Chapter 391 Qu Yuan's decision, Zhao He's trust
Mangmao had a bright look and said excitedly: "Qu Qing, it was a relatively difficult thing to defeat the people of Zhao, but now King Zhao was stunned and wanted to cross the river and fight us in a decisive battle. This was simply giving us a chance to win, and we must not miss it! As long as we can fight halfway, the Zhao army will definitely be defeated, and this time everyone's crisis will be completely eliminated!"
Of course, Mangmao had reason to be so excited. After all, the one with the greatest pressure among the three allies was Wei.
Once this battle fails, South Korea and Chu still have hope of making a comeback, but Wei will basically repeat the mistakes of Qi and Yan, becoming the third country among the seven major warring countries to be destroyed by Zhao.
On the other hand, after experiencing the defeat of Suxukou, the Wei Kingdom now has only 50,000 troops, which is the least powerful among the Three Kingdoms Alliance. This also makes Mangmao always feel a very strong sense of uneasiness in his heart. After finding an emotional breakthrough, this uneasiness was suddenly vented violently.
Qu Yuan did not immediately take Mangmao's words, but looked at Han Wen beside him and said, "Han Qing, what do you think?"
Han Wen took a deep breath and remembered the letter that King Zhao sent to him just now.
In fact, Han Wen just lies, and the second letter written by King Zhao is really not just a piece of nonsense to persuade surrender.
Since the letter was designated to be delivered to Korean, Zhao He wrote some words in it that only Korean can see.
Now, it is time for Han Wen to act according to his plan.
Han Wen calmed down and said slowly: "Qu Qing, in fact, I think that since King Zhao wants to cross the river and start a war, then he will start a war with him. King Zhao is so open-minded. If our army does something to attack halfway, wouldn't it be inferior and ridiculed by the people of the world?"
Mangmao slapped his thigh and said angrily: "I don't agree with Han Qing's words. What does it mean to be ridiculed by the world? This war was originally a matter of omnipotence. Now Zhao is strong and the coalition forces are weak. If you don't use some tricks, how can you defeat the people of Zhao? Should we put our coalition forces in a situation of defeat for the sake of so-called openness and integrity?"
Han Wen looked at Mangmao and shook his head and said, "Mangqing's words are worth discussing. The three-nation coalition forces now exceed 250,000, while Zhao State only has 200,000 troops. Although our army has the advantage of military strength, where does Zhao State have the advantage?"
Mangmao said with a roar and said, "You, Han Qing, have never fought side by side with the people of Zhao on the battlefield. I don't blame you for this wrong view. Zhao's strength cannot be measured by quantity. If you don't say anything else, how can you solve the problem of the thunder and heavy artillery?"
Han Wen continued calmly: "Although the thunder and heavy artillery are magical weapons of siege, the Zhao army has never used these two weapons on a large scale in field battles, so these two weapons are not worth worrying."
The more the two of them quarreled, the more intense they became, and Qu Yuan had to speak, "Don't be impatient, stop for a while."
Mangmao and Han Wen looked at each other, and although they were slightly angry on their faces, they still closed their mouths at the same time.
This time, in order to confront Zhao State, the monarchs of the Three Kingdoms reached a very rare tacit understanding on military power.
As the chief general of the coalition forces, Qu Yuan was not just a nominal leader. King Han and King Wei had issued orders that Han Wen and Mangmao must obey Qu Yuan's opinions under any circumstances until the two sides decided to win and lose.
So this time Qu Yuan is the real leader, and both Mangmao and Han Wen belong to his subordinates.
With the orders of the two kings, no matter how fierce the Mangmao and Han Wen are arguing, as long as Qu Yuan opens his mouth, the final decision will be made and no one can change it.
What kind of decision should Qu Yuan make?
Qu Yuan had already had his own ideas in his heart.
He glanced at Mangmao and Han Wen in front of him and said slowly: "Two, I have already thought about it. Since King Zhao wants to fight, we will naturally fight with him. I will send someone to reply to King Zhao today. I can ask him to build a floating bridge above the Ji River. In three days, I will lead the army back ten miles and wait for him to cross the river to fight!"
Mangmao was shocked and was about to say something, but Han Wen, who was standing beside him, said coldly: "Why, Mangqing is now trying to disobey the orders of King Wei and refuse to obey Qu Qing's wishes?"
