The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

In early September, soldiers recruited from various counties in Nanjun gathered in Yan, totaling more than 10,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians. Li You, the county lieutenant, was appointed as the commander. Although he was the commander as before, this time he led an overstaffed army that had been trained for several months, and the gold content was completely different.

After Heifu reported, Li You asked him to stay in the big tent to discuss military affairs with military assistant Feng Jing and several commanders, and discussed the strategy that General Wang Jian might adopt to attack Chu this time.

When Heifu said that General Wang Jian always sought stability in his military operations and would probably advance slowly this time, one of the commanders could not help but raise objections.

"I think that General Wang's military operations are not something that can be described by the word 'seeking stability'."

Heifu looked at him, but saw that he was more than 30 years old, with a yellow face and a long beard down to his chest.

"Who is this?"

"This is Meng Jia, the lieutenant of Yu County and the official of the Duke."

Feng Jing introduced him, "Captain Meng is also from Pingyang, and is from the same hometown as General Wang Jian. He was a general under General Wang."

Meng Jia claimed to be an old subordinate of Wang Jian and talked about a war that took place in the 11th year of Qin Wang Zheng (236 BC).

"General Wang led his troops to attack Yanyu of Zhao State, and I was also the head of the garrison in the army. Yanyu is a key place in the Taihang Mountain system, with long, dangerous and narrow roads. During the time of our ancestor King Zhao, Zhao She, a general of Zhao State, defeated Hu Yang, a general of Qin State, here with the strategy of 'the bravest will win when two meet on a narrow road'. At that time, the Zhao army adopted the same tactics as Zhao She, first occupying the high ground of the northern mountain of Yanyu, and looking down from a high position, while our army could not attack from above..."

"Although General Wang has been a general for many years, his reputation is not well-known, and the world does not know his ability. At that time, he led the army for only 18 days, and ordered the military officers with a salary of more than 100 stones to stand down, and selected two people from ten of the 100,000 troops to stay in the army. In the end, he got 20,000 elite soldiers, and captured Beishang and Yanyu in one fell swoop, and then rolled up his armor and marched a hundred miles to attack and capture nine cities of Zhao State in the east!"

"I was lucky enough to be selected into this elite army, and was promoted to the rank of Bu Geng for my meritorious service."

That was Wang Jian's famous battle. It can be seen that the old general Wang's use of troops at that time was not only "unstable", but even a bit radical.

Meng Jia was born in a typical Guanzhong military family. Not only did he have experience from the bottom, he also knew some military tactics. He said: "Moreover, the military tactics also say that if you use war to win, the long-term will make the soldiers dull and weak, the siege will be exhausted, and the long-term use of the army will make the country insufficient. Therefore, we have heard of clumsy and fast soldiers, but we have never seen the long-term clever soldiers. There has never been a country that has benefited from the long-term war..."

"So I think that General Wang's autumn harvest march may be like the battle of Yanyu, to attack Chu quickly, strive to quickly occupy Huaibei before the snow falls, and wait until next year to slowly advance to Huainan."

Hei Fu shook his head: "This battle is different from Yanyu. It is a battle to destroy the country. The Chu army is far from being able to be defeated with a crushing blow. It can only be done slowly, and a quick victory is the worst. The last time General Li Xin attacked Chu, he was too impatient and reckless. So I think General Wang should act cautiously, like the battle to destroy Zhao, to win with the right combination and the unexpected victory!"

The two argued here, but could not reach any conclusion for a while, so Li You stopped them and said with a smile: "General Wang's intention to use troops, it is useless for you to argue here, you will know when you join the army next month!"

Then he pointed to the map: "The general has ordered that the soldiers of Nanjun, Ba, Shu, and Hanzhong will gather in Wancheng in mid-September and join forces with the soldiers of Nanyang County! Wait for General Wang's order!"

The soldiers and civilians of these five counties, totaling 150,000 people, can be regarded as the southern army of the army attacking Chu.

With so many people, the food alone will cost 200,000 stones a month, not to mention the loss of food along the way, the consumption is huge.

Hei Fu was moved. After the military meeting was over, he stayed and asked Li You: "County Lieutenant, I heard that the rice and millet production in Nanjun increased by nearly 600,000 shi this year. Most of these grains are produced in public fields and can be directly used as military rations. Should we also escort them to the north?"

This is the effect of the composting method. County Governor Teng will definitely win the first place in the war preparation competition among various counties this year. Although it is far less than expected, it is enough for 150,000 people to eat for three months.

