Chu State, Yingdu.

After Jingyang's defeat and return to Yingdu, he was hidden by the king of Chu, and all military affairs were entrusted to Xiang Cheng, Marquis of Anping (that is, Xiang Yan's father and Xiang Yu's great-grandfather). The shape of the world is treacherous, and the Qin State has just defeated the Chu State in Yufu, and then the army is defeated in Jiangzhou. Zhang Ruo, the county guard of Ba County, who was once famous for being able to stop the children of Chu State from crying at night, died on the battlefield, and Ba County was included in the Korean territory. Only less than a month later, Shu County was also conquered by South Korea, and Li Bing and Li Yiju County surrendered.

The state of Chu should have been secretly happy, without the threat of the main force of the Qin army in the two counties of Bashu, wouldn't it be possible to recover several cities in Guizhou and Yancheng! After all, the Qin army garrisoned in these scattered cities was not very numerous, and it was not difficult for the Chu state to capture. South Korea, the potential biggest rival, is currently more concerned about the outcome of the confrontation with Zhao in the Wu'an area, and is afraid that it will not have time to annex these places.

Unable to withstand the teasing of the ministers, the king of Chu immediately sent Xiang Cheng to lead an army of 50,000 to capture Yancheng first. Yancheng is connected to Nanyang in the north, and it was also one of the top cities in the Chu State, and the king of Chu is bound to win this. The initial march could be described as smooth sailing, Xiang Cheng's army went north along the Han River, and was invincible along the way, and the Qin army only garrisoned Xiaoyi of two or three hundred people could not stop a charge of the Chu army.

Two hundred and fifty miles upstream from Jingling is Lantian (there is also Lantian County near Xianyang, don't be confused), the intelligence said that the Qin army has more than 2,000 garrisons here, and Xiang Cheng also knows that Lantian is down, and Yancheng is close at hand. Really thinking about it, Lantian is the only fortress in the south of Yancheng, and it is definitely not easy to attack. Therefore, after fully boosting the morale, Xiang Chengcai led the Chu army to go straight to Lantian with a rainbow of momentum.

It's a pity that all the efforts were in vain, and after Xiang Cheng led the army to Lantian to arrive, he found that Lantian had changed hands. The Qin army, which was supposed to be trembling to welcome the arrival of his army, was replaced by the Korean army, and several banners with the word "Han" on the head of the city indicated that this was already the boundary of Korea.

Xiang Cheng was stunned for a moment, and the King of Chu didn't tell him. If Yancheng is occupied by South Korea, will you fight or not! The order he received was to annihilate the Qin army in Yancheng and capture Yancheng. Now most of the Qin army has been wiped out by the Korean army, but Yancheng has returned to Korea. If you fight by yourself, you will not disobey the king's order, but it will undoubtedly start a war between Han and Chu. If you don't fight, you will be unwilling, don't look at Lantian as a fortress. With his 50,000 troops, Xiang Cheng was confident that he would conquer Lantian within three days and arrive at the foot of Yancheng.

As a last resort, Xiang Cheng sent an envoy into the city to inquire why South Korea sent troops. After all, according to his own ideas or the ideas of the Chu State, it would be good for Korea to occupy the two places of Bashu, and the Qin land east of Wuxian County would all belong to the Chu State. How can South Korea treacherously seize the territory belonging to the Chu State! And, to put it into detail. Yancheng has been the territory of the Chu State from the very beginning! Seeing that the Qin State is no longer good, the Chu State can rise up to regain the lost territory, and let South Korea stir up the yellow again! Xiang Cheng was naturally very unwilling in his heart.

Lantian's reply was that it was not bad for South Korea. At the beginning, Han and Chu agreed on the ownership of Ba County, two hundred miles east of Wushan belonged to Chu, and west of Wushan belonged to Han. Yancheng did not belong to Ba County in the first place, and Qin and Han were still at war, so Korea could naturally attack the cities of Qin. What's more, the Qin army took the initiative to surrender to Korea. Taiwei Storm Kite has led an army of 30,000 to occupy Yancheng. If the state of Chu wants South Korea to hand over the entire territory of Yancheng, it is absolutely wishful thinking.

At last. The Han army also swore to the envoy of Xiang Cheng that for the sake of relations between Han and Chu, Storm Kite had ordered the abandonment of several cities in the southernmost part of Yancheng. Otherwise, the Chu army was afraid that it would meet the Han army just fifty miles north from Jingling. The concession of these two hundred miles of land is already the limit of South Korea, and South Korea is willing to demarcate the national border from Wuxian in the west to Lantian in the east and Chu State.

Hearing such a reply, Xiang Cheng was speechless. Yancheng is true of the state of Chu. But it was forcibly occupied by the Qin State for several years. Now, the defeated Qin army dedicated Yancheng to Korea in a desperate situation, and naturally became Korean land. Chu State is really hard to say anything.

