Tian Piyi, the king of Qi, united Han and Wei to attack the state of Chu, and the battle between the two sides was fierce. However, the combination of Qi, Han, and Wei could not break through the defense line of Chu. The state of Chu could not repel the three kingdoms of Qi, Han, and Wei. As a result, the war between the two sides has reached a stalemate, and if you can't break me, I can't destroy you. The monarchs and ministers of the State of Qi did not expect that the State of Chu would have such a tough attitude this time, and they had no intention of seeking peace, and the King of Qi Tian Biqi had a headache.

Qi Wang Tian Biqi never thought that a few years ago, the Chu State would not even be able to win the Qin State in the west. A few years later, the state of Chu grew rapidly, not only destroying the eastern power of Yue, but also fighting against the three kingdoms of Qi, Han and Wei with the strength of one country. Just when Qi Wang Tian Biqi was thinking about the next round of launching an offensive against the Chu State. A fast horse galloped into Linzi, the capital of Qi. The scout, with a bright black flag on his back, shouted, "Your Majesty, urgent military situation. ”

Tian Bibi looked at the document sent by the scout, and his face looked a little stiff, "Zhao Guo raised 300,000 troops to attack Zhongshan Kingdom. Zhongshan has been defeated again and again, and has lost two-thirds of its territory, and the capital of Zhongshan is also trampled by the iron hooves of Zhao. ”

When the monarchs and ministers of the Qi State heard this, their faces were shocked, and the Zhao State actually had the strength to destroy the Zhongshan Kingdom.

Tian Bibi calmed down and asked, "In the past few years, Zhao Guo has taken advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains and has been recuperating. After Zhao implemented Hufu cavalry shooting, his national strength increased rapidly. A year earlier, Zhao had crossed the river, recaptured Hexi, which had been occupied by Qin, and marched north to attack Linhu. The widows thought that Zhao would be able to win because Qin was mired in civil strife and had no time to take care of the frontier. Zhao Guo won by luck. Today, Zhao sent 300,000 troops to attack two-thirds of the territory of Zhongshan. How much strength is hidden in Zhao Guo. ”

Tian He replied: "Winning the surname Zhao clan is indeed terrifying. Back then, the Qin State was beaten by the Wei State and almost perished. Today's Qin State has broken the Three Jin Dynasty in the east, Rong Di in the west, Yiqu in the north, and Chu in the south. A few years ago, on the edge of Pushui, we were also defeated by the Qin State. Handan was difficult, and Zhao was almost broken by Wei. If we hadn't rescued Zhao, Zhao would have died. Marquis Zhao Su spent his life fighting in the east and west, and he could not establish princes. With the strength of a weak country, Zhongshan led water to encircle the city. Two years ago, the strength of Yan and Zhao could not help Zhongshan. Today, the power of Zhao alone has broken through two-thirds of Zhongshan's territory. How strong is Zhao Guo after Hu Fu cavalry shooting. ”

"In the past few years, the widows have been wary of the Yan State, the Chu State and the Wei State, but they have neglected the Zhao State." Tian Bibi asked: "If the Zhao State wants to destroy Zhongshan, the widow can't choose to stand idly by. ”

Tian He asked, "The king intends to intervene in the internal affairs of the mountain. ”

"A year ago, the widow misjudged the situation, causing the Chu State to take advantage of the situation and break through the Yue State in one fell swoop. The state of Chu became a giant in the middle and lower reaches of the Great River. The king of Chu relied on the merit of destroying Yue, and had no fear, and started a war with us. Tian Biqi had some regret in his eyes, and said resentfully: "A year ago, the widow made a wrong move. Only then will there be a headache in the south of our country. This time, the widow never wanted to see a powerful Zhao state appear in the east. ”

Tian He pondered for a moment and asked, "Fighting with the Zhao State is contrary to the strategy we formulated to attack Chu in the first place. If Chu and Zhao unite and attack us. The situation on the battlefield is not in our favor. Moreover, the king had already acquiesced to Zhao's attack on Zhongshan and promised not to interfere. If we interfere in Zhongshan Kingdom, we will violate the alliance of the past. The State of Zhao will also use this as an excuse to join the State of Chu and attack us. ”

"These consequences, how can the widow not think about it." Tian Biqi said unwillingly: "The Zhao State destroyed the Zhongshan State, and the Zhao Dynasty and Handan are united, and the national strength is bound to increase greatly." We are at odds with the Yan State, and the Zhao State is strong. If Yan and Zhao unite, the Qi State will be in danger. No matter what the price is, we can't let Zhao destroy Zhongshan. A year ago, the widows paid attention to Yan and Zhao and ignored the Chu State, which led to the destruction of the Chu State and its strong growth. The widow doesn't want Zhao to become strong and threaten our interests. ”

