General Qin

On the north bank of the Huai River.

When Zhong Limei, the "great hero" of the Qin army, was "invited" ashore by Zhao Tuo's short soldiers, he still felt in a daze.

His carefully designed trick to surrender was like a child's play in front of this Qin army.

Those Qin soldiers took out their Qin crossbows, and with a burst of arrows, half of the Chu warriors Zhong Limei had placed his hopes on were overturned.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining Chu people fled in a boat, which made the surprise attack a joke and the plan went bankrupt.

"This time, Zhongli people will help you spread the word to the whole Chu country, even the king of Chu will know that you, Zhonglimei, helped us cross the Huai River, and you will become the most hated 'traitor' among the people of Chu. But what you have done is a great achievement for Qin, and I will never treat you badly."

"Think about this matter carefully, but don't think about running away."

Zhao Tuo came over and whispered something in Zhong Limei's ear.

Then he ordered a group of elite soldiers to guard this person, and then strode forward.

In history, Zhong Limei was highly valued by Xiang Yu, and Liu Bang was so jealous that he ordered him to hunt him down. It can be seen that this person is very talented, and he is definitely a general.

Moreover, Zhong Limei is still young, so it is a good time for Zhao Tuo to subdue him, not to mention that the other party came up with such a trick of "feigning surrender" and sent him over with his own hands. Zhao Tuo naturally smiled Accepted.

But now that they have just crossed the Huai River, there is still a long way to go back to Qin, and there are still many things to do. Zhao Tuo can only put aside the matter of Zhong Limei for the time being, and then slowly consider how to handle it when he is out of danger.

Anyway, catch the person first.

As for now, Zhao Tuo still has more important things to do.

For example, determine the next marching route.

"Xiang Yan defeated our army near Xiacai. His main force must be on the west side of us. Regardless of whether he crossed Yingshui to support the Chu army in Xiangcheng, the area from Xiacai to Juyang is where the Chu army gathered. , we can’t go west, otherwise we will bump into the main force of the Chu army, so we can’t join General Mengwu near Xiangcheng.”

In the military discussion, Xin Wu first ruled out the westward plan

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In addition to Xin Wu's relationship with Xiang Yan's army gathering in the west, Zhao Tuo was also worried that after so many days, what happened to Meng Wu?

If Meng Wu is defeated, the west will be dead.

Zhao Tuo was worried about Meng Wu's victory or defeat in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face.

At this time, Xin Wu pointed to the map drawn on the ground and said: "So the nearest place to us is the southeast of Suiyang, near Mang and Dang, which are currently controlled by our army. As long as we can get here, we can get the cover of friendly troops. , get out of danger, and go back from Suiyang!"

Zhao Tuo narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the crude icon on the ground. A large cobblestone and several small stones were arranged according to their orientation, representing several cities to the north of them.

Suiyang is Shangqiu, the former capital of the Song State, and later an important city in the Song County of the Wei State. Last year, the Qin army destroyed Wei and took this place, and Suiyang became an important stronghold in the east of Qin State.

Following Li Xin's attack on Chu, the 10,000 Qin troops stationed in Suiyang also received orders to go south to occupy the Mang and Dang areas, and to conduct a feint attack on the eastern part of Chu State, forming a trend of oppression.

Correspondingly, the Chu army also gathered some troops in Xiangyi near Suishui to confront the Qin army in the direction of Mangdang in Suiyang.

Because this is a feint attack, and the Qin army are all miscellaneous troops, and the strength of both sides is similar, so compared to the frontal battlefield in full swing, the section of Mangdang Xiangyi is basically full of thunder and rain, and the Qin and Chu armies just interacted with each other. Containment, and did not start a war.

Judging from the distance, there are nearly a thousand miles between Zhao Tuo's group and the Mangdang Qin army, but there are not many big cities in Chu State on the way, only a few big cities such as Qiyi, Zhiyi, and Xiangyi.

Among them, the troops from Qiyi, Zhiyi and other cities should be transferred to the Xiangyan Corps in the west or Xiangyi in the north, so the troops in these places are empty. If Zhao Tuo led his army to the north and attacked the cities along the way to replenish food and fodder, he should It's an easy thing to do.

The only troublesome thing was that at the last hurdle of their return to Qin, in the area of ​​Xiangyi, a Chu army had gathered, probably tens of thousands of people, blocking their way back.

"Even if there are tens of thousands of Chu troops in Xiangyi, we are not afraid, because Mangdang also has tens of thousands of Qin troops to confront them. Under this situation of containment, we may be able to surprise Xiangyi from the rear when the two armies confront each other. The Chu army, in cooperation with the Qin army in Mangdang, smashed the Chu people there, captured Xiangyi, and made a great contribution."

Xin Wu said with a smile on his face.

