Zhao Tuo returned to the military camp with a satisfied look on his face.
In addition to giving Han Xin a letter and establishing a good relationship with him in advance. Most importantly, Zhao Tuo discovered that Han Xin, who was only eight years old, had been secretly worshiping him.
"Explain to Han Xin the essence of a last-ditch battle."
When Zhao Tuo thought of the scene at that time, and of Han Xin's shining eyes and his entranced expression, his heart was filled with a very strange feeling.
"It's too young. When he gets older, he can be taken under his command."
Zhao Tuo grunted and quickly forgot about the matter.
It is now the last day for the Qin army to camp in Huaiyin. They will set off again tomorrow morning. Zhao Tuo also has to arrange the mobilization of various troops. There are many things to do.
As time passed, it came to the early morning of the second day. Under the command of the generals of each department, the Qin army began to break out of camp in an orderly manner.
They will then head west along the south bank of the Huai River, crossing the Huai River at the ferry near Shouchun to reach Xiacai, then pass through Huaiyang, and finally embark on the road to Xianyang in Guanzhong.
The reason why the route back to Qin was arranged in this way was to use Xiong Qi's body to frighten the restless Chu people.
Although Xiong Qi's identity as the King of Chu was characterized by the Qin army as a trespassing pseudo-king and was not recognized.
But for the Chu people who were willing to resist, Xiong Qi, who was supported by Ling Yin Xiangyan after surrendering, was their real king and the spiritual pillar that led them to fight against the Qin people.
In addition to Xiong Qi's status as a young master, his anti-Qin deeds in Chen Ying last year were also regarded by the Chu people as a righteous act, which made countless anti-Qin people heartbroken.
Even in the hearts of many Chu people, they hope that the Chu King Qi who was driven to the south can one day counterattack with a large army, regain the Chu land, restore the Chu country, and save them from dire straits.
Now, their King Chu is back.
But it was a pickled corpse that was brought back by the Qin people.
From Huaiyin to Shandao, from Zhongli to Shouchun, as the Qin army marched, the Chu people who still had the heart to resist in the cities along the way fell silent and despaired.
And this is the purpose of Zhao Tuo's trip.
"Chu Di should be stable for a while."
Zhao Tuo observed carefully along the way and took into account the situation of the Chu people.
With the main force of the Chu army annihilated and the two Chu kings dead and surrendered, there should be no more trouble in the Chu land.
But Zhao Tuo knew that this was only a temporary situation.
Although the Chu Kingdom perished, its ghost has not left and is still wandering in this land.
This ghost named "Jingchu" is lurking and waiting, waiting for an opportunity that will allow it to be reborn from death and resurrect from destruction.
"Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die."
Zhao Tuo murmured, his eyes extremely cold.
He had heard this prophecy more than once. Even when passing through some cities along the way, the Chu children wearing ragged clothes who were playing beside the road looked at them with fear and hatred.
They thought that the Qin army did not understand the Chu language, so they sang this popular Chu prophecy.
When Black Butt heard it for the first time, he was furious on the spot. He arrested several Chu children and was about to torture them to ask them who made up such words.
Zhao Tuo, who came after hearing the news, stopped him.
"A bunch of inexperienced boys, why bother."
Zhao Tuo said calmly and asked Qin Zu to let go of these children with hatred in their eyes.
He knew very well that Black Butt's approach was not only ineffective, but would only further intensify the conflict between Qin and Chu, adding to the hatred in the Chu people's hearts.
The only person who wants to solve this problem is their king.
If the Qin Dynasty can use corresponding means and policies to appease the people after unification, it may be possible to completely surrender these subjugated people.
But Zhao Tuo was worried about this, because their king was very powerful and wanted to change the policy policy in his hands, but Zhao Tuo was not sure.
Compared with this uncertain matter, Zhao Tuo can put forward some suggestions that may be useful.
"The changes at the end of the Qin Dynasty, in addition to the internal problems of the Qin court, were also an important reason for allowing the nobles of the six countries to wander around. When I go back this time, I may propose to the king to gather those nobles who have perished in Guanzhong and keep them under control nearby.
, completely cut off the foundation of the restoration of these nobles."
A cold light flashed in Zhao Tuo's eyes.
If Qin's internal governance reform is the fundamental solution to the changes at the end of Qin, then his move is a temporary solution. Regardless of the effect, it is better than doing nothing.
When he was in Puyang before, Zhao Tuo was quite frightened by the assassinations led by the remnants of the Four Kingdoms. If he didn't find a way to deal with these people, they would definitely jump up and down in the future.
