Ji Kang's edict was conveyed to the armies of Yan State as quickly as possible.

The main generals of the Yan army, after receiving the edict of their own king, led their respective armies, and according to the edict, they did not rush to march to Handan of Zhao State, but opened to many cities in the north of Zhao State.

After Pang Xuan led the army to retreat south, the Zhao army had no troops to garrison many Zhao cities north of Xindu and the sand dunes.

Under such circumstances, the various armies of the Yan army are progressing smoothly.

After occupying the mouth of Jingcheng, the East Road Lejian Department completely opened the passage from Jingcheng to Jinyang, and then sent troops to occupy several nearby cities in Chili and Yi'an. Immediately, the army marched south and conquered the city of Bairen in Zhao.

After conquering Dongwu City, the army marched north and successively occupied Changcheng (northwest of present-day Jizhou City, Hebei) and Guanjin (present-day eastern Wuyi County, Hebei). Then cross the river in the Changseong area and go to the house city.

After occupying Feiyi, the army swept away several surrounding Zhao cities, and then went south to capture houses, Shancheng and other places.

In just one month, the armies of the Yan Kingdom from all walks of life incorporated the many Zhao cities abandoned by Pang Xuan into the territory of the Yan Kingdom. By mid-April, the eastern, central, and western armies of the Yan Kingdom had joined forces in the house city.

At the same time, the veteran Lian Po also led an army of 50,000 to the north, and the 100,000 Zhao army retreated south with Pang Xuan's southward retreat converged in Xindu City, and the Zhao army reached as many as 150,000 troops.

April 13, Handan, the capital of Zhao State, the palace hall.

Ji Kang's uncle, Zhao Wangdan, sat on the throne with his hands on his knees. After the ministers of Zhao entered the hall, they bowed and bowed. Zhao Wangdan waved his hand and motioned for everyone to be exempt.

Zhao Wangdan has been living a very "bad" life since this time. The death of Zhao Sheng, the king of the plains, dealt a great blow to Zhao Wangdan. And the invasion of the Yan army made the Zhao State fall into turmoil.

Several attendants were on the left side of the throne, hanging a map of the Zhao Kingdom on a wooden shelf, and silently retreated.

At this time, Zhao Wangdan's cheeks were thin and his face was solemn.

On the royal table in front of it, there are two recitals of the veteran Lian Po and Pang Xuan.

"Zhongqing, this king won't let people read it out, and the two generals Lian Po and Pang Xuan will circulate it." Zhao Wangdan looked at the people in the lower hall and said in a light tone.

The two attendants stepped forward and handed the two copies of the recital to the ministers and generals in the palace to read.

As the people circulated it, all those who had read these two documents had heavy faces.

The content of these two recitals is similar, and they both say that Zhao Guo has reached the most critical moment. At the moment, there is no way, only near Xindu in the north of Handan, to find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Yan army, in order to save the decline of the Zhao State.

The ministers still have a little fantasy when they don't look at it, and they all despair when they see it.

The current situation in Zhao State is not the worst, only worse.

Everyone read it quickly, and after a while, the two recitals returned to Zhao Wangdan's royal table.

"Lian Po and Pang Xuan's recitals, after reading them, let's talk about them."

Zhao Wangdan's face was gloomy, and he said to the ministers in the hall.

"King, Pang Xuanju retreated with the whole army, gave up many cities of my Zhao State on the south bank of the Hutuo River, and made a large area of my Zhao State fall into the hands of Yan Dog.

A minister stepped forward and suggested to Zhao Wangdan.

"Your Majesty, don't look at it! General Pang Xuan led the army to retreat south, and the minister thought that it was also a helpless move. Judging from the news coming back from the front, if General Pang Xuan does not lead the main force to retreat, he will inevitably be surrounded by the Yan army's three-way army, and there will be many auspicious ones. ”

And General Lian Po led his army north, which was also a necessary measure. In this way, our armies from the north and south can block the Yan army from moving south on the front line of Xindu and the sand dunes to defend our Handan. ”

A minister stepped forward and bowed to Zhao Wangdan.

Zhao Wangdan glanced at the people in the hall and said slowly:

"The Yan army is north of my Handan, and the troops are divided into three routes, the purpose is to encircle and annihilate our northern army. General Pang Xuan led his army to retreat south, which was a wise move, and few people thought so. ”

Zhao Wangdan has also exercised after experiencing many hardships over the years.

took the lead in characterizing Pang Xuan's retreat to the south, so as not to let Zhao Guo's court have any more waves because of this matter.

When everyone in the hall heard Zhao Wangdan say this, they all fell silent.

Zhao Wangdan glanced at the people in the lower hall with his eyes, stood up, and said to the ministers:

"Now the main forces of our Zhao army in the south and north are ready to fight with the main force of the Yan army in Xindu. This decisive battle is related to the life and death of my Zhao country, and the net worth and life of my Zhao country, this is a national war. ”

"However, what chills the widow's heart is that at this time of national crisis, there are still many wealthy families who are unwilling to serve the country, and they act frequently, and there are many people in private who are ready to take refuge in Yan State."