He once led an army to conquer the Wei Kingdom, and he is very familiar with the geographical situation there. Now he speaks clearly and clearly, even the generals such as Hei Hip and Bai Rong understand it very well. At this moment, everyone nodded in praise and said: "What General Xin said is , Such a route is indeed the best choice for us to go back."

Hei Hiu even laughed loudly and said: "Great, let's go and stab Xiangyi's Chu army in the ass. After defeating this Chu army, taking down Xiangyi, and returning to Qin, we will attack Chu this time." We are also not responsible for the defeat."

Just when everyone was laughing.

Zhao Tuo frowned, staring at the few stones on the ground.

There is no problem with Xin Wu's plan itself, this way will indeed allow them to return to Qin as quickly as possible.

But the premise is that the 10,000 Qin troops near Mangdang are still there, which can help them contain the Chu troops in the Xiangyi area, and give them a chance to attack from behind or break through to intercept.

What if the 10,000 Qin troops in Mangdang are gone?

Zhao Tuo closed his eyes.

The 10,000 Qin army was a feigned attacking force serving as a cover for the main force, restraining and oppressing the Chu people in the direction of Xiangyi. If Mengwu was still besieging Xiangcheng, then Mangdang's 10,000 Qin army would naturally have no problem.

But what if Meng Wu was defeated?

Zhao Tuo's troops traveled nearly a thousand miles to Mangdang, which would take at least a month. Even if Meng Wu is not yet defeated, can it be guaranteed that Meng Wu will not lose or retreat within a month?

According to Xin Wu's imagination, Meng Wu had 70,000 people in his hands, and with Huaiyang's supply as his back, it shouldn't be a big problem to confront the Chu army for a month.

But Zhao Tuo knew that Huaiyang behind Meng Wu was a big bomb, once it exploded, Meng Wu would never be able to stop it.

In this way, after the defeat or retreat of the Mengwu Ministry, the Mangdang Qin army who received the news that the army had been defeated would naturally retreat to Suiyang.

Because the main force has already been defeated, it is meaningless for them to continue to confront the Chu army in Xiangyi, and there is even a risk of being swallowed by the Chu army.

In this way, when Zhao Tuo goes north, he will face the 10,000 Chu troops in Xiangyi alone!

Don't think about silent raids, because during their one-month journey, in order to obtain supplies, they will definitely attack the cities of Chu State. In the hands of General Chu.

Without the restraint of Mangdang's friendly army, they will use exhausted soldiers to fight against the 10,000 Chu army who have received the news and are waiting for work. What are their chances of winning?

Not to mention, this is not counting the pursuers behind them.

Can you, Xin Wu, think that going north to Mangdang is the best route, but can the generals of Chu State behind you not think of it?

While Zhao Tuo was thinking, Xin Wu saw that all the generals were happy, but Zhao Tuo frowned, showing no excitement, and asked in surprise, "Zhao Tuo, what do you think about this?"

Zhao Tuo took a deep breath and expressed his worries. However, he did not explain the possible rebellion in Huaiyang, but said that with Mengwu's prudence, if Li Xin was defeated, he might withdraw the army, which would cause the Mangdang Qin army to withdraw, so they would be in danger.

Xin Wu is also a steady veteran. Hearing what Zhao Tuo said now, he also noticed this problem, and couldn't help frowning: "What you said is also reasonable, so in your opinion, what should we do?"

Zhao Tuo didn't answer right away, but after going through the plan again in his mind, he said, "According to Tuo's opinion, our first step is of course to go north to attack Qiyi to replenish food and fodder. But after leaving Qiyi , no longer went north, but turned to the east, took Fuli, crossed the Sui River, passed through Pengcheng and went north, passed through the abundance of Chu State, entered Wei territory, and reached Shanfu."

"In this way, we can perfectly avoid the 10,000 Chu troops in Xiangyi, and if the King of Chu sent his troops to pursue us, we would never have imagined that we would make such a big circle, and we would be caught off guard and unable to catch up to us!"

"Between abundance?"

Xin Wu frowned.

Zhao Tuo nodded and said, "Among Fengpei is our way of life."

...

At this moment, on the Huaibei Plain between Xiacai and Qiyi in the state of Chu, there is also a large number of Chu troops marching.

"Zuo Sima, since you are certain that the Qin army will cross the Huai River from Zhongli, why don't we go after him instead of going to Qiyi?"

Jing Tong rode on the horse and asked Zhaoping who was sitting on the command chariot.

Not long ago, Zhaoping, who was appointed as Zuo Sima by the king of Chu because of his return to aid, was appreciated and won over. He raised his head and looked to the northeast, as if he could see Qiyi hundreds of miles away.

Hearing the question, he turned his head to look at the young man of the Jing family, and said with a smile: "Jing Tong, Shangzhu Kingdom once said that military warfare is like fishing. Instead, you will be led by the nose by the fish."

