Zhu Xiang didn't expect Zhao Kuo to come.
He had received many scholars who came to seek advice before. But those scholars were all low-level scholars, and most of them were retainers of nobles. Learning from Zhu Xiang was also a way for them to make a name for themselves, which was a win-win situation.
For those noble children who have already become famous or whose families have connections that allow them to become officials, going to see Zhu Xiang would be like carrying Zhu Xiang's sedan chair, which would do them more harm than good.
Zhu Xiang's attempt to become famous was seen by the nobles as a group of monkeys performing a show for them. When they were pleased, they selected the most powerful monkey, dressed him up, and allowed him to become a human.
Pingyuan Jun, one of the four gentlemen who was famous for his courtesy to the wise and humble, visited Zhu Xiang to give Zhu Xiang a certificate of qualification as a human being for his success in monkey performance.
As a horse servant, even if Zhao Kuo could not be reused temporarily because of his father's words, he should have been one of the people sitting on the Monkey Mountain and watching the monkey show, instead of jumping into the Monkey Mountain and fighting with the monkeys.
Just like Zhu Xiang is so famous now, his only friends who are children of officials and nobles are still Lin Zhi and Li Mu.
This era places too much emphasis on identity. Even if Zhu Xiang becomes successful in the future, there will still be countless people who use his background to make excuses, and many talented and virtuous people will look down on him because of this.
During the reign of Qin Shihuang, Shang Qing Yao Jia made great contributions, but Han Feizi still criticized Yao Jia's background, saying that Yao Jia was "a gatekeeper of hereditary families, a great thief of Liang, and an exiled minister of Zhao". Even if Yao Jia had made contributions, he should not be rewarded, but should be expelled or even killed, otherwise it would be detrimental to the rule.
Li Si suggested killing Han Fei because of jealousy, and Yao Jia suggested killing Han Fei because it was Han Fei who took the initiative.
Han Feizi slandered Yao Jia because Yao Jia broke the Four-Nation Alliance and put Han in danger. However, he asked Qin Shihuang to kill or exile Yao Jia based on Yao Jia's family background, which proved that in this era, no matter how great a person's achievements were, his "family background" could directly sentence him to death.
Zhao Kuo, a son of a high-ranking noble who could inherit the title and fiefdom, came to debate with Zhu Xiang. Even though he acted as if he looked down on Zhu Xiang, it was considered a lowering of his status in the eyes of outsiders and was incomprehensible.
Zhu Xiang hesitated for a moment and invited Zhao Kuo, who looked down on people, in.
Inside the door, Lin Zhi was leaning against a tree, holding a feather duster in one hand so that Ying Xiaozheng could splash around on him, and drinking from a jar of wine in the other hand.
Lin Xiangru fell seriously ill again. Although Lin Zhi learned about this only after Lin Xiangru had barely recovered from his illness, he immediately resigned and returned home. He refused to leave even when Lin Xiangru chased him with a stick.
King Zhao was very moved by Lin Zhi's filial piety, and agreed to let Lin Zhi resign and return home, and gave Lin Zhi many rewards.
Lin Xiangru lived in Zhu Xiang's house to recuperate, so Lin Zhi naturally moved in as well. He played with Ying Xiaozheng every day to prevent Ying Xiaozheng, who was neglected by his uncle, from sneaking onto his sleeping uncle's belly every day to tap dance.
When Lin Zhi saw Zhao Kuo coming in, he paused with his hand waving the feather duster, and Ying Xiaozheng immediately held the feather duster in his arms.
Lin Zhi smiled and let go of his hand, letting Ying Xiaozheng "grab" the feather duster. He then staggered towards Zhao Kuo holding the wine jar and said, "Hey? Isn't this Ma Fuzi, who is famous throughout the Zhao Kingdom? Why did you condescend to come to a small place like Zhuxiang? You don't want to argue with Zhuxiang, do you? With your identity and status, you think too highly of Zhuxiang by going to see him."
Lin Xiangru and Zhao She had a good relationship, and Lin Zhi and Zhao Kuo of course knew each other since childhood.
Lin Zhi was a notorious playboy among the scholars. He did not like being an official and just wandered around holding an idle position. He also made friends with commoners like Zhu Xiang. He was a disgrace among the children of the aristocracy.
Zhao Kuo had been well-read in military books since he was a child. He was very motivated and strived to be more powerful than his father Zhao She. His every word and action were a model for children of the nobility.
Lin Xiangru used to teach Lin Zhi a lesson by saying "Learn from Zhao Kuo, you must be able to learn one of the two things: reading and practicing martial arts"; but Zhao She liked Lin Zhi very much and said that people like Lin Zhi were very wise.
The two had been enemies since childhood. As they grew older, they became more mature and became strangers. But when they met, Lin Zhi still mocked Zhao Kuo as usual.
When Zhao Kuo saw the drunk Lin Zhi, he was as if he had seen a stink bug, and his proud face wrinkled into a ball.
He covered his nose with his sleeve and made an expression that he could not stand the stench. If he had not remembered that Lin Xiangru was also here, he would have cursed Lin Zhi.
It's useless to be sarcastic with people like Lin Zhi, you can only insult him directly.
Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi were close friends, so he naturally knew that Lin Zhi and Zhao Kuo were not on good terms. He immediately tried to smooth things over: "I remember that you two were close friends and playmates since childhood. Do you need me to give you some time to reminisce about the past? Zheng'er, come here."
Ying Xiaozheng jumped towards Zhu Xiang with a feather duster in his arms and gave the feather duster to Zhu Xiang.
As soon as Zhu Xiang finished speaking, Lin Zhi and Zhao Kuo both showed expressions of disgust.
Lin Zhi was sobered up by the nausea.
