SWDnovel Chapter 35 Jianghu Night Rain and New Year Lanterns
Chapter 35 Jianghu Night Rain and New Year Lanterns
With a "whoosh," the arrow hit the bullseye.
Zhang Jujiu put down his bow and looked at his elder brother, Zhang Mengtan, who was sitting on a stone stool reading "The Unwavering Military Strategy."
"Brother, you don't know how to use weapons, so what's the use of reading Master Bu Yi's military treatise?"
Duke Zhuangxiang said: "An army with discipline but a general without ability cannot be defeated; an army without discipline but a general with ability cannot be conquered!"
Zhang Mengtan is five years older than Zhang Jujiu. Two years ago, despite Zhang Liu's opposition, he resolutely pledged allegiance to Ying Si, who was then the crown prince. Now he is a guest advisor, providing counsel to King Huiwen.
However, Zhang Liu didn't like him very much.
"Hehe, Duke Zhuangxiang also said: 'A general is the assistant of a state. If he assists the state, the state will surely be strong; if he assists the state, the state will surely be weak.'"
"Hehe... Stop being so glib," Zhang Mengtan put away "Unwavering Military Strategy," smiled helplessly, and stretched out his hand to Zhang Jujiu, "Give me the bow."
Zhang Jujiu handed over his bow, and Zhang Mengtan drew the bow and nocked an arrow. With a "whoosh," the arrow pierced through the air, splitting the arrow that Zhang Jujiu had shot earlier, and hitting the bullseye.
Zhang Jujiu was stunned for a moment, then laughed and scolded, "Well, brother, you really are a hidden talent!"
"I practiced for a while." Zhang Mengtan handed the bow back, sat back down on the stone stool, and said in a calm tone, "Not knowing how and not using it are two different things. I've been reviewing Zhuang Xiang Gong's military treatise to learn new things, and later I realized one thing: archery and warfare are the same. The target is there, and no matter how accurately you aim, a slight tremor in your hand will cause you to miss. On the battlefield, there aren't many opportunities for you to re-aim, so you either don't shoot at all, or you shoot straight through the heart."
He paused, looking at his younger brother: "Isn't it more dangerous on the battlefield to reveal all your skills to others too early? Warfare is based on deception. This saying of Duke Zhuangxiang is not just for show."
Zhang Jujiu held the bow, which still bore two old marks, without saying a word.
"You'll be going for the interview the day after tomorrow," Zhang Mengtan stood up, tucking the bamboo slip under his arm. "Remember, don't be reckless. You're going to make a name for yourself, not to die. Your father won't stop you, and neither will I."
"I know." Zhang Jujiu hung the bow back on the rack, turned to look at his brother, "And what about you? Two years ago you went to Liyang, Father didn't say a word, and you really left without a sound."
Zhang Mengtan paused in his steps.
"I'm different from you," he said without turning around. "You're joining the army, while I'm joining the Qin army. You risk your life for fame and fortune, I'm risking my brains. Fame and fortune can be earned again, but once your head is gone, it's truly gone. You're worried about your father, but I don't want him to worry in vain."
"I won't help you, and I can't help you. As for how far you can go, that's up to you."
Zhang Jujiu turned his head away and snorted, "If you help me, you'll only be harming me!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mengtan laughed heartily, patted Zhang Jujiu on the shoulder, and said, "Good, you have ambition! Not long ago, when I was offering sacrifices to Duke Wen at the Four Mountains, I discovered a stone coffin. His Majesty told me that the Emperor decreed that the Zhang family should not be disorderly, and bestowed upon you a stone coffin with the Hua family name!"
"I hope you can bring glory to our family!"
……
Zhang Mengtan stayed in Liangyi for a very short time. He had come to Liangyi because of some national affairs, and now that those affairs were settled, he naturally had to return to Xianyang.
He brought back Zhang Jujiu and threw him into the army, making him start from the bottom as a soldier.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jujiu served in the army for twelve years, during which time conflicts between the Qin state and other states continued.
Zhang Jujiu's military rank rose from a lowly soldier to a commander of five hundred men. Then, in the year Ying Si became king, he was promoted from commander of five hundred men to Left General and appointed as a high-ranking official during the Battle of Xiuyu between Qin and Han, leading troops to guard the northern commandery of Shu.
That year, in the Battle of Xiuyu, Zhang Jujiu led 500 men into battle, capturing flags and beheading generals. He personally killed a Wei army lieutenant general, beheading 23 enemies, and broke through the Wei army's formation in one fell swoop.
