Jia asked, his tone was stubborn, and he was still angry about the Qin army's southern expedition.

Xu Wenda shook his head slightly and did not answer directly.

Rubbing his beard and chuckling, he said slyly: "Ask, everyone praises you for your foresight, why did you make a mistake in the matter of the Southern Expedition?" The idea of a certain and the king is very simple, the Qin army does not have a water division, you go to Shouchun, if you persuade the king of Chu to send troops, the king's plan, why worry about not succeeding.

Destroy Zhao Tuo, occupy the four states of Jingxiang, and surrender the remnants of Zhao Tuo, won't the Qin army have a water division? ”

In a word, the sailor of the Qin State is in the south, and the sailor of Zhao Tuo is the sailor of the Qin State.

Hearing this, Jia Wenwen suddenly realized, and glared at Xu Wenda fiercely: "You old guy, you are more cunning than me." ”

"Hahaha, in the year of his establishment, he will assist the king to expand and ascend the throne as an emperor, cunning but not old." Xu Wenda said seriously.

"Hahaha..."

Jia asked, looked up and smiled, and Xu asked Lang to laugh.

Say goodbye to each other and go their own way.

Shou Chun.

The capital of the king of Chu, compared with the solemnity and strictness of Xianyang City, in Shouchun City, there is a Jiangnan scenery, which is a little more romantic.

In autumn, Shouchun City is not like Xianyang, the dead leaves have fallen, and the ground is withered and yellow, but there is still a slight chill in the city.

In the palace of the king of Chu, the king of Chu felt that the cold winter was coming in the autumn.

In the eastern battlefield of Chu, the Chu army, the Qi army, the two countries invested more than 300,000 elite soldiers and fierce generals, and fought for more than four months in succession.

At present, the two armies of Qi and Chu are still in a state of confrontation, fighting hard one after another, and there is still no winner or loser.

The state of Chu sent three or four generals who were good at fighting and set off several major battles, but they still failed to expel the Qi army led by Lu Kuang from eastern Chu and the state of Song.

Winter is gradually approaching, and the two armies continue to confront each other, and they will provide a large number of military supplies for the winter to the army fighting in Chudong.

It's a lot of money.

In the past, the king of Chu was never stingy with the troops fighting on the front line, and often rewarded the victorious generals lavishly.

It's a pity that there are unforeseen circumstances in the sky, and people have good and bad luck.

After the autumn, floods occurred one after another in many prefectures and counties in the south of Chu State, causing all the grain to be harvested to rot in the fields, resulting in a decrease in the autumn grain production.

The imperial court reduced the tax on money and grain, and it was necessary to send officials to various parts of the south for disaster relief, and a lot of money and grain were transferred from the government treasury.

In winter, the soldiers who fought in Chudong provided food, grass, and materials, and the imperial treasury would be empty.

If grain cannot be collected, or grain can be purchased, the state of Chu will face a famine in the coming year.

The King of Qin led an expedition to the south and threatened the western border of Chu.

When Han Daochang led his army to the eastern battlefield to resist the Qi army, the state of Chu had to station a large number of sailors in the west, and the daily army consumed a lot.

Jing Hongyang, who was sitting on the western front, had already written a letter to beg the court to send grain and grass.

The state of Chu is facing many difficulties.

The king of Chu had mobilized Han Daochang to return to Shouchun, and wanted to wait for Han Daochang to report on military affairs, so that he would return to the western front and mobilize the sailors to meet Shouchun.

On the one hand, Chudong transported military supplies, and on the other hand, troops were stationed in Tuntian near Shouchun to open up sources and reduce expenditures and reduce the consumption of money and grain.

The royal palace, inside the study.

The King of Chu listened to Han Daochang's report quietly.

In the study, Gongzi Kui, Taiwei Fuchun, Prime Minister Sang Mingsong, and the royal family waited for Jing Hongchang to sit on both sides.

At this time, the King of Chu, Gongzi Kui, Taiwei, Prime Minister, waiting, the most powerful people in Chu State, their faces were all full of embarrassment.

Hearing Han Daochang's report, his thoughts became more and more difficult.

