Chapter 167: Go faster
In a battle under Ji County City, Han Wangxin went a long way to rescue the State of Yan, but was defeated by Xiang Chang. He fled for dozens of miles and gathered the defeated cavalry, but there were only more than 2,000 people left, and he was very close to being annihilated. He was upset and hated Zang Tu to the core.

Not daring to delay any longer in the territory of Yan State, he led his defeated army day and night to rush back to Yangdi, the capital of his own Kingdom of Han. He soon received military intelligence from Yan State that Xiang Chang had captured Ji County and killed Zang Tu, and the entire territory of Yan State fell into the hands of Chu.

Upon hearing the news, even though he hated Zang Tu so much that he wanted to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin, Han Wangxin still couldn’t help feeling sad for the loss of Zang Tu.

As a vassal lord and the owner of a country, Han Wangxin’s strategic vision is undoubtedly sufficient.

The State of Yan was finished, needless to say, the next turn would naturally be the turn of its neighboring State of Han!
With the information and rumors he collected about Xiang Chang, he felt that he had a very clear understanding of Xiang Chang. Although he was young, he was tougher and more ruthless than his father, and he did not have the softness and indecision of the overlord. He would never tolerate the continued existence of Yan, Han, Zhao and other vassal states left over from history, especially those that belonged to Liu Bang’s camp, and would definitely eliminate them.

With this in mind, King Han felt as if his head was burning with fire, and he felt an unprecedented sense of urgency.

After returning to the capital, he immediately issued an order for the entire country to enter a state of war readiness. All adult men under the age of 60 and over the age of 15 were conscripted into the army, organized into columns, and trained, thus raising a large army in the shortest possible time.

Of course, he had seen the strength of the Chu army, and he knew that his struggle was just like a fish jumping on a chopping board, which was futile. So at the same time, he secretly packed up the gold, silver, pearls and jade treasures in the kingdom and sent them to the border along with the old and children, leaving a way out.

As long as the Chu army really came, he would fight to the death. If he won by chance, he would naturally continue to be the lord of his land and the king of his country! If he lost, there was nothing to say, he would just abandon the kingdom, rush to the border, and take his treasures and family to join the Xiongnu.

This old thief is not an easy person to deal with. He had long realized that Liu Bang’s appointment of him as King of Han was just a stopgap measure. After he had secured his throne over the world, he was afraid that there would be a day of reckoning. Therefore, since he took office as King of Han, he has been flirting with the Huns, doing things inappropriately, and leaving himself a way out.

Just as he was working hastily, news suddenly came from the State of Yan that the Chu army had suffered a defeat in the Jiujiang Kingdom, and Xiang Chang had led a large army back to pacify the situation, leaving only Li Yi in charge of the State of Yan.

Li Yi was troubled by the lack of troops and his own army was far inferior to Xiang Chang’s. Therefore, he only focused on collecting and clearing the remaining cities in Yan State and could not take care of Han State for a while.

This undoubtedly gave him a precious chance to catch his breath.

Han Wangxin thought it was God’s help, and he was so happy that he urged his generals to recruit soldiers and train the troops more diligently.

The kingdom’s general, Manchuchen, was so worried by his urging that he had no choice but to plead with him:
“Your Majesty, although we have recruited an army of more than 20,000 people, most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. The more rigorous the training, the more we are afraid that we will collapse before the enemy comes to fight. In addition, the Great Chu is known for its cavalry, and our current 20,000 troops do not have many war horses. The army has no cavalry to support it, and only infantry. Once fighting, no matter how many there are, they will not be a match for the Great Chu army.”

Han Wangxin, who came from a military background, naturally knew the two points raised by Manqiuchen, and had been thinking about how to solve them during this period.

He thought deeply for a while, waved his hand and said, “No problem! As for the horses, it’s easy to deal with. Send King Huang of Lingyi as an envoy to the Xiongnu again to trade with them for a batch of war horses.”

Manchuchen looked helpless: “In order to build the kingdom’s army, we have already traded all the salt, iron, pottery, and cloth in the kingdom that can be traded with the Xiongnu. Now the treasury is so empty that rats can starve to death.”

Han Wangxin smiled coldly: “I have already made a plan. I collected the remaining ironware in the kingdom and asked the artisans in the military camp to make a large number of stirrups. I asked Lingyi Wang Huang to take these to the Xiongnu, half buying and half on credit, which is enough to trade for a large number of war horses.”

Manqiuchen gasped. Even though he and Han Wangxin were birds of a feather and did not have much patriotism in his hearts, he was still shocked by Han Wangxin’s shameless behavior.

The so-called remaining ironware in the kingdom mentioned by Han Wangxin was obviously the ironware looted from the homes of the people in the kingdom. However, this behavior, which was tantamount to extortion and lack of virtue, seemed insignificant compared to the trade with the Xiongnu.

The Huns were a race on horseback, and their cavalry was so strong that it was rarely matched in the world today. Even the Chu army could hardly be their match.

