"Xiong Sheng is king?"

In the 11th year of Zhaohou Wuxi (478 BC), at the end of Xia June, in the Weiyang Palace in Yecheng, after receiving a secret report from Heiyi, Zhao Wuxi, who was discussing the summer harvest with the ministers, laughed out loud. To the people:

"Xiong Sheng really couldn't help it, but in the eyes of the widow, his actions were nothing more than a crown for a monkey!"

The monkey pretends to be an adult, washes his hair, then puts on a hat, steals a high position, and does things in a straight-forward manner. Zhao Hou's metaphor was just right, and Zi Gong and the others in the hall couldn't help but laugh.

In fact, Zhao Wushe has always been well aware of what happened in the south, because after more than ten years of development, Zhao's carrier pigeon system has been relatively complete. Xu, Cai, Guangling and other borders have post pigeon stations. The state of Chu changed, and the carrier pigeons could arrive at Yecheng one stop at a time, and immediately passed the information to Zhao Wuxi.

For this secret weapon, the breeding of the carrier pigeons was handed over to the governor of the government and others. As for the pigeon stations in the Zhao country, Zhao Wushi was handed over to the spy organization "Black Clothes" under the command of Meijianchi. If the Yulin guard is Zhao Wu The sword he held in his hand, the black one was the dagger he hid in his sleeve.

In the past ten years, under the instruction of Zhao Wuxi, Heiyi has spread all over the counties and lords, and compiled an invisible intelligence network, and even some black-clothed mixed into other countries, became other people's generals, and acted as Zhao State's spies. , so the news from various countries came very fast...

Sun Tzu admired this kind of strategy. He once made a lot of comments, saying that in any merger and war, 100,000 troops and thousands of miles of expedition will cost the people and the country's expenses every day. There are hundreds of thousands of families who are exhausted on the road and unable to engage in normal production. This stalemate for several years is to win the battle.

Therefore, intelligence is particularly important. What is the internal situation of the enemy country, who will they send in command, and what is the enemy's line and formation? Knowing yourself, knowing the enemy and winning a hundred battles, you must use your time to understand the enemy's situation in advance...

Chu State does not have such a strict household registration system as Zhao State, and it has long been infiltrated into a sieve by Zhao State's spies. In order to buy people's hearts and use scholars, this is especially true for Huainan, which does not refuse foreign tourists. As early as when Duke Bai entered Ying to preside over the reform, with the white pigeons flying into Yecheng, every move of all parties in Chu State was under Zhao Wuxi's eyes.

After sharing the information of the past few months with the ministers in the hall, Zhao Wuxi suddenly asked, "Tell me, why did Zhao Zhi's reform succeed, and why did Chu's reform fail?"

...

The ministers in the hall should be headed by Zhang Mengtan, the prime minister, but he did not answer immediately, but asked Dali Temple Secretary Deng Xixian, who was very familiar with laws and regulations, to speak first.

But after taking the blame for Zhao Hou last time, Deng Xi has not dared to say anything about Zhao Hou, who is unpredictable and unpredictable. After thinking about it, he carefully said: "Bai Gong is not the order of Chu State. Yin, the reform cannot be carried out to the end. Your lord says one thing, only the reform can be carried out."

"Dali's statement makes sense."

Zhao Wuxi nodded. In the past dynasties in China, the attitude of the supreme ruler who holds real power is very important to whether or not to implement reforms. Although Duke Bai was brave and determined to reform, he was not even Ling Yin. Once the reform was frustrated, he wanted to persevere, but Ling Yin of Chu did not dare to take risks. …

But that's not enough, Zhao Wuxi looked at Zhang Mengtan and wanted to hear his opinion.

Zhang Mengtan, who paid more attention to personnel affairs, said indifferently: "The change of Duke Bai was too hasty and the attack surface was too broad, so that the nobles of the Chu State rallied to attack it."

"Xiangbang's words are very true."

Zhao Wuxi admitted that Bai Gongsheng was indeed a person with a unique vision. He saw that the shortcomings of the Chu state were that "the ministers are too heavy, and the county magistrates are too numerous. If this is the case, the top will force the master and the bottom will abuse the people. This is the way of weak soldiers in a poor country. Also." So he moved all the reform measures of Zhao State to Chu State. Of course, what is this nonsense for Chu State, Zhao Wuxi doesn't believe it, Bai Gongsheng has been a minister of Zhao State for nearly ten years, who is Zhao Hou is still unclear?

