In Qiyi, a large red armored army was coming from the north.
There are many of them, tens of thousands of them.
The wheels rolled and the horses' hooves flew, looking quite powerful.
But most of the Chu people in Qiyi looked bitter when they saw this scene. Even if the visitors were Zuo Sima's army from their Chu state, coming to pursue the Qin army, they still did not welcome them at all.
"Qi Gong, quickly go into the city to get food and fodder. Our army will rest here in Qiyi."
"Boil water to make rice, kill chickens and dogs, and let the soldiers have a good meal. Then lead the army to pursue the eastward Qin army and rescue your Qigong's son."
[In view of the general environment,
Zuo Sima Zhaoping spoke, and although his voice was dull, it was full of an undeniable flavor.
"Follow Sima Zuo's order."
Qi Gong nodded with a grimace.
When he entered the city and saw the chaos all over Qiyi, his expression became increasingly sad.
Although Duke Qi was rescued from the Qin army by Zuo Sima, he did not expect that before he returned to Qiyi, he received news on the way that Qiyi had been captured by another Qin army with a larger number.
Not only was all the food and property in the city robbed, but his legitimate son Dou Yuan was also kidnapped by the Qin army. According to the two Sima who escaped from Fu Li Sai, Dou Yuan was even captured by the Qin people to defraud Fu Li Sai.
"My son, you must be fine."
Qi Gong wailed, wiped his tears, and went to gather his men in the city. They began to collect the grain stored in the city and the chickens, dogs, and livestock raised by the Chu people in the city to collect food for the army outside the city.
In Qiyi, there was a lot of chaos.
Outside Qiyi City, the newly built Chu army camp was built.
Zuo Sima Zhaoping sat in the main seat and looked at the two Sima of the Chu army standing in the tent.
He asked coldly: "Are you sure there are more than five thousand people?"
Ge Ying hurriedly said: "Back to Zuo Sima, my subordinates went to a high ground to see it before leaving. Although it may not be accurate, the number of Qin troops is indeed more than 5,000. They have more than ten carriages. , it carried some wounded people and baggage. There were also nearly a hundred war horses, and the soldiers were basically wearing armor, and their weapons included spears..."
After listening to Ge Ying's report on the Qin army's situation.
Zhaoping nodded and said: "Well, you are very good and quite smart in what you do. Since Fulisai has been captured by the Qin army, you don't have to go back. Just stay with me and be a short-term soldier."
Hearing this, Ge Ying was instantly overjoyed.
Even if it is just a small pawn as a short soldier of Zuo Sima of the dignified Chu Kingdom, it is much more noble than the two Sima of Fulisai.
Ge Ying hurriedly kowtowed to the Prime Minister, then stepped back and went to report to the captain of the short army.
Zhao Ping watched Ge Ying walk out and couldn't help but nod.
This Liang Sima from Fulisai is quite a talent.
When he saw that the Qin army was approaching the city and the situation was over, he did not charge indiscriminately or run away and disappear. Instead, after observing the general situation of the Qin army, he led his Pegasus to look for him and brought this A very critical piece of information.
This is the first time Zhaoping clearly knows the information about the Qin army.
Although the other party made a big fuss in Huainan, first they used the heavy fog to raid Qu Ming and 5,000 Chu troops who were escorting the prisoners, then they mocked and intimidated the King of Chu under the Shouchun City, and finally caused a wooden attack on the Eight Mountains. Suspecting the military plan, they took the opportunity to cover up and flee eastward.
Zhao Ping, who was leading his army back for reinforcements, couldn't help but praise these methods. Then he received an order from King Chu, Fu Chu, to pursue and kill the Qin army.
He said it was a pursuit, but Zhao Ping actually had a dark look in his eyes.
How many people are there in this Qin army?
Who is their general?
What was their purpose of sneaking into Huainan?
Just to scare the king? Or do you want to take advantage of the situation to seize Shouchun and echo Li Xin's amazing army? Or maybe they want to wreak havoc in the hinterland of Chu State and disrupt the Chu army’s deployment?
This Qin army is heading east, where will it go?
…
kind
Zhaoping didn't know about this problem, but based on his many years of military experience, he speculated that this Qin army probably only had a few thousand people. The reason was similar to what Songyang Jun Jingzhao said before.
Although I don’t know what the other party’s purpose was for sneaking into Huainan, now that Li Xin has been defeated and the Qin State has no chance of victory in the battle against Chu, the Qin army has naturally lost its reason to stay in Huainan. Their only way out is to the east. , that is, cross the Huaihe River to the north, pass through the Chu Kingdom for thousands of miles, and return to the Qin Kingdom!
This was Zhaoping's judgment, so he did not chase in Huainan, but went directly north to take a shortcut to block the opponent in Qiyi.
The real situation is similar to what he judged.
Zhaoping could have led his army to sit in Qiyi and wait for the exhausted Qin army to march here, and give the opponent a head-on blow.
Ten thousand versus five thousand.
Waiting for work and marching long distances.
