Chapter 206 I also have the potential to be a famous general

Yecheng? Anyang?
King Yan of Zhao thought that these two places were different from places like Jibei County. Because Jibei County had numerous rivers and was located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Jishui River, it was prone to floods and mudflats, and there was not much real arable land. Therefore, it was a sparsely populated area. Therefore, although it had a radius of hundreds of miles, its population was not as important as the nine cities in Ye, which had a radius of barely a hundred miles.

He was really unwilling to agree to give the nine cities of Ye to Yang Chong, even though Yang Chong was still a vassal of Zhao in name.

Those were his cities, and he couldn't bear to leave them.

King Yan of Zhao was determined to expand his territory, and had not yet gained much advantage over the State of Yan. He was unwilling to suffer a heavy loss.

“Your Majesty, if we allow the Qin army to attack, the nine cities in Ye will not be able to be defended. Rather than letting Qin take advantage of it, it is better to give it to Yang Chong. After all, at least in name, he is still your subject. Then it will be much easier for you to take back the nine cities in Ye. Besides, the few soldiers under Yang Chong may not be able to really repel the Qin army. At that time, it will still depend on your army to repel the Qin army.” Seeing that King Zhao Yan was hesitant, Queen Zhao persuaded him, feeling helpless. It was already this time, and King Zhao Yan was still thinking about these things.

"What the queen said makes sense. The most important thing now is to stop the Qin army's attack. As long as we can hold out until the main force arrives to support us, the Qin army will never be able to gain any advantage over me." Zhao Wangyan's hesitation turned into determination. He had no better choice at the moment.

The messenger from Handan soon appeared in Raoan City, but this messenger surprised Yang Chong. It was Guo Kai. As the prime minister of Zhao State, Guo Kai actually became a messenger.

"I also ask the Governor Yang to send troops as soon as possible. The king promises that as long as the Governor Yang can stop the attack of the Qin army and repel the Qin army, he will grant the nine cities in Ye to the Governor Yang and change Jibei County to Jixi County." Guo Kai, who lowered his own status, persuaded sincerely.

"How is the health of King Zhao?" After putting away the order, Yang Chong did not express his opinion directly, but asked directly about the physical condition of King Zhao Yan.

"Your Majesty is slightly ill, it's no big deal." Guo Kai replied casually. He didn't know why Yang Chong asked this, so he could only answer conservatively.

"As far as I know, that's probably not the case. I heard that the king is already terminally ill, and it happened this year?" Yang Chong directly exposed Guo Kai's lie. When the Qin army attacked Zhao, his greatest benefit was not to snatch food from the Qin, but to take advantage of the opportunity of the succession of the throne of Zhao to borrow the 'land' that Zhao had seized from Qi in recent years. In later generations, there was Liu Bei who borrowed Jingzhou, so why can't there be Yang Chong who borrowed Jixi in this world? As for whether to return it or not, is there any need to say it?
"Rumors, all rumors." Guo Kai wanted to be stubborn, but he was still in doubt. The news that Zhao Wangyan was seriously ill was a top secret. Even in Handan, not many people knew about it. How did Yang Chong know about it? Could it be that Yang Chong had a "collaborator" in Handan?
"Prime Minister, it's meaningless to say that. Since I said so, it must be because I have received accurate information." Yang Chong leaned back strategically to show his attitude.

Guo Kai looked at Yang Chong in doubt. He realized that Yang Chong was not deceiving him, but Yang Chong had really received the confirmed news. But where did Yang Chong's news come from? Who in Handan wanted to cooperate with Yang Chong?

Countless thoughts flashed through Guo Kai's mind at once, and names popped up in his mind, eventually converging on one person: the former crown prince, Zhao Jia, the eldest son of King Zhao Yan.

"Is County Magistrate Yang in touch with the eldest son?" Guo Kai's expression had turned solemn. If this was true, he might not be able to ask Yang Chong to send troops this time.

"Now I am asking the Prime Minister, not the Prime Minister asking me." Yang Chong's words no longer had the enthusiasm from before, only indifference.

Yang Chong's transformation made Guo Kai more confident in his judgment. For a moment, the prime minister's heart sank to the bottom, and things became more complicated. If that person really tried to win over Yang Chong, then he would not be sure to convince Yang Chong to send troops.

