Chapter 7: Zhang Han comes out of seclusion

In Xianyang, Qinhuang Palace, and Qinian Palace, the pseudo-Emperor Hu Hai held a military meeting at the instigation of Zhao Gao.

Now, the old Qin Empire not only completely lost control of the six states of Guandong, but even Bashu lost control, leaving only the headquarters of Guanzhong and Hanzhong to survive. However, Hu Hai was still drunk and dreaming, throwing the state government to Zhao Gao and others all day long, and he ignored it. So, Zhao Gao and others took the opportunity to completely extract the major policies of the country. Now Zhao Gao is the prime minister, Li Si becomes the court lieutenant, Yan Le is the ruling of the doctor, and among the other three dukes and nine ministers, all the loyal ministers are looted and exhausted!

In fact, even if Zhao Gao and others did not take action, ministers loyal to the royal family, such as Feng Quji, would not be willing to serve a false emperor who was injustice and dissatisfied. If it weren't for the fact that the military power in Guanzhong is now under the control of Zhao Zhang and others, the loyal and righteous people in the Qin State would have worked together to overthrow the pseudo-government!

Now, after hearing the news that Fusu planned to be emperor in Luoyang, Zhao Gao was so shameless that he was so conspired that Zhao Gao could not help but panic. Zhao Gao knew in his heart that once Fusu officially became emperor, with Fusu's prestige and military ability, he should be able to pacify Kanto soon. Once Guandong is pacified, it will definitely be his doomsday. Therefore, Zhao Gao planned to take advantage of the best opportunity for Fusu to stand up against Guanzhong and Guandong at the same time and use the greatest force to defeat Fusu! This is the origin of this rare court meeting.

Hu Hai is completely unaware of state affairs. He only knows food, drink and fun on weekdays. This time he was invited by Zhao Gao to preside over the court meeting. He was also indifferent and wanted to end it early. He said in one sentence: "My dear friends, the Prime Minister told me yesterday that Wu'an Jun Fusu faked the imperial edict to rebel, and he is currently trying to proclaim himself emperor in Luoyang. This is a crime that cannot be forgiven! Who among you dear friends is willing to lead troops to quell the rebellion and share my worries?"

Now among the hundreds of officials in the court, the main officials of various departments are already treacherous figures such as Zhao Gao. These people usually talk about food, drink, gambling, and being swearing, and being swearing. Those are all good at fighting, but when it comes to war, they are all idiots, and only Li Si can barely be called a military force. At this time, when they heard that they wanted to fight Fusu, who was powerful in the world, everyone was frightened and silent. Even Li Si was also irritated and shrank his head on the seat. As for the only remaining loyal and righteous people in the court, although they were currently succumb to Zhao Gao's tyranny, they were unwilling to work hard for the pseudo-emperor and Zhao Gao. They also made a fortune silently and kept silent.

For a moment, the court showed a strange tranquility!

When Hu Hai saw everyone silent, he said unhappy: "Why are you all saying nothing? The country spends money to support you, so you should share the worries of the country! Otherwise, even if you raise a dog, you will know that you should at least call to protect your master when your owner is in a critical moment!"

Seeing that Hu Hai was speaking unpleasantly, although the court officials looked embarrassed, no one was willing to die, and they still kept silent.

Hu Hai suddenly lost interest. He remembered the three thousand beautiful couples like flowers and sweet wines and delicious foods in the palace. He was distracted and no longer had the mood to accompany His Highness and other old men to be stupid. He looked at Zhao Gao like a question and said, "Prime Minister, you see, no one has any objection. Why don't you let them go back and think about it and talk about it in a few days!"

Zhao Gao's face was very ugly at this time, and he was secretly angry in his heart: "You bastards, you know how to flatter them on weekdays. When you really want to take action, they all became turtles with their heads. It seems that if you don't force you, you don't know how powerful I am!" So Zhao Gao said with a cold face: "Your Majesty, the military situation is urgent, how can you delay it? Today, if you don't think of a solution, no one is allowed to leave!"

