After Xiong Wuliang's command captured Jucheng, the Chu army did not continue to advance.

Large areas in the southern part of Qi State were captured by the Chu army one after another. All kinds of materials seized in the treasury were piled up like mountains. The Chu army was busy transporting these materials back to the fiefdom and was unable to continue going north.

Besides, Xiong Wuliang was also waiting for the baggage from the rear.

Although supplies such as grain and grass can be taken from the enemy, consumable ordnance such as arrows still have to wait for the fief to be shipped over.

At this time, the Qi State was already in danger - looking at the territory and cities south of Muling Pass, all the territory and cities had been conquered by the Chu army. The total area was expanded to about 700 miles, which was an out-and-out victory.

At the end of May, these cities in the southern border of Qi were all evacuated by the Chu army with astonishing efficiency. Xiong Wuliang's army used this short rest time to replenish and prepare, and the new army's strength was replenished to 10,000.

Now we just have to wait for the Song Dynasty to deliver the arrows, and then we can continue to march north and try to attack Muling Pass.

As long as Muling Pass is captured again, the entire Jimo County (Shandong Peninsula) will be owned by the Chu State, and even Linzi, the capital of the Qi State, will also face the Chu army.

By then, the Chu State will be the biggest winner in this battle of ‘Allied Forces to Defeat Qi’.

…

Song Dynasty, Shangqiu.

King Yan of the Song Dynasty has been a bit anxious recently, and for this reason he killed many maids, maids and even ministers who he disliked.

He couldn't explain what was wrong, he just felt inexplicably flustered.

On this day, he severely punished two chamberlains who walked too fast, and then sat alone on the throne, panting, lost in thought.

"Your Majesty... there are merchants who want to see you." A chamberlain came to the door of the hall and whispered fearfully.

Song Wangyan opened his eyes and said angrily: "The voice is so small, haven't you eaten?"

The chamberlain was so frightened that he quickly straightened his chest and shouted: "There are foreign merchants who want to see the king!"

Song Wangyan nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad."

“Very energetic!”

Merchant? What do merchants do when they see me?

I, the majestic overlord of the Central Plains, would go to see a small businessman, wouldn't it be detrimental to the king's power?

However, Song Wangyan was already bored, and now he wanted to relieve his boredom, so he waved his hand: "Bring him in."

Carrying the letter in his arms, Zhao Shu strode into the palace and bowed deeply to the King of Song: "Unknown people from Chu, please pay homage to your Majesty."

King Yan of Song Dynasty looked up and saw that the person who came was neither humble nor arrogant. He felt a little unhappy for a moment: "You are a merchant, what do you want to do with me?"

"If you can't tell me how ugly you are, you will waste your time..."

"The cauldron is at your service!"

Zhao Shu smiled slightly, with no fear on his face, and said astonishingly: "I am here to help the king in his domination!"

Song Wangyan was startled at first, then startled, and then a faint sarcasm appeared on his face: "How dare a businessman make such wild remarks?"

"The hegemony of the few...the hegemony of the few...Come here, pull down this Chu man who is so boastful! Let him be cooked and killed by the big cauldron!" King Yan of the Song Dynasty gave an evil smile and ordered.

The Forbidden Army warriors outside the palace swarmed in and wanted to capture Zhao Shu.

The so-called cooking and killing is commonly known as "putting it in the frying pan".

This is the torture that King Yan of the Song Dynasty loved. He was happy to hear the tortured people rolling and screaming in boiling water mixed with oil, and then making no sound... Since he rebelled and expelled his brother to the throne, he has cooked and killed a lot of people.

Hundreds.

In fact, the cauldron had already boiled over.

King Yan of the Song Dynasty has been in a bad mood recently. He has to cook and kill a few unlucky people almost every day. The guards are too lazy to bother and set up a big cauldron outside the palace. They add more firewood from time to time to keep the oil in the cauldron boiling.

boiling.

Zhao Shu was so frightened that he shouted loudly: "Wait a minute!"

Then he took out the letter from his arms with lingering fear and handed it to the chamberlain beside him: "Report to your Majesty, I have been ordered by my father to pass this letter to your Majesty."

Song Wangyan arrogantly accepted the letter handed over by his chamberlain, opened the wooden box, and took out the letter inside...

Only two eyes, the pupils are constricted!

I turned to the end of the letter, but there was no signature.

"Who are you?" Song Wang Yan stared at Zhao Shu closely.

Zhao Shu breathed a long sigh of relief and said respectfully: "Replying to the king - my father has said that I am not allowed to reveal my name."

Song Wangyan nodded, and then suddenly laughed wildly——

"You Chu people! The internal fighting is so fierce! It's really ridiculous!"

Zhao Shu looked at the obviously nervous King Song and was a little afraid, but he still held his chest high and persuaded him while the iron was hot -

"Your Majesty, Marquis Quyang of Chu State has captured the entire Qinnan!"

"The State of Qi will definitely be in chaos...if he captures Muling Pass again, the State of Qi will have to mobilize the Jishui army."

"If the coalition forces take advantage of the weakness and move in again, the chance of victory is 70%!"

"Qi is dead!"

"What will be the fate of the Song Dynasty then?"

…

Song Wangyan looked at Zhao Shu sideways and was speechless for a long time.

Once the Qi State was destroyed, the land south of Qi would permanently belong to the Chu State.

From now on, Song State would no longer be sandwiched between Qi and Chu - both the north and south sides would be the territory of Chu State from now on.

So what happens next?

First of all, Song Wangyan can only lie dormant from now on, and be a vassal state of the powerful Chu State... Don't even think about any grand plans for hegemony.

What’s even more frightening is that... the Song Dynasty will also face the risk of subjugation!

Because of the existence of the Song State, the "seven hundred miles of fertile land south of Qi" was isolated and became an enclave of the Chu State.

I would like to ask, how will the Chu State view the Song State at that time?

A thorn in the flesh and a thorn in the flesh!

As long as the people of the Chu state have a normal mind, they will definitely attack and destroy the Song state and seize the land of the Song state.

By then, the Chu State will connect the homeland of the Song State, the homeland of the Song State, and Qinnan! How big a temptation is this? It is impossible for the people of the Chu State to resist it!

Although he was very reluctant to admit it... King Yan of the Song Dynasty also knew that the Song State alone might be able to defeat one or two attacks by the Chu State, but it would not be able to stop the Chu State for a long time anyway.

All we can say is... the reason why the Song State has survived until now is all due to the mutual checks and balances between Qi and Chu. If either party is defeated by the other, the Song State will be annexed by the other party.

The clumsy strategy of the ancestors of the Song Dynasty is still very reasonable.

So given the current situation, how can we turn things around?

The first way: turn around and help Qi, help Qi eliminate Xiong Wuliang, and then defeat the Jixi coalition forces to stabilize the situation. This will allow Qi to regain Qinnan and re-form a situation of checks and balances between Qi and Chu.

The second way: If the Qi State really falls, then Xiong Wuliang must be eliminated and the Yan State can control the land south of Qi. In this way, although the Qi State is gone, it will create a situation where the Song State is sandwiched between Yan and Chu.

, thereby forming new checks and balances.

In a word -

No matter what, Xiong Wuliang must be eliminated! Anyone can control the 700 miles of land in the south of Qi, but it must not belong to Chu!

Song Wangyan found that at this moment, he had no right to say no to this mysterious Chu man!
Chapter completed!