In a Chu village more than ten miles east of Shouchun, a Qin army raided the place under the cover of darkness. The Chu people in the village were all trembling with fear under the shining swords and halberds.
The two rural gates in the north and south have been closed, and are guarded by vicious black-armored soldiers to prevent Chu people from escaping and reporting news.
Fortunately, these Qin people did not intend to massacre the city. After suppressing the Chu people in the countryside, they did not kill anyone, nor did they molest women, nor did they rob money and jewelry. Instead, they kept collecting food from Chu people's homes everywhere.
"Hurry up and hand over the food, hurry up!"
"Bring over this piece of dried meat, bring over these rice, what is this?"
"Orange! Ugh... no, take it away from me!"
…
Rice, millet, meat, vegetables, and various fruits except oranges.
In the eyes of the Chu people, this Qin army seemed to be hungry ghosts. It looked like they had not eaten for hundreds of years. When they saw food, their eyes lit up and their mouths made sounds like wild beasts. Some people even went up to hold the meat.
Just chew it, the scene is frightening to watch.
Fortunately, although these Qin people were hungry as ghosts, they were not bloodthirsty. After taking the food, they left the house, leaving only the Chu people staring in their own houses with panic and fear in their hearts.
I don’t know what happened and why such a vicious group of Qin troops came near Shouchun.
At this time, in the wealthy mansion in the original hometown, the top brass of the Qin army were having military discussions while eating.
"Marquis, why are we leaving? In my opinion, these Chu people are simply vulnerable. They all ran away once they charged. Wait for five thousand... No, it's six thousand now. Wait for six thousand.
After people have eaten enough and have strength, they can try to attack Shouchun again. Maybe this time they can break the city in one fell swoop, capture the King of Chu, and capture Xianyang as prisoners. This is a huge achievement!"
The more Black Butt talked, the more excited she became, and she squirted out all the rice she had just put in her mouth.
Zhang He on the side also said excitedly: "I think Lord Black Bottom Two Five Hundred is right. If we can defeat Shouchun and capture the King of Chu, it will really shock the world. With the ability of the military commander, it will definitely be
If we are to be directly granted the title of Marquis by the King, I am afraid that we will be able to follow the military marquis and be promoted to several levels of nobility, hehehehe..."
Zhao Tuo, who was sitting on the main seat, glared at the two men and asked coldly: "Let's not talk about whether Shouchun can be captured. Let's defeat Shouchun as you said. After capturing the King of Chu, what should we do?
?”
Black Hips said casually: "Of course I'm going back to Xianyang to receive my merit."
"If we capture King Chu, can we go back alive?" Zhao Tuo said calmly.
"ah?"
Black Butt touched his butt and looked surprised. He had never thought about these problems.
"Zhao Guang, tell me."
Zhao Tuo turned his head and looked at Zhao Guang, who rarely spoke.
This general with the same surname as him talked less than the others, but he was quite calm in his actions. Together with Shejian, he was very valued by Zhao Tuo.
Zhao Guang accepted the promise and said: "As the military commander said, regardless of whether we can capture Shouchun, which is also guarded by thousands of soldiers. If we really succeed in attacking Shouchun and capture the King of Chu, then not only can we not
For us to go back to Xianyang to receive rewards, but it will put everyone's lives in danger."
"There are tens of thousands of Chu people in Shouchun City. Together with the private soldiers of various nobles, the fighting force they can fight far exceeds ours."
"If our army retreats with the prestige of the Battle of Eight Mountains, the Chu people in the city may not dare to pursue it, but if we dare to capture Shouchun and capture the King of Chu, then there will definitely be some brave and brave people among the tens of thousands of Chu people in Shouchun City.
There are tens of thousands of people from Chu who come up to fight to the death with us. If we resist, even if we can win, we will definitely suffer heavy casualties."
"Furthermore, our army is now in the hinterland of Chu State and is surrounded by enemies everywhere. If we capture the King of Chu, even if we retreat from Shouchun, there will definitely be countless Chu people chasing us behind and in front of us. Even Xiang Yan in Huaibei will receive
After hearing the news, I'm afraid they will all return to pursue our army."
"In order to recapture the King of Chu, or for revenge, these Chu people will definitely follow us all the way and fight with our army at all costs. By that time, even if our trip can shock the world, I am afraid that none of you will come back.
There is a chance of returning to Xianyang alive."
Having said this, Zhao Guang looked at Zhao Tuo with admiration and said in a deep voice: "Only the military commander's clever plan, using the power of a great victory, and then using the false words of 30,000 Qin troops to scare the King of Chu in Shouchun City,
Let them never dare to move out of the city, so that we can slowly retreat. By the time the Chu people react, our army has already arrived hundreds of miles away. This is our way to survive!"
"This time, the military commander not only led us to achieve great achievements, but also saved the lives of thousands of people in the entire army!"
With that said, Zhao Guang turned around and bowed to Zhao Tuo.
After this surprise attack on Shouchun, he had completely bowed to Zhao Tuo and admired him to the extreme.
After Zhao Guang explained, everyone understood and hurriedly said: "We admire the military commander's clever plan."
After admiring him, Black Butt asked boldly: "But Junhou, we want to go back to Xianyang. Why don't we go back the same way we came from? Instead, we have to go east. Isn't the west closer?"
Hearing this, Bai Rong smiled and said: "What a black butt, why don't you come to eat the big fish and meat in the east, and instead go to the west to eat oranges?"
"Oh, that's right. I don't want to eat oranges anymore in my life. I would rather take a long way back." Black Butt muttered.
Everyone laughed, and Zhao Tuo also had a faint smile on his lips.
He looked at the generals in the tent, especially Shejian and Zhao Guang, and saw that they looked calm. He probably understood why he chose to go east.
