When the Qin reinforcements appeared, the King of Zhao knew, even though he had no experience, that it was too late even if he sent troops to rescue them.
At this time, the King of Zhao regretted not listening to Yu Xin's advice. If he had not sent people to Qin to seek peace, but sent people to other countries to ask for a joint attack on Qin, how could he have ended up like this
Although the King of Zhao regretted it, he did not blame Lou Chang for coming up with such a bad idea. He even gave Lou Chang gold, telling him not to worry or be afraid. Lou Qing's idea was originally very good, but it was because the Qin people were too cunning and refused to make peace that this happened.
The King of Zhao treated Lou Chang so well because the Lou family was originally a branch of the Zhao family with the surname Ying.
This matter can be traced back to the story of "The Orphan of Zhao" during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Zhao Yingqi, Zhao Tong, and Zhao Kuo (who only had the same name as Zhao Kuo who led the army in Changping, but not blood relationship) were brothers from the same mother. Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo were not on good terms with Zhao Yingqi, and it happened that Zhao Yingqi had an affair with his widowed niece Zhuang Ji, so Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo exiled Zhao Yingqi to Qi. Zhao Yingqi died in Qi.
Zhuang Ji hated Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo deeply and falsely accused them of treason. It happened that the powerful officials of Jin State had a grudge against the Zhao family, and Duke Jing of Jin also wanted to weaken the Zhao family. The monarch and his officials hit it off, and the Zhao family was almost exterminated. Then Duke Jing of Jin let his nephew Zhao Wu inherit the position of the patriarch of the Zhao family and the fief of the Zhao family. Zhao Wu was the "Orphan of Zhao".
As the Zhao family lost its connections, Zhao Yingqi's descendants in Qi returned to Zhao. In order to show Jin Jinggong that he had no intention of competing with Zhao Wu for the position of suzerain, Zhao Yingqi's lineage changed its name to Lou.
After the Three Families divided Jin, the Lou family naturally became closer to the King of Zhao than other nobles in Zhao State, and was considered half of the royal family. The King of Zhao had always been very close to the Lou family.
But this kind of closeness also depends on the person.
Lou Chang always stood on the side of King Huiwen of Zhao. Even though he had no talent, King Huiwen of Zhao gave him the opportunity to attack several cities of Wei State, but he did not take the credit even though it was delivered to his mouth. It was Lian Po who took over several cities for him, but King Huiwen of Zhao still supported him with honor. The current King of Zhao also trusts Lou Chang very much.
Lou Huan, a member of the same clan as Lou Chang, was quite talented and had supported King Wuling of Zhao in reforming the Hu clothing and horse riding. However, he was a loyal and lonely minister to King Wuling of Zhao. After King Wuling of Zhao was cruelly starved to death in the Shaqiu Palace, Lou Huan, who was sent as an envoy to Qin, naturally could not return. He became a guest official and prime minister of Qin.
Li Dui, one of the masterminds who starved King Wuling of Zhao to death and a powerful official of Zhao who assisted the young King Huiwen of Zhao, was very afraid of him. In the eleventh year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the three states of Qi, Han, and Wei led by Mengchangjun attacked Qin and won a great victory, breaking through the Hangu Pass of Qin. Qin ceded land and paid compensation to seek peace. Li Dui took this opportunity to send envoys to Qin to take advantage of the situation and make Qin dismiss Lou Huan.
With new and old grudges adding up, Lou Huan hated the current Zhao State even more.
Although Lou Huan is no longer the prime minister of Qin, he is nearly seventy years old and is still active at the forefront of collecting first-hand information from Zhao.
There were not as many barriers between the countries in the Warring States Period as later generations imagined, and nobles and commoners moved frequently between the countries.
The power of the seven kingdoms was legally derived from the Zhou dynasty, and they were probably still one family a few hundred years ago. So the nobles at that time served as officials, just like the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms, where people from the same family often served different monarchs. They were merciless when they met on the battlefield, but they often communicated with each other when they were not fighting.
Lou Huan pretended to be frustrated in Qin State, and often wrote letters to Lou Chang, the current patriarch of the Lou family, to complain and express how much he missed Zhao State. Occasionally, he revealed some trivial news about Qin State to Lou Chang to win his trust, and then collected news about Zhao State from Lou Chang.
Lou Chang also thought that he was collecting news about Qin from Lou Huan. Whatever Lou Huan revealed, he would immediately tell the King of Zhao. As a result, the King of Zhao trusted Lou Chang more and more.
Although Lou Chang's proposal for peace talks with Qin was unsuccessful, the King of Zhao himself did not show sincerity in the peace talks by increasing his troops while negotiating. Therefore, the King of Zhao not only did not alienate Lou Chang, but also felt guilty towards him.
The people whom King Zhao trusted and relied on all had very good personalities and tempers.
The King of Zhao first apologized to Lou Chang, taking some of the blame for not having a good peace talks with the State of Qin on himself, and then asked Lou Chang, the "Qin expert", whether he should hastily send more troops, ask for help from other countries, or give up Changping and Zhao Kuo.
Lou Chang, the "Qin expert", advised: "Qin reinforcements have arrived, and they are just waiting to besiege the city. It takes time for us to recruit soldiers, and it takes even more time to travel thousands of miles to ask for help. By this time, the Qin army may have defeated General Zhao."
King Zhao sighed: "What should I do?"
Lou Chang said: "Now we can only try to reduce the losses as much as possible. After the Battle of Changping, other countries will definitely take advantage of the situation. Your Majesty should indeed recruit soldiers, but the recruited soldiers should be used to protect Handan."
Although Lou Chang was fooled by Lou Huan, he was not stupid and could still make normal suggestions.
The Qin army was preparing to "besiege the city and attack the reinforcements". The Zhao State was already one step behind and it would be useless to catch up. It would be better to give up Changping, shrink the front line and prepare for what would happen next.
The King of Zhao sighed again: "I know this is the way to go. But Changping has horses and clothes, and there are hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers. I can't bear to give them up."
Lou Chang hesitated for a moment and said, "The Qin people are cruel, and Bai Qi is even more bloodthirsty. Perhaps the Qin people will really kill hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers."
The King of Zhao said anxiously: "What should I do? If the Qin people kill all the prisoners of war, who will farm the land and do the corvée for me?"
Lou Chang hesitated, not knowing whether he should do this. He had already made a mistake once, what if he made another mistake this time
But he remembered the gold he had received a few days ago, the precious spices he had never seen before, and the subsequent gifts promised by Zhu Xiang, so he still spoke: "Does your Majesty still remember Zhu Xiang?"
King Zhao said, "I remember. Why did you suddenly mention him?"
Lou Chang said: "Zhu Xiang is very talented and has been recommended by Lin Qing many times. General Lian also regards him as his nephew. It is said that he even argued with Ma Fuzi to a draw. However, because he is the uncle of the Qin hostage, Your Majesty cannot use him for the time being. Why don't you send him to Changping to seek peace?"
