Chapter 297 Yang Chong's Plan

Under the gazes of countless people on the walls of Jicheng, the first group of Yan troops were annihilated by the Qi army outside Jicheng. From beginning to end, Jicheng never sent a single soldier to provide support, let alone lower the drawbridge to allow the last remnants of the defeated army to enter the city.

"It's really pitiful and sad that the State of Yan has such a monarch. It's such a waste that such a precious land is ruled by such a person." Under the setting sun, Zhang Liang looked at the battlefield in front of him. Among the corpses, there was smoke burning. Various smells mixed together and became an increasingly unpleasant smell.

"Did the king look upon us in the same way in the past? Did he also look upon Korea in the same way?" When Wei Zhuang saw Zhang Liang's disdain, he thought of his past relationship with Korea.

If you think about it carefully, the former Han State does not seem to be much stronger than the current Yan State, and the former King An of Han is not necessarily stronger than King Xi of Yan. Wei Zhuang himself was in the situation at that time, and he had not noticed anything unusual. Now, when he heard Zhang Liang's evaluation of the Yan State, and his words showed contempt for people like King Xi of Yan, this situation made him think of his former self.

At that time, Yang Chong was already a great general of the State of Han. He easily possessed what Ji Wuye had fought for half his life, but Yang Chong treated it all as a piece of trash. Wei Zhuang didn't understand it at that time. Now he wondered, did Yang Chong despise him as much as they despised the people of Yan State now?
"It's hard to say." Zhang Liang's face looked a little ugly when he heard this. Today he despised the king and ministers of Yan State. In the past, perhaps he was the same in the eyes of Yang Chong.

"Don't think too much. We still have a lot to do right now. The war has just begun. I just hope we can make a breakthrough in Yicheng as soon as possible." Wei Zhuang said.

The Qi army was indeed very useful, and in this respect, it was by no means comparable to the Han army. But correspondingly, the scale of war faced by the Qi army was also larger. Although they were familiar with places like Han, Wei Zhuang was still somewhat unfamiliar with the war to conquer the Yan State. Fortunately, although he was the vanguard this time, it was Yicheng that truly determined the outcome of the war.

Easy City.

Although the Qi army surrounded Yicheng, they did not completely cut off Yicheng's connection with the outside world, because what happened under the city of Ji still spread to Yicheng.

Yan Yi's heart sank to the bottom when he looked at the information sent back by the scouts.

The Yan army was not capable of fighting. As the general of Yan State, he knew this better than anyone else.

The people of Yan State had fought against the Hu people for hundreds of years, so they should not be cowards. But why was the army of Yan State not able to fight? Yan Yi knew the reason.

It was nothing more than that on the battlefield, those who died were civilians, but those who benefited were nobles. As a result, on the battlefield, the Yan army, which was originally good at fighting, put saving their lives first.

However, the fact that the people of Jicheng sat back and watched the reinforcements being annihilated by the Qi army and remained indifferent still refreshed Yan Yi's cognition.

But Yan Yi was only surprised for a moment at such an outrageous thing, because he soon realized that such a thing must be true. As for why he could come to such a conclusion, the reason was very simple, because he himself was such a person.

If it were in the past, Yan Yi might have thought that the decision of those people in Jicheng was very smart. The death of the reinforcements was nothing compared to the safety of Jicheng. The State of Yan had a population of several million, and there were at least 200,000 people who could go to the battlefield. The death of 8,000 people was not a big deal for the State of Yan.

But now Yan Yi doesn't think so, because now he needs the assistance of Jicheng. Considering the combat effectiveness of the Qi army in previous years that could fight against the Qin army, if he did not have twice the strength of the Qi army, Yan Yi would not dare to fight against the Qi army at all. This means that if he wants to resolve the current dilemma, support from Jicheng is indispensable, but what about the current situation?
The people of Jicheng watched the reinforcements that were right in front of them die without helping, so how could they come to rescue him? With the change of identity, Yan Yi naturally would not think how smart those people in Jicheng who were afraid of death were, because their fear of death meant that he would definitely die.

"I'm afraid we can't stop this battle. Jicheng may be able to hold on, but I'm in great danger." Yan Yi thought. Although he hated those people in Jicheng, on the other hand, he was no different from them. He was also a coward. In the current crisis, his already weak will had been shaken.

