Empress Mi Benji

Chapter 254 Good King Zhao

The heat and scorching heat swept across the Central Plains. The heavy low clouds meant that a storm was brewing, and the dreary atmosphere swept Jinyang.

The officials and common people in the city were all complaining about the hot weather, and some were discussing the newly rising Xia Kingdom privately, as if discussing some taboo, secretly.

There was no choice but to do so, the State of Zhao suffered a huge loss and had to cede territory to pay compensation. Wouldn't talking about this kind of thing just slap the King of Zhao in the face?

As Empress Dowager Zhao entered the summer to rescue King Zhao, entertainment gossip from some low-level people had already spread all over the sky, because I don't know where it was leaked that Empress Dowager Jiang was equal to Mrs. Jiang.

Everyone had previously brought the story of Yu State, which was thousands of miles away, and told it in a serious way. Everyone knew that the Queen Mother Zhao was entangled and in love with Zhuang Xun, who was younger than King Zhao.

In particular, the story about Empress Dowager Jiang testifying at the longevity banquet is true. Everyone is willing to believe that out of emotion, King Xia asked Empress Dowager Zhao to accompany him, and finally let King Zhao go.

And there is breaking news as evidence that Empress Dowager Jiang gave birth to a prince to Zhuang Xun. Some people blessed her, while others hated her.

It was almost the same group of people, the vast majority of poor people. The uprising was so big that Xia's new laws and policies had long been circulating in the world.

A group of people thought it would be good if Zhuang Xun and Empress Dowager Jiang had children, so that they could better attack Zhao State, so everyone divided the land.

A group of people felt that if Empress Dowager Jiang blew the pillow wind, Zhuang Xun would fall into a soft land, and instead of confronting Zhao Guo, they would shake hands and make peace, and finally stop.

Others are more pessimistic, fearing that Xia will not be able to defeat Zhao and such a good country will be wiped out.

People's comments could not be heard. After all, no matter how loud the people's voice was, they could not reach the palace walls, let alone the whispers of the people.

But King Zhao had already smashed the water glass, and the porcelain cup was shattered on the table. King Zhao's left hand was dripping with blood, and his expression was gloomy and terrifying.

There have been rumors for a long time, but King Zhao could not believe it because Queen Mother Jiang was a practitioner, so how could she get pregnant so easily.

He suspected that Xia Guo was teasing him deliberately, hoping to humiliate him, but the exact information just now was confirmed to be true, and the information came from Xuannv.

So King Zhao finally couldn't help but smashed the tea cup, bleeding and pain, unable to suppress the shame in his heart.

His respected mother became the plaything of the enemy's king. He had been in agony since the day he came back. It was such a humiliation for his birth point to be occupied by someone else, or his enemy.

He couldn't sleep well every night. He seemed to think of his mother calling her to save her, and then woke up suddenly. He seemed to see his mother's condescension to Zhuang Xun, just like what he saw before leaving.

The ordinary Zhuang Xun hugged the beautiful and noble queen mother. He was so ordinary, like a clown next to her mother, and the words he said were so irritating, like a proud villain, who made him angry every time he thought about it.

However, it happened that such a person made his respected mother pregnant and gave birth to a boy. How could a person like him be worthy of his respected mother? How could he let the mother she respected all her life suffer the humiliation of pregnancy.

Fortunately, he was not Zhuang Xun's only heir, otherwise his half-brother would have become the so-called King of Xia, and King Zhao would have no idea what to do.

But it was also very humiliating. Queen Mother Jiang went to exchange for him, and then Zhao's mother was humiliated, got pregnant, and gave birth to a child for the enemy country, just like a defeated country offering its clan for the victor's pleasure.

"Your Majesty, please bandage the wound. No matter how angry you are, it won't change the facts."

Xuannv looked at the angry King Zhao and sighed. If your mother had accepted her fate now, maybe King Zhao would be even more angry.

"National Master, I regret it. If I had been killed by a knife at that time, how could I have let my mother fall into the hands of that kid Zhuang Xun if I had not done this and lived quietly?"

King Zhao allowed the blood to drip, as if the physical pain would make him feel better. He had never imagined this outcome, but he knew it would happen. He watched as they fled under the eyes of Empress Dowager Jiang and Zhuang Xun, and he knew it would happen. possible.

It was also extremely painful, which prevented King Zhao's brain from collapsing at this moment. Not only did he regret that he had not succeeded in committing suicide, he regretted his decision to go on the expedition himself, he regretted the mistake in dividing the troops, he regretted everything.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother wants to save you, but she doesn't want to see you give up on yourself like this, right? The Queen Mother trusts you and believes that with your efforts, the Zhao Kingdom can unify the world."

Xuannv sighed and said that she understood King Zhao's anger. King Zhao was brought up by Empress Dowager Jiang. In order to leave a way out for Zhuang Xun, she had seen this clearly. There was no way that King Zhao would do anything to his little father. Well, Zhuang Xun can also have a big backer.

