"The Puppet King Xiong Qi has crossed the river?"
Wang Jian knelt down and sat on the throne, looking calmly at the messenger reporting the military situation in the tent.
This is the fast horse messenger sent back by the Yang Yuan and Zhongli Mei armies that have arrived near Guangling, bringing the latest news about the escaped puppet king Xiong Qi.
Previously, Zhao Tuo used the strategy of being surrounded on all sides to cause the 20,000 Chu troops under Xiong Qi to break into internal strife overnight, collapse and flee on their own.
Because of the darkness and chaos, and the promise made by Zhao Tuo, the Qin army sat on the sidelines and quietly watched the Chu army's civil strife, and did not take the opportunity to launch an attack.
Zhao Tuo had his own plan for this. On the way south, he deployed five thousand Qin troops led by Zhong Lizhen, preparing to capture and kill Xiong Qi halfway.
But because more than 20,000 Chu troops fled in all directions, the scene was too chaotic. There was cover of night at that time, and Xiong Qi changed his clothes and modified them, and he was escorted by short soldiers and sneaked into the mountains, forests and swamps to escape.
This method is much better than that of Qi Da Sima who fled with the general's flag.
As a result, Zhongli Mei missed Xiong Qi who was escaping at first.
However, Zhongli Mei was also a "smart" general. After some pursuit and investigation, he finally discovered Xiong Qi's traces.
The Qin army was about to go all out to catch up with the false king, but found that behind it was a 10,000-strong Chu army led by Chu generals Cai Niao and Jing Ju.
In order to prevent being annihilated by the Chu army behind him, Zhongli Mei could only temporarily abandon Xiong Qi and divert his troops to fight the 10,000 Chu army.
When Xiong Qi saw that the reinforcements had arrived, he felt courageous and stopped running away. With a thousand soldiers under his command, he returned and joined forces with Cai Niao's 10,000 troops to attack the Qin army.
It was the first time for Zhong Lizhen to lead an army independently, and he lacked combat experience. At first, he was outnumbered and outnumbered by the Chu army. He lost two battles and retreated for more than ten miles in a row.
But as the battle continued, Zhongli Mei gradually entered the state, and his command talent and the accumulated military skills he learned began to come into play. In addition, the morale of the Qin soldiers was very high, and they became more and more courageous as they fought. The remaining 4,000 people were able to withstand the attack of more than 10,000 Chu troops, and even had the momentum to counterattack.
Of course, one of the important reasons is Zhongli Mei's opponent Taicai.
Except for Cai Niao, the Chu generals on the opposite side who had some battlefield experience, Xiong Qi and Jing Ju were both novices in military warfare and had never participated in a few battles.
Just when the generals of the two sides were pecking at each other, the Qin and Chu armies were evenly matched.
An army from the south arrived here.
Yang Yuan's 10,000 men, who had been sent out by Wang Jian's army as surprise troops in Shouchun, traveled eastward along the river and then turned northward, hoping to raid Huaiyin from the rear.
This one went north and just hit the battlefield here.
As more than ten thousand brave Qin troops rushed forward from the rear, the Chu troops who were fighting Zhongli Meng were stunned and their positions were in chaos.
Zhongli Mei took the opportunity to lead a fierce attack. More than 10,000 Chu troops collapsed on the spot, and the soldiers dispersed like birds and beasts.
Zhongli Mei and Yang Yuan led their troops to kill a lot and gained a lot.
But in the chaos, the false king Xiong Qi ran away again.
Zhong Lizhen thought of the mission assigned by General Zhao, and led his army southward without stopping, chasing Xiong Qi, but he was still a step too late.
When the Qin army arrived near Guangling, they learned from nearby fishermen that the puppet king Xiong Qi had actually crossed the river and entered the Wuyue land in the east of the Yangtze River on the other side of the river.
"The river is vast and there are enemies on the other side. Commander Zhongli did not dare to cross the river without authorization, so he sent a villain to report to the general and asked the general to make a decision."