He, Zhao Ping, is absolutely sure to win. Once he catches the black buttocks named by the Qin army general and the king, he can return to Shouchun and make a small contribution.
However, everything was ruined by the Qin army that suddenly appeared in Qiyi.
"Li Youshuzi!"
Thinking of this, Zhao Ping was itching with hatred.
The two thousand Qin troops were led by a military commander named Li You. They were all the remnant soldiers who were gathered together and routed. Taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the Qi Yi garrison, they raided the city and captured Qi Gong.
This was nothing at first, but the timing of Li You's appearance was too coincidental, and Dou Yuan misjudged the number of Qin troops in panic.
Zhaoping mistakenly believed that Li You and his men were the Qin army that was making trouble in Huainan, so he pursued them for two days and two nights and annihilated them in one fell swoop.
The Qin army under Li You had no combat effectiveness and was easily defeated by Zhao Ping, which also let him know that the one in front of him was a fake.
Zhaoping was so angry that he wanted to catch Li You and cut off his head to vent his anger.
Unexpectedly, Li You was not good at fighting, but he was good at escaping. Even the Chu cavalry who were chasing him all the way failed to catch him.
At this time, news came from the direction of Qiyi that the Qin army was attacking the city. Zhaoping could only angrily kill all the five hundred Qin people who were captured.
After he vented some of his anger, he gave up chasing Li You and led his troops south.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the outskirts of Qiyi, they received news from Ge Ying that the Qin army had breached Fuli Fortress.
"Zuo Sima, the Qin army deceived the talisman to leave the fortress. They must have wanted to cross the Sui River from there and then return to the Qin territory."
Jing Tong, who was also sitting in the tent, spoke up. He said somewhat happily: "The traces of the Qin army have been revealed. All we have to do is catch up. Sooner or later we will be able to stop them."
Zhaoping wanted to test him and said, "In that case, where do you think this Qin army will go after crossing the Suishui River?"
Jing Tong pondered for a while and said: "The Qin army has two routes after crossing the Suishui River. One is to go northwest along the Suishui River, pass through Zhuyi and arrive at Xiangyi. After passing through Xiangyi, it enters the Mangdang area of Qin State. , directly to Suiyang."
"However, although this route is close, the Qin army already knows about Zuo Sima's existence. In addition, our army is stationed in Xiangyi. If they dare to go there, they will be destroyed. So they will choose the second route."
"After the Qin army passed through Pengcheng, they detoured to Liuyi and Peiyi, and from there they entered the vicinity of Shanfu Changyi in Wei. Although this road was farther, except for my three thousand garrison in Pengcheng, there were no other troops. Therefore, they I will definitely go to Pengcheng!"
Bang bang bang...
"Children can be taught."
Zhaoping put his hands on his hands and smiled. This young man from the Jing family was really qualified. After following him around the battlefield for a few times, he was able to draw inferences from one instance and what he said was similar to his own judgment.
He nodded and said: "You are right. This Qin army will definitely go to Pengcheng and return to Qin via Liu and Pei. So we have to intercept and kill them before that."
"There is a three-day journey gap between the Qin army and us. After they cross the Suishui River, they will definitely burn all the nearby ships. It will take another day for our army to cross the Suishui River. So it is a four-day journey. No matter how hard we chase, the other party will reach Pengcheng before us."
Zhaoping said this, not only did he not panic, but he smiled and said: "But there are three thousand garrison troops from Qu Song in Pengcheng."
stationed. I will send an envoy to drive my horse around Zhuyi and gallop through the night. I will definitely be able to convey my order to Pengcheng before the Qin army arrives. "
"Let Qu Song lead 3,000 people to stop them!"
"Three thousand versus five thousand, even if you can't beat them, you can still drag them out for a few days."
"Haha, in this way, our army can arrive leisurely, catch up with the Qin army, and annihilate it in one fell swoop!"
Having said this, Zhaoping smiled coldly, turned to look in the direction of Pengcheng, and whispered: "You can't escape, my little fish."
…
At this moment, there is a broad grassland more than thirty miles east of Suishui River.
The winter sun shines slantly and falls on people, making them feel warm.
The exhausted Qin soldiers either leaned on each other, or lay directly on the ground to rest in the sun.
In the temporary tent.
The senior generals of this Qin army are discussing matters.
"There are three thousand people in Pengcheng, blocking our way back. This is also the last hurdle for our army to return to Qin. As long as we pass through Pengcheng, Liuyi and Peiyi can easily pass through, and you can go home." .”
"It's just three thousand Chu troops in Pengcheng. How should we deal with them?"
Zhao Tuo asked.
The generals, including Xin Wu, were somewhat silent.
Three thousand Chu troops.
This number could not be said to be large, but it was more than two thousand fewer than them.
But it is by no means too small, and with the advantage of being able to wait for work and having the city at their back, it is definitely not something they can easily win.
"Can we still defraud the city like before? Let the seventh doctor from Fu Li Sai go defraud the city?"
The Five Hundred Advocate He spoke cautiously.
