I am already immortal, why should I ascend to become an immortal?

Chapter 238: The Qin army was defeated, Lü Buwei abandoned Hangu Pass and retreated south

"Your Excellency Chang Lingjun, isn't this a bit too hasty?"

From the year before to now, people from the three countries of Chu, Tang and Qi have been staying in Hangu Pass for more than half a year.

Even though there have been several attempts to break through after the heavy snow dissipated, they have never been on such a large scale.

"The outcome of a war is often decided in a split second. Now that the retreat route to Hangu Pass has been cut off, both sides have run out of food and grass and can only last a few days. If the outcome of a war is not decided tomorrow, do we have to wait any longer?"

Lord Chang Ling glared at the Qi general who had just questioned him, paused for a moment, and then continued.

"Deploy the troops tomorrow. Move the whole army 50 miles north, leaving the southern side of the pass completely empty. At the beginning of Chenshi and the end of Sishi, all three armies will call for battle. If the enemy flees southward, there is no need to chase them. All we have to do is wait to take over Hangu Pass!"

A few hours later, in the Qin army camp.

"Prime Minister, the enemy has three times as many troops as ours. We have no advantage at all in a battle on the plain. Why don't we retreat to Hangu Pass and use defense as an attack?"

Yingdang covered his bandaged right hand and asked Lu Buwei while sighing in his heart that it was a good thing he was left-handed, otherwise after cutting off four fingers, he would probably have no fighting power at all.

"Yes, even if Hangu Pass was half destroyed by Lian Po, it is still better than nothing!"

Zi'an couldn't understand why they had to give up the advantage of Hangu Pass and go out to meet the enemy.

With three times the number of troops, even the invincible Qin army would find it difficult to win this time.

"The three kingdoms have retreated a hundred miles. Lord Chang Ling is trying to give me a chance to escape to the south!"

How could Lu Buwei not know what Chang Lingjun meant? If the armies of the Three Kingdoms were besieged at the entrance of Hangu Pass, it would be extremely difficult for the Qin army to break out of the narrow valley. A million-strong army could at most break out of the siege with more than 100,000 people.

The reason why Lord Chang Ling retreated his troops a hundred miles was simply to make Lu Buwei choose to retreat southward on his own initiative and exchange the Hangu Pass for the least loss.

"Report~~~"

The messenger rushed into the tent with a command flag in his hand and knelt on one knee. His trembling knees and pale cheeks all indicated that something bad was about to happen.

"Say!"

Lu Buwei's eyebrows moved and twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

"The enemy has over two million soldiers stationed in the northeast, and they seem to be preparing to launch an all-out attack!"

The messenger swallowed his saliva and spoke stutteringly.

"what?"

The generals slammed the table and stood up.

They didn't expect that on the second day after coming out of seclusion, Lord Chang Ling was ready to suppress the entire army to fight a decisive battle with Da Qin.

Among all the people, the one with the heaviest expression was the Prime Minister of the Qin State, Lu Buwei.

Originally, Lu Buwei thought that as long as the tower was destroyed, the Qin Dynasty, which controlled Hangu Pass, would be invincible.

But who would have thought that Lian Po would appear along the way and destroy the Hangu Pass that had stood tall for hundreds of years.

But this is not the end. Immediately afterwards, Lord Chang Ling took out the royal seal of Ying Chu and mobilized the great Qin national destiny to destroy the food and baggage supplies in the rear.

These repeated unexpected operations completely disrupted Lu Buwei's original plan.

"Damn it, this is too much, let's fight those bastards!"

Zi'an picked up the long knife, his face filled with extreme anger.

In addition to him, the same was true for Li Xin, Ying Dang and Ying Ji.

Killing the enemy before the battle and dying at the hands of the enemy is a sign of poor skills.

However, as a Qin citizen, he defected from his country and plunged the Qin into an unprecedented crisis. The hatred for Chang Lingjun made everyone so angry that they wanted to skin him alive.

It’s just past the hour of Chen.

Everyone followed Lu Buwei to the front of the camp.

