In a Chu town more than ten miles east of Shouchun, a Qin army raided the place under the cover of darkness. The Chu people in the town were all trembling with fear under the shining swords and halberds.
The two rural gates in the north and south have been closed, and are guarded by vicious black-armored soldiers to prevent Chu people from escaping and reporting news.
Fortunately, these Qin people did not intend to massacre the city. After suppressing the Chu people in the countryside, they did not kill people, nor did they molest women, nor did they rob money and jewelry. Instead, they kept collecting food from Chu people's homes everywhere.
"Hurry up and hand over the food, quickly!"
"Bring over this piece of dried meat, bring over these rice, what is this?"
"Orange! Ugh... no, take it away from me!"
…
Rice, millet, meat, vegetables, and various fruits except oranges.
In the eyes of the Chu people, this Qin army seemed to be hungry ghosts. It seemed as if they had not eaten for hundreds of years. When they saw food, their eyes lit up and their mouths made sounds like wild beasts. Some people even went up to hold the meat. Just chew it when you do it, the scene is frightening to watch.
Fortunately, although these Qin people were hungry as ghosts, they were not murderous. After taking the food, they left the house, leaving only the Chu people staring in their own houses with panic and fear in their hearts. I don’t know what happened and why such a vicious group of Qin troops came near Shouchun.
At this time, in the wealthy mansion in the original hometown, the top brass of the Qin army were having military discussions while eating.
"Marquis, why are we leaving? In my opinion, these Chu people are simply vulnerable. They all ran away once they charged. Wait for five thousand... No, it's six thousand now. Wait for six thousand. After people have eaten enough and have strength, they can try to attack Shouchun again. Maybe this time they can break the city in one fell swoop, capture the King of Chu, and capture Xianyang as prisoners. This is a huge achievement!"
The more the black buttocks talked, the more excited he became, and he squirted out all the rice he had just put in his mouth.
Zhang He on the side also said excitedly: "I think Lord Black Bottom Two Five Hundred is right. If we can capture Shouchun and capture the King of Chu, it will really shock the world. With the ability of the military commander, it will definitely be If we are to be directly granted the title of Marquis by the King, I am afraid that we will be able to follow the military marquis and be promoted to several levels of nobility, hehehehe..."
Zhao Tuo, who was sitting on the main seat, glared at the two men and asked coldly: "Let's not talk about whether Shouchun can be captured. Let's defeat Shouchun as you said. After capturing the King of Chu, what should we do? ?”
Black Hips said casually: "Of course I'm going back to Xianyang to receive my merit."
"If we capture King Chu, can we go back alive?" Zhao Tuo said lightly.
"ah?"
Black Butt touched his butt, his face full of surprise. He had never thought about these problems.
"Zhao Guang, tell me."
Zhao Tuo turned his head and looked at Zhao Guang, who rarely spoke.
This general with the same clan as him spoke less than the others, but he was quite calm in his work. Together with Shejian, he was very valued by Zhao Tuo.
Zhao Guang accepted the promise and said: "As the military commander said, it doesn't matter whether we can capture Shouchun, which is also guarded by thousands of soldiers. If we really succeed in raiding Shouchun and capture the King of Chu, then not only can we not For us to go back to Xianyang to receive rewards, but it will put everyone's lives in danger."
"There are tens of thousands of Chu people in Shouchun City, and together with the private soldiers of various nobles, the fighting force is far greater than ours."
"If our army retreats with the prestige of the Eight Mountains Battle, the Chu people in the city may not dare to pursue it, but if we dare to capture Shouchun and capture the King of Chu, then there will definitely be bloody brave men among the tens of thousands of Chu people in Shouchun City. There are tens of thousands of people from Chu who come up to fight us to the death. If we resist, even if we can win, we will suffer heavy casualties."
"Furthermore, our army is now in the hinterland of the Chu Kingdom and is surrounded by enemies everywhere. If we capture the King of Chu, even if we retreat from Shouchun, there will definitely be countless Chu people chasing us behind and in front of us. Even Xiang Yan in Huaibei will receive After hearing the news, I’m afraid they will all return to pursue our army.”
"In order to recapture the King of Chu, or for revenge, these Chu people will definitely follow us all the way and fight with our army at all costs. By that time, even if our trip can shock the world, I am afraid that none of you will come back. There is a chance to return to Xianyang alive."
Speaking of this, Zhao Guang looked at Zhao Tuo with admiration and said in a deep voice: "Only the military commander's clever plan can use the power of victory to frighten the King of Chu in Shouchun City with the false words of 30,000 Qin troops. Let them never dare to move out of the city, so that we can retreat slowly. By the time the Chu people react, our army has already arrived hundreds of miles away. This is our way to survive!"
"This time, the military commander not only led us to achieve great achievements, but also saved the lives of thousands of people in the entire army!"
With that said, Zhao Guang turned around and bowed to Zhao Tuo.
After this surprise attack on Shouchun, he had completely bowed to Zhao Tuo and admired him to the extreme.
After Zhao Guang explained, everyone understood and hurriedly said: "We admire the military commander's clever plan."
After admiring him, Black Butt asked boldly: "But Junhou, we want to go back to Xianyang. Why don't we go back the same way we came from? Instead, we have to go east. Isn't the west closer?"
Hearing this, Bai Rong smiled and said: "What a black butt, why don't you come to eat the big fish and meat in the east, and instead go to the west to eat oranges?"
"Oh, that's right. I don't want to eat oranges anymore in my life. I would rather take a long way back." Black Butt muttered.
Everyone laughed, and Zhao Tuo also had a faint smile on his lips.
He looked at the generals in the tent, especially Shejian and Zhao Guang, and saw that they looked calm. He probably understood why he chose to go east.
