Zhao Xun was secretly happy when he learned that the Situ brothers in the south began a war. This means that the Great Zhao's future conquest of the south will be easier.
"Let each ministries speed up the restructuring of local governments, and in addition, we will send a command to the Censorate to increase the intensity of the review and not worry about other reasons. This matter is my personal support for you." Zhao Xun thought of the problems of local officials.
, he ordered coldly.
When the new round of Jingzhou War in the south started again, many Zhao officials suggested that the army march south to fight. Although Zhao still has operations in the Western Regions at this moment, the troops stationed in the Western Regions can already solve the remaining problems.
That is, the battle in the Western Regions can be stopped temporarily and the Central Plains can be purged first.
"Situ Liang, I am the Great Zhao Kingdom. The Western Regions surrendered to the Three Kingdoms and entered the dynasty. Will there be any abnormal changes in the Western Regions?" After some discussion, each had its own arguments to start west or south. Zhao Xun also wanted to know the recent situation in the Western Regions.
[
Situ Liang, who had just returned from the Western Regions report, smiled and said, "My Great Zhao garrisoned nearly 100,000 troops in the Western Regions, and the power was all over the place. Last year, my Great Zhao swept across the Western Regions.
No one in the Western Regions dared not to obey. Although the king invited the three major countries to Youzhou City, there were not many ministers and ministers in the Western Regions who were loyal to the former masters in the local area." Situ Liang's words are true
After occupying the northern part of the Western Regions in the past, most of the ministers of various countries were purged by the Great Zhao.
"And the king established the country, and the whole country celebrated. In the first four or five months, there were indeed a few people who were dissatisfied with their kings for a long time, but most of them didn't care. After a while, we did.
After checking and removing these hidden dangers, the northern part of the Western Regions is still the territory of my Great Zhao."
Zhao Xun nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's so good! All the people in the Western Regions are meritorious ministers."
"By the way, you have also understood the situation of the Privy Council. Now, there are two opinions in the court, one is to first expedition the west and completely pacify the Western Regions. During this period, let the southern princes continue to fight and wait for the Western Regions to be pacified,
Go back and deal with the southern princes. Another idea is to fight south first, because the southern princes are fighting against each other at this moment, so we can take advantage of this to make a profit. On the one hand, after the southern princes' melee decreased, a stable alliance was finally formed. You and Zhang Yuanjing
Wei Zilin and others are in the Western Regions. Do you have any opinions on my Da Zhao’s next actions?"
Situ Liang sang for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Report to the lord, I will continue our original plan, first expedition to the west and go south."
"Oh? First west and then south? Let's talk!" The strategy that Zhao Xun and others originally decided was to first borders, then Central Plains, first external troubles, and then princes. When the internal struggles of the princes in the Central Plains were consumed, Zhao's army would need to
The internal consumption of strength is used on the external troubles of the border, first weak and then strong, and gradually progress. In this way, it is equivalent to the princes. Although it is consumed, all external troubles will be eliminated and the reputation will increase greatly.
"King, half of the Western Regions have been pacified and the conquest in the south can be continued. The commanding generals in the west of our army are nearly 100,000, and the materials consumed by the army are not small. At this moment, it is indeed not suitable to be opened on the southern line again. Especially
Now the southern princes have not yet had a complete battle. The King of Hanzhong, Luoyang and Shu Wang have not yet become real mortal enemies."
"It seems that the King of Hanzhong and Luoyang are now restrained in Jingzhou, and the land of Yongzhou can be taken by us. But as soon as we move, the Situ brothers will definitely not continue the civil war and will directly join forces to fight against us. Even the King of Luoyang and
The King of Hanzhong will be directly incorporated into the Shu army. After all, when they fight with us, they will lose doubts. However, when they turn to the Shu army at this critical moment, they can save their lives and even gain a lot of money in the Shu army.
and gain authority.”
"Whether it is Situ Hao or Situ Fei, they have their own troops and horses in their hands. They also have a considerable prestige among the Shu army. If our army is approaching, we must merge with the Shu army, even if the Shu king does not
I am willing, but everyone will agree with his ministers. After all, they understand the power of my Da Zhao, and after the merger, their losses were not great. Even because of their great increase in power, they had more hope.
.”