When it comes to major matters related to relations with South Korea, Xiang Cheng does not dare to make decisions without authorization. In addition to quickly sending a messenger to Yingdu to report the news, Xiang Cheng could only retreat thirty miles. Wait for the order from Yingdu.

When the king of Chu heard the news, he was immediately angry, is South Korea playing with himself?! Knowing his ambition for Yancheng, he is loved! But the king of Chu forgot that from beginning to end, the king of Han did not promise him not to capture Yancheng. Yiqiē is the wishful thinking of the king of Chu. Yancheng is so close to Nanyang that it is impossible for South Korea not to want to include it in the territory of Nanyang, South Korea. What's more, in order to avoid provoking the Chu State, South Korea has reserved a buffer zone of 200 miles for the Chu State, and there are more than 10,000 households in the south of Lantian County, which is occupied by the Qin State, and it is better to talk to the Chu State than nothing.

It is clear to Yin Qiliang that it is unwise to offend South Korea now, Yancheng is already a fact in the hands of South Korea, and all Chu can do is accept this fact. Unless the state of Chu is willing to devote all its troops to confront Korea, it will have to learn to be dumb and eat coptis, and know that it is bitter and not to say anything.

Under the persuasion of Mi Liang, the king of Chu reluctantly accepted the construction of the border with Korea along the Wuxian-Lantian line, and at the same time ordered Gong Yin (the official in charge of the construction of the project) to build a city near thirty miles south of Lantian and set up a perimeter defense line for Jingling and Yingdu behind him. Xiang Cheng was ordered by the king of Chu to lead an army of 40,000 to the south, passing through Youyang, Lipu and other places. In the eyes of King Chu, South Korea should not compete with him for the territory of Qianzhong County now. Although these cities belonging to Qianzhong County of Qin State occupy a vast area, the population is relatively sparse, with only 50,000 or 60,000 households.

However, things turned out to be strange. Xiang Cheng led the troops to encounter the main force of the Korean army as soon as they came out of Linyuan, and at the same time, there was also news of the presence of the Korean army near Lingyang. This basically meant that, almost overnight, most of the Qianzhong counties placed by the Qin State were taken by Korea. The army of Chu can only sigh at this. On the one hand, he felt that he was running in vain, and on the other hand, he felt that Han Jun's movements were so fast. When did the Qin army become so unbeaten? The Chu army didn't know that there was a Qin military lieutenant in Ba County as an internal response, and after the Han army took the two most important cities of Youyang and Lipu, they went straight to Linyuan and Lingyang on the border to block the Chu army from entering Guizhou.

Resisting the urge to use soldiers, Xiang Cheng sent this "bad news" back to Yingdu and handed it over to the king of Chu to decide. Xiang Cheng has secretly made up his mind that South Korea is really too deceitful. As long as the king of Chu gave an order, he didn't care that there were 50,000 Han troops on the other side, and he directly fought with the Han army. If he wins, he is naturally a hero, and if he fails, he will not disgrace the Chu State.

When the king of Chu heard the news, he didn't say anything, he just brushed his sleeves away, and was stunned to hang Ling Yin Qiliang, Zuotu Huang Xie, and Prince Xiong Wanyi and Xungui aside. They are secretly speculating and uneasy!

Mi Liang looked at the ministers who were looking at each other, sighed deeply, and said: "Everyone, most of South Korea has already taken Qianzhong, where is our Chu State going, let's take care of it!" ”

Doctor Sanlu (in charge of the royal family, similar to the position of Zongzheng of other countries) was the first to speak: "South Korea deceives me and there is no one in Chu State, which is tolerable and unbearable. The minister Jianyì united with the king and asked for troops to fight with Korea for the land of Qianzhong. ”

Tingli (the official in charge of criminal law enforcement and Xing Prison) said: "The Korean division is unknown, occupying my Chu land, and it should be cut down." However, South Korea had just broken through Bashu and was unstoppable, and the minister thought that he should send important ministers to interrogate South Korea, and if South Korea was willing to return the land of Qianzhong. I, the state of Chu, can abandon the past suspicions; If not, we'll do it again! ”

"Yes! This sword soldier must not be moved! The fish is rebuffed. The morale of the army is just low. If you lose again, morale will be even more unusable. It's better to think long and leave it to the king! Someone else chimed in.

This is obviously playing Tai Chi, if everything is decided by the king of Chu, and the courtiers don't need to express their position, then what's the use of the monarch raising so many ministers, scholars, and doctors! Hundreds of officials perform their duties. The greatest responsibility is to be able to analyze the pros and cons for the monarch when the country is in danger and face a choice, rather than quietly obeying the king's orders.

