Chapter 58: Zhao and Wei's Ambition

  Beyond a thousand miles, Handan of Zhao State.

  The news of Qin's defeat at the Battle of Changping and the failure to capture Yique made the entire state of Zhao extremely joyful. General Lian Po now sent an urgent message eight hundred miles to Handan, reporting that Bai Qi had led his remaining 100,000 troops in a retreat into the Hangu Pass, while Han cleverly launched a fire attack, capturing the poorly defended city of Yiyang overnight. This marked a complete victory for Zhao! Handan was jubilant!

  With the fall of Yiyang, the Qin army retreated, and the Battle of Wildgoose Gate, which had lasted for nearly a month, came to an end.

  This campaign was a full-scale counterattack by the three states of Han, Zhao and Wei against the increasingly aggressive Qin state. The three states collectively deployed 350,000 troops, while Qin mobilized an army of 300,000. The battle ended in a crushing defeat for Qin, with the loss of two key strongholds, Yique and Yi Yang, and the loss of 210,000 soldiers.

  The swiftness of the battle's end and the magnitude of Qin's losses are truly rare in a hundred years. Later historians, when studying this period of history, all described this strategic decisive battle that determined the fate of the Central Plains as unbelievable.

  The allied forces of the three Jin states firmly grasped the weakness of the Qin army's initial underestimation and over-advance, laying a solid foundation for the victory of the entire battle. In the later stage when both sides were stuck in a stalemate, the State of Han sent spies to persuade Yiqu to rebel, causing chaos in the rear of the Qin state. The Qin army, which had initially had the upper hand, could only abandon its advantageous position and retreat back to Guanzhong.

  Victory has been won, but the Zhao state is now arguing over which direction to send troops. With the main force of the Qin army being held back at Guanzhong, the Qin territories outside the pass seem to be within easy reach. Whether to attack Shangjun or Hexi or Hedong, the court of Zhao is in fierce debate.

  One faction thought that attacking Shang Jun would be the best. Shang Jun has many pastures and horse farms, supporters believe that in this war, cavalry proved its great role, Zhao can rely on Shang Jun to vigorously develop its cavalry.

  One faction thought it would be better to attack and take the Hexi County. Once Hexi County belongs to Zhao, Zhao can bypass Hangu Pass and threaten Xianyang. The northern part of Shangjun borders on the Xiongnu, often subject to their raids, supporters believe that if they take Shangjun, Zhao will have to divert a large number of troops to defend against the Xiongnu. It's better to directly take the land west of the river and let the Qin army replace Zhao in defending against the Xiongnu.

  Another faction believed that they could occupy the Hedong Commandery and block the Hangu Pass of Qin. Later, if the Qin army marched out of the Hangu Pass, they would be in a state of constant fear and unable to advance.

  Three factions were at odds, and King Zhao of Zhao was overjoyed to the point of asking his ministers if all three counties could be occupied. When has Zhao been so powerful? Expanding its territory by a thousand li is really impressive!

  For this time, all the ministers were unusually consistent, saying that taking a county's land would be more appropriate, and if they said more, Zhao Guo would suffer heavy losses. It is worth noting that there are about 80,000 Qin troops stationed in Shangjun and Hexi County, and about 50,000 troops stationed in Hedong County. With the national strength of Zhao, these hundreds of thousands of Qin army are absolutely unbearable.

  This situation was maintained for only a few days before being broken by the Korean envoy. The Korean envoy first visited a group of dignitaries in Zhao, and then entered the palace to discuss with King Zhao for a whole hour. On the second day of the court meeting, King Zhao announced his decision to send troops to Hexi County.

  Daliang City, the King of Wei was also in distress. Wendi had been recovered, and the Qin army had been driven away, but his own losses were still a bit heavy. The 130,000-strong army that had set out from Huayang at first, now only had less than 30,000 soldiers left. Fortunately, Han Guo was considerate and exempted the "war compensation" of 400,000 stones, which comforted Wei Guo's heart a little.

  To the State of Qin, the King of Wei was both resentful and fearful. Upon receiving news of the great chaos in Qin, the King of Wei was overjoyed for half a day. After confirming that Bai Qi's army had retreated from the Hangu Pass, the matter of Wei rescuing Han was considered settled. Jin Bi also sent someone to ask the King of Wei if he would return his troops to Daliang, but after some deliberation, the king did not immediately give an answer.