Zhu Xiang looked at the two people's extremely ugly faces and said cheerfully: "You guys chat slowly, Zheng'er, let's go to the side."
Ying Xiaozheng grabbed his uncle's sleeve, looked up at Lin Zhi and Zhao Kuo, pursed his lips and nodded.
He could see that his uncle was bullying people again.
"No need, I have no friendship with him." Zhao Kuo said coldly.
"Who is friends with you?" Lin Zhi approached Zhao Kuo and sprayed Zhao Kuo's face with alcohol.
Zhao Kuo dodged back, put his hand on the long sword at his waist, and looked at Lin Zhi with narrowed eyes.
Lin Zhi held up a jar of wine and wanted to use it as a weapon to fight a big battle with Zhao Kuo.
Zhu Xiang, who was watching the fun nearby, immediately picked up Ying Xiaozheng with one hand and quickly stepped forward to pull Lin Zhi away.
Although his best friend was stronger than him in martial arts, no matter how bad Zhao Kuo's reputation was in later generations, he was still a general who could lead troops to fight. Several Lin Zhis were not enough to defeat Zhao Kuo.
"Please take good care of Zheng'er for me. Ma Fuzi is here to see me, not you. Don't cause me trouble." Zhu Xiang snatched Lin Zhi's wine jar and stuffed Ying Xiaozheng into Lin Zhi's arms.
Ying Xiaozheng, who was held skillfully by Lin Zhi, immediately pushed Lin Zhi's face away with disgust.
Smelly!
"Don't pay attention to him, let's go inside and talk." Zhu Xiang said to Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo snorted coldly, without drawing his sword, and followed Zhu Xiang with his chin raised. When he left, he could have walked straight and brushed past Lin Zhi, but he deliberately took a big detour to show his disdain for Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi also snorted coldly, then too lazy to pay attention to Zhao Kuo, and deliberately opened his mouth and blew towards Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng was so irritated that he punched Lin Zhi, which made Lin Zhi laugh out loud.
Zhu Xiang looked back at the playful Lin Zhi and Ying Xiaozheng, and a hint of doting appeared on his face.
When Zhao Kuo saw Zhu Xiang's expression, he felt that his eyes were hurt. Not only did his eyes hurt, but his stomach also began to churn.
"If you want to achieve something in the future, you should not associate with people like Lin Zhi." Zhao Kuo said in a muffled voice.
Zhu Xiang said: "I suffered a lot when I was young, and I am still alive today thanks to Mr. Lin's help. If I hadn't interacted with Lin Li, I'm afraid I would have had difficulty achieving success in the future."
After hearing Zhu Xiang's veiled words, Zhao Kuo pondered for a while, and the arrogant look on his face faded a little. He said, "Although I hate Lin Zhi, you are right."
Seeing that Zhao Kuo was so straightforward, Zhu Xiang felt a little embarrassed for his previous contempt.
He knew that Zhao Kuo had become famous in Handan recently, and no one mentioned his previous reputation anymore. Even his neighbors were talking about how good Ma Fuzi was.
Lin Gong was sulking there again. When dealing with a merchant, the merchant said that Ma Fuzi had recently bought a lot of land and houses. Zhu Xiang guessed that the King of Zhao had already appointed Zhao Kuo as a general.
Zhu Xiang had thought about doing something, but he knew he couldn't do it. Zhao Kuo's parents' words were useless, and Lin Gong's words were useless. The King of Zhao was determined to use Zhao Kuo. What could he do
Today, Zhao Kuo came to him to debate, and Zhu Xiang felt some hope again.
In later generations, Zhao Kuo, along with Emperor Yang of Sui and Li Jiancheng, was worshipped by netizens as one of the great philosophers of the Internet. At that time, the rhetoric was that Zhao Kuo was actually very powerful, even more powerful than Bai Qi, but it was only the King of Zhao who held him back.
Things got better in later years, and the rhetoric became that although Zhao Kuo was not as good as Bai Qi, he was able to fight with Bai Qi for several months, which was already very powerful. If he had not died, he would definitely be a famous general.
As for the evidence to support my argument, there is none. Isn't he dead? His not being dead would definitely prove what I said.
Zhu Xiang’s colleagues from the Archaeology Department who traveled on business trips with him had cursed the online marketing accounts that caused these unhealthy trends many times.
Zhao Kuo's father said that Zhao Kuo was not good enough, Zhao Kuo's mother said that Zhao Kuo was not good enough, and the famous minister Lin Xiangru said that Zhao Kuo was not good enough. After careful consideration, the old King of Qin and his ministers believed that Zhao Kuo must lead the army. So many powerful people of Zhao Kuo's generation said that Zhao Kuo was not good enough.
People thousands of years later had to undergo several archaeological excavations to determine the location of the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Changping. How many people Bai Qi killed is still a historical mystery, but they believed that they understood Zhao Kuo better than people at that time, and that Zhao Kuo was very capable.
In history, Zhao Kuo replaced Lian Po in July, and his food supply was cut off in August. In order to minimize the losses of the Qin army, Bai Qi deliberately besieged Zhao Kuo for 46 days and killed the Zhao army in September.
In fact, the Zhao army had already been defeated when its food supply was cut off in August.
It took Bai Qi almost a month to build fortifications, deploy troops, and trap Zhao Kuo in order to cut off the Zhao army's food supply. It can be seen that after knowing that Zhao Kuo was coming, Bai Qi began to make preparations, and Zhao Kuo was defeated after he finished making preparations. The speed at which Zhao Kuo was defeated can't really be said to have "resisted Bai Qi for several months."
The Zhao army was cut off from food for forty-six days, which means that the food supply was cut off for forty-six days; the Zhao army did not collapse after the food supply was cut off, but the Qin army surrounded them and waited for them to die.
