Chapter 59: Battle of National Destiny
"Your Majesty, I think the Yue people should not join forces with the Chu State to attack Wu!"
Grand Chancellor Ji Zha frowned and said, "There are two reasons. First, Wu and Yue have just signed an alliance and have a marriage alliance, and Yue Si is on her way to Wu."
"Secondly, if Wu and Chu were at war, how could the Yue people easily go to the other side?"
"You must know that since the time of our late king Shoumeng, over the past sixty years, Wu and Chu have fought ten battles. Wu has won six, tied three, and lost one, repeatedly defeating the Chu army."
"With such an army of Wu and such an army of Chu, how can Yue not just sit back and watch the changes?"
Hearing this, Qingji nodded in agreement.
You know, thanks to the unremitting efforts of the kings of Wu Dynasty and its external expansion, the territory of Wu State was actually very vast. Looking at the world, it was second only to the three hegemonic countries of Jin, Chu and Qi, and was on par with Qin State!
Of course, like the State of Chu, the State of Wu had a vast territory and a sparse population. The territory of the State of Wu was less than half of that of the State of Chu, not to mention its population and military strength.
Even so, the State of Wu still managed to gain the upper hand in the war with the State of Chu!
The reign of the State of Wu began with Shoumeng, and went through the reigns of the kings Zhufan, Yuji, Yimo (also known as Yumei), and ended with King Liao of Wu. For more than sixty years, the two states of Wu and Chu fought against each other constantly, and ten large-scale wars broke out.
Most of these battles were attacks by Wu and counterattacks by Chu, with the focus on the area from the Huai River basin to the north bank of the Yangtze River.
And the result was what Ji Zha had just said, the State of Wu had six wins, three draws and one loss, achieving an impressive record!
The Wu State became stronger and stronger as the war went on, and completely curbed the Chu State's momentum of eastward expansion.
If King Yunchang of Yue tried to get involved and ally with Chu to attack Wu, wouldn't he have to consider his own weight?
Don't we have to consider whether the Chu army can avenge its previous defeat and defeat the unstoppable Wu army?
Furthermore, Wu and Yue are now allied countries. If the Yue people want to attack Wu, how can they not be cautious?
"Dazai has a point."
Qingji said slowly: "Yunchang must be hesitating between joining forces with Chu to attack Wu and waiting and watching. In this case, we should first send envoys to stabilize Yue State and make it stay put to contain Ji Guang in the south."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Ji Zha, Sun Ping and Sun Wu were all impressed and praised loudly.
"That being said, our Wu Kingdom cannot be completely defenseless!"
Qingji narrowed his eyes and said, "If the Yue people really join forces with Ji Guang and invade the north, and our Great Wu has no troops on guard, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Grand Marshal, you must immediately issue a conscription order. All males in Wu, aged 17 and over and under 40, must prepare weapons and armor and join the army to fight!"
"only!"
Sun Ping immediately accepted the order.
Qingji then turned his gaze to Sun Wu and asked, "Changqing, I will give you 5,000 infantrymen to prepare the Xianzhen Camp. Do you dare to lead the army south to Wuyuan and take over the southern part for me?"
"Your Majesty, I will obey your orders!"
Sun Wu agreed immediately without hesitation.
This time, Sun Wu's task is extremely difficult!
If they were only facing the remnants of Helu's defeated troops, perhaps Sun Wu's 5,000 soldiers could take the opportunity to recapture Wuyuan, Yu'er, and Li.
However, if there is a large-scale war in the south this time, the enemy will definitely be Helu's troops, plus the powerful Yue army!
In this case, if Sun Wu was not in charge of the south, Qingji would really feel uneasy.
"Your Majesty, we also need to be on guard against Han State."
Dazai Jizha gave a reminder.
Qingji nodded slightly and said, "Good. Han State may have colluded with the Chu people and invaded Zhufang and Yunyang of our Great Wu State."