King Zhao frowned: "He is so young and a commoner, can he take on such an important task?"
Lou Chang persuaded, "He is related to the Qin royal family, so he can serve as a lobbyist. If he fails, Your Majesty has done his best. If you kill him, the whole Zhao will be grateful for Your Majesty's efforts to rescue Ma Fuzi and the Zhao army trapped in Changping. We can't touch the Qin hostage, but we can kill the Qin hostage's commoner uncle."
King Zhao immediately felt that it made sense.
In fact, he also knew that it would be best to do nothing now and abandon the Zhao army in Changping. But if he did nothing, the King of Zhao would lose face.
Sending Zhu Xiang to Changping to seek peace would be the best if he succeeded, but if he failed, he would have something to say. So the King of Zhao agreed to Lou Chang's recommendation.
Lou Chang left the palace briskly and quickly sent someone to inform Zhu Xiang of the good news and asked Zhu Xiang to prepare subsequent gifts.
He didn't expect that his cousin Lou Huan, who had written him a letter not long ago and should be suffering far away in Qin State, had actually been staying in Zhu Xiang's house for two days.
Lou Huan disguised himself as a wealthy businessman from the State of Qin and knocked on Zhu Xiang's door under the pretext of delivering a letter to Zhu Xiang for "Xia Tong".
Prince Zichu was very worried that the Battle of Changping would endanger Zhu Xiang's life, so he asked Fan Ju to help find a way to protect Zhu Xiang.
Fan Ju knew that the King of Qin had regarded Zhu Xiang as his future most trusted minister, and after hearing many rumors about Zhu Xiang, he had a good impression of Zhu Xiang, so he sent his subordinate Lou Huan, who was the most capable of protecting Zhu Xiang.
Lou Huan deceived Lou Chang completely. As long as Lou Huan made a move, Lou would definitely persuade King Zhao not to cause trouble for Zhu Xiang.
Lou Huan had been away from Zhao State for many years. Even Lin Xiangru and Lian Po could not recognize him and did not doubt his identity as a wealthy businessman from Qin State.
However, Lin Xiangru knew that "Xia Tong" was Prince Zichu, so he guessed that Lou Huan might be an official of the Qin State. However, Lou Huan came to protect Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng, so Lin Xiangru pretended not to know about this.
Zhu Xiang wanted to go to Changping to persuade Bai Qi to release the prisoners of war. Lian Po had lost his power and could not enter the palace, and Lin Xiangru was no longer trusted by the King of Zhao because he had spoken for Lian Po many times. So Lin Xiangru went to ask Lord Pingyuan for help.
Pingyuan Jun was very hesitant. Although he believed that Zhu Xiang was talented, he was worried that Zhu Xiang could not bear such a heavy responsibility as he was only a few years old and was the uncle of a Qin hostage.
When Lou Huan learned of Zhu Xiang's predicament, he immediately patted his chest and said that he had a way: "I am doing business in Zhao State. From the royal family of Zhao State to ordinary officials, everyone has taken my money. I know who is the greediest and can recommend Zhu Xianggong to the King of Zhao!"
Lou Huan was very curious about Zhu Xiang and was willing to help him achieve his goal. And his goal was to protect Zhu Xiang's safety. If Zhu Xiang went to Changping, wouldn't that be the safest place
Prince Zichu visited Lou Huan privately and told him that if the situation was urgent, he only needed to protect Zhu Xiang. If he could take the two away, he could also take Zhu Xiang's wife Xue Ji with him, and Prince Zheng could continue to stay in Zhao as a hostage.
Lou Huan was quite speechless.
This young master is not like An Guojun who has dozens of sons, so it doesn't matter if you lose a few. You only have one son now! Can you also lose him? !
Lou Huan increased the importance of Zhu Xiang in his heart.
So now he was very relieved to help Zhu Xiang go to Changping. Although Zhu Xiang's family would definitely be monitored by King Zhao if he went to Changping, Prince Zichu had said, and Prime Minister Fan had also hinted, that at least saving Zhu Xiang would be enough.
He could complete the minimum task first, and then slowly plot how to save Zhu Xiang's wife and Master Zheng.
With the help of Lou Huan, Zhu Xiang successfully got in touch with Lou Chang, the favorite minister of King Zhao.
Lin Xiangru and Lian Po pooled together 100 gold coins, and Zhu Xiang put the spices rewarded by the system into a beautiful gift box and gave it to Lou Chang as a "deposit".
Although Lou Chang is greedy, he is a very trustworthy person. After taking other people's money, he will really help them get things done.
Zhu Xiang soon received the good news. He immediately presented another fifty gold and a new gift box of spices, and happily completed the transaction with Lou Chang.
Lian Po and Lin Xiangru watched the transaction being completed. Although the goal was achieved, their faces were very ugly.
Lian Po and Lin Xiangru made great contributions to the Warring States Period, but Lou Chang was just a mediocre person who was a drag.
But neither of them could even see King Zhao. Lou Chang took 150 gold and two boxes of spices and successfully recommended Zhu Xiang to King Zhao.
Lian Po sneered, "Lin Qing, do you regret not going to Lou Chang earlier? If you had gone to Lou Chang earlier, Zhu Xiang would have been an official for several years!"
When Lin Xiangru heard Lian Po calling him "Lin Qing" in a sarcastic tone, he snorted coldly and did not answer.
He was very angry and didn't want to say anything.
Zhu Xiang tried to smooth things over: "Lou was once a member of the Zhao royal family. Although he is not as good as Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang, in the heart of King Zhao, he is naturally incomparable to others. Don't be angry, Mr. Lin."
Lin Xiangru glanced at Zhu Xiang. Was he angry that the King of Zhao was closer to the Lou family? He was angry that the King of Zhao was closer to the greedy waste Lou Chang!
With outsiders present, Lin Xiangru couldn't complain to the emperor in public. He changed the subject: "Whatever you need, you must ask the emperor to give it to you. Even if you are Zheng'er's uncle, the Qin people are cruel and this trip is very dangerous!"
Zhu Xiang said, "Mr. Lin, don't worry. I am most afraid of death and I will definitely make all the necessary preparations."
When Lin Xiangru heard Zhu Xiang say that he was afraid of death, a complicated look flashed across his face.
He stretched out his hand like a dry branch and gently ruffled Zhu Xiang's hair: "It's good to be afraid of death. You must be afraid of death. Do your best, and don't force it if it's impossible. I'll wait for you to come back."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Okay."
Lian Po said disdainfully: "With your skills, I'm afraid you'll be robbed by bandits before you even reach Changping. Although my military token has been taken away, I still have some strong servants. Hide behind the guards I gave you, understand!"
Zhu Xiang immediately thanked him, "Yes. Thank you, Mr. Lian."
Lian Po stretched out his palm as big as a palm fan and slapped Zhu Xiang's back hard: "Come back alive!"
Zhu Xiang promised: "Don't worry, I will definitely come back alive."