A hundred miles away, I saw the enemy's army of more than two million people lined up in neat rows, as if they were ready to charge forward at any time.

"Sir, although there is a chance of winning this battle, it is less than 20%. There is no chance to go south now. It is better to disperse the army and take a detour to San and Wu Pass. After returning to Daqin, we can make a long-term plan!"

Zhuan Zhu, one of the five generals, came up to Lu Buwei and spoke softly.

Unlike the dead "Ke", Yaoli, Nie Zheng, and Zhu Hai who was as thick-skinned and tough as a black bear, Zhuan Zhu had the demeanor of a great general and was a calm person. Even when facing a huge enemy force in front of him, there was no trace of panic in his eyes. He was even so calm that it was a little scary.

huh~~
"How could I not know what Lord Chang Ling meant? The southern gate is wide open and unguarded. Isn't it because he wants me to give up Hangu Pass?"

Lu Buwei let out a long sigh and subconsciously tried to move the things in his hands, but when he looked down, he found that his hands were empty.

"Sir, you often said before that the most important thing about doing business is to make a profit. You can do it even if it is a small profit, but the most taboo is to try to make a small profit with a big investment. After all, if you fail, you will lose everything!"

Although Zhuan Zhu's words were obscure, Lu Buwei was not stupid and could naturally understand them.

But if we retreat now, it will be considered a defeat.

If he wants to regain military power in the future, Ying Lou will never give him any chance.

The reason why Lu Buwei opened the gate and sent troops was just to find an opportunity for peace talks.

"Zhuan Zhu, go to the Three Kingdoms camp!"

After thinking for a moment, when Lu Buwei was about to send Zhuan Zhu to negotiate with Chang Lingjun.

In the distance, I saw a man and a horse rushing towards this side, raising a cloud of dust.

"I am an envoy sent by His Excellency Chang Lingjun, and I have something to discuss with Qin's Prime Minister Lu Buwei!"

As the man got closer, he was seen holding a small flag with the word "Chu" printed on it in his right hand, waving a whip and shouting.

"Are you here to persuade me to surrender? Look, I'm going to kill this guy."

Just as Zi'an was about to draw his sword and step forward impulsively, Jin Chan, who had not expressed any opinion for a long time, simply reached out and stopped him.

"Don't be impulsive!"

"I am Huang Xie, the Prime Minister of the State of Chu. I am here on the orders of Lord Chang Ling and the King of Chu to discuss matters with Lü Buyou, the Prime Minister of the State of Qin."

Huang Xie, Chunshen Jun Huang Xie!

After hearing this person introduce himself, even Lu Buwei was slightly surprised.

Now that the four countries are at a life-and-death battle, the King of Chu and Lord Chang Ling actually sent Lord Chunshen, one of the Four Gentlemen of the Central Plains.

"Boss Jin, this guy is Chunshen Jun, one of the Four Gentlemen. Kill him and the Qin Dynasty will have one less powerful enemy in the future!"

Even Li Xin, who doesn't act impulsively, wanted to draw his sword and chop off Huang Xie's head at this moment.

"Everyone, I came here this time, first of all, on the orders of Lord Chang Ling, to persuade you to surrender."

Before Huang Xie could finish his words, the Qin generals drew their swords from their waists, as if to say, "If you say another word, I'll chop off your head."

"The Qin people are really vulgar!"

Huang Xie is worthy of being one of the Four Gentlemen of the Central Plains. Even though he is powerless, he remains neither humble nor arrogant. Facing these generals who can easily take his life, there is not a trace of cowardice in his eyes and he even dares to speak sarcastically.

"Little pretty boy, you are the first person to persuade my Qin army to surrender. Grandpa will chop off your head now, and when my army marches eastwards to Chu, I will give it to that old bastard King of Chu."

Yingdang, who had four fingers broken, drew out the long sword from his waist and placed it on the other's slender neck when he heard Huang Xie dare to insult the Qin people.

"General Yingdang, please stop!"

Lü Buwei stepped forward and placed his hand on Yingdang's sword: "If this man is just trying to persuade us to surrender, it won't be too late to kill him later!"

