People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"Therefore, if we want to defeat Qin, we must find another way, bypass Hangu Pass, and enter Qin territory through other routes."

Cao Ze looked at the map in the tent and, combining it with his own thoughts, offered his insights.

Fortunately, I learned seven languages ​​from Jingni, otherwise I wouldn't be able to understand the map.

After listening, Li Mu mentally assessed Cao Ze's words and concluded that they weren't very good; they were merely generalities and somewhat empty rhetoric.

"If you were the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, how would you plan to find another way?"

Li Mu continued to ask.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it today, Cao Ze simply started joking around. Did he really think that all the netizens praising him as "Little Zhuge Liang" were just jokes?

He's at least a seasoned troll who frequented the history section.

Cao Ze stared at the map, thinking as he spoke:

"The army split into two routes. One route sent ordinary soldiers to launch a feigned attack on Hangu Pass, to lull the Qin army into a false sense of security and tie down most of the Qin army at Hangu Pass."

"The other route will be to dispatch elite troops from north of Puban. Speed ​​is of the essence. Quickly break through the Puban Pass, cross the river, and head south along the river. From Yin Jin, head straight for Xianyang. As long as we capture the King of Qin, the allied forces will be victorious."

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Mu's eyes. General Pang Nuan and his secret letter had said the same thing.

The allied forces lacked numerical superiority, and each of the five nations had its own agenda, so a swift victory was the only option; a protracted conflict was not an option.

Li Mu straightened his back involuntarily, showing his respect for Cao Ze. Sima Shang, standing to the side, looked surprised, rarely seeing the general so serious.

"Outside Xianyang of Qin, there were three barriers: Hangu Pass, Yin Jin, and Zuicheng. Qin had capable people who considered the possibility of the allied forces taking a detour, so they stationed 200,000 Qin troops at Yin Jin, which could both support Hangu Pass and prevent the allied forces from attacking Xianyang."

"Young man, what do you think is the key to this battle?"

Cao Ze said without hesitation, "The key is whether the allied forces can take Xianyang and capture Ying Zheng and Empress Dowager Zhao Ji before the garrison at Hangu Pass and other places can come to its aid."

"If it were you, young man, what choice would you make?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Continue to divide the army into two groups. Leave one group of troops to attack Yin Jin, and the rest of the troops will cross Yin Jin and head straight for Zuicheng. Once Zuicheng is captured, Xianyang will be like fish on a chopping board."

"Xianyang, as the capital, is not easy to conquer." Li Mu threw out a smokescreen, wanting to see if Cao Ze had just stumbled upon it by chance.

"Hey, General, is this a test? Xianyang is indeed a high and fortified city, but if Zuicheng is attacked, Xianyang will definitely send Qin troops from within the city to support Zuicheng in order to ensure the absolute safety of the capital. Therefore, as long as Zuicheng is captured, wouldn't Xianyang, which has no soldiers to defend it, be like fish on a chopping block?"

After Cao Ze finished speaking, he added with lingering enthusiasm, "Therefore, whether this battle is won or lost depends on how quickly General Pang Nuan can breach Zuicheng."

Although we don't know how the Five Kingdoms Alliance was fought in history, historical records do state that the allied forces attacked Zuicheng, which was only a few dozen miles from Xianyang.

By reasoning back from the effect to the cause, and considering Li Mu's description of the battle situation at the front, it's not difficult to rationalize the situation and arrive at a conclusion that can fool people.

Li Mu was somewhat shocked that Cao Ze, at such a young age, had such a profound understanding of the battle after only hearing a brief account of the frontline situation.

Even if it were him, he would need to think about it carefully before he could sort it out.

Cao Ze, however, only glanced at the map before devising a plan.

Compared to Cao Ze, his own grandson, whom he was so proud of, was nothing but a fart.

"Young brother, you are no less than our ancestor Cao Gui. If you join the army, you will surely become a great general!"

Li Mu thought that Cao Ze's decision to stay in Handan to do business was a waste of his great talent.

"If you don't mind, young man, would you be willing to stay and serve under me? I can't guarantee anything else, but I assure you that you will be able to lead an army in the Zhao Kingdom in the future."

Sima Shang, who was Li Mu's deputy general, was shocked. Was this still the Li Mu he knew?

Jingni's beautiful eyes sparkled with wonder.

Cao Ze, while still with the wolf clan, told her that he wasn't a descendant of the military strategist Li Mu. But to gain the appreciation of such a renowned military strategist, wasn't he a descendant of the military strategist? Could he be a descendant of a famous family?

Cao Ze couldn't help but laugh.

Leading troops in battle in the State of Zhao?

In other words, he will be fighting against a group of elite Qin generals and a million Qin soldiers in the future.

That's giving him way too much credit. How are you going to hit him with your head?

Talking is one thing, but taking action is another...

Cao Ze shook his head.

Chapter 27 The Master of Courting Death

The next day, Cao Ze drove a donkey cart and left the fortress with Jing Ni in tow.

He declined Li Mu's offer, citing his accustomed carefree lifestyle and desire to earn more money to marry more wives.

On the way, Jingni finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did you refuse Li Mu? Luo Wang has investigated Li Mu; his strength is no less than mine, and he has a clear sense of right and wrong. He won't harm us. Joining the Zhao military is enough to ensure that we won't be openly hunted down by Luo Wang."

She thought about it all night but still couldn't figure it out. With Li Mu, the supreme general of Zhao, there was enough protection for her and Cao Ze.