Xun Kuang was silent for a long time, and now he spoke: "Although the King of Zhao agreed to let you be a lobbyist, he will also test you. Think about how to pass the test first, and then think about going to Changping. Zhu Xiang, you have been unwilling to tell us how you are going to persuade Qin, now you should tell us."
Zhu Xiang said: "The Qin people killed the prisoners because they had no food to feed so many prisoners and because they hated Zhao for interfering. But Qin attacked Shangdang and Changping for profit. If they were given enough profit, they might be able to save the Zhao prisoners."
"I will bring food and grass to Changping. With the food and grass I bring and the food and grass that were cut off by the Qin army in the Zhao army camp, it will last at least three or four months. During these three or four months, I will lead the Zhao army to plant potatoes and tell them that as long as they have enough manpower, they can harvest several times more food. It is more cost-effective to keep the prisoners of war than to kill them."
"I will also persuade the King of Zhao to surrender several small cities east of Shangdang that originally belonged to Zhao. With Zhao's current strength, it is no longer possible to stop Qin from completely annexing the foothills of Taihang Mountain. Even if we don't surrender the cities now, the Qin army will definitely attack those cities immediately after a little rest. It is better to surrender them now so that Qin will not waste manpower and food, and Zhao will not have to worry about another attack."
"After I persuade them with benefits, I will explain the reason. If the Zhao prisoners of war surrender voluntarily, and Qin kills them, who among the six countries will dare to surrender in the future? They will definitely fight to the death with Qin. Wu'an Jun is a veteran general, and he must understand that if the other side fights to the death in every war Qin fights in the future, it will be very difficult for Qin to win."
Lian Po, Lin Xiangru and Xun Kuang were all thinking about Zhu Xiang's words, and they thought there was some possibility of success.
Lian Po stroked his beard and said, "With the two armies fighting, the soldiers are brave enough to not fear death and are trying to persuade Bai Qi. There is a chance that he will be convinced."
Lin Xiangru sighed and said, "I really don't want Qin to get the potatoes. But in order to save hundreds of thousands of Zhao people, let's give them the potatoes."
Xun Kuang said with relief: "I didn't expect you to have the ability of a strategist."
Zhu Xiang's mouth twitched. Xunzi, are you praising me or scolding me? You have written many articles scolding the strategists!
The three elders all believed that Zhu Xiang's mission had a success rate of at least 50%. The remaining 50% would depend on Bai Qi's character.
If Bai Qi was as bloodthirsty as the rumors said, Zhu Xiang would not listen to any of his great principles.
However, Zhu Xiang offered enough benefits. Even if Bai Qi did not accept it, he would not break up with Zhu Xiang. Zhu Xiang would definitely come back safely. This made the three old men feel relieved.
They thought that, just as Zhu Xiang himself said, Zhu Xiang still valued his life very much.
Zhu Xiang thought that King Zhao would personally summon him and encourage him.
This is what is written in history books.
Unexpectedly, after he presented the wooden slips with his ideas written on them, King Zhao agreed directly and had no intention of meeting him in person.
Zhu Xiang was very confused. Did the King of Zhao trust him so much
Lou Huan did not hear the conversation between Zhu Xiang and Lin Xiangru, Lian Po and Xun Kuang, but he got the news from Lou Chang.
Lou Huan whispered to Zhu Xiang: "The King of Zhao doesn't care whether Duke Zhu Xiang succeeds. If he succeeds, that's great; if he fails, he will use Duke Zhu Xiang's life to appease the anger of the people of Zhao. That's why he thinks there's no need to come and meet you."
Zhu Xiang could actually laugh at this time: "Even so, he should have received me and acted as if he valued me. This King Zhao is really interesting."
Lou Huan sneered, "It's really interesting." Not to mention that he is far inferior to his monarch, King Zhao, he is even worse than that unfilial boy Zhao He.
Zhu Xiang said, "If you don't want to meet him, then don't meet him. It's better if you don't meet him. I'm too lazy to deal with him."
He paused for a moment and said, "You are not only someone sent by Xia Tong, but also someone sent by Master Zichu to protect Zheng'er, right?"
Lou Huan was slightly stunned, then sighed and said, "I can't hide it from Duke Zhu Xiang."
Zhu Xiang said: "Xia Tong is a poor scholar, how could he find someone who could persuade Lou Chang? Has he become a retainer of Master Zichu? Or a retainer of Yinghou?"
Lou Huan's expression remained unchanged as he said nonsense, "Xia Tong is working for Master Zichu."
There's nothing wrong with working for yourself.
Zhu Xiang sighed, "He has found a good master. I feel relieved. When Xue and Zheng'er enter Qin, Xia Tong, as a subordinate of Prince Zichu, should be able to help them."
Lou Huan frowned and said, "Duke Zhu Xiang, what do you mean by this? The King of Zhao is incompetent. Do you still want to stay in Zhao and continue to serve the King of Zhao? Even if Duke Zhu Xiang wants to serve the King of Zhao, the King of Zhao may not use you."
Zhu Xiang smiled and sighed again, saying, "Since you are the one sent by Prince Zichu to protect his son, I will tell you the truth. Regardless of whether my mission is successful or unsuccessful, the King of Zhao will definitely execute me when I return to Zhao. You can take this opportunity to get the hostage back and take Xue and Zheng'er to Qin. Xue and Zheng'er are in your care."
Zhu Xiang knelt down and bowed to Lou Huan.
When he first came here, he was not used to kneeling and kowtowing.
Now, he's used to it.
Lou Huan quickly helped Zhu Xiang up and asked anxiously, "What does Lord Zhu Xiang mean by this?!"
After Zhu Xiang stood up, he shook his head at Lou Huan and said, "Just think of it as me preparing for a rainy day."
Although Zhu Xiang believed that Lou Huan would protect Zheng'er, he did not completely trust Lou Huan as a person, so he would not tell Lou Huan his purpose.
Lou Huan knew that Zhu Xiang didn't believe him, and he was anxious, but he couldn't ask any further questions.
And he was confident. With that idiot Lou Chang around, even if the King of Zhao wanted to kill Duke Zhu Xiang, he would definitely be able to find a way to rescue Duke Zhu Xiang from Zhao.
Although the King of Zhao did not personally summon Zhu Xiang to encourage him, he gave Zhu Xiang what he wanted quite readily, and within a few days, food and maps were ready.
This time, food and fodder were raised more quickly than when Lian Po and Zhao Kuo went on the expedition because they were donated by the nobles.
If hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers died in Changping, not only would there be no one to farm and perform labor service for Zhao, but other nobles would also be seriously affected.
This era was similar to medieval Europe. When the king went to war, nobles of all sizes would also send generals and soldiers to accompany him. If they won the battle, they would share the prisoners of war and spoils of war.
If too many Zhao people died, the nobles would not be able to find people to farm. Although this would not cause the nobles to starve, they would still feel distressed when they thought that half of the food in the granary would be gone.
