More than ten miles north of Zhuyi, there is an open area beside the road.
Dozens of war horses were tied to trees, and nearly a thousand Chu soldiers in red armor lay on the ground around them. They were all panting, and their faces looked happy to have survived the disaster.
"Failed."
Xiang Qu stroked the sword in his hand and murmured to himself.
Yes, he lost.
Since Xiang Qu stationed troops at Suishui and confronted Qin general Zhao Tuo more than a month ago, the two sides have come and gone and fought several times.
Either he pretends to be sick to deceive, or Sui Shui scolds him, or he burns the boat while Zhao Tuo hangs the sheep and beats the drum...
The two of them competed with each other, each using their own clever tricks.
Although Xiang Qu basically didn't take advantage, he didn't suffer much loss either.
On the contrary, he forced Zhao Tuo back, and created a situation where the Chu Qi troops from the east raided Pengcheng, and he concentrated his superior forces to pursue the Qin army.
Everything seems to be going in a good direction. As long as Xiang Qu can defeat Zhao Tuo's Qin army on the road and regain Pengcheng in one fell swoop, he will be able to open up the grain transportation channel connecting Lu and Qi, providing a way for Chen Ying, who is in danger of food shortage. The battlefield breathed a sigh of relief, delaying the demise of the Chu Kingdom.
However, Xiang Qu did not expect that Zhao Tuo would be so powerful. Instead of retreating to Pengcheng, the Qin army found detours and set up barriers on the way.
Seven camps in a row exhausted the Chu army.
At the beginning of the formal decisive battle, Zhao Tuo first charged into the formation with fire oxen, defeated the Chu army's vanguard, and blocked more than 20,000 Chu troops in the defile. Then came the bombardment with huge artillery, which completely shattered the morale and morale of the Chu army. His courage led to the collapse of the entire Chu army.
Immediately afterwards, the elite Qin army who had been prepared followed and pursued them all the way to the north, killing countless people.
There were more than 20,000 people under Xiang Qu's command. After a defeat, they were unable to control themselves. They fled in all directions and were killed by the Qin army. No one knew how many people died.
Because the Qin army was chasing after him in such a hurry, he didn't even have time to stop and gather the remaining soldiers.
As long as you stay in one place for a while, the Qin Army's cavalry will catch up. Once you are entangled by the cavalry, it won't take long for the Qin Army's large contingent to arrive.
Therefore, Xiang Qu and Jing Tong could only lead more than a thousand short soldiers and retreat southward. They could only eat dry food and run all the way down. Everyone was already exhausted.
"General, please eat some solid food."
Jing Tong came over and comforted in a low voice: "Our army is only more than ten miles away from Zhuyi, and it can arrive in half a day at most. There are still soldiers in Zhuyi who are responsible for logistics, and there are ships for the general to cross the Suishui River. As long as Once we cross the Suishui River, we will be safe."
Xiang Qu didn't respond. He raised his tired face and stared at Jing Tong with red eyes.
"Zhao Tuo's military skills are so powerful."
"Since the stalemate with him, I have been led by his lead everywhere. Not only did I fail to lure him across the river, but I also damaged my own energy. Even though I sent a surprise army to attack Pengcheng and lured Zhao Tuo to split his troops and come back for reinforcements, in the end I was turned into a slave by him. It became an opportunity to defeat our army."
"Zhao Tuo used Pengcheng as bait and retreat as a disguise to lure our army into pursuit, and finally counterattacked and defeated us. This is really what the art of war says: "If you are good at moving the enemy, he will follow it; , the enemy will definitely take it. Use it to gain advantage and treat it with force."
"Not only did he refer to the terrain of the art of war, he chose the pass as the battlefield, and was the first to take advantage of it. In the face of the large number of our troops, he built barriers, defended first and then attacked. He used the strong walls to consume our army and then attack Look for opportunities for complete victory. This is exactly what the art of war says. The invincible must be defended; the victorious must be attacked. There is more than enough in defense, but not enough in attack. Those who are good at defending are hidden under the nine earths, and those who are good at attacking are moving in the nine heavens. above, so we can protect ourselves and achieve complete victory..."
Xiang Qu murmured to himself. The more he spoke, the more depressed he became.
"Zhao Tuo's military tactics are indeed unpredictable."
Jing Tong was touched by Xiang Qu's words and couldn't help but nod in agreement.
The defeat of the Chu army reminded him of what he had experienced last year.
A year later, the same thing happened again.
It's the same road leading to Pengcheng, it's the same pursuit of the Qin general named Zhao Tuo, it's also the Chu army that has the advantage in strength, and it's also the same with Jing Tong.
He came to serve as deputy general, and then suffered a huge defeat as well.
The only difference is probably that the general is different.
"My hunch was indeed accurate. Before leaving Zhuyi, I knew there would be this result."
