Chapter 685 Kuai Tong’s strategy: retreat in order to advance!

Chapter 685 Kuai Tong’s strategy: retreat in order to advance!

Kuai Tong's words were like a sharp sword, piercing the last glimmer of hope in Wei Bao's heart. He had to admit that the reality was indeed as Kuai Tong said, and the alliance of princes had lost its original cohesion and function. Especially Wu Rui's betrayal made Wei Bao feel particularly disappointed and angry.

"If Wu Rui had sent troops to Donghui County in time to intercept Han Xin's logistical supplies, how could Zhao Shuo have been defeated by Han Xin?" Wei Bao said indignantly. He was also very angry at Wu Rui's inaction.

What Kuai Tong said was indeed true. The alliance of princes was originally put together temporarily to jointly resist Gao Yao, and the interests and goals of the various forces were not completely consistent. When facing a powerful enemy like Gao Yao, this fragile alliance relationship could easily fall apart.

After Gao Yao's several clever moves, the seemingly indestructible alliance of princes began to gradually disintegrate and fall apart. He first cleverly drew everyone's attention to Nanjun, successfully creating the illusion of a feint to the east and attacking in the west. Then, he quickly captured Donghui County at lightning speed, and then stepped into Langya County without stopping, and his troops were even heading straight for Dongjiao County.

This series of swift and powerful actions completely caught everyone by surprise, making the originally carefully planned strategic plan useless in an instant. Even Wei Bao had to urgently dispatch 100,000 troops to defend Han Xin to prevent him from taking advantage of the situation.

"Your Majesty is worried that our army will be threatened by the other three parties. In fact, there is no need to worry. Look at Wang Ben's side. Although they occupy the two important territories of Hanzhong and Xianyang, they are far behind us in terms of both manpower and strength. What's more, they are always facing fierce attacks from Gaoyao. They are busy with their own affairs, so how can they have extra strength to take care of us?"

"King Wu Rui of Hengshan is so arrogant now that he dares to invade Jiujiang! This is undoubtedly a complete break with Gao Yao. The two sides are already at loggerheads. It can be imagined that Gao Yao must be extremely anxious at this moment, eager to take down Wu Rui in one fell swoop. In this case, there is no need for you, Your Majesty, to add fuel to the fire. They will naturally fight to the death."

Kuai Tong paused and continued, "As for the remaining Xiang Yu, your Majesty does not need to worry. Xiang Yu originally lived in Kuaiji, and entered the pass after being forcibly seized by Gao Yao. Therefore, the relationship between him and Gao Yao is also tense, and they can be said to be incompatible with each other. Before successfully taking Gao Yao, Xiang Yu would never go to war with our army for no reason. After all, he still needs to consider the situation in Hanzhong. Once Wang Ben loses Hanzhong, the isolated city of Xianyang will become precarious and may be captured by Gao Yao at any time. In this case, if Xiang Yu goes to war with our army, wouldn't it be putting the cart before the horse and losing more than the gain?"

Kuai Tong's speech was so clear and logical that even Wei Bao was surprised. He originally thought that Kuai Tong had some strategy, but he never expected that at this critical moment, Kuai Tong could analyze the interests so accurately, which was impeccable.

"Kuai Tong, what you said is just a possibility. What if Xiang Yu really wants to attack our army regardless of the consequences?" Just when everyone was half-believing and half-doubting Kuai Tong's point of view, someone finally couldn't hold back and stood up to refute.

However, facing this question, Kuai Tong seemed unusually calm. He looked at Wei Bao calmly and said slowly: "Your Majesty, in your opinion, which one is more difficult, to be an enemy of Gao Yao or to be an enemy of Xiang Yu?"

This sudden question caught Wei Bao off guard. He couldn't help but hesitate, after all, this was not an easy question to answer. However, after a little thought, he had to admit that from the perspective of strength comparison, Gao Yao was obviously better.

"This..." Wei Bao hesitated for a moment, and finally said truthfully, "If we only talk about strength, Gao Yao is naturally more powerful. Otherwise, Xiang Yu would be the one who dominates the world now."

Before he finished speaking, someone echoed him, "That's right. Gao Yao is now at the peak of his power and his influence is growing. If he is not contained, he may become a serious threat in the future!"

Everyone was talking about it, and it was obvious that they were all worried about Gao Yao's rise. However, Kuai Tong smiled slightly, as if he had anticipated everyone's concerns.

"Your Majesty's concerns are well known to me. However, the balance is ultimately in your hands. It is true that Gao Yao is now the greatest prince in the world, but he is not without flaws. First of all, there is an obvious problem in terms of status. Although Gao Yao is the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, he is not a true king."

Kuai Tong paused for a moment and continued, "Since it is a peace negotiation, there must be corresponding conditions. As long as these conditions are suitable enough, it may be an opportunity for you, Your Majesty, to make a comeback. At present, Your Majesty owns eight counties. These places are not only populous and rich in resources, but also have a large amount of fertile land and excellent talents. If Your Majesty can develop with peace of mind, within five years, you can have at least 300,000 troops; and after ten years, 500,000 troops will be a piece of cake. In addition, there are many talents for Your Majesty to choose from."

At this point, Kuai Tong finally spoke out his true thoughts, and his suggestions were both sincere and pragmatic. Kuai Tong's strategy was not to care about the gains and losses of a city or a pond, but to confuse the enemy by showing a weak attitude.

"Go on, tell me how to negotiate peace. Will Gao Yao agree?" At this time, Wei Bao signaled Kuai Tong to continue.

Kuai Tong's idea coincided with Wei Bao's to some extent. He said without hesitation: "There are three main purposes for the peace talks. First, we must reach an alliance with the other side to ensure that both sides do not invade each other. Not only that, we must also make the King of Qin recognize the status of the King and willingly address the King as the lower, and announce it to the world. Second, we need to withdraw our troops on our own initiative, and at the same time require Han Xin to release our prisoners and reach preferential terms for mutual trade. Third, we must set up a buffer zone and require Gao Yao to support our army with certain supplies."

Kuai Tong stated these goals without reservation. Although it was a bit awkward to call the King of Qin the Supreme King in the first condition, no one in the hall interrupted Kuai Tong directly this time. He continued: "If we want to achieve these peace negotiation goals, we must first give way and assist the Southern Border Army to seize Dongjiao County. Secondly, we must bring a generous gift and visit Gao Yao in person. Finally, we must help Gao Yao contain Xiang Yu so that he can launch an attack without any worries."