Now is wartime. Every county in Qin has an army, and the county governor is also the general leading the army.
The army led by Li Mu was stationed at the southern Qin border. It was an independent force directly under the King of Qin and only obeyed the orders of the King of Qin's tiger talisman.
Yes, although Li Mu stationed troops on the Yangtze River, he actually led the border defense forces. He was actually a general guarding the border.
Therefore, Li Mu's troops had not returned yet, and Wujun still had troops. Ying Xiaozheng, the governor of Wujun, was also qualified to directly mobilize Wujun's troops.
Li Mu brought his deputy general and personal soldiers back with him, intending to use the soldiers of Wujun itself.
Even the State of Chu itself did not understand this.
Li Mu had been wandering around Wujun and had been in charge of Wujun many times. They all thought that Li Mu was the governor of Wujun and was only in charge of the soldiers of Wujun.
Li Mu also deliberately created this illusion to the outside world.
Both Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng usually handed over the military power of Wujun to Li Mu, and they hardly took care of the garrison in Wujun. Li Mu, a general guarding the border, did half of the work of the county governor without receiving salary, such as suppressing bandits, training soldiers, and logistics.
If Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng were a little lazy, or temporarily left Wujun, he would also take charge of administrative affairs, agriculture, sericulture, taxation, etc.
In Li Mu's opinion, what he is doing now is not much different from what he did in Yanmen County; in Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng's opinion...well, the more capable people work, the more salaries they will get.
So it is normal for the Chu people to misunderstand.
In an era of severe information blockage, it was very difficult for countries to spy on each other, and it was even more difficult for a scattered country like Chu.
Li Mu ordered the border troops led by him to march slowly and with great momentum, and asked the spies sent by Xiang Yan to continuously send back the information that "Li Mu has not returned". He secretly returned to Wujun and took over the garrison in Wujun from Ying Xiaozheng to support Zhu Xiang.
Xiang Yan's biggest mistake was that he only focused on his soldiers and not on his general.
The Zhao people had encountered this kind of mistake once before. Who would have thought that the same Qin army would be completely different with a different commander
Now Li Mu is using the same old trick again.
It’s a good trick that can be reused on different people, and those who are fooled will still be fooled.
"Does my uncle have to stay here for ten days?" After Li Mu came back, Ying Xiaozheng felt much more at ease.
If Wang Jian can force Xiang Yan to commit suicide in the future, my teacher can do it too!
Li Mu said: "It depends on the situation. If Zhu Xiang can't hold on, I will send troops immediately. If Zhu Xiang can hold on, I will wait for ten days."
Ying Xiaozheng asked: "Why does it have to be ten days?"
Li Mu said: "In ten days, the news of Zhu Xiang's defense of the city will probably spread beyond Chu State and attract the attention of the seven countries."
Ying Xiaozheng frowned for a while and said, "Is uncle really okay?"
Li Mu comforted him, "Zhu Xiang took risks every time because he had no choice. In his own words, he was actually very afraid of death and trouble."
Ying Xiaozheng immediately revealed a mocking expression: "Oh, I believe it."
Li Mu said: "He is indeed like that. He is very rational and will not take risks intentionally. Zhu Xiang knows that he cannot go to the front line, so he will not go to the front line. Don't worry, as long as the Chu army has the momentum to break through the city gate, I will send troops immediately."
Ying Xiaozheng thought about it and said, "I'll go too."
Xue Ji immediately said: "No!"
Li Mu said, "Okay."
Xue Ji said anxiously: "Li Qing, no!"
Li Mu said: "Xue Ji, don't worry, I will protect you, Zheng'er will not be hurt. Zheng'er will not feel at ease unless he sees the situation in Guangling City with his own eyes. Besides..."
Li Mu looked at Ying Xiaozheng and said, "My uncle was trapped in an isolated city, and my nephew came to rescue him personally. This will be a good story if it gets out. The saying that a Qin prince cannot be given a title without merit is just empty talk, but if Zheng'er has military merit, he will be more confident."
There was such a slogan during Shang Yang's reform in Qin State, but in fact the King of Qin could confer titles on his favorite princes whenever he wanted, but he had an excuse when he was too lazy to do so.
For example, King Zhaoxiang of Qin had only two sons, so An Guojun was able to be made a king even though he just ate, drank and had fun without any achievements.
Li Mu had long thought about how to bring Ying Xiaozheng to gain military merit, but he knew that he could not convince Zhu Xiang, and suddenly letting the prince follow the army was too obvious an attempt to gain military merit.
Now Zhu Xiang is trapped in an isolated city, and the prince is only separated from Zhu Xiang by a river. It would be abnormal if the prince did not lead the army to rescue him. Isn't this military achievement a natural thing
Xue Ji was taught a lot of Qin's laws and regulations by Zhu Xiang, and knew the importance of military merit to the Qin nobles.
She hesitated and asked, "Is there really no danger?"
Li Mu said: "No."
Seeing Li Mu so confident, Xue Ji looked at Ying Xiaozheng and said, "Zheng'er, swear to your aunt that you will never go into battle and kill the enemy yourself."
Xue Ji thought for a moment and said, "I swear on your favorite osmanthus cake. If you break your oath, you will never be allowed to eat osmanthus cake in your life."
Li Mu's calm and indifferent expression trembled.
