Chapter 37: White Origin!

  These three days, Prince Yan was busy to the point of being frazzled.

  To familiarize yourself with the city's defenses, identify whether there are any Qin spies or pro-Qin individuals within the city; to review accounts, inspect grain stores and military equipment, and most importantly, win back the hearts of the people.

  The prince knew better than anyone else the importance of public opinion. Perhaps at a critical moment, this invisible and intangible thing would save his life.

  Twenty years is the time of a generation, and many young people in Yique City at this age have little sense of belonging to South Korea. Even if they are older, it is inevitable that under the subtle influence of China, they have developed an identity with China.

  After all, this is an era where life is cheaper than grass. To be alive, to live with a little hope, is the greatest luxury for everyone. For the people of Yique, whether Yique belongs to Qin or Han is not important, what matters is who can bring warmth and stability to themselves.

  Don't blame the people's power, in this era the people are being exploited to a pitiful degree. You can't protect them, you can't provide them with land, what right do you have to expect their gratitude for a lifetime?

  The crown prince, in order to regain the hearts of the people, took two measures: firstly, he exempted the entire city of Yi Que from taxes for three years; secondly, he distributed the 50,000 dan of old grain stored by the Qin army in the city to all the citizens. After verifying the household register, it was found that Yi Que currently has a population of 100,000. In this way, each family received an extra month's worth of food.

  This is not the end, the third measure is to bring the hated local tyrants and evil gentry to justice; The fourth measure is to confiscate the estates and lands of Qin's nobles and rich merchants in Yique, all of which will be nationalized, and the people of Yique who have little or no land or who have made contributions in future battles can rent these lands at a low tax rate of one-tenth!

  In response to the long-term confrontation with Qin State, Prince Ran's fifth move was to recruit soldiers. Local recruitment was the best choice in terms of timeliness and the initiative of the soldiers. To encourage young people from Yiqu to join the army, Prince Ran ordered posters to be put up everywhere: those who passed the physical examination and were willing to join the army would be given 40 stones of millet or equivalent currency as a settlement fee; if they died in battle, their families would receive 60 stones of millet or equivalent currency as consolation money; if they were seriously injured and left with disabilities, the state would provide work within its capabilities or a one-time payment of 50 stones of millet or equivalent currency.

  Five measures greatly boosted the morale of the people of Yique. Although the Qin state's military treatment was generous, it wasn't as outrageous as that of the Han army. Three years of tax exemption were enough to make life much better for most people in Yique, and with so much more grain available all at once, the entire city had more confidence in their future lives.

  At this moment, the people who signed up to join the army were endless, which made Bao Ying very happy. Even the reinforcement of city defense and the construction of outdoor works had enthusiastic help from the people of Yique. The enthusiasm of the people of Yique made the two armies of Zhao and Wei somewhat at a loss, accepting it would not conform to military regulations; not accepting it would also chill the enthusiasm of the people.

  Finally, after discussion among the three armies of Zhao, Wei and Han, they decided to leave the physical labor of digging tunnels and trenches to the people of Yique, while keeping the technical work of setting up obstacles such as abatis and caltrops for themselves.

  The prince accepted the enthusiasm of the people of Yique with gratitude, and paid corresponding wages to all the working people. As a result, the enthusiasm of the people increased even more.

  For all of this, including the violent You Xun, all the generals did not object. The reason is simple, when checking the grain warehouse and treasury, the Crown Prince Yan knew he had made progress! The abundant money and grain increased his confidence.

  At that time, the first reaction of Prince Ranye was not to let the Zhao army know about this matter. Fortunately, Zheng Yan seemed to have received instructions from Lian Po and only patrolled the streets to intimidate the small thieves, without paying attention to the matter of the Han army checking their accounts. There is no way, wealth moves people's hearts.

  Yique, as the vanguard of Qin's eastward expansion into the Central Plains, had accumulated a large amount of money and grain. The number was far beyond Prince Ran's expectations. The 50,000 dan of grain was just the tip of the iceberg. After a day and night of counting, the total amount of money and grain in Yique was as follows: there were 450,000 dan of grain, of which 400,000 dan were new grain; and 12 million yuan, equivalent to the annual income of 100,000 people in Yique. This is why Prince Ran had the confidence to offer such generous treatment.

