Chapter 254 Zhao State: Why am I the one who got hurt?
Countries like Zhao, Han, and Wei were shocked but did not feel much about Yang Chong's conquest of Qi. After all, a change of king in Qi was not enough to affect their interests. However, it was different for Qin.

King Zheng of Qin brought Yang Chong and Tian Jian into the game just to let the two of them check and balance each other, thereby creating opportunities for Qin to attack Zhao. And things did develop just as King Zheng of Qin expected. Qi really went to war with Yang Chong, and both sides put all their efforts in the war.

However, the development of the war was beyond the expectations of King Zheng of Qin. He thought that the collision between Qi's strong national power and Yang Chong's fighting ability would inevitably lead to a protracted war. He never expected that Tian Jian would lead the army in person. What's more outrageous is that he would offer his life voluntarily. What's even more outrageous is that Tian Jian actually opened the gate of Linzi himself.

When King Zheng of Qin realized that the development of things was beyond his control and wanted to take action, Yang Chong had already taken control of the State of Qi with a force that was faster than thunder and lightning, and Yang Chong had become King Chong of Qi.

In the silent hall, everyone from Xiong Qi to Li Si, from Huan Qi to Wang Jian, and then to Meng Wu and Yao Jia, held their breath and dared not make a sound, only because they saw the young, majestic yet cold face of King Zheng of Qin.

These people were all Qin Shi Huang's trusted ministers and were outstanding people of the time. How could they not see that Qin Shi Huang was on the verge of an explosion?

According to the latest intelligence obtained by the Qin State, King Chong of Qi not only stabilized the situation in Linzi and the entire Qi State, he even conquered the Jixia Academy. Even the Confucian master Xunzi took the initiative to surrender to King Chong of Qi and became the new prime minister of Qi State.

Although the Jixia Academy and Xunzi were just a group of scholars, they represented a trend. Their loyalty to King Chong of Qi meant that the entire Qi State would not have much resistance against King Chong of Qi. Even if there were sporadic resistances, they would not be enough to overthrow King Chong of Qi's overall rule over the Qi State.

It can be said that to date, King Zheng of Qin's plan against King Chong of Qi has completely failed. Not only did King Zheng of Qin's plan against King Chong of Qi fail, but it actually helped King Chong of Qi a lot.

It can be said that if Tian Jian is the first contributor to the success of Qi Wang Chong today, then Qin Wang Zheng is undoubtedly the second.

King Zheng of Qin ascended the throne at a young age, overcame all obstacles and took control of the entire Qin State. He was about to inherit the will of his ancestors and conquer the world. Could he tolerate such a failure?

People like Xiong Qi asked themselves, if they had encountered the same experience as King Zheng of Qin when they were young, they would probably have been furious and ashamed, right?
At this time, King Zheng of Qin just had a gloomy face and did not vent his temper, which showed that King Zheng of Qin had good self-control.

But precisely because of this, Xiong Qi and others were even more afraid to speak, because none of them were sure whether speaking would trigger the emotions that King Zheng of Qin was trying hard to suppress.

"After all, I underestimated King Chong of Qi." After a long time, King Zheng of Qin sighed and turned all his anger into a sigh.

King Zheng of Qin was of course angry. The plan he thought was a good one actually produced completely different results during implementation. Not only did he fail to outwit Yang Chong, but he became a stepping stone for Yang Chong's success. Such a thing was simply a slap in his face.

But King Zheng of Qin is King Zheng of Qin after all. When he was young, he was able to endure humiliation in Handan, Zhao State. When he was a teenager, he was able to remain silent under the shadow of powerful officials. These experiences have trained his good character. He is a rational person who can control his emotions, so he held back. He knew that his anger had no value, and could not change any value. Anger would only make people look down on him.

Xiong Qi, Huan Xi and others looked at each other in bewilderment. They didn't know how to respond to King Zheng of Qin's words. Could they say, "Your Majesty, you are right"?

I dare not say this at all. If you take it seriously when the superior is self-examining, then you are naive. Xiong Qi and others who have experienced the ways of the world understand this truth.

"Now that King Chong of Qi has taken control of the State of Qi, our plan has failed, but we cannot allow the situation to continue like this." King Zheng of Qin pondered. The reality has already happened and cannot be changed, but he can change the direction of things.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Although Yang Chong has conquered Qi, it is not easy to truly rule Qi. In this process, we have enough time to respond." Xiong Qi, as the prime minister, spoke first.

