Luoyang City, the former capital of Dayan. The city fell silent because of the siege of the Zhao army, and now it is finally lively again. Zhao Jun's policies, Zhao Jun's army that never disturbed the people, also made the people, who had been worried for a long time, begin to become active. The merchants in the city also began to act, and the shops in the cities began to reopen.

Because all the officials of the old dynasty in the city have been relocated to Youzhou City, there are more than half of the people in the city who are doing mischief. Coupled with the soldiers of the Zhao army patrolling the city, it changed the appearance of the city.

Although because the army of the southern princes gathered in Nanyang Mansion, the entire Dongyongzhou was nervous. But after seeing that Zhao Jun did not have the slightest big movement and panic, the people, merchants and clans in the city also stabilized. With the continuous arrival of the merchants of the Zhao Kingdom, the entire land of Luoyang has also regained the beautiful scenery of the former capital of the Great Yan Kingdom.

At this moment, in the former Luoyang Palace, and now the King of Zhao, the generals of the Zhao army gathered together.

"Nanyang Mansion has gathered more than 100,000 troops, although it is only a coalition army, but it is not a rabble." Zhao Xun glanced at the generals, and then said, "Previously, because of the battle of Dongyongzhou, you all thought that the army of the southern princes was nothing more than this, but now? Still think so? ”

"Don't underestimate the princes of any side, most of these more than 100,000 allied troops are still the armies of the weakest southern princes, the King of Hanzhong and the King of Luoyang. The Qi army and the Shu army have not yet dispatched a large army. Therefore, you all have to warn the generals below well, and remember that the arrogant soldiers will be defeated. Don't underestimate any opponent because of a victory. ”

Since he beat the generals, he naturally had to give some sweet dates, Zhao Xun said with a smile: "In this battle of Dongyongzhou, this king is still very satisfied with your actions. The old officials of Luoyang City have all moved to the north, and many of the mansions in Luoyang City are vacant. The generals and lieutenants of the town army in each town will be assigned to a mansion, you go down, and Han Meng will send someone to tell you to lead you to your respective mansions. ”

"In addition, there are rewards for all the whole army, and all officials and positions are raised by one rank. But now there are still 100,000 troops in the south, so don't let anything go wrong because you're happy. Zhao Xun explained with a smile.

"Thank you for your favor!" The generals were immediately overjoyed.

"All right, all go down, and see your own house. If there is something that does not suit your heart, go to Han Meng to count, and this king will redistribute it to you. There are many mansions in the city, and you will all be satisfied. ”

After the generals left, Zhao Xun put away his smile and said to Situ Liang on the side in a deep voice: "The situation of the Chu army has been investigated? ”

Situ Liang said in a condensed voice: "The Shadow Division has already checked, this Chu army thinks that we are going to fight with the southern princes in Jingzhou, so they want to find another way out while we are fighting with the princes." Although they have not officially opposed our army yet, they have been delaying the time of merging our army under various excuses, and in addition, they have not allowed our officials and troops of Zhao State to enter the territory of Xuzhou. ”

Hearing this, Zhao Xun's face suddenly turned cold, and he said disdainfully: "Want to take advantage of the fire to rob?" It seems that he really doesn't give up on the Yellow River. If you don't give a little color to see, they don't know the shade. ”

Situ Liang said: "Your Majesty, this Li Hao, the son of the King of Chu, is still in our army, is this the first to take him down." ”

"There is no need for this, since Li Chi, the king of Chu, has his thoughts, it means that he has not taken his son too seriously. Li Chi is the first among the princes in the world to raise the anti-flag, and it would be strange if he cared about his son. Li Chi didn't know the situation of our army, but Li Hao was clear. In this case, this time we will use the force of the army to force Li Chi to see that my Zhao army cannot be humiliated. wants to use my Zhao Guo as a pawn, but he is not worthy of it. ”

Subsequently, Zhao Xun asked the guards to pass Li Hao over.

"Minister Li Hao, meet my king!" Li Hao, who was dressed in Zhao Jun armor, said respectfully. Now, Li Hao understands the incomparable gap between his Chu army and Zhao army, and he does not dare to be arrogant in the slightest towards Zhao Xun. It can be said that the current Li Hao is already admiring Zhao Xun.

