"We will discuss this matter after Li Si, Wang Wan, and Fu Zikang arrive."
The First Emperor forced himself to summon his rationality, which had been completely burned out by his raging anger, and temporarily shelved Ying Chengjiao's proposal.
Cheng Jiao has lost his mind. I cannot act on impulse. I have to endure it!
By the candlelight in the hall, the First Emperor looked at the vast Qin territory on the map. The flickering flames reflected in his eyes were far less intense than the anger in his heart.
The Lord of the World's gaze was fixed on Shangjun marked on the map. His gaze seemed to penetrate the map and see the towering, unshakable northwestern town in the distance.
…
Shangjun included the northern part of present-day Yan'an and the area west of Yulin.
Shangjun originally belonged to the State of Wei and was first established by Wei Wenhou.
The original intention of establishing Shangjun was to curb the development of Qin State and stop Qin State's expansion to the northwest.
Before the strategist Zhang Yi came to power, Shangjun had always been the northwestern barrier blocking the development path of the Qin State.
In the Battle of Puyang, the Qin State sent Prince Hua and Zhang Yi to attack Puyang of Wei and captured it.
King Huiwen of Qin was very happy and wanted to send troops to garrison and build Puyang, but Zhang Yi refused.
Zhang Yi advised King Huiwen of Qin.
What good is there in that shabby place called Puyang? What's the point of having it? Listen to me. Return Puyang to Wei and send Prince Yao to Wei as a hostage. I will take Shangjun for you.
King Huiwen of Qin was a little confused.
Shangjun had a great restrictive effect on the Qin State. With Shangjun in the hands of the Wei State, the northwest of the Qin State was exposed to the Wei State and there was no strategic location to defend.
If Shangjun was obtained, the Qin State would have a truly important town in the northwest, which could connect the entire northwest with Shangjun as the center.
Although Shangjun is bitterly cold, it has extremely important strategic significance for the Qin State.
How could it be possible to exchange Puyang for Shangjun ? How could anyone say such arrogant words?
King Huiwen of Qin didn't quite believe it, but he was courageous and was willing to give Zhang Yi this opportunity and let him try.
He suppressed his brother Prince Hua's anger and sent Zhang Yi as an envoy to the State of Wei.
After Zhang Yi arrived in Wei, he met with the King of Wei and spoke.
My king said that he would sign an alliance with you. He could return Puyang to you and help you fight other countries and expand your territory.
If you don't believe me, I have brought Gongzi Yao with me this time, and Gongzi Yao will stay as a hostage for you. This is enough sincerity for me.
You see, my Qin State has been so good to your Wei State, shouldn't you also give something in return? You can't take all the advantages.
To show your sincerity, you give us Shangjun.
First, it means that you, the State of Wei, no longer want to target the State of Qin.
Second, you are stationed in Shangjun, with the Huns outside and our Qin State inside, which is not only uncomfortable but also ties up our military forces.
My Qin State will get Shangjun. When the time comes, we will join forces to attack the Central Plains and give all the fertile land we get to your Wei State. It can be considered that Qin has exchanged those lands for Shangjun.
The King of Wei heard it.
Name, send proton.
In fact, send back the captured Puyang.
This is so sincere, it must be a true alliance.
Shangjun is a shabby place that consumes a huge amount of military supplies, and there is not much profit to be made. I haven't wanted it for a long time. I'll give it to you.
During this trip, Zhang Yi used his eloquence to obtain Shangjun, the northwestern fortress of Qin.
Because of this achievement, Zhang Yi was appointed as prime minister by King Huiwen of Qin, and he elevated the theory of diplomacy to an extremely high level - when he is angry, the princes are afraid; when he is at peace, the world is at peace.
The "Zizhi Tongjian" records: Prince Hua of Qin and Zhang Yi led their troops to besiege Puyang of Wei and captured it. Zhang Yi spoke to the King of Qin, asking to return Puyang to Wei and send Prince Yao as a hostage to Wei. Yi then said to the King of Wei: "Qin has treated Wei very well, and Wei cannot be rude to Qin." Wei then ceded all 15 counties of Shangjun to express its gratitude, and Zhang Yi returned to Qin to serve as prime minister.
The northern city wall of Shangjun.
"Father! Send out the troops!"
There were five wounds on his face, and his face was stained with blood.
One of his arms was tightly wrapped with a cloth belt, and there were several arrow marks on his armor.
Meng Tian knelt on the ground, his eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse, like a ghost that had escaped from hell, not a human voice.
"In those days, Zhang Zi was appointed as prime minister by King Huiwen for his meritorious service in conquering the prefecture.
