The news of Wang Li's death in battle reached Xianyang. Zhao Gao was very panicked and hurriedly gathered his clan members for discussion. His brother Zhao Gui asked: "Prime Minister, where was Zhang Han when Chu generals Xiang Yu and Wang Li fought in Julu?" Zhao Gao said: "He was at the Jiyuan camp." Zhao Gui asked: "How far is Jiyuan from Julu? "Zhao Gao said: "Probably less than ten miles away." Zhao Gui asked curiously: "At such a close distance, why didn't Zhang Han rescue him?" Zhao Gao said: "I heard that it was his lack of cooperation that caused the Great Wall Army's defeat." Zhao Pan He jumped up and said: "Hey, Prime Minister, Zhang Han is dedicated to exterminating the Shandong rebels. If he doesn't cooperate well, he should be removed from his post and investigated." Others echoed in unison: "Yes, yes, he should be removed." Remove him from his post and investigate." Zhao Gui thought, "No. Now that Wang Li is dead, if Zhang Han is removed from his post and investigated, who else will lead the army to fight against the rebels?" Zhao Gao also said, "Yes, now. The people of Chu are very arrogant. The shepherd boy King Huai of Chu also sent another rebel general Liu Bang to march westward to Guanzhong." Zhao Gui asked contemptuously: "Who is Liu Bang?" Zhao Gao said: "He is Sishui Ting of Pei County. A pavilion chief in our country also gathered a group of robbers to rebel earlier, and was later worshiped as a general by the shepherd boy King Huai of Chu." Zhao Pan sneered and said: "A small pavilion chief also wants to enter the pass, this is simply too late. Liu Bang is so bold!" Zhao Gui continued: "Now Zhang Han should be ordered to fight Xiang Yu immediately, and then go south to encircle and annihilate Liu Bang as soon as possible, otherwise Sanchuan will fall and Hangu Pass will be in danger again!" Zhao Gao thought for a while and felt that what Zhao Gui said made sense, so he immediately sent an envoy to Hebei to convey the battle order to Zhang Han.
When the envoy arrived at Jiyuan Camp in Hebei Province, he falsely conveyed the imperial edict of the Second Emperor and said: "Zhang Han led an army of 200,000 people, but watched Wang Li's Great Wall Army be completely wiped out. What's the point? I'm sorry. Didn't the late Emperor apologize to me? I now order the general to immediately dispatch troops to attack the rebels. We must defeat them resolutely and thoroughly, and then go south to encircle Liu Bang. Otherwise, Sanchuan will fall and Guanzhong will be shaken again." Zhang Han received the order. Afterwards, he hesitated and said, "Lord Angel, our army has just lost General Wang Li, and its morale is very low. The rebels are at the peak of their arrogance. Should we avoid his attack at this time?" The envoy said, "General. Do you want to disobey the edict?" Zhang Han was shocked and said, "I don't dare!" He immediately sent an order to assemble his troops. However, the morale of the Qin army officers was indeed low because they had just lost Wang Li. But when they heard that the imperial envoy asked them to fight as soon as possible, the soldiers had to cheer up. Zhang Han immediately wrote a letter of war to Xiang Yu, agreeing to fight tomorrow and then review the army. The envoy watched Zhang Han's preparations and felt satisfied.
After Xiang Yu received Zhang Han's letter of war, he discussed with Fan Zeng. Suddenly a sergeant came in and reported that the generals of Yan and Qi were going to meet Lu Gong. It turns out that Xiang Yu saw that the coalition forces were as timid as rats, so he has not officially received them yet. Zhong Limei said angrily: "They are all here to rescue Julu, but they are all cowardly. Isn't this a failure of the king's mission? They should be allowed to fight the Qin army tomorrow, otherwise they will all be blamed for saving Zhao." What's the meaning of your reputation?" After hearing Zhong Limei's words, Xiang Yu formally ordered: "Okay, General Zhongli's words are reasonable. Tomorrow, we will ask the coalition forces to fight the Qin army first to see if they dare to fight?" The sergeant turned and left. Got out. He stood at the gate of the camp and shouted loudly: "The general has an order. You will fight the Qin army tomorrow! If you don't dare to fight, please go back home!" After hearing this, the generals of the coalition army were frightened and ashamed, and they all looked at each other. .
