Chapter 81: The All-Round Fan Li
Qingji never doubted that the Kingdom of Yue would take advantage of others' misfortune.
Once the Wu army attacks Chu, the Yue State will certainly not be willing to be left out and will wait for an opportunity to act.
Because as a neighbor of Wu, Yue could not sit idly by and watch Wu's national strength grow further. Yun Chang could not fail to understand the principle that if one side grows stronger, the other side will decline, and if one side grows weak, the other side will be in danger!
"Chang Qing is right. Since the Yue people refuse to submit, I will beat them until they submit!"
Qingji said in an unquestionable tone, "I will definitely attack the State of Chu. The Yue army must also withdraw from Wu territory!"
"Da Sima."
"I am here!"
"I will appoint you as the general, with 20,000 soldiers and 300 chariots. You will attack Chu soon. Within three months, you must capture Zhaoguan and Shudi of Chu. There must be no mistakes."
"promise!"
Sun Ping agreed immediately.
If this had happened under normal circumstances, when the Chu State had well-trained soldiers and sufficient food supplies and its borders were heavily guarded, Sun Ping would not have dared to guarantee that he could capture Zhaoguan and Shudi with only 20,000 troops.
However, the State of Chu has lost 80,000 soldiers, and its border city defenders are few and their morale is low. How can they fight?
Therefore, Sun Ping was confident that he could successfully attack Chu and establish a bridgehead for Wu to attack Chu!
"Sun Wu."
"I am here!"
"I appoint you as the general, lead 8,000 soldiers, raise many flags, mix with the common people, and falsely claim that Wu's army of 30,000 is heading south to attack Yue and recover the lost territory."
Qingji paused, and then said: "Your troops can advance slowly to Wuyuan."
"At that time, I will send an envoy to hold Yunchang accountable, using threats and inducements. If Yue can agree to withdraw from Wu territory and reconcile with Wu, it would be the best."
"If you don't agree, you can also lead your troops to garrison and guard against the Yue people waiting for an opportunity to march north to attack Wu!"
Sun Wu immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I will obey your command!"
In fact, Qingji did not want Wu to fall into the embarrassing dilemma of fighting on two fronts, because if it failed, Wu might be dragged into the quagmire of war and unable to extricate itself.
By then, the fruitful results that Wu State had worked so hard to achieve would be wiped out!
But Qingji was unwilling to ignore this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand his territory, nor was he willing to miss the opportunity to regain the lost territory and drive the Yue people out of the Wu territory!
To this end, Qingji decided to focus his main force on attacking Chu, and at the same time let Sun Wu lead his troops south, falsely claiming to have 30,000 troops in order to intimidate and blackmail the State of Yue.
It would be best if you could defeat the enemy without fighting.
At worst, Qingji can release the captured Vietnamese soldiers as an exchange!
"Dazai."
"The old minister is here!"
"You will properly settle the tens of thousands of Chu soldiers who surrendered, arrange manpower, and have them temporarily cultivate the land and reclaim wasteland, so that they will not cause any trouble."
"only!"
It was impossible for Qingji to release the more than 50,000 surrendered Chu soldiers, even if he died!
You must know that in the era of cold weapons, population is the foundation of a country and the basis for its survival.
So many Chu prisoners of war were of great use to Yu Qingji.
Even if he negotiated peace with the Chu people in the future, Qingji would never release the surrendered soldiers. However, releasing some generals of aristocratic origin was still within his tolerance range.
"Your Majesty, I would like to recommend someone to you."
"who?"
When Qingji heard that Sun Wu wanted to recommend a talent to him, he couldn't help but become interested.
Sun Wu bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I was able to defeat the Yue army in the Battle of Li Ze, and this man played an indispensable role."
"He is a Chu man, Fan Li, also known by his courtesy name Shaobo, and he is a scholar who entered Wu. If it weren't for Fan Li's advice, even if I could defeat the Yue army, it would probably take a long time and result in more casualties!"
