Chapter 1243: Five years

"Sir, we have bombarded Area C. Which area should be next?" an artillery major asked the artillery colonel.

"Whatever, either A or B. You choose whatever you want, as long as you can fire and shoot." At this time, the artillery colonel said while eating the can.

"Understood. Sir," the major said at this time.

The artillery of the Qi Army divided the entire Linzi city into several areas, and then they bombarded them according to these areas. As long as they are free, they can launch an attack. The colonel knew very well that there was no purpose for shelling anyway, as long as the enemy was bombarded.

The artillery major left. The colonel looked at the map and ate canned food. The shelling is still going on. As long as the opponent does not surrender, they will continue. This situation must continue. The scale of the war must develop toward the situation that the Qi army wants to see.

Just as the Qi army was launching continuous shelling, Qin and Zhao were meeting in progress.

Near Langmeng County of Qin State. There is a highway between Qin State and Zhao State Handan. And a certain location on this highway is the boundary demarcation area between the two countries. Qin State responded by laying a large number of barbed wire fences and mines here. Zhao Jun built a large number of fortifications. Although the two sides are allies on the surface, in fact, both sides are taking precautions. Due to the strategic adjustment of the Qin Army, the main force of the Qin Army is fighting outside, and the mobile force is getting less and less. The soldiers are getting more and more nervous. Against this background, they have to choose a state of strategic defense. Before the Qin Army would not build a large number of fortifications, but now, the Qin Army is doing it. A large number of engineering units have entered here, and they have to lay a large number of mines and a large number of dense barbed wire here every day. The appearance of these barbed wire fences and mines has had a huge impact on the local ecological environment.

Some wild animals, wolves, or goats, are often caught by barbed wire or killed or injured by landmines.

However, the Qin Army only reserved a small amount of areas as passages to stay. The most terrible thing was that the Qin Army also arranged some fixed artillery firing positions and machine gun positions at these critical positions.

On the other hand, Zhao Jun built a large number of fortifications. There is light, and there is darkness. The number is quite dense.

"We have built a lot of fortifications." Wang Jian said to Li Mu with a smile. Wang Jian rushed to Taiyuan by train from Xianyang in an emergency, and then rushed here from Taiyuan. The development of transportation tools made the speed much faster.

"Haha." Li Mu just smiled.

"Sit down, let's have a good talk." Li Mu waved at this moment.

"Okay." Wang Jian sat down at this moment and said.

The two sides set up half of their tents on the border. Then arrange meeting venues on both sides of the boundary line.

"You want to disarm to only 100,000 people?" Wang Jian asked actively.

"Yes. Our financial situation does not allow us to arm more troops." At this time, Li Mu said actively.

"So, can your defense be safe?" Wang Jian asked at this time.

"I think it should be possible!" At this time, Li Mu said confidently.

"En. Why are you so confident?" Wang Jian asked actively at this time.

"Your situation in Qin is not very optimistic. There are many ethnic minorities around you, and these ethnic minorities hold back the main force of the Qin army. Your regular army has around 250,000. This number is based on yours. Within the range of reasonable fiscal revenue and expenditure, according to my understanding, your Prime Minister of Qin is very capable. Your taxation in Qin is at a fairly low level, which is an important reason for your rapid economic development." Li Mu analyzed at this time. . Li Mu has a very deep strategic view. Wang Jian admires this very much.

"But it is precisely because your fiscal revenues are very low, especially in terms of taxation, that the number of your troops cannot exceed this reasonable range. Your prime minister has repeatedly cut military expenditures. Trying to keep fiscal revenues at a reasonable level can be Within the scope of control. At this point, your prime minister can be said to have spent a lot of thought." Li Mu looked at Wang Jian and said.

And Wang Jian just nodded silently, admitting this frankly. In fact, what Li Mu said is not wrong. Why Shangwen repeatedly cut military expenditures is because the fiscal revenue situation is not optimistic.

Qin’s low tax policy will take a long time for this. This time has become a bill established. The time is twenty years. Within twenty years, Qin's taxation will maintain a fairly low tax rate.

Such a fairly low tax rate cannot meet such a huge military expenditure. From this point of view, the size of the Qin army is limited to about 250,000. It can be said that the scale of 250,000 troops is already the limit of Qin State. The size of Qin's army has reached the apex of this period.

