"Go straight along this road, turn right when you encounter a river, and you can go out!"
After a stick of incense.
Stopping the wooden oar in her hand, the woman at the stern of the boat once again set her eyes on Gai Nie. Although the terrain here is complicated, it really needs to be studied carefully, but it only takes a little time.
Walking out of the mountains, we slowly approached the shore, stretched out our bare hands, and pointed in a direction in front of us.
"Thank you girl for saving my life."
"I don't dare to forget each other. I wonder if I can know the girl's name as a souvenir!"
You can go out now!
For this point, Gai Nie has been waiting for more than a month. He was originally very anxious, but after the woman told him earlier, the king had sent an envoy to the Little Sage Village. At this point, a heavy weight fell on his heart.
However... Confucianism will not disappoint people when it comes to things.
Mysterious light flickered under my feet, and with one step I appeared on the land on the river bank. I cupped my hands and bowed again. After thinking about it, I didn't even know the other person's name for more than a month. It was really rude.
"Are you Guigu disciples so willing to be inferior to others and think you are inferior?"
The woman's crisp voice without any emotion fell, and her beautiful eyes turned to fall on Gai Nie's. It was rumored in the world that Guigu was angry and the princes were afraid, but in his own eyes, it seemed...not the case.
Without giving the other party a chance to respond, the wooden oar moved slightly, stirring up the whirlpool in the water. The boat directly reversed its direction and returned along the original direction.
"My..., this kindness should be remembered forever."
When Gai Nie heard this, he smiled dumbly. Even so, his bright eyes stared at the woman's leaving figure. Perhaps, he and her would meet again in the future.
After staying on the shore for a hundred and ten breaths, Gai Nie finally flashed with mysterious light, shifted his form, and disappeared from the spot.
******
"Father, your Majesty's intention in sending the envoy this time is not the same as before?"
In the nesting place, the new Grand Sima of the Chu State, Xiang Yan, the newly appointed Shangzhu State, led an army of 200,000 to the north of the river, looking across the river at the remnants of the Chu State in the south, intending to annihilate them.
For this reason, the King of Chu, who had been in power for several months, kept issuing orders, urging Xiang Yan to send troops as soon as possible to completely annihilate Chu King Xiong Han and others, and completely unify the division of the Chu Kingdom.
For one.
Along the lake of Juchao, there are continuous military camps. Two hundred thousand elite soldiers of the Chu State are stationed here. In front of the shogunate's military tent, Xiang Liang watched a group of luxurious palace envoys go out, and he felt something in his heart.
Entering the military tent, looking to the left and right, there was no outsider. He stepped forward, bowed, and spoke softly.
"Li Yuan took Xiong Han and the Queen Mother to the Jiangnan area. Originally, there were only 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers on his side, and they were vulnerable. Who would have thought that in the Jiangnan area, the Zhuang clan and the Baiyue clans would appear one after another."
"Gathered together, there are more than 100,000 soldiers, which may not be as powerful as our army, but the land south of the Yangtze River has undulating mountains, many mountains, forests, and trees, and many rivers. Except for the Jiangdong elite soldiers trained by my father, they are capable of fighting in the mountains and forests.
"
"The rest of the soldiers cannot do it."
Xiang Yan is quite old, wearing silver armor with fish scales and an eagle helmet. He is standing in front of a sand table. On it is a very detailed map of the deployment of troops on both sides of the river.
Although the sand table appeared in the Qin Dynasty, it was not a secret. Therefore, it soon spread throughout the Shandong countries. For Xiang Yan, he had already sent people to make extremely exquisite sand tables for marching.
Used for mobilizing troops.
Glancing at his son who entered the military tent, Xiang Yan nodded slightly, took a breath, and spoke casually about the current difficult situation.
It is certainly feasible to lead troops to attack Jiangnan Xiong Han and others, but... at this time, you have to think carefully.
With his own leadership, even if he is sure to annihilate Xiong Han, Li Yuan and others in the Jiangnan area, it will not take more than three years. It is impossible. However, the current situation in Zhuxia is worrying. In three years, variables will change.
Too big.
Otherwise, in more than three years, there is no telling how many of the 200,000 elite soldiers under his command will be left by then. Sure enough, more than half of them will be lost, which is not good news for the Chu State.
What's more, the land south of the Yangtze River is completely different from the land north of the Yangtze River. There is still some flat land in the north of the Yangtze River, but the south of the Yangtze River... is not suitable for the long-term survival of the Central Plains people at all.
"The Zhuangji clan!"
"In the past few years, there was their shadow. I didn't expect that their power has grown so fast, and they have also contacted people from Baiyue. Father, since now is not the best time."
"But... are we still moving?"
