Zhou Wen's former army brothers Kong Fan and Kong Long led their troops to the west. When the news reached Gong County, the magistrate of Gong County was named Cheng Delan. When he found out that the magistrate was fighting in Xingyang, he did not dare to show any signs of neglect and actively prepared for the war. When the Kong brothers came to the city and saw that the city gate was closed, they shouted and challenged: "I am the vanguard of the Chu army! Qin Nu Yingou, please offer the city quickly?" Cheng Delan had sparse eyebrows and beards, and looked like a fat woman. When he heard The two scolded him and said, "Chu thief, you are just an unknown rat, how dare you come to seize the city?" Kong Long laughed and said, "Don't talk about your little Gong County, I will seize even Xianyang City." Get off!" Cheng Delan was furious and ordered the county captain to fight. The county captain's name was Cai Kui. He was also broad, fat and bearded. He was dressed neatly and came out of the city. Kong Long, who was on the rebel battlefield, went to fight. Kong Fan warned him to be more cautious. Kong Long then came out of the formation with a long spear in hand. The two fought in front of the formation for twenty or thirty rounds. Cai Kui's roar was like thunder and his strength was endless. Kong Fan was afraid that something might happen to his brother, so he hurriedly ordered the gong to be sounded and the troops withdrawn. Kong Long came back and said, "Brother, General Qin is also capable. I can't fight him. What should I do?" Kong Fan said, "It doesn't matter. We'll talk about it when the people behind him arrive." Then he set up camp.
That night, Yuan Yi and Wen Luan also arrived in the army, and Kong Fan told them what happened during the day. Yuan Yi said disapprovingly: "It doesn't matter. Before I left, General Zhou had already given me a strategy, which was to take the city lightly." Then he told the two of them the strategy. After the Kong brothers got the trick, they were very happy, and the four of them made preparations.
At the same time, Cheng Delan in the city was also boosting the morale of the Qin army. He said to the sergeants: "The county supervisor is holding fast in Luoyang, and the county supervisor is supervising the battle in Xingyang. This is just a small group of Chu soldiers, so what are you afraid of?" ? When the thieves are asleep tonight, I will send the county captain to rob the camp, and I will definitely kill the leader of the thieves!" The Qin army officers and soldiers were ready to rob the camp. At around Hai hour, when Cai Kui was about to set off, someone suddenly came to report that there was a fire in the rebel camp. Cheng Delan and Cai Kui came to the top of the city to watch. Sure enough, they saw flames blazing into the sky in the rebel camp, and shouts of killing could be heard constantly, as if countless soldiers and horses were fighting. In the midst of doubts, someone came from the city on flying horse to report that the county guard came to inspect and found that there were thieves in the way, so they started fighting. Please send troops to help! "Cheng Delan heard that the soldiers and horses were from the county guard. He didn't dare to neglect, so he immediately sent the county captain out of the city to help in the battle.
The county captain accepted the order, led the team out of the city gate, crossed the moat and headed towards the rebel camp. Cheng Delan was watching from the watchtower. When he was getting carried away, suddenly a cold arrow was shot from the city, hitting his throat and causing him to fall down the city. It turned out that the person who shot the arrow was Kong Fan, and their brothers had been lurking under the city for a long time. When the Qin army saw that the county magistrate was dead and the county captain was not there, they all dispersed. Kong Fan threw the hooked rope to the city battlement, and the rebels quickly climbed to the top of the city and raided Gong County.
Cai Kui led the Qin army to the rebel camp and was about to charge in when a general suddenly rushed towards him and shouted: "I am Yuan Yi, the general of the Chu army. You have fallen into the trap of my general. You will die soon!" Cai Kui was shocked and it was too late to run away, so he stepped forward to fight. At this moment, another army of horses suddenly arrived, led by a majestic general. Behind him was a handsome flag with a big "zhou" written on it. It was none other than the rebel general Zhou Wen. When Zhou Wen saw the county captain, he shouted: "Qin Nu, why don't you get off your horse and surrender?" Cai Kui yelled, turned around and left, but Yuan Yi and Wen Luan caught up and hacked them to death under the horse. Zhou Wen then sent his troops to cover up the killing, and the Qin army fled in vain. When the army came to the city, the Kong brothers had already occupied the county seat. Zhou Wen slowly entered the city. Before dawn, the rebel army had already occupied Gong County.
