Chapter 39: Besieging the City (Part 2)
Korea, Xinzheng.
One after another good news made every Xinzheng citizen overjoyed. First, the invading 100,000-strong Qin army was annihilated at Ye Wang, then the three-state allied forces took advantage of their victory to advance and capture Yiyang.
You want to know, that's Ihyeon! Twenty years ago, many Korean families were torn apart because of the Battle of Ihyeon. Now that Ihyeon has returned to Korea, half of the humiliation has been washed away, and the other half still needs a victory to be cleansed. Korea must let Qin know that the shame of Ihyeon will not be repeated! The destruction of 100,000 Qin troops is just the beginning of Korea's counterattack, not the end!
In the Han palace, the old and sick King of Han looked at his ministers below with comfort.
Although Korea had a brief period of prosperity, it gradually declined, especially after losing the Thousand Li Territory. However, unexpectedly, at the end of his life, he still had the opportunity to wash away the greatest humiliation of his life - the Battle of Ichi. In this way, after his death, he could more or less have some face to see his ancestors and hand over accounts.
This crown prince is really something! First, he defeated the 150,000-strong army of Zhao and Wei, then joined forces with Zhao and Wei to annihilate the 100,000-strong Qin army. Now, he has also retaken the strategic city of Yiyang, which originally belonged to Han. A string of great victories has greatly boosted the prestige of Han, and the atmosphere in the imperial court has changed dramatically. In the past, whenever there was a war, the first thing that came to mind was to seek peace, to seek help, never expecting that Han could save itself. But after achieving so many victories, Han now has the confidence to face challenges from other countries, especially with its alliance with Zhao and Wei, the self-confidence of the people of Han is extremely inflated! This is the Han I had in mind when I was young!
A country with a spirit of striving and progress, without the air of decline and decadence, is the only one that has hope. One's own body is getting weaker and weaker compared to before, and it seems that time is running out. Originally, King Han was worried that once he passed away, there would be a situation where the country would be in doubt about who should be the next ruler. But now King Han is at ease, as a series of great victories have established Crown Prince Ran's prestige, and Crown Prince Ran's wings are already strong.
"Everyone loves you, and we've all seen the battle report from Yique. What suggestions do you have for the current situation? Feel free to share."
"Report to the king, now Qin Guo's Wu Anjun Bai Qi's 100,000-strong army has set out from Yiyang to Izhu, it is expected to arrive soon. In Xianyang, the King of Qin heard that Hu Yang's entire army was defeated at Ye Wang, extremely angry and shocked, he sent 100,000 troops to support Bai Qi, requiring him to capture Izhu. As a result, there will be no war on the Ye Wang line, and the next battle will revolve around Izhu. In my opinion, it is better to send tens of thousands of reinforcements to support Izhu to preserve Izhu." Prime Minister Zhang Ping spoke first.
"I also agree with the Chancellor's view. At present, our three countries, Han, Zhao and Wei, have only 180,000 troops stationed in Yique. Once Bai Qi's reinforcements arrive, the Qin army will have an advantage in numbers. The armies of Zhao and Wei are after all guest armies and cannot help but preserve their strength. Therefore, I think that our great Han should at least send out another 20,000-strong army, firstly to support the Crown Prince in defending Yique and secondly to demonstrate our great Han's emphasis on Yique. After all, at present, our Han army is the smallest in Yique."
"I concur. In addition to sending more reinforcements, we should also transport more defensive equipment to make up for the losses caused by the Qin army's attack on the city."
"Yes! The war in Yique doesn't know how long it will last, and many military rations are being transported to prepare for future troubles. The grain and fodder of the Zhao and Wei armies have been exhausted, all of which are a great burden."
"What is the amount of grain and fodder that should be transported according to the words of the multitude who love you?" King Han asked.
At this time, a granary official returned and reported: "According to the calculation of the grain and fodder needed for 200,000 troops in one month, it would be equivalent to transporting 100,000 stones."
"At present, there are still 400,000 dan of grain stored in Yique. Let's transport 100,000 dan of grain and fodder first!"
Seeing the grand hall, the ministers all nodded in agreement. King Han waved his hand and immediately ordered 20,000 Korean soldiers to escort 50,000 civilians to transport grain and military equipment to support Yique.
After lunch, King Han rushed to the palace garden, where someone had been waiting for a long time.
"Are you Mr. Fan Yao?" King Han of Korea looked at him with curiosity.
"I report back to Your Majesty, it is indeed your humble servant."
"However, he has mentioned you to me before, and always praised your great talent for pacifying the country. Now that you hold the position of State Uncle, it's a bit of a waste of your talent."
