Zhao Hao's strategy is not simple, but it is also effective because it is simple. The next day, in the face of the aggressive Qi army, the Zhao army rarely mobilized more than 30,000 troops at one time, and suddenly launched a counterattack, killing 8,000 Qi troops. The Qi army was frightened and retreated ten miles.

That night, Zhao Hao only left 3,000 Zhao troops after the break, and the main force quietly retreated. After dawn, the Qi army found that there was no smoke rising from the Zhao army's camp, but the camp saw that there were many flags, but no one patrolled, which was extremely strange. This anomaly was quickly reported to Tian Dan for information. Tian Dan immediately judged that most of the Zhao army retreated, and he was both happy and regretful, happy that the siege of Linzi had been lifted, and regretful that he did not block the breakthrough of the Zhao army.

Considering that the Zhao army quietly bypassed the reconnaissance of its own scouts and retreated calmly, the speed of the march was bound to be not fast, and the Zhao army had no will to fight, and the morale was bound to be low, and the pursuit would be a big victory. Tian Dan ordered 5,000 cavalry to be the vanguard, searching for the traces of the Zhao army, and making sure that the Zhao army was not out of his sight. Tian Dan himself personally led an army of 100,000 and then set out.

Unexpectedly, the 5,000 Qi cavalry, who were eager to win, found that the Zhao army's formation was scattered and the armor was not in order, thinking that it could be bullied, and gave up Tian Dan's order to attack the Zhao army with all their might. The Zhao army even used the corpses of the Qi army to build several huge "Jingguan" to deter the Qi army.

When Tian Dan arrived with a large army, he was filled with grief and wanted revenge. Unfortunately, the decree of the king of Qi just arrived, and the envoy of the king of Qi ordered the removal of Tian Dan's military power, and the army was handed over to the commander of the upper doctor. After receiving instructions from the king of Qi, Mink Bo symbolically sent Zhao Junli out of the country, and then led the army back to Linzi in a distraught manner. There, there are still a bunch of troubles waiting for you to have a headache!

Zhao Guo, Handan.

King Zhao looked at Pingyuanjun in disbelief, and said in surprise: "Does Korea really agree to withdraw troops?" ”

South Korea actually sent an envoy saying that it was willing to withdraw its troops and return nearly 20,000 prisoners of war. This is tantamount to a great news for Zhao Guo! That's a full 20,000 elite soldiers! South Korea was willing to return it, and Zhao Guo was immediately moved. As for the promise of retreat. It also made many noble ministers breathe a sigh of relief.

Pingyuanjun nodded slightly embarrassedly, the reason why South Korea was able to send troops to surround Handan was to blame himself. If it weren't for their own defeat, the South Korean army would still be stagnant in Wuan! His practice of dispersing his family wealth allowed him to regain the trust of King Zhao, but Lecheng carried the black pot for himself. Thinking of this, Pingyuanjun sighed silently. added, saying: "But the premise is that we will cede Zhongmu and Linwu to South Korea, and at the same time do not investigate the guilt of Lecheng's family." Otherwise, South Korea will never withdraw its troops. ”

As if afraid that King Zhao would hesitate, Pingyuan Jun said again: "I heard that the king of Han has sent an envoy to lobby Wei, and if our country does not agree, he is willing to cede three cities in exchange for Wei to send troops to attack Handan together." ”

Hear here. King Zhao's brows furrowed. Although Zhao Hao said in his book that he would definitely return to the division immediately, it was really hard to say whether he could get rid of Qi Guo's pursuit. Even if it gets rid of it, Wei will inevitably agree to send troops to Korea's conditions. A big war is inevitable, and he has become the loyalty of the whirlpool. The last time Wei State Pang Juan conquered Handan, the magnates of Zhao State escaped, but this time, will it be so lucky?!

Zongzheng Zhao Pu immediately said: "Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable! Zhongmu is the former capital of my Zhao country, and its status is important. If it is a light yì cession. I'm afraid to hurt the hearts of the people. If South Korea sends troops in the future, it will also have an additional direction for using troops. This matter is not good for me Zhao Guo! Absolutely no promise! ”

Zhongmu is located in the east foot of the third of the eight Taihang mountains - Baicheng. With Zhongmu in hand, Zhao Guo can block the soldiers and horses in the direction of Ping, the head of Shangdang County and the eldest son of South Korea. In addition, Korea has already occupied Shiyi and controlled the Fukou 陉, and if Zhao Guo loses Bai Cheng again, the shape will be even more disadvantageous. Moreover, Zhongmu was once the location of the capital of Zhao State, which had a great influence. Zhao Pu's consideration is indeed thorough.