More importantly, if Zhao's defense was too weak, they would also be in danger if other countries took advantage of the situation and attacked Handan directly.
So at this time, the nobles of Zhao State showed their generosity, and Pingyuan Jun alone provided 100 carts of food and fodder.
Zhu Xiang set out with food and maps.
Before leaving, he slept together with Xue and Ying Xiaozheng for one night.
It was already mid-August, and the weather was not too hot. But Ying Xiaozheng, who had grown baby fat under Zhu Xiang's care, was like a small stove, making his uncle and aunt sweat.
When Ying Xiaozheng first came to Zhu Xiang's house, he curled up his little body while sleeping, feeling extremely insecure.
Now he put his short hands on his uncle's chest and kicked his aunt with his short legs. He took up more space than an adult and was very arrogant.
Xue put Ying Xiaozheng's short arms and legs in place, and whispered, "Zheng'er is becoming more and more well-behaved."
Zhu Xiang was speechless: "Xue, you call this being well behaved?"
Xue laughed: "She is just well-behaved."
Zhu Xiang was speechless: "Okay, if you say I'll be well-behaved, then I'll be well-behaved."
Xue was silent for a while, and then lowered her voice even more: "My dear, is this trip really safe for you?"
Zhu Xiang clenched his fists in the quilt and smiled lightly: "If it is a normal situation, there will be no danger. But the journey is long, I might get sick, I might encounter landslides, I might encounter bandits... Ouch, don't pinch me! If you pinch me, I will go and pinch Zheng'er to wake him up!"
Xue said anxiously, "What nonsense are you talking about! Don't say it!"
Zhu Xiang rubbed his neck which was pinched by Xue and comforted him: "I have told you everything. If nothing unexpected happens, I will definitely come back. If something unexpected happens, my wife will have to take care of Zheng'er. He is the only person who is related to me by blood. If Zheng'er dies, I will not be able to face my parents."
Xue's heart ached. She knew her husband was joking, but she couldn't stand such jokes.
Xue couldn't imagine how she would survive without her lover.
But Xue was an ordinary traditional woman of this era. She was also a child bride picked up by Zhu Xiang's parents to continue Zhu Xiang's family line. Zhu Xiang always doted on her and was willing to listen to her. But when Zhu Xiang asked her to do something very seriously, Xue could not refuse.
What's more, it is a matter of leaving behind only the closest blood relative.
Xue's tears flowed down. She wanted to say "OK", but she couldn't say it.
She was very strong when her lover was still around, but when she thought about him not being around anymore, she became weak and didn't even dare to think about it.
"Go to sleep." Zhu Xiang walked over the sleeping Ying Xiaozheng and gently stroked his snow-soft hair.
He secretly made some plant essential oils and made shampoo for Xue. As a result, Xue's hair was very soft and fragrant. Zhu Xiang felt very happy every time he touched Xue's hair.
Xue rubbed Zhu Xiang's palm like a child, and choked up and said, "My dear, you must come back."
Zhu Xiang: “Yeah.”
I can definitely come back. But after I come back...
He knew that if something happened to him, Xue, who depended on him for everything, would definitely want to go with him.
That's why he let Xue and Zheng'er live together day and night, and let Xue develop a mother-son relationship with Zheng'er. In order to raise Zheng'er, Xue would definitely survive no matter how sad she was. Because his Xue was such a tenacious person.
Tying a woman and a child together was really a cruel thing. Zhu Xiang felt guilty, but he wanted Xue to live.
He believed that time would surely dilute the sadness. One year, two years... ten years, Xue might not forget him, but his departure would not affect her life.
Zhu Xiang gently stroked Xue's hair, just like he did when he coaxed Xue to sleep since she was a child.
Xue fell into a deep sleep quickly, just like she did before, even though she was sad.
As for Ying Xiaozheng, he continued to sleep soundly, unaware of what was happening around him.
When children feel safe, they always sleep very well and they wake up the next day as soon as they close their eyes.
After Ying Xiaozheng opened his eyes, he turned over and fell on his uncle with a "bang".
Zhu Xiang closed his eyes and cried out in pain: "Oh my Zheng'er, where is your uncle? How did your uncle make you angry again?"
"You didn't make me angry." Ying Xiaozheng fluttered on Zhu Xiang's belly and chest like a little fat fish.
Zhu Xiang opened his eyes and asked, "Are you reluctant to let your uncle go on a long journey?"
Ying Xiaozheng hugged Zhu Xiang's neck tightly, almost strangling Zhu Xiang to death.
"Stop, stop, stop. How come you are so strong?" Zhu Xiang quickly got up and pulled the nephew who was trying to murder him off his body.
Xue was awakened. She rubbed her eyes and stared at Zhu Xiang blankly, tears streaming down her face again.
Seeing his aunt crying, although Ying Xiaozheng believed that his uncle would definitely return safely and he was not sad or afraid at all, he blinked and cried along with his aunt.
Zhu Xiang coaxed the older and the younger ones, and then the younger ones coaxed the older ones, and by the time they went out, they almost missed the time.
Next to the carriage, Lin Zhi was supporting Lin Xiangru, Lian Po was scolding his servants, and Xun Kuang and Cai Ze, each carrying a large box, had been waiting for a long time.
"Sorry, Zheng'er was crying so hard that I went out late." Zhu Xiang apologized.
Ying Xiaozheng, who was being led by Xue, opened his mouth and howled again.
He was not worried about his uncle, but he still broke free from Xue's hand, threw himself in front of Zhu Xiang, and held Zhu Xiang's legs and refused to let go.
"Uncle, don't go, please don't go! Let's just stay at home!" Ying Xiaozheng suddenly felt panicked. He thought he wouldn't panic and wouldn't stop his uncle when he was making great achievements and becoming famous. But now he couldn't control himself at all.
"No. My uncle has already promised." Zhu Xiang rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's head and handed Ying Xiaozheng to Xue.
Xue patted Ying Xiaozheng's back, and the tears that had finally stopped flowed out again: "My dear, take care."
Zhu Xiang wiped Xue's tears and said, "Well, take care of yourself too."
Zhu Xiang took a deep breath and straightened his clothes.
Although Zhu Xiang was old enough to wear a crown, common people did not wear a crown as it was a symbol of scholars.
When Zhu Xiang was granted a low-level official position before, he did not wear a crown.
Now he put on the favorite Hu clothing of the Zhao nobles, put on the crown representing the scholars, combed his hair meticulously, and his back was straight, and his posture of bowing to the crowd to say goodbye was perfect, as if he had walked out of a book.
"No need to see me off, I'm leaving now."
After Zhu Xiang bowed and said goodbye to everyone, he got on the carriage.
The coachman raised his whip.
"Wait!" Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng and Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao hurried over.
Zhu Xiang knew that the King of Zhao would not see him off. If the King of Zhao did not come, other high officials of the State of Zhao would also be wary of him and would not come. He did not expect that Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang would actually come.
Zhao Sheng held out a gorgeous sword.