Zhao Xun nodded and said with a heavy expression: "What you said is reasonable, and the same is true for me. In addition, I, Zhao Xinli, have not improved the new systems in various places. At this moment, stability should be the priority."
Situ Liang said: "The king, I have discussed the situation with Wei Zilin Wei, Zhang Yuanjing and Zhang and others. Although we cannot go south at this moment, we can burn and dismantle it and win over civil and military officials from the princes. After all, the world is now
Among the princes, I, Da Zhao, already occupy most of the world. There must be many people who can see the general trend clearly.”
"Even, we are now starting to contact the princes and convince them. King Li Chi of Chu, who occupied Xuzhou, has been attacking south now, but because of the sea in all four sides, one side is my Da Zhao, and the other side is my Da Zhao.
It was the Qi army in the south. Therefore, it rushed south desperately. For two consecutive years, the Qi army had never stopped fighting hard."
"At this moment, the Chu army was exhausted. Unlike the Qi army, it had room for maneuver, had deep roots and the money accumulated in the past. Since then, the Chu army has sealed the eastern waters by the Qi army's navy, the Chu army has
All the property of the country was gone, especially Yizhou in the Northeastern waters, which provided support to the Chu army."
"The Chu army is now in short supply of food and supplies, and the soldiers are short of weapons and armor. They are also brave in the past because of the continuous hardships. We can send people to speak out to the Chu army and surrender them."
Zhao Xun nodded and smiled and said, "Yes, what you said is reasonable. The Chu army is in a bad situation now, and even the money to trade with us and buy food and grass from us was not enough. However, the King of Chu is very kind.
It’s not easy to convince him.”
Situ Liang said: "It's not easy, it doesn't mean it's impossible. In the past, King Qi fought against the Yong army in the north and wanted to raid the Xuzhou army, but was counterattacked by the Xuzhou army, which led to the princes of the world to attack him. It is also because of this,
That was why the strong Qi army began to gradually weaken and ended to its current state."
"Murong Cheng's hatred for Li Chi is definitely not small, and Li Chi has no possibility of surrendering to Murong Cheng. Since we have already had a way out, it is not impossible for him to surrender to us."
Zhao Xun laughed and said, "That's right, I have sent someone to Xuzhou to find a way to convince Li Chi. Even if Li Chi is unwilling to surrender, not everyone else is willing to live and die with him."
"In addition, you will return to the Western Regions this time to prepare for all aspects. This time, I will do my best to fight in one battle, and this Western Regions should be pacified."[
Pengcheng, also known as Zhuolu, is the capital of Xuzhou. Of course, it is now also the center of the power of the Chu army and the base camp of the King of Chu.
"Ah... the former tourist destination is now..." Looking at the empty streets, the numb people and the soldiers coming and going, Li Fangzong couldn't help but sigh.
Li Fangzong, who was ordered, rode his horse to the gate of the Chu Prince's Mansion. He jumped off his horse and was about to enter when he saw someone rushing towards him.
"Criminal, are you? Are you not supervising the transportation of the army's food, grass and supplies on the front line? Why..."
"Ah, Li Changshi! I am here by orders, so is Changshi?" The person who came in a hurry was no one else, but the prince of the King of Chu and Li Chi's eldest son Li Hao.
Li Hao is already twenty-six years old this year. He has white teeth and red lips, handsome and elegant, and has the demeanor of his father Li Chi when he was young. Moreover, Li Hao is gentle but not domineering. Everyone who sees Li Hao always
There will be an illusion: this is Li Chi when she was young, and Li Chi was the same in the past, treating others with kindness and domineeringness.
Li Fangzong nodded and smiled, "That's true. The ministers were also inspecting local finances and taxes in the south. They were ordered by the king. I don't know what's important. By the way, prince, what's going on in the front line?"
Hearing this, Li Hao's face froze and he smiled bitterly, "What? What else can I do? My father doesn't want to stop, and the Qi army doesn't want our Chu army to take a step south. Both sides fight hard. The soldiers are already exhausted.
Unbearable, the food and supplies began to gradually become tense, and the situation...the situation is not optimistic!"
Li Fangzong couldn't help but feel bitter when he heard this. In the past, the Xuzhou army was also a overlord. He resisted the encirclement and suppression of the imperial guards and also fought against the Qi army with the Yanzhou army. But now, because the King of Chu was determined to go south and expand his territory to deal with the Zhao army.
