Qi's 80,000-strong army was defeated by Huai's 30,000-strong army. The wilderness was full of Qi troops fleeing in embarrassment. The Huai army drove from behind, instead of pressing forward step by step, in order to prevent these Qi troops from being pushed into a desperate situation, and instead allowed them to risk their lives and launch a counterattack.
Wei Hong did not kill a large number of Qi troops. Only some nobles who tried to reorganize the army were given special care. Dozens of chariots besieged them, scattered them and killed them. After many attempts, no one dared to gather the defeated army into formation, and the Qi army could only flee in panic.
After completely routing the 80,000-strong army, Wei Hong gathered his army and returned. As for the Qi State, it was unable to join the army in attacking the Huaihe River this time.
The death of Qi Hou Shang gave Lu Yuan the opportunity to succeed Qi Hou. After learning that Qi Hou Shang died, Lu Yuan immediately ascended the throne to inherit the position of Qi Hou and sent people to kill Lu Shang's son.
After Qi Houyuan ascended the throne, he immediately gathered the defeated troops. Although the 80,000-strong army was defeated, there were not many casualties. However, many of the Qi troops were frightened and were not suitable to continue fighting.
There are still more than 60,000 people left in the 80,000-strong army, and the rest are either dead or have fled. Although there are still 60,000 troops, these people will not be able to go to the battlefield again in a short time without rest and recuperation. Qi also withdrew from the alliance.
Qi's defeat had serious consequences, and Jin and other vassal states felt a pressure. More importantly, the 80,000 Qi army was defeated by the Huai army in one battle, and the morale of the coalition forces was severely damaged.
Without the Qi army to protect the left wing, the Jin coalition's left wing was exposed to Wei Hong. Although Wei Hong only has 30,000 people, no one dares to underestimate him now.
The Huai State and the Jin State were in a confrontation for a while, and both sides were looking for each other's flaws. Although there were fewer large-scale battles, battles involving thousands of people became more intense, with a large number of soldier casualties every day.
Huaiguo camp.
Wang Yue looked at the intertwined flags on the sand table in front of him with a serious expression: "My lords, it has been more than a month since the Jin coalition forces have been confronting me. Can you tell me how to defeat the enemy?"
Sun Shuao said: "Your Majesty, the enemy's army is powerful, and our army can only attack slowly. The Jin army has come thousands of miles away, and the logistics pressure is greater than that of our army. If there is a long-term confrontation, the enemy's food and grass will be insufficient, and they will eventually return without success. . Our army only needs to strengthen the walls and clear the fields, and hold on to the camp. If the enemy is impatient and eager for a decisive battle, flaws will naturally be exposed when the time comes. Your Majesty, there is no need to rush."
Wang Yue knew that Sun Shuao's plan was not wrong, but it was to strike later. It's just that the Huai Kingdom is now besieged by the princes of the state and Zhou Dynasty. Once there is a problem in one place, it will lead to the collapse of the entire army, and the longer it is delayed, the easier it is for problems to occur. Therefore, Wang Yue was unwilling to continue delaying.
Seeing that no one else had a better solution, Wang Yue had no choice but to temporarily put aside the idea of a quick victory and continue to have people consolidate the defense line and fight a protracted war.
.......
The land of Wu and Yue, Kuaiji.
The king of Yue was entertaining the soldiers of Chu.
"Chu is indeed a big country two thousand miles away. Its soldiers are so majestic and powerful. The Yue Kingdom alone is not as good as that!" Yuejun has received support from many Chu states in recent years, and the Chu state is strong. The Yue state is in awe of Chu.
"You are welcome, Marquis of Yue. The country of Yue is rich in products and its soldiers are brave, but its location is a bit remote." Xiong Ling, the general of Chu, said with a smile: "The land of Wu in the north is rich, but its soldiers are weak. Are you interested, Lord?"