Zhao Xun looked at the prince of Chu, who looked heroic and upright, and said in a deep voice: "No courtesy!" Look! ”

After Li Hao sat down, Zhao Xun asked in a deep voice: "Li Hao, are you used to it in my Zhao army?" How do you feel? ”

Li Hao didn't understand the meaning of Zhao Xun's inquiry, but he still said in a deep voice: "Back to the king, the ministers are used to being in the army. Sergeant Zhao is fierce, his armor and equipment are sharp, and his soldiers are strict with themselves, and he can be said to be the head of all armies in the world. ”

"How is it better than you Chu Jun?" Zhao Xun asked lightly.

Hearing this, Li Hao was shocked, although Zhao Xun's words were plain, he still felt a trace of abnormality. Could it be that something is wrong with Xuzhou? By the way, after joining the Zhao army and starting to accompany the Zhao army to raid Dongyongzhou, the contact with Xuzhou gradually decreased, is it ......

Suddenly, Li Hao's heart tightened, and he had a hint of something wrong, and said continuously: "The strength of the Zhao army is far from being comparable to the Chu army. Between the two sides, it can be described as the difference between heaven and earth, and the difference between cloud and mud. ”

"Really? Do you really think so? Zhao Xun said disapprerovingly.

The more Zhao Xun was like this, the more Li Hao felt that something was wrong with the Chu army in Xuzhou, and he couldn't help but feel anxious in his heart: Father, father, didn't you say that you would descend Zhao? Did you make some mess again? If it was before, Li Hao still had dissatisfaction with Zhao Jun, and he still had the idea of comparing himself with Zhao Jun. However, the longer he stayed in Zhao Jun and the deeper he understood Zhao Jun, the more he felt that Zhao Jun was powerful, and he no longer had the idea of competing with Zhao Jun in his heart.

Zhao Xun looked at Li Hao, whose face changed slightly, and said in a deep voice: "If you think so, it is naturally the best, but your father and the Chu army don't see it like this." Hearing that our Zhao army was going to fight with the southern princes here, the Chu army took advantage of the situation. You Chu Jun have disappointed this king. ”

Li Hao suddenly felt cold, what he was worried about finally happened, and he immediately said in a loud voice: "Wang Shangmingjian, although the Chu army has moved, the ministers never know. Among the Chu army, there must be people who are greedy for power and want to fish in troubled waters. The minister was willing to send a letter to the minister's father, so that they could understand the gap between Zhao and Chu, so as to persuade them. ”

Zhao Xun said lightly: "Really? Coveting power...... You're right, among your Chu army and your Li family, many officials are still reluctant to have the power in their hands and want to take advantage of this. Since they are so greedy for power, they want to use our Da Zhao as a pawn. So, it's time for them to pay, don't you think? ”

Without waiting for Li Hao to answer, Zhao Xun continued: "This king will let you go back today, and at the same time, my armies in Qingzhou, Jizhou, and Yanzhou will also take action. This king gives you time, if you want your Li clan to be preserved, then, offer the heads of these people. With that, Situ Liang inspected the roster of some civil and military officials who supported the Chu army to take advantage of the fire to rob.

Li Hao took it and breathed a sigh of relief, his father and brothers were not on the roster, but it also included most of the Li civil and military officials in the Chu army.

Alas...... Not tomorrow! Li Hao couldn't help but sigh secretly, if the people on the roster were killed, then the Li family would also lose most of their strength. In the future, the Li family will have no possibility of turning over in the Zhao Kingdom. Even, the Lee family will decline like this.

"Take the roster and go back, you can handle it yourself. Whether to fight or surrender depends on the choice with your father, the king of Chu. The king's army will not stop for any reason. If your decision is too late, then Xuzhou will become the next Dongyongzhou, and the Chu army will become the next Luo army. Zhao Xun said unhurriedly.

Although Zhao Xun's tone was flat, Li Hao felt an extremely suppressed momentum pressing towards him.

"The minister should persuade the minister's father and let the Chu army surrender to the king immediately!" Li Hao said urgently.