Since his father was promoted to the rank of Grand Sima of the Chu Kingdom and Shangzhu Kingdom, the Xiang family is now definitely as powerful as the three great families of Qu Zhaojing. What they lack is just the central ministers.
But now we are in the troubled times of the Warring States Period, and the power of a great Sima is no less powerful than Ling Yin.
Xiang Liang has always been with his father, so he naturally knows his father's intention, but it is not good to not send troops all the time, because he will eventually fall into the trap of the three major families of Qu Zhaojing.
The rise and power of the Xiang clan was by no means what they expected to see, not to mention that now their father was openly in charge of all the soldiers in the Chu Kingdom except for the family fiefdoms.
Really high authority.
"This time, the king will send troops as soon as possible to attack Xiong Han and others."
"One more thing is the view on the land of Sanjin!"
"Xiang Liang, you have been with your father for so many years, and you have learned almost all the skills of being a father. How do you think your father should make a decision now?"
Xiang Yan retracted her gaze from the sand table. All the traces on the sand table were completely imprinted in the depths of her mind. Now looking across the river, she saw that she was taking the initiative.
Therefore, you don't need to worry.
The conversation changed and landed on another topic.
"Qin attacked Zhao?"
When Xiang Liang heard this, his eyebrows raised, and a trace of deep solemnity appeared on his determined expression.
"Father, if Yan, Wei, Qi, and Chu do not help, I think that Zhao will not be able to survive Qin's offensive this time. As my father said in the early years, Qin will be defeated in the battle of Changping."
We have a fighter plane that can destroy Zhao."
"Today, Qin is stronger and Zhao is weaker, so it is even more unstoppable. If Zhao is destroyed, only Wei will be left in the land of the Three Jins, and it will be impossible to resist Qin, even if Wu Qi is alive."
"Without the three Jin Dynasties, the Qin State has expanded its territory thousands of miles, and its troops have reached Qi, Chu, and Yan. At this time, the Qin State may really achieve great success."
Xiang Liang sighed softly, Chu State was originally the country with the most potential and power to accomplish this, but for hundreds of years, Chu State had been experiencing endless domestic wars, endless family feuds, and a huge loss of national power.
The importance of Zhao State is not only to Wei State, but also to Chu State.
But... now the king has ordered to take the lead in wiping out Xiong Han and others. Two hundred thousand elite soldiers have gathered here. The area north of the Huai River is just a garrison. If the Qin army suddenly goes south, the Chu army will not be able to resist at all.
"so?"
Xiang Yan nodded slightly. His son's analysis was correct, but what he needed was the answer and the result.
"Father!"
"I think that my father should write to the king at this moment, thinking that it is important to preserve Zhao. If Zhao survives, Qin's power will always be on Zhao and will not fall on Chu."
"The current power of the Chu State cannot compete with the Qin State. Therefore, the Chu State should help the Zhao State and repeat the great feat of the Battle of Handan. As expected, the Zhao State has saved Xiong Han and others from the Jiangnan area. We have enough time to do so.
Clean them up."
Xiang Liang took a step closer again and whispered, now his father is the great Sima of the Chu State, the strength of the Chu State is the strength of his father, and the strength of the Xiang family. If the Chu State does not exist, where will the Xiang family go?
"What if Chu State helps Zhao State, Xiong Han, Li Yuan and others cross the river?"
Xiang Yan didn't comment and just said one word again.
"Father, I thought that if Xiong Han, Li Yuan and others really crossed the river, it might not be a bad thing. It is a good thing for both the king and my father."
Hearing his father's words again, Xiang Liang did not respond quickly this time. He once again glanced left and right with caution, took two steps, walked to his father's side, and whispered.
"Oh, how about it?"
Although Xiang Yan's face was old, her eyes that were still shining with mysterious light narrowed slightly and she looked at her son curiously.
"Father, from here...to here, most of the fiefdoms north of the river belong to Qu Zhaojingwei's large family, and there are also some small families that are attached to them."
"Previously, the king ordered my father to lead 200,000 elite troops to exterminate Xiong Han and others. The first person to suggest it was Ling Yin, and then the left and right Sima. The king did not directly agree, but postponed it because of the conflict between Qin and Zhao."
"I think that the king may not have had the same idea in his mind at that time. He wanted to use the power of Xiong Han and others to weaken the strength of Qu Zhaojing and other families, so that he could monopolize power and revitalize the imperial court."
Xiang Liang tilted his body slightly and pointed with one hand at the sand table beside his father. He moved from the Dongting beside the river in the ancestral land of the Chu Kingdom, and went southward along the river until he reached the land east of the Yangtze River where the Xiang family lived.