"Fan Li?"
Qingji's eyes lit up.
His surname is Fan and his given name is Li, and he is a native of Chu. Isn’t this exactly the same as Fan Li, the Tao Zhugong in history?
You know, Fan Li is a man of all talents. He can lead troops in battle as a general, govern the country as a prime minister, and win battles thousands of miles away by making plans!
Fan Li was proficient in politics, military affairs, economy, astronomy and geography!
How could Qingji not dream of having such a great talent, such a talent that could change the world?
"Where is Fan Li?"
"Reporting to the king, Fan Li has been temporarily appointed by me as the military advisor and is currently in the military camp."
Hearing this, Qingji felt a little relieved. Although he wanted to meet Fan Li urgently and make him work for him, there was no need to rush.
As an emperor, Qingji needs to pay attention to his image at all times, and his words and actions must be appropriate.
Treating Fan Li with respect and humility did not pose any problem for Qingji.
However, Fan Li was still very young, so it was inevitable that he would develop an arrogant mentality.
Qingji had to pay attention to his behavior.
"Since he is recommended by Changqing, he must be a talented person. Let Fan Li come to the palace to meet me at noon tomorrow."
"promise!"
…
After Ji Zha, Sun Wu and Sun Ping left, Qingji summoned the newly appointed Grand Chancellor Bo Yun.
The Daxingling was equivalent to the chief diplomat of the Wu State, and his status was second only to the Nine Ministers. Before the Dianke (an official position of one of the Nine Ministers) was officially appointed, the Daxingling was actually performing the duties of the Dianke.
"Your Majesty, I, your servant, pay my respects to you! Long live the king!"
After entering the Zide Hall, Bo Heng immediately paid homage to Qingji with great respect.
It was extremely difficult for Bo Yan to reach this official position and be entrusted with important tasks by Qingji.
The last time he was sent as an envoy by Qingji to Kuaiji, he was almost killed by the Yue people!
However, Bo Yan was extremely cunning. Relying on his own intelligence and talent, he managed to sneak out of Kuaiji and escape all the way back to Wudu.
This made Qingji look at Bo Huan with admiration.
It was originally thought that when the State of Yue brazenly tore up the alliance previously signed between Wu and Yue and executed the Wu envoys, Bo Dan would also encounter an unexpected event.
Who could have thought that Bo Yan would be so lucky and escape from death after escaping a near-death situation!
"No need to be polite. Stand up."
Qingji waved his hand and asked Bohuan to come and sit opposite him.
But Bo Yan kept his attitude very low, just standing to one side, leaning forward.
"Bo Yan, I intend to send you to Yue to persuade Yun Chang to withdraw from Wu territory and hand over Ji Guang, Wu Yuan and other rebels. Are you willing?"
"this……"
Bo Yan's face suddenly turned pale.
The last experience made Bo Yan wake up from his dreams with fright!
The State of Yue was a dangerous place for Bo Hun, so how could he dare to take the risk easily?
Although the State of Wu has gained the upper hand at the moment, King Yunchang of Yue may not necessarily accept it!
It would be fine if all they wanted was for Wu and Yue to sign an alliance and reconcile, but Qingji was asking the Yue army to withdraw from Wu territory and spit out all the cities and lands that the Yue people had taken over!
How could Yunchang agree so easily?
At this moment, seeing Bo'an's frightened expression, Qingji just chuckled and said, "Bo'an, you don't need to worry too much."
"When you meet Yun Chang, tell him that I intend to mobilize all my country's troops to attack Yue. When the war begins, it will not be as simple as recovering the lost territory and returning the guilty ministers. I am determined to take Kuaiji of Yue!"
"If Yunchang is sensible, all the captured Yue soldiers in the battle of Li Ze can be returned to the Kingdom of Yue. Otherwise, the day when the Wu army marches south will be the day when Kuaiji City falls and the Kingdom of Yue will be destroyed!"
