Chapter 554: Didn't Wukong say he couldn't command them? How to persuade them to surrender?
Zhang Er chose Wukong and told his close friend Chen Yu.
"I am now the King of Zhao, not the King of Wei."
Chen Yu looked at the stranger in front of him who should have been very familiar to him, and said a colorful word loudly, which was to leave Zhao State.
"If Chen Yu were still here."
King Zhao hesitated and didn't know what to say next.
Wukong lowered his head, looking guilty.
"This is my fault."
"I don't blame you."
King Zhao was generous in explaining the Dao.
The three of them left Wei and entered Zhao together. Chen Yu was nowhere to be found, and Wukong was the person closest to him.
"Do you think Liu Bang can be trusted?"
Apparently, Wukong had already prepared his speech. He looked up with a serious expression.
“Trustworthy.
"He entered the world under the name of Liu Bang, which showed his attitude. He has not replied to the letter, so he must be taking a high position in Qin State and then repaying it.
" Besides."
Wukong raised his eyes, his gaze was clear, and those crystal clear eyes seemed not to be confused by anything.
"The government is in turmoil, Li Mu and Lian Po have returned, trusting Liu Bang is the best choice."
Zhang Er thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.
What is the best choice? It is obviously the only choice. If you don't believe Liu Bang, you can only wait for the four Qin generals to attack Handan.
If Zhang Er had known that Li Mu was still alive and would fight for Qin, he might not have decided to use Wei to stop Qin.
Li Mu, the Marquis of Wu'an, was so popular in Zhao State that he surpassed Bai Qi of Qin State, who was also the Marquis of Wu'an.
All four fronts made rapid progress, but Li Mu's front advanced the fastest. Almost wherever , the Zhao people surrendered, truly achieving the word "liberation".
The people of Zhao believed that Li Mu had come to save them. He was their man, Wu'an Jun, who could use force to stabilize the country.
"My king, please let me go."
Wukong prostrated himself on the ground and begged again, touching the altar with his forehead, speaking earnestly.
"If it succeeds, Your Majesty will truly be the King of Zhao. If not,
"Your Majesty should make plans early and retreat into the Hu people's territory."
Zhang Er turned his head away and didn't look at Wukong, who had followed him for the longest time and was both his son and his disciple.
Wukong's behavior puts the King of Zhao at no risk at all.
The best outcome would be that Li Mu and Lian Po would turn against him, and Zhang Er would take advantage of the great victory and the two famous generals to completely break free from the control of these old Zhao nobles.
Li Mu and Lian Po were both suspected by the Zhao royal family and nearly died. According to common sense, Zhang Er should have liked him more as the King of Zhao, a Wei man.
The worst outcome is that he knew in advance that Zhao would fall, and he had no more luck and fled to Hudi. Even if he could not be a king, he could still live a life of luxury and wait for the right time to come, and there was no telling if he would have a chance to make a comeback.
The Hu people have always been at odds with the Central Plains and will not hand him over under pressure.
No matter how Zhang Er thought about it, he couldn't find any disadvantages. All the danger fell on Wukong's shoulders.
"Go ahead, and be careful along the way."
Zhang Er waved his hand backwards and spoke casually.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Hearing the footsteps getting smaller and farther away, Zhang Er spoke again when the sound was almost gone.
"Goku!"
Wukong stopped and looked at Zhang Er's somewhat lonely and ashamed back, as respectfully as if he was facing Zhang Er's face.
"I am here."
"If something cannot be done, surrender."
Wukong pursed his lips and said respectfully:
"only."
It was unprecedented that Wang Rang was about to surrender.
The next day, Zhao held another court meeting.
King Zhang Er of Zhao promoted Wukong to the title of Marquis of Wu'an, appointed him as general, and ordered him to lead troops to the war. He was the youngest general among the six kingdoms.
Wukong, with the fur still on his mouth, led an army of 40,000, which accounted for 80% of Zhao's current military strength. Only Zhao could recruit so many soldiers despite the continuous attacks from Qin.
The remaining 20% of the troops were scattered in various cities of Zhao State, not all concentrated in Handan. It can be said that after Wukong led the army away, Handan's defense was reduced by 99%.
It has become an empty shell with a golden exterior but rotten interior.
The city wall looks tall and majestic, but in fact it will collapse if touched.
Led by Wukong, the 60,000 Zhao troops marched straight towards Li Mu's army of nearly 40,000.
Li Mu led 10,000 elite soldiers from the northwest to the State of Zhao, and his troops grew in number as the battles went on.
Wu'an City, where Li Mu led his army to station.
This city, which had the same title as Li Mu's original title, was like other cities in the State of Zhao. When Li Mu first arrived, he opened the city gates and joyfully surrendered the city and threw down his weapons.
Everyone had a smile on their face. It didn't look like they were surrendering, but rather like they were welcoming their hero home.
Li Mu was originally a hero of the State of Zhao.