In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Xiongnu were not so strong and had always existed as savages, being suppressed and beaten by the Yanhuang tribes in the Central Plains. The State of Zhao alone, while fighting with the surrounding countries and defending against the Xiongnu in the north, was able to keep them out of the country.

The reason why the Huns’ combat power has risen so quickly in recent years is that some traitors in the Yanhuang ethnic group coveted the Huns’ war horses and kept selling them ironware and various cutting-edge weapons.

Now that Han Wangxin has sold a large number of stirrups to the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu will surely be even more powerful. As a general of the Korean state bordering the Xiongnu, Manqiuchen is very clear about the Xiongnu’s desire for the Central Plains. Especially the Xiongnu’s current Chanyu Maodun, who is a man of great talent and strategy, destroyed the Donghu, conquered the Loufan and other countries, unified the northern grasslands, and established a huge and powerful Xiongnu Empire. This time with the stirrups, I am afraid that their ambitions will be difficult to suppress and they will inevitably invade the Central Plains again.

Manqiuchen looked at Han Wangxin’s ferocious and brutal expression, swallowed his saliva, lowered his head slightly, and dared not say anything more.

This old wall lamp is willing to do anything to preserve his power and throne.

“As for the army, now that we have ample time, we must take a long-term view and not just pursue numbers. You should re-select these 20,000 soldiers and keep only the strong and capable ones. As for the old, weak, sick and disabled, eliminate them all and send them back home.” Han Wangxin murmured.

Manchuchen was stunned and couldn’t help but say, “In this case, at most we can leave behind 10,000 soldiers. This number is too small and will not be of much use.”

Han Wangxin turned his head and looked towards the west, with a confident look on his face: “No problem, next I will go to Zhao State in person to meet Zhang Er, the old coward. Zhao State has been a place that has produced brave warriors since ancient times. As long as we can convince Zhang Er, we can recruit an army of 20,000 soldiers there. Together with the 10,000 soldiers in the kingdom, we will be able to fight against the Chu State.”

Manqiu Chen was stunned when he heard this: “After all, Zhang Er is the ruler of a country. Will he agree?”

“Does he have any other choice?” Han Wangxin snorted coldly, exuding strong confidence in his words.

After everything was arranged properly, King Xin of Han entrusted state affairs to Manqiuchen and rushed to Zhao State with 3,000 cavalry.

Just as he left the kingdom and arrived at the border with Zhao State, he received another military report that made him feel heavy-hearted: Xiang Chang broke through Yinling in Jiujiang Kingdom, killed Chen Xi, and moved his troops to Chen County to threaten Li Shang!
Therefore, he dared not delay and rushed to the capital of Zhao. Because he was on a diplomatic mission, the prefectures and counties of Zhao did not dare to stop him along the way, but instead received him with great respect, and sent people to send a message to the capital Xiangcheng to inform King Zhang Er.

As the saying goes, old people become cunning and old horses become slippery. Zhang Er was a thousand-year-old fox that had become a spirit. He guessed seven or eight things about the sudden arrival of Han Wangxin, a king, as an envoy. Without saying a word, he sent the Grand Marshal Gan Tiao to meet him and lead him to the capital Xiangcheng, which was a hundred miles away.

King Zhang Er of Zhao was now almost at the end of his life, but he was also a ruthless man. He received King Xin of Han in the palace, ordered the eunuchs to tie up his body with armor plates, covered him with a royal robe, and rubbed his pale cheeks until they looked rosy, putting on a look of high spirits as if he was not seriously ill.

It must be said that his actions really confused Han Wangxin, who muttered to himself:
“It’s been rumored that this old guy won’t have much time left, so why is he still so energetic? The rumor is not true!”

As for whether he could convince Zhang Er, he could not help but feel timid. “King Han has come a long way and has suffered a lot. Why did he come to see an old and useless man like me?”

As soon as Zhang Er spoke, Han Wangxin immediately felt relieved.

The old thief’s words were weak and feeble, and it was obvious that his death was imminent.

“I heard that the King of Zhao will die soon. I was afraid that I would not be able to pay my respects in time, so I came here early to wait so that I could send the King of Zhao off as soon as possible.” The King of Han was confident and his words were extremely vicious, showing his contempt for Zhang Er to the fullest.

——When you were in your prime, I was afraid of you. Now that my death is approaching, should I still be afraid of you?

Zhang Er closed his eyes slightly when he heard this, pretending not to hear anything.

The Grand Marshal Gan Tiao beside him raised his eyebrows and said coldly: “Does the King of Han think that my Zhao State does not have 500 swordsmen and axemen to hack you to death here?”

Gan Tiao was Zhang Er’s lifelong friend. During the Han-Chu War, when the Han camp was still at a disadvantage, Zhang Er listened to Gan Tiao’s words and abandoned the Chu camp and surrendered to the Han camp. In addition, due to his old friendship with Liu Bang, he was granted the throne.

After being made King of Zhao, he immediately appointed Gan Tiao as Grand Marshal and relied on him as his confidant, trusting him greatly.