Xue Ji, do you take care of the child
Ying Xiaozheng's domineering, cool and arrogant expression was a little bit out of control.
He said helplessly: "Aunt, I am not a child anymore. Can we change the oath? For example, swear to our ancestors or the heaven and earth?" Xue Ji said: "Your uncle once said that swearing to our ancestors and the heaven and earth is too vague. It will only be effective if we swear on something that everyone can supervise and do."
Li Mu held his forehead and said, "That's what Zhu Xiang would say. Zheng'er, listen to your aunt, it's just osmanthus cake."
Ying Xiaozheng's heart was filled with turmoil.
What do you mean it's just osmanthus cake?! If I can't help wanting to go on the battlefield and kill the enemy myself, won't I have to issue an imperial decree to change the name of osmanthus cake in the future? That would be embarrassing!
Under the urging of his aunt's gaze, Political Commissar Ying raised three fingers aggrievedly and swore to the osmanthus cake.
If I, Ying Zheng, break my oath, I will never eat osmanthus cake in my life.
Xue Ji nodded with satisfaction, allowed Ying Xiaozheng to go out, and stayed in the county magistrate's mansion herself.
It's just some logistical work that she can take over temporarily.
Li Mu tried hard to hold back his laughter and kept this in mind. When he saw Zhu Xiang later, he would describe today's scene vividly to Zhu Xiang and ask him to remember it well.
Zhu Xiang is still writing the "Diary of Raising a Nephew". He once regretted that after Zheng'er grew up, there were fewer and fewer interesting things in the "Diary of Raising a Nephew".
What happened today can be considered interesting.
After Li Mu and Ying Xiaozheng reached a consensus, they first traveled westward to the junction of Wujun and Nanjun during the day, and then crossed the Yangtze River in the dark at night with the help of an experienced fisherman who rowed the boat.
Although the Chu army recaptured all the cities on the north bank of the Yangtze River, their navy on the Yangtze River had been almost destroyed, and they burned down the recaptured cities, leaving that area almost uninhabited. Therefore, Xiang Yan was unaware that the Qin army landed behind him.
Xiang Yan was actually very clear about the blind spots of the Chu army and should be prepared to be attacked from both sides.
However, the Qin army offered little resistance and decisively withdrew from the north bank of the Yangtze River. When only Guangling City, where Zhu Xiang, the Lord of Changping, was stationed, was left on the north bank of the Yangtze River, Xiang Yan concluded that the Qin army would also abandon Guangling City and would not fight the Chu army.
After burning down the cities on the north bank of the Yangtze River, the north bank of the Yangtze River became almost a burden to the Qin State.
It costs a lot to build cities, relocate civilians, and reclaim wasteland. If Qin does such a stupid thing, Chu can just keep harassing Qin while it is building cities, and Qin will lose more than it gains.
If Qin set foot on the north bank of the Yangtze River again, it would be the time for a full-scale war with Chu, and they would send troops straight into the heart of Chu. At that time, the layers of fortresses set up by the Chu army and the wilderness without any supplies would cause great suffering to the Qin army.
Guangling City was the only city left on the north bank of the Yangtze River. Even if they defended it, what would it matter? It was surrounded by Chu territory. The King of Southern Chu could just build barracks around it to blockade it, so that the people of Guangling City could never leave the city to farm.
Moreover, Lord Changping was of noble status, and the Crown Prince of Qin was only separated from Guangling City by a river. How could the Crown Prince of Qin allow Lord Changping to be trapped in an isolated city and encounter danger
Changping Jun would definitely leave. If Changping Jun left, even if there were Qin generals stationed there, they would only put up a symbolic resistance and negotiate with him that if he surrendered, the city would not be massacred, just to preserve Changping Jun's reputation.
Xiang Yan and the Lord of Nanchu had already discussed that if the city was easily conquered, it would be a good opportunity to tarnish the reputation of Lord Changping, saying that Lord Changping abandoned the city, which led to the killing of the people of Guangling who were affiliated with Qin; if the city was difficult to conquer, then it would not be a big deal to add another touch to Lord Changping's reputation, and they could also use this incident to become people who sympathize with Lord Changping.
You won’t lose no matter what you do.
When Xiang Yan learned that Li Mu was still in Nanyue and the army would be hard to return in a short time, he became more determined in his judgment and no longer cared whether the Qin army would cross the river to attack behind him.
There is obviously no problem with Xiang Yan's judgment. Anyone in this era would do as he thinks.
It's a pity that Zhu Xiang is not a person of this era. Some of his insistence is not understood by everyone in the world, including his relatives and friends, and Xiang Yan is naturally no exception, which has led to Xiang Yan falling into the current predicament.
When Xiang Yan saw Zhu Xiang appear on the city wall of Guangling, he was nervous.
The Qin army would certainly come to rescue him, and he would certainly be attacked from both sides. The only thing he could do now was to capture Guangling City as soon as possible, hold Zhu Xiang hostage before the Qin army could come to rescue him, and order the Qin army to withdraw.
But even though Xiang Yan knew that his prediction was wrong, he could not understand why.
As an isolated city on the north bank of the Yangtze River, Guangling City was indeed of no value to the Qin State. Even if the Qin State defended this place, it would definitely not be worth the loss in the face of the siege of the Southern Chu State.