The situation was very bad when he was preparing for the attack and fought hard with the Qi army.
"Is this fate?" Li Fangzong couldn't help but remember the Yanzhou army that was not as good as his own. When Li Feng rose to Yanzhou, Li Fangzong saw all the facts with his own eyes. Li Feng gradually replaced the former Yanzhou governor and subverted it.
But the Xuzhou army has been unable to take a step forward since the cemetery of land and independence.
The silent Li Fangzong and Li Hao gathered together in the palace, and saw the travelers in the palace rushing in, looking like a busy scene. Then the two were led into the study by the palace guards.
Li Fangzong discovered that in the study, several important officials of the Chu army were listed. Among them were his brothers Li Fanglin and Li Fangyu, as well as generals Li Han and Li Quan who were in the north and west. Outside the gate were several guards.
Strictly guard.
When Li Fangzong saw the guards of the royal palace guards being alerted at the entrance of the study, he knew that this matter would definitely not be small. He immediately started and bowed and said softly: "My minister, Li Fangzong, pay homage to the king."
Li Chi, who had just reached the peak of his life, was logically still at the peak of his life. But at this moment, Li Chi seemed to have begun to look old. Now, he was "rubbing" his eyebrows and didn't know what he was thinking.
After hearing the request from Li Fangzong and Li Hao, Li Chi immediately came to his senses and squeezed out a little smile on his gloomy face, but it looked very unnatural.
No wonder Li Chi has not had a good life in recent years. Xuzhou has become the territory of the Great Zhao in the north and west, while Qi army is in the south, but the sea is close to the east. Especially in the past two years, the east
The sea was blocked by the Qi army's navy. The Xuzhou army, which had a deal with Yizhou, has now cut off contact. On the south side, they fought with the Qi army endlessly, and it is difficult to make progress.
The wars of several consecutive years have made the Xuzhou army weaker and weaker. The young and strong people in the territory are getting smaller and smaller. Now the people of Xuzhou are no longer able to supply the needs of the army. In addition, Zhao is approaching Zhao State, Zhao
The country's policies are excellent for the people. If it weren't for the border blockade, I would have been afraid that all the people in Xuzhou would have run away.
Because he was worried about Zhao State and had to worry about the war with the Qi army, coupled with the increasingly embarrassing people's livelihood, his temples began to turn gray and his face looked old at the age of forty.
"Oh, you're here, do it. I'm telling you that you have summoned me and there are some big discussions."
After a little silence, Li Chi continued, "Yesterday, the Zhao army's envoy came!"
"Emuniques of Zhao army? What are they doing? Is it related to our trade between us?" Li Chi said to me, and many people began to ask. Now a large part of the materials needed by the Zhao army are from Zhao.
Army. If something goes wrong with Zhao's army, it will definitely not be a good thing for the Chu army.
Li Chi shook his head gently and said in a muffled voice: "It's not about trade between the two sides, but... it's the secret envoy of the Great Zhao, who came to talk about the king of reduction."[
"What?" At that moment, everyone in the study was stunned.
Li Chi said word by word: "The State of Zhao sent a secret envoy to come and say that we should surrender our king and ask our Chu army to surrender to the Great Zhao."
"No, how can our Chu army surrender to the Great Zhao? The king, even if we die in battle, we cannot surrender! This Great Zhao is clearly taking advantage of the situation to rob." Li Quan, the general of the Northern garrison, immediately said angrily, "I am Xuzhou."
First, there were two prefectures in the north and one prefecture to the west, and they were usurped by the Zhao army. How could we surrender to the enemy easily?”
The others were silent. After all, they didn't know what Li Chi meant, so they couldn't speak easily.
"The Zhao army envoy did not force us, nor did he limit the time, nor did he make us surrender. But he told me the current situation in our Chu army, which made it difficult for me to make a decision."
"In the past, Li Chi, I, started to resign from Xuzhou to become independent. Until now, I still occupy most of Xuzhou and have not made any progress. In the past, my Xuzhou army had more than 100,000 elite soldiers, but now, the elite soldiers are still less than 50,000. The remaining ones
People are all new soldiers. In the past, my Pengcheng was a prosperous place in the eastern region, but now..."
"King, if that is the case, isn't King Murong Cheng even worse? In the past, the King of Qi has occupied several states in the southeast, but now there are only two states. In the past, he has 500,000 soldiers, but now, less than half of them are.