As the Prime Minister of the Qin State, Lu Buwei was enough to crush Huang Xie in terms of both momentum and physique.

"Tell me, what's the second thing?"

"The second thing is that Chu can withdraw its troops now and no longer participate in the Three Kingdoms' attack on Qin. After Lincheng is returned, it can also provide you with food and fodder!"

Huang Xie raised his hand, pulled out the long knife from his neck, and then spoke to everyone.

The State of Chu withdrew its troops?
Lu Buwei's heart skipped a beat. If Chu retreated now, Qin would not be without the ability to fight Qi and Tang, especially since Chu still had a great general like Xiang Yu.

"continue!"

However, there is no good thing in this world that comes without a reason. There must be conditions for the withdrawal of Chu troops. Lu Buwei, who has been doing business for decades, naturally knows this.

"The King of Chu said that if the Prime Minister is willing to hand over all the banks in the world to the Chu royal family, Chu can withdraw its troops now!"

As expected, although the three kingdoms' attack on Qin was initiated by Lord Chang Ling, they each had their own agenda.

Qin was adjacent to Qi in the northwest and separated from Tang by a mountain in the southwest. Qi Wang Tian Jian and the old Tang Wang naturally wanted to conquer Qin and expand their territory.

But the State of Chu was different from Qi and Tang.

Only Lincheng is a few hundred miles away from Hangu Pass. If the Three Kingdoms really conquered Qin, a fortress like Hangu Pass would never be given to Chu.

At the beginning, the King of Chu did plan to easily break through the pass by climbing the tower, and then divide up all the territories of Daqin and extend the territory westward with Lincheng as the center.

But now it seems that even if Hangu Pass is captured, as long as the Qin army returns south, it may not be able to capture Xianyang.

Even if peace talks were eventually held, Chu still would not be able to divide up the land, so this war would have been a benefit to others while Chu would have gained nothing.

After careful consideration last night, Huang Xie wrote a letter back to the capital of Chu. Rather than losing troops and not getting a city, it would be more cost-effective to get the Tianxia Money House, which gathered most of the world's wealth, into the hands of the royal family.

"Prime Minister, this is feasible!"

In the eyes of generals like Li Xin and Zi'an, exchanging a mere bank in the world for victory in the Battle of Hangu Pass was definitely a good deal.

But this matter was another matter in Lu Buwei's mind.

The world's money houses and the world's granaries are his last resort. If one of them is damaged, it would be like cutting off one's own arm.

Never do this unless it is absolutely necessary.

"There is no need to say more about this matter. Go back and tell Lord Chang Ling that my Qin army will retreat southward in half an hour. If he stays where he is, I will give you this Hangu Pass. But if he sends out his troops, then we will fight to the death!"

Lu Buwei's words were beyond everyone's expectations.

They didn't expect that for the sake of a bank in the world, Lu Buwei would actually give up the throat of the eastern part of the Qin Dynasty.

"Prime Minister, if Hangu Pass is lost, the Qin army will be cut off from the possibility of moving eastward. If it wants to move south, it can only cross the Qinling Mountains. If it wants to move north, it has to cross the river. It will be difficult for the army to move!"

"Yes, Prime Minister, as long as Chu withdraws its troops, we will be able to defeat Qi and Tang!"

Looking at the commotion of the crowd, Jin Chan laughed in his heart.

It seems now.

Lu Buwei had to either give away all the money houses in the world or retreat southward, but no matter what he chose, it would be tantamount to destroying his own foundation.

If he gives away all the money houses in the world, then the power he has accumulated with great difficulty will slowly go down the drain.

If we retreat southward, there will be no possibility of regaining military power.

As for a life-and-death battle at Hangu Pass, Ying Lou could be absolutely sure that Lu Buwei, who had been a businessman for decades, would never make such a decision.

As for what Huang Xie just said.

How could Lord Chang Ling not have anticipated this when he was lobbying the State of Chu?

All of this is the conclusion reached by Chang Lingjun and Ying Lou after day and night of deduction and analysis.

so.

