Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 328
Xia Shuo, General of the Zhao Army, was indeed very intentional to please Zhao Wu, his supervisor. Under his personal supervision, the strong camp built by Zhao Jun soldiers at the west entrance of Jingxing had already been completed, but the new supervisor Zhao Wu just surrounded the camp wall. After turning around, he put forward the strict requirements of raising the height of the camp wall by eight feet and thickening it by five feet. As a result, Xia said that he did not even blink his eyelids, and immediately followed the order, and forced the soldiers of the Zhao army to take it again. He picked up all kinds of tools, picked soil and stones to thicken and heighten the camp, and did not dare to make the slightest discount to meet Zhao Wu's requirements.

Of course, the soldiers of the Zhao army who worked so hard to build the wall complained quite a bit. Several middle-ranking generals of the Zhao army objected, saying that the original two-foot-six-foot-high and one-foot-eight-foot-wide camp wall was enough and unnecessary. It was a huge waste of manpower and material resources to continue to strengthen and thicken, but Xia Shuo persuaded them to understand, saying: "Supervisor Zhao is also doing it for our own good. Although it is a bit tiring to continue to heighten and thicken the wall, if the Han thieves really come, The higher and thicker the camp, the better for us."

In addition, in order to appease the soldiers of Zhao Jun who worked hard to build the wall, Xia Shuo also ordered the soldiers to add food for several days in a row, and finally ensured the smooth completion of the project.

However, even so, Zhao Wu is still not satisfied with Xia Shuo's work, and feels that the Jingxing Zhao Army's military discipline is too lax, and the training is not serious enough, all of which must be strengthened. With one sip, he immediately called his military judge and scolded him, forcing him to strictly restrain the soldiers. He must not relax the supervision of the soldiers just because they are not in a state of war, and personally grasp the important task of army training. The spring rains are continuous, and every day I personally supervise and urge the soldiers to train strictly. Often the whole body is soaked by the rain and dare not be lazy.

Fortunately, Zhao Wu is not a particularly difficult supervisor. Seeing that Xia said that he carried out his orders meticulously, and that military discipline and training have indeed improved a lot, Zhao Wu no longer has to pick a bone, and is still visiting Zhao Jun in person. During the training of the soldiers, it was rare to praise the loyal and obedient General Xia Shuo, saying: "As expected of General Xia, after personally taking care of the training of soldiers, the training of our army has indeed improved a lot. Don't worry, General, if there is a chance, I will I will definitely report this matter to Zhang Xiang, and ask Zhang Xiang to reward you seriously."

"The general doesn't dare." Xia said hurriedly and humbly, and said flatteringly: "These are the affairs of the general, and it's all because of the strict supervision of Zhao Junjun, who discovered hidden dangers in the army for the general in time. This gave the last general a chance to make amends, and it is too late for the last general to be grateful to the supervising army, so how dare he covet Zhao's supervising army's praise and Zhang Xiangguo's award?"

"General Xia, you don't need to be humble, you deserve it." Zhao Wu said with a smile: "Those who have meritorious service will be rewarded, and those who have done wrong will be punished. Our Prime Minister Zhang has always been very clear about rewards and punishments. How can it be compared to Chen Yupifu who betrayed the Lord and the country? "

Hearing Zhao Wu mention his old boss, Xia Shuo's eyelids moved slightly, and he nodded and bowed hurriedly and said: "What Supervisor Zhao said is very true, Zhang Xiangguo has clear rewards and punishments, and it is indeed a hundred times better than Chen Yupifu. The general was confused before, Working as a minion under Chen Yupifu's tent almost caused a big mistake, but thanks to Zhang Xiangguo's generosity, he gave the last general a chance to make meritorious deeds and atone for his crimes, even if he went through fire and water and was smashed to pieces, it would be difficult to repay Zhang Xiangguo's great kindness."

"It's all in the past, why do you still mention him?" Zhao Wu smiled, patted Xia Shuo on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, General Xia, as long as you work hard with your heart and serve the country loyally, our king and Prime Minister Zhang will definitely not give up." I will think about what happened to you before, and I will definitely not treat you badly."

Xia Shuo was overjoyed when he heard that, and hurriedly bowed his hands to thank Zhao Wu, and swore that he would be loyal to Zhao Xie and Zhang Er. She cupped her hands winkingly and said, "General Xia, the secret agent we sent to Jinyang to monitor the enemy's situation has returned, and has brought a very important news."

"What important news?" Xia said casually.

