The next day, the Chu army discovered that the Qin army was building a bridge on the top of the city and hurriedly reported to Pei Gong. Pei Gong led Ning Jun to the top of the city to take a look. He found that the Qin army had gathered many ships and was building a pontoon bridge on the valley water. He said: "The pontoon bridge must be destroyed, otherwise it will be difficult to deal with the Qin army once they cross the river." Ning Jun saw that the Chu army had won the battle and felt that Sima Yi had nothing to fear, so he said: "No, if there is a saying in the art of war that 'the enemy can be attacked halfway across the river', why should we destroy the pontoon bridge?" Pei Gong said: "The enemy We are outnumbered, Sima Yi will definitely mobilize a large army, and our only barrier is Gushui. Now as long as we hold Xiao County and send troops to defend along the river, the Qin army will have nothing to do with us. And your Excellency should report to Shangzhu State as soon as possible , ask him to send another army and horses to attack Sima Yi from behind. If they attack from both sides, the Qin army will be defeated." Ning Jun said: "If Shangzhu leads troops, we will not be able to cross the river without a floating bridge. Why destroy the bridge?" Peigong said: "If you hold on to the valley water, you can hold Xiao County. If the river is clear, the Qin army will march straight ahead. By then, not only will Xiao County be difficult to hold, but the remaining city will be in danger. Please oversee the army, sir. Are you aware of it?" Ning Jun laughed and said: "Tell me, Pavilion Commander, you really haven't read the book of war! If Sima Yi really crosses the river to fight, we can attack him halfway across the river, why do we have to destroy the pontoon bridge?" He refused to listen to Pei Gong and allowed the Qin army to build a pontoon bridge. Pei Gong could only stare.
That morning, Sima Yi was commanding the Qin army to build a bridge on the other side. Seeing that the Chu army was motionless, he laughed and said, "The villagers in the mountains are indeed idiots. We are trying to think of ways to attack them, but they are indifferent and waiting for us." Go and catch them alive!" General Qin was very happy and just built ten pontoon bridges in one morning. After the bridge was repaired, Sima Yi sent ten generals to prepare and cross the river to fight. Ning Jun also asked Pei Gong to prepare ten teams. They were led by Liu Bang, Zhou Ke, Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, Xia Houying, Zhou Ding, Cao Wushang, Lu Shizhi, Zhao Ou and Tang Li. Each team had three hundred men. A sergeant. However, Ning Jun had to wait until the Qin army was halfway across before launching an attack. Pei Gong firmly disagreed and said: "If the enemy comes, our army will not be able to resist it. We should intercept it directly on the bridge so that the enemy cannot cross the river." Ning Jun refused to listen to Pei Gong. Peigong had no choice but to lead the sergeants of Peixian County to the forward position in advance to prepare for the attack.
When Xia Houying, Pei Gong's guard, saw that Pei Gong was about to go into battle in person, he said to Ning Jun: "Sir, the young general cannot obey your orders!" Ning Jun said angrily: "Why? Are you afraid of death?" Xia Houying said: "Young general is not afraid of death, just Because I have been the bodyguard of my Pei Gong since the beginning of the army and have never left him. Now that my Pei Gong has to go into battle in person, the young general must protect him, so I would like to ask you to arrange someone else for my team?" Shi Fan Kuai and others also said together: "My Pei Gong is the commander-in-chief and cannot go into battle in person!" Ning Jun said angrily: "The enemy is in front of us, how dare you disobey the general's order!" At this moment, the Qin army had launched an attack. Seeing this, Pei Gong said loudly: "The enemy is in front of us. How can I, Liu Bang, be greedy for life and afraid of death? I can't die, so hurry up and kill the enemy!" After that, he took the lead and rushed towards the bridge. When the soldiers of Peixian County saw Pei Gong going to the battlefield in person, they all plucked up their courage and followed Pei Gong like crazy to the left side of the bridge. Ning Jun saw that all the soldiers in Pei County were going to fight, so he stood on the high ground on the shore to watch the battle.
Xiao He was worried that Pei Gong might make a mistake, so he ordered Zhu Zhen, Zhou Die, Leng Er, Wei Wuze, Zhou Chang and others to protect him. Zhu Zhen and others picked up their swords and shields and rushed onto the bridge. Xiao He saw that the Qin army was attacking, so he advised Ning Jun to order the Chu army to attack quickly. Ning Jun had no choice but to ask his deputy, Bai Zhi, to beat the war drum fiercely and the sergeant to blow the marching horn, and the Chu army launched a full-scale attack. At this time, on the ten pontoon bridges, soldiers from both sides launched an earth-shattering fight. The first route on the left is Pei Gong, who resists Chen Lan; the second route, Zhou Ke, blocks Chen Bi; the third route, Cao Shen fights to stop Guo Xi; the fourth route, Fan Kuai, blocks Zhou Zao; the fifth route, Xia Houying, attacks Liu Kan; On the sixth route, Zhou Ding fought against Dai Ye; on the seventh route, Cao Wushang entangled Ding Li; on the eighth route, Lu Shizhi trapped Wei Xuan; on the ninth route, he summoned Ou Li to block Liu Tang; on the tenth route, Tang Li dueled Wu Xian. At this time, because there were many Qin soldiers and not much time, several groups had already crossed the center of the bridge and attacked this side of the position. At this time, the shouts of killing from both sides could not be heard.
The Chu army became more and more courageous as they fought, and they slowly pressed forward. There were already pursuit situations on some roads. For example, on Peigong's route, due to the attack by Zhu Zhen and others, Chen Lan was defeated first and retreated. When Sima Yi saw Chen Lan defeated, he shouted: "Who is fighting Chen Lan?" He replied: "It is Liu Bang." Sima Yi said angrily: "Quickly release an arrow and shoot Liu Bang to death!" A group of crossbowmen shot arrows at Pei Gong. Zhu Zhen and others hurriedly used shields to protect them, and arrows fell into the water one after another. At this time, Sima Yi suddenly and decisively ordered the Qin army to retreat. Xiao He saw that the Qin army had retreated, and for some reason, he asked Ning Jun to withdraw from the formation. Ning Jun said: "Our army has won, why should we retreat? Now is the time to repel the Qin army in one fell swoop!" Xiao He said: "Both sides are evenly matched, but the Qin army only had a slight disadvantage, but took the initiative to retreat. There must be some among them. Reason!" Ning Jun said with a smile: "What reason can there be? He must have retreated because he could no longer resist." He ordered the Chu army to climb up the bridge and attack the Qin army's position.
But when the soldiers boarded the embankment, they were all dumbfounded. It turned out that the dam of Gushui was relatively high, and the Chu army could not observe the situation in front. When they attacked the bridge and boarded the embankment, they found that Qin's armored cavalry had already been waiting in formation on the other side and had prepared In preparation for the charge, the war horses were still kicking the ground, and some were making dull snorts. The officers and soldiers of the Qin army all wore black robes with black armor and bronze helmets covering their faces. They each held a halberd in their right hand and a shield in their left hand. The feathers on their helmets were like white waves, undulating and rolling in the strong wind. This scene simply made the Chu army soldiers shudder.
Sima Yi suddenly gave an order, and ten teams of Qin's cavalry launched a charge on the bridge. Like demons emerging from hell, they charged forward with murderous intent and terror and hatred from the underworld. When Pei Gong saw this scene, he was so frightened that he quickly ordered to retreat. However, the pontoon bridge was already filled with their own sergeants, and everyone was unable to retreat in time, so they had to fight the Qin army rushing over. But many Chu troops have been squeezed into the valley water. Peigong is on the bridge on the far left, which is also the bridge on the far downstream side. When Pei Gong saw that the Qin army was approaching, he had no choice but to jump into the water to escape. When everyone saw Pei Gong jumping into the river, they also jumped down. They could only follow and protect Pei Gong and swim downstream. Seeing that the Qin army was unstoppable, Cao Wushang had an idea and simply cut off the pontoon bridge. He was on the seventh bridge. After the bridge broke, the river rushed the boats downstream, and the boats broke several pontoon bridges one after another. The Qin army on the bridge also fell into the water, and the men and horses were drowned. The sound is endless. Some of the Chu troops struggling in the water fought with the Qin troops, some strangled their necks, some bit their ears, and some kicked their bodies. Some of the Qin troops were howling, and some were climbing on the ship. The three pontoon bridges upstream were intact, but Lu Shizhi, Zhao Ou, and Tang Li were suppressed by the Qin army, and the Chu army retreated steadily. Sima Yi personally attacked from Lu Shizhi's side. As soon as they landed, they frantically killed the Chu army. The Chu army was immediately defeated and fled. When Ning Jun saw that Sima Yi had crossed the bridge, he had no choice but to run away in the direction of Liucheng. Xiao He led a dozen people and chased Pei Gong along the river bank.
Pei Gong and his soldiers were still in the water at this time, so they all swam downstream with the current. Cao, Fan and others were also squeezed into the water. When they landed, they saw Sima Yi chasing Pei Gong, so they snatched the war horse from the Qin army, caught up from behind and shouted: "Sima Yi, please don't hurt my lord." !" He struggled to catch up with Sima Yi, and there was another melee between the two sides. Sima Yi saw that he could not resist the numerous Chu soldiers, so he stopped chasing. He simply led the Qin army to capture Xiao County. Only then did Pei Gong escape. Cao Shen and others came on horseback, and everyone worked together to find a way to rescue Pei Gong.
After Pei Gong came ashore, Xiao He also arrived. At this time, Pei Gong saw that many people's clothes and trousers had been washed away by the river, and they looked very embarrassed. There were also several soldiers salvaging clothes and trousers with their bare buttocks by the river. Pei Gong laughed and said: "The war has turned into a naked swim, haha Haha!" He laughed so hard that he couldn't even stand up. Everyone felt relieved when they saw that Pei Gong was safe. Xia Houying said: "From now on, I swear to follow Pei Gong to the death and never leave you for even one step!"
After all the people who had fallen into the water came ashore, Pei Gong suddenly changed his expression and said: "Today's disastrous defeat was all caused by Ning Jun's blind command! If he had listened to me and burned the pontoon bridge in advance, how could the Qin army cross the river? Zhuzi made a mistake. Me!" He said with anger. Xiao He said: "Now that Sima Yi has retreated, he will definitely attack Xiao County. He will definitely come again. Let's leave here quickly, shall we?" Pei Gong asked Cao and Fan to leave, and then he and Xiao He got into the car to stay in the city and recover. They collected some soldiers who had fled back on the road, about a few hundred people. At this time, someone suggested that Pei Gong should return to Peixian County and should not go to Liucheng again. Pei Gong thought for a while and said: "A man understands when he comes, and he must understand when he leaves. I can't escape responsibility for failure. Although we are defeated today, we still have to go to Liucheng to explain to the King of Chu, otherwise we will definitely... He was ridiculed by the people." Xiao He also said: "Pei Gong's words are reasonable, we should go to Liucheng to see the King of Chu." Before he finished speaking, suddenly there was another cry of killing behind him.
It turned out that after Sima Yi occupied Xiao County, he sent two generals, Chen Bi and Zhou Zao, to lead an infantry to hunt down Pei Gong. Cao and Fan blocked the way. Seeing Fan Kuai's obstruction, Zhou Zao shouted to Chen Bi: "This man is a butcher, I'll catch him!" After that, he came to capture Fan Kuai. Fan Kuai sneered and went straight to greet him. The two fought for more than twenty rounds. In order to show off his skills, Fan Kuai pulled Zhou Zao off his horse and ordered the sergeants to tie him up. When Chen Bi saw Zhou Zao being captured, he came to rescue his old friend, but was caught by Cao Shen. When the Qin army saw that both generals had been captured by the Chu generals, they rushed back to report.
Cao and Fan tied up the two generals of Qin to see Pei Gong. When Pei Gong saw that Chen Bi and Zhou Zao were handsome and good-looking, he liked them very much, so he deliberately cursed: "You look like dogs, but you are full of shit in your head!" When Chen Bi saw Pei Gong like this, he cursed. He said angrily: "If you want to kill or scrape, you have to do whatever you want. Why do you insult people?" Pei Gong said: "I am a rough man, and I know that I will attack the Qin without justice, but why do you still sacrifice your lives for Qin? This Aren't you helping the tyrants to commit evil? What else can you have in your mind than shit? People like you are living in vain in this world, why not kill them?" The two of them were scolded by Pei Gong, making them extremely ashamed. Seeing that the two of them were repentant, Xiao He quickly said to them: "In life, you must know right and wrong, good and evil. If you two surrender to Pei Gong, you can continue to contribute to the country in the future, but if you die, you will There is nothing left!" After hearing this, Chen Bi and Zhou Zao knelt on the ground with a bang and said, "We also know that the Qin State is cruel, but as Qin officials, we have to work hard for the country. If General Liu If you give us a chance, we are willing to follow the general to the death without any second thoughts!" After hearing what the two men said, Pei Gong was very happy, so he got out of the car himself, then helped the two men up and said: "Both generals are lofty ideals, and they can surrender today. The Chu State is like a soldier who defected to Wu, and Leyi returned to Yan. It is also a blessing for the Chu people! What a blessing to the people in the world!" Chen Bi and Zhou Zao followed Pei Gong from then on.
When Sima Yi heard that Chen Bi and Zhou Zao had surrendered to Pei Gong, he was furious and prepared to hunt down Pei Gong himself. Suddenly someone came from Xiang County to report that Qin Jia had counterattacked from Xiang County and the Qin army was defeated. Sima Yi was shocked and said to his men: "Originally I wanted to attack Liucheng and capture Jingju, but I failed because Liu Bang made trouble! Now let's go back to deal with Qin Jia first, and then come to deal with Liu Bang!" He cursed. Withdrew the troops and horses.
When Pei Gong came to Liucheng, it was getting dark. Suddenly a man came riding on horseback. He stopped Pei Gong and said, "I am Ning Jun's retainer Liu Zhao. Now the King of Chu heard that you have lost the battle and is angry." Come on. Entering the city at this time may be very dangerous. General Liu must not enter the city!" Pei Gong was shocked when he heard this, so he had to get out of the car to meet Liu Zhao. Liu Zhao also got out of the car and said to Pei Gong: "Situ came to the city and reported the defeat to the King of Chu. He also said that it was the general's improper command that led to the defeat. When the general enters the city at this time, he will definitely encounter something unexpected. Do you want to find another place?"
After listening to Liu Zhao's words, Pei Gong felt puzzled, so he told Ning Jun that he did not listen to the advice and just sat back and watched Sima Yi build the bridge. Liu Zhao said: "Now is not the time to distinguish right from wrong. General, can you keep your usefulness first and then slowly explain the truth of the matter?" Pei Gong asked Liu Zhao: "Why did you come to rescue me, sir?" Liu Zhao said far-sightedly: "Sima Yi suddenly attacked, hoping to capture the city in one fell swoop and force the Shangzhu Kingdom to surrender. General Liu went out to protect the people in the city, and his move was fair and aboveboard. Although he has lost the battle, he has also blocked the battle. With the strength of the Qin army, the Chu State would not be in danger. Now only if the generals and the King of Chu unite, Sima Yi will not attack Liucheng. I am only here for the country, even if the King of Chu knows that I have notified you in advance. I am punished, but I cannot care about personal gains and losses at the expense of the safety of the country." Pei Gong sighed: "Sir, you are so righteous, I admire you!" He temporarily stationed his troops and horses by the Sishui River, no longer Return to the city.
After setting up camp, Pei Gong thanked Liu Zhao again and again. Liu Zhao said: "The King of Chu is alone, and the ministers make decisions without authorization. I am often worried. It is a pity that the King of Chu does not have a hero like General Liu to assist him. If the King of Chu can get a general, why worry about not being able to defeat Sima Yi?" Xiao He said: "When we first came, we just wanted to borrow an army to rescue Fengyi, but who expected that things would turn out like this?" Pei Gong also said helplessly: "Now I, Liu Bang, am also in a dilemma!" Liu Zhao said: "Recently, I heard that Xiang Liang has raised troops from Jiangdong. This man is the son of Xiang Yan and must have strong appeal. Why doesn't the general contact him?" Pei Gong smiled lightly and said: "We are strangers, how can we go there rashly? But those people Although the children of the nobles are very famous, they may not be smart?" Xiao He said: "Let's wait and see. If the King of Chu must punish us tomorrow, we will make other plans." Pei Gong wanted Liu Zhao to stay. Liu Zhao said, "Now is a critical moment. I have to go back to persuade Situ and the king to re-employ generals. Otherwise, what will happen if Sima Yi attacks again?" After listening to Liu Zhao's words, Pei Gong asked him to go back to Liucheng first.
It was getting dark by then, so Pei Gong asked the soldiers to light a fire and cook, while people and animals fetched water from the Sishui River. However, due to the large number of people, there was not enough rice for cooking, so Pei Gong asked the Chu army to return to Liucheng. But the sergeants all said in unison: "The Shangzhu Kingdom is cruel and unkind, and the King of Chu does not treat us as human beings. Only Pei Gong thinks highly of us. You are the master of benevolence. We are willing to follow you in the future!" Pei Gong said very movedly! : "Like you, I rebelled when I was forced to have no other choice. Since everyone is willing to stay, you will suffer in the future!" He ordered the food to be distributed to everyone, and everyone barely filled their stomachs. At night, we gather around the fire to keep warm. People were sleeping soundly late at night. Only the stars in the sky are still blinking, watching everything in the world.
