The enmity and resentment between Qin and Chu have been entangled for generations, and what makes the King of Qin most taboo is that the State of Chu has a strong enough military strength and economic foundation, which is even more terrifying than the original fierce Zhao people, because although the Zhao people are good at war, they are poor in area, and Chu land is thousands of miles, in addition to having a strong and fierce army as the Zhao people, they also have a large amount of rich land and a sufficiently thick strategic depth.
Of course, if the Chu people can fully exert their own advantages, then the Qin people will not be able to sweep away the north so easily. However, the fierce generals of the Chu State like clouds and subordinates have produced several kings who are not so clever and astute, and if the neighbors who were originally big in the family are harmonious and do not want to forge ahead, but the generations of kings of the Chu State have ambitions that are not commensurate with their own abilities.
There were many contacts between Qin and Chu in those years, and the famous Empress Dowager Mi Yue was also a Chu person. Unfortunately, there are no eternal friends in this world, and only eternal interests are maintained in this world.
There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests
The well-groomed Qin army troops entered the state of combat readiness of the Southern Expedition, when Wu'an Junbai led a small number of elite troops to raid for thousands of miles, and the record of burning the Chu Guozong Temple made the whole country full of confidence in the Southern Expedition.
In 226 BC, the qin army's forward troops began a tentative attack on the State of Chu, and it was Wang Ben, the son of Wang Qi, who served as the chief officer of the vanguard force. Under the leadership of Wang Ben, the morale of the Qin army was invincible and continuously attacked more than ten cities in the Chu state. Subsequently, the Qin army temporarily made repairs and waited for further strategic arrangements.
Above the court, there were differences in strategy and tactics. Of course, the Qin people were not worried about whether they could win, they felt that victory was inevitable in fighting against Chu, and the biggest disagreement was what price they would pay for victory.
The young general Li Xin had just been baptized by the Northern Expedition Yan Zhao, and it was Yi Dezhi who was full of vigor. The strength of the state gave him unparalleled confidence, and when Yin Zheng asked how many troops were needed to attack the Chu state, Li Xin proudly replied, "But with 200,000!" ”
He asked Wang Qi, but he replied, "You must use 600,000 people!" Above the court, there was a disagreement, but the King of Qin also felt that through Wang Ben's intelligence on Chu's battles, the Chu State did not have such a strong strength, and at the same time, he felt that Wang Qi was too gentle, could it be that he was old and timid?
Wang Ben cut down Chu and took more than ten cities.
Wang asked the general Li Xinyue, "I want to take the thorn, but I want to use the geometric man to enough for the general?" ”
Li Xinyu: "But with 200,000." ”
Wang Yi asked Wang Qi, and Wang Qi said, "It must be 600,000 people." ”
Wang Yue: "General Wang is old, He Timidity!" ”
—— "Zizhi Tongjian"
Wang Qi did not argue, he chose the same way of dealing with Wu'an Junbai in those years - returning home with illness.
Li Xin obviously underestimated the will of the Chu people to resist, he felt that the fire of Wu'an Junbai had already burned the courage of the Chu people, and these southern barbarians were not afraid, as long as they killed, set fires, and burned the ancestral temples, they would submit. However, what he did not expect was that this time the Chu people had become so fierce and fearless of death.
The Qin army of Li Xin's army, which was fighting in the guest army, suffered a heavy blow, seven lieutenants were killed, two military camps were breached, and they fled in defeat.
Li Xin and Meng Tian would spend 200,000 yuan in the south. Letter attacked Pinghe, Meng Tian attacked sleep, and broke the Jing army. The letter attacked Yan Yin again, broke it, and then led the army to the west, and met with the father of the city. The Jing people followed, three days and three nights without a pause, broke Li Xinjun, entered two walls, killed the seven lieutenants, and the Qin army left.
- "The Chronicle of History"
Once the undefeated majesty of the Qin army was broken, it was definitely more dangerous for the Qin state than a defeat
After the Qin King Yingzheng learned of it, he was anxious, and the defeat of this battle caused the invincible momentum of the Qin army to be severely frustrated, if it could not be immediately proved that the Qin army still had excellent combat effectiveness, then the countries that were originally afraid of the strong Qin would lose their fear, and might even join forces against the Qin state again.
When the First Emperor heard this, he was furious and self-righteous, and when he saw Xie Wang, he said: "The widow does not need a general, and Li Xinguo insults the Qin army." Now that the Jing soldiers are moving west, although the general is sick, he can't bear to abandon the widow! Wang Qi Xie said: "The old minister is sick and rebellious, but the king chooses the best general." The First Emperor Xie Yue: "It's over, general, don't repeat it!" Wang Qi said, "The great king must use his subjects as a last resort, not 600,000 people." The First Emperor said, "To listen to the general's ear." ”
In fact, Bai Qi and Wang Qi were both famous generals of a generation with superior wisdom and scheming, but Wang Qi chose to belittle himself: "Sick and tired, faint and incompetent", while Bai Qi chose to complain about the king: "Qin does not listen to the plans of his subjects, how is it now!" ”
A generation of military gods bai qi killed themselves, and Wang Qi once again took command, leading 600,000 troops to conquer Chu.
At this time, General Wang Qi, who was majestic in the world, suddenly became greedy and greedy, and begged for a large number of good fields and beautiful houses, gold and silver jewelry, as if he had changed into a person.
Yin Zheng laughed, "The general led the army out on the expedition, and are you still worried that there is no good land and gold and silver at home?" ”
However, Wang Qi did not argue much, but only repeatedly asked for it, a little ridicule, and a little seriousness: "Now I can still lead the army to fight for the king, and while I am still useful, I will earn more money for the relatives of the younger generations." ”
For an army, what matters is logistics, and for a general, what matters is trust
When the Qin army passed through Hangu Pass, Wang Qi sent emissaries to the King of Qin five times in a row to ask for money and land, and even his generals could not look down on it, and advised Wang Qi not to go too far, and even if there was a general who led the army to go out on a campaign, he did not go abroad, and first asked for a reward.
Seeing that the army was gradually out of the pass, Wang Qi finally explained to the general: "You don't know the King of Qin, Yingzheng, now that the front line is defeated and I have been used, you and I are all soldiers, we should know that the elite troops of the entire Qin State are all here now, and Yingzheng is a suspicious and ruthless person, if I don't want some gold and silver from the fields, let this king think that I am just a warrior, and I can earn a reward for my life, he can rest assured, you and I can also be at ease." ”