Li You shook his head: "Although County Governor Ye intended to do so, General Wang rejected this proposal."

"Why is this?" Hei Fu was a little surprised.

"General Wang sent an envoy to tell Nanjun to store the grain."

Li You asked him to come closer and whispered: "Maybe it will come in handy when the army attacks Huainan and Jiangdong!"

Hei Fu was stunned when he heard this.

This flag is raised! It seems that Wang Jian is also confident that he can win this battle!

…

At the same time, Wang Jian had also led 200,000 young men from Guanzhong out of Hangu Pass and headed for Yingchuan County. The old general had done nothing else in the past half month. He sent five groups of envoys back to Xianyang to ask the King of Qin to increase the land reward!

Even Wang Jian's deputy general Qiang Wei couldn't stand such behavior. When the army arrived in Luoyang, Sanchuan County, he advised: "The general has arrived at the pass, and he sent envoys to ask for five generations of good land. It's like begging for loans, which is really a bit too much..."

Wang Jian sighed and told his old subordinates a story.

"Qiang Yu, you should know the deeds of Gan Mao, the prime minister during the time of our ancestor King Wu?"

Qiang Yu bowed his head: "Although Qiang Yu is a rough man, I have heard some of it."

Wang Jian said with his hands behind his back: "Back then, King Wu and Gan Mao got along well. One day, King Wu told Gan Mao that he had a wish to pass through Sanchuan to see the tripod of the Zhou Dynasty. And to pass through the Zhou Dynasty, he must break through the western border of Han. So Gan Mao was ordered to lead troops to attack Yiyang, a large county in Han. He knew that the Qin army had crossed the dangerous pass of Yaohan, and it would take several months to attack the city after traveling thousands of miles. So before leaving, he told King Wu the story of Zeng Shen killing people and Le Yang slandering the book, and swore an oath with King Wu in Xirang, hoping that King Wu would not doubt it."

"Sure enough, during the five months when Gan Mao attacked Yiyang, many ministers in the court slandered Gan Mao, and King Wu hesitated several times. Finally, thinking of the Xirang Alliance, he insisted on not recalling Gan Mao, and Gan Mao was able to capture Yiyang..."

After Wang Jian finished talking about Gan Mao, he talked about himself again: "A few years ago, I destroyed Zhao and broke Handan, but Zhao Jia moved to Dai; I also attacked Yan, destroyed the two capitals of Yan, and drove the King of Yan to Liaodong; and my son Wang Ben destroyed Wei and flooded Daliang, razing the century-old capital to the ground. Throughout the three dynasties, is there a father and son who can destroy 30,000 chariots in a row? With such a minister, even a saintly king would have some concerns, right?"

"Therefore, when the king attacked Chu for the first time, he did not want to use me, so that I would destroy more countries and cities and achieve unrewarded merits. He trusted Li Xin in order to promote young people and counter the influence of the Wang family in the army. It was not until Li Xin was defeated that he had no choice but to go to Pinyang and let me lead the army. Although he agreed to my suggestion that I must have 600,000 troops to destroy Chu, he also had doubts in his heart."

With the previous example of Bai Qi refusing King Zhao of Qin to send troops to attack Zhao and eventually committing suicide at Du Ting, Wang Jian did not dare to refuse the king's order and had no choice but to accept the tiger talisman.

Only to Qiang Wei, who had followed him for more than ten years, could Wang Jian tell the truth that he had been holding back for a long time.

"Now, the king has entrusted the whole country's army of 600,000 to me, which is even better than the 100,000 troops led by Gan Mao back then. The king's trust in me is not as good as Zeng Shen's mother's trust in Zeng Shen, or even less than King Wu of Qin's trust in Gan Mao. The difficulty of destroying Chu is also ten times greater than conquering Yiyang! It's okay now, but when the army is stationed outside for a long time and costs thousands of gold every day, there will be more than three people in the court who will slander the king!"

"In this situation, I have been forced to the edge of the knife. I am afraid that the king will be like Zeng's mother and sit and doubt me. I can only ask for good fields and beautiful houses again and again, pretending that I will continue to take care of my old age after the war, and use my sons and grandsons as hostages in Xianyang, so that I can reassure you... If you are at ease, I can also lead the army with peace of mind, and win by the right way and the unexpected way, then Chu will be destroyed!"

After a speech, Qiang Wei suddenly realized and bowed, saying: "General, think carefully!"

But then, he raised his head and expressed his doubts: "But as far as I know, the king is a wise king rarely seen in the history. His ambition is enough to take over the world. His mind is broad and tolerant. He can even trust Ye Teng, the surrendered general of Han. Let him be the governor of Nanjun and let him govern freely. How could he doubt the old general? Are you overthinking it?"

