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

Han Feizi, Inner Chapters, Part 1: "Tomorrow we will attack the pavilion. Whoever is the first to scale it will be appointed a high-ranking official and given the finest fields and houses."

In addition, the reward of 100 gold coins, which is almost equivalent to half a lifetime's worth of assets for a middle-class family in Xianyang, is enough to drive any soldier crazy.

The fierce, or rather brutal, siege battle has begun again.

They fought from dawn until dusk, and then from dusk into the daytime.

As Cao Ze rode his white horse, looking at the battlefield filled with smoke and the unrecognizable, even fragmented, corpses, he felt heavy-hearted and couldn't help but sigh.

He had become accustomed to such wars, and had become numb to them after seeing them so many times. Unlike the first time, he wouldn't have experienced the shock after the event and wouldn't have been able to recover for several days.

The Shaanxi locals are beating the Henan locals to death, while the Henan locals are fighting for their lives...

When such an absurd thought popped into his mind, Cao Ze couldn't help but smile bitterly.

This isn't a game for Paradox Interactive players; life is life, and data is data, and it's hard to truly ignore them.

He may not be suited to be a high-ranking ruler who commands millions of people...

Cao Ze was lost in thought.

He admitted that he could not be as cold-blooded and cruel as Lü Buwei and Ying Zheng, as this conflicted with his worldview.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so carefree and indulged in living off his beautiful boss.

He prefers to live a free and unrestrained life, doing whatever he pleases.

But he knew that this was just his instinct and ego. His reason told him that if he did not take control of his own destiny, he might end up like these Qin soldiers, being used by Meng Tian as a filler.

While Cao Ze was lost in thought, a messenger rode up on horseback.

"Report! The Wei Wu soldiers of the Wei Kingdom have appeared thirty miles outside Nanyang!"

Meng Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted, "Are you sure?"

The messenger clasped his hands and looked at Meng Tian, ​​"Reporting to the general! It is indeed the Wei Wu soldiers! We fought against them three years ago, and I have no mistake!"

Meng Tian gripped the reins, slightly agitated, and said, "How could this be? How could Wei send troops out so quickly!"

He had anticipated the situation of Wei's army, and according to his estimate, it would be at least tomorrow. Didn't the King of Wei think twice and send troops to aid Han day and night?

Cao Ze patted Meng Tian on the shoulder.

"Brother Meng, don't panic."

He asked the messenger, "How many men have arrived? Who is leading them?"

The messenger reported, "Reporting to the military supervisor, the Wei Wu soldiers number about three thousand, and the commander is Dian Qing, the leader of the Armored Gate."

Cao Ze asked with slight surprise, "Dian Qing?"

After being reminded by Cao Ze, Meng Tian took a deep breath.

"Dian Qing comes from the Pijiamen of Daliang, the capital of Wei. He is now the commander of a thousand men in Wei. He has cultivated a body of hard and tough skills. He once blocked the frontal attack of thirteen Qin chariots on the battlefield without being injured. He is known as "bronze head and iron arms, unharmed in a hundred battles".

Meng Tian finished speaking in one breath, saying, "If this person leads three thousand Wei infantrymen to Nanyang, it will be virtually impossible for the Pingyang heavy armored army to break through the breach in the city wall and enter Nanyang..."

He looked unwell.

Unexpectedly, the State of Wei was so generous, directly sending three thousand Wei elite soldiers.

It should be noted that the Wei Wuzu were the elite of the Wei army, and their overall strength was half a level stronger than that of the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army. The entire Wei army probably didn't even have 10,000 of them, yet this time they directly sent 3,000.

It is clear that the State of Wei is determined to form an alliance among the three Jin states, but it is unaware of the current situation of the State of Zhao.

Cao Ze said slowly, "Things have come to this point, let's take things slowly."

Meng Tian gritted his teeth and said, "Order the entire army to prepare for another charge!"

The messenger received the order, mounted his horse, and galloped to the front lines.

Cao Ze shook his head slightly, said nothing, turned his horse around, and left to return to camp.

Meng Tian subconsciously turned his head to look at Cao Ze's back, realizing that he seemed to have done something wrong again and lost his composure.

He looked up at the azure sky with a dazed expression.

Why was I able to do everything perfectly and flawlessly when I was a centurion?

But why did he repeatedly make mistakes after becoming the team's leader?

He clearly knew everything, he clearly understood how to distinguish between situations, and he could see the dangers and opportunities, so how could he have made such a big mistake?

Where exactly did the problem go wrong?

In his confusion, Meng Tian recalled what his father had said to him in the courtyard that day.

"Meng Tian, ​​all I can tell you is to think it over."

With his father's voice and appearance still vivid in his mind, Meng Tian looked at the crimson flames of war before him and seemed to feel something.

"You need to think more..."

Meng Tian murmured, "Is it because I haven't thought about it enough, not carefully enough, not deeply enough..."