Why was Changping Jun so stupid as to put himself in danger? Was it really just because of the massacre and the order to relocate
Xiang Yan was caught off guard by Zhu Xiang's stupidity and even laughed out of anger.
Could it be that Zhu Xiang's plan was to defend Guangling City and take advantage of the gap in the time gate when the Chu army withdrew to lead all the common people in Guangling City to cross the river to the south? This was too stupid, wasn't it
The way Xiang Yan was upset by Zhu Xiang was very similar to the way Bai Qi and Li Mu were upset by a stupid person.
Smart people can gamble, normal people can make predictions, but it is really hard to deal with stupid people like this, who are completely incomprehensible, harm others and do not benefit themselves.
What Xiang Yan didn't expect was that although Zhu Xiang's friends could not fully understand Zhu Xiang's persistence, they respected and supported Zhu Xiang's persistence, and always wanted to help Zhu Xiang find a balance between ideals and reality.
So Li Mu sailed alone into Wu at night, and together with the Crown Prince of Qin, he led 10,000 reinforcements across the Yangtze River at night and stationed behind him.
Although the area around Guangling City is flat, in summer, the water and heat are sufficient. Xiang Yan burned the city and relocated the people, and several villages became ruins. The long weeds grew like bamboo shoots after rain, and in an instant, they swallowed up all traces of human life.
Especially beside the swamps, the reeds grew as tall as a person, and it was almost impossible to tell that there used to be people washing clothes and drawing water by the river every day.
This happened only a dozen days ago.
The 10,000 elite Qin soldiers were hiding in an abandoned farmland.
If the farmland had not been burned, the golden rice waves would have reached the horizon, like an ocean.
Although it was Ying Xiaozheng's first time to march quickly, he had been spoiled by Zhu Xiang and had no complaints at all, and was in good spirits.
While stationed, he still had the mood to observe the weeds at the gate of the field.
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Teacher, my uncle said that this kind of weeds in the farmland are very annoying. They can grow three feet in half a month."
In order to hide, and as it was not raining, the Qin army did not set up tents or make fires to cook. They only ate dry food and slept in the open air.
Li Mu cut a bag of grass for Ying Xiaozheng and built a nest in the grass, to take care of this Prince of Qin who had not yet experienced the hardships of marching.
He was prepared to listen to Ying Xiaozheng complain about being too hard and tired, and had already thought of words to comfort Ying Xiaozheng, but he didn't expect Ying Xiaozheng to say this.
Li Mu asked, "Prince, do you know this grass?"
In front of outsiders, Li Mu was very respectful to Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng said: "My uncle didn't say the name, he just said it was annoying and growing fast."
Ying Xiaozheng squatted down and pinched a handful of soil: "This is the best paddy soil. My uncle said that only mature fields that have been planted with rice for many years can form such soil. It is a rare fertile soil cultivated by humans in this world. The more you cultivate it, the more fertile it becomes."
Li Mu also knew some farming knowledge, and said, "Ordinary fields need to be left fallow. Continuous cultivation will make the land barren. Rice fields, on the other hand, become more fertile the more they are cultivated through intensive cultivation."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "But such a fertile field actually grew weeds as tall as a person. It's only been half a month."
Ying Xiaozheng didn't know why he sighed, but he just remembered Zhu Xiang's words and couldn't help sighing.
The fertile rice fields that humans had to cultivate for many years were transformed into man-high grasslands in just half a month after just a fire. When marching, they had to use swords to clear the way for smooth passage.
Li Mu said: "Zhu Xiang will be very sad when he sees this."
Ying Xiaozheng nodded without saying anything.
The other Qin soldiers also fell silent when they heard the conversation between the general and the prince.
Some Qin soldiers wiped away their tears silently. It was not known whether it was because among their new friends there were Chu people who had crossed the river to the north, or because they simply felt the same sadness as the rice fields turned into wilderness.
The way they looked at Prince Qin also changed slightly.
A prince who feels sad about the rice fields turning into wilderness and knows the origin of rice soil will definitely be a good monarch in the future, right
Real common people, not poor scholars, never consider whether the monarch is good or not.
They just passively accepted the exploitation by the officials or nobles they could see, and numbly accepted their fate.
If you can't survive, you can either wait for death numbly, escape to another place, or resist without any foresight and die.
Now, the soldiers who heard the conversation between the Crown Prince of Qin and Lord Wucheng had a thought they had never had before, which was to evaluate whether a high and mighty crown prince would become a good monarch.
This idea of usurpation has taken root and cannot be eradicated.
Ying Xiaozheng didn't know what his momentary sigh had brought to the people around him.
Maybe it doesn’t matter if you know it, because it is a very small matter and will not have any impact on Ying Xiaozheng’s future.
Li Mu and Ying Xiaozheng rested for two hours to recuperate, then continued to move forward quietly, feeling the weeds.
They didn't stop until they saw the scouts of the Chu army.
Li Mu sent out scouts to find out how far away the Chu army was.
After learning that the distance was only twenty miles, Li Mu divided the 10,000 Qin troops into dozens of groups, each led by a captain. They bypassed the Chu scouts and met at a village under the city of Guangling marked on the map.
Ying Xiaozheng was extremely shocked: "Lead by themselves? Teacher, is it really okay? Can they really arrive on time?"
Li Mu said: "Yes."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "If we are not careful we will be discovered!"