In addition to what Bai Rong said about supplying food, it was a problem.
The biggest reason is that the situation now is different from when they made a surprise attack on Shouchun.
At that time, Li Xin and Meng Wu were in Huaibei to cover their sneak attack. No one knew that there was such a Qin army quietly marching along the Huai River to Shouchun, so Zhao Tuo could reach Shouchun City smoothly. Next, he launched a surprise attack and achieved the purpose of frightening the King of Chu.
Now, they have exposed their traces in front of the Chu people. If they continue to go west along the original road, after three to five days, when the lie of "30,000 Qin troops" is broken, the Chu troops of King Qin from all over the country will gather under Shouchun City.
The King of Chu would definitely become angry and send an army to pursue him all the way. At that time, the Qin army was marching westward along the Huaihe River. Not only did it have no food supplies, but because of the rugged terrain, its marching speed would be very slow. As long as the Chu people came in a hurry, they would be able to catch up.
Moreover, the King of Chu may also order the Chu army in Huaibei to intercept them. In today's Huaibei battlefield, Xiang Yan defeated Li Xin's army. The Chu army advanced with great success and regained many cities west of Yingshui that had been captured by the Qin army.
If Xiang Yan receives the order and sends troops to block the north bank of the Huaihe River in the west, it is even possible to block Zhao Tuo's army.
There are people blocking us in front of us, we are being pursued by soldiers behind us, and we still have no supplies and baggage. Taking the original route to the west seems like a way to survive, but in fact it is a dead end!
In comparison, continuing to the east of Chu State seems to be deeper into danger and farther and farther away from Xianyang, but it is actually safer than the west.
Because the tens of thousands of soldiers recruited from the eastern border of Chu State were all under Xiang Yan's command, they were chasing the defeated Qin army in the Huaibei battlefield west of Yingshui River.
Most of the cities in the eastern border of Chu State are in a state of emptiness. A large city may only be guarded by more than a thousand people, and a small city may only have two or three hundred people guarding it.
With the 6,000 troops under Zhao Tuo's command, it was not like tigers entering the flock of sheep and killing them indiscriminately.
Moreover, after development, the cities in the east were not only connected by roads, but also had many cities for the Qin army to feed, so that they no longer had to worry about food.
and……
"Shejian, tomorrow all the soldiers under your command will be replaced by Chu army armor, and they will take the surrendered prisoners as the vanguard to clear the way for our central army, seize the cities in front, and open the road to Xianyang!"
"only."
Shejian stood up and accepted the promise.
In the evening, all the soldiers of Qin Army had eaten and drank enough, and began to fall into a deep sleep to build up their strength and prepare for tomorrow's march.
Zhao Tuo came to a quiet and comfortable room in the house.
"come in."
After Zhao Tuo got permission, he quietly entered the house and saw Xin Wu lying on the couch with his injured arm on the bed. His expression was much better than before.
"My subordinate Zhao Tuo is here to see General Xin."
Zhao Tuo bowed his hands in salute. He was far lower than Xin Wu in terms of official position and title, so he should be respectful.
Xin Wu looked at the young man in front of him and said with a smile: "I have already said that you, Zhao Tuo, are my savior, and our relationship is different from that of ordinary people. When there is no military affairs, you don't need to match your military position. People can be more affectionate."
Hearing this, Zhao Tuo was not polite and said with a smile: "In that case, then Tuo will boldly call him 'Xin Gong'."
"It's up to you, I'll treat you as my junior."
Xin Wu chuckled, looking at the appearance of the young man in front of him, his expression couldn't help but become dazed.
He had already heard about Zhao Tuo sending troops to chase the defeated soldiers and attack Shouchun and scare the King of Chu. Coupled with what he heard about the "30,000 Qin troops" in the afternoon, he was even more surprised and amazed.
All these deeds were based on the situation and were consistent with the art of war. The wisdom displayed in them was enough to make him, a veteran on the battlefield, approve.
Moreover, Zhao Tuo, a mere teenager, dared to sneak into the capital of the Kingdom of Ten Thousands of People with thousands of people, and sent hundreds of soldiers to stand in front of Shouchun City to scare the King of Chu. Such courage and courage could not be achieved by ordinary people. .
"This son's future is limitless! He will definitely be a hero in the world in the future!"
Xin Wu sighed in his heart, and he made up his mind to establish a good relationship with Zhao Tuo, not only to repay Zhao Tuo for saving his life, but also to make a strong ally for the Xin family.
Just as Xin Wu's thoughts were turning, Zhao Tuo said: "Mr.
Zhao Tuo reported the next march plan to Xin Wu. Hearing Xin Wu nod his head, he praised Zhao Tuo more and more in his heart.
Soon, after Zhao Tuo finished speaking, he raised his hands to Xin Wu and said: "Xin Gong is a general of our army and an experienced elder. Zhao Tuo also asked Xin Gong to take charge of the overall situation and take charge of the entire army."
Xin Wu was stunned for a moment, then turned to smile and said: "Well, Zhao Tuo, didn't you see that I was injured? How can I still direct military affairs? You kid, don't do such nonsense. The rest of the matter is your responsibility. , whatever you say is what it is.”
Hearing this, Zhao Tuo also laughed.
This Xin Wu is a good comrade.
In this way, he can legitimately take charge of these six thousand people without being controlled by Xin Wu.
Early the next morning, the morning light shone brightly on the horizon.
Zhao Tuo's 6,000 soldiers were already arranged in order under the command of the military officers of each department, and marched out of the villages and towns in order, heading towards the eastern part of Chu State.
In front of it, a thousand Qin soldiers were all wearing Chu armor as red as fire...
Thanks to book friend Kun Linyuan Shan for the reward, and to all book friends for voting and supporting, thank you!
(End of chapter)