Zhao Bao held out a jade ring as smooth as mutton fat.
The sword is given to the brave, and the jade ring is given to the hero.
"Whether this mission is successful or not, I will do my best to save your life." Zhao Sheng promised.
Obviously, he also knew that King Zhao was trying to make Zhu Xiang bear his own faults.
Although Zhao Sheng was blinded by greed in the Shangdang incident, he was indeed a man who followed the moral spirit of noble scholars. Otherwise, why was he listed among the four nobles when so many princes and nobles raised scholars? So he promised to do his best to protect Zhu Xiang.
"Take care." Zhao Bao said.
Zhao Bao was a cautious person, so he would not make the same promise as Zhao Sheng. But he gave Zhao Sheng his jade ring, which was close to his body, as a symbol of his secret determination.
Zhu Xiang's lips moved.
He thought that Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang already knew that he had taken the initiative to request to go to Changping. They should also know that he was very clear about the King of Zhao's thoughts, but he still chose to go to Changping. That's why they were so moved.
But they don't know their own little thoughts.
Zhu Xiang only cared about the hundreds of thousands of Zhao people in Changping, and didn't care about the King of Zhao and the State of Zhao. If his plan succeeded, the State of Zhao might not necessarily be better off.
"I will definitely live up to your trust." Zhu Xiang promised and set off again.
When Zhu Xiang and the long column of grain and grass set out again, Lian Po drew the long sword from his waist, struck it and shouted: "I will take out my chariot and herd it over there. From the emperor's place, call me to come!"
Lian Po sang "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Chu Che"
"Out of the Chariot" describes the situation of General Nan Zhong's campaign against the Xianyun during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou. The first half describes the expedition, and the second half describes the triumph.
Lian Po used his sword as a harp and sang "Out of the Chariot" to bid farewell to Zhu Xiang. In his mind, Zhu Xiang's mission was no different from leading troops to war. He hoped that Zhu Xiang would also return victorious.
Cai Ze put down the zither on his back. Xun Kuang sat on the ground, put the zither on his legs, and played music for Lian Po.
Cai Ze and Lin Zhi joined Lian Po's singing in a loud voice, while Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang also joined in in a low voice.
Only Lin Xiangru coughed, stood on tiptoe and stretched his neck to watch Zhu Xiang leave, tears streaming down his face without blinking.
Xue leaned over, took the crying Ying Xiaozheng into her arms, and choked up, "Zheng'er, don't cry. Your uncle will be back soon. Zheng'er, don't cry..."
An old farmer nearby was watching this scene quietly and asked the people around him, "Where is Duke Zhu Xiang going?"
The man said, "The Qin people may want to kill the prisoners. Duke Xiang of Zhu should go to Changping and rescue them."
The old farmer couldn't believe it: "Are you telling the truth?"
The man said, "Of course it's true. It's spread all over the city... Hey, what are you doing?"
The old farmer fell to his knees and kowtowed to the receding carriage, his forehead bleeding.
Zhu Xiang could vaguely hear the singing of his elders and friends. He endured for a long time, but finally couldn't bear it anymore and stretched his upper body out of the car window.
The car had traveled a long way, and there was a long grain transport team behind it. Zhu Xiang did not see his elders and friends. He only saw many hunched, ragged, skinny people with dirty faces gathered on both sides of the road.
These were civilians outside the city. There were old and young civilians, but there was no young and strong men, and there were very few young and strong women.
During the Warring States Period, the population was small, and there were many wars that required the whole nation's efforts. In later times, it was rare for women to serve in the military because women's chastity was valued. During the Warring States Period, women did not care about women's chastity, and women would not serve in the military, but when there were not enough men, women would go to the battlefield.
The Book of Documents records that "fruits were collected to supplement the army's food, and sewing was also done by women." Logistics were almost all handled by women. If it was a battle to defend a city, women would also go to the battlefield. The story of "Mozi" in "Mosui Chenggui" used female soldiers.
In addition to the conscription of some women during the Battle of Changping in Zhao State, Zhu Xiang was escorting grain and grass for more than a month to Changping. The King of Zhao could not find soldiers to escort the grain and grass in a short time, so the escorts were all women and young men who were not yet men, except for the hundreds of private soldiers given to Zhu Xiang by Lian Po and Lin Xiangru.
So the only people kneeling on both sides of the road to see him off were the elderly and children.
Most common people do not know the Book of Songs. They are not like Zhu Xiang's elders and friends, who can send him off with music and songs.
All they gave Zhu Xiang was kneeling, kowtowing, and the mottled bloodstains mixed with mud and sand on his forehead.
Zhu Xiang suddenly retracted his body from the window. He sat upright in the carriage with his eyes tightly closed.
Changping.
The Zhao army stopped breaking out and set up camp for half a month.
The Zhao army only brought enough dry food for ten days. Even though the valleys were lush with grass and water, and they could catch fish and game, with hundreds of thousands of mouths to feed, no matter how sparingly they ate, the dry food would soon be eaten up.
Today, the Zhao army had its first riot.
A group of Zhao soldiers tried to drown their horses, hoping to pretend that the horses had died accidentally so that they could eat their meat, but they were discovered.
According to military orders, this Zhao soldier should be executed. However, due to low morale, Zhao Kuo did not execute the Zhao soldier, but only whipped him.
But this soldier Zhao died anyway. He was already sick from hunger, and his back was bloody from the beatings. There was no medicine in the army, so he developed a high fever that night and did not see the sun the next day.
Perhaps it was because of the grief of the rabbit's death that the fox felt, the Zhao soldiers finally began to waver in their general's orders.
Several veteran soldiers were nominated to come and ask Zhao Kuo to kill some horses as there was no food.
Zhao Kuo cursed: "The Qin army comes to harass our positions every few days. Without horses, how can the cavalry and chariots get out? Are we going to use our two legs to pass through the rain of arrows from the Qin army?"
The old soldier stammered, "But if the people are dead, what good are the horses? The horses will compete with the people for food, and we will have even less to eat."
Zhao Kuo sneered: "Our army is stationed in the river valley, where there is abundant water and grass. Horses only drink water and eat grass, so why would they compete with people for food!"
After hearing what Zhao Kuo said, the old soldier was dumbfounded and was actually speechless for a moment.
It’s not that he couldn’t refute it, but he didn’t expect the general to say such a thing!
Horses only drink water and eat grass. When we run out of food, we also only drink water and eat grass! Whether it is the hay that horses eat or the grass growing by the river valley, it is also food for us to fill our stomachs!
The old soldier wanted to retort, but before he could say anything, he was dragged out and tried by military law.
Several old soldiers were also whipped and developed high fevers at night and did not see the sunrise the next day.
When they went to see Zhao Kuo, they didn't expect that they would receive a beating that could kill them.
Because they are really experienced soldiers of Zhao, they have experienced many wars and served many generals. So they know that it is really difficult for low-level soldiers to talk to generals. But if they have enough reasons and the generals agree, they can also give advice to the generals.
