At this moment, Qu Ping was patrolling the city walls of Yingdu, escorted by a group of soldiers.
Although the Qin soldiers were still far away, Qu Ping did not dare to be careless at all - according to his orders, the most elite eight thousand royal troops were already guarding the city wall around the clock, always alert to the distant horizon.
In Qu Ping's plan, these eight thousand royal troops, as an elite force, will withstand the most violent first wave of blows from the Qin army.
After surviving the initial fierce battle, the royal army will retreat to the rear to rest and recharge their batteries. Instead, a temporary force composed of relatively weak Chinese people and the private soldiers of ministers took over the defense of the city wall.
During this time, the elite royal army reorganized their troops and regained their strength.
In the end, the king's army, who had recovered, would attack again and completely harvest the exhausted Qin army!
Qu Ping is very proud of his plan!
Look at these soldiers of the royal army on the city wall - they are indeed elite soldiers under the direct jurisdiction of the King of Chu!
All of them are fat and strong, with big shoulders and round waists, and most of them are wearing armor!
In the Warring States Period, having armor was synonymous with "elite soldiers"!
Let's look at their equipment - the sophisticated nine-foot long sword (three meters long), the large square shield that can cover the whole body, and the unsheathed 'Wu Gou' sword at the waist...
"What a powerful army!" Qu Ping clicked his tongue and exclaimed: "With such elite soldiers at hand, why worry about not being able to retreat from Qin Rong?"
The royal warrior next to us happens to be our old acquaintance - General Jin, the commander of the Forbidden Army. Hearing Qu Ping's praise, a look of pride appeared on General Jin's face, and he still said modestly: "I have seen General Zhu Guo! I don't deserve such high praise from General Zhu Guo."
"Huh?" Qu Ping suddenly stopped, stared at General Jin's right waist in confusion, and said in confusion——
"What is this? It looks so novel?"
General Jin was startled at first, then quickly took off the thing from his waist, and handed it to Qu Ping's hands with both hands respectfully: "General Zhu, please look at this thing, it's called 'Handheld Repeating Crossbow', it can fire ten arrows in a row, its power is terrifying. people!"
As General Jin spoke, he pursed his lips at a soldier of the royal army beside him. The soldier immediately took off his repeating crossbow, loaded the arrows, and started knocking outside the city.
Tuk-tuk-tuk!
Ten arrows shot out!
Qu Ping's eyes widened in shock!
General Jin cupped his hands and said with a smile: "There are six thousand hand-held repeating crossbows among our king's army!"
Qu Ping was overjoyed!
Six thousand hand-held repeating crossbows - able to shoot out 60,000 arrows in an instant. When the Qin people are caught off guard, they will surely suffer heavy casualties! The most threatening first wave of offensive will be easily resolved!
"It is a great fortune for Chu to have such a magical weapon to help us." Qu Ping praised, and then asked casually: "Who made this thing? After this battle, I will report to the king and reward him heavily!"
General Jin coughed lightly and spit out a name that shocked Qu Ping——
"The repeating crossbow in hand was made by Marquis Quyang!"
"As early as two years ago, this item was distributed to the Eight Thousand King's Army!"
Qu Ping people are stupid!
Qu Yanghou? Xiong Wuliang?
Can you hear Xiong Wuliang's name here?
After a moment of accident, Qu Ping's heart was filled with turmoil - two years ago? Lian Nu will distribute the king's army?
Xiong Wuliang, is this also in your plan?
There is nothing more brilliant than this!
The admiration and admiration for Xiong Wuliang in Qu Ping's heart was like a surging river, continuous...
…
It is said that the Qin army under Bai Qi suffered many hardships along the way and finally crossed the uninhabited land of Danyang!
It took about seven or eight days!
At this moment, the 76,000 Qin troops have been severely reduced in number.
Although two waves of baggage were robbed by the insidious Xiong Wuliang, fortunately there was still some food left in Bai Qi's army - the army had limited supplies and only ate one meal a day. They ran hungry and finally crossed Danyang before they were completely out of food. place!
What lies in front of Bai Qi is the fertile southern plain of Huai River in Chu State!
This is the center of Chu State, the grain area, and the core hinterland of Chu State. Bai Qi couldn't help but let out a long breath, and the belief that he would win emerged in his heart!
"This place is densely populated, so there is no need to worry about running out of food for a while." Wang Hao said to Bai Qi with a smile.
Bai Qi also nodded lightly.
