"Maybe there will be, maybe there won't be, but it depends on Xiang Liang's decision."
"But... whether you resist or not, the results seem to be similar."
The army is still marching along the southern border of Wei State. Although the roads in Wei State have been rarely repaired for hundreds of years,... Hundreds of families and merchants gathered in Wei State to make every road smooth.
Naturally, there will be some people from the old family and merchants working together to build it, so... it is quite good.
Although the traveling speed was slightly slower due to the rain, there was nothing we could do about it.
"Wu Zhenhou!"
"With another day's journey, we can reach Tuocheng. According to the reports from the scouts, the Chu State has 8,000 troops there, and there is a tendency to continue to increase the number of troops."
It was a gloomy rainy day, and even though it was noon, it was still a little dark. As Yan Lingji finished speaking, a loud voice came from outside the carriage.
"Among the thirteen cities occupied by the Chu State, six are to the west of the Ji River and seven are to the east of the Ji River. Compared with the six cities we captured previously, the ones east of the Ji River are
The seven cities are more dangerous and prosperous."
"It seems... Chu State doesn't want to give up those seven cities."
"With this order from the Marquis, the scouts will intensify their exploration efforts and advance with 10,000 heavily armored troops. Don't rush to reach Tuocheng. Wait for us to catch up and encircle Tuocheng."
Zhou Qing responded slowly, with the map floating in the depths of his mind. Everything was obvious. Recently... Qian Hong had to deal with the six cities he had captured earlier, so he stayed behind alone.
He and Yan Lingji took the first step, preparing to seize the remaining cities one by one and drive back the Chu State's 100,000 troops.
"Here!"
The soldier outside the carriage responded and immediately... left quickly.
"Young Master, so... we're going to go to war with Chu State next?"
Yan Lingji, who was in a low mood just a moment ago, suddenly opened her bright eyes and looked at the young master with obvious curiosity.
"Then it depends on Chu State's determination."
Zhou Qing smiled slightly. The answer to that question did not lie with him, but with the Chu State and Xiang Liang who were leading the army at the moment. If they wanted to keep the other seven cities, they had to fight.
"Let's fight."
"Fight those Chu people back, and the remaining seven cities will surrender directly, and we can go back."
For more than half a month, I spent most of my time traveling on the road, which was really boring.
The key point is that those Chu people know how to run away and don't know how to confront them head-on. It is really... different from the rumored powerful country of Southern Chu. Now... it seems that the Chu country wants to resist?
Really good!
******
"uncle!"
"According to the reports from the scouts, in at most two days, Qin State Wuzhenhou Xuan Qingzi will lead 30,000 vanguard cavalry to Tuocheng, where only 10,000 people are currently stationed."
"Should we continue to increase our troops? As expected, Tuocheng cannot be defended. This is not good news for other cities."
Qiao County!
Hundreds of miles away from Tuocheng, the main force of Chu's 100,000 troops marched north this time. More than 50,000 troops were stationed here, and the remaining 50,000 troops were scattered among the other seven cities.
For several months, 100,000 Chu troops marched on the border, thinking that they would sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. In the end, Daliang City of the Wei State fell, and the King of Wei was falsely captured and escorted to Xianyang.
In the state of Wei, the ancestral temple did not exist.
The Kingdom of Wei was destroyed!
Therefore, thirteen cities along the border from west to east were brought under the control of the Chu army. They never thought that Xuan Qingzi would actually mobilize a hundred thousand troops to march eastward.
The momentum was so great that they had no choice but to give up the six cities west of the Ji River. They were also the six cities that would bear the brunt of Wang Ben's army going south.
The seven cities east of the Ji River are unusual. Although Daliang City of the Wei State was destroyed, if the entire Wei State was to be brought under the control of the Qin State, the Qin State would need to send a large army to bring each city under its control.
The Ji River divides the south from east to west, and to the east is where many old families of the Wei State gather. There are still a large number of soldiers, wealth, and even nearly half of the strength of the entire Wei State.
Therefore...the Chu army east of Ji River can completely join forces with the remaining forces of Wei to resist Qin's attack, but west of Ji River, it has no such advantage at all.
Now... in just over half a month, Marquis Wu Zhen of Qin State has mobilized 100,000 troops from Nanyang and Yingchuan County to advance eastward. The momentum is very huge. The attack is steady and advancing steadily, which puts great pressure on the Chu army.
In the side hall of the Lord's Mansion of Qiao County, Xiang Liang and other Chu army generals gathered there. Young Xiang Ji and Long Qie were also there. The sand table was displayed and the map was hung, with the location where Xuan Qingzi of Qin State was marching at this moment clearly marked on it.
After observing the scene, Xiao Xiangji took a step forward and expressed his opinion.
If you don’t want the six cities to the west of the Ji River, then you don’t want them, but the seven cities to the east of the Ji River are extraordinary, so you should give them up... The next day, they will fall into the hands of Qin. For the next day when Qin and Chu fight, there will undoubtedly be more Qin.
An important road heading south.
What's more, it is the first city east of the Ji River and is also in the eyes of the other six cities. If the Chu army can help and stop it, they will have confidence in the future.
As expected, there is no way to stop it, plus the Wei Guo Ancestral Temple does not exist!
I'm afraid the situation will take a turn for the worse!
