Zhu Xiang rode in a carriage to the Changping battlefield and happened to pass by the Baili Stone Great Wall where the Qin army was stationed.
Wang He personally served as bait and retreated to the Baili Stone Great Wall. After the encirclement was completed, the Qin army was connected, and he could naturally take turns to guard with others.
Recently, it was Sima Jin and Wang He's turn to change guard. Wang He went to the valley entrance, while Sima Jin waited for Zhao's reinforcements at the Baili Stone Great Wall so that they could "besiege the city and attack the reinforcements." Zhao's reinforcements did not arrive, but Sima Jin waited for the person sent by Zhu Xiang to report the news in advance.
Zhu Xiang was worried that he would be attacked by a rain of arrows from the Qin army before he even got close to their position, so he sent someone to notify the Qin army in advance to let him pass.
He originally planned to let Lian Po's servant go to report the news, but Xianghe's apprentice volunteered, saying that he could speak Qin language and was willing to be the messenger.
The seven countries had different languages. Zhou had Yayan, which was equivalent to Mandarin. The scholars who were sent on diplomatic missions only needed to learn Yayan to basically communicate with the officials of the other side.
However, if the message was to be delivered through the Qin military camp, it would be easier for a messenger who could speak Qin language to convey the message.
Although being a messenger is dangerous, who is not in danger now? Zhu Xiang did not act pretentiously. He gave Xianghe his apprentice his ID card and stuffed him with some small pieces of gold, silver and copper to make it easier for the Qin soldiers.
Xianghe wanted to say that the Qin army had strict laws and regulations, and the Qin soldiers did not dare to accept it. But he thought about it, and first signaled his disciples to accept the money given by Zhu Xiang, and then handed the Juzi Order to his disciples: "Present this under the pretext of giving money."
Before the Mohist disciple left, Xu Ming handed him a bronze plaque: "I have met Wu Anjun a few times. But my disciples are not as eloquent as you, so I give this plaque to you."
The Mohist disciple immediately bowed, holding the bronze tablet respectfully with both hands and said, "I will definitely live up to your trust."
The Mohists represented the interests of small handicraftsmen, and the Agriculturalists represented the interests of farmers. They had their own political demands, but they all knew that the hope of realizing these political demands was very slim.
In addition to the highest ideals, the Mohists and the Agriculturalists also had the most basic ideal - to allow small handicraftsmen and farmers who had the hardest time surviving in troubled times to survive.
Although Qin's governing philosophy is far from that of the Mohists and the Agriculturalists, Qin is the country most likely to unify the world and end the chaos. It is also the only country among the seven countries that provides a path for civilians to advance, so the Mohists and the Agriculturalists joined Qin early on.
The use of ox-drawn plows and iron plows in Qin was more widespread than in the other six states, and this was due to the contribution of farmers.
Every time Bai Qi conquered a place, he needed someone to restore order in the city that was destroyed by the war. Farming was the top priority, so farmers came out with farm tools. Xu Ming had worked with Bai Qi before he joined Zhao.
The two of them didn't get along, their ideals and status were very different, and there was no friendship between them. But Bai Qi knew the importance of the Nong family to the Qin State, and perhaps he could give Xu Ming some face.
After the Mohist disciples told Sima Jin about Zhu Xiang's merits, they handed over the gold, silver, Juzi Order and bronze plaque to Sima Jin.
He knew Sima Jin and knew that Sima Jin was Bai Qi's deputy general.
Sima Jin presented all the cloth bags at once. The King of Qin, who was pretending to be Bai Qi's aide, looked over and stroked his beard in surprise, saying, "General, this is the brand of Juzi Linghe farmer Xu Ming!"
Bai Qi was almost devastated by the king's call of "General". Fortunately, he had been tortured by his deputy general and his old soldiers, and his expression was very good.
"How did the Mohist and Nong family get mixed up with Zhu Xiang?" Bai Qi frowned, then relaxed his brows after a while. "The Mohist and Nong family are well-informed. Zhu Xiang has a very good reputation among the common people. It is normal for them to go and investigate after getting the news."
The King of Qin acted like an advisor: "The two plaques sent by Mohist and Nongjia are probably meant to intercede for Zhu Xiang. General, why don't you block the news that the Zhao army has surrendered, have someone bring Zhu Xiang and others here, and then listen to Xiang He and Xu Ming's opinions alone?"