It's winter now, and every household needs to store grain in their rice jars. A day's worth of rations for a centurion could probably be found in one household - as long as a small village is searched, enough rations can be found for an army to need in a short period of time.
After all, the number of the Qin army is now far less than the number of 'seventy-six thousand'.
In other words, the Qin army can now support war with war! While searching, advance at the same time!
Bai Qi took a deep breath and ordered in a deep voice: "Search for military rations on the spot, focusing on collecting fodder for the war horses. Wang Lu, go and count the current casualties of the army!"
…
You won’t know if you don’t look at it, but you will be shocked when you look at it.
After passing through the not-so-large Danyang land, the Qin army's attrition was as high as more than 20,000 people!
After all, they were marching in a world of ice and snow... and they were still hungry.
Many Qin soldiers could not keep up with the army, slowly fell behind, and never caught up... Some soldiers whose faces were blue and blue from the cold may have fallen on the roadside without warning while marching.
Now there are only 50,000 troops left under Bai Qi's command!
Bai Qi closed his eyes in pain - these are all old Qin's warriors!
More than 20,000 people fell in vain!
This is because the Qin army has a large number of people, and they can take care of each other... but they have paid such a high price! Bai Qi really couldn't figure out why Xiong Wuliang could attack Wuguan with light troops? Aren't Chu people afraid of freezing?
Let's continue to check the situation of the Qin army - even the soldiers who are still alive often have frostbite.
Bad news comes one after another...
The only thing that surprised Bai Qi was that the morale of Qin soldiers was quite high!
Maybe it was because they knew that Wuguan was occupied by the Chu people and could not go back... These Qin soldiers are now willing to risk their lives.
Even in such a difficult situation, the Qin army showed no signs of collapse or mutiny - the Qin army soldiers held swords and halberds in their hands and had firm eyes.
Bai Qi let out a long sigh of relief - as long as the Qin army is still willing to fight, the outcome of this battle is unknown!
Now that we have reached the hinterland of Chu State, we can completely feed ourselves on the enemy, and supplies are no longer a problem.
And although the hinterland of Chu State also has snow and muddy roads... but compared to the road conditions in Danyang and the 800-mile Qinchuan, the road conditions are much better!
After all, this is a plain area and further south - as long as the Qin army continues to advance towards Yingdu, the temperature will get warmer and warmer! The cavalry will advance faster and faster!
Thinking of this, Bai Qing's brows relaxed slightly!
"In this battle, I have the advantage!"
"I still have 50,000 Qin troops under my command! Such an army of tigers and wolves is enough to turn the hinterland of Chu upside down!" Bai Qi said!
The surrounding Qin soldiers also gritted their teeth and spoke out with hoarse throats: "Jiujiao Lao Qin, let's fight against the national calamity together!"
Bai Qi said in a deep voice: "The army will rest for a while, cut wood to make a fire, drink some hot water to warm up - wait for the brothers who are searching for food to come back, then have a full meal and continue to advance towards Yingdu!"
The morale of the Qin army was high - they had passed through the most difficult Danyang area, and the most difficult dilemma was over!
Being able to march so far in the mountains on a snowy winter day is worthy of our old Qin Tiejun!
…
Bai Qi held the iron helmet in his hand, with hot water inside. He sipped the hot water in small sips, feeling the rare happiness.
"Young Master! Look!" Wang Lu suddenly stood up, pointed to the back and shouted!
I saw two teams of riders coming together on horseback... What was amazing was that the two teams of riders were holding the black flag of Qin and the red and yellow flag of Chu respectively... Bai Qi's eyes widened.
ha?
What's happening here?
Qin and Chu are at war...why did such a harmonious scene suddenly appear?
The riders rolled their saddles and dismounted—it was the messenger from Xianyang. The messenger came to Bai Qi with a golden order in hand and presented a letter.
Bai Qi opened the letter and read it carefully. His face soon became so gloomy that water dripped from his face!
The messenger said respectfully: "This is to your Majesty—the war is over, and the Queen Mother orders you to withdraw your troops immediately."
The surrounding Qin troops were all stunned when they heard the sound, and looked over blankly.
Bai Qi's eyes were dull, and the letter in his hand slipped silently from his fingertips... Wang Hao was stunned, and quickly picked it up and looked at it... and opened his mouth in shock!
There wasn't much handwriting on the letter, just a few lines -
First, I briefly explained the situation - it was said that Xiong Wuliang attacked Xianyang and signed an armistice agreement with Qin...