Huang Xie stood up at this time and retorted: "Qianzhong and Yancheng are one west and one south, both close to Yingdu, counting the Yufu occupied by South Korea. South Korea has surrounded Yingdu on three sides: south, north, and west. Among them, it can also go down the river from the north and south sides, cutting off our way to retreat eastward. Therefore, in any case, we must not sit idly by and watch Qianzhong fall into the hands of South Korea, otherwise, in the future, South Korea will use this to threaten us, and we will become a turtle in an urn. The lesson of Bai Qi Poying is vividly vivid, and it is very unwise to hand over the country's death hole to another country! ”

Many people secretly said yes. South Korea is not thin on Chu now, but only now. If one day the two countries of South Korea and Chu turn against each other, Chu Guoying will be surrounded by South Korea and will become an enclave, which will inevitably be in danger. The state of Chu either moved the capital to take refuge, or poured all the troops of the whole country to defend the capital of Ying. Either way, it will take a lot of trouble and consume national strength. If Qianzhong is in hand, the environment in Yingdu will undoubtedly be much better. At least there is no need to worry about being completely surrounded by South Korea, and there is much more room for turnaround. But the question is, does Chu have the strength to snatch Guizhou from South Korea?!

Mi Liang also looked at Huang Xie expectantly, except for the three hundred miles of Yingdu from the Qin State over the years, the territory of the Chu State has not expanded in the slightest, and it is even gradually shrinking. In the land of Huaisi occupied by the Qi State, the Chu State only recaptured a part, and most of it was still in the hands of the Qi State. King Chu's face is naturally very unsightly. The things that each generation of monarchs who have expanded their territory hope for, seeing that they have been stumbling for many years, and the king of Chu has the hope of gradually recovering the lost territory, his heart is naturally anxious. But just reluctantly admitted that Yancheng had returned to Han, and he had to accept the reality that Qianzhong belonged to Han, the king of Chu was naturally going crazy.

Huang Xie saw that the ministers' attention was focused on himself, so he continued unhurriedly: "The biggest problem at the moment is South Korea's attitude. However, it can also be seen from this that South Korea has ill intentions towards our Chu State. At this time, he could only unite with Qin Zhao to resist Korea. If South Korea is loosened, it is better to lure it with profit, and the minister heard that Mercedes-Benz will be profitable! South Korea has worked so hard to use troops from Nanyang, and it must be advantageous to pass through Guizhou. As long as we know what South Korea wants and give it to them, we can naturally exchange it for Qianzhong. ”

The ministers in the main hall all nodded thoughtfully, faintly having new ideas.

At the same time, Linzi of Qi is another scene.

After the Zhao army successfully eliminated the 30,000 Qi army with an ambush, its prestige soared, and after the defeat of the Qi army, it became more and more cautious. After gathering an army of 120,000 again, Tian Dan drove the army to the city of Linzi and set up a camp 20 miles away from Zhao Hao's army. The heart hanging up and down Qi finally let go.

The king of Qi summoned Tian Dan for the first time, and did not say a word about Tian Dan's defeat and the delay in the future of King Qin, but encouraged Tian Dan to expel the Zhao army as soon as possible. Tian Dan was not happy but worried, knowing that King Qi's dissatisfaction with him had reached the limit. Doctor Diao Bo quietly sent someone to sue Sù Tiandan. King Qi had already begun to suspect whether Tian Dan was deliberately defeated and intended to rebel. If Tian Dan can't find a way to save his image in the eyes of King Qi, the day Zhao Jun leaves will be the time for him to return to his hometown.

Tian Dancheng returned to the camp after leaving the palace in fear, and uncharacteristically took the initiative to attack the Zhao army. Because Tian Dan knows very well that if he is cautious again. I'm afraid that no one in the Qi Kingdom will be satisfied with themselves, and how miserable the end of a betrayal and separation is, Tian Dan doesn't want to know it. At this time, it doesn't matter if the casualties of the soldiers are larger, as long as Zhao Jun can't bear the casualties than himself, it will be enough.

Tian Dan, who understood this truth, recklessly ordered a storming of the Zhao army's camp, and for a while, the Zhao army was actually defeated and retreated, and the long-suppressed fighting spirit of the Qi army burst out. Kankan and Zhao Guo played a draw. The two sides went back and forth, and a non-stop fight was launched around Linzi. The king of Qi may have lamented the recklessness of the Qi army, and even ventured to the top of the city to beat the drums! The people of Linzi are also the soldiers of the army, and those who donate money donate money, and their enthusiasm is high.

After only five days of fighting, Zhao Hao had the idea of retreating. The Qi army has completely gone crazy, and more and more Qi troops are gathering towards Linzi, and their own side will only fight less and less. The Qi army is fighting more and more. It was not a symmetrical war from the beginning!

