Chapter 215 Controversy among the officials
The question of the king of Wei is worth thinking about, after all, the current state of Wei, although the state of Wei today has captured a large area of territory after repeated campaigns.
But after all, it is a newly acquired land, and the population resources on the territory have not been fully developed and utilized. The king of Wei can only continue to recruit troops from the original sites, and at most add some stories that he still misses about Wei. People, but after repeated wars, these people are almost dead.
In today's Wei State, the total number of people who can really fight is only 300,000, but they have to stay in Wei State's vast territory, and among those troops, there are still many soldiers with low morale and unable to fight anymore.
"Well, I suggest that you leave 50,000 people in the prefectures and counties already occupied by Hedong County, pick some important cities and counties to stay behind, and give up all other unimportant places!
As for the rest of the country, leave the most basic defensive forces, except for a little more counties facing the direction of Qi, all the others will be withdrawn and concentrated on the battlefield between the Yu Kingdom and the Qin Kingdom, and will join the coalition forces to resist Qin together country. "After some careful consideration, the prime minister said this.
"What? The Prime Minister is not joking, is he?" King Wei stood up from his throne in surprise, clapped his hands on the table, and looked at the old man in front of him with a face full of surprise.
"That's right, Mr. Prime Minister, are you confused?" Dozens of ministers next to him were also discussing, looking at the prime minister with surprise on their faces, and even some rude people were already accusing him of being too old to do things.
It's no wonder they were so surprised and angry. In order to win such a large territory, Wei Guo had already killed almost 500,000 people.
With so many people, they are still young and strong, and the burden on Wei Guo can be said to be extremely heavy.
There is such a situation that can explain the problem. Before the war, Wei State originally had a territory of more than one county, with more than 1.5 million people. Among them, there were about 400,000 young and strong men. They had all been dragged to the battlefield and used as front-line cannon fodder.
Of course, it is impossible for only these people to win such a large territory and drive the Qin people into Hangu Pass step by step. Wei Guo also recruited some soldiers from the newly recovered places.
A large number of young and strong men were recruited, and local production had completely stagnated, and even a large number of people were starved to death.
Because all the military rations in the rear have to support the front line, where will the military rations come from? Naturally, it was the rations of the local people. They were ruthlessly broken into their homes by soldiers, and all their food was looted, and even the grain for the next spring was taken away.
After paying such a high price, Wei Guo had to hand over half of the population of the territory he got to that hateful alliance leader.
The remaining people have to recruit soldiers and horses, and the Wei State is constantly consuming it. It can be said that under the territory ruled by the Wei State, except for the original territory before the war, the people on all other newly recovered territories are very important to the Wei State. The country is extremely resentful.
The Wang Shi who was expecting turned into a brutal demon, regardless of the target or the situation. As a result, everyone in the local family wears sackcloth and filial piety, the wives and children are separated, and the family is destroyed. Can they not hate it?
If they had known this situation earlier, those people would rather be under the rule of Qin State and be treated harshly by Qin State laws than return to the homeland they once thought.
But it's too late to say so much now, and everything can't be turned back.
Qin State will not forget the fact of their betrayal, and they are also afraid that Qin State will liquidate them in turn, so they can only grit their teeth and go forward with Wei State against their wishes.
Wei Guo paid such a high price to get such a piece of land, but now, their prime minister proposes to give up Hedong County, which is about to be acquired.
In addition, they dispatched local troops from all over the country to suppress the unstable defenders, and led a large army to support their joint commanders at the risk of being overthrown at any time.
This is really unbelievable, and it cannot be accepted by these people.
Looking at the astonishment of the officials and his own king, as well as the hidden accusations, the old prime minister shook his head and said calmly:
"Your Majesty, everyone, think about it, if Yuguo is defeated by Qin, and the 350,000 troops standing in front of us disappear in smoke, then who should resist the Qin army who has completely freed up its hands?"
"Even if Qin State defeats Yu State, will he be able to recover after victory? With a 950,000 army, if he has 500,000 left over, he will be able to hold his own!" A political opponent of the old prime minister next to him said disapprovingly.
"That's right, Mr. Sikou is right. With 500,000 Qin troops, our Wei State now has 300,000 strong troops. To the south, Chu State also has an army. Adding Zhao State, can Qin State continue to be fierce?" Under the faction of Mr. Si Kou, an official stood up and loudly supported it.
As soon as the two finished speaking, many ministers beside them nodded in agreement and whispered to each other, full of approval.
Looking at the words of these people in front of him, many people in the camp agreed, and even King Wei was moved. The old prime minister sneered a few times, and a bitter sound came out of his dull throat.
"My country of Wei has 300,000 troops, but with the alliance broken, how many troops are needed to suppress the newly recovered places, and how many troops can my country of Wei send to resist Qin? I'm afraid 100,000 is barely enough! As for Zhao Guo and Chu Guo, don’t they need to stay in the new place? How many soldiers and horses can they send to support our Wei Guo, tens of thousands? Or 100,000, what’s the point?”
A series of questioning burst out from the prime minister's mouth. He was so emotional and full of anger. In the whole room, there was no one who was farsighted. They were all short-sighted people, blinded by the small interests in front of them.
In fact, they didn't even think about it. If they hadn't encountered the 300,000 troops of Qin's general Wang Jian who were in the front, Qin's most elite troops that could move at any time would have to be trapped in Chenggao County.
In this way, all countries have the opportunity to enter, wantonly swallowing mouthfuls of fat in places where Qin's troops are insufficient, weakening Qin's strength to this point.
Now if Yuguo is really defeated, Qin, who has freed up his hands, will have a mobile force of 500,000 to 800,000.
With such a huge army, even if Qin's troops were exhausted and exhausted by the war, they could still destroy Wei at will.
"This is what I have been thinking about. The prime minister is right. My country of Wei really cannot do without the country of Yu!" King Wei sighed, feeling exhausted. Only now did he truly realize that the current situation of the country of Wei is so good. It is maintained in the hands of others.