After burying Lord Wu Xin and everyone returned to the city, Xiang Yu was about to go on an expedition to kill Zhang Han. The envoy said: "Jun Wu Xin has recently died. At this time, you should rest your troops and horses and never go to war." Xiang Yu said: "I won't let you go to the battlefield, so why stop me? Besides, Jun Wu Xin is not your relative? How could you know? How do I feel?" When the envoy saw Xiang Yu contradicting him, he said, "This is what the king wants. How dare you disobey the order?" Xiang Yu said angrily: "The king was appointed by Lord Wu Xin, and now Lord Wu Xin has been killed by Zhang Han. Doesn't he want to take revenge?" The envoy was speechless. Xiang Bo hurriedly said: "Nephew, just because Lord Wu Xin is gone, there is no one to lead the army? Besides, our army's vitality is seriously damaged, so we cannot send troops immediately. Lord Wu Xin's revenge must be avenged, but not now." Xiang Yu was very satisfied. Xiang Bo said decisively: "Mr. Wu Xin is no longer here, I should command the army. Send out troops immediately to capture Zhang Han alive. I will skin him and cramp him!" Xiang Bo said: "You are indeed brave in fighting, but you must consider everything carefully. . Our army has lost two-thirds of its soldiers. If this number cannot be replaced, the formation will not be able to take shape?" Fan Zeng also said: "Yes, please be patient, Major General. The Chu army should take good care of it now. Let the ground rest and recover, and then fight the Qin army again when you have regained your strength. You will definitely be able to defeat Zhang Han by then." Xiang Yu calmed down. Seeing Xiang Yu's anger, King Huai's envoys were too frightened to speak, so they returned to Xutai to give orders to King Huai.
When the envoy met Queen Huai, he first told the story of the burial of Lord Wu Xin. He also said that after Xiang Yu invaded Dingtao, he actually killed 3,000 surrendered Qin troops. When King Huai heard about this, he was shocked and said: "Xiang Yu, the nephew of Lord Wu Xin, is too cruel. He massacred the city many times. How can the Chu army be called a benevolent and righteous army?" The envoy then explained how Xiang Yu did not listen to the advice and insisted on commanding the army himself. The army went to kill Zhang Han and told him again. Situ Luqing was shocked and said: "Your Majesty, now heroes from all walks of life are gathered in Dingtao. I'm afraid they all have their own plans. Coupled with Xiang Yu's fierce temperament, he will definitely rely on Lord Wu Xin's remaining power to fight for military power. If If that's the case, how can your Majesty control Chu if everyone obeys him?" King Huai said: "Then first withdraw all the troops and horses to Xutai for repairs, otherwise how can you restrain Xiang Yu?" Chen Ying of Shangzhu said. : "Your Majesty, if the troops and horses are withdrawn from Xutai, Jiangdong will be shaken and the people will be uneasy. I heard that Military Advisor Fan is really talented. He is very measured in attacking cities and territories and accepting surrenders and rebels. He is also mature and prudent. This person is worthy of trust. "The Duke of Liu Pei is known for his generosity and benevolence, is popular among the people, and is a talented general. General Lu Chen is the son of Lu Situ and must obey the king. They can all restrain Xiang Yu."
King Huai said: "Ai Qing's words are indeed very reasonable. What should I do next?" Chen Ying paused and said: "Pengcheng is a rich place and it is between the front line and the rear. If we are going to Moving the capital of Chu State there will bring three great conveniences to Chu State." When King Huai heard that the capital was to be moved, he asked what the three great conveniences would be. Chen Ying said: "Firstly, it is convenient for Chu State to obtain a wider range of supplies and troops; secondly, it can inspire the morale of Shandong soldiers and people to resist Qin; thirdly, it will not touch the foundation of Chu State. With these three conveniences, why not move the capital to Pengcheng ?" Everyone agreed after hearing this. Chen Ying continued: "Now the king, in the name of resting the army and horses, urgently orders Fan Zeng to withdraw the troops and horses to Pengcheng. The king should also set off from Pengcheng as soon as possible, then take back the seal and ribbon of Lord Wu Xin, comfort the soldiers, call on the people of Chu, and recruit troops again. Wait until Chu After the country becomes stronger, we will select another general to attack Qin. This is the best way I have thought of for your king to stabilize the state of Chu. Please act vigorously and resolutely, and issue orders immediately to achieve great success!" After hearing this, King Huai said very happily : "What you said is exactly what I want, but I am worried that Xiang Yu is too strong. What if he is not allowed to take charge of the army and trouble occurs? Besides, the army and horses of the Chu State were all formed by Lord Wu Xin." Situ Luqing said: "Your Majesty, Lord Wu Xin has merit In Sheji, you can't turn the Chu army into the Xiang family army?" After hearing Lu Qing's words, King Chu Huai suddenly realized that he immediately sent a special envoy to Dingtao at night to summon troops and horses back to Pengcheng, and ordered the officials to prepare for the chariot battle immediately. Horses are required to load all the grain and baggage and transport them to Pengcheng.
