Conquering cities is the best way to stimulate a king's vanity.
King Yan of Zhao would bully the State of Yan whenever he had nothing to do. After the fight, he would not occupy any territory and would just force Yan to surrender and give him some gifts.
When Zhu Xiang saw what Zhao Wangyan did, he could only say that there is nothing new under the sun. Guangshen, who was one of the ten great philosophers of the later Wang Temple, must have a lot in common with Zhao Wangyan.
When Qin wiped out the world, King Yan of Zhao did not unite with other countries to resist Qin, but insisted on attacking Yan; Guangshen finally defeated Goguryeo after several micro-manipulations, but Goguryeo said it would surrender, and Guangshen was satisfied and asked to withdraw the troops without asking for anything. After several rounds, when Li Shimin attacked Goguryeo, he found that all of Goguryeo had "changed their guns for cannons" and were wearing Sui Dynasty armor, making it extremely difficult to fight.
Thinking about it this way, Guangshen is still stronger. Because Guangshen was able to cheat the Tang Dynasty, but Zhao Wangyan did not cheat the Qin Dynasty.
The general sent by King Yan of Zhao to attack the State of Yan was still Pang Nuan.
Pang Nuan was already old and sick, but King Yan of Zhao asked him to attack the State of Yan, so he went anyway.
Pang Nuan was a very sober person. He saw the end of Zhao State and tried to persuade King Yan of Zhao not to attack Yan State anymore and to prepare for the resistance against Qin State.
But once he gave advice, King Yan of Zhao would ignore him and take away his military power. Only if he was obedient would King Yan of Zhao use him.
Guo Kai also sent people to mock him, saying that he was promoted by Zhao Wangyan and all he needed to do was to be loyal.
You actually want to influence King Yan of Zhao's thoughts. Are you qualified
Pang Nuan knew that even though he had made so many military achievements, he was still "unworthy" in the eyes of King Yan of Zhao.
Pang Nuan once wanted to resign. But he had waited his whole life, and was finally reused when he had only one foot in the ground. It was really hard to let go.
Then let’s attack Yan.
If he died on the battlefield of the victory over Yan, his reputation in this life would not be bad. He would have repaid the favor of the King of Zhao for promoting him by dying on the battlefield.
As for what would happen to Zhao State in the future, the King of Zhao himself didn't care. What did he care about? He tried his best.
Old man Pang Nuan is very free and easy at this moment.
He also won this attack on Yan easily.
On his way back, Pang Nuan learned that the Qin army had already captured Dai County and he sighed.
He knew that Qin would not miss this opportunity.
But he thought that Wei could hold on for a while longer, until he defeated Yan and returned to Zhao.
Who knew that Wei State didn't even last half a year, how could it be comparable to Han State? Even worse than Qi State.
Although the King of Qi surrendered, the other cities of Qi still managed to resist for a while and were not completely destroyed within two or three months.
Pang Nuan now has Yan State behind him and Qin State in front of him, and Zhao State has no military support at all.
What could he do? He could only fight to the death.
Although the King of Yan was not a wise king, his temper was not made of clay.
Although it was Yan that first provoked Zhao, and every time it took advantage of Zhao's weakness, King Yan of Zhao had a legitimate reason to attack him. But the butt determines the head, and Yan was always beaten by Zhao, so King Yan was inevitably annoyed.
At this moment, even if some ministers of Yan State wanted to persuade the King of Yan from a rational point of view not to send troops to attack the Zhao army, it would be of no avail.
Indeed, now that Qin has wiped out the three kingdoms, only Yan, Zhao and Chu are left. Logically, Yan, Zhao and Chu should not fight among themselves.
But Zhao State just beat up our Yan State, and you want us to be rational
Not to mention the King of Yan, even ordinary Yan people can't be rational.
The Yan State suffered greatly from the Zhao State. Every autumn harvest was robbed by the Zhao State. They hated the Zhao State to the core.
