Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 275
The distance is too far, and the traffic jam is very serious. Regarding the matter of Emperor Chuyi Xiongxin, Xiang Kang can only lead his accomplices and lackeys to deduce as carefully as possible, and the arrangements are reliable or must be carried out manually, and then there is no The way to control the development of the situation, honestly hide in the pass and wait for the reply of the news.

During this period, of course, the Han army seized the time to complete the established army expansion plan, recruited troops, recruited soldiers, and expanded the army from more than 3 when it entered the customs to as many as 15 in one go. With a huge treasury, the new army was fully armed without much effort. It is a pity that the soldiers are still lack of training and cannot immediately form enough combat effectiveness. In addition, the Han army has to take over the Qin court to take on the heavy responsibility of resisting the Huns. Sufficient troops were left to guard Longxi, Jiuyuan, and Yunzhong counties, so the mobile army of the Han army that could really be used to fight for hegemony in the Central Plains was at most about [-], and the overall number of troops was still inferior to the aggressive Western Chu army. And Zhao Qi two countries.

Insufficient military strength has a lot to do with the internal policy of the Han army. Xiang Kang has never been a person who likes to be aggressive and useless. The decision-makers of the Han army also agreed that Guanzhong, Hanzhong, and Bashu should be regarded as the rear of the building, and there was no exhaustive conquest. Men of the right age enlisted in the army to catch fish, and carefully left a large amount of labor for production and construction to the civilian population. As a result, it was not without reward. With enough manpower to cultivate, the Han army's control area, which was not much damaged by the war, was destroyed this year. It is almost certainly a good year, and a large amount of grain and grass supplies can be obtained during the autumn harvest, laying the foundation for the Han army to contend for world hegemony in terms of grain.

In addition, the promotion of new farm tools and the reform of staple food, which Xiang Kang is most concerned about, are also proceeding very smoothly. The Quyuan plow and human plow invented in advance have just begun to be promoted to the people, and they soon received applause from the landlords and people in Guanzhong. Welcome, the farming technology has directly improved a lot, and the spring farming in the coming year will definitely use these advanced farm tools in large quantities.And when every kiosk was equipped with stone mills for free use by the people, pasta such as steamed buns, pancakes, and sliced ​​noodles were also welcomed by the people of Han at lightning speed. One of the staple foods of the common people has stabilized the price of rice in Han to a large extent and reduced the cost of living for the poor.

In addition, the soldiers of the Han army also enjoyed the blessings, especially during the army training, the soldiers of the Han army no longer had to eat only dried rice or sticky yellow rice balls, but directly ate steamed buns and pancakes. You can also eat steamed stuffed buns made from fermented flour, and the quality of food has soared. Almost everyone in the Han army applauds and welcomes them. At the same time, the advantages of flour products for alleviating hunger are gradually reflected in army training.

There are still problems that make the decision-makers of the Han army difficult. First of all, the attachment of people's hearts is not enough. Without Xiang Yukeng to kill Qin soldiers and burn Xianyang, the people of Qin lack a unified hatred target, so naturally it is not so easy to accept Xiang Kang This outsider.Secondly, the core backbone of the Han army is almost all outsiders. They live far away from their relatives and relatives in Guanzhong. It is self-deception to say that they have no homesickness, and it also affects the morale of the Han army to a certain extent.The third is that there are still many survivors of the Qin court who are still nostalgic for the previous dynasty, becoming an indefinite time bomb ambushing inside the Han army.

In this regard, Xiang Kang has no particularly effective solution. He can only make a fuss about the lenient criminal law and the reduction of corvee, completely abolish the harsh Qin law that was revised by Zhao Gao beyond recognition, and re-enact the simple and relatively mild Qin law. At the same time, stop all unnecessary civil engineering and reduce the corvee burden of the people in Qin, so as to appease the people and buy people's hearts.

In addition, Xiang Kang also sacrificed his enjoyment, sealed up all Guanzhong palaces except Xianyang Palace, and abolished the Royal Park of Shangyuan, which specially raised rare birds and animals, to minimize court expenses and indirectly reduce the burden on the people. All the court ladies outside the Han Dynasty were returned to the people, and these young and beautiful court ladies were assigned to the soldiers of the Han army as much as possible, which not only won the hearts of the army, but also reduced the burden of money and food and increased the population. ——Because of this matter, Xiang Kang was also scolded by Wei Wei, one of his mother-in-law, "I was born poor, and I don't know how to enjoy myself if I have a palace. Don't you give one to my aunt!"