Mang Mao's words came to an abrupt end, he glared at Han Wen fiercely, sneered, then got up and brushed his sleeves away.
Han Wen ignored Mangmao and smiled at Qu Yuan: "Since Qu Qing wants to let the people of Zhao pass the river, I guess there is really a solution? Or is Qu Qing actually trying to attack halfway?"
Qu Yuan shook his head and said, "Although King Zhao is an enemy, he is also a generation of overlords. Since he wants to cross the river, so what if I fight with him?"
Han Wen asked curiously: "Qu Qing, is this battle really sure?"
Qu Yuan laughed and said, "The other party is the strongest overlord country in history. How confident can he be? You can only do your best. Besides, even if we keep here, can the mere Jishui really stop the Zhao army? It is better to let the Zhao army come over and decide the outcome. If it is victorious, it is the favor of God. If it is defeated, there is nothing to say."
Han Wen thought for a while and said, "In fact, Qu Qing doesn't have to be so pessimistic. In this battle, the Zhao army was a place of death in terms of military tactics. Once our army can win, the Jishui River will become the burial place for the Zhao army, and it is unknown whether the entire Zhao army can be wiped out."
Qu Yuan nodded heavily and said, "Han Qing's words are like me. As long as he can defeat Zhao here, it will not only be possible for Qin to recover Guanzhong, but also for Qi and Yan to restore the country. At that time, not only did Zhao's hegemony collapse, but you and I will definitely be able to gain the trust of their respective kings."
Han Wen bowed and smiled, "Since that's the case, then Han Wen hereby wishes Qu Qing as the throne and lead Chu to the higher level."
Qu Yuan also smiled and said, "If we can win, the position of the Korean prime minister is Han Qing. If there is any cooperation between Chu and Han in the future, we may also ask Han Qing for more help."
Qu Yuan still has a good impression of Korean. The Han army commander has always been quite restrained and low-key. He cooperated with Qu Yuan's orders very well and never said a word. Although the Wei army commander Mang Mao had never opposed Qu Yuan's orders, Mang Mao's vague arrogance and resistance could still be clearly felt by Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan could actually understand Mangmao's idea. After all, the battle between Wei and Chu has lasted for hundreds of years, and everyone is an old enemy.
But understanding is understanding. If you choose between Mangmao and Korean, Qu Yuan will of course choose Korean.
What's more, from Qu Yuan's heart, he also agrees with Korean practices more.
It is impossible for the Three Kingdoms coalition to drag down with the Zhao army for a long time. The longer the delay, the more likely it is to be defeated by the Zhao people at the diplomatic level. Moreover, the internal situation of Chu is not stable. Not to mention the Zhaoqi and Zhao clans who were full of malicious intentions towards Qu Yuan, even the two guys Jing Cui and Xiong Zilan are also time bombs.
Since there is a chance to defeat the Zhao army in one fell swoop (and it may even wipe out all the Zhao people), why didn't Qu Yuan do this?
As for the attack on the half-cross, Qu Yuan had thought about it.
If you really do this, the only fighter opportunity is to take advantage of the fact that the Zhao army had very few soldiers and horses crossing the river, about 10,000 or 20,000 people, and the results were probably so many.
But for this war, eliminating 10,000 or 20,000 Zhao troops would not actually play a big role. Instead, it may also give domestic political enemies a reason to criticize themselves, which is really unnecessary.
It is true that Qu Yuan also knew that his chance of winning this time was not high, but this was the opportunity with the highest winning rate that Qu Yuan could find.
Han Wen stood up and bowed to Qu Yuan: "Then I will go back to reorganize the army. Some generals in the army are not very calm. For this victory, I will rectify it a little and hope to get the support of Qu Qing."
Qu Yuan said seriously: "No problem!"
That night, Zhao He received a reply from Qu Yuan and then summoned all the generals.
"Everyone, I have communicated with Qu Yuan, the chief general of the coalition army. Three days later, I will lead all the troops across the Ji River and have a decisive battle with the Three Kingdoms coalition forces on the south bank!"
After Zhao He finished speaking, the generals of Zhao State present were first surprised, and then all their faces showed excited expressions.
For the generals, there is nothing more exciting than a war.
Making achievements, glorifying descendants and even leaving their reputations in history books is all done in one fell swoop.
Zhao He continued: "Where is Lian Po?"
Lian Po took a deep breath and stepped out: "I am here!"
