Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 398
"The Western Chu bandit army is here!"

A sharp-eyed general of the Han army was the first to shout this sentence, and immediately after that, a dark green line appeared on the road leading from Tobu City to the plain, and it spread rapidly at an astonishing speed. , turned into a green spot, and then turned into a dark green tide surging, especially eye-catching on the brownish-yellow land.

The thunderous sound of horseshoes had already reached the top of Tobu City. Even standing on the top of the city wall, the soldiers of the Han army headed by Ni Ji could still vaguely feel the ground trembling. They could clearly see the slight rippling of the moat below the city. He also clearly saw the banner of the Overlord of Western Chu fluttering in the wind in the ranks of the Western Chu Army.

According to Ni Ji's order, when the cavalry of the Western Chu Army rushed to the foot of Dongwu City, the [-] soldiers of the Han Army lined up beside the moat immediately beat drums and gongs and cursed at the Western Chu Army coming from the east. The soldiers of the army also waved their flags and shouted desperately, sending provocative signals to the Western Chu army, intending to provoke the enemy and lure the Western Chu army to attack the city. Gain as much response time as possible.

Xiang Yu fulfilled Ni Ji's wish, just pointed at the spear casually, and a cavalry centurion immediately rushed out of the huge cavalry team of the Western Chu Army. Ni Ji in the city was overjoyed when he saw this, and hurriedly shouted: "Shoot the arrows! Kill all the cavalry of the Western Chu bandit army! Inspire Xiang Yu to attack the city!"

The bowmen of the Han army who had been preparing for a long time immediately fired their arrows at random, and shot countless feather arrows at the cavalry of the Western Chu army who were rushing forward. , holding weapons shoulder to shoulder, strong long shields lined up to protect the front, sharp spears pointing upwards, and the most orthodox infantry dense phalanx to counter the cavalry charge of the Western Chu Army.

The sharp arrowheads shot at the cavalry of the Western Chu Army one after another, but most of the arrowheads were bounced off by the bronze armor of the Western Chu Army cavalry, unable to break through the armor and stab into the body of the Western Chu Army cavalry, it was difficult for the Western Chu Army The cavalry caused fatal injuries, and it was equally difficult to cause casualties to the horses of the Western Chu Army wearing rhinoceros leather armor. After only paying more than a dozen casualties, the Western Chu Army cavalry successfully rushed to the front of the Han Army infantry phalanx. There was a burst of crisp sound of gold and iron colliding and the noise of people shouting and neighing.

At this moment, a smug grin appeared on the lips of Ni Ji, a wise and brave young general of the Han army. With a smirk, Ni Ji seemed to have seen the cavalry of the Western Chu Army collide in front of the infantry phalanx of the own army. The scene, but the smile quickly froze on Ni Ji's face, because what Ni Ji saw next was just a massacre of Western Chu Army cavalry against Han Army infantry.

In the billowing dust and smoke, the cavalry of the Western Chu Army with excellent riding skills, without stirrups and Takahashi saddles, still urged their horses to jump directly during the charge, leaping high over the shields and platoons in front of the Han army. The spear fell directly into the dense crowd of Han army infantry, and the horseshoe stepped down, the blood of the poor Han army was splashed, and the spear pierced out. A soldier of the Han army screamed and fell to the ground.

Just in a blink of an eye, the originally solid infantry phalanx of the Han army was declared to be broken. The front shield bearer was chopped down by spears and swords from front, back, left, and right, and the long shields fell to the ground one after another. The cavalry rushed directly into the crowd of Han army infantry like fierce tigers downhill, brandishing all kinds of weapons fiercely, stabbing and stabbing, chopping and slashing. The screams shook the sky, tendons were broken and bones were broken, and even his belly was disembowelled.After only a moment of fighting, the [-] Han infantry fell to the ground and nearly half of them were killed or injured.

Unable to withstand the fierce attack of the cavalry of the Western Chu Army, some timid Han infantry turned their heads and fled to the bridge of the moat. Stabbed down from the back, and then immediately came back to his senses, intercepted and killed the Han infantry who followed up the bridge to escape, forcing countless Han soldiers to jump into the moat to escape, and the moat was quickly crowded. Soldiers of the Han army struggling and calling for help.