Han Daochang sat at the end of the right side of the study, and reported the battle situation on the front line loudly, and the more he spoke, the more serious his expression became: "Your Majesty, after years of planning by the King of Qi, the Qi State has planned to train an elite team that is brave and good at fighting, and Lu Kang and other generals are all good at using soldiers.

Moreover, the Qi State has been planning for a long time, the Qi army preemptively occupied many Xiongguan fortresses, the Chu army was forced to face the battle, and the Zhendong general was calculated by Lu Kuang, so that the Chu army was in a disadvantageous position in the eastern battlefield.

The last general led the army to fight against the land resistance, launched several fierce attacks, but still could not inflict heavy damage on the opponent.

Therefore, judging from the current situation, the two armies will have to divide the victory and defeat, and it will be almost the spring of next year. ”

Spring next year?

The king of Chu, Gongzi Kui, Taiwei, and the prime minister were waiting, and their faces all showed surprise.

Since the beginning of the year, the Qin army has expanded to the outside world, and the territory has skyrocketed, and the population has surged.

Especially in the recent battle in Longdong, in the rest of the month, the Qin army did not launch a few wars, easily captured Fengzhou and Longzhou, and surrendered two fierce generals in Longdong, more than 100,000 elite tigers.

Today, the Qin State has expanded to more than ten states, and its territory is wider than that of the Chu State, and the number of elite soldiers far exceeds that of the Chu army.

Why did the Chu army resist the Qi army, it took several months, and there was still no progress, and it will continue until the spring of next year.

"General Han, fighting on the Eastern Front, what is going on? If it continues to be consumed, will the King of Qin use troops against the State of Chu? Tai Wei asked angrily.

The Chu army is unfavorable, the generals are not extensive, the ordnance is not as good as the people, and the grain and grass are not enough?

Fu Chun served as a lieutenant, and he was well aware that the Chu army did not face these problems.

Why hasn't there been a big victory?

In the spring of the next year, it may face an empty treasury.

The Qi State can afford to drag it, but the Chu army can't afford it!

The King of Chu, Gongzi Kui, and Prime Minister Sang Songming, waited for Jing Hongchang, knowing the situation of Chu State, and looked at Han Daochang together, waiting for him to answer.

Han Daochang's casual speculation caused the King of Chu and others to be shocked.

Sensing that the King of Chu and the others, their eyes were all focused on themselves, Han Daochang said helplessly: "Your Majesty, the King of Qin led the army to occupy Anzhou and Penang in Longdong, and the military strength has far exceeded that of Longdong, Longxi, Xiliang, and Wei, which was severely damaged by the coalition army.

King Qin gathered many fierce generals under his command, some generals are good at long-distance running, some generals are good at hard battles, and some generals are good at protracted battles.

The strength of the Chu State and the Qi State is comparable, but the Chu army and the Qi army are far apart.

The Chu army is mostly a sailor and infantry, and the Qi army is mostly elite cavalry and light cavalry, and the Chu army is inevitably in a weak position when the two armies fight.

If the king had browsed the map of the march of eastern Chu, he would have found that eastern Chu was mostly a vast plain, which was very suitable for cavalry combat, which put the Qi army in an increasingly advantageous position.

What's more, the Qi army suddenly fought, the Chu army was not on guard, and in addition, the Chu army was planning in the eastern battlefield, which worsened the situation on the battlefield, so the situation was weak. ”

"What the fierce general said is true, if the Chu army trained 50,000 iron cavalry similar to the Qin army, it would have swept the battlefield in eastern Chu and expelled the elite cavalry led by Lu Kuang!" Jing Hongchang echoed and very much supported Han Daochang's statement.

Compared with the Qin army, the non-Chu army was cowardly and afraid of war, but the Chu army was in a disadvantageous position.

Hearing this, the King of Chu nodded, he could understand what kind of suffering Han Daochang and other generals faced when they led the army to meet the battle in a sudden war.

Therefore, he didn't ask any more questions, and said: "General Han, for the affairs of the Eastern Front, this king will let Jing wait to personally supervise the battle, and all the defenses in the west will be handed over to you and Jing Hongyang." Recently, the King of Qin has led the army to expand and occupy Fengzhou and Longzhou, which poses a serious threat to the Chu State. ”

Qin Chu is an old enemy.