Li Mu said: "The soldiers I lead often fight alone on the grassland, don't worry."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Even if we go around it, there may be Chu troops stationed in that village. If we go there, won't we be exposed immediately?"
Li Mu said: "Don't worry, I have checked, there is no Chu army stationed there."
Ying Xiaozheng couldn't understand, he couldn't understand at all.
When did the teacher check? Even if he did, how could the teacher be sure that the Chu army would not send scouts there
Li Mu did not teach Ying Xiaozheng immediately. When he led Ying Xiaozheng around the scouts of Chu and arrived at the village, he told Ying Xiaozheng the reason for choosing this village.
Firstly, judging from Xiang Yan's deployment of troops, there was definitely no one stationed here; secondly, when Xiang Yan ordered them to move inland and burn fields and houses, this village resisted too fiercely, so they were massacred very tragically.
Generals are generally not afraid of ghosts and gods, but they will also be wary of them. Xiang Yan forcibly conscripted many refugees from the Chu State on the north bank of the Yangtze River as laborers and soldiers. Even if he was concerned about their feelings, lest they be moved by the scene and rebel, he would stay away from here.
Li Mu said: "Besides, a place with corpses everywhere is prone to plague, which is very dangerous."
Ying Xiaozheng asked: "Then isn't it dangerous for us to stay here?"
Li Mu did not give a direct answer, but ordered people to burn the highly decomposed corpses in the village, clear the weeds, and dig new water sources.
The Qin army dismantled the dilapidated houses and used them as firewood. After burning the bodies, there was still some firewood left, so they started a fire and made a stove. After that, they only drank boiled water and ate cooked food.
Ying Xiaozheng immediately understood how to avoid the plague.
Although it was a bit troublesome, the 10,000 people they had were only staying for ten days, and the weeds and scattered roof beams in the village were enough to burn.
The Chu army actually set fire here, but they left immediately after setting the fire. They did not burn every place carefully, nor did they pour expensive tinder such as oil and wine, so most of the village was still preserved.
This is really a big village, comparable to a small city.
Ying Xiaozheng walked around the village and picked up some remaining bamboo slips and weapons.
It seems that the people in this village are not ordinary farmers, but a family of scholars who have retired to the mountains and may have once been prosperous.
Now all that's left is a scorched earth.
Ying Xiaozheng said to Li Mu, "Teacher, collect the remaining bamboo slips, send people to protect their ancestral tomb, and then find the descendants of this family in the name of my uncle and return the relics to them. What do you think?"
Li Mu said, "I am only responsible for fighting, you decide these matters yourself." Ying Xiaozheng tilted his head and acted like a child in front of his elders: "Since I have met them, it means that they are destined to be with me. I will help them this time."
Li Mu laughed: "Okay."
Ying Xiaozheng suddenly had an idea and decided to do a good deed. He then asked, "Teacher, you didn't light a fire to cook before because you said it would attract the attention of the Chu soldiers. Why can you light a fire now?"
Li Mu said: "After Xiang Yan knew that Guangling City decided to defend the city, he temporarily stopped expelling the Chu people to the north and quickly moved his camp to the foot of Guangling City, so that he could capture Guangling City in one fell swoop before I returned. Therefore, there are many refugees who have not left this area."
Ying Xiaozheng asked, "So it's not just us that are seeing fireworks, there are also fireworks in the nearby villages where people live?"
Li Mu said: "The refugees will definitely live in their original villages, even if only ruins are left."
He looked up at the smoke rising from the Qin soldiers' fires: "There are smoke everywhere, how can Xiang Yan know which one is the Qin army?"
Ying Xiaozheng thought the teacher's words were ambiguous, but he did not ask.
He led people to continue "exploring" this abandoned village, curiously discovering the secrets left in the village.
When he sees his uncle, he will have stories to tell.
Ying Xiaozheng thought that he could explore the village for several days and uncover all the secrets of the village.
But on the second night, he was awakened by Li Mu and saw dots of fire in the distant sky.
When Li Mu arrived in Wujun, Xiang Yan had not yet arrived in Guangling City.
They followed Xiang Yan and were already on the second night of their camp in the village, which was the first night of Xiang Yan's attack on Guangling City.
That night, Zhu Xiang ordered people to raise Kongming lanterns.
The Qin soldiers who were on guard looked up at the sky, feeling curiosity, fear, and some sense of familiarity that they couldn't quite remember.
Ying Xiaozheng rubbed his eyes and guessed it right after just one glance: "It's the Changping Lantern. Is my uncle lighting the Changping Lantern? Is he asking for help from us?"
Li Mu said: "The scouts said that Zhu Xiang defended the city easily today."
He didn't ask Ying Xiaozheng to get up and look at the lights, but because the scout had just brought back the news, he thought Ying Xiaozheng must want to hear the news about Zhu Xiang as soon as possible.
The scout squatted in the grass and watched. Although he did not know much about the battlefield, he was able to detect the tight defense line in front of Guangling City and the sound of Chu songs from the top of Guangling City.
"My uncle ordered people to sing Chu songs on the city walls, causing chaos in Xiang Yan's army?" Ying Xiaozheng looked strange, "My uncle also knows this?"
Li Mu said with a smile: "I have already said that if your uncle defends the city, he will definitely be a famous general. You should rest assured."