I really don't bother to pay attention to these rampant and provocative Han soldiers. They just cut down and stabbed all the Han soldiers on land, forcing the remaining Han soldiers who can't swim to jump into the moat to escape. The army cavalry raised their hoofs and left, and returned to the cavalry brigade of the Western Chu Army to continue westward, leaving behind the corpses of Han soldiers all over the ground, and countless Han soldiers struggling in the water, and among the corpses in a pool of blood However, there were less than ten corpses of cavalrymen from the Western Chu Army!
It was also at this time that Ni Ji who was standing on the city came back to his senses as if he had just woken up from a dream, and murmured with a pale face: "As expected of the Overlord of Western Chu, fighting head-on, there is no one in the world who can match him! "

Xiang Yu himself thought so, so after completing the army assembly in Jibei, Xiang Yu immediately took an elite army of [-] vehicles and riders to go northward lightly, rushed to the plain to cross the river, and rushed to the Julu battlefield for reinforcements day and night. The anti-Han coalition forces asked the infantry brigade to escort food, grass and supplies to follow.Xiang Yu even firmly believed that as long as he could reach the Julu battlefield and join forces with the anti-Han coalition forces that were sticking to the dangerous position, then there would be no need for the follow-up infantry brigade to reach the Julu battlefield. The army can also completely reverse the situation in Zhaodi, and even directly cut off the head of his hateful cousin Xiang Kang.

The fact is exactly the same. If Xiang Yu can really join up with the rest of the Western Chu Army's Northern Front Corps smoothly, then with his invincible heroism on the battlefield and the tragic terrain of the Julu battlefield that is too flat and open, even the Han army The two armies teamed up, and in front of Xiang Yu, they did not dare to say that they had a sure chance of winning. Even if Xiang Yu did not kill the entire army, the lost chess game on the northern front battlefield might be resurrected by Xiang Yu!

"My lord, Cuo County is ten miles ahead! Just like the news provided to us by the Jibei Army, there are not many Han thieves guarding Cuo County, and the city gate was closed early!"

The flying report from the scouts in front made Xiang Yu nod in satisfaction, and Xiang Yu couldn't help but say with relief: "Okay, as long as the Han bandits haven't had time to divide their troops to reinforce Cuo County, it proves that Zhou Yin and the others are still insisting on the Julu battlefield, and we are sure to win." !"

After saying the words of relief, Xiang Yu loudly ordered the Western Chu Army to advance westward at a faster speed, and must arrive at Changtunji, west of Cuo County, before dark, so that the self-armed army could arrive at the Julu Battlefield for reinforcements within the next day.After the order was conveyed, the high morale of the Western Chu army cavaliers also slapped their horses and galloped westward at the fastest speed, like a long dark green dragon, galloping and galloping on the spacious and flat road.

Not long after, the old and dilapidated city of Cuo County appeared in front of Xiang Yu. As reported by the scouts, there were indeed not many Han army flags on Cuo County, few guards, and there was no one outside the city. The people had long since fled.Seeing this, Xiang Yu sneered and said, "You guys are smart!"

"My lord! There are enemies!"

The sudden shout made Xiang Yu startled, and when he quickly stretched his neck to take a closer look, Xiang Yu immediately saw that on the horizon connecting Chidao, there was indeed a huge crowd, waving flags like an army.And when he charged forward again and saw the army's flag carefully, Xiang Yu immediately roared, "It's the Qi army! Why are they here?"

It was indeed the defeated Qi soldiers who had fled from the Julu battlefield to the east. After finally seeing clearly that it was the Western Chu army coming from the east, there were countless excited chants among the soldiers of the Qi army who fled westward in a panic like frightened birds. Shouting voices, "It's the Western Chu army! It's the Western Chu rescuers! We're saved, we're saved!"

Then, when it was clear that Xiang Yu personally led the army to help, Tian Bu, the head coach of the Qi army, immediately raised his heart to his throat, but there was no way, he couldn't escape, no matter what, he had no other choice, Tian Bu still We can only let the army temporarily stop advancing, pat the horse forward, and report to Xiang Yu the history of the defeat of the army last night.