"The Han thieves suddenly announced an imperial edict from our great king." The captain of the army replied truthfully: "The edict says that Zhang Xiangguo of our Zhao State has successively deceived the king to exercise power, and colluded with the Western Chu thief army to prepare for rebellion. Wang, our great king borrowed troops from Han to attack Zhang Xiangguo, and asked our loyal ministers and righteous men of Zhao to help the Han bandits attack Zhang Xiangguo with all their strength."

Before the captain of the soldiers had finished speaking, Xia Shuo and Zhao Wu had already opened their mouths, and then Zhao Wu quickly asked, "Is there any original text of the imperial edict?"

"Report to Supervisor Zhao, yes." Knowing that his superior was trying his best to curry favor with Zhao Wu, Xia Shuo's captain did not dare to neglect, so he quickly took out a document and explained: "The Han thieves used the list to send the imperial edict of our king. Post it on the gate of the city to make it public, and we secretly copied a copy of it, please take a look at it.”

Zhao Wu snatched the imperial edict that Zhao Jun carefully copied, and quickly opened it up for a closer look. Over there, Xia Shuo hurried up to read it together, but saw that Zhao Xie had indeed issued the imperial edict as King Zhao, and counted it all in the edict Zhang Er's crime of deceiving the emperor and arrogating power, he invited the Han army to send troops to Zhao Guo to attack Zhang Er to help him regain power, and then asked Zhao Guo's loyal ministers and righteous soldiers to respond to the Han army and help the Han army clean up Zhang Er and his henchmen. Return the great power to Zhao Xie.

Before reading all the so-called imperial edicts, Zhao Wu, Zhang Er's absolute confidant, almost exploded in anger, and roared: "Fake edict! A shameless false edict fabricated by the Han thieves! How could our Prime Minister Zhang be such a person? How could our king issue such an edict to lure wolves into the house?!"

"The Chinese thieves are so powerful that they can even find such a high-sounding excuse to send troops." Xia said that he praised in his heart, but echoed in his mouth: "Yes, it is definitely a false edict, how wise our king is, and how wise our Zhang Xiangguo is. How could Your Majesty issue such an edict? Needless to say, this edict was definitely fabricated by a Han thief to drive a wedge between our Majesty and Zhang Xiangguo! We absolutely cannot believe it!"

He squeezed the so-called imperial edict tightly in his hand, and after thinking about it with a livid face, Zhao Wu suddenly remembered an important matter, and hurriedly asked: "The Han thieves, did you say where they got this edict?" Here?!"

"Report to Supervisor Zhao, and I've said it." Xia Shuo's captain replied truthfully: "The Han thief claimed that our king hid this imperial edict secretly in a belt and handed it to our Zhao country. A loyal minister, our loyal minister of Zhao State took advantage of the opportunity of Shusun Tong, the envoy of the Han bandit, to go to Jingxing, and secretly handed over this edict to Shu Suntong, the envoy of the Han bandit!"

Before the captain of the soldiers finished speaking, Xia Shuo was already dumbfounded, and subconsciously looked at Zhao Wu quietly, and then, as Xia Shuo expected, Zhao Wu's sharp eyes turned to Zhang Er, who was once a political enemy. Chen Yu's confidant himself!And then, Xia Shuo, who was quite intelligent, also understood immediately, and secretly said: "Oops, it must be that the Han thief knew that I was not Zhang Er's confidant, and I was once Chen Yu's confidant, so they deliberately buckled the shit basin to me. use rumors to drive a wedge between me and Zhang Er!"

It's still not bad, Zhao Wu is still reasonable, and he also thought that this might be the fact that the Han army was deliberately alienating him, so he immediately said to Xia: "Don't worry, General Xia, I am familiar with the shameless methods of the Han thieves, and I know this. It must be that they are deliberately alienating, and they will never be fooled by them, and I will definitely explain to Zhang Xiang."

Xia Shuo hurriedly nodded his thanks, and once again swore to be loyal to Zhang Er forever. Zhao Wu thought for a moment, and then quickly said: "Since the Han bandits announced this shameless and forged edict, and completely broke our face with us, it means that they must be very serious. The troops are about to be dispatched to Jingxing. General Xia, hurry up and organize our soldiers to prepare for the battle. I will send a fast horse to report this matter to Zhang Xiangguo, and ask him to send you reinforcements as soon as possible to help you resist the traitors. attack!"

Xia said he agreed in a hurry, but before he finished speaking, another fast horse rushed into Zhao Jun's camp, galloped in front of him and Zhao Wu, and reported loudly that Uncle Zhou had personally led [-] Han soldiers the day before yesterday. The army is advancing eastward, and is coming to Jingxing along the road left by Qin Shihuang!Xia Shuo and Zhao Wu were even more shocked when they heard this, and hurriedly split up, organized the soldiers to prepare for the battle, and dispatched fast horses to ask Zhang Er for help.