The next day, all the Qin troops were dispatched again under the leadership of Zhang Han. They launched a new round of attack on Julu. The Qin army's queue was still arranged in the same order as the previous days. At this time, the armies of Yan, Qi, Han, and Wei had also set up their formations, and they were ready. However, Xiang Yu, King Zhao and others gathered on the top of the city, drinking and watching the battle.
The old general Fan Zeng was a very serious and responsible man. When he saw the Qin army arriving, he carefully observed the formation. He found that although the Qin army was well-organized, it had no morale, so he said happily: "The injured tiger has lost its majesty!" After hearing this, Xiang Yu asked: "Why did Yafu say this?" Fan Zeng said : "Zhang Han has been defeated by our army several times. Although he took the initiative to come this time, there may be other reasons?" Xiang Yu asked what the reason was. Fan Zeng said: "Zhao Gao is in power in the Qin State. Now that Wang Li's army has just been defeated, the generals must not have the determination to fight. But Zhang Han came to avenge the Great Wall Army so quickly. Someone must have forced him to do this." Yingbu said quickly: "I think Zhang Han must have found out that it was not the Chu army in front of the battle, so he dared to come." Xiang Yu drank calmly with King Zhao and did not care about the war. But the mature and prudent Fan Zeng had secretly prepared all the Chu troops, and also asked Xiang Yu's sworn brother Long Qie to prepare in advance. Because this big battle is likely to be the final showdown between Qin and Chu. If the Chu army can win, the war in Hebei will basically be over.
Although King Zhao and Zhang Er felt that they had the support of the Chu army, they were still uneasy. Because they had been scared by the Qin army for a long time. As the saying goes, "Once bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of well ropes for ten years." King Zhao worriedly advised Xiang Yu: "The Qin army has strong horses and strong formations. Lu Gong, why don't you drink a few drinks? After this battle is over, I will treat you to drink as much as you can." ?" Xiang Yu listened to King Zhao's words and laughed loudly: "The Qin army is like the mature rice. If others can't harvest it cleanly, I will go again. Now take advantage of the mood and have a drink. If Zhang Han is defeated today, I will go to the west. When we enter Xianyang, how can we have time to drink with the king again?" As he said this, he just drank heavily.
Zhang Han came to Julu to stabilize his position. When he saw the troops of Yan and Qi arrayed in front, he asked who would challenge them. I saw my younger brother Zhang Ping being the first to stand up and say: "General, I'll go." Seeing that it was his younger brother, Zhang Han said with sadness: "You go and challenge. If Xiang Yu goes to fight, you must not be reluctant to fight." He ordered. The sergeant beat the drum. Zhang Ping rode a white horse and was fully clothed. He held a large shield in his left hand and a halberd in his right hand, and rushed out of the position. Zhang Han saw his younger brother fearlessly galloping towards the vast battlefield, and he felt worried for him. Zhang Ping came to the center of the two armies' positions, reined in his horse, and then shouted: "Who is going to die first, the traitor to the country?" Qi Jiang Tian wanted to make a first contribution, so he faced his own position and said: "Who is going to die first?" Accept the challenge?" Deputy General Zhou Xin agreed and galloped out. The two horses met, and Zhang Ping killed Zhou Xin in just one turn. The princes' army was shocked. Unexpectedly, Zhou Xin's horse was untrained and frightened. Before it reached the position, it stumbled and fell. When the Qin army saw this, they burst into laughter.
Suddenly, Yan general Zang Tu shouted sharply: "Where is the famous general Zhang Long of Yan State?" Zhang Long heard the call and drove his chariot out. He wanted to use the chariot to knock over Zhang Ping and his horse, so he beat him. The horse gallops. But before his chariot could reach Zhang Ping, Zhang Ping sent the halberd in his hand from a long way away and pierced his body hard and accurately. Zhang Ping galloped forward again, raised his shield, and knocked unconscious the driver who was driving Zhang Long with his backhand. He then pulled out the halberd from Zhang Long's back, and blood spurted out. The chariot also lost its direction, bumping around like a headless fly. Qin Jun almost bent over with laughter when he saw it. Seeing that his brother was very brave, Zhang Han praised him: "My brother is really a tiger general!" At this time, the Qin army's drum beat became more fierce. When the false king of Wei, General Wei Bao, saw that the generals of Qi and Yan were defeated by Zhang Ping, he shouted: "Zhang Ping, don't be brave, Wei Bao is here to take your head!" So he rode on horseback to kill him! Out of position. Wei Jun hurriedly beat drums to cheer. The two horses crossed each other, their weapons raised, and they fought seriously for thirty rounds.