"The king's health is not good, and it can even be said that he is terminally ill." Since Yang Chong already knew the news, Guo Kai had no choice but to admit it. There was no point in hiding it any further, except for being looked down upon.

"So why is the Prime Minister here in Jibei instead of in Handan, where he is eyeing the throne?"

Of course Yang Chong had to send troops, but he couldn't just do it like that. The crisis of Guo Kai and Queen Zhao was his bargaining chip. The more serious the crisis was, the more bargaining chips Yang Chong had.

As for the eldest prince Zhao Jia, of course it was fake. Yang Chong had no connection with the last King Dai of Zhao State. The reason why he guided Guo Kai to think of this person was just to increase his own importance.

Yang Chong was telling Guo Kai that if he wanted me to send troops, he had to offer more bargaining chips than Zhao Jia. As for what Zhao Jia's conditions were, Yang Chong could make them up on the spot.

“As long as Lord Yang can send troops to resolve the crisis in Yecheng and help the prince ascend the throne, Zhao will definitely fully support Lord Yang in restoring his country in the future.” Guo Kai said.

"But this is not enough." Yang Chong shook his head.

"We can lend the former Qi territories such as Pingyuan and Dong'e to Lord Yang as the territory for him to restore his country. As for when to return it, it will be up to Lord Yang's wishes." Guo Kai gritted his teeth and offered a very big gamble. Anyway, he was not the one who paid.

Now he only wants Yang Chong to send troops and let Yang Chong escort the queen's son to the throne.

"Look, isn't this easy to say? The Prime Minister and I are old friends, and we have cooperated more than once. Why can't we just say it straight to the point?" Yang Chong said with a bright smile.

"Yes, we are old friends. Lord Yang must help me this time!" Guo Kai also put on a smiling face. Although he was being controlled by Yang Chong throughout the whole process, he could no longer care about anything else now.

Only by ensuring that the crown prince ascended the throne could he survive. If Zhao Jia ascended the throne, what would be his fate? Guo Kai simply couldn't imagine what would happen if Zhao Jia, who had always been at odds with him, became the King of Zhao. Not to mention keeping his power, even a good end would probably be a luxury.

"We are friends. If a friend is in trouble, how can I not help him? Prime Minister, don't worry. I have already mobilized the troops and they will be dispatched tomorrow." Yang Chong said
He had been waiting for this war for a long time, and the troops had already been mobilized.

"Thank you so much." Guo Kai looked at Yang Chong and said thank you, but he was thinking about something else in his heart.

It is not easy to mobilize troops from a county, but Yang Chong said that the troops could be dispatched tomorrow. Obviously, Yang Chong had already made preparations before he came to Raoan.

But, is his preparation for Zhao Jia or for me? Guo Kai did not dare to think deeply about this, because no matter which reason it was, it was not too good for him, and now his goal has been achieved. As for Yang Chong's plan, it is no longer important.

Guo Kai didn't want to delve into what Yang Chong could get from this deal, and he didn't care. He just wanted to know what he could get from this deal, which was the mentality a businessman should have. After negotiating the terms with Yang Chong, Guo Kai didn't dare to stay any longer and returned directly to Handan, because Zhao Wangyan was seriously ill and the situation in Handan was not so good. At this critical moment, he was already taking a huge risk by coming to Raoan. Now that his goal had been achieved, he naturally didn't dare to stay any longer.

"Will he fulfill his promise? It was the prime minister who promised you, but the final decision lies with King Zhao." After Guo Kai left, Zi Nu walked into the study. She had heard the conversation between the two just now.

"Once King Yan of Zhao dies, Queen Zhao and Guo Kai will have to rely on themselves. These two don't have a very good reputation in Zhao, and their foundation is not strong enough. If they want to stabilize Zhao Qian's throne, external forces like me are indispensable. By then, it will not be up to them. After all, compared to those people in Zhao, I, an outsider, am actually more reliable." Yang Chong said.

"You have made a clear calculation, but in war, swords are merciless, so you have to be careful." Zi Nu reminded. Even at this moment, she couldn't help but worry, and gave instructions again, even seeming to be nagging.

"Don't worry, Miss Zi Nu. We are so familiar with each other, didn't you notice it?" Unlike Zi Nu who was worried, Yang Chong was calm and even eager to try.

He had been looking forward to war for a long time.

