Chapter 223 The more fish there are, the muddier the water!
Korean land.
When Lu Buwei stopped putting grain into the market, Zhang Liang immediately noticed this phenomenon.
With a cold smile, he knew that Lu Buwei wanted to cause a sharp rise in the price of grain in Han, thereby causing chaos in Han, which was exactly the same as he had imagined before.
Zhang Liang immediately wrote a letter and sent it to all the major cities in Han, asking them to distribute grain immediately to stabilize the situation.
Soon, a large number of carrier pigeons took off from Xinzheng in the Han area and flew towards the major cities in the Han area.
Zhang Liang, who had air superiority and mastered the fastest carrier pigeon messaging system of the time, could make decisions much faster than Lu Buwei's fast horse messaging.
As early as when Lu Buwei entered Han, Zhang Liang ordered the major families to start stockpiling grain.
At that time, Lu Buwei's plan to triple the iron harvest had just begun, and the major trade routes leading to the Han area had not yet been cut off.
Although the major families in Han did not know what the Zhang family meant, grain was a hard currency more valuable than pig iron in this era.
If the Zhang family wants us to collect the grain, then let’s do it.
Today, Zhang Liang speculates that the grain hoarded by the Zhang family is enough to satisfy the appetite of all the people in Han for a year based on the grain hoarded by the major families.
In Zhang Liang's imagination, Lu Buwei's move would definitely fail.
The prerequisite for using grain to disrupt Han is that Han has no grain, just like when Qi sanctioned Lu and Chu.
If Lu and Chu had stored enough grain at the beginning, there would be no point in Qi imposing sanctions.
Now that Korea has stockpiled a large amount of food, how can the same trick be used to disrupt Korea?
Zhang Liang didn't believe that Lü Buwei didn't know about this situation, so he made it clear to Lü Buwei when they were playing chess that day. He didn't believe that Lü Buwei was only capable of this.
In order to get more information and find out what tricks Lu Buwei is playing.
Among the carrier pigeons that flew out of Xinzheng, one flew to Lu's shop in Yiyang.
Inside the shop, Lu Buwei took off the yellow paper tied to the pigeon's feet and unfolded it to look at it.
[Is this the nineteen you mentioned? I am really disappointed. Lü Buwei is just so-so.]
Lu Buwei chuckled.
"Get a pen."
A servant went to get a brush, dipped it in ink, and handed it to Lu Buwei.
[Your Majesty once said: Han died because of his tactics. Your Majesty has long seen through the hearts of the people in Han and the nature of the people. This gamble was opened in Han, and you lost from the beginning.]
The carrier pigeon fluttered into the air.
The well-trained hawk in the sky saw that it was its own homing pigeon and gave up the extra meal in frustration. The homing pigeon trembled and flapped its wings rapidly, flying back to Xinzheng.
After Zhang Liang received Lü Buwei's reply, he rewrote all the words on the letter and read it over and over again.
I spent a whole day looking at it but still couldn't understand it.
There has never been such a precedent in the books. Lu Buwei must be cheating me!
This is what Zhang Liang finally concluded.
On the second day, Zhang Liang looked at the information of various cities in Han, and with a gloomy face, he overturned yesterday's conclusion.
The price of food in Korea has increased, a lot!
Instead of releasing large amounts of grain to calm the market, the major Korean families hoarded it and began to restrict the release of grain.
Overnight, the price of grain in Korea increased by at least three times and at most seventeen times, depending on the city.
"These idiots! Idiots! Have they never read Guanzi? Have they never heard of the case of Qi using cloth to control Lu and using deer to control Chu?"
Zhang Liang, who always had his plans in mind and was calm in the face of emergencies, was angered.
He angrily smashed all the utensils on the table beside him and wrote furiously on the spot.
[Look at how Qi used horses to defeat Lu, and used deer to defeat Chu! Unstable grain prices will lead to a sharp rise in grain prices, and Han will lose territory! ]
Another swarm of carrier pigeons flew from Xinzheng to major cities in Korea.
Looking at dozens of carrier pigeons soaring into the sky, Zhang Liang felt a little relieved.
Zhang Liang, who was more beautiful than a woman, thought so.
The major families are unaware of the seriousness of the problem, which is why they have allowed food prices to spiral out of control.
Once people have seen how Qi used wool to defeat Lu and how Qi used deer to defeat Chu, they would inevitably release a large amount of grain to stabilize the market.