Ever since Lu Buwei was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Hangu Pass, his fate was already determined.

Although many accidents happened in the process, thanks to Chang Lingjun and Jin Chan's maneuvers on both sides, they did not deviate from the planned plan.

"Prime Minister, make a decision!"

Jin Chan came to Huang Xie and turned to speak to Lu Buwei.

"I have already said that we should withdraw our troops southward."

When Lu Buwei said this, he almost gritted his teeth.

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Chan instantly pulled out the fish belly from his waist and chopped off Huang Xie's head with one sword.

"This person cannot be kept!"

Jin Chan's sword strike was, on the one hand, to help the Qin State eliminate its future strong enemy, but the most important thing was to stop Lu Buwei from thinking of peace talks.

After Lu Buwei made the decision, the Qin army began to wave flags and asked everyone to get ready and head south.

Looking at the mighty Qin army moving towards the south.

On this side of the Three Kingdoms Alliance.

Xiang Yu and Li Cunxiao looked at each other. They had never expected that the Qin army would actually retreat southward.

"Your Excellency Chang Lingjun, the Qin army has withdrawn!"

Standing on the observation deck, Chang Lingjun held the railing with both hands, squinted his eyes and looked ahead.

The Qin army retreated. This was the first time that the Qin army, known as a group of tigers and wolves, retreated on such a large scale.

As a Qin person, Chang Lingjun felt mixed emotions.

"Your Majesty, I have done it. Now I will sacrifice my life to get back Hangu Pass, and in return bring about the eternal prosperity of our Great Qin!"

Lord Chang Ling lowered his head and glanced coldly at the coalition forces of Chu, Tang and Qi below him.

These days.

Hangu Pass was almost breached and countless Qin soldiers died. Every time it broke Chang Lingjun's heart.

But Lord Chang Ling knew that if he didn't do this, Ying Lou would never regain the royal power, and the unification of the Central Plains by the Qin Dynasty would be even more out of reach.

The sandstorm stirred up by the Qin army's retreat to the south hurt his old cheeks.

Looking at the ruined Hangu Pass, Chang Lingjun knew that his life was about to come to an end.

the other side.

Under Lu Buwei's arrangement.

Yingdang, Yingji and himself were the first to cross the mountains and enter Qin from Wuguan.

The wounded white horse was placed in the middle and would set off after the road ahead was cleared.

Jin Chan, Li Xin and Zi'an stayed behind to cover their retreat and entered Qin from Sanguan.

So the mighty Qin army was divided into three teams and prepared to cross the Qinling Mountains.

"Boss, are we going to withdraw now?"

Four days later.

Jin Chan, Li Xin, Zi'an, Mu Xuanzi and Tang Qianyan sat around a campfire, roasting a wild boar they had just shot, drinking wine and eating the meat.

"Where do you think Lu Buwei is now?"

Jin Chan asked leisurely, as if his mood was not affected by the retreat.

"Humph, who knows where that old dog Lu has gone. I wonder how he will explain to the king when he returns this time!"

While Zi'an was gnawing on the pork leg, he did not forget to curse Lu Buwei.

"Boss, why do I feel like something is wrong with you? It seems like you have some other plans!"

Li Xin picked up the wine bowl and clinked glasses with Jin Chan, then began to ask.

However, as soon as he said this, others suddenly felt that Jin Chan seemed a little abnormal in the past few days.

Not to mention that the marching speed was incredibly slow, there was no trace of frustration from the defeat on his face.

"By the way, how many soldiers do you have now?"

After Jin Chan finished the wine in the bowl in one gulp, he asked the other people.

"Ninety thousand!"

"One hundred thousand!"

The three of them looked at each other. Although they didn't know what Jin Chan meant, they still told the truth.

"The Jin family army still has 140,000 soldiers, plus Bai Macuo's 150,000 soldiers, a total of 480,000 soldiers!"

"Reorganize the entire army tonight and return to Hangu Pass early tomorrow morning!"

Jin Chan smiled and said this to everyone.

(End of this chapter)