Xiang Yu heard the report and said: "Wei Bao can fight Zhang Ping for thirty rounds, which is considered good!" The two sides beat the war drums again. But when the two fought for more than twenty rounds, Wei Bao was out of breath and couldn't resist anymore. He had no choice but to make a feint, turn around and run back to the position. Seeing that Wei Bao was defeated, Zhang Ping quickly raised his bow and arrow, and shot an arrow at Wei Bao, hitting him in the back. Wei Bao almost fell off his horse, but thanks to the thick armor, his vital parts were not hurt. Seeing this, Zhang Ping burst into laughter and continued the challenge. However, at this time, there was silence in the coalition position. After a while, Zhang Han saw that no one in the coalition army responded, so he prepared to withdraw his troops. Suddenly another person yelled: "Zhang Ping, don't leave! Yan general Zang Tu is here!" It turned out to be Zang Tu, the general of Yan State. After thinking for a long time, he felt that not going to fight would be embarrassing in everyone's face, so he bit the bullet and killed him. come out. When the coalition forces saw Zang Tu going to battle, they all beat drums to cheer him up.
Zang Tu was seen in very luxurious attire. He had a silver helmet, silver armor, brocade robes and jade belt. He held a long broad-faced steel knife in both hands, rode a yellow gelding, and galloped from the formation to the battlefield. When he saw Zhang Ping, he didn't answer him and just slashed with his sword. The two fought for forty rounds, but Zang Tu was defeated and fled in defeat. When Xiang Yu heard the report, he nodded and said, "If you can fight Zhang Ping for forty rounds, you can be considered a warrior!" Zhang Han couldn't help being happy when he saw that his younger brother had defeated many enemy generals, and commanded the army to move towards the coalition's position. They marched in neat steps, the chariots cleared the way in front, the wheels made a rumbling sound, and the men and horses marched firmly together. The soldiers shouted: "We must win! We must win!..." This was clearly to embolden themselves, The carriages and horses are really racing, and thousands of people are working hard. When the coalition officers and soldiers saw the Qin army approaching step by step, they were frightened and slowly retreated.
When King Zhao and Zhang Er saw the Qin army approaching step by step, their faces turned pale with fear. They walked to Xiang Yu together, knelt down with a plop, and then said tremblingly: "Gong Lu, the Qin army is approaching, and they are almost there." The Chu camp is under attack, what do you think we should do?" Xiang Yu said: "I picked up the general's head in an army of ten thousand horses, just like picking something out of a bag! It's just Zhang Ping, what's there to be afraid of!" He picked up a wine jar and started drinking. After that, he threw down the jar, stood up, bowed to Fan Zeng and Xiang Bo, and then walked straight down to the city. When Xiang Yu came to the city gate, a sergeant had already prepared his Canglong Moon Swallowing Halberd and Wu Zui. Xiang Yu then mounted his horse with a halberd, shouted: "Open the city gate!" and rushed out of the city gate. Zhong Limei and Ji Bu followed, and their mission was to protect the general. Xiang Yu drove his horse through the Chu camp. Seeing that the coalition forces were still retreating, he shouted: "Get out of the way!" The sound was like thunder. The coalition soldiers hurriedly stepped out of the way. Wu Zhui walked away from the dust, only to hear a sound on the ground, followed by dust rising up all over the sky. By the time the dust cleared, Wu Zhui had returned to his position. When everyone looked carefully, Xiang Yu had captured Zhang Ping alive and threw it on the ground. Then he shouted: "Tie him up, wait until I catch Zhang Han, and cook him together!" The coalition soldiers were shocked and all knelt down to Xiang Yu. .