Mean, violent, and less gracious, Xiong Sheng's background determines his character. This is an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf. Because Zhao Wuxi couldn't be sure that he could handle him to satisfy his ambition, he was cautious and let him return. The state of Chu was overturned.

Because he stayed in Zhao State and witnessed Zhao's strength, Xiong Sheng believed that there was only one way to die if he did not reform. As a man eager for quick success and a traitor who could not breathe under the pressure of Zhao State, he could not wait to destroy the old state of Chu State all at once. All the aristocratic forces were swept away, making the Chu country rapidly stronger, and at the same time cultivating its own forces and holding authority.

However, compared with the Central Plains, the aristocracy of Chu State was extremely powerful, and the intricate patriarchal and interpersonal relationships made the Gongzu and the county-gong group have deep roots. If Zhao Wuxi is to do it, he must master the priorities and differentiate the nobles.

However, Xiong Sheng's actions were taken hastily, which undoubtedly broke his life and was hated by the county magistrates. In addition, his attack was too broad, and his work was too simple and rude, which quickly intensified the contradiction, so that the entire Chu nobles hugged together and desperately opposed him.

"I think there is one more point." Finally, the newly appointed Taifu Ling Zigong spoke up. He thought that the problem was mostly considered from the perspective of economic foundation.

"Although there are many people who oppose Xiong Sheng, in the final analysis, his foundation is too weak. On the other hand, when the first emperors, Zhao Jinghou and Zhao Wuhou, had already implemented a 240-foot-square acre in the Zhao family, and they also cast punishment bells and promulgated laws. From this, there is a foundation for change. It took 20 years to reach the emperor, from a township to a city, from a city to a small state, and then from a small state to a large clan, and then swept the Jin and Shandong provinces. The change has also changed from abolishing the rituals of burial to the establishment of the "Zhao Law" as the national law, so that all classes in the Zhao state follow the rules and regulations... The foundation of the emperor has a strong foundation, and its momentum has been achieved. The ministers, even the Qi and Qin groups, are not afraid of attacking them!"

"Zigong said it well!"

Zhao Wuxi nodded: "I said a word, a tree that is hugged is born at the end of a millimeter; a platform of nine floors begins with a pile of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Reforming the law is not a young student in the academy. Let's go to the streets to talk, just shout a few slogans..."

For 20 years, Zhao Wuxi used the constant war of genocide and annexation to smash all the pots and pots that hindered his progress. A scholar class that had sprouted at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period was encouraged and created by the seedlings. Zhao Wuxi attacked the patriarchal family, supported the small peasant economy, and supported the self-cultivation farmers of five to eight families to become the main body of the country. , Military meritorious landlords also emerged, all over the counties. These people, they became a solid class for change.

However, the state of Chu, where Xiong Sheng was located, lacked these foundations. Only a group of ambitious foreign scholars forced the reform. The reform was also concentrated in political and personnel affairs. The people did not have immediate benefits, so naturally they would not support it wholeheartedly. It is like a person who is missing a leg and cannot go very far. Moreover, Zhao Wuxi's sword was aimed at enemies outside his family and abroad, while Duke Bai's sword had to be cut at his relatives and elders...

Zhao Wuxi knew all of the above, but he would not tell Xiong Sheng, but instead used that invisible hand to fuel the flames and make the situation develop in the direction he expected...

"Xiong Sheng disregarded the state of Chu and forced the reform, causing relatives to turn against each other, and the county magistrate was indignant, causing a shock. The nobles of Chu state unanimously asked him to step down, and Duke Bai became angry and launched a rebellion. After the capital of Ying was destroyed, the son of Chu Zhang has already fled north, so Xiong Sheng has arrogantly declared himself king again."

"As for Chu Zizhang, according to reliable sources, he has fled northwards and escaped into Yuancheng via Lanyi. Yuancheng is the capital of Chu State. , But for Yuancheng, he can only look at the city and sigh, after besieging the city for a while to no avail, he has turned to continue to attack the counties in Jianghan, and his Huainan nest is still constantly recruiting people to strengthen westward."