In the past, his wealth was the best in the world, but now he has fallen into the hands of the Zhao army. The king, these are all the plans of the envoys of Zhao, who want to weaken the king's courageous fighting spirit at one time." Li Fangyu immediately said with a shock.
"But... Nowadays, the Zhao army in the south is getting more and more fierce, and our Chu army is afraid it will be difficult to continue. We cannot supply the food, grass and materials needed by the army for a long time. And we also have money in trade with the Zhao army.
Come and continue." "No matter what, you must not give up easily. King, Qi army insists on fighting, so fight. Wouldn't he be worried that he would fight too hard with us, which would lead to his losses and difficulties in dealing with the next
Condition?"
Suddenly, everyone advised each other.
"Fangzong, you are the most cautious and intelligent among all the people here. What do you think?" Seeing that Li Fangzong had no words and thought in silence, Li Chi asked in a deep voice.
After hearing Li Chi say this, Li Fangzong couldn't help but lament. Li Chi used to start his business by making trouble by coastal fishermen, and his vision was not wide. In addition, he was the first person to challenge the Great Yan Dynasty. Therefore, among the Chu army,
There are not many people with extraordinary talent. Moreover, most of the civil and military officials and generals in the Chu army are from the Li family. Li Fangzong is very clear about his abilities and absolutely nothing is outstanding, but among the Chu army, he is already
Among civil officials, those who are more capable.
"I think we have no need to pay attention to Zhao State now. What the envoy of Zhao State said is just to let us surrender so that they can take Xuzhou without bloodshed." From Li Chi's eyes, Li Fangzong could see that Li Chi was still alive.
I am reluctant to give up the position of King Chu.
"As for the embarrassment in front of us, we have no need to worry. I think the Qi army is unwilling to continue fighting with us. We seized the Yangzhou Navy, and the front line of Yingshui, Hongze Lake, and Baima Lake, which is enough to make the Qi army stand up.
We can't afford to take advantage of it. The Qi army also hopes that we can become a barrier between the Qi army and the Zhao army. Therefore, as long as we use the Xu and Yang borders as the dividing line with the Qi army, the Qi army will still agree."
"armistice?"
"That's right, judging from the news from the south, the rear and flanks of the Qi army are now under attack by the Shu army. We need a ceasefire, and the Qi army needs this even more. It is said that the Qi army took back the water of Dongting Lake from Jingzhou.
The division and Jiangxia Prefecture, the western defense line of Yangzhou, located in Jingzhou. In addition, the Qi army recovered half of Jiangzhou occupied by the Shu army. Now it is opposite to the Shu army, and a war may break out at any time."
"Your Majesty, now our Chu army is in a very dangerous situation. As the envoy of Zhao said, our Xuzhou has continued to supply the army with the army for a long time. In this case, why not cease to fight with the Qi army, and restore strength and wait for the Qi army and
After the Shu army fought, and the two sides lost their troops and generals, are we doing the benefits of fishermen?”
"Fangzong is right. The king, I think that we should cease fighting with the Qi army at this moment, accumulate strength and fight again later."
"The last one also thinks it is so feasible..."
"As soon as this is the case, I will not continue to discuss with the Zhao army envoy. I sent someone to tell Murong Cheng that our Chu army would cease war with him. If he "forced" me too much, he would not be the Chu army in the north of Yangzhou but the Zhao army.
." Li Chi said coldly, "Hao'er, after the truce, you will personally be responsible for the army on the southern front."
After hearing Li Chi say this, everyone was shocked. Most of the elite troops of the Chu army are on the front line. Li Chi arranged this way naturally to gather military power and his own hands. Although this is normal, many people have a hint of it in their hearts.
Silk's other ideas.
Listening to these people's words, Li Fangzong sighed in his heart. They did not understand from their own words at all times that Zhao Jun was always the biggest threat around him. If he didn't go south, most of Xuzhou would have no room to maneuver?
Now that surrendering now, you can still get rewards from the Zhao army. When the Zhao army attacked in the future, then... Besides, reaping profits was not something that the Chu army now could do...
Even food and supplies need to be purchased from potential enemies, so where can the Chu army have a day to stand out? In addition, Li Fangzong also remembered the people from Zhao who came to win over him. I don’t know how many people in the Chu army were attracted by the Zhao army.