After the messenger finished his report, Wang Jian waved him off, turned around and said to the generals in the account: "The puppet king has now crossed the river, and I am afraid he will occupy the land east of the river and confront our army again."
"There is nothing to say about this matter. Our army should carry the power of killing Xiang Yan, go all the way south to conquer Jiangdong, capture and kill the false king, and return. In this way, the Chu region can be completely pacified, and we can repay the king's orders."
"That's what the General said."
The generals nodded in agreement.
The land east of the Yangtze River was the land of Wu and Yue in the past. It was later occupied by the Chu State and became the Chu Land.
It was inevitable for Wang Jian to destroy Chu and seize Jiangdong this time, let alone Xiong Qinan's escape across the river, which he would definitely not let go.
The Qin army must cross the river.
"General, please lead your troops across the river, capture and kill Xiong Qi and return!"
Qiang Yu, who had the loudest voice, was the first to stand up, fearing that others would take the credit away from him.
Qiang Xu glanced at Zhao Tuo sideways as he spoke.
The expression on his face seemed to say, you kid has not only performed meritorious deeds in my name, but now you have defeated Xiang Yan and defeated the army. The credit for capturing Xiong Qi should be given to me.
But as soon as Qiang Yu finished speaking, Wang Jian, who was sitting in the main seat, said: "The person who will capture and kill Xiong Qi has already been appointed by the king, so please don't fight anymore."
"Your Majesty, has it been approved?"
Qiang Xuan opened his mouth in shock.
The generals were also filled with astonishment, and then someone reacted and looked at the calm-looking young general in the tent.
"Zhao Tuo, you will lead the army south this time. I will let Bai Meng follow you, pacify Jiangdong, capture and kill the false king and return. Don't let the king down."
Then Wang Jian spoke calmly.
Except for Qiang Yu, whose face was full of disappointment, all the generals showed expressions that were indeed true.
It seems that they did the right thing in reciprocating the favor. Even if the generals started fighting and did not recommend Zhao Tuo as the surprise soldier to raid Huaiyin, Wang Jian would still send Zhao Tuo out because of the king's order.
Your Majesty, it is really enviable that Zhao Tuo loves Zhao Tuo so much.
Just when the generals were envious, Zhao Tuo stood up and accepted the promise.
"The last general respects the general's order. Jiangdong will be leveled this time, and the traitor Xiong Qi will be captured and killed before returning."
In Zhao Tuo's mind, the scene when he was summoned for questioning by King Qin before the expedition came to mind.
At that time, he made a promise to the king.
"I am determined to capture and kill the traitor Xiong Qi this time. No matter if he goes to Jiangdong, Baiyue, or anywhere in the world, I will kill him and avenge the king!"
Xiong Qi, the man who betrayed the king.
I, Zhao Tuo, will kill you!
…
South of the river.
The former capital of Gou Wu is now the Wucheng of Chu State.
King Qi of Chu was sitting in a palace, looking blank.
He looked at Wu Yong, Lord Nanwu, who was in charge of Jiangdong's political affairs, and murmured: "The Chu people of Jiangdong are unwilling to support Bu Gu?"
Wu Yong was the queen of the former Wu Kingdom.
His ancestors made a lot of efforts when the Chu State defeated Yue and annexed the land east of the Yangtze River. For their merits, they were granted the title of Nanwu, east of Wucheng. The family has been passed down from generation to generation and has great influence in the local area. He is a real local leader in Jiangdong and an important assistant to King Chu Qi when he was in charge of affairs in Jiangdong.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty."
Wu Yong was halfway through the call when he realized that the other party's identity had changed.
He quickly changed his title and whispered: "Your Majesty led tens of thousands of Jiangdong's disciples to the north to attack Qin, but was defeated and died. Only a few people returned south with the king."
"How can the parents, brothers and sisters of the tens of thousands of people from Jiangdong feel relieved and send their men to be kings to fight against Qin?"
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