warring states careerist

Chapter 770: Strategic Contraction

It's like a dead button tied with a thread. Sooner or later, the dead button will be pulled to death, but to pull the dead button, both ends of the thread must be pulled hard, and only one end will have no effect.

Now the Mo family took the initiative to pull this line first, and asked South Korea to pull the other end.

The choice Zheng Guo made was not stupid, but under the background of the gap in national power and the great struggle of the times, all their plans were meaningless.

Strategies must be supported by national strength, and one force will drop ten meetings. Without the support of strength, everything is meaningless.

There is neither wisdom nor foolishness when there is no point in planning.

The land of Zheng State is now only a few cities near Xinzheng. It has been fighting South Korea for 30 years, exhausted, and the people of the country are war-weary.

The state of Zheng is a plain, and there is no danger to defend.

It is impossible for the Mohists to send troops, and the only support they can give is to send some military personnel to help train soldiers, send some engineers to repair the city walls, and send some retired artillery to Zheng Guo to form artillery.

According to the speculation of the Mohist decision-makers, all this is meaningless. It is impossible to make Zheng Guo have enough combat power in the short term. If South Korea is smart enough, then the swallowing of Zheng will be carried out by the end of this year at the latest.

But Zheng Guojun and his ministers felt that this was a great help. The Mohist envoy made it clear that relying on Zheng Guo’s national strength to defeat South Korea in a field battle is impossible. The only way to rely on diplomatic means is to defend the capital and support until the Wei State Chu State and Sishang come forward to mediate .

…………

The news of the Mohist envoy's entry into Zheng soon spread to the capital of Wei.

The scouts also summarized everything that happened in Sishang, Song Guo, and Zheng Guo, and explained it clearly in front of Wei Jian and Gong Shucuo.

Wei Jian stared at the information about Zheng Guo and remained silent for a long time.

After a while, he said to Uncle Cuo: "Xiangbang, I'm afraid the Koreans will come soon, and we need to prepare our speech in advance."

"The plan of the man who is suitable is extremely vicious."

Uncle Gong also sighed: "This is really unexpected."

"It's only a matter of Song State itself, but Kai Zhishi has linked Song and Zheng together. This matter is not easy to handle."

"Everything that needs to be done must have results. You need to think clearly about how to do it in the interests of the Wei State. What kind of result will the Song State have?"

At this time, there was no one else around, and Wei Kodown didn't need to say those so-called etiquette and righteousness, so he asked: "Xiangbang thinks that even if Wei Chuhan sends troops, he can completely win the Mo family?"

Uncle Gong said without thinking, "It's absolutely impossible."

"The folk customs in Sishang are different from other places. The people seek profit and talk about equality, and people's hearts are in chaos. If you want to destroy the Mohists, you have to slaughter Sishang. The so-called fish and water are also, the people are water, and the Mohists are fish. Without fish, I’m afraid we can’t do it with nets, unless we drain all the water.”

"But if you really want to do this, let alone Wei Chuhan, even if the princes of the world work together, they will not be able to do it."

"The Mo family has already taken root in Sishang. They built fortresses, and it was difficult to besiege them. Moreover, their army was good at fighting and cunning, making it extremely difficult."

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Wei Jian nodded and said, "I think the same thing. It's just that the Mohists are gradually growing, and they will become the great enemy of Wei in the future. I originally wanted to take advantage of the affairs of the Song Dynasty and use the emperor's order as an edict to end Chu, Han, Qi, and Yue. Song Di fought fiercely with Sishang, consuming its national strength."

"But now it seems that this matter is also difficult."

"Don't talk about the rest, let's talk about Zheng Guo's affairs, how to do it? If this matter can't be done well, how can the Koreans contribute?"

This is what Wei Ji was worried about.

The state of Zheng is regarded as a vassal state of the state of Wei. After all, it has made a pilgrimage to the state of Wei and respects Wei as the supreme.

However, Wei Guo's eating situation before was too ugly. Obviously, Zheng Guo could be used as a buffer between Wei and Han to contain South Korea, but when Zheng Guo made three points, Wei Guo took a lot of Zheng Guo's land.

Wei Jian's grasp of the situation in the world, his diplomatic methods of maneuvering and maneuvering, and his ability to make good allies and maintain hegemony are not 01:30 points worse than his father.

Now Zheng Guo is forced to commit himself to Wei, without the slightest trust and respect for Wei, it is just a kind of helplessness under coercion.

Wei Jian knew this very well.

When Zheng Tundi was divided, he just thought that South Korea must eat it. At that time, it was not good to turn against South Korea, so if South Korea wanted to eat it, he had to eat less.