Just like King Wuling of Zhao was trapped in the Shaqiu Palace. Did he not want to come out and was willing to starve to death? It was the people outside who did not allow him to come out. This had nothing to do with the will of the Zhao army. Bai Qi was prepared to fight an annihilation war from the beginning.
Zhao Kuo did not bravely break out of the siege when the situation was bad. He should have decisively cut off his rear when the food supply was cut off, and led the Zhao army, which still had food and grass, to break out. But he hid in the siege waiting for Zhao to send people to rescue him, and did not expect that Zhao could not send reinforcements. It was not until the Zhao army ran out of food and grass and the soldiers began to kill each other and eat the flesh of their comrades that he realized that he could not wait any longer and broke out with the Zhao army, which was almost starving to death.
How could the Zhao army at that time still have the fighting power to break out? !
Another thing that can be seen from the details of this incident is that when ordinary soldiers had already started to kill each other and eat human flesh, Zhao Kuo and the warriors around him were able to organize a cavalry. This shows that not only Zhao Kuo and the warriors around him were not affected by the food shortage, but even their horses still had food and grass.
When Zhu Yuanzhang captured the Qing army that occupied Yangzhou in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, why did he know that the Qing army was deliberately killing the people of Yangzhou, rather than being forced to eat human flesh because of food shortage? It was because the Qing army still raised horses.
After Zhu Yuanzhang discovered this, he personally skinned the Qing army generals as a sacrifice to the people of Yangzhou.
Li Mu, also a general of the State of Zhao, would kill horses and cattle every few days to boost the morale of his soldiers. Whether fighting the Xiongnu or the State of Qin, the morale of the army led by Li Mu was always stronger than that of the other side.
When the food supply was cut off, Zhao Kuo did not think of breaking out, but waited for 46 days before struggling to survive; ordinary soldiers ate each other's flesh, but he and the warriors around him could still ride horses. Based on these two points, most people today can say, "I think I am better than him."
However, if it were a modern person, facing Bai Qi, he would definitely think, "It's fine as long as I can hold on. I must be crazy to fight a field battle with Bai Qi. What? Bai Qi is not leading the troops? Bai Qi is not dead. Whether he is controlling remotely or sneaking in, it will only take a few minutes!"
A normal person would not assume that Bai Qi is dead just because he did not appear on the front line.
Although it is not like Song Gaozong, who could tie a dog to his neck. But modern people with normal IQ can indeed brag about this matter, "I may not be so miserable."
Zhu Xiang didn't know the details of the Battle of Changping in history, but he was a man of that era and heard about Zhao Kuo's reputation of that era, so he discovered very early that Zhao Kuo was indeed not capable of leading an army.
He had never debated with Zhao Kuo, so he didn't know how advanced Zhao Kuo's military skills were. Zhao She, his mother, Lin Xiangru and others believed that Zhao Kuo was not capable of leading an army, but this was not aimed at Zhao Kuo's military skills.
Unlike later generations who thought that Zhao Kuo's "paper talk" meant that he read books mechanically and could not adjust the combat situation according to the actual situation, Zhao She and his mother's words made it very clear that Zhao Kuo's weakness was "disdain for the severity of war" and "disdain for his generals and ordinary soldiers."
Zhao She said that war concerns the lives of countless soldiers, but Zhao Kuo does not know how heavy the war is.
Zhao's mother said that when her husband was fighting, he distributed the rewards to his subordinates and ordinary soldiers to boost morale. From the day he became a general, he was devoted to the public and never asked about family affairs. After Zhao Kuo became a general, he looked at people with his chin, put the rewards in the warehouse, and thought about where to buy property every day.
For a general like this, what does his failure have to do with military books, bravery, or the right time and place
As Zhao's mother said, Zhao Kuo could not lead the army because "father and son have different ambitions, I hope the king will not send him away."
Zhu Xiang had heard from Lin Zhi what Zhao Kuo's parents said about him, and had also heard from Lin Zhi how Zhao Kuo looked down on ordinary soldiers. Although he was a general, he never went to the barracks. After receiving rewards, he bought land and houses in a high-profile manner, and acted like a hero before even going to the battle.
It is impossible for him to have a good impression of Zhao Kuo.
When they met today, Zhao Kuo clearly disliked Lin Zhi and looked down on Zhu Xiang, a commoner, but he was able to speak to him in a nice way. Zhu Xiang's impression of Zhao Kuo improved a little and he thought he could convince Zhao Kuo.
Zhu Xiang didn't know whether Zhao had enough food and grass in history, but at least during this short period when he was an agricultural official, the food and grass of the Zhao army was definitely better than that of the Qin army, which had been fighting for nearly three years. As long as Zhao Kuo didn't underestimate the enemy, the Qin army would have to retreat even if it was in vain.
Zhu Xiang didn't understand. Even if it was not Bai Qi, but Wang He continued to lead the troops, Wang He was a veteran with many military achievements, so Zhao Kuo shouldn't look down on him, right
Zhu Xiang discussed military strategy with Zhao Kuo with hope.
When it came to the discussion of military affairs, he was dumbfounded.
He finally understood why Zhao She was defeated by Zhao Kuo. Zhao Kuo was not discussing military affairs, but rather discussing the country like a player of a strategy game like Civilization or Stellaris. His level was the same as that of the few netizens who really believed that if Qin Shihuang was given a world map, he would be able to conquer the world.
Where will we get replacements for the casualties in the war? It doesn't matter, I assume there are enough soldiers.
Where do we get the food and weapons we need for war? It doesn't matter, I assume that all logistics are fine.