In the end, Zhuang Xun understood his royal ways, went back to fight against the State of Zhao, and formed a quarrel with the Queen Mother Jiang, and finally got the Queen Mother Jiang into his hands in an unimaginable way.

"I know, so I have been working hard. The aristocratic family's soldiers have been collected almost. If there are more, they will rebound. It's time to go back and get back the two ceded roads."

King Zhao clenched his palms into fists, blood dripping from his hands. He thought of the conditions last time, giving gold and silver, ceding land, and giving armor. Apart from the fact that ceding gold and silver didn't feel painful or itchy, the other two actions can be said to be minor injuries. Bo Zhaoguo's vitality.

Naturally, Zhao Guo could not swallow his anger like this. The first thing he had to do was to bring the two groups back, so he assembled superior forces, including snatching troops from the aristocratic families, just to regain the lost territory in one fell swoop.

This is also the reason why the aristocratic family can compromise and fight, because Shouan and Fangyu are also the lands of the aristocratic family, and the local big aristocratic families have already made trouble in the court.

The aristocratic family is like a network, weaving and connecting each other. Now that there is such a big hole, everyone still wants to repair it, and there is a unanimous expectation to regain the ceded land.

Beware of the two countries of Jing and Zheng, the standing army cannot be used too much, and at the same time, they have to deal with the Xia State, so they recruited troops from the aristocratic family. Coupled with the last defeat, the aristocratic family was suppressed for a short time and contributed military power.

"This is a good time, if it's just to regain two roads." Xuan Nu also nodded in support, if the goal is just to lose ground.

King Zhao did not attack Xia State directly regardless of reason, which made Xuannv relieved, because the window period for Xia State at this moment was only a period of time.

From the time King Zhao gathered soldiers from various aristocratic families to regaining the lost territory, it was necessary to calm down the civil strife in Jing State.

After all, the hostility of the two states of Jing and Zheng towards the Zhao State is currently very great. If they do not regain Fangyu Erdao during this period, when they react, it will actually become a situation where three families attack Zhao, and the Zhao State will also fall into a situation where the first and last are not involved. Awkward situation.

"I understand the worries of the Imperial Master. I will not do such a stupid thing. The Queen Mother finally allowed me to come back. I will restrain myself, although I really want to save the Queen Mother."

King Zhao calmly said that he would swallow the bitter fruit and do not change national affairs because of personal preferences. He was the perfect emperor trained by Queen Mother Jiang and he would not make such a mistake of not distinguishing between public and private affairs.

"King Xia also really likes the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother was once kind to him and will not do anything to her."

Xuannv still tried to comfort her by saying that she could not reveal the current situation of Empress Dowager Jiang. She could not say that your mother was very obedient to Zhuang Xun. Zhuang Xun was also kind to your mother and even brought her to see me.

"Is this his attitude towards his benefactor?" Zhuang Xun's proud attitude has become a lingering shadow for King Zhao.

Some people would feel lucky if they lived an ignoble existence. King Zhao only felt boundless shame. He just wanted to exchange the humiliation he suffered into upward motivation. "Because the Queen Mother later intended to assassinate him, and I have seen Zhuang Xun, having a child should be much better for the Queen Mother."

Omitting key information, in order to prevent King Zhao from overthinking, she took the initiative to ask: "Who will lead the army this time?"

"I, alas..." Although he didn't want to think like a resentful woman, the last failure had already cast a shadow on him.

"Your Majesty, it's better not to go. The country is in turmoil and we need your Majesty to stabilize the situation. Why not choose a respected and experienced general to lead the army?"

Xuannv gave him a ladder and understood the embarrassment of King Zhao. King Zhao was not a stubborn person, and he would not look for face like a certain Tianhu game that accumulated his father's wealth and killed the hedonistic emperor in three hasty battles.

"The Imperial Master is right. There is no need to take care of my majesty. I really don't have any military talent. I'd better let my ministers go on the expedition."

King Zhao went down the ladder and decisively admitted his mistake. He was not the type who couldn't afford to lose. If he made a mistake, he could just change it next time. Making himself perfect was a flaw in itself.

"Are there any interested candidates?" Xuan Nu was worried about participating in it. Now Zhao Guo couldn't afford to make a mistake and wanted to choose someone who could take the lead.

"Old General Shao Guoliang, Shou'an is originally a place where the Shao family is the leader. He will do his best in fighting. He is an old general of the Xuanjia Army and has high morals and high respect. It is also popular to let him go to war now."

After naming the candidate in his mind, King Zhao explained the reasons for choosing Shao Guoliang. He had almost no shortcomings and perfectly met the requirements of this expedition.

Previously, it was because the other party needed to be the commander-in-chief to attack Jing State. At that time, most of the generals of Zhao State either followed to attack Jing State or defended Zheng State. Now that they have reduced their strength, they can free up one hand to take care of Xia State.