Some generals would declare in advance that they were not allowed to make suggestions, and those who violated would be punished by military order, such as when Zhao She paralyzed the Qin army. At this time, if the middle and low-level generals and soldiers wanted to make suggestions, they had to be prepared to be killed or punished.
This is the unspoken rule in the military.
Zhao Kuo did not give any orders in advance, and the old soldiers also believed that they had sufficient reasons to make suggestions.
But Zhao Kuo was unwilling to follow the bad customs in the army.
When a commoner blocked a noble's carriage, no matter what the reason, he would be beaten first - in fact, if the commoner did not bow his head or kneel when the noble's carriage passed by, once he was at eye level with the noble who was looking outside, the noble also had the right to beat the commoner.
A soldier who went over the head of his rank and made such ridiculous suggestions to the general naturally could not escape punishment.
Now the Zhao army was surrounded, food and grass were running out, and the people were in panic. If the military orders were not strictly enforced, the army would definitely mutiny. Zhao Kuo deliberately agreed to the old soldier's advice and then punished him to make other soldiers strictly obey the military orders.
Zhao Kuo had read a lot of military books, and he did not make a mistake in using this tactic. When one is at a dead end, strict orders and absolute suppression by force can indeed calm people's hearts.
The Zhao army set up camp, and the Qin soldiers surrounded them but did not attack, only harassing them occasionally. Zhao Kuo's pressure was relieved a lot, and he was able to think clearly again.
He believed that the King of Zhao had already received the news that he was besieged and must have been recruiting soldiers and sending people to support him. He only needed to hold his position and wait for the reinforcements to arrive, and then he could work together with the reinforcements to break through the encirclement of the Qin army in one fell swoop.
The Art of War states that to encircle an enemy you need ten times as many troops as the enemy. The Qin army was equal in strength to the Zhao army, so Zhao Kuo was confident that he could break out as long as he had reinforcements.
What he needs to do now is to use all means to stabilize the morale of the army and maintain the combat effectiveness of the Zhao army, waiting for rescue.
After killing the chicken to scare the monkey, there were indeed no more dissenting voices in the Zhao army.
Zhao Kuo readjusted the position of the barracks and redistributed food and supplies.
He and the generals had priority in eating, and only he and the generals could eat fish and game; his personal soldiers could eat only 50% full, and he and his personal soldiers would gather the best horses in the barracks and live with them in the place with the most abundant water and grass to maintain the combat effectiveness of the horses; the remaining food would be divided among the soldiers, and if they had military merits, they would receive food rewards, and might also get the bones and internal organs left over by Zhao Kuo and the generals.
Zhao Kuo also killed injured and old horses, pickled the meat with salt, and used it as food for himself and his generals, as well as rewards for brave warriors.
As soon as he issued this order, the army became orderly and no one made any more noise. The soldiers fought more bravely and many of them died heroically every day.
After soldiers died heroically in battle, their comrades would risk their lives to retrieve their bodies.
When Zhao Kuo saw this for the first time, he was deeply moved.
His deputy general could not help but said, "They took the body back not to protect their comrades, but to eat the meat!"
Zhao Kuo was stunned. And then, nothing happened.
Once soldiers were in desperate situations, it was common for them to use human flesh as rations. Zhao Kuo did not think it was a problem as long as he did not eat it himself.
However, he deliberately adjusted the layout of the barracks to separate himself from the ordinary soldiers on the outer layer. Although he knew that it was common to use human flesh as military rations, he was kind-hearted and could not stand it.
Under Zhao Kuo's strict command, the Zhao army returned to order and no soldiers complained anymore.
Zhao Kuo had confidence that he could hold out until the Zhao army came to support him.
At this time, Bai Qi let a few Zhao people into the Zhao army camp.
"General, the Qin army's reinforcements have arrived, but the King of Zhao has not made any move!" The people of Zhao cried bitterly, "The King of Zhao has given up on us!"
Zhao Kuo was extremely shocked and angry, thinking that this was someone sent by Bai Qi to disrupt the morale of his troops.
He killed the man and questioned the second one.
The second person gave the same answer.
He killed the people sent by the Qin army one after another and sent scouts out to gather information.
The Qin army generously made way for them, and after they had gathered the information, they let them go back in a very friendly manner.
The scout gave Zhao Kuo the same news—not only did the King of Zhao not send reinforcements, but the Qin army's reinforcements had already arrived!
Zhao Kuo wavered.
Why didn't the King of Zhao send reinforcements? Is it because there are no more soldiers? No, there are still soldiers in Dai County, Yanmen, and Yunzhong! If the King of Zhao only sent the soldiers from Dai County, Yanmen, and Yunzhong at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, wouldn't the siege of Changping be lifted in an instant? !
Could it be that the King of Zhao was angry at his defeat and really gave up on him
No, that won’t be the case. I am Ma Fuzi. My father Ma Fujun has made such great contributions to the State of Zhao. How could the King of Zhao give up on me!
Just as Zhao Kuo was in a panic, a commotion broke out in the army.
Zhao Kuo thought that the news that King Zhao had no reinforcements had spread, causing a mutiny in the military camp, so he hurried to suppress it.
When he got there, he found the soldiers dancing and looking very happy.
Zhao Kuo called over a man who looked the most pleasant and was the strongest and asked, "What happened?"
The man was originally a knight-errant, knew a few words, and spoke in a very organized manner: "General, the place where we are stationed was originally General Lian's old camp. When the general asked us to abandon this side of the camp, he did not take the potatoes. Today, someone ate poisonous grass and became unwell. I once planted potatoes with Duke Zhu Xiang, and I could tell at a glance that these were potato leaves. After digging, I found that potatoes had grown underneath!"
The valley had plenty of water and plenty of fertile land for corpses. Lian Po had been piling potatoes for months, and they actually grew on their own.
Because of his bravery in battle, his military achievements, and his better family background than ordinary soldiers, the knight was promoted to sergeant as soon as he joined the army. Now he is a low-level general who can command a team of 100 people. His camp is on the outskirts of the generals' camp.
The place where the potatoes were found was the camp of ordinary soldiers. They were not from Handan, and had only heard of the reputation of Duke Zhu Xiang and potatoes, but had never seen them. So they just thought that potatoes were "poisonous weeds."
It was not until today that the ranger accidentally discovered that the poisonous weed that the soldiers could not eat was potatoes.
The quantity of potatoes was not large, and it was certainly far from enough to supply the Zhao army, which had lost 10,000 or 20,000 people and still had more than 100,000 soldiers. However, the ordinary soldiers of the Zhao army had been out of food for many days and had to survive by eating grass roots, tree bark, and the flesh and blood of their comrades, which put them under great psychological pressure.
The people who were supposed to eat grain were forced to eat grass roots, tree bark and the flesh of their own kind. Now that normal grain appeared, in Zhao Bing's mind, it was like a symbol that they were still human, allowing them to find spiritual sustenance. Therefore, there was a rare laughter in the Zhao army today.
