The strongest Marquis in history

Domestic instability will inevitably affect the fighting on the front line.

Cao Xuan said: "These merchants are all for their own benefit. If there is no war now, when Wang Qi takes Jizhou and connects Jizhou and Youzhou, our Yanzhou will be the fish on the chopping board, let Wang Qi slaughter it. The war cannot be stopped. Master Cheng, you should immediately notify Jia Yu who is in the rear and ask him to suppress the situation."

Jia Yu is the governor of Yanzhou and Cao Xuan's minister.

When it comes to governing the rear, Jia Yu is best at it.

Cheng Lin said: "My lord, the old minister has also thought about it and asked Jia Changshi to suppress it. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to say suppression. Once the suppression method is adopted, then these businessmen will, in turn, side with Wang Qi and cause trouble for us. At the critical moment of the battle, if these people are in chaos, the rear will be unstable."

Cao Xuandao: "Master Cheng, what do you think should be done?"

Cheng Lin said: "What the old minister means is to use our strength to fight. Since these people are going to jump out, we should gather everyone together and tell them that Yanzhou's troops are stationed at the border, not for other reasons, but for self-protection."

"As long as King Qi doesn't interfere in Jizhou's internal affairs or war in Jizhou, I, Yanzhou, will never send troops. Let these merchants contact Wang Qi and coordinate."

"Businessmen come and go, no matter whether they coordinate successfully or not, the first is that the time is delayed, the second is that they divert their attention, and the third is that these people still have hope and will not make trouble."

"If Wang Qi insists on going to war, the responsibility does not lie with us, but with Qi."

"For the time being, we have stabilized the rear. After this battle is over, we will draw up the list one by one, and start beating and dealing with these businessmen who are on the side of Qi."

Cheng Lin said: "The old minister thinks that right now, stability should be the main thing."

Cao Xuan stroked his beard under his chin and asked, "Military Master, what do you think?"

Cen Wen said: "Mr. Cheng's suggestion is a well-established strategy, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, we still have to beware of their rebellion at the moment, so we informed Jia Changshi to let him deploy defenses when advancing this strategy, and be careful of the turmoil in the rear. .In this way, we are here on the front line and will not be affected for the time being."

Cao Xuan nodded and said: "Since that's the case, then do this."

He immediately wrote a letter and sent it, and then Cao Xuan discussed the next countermeasures with Cen Wen and Cheng Lin. After all, the war was approaching, and it was necessary to make early preparations for emergencies.

Chapter 603 Long-term vision

Jizhou, Yecheng.

This is the political center of Zhao State.

Today's Zhang Shiqi is mainly to stabilize the domestic situation, and to be ready to deal with Qingzhou Wang Qi's attack at any time.The army under his command has been divided into two teams. One army, led by Yan Zhong, is going north to Youzhou to intervene in the battlefield of Youzhou.The other army, led by Chen Yinhu, stationed at the southern border of Jizhou to guard against Wang Qi's attack.

In addition, Yanzhou, Yuzhou and Chu have all sent troops, and the previous plan has been successfully completed.

Zhang Shiqi was full of ambition in his heart, because Wang Qi was full of soldiers, and if there was any movement, Qi would be in trouble.On this occasion, Zhang Shiqi thought that he was certain of Youzhou. As long as he captured Youzhou, his strength would leap forward and he could directly compete with Wang Qi.

Furthermore, after a round of planning, he got the advantage by himself, and Yuzhou and Yanzhou didn't get any benefits because they had to compete against Wang Qi.However, for the sake of their own development, these two prefectures would not be annexed by Wang Qi, so they sent troops to assist them.

This is what Zhang Shiqi is proud of.

When Zhang Shiqi was reviewing the government affairs, he saw a memorial, which said that the population in Zhao State is seriously insufficient, and Qi State has introduced various policies in terms of population to increase the population.Therefore, it is suggested in the memorial that the age of marriage should be lowered, and those who get married and have children should be given certain rewards, so that more people can get married and have children.

After Zhang Shiqi saw it, he thought about it and arranged for someone to notify Tian Ce.

After a short time, Tian Ce entered.

Zhang Shiqi said: "Prime Minister, don't be too polite, just sit down and talk."

Tian Ce never overstepped, still bowed respectfully, then sat down and said, "Your Majesty has summoned you, I wonder what it is?"