Zhao He said: "Liang Po, then you will command the Left Army."
Lian Po's expression moved slightly and he whispered: "Here!"
Zhao He said: "Where is Zhao She?"
Zhao She also left the list: "I am here!"
Zhao He said: "I, I appoint you as the general of the Right Army and lead the Right Army to fight at that time!"
A trace of excitement flashed across Zhao She's face and she whispered loudly: "Here!"
Zhao He continued, "Where is Le Cheng?"
Le Cheng was slightly shocked. He really didn't expect Zhao He to click on him. After pausing, he left the list and said, "I'm here!"
Zhao He stayed on Le Cheng for a while.
Le Cheng has always acted as the responsibility of a general guarding Zhao He, which also made Le Cheng often go to the battlefield with Zhao He, but he did not get the opportunity to charge and fight.
If Zhao State can win this battle, the scale of the future war will definitely become smaller and smaller, and the generals will have fewer and fewer opportunities to make great contributions.
So Zhao He felt that it was time for him to give this historical star who had been by his side for many years a chance.
Zhao He said to Le Cheng: "As a vanguard general, you will be the first to cross the river!"
Le Cheng was overjoyed and bowed to Zhao Heshen: "Thank you, the king!"
Zhao He nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, let's all go. Let's go back and train the soldiers well. Whether Da Zhao can win in three days depends on your performance."
The generals stood up their bodies at the same time and said in unison: "Here!"
After the generals dispersed, Zhao He glanced at Miao Xian who suddenly appeared and said, "What's the matter?"
Miao Xian took out a letter from his arms and whispered: "King, Han Wen has already sent someone to send a letter."
Zhao He looked at Han Wen's letter, his eyebrows gradually spread out, and suddenly asked a question: "You said, is this person from Han Wen really reliable?"
Miao Xian thought for a while and said, "It should be reliable. In the past period of time, Han Wen helped Da Zhao do a lot of things. Anything that broke out for the King of Han could make him and his family die without a burial place. Not only that, when he led the troops, Han Wen even secretly sent his eldest son to Handan as a hostage on the grounds of being sick."
Zhao He reached out and knocked on the table, saying, "How many sons does Han Wen have?"
Miao Xian replied understandably: "I gave birth to five, but three of them died young. Apart from the 21-year-old eldest son, there is only one five-year-old youngest son."
Zhao He nodded slowly and said, "So, do you think Korean can be trusted?"
Miao Xian replied: "In my opinion and Su Qing, Han Wen should have an 80% chance of seeking a visit to Da Zhao. But what exactly is it, we still have to ask the king to decide."
Zhao He looked at Miao Xian in front of him and did not speak for a long time.
Why Zhao He was able to agree with Zhao She's strategy? In addition to his confidence in Zhao's military strength and his understanding of Qu Yuan's character, another very important trump card is Korean.
As long as Han Wen is really determined to be a follower of Zhao, if Qu Yuan breaks his promise and goes through a fat crossing, Zhao He can also let Han Wen directly lead the Han army to rebel against the Chu and Wei armies. Even if the Han army is not an opponent of the Chu and Wei coalition, it will be enough to delay the time for the Zhao army to cross the river.
It would be even better if Qu Yuan did not break his promise and could allow the main force of the Zhao army to cross the river. Zhao He was confident that he could defeat the Three Kingdoms coalition on the front. Korean rebellion was icing on the cake to kill fewer people in the Zhao army. If he did not rebellion, it was just that the Zhao army would pay more casualties and kill tens of thousands of Korean soldiers.
In general, Korean loyalty to Zhao State is still very important before ensuring that the entire army crosses the river.
Regarding the Korean point, Miao Xian has always been in charge of contacting Han, and Su Dai has also had some contact with Han.
So for Zhao He, the question is not "whether to trust Korean", but "whether to trust Miao Xian and Su Dai's judgment on Korean".
After a moment of silence, Zhao He said slowly: "Then you can ask someone to reply to Han Wen and let him act according to his plan in three days."
Miao Xian's face turned right and he retreated.
Zhao He was sitting in the big tent, and his mood was also a little ups and downs.
If this battle can be won, Wei will surely perish. The remaining Qin State is already a tiger without teeth. South Korea has always been a weak chicken, and Chu State will inevitably be greatly damaged.
In other words, this was the last opportunity for the princes to unite to resist the unification of Zhao State.
Chapter completed!