Chapter 365 The decisive battle between Qin and Chu
The next morning, the sky was covered with dark clouds. The sun seemed to be frightened by the murderous aura on the Huai River battlefield below. He did not dare to come out and look around. He could only hide behind the thick clouds and emit a little light.
The early summer wind blows across the earth, fluttering the red and black flags and making a hunting sound.
On the battlefield that stretches for several miles, there are more than 70,000 soldiers divided into two teams, facing each other hundreds of meters apart.
The Chu army, whose armor is as red as fire, is located in the west, with a total of 40,000 people.
The Qin army, as black as ink, stood in the east, with more than 30,000 people.
Zhao Tuo stood on the chariot with the general's banner erected, looking up at the Chu army's battle formation opposite.
"General, our cavalry has explored an area of more than 20 miles to the south and east, and no Chu army ambush has been found."
Shejian rode over to report that most of his troops suffered casualties in the previous defensive battle and were no longer able to participate in this war. Now they are mainly responsible for intelligence and staff matters.
The main force of the Qin army on the battlefield now is mainly composed of Feng Wuze's troops, and Meng Tian and Zhao Guang's Qin troops.
Zhao Tuo nodded and looked at the Chu army opposite, especially the red flag flying high, which was the flag of the Chu Kingdom's Ling Yin.
To the north of the Qin army is the Huai River, and to the west is Xiang Yan's Chu army.
After exploring the east and south sides, there were no surprise troops sent out by the Chu army to ambush in advance. It seemed that Xiang Yan was not cheating and was really preparing to fight the Qin army in an upright manner on the battlefield.
"Soldiers with dignity and dignity, fight in formation."
Zhao Tuo whispered in his heart, with fighting intent rising in his eyes.
This time, it was actually the first time for Zhao Tuo to command a large-scale force on a frontal battlefield. It was a test for him and his last chance to improve himself.
Now the time has come to the final moment for Qin to destroy the six kingdoms and annex the world.
After the Qin army destroyed Chu, it became invincible in the world.
In the Battle of Zhencheng, Qi's nature as a paper tiger was revealed and there was nothing to worry about.
As for the remnants in the north, they are extremely weak and can be quelled by a partial army.
It can be said that after this battle, at least for many years, Zhao Tuo will not have the opportunity to fight head-on again.
If he gave up the fight with Xiang Yan and huddled in the camp waiting for Wang Jian's army to arrive, he might be able to win easily, but he would also forever lose this opportunity to make up for his shortcomings.
He, Zhao Tuo, will always be an incomplete general.
Commanding operations on the frontal battlefield will always be his flaw.
And this battle is an opportunity for him to perfect his military skills. Whether he loses or wins, it is an improvement for himself.
Not to mention that Wang Jian's main army ensured the final victory in this battle, and there were veteran generals like Feng Wuze beside him to assist him. Although Xiang Yan on the opposite side was strong, he had a group of tired soldiers.
With this advantage, why didn't Zhao Tuo dare to fight?
As for the soldiers under his command, their morale was so high that it even exceeded Zhao Tuo's expectations.
"After destroying the Chu army, Nai Gong wants to be promoted to a noble title!"
"Behead Xiang Yan, and you will be honored and meritorious!"
"Follow General Zhao, kill, kill, kill!"
"General Zhao, please lead us to kill the enemy and perform meritorious service!"
Not only Zhao Tuo's subordinates, but also Feng Wuze's more than 10,000 Qin soldiers were all highly motivated to fight, and their eyes were red with excitement.
Nothing more than that, Qin rejuvenated the country with military exploits. For the people at the bottom of Guizhou, if they want to achieve a class jump, they can only rely on killing enemies on the battlefield and making meritorious deeds. Even if they die in battle, as long as they have made meritorious deeds, they will be relatively
The fair Qin army system will allow the descendants of those who died in battle to inherit their meritorious status.
Under such a system, there is a description that "the men of Shandong were covered with armor in order to fight, and the people of Qin donated their armor and fur to fight the enemy, grabbing heads on the left and captives on the right."
Now, even the lowest Qin soldiers understand that after Qin destroyed Chu, Qi and Dai were weak, and they probably wouldn't have many opportunities to make meritorious deeds.
