Western Chu won the Battle of Zhangshui. This was the second representative victory of the Western Chu army after the victory in the Battle of Julu.
Qin's general Jin Qixiu died on the spot, and two generals were lost. The Qin army's will to fight completely collapsed. Tens of thousands of people escaped, and the rest were all captured by the Chu army.
"Have the number of prisoners been counted?" Xiang Yu looked at Xiang Bo, and he chose to leave this matter to his third uncle.
"The specific number hasn't been calculated yet, but roughly speaking, there are about 110,000 people." Xiang Bo patted the bamboo slips recording the message with the back of his hand and frowned, "We don't have enough food.
"
"Then buy more. Hasn't King Huai's allocation come down?"
Xiang Bo couldn't take a breath and was almost choked to death by Xiang Yu.
"...Buy!" After a long silence, I heard Xiang Bo's gritted teeth.
Xiang Lu patted Xiang Bo on the back to comfort him, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
"Wang Li's army is still in the north, what should we do?" Zijuan sat on the seat next to Xiang Yu and glanced at Xiang Yu with a frown.
Even though Wang Lijun has not made any big moves so far, it is undeniable that he is still a big threat.
On the battlefield, there is no certainty. No matter how strong the army is, it will fail. No matter how weak the army is... well, weak is weak.
However, it is precisely because of this that the strong should be cautious. Xiang Yu's behavior of leading his army to fight Zhang Han in Julu was still criticized a lot in private.
"Hit." Xiang Yu leaned forward, his tone unquestionable.
Zijuan turned her head and looked at Xiang An.
Although Xiang An was demoted, everyone knows that he is still the second-in-command in the army, and his opinions...are often different from those of General Xiang Yu.
This may be a bit troublesome for Xiang Yu, but in everyone's opinion, this kind of discussion can better avoid Xiang Yu's monotony.
Although in the end it was basically based on Xiang Yu's orders.
"...I think so too, fight." Xiang An glanced at Xiang Yu and actually said the same words as Xiang Yu.
"Huh?" Zijuan was shocked. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Xiang Yu and Xiang An. For a moment, she didn't know who she was looking at.
The main reason is that the situation between the two brothers during this period... is indeed not quite right.
Xiang An shook his head helplessly: "Xiaosi, there is another reason for the dispute between me and my eldest brother. How can I have another disagreement on such a critical matter?"
"Unlike Zhang Han and Jin Qixiu, these two people had a high possibility of betraying the Qin Dynasty, but in the end they did not choose to betray." Xiang Yu glanced at Xiang An and continued, "But Wang Li is different."
"It is impossible for Wang Li to betray, and it is even less possible for his army to betray."
"Wang Li's ancestors were generals of the Qin State for generations. Although he did not inherit the ability and foresight of his ancestors, he still inherited the integrity of his ancestors." Xiang An took up Xiang Yu's words, and the unity of opinions allowed him to find a little bit of his past.
The feeling is, "Since it is impossible for him to surrender to us, then there is only one way left..."
"That's it, all the troops will obey the order!" Xiang Yu stood up and gave the order with a wave of his hand.
"The end is here!"
Julu and Zhangshui were victorious in consecutive battles, the morale of the Chu army was at a high stage, and the generals were also in high spirits.
"Get ready to continue the war! In ten days, Wang Li will be destroyed!"
"The general will obey the order!"
...
Ten days were enough for the Chu army, which had just concluded the Battle of Zhangshui, to recharge its batteries.
The Qin troops captured by Xiang Yu had completely lost their identity. Xiang Yu sent people to find the few remaining generals and tried to recruit these Qin troops. The process went smoothly. After all, most of the troops under Zhang Han were originally
They were all condemned prisoners under construction at Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum. The reason why they did not flee was not so much their identification with Qin as their identification with Zhang Han.
Now that Zhang Han is dead and Jin Qixiu, who succeeded him as general, is also dead, they will naturally seek new ones after losing their followers.
However, although these people were recruited, they immediately went into the war before they were released.
But even so, Xiang Yu's troops were still 150,000 strong.
Xiang An's army returned, with new reinforcements from the vassal states behind it, and some scattered troops gathered along the way, the number of Xiang Yu's soldiers expanded very quickly.
This battle did not end so quickly like the Battle of Julu and the Battle of Zhangshui. Instead, it took two full days to end because the battle line was stretched too long.
The Chu army won again, no doubt.
This time, neither Xiang Yu nor Xiang An used their full strength. The injuries sustained in the Battle of Julu a while ago have not yet fully recovered, and the maximum power they exerted was the same as Xiang An's during the Battle of Zhangshui, which was not enough to influence the battlefield.
Wang Li did not die on the battlefield like Zhang Han and Jin Qixiu. He was shot off his horse by Zijuan in the frontal battle. Now he was captured alive and locked in a wooden cage. He was guarded by Xiang Yu.
"So? We have 200,000 more prisoners." Xiang Bo stood beside Xiang Yu, looking at the Qin soldiers kneeling in the darkness in front of him, and showed a mocking smile, "What are you going to do, General?"
"With our food and grass, it is impossible to feed an additional 200,000 people, or 200,000 fighting men."
Xiang Yu stood on a high place, hugging his chest, saying nothing, just looking at the 200,000 prisoners of the Qin army.
He turned his head slightly and looked at Xiang An.
Xiang An sat next to Xiang Yu's feet, his chin resting on his knees, his eyes dim.
Persuade them to surrender? Let them go? Impossible. These soldiers are die-hard loyalists of Qin. Didn't you see that there are still riots below? Are there any soldiers who want to break free? If they are let go, these Qin troops will definitely form a tangle again and come to disrupt
The Chu army's position.
So, the answer is actually clear.
Even Xiang An couldn't think of any better way to deal with these troublesome Qin soldiers.
"...Brother." Xiang An raised his head, but closed his eyes.
He called out and stood up.
Sometimes, it's time to be tougher.
"It's up to you."
After saying this, Xiang An turned around and left, leaving only Xiang Yu's back.
Xiang Yu showed a satisfied smile.
Xiang An has already given him the answer, and that's enough.
"I still don't know enough about you, second brother..."
Xiang Yu shook his head, his eyes suddenly became ruthless and cold.
"Third uncle, let's do it."
"...Okay, this is what you said." Xiang Bo swallowed.
...
The second day of the first lunar month.
On a plain north of Zhangshui, Xiang Yu did something that shocked the Central Plains.