At that time, the Chu army was said to have millions of armors, and the quality of its individual soldiers was very high. The Chu State is located in the south, and the south has complex terrain and harsh climate, which has produced a large number of elite soldiers and generals. If there is no strategy and the Qin army and the Chu army cover up and kill each other one on one on the frontal battlefield, it is difficult to say what the final victory or defeat will be. Therefore, King Qin Zhaoxiang was also worried about this battle, even though the man in charge of the central army was the God of War Bai Qi, who was known to be victorious in every battle. Before Bai Qi was about to go on an expedition, King Qin Zhaoxiang asked him how many elite Qin troops were needed to completely defeat the Chu army.
According to King Qin Zhaoxiang's thinking, killing one thousand enemies will result in eight hundred losses. In this battle, at least hundreds of thousands of Qin troops were buried in a foreign land. Unexpectedly, Bai Qi actually said that he only needed 70,000 troops, which somewhat made King Qin Zhaoxiang a little suspicious.
If it were an ordinary general leading troops to fight, King Qin's estimate should be very accurate. For example, when King Qin Yingzheng later attacked Chu, he used Li Xin as his general and led 200,000 troops to fight the Chu army. As a result, nine captains died in the battle and they returned with a great defeat. In order to destroy the Chu State, the unwilling King Yingzheng of Qin finally had to send a generation of famous general Wang Jian to lead an army of 600,000 to attack Chu, and the Chu State was destroyed. To ordinary people, what Bai Qi said is nothing more than an idiot's dream.
But since Bai Qi said this, he must be confident. History has proven that his almost arrogant statement - 70,000 is enough, is not a lie. Because Bai Qi believed: "The custom of the Chu people is that they are light-hearted and anxious, and they are brave enough to attack but poor at defending in war. All we need to do is learn from Wu Zixu in the past, select the best and sharpest, march straight in, and defeat Ying in a few battles."
When King Qin Zhaoxiang heard this, he couldn't help but screamed in admiration. This was naturally out of trust in Bai Qi. If an ordinary military general made such nonsense, King Qin Zhaoxiang would definitely sneer at him. So King Qin Zhaoxiang sent Bai Qi to Shangyong (now southeast of Zhuxi, Hubei) to command the Qin army in place of Sima Cuo. According to the agreement between Bai Qi and King Zhaoxiang of Qin, he selected 70,000 strong men who were accustomed to fighting in mountains and rivers. Bai Qi personally led them and went south along the Han River, directly and unexpectedly deep into the hinterland of Chu State. Bai Qi planned to capture Yan, the capital of Chu, first, and then capture Ying, the capital of Chu. This strategy was called "putting him to death and living later." Bai Qi was good at dispatching surprise troops. He seemed to be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Chu troops, but in fact he leaped thousands of miles into the enemy's heartland and dealt the heaviest blow to the enemy with the smallest force.
History is always such a coincidence. The battle between Qin and Chu was exactly the same as Xiang Yu's strategy that later implemented "the destruction of Qin must lead to Chu". Bai Qi did not bring any food and baggage with him on this trip. He supported the war with war and provided food to the enemy, and plundered the abundant food and grass in the Han River Basin to supply military supplies. This allowed the Qin army to have no worries about "the three armies moving ahead without using food and grass", and also reduced this problem. On the one hand, huge expenses and fatigue brought to the army. In addition, Bai Qi also launched a political offensive in Chu State, using various preferential policies such as land and housing, tax exemptions, etc. to seduce the Chu people. In this way, the Chu people were naturally willing to be used by the Qin army. In this way, the Qin army has another very flexible alliance that can help the army transport food.
On the march, Bai Qi ordered the Qin army to destroy the bridges and ships once they crossed the river, and cut off their own way back, showing that they were determined to fight to the death and let the Qin army fight on its back. This method is often a strategy used in wars to fight more with less. When few are against many, the desperate strategy can not only inspire the determination of one's own soldiers to die, but also allow the enemy to see the powerful deterrent power of one's own army.