Hu Hai was trained by Zhao Gao since childhood and was very afraid of the sinister and vicious Zhao Gao. Seeing that Zhao Gao looked ugly, Hu Hai was also a little scared, so he had to sit back on the dragon throne in a bad mood. Hu Hai did not dare to be angry with Zhao Gao, so he turned the monkey in his heart into anger and scattered to His Highness’s ministers: "Yes, you guys, don’t want to come up with ideas today, no one is allowed to leave!" Then he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep on the dragon throne!

Seeing that Zhao Gaoti was determined to find a scapegoat, the court officials secretly complained and began to think about it.

Suddenly, the inner-minister of Zhili, Gongsun Hong, said: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, and Doctor General Yan Le is wise and martial, and is rigorous in the army. If he leads the army to conquer the pseudo-Emperor Fusu, he will definitely succeed and will never win!" This is a flatterer who wants to get out as soon as possible.

"Yes, yes! Lord Yan is a young and handsome man, and he is suitable for the favorite general of the emperor! Suitable!"... The court officials agreed when they saw that there was a scapegoat.

This time, Yan Le almost scared Yan Le. Yan Le knew how much he had. If he hadn't been Zhao Gao's son-in-law, his talent would have been very difficult for even a small lieutenant. So he quickly said, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I am a little talented and knowledgeable, how can I take on such a heavy responsibility? Moreover, I have been feeling unwell these days. I am not willing to die. If I miss the country's major affairs, wouldn't I be uneasy! I would also like to ask Your Majesty and Prime Minister to choose others!"

Hu Hai also knew that Yan Le, who likes to play dogs and fight cocks with him on weekdays, was not the material, so he had to look at Zhao Gao happily. Zhao Gao was only half as big as Yan Le, and knew how much he had, how could he let him die? He glared at Gongsun Hong fiercely and said, "Since General Yan is not in good health, it's better to choose someone else!"

Seeing that Zhao Gao, a scapegoat who had finally been pushed out, did not agree, the court officials had to look at each other and wanted to come out with another person. Suddenly, Dong Yue, the general of the Nine Ministers, said with a flattering smile: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I am the left-handed master Zhang Han and his subordinates, and I am also a famous minister, Zhang Min, can be a general!"

After hearing this, the officials of the court realized that Zhang Han became an important official to be a young official after Shi Lu. Over the years, he showed great talent in managing royal money and grain and arranging various projects. He also received strict military education from the nobles since he was a child. He was quite a general and was indeed a rare talent in the court at present. Therefore, they responded and strongly agreed with what Dong Yue said.

Zhao Gao also remembered that Zhang Han was a talented person, and after a while, he was still a suitable candidate. When he was about to make the final decision, Zhang Han suddenly stood up and stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, the humble minister is a low position and weak position, and his qualifications are insufficient, so he may not be able to convince the public. Moreover, although he has received strict military training from the tribe since childhood, he has never commanded the army. How dare he take on the position of commanding the army? Please think twice and choose another talent!"

Zhang Han is also a loyal and righteous man, and he is not stupid. He is unwilling to work hard for Hu Hai and Zhao Gao. Besides, if you let him deal with Fusu, Zhang Han did not have much confidence in winning. After all, Fusu's reputation is there!

Seeing that he had finally found a suitable talent, Zhao Gao was willing to give up easily as if he was catching a life-saving straw, he lowered his face and said, "There is no need to refuse Zhang Zuoshi. I think you are the best candidate. You said you have never commanded a large army, which is not worth worrying. Is no one born to lead a army? But I think you have a military general and a descendant of a famous family, so you should not be bad. As for the low position, it is not worth worrying. Your Majesty," Zhao Gao turned to Hu Hai and said, "Please sign Zhang Han as the general, and let him command the army and conquer the fake emperor Fusu!"

Hu Hai also wanted to end the court meeting earlier, so he hurriedly said, "Okay, I will confer Zhang Qing as the general and lead the army to attack Fusu!" Zhang Han smiled bitterly in his heart, but Hu Hai had issued an order and died immediately if he didn't follow, so he had to bite the bullet and answer the order and said, "I will receive the order!"

Zhao Gao suddenly turned his eyes and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, in order to make General Zhang fight the enemy on the front line and have no worries, it is better to move General Zhang's family to Zhangtai Palace in Shanglinyuan and send someone to take good care of him. What do you think?"