Tian He said: "Your Majesty, the pros and cons have been weighed, and the ministers are not saying anything. ”

"We united Han and Wei to suppress the Chu State in order to maintain our country's hegemony in the East. No vassal state can threaten the security of Qi and challenge the status of Qi. Our attack on Chu is to suppress the state of Chu and weaken the status of the state of Chu. Secondly, it is to let the princes of the Central Plains respect the Qi country and re-establish our status as a great and powerful country. If we are at war with the State of Chu, we will not be able to destroy the State of Chu. Even though we attacked Chu with all our might, we suppressed the state of Chu. The state of Zhao became strong again. Tian Bibi's eyes were gloomy, "We want to strangle it in the cradle before the Zhao Kingdom grows." ”

Tian He asked, "The king's meaning is that we will not continue to wage war with the Chu State. ”

"The existence of the Chu State will make the princes of the Central Plains feel afraid. The princes of the Central Plains wanted to survive without being destroyed by the Chu State. They can only choose to cling to the widow. Tian Biyi's eyes exuded confidence, "The top priority is to save Zhongshan and hit Zhao." We can't let the Zhao State develop and grow because of the fight against the Chu State. And then shake our position. For the sake of the long-term interests of the Qi State, the widow decided to temporarily suspend the war with the Chu State. ”

Tian He asked: "We have a truce with the state of Chu, not to mention that Han and Wei will not agree." Even the state of Chu is unwilling to stop war with us. ”

"Han and Wei don't have the strength to shake the state of Chu. Otherwise, Han and Wei would not let go of their grievances and form an alliance with us. Tian Biqi said again: "The state of Chu has just gained more land, and the more unstable it is. The Yue clan is ready to move and wants to revive the temple community. In order to better control and digest the territory just conquered, the state of Chu. They will coincide with us and choose a truce. If we cease war with Chu, we can free up our hands from the south and start suppressing Zhao. ”

"What the king said is extremely true, we can't let Zhao State attack and destroy Zhongshan Kingdom." Tian He carefully savored these words, and said: "After Zhao Jun succeeded to the throne, the three Jin Dynasty lived in harmony, and there was no internal fighting for more than 20 years. The alliance of the three Jin is also unbreakable. Today, Yan, Qin, and Song have formed alliances with Zhao. The destruction of Zhongshan by Zhao was powerful enough to affect the situation in the Central Plains. The princes of the Central Plains will ally with Zhao and deal with Qi. We must not allow Zhao to grow up. ”

"It took us decades to defeat Wei and become a great power in the east. The three Jin have no leader, so they can be broken by each of us. The Three Jin Dynasty could not threaten the status of the Qi State. Zhao destroyed the Zhongshan State, and Han and Wei were bound to respect Zhao State. Zhao became the new overlord of the Three Jin Dynasty and took over the position of Wei. The state of Zhao united Han and Wei, and united Yan, Qin, Song, and Chu. It's no longer up to us to decide what matters in the world. ”

"Not bad. We must not allow Zhao to destroy Zhongshan and become the head of the Three Jin Dynasty. We must not allow the Zhao State to unite with the princes, shake our position, and threaten the Qi State. Tian He also realized that Zhao might replace the position of Qi State, and said in a tough tone: "Your Majesty, if Zhao State attacks Zhongshan, we will interfere in Zhongshan's internal affairs with the slogan of counterinsurgency and driving Zhao." ”

"The widows attacked the Yan State, and the Zhao State supported Han to return to the country and restore the throne with the slogan of 'counterinsurgency and driving Qi'. The widow's move to annex the Yan Kingdom was ruined. Thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the west of the river. The widow uses his own way to heal him. We also used the banner of 'counterinsurgency to drive out Zhao' and Kuang Fu Zhongshan against Zhao State. It is also the right time for the widow to avenge Zhao Jun's arrow. Tian Bibi evoked a grim smile, "Pass the order, when Zhao State breaks through Lingshou, it will be the beginning of our attack on Zhao." ”

……

In 305 BC, the southern, northern, and western armies of Zhao attacked Zhongshan. Zhao Guo sang a fierce song, breaking through the Great Wall of the north and south of Zhongshan Kingdom, Gaoyi, Fang, Fenglong, Shiyi, Dongyuan, Ningjia, Fei, Danqiu, Huayang, Ouzhisai, Hongshangsai, Quyang and other fortresses. Among them, Hongshang Fort is the northern fortress of Zhongshan Kingdom; Shiyi is the gateway to the west of Zhongshan Kingdom into Taihang, and it is also the most important city in the east of Lingshou of Gongwei Zhongshan Kingdom; Quyang is the gateway to the north of Lingshou; Dongyuan is an important town in the south of the Hutuo River in Zhongshan State, and it is also the southern gateway of Gongwei Lingshou. There were a large number of Zhao troops making trouble in Kuchengyi and others.

