Building multiple barriers, preparing a large number of ice cubes, sending peace envoys... The Chu army took a stance of being ready to fight, and both the enemy and us thought so from top to bottom.
The Chu army was short of troops and seemed to have no choice but to defend.
However, Han Ruzi wanted to attack, and the whole army was dispatched sparing no effort.
Cui Hong was stunned, but the emperor himself said this will, he heard it with his own ears, and he couldn't help but doubt it.
"Your Majesty, there are only less than 20,000 troops in the Chu army..." Cui Hong still wanted to persuade him.
"I know." Han Ruzi stood up and regarded Taifu Cui as the entire imperial court and the entire Chu army, "I ask, what is the chance of the Chu army winning in a head-to-head confrontation?"
Cui Hong was stunned for a moment, and then he replied, "There is no chance of winning."
"It's not good to be right, there is only one oddity."
"But... Your Majesty has used it once, and this time is different. The enemy chief came to the battlefield to supervise the battle."
"So the enemy army never expected that the Chu army would dare to fight."
Cui Hong still wanted to persuade, and the emperor raised his hand to indicate that he had not finished speaking, "The enemy army is very likely to continue to attack the capital. If they do, their morale will be like a rainbow. Whether it is a head-to-head confrontation or a sneak attack, Hangu Pass is no match. At that time, we can only find another way. If the siege is defeated again, the morale of the enemy is depressed, and the surprise attack may be more effective with half the effort.”
Cui Hong was stunned. Instead of being persuaded, he felt unbelievable, just like hearing a gambler swear that he would win the next round, so he would bet all his net worth.
Han Ruzi went around the table and continued: "Why are there so many enemy troops? They fish because of the dry waters, and after capturing a country, all their adult men are recruited into the army, and those who do not obey will be killed. Such an army is unstable and cannot be left behind. Our own country must go to another country, the farther the better, and it cannot stay, we have to fight again and again.”
Cui Hong nodded. In the first battle of Mayi City, the Chu army captured many prisoners in the process of chasing the defeat. Afterwards, the interrogation was carried out in detail. He had read the relevant official documents. .
"I have been thinking about a question. In such an army, the soldiers in it know that they will die if they advance, and they will die if they retreat. Why don't they want to fight back and defeat the gods and ghosts?"
Cui Hongneng answered this question, "As far as the minister knows, the enemy chief has an army of his own tribe, with a strength of between 50,000 and 150,000. In addition, the number of troops of each country does not exceed 10,000. If there is more than this, then If they are divided into other directions, they will even be killed. The enemy chiefs also deliberately create conflicts between countries, making the armies distrust each other and unable to challenge the army of the enemy chiefs. To live, to retreat is to die, so they are often willing to fight to the death.”
"Gods and ghosts seldom defeat battles, so the soldiers of all countries think that attacking is better than fleeing, and it is better than rebelling."
"Exactly, what's more, the family members of the soldiers are still in the rear, under the control of the gods and ghosts." Cui Hong said.
"The enemy can only win, not defeat."
"Of course, if the gods and ghosts were not victorious in a hundred battles, their own army alone would not be able to control such a huge coalition of all countries. In the battle of Mayi City, the enemy army was defeated and fled, and in the battle of the capital, the enemy army was timid in the face of battle, but The commander of these two battles is not the enemy chief himself. When he arrives, he must win."
"What if you don't win or lose?"
"Why not win or lose?" Cui Hong asked in confusion.
"A victory over the capital is a victory, and a retreat is a defeat. If the enemy forces attack the city with all their strength and do not break it, but do not retreat, they will be invincible and invincible."
Cui Hong pondered for a moment, "The enemy's chief will be in command and cannot destroy the city, then the enemy's morale will be greatly affected."
"What will the gods and ghosts do?"
"It should not retreat, nor wait for an opportunity to fight, but launch the next attack as soon as possible, covering up the previous unbeaten undefeated with a big victory."
"As such, the enemy's morale won't drop for too long. It's only between the two battles, maybe less than a day, or even an hour or two."
Cui Hong understood what the emperor was going to say, and nodded reluctantly.
Han Ruzi sighed, "When the enemy's morale is strong, the Chu army is no match, no matter if they are righteous, they must launch a surprise attack when their morale is down, or have a chance of winning."
"But the capital... can you hold it?"
"It must be defended, if not—" Han Ruzi sighed again, "The Chu army will return to Hangu Pass, and make another plan."
Cui Hong was persuaded.
Cui Hong has been in charge of the army for many years. He does not say that he is victorious in a hundred battles, but he is quite knowledgeable about the art of warfare. After thinking for a while, he said, "I will send more scouts. As soon as the enemy army shows signs of attacking the city, the Chu army will immediately prepare. Neighboring counties recruited some soldiers…”
"Bring it all, only a hundred people are left to guard the city at Hangu Pass."
The emperor was desperate, and Cui Hong continued: "The Chu army can put up more flags, which may confuse the enemy."
"It may also be necessary to fight at night, bring more gongs and drums, more than ten times, or even a hundred times. Be sure to make the enemy panic."
Cui Hong took a step forward, "My minister, please lead the troops in person, and Your Majesty will stay behind to defend the city."
Han Ruzi shook his head, "I must be on the battlefield in this battle, otherwise, what can I do to stabilize the military's heart?"
The tactics of the Chu army were bluffing. The enemy might not know why, but they couldn't deceive their own soldiers. The only one who could bring them some confidence was the emperor himself.