"To the east of Huainan, there are only a few cities that can support thousands of people to cross the Huai River, and can provide them with food and grass supplies. The nearest is Zhongli. The Qin army must cross the Huai River from Zhongli, and then go north to return to Qin. If we follow them, we will hurry all the way, even if we can catch up, we don't know how long it will take. Isn't this just fishing and being dragged away by the fish?"

"This Qin army wants to return to the Qin territory as soon as possible. After crossing the Huai River, most of them will go from Qiyi and go north to Suiyang. Because Suiyang is the closest Qin city to our Chu country, there are more than ten thousand Qin troops there. , so they have a great possibility to go this way!"

"So since I have calculated their route, why should I chase from behind? Wouldn't it be wonderful to go directly to the front to intercept them?"

"Even if I make a mistake in my judgment, if they don't go to Suiyang, they will cross the Huai River and go north sooner or later. I didn't stop them in Qiyi, and I can spread the rangers widely. Coupled with the information from various cities, Sooner or later they will be found."

"Hehe, as long as this fish shows its head at that time, just wait for me to catch it in Huaibei!"

Zhaoping smiled coldly, looked to the northeast again, and murmured: "So, will you go to Qiyi?"

...

"I have already passed Qiyi."

"Also arrested Mr. Qi."

Li You was sitting on a short war horse, and while leading his army northward, he looked back at Qiyi, which was burning with flames, and the middle-aged man who was tied to a carriage by his soldiers.

Li You had a confident smile on his face.

This time he can be said to be a blessing in disguise, but he knows it is not a blessing.

In the past, because of Zhao Tuo, he was squeezed out by Li Xin, and he rushed to the back with 5,000 people to escort food, fodder and luggage.

As a result, he was hit by Xiang Yan who was going south from Juyang. After the disastrous defeat, although Li You escaped by chance, he also committed a serious crime. After returning, he probably had to lose his title to pay for his crime.

This made Li You feel that he was really unlucky. He failed to achieve anything in the battlefield, but had to lose his title to atone for his sins. Fortunately, Li Xin did not take advantage of the situation to deal with him, and let him take the remnants of the army to guard against Cai Churen while escorting him. The grain and fodder seized from Xiacai followed the army slowly.

After discovering Xiang Yan's trace, Li Xin gave up the idea of ​​raiding Shouchun, and planned to go northward to attack Juyang after defeating Xiang Yan's army, so he let Li You escort the luggage.

Unexpectedly, Li Xin was defeated in that battle, 20,000 Qin troops scattered and fled, and Li Xin fled to the west in a panic.

After Li You had seen Xiang Yan's military strength, he was not optimistic about Li Xin, and had already prepared a plan in his heart.

Therefore, at the first moment of knowing Li Xin's defeat, Li You made a decisive decision, abandoned the heavy supplies and led the army directly to the east, which was exactly the opposite direction of Li Xin's escape.

As a result, Xiang Yan's main force was indeed attracted by Li Xin's remnant troops. Although some Chu troops were chasing and killing the fleeing soldiers east of Yingshui, they were still small in number and could not stop him. This one escaped smoothly.

While Li You ran guerrilla attacks in various villages and towns in Huaibei, he also gathered a lot of defeated Qin soldiers, reaching the appearance of two thousand soldiers.

Although they were strangled by two Chu troops on the road, there were not many Chu soldiers, so they were defeated by Li You's design.

After traveling all the way, he came to the vicinity of Qiyi. After finding out that there were not many guards in the city, Li You launched a surprise attack, captured Qiyi by force, and captured Duke Qi of the state of Chu in the city.

Li You captured Qiyi, and decisively lit a fire in the city. While the Qi people in the city were fighting the fire, he robbed the treasury of food and grass, and immediately led his troops out of the city.

This set of procedures can be described as smooth and smooth, which makes Li You quite content.

"Hmph, there are no guards in Zhixian County to the north of Qiyi. I can continue to take Zhixian County. After replenishing food and grass, continue northward. There should be my Qin army near Mangdang in Suiyang. As long as we get there, Send people through the blockade of the Chu army and let the Qin army over there cooperate to respond, and this time there will be no worries."

Li You smiled even more on his dirty face when he thought of this.

He couldn't help turning his head to look to the west, and whispered: "Now that Li Xin has fled in a big defeat, Zhao Tuo must still be in the city west of Yingshui, even though he is missing. The crime of defeating the army is the same as before."

"Haha, in this way, all the troops are defeated, and my previous crimes don't matter. In the midst of this tragedy, I, Li You, led troops in the hinterland of Chu to fight for hundreds of miles, broke through the heavy blockade of the Chu army, and captured The county magistrate of the state of Chu returned to the state of Qin, who can compare with such a heroic deed?"

Li You raised his head proudly.

"Your Majesty will definitely appreciate me for this!"

"This time we attack Chu, everyone in the world will know whether Zhao Tuo or I are stronger or weaker!"

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