Chapter 525: Massacre in the city will cause fierce resistance and lose the support of the people
Invasion.
liberation.
The two words have very different meanings.
The second emperor was very satisfied.
When he said the word "invasion", he paused deliberately to observe whether the Qin army below the stage looked excited.
Yes, but not many, only about two or three out of ten.
When Meng Tian said the word "liberation", 200,000 people cheered, their faces full of recognition.
These two things prove one thing: his work this winter was not in vain.
Since Shang Yang's reform, he established twenty ranks of military honors, and he dug a corner of the militarist edifice that made the Qin people brave foreign wars and committed to aggression.
"I was wrong."
He shouted loudly and with real emotion.
Because there had been no emotional fluctuations in the previous words, this sudden emotion seemed particularly sincere.
"If we remain indifferent today, when those greedy parasites and the inhuman remnants of the six kingdoms invade Guanzhong, who will cheer for us?
"Behind us are our parents, husbands and children. If anyone wants to hurt them, we will fight them to the death!
"We have no way out! We must take the initiative!
“Force is for protection, not persecution. This is not aggression, but liberation.
"All over the world, there are Qin people like you and me. They are proud of Qin. How can Qin abandon them?
"A temporary war is for a lifetime of peace. We will never allow those with wicked ambitions to invade our land and persecute our compatriots!"
The second emperor was very excited. He pulled out the three-foot Qin sword from his waist with one hand and smashed the loudspeaker on the ground with the other hand, causing fragments to fly everywhere.
His mouth was wide open, his face was grim, and without the help of a loud speaker, his hysterical and hoarse voice could heard throughout the entire venue.
"Old Qin, let's face the national crisis together! We will not stop fighting until our blood is shed and we die!"
The second emperor looked completely devoid of aesthetic sense.
It's like a hunter who has a home and children behind him , and who faces a bloodthirsty tiger in front of him and charges forward even though he knows he can't win.
That terrifying sound was the hunter's roar of courage.
Fan Er in the audience was so excited that his blood was boiling and he was trembling with excitement.
The Second Emperor looked even more courageous than he had imagined. This was his, Fan Er's, king!
Although Your Majesty is a little cowardly compared with the previous emperors, although Your Majesty does not have the unparalleled majesty of the first emperor, and although Your Majesty's words are too straightforward and without any mystery, Fan Ersheng cannot feel the slightest bit of awe.
But Fan Er, who had participated in the war against Chu and the war against Qi, became angry for the first time. He could die for the emperor in front of him immediately!
It was not because of cowardice in shouting before the war, but because of the misunderstanding that the silver-armored man was the king of Qin.
It’s because of the flesh growing on the two sons’ faces.
It was because the old father was roasting by the fire and had a satisfied smile on his face.
It was because of years of worrying about the family that his wife, who used to be frowning and doing things perfunctorily, could now take the initiative to sit on his body and work hard at the millstone, singing happily.
Fan Er doesn’t want to live through even one day of the hard days of the past!
He would kill anyone who harmed the king who made his family better, and anyone who wanted him to return to the old days! He would kill them at the risk of his life!
Boom boom boom!
He grabbed a newly-made wooden-handled iron-headed spear, which had replaced the bronze halberd as his main weapon, and struck it hard on the ground.
Two hundred thousand Qin soldiers struck together, and the wooden poles made the still-unthawed ground tremble continuously, like an earth dragon turning over.
They followed the second emperor in silver armor, who looked more like a Qin man than a king, and shouted loudly.
"Old Qin, let's face the national crisis together! We will not stop fighting until our blood is shed and we die!"
"Old Qin, let's face the national crisis together! We will not stop fighting until our blood is shed and we die!"
"Old Qin, let's face the national crisis together! We will not stop fighting until our blood is shed and we die!"
“…”
Deafening.
I don't know whether this is for protection or just for the bloody battle sound of the Second Silver-Armored Emperor, drifting towards the east...
Linji is an ancient town on the bank of the Yellow River, ten miles away from the Yellow River embankment.
This was the westernmost county town occupied by the Wei State after its restoration, and it was also the county town closest to the Qin State.
On March 10th, at noon, when the sun was at its brightest, 200,000 Qin troops crossed the Yellow River.
During the crossing of the river, dozens of Wei soldiers on horseback stood by the river bank and watched, not daring to approach.
After the first Qin army crossed the river, they turned their horses and fled.
This was an order issued by Zhou Shi, the garrison commander of Linji, prime minister of Wei, and general - just wait and see, and return only after crossing the Yellow River.
With their backs to the Yellow River, they set up pots and cooked, with scouts going ahead.
The 200,000 Qin troops stopped to rest on the bank of the Yellow River for an hour. As the sun moved westward but did not set, the army set off.
Half an hour later, outside the ancient city of Linji, 200,000 Qin troops were lined up and waiting.
Leading the vanguard and vowing to avenge his humiliation in one battle, Li Xin rode his horse in the army formation, holding a , carefully observing the Linji city wall.
The wall is yellow in color, more than thirty feet high, and covered with traces of new soil.
On the top of the city wall, there was a soldier every five steps, and there was a crossbow on each battlement.
The original city wall of Linji County was less than ten feet high. From the time when Wei State raised the banner of national restoration to now, in just one month, it was built up to two feet high.
The three-meter-high city wall is nine meters high, and it is fully manned and equipped with equipment. Such a configuration is not inferior to that of a small country's capital.
From the fact that the Wei army did not block the crossing of the Yellow River to the epic reinforcement of Linji City, Li Xin made his judgment.
The Wei army decided to hold on to its utmost and not move out.
He frowned. Siege warfare is more than ten times more difficult than field warfare.
It would have been better if we had sent out troops a month earlier...
He said to himself.
A month earlier, the wall of Linji City in front of him was less than ten feet high, so he rushed up to it while holding his pee.
If we rush forward now, the price we will pay will be higher, and the Qin soldiers at the front will be beaten to a pulp.
Regaining his mentality, Li Xin ordered a Qin soldier to serve as an envoy and take a letter to Linji City to persuade Zhou Shi to surrender.
The messenger rode his horse and drove towards the Linji city gate with the handwritten letters from the second emperor.
Li Xin sighed, thinking that there was really no need for this and should just start fighting.
If you want to surrender, why rebel?
This letter of persuasion to surrender should be replaced by a threatening letter, written on ten thousand pieces of paper, requiring all archers to shoot them into the city.
The content is written:
[On the day the city was captured, no one, young or old, male or female, was left alive.]
In this way, perhaps the people of Linji City would riot in fear, then tie up Zhou Shi to protect themselves and open the city gates to let the Qin army in.
All the generals agreed. This tactic was just like the strategy of attacking while crossing the river. It was a military strategy that anyone with a little knowledge would know. It was an old trick, but it was durable and effective.
But the commander did not allow it.
"What if Linji doesn't surrender?
"We are sure to take down Linji City. If we say this, we will be discredited if we don't massacre everyone.
"Massacre in the city will cause fierce resistance and lose the support of the people."
Li Xin disagreed, and he saw that generals such as Tu Sui and Zhao Tuo who were present also disagreed.
If you don't surrender, you will definitely massacre the city. This will not only provide food and money for your subordinates, but also establish your authority and shock the world.
If the rebels in the following counties did not want to suffer the same fate, they would have surrendered their cities early. How could this have caused such fierce resistance?
Those who resist fiercely are like idiots who are willing to resist to death regardless of whether the city is massacred or not.
