"It's not that our army doesn't hold on, but the Qin army has huge cannons!"
At the top of Chenying City, Yangxia guard general Feng Houyi, who was lucky enough to escape, was reporting to his commander Xiangyan with a sad look on his face.
He said with a mournful face: "With the help of Mo Zhi, our army has arranged the city of Yangxia like an iron wall and a copper wall. If the Qin army attacks the city with ordinary ants, they will definitely suffer heavy casualties."
"But this Qin army not only has a large number of people, but its commander is very cautious. It took three days to build a huge cannon, and then a single attack smashed our army's layout on the city wall. Those stone bullets weighed more than a hundred kilograms, and they could still
Constantly adjusting the direction and distance of the attack, it is completely different from ordinary stone machines. Our army was completely unable to stop it. As soon as the soldiers saw the huge stone flying into the sky, they all fled..."
"That's enough, go down."
Xiang Yan felt irritated and waved her hand.
Seeing that Ling Yin didn't say anything about punishment, Feng Hou Yi was overjoyed and quickly handed him over.
Beside him, Jin Xia, who was the supervisor, suddenly frowned.
He said: "Your Majesty, when Hou Yi abandoned the city and fled, he was intercepted and killed by the Qin army on the way, and many soldiers were killed. It's fine that he didn't kill himself to apologize. If your Majesty doesn't punish him now, I'm afraid
Is it difficult to convince the public?"
"I think it would be better to kill him as a warning to others. This will make the generals fear him and no one will dare to abandon the city and run away in the future."
Xiang Yan looked at the Chu State Right Yin with disgust. He was in a position below him and should have obeyed his orders. However, King Chu appointed him as the supervisor of the army. He had the responsibility to supervise himself, but he was not afraid of him.
.
"Your Majesty, you don't believe in yourself..."
It is indeed difficult for the monarch to rest assured that a minister can command hundreds of thousands of soldiers who can conquer the country, so it is reasonable to send his trusted followers to supervise the army.
But Xiang Yan still couldn't help but feel sad.
He knew that the king in Shouchun City was probably still resenting the fact that he did not personally come back for help last time. If the Qin State had not sent 600,000 troops this time, the king would never have allowed himself to take control of the military again.
.甼
Suppressing the disgust in her heart, Xiang Yan explained: "The Qin army's cannons are indeed powerful. Last time, even Xiangcheng's city wall was almost collapsed by the Qin army. The walls of Yangxia City are thin, so it is normal that they cannot withstand it.
If Hou Yi can hold off the opponent for three days, it will be enough for our army to prepare."
"Currently, 600,000 Qin troops are pressing down on the country, and our army is outnumbered. If we kill the general at this time, it will only weaken our army's combat power. It is better to let him take the blame and perform meritorious service."
Xiang Yan knows very well that the Chu State is currently facing a real desperate situation and is in danger of national subjugation at any time, so it needs all the power at its disposal.
Compared with the Qin general Li Xin who was only punished by being cut off from rank after his defeat, he would still have the opportunity to return to the battlefield in the future.
The Chu State's tradition of overthrowing the army and killing generals has caused countless generals to commit suicide in defeat, resulting in a scarcity of generals in the Chu State today, especially those with battlefield experience.
For example, Zuo Sima Zhaoping in the Battle of Surabaya, if he had not killed himself after defeat, but had followed him to assist the left, Xiang Yan would have been much more relaxed when facing the Qin army going south in this battle.
Thinking of Zhaoping, Xiang Yan couldn't help but think of the Qin general Zhao Tuo.
According to the information from the Chu State, Zhao Tuo seems to be only over ten years old.
This is really God’s blessing for Qin.
There are not only veterans Wang Jian, Yang Duanhe and others, but also backbones such as Meng Wu, Wang Ben, and Li Xin, and their descendants include geniuses like Zhao Tuo.
The Qin State has produced many famous generals, one generation after another, and one has been defeated one after another. How can it be like that the Chu State can only rely on Xiang Yan?
Whenever she thinks of this, Xiang Yan feels a deep sense of powerlessness in her heart.
Therefore, although Feng Houyi abandoned the city and fled, it was excusable because Xiang Yan did not want to weaken the Chu army again.
When Jin Xia saw Xiang Yan's explanation, she hummed, said a few words and walked away.
"In that case, I will follow what your commander-in-chief said. However, now that the Qin army is aggressively suppressing the territory, I hope that your commander-in-chief can guard the country seriously and keep the Qin people out of Chen Ying. Don't repeat what happened in the Eight Mountains of the past."
Looking at Jin Xia's leaving figure, with the warning left by the other person echoing in her ears, a flash of light flashed in Xiang Yan's eyes.
Apply harsh colors.
But he endured it, and now the overall situation is more important.
Xiang Yan had his son Xiang Qu summoned, as well as several key generals of the Chu army, including Qu Mao of the Qu family, Jing Tong of the Jing family, Zhao Ping's younger brother Zhao Yuan and others.
【In view of the general environment,
"The Qin army has conquered Yangxia, and I think Guling will also fall in the next two days. It won't be long before the Qin army can cross the chasm south and approach Chen Ying City. You should restrain your soldiers and rest and refresh yourself these days.
There will inevitably be a fierce battle."