Then came the order given to Bai Qi - to retreat to Lantian for rest.
Bai Qi finally came to his senses and exclaimed: "How is that possible!"
From [Wuguan] to [Xianyang], the distance is by no means close... and the temperature there is far colder than that of Danyang! How could Xiong Wuliang advance so fast? Did Bai Qi capture Xianyang before he reached Yingdu?
Unscientific! So unscientific!
Are the Chu troops all superhuman? Not afraid of wind and snow? Marching day and night?
"What's going on?" Wang Hao pulled the messenger aside, his eyes about to burst.
The messenger did not dare to be negligent. He detailed the situation under Xianyang City and briefly explained the specific contents of the armistice agreement between Wei Ran and Xiong Wuliang... Wang Lang was dumbfounded.
Bai Qiren was also stupid!
Cede the land of Danyang and Wuguan?
Publicly worship the soldiers and civilians of Chu?
Compensation of fifty thousand gold?
This...what kind of 'truce agreement' is this? This is clearly an admission of defeat!
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Bai Qi lost his mind and said: "From Wuguan to Xianyang, even if Xiong Wuliang can arrive in such a short time, he must be at the end of his strength and unable to break through... Why can he let me Da Qin admits defeat?"
"There are still soldiers and civilians in Xianyang City... As long as we hold on for a while, the border troops from all over the country will come back to suppress us. It will be a certain death situation for Xiong Wuliang!"
"Why...why..."
Bai Qi plopped down and sat down on the cold ground, his face turned ashen!
He can't figure it out!
Xiong Wuliang's lone army was weak... How could he force Qin to bow its head?
The messenger was also affected by Bai Qi's miserable appearance and couldn't help but shed tears. Wiping his tears, he explained Xiong Wuliang's crazy behavior outside Xianyang City...
Bai Qi was stunned.
"Little Mi Liang, you are really cruel!" Wang Hao gritted his teeth, feeling deeply dissatisfied.
Bai Qi let out a long roar and angrily threw the iron helmet with hot water in his hand on the ground... The surrounding Qin soldiers all bowed their heads in silence...
They lost this battle.
He didn't lose in battle... but lost to Xiong Wuliang's madness in gambling for his life.
In fact, from a purely military perspective, Bai Qi has reversed the defeat - Xiong Wuliang is destined to be unable to capture Xianyang, and will soon be completely annihilated by the Qin army coming from all over... And Bai Qi has already arrived in the Chu Kingdom In the hinterland, it is possible to loot and replenish supplies... Even if the heavily defended Yingdu cannot be captured in the end, it will definitely cause huge trauma to the Chu State.
From a military point of view - Bai Qi gave it a go when he was running out of ammunition and food. Although he suffered heavy losses, he had turned defeat into victory.
But... Xiong Wuliang went crazy and fought hard to annihilate the entire army, threatening the safety of Qin's top leaders and thus threatening the stability of Qin's regime.
As a result, Qin had to choose to give in and surrender to Xiong Wuliang's ferocity.
Bai Qi's military advantage no longer meant anything.
Qin was defeated!
The Second Danyang War finally came to an end... The Qin people were defeated at the hands of the Chu barbarians, whom they had always looked down upon!
They did not lose to Qu Yanghou’s military prowess! But he lost to Xiong Wuliang's ruthless decisiveness...
The soldiers of the Qin army, who originally had good morale, lowered their heads one after another, feeling dejected.
This defeat seriously shook their confidence that "Qin people are invincible and Qin army is invincible".
After a moment, Bai Qi gritted his molar teeth and said coldly: "Cease the war immediately and withdraw the troops to Lantian Camp? That's easy to say."
"Our army has very little food and grass left... Let us stop immediately and stop looting. Let us turn around and cross the Danyang land once... fifty thousand Qin soldiers will freeze on the road!"
…
The people of Qin were extremely sad, but the riders of Chu on the side were relaxed and smiling.
Seeing that the once ferocious Qin people were now collectively in despair, the envoy sent by Xiong Wuliang smiled very happily.
After hearing Bai Qi's angry accusation, the Chu State envoy coughed dryly: "Ahem!"
"Um... let me introduce myself. I am Hong Shitou, a thousand-man general under the command of Marquis Quyang."
Bai Qi looked at Hong Shitou, his face as frosty as ice.
Hong Shitou didn't take it seriously at all, with a bright smile on his face: "General Bai used his troops like a god, and he dared to risk his life when the supplies were cut off. We really admire him..."