When the ministers in the palace heard Zhao Wangdan say this, many people couldn't help but feel nervous.

Recently, there have been several civil uprisings in several cities near Handan.

These civil uprisings in Zhao were certainly caused by the fact that in the past two years, Zhao had collected grain and grass, recruited soldiers, and mobilized soldiers and people for the war. But if you think about it carefully, the civil rebellion happened at this time, which echoed the invasion of the Yan army, and things were definitely not so simple.

Especially when Zhao Guo quelled these popular uprisings, it was not smooth.

It is impossible for this kind of thing to happen, if there is no one to instigate and support it later.

At this time, a general of the Zhao army in his early thirties stood up.

Everyone saw that this person was a member of the Zhao royal family, named Zhao Cong.

"Your Majesty, according to the generals, these untouchables and some people behind them are truly hateful! At this time, they carried out these actions in the rear, completely forgetting the grace that the king had given them. ”

"If these people are not punished severely, where is the majesty of my king? The last general asked for his life, and he was willing to lead his troops to exterminate these people and give them severe punishment, so as to deter other people who were about to move. ”

Zhao Cong clenched his fists and bowed down to Zhao Wangdan.

After listening to Zhao Cong's words, there was silence in the entire hall, and a needle drop could be heard.

The faces of many ministers changed slightly.

"Surely not, O king! These civil uprisings are small in scale and can be appeased. At this time, there is no need to make a big move. Otherwise, it will inevitably lead to a larger-scale civil uprising. ”

A civil official came out and said loudly to Zhao Wangdan.

Zhao Wangdan sat down and sighed slightly, knowing that this civil official was telling the truth.

He also knew that since the Battle of Changping, the people's livelihood in Zhao State has been difficult. Many people in Zhao State really can't survive anymore, and in the past two years, they have turned into refugees and defected to Yan State.

And for so many years, the war of Zhao has continued, and there is almost no break. Zhao had no other choice but to increase taxes. Zhao Wangdan knew that such a practice of luring a donkey to quench his thirst was very unfavorable to Zhao Guo. But at the moment, there is no other way.

Thinking of this, Zhao Wangdan's face turned even paler.

At this moment, an attendant hurriedly entered the hall and said to Zhao Wang Dan:

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Daliang and Xianyang."

"Oh, let people go up to the temple quickly." Zhao Wangdan hurriedly ordered.

"No." The acolyte bowed and withdrew from the temple.

In Zhao Wangdan's expectation, two Zhao military captains walked into the hall.

"King Qiqi, Yaqing Zheng Zhu sent a bid to rush back from Xianyang, and King Yingzhu of Qin has agreed to send troops to reinforce my Zhao State, but requires that my Zhao State must block the Yan army for more than three months, waiting for the Qin army to come."

"King Qiqi, Wang Yu of Wei is also mobilizing a large army and preparing to reinforce my Zhao State. However, it was not until the beginning of July at the earliest, so our army had to hold back the Yan army for several months in order to give the Wei army time to requisition. ”

The two lieutenants all knelt down and said to Zhao Wang Dan.

Zhao Wangdan and all the ministers in the palace all thought about it in their hearts. The two countries clearly agreed to assist Zhao, which is fast enough. After all, in this day and age, it is not an easy task to mobilize a large army to fight.

But if you want Zhao Jun to support you for three months, this is very difficult!

The ministers in the palace, including Zhao Wangdan, no longer knew anything about the Yan army.

In the past few years, the Yan army has a great reputation and sharp ordnance equipment, which can be said to be victorious in every battle and down in every city.

If Zhao State insists on holding on for more than three months, it must form a tug-of-war with the Yan army, or rely on Handan City to fight a battle to defend Handan with the Yan army to gain time.

However, at present, it seems that neither a tug-of-war nor a defense war is possible.

In order to form a tug-of-war, there must be a vast depth or natural danger, but the Zhao army no longer has such conditions; As for relying on Handan Jiancheng to block the Yan army, it is even more impossible.

The two fortified cities of Jimo and Jinyang are not inferior to Handan, and they were all defeated by the Yan army in half a month.

Zhao Wangdan's eyebrows tightened, and he pondered, judging from the current situation, Yan Guo would not give Zhao Guo such a long time and wait for the armies of various countries to aid Zhao Guo. A tug-of-war is impossible, and only by fighting with the main force of the Yan army, Zhao Guofang has a glimmer of life.

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Wangdan stood up and said loudly to the ministers in the palace:

"Now, my Zhao country is in internal and external troubles, and there is no way back. If this situation continues, our Zhao Kingdom will inevitably fall apart, and the country will not be protected. ”

"Since the main force of the Yan army wants to fight with the main force of our army, the widow has fulfilled the wish of my nephew, and the widow will immediately go to Xindu, drive the expedition in person, and fight to the death with the army of Yan State."