The cold wind in winter blows across the large land north of Suishui, shrouded in frost and everything is silent.
It is now the second month since Zhao Tuo led the Qin army southward and confronted the Chu army led by Xiang Qu at Suishui.
The Qin army's camp was mainly stationed near Zhuyi.
But on the lower reaches of the Sui River, on the east bank opposite Fulisai, the Qin army also set up a camp of 5,000 people to monitor the Chu army camp opposite and be on guard against the Chu people crossing the river.
If the Chu army dared to cross the river here, these five thousand men could attack halfway across the river, enough to defend until the army stationed in Zhuyi came to support. At the same time, this camp often dispatched scouts to inspect the nearby Suishui River section to prevent Chu troops from sneaking across the river elsewhere, playing an extremely important warning role.
However, since the Suishui War broke out that day, both the Qin and Chu armies were in a state of cessation. In the following days, there was no bigger conflict.
But under this strange calm, there is a faint undercurrent.
On this day, several fast horses galloped from the north.
The knight on the war horse looked very anxious. The horse was panting heavily when he sat down, and he was already tired as he moved his hooves.
"Report...emergency military information!"
"In the southeast of Pengcheng, in the direction of the Chu underground minister, thousands of Chu troops have been discovered, marching towards our Pengcheng under the banner of the Xiang clan!"
The Chu army actually had reinforcements, which appeared from the southeast direction of Xiangxiang and attacked the important area of Pengcheng!
When the information brought by the messenger cavalry was announced in the Qin army's camp, it immediately caused an uproar.
Fortunately, General Zhao acted cautiously and had already sent scouts and sentries in all directions for surveillance and inspection.
There were sentries stationed in Lu Di in the northeast of Pengcheng, Xiangxiang in the southeast, and Xiaoxian in the west. Scouts came and went for reconnaissance. Therefore, the Qin army was alerted the first moment the Chu army appeared in the direction of Xiangxiang.
"Our army has about 4,000 soldiers stationed in Pengcheng. In addition to defending the city, these soldiers are also responsible for escorting civilians to and from the Suishui camp to transport grain and fodder. The strength of the troops is sufficient."
"Now there are thousands of Chu troops heading towards Pengcheng in the direction of Xiangxiang. Even if the Pengcheng defenders can defend the city after being warned and will not be captured by them, our army's food route will be cut off by that Chu army!"
Captain Zhao Guang looked serious and explained the current situation, and the expressions of all the generals in the tent changed.
Pengcheng!
If there is a loss of food and fodder for the Qin army under Zhao Tuo, the entire army will be without food, and the Qin army of more than 20,000 will collapse without a fight. Even if the Chu army could not capture Pengcheng, as long as they blocked the road, everything would be over.
What's more, this Chu army may not be able to defeat Pengcheng.
The Qin army occupied Pengcheng for only a month or two. The rule there mainly relied on the help of the noble and wealthy Chu people in the city, and all the residents in the city were Chu people.
If these Chu people cooperated with Xiang Xiang when the Chu army attacked the city, and jointly attacked the Qin army defending the city, it would really be possible to capture Pengcheng.
For the Qin army, once Pengcheng falls, the consequences will be disastrous.
Therefore, this strange force sent by the Chu army was really necessary to attack the enemy and force the Qin army to return for reinforcements.
"What are you afraid of? Since the traces of the Chu army have been discovered, our army will send people back immediately."
Black Butt stood up, raised his head and said, "General, I, Black Butt, am willing to lead five thousand men under my command to go north to support Pengcheng. I will definitely defeat the Chu army and decapitate its general and present it to the General. In this way, our army will have no worries about its future." .”
The generals nodded, Black Buttocks was right. Although the important area of Pengcheng is of great importance, the Qin army only needs to send a partial division back to the army.
Only five thousand people are enough to deal with the enemy's army from Xiaxiang, so there is a threat from the other side, but it is not serious.
"This is the Chu people's plan to lure me into dividing our troops."
After Black Butt finished speaking, Shenzhen continued to speak, and his words went straight to the point.
Although Shejian was young and from a humble background, after fighting with Zhao Tuo for two years, carefully studying the art of war, and combining it with actual combat, he was now able to point out strategic situations, even compared with Zhao Guang, who was born in the Zhao clan. Not inferior.
