Chapter 207: Tell me, is this stall bad enough?
"Father, the Great Qin is now in a state of disrepair and has no extra troops or food. We have started a war in the land of the Xiongnu. You should give the land of the Xiongnu to..."
Without waiting for Ying Jianglu to finish speaking, the First Emperor sneered and pointed at Fu Zikang, the Internal Secretary of Grain Administration.
"Tell him whether my Great Qin's money and grain can start a war in the land of the Xiongnu."
Fu Zikang nodded decisively and said, "Enough!"
“Ahem!”
Ying Chengjiao seemed to have discomfort in his throat and kept coughing.
Fu Zikang turned around and looked at Ying Chengjiao, and his mouth, which had been closed, opened again.
"... or is it not enough?"
Ying Chengjiao put his hand to his mouth, coughed and nodded slightly.
Fu Zikang said firmly: "No matter how much!"
The First Emperor was filled with anger and had the urge to dismiss Fu Zikang on the spot.
Ying Jianglu's skill of observing people's words and expressions was maxed out. Just by looking at the expressions of the First Emperor and Fu Zikang, he knew that the Qin Dynasty should not be short of money and food.
The conversation continued, but the matter of the Qin Dynasty's money and grain was not mentioned at all.
"Please do as your uncle said and give the Xiongnu land to Jianglu. Jianglu will not take any of your soldiers. He will recruit his own troops and go to the Xiongnu land to help you get rid of the harassment."
"When the time is right in a few years, if my father wants to expand the territory in the northwest of Great Qin, Jiang Lu will offer the conquered land with both hands without any complaints, and then lead my Qin army to sweep the Xiongnu!"
Ying Jianglu spoke with true emotion, appearing extremely humble.
He just wants an opportunity, a chance to show himself.
After hearing what Ying Jianglu said, everyone was stunned.
They all stared at Ying Chengjiao, their eyes full of contempt and amazement.
Even Li Mu and Fu Zikang had the question in their eyes when they looked at Ying Chengjiao - Your Majesty, are you a human being?
How can enfeoffment be done in this way? Is this the only way a human could come up with?
Why don't you seal off the East China Sea, the easternmost part of Qin State? Why don't you seal off the Donghu, the northeastern part of Qin State?
You're dividing up the territories that you haven't conquered? You're shameless!
Not only did they not give him anything, they also asked the Third Young Master to go to the northwest to contain the Huns by his own strength.
If you say this to anyone who has reached adulthood, you will be beaten! You can only deceive a child like the Third Young Master.
Be a human being!
The First Emperor looked at Ying Jianglu, whose eyes were filled with stubbornness, and remained silent.
He is the First Emperor, whose words can decide life and death, and the rise and fall of a country.
Of course, he could reject Ying Jianglu's request outright and drive him out of the Council Hall.
But the First Emperor was unwilling to do so, did not want to do so, and had no reason to do so.
Ying Jianglu just wanted to prove himself, what did he do wrong?
His proposal was beneficial to the Qin State in every way, but it was extremely harsh on himself.
The First Emperor had an autocratic side, but the premise of that side was that he believed what he was doing was right.
Now, the First Emperor who unified China knew that what his third son said was right and was the best solution to deal with the Huns.
The First Emperor's original plan was to recover Yanmen and Jiuyuan counties and then send more troops to the border to resist the invasion of the Huns.
During the years of digesting and reviving the six kingdoms, maintain a defensive posture against the Huns - drive them away if they harass you, and do not pursue them into the grasslands.
After the Qin Dynasty had absorbed the lands of the six kingdoms, suppressed the remnants of the six kingdoms, and made the people of the six kingdoms regard themselves as Qin people, it would then send out an army of 300,000 to wipe out the Huns in one fell swoop.
Move hundreds of thousands of Qin people to the land of the Xiongnu, and just like annexing the land of Yiqiu, swallow up the land of the Xiongnu in one bite and turn it into a county of the Qin Empire.
His third son, Ying Jianglu, did not destroy his strategy, but further improved it.
During the years of recuperation within Qin, and the years of enduring harassment from the Huns on the Qin border, Ying Jianglu was willing to defend Qin against the Huns.
Let the Qin border develop vigorously like the inland, speed up the repair of the Great Wall, and avoid the harassment of the Huns.
After the Qin State had recovered, if Ying Jianglu was still alive, he would give all the conquered territories to the Qin State and to the First Emperor.