Because King Yan of Zhao repeatedly sent people to attack the State of Yan and robbed them whenever they had nothing to do, the hatred the people of Yan held for King Yan of Zhao exceeded that of Lian Po, who initially massacred the city of Yan.
Moreover, Lian Po was also a general of Zhao State. Many Yan people did not know who led the troops, only knowing that it was the army of Zhao State, so they also blamed the king of Zhao.
As for the fact that the King of Zhao had been replaced, the people of Yan might not even know that the King of Yan had been replaced, let alone the King of Zhao.
So when they found that the Zhao army was blocked by the Qin army at the border of Yan State, the local militia and rangers spontaneously organized themselves to harass the Zhao army.
Their purpose was very clear, which was to take back the food that the Zhao army had stolen.
They were starving to death, so they didn't care about the difference in equipment between wooden sticks and swords. Even if they couldn't grab food, they would still be able to get revenge by dragging a hateful Zhao man to death.
Meng Ao was in poor health at this time. Like Wang He, who was too ill to walk and should not have been on the battlefield, he chose this battle as his final performance.
The Qin army had already selected a replacement commander. Sima Jin was in good health, and if Meng Ao died in battle, he would replace him as the commander.
There were also several middle-aged Qin generals in the army, who replaced the deputy general in turn.
The whole army knew that the two old generals wanted a grand funeral. Although they were not yet mourning soldiers, they looked like mourning soldiers, and their morale was unprecedentedly high.
When the Qin army decided to confront the Zhao army head-on, they learned that the Zhao army was caught by the Yan people and fell into chaos before the decisive battle with the Qin army.
And these Yan people are really just ordinary Yan people.
Meng Ao concluded that the King of Yan would send troops to avenge his grievances, but he did not expect that the King of Yan procrastinated and before he had time to send troops, the Yan people had already spontaneously attacked the Zhao army.
The Yan people's hatred for the Zhao army made the Qin generals shudder.
They heard that the Yan people, both men and women, old and young, were attacking the Zhao army with stones and pitchforks. Whenever they captured a Zhao man, they would shave off all the meat from his body and make jerky, then secretly hang the bones back to the Zhao army camp.
Such madness was beyond the scope of human beings. Even the Qin army, who were as hard-hearted as iron, felt terrified.
Meng Ao sighed to Wang He, "Is this what Lord Changping meant by 'people's will'?"
Wang He was silent for a long time, and then said, "So Wu'an Jun will kill all those who might resist, so that they will be terrified and dare not seek revenge."
Sima Jin said: "Changping Jun and Bai Gong both saw the 'will of the people', but chose to respond differently. However, Bai Gong said that if there is a choice, Changping Jun's way is correct."
Meng Ao smiled and said, "Yes, if there is a choice."
Fortunately, they now have a choice. Otherwise, they will have to deal with the crazy Yan people.
No, they were not just dealing with the crazy Yan people, but the crazy people of the Six Kingdoms.
When Qin experienced three years of famine, so did other countries. Zhao sent troops to Yan, crushing the last bit of hope that the Yan people had managed to survive the famine. How could the Yan people not go crazy
If Qin cannot bear it on its own and chooses to rob, even if the hatred of the six countries is temporarily suppressed by Qin, it will sooner or later erupt.
That was why the former king stopped his efforts to unify the country, preferring to leave behind regrets.
Meng Ao missed the late king a little.
Then he began to miss King Renwen of Qin and King Zhaoxiang of Qin.
At this moment he suddenly realized that he was actually a veteran of four dynasties.
I have lived long enough.
"Alright, although the Zhao army is a little weaker, we still have to fight." Meng Ao stopped reminiscing, "Since the Yan people are helping us, we will try to destroy all these Zhao troops."
Sima Jin said with a wicked smile: "We can also drive the Zhao people into the State of Yan and do a good job for the King of Yan."
Wang He said, "Sell one? You mean to let the vulnerable Yan army deal with the desperate Zhao army, and make the already scarce elite troops of Yan State even worse?"
