Zhao Guo, Handan.

King Zhao was a little depressed and sent away the envoy of the Yan Kingdom. King Zhao never thought that his son-in-law, King Yan, would also have the idea of Qi State. This is not allowed by King Zhao, even if the queen of Yan Kingdom is his favorite daughter. In King Zhao's view, it had already been said that the goal of Zhao was to take the Qi State, and the goal of the Yan State was to go north. Now King Yan wants to use the queen's relationship to overturn the original default terms, which is not kind.

King Zhao's face was calm on the surface, but Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, Shangqing Lin Xiangru, Xinping Jun Lianpo, Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao, and Guowei Zhao Hao were summoned by King Zhao at the first time, which undoubtedly showed King Zhao's anger. You must know that if it weren't for some military affairs, King Zhao would not have summoned so many ministers.

On the way here, everyone already knew the reason why King Zhao was angry. However, after saluting, everyone was silent, waiting for King Zhao to speak. This is a rite, and a rite cannot be abolished!

"Just now, the envoy of King Yan came, and decided to accept the mention of the Chu State, and wanted to fight Qi with my Great Zhao, what do you think Aiqing?"

Everyone knew that King Zhao's words revealed two meanings, the first was that the matter of Vaqi was leaked by the Chu State, and the second was that the Yan State euphemistically expressed his desire to participate in it. At present, the Yan State is closely following the pace of the Zhao State, and the two countries are on good terms, so it is not surprising that the King of Yan has made such a request.

Zhao Sheng knew that when the alliance was first met, King Zhao hoped that the Yan State would not interfere with the Qi State. But now that the shape is changing, since King Zhao is willing to let the State of Chu participate in it, the State of Yan is not impossible. The key lies in King Zhao's intentions, and whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages if Yan Guo is added.

After pinching King Zhao's thoughts, Zhao Sheng felt that King Zhao should not be willing for Yan Guo to participate, or let Yan Guo participate, but he would not give Yan Guo too much benefit. After making this judgment. Zhao Sheng was the first to speak, after all, he was the prime minister.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the Qi State is a hundred-legged insect that dies but does not stiffen, although my Zhao State is far superior to the Qi State, but it will also have to pay a lot of price to take the Qi State. Besides, my Zhao State is facing the tyrannical Qin in the west, and if it is too much to lose because of the war of Qi. The state of Qin said that it was too late to send troops to the whole country. The king promised that the state of Chu would participate in the war of Qi, and he must have had this consideration. However, after all, the state of Chu is weak, and it is also close to the state of Qin, and the relationship with the state of Qin is even worse, so I am afraid that it will not be able to do it. Yan Guo is different, and he can go all out. Combined with the power of our Three Kingdoms, Vaqi can be achieved overnight! But. There is a Xiongnu in the north who has already given us a headache for Zhao State, and Yan State cannot be the same as the Xiongnu. ”

Lin Xiangru said in his heart that what Zhao Sheng said was good, and King Zhao had a strong determination to suppress the three kingdoms of Yan, Han, and Wei. Even if the Chu State participates in the war and gains from it, the price will be not small. I am afraid that before the Chu State has time to digest the results of the war, the Zhao State will win over the Wei State to vigorously attack Chu. Whether it is for the sake of the princess or the need to win over Yan Guo, this time Yan Guo can be involved, but Yan Guo must not be allowed to stretch his hand too long. Otherwise, it will ruin Zhao Guo's plans.

If Qi is the Chinese food of Zhao State, then Chu State is the Chinese dish of Zhao State. Zhao would not allow Wei to swallow Chu alone. What's more, Wei couldn't swallow it. As long as the State of Zhao takes the State of Qi, then it is logical to pass through the State of Chu. Zhao Wang Ke was absolutely unwilling for Yan Guo to participate in it.

For King Zhao, it is naturally best to be able to refuse Yan Guo without annoying Yan Guo, but in case he is rejected. King Yan is kind on the surface, but in his heart, if he has a dislike with Zhao Guo because of this, it will not be what Zhao Guo wants. After all, if Zhao annexed Qi, Yan would lose contact with the Central Plains completely. Whatever the reason, the monarchs of the Yan Kingdom. I'm afraid I won't give in to the matter of Vaqi.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that what the king of the plains said is very true! Yan Guo is the rear of my Great Zhao, if Yan Guo is unstable, I am afraid that it will not be easy for my Zhao State to pass in the direction of the Central Plains! Lin Xiangru said earnestly.

King Zhao didn't know anything, but thinking about it, if he wanted to give Yan a lot of land, King Zhao couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart. If King Qi knew that so many people were worried about him at this time, thinking about how to divide the Qi country, I don't know how King Qi would feel.

Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao's reaction was simple and direct, and he said: "Your Majesty, the State of Chu actually told the Yan State of such a confidential matter, trapping my Zhao State in passivity, which clearly did not take our Zhao Kingdom in his eyes. The younger brother thought that he would definitely not spare the Chu State this time. ”

In the face of Zhao Bao's indignant rhetoric, King Zhao also felt the same way. However, he still did a good job of concealing his true feelings, and said with a little dissatisfaction: "Since this incident has happened, it is useless to say anything. The question now is that Yan Guo wants to participate, Pingyang Jun, do you think our Zhao Guo should agree? ”

"Of course not!" Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao replied very directly.

"Why?"

"With the prestige of my Zhao country, can't I beat a Qi country that is in the waning mountains? If it weren't for the fact that I wanted the Chu State to lose some troops, according to my thoughts, our 300,000 troops of Dazhao would crush the past, and ensure that the King of Qi would flee in the wilderness! ”

"Hehe," King Zhao shook his head with a smile, looked at the too young brother Wang, and said, "If there are only two of us Zhao and Qi in the world, or even the three kingdoms of Zhao, Qi and Chu, your strategy is good." However, Pingyang Jun must remember that there is still the Qin State in this world. Even if there is no Qin State, the five countries of Shandong want to replace my Zhao State! ”

After speaking, without waiting for Zhao Bao to react, King Zhao directly asked Xinping Jun Lian Po: "General Lian, what do you think?" ”

Although Lian Po has been crowned king, King Zhao is still used to calling Lian Po by his position.

Lian Po quietly looked at Lin Xiangru's words, and then said calmly: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that my Zhao State can agree or not agree in this matter!" ”

"Oh?" King Zhao felt something interesting.

Lian Po immediately explained: "If the king doesn't want to dominate the princes or dominate the world, he can obstruct the Yan Kingdom. The minister believes that King Yan will never act rashly under all scruples. This Qi country has become the king's bag. ”

"However", Lian Po's tone changed, his expression became solemn, and he said: "If the king wants to chase the Central Plains, he must consider the feelings of Yan Guo. It's just a county and a half county, but it can be exchanged for greater loyalty from Yan Kingdom. Why not? The king must not forget that Donghu has always been eyeing him. With Yan Kingdom as a barrier, my Zhao Kingdom can be at ease. Otherwise, a single Xiongnu will involve a lot of energy in my Zhao Kingdom! ”

King Zhao nodded yes, Lian Po turned around and bluntly said the pros and cons to himself. Seemingly. This time, it can only be cheap Chu first, and it is also cheap Qi country.

After making up his mind, King Zhao did not procrastinate. A day later, King Zhao summoned Yan Envoy and told him of his decision! The envoy of Yan was overjoyed. Since then, the major events of the three kingdoms of Zhao, Yan, and Chu have been agreed upon. For this matter. Except for Korea, the three kingdoms of Qi, Wei, and Qin knew nothing about it. However, what Chu didn't know was that Wei, Qi, and Qin had also colluded and planned to attack Chu. The pattern of the world seems to be becoming more and more chaotic.

Although the Qi State has unknowingly become the center of the whirlpool, the other countries are clear that the Qi State is a powerful country. No matter how mediocre King Qi is, as long as there is a field. With his prestige, the Qi State can be twisted into a rope to resist disgrace.

The Zhao State of Qi, which owns Tiandan, is the most fearful, and since it has determined that Qi is destroyed, the next goal of the Three Kingdoms is how to get rid of Tiandan. Tian Dan, who was thousands of miles away, sneezed for no reason, the weather was getting colder and colder, and he was afraid that he was suffering from the wind cold! Tian Dan thought secretly in his heart.

In November, the state of Qin. Xianyang.

Throughout this year, the Qin State has made very small and very few moves. In addition to sending Keqing Cai Ze to Linzi, Qi State. There were almost no big moves in the Qin State on the surface. This year, the Qin State locked itself in the Guannei and closed off communication with the outside world. Like a wounded beast, hiding in the deep mountains and forests, silently licking its wounds.

Without Qin's southern conquest and northern war, the world suddenly became peaceful. Although all who understand know it. The confrontation between the nations shifted to a more brutal underground battlefield. But for most of the common people, it was a very happy year - except for the great drought in the summer.