The people in the city had been intimidated by Qin's laws for a long time and suffered a lot. Now that the rebel army entered the city and abolished all strict laws and regulations, the people were dancing with joy. That night they poured into the streets, lit bonfires, sang and danced, and celebrated freedom. Zhou Wen then arranged a banquet to reward the soldiers. The soldiers praised Zhou Wen for his skill in using troops. Zhou Wen smiled and said: "I expected that Li Youzai and his subordinates would do their best, so I gave Yuan Yi the strategy in advance. Then he came with his own army overnight, but deliberately set fire to the camp and shouted, and sent Qin's troops The soldiers went to the city to report. Chen Delan heard that the county guards were fighting, so he sent troops to fight, but I asked the Kong brothers to sneak attack the county town. The art of using troops lies in cunning, and whoever masters the cunning way will win. I remembered that when I was in Xiang Yan's army, I saw that although General Xiang was good at fighting, he was not good at using strategies, so he was defeated by Wang Jian. Now we should also fight tooth for tooth and fire with fire in order to defeat Qin!" The generals listened to Zhou Wen I admire the analysis very much. After breakfast that day, Zhou Wen ordered the Kong brothers to lead their troops to continue westward.
The Kong brothers marched all the way to Luoyang. There were many migrant workers fleeing on the road. The Kong brothers took them all into the army and asked them about the situation in Luoyang. The migrant workers all said: "The county supervisor has repaired the city and mobilized troops from all over. There are already tens of thousands of people." After hearing this, the two people discussed a solution. Kong Fan said that they had never won a battle alone since they served as vanguards. Kong Long said: "Isn't it? We should also use our brains, just like General Zhou did. Luoyang is a famous city. If it can be captured, the soldiers will be impressed." Kong Fan thought for a while and said "Let's get there first and take a look at the terrain." The two of them came to the city and watched from a distance for a while. Kong Fan pointed to a forest in the south of the city and said, "Brother, look at the forest there. If we can set up an ambush in advance and suddenly attack when the enemy arrives, what do you think the effect will be?" Kong Long looked at it. After a while, he agreed with his brother's statement. Kong Fan asked his younger brother to challenge him, and he set up an ambush in the forest.
The Sanchuan County Supervisor was named Han Qi. He was in his thirties and was good at wielding an iron halberd. He was very skilled in martial arts. When he heard that the rebels had arrived, he came to the city to watch. He saw a young general coming to challenge him from a distance, and he said with great disdain: "Rat, do you dare to come and die?" Kong Long shouted: "Qin Nu, I am Kong Long, the pioneer of the Chu Kingdom, and I am here under orders. Take Luoyang and present the city quickly!" Han Qi laughed and said: "I am the general of the Qin State, how dare you, a rat, come to provoke me!" As soon as he finished speaking, the county lieutenant Pang Yu shouted: "I will kill that thing! "Han Qi said yes. Pang Yu walked straight down to the city, opened the city gate and came out. When Kong Long saw that General Qin was coming out to kill him, he released his horse and charged towards him. As soon as the two of them fought, their weapons collided and sparks flew. The two fought for more than ten rounds before Kong Long was defeated and fled. The lieutenant laughed and did not pursue him. Kong Long saw that General Qin did not come to chase him, so he turned around and challenged: "Do you dare to chase me?" Pang Yu said: "You rat, what's the use of chasing you?" Kong Long said: "There is an ambush ahead, I won't forgive you. Dare you!" Pang Yu went into the city with disdain.
When Kong Long saw that General Qin didn't come to chase him, he came to the south of the city and said to his brother, "There was a guy who came out to fight for a while. I pretended to be defeated and ran away, but he didn't come to catch up." Kong Fan said, "General Qin Not coming to chase shows cowardice. I don't think there is any need to set up an ambush, so just go and challenge." The two men took all their troops and horses to the city to challenge. Kong Long shouted: "The vanguard of Chu is here, Qin Nu, hurry up and offer the city!" After shouting for a while, he heard the city gate rumble open, and then a row of chariots galloped out from inside. They galloped to both sides to form a formation. After a while, a rectangular battle formation was formed. The Kong brothers counted about four hundred chariots. They couldn't help but feel nervous, so they formed a rectangular formation with the infantry behind them. Suddenly there was a drum sound in the city, and the Qin army's chariots rushed towards them.
