Chapter 238: Iron-Blooded Ambition
The so-called eventful autumn is a portrayal of the whole world this autumn. All the princes in the world almost widened their eyes in shock, keeping an eye on the battlefields of fierce confrontation at any time.
The war on the battlefield of Qi has not stopped, and the beacon fire in Zhongzhou has risen again. And in the Yan Kingdom in the north, several major battles are in full swing. The situation is complicated, and no one dares to predict the outcome of the victory. And among them, all the movements from Zhao Guo are particularly incredible.
If it is said according to the common sense of the world, after Chu Lie's death, Zhao State was besieged by the princes a year ago, no matter how it can be said, it can be regarded as a wounded vitality, and it should be well recuperated and recuperated to restore its strength. However, under the leadership of the young King Zhao, the people of Zhao not only did not relent, but instead sent troops from two directions and began their pace of expanding and competing for hegemony, which was a bit extremely abnormal.
What particularly shocked the princes was that the army of Zhao State had won many battles, whether it was on the battlefield of Qi or in the northern Yandi, they were invincible and achieved brilliant victories. No one can fail to be feared by such power. It's a real strength.
The capital of Wei is a big beam, and there is an air of slaughter. The King of Wei had convened several meetings in a row, and finally decided to send troops today. Originally, he was still a little hesitant. Several important ministers were not very supportive of the Wei army's rash actions at this time. If the safest way is to follow the most secure approach, of course, it is to wait for some more time, and when those battlefields are really divided into successes and failures, it will not be too late for Wei to act.
However, after all, King Wei couldn't resist the queen's crying and urging in his ear all day long. He had no choice but to finally make a decision.
Ever since their best son, Nangong, died in Zhongzhou, the queen has never laughed again. Later, when he attacked Zhao State, the loss of troops was defeated, and the King of Wei also fell seriously ill. In addition to taking care of him, the queen's greatest wish was for the king of Wei to recover his body as soon as possible, and then send troops to attack Zhao again, kill the culprit, and avenge Nangong and revenge.
Of course, this matter is not as simple as thought. After the Wei State was frustrated, it was not easy to settle down. If the situation is unclear, if the army is rashly dispatched, if it fails again, no one can afford the consequences. But the hatred in his heart made King Wei unwilling to wait any longer.
All kinds of news from the Zhao State, the King of Wei and his ministers are well aware. Now that he has made up his mind, the other ministers, even if they have different opinions, have shut their mouths and said no more. King Wei has been tyrannical recently, and if his head is cut off because of his loyalty, it will be more than worth the loss. Some time ago, the old minister died at home for no reason, which is already very telling. And the current new minister is the queen's younger brother Shen's father, and it is also the deceased prince Nangong and the prince's master. The king of Wei put him in charge of the government, most likely in preparation for the establishment of the second son born to the queen as the heir.
Under such circumstances, no one dared to disobey the will of the queen and her father, lest he invite trouble for himself. Therefore, when the decision to send troops to Zhao was decided, all that remained was to mobilize the army and prepare to go.
As two neighbors who have been at war for a long time, the borders of Wei and Zhao are on very high alert. If you want to attack in a big way, it will inevitably be another iron-blooded battle. However, according to the news heard by the spies, it can be known that the most elite troops of Zhao State are now fighting on the two fronts of Qi and Yan, and if they attack Zhao State at this time, it is the best time.
King Wei gritted his teeth and mobilized an army of 80,000 at once. And this time the general he sent was General Yan Hu. In order to succeed in one fell swoop, he will do whatever it takes. Not only did this army be equipped with the sharpest swords and armor. And the secret weapon was used, which was the long-armed crossbow!
The defeat of the Wei army at the last battle of Pingling Pass made the Wei king and his ministers resent and regret. Because, they later learned that the reason why the people of Zhao suddenly became so powerful was because they had a new weapon, called the Shenji Crossbow. And according to the description of the spies, they immediately understood that this was precisely based on the crossbow arrows of the Wei State.
The long-armed crossbow was created by the descendants of Ou Yezi, who were loyal to the King of Wei. After they were first made, they were presented to the King of Wei and were regarded as the most powerful secret weapon in the army. Due to various constraints, it has not yet been manufactured on a large scale.
Thousands of shouldn't, never be, when Prince Wei Nangong went to Zhongzhou, he took a few with him. And he was killed by the Luo River, and all those long crossbows fell into the hands of the Zhao people. And Chu Jiangmian's guy was like a treasure, and he immediately transformed such a powerful divine crossbow, and the two armies killed the Wei army on the battlefield. Such a lesson is simply too profound.
The king of Wei, who had learned from the pain, simply did not stop doing two things, and ordered the smelters of Wei to make long-armed crossbows at all costs. In just over half a year, tens of thousands of well-made long-arm crossbows with huge lethality were all completed. And today, they are finally coming to use.