After Li Hao left, Situ Liang said suspiciously: "What will happen to this Li Hao when he goes back?" Will you persuade Li Chi? ”

Zhao Xun smiled: "Maybe, maybe not, who knows?" The human heart is the hardest to guess. However, Li Hao knows the strength of our Zhao army, and he should also understand now how much military strength our Zhao army has. Don't say that my Great Zhao did not fight with the southern princes and Jingbei, that is, the war began, and my Zhao State still had the ability to destroy his Chu army first while fighting with the southern princes. ”

"As for whether Li Hao will persuade Li Chi or not, whether Li Chi will agree, this is not something we should consider. In short, the army has already begun to move, if he Li Chi is confident that he can withstand the attack of my Great Zhao, then just give it a try. This king does not want to cause a full-scale war with the southern princes at this moment, but it does not mean that this king will not fight with his Chu army. ”

"Situ Liang, wait for Li Hao to return to Xuzhou, let the people from the Shadow Division contact the people on the roster, and tell them about Li Hao's mission. Hum...... If you dare to use my Da Zhao as a pawn, you should pay the price. ”

Situ Liang said in a deep voice: "Does the king want the Chu army to fight with each other? ”

Zhao Xun said coldly: "The Chu army dares to take advantage of the fire to rob at this time, is it really just the reason why these high-ranking Li clan leaders are reluctant to be powerful and can be bewitched?" Who is Li Chi? If you can become a prince and protect yourself in the conquest of the court, how can you be easily deceived by the words of others? If it weren't for Li Chi's signal, would these Li civil and military officials dare to put forward these opinions? ”

"Therefore, whether Li Chi is afraid of us and under Li Hao's persuasion, he takes advantage of the situation to remove the people on this list, or he is determined to fight, this Li Chi can no longer stay. This man is too treacherous, and this king doesn't want to leave too much energy on him. That is it, it is better to get rid of him. ”

Situ nodded and said: "That's fine, when the time comes, the death of the King of Chu will be because of infighting, and it has nothing to do with us." Without Li Chi, with the consumption in the fight, the Li family should have almost lost it. Your Majesty, we can have the action teams of the Shadow Division and the Eagle Eye Division also dispatch to 'cooperate' with the actions of both Li Hao and the Li officials, and when the time comes, we can take advantage of the chaos to clean up the targets we need to get rid of again." In this way, the Chu army is finished, and the Li family is also finished. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said, "Well, that's feasible, let the Shadow Division and the Eagle Eye Division send out people." In addition, now that our Zhao army and the coalition army of the southern princes are in a stalemate here, it will not benefit anyone. Presumably, the king of Luoyang and the king of Hanzhong at this moment are also very embarrassed. In this way, this king first attacked the Chu army, gave them a little peace of mind, and made them understand that this king has no intention of attacking Jingzhou now. ”

Situ Liang said with a smile: "In this way, whether it is the king of Luoyang or the king of Qi and the king of Shu, I am afraid that they are not willing to continue to send reinforcements to Jingbei." The only one who is anxious is the king of Hanzhong, Dongyongzhou was taken by us, and his land of Xiyongzhou is even more dangerous. ”

Just when the southern princes confronted the Zhao army and the land of Jingbei and Dongyongzhou, the Zhao army once again took action. The first town of Qingzhou, the second town of Jizhou, and the eighth town of Yanzhou began to move. Suddenly, the eyes of the people who went up to the world again attracted the Chu army located in Xuzhou in the east and the boundary of Xuzhou.

The actions of the Zhao army not only surprised the southern princes, but also the Chu army. The Chu army thought that the Zhao army was confronting the southern princes in Dongyongzhou and Jingbei, and would not easily start a war in Xuzhou. But now the results are much more than they expected.

It was not only Xuzhou that received the approach of the Zhao army on three sides of the land, but also the eastern sea, where the naval fleet of the Zhao army also appeared in the eastern seas, operating along the coastline of Xuzhou to cut off any idea of the Chu army from the sea route.

The Zhao army in Qingzhou immediately killed the Pengzhou Mansion and Haizhou Mansion in the north of Xuzhou, which were originally captured by the Tang army from the hands of the Chu army in the past, and then exchanged for the Zhao army. Now, the army of a town from Qingzhou has appeared here, putting great pressure on the north of Xuzhou.

The armies of the two towns of Jizhou and Yanzhou converged together, and the troops were divided into two routes, all the way from the southeast of Yanzhou, attacking the territory of Huaiyin Mansion occupied by the Zhao army, all the way to Yuzhou, and went straight to Jiangdu Mansion in the southwest of Xuzhou. In this way, the three-way army and the navy came out in an all-round way, trapping the Chu army in Xuzhou.