Hu Hai yawned and nodded, "Just to the Prime Minister!" Zhang Han almost collapsed on the ground when he heard this, and sighed in his heart: "It's over, take my little family as a hostage. I have to do it this time if I don't do it! This abominable castration thief is really sinister, and it is indeed a product that has no descendants!" Zhang Han had no choice but to think about it, "Thank you for your love and the Prime Minister. I think about it carefully. If you want to defeat the fake emperor Fusu, you will need at least an army of more than 300,000, and you must make the army of Meng Tian going south unable to join Fusu, otherwise I have no chance of winning at all!"

Zhao Gao frowned and said, "Taiyuan and Shangdang are still under Guanzhong's control. I immediately ordered the prefects of the two counties to defend the city to the death, otherwise they would be executed in Xianyang's family. I believe they would do their best to defend and block Meng Tian from going south! But if you want to mobilize 300,000 troops to fight, it would be a bit difficult!"

It is no wonder that Zhao Gao was embarrassed: Fusu took away a large army of 500,000 from the headquarters of Qin, while Meng Tian took away 300,000. Most of the real main forces of Qin were no longer controlled by Guanzhong; the remaining traditional tribal corps with strong combat power were cleaned up due to the recent party struggles between the court, and most of them were sent to Mount Li, Afang Palace and other places for hard labor, so now Guanzhong can truly mobilize no more than 150,000 troops to fight!

Zhang Han knew this well, and faced with such a dilemma, he could only make a fuss and say, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I have a plan to gather 300,000 troops, but I don't know whether to talk about it?" Zhao Gao said happily: "General Zhang will tell you quickly!"

Zhang Han said: "The only traditional tribal corpses remaining in Guanzhong with strong combat power are all involved in labor at the construction sites of Mount Li and Afang Palace. Although these people are unforgivable, now the country is in trouble and should be lenient. It is better to let me reorganize these people into an army and then go out of the customs of the country! I believe these people will be grateful to the kindness of Your Majesty and the Prime Minister, fight bravely, and defend the country!"

Hu Hai was stunned and said a little unhappy: "Let these people be released. Whoever builds the tomb of Mount Li for the ancestors, who can build the Afang Palace for me? No, no!" Zhao Gao was happy, and understood in his heart that what Zhang Han said was indeed the best and only way at the moment, so he said to Hu Hai: "Your Majesty, the tomb of Mount Li and Afang Palace can be paused for a while. When General Zhang Han pacified Guandong, it would not be too late to repair it again. If the pseudo emperor Fusu or the peasant army were allowed to enter Guanzhong, then everything would be over!"

Hu Hai was shocked when he heard this. After thinking for a while, he had to nodded reluctantly and agreed, "Okay, let's do it like this. Zhang Aijie has the full authority to deal with this matter!" Zhang Han nodded and thanked, "Thank you Your Majesty!"

Although Zhao Gao held a small hostage from Zhang Han's family, he was still a little worried that he had heavy troops, so he added: "General Zhang was the only one who led the army, and he was afraid that he would not be able to do anything. This Prime Minister sent the Chief Sima Xin and Dong Yi to assist the general. What do you think?" Zhang Han understood in his heart, but said respectfully: "Thank you for your kindness, I have no objection!"

"Okay!" Zhao Gao clapped his hands excitedly and said, "I will give the general a month to form the prisoners! The faster the troops, the better!" "Yes, Prime Minister, I will seize the time!" Zhang Han was very helpless!

So, from now on, Zhang Han immediately pardoned nearly 300,000 traditional Qin tribal corps who worked hard on the construction sites of Mount Li and Afang Palace. For a moment, these traditional tribal corps soldiers who escaped from death could not help but cheer and thanked Tianyou.

Although Zhang Han had never commanded the army, he had received strict military training and education since childhood, was very familiar with the Qin military system, and showed extremely high organizational talent during his tenure as the Left Historian of the Shaofu, so he was very effective in military formation: in just ten days, he organized more than 200,000 tribal soldiers who were pardoned and 100,000 soldiers from all over the country formed a large army with a tightly organized and reasonable division of labor.