In fact, there is no need for Tian Bu to open his mouth. Just seeing Qi's army throwing away their helmets and disarming their armor and even having a pitiful appearance of transporting food vehicles, Xiang Yu already understood that the Qi army has suffered a big defeat, but of course Xiang Yu is more concerned about his own army. , so just as soon as we met, Xiang Yu snarled at Tian Bu with his red eyes and asked, "What happened? What about our Western Chu army? What's the situation with them now?"

With courage, Tian Bu just gave a general account of what happened last night. Before he could finish his story, he just heard that Tian Bu led the Qi army to escape alone. Xiang Yu kicked him in the air and kicked him hard. On his chest, he gasped and flew into the air, blood gushing from his mouth, and then, before Tian fell to the ground, Xiang Yu's crazy roar had already entered his ears...

"You man! How courageous! How dare you leave our Western Chu army behind and run for your life alone!"

If it weren't for Xiang Zhuang who came with the army to hold him back, Xiang Yu would definitely have torn Tian Bu up on the spot, and Tian Bu hurriedly held onto his ribs that were broken by Xiang Yu, aggrieved and defended, and said with tears: "King Xichu, can I have What can I do? I have tried my best. If I hadn't led the army to stand outside the camp, your camp would have been captured by the Han bandits long ago. Later, the Han bandits took advantage of the situation and broke into the camp of our Qi army. We couldn't defend it. Stop, don’t you stay in Julu to die?”

"How dare you make excuses!"

Xiang Yu was so angry that he was about to rush up and tear Tian Bu apart, but fortunately Xiang Zhuang held him back tightly and said, "Your Majesty, calm down, General Tian Bu has really tried his best. Also, it is important for us to save our army now." !"

Thanks to Xiang Yu's eagerness to rescue the trapped Western Chu army, Tian Bu was lucky enough to save his life. He asked carefully about the situation of the Western Chu army at that time, and learned that the civil strife in the Western Chu army had been reconciled at that time, and the camp was closed again. Xiang Yu rekindled hope, and hurriedly ordered Tian Bu: "Quickly, take your army and take Cuo County for the king, collect all the food in the city, and then bring the food back to Julu Obey!"

Tian Bu, who didn't dare to disobey the order, quickly agreed, and Xiang Yu couldn't wait to urge the Western Chu army to speed up westward, and aggressively rushed to Julu to rescue the rest of his army, and kept yelling on the way, "Zhou Yin, Xiang Guan, You two must hold the camp for this king! You must hold it for this king! As long as you can hold it, we still have hope!"

No matter how eager you are, it is useless. Even if the soldiers of the Western Chu Army are afraid of Xiang Yu's unrivaled power, they can grit their teeth and march overnight. After it was completely dark, under the repeated persuasion of Xiang Guan and others, Xiang Yu still had no choice but to let the soldiers of the Western Chu Army stop and camp to rest, and waited for the horses and soldiers to recover their strength with a gloomy face.

Seeing the urgency in Xiang Yu's heart, Xiang Zhuang, Ji Xin and other accompanying cavalry generals could only persuade them one after another, saying that with Zhou Yin's prudence and Xiang Guan's bravery, there must be no problem leading the rest of the Western Chu Army to guard the camp, and Xiang Yu would not have to. So anxious, as long as our own army arrives at the Julu battlefield the next day, they will definitely be able to reverse the situation of the entire Julu battlefield immediately. Not only will the trapped Western Chu army be rescued, but there is no hope of turning defeat into victory.

Thinking about it carefully, I found that this is also the reason. Xiang Yu could only reluctantly nodded, and ate dry food under the persuasion of Xiang Zhuang and others. However, when Xiang Yu started to eat, there was a sudden noise from the outside of the campsite Then, a messenger rushed to Xiang Yu and said tremblingly, "Report to Your Majesty, General Xiang Guan is here."

With two soft bangs, the water hyacinth in Xiang Yu's hand fell to the ground together with the dry rations, his handsome face immediately turned pale, and Xiang Zhuang, Ji Xin and other generals beside him were all pale, and blurted out in surprise: " What? General Xiang Guan is here?"

The messenger who knew the situation didn't dare to speak again, but just nodded, while Xiang Yu slowly clenched his fists and said word by word: "Bring him!"