After the war, in recognition of his merits, King Huiwen personally bestowed upon him the seal of Left General and ordered him to lead his troops south to guard the northern prefecture of Shu.
When King Huiwen of Qin ascended the throne in 325 BC, the Qin state had already completely occupied Guanzhong.
Faced with Qin's eastward expansion, the various states devised a "vertical alliance" to jointly contain Qin.
In order to break the alliance between the states, Qin sent Zhang Yi and others to travel around and persuade the states to form a "horizontal alliance".
In 322 BC, King Huiwen of Qin sent Zhang Yi to the State of Wei to serve as its prime minister, intending to make Wei the first state to submit to Qin and have other states follow suit. However, this did not succeed.
The Qin state attempted to force Wei to submit by force, and in 322 BC, it launched an attack on Wei, occupying Quwo (northeast of present-day Wenxi, Shanxi) and Pingzhou (west of present-day Jiexiu, Shanxi). Soon after, it also captured Yanling (northwest of present-day Yanling, Henan) of Han and Yuzhi (present-day Qingyang, Gansu) of Yiqu.
The expansion of the Qin state and Zhang Yi's strategy of forming alliances seriously threatened the security of other states.
In 319 BC, with the support of the states of Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, and Han, the state of Wei expelled Zhang Yi back to Qin and appointed Gongsun Yan, who advocated an alliance against Qin, as the prime minister of Wei.
In 318 BC, under the impetus of Gongsun Yan, the five states of Wei, Zhao, Han, Yan and Chu jointly elected King Huai of Chu as the leader of the alliance and organized a coalition to attack the state of Qin.
Gongsun Yan also allied with the Yiqu state to attack Qin from the flank and rear, coordinating with the allied forces. Qin sent "a thousand bolts of embroidered silk and a hundred beautiful women" to the Yiqu to alleviate their threat, and then sent troops to Hangu Pass (northeast of present-day Lingbao, Henan) to meet them in battle.
The allied forces were divided due to their own agendas. Chu and Yan were not threatened by Qin for the time being, so they were passive and wait-and-see. Only Wei, Zhao and Han actually sent troops.
The allied forces attacked Hangu Pass, but were counterattacked by Qin troops and defeated. The allied forces retreated eastward to Xiuyu (southwest of present-day Yuanyang County).
In the same year, the King of Yiqu believed that Qin's generous gifts were only a temporary strategy and that Qin's growing strength would ultimately be detrimental to him. Therefore, taking advantage of the five states' attack on Qin, he sent troops to attack Li Bo of Qin.
One Qin army unit hastily engaged in battle and suffered a crushing defeat. However, this battle did not affect the overall situation.
In 317 BC, the Qin state dispatched Chuli Ji (Ying Ji), a junior official, to lead an army out of Hangu Pass to counterattack the allied forces of Han, Zhao, and Wei. Chuli Ji (Ying Ji) inflicted a major defeat on the allied forces at Xiuyu, killing 8.2 of their main force. The allied forces were then forced to retreat to Xiuze (south of present-day Qingfeng, Henan).
The Qin army pursued the allied forces to Xiuze and defeated them again, capturing Han general Shen Cha and others. The five-nation campaign against Qin ended in failure.
Outcome of the war: The first alliance of five states against Qin ended in failure. Afterwards, Qin continuously attacked the states of Han, Zhao, and Wei, forcing Han to submit and send its crown prince Cang to Qin to sue for peace. Wei's internal affairs were also interfered with by Qin.
In 316 BC, King Huiwen of Qin ordered Zhang Yi, Sima Cuo, Zhang Jujiu, and Commandant Mo to lead a large army from Baoxie Road to Jinniu Road, and they marched straight into the heart of Shu, successfully capturing Guangdu and bringing about the downfall of Shu.
In October, Zhang Jujiu led his army to conquer Ba, and the entire Ba-Shu region came under the control of the Qin state.
Zhang Jujiu himself was also granted the title of Lord Jingning by King Huiwen of Qin, with the fief of Hanzhong.
In 314 BC, Zhang Jujiu and Ying Ji captured Quwo and Jiaoyi. Then Zhang Jujiu attacked Han, and the Han army was defeated. The Qin army beheaded more than 10,000 people.
These attacks caused the states of Han and Wei to withdraw from the alliance, while the states of Chu and Qi united to resist the state of Qin.
In 313 BC, with the assistance of the Qi army, the Chu army captured Quwo, and then Chu sent another large army to besiege it.
Zhang Jujiu led his troops to relieve the siege of Yuzhong. On the other side, King Huiwen of Qin sent Zhang Yi to Chu to dismantle the Chu-Qi alliance.