Is this really the case?
…
Xianyang City.
State Military Office.
"It was the Queen Mother who entered Xianyang first, so she has no right to criticize me." The old general had no respect for Zhao Ji at all, and his words were very frivolous.
"You are a general of Qin, not a retainer of that bastard!" Queen Mother Zhao shouted, her face full of anger. "Have you forgotten the death of Wu'an Jun?"
Wang Xi was stunned, and there was an obvious fluctuation in his eyes.
The reason why Zhao Ji mentioned Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, was because Wang Qi had been Bai Qi's deputy general and had a deep friendship with him, so he knew very well how Bai Qi died.
Seeing Wang Zhi's performance, Zhao Ji thought that Wang Zhi was persuaded and decided to strike while the iron was hot.
"Now that you have left the Imperial Guards' Office, I will pretend that I have never seen you today and will not discuss this with His Majesty."
These words seemed to bring Wang Xi away from distant memories.
"Wu Anjun, hehe."
The old general whispered to himself, and suddenly he shouted louder than Gongsun Hun’s previous shout, as if he wanted to turn the entire Xianyang city upside down!
"Li Ling!"
"only!"
Li Ling shouted in response. He watched the dispute between Wang Zhi and Zhao Ji throughout.
He knew that responding at this moment would mean taking sides and standing against Zhao Ji, but he didn't care.
This is the Great Qin, the Qin State, a country that judges heroes by their battles and is the country with the most outstanding military achievements.
This is the time when the children of generals are most spoiled.
Whether it was Chang'an Jun Ying Chengjiao or Queen Mother Zhao Ji, they didn't care if they had no military merits.
Li Ling fought with sword and gun on the battlefield and rose from the twentieth rank of military merit to the fifteenth rank.
They recognized Meng Ao and Wang Qi, who had led them to fight, taught them how to use swords and knives, and helped them bring wealth and glory back home, but they did not recognize the Queen Mother of Qin.
"You will judge the matters concerning the expedition!"
"only!"
Tap tap tap
Li Ling strode into a house and shouted loudly like Gongsun Hun did before.
"Send all the war supplies to Naigong!"
There was another flurry of hopeful activity.
As Zhao Ji watched Wang Qi giving orders in front of her, her expression became increasingly ugly.
The murderous intent was naked and undisguised, and it also swept behind Wang Xi and the generals who were affiliated with the Meng family in the court.
"I met Queen Dowager Xuan when I was young. She looks very much like you." Wang Xi lowered his voice and said in a calm tone, "I hope you will enjoy your old age."
Zhao Ji's face turned pale with anger.
Queen Dowager Xuan was competing for power with King Zhaoxiang of Qin, but was ultimately defeated by her own son, King Zhaoxiang of Qin. She was imprisoned in the palace and died of starvation.
Wang Xi's words were clearly directed at the Chang'an Jun she had mentioned earlier. He was warning her not to meddle in other people's business, so as not to end up like the Queen Dowager Xuan.
"you……"
As soon as he uttered a word, his mouth was blocked by someone's hand.
Gai Nie stood in front of Zhao Ji, and the First Emperor stood behind Zhao Ji and covered her mouth.
Gai Nie remained facing Wang Xi and retreated to escort the First Emperor and Zhao Ji away.
Wang Xi watched all this quietly without any expression.
Later, a general wanted to say something, but he interrupted him with his hand, saying he didn't want to listen.
He came here today because he was entrusted by Ying Chengjiao to ensure the normal operation of the National Guard Office, and no one could stop him.
Behind him are the owners of forty-six letters of resignation.
Many of these generals who previously held high positions in the army had served in the National Guard's Office when they were young.
They were very familiar with handling the matter of going to the National Guard's Mansion, and it could even be said that they were wasting their talents.
"If you don't deal with these bamboo slips today, you and I will set up camp here and prepare for a night battle."
Wang Xi walked deep into the Guowei Mansion, talking as he walked.
"only!"
The generals behind him responded in unison, just as they did when they were marching to war.
During the evening rest period, no one came out of the State Guard Office.
The lights inside were on until sunrise the next day.
In the past, there were few people coming in and out of the Gan family, because the head of the Gan family, Gan Luo, was only a senior minister, and a senior minister with no development prospects.
But today, a carriage from the Prime Minister's Mansion drove up to the gate of Gan's house, where birds could often land. The right prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, Wang Wan, stepped down from the carriage.
