"This is the lifeblood of my family! Please, for the sake of fellow Chu people, don't take it all away."
"The Qin army will give us money if they want food, but why do our Chu army come and rob us empty-handed?"
"Money? How dare you accept money from the Qin people? Hand over the money together, otherwise you will be the lackeys of the Qin people, and Nai Gong will chop off your heads!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu don't you want to rob the food? Why do you want to rob the cauldron too?"
…
In Zhuyi City, mourning and wailing filled the city.
After the Qin people withdrew and the Chu army recovered the area, the Chu residents in Zhuyi did not usher in a free and happy life.
On the contrary, the tens of thousands of Chu troops gathered outside the city actually sent people into the city to steal food from them.
It stands to reason that the autumn harvest has only been over for two or three months, so there should be a lot of food in the city.
But unfortunately, as soon as the autumn harvest was completed, the Chu army collected most of the grain and transported it to the front line to supply Xiang Yan's army.
After the Qin army arrived, Xiang Qu moved most of the grain stored in Zhuyi in advance, and burned the rest completely, leaving nothing for the Qin army, intending to let the Qin army plunder the Chu people here, which aroused
The people are resentful, and when the Chu army counterattacks, these people can raise their flags to welcome them.
As a result, the Qin army did confiscate the food of the Chu people in the city, but these Chu people did not have much resentment. First, the Qin army still left the minimum survival food for these Chu people. If you save a province, the family can still survive.
Wait until the beginning of spring to pick up some wild vegetables, fruits and vegetables, and you will have more money.
If you can survive, naturally no one is willing to fight with your life.
Secondly, the Qin people gave money, and there are two different concepts between using money to forcefully buy and grabbing for nothing. Therefore, although the Chu people here did not say it with their mouths, they did not hate the Qin people much in their hearts.
Especially compared to the Chu army that has now regained this area, these so-called compatriots from one country actually began to rob local Chu people of their last remaining food.
A hot-blooded warrior rose up to resist and defended his family's food reserves, but was killed on the spot by Chu soldiers.
Some people opened their mouths to yell and curse, and were pushed to the ground and their tongues were cut off. They could only moan and scream, with their mouths full of blood.
There were also the wailing and crying sounds of various women, children, the elderly and the weak, which could not be heard without stopping.
"General, our army has obtained military rations from the city, which can last for seven or eight days. The cauldrons, steamers and other equipment have also been replenished."
"Well, this food is enough to get to Pengcheng. Send scouts north quickly to find out the position of the Qin army. At the same time, let the soldiers rest here for the night, and we will set off tomorrow."
Xiang Qu's face was indifferent, and he naturally heard the wails of the Chu people in Zhuyi.
But he doesn't care.
A lack of food is nothing. Now the entire Chu State is short of food.
If he could not quickly defeat Zhao Tuo, regain Pengcheng, and open up the grain transportation channel in the northeast, it would not be long before all the hundreds of thousands of Chu troops in the Huaibei battlefield would starve and be massacred by the Qin people.
Compared with this, what does it mean to sacrifice a small Chu people in Zhuyi?
Only by providing enough food and fodder for his army so that Xiang Qu can defeat Zhao Tuo's Qin army can we save the Chu state from overthrowing. This is for the sake of the real overall situation.
In the overall situation, the livelihood of small people does not need to be considered.
"General, do you really want to send troops to pursue Zhao Tuo?"
Jing Tong's face was full of worry.
Although Xiang Qu ordered the boats to be burned twice, the Chu army now occupies both sides of the Suishui River. As long as it takes some time, a large number of ships can be built in two or three days to receive supplies of grain and grass from the west bank of the Suishui River. There is no need to rob them like this.
Food for the people of Zhuyi.
But Xiang Qu couldn't wait any longer. After learning that Zhao Tuo was leading his army to flee north, he was ready to pursue him.
In addition to leaving 5,000 man-made ships to transport the subsequent grain and baggage from the other side of the Sui River, Xiang Qu will lead the remaining 30,000 people to take the military rations looted from Zhuyi and quickly go north to take Pengcheng.
At this moment, facing Jing Tong's inquiry, Xiang Qu sighed softly.
"Zitong, do you think we still have a choice?"
Jing Tong bit his lip. This young talent from the Jing family also understood in his heart.
