Chapter 302: The two countries stopped fighting and a brief peace
The appearance of Yang Chong did show an attitude, and also gave Wang Jian a reason to withdraw his troops.

However, even so, it was impossible for Yang Chong to take away all the people in Li Mu's army. After all, most of Zhao State had been occupied by the Qin Army. Ordinary soldiers would definitely not be willing to leave their hometown.

It is hard to leave one's hometown, and this has been the case in Yang Chong's other life, let alone in this place where most people never travel thousands of miles away from home in their entire lives.

This is also one of the reasons why Wang Jian could withdraw his troops.

In the end, on the land that once belonged to the State of Zhao, the Qin army and the Qi army retreated to the north and south respectively.

Both sides knew very well that there would eventually be a great battle between the two armies, but both sides also knew very well that this was not the time for the great battle.

Neither Qin nor Qi were sure of defeating the other at the moment. Moreover, the armies of both countries had just experienced a great war, and each of them would need some time to digest the conquest of a country.

It is precisely because of this that the two countries tacitly chose to cease hostilities.

The war that took place in this year ended just like that. This war, which affected four countries and mobilized nearly one million people, came suddenly and ended suddenly. In this war that did not last long, the two countries completely disappeared from the map.

Of the seven major powers of the Warring States Period that had dominated the world for more than 200 years, only four were left at this time: Qi in the east, Qin in the west, Chu in the south, and the trembling Wei in the middle.

The State of Chu was large but not strong. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the future war would inevitably break out between the States of Qin and Qi, and the people of Chu also knew this.

In the south of Qi State, there is a river called Huai River. On the bank of the Huai River, there is a city called Shouchun, but now it also has another name, Yingcheng.

Since the Chu capital Ying was conquered by the Qin army led by Bai Qi forty years ago, the Chu State has moved its capital twice, once to Chen Ying and now to Shouchun.

In the capital of Chu, Han Fei, the envoy sent by the King of Qi, had not yet left.

His original mission was to be honest about the grain trade between Qi and Chu, but with the intervention of Qin envoys and the demise of Yan and Zhao, Han Fei had a new mission.

"The world is changing too fast." In the Qi Embassy, ​​Han Fei looked at the letters sent from Qi. Combined with some news he heard from the dignitaries of Chu these days, he already had a clear understanding of the current situation in the world.

Han Fei knew very well that the cessation of hostilities between Qin and Qi was not for the sake of peace, but to accumulate strength for the future decisive battle. This time would never be too late, and would be at most three years.

In other words, in the next three years, the situation in the world will change completely.

This means that in the next three years, Chu’s position will be enough to influence the direction of the world situation.

This made Han Fei's burden even heavier.

Logically speaking, given the relationship between Qin and Chu, if a war really breaks out between the two countries in the future, even if Chu does not help Qi, it will not help Qin.

But as we all know, the people of Chu only care about food and not fighting. Moreover, the relationship between Chu and Qin has always been complicated. Although Qin has bullied Chu harshly over the years, the wife of King Zheng of Qin is still a princess of Chu, and even his right prime minister is a prince of Chu. With this relationship, who knows what actions Chu will take at the critical moment.

Therefore, Han Fei had to do his best to promote an alliance between Chu and Qi. Only in this way could Qi increase its chances of winning in the future decisive battle between Chu and Qin. Qin was too strong. Six generations of management had made Qin the undisputed number one in the world. Although Qi had regained its peak under Yang Chong, it was still a long way behind Qin in terms of its potential.

This is a time gap, which cannot be changed by human power in a short period of time, at least that is how Han Fei understands it.

When Han Fei wanted to take action, people in the Chu Palace were also moved.

"Sister, Qi is rising and the world situation will change. This is a great opportunity for our Chu State." In the Chu Palace, Li Yuan, the current prime minister and the elder brother of Queen Dowager Li, said to his sister confidently.

"Brother, have you come up with any new ideas? The Qin State is like a tiger and a wolf, and the Qi State is not much behind. One destroyed Han and Zhao, and the other destroyed most of the Yan State with a single move. Their cruelty is evident. Especially King Zheng of Qin and King Chong of Qi, which one of them is an easy person to deal with? Do you still want to plot against them?" Queen Mother Li warned.