The Chu army was deeply frightened by this. Although they were large in number, they could not withstand the Qin army's attack. They retreated steadily and were defeated like a mountain. The Qin army marched straight in and quickly captured Deng (now north of Xiangfan, Hubei Province), an important place in the Han River Basin, and several nearby cities, reaching the foot of Yandu City (southeast of today's Yicheng). Suddenly, it became a decisive battleground between Chu's overwhelming troops and Qin's Bai Qi's 70,000 troops.
Bai Qi saw further than others from the beginning. The reason why he directly moved 70,000 Qin troops to Yan was because he took a fancy to Yan's unique political status and key geographical location.
The other capitals of Chu State have always been called Yanying. It is only 200 miles away from Ying, the capital of Chu. It has always been the second political and economic center of Chu State, and it is also the northern gate to defend the capital of Ying. Therefore, this place must not be missed. If Yan falls into the hands of the Qin army, the morale of the Chu State to defend its territory and resist the war will collapse, and the Chu State will be in danger of subjugation.
At that time, King Chu Qingxiang also saw the Qin army's strategic intention. He naturally knew that the Chu army's original plan to encircle and annihilate Bai Qi's army had already spread like wildfire. Perhaps Bai Qi had already seen the Chu army's intention, but He knew that there were tigers in the mountains, so he went to the tiger mountains. In order to protect the capital, King Qingxiang of Chu had no choice but to adopt the most conservative tactics and ordered all the Chu troops on all fronts in the Han River Basin to return to aid the capital of Yan. He would hold the Qin army here at all costs, as long as the Chu army could hold on for ten days and a half. , and the people of Chu and the land of Chu did not supply the Qin army with food and grass, and did not allow the reinforcements of the Qin army to arrive, the Chu army would naturally "subdue the enemy without fighting."
At the same time, the Chu people also made the city taller and thicker based on the original tall city, and deployed many strong bows and crossbows. When Sun Tzu talked about the art of using war, he said: "If you are ten, you are to surround it, if you are five, you are to attack it, if you are twice as many, you are dividing it. If the enemy is small, you can fight it. If it is small, you can run away from it. If it is small, you can avoid it. Therefore, the strength of a small enemy is strong." , the enemy will capture them." The Chu army has hundreds of thousands, while the Qin army only has 70,000. It is impossible to escape and evade, and there is also a great risk in luring the enemy into a decisive battle.
What the Qin army wanted to achieve was how to seize the city while causing maximum casualties to the enemy at the minimum cost. As time goes by, if Bai Qi can no longer think of a winning strategy, even if the Qin army wants to withdraw, the Chu army will definitely not agree.
The more critical the moment, the more important it is to consider the general's ability to adapt to changing circumstances. At this time, Bai Qi believed that he must adhere to the strategy: "Don't move unless it is advantageous, use it unless you have to, and don't fight unless it is dangerous. The Lord cannot raise an army in anger, and cannot attack out of anger. We can wait for the situation to change and then take advantage of the situation to attack." However, the morale of the Qin army has begun to fluctuate, so the top priority is to stabilize the morale of the army. Bai Qi in the army has been talking and laughing freely, which successfully made the Qin army feel that even if the sky falls, the final victory will belong to him.
Bai Qi's style of doing things is that since he can't think of a perfect solution at the moment, why not relax and take advantage of the situation to boost the morale of the army.
This is in line with the saying "No matter the wind or waves, it is better than strolling in the garden." Bai Qi walked into the Han River and jumped into the river - swimming. This swimming brought inspiration to Bai Qi. The water is gentle, but it can turn into huge waves in an instant, becoming a weapon for killing people. The Art of War says: He who attacks with fire is wise, and he who attacks with water is strong. Water can be extinguished but cannot be taken away. Bai Qi decided to use water attack to solve the current problem.
The next day, Bai Qi, who was deeply inspired, hurriedly told several of his confidants about this plan, and asked them to send a force of several thousand people to build a dam at Manhewu Town, about a hundred miles northwest of Yandu. , and at the same time, a hundred-mile-long canal was secretly built from east to west on this tributary of the Han River. The key to the success or failure of this strategy is to catch someone by surprise and conceal their unpreparedness, so confidentiality must be done well.