You are the Lord, you have the final say. After Bai Qi complained in his heart, he nodded expressionlessly: "Sir, what you said makes a lot of sense. I will do as you say."
Sima Jin and Wang He: "..."
Why are you guys still acting? Then what should we call you from now on? Sir? That would be so embarrassing...
Bai Qi looked in the direction where the Zhao soldiers who had offered their heads were settled.
They were distressed when they learned that Zhu Xiang had arrived. Bai Qi asked someone to lead them out of the tent first before asking Sima Jin about what happened next.
He looked at the Lord silently again.
So, my lord, there are no outsiders here, why did you suddenly start acting
The King of Qin gave him a look that said "what are you looking at?"
Bai Qi swallowed what he wanted to say and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you summon Zhu Xiang as the King of Qin?"
The King of Qin laughed and said, "I want to see if he will be so frightened that he can't speak when facing you, the notorious Wu'an Jun. Wu'an Jun, please don't expose my identity."
Bai Qi complained in his heart again, in terms of reputation, I, the Marquis of Wu'an, am far inferior to Your Majesty.
Bai Qi suddenly felt tired.
He was often away at war and had not been with the emperor for a long time. Now he admired Prime Minister Fan even more. How could Prime Minister Fan get along with the emperor so well? Prime Minister Fan's courage, insight and alertness were indeed extraordinary.
"Yes, sir." Bai Qi agreed reluctantly.
Only after the Mohist disciples reported back that the Qin troops had been allowed to pass did Zhu Xiang continue his journey along the foothills of Taihang Mountain.
The mountain road was rugged, and the carriage wheels were made of wood, with almost no shock absorption. Even though the army had built a lane at the foot of the mountain for the carriage to drive, Zhu Xiang felt dizzy from the bumps in the carriage. Every once in a while, he would go out to ride a horse to get some fresh air.
King Wuling of Zhao reformed the "Hu clothing and horse riding" by not only changing the clothes but also selecting a cavalry from the chariot soldiers.
Now there are no stirrups, but there are reins and saddles. The Zhao cavalry repeatedly made great achievements on the battlefield, and all countries began to train cavalry. Among them, the Qin State, which lived together with the Western Rong, trained cavalry the fastest.
After King Wuling of Zhao trained cavalry, people who had the conditions would wear Hu clothing and ride horses when they went out. After Zhu Xiang became Lin Xiangru's retainer, Lin Xiangru taught him how to ride horses and shoot arrows.
Zhu Xiang's archery was as accurate as his swordplay, which made Xun Kuang, who later took over Zhu Xiang's education work, irritated every time he saw him, but his riding skills were just passable. However, although the carriage was bumpy, it saved a lot of energy compared to riding a horse, so Zhu Xiang still spent most of his time in the carriage.
When he went out to ride a horse, Zhu Xiang took in the entire scenery along the way.
The foothills of Taihang Mountain have been fought over by Wei, Han and Zhao since the early Warring States Period. It has been nearly three years since Qin sent troops to Shangdang, and the area has been in continuous war for three years. The nearby villages are in ruins and overgrown with weeds.
A passing convoy startled a fat hare, which jumped out from the grass. The grass leaves shook, revealing its broken bones hidden in the weeds.
An animal, either a wild fox or a wild dog, came out from the pile of bones and peeked towards the convoy. If it weren't for the human bones in its mouth, its shaking head would have made it look very silly.
A few crows were circling in the air, making hoarse and unpleasant sounds.
The civilians living near Handan were already worrying about what to cook for their daily meal, but here they could find wild animals everywhere to fill their stomachs.
Zhu Xiang also noticed that the weeds growing next to a half-collapsed house were unpicked bean seedlings.
Among the bean seedlings, there was a corpse with a tattered piece of cloth on it. The corpse had been torn to pieces by animals, and only the hand bones holding a broken dustpan were particularly eye-catching.
Zhu Xiang withdrew his gaze, let the horse move slowly along the team, and looked up at the sky.
The sky is overcast with dark clouds. I'm afraid it's going to rain in autumn.
After the autumn rain, mud and water covered the corpses, and weeds grew over the graves. Perhaps this wilderness would not look so scary anymore.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, it's going to rain, please return to the carriage." Xu Ming also looked up at the sky and advised, "You can't get sick in order to meet Lord Wu'an."