The change in Yan Yi's mentality was naturally reflected in the Yan army in Yicheng. Yan Ju, who had only besieged Yicheng and had never launched an attack from beginning to end, was the first to notice the change in the morale of the Yan army. Although this kind of thing cannot be seen or touched, it can be felt.

There is a big difference between an army with a strong fighting will and an army that is gradually collapsing.

"It's almost time." Yan Ju muttered to himself, realizing that Yan Yi's mentality in Yicheng had changed and his fighting will was crumbling. Although the Yan army was not capable of fighting, they could still be a strong enemy relying on the city. If the Qi army was allowed to attack Yicheng, although they would eventually be able to capture the city, the casualties would inevitably be huge.

If possible, the people of Qi State do not want to bear this loss. Fortunately, the Qi army has a better choice when facing Yicheng.

When Yan Yi was worried about his future, a letter of surrender sent by Yan Ju from Linzi appeared on Yan Yi's desk.

"King of Qi?" Yan Yi looked at the letter of surrender in his hand with doubt. At that moment, his heart was moved. If surrendering could keep his wealth, it would be good, but...

Not to mention that all his family members are in Jicheng. If he surrenders, none of his family members left in Jicheng will survive. Even if his family members are not in Jicheng, Yan Yi dare not even think about surrendering.

Although the situation he is facing now is dangerous, it is not a life-and-death moment after all. He still has 100,000 Yan troops at his command, and the walls of Yicheng outside are protecting him. Of course he is unwilling to surrender at this time, not to mention that surrender may not necessarily lead to any good ending. The life of a traitor has always been unpopular.

But if he doesn't surrender, Yan Yi will have no choice but to fight to the death. Is this the case?
Yan Yi felt his scalp tingling just thinking about it. Fighting to the death was really too cruel for him.

Yan Yi's heart was shaking violently, his heart told him that he could not surrender, but his reason told him that surrender might be a good choice. However, all this was subject to a prerequisite, that is, he could keep his life and everything he had after surrendering, but was this possible?
Although what the King of Qi said in the letter sounded very nice and the conditions were tempting, Yan Yi didn't dare to believe it completely!
Yan Yi instinctively wanted to refuse to surrender with a righteous attitude, but he didn't dare to do so. He was afraid of cutting off his last way of retreat. For a moment, there was only struggle in Yan Yi's heart.

After struggling for a long time, Yan Yi finally came up with a solution that he thought was the best of both worlds, and his men quickly wrote a reply letter.

He wanted to see whether the King of Qi really valued him as much as he said in the letter.

At the moment, he could still wait for a good price, and it was not the time to sell himself at a low price. So, not long after, a letter was sent out of Yicheng and delivered to Yan Ju's desk, and soon the letter was sent back to Linzi.

"Yan Yi seems to have rejected the king's persuasion to surrender?" When Yang Chong was browsing Yan Yi's reply, Nanyue brought him a cup of cold tea and then sat down next to Yang Chong.

"The content of the letter is a rejection, but since the letter appears here, doesn't it explain something?" Yang Chong handed the letter to the curious Nong Yu, analyzing the content of the letter, and had a clear grasp of Yan Yi's mentality.

"Since Yan Yi has replied to the letter, this action itself reflects some of his thoughts?"

Nanyue quickly glanced through the letter and saw that the words on it were extremely gorgeous. The content said that he was deeply trusted by King Xi of Yan, so he gave him the position of general. Facing the current crisis of the survival of Yan State, he would never betray King Yan. However, he still wanted to thank King Qi for his appreciation, but he had to refuse because of his different positions.

What Yan Yi said in the letter can be said to be high-sounding, but if he was really as great and glorious as he described in the letter, why would he send this letter?
"Yes, this guy is not a man of iron will. It will not be difficult to make him betray the King of Yan and the State of Yan as long as he sees that the situation in Yan State is not good. If the Yan army in Yicheng surrenders, Jicheng alone will not be able to stop my 150,000 troops." Yang Chong said.