If there is a river behind me, I will fight to the death; if there is a river behind the enemy, their morale will surely collapse and they will kneel down and beg for mercy.
When we were besieging the city, our morale was high. We smashed a hole in the enemy's wall and were able to enter the city without even using ladders. When we were defending the city, the enemy was unable to take the city, so the ladders were burned by kerosene poured on them by our warriors who were leaving the city.
When Zhu Xiang finished speaking, he rested his elbows on the table, holding his forehead and unable to speak.
Zhao Kuo was proud: "I won."
Zhu Xiang sighed and said, "Mr. Zhao, do you really think you have won?"
Zhao Kuo asked seriously, "Do you still want to continue the debate?"
Zhu Xiang was really confused: "Mr. Zhao, do you really think you can lead the troops like this, or do you know that what you are saying now is only feasible in theory?"
Zhao Kuo said: "What I mentioned are all examples that have been mentioned in military books. If you think it is impossible, I can turn it over to you."
Zhu Xiang put down his hand and said, "Let's continue the debate."
Zhao Kuo was full of confidence and continued with Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang: "My 10,000 troops attacked your 200,000 troops by surprise. A meteorite fell from the sky and smashed into your camp. Your army's morale collapsed and you were defeated by my army."
Zhao Kuo: “?”
Zhu Xiang: "We have a fierce general who rushed into your army with a knife in hand and beheaded your commander with one blow. Your army's morale was low and you were defeated by us."
Zhao Kuo: “?”
Lin Zhi took Ying Xiaozheng by the hand, and the two of them, one big and one small, leaned over the door frame to eavesdrop.
Zhu Xiang: "We have a skilled archer hiding on high ground. Each of his arrows can kill the man who is operating your siege equipment. Your army has no one who can operate siege equipment, so you can only retreat."
Zhao Kuo: “?” He started to get angry!
Zhu Xiang: "Although your army has horses and chariots, our people are loyal to us. Not only are the ordinary soldiers fearless and willing to die with your army by clinging to your horse hooves and chariot wheels, but even the elderly, the weak, women and children are voluntarily going to the front line to overwhelm you with human wave tactics!"
Zhao Kuo angrily said: "Are you arguing? You are just sophistry!"
Xun Kuang and Lin Xiangru eavesdropped at the window with their hands in their pockets, while Cai Ze put his ear close to the wall.
Zhu Xiang took a sip of the water and said, "Why is it sophistry?"
"Can you say there won't be a meteorite falling from the sky?"
Liu Xiu is watching you.
"Our army's main generals are the young General Lian Po, General Yue Yi, and General Bai Qi. Isn't it okay if the enemy is just a mob?"
Guan Yu stares at you.
"Is it rare to hear a story about a great archer deciding the outcome with a single arrow? I don't believe it. I can tell you from a book right now."
How can our army's snipers win individual special merit without such ability
"As for morale and the people's hearts..." Zhu Xiang said, "Our generals spent all their wealth to ensure that the soldiers were well fed and clothed, so the soldiers were willing to die for them; our army had strict military discipline, and would not destroy houses even if they died of freezing, or plunder even if they died of starvation, so the civilians hoped that our army would be invincible. Is this hard to understand? Didn't your father Zhao She do the same?"
Zhao Kuo's face changed drastically.
Zhu Xiang said, "I gave you an assumption, and you said I was making a sophistry. You said those special cases in the military books attributed favorable conditions to our side, isn't that sophistry?"
"You said that no general in Zhao could beat you in a debate. Could it be that they treated the generals of their own region as human beings and seriously considered the possibility of consumption of food and weapons, while you only needed to talk nonsense about having millions of soldiers, high morale, popular support, and unlimited supply of food and weapons?"
"I heard that you never shared rewards with your subordinates, I heard that you looked down on the soldiers, and I heard that you didn't even care about logistics. I want to ask Mr. Zhao, how can you guarantee that the morale of the veteran general Wang He, who eats and lives with the soldiers, will be weaker than that of you who do nothing?"
"Plop!" Zhao Kuo used his sleeve to knock the cup of water on the table to the ground.
Zhu Xiang looked down at the ceramic cup, which had rolled several times on the ground, splashing water all over the floor and breaking into several pieces.
"Mr. Zhao, fighting is no joke. Generals and soldiers are all flesh and blood, with thoughts. They can cry, get scared, and get angry. They are other people's fathers, sons, and husbands. They are real people, not just fictitious numbers when you discuss military affairs."
Zhu Xiang stood up, bowed with his hands clasped, his head lowered, and his body bowed almost at a right angle.
"I beg you, Mr. Zhao, to go to Changping and look down at the generals and soldiers around you."
Zhao Kuo sat on the chair, looking at Zhu Xiang with a sinister look in his eyes.
Zhu Xiang bowed for a long time, but he did not answer, allowing Zhu Xiang to maintain this difficult posture.
Lin Zhi couldn't bear it anymore, so he walked quickly into the house and helped Zhu Xiang up.
Before he could open his mouth to mock Zhao Kuo for not being able to afford defeat, Zhao Kuo simply stood up and left without even glancing at Lin Zhi and Zhu Xiang.
Xun Kuang and Lin Xiangru hid themselves immediately so that Zhao Kuo could not see them.
Zhao Kuo was not a broad-minded person, and they were worried that if Zhao Kuo knew that they had witnessed Zhao Kuo's failure, Zhao Kuo would hate Zhu Xiang.
Zhao Kuo left in a carriage, and the result of this military discussion was said to be unpleasant and fruitless.
In the minds of both Zhu Xiang and Zhao Kuo, they indeed believed that this military discussion would be fruitless.
This is not a discussion of military affairs at all.