Xiang Yu returned to the battlefield again. When he looked carefully, the Qin army was so frightened that he stopped advancing. Xiang Yu glared ahead, waved his halberd, and then rode forward. The coalition forces were now advancing behind him. When the Qin army on the opposite side saw Xiang Yu, they retreated, and a huge reversal occurred on the entire battlefield. Xiang Yu advanced five or sixty steps, and Qin's army also retreated five or sixty steps. Xiang Yu suddenly pointed his whip at Zhang Han and shouted: "Old thief Zhang Han, kill my uncle and pay with your life!" He led all the soldiers to charge. When Zhang Han saw that his younger brother had been captured alive by Xiang Yu, he knew that he would be in trouble again today. Now that Xiang Yu was coming to kill him again, he was so frightened that he rushed forward to intercept Xiang Yu. At this time, Fan Zeng saw Xiang Yu leading the charge, and decisively ordered the entire Chu army: "Soldiers! Defeat Zhang Han today, attack quickly!" After hearing Fan Zeng's order, all the Chu troops roared towards Qin The army launched a charge. Each of them was a hundred times more courageous. Their sound shook the sky and their momentum was overwhelming. Many Chu troops were like flying men. They crossed the coalition positions and rushed straight to the front.
On the vast battlefield dozens of miles south of the city, there was a huge crowd of people at this time. The coalition forces were emboldened by Xiang Yu and the Chu army, and they surged towards the Qin army's position like a wave. The Chu army was even more extraordinary. As soon as they came into contact with the enemy, they used methods such as stabbing, stabbing, chopping, chopping, splitting, hooking, and picking to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Every soldier even let out an earth-shattering cry from his throat. Each of them can compare one to ten, and ten to a hundred. Xiang Yu was the first to rush into the Qin army's position. He wielded his weapons to cut the way forward, knocking over and pushing aside all the men, horses, and chariots. For a time, the entire battlefield was filled with halberds, flags blocked the sun, and the sound of killing shook the ground. Flesh and blood were flying everywhere, and people were on their backs. The two sides in this battle invested as many as 600,000 troops, which was also the largest battle in the Battle of Julu. The tragic scenes on the battlefield are only evidenced by Qu Yuan's poem "National Memorial":
Wu Gexi was beaten by a rhinoceros, and his car was in the wrong position. He was caught in close combat.
The enemy is like clouds when the sun is blocked, and the soldiers are fighting for the lead.
Ling Yu formation is still walking, and the left side is wounded by the right blade.
Two wheels of haze come to feed four horses, and jade cans come to beat the drums.
When the sky falls, the mighty spirit is angry, killing everyone and abandoning the wilderness.
If you can't go in or out, you can't go back. The plains are suddenly too far.
Carrying a long sword and carrying Qin's bow, his head and body are separated and his heart is not punished.
Sincerity is both brave and martial, and ultimately strong and invincible.
When the body is dead, the spirit becomes the spirit, and the soul becomes the ghost hero.
Just as the battle was raging, a group of troops suddenly appeared from the rear of the Qin army. It was the intervention of this group of troops that changed the entire battle situation for both sides. It turned out that this army was the three hundred warriors led by Long Qie and all the Zhao troops led by Zhao general Chen Yu. They went to the designated position to prepare in advance according to Fan Zeng's plan. When Xiang Yu attacked from the front, the two of them went around to the enemy's rear and launched the attack again. Someone quickly reported this situation to Zhang Han. Zhang Han heard that there were enemies in the rear, so he led a group of cavalry to fight. As soon as he arrived at the rear of the position, he saw a tall general with a golden helmet and gold armor, a yellow face and a purple beard, a beard one foot long, and wielding a broadsword. He had already entered the position. Zhang Han shouted on his horse: "Whose country are the thieves in front of you? How dare you attack my rear?" Long Qie said loudly: "Sima from Qi State, Long Qie is here, where can Zhang Han escape? Zhang Han was shocked and thought: "This thief general must be killed, otherwise the Qin army will be attacked from both sides." He stepped forward to fight. Long Qie here was about to fight Zhang Han, but now he saw him coming to the door, so he rode forward to fight with him. Chen Yu and other Qin generals were also killed in a group.