It just so happened that I returned to Xianyang this time and took advantage of the events in Qi and Puyang to persuade the Qin king to strictly control the nobles who had perished. This was an opportunity.
In addition to those ordinary nobles, Zhao Tuo would not forget the two Chu people who overthrew the Qin Empire in history.
Liu Bang.
Xiang Yu.
"Lu Wan and the Li brothers have been brought under my command. Han Xin and Chen Ping have already left a favorable impression. It will not be difficult to conquer them in the future. After the reunification, I will find a way to recruit Xiao He. In this way, Liu Bang's talents will be wiped out by me.
Empty."
Zhao Tuo sighed a little.
Under the flapping of his butterfly wings, Liu Bang's life has been completely changed, except for the above talents who have been either conquered by Zhao Tuo or are likely to be recruited in the future.
Although Liu Bang is not dead, his reputation in Peixian County has been completely destroyed, and even his wife's family, the Lu family, will definitely give up on him.
You must know that the reason why Liu Bang in history was able to start his career was the support of his wife's family, the Lu family, and the people of Peixian County, such as Xiao He, Cao Shen, Fan Hui, and Xia Houying.
Nowadays, it is impossible for these people to get together with the infamous Liu Bang, and even the Liu clan in Fengyi will probably no longer recognize this prodigal son who ruined the reputation of the Liu clan.
"Liu Bang is no longer a concern, but Xiang Yu."
Zhao Tuo's face was cold and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Compared with Liu Bang, who had a great change in his life, he and Xiang Yu truly had a sworn hatred.
Due to a combination of circumstances, both Xiang Yan and Xiang Qu were defeated at the hands of Zhao Tuo, and both chose to commit suicide for their country.
The hatred between his father and his ancestors, as long as Xiang Yu is a normal person, he will definitely hate Zhao Tuo to the core.
Not to mention that the overlord of Western Chu in history had a bad temper.
If Xiang Yu is given a chance to take revenge, he will definitely kill Zhao Tuo, and after killing him, he will kill Zhao Tuo's body to dispel his hatred.
"It's not enough to only accept one Zhongli Mei. In the Xichu camp, Xiang Yu himself is the soul."
Zhao Tuo was full of fear. After leading his army across the Huaihe River, he sent people to the east to inquire about the situation of the Xiang family.
He planned to find an opportunity to kill the opponent after finding out his situation.
"Danger should be nipped in the bud."
As the weather got colder, the team returning to Qin led by Zhao Tuo finally arrived at Huaiyang, the most important city in Huaibei, after traveling thousands of miles.
"Hahaha, Zhao Tuo! I have been waiting for you!"
When Zhao Tuo led his army to Huaiyang, Wang Jian, who received the news, was already waiting outside the city with his generals.
"General... By the way, you should be called Junhou now."
Zhao Tuo laughed and stepped forward to salute Wang Jian.
On the way back, Zhao Tuo had already learned that when Qin Wangzheng came to Huaiyang in person, he promoted Wang Jian to the rank of 19th-level Guannei Marquis.
However, according to the traditional rules of the Qin State, the real big rewards will not be given until the war has calmed down and they have returned to Xianyang.
Before the Chu region was settled, the King of Qin made Wang Jian the Marquis of Guannei in Huaiyang. I'm afraid there was an element of appeasement in it. After all, the war lasted for more than a year. How could he not give some rewards in advance?
However, this also revealed a piece of information, that is, after the Chu land was pacified and Wang Jian returned to Xianyang, he would probably be promoted to the twentieth level of Chehou.
For Wang Jian, this will be a huge reward, and he will stand at the top of Qin's merit system.
But the Qin Wangzheng's title of Chehou probably also expressed a deeper meaning.
You, Wang Jian, have reached the full level.
Now that I have no seal or promotion, I can go home and retire, and don't even think about going to the battlefield again.
For Qin Wangzheng and Wang Jian, this will be the best result.
So now Wang Jian has completely lost his worries. Although his beard and hair are all white and he looks old, he is in very good spirits. Seeing that Zhao Tuo calls him "Jun Hou", he also smiles and talks.
"Haha, you kid has now captured and killed a traitor and returned. You have made great achievements. When you return to Xianyang, you will be rewarded by the king, and your promotion will be just around the corner. Judging from the speed of your achievements in the past two years, I think it will be a matter of time before you are granted a title.
.”
