West of Xianyang and south of the Zhengguo Canal, the Wei River Basin in this area was once the most fertile and central area of ​​the Qin State, but now it is hundreds of miles of barren land with almost no human habitation.

The straight-line distance from here to Yongqi under Li Yuan's rule is about three hundred miles. King Yong Zhanghan led 15,000 troops and was stationed here.

After Xiang Yu returned to the east, the Wei River Plain in the core area of ​​Guanzhong was occupied by Long Qie, Zhang Han, and Dong Yi. Among them, Zhang Han's territory was closely connected with Li Yuan, and many places intersected with each other, with only a small mound or a small trail.

Rivers and rivers are used to distinguish whose jurisdiction it belongs to. This uncertain power boundary is the source of unrest.

After the continuous famine, under Zhang Han's rule, the population was scarce. There was the old capital of Xianyang in the east, and the vibrant Yongqi under Li Yuan's management in the west. Zhang Han was caught in the middle these two months.

, life was really difficult.

As a reduced general, Zhang Han's status in the anti-Qin alliance was not prominent. As King Yong, he mainly benefited from the existence of two unstable factors, Li Yuan and Liu Bang.

Xiang Yu only left Zhang Han, his former rival, with 10,000 people, and the territory was even more narrow and dangerous. Lantian in the south was occupied by Liu Bang, the king of Han Dynasty, and Li Yuan in the west was even more aggressive, directly treating Yongcheng as the county seat.

, which made Zhang Han, the nominal Yong King, very embarrassed. He was named Yong but did not occupy the land of Yong.

Zhang Han is also an ambitious man. Otherwise, he would not have asked for orders to go out to attack the rebel Qin princes when he was just a young man. But now, even though the rebels have separated from their relatives and the Qin people in Guanzhong are extremely disappointed with him, Zhang Han is not

He was willing to give up and give it a try.

In July, Zhang Han increased tax collection in several counties under his rule and expanded his troops from 10,000 to 15,000. These 5,000 new strokes included elderly people in their sixties and those in their forties.

Women accounted for nearly half, and the rest were Di warriors that Zhang Han recruited from the Di people in the north with heavy sums of money.

Mercenaries - they were an indispensable sight on the battlefields of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In fact, until the Tang Dynasty, hiring warriors from ethnic minorities was a consistent practice of the Central Plains regime. General Lou Fan of Qin and Zhao,

In the Han Dynasty, the Huns cavalry, the Tiger and Leopard cavalry of the Three Kingdoms, the flying army, etc. all had the presence of foreigners. In the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan people during the Anshi Rebellion caused the mighty Tang Dynasty to turn from victory to decline.

Fufeng County.

The current appearance of this small town is somewhat dilapidated. There are less than two or three households in the city, but after Zhang Han led five thousand generals to settle here, it completely became a military camp.

The location of the county magistrate.

Yongwang Zhanghan paced back and forth in the low hall. Compared with the high-spirited general a year ago, his face already had the spots of the elderly, and there were a few strands of white hair on his beard and hair under his chin.

Even his once bright eyes began to become a little cloudy.

"Brother, Thief Li is on tight alert. All the troops he sent to Yongqi have been killed. What should we do?" Opposite Zhang Han, Zhang Ping's eager eyes were fixed on Zhang Han's back as he moved back and forth, his short and stocky body slightly swaying.

A little trembling.

A month ago, Zhang Ping was ordered by Zhang Han to sneak into Li Yuan's jurisdiction with some capable soldiers. The result was tragic. Before Zhang Ping could lurk, Chang Shifu, who received Li Yuan's order, ordered a thorough investigation of the people who fled to the west.

As a refugee, Zhang Ping and others had no acquaintances to guarantee them, so their true colors were immediately exposed. Under the pressure of Li Jun, several small troops were immediately disintegrated. Even Zhang Ping himself almost became a prisoner.

"Li thieves are difficult to deal with. Brother Ping, please go to Xianyang quickly and report the recent military situation to Long Qie'er. Remember, to be more serious, Li thieves' strength should only be 70,000." Zhang Han.

After a while, he stopped and gave instructions.

"Brother, isn't 70,000 a bit too much? The number of Li thieves is at most 40,000?" Zhang Ping asked confused.

"Seventy thousand, no less. If Long Qie doesn't believe it, let him lead his own troops to prove it. As for Thief Li, I will send others there, so you don't have to worry about it." Zhang Han nodded.

He said, looking extremely solemn.

Time waits for no one.

Li Yuan's series of actions and measures in Yongqi made Zhang Han feel a strong sense of crisis. Compared with Li Yuan, who was concentrating on planning for long-term development, Zhang Han admitted that he was indeed inferior, and he also admired Li Yuan in his heart.

Young people.

However, I admire you.

There is never any emotion involved in the killing on the battlefield.

The battle for the control of Guanzhong was about to break out. Faced with the severe famine in the wasteland and Yongqi's unexpected bumper harvest, Long Qie, Zhang Han, and Dong Yi unanimously set their sights on Li Yuan.

Before the harsh winter arrives, a battle to grab and protect food is about to begin.

——.

Qishan, Zongzheng Courtyard.

After Chen Di arrived in Yongzhou with Li Yuan, he did not hold any position. In fact, it was not that Li Yuan did not want to arrange it for Chen Di, but that Chen Di himself was too short-sighted and capable, except for ritual scenes such as sacrifices.

In other aspects, Chen Di really has no special skills.

Baiyiyong is a clan.

Although this sentence is absolute, it is undeniable that for more than four hundred years since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, it has supported a group of wastes who relied on the royal family for survival. Among them, Chen Di is already a very capable one, and there are many who are worse than him.

There is nothing to do. Chen Di is still a little upset in his recent days. If nothing else, the main reason is that the original clan forces left in Xianyang have been uprooted, and everyone with a name has been cut down.

The head was hung at the city gate, and the clan's acres and property were all looted by the coalition forces.

Hundreds of years of savings were lost in one day.

Chen Di couldn't help but feel sad every time he thought about this, and what made him even more uneasy was the continuation of Qin's country. Hu Hai, the second generation of Qin Dynasty, died, and now Ziying, the third generation of Qin Dynasty, also died, and the rest of the royal family had also disappeared.

, there are only two women left alive who are related to the surname Ying: Ying (Zhao) Yushu and Ying Yuman.

what to do?

Is the Qin Kingdom really going to end?

Supporting a new emperor and making Qin strong again is what Chen Di has been struggling with these days. In his opinion, the loss of the capital of Qin is nothing. As long as Guo Zuo is still there, Qin

There is hope for the country to recover.

As for what Guo Zuo is? Even Chen Di, the clan leader in charge of sacrifices, couldn't explain it clearly for a while.

Chen Di was worrying about the continuation of the Qin State. He didn't know that the change of dynasties was like the stars in the sky. It was normal and normal, but deep down in his heart, there was always an obsession that he couldn't let go.

.

What do you mean by clothes? I wear the same robe as your son. The king raised his army and repaired my spear and spear.
Chapter completed!