  Under the concerted efforts of Yique City, the outdoor camp and city defense construction have made smooth progress. In just two days, all the projects have been completed. Only waiting for the arrival of the Qin army.

  The atmosphere in Yiyang, Qin State, was no longer peaceful and had been replaced by a sense of oppression and tension. Since receiving the news that Yique had fallen four days ago, Xiangshou had been feeling anxious and uneasy.

  The State of Qin has been operating in Yiyang for thirty-four years. At the beginning, it took more than five months to capture Yiyang, which shows how dangerous Yiyang is. Now, after so many years of operation, the danger of Yiyang is even greater than before. Xiang Shou is not worried about whether Yiyang will be lost or not, but he is concerned about what he should do if Izhuo loses its guard.

  Yiyang is only a hundred miles away from Yique, and if the cavalry doesn't consider the horse's strength to make a surprise attack, they can arrive in one day. In the past few days, Xiangshou has sent out several waves of scouts every day to investigate the military situation at Yique. The news he received was getting worse by the day: the Han army had arrived, the Zhao army had arrived, and the Wei army had arrived. According to the scouts' reports, the coalition forces of the three countries had a total strength of 200,000 troops.

  This number has already brought enough pressure to Yiyang, which is far from the initial 10,000 Zhao cavalry. It's worth noting that behind Yiyang, more than 200 miles away, lies Hangu Pass. If Yiyang falls, Hangu Pass will be under the sword of the six nations of Shandong, and all the movements of the Qin army will be known to them. All the efforts made by the Qin army in the past few decades would have been in vain, and they themselves would become sinners of the Qin state.

  Because he knew the danger, Xiang Shou did not rashly send troops to retake Yique City. For Xiang Shou now, being able to keep Yi Yang from falling was a great achievement.

  Under Xiang Shu's arrangement, wave after wave of messengers were sent from Hangu Pass to Xianyang. Xiang Shu knew that if the King of Qin found out that Yique had been lost, he would definitely be furious and his own slight delay might cause the king's dissatisfaction. Especially when he heard that Hu Yang's 100,000-strong army had been defeated at Ye Wang, once this news was confirmed to be true, it would inevitably lead to another great earthquake.

  Actually, the current Qin Wang Palace is a vast expanse of ice and snow. Hu Yang's defeat at Ye Wang, Yi Que's loss, one piece of bad news after another made Qin Wang's face as cold as frost. Although in the grand hall, Qin Wang spoke very little, seeming to be extremely calm, but those who knew Qin Wang well all knew that this was when Qin Wang was most terrifying.

  It is said that on the same night, more than 40 eunuchs and slaves in the palace were executed by order of King Qin for minor mistakes, showing the king's anger. No one would be foolish enough to disobey King Qin now, even Prime Minister Wei Ran followed his orders. That afternoon, a wave of urgent messengers was sent out at a distance of 800 miles.

  The imperial edict reads: "Hu Yang has lost his teacher and humiliated the country, exterminate three clans, and confiscate all family property."

  The king's order: "Grant Tai Liangzu, Wu Anjun Bai Qi the imperial seal, and command the 100,000-strong army to change direction to Izhuo, ensuring the complete annihilation of the armies of Zhao, Wei, and Han. The additional 100,000-strong reinforcement troops must set out tomorrow!"

  The king's order: "Along the way, the counties and counties provide food for the army. The county guards who speak out of dissatisfaction and slack off will be beheaded by Dalangzao and Wu'an Jun first and then reported to the court. The Yiyang guard troops are under the command of Dalangzao and Wu'an Jun."

  Bai Qi stared at the one after another urgent war reports, his eyebrows unconsciously furrowed. According to his own understanding, Hu Yang was also a rare general talent, how could he be defeated in just three days?! Now it's good, his own 100,000-strong army doesn't need to support Ye Wang anymore, and the armies of Zhao, Wei, and Han will all have to fight their way to Yiyang.

  But this time, the three-nation coalition is so bold. Don't they think that they have forgotten their own strength in these years without conquering Central Plains? If so, Bai Qi doesn't mind giving them a little memory.

  It turns out that Yique is indeed his blessed land. Twenty years ago, he made a name for himself in one battle, and twenty years later, he led an army of 200,000 (including the subsequent 100,000) to personally conquer Yique. Let his swords slaughter Sanjin to the point of terror! Let them know that his military prowess is unstoppable!

  There is one more! It will be late for a little while.