At present, his goal has been achieved - the State of Qi, which has spent a lot of national strength, will definitely stop at Anyang and will not continue to invade the State of Zhao in the south. As for the Wei side. Yan Zhou, who was in Liaocheng, was on par with Jin Contempt, and although the Wei army had a slight upper hand because of its numerical superiority, Yan Zhou also let Wei know Zhao's determination. With just the current strength, it should be enough to contain the Jin army, so that it does not dare to go south.

Zhao Hao was considering whether to attack the Daimyo of Wei to force Jin to return to his division. Then take Pingyi. In this way, the operation of Qi and Wei can be regarded as a complete failure. He can be regarded as having fulfilled King Zhao's entrustment to himself! However, if the raid on the Daimyo fails, but is besieged by the army of Jin and Wei State, it will be too dangerous! So it seems. A prescription for joining forces with Yan Zhou is the best policy!

Just when Zhao Hao was hesitating, King Zhao's envoy and his party finally rushed to Linzi City after being tired of killing more than a dozen good horses. Hearing that Handan was coming, Zhao Hao's first reaction was whether King Zhao was urging him to hurry up and conquer Linzi and achieve supreme achievements! After all, everyone in the Zhao State thought that the Qi State was weak, and the Yan State could almost destroy the Qi State at the beginning, so why couldn't the Zhao State! Especially when the news of his annihilation of Tiandan's 30,000 army came out, King Zhao was afraid that he would have been moved a long time ago!

However, things were unexpected by Zhao Hao. King Zhao's envoy's face was pale, and as soon as they met, he asked Zhao Hao to retreat from all living people within three zhang, even the closest guards. After Zhao Hao did what he said, the envoy took out the will of King Zhao with a solemn expression and ordered Zhao Hao to return to Handan without stopping.

After taking the royal decree, those who were as calm as Zhao Hao couldn't help but panic. Taking a deep breath, Zhao Hao, who forced himself to calm down, opened his mouth and asked, "How is Handan's current form?" ”

The messenger shook his head again and again, and replied, "Extremely bad! Since the defeat of Wu'an, the Korean army has besieged Handan, and rumors have spread in the city. The Captain should also know that Pang Juan also led the Wei army to conquer Handan, and now many people say that Handan is not strong enough and is likely to lose again. The king sent the commander of Handan to inspect the city, and all those who gathered to whisper were beheaded, but the rumors could not be stopped. Many ministers have already begun to build yì on the king to cede the city and sue for peace! If it weren't for Lin Shangqing's strong opposition, the king would have agreed. ”

Zhao Hao nodded heavily, and asked again, "What about the Prime Minister?" Did you escape after the defeat of Wu'an? What about General Lecheng? How many people are currently available in Handan? Have you ever asked a nearby city to recruit an army? ”

The envoy replied: "After the defeat of Wu'an, the prime minister led less than a thousand people to flee back to Handan. He also scattered his wealth and recruited dead soldiers to defend the city. However, General Lecheng was trapped in Wu'an, and his death is unknown. An army of 50,000 is afraid that it will be more than lucky! When Xia Guan came, the Korean army was constantly marching towards Handan. The king had ordered the people to be called, but now there were only 40,000 of them! Among them, there are less than 20,000 elite people. However, the king has already sent Pingyang Jun north to the sand dunes and other places to recruit a large army, and he should be able to make up thirty or forty thousand, but it will take a long time. That's why the king ordered me to wait for the rush to Zizi for help! ”

"Twenty thousand! A little too little! Zhao Hao sighed secretly in his heart. Handan has a large population, and the king only recruited an additional 20,000 people to guard Handan, and I am afraid that there is something unspeakable. As for letting Pingyang Jun recruit an army, it was even more helpless. Even if the army is gathered, there is no one who knows the art of war to command, and at most it will be used to contain the Korean army. However, if South Korea wants to take Handan, it must have at least 70,000 or 80,000 men, which is not difficult for South Korea at all, but it will take some time. South Korea would never have imagined that Cho would be defeated so quickly. As long as you rescue yourself properly, the danger of Handan can still be rescued.

"If you are tired of returning to the king, Zhao Hao will immediately lead the troops back to Handan to ensure your safety!" Zhao Hao said solemnly.

The envoy who had been assured by Zhao Hao did not stay long, and led the guards to gallop westward. This news must be transmitted to Handan as soon as possible, otherwise, there may not be much chaos in Handan!

Sending off the envoy of King Zhao, Zhao Hao began to ponder how to get rid of the Qi army. If they retreat without making any preparations, the Qi army will definitely follow. When the time comes, it will affect the rescue of Handan, and Zhao Hao's sin will be a hundred deaths! In this way, it is necessary to hit the Qi army again, so that they can know the pain point before they can go all out to help Handan. (To be continued......)