Xiang Yu was in Dingtao and was sad and crying every day. One day, when he saw Fan Zeng and Xiang Bo accompanying him, he asked, "Uncle, did Lord Wu Xin leave any last words when he was dying?" Xiang Bo said, "When Lord Wu Xin died, he said, 'He regretted not listening to Mr. Fan. The advice of the military advisor led to today's defeat. Military advisor Fan has a great talent for stabilizing the world. Just like Lu Wang is still alive, he wants your nephew to worship the old military advisor Fan as his father.'" After hearing this, Xiang Yu was surprised in his heart, and He couldn't help but said: "Father." Xiang Bo went on to say: "Wu Xinjun also said, 'The presence of military advisors is like his presence, and he needs all of us to work together to help you overthrow the violent Qin, so that he can rest in peace!'" When Fan Zeng heard what Xiang Bo said, he sighed and shed sad tears. Xiang Bo said: "Old military advisor, you should be happy that Lord Wu Xin entrusted you with important matters before he died." Fan Zeng cried and said: "What Lord Wu Xin said before he died is really embarrassing to me. How can I compare with the previous sages?" ? He can entrust the young general to me, I'm afraid I have a heavy trust! Now that Mr. Wu Xin has passed away, I still don't know if there is a second Mr. Wu Xin in the world?" After saying this, he was very sad.
One evening, the soldiers gathered around Xiang Yu and persuaded him to eat and take care of himself. Xiang Yu refused again and again. Fan Zeng said: "Major General, you are the strongest warrior in our Chu army. We should listen to my advice. We don't need to go hungry to mourn the dead. Only if you maintain strong physical strength and recharge your batteries can we be able to Attack the enemy more powerfully!" After hearing Fan Zeng's advice, Xiang Yu shook his head and said, "I know all this, but I really can't eat it. I want to go outside for a walk." As Xiang Yu said this, he walked out of the government office sadly. .
Xiang Yu went out and rode alone out of the east city gate. In a flash, he came to the place where he had fought outside the city. He raised his eyes in pain and looked around the vast wilderness, but was stunned by the scene in front of him. It turned out that on this vast battlefield, there were piles of corpses everywhere. There were also corpses of Qin soldiers, but more of them were corpses of Chu soldiers. They were all lying there in disorder, as full as a hill. Everywhere, the burnt corpses emitted a pungent smell of burning. Xiang Yu could not imagine that in this deserted and gloomy battlefield, countless living lives had once been active, but now they were controlled by the silent god of death. They had all become fertile material that nourished Mother Earth. Nearly 100,000 people have fallen here, and piles of corpses block Xiang Yu's progress. He can only walk on the battlefield covered with corpses in a sad and angry mood. At this time, Xiang Yu was so excited that he couldn't contain it. Those familiar faces came into his eyes one by one. Some of them were bloody, some were vaguely identifiable, but most of them were familiar faces distorted by pain and fear. .
It is not difficult to imagine that in this battle of Dingtao, the losses of the Chu army were so heavy and how tragic the battlefield was! Xiang Yu looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but his eyes were full of tears. He suddenly opened his eyes wide and found a very familiar face. Xiang Yu immediately rushed towards him. He squatted down and grabbed the man's body and started crying. , it turns out that this person is Shen Mu, his uncle's confidant and military advisor. After the founding of the Chu State, Shenmu held an important position in the army. He was a distant relative of the Xiang family. After the fall of the Chu State, Shenmu became an orphan. Later, he went through a lot of hardships to find Mr. Wu Xin will stay with Mr. Wu Xin to work from now on. Shenmu was loyal to Lord Wu Xin and absolutely loyal and reliable to the Xiang family. He often got up early and stayed up late to serve Lord Wu Xin. He was also one of the first heroes to plan the uprising. Lord Wu Xin once said to Shen Mu, "When Qin is destroyed, you will become Mo Ao of Chu." 'The scene of talking is still vivid in my mind, but the man has left. It is obvious that he was stabbed to death by a sharp knife. It was on that terrible night that he was attacked by Zhang Han's fire bull formation, and his body was stabbed by the sharp knife on the horns of the bull. He actually pierced a big hole, and because he didn't know martial arts, he couldn't escape the disaster in the end. It can be seen from his wide-open eyes that he was in so much pain when he died that he couldn't even close his eyes to death! Xiang Yu's eyes were filled with tears of gratitude and sadness when he looked at the old servant and military advisor who had been with them day and night. After a while, Xiang Yu suddenly let out a lion-like roar, then raised his head and shouted: "I want to avenge you! I want to avenge you! I want to use the blood of Qin people to sacrifice you! I swear to Qin The country will be completely destroyed to end the deep hatred between Chu and Qin from generation to generation!" Xiang Yu said, his eyes filled with blood and tears, as if two more extremely angry flames were bursting out.