Jing Tong secretly thought that he had already been mentally prepared for this defeat and was not as discouraged as Xiang Qu.
Xiang Qu didn't know what Jing Tong was thinking, so he sighed: "In the past, Zhao Tuo and I met in the main hall of the Qin Palace, and we even shook hands with him. At that time, Zhao Tuo was under my strong grip. His expression didn't change, so I knew this guy was not an ordinary person."
"The Qin Army cavalry is coming!"
While Xiang Qu was sighing, Chu soldiers on sentry duty in the distance shouted, saying that nearly a hundred Qin army cavalry were chasing them.
When the Chu soldiers who were resting on the ground heard this, they all jumped up in fright and were about to get up and flee towards Zhuyi.
It's only about ten miles from Zhuyi. As long as they run fast enough, they will be safe soon.
"General, please mount your horse."
Jing Tong was startled and quickly asked Xiang Qu to get on his horse and everyone ran together.
Xiang Qu sneered and stood up calmly.
"Have you escaped for more than a hundred miles? Haven't you escaped enough? There are still more than a thousand Chu troops here, but they are driven away by the Qin army's hundreds of cavalry. How shameful?"
Xiang Qu's eyes were red. He had an impatient personality and ran away feeling deeply ashamed.
Especially the closer he got to Suishui Zhuyi, the deeper the sense of shame in his heart became.
In the past, he led 30,000 troops from Zhuyi to the north, determined to capture and kill Zhao Tuo to relieve Chu's crisis, but now he came back with a defeated army. How could he, who had always been proud, accept such an ending.
"Among the thousands of people here, is there anyone who dares to fight? Turn with me and kill the Qin people together!"
Xiang Qu roared and got on his horse. Not only did he not flee, but he held his sword and turned towards the direction of the Qin army's cavalry.
"General Xiang!"
Jing Tong was shocked.
At the same time, dozens of passionate voices sounded out among the thousands of people.
"We are willing to follow the general!"
Most of these dozens of people were Xiang Qu's short-term soldiers, so they were naturally loyal.
The rest were all hot-blooded warriors, and they stood up immediately. The knights got on their horses, and the infantry picked up their spears and halberds, and followed Xiang Qu.
Nearly a hundred knights in black armor came from the north, hoping to intimidate these defeated soldiers to continue running like they had done countless times before, so that they could chase and kill them.
But this time, the defeated Chu soldiers did not flee, but were met by Chu generals on horseback.
"The son of the Xiang family is here, how dare the people of Qin be so arrogant!"
Xiang Qu roared with angry eyes and scolded him harshly.
Its power actually frightened the Qin army's cavalry, who looked horrified. They quickly reined in their horses and did not dare to step forward.
Xiang Qu took the opportunity to gallop into the Qin army's cavalry. He waved his sword in his hand and was about to knock one of the cavalry off his horse. Dozens of Chu cavalry behind him also rushed towards him shouting.
After a fight, nearly a hundred Qin army cavalry were killed and dozens of them were killed, and the rest quickly retreated.
"Happy!"
Seeing the Qin people retreating, Xiang Qu did not pursue them, but laughed loudly.
The Chu soldiers who were fighting in blood around them also laughed: "General, you are mighty!"
Xiang Qu then reined in his horse and turned around. He smiled at Jing Tong who was stunned on the ground and said, "Let's go, General Jing."
Only then did Jing Tong react. He hurriedly raised his hands and said, "I have always heard that the Xiang family are all powerful generals in the world, with the courage to defeat hundreds of people. When Jing Tong saw them today, the rumors are true."
Xiang Qu smiled faintly, but his eyes were full of loneliness.
Hundreds of enemies.
On the battlefield, what's the use of the bravery of an ordinary man when faced with the skills of a military strategist?
After repelling the Qin cavalry as the vanguard, Xiang Qu did not waste any time and led the remaining soldiers on the road south.
More than ten miles away, half a day's journey.
In front of this Chu army, they finally saw a city located on the Suishui River.
Zhuyi.
It’s just the city in front,
It was not as he imagined that when he opened the city gate, he would be greeted by General Chu guarding the door.
On the contrary, from a long distance away, one could hear bursts of shouts of death coming from inside.
"Could it be that the Qin people took a detour and captured Zhuyi?"
Jing Tong was horrified, and more than a thousand Chu troops also looked horrified.
However, when they arrived at the foot of Zhuyi City, they discovered that this was not the case.
There were indeed people fighting in the city, but it was not the Qin army who came around to seize the city, but the Chu people in Zhuyi City. After hearing that the Chu army was defeated at the front line, they actually united together and attacked the Chu soldiers guarding the city.
Moreover, they really succeeded in sneak attack and occupied the city.
