"Sir, what is the probability of winning this battle for my Chu State?" Qu Yuan and Chen Zhen stood side by side at the gate of the city, watching Jing Cui lead the army out of the city. The way he commanded and was worshiped by the whole city was indeed glorious.

"Zuo disciple, no matter whether you win or lose this battle, for the Chu State, it will be a defeat." Chen Zhen looked at Qu Yuan with a wry smile.

"Oh? Why? ”

"Let's talk about victory first."

When they received the news that the Chu State was attacking the Yong clan, Zhao Yong and Le Yi were planning another attack on Lingshou City in the camp three days later. In the past two months, Zhao Guo has launched three attacks on Lingshou, and each time it has been strongly resisted by the Zhongshan people, even if Zhao Yong now has twice as many soldiers as Lingshou, and there is also the support of the Mo family's mechanism behind him, it is still difficult to quickly set foot on Lingshou City. In the past two months, the city wall of Lingshou has been repeatedly impacted into ruins by the attacks of the Zhao army, and the Zhongshan people would rather fill the gap with flesh and blood than let the Zhao State attack it. The battle had just stabilized, and it was quickly repaired by the Zhongshan people. In this way, most of the entire city wall has been repaired. The cruelty of this war of annihilation is far beyond Zhao Yong's imagination.

"Speaking of which, this time Korea was attacked by the Chu State, and it was really implicated by the Qin State." Le Yi put down the bamboo slip and said to Zhao Yong, "The state of Chu has always failed in the battle for the land of Shangyu, when the five kingdoms attacked Qin and held each other at Hangu Pass, the Qin army in order to prevent the state of Chu from sending troops, sent troops out of Wuguan to attack the city, and held each other in Fangcheng and the state of Chu. With Zhaoyang's skills, in the face of Shang Yu's ruggedness, he can only protect the city, but he can't repel the Qin army, which shows how important Shang Yu's place is to the Qin army. So this time, the state of Chu chose to attack from the north and defend in the south, attacking Qin's cities in Korea, Anmen and Yanling, in exchange for a passage to attack Qin from Sanchuan. ”

"Speaking of which, South Korea is really aggrieved, attacking Anmen and Yanling from the Chu State, either borrowing from the Wei State and directly attacking the back of Yanling, or it can only attack the Fencheng Sai in South Korea from the front. Wei is an ally of Qin, and if the Chu army is allowed to attack Yanling, then it will definitely be questioned by Qin afterwards. The state of Chu will also be worried that the state of Wei will not be cut off by the other party. ”

"A direct frontal attack on Fencheng is a drain on the military and may not be successful. Not to mention that Yingshui is not suitable for passing, let's just say that Fencheng is a place with mountains and mountains, and the cars cannot be merged, so we know that even if the Chu army has many generals, it cannot be easily captured. In comparison, although Yangzhai also has to face the Yingshui barrier, compared with the steep mountains of Fenchengsai, it is easier for chariots to pass and the army is arranged. What's more, Yang Zhai is in the hands of the State of Chu. It's just that if you want to attack Anmen and Yanling this time, you must occupy Yongshi, first, to block the reinforcements from Qin, and secondly, to ensure your retreat when you attack Anmen and Yanling. It can be said that when Chu chose to attack Yong, he did not consider the feelings of South Korea. ”

"The importance of Yong's is no less than that of the shore gate." Chen Zhen and Qu Yuan walked on foot and slowly walked towards the city, neither of them got into the car, but walked through the capital like a walk. Speaking of which, since he saw the neatness and strictness of Handan in Zhao State, Chen Zhen has lost sight of the glitz and magnificence of Yingdu. A capital city should first pay attention to its practicality, and then consider its decoration, but Yingdu seems to be a bit of putting the cart before the horse.