"At the same time, Chu Zizhang also asked Wan and Ye in the north for help. Ye Gongzigao must have already prepared his troops to go south for help... The current situation of the state of Chu is similar to that when Zhou Ping Wang and Zhou stood side by side with the king, but it was actually Ye Ye. The contest between Duke and Duke Bai."

Zhao Wuxi asked Zhang Mengtan again: "Xiangbang thinks that between the two, who can win?"

"The minister believes that the outcome should be between seven and three."

"Oh, who is seven and who is three?"

"Ye Gong is seven, the odds of winning are high, and Bai Gong is three, and the odds are small."

Zhao Wuxi asked: "Xiong Sheng's Huainan soldiers were trained using the Zhao State system, known as Chu Wu soldiers, and have experienced many times in the battle of Wu State, so they should have a better chance of winning on the battlefield, why is Xiangbang not optimistic about him? "

"Bai Gong slaughtered the nobles, but he may not win the hearts of the people of Chu. If he captures the son of Chu and orders the state of Chu, there is still a chance, but now he is brazenly declared king, and his ambition is obvious. In the end, this is just a mutiny surrounded by rebels in Huainan. That's all. Even if it can be rampant in Jianghan for a while, but as long as the county magistrates from all over the Chu country react and besiege together, Xiong Sheng has insufficient troops and is surrounded by enemies on all sides. With only one Yingdu and Huainan thousands of miles away, I am afraid that they will immediately be at a disadvantage. ."

"What's more, Ye Gong Shen Zhuliang's troops are not bad, plus Ye Dizheng Mingren, and he is attacking downstream, I'm afraid he won't fall behind. Plus he has the banner of quelling the rebellion for Chu Zi, and even Chu Country County The dukes share the same hatred. Even if the battlefield is unfavorable for a while, they can be defeated again and again. But Duke Bai only needs to lose once, and his power will collapse. And don’t forget, behind the Duke Bai, there are Yue Guo, Yue Guo, and Yue Guo. It is intertwined with Duke Bai's territory, plus Chu Zizhang is Goujian's grandson, which side Goujian stands on is self-evident, and both sides attack, Duke Bai may not be able to survive this year."

"Xiangbang's analysis is exquisite." Zhao Wuxi understood and fell into thinking.

In the past half a year, Zhao Wuxi tried his best to deceive the enemy, and performed a big play that could almost be faked. On the pretext of crusade against Chen Heng Korea, he went on an expedition to Jieshi, held the Marquis of Yan, stationed troops in Yanjing, and conquered the country of a thousand rides that was like a thorn in the back for Zhao. At the same time, Sanqi was also ruined by shipbuilding, and even if they had strange thoughts, they would not have the strength to rebel against Zhao.

And some small rebellions in Zhending County, Jibei, Jinan, and Lu Kingdom were quickly quelled by well-prepared county soldiers. Zhao's military, political economy and economy have never been so concentrated. And because of the blockage of information and the strategic deception of Zhao State, the princes in the south probably thought that Zhao Wuxi was still attacking Western Liaoning and Eastern Liaoning, and was preparing to attack Chen Heng Korea.

At this time, it is completely feasible to start a southward offensive ~lightnovelpub.net~.

But which side to attack first, Duke Ye or Duke Bai, Zhao Wuxi had to decide.

As Duke Ye headed south, Ye, Luyang, and Dongxibutang outside Fangcheng would definitely be empty. Similarly, as Duke Bai fought against the nobles of Chu State in Jianghan, Huainan was also empty, and he had to deal with the attack of Yue State. Therefore, no matter which side Zhao State is fighting, as long as a hundred thousand divisions are dispatched, it can be eaten in one bite, but it is not enough to fight at the same time, or even destroy the State of Chu in one fell swoop. After all, Zhao Wushi just finished fighting Donghu last year, and the northern counties lost a lot of money and food.

So after thinking about it, Zhao Wuxi decided not to hurry.

"Let the country complete the summer harvest first, and in July, first send troops from the Zhou family, and within a month, merge the Zheng Kingdom as the base of the army. After the autumn harvest, it will not be too late to go south to Tuchu!"

He looked at the map of Chu State that had been split into two pieces in the south, and said with a smile: "Let the two tigers, Ye Bai, consume themselves first without any external interference! The fiercer they fight, the more they split. The longer it lasts, the more beneficial it will be to the unification of the Zhao Kingdom!"

ps: Chapter 2 is at night