Shangjun is to Qin like Hangu Pass in the northwest. You and I can die, but Shangjun must not be lost. "
Meng Wu held the mottled battlements of the city wall, staring at the sparse Hun horses running in the distance, and spoke softly to his son.
"Jiuyuan can still be saved! The Xiongnu have not occupied all of it! The Xiongnu have less than 30,000 soldiers and horses! Shangjun has 50,000 soldiers and horses! Our army has the upper hand, father!"
Meng Tian hit the ground with his head, and the sound of bangs shattered the clouds in the sky.
There was grief, hatred, anxiety and earnestness in the roar.
All the garrison soldiers on duty on the city walls of Shangjun clenched their spears tightly, feeling the same pain as the Xiongnu. They wished they could jump off the tall city walls and run straight to Yanmen to kill all the Huns who had not dared to approach Qin for years!
When has the Great Qin ever been attacked on its homeland?
"Shut up!"
Meng Wu, now wearing shinning armor, no longer had his previous indifferent expression. He turned around and kicked Meng Tian, ​​who was kneeling on the ground, and stepped on Meng Tian's chest to break his armor.
On that clean and capable face, which was slightly weathered, there was a pair of blood-red eyes like Meng Tian's.
Meng Tian was completely unaware of the excruciating pain that came from his chest after being slashed by the Hun's scimitar.
Blood was oozing from the corners of his mouth , and his mouth was full of red when he opened it. His teeth were stained red, blending into the same color as his tongue.
"Father... I beg you... to send troops... I beg you, father, to send troops..."
Blood flowed in his mouth, blocking his throat and making it difficult for Meng Tian to utter a word, and interfering with his tongue, making his speech unclear.
Meng Tian grabbed his father's ankle and left a handprint mixed with mud and blood on Meng Wu's trouser leg.
"General! Send out the troops!"
The first soldier roared angrily and knelt on one knee.
The clear sound of the bronze spear hitting the blue brick wall shook the fighting spirit of all the soldiers on duty.
"General! Send out the troops!"
The second soldier roared angrily and knelt on one knee.
"General!"
All the soldiers on the north city wall knelt on one knee, and more than a dozen thighs slammed heavily on the bluestone brick floor, stirring up countless smoke and dust.
"Send out the troops!"
The sounds of bloodthirstiness and revenge permeated the entire northern city wall.
With the blood of the Huns, I will sacrifice to the heroic souls of my comrades!
"How dare you, a brat, disrupt the morale of our army!"
Meng Wu stepped on his son and exerted force so hard that blood gushed out of Meng Tian's mouth and nose.
Within the territory of Daqin, the three powers are separated in the counties.
The county magistrate is in charge of civil affairs.
The county lieutenant is in charge of military affairs.
In name, the county magistrate assists the county governor in governing the city and county, but in fact he also has the task of supervising the county governor and county lieutenant.
Meng Wu, who was appointed as the lieutenant of Shangjun by the First Emperor and was in charge of all military affairs in Shangjun, could mobilize the Shangjun troops to the point of losing Yanmen with just a word.
His black and white hair was all standing upside down, and the bloodshot in his eyes were gathered into one side, and the whites of his eyes were almost invisible.
He drew the Qin sword from his waist, gripped the hilt of the sword backwards, and slashed the sword at the neck of his child, which was covered in dried blood, with incredible swiftness.
This set of movements was clean and neat, without any delay or pause.
Will
The two personal soldiers beside Meng Wu drew their swords at the same time, and with their combined strength, they deflected the Qin sword in Meng Wu's hand.
The sword slashed across Meng Tian's body, leaving a new and deep mark on the armor that was already covered in what little armor was left.
"General, calm down!"
"No, General!"
The two personal soldiers had finished stopping them before they had time to dissuade Meng Wu.
In the instant of this sudden action, the two bodyguards didn't even have time to say a word.
"Anyone who disrupts the morale of the army will be executed immediately according to the law!"
Meng Wu shouted sternly.
"Why don't you all return to your positions?"
A personal soldier swept his fierce eyes across the kneeling garrison soldiers and issued orders.
"promise!"
When the soldiers saw that Meng Wu wanted to execute their own son because of this matter, they all responded in unison.
He picked up his weapons again and stood on the city wall of Shangjun with an unwilling look on his face, still full of fighting spirit.
"The young general is not a soldier of Shangjun. He does not obey the military orders of Shangjun. The general cannot use his power for personal gain!"
Another personal soldier shouted loudly, starting with the military order, which made Meng Wu's face look ferocious, but he had no reason to draw his sword.
"Pass on my military order! Anyone who dares to leave the city will be killed! Anyone who dares to talk about attacking will be killed! Anyone who dares to shoot an arrow at the city will be killed!"