So when the news that General Zhao intended to invite the Chu army to fight reached the camp, the entire Qin army of 30,000 soldiers were extremely excited.
For most of the Qin soldiers, this battle may be their last chance to achieve meritorious service and rise to the rank of noble, and to cross the ranks!
Give it a try and exchange your head for a title, Nai Gong wants to be a master!
Affected by the warlike mood in the army, even Zhao Guang, Meng Tian and other generals became eager to fight.
The thirty thousand Qin troops, up and down, their fighting will and morale have reached their peak!
Zhao Tuo's eyes swept over the faces of the red-faced, excited and warlike soldiers, and he became more and more calm and confident.
"My soldiers want to fight, and their morale is available."
Zhao Tuo looked at the Chu army opposite again and whispered: "Xiang Yan, what about your soldiers?"
…
"Your Majesty, since the news that Wang Jian's army is about to arrive has been spread, the morale of the army has been unstable. Except for the five thousand elites who still have battle accidents, the other thirty thousand soldiers are timid. If this battle fails, I'm afraid they will
They will take the opportunity to flee."
Jing Tong came over and whispered worriedly in Xiang Yan's ear.
Xiang Yan's eyes flashed across the soldier's cheek, and he nodded expressionlessly, indicating that he understood.
"We have no choice. If Zhao Tuo cowers in the camp, I will not be able to advance or retreat. In the end, I will either lead his army to retreat south and be chased by him, leading to a great rout. Or I can hold on here until Wang Jian's army arrives and annihilate me. Now Zhao Tuo takes the initiative
The invitation to fight gives me a chance for a fair duel. As long as I can defeat Zhao Tuo from the front, our army's morale will be boosted and we can slowly retreat south. This is the only way for our Chu army to survive."
At this point, Xiang Yan's voice suddenly became full of confidence.
"Although the morale is low, our army still has an advantage of 10,000 troops, and I don't believe that Zhao Tuo's military skills can compare with mine. If I can't defeat Wang Jian, I can't defeat him, Zhao Tuo."
A cold light flashed in Xiang Yan's eyes.
Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect.
His son committed suicide with hatred just because he was defeated by Zhao Tuo.
How could he not avenge this?
Jing Tong nodded in response, then turned to look at the Qin army's unmoving battle formation in the distance and said: "The Qin army has been confronting our army for half an hour, and there is no sign of attack. If the stalemate continues, the situation will be unfavorable to our army.
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According to intelligence, Wang Jian's army will arrive near Huaiyin today, and his infantry will be able to resist the battlefield here on the second day.
But if Wang Jian sends chariots and cavalry, I am afraid they will be able to arrive this afternoon. The longer the delay, the more dangerous the Chu army's situation will be.
The Chu army could only attack first.
Xiang Yan snorted coldly: "As far as I know, Zhao Tuo is good at surprise attacks and ambushes. He doesn't have much field experience. He probably wants to use defense as offense. In this case, I will take the initiative to attack him."
"Beat the drums and march!"
Xiang Yan raised his head and issued the order.
As the Chu army's war drums were beating fiercely, drums were also beating in the Qin army's camp.
Zhao Tuo stood in his car and looked into the distance, and could see dense crowds of Chu people coming like a red tide.
The Chu army was divided into three armies: left, center and right.
The Qin army was also divided into three parts, each with ten thousand men.
Feng Wuze was on the left, facing the Chu people on the right.
Meng Tian was on the right, facing the Chu army on the left.
Zhao Guang was in the middle, facing the Chu army.
There are another five thousand elite troops in the rear, serving as the general's bodyguard and reserve force.
When the battle began, the Chu army took the lead with chariots, followed by infantry to charge.
The Qin army strictly adhered to their formation, and in accordance with their usual tactics, the light-armed crossbowmen at the front knelt on the ground and fired in turns.
As arrows flew across the sky, accompanied by bursts of screams, the charging Chu army fell to the ground. Even a Chu army chariot overturned on the spot because its horses were frightened by arrows.
But after shooting, the Chu army's forwards had already rushed to the Qin army's formation.
On the battlefield, some passionate Chu people began to shout and sang the Chu people's war song.
"When you fuck Wu Ge, you wear rhinoceros armor, and when your car is on the wrong side, you fight hand to hand..."