Qin is strong, Chu is weak, and vice versa.

Today's Qin State and Chu State are each on one side, and they all have the idea of expanding abroad and eliminating each other.

The Qin army destroyed Yuan Ci, if they did not dare to use troops against Zhao Chen, and before training the sailors, they might expand eastward, posing a threat to the western part of the Chu state.

This is also the main reason why the King of Chu transferred Han Daochang back from the Eastern Battlefield.

"General Han, the King of Qin eliminated Yuan Ci, the Qin army is more victorious, according to the arrogant character of the King of Qin, I believe that he will soon continue to use troops, targeting both Zhao Chen, Zhao Tuo, Sun Ming in the south, and possibly the State of Chu.

At present, the Chu army cannot go to Dakang to fight, and the general sits in the west to protect the territory of Chu. Jing Hongchang said.

He is Jing Hongyang's elder brother and the most warlike general in the Chu State.

"Whoa." Han Dao shook his head, knowing how much pressure Xixing was facing on his shoulders.

When the monarch and ministers were discussing military affairs, a eunuch walked in outside the study.

The imperial eunuch quietly walked out of the study, and the little eunuch leaned over to salute the other party, whispered a few words, and took out a letter from his arms and sent it to the imperial eunuch.

The imperial eunuch turned around and walked into the study, waited for Prime Minister Sang Songming to explain his suggestion, and whispered to the king of Chu: "Your Majesty, the news from the messenger, Princess Mengluo sent someone to deliver the letter. In addition, the envoy of the Qin State, Jia Wenwen, had arrived in Shouchun and rested in the Qin State Post House, waiting for the king to summon him. ”

"A letter from Arlo?"

The king of Chu turned to look at the prime minister and muttered softly.

When Linzi said goodbye, Princess Mengluo rarely sent back letters.

Except not long ago, when the envoy was sent to Xianyang, Princess Mengluo asked the envoy to bring back the letter, and there was no more correspondence.

According to the scout's report, when Ji Xuanling went to Anzhou to recuperate, Princess Mengluo went to Anzhou with him, and at present, she is staying in Donglin Villa.

Suddenly sent back the letter, could it be that he was wronged in Donglin Villa, or did he say that the Qin army occupied Longdong, Ji Xuanling wanted to go abroad, and Princess Mengluo sent the letter back in advance.

For a while, the king of Chu looked anxious, took the letter, quickly opened it, and read it in detail, and gradually, his face became strange.

In the study, Gongzi Kui, Taiwei, Prime Minister, waiting, several important ministers of Chu were also curious, Qin and Chu have always been-for-tat, especially when the Linzi Alliance, the contradictions between the two kings have been made public.

Although the state of Chu later ceded three places to the state of Qin in order to reduce the crisis in the west, and the state of Qin sent 5,000 good horses, it did not change the relationship between them.

The two sides only maintain peace on the surface, and if there is any disagreement, it can cause a major war at any time.

At this moment, the generals in the study, seeing the expression of the king of Chu, their faces became more and more puzzled, the princess sent back the letter, and the king of Qin sent a messenger to Shouchun, could it be that the Qin State was ready to take the opportunity to blackmail.

Most of the Chu army fought in eastern Chu, and if the king of Qin sent envoys to extort him, the situation of the state of Chu would become more and more difficult.

"Your Majesty, the prince suddenly sent back the letter, what did he say in the letter?" Prime Minister Sang Mingsong asked.

The king of Chu sent the letter to the imperial eunuch, and the nervous expression on his face gradually dissipated. Lang said: "The Qin army occupied Liulin City, Zhao Tuo, Sun Ming, all sent troops to support Yuan Ci, this move caused the anger of the King of Qin, the King of Qin wanted to wave his army to the south, but unfortunately in the face of the waters in the south, the Qin State did not have a water division, Mengluo wrote a letter, asking the State of Chu to send troops to assist the State of Qin, and wanted to come to Jia to ask for Shouchun, also for this matter. ”

The king of Qin wanted to march south, but there was no sailor, so he intended to borrow troops from the state of Chu, and if the king of Qin could meet the requirements of the state of Chu, the king of Chu felt that he could borrow troops from the king of Qin.