Now, the envoys from Sishang went to Zheng Guo with great fanfare, what can Wei Guo do?
In the name of the semi-suzerainty, ask Zheng Guo not to contact Sishang?
Then, the state of Zheng must ask the state of Wei to guarantee the independence of the state of Zheng, and a written oath is required.

But in this way, South Korea will inevitably be angry and unhappy. At this juncture when allies are needed, it is impossible for Wei Guo to give Zheng Guo a written guarantee of independence.

If Zheng Guo is not given a written guarantee of independence, and will not make an oath, then Zheng Guo must find another way, and he cannot hang himself on a tree, let alone wait for his own death.

South Korea is bound to win Zheng Guo, and Zheng Guo is also an unavoidable point in the relationship between Wei and Han. If Wei and Han want to cooperate, and South Korea continues to respect Wei as the leader, then South Korea's interests in Zheng Guo must be guaranteed.

If there is no guarantee, why should you follow such a boss?
For example, Zhao Guo, because Zhao Guo has repeatedly prevented Zhao Guo from entering the Central Plains, has now caused Zhao Guo to turn his face. As long as there are interests between countries, no matter what the three ministers are good for, it is useless.

Gong Shucuo understood what kind of strategy Wei Jian wanted to hear.

So he asked: "Your Majesty asked how to do it, I want to ask you what kind of result you want first?"

"I think that your majesty hopes that Han will not swallow Zheng, that Zheng will not get close to Sishang, and that the Han and Wei alliance will send troops, and that Zheng will not be swallowed up in the future... I don't know if what I guess is the result that your majesty wants?"

Wei Jian laughed and said, "Xiangbang knows my heart well."

Uncle Gong said seriously: "If your lord wants such a result, it's like trying to bring the sun closer when it's cold; and wanting to push the sun farther away when it's hot."

"If you insist on such a result, even a saint can't do it. Therefore, I think that the result you want must be changed."

Wei Jian also knew that there was really no way to achieve the result he wanted, so he asked, "Xiangbang thinks, what should be changed? Or what should be done to benefit Wei the most?"

Uncle Cuo asked back: "If the Koreans take Zheng, will your majesty accept it?"

Wei Jian shook his head.

With Wei Guo in his hands, the attack from all sides has been reduced to the situation of focusing on defense.

There is Qin in Xihe, Zhongshan is gone, Zhao people turned their backs, the rise of Sishang curbed Wei State's claim for hegemony in Sishang, and Chu State began to reform...

Now if South Korea gets Zheng Guo, its strength will increase greatly, and then it will be unstoppable.

Facing the threat of Chu State, Wei and Han can still form an alliance, but this kind of alliance aimed at the common enemy lacks longevity.

If one day in the future Wei Guo changes and South Korea becomes stronger, Wei Jian must consider the possibility of South Korea taking the opportunity to interfere with Zhao Guo in Wei Guo.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Wei Jian to accept South Korea's sole possession of the Zheng Kingdom.

The land of Zheng State is fertile, fertile, and there are many households. Once the Koreans get Zheng, their strength will increase greatly.

Uncle Gong asked again: "Then, is it acceptable for the Mohist to control the land of Song?"

Wei Jian shook his head again.

It is even more impossible for the Mohist soldiers to control Song State without bloodshed.

This is not an ideological dispute, but a conflict of interests. With Sishang's ability to govern the country, once the Song Dynasty is acquired by the Mohists, its strength will also increase greatly.

Although the Mohists have been talking about maintaining the independence and neutrality of Song State, in fact, all kinds of goods in Sishang are flooded with Song State, and the population of Song State is constantly flowing to Sishang, and the Hedong salt of Wei State cannot be sold to Song State at all. Whether Song State is neutral or not, as long as it is within the Mohist sphere of influence, it is almost the same as being annexed by the Mohist.

Uncle Gong asked again: "If you can only choose one of these two things, which one will you choose?"

Wei Jian laughed and said, "There's no need to think about it. If Song doesn't want to enter Mohism, the Koreans must get Zheng. I naturally hope that the Koreans will get Zheng, and the rest of the Mo family will get Song."

"But this is just a kind of envoy. I don't want the Koreans to get Zheng."

Uncle Gong asked again: "The scouts have returned carefully, and Sishang has already mobilized. What do you think, when the war will be fought around the Song Kingdom, when will the winner be determined?"