"Okay." Zhu Xiang readily followed suit.
Less than a quarter of an hour after he returned to the carriage, raindrops began to hit the roof of the carriage. The wind howled like a roar and wept, and the rain sounded like the clash of weapons.
Zhu Xiang closed his eyes.
He has already stepped onto the battlefield of the Battle of Changping.
When they arrived at the Baili Stone Great Wall, the Qin army sent a team to help the Zhao people escort food and fodder.
Zhu Xiang was originally worried that the Zhao people would clash with the Qin army. He walked around the grain transport team and found that the Zhao people did not show much anger or hatred towards the Qin army, but rather looked numb.
Similarly, the Qin army had no hatred, contempt, or negative emotions towards the Zhao people.
It is impossible for them to have any positive emotions. They just put on a stern face and do what they are supposed to do.
Qin and Zhao had just fought a war, and many corpses of Qin and Zhao soldiers were still exposed on the battlefield. But the Qin soldiers and Zhao soldiers seemed to treat each other as strangers, indifferent strangers, without even anger or sadness.
Zhu Xiang was a little confused.
He thought about it for a long time, and when he could see the main account, he finally figured it out.
The people of Qin and Zhao fought for their kings in a place that was neither Qin nor Zhao. They felt no joy when they won, and no hatred when they lost.
No, the Qin people were probably still happy. They took the initiative to attack, and they had military merits and land.
The people of Zhao inexplicably intervened in the war between Qin and Han, and inexplicably fought to the death with the Qin army. In the end, they were abandoned by the King of Zhao, and Zhu Xiang, a commoner, had to bribe the King of Zhao's favorite ministers to be sent as an envoy. Perhaps they were more confused and numb than hatred.
Soldiers in the feudal era did not have much sense of honor. They were all "fighting beasts" driven to the battlefield and had no idea what they were fighting for.
Zhu Xiang rode a horse for the last part of the journey. He straightened his clothes, got off the horse, and walked towards the main tent step by step.
The door of the main tent was wide open and a general was waiting at the door.
Xiang He leaned over to Zhu Xiang's ear and whispered, "That's Bai Qi's deputy general Sima Jin."
Zhu Xiang's eyes moved slightly.
Why was Xianghe able to recognize the general of the Qin army
He buried his doubts in his heart, stood in front of the big tent, and bowed to Sima Jin: "Commoner Zhu Xiang greets General Sima."
Sima Jin pointed at his nose and smiled: "You know me? It seems that I am also quite famous!"
Zhu Xiang: “?”
Zhu Xiang was very confused by Sima Jin's strange response. Why did he feel that this General Sima was not very smart
But you can't judge a person by his appearance. Bai Qi's deputy general is definitely not a fool. Zhu Xiang remained respectful and said, "I have heard the Qin army along the way mention the general."
Sima Jin glanced at the Qin soldiers behind Zhu Xiang.
The Qin soldiers shook their heads wildly.
I'm not, I didn't, General, don't listen to his nonsense! How could we talk to the Zhao people privately!
Sima Jin looked at the person beside Zhu Xiang who seemed to be a servant.
He saw someone who looked familiar and his eyelids twitched.
Isn't this the Qin Mo Juzi who has been missing for a few years? How did he end up at the Zhao people's place? Not only is Juzi Ling at Zhu Xiang's place, but Juzi himself is also there? !
Xianghe looked at Sima Jin's expression and knew that Sima Jin recognized him.
He looked up and glanced at Sima Jin, then lowered his head again, continuing to appear humble.
Seeing Xianghe's little move, Sima Jin guessed that Zhu Xiang might not know Xianghe's identity yet. He said, "The general is waiting for you inside. Only you can go in. Are you afraid?"
Sima Jin moved aside to make way.
Zhu Xiang answered honestly: "I am afraid."
After saying this, he took off his sword and handed it to Xianghe behind him.
Sima Jin was stunned for a moment when he heard Zhu Xiang's answer. He only came to his senses after Zhu Xiang passed him by.
He glanced at the Zhao envoys, none of whom were dressed as scholars, and muttered to himself, "Is the King of Zhao insulting us?" Then he took the group of people to live in the tent next door, and called Xianghe out on the pretext of telling the Zhao people the rules of the Qin military camp.