Bai Qi remained expressionless.
Hong Shitou was not embarrassed at all, and said very thoughtfully: "My Lord, considering the shortage of food and grass under General Bai, may not be able to return to Lantian... Therefore, he is destined to meet the young master in the future..."
Wang Hao on the side snorted coldly, and said angrily with a tigerish face: "Stop talking nonsense! Do you want our army to divide you and eat you? How many taels of meat do you have?"
Hong Shitou was not annoyed either - before coming here, Xiong Wuliang had repeatedly told him to be friendly... After all, he must be in a bad mood after losing the battle, so it is normal for him to look down on himself.
"This general misunderstood -" Hong Shitou smiled sincerely: "What Quyanghou means is that he will provide winter clothes and enough food and grass for the Qin army brothers to ensure that the army that Shao Shangzao made can return to Lantian safely... …”
"After all, the war is over. No matter who wins or loses, there is no need for more unnecessary casualties."
…
Bai Qi was stunned.
Ah...is Xiong Wuliang so considerate?
It shouldn’t be!
Based on his understanding of Xiong Wuliang, he is a complete unscrupulous bastard!
Even if the battle is over, that guy will definitely hope that all the remaining 50,000 soldiers and horses under Bai Qi will freeze to death and starve to death...
I never thought... could those mean young lips say such humane words?
Bai Qi was a little moved for a moment... Could it be that I have too deep a prejudice against this person?
Maybe this Qu Yanghou is also a gentleman!
"In that case..." Although Bai Qi's face was still ugly, his tone was slightly slower: "Then Bai Qi thanked Marquis Qu Yang for his kindness..."
"Wait a minute!" Hong Shitou coughed lightly and interrupted Bai Qi: "These winter clothes and food cannot be given to Qin Bing in vain!"
Bai Qi's eyes widened, and there was an ominous premonition in his heart.
Hong Shitou's face turned serious: "My Lord and Marquis said - we are talking about business."
"He ensured that there would be enough winter clothes and food for Shangzao's army to return to Lantian...but he needed something that Shangzao had in hand to exchange for it!"
Bai Qi's lips pursed into a straight line, and his eyes stared at Hong Shitou.
Sure enough, Hong Shitou smiled faintly, his eyes scanning the war horse under the crotch of the Qin cavalry...
"My Lord and Marquis said - I will use all the horses of the Qin Army's cavalry in exchange for winter clothes and food!"
…
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Bai Qi's eyes still widened in shock!
Hold the grass!
Do you want to listen to what you are saying!
Even though they traveled through Danyang when there was a shortage of fodder, every one of the Qin army's war horses was skin and bones... Those were still war horses!
The Qin State has no shortage of horses—the horses that can be used by the Qin army’s cavalry to fight are all top-notch horses!
With a little maintenance, these war horses will be fat and strong again in just a few months!
Bai Qi stared at Hong Shitou in disbelief, and his voice rose an octave: "What did you say?"
"I still have more than 20,000 war horses under my command... They are priceless!"
"Mi Liang, you want to exchange some worthless winter clothes and food for the general's tens of thousands of horses?"
These are more than 20,000 good horses! Even in Qin State, it is still a big fortune!
If it were placed in the Chu State, which lacked livestock... the whole country might not be able to raise 20,000 horses, let alone 20,000 tall and strong war horses with good bloodlines!
Has Xiong Wuliang gone crazy?
Hong Shitou said very sincerely: "General Bai's words are wrong."
"If we put it in normal times - winter clothes and food and grass are really worthless, far less than the value of 20,000 horses."
"But now, these winter clothes and provisions can save the lives of more than 50,000 Qin soldiers under your command!"
"Are the lives of more than 50,000 veterans worth less than 20,000 to 30,000 horses?"
As Hong Shitou spoke, he patted the horses held by the Qin soldiers and cavalry one by one. Although he was so greedy that he was drooling, he still said disparagingly: "Besides, look at it, young master, these horses are all very thin. I’m afraid I won’t be able to sell it even if I’m a slave... I tell you, you’ll make a lot of money from this business!”
The surrounding Qin soldiers all looked at Bai Qi... with expectations in their eyes.
Now that the war is over, their greatest wish is to return home alive.
This winter, the Qin soldiers really suffered from old noses!
The only thing they were thinking about now was to return home alive and reunite with their wives, children, and children... Although these war horses were valuable, they were certainly not as important as their own lives.