The Qin people's admitting hardships and hard work helped them in a great way, and after nearly a hundred years of reform, the Qin people became accustomed to their own strength, and used to using the enemy's head as a means of their own promotion. It can be used for two consecutive years. He was defeated in successive battles, losing more than 300,000 soldiers, and every family had relatives killed in battle. The Qin people began to become a little suspicious, wondering if the path they were taking was right.

The law is still strict, the taxes are still increasing, and the Qin people suddenly feel that their lives are gone. Although the Sanlao County Order has repeatedly encouraged the people, saying that in a few years, the Qin State will go out of the customs and compete for hegemony in the world. But no matter who thinks about it, the land that has been recaptured after twenty or thirty years of hard work will be recaptured in just a few months, such a contrast is not easy to accept.

Nowadays, the Qin king has repeatedly ordered to encourage remarriage, and even made the number of widows in a village an indicator for local officials, hoping to promote population growth. Such a policy would have been unthinkable if it had not been for the fact that the law had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

"Boil! The previous days were even harder, and they haven't survived the same! "That's what the older generation thinks.

"Wait! Wait for yourself! This is a great opportunity for your generation to make a name for yourself. So thought the young and enthusiastic youth. They knew that the more land the Qin State lost now, the more meritorious it would be when it was time to regain it!

In Xianyang Palace, King Qin frowned and read this year's tax and grain statistics report.

"This year, there are 600,000 stone less grain than last year, what's going on?" King Qin said unhappily.

Originally, the Qin State had lost a lot of grain and grass, so he decided to recuperate for a few years. Unexpectedly, there is not much grain and grass this year. King Qin knew about the impact of the drought on this year's harvest, but he didn't expect it to be so big!

Prime Minister Wei Ran felt very wronged, but he could only explain his dissatisfaction with King Qin: "Your Majesty! The floods in the two counties of Bashu this year are very bad! It's another big drought in Kannai! In the case of manpower, it is not easy to do this! ”

King Qin knew that he had encountered many difficulties, and he was just venting just now. Afraid that Wei Ran would feel that he was questioning his due diligence, King Qin softened his tone and said, "Prime Minister, this year's harvest is very bad!" I really don't know when my Great Qin will be able to restore its national strength! ”

Wei Ran quickly forgave King Qin, or rather, he didn't care about it at all just now, but comforted him: "The minister sent secret agents and found that whether it is Han, Zhao, Wei, or Yan, Qi, and Chu, the harvest of their six kingdoms is also not good!" In comparison, because we are upstream, the benefits are better. ”

King Qin nodded, if he hadn't been carried away by the victory, where would there be such a predicament. Now the vitality of the Qin State has been greatly damaged, and I don't know how many years it will be to recuperate.

"Is there any new movement on the Qi side?"

Faced with King Qin's question, Wei Ran replied very cautiously. He knew that King Qin must have wanted to know about the preparations for Vachu.

After considering the sentence, Wei Ran opened his mouth and said, "Return to the king." Now the roads are closed by heavy snow, and the harvest is not good. Qi Guo's preparations were very inadequate. As for the Wei State, we don't know that our Qin State is the mastermind behind the scenes. Presumably, in the coming year, the State of Qi will contact the State of Wei to create friction with the State of Chu. At that time, it will be the opportunity of our Qin State. ”

"Hmmm! Remember to remind Qi that they must not be in a hurry. Step by step, the party is king! King Qin instructed.

Wei Ran secretly wrote it down in his heart. According to the original plan, the State of Qi was responsible for winning over the State of Wei and slowly encroaching on the State of Chu. Today is ten miles of land and tomorrow is five miles of land, and the land of Chu is rich and will not hurt. After this situation is maintained for a year or two, the state of Chu will slowly turn the target of hatred to the state of Qi and Wei, and the main force will also go north. At this time, if the Qin State did not make a sound, it was a blockbuster. In one fell swoop, he conquered Yingdu and even captured the king of Chu, and the king of Chu was naturally destroyed.

King Qin was very satisfied with Wei Ran's humble attitude. Now that Empress Dowager Xuan has completely delegated power, for a whole year and a half, he has never summoned any ministers, including his younger brother, Wei Ran, the prime minister of Qin. Such an attitude made King Qin taste the taste of power, and although the Qin State was in a dangerous situation, King Qin felt very satisfied. I finally have a chance to make a big difference! The King of Qin, who was accustomed to forbearance, deliberately lowered the posture of the Qin State, which was greatly injured, and the six countries outside the border could not unite in the face of the crisis, so he lowered his posture. They will be even more lawless. If they fall apart, King Qin doesn't mind teaching them a lesson in advance.

"Over there in the state of Chu. Zuotu Huang Xie has visited South Korea and Yan in a row, and what does the prime minister think is the purpose of Chu? King Qin asked.