Although Ying Xiaozheng was relieved, he still insisted: "How can he be called a famous general if he can only defend the city? He is just relying on the advantage of the city wall. If my uncle is a famous general, he would have defeated Xiang Yan first."
Li Mu laughed and said, "When you see Zhu Xiang, tell him in person."
Ying Xiaozheng snorted coldly.
Then on the afternoon of the next day, a scout, regardless of being discovered by the Chu scouts, stole a warhorse from a fleeing Chu soldier and rode back to report.
"General! Lord Changping has defeated the Chu army. The flags of Xiang Yan and Lord Nan Chu have been seized by General Meng!"
Li Mu, who was chewing on dried meat, almost bit his tongue, and Ying Xiaozheng, who was drinking water, choked.
"What?!"
Li Mu and Ying Xiaozheng looked at each other.
In just one day, Zhu Xiang/uncle defeated Xiang Yan's 100,000 Chu troops with only 20,000 defenders? !
"Ah, teacher, are we still waiting now?" Ying Xiaozheng mumbled, as if he had returned to his foolish state as a child.
Li Mu said with a strange expression: "I won't show up. Zheng'er, you lead the army to support us."
Ying Xiaozheng didn't understand: "Why?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "If I go to support, won't it take away the credit from my uncle?"
Li Mu smiled and said, "You are too young and not as famous as Zhu Xiang. People can only praise you for your bravery. I will wear a mask and act as your guard to fight with you. Don't be afraid. When the battle is over, I will take a boat back to the warship and then follow the army back to Wujun. Just tell your uncle that I have been here, and don't let anyone else know."
Ying Xiaozheng said seriously: "Yes!"
Then he rubbed his hands together.
The other me in the dream, you have no military merits, right? You haven't even fought in a war! You are as weak as your father and king!
On the other side, under the city of Guangling.
After Zhu Xiang ordered Jiao Yun to attack, the Chu army became more chaotic.
Jiao Yun was like a file. If someone could look down from a high altitude at this moment, every time Jiao Yun's cavalry brushed past the Chu army's formation, the edge of the Chu army's formation would become blurred. When the edge of the Chu army's formation solidified again, the Chu army's formation would shrink and the edge would retreat several meters.
What's even more terrifying is that after Jiao Yun filed the Chu army's formation back and forth several times with the file, the blurred edge lines became like ripples in a pond, gradually spreading towards the middle gate of the formation.
The middle gate of the army formation was already in chaos due to the reckless charging of oxen and the attack led by Meng Tian. The fleeing conscripted soldiers and laborers were dragged along by more Chu soldiers, who fled in panic. The Chu army formation became a pot of boiling porridge.
Xiang Yan was stopped by the carriage of the King of Nanchu, and not only missed the best opportunity to reorganize his army, but also had his flag stolen by Meng Tian. Meng Tian first cut off the King of Nanchu's flag with a knife, and then a general behind him drew his bow and arrow, and actually tore Xiang Yan's general flag with one arrow.
This was the first time Xiang Yan had suffered such humiliation after leading troops for many years.
He was so angry that he stabbed the horse that was blocking him in the chaos with a knife and a spear, and finally came in front of Meng Tian.
Meng Tian shouted: "Xiang Yan, come and fight!"
Then turn around and run.
Xiang Yan: “… ?!”
When Meng Tian ran, the cavalrymen around him also ran with him, as if they had made an agreement before coming and they had a very tacit understanding.
They all ran while shouting "Xiang Yan, take my sword!" "Haha, Xiang Yan is looking for death!" "Xiang Yan is defeated! He can't stand a single blow!" and other nonsense. Their voices were very loud and they ran away very quickly.
Xiang Yan was so angry that he spurred his horse to chase after him: "Don't run away!"
Meng Tian and the Qin soldiers around him ignored him completely and continued to talk nonsense.
Their voices were so loud that they drowned out Xiang Yan's shouts, as if Xiang Yan was really being beaten by them and running away in fear, rather than them turning around and fleeing.
The cavalry led by Meng Tian were all first-rate riders. They made Xiang Yan run around in circles in the chaos, and Xiang Yan couldn't even touch their horses' butts.
Xiang Yan wanted the Chu army to stop them, but the Chu army was in chaos. Although Meng Tian's cavalry was fleeing, their formation was very neat. When the scattered soldiers of Chu saw the neatly dressed Qin soldiers rushing towards them, they turned around and ran away in fear, and no one stopped them.
When Xiang Yan saw this, he was so angry that his eyes were bloodshot.
Why did the good men of Chu not dare to stop the Qin soldiers? He had never led such cowardly soldiers before!
"General, stop chasing! It's important to organize the troops now!"
When Xiang Yan was almost angry at Meng Tian and lost his mind, the deputy general hurriedly tried to persuade him.
Xiang Yan took a deep breath, forced himself to suppress his anger, tightened the reins and stopped chasing.
However, Meng Tian seemed to have eyes on his back. He stopped running, turned around, drew his bow and drew his arrow. Although his aim was not good and he missed Xiang Yan, he hit the Chu soldiers around Xiang Yan.
"Fuck you!" Xiang Yan, who always behaved in an aristocratic manner, was so angry that he burst into swearing after being shot by Meng Tian.
Meng Tian shouted: "Xiang Yan has been shot!"
Then he shouted and shot another arrow, but still missed.
