The third route army sent by King Chen went northward under the leadership of Wu Chen. The people gathered in response and the army came to Puyang, which is the county seat of Dongjun. When the county guard heard that the rebels were coming, he immediately led his troops to fight. Two formations facing each other. The military minister clapped his horse and came out, raised his whip and roared: "Qin slave, we are soldiers and horses of the Chu State. Now we are here to take over the land and present the city quickly!" The county guard said angrily: "Bold and unruly people, rebellion will lead to the annihilation of the tribe. Do you know?" Wu Chen said with a smile: "I know, I know, I will not rebel if I am afraid of death. Now King Chen has ascended the throne in Chen County, and the founding name is Zhang Chu, advocating the world to rebel against Qin. If you know the current affairs, you will respond to the Chu State, I will never lose the opportunity to become a marquis and a general in the future!" The county guard scolded: "Village man! Can you destroy the Great Qin Kingdom? Surrender quickly and spare your life. If you continue to clamor, your heads will be moved! Seeing the resolute attitude of the county guard, the military minister said to the formation: "Which of you dares to challenge?" Zhang Er wanted Chen Yu to make the first contribution, so he winked. Chen Yuxin understood, slapped his horse and galloped out of the formation. A brave general also emerged from the Qin army's formation. The man was holding a spear and howling. The two horses moved forward, charging with inertia. The two horses crossed each other, their swords and spears were raised at the same time, and sparks flew out. The two men mustered up their courage and fought for more than ten rounds. Chen Yu stabbed the Qin general off his horse with one strike. The county guard was frightened and hurriedly retreated into the city and raised the drawbridge. The rebels then camped along the moat, besieged the city, and used launchers to send stones and artillery into the city, launching a fierce attack.
More than ten days later, the county guard got scared and gathered the crowd and said, "The thieves are so fierce that we may not be able to hold on." The county magistrate said, "If we don't resist, we will be destroyed according to Qin law. If we resist, we will be caught by the rebels." They will also kill them. Either way, they will die, so it is better to resist desperately and wait for reinforcements!" The county guard said: "I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for long." After holding on for a few more days, the Qin army finally couldn't resist it. The county magistrate suggested: "Gather all the people in the city tonight and dress up as sergeants. When it gets dark, pretend to go out and surrender. The people will walk in front and the sergeants will follow. When they arrive at the rebel camp, let the sergeants suddenly Launch an attack. The warrior must be unprepared, and he will definitely win a complete victory. This is called "attacking the warrior unprepared." If the warrior is killed, the thieves will be dispersed." The county guard followed the plan.
At dusk that day, the county guard ordered the Qin army to erect a lowering flag on the top of the city. After hearing the report, the military officials led the crowd to the city. I saw someone shouting on the top of the city: "More than half of the soldiers in the city have been killed and wounded. They can no longer fight and are willing to surrender!" The military official asked: "Is it true or false?" He replied: "We will leave the city immediately to surrender our weapons. There is no way it is false. Besides, listen to It is said that all the people in Shandong have risen up in rebellion, and there is no point in our resistance." Wu Chen smiled and said: "In this way, the governor is quite discerning." He shouted to the city: "You are not allowed to cheat, if What tricks are you playing? We will kill them all after the city is broken!" The Qin army on the city replied: "We surrender sincerely and will never use deceit." The military officials were overjoyed and ordered the army to stop attacking the city. In a short time, the Qin army opened the city gate. First, an official came out and handed over a letter of surrender, saying: "The governor asked the general to treat his family well." The military official agreed. After the Qin envoy left, Zhang Er said to the military officials: "The county guards were very arrogant a few days ago, and now they suddenly surrender, I'm afraid it's a fraud." The military officials said: "They originally wanted to resist stubbornly, but now they see that our army is attacking so hard and there are no reinforcements. That's why we decided to surrender. This is a reasonable thing." Zhang Er said: "Nevertheless, it is better to be cautious." The military official called over the guards Shao Sao and Chen Yu, and asked them to each lead a team of troops to ambush them. On both sides of the military camp, in case of any eventuality.
At this time, only one person was seen walking out of the city gate. He beat the gong and announced loudly: "The entire Qin army has surrendered. Now go out of the city and disarm, and then ask General Wu to enter the city to take over the affairs!" Immediately afterwards, a group of sergeants walked out in front, Some of them held torches, some held weapons, and the team was uneven. They all came to the front of the camp with their heads hanging down to surrender their weapons. After a while, the weapons piled up into a hill. After the people surrendered their weapons, the Qin army came out. When they came to the camp, a general suddenly rushed out of the city gate, waving his halberd and shouting: "I am a county captain, follow me to kill the thieves!" After hearing the order, the Qin army raised their weapons and suddenly attacked the rebel camp. The military minister had already taken precautions and waved his flag. Suddenly he heard the beating of war drums and loud shouts from both sides of the military camp. Shao Sao and Chen Yu led their troops to kill and surrounded the Qin army.
There was a melee between the two sides, and the Qin army was defeated miserably. The county captain had never fought before, but he was killed by Chen Yu and Shao Sao. Wu Chen, Zhang Er and others led the troops across the moat and rushed towards the city. When the county guard heard that the rebels had entered the city, he fled out of the north gate. Zhang Er often hangs out here and is very familiar with the roads in Hebei Province. When he arrived at the government office and couldn't find the county guard, he knew where the county guard had gone. So he led his troops to chase him and came to Baimajin Ferry, where he caught the county guard. . Zhang Er cursed angrily: "Why do you not keep your word?" He ordered the sergeant to take the seal and ribbon first, and then chop him into pieces. Zhang Er killed the governor and his family, then came to the city and handed over the seal of the governor to the military officials. At this time, the generals of the rebel army had arrested all the officials of the Qin State and paraded them on the street. When the people saw them, they gnashed their teeth in hatred and threw things at them. Zhang Er and Chen Yu also hated the officials of Qin very much, so they persuaded the military officials to kill them. When the military officials saw that Zhang Er and Chen Yu were really great, they obeyed their orders and buried all the officials of Qin alive. Zhang Er deeply hated the Qin people. In order to relieve his hatred, he ordered his sergeants to kill all the Qin troops who surrendered. The military ministers obtained Dongjun, and then sent troops to attack separately and captured the counties.
One day, the military officials rewarded the soldiers and held a banquet in the palace. During the banquet, Zhang Er said to the military official: "The general is strong and strong, and he attacks the unjust and punishes the Qin Dynasty. He has made great contributions. Now that Dongjun has been captured, you should get a resounding title based on your merits." The military official asked. What kind of title should I get? Zhang Er said: "Wu Xinjun!" Wu Chen was shocked and said: "How dare I hope for the most noble title in Chu State at this time?" Zhang Er said: "General, the purpose of the expedition is to seize the entire territory of Hebei. You If you don't get this title, how can you call on the people? Besides, Hebei is thousands of miles across and has a vast territory, so it should be worthy of its name." The military official thought for a long time and said, "I'm afraid the king won't agree." Zhang Er said, "Send an envoy to Chencheng. Report the victory, and then ask for canonization, and Chen Sheng will definitely agree." Zhang Er had already directly addressed King Chen by his name at this time, which shows how much he hates King Chen. Wu Chen was already drunk at this time, and he was already excited, so he said: "I'm going to ask for the title. I wonder what other generals think?" Zhang Er said: "A man builds his own merits. No matter what others think, you just let it go." If you do, I will definitely help the general achieve hegemony!" The military minister was overjoyed and immediately sent someone to Chencheng to ask for the title.
When the envoy came to Chen Cheng, he first said that the military attack was going very smoothly, and then asked for instructions to seal his title. After hearing this, King Chen was furious and said: "Since ancient times, people with meritorious service have been given titles based on their merits. How can there be any reason to ask for titles on your own?" Cai Ci of the Shangzhu Kingdom felt that something was wrong, so he said: "Your Majesty, the generals are attacking. For your achievements in urban and field battles, if you don't add titles, you can't boost morale." King Chen was about to get angry, but Wang Zhi quickly signaled him not to get angry. King Chen first repelled the envoy, and then said: "All generals have merit in field battles, but only the military minister asks for the title of Lord Wu Xin. Why?" Wang Zhi said: "The military minister is a rough man, how can he have so many ideas? It must be what Zhang Er means! This man is very powerful. I have long seen that he will cause trouble. Is it true now? If the king does not agree, they will disobey your order." King Chen said angrily: "Let's do it now Recall that old thief Zhang Er as soon as possible!" Cai Ci said: "Your Majesty, you can't do that. This man is treacherous and unpredictable, and he can't be compared with Ge Ying. If you don't call him back, you will make things worse!" King Chen asked what to do. Cai Cidao said: "Just reward them according to their request and stabilize them first, otherwise the general will change his mind and the whole thing will be over!" King Chen was furious, but he had nothing to do.
Then King Chen sent an envoy to Puyang to confer the title of military minister. Wu Chen got his wish and got the title of Lord Wu Xin. He was as happy as if he had taken stimulants. He held a banquet in the palace to entertain Zhang Er and Chen Yu. More than ten days later, people from all walks of life came to report that all the counties had surrendered, but Fan Yangling refused to surrender. Lord Wu Xin was furious and decided to attack Fanyang City himself.
Fan Yang ordered Xu Renxian, known as Xu Gong, who was about forty years old and very honest. When he heard that the rebel army buried all the Qin officials alive when they conquered Puyang and other places, he was so frightened that his blood pressure soared and he became dizzy for several days. I couldn't sleep for several nights, so I called on the soldiers and civilians to resist resolutely and never surrender. One day, Xu Zhenggong was patrolling the city. Suddenly he saw a group of people gathered around the city gate. They were making a lot of noise, so he asked what was going on. Someone from the city responded loudly: "Sir, there is a crazy old man who wants to see you. We are afraid that he is a spy, so if we don't let him in, he will make a big fuss." Xu Gong thought for a moment and said, "Let him Come in." The sergeants asked the old man to enter the city. The old man hummed and sang popular songs, then swaggered into the city.
Xu Gong walked down to the city to meet the old man and found that he was unkempt, with a gray beard, high cheekbones, long and droopy eyebrows, dark skin, and a wine gourd in his hand. He looked like a man in his fifties or sixties. The scholar is like a vagabond, swaying and looking funny. When Xu Gong saw that he was quite old, he bowed and said, "May I ask your name? What are you doing here?" The old man replied, "My surname is Kuai Mingche, and I like to travel around the world. Now I see that your Excellency is about to die. , so I came to express my condolences! But if you listen to my words, you can turn the crisis around, so I congratulate you again!" Xu Gong was confused when he heard this, and asked: "What? What? What did you say?" The old man smiled and said: " I saw that you were in danger, so I came to save you." Xu Gong saw that this person had a strong voice and thought that he must have a background, so he respectfully asked for advice: "Senior, there is no need to pretend to be mysterious, just say what you have to say?" Kuai Che sneered and said, "You want me to stand on the street and talk?" Xu Gong quickly invited him to his mansion. He also asked Kuai Che to sit at the top as a guest, and then asked him respectfully.
Kuai Che then spoke eloquently: "My lord, you have been Fan Yangling for more than ten years. During this period, you used the laws of the Qin State to execute countless people. Some of them cut out their hearts and lungs, and some cut off their tongues and feet. , tattooed man, how many people have you made widowers, widowers, orphans, and singles? How many families have you destroyed? Therefore, the people hate you very much, hate it! I say hate, not hate, can you Do you want to hear it clearly? But they dare not complain because of the existence of Qin Law. Now the world is in chaos and Qin Law can no longer be implemented normally, so my lord, a disaster must be coming. Now the Chu army has captured Puyang, listen. It is said that King Zhang Chu has conferred the title of Wu Xinjun on his side, and his army is about to attack the city. The people in the city will definitely take this opportunity to take revenge. They will definitely pick up sharp weapons, suddenly attack, and point their bayonets at your chest! Excuse me Sir, isn’t it right that I come to express condolences for you?” Xu Gong was shocked and said: “What you always said is exactly like this. What should I do? Please save me?” Xu Gong said. , and he knelt on the ground with a thump. Kuai Che laughed and said, "Don't worry, sir. When the Chu army comes, I will go and lobby Lord Wu Xin for you. You will definitely be able to turn the crisis into safety. It is a blessing in disguise, so I congratulate you again!" After hearing this, Duke Xu hurriedly held a banquet to thank you. Kuai Che. During the dinner, he asked him why he came to save him. Kuai Che said with a smile: "Your Majesty is not a bad person, it's just that Qin's laws are too harsh." After hearing this, Duke Xu felt at ease.
The next day, Lord Wu Xin indeed came to the city with troops. Kuai Che said goodbye to Duke Xu, proudly left the city and walked straight to the Chu camp. Kuai Che came to the camp and shouted: "Kuai Che has come to pay homage to the camp. Go and report to your leader!" The rebels tied him in to see Lord Wu Xin. When Wu Xinjun saw that the sergeants had captured a dark and crazy old man, he felt that it was not very interesting and didn't bother to ask his name, so he just looked at him and ignored him. The sergeant reported: "Wu Xinjun, his name is Kuai Che." Seeing his disheveled clothes and strange appearance, Wu Xinjun smiled and asked, "Old man, we are going to fight, what are you doing here? Aren't you afraid of death?" Kuai Che? Suddenly he laughed and said: "I have a little secret trick. You can win the fight without using any of your soldiers, and you can also capture the whole of Hebei! Are you just doing this for this small Fanyang City?" Wu Xinjun heard this. His words were awe-inspiring, and he immediately changed his arrogant attitude and said, "What good advice do you have?" Kuai Che looked at the rope that tied him and said, "Is this the habit of you Chu people to treat guests like this?" Wu Xin Jun quickly untied him personally, then asked him to sit down, and asked politely: "What do you think you have, please give me some advice?" Kuai Che saw that Wu Xinjun's attitude changed drastically, so he talked eloquently: " I came from the city and am very aware of the reality inside. Fan Yangling has been preparing for war for a long time. He has several large warehouses of sharp arrows. If they shoot all these arrows at your soldiers, not only will you not be able to defeat him, but you will also You can't even enter the city gate!" Wu Xinjun asked in confusion: "Other counties have surrendered, why is he resisting so desperately?" Kuai Che laughed and said: "The general is wrong, he is not desperate for his life , but it’s too terrible! I know that Fan Yangling is afraid of death, no! Not only is he afraid of death, but he is also particularly greedy for wealth, so he has to defend the city to the death! Just imagine, if he saves the city, doesn’t he save his life? And prosperity and wealth? Hey, why don’t you understand such a simple truth?”
Lord Wu Xin also laughed and said: "Even so, I still want to take the city, catch him, peel off his skin, beat his tendons, and chop off the heads of all those who resist!" Kuai Che said with a smile: "It's okay. No, there are so many people who want to kill him, why do you need to do it? He is now calling on the army and the people to organize death squads, just because the general captured the city and killed all the subordinates of the Qin State. Those who resisted Those who surrender will also die, no matter what, so they have to fight to the death." After hearing Kuai Che's words, Wu Xinjun felt that it made sense and asked if there was any good strategy to make them surrender. Kuai Che said: "The reason why the general raised his troops here today is because Fan Yangling refused to surrender. But if you do the opposite and pardon Fan Yangling first and make him a marquis, then he will be grateful and take the lead in leading the army." If the general lets everyone come and surrender to the general, Fan Yangcheng will be within easy reach. If the general lets Fan Yangling hold a few letters to appeal to Qin, and then rides in the carriage you gave him, holding the marquis's seal and ribbon, he crosses the river. , just gallop back and forth in the land of Yan and Zhao, run a few laps, let others see your rewards and kindness, then all the officials in the land of Yan and Zhao will rush to come and hand over the seal, this is called "no war" And to subjugate an enemy's troops, 'a message can determine a place thousands of miles away'! Don't you general like to do this?" After hearing this, Mr. Wu Xin was really overjoyed, and he quickly thanked Kuai Che and said: "What the old man said is so good. , I will do it immediately, and I will grant Fan Yangling the title of 'Puyang Marquis' according to your wishes. Now please go and tell me your wishes immediately. I will definitely thank you again after it is done!"
Seeing that Wu Xinjun readily agreed to his conditions, Kuai Che happily came to see Duke Xu and truthfully conveyed Wu Xinjun's intention. When Duke Xu learned that Lord Wu Xin was going to make him Marquis of Puyang, he was so happy that he almost lost his temper and immediately decided to surrender to the Chu army. Many people in the city wanted to kill Duke Xu. Now that they heard that he had been conferred the title of Marquis of Puyang by the Chu generals, they did not dare to act rashly again. Wu Xinjun then led the rebel army to Fanyang City to meet Xu Gong. Then he announced the abolition of all Qin's harsh laws and regulations, and reorganized the Qin army into the Chu army. He treated all Qin officials and soldiers who surrendered leniently, and would never kill anyone. The whole city's soldiers and civilians shouted, "Long live Lord Wu Xin." Xu Gong was very happy, so he killed the cattle and sheep and personally rewarded the Chu army. The city was full of joy.
The next day, Lord Wu Xin asked Kuai Che to write an essay criticizing Qin, to the effect of:
Qin's arrogant government and cruelty to the people lasted for more than ten years. The people of the Six Kingdoms have suffered from the Qin State for too long. The brutal rule not only harmed the people, but also affected the livestock and trees. When they built the Great Wall, they had already made it difficult for the people to make a living. Look at Ying Zheng's Zhuo Zhuoli Mountain, which is filled with millions of innocent souls; look at Qin's majestic empire, it's all made up of piles of bones. What a shame for this second-generation boy. He actually killed his brothers and sisters and killed ministers. His vicious heart is something that living old people rarely see, and it is even more indescribable. Now there are more than millions of slave laborers and resentful women in the world, and the common people are really desperate, so they rise up. Just imagine that if the people of Chu did not raise troops today or take action tomorrow, everyone would still not know when the god of death would visit and come.
The great King Zhang Chu, he finally stood up with his determination not to fear death and his fearless fighting spirit. He firmly advocated for the people and led the world, and he has ascended to the throne as the king of Zhang Chu. He now ordered the army and the people to vow to destroy the violent Qin Dynasty in order to rebuild a civilized Chinese empire. Everyone must fight for themselves, and everyone must fight for himself. Common people from all over the world, please resolutely not to lose the opportunity after seeing the proclamation; brave men, please come as soon as possible to show your talents; heroes who are not afraid of death, please take up arms as soon as possible and come to join the army; Yan and Zhao have always been in the area since ancient times. The place where tragic and generous people gather, please don’t sit still and wait for death; the land in the north is vast and vast, and it has always been a place for heroes to use. When you see the message, please rush to tell it, don’t miss it. A great opportunity to build a successful career.
After Wu Xinjun read the appeal, he praised it greatly, and asked the civil servant Yuan to copy dozens more copies, and then handed them to Xu Renxian. Wu Xinjun asked him to ride in a specially prepared luxurious carriage, equipped with hundreds of followers, and then went to Handan County to recruit the Qin officials there with a message. After Xu Gong received the order, he crossed the Yellow River from Baimajin and galloped all the way, posting messages wherever he went. In this way, when the officials in each county saw the proclamation and saw that Xu Gong was promoted from a small county magistrate to a county magistrate and a marquis, they were extremely envious, so they took their official seals and came to Dongjun with their troops to surrender.
Xu Gong finally came to Handan City, and the county governor Li Liang also received him. Li Liang is a famous general of the Qin State, known as the "Hebei Tiger", and has the courage to be worthy of ten thousand men. Seeing that everyone was surrendering to the Chu army at this time, I had no choice but to follow the trend and surrender together with the county lieutenant Xue Yue and the county supervisor Zhang Qiang. It was really following the trend, perfunctory, and all went with the wind. When Wu Xinjun heard that Li Liang was coming, he was overjoyed and went to the bank of the Yellow River to greet him with great ceremony. Finally, all the officials were driven back to Puyang City in cars, where they slaughtered cattle and sheep, entertained them warmly, and celebrated them grandly. Since then, the entire territory of Handan has become the territory of Chu State. A few days later, Lord Wu Xin led his army across the Yellow River, arrived in Hebei, and stationed in Handan City. His momentum alarmed the north.