Seeing that Zhao State still had such a loyal and upright minister, Han Wangxin did not dare to underestimate him anymore. He put away his contempt and said coldly:
“Why do you ask me about my purpose when you already know the answer? Not only has Xiang Chang recovered Jiujiang, but he has also taken Chen County. He will now have time to deal with our three kingdoms. Yan has been destroyed. Are you and I, Han and Zhao, just going to sit there and wait for death?”

Han Wangxin’s eyes were full of ferocity and his words were murderous.

“What else can we do if we don’t just sit and wait for death? All the 20,000 troops in my kingdom have been summoned by King Liu Bang of Han to defend the Chenggao line. There are no extra troops in the kingdom to resist the Chu army.” Zhang Er opened his eyes again, shook his head and sighed.

“What you said is meaningless! Everyone knows that your Zhao land has produced heroic and tragic warriors since ancient times. With just one order, you can recruit young and strong civilians and assemble a strong army in minutes!” Han Wangxin was unmoved and spoke sharply.

Zhang Er laughed and looked up at Han Wangxin. “King Han really has his eyes on the civilians of our kingdom. I heard that King Han came to help King Yan Zang Tu and destroyed all 30,000 troops of our kingdom under the city of Jixian! And now he still refuses to give up!”

Zhang Er would have been fine if he hadn’t mentioned this, but Han Wangxin became even more furious: “If you had responded to the request and sent troops that day, how could we, the three countries, have been defeated together?”

“On the contrary, even if we send 20,000 troops into the battle, we will not be able to reverse the situation and will not be able to escape the fate of a great defeat.”

“Then you will do nothing? If our two countries are destroyed, Liu Bang’s Han camp will also be destroyed. Your son is still in the Han camp and married Liu Bang’s daughter, but he will only die with him and his clan will be exterminated. If you give me your full support, we can combine the strength of our two countries and fight against the Chu State. Even if we cannot win, at least we can tie down a part of the Chu army and reduce the pressure on the Han camp’s Chenggao front.” Han Wangxin looked at Zhang Er with contempt, his words full of bewitching power.

As expected, Zhang Er fell silent, then sighed for a while:
“Today’s Zhao and Han are no longer the Zhao and Han of the six kingdoms, and you and I are no longer the royal families of the two countries. Especially my Zhao Kingdom, most of the territory of the kingdom, including the people above, are controlled by those powerful families. Now without the absolute suppression of military force, I am now a king in vain, and it is difficult to force them to obey, let alone recruit their private armies and people in their territories.”

“You don’t have to worry about this. Just entrust the kingdom to me and help me with all your strength. I will do the rest!” Han Wangxin smiled grimly, revealing his true intentions.

This guy not only wants to recruit soldiers from Zhao State, but also wants to swallow the entire Zhao State into his stomach.

“As you wish! I still have three thousand private soldiers in the hands of Grand Marshal Gan Tiao, and he will help you with all his strength.” Zhang Er slowly closed his eyes again.

Han Wangxin was overjoyed.

It must be said that the successive victories of the Chu army clearly demonstrated a trend of sweeping the world, and the pressure it brought was too great, like a huge hammer that smashed down hard, crushing the two kingdoms of Zhao and Han, which were originally wary of each other and even hostile to each other, into a ball.

With Gan Tiao’s full cooperation, Han Wangxin immediately took action and summoned high-ranking officials from the kingdom’s capital, Xiangcheng, to a banquet in the palace in the name of Zhang Er.

After all the dignitaries had arrived, King Zhang Er of Zhao took the initiative and announced that he would entrust the State of Zhao to King Xin of Han, making him a fake king and ordering his ministers to kneel down and worship him.

The powerful officials were in an uproar, realizing that Zhang Er did not have much time left, and they all refused to obey the order.

At a command from King Han Xin, his army joined forces with Gan Tiao’s Zhao royal army to kill all the private armies of these powerful officials. Then they dragged out several of the loudest ones and beheaded them on the spot to serve as a warning to others.

Kneel down or die, faced with this extremely simple choice, the powerful officials had no choice but to lower their noble heads.

With the status of monarch and ministers established and the authority of Zhao State in hand, the next step became easier. Han Wangxin controlled these powerful ministers in the palace and ordered them to gather their family’s private soldiers.

The powerful officials had no choice but to obey.

Han Wangxin immediately disorganized all his private soldiers and reorganized them into an army, using the 3,000 soldiers he brought with him as officers and generals, thus obtaining an army of 20,000 people.

When he was recklessly conscripting troops, King Zhang Er of Zhao finally couldn’t hold on any longer and breathed his last. King Xin of Han ignored him and sent people to hastily bury him. Then he led the army, carrying the gold, silver, grain, and cloth looted from the Zhao treasury, and returned to Han at full speed.

When they arrived at Yangdi, the capital of Han, they learned that King Huang had already returned from the Xiongnu, and he brought great news: he had indeed traded for war horses from the Xiongnu, and there were as many as 10,000 of them!

Han Wangxin was extremely surprised and equipped his army with 10,000 war horses. He now had 10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry, a total of 30,000 troops.

Soon, he led an army of 30,000 and left the kingdom with great momentum, marching straight into the State of Yan.

(End of this chapter)