When Xianghe went out, Xu Ming also went out with him.
The two of them had already stated their identities as Mohists and agriculturalists. In this Zhao envoy team without any scholars, the two of them were equivalent to Zhu Xiang's deputies. The people of Zhao had no doubt that the two of them met with the Qin generals at the same time.
When they were alone, Sima Jin patted Xiang He on the shoulder and said, "Why did you, a great Mohist scholar, go to Zhao State?"
Xianghe said with a straight face: "I heard that Duke Zhu Xiang saved countless lives. I will go and take a look."
Sima Jin had a strange expression on his face: "How many years have you been watching him? Why didn't you tell us? I personally led the troops to secretly bring him back!"
Xu Ming couldn't help but said, "General Sima, this is your opinion, or what does the King of Qin mean?"
Sima Jin looked at Xu Ming for a long time before he dug out a name from his mind: "Farmer Xu Ming, you also ran to Zhao State... Well, you ran to Zhu Xiang's house. Is Zhu Xiang really that powerful?"
Xu Ming said calmly: "My family will protect Duke Zhu Xiang with their lives."
"Don't be nervous. My general is not an unreasonable person. As long as Zhu Xiang doesn't swing his sword to cut my general, my general will not hurt him." Sima Jin made a joke, "The general originally wanted to summon you to inquire about the situation before meeting with Zhu Xiang. However, the people of Zhao were very excited when they learned that Zhu Xiang had arrived. The general couldn't leave Zhu Xiang aside, so he had to let me come to ask you about the situation."
Xu Ming and Xiang He were shocked and said, "The people of Zhao knew that Duke Zhu Xiang was coming? How did the people of Zhao know... Is it to disrupt the morale of the Zhao army?"
Sima Jin smiled and said, "No, the Zhao people have already surrendered."
Zhu Xiang walked into the big tent. Bai Qi was kneeling on a seat, leaning against it. An old man who seemed to be his aide was kneeling in front of him.
Bai Qi had already prepared a seat for Zhu Xiang.
After Zhu Xiang saluted Bai Qi, he knelt down calmly and sat facing Bai Qi.
Zhu Xiang looked directly into the eyes of the world-famous Wu'an Jun and asked, "The Zhao army has surrendered."
Bai Qi was thinking about what Zhu Xiang would say to stop him from killing the Zhao army. As soon as Zhu Xiang said this, he looked at Zhu Xiang in astonishment, constantly sizing up the young man.
Seeing that Bai Qi didn't say anything, Zhu Xiang continued, "I heard that the Zhao army was surrounded. Given the terrain near Changping and the military strength of Qin and Zhao, if the Qin army wanted to surround the Zhao army, they could only do so in the river valley north of Danshui. Now the main camp of the Qin army is under the Baili Stone Great Wall, which means that the Zhao army has surrendered. Going south from here is the Zhao army camp that has surrendered."
Bai Qi straightened up and looked at Zhu Xiang.
He deliberately moved the main tent here in a hurry because he didn't want Zhu Xiang to pass by where he could see the Zhao army and conceal the fact that the Zhao army had surrendered.
If Zhu Xiang knew that the Zhao army surrendered, he would be at a disadvantage in the negotiations, which would not be conducive to the king seeing Zhu Xiang's true talent.
"Do you know about military affairs?" Bai Qi asked.
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "I can only talk about military affairs on the map. I don't know military affairs, let alone command them."
Bai Qi said: "You can predict the battle situation based on the terrain of Changping at a glance, which is better than Zhao Kuo."
Zhu Xiang shook his head again: "Zhao Kuo is probably better at commanding troops than I am. Kindness is not good for commanding troops. Even if I know how to win, I may not have the fortitude to order my generals and soldiers to die."
Bai Qi's expression remained unchanged, but the corner of the King of Qin's mouth twitched.
Bai Qi asked, "Can you guess how I will lead the Zhao army into the valley?"
Zhu Xiang thought for a moment and said, "Although Zhao Kuo has no actual experience in commanding troops, he is familiar with the art of war and would know that the river valley is prone to ambushes. If he sends troops, he must have bait that cannot be abandoned. Perhaps Wu'an Jun asked the original Qin army commander Wang He to lead at least 30% to 40% of the Qin army, and then use branches or gongs and drums to create a huge momentum, so that Zhao Kuo would think that it was the main force of the Qin army led by Qin army commander Wang He who entered the river valley."
