A large number of siege equipment attacked, and the morale of Huai soldiers was like a rainbow. On the ladder, more than a dozen archers rained down arrows, suppressing the Chu army so that they did not dare to raise their heads.
Due to the failure of the reform and changes in the country, the morale of the Chu State's army was already low. After being besieged by these siege equipment, the morale was even lower. Soon the city was attacked by a large number of ladders and the city walls were attacked first. Soon the Chu army began to collapse.
Wu Qi led the Huai army and defeated three cities in a row. Then he took a short rest and then began to attack again.
On the river, the navy of Chu State and the navy of Huai State were defeated again after a great battle. Huai's crossbows fired repeatedly, setting Chu's navy ships on fire, and one ship after another was set on fire. Then the Huai navy divided and surrounded the Chu navy.
Water warfare is essentially a battle between many ships and a small number of ships, and a big ship against a small one. With the bed crossbows around, Chu's naval forces were no match at all. After several consecutive water battles, the Chu State could no longer stop the Huai Navy and had to stick to the water stronghold.
After the navy's victory, they immediately sent a large army to bypass the Chu State's Dabie Mountain defense line, cut off the Chu army's retreat, and cooperated with Wu Qi to attack front and rear.
The 100,000 Chu troops defending the city passes on the Chu State's Dabie Mountain defense line were cut off from their retreat and directly severed contact with the Chu State. The northern army withdrew from the Wei State, and the armies of Zhongcai, Huangjiang and the Four Kingdoms harassed it along the way. The Chu army was eager to retreat, but unfortunately, progress was slow due to harassment by the coalition forces.
For a time, Chu State did not have many troops to mobilize.
After cutting off the Chu army's retreat, the defense line here in the Dabie Mountains of Chu State became a lone army.
In the Huai army camp, in the big tent, Wu Qi was discussing the military situation with everyone.
"Everyone, the Chu army has been besieged by our army this time. If we attack by force, the losses will be considerable. What are your strategies to defeat the enemy?" Wu Qi smiled and looked at the other people in the tent. These people are all disciples of Huai's military strategists. Wu Qi learned the art of military strategism.
"Surround three towers and one tower"
"Night attack."
Everyone said one after another. After these people finished speaking, Wu Qi said: "In this battle, attacking the city is the most important thing, and attacking the heart is the most important thing."
"It has only been ten years since the reform of the Chu State. The long-standing evils in the country are now exploding. This is a God-given opportunity! I hope you will learn from it."
In order to demoralize the Chu army, Wu Qi defeated three cities in a row. The Chu army suffered a consecutive defeat and its morale was low. Then their retreat was cut off, and the morale of these Chu troops became even lower.
At this time, news from Chu State was cut off, and these soldiers had no idea what was happening in Chu State. Wu Qi ordered people to reform the Chu State but failed. The land allocated to the soldiers had been taken away by the nobles and nobles. Their families, wives and daughters even became the servants of the nobles.
These true and false messages were written on cloth, tied to arrows and thrown into the city.
After the soldiers of Chu State picked up these arrows, they found the content written on the arrows, and they were all doubtful.
After the generals of Chu State discovered these silk cloths, they quickly sent people to collect all the silk cloths and ordered that those who spread the news in private should be killed. He also announced that the country had not recaptured the soldiers' land, and that all the land belonged to them. At the same time, he announced that as long as the city was defended, everyone would be rewarded with military merit.
This behavior of the Chu general made the soldiers suddenly suspicious, and no one believed the so-called refutation of the rumors. Following the ban by the Chu generals, these silk cloths began to spread wildly among the cities, and more and more people knew the news.
When the city was in chaos, Wu Qi found people from the army who were good at singing and playing music. They went to the Chu army's city at night to sing ditties from various parts of Chu and play homesick music. This method was used to arouse the homesickness of Chu soldiers.
These soldiers were originally very worried about their hometown, but now they listened to these hometown songs, many of them cried, and the soldiers became even more war-weary.