Zhang Shiqi gave the memorial to Tian Ce, and said, "Ling Tiao, the imperial censor of the imperial court, he advised that the population in Zhao State is insufficient and needs to be increased. He made many suggestions. What do you think?"

Tian Ce thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I do remember that the State of Qi has introduced many policies, such as starting with the third child or the fourth child. In short, if you have one more child, you will be rewarded more. We can also adopt this strategy, after all, Jizhou has a stronger foundation than Youzhou, Yuzhou, and Yanzhou, which is enough to carry out this strategy."

Zhang Shiqi nodded, and said: "Prime Minister, you should do some research carefully and come up with a plan. In short, this matter should be arranged as soon as possible."

Tian Ce said: "These strategies are not difficult, but I have one more thing to say."

Zhang Shiqi said: "What's the matter?"

Tian Ce said: "The situation in Youzhou is still going on. We only considered Yuzhou and Yanzhou before. I think that at this time, we can consider including Xianbei. The war is still going on, and we don't know when it will end."

"Even if we want to destroy Wang Zongxi and seize the entire Youzhou, it will take more time, so it is an excellent strategy to include Xianbei. Before that, the Wang family and his son wiped out the Xianbei army and slaughtered the Xianbei royal court. This is a deep hatred."

"I think it is entirely possible to incite Xianbei to make a move. As long as Xianbei makes a move, Wang Zongxi will certainly be unable to stop it. At the same time, the time we have to seize Youzhou can be further strengthened."

Tian Ce proposed his new strategy.

After hearing this, Zhang Shiqi frowned slightly, and said, "Prime Minister, this is not right."

Tian Ce said: "The king's concern is that we unite with Xianbei, so it's not appropriate, right?"

Zhang Shiqi said: "People who are not of our race must have a different heart, but we people from the Central Plains unite with Xianbei, which is inappropriate. Even if the news spreads, it will be criticized by scholars, and it will easily affect Zhao Guo."

Tian Ce shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is Miao."

Zhang Shiqi said: "What does Prime Minister mean?"

Tian Ce said: "Your Majesty, the people of Xianbei are going to send troops to the south for publicity. It's just that Xianbei retaliated against Wang Zongxi. We didn't send people to instigate the alliance on our own initiative. Furthermore, our people went to Xianbei just to lobby and not give any conditions. If the Xianbei people want to go south, then go south. If they don’t want to go south, then let it go.”

"Moreover, Xianbei's current strength has been weakened a lot. If the Xianbei people want to go south, they will at most take revenge on Wang Zongxi, and it is impossible to occupy Youzhou. After we defeat Wang Zongxi, we can ensure that the Xianbei people will be expelled and the Xianbei people will not be allowed to go south." Stay in Youzhou."

"Even if the Xianbei people stay, we can cover up and kill them, which will help us win people's hearts."

Tian Ce talked eloquently, and said: "For us, this is an opportunity. It not only helps us deal with Wang Zongxi, but also helps us to control Youzhou in the future. Why not do it? As for the Xianbei people going south, it is just a means Everything we have is for the purpose of capturing Youzhou, why should your majesty care?"

Zhang Shiqi hesitated in his heart, he instinctively rejected the Xianbei people.

For now, it seems to be working.

After Zhang Shiqi thought about it for a while, his heart moved, and he said, "Okay, I will adopt the prime minister's strategy. The prime minister can make arrangements for this matter."

"I obey my orders!"

Tian Ce nodded and answered.

At this time, a servant came in and reported: "Your Majesty, I am asking you to see me."

"Xuan!"

Zhang Shiqi gave an order.

The servant went to inform, and after a while, Gao Yuanfeng, the Minister of the Ministry of officials, entered.He bowed to Zhang Shiqi and reported: "Your Majesty, I just got the latest news from the Qi State. The Qi State has never targeted our Zhao State. Wang Qi dispatched a part of the guarding troops from the border of Pingyuan County to leave, and then mobilized The soldiers and horses went straight to Yanzhou to attack Cao Xuan who was stationed in Yanzhou on the border of Jibei Kingdom."

"Wang Qi's move is really surprising. He didn't attack us, but Cao Xuan. As for Xuzhou, there are also some people guarding Xiapi Kingdom to resist the troops from Yuzhou."

Gao Yuanfeng said: "Wang Qi also arranged for people to guard the Chu Kingdom in the far south."

After Zhang Shiqi listened, his thoughts changed, and he said, "Prime Minister, what does it mean that Wang Qi attacked Cao Xuan?"