Moreover, although Ying Jianglü did so many things, he did not need the First Emperor to provide him with soldiers, food and fodder. He solved all the problems by himself, and there was no need for the Qin State to suffer any losses.
If this happened in modern times, Ying Jianglu's move would be tantamount to a promise that he would not need any support from China. He would recruit his own troops to fight Japan, and after conquering it, he would hand Japan over to China.
The First Emperor had no reason to object, whether in terms of emotion, reason, or benefit.
The First Emperor slammed the table with his index finger turned upside down, making a dull sound.
"If you want me to grant you the land of the Xiongnu, I can do so."
Just as Ying Jianglu showed joy on his face, the First Emperor's next words wiped out all the blood from his face, turning it pale.
"Tell me, how do you plan to contain the Xiongnu? How many troops will you summon? Where will you attack? How much food will you bring?"
Seeing the light in his third son's eyes gradually fade away, the First Emperor felt reluctant, but his words became colder.
"It seems that you don't know that I asked too much. Then I will ask you a simple question. Tell me, how do you survive in the land of the Xiongnu?"
Ying Jianglu pursed his lips, raised his head stubbornly, and said proudly: "I have my own way..."
The First Emperor drew the long sword from his waist, rushed towards Ying Jianglu with quick steps, and slashed the third son on the head with the sword!
A cold light flashed in Ying Jianglu's eyes, and then a cry of surprise was heard in the hall.
The next moment, a strand of black hair was seen floating in the air, swaying and falling in front of the kneeling knees.
"You're dead."
The First Emperor spoke calmly, holding a sword in his hand.
"If you can't survive my sword, how can you survive the Xiongnu's army? I can say the Xiongnu is weak, you can say the Xiongnu is weak, but you can't."
Ying Jianglu's body was about to fall and was staggering.
But without the Emperor's signal or order, no one dared to support Ying Jianglu.
Without my father, I am nothing...
What I have is only the identity of the Third Young Master...
I am not better than others, I am just born with good...
The third son of the Qin dynasty lowered his head, looking at the hair on his forehead that just fell in front of him, his eyes dull.
What the First Emperor cut off was not only the hair on his forehead, but also the ideals and ambitions in his heart.
"You were born in the palace and grew up in Xianyang. You ate delicacies from the mountains and the sea and drank fine wine. You have never seen the cold wind of the northwest or the curved swords of the Hu people."
"I have never eaten dry food that was frozen solid and harder than stone. I have never drunk snow water that was mixed with mud and full of earthy smell."
The First Emperor turned around and walked towards the big case, talking as he walked.
Wang Wan, Li Si, and Fu Zikang.
Li Mu, Ren Xiong, Tu Sui, Zhao Tuo.
No matter whether they were civil officials or military generals, there was not a trace of sympathy or pity for Ying Jianglu in their eyes at this moment.
They waited quietly for the First Emperor to return to the case and discuss the unfinished matters with them.
From the beginning to the end, they only looked at Ying Jianglu directly when he rushed in, knelt on the ground, and asked the First Emperor to grant him the land of the Xiongnu.
After they heard Ying Jianglu's story and knew what he was talking about, they no longer paid attention to Ying Jianglu.
This is a farce.
A joke made by an ignorant child.
A joke about Lord Chang'an deceiving the Third Young Master.
They still had feelings of contempt and speechlessness towards Ying Chengjiao, but they almost ignored Ying Jianglu.
In the Qin Dynasty, which practiced the policy of awarding titles based on military merit, royal princes were born with wealth and honor, but they did not have a prominent status.
In the Qin State, being weak was a crime and there were no human rights.
Not worthy of sympathy, no reason to talk.
In the entire Qin Dynasty, the only prince who can be respected by others is the current Crown Prince Ying Fusu.
If this proposal was made today and it was Ying Fusu kneeling here, he would definitely not be stumped by the First Emperor's question.
"In Qin, in the eyes of the ministers, you are the third son of the Qin. In the desert, in the eyes of the Xiongnu, you are still the third son of the Qin, but you are even more of a piece of fat meat."
"You are a piece of fat meat that can be bargained with me and asked for the city and county. If you still have some self-awareness, get out of here and don't embarrass me here!"
Ying Jianglu could no longer stand up straight, and a huge feeling of powerlessness emanated from his heart.
It was as if there was a glutton in his heart with its bloody mouth opening, eating up all his energy.