The commander of the Three Route Army was Li Huaiyuan, the general of Zhendong of Zhao State, the deputy envoy of the privy council, and the loyal and brave marquis. After Li Huaiyuan received Zhao Xun's edict, he immediately waved his army, and before the Chu army could react, he had already let the three-way army appear on the border line of Zhao and Chu, and continued to advance towards Xuzhou.

Regarding Zhao Jun's actions, Li Chi and the others were immediately dumbfounded. They also didn't expect that when Zhao State was facing off against the southern princes and wanted to fight, he would be able to send an army of seventy or eighty thousand to besiege him.

Li Chi and the core officials of the Chu army gathered together again, and at this moment, there was no joy on their faces, and none of them dared to speak easily. Now that the Zhao army is approaching, they know that this time they are afraid that they will not only fail, but even pay a greater price.

"Li Yan, have you secretly investigated the purpose of Zhao Jun's operation?" Li Chi, who had a gloomy face, asked Li Yan, who was in charge of the intelligence affairs of the Chu army.

Li Yan shook his head and said in a muffled voice: "I don't know, this Zhao Jun's action did not have any warning. It seems that he received an edict from Zhao Xun. ”

"Damn, could it be that we delayed the operation to make Zhao Jun suspicious? But we didn't have any abnormal actions, why did the Zhao army suddenly overwhelm the territory? Li Chi roared angrily. I finally saw the opportunity, who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, the opportunity would become a disaster.

Seeing Li Chi like this, Li Fangzong couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He immediately got up and said, "Your Majesty, no matter how much we guess now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to guess the truth." Otherwise, if you ask the envoy of Zhao in the city, the reason and purpose of Zhao's army's actions must be known as the envoy. ”

Li Chi stroked his forehead and said: "Yes, what you said is reasonable, this king will go and ask." ”

Immediately, Li Chi hurriedly found the envoy of Zhao Jun and asked about the situation.

The envoy of Zhao Jun said lightly: "This official is an envoy, not a privy council, not Shangshu Province, and not King Zhao. Any transfer of Zhao Jun is not something that I, a small envoy, can call the shots. ”

Li Chi said with a gloomy face: "However, the reason for the transfer of the Zhao army, the noble envoy should be very clear, after all, my Chu army has already agreed to surrender to the Zhao country." ”

The envoy of Zhao State smiled indifferently and said coldly: "Really? Half a month ago, this official came to meet you, the king of Chu, and passed on the edict of my king, so that the Chu army could accept the reorganization, and let the king of Chu and the generals of your Chu army enter Luoyang to meet our lord. But the result? It's been half a month, and your Chu army has not only blocked my Zhao army from entering Xuzhou under various excuses, but also unwilling to enter Luoyang to meet my king. Why our army moved, you should know very well the king of Chu. ”

Li Chi's face changed, and he said in a deep voice: "Your envoy has misunderstood, it's not that this king wants to block the Zhao army from entering Xuzhou, but because not everyone in my Chu army is willing to surrender." In order to prevent accidents, this king delayed the entry of Zhao Jun into Xuzhou, and this king was also rectifying the internal problems of the Chu army, sending one, so he failed to rush to Luoyang in time to meet King Zhao. ”

The envoy of Zhao State smiled coldly and said in a deep voice: "Is that so? This official knows that the people up and down Xuzhou are very welcome to the entry of our Zhao army. On the contrary, the Chu army has not only been preparing for war recently, but has also recruited many soldiers who were previously dismissed. What the King of Chu was thinking in his heart, the King of Chu himself understood. ”

"This king has absolutely no ......"

The envoy of Zhao State interrupted Li Chi's words and said coldly: "Now it is useless for the King of Chu to say anything to this official, and this official does not have the right to command the army. However, news came from Youzhou that Ling Lang had returned from Luoyang, with the edict of my king. When Ling Lang returns here, King Chu, you will naturally understand the problem. ”

"What? My son is back? Li Chi exclaimed. He was not only surprised that his son was released from Luoyang by Zhao Xun, but also felt a trace of fear. Why did Zhao Xun put his son back? What does this mean? It shows that Zhao Xun has been paying attention to the situation of the Chu army in Xuzhou, and it shows that Zhao Xun has a deep understanding of some of the situation of the Chu army.