He asked the servant to go in and report to Gan Luo.
Wang Wan did not follow the servants into the Gan family's gate, but raised his head and looked at the Gan family's mansion, wondering what he was thinking.
Soon, the servant who went in to report came back.
He was alone when he reported and he was alone when he came back. Gan Luo, the head of the Gan family, did not come out to greet him.
Wang Wan looked a little unhappy and had the urge to turn around and leave, but after taking a deep breath, he still stepped into the Gan family.
So arrogant!
The Right Prime Minister of the Great Qin said in his heart.
The servant led Wang Wan into a house in the Gan family that was used to receive guests.
"Please sit down, my lord. The master will be here soon."
Wang Wan's face twitched, his anger rose, and he wanted to turn around and leave.
It would be fine if you didn't welcome me, but you actually want me to wait for you?
But after taking a deep breath, he sat down, with no change in his expression.
"Can."
As the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, he would not go to the extent of causing trouble to a servant. He is not that kind of person.
The servant stepped forward to pour tea for Wang Wan. Before the cup was full, a man pushed open the door.
The Grand Minister of the Great Qin Dynasty, the head of the Gan family, Gan Luo.
This speed was as if they had been waiting outside the door for a long time.
If the servant had spoken five breaths later, Gan Luo would have arrived.
"You go down."
Gan Luo, who arrived late, gave instructions to his servants.
"only."
The servant put down the teapot, clasped his arms with both hands, stretched them straight forward, bowed deeply to Gan Luo, and left the house.
Wang Wan gently swiped the tea with the lid of the teacup and said casually, "What kind of gift is this?"
There were not many red tapes in the Qin Dynasty. Even when a Qin minister met the First Emperor, he only needed to bow his head with his hands clasped together. He did not need to bow at a 90-degree angle like the servant did just now.
"Qin Li." Gan Luo smiled and said casually, "The servants of the Right Prime Minister's family should have performed the same ceremony in the past."
"then……"
As soon as Wang Wan stopped stirring the tea, the tea soup continued to rise and fall with the aftertaste.
He bit the two words heavily, raised his head and looked at Shangqing Gan Luo, who had little presence in the court.
“I can’t go back.”
Gan Luo was unmoved and did not even look Wang Wan in the eye. He seemed too lazy to meet Wang Wan's gaze and seemed to be disdainful.
"Right Prime Minister, did you come here just to say something inexplicable?"
"Can you please stop?" Wang Wan said sincerely, "Your Majesty has unified the four seas and is a master of the world who has never appeared in the world. Please grant us fiefdoms and show your favor to three generations..."
"Huh?" Gan Luo laughed.
Shaking his head, opening his mouth, he was laughing uncontrollably, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
Wang Wan stopped talking - there was no need to continue.
"Sorry, I thought of something happy. Please continue, Right Prime Minister." Gan Luo looked sincere.
Wang Wan stood up.
"It seems I shouldn't have come today."
Gan Luo did not stand up, but leaned back and stared into Wang Wan's eyes for the first time. There was a power in his eyes that ordinary people could hardly meet.
“But you came anyway.”
"It's my fault for hoping for the best."
"No, no." Gan Luo raised his index finger and shook it, his head moving with it. "The Right Prime Minister should have said that if he came, he would die."
Wang Wan's eyes narrowed. For many years, he had been in the high position of Right Prime Minister, second only to the emperor and above everyone else. No one had dared to speak to him like this.
"You want to kill me?" There was no fear in his eyes, but only anger and disappointment.
How did the innocent Gan Luo become what he is today?
"How dare I kill the right prime minister? You can't say that. According to Qin law, it's a crime of false accusation." Gan Luo spread his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and said helplessly: "It's just a joke. The right prime minister is really unromantic."
Style?
Are you comparing me to those prostitutes and concubines in the towers?
presumptuous!
Wang Wan did not hide his anger and left with his sleeves thrown down.
"You are so crazy, if you don't die, where is the righteousness of heaven and earth!"
After Wang Wan left, inside the house, Gan Luo looked at the tea that Wang Wan had not drunk a sip from beginning to end, and chuckled.
"Zhengdao, there is such a thing in the world?"
He walked to the chair where Wang Wan was sitting, picked up the cup of tea offered to Wang Wan, held it to his chest, and gently relaxed his hands.