"That's right, but we don't have much time left." King Zheng of Qin looked at his brother-in-law with satisfaction. He relied heavily on Xiong Qi. The two had similar ideas, and the cooperation between the monarch and the minister was mutually beneficial.

"We must conquer Zhao before King Chong of Qi completely controls Qi and revitalizes Qi's military. Otherwise, once King Chong of Qi revitalizes Qi's military and combines the strength of Qi and Zhao, it will be extremely difficult for us to set foot north of the Yellow River in the future." King Zheng of Qin said.

This was how King Zheng of Qin responded. Since he had already taken a wrong step, he had to take the next step to make up for it. Otherwise, if he took one wrong step, all of them would be wrong.

"Your Majesty, we can send troops to attack Zhao right now. Right now, all the elite troops in Yecheng and other places have been transferred to Qi by King Chong of Qi. Qi is in a weak position right now. If we send troops to attack Zhao now, we will surely catch Zhao off guard." Huan Xi stepped out and said.

Huan Xi was a very radical person and could be regarded as Li Xin's predecessor. Such a person was brave and diligent on the battlefield, which was most in line with the temperament of the young King Zheng of Qin. But conversely, such a general might achieve a great victory in the war, but if he was defeated, he would inevitably suffer a crushing defeat.

This is also true in the original history.

In another time and space, Huan Xi first annihilated 100,000 Zhao troops in his campaign against the State of Zhao, but was then completely defeated by Li Mu. It can be said that he first won a great victory and then suffered a great defeat.

The last time he was defeated by Yang Chong, he was lucky. On the one hand, it was because Yang Chong had limited troops, and on the other hand, it was because Yang Chong was reluctant to use his own capital to fight for Zhao State. This was why, although Huan Zhi was defeated, it was not a tragic defeat in which the entire army was wiped out.

It was also because of this that Huan Xi had the opportunity to lead troops next time, but his good luck might not continue next time.

"Yes, the combat plan for next year should have been implemented ahead of schedule." said King Zheng of Qin.

"Your Majesty, it is already early winter and the weather is getting colder. The food and grass in the treasury have been consumed for more than half a year and are not enough to support a large-scale war." Xiong Qi reminded him that a general like Huan Xi only needed to consider the war, but as the prime minister and the person who coordinated the rear, Xiong Qi had a lot of things to consider.

The world is cold in winter, and the abnormal casualties in foreign wars will be very large. The injuries that soldiers could have recovered from after being injured will become fatal factors in the cold weather, and the cold itself is also a big enemy of soldiers.

On the other hand, winter is the time when most of the old grain is consumed and the new grain has not yet been produced. With the national strength of Qin, although there is a large amount of inventory in the warehouse, it is also quite stressful to support large-scale foreign wars. It is not a wise move to launch a war against Zhao at this time.

"Of course I know the difficulties that the Prime Minister mentioned, but the difficulties our Qin army faces are also faced by the Zhao army. The difficulties they face are even more serious than ours." Faced with Xiong Qi's different opinions, King Zheng of Qin's will could not be shaken.

"Moreover, if we cannot take over Yecheng and other places at this time, weaken Zhao as much as possible, and wait for King Chong of Qi to recover, the price we pay when we want to achieve the same goal will be incomparable to what we pay now." King Zheng of Qin added.

It would certainly cost a huge price to launch a war against Zhao at this time, but these costs were nothing compared to facing Zhao supported by Qi, which was at its peak. King Zheng of Qin was very good at calculating the accounts.

"Your Majesty, your idea is brilliant. Right now, all the elite troops in Ye and Dong'e are in Qi. If we launch an attack at this time, the choices faced by King Chong of Qi will only become more difficult. If he returns to rescue, Qi will be unstable. If he does not, we can take over Ye and Dong'e. By then, all the elite troops and their families under King Chong of Qi will be in our hands. What awaits King Chong of Qi will surely be the disintegration of his army, and then, the only thing that awaits him is defeat." Wang Jian, who was the most calm in temperament, also spoke.

War is a war that is fought at a time when the other side does not want to fight. The more the enemy does not want to fight, the more you want to fight. The more uncomfortable the enemy is, the greater your chances of winning. Wang Jian understood this principle.

