Chapter 674 Zhao Shuo's Hesitation, Han Xin's Adventure
Before this, although the Zhentuo area had experienced a certain degree of cleanup, it was only superficial and far from being completely cleaned up. Especially in the coastal areas, there are still a large number of tribes hiding there. These tribes are extremely secretive. On weekdays, they live in seclusion, almost isolated from the world, and their lifestyle is extremely primitive. They mainly rely on hunting to make a living.
Gao could not tolerate this primitive way of life. He knew that if he did not take decisive measures and use iron-blooded means to eliminate these primitive tribes as soon as possible, it would inevitably cause more trouble in the future. After all, these tribes had little contact with the outside world, and their culture and concepts were incompatible with modern society. If they were allowed to develop, it would probably have a serious impact on the stability and development of the entire region.
Taking into account that there were many soldiers from the Baiyue tribe and some other local ethnic groups in the Second Legion, who were relatively more familiar with this kind of environment and tasks, Gao Yao made a prompt decision and decided to let the Second Legion be responsible for clearing up these remaining issues.
Although these tribes and ethnic groups are small in size, ranging from dozens to hundreds of people, it is actually quite difficult to clear them out. These tribes are often hidden in deep mountains and forests or remote places, with complex terrain, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Moreover, the members of these tribes are usually strong and good at fighting, and are full of vigilance and hostility towards unfamiliar enemies.
In this case, the soldiers of the Second Legion not only had to face the harsh natural environment and complex terrain, but also had to engage in fierce confrontation with these tenacious tribes. Therefore, during the cleanup process, the casualties ratio was no lower than that of the front battlefield, and might even be higher.
These things will undoubtedly have a huge restraining effect on the deployment of troops in the southern border, which is why Han Xin deeply admires Zhao Shuo. Having 300,000 troops and directly sending 300,000 troops to participate in the war are two completely different things. The princes actually know the difference. However, although they know it in their hearts, no prince dares to take the risk of betting on how many troops Gao Yao will deploy in this battle. In desperation, they can only prepare according to the highest estimate, just in case.
Zhao Shuo was different. He dared to make such an assertion. This meant that Zhao Shuo had already made a judgment on Gao Yao's decision in his heart, and believed that Gao Yao would never mobilize the entire southern border for this battle. This judgment was not just based on gambling psychology, but came from Zhao Shuo's in-depth understanding of Gao Yao. Because of this, Zhao Shuo was able to say this with such confidence.
Facts have proved that Zhao Shuo's judgment was completely correct. Even if he had to fight this battle, Gao Yao never intended to use all his troops from the beginning. This not only made Han Xin admire Zhao Shuo's insight and judgment, but also made Han Xin realize that Zhao Shuo's grasp of the situation and understanding of the enemy were not comparable to ordinary people.
"Zhao Shuo, with your talent, you are fully qualified to stand on your own. Why do you have to condescend to be inferior to Wei Bao? Although Wei Bao was born into a noble family of the Six Kingdoms, his ability is really mediocre. How can he be compared with my prime minister?" Han Xin's words revealed his appreciation and regret for Zhao Shuo.
At this time, Han Xin looked at the problem from a completely new perspective. He knew the importance of recruiting talents. The current situation has changed dramatically and is very different from the past. Han Xin realized that in order to consolidate his position in the interest group under Gao Yao, he must have more supporters and capable people.
The last loss of talent had the most serious impact on Han Xin, and the strength of his subordinates was greatly reduced. Now, the forces in the court have gradually become clear, and Han Xin naturally understands that only by constantly expanding his own forces can he remain invincible in this power struggle.
A talent like Zhao Shuo who is eloquent and quick-witted is exactly what Han Xin needs. He believes that if Zhao Shuo can join his camp, it will definitely be a great help.
"Haha, General Han Xin, are you kidding me by recruiting me at this time?" Zhao Shuo had a faint smile on his face, and his eyes revealed a bit of teasing and helplessness. He thought, does Han Xin think he is easy to fool?
Zhao Shuo reacted very quickly. He was not shaken by Han Xin's recruitment. Instead, he quickly used the same trick on Han Xin. He said firmly: "In my opinion, why don't you come back with me to see the King of Wei? I will naturally ask the King of Wei to appoint you as the general. What do you think?"
This remark not only cleverly resolved Han Xin's attempt to recruit him, but also kicked the ball back to Han Xin, putting him in a passive situation. Zhao Shuo's verbal confrontation was as natural as flowing water. Not only did he not suffer a loss, but he was even more powerful in momentum, which made people look at his wit and adaptability with new eyes.
Han Xin was obviously not prepared for Zhao Shuo's response. He was silent for a moment, as if thinking about how to respond. However, he finally sighed and said, "Alas, it seems that we can only talk about it after we capture you!" After that, Han Xin said no more and turned around and left the center of the two armies.
Han Xin's move made Zhao Shuo very confused. He couldn't help wondering, what on earth was Han Xin thinking? Why did he give up the negotiation so easily? Was he really sure he could defeat him? The more Zhao Shuo thought about it, the more strange it seemed to him, and he even began to doubt Han Xin's true intentions.
Although it was Zhao Shuo who took the initiative to ask for a conversation, his real purpose was not so simple. From the beginning, Zhao Shuo deliberately put great psychological pressure on Han Xin, hoping to disrupt his mind and gain an advantage on the battlefield.
What Zhao Shuo had never expected was that none of his tricks worked on Han Xin. This result made Zhao Shuo feel uneasy. He began to worry whether Han Xin had other tricks hidden, but he knew nothing about them.
In desperation, Zhao Shuo could only choose to retreat to his base camp to re-examine the situation. However, even after returning to his base camp, Zhao Shuo still did not take the initiative to launch an attack. At the same time, Han Xin did not show any intention of rushing to a decisive battle between the two armies, which caused the entire battlefield to fall into a strange stalemate.
Zhao Shuo was thinking hard about where Han Xin's confidence came from. He kept analyzing various possible situations, but he could not find a definite answer. While he was thinking hard, he did not realize that Han Xin was also full of tension at this time.
After all, any strategy has the possibility of being broken, and there is no perfect plan in the world. The biggest flaw in Han Xin's plan is that if Zhao Shuo really launched a full-scale attack without hesitation, then in such an open battlefield, once the two armies were entangled, the losses of both sides would be very heavy.