But at this end of the position, the rebels held their weapons tightly, poking one end on the ground and pointing the other toward the front. After a while, the Qin Army's chariots rumbled and arrived. Because the vehicles had inertia, as soon as the two sides fought, the rebel lineup was rushed into chaos. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Kong brothers quickly ordered a retreat. Unexpectedly, the Qin army's chariots chased them closely from behind. Those who were running slowly were caught up and killed by the Qin army, leaving the rebels unable to fight back. As Kong Long ran, he shouted anxiously: "They didn't chase me last time, but they chased me hard this time. What should I do?" Then he shouted to the enemy formation: "There is an ambush ahead. Do you dare to chase me?" On the car The Qin army couldn't hear it at all, and pursued it even more fiercely. Kong Fan sighed: "God! Are we going to be killed by them here?" At this critical moment, Kong Fan suddenly remembered the woods where he had ambushed, and quickly led everyone to run towards the woods and came to the woods. Bian got in. When Pang Yu saw the two of them hiding, he had to stop the car and said, "This is a small group of bandits. It's nothing to worry about. Get back quickly!" The villagers came and set up camp there.
At midnight the next day, Zhou Wen's army had arrived. The Kong brothers quickly came to the army to plead guilty. Zhou Wen helped the two of them up and said with a smile: "Did you two take Luoyang City easily? Victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists. Besides, you have figured out the enemy's true identity, which is a great achievement!" Kong Fan said in confusion! "What is the truth?" Zhou Wen said with a smile: "The enemy has four hundred well-equipped chariots. How can you know if you don't fight? This is your contribution!" The generals on the left and right said in unison: "The Qin army has We also have chariots, they have 400 chariots and we have 600 chariots, let’s see who can’t beat the other!” Zhou Wen thought for a moment and then ordered: “Send my general’s order and march straight to Luoyang!”
Strangely enough, the sky above Luoyang suddenly became dense with dark clouds that day, as if indicating that a war was coming. County Supervisor Han Qi also found out that the rebels were coming to seize Luoyang City at this time, so he immediately climbed to the top of the city to command the formation. The chariot generals first drove four hundred chariots out of the east gate, and they quickly set up two rectangular battle formations on the vast plain to the east. The infantry generals followed closely and deployed four legions behind the chariots. Each infantry legion had about 10,000 people, and together with the chariots and cavalry, there were about 50,000 people. As soon as Han Qi finished setting up, she heard the faint sounds of horns and war drums coming from the east. When I looked carefully, I saw a long black line on the eastern horizon. This black line became thicker and thicker, and finally turned into a sea of people. Could they be what the Qin State called the so-called bandits?
In this regiment, most of them are soldiers serving the Qin State, and many are surrendered soldiers of the Qin State, so they all wear black clothes. Because they hated Qin very much, they were very active in the anti-Qin team. The soldiers and horses are getting closer and closer. At the front is also a chariot regiment, about 600 in number. The rebels are getting closer and closer. The horses kick, snort, and neigh, as well as the rolling sounds of the wheels. Into the ear. Behind them were the cavalry corps and the infantry corps, all of them also lined up in neat steps, marching forward majestic and high-spirited. The sound of the soldiers' footsteps, the scraping of breastplates, and the clash of weapons became louder and louder. There are also the hunting sounds of the military flags blown by the strong wind and the drumming of the soldiers, intertwined into a marching symphony. Han Qi was shocked when he saw the formation of the rebel army was so huge, it could be said to be surging, and it was like a wave coming, because this was the first time he had seen such a scene since he became an official. Since the First Emperor unified the six countries, who dares to start a war? Who dares to bring so many troops to invade Da Qin's land? This is really the first time. It seems that the person who came here is evil. The county superintendent murmured in his heart, and he closely watched every move of the rebels. The rebel army stopped about five hundred meters away from the Qin army's position.
Han Qi did not expect that there were so many rebels. Judging from the lineup alone, there were no less than a hundred thousand people in front of them, and there were even more people who could not see the edge in the distance. But didn’t the county guard fight in Xingyang? Why did so many rebels arrive in Luoyang? Could it be that he was defeated by the county guard? Or he has already served his country... Han Qi didn't dare to think any more when he thought of this. He regretted not transferring all the troops to the city. When he left the city, he only left 5,000 crossbowmen in the city. If the Qin army If the battle is lost, it will be dangerous if the enemy launches a large-scale attack again. But Han Qi thought to herself that his five thousand crossbowmen were not vegetarians. When Han Qi thought of this, he showed unusual calmness. He wanted to use this method to calm people's hearts and stabilize the situation first, and then fight again, which would deal a heavy blow to the rebels and at the same time give the Qin army more prestige. When he thought of this, a surge of blood surged into his heart, and he suddenly laughed loudly and said: "Traitors! Chu Kou! Although there are many of you, you are all a mob! Why don't you be a good citizen of Da Qin? But you want to rebel? This Why? Aren't you afraid of death?" The soldiers of the Qin army were refreshed when they heard that their coach was confident, and they held their breath, wanting to hear how the other party would answer.
At this time, a solid chariot sped out from the middle of the rebel position. The general in the car was the majestic rebel commander Zhou Wen. He was driven by a charioteer and protected by two soldiers. He came to the front of the position and replied loudly: "Qin's tyrannical government has harmed all living beings. Our King Chen was born out of nowhere to advocate the world against Qin. His purpose is to break into the Qin Dynasty." Guanzhong, overthrow the tyranny. I heard that your Excellency is from the Han Dynasty, have you forgotten the pain of the country's subjugation?" Han Qi sneered and said: "The unification of the world by the Qin State is a foregone conclusion. The so-called three kings and five emperors have the orthodoxy. , Qin inherits the destiny. That Chen Sheng is just an unknown person, a soldier guarding the border. What ability can he have, but you follow him to cause chaos. What a group of thugs who do not understand the current affairs and violate the will of God and the people! Think of the many wise ministers in the Six Kingdoms back then. , good generals, national scholars, and heroes, who have launched a strategy of alliance and united millions of people, are no match for the Qin State. But you are just some vagabonds and untouchables, bandits and bandits. What kind of world do you think of creating the era of Yao and Shun? It's simply It’s just a fool’s dream! Is the treasured tripod of the Qin State something you can covet?”
Zhou Wen heard this and said righteously: "That's right! The three kings and five emperors have different ways of abdication, and Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin also have different inheritance methods. But as long as they can cooperate with the current situation and comply with the will of God and the people, they will be a righteous family. . Moreover, heroes do not care about their origins. Although King Chen was born in the ranks of soldiers, he could raise his arms and the world gathered to respond. This is to master the ability to adapt to changes. Mastering the ability to adapt to changes is to be aware of the opportunities for safety and misfortune. Moreover, He can also carefully choose to advance or retreat. As the saying goes, he upholds the right path and relies on righteousness. Therefore, our army can advance and retreat in an orderly manner, with firmness and softness, and it will naturally be invincible and invincible in war. I Now, on the order of King Zhang Chu, I have led 300,000 soldiers here to defeat the Qin Pass. However, with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, how can you stop my rolling wheels to defeat the Qin Pass? I still advise you to recognize it as soon as possible. Clear the situation, defect to Chu, and work together with our king to create an era of Yao and Shun with benevolent governance and clear justice, right?"
When Han Qi heard Zhou Wen's words, he was secretly surprised. He did not expect that this Zhou Wen was not just an unlearned and vulgar person. He had a profound cultural heritage in his chest, so he could only smile and said: "Although you can quibble, you don't know if you will fight? I will definitely catch you today and dig out your heart and lungs!" Zhou Wen saw that Han Qi's attitude was very tough, so he rushed back to the position and came to the commander of the Chinese army. Command under the flag. On his left are Wang Wu and Deng Zhong, and on his right are four generals, He Zhi and Yang Sheng. Four generals, Kong Fan, Kong Long, Yuan Yi and Wen Luan, led the cavalry respectively. The infantry is divided into several legions, each led by two lieutenants.
Han Qi was worthy of being a general. When he saw the scene in front of him, he did not panic. Instead, he arranged his armor and sword before walking down the tower. He strutted up to a chariot that had been prepared in advance, took the weapon from the sergeant's hand, which was a long iron halberd, and then quickly jumped onto the chariot, shouting: "Get out of the city!" The soldiers hit their horses and ran out of the city gate, and the chariot quickly came to the forefront of the position. After Han Qi waited for the car to stop, he looked around at the rebel lineup again. His demeanor as a general of a great country made all the soldiers in awe.
Just as Zhou Wen unsheathed his sword and pointed it forward, Han Qi also drew his sword, and then shouted an order to the soldiers: "Soldiers, prepare to fight!" The Qin army in the rear roared together: "Kill ! Kill! Kill!" The momentum was high and the voice shook the sky. Zhou Wen also said angrily: "In this case, we have to fight one another!" Then he turned around and ordered to the rebel army: "Soldiers! Chu and Qin are incompatible! There is Qin without Chu, there is Chu without Qin, charge!" The rebel soldiers! Upon hearing Zhou Wen's order, the soldiers in front drove their chariots forward, followed closely by the two infantry regiments. The Qin army came towards each other. In an instant, the soldiers on both sides were killing each other with loud noises, the cars were rumbling, and the horses were galloping. The dust of battle immediately filled the sky. As soon as the two sides came into contact, they heard various collision sounds intertwined together, forming a noisy and tragic vibration, as if the sky was falling apart...
The two sides had been fighting fiercely for a long time, and the positions were already in chaos. Because the Qin army was smaller in number, they were followed by two legions of chariots. After a fierce battle between the two sides, the situation became increasingly unfavorable to the Qin army. When Han Qi saw the situation in front of him on the chariot under the commander, he decisively ordered the cavalry to rush out from both sides to cover, and the rest of the soldiers withdrew. At this time, the moat of Luoyang City was full of Qin troops. Luoyang is a big city. There are three door openings on the east side of the city wall. Everyone is rushing to enter the city. There are also crowds on the suspension bridge, retreating into the city together. Especially the city gate opening is even more chaotic. Han Qi finally evacuated the battlefield under the protection of the soldiers. He entered the city from the middle gate, then ran to the top of the city to watch. I saw that some of the infantry of the rebel army had already reached the moat and were grabbing the spoils of war. In the distance, the chariots of the rebel army rushed towards the city again. Han Qi quickly ordered the withdrawal horn to be sounded and the cavalry was withdrawn into the city. The Qin army's cavalry galloped into the city from three gates at the same time. When the sergeants on the city saw that the Qin army had entered the city, they quickly pulled up the drawbridge and closed the city gate. Han Qi watched for a while and just sneered, then ordered the crossbowman to prepare. Qin's crossbows are world-famous. Before Han Qi left the city, he arranged archers on the city. He also arranged foot crossbows, machine crossbows and chariot crossbows in the city. These arrows have a longer range, especially chariot crossbows, because The arrows are thick and long, and their range is thousands of meters away.
When the rebel chariots reached the city, they were blocked by Haogou. Seeing this, Zhou Wen decisively ordered the chariots and soldiers to retreat. The two legions and the cavalry legions fighting in front dispersed from the two wings and retreated. Then let the infantry regiment waiting behind attack the city again. They pushed the giant siege equipment from far to near, slowly approaching, came to the edge of Haogou, put the equipment on the moat and rushed to cross Haogou. The sergeants who reached the city set up ladders and began to attack the city, their shouts of killing were earth-shattering. I saw more than a dozen Qin army lieutenants on the city. They were shouting and commanding at the top of their lungs, ordering the sergeants to release arrows. Suddenly thousands of arrows were fired from the city. The Qin army also threw down logs, stones, sulfur and other fire-starting objects, and then fired fiercely with rockets. As a result, many of the poor siege rebels were shot, smashed, and burned to death. Some giant ladders with complex structures were also set on fire, emitting raging smoke.
The two sides fought for more than an hour, and the rebel position was filled with many corpses. The fire under the city burned the corpses to a disgusting smell. At this time, the medium and long-range arrows and crossbows of the Qin army began to show their power again. In Luoyang City, arrows were shot out like locusts. Sharp arrowheads rained down on the rebel positions like raindrops. The soldiers hurriedly used their shields. Blocked, but still hurt a lot of people. Seeing that the rebels could not advance, Zhou Wen asked his sergeants to shoot at them. However, their shooting range was far inferior to that of the Qin army, so they were passive everywhere. On the contrary, all the Qin troops on the city fought to the death. The ones in front fell, and those behind came up again. They also used various defensive equipment to fight back. Even the giant ladders of the rebels could not get close to the battlements. Among them was a Qin general named Wu Ancheng who was very brave. He was hit by several arrows, but he still commanded the battle without flinching. The two sides fought until dark, and Zhou Wen had to order a halt to the fighting. This was the first major battle fought by the rebels since their westward march, and it was also a fierce battle. The rebels suffered no less than 20,000 casualties. The Qin army suffered about thousands of casualties. Because they were all regular troops of the Qin State, they still held on to the city in the end.
That night, with the cold moon in the sky, in the rebel camp below the city, the soldiers were cleaning the battlefield together. Some were caring for the wounded, and some were burying the bodies of their companions. Those soldiers who had participated in the battle during the day were very tired, so they stayed in the camp. fell asleep on the bed.