"The prince has been over-honored. Zhao Tuo's merits are so small that he can't even hope to be granted the title of prince."
Zhao Tuo spoke modestly, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart.
"You have wiped out all three Jin, Yan and Chu, and only Qi is left. Where can I find meritorious deeds if I want to become a marquis?"
At this time, Wang Jian glanced past Zhao Tuo and looked at a special carriage in the Qin army.
"He must be right there."
Zhao Tuo nodded, knowing who Wang Jian was talking about.
Xiong Qi had been the prime minister of Qin for ten years, so Wang Jian naturally had some friendship with him. Now, Wang Jian himself has reached the pinnacle of glory because of his role in destroying the country, but the other party has turned into a corpse.
All these things naturally made this old general who has passed his sixtieth year sigh.
Just as Wang Jian shook his head and sighed, Zhao Tuo also looked behind Wang Jian at the group of Qin army generals who came to greet him.
Many of them are familiar faces.
Ren Xiao, Sima Liang, and even Yang Xiong, whom I haven't seen for a long time.
They looked at each other and Zhao Tuo smiled and nodded.
But what caught Zhao Tuo's attention the most was a man in the crowd with a haggard look and a messy beard.
When he saw Zhao Tuo looking at him, his face turned red and he turned his head away.
"Brother Li?"
…
Xianyang, the capital of Qin.
In the majestic palace.
Qin Wangzheng looked at the slips piled up in front of him and nodded with satisfaction.
Except for Feng Wuze, who was still conquering the Yue people south of the river, the war in the Chu region had basically been settled.
Zhao Tuo had also captured Xiong Qi and was carrying his body on his way back to Qin.
The war was calmed down and the Chu Kingdom was destroyed.
The soldiers who destroyed Chu were also homesick.
Moreover, 600,000 people have been fighting for more than a year, and Guanzhong and other parts of Qin are in a state of emptiness, which cannot last long.
Qin Wangzheng then ordered his deputy general Yang Duanhe to lead some Qin soldiers to stay in Chu, while the rest of the Qin army's main force and generals could return to the country to receive rewards.
Qin Wangzheng is preparing to hold a grand celebration banquet in Xianyang to show his illustrious achievements to the world.
The most important of them is to reward all the meritorious generals.
Qin Wangzheng picked up the slips presented by the Lord Lieutenant's Mansion and Bang Wei's Mansion, and began to look at the achievements of the generals on it.
"Well, Wang Jian did a good job this time. He destroyed the country and captured the king, which fulfilled everyone's wish. Zhao Gao, if you want to deal with a country like Chu State, you have to have a veteran like Wang Jian to take action, regardless of his age.
Even though he is old, he is still capable of destroying the country."
Zhao Gao, who was standing by, smiled slightly and said, "What the king is saying is that I heard that General Wang can eat three large bowls of food in one meal, but he eats more than me."
Qin Wangzheng was startled for a moment, then he laughed: "That's why Wang Jian approached me to ask for land before he attacked Chu. It seems that the food at home is not enough for him."
After the monarchs and ministers made fun of each other, Qin Wangzheng sneered again and said: "Oh, when Wang Jian was attacking Chu in the past, he once said to me, 'As a great king and general, you will not be granted the title of Marquis after your merits.' He secretly mocked me for being stingy. Now I have given him the title of Chehou.
, let’s see what else this old man has to say.”
Zhao Gao complimented: "After being awarded the title of Marquis of Che, General Wang must be very satisfied. I think he will be able to return to his hometown and enjoy the blessings in peace."
"Yes, it's time for him to go back and enjoy his happiness."
King Qin Zheng smiled dullly.
Hold the slip and read on.
"Well, Zhao Tuo defeated a hundred thousand Qi troops, defeated Xiang Qu, attacked Shouchun, defeated Xiang Yan in Huaiyin, and pacified Kuaiji in Jiangdong for me, and now he has captured and killed the rebels. This contribution should be well rewarded.
"
When Zhao Gao heard what Qin Wangzheng said, he smiled but said nothing.
"Feng Wuze captured the cities in Huaibei and defeated Xiang Yan together with Zhao Tuo. He is also a good general. When he pacifies Jiangnan for me, he will definitely be rewarded heavily."
"Hey, Ren Xiao, a small military commander, even captured the right Sima of Chu State with his own hands. What a brave general!"
"Well, this is Li You..."
When Qin Wangzheng saw this, his eyes suddenly widened.
He read the records on the slip carefully, his face filled with astonishment.
"All the generals won, why did Li You alone lose?"