When Xiang Qu and Jing Tong led a group of remaining soldiers to the city, the battle in the city came to an end.
"The people of Qin have always been called cruel, but they still have to pay for the grain collection, and they will leave the last bite of food for us. During the time they were stationed in Zhuyi, there was never any bullying of men, domination of women, or wanton killing. They Although they are not Chu soldiers, they are better to us than Chu soldiers like you!"
"You are both Chu people, but you have robbed us of our last food and left us to fend for ourselves in this cold winter. You even bullied women and robbed people of their property. Even the cauldron was taken away from us. This is Such behavior is so hateful!"
"We would rather surrender to the Qin people than be wantonly killed and tortured by you Chu troops!"
On the top of the city, the words of Chu Yu full of resentment were heard.
"Untouchables are hateful!"
Jingtong was furious and was about to lead his troops to seize the city.
In his opinion, the city was just a group of small people rebelling. Although they were remnants of the army, they still had soldiers and armor in hand, enough to take down the city.
Xiang Qu sighed slightly.
"Let's go and cross the river near Fulisai. If we delay here, the Qin army will catch up."
Jingtong gritted his teeth and nodded.
Xiang Qu was right. Although the Qin Army's vanguard cavalry was repelled, the main force of the Qin Army that was pursuing them was not far away and would catch up in a short time.
He could only look at Zhuyi City with hatred, and then followed Xiang Qu and his troops to continue walking along the Suishui River.
At sunset and dusk, when the sky is setting in the west.
They finally arrived opposite Fulisai, where the five thousand Qin army was originally stationed.
As expected, there were still a thousand Chu people waiting here, and even boats to cross the river were built.
On the other side of Suishui River is Fuli Sai.
"General, the Qin army may arrive at any time. General, please cross the river first."
Jing Tong hurriedly asked Xiang Qu to board the boat.
But Xiang Qu stood still, his feet seemed to have taken root.
"General...general."
Jing Tong's voice trembled, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.
Xiang Qu glanced at him and smiled.
"Zitong, do you still remember what happened to Zuo Sima last year?"
Jing Tong understood.
He was shocked and said: "General Xiang, you must not do this! Our country of Chu is in crisis now, and we need a famous general like General to lead our troops to save the country!"
"Is it difficult to save the country? Can Chu be saved?"
Xiang Qu laughed, but the smile was full of tragedy.
Jingtong opened his mouth, but couldn't speak.
Can Chu State be saved?
Xiang Qu was defeated, and the Chu State no longer had the opportunity to transport grain from Lu and Qi. Now I am afraid that there is only about a month of grain left in the Chenying battlefield.
A month later, the Chu army ran out of food.
Even the most powerful general in the world is of no use.
How can we fight if we have no food to eat?
How could Xiang Yan defeat the Qin army, which was more numerous than him?
With Jing Tong's knowledge, he could naturally tell that the Chu State was probably going to die this time.
Xiang Qu ignored him and whispered to himself.
"My father ordered me to come here to fight against Zhao Tuo, and told me not to attack, so as not to suffer defeat. But I still sent troops, and I don't regret this. If I don't send troops to fight, then I will really be sitting back and waiting for death in vain. Waiting for destruction. I would rather fight to the death than sit here.
See the Chu Kingdom overthrown. "
"As for my defeat at the hands of Zhao Tuo, it was due to inferior skills. I have no complaints in my heart."
Xiang Qu's voice became lower and lower.
"The general of Jingchu, on the day when his master comes out, will have the glory of death but no shame of life."
"Last year Zuo Sima was defeated in the battle and committed suicide to apologize. Now I am defeated again at the hands of Zhao Tuo. More soldiers died than in the battle of Surabaya. With such a defeat, I can cross the Suishui River with dignity and meet my father and the king!" "
At this point, Xiang Qu sighed with emotion: "What's more, even if I cross the Suishui River, what can I do? I have to watch my father lose to Wang Jian again, and watch these eight hundred years of Chu. Can the country be destroyed?"
"I don't want to!"
Xiang Qu turned his head and looked in the direction of Pengcheng.
This time he and Zhao Tuo had been in a stalemate for two months, but he had never seen the young general.
What came to his mind was the young man he met in the Qin Palace hall two years ago.
That handshake contest.
It was not until this moment that the outcome was decided.
"Zhao Tuo is not as good as me."
"But I, the Xiang family, do not have no successors."
Xiang Qu's eyes turned to the east again, looking down.
There, there is hope.
Xiang Qu drew his sword and murmured the last two sentences of Chu Ge's national mourning.
"Sincerity is both brave and martial, and ultimately strong and undefeatable."
"The body is dead, the spirit is the spirit, and the soul is the ghost!"
A long sigh.
Xiang Qu killed himself with his sword.
The red blood is sprinkled on the banks of Suishui River.
