Chapter 59 Conspiracy!

  When he learned that Bai Qi had returned to Xianyang and Qin had assembled an army of 200,000 men, Fan Sui knew it was time for a change in strategy.

  In the past few days, Yiqiu Wolf Cavalry has clearly felt that the defense of each city in Neishi County has become increasingly strict, and several consecutive raids have not been successful. The Qin army implemented a policy of clearing the walls and fields, which led to Yiqiu's food crisis. Helpless, Yiqiu can only choose to launch a strong attack to obtain supplies.

  After sacrificing 10,000 people, the Xiqi conquered Shangbang. This time, the Xiqi did not choose to burn down the Qin army's grain and grass, but instead occupied Shangbang after the massacre with sufficient grain and grass. The Xiqi knew that as the Qin state's blockade became tighter, the previously easy supply would become increasingly difficult.

  Although the Yiqu were not good at besieging cities, they excelled in field battles! Therefore, the King of Yiqu decided to use the upper state as a base and launch surprise attacks on the Qin army. Although the enemy had an army of 200,000 men, although the enemy was led by the famous Bai Qi, none of these could shake the confidence of the Yiqu people in their victory.

  The pride of the Yiqu people did not deter Fan Yu. He clearly knew that relying on the 100,000 wolf riders, Yiqu could indeed be evenly matched with the Qin army in a short period of time, but only for a short time. Once the State of Qin blocked the road back to Yiqu, these 100,000 Yiqu wolf riders would become completely rootless and helpless.

  So far, Fan Yu still needs to use Yiqiu's stronghold in Qin State to tie down the main force of the Qin army. He knows that at present, Prince Ran is playing a big game, and the current strength disparity between the two sides is huge. What Prince Ran can do now is to slowly turn the tide of the current disadvantage, and the chaos in Guanzhong is an opportunity for Prince Ran to turn defeat into victory.

  "I suppose Zhao and Wei have already sent out their troops by now! I really want to see the expression on the King of Qin's face!" Fan Yu sighed silently in his heart.

  Five days later, Xianyang Palace.

  On the desk of the King of Qin, there were two almost simultaneous arrivals of 800-li urgent bamboo slips. The first one came from General Wei Lüji, which said that the Qin army had defeated the Yiqu Wolf Cavalry three times, killing 20,000 enemies. Currently, the Yiqu Wolf Cavalry has changed its strategy and no longer engages in head-on clashes with the Qin army. Under the policy of "clearing the countryside" implemented by the State of Qin, General Wei Lüji believed that within half a month, the Yiqu would retreat due to lack of food. At that time, the Qin army will pursue with all its might and must win a great victory.

  The second bamboo slip comes from the two counties of Hexi and Hedong, which says that Han, Zhao, and Wei have assembled an army of 400,000 to attack the two counties. The county governors are afraid they cannot resist, and request that Xianyang quickly dispatch reinforcements!

  "Haha", King Qin sneered and said: "How can I have troops to send to your aid?"

  "What is Wang Shang muttering about?" a voice suddenly echoed in Xianyang Palace.

  "Empress Dowager, why have you come here?" The Qin Emperor put down his bamboo slips and saw the Empress Dowager approaching with a gentle smile.

  "Everyone get down!" The empress waved her hand.

  "Yes!" The eunuch ordered a group of eunuchs and palace maids to carefully withdraw from the palace, slowly closing the door behind them.

  "With such a big mess happening in Qin State, if I don't show up now, what's the point?!" The Empress Dowager said discontentedly, tapping her dragon-head cane.

  "I'm useless as a son and have worried you, Mother." The King of Qin still showed sufficient respect to the woman who had helped him ascend to the throne.

  "Enough of the formalities, Your Majesty. What plans do you have for dealing with the current chaos?"

  The King of Qin sighed and said, "Yi Qu has rebelled and caused chaos in Guanzhong. Bai Qi led the army to attack for several days and only killed 200,000 enemy soldiers. Now Han, Zhao, and Wei have gathered a large army of 400,000 to attack my Qin land, and both Hedong and Hexi counties are sending emergency messages. I really don't know what to do. Just as I was about to summon the ministers to discuss how to respond."

  The empress nodded, but scolded: "Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, bears the fate of the great Qin state. How can you hang your head and lose spirit so easily? If Your Majesty's mind is in chaos, then the great Qin will truly be in chaos. In the early days when our great Qin was founded, it was difficult to survive, but we still managed to get through it. Now, with only 400,000 troops attacking two counties, can't you bear it? The difficulties of the nine states attacking Qin are something we can endure; now is no different."

  "The child has learned his lesson." The King of Qin replied with a serious expression.

  "Let's get back to the point, I also know that it's tough for you now, but the more so, the calmer you should be. Having been used to smooth sailing in the past, now that there's a setback, but as long as you get over it, Great Qin will still be the first superpower that shocks the world with one angry roar. Now that there are no outsiders around, tell me, old lady, what do you really think?"