Zhu Xiang didn't understand: "Ma Fuzi has never been defeated in a military battle. Even Ma Fujun can't beat him?"
Lin Xiangru said, "How can a general who has already led the army discuss military affairs with Zhao Kuo? The people he discusses military affairs with are almost the same as you. As for Ma Fujun, Ma Fuzi is his son. He has already pointed out Ma Fuzi's mistakes and made his attitude clear."
Zhu Xiang was silent.
In other words, the amateur scientist could only ask netizens to prove that rockets must burn anthracite, and the people who actually build rockets were too lazy to pay attention to him. The amateur scientist's father, who actually knows how to build rockets, discussed with his son and immediately said, "My son can't build rockets, don't pay attention to him."
"Why would the King of Zhao allow someone with no experience in leading troops to replace General Lian?" Zhu Xiang racked his brains to figure it out.
Xun Kuang commented pointedly: "Aren't the King of Zhao and Zhao Kuo very similar? The King of Zhao has a deep affection for Zhao Kuo, which is hard to understand?"
Lin Xiangru wanted to scold Xun Kuang for insulting his master, but since Xun Kuang was telling the truth, he could only hum a few times and turn his face away without saying anything.
"The Battle of Changping is not important. If Zhao Kuo wins, the king of Zhao will get a good general. If he loses, Zhao Kuo will return to Zhao, and the only loss will be Shangdang and other places that originally belonged to Han." After insulting the king of Zhao, Xun Kuang carefully analyzed, "The king of Zhao did not consider losing, but he thought he could afford to lose."
Lin Xiangru sighed and nodded.
He also knew this, so he stopped trying to persuade King Zhao after he realized that he had made up his mind.
The Battle of Changping was indeed not very important to the State of Zhao.
Later generations looked at maps and saw that Shangdang was very close to Handan, so they thought Shangdang was the gateway to Handan, so the State of Zhao had to send troops.
In fact, Shangdang is a highland surrounded by Taiyue Mountain, Wangwu Mountain and Taihang Mountain. It looks very close to Handan on the map, but in fact it is separated by the Taihang Mountain Range. In this era, the Taihang Mountain Range was a natural barrier and it was impossible to march through it. If the State of Zhao wanted to go to Shangdang, it had to go around the Lu River.
Shangdang had been fought over by Wei, Han and Zhao since the early Warring States period. Although Shangdang was located in the center of the world and was one of the origins of the nation, Zhao did not make it a major target due to its topography and soil.
Shangdang was the main route connecting Wei and Han with the outside world, and had little impact on Zhao. Under the attack of Wei and Han, Zhao retreated northward and gave up almost all of its influence in Shangdang. It built the Great Wall along the line of Pi Lao, Duan Shi, Guang Lang Cheng and Xun Shi to resist further attacks from Wei and Han.
Therefore, for King Zhao, it was a great achievement to get Shangdang, which was abandoned by his grandfather and father. If he was defeated, he could retreat back to the Great Wall, which would not be a big deal.
Originally, Shangdang did not belong to the State of Zhao. The King of Zhao sent troops this time just to test whether he was powerful.
As for the food, weapons, and soldiers consumed in the Battle of Changping, the King of Zhao believed that they could be afforded and would not affect the national strength of Zhao.
Not to mention the King of Zhao, everyone in the Zhao court, including Lin Xiangru, thought so. So they did not try their best to stop Zhao Kuo from leading the army, so as not to offend Ma Fuzi and the King of Zhao.
Zhu Xiang knew that as long as Zhao Kuo could pull back to the Great Wall after his defeat, it would be just as Zhao State had expected, and even if he was defeated, the damage to Zhao State would not be great.
Who would have thought that in the end only more than 200 soldiers returned to Zhao State after the Battle of Changping
In June, Zhao Kuo led his troops to set off.
After walking along the Lu River for about half a month, Zhao Kuo should reach Changping and replace Lian Po.
This time, Zhao Kuo went to replace Lian Po and brought nearly 100,000 soldiers with him.
Zhu Xiang sat on the ridge of the field, looking at the sparse millet in the field with a blank look in his eyes.
The millet in June and July has turned yellow. This year, the weather near Handan is relatively good. Although there are not many workers and they cannot take good care of the fields, the millet in the fields still has ears, waiting for farmers to pick and harvest.
As the warm wind of midsummer and early autumn blew, the golden millet rustled and swirled in the warm wind, as if waving to the farmers, telling them that it was time to harvest.
Far away, there was an old farmer with white hair and beard and a back hunched like a wheel. He was holding a notched sickle and struggling to cut millet ears.
Behind him, a child with thin limbs and a round belly was bending over to pick up ears of corn on the ground.
The child was very short, so he could pick up the scattered grains without much effort. After picking up the grains, he quietly put the grains into his mouth and chewed them carefully, regardless of the dirt on them or the fact that they cut his throat, revealing a happy look.
The old farmer looked back at the child stealing grains and hit the child on the head with the handle of his sickle.
The child did not cry. He held up a yellow millet leaf. The old farmer nodded, put the leaf in his mouth and chewed it, his expression still very happy.
Zhu Xiang moved his fingers on both sides of his body. He wanted to stand up, but in the end he did nothing.
Ying Xiaozheng stood behind Zhu Xiang, frowned, and asked, "Uncle, can I give him my cakes?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Don't go. There are hungry people everywhere. If you give cakes to the grandfather and grandson, many people will come to grab them and endanger your life. I have asked people to exchange the thousand gold and gifts sent back by the King of Zhao for food. Every day, porridge is distributed at the entrance of the village in the name of the King of Zhao. They will not starve to death."