The King of Qin grabbed the fabric of his robe with his hand on his leg.
He questioned Zichu in his heart, is this what you meant by Zhu Xiang is only good at farming? !
Oh, grandson, what I meant was not that Zhu Xiang is only good at farming, but that apart from farming, if he does anything else, he will fall into the conspiracy and intrigue caused by the jealousy of others.
Bai Qi was silent for a long time, then asked: "When you saw the commander of the Qin army personally leaving the camp, wouldn't you go after them?"
Zhu Xiang's tone was slightly mocking: "Although Wu'an Jun is not on the battlefield, he is not dead. Even if I didn't get the news that Wu'an Jun came to the battlefield, the Qin army commander went to a place that was easy to be surrounded. I would definitely think that besides Wu'an Jun, who else could be used as bait."
Bai Qi said: "It is possible that this is not a bait, but that the Qin army is unable to break through the Zhao army's position, so they took a risky move and went around from the north to the rear of the Zhao army camp."
Now it was Zhu Xiang's turn to be silent.
He gnashed his teeth and asked, "Did I guess right? General Wang led his troops into the river valley, and Zhao Kuo thought that the Qin army was foolish and deliberately gave up, so he ordered the entire army to pursue them?"
Bai Qi said slowly: "I ordered the Qin army to fight and retreat even if they were defeated, while the Zhao army advanced triumphantly all the way."
Zhu Xiang took a few deep breaths and suppressed the anger and sadness in his heart: "How foolish!"
Zhao Kuo was very eloquent when he was discussing military affairs, but how come he made such a low-level mistake on the battlefield? This level was far worse than when he was discussing military affairs! How could he think that Wang He, a veteran general of the Qin State with many achievements, would be so stupid as to put himself in a dead end? !
Bai Qi agreed: "It is indeed foolish. But he actually sent out his entire army to attack, which caused me a lot of trouble."
Zhu Xiang had a strange expression on his face: "We are surrounded and can't eat. Can we only wait for reinforcements?"
Bai Qi sighed: "You do know military skills. Commanding troops can be practiced. You can give it a try."
Zhu Xiang: “…” Now that I’ve been praised by Wu’an Jun, should I lean on my waist for a while
Zhu Xiang put away the strange thoughts in his mind and asked, "According to my inference, the Zhao army should be able to hold on, and Zhao Kuo will not surrender. Moreover, if he surrenders, all his clansmen who remain in Handan will surely be executed. Why did the Zhao army surrender?"
Bai Qi asked: "Guess again?"
Zhu Xiang: “?”
If Bai Qi's expression hadn't been very serious, he would have thought that Bai Qi was teasing him!
Zhu Xiang said: "I can't guess it."
Bai Qi nodded: "There are still things you can't guess. You want to exchange prisoners of war, what excuse have you prepared?"
Zhu Xiang took out a stack of folded papers from his arms, knelt down and took two steps forward, and presented them with both hands: "Everything I want to say is on this paper."
Bai Qi was not afraid that Zhu Xiang would assassinate him. He took the paper calmly and unfolded it while asking, "What is paper?"
Zhu Xiang said: "It is made of plants and wood, and can be used to write words. Wu Anjun will know it when he sees it."
Bai Qi looked at the neat handwriting on the paper and said, "I see. Paper is easier to write on and store than bamboo or wooden slips."
The King of Qin opened and closed his hands, wrinkling his robe under the table.
What paper? Why haven't I heard Zichu mention it before
After reading the contents, Bai Qi handed the paper to the King of Qin, who was almost impatient: "Sir, you are a scholar and understand these things better than me."
The King of Qin quickly took the paper, rubbed the front and back of the paper repeatedly, and looked up and asked: "Is this paper difficult to make?"
Zhu Xiang said, "It's not difficult. I have already given the papermaking technique to Xianghe of the Mohist School. You can ask him."
The King of Qin said excitedly: "Do you know how important this papermaking technology is? You just hand it over to the Qin State?!"
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Papermaking is also one of the conditions for me to ask Qin not to kill Zhao's surrendered soldiers. Is it considered a deposit?"