The flames of war continue to burn, the shouts of battle still roar, and blood and fire have become the eternal main theme.

……

Chapter 474 Battle in the Wilderness

The autumn night was cool, and the nebulae were faint.

Inside the main tent, Meng Tian knelt before the table without uttering a word.

Cao Ze toyed with the slightly rough bronze wine cup in his hand and asked, "Brother Meng, what are your plans next?"

If it weren't for his duty as a military supervisor, he wouldn't have bothered asking such pointless questions.

Meng Tian said, "After the Wei Wu soldiers arrived today, Dian Qing alone guarded the breach in the city wall that was blasted open by the Divine Crossbow. No matter how brave my Pingyang Heavy Armor Army soldiers are, they can hardly break through even a little bit."

Cao Ze frowned slightly: "Brother Meng, do you mean..."

Meng Tian stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I would be grateful if Brother Cao could lend a helping hand."

"According to our scouts, Zhao's army will arrive in Nanyang the day after tomorrow. We don't have much time left."

Although the Wei Wuzu were the elite troops of Wei, they numbered only three thousand. Combined with the twenty thousand garrison troops of Nanyang, in open battle, he only needed half of the Pingyang heavy armor troops to defeat them.

But now they are the defenders. If they cannot break through the breach, and once Zhao's 5,000 elite troops arrive, it will inevitably be a war of attrition, and the heavy casualties of the Pingyang heavy armored army will be extremely high.

This is something he cannot tolerate.

Cao Ze thought to himself, "Just as I suspected."

He left the front line ahead of schedule today, but he also heard about Dian Qing's domineering nature.

One man with two swords guarded the breach, managing to hold off the Qin army's charge.

"Brother Meng, do you want me to make a move?"

Meng Tian said in a deep voice, "I believe that with Brother Cao and Miss Jingni's strength, they are capable of killing Dian Qing."

Dian Qing is strong; his martial arts skills make him invulnerable to swords and spears.

However, this only applies to those below the Grandmaster level. For those above the Grandmaster level, it is still possible to kill them by simply clicking on their face.

Cao Ze said, "Brother Meng, please forgive me for not being able to help."

Meng Tian was taken aback. "Why?"

In his view, killing Dian Qing and taking Nanyang would be a great achievement for both himself and Cao Ze, enough to advance further.

Furthermore, isn't all of this for the sake of the Qin state?

Cao Ze said, "It's very simple. Dian Qing has three thousand Wei Wu soldiers behind him. Even if I can kill Dian Qing, how will Brother Meng deal with the Wei Wu soldiers? I heard that Pi Jia Men has also sent quite a few people this time."

"Brother Meng, my advice is to calm down and prepare for a protracted war. Don't be impatient, otherwise you will lose your composure and not only fail to take Nanyang City, but also suffer heavy losses."

"That's all I have to say. I'll take my leave now."

Cao Ze ignored Meng Tian and left directly.

Meng Tian remained silent, stunned.

Recalling the battle losses of the day, with a full eight hundred soldiers dying outside the city walls, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

What should he do?

Meng Tian stood for a long time before sitting down. When he saw the "Thirty-Six Stratagems" that Cao Ze had personally written and given to him on the table, he subconsciously picked it up and opened it.

The first strategy for winning battles: Deceive the heavens and cross the sea.

……

Cao Ze left Meng Tian's tent and saw the soldiers patrolling and keeping watch. Feeling a bit stifled in the military camp, he used the pretext of patrolling to go out with Jing Ni for some fresh air.

The autumn night was cool, with the occasional chirping of cicadas that seemed to be fading away.

Cao Ze and Jing Ni found a high spot and enjoyed the night view under the moonlight.

"The moon is beautiful tonight."

Cao Ze looked up at the vast, bright moon and sighed with emotion.

"Yes, the wind is gentle, perfect for stealing melons and catching badgers."

Jing Ni replied in a nonchalant tone.

Cao Ze was stunned upon hearing this, and a distant memory welled up in his mind.

I remember when he drove the carriage he had taken from Hu Ji out of the city, and when Jing Ni said, "The moon is so beautiful tonight," he jokingly said to her, "Stealing melons and stabbing badgers."

I never imagined that a bullet fired a few years ago could hit him right between the eyebrows tonight.

Cao Ze couldn't resist hugging Jing Ni and giving her a few kisses on her beautiful face.

Jingni looked at Cao Ze speechlessly and gently wiped the drool off her face with her hand.

This was still considered good for her, as Cao Ze had smeared a lot of filth on her face.

Cao Ze chuckled, but when he remembered that Meng Tian had just asked him and Jing Ni to kill Dian Qing, his expression immediately soured.

This time it was Meng Tian, ​​and he could easily refuse and make excuses, but what about Ying Zheng next time?

Not long ago, he had already fooled Ying Zheng once in Xianyang, failing to investigate the Changping Jun residence properly and instead deliberately alerting the enemy.