The Anyang camp seemed as peaceful as usual, but all the soldiers knew that Xiang Yu was in power and a war was about to begin. Many people seemed excited about this, but many were still slightly worried. Nearly three hundred thousand Qin soldiers

Although the Chu army fought hard against Julu and suffered some damage, their strength cannot be underestimated. Can the Chu army defeat them with only a hundred thousand soldiers?

This worry gradually spread in the military camp, and many people began to abscond. However, the Chu army deployed a large number of scouts and patrol posts on the Anyang front line. Batteries of captured soldiers had their eyes gouged out and their noses cut in front of the officers and soldiers of the three armies. It was too horrible to watch.

Today, it is the same. The soldiers of the three armies gathered in the open space. A few hundred steps away in front, a temporary general platform was built. Xiang Yu was wearing armor and a green cloak on his back. He was majestic and watching the execution.

About twenty Chu soldiers escaped from the camp. They fled all the way south, but were captured by Chu soldiers who were ambushing them on a mountain trail. After they were brought back to the camp, military orders were sent to them, and all of them were executed.

,

Although severe punishments are used in troubled times, Xiang Yu's cruelty was fully exposed at this time. Many people interceded for these soldiers. They were old and young. If they were executed, their families would be heartbroken. Some families,

The army lost its backbone and could not survive, but Xiang Yu didn't buy it. The only order he issued that everyone praised was to order the marching director to record the list, normalize military pay, and pay the families of these soldiers.

There were screams one after another, and blood flowed down the blade. In extreme pain, these soldiers had their eyes gouged out, their noses and ears cut off, and then they were beheaded. The death was extremely brutal.

But this also has advantages. Many Chu soldiers who were planning to escape saw this scene. They gave up the idea of ​​​​escape and decided to stay in the Chu camp.

Just after the punishment of the deserters was carried out, more than a hundred cavalry came galloping from outside the camp. The leader was Huan Chu. At this time, he bypassed the military formation, shuttled among the crowd, and soon came to the general platform, first to Xiang Yu.

He cupped his hands, then faced the officers and soldiers of the three armies, took out the seal of general from his waist, and shouted: "The king has a decree, Xiang Yu has meritorious service in killing the traitor Song Yi, and he has promoted him to the rank of general, and assumed the post of Taiwei. He will take over the ten

Ten thousand troops, immediately go north to fight Zhang Han, there must be no mistake,"

As soon as Huan Chu finished speaking, he dismounted from his horse, strode up to the general platform, knelt down on one knee, and presented the general seal to Xiang Yu with both hands, and then shouted: "I am willing to listen to the general's orders,"

"I am willing to listen to the general's orders..."

The shouts of the three armies shook the whole country. At this time, Long Qie and others also came over one after another, cupped their hands in front of Xiang Yu and said: "I am willing to die for the general,"

At this moment, one hundred thousand Chu troops completely surrendered to Xiang Yu. If a few days ago, everyone was only afraid of Xiang Yu's power and prestige, then at this time, an edict from King Huai completely changed everyone's minds. In the hearts of the soldiers of the three armies,

They have deeply believed that Song Yi was plotting a rebellion and Xiang Yu sent his army to put down the rebellion. Everyone followed Xiang Yu's determination unswervingly.

Xiang Yu watched the soldiers of the three armies shouting hard, and the countless ambitions in his heart swelled. He drew his sword from his waist, stared at everyone, and shouted: "Kill all Qin's dogs and restore our mountains and rivers."

"Kill all Qin's dogs and restore our mountains and rivers..."

The morale of the Chu army was greatly boosted. In the afternoon, they withdrew their troops and returned to camp. At the same time, all the generals rushed to Xiang Yu's headquarters to wait for the order to go out.

Xiang Yu sat under an inconspicuous side tent at the table, staring at the map in front of him. On the side, the old subordinates of the Xiang family, Fan Zeng and others were also lowering their heads and thinking. The war was coming, and everyone was far more excited than before. fear of war,

At this time, when everyone was silent, Fan Zeng couldn't help but chuckled and said: "General, how are you going to fight?"

Xiang Yu was interrupted by Fan Zeng. He frowned, looked attentively, and said in surprise: "Mr., does he have a clever plan?"