"I didn't find anything?" Zi Nu said in astonishment. Even though she was very familiar with it, she was still unsure about Yang Chong's frequent jumps.

"Don't you realize that I have the potential to be a famous general?" Yang Chong boasted proudly.

"You? The qualities of a famous general?" Zi Nu looked at Yang Chong blankly, feeling a little dazed for a moment. Fortunately, Yang Chong only said that he only had the qualities of a famous general, instead of saying that he was a famous general.

But this is what makes it dangerous. Qualifications are qualifications, and strength is strength. If you simply equate qualifications with strength, the result will often be tragic.

"Don't worry, we always have to take this step. The challenge before us is not the first time nor the last for me. My war started a long time ago. I was much weaker then, but I have come this far, right?" Yang Chong comforted Zi Nu. Not only was he not angry at Zi Nu's doubts, but he was very happy instead. It was all because she cared about him. Otherwise, why would Zi Nu say such discouraging words? When it comes to coaxing people, Zi Nu is also very good at it.

Who can't say nice words? But being able to say them doesn't mean you can say them well.

"This time is different. You were just fighting against an individual before, but this time it is a war between two armies with tens of thousands of soldiers." Zi Nu said.

Fighting in the underworld and fighting in war are two completely different things.

"But they are essentially the same, Zi Nu, you have to believe that the current war is just a small challenge for us. In the future, we will face greater challenges. If I can't even handle this small challenge now, what's the point of fighting for dominance in the world? I should take you to find a paradise to live in seclusion as soon as possible." Yang Chong said.

Of course, he knew the peculiarities of war, but so what? When he chose to come to Zhao, he had already chosen his own war. This was just the beginning. In the future, there would be more wars that would be more difficult and bigger than this one.

"Sometimes I think that although Zi Lan Xuan has many difficulties, it is still a place where we can settle down." Zi Nu said. Zi Lan Xuan used to be a place of right and wrong, but isn't the current Zhao State the same?

"Right and wrong follow people. Stay at home and take good care of our home. Don't let it be robbed. This war will not last too long." Yang Chong said.

"You'd better be careful. I can't help you with anything on the battlefield. I will take good care of us in Raoan City." Zi Nu said firmly. Although she didn't want Yang Chong to go to the war, since Yang Chong had made up his mind, she had already reminded him. All she could do was to reduce Yang Chong's worries as much as possible.

"It won't take too long." Yang Chong repeated. He was responding to Zi Nu, but he was also answering himself.

……

Under the city of Ye, countless Qin soldiers pushed engineering equipment to attack the city in front of them.

The Qin army's soldiers were brave and their weapons were sophisticated, but they were still unable to cope with Yecheng, a city that had been managed by the Wei State for two hundred years.

Under the city wall, the blood of Qin soldiers was flowing.

But the people on the city wall were not having a good time either. Facing the Qin army's increasingly fierce attacks, the physical strength and energy of the soldiers on the city wall were exhausted to the limit. Although the defenders had the advantage of geographical location, the Qin army was too strong, and the elite troops of the Zhao army were being withdrawn to attack the Yan State, so the troops left behind in Yecheng were really limited.

Even though the generals defending the city had mobilized the people in the city, under the offensive of the Qin army, the will of the Zhao army defending the city had begun to collapse after being destroyed again and again.

"This city won't be able to hold out for much longer." On a high platform, the commander of the Qin army observed the resistance on the city wall. Although it was still as tragic as it was a few days ago, he could already sense something strange.

War is not only a fight of force, but also a contest of wills. Right now, the Zhao army is inferior to the Qin army in force, and is only supported by will. When the Zhao army's will collapses, it means that the Zhao army will be defeated.

"After this battle, the Zhao army will no longer have a foothold in the area north of the Great Wall south of Zhao, and we can use the manpower and material resources of the Ji Plain to launch an attack on Zhao at any time. Zhao can withstand it once, or twice, but it cannot withstand an endless war. Zhao will not be able to hold on for a few years and will eventually be destroyed by our Qin army. And I can also accomplish the feat that Wu'an Jun failed to accomplish back then." Huan Xi thought, and felt a sense of pride blooming in his chest.

At this time, on the boundless battlefield, a light cavalry came from the east, with flags fluttering behind the knights.

That is a scout delivering information.

(End of this chapter)