They have no choice.
Zhao Tuo led the Qin army to escape, allowing them to successfully recover Zhuyi, but what was the use?
The strategic purpose of Xiang Qu's Chu army was to defeat the Qin army, regain Pengcheng, open a channel connecting Lu and Qi, transport Lu's grain to the Chenying battlefield, and even borrow grain from Qi in order to let Chu
The country continues to hold on.
All this requires smooth roads.
Although Zhao Tuo has escaped now, his troops still exist, and he can still firmly occupy Pengcheng and isolate east-west traffic.
As long as the Qin army defends Pengcheng, the situation will be the same as before, enough to kill the Chu army here.
"Pengcheng must be taken, and fast."
"If it's too late, even if we capture Pengcheng, my father's army may not be able to hold on until the grain from the east can be transported to Chen Ying. So I must follow the Qin army, pursue it all the way, and capture Zhao Tuo."
Just defeat it!"
"We have no choice in this battle!"
Xiang Qu whispered bitterly.
And he still had something to say.
After receiving his message, the Prime Minister sent 5,000 troops, led by his brother Xiang Yue, to attack Pengcheng. Although they were attacking the enemy's key points, they were actually in a dangerous situation.
If Xiang Qu did not follow closely to support Xiang Yue, Xiang Yue's 5,000 men would probably be surrounded and annihilated by Zhao Tuo's returning army, and the strength of the Xiang family would be lost in Pengcheng.
Whether it's for the Xiang family or the survival of the Chu State.
Xiang Qu had no choice.
He must go north and capture Pengcheng!
"Jing Tong knows what the general wants. However, Zhao Tuo has always been cunning. I am afraid that the Qin army will ambush our army on the road. Our army must be careful when going to Pengcheng."
Jing Tong spoke, his face full of worry.
Especially looking at Xiang Qu's appearance in front of him, he felt that this scene seemed familiar.
Yes, last year, Jing Tong followed Zuo Sima Zhaoping and also crossed the Sui River and went north to pursue, following the Qin army led by Zhao Tuo all the way.
Then, they suffered a huge defeat in Surabaya.
Zuo Sima was defeated and committed suicide.
Thinking of this, Jing Tong couldn't help but shudder.
…
A road thirty miles south of Pengcheng.
An earth wall rose from the ground, dividing the entire road into two parts, the north and the south. Although the earth wall was built in a hurry, because its length was less than ten meters and the amount of work was limited, it was built by the Qin army in a decent manner.
It's very sturdy.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In front of the wall there is a deep trench, an antler wooden fence, and the ground and ditch are filled with calamus pears.
Behind the wall there are steps for soldiers to stand on and hold weapons for defense, and more than ten meters further back there is a higher earthen platform for soldiers to stand on and shoot bows and arrows toward the outside of the wall.
This type of defensive barrier is located every one or two miles all the way to Pengcheng. There are as many as seven consecutive barriers. There are also narrow passages for the soldiers in front to retreat next to the subsequent barriers.
There are soldiers guarding the side of the passage with large axes and halberds. If any enemies dare to follow them in, they will hack them to death.
Behind the seven barriers, there is an open area with a large Qin army camp. At this moment, there are wisps of smoke, and the Qin soldiers are boiling water to make rice and have a hearty meal.
"If you want to go to Pengcheng, you have to break my seventh base."
Zhao Tuo led his generals to inspect the defense of this section of the road and was quite satisfied.
This road was his specially chosen battlefield.
The road is actually relatively wide, seven or eight meters wide.
There is only a small river on the east side of this road. The river is not very big, and the water is not very deep in winter. However, the enemy cannot bypass the barrier from the river, because if they dare to bypass the waterway, the barrier will be well prepared.
The Qin army's crossbowmen can shoot the enemies in the river into hedgehogs. Moreover, there are cliffs and bad roads on the other side of the river, making it impossible for the Chu army to cross the river.
On the west side of the road, there is a steep slope. The trees and weeds on the slope have been cleared by the Qin army, leaving a bare area. The ground is also dug by the Qin army. It is difficult to walk on it. If you are not careful, you will fall down.
After a fall, the pit was strewn with sharp iron pears that pricked my feet. My feet hurt just by looking at them.