The teacup falls freely and, under the action of gravity, falls rapidly in the air, getting faster and faster.
Snap~
The teacup broke into pieces.
The tea soup flew everywhere.
Gan Luo walked out of the house, stepping on the broken pieces of teacup and the remaining tea.
"If it is true, then you are the right path?"
There was a man waiting at the door. As soon as Gan Luo came out, he immediately bent down and bowed 90 degrees, with his hands raised high, arms stretched forward, and his head lowered.
Gan Luo didn't tell him to get up, so he kept following Gan Luo in this posture.
Report softly, respectfully, and in detail.
"We have collected all 46 resignation petitions into one document and presented it to Your Majesty. No one should know that it was us who did it now. "
"Um."
"Zhang Kong instigated his colleagues to break into Lord Chang'an's residence, but was killed by Lord Chang'an. It is unclear whether he was exposed."
"Who is Zhang Kong?" Gan Luo asked casually, with a hint of doubt, "Is there a family with the surname Zhang in Qin? A descendant of Zhang Yi?"
In the history of Qin State, the only famous person with the surname Zhang was Zhang Yi, the prime minister of Qin Huiwen Wang.
The Zhang family was very famous at that time and was unrivaled.
But after the death of King Huiwen of Qin, Zhang Yi was expelled from Qin by King Wu of Qin. The Zhang family also left with Zhang Yi and fell apart overnight.
"No, it's invested in..."
"Just handle this kind of thing yourself, don't tell me about it."
When Gan Luo heard the word "no", he lost the desire to listen any further. He was not interested in who Zhang Kong would serve under.
"Chang'an Jun is not the crown prince, he is not that kind and righteous. Don't try to test him with such tricks. Don't do anything that will confront Chang'an Jun directly, unless you want to die."
Gan Luo said casually, looked up at the blue sky, and smiled brightly at the bright sunshine.
"When it comes to being treacherous and cunning, who can outwit my dear friend? Right, Cheng Jiao."
"…The State Military Commission has been at a standstill for a day, and all memorials and official documents cannot be implemented. No one else can do this except Your Majesty."
"That's great. The only way to defeat the sinister and treacherous is to be magnanimous. Let everyone stop and stop getting involved in this matter. Just wait and see what happens."
"I think that your majesty's move is a sign of action against Chang'an Jun. We should add fuel to the fire, so that..."
Gan Luo stopped.
Ju Xie, who had been bowing with his head down, saw Gan Luo stop and immediately stopped talking.
"Why do you all think that Chang'an Jun has a good temper?" Gan Luo turned around and looked at his followers who lowered their heads even more.
"He dared to kill people in public, so do you think he would dare to kill people in the middle of the night? Have you stayed in the Doctor's Office for too long and been abused by those doctors? You forgot that this is the Qin State, and that people here are happy to hear about war and that force is supreme."
The followers bowed their heads to the ground and said in trembling voices: "Bao Bailing knows he is wrong."
Anyone who follows Gan Luo along the way and dares not raise his head until he hears Gan Luo stand up is not a servant of the Gan family.
Instead, he was appointed as the head of the Doctoral Office and was the one who dared to scold the First Emperor in the court, Bao Bailing.
"Lord Chang'an, this time it's His Majesty who's targeting you, you can't do anything about it, right? How are you going to break this situation?"
Gan Luo talked to himself, a smile on his face, and he was very satisfied with the strategy he used.
Half a day passed.
It's already afternoon.
Gan Luo's good mood continued until he met Bao Bailingzhi again.
"Why are you so flustered?"
As soon as Gan Luo saw Bao Bailing's expression, he felt something ominous in his heart.
But as the hidden leader of the Qin family, he could not panic, so he gave warnings first.
"Wang Xi brought the seal of the Imperial Guard and led dozens of military officers into the Imperial Guard Mansion. The Imperial Guard Mansion is now functioning normally."
Bao Bailing spoke quickly and expressed the most complete information in the shortest words.
After being reprimanded by Gan Luo, his expression was still shocked.
The appearance of Wang Xi was totally out of the consideration of the head of the Doctoral Office.
How could such a person who had been completely out of the Qin power circle for ten years suddenly appear and stand up for Ying Chengjiao?
"As expected, no problem, you can go back."
Gan Luo nodded to indicate that he understood, with a look on his face that said, "This is all within my expectations."
He waved his hand and ordered them to leave.
