Rebirth of Wu Ba Spring and Autumn

Chapter 472

"Second and third sons, now that the Qin army has captured Wan County, they will surely go south and attack Suicheng."

Qingji looked around, looked at the generals and monarchs present, and asked slowly: "In your opinion, should our coalition be war or peace?"

"This……"

As soon as this remark came out, everyone present looked at each other in blank dismay, and lowered their heads in thought.

Tang Jun Jicheng got up first and said: "Your Majesty, the Qin people are coming fiercely, and our coalition army still has the strength to fight, although we are not afraid of the Qin army."

"However, the coalition forces have been fighting in Chu for more than half a year, and they are already exhausted. The soldiers are homesick, and it is inevitable that they will feel tired. If they fight, they are afraid that they will not win."

"That's why, the widowed monarch is reconciled!"

Xue Hou followed suit and said: "My lord, what Tang Jun said is very true!"

"Right now, the main force of the Chu army has been wiped out by our coalition forces. The king of Chu, Xiong Zhen, and all the ministers and officials of the state of Chu have also been captured, which is equivalent to the collapse of the country."

"If Your Majesty proposes peace talks with Qin and Chu, the people of Qin will surely not refuse."

"Please think twice, Your Majesty!"

The nine monarchs present, except Cai Houshen, Xu Jun Ying Zhang Yu, and Zhong Wujun, who belonged to Wu's loyal younger brothers, all expressed their approval.

They belong to the Lord Peace faction!

Cai Houshen immediately pondered for a moment, and said: "Your Majesty, no matter whether it is war or peace, the widowed monarch will obey your orders!"

"Exactly!"

Ying Zhangyu and Zhong Wujun also said in unison: "I am willing to listen to the king's order!"

The three kingdoms of Cai, Xu, and Zhongwu are not to mention bordering Wu. Since Qingji succeeded to the throne, while being reduced to a vassal state, Wu has also brought many benefits to the three kingdoms.

Therefore, how could the Three Kingdoms not obey Qing Ji?

It's all about profit!
Of course, it is undeniable that compared to the other six countries, Cai, Xu, and Zhongwu are closer to Wu.

Generals of the state of Wu, such as Wu Zixu, Bo Tong, Meng Ben, Xu Menchao, Gongsun Xiong, etc., all kept silent and kept silent.

For their thoughts, Qing Ji is well aware of them.

The war has progressed to such a point that there is actually no need to continue.

The [-]-strong coalition army that defeated Chu, plus the Chu army that Bai Gongsheng defeated, had a casualty rate of more than one-third.

In terms of military strength, the coalition army is slightly more than the Qin army, but in a defensive battle, it is no problem to fortify the wall and clear the field.

This time the coalition forces not only wiped out the main force of the Chu army, but also captured the king of Chu, Xiong Zhen.

On the issue of war and peace, Qingji also favored peace talks.

After all, the initiative is already in his hands.

Right now, although the Qin army is coming fiercely, but its labor force is on an expedition, the logistics supplies cannot keep up, and the local Chu people have no extra food to help the Qin people.

If the war continues, it will be quite detrimental to Qin.

After all, the Qin army only sent troops to rescue Chu, not the Great Patriotic War, and there was no need to fight the coalition forces to the end.

Qingji also didn't want to feud with Qin.

"The widow is determined to negotiate peace with the Chu people. If the king of Chu understands the current affairs and agrees to sign a letter of state to cede the land and claim the title of minister, the widow should also stop fighting!"

"Your Majesty Yingming!"

Qingji's decisiveness obviously caught everyone by surprise.

However, accepting as soon as it is good is a matter of great benefit and no harm to Wu Guo.

"Your Majesty, I have something to announce!"

At this moment, Wu Zixu stood up and bowed to Qingji.

"What's the matter?"

"There are [-] soldiers in the Chu army, which is very large. Now there is not much food in Suidi and its nearby cities. If you want to feed the soldiers, I am afraid that the food and grass in the army will not be able to support the arrival of the rear. Consume it all!"

Upon hearing this, the people present couldn't help whispering and whispering.

When the two armies were holding each other in Suicheng, the coalition army ran out of food and grass, but in fact the Chu army in the city did not have much food and grass.

Now there are [-] soldiers from the Chu army, how to arrange them is a difficult problem for Qing Ji.

It is impossible to kill.

Although the Spring and Autumn Period was a time of great controversy, it was a time of great controversy, but for the vassal states entrusted by Zhou Tianzi.

Even when the country was destroyed, there was no precedent for massacring cities or killing soldiers.

Because benevolence, righteousness and morality still bind the world, wars can be fought by all means, but people who have put down their weapons and surrendered must not be massacred.

As soon as this hole was opened, Qingji and Wu Guoguo became notorious, let alone condemned by the people of the world.

The key is that other vassal states will follow suit, and the war will further intensify, which is not conducive to Wu's next struggle with Jin for hegemony.

Furthermore, Qingji's battle against Chu this time is not a war of annihilation, but a war of attrition.

Qingji's strategic goal has been achieved, Chu State's national strength has declined greatly, and it is no longer able to compete with Wu State, and it will not become a worry in the heart.

That being the case, why should Qingji kill them all?
The people of the state of Chu must become the Li Shu of the state of Wu, and the people of Qingji!

At this moment, Qingji's mind is very clear.

"Let it go, let it go home."

"Your Majesty..."

Wu Zixu wanted to speak out, but Qingji waved his hand to stop him.

"The will of the widow has been decided, so there is no need to say more."

Qing Ji said slowly: "God has the virtue of loving life. Before those Chu troops surrendered, they fought to the death with our coalition forces. However, since they have surrendered, let the past be forgotten!"

"King Rende!"

Including Wu Zixu, all the monarchs and generals present praised him.

With the current rations of the coalition forces, they can no longer support so many soldiers, and they cannot support the arrival of the food delivery team.

Even if the coalition forces did not kill, many of the remaining [-] Chu soldiers would starve to death.

This is not to say that celebrating the benevolence of women and not daring to annihilate the vital strength of the Chu people.

Rather, he couldn't allow himself and the State of Wu to bear the infamy of abusing or slaughtering soldiers.

In this way, it will undoubtedly make Wu's next expansion war even more tragic.

Since surrender will also result in death, how will the soldiers of other vassal states dare to surrender to Wu in the future?

Letting these soldiers go back can also promote Qingji's reputation of benevolence and love for the people.

The most important thing is not to starve them to death.

When they went back to their homes and found their own mothers, they tightened their belts and survived.

As for whether these soldiers will continue to join the Chu army in the future and fight against Wu, this is not something Qingji has to consider for the time being.

……

After leaving the main hall of Suiguo, Qingji walked to the side hall where the king of Chu, Xiong Zhen, followed step by step, under the guidance of a group of old guards.

Now, although Xiong Zhen was reduced to a prisoner, Qingji did not treat him badly.

After Xiong Zhen was captured, Qingji specially set aside a palace garden for Xiong Zhen to temporarily use as a shelter.

Xiong Zhen was placed under house arrest here, with no worries about food and clothing, but the palace was surrounded by sharp-edged soldiers from the Wu army, so he could not leave the palace for a single step.

When Qingji saw Xiong Zhen again, he saw Xiong Zhen sitting on the edge of the table, closing his eyes and thinking deeply, like an old monk sitting still.

For Qingji's arrival, Xiong Zhen seemed unaware and did not respond.

(End of this chapter)