Now that the bear is gone, the resistance to attacking Chu is much smaller. So the attack on Chu was once again put on the agenda.
The King of Qin summoned Li Si and asked, "I want to send troops to attack Chu. What suggestions do you have?"
Li Si thought for a moment and said: "The State of Wei is connected with the State of Chu, and there is a long national boundary. If we attack the State of Chu, once we go deep into the hinterland of the State of Chu, the Wei army may cut off our army's food route from the rear. Once this happens, our army will You will be very passive. Therefore, you must prevent Chu and Wei from forming an alliance before attacking Chu!"
Li Si immediately pointed out the key to the problem. King Qin was very happy and said: "What you said is true. I want to send a partial army to attack Wei at the same time as I am attacking Chu, so that they cannot unite!"
"Great King Shengming!"
"Who do you think can take on the important task of attacking Chu?"
Li Si thought for a moment and said: "It is no secret that we are going to attack the Chu State now. The Chu army has made a lot of preparations. Now it is difficult to use troops to achieve the effect of surprising the Chu State. We should choose safe generals."
"What do you think of Li Xin? He was brave and fearless in the battle against Yan. In order to pursue the King of Yan, he penetrated thousands of miles into the hinterland of Yan alone and forced the King of Yan to kill Prince Dan."
"General Li is very brave, but the Chu State is different from the Yan State. The Chu State has many soldiers and many generals. Unlike the Yan State, which has only a few soldiers and few generals, it is easy to attack."
The King of Qin disagreed, so he called Li Xin and asked, "How many troops will be needed if the general leads an army to attack Chu?"
Li Xin replied: "Capture the thief first and capture the king first. I can lead an army of 200,000 to march directly to Shouchun and capture the King of Chu alive!"
The King of Qin continued to ask: "The Chu State has many soldiers and generals. Isn't the general afraid that the retreat will be cut off if the army goes deep alone?"
"When marching and fighting, strength is the key. If Cao Gidao goes all out, our Qin army must use thunderous momentum to defeat Chu in one fell swoop! How can we give them a chance to counterattack?"
King Qin was very happy after hearing this and gave Li Xin many rewards.
A few days later, the King of Qin asked the veteran general Wang Jian, "If we send a general to attack Chu, how many men and horses will be needed?"
Wang Jian said without thinking: "It must be six hundred thousand!"
King Qin laughed and said: "General Wang is old, why are you so timid! General Li only needs 200,000 to capture Chu!"
Wang Jian was very unhappy that the King of Qin did not adopt his opinion, and said: "I am old, please allow me to go home and take care of myself!"
The King of Qin was not angry and said: "How can the old general be so childish? But if you want to go home to take care of yourself, I can't force you to stay." So he approved Wang Jian's request to return to his fields. A few days later, Wang Jian returned to his hometown Pinyang.
As soon as Wang Jian left Xianyang, news of the rebellion in Xinzheng, the hometown of South Korea, came.
It turns out that Han Lin, a former aristocrat of Korea, has always been resentful because King Qin robbed his wife and daughter to Xianyang! Taking advantage of the Qin army to mobilize troops from Han to attack Yan, and when Han's troops were empty, he planned to regain his kingdom.
Han Lin summoned her former disciples and old officials to launch an army to attack Qin. However, due to Neishiteng's gentle policy, the people of Han did not respond much. King Qin ordered Li Xin to lead troops to quickly quell the rebellion.
The King of Qin realized that the old nobles still had great influence in the local area and were a great threat to Qin's rule. He began to think about how to deal with the threat of the old aristocracy.
In the twenty-second year of the Qin Dynasty, the King of Qin sent two armies to attack Chu and Wei at the same time. Li Xin and Meng Tian led an army of 200,000 people to march south to attack Chu. Wang Ben led an army of 200,000 to the east to attack Wei.
Let's say that Wang Ben led his army to attack the state of Wei, and his troops pointed directly at Daliang.
At this time, Wei's land was already very small, and it took the Qin army only one month to encircle Daliang. Then the Ten Heavenly King Ben ordered the Qin army to attack Daliang. However, the Daliang city wall was strong, and several attacks had little effect. Wang Ben then ordered to stop the strong attack and instead besieged Daliang.
One day, Wang Ben inspected the camp and found that there was a ditch not far outside Daliang City. Moreover, Daliang City was low-lying, making it easy to store water. Now the front line of the ditch was completely in the hands of the Qin army, so Wang Ben ordered his sergeants to dig ditches day and night to move the ditch. The water from Dagou was diverted to the foot of Daliang City, and the water from Dagou was used to soak the city wall of Daliang. After three months, the city wall collapsed, the king of Wei pretended to surrender, the state of Wei was destroyed, and the state of Qin established Dongjun in the homeland of the state of Wei.