"In the Central Plains, there are many smooth roads. If you want to help Tuocheng hold on, with the troops under Xuanqing's command, you will need to reinforce at least 20,000 troops."
"When Xuan Qingzi's follow-up troops arrive, it turns out Tuocheng is still there. We still need to increase our troops."
"If that's the case, are we really going to fight hundreds of thousands of troops in Tuocheng?"
Xiang Liang was wearing heavy armor and standing in front of the sand table. The situation was very clear and he did not need to look too much. In addition, due to the terrain, there was not much possibility of mediation.
Among the seven cities east of the Ji River, Tuocheng is the first, and its importance cannot be said.
No matter what, stick to it as much as possible!
"General!"
"According to the reports from the scouts, after Qin general Wang Ben captured Daliang City, he sent tens of thousands of elite soldiers south to unite Qin's Xuan Qingzi. Compared with the soldiers in Xuan Qingzi's hands, Wang Ben's soldiers were more elite."
"Qin General Yang Duanhe is heading south to take control of the cities of Wei State. As expected, we have been in a stalemate here for several months. I am afraid that our army of 100,000 will be at a disadvantage, while the Qin army can gather more than 200,000 troops!"
On the right side of his command, a general came out, cupped his fists and saluted, and said about the situation in front of him. Ever since Wang Ben captured Daliang City, the situation in the entire Wei Kingdom had completely changed and it was completely chaotic.
When Wei Jiu was still there, the entire Wei state still had a backbone.
Now Wei Jia is being escorted to Xianyang!
The entire Wei State was afraid of Qin's military attack and surrendered directly.
Those who did not want to surrender to Qin were still resisting, such as Wei Jiu, Wei Bao, etc., who had tens of thousands of troops stationed east of Wei to resist Qin's eastward advance.
However... in any case, continuing the stalemate will not be a good thing for the hundreds of thousands of Chu troops who are here.
"We still have one day to respond."
Xiang Liang spoke softly.
Xuan Qingzi is already approaching Tuocheng, and Qiao County is not far from Tuocheng, so... we must decide on a countermeasure within one day, otherwise... it will be difficult no matter whether we hold on or not!
If you hold on forcefully and continue, you will only drag one hundred thousand Chu troops here!
If you don't hold on, one hundred thousand Chu troops will gain nothing!
"Uncle, why are you afraid of fighting Qin?"
"Now, although the Wei State is destroyed, the Wei people will not surrender to the Qin State, so the people's support can be used. As expected, the Chu State and the Wei State can mobilize troops on the spot to hold on. In a few months, the number of troops can exceed 200,000.
Have no fear of Qin."
"And to the east of the Ji River, there are many fertile cities with food, grass and luggage, etc., which can also support it."
"So, why can't we fight with him?"
Xiao Xiang Ji... was determined to fight. Since he came north here, in the past few months, he had captured thirteen cities without spending a single soldier, which was already a big achievement.
Now, it is not that easy for the Qin State to take away those thirteen cities again!
If you want to fight, fight! Why should the Chu army be afraid!
In addition, they do not have no chance of winning. In terms of military strength, Wei and Chu will join forces next, so there is no need to worry!
The same goes for food, grass and baggage.
How can I not fight with him like this?
"Long Qie, what do you think?"
Hearing Ji'er's words, Xiang Liang smiled slightly. The Chu army was naturally not afraid of a battle, but...some things were not that simple. This matter...he already had a choice in his mind.
He moved his eyes away from the sand table and landed on the red-haired young man next to Ji'er.
"This..., general!"
"Long Qie thought that when we fought against the Qin army, we and our 100,000 troops marched north and already occupied 13 cities in Wei. As expected, we saw the Qin army coming and retreated upon hearing the news. It is really... harmful to morale."
The red-haired young man, wearing light armor, did not expect that General Xiang Liang would ask him, so his expression froze for a moment, then he thought about it, took a step forward, cupped his fists and saluted.
A fight is necessary!
No matter the result of the battle is victory or defeat!
If it is a victory, then the morale of the Chu army will be greatly defeated, and the remaining power of the Wei state will work harder to support the Chu state!
If the battle is defeated, then... the Chu army will only give up those seven cities, and the Chu army will lose a little bit! It can also clearly see the gap between them.
The Chu army still has time to respond!
"Little dragon!"
"This is how the Chu army should be. Why should the Chu army be afraid of a battle?"
Xiao Xiang Ji was overjoyed. He looked at Long Qie beside him and felt happy in his heart. Xiao Long's thoughts were indeed the same as his own.
If you want to fight, fight! Why should the Chu army be afraid of a battle?
"Hahaha, you guys."
Looking at the two belligerent young men, Xiang Liang smiled brightly and cursed with one hand.
"Report!"
"General, there is an urgent document from Da Sima!"
Before Xiang Liang could say anything more, a document on horseback was already arriving from outside the side hall. Although there was still a drizzle, the sound was loud and extraordinary, and could be transmitted deep into the distance even though the distance was very far.
"Da Sima!"
"Da Sima!"
"..."
"grandfather?"
"..."
As soon as he said this, the entire side hall was shocked. The great Sima was naturally the great Sima of Chu State, General Xiang Yan. How could the old general send an urgent document at this time?
Could it be that there is some urgent explanation?
The generals did not dare to hesitate, especially Xiang Liang. He quickly invited the envoy in. After a simple salute, he took a bamboo tube from the man's hand and took out a secret document.