It was not easy for them to reach where they are today. Coming from a humble background, they have exhausted all calculations to have everything they have now. But it is also because of this that although they have become the most powerful pair of siblings in the State of Chu, their foundation is unstable. Moreover, because they stand too high, they have no way to retreat. Once they fail, they will end up in pieces.

So compared to her brother Li Yuan who wanted to achieve great things, Empress Dowager Li wanted stability, although the stability she wanted was not as good as it seemed.

According to the original trajectory, within a few years, they would be killed, and the King of Chu would have to be replaced by a new one.

"Sister, of course I know who King Zheng of Qin and King Chong of Qi are. How could I plot against them? I'm talking about the State of Wei," said Li Yuan.

At that time, the State of Wei surrendered to the State of Qin and used Qin's power to bully the State of Chu. It took away all the territories that Chu had divided from the State of Song and at one point pushed the border between the two countries to the area of ​​Pengcheng and Peixian.

It was precisely because of this that there were many complaints within the Chu State about the fact that the brothers and sisters were in charge of the Wei State, which made their rule unstable.

"Wei?" When Li Yuan mentioned the name of this country, Queen Mother Li had already thought of something.

"What do you mean?" Empress Dowager Li asked uncertainly.

"Ally with Qi to fight against Qin, and use Qi's power to take back the lost territories." Li Yuan said.

"Can Qi be a match for Qin?" Queen Mother Li hesitated.

The shadow cast by the State of Qin on the people of Chu was too deep. In the eyes of Queen Mother Li, if Qin did not come to trouble Chu, the people of Chu would be thankful. It was not advisable for Chu to take the initiative to provoke Qin.

"Qi may not be Qin's opponent, but it is precisely because of this that our support is important to Qi Wang Chong. Sister, the war between Qin and Qi will not last long. Once Qin completely defeats Qi, we will really have no chance." Li Yuan said. It must be said that Li Yuan is still very knowledgeable.

Back then, he was able to plan carefully and send his sister to the King of Chu, and eventually push his sister to become the Queen Mother of Chu. If there was a mistake in even one link of the plan, it would have been a disaster for them, but he succeeded.

At this time, his calculations were quite good and his vision was far-sighted.

"Brother, it is better to be still than to move. We can obviously stay out of it now, so why should we take the initiative to provoke Qin? Let King Zheng of Qin and King Chong of Qi fight it out." Faced with Li Yuan's proposal, Queen Mother Li did not feel moved at all.

All she wanted was to live her own life behind closed doors and for her son to be able to be the King of Chu in peace and stability. As for any grand ambitions or hegemony, that was not something that interested her as a woman.

"Sister, it's not easy to stay out of it. We have no way out now." Li Yuan said.

"Brother, don't be anxious. We can just wait and see what happens." Queen Mother Li remained unmoved. She didn't understand war, but she knew that war was risky, and she didn't want to take any risks at the moment.

When the Li brothers and sisters were arguing about Chu's stance, Dun Ruo, the Qin envoy, also had his own plans. Since the war between Qin and Qi was inevitable, Chu could not be allowed to suffer. Although Chu had been deteriorating over the years, it was still a big country after all. Chu's position was very important to both Qin and Qi.

For a time, all forces in Shouchun City were unable to sit still, including those in the State of Chu who had ulterior motives.

Just as the whole Chu State was taking action upon hearing the news, the two main players, Qin State and Qi State, were exceptionally quiet.

Jicheng, the former palace of Prince Yan, is now the Jicheng Palace. Yang Chong is making final arrangements for the affairs of Yan.

The most essential part of Yan State has been occupied by the Qi army. How to completely digest it and turn these two million soldiers and civilians into the strength of Qi is an urgent matter for Yang Chong.

Compared with Qin, Qi State is ultimately lacking in foundation, so Yang Chong needs to increase Qi State's strength as much as possible before the final decisive battle breaks out, and the importance of Yan is thus reflected.

Yang Chong occupied Yan not to disperse Qi's power, but to strengthen Qi's power.

Therefore, after Yang Chong left Jicheng, the arrangement of subsequent matters became the top priority.

Fortunately, over the years, Qi State has cultivated a group of talents suitable for various fields, and has also promoted some very talented people in the course of its operation.