When the army entered the city, the Zhao soldiers who surrendered and were incorporated into the team were originally Zhao people. Some of them violated military discipline and harassed the people and were executed. However, none of the Qin soldiers brought from the northwest violated the rules.
In Zhao, a land that hated the Qin people so much, the Qin people, who had a feud with Zhao for generations, were actually more restrained than the surrendered Zhao people.
Except for the army led by Li Mu, the armies of Meng Tian, Li Xin and Lian Po would kill a dozen Qin soldiers who violated military orders after almost every major battle.
During the attack on Wei, the two emperors committed suicide as a warning to the public. After the troops were divided, there were people in the armies led by the two emperors who violated orders and were finally executed in public.
Without power, it is difficult to restrain people's deepest desires with just favor, but the Qin army led by Li Mu did it.
It was precisely because of this group of Qin soldiers who were friendly to the Zhao people, killed people in battle, and never disturbed the people after the battle that Li Mu received more and more surrendered soldiers along the way.
Inside a house, Gai Nie, dressed in a white shirt, looked expressionlessly at Li Mu, who was also dressed in a white shirt.
The former was a swordsman, but he looked like an ordinary citizen. Apart from his handsome face, there was nothing different about him. He no longer had the sharp sword energy that could not be hidden as before.
The latter is a student of military strategy, but he is like a scholar.
Li Mu, who was standing there practicing calligraphy with a pen in his hand, had no intention of killing on the battlefield. Instead, he exuded a scholarly air.
Gai Nie walked up to Li Mu and said without thinking:
“This is what you get in the Northwest.”
Li Mu knew what the swordsman was asking. He nodded and continued writing.
"After a year of training troops in the northwest, we have finally made some progress and have barely achieved the kind of army that Your Majesty has mentioned.
"The Zhao people were willing to surrender because of the two words Li Mu. But later, they surrendered because of the 10,000 Qin troops."
It is too difficult to make the Zhao people, who have been enemies with Qin for generations, forget their hatred and believe that the Qin army, which had slaughtered them the year before, will regard themselves as Qin people. It is not enough to rely on special training in just one winter.
Any sporadic friction could ignite the Zhao people, who were like a piece of dry firewood, and easily start a raging fire, arousing deep hatred towards the Qin State and the Qin people.
At that time, if we want to develop quickly and safely without any worries, we must kill all the Zhao people.
"How's my handwriting?"
Li Mu paused, stepped aside, and let Gai Nie come forward to take a closer look.
The cold-faced man did not refuse but looked down at him.
【Man Jiang Hong】
[I leaned on the railing with my hair standing on end in anger, and the rain stopped. 】
[Looking up, I howled to the sky, with great passion and determination. ]
【Thirty years of fame and success are nothing but dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of journey are nothing but clouds and moon.】
[Don’t wait, your hair will turn grey and you will be filled with regret. ]
【The shame of Jingkang has not yet been avenged. 】
【When will the hatred of the ministers be eliminated?】
【Drive a long car and break through the gap in the Helan Mountains. 】
[When hungry, I eat the meat of the barbarians; when thirsty, I drink the blood of the Xiongnu.]
[Wait until the beginning, clean up the old mountains and rivers, and face the sky. 】
The entire poem was written in the abandoned character Zhao. When Gai Nie first read it, he felt it was a little unfamiliar. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had seen the character Zhao in public.
"The writing is good, the characters are good, but when put together they are not very good. They are far worse than what you wrote before."
Gai Nie said truthfully.
The intense emotions of this poem leap off the paper and hit you in the face.
A general had unfulfilled ambitions, he defended his country, killed the enemy and took his life, he must have written this poem with emotions that could not be more intense.
Gai Nie had seen Li Mu write before. At that time, Li Mu was a drunkard. He drank and wrote poems, which were as long as a spear and as sharp as a sword.
This poem seems to have been written by Li Mu himself, and there is no one more suitable to write it than Li Mu.
Today, the writing that should have been full of murderous intent is delicate and smooth.
The wild and unrestrained style is gone, and every stroke is within the rules.
"Thanks."
Li Mu smiled with satisfaction.
Gai Nie gave him a questioning look, as if making a puzzled expression would violate Qin law.
"Your Majesty once asked me to read more of The Biography of Yue Fei. During this year in the northwest, I finally learned something from it.
"Military affairs are not just military affairs. It doesn't matter how many cities you capture or how many enemies you kill. Everything serves politics. If you ignore everything and only think about the battlefield, you will eventually die outside the battlefield."
Gai Nie raised his hand to interrupt Li Mu who was talking.
"Can't understand."
Li Mu laughed, this kind of frankness was indeed the style of a swordsman.
Two years have passed, and among this group of code-named retainers, it seems that only the swordsman has maintained his true character, and this character seems to have become even purer.
He rolled up the calligraphy.
"Then say something you can understand.