Everything was completed without the Chu army knowing it. As long as Bai Qi gave an order, the river dam could be dug. The power of the river was naturally far beyond human power. By then, the Chu army's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses would be overwhelmed by the Qin army. Kill them without bloodshed. After observing that the Chu army showed no signs of discovery, Bai Qi decided to take action.
In the past few days, the Chu army was wondering why the Qin army did not retreat. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they prepared their troops vigorously. As soon as the Qin army retreated, the Chu army's hundreds of thousands of troops and horses would come out in full force and kill the Qin army without leaving any trace behind.
The Chu army still believed that as long as they could not escape, the Qin army would not be able to think of any way. As night fell, the soldiers guarding the city lit torches, guarding the city like a long dragon. However, they did not know that a catastrophe was coming. They only heard an earth-shaking loud noise in the west of the city. In an instant, the ground shook and the mountains shook. The rumbling sound came from far and near, like the miserable howl of an evil ghost coming from the ground. The river water comes in from the west of the city. I don't know how many people went to the underworld in their sleep.
On the third day, Yandu has turned into a vast country, lying between clouds and water. Hundreds of thousands of Chu troops, as well as countless civilians in the city, were instantly pulled into the boundless hell by the rolling flood demon. Some people say that Bai Qi was a warning bell sent by God to the turbulent period of the Warring States Period. Let those countries that firmly believe in unjust wars suffer the loss of their families and their lives. It's a pity that he landed in the wrong country and became a general of Qin, which was the most unjust country at that time.
Some people also say that it was Bai Qi's arrival that accelerated the end of the Warring States Period. Because on a limited land, infinite people will be born, and wherever there are people, there will be fights. Therefore, Bai Qicai used his identity as a "human massacre" to eliminate all restless forces.
It is worth mentioning that the ditch built by Bai Qi to destroy the Chu army is still used by local people today.
But those parents in Chu State who lost their children, wives who lost their husbands, and children who lost their fathers will all remember one name from now on - Bai Qi. It was precisely because of Bai Qi's actions at this time that a seed was planted in the hearts of Jiangdong's elders, and there was even a saying: "The death of Qin will inevitably lead to Chu."
But at this moment, even if they want to sleep on its skin and eat its flesh, they can only look away and sigh. They had also thought of many ways to take revenge. As long as Bai Qi's arrogant troops were defeated and he took advantage of the situation to go south, the Chu people would go and kill Bai Qi desperately. But Bai Qi is not a brainless person, so he naturally knows the principle of "don't chase after poor enemies". After the decisive victory in the Battle of Poyan, Bai Qi did not advance rashly, but stopped to rest and reorganize his troops, replenish soldiers and military supplies, and at the same time moved Qin's criminals and prisoners to the newly acquired Chu land to replenish the Qin army's rear , through the strategy of supporting war with war, it became a base for the Qin army to further attack Chu.
Bai Qi finally went south, but he didn't give the Chu people any chance. All he brought with him was the butcher's knife and conquest. Bai Qi's army quickly captured Anlu, the last bridgehead north of Yingdu, and the Chu soldiers were scattered. Before King Chu Qingxiang could recover from last year's defeat, he fell under Bai Qi's butcher's knife.
In order to avoid the misfortune of destroying the country and dying, King Qingxiang of Chu lost his ambitions and decisively abandoned the capital of Ying and moved the capital to Chen in the northeast of Chu. This was called "Chen Ying" (the original Chen State, today's Henan Province). Huaiyang).
Qin finally obtained Yingdu, the largest city in Chu and the largest handicraft center in China at that time. After the war, Qin's power has been further strengthened. A century ago, this was still the territory of the Wu people. Later, with the help of the Qin State, the Chu people took it back and made the Chu State extremely powerful for a time. It's a pity that things are different now. After the Chu people experienced the rebellion of King Huai of Chu, they were destined to be defeated.