  Because the King of Han sent his envoy Chen Zhen to visit the State of Wei. Chen Zhen brought with him a letter from the King of Han, first recalling the glorious history of good relations between Han and Wei, then lavishly praising the great contributions made by the State of Wei in this anti-Qin undertaking, and the wise and decisive leadership of the King of Wei.

  After flattering the horse, Chen Ping's words turned around and said that Qin Guo was already in great chaos, the main force had no time to look east, this is a good opportunity given by heaven to the three Jin. The State of Han is willing to help the State of Wei recover its old capital, An-yi, and take all the land east of the Yellow River. The State of Zhao has been coveting the Hexi County for a long time, and General Lian Po of Zhao has already agreed to persuade King Zhao to attack Hexi County. Moreover, the King of Han sent an envoy with heavy gold to promote this matter, and it is likely that the news of Zhao's attack on Hexi County will soon be spread.

  In order to dispel the doubts of the King of Wei, Chen Zhuang even expressed that if the State of Wei did not intend to take back its old capital, he hoped they would not mind Han occupying the Hedong Commandery. After all, the Hedong Commandery originally belonged to Wei, but now it was closer to Han. The State of Han was grateful for Wei's rescue this time and did not want to be the first to take advantage of the situation, damaging the relations between Han and Wei.

  The King of Wei was actually already moved. The Hexi County is located in the Central Plains, which is a prosperous place with 300,000 people. Han had taken down Yiyang and Yi Que one line of hundred miles land, greatly increased its strength. If Zhao took down Hexi County again, it would also add 400,000 population. Only Wei took down a small city in Wen Di, but lost 100,000 troops, greatly reduced its strength.

  Now, only by taking down Handan Prefecture can these losses be made up for. Although Hebei is a place of four battles, but now the main force of Qin State is trapped in Guanzhong, even if the rebellion of Yiqu is pacified, its strength will also be greatly reduced. Even if several years later Qin State recovers and sends troops out of Hangu Pass, I can rely on Han State to the south and Zhao State to the north, getting support from three sides.

  The King of Wei was delighted, but his face remained calm as he said, "This matter is of great importance, and I still need to gather the opinions of my ministers. Let's wait until tomorrow's court session to make a decision."

  There is gold on the road, and Chen Xuan "persuaded" a group of powerful officials in Wei State that night. The next day when they went to court, all the officials in Wei State agreed with Han State's proposal and decided to send 150,000 troops to attack Hedong County.

  When Wei announced this news, Chen Cang of Qin was in a state of great turmoil.

  110,000 Yiqu cavalry quietly bypassed Mei County and suddenly attacked Chen Cang, which was only over 30 miles away from Yongcheng. The 5,000 Qin troops were completely unprepared, and no one expected that the Yiqu army, which had been more than 400 miles away three days ago, would suddenly attack Chen Cang. After a fierce battle, all 5,000 Qin troops were defeated, and Chen Cang became the sixth Qin city to fall under the Yiqu cavalry.

  Yongcheng only realized that Chen Cang had changed after seeing the big fire, and immediately sent troops to support him. However, it was too late, and the Yiqu wolf riders disappeared again after burning nearly a million stones of grain and grass.

  As the news of Yongcheng's rapid advance spread, Xianyang finally heard about the movement of the Yiqi Wolf Riders again. This time, they slapped a heavy blow on the face of Yongcheng, which was heavily guarded by troops. The old capital of Qin, Yongcheng, had 40,000 troops but still failed to save Chen Cang, which was just around the corner. Perhaps the only comfort for Qin was that due to concerns about the large army in Yongcheng, the Yiqi Wolf Riders did not slaughter the city this time, but only burned down a few thousand civilian houses.

  Xianyang City, after receiving the news of the appearance of the Yiqu Wolf Rider, Bai Qi's army rushed to Yongdi immediately. In half a day in Xianyang, Bai Qi fully felt the panic of the Qin people. The Yiqu Wolf Rider was like a devil from hell, killing anyone they saw and burning any house they saw, countless good fields were destroyed, and the loss of money and food in Qin Guo was immeasurable.

  As the Da Liangzao, Bai Qi bore tremendous pressure. Especially after this defeat, the King of Qin did not have time to investigate the responsibility for the defeat and instead ordered Bai Qi to spare no expense in annihilating this branch of the Yiqu Wolf Cavalry.

  Now, with the appearance of the Yiqu Wolf Riders and the advance of Bai Qi's great army, the time when Yiqu can roam freely within the passes is probably not long.