In the third month of the first year of China, the snow in Gao Liu County had melted, and it was now spring, the busiest time of the year. The caravans of the aristocratic families had already formed this year's caravans. The herdsmen had driven their cows and sheep out to graze. This year, the price of Gao Liu County's sheep had risen, and the price of mutton had also risen. Large amounts of sheep appeared in the market, but they were all bought by people as soon as they entered the market. The business of the mutton shops was bleak, and everyone began to eat more beef and horse meat.
Large amounts of high-quality horses were sent down the mountain from Hua City. The prices of horses in Xia City, Northern Mountain City, and Gao Liu City all fell. The horse merchants in the central plains bought large amounts of horses from Gao Liu County and sent them to the central plains. The horses in Gao Liu County were becoming more and more famous in the central plains.
Hanzhong County of Qin had entered spring a month ago. After a year of war, most of the cities in Hanzhong County had fallen into the hands of the Chu State. The three years of war had exhausted the people of Qin, and now they only had the strength to defend. In Hexi County, Wei and Zhao's attacks were getting stronger and stronger. The entire Hexi County was about to be taken over by Wei. When this news spread to Xianyang City, the officials of Qin began to lose their calm.
"How could Lianpo appear in Hexi County?
The elites of Zhao Country defeated Great Shan Pass, and even if Lianpo doesn't die, he won't be able to recover from his injuries within ten years. Are you sure you didn't see wrongly? "Qin Jiao looked at the general of Qin Country in front of him, Zhao Xin, who was one of the best among the younger generation of Qin Country.
"There is no mistake. Lianpo has attacked many times. He has already killed three of the Qin Nation's commanders (Foundation Building Realm) and more than 30 Blood Dragon Guards. The Wei Nation and the Zhao Nation have already handed over military power to Lianpo.
Without reinforcements, the Wei and Zhao army will be able to kill their way into Qin in half a month, "Zhao Xin replied.
Hearing this, all the ministers in the hall fell silent. If it were two years ago, Qin State would not be afraid even if they had to fight against Chu, Wei, and Zhao at the same time. However, the three years of war had depleted Qin State's treasury. With the help of Chu State, Ba and Shu State had declared independence. Qin State could no longer send soldiers and food from Ba and Shu State. The only thing they could do now was to continue sending soldiers from the Central Plains.
"Young master, the Wei and Zhao army has been using soldiers to attack our militia, using their elites to deal with our soldiers, and using superior numbers to attack our elites. This is Lianpo's style. Other than the Calm Martial Ruler and General Wang, I'm afraid no one is Lianpo's match. I request that you send the Calm Martial Ruler back to the country and send 200,000 troops from the central plains to destroy Lianpo's army." Li Si said while kowtowing.
"How can we do that? If the Calm Martial Ruler leaves the Country of Zheng, the situation in the Country of Zheng, Country of Wei, and the other countries will change. At that time, the Qin Country's good situation will disappear and the Qin Country will be attacked from three sides." A Qin Country minister heard Li Si's suggestion and quickly said.
"The sovereigns of Zheng, Wei, and Zhou are either in Xianyang City or on the run.
The State of Qin is not withdrawing its army. As long as the main force remains there, the aristocratic families who have surrendered to us must continue to help us resist the attacks of other countries.
For us, the most important thing is not the deterrent power of Qin State in the Central Plains. As long as Qin State has the advantage, those aristocratic families who rely on us will not easily change sides.
However, if the Wei and Zhao armies attack the hinterland of Qin, those aristocratic families will have thoughts of resisting us. The king is still in closed door cultivation, which is the most fatal thing for us. "Li Si calmly said.
The ministers were silent. If the Qin Country withdrew its army from the Central Plains, there were too many unpredictable things. However, when they thought of Lian Po, they all thought that transferring Bai Qi back to the country was the best decision.
"Right now, we have sent envoys to the Song Country, Chen Country, Cai Country, Cao Country, and Lu Country to express our friendly attitude. I think that they are not willing to fight with the Qin Country." Li Si said. Qin Jiao nodded his head.
Many people were already convinced. The Qin Country's withdrawal was inevitable. The Central Plains countries had already surrendered and would continue to follow the Qin Country. After all, their family heads were still in Xianyang City.
Moreover, the possibility of the Song Country, Cai Country, Cao Country, and the other countries attacking the Qin Country was very small. Even if Bai Qi withdrew from the Central Plains, as long as a portion of the Qin Country's elites remained, there should not be any chaos.
However, the Qin Country taking this step was showing weakness to the world. As long as the Qin Country withdrew its army, it would be very difficult for them to unify the world.
"Prime Minister Li is right.
The Qin Country has already taken over the most fertile land in the Central Plains. As long as they manage it well for a few years, the Qin Country's strength will definitely be greater than before.
The Qin Country's strength lies in the king. As long as the king recovers from his injuries, we only need to take down either the Wei Country or the Chu Country. The Central Plains countries will definitely surrender to the Qin Country. The Qin Country seems to be showing weakness to the world. As long as we can withstand the attacks of Lian Po and the Chu Country, the situation will always be on our side. "A Foundation Establishment Realm minister said. Everyone nodded their heads.
The Qin Country brought back more than 30 Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators from the Central Plains. In addition, the Qin Country had the most Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators in the Central Plains. No matter how strong Lian Po was, taking down Xianyang City would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Right now, there weren't that many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators from the Yi Qu Country for him to command.