Meng Wu's angry roar echoed over the city wall. He sheathed his sword and walked down the city wall with resounding footsteps, ignoring his own son who was bleeding from his mouth after being stepped on by him.
The two bodyguards hurriedly helped up the young general who was lying on the ground with his eyes closed.
One person felt the pulse and it was weak.
One person sniffed his nose and found there was breath.
A huge weight dropped from their hearts, but the weight did not fall to the ground.
Given Meng Tian’s current condition, if he is not treated promptly, he may very likely fall into coma and die.
One of the two personal soldiers bent down and carried Meng Tian down the city wall quickly, while the other ran to find a military doctor as quickly as possible.
On the north city wall, the soldiers on duty were all feeling extremely depressed. Looking at the vaguely visible Hun cavalry in the distance, their eyes were filled with rage that seemed to want to eat their flesh and bones.
In one day, Yanmen was lost and Jiuyuan was destroyed.
Meng Tian, ​​who was granted Jiuyuan as his fief, was tied up and taken back to Shangjun by his personal soldiers at great risk of his life. Only a few dozen of his companions survived.
Yanmen was attacked by the Huns, and not even a horse could escape, let alone people.
The smoke rising from Jiuyuan in the distance went straight up into the sky and had not yet dissipated, which meant that the beacon tower had not been lost and that the Qin army in Jiuyuan was asking for help.
The Qin troops in Shangjun were all waiting for the order from the new county lieutenant to march out of Shangjun, attack Jiuyuan, recapture Yanmen, and cut off the heads of the Huns as a gift for promotion. However, they did not expect that Meng Wu actually issued the order to behead them three times.
The three shouts of "Slash" were like three knives stabbing into the hearts of all the soldiers, making the already aggrieved soldiers extremely angry.
It has always been the case that only other countries have been afraid of the Qin State. How could there be a time when the Qin State was afraid of war?
We are ready to fight to the death, why are you so cowardly, General?
At the County Magistrate's Mansion, Meng Tian, ​​who had received emergency treatment from a military doctor, had just opened his eyes and immediately let out a weak hoarse cry.
"send troops!"
The cloth bandage that had just been used to bandage Jun's wound was stained with red.
"send troops!"
Meng Tian reached out to the air with one hand, trying to grab the hand of the Qin army of Jiuyuan and take back the lost Jiuyuan.
"send troops!"
Meng Tian, ​​the defender of Jiuyuan.
After three shouts, the troops were sent out and fell.
Meng Wu, who had been standing beside Meng Tian's bed, waiting for him to wake up, was extremely anxious. He walked out of the door in a hurry and almost fell twice in three steps.
"Military doctor! Military doctor!"
Xianyang City, Xianyang Palace, and the Council Hall.
The First Emperor Ying Zheng and the Lord of Chang'an Ying Chengjiao stood beside the map with grim expressions.
In addition to the two brothers, there were seven people in the field.
The civil officials included Li Si as the left prime minister, Wang Wan as the right prime minister, and Fu Zikang as the internal historian in charge of grain.
In Wu there were Li Mu, the Marquis of Wu'an of Zhao, and three outstanding generals, Ren Xiong, Tu Sui, and Zhao Tuo.
Inside the Council Hall.
The situation is tense.
"These Xiongnu dogs dared to plunder my Qin people and invade my Qin territory. I don't care about the pros and cons, I must fight this battle!"
The young general Zhao Tuo waved his arms with great enthusiasm, as if he was ready to set off to the northwest right away.
"Zhao Wu'an has been fighting the Xiongnu for ten years, so the Xiongnu dared not send a single scout southward. Even with such a great military achievement, he could not pursue the Xiongnu and could only take a defensive position against them. Can you beat Zhao Wu'an? This battle cannot be started. Recover Yanmen and Jiuyuan."
The old prime minister Wang Wan was mature and prudent. After comprehensive consideration, he gave some words of advice.
"The Qin State destroyed Yiqiu, fought against the Western Rong, and killed the Eastern Hu. It was at the hands of these dogs from outside the Great Wall that we gained a great reputation. When it comes to understanding these foreign peoples, the Qin State is the best."
"The Central Plains can only defend against the Hu people, because they are weak. The only way for our Qin State is to attack! Just like we destroyed Yiqu, we must make all the land of the Xiongnu belong to our Great Qin State!"
Ren Xiong, who had high qualifications but little reputation and was a steady and prudent military officer, disagreed with Wang Wan's words.
Anyone who can become a general of the Qin Dynasty, regardless of his character or tactics, is an absolute supporter of the main position at heart.