He leaned forward and was about to fall to the ground, and unconsciously stretched out his hands to avoid falling and getting bruised.
"Your Majesty, are you disciplining your son or me?"
A not-so-tall figure stood in front of Ying Jianglu, using his thigh to push Ying Jianglu forward.
Ying Jianglu did not support his hands on the ground, but instead held them on an extremely strong thigh.
The Third Young Master did not expect that anyone would give him help. He looked up blankly and saw Ying Chengjiao with a dissatisfied look on his face.
The First Emperor stopped and turned his back to Ying Chengjiao who was standing in front of his third son.
Facing the First Emperor head on, the seven people standing next to the big desk could clearly see that the First Emperor's originally calm expression turned ugly.
"Ten years have passed since the Tunliu incident. Are you still not tired of talking about it? No one is perfect. Your Majesty, please don't hold on to the past."
The Shame of Tunliu was the greatest humiliation that the Qin State had suffered in the past hundred years.
Guo Kai of Zhao State led only 5,000 soldiers and horses to defeat the enemy with a small force, and trapped all 50,000 soldiers and horses of Chang'an Jun of Qin in Zhao territory, leaving none of them alive.
He also captured Chang'an Jun alive and demanded fifteen cities from the Qin State in exchange, which was considered a great humiliation by the Qin people.
From then on, the most offensive curse in Xianyang became: “You are like the king’s younger brother.”
Ying Chengjiao patted his nephew on the shoulder and chuckled, "Don't take it to heart, little Taotie. Your father is talking about me."
Tu Sui, who was working on a major case, sneered, his voice neither high nor low, his words neither light nor heavy.
"If Sui Bing was defeated in Tunliu, he would have stabbed himself and died in Zhao State. How could he be so proud as Chang'an Jun?"
Li Mu's face, whose expression became almost as ugly as that of the First Emperor, became even uglier at this moment.
He stared at Tu Sui coldly, as if he was looking at a clown.
"Why does Lord Zhao Wu'an look so unhappy? This should be a happy occasion for your country, Zhao."
The young general Zhao Tuo deliberately spoke loudly.
This time, Li Mu was too lazy to even look at it.
The Qin generals are getting worse and worse with each generation!
Ren Xiao frowned slightly and stopped Tu Sui and Zhao Tuo.
As he had participated in the war against Zhao with Wang Jian, he knew Li Mu much better than Tu Sui and Zhao Tuo, two new generation generals who were dissatisfied with both heaven and earth.
As a military expert, the more I understand Li Mu, the more I realize how terrifying he is.
"May I ask, Lord Wu An, is there any inside story behind this matter?"
Li Mu saw that Ren Xiong was sincerely seeking advice and had a good attitude, and he also wanted to redress Ying Chengjiao's name.
Then he said in a cold voice: "Chang'an Jun deliberately defeated them so that the treacherous minister Guo Kai could take power. Zhao's 5,000 soldiers suffered no casualties, and Qin's 50,000 soldiers also survived."
Ren Xiong: ...
Tu Sui: ...
Zhao Tuo: ...
A thousand horses were galloping through the three men's minds. How could this war be fought like this?
We lost Tunliu but won the national war. Isn't this the best strategy in "The Art of War"?
Although Ren Xiong was extremely shocked and felt admiration for Ying Chengjiao in his heart, his expression remained calm.
Tu Sui and Zhao Tuo, the two young generals who had just made sarcastic remarks, were embarrassed.
Most military men have one characteristic in common: they are straightforward and respect the strong.
Their faces turned pale and they didn't dare to look at Li Mu and Ying Chengjiao. They wished they could strangle themselves to death for speaking.
At the side of a major case, these people did not deliberately lower their voices when speaking, and Ying Chengjiao heard them clearly, but Ying Chengjiao ignored them.
One is that you are too lazy to care. If you can't see the situation clearly, you are stupid. Why get angry with a stupid person?
Second, he didn’t have time because he had to support his third nephew.
While the conversation on the major case was going on, the two brothers, Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Ying Chengjiao, did not stop talking either.
"I will answer your majesty's question on behalf of Little Taotie. Little Taotie does not intend to contain the Xiongnu, but to unify their territory. He plans to lead 30,000 troops and set out from Yanmen, and fight wherever he can."
"If we encounter the Huns, we will fight them. If the food is almost gone, we will go back to Yanmen for supplies. My royal brother, please don't ask what we would do if we never fought. That doesn't exist."
