Chapter 564: Heart Knot
In the decades since Zhao Wuji, King of Zhao, came to the throne, in addition to guarding against the powerful Qin, another main thread that runs through these decades is the suspicion, suspicion, and calculation between Zhao Wuji and Zilan.
The two began fighting when they were princes, and Zhao Wuji finally won. In order to restrain Zilan, he left Zilan in Jicheng and granted him the position of prime minister, but he did not give him the power he deserved. The purpose of fettering Zilan in Jicheng was to prevent him from returning to the rich and vast Daijun to gather strength.
A few years ago, when the Huns invaded, Zhao Wuji seized this golden opportunity. He blatantly withdrew the standing army stationed there from Dai County on the pretext of guarding against the Qin people, completely draining the defense force there. In the end, as King Zhao wished, Dai County The county suffered an unprecedented disaster, allowing the Huns to attack Xiling City, the county city. Daijun suffered heavy losses and lost its former prosperity.
By this time, King Zhao was no longer wary of Zilan. Letting him continue to serve as assistant minister would only hinder his own eyes, so he let Zilan go.
This decision proved to be the wrong one.
Zilan returned to Daijun, and it only took a few years for Daijun to recover from the trauma. Although Daijun today is not as strong as before, with this speed of recovery, he will be able to recover in a few years. , he will become King Zhao's nightmare again.
It would be fine if that was all, but a military operation carried out by Zilan a few years ago gave King Zhao a blow. Zilan united with Yan State's general Gao Yuan to conquer the east, brazenly sent troops to sneak attack Shannan County of Qin State, and in one fell swoop The Qin soldiers there were defeated, and the Qin general He Yangguang was beheaded. Shannan County, which the Qin people had been running for two years, was taken away by Zilan. As long as Daijun held Shannan County, he could keep out the dangers of the Qin people and sit back and relax.
This is a blessing rather than a worry in terms of the overall situation of Zhao State's resistance to Qin. Zhao State will no longer worry about the Qin army's surprise attack from the north. But for King Zhao, he didn't just look at the problem from this perspective.
He hoped that Daijun could stop the Qin army, but this was not the case in his mind. It seems that Zilan tried his best to entangle the Qin army. While consuming the last strength of Daijun bit by bit, he also consumed the Qin army at the same time. It was his best plan to lose both sides.
But apparently, the plan failed.
Zilan captured Shannan County and mastered Huolan Pass, which was equivalent to strangulating the neck of the Qin people's northward advance. He only needed a small number of troops to guard against the Qin army.
Daijun received an unprecedented opportunity for development because the Qin army was unable to come north, and the Huns, Daijun's biggest enemy in the past, had long since ceased to exist. Became one scattered small tribe after another.
"Zi Lan still wants to expand the army. What does he want to do? Now he already has 30,000 county soldiers, and he still needs to expand by 20,000.
What does he want to do, rebel? " He slammed Zilan's memorial to the ground. Zhao Wuji's face was ashen.
"Zilan said in the memorial that we should guard against the invasion of the Qin army!" Zizhang said authentically: "Your Majesty, in any case, it is a happy event that we have captured Shannan County. The Taiwei can also concentrate all his energy on If you go to the direction of Wei, you don’t have to worry about Qin’s attacks from the east to the west.”
"Beware of the Qin people?" Zhao Wuji sneered and turned to look at the silent Zhao Mu. "My lieutenant, you have been in the Northland for many years. From what you have seen, how many soldiers are needed to defend Shannan County?"
Zhao Mu was silent for a moment, "If they are well-equipped and well-trained, 10,000 soldiers are enough. Of course, this is a general situation, no matter how the Qin people attack in a large scale. Or if it is commanded by a general, 20,000 soldiers are enough to ensure that Shannan County is safe and sound. "
"Did you hear that? Did you hear that?" Zhao Wuji stared at Zizhang fiercely, "Twenty thousand people are enough. Now there are already 30,000 Daijun soldiers, but he wants to increase the number by 20,000. What's the point? Is it possible? What does it mean for you to accept Zilan and speak for him like this?"
Zizhang was reprimanded by Zhao Wuji, and his heart became angry. He was also one of the many nobles in the Zhao Kingdom, but he was reprimanded by Zhao Wuji like this. He raised his head, looked directly at King Zhao, and said: "What the Taiwei said is good, but Daijun has a vast territory, and troops are stationed in every county. Although the Huns no longer exist, small groups of tribal robbers often occur, which require soldiers to garrison. Master Zilan is a cautious person, and he has stationed a heavy army in Shannan County. It’s something that can be imagined. This doesn’t count, and fifty thousand soldiers isn’t even that much.”
Zhao Wuji was so angry that he stared at Zizhang with eyes that were about to spit out fire. Just as he was about to explode, Zhao Qi, who was kneeling on the side, suddenly coughed heavily. This sound also made Zhao Wuji calm down from his rage. Looking at Zizhang's angry face, he suddenly remembered that the person in front of him was not one of those officials with nothing, but a great nobleman with a large fiefdom and military strength. He was already on the same level as Zilan, and if he offended Zizhang again , then it will be impossible to deal with.
"Zizhang, I made a mistake." Zhao Wuji took a deep breath, "I know your loyalty to Zhao Guo and to me. I shouldn't say this to you, but..." Zhao Wuji paused. After a while, he looked at the people present and said, "Zilan is different. In the past few decades, he has never been willing to accept the failure of the past. Zizhang, you tried your best to support me back then. Zilan will never forget this. of."