After thinking for a while, Tian Ce said, "Your Majesty, this situation should be very simple. Wang Qi wants to dispatch heavy troops to defeat Cao Xuan's forces like lightning. As long as Cao Xuan's forces on the eastern border of Jibei Kingdom are defeated, Wang Qi can immediately transfer Go north and attack me in the south of Jizhou."

"This is Wang Qi's strategy."

"He won the threat of Yanzhou first, so he doesn't have to worry about being constrained. As for Yuzhou and Chu, he deployed defenses, so he can return to the previous situation and continue to attack us to relieve Wang Zongxi's pressure."

Tian Ce said with emotion: "Wang Qi's method is not simple. And this move is also extremely delicate."

Zhang Shiqi thought about it and said, "How should we deal with it?"

Tian Ce said: "I suggest to wait and see what happens."

Zhang Shiqi frowned, and said: "Once we adopt the strategy of waiting and watching, we will ignore Yanzhou's side. At that time, what if Cao Xuan no longer resists Wang Qi? At this time, we should help him, Cao Xuan will go all out."

Tian Ce said: "Your Majesty, how can we help Cao Xuan? General Yan Zhong led an army to leave, Hussar General Chen Yinhu led another army to leave, and there were not many troops left in the country. In addition, in essence, Cao Xuan is also our enemy. To weaken Cao Xuan at this time is also very good for us."

Zhang Shiqi shook his head when he heard it, and said solemnly: "It's not right, it's not right. In the future, it will be different for us and Cao Xuan to fight against each other. But right now we can't fight internally beforehand. At this time, internal conflicts can only be resolved by ourselves." an arm."

"We can't help Cao Xuan in the army. But we can give some support in terms of armor, weapons and food. You arrange people to go to Jibei Kingdom and tell Cao Xuan that although it is difficult for Jizhou to send troops to help, we are willing to do our best to support he."

"This time we support him with [-] sets of armor, [-] swords, and [-] stones of grain."

"Prime Minister, it's not a problem if we can use food and other things to solve the problem. What's more, we can encourage Cao Xuan to fight without a single soldier. Why not do it?"

"This king knows that Cao Xuan's fight is not for us, but for his Yanzhou. Because Wang Qi's rise is not good for Yanzhou, so Cao Xuan is willing to fight."

Zhang Shiqi said: "But now, it is worth paying a small price to strengthen Cao Xuan's fighting spirit."

Tian Ce said after listening, "Your Majesty Shengming, it's my minister who is short-sighted."

Zhang Shiqi said: "The prime minister is only considering the interests of the Zhao country, and it is cost-effective to do things in the long run."

Tian Ce said, "I'm going to make arrangements now."

Zhang Shiqi looked at Gao Yuanfeng again, and ordered: "Gao Shangshu, you must pay close attention to the news from all over the world. Now timely information is the key to the battlefield, understand?"

Gao Yuanfeng said: "I understand!"

Zhang Shiqi waved his hands, and Gao Yuanfeng and Tian Ce stepped back together.

After walking out of the main hall, Gao Yuanfeng looked at Tian Ce and said, "Prime Minister, regarding the current war, I always feel that this step is too big. It is not only planning to deal with Wang Zongxi, but also provoking Wang Qi. If this step fails, the consequences will be disastrous."

Tian Ce stroked his beard under his chin, and said, "Gao Shangshu, at this stage of Zhao State, we can only advance but not retreat. If we retreat at this time, we will be annexed. All our plans in this battle are to capture You Zhou. With Youzhou here, Zhao will have a rear and confidence. This battle must be pushed forward."

Gao Yuanfeng nodded. He was still a little worried, and somehow felt that this battle would be difficult.

But now, we can only take one step at a time.

Chapter 604 Eight Great Masters

In the first ten days of April, Xiao Qing's troops led by Wang Qi joined Yang Shanjun and were rapidly heading towards Jibei Kingdom.According to the news sent back by the sentry, Wang Qi's army is less than twenty miles away from Cao Xuan's army station.

The two sides are about to meet.

When the army was on their way, Wang Qi got the news from Linzi in the rear. Yanzhou asked the merchants to spread the word, saying that Cao Xuan stated that as long as Wang Qi did not intervene in the war in Jizhou, Cao Xuan would naturally withdraw his troops.

This seems to be mediation, but in Wang Qi's view, this is provocation.

Cao Xuan is a businessman who deliberately perfunctory Yanzhou.

It is also provoking him.

