The wars taking place around "Xinzheng" attracted everyone's attention, and even the weak princes were paying attention to changes in the war situation at any time.
A large number of the spies they sent to spy on the enemy were killed by the original army or the Chu army. As the envoys of the "observation group", their safety was guaranteed.
This is an ancient and inherited etiquette. The princes can send envoys to a certain battle site to observe the war. When the two warring parties learn that the other party is an envoy, they will generally not deliberately embarrass them. On the contrary, they will treat each other with courtesy.
This etiquette has not been abolished now, but the envoys are much more constrained, and they no longer rely on observing the rules to be able to wander around safely.
Since all the princes are paying attention to the battle between the Yuan army and the Chu army near "Xinzheng", even if they don't know all the details of the battle, they can more or less draw their own guesses from the changes in the battle situation.
At first, the princes thought that the original army had few soldiers and that the Chu army was actually outnumbered. The battle situation may have put the original army at a disadvantage.
Later, the Chu State repeatedly divided its troops and threatened the Yuan State from many places. In particular, it made a move to liberate Lu, believing that the Yuan State might be difficult to resist.
What happened repeatedly was not what the princes imagined. The original army fought more and more bravely in the battle with five times less troops than the Chu army. The original army actually had the upper hand on the main battlefield.
The battle that took place around "Hulao" was in a state of uncertainty, and to some extent the weakness of the original country's insufficient military strength was revealed.
The Chu State organized a coalition of troops to march towards Lu. Later, the Yuan State began to withdraw its troops from the Lu District. It seemed that the Yuan State lost a battle in a local battlefield.
So, the current situation is that the original army on the main battlefield has the advantage, the Chu army seems to have entered a stalemate with the original army in "Hulao", but the coalition army is expected to win in Lu?
In this way, how should the contest between Yuan State and Chu State be calculated?
Of course, Chu State dispatched more troops, showing the qualities of a long-established powerful country.
Looking at the combat power that broke out during the battle, there is no doubt that the Yuan Kingdom was stronger. With a disadvantage that was five times less than that of the Chu Army, it created a very good exchange ratio.
"Assist Yuan? Or ally with Chu? What do you think you should choose?" Song Junluan asked.
The kings and ministers of the Song Dynasty had been hesitating for two months about which side to choose.
Just two months? That’s because they had previously stood firmly on the side of the original country.
The hesitation occurred when the Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers discovered that the Yue State was sending troops northward. As a result, the Yuan State did not respond. It was speculated that the Yuan State had no spare power to stop the Yue State from moving northward.
In the past? That is, during the Jin Dynasty, no matter how weak the Jin Dynasty was, it would never be able to sit back and watch the Yue Kingdom expand to the north.
Once this happens, the kings and ministers of the Song Kingdom should doubt the strength of the Yuan Kingdom and think about whether to stand firmly on the side of the Yuan Kingdom.
So? They will still compare the current Yuan Kingdom with the previous Jin Kingdom, and then use inherent thinking to make distinctions. They will feel shaken when they see the weakness of the Yuan Kingdom.
"The Yuan Kingdom has been destroyed in recent times, and it is no longer as benevolent as the Jin Kingdom." Young Master expressed his point of view.
Xiang Chao said: "Now that I have a border with the original country, I really have to guard against it."
Ever since the Zhi family destroyed Wei, the Song Kingdom has indeed been bordering the Zhi family. Later, the Zhi family turned the family into a country, which made the situation more complicated.
Is the Jin State benevolent? Even though the Jin State repeatedly sent troops to beat a certain prince, after becoming the overlord, the Jin State did not destroy any princes enfeoffed by the Zhou royal family. On the contrary, it repeatedly ensured that even the weak princes could maintain the country. How can you say that?
Not kind.
Previously, the Song State did not have a border with the Jin State. The most threatening state to the Song State was of course the Chu State. And the Chu State repeatedly invaded the Song State over hundreds of years proved this, let alone the Chu State in the Spring and Autumn Period.
How could the Song Dynasty not be afraid of the country that suffered the most annihilations during the period?
In fear of the Song State, he served the Jin State far more sincerely than other princes, and he was the Jin State's most steadfast ally.
Even if there is still inertia now, for example, the Song Kingdom is naturally more inclined to the new Yuan Kingdom, it is still a fact that the situation has changed, and they have to re-evaluate the situation.
Today, the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty are discussing how to deal with the changing situation, hoping to come up with a plan as soon as possible.
The background is that the Song Dynasty issued a mobilization order, and the first batch of troops recruited reached 70,000. Subsequently, new troops were being assembled, with plans to eventually recruit an army of about 120,000.
By the way, what did the Song State want to do by gathering such a large army? In fact, they didn't have to do anything after gathering the army. It was just an option to show off their muscles to other countries.