If the enemy wants to pass through the steep slope from the west, first of all, it will be difficult to walk on the slope full of potholes. Secondly, he must be careful to prevent his feet from being pricked by iron calabash pears on the ground. Thirdly, he must be shot by the Qin army's archers behind the barrier.
Those who can successfully pass through the steep slope and bypass the barrier are the lucky ones. The army cannot pass at all.
Therefore, if the enemy wants the army to pass through this road, they can only attack the Qin army's barrier head-on.
Just break through one barrier, and there will be another barrier behind it.
One layer after another, there are seven layers in total.
The enemy must break through the Qin Army's seven bases and defeat all the defending Qin Army guards before they can reach the real Qin Army camp.
In front of the Qin army's camp, there is a wide area where the main force of the Qin army can line up to meet the enemy, set up their strong bows and crossbows, and face the enemies who arrived here after breaking through seven barriers.
"That Xiang Qu not only asked the prime minister to send troops to attack Pengcheng, but also asked the prime minister to raise troops to attack. Naturally, he wanted to disperse our army's strength so that he could form a situation of using a large number to defeat the few and encircle our army. Therefore, he must sneak across this time.
Suishui comes to fight with our army."
"It's just that the Chu people have the upper hand, so why should I confront him by the Suishui River?"
"The enemy advances and we retreat. If he attacks me, I leave. The initiative is always in the hands of our army."
Zhao Tuo walked up to an earthen platform and looked at the scene of the fortresses in front and behind. He saw that the Qin soldiers were still strengthening the earthen walls and building defensive measures. He couldn't help but nodded and said: "Wu Sunzi said, the terrain is determined by the help of soldiers. It is expected that the enemy will win."
, It is the way of a general to plan dangers near and far. He who knows this and uses war will win; he who does not know this and uses war will be defeated."
"When fighting a war, you should have the right to choose the battlefield in your hands. The situation in Suishui is not good for our army. Then I will look for a battlefield that is beneficial to our army."
Zhao Tuo glanced at Lu Wan, Zhong Limei and others who were listening attentively, and then asked: "Ah Wan, I once reviewed the Art of War with you, Sun Tzu Wu, do you still remember the six types of terrain mentioned by Sun Tzu Wu?"
Lu Wan thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and replied: "Returning to the general, Sun Tzu Wu said that there are six types of terrain: there are open ones, there are hanging ones, there are branches, there are narrow ones, there are dangerous ones, and there are far ones."
Zhao Tuo nodded, turned to Zhongli Mei, and said, "Zhongli, please tell me about the terrain here."
Zhongli Mei smiled slightly, naturally he would not be troubled by this problem. He pointed to both sides of the road and said: "This road is blocked by rivers in the east and dangerous by steep slopes in the west. The road is narrow and dangerous, which is the sixth type of terrain.
It is also a defile in the middle. The so-called defile, if I occupy it first, I will fill it up to wait for the enemy; if the enemy positions it first, don't follow it if it is filled; if it is not filled, follow it."
"Now the general is defending the defile and is waiting for the seven bases. If the Chu army comes, they will not be able to exert their superiority in strength on this defile. They can only attack our seventh base with limited troops. Under attack and defense, the Chu people will surely
There will be heavy losses.”
"Even if they can win consecutive victories and break through my seventh base, their morale will be exhausted and their energy will be exhausted. How can they defeat our elite Qin army who are waiting for work? Therefore, although the Chu army is large and our army is small, the winner will definitely be the final winner.
It’s the general!”
When Zhongli Mei finished speaking, he looked slightly excited.
"However, this place is a narrow road. If our army is the first to get there, the advantage will be mine!"
Zhao Tuo nodded in approval.
Lu Wan and Zhong Lifei are both studying the art of war seriously and speak clearly and clearly.
Lu Wan hesitated for a moment and then asked: "But general, if Chu general Xiang Qu is really chasing after us and seeing our army setting up such a battle, will he really attack again? If the Chu army retreats without a fight,
what to do?"
Zhao Tuo turned his head and looked south toward Suishui.
"He will attack by force. Only by defeating our army and capturing Pengcheng can the Chu State have a chance to survive. If he retreats, the Chu State will perish."
"This is where the decisive battle between Xiang Qu and me will take place!"
When he said this, Zhao Tuo's eyes were full of fighting spirit.