Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 168: Conquest (two in one, a very cool fight scene)
Xinxia sent out 5,000 troops.

One thousand of them were lent to Darius to make up the situation so that he could better recruit the remnants of the Persia. The rest were sent as accompanying generals, and the three followed by his side as a training exercise.

immediately,

The troops marched out of Yangguan!

The remaining people in the eastern provinces were shocked when they heard that Darius had returned from the dead.

Although Darius' body was never found, in order to more quickly capture the eastern provinces, Macedonia spread the news that Darius was dead, held a state funeral for him, and announced that the bloodline of the Achaemenid Dynasty was cut off.

In other words, the male bloodline is cut off.

So in this case, isn't the King of Macedonia, who is the princess's fiancé and the adopted son of the queen mother, the man chosen by heaven?
then,

The originally wavering fence-sitters now turned to the West with peace of mind.

The remaining troops who persisted in resistance also believed the news without a doubt.

The result now?

Darius III is back!

The resistance quickly sent someone to verify Darius' identity, and then confirmed:
"It's me!"

Although the nobles in the eastern provinces basically did not consider themselves Persians,
But when going to Persepolis to pay tribute, many people had seen the King of Kings.

Now that we are resisting, we need a backbone to unite our forces.

Darius thus regained support and vowed to take back his lost land!
Then he would command the army and fight the Macedonians.

Queen Zhao stopped him.

She said, “It’s not time to fight yet.”

Darius said, "My army has already gathered thousands of people, and the Macedonian expeditionary force only has 3,000. Why can't I attack them?"

Queen Zhao put her hands on her hips and told him, "Your troops, one thousand of which are from Xinxia, don't actually obey your orders."

"Those who are recruited later are the ones you can command!"

Darius was confused, "It doesn't matter if one thousand are missing!"

Anyway, the number is still more than that of Macedonia!
Queen Zhao was helpless about his military acumen. "These people come from different backgrounds and even speak different languages. How can they cooperate on the battlefield?"

"Moreover, they were all gathered under your command after being defeated by the cavalry. They have not yet recovered sufficiently, and you do not have a good understanding of them. What right do you have to attack the enemy?"

God!

I really hope her little son doesn’t inherit his biological father’s brain!

Otherwise, even if the restoration of the country is successful, it will not last long!

"Come with me to comfort the soldiers!"

Darius was furious. "I am the King of Kings. Soldiers should obey my orders!"

"Why should I go to comfort them?"

Queen Zhao then went up to him and grabbed his beard, causing the old man to scream, "No, you must go!"

Darius was still very angry, but finally agreed to Queen Zhao's request.

no way,
This is the case with the old man and the young wife.

Moreover, Darius fled to Xinxia, while Queen Zhao came from one of the most noble families in Xinxia. How could she be the kind of person who would suffer bullying?
then,

The King of Kings was forced to inquire about the soldiers' situation.

of course,

Darius usually just stood by as a decoration, and communication was mainly through the Queen of Zhao who talked with the soldiers through an interpreter.

After the Queen of Zhao took the soldier's hand and understood the situation,

Queen Zhao also gave many treasures as rewards to the soldiers who had made meritorious services.

Darius was heartbroken, "This is the wealth I accumulated to restore my country!"

Queen Zhao said, "You saved it to repair the palace after the restoration of the country, and to give it to those wavering nobles to win them over."

"But why would a noble sacrifice his life for you just for a little wealth?"

"Only the soldiers you look down upon are the real force for restoring our country!"

Save up the money.

It’s meant to be used!
Is there anyone in the world who can become rich just by saving money?
Not only did she give away the treasure that Darius had worked so hard to accumulate, she also paid out of her own pocket to reward meritorious soldiers and purchased more weapons from Xinxia.

Queen Zhao knew very well.

What is her future goal?
So anyway,
She wanted to help Persia win, or at least keep some of its land, rather than completely destroy the country.

When Zhao Ning heard about this, he sighed and said, "With my sister's talent, she was matched with a fool like Darius!"

Sui Si laughed loudly and said to Zhao Ning, "You are wrong! Only by marrying her to Darius can your sister fully display her talents!"

Qin Jin also observed the morale of the remaining Persian troops after this incident, and said with emotion, "I thought that these defeated generals would be vulnerable when they met the enemy again."

"Now it seems that I can probably hold on for a while longer!"

as predicted,

When the Macedonians heard that Darius was still alive, they immediately led their troops to rush over to ensure that the king's funeral was not in vain.