Another person walked between the dark and sad world. He was the old military commander Fan Zeng. He had been watching Xiang Yu from a distance for a long time. Accompanied by all the soldiers, he also came to the battlefield. In fact, his heart was more painful than Xiang Yu's. He knew that Xiang Liang was a hero and he enjoyed extremely high status in Chu. With prestige and influence, he is truly a person who does great things. If he had not died and could have been the commander of the army forever, his talents would have been revealed. But just because of this battle, he lost his life forever. How sad and pity this is! Think about it, now that you are seventy years old, will you be able to help others achieve success in the future? However, what Wu Xinjun said to Xiang Bo before his death just proved that he believed in himself. But young Xiang Yu, this reckless young man, has not much experience in life. Can he believe me? Even if he believes me, can he trust me completely? If I really let him be the general of Chu State in the future, will he be able to obey my words? Thinking of this, Fan Zeng frowned very unconfidently, but he was crying silently in his heart. One poem sighed:
Keeping a low profile for several years, when the storm comes.
I lost my commander in this battle. Only my veteran minister knows how sad I am.
Xiang Yu also discovered Fan Zeng unintentionally, and saw him coming to the battlefield accompanied by everyone. He suddenly seemed to have become an orphan, and he couldn't help but look at Fan Zeng, and remembered what Lord Wu Xin wanted to do when he died When he worshiped Fan Zeng as his Yafu, he couldn't help but shout "Yafu!" But the voice was very low, only he could hear it, and Fan Zeng in the distance couldn't hear it at all. When Fan Zeng approached, Xiang Yu called out again: "Old Military Advisor!" He stood up and walked towards Fan Zeng. At this time, Fan Zeng also heard Xiang Yu calling him, and he couldn't help but responded: "Young General! "Xiang Yu walked to Fan Zeng's side, rushed over and hugged him tightly, as if he had found support.
The sky and the earth were vast, and the sky suddenly became dim, but the wind was extremely shrill. It threw the grass and dust into the air mercilessly, and rolled up the sleeves of the two people and threw them in the air. inside. The two of them were like two pillars standing between heaven and earth. As if without their support, the sky would collapse. The two of them stood for a long time on the battlefield where thousands of armies and horses had been wiped out. Xiang Yu was filled with grief and indignation. He slowly raised his head and then stared at the west. Two flames of revenge seemed to shoot out of his eyes. At the same time, a great revenge plan gradually formed in his mind.
The next day, Xiang Yu ordered the logistics service personnel to clean the battlefield. It took them three or four days to bury all the bodies of the Chu army, and then held a grand sacrificial event. Xiang Yu looked at the big grave where the corpses of the soldiers were buried, and said angrily to Fan Zeng: "Since Mr. Wu Xin has entrusted the important matter to the military adviser, please ask the old military adviser to call on the troops immediately and discuss the matter of conquering Qin as soon as possible." Fan Zeng said affectionately to him Xiang Yu said: "Major General, our army's vitality is severely weakened. At this time, we should ask King Huai for instructions. We will temporarily withdraw our troops and horses for rest. It is not appropriate to send troops!" Xiang Bo also advised: "Fan Junshi said the opposite, we should withdraw. Rest in Xutai." But Xiang Yu said: "If I don't kill Zhang Han, I won't be able to sit down for a day. How can I send my troops back?" He strongly demanded to fight with the Qin army and avenge Wu Xinjun immediately. . At this moment, the special envoy of King Huai of Chu arrived again. Fan Zeng led everyone to welcome the special envoy. The special envoy came to the front of the army, first took back the seal and ribbon of Lord Wu Xin, then took out the edict of King Huai of Chu, and read it in public:
"Dear officers and soldiers: Lord Wu Xin has sacrificed his life for the country today. The state of Chu has suffered heavy losses. Everyone in the army and the people is crying and bleeding. The army is now frightened and it is not suitable to fight anymore. All officers and soldiers will return to Pengcheng to rest and recuperate today. I will also move the capital to Pengcheng and then express my condolences. Generals, reward your soldiers in order to regain their morale. After you regain your strength, you will raise an army to attack Qin, vowing to fight Zhang Han to avenge Lord Wu Xin!"
When the soldiers heard that King Huai was moving the capital to Pengcheng, their morale was greatly shaken. They all said in unison: "Swear to destroy Qin! Take revenge!" However, Xiang Yu still insisted on killing Zhang Han and asked the envoy to agree to his request. The envoy said: "Your Majesty has an edict. All troops and horses should be withdrawn to Pengcheng for rest and recuperation. Don't disobey the order." Xiang Yu said: "We have withdrawn today. When can we take revenge?" Xiang Bo also advised: "Nephew. Don't be anxious, we will definitely take revenge in the future." Fan Zeng also advised. Although Xiang Yu was angry, he still obeyed the order. Fan Zeng took the edict and said loudly: "I obey the king's order and return to Pengcheng to repair!"
The next day, Fan Zeng led all the soldiers and followed the instructions of King Huai of Chu and left Dingtao and retreated to Pengcheng.