According to Xiang Yu's order, after a short time, Xiang Guan, who finally left Xiang Kang's side, was led in front of Xiang Yu.Unlike Xiang Guan, who is usually very energetic and brave, Xiang Guan at this moment is already covered in mud, sweat and blood, his armor is not in order, and he doesn't know where he lost his helmet. In front of and behind Xiang Guan, Xiang Guan slowly knelt down to Xiang Yu's knees again, before he opened his mouth, tears had already flowed out of his eyes...

"Where's the army? Where's our camp?" Xiang Yu's voice was extremely hoarse.

"It's gone, it's gone." Xiang Guan's voice became even hoarse, and he said with tears, "Pif Zhou Yin rebelled and stabbed us in the back. He was chased by Han thieves by the riverside..., and..., and was killed almost completely annihilated..."

Xiang Yu stood up slowly, took a step forward, but for the first time, he didn't stand firm, and even staggered and knelt down on one knee. Xiang Zhuang and Ji Xin were shocked, and when they hurried forward to help, Xiang Yu pushed them away. Struggling to stand up, he even drew out the sword at his waist, and broke it with all his strength. The roaring sound immediately resounded throughout the campsite of the Western Chu Army...

"Xiang Kangpifu! I won't kill you with my own hands! I swear I won't be a human!"

"Pass down the decree of the king! Officially expel Xiang Kangpifu from our Xiang family's genealogy! From now on, whoever gets Xiang Kangpifu's head will be rewarded with [-] gold! Sealed as the king of Guanzhong!"

Xiang Yu roared wildly, and finally retracted his previous decision to leave Xiang Kang a way out no matter what, and made up his mind to take Xiang Kang's head.Xiang Zhuang and Xiang Guan next to him were in different moods. Xiang Guan, who also hated Xiang Kang deeply, looked resolute, but Xiang Zhuang bowed his head helplessly, feeling extremely painful in his heart...

No matter how much you hate Xiang Kang, there is nothing you can do. The anti-Han coalition forces on the Julu battlefield have all been wiped out by the Han army. The Han army in Dongwu City has pinched the food road of the West Chu army. The Julu Han army does not need to fight head-on, and Xiang Yu's [-] elite Western Chu army can be easily consumed by consumption alone. So no matter how unwilling and unwilling, Xiang Yu finally listened to the wishes of Xiang Zhuang, Ji Xin and others, and worked hard to gather some defeated soldiers of the Western Chu Army who fled back from the Julu battlefield, and led the army honestly. Withdrew the army and returned to Jibei to join the rear army.

Don't say that this is not in line with Xiang Yu's character. Xiang Yu is just self-willed, but he will not be so stupid that he insists on dying for nothing. In the face-to-face decisive battle with Zhang Han, he would not take [-] cavalry and leave tens of thousands of troops to escape alone when Gaixia was besieged on all sides.

Fortunately, Xiang Yu was smart and ran away in time. In fact, on the same day, just after capturing the Qi Chu army camp outside Julu City, Xiang Kang had already started to prepare for the possible arrival of Xiang Yu's army. [-] troops rushed to the sand dune platform to set up camp, and guarded the only sand dune bridge in the Julu area that connects the Zhangshui east-west traffic. At the same time, he seized the time to regroup the army and boost morale. Road, just a sand dune bridge is enough to consume thousands of his troops.

Not to mention, after receiving the scout report from the Western Chu Army to voluntarily retreat, Xiang Kang, apart from regretting, also called Zhou Shu, Chen Ping, and other important civil and military officials from the Western Chu Army to discuss whether they could take advantage of the victory and pursue it. Or kill Xiang Yu directly in Jibei County, and end the turmoil caused by the conflict between Chu and Han as soon as possible?
"Let's talk about it, can we launch a counterattack now, trying to kill my elder brother King Xichu in Zhao State or Jibei, and end the world turmoil in one fell swoop? This king first emphasizes that this king thinks that this hope should exist. , because with my brother's fiery temper, as long as he sees us sending troops to pursue, he will probably turn around and fight us to the death, even if someone advises him to act rationally, he may not necessarily listen."

(End of this chapter)