"The moment I was recalled, I finally understood why His Majesty wanted me to train the troops instead of attacking the Xiongnu. He also said that this was the most important thing for me and I must endure the loneliness.
"Zhao is gone, and the people of Zhao are safe. This is indeed the most important thing for Mu. This should also be the most important thing for you.
"Standing by the Zhang River, waiting for my useless nephew, I was wondering, did Your Majesty think of what would happen today two years ago? I asked Jie Ba this question, and he said he didn't know. What do you think?"
Gai Nie had no expression on his face.
"have no idea."
[What does Jie Ba not know, how can Nie know? ]
As if noticing Gai Nie's silence, Li Mu gave up saying anything more and handed the rolled-up letter to Gai Nie.
"Please go and hand it over to my useless nephew, and ask him to abandon all the cities along the way and attack Handan directly."
Gai Nie didn’t answer. Is the great hero Gai running errands and delivering a letter for you?
Li Mu said helplessly:
"This will solve the chaos in Zhao to the greatest extent possible and catch all the nobles in one fell swoop. If it's too late, those powerful people will all run away."
Gai Nie then took it and said coldly:
"Why don't you attack on your own? Nie thinks you're more suitable."
As code-named retainers, they have different relationships, but everyone can trust each other. Li Mu said without hiding anything:
“Everyone is always a little selfish.
"Mu is old, and that boy is still young. The future of Qin will be ruled by the young.
"Handan is now like a naked slave concubine in the tower. It doesn't matter who comes up to her. Let that boy take the credit."
Li Mu had never thought that after the family split, he, a general of Zhao, would one day pave the way for his nephew, a general of Qin.
Gai Nie thought for a moment, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
"Why didn't you write to me earlier?"
Li Mu gave Gai Nie a sidelong glance.
"Earlier, there were still 50,000 to 60,000 troops in Handan. They could have taken the city by force, but there would have been many casualties."
"Why now?"
"Wukong has been in charge of the battle for two days. Now Handan is short of troops."
"Why didn't you write to me the day before yesterday?"
"Why do you have so many questions? You've been with this reckless guy for too long!"
Li Mu exploded, instantly filled with murderous aura, and completed the transformation from scholar to general in an instant.
Gai Nie still had no expression on his face. He looked like an ordinary cold-faced person who lacked any expression and hated everyone equally.
With his slender fingers grasping the hilt of the sword at his waist, Hero Gai asked without emotion:
"Would you like to duel with swords?"
Li Mu: “…”
Wu Anjun, who cultivated his moral character, decided not to argue with such a stubborn person, and said patiently:
"Wukong must lead this army far enough.
"In addition to Wukong, the commander-in-chief of the Zhao army, there are many lieutenant generals. These lieutenant generals are all nobles of the Zhao State and are the actual leaders of the Zhao army.
"I've written you a letter long ago. My nephew has traveled a thousand miles to attack. Once those generals know about this, they will return to help Handan. Wukong will be unable to stop them. This will be a fierce battle with heavy casualties."
Gai Nie stopped talking and seemed to be thinking. Li Mu did not urge him but just said something lightly.
"If possible, protect my nephew for a while and don't let him die."
Anyone could deliver the letter, but if Gai Nie delivered it and it stayed, it would be like Li Xin had an extra life-saving talisman.
Swords have no eyes, and generals are bound to die in battle.
"good."
Gai Nie simply agreed.
Under the white clothes was a ball of burning red flame, and in the flame was Li Xin.
Now that his sword heart had returned, he had long known that Li Mu needed his help, so he was deliberately rude in order to make the proud Li Mu feel better.
Hero Gai disdains disguise, but he is not stupid.
It's facial paralysis, not lack of emotion.
"How are you going to deal with this army led by Wukong?"
Gai Nie said that he didn't want to see another bloody battle, even though he knew Li Mu would win.
"To surrender. Wukong is bringing them here to surrender."
Li Mu answered.
"Didn't you say that Wukong couldn't command? How can we persuade them to surrender?"
Gai Nie questioned.
The spring days are warm but not too hot, and the wind is not strong enough to blow up the yellow sand on the ground.
Wukong led 40,000 Zhao troops and saw Wu'an City from afar.
The densely packed Zhao army, wearing Hu clothing and armor that was seven parts red and three parts green, advanced forward.
Walk another 200 steps and stop.
A man without armor blocked the way and stood in front of the 40,000 Zhao troops.
The white clothes she was wearing were blown by the wind and swayed gently backwards.
He just stood there, his hands empty, without any weapon.
Wukong rolled off his horse and knelt on the ground.
"Greetings to Lord Wu An!"
The 40,000 Zhao soldiers on horseback dismounted and dropped their weapons, while those who were standing just dropped their weapons and then knelt on the ground.
"Greetings to Lord Wu An!"
Gaine asked:
"How to surrender?"
Li Mu replied:
"I just stood there."