Ying Xiaozheng sat down on Zhu Xiang's legs, not caring about getting his clothes dirty, and hugged his legs and said, "Uncle, have you prepared for this a long time ago? Can they all survive?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I have been prepared for a long time, but I don't know if they can survive."
Ying Xiaozheng rested his chubby little chin on his knees and looked at the field in front of him unhappily.
There are millets in the fields, but they seem to be deserted, like a wilderness.
It is very rare to see people working as hard as that grandfather and grandson to harvest the fields.
This is not because the villagers are lazy. No one works at home, but they still have to pay taxes. They work hard, hungry and tired to grab the little food they harvest, but after paying the tax, there is no more food, and they have to eat more food after working. It is easy to starve to death.
The villagers kept the little food at home, stayed at home and did not go out, so they could consume as little food as possible. If the officials came to collect the grain, the villagers, who were half-starved, would tell the officials that the grain was in the fields and let the officials collect it themselves, and take it all away, as they did not want any.
In addition to the fact that they would only leave their homes when they were really out of food, there was another situation. Just like the grandfather and grandson in the distance, the old man was sick and dying, so he hurried to harvest the grain and died of exhaustion in the fields. After paying taxes, the harvested grain could also support the young children at home.
This is the wisdom of farmers today.
Zhu Xiang’s free porridge could not save the lives they gave up in order to feed their young children.
Ying Xiaozheng asked, "Can't we ask the nobles' retainers to help with the harvest like we did last year?"
Zhu Xiang replied, "No. The retainers who harvested the crops only played a symbolic role in leading the work. The soldiers under the command of the King of Zhao and the nobles were the ones who actually did the work. But there are not that many soldiers in Handan now."
Ying Xiaozheng asked: "But I see that the officials in Handan are still holding banquets, and the people attending the banquets are still shoulder to shoulder. If we let these people go to the fields, they will definitely be able to harvest most of the grain."
Zhu Xiang replied, "Those people who are so numerous that they are shoulder to shoulder are all scholars. They have a higher status than retainers and are even less likely to work in the fields. Farmers once hoped that the king would work in the fields like farmers, and they saw this scene. But in fact, this is impossible."
Zhu Xiang rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's head and said, "Everyone wants to move up in the world, hoping that they will no longer have to endure hardships. If people who shouldn't work in the fields are forced to work in the fields, then there will be no virtuous people to join the king."
While Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng were asking and answering each other, Xunzi used the sword at his waist as a walking stick, standing under the shade of a tree not far away, looking at the barren but indeed fruitful fields.
Xunzi once thought that Zhu Xiang would not understand his thoughts and would not become a Confucian scholar.
But now he discovered that Zhu Xiang might be his confidant.
Confucianism scolded the Agriculturalists and Mohists for not knowing the hierarchy and dragging the kings and nobles into the mud, saying that all beings are equal, which is complete nonsense.
Do Confucians really believe that some people should always be high and mighty, while others should just work on the land for the rest of their lives? The Confucian ideal of a harmonious society clearly states that this is not the case.
They just told the truth and believed that the ideals of the Agriculturalists and Mohists were absolutely impossible to achieve.
Since this is impossible to achieve, why should we spend so much energy on it? This is not good for the country, the family, or the people. A political idea must first be achievable before it can be promoted.
Xunzi believed that the way of heaven is constant, and Xunzi believed that the king has no fixed position. Xunzi also mentioned "people's hearts" instead of "scholars' hearts" for the first time.
However, Xunzi said that virtuous people should be loyal to one cause and work hard for the unification of the world; there must be a distinction between the ruler and his subjects, and subjects should not claim to be more noble than the ruler.
Some scholars in later generations criticized Xunzi for being servile and fawning on the king, and for having lower character than Confucius and Mencius.
Looking at Xunzi's life, we cannot draw such a conclusion.
Xunzi simply saw the current trend and chose a political idea that was most beneficial to the current situation - monarchy, centralization, and unification of the world.
Xunzi knew that he would be criticized because by doing so, he lowered the status of the nobles who were originally equal to the king.
But Xunzi never feared his posthumous reputation. Only occasionally, he would lament and wonder if he could ever meet someone who understood him.
Xun Kuang used his long sword as a cane, walked to Zhu Xiang, and scolded him: "Since you know this, why are you lamenting in vain? Lamenting is useless and will only make you decadent."
"Yes, teacher." Zhu Xiang stood up holding Ying Xiaozheng.
Xun Kuang nodded: "Do what you can do."
Zhu Xiang said: "Yes."
While Zhu Xiang and Xunzi were talking, the old man, feeling exhausted, walked back holding the harvested ears of corn.
"Duke Zhu Xiang!" When the old man saw Zhu Xiang, he immediately walked over with brisk steps, as if all his fatigue had disappeared.
The family hid potatoes and harvested so much millet to pay the tax, so his grandson would definitely survive. This was all thanks to Duke Xiang.
The child behind him also jumped up and down, as if he had regained his energy.
The old man put down the ears of corn in his arms, took out a small ring made of withered millet leaves from his arms, and stuffed it into the hands of Ying Xiaozheng who was held by Zhu Xiang.
The old man smiled and said, "I haven't been out for a long time. I thought that this time I go out, I will definitely meet Duke Zhu Xiang and Prince Zheng."
Zhu Xiang lowered his voice and said, "Thank you. Zheng'er misses you too."
The old man was very happy. He exchanged a few more words with Zhu Xiang before picking up Suizi and leaving with the child one after the other.
Ying Xiaozheng kicked his legs in Zhu Xiang's arms and jumped out of his arms.
"Wait!" Ying Xiaozheng chased after him.
He wanted to hand over the cake in his arms. Thinking of his uncle's words, he gritted his teeth and said, "My uncle is giving out porridge at the entrance of the village. You must go and drink it! I want new toys next year, next year!"
