Xiangguo and Linzi are five or six hundred miles away in a straight line, and on the second day after the court meeting, He Xian, who sent an envoy to Qi, returned to Xiangguo.

"The king, as expected, Tian Heng was afraid of Xiang Yu's strength and refused to send troops to attack the Chu army. The task you have given has been completed, and the country of Qi is willing to sell grain to us and establish friendly relations......"

He Yan made a detailed report on the situation after going to the Qi Kingdom, including not only the meeting and talks with Tian Heng and the King of Qi, but also what he saw and heard after entering the Qi Kingdom.

According to Zhao Xie's request, He Xian not only observed the social and common people of Qi State, but also carefully observed the Qi army guarding the checkpoints and cities since entering Qi State.

The total population of Qi is about three million, and in terms of a single country, the population is second only to Han and Chu.

"You did a good job, but this mission is not difficult, you have recommended yourself for the position of the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, and you need to have greater merit. The widow will give you another task, if you can complete it, you will be a waiter of the Ministry of Rites when you come back. ”

"King, what is your mission?"

"Go to Jicheng in Yanguo and buy important personnel."

He Yan was stunned when he heard this.

Zhao Xie explained: "The widow plans to send troops to seize the Yan Kingdom, and it needs to be resolved quickly, and when the army is approaching Jicheng, there is a need to suddenly open the city gate. ”

He went back into the details.

He Yan looked surprised. In the world of great contention, Xiang Yu had a hegemonic posture in the world, and Liu Bang challenged him. All the princes of the world either stood aside or were destroyed, and King Zhao did not lean on any side and forged ahead, and He Yan was happy.

"Please rest assured that my king will be able to complete the task!"

Two days later, He Xianhe set off with an entourage, and he entered the Yan Kingdom as a scholar.

In ancient times, there was little movement of peasants, but merchants and scholars could move freely, especially during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when hundreds of schools of thought traveled between countries.

He Xian traveled as a scholar and headed north after his departure.

Also in these days, King Zhao's edict and order to seek merit were conveyed to all the counties and counties in Zhao, and with the flow of people, it would definitely spread all over the world.

——————

In Xingyang, Xiang Yu launched an offensive every day, and after the Han army struggled to support it for five days, Xingyang was finally breached.

In this battle, the Chu army paid the price of nearly 40,000 people, the Han army was 15,000 people, more than 2,000 people were captured, and the rest were killed in battle.

When Xiang Yu found out that Liu Bang was pretending to be Zhou Cao, he was furious and killed all the captives.

In Xingyang City, the grain in the warehouse was only enough for more than 10,000 people for a month, and the Chu army was about to run out of food.

Xiang Yu also wanted to continue to attack Luoyang, but this could not be solved in a short time, so he had to retreat, leaving 30,000 soldiers and horses to garrison Xingyang.

——————

In Luoyang, when Liu Bang learned of the edict issued by King Zhao, he was furious and vowed to get rid of Zhao Xie.

He ordered Han Xin in the north to recruit soldiers to the maximum extent possible and deal a devastating blow to Zhao Xie next year.

In the former Western Wei Kingdom, at various Han army training points, recruit drills were carried out in an orderly manner.

Han Shin has extremely strict requirements for military training, and his work is very meticulous to ensure that the recruits are trained to become an army within half a year.

In Binh Duong City, the General's Mansion.

In the study, there are Han Xin and Kuaiche.

After reading Liu Bang's letter to him, Han Xin said: "The King of Han asked me to recruit as many soldiers as possible, and at most I could only recruit another 50,000 people. ”

Kui Che said: "For the general, it is enough to recruit 150,000, but the pressure on the Han King's side is high, and you need to train the soldiers and horses first, and then transfer some of them." ”

Han Xin said: "Although Xiang Yu has withdrawn from the army, after the grain harvest next year, he will definitely go westward again." The later I take the Zhao Kingdom, the longer the King of Han will have to carry it. ”

Kui Che said: "General, you only have one chance, next year to go east again, if you can't win the Zhao State, you won't have another chance in the future, and your fame in the Han Kingdom will end here." ”

Zhao State continues to have new measures, King Zhao's order to seek talents, as well as the edict against Liu Bang, which has attracted the attention of the world.

People of insight in the world can see Zhao Xie's ambition to strengthen Zhao Guo and his strong determination to fight Liu Bang to the end.

Under the leadership of Zhao Xie, the state of Zhao will definitely become stronger and stronger.

Since yesterday, there have been shops selling paper in Binh Duong City, and Han Xin immediately ordered someone to buy it when he learned about it.

Han Xin picked up the paper on the desk and said, "Zhao Guo has a monopoly on salt and iron, and only Zhao Xie can make this paper, and Zhao Guo's treasury has a lot of money every month." However, as you said, Zhao Xie took power too late, everything is already too late, next year I will personally lead the army, sweep the Zhao State, and then take the Yan State. ”

His piercing eyes sparkled with confidence.

Kui Che said: "It's too late, you should be in charge of the army, there should be no problem." But Zhao Guo has Li Zuoche, the monarchs and ministers and the people are united, even if you can win, it will not be easy. The Han King's respect and temporary trust in you comes from your military talents, and he needs you to fight the world for him. But if you fail and let Zhao Xie sit big, his trust in you will be gone, and your prestige among the Han generals will drop significantly. ”

Han Xin said: "In my place, there is no case. ”

Kui Che retorted: "General, don't look so absolutely. In the battle of Jingcheng, you are determined to win, isn't it just in case? Zhao Xie suddenly rushed to the Zhao military camp, isn't this the 'what if'? ”

Han Xin said affirmatively: "That was the only time, and there will be no more in the future." ”

Kui Che said: "It is not surprising that the Yan State will soon be annexed by the Zhao State, and the national fortune of the Qi State will not be too long." ”

Han Xin asked, "How do you say this?" ”

He was also resourceful and discerning in military affairs, and he was aware of it, but he listened to Quicher's opinion.

Kui Che said: "Don't you see all the signs after the first war? Zhao Xie is ambitious, and his goal is either to have one of the three parts of the world, or to be the only overlord in the world like the King of Han. I think he is a better Ming monarch than the King of Han, if he had been in power for two years earlier, you would have defected to him, not the King of Han. Zhao Xie's fatality was that he took power too late, perhaps he was waiting for the opportunity to seize power from Chen Yu, but this opportunity came too late. If Zhao Xie wants to dominate the world, he must first expand his strength, and the weaker Yan Kingdom is naturally the first to bear the brunt.

Although you have a good chance of winning next year's expedition, you cannot rule out the possibility of a draw or defeat. If it is a tie, the Han State and the Zhao State will continue to use the Taihang Mountain as the boundary, and Zhao Xie will find another opportunity to annex the Qi State, and the strength will be stronger, and the Han State and the Chu State will no longer have the possibility of destroying the country alone, and the world will be three-legged. In case you fail, the Zhao army will inevitably march westward and seize the Wei and Dai countries, and the strength of the Han State will be weaker, and your status as a general will be in jeopardy, and the road to fame in Liu Bang's camp will come to an end. ”