This outstanding achievement made the ministers in Guanzhong look at him, and Zhao Gao was also very happy that he was wise and hoped that Zhang Han could live up to his expectations, defeat Fusu, and relieve the danger of being close to Guanzhong!

After Zhang Han completed the formation of the new army, he opened the Qin arsenal and sent black clothes and armor to the new army. Even the flags were all black, making the reorganized Qin army look shrill and magnificent. During the training, more than 300,000 Qin troops were all over the mountains and the fields were black, and the military appearance was very spectacular!

The combat effectiveness of this army is also very considerable. Most of them either come from the traditional tribal legion of the Qin State or the only young warriors in Guanzhong, so their real combat power is not weaker than the main force of the new Qin army led by Fusu and Meng Tian. If we have to talk about the gap, it is the experience on the battlefield. After all, Meng Tian and Fusu's northern and southern legions have been fighting for many years, while these Qin troops in Guanzhong are relatively lacking, but to be honest, the gap should not be obvious!

One month later, the 350,000 old Qin troops in Guanzhong were formed and the training was completed. Zhang Han swore a oath to fight at Hongmen, leading the army eastward to head straight to Hangu Pass!

Luoyang, Xinqin Palace, it was midnight, and suddenly the emergency alarm bell set up by Fusu: Jingyang bell suddenly rings loudly. The rapid and melodious bell suddenly spread throughout the palace and above Luoyang. As soon as Fusu fell asleep, he was awakened by the rapid bell ringing and shouted: "What's going on? Who rings Jingyang bell?"

He heard this and ran into the room, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it was Zhang Liang's military advisor who ordered the Jingyang Bell to hit him. Please go to the Hall of Conventions to discuss matters!" (Fusu was grateful to Xi's Zhongyi, and after he became emperor, he regarded Xi as the inner palace of the imperial palace and managed the inner palace!)

Fusu was shocked when he heard this. He knew that something big had happened and hurriedly said, "Come on, please change my clothes!" Hearing the sound, four or five eunuchs and palace maids rushed in and quickly put on dragon robes for Fusu.

At this time, Wushang and Wuyou also ran in. Today, the two of them were on duty. Seeing that Fusu had finished dressing, they surrounded Fusu and rushed to the conference hall.

When we arrived at the Seminar Hall, we saw that there were already a large number of officials in Luoyang and the main generals and officers in the army had arrived. It seemed that Zhang Liang had already notified them.

"Long live!" Seeing Fusu entering the hall, the ministers hurriedly bowed!

Fusu Zong glanced at him, but did not see Zhang Liang, and said a little strangely: "Please get up, please! The military advisor hit Jingyang Bell, why aren't others here?"

As he was speaking, Zhang Liang ran in from outside panting and was about to greet Fusu, Fusu waved his hand and said, "It's okay, it's okay. The military advisor yelled the Jingyang Bell late at night, alarming us, what's the important thing?"

Although Zhang Liang's face was a little anxious, he still said calmly: "Please return to your seat, it's not too late for me to talk again!" Seeing that it was not appropriate for him to stand among the ministers, Fusu came to the steps and sat on the imperial seat.

Zhang Liang then said: "Your Majesty, all the ministers, there are three news, all of which are very urgent, and none of them are good news!" Fusu was stunned in his heart, but smiled and said: "Let's talk about it for now. Even if the sky falls, I will not be scared!"

No matter how urgent the situation is, Fusu must remain calm himself.

Zhang Liang said: "The first bad news: Half a month ago, Cao Shen and Wu Rui were defeated by Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu in the south of Guangling. Most of the 100,000 crossings of the river were lost, leaving only 40,000 remaining soldiers, and all the food, grass and supplies were lost. Now, without the reinforcements of 20,000 naval troops, they retreated to Jiangnan. In a short period of time, they only had defensive power, which prevented the enemy from crossing the river, but they no longer had the power to make progress!"

"Wow!" Everyone was blown up: the Qin army had never suffered such heavy losses in the past years, and this big defeat was really unacceptable to everyone.

Fusu had a calm face and waved his hand. The ministers immediately calmed down. Fusu said lightly: "How did you lose? Does Cao Shen explain it in the memorial?"