The Qin army attacking Chu was divided into two groups, one led by Li Xin to attack Pingyu, and the other led by Meng Tian to attack Qiuqiu.
After Xiong Zhuang learned that the Qin army had sent troops to attack Chu, he wanted to organize troops to rebel. Yingdi was originally the old capital of the Chu State. It became part of the Qin State after it was captured by the Qin general Bai Qi. But the people of Yingdi all missed the Chu State and longed for its restoration. So Xiong Zhuang contacted the old aristocrats of Chu State in Ying District, killed the captain sent by King Qin to monitor him and the officials sent by Qin State, and organized an armed rebellion in Ying District.
When Mi Hong heard that the Qin army was attacking Chu, she sneaked into the King of Qin's study, stole the Qin army's marching route map, and sent a confidant eunuch to deliver it to Xiong Xiang.
After looking at the map, Xiong Xiang was overjoyed! He ordered someone to copy a piece of Kuai Ma and send it to Xiang Yan, the general of Chu State, and also attached a letter, which read: "Now that the land of Yan Ying has been occupied by me, the Qin army will come to rescue them after learning about it. At the beginning of the war, , The Qin army is very arrogant, General Xiang cannot fight forcefully, and it is easy to avoid his sharp edge. Our Chu territory stretches for 800 miles, and there is no need to forcefully fight for every city and pool. When the Qin army's momentum is exhausted, we will attack again and we will break it!"
Xiong Zhuang had previously told Xiang Yan in a letter that he wanted to return to Chu. Now that Xiang Yan received the letter and knew that Xiong Zhuang had returned to Chu and occupied Yanying, he was very happy and said: "Heaven will not destroy Chu!" Xiang Yan carefully checked the Qin army's marching route map and understood the Qin army's plan, so he ordered the Chu army in Pingyu and Qiu to pretend to be defeated and retreat to the hinterland of Chu.
After Li Xin conquered Pingyu, he learned that Xiong Zhuang had rebelled against Qin and returned to Chu, and had occupied Yanying. He knew that the situation was critical. If Yan Ying was controlled by the Chu army, the Qin army would be in danger of being cut off from its retreat at any time. Li Xin took advantage of the victory and returned to attack Yan Ying. Xiong Zhuang's troops only temporarily assembled more than 20,000 men and could not resist, so they withdrew from Yan Ying. Ying and Xiang Yan's troops met outside the city. After Li Xin occupied Yanying, he immediately led his troops to march west, and planned to meet Meng Tian's army at Chengfu according to the original plan.
Xiang Yan had already understood the Qin army's plan, so when Li Xin returned to attack Yan Ying, he deployed the main force of the Chu army everywhere. Suidi is the place where the Qin army must pass when marching eastward from Yanying. When the Qin army arrived, the Chu army, which had been ambushing here for a long time, began to launch a fierce attack. Li Xin knew that he had encountered the main force of the Chu army, so he did not dare to fight and wanted to follow. Meng Tian's army reunited and launched a counterattack. The Chu army followed and pursued Li Xin's army without stopping for three days and nights. The Chu army broke into two military camps and killed seven captains. Li Xin's army was defeated and fled.
Meng Tian's army, who had arrived in the city, heard that Li Xin's army was defeated and that the Chu army was about to encircle him. He quickly led his army to retreat and retreated to the Suiyang and Xinzheng lines.
Although the Chu army won the victory, the Qin army still occupied more than ten cities in Chu, making it impossible for the Chu army to go north to support the besieged Wei army. This bought Wang Ben valuable time to conquer Daliang.
The King of Qin received the battle report that the Qin army was defeated and was furious! The edict rebuked Li Xin for his unfavorable leadership of the army!
After returning to the court, Li Xin wrote a letter analyzing the reasons for the defeat, saying: "This defeat was caused by the Chu army's insight into the opportunity. When dealing with a big country like Chu, we cannot rush for success. We must take every step to win."
The King of Qin believed that Li Xin's analysis was reasonable. At the same time, he also began to doubt why the Chu army could see the opportunity in advance, so he secretly ordered Zhao Gao of the Central Chemistry Office to investigate whether anyone had leaked the Qin army's movements.
Although the Qin army failed, its strength still existed and did not shake the King of Qin's determination to attack Chu. After comprehensive analysis, he decided to re-enable Wang Jian. When Wang Jian asked to return to his fields, the King of Qin did not persuade him to stay. Now that he wants to re-appoint him, he must be sincere.
So the King of Qin personally drove to Wang Jian's hometown Pinyang to ask him to come out of the mountain. Seeing Wang Jian, the King of Qin said: "How is your health, old general? I didn't follow your advice earlier, which led to the Qin army's defeat in Chu. After much thought, I found that only you can complete this important task!"