The Ranger held the potato in his hand and said, "General, potatoes can be eaten roasted or boiled. Here are some roasted potatoes. Please try them..."
Before the knight could finish his words, Zhao Kuo whipped the roasted potato out of his hand.
The Ranger quickly knelt on the ground and held the fallen potato in his arms: "General, what do you mean?!"
"Don't eat this poisonous thing! Burn it all!" Zhao Kuo said angrily. "Don't eat this thing! Zhu Xiang's lies are misleading and poisoning the people. When I return, I will definitely take his head!"
Zhao Kuo should not have had any hatred towards Zhu Xiang.
But before he left Handan, Zhu Xiang's words to him were like thorns in his heart, and like his parents' words of contempt for him, they became his nightmare.
Even his own father acknowledged his ability to discuss military affairs, but Zhu Xiang actually denied his ability and insulted him with sophistry!
Zhao Kuo was determined to silence those who looked down on him after he went to the battlefield, but he failed.
After being surrounded, Zhao Kuo occasionally dreamed of his parents, Lin Xiangru, Zhu Xiang and others repeating those contemptuous words in his ears.
He was very angry. His parents and Lin Shangqing were fine, but why did Zhu Xiang, who was born as a low-class person, look down on him? !
When Bai Qi sent the Zhao people into the military camp for the first time and told him that the King of Zhao had not sent reinforcements, Zhao Kuo suffered from insomnia.
After that, although he could fall asleep every day, he dreamed of those contemptuous words and Zhu Xiang's mocking face every day. Zhao Kuo's anger towards Zhu Xiang grew deeper and deeper.
Today, his scouts confirmed that the King of Zhao had not sent reinforcements, and Zhao Kuo was already very shaken. He actually heard news about Zhu Xiang at this time. Why did Zhu Xiang's ghost linger around? !
Could it be that Zhu Xiang would curse me, and that I suffered this misfortune because of Zhu Xiang's curse? !
The more Zhao Kuo thought about it, the more frightened and angry he became.
The dark emotions that had accumulated over the past few days seemed to have found a crack and burst out at this moment. Zhao Kuo used all the dirty words he could imagine to insult Zhu Xiang, as if Zhu Xiang was the culprit who put him in such a situation. The fear and anger in his heart were released by insulting and belittling Zhu Xiang and talking about killing Zhu Xiang. He even blamed Zhu Xiang for the fact that the King of Zhao did not send rescue.
Yes, it’s all Zhu Xiang’s fault!
When Zhao Kuo thought about this, his mood suddenly improved.
When a person is under too much pressure, when he cannot blame himself and dares not blame King Zhao, he can only find someone to vent his anger and vent his malice.
Zhu Xiang just bumped into him.
Why did he hear the name "Zhu Xiang" when he confirmed the news that King Zhao did not send reinforcements
This is all Zhu Xiang’s fault!
By the way, Zhu Xiang is the uncle of the Qin hostage, so he must be a spy for Qin! The defeat at Changping must have been caused by him! He is a sinner of Zhao, I will chop him into pieces!
“Bang!”
When Zhao Kuo was taking his anger out on Zhu Xiang, a flash of light flashed before his eyes. He drew out his bronze sword reflexively and blocked the iron knife in the ranger's hand.
His hand sank, and the exquisite bronze sword in his hand was actually cut by the plain iron knife in the ranger's hand!
"You want to rebel?!" Zhao Kuo said angrily.
His guards immediately stepped forward to protect him, drawing their swords and pointing them at the ranger.
"Don't insult Duke Zhu Xiang." The knight held the iron knife that Zhu Xiang gave him when he volunteered to go to the front line.
When the knight drew his sword, the soldiers behind him drew their weapons and gathered around him.
"Don't insult Duke Zhu Xiang! If it weren't for Duke Zhu Xiang, my whole family would have starved to death!"
"Duke Zhu Xiang is not a spy for the Qin people, you are! Duke Zhu Xiang can let us live, but you will only let us die!"
"Prince Zheng was abandoned at the gate of Duke Zhu Xiang. Everyone in our village saw it. Duke Zhu Xiang had no relationship with the Qin people, and Prince Zheng was also abandoned by the Qin people. You are talking nonsense!"
"Yes, you are the Qin spy! General Lian led us to fight well, but we were defeated as soon as you came!"
"You made us throw away the potatoes and eat tree bark, and, and... woohoo... There was horse meat, but you made us eat human flesh. I ate my father's flesh. In order to save me from starvation, my father took the initiative to seek death with the Qin people! He took the initiative to die! If the potatoes hadn't been thrown away, my father wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have eaten my father's flesh. I am a beast, and I am worse than a beast..."
"Yes, it's all your fault. You threw away the potatoes sent by Duke Xiang! General Lian had to eat potatoes stewed with dried meat every day, but you said potatoes were poisonous and made us throw away the best food. You are the Qin spy, you are!"
"You let the horses eat wild vegetables, and let us eat tree bark!"
"The sergeant advised the horses not to compete with humans for grass, and you beat him to death!"
"Kill him! It's all his fault!"
"If it weren't for Zhao Kuo, we wouldn't be trapped here! Kill Zhao Kuo! Kill him!"
"He will go back and kill Duke Zhu Xiang. If he kills Duke Zhu Xiang, everyone in our family will starve to death!"
"kill him!"
"kill him!!"
The strictly disciplined Zhao army mutinied after being silent for a long time!
Zhao Kuo never imagined that he just insulted a pariah, but the Zhao soldiers actually mutinied!
Why? Why did Zhu Xiang have such a great reputation among the soldiers of Zhao? Why would those soldiers who would rather eat the flesh of their own relatives than take the bones he had eaten actually raise their weapons against him for Zhu Xiang
"How dare you! I am the general of King Zhao, and I am the son of Lord Mafu!" Zhao Kuo roared hysterically.
"Lord Ma Fu will not blame the defeat on those who are not on the battlefield. He will not eat horse meat himself and let us eat human flesh!" The ranger raised his knife and rushed towards Zhao Kuo.
"What?!" Bai Qi dropped the scroll in his hand on his leg and looked up in surprise, "The Zhao army mutinied and killed Zhao Kuo?!"
Wang He clasped his fists and said, "Yes. The leader was named Bofu. He held Zhao Kuo's head and led the Zhao army to open the camp gate and surrender."
Bai Qi was stunned for a long time before he rubbed his leg which was hurt by the bamboo slips and frowned, "It's bad."
"Isn't it good to surrender? Why is it so bad?" an old man beside him asked puzzledly.
The old man was wearing a plain black linen shirt and holding a bowl of half-eaten bean rice, looking like an ordinary old man.
Bai Qi sighed, "Your Majesty, we can't afford to support nearly 200,000 Zhao troops. I had planned to trick them into opening the camp gates and surrendering when they were too hungry to have any strength, and then kill them all. Now they still have strength, so it's hard to kill them. They also killed a general and surrendered, so they have military merits..."