Bao Bailing turned around and walked away with a confused look on his face, and only came to his senses when he left Gan's house.
This time when he entered the Gan family to see Gan Luo, he neither bowed nor said goodbye.
It would be fine if I didn't notice it, but how come Mr. Gan, who takes this the most, didn't notice it?
Could it be that Mr. Gan is as panicked as I am?
Wang Xi's appearance was not something Gan Jun expected...
Thinking of this, Bao Bailingzhi broke out in a cold sweat and quickly reflected on himself.
No, no, Gan Jun was very smart since he was young, and he could accomplish anything he wanted to do.
When he heard the news I reported, his expression remained the same, without any change. This was because I didn't say anything about etiquette. He must have forgotten about the matter in his busyness.
Yes, it must be so, it must be so...
When Bao Bailing noticed that there was something wrong with Gan Luo, he became several times more panicked than when he knew that Wang Qi had appeared.
In the Gan family's house, after Bao Bailingzhi said goodbye and left, Gan Luo, who had a calm expression, suddenly became ferocious, like a vicious ghost escaping from the eighteenth level of hell.
"Wang, zhi." He spoke each word with gritted teeth. "Why don't you die! Why don't you die!"
On that day, everything in the Gan family's house was broken into pieces and the floor was in a mess.
Xianyang Palace.
The eunuch sent by Queen Afang returned to Afang Palace holding a pair of golden toads.
"The Concubine Chu is not in the palace. I don't know where she went with the Third Young Master. I didn't see the Concubine Chu, so I dare not tell anyone, tell anyone, tell anyone those three words..."
No matter how much you hypnotize yourself, just treat it as an ordinary sentence.
The eunuch did not dare to say the three words "well done" in front of Afang.
"I'll give it to you tomorrow." Afang ordered, waving her hand and asking the eunuch to take the golden toad out.
There was a hint of worry in her eyes and she felt upset.
He then left the Afang Palace with his personal maid Ping'er and came to the lake in the Xianyang Palace where tens of thousands of carp were raised.
In the past, when Afang saw these fat and plump koi that were not afraid of strangers and were raised to be big and round, she always found them very pleasing.
But today, seeing these fat carps in the lake rushing around, Afang didn't feel happy at all.
“The more fish there are, the muddier the water.”
Afang whispered softly.
"What is the Queen saying?"
She was in a very good mood and fantasized about marrying into the Chang'an Jun Mansion. Ping'er was extremely happy and relied on Afang's favor.
He leaned over and asked presumptuously.
"I said I won't propose marriage to you." Afang turned his head and smiled, hiding the worry on his face.
"Ah? The Queen doesn't want it!"
Ping'er had a sad face and looked like she was about to cry. She pulled the queen's hand and waved it back and forth like a seven-year-old girl.
Crying is better than death.
Afang hardened his heart, scattered the bait in his hand, and stared at the thousands of fish swarming into the pond.
There is not much bait, so only a very few fat carp are destined to eat it. But if they can't eat it this time, they can always eat it next time.
There is only one throne. Whoever gets it will own everything. Whoever fails to get it will have no next time. If he fails to succeed, he will die.
…
Chang'an Jun Mansion.
Ying Chengjiao unfolded the carrier pigeon in his hand.
[Mu has followed the Lord's advice and encouraged Meng Tian to go to war, but Mu really does not see what talent this boy has. He has mobilized more than a thousand chariots that are completely useless to the Xiongnu and useless for attacking the city and sent them to Jiuyuan and Yanmen. This move is a waste of the power of the Qin State. The Lord has made a mistake. If Mu is allowed to go to war at this time, Meng Tian may survive.]
"Chariots are a product that should have been eliminated by the times. What can Meng Tian do with them?"
Ying Chengjiao crumpled up the letter and muttered to himself, "You are the greatest warrior of the Qin Dynasty, famous in history for resisting the Xiongnu, and once served on the frontier. I don't believe you are the mediocre person that the drunkard said you were."
"I promised that old fellow Meng Ao that if you win this battle, I will let you follow Little Taotie and be the main general in the expedition against the Xiongnu. Don't let us down."
A carrier pigeon flew from Chang'an Junfu to Shangjun.
Li Mu received the reply and gently unfolded the paper.
[You are everywhere, just stay still. I have already told you that Meng Tian is not necessarily weaker than you on the battlefield, especially against the Huns.]