Before Zhao Tuo could answer, Xin Wu shook his head and said, "The Chu people won't be that stupid. Our army has already used it twice in Huaibei. It's a full two hundred miles from Fuli to Pengcheng. As long as the Chu army behind them gives way." If the horse delivers the message, they will probably receive the news in advance.”
"Even if we cheat the city gates, it will be difficult for our army to capture Pengcheng. The three thousand Chu army will have a chance unless they catch their Chu generals on the spot and make them confused. Otherwise, it will be a hard battle once they are discovered. And the opponent Not only are there three thousand Chu troops, there are tens of thousands of Chu people in the city. Once mobilized and resisting in the city, our army will never be a match."
Xin Wu's words made sense and made everyone fall silent.
Before this, they had repeatedly succeeded in defrauding cities. Their main targets were small towns with few soldiers. Even Fuli Fortress only had a thousand Chu troops in it. As long as they could seize the city gates, they could rely on their superior strength. Annihilate the defenders in the city and achieve victory.
But Pengcheng, with three thousand troops, is definitely not easy to deal with.
And there are tens of thousands of Chu people in the city. If they are fighting outside the city, these Chu people may not dare to go to the battlefield, but if the Qin army attacks the city, there will definitely be many bloody men holding swords and halberds to guard their hometown.
Therefore, even if the Qin army cheated and opened the city gate, there would be a hard and bloody battle afterwards. Even if they could win in the end, the number of casualties would be unknown.
"Then let's go around Pengcheng, and go through other small roads, and don't bother to pay attention to them. Even if there are no supplies on the way, and there is a lack of food, the worst is the same as in Huainan, we just eat oranges... vomit... vomit..."
Halfway through the words, Black Butt couldn't help but retched.
Others also felt unwell in their stomachs for no apparent reason.
Zhao Tuo shook his head and smiled bitterly. A city in this era could never be bypassed if it could be bypassed.
During the Warring States Period, due to the scarcity of population, the level of land development was very low.
At least before the Qin Dynasty unified and overhauled roads, the traffic conditions in various places were actually very poor. There was often only one road connecting one city to another.
This means that wars between countries must be based on pushing back and forth.
We must follow the road and conquer one city after another. Even if there is a path that can bypass this city, your logistics supply will basically be finished. The opponent can directly cut you off from behind, or pursue you from behind.
Therefore, even if Li Xin attacked Shouchun by surprise, it would only bypass Xiangcheng where the main force of the Chu army was located. The route forward still has to follow Pingyu, Xiqiu, Hu
Pushing through the city line, the cities on these roads cannot be bypassed.
Like Zhao Tuo's route to Shouchun, he had to capture Xincai first, otherwise he would not be able to reach the Huaihe River. Although he finally reached Shouchun by walking through the no-man's land of the Huai River, it came at the cost of many non-combat attrition and loss of supplies. If you are unlucky, you may be completely wiped out on the road.
Black Butt's strategy for bypassing Pengcheng.
Perhaps the Qin Army searched carefully and found a path around Pengcheng from the local population, but the speed of taking the path would definitely be slower than taking the main road where Pengcheng is located.
If there are no pursuers behind them, they can walk away, but now Chu Zuo Sima's 10,000 troops may catch up at any time. Once Zhao Tuo takes the small road and Zuo Sima takes the main road, then the opponent will be faster than them and may directly attack them. Make a counter-attack and intercept them in the front.
Bypassing Pengcheng is not possible.
You can only fight!
The generals discussed for a long time, but even veteran Xin Wu could not think of a way to reduce the losses during the attack on Pengcheng.
"We're still a few days away from Pengcheng. Let's go down and rest first, and we'll think of a solution on the way."
Zhao Tuo said softly, since he couldn't think of anything for a while, there was no point in worrying, it was better to let everyone have a good rest first.
After everyone left, Zhao Tuo also walked outside the tent and stared at the red sun in the sky in a daze.
Pengcheng blocks the road, how to solve it?
I don't know how long it took, but suddenly there was a rush of footsteps behind me.
Zhao Tuo turned around and saw Hei Butt running towards him in a hurry.
The black ass shouted as soon as they met: "Marquis, I have an idea!"
"oh."
Zhao Tuo responded perfunctorily.
Most of the ways to blacken your buttocks are figured out by patting your buttocks, so just listen.
But Hei Butt didn't care about Zhao Tuo's attitude. He walked over, stood still on his feet, raised his chin and laughed.
"Didn't you say that the Chu general guarding Pengcheng was named Qu or something? I thought about it, isn't this person the same family as the Qu Ming we captured? I ran to ask Qu Ming if he recognized that person. Pengcheng Guards General."
"But Qu Ming, the idiot, said he could help us capture Pengcheng, quack quack!"
Black Bottom laughed proudly.
Zhao Tuo was surprised.
Ever since they asked Qu Ming to defraud Qi Yi, they had never asked him to do anything again. After that, Dou Yuan was sent to defraud Li Sai. It took a long time along the way, and he almost forgot that there was Qu Ming among the prisoners.
Zhao Tuo glanced at Hei Butt approvingly.
This guy is quite reliable sometimes.