"Xiao He, you will govern Beiping County and Yishui County, and Wei Zhuang will be your deputy as the Northern Commander. In two years, you must integrate an army of 100,000 from Yan." Yang Chong said to Xiao He who came from Linzi.

The young man who was kidnapped from Pei County at night has transformed into a true talent for governing the country after years of experience. He is not inferior to Prime Minister Xiao from another time and space.

After all, in another time and space, it only took Xiao He a few years to walk out of Pei County and become the prime minister of a country.

"Yes." Xiao He responded. Although being transferred from Linzi to Jicheng seemed like a demotion, he didn't care. Going from the central government to the local level was also an experience. What's more, in a place like Jicheng, most of the Yan State would be in charge of him. What kind of trust was this? What could he be dissatisfied with?
"Zhang Liang, come with me back to Linzi. We don't have much time left this time." Yang Chong warned everyone.

After hearing what Yang Chong said, everyone's faces showed solemn expressions. They were all outstanding people of their time and could naturally feel the difference in the current situation.

After arranging matters in Yan, Yang Chong personally led an army of 100,000 back to Linzi after leaving 50,000 Qi troops stationed there. However, during this process, Li Mu led the last remnants of Zhao State through Feihu Pass and returned to Dai County, where he could get a short rest and recuperate, leaving the last hope for Zhao State.

At the same time that Yang Chong withdrew his troops, the Qin army was also withdrawing. When Wang Jian led the main force of the Qin army to retreat, 50,000 Qin troops also remained in Zhao. On the territory that originally belonged to Zhao, Handan County, Changshan County and Julu County belonging to Qin appeared.

Wang Ben led 30,000 Qin troops to garrison Handan, and two Qin generals led 10,000 to garrison Changshan County and Julu County respectively. It was at this time that a name that was familiar to Yang Chong appeared: Li Xin and Meng Tian. These two people were stationed in Changshan and Julu respectively. They were the two youngest generals of the Qin State.

King Zheng of Qin kept Wang Ben, Meng Tian and Li Xin in Zhao, which shows his intention. It can be said that, except for Wang Jian, Qin had sent out its top lineup, and its goal was just to have the final decisive battle with Qi.

Amid the shadow of war, Yang Chong returned to Linzi.

After rewarding everyone for their merits and dealing with all the post-war matters in a busy schedule, Yang Chong finally had the mind and time to study another thing: the Seven Stars of the Azure Dragon.

It was also during this process that he saw his other 'trophy', Dongjun Yanfei of the Yin-Yang School.

Strictly speaking, this was the first formal meeting between Yang Chong and Yan Fei.

Although Yang Chong rescued Yan Fei in Taihang Mountain that day, Yan Fei was ashamed to see people at that time and fell into a coma. Because the two had not had any formal contact yet, now it has been a long time. Not to mention Yan Dan, even the Yan Kingdom no longer exists. The embarrassment of the past has naturally been reduced.

What's more, Yan Fei was currently in Linzi and had no room to refuse Yang Chong.

In a side hall in the Qi Palace where the Moon Goddess lived, Yang Chong saw Yan Fei, who had suppressed the Moon Goddess for twenty years. It must be said that there was indeed a reason why Yan Fei was able to suppress the Moon Goddess.

Although the pride that once belonged to Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School has been shattered by a series of blows and has lost some of the so-called divinity of the Yin-Yang School, it is precisely because of this that she has a more pitiful temperament, which makes people feel pity for her. In the final analysis, it is because of her beauty that she is so attractive even if she is ruthless. What's more, she is not ruthless.

"Princess Yan greets His Majesty. Thank you for saving me before." When Yang Chong appeared, even though she was reluctant, Princess Yan had to stand up to greet him. She could be proud, but she could not be ungrateful, because doing so would not only fail to maintain her pride, but would make her ridiculous.

"I have a grudge against Yan Dan, and what I did was just for revenge, so Yan Fei doesn't have to bear it in mind." Yang Chong said to comfort her.

Although Yan Fei has lost the halo of Dongjun for Yang Chong, she is still a beauty. Even if Yang Chong is ruthless to her, he can still have desire for her.

(End of this chapter)