"General Shao?" Xuannv's expression was soothing. She was indeed a good candidate. It would be reassuring to regain two lands.

Shao Guoliang's status is similar to that of Li Pingyuan of the Cheng Kingdom and Siqin Shengjing of the Yu Kingdom. They are both the same existences of the Zhu Kingdom. They all represent the will of the king when they go to war.

"General Shao has also been practicing with the Xuanjia Army for a long time. This time, the family sent 20,000 troops to cooperate with the defense to guard against Zheng's sneak attack and prevent them from causing trouble. Our Xuanjia Army sent 60,000 troops to take advantage of the fact that the Xia Kingdom has not consolidated its internal affairs and organized training. Army, it shouldn’t be a problem to get two of them back.”

Thinking that Xuan Nu had doubts, King Zhao further explained that this was indeed a good move and the best solution for the current situation. No one except General Shao could take this lead.

The 20,000-strong family army was going to hollow out the family. If it hadn't been for the interests of the family, and at the same time, the last failure was too tragic, it wouldn't have been able to achieve the current effect.

Regardless of the last exchange of the aristocratic army's fear of war, King Zhao was now able to obtain so many soldiers and horses, and dispersed them without allowing them to join forces, and directly replenished them to the reserve army to defend Zheng Guo and Jing Guo.

The 60,000-strong Xuanjia Army's cavalry are proficient in training and have actual combat experience. They are more than enough to regain lost ground and are foolproof.

Assuming that Zhuang Xun brought 10,000 armors, even if he took 20,000 armors, with the preliminary training and previous reserves, he could barely gather 30,000 Tiance troops.

But these 30,000 people, who were poorly trained and poorly coordinated, faced twice as many troops and could only rely on the terrain of mountains and rivers to resist.

There are very few mountains and rivers in Shouan and Fangyu, and most of them are plains. Zhuang Xun cannot stop them, and there are veteran generals in charge of fighting in the plains.

I can’t imagine how to lose, but King Zhao won’t take it.

Don't think about finding face for yourself, because the monarch's face is the country. Only when the country is strong can you have face. Using the country's strength to exchange face is, in the eyes of King Zhao, an extremely stupid thing.

"It is indeed a good candidate. Let's discuss it after summoning the three gentlemen tomorrow. I believe they will have no objections."

Xuannv can also realize the benefits of this decision, even to an extent.

"If all the Xia Kingdom's Tiance Army can be wiped out in Shou'anfangyu, then maybe we can really destroy the Xia Kingdom in one go."

"That's right, it all depends on whether Xia Guo can accept this move. If not, we will take back our homeland. If we accept it, we will take advantage of the opportunity to destroy the Tiance Army."

King Zhao showed a slight relaxed smile. If he could destroy the Xia Kingdom, it would indeed relieve his hatred and take revenge. Instead, he looked forward to Xia Kingdom's actions.

The army is not trained for a short period of time. Xia Guo is reluctant to unite Jizhou at this moment. If he can be severely injured, Xia Guo will not be able to get up for a long time.

The next day, when these important ministers heard that Shao Guoliang was going on an expedition, they all expressed their support. They understood each other's priorities best.

"General Shao is well versed in the art of war, but he also lacks young deputy generals. General Tang Yunfu was born in Fangyu and knows the local situation. I recommend General Tang as deputy general to assist General Shao in regaining the lost territory."

Prime Minister Xu Hongwen recommended it. King Zhao was slightly silent and did not agree, just thinking briefly.

This is the standard version of the checks and balances configuration of the aristocratic family. The Tang family is Fang Yu's wealthy family. This is because they are afraid that Shao Guoliang will expand his own Shao family's interests in the process of regaining lost territory.

"Fangyu is the eastern barrier and has the remaining Taihang lineage. General Tang has local connections and can win the hearts of the people. I also believe that General Tang should be sent as a supplement so that we can better regain the lost territory."

Tian Zhan, the imperial censor, also emphasized that he recommended Tang Yunfu because his previous life as a prisoner had not wiped out the instinct of his aristocratic family.

"Master, what do you think?" King Zhao wanted to get advice from Xuannv.

"I heard that the Shao and Tang families had a gap with each other, and they had been arguing endlessly about whether this arrangement was inappropriate."

Xuannv said what she was most worried about was that these two great families were not uniting with each other, but were political enemies of each other.

"But two generals are needed to recover the two places, so why not divide the troops into two groups..."

"Don't divide the troops, just go together." After hearing the words "Dividing the troops" by Taiyi Ren Xusheng, King Zhao hurriedly interrupted as if he was being stimulated.

"Then why not let the two generals come here and bear witness that they are willing to work together to regain their homeland, which is also their hometown."

The prime minister came up with a way of restraining people by using their reputation to suppress people. Sometimes these people want to lose face.

"Okay..." The three princes all had this opinion. After the last time he insisted on going his own way to conquer the country, King Zhao no longer had the confidence to speak.

(End of this chapter)