In terms of military spirit, Xiang Kang also made a public promise that sooner or later he would go out of Guanzhong to rescue the families and relatives of the Han army soldiers or let the Han army soldiers return to their hometowns to settle down.As for the remnants of the Qin court, Xiang Kang is ruthless. Once a rebel is found, he will be killed immediately and will never be forgiven. A survivor of the Qin court. ——Of course, doing so is doomed to have slow results, and it is bound to be a long way to go to completely eliminate Qin Ting's influence.

The external environment of the Han army is not optimistic, because the Han army in Nanyang was destroyed too quickly, and Xiang Kang’s plan to leave a dilapidated Nanyang to Liu Laosan was greatly affected. A large number of people, money and food could not be evacuated or transferred in time, making Liu Laos San successfully obtained most of Nanyang, which was not destroyed by the war, and became a sharp knife on Xiang Kang's waist.After Yingbo went south to Nanjun, he also quickly controlled large areas of land such as Nanjun and Changsha, which were in a semi-empty state, and became a threat beside Xiang Kang.

The same is true for the northern line. Sima Xin, who successfully won Taiyuan County, has a close relationship with Xiang Yu, and there is almost no possibility of reconciliation with the Han army; Kang did not have this confidence; let alone Dong Yi, the fief is currently controlled by the Han army, and it is destined to be at odds with the Han army. It is only a matter of time before we fight to the death.

Needless to say, the situation on the Eastern Front was the worst. Sima Ang's buttocks were still sitting firmly on Xiang Yu's side. Although he had no plans to start a war with Xiang Kang for the time being, when Xiang Yu marched eastward, Sima Ang's army was almost certain to Fight side by side with Xiang Yu.At the same time, Shen Yang next to Sima Ang was also one of the hidden dangers of the Han Army's Eastern Front.

The only ally, Zhao Guo, is also constantly disgusting Xiang Kang, openly coercing Xiang Kang to admit Zhao Guo's territorial claim to Shangdang County, and insisting that Xiang Kang send troops to the north to attack the coalition forces of Sima Xin, Zhang Han and others. Hui, Zhao Guoxu and Wei Snake tried their best to delay the time to turn their faces, but because the Han army couldn't spare to go north to deal with the alliance of the three kings in Guanzhong, and Xiang Yu's direct threat to Zhao Guo, Zhao Guo and Xiang Kang completely turned their faces, and it was only a matter of time. question.

In the face of such a harsh external environment, Xiang Kang certainly hoped that his strategy would succeed, and he would successfully prompt his cousin Xiang Yu to kill Xiong Xin directly as in history, allowing himself to gain a broader diplomatic space.The result is also that the sky has no eyes, promoting the evil and bullying the good. I just received the news that Zhang Han and Dong Yi's coalition forces have successfully taken Daijun. The good news came that Xiongxin died of a sudden illness.

"Death from a sudden illness? Death from a sudden illness?" Xiang Kang first yelled twice, then laughed wildly and said, "My elder brother has made some progress, and he even knows how to make excuses to cover it up! What a sudden illness and death, I will If you don’t believe me, the fire will be contained in the paper, and the truth will not be revealed to the world?”

Overjoyed, Xiang Kang did not hesitate, and immediately announced the good news to several of his cronies. As a result, Chen Ping, Zhou Zeng and other insiders were of course very happy when they heard it, and they all knew that the general trend of the world would soon turn against the Han army. Favorable, Zhang Liang, who did not know that he had sent a messenger to Uncle Xiang, was baffled and said in surprise, "How is this possible? Emperor Yi is only seventeen or eighteen years old, how could he die so suddenly?"

"Mr. Zifang, it's all thanks to you!"

Xiang Kang didn't hide anymore, and finally told Zhang Liang the ins and outs of sending someone to pretend to be Zhang Liang's envoy to contact Master Xiang Bo. Next time you do something like this, can you tell the ministers first?"

"Mr. Zifang, forgive me. Firstly, you were still in Hanzhong, so it was too late to ask for your permission." Xiang Kang smiled and apologized, "In addition, I am also a little worried that you are concerned about King Han's safety and are unwilling to do so, so I cut it first and played it later. I impersonate your reputation, please don't mind."

After finishing speaking, Xiang Kang quickly said: "But don't worry, Mr. Zifang, in the letter to my uncle Ji, I used your reputation to intercede for King Han, and also hinted to him that you are willing to continue to serve as an internal response to the Western Chu army. King Han is not dead. If there is no accident, my elder brother and my uncle Ji will definitely not kill King Han again, and will only offer him as a treasure."