For the next opponent, the State of Chu, King Qin also attaches great importance to it. However, the traces of the Chu State Mission this time were too difficult to find, and even the Black Ice Platform was difficult to track, not to mention the real purpose of the Chu State Mission. Naturally, the Qin State did not grasp it. At the moment, we can only do it behind closed doors and analyze one or two.

"The minister thinks that most of the Chu State is asking for help from South Korea and Yan State! After all, the state of Chu is adjacent to my Great Qin to the west and the country of Qi to the east. Now that the alliance of Han, Zhao, Wei, and Yan is shaking the world, Chu wants to save itself. Attachment to the Quad is the best option. ”

After hearing this, King Qin smiled disappreciatively, if this is the case, why should Wei State turn against the water! The Quad Alliance is superficially beautiful, but in fact it is gathered together by interests. Since you can cooperate for the sake of interests, of course, you can also break up for the sake of interests!

He dialed the information he knew to Wei Ran and said, "The envoy of the Yan Kingdom did not go to Daliang or Handan. If you really want to form an alliance to ask for help, you should go to Handan, so why bother to seek the near and far! ”

"What does the king mean?" Wei Ran asked cautiously.

If according to King Qin, the movements of the Chu State are extraordinary, there are many things worth pondering. Initially, the Qin State received the news from the Chu State that the King of Chu sent Huang Xie as an envoy to Handan, and the purpose was unknown.

After returning from Handan, Huang Xie immediately went all the way to Xinzheng and Jicheng, but did not go to Daliang. Could it be that there is a rift between the state of Chu and the state of Wei? Why did Huang Xie have to bump back and forth?

Connecting these two things together, the concentration of them may be on the horizon. Most likely, Chu asked for help, and Handan did not agree. Huang Xie had no choice but to return, and under the order of the King of Chu, Huang Xie changed his strategy, first going to Xinzheng to lobby, and then to Jicheng to lobby. The ultimate goal is mostly achieved. As for bypassing the Wei State, I am afraid that the relationship between the Wei State and the Zhao State is not so close. After all, Yan Guo is the in-law of Zhao Guo, and South Korea can also have a relationship with King Zhao.

"According to the widow's speculation, the Chu State is afraid that it is going to join the alliance." King Qin's words were astonishing.

Wei Ran was shocked in his heart, but his face was not shocked. If this is the case, then the six countries of Shandong, in addition to the grass country on the wall, will form a huge force. When the time comes, the Qin State can only look up to it. However, Wei Ran immediately thought that most of this matter would not be true, otherwise why didn't Wei Guo report it!

Thinking of this, Wei Ran said his thoughts. King Qin was not displeased that Wei Ran disagreed with his opinion, but appreciated: "What you said also makes sense!" However, the King of Wei is a person who disregards faith for the sake of profit! If the stakes are big enough, it's possible that they will sell us! What I just said was just a speculation by the widow! As for whether it is or not, we will find out in a while. ”

King Qin said lightly, but Wei Ran was a little anxious in his heart. If Wei betrayed Qin, the situation in Shandong would be out of control. Qi is also the type of wall grass, and when the alliance flickers, the world will become the enemy of Qin. Without more than ten years of disintegration, the Qin State is afraid that it will not have a chance to step out of the Guannai.

"Your Majesty! If Wei betrays our Great Qin, how should our Great Qin respond? ”

Unexpectedly, King Qin smiled and said, "You are a widowed prime minister, commanding hundreds of officials." You ask the widow about this, and the widow really doesn't know how to reply to you! ”

Wei Ran knew that he was a little speechless in his urgency, and said ashamedly: "The minister lost his words, please punish the king." ”

King Qin smiled slyly and said: "Then the widow will punish you to come up with a way for the widow, if the Wei State betrays my Great Qin, and the Chu State also conspires with the three Jin and the Yan wolf bèi, how should the widow deal with it?" ”

Wei Ran groaned slightly, and said with a straight face: "There are two plans!" The first is to wait for work at ease and stay in retreat. It's a plan! ”

King Qin nodded yes, there is no way out if he blindly sticks to it. However, this can minimize the loss and be the safest.

"Another plan, the minister thought it was the best plan. That is, taking advantage of the fact that the coalition forces did not attack, they took the initiative to attack and break through each one! You don't have to wipe out the main force, it's good to get it through! Everyone pursues advantages and avoids disadvantages, and big countries are no exception! As long as they are afraid of us again, it will be easy to destroy their alliance! Prime Minister Wei Ran said with a smile. (To be continued......)