This Guanzhong army, which was originally not favored by the Chu army, was reborn and had high morale after being trained ruthlessly by Lu Bu and Han Xin, even though only a month and a half had passed.
The commander is not only easy-going, but also clear about rewards and punishments. He also possesses outstanding martial arts. How could he not win the loyalty of the entire army
With Lu Bu's strong support, Han Xin's training of troops was much smoother.
Under his personal instruction, all the soldiers in the army, both great and small, have learned how to deploy troops in formation.
And that military formation can be described as a combination of the strange and the normal, with the beginning and the end corresponding to each other, and the separation and combination can be done freely. The people in the formation were unaware of the mystery, but the commander of the formation could clearly see the subtle changes.
Even Lu Bu, who had experienced many battles and was quite experienced in deploying troops, couldn't help but be secretly shocked after watching it a few times.
Damn it, this Han guy looks inconspicuous, but he is so insidious!
If he were to become an enemy of Han Xin, even if he was prepared, if he was not careful, he would probably be caught in this strange formation that was as flexible and invisible as flowing water, but full of murderous intent.
He couldn't help but think that this military genius was indeed gifted. Even though he had never actually commanded an army, he was naturally sinister.
While the rest of the Chu army was still unaware, the Guanzhong army, which had a new look, was all eager to fight. In addition to the attraction of Lu Bu's huge reward and the abundant energy fed by good meals every day, the most important thing was the pain of being doubled trained by the cold-blooded Han Xin, which made their days feel like years.
Thinking back to that day when they underestimated the ability of their chief coach Lu Bu and ended up accepting the bet, and had to be trained twice as hard for a whole month by that cold-hearted and cruel General Han... everyone who had recovered from the excitement of watching the show regretted it deeply.
If they had known that General Lu had such supernatural riding and archery skills, why would they have sought their own death and let General Han torture them to death
They were being trained so hard that they could only complain and blame themselves for being blind and lame when they received the order to march east.
All of a sudden, they all felt as if they had been pardoned. They screamed with excitement and wished they could pick up their weapons and rush to the battlefield that day.
Han Xin stood with his hands behind his back, looking down expressionlessly at them who were taking the opportunity to slack off from the high platform, and suddenly curved the corners of his lips, revealing a faint smile.
The hard work of sharpening the sword on a daily basis is to make it sharp for when charging into battle.
Their morale is so high now, how could he expose them and pour a bucket of cold water on them
When the order to go to war was issued, it was already mid-autumn, and the weather was much cooler than in late summer.
As the main general, Lu Bu was eager to kill Liu Bang and in order to push the progress as quickly as possible, he was unwilling to wait for a moment.
Riding on the high morale, he led a group of wolf-like and tiger-like soldiers and marched day and night, arrogantly penetrating the territory of Wei Bao, the King of Western Wei who dared to be angry but not to speak out. After entering the Yan territory, he went straight to Yan's capital Ji.
Zang Tu, who killed the former emperor Han Guang, was nervous at first, but after being persuaded by his staff, he thought he had figured out Xiang Yu's temper. So after sending lobbyists with valuable gifts to Chu, he waited quietly and gradually relaxed his vigilance.
In mid-August, when the military report from the border finally arrived, claiming that 100,000 Chu soldiers had entered Yan and were heading straight for Ji, Zang Tu still didn't dare to believe it. He muttered to himself, "Given the behavior of the Overlord of Chu, even if he wanted to start a rebellion, he would definitely issue an imperial edict first. How could he use troops directly?"
If not for this, how could Liu Bang, who repeatedly offended Xiang Yu, have survived!
The invincible Chu army was a terrifying sight that Zang Tu, who had once been to the battlefield of Julu, definitely did not want to experience in person.
He was nearly frightened to death by the bad news, but with the comfort of his subordinates, he reorganized his army and prepared for battle, while hoping for a lucky break and sent someone to find out what had happened.
Not long after, another military report completely shattered Zang Tu's luck - the 100,000 Chu troops were unstoppable, and they broke through the county towns along the way, and rushed straight to Ji before the surrounding defenders had time to gather to resist.
I am afraid that within three days, the enemy will be at the gates of the city.
What surprised them deeply was that the Chu soldiers, who were known for their brutality, did not burn and plunder as usual after capturing the defenseless counties of Yan State along the way. Instead, they deliberately left behind a small number of soldiers to take over the affairs of each county and pