The vanguard led by Xiang Yu arrived at Dong'a first. He heard that Zhang Han was setting up a formation not far ahead and reported to his uncle. In a short time, Liu Bang and Xiang Liang's armies also arrived one after another. Xiang Liang heard that the Qin army had set up a formation, so he drove to the forward position with Fan Zeng, Shen Mu, Song Yi, and Zhao Ping to observe. Because of the sudden arrival of men and horses, the trampled dust filled half of the sky. Xiang Liang observed for a while and saw that the Qin army's formation was also very large, so he ordered Zhao Ping to serve as the flag guard, Song Yi to serve as the herald, and Fan Zeng and Shen Mu to help him set up the formation.
He first divided the five hundred chariots into two horizontal teams and formed a rectangular battle formation. Each team was 250 chariots, and there were three warriors on each chariot. In the middle is the driver, holding four reins. A pause with his left hand will make the car go to the left, a pause with his right hand will make the car go to the right, and a step with both hands will make the car stop. An archer stood on the left side of the driver, holding a bow and arrow and getting ready to shoot. There is also a large bag next to his right hand, which is filled with newly made copper arrows. On the right side is a strong soldier. They all carry swords at their waists and hold long weapons, either grenades, spears, or halberds. There are also some short spears piled around him. During the battle, if the soldier sees the target, he will throw it from a distance. If he can hit the target with perfect accuracy, he can pierce the opponent's body or head. When in close contact with an enemy, stab with a long weapon. This is the first echelon of the battle formation, with a total strength of 1,500 people.
The second echelon is the cavalry phalanx. They drew out the cavalry from all walks of life, fifteen thousand men, and arranged them into four lines. The main generals are Xiang Yu, Liu Bang and Lu Chen. The entire echelon was divided into three parts: Lu Chen was in the middle, leading the troops of the former King Chen to occupy the center position, just behind the coach Xiang Liang's car. Xiang Yu is on the far left and Liu Bang is on the right. In Xiang Yu's formation, Xiang Yu and Zhu Jian were in the middle, Yingbu and Pu generals were on the left and right sides of the main general, and the other ten generals were arranged on the left and right of Ying and Pu respectively. In Liu Bang's queue, Liu Bang and Xiao He were in the middle, Zhou Kui and Ren Ao served as guards, Cao Shen and Xia Houying were on the left, Fan Kuai and Zhou Bo were on the right, and the other generals such as Zhuang Bushi, Kong Tong, Peijia and others were arranged horizontally in sequence behind the generals. On both sides.
The third echelon is the largest infantry and the main force, with about 100,000 people. Each soldier is carrying a shield in his left hand and a long weapon in his right hand. They are all watching the flag of the commander of the Chinese army attentively, carefully judging whether to launch a charge or change the queue. In addition, there are 6,000 crossbowmen on the left and right sides of the position. They use strong crossbows and hard bows to protect the battle position from the enemy's impact, or they can directly move to the front to participate in the battle and shoot at the enemy. In the end, there were 1,500 people left. They acted as engineers. They could rescue the wounded if nothing happened, and when they rested, they would send the wounded to a safe place in the rear.
The fourth echelon is farther away, about two miles away, and it is the baggage troops led by Xiang Bo. In addition to protecting food, the soldiers also had to ensure that the rear of the front troops was not disturbed by the enemy. Therefore, this army was also composed of elites, consisting of approximately 15,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. The infantry mainly walked with carts. After resting, they set up tents, set up strongholds and set up camps. They also served as cooks. The cavalry specializes in protecting food and baggage. If they encounter an unexpected enemy, they are a mobile force and can directly participate in the battle.
In short, the battle formation composed of 150,000 Chu troops was like an indestructible city, standing on the vast plain south of Dong'a City. This formation followed the custom of large army battles during the Warring States Period, so Xiang Liang's military ability was really influenced by The influence of his father Xiang Yan. This formation method can indeed deter the enemy. In addition, the uniforms of the soldiers are all newly purchased, so everyone looks like they have bright armor and bright weapons. Each horse of the cavalry is also dressed differently. The horse's back is covered with a thick layer of soft armor made of cooked cowhide, which looks indestructible and extraordinary.
After the formation was set up, Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng stood on the elevated vehicle and stared at the Qin army's position a few hundred steps away. The soldiers who had set up the formation were all excited and excited at this time. Everyone knows very well that this battle is of great importance. If the Qin army is defeated, it will definitely reverse the situation of the Shandong rebel army's repeated defeats; but if it is defeated, Shandong's anti-Qin cause will probably die from then on, and the Qin State will It will also reunite the world. Therefore, the coach Xiang Liang, who was determined to restore Chu, and the veteran Fan Zeng, who had Lu Wang's ambition, put all their energy and effort into this battle. They considered everything very carefully and clearly, even including what happened after the battle started. Every link and detail. At this time, the eager soldiers saw that the battle formation had been set up, and they all shouted loudly like deep thunder. They also banged their weapons, using this primitive method to intimidate and intimidate the opponent. , everyone showed their fearless spirit and invincible strong will.
Xiang Liang looked around and found that the Qin army's position was also completely dark. It turned out that the Qin army's formation was roughly the same as the Chu army's, but they had many more chariots than the Chu army, and they were divided into four horizontal teams. Zhang Han stood under the banner and commanded the entire army. He looked mature, steady and calm. His attire is also very distinctive. He is wearing a black brocade jersey, holding a sword in his left hand and a gun in his right hand. He looks full of energy and confidence. This is obviously inseparable from his performance of winning many battles after coming out of isolation. Although Xiang Liang saw that the forces of both sides were evenly matched, he could clearly see that the Qin army was a little contemptuous and disdainful of the Chu army, because the Qin soldiers looked a little bit like ruffians, maybe because they had fought too many battles. , and there is a precedent of 30,000 Qin troops defeating 100,000 Qi troops a few days ago. Because of this, the Qin army's winning mentality prompted them to regard the Chu army in front of them as being as unbearable as the Qi army. They believed that the Chu army was useless in large numbers and that it would be easy to defeat them. On the left side of Zhang Han stands an archer, carrying a large eagle bow on his broad back, looking mighty and majestic; on the right side stands a soldier, holding a long ax in both hands and wearing a long ax on his head. The bronze helmet covering his face and the exquisite armor also covered his tall body, making him look heroic. Both of them must be Zhang Han's Huben guards.
Because the Qin State advocates black, the main color of all war flags is black. Only the edges of the flags are decorated with other colors. They are arranged behind each general. Behind Zhang Han, there are two large flags fluttering in the wind that are particularly conspicuous. They have the words "Qin" and "Zhang" written on them respectively. These are the military flag and the handsome flag of the Qin State. From a distance, they look like two The rolling dark clouds were rolling with murderous intent. Look at Qin's chariots and horses. They are all more luxurious and luxurious than the Chu army. This is very consistent with the rich and powerful Qin. Those horses were also wrapped in dark armor, and the armor emitted spots of mysterious light under the sunlight, which was as chilling as the devil's clothes. The second echelon was composed of cavalry regiments led by Sima Xin and Dong Yi. Sima was on the left and Dong Yi was on the right. Each of them led fifty generals and lined up side by side. The third echelon is composed of infantry, with deputy general Zhang Ping as the commander-in-chief. The entire echelon was divided into three legions: the first legion was commanded by Hou Jian, the second legion was commanded by Zhou Shuping, and the third legion was commanded by Zhang Qingchen. The infantry's uniforms are also very formal. They carry large shields in their left hands and long weapons in their right hands. As long as the Chinese army's command flag is waved, they will make earth-shattering shouts of killing. The soldiers, like the Chu army, clashed their weapons against each other from time to time, making thunderous sounds. This was obviously a demonstration to the Chu army. The sergeants on both sides tried to use this method to overwhelm the other side in terms of momentum, so the voices of both sides echoed one after another. The hatred eyes of the soldiers were like sharp arrows shooting at each other.
At this time, a strong wind suddenly blew up, the clouds rolled, and the dust flew, as if adding fuel to the flames to the people on the ground. Everything will indicate that this will be an unimaginable decisive battle that will shock the world, but the strange thing is that the Qin army did not launch an attack first. It turned out that the wily Zhang Han was not a person who acted rashly. He saw that the Chu army was so orderly and stable as a mountain. His rich combat experience told him: This army should not be underestimated. First of all, there are no women in it and there are no gorgeous flags. Banner, they are indeed here for a head-on confrontation. They are completely different from Qi Jun! When Zhang Han saw this, he took a deep breath. His intuition told him that he could never launch an attack rashly without being 70% sure, because this army was different. As General Li You said, their general is Xiang Liang, and Xiang Liang is the son of Xiang Yan. I must be cautious. In this way, the brief confrontation between the two armies was like two angry lions, both imagining how to bite each other and defeat each other.
At this moment, Fan Zeng, the genius of the Chu army who had observed the Qin army's position very carefully, spoke first. It was his unique words that won the battle. He said to his commander Xiang Liang in a strong voice: "The two sides fighting today are evenly matched, but their chariots and soldiers are stronger than our army. If they can destroy Zhang Han's chariots and soldiers, it will be victory today. I observe that the Qin army is Proud and fearful, it is better to send a warrior to challenge first and test the situation. If the Qin army fails in the challenge, Zhang Han will definitely attack our army in order to restore morale. I want to make a trick on the infantry position. etc. When the Qin army attacks, they will fall into chaos!" Xiang Liang asked in surprise: "What can we do?" Fan Zeng said confidently: "We can have the engineers quickly dig a trench in the infantry formation and then cover it. Shenji. When our army wins the challenge, Zhang Han will definitely lose his composure and he will attack our army. This trap will play a huge role!" Xiang Liang said doubtfully: "What if Zhang Han doesn't attack? , what should we do?" Fan Zeng said: "No, because this is their first battle with our army, and they must win back their face. Besides, they are taking advantage of the majesty of defeating the Wei Army and Qi Army, how can they not give us a little show of shame? What if? If the Qin army fails in the challenge in front of the two armies, they will definitely look for ways to restore morale to comfort the Qin army. General, please rest assured? You will immediately send personnel to make an appointment with Zhang Han about the challenge, so that we will have enough time to dig out We are in a ditch." Xiang Liang immediately sent an order to Song Yi, asking him to go and arrange a duel between warriors with Zhang Han.
According to the rules of the battlefield, one party agrees on the engagement with the other party. This is a customary rule in the cold weapon era, and it is also a routine used before wars in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, so the generals of the Qin Army did not think of anything more. After a while, the herald Song Yi was seen running back from the distant battlefield. He came to Xiang Liang's car and reported loudly: "General, Zhang Han agreed to send warriors to duel." Xiang Liang was very happy and took a look. Fan Zeng, Fan Zeng immediately got out of the car and left. At the same time, Xiang Liang immediately sent Song Yi to summon Xiang Yu.
After Xiang Yu received the order, he immediately galloped out of the queue. With a bow and sword on his back, he patted his horse and came to Xiang Liang's chariot and shouted loudly: "General, Xiang Yu is here to listen to the order!" Xiang Liang told him: "You Now go and challenge the enemy immediately, but don't get close to the position. Old General Fan is going to do something in the formation, so you have to deal with the enemy general for a while." Xiang Yu said: "How long will the deal last?" Xiang Liang said: "I will tell you with the sound of gongs and drums. Once you hear the urgent voice, kill the enemy general with all your strength!" Xiang Yu happily agreed, then turned his horse's head, holding up the glittering golden chiselled Anbang Dingguo's world-shattering Blue Dragon Swallowing Moon Halberd, riding on the dark black The shining divine horse - Wu Zui, with its radiant armor and feathers flashing, galloped towards the open battlefield majestically.