Cui Hong thought about it again and again, but could not persuade him, he bowed again and said, "My minister, please be the vanguard."
"Okay." This was Han Ruzi's original intention. Cui Hong was both the Minister of War and the Queen's father, so he should advance and retreat with the emperor.
Cui Hong also understood this truth, so he took the initiative to propose, and then he put forward the conditions, "Since he is a minister of Chu, he should be loyal to Chu and His Majesty. The eldest son died in the army, the youngest grandson Shangzhi, and only the second son Cui Teng was left to continue the incense."
"Cui Teng can stay in the gate."
Cui Hong knelt down and kowtowed, Shane then retired and began to deploy troops to prepare for battle.
Han Ruzi was pacing back and forth in the study alone. He was taking a risk. The so-called retreating to Hangu Pass was just a comfort. If the capital was breached, the enemy army would definitely press on the pass. The retreat of the Chu army could easily turn into a collapse. Couldn't suppress it either.
But he couldn't think of any other way to win this battle.
"Life and death are here. If the ancestors have spirit, bless me and win. If I think I have no virtue and incompetence, I am willing to die in battle."
Han Ruzi said to himself that he had always kept a distance from the gods, but at this time he couldn't help asking his ancestors for help.
After cheering himself up for a while, Han Ruzi calmed down again, walked to the door, and said to Zhang Youcai, "Please come over here."
Meng E arrived soon, still in the attire of an ordinary Suwei soldier. Zhang Youcai was about to leave when the emperor stopped him: "Youcai stay."
Han Ruzi picked up a letter that had been written on the table and handed it to Zhang Youcai, "This is a secret edict. After I leave the customs, you will immediately leave for Luoyang and give this letter to the empress. There must be no mistake."
Zhang Youcai roughly understood what the emperor was going to do, trembled in his heart, and knelt down, "Your Majesty..."
"This is not the time for humility, I have made up my mind, you just need to carry out my will."
Zhang Youcai kowtowed, trembled after getting up, but did not dare to speak.
Han Ruzi picked up another letter from the table and handed it to Meng E, "You stay in the pass, as soon as you hear about the defeat ahead, go to Luoyang immediately, and give this letter to the empress."
Meng E glanced at the letter, but did not answer, and said, "Let Zhang Youcai bring the letter, and I will stay."
"These two letters cannot be brought to Luoyang at the same time, they must be one after the other, and they must be you."
Meng E still shook her head, "I recommend two other people, your Majesty will definitely find it suitable."
Han Ruzi has not been rejected so bluntly for a long time, and he is a little embarrassed, "There is no way anyone is more suitable than you."
"Grandpa Du's grandson." Meng E said it anyway.
Han Ruzi was taken aback, stared at Meng E for a while, and finally said, "Where can I find them?"
"They were at Hangu Pass and met Zhang Youcai."
Zhang Youcai blushed and hurriedly said: "I didn't mean to hide it, it's just that His Majesty has been too busy recently..."
Han Ruzi smiled and said he didn't care, he hesitated for a moment with the letter in his hand, and finally handed it to Zhang Youcai, "You also take this letter, and when you set off, give it to Mr. Du, it must be him, not a little boy. Du."
Zhang Youcai nodded.
"It is difficult for Du Motian to meet the queen. You have to make an appointment with him on how to meet in Luoyang."
Zhang Youcai nodded again.
"You have to tell Du Motian that if the front wins a big victory, the letter in his hand will be destroyed immediately."
Zhang Youcai still nodded, "Has Your Majesty not seen their grandfather?"
Han Ruzi smiled, "No need. You should step back first."
Zhang Youcai withdrew with two letters.
Han Ruzi looked at Meng E, "Do you know what was written in the letter?"
"The first letter, Your Majesty wants to make the Prince of Qing the Crown Prince, so that the court will not be without a head."
"Yes, I also asked the queen to take the prince to Jincheng when necessary, and accept the protection of the army."
"Second letter, if Your Majesty is defeated, and the capital and Hangu Pass are lost one after another, His Majesty hopes that someone can take the queen, prince and princess to hide in the rivers and lakes, just like the descendants of Chen Qi."
They were all guessed by Meng E. There were only some small mistakes. Han Ruzi smiled. "It's just Princess Rujun. The queen and the prince cannot escape from the people. They have to be loyal to Chu. So you are more suitable than Du's grandson."
"Your Majesty is wrong. Although I am a descendant of Chen Qi, I am the protector. Grandpa Du's grandson is famous all over the world, and his friends are all over the world. They are the protectors."
Han Ruzi took two steps back, "You have nothing to learn, why stay?"
"There is a beginning and an end. Your Majesty is defeated, Chu is defeated, and Your Majesty is victorious. From now on, there is no need for the technique of an emperor. For me, this is the end."
"If we are defeated, Chu will not necessarily die. The people who stay in Jincheng are enough to build another imperial court."
"Well, I learned another trick."
Han Ruzi smiled again. He really wanted to ask Meng E a question, but finally decided to hide it in his heart and said, "Sometimes, I prefer to experience strong winds and waves. Isn't it too selfish?"
"How do you say that? A person can be selfish, but don't be so selfish as to think that others are not selfish. Your Majesty is of course selfish, as long as you can consider others."
"What about your selfishness? It's just to learn the art of the emperor?" Han Ruzi couldn't help but scold him.
Meng E did not answer, and asked, "Someone has to inform the capital and let them hold on for a while longer."
"Don't die." Han Ruzi quickly calmed down, and his thoughts turned to the upcoming battle.