Bai Qi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down his heart that wanted to vomit blood.
Xiong Wuliang, as expected of you!
I actually thought you were a good person just now! I'm so blind!
Now... apart from satisfying Xiong Wuliang's request, is there any other way I can do it?
Bai Qi looked blankly at the expectant eyes of the surrounding soldiers, and finally nodded slowly and with difficulty: "Let...Xiong Wuliang, move faster."
"Even if we only have half a meal a day...our army's food and grass will not last long."
"Send the order - withdraw... withdraw the troops." Bai Qi's voice was very soft, as if these last few words had taken away all the strength from his body.
Defeated, defeated!
He was defeated by Xiong Wuliang, whom he wanted to defeat!
Qin's invincible iron army that swept across the world was defeated by Chu...
The 80,000 Qin army lost to the 50,000 Chu army!
No country in the world cares how this battle was lost... Qin has become a laughing stock... I, Bai Qi, am the stupidest defeated general!
…
A few days later.
In the palace of Yingdu, Zhaoju and several loyal ministers were desperately belittling Xiong Wuliang in front of King Huai of Chu——
"Your Majesty, Bai Qi led his troops to attack the hinterland of Chu. It is said that he has already crossed Danyang!"
"Xiong Wuliang is still leading his troops outside and does not return to defend!"
"Your Majesty, this Quyang Marquis has such a vicious mind - he actually disregarded the safety of Yingdu and the lives of your Majesty and all the loyal ministers! What is this man's intention?"
"Is it possible that you have a disobedient heart?"
…
King Chu Huai agreed hummingly, but didn't seem to take it seriously. On the other hand, Prince Mi Heng, who was standing aside, had a serious expression on his face. Thinking back to what Zhao Ju had said to his younger brother, he felt a little grudge in his heart.
It wasn't until Zhaoju and the others were talking that their mouths were drying up that King Chu Huai slowly let out a long sigh——
"I am deeply gratified that you, ministers, show your heart to the country."
"It's just that the war hasn't ended yet. Is it possible to replace the generals with only a few people? I'm afraid it will hurt the morale of the generals!"
Zhaoju reacted quickly and immediately said in a low voice: "Your Majesty Mingjian - even if you can't change your generals on the spot, you will severely punish Marquis Qu Yang after this battle is over!"
"Otherwise, when our general of Da Chu goes out to fight in the future, wouldn't everyone be able to ignore the safety of the royal capital? If this continues, Da Chu will be in danger!"
The other ministers also nodded: "Yes, yes!"
"This Mi Liang allowed the Qin army under Bai Qi to wreak havoc in the Chu region - it will definitely cause the majesty of the king to be seriously damaged among the countries!"
"After this battle, who else in the Central Plains countries will take the authority of the king seriously?"
"It's just a pity that the king's plan for domination... was ruined at the hands of Mi Liang!"
"If the Qin army really captures the royal capital...the morale of the people brought about by our repeated victories in recent years will definitely be destroyed...other countries will also laugh at our great Chu - what they are laughing at is not the incompetence of the ministers and others." Sir, it is you, the king, who is making fun of me!"
"Yes, yes... I think of this in my heart and feel deeply sad!"
Just when the ministers persisted and, under the leadership of Zhaoju, killed and slandered Xiong Wuliang... there were hurried footsteps outside the door.
A chamberlain came in and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, there is new news from the front line!"
King Chu Huai cheered up and stood up!
Zhaoju and others sneered and took advantage of the situation to step up their offensive: "Your Majesty, this must be news about Bai Qi's Qin army!"
"Could it be that those soldiers have already crossed [Gaoqianshan]?"
"Oh my god...from Gaoqian to Yingdu, it's all plains! There are so many people!"
"If the Qin army comes all the way, burning, killing and looting... our great Chu will be severely injured..."
"Mi Liang, you deserve to die!"
King Chu Huai ignored the ministers and quickly looked at the servant: "Tell me, what's going on?"
"Is this news about Bai Qi's Qin army?!"
The chamberlain lowered his head and said, "Report to your Majesty - it's the news about Bai Qi's Qin army!"
King Chu Huai felt as if he was struck by lightning, and he sat back down, completely lost... At this time, the news of Bai Qi's Qin army came, could it be any good news?
The Qin army must have crossed the barren mountainous area of Danyang and reached the rich and fertile central hinterland of Chu State!
Oh my God!
…
————
(Yimi: Three chapters combined into one, a 6500-word chapter!)