Zhang Liang didn't answer, but after careful consideration for a long time, Zhang Liang said, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. Logically speaking, Han Wang should only be safer. But Han Wang, have you considered the dangerous consequences of doing so?"

"What dangerous consequences?" Xiang Kang was taken aback.

Zhang Liang sighed lightly, and then said: "The King of Han's plan is really clever, and the foreign ministers can be sure that it must be because Uncle hated Emperor Yi and agreed to help you kill him, so he tried his best to encourage King Xichu to kill Yi recklessly. Emperor. But the King of Han must not forget that King Xichu is not without capable people who will not fail to tell King Xichu of the various adverse consequences of killing Emperor Yi. With King Xichu's temper, his mouth will definitely be extremely tough , I will never admit my mistake, but I may not regret it in my heart."

"If the King of Western Chu regrets in his heart, then someone must be in trouble." Zhang Liang smiled and continued: "The King of Western Chu regrets in his heart, so he must find a punching bag to vent his anger. The King of Han thinks who is most likely to become The punching bag of King Xichu?"

Xiang Kang's complexion suddenly changed, and he knew with his toes that Xiang Yu would definitely use his wicked cousin as a punching bag.Zhang Liang took the opportunity to retaliate against Xiang Kang for ruining his reputation, and said with a smile: "Estimated time, even if the injury of the King of Western Chu has not fully recovered, at least it will not affect the command of the army. Now the princes outside the pass may be afraid of him. Power and power, or you want to take advantage of the fire to loot, or you are like Liu Ji, afraid of your revenge in the future, seeing the king of Western Chu marching into Guanzhong, guess how many princes will join forces to attack you?"

Xiang Kang's face was no longer happy, and his expression began to cry, but Zhang Liang gloated and said, "If the king of Han asked the foreign minister's opinion at that time, the foreign minister would definitely advise you and tell you not to do this. Hurry up and anger the King of Western Chu."

"Because of the current situation, the later the King of Western Chu sends troops to Guanzhong, the more favorable the situation in the world will be to you. The reason is also very simple. The longer the time drags on, the easier it is for conflicts to arise. You have the opportunity to defeat Wei Bao and Chai Wu one by one, just like you did with Wei Bao and Chai Wu. Even if the King of Western Chu forcibly gathers them into a group, the princes outside the pass will be scattered like sand due to various internal conflicts and different interests, reducing your pressure .”

"But the situation is completely different now." Zhang Liang smiled gloatingly, and said, "Sima Xin, Liu Ji, Yingbo, and Shenyang, the princes who just won their fiefs, are still very aggressive and have a chance. I definitely want to rush into Guanzhong to snatch as much money as possible. Dong Yi is staring at your upper county and northern land. Although Zhang Han understands that you want to win him over, he is afraid that the King of Western Chu will not make up his mind easily. Zhao Guo hates you for not helping They rescued Taiyuan and Daijun, and Sima Ang who was caught in the middle did not dare to offend the King of Western Chu, when they came to kill together with the King of Western Chu, how do you plan to resist, Your Majesty?"

Zhang Liang's strategic vision is indeed far ahead of Xiang Kang's. What he said made Xiang Kang's face pale, and he had to regret that he acted too hastily and angered his hot-tempered cousin too early, and did not leave himself much buffer preparation time. , Chen Ping and Zhou Zeng next to each other also looked at each other, and only then realized that they were too impatient. They only wanted to eliminate Xiang Yu's tyranny to give the princes an advantage, but they forgot that the initiative was still on Xiang Yu's side. It is still very difficult to resist.

It's still not bad, Zhang Liang is not as dissatisfied with Xiang Kang as before, after gloating for a while, Zhang Liang said again: "But don't worry about the King of Han, now you still have a chance to make up for it, you can temporarily stabilize it." King Xichu, let him spread his anger on others."

"Mr. Zifang, how should Xiao Wang make up for it?" Xiang Kang asked quickly.

"Of course, quickly set up an enemy for King Xichu, and let him bear the wrath of King Xichu for you." Zhang Liang said in a deep voice: "This enemy is also an ally that the foreign ministers have planned for you for the King of Han, but the timing is still too late. Not mature enough, so I didn’t mention it in front of you, Hanwang, but in the current situation, Hanwang, you can only quickly pull them out to share the pressure for you.”

"Mr. Zifang said, could it be Tian Shi and Tian Rong from Qi State?" Chen Ping took the conversation and asked calmly.

"It's them." Zhang Liangzheng nodded, and said, "Tianshi and Tianrong are both kings and prime ministers of Qi, but when the king of Western Chu divided up the princes in Luoyang, he deprived them of the title of king of Qi, changed them to kings of Jiaodong, and conferred Tian They are all kings of Qi, who control the fertile land of Qi, they must hate King Xichu deeply, and as long as there is a chance, they will definitely send troops to attack King Xichu's back."