The army led by Wang Qi continued on its way and approached Cao Xuan's army camp on the morning of April [-]th.However, Wang Qi did not rush to the past, but first chose the camp location where the army camped.

The location where Wang Qi camped was eight miles away from Cao Xuan's location. It was an open area, and there was a water source nearby, so it was not possible to arrange an ambush, which was beneficial for him to station here.

The army settled down and took a short rest.

After lunch and the soldiers regained their spirits, Wang Qi led the army to continue on their way to the camp of Cao Xuan's army.

The distance of eight miles, arrived in a short time.

As soon as Wang Qi arrived, he ordered the army to line up, and he rode forward, his eyes fell on Cao Jun's camp.From the outside, Cao Jun's camp layout is extremely strict, loose on the outside and tight on the inside, and he is well versed in the way of using troops.

Wang Qi's eyes fell on the gate of the camp, and now the gate of the camp has gathered an army.

Cao Jun is ready for battle.

Wang Qice immediately stepped forward and asked, "Where is Cao Xuan?"

Cao Xuanren was in the camp, and he had known for a long time that Wang Qi was going to fight in person, especially with Wang Qi's age and temperament, he could tell Wang Qi's identity at a glance.

Cao Xuanze moved forward a little, and he was at the gate of the camp. He looked at Wang Qi in the distance outside the camp, and said, "Wang Qi, I have been waiting for you here for a long time. Is it a little late for you to bring the troops here now?" Already?"

Wang Qi said: "Everything is just right, Cao Xuan, if you stay in Yanzhou well, this king will attack you too. But this time, in order to support Zhang Shiqi, you stationed troops on the border of Qi State."

"Your move is to find the wrong target of provocation. If I were you, I would not station troops on the border of Qi State, but station troops on the border of Jizhou. On this occasion, I can attack together with the king. Jizhou, and even my father went south from Youzhou, so Zhang Shiqi is bound to lose."

Wang Qi said: "Originally you could get a piece of the pie from Jizhou, but now, you are killing yourself."

Cao Xuan laughed twice when he heard it, and said: "Wang Qi, when it comes to demagoguery, you are the number one. During my tenure in Yanzhou, I heard the most news about you, that is, your previous fights, with a sharp mouth. Incomparable, comparable to an army, with a brilliant tongue. In this regard, you, Wang Qi, are indeed extraordinary."

Wang Qi said: "Cao Xuan, if any word is purely a lie, no matter how it is fabricated or explained, it will be a tree without roots, it will be a castle in the air, and it will be difficult to gain a foothold."

After a pause, Wang Qi continued: "However, only with the facts as the basis and the facts as the yardstick can we have a foothold. This is the fundamental reason why my king's words are always unfavorable. It is true that the tongue is brilliant. Flowers, but what this king said is a fact of what happened."

Cao Xuan said: "Wang Qi, I advise you to retreat immediately. As long as you don't get involved in the war in Jizhou, I, Yanzhou, will not be your enemy. In the Qi State under your rule, the people live without worry, and everyone has clothes and food to eat. , I admire you very much, and I don’t want to be your enemy. If you go to war now, you will only drag Qi into the quagmire. This is the most unfavorable situation for you, why is it so?”

Wang Qi smiled and said: "Cao Xuan, I didn't expect you to be ugly, but you have a good mouth. But you are wrong in one sentence, the livelihood of the people of Qi State, and the long-term stability of Qi State are not obtained by shrinking back. Everything in Qi State, It was made by the soldiers with swords and guns, and it was made by the state of Qi. If you can compromise, you can get peace and long-term stability, what do you need the army to do, just admit it."

Cao Xuan was at a loss for words.

Wang Qi's words, he also deeply thinks it makes sense.

The peace of a country, the stability and long-term stability of a country do not depend on shrinking, let alone fear and confession, but on the exchange of troops fighting on the battlefield.

Cao Xuan changed the subject and said, "Wang Qi, this is the end of the matter, so there is nothing more to say. If you want to fight, I, Cao Xuan, will accompany you to the end. I, the soldiers of Yanzhou, will fight bloody to the end."

Wang Qi said: "Bold and courageous, I admire you."

Cao Xuandao: "To paraphrase the words of King Qi, you can't bring peace by admitting cowardice. King Qi has already brought troops to kill, and now I can only fight. I don't want to fight, but I'm not afraid of it. "

Wang Qi said: "This king is fighting here, Cao Xuan, do you dare to fight?"