Yan Yi, the role he played in another time and space was not very glorious, but Yang Chong had no reason to hate Yan Yi. After all, for Yang Chong now, the worse Yan Yi's character was, the more beneficial it was to him.

After all, he had 100,000 elite Yan troops in his hands. Although the Yan army was not a very powerful army, it was also 100,000 real young and strong men, and 100,000 lives. It would not be so easy for the Qi army to take them down. After all, even 100,000 pigs gathered together could be considered a huge force.

"So the key to Yan State's battle lies in Yan Yi?" asked Nong Yu.

"Yes, we have to speed up. Zhao State can't hold on for much longer." Yang Chong said.

"Your Majesty, since you knew that Zhao would not be able to hold out for long against the Qin army's attack, why didn't you send troops to help Zhao, but instead attacked Yan? Your Majesty should know that the loss of the lips and the loss of the teeth are interdependent." Nong Yu asked in confusion.

In the past few years, it was precisely because of the cooperation between Qi and Zhao that Qin had gained nothing in several wars and even suffered heavy casualties. Logically, Zhao had suffered a great disaster this time and had to fight against the Qin army at its weakest. At this time, Qi should have fully supported Zhao, but Yang Chong chose to attack Yan.

"Of course I know the principle of 'the lips and teeth are cold'. But not only I know this principle, but King Zheng of Qin also knows it. He will try every means to stop me from rescuing Yan. When the Qin army is at its limit, it can dispatch 600,000 troops to fight for more than two years. This time he only sent 300,000 troops to attack Zhao. If I show the momentum of rescuing Zhao, more Qin troops will be stationed on the border between Qi and Qin." Yang Chong said.

"With King Qin Zheng's ability, he can do such a thing." Nong Yu pondered. She also knew King Qin Zheng.

"So in order to avoid causing trouble for King Zheng of Qin by staying in seclusion, I might as well attack the State of Yan directly. This way, King Zheng of Qin can attack the State of Zhao with peace of mind. What do you think of me as a friend? Isn't he loyal?" Yang Chong said with a relaxed look.

"It seems to be the case, but why does it sound weird to me? Also, aren't you worried that Zhao will really be conquered by Qin? The current situation in Zhao is not optimistic." Nong Yu reminded.

"Of course Zhao will be destroyed." Yang Chong said firmly.

"Then why?" Nanyue asked. She was very interested in Yang Chong's plan.

"Because I also want to see the State of Zhao destroyed." Yang Chong's answer was beyond Nanyue's expectations. She had guessed various answers, but she never thought that Yang Chong's answer would be like this.

"Why? Zhao State is clearly our ally." Nong Yu became more and more confused.

"Even brothers can turn against each other, let alone allies. Our relationship with Zhao may not be so solid. You have to know that Yecheng, Anyang and other places originally belonged to Zhao. Although they have been given to us by Zhao, is there really no one in Zhao who has complaints about this?" Yang Chong asked in return.

"But in the face of pressure from the Qin army, even if Zhao has complaints, it can only endure it," said Nanyue.

"You also said that it was under the pressure of the Qin army. What if one day the Qin State stopped attacking the Zhao State and focused on attacking our Qi State? Nongyu, allies are unreliable, unless they are your own people." Yang Chong explained to Nongyu patiently.

"If Zhao was destroyed by Qin, then the Zhao people would be dead. How could they become ours?" The more Yang Chong explained, the more confused Nanyue became.

"Once Qin conquers Zhao, the hatred of the Zhao people will be focused on Qin. At this time, if we can take Zhao land back from Qin, do you think the Zhao people will still be as hostile to us as they were to Qin?" Yang Chong finally told his plan.

"We want Qin to attack and destroy Zhao, and let Qin bear the hatred of the Zhao people for destroying their country. Then we can take back the land of Zhao from Qin. In this way, we will be the saviors of the Zhao people, not their enemies. Your Majesty's plan is brilliant, but Your Majesty, you must know that the current strength of Qin is not something we can contend with head-on. After Qin destroys Zhao, its strength will be even stronger. How can you take back the land of Zhao from Qin at that time?" Nanyue reminded.

Yang Chong's plan sounded perfect, but it had a fatal flaw.

But did Yang Chong really not see all this?

(End of this chapter)