However, if there is opposition, there is favor, and Sima Wang Kuang retorted: "Zongzheng's words are wrong. To the east and south of Zhongmu is Wei Tu, and to the west is Changping, the county governor of Shangdang County in South Korea. Zhongmu is bound to not be able to hold on. As for the old capital, Huanzi, Xianhou, Liehou, Wugong, and Jinghou took Zhongmu as the capital, but 38 years before and after, and then moved the capital to Handan, and now Zhongmu is just a small Yi, which is still insufficient than Jinyang (the capital of Zhao State at the beginning). ”

Handan Ling echoed: "The minister also thinks so! Zhongmu is almost an enclave, and if South Korea takes it, it is as easy as a palm. Zhongmu and Linxi are two towns, but they are ears within a radius of a hundred miles! A hundred miles of land can be exchanged for 20,000 elite soldiers to avoid the destruction of the lives of Handan, which is worth a lot! ”

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

One voice after another sounded in the main hall, and Zhao Sheng, the Plain Monarch, also took advantage of the situation to speak: "Your Majesty! The 20,000 surrendered troops are all Handan people's clans, and if the Korean army drives the surrendered troops to attack the city, there will be civil strife! If the king agrees to Korea's conditions, not only will he surrender his troops to be grateful to the king, but Handan will definitely praise the king's benevolence and righteousness. On the contrary, it is inevitable to provoke a big war in Korea, although our Zhao State can win, it will also lose no less than 50,000 people, and it is not the Qin State, the Qi State, and the Yan State that will benefit? For Zhao Guo's plan, for the king's plan, the minister also agreed. ”

At this time, all the people selectively ignored the disposition of the Lecheng family. In their opinion, the Lecheng family in prison is just an addition to the peace negotiations with South Korea, and what Zhao is concerned about is whether to cede the two cities of Zhongmu and Linxi.

Shangqing Lin Xiangru listened to the voice of the second proposal in the hall, and the dissatisfaction in his heart reached the limit. These nobles have a vegetarian meal on weekdays, and once they encounter a major event, the first thing they consider is their own interests. Anyway, Zhongmu and Linwu are not their food estates, but under the rule of King Zhao, it must be better to be able to exchange Zhongmu and Linwu for peace. After all, once the war starts, it is not their credit to win, and defeat will damage their interests. It is not surprising that they agreed to negotiate peace.

"The minister is against!" Lin Xiangru's loud voice suddenly sounded. The eyes of King Zhao and the ministers immediately focused on Lin Xiangru's body, as if they were surprised by Lin Xiangru's reaction. After all, at this time, all the ministers in the palace were all in agreement, and Lin Xiang's actions were tantamount to being enemies of the ministers.

"The kingdom of heaven and earth is so strong that it is headed by Zhao, Qin, and Han. The defeat of Wu'an today is not a crime of war. Defeat is careless. South Korea has no more than 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers, and it is not easy to break through Handan. At the beginning, Pang Juan led more than 100,000 troops, and it took three years to conquer Handan. Moreover, the army of the national lieutenant (referring to Zhao Hao) had already returned to the division, and Handan only needed to hold on for ten days. The South Korean army will inevitably retreat in panic. In this way, Zhongmu and Linwei can be guaranteed, and my Zhao State does not have to be ashamed of cutting land. As for the proposal of 20,000 troops, as far as the minister knows, there are more than 20,000 people in Zhongmu and Linxi, and they can also recruit more than 5,000 troops. Instead of abandoning Zhongmu, worrying about the 5,000 army of 20,000 people, redeeming 20,000 surrendered troops, and damaging the prestige of Zhao State, it is better to keep the two places. Gather a large army and attack the party on the Korean side. If the Korean army is defeated, it will inevitably surrender its troops. ”

Lin Xiangru's words were shocked, and the hall was silent. His idea is not bold, he asserts that South Korea is not too strong and will definitely not stay in Handan when Zhao Hao's army is pressing. The current negotiation of peace is just a means of bargaining, and Zhao can completely make a false promise, and wait for Zhao Hao's army to arrive, the siege of Handan will be solved, and then gather a large army to attack Shangdang. Forced South Korea to return 20,000 captured Zhao troops.

King Zhao was tempted for a moment, but immediately rejected this opinion. Not to mention whether Zhao Hao can get rid of the pursuit of the Qi army. Just because the Great Liang already knew that Handan's garrison was empty, and the Great Wall was useless to Wei, it made Handan's pressure greater day by day. Whether they can defeat the South Korean army is even more so. For the sake of a so-called prestige, it chilled the hearts of the people of Handan, and put Handan in a dangerous place, which is inappropriate!

Come to think of it. Some arbitrary King Zhao agreed with the opinions of the ministers, and said unceremoniously to Lin Xiangru: "If the land is lost, the land will be lost, and if the land is lost, the land will be restored, and the secretary does not need to say much." Pingyuan-kun immediately summoned the Korean envoy on behalf of the widow. The widow is willing to send Zhongmu and Linxi in exchange for 20,000 Zhao troops and the promise of South Korea's withdrawal of troops. However, guarantees must be made that South Korea cannot default. ”

"Whoa!" Pingyuan Jun said with great joy.