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken." Li Mu threw the letter into the brazier and said as he looked at the burning flames, "Your Majesty, you are not familiar with the art of war."
A great war broke out in the northwest of Daqin.
This battle was extremely strange, because the main force of this battle was no longer cavalry or infantry, but a type of soldier that had been basically eliminated in the Central Plains - the chariot.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, chariots were the main force on the battlefield. At that time, wars between two major powers were extremely particular about etiquette, such as the Battle of Hongshui.
Zuo Zhuan records:
On the first day of the 11th month of winter, the Duke of Song and the Chu army fought at Hong. The Song army had formed a line, but the Chu army had not yet crossed the river. The Sima said, "They are many and we are few. Let's attack them before they cross the river." The Duke said, "No." After they crossed the river but had not yet formed a line, he reported it again. The Duke said, "No." After they formed a line, he attacked them, and the Song army was defeated. The Duke was injured in the leg, and the gate officer was killed.
The people of the country all blamed the Duke. The Duke said, "A gentleman does not injure a person too severely, nor does he kill a person who has only a hair. In ancient times, when an army was formed, it was not to block narrow passes. Although I am the remnant of a fallen country, I will not form a line without drums."
Right now:
When the states of Song and Chu were at war, Duke Xiang of Song went to fight. His subordinate Zi Yu said, "Let's attack Chu since the Chu army has not yet crossed the Hong River." Duke Xiang of Song said no.
Ziyu said that they had not yet formed their ranks, so let's fight. Duke Xiang of Song said no, and that we should wait until Chu was ready.
The Song army was defeated, Duke Xiang of Song was injured, and his guards were killed. The people blamed Duke Xiang of Song.
He also argued: Don't kill the injured, don't catch people with gray hair, and don't attack those who rely on dangerous terrain.
This is the war etiquette of the Spring and Autumn Period, and it is also a kind of etiquette in the collapse of rituals and music pursued by Confucianism.
On the battlefields of the Spring and Autumn Period, sneak attacks, cold arrows, ambushes, and all kinds of deception were considered unethical and would be despised by everyone.
At that time, a declaration of war had to be issued before a war could begin. The declaration of war had to include a reason for the war, and the other party had to agree on the time and place before the war could begin.
If the other party experiences a natural disaster or an important person dies, you cannot start a war at will.
We have to wait until the other party's national mourning is over and the food, fodder and soldiers are fully prepared before we can line up our troops and fight a real battle.
When fighting, if the opponent is hit once, you must not strike him a second time. You must stop when you are ahead.
If you capture an enemy king in battle, you must not capture him but release him.
How outrageous was the etiquette at that time?
Battle of Bi between Jin and Chu.
The Chu army won a great victory and the Jin army was defeated and fled.
Because Jin's army was too large and in disarray, they couldn't move forward.
When the Chu army caught up with the Jin army, they did not kill the enemy but taught the Jin army how to escape.
The Chu army first taught the Jin army to remove the crossbar in front of the chariots to avoid interference with each other.
The Jin army had just fled for a while when their horses began to circle and were caught up by the Chu army again.
The Chu army still did not kill the enemy, and instead ordered the Jin army to throw away their flags and the crossbars on the shafts of their carts so that they could run faster.
The Jin army did as they were told and at the same time turned back to taunt the Chu army - We are not like the Chu State, which was defeated many times and fled, so we don't have experience in this area.
It is said that there were no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period.
In fact, the wars in the Spring and Autumn Period were the most "righteous".
At that time, fighting was like children playing house.
This phenomenon, which seems extremely strange from a modern perspective, occurred largely because most of the people who participated in the war at that time were children of aristocrats.
All the nobles in the world are one family. We should not kill if we can avoid it. War is mainly about momentum. What is killing the enemy?
In this situation, tall and mighty chariots fully meet the needs of all countries.
Before the battle, show off the chariots, and everyone will face each other to arrange their troops one by one, and then start ramming.
The battle seemed magnificent, but in reality there were not many casualties.
At that time, the number of chariots represented the military strength of a country.
A country of thousands of vehicles, a country of ten thousand vehicles.
The "乘" here refers to the chariot.
The "driving" in the Six Arts of Confucianism refers to driving a chariot.
Then came the Warring States Period, when real swords and guns fought, and the word "war" was given its name.
The aristocratic wars that were supposed to be stopped at a certain point evolved into a massacre to siege cities and destroy countries, and chariots basically bid farewell to the battlefield.