"However, I have heard that King Gan Dang of Han is a cruel person. He does not govern the country with virtue and is aggressive. He often sends troops to attack the Huaiyi and annex the various Huaiyi tribes."
"With such a King of Han and such a country of Han, there is no need to worry! I can order the soldiers and civilians in Zhufang and Yunyang to fortify their walls and clear the fields, and defend the cities firmly. Once the Chu army is defeated, the people of Han will retreat, and the siege of the northern part of Wu will be lifted."
"color!"
Ji Zha praised: "Your Majesty is wise. Today, the biggest enemy of our Wu State is the Chu people. In the past, when Chu attacked Wu, it would always send tens of thousands of troops. I'm afraid this time will be no exception!"
"I wonder how many troops will the king mobilize to fight against the Chu army?"
"As many as you have, I want as many as you can."
Qingji said in a deep voice: "This is a battle for me to become king and for the fate of Wu. I must win and not lose!"
"However, in this critical situation, our Wu State must fight and resolve the issue quickly."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zha, Sun Ping and Sun Wu, three important ministers, nodded in agreement.
This time, the Chu people's ambitions were obvious.
The new king of Wu was newly enthroned, and the people in the country were in unrest, with many things to be rebuilt. The people of Chu wanted to take this opportunity to attack and destroy Wu. At the very least, they could tear off a piece of Wu's flesh and turn defense into offense!
Immediately, Qingji issued four orders in succession.
First, he ordered the minister Bo Yu to go to the State of Yue again to persuade Yun Chang to keep his troops in place and to contain Helu, who was separatist in the south of Wu.
Second, he appointed Sun Wu as the General of the Southern Expedition, gave him the title of Grand Commander, and ordered him to lead an army of 5,000 south to Wuyuan to guard against the incoming enemy.
It is worth mentioning that Sun Wu, who was given the title of Grand Commander, could control the military and civilians in various cities in the south and had the power to execute first and report later!
Thirdly, he ordered Meng Ben to stay in Zhufang and Yunyang in the north of Wu State, to fortify the city and clear the fields, in preparation for fighting against the Han army.
Fourthly, mobilize all the people in the country. All the young and strong people aged between 17 and 40 must respond to the call and join the army to fight!
In addition, Qingji will personally lead a large army to reinforce the war on the front line of Zhenzi, and the capital of Wu will be handed over to the Prime Minister Ji Zha to guard.
…
Merri.
At the city gate!
A notice was posted on the bulletin board, and the common people who came and went gathered around it, forming three layers inside and three layers outside, all standing on tiptoe, looking forward to it!
The official standing beside the notice coughed lightly, then said solemnly: "My friends, this is the conscription order issued by the king!"
"The king issued an edict: The Chu people attacked us, raised an unjust army and attacked Zhenzi, and took advantage of the situation to rob. Their crimes are too numerous to list, and their deeds are full of evil deeds."
"This is truly a critical moment for the survival of Wu!"
"All of us Wu people should work together, seek benefits and avoid harm, and keep the enemy out of our country."
"All males aged 17 and above and under 40 must prepare their own weapons and armor and rush to the government office to join the army!"
"——October of the first year of King Qingji!"
The officials read out the contents of the conscription order one by one and made it public.
Upon hearing the news that the Chu people were attacking Wu, the onlookers from the Wu State were filled with indignation and gnashed their teeth in hatred!
"How dare the Chu barbarians take advantage of my newly enthroned king to launch an attack on Wu!"
"Didn't Wu and Chu sign a non-aggression pact? Why did the Chu people invade?"
"Humph! How can you trust the lies of the Chu people? After all, the Chu people are of barbarian origin and are shameless. How many times have they broken their promises and gone back on their words?"
A hot-blooded young man clenched his fists, his face full of indignation, and said: "Everyone, we are from Meili, but we are also from Wu! The country is in trouble now, how can we just sit back and do nothing?"
"Let's go! Join the army!"
"Teach these Chu barbarians a lesson!"