Wei Chi was silent, and said for a long time: "Don't talk about three years. I see some fortresses on Sishang. There are 5000 people stationed there. At least [-] troops say that it will take half a year to besieged before they can be captured. When the time comes, all countries will fight and compete. Logistics, supplies, population, taxation..."

"Of course Sishang will be weakened, but I'm afraid Wei Guo will not be able to bear it either."

"But... if you don't stop it now, the Mo family will win the Song Dynasty, and it will be even more difficult to stop it in the future."

"This coup in the Song Dynasty made the Mohists extremely isolated. Chu people must be worried, and Qiyue is even more vigilant. They all hope to curb the expansion of Sishang... This is an opportunity."

Uncle Zuo sighed and said, "Your Majesty, in a world of great strife, what is feared is not the enemy, but the allies. Even if Wei, Chu and Han send troops, can your Majesty guarantee that the Chu people will fight with all their might?"

Wei Jian couldn't trust Chu, so of course he shook his head.

Uncle Gong asked again: "The princes are allied with the drums. If they win, they can fight. If they lose, they have their own ideas. Today's friends are friends tomorrow, and tomorrow's enemies. This must be guarded against."

"Your Majesty, if you think about it, if you hit Sishang this time, is it because of the morality of the Mohists? Or is it because Sishang's expansion threatens Wei?"

Wei Jian said: "There are both, but in the end, worrying about the expansion of Sishang comes first."

Gong Shucuo said again: "Don't think about victory, but think about defeat first. Your majesty thinks that if the battle is unfavorable, the Chu people will flee far away, and even Sishang will only fight against the Wei army and not the Chu army. Hedong will face Sishang's tiger and wolf division. Defeated... What will happen to the Qin people? What will happen to the Zhao people? What will happen to the Chu people? What will happen to the Han people?"

Wei Chi said: "We may not be defeated. We cannot know that we will win."

Uncle Zuo worshiped: "Your Majesty, if he wins, what will Wei gain? The reason for sending troops this time must be to respond to the call of the emperor's family to fight against Mo, so is it necessary to capture the land of Song State? Be alert to Yu Wei."

"In addition to gaining a hegemony that is meaningless now, Wei Guo has suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties and countless food and wealth in the country. The people of Qin who are eyeing the tiger must take the opportunity to seize the worry of Xihe."

"The outcome must be considered when talking about victory or defeat, and your majesty needs to make a balance."

"Gu Zhishi likes to instigate conflicts the most, and break them out one by one. This must be guarded against. In Zheng Guo's affairs, it seems that he is practicing Mo Di's strategy of not attacking and assisting the weak, but he is actually instigating the relationship between Wei and Han."

Wei Jian frowned and said, "From Xiangbang's point of view, what should we do?"

Gong Shucuo said: "If not... use the strategy of appeasement to let the Mohists swallow the Song Dynasty. Don't you hear that the King of Chu won the crown? The people of Chu thought they were strong and wanted the crown from the emperor, and finally the princes unanimously resisted Chu."

"If the Mo family swallowed the Song Dynasty, although the strength of the Mo family will increase, it will make all countries vigilant, just like the Chu who aspired to the top. The imperial father's family also called for anti-Mo, and every sentence of the truth won the hearts of the nobles. Opposed by the nobles of the world."

"If the Mo family wins the Song Dynasty, then Wei and Chu can reconcile."

"If the Mo family wins the Song Dynasty, then the Korean people's Yongqiu and Huangchi are not far from the Song Dynasty, and the Korean people will also worry about the threat of Sishang, and the disaster is within reach. The Korean people's efforts at that time will not be comparable to this time."

"Send envoys again, repair the people of Zhao, and talk more about the threat of the Mohists. Zhao Hou is smart, and he must be vigilant."

"In the past, when Chu people were strong, Wei and Han were close. Now, Sishang is strong, and Marquis Zhao is also worried about Gaoliu and the land in the clouds, so Wei, Han and Zhao can be allies again."

"Why don't you present an atlas of the mountains and rivers of Zhongshan's passes to make a better relationship with Zhao and signal that you will give up Zhongshan..."

Wei Chi said anxiously: "Father Marquis Fei has an army of one hundred thousand, and it took three years to get Zhongshan. Although Zhongshan is restored to the country, he can't just give up like this. Give it to Zhao, then you will no longer be a widow."

Gongshu Cuo asked: "Your Majesty, is Zhongshan now your Majesty's? Is the Wei of today still the Wei of the time of Marquis Wen? Is the Qin, Chu and Zhao Han of today still the Qin, Chu and Zhao Han of the time of Marquis Wen?" ?”

(End of this chapter)