One is the terrain limitation.
The tanks could not climb up hills, could not go through grass, could not pass through trees, etc.
Second, the mobility is poor.
The emergence of cavalry completely replaced chariots. Horses pulling heavy chariots obviously could not run faster than horses without any burden, and the mobility of chariots was completely surpassed by cavalry.
This is true in the Central Plains and even more so in the border areas.
It’s not that the tanks had never reached the border, but they were blown up to pieces.
Compared with the nomadic people who were good at riding horses, the chariots with their wheels tangled and moving slowly on the grass were simply sitting ducks.
The Xiongnu, Donghu and other grassland tribal peoples had only seen chariots once, and after a thrill, they never saw this main combat force in the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period again - the monarchs of various countries were not fools.
And this time, Meng Tian, in a situation where no one understood.
Even Li Mu, the Marquis of Zhao Wu'an, who had prevented the Huns from moving south for ten years, did not understand.
Bring the chariot that had long lost its glory to the frontier for the second time to rebuild its glory.
During the time he spent recuperating in Shangjun, Meng Tian, despite everyone's opposition, collected all the chariots that could be collected in the northwest.
Meng Tian not only led 15,000 soldiers and horses from Shangjun to the expedition, but also led all the 1,538 chariots he could muster.
Meng Tian disguised these chariots to look like baggage carts - in fact, they were not really disguised, he just piled food and fodder on the carts.
The nomadic people had not seen a chariot for nearly a hundred years, and the same was true for the Huns. Those who knew what a chariot was had long since died.
Although there were a few Huns who knew about chariots through nomadic merchants who went to the Central Plains.
But when they informed the Hun high-level officials, the Hun commander did not care about these things.
What is a chariot?
The soldier who was pushed to the grassland and was defeated?
So, when Meng Tian led an army that appeared to be mainly infantry from a distance, with a bunch of baggage carts in the middle, to Jiuyuan and Yanmen.
The Huns on the road were excited.
Cavalry versus infantry, an overwhelming victory!
The Qin army was so stupid that they used four war horses to pull each baggage cart. They didn't know how to use them as cavalry!
The Huns conquered Yanmen and Jiuyuan in one battle, and they already looked down on the Qin army.
When they saw what Meng Tian did, he used four horses to pull the baggage cart, and almost all the horses were occupied, so only a small number of cavalry could be left to investigate the situation.
He just wanted to charge at the Qin army directly.
But there are always some smart people who think that the Qin army must have a trick up their sleeve and that this is fishing.
In order to ensure safety, the Huns began to harass.
Several raids were successful.
The Qin army could only march angrily, watching their horses' buttocks bleeding from their mouths, and let them laugh and throw back the heads of the Qin soldiers they had cut off.
But the clever Huns still felt unsafe. What if the Qin army had an ambush?
The Huns were fighting with the Qin army as they watched the Qin army approach.
Until the Qin army marched to a vast open wilderness that was in full view and could not be ambushed, which was very suitable for cavalry charges.
The Huns couldn't bear it anymore.
Only a few people were left in Yanmen and Jiuyuan cities, and the rest were all gathered in this wilderness. They wanted to devour Meng Tian's 15,000 troops in one gulp.
They did not notice that this wilderness was flat and without grass - most of the northwestern territories of Qin State did not have grass as high as the grasslands, which could fit into the wheels of chariots.
Maybe they noticed, but they didn't care, so what?
Twenty thousand Huns rushed towards the Qin army, howling, screaming, and bloodthirsty.
They were angry at the eyes of the Qin army, which were full of anger and bloodthirstiness. Nai Gong has finally waited for you, a bunch of Hun dogs.
You are going to die!
You should be afraid!
We're going to kill you!
We will chop you all down!
We want to occupy more fertile areas!
We want to capture more beautiful women!
The Xiongnu cavalry charged forward, advancing five thousand steps with unstoppable force.
If you stop suddenly or turn at this time, you will be trampled and crushed to death by the cavalry behind you.
At this time, they were only three thousand steps away from the Qin army.
The Qin army changed its formation.
Quickly throw the food on the ground and quickly get on the chariot.
The infantrymen who could not climb up ran to the back of the chariots for cover.
One thousand five hundred and eighty-three chariots, pulled by skilled drivers, began to charge, sounding the thunder of the king of the Spring and Autumn Period in this era when chariots had long since declined!
Boom!