General Qin

In the majestic and glorious hall, only the emperor's words echoed.

All the courtiers were silent.

For a while, no one responded to the emperor's inquiry.

The atmosphere became even more depressing, and the First Emperor's face became a little uneasy.

Prime Ministers Wang Wan and Li Si, Zhi Su Neishi Wang Wu and others stood in the queue of civil servants, but no one said a word.

The emperor did not expect this group of civil servants to go to the battlefield to fight.

But what about the other side.

There are a lot of military generals with great achievements in the Qin Dynasty. Why doesn't anyone stand up to share my worries?

The First Emperor looked over with a sullen face.

Taiwei Wang Ben stood at the front of the military commanders column.

The veteran was looking directly at his nose and heart, as if he had not heard the emperor's words.

Next to Wang Ben was the martial arts lord Zhao Tuo. This boy followed Wang Ben's example, lowering his head slightly and looking at the ground, not responding to the First Emperor's gaze.

The First Emperor thought of how he had teased Zhao Tuo in person before the bad news came.

His eyes flickered, and he looked past Zhao Tuo and looked at the next one.

Li Xin, Qiang Yu, Xin Sheng, Xin Wu, Ren Xiao, Wang Li, Meng Tian...

Whether he is a former battlefield veteran or a young and emerging warrior, his face is either expressionless or his head is slightly bowed.

No one asked for help.

The First Emperor was angry in his heart. He turned his eyes around and finally fell on one of them. He said coldly: "General Qiang Yu, you were the most active in discussing the Southern Expedition at the two previous meetings. You clamored for orders to conquer." .Why don’t you say anything now?”

Hearing the emperor's words, Qiang Yu, who was named, suddenly trembled and secretly screamed: "Bitterness."

He, Qiang Yu, was indeed warlike and eager to achieve meritorious service and be promoted, so he had been very active before.

But he is not a fool. He knows that the weak persimmons should be picked up and pinched, and the enemy should pick out the weak ones and hit them.

Tu Sui and Feng Wuze led an army of 200,000 to the south, but both of them died. The Qin army was defeated, which shows how difficult it is to conquer Baiyue.

It was actually not a bad thing that Tu Sui was lying in ambush and died. The news that Feng Wuze was haunted by water bugs and finally vomited blood and died calmed down the generals like them.

Water poison.

Hearing this kind of thing would make anyone feel terrified.

A general is not afraid of dying on the battlefield and having his body wrapped in horse leather.

He was afraid that like Feng Wuze, he would be entangled by the so-called water poison and lie limply on the bed, waiting for death to come.

Qiang Yu said with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, I... I am naturally willing to share your worries for Your Majesty. I wish I could lead the army to defeat Baiyue and avenge our great Qin. But I am not capable enough and I am afraid I won't be able to defeat him!"

Qiang Yu was indeed a straight man, saying in front of the emperor and the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty that he could not defeat him.

waste!

The First Emperor cursed fiercely in his heart.

However, he was just using Qiang Yu to pick a fight. If Qiang Yu was to lead the army to attack Baiyue, he would not be at ease.

The First Emperor snorted fiercely in front of all the ministers, but let Qiang Yu go, and turned his eyes again to Wang Ben, who was at the forefront of the generals.

Seeing the emperor's gaze shift, Qiang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had escaped disaster.

"Marquis Wucheng, you are a famous general of our Qin State. You once conquered all directions for me and destroyed the Wei State. Now you can lead your army to the south to avenge our great Qin?"

The First Emperor said directly that he would be relieved if Wang Ben was allowed to lead the army.

Wang Ben was not only the current Taiwei, but also inherited Wang Jian's title after the death of Wucheng Marquis Wang Jian. Now he is a lord, still above Zhao Tuo. In terms of title and official position alone, Wang Ben is the number one general in Qin.

Wang Ben raised his head and said calmly: "Your Majesty, I have not been on the battlefield for ten years. I am far away from military affairs. I am unfamiliar with the art of war. I am afraid that I am not suitable for leading troops. I am now a Taiwei, in charge of the national military. If I leave this position, I will I’m afraid the army’s logistics will be difficult to maintain.”

The First Emperor nodded expressionlessly.

What Wang Ben said is true.

Especially his last reason is very important. The emperor was going to conquer Baiyue again. The food, fodder and baggage transportation of the hundreds of thousands of troops required unified planning and deployment by the Taiwei Mansion. At this time, Wang Ben was inseparable.

The emperor's gaze continued.

Zhao Tuo still lowered his head.

The First Emperor simply ignored him and looked at Li Xin next to Zhao Tuo.

Originally it was Meng Wu who stood here, but unfortunately Meng Wu fell ill and retired two years ago, so Li Xin came to take over.

"Where's General Lee?"

Li Xin has experienced the hardships of Liaodong, and his face is several years older than his actual age, and even his mentality is much older than before.

If it were in the past, Li Xin would definitely ask for help.

But now.

He carefully thought about the situation of Baiyue in the south and whether he had the ability to win it.

Li Xin took a deep breath, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have been fighting in the north for half my life. If your Majesty were to go to the north, I should ask for orders to fight. But fighting in the south is not what I am good at. I dare not say nonsense. Please choose another option for your majesty. A good general."

The corners of the Emperor's mouth twitched.

That's right.

Since Li Xin entered the army, he followed Wang Jian to attack the State of Zhao and destroy the State of Yan, all fighting in the northern region. The first time he led troops to attack the Chu State in the south, he suffered a shocking defeat. Later, he went to fight against Donghu and Haidong in the north, and finally won victory again.

Li Xin is good at fighting in the north, but not suitable for fighting in the south.