The reason why the Xiongnu were able to conquer Jiuyuan and Yanmen was not because of their great strength, but because the Qin army had too few troops left garrisoning the two counties.
The Huns at this time were far from the empire during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, which unified the desert and had a territory even larger than that of the Han Dynasty at that time.
At this moment, the Huns were just a slightly stronger tribe in the desert.
The First Emperor knew that Ying Chengjiao had saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes. He also knew that Ying Chengjiao had iron tools that were much sharper than today's bronze tools.
With the support of these amazing equipment, 30,000 soldiers are invincible in the desert where it is difficult to set up an ambush. There is really no situation where they cannot win.
The First Emperor turned around and squinted his eyes.
"Where did he get these 30,000 soldiers and horses?"
Ying Chengjiao chuckled and squinted his eyes.
"I'll give it to you."
"It's hard to grow food in Yanmen. All the food is transported from Guanzhong, which is very expensive."
I will not supply these 30,000 troops.
"From now on, I will take care of the food supply for Yanmen. No, I will take care of the food supply for the seven counties in the northwest."
It doesn’t matter. I have plenty of food.
The First Emperor strode to the table, pointed at the northwest map, and shouted, "Okay, okay! If you want to manage it, then manage it to the end! Thirty thousand soldiers and horses will suffer losses in every war. Your expedition to the desert is like water without roots. You win every battle, but the number of people is decreasing. How many times can you win?"
"If you want to recruit soldiers to join the war, where will you recruit them? Yanmen, Jiuyuan, Longxi, Shangjun? There are ten times more guards than civilians there. Where will you recruit them? Can you recruit enough?"
"Of course, you have a lot of money, if you recruit soldiers from Guanzhong, Bashu and other places, you can also recruit them. But these Guanzhong and Bashu men have no war experience and are not trained. They will definitely not be able to adapt to the climate and water in the land of the Xiongnu. A group of weak people fully armed cannot defeat the Xiongnu."
"The Xiongnu are not strong, but that is compared to the Qin warriors, not the Qin people! Of course, you can also say that you trained first and then went to the battlefield. Then I will talk to you about training."
"In that desert, which is completely different from the Central Plains, you need at least three months of training to form a new army. Thirty percent of the new army must be accompanied by 70% of the old army, and another three months, the army will be initially formed. You can train Iron Eagle Swordsmen, so you must be familiar with training. You should know that I am making the best estimate."
"So, during the three months of training the new recruits, how many of the 30,000 veterans who fought in the desert will be left? Only 70% of the original troops will remain? The new troops will make your army's combat effectiveness decrease instead of increase. In another three months, the remaining number of people will be reduced by at least 50%!"
"Don't expect me to send troops to support you. The troops I have transferred to the border counties are only enough to defend the border counties. I will not provide you with any support."
"I am not angry with you. Unless you show me the possibility of completely destroying the Xiongnu, the Qin State will never participate in this war."
"You can take the third child to the desert and do whatever you want. You can take him to be an invincible god of war. You can squander your savings over the years and have a big go."
"Then, when you've had enough fun, return to Xianyang in high spirits. You can be the Lord of Chang'an and he can be the Third Young Master. Then you'll leave a mess for me to clean up!"
Ying Chengjiao held back his trembling body and mind, frightened by the power of the First Emperor, and wanted to quickly escape from the Council Hall.
He shrugged and said, "Your Majesty, even if this is the case, it is not a mess. At least we have bought some time for Qin to recuperate, right?"
The First Emperor sneered.
"You come and tell me that you can only fight and kill with 30,000 soldiers, but you can't build. Without the people to follow you, you can't build a city, and how are you going to defend the territory you conquer?"
"Tell me how you are going to wipe out the Huns in the desert, where they were born and raised. Do you know the Huns' terrain, topography, and landforms better than they do?"
"You come and tell me, you exposed saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes to the Xiongnu, but you can't kill all of them. In a few years, when the Qin Dynasty has rested and recuperated, how many more soldiers and money and food will it cost to face the Xiongnu who have saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes!"
"Tell me, after the Qin Dynasty destroyed the Xiongnu several years ago, facing the surrounding Donghu, Qiang and other Hu people equipped with saddles, stirrups and horseshoes, can the Qin Dynasty still expand?"
"You decide for yourself whether this stall is bad enough or not!"