"Since the King of Western Chu is very likely to send troops to Guanzhong, you, King of Han, should quickly send envoys to contact them and conclude an alliance with them, agreeing to attack the Western Chu army back and forth, and let them attack the Western Chu army when the King of Western Chu sends troops to the west. Take the opportunity to send troops to attack Pengcheng, making it difficult for the King of Western Chu to look at the head and tail. The King of Western Chu will be furious when he hears the news, and he will definitely send troops to attack Tian Rong who is close at hand. Divide the princes outside the pass."

Xiang Kang listened carefully, and only after Zhang Liang finished speaking, Xiang Kang said: "The method is a good one. Tian Shi and Tian Rong are indeed our natural allies, and there is a great hope to win them over, but I am afraid that the time has passed." It's too late. Also, how can we let my elder brother know about this, do we have to ask Mr. Zifang to come forward and inform me again?"

"It's enough to do it once in a while. Foreign ministers send people to report on everything. Sooner or later, the King of Western Chu will be suspicious, so let the foreign minister, the traitor, stay for a while and serve the King of Western Chu later. .”

Zhang Liang smiled again, and then said: "Your Majesty, didn't you receive an urgent report today that Dai County has fallen? Taking this opportunity, quickly send envoys to Hetian City and Tian Rong via the State of Zhao to contact , when your envoys pass by the State of Zhao, the State of Zhao hates you for not saving them, and is eager to please the King of Western Chu who has changed his words and forgave them. Wouldn't Tian Rong and the others' conspiracy be known to the King of Western Chu as a matter of course?"

Xiang Kang finally turned his worry into joy, and said with a big laugh: "Thanks to you, Mr. Zifang, who still claims to be not good at schemes, this conspiracy of yours is much more effective than ours."

Zhang Liang smiled slightly, then changed his serious face again, and said, "King of Han, among the princes of the world, I am afraid that only Tian Shi and Tian Rong will help you deal with the King of Western Chu wholeheartedly, so no matter what, this time You must not let Tian Shi and Tian Rong die, as long as you confirm that the King of Western Chu sent troops to attack them, you must immediately take corresponding actions, send troops to attack the princes around you who are firmly on the side of the King of Western Chu, and force him to fight against them. The King of Western Chu asks for help. This will not only relieve the pressure on Tianshi and Tianrong, so that they can hold back the King of Western Chu for you for a long time, but also let the princes around you take a look and help the King of Western Chu to fight against you. What kind of end is it!"

Xiang Kang nodded immediately without even thinking about it, and then hurriedly said: "Mr. Zifang, I must first be a villain and apologize to you. The road from Guanzhong to Nanyang is too narrow and long, and the transportation of grain and grass is difficult. Mrs. Liu Jipi It's too treacherous, even if I send troops to show my prestige, it is unlikely that I will choose to send troops to Nanyang to rescue King Han for you as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty, you don't need to explain. The foreign ministers understand your difficulties." Zhang Liang was still very easy to talk, and said: "How to save King Han, the foreign ministers also have some ideas in their minds, but the time is not ripe yet. When the time is ripe, The foreign ministers will then ask the King of Han to help."

Xiang Kang quickly agreed, patted his chest and promised that he would do his best to help Zhang Liang rescue Han Cheng. Then Xiang Kang discussed carefully with Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, and decided on a plan to send an envoy to Jiaodong to bring disasters to the east. Manually put into practice.

In the end, after sending the envoys to Jiaodong, Xiang Kang suddenly remembered something, and thought to himself: "Is it too much? The average casualty rate of the envoys I sent out is probably higher than that of the siege troops." The casualty rate of the dead soldiers is even higher? If this continues, who else would dare to be my envoy?"

After realizing that it seemed inappropriate to do so, Xiang Kang quickly made up his mind and decided to add some pensions to the family members of the envoys of the Han Army and the Young Marshal Army who had already sacrificed for him. If there is no one who is comparable to my age and appearance, I will take care of them personally, so that the envoys I send out in the future can have peace of mind, work for me and sacrifice their lives.

By the way, this is not because Xiang Kang is lustful, but Zhang Liang, Zhou Zeng and others have already reminded Xiang Kang in a roundabout way, and advised Xiang Kang to work harder at night, get more children out, and then he can use them Marriage, either to win over cronies, or to make friends with princes, increased the cohesion of the Han army and Xiang Kang's political chips.

(End of this chapter)