The expedition of 80,000 troops was equipped with 30,000 long-armed crossbows and hundreds of thousands of crossbow arrows. If the same number of enemy troops meet on the battlefield, the power of the crossbow arrow alone is enough to shoot the opponent to the ground. What's more, Wei Wushu's combat effectiveness was by no means comparable to the armies of other princes. In the contest between them and the remaining army of Zhao State, they will definitely not be able to lose the upper hand.
"General Yan Hu, the widow has handed over all the elites at the bottom of the box to you, I hope that after you go, you will be able to defeat the enemy and win the Dragon City!"
Yan Hu, who was burly and iron-armed, took King Wei's Zhuangxing wine and drank it all.
"The king can rest assured that with such an army in hand, the general will be able to sweep the world for the king. Just Zhao Guolongcheng, when the war is drawn! If anything goes wrong, the end will be the first to come to you. ”
King Wei was overjoyed. Jiaqi's words and deeds immediately gave him gold and swords. He patted the brave general's arm with relief, and his voice was filled with infinite emotion.
"Chu Jiangmian, the son of Zhao Guo, suddenly ascended to a high position and was extremely ambitious. sent troops to invade the Yan State, and even had a bitter enmity with the Wei State. If the general can repay the widow for this hatred, when the day of triumphant return, the widow will definitely reward him heavily. The Yan family should share the glory with the royal family! ”
Yan Hu fell to the ground and loudly promised to thank him. Such a guarantee of glory and wealth is the supreme glory for a general. He has made up his mind that no matter what resistance he encounters from Zhao Jun, he will not retreat, and he will fight to the death.
Under the remnant sun, the king of Wei watched his army go out of the city to fight a war for him that would affect the fortunes of the country. And not long after this army left, the latest news from the battlefield of Yan Kingdom surprised him again.
The Yan army was defeated all the way, and even their royal capital, Jicheng, was lost. Now most of the land west of Jicheng has fallen into the hands of the Zhao people. Yan Wang Dan and his royal court ministers fled to the northeastern border in a hurry and temporarily gained a foothold. It is said that the reason why the Zhao army did not take advantage of the victory to pursue and wipe them out was because the Hu people marched south, and in the land of Yan, the two sides had already started a fierce battle.
The news made King Wei bittersweet. There is no doubt that the state of Zhao, which has obtained most of the land of the Yan State, now has a territory under its actual control, and it is already at the head of the princes. If the army of Zhao really gained a firm foothold and gradually firmly controlled these newly acquired lands, then the future Zhao State would be too terrible.
"I hope God blesses me to be able to break through Dragon City in one fell swoop and achieve the hegemony of the Great Wei Dynasty!"
King Wei looked gloomily into the distance and prayed secretly. Dark clouds are rolling in the sky, and a storm is coming. The pattern of the world is about to change! Perhaps, in the next period of time, it will be the most critical period to determine the general trend of the world.
If Wei Wushu's surprise attack could be successful in one fell swoop, would Zhao Guo be able to withstand the pressure of fighting on three fronts? If the Zhao army is defeated, the Zhao state will cease to exist. And if Zhao Jun wins, then a new overlord will be born, and it will be difficult to control it anymore!
And just when many princes, including the King of Wei, set their sights on the direction of Yan Kingdom, in this land stained red with blood, thousands of dust, broken swords, and a fierce battle had just ended.
A hundred miles northwest of Jicheng, the Hu cavalry temporarily stopped the advancing horses' hooves. Since stepping out of the border of the steppe, tens of thousands of troops have not stopped for a moment. The long drive goes straight into the territory of Yan Kingdom, such as entering the land of no one.
The war between the Zhao and Yan people for several months has made the people in these places almost run. So within a few hundred miles, they didn't loot much. This made the hopeful Hu people extremely annoyed.
These cavalrymen who received a request from the envoys of the Yan State to send troops for help belonged to the Yelu tribe. Among the four most powerful ancient tribes in the entire grassland, the Yelu tribe ranked second, second only to the Hu Tu tribe where King Hu belonged. Since the last time the Huyan tribe suffered a crushing defeat, many of the places they occupied on the steppe have been invaded by the Yelu tribe, and their sphere of influence has been greatly expanded. It is normal for the weak to eat the strong on the grassland.
The leader who came with tens of thousands of cavalry was named Yeluchon. Needless to say, he is also an extremely powerful character. When he came with 10,000 horsemen, crossed a thousand mountains, and swept the land, he almost ignored everything in front of him, and directly killed the first enemy army he encountered.
It's just that what he didn't expect was that the first battle of the Yelu army out of the grassland suffered a serious setback. And it was the infantry against the cavalry, which made him suffer a small loss.
The sun was setting on the hillside in the west, but it was not in the direction of the grassland. Yeluchon wiped the blood from the scimitar and stuck it under his feet. The scouts who had gone out to spy on the news had finally returned.
"Have you inquired and understood, who is in the way?"
"Report to General Yelu, there are about more than 10,000 Zhao troops on the other side, and their general is Li Mu!"