"The king is wise!" The nobles who kept their interests flattered in unison.

Lin Xiangru's face was gloomy, disappointed, and retreated silently.

Pingyuanjun, who had been authorized by the king of Zhao, quickly formulated detailed exchange rules with the Korean envoy, the pawn Chen Zhen, and in order to show his sincerity, the Korean released 2,000 soldiers when Zhao presented the map of Zhongmu and Linxi. The tense atmosphere in Handan for a long time was relieved, and under the guidance of public opinion of well-intentioned people, everyone began to praise King Zhao's benevolence. No one noticed that the "culprit" of the defeat, Le Cheng, and his family were escorted to Shexian by Zhao Jun at the height of the night.

Three days later, the Zhao army withdrew from Zhongmu and moved its troops to worry, while the Han army released 10,000 Zhao troops and retreated to Wu'an. The siege of Handan is solved! With such a tacit understanding, Zhao Guo completely relieved his mind and sent his worries to South Korea in the next few days, and South Korea did not hesitate for a moment to send the last 7,000 troops, and at the same time retreated to Shiyi.

Two days later, when Zhao Hao led an army of 80,000 to Handan cautiously, Handan had already recovered its former liveliness. A military disaster is invisible! Knowing that the somewhat "absurd" agreement reached with South Korea and the jaw-dropping speed of the implementation of the agreement, Zhao Hao can only feel deep regret and sorrow! If it weren't for the fear that South Korea would resort to the strategy of "encircling Wei and saving Zhao" like Qi State, Yiqiē might still have room to turn around. But even if there is such an opportunity again, Zhao Hao, who is cautious in his use of troops, believes that he will still slow down his march to prevent a possible ambush!

Perhaps because of his lingering fears, after experiencing such turmoil, King Zhao ordered Zhao Hao to stay in Handan, and the surplus army was disbanded on the spot. The 30,000 troops that Pingyang Jun and Zhao Bao had already integrated were disarmed and returned to the field before they set off. Many people noticed that King Zhao sent tens of thousands of people to repair the Great Wall. Looking closely at the map, the arc of the Great Wall is extending, not only to guard against the threat in the direction of Zhongmu, but also to keep Shiyi out of Wu'an.

Coincidentally, after Tian Dan was relieved of military power, the King of Qi had no intention of continuing to use troops against Zhao. To the east of the Daimyo, only Yan Zhou, with more than 40,000 Zhao troops, and the 80,000 Wei troops of Jin Contempt, faced off from afar, and as time passed, there was less and less friction between the two sides. More and more information showed that Wei seemed to be satisfied after taking Pingyi, Guanze, and Maling, and turned to worry about Hedong. The state of Qi stopped at Anyang and stubbornly guarded the city. Dozens of miles outside the city, it gradually became the racetrack of the cavalry of the Zhao State. Puyang and other places, which had been lost contact with Handan for a long time, regained contact, and all reported that they had not been harassed by Wei or Qi, and for Zhao, everything was developing in a good direction.

The news that South Korea has taken the two counties of Bashu is already known to the world. In addition to lamenting the decline of the Chu State and the recovery of the defeated army, the four kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, Qi, and Yan were also shocked by the fierce momentum of Korea. In less than two months, the two counties of Bashu were pacified. Of course, there are reasons for the rebellion of the remnants of Shu and the inability of Qin to support Bashu, but no one can deny that the speed of South Korea's pacification of Bashu is completely beyond the imagination of all countries. It cannot be denied that South Korea's land has increased by more than half out of thin air. At least it seems. Han Wangran has surpassed the successive monarchs of Korea in terms of expanding his territory. For the first time, Korea's power extended to the Yangtze River basin!

How can such a wild land with so many mountains and few people be worth such a lot of effort on South Korea? The nations do not know. Perhaps South Korea's desire to expand is too strong, and many people with lofty ideals in various countries are faintly jealous. However, now it seems that South Korea has been suppressing Qin. The attitude towards Shandong countries is very friendly! The battle with Zhao that just ended seemed to be completely for the rescue of Linzi, and it was a last resort.

The re-expansion of Korea was taken over by the four kingdoms of Zhao, Wei, Qi, and Yan, which also represented the recognition of most of the world, in addition to Qin and Chu.

When the King of Qin received the news of the loss of Bashu. There was no anger, no mania, just stunned for a long time, and then sighed, crossed out Bashu and half of Qianzhong from the map of Qin, stared at the map of the world, and stayed awake all night.