Xiang Yu was invincible. He reached Zhang Han's central camp, but when he didn't see Zhang Han, he charged towards the left camp. At this time, they happened to meet Huan Chu and Yu Ying who were coming from the right camp, so they asked Zhang Han where they were. Both said they had never met each other. The three of them joined forces to attack the rear camp. At this time, Ji Bu and Zhong Limei also came to Xiang Yu, and they rushed into the Qin army's rear camp together. At this time, Zhang Han was still fighting with Long Qie. Suddenly he heard that Xiang Yu was coming, so he fought hard to defeat Long Qie and rushed forward. At this time, news came from every place on the battlefield that the Qin army could no longer resist, and some battle formations were in retreat. Suddenly someone shouted: "Capture Zhang Han alive! Don't let Zhang Han escape!" When Zhang Han heard this voice, he suspected that Xiang Yu had targeted him, and decisively ordered the entire army to retreat south. Unexpectedly, with this order, the 200,000 Qin troops retreated to the southwest like a tide. They were defeated like a mountain. Xiang Yu saw that the Qin army was beginning to retreat, so he led his army to cover up and pursue them. They chased for twenty or thirty miles, when suddenly a Chu general caught up with Xiang Yu and said: "General, Yafu has an order, saying that we should not pursue the poor invaders. Now Zhang Han has been defeated, and there is a Zhanghe River blocking the front. The Qin army It would be too dangerous if we fight to the death. If we let them cross the river, we can attack them halfway across the river!" Xiang Yu suddenly thought of 'put yourself to death and survive', and decisively ordered to stop the pursuit. At this time, all the Chu army and allied soldiers stopped chasing. When the army withdrew, the Qin army discarded countless trophies along the way, and everyone got them.
Zhang Han led the Qin army to rush south until they came to the Zhangshui River. He looked up to the sky and shouted: "There is a big river in front, and there are chasing troops behind! Does God want me to die here?" After Zhang Han finished speaking, he let one of his men The lieutenant quickly gave him a knife to prevent him from being caught by Xiang Yu and being cut into pieces. Seeing the commander like this, the deputy general shouted angrily: "Come on! Come on! Come on! Since we have only one way to die, let's fight with Xiang Yu!" At this time, all the generals said in unison: "Yes, yes, yes! Instead of giving in, It's better to die with them than to kill him! Fanzheng is destined to die now!" Everyone set up their positions, waiting for Xiang Yu to arrive, and they would die together with the Chu army. But everyone waited for a long time, but no Chu army came after them. At this time, the sergeant who finally escaped reported: "The Chu army only pursued for thirty miles and then withdrew." General Qin heard that Xiang Yu did not pursue him, and he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "God has given me a way to survive." !". Everyone camped on the shore. After the camp was set up, Zhang Han asked the soldiers to count the number of people, only to find that they had lost 30,000 to 40,000 people, and there was nothing they could do from then on.
Xiang Yu returned with a great victory, and Fan Zeng welcomed everyone into the city. When everyone came to the palace, Xiang Yu said to Fan Zeng: "If I continue to hunt Zhang Han, I will definitely capture him alive. It is a pity to let him go now." Fan Zeng said: "I watched the Qianxiang at night and saw Zhang Han. The general's star is still very bright, which means he can't die yet, so please don't chase him, otherwise they will fight to the death." Ya's father asked Chen Ping to count the captured spoils, including food, equipment, vehicles, horses, bows and arrows, Shields, flags, armor, swords, spears, etc., all the coalition generals were delighted. Suddenly, a sergeant came in and reported that generals from various countries had come with gifts of condolences to ask for instructions on combat missions from the superior general, and they were all waiting outside the camp gate to be received. Xiang Yu scolded the guards and said, "No!"