"Your Majesty, you are so complimentary. I have been in poor health and I am afraid that I will not be able to obey my orders. There are many talented generals in the Qin army. Please choose someone else, Your Majesty!"
"Old general, don't be humble. Who in the Qin army can match your illustrious military exploits?"
"I'm old, I'm afraid I won't be able to shoulder this important responsibility!"
"Old general, don't refuse, I will agree to all your requests!"
Wang Jian knew that King Qin really wanted to use him and admitted his mistakes. This made Wang Jian feel flattered. It is not the way of a minister to refuse the order again, so he said: "If the king must use Lao Chen, I will stick to the previous suggestion. An army of 600,000 won’t work!”
King Qin said: "Okay! I agree, I will have an army of 600,000, and every soldier will be many!"
Wang Jian then bowed down and accepted the order! After receiving the military talisman from King Qin, Wang Jian said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, can you grant my request?"
King Qin asked doubtfully: "What else does the old general have to ask for? Just ask."
Wang Jian said: "After Chu is destroyed, I hope that the king can give the land of a hundred miles around Pinyang to the old ministers to support them for a thousand years!"
King Qin thought it was a big request. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "What's the problem? I agree!"
Wang Jian said again: "Please, Your Majesty, give me another thousand pieces of gold. When I get old, I have to think about my descendants!"
King Qin laughed and said: "I didn't expect that the old general is also a greedy person!"
"There is no one who is not greedy for money. I hope that when the king still needs me, I will think carefully about my future. Please agree to it!"
"Everything is accurate, old general, go to war with peace of mind! On the day of success, I will be rewarded as promised!"
So the King of Qin bid farewell to Wang Jian and returned to Xianyang first. After Wang Jian had settled everything, he led his troops to the expedition.
In the 23rd year of the Qin Dynasty, Wang Jian succeeded Li Xin and served as the commander-in-chief of the Qin army. Meng Wu was his deputy general and led an army of 600,000 to conquer Chu southward. Qin Wang Zheng personally sent Wang Jian to the shore of Bashui on the outskirts of Beijing.
After Wang Jian drank the wine from the swearing master, he took advantage of the wine and said to the King of Qin: "Please don't forget the fief and money you promised me!"
The King of Qin said: "Old General, please rest assured. You just have to conquer Chu. I will not forget it."
"I have been thinking about it again and again in the past few days. The land may not be enough for my sons. I hope that the king can give me another hundred acres of land! In addition, my house also needs to be repaired. Please plan for me."
"Old general, don't worry about this anymore. I will grant you a hundred acres of land and a beautiful house as a reward!"
Wang Jian then led his troops towards Chu State! Du Weiliang under Wang Jian's tent was very dissatisfied with Wang Jian's repeated requests for land from the King of Qin. He told people privately: "I didn't expect that the old general is such a greedy person. It is in vain that I have always thought that he is an upright commander!"
This word reached Wang Jian's ears, and Wang Jian called Du Weiliang over and said, "Captain, do you know why I repeatedly ask the King of Qin to give me a beautiful house and good land?"
Seeing the disdain on the captain's face, Wang Jian smiled slightly, took a sip of tea and continued: "Now I lead 600,000 Qin troops. The Qin State is in full force, and the king is a suspicious person, so he will inevitably doubt me. Now. If I ask the king for more fertile land and beautiful houses, he will think that I am greedy for money and have no rebellious intentions, and then he will feel free to let me command the Qin army in battle!"
After Du Weiliang heard this, he quickly knelt down and said, "I judge the gentleman's belly with the heart of a villain! Don't blame me, general."
Wang Jian knew that this battle was different from the past. It was a war to destroy the country. The Chu army would definitely fight back vigorously. If they were not careful, they might be doomed. The Chu army had recently defeated the Qin army commanded by Li Xin, and was full of fighting spirit. They faced off against the Chu army, but the Qin army did not have the advantage. So he ordered the army to enter the Chu State and build fortifications at Shangshui, Shangcai and Pingyu lines and hold them firmly. No troops were allowed to fight without orders. Anyone who disobeyed the order would be killed without mercy even if they won the battle.
Xiang Yan heard that the Qin army was marching eastward, so he gathered all his troops to fight. The main force of the Chu army was deployed on the south bank of the Huaihe River in Shouchun to confront the Qin army. However, unexpectedly, the Qin army had no intention of attacking forward after arriving. They just stayed in place, reinforcing the fortifications every day and conducting drills according to daily habits.
Xiang Yan said to Xiong Zhuang: "Why did the Qin army just garrison and attack? Is it just to consolidate the areas it has captured?"
"Wang Jian's leadership has always been changeable. Generals should not be careless. I think Wang Jian is waiting for the opportunity to attack!"
"Young Master is right. He wants to use silence to control the situation, so let's use silence to control the situation!"
As a result, the two armies faced each other across the river, not like irreconcilable enemies, but like friendly neighbors.