"General, I do want the land of Wu, but Huai's soldiers are sharp. I'm afraid even if we can win the land of Wu, when the Huai army comes to attack, my country, Yue, will be in danger of being wiped out!" Yuejun shook his head.
Xiong Ling laughed loudly, then took out a bamboo slip and said: "Don't worry, Marquis of Yue. The foreign minister has just received the message that the Huai State has been defeated. The Jin Hou, the overlord of the world, led an army to conquer the Huai State. The Huai State was defeated and has retreated." As far as the Huaihe River, all the fertile land of thousands of miles north of Huaihe has been thrown away."
"Now the Huai State can only guard the Huai River to resist the Jin Hou army. This is the opportunity for the Chu State and Yue Jun to take action!"
"Huai Kingdom was defeated?" Yue Jun was very surprised when he heard this.
"Of course we are defeated. Jin is the hegemon in the world, and Huai is invincible!" Xiong Ling said with admiration. It's just that this scene feels inconsistent no matter how you look at it. The old enemy of Jin and Chu, and now the general of Chu admires Jin so much. I have to say that the reality is really magical.
After Yuejun looked through the bamboo slips, he found that it was indeed the Huai Kingdom retreating to the Huaihe River, and there was also the seal of the Marquis of Chu to prove it. In this way, it was indeed not false, and Yuejun was immediately moved.
However, Yuejun did not give an order on the spot. Instead, he asked General Chu to go back and rest, and after discussing with several domestic officials, he decided to send troops the next day.
Forty thousand troops of the Chu-Vietnam coalition marched from Kuaiji, marched north to attack the Huaihe River, and invaded Wu. There are only 30,000 soldiers in Wu, among whom there are only 5,000 elites. They were no match for the Chu-Vietnam coalition and the army retreated. Fortunately, most of the soldiers from Wu were recruited locally and their morale was high. Although they were not defeated, they only retreated to Meili.
The Chu-Vietnam coalition suddenly attacked, catching Wang Yue off guard. The soldiers who originally stayed in Wu were to resist Yue, but Chu did not expect that Chu would use Daochao to launch an attack.
For a time, the Chu-Vietnam allied forces were unstoppable, and the army was about to reach the Yangtze River as it marched north. On the other side, the Chu army also heard the news. The defenders of Han wanted to retreat to support Wu. The Chu army immediately attacked, forcing the defenders of Han to retreat. You can only fight against it.
When Wang Yue received the military information, his face suddenly turned ugly. If he could not survive this crisis, then all the achievements of his ancestors would be lost and they would be trapped in Huainan. This was absolutely unacceptable to him.
"Your Majesty, Chu and Yue are attacking Wu, and their army is moving north. Seeing that the situation is to cut off the retreat of our Han defenders, please give me an order to send the army south to fight with it. Order Meili's army to attack and cut off the retreat of the Chu-Vietnam coalition. "Sun Shuao found a solution in a short time.
Wang Yue did not hesitate and immediately ordered a large army to be mobilized in Huai'an. Even the Yulin Guards were mobilized to move a thousand soldiers south.
Although there is a plan to deal with the matter, Wang Yue has no confidence in whether it can succeed.
Thinking of this, Wang Yue immediately made up his mind that the matter could not be delayed any longer, so he said: "Prime Minister, order the army to prepare for war and prepare to attack Jin!"
"Your Majesty, the Jin army is in good shape and has strict orders. If we go to war at this time, it may be difficult to win. Please think twice, Your Majesty!" Sun Shuao quickly dissuaded us.
Wang Yue shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister. With the help of Heaven, our country of Huai is bound to win a great victory. We must gather the strong people, build a platform with earth, and worship Heaven alone!"
At Wang Yue's insistence, Sun Shuao had no choice but to agree, and soon a three-foot-high platform was built. Wang Yue, wearing a crown, went up to the stage to offer sacrifices to heaven. On the altar, sacrifices were offered one after another, while Wang Yue raised his head and looked up at the sky. , there seemed to be ancestors watching him.