The King of Qin coughed dryly and pretended to be calm: "The Zhao people have surrendered. How could my Qin State kill the surrendered soldiers?"
Zhu Xiang said, "The Qin army is running out of food. Qin has also been missing out on farming because of years of war. If Qin doesn't kill the Zhao people, should it send them back to Qin as slaves, starve them to death and feed them? Or should it send them back to Zhao and wait for Zhao to use these veterans to organize an army?"
The King of Qin was somewhat speechless: "Zhu Xiang, are you here to ask Qin to spare the Zhao soldiers who surrendered, or to ask Qin to kill them?"
Zhu Xiang sighed deeply and said, "What I'm talking about is the difficulties that Qin is facing now. It's a real thing, so I won't be optimistic and think that Qin will spare the lives of Zhao's surrendered soldiers. In Wu'an Jun's eyes, Qin and its people are the first priority, and reputation is secondary."
The King of Qin glanced at Bai Qi and said, "That's right, Wu'an Jun wants to kill the surrendered soldiers. Can you convince Wu'an Jun with just this piece of paper?"
Wu'an Jun Bai Qi: "?"
Didn't we just say we wouldn't kill him? Fine, you are the Lord, you have the final say. If you say I want to kill him, then I will kill him.
Bai Qi nodded and took the blame.
Zhu Xiang said, "Please take a look at what is written on the paper."
He wondered who this person was, why did Bai Qi respect him so much and even call him "sir"? Could he be the military supervisor of the Qin army
The King of Qin then realized that he had not yet read what Zhu Xiang had written, and quickly lowered his head to read the words.
What Zhu Xiang wrote was similar to what he had said to his elders such as Lin Xiangru, Lian Po, and Xun Kuang before he went on the mission.
The Zhao army chopped off Zhao Kuo's head and surrendered voluntarily. It was difficult for the King of Qin to shamelessly kill these surrendered soldiers. The content written on Zhu Xiang's paper gave the King of Qin a wide step to comfortably climb down.
The King of Qin's expression softened. "Can you really grow enough food to feed both the Qin and Zhao armies within three months? Is it your potato?"
Zhu Xiang was not surprised that the Qin people already knew about potatoes, and said, "Yes."
The King of Qin sighed: "If potatoes were planted everywhere, wouldn't there be no hungry people in the world?"
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "Potatoes are extremely labor-intensive and have the risk of deterioration. With today's planting technology, they cannot be grown for long periods of time and can only be used to relieve famine."
He listed the advantages and disadvantages of potatoes and explained in detail how to grow potatoes.
The King of Qin and Bai Qi both listened very carefully.
Outside the big tent, the Qin army guarding the tent couldn't help but take a few steps back and pricked up their ears.
When Zhu Xiang finished speaking briefly, Bai Qi stood up, poured a cup of water for Zhu Xiang himself, and said, "Zhu Xiang, you are worthy of your reputation."
Zhu Xiang drank some water to moisten his throat, and the water was surprisingly still warm.
"The only skill I have is farming," Zhu Xiang said. "In addition to potatoes, I also brought some improved wheat seeds and my farming experience, all of which I will present to the Qin State."
Even a cold person like Bai Qi couldn't help but show a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Prince Zichu once said that Zhu Xiang had the talent of a king's assistant but not the wisdom of a king's assistant. This really showed how well he understood Zhu Xiang.
How could there be such an envoy who would reveal all his side's cards one by one and be directly honest with the enemy
Zhu Xiang was even more stupid than Bai Qi thought. He took out another roll of animal skin and said, "This is the city that the King of Zhao wants to give to Qin first. But Wu'an Jun, don't hold your hopes. The King of Zhao is just talking nonsense and will definitely regret it later."
Bai Qi looked at the King of Qin.
The King of Qin looked at Bai Qi.
The expressions of the king and his minister were a mixture of speechlessness, helplessness and... a little kindness. They didn't know what to say.
This silly boy, what kind of envoy is he? Even if he goes out to buy things, he will be ripped off by unscrupulous merchants, right? !
Zhu Xiang looked at the expressions of the two men and knew that they were saying in their hearts that he was stupid.
Zhu Xiang asked seriously, "Does Wu'an Jun think I'm stupid for telling you everything?"