The two sides faced each other for half a year. The Qin army was not far from Qin. Food and grass from the Qin State were continuously sent to the front line. Wang Jian slaughtered livestock every day to reward the soldiers. The soldiers were well fed and drank every day, took pleasure in throwing stones, and looked forward to attacking every day. , fight with the Chu army!
The news that Wang Jian was hoarding troops and not advancing forward continued to reach the ears of the King of Qin. Some people began to scold Wang Jian for being cowardly and afraid of death. The King of Qin refused to listen to such news and still urged the prime minister to continue delivering food and grass to the front line. The Qin State has had good weather in recent years, and the Zhengguo Canal has played a huge role in water conservancy and irrigation. The warehouses are full of grain, so transporting grain to the front line is not a big burden.
The situation in the Chu State at this time was just the opposite. After half a year of consumption, the Chu army was already short of supplies and its soldiers were exhausted. What was even worse was that the Chu State's granaries no longer had much food.
The King of Chu heard that Xiang Yan had been holding back his troops and did not dare to attack. He was very angry and scolded: "I have gathered an army of 400,000 people. How can I hold back my troops now? I am sitting on nothing!" The King of Chu strictly ordered Xiang Yan to take the initiative and attack Qin. military.
Facing the strict military order, Xiang Yan had no choice but to order the army to attack the Qin army. After a long period of reinforcement, the Qin army's fortifications were easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Chu army paid a heavy price and still failed to push back the Qin army. In this way, after half a year of intermittent attacks, the Chu army had no extra food and grass, so they had no choice but to lead their troops eastward, hoping to retreat to Huainan, where there was more food and grass.
When Wang Jian heard that the Chu army was retreating, he ordered a full-scale pursuit. The Chu army marched to the Guohe River, but the 400,000-strong army could not cross the river quickly, so they had to return to fight the Qin army. At this time, the Chu army was exhausted, but the Qin army descended from the mountain like a tiger, and quickly broke through the Chu army's defense line. The Chu army was defeated. . Xiang Yan gathered the remaining troops and fled eastward.
Xiang Yan discussed the next step with Changping Lord Xiong Zhuang. Xiang Yan said: "Now the Chu army has been defeated, and Shouchun City lacks food and grass, so it cannot be defended."
Xiong Zhuang said anxiously: "But the ancestral temple and the King of Chu are both in Shouchun, how can we not save him?"
Xiang Yan said pessimistically: "Retreating to Shouchun now is tantamount to throwing yourself into a trap. Don't you understand, sir? Our defeat on the side of the Guohe River was not because the soldiers were greedy for life and fear of death, but because of the lack of food and grass! Now Shouchun is facing the same problem. question."
"I must not understand, I really can't bear it!"
"A true man should stop being revolted by his rebellion. Please, young master, flee with me to the land of Huainan!"
Xiong Zhuang looked up to the sky and sighed: "It's not me who is unkind, but God's will is like this!" So he and Xiang Yan led their troops to flee westward, and at the same time sent messengers to persuade Fuchu to abandon the city and flee, and make plans after meeting in Huainan.
After receiving the letter, Xiang Chu was furious! Xiang Yan actually retreated without permission. Out of anger, he refused to flee with him.
At this time, the city of Shouchun was empty, with neither food nor defenders. Wang Jian and Meng Wu led their troops to attack Shouchun, the capital of Chu, in just one month, and captured King Chu Chu.
Under Guangling City, the Qin army formed camps on all sides, and the sound of the army was loud. The Chu army saw that the king of Chu was captured carrying the cud, and their morale was low.
Wuchenghou sent his troops to attack urgently, and the city was broken. Lord Changping was hit by a stray arrow and died. Xiang Yan committed suicide by drawing his sword. The Kingdom of Chu was destroyed, and Wang Jian's 600,000-strong army suffered only a loss of 100,000.
Just after the war, the First Emperor couldn't wait to send his trusted general Ren Xiao to announce his will. Wang Jian returned to Xianyang to accept the land reward, and worshiped Tu Sui as the state captain (Taiwei), taking over Wang Jian's military power. With Tu Sui as the chief general and Zhao Tuo as the deputy general, he led an army of 300,000 troops (later increased to 500,000 troops) south to Lingnan, intending to conquer the Baiyue that Chu had failed to conquer. At the same time, Meng Tian and Ren Xiao were appointed as generals. , each led an army of 100,000 to wipe out the areas where Chu State was still resisting. The Qin army was divided into three, and neither of them returned to Guanzhong. Wang Jian and Wang Ben were separated from their subordinates.
The king of Chu, Fu Chu, was demoted to a commoner. This was no longer important to him. Fu Chu soon died in depression. The curse he gave to Qin Shihuang was very brief and powerful: "Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die!" "