But somehow,
The Persian army, which had originally been in low morale, showed strong will at this time, held their positions and repelled the Macedonian attack.

but,

After all, they are soldiers who have been defeated for a long time. They can cheer up once, but it is difficult to keep going.

Darius wanted to take advantage of this small victory to push all his men out and go all in!

He didn't consider how much damage the soldiers had suffered after just winning a difficult defensive counterattack and whether they could recover.

He only knows,

Now that Persia has won, we should press on to win!
Fortunately, Queen Zhao intervened and pinned down the useless old man. "This is none of your business now!"

She said to the military governor sent by Xinxia, "Please go back and tell my uncle that Persia no longer has the strength to fight."

The governor nodded and went back to convey Queen Zhao's request.

As for Xinxia, it had obtained sufficient intelligence by observing the fighting between Persia and Macedonia.

He then said, "I see that the Macedonian army is mostly infantry, armed with spears, and lined up in battle array."

"Many of their horses were emaciated after a long journey."

"We can send people who are good at horseback archery to harass them and shoot the soldiers holding spears to undermine their morale!"

then,

Qin Jin was immediately called out to step out of the line.

Qin Jin picked up his special bow and arrow, got on his horse again, patted his chest, and said to his elders, "I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

Horseback Archery,

Those barbarians who are good at herding are doing a good job.
But the old Qin people who made their fortune by raising horses are no worse!
He led hundreds of cavalrymen and rushed out, breaking up the enemy's ranks, and then led his men to circle the enemy.

Relying on Xinxia's powerful bow and crossbow, he continued to charge and shoot at the enemy.

The enemy's spear attack range could not reach the archers, and the cavalry was exhausted from running for too long. They could not catch up with Qin Jin and his men, and naturally could not disperse them.

Arrows kept falling.

The number of Macedonians dying continued to increase.
then,

The ranks were broken up, and many people threw away their spears, which were used to defend against attacks.

Qin Jin spurred his horse forward, no longer using the bow and crossbow, but taking out the spear on his back.

Sharp iron,
A person who possesses divine power.
And the thick armor Qin Jin was wearing,
Let him start mowing the grass in the queue.

The disadvantages of the spear were also revealed at this time——

too long,
Flexibility is reduced, and it is difficult to turn in close combat.

As for the shield soldiers and sword-wielding soldiers who were responsible for close attacks, too many of them had been killed by the previous arrows, and they were simply unable to stop the enemy.

The Macedonians were thus routed and began to flee to the rear.

They communicated, "Those people with black hair and black eyes are so scary!"

"Are these people transformed from monsters?"

"Those people's bows and arrows are also very powerful. They can shoot farther and with more force than the Scythians!"

Scythians,

They were the nomadic people that the Macedonians encountered on their eastward expedition.

Under the command of these skilled archers,

The Macedonians suffered a great loss. Their leader Alexander, who liked to charge ahead, was shot in the leg and rarely led a charge since then.

who knows,
This country, which calls itself "New Xia", clearly focuses on farming, but is good at riding and shooting like nomads! But Qin Jin still feels regretful.

He decided to quit while he was ahead and did not chase after her.

After all, there is a large army guarding the rear.

The cavalry was agile but not good at breaking into formations, and Qin Jin did not want to take the risk.

He just said, "It's a pity that the horse king didn't go to the battle!"

"Otherwise, I really want to compete with him to see who is more brave!"

"That's not necessary!"

Sui Si said, "On the battlefield, what matters is winning, not showing off your military strength!"

"We don't care whether he dies or not. It will only be a good thing if all his soldiers are dead!"

……

the other side,
The troops are being deployed to adapt to the new situation.

The failure to hold a funeral for Darius this time would pose a great threat to the rule of the Macedonians.

The eastern nobles, who had originally been easily shaken, began to waver again because of Darius' "lightning return".

Because the situation no longer seems as clear as before.

The Macedonian expeditionary force, which had been accustomed to the rhythm of attacking, accepting surrenders, and accepting Persian heritage along the way, was obviously unable to cope with this kind of war that required a long and consuming period of time.

They could either retreat to the west or recruit more men on the spot and launch a more fierce attack on the Xinxia and Persian coalition forces.

anyway,

Darius cannot live!
You know, in order to pursue the King of Kings, Alexander personally led hundreds of cavalrymen, regardless of the danger, and traveled light, just to bury him!
Queen Zhao, who attended the post-war meeting, immediately said, "We must find a way to get the cavalry to gather all the people together!"

She said, "The only way to solve the problem is to destroy as many enemies as possible!"

If the Macedonians wanted to recruit soldiers locally in order to fight this protracted war, they could only recruit soldiers from the eastern provinces that had already surrendered to the Macedonians.