Zhang Liang said: "Cao Shen said that the original battle situation was quite, at least our army would not be defeated, but Xiang Yu was brave enough to personally trap the battle. One person killed hundreds of our army. As a result, our army was terrified and the spirit of the army was shaken. So, Xiang Liang took the elite troops of Chu and Xiang to disrupt our army's battle formation, and then drove the army to cover the killing. Our army was defeated and retreated for hundreds of miles in one day and night. If it weren't for the lack of leaders to support him, there would be a risk of the entire army being lost! Cao Shen and Wu Rui requested to sue themselves!"

"Xiang Yu!" Fusu thought about it and suddenly laughed. The ministers were stunned, looked at each other, and were at a loss.

Zhang Liangqi said, "Why is Your Majesty laughing?" Fusu said, "Among the two elements, Xiang Liang is good at tactics. Xiang Yu is not only good at tactics, but also braver in the world, which is even more difficult to deal with than Xiang Liang. I thought that although Cao Shen and Wu Rui could not win the north attack on the two elements, they could at least be unbeaten with their military strength, and they could at least be unbeaten and play a role in their ability. Unexpectedly, Cao Shen and Wu Rui were still inferior to Xiang Yu's courage. I still underestimated Xiang Yu!"

Qiang Wei was a little dissatisfied when he heard this, "What can that Xiang Yu do? He killed hundreds of our troops in one battle! Your Majesty, this guy is so hateful. I will meet him for a while!" Fusu shook his hand and said, "No, although the Qiang General is brave, he will not be Xiang Yu's opponent. I still know his bravery!" Qiang Xuan was a little dissatisfied when he heard this, but he did not dare to say anything.

Zhang Liang said: "Your Majesty, our army retreated to Jiangnan and was unable to restrain the development of the two projects for a while. It is really worth worrying!"

Fusu smiled and said, "Forget it, I originally wanted to hide a genius for a while. Now, depending on the situation, if I don't use him, I will not be able to subdue Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu!" The ministers were surprised and said, "Who is so powerful!"

Fusu smiled and said, "This man's talent in using military forces is amazing and the world is so heartbreaking. To be honest, I can't compare to him in many aspects. Even if he is compared to the military saint Sun Wu, he will not give in too much! With him coming out of the mountain, the two items are not enough to worry about! As for his name, it is not convenient to disclose it now. When he knocks the two items down, you will know!" The ministers were stunned.

Fusu ignored the ministers and continued, "Military advisor, what about the second bad news?" Zhang Liang was stunned for a moment and said, "The second bad news is: General Meng Tian led his troops south and encountered a stubborn obstacle in Taiyuan. He attacked half a month and could not get out of the way. In Yanmen, Yunzhong, the total population of the three counties of Jiuyuan was only 500,000, and he was unable to support Meng Tian's consumption of 300,000 troops. If he could not take Taiyuan for another half month, General Meng Tian would probably really fall into the point of exhausting food and helping him out!"

Fusu frowned, thought for a while, and asked, "Does the Hedong Prefect Sun Shujie mean to surrender?" Zhang Liang shook his head and said, "No, this old guy has made up his mind to sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight!"

Fusu sneered: "Old man, be shameless, see how I deal with him! Order, Li Xin immediately leads his troops out of Mengjinkou and takes Hedong directly! Tell Li Xin: If he can't take Hedong within seven days, he won't come back to see me! After capturing Hedong, he will immediately attack Shangdang and assist Meng Tian in planning to the west of Taihang! Ji Bing, after Li Xin takes Hedong, you will immediately organize a grain transport fleet from the Yellow River to the Fen River and arrive at the Taiyuan front line to supply Meng Tian's army!" "Yes!"

Zhang Liang was worried and said, "Your Majesty, even if General Li Xin traps Hedong within seven days and then enters Shangdang to allow Prefect Ji to transport grain from the Fen River to replenish our army on the Taiyuan front, it will take at least twenty-five days. I wonder if General Meng Tian can last until that time!"