He explained: "In the past, it was clear
Judging from Xiang Qu's performance, the Chu people intended to fight our army quickly, so as to break our army's attrition strategy, open up the grain road east of the Suishui River, and obtain food from Pengcheng and other places in the Lu region. However, the general stuck to the Suishui River, blocking the east and west, and did not fight the Chu people. Therefore, there was no way to deal with the canal, so he had to find other strategies. "
"From the general point of view, the Chu army attacked our Pengcheng with surprise troops and forced the general to divide his troops to come back for reinforcements. The purpose is to reduce the strength of our army so that Xiang Qu can defeat our army with a large number and defeat it. I am afraid that he will wait until the general sends his troops back. After aiding Pengcheng, he will look for an opportunity to cross the Suishui River and fight with our army."
In the afternoon, Shejian's words were supported by new military information.
Xiangyi is a city on the upper reaches of Suishui River northwest of Zhuyi.
Because it is located on the border, adjacent to Suiyang, Mangdang and other places in the Qin State, in order to prevent the Qin people from sending troops southward from the direction of Suiyang and breaking into the hinterland of the Chu State, a second-line army of about 10,000 people has been stationed in Xiangyi for a long time.
Even when Li Xin attacked Chu before and now Xiang Yan and Wang Jian are fighting in Chen Ying, the Chu people did not mobilize this army to leave.
But now, the Chu army in Xiangyi took action. About five thousand Chu troops set off and headed south along the Suishui River, aiming directly at Zhuyi in the upper reaches of the Suishui River.
When the Chu army was setting off from Xiangyi, the Qin army's scouts, who had been monitoring and investigating nearby, immediately sent the news to the Qin army's camp in Zhuyi.
"Pengcheng was attacked by the Chu army. I have to send at least 5,000 people back to defend the city to ensure that the food route is not lost. As a result, there are only 20,000 people left here. And he has 30,000 people stationed on the west bank of the Suishui River. The Chu army has now mobilized 5,000 people from Xiangyi to go south to support, making the total number 35,000."
"Haha, reduce the strength of our army, and then increase the strength of his Chu army. Eventually, we will have an advantage of 35,000 people against my 20,000 people. This is really a good way for him to use the art of war."
"Do you want to defeat the few with a large number and achieve success in one battle?"
Zhao Tuo looked solemn.
Xiang Qu's series of dispatches indeed showed the qualities of an excellent general, making him unable to be underestimated.
What's more, the Chu army not only has a large number of people, but the battlefield here has both the right time and the right location.
Along the Suishui River is the hometown of the Chu State. Some of the Chu troops under Xiang Qu's command grew up on both sides of the Suishui River. They are all natives and are definitely more familiar with the geography here than the foreign Qin troops. This is a geographical advantage.
It's winter now. Although no heavy snow has fallen, the ground is still covered with frost and the winter wind is howling. For the Qin people from the distant Guanzhong, this winter in a foreign country is very difficult to endure.
However, the Chu army under Xiang Qu had already adapted to the climate here. For the Chu people, winter has been like this from childhood to adulthood, so their adaptability is much higher than that of the Qin army. They can fight in winter like a fish in water. This is the right time.
…
At night, Xiang Qu stood on the bank of Suishui River and looked at the Qin army camp on the other side, where five thousand Qin troops were gathered.
"Yesterday, the Qin army transferred a group of troops north to Pengcheng. Although the scouts did not find out the number, there should be more than 5,000 people. So there are only about 20,000 Qin soldiers left on the east bank of the Suishui River."
"Xiangyi's reinforcements will arrive tomorrow. The general will cross the river tomorrow, and he and Xiangyi's reinforcements can attack the Qin people in a pincer attack and achieve success in one battle."
Jing Tong's eyes were bright, and there was excitement in his voice.
Although he was very afraid of Zhao Tuo, the Chu army now had a great advantage under Xiang Qu's operation. Compared with Zhao Tuo's Qin army, they had 15,000 more people!
Although Zhao Tuo once defeated a hundred thousand Qi troops in Qi.
But how could they, Chu Dierlang, be compared to those Qi people who were as stupid as pigs and dogs.
With the advantage of 15,000 men, and with a powerful general like Xiang Qu leading the way, the odds of victory were very high.
Xiang Qu was equally high-spirited. He pointed to the Qin army's camp on the opposite bank, shrouded in the night and lit with campfires, and said proudly: "Tomorrow, this camp will be trampled by my troops!"