Ying Xiaozheng raised the woven straw ring in his hand.
The old man smiled so hard that most of his lost teeth were exposed: "Okay, I will make toys for Master Zheng again next year."
The child also smiled at Ying Xiaozheng, took out the grass ring from his arms and waved it to Ying Xiaozheng, then walked away briskly with the old man.
Ying Xiaozheng stayed where he was, raised his head and watched them go away.
After he could no longer see their figures, Ying Xiaozheng turned around and threw himself into Zhu Xiang's arms.
Zhu Xiang leaned over and caught Ying Xiaozheng: "Let's go home."
Ying Xiaozheng said in a muffled voice: "Yeah."
Xun Kuang sighed and said, "Go back and do what you can. Let's go and give out porridge."
Zhu Xiang: “Yeah.”
There are more things he can do than just provide porridge.
Xianyang of Qin State.
When Lian Po was defeated, King Zhao was actively preparing for war, and at the same time, he listened to Lou Chang's advice and sent people to Qin for peace talks.
Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao strongly supports peace talks. Zhao should not have been involved in this war. If Zhao and Qin had made it clear, it would be best if both countries withdrew their troops.
Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng was not very supportive of peace talks. However, they all rejected Yu Xin's request to send people to bribe Chu, Wei and other countries to ask for an alliance to resist Qin.
In the eyes of King Zhao, Lord Pingyang, Lord Pingyuan and others, winning the Battle of Changping would allow them to obtain Shangdang, while failing the Battle of Changping would only mean losing land that did not belong to Zhao.
If Chu, Wei and other countries were to send troops, Zhao would definitely ask for a share of Shangdang's land if it won. If Zhao lost, it would have to pay extra for the expenses of sending troops to Chu and Wei. It was not cost-effective no matter how you looked at it.
In addition, Yu Xin's good friend Wei Qi was the enemy of Fan Ju, the Marquis of Qin. In order to avenge Fan Ju, the King of Qin tricked Pingyuan Jun into Qin and detained him, forcing Wei Qi to death. The King of Zhao then exchanged Wei Qi's head for Pingyuan Jun.
Yu Xin once abandoned his position as a senior minister in Zhao State for Wei Qi and fled with Wei Qi. He returned to Zhao State only after Wei Qi was forced to death.
The king of Zhao felt guilty about this and thought that Yu Xin would resent Zhao because of this matter. So between Yu Xin and Lou Chang, he chose Lou Chang.
The King of Qin warmly received the envoys from the State of Zhao and announced loudly that Qin and Zhao had reached a reconciliation. The two countries would immediately discuss how to divide the land of Shangdang, and then unite to attack other countries and divide more land.
Chu, Wei and other countries originally wanted to take advantage of the war between Qin and Zhao to send troops to gain advantage. After hearing about this, they were worried that they would be beaten by the joint forces of Qin and Zhao, so they stopped their private actions.
But Qin and Zhao only announced this to the outside world, and neither side had any intention of stopping.
King Zhao continued to recruit soldiers and sent Zhao Kuo, whom King Qin feared the most, to replace Lian Po. King Qin not only let Bai Qi go to Changping secretly, but also prepared to go to the front line to supervise the battle in person.
Lian Po returned to Handan with a grudge. He did not return to his fiefdom, nor did he return to his home in Handan. He was even too lazy to go to the palace to report to the King of Zhao. He went straight to Zhu Xiang's house and stayed there, with his legs on the table, asking Zhu Xiang to feed him with delicious food and drink.
Everyone knew that Lian Po was upset, so they indulged him. Even Lin Xiangru tried to coax Lian Po into a good mood with soft words. Whatever Lian Po wanted to eat, Lin Xiangru would buy it and cook it for Zhu Xiang.
Lian Po finished two more chickens today, picking his teeth and saying, "I heard that you beat that brat Zhao Kuo in a military contest? Don't tell me it's a draw. With Zhao Kuo's character, if he admits it's a draw, then you won."
Zhu Xiang repeated the discussion of the day and said, "I don't think I won. I think we were wasting time." Lian Po put down the twig he used to pick his teeth, slapped his thigh and laughed, "You're right, a waste of time!"
After he finished laughing, he gritted his teeth and said, "The Lord and the high officials in the court are not as good as you. They don't even know that it is a waste of time!"
After that, he took out a map of Changping from his pocket and pointed at it, saying, "Look at the terrain."
When the people around saw that Lian Po had returned to Handan and was carrying a map of the area near Changping with him, their eyes dimmed.
Zhu Xiang sat next to Lian Po and listened humbly to Lian Po's advice on military affairs.
"Your Majesty asked me why I retreated so far, all the way to Danshui. Look at the map. There are hills in front of Danshui. Where is the open area for me to garrison? Do you want me to have no water behind Danshui?!"
The map near Changping shows a "Chuan"-shaped river valley area.
Lian Po retreated to the east bank of the Dan River and chose a wide valley with higher terrain to camp. In front of the Zhao army camp was the open Dan River and Shaoshui River valley area, with the Taihang Mountains behind and the Dan River adjacent to the south.
The Danshui and Shaoshui valleys had no strategic locations to defend and could be attacked by water, so the Qin army could not camp in the valleys. The west bank of Shaoshui was a hilly area with limited open space, so the Qin army could only camp far to the west of Shaoshui.
Every time the Qin army attacked the Zhao army's fortress, they had to pass through the Danshui and Shaoshui rivers, making it impossible to organize a charge of war horses and chariots. The Zhao army was in a commanding position and could easily block the Qin army's attack.