Perhaps other countries do not know that Bashu has been carefully developed by the Qin State over the years. It's already going in a good direction. As long as the Qin State is given ten years, the richness of Bashu is definitely beyond the imagination of the world. But now everything is empty. He worked hard to pacify Bashu and suppress the rebellion of Bashu, but in the end he made a wedding dress for South Korea. It is impossible for the King of Qin not to be depressed, and the goal proposed by Sima Cuo to destroy Chu must first take Bashu is hopeless for the Qin State to be achieved. Ridiculous! Zhao, Wei, Qi, and Yan are afraid that they still think that Bashu is a barren land! I don't want to think about it, with the wisdom of South Korea, how can it just take Bashu and give up the competition for the Central Plains! There are not many people. Move! There is not enough land, reclamation!

The state of Chu was purely out of jealousy. For the ambition of the land, except for the Qin State, there is no country in the whole world that can surpass the Chu State! The state of Chu, which stretches thousands of miles from north to south, was once the overlord of the world! It seems that in the understanding of the Chu State, the larger the territory. The stronger the national strength is, the stronger. Just being the enemy of this behemoth is enough to scare away many countries! What's more, those who want to annex the Chu State are afraid that they will be dragged to death by the vastness of the Chu State! This understanding runs through the 800-year history of the Chu State, which has always lacked a sense of security and identity with the Central Plains, and has forcibly annexed dozens of countries and is proud of South China! It was once regarded as a fierce rival by the Qin State!

The territory is large, and the people are naturally difficult to manage. The kings of Chu in the past dynasties also knew how to delegate power, and it seemed that as long as it did not affect their own pleasure, the kings of Chu did not have much restraint on their ministers. Layer by layer, it is the oppression of the common people by the officials of the county and county, and the complaints are full of complaints but the king does not know, which is sad!

Chu State, Yingdu.

Imperial Doctor Fan Sui looked at the King of Chu with an indifferent face, he was ninety percent sure that the King of Chu would never refuse his offer. The ambition of the land of Chu is famous, and he has done what he likes, offering thirty beauties, a "treasure of the world", if the king of Chu still does not agree, then Fan Sui should really wonder if the king of Chu has been dropped.

Sure enough, the king of Chu, who accepted a generous gift, not only had face, but also had a lining. On behalf of the king of Han, Fan Sui had carefully explained why South Korea would send troops to Qianzhong - Han Gongzi An (who participated in the rebellion during the Xinzheng Revolution) was established as a "pseudo Han king" by the king of Qin in Jiangzhou, and when Zhu Hai, the captain of Huben, attacked Jiangzhou, he accidentally let Gongzi An go, and led Gongzi An to flee into Qianzhong. After South Korea pacified Ba County, it was not easy to learn the news, and naturally he waved his troops to exterminate Gongzi An Yuxi. After all, for a country, it is in line with the general righteousness to have only one king, and he hates Gongzi An, who is self-reliant, and naturally will not show mercy. The Korean army inadvertently clashed with the state of Chu, which was really helpless.

After all, the state of Chu never said that he was interested in Qin Zhiqian. Qianzhong was also in the hands of Qin before, and there was nothing wrong with Korea's capture. The reasoned and well-founded rhetoric made most of the dissatisfaction in the heart of the king of Chu disappear, and Fan Sui took advantage of the situation and said: "Now, Korea has captured seven counties and eighteen cities in Qianzhong, collected 40,000 households, and obtained land with an average length of 400 miles from east to west, and 530 miles from north to south. Considering that the capital of Qianzhong is extremely important to the state of Chu, the king of Han thinks about the state of Chu and is willing to change places with the state of Chu. As long as the state of Chu handed over the place north of Huaishui and west of Yingshui (about 500 li from east to west, but only more than 100 li from north to south), the king of Han was willing to send it to Qianzhong and would never regret it. ”

The king of Chu naturally knew that he had undoubtedly made a big profit if he really wanted to do this. Chu State is north of Huaishui, west of Yingshui, there are seven counties, the people are only 45,000 households, and the people of only 5,000 households are exchanged for more than 300 miles of land, which is worth a lot! What's more, with Qianzhong in hand, it is a reconquest of lost ground for himself. Yingdu will be safer! This is not the same as actively exchanging land.

The short-handed King of Chu really liked the gifts given by South Korea, and said with some embarrassment: "The widow is very willing to change places with South Korea!" However, the matter is very big, and the widow still needs to discuss it with the ministers, so as to save the twists and turns, and the widow is also slandered and said to be arbitrary! ”

Fan Sui smiled when he heard this, and said, "That's how it should be!" However, the whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's minister! The minister believed that the king's words could decide the affairs of the Chu State. After it is agreed tomorrow, I will give the king a generous gift on behalf of my king, and I will never leave the previous treasure! ”

The King of Chu looked overjoyed, and he wanted to ask for it, but finally endured it. Fan Sui looked at the expression of King Chu and knew that the matter was mostly decided, so he said goodbye and left! (To be continued......)

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