However, assembling the army means consuming the tax quota, and doing nothing would be too much of a loss.
An army of 120,000 people? In terms of sheer scale, there are currently only a few countries that can muster an army of 120,000 people, and the Song Dynasty happens to be one of them.
A long time ago, the Song State had a history of gathering around 100,000 troops to fight against the Chu State's invasion on several occasions. Without this strength, they might have been destroyed by the Chu State, right?
This time, in addition to showing off their muscles to the princes, the main purpose was to let the Yuan State, Chu State, and Yue State see the strength of the Song State. It was also an action used by the Song State's monarchs and ministers to test the country's military force. The extended problems became very real. The Song State
How should we choose a side, or not choose a side at all?
After all, the situation in the world has changed a lot. The fundamental issues of the Song Dynasty seem to be no longer important. The next thing to look at is the overall strength of the country.
Song State is located at a transportation hub. In the past, its economy was only inferior to that of Qi State. It is truly the second richest country in the world.
Who has the best economy now? In terms of trade volume, the Song Dynasty is exactly the best. They sold grain and other resources to the princes wantonly, and made more than one fortune through continuous wars.
In terms of the overall economic volume, there is no doubt that the original country is the largest. If there is any problem, the original country's export quota is a bit small.
The trade of the original country is mainly related to military equipment, and the other largest commercial trade is food. Generally, the Zhi family sells weapons and equipment in large quantities to families or individuals in the country, and then uses any channels to purchase large quantities of food from abroad. The country
The import and export trade appears relatively unhealthy.
The country that sold the most grain to the original country was the Song Dynasty. To some extent, the Song Dynasty's monarchs and ministers speculated that the agricultural situation in the original country was not that good.
So, is the original country very short of food? Generally speaking, the original country is not short of food.
The original country purchases large quantities of grain and other materials from abroad, and basically reserves materials in Zhiyao for the purpose of sweeping the world.
"How about destroying Zhu State first?" Master Chu Zifei said.
Song Junluan raised his eyebrows, looking very moved.
There were many accidents during the demise of Cao State, but it was Song who discovered that the situation in the world had changed.
With the Song State's foundation, when will it be their turn to expand? However, the Song State destroyed the Cao State and was not liquidated by the Jin State. The other countries only verbally "beep" and did not take any real punishment.
No.
After that time, the kings and ministers of the Song Dynasty began to become more courageous.
Xiang Chao said: "When I gather a large army, the Yuan, Chu, and Yue countries will definitely find out. Or can we just wait for the envoys from the three countries to come and make next plans?"
There is a map that shows one thing. Song Guocheng was also restricted by geographical location. They are now bordering the three major powers in the world. And don’t forget that Zheng Guo, a small power, is equal to countries with the ability to invade foreign countries.
The Song Dynasty became a neighbor.
Precisely because any country with some strength could threaten the actual security of the Song State, it really gave the Song monarchs and ministers a greater sense of crisis and urgency.
What did Chu Master Zifei just suggest? Simply send troops to destroy the Zhu State, right?
In the past, the Song Dynasty had the strength but not the courage. What they were afraid of was that other countries would send troops to intervene and stage the drama of besieging the remnants of the Yin Shang Dynasty again.
It’s different now!
Yuan and Chu, two of the three strongest countries in the world, were fighting to the death. Zheng, one of the smaller powers, was like a small boat in the waves of the sea in the huge Yuan-Chu war. Only when another powerful country in the world was in trouble would it provoke Song.
, it is indeed an excellent opportunity for Song State to carry out a new round of expansion, and it seems that Zhu State is really a good target to attack and destroy.
After the slave uprising broke out in the State of Lu, Bandit Zhi led his troops to wander around, and the last place they arrived was a place where there were many small countries, and the State of Zhu was one of the biggest victims.
Master Chu Zifei said: "The princes are suffering from riots. Our army is marching out to eliminate harm for the people."
By the way, this "min" must at least start as a "shi", but not just anyone can become a member of the "min" class.
Song Junluan smiled and rolled up his beard, looking like he greatly agreed.
Seeing Song Junluan's stance, the ministers began to join in the discussion. Ninety-nine percent of the people believed that the time to attack the Zhu State was indeed very suitable. At that time, it would completely depend on whether the Teng State and the Xue State should be destroyed along the way.
actual situation.
"If I get all the lands, I will have more room to get along with the original country." Xiang Chao said.
In that area where there are many small countries, the advantages of mountains and terrain are not great, that is to say, there are no natural dangers.
The greatest significance to the Song State is that once the Song State occupies that land, it will be like a sharp sword thrust into the Lu land, and it can be used as a prop to test the original state's attitude towards the Song State.
To put it simply, the Yuan Kingdom wanted to win over the Song Dynasty and chose to be patient. Once the Yuan Kingdom wanted to attack the Song Kingdom, it depended on which area could really threaten Lu. The Yuan Kingdom would definitely attack that place first, so that the Song Kingdom would have more power.