The Qin army he brought also bent their bows and shot randomly, shouting as they shot arrows, some shouting "Xiang Yan was shot by an arrow", "Xiang Yan is dead", and "Xiang Yan, don't run away".
The chaotic noise spread out, and many fleeing soldiers of the Chu State also followed suit and shouted.
They didn't know which sentence was correct, their thoughts became even more confused, and the battle formation almost collapsed. Even the sergeant holding the formation flag was in a panic, and the formation flag was shaking.
Although Xiang Yan was very angry with Meng Tian, he had led troops for many years and had not really lost his mind.
He immediately ordered his deputy general to lead troops to pursue the cowardly yet daring Meng Tian. He raised the flag again, ordered the Chu army to calm down, and ordered the generals and lower-level generals to gather together to appease the Chu soldiers and quickly form a battle formation.
It is common for flags to be damaged when going into battle. Xiang Yan brought more than one flag and immediately hung up the second one.
In fact, when his flag was torn, he should have put up a second flag. But Meng Tian turned around and ran away while making harsh remarks, which really confused him. He couldn't help but chase after him and didn't change the flag in time.
When Xiang Yan raised the general's flag again, the chaos in the Chu army was alleviated a little.
The elite soldiers he brought with him immediately stopped their chaos and reorganized; although Nan Chujun's army was still a little confused, they were veterans who had undergone many trainings and wars, and they stopped fleeing; only the conscripted civilians and soldiers continued to flee, completely ignoring orders.
Some people even shouted, "Xiang Yan is not dead, run away," and ran faster.
Xiang Yan immediately changed the flag and ordered his elite soldiers to kill the deserters. If they were not killed, they would once again disrupt the Chu army that was preparing.
Meng Tian shouted, "Fellow villagers! Xiang Yan burned your fields and homes, killed your relatives and friends, and drove you to Guangling to die! You will die anyway, so why not fight them!"
The Qin soldiers behind Meng Tian were also shouting, "Fight for revenge, fellow villagers!" Xiang Yan's hands trembled when he heard this, and his horse almost rushed out.
Who are your fellow countrymen, the Qin people? !
Meng Tian and the Qin army had been stationed in Southern Qin for so long and had taken in many refugees from the State of Chu. They parroted what the Qin army said so well that the deserters really understood it.
A deserter had just been stabbed by the supervisor and was about to kneel down and beg for mercy.
Looking at the supervisor's cold expression, the deserter spat bloody saliva and rushed towards the supervisor.
"Damn you! Let's fight! Anyway, my whole family is dead, and I'm the only one left. Hahahaha!"
When he pounced towards the supervisor, the timid man suddenly burst into laughter, as if he was not afraid of anything anymore.
He was stabbed by the supervisor's sword again and again, but he still held the supervisor's body tightly and forced him to the ground.
died.
The Chu soldiers beside the supervisor were so frightened that they quickly pushed him away.
Can't push it open.
They cut off the deserter's hand before they rescued the supervisor who was pinned to the ground. There were two circles of deep bruises on the supervisor's neck, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak.
This was not the only deserter who was resisting.
When someone starts to resist, the courage that erupts from the brink of death is like being thrown into a frying pan with sparks, exploding with a loud bang.
Jiao Yun was also cutting off the periphery of the Chu army at this moment.
While he was breaking up the edge of the Chu army's formation, he was shouting to persuade them to surrender.
Following Xiang Yan and Nan Chujun who destroyed your hometown will only lead to death. But if Xiang Yan and Nan Chujun are defeated and surrender, you can all continue to live in your hometown.
Duke Xiang of Zhu did not kill prisoners of war!
Duke Zhu Xiang would also give land to prisoners of war and help them rebuild their homes!
Duke Zhu Xiang stayed to help the people of Guangling defend the city, and he will definitely help you!
Jiao Yun’s words were more touching than Meng Tian’s.
There is no one on the north bank of the Yangtze River who has not heard of the reputation of Duke Zhu Xiang.
Before, they might have looked down on Qin's Changping Jun because they were Chu people, or they might have been too busy with their lives to think it was none of their business. But now that they have nothing and are about to lose their only life, they remembered the reputation of Zhu Xianggong.
Duke Zhu Xiang was kind and caring for the people. He personally went to the fields to teach the common people how to farm, and even wrote letters hoping that Xiang Yan and the Lord of Southern Chu would not massacre or burn the city. After Xiang Yan and the Lord of Southern Chu refused, Duke Zhu Xiang actually helped the people of Guangling defend the city.
If we surrender to the Qin people, Duke Xiang of Zhu will never slaughter us! Absolutely not!
Thinking of this, even the most numb Chu people on the north bank of the Yangtze River felt resentful.
Duke Zhu Xiang was a Qin man, and he would not even kill prisoners of war! You, Xiang Yan, and the Lord of Southern Chu are both Chu men. We drove the Qin army out of the city and came to you. We were clearly meritorious officials, but you burned down our hometowns and killed our families!
Who are our enemies and who are our fellow countrymen? !
Among the deserters there were some who were eloquent and some who had once been educated.
They cursed Xiang Yan and the King of Nan Chu, and cursed the Chu people who raised their butcher knives against them.
We are all Chu people, why did you burn our hometown and force us to die!
When we were occupied by the Qin people, we looked forward to the King of Chu coming to rescue us. When you come, we will take up arms to drive out the Qin people, open the city gates for you, and reward you with food in bamboo baskets and water in bamboo tubes.