Sima Jin said: "That's right!"
The three veterans laughed and stroked their beards.
So the Qin army broke camp, and the three veteran generals personally led the charge.
Wang He tied his legs to the horse, supported his back with a wooden frame, waved his spear, and rushed towards the Zhao army while shouting.
Sima Jin originally persuaded him to ride in a chariot, but Wang He still wanted to try the feeling of riding on a horse at the last moment of his life.
The wind blew through his gray hair, as if trying to smooth out the wrinkles on his face.
Wang He laughed and shouted to his soldiers to follow him, waving the spear in his hand with great vigor, just like when he was young.
Pang Nuan was protected in the middle by layers of military formations.
He stood on the chariot and saw Wang He's charge, and a feeling of sadness suddenly surged in his heart.
They are both veterans, and they have chosen the same burial place, but they are very different from me.
Pang Nuan didn't dare to charge forward himself and could only hide in the safest place.
It wasn't that he was afraid of death, but he knew that after Wang He's death, the Qin army would have already arranged a replacement general. If he died, the Zhao army would be in disarray, and there would not even be anyone to gather the remaining troops.
He could die, but he wanted to bring these Zhao people back.
These Zhao soldiers did not want to come to Yan State, nor did they want to become enemies of the Yan people.
Most of them were forcibly conscripted, and their families were already broken up and their wives and children were separated.
I should bring them back as much as possible.
Pang Nuan rolled up his sleeves and beat the war drum himself to cheer for the Zhao army that was breaking through.
Hold on, boys. As long as we defeat the Qin army, we can go home.
The Zhao army was in a solemn mood. Although they had been harassed many times and faced such a desperate situation, their morale remained as solid as a rock.
Because the Qin army blocked their way home.
Not for the State of Zhao, and even less for the King of Zhao.
Going home is the common belief in all of their hearts at this moment, and it is also the only belief.
Even the Qin army couldn't stop it.
Zhu Xiang accompanied his children with "superstition".
He believes that although children have no memory of their childhood, they have "instinct feelings". The sense of security in childhood is very important to children.
So he often held Fusu in his arms. Even when he was doing things, he would tie Fusu, who was walking unsteadily, behind him and keep talking to him.
In the past, when others took Fusu with them, King Zheng of Qin would only go and take a look occasionally.
When Zhu Xiang was taking care of Fusu, King Zheng of Qin would visit him almost every day, and he felt disgusted with his uncle for doting on Fusu too much.
Do you have to tie Fusu to your back even when you are tending the vegetable garden? Uncle, you don't mind his weight.
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I used to lead you like this too."
King Zheng of Qin: “…”
He thought of his dark history from childhood and his face darkened again.
Perhaps there was some truth in Zhu Xiang's way of raising children, as Fusu became much less noisy.
Zhu Xiang constantly praised Fusu as a well-behaved baby. Not only did he hardly make trouble at night, he also rarely made noise during normal times. He always played by himself and never bothered his elders.
"As expected of your child, Zheng'er. He looks just like you."
After hearing his uncle's praise, although King Zheng of Qin still looked disgusted and said that Fusu was nothing like him, the corners of his mouth still slightly raised a few pixels.
It was almost time for the one-year-old baby to be born, and Zhu Xiang began to train Fusu.
The custom of "Zhuazhou" was first perfected in the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. Before that, "Zhuazhou" was derived from the "divination" of the pre-Qin period. When a child was born at home, some nobles would put jade disks and other items on the table and let the child grab them to predict the child's future, but it had not yet become a fixed custom.
But Zhu Xiang didn't know.
When Zichu gave him the jade ring he had caught when he was young, he thought that everyone in that era had started the practice of "Zhuazhou". So after entering Qin, whenever the King of Qin or a noble he knew had a new child, he would ask others about it.
Since Zhu Xiang asked, the King of Qin and those who were familiar with him held a feast for the first birthday. Later, Xunzi simply recorded this in "Qin Li".