Fiscal income mainly relies on tax revenue, and if Qin wants to maintain a fairly stable income, he can only maintain the expansion of the tax collection scale, and cannot be in the context of the tax rate. The taxation conference discusses this conference theme. Shang Wen has already expressed this. On one level, Qin will not bypass this tax case and unilaterally raise the tax rate.

The size of the army during the Warring States Period was largely due to food, but after the implementation of a brand-new military system. The important reason for the size of the army is the economy, that is, how much financial support taxation can provide.

Qin's fiscal revenue is not much, and maintaining an army of this size has already borrowed money to maintain it. In addition to the sudden war expenses, Qin State quickly recovered the situation by printing paper money. Without paper money, Shang Wen couldn't imagine what would happen.

Wang Jian is naturally clear. The size of Qin's army can only be this way, it is impossible to expand. If the army is expanded, the finances will be the first to collapse, and there will be no money to spend, and the army will quickly run out. Qin State is like this, then Zhao State is like this, the war must calculate the economic account. Because the current mode of war requires financial revenue, if there is no stable financial revenue, then it will fall into a great crisis.

The country of Zhao, which is undergoing economic reforms, may only have the ability to maintain an army of 100,000 people. To a large extent, the size of the army has a lot to do with the economy. These armies are financial consumption, and they do not produce any economic value. On the contrary, they are consumables. Consumables that cost a lot of money.

"That's right. Our prime minister is very capable, and we admire it, but our generals hate it because he keeps cutting military expenditures. General Li, your analysis is correct, and our domestic meetings are also the same. For one thing, we cannot launch an attack against you. To tell the truth, Qin is extremely short of mobile forces now, and Qin's strategic reserve team has been sent out. There is no power to launch an attack. Even launching an attack is meaningless. "Wang Jian said.

At the National Defense Security Strategy Conference. Wang Jian agreed to take the initiative to sign a peace agreement with Zhao Guo. The reason was that Qin did not have a strategic reserve team and did not have enough mobile troops to launch an offensive. Qin State has consumed a lot in two consecutive wars. They can no longer withstand such a toss.

What we can do now is to accept Zhao’s proposal and the two sides sign a peace clause. However, Qin's high-level quarrels were fierce on the issue of the deadline for the peace clause.

Wang Jian suggested that the peace agreement should be three years. Shang Wen suggested five years. Or it is longer, Shang Wen himself doesn't know what to think. He believes that peace is good for Qin, so he hopes it will be longer, but King Qin thinks that it is only two years. Because within two years, the State of Qin was able to quickly raise a considerable mobile force of the main force and defeat Zhao Jun, who had only 100,000 people. King Qin believed that he had considerable certainty.

Even so, Shang Wen still opposed. Because, with the passage of time, many things are changing. Who knows what will happen to Zhao Guoguo two years later. What will happen to the combat power of a hundred thousand troops. All these make Shang Wen worried. Therefore, Shang Wen opposes such a simple calculation method. Instead, within five years, economic methods were used to disrupt the economy of the State of Zhao, especially attaching the economy of the State of Zhao to the economy of the State of Qin, and then the two countries developed together to form an economic community, and a kind of economic community was formed on this community. Cohesion. Thus formed the preliminary unity of the two countries.

But Wang Jian thinks that the time is too long, and this will give Zhao a great buffer time period. Although Shangwen has repeatedly emphasized. But the final result is that there is still no consensus. In the end, a countermeasure was formed, which was to look at Zhao's attitude, and then make corresponding adjustments according to Zhao's attitude. Anyway, Qin State gave two kinds of time. Three years. Or five years.

"I am envious." Li Mu said.

"We seem to have a lot in common, so a peace agreement may be reached." Li Mu continued.

"No, not yet. How long can the peace between us last?" This time. Wang Jian asked actively.

"This." Li Mu glanced at Wang Jian.

"So, how long does General Wang think it can last?" Li Mu asked.

"Three years. Only three years." This time. Wang Jian replied.

"Hehe." Wang Jian said with a smile at this time.

"So, how long do you say?" Wang Jian asked.

Li Mu suddenly stretched out five fingers.

"Five years." Wang Jian said.

"At least five years, or maybe even longer." Li Mu said at this time.

"Well, you are about the same time as our prime minister expected." Wang Jian said at this time.

"Oh." Li Mu nodded with interest.