How do you treat us? Why do you treat us like this
Why?!
Some deserters roared as they picked up weapons and fought against the Chu soldiers.
A deserter pinched the Chu soldier's neck and asked in tears.
One deserter clung to the legs of a Chu soldier tightly before his death, talking to himself while trying to open his eyes which could no longer see clearly, and he died with his eyes open.
The Chu soldiers, who had become accustomed to such cruelty and had not blinked an eye during the massacre and burning of the city, finally had cracks in their hardened hearts.
"Hahaha, you are all Chu people, you are the next one!"
"You and I are both commoners, both soldiers. You are no nobler than me! My present is your future!"
The voice of the dead deserter was like the devil's whisper, lingering in the ears of the Chu soldiers who were also commoners.
It is common for soldiers to pass by like a comb.
They robbed money and slaughtered civilians without any hesitation, like wild beasts led by the Beast King.
But the people they slaughtered had mixed into their ranks, wearing the same clothes as them, speaking a similar Chu language to theirs, and had just fought alongside them.
Now they thrust their weapons into the bodies of their comrades, which was completely different from when they slaughtered the “civilians” from the perspective of “soldiers”.
The roars, cries and curses of these people finally reached their ears, entered their hearts, and caused them to think.
Soldiers in the army were supposed to be emotionless parts that only obeyed the orders of the generals and flags.
When they start to think, it means that the military formation, an instrument that does not require soldiers to think, is about to become chaotic.
Are we really doing it right
Will their curse come true
He and I are both common people of Chu, common people like ants in the eyes of Chu generals and feudal lords. Now we can burn their hometowns and kill their relatives on the grounds of fear of Qin's attack, but what if one day Qin's army pushes to our hometown
No, you can't think about it, you can't think like this, you can't waver!
If you start thinking about right and wrong, you won't be able to wield the weapon in your hand!
Zhu Xiang did not expect the Chu army to fall into chaos so quickly. After Xiang Yan's flag was raised again, the chaos of the Chu army only stopped for a short moment and quickly became more chaotic.
Although he did not expect this scene, he was prepared for how to deal with it if it happened.
Zhu Xiang ordered his men to blow the horn and light up a flag with the words "Changping" written on it.
Waving.
All defenders line up and attack!
The war drums were beaten again and the horns were blown on the city wall.
The Guangling City scholars on the city wall, who originally thought they were Chu people, rode on horses or got on chariots. The soldiers guarding the city on the defense line removed the fences, covered the trenches with wooden boards, and opened the heavy wooden doors on the low wall that could be pushed open to the outside.
Defending a city requires attacking from the wild. All the defense lines of the city have reserved routes for the soldiers in the city to attack.
Now the defenders in Guangling followed this route, left the city they had originally planned to defend to the death, and rushed towards the Chu army led by the King of Southern Chu and the Chu general Xiang Yan.
All the people in the city who were sleeping and waiting for the change of guard got up, put on their armor and set off.
Zhu Xiang also put on heavy leather armor and a helmet that even protected his neck, and stood on the chariot with a shield in front.
As the commander, he was about to set off as well.
There was a war drum on the chariot, and Zhu Xiang picked up the drumstick and sang a war song loudly.
"Qin Feng·Wu Yi".
Zhu Xiang's war song was sung in the Chu dialect, and almost every Chu scholar could sing this war song.
Because this war song was originally composed by Duke Ai of Qin when he sent troops to rescue the State of Chu.
The one who said he had no clothes was not asking the Qin people, but the Chu people who were about to be destroyed.
"With you as my comrades" refers not only to the Qin army, but also to the Chu army that is preparing to restore the country;
Repair our weapons and armor, the Qin people and the Chu people will fight together, defeat the same enemy, wear the same armor, and advance and retreat together!
Now "Qin Feng Wu Yi" was sung again in Chu dialect over the Chu State. The people of Chu and Qin once again sang the same war song together and rushed towards their common enemy.
But the enemy was the feudal lord and general of Chu State!
Xiang Yan and Nan Chujun both knew about "Qin Feng · Wu Yi" and were very clear about the background of its creation.
So when they heard the song "Qin Feng Wu Yi" being sung, the first thing they thought of was how ironic it was.
The Qin and Chu people sang this war song together again. It was so ironic that this was the situation.
Xiang Yan's heart, which had never been timid, now became timid.
The image of the Chu warriors who died under his sword and roared unwillingly appeared before his eyes.
In order to welcome the Chu army, the Chu people caused a riot in the city and drove the Qin army away. They opened the gates and offered the city, welcoming the king's army with bright smiles and food.
Then, their king's army forced them to leave their homes and burned down their hometowns.
At that time, many scholars in the city opposed it, and some of them were even famous in the State of Chu and had once met Xiang Yan or the King of Southern Chu.
They knelt down and cried for Xiang Yan and Nan Chujun, then pointed at them and cursed them. Some people rushed towards them with swords, but committed suicide after being stopped.
They were all cursing themselves and Lord Nanchu, cursing the King of Chu who had condoned this matter.
They all regretted opening the city gates to welcome a group of beasts!
Xiang Yan didn't care about these things at first.
This is the only way to resist the Qin army. As for the chaos caused, it is the business of the Southern Chu State and the Southern Chu King.
