Due to their status, Wei Ju and Zhao Bolu could not appear in informal alliance meetings.
However, their encounter with the Chu army led by Bai Gongsheng in "Xinzheng" was actually just an encounter and could not be regarded as an alliance in the strict sense.
Of course, if there are historians who can't see it, they can use the description "hui alliance" when recording.
With the current ethics of historians, most historians would not do that.
Therefore, unless the historian can obtain evidence, such as the letters between Zhiyao and Bai Gongsheng, or someone involved comes forward to prove it, they will only record that the Jin army and the Chu army met in "Xinzheng" and will not use the alliance to define it.
Now we have to see what Wei Ju and Zhao Bolu think.
If they didn't want to give the historian any chance, Zhiyao would have left before he started to fight in "Xinzheng"; naturally, they could also be present at the scene but not show up from the beginning to the end.
Zhiyao first led his army to move north and stopped at a place called "Qing".
Don't get me wrong, they are not trying to attack the Qing Dynasty, they just want to go south from here.
"The seized items will be sent to Hulao from here," Zhiyao said.
Because they had been notified in advance, they had already sent people back to the country and mobilized new troops to arrive at "Hulao" to wait for the loot.
Then, send the loot to the transport troops in "Hulao", and they can transport the loot to the south again.
No one will want to miss this donation.
The first stage of the invasion of Zheng was filled with various harvests, and no matter how stingy the master was, he would be able to profit more or less.
Next is the meat show, how could you miss it?
The Zhi family's commissioned personnel waited to kill the enemy in battle and then cut off their heads, or captured the enemy soldiers, that is, their merits were recorded by their heads.
This time, Wei and Han sent out a group of new troops, waiting to be tested in actual combat.
Do the Zhao, Hu and Zhong families have new armies?
It's not that the Hu family and the Zhong family don't want to build a new army, but what's terrible is that their strength doesn't allow it.
The Hu family returned to Jin for a few years, and they were busy restoring various systems, including remastering smelting technology.
The Zhong family has a sound system, but there are various internal chaos. Moreover, they may not understand the importance of building a new army.
As for the Zhao family? What they should consider now is how to support themselves, and we will talk about other things later.
"The Chu army has arrived at Changge." Zhiyao reported new information about the Chu army.
In the end, Wei Ju and Zhao Bolu decided to stay, at most they would march to "Xinzheng" and not show up in public.
That "Changge" is the last city south of "Xinzheng". Once the Chu army crosses "Changge", it will enter the territory of "Xinzheng".
Zheng Guo once again organized resistance in "Changge". Due to the fact that there was another Jin army in the north, he had to transfer some of his troops from the main force back to "Xinzheng" to strengthen defense.
Although Zheng's capital was in danger of being attacked, in fact not many places were affected by the war.
The northern part close to the Jin State had already been cleared by the Zheng State itself. The Jin army did not approach "Xinzheng" too closely before and went around to wreak havoc around Si River. The area around "Guan" was not affected by the war; the Chu army moved from the south.
In the north, the entire western part of Zheng State operated as usual; the Jin army did not cross the Si River, and the south bank of the Si River in the north of Zheng State was also safe.
The entire pattern led to a phenomenon: Zheng State seemed to be in a critical situation, and sixty-seven percent of the entire territory was still producing as usual.
Of course, judging from the current situation, Zheng Guo will definitely be very uncomfortable next year. Fortunately, there are no problems around Yingshui, which can more or less guarantee Zheng Guo's food needs next year.
Wei Ju said: "Zheng Bi fought to the death at Changge."
Who says it's not?
For Zheng Guo, the Jin army's plunder was only a minor problem. Bai Gongsheng, who had been shouting to destroy Zheng, was taking practical actions, which was the most serious threat to Zheng Guo.
Wei Ju then said: "If our army arrives at the city of Xinzheng at this time, maybe..." How do you say it? It can blackmail Zheng Guo for a huge sum of money.
Huyou laughed out loud.
Wei Ju's face darkened for a moment, wondering what was so funny.
"If it can be like this, it will be a good thing." Hu You explained his laughter just now.
Who wouldn’t want to get more benefits? Especially without much effort.
Zhao Bolu whispered: "Shan."
Which family with a high position is most eager to make extra money now? There is no doubt that it is the Zhao family!
Zhong Wu also spoke in a low voice and said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could invite Zheng's army to fight and win?"
After saying this, Zhiyao's eyes turned to Zhong Wu.
Indeed!
The Zhong family needs a battle to prove themselves and speak out with their achievements, so that other families in Jin will no longer despise the Zhong family, and other countries can take the Zhong family seriously.
Valley Opera
In fact, Zhiyao's original intention of invading Zheng State this time was also to check the combat effectiveness of the new army. However, Zheng State's energy was entirely on the Chu army led by Bai Gongsheng.
There is really nothing to say about this. We cannot blame Zheng Guo for paying more attention to Chu, and this was because Zhiyao did not attack Zheng Guo’s cities.
They did not fight the Zheng army and got so many war dividends. They should be happy. It would be a bit inappropriate to have unnecessary dislike.
The transfer troops left with the loot that should be sent home.
Zhiyao had no idea of marching to "Xinzheng" immediately. He was waiting for the news that Bai Gongsheng had attacked "Changge", and he was also waiting for the reaction of Zheng's monarchs and ministers to their stationing near "Qing".