"Thanks to the Crown Prince's gracious favor, I, a humble subject, have no merits whatsoever, yet I suddenly occupy a high position, which makes me feel anxious and uneasy."
"Sir, you are joking," King Huan of Han waved his hand and said: "My three countries, Han, Zhao, and Wei, have been confronting Qin at the Igu Pass for a long time, which is increasingly unfavorable. Would you like to share the worries of Great Han with me?"
Fan Yu, who was standing below, naturally did not dare to be slow and immediately replied, "As you wish, Your Majesty. What instructions do you have? I, your humble minister, will brave boiling water and walk through fire without hesitation."
"Sir, look at this, it's Ran Er's book."
Last night, Fan Jue received a letter from the Crown Prince Ran, knowing that this was the Crown Prince's introduction to King Han of himself, wanting him to take a large sum of money to Qin State to carry out a divisive plan. Fan Jue naturally did not dare show any disrespect, and immediately read the letter carefully again.
"The Crown Prince is greatly talented, I, a humble subject, am ashamed and dare not compare."
"The gentleman laughed and said, 'It's also mentioned in the letter that although this plan is clever, it lacks a skilled orator. Looking around Korea, only you can take on this task. I also know that you have a great grievance, if you can help me succeed, our country will surely avenge your great grievance for you. Honor, wealth and nobility, you can choose as you wish.'"
Fan Yi also knew the danger of this plan. If he was not careful, he would either be trapped outside the pass or die without a whole corpse. However, wealth and honor are sought in danger, and since he had already chosen to get on the Korean ship, he wanted to help the crown prince cross the current difficulties. As long as the plan succeeded, all of Korea's current difficulties would be resolved, and he could also avenge his shame early.
So Fan Yi did not hesitate and immediately said, "But I rely on the king's order."
"Good! Good! Good!" The King of Korea shouted three times, "In that case, I will grant you 10,000 taels of gold, 1,000 pieces of brocade, and 100 beautiful women. You, sir, can have full authority to decide all matters on my behalf. When you return triumphantly after completing your mission, I will confer upon you the position of Supreme Minister, how does that sound?"
"I humbly await your orders, Your Majesty." Fan Yu replied respectfully.
The reward from the King of Korea was more than he had expected, so his success on this trip would be much higher.
Yique Castle
Scouts constantly reported the latest movements of Bai Qi's army to the commander-in-chief of the allied forces. If Bai Qi rushed to Yique according to the king of Qin's order, the allied forces would not mind teaching him a lesson. However, all the scouts' reports said that Bai Qi marched cautiously and could not find an opportunity for a surprise attack, so the allied forces gave up.
In the Qin army, Bai Qi gazed at the distant Zhao scouts who occasionally appeared, and with a wave of his hand, he expressed his disgust. Soon, several groups of Qin scouts were dispatched to drive them away. This scenario had played out countless times, each time ending in failure. The Zhao army had not only adopted the attire of the Hu people but also learned their cunning ways.
Each time the Zhao army scouts were at a distance, following the Qin army. As soon as the Qin army sent out cavalry to clear them out, they would immediately retreat. Once the Qin army returned to their formation, they would gather again. Several times this happened, and Bai Qi still didn't have a good solution, so he simply ignored them. As long as the Zhao army scouts and the Qin army's main force weren't too close, he let it be.
Zhao Jun's tricks are clear, isn't he just trying to slow down the Qin army? As long as they don't block their own main force, such small tricks won't even warrant sending a small contingent of troops into their ambush. What Bai Qi wants is an overwhelming effect, the Zhao army can harass them but cannot stop their advance.
That night, Bai Qi also received intelligence from his scouts: the camps of Zhao and Wei were heavily guarded, with no opportunity to take advantage of. Bai Qi then abandoned his plan to launch a surprise attack on Yique. It seems that the allied army was not so careless after all; this battle is going to be interesting.
The next day, the White Army set out as usual. It seemed that the Zhao army knew that such harassment was meaningless and withdrew most of its scouts, leaving only a small number to monitor the movements of the Qin army.
Before the appointed time, Bai Qi's army of 100,000 arrived at Yique. As expected by the three Jin armies, Bai Qi chose to set up camp west of Yique. The camp was twenty miles away from the west gate of Yique, which allowed them to avoid detection by the Han army on the city walls while also being close to the Luo River for easy access to water, achieving two goals at once.
In another hour, the sky will turn dark. The Qin army would not be foolish enough to launch a strong attack as soon as they arrived, so under the tacit understanding of both sides, the first night of the Qin army's siege of Yique passed like this.