"If it is a head-to-head encounter, the Chu army is not as good as the Qin army in terms of numbers, and its morale may not be at its best. This is the only way to defeat. However, I have a strategy that can allow the general to defeat the Qin camp with an army of 100,000 troops. "Behead Zhang Han,"

Xiang Yu couldn't help but become interested when he heard that Zhang Han was killed in formation. He laughed loudly and said, "I hope that the old gentleman will not hesitate to teach me."

"Hahaha" Fan Zeng laughed heartily. Xiang Yu's low posture made Fan Zeng extremely satisfied. At this time, he thought for a moment, sorted out his words, and said slowly: "After crossing the Zhang River, each of the soldiers can be carried for three days. Prepare food and fodder and make plans not to return. In this way, the soldiers can move forward vigorously. With one enemy against ten, the Qin army can be defeated. Otherwise, everyone will be in danger and only focus on survival. This battle will be dangerous."

"Crossing the river cuts off the retreat, this is a clever plan," Xiang Yu couldn't help but praise, and Fan Zeng laughed and said, "This is a plan to fight against the odds."

"A last-ditch battle is not enough to increase the power of the army. I will sink the ship and destroy the cauldron. I will not destroy the Qin army and swear not to return south," Xiang Yu added,

"What a great general who can destroy a cauldron and sink an entire boat, it must be given by heaven. We are willing to follow him to the death," Long Qie and others knelt down on one knee and shouted loudly,

In the big tent, Xiang Yu's loud laughter echoed again,

After laughing, Xiang Yu raised his hands and said, "Everyone, get up."

Everyone stood up one after another. At this time, Xiang Yu looked at Huan Chu and asked: "Is there any news about Zhong Limei on your way back?"

"Zhong Limei should have arrived in Zhu County by now. I believe there will be news soon,"

After Xiang Yu heard this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. His eyes wandered around the crowd. Soon, his eyes were fixed on Pu Shan and Ying Bu. He couldn't help but order: "I will go north with you and my 20,000 troops immediately to clear the way for my army. "

The two of them walked out and sang their promises loudly. Suddenly, a report from a personal attendant sounded outside the tent: "General Zhongli has sent an urgent document."

A personal attendant walked in quickly and handed a bamboo slip to Xiang Yu with both hands. Xiang Yu took the bamboo slip and read it quickly. He couldn't help laughing and said to everyone: "Zhuang'er's 20,000 reinforcements are on their way north. , In addition, he has sent things for the winter, so we don’t have to worry,"

About an hour later, 20,000 Chu troops, led by Pu Shan and Ying Bu, hurried out of the Chu camp and marched towards the Zhang River.

,,,,,,

After Liu Bang defeated Wang Li, he led his army to the west. He did not encounter much resistance in the counties he passed along the way. Many counties were frightened by the news and begged Liu Bang for surrender.

More than 100,000 Chu troops captured Gaoyang three days ago and stationed themselves in the city. They planned to rest here for a few days and plan to advance westward.

On the city tower, the Chu army was building city defenses, transporting rolling wood and thunder stones, and increasing the number of troops to guard the city. Groups of young men who had just been recruited were shouting slogans and transporting stones to the city head.

Liu Bang, surrounded by generals, patrolled the city. The red Chu flags were fluttering in the wind. They were particularly eye-catching against the sunlight. When Liu Bang walked to the wall, he couldn't help but grabbed a Chu flag and put the flag on it. On the face, close your eyes and feel it with your heart,

From his release of prisoners to his uprising by killing snakes, the past events echoed in Liu Bang's mind as if they happened yesterday. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed from an unknown pavilion chief of Surabaya to a powerful general of Chu State, the former Duke of Pei. , think about the ups and downs of life, just like the flowers in this world, blooming in spring and withering silently in autumn, life is just like this,

Liu Bang is already over forty this year. He doesn’t know how many more years he can continue to struggle.

Just when Liu Bang was filled with emotion, Xiao He sighed softly: "My lord, you have been running around for so long, you should go back and rest for a while."

Liu Bang was also really tired. With Xiao He's persuasion, he hurried back to an old house on East Street. It is said that this house was the mansion of Gaoyang Township's predecessor Youzhi (an official in the Qin State, in charge of the affairs of a township, and mediating civil disputes). Since the rise of the Chu State, Gaoyang Township abandoned the city and fled. At this time, this house was requisitioned by Liu Bang as his temporary residence.

The Chu army deployed three lines of defense in this house to ensure Liu Bang's safety.