For Queen Zhao,

Since these people have surrendered to the enemy, there is no need for them to continue to exist.

Only by borrowing the power of Xinxia and striking them as hard as possible can we ensure the stability of Persian rule after recovering the eastern provinces.

Anyway, nobility is a good thing.
Everybody wants to be it.

Queen Zhao did not mind sharing the vacant positions with meritorious soldiers.

As for Darius?
This old guy's opinion doesn't matter!

I also agreed with her words.

He could see what this Zhao woman was thinking.

But for Xinxia, it is also very important to cut off the barbarian forces outside Yangguan.

Because when Darius borrowed troops, he promised that once the restoration of the country was successful, he would cede the province of Batclelia, which was close to New Xia, as a reward!

And what is the point of keeping so many old nobles on your future land?
Therefore,
The two reached a consensus on cracking down on the nobles in the eastern provinces.

just,

What can be used to attract the Macedonians and make them definitely go to recruit soldiers?

Queen Zhao thought for a while and finally suggested, "Let my beloved lead the army!"

Throw out this bait.
As long as Macedonia still has ideas about Persia's Mandate of Heaven, it must take the bait!

Suifa glanced at her and couldn't help but say, "Your youngest son is only one year old. If something happens to his father, how can you guarantee that the young master can sit firmly on the throne?"

The Queen's power
The king's support is also needed.

Queen Zhao smiled softly, "It's okay. Although he has no ability to fight, he is very good at running away!"

"When the time comes, just let him run all the way to Yangguan!"

Yangguan took so long to build.

You have to take it out and try its power!

then,

Because of his wife's betrayal, Darius put on armor, rode in a chariot, and took command of the army.

He didn't know why Xinxia suddenly gave him power.

But Darius was still happy.

His heart was filled with hatred for the Macedonians, but at the same time he was very excited because he had won the war.

He gave the order directly, "Attack!"

then,

A natural defeat.

Darius scored three goals and started to run.

The person assigned to drive him was a descendant of the Zhao family from Xinxia.

Although his imperial skills were not as good as his cousin Zhao Ning's, it was enough to lead Darius all the way to Yangguan.

The Macedonians drove the local conscripts and the nobles who followed the army to chase Darius.

This bait,

It’s really delicious!

The nobles didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

After all, Darius's behavior is very consistent with his experience and abilities.

As for the mountain pass of Xingshan, they had heard about it a long time ago.

"This mountain pass is very accessible. As long as we can get through it, we will definitely win!"

Fuck the trust people!
then,

They pursued with full confidence.

And waiting for them,

But it was the new Xia bow and crossbow ready for battle.

From the fortresses on both sides of the mountain road,
From the tall walls of Yangguan,
A rain of arrows is coming!

After too many lives were taken by arrows, the Yangguan city gate was opened, and what rushed out was not the Xinxia army, but hundreds of mad bulls with two sharp knives tied to their horns and a bundle of reeds soaked in oil tied to their tails.

Their tails were set on fire, and driven by the pain, they began to trample on the opposite side madly.

After the bull run,
They are the new summer soldiers who are ready to harvest heads.

Don't say anything else,

In this war, King Xia used the "military merit system" learned from the Qin State.

As long as you harvest enough, the greater your merit will be, and the more rewards you will receive!

If there are naturalized barbarians who have been unable to obtain the new Xia nationality, then as long as they can collect two heads, they can achieve the change of identity.

and so……

I can only borrow the other party’s head to get military merit!

Darius stood on the Yangguan city wall and watched the scene in surprise.

In every battle he had fought, and in every instance of warfare he had studied,

But there has never been anything like this!

Fire Bull Formation!
This was because the Sindhu people worshipped the sacred bull, so the number of cattle in Xinxia also increased. This tactic was used without much regret, which really opened Darius' eyes.

Although once entering the city,

He was informed of Xinxia's plan, but after seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't help but say to Suifa:
"You New Summer guys who play tactics are all dirty at heart!"

"Just tell me if it works or not!"

Zhao Ning, who came up with this idea, said it directly.

What else could Darius say?
He sincerely sighed, "The Zhao family is truly a family full of wisdom!"

"I really hope my child can also carry on the Zhao family's wisdom!"

rear,

Alexander, who learned of the defeat of his former army, finally decided:
"Retreat!"

He stroked the wound on his leg that had been shot by the Scythians, feeling the dull pain, and gave a new order:
"My army can only advance so far."

　(^ω^)The last day of this year!
　　Wishing every reader a happy New Year!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)