"General Wang is right. This time, I have decided to divide the troops into two routes, north and south. General Huan Xi will lead an army of 100,000 as the northern army, marching out of Jinyang, passing Jingxing, and attacking the heartland of Zhao State and heading south to Handan. General Wang Jian will lead an army of 100,000 to attack Yecheng and Dong'a, forcing King Chong of Qi to lead his troops back for support. If there is an opportunity, General Wang Jian can mobilize the troops of Dongjun to attack Qi State and re-support Tian Jian or the Tian family to take power." King Zheng of Qin narrated slowly, already having a clear battle plan in his mind.

The vast territories of Qin, Qi and Zhao appeared in his mind and turned into a huge chessboard.

"At that time, General Wang Jian can fight as appropriate. If Yang Chong comes to support, General Wang's main force will attack Qi. If Yang Chong does not come to support, General Wang will take advantage of the situation to capture Yecheng and Dong'a and attack Zhao in the north. Together with General Huan Xi, we will take over all the territory of Zhao except the three counties in the north." King Zheng of Qin continued. He was determined to win this battle. Qin was his strength and he himself was his support.

"Yes."

As orders were transmitted from the Qin Palace to all parts of the Qin State, Qin's efficient farming and warfare system quickly began to operate. Large quantities of military equipment and food were transported from local treasuries to Jinyang and Dingtao, and countless Qin people braved the cold wind and walked out of their homes.

If someone could have the vision of an eagle, he would be able to see that in the vast territory of Qin State, the Qin people were like ants, moving forward silently and gradually gathering into a line. Finally, between the yellow land, they formed huge black military formations.

In the winter of this year, Qin launched another attack on Zhao after suffering a defeat in the middle of the year. Two hundred thousand Qin troops divided into two routes, north and south, and invaded Zhao territory.

"Is King Zheng of Qin crazy?" Queen Mother Zhao looked at the military newspaper in her hand, her pretty face drained of color.

The State of Qin actually launched two attacks on the State of Zhao within one year, and the second attack took place in such a cold season.

"Of course King Zheng of Qin is not crazy. He was probably forced to do this." Guo Kai also said with a sad face. He hated war.

Now that he has everything, the only thing left to pursue is stability, stabilizing the existing order, because everything he has is built on the existing order.

But war can undermine stability and destroy the existing order.

"Forced? Who dares to force King Zheng of Qin?" The Queen Mother Zhao was so angry that she was about to cry. How could it be so difficult for them, an orphan and a widow? In less than a year, they had to face the ferocious Qin twice.

"King Chong of Qi." Guo Kai said.

"Him?" Queen Dowager Zhao was stunned.

"King Zheng of Qin promoted King Chong of Qi to be king. His original intention was to let King Chong of Qi and Tian Jian fight each other so that he could profit from it. However, King Chong of Qi accomplished what the world could not even dare to think of. He won a war that was impossible to win, and took over the State of Qi. The same country, in the hands of Tian Jian, was like a weak fat man. It looked like a behemoth, but in fact it posed no threat. But in the hands of King Chong of Qi, Qi was a powerful country that could compete with the State of Qin." Guo Kai analyzed the current situation and actually guessed some of King Zheng of Qin's thoughts.

"Then he will attack Qi. What about attacking our Zhao?" Queen Mother Zhao felt a splitting headache. Power and responsibility are interconnected. Now she finally understood this sentence.

"In the past, Sun Bin besieged Wei to save Zhao. Now, King Zheng of Qin may also follow Sun Bin's example and besiege Zhao and attack Qi." Guo Kai used his wisdom and had already received part of the truth.

"After all, the Qin army is going to attack our Zhao State after all?" Queen Dowager Zhao was confused by Guo Kai's analysis. She only understood one thing: this time the Qin army came with great momentum and came to attack Zhao State again.

Thinking of this, Queen Zhao felt bitter.

It was clearly the King Zheng of Qin who was competing with the King Chong of Qi, so why was she the one who was injured? It was clearly a war between Qin and Qi, so why was it Zhao that was beaten?
"Now we have no choice but to fight back and ask for help from Qi Wang Chong." Guo Kai said helplessly.

Although he was smart and could get access to part of the truth, there was still a gap between him and King Zheng of Qin and others. He did not know that what King Zheng of Qin wanted to do was not just to besiege Zhao and attack Qi, but to destroy the remnants of Zhao and Qi.

"Hurry up and make arrangements. The Qin army is coming aggressively. King Chong of Qi cannot stay out of it. Yecheng and Dong'a still belong to him." Queen Mother Zhao urged.

He was a man who could make her feel at ease, but it was also because of this that she was more eager to let Yang Chong join the game. If Yang Chong was not in this game, she would never feel at ease!

(End of this chapter)