If Zheng Guo still ignored their Jin army, it was no longer a sign of being plundered but a sign of contempt. Don't blame Zhiyao for doing more radical things.
As for the outcome of the battle between the Chu Army and the Zheng Army in "Changge", it is estimated that the winner will not be determined so early?
Zhiyao and others waited in the "Qing Dynasty" until the transfer force sent the loot to "Hulao" and then returned. Zheng Guo still made no move and obviously could not wait any longer.
"How about defeating Qing?" Wei Ju suggested.
In these days, the Zheng people in the "Qing Dynasty" would definitely live their lives in fear, and reality could not help them live a stable life.
The rules of engagement have long since changed. People in the siege no longer allow the people in the city to come out to chop wood.
In fact, the Jin army did not surround "Qing" from all sides, and stationed themselves on the north, west and south of "Qing", leaving the east side free, but the Zheng people still did not dare to leave the city at will.
After all, the leader of the Jin army outside the city is the man who once conquered "Linzi", "Puyang" and "Xianyu"!
Zhiyao only captured three of the capitals of a country, and the number of remaining cities must be even greater. It is not too much to have the nickname "siege master", right?
The Zheng people in the "Qing Dynasty", especially the dignitaries who had the right to speak, would rather demolish houses and chop firewood in the city than go out frequently to chop firewood.
Besides, what are the troubles of a siege, how can the leaders be hungry? They should eat whatever they need, and the rest of the class cannot eat hot food, so they can just endure it and get over it.
Zhiyao rejected Wei Ju's proposal to attack the city and explained: "'Qing' is a small town with a population of less than 10,000 people. The surrounding area belongs to it, maybe 30,000 people?"
There are 20,000 to 30,000 people crammed into such a small city. You can imagine how crowded it is and the amount of daily necessities consumed.
Wei Ju understood immediately.
There is no need for the Jin army to attack the city. They have been stationed around the "Qing" for nearly a month. If they continue to sit back and watch, the Zheng people will either eat people in the city or leave the city within a month or ten days.
Give it a try, and the remaining option is surrender.
"Is this a weapon that can subdue others without fighting?" Wei Ju had access to Sun Wu's "Thirteen Chapters on the Art of War", so it was impossible for him not to study it.
Zhao Bolu looked at Zhiyao, with admiration and admiration in his eyes.
Zhiyao thought to himself: "I had no intention of attacking the Qing Dynasty in the first place. I left the east side just to hunt rabbits and do whatever I could. How could I have thought that the dignitaries in the city would trap me to death?"
He has other methods that are useless, such as knowing that the quality of life of ordinary people in the city is extremely poor, sending people to sneak in to agitate, and then manipulate it to make the city kill each other, and then reap the fruits.
No need, really no need.
Some things can be thought of or not done, and they must be done under necessary circumstances. Zheng Guo is not qualified to let Zhiyao not follow the rules at all.
Zhiyao has always been able to do dirty things so that it looks like they were done by the other party, so that no one can tell at a glance that Zhiyao does everything he can.
To tell the truth, even if they don't think in a dark direction, it's hard for all the friends not to admire Zhiyao.
"After Zhishen, Zhiyao will still be the chief minister." Wei Ju admired Zhiyao himself, and then he thought to himself when he looked at the appearance of the others.
Who made the ranking of ministers of the Jin Dynasty no longer based on seniority? It has long been the case that whoever is stronger is the boss.
The Jin State has made it clear that the Zhi family is the dominant one. Zhishen's gentle behavior makes it difficult for other families to have a strong sense of urgency. The next generation Zhi Yao seems to be strong but shows no ill will towards other families.
There is a sense of urgency, not a sense of life and death crisis. The sense of urgency and the sense of crisis are two different things. How urgent it is is directly related to how much each family wants to unite.
Now no one thinks that Zhishi wants to kill any family. Zhishen is maintaining the status quo. Zhiyao brings his friends to make extra money from time to time. Even if they know that it is not good to continue like this, one family cannot defeat it alone. It is too difficult to unite.
What can you do if you can’t resist the temptation to make extra money?
As Zhiyao expected, "Qing" collapsed on its own half a month later and sent people to discuss the conditions for relief.
This proves that the dignitaries of the Zheng Kingdom are not ruthless enough. If they were more ruthless and really dared to do it, encouraging Yi Zi to eat, etc., they would definitely be able to last longer.
At the last moment, Xiang Rong, the envoy representing Zheng Junsheng, also arrived.
Zhiyao first dealt with the representatives of the "Qing", discussed the conditions for relief, arranged a series of actions, and then received Xiang Rong in the north of the "Qing".
When Xiang Rong arrived at the agreed place, he saw people in the "Qing" city constantly leaving the city and being taken away one by one by the Jin army. He was dumbfounded.
Sometimes Zhiyao is very reasonable and promises the other party to surrender and lose half of the money, but will not give up even a little more, and will keep her promise to the end.
Xiang Rong watched people constantly leaving the city and being taken away by the Jin army, and then cart after cart of supplies were sent into the city by the Jin army. He asked Zhiyao, "Does the Qing no longer belong to Zheng?"
How should Zhiyao respond?
…………………………
The latest easter egg chapter has re-posted a rough map of the sphere of influence. You can use the APP to take a look.