The generals of Chu State were helpless. The morale of the Chu defenders was low, and the soldiers were even more unwilling to resist. After several attacks, the morale of the Chu army was almost on the verge of collapse.
When the general of Chu State saw this situation, he was heartbroken and immediately ordered his personal guards to kill several soldiers in the city in order to force the soldiers.
The situation in the city was already extremely tense, and the Chu general's actions can be said to have stirred up a hornet's nest. The soldiers were originally unwilling to fight, but now they were forcibly suppressed. This directly ignited the anger of the Chu soldiers.
These soldiers were originally worried about the condition of their fields, parents, wives and children. They knew very well the situation in the Chu country before the reform. They were slaves and knew how miserable the life was in the past. Now these people actually want them to return to their previous lives. How could these soldiers be willing?
In addition, the Chu generals forcibly killed some soldiers, which made the soldiers in the city very dissatisfied with him.
A dozen Chu soldiers hid in a corner discussing something, and then quietly left.
A few hours passed, the moonlight gradually dimmed, and a killing cry suddenly came from the city. When the original city guard saw this scene, his face changed with horror. Immediately gather the population to prepare for defense and resistance.
However, these soldiers in the city had long had deep grudges, and during the surprise attack, they did not give him a chance at all. A large number of soldiers rushed into it, directly hacked the Chu generals to death, and then sent envoys to ask for surrender.
Why should I keep guarding? The property in my hometown is gone, and my parents, wife, and children are likely to become slaves of those nobles again. With no way out, fighting head-on is a dead end. Without the land, parents, wives and children, why would they still work for the King of Chu?
In the past, people like them would not have dared to say anything or resist. Now that they have experienced the reform and have tasted the benefits of the reform, how can they still be willing to return to their previous lives?
After killing the Chu generals, these Chu soldiers immediately opened the city and surrendered.
Wu Qi warmly received these soldiers and rewarded them. At the same time, let these soldiers go to other cities to persuade them to surrender.
Many of these soldiers were acquaintances or even fellow villagers. With these soldiers trying to persuade them to surrender, how could the remaining cities of Chu be defended?
Of course, there are also some city generals who are unwilling to surrender. When they see these soldiers trying to persuade them to surrender, they immediately pick up their bows and arrows and want to kill them.
"Sang, stop fighting and surrender!"
"General Wu Qi has surrounded this place. The Dabie Mountains are dangerous, but the navy has been defeated. Their escape route is cut off. There is no food. Sooner or later, they will starve to death!"
"Jingmu Gong has been killed, his land and property are all gone, and his wife and children may have become slaves of those nobles, so why fight?"
"Stop! Stop talking nonsense. You want to capture this city and let Wu Qi send troops to attack!"
The Chu soldier shouted again: "Brothers in the city, listen, Sang has gone crazy, quickly tie him up and surrender to the city!"
"Who dares?" Sang yelled at the soldiers behind him.
The Huai army surrounded the city, and the soldiers on the city wall looked at the Chu general. This person seemed to be quite prestigious, and for a while no one dared to touch him.
However, the desire to survive finally suppressed the prestige. A few brave people stepped forward and said: "Brother Sang, that brother is right. Our retreat is cut off and the land allocated to our family is gone. What else are we fighting for now?" Fight? Why not surrender as soon as possible, maybe we can get some land!"
"Fart, when the domestic reinforcements arrive, these Huai army will be defeated thousands of miles away."
"Brother Sang, don't be stubborn. We don't know what's going on in the country, but don't we know about the Huai Army?"
While this man was speaking, several other soldiers around him looked at each other and then quietly approached. After Wu Qi's tactics, the Chu troops in these cities had long wanted to surrender, but the Chu generals suppressed them and refused to do so.
Suddenly, the two men jumped up and threw Sang to the ground.
"Let me go, let me go."
The crowd swarmed him, tied him up, and then opened the city to surrender.
In just ten months, Wu Qi's defense line, which Chu considered to be impregnable, was completely broken.
(End of chapter)