Zhu Xiang had been in Qin for more than ten years, and the Zhou-era ceremony had become a custom in the Qin State.
Zhu Xiang didn't know about this yet, as he was the first to initiate the Zhuazhou Banquet. He still thought it was a custom "since ancient times", but it was not explicitly stipulated.
It is called "Zhuazhou" instead of "Zhouli". Is this reasonable
Finally it was Zhu Xiang's turn to host the one-year-old celebration banquet (Zheng'er was the one who hosted it), and he was very excited.
King Zheng of Qin originally just wanted Fusu to grab the seals, but who knew that his uncle was so greedy that he actually trained Fusu to grab more.
Zhu Xiang poked and supported
Su's chubby face taught his nephew and grandson, "Adults make choices, children want everything. Fusu, everything on the table is yours, you should take as much as possible."
Chubby Fusu stretched out his short legs and sat on the table, nodding his big head repeatedly: "Uncle, uncle! Hello!"
Qin Wang Zheng said disdainfully: "He is my uncle, your uncle-in-law."
Fusu didn't understand what uncle and uncle meant. He heard King Zheng of Qin call him uncle many times, so he continued to call him "uncle".
Zhu Xiang did not correct him, but just laughed at the side, which made King Zheng of Qin so angry that he grabbed Fusu's chubby face.
I pulled it once, hmm, it felt good, so I pulled it again.
Fusu's mouth pursed and he howled.
Zhu Xiang was still laughing, with no intention of coaxing the child at all.
King Zheng of Qin breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed Fusu's chubby face: "Don't cry."
Fusu bit Qin Shi Huang's wrist with a loud bang.
Zhu Xiang: "Hahahahahaha, my dear grandson is amazing!"
King Zheng of Qin began to doubt whether he had made the right decision to hand Fusu over to his uncle to raise.
Time passed day by day as King Zheng of Qin was suspicious, and finally it was time for Prince Fusu of Qin to have his first birthday.
Important ministers and royal family members gathered around the large carpet, staring to see what the little Prince Qin would grab.
Although they already knew that the prince must have been trained, most likely to catch a seal or a sword, they were still very interested in Prince Qin's performance.
One-year-old children mostly act on instinct, so it is normal for them to suddenly cry during the birthday banquet or be attracted by other objects.
Although they didn't want to make fun of Prince Qin, who doesn't like to have fun
With Lord Changping here, even if the Crown Prince behaves in a disgraceful manner, the King of Qin should not be angry and humiliated.
"Okay, Fusu, work hard." Zhu Xiang smiled and put the fat Fusu who was playing with his fingers in his arms on the stall, "After we catch them, we will go home and eat milk cakes."
Little Fusu immediately straightened up his chubby head and stopped playing with his fingers.
He glanced at the things on the ground and pulled out the sweat towel from behind.
The ministers: “?”
Little Fusu unfolded the handkerchief, and it turned out to be a very large piece of silk. Because it was so thin, it looked so small.
Cai Ze's mouth twitched. Lin Zhi's mouth curled up. Xunzi glared at Zhu Xiang fiercely.
Under the puzzled gazes of his ministers, little Fusu threw the things on the stall, from small to large, onto the silk.
Seals, swords, books, and jade pendants, all were thrown in.
Ministers: “…”
They looked at King Zheng of Qin silently.
King Zheng of Qin still had a sullen look on his face, with no sign of any change in his expression.
They looked at Changping Jun again.
Duke Zhu Xiang looked at the little Fusu crawling on the ground with a kind face.
They turned their attention back to Crown Prince Fusu.
Little Fusu was a child who was not afraid of strangers. He ignored the strangers' gazes and continued to pile things onto the silk.
As the silk was piling up, little Fusu found that there was not enough space.
The ministers stretched their necks and looked intently.
The little prince finally has to make a choice. I wonder what he will give up
Little Fusu sat in front of a pile of items and fell into deep thought.
Zhu Xiang couldn't help but whisper to Qin Wang Zheng: "He looks like you when he frowns."
King Zheng of Qin snorted coldly.
Little Fusu looked at Zhu Xiang: "Uncle, father!"
Qin Wang Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "It's my uncle!"
Little Fusu looked at Qin Wangzheng: "Ah...Father!"
Qin Wang Zheng said coldly: "Call me father."
Zhu Xiang made a gesture to little Fusu and signaled with his eyes.
King Zheng of Qin stepped sideways to block little Fusu's sight, not allowing his uncle to help him cheat.
But little Fusu was a smart boy. He immediately remembered the game his "uncle" played with him during previous training.
He started to crawl again.
This time, he crawled around the carpet.
All the ministers took a step back.
I heard that some children would grab their elders during the Zhou ceremony. Could it be that the prince was taught by Duke Xiang of Zhu to grab the King of Qin? This is a good idea.
Then, they saw little Fusu pulling up a corner of the carpet and trying to pull it inward.
Ministers: "!!!"
"Puchi." Lin Zhi couldn't help it.
"Oh." Cai Ze let out a long sigh.
Xunzi has already closed his eyes to rest.
He clenched his hands in his sleeves, ready to beat Zhu Xiang with a ruler after the one-year-old banquet was over.
Apart from Zhu Xiang, who else would train the prince to do such a thing
Amid the speechless, suppressed-laughter, or surprised gazes of his ministers, little Fusu exerted all his might and finally folded up all four corners of the carpet.
The amount is not much, just a token of my appreciation. I, Crown Prince Fusu, want all of these things.
Little Fusu lay on his back in the middle of the carpet, his belly heaving and breathing heavily.
so tired.
Then he fell asleep and started snoring a little.
The ceremonial officer asked quietly, "Your Majesty, do you want to announce the end now? Will it wake the Crown Prince?"
Qin Wang Zheng gnashed his teeth and said, "We should wake him up!"
He strode to the center of the carpet and picked up his tired, fat son.
Little Fusu opened his eyes and said, "All of them, give them to father!"
King Zheng of Qin: “…”
Zhu Xiang showed a proud smile.
He did this final training secretly without telling Zheng Er. Was it a surprise
The ceremonial officer immediately shouted: "The prince has grasped all the items and presented them to the King of Qin!"
The ministers were shocked.
How did you teach your child, Duke Zhu Xiang? How could a one-year-old child do such a complicated thing? Teach us!
Xunzi loosened his clenched hands.
He showed a satisfied smile and decided not to hit Zhu Xiang anymore.
Lin Zhi immediately bowed and shouted: "The prince is filial, congratulations to the king!"
Cai Ze also echoed: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
All the ministers quickly followed suit and shouted.
King Zheng of Qin frowned and silently put his fat son, who had closed his eyes again, into his arms.
After Zhu Xiang corrected his posture of holding the child, it was now able to allow his fat son to sleep peacefully.
Zhu Xiang smiled and bowed to Qin Wangzheng: "Congratulations."
Qin Wangzheng sighed lightly and said in a low voice: "Uncle, I am no longer a child. You don't need to coax me like this."
Zhu Xiang asked, "Why do you have to be a child to make you happy?"
King Zheng of Qin was silent.
Well, he was happy indeed.
He patted his fat son's butt and seemed not so dissatisfied with Fusu.
The story of Crown Prince Fusu's one-year-old birthday celebration was soon written into various popular short stories by Xunzi.
Lin Zhi had this matter spread quickly to every corner of the world, letting everyone know that the Qin State had produced four generations of wise rulers, and the next prince would still be a wise ruler.
The Crown Prince of Qin was as domineering as ever. When he was holding the first-year-old birthday celebration, he used a carpet as a wrapping and rolled up all the items for the celebration.
But the Crown Prince of Qin was very filial, and he presented all the items for the one-year-old banquet to the King of Qin.
Whether this was Prince Qin's own decision (most likely not) or he was taught by someone else, the fact that he was able to accomplish this in one go has already proved how smart he is.
"I heard that the prince was raised by Duke Zhu Xiang. No wonder."
"I heard that the King of Qin helped Duke Zhu Xiang handle government affairs when he was still a child. I wonder if it is just a rumor."
"I am from Chengdu. I saw it with my own eyes. It is not a rumor. At that time, the King of Qin was not even as tall as my waist."
"What! You actually compared heights with the King of Qin!"
The onlookers stood in awe.
Li Erlang smiled, bought a bunch of small toys from the street, and went to visit Zhu Xiang.
These little toys were specifically requested by Duke Xiang of Zhu to be given to the little prince as gifts.
The news that the King of Qin had an extremely intelligent prince, who was also taught by Duke Xiang of Zhu, made the scholars of the Three Kingdoms, which had not yet perished, feel very uncomfortable.
How could a country have five generations of wise rulers? If we count the ancestors of the Qin State such as King Wu of Qin, that would be eight generations of wise rulers.
A country has eight consecutive generations of wise rulers. Even if there was a struggle for the throne in the middle, there was no political chaos. One of the wise rulers who lasted a long time was forced to take over by the enemy. This luck can only be said to be the destiny of Qin.
When the Zhao army that was attacking Yan was blocked by Qin, it was almost wiped out by the joint attack of Qin and Yan. When the news of the death of its commander Pang Nuan spread, people all sighed, thinking that Zhao was not far from destruction.
There are two kinds of elite troops in Zhao State. One is directly under the command of the King of Zhao, and is usually managed by the general; the other is the border defense force that resists the Hu people in the three northern counties.
Jiuyuan County, Yunzhong County, Yanmen County and Dai County had all been lost, and most of the border guards who resisted the Hu people surrendered to Qin and were incorporated into Qin.
The only elite force left in Zhao State was the army led by Pang Nuan to attack Yan.
Now Pang Nuan was killed in battle, and the army attacking Yan was completely wiped out. Even if Zhao State was lucky enough to dig out a lost general like Pang Nuan who was 70 or 80 years old and had never fought a battle, and then became famous in one battle, it would have no soldiers left to fight.
Two generals of Qin also died in this battle.
The main general Meng Ao and the deputy general Wang He were killed in the battle. The deputy general Sima Jin temporarily took over as the main general, completed the pursuit of the Zhao army, and then escorted the coffins of Meng Ao and Wang He back to Xianyang City.
King Zheng of Qin had the coffin opened, and regardless of the slight decay of the corpse, he covered the two old generals with his robe.
Zhu Xiang stood beside King Zheng of Qin and watched the two old generals leave quietly.
Wang He had many scars on his body, but he had a smile on his face, which looked very strange.
Meng Ao was very calm. It was said that he closed his eyes peacefully after the war. Strictly speaking, he should be considered to have died of illness.
Judging from their expressions, they should have no regrets when they left.
Sima Jin complained: "They left first and entrusted the army to me. I also want to die on the battlefield."
After listening to Sima Jin's complaints, King Zheng of Qin and Zhu Xiang could no longer grieve.
Zhu Xiang joked to Sima Jin, "General Sima should be left behind. Do you still remember how you tormented General Wang in Changping?"
Sima Jin immediately said: "Absolutely not!"
Zhu Xiang began to expose Sima Jin's dark history, such as how he danced with his shirt off in front of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and was kicked into the field, and how he dragged Wang He onto the stage to perform...
King Zheng of Qin listened with great interest.
Sima Jin did not get angry. He patted his head cheerfully and said, "Duke Zhu Xiang, you still remember it. It was so long ago, I almost forgot it."
Zhu Xiang smiled and replied, "Yes, I remember everything."
Sima Jin also laughed and said, "That's great. When I die on the battlefield, Duke Zhu Xiang will come to see me off and help me publicize my past."
Qin Wang Zheng looked disdainful. Instead of feeling ashamed, he was proud of it
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Okay."
(End of this chapter)