At this time, an army maid brought warm water and placed it in front of Liu Bang. She took off Liu Bang's shoes and socks, then knelt in front of Liu Bang and massaged his feet. Besides drinking, Liu Bang's biggest hobby was also There is a foot bath. When he is exhausted, he likes to soak his feet, drink some wine, and take a nap. The fatigue of the day will immediately dissipate.

At this time, Liu Bang closed his eyes and was concentrating. The maid was gently massaging Liu Bang's feet. However, a reckless soldier barged in. It was not until he saw Liu Bang closing his eyes and concentrating that he knelt down on one knee in fright. I didn't dare to say anything. I wanted to report to Liu Bang, but I was afraid of disturbing Liu Bang and giving him a slap in the face. But I just left like this. I was worried that I had lost etiquette. Just like this, the commander knelt on the ground in embarrassment.

In fact, Liu Bang was not asleep. At this time, he felt the presence of the village chief, and asked in a deep voice: "What's the matter? Tell me."

When the commander saw that Liu Bang was not asleep, he felt happy and said, "My lord, there is a sixty-year-old man outside. He claims to have a brilliant idea that can help my lord, so he has come to help me."

At this point, the commander of the village paused. He raised his head and glanced at Liu Bang. Seeing that his face was expressionless and he was still concentrating with his eyes closed, he had to continue: "This sixty-year-old man is dressed in rags. My subordinates dare not let him in rashly. I came here specially." Report to the lord,"

After hearing the report, Liu Bang thought for a while. Now that the world is in chaos and all forces are striving to become stronger, he should also recruit talents to assist him, so he ordered: "Bring him in."

When the village chief saw that Liu Bang had agreed, he made a promise and left. Soon, a sixty-year-old man in shabby clothes walked in slowly. He had a gray beard and hair, but his body was still strong. His name was Li Shiqi, a native of Gaoyang. , during Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's uprising, Li Shiqi did not rush to defect to any force, but waited and waited. Now, Liu Bang has vowed to march westward and is likely to destroy Qin, so Li Shiqi paid his respects and came to serve.

At this time, Li Shiqi came to the living room and saw Liu Bang closing his eyes to rest, while a maid was washing his feet. Li Shiqi looked slightly unhappy, and regardless of whether Liu Bang allowed it or not, he walked straight to the soft mat and sat down, cupping his hands and saying: "I dare to ask the general, do you want to help Chu conquer Qin, or do you want to help Qin conquer all directions?"

After Liu Bang heard this, he couldn't help but be surprised. He waved to the maid and the maid retreated. At this time, Liu Bang stared at Li Shiqi with burning eyes and said loudly: "I have traveled thousands of miles to lead the army to the west. It is difficult to defeat Qin." ?”

"Since the general wants to conquer Qin, why do you treat wise men so poorly? As a general, I won't take them." Li Shiqi's words were frank and straightforward. Liu Bang couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh. He got up and walked to the back hall.

About half a cup of tea later, Liu Bang, wearing a red cloak, walked into the living room again, bowed to Li Shiqi and saluted, "May I ask the old man his name?"

Li Shiqi saw that Liu Bang was treating the guests well, so he stood up and returned the greeting: "I am from Anyang, my surname is Li, my name is Shiqi. I heard that the general's soldiers passed here today, so I came here to express my sympathy. Please don't blame me just now." The crime of collision,"

When Liu Bang saw what Li Shiqi said, he couldn't help but waved his hands and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter..."

The two of them were seated separately, and a soldier brought two cups of hot tea. Li Shiqi picked up one cup, took a sip, and then smiled and said: "Chenliu County is a strategic point in the world, with connections in all directions. Once you get this place, you can attack it. We can retreat and defend, and we have enough food reserves. Why don't the general take Chenliu first and use it as a jumping platform to plan for all directions?"

"I have wanted to capture Chenliu for a long time, but I'm afraid that Chenliu has many soldiers and generals, so it will be difficult to capture it. Sir, can you have a good strategy to help me capture Chenliu," Liu Bang sighed softly,

"That's why I'm here." When Li Shiqi saw Liu Bang asking for advice, he continued: "The magistrate of Chen County is a friend of both young and old, and has a close relationship with him. If the general is willing to listen to me, I will come overnight." Go to Chenliu and persuade him to surrender the city. If he refuses, I am willing to cooperate with the general inside and outside to attack Chenliu at night. I don’t know if the general is willing."

"This plan is very clever, and it works exactly as I wish..." Liu Bang praised,

...
Chapter completed!