Xiang Yan and the King of Chu were both happy to leave some trouble for this hateful traitor.
When they were thinking about this matter, they did not think about the price paid for the chaos. Just like when Xiang Yan led his troops into battle, he never treated the numbers of the dead as living people.
This is the case for military strategists, generals, and the high-ranking Chu nobles.
It has always been like this.
But why did I start thinking about these things, thinking about right and wrong? Xiang Yan looked up at the bronze chariot that was galloping towards him, the war song with the flag of Lord Changping.
He saw the armored Lord Changping, beating the war drum vigorously, looking very unskilled.
Xiang Yan could tell that Lord Changping had probably never beaten a war drum or ridden in a chariot.
The Lord of Changping was staggering on his chariot, unable to stand still, and the drum beats he made were chaotic and had no rhythm at all.
If there hadn't been someone supporting him, he would have been thrown out of the chariot.
Changping Jun, a man who had never been on the battlefield, was forced to go to the battlefield by himself; a man who had never ridden in a chariot was forced to stand on a chariot by himself; a man who had never beaten a war drum was beating the war drum in a mess.
I am really awesome.
Xiang Yan suddenly laughed at himself, a laugh that was both bitter and relieved.
"Sound the horn, retreat." Xiang Yan said with a smile, "I am defeated, completely defeated."
Xiang Yan laughed so hard that tears came out.
He still didn't think his decision was wrong, because if he didn't do this, how could he resist the Qin army
Li Mu is so amazing, so amazing.
He even knew that even if he did so, he might not be able to resist Qin. He could only create some trouble for Qin, so that Qin could annex the other five countries first and then attack Chu.
He was just delaying the time of Chu's demise, trying to prevent it from perishing before he closed his eyes.
For this reason, the gains and losses of a city or a place are not important, and those complaining Chu people are not important either.
The only important thing is the State of Chu.
Xiang Yan's action was not at all selfish, and he even used his own reputation to benefit the State of Chu.
Didn't he know that by doing such a thing, even if he returned to the King of Chu, he would not be destroyed by the resentment of the people of Southern Chu, but his reputation would be completely ruined
Didn't he know that the King of Chu agreed to his decision and lent him to the Lord of Southern Chu to do such a thing, just so that he could use this matter to legitimately leave the Chu court, and the newly rising Xiang family would be immediately controlled by the King of Chu
Doesn't he know
He knows it!!
He knew it all and he was mentally prepared for it all!
Whether he died of depression, was blamed by his clansmen, or was scolded by the people of the world, or had a bad reputation after his death, he was mentally prepared!
His reputation would certainly be worse than Lian Po's, because Lian Po's sword was pointed at the State of Yan, while he was pointing at the people of Chu.
No matter how much he told his soldiers not to have any psychological burden, Southern Chu was no longer Chu, and the people of Southern Chu were no longer Chu people, but he could deceive others but not himself!
But despite all his preparations, he still lost, miserably, at the hands of Changping Jun, who had never been on a battlefield.
How ironic!
Xiang Yan was extremely good at commanding troops. Even though the defenders of Guangling City had already charged and the conscripted soldiers and civilians within the Chu army had already rebelled, after Xiang Yan gave the order, the elite troops of the Chu army quickly withdrew in formation and retreated in the direction commanded by Xiang Yan.
Nan Chujun was protected in the center of the army formation and was so frightened that he collapsed.
Before Xiang Yan left, he turned around and looked at Changping Jun's carriage again.
Changping Jun had indeed never driven a chariot, and even with someone supporting him, he still fell down miserably, with his helmet tilted to one side, which looked extremely funny.
Zhu Xiang stood up by holding the fences on both sides of the chariot, and without caring about the bruises on his arms and the crooked helmet, he struck the war drum again.
Fuqiu and Li Si stood on both sides of him, trying to hold him and help him straighten his helmet.
His ridiculous appearance also caught the attention of the defenders of Guangling City and the scholars of Guangling City who were originally Chu people.
Their eyes became hot and they clenched their weapons tighter.
"Qin Feng Wu Yi" was sung even louder.
According to historical records, when the Southern Chu State was established, Xiang Yan was appointed as the general and attacked Guangling.
The Lord of Changping personally went to the battlefield, played the war drums, sang "Wu Yi", and pushed back the Southern Chu army for more than fifty miles before returning.
Later, the Southern Chu army encountered the pursuit of the Crown Prince of Qin. The Crown Prince of Qin chased the King of Southern Chu to the Huai River, but was called back by the Lord of Changping.
Ying Xiaozheng, who almost ran to the Huai River, hurried back and saw Zhu Xiang covered in injuries. He was horrified and said, "Uncle! Who hurt you?"
Zhu Xiang said awkwardly: "I fell from the chariot."
Ying Xiaozheng: “…”
He took a deep breath and really wanted to scold Zhu Xiang, but Zhu Xiang scolded him, "Are you going to die? You took 10,000 people and less than ten days of dry food to chase Xiang Yan to the Huai River? Do you think that Southern Chu only has that many soldiers? If you hadn't retreated quickly, I would have sent an envoy to Southern Chu to rescue you! Do you want me to write a letter to your father and send you directly to Chu as a hostage? What about Li Mu? Just let you charge forward?!"
Ying Xiaozheng covered his ears.
Stop reading, my ears hurt.
(End of this chapter)