First, when the battle of Qi and Chu was difficult to solve, the relationship with the evil strategy of the Qin State was eased, and second, the King of Qin invited the Chu army to go to the territory of Dakang, so that the Chu army could gain a foothold in the territory of Dakang and could better expand in the future.

This matter is not harmful to going abroad.

"Father, the king of Qin is not credible, when General Han was sitting on the western front, he led the army to Dakang many times, and finally was forced out of Dakang by the design of the king of Qin, so the comeback of the Chu army was not a small price." When Gongzikui heard what the King of Chu said, he immediately sent an army to fight with the Qin army.

"That's right, you can't trust the King of Qin, if the Chu army helps the Qin army to fight, and when the time comes, the King of Qin crosses the river and demolishes the bridge, won't the Chu army make wedding dresses for others in vain?" Taiwei Fuchun also did not know how to cooperate with the Qin army.

The king of Chu said with a smile: "A Luo said in the letter that if the Chu army sends 100,000 sailors to fight, if the southern land is destroyed in the future, the king of Qin is willing to give Sun Ming's place in the south of the Yangtze River to the Chu state. ”

Sun Ming is located in the south of the Yangtze River, bordering the State of Chu, where he is located, how rich and prosperous, the King of Chu, and the courtiers present are all clear, if the State of Chu can get the territory controlled by Sun Ming, it will inevitably greatly increase the strength of the State of Chu.

"The King of Qin is really despicable, Sun Ming, Zhao Tuo, including the land of Tao Ce, the land of seven states in the south, the King of Qin asked the Chu army to fight together, but he only gave the land of two states to the Chu State, and he looked down on the Chu State too much." Taiwei said frustratedly.

"Father, this time, the King of Qin has a request for the State of Chu, think about the secret agents of the State of Chu in Linzi, and he cannot support the King of Qin, otherwise, the King of Qin will occupy the five southern states, and the territory of the State of Qin will be larger, and the threat to the State of Chu will be more." Gongzikui's attitude was cold, and he resolutely refuted colluding with King Qin.

When the king of Chu heard the voice, after knowing the attitude of the two, he looked at Prime Minister Sang Songming, Jing Hongchang, and Han Daochang, and asked: "Prime Minister, wait, General Han, what do you think?" ”

"Your Majesty, the King of Qin is cunning and good at using soldiers, so he should indeed be cautious and wary of the other party, but if he can unite with the Qin army and expand in Dakang, especially the occupation of the two states in the south of the Yangtze River, he will support the battle with the King of Qin!"

Han Daochang found the prime minister, waiting, without words, and when he thought less, he stepped forward and said his thoughts.

"Your Majesty, according to the reports of the generals of the Eastern Battlefield, the cavalry fought bravely, and if they fought in concert with the Qin army, they could ask the King of Qin for or buy more war horses." Waiting for Jing Hongchang to say: "In addition, Qin Qi alliance, if the Chu State refuses the proposal of the King of Qin, the Qin army has no way to march south, it is very likely to send troops to assist the Qi army in the battle, if the Chu army and the Qin army fight together, it will instead win over the Qin State, the minister heard that when the King of Qin went south, he did not bring Princess Qingyue, but instead led Princess Mengluo, which shows that the King of Qin is very dissatisfied with some of the practices of the King of Qi, and at this time, it happens to repair the relationship between Qin and Chu." ”

Jing Hongchang did not explain it directly, but his attitude was already very clear, as long as it was beneficial to the Chu State, he supported it.

"Wang, the Sun family has been operating in Jiangnan for many years, if they can occupy Jiangnan and take the Sun family's money and grain for themselves, it will greatly improve the current predicament of the Chu State, in addition, the land of the four states controlled by Zhao Tuo is richer and more prosperous than Jiangnan, and it can also bring bad benefits to the Chu State, and the minister supports sending troops to assist the Qin army in the war." Prime Minister Sang Songming expressed his attitude.

(End of chapter)