On the contrary, he said that he could absolutely trust Xia's theory, but Zhao Wu was also quite knowledgeable about military affairs, knowing that Uncle Zhou personally led part of the main force to suddenly send troops to the east under the circumstances of insufficient preparation. He dared to place such a heavy bet with some certainty, so Zhao Wu didn't dare to be careless. Just in case, he just returned to his military tent and immediately ordered his subordinates to keep an eye on Xia Shuo secretly...

The Han army was indeed making a big gamble. Although the troops were sent out suddenly and launched an attack before Zhao Jun increased its troops in Jingxing, the Han army was also not ready for a large-scale eastward expedition. There was no way to guarantee food, grass and military supplies. Under Jingxing, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, within a few days, they will definitely be forced to withdraw their troops. Uncle Zhou understands this truth, but Uncle Zhou must take a gamble, because if he fails to seize the only opportunity he accidentally discovered, he will win in one fell swoop. Jingxing, then when the reinforcements from the Zhao army arrive, the Han army does not know how much it will cost and time to get down to Jingxing-it may not be absolutely sure.

Xia Shuo also understands this truth. He just found out that the Han army came here in light clothes, and the food and grass with the army could not last for a few days. —Is it decisive to defect and take this opportunity to surrender to the Han army?Or continue to swallow your anger and be slaves to Zhang Er and his son forever, in exchange for a little leftovers from them?
"The traitors will definitely send someone to contact the general!"

Contrary to Xia Shuo's expectations, during the difficult crossing of the mountains in the Taihang Mountains, no envoy came to contact Xia Shuo. On the contrary, when the Han army was still more than a day away from Jingxing, Zhao Wu suddenly ran to meet him, and said happily: "General Xia, good news, our reinforcements are coming soon, and our Zhang Xiangguo's son, General Zhang Ao, is leading an army of [-], and is rushing towards Jingxing day and night. Come, within three days at the latest, you will be able to arrive at Jingxing to reinforce us!"

"So fast?" Xia said with joy on his face, and asked with some unbelievable surprise: "We only received the news of the Han bandits sending troops the day before yesterday, so our emergency courier has just arrived at Julu at most? Ours Why are the reinforcements arriving so soon?"

"Our Zhang Xiangguo has far-sightedness. He knows that after the Han bandits take Jinyang, they may suddenly send troops to Jingxing at any time. In order to prevent it, he organized reinforcements to come to help us early." Zhao Wu said with a smile.

"Master Zhang is brilliant, now the last general doesn't have to worry about it anymore." Xia said with a happy smile, and the happy smile was definitely from the bottom of his heart, and he secretly praised: "The Chinese thieves are really powerful. Even if they send troops two days late Even if the general wants to defect, he has no chance!"

Zhao Wu also laughed happily, and said: "Don't worry, General Xia, when the Major General arrives, I will report your performance during this time to him truthfully, and ask him to reward you heavily!"

Xia said that he was overjoyed, and quickly thanked Zhao Wu, and then excused his inner urgency, and voluntarily left his military tent, so that Zhao Wu could look through the Chinese books in his account at will, and ask his close guards about the situation.However, when the water was released, the accompanying captain asked in amazement: "General, what's going on? Why did the young general personally lead the army to reinforce us? Supervisor Zhao received the news first?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Xia said with a blank expression on his face, "For the sake of you following me for many years, I would like to give you a piece of advice, don't bring up this matter in the future, let alone ask why, I am doing it for your own good. "

Xia Shuo's personal soldier captain wasn't too stupid, he heard something in Xia's words, and quickly closed his mouth, and when Xia Shuo finished putting the water on his belt, he suddenly remembered the matter of the belt order, and couldn't help sighing softly in his heart He said, "Zhang Ao is here, and it's time for me to hand over my military power. What happened to me with the wrong person."

Another day passed quickly, and in the afternoon of the next day, the [-] Han army led by Uncle Zhou finally arrived near Jingxing, but because Xia said he chose to set up camp at the intersection of Xiguan, he stopped the Han army on the way. The road of the army made it impossible for the Han army to enter the Jingxing Basin, so the Han army could only set up a camp ten miles away from the Zhao army's camp. After receiving this news, Xia Shuo also immediately understood that the critical moment to determine the future of his life was immediately It's coming.

Zhao Wu also understood this truth, so from early morning on this day, Zhao Wu used the excuse of helping Xia Shuo with military affairs, and never left Xia Shuo a step from morning to night, and kept guarding Xia Shuo with his guards, smiling and laughing. Xia Shuo carefully monitored all actions of Xia Shuo, Xia Shuo knew the reason very well in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.