Next, the two veteran generals of the Xin clan, Xin Sheng and Xin Wu, directly refused, saying that they were old and might not be suitable for the southern expedition to Baiyue, and they also asked the emperor to choose another good general.

The First Emperor was even more depressed. These veterans were indeed cunning. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, they rejected them one by one.

Fortunately, there was Ren Xiao in the court. He had a good relationship with Tu Sui, so he naturally wanted to avenge him.

When asked by the emperor, Ren Xiao responded and just said one more thing.

"I wish to conquer Baiyue in the south to avenge the humiliation of our great Qin. However, I have only commanded an army of tens of thousands, and have no experience in commanding an army of hundreds of thousands. Military and state affairs must not be taken lightly. Therefore, I only wish to be a deputy general and do not dare to do anything. Commander. Please also ask Your Majesty to choose another good general to lead the army. I am willing to assist you."

Ren Xiao's request to fight made the First Emperor feel much more relaxed.

In addition to him, two young men, Meng Tian and Wang Li, also gave the emperor face.

They were all willing to lead the army in the southern expedition to Baiyue, but they all excused themselves as lacking in ability and could only serve as lieutenants, not commanders.

Meng Tian's reason was that although he had fought against Wu Gonghou, he had no experience in leading an army.

Wang Li had the experience of leading an army of 100,000 people, but he reasoned that he had no experience in dealing with Yue people.

"They're all excuses!"

The First Emperor knew very well.

Why do people like Ren Xiao, Meng Tian, ​​and Wang Li say they only want to be deputy generals?

Because in their hearts, there is one person who is more suitable to be the leader.

That man once destroyed a Yue country and led hundreds of thousands of troops into battle.

Both Wang Li and Meng Tian had served as that man's lieutenants.

With him behind him, no one dared to take on the responsibility of being the general of the Southern Expedition.

Even in the eyes of the First Emperor, he felt that only that person was the most suitable candidate to go to the south and conquer Baiyue for him.

The First Emperor's eyes once again fell on the young man with a calm face and lowered eyes.

Pretending not to hear?

Or do you want me to come and ask you in person?

The First Emperor was very angry. The reason why he didn't take the initiative to ask Zhao Tuo was because he had made fun of him before.

After he received the good news that Feng Wuze had captured Minyue, he once teased Zhao Tuo with pride and said, didn't you say that Baiyue is difficult to defeat? Why did I win it with an army of 200,000 people? If I had sent an army of 500,000 people, would the fight have been faster?

The implication is that he was mocking Zhao Tuo for exaggerating the difficulty of Baiyue.

What was Zhao Tuo's answer at that time? The emperor was so happy that he forgot the specific words. But the meaning is basically: "Yes, yes, everything your Majesty said is right."

At that time, the emperor felt that Zhao Tuo was being made fun of and had nothing to say. After Zhao Tuo left, he even laughed heartily.

Who would have expected that the slap in the face would come so quickly? Not long after he finished laughing, he received the news of the Qin army's defeat.

At this time, if the First Emperor took the initiative to ask Zhao Tuo if he was willing to lead troops, how could he be embarrassed?

The emperor also wants to save face.

So he has been giving Zhao Tuo the opportunity to take the initiative to ask for help.

As long as Zhao Tuo takes the initiative to speak and share the worries for his father-in-law, everything will be perfect.

Little did he know that his normally polite son-in-law would pretend not to know what he meant today.

Fortunately, there were many confidants of the emperor in the entire court who knew what he meant.

Li Si, the prime minister of the left, stood up and said loudly: "I have a recommendation from someone. If he marches south, he will definitely win. Baiyue will not be a concern."

The First Emperor's eyes lit up and he asked deliberately: "I wonder who the Prime Minister is talking about?"

"The person recommended by me is the Wugong Hou of the current dynasty. Wugong Hou once led troops to attack and destroy the country of Yue. He has experience in fighting in the country of Yue. He is also a famous general of our Qin Dynasty. With his help, Baiyue will be defeated!"

When Li Si spoke, excitement flashed in his eyes.

He didn't know what the problem was between the emperor and Marquis Wugong, why Marquis Wugong was silent today, and the emperor didn't ask him.

But Li Si knew that this was a good opportunity.

Zhao Tuo's influence in the court was so great that it even overshadowed him, Li Si. In particular, Li Si felt threatened by his suggestions for the development of industry and agriculture.

The southern expedition to Baiyue was an opportunity to send Zhao Tuo away.

Naturally, he wanted to brag vigorously.

After Li Si opened his mouth, it seemed as if everyone was waiting for him. All the ministers said: "If the Marquis of Martial Arts leads the army, this battle will be worry-free."

Qiang Xu even shouted: "That's right, when the martial arts lord conquers Baiyue, the Yue barbarians will definitely bow and surrender."

Really popular.

No matter whether they were civil servants or military generals, at this moment, they all believed that Zhao Tuo, the martial lord, was the most suitable candidate to lead the army to the south.

With the ministers opening their mouths, the First Emperor finally stepped down in front of Zhao Tuo.

When asking at this time, it was not him who took the initiative, but the recommendation of the ministers.

"Martial Lord, can you attack Baiyue for me?"

Under the gaze of the ministers and the expectant eyes of the First Emperor.

Zhao Tuo sighed softly and finally raised his head.

He looked at the emperor sitting on the imperial couch and said: "I am willing to conquer Baiyue in the south and avenge my great Qin. But..."

Zhao Tuo looked at the emperor who was sitting high: "I think now is not the right time to attack Baiyue."

The ministers were surprised.

Wugonghou, what does this mean?

The first emperor's eager look turned cold instantly.

Zhao Tuo, are you politely rejecting me?