down and finish these things. In addition, call Wu Fan to see Gu."
Chen Ping bowed his hands and exited the hall.
After a while, Wu Fan hurried over, bowed his head and saluted, "I wonder why the king called me here?"
Lin Ze pointed to the map representing the areas of Qin, Liu Ji and Zhao Tuo's influence, and said in a deep voice: "This battle is of great importance, and the transmission of military information must be timely and reliable."
"This time, no matter how many secrets are exposed or how much the price is paid, the three armies of Qin, Nanyue, and Liu Ji will be dispatched, and Gu must be clear about it."
When Wu Fan heard this, his body trembled and he solemnly responded: "No."
…
Twelve days passed in a blink of an eye. Lin Ze beat drums and gathered his troops outside Handan City to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. He left with an army of 150,000 in a mighty manner.
News came from the Jin Yiwei that Liu Ji's army arrived at Hangu Pass around the fifth day. South Vietnam sent a partial force to contain Qin General Li Xin, and Zhao Tuo personally led an army of 150,000 to approach Wuguan.
Lin Ze made a rough estimate of the time. Starting today, marching at a normal speed, he could probably lead his army to the Huguan Pass in less than one day from the day when Liu Jibing arrived at Hangu Pass.
As for South Vietnam, the two sides were a bit far apart and information was not transmitted in time. Lin Ze could only make blind guesses and estimate the entry time.
…
Chang'an, Xianyang Palace, a guard held a letter box, passed through countless palace people, rushed into the Yangxin Palace, and knelt down before Emperor Qin to bow: "Your Majesty, something serious is not going well, and we have to hurry up for eight hundred miles.
The rebels in the land of Guandong joined forces and sent large armies in three different directions to invade our Qin country."
"One group is the rebel Liu Ji, with 150,000 troops approaching Hangu Pass, and is tentatively attacking the city; one group is the rebel Zhao Tuo, with 150,000 troops attacking Wuguan Pass; one group is the rebel Lin Ze, who is leading the attack
150,000 elite troops arrived at Huguan and stopped patrolling."