diskusbooks Chapter 421: Qi’s Dilemma
Chapter 421: Qi’s Dilemma
Qi State, Linzi, Imperial Palace.
During this period, the emperor, princes and ministers of Qi were extremely worried.
Especially the young Emperor Qi.
Some time ago, he was full of vigor and ambition, determined to destroy the State of Liang in one fell swoop, incorporate the land of Liang into the State of Qi, and become the first emperor to expand the territory of Qi.
The performance of the Qi army indeed satisfied him. They won great victories on both the northern and western battlefields.
But now he is really worried and worried. He dare not even think about becoming the greatest emperor in history. Now he has to consider the possibility of losing his country.
There is only one reason, Yan State declared war on Qi State.
The State of Yan was too powerful. Ever since the prince named Shen Changgong came to power, the State of Yan had grown powerful at an incredible speed, and then it became invincible!
His Qi State dared to invade Liang State, but did not dare to challenge Yan State.
Even when the envoys from Yan State came to mediate, he could only speak nicely and delay as much as possible, thinking that once Liang State was destroyed, there would be no need to discuss the matter anymore.
He also vaguely felt that the State of Yan seemed to want to see the State of Liang destroyed.
But he never expected that the day after Shen Changgong returned from the expedition, he immediately declared war on the State of Qi and began to mobilize troops.
This doesn't seem like we're just going to sit and wait for Liangguo to die.
Two days ago, when the news of Yan's declaration of war came back, the Emperor of Qi discussed with his ministers and decided to immediately withdraw the troops from the northern and western fronts.
There were still more than 200,000 central troops on the western front and more than 100,000 troops on the northern front. They ordered the troops on the northern front to return to Xingyang Pass for defense immediately, and the troops on the western front immediately rushed to Anyang County for defense, blocking the Yan army's way to the south.
But...is it really too late?
You know, the State of Yan had an army of 600,000, stationed on the border between Xingyang County and Yuanma County.
The Emperor of Qi sat on the dragon throne, covering his forehead with his hands, looking at the chattering ministers below with a frown.
At this moment, a guard quickly ran in from the side door, holding a note and handed it to the eunuch beside the emperor. The eunuch hurriedly handed it to Emperor Qi.
After Emperor Qi opened it, his expression changed instantly.
When the ministers saw this, they were shocked and immediately quieted down.
The Prime Minister hurriedly asked,
"Your Majesty, what happened?"
The Emperor Qi's expression changed again and again, and finally he took a deep breath and sneered,
"The State of Yan just released another piece of news, saying that their Prince Lanling was assassinated on his father's birthday. The assassin's targets were the Emperor of Yan, Prince Lanling, and Yu Huatian. Yu Huatian was slightly injured, and the assassin was also captured.
What's more, they even said that those assassins were sent by our Great Qi.
It's ridiculous to say that Yan State is going to great lengths to throw dirty water on us in order to declare war on us and boost morale."
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister immediately said,
"Humph, the Yan State is truly shameless and despicable. In my opinion, this is just a show they put on just to have a reason to attack us.
Even if it is true, it must have been done by the remnants of Kun State or someone else. After all, Yan State is constantly fighting this and that, and has offended countless people."
Dian Ke also said,
"Yes, as everyone knows, Da Qi is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, a country of gentlemen. How could it be possible to do such a vile thing?
This is absolutely a frame-up!"
"Yeah, what kind of despicable person would send assassins to kill the emperor of another country? This is too shameful."
"That's right, it must have been done by some incompetent rats. Our Qi State would never do such a thing!"
Everyone was talking at once, and the Emperor of Qi gritted his teeth.
Are you guys scolding me again?!
Unfortunately, he could not say that he was the one who arranged this matter. As an emperor, he sent people to assassinate the emperor of another country. It was okay to do it in private. He should not admit it or let others know, otherwise he would become a laughing stock and be laughed at by other countries.
No matter when, assassination is something that should not be tolerated.
The Emperor of Qi waved his hand and said
"Stop cursing and tell me how we're going to fight the Yan army this time. The northern and western fronts are urgently evacuating.
We don't have many troops right now. There are only 200,000 central troops in the capital, and the 100,000 troops in the south have to guard against Wei State taking advantage of the situation. Let's all discuss what we should do."
The Grand Commandant, one of the Three Dukes, stood up and said,
"Your Majesty, we can also follow the example of Kun State and order the counties to open their arsenals and granaries, recruit local troops, and guard the county towns in the north to slow down the Yan army's advance.
In addition, local troops are being recruited from the surrounding areas and eastern regions to support the capital. The 100,000 troops in the south cannot be moved. Otherwise, if Wei takes advantage of the situation and invades, our country will be attacked from both sides and will repeat the mistakes of Kun State.
Recruiting local troops is an old tradition. Both Kun and Liang have done so.
This is one of the benefits of fighting on home soil. When necessary, even the entire nation can be mobilized to fight a bloody battle with the enemy.
Under normal circumstances, a country will not maintain too many soldiers and horses. Generally, there are only a few hundred thousand central troops, which are enough to ensure defense and mobility. The rest are civilians who need to produce, farm, and develop national strength.
When a country is invaded, more troops will be temporarily summoned to resist the enemy, but production will definitely be greatly affected.
This is the destructiveness of war. Whether winning or losing, whether invading or defending, whether soldiers or civilians, everyone will suffer great damage. The economy will regress and decline, and the national strength will be difficult to sustain. After all the national strength is used to serve the war, other productivity will slow down and prices will soar.
The Prime Minister, who was in charge of government affairs, also realized this and frowned and said,
"Your Majesty, the autumn harvest is coming next month. If we call up too many local soldiers, it will definitely affect the harvest. I'm afraid that no one will harvest the grain and it will rot in the fields."
The general immediately said,
"Prime Minister, the Yan army is now on the march, heading for our country. If we cannot resist, our country will be in danger of extinction. Compared to the destruction of our country and the safety of Your Majesty, what is that little bit of food worth?
Even if you collect more grain, the country will be lost, so won't that grain still be given to the Yan people?"
Hearing this, the Prime Minister was not happy at all and immediately said,
"General, what are you talking about? As the sage said, those who do not plan for the future will inevitably have immediate worries.
If we don't harvest grain, even if we defeat the enemy, what will the people and the army eat next year?
Many people will starve to death. How can soldiers have the strength to fight if they don’t eat?
How can the common people, who can't even afford to eat, enjoy the luxury of fish and meat every day like you, the Grand Commandant?"
The general snorted coldly, looked at Emperor Qi, and continued to insist on his point of view.