The key cities of Quyang, Shiyi, Ningjia, and Dongyuan fell into the hands of the Zhao State, and the Zhongshan Kingdom was close to Lingshou, completely exposed to the threat of the Zhao State's iron cavalry. At this time, Zhongshan came to Dongyuan with Sima Xi as an envoy and asked Zhao Jun for peace. Zhao Yong listened to Sima Xi's words, and asked the people around him with a smile: "Zhongshan Wang Zi asked the widow for peace, do you think the widow agreed to make peace, or continued to attack." ”

"Zhongshan Wang Zi is not too late to make peace now." Tian Buli said contemptuously: "Zhongshan is already at the end of the crossbow, and we are like a bamboo to defeat Zhongshan, how can we agree to sue for peace." ”

Zhao Yuan, Xu Jun, Zhao Xiao and other generals also agreed that they should not agree to sue for peace, but continue to attack Zhongshan and establish meritorious deeds.

Zhao Yong saw that the generals around him had been insisting on fighting, and a smile leaked from his cheeks, and asked, "Sima Xiang, did you hear that?" Even though the widow agreed to make peace with the king of Zhongshan. The soldiers of Zhao State would not agree. ”

Sima Xi was not in a hurry to refute, and said with a light smile: "Zhao Jun doesn't have to answer me so quickly. ”

Zhao Yong thought that Sima Xi would argue with etiquette and reason, explain the benefits of the two countries' strikes, and then use the powerful relationship between the two sides as the starting point, and then throw out tempting peace conditions. However, Zhao Yong didn't expect Sima Xi to say this, and he couldn't figure out what the other party meant. Zhao Yong wanted to test the other party's tone, and said in a somewhat contemptuous tone: "The widow has already broken through most of the territory of Zhongshan Kingdom. Zhongshan is already at the end of the crossbow. The widow gave an order, and the Zhongshan was leveled, just around the corner. Sima Xiang, if the widow does not agree to sue for peace, what will happen to the King of Zhongshan. ”

"The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. Zhao Jun attacked Lingshou, and the whole country of Zhongshan will work together, even if there is a soldier left, they will fight with Zhao to the end, and they would rather die than surrender. Today, there are still hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Lingshou in Zhongshan Kingdom, so why not be afraid of war. My king sent me to sue for peace because he didn't want to raise any more troops and kill countless people. Sima Xi restrained the sharp edge in his words, and said softly: "The two countries are peace, and they are wars, all of which are between Zhao Jun's thoughts." Zhao Jun, I'll listen to your reply tomorrow. The minister retired. ”

After saying that, Sima Xi turned around and walked out without fear.

Zhao Yong saw that Sima Xi was neither humble nor arrogant, and he advanced and retreated in a measured manner, so he was suspicious, and asked the generals around him: "What do you mean by King Zhongshan asking for peace with the widows." ”

Tian Buli saw that Sima Xi was rude and offended Zhao Jun. Zhao Junning Zhan would not agree to sue for peace, and took the lead in saying: "Your Majesty, the current situation is very good for us. Zhongshan was afraid of us before he sued for peace with us. The minister believes that we would rather fight than discord. Taking advantage of the prosperity of the army, he broke through the Zhongshan Kingdom in one fell swoop and established immortal feats. ”

Zhao Yuan, Xu Jun and others also seconded the proposal in unison.

