Chapter 418: Your boast is broken, why do you want me to fix it?
"I don't think too much. If the prince wants to bother me too much, I'm afraid he will miscalculate.
"You predicted me, I predicted your prediction, you predicted me predicted your prediction. If this goes on, when will it end...
"My brother may have a bad temper, but he should be quite tolerant of the prince. The prince's talent is enough to make my brother restrain most of his temper. As long as the prince does not rebel and commit suicide, his life should be safe..."
The sound gradually faded away and became smaller.
The exotic black tiger followed behind, looking impatient.
The two horses in front walked too slowly, so each of its steps was very short and uncomfortable. Black Tiger felt like a human walking with his legs clamped together.
The next day.
After stopping for a few more days, the convoy set out from Xiang County and headed for Donghai County.
On the fifth day of the journey
After reading it, the First Emperor called his brother into the carriage, threw the memorial over him, and looked unfriendly.
"Years ago, you insisted on leading the army to the north to fight against the Xiongnu. I said all the good things, and Li Mu analyzed the situation thoroughly, but it was all in vain. As a result, we have such a mess today, and you should be the one to clean it up."
Ying Chengjiao picked it up and looked at it, speechless for a long time.
The war situation in the northwest was completely beyond his expectations and did not proceed according to his wishes.
The man he appointed, Meng Tian, was indeed an expert in fighting the Huns.
With the assistance of dozens of senior generals of the Meng family who resigned from their posts and headed north, they led 50,000 cavalrymen and pushed the Xiongnu back more than 700 miles. If Qin recruited civilians and built a city to the north, it could expand the territory of at least three counties.
Such merit is second only to the merit of destroying a country. If it is counted as military merit, it is enough for Meng Tian to be promoted to Guannei Hou.
But with morale so high and fighting spirit so fierce and aggressive, Meng Tian actually stopped fighting.
Meng Ao had instructed the generals of the Meng family to attack the Xiongnu in the north. What Meng Tian did now was against his grandfather's wishes.
Not only did he not fight against the Xiongnu, he also detained all of Ying Jianglu's troops in the border counties and made them the defense soldiers of Shangjun. He used the generosity of Ying Chengjiao and the nobles of the Chu clan to escort the crown prince Ying Fusu.
The memorial was written by Lu Buwei, who did not explicitly state that Meng Tian had stopped the messenger, and his wording was very euphemistic.
[The Third Prince sent out several messengers, but all of them got lost in the desert. Only when I personally went to Shangjun to submit a memorial did I learn about this.]
The two brothers Ying Zheng and Ying Chengjiao understood what was going on at first glance.
It's normal to get lost in the depths of the desert.
But it was not normal at all for several of them to get lost in the Qin territory from Jiuyuan to Shangjun, and they were all soldiers fighting in the northwest.
Ying Chengjiao suddenly said:
"Royal brother, do you think Meng Tian acted this way? Was it my nephew who taught him to do so, or did he do it on his own initiative?"
The First Emperor thought for a moment and said:
"He has been gone for nearly a year, and he has not even returned for the wax festival. I really can't tell what Fusu looks like now. Oh, if there is really a shadow of Fusu here, it would be a happy event."
He smiled unconsciously, but suddenly stopped smiling, put on an extremely serious expression, grabbed Ying Chengjiao's wrist and said:
"When you go north this time, stay in Shangjun for a while and take a good look at Fusu for me. Don't let this rebellious son run from one extreme to another and go the wrong way again!"
There was a hint of coolness in his eyes.
"If this rebellious son dares to assassinate Jianglu, bring him back to Xianyang and choose another prince! I am not old yet, and this empire can still last for decades!"
Although scenes of fathers and sons killing each other and brothers killing each other were common in the royal family during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the First Emperor did not accept it. This was his bottom line.
After saying this, the First Emperor looked at Ying Chengjiao, a look of regret suddenly appearing on his face, which he couldn't hide no matter how hard he tried.
"Alas, Afang is right. It would be great if you were my son. I wouldn't have to worry about who would be the second emperor of Qin."
"Hey! That's too much!"
Ying Chengjiao looked up in surprise.
I treat you as my brother, and you actually want to be my father?! If you have the guts to say that, go and say it in front of your father’s tablet!
It’s not that the First Emperor had never thought about the succession from elder brother to younger brother. On the contrary, he had thought about it many times.
There are two reasons why Ying Chengjiao was not made crown prince:
1. Ying Chengjiao refused to take the position because he was not born with a love for the throne.
2. The age difference is not big, Ying Chengjiao is only four years younger than him.
If nothing unexpected happened, when he passed away, Ying Chengjiao would also be dead, and he would not be able to sit on the throne for more than a few years. If he died and a new king was appointed, it would cause another upheaval in the government, which would be detrimental to stability. It would be better to do it all at once.
"Too much? Is it too much for you to ask Jing Ke to kill for that rebellious son? Such despicable means should not appear in the king!"
If an emperor wants to kill his subjects, he should do it openly and honorably. What's the point of assassination ?
Ying Chengjiao smiled awkwardly.
"No, I will ask Jing Ke to stop this time."
He could send someone to kill him secretly after making sure that he was destined to die. He did not want to sit on the throne, so he did not need to care about worldly opinions, as long as he was at peace.
But Ying Fusu was indeed not suitable.
If an emperor assassinates his subjects , it will only show his incompetence and cause panic among his subjects when his subjects know about it, which will do more harm than good.
The two brothers had a frank and detailed discussion about Ying Chengjiao's trip to the northwest - how to fight against the Huns, to what extent the seven northwestern counties could participate in the war, and after the war, whether the Huns' land would be given to Ying Jianglu or to Ying Fusu.
After everything was discussed, the First Emperor rubbed his cheeks to calm his inner shock.
"If someone else told me to fight the Xiongnu in this way, I would have made him be beaten with 20 sticks to wake him up. He wants to die, so I will grant his wish without bringing my soldiers with him.
"Reason tells me that your battle plan is almost impossible.
"I have been rational all my life, but I will act on my emotions this time, please don't let me down.
"I don't want to be Zhao Dan, nor do I want you to be Zhao Kuo.
"Whether you and I will become the second paper strategist and be laughed at by future generations for thousands of years, or whether we will make another great achievement and be praised by future generations, it all depends on you."
The First Emperor had never heard of such a crazy battle plan.
The light cavalry went deep into the desert, carrying only a few days' worth of food and fodder, fighting to support the war, and gathering surrendered soldiers to continue fighting. This completely overturned all the military theories that the First Emperor had read.
The food and fodder that had to be transported before the army moved was no longer needed, and soldiers no longer needed to be recruited. The most important people in a war, food and fodder, were all supplied by the enemy, and the military strategists of all dynasties would never dream of doing this.
How can you, a lone troop, go deep behind enemy lines?
How could they find the enemy before their rations ran out and still defeat them?
Why would the surrendered troops immediately abandon the tribe that gave birth to and raised them and fight for you?
"Actually, I don't know if it will work. If Meng Tian doesn't cause any trouble, I really don't want to go on my own. How about you write a letter and ask Meng Tian to march forward?"
"No, your boast is broken, why do you want me to fix it?"
