News of Zhang Han's march south reached Meng County, and Zhou Bo immediately reported it to Pei Gong. When Pei Gong heard the report, he thought Zhang Han was here to avenge Sima Yi, so he hurriedly discussed with Zhang Liang. Zhang Liang said without thinking: "Zhang Han and the Wei State were fighting in the Yellow River, and now they suddenly went south. I don't know why? But the situation is urgent. All troops and horses from all places should be recalled to Pei County, and then inform General Xiang Liang. Ask him to go north to fight Zhang Han." Pei Gong followed Zhang Liang's advice and immediately sent people to withdraw the troops and horses everywhere, and then sent people to report the situation to Xiang Liang, and then strengthened the defense and prepared for battle.
Zhang Han came to Xiangyi. He inspected the terrain here and thought it was a very conducive place for an ambush. He asked Dong Yi to lead 50,000 Qin soldiers and 5,000 crossbowmen to ambush him until Wei Bao came after him. Completely annihilate the Wei army here. The remaining soldiers and horses of Zhang Han were divided into two groups: one was led by Sima Xin and marched towards Meng County. When Sima Xin arrived at Meng County, Zhou Bo had already withdrawn, so he continued to move forward, quickly occupied Yu County, and then advanced to Xianyi. As for the army led by Zhang Han, with his younger brother Zhang Ping as the vanguard, they rushed towards Suiyang without any hindrance. The vanguard soon reached Li County, and the entire southeast was shaken.
At this time, Xiang Liang sent Zhong Limei and Ji Bu to Huling City. Seeing that Qin Jia was in seclusion and did not dare to fight, Zhong Limei ordered an attack on the city. The two sides fought for a day and night. Xiang Jun's morale was high, but Qin Jia's army had no fighting spirit. Xiang Jun quickly captured the city. Zhong Limei and Ji Bu went straight to look for Qin Jia after entering the city. Qin Jia had no way to go. After a fierce battle, Qin Jia was killed by Zhong Limei and Ji Bu, and the rest of the generals surrendered. It's really ridiculous that a mantis is trying to use his arms as a chariot, and he will be destroyed in one fell swoop. Many generals surrendered, including Yu Fanjun, Zhujishi, Zheng Bu, Ding Ji, etc.
After the battle, Zhong Limei led the surrendered generals to Liucheng to meet Xiang Liang. Xiang Liang was magnanimous and left them all in front of the tent to listen to them, regardless of past grievances. At this time, Pei Gong's messenger also arrived at Liucheng. Xiang Liang heard that Zhang Han was attacking, so he said to Zhujishi and Yu Fanjun: "I heard that you two are very brave. Now that Zhang Han is suddenly attacking, you have the right to go to Xiayi to resist the Qin army's vanguard. I will send more troops to respond later." Zhujishi and Yu Fanjun did not dare to disobey, so they accepted the order and led the team to set off.
Wei Bao, the general of the Wei army who was far away in Waihuang, heard that Zhang Han had really left, so he happily sent someone to report to the king of Wei. When the King of Wei heard that Zhang Han's army had indeed escaped without a trace, he was very happy and said to Wang Weiguo: "Wang Aiqing, what you said is so right. Zhang Han is really afraid of the Prime Minister!" The ministers heard that Qin When the army really withdrew, they all flattered and praised Prime Minister Zhou. Only Chen Ping remained silent. A few days later, the Zhou market sent someone to ask the King of Wei for instructions. The letter said:
Qin General Zhang Han's entire army fled. If the Wei army could attack on all fronts at this time, they would be able to completely destroy the Qin army. If Zhang Han is defeated, Wei's army can march westward. When Emperor Qin is captured, the king's hegemony will be complete. Now the soldiers are ready to pursue Zhang Han, and they only need to wait for the king's order before the Wei army will make great achievements.
After the King of Wei finished reading the letter, he was so happy that he told the ministers that the prime minister was going to send troops to pursue the Qin army. All the officials agreed to pursue Zhang Han and destroy the Qin army in one fell swoop. Only Chen Ping firmly disagreed and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the prime minister advised the Wei army to pursue Zhang Han. This is absolutely not allowed!" The king of Wei asked why. Chen Ping made an impassioned speech: "The State of Wei is located at the heart of the world and its geographical location is very important. Therefore, Zhang Han's intention is definitely to capture the State of Wei. This idea will not change. His sudden departure now may be due to For other reasons, your Majesty, please send someone to investigate clearly before making a decision!" King Wei said: "The Qin army retreated. It must be that they saw that our bones could not be chewed, so they went to deal with the Chu people. I heard that Pei County Liu Bang just got Fengyi from our hands, and Xiang Liang of Jiangdong attacked Jingju. Zhang Han went south at this time, it must be because he wanted to clean up the mess in Chu. And if our army suddenly pursues it, we will definitely be able to destroy it. Qin Army, this is an excellent opportunity to make great achievements. We must not miss it." Chen Ping said: "The Waihuang camp we built is not easy. Now that the wings have been formed, we should continue to hold on. Moreover, the troops of Qi and Zhao have not arrived yet. , and Zhang Han is a veteran general with deep power in the city, so the Wei army should stick to it and never take the risk to attack, otherwise they will definitely be plotted by Zhang Han!" The king of Wei laughed and said: "What you said is wrong. It’s over! Zhang Han attacked Waihuang and couldn’t capture it for a full month. Now, as soon as the prime minister arrived at the front line, he was scared away. It can be seen that the prime minister is also very good at using troops. Maybe it was his reputation that frightened Zhang Han. We won’t just stop here It is time to destroy the Qin army, and when? If we wait until the armies of Zhao and Qi arrive, we will not be able to show the strength of the Wei people? If we want to establish the achievements of the Five Hegemons, we should not rely on others for everything. Stop saying that! "Chen Ping still wanted to persuade, but the King of Wei used the lack of soldiers as an excuse and asked Chen Ping to go to Hufu to recruit new soldiers. Chen Ping knew that this meant driving him away, so without saying anything, he solemnly bid farewell to King Wei and left the palace. Chen Ping sighed very sadly: "It is really difficult for a scholar to establish a career. The difficulty is that he cannot meet a talented and wise master!" Run.
After Chen Ping left, King Wei issued an order to Wei Bao, agreeing to pursue the Qin army and eliminate Zhang Han. Wei Bao and Zhou Shi led the Wei army to attack across the board. A hundred thousand troops followed Zhang Han. As a result, the Wei army was suddenly attacked by the Qin army in Xiangyi. The 100,000 Wei army was completely wiped out. Zhou Shi was almost shot to death in the fierce battle. General Wei Bao and his lieutenants fought tooth and nail to protect Zhou Shi from the siege and fled back to Waihuang. At this time, Dong Yi had also launched a sneak attack on the city, and Waihuang had long been occupied by the Qin army. When Zhou Shi got the news, he screamed, vomited a mouthful of blood, and fell off the car. At this time, Dong Yi led the Qin army to fight out of Waihuang City. The Wei army hurriedly rescued the prime minister, and everyone fled towards Linji.
Qin general Sima Xin captured Meng County and Yu County, and then marched to Xiayi. The army had already arrived at Xiayi. At this time, he heard that Xiang Liang's army had occupied Xiayi City, so he went straight to the city to challenge. Zhujishi and Yu Fanjun discussed it and decided that Zhujishi would defend the city and Yu Fanjun would go to battle. As a result, Yu Fanjun was killed by Sima Xin. Zhujishi did not dare to fight anymore and hurriedly abandoned the city and fled. Sima Xin occupied Xiayi City.
Zhang Han was stationed in Li County and sent his younger brother Zhang Ping to attack Dang County. At this time, Cao Shen had also withdrawn to Peixian County, and Zhang Ping also occupied an empty city. Seeing that the purpose of the feint attack had been achieved, Zhang Han received a report from Dong Yi, saying that the Qin army defeated the Wei army in one fell swoop and occupied Waihuang. Zhang Han was overjoyed to see that both the northern and southern armies had won, and said with confidence: "I pretended to attack Chu just to lure the Wei army to fight, and the Wei army fell into the trap. Now that the 100,000 Wei army has been wiped out, it is really gratifying! Think of that! Xiang Liang and Liu Bang may be vulnerable, and the southeastern half is not a concern. I should use all my strength to deal with Wei Jiu!" He immediately sent someone to convey the order to Sima Xin and Zhang Ping. Sima Xin received Zhang Han's order in Xiayi and said with great admiration: "General Zhang Han is really like a god with his troops!" He sang a victory song and came to Li County. Zhang Ping also came back. Zhang Han met with everyone, and then led the victorious army to continue fighting against Wei.
After Xiang Liang sent Zhujishi and Yu Fanjun to attack the Qin army, he also sent Xiang Yu as the chief general, Huan Chu and Yu Ying as deputy generals, and rushed to Xiayi to fight. But when Xiang Yu came to Xiayi, the Qin army had already withdrawn. Xiang Yu reported to his uncle. Xiang Liang heard that Zhang Han had withdrawn so quickly, so he organized his troops and prepared to go north. When the people who stayed in the city heard that Xiang Liang was leaving, they all came together to advise him: "The country cannot be left without a master for a day! The general has raised an army on Jiangzuo. Besides, King Chen has made you the supreme resident of the country. Now King Chen is dead." , and the general led the disciples from Jiangdong to sweep across Jiang and Huaihe, their power was unstoppable. In addition, the general is the son of Xiang Yan, and his reputation is well known throughout the country. You should ascend the throne as the king of Chu, and then call on the people to continue the crusade against Wu. Taoist Qin!" Xiang Liang was shocked after hearing what everyone said, and said: "My ancestors have been ministers of Chu for generations, how can we usurp the throne? You can't talk about this casually, otherwise I will be like King Chen Neither will end well." But the elders insisted: "If the general does not establish a king, attacking Qin will be unfair and his words will not be justified. Besides, all the soldiers do not know who to fight for? Please agree to do it, general. King of Chu, right?" After hearing what everyone said, Xiang Liang was hesitant and temporarily stopped heading north. A few days later, military detectives came to report that the Qin army defeated the Wei army in Xiangyi. It turned out that the Qin army went south just to lure the Wei army. Now that Zhang Han had won a complete victory, he went to attack Wei again.
Xiang Liang heard that Zhang Han was planning to attack the east and west, and he knew how to use troops, so he asked his adviser Shen Mu what he should do now. Shen Mu said: "Zhang Han defeated Wei Bao's army, so he must attack Linji. Taking this opportunity, we really have to consider what the elders said. The general should first find a way to establish the Chu State's political power. Only with the establishment of political power will the people's hearts be stable!" Xiang Liang followed Shen Mu's plan and prepared to call all the generals from outside to discuss the matter of establishing political power. Shenmu added: "After this war, all the houses and buildings in Liucheng have been destroyed, and we can no longer continue to be the capital. I heard that Xue County, not far from here, has a high wall and is adjacent to Qi State. It is a very special place." In a safe place, if you summon all the troops to Xuexian, things will go smoothly." Xiang Liang issued an order calling on all the revolting generals in the Chu region to gather at Xuexian.
Zhujishi suffered a defeat in Xiayi and did not dare to see Xiang Liang, so he plundered the people along the way. He was still very resistant to Xiang Liang in his heart. Later, I heard that Xiang Liang called for everyone to come to Xue County for a gathering, so he came to report hesitantly. Xiang Liang learned about Zhujishi's situation and said angrily: "You abandoned the city and fled when you saw the Qin army. You didn't come back to report the defeat. You went around plundering the people and ruining my reputation. People like you will never come back." How can I be a general?" So he killed Zhujishi. Those generals of the Chu army who had just surrendered no longer dared to have second thoughts.
When the news of the defeat of the Wei army reached Linji, the king of Wei was having a banquet with his officials. Suddenly I heard that the general and the prime minister were ambushed by the Qin army in Xiangyi and their entire army was wiped out. King Wei suddenly fell to the ground and twitched, foaming at the mouth and turning pale. After everyone rescued him, King Wei lay on the imperial couch and could not get up. When he woke up, he immediately sent people to arrest Wang Weiguo. But the people who went there came back and reported that Wang Weiguo had disappeared. The King of Wei wailed: "You villain has harmed the country! Where is my servant Chen? Go and invite him back quickly? It's over! It's over!" When Wei Bao and Zhou Shi fled to Linji City and met the King of Wei, The King of Wei became furious and said: "You two are going to hunt down Zhang Han? Where is Zhang Han's head?" The two men wept bitterly and recounted the ambush in detail. King Wei angrily scolded Zhou Market: "It's all your bad idea! If you use Chen Ping's plan, how can you lose? Ah? You! How can you have the face to see Gu?" After that, he smashed the tea cup on the ground. In front of the weekly market.
Zhou Shi was so ashamed that he had no choice but to lie down and ask for death. King Wei said: "What's the use of killing you now? Go to Hufu Township and bring back Taipu Chen. Go! Get out!" Wei Bao said in fear and sincerity: "Your Majesty, Zhang Han is chasing after the victory. They have occupied Waihuang. What I am worried about is that Linji City has been surrounded by Zhang Han before the Prime Minister reaches Hufu!" The King of Wei was furious and said: "If we can't invite Chen Taipu, we will go to Qi and Chu. Ask for help, or don’t come to see me again!" Zhou Shi had no choice but to agree and retreat. King Wei reprimanded Wei Bao again. Wei Bao kowtowed and said: "The Prime Minister was almost mentally insane because of the defeat. I asked him to go to Qi and Chu to ask for help, for fear of delaying the matter. Your Majesty, you should send someone else to ask for help, right? In addition, recall Wu Pu and Huang. Second General Xin. As long as we hold on to Linji City, Zhang Han can't do anything to us!" King Wei immediately sent people to summon Wu Pu and Huang Xin to come back to defend the capital, and also sent people to Qi and Chu for help.