Time was spent preparing to defend the homeland.
They were having a meeting, and news about the progress of the war between the Yuan Kingdom and the Chu Kingdom was sent over.
"The king of Chu retreated to "Xinzheng". Chu's homeland was attacked by Yuan's army, and Yuan's army withdrew its troops from Lu."
The new progress seems simple, but in fact it is surprising how much the battle situation has changed.
Why did Chu Junzhong lead his ministers into the city of "Xinzheng"? They must have felt a great threat, and the overall situation made it impossible for them to retreat from the main battlefield, so they had to hide in the turtle shell of "Xinzheng".
If it weren't for the Yuan Kingdom's move to withdraw its troops from Lu, the kings and ministers of the Song Dynasty were sure that this battle would be a complete victory for the Yuan Kingdom.
"Chu's homeland was attacked. Will the Chu army withdraw from the north?" Huang Yuan had not spoken much before, but he asked the key as soon as he opened his mouth.
Xiang Chao squinted his eyes and said, "There are so many cavalry in the Yuan Kingdom. How could the Chu army retreat if they want to?"
Looking at Chu Junzhong and his ministers entering the city of "Xinzheng" in this way, it seems a bit like they are trapped in a cocoon.
They feel more secure when they go in, but the problem is that it becomes very difficult to get out again.
Now the Chu State is being attacked by the original army. Once the original army is able to cut off the Chu monarchs and ministers who are on an expedition from the country, it will be difficult for the local nobles of the Chu State to resist and form cooperation, right?
Huang Yuan thought for a while and then said: "The decisive battle between Yuan and Chu may be in the near future."
Seeing that the situation is already unfavorable to the Chu State, if it continues, the situation will only become worse and worse for the Chu State. As long as the kings and ministers of the Chu State are still rational, they should not continue to hide in the "Xinzheng" city. No matter how difficult the situation is, the situation will only become worse and worse for the Chu State.
We should try to compete head-on with the original army.
Song Junluan said with great emotion: "So, the Chu army's invasion of Lu was a foolish move?"
Is it a stupid move, or is it just a matter of looking at the results?
If the Chu State can resurrect the Lu State, at least the Lu State can become a good chess piece of the Chu State. If used well, it can contain more troops of the original state. No matter how useless the Lu people are, they can still morally help the original state.
have a greater negative impact on the country.
The monarchs and ministers of the Song State believed that the Chu State monarchs and ministers had made a stupid move, which was nothing more than the failure of the Chu army on the main battlefield, and then the Chu State's homeland was invaded.
Using the results that have already occurred to judge decisions made in the fog of war is called hindsight.
"Regardless of whether the original country's military strength is insufficient, invading the Chu State is a wonderful move!" Song Jun Luan secretly envied the original country's monarchs and ministers who did not have to worry too much about doing things.
Later, Song Jun Luan asked the ministers, "It seems that the Chu State is definitely no match for the original country. What will I do? What will happen to the Yue State?"
Should the Song Kingdom continue to follow the Yuan Kingdom? If so, should they do something to add insult to injury to the Chu Kingdom?
The Chu State mobilized its troops to go north to get that kind of situation. The Chu State will definitely not be in danger of subjugation for a while. Will the Yue State see the strength of the original state and continue to ally with the Chu State, or will it imitate the Wu State and take advantage of the bad situation of the Chu State?
Play a trick to take advantage of his illness to kill him?
However, the ministers of the Song State understood what Song Jun Luan meant. No matter how bad things happened to the Chu State, the Song State should still take it easy and not target the Chu State for the time being.
This is because the Song people knew the Chu people too well.
Of course, the Chu State will be resentful after losing to the Yuan State. Whoever dares to take the opportunity to add insult to injury to the Chu State will be punished by the Chu State.
Vigorous revenge.
It was Chu's master Zifei who gave a different view and said: "If the original country is the Jin State, it would be a good thing to be stronger than me, but the original country is not the Jin State."
Right? The Jin State would not destroy the princes at every turn. The Zhi family had already destroyed several countries before turning their family into a country, especially the Qi State. It is difficult to say that the Song State will not be the next Qi State.
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and had to admit that Master Chu Zifei's words made some sense.
Chu's master Zifei then said: "If I send troops to Zhu State, I can also send troops to Zheng State. When the troops arrive at Zheng State, whoever comes as envoys will avenge Zheng State's repeated invasions, and the army will not act rashly."
Anyway, we just can’t let Chu State really end like that.
If the Chu State falls, who else in the world can stop the expansion of the Yuan State?
Therefore, Master Chu Zifei believed that the situation had changed so much that Song did not necessarily have to be an enemy of Chu.
Song Junluan fell into a long silence after hearing this...