Zhao Yong asked, "Feiyi, what do you mean." ”

Sima Xi's words are good. The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. Until the end, no one knows the final outcome. Fei Yi deliberately stopped, observed Zhao Jun's reaction, and said: "A few years ago, the State of Qi took advantage of the chaos of the Yan State to attack Yan with the troops of the five capitals, and attacked the Yan capital Jicheng in less than sixty days. The situation in Qi is very good, and the situation is good, but not for Yan. Who knew that the restoration of the Yan Kingdom, the Battle of Pushui, and the defeat of the princes. Qi annexed the Yan Kingdom, gained and lost. The country's strength has been greatly damaged, and it has not recovered for several years. The minister believes that we should accept it when we see it and negotiate peace with it. ”

Sima Wangzu also said: "Qi annihilated Yan and Chu died Yue, all of them were jointly interfered by the princes, why is this." The minister doesn't say it, but the king can also figure out the reason. We continued our attack, even though we had destroyed Zhongshan. When the princes of the Central Plains saw that our country had expanded its land for 800 miles, they were bound to be afraid of our country's momentum. In order to weaken our country, the princes will also send troops to intervene. In this battle, we broke through most of the territory of Zhongshan, and our own losses were not small. As soon as the princes intervene with troops, the situation is not in our favor. The minister also believed that it was better to make peace than to fight. ”

Zhao Yong looked at Le Yi and asked, "Le Yi, what do you mean." ”

"The land of Zhongshan is 800 miles, sandwiched between the three kingdoms of Qi, Yan and Zhao. If we attack Zhongshan, we will threaten the interests of Daoqi and Yan. What kind of decree will Qi and Yan make to deal with China's attack on Zhongshan. Qi extinguished Yan, Chu died Yue, and the princes all joined forces. When our country destroys Zhongshan, the princes will not sit idly by. Seeing that Jun Shang was thinking about what he said, Le Yi paused a little and said, "There are still more than 100,000 troops in Zhongshan. The national capital Lingshou is also easy to defend and difficult to attack. Faced with the danger of losing the country, the Zhongshan army will fight against the water. Once the war is unfavorable, it will be a stalemate. The princes jointly intervened in us. What we have achieved will also be lost. Your Majesty, we need to take Zhongshan slowly, and we need to draw it slowly. When the princes see that we can't even help the Zhongshan Kingdom, they will also relax their guard against us. They will not even think of interfering in our internal affairs. ”

"We have wiped out the living forces of Zhongshan and occupied most of their territory. At the moment, it is not appropriate to continue the attack on Zhongshan. Zhao Yong breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "Our attack on Zhongshan is because the princes of the Central Plains have no time to interfere in our internal affairs. We must consider not only the pre-war situation, but also the post-war landscape. The princes of the Central Plains would not want to see a powerful Zhao State. If we destroy the Zhongshan Kingdom, we will also make Qi, Yan, and Wei jealous. We don't yet have the strength to challenge the princes. One moment seems like a blessing to us, and the next may be the beginning of a curse. It's time for us to stop. ”

Tian Buli said: "The king is planning to agree to negotiate peace with the king of Zhongshan. ”

"We negotiated peace with Zhongshan and preserved the fruits of our current victory." Zhao Yong looked at everyone and said: "Zhongshan Kingdom has been restored many times, and it has a tenacious spirit. The widow wants more than just the destruction of Zhongshan. But from the day of the death of Zhongshan, there is no Zhongshan. The widow wants to put an end to Zhongshan once and for all. If we destroy it by force, the people of Zhongshan will miss the old master. The princes are sending troops to intervene, and the Zhongshan Kingdom will surely revivenation. The widows want to encroach on the territory of the mountain country step by step. The widow wants the people of Zhongshan to see the general trend clearly, and the death of Zhongshan is to follow the sky. ”

Fei Yi saw that the king was not carried away by the victory, and he could soberly analyze the situation before and after the war, and echoed: "We will accept it when we see it, which can not only keep the current fruits, but also confuse the princes and hide our strength." After this battle, we completely defeated the main force of Zhongshan Kingdom. Zhongshan Kingdom did not have the strength to fight us for several years. ”

Sima Wangzu also said: "If we want the people of Zhongshan to die for the King of Zhongshan, we must let them see that the King of Zhongshan is harming the country." Next, we will wait for the king of Zhongshan to chaos and lose the hearts of the people step by step. We were wiped out in one fell swoop, and no one missed the kindness of the King of Mountains. At this moment, Zhongshan is not to be afraid. Your Majesty, the next thing we are facing is to balance the Central Plains pattern. ”

Although Tian Buli understood everyone's intentions, he couldn't help but complain: "Breaking through Lingshou and leveling Zhongshan is just around the corner." I was a little unwilling to miss this opportunity. ”

"The sword points to Lingshou, the destruction of Zhongshan, is just around the corner, and we are not in a hurry. We'll let Zhongshan survive for a few more years. Zhao Yong smiled and said: "Feiyi, you go and tell the Zhongshan envoy that the widow agrees to negotiate peace with Zhongshan Wangzi." ”