In addition to what Bai Rong said about food supply being a problem.
The biggest reason is that the situation now is different from when they made a surprise attack on Shouchun.
At that time, Li Xin and Meng Wu were in Huaibei to cover their sneak attack. No one knew that there was such a Qin army quietly marching along the Huai River to Shouchun, so Zhao Tuo could reach Shouchun City smoothly.
Next, he launched a surprise attack and achieved the purpose of frightening the King of Chu.
Now, they have exposed their traces in front of the Chu people. If they continue to go west along the original road, after three to five days, when the lie of "30,000 Qin troops" is broken, the Chu troops of King Qin from all over the country will gather under Shouchun City.
The King of Chu would definitely become angry and send an army to pursue him all the way. At that time, the Qin army was marching westward along the Huaihe River. Not only was there no food supply, but the terrain was rugged and the marching speed would be very slow. As long as the Chu people came in a hurry, it would be very difficult.
It's possible to catch up.
Moreover, the King of Chu may also order the Chu army in Huaibei to intercept them. In the current Huaibei battlefield, Xiang Yan defeated Li Xin's army. The Chu army advanced with great success and recovered many cities west of Yingshui River that had been captured by the Qin army.
If Xiang Yan receives the order and sends troops to block the north bank of the Huaihe River in the west, there is even a possibility of blocking Zhao Tuo's army.
There are people blocking you in front of you, there are soldiers chasing behind you, and there are no supplies or baggage yet. Taking the original route to the west seems to be a way of life, but in fact it is a dead end!
In comparison, continuing to the east of Chu State seems to be deeper into danger and farther and farther away from Xianyang, but it is actually safer than the west.
Because the tens of thousands of soldiers recruited from the eastern border of the Chu State were all under Xiang Yan's command, they were chasing the defeated Qin army in the Huaibei battlefield west of the Ying River.
Most of the cities in the eastern border of Chu State are in a state of emptiness. A large city may only be guarded by more than a thousand people, and a small city may only have two or three hundred people guarding it.
With the 6,000 troops under Zhao Tuo's command, it was not like a tiger entering the flock of sheep and killing them indiscriminately.
Moreover, after development, the cities in the east were not only connected by roads, but also had many cities where the Qin army could obtain food, so that they no longer had to worry about food.
and……
"Shejian, tomorrow all the soldiers under your command will be replaced by Chu army armor, and they will take the surrendered prisoners as the vanguard to clear the way for our central army, seize the cities in front, and open the road to Xianyang!"
"only."
Shejian stood up and accepted the promise.
In the evening, all the Qin soldiers had eaten and drank enough, and began to fall into a deep sleep to replenish their physical strength and prepare for tomorrow's march.
Zhao Tuo came to a quiet and comfortable room in the house.
"come in."
After Zhao Tuo got permission, he quietly entered the house and saw Xin Wu lying on the couch with his injured arm on the bed. His expression was much better than before.
"My subordinate Zhao Tuo, please see General Xin."
Zhao Tuo bowed his hands in salute. He was far lower than Xin Wu in terms of official position and title, so naturally he should be respectful.
Xin Wu looked at the young man in front of him and said with a smile: "I have already said that you, Zhao Tuo, are my savior. Our relationship is different from that of ordinary people. When there is no military affairs, you don't need to match your military position.
People can be more affectionate."
Hearing this, Zhao Tuo was not polite and said with a smile: "In that case, then Tuo will boldly call him 'Xin Gong'."
"It's up to you, I'll treat you as my junior."
Xin Wu chuckled, looking at the appearance of the young man in front of him, his expression couldn't help but become dazed.
He had already heard about Zhao Tuo sending troops to chase the defeated soldiers and attack Shouchun and scare the King of Chu. Coupled with what he heard about the "30,000 Qin troops" in the afternoon, he was even more surprised and amazed.
All these deeds were based on the situation and were consistent with the art of war. The wisdom displayed in them was enough to make him, a veteran on the battlefield, approve.
Moreover, Zhao Tuo, a mere teenager, dared to sneak into the capital of the Kingdom of Ten Thousands of People with thousands of people, and sent hundreds of soldiers to stand in front of Shouchun City to scare the King of Chu. Such courage and courage cannot be achieved by ordinary people.
.
"This son's future is limitless! He will definitely be a hero in the world in the future!"
Xin Wu sighed in his heart, and he made up his mind to establish a good relationship with Zhao Tuo, not only to repay Zhao Tuo for saving his life, but also to make a strong ally for the Xin family.
Just as Xin Wu's thoughts were turning, Zhao Tuo said: "Mr.
Zhao Tuo reported the upcoming march plan to Xin Wu. Hearing Xin Wu nod his head, he praised Zhao Tuo more and more in his heart.
Soon, after Zhao Tuo finished speaking, he raised his hands to Xin Wu and said: "Xin Gong is a general of our army and an experienced elder. Zhao Tuo also asked Xin Gong to take charge of the overall situation and take charge of the entire army."
Xin Wu was stunned for a moment, then turned to smile and said: "Well, Zhao Tuo, didn't you see that I was injured? How can I direct military affairs? You kid, don't do such nonsense. The rest of the matter is your responsibility.
, whatever you say is what it is.”
Hearing this, Zhao Tuo also laughed.
This Xin Wu is a good comrade.
In this way, he can legitimately take charge of these six thousand people without being controlled by Xin Wu.
Early the next morning, the morning light shone brightly on the horizon.
Zhao Tuo's 6,000 soldiers were already arranged in order under the command of the military officers of each department, and they walked out of the countryside in order and headed towards the eastern part of Chu State.
In its vanguard, a thousand Qin soldiers were all wearing Chu armor as red as fire...
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