If there is a war, we must fight it, and we must fight until the enemy's country is destroyed and their race is exterminated, and we must fight until there is nothing left to fight!
"We have 500,000 soldiers available in the Great Qin. We have conquered the six kingdoms, so why not conquer the Xiongnu? Xiongnu dogs should all die. Men, women, old and young should all be beheaded. I will confer titles of nobility and prime minister with the heads of hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu dogs!"
Tu Sui, who died of brutality in history, shouted loudly, and his desire to fight was a thousand times stronger than Ren Xiong's.
"The Xiongnu are like birds and beasts. They will scatter when they are numerous. When we send out a large army to Yanmen and Jiuyuan counties, the Xiongnu will scatter when we see them from afar. We can recover the two counties, but we cannot chase them into the desert and destroy them. The desert is a different scene every hundred miles, and it is difficult for non-locals to tell east, west, south, and north. It is difficult to track the Xiongnu in the desert, and even if we find them, it is difficult to kill them."
Li Mu in white reluctantly expressed his opinion after receiving a look from Ying Chengjiao.
Unlike the Qin generals whose minds were deeply engraved with the words "military merit and honor".
Li Mu, who had sufficient experience in dealing with the Huns, was not optimistic about their demise.
If the Huns were so easy to destroy, he would have wiped them out completely back then, leaving no trace behind, and there would have been no turn for the Qin army.
Tu Sui glared and noticed Ying Chengjiao's fierce look, and glared back with the same fierce look.
"The words of a general who is doomed to fail cannot be trusted!"
The left prime minister Li Si pointed at the cities and regions on the map with a stern face and said, "How about you, Tu Sui, compare yourself to the Marquis of Wucheng? Even the Marquis of Wucheng is no match for Li Mu, how dare you speak so arrogantly!"
"The 500,000 Qin troops are distributed in Han, Chu, Qi, and Wei. Gather them in Shangjun and launch a massive attack on the desert that our army has never set foot in. If we fail, your majesty's great cause of unifying the world will be lost in your hands, Tu Sui!"
"The lives of half a million soldiers, the stability of all parts of Qin, your majesty's great achievements, are all for your own wealth and glory?"
Two factions formed in the field regarding the Xiongnu invasion.
One faction consists of Ren Xiong, Zhao Tuo, and Tu Sui. They not only want to fight this war, but also want to fight it to the end and will not stop until the Huns are destroyed.
In the Qin State, fighting a war meant being crowned and promoted to a higher rank, and fighting a long war meant being granted a title of nobility or prime minister.
Among the generals of the Qin Dynasty, almost no one would say that this war is not appropriate to fight.
One faction consisted of Li Mu, Li Si, and Wang Wan, who advocated the restoration of Yanmen and Jiuyuan counties and restoring the previous structure.
Li Si and Wang Wan had strong coordination skills and knew the overall situation of the Qin State. It was easy for them to judge that there would not be much benefit from fighting this war. There was no need to fight a war that did not benefit much, and we should not fight a war just for the sake of fighting.
Li Muyi knew the Huns too well and knew that it was not that he could not defeat them but that he could not kill them all.
Secondly, he was deeply influenced by Ying Chengjiao and considered the pros and cons of the issue, so he did not support fighting to the death.
Among the seven people, Fu Zikang, the Internal Affairs Minister of Grain, was an exception. Fu Zikang seemed to be completely unconcerned about this matter.
When the First Emperor asked for his opinion, he responded.
"I only know how to calculate accounts, and I don't know anything else. If we want to fight, the money and food are enough for the military. If we don't want to fight, then we won't fight."
The Minister of Grain was equivalent to the Minister of Finance in later dynasties. The First Emperor asked Fu Zikang to come because he wanted food and military supplies.
Therefore, among the seven people, Fu Zikang, who entered the meeting last, was also the first to withdraw from the meeting. The First Emperor was very satisfied with him.
"Brother, don't you want to fight?"
Ying Chengjiao said with narrowed eyes.
The six people were still arguing, but their reasons were no longer new. Ying Chengjiao could see that the First Emperor had made his decision.
"As you said, even if we conquer it, I can't defend it. As an emperor, you must not act on impulse. You must remember this."
"What do you think of my many nephews, my brother?"
"What?"
A question mark appeared over the First Emperor’s head.
What do my sons have to do with the Hun invasion?
"How about we assign fiefs to my nephews? Let them take a group of people to take charge!"
There was a gleam in Ying Chengjiao's eyes, and he tapped the Huns' land with his fingers.
"For example, here, let the second brother Ying Gao go over. This is not a fake enfeoffment, but a real enfeoffment!"