Could it be that Cao Ze really wanted to marry more wives in order to have multiple concubines?

In her heart, Cao Ze wasn't that kind of person; his relationship with the Hu sisters was just a charade.

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "You rejected him because your husband wants to advance his career, and he's not suitable for you; he has no future in that area."

He didn't want to fall into an even bigger trap just to deal with one.

Leading troops on the front lines against the Qin state, while also having to guard against the backstabbing of the only war god of the Warring States period, the difficulty level is so high, he must be out of his mind.

They just came to Zhao to refresh their resumes, and that was it.

The State of Zhao already has the war god Guo Kai; they don't need another one like him.

Jingni saw that Cao Ze was still being improper.

"I'll be giving birth in about a month. Now that we're in Zhao, give me a straight answer: what are your plans? Are you really going to establish yourself in Zhao?"

Cao Ze pondered for a moment, deciding that he should also tell Jing Ni the truth, lest this create a rift between them.

"I don't intend to stay in Zhao. I plan to go to Qin to fundamentally resolve the Luo Wang problem."

Jing Ni was stunned. Looking into Cao Ze's eyes, she realized that Cao Ze was not joking.

"Behind the Net is Lü Buwei. If you want to fundamentally eliminate the Net, this..."

Cao Ze smiled faintly and said, "I know. As for Lü Buwei, don't worry, I have a way."

As long as he latches onto Zheng Ge's coattails, even if he does nothing and just waits a few years, he can outlive Lü Buwei.

This guy is a master of courting death; we don't need to worry about him.

Even if he doesn't make a move, Brother Zheng can still take care of him.

With the "banner" and "stamp" given to him by Li Mu, which were valid for travel in the State of Zhao, Cao Ze set off on the official road of Zhao, passing through cities and gates, and had a smooth journey.

It feels so convenient to get a fake "festival" certificate without spending money.

The Great Wall of Zhao is not close to Handan; it is more than a thousand miles away.

As Cao Ze rode his donkey on his journey, the five-nation alliance against Qin slowly came to an end.

Li Mu, who was reading battle reports from the front lines at the fortress, had a very serious expression.

The failure of the five-nation coalition's attack on Qin was expected by many.

However, he was disgusted by the incompetence of the State of Chu.

When faced with resistance, they were the first to withdraw their troops and even turned back to attack the State of Qi to gain an advantage.

Then, after reading the military report that General Pang Nuan had written to him, he was greatly shocked.

It wasn't a crushing defeat, but rather that it was exactly as Cao Ze had predicted.

Their understanding of General Pang Nuan and their analysis of the key factors in the success or failure of the battle were as if they had witnessed it firsthand, and were even more accurate and profound than his own.

Unfortunately, even the best strategic vision cannot overcome a lack of unity among the people.

Few would have guessed that Meng Ao, a famous general of the Qin state, was not on the front lines, but was instead transferred by Lü Buwei to be the deputy general of the rear army, mainly responsible for transporting supplies.

Just in the rear, they mobilized 40,000 to 50,000 troops from Zuicheng and managed to hold off General Pang Nuan's 150,000-strong army for more than eight days.

This gave Qin's various forces time to rush to their aid, forcing the old general to lead his troops back to preserve the Zhao people's strength and prevent them from being surrounded and annihilated by the Qin army.

"Cao Ze possesses the qualities of a renowned general."

“He possesses the bearing of a divine being.”

Li Mu couldn't help but sigh, "Lü Buwei was so prescient, hiding Meng Ao in the logistics department. Who could have predicted that?"

The image of an antelope hanging its horns is a stroke of genius.

After expressing his feelings, Li Mu pondered for a moment and then wrote three documents.

A memorial was submitted by Zhao Yan pleading for Pang Nuan's life.

He sent a gift to General Pang Nuan to comfort him, and also mentioned Cao Ze, asking for the general's opinion.

One copy was sent to Handan, to Zhao Wang's younger sister, Consort Ya, so that she could try to recruit some people for Crown Prince Jia.

Unbeknownst to Li Mu, Lü Buwei, in the Prime Minister's residence in Xianyang, Qin, was utterly helpless.

The original intention was to transfer Meng Ao to the logistics department so that Wang Jian could gain the greatest military merit and be appointed as the Grand General of Qin.

As a result of a series of unexpected events, Meng Ao turned the tide of the battle.

It was also because of his carelessness that he didn't expect Pang Nuan to be so decisive, and he almost let Pang Nuan rip out his heart with his black tiger.

He's still reeling from the feeling of things going awry.

Thinking that the entire army was now praising him for his uncanny foresight, and that even Meng Ao admired him greatly.

Lü Buwei could only smile bitterly. He had clearly come to deal with Meng Ao with the intention of seizing military power, but in the end, it was even more difficult for him to interfere in military affairs.

The only consolation is that his fame has increased, perhaps even a bit too much.

Old Master Zheng entered the study. “Prime Minister Lü, a scout has reported that Jing Ni and Cao Ze have been spotted within the territory of Zhao.”

Lu Buwei, in a bad mood, snorted, "Before, because of the war, we didn't have the manpower to deal with the traitors. Yet they still dare to go back to the Central Plains and go to the State of Zhao."

Old Master Zheng laughed and said, "This old servant will immediately order Ba Linglong to go after Jing Ni."

Lu Buwei didn't care about such a trivial matter. "Where is Yanri?"

Old Zheng said, "I don't know, he seems to be investigating something?"

"Oh? What is it?"