Wang Jian also smiled: "That's right, maybe I am worrying too much. The mulberry leaves fall, and they turn yellow and fall. The older people get, the more suspicious they become. Just think of what I said just now as my confusion. Don't spread it..."

Wang Jian didn't stop smiling until Qiang Yu left. Qiang Yu was a Qiang from Longxi. He was simple-minded. He was willing to show his heart to the King of Qin for his courtesy and grace, but he didn't know the king's true character!

Wang Jian can be said to have watched the king grow up, so he knew that the king trusted people, but the king was afraid to trust people!

The king likes "Han Feizi" and likes to control his ministers with tactics and power. He can trust those who can be controlled, such as Nanjun Shou Teng.

Ye Teng betrayed Han and turned against Han. In the eyes of Shandong scholars, he was considered to be of low morals. Although he was a capable official, many people in the court despised him. Why did he get the king's trust?

Because Ye Teng led his troops to destroy Han, the old Han nobles in Yingchuan hated to eat his flesh alive, and the world also despised him. If he lost the king's protection, he would have no place to stand, so the king of Qin could use him without worrying that Ye Teng would betray him.

Ye Teng was smart. He knew why he could get the trust of the king of Qin, so after going to Nanjun, he once again cut off his retreat! Within a hundred days of taking office, he wanted to capture thieves, hunted down clans and exterminated the nobles without mercy, and his administration was violent, which offended many local noble clans.

This method is more extreme than Wang Jian's question, and directly blocked his "three burrows of a cunning rabbit". Therefore, the King of Qin trusted Ye Teng more and more. Seeing the bumper harvest in Nanjun this time, the King of Qin might transfer Ye Teng to the court to serve...

In contrast to Ye Teng, Wang Jian, who now has 600,000 troops and is thousands of miles away, has become a "difficult to control" person for the King of Qin. He can only tell the King of Qin by asking for land: the old minister has no ulterior motives!

I believe that the King of Qin, with his wisdom, can understand and distinguish the increasing slanders and defamations.

Wang Jian couldn't help but sigh: "After all, it's an inferior method. If only he could attribute the credit to his master every time like Zhang Yi did. He annexed the land of Bashu in the west, took the land outside Xihe in the north, and took Shangyong in the south. The world didn't think it was Zhang Yi's achievement, but he was a wise King Hui of Qin, so he was not suspected during the reign of King Hui."

After thinking about this, Wang Jian couldn't sleep. The burden of 600,000 people on his shoulders was not light. He began to understand why Bai Qi, the Lord of Wu'an, often couldn't sleep at night and his body deteriorated and became ill before and after the Battle of Changping.

The old general simply stood up again, lit the oil lamp, spread out the map, and moved his fingers on the roads and cities.

Now it is mid-September. 200,000 people from Guanzhong have arrived in Luoyang, and 150,000 people from Nanjun, Bashu, Hanzhong, and Nanyang have also gathered in Wan.

100,000 people from Sanchuan and Yingchuan have been waiting for a long time.

150,000 people from Hedong, Taiyuan and Zhao also arrived at Baimakou, ready to cross the river and station in Dangjun at any time.

Qin's war machine was roaring, and the 600,000-strong army was gradually approaching the Chu territory.

Wang Jian also knew very well who his opponent was.

"Xiang Yan, I am here with Qin's armored soldiers and sharp soldiers. Are you ready?"

Time flies, day and night. It has been thirty years since Xiang Yan came to Xianyang with Chunshen Jun to pay his respects at the funeral of King Zhaoxiang, and met Wang Jian, the palace guard...

The two young generals talked about military affairs for a long time in the cold palace, and felt that they had met too late, but at that time they also had a feeling that the other party would become their enemy.

Now, they are all in their twilight years. They thought they would miss each other, but they never thought that they finally had the opportunity to fight!

Wang Jian knew very well that this was a battle that would determine the final trend of the world.

If he won, the nine provinces would be unified, and the five hundred years of chaos in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States would end; if Xiang Yan won, Jingchu would survive, and the Chu State would be able to continue for eight hundred years.

Although Wang Jian complained that the King of Qin's trust in him was far less than that of King Wu of Qin in Gan Mao. However, he was not as good as the best, but better than the worst.

Looking at Shouchun, the capital of Chu on the map, Wang Jian showed a gloating smile from his gray beard.

"Xiang Yan, how much trust does the King of Chu have in you?"