Fusu smiled and said, "With Meng Tian's ability, it is an anomaly that it is impossible to attack Taiyuan for half a month but cannot go down! Then the Taiyuan prefect must have fought his life and used all his strength to block Meng Tian! I don't believe that a mere Taiyuan city can block Meng Tian for more than half a month! You must believe in me and believe that Meng Tian will be able to capture Taiyuan within half a month. Taiyuan is a large granary. Meng Tian can get a breath after getting Taiyuan. At that time, if you get supplies from the Fen River, these 300,000 black-shirted soldiers will be able to attack Shangdang with sufficient food and grass. At that time, with the ability of Li Xin and Meng Tian to join forces to win Shangdang, I will definitely not be able to give up the force, and I will get everything west of Taihang!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Seeing that Fusu was making every military arrangement reasonable in the blink of an eye, the ministers couldn't help but admire him.

"Military advisor, there is a third thing?" Fusu was not panicked at all.

Zhang Liang hurriedly said: "The third news is the most urgent: Guanzhong uses Zhang Han as the general, Sima Xin and Dong Yi as the deputy, pardoned a large number of prisoners, and gathered 350,000 troops within one month. At present, this army has been trained and is called the "Black-clothed Legion". Now it is preparing to advance eastward at night and go straight to Hangu Pass! It seems that he is planning to fight with our army!"

When the generals heard this, they were shocked: The 350,000 army, such a powerful force poses a fatal threat to Luoyang! However, who is Zhang Han?

When Fusu heard this, he said quietly: "I have heard it clearly. Is the master Zhang Han undoubtedly?" "Yes, Your Majesty, it is indeed Zhang Han. I heard that the general was the Left Shishi in the Young Mansion before he led the army!" Fusu looked at Shi Lu and smiled and said, "I am from the same origin as Shi Qing!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Tuo stepped forward and said, "Zhang Han is a nameless person. Zhao Gao actually sent him out to attack Luoyang. He is really seeking death! Your Majesty, why use a ox knife to kill a chicken? Please let the last general lead the army to fight and kill his dog's head to see you!"

Fusu shook his head and said, "The art of war says: knowing yourselves and knowing others will never be defeated in a hundred battles! You don't know much about Zhang Han, but I know it better. Zhang Han is a nobleman and has received strict military education since he was a child. Although he has never brought any troops, he is very talented in using troops. He is good at concentrating troops and rushing thousands of miles away. He is extremely tolerant and good at disguising. He can often take a fatal blow when others unexpectedly! This person's ability to use troops is no less than that of Li Xin and Meng Tian. I must personally lead the army to ensure victory!"

Shi Lu said a little strangely: "Zhang Han is an unknown person. Why does Your Majesty know so much about this person? Moreover, this person has never commanded the army. Why does Your Majesty determine his military characteristics?" The ministers were also worried and confused!

Fusu smiled and said, "In addition to the Mo Sect, I have other sources of information. All the talents from all over the Qin State have all the characteristics of the talented people. Zhang Han, as a young talent who has risen in recent years, has focused on reconnaissance for a while. As the saying goes, "Chess is like the person." My Intelligence Network has sent a chess master to compete with him. It is recommended to recommend the characteristics of this person's behavior based on his chess style and life trivial matters. I have registered these places, and I have all remembered them in my heart, so when I heard about this person, I immediately remembered it!" This is what Fusu said nonsense, it is purely a concealment!

When the ministers heard this, they realized a little fear. Unexpectedly, in addition to the Momen, Fusu also had such an all-round intelligence agency with excellent results. He couldn't help but secretly glad that he had not rebelled, otherwise he would have leaked the secret without waiting for trouble and his body and head were different.

As an important official in the Fusu army responsible for intelligence collection and advice, Zhang Liang could not help but admire him and said, "Your Majesty has many talented people. I wonder who is in charge of this intelligence agency. Can Zhang Liang ask for advice?" Fusu was stunned for a moment and smiled and said, "There will be a chance!" Then he said, "From now on, Shi Lu, Qiang Wei, and Ying Bu will lead 300,000 troops westward to fight Zhang Han. Ying'anliu Town Luoyang, and Zhao Tuo went east to Hulao to prevent the thieves from attacking in Guandong!" "Yes!" The ministers responded in a coaxing manner.
Chapter completed!