Zizhang took a deep breath and lowered his head. Zhao Wuji was right. When Zhao Wuji competed with Zilan for the throne, he stood on the side of King Zhao without reservation.
"Zilan's expansion may be good for Zhao, but it may not be good for us." Zhao Wuji was not stupid, he certainly knew the difference. "Zi Zhang, Zhao Qi need not be mentioned, Taiwei, you were ordered to withdraw troops from Dai County, ignoring Zilan's retention, and did not leave him a single soldier, he must also bear a grudge."
Zhao Mu raised his head slowly. In just a few years, his face had many more wrinkles. The battle of Hangu Pass became his unresolvable knot, especially after more and more intelligence confirmed that the reinforcements of the Qin army were completely illusory. If he had been more decisive and reckless, he might have killed King Wulie of Qin on the spot. Once King Wulie of Qin died, Qin would be in chaos, just like when Zhao Wuji and Zilan competed for the throne in Zhao State, there were many years of chaos and a great reduction in strength.
Opportunities can't be missed, and they can't come back. This matter always gnaws at his heart like a poisonous snake.
"I have always been loyal to Zhao State." His voice was a little hoarse.
Zhao Mu said he was loyal to the State of Zhao, but he did not say he was loyal to Zhao Wuji. However, Zhao Wuji was already satisfied to get such an answer from Zhao Mu. When he was competing with Zilan for the throne, Zhao Mu already had a large army under his command, and he had a close personal relationship with Zilan. However, at the most critical moment, he did not stand on Zilan's side, but kept his troops in place. After he had grasped the general situation, he took the lead in expressing his support to him. He was a pure soldier and could not be considered a qualified politician.
His question and answer actually showed one point. As long as he stayed in the palace of Jicheng and was still the King of Zhao, Zhao Mu would support all his decisions without hesitation.
"Zilan's expansion of the army and his ulterior motives are certain. Now, how should we deal with it?" he asked.
"No matter what Zi Lan thinks, it is better to stay still than to move." Zi Zhang thought for a moment, "Xinzheng cannot be saved. If the Qin people take Xinzheng, they will point their spearheads directly at Wei. We can't let Wei lose it again. The lips and teeth are cold, no matter what, we must send troops to support Wei." "I will go in person!" Zhao Mu said, "Where is Li Xin? If we can defeat him, we can get several years of peace." "I will go to Chu again. I hope that King Huai of Chu will open his eyes more this time. Even if he does not send troops directly to Qin, dragging the troops to the border between Chu and Han can also put great pressure on Li Xin." Zi Zhang said. "On the Qi side, can the internal historian make another trip? The Yan people can't be relied on now." Zhao Mu said. "You don't have to go to Qi!" Zhao Qi shook his head repeatedly, "Tian Dan is now thinking about biting off a piece of fat meat from Yan State, so he is not willing to send a single soldier to help Wei State."
"It doesn't matter whether Qi State exists or not. If he comes, it will only add icing on the cake. If he doesn't come, it will not affect the overall situation." Zhao Mu thought for a moment, "The key is that Zi Zhang can convince the King of Chu. As long as the King of Chu is willing to show his attitude, I have the confidence to make Li Xin return empty-handed in Wei State."
"I will set off tomorrow!" Zi Zhang nodded.
"The matter of resisting the Qin people has been decided. What should we do with Zi Lan? Is there any good plan?" Zhao Wuji is most concerned about Zi Lan, who is growing stronger step by step in Dai County.
Zhao Mu and Zi Zhang looked at each other and remained silent. Zhao Wuji could only turn his gaze to Zhao Qi.
Zhao Qi thought for a moment and said to Zhao Wuji: "What the internal historian said makes sense. Right now, the most important thing is to deal with the Qin people and help the Wei State. After the Wei State defeats the Qin people, we can come back to consider Zi Lan's matter. But before that, we can also test Zi Lan to see what he is thinking?"
"How to test?" Zhao Wuji leaned forward and asked with interest.
"Ask Zi Lan to send his eldest son to the capital to serve the king." Zhao Qi said. "If Zi Lan is willing, it means that Zi Lan has no intention of making trouble in the short term, but if he is unwilling, we must be on guard."
Zhao Wuji's face changed slightly, "The army will follow the captain to the Wei State, and the Hedong camp cannot relax. If we force it like this, what if Zi Lan is desperate?"
"The Hedong camp can draw out some troops. It does not need to attack. It only needs to make a gesture. With Zi Lan's intelligence, it is not difficult to see the king's determination." Zhao Mu suddenly said. "This matter can be handed over to Zhao Jin. He is also an old general and will not make any mistakes."
"Will the Qin people not take advantage of the situation?"
"It's just a gesture. Wang Jian of Hangu Pass is also an old general. He will not rashly send troops before knowing our intentions. Moreover, he is also worried whether this is our trick. If Zilan has no intention of rebelling, and Wang Jian dares to send troops to take advantage, we can ally with He Zilan and give him a hard blow." Zhao Mu said.
"What if Zilan has the intention of rebelling?"
"The Hedong camp will retreat to defend."
"What about Dai County?"
"As long as Zilan does not attack, ignore him and wait for me to come back from Wei!" Zhao Mu said decisively. "This is just a test. The purpose is to test Zilan's true intentions, not to eliminate him."