The land in Nuoda is privately owned by the aristocratic families. Those old aristocratic families have various privileges in their own fiefdoms, and even have their own private soldiers. Otherwise, they would not be able to hold important positions in the government.
Qu Zhaojing and other big aristocratic families have a strong foundation in the Chu country. Although Zhuang Ji caused chaos more than thirty years ago, it did not damage the foundation of the family. In addition, for the Xiang family, his father shouldered important responsibilities that should have been borne by the aristocratic family fiefdom.
"Hahaha."
"My son can think of this, and he is very happy as a father."
"But... now that the king has just been established, all the powers are still in the hands of those people. Therefore, it is impossible to end the war between Xiong Han, Li Yuan and others. However, you are right about one thing, that is, the king
meaning."
Xiang Yan smiled brightly and said that he had four sons, two of whom were fond of literature and two of whom were fond of martial arts. Now the one who won his heart the most was Xiang Liang, and it was pretty good that he could think of that.
"But, father..., nothing can really happen to Zhao Guo now!"
Xiang Liang nodded, and then his expression changed again.
"Zhao Guo..., this time the Qin State dispatched more than 400,000 troops from the Lantian Camp, more than 100,000 troops from the Guanwai Camp, and about 200,000 troops from Sanchuan County, Yingchuan County, and Nanyang County."
"Unless Chu State devotes all its strength to help Zhao State, otherwise... Zhao State will not be able to survive this disaster!"
Xiang Yan sighed deeply. Compared to his son, he had a better understanding of the Xia, Shandong and other kingdoms over the past decades. Zhao State... really had no hope.
In Handan, the King of Zhao is ignorant and incompetent, and his sycophantic minister Guo Kai acts wantonly. With such a king and ministers in the country, even if the Chu State helps, the Qin State can be avoided for a while. What next?
This time, Qin State is bent on attacking Zhao State. In the land of Nanyang, Nanyang Guard Ye Teng and Chen Bing are stationed on the border of Chu State to intimidate Chu State. This is the intention. Although it does not pose a great threat to Chu State, the current Chu State
Nor is it the Chu State of the past.
"On the side of Qi State, the Confucian Little Sage Village takes action, and hundreds of schools are unable to retreat. Qi State cannot help. Yan State is rumored to attack Zhao. The power of Wei State is really weak."
Following what he said before, Xiang Yan continued to say that in order to successfully attack and destroy the State of Zhao, the State of Qin had spent a lot of money. If he really led his elite troops to rescue the State of Zhao.
He was afraid that as soon as he left, Xiong Han and others would cross the river in the south of the Yangtze River, and with the presence of Nanyang guard Ye Teng and the Bashu army, the Chu country would be in danger.
"Father, what do you think?"
For a moment, Xiang Liang also fell into a shallow silence, not knowing how to continue speaking.
I originally had a clear idea in my mind, but it was completely confused by my father's words. Yes, even if Zhao is rescued, Zhao will not be able to compete with Qin?
During this period, the State of Zhao was destroyed and the State of Chu was attacked from both sides. The situation was even worse than it is now.
"The State of Chu was a great country during the Warring States Period!"
"Strengthening yourself is enough to protect yourself!"
Xiang Yan gave Xiang Liang a positive response.
The only one who can destroy Chu is Chu itself, not Qin. In terms of the vastness of mountains and rivers, Chu is not weaker than Qin. In terms of the number of troops, Chu is no less than Qin. Therefore, why is Chu afraid of Qin?
.
"Father, although Chu is a large country, its power...is scattered in many places!"
Xiang Liang understands his father's intention, but... Chu State is no better than Qin State. All the power of Qin State is in the hands of Qin King Ying Zheng. If the same is true when he goes abroad, he will only be able to control the Xia.
After all, Chu State has too many things to do of its own.
"More than a hundred years ago, when Gongsun Yang entered Qin, Qin's power was also scattered. If Chu wanted to be strong, it would be unwise to seek Zhao as a barrier in front. Only Chu would be strong enough to ignore Qin's power."
Xiang Yan smiled slightly. He naturally knew where the patients in Chu were.
"Father, do you... have a way to join forces?"
Quietly, Xiang Liang's heart moved. Looking at his father's expression, he seemed to have thought of something, and there was a hint of disbelief on his face. Sure enough, Chu State could gather scattered forces like Qin State.
The power of the Chu State was ten times or a hundred times stronger than it is now.
"No!"
Xiang Yan shook her head.
"Does anyone else have it?"
"When Xiong Han was the king of Chu, his side strategist Cang Cui had a plan called Tui En. Unfortunately, the plan had not yet been launched, and this was the case with Xiong Han."
"Your Majesty, I am very happy to have obtained it. You should know it after a while."
"By the way, Uncle Xiang went to pick up my son, why haven't he come back yet?"