"Since the Qin State occupied Yanling and Anmen, Yongshi has become an important city in the south controlled by Korea, on the one hand, it can surround the two cities of Anmen and Yanling, and prevent it from becoming bigger; On the other hand, you can also control my Chu country to go north through the Yong clan. Indeed, in addition to Fen Chengsai, only this Yongshi is the best passage for Chu to go north. ”

"Yes, our army attacked the Yong clan, which seemed to be for the sake of Qin, but inevitably, it angered the interests of the Koreans. Now that South Korea is weak and does not dare to send troops to relieve the siege of Yongshi, it must ask Qin for help, and Qin will inevitably send troops to aid South Korea to solve this matter in order to keep the shore gate and Yanling not lost. ”

Qu Yuan nodded. When discussing the issue of sending troops, Zhaoyang and Jingcui actually disagreed. Zhaoyang means to attack the land of Yongshi with all his strength, connect Yangzhai, Yongshi, Anmen, and Yanling, and invade the troops of Chu into Korea to increase the scope of their defense. And Jingcui means to attack the land of Danyang, feint to attack the Yongshi, contain the Qin army to protect the shore gate, and distract Danyang, then the army will go out of Fangcheng, occupy the land of Shangyu, and if possible, even break through the Wuguan and enter Xianyang. After weighing the pros and cons, the king of Chu instead neutralized the plan of the two, and the two armies were the main forces, attacking Yongshi all the way and Danyang all the way, in a vain attempt to divide the two places into the borders of Chu, so that the Qin people could not figure out where the main force was, trying to achieve miraculous results.

"If the king really wins from both places, he will only have a temporary advantage, and may not be able to gain a foothold in both places. The state of Qin regarded Korea as a forbidden country and did not allow others to touch it; Zhao also regarded Korea as its most important ally, and sent troops and food to help Korea resist Qin's attacks. South Korea, on the other hand, has oscillated between the two countries, but more recently, it has taken Zhao a little more seriously. However, Zhao State is now entangled in the affairs of Yan State and Zhongshan, and it is certain that he will not send troops to help Korea, and Qin State has become the only reinforcement that the Koreans can pull in. And with the combat strength of the Qin people, it is definitely not difficult to solve the siege of Yongshi with South Korea. On Danyang's side, as long as Wuguan is in the hands of the Qin State, even if Danyang is all fallen to the Chu State, the Qin State can take it back whenever it wants, and it doesn't care at all. That's why I said that even if our Chu State is victorious, it will only be a temporary victory, and it will not stand at all, and it will be beaten back to its original form by the Qin State. ”

Chen Zhen's analysis, although superficial, is not empty talk. The state of Chu is strong, and Korea can't fight against it, and if you add a state of Qin, the outcome will be difficult to say. The Chu army is a labor expedition, how can it have more advantages than South Korea fighting on its own soil?

"As for failure, I'm afraid that the State of Chu will not only lose the Yong clan, but even the land of Hanzhong, the land of Danyang, and the land of Xichuan will not be able to be saved." Le Yi gave Zhao Yong a glass of wine and poured a glass himself.

"The widow felt that it was better for the Chu State to attack the Yong Clan than to attack the land of Shangyu, or to fight to the death with the Qin State in the land of Hanzhong. And now this arrangement, not only can not even the Yong clan be defeated, but also give the Qin State an excuse to occupy Hanzhong, Danyang, and Xichuan, once these three places are lost, then Ba, Shu and Hanzhong will be connected into a piece, and the entire Han River will be under the control of the Qin State, and Fangcheng will become a decoration, and the Qin people will be able to go straight to the Chu realm through the Han River, and leave Fangcheng behind. ”

"The king thinks that the king of Chu is so bent on fighting with the Qin State on a whim? Or are you obsessed with Zhang Yi's humiliation? Le Yi suddenly asked.

"Well." Zhao Yong thought for a while, "The widow thinks that it seems that it is neither. ”

"How so?" Le Yi suddenly became interested.

"It's simple. Xiong Huai, the king of Chu, is eloquent and strategic, and he is by no means the kind of person who is willful and reckless, nor is he a king without measure. If it is said that he launched the battle against Qin for the humiliation of Zhang Yi, he will look up to Zhang Yi, and of course, he will also underestimate Xiong Huai. Zhao Yong said that he would never underestimate anyone, so he felt that Xiong Huai would not do such a thing.

"The king is right, the reason why the King of Chu launched the Qin-Chu War was not because Zhang Yi insulted him, but because it was a strategic choice. This war will be fought sooner rather than later. If you play later, it will be even more difficult. It is better to take this opportunity to attack Qin first. However, from the perspective of his subordinates, even if he attacks the Qin State now, it will not be easy to win, and it will be too late after all. ”

"When the Qin State captured Bashu, you and I once made a statement to the king that we must take the opportunity to send troops to consolidate Hanzhong and help the Ba State to occupy its land. However, Zhaoyang and others have been reluctant to attack on the grounds that the Han River is turbulent, the boat is difficult, the Bayong Salt Road cannot be driven, and the plank road cannot be marched, but they just hold the land of Hanzhong. Only then did he lose control of the land of Bashu. Chen Zhen said slowly, and couldn't help sighing, Ba did ask Chu for help at the beginning, when Zhaoyang was in power, Qu Yuan was not in the center of power, and it didn't work for the two to talk, so they missed this opportunity and gave Qin the upper hand.