Fan Zeng hurriedly asked: "My dear nephew, have you heard of the story of eight hundred princes meeting at Mengjin?" Xiang Yu replied: "Wu Xinjun once told this story, but I can't remember it clearly." Fan Zeng said: "King Zhou At that time, Jiang Ziya first issued a nationwide mobilization order for King Zhou Wu. He called on the princes from all over the world to gather at Mengjin, and eight hundred princes from the towns were present. King Wu made an oath with them and agreed to raise troops to defeat Zhou. Later, in the battle at Muye, King Wu His army defeated the army of Shang Zhou and established the Zhou Dynasty. Guan Zhong also helped Duke Huan of Qi to join the princes nine times, so he corrected the ruling order of the Zhou Dynasty and became the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period. Now the generals from all over the world are coming to ask for your instructions. This is a good opportunity for you to achieve the great goal of becoming king. How can you not meet them?" Xiang Yu respectfully asked: "How do you say this?" Yafu said: "Now Yan, The combined armies of Qi, Wei, Han, and Zhao number 200,000. They do not go back to give orders to their king now. This is because they fear you! So you should summon them immediately and accept the gifts. If everyone above and below listens to you, won't you become the general of all the princes in the world? If you lead an army of 400,000 to fight against Zhang Han, what will happen?" Xiang Yu, as if enlightened, suddenly woke up and said: "Afu Does it mean that I will command the soldiers and horses of the six countries?" Fan Zeng said: "Yes, after defeating Zhang Han, you can lead the soldiers and horses of the world into the pass, and the great cause of annihilating Qin will be easily achieved!" Xiang Yu After hearing what Fan Zeng said, he was very happy and praised: "You are my Jiang Ziya, Guan Yiwu! Now that you are planning for me, why worry about the Qin Kingdom not being destroyed?" He immediately ordered all the military camps to be on strict alert, and then The Huben guards were ordered to line up and stand guard, and each battalion was ordered to blow the trumpets to show the majesty of the Chu army. Then he summoned the generals from various countries. Fan Zeng asked Chen Ping to come out and say to the generals from various countries: "During the battle with Wang Li, the general resented you for not participating in the battle. He is still angry now. When you come in, be careful!" The generals from various countries were frightened after hearing this. Looking at each other.
Next, the generals of the allied forces came to the Chu army's camp. They saw a man sitting in the Chinese army's tent from a distance. . Suddenly a thrilling horn sound sounded at the gate of the camp. After a while, Han Xin, who was standing guard, came out first and said: "The general has an order, please come in and see all the generals!" All the generals and deputy generals who came in, about 20 to 30 people, entered the Chu army's camp together. , not daring to look around, followed Han Xin into Xiang Yu's Chinese army tent, then lowered his head and moved to Xiang Yu on his knees, paying homage in unison: "See Lu Gong!" Then he announced his name and title, and He knelt there motionless.
Xiang Yu almost laughed at their respectful looks, so he said: "Although I defeated the Great Wall Army, I haven't captured Zhang Han yet. Are you willing to fight with me?" The generals replied tremblingly: "Will you obey Lu?" At your command!" Xiang Yu asked, "Why don't you dare to fight the Great Wall Army?" Wei Bao bravely replied: "I heard that he is very brave, and the Huns are frightened by the news, so we don't dare to fight!" Xiang Yu laughed. He said: "Your troops and horses add up to 200,000. Even if each of you pees, you can drown hundreds of Qin troops?" The generals were sweating profusely and did not dare to speak. Xiang Yu said deliberately: "I originally wanted to push you out and behead you! But since you all came here with righteousness and contributed condolences to the Chu army, will you be exempted from the death penalty? But in the future, you must make meritorious service until you are caught. After we live in Zhanghan, how about we enter the pass together?" The generals responded in unison: "The power of Duke Lu is rare in ancient and modern times! We are willing to commit crimes and make meritorious service and obey your command!" Xiang Yu then said gently: "In this case, I'm just a little bit happy. You go back and marshal your troops and horses now, and then listen to my general's orders; if I capture Zhang Han, I'll treat you to a drink!" The generals said yes one after another, and then walked out of Xiang Yu on their knees. The Chinese military tent.
After Xiang Yu met with the generals of the princes, he naturally became the general of the coalition. From then on, he commanded the troops of the six countries, which shocked China and established his lifelong hegemony. An ancient poet said:
King Xiang came to rescue Zhao with his halberd, and thunder and lightning swept the sky.
The minister avenges the king, the son avenges the father, killing all the Qin soldiers is like mowing grass.
The roar of war was fierce, and the princes were frightened on the walls.
Why does King Xiang need to be the emperor? There is no such thing as a quick war in the ages.