The Central Plains countries were in a good mood these few days. The envoys from the Chu Country, the Zhao Country, the Qi Country, and Wei Country all came to visit. They all hoped that they could send troops to deal with the Qin Country in the Central Plains. The emperors of each country were very tempted because they knew that there weren't many Qin soldiers there.
However, the strength of the Qin Country made them hesitate. Facing the strongest country in the world, they had to be the first to attack. This required courage.
In the past few days, the envoys from the Qin Country also arrived. The Qin Country hoped to be friends with the other countries and get along well with each other. This made the other countries cancel their plans to attack the Qin Country. Bai Qi led 200,000 soldiers back to Xianyang City. The war seemed to only be within the Qin Country's borders. The world suddenly fell into peace.
The Lu Country's merchant group that came to Xia City this year was very large. It could be seen that the Lu Country's strength had increased by a lot. The population of the Lu Country should not be less than the High Willow Region.
Hua Kai personally summoned the person in charge of the Lu Country's merchant group. The other party needed 30,000 good quality horses. Hua Kai traded with them for 500,000 gold. The Lu Country had absorbed the population and financial resources of the Central Plains countries in just two years. Now, they could already form their own cavalry regiment. This was very difficult.
It should be known that in the Central Plains, other than the Zhao Country and the Yan Country, the other countries only had a few cavalry regiments. Cavalry was the king of land battles and could often change the situation of a war. With 30,000 cavalry, even the Qi Country might not be a match for them.
The Qi Country's war had strengthened the Lu Country. Hua Kai's decision to support the Lu Country from the beginning was correct. In the future, even if the Song Country failed, the Lu Country's strength would be enough to cause trouble for the Qin Country.
When the Wei and Zhao Country's army led by Lianpo entered the Guanzhong region of the Qin Country, Bai Qi led the 200,000 Qin soldiers back. The two famous generals of the time engaged in an exciting battle, which made many people understand the art of war.
Both sides had their wins and losses. The Qin Country was on the defensive side and had more losses than the Wei and Zhao Country's army. However, the Wei and Zhao Country's army led by Lianpo had the upper hand. Both sides began to be anxious. One day, the other side took one city. Lianpo could not take down the Qin Country's army, so he did not dare to lead his army to Xianyang City.
Let's not talk about the war between the countries. Ever since the Sage of the Qi Country went into seclusion, the aristocratic families ruled by themselves. There were already signs of internal strife. The Yan Country sent out messengers to visit the aristocratic families of the Qi Country. Many aristocratic families had the intention of merging the Qi Country with the Yan Country. In the middle of March, the aristocratic families of the Qi Country in Xiapi Country surrendered to the Lu Country. Then, the Peng Cheng Country surrendered to the Lu Country.
The Qi Country was about to collapse.
Many aristocratic families of the Qi Country wanted to send troops to the Lu Country. However, when they saw the Lu Country's strength, they did not dare to say anything. If they wanted to send troops, the aristocratic families would need to gather troops. At this time, no one wanted to sacrifice their own strength.
Although the Yan Country had the intention of annexing the Qi Country, the two countries had been in conflict for many years. Even if the aristocratic families agreed to it, it would be very difficult for the Qi Country to do so.
At this time, some people recommended that the Qi Family continue to lead the aristocratic families of the Qi Country. This way, all the power would be in the hands of the aristocratic families. The Qi Family would be a banner to unite the aristocratic families of the former Qi Country.
Moreover, if the Qi Country was defeated, they could push the Qi Family out to protect themselves.
Everything seemed to have returned to how it was before. More than forty thousand people in the High Willow Country were building a new city in the Wild City.
The Wild City was located in the central region of the High Willow Country. It was surrounded by many major cities. Therefore, the city walls were not as sturdy as the Xia City.
The Wild City was no longer built in the traditional way. Hua Kai divided the city into more than twenty areas according to the nature of the workshops in the city. Each area was separated by a river. There was no need to build walls. Every area started to build workshops directly.
In the workshop area, there were workshops with worker's houses. When the city walls were just built, the city had already started to build bridges for the river. Buildings started to be built in the workshop area.
Hundreds of workshops formed a workshop area. There was a commercial street in the area to provide a livelihood for the workers. The Top Three Schools in the central area were built around the plaza in the Wild City. There were also the planning and construction areas of the Top Three Schools. At the same time, the best entertainment and living areas were built here.
The most important thing in the High Willow Country this year was to build a country. Hua City, as the capital of the Hua Country, also needed to be fully renovated this year.
Because there were more and more Alfalfa Spirit Herbs at the foot of the mountain, the grassland on the west side of the Pegasus Field was less useful. A few of the important workshops in Hua City were going to move to the Wild City. Therefore, there was a large amount of empty land. Hua Kai planned to increase the greenery in Hua City, increase the land use efficiency of Hua City, increase the number of palaces, pavilions, and plazas. At the same time, increase the population of Hua City. Some of the aristocratic families that were close to the Hua family could move their families to Hua City.
The Xue family, Ma family, Huang Jia family, and other core members of the Hua family were from the aristocratic families. They had already tied the fate of their families to the Hua family. In Hua Kai's heart, Hua City was a political city, a core city for animal husbandry, a core city for animal husbandry, and a core city for military strength.
As the most important city for the Hua family, Hua City had to make up for its shortcomings to meet the needs of the Hua Country's capital.