  "After the Empress Dowager, Bai Qi sent a message saying that only 800,000 cavalrymen of the Yi Qu tribe were left. I think with Bai Qi's ability, an army of one million would be sufficient. Therefore, I plan to send an army of one million to support the two counties of Hexi and Hedong, and order the governor of Shangjun County to send 500,000 soldiers to support the two counties."

  "Is this what you mean by 'the king's intention'? I wonder what the king thinks his ministers will think?" The empress dowager shook her head and asked aloud.

  The King of Qin was unaware of this, and his heart was puzzled, but he still replied: "Most of the ministers should agree. This is already the only way that the child minister can think of."

  "Does the king really think so? I have received news that after hearing about Qin's great defeat, Chu is now eager to take back Yingdu. When the Chu army arrives, I wonder how the king plans to resist?" The queen mother's words were astonishing.

  Moreover, the Yiqu wolves come and go like the wind. After King You moved the 100,000-strong army led by Bai Qi away, what can be used to trap the 80,000 Yiqu wolf riders? Now that Xianyang has finally stabilized, if this news gets out, who knows how many civilians will worry about the Yiqu wolves breaking through and even attacking Xianyang. Has King You thought of all these possibilities?

  The King of Qin was left speechless, his mind already muddled by the successive defeats. He only thought about having it both ways, wanting to preserve his territory while also eliminating Yi Qu. However, he overlooked the people's hearts and the reaction of the six nations in Shandong, which was truly unacceptable. If what the Queen Mother said came true and Chu State joined in, it would be a disaster for Qin State! Perhaps Qi State and Yan State would also take advantage of the situation to gain some benefits.

  "Please instruct me!" The King of Qin asked with a serious expression.

  "Alright, if Your Majesty doesn't mind an old woman's words, I'll say a few things. If you think they make sense, listen; if not, just ignore them." The empress dowager paused and sighed: "Your Majesty's original intention was good - to eliminate the internal threat of Yiqiu, and externally defeat the invasion of Sanjin, weakening them. But Your Majesty has forgotten the current situation: Huyang fell too quickly, Yiqiou rebelled too quickly, and Sanjin arrived too quickly. Now we have both internal and external troubles, and can only solve one problem at a time. If you want to solve both at once, there simply isn't enough time. And if things go as Your Majesty says, it's very possible that neither will be solved."

  "The Guanzhong region is the foundation of our Great Qin, if Guanzhong falls into chaos, our Great Qin will suffer a great blow and cannot recover within ten years. In comparison, the invasion of Handan, Zhao and Wei in Hedong and Hexi is just a minor illness. Even if we lose Hexi and Hedong, as long as our national strength remains, we can retake them after several battles. Didn't Wu Qi take over Hexi County back then? We took it back soon after! As long as the Hangu Pass is in our hands, our Great Qin will stand unshakeable. Between internal worries and external threats, which one is lighter and which one is heavier, Your Majesty should be able to distinguish."

  "As for how to deal with the threat of Chu, that's even easier to solve. The reason why Chu is so eager to move is because our great Qin has taken down Yingdu, and all they want is to take advantage of our weakness to retake Yingdu. In my humble opinion, it would be better to simply return Yingdu to Chu and renew our old friendship with them. This way, we'll have one less enemy and one more ally. We can then send a skilled diplomat to persuade the King of Chu, promising him benefits, and he will surely attack Han and Wei instead. Besides, we may not necessarily be unable to hold on to the two counties of Hedong and Hexi!"

  "What does 'mother' mean?" Qin Wang asked uncertainly.

  "Han, Zhao and Wei's forces are too strong, the small cities under the two counties' jurisdiction can't be kept anyway. It's better to abandon the chariots and protect the commander! Gather all the money, grain and troops in the county city, and defend it to the death. As long as we hold out for a while, the overall situation in the world may change."

  "Mother's wonderful plan! I understand now!" The King of Qin finally showed a smile.

  The Empress Dowager's intention was not to consider the gain or loss of a city or a pool as a victory or defeat, but to contract the defense line in this great defeat. This would strengthen the defensive strength of Dingyang and Anyi, and use nearby cities to disperse the enemy's forces. If the enemy attacked, they would have to consider heavy casualties; if they did not attack, Dingyang and Anyi would become a thorn in the enemy's side, making them restless and tying up large numbers of enemy troops.

  The State of Qin can take advantage of this opportunity to contact Chu, Qi and Yan states. As long as the three states give a slight support to Qin, Han, Zhao and Wei will not dare to make any rash moves, and the matter of attacking the two counties of He Xi and He Dong may be settled.

  "It's fine as long as Your Majesty understands! The old lady is old, but the future of Great Qin still relies on you!"

  The King of Qin listened to the Empress Dowager's words, seemingly deep in thought, as if hinting at something about himself. Before he could think further, the King hastily assembled his ministers and informed them of his decision.