Before Bai Qi finished speaking, the old man put down the bean rice in his hand, stroked his gray beard, and said: "If we kill our own general who voluntarily surrendered to the Zhao army, I am afraid that all the enemies we meet in the future will fight to the death and not surrender."
Bai Qi sighed deeply.
Bai Qi valued human life the most, and precisely because of this, he fought wars of annihilation.
If they couldn't afford to feed the prisoners of war, would they send them back and let them continue to fight the Qin army next time? Eliminating people can weaken another country more than conquering land.
But although Bai Qi slaughtered countless people every time he went into battle, he did not kill people indiscriminately. If the harm outweighed the benefit, he would not use the butcher knife.
Bai Qi had been hesitating about whether to implore and kill the Zhao prisoners of war. He had discussed it for a long time with his lord, the old man who was eating bean rice in front of him, but they still couldn't make up their minds.
If the Zhao army was not deceived, even if the Zhao army was about to starve to death, the Qin army would have to pay casualties to break through the Zhao army camp. Bai Qi valued human life, so he wanted the enemy to perish and his own side to survive. Which was more important, the reputation of Qin and himself, or the generals and soldiers of the Qin army? Bai Qi had already made up his mind, but he had not yet convinced the King of Qin.
Annihilating the enemy and tricking and killing the captives are two different things. The King of Qin had a bad reputation to begin with, and Bai Qi's tricking and killing the Zhao army would make his reputation even worse. The King of Qin was worried that Yingcai would not dare to come to Qin again because of this incident.
But the King of Qin was a pragmatic man.
He couldn't afford to raise him, nor could he release him. After hesitating for a while, he would definitely have to kill him. As for his reputation, the King of Qin believed that things would get better after he unified the six kingdoms.
should.
Now, both the emperor and his minister looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling helpless.
Annihilating the enemy and tricking prisoners into killing them are two different things. Tricking prisoners into killing them and killing meritorious surrendered generals and soldiers are even more different things!
The King of Qin was so worried that he pulled out a few hairs of his beard and said, "Lord Wu'an, what do you think we should do?"
Bai Qi was very decisive and straightforward: "I don't know."
The King of Qin pulled off a few more hairs from his beard and said, "If you don't know, who should I ask?"
Bai Qi said: "Write a letter to ask the Prime Minister?" Why not ask the omniscient Prime Minister Fan
The King of Qin glared at Bai Qi and said, "How many days have passed since the letters came and went? In the meantime, should we keep the Zhao army going?"
Bai Qi held his forehead with his hand, his headache was getting worse.
The King of Qin was also troubled, so he changed the subject: "Why did the Zhao army suddenly mutiniate? Even if they mutinied because of lack of food, they dared to kill the commander. There must be a reason."
Wang He said, "Your Majesty, I heard that this matter is related to Zhu Xiang. Zhao Kuo insulted Zhu Xiang and said that he would kill him when he returned, so the Zhao army mutinied."
The King of Qin looked down at the beard he had pulled off again: "Ah?!"
The scroll that Bai Qi had just picked up hit his leg again: "What?!"
The king and his minister looked at each other again.
What does this have to do with Zhu Xiang? Doesn't Zhu Xiang know how to farm? How can he get the Zhao soldiers to kill the general for him
The King of Qin slapped Bai Qi on the back and said, "Go and find out what happened!"
Bai Qi sighed silently, then stood up and left.
The King of Qin picked up the bowl and continued to eat the bean rice.
The army was short of food, so it was good to have bean rice to eat, which was better than wheat rice.
Bai Qi summoned Bo Fu, the "culprit" of the Zhao army mutiny.
Bofu is a very typical commoner name, which means "the eldest son in the family".
Bai Qi did not look down on Bofu, who had no surname. He first praised him for his "good skills" and then carefully inquired about the details of the Zhao army's surrender.
Boeuf is that knight-errant.
He was eloquent and described the events in vivid detail.
But Bai Qi didn't understand.
He asked several times but still didn't understand.
He still didn't understand until the King of Qin, who had eaten his fill of bean rice, ran behind him and pretended to be his aide-de-camp.
Why did Zhao Kuo have to pick on Tu Dou? Why did Zhao Kuo insult and slander Zhu Xiang and want to kill him? Bai Qi didn't understand at all.
Bai Qi could understand why the Zhao army soldiers would suddenly kill their leader because of Zhu Xiang.
Zhao Kuo's previous indiscriminate killing of veteran soldiers who had a good reputation in the army had a deterrent effect, but it also left resentment in the hearts of the soldiers.
Afterwards, Zhao Kuo gave priority to ensuring food for his personal soldiers and good horses. The soldiers were so hungry that they had to eat the corpses on the battlefield, and they had accumulated deep resentment in their hearts.
Now Zhao Kuo inexplicably wanted to burn the good food, and inexplicably wanted to kill Zhu Xiang, who had a very high reputation among the common people of Zhao State. Without someone to lead them, the Zhao soldiers became angry and started to rebel.
However, if no one takes the lead in this matter, I am afraid that the Zhao soldiers will continue to endure.
Bai Qi looked at Bofu, who showed no fear at all, and said, "From your tone, you sound very familiar with Zhu Xiang?"
Bofu said, "My family lives in the fief of Duke Lin, and has been taken care of by Duke Zhu Xiang for many years."
Bai Qi rubbed his temple: "Then Zhu Xiang..."
Before he could finish his words, Sima Jin came running over and said, "General! Zhao has sent people to negotiate peace, asking you to release the besieged Zhao army, and they have also brought a lot of food and fodder!"
When Bai Qi heard the word "food and fodder", he felt relieved and his mind became clear.
The King of Qin's eyes also lit up.
"Who is coming? Could it be Lin Xiangru?" The King of Qin was still obsessed with Lin Xiangru who dared to force him to beat the drum.
Sima Jin said: "No, it's Zhu Xiang! I heard the Zhao army keep talking about Zhu Xiang, Zhu Xiang, but I didn't expect that Zhu Xiang would be the envoy? Isn't he good at farming?!"
As soon as Sima Jin got the news, he immediately ran over to report in person. General! Your Majesty! The Zhu Xiang that Zhao people talked about who was good at farming is here!
Bofu was shocked, and the head in his hand fell to the ground. Zhao Kuo's head rolled twice on the ground with his eyes open. "Why is Duke Zhu Xiang here? The King of Zhao has never given Duke Zhu Xiang an official position, so why would he let Duke Zhu Xiang be an envoy?!"
"Ah, the Zhao people who sent us the letter in advance said that the King of Zhao gave up on you, and Zhu Xiang was able to go on the mission by bribing Zhao's important official Lou Chang with gold. When he went on the mission, the King of Zhao did not summon him." Sima Jin found out everything, "The King of Zhao certainly did not believe that he could succeed."
Bofu and the Zhao soldiers behind him were stunned at first, and then burst into tears.
(End of this chapter)