There was no way to hide what was supposed to come. When the evening approached, Zhao Jun's patrol officer came to Xia Shuo in person to report that Zhao Jun's scouts had caught a man acting suspiciously on the mountain road. Xia Shuo had no choice but to shut up In the blink of an eye, Zhao Wu next to him looked like he had been spat out, and asked impatiently, "What did you ask?"

Just as Xia said he was worried, and as Zhao Wu expected, Zhao Jun’s patrol officer really looked embarrassed, hesitating and dared not answer immediately, and it was only after Zhao Wu urged him again that the patrol officer replied hesitantly: “Report Supervisor Zhao, that suspicious man claimed to be your friend and said he wanted to meet with you on important matters, and our scouts also found a letter from him."

Xia said that he opened his eyes in surprise, but Zhao Wu suspected that his ears had misheard, and asked in shock, "Are you here to see me? And a letter was found from him? What letter?"

"Reporting to Supervisor Zhao, it's a letter from Uncle Zhou, the traitor general of the Han Dynasty." The inspector took out a sealed letter written in bamboo slips, and said, "It says please accept it yourself, and there is also a letter from the traitor general of the Han Dynasty." Uncle Zhou's signature."

Zhao Wu was so startled that he jumped up and rushed to the inspector to grab the letter, but the inspector hurriedly took a step back, dodging Zhao Wu's snatch, and said with a embarrassed expression: "Excuse me, Supervisor Zhao. According to the rules, this The Dao letter should be handed over to General Xia for disposal."

Zhao Wu was stunned, and Xia Shuo, who had long hated him so much, showed a smile on the corner of his mouth, and then asked politely: "Jun Zhao, if it's inconvenient, why don't you take a look first? "

Zhao Wu also made a habit of bullying Xia Shuo. After hearing Xia's kind words, he actually snatched the letter, opened the cover and read it carefully. Xia Shuo was secretly angry, but he remained calm, just Carefully observing Zhao Wu's expression and reaction, Xia Shuo was surprised and pleasantly surprised that Zhao Wu's face turned from blue to white, then from white to black, and finally simply turned Jane The tablet was smashed, and he roared with blood red eyes: "Shameless traitor! Despicable bastard!"

"Supervisor Zhao, calm down." Xia said quickly to dissuade him, and asked, "What did you say in the letter?"

"It's all shameless nonsense!" Zhao Wu roared with red eyes: "Shameless rats, how dare you slander and say that this official betrayed Zhang Xiang and secretly colluded with the Han thieves!"

Xia Shuo showed a smile again at the corner of his mouth, calculated with a look of embarrassment, and then pouted at his own soldiers, pointing the target at the bamboo slips that were smashed by Zhao Wu, Xia Shuo's soldiers understood and immediately went up Going to pick up bamboo slips, Zhao Wu was furious when he saw this, and blurted out, "General Xia, you can't even trust me?"

"Supervisor Zhao, forgive the crime." Xia said, "The traitor general Uncle Zhou has a letter for you, the last general knows the situation, if he doesn't read the letter, there is really no way to explain it to the king and Minister Zhang. "

Zhao Wu was speechless, and could only let Xia Shuo's soldiers pick up the broken letters and put them back together in front of Xia Shuo. However, Uncle Zhou praised Zhao Wu's understanding and righteousness in the letter, and Shuntian Yingren secretly asked the Han army to surrender, and provided the Han army with important military information of the Zhao army in Jingxing, and said that the current situation is urgent. We must take down Jingxing as soon as possible to open the way to enter the hinterland of Zhao State. Please ask Zhao Wu to slander Xia Shuo for treason as a supervising army, take Xia Shuo down and take over Jingxing Zhao Army, and then lead Jingxing Zhao Army to surrender himself, and say that he will die today. In the evening, he deliberately sent someone to contact Xia Shuo, falsely claiming that Xia Shuo was a traitor, so that Zhao Wu could justifiably take Xia Shuo down.

In the end, of course, Uncle Zhou had to make a big promise. He promised to ennoble Zhao Wu as Marquis of Quyang, with thousands of households in the city, and a wealth of gold, jade and jewelry.

After reading the letter, Xia said that of course he fell into deep thought, but Zhao Wu was so anxious that his eyes became redder, and he quickly said: "General Xia, you have to believe me, I am so loyal to Zhang Xiangguo, how could I make a deal with Han?" The secret collusion of thieves? You must believe me!"

Xia said without saying a word, and then suddenly said after a long while: "I'm anxious."

(End of this chapter)