He turned to Comrade Jing and said: "Tomorrow morning we will proceed as planned. We will send a group of troops to cross the river in sheep's clothing to attract the Qin army camped here. I will personally lead the army to cross the Suishui River from ten miles downstream, and then quickly defeat this area. The stronghold, and then take advantage of the power of breaking the camp, directly attack the Qin army in Zhuyi, and engage in a pincer attack with the five thousand soldiers and horses from Xiangyi, and together we can defeat Zhao Tuo here!"
Jing Tong had been convinced by Xiang Qu's strategy, and now he was excited by Xiang Qu's heroic words. He immediately raised his head and said loudly: "General, this time I will definitely defeat the Qin army and save our Chu country in danger! The general's arrogance is truly unparalleled in the world." A real man!"
In the early morning of the second day, it was still dark.
According to the original battle plan, Xiang Qu led his 20,000 elite men to ten miles downstream of Fuli Fortress. During this time, the ships quietly gathered here and began to cross the Suishui River under the cover of night.
Near Fuli Fortress, Jingtong led the remaining 10,000 people there to make sheep attacks to attract the attention of the Qin army in the Qin camp at Suishui and provide cover for the real troops crossing the river.
"The Sui River is long and there are places for our army to cross the river. The Qin people cannot stop it. Moreover, the Qin army is afraid of the cold and can only huddle in the camp at night. It is a good time for our army to cross the Sui River."
The corner of Xiang Qu's mouth curled up.
Seeing that there were no Qin army sentries patrolling the other side of the Suishui River, the Chu soldiers under his command had already begun to cross the river by boat. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
[In view of the general environment,
Time passed, and at dawn, when the sun first rose, the warm winter light fell on the earth, allowing the Chu soldiers who had been frozen for half the night to breathe a sigh of relief.
Even though they were born in the Chu region and had already adapted to the local climate, they were still shivering from the cold when they ran out to cross the river in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, after a midnight scramble, all 20,000 people crossed the Suishui River.
"Burn the boats."
Xiang Qu opened his mouth and gave the order.
The generals under his command were stunned and burned the boats. If they were defeated, how could they cross the river?
But Xiang Qu gathered all the soldiers together, and under the warm winter sun, they shouted with the loud voice unique to his Xiang family.
"Second and Third Son, now the Qin people have invaded my Chu land, occupied my city, and taken away my savings. Our Chu country has reached a critical stage of survival."
"If we fail to win this battle, our country of Chu will perish at the hands of the Qin people. The second and third sons and their relatives will also become prisoners of the Qin people, or have their heads cut off as military merits, or become vassals of the Qin people. Slaves for generations.”
"Today, the second and third sons can only save our Chu country from danger if they follow me to defeat the Qin army and defeat Zhao Tuo. Only then can the second and third sons protect the homeland of our Chu people. Only then can the descendants of the second and third sons' relatives have a chance to survive."
"Therefore, this battle is not only related to the fate of our Chu country, but also the fate of the second and third sons and their relatives. With this victory, the Chu country will survive, and the Chu people will be here. If this battle is defeated, the Chu country will be destroyed, and the Chu people will also die."
"So in this battle, the only word is victory. We must advance without retreating, win without defeat!"
"Burn the boat and burn the cauldron, and move forward indomitably!"
In this cold winter, Xiang Qu's voice was like a burning fire.
Immediately, passionate Chu people responded: "We will win this battle, save my Chu country, and protect my homeland!"
"This battle will be won, Nai Gong and the Qin people will fight!"
"I don't want to be beheaded by the Qin people. I don't want my children to be captured by the Qin people as slaves. I also want to fight with the Qin people!"
…
The 20,000 Chu soldiers understood that the Chu country had now reached its most critical moment. If they were defeated, the country would be destroyed, and they, the soldiers of the Chu army, and their relatives would also be beheaded or become slaves.
Such a declaration related to the destiny of the country and the destiny of individuals moved all Chu people.
Therefore, all the 20,000 Chu troops were full of enthusiasm, shouting with arms raised, full of fighting spirit, and murderous intent.
The shouts of 20,000 people echoed in the wilderness like bursts of thunder.
"The military spirit can be used, which is great!"
Xiang Qu nodded slightly. The morale of the 20,000 men under his command had reached its peak. Each and every one of them had exerted all their strength in order to protect their home and country. In addition, the boats were burned. They had no way out and could only fight forward to the death.
How could the Qin army resist such a force?
Xiang Qu turned his horse and looked towards the west in the direction of Qin camp.
"In the cold winter moon, in the homeland of the Chu people, the military spirit is surging."
"The right time and place
Man and woman are all in my hands, how can we not win this battle? "