"To get Shu is to get Chu, the land of Bashu is categorically difficult, the basins are staggered, the terrain is rugged, but relying on the Han River, you can bypass Fangcheng and attack the Chu realm. It is really an important bloodline of the Chu State. If you lose Bashu, you lose an important barrier. The king now regrets that he listened to Zhaoyang's words and gave up the land of Bashu, so he enabled Qu Kuo and Jingcui, and gave up Zhaoyang. There are not only the reasons why Zhaoyang's combat concept is different from his own and he is riddled with diseases, but more importantly, the king remembered this and had some resentment towards Zhaoyang, so he gave up on him. ”

"Yes, the king is indeed a little regretful, now the land of Hanzhong is dangerous, if there is no place for business, then the state of Chu will lose its defense against the state of Qin in the northwest direction, and can only stick to Fangcheng, wait for the day, and regard the state of Qin as a threat. On top of that, Yingdu would also be exposed to the threat of Qin's troops, which was not a good thing in any case. ”

Chen Zhen looked at the people of Chu who came and went around him, he had come to Chu from Qin for many years, and he had become accustomed to the humid air and open atmosphere here, especially the large number of ethnic groups, but also had a different taste from the Central Plains. He has more attachment to this place. "So no matter what, after this battle, there must be a loser between Qin and Chu. From the plan drawn up by the king, I do not see the slightest possibility of victory. The State of Chu is indeed vast and rich, but you and I both know that this is just an appearance, the biggest problem of the State of Chu is that the aristocracy prevails, and the nobles have their own fiefdoms, and their strength and strength cannot be underestimated. When others see the strength and prosperity of the Chu State, they see it as a whole, and only when they are in it do they know how complicated it is. ”

"That's why I have to suggest that the king reform and eliminate the malpractices." Qu Yuan also stood next to Chen Zhen, overlooking the prosperity of Yingdu, but he didn't know how fragile this prosperity was. "The Qin State has a merchant martingale to change the law, the monarch and the minister are single-minded, as powerful as Si, and the king of Qin today is a hundred times more eloquent, and he is the hero of the world; Zhao State reform, first change the military system, and then change the rule of officials, through the replacement of people, to achieve the purpose of reforming and strengthening the army, now there is the northwest first, and then the battle of Zhongshan, but also meddling in the affairs of Yan and Korea, and Qi is not far behind. If our Chu State does not reform again, I am afraid that it will be even more difficult to catch up with these two big countries in the future. ”

Chen Zhen nodded, these two countries were exactly what he had been to, and the image was very profound. "But I think the leftists' current approach seems to be too radical." Chen Zhen thought about it, and still said, "It must be known that although the Qin State and the Zhao State both changed the law and innovated by introducing talents, it does not mean that the Chu State can also do the same. As far as I know, many nobles seem to be dissatisfied with the fact that the Zuo disciples are vigorously quoting people from other countries. At this point, the left disciple still has to be careful. ”

"I want to do the same, but it's time to wait. The aristocratic problem of Chu is far greater than that of other countries, if it can't be resolute, I'm afraid that the longer it drags on, the more dreams will be long. Taking advantage of the fact that the king is now young and vigorous, he is just going to carry out this matter. ”

Chen Zhen thought about it, and still said: "It's better to slow down, Wu Qi's matter must be learned." ”

"Taught." Qu Yuan saluted Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen returned the salute, prepared to leave, and went home. Before leaving, he turned back again and said to Qu Yuan: "There is one thing, please remember it first." ”

"Sir, please."

"If he doesn't say goodbye in the future, please take care of the left. The left disciple is enthusiastic in his heart, I am afraid that he will be hated by the villain, no matter what, please bear with me. The state of Chu can do without Chen Zhen, but it can't do without Zuo disciples. As he spoke, he saluted again, and his carriage disappeared into the crowded street, leaving Qu Yuan alone, standing in place and not knowing what to think.

(End of chapter)