Qu Jingzhao and the three generals all accepted the order and agreed to the promise.
Xiang Yan turned to Xiang Chuan again and said, "Our army has gathered at the foot of Chenying City and camped towards Honggou. We will only wait for the Qin army to cross the water and attack halfway across the river."
"But Wang Jian, who has always been known for his stability, will definitely not give our army this chance. He may cross the water from upstream first. You can send more cavalry to patrol and explore the area within a hundred miles. Once the Qin army's movements are discovered,
, report immediately."
"At the same time, let the civilians strengthen the barracks of the military camp. If the attack fails halfway across, the Qin army will cross the chasm and reach the bottom of the city. Our army will rely on the city wall and defend with the barracks to consume the Qin army here. Chen Ying's city wall must also be surrendered
No matter how hard we reinforce it, it will be able to withstand the bombardment of the Qin army’s giant artillery.”
"only."
Xiang Qu immediately handed over his hand.
Xiang Yan also sent a message to Ye Sheng, the right commander of the Chu State in the direction of Cai Pingyu, asking him to guard the camp and not go out to fight easily. He only had to drag the partial division of the Qin army under Yang Duan and his troops there to prevent the opponent from breaking into his camp.
The rear area of the army is a great achievement.
After making these arrangements, Xiang Yan sighed deeply.
Based on his understanding of Wang Jian, this man was very scheming and had killed two famous generals from a country of ten thousand chariots.
Judging from his record, he is not an impulsive and reckless person like Li Xin. I am afraid that the next situation will not be as he thinks.
Sure enough, within a few days, there were sentry reports from the Chu army.
After the Qin army moved south to the direction of Guling, they stopped moving forward and had no intention of continuing to march to Chenying. Instead, they dug forts and overhauled the walls there.
In the north of Chenying, starting from Yangxia, to Guling and hundreds of miles on both sides of the Honggou, Qin's 450,000-strong army was stationed separately, building ramparts and walls to wrap up the Honggou grain transport wharf.
The same situation applies to the Qin army in the west, Yang Duan and his troops. The 150,000-strong army is stationed in the military camp outside Shangcai City, with its back to Rushui Pier, overhauling the barriers, and has no intention of actively attacking the Chu army.
"Damn it, Wang Jian is an old man with turtle ears!"
After hearing the news, Xiang Yan knew Wang Jian's strategy and couldn't help but cursed angrily.
The other party did not want to take the initiative to attack Chu's city, nor did it want to fight with him in the wild.
The Qin Army's 600,000 troops were stationed on the border between Qin and Chu, neither advancing nor retreating, in order to hang all Chu's nearly 400,000 troops here to confront the Qin Army.
In this way, the two sides are not competing for the master's military skills, nor are they competing for the combat prowess and courage of the soldiers on both sides, but for the national strength of Qin and Chu, to see who has more food and who can carry more.
Long.
And, see who can win the monarch's trust more.
Xiang Yan knew exactly what kind of shabby state the Chu State was in.
"Qu'er, you immediately lead your army to attack the Qin army and prevent the Qin people from building walls and fortresses. It is best to lure them out and let the Qin army take the initiative to attack."
Xiang Yan sent his son to personally lead the Chu army to attack the Qin army's camps on both sides of the divide.
As a result, the other side did not go to war at all. Every civilian who built a fortress and wall was flanked by a corresponding Qin army guarding that place.
These Qin troops waited for work, armed with strong bows and crossbows, and fired at the attacking Chu troops indiscriminately.
Even if the Chu army occasionally captures and destroys a wall due to its numerical advantage, it will be recaptured immediately by the Qin army who rushes to support it. Moreover, in this way, the number of casualties paid by the Chu army in each attack is higher than that of the Qin army.
Even bigger.
In addition to major repairs to the walls outside the military camp, the Qin army also built a wall at its boundary and at the wharf where Ru River transported grain and fodder.
There are layers of barriers and turrets everywhere.
On the route from the dock to the Qin army's granary, a more than ten miles long "corridor" surrounded by barriers on both sides was built.
There are also a large number of well-armed Qin troops guarding nearby, and their defense is very tight, leaving no opportunity for the Chu army to take advantage of.
"Old turtle with thick armor!"
Xiang Yan couldn't help but cursed angrily, feeling that Wang Jian was really an old turtle, with his head and limbs shrunk inside the thick turtle shell and not getting out at all, leaving him unable to do anything.
Unable to lure the Qin army out of the camp, Xiang Yan did not dare to withdraw, so he could only fight with the Qin army here.
He knew very well that Wang Jian's old tortoise, even though he was huddled in his shell and could not move, would still show any flaw if the Chu army dared to show any signs of retreating.
Wang Jian will definitely stick his head out from the turtle shell and bite the Chu army hard, and that bite will probably be very painful.
"In that case, I have no choice but to try this."
Xiang Yan took out a silk painting.
It shows how to make certain siege equipment.
It was something that Prince Qi gave to Xiang Yan after he returned to Chu last year.
This is a blueprint of a siege weapon that Young Master Qi obtained using his identity in Qin.
Among the Chu army, there were also craftsmen of the Qin army who had been captured after defeating the Mongol and Wu armies.
Xiang Yan slapped the bronze gum hard and roared: "It's not just your Qin army that has giant cannons, our Chu army also has them!"