Moreover, Lian Po controlled the river course south of Danshui, and food and grass could reach Zhao’s camp smoothly through Danshui. As long as Lian Po avoided the battle, he could cook corn and sing songs on the high ramparts, mocking the Qin army’s incompetence and fury under the ramparts.
"Qin has been sending troops for three years and has just occupied Shangdang and other places. Food and grass still need to be transported from Yongzhou and Bashu. Zhao has only been sending troops for a few months. Behind the barracks is Zhao's homeland, and the food supply route is very short."
"I don't want to avoid the battle and wait for Qin to withdraw. Do you want me to go out and fight them to death? Regardless of whether I can win or not, the purpose of war is to kill more enemies and fewer of us. I can make the Qin army retreat with the least loss, so why should I let my soldiers die!"
Lian Po clenched his fist and smashed it hard on the table, actually making a hole in it.
Zhu Xiang quickly bandaged Lian Po's bloody hand and asked, "Mr. Lian, can you tell Zhao Kuo about this?"
Lian Po cursed, "I said it! He agreed! But I just got the news that he replaced all the officials I left behind! Even the people in charge of logistics were replaced by his trusted servants! He is determined to die!"
Zhu Xiang understood. Lian Po, who was immersed in eating and drinking, suddenly exploded today because he knew that Zhao Kuo had replaced his people, but still decided to attack.
Changping.
Zhao Kuo was wearing a long robe and in front of him was a map similar to the one in Lian Po's hand.
He didn't read anything. His mind kept recalling his father's words before he died, his mother's words before she left, Lin Xiangru's words of disdain for him, Lian Po's words of contempt for him... and the whispers of the generals and soldiers he looked down upon in the barracks.
These people had never heard of his reputation. They were all indignant that a young general they didn't know could replace Lian Shangqing and become their chief general.
The servants he brought with him kept spreading the word that he was Ma Fuzi, the son of Ma Fujun, and the heir taught by Zhao She himself. Only then did the rumors in the army gradually subside.
Zhao Kuo felt very embarrassed.
Everyone thought that Ma Fuzi was praising him, but he thought that Ma Fuzi was insulting him.
Apart from being the son of Ma Fujun and the son of Zhao She, is there no other title worth remembering for him
Regardless of his status, he went around looking for people to discuss military affairs like a retainer of a noble, wanting to publicize that he was really powerful, even more powerful than his father, and that he would be able to win impossible battles like his father and become famous in one battle.
His father also became famous in one battle. Why should he be looked down upon for never leading troops or fighting in a war? Famous generals all became famous in one battle!
Many noisy voices flashed through his mind, and finally stopped on the face of Zhu Xiang, the commoner he looked down upon.
Zhao Kuo clenched his fist and lightly hit the table.
After he was appointed as a general, he still went to Zhu Xiang to discuss military affairs because he knew that Lin Xiangru tried his best to prevent him from becoming the commander-in-chief. He heard that Lin Xiangru valued Zhu Xiang the most and had worked hard for Zhu Xiang many times. He wanted to defeat Zhu Xiang and make Lin Xiangru see his mistakes.
How could Zhao Kuo care about a civilian? He knew that Lin Xiangru lived in Zhu Xiang's house, and his discussion on military affairs was for Lin Xiangru to hear!
"I have considered every aspect of the matter, and you are the one making excuses!"
Zhao Kuo talked to himself.
"Father, using money to bribe soldiers is a small trick, and using benefits to lure them is just a mob. We should clarify military discipline, correct principles, and establish laws! I have sent people to reiterate the military order again and again, and those who violate the order will be executed!"
"The grain route is extremely important. I have already sent servants to replace Lian Po's men and have used the people I trust the most to guard the grain route!"
"Even if we want to defend the city, we have to fight outside the city. If we can't get out, we will die. I should send elite troops to seize the opportunity to nibble at the small group of Qin's troops. This will not only weaken the Qin army, but also boost our morale!"
Zhao Kuo looked at the map. In his eyes, the map seemed to have turned into real mountains and rivers, and soldiers from both armies were running in the mountains and rivers.
His army was well disciplined and fearless, while the Qin army had been fighting for three years and was exhausted and demoralized.
His closest people guarded the food route and continuously wiped out the Qin army that came to attack the food route, causing heavy losses to the Qin army;
The Qin army made a desperate move and sent a lone soldier deep into the enemy's territory, hoping to get around to his rear. He personally led the warriors to pursue them and wiped out the lone Qin army.
He returned with a great victory, and his morale was high. After several blows, the Qin army was already in a state of disintegration. He immediately led his troops to attack in full force, chasing the retreating Qin army. The Qin army threw away their armor and weapons, and he beheaded and slew hundreds of thousands of them, returning with a great defeat.
He became famous in one battle!
A flush of excitement appeared on Zhao Kuo's cheeks.
He had already won the battle in this discussion. Next, he just needed to implement the contents of his discussion one by one!
"Lord Wu'an!" Wang He stepped forward excitedly and personally helped Bai Qi dismount from the horse.
Bai Qi didn't exchange pleasantries, but gave the order directly: "Go around to the north of Zhao Jun's fortress and build a fortress relying on the Great Wall. Do as Lian Po did before. I want you to be the bait and lure Zhao Kuo's army to follow you into the northern valley and leave the Danshui River."
The map of Changping in Bai Qi's mind slowly unfolded, and a red circle was drawn on the Danshui River.
"The key to this battle is whether you can defend." Bai Qi said indifferently, "Even if you die in the valley, you must delay until I close the pocket."
Wang He said without hesitation: "I will obey your orders!"
Bai Qi walked through the standing generals and soldiers. Everyone saluted silently, with excited smiles on their faces. The atmosphere was quiet and warm, and it was eerie.
(End of this chapter)