Bai Qi and King Qin: “…” Aren’t you stupid
Zhu Xiang said, "These are just my sincerity, hoping that Qin will give up killing Zhao's surrendered soldiers. If I don't have this deposit, how can I, a commoner, make Wu'an Jun believe me?"
Bai Qi asked: "Just a deposit?"
Zhu Xiang nodded: "These are not the most important things."
He looked at the eye contact between Bai Qi and the old gentleman and guessed something, something that made him very happy.
He knelt down, turned around, and kowtowed to the old man: "Commoner Zhu Xiang pays homage to the King of Qin."
King Qin: “…?!”
Bai Qi: "... He is not the Lord."
The King of Qin gave Bai Qi an indescribable look. He found that Bai Qi was really not good at lying.
The King of Qin straightened his clothes and said, "Please stand up. How did you guess my identity?"
Zhu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. He had made the right bet.
He straightened up and said, "There are no generals in Qin who can support Wu'an Jun, and there should be no surplus old soldiers. Only the King of Qin can lead new soldiers to quickly support Wu'an Jun. This kind of prestige can only be possessed by the King of Qin. So I guess that the King of Qin came to the battlefield in person. I also saw how Wu'an Jun and the King of Qin get along. The only old man that Wu'an Jun respects so much, besides the King of Qin, is Prime Minister Fan."
The King of Qin laughed and said, "Why not Prime Minister Fan?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Prime Minister Fan is dissatisfied with Marquis Wu'an, so he won't be so close to him."
Bai Qi frowned slightly.
The King of Qin looked a little surprised: "Sir, are you dissatisfied with Bai Qi? How could that be? Are you trying to sow discord?"
When Zhu Xiang saw the expressions of the two men, his chances of winning increased.
He said: "It's not to sow discord."
His next words, however, were not to continue to talk about Prime Minister Fan and Bai Qi, but to ask: "King of Qin, do you have the heart to unify the world, so that the windowsills of Qin people will be illuminated by the bright moon?"
King Qin said seriously: "Of course!"
Zhu Xiang said: "The King of Qin has the ambition to make all the land in the world his own, but does he have the ambition to make all the people in the world his own?"
The King of Qin looked at Zhu Xiang deeply and said, "What's the difference?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Of course it's different! If all the people in the world are the subjects of Qin, then the King of Qin should think about how to make the people of other countries gradually yearn for Qin in the process of unifying the world, and become the subjects of Qin with peace of mind, and not be instigated by the old nobles of the six countries to rebel! Is the King of Qin ready? No, the King of Qin is not, and neither is the Qin State."
"Unifying the world is not just about conquering cities, but also about unifying thoughts. Nowadays, there are many more high-ranking foreign guests in Qin than in Guandong. The King of Qin has thought that they will help Qin conquer cities, but are they really willing to let Qin conquer other countries?!"
The King of Qin was furious: "Are you trying to say that Mr. Fan is not sincere in assisting me?!"
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "Prime Minister Fan is naturally sincere. But he has experienced betrayal and values the King of Qin very much. This value is not only a value of power, but also a hope that his position in the heart of the King of Qin will always be the first. Wu Anjun has made tremendous contributions. Even if he and Prime Minister Fan are one inside and one outside, there should be no conflict. But will the other six countries send people to slander Prime Minister Fan? As a Qin person, Bai Qi has made such great contributions. Sooner or later, his position in the heart of the King of Qin will be higher than you, a Wei person?"
Bai Qi: “…” He always felt that these words of sowing discord were a bit strange.
King Qin didn't find it strange. He frowned and thought, "Sir, are you still worried about this?"
Zhu Xiang said: "The King of Qin knows better than anyone else the hardships that Prime Minister Fan had gone through. So the King of Qin should also understand how important you, as a mentor, are to Prime Minister Fan."
The King of Qin sighed, "That's true."
Bai Qi: “…” Wait, Lord, you were actually convinced just like that?!
Although Zhu Xiang was surprised that the King of Qin was so easy to talk to, and was completely different from the domineering King of Qin described by Lin Gong, he continued: "I used Prime Minister Fan as an example to tell the King of Qin that Qin is not yet ready to unify the six countries. This preparation is not military force, but the hearts of the people, the hearts of the people in the Qin court. Although they are on Qin land, they have not become Qin people and have not put the interests of Qin first."
Zhu Xiang asked, "I think Wu'an Jun must want to take advantage of the great victory at Changping to march directly to Handan and repeat the victory of forcing Chu to move its capital?"
Bai Qi admitted: "That's right."
Zhu Xiang said: "The whole Zhao State is in chaos now. It is indeed a good opportunity for the Qin army to attack Handan. If we miss this opportunity, Zhao State can not only recuperate, but also use the Battle of Changping to arouse the hatred of the soldiers at home and boost the morale of the Zhao army. Zhao State also has enough time to ask for help from the other five countries."
Zhu Xiang looked at the King of Qin and said, "King of Qin, if it weren't for Prime Minister Fan's strategy to calm the envoys from Zhao who came to seek peace, and let the other five countries think that Qin had already made peace with Zhao. If the other five countries took the opportunity to send troops, could the Qin army still win?"
The King of Qin stroked his beard and said, "Sir, your contribution is naturally great."
Zhu Xiang said: "So if the Qin army gave Zhao the opportunity to ask for help from the other five countries, could the Qin army still capture Handan? The lips and teeth are interdependent, and the other five countries are not all stupid people."
The King of Qin was puzzled: "Aren't you from Zhao? Why are you encouraging me to attack Handan?"
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "I am not asking the King of Qin to attack Handan. I just want to tell the King of Qin that now is a good opportunity to attack Handan, but not only will the King of Qin not be able to attack, but Wu'an Jun will also be killed because of this matter."
He said coldly: "Wu'an Jun has already used 70,000 special forces to force Chu to move its capital. Does he really want to destroy Zhao? The guest officials of various countries all want to rely on the war of the seven countries to seek wealth and honor. Does Wu'an Jun want to cut off their wealth and honor?"
Bai Qi frowned: "Just because of this reason, they want to stop Qin from attacking Handan and put me to death? Your Majesty will not believe them."
Zhu Xiang said, "Let's make a bet. Let's spread the news that Wu'an Jun wants to attack Handan back to Xianyang and see how many people will advise the King of Qin to stop him. I think even Prime Minister Fan will stop Wu'an Jun from attacking Handan. Although he doesn't care about Zhao, he cares a lot that Wu'an Jun's status in the King of Qin's heart is higher than his."
Bai Qi asked, "So what if you gambled?"
Zhu Xiang said: "If they strongly oppose, even if Wu'an Jun wants to attack Handan, he will be obstructed. The Qin army is exhausted and lacks food and weapons. Attacking Handan is like walking on a rope between cliffs. If you are not careful, you will be crushed to pieces. Without the support of other Qin nobles, can you really take Handan?"
Bai Qi frowned.
Zhu Xiang kowtowed again to the King of Qin and said, "The King of Qin must know the situation in the Qin court better than Wu'an Jun. Am I right? The Qin army has traveled thousands of miles to attack Handan. If there is a slight mistake in logistics, it may prevent Wu'an Jun from winning the battle quickly, which will give the other five countries a chance to send troops."
The King of Qin did not answer Zhu Xiang's question. He asked, "But what does this have to do with your redemption of the Zhao soldiers who surrendered?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "It does matter. Qin will definitely not be able to attack Handan. But after a few years of recuperation, even if the Zhao army's surrendered soldiers are killed, Zhao can still survive with the help of the other five countries. I have a plan that can ensure that the King of Qin returns to Xianyang to reorganize the ministers and eliminate the misunderstanding with Prime Minister Fan. Then, he can still easily defeat Zhao, even easier than the Battle of Changping."
Zhu Xiang pointed at his neck and said, "I am already well-known among the people of Zhao. The deposit I gave is enough to prove that my reputation and talent are not in vain. If I can bring back the surrendered soldiers of Zhao when the King of Zhao has given up, my reputation in Zhao will surely be at its peak."
"If the King of Zhao kills me after I return to Zhao, will the people of Zhao still fight for him?"
"Qin was one of the hegemons during the Spring and Autumn Period. Why did it suddenly decline for many years?"
Zhu Xiang thought: "The sky is the sky, and it killed my beloved! If I can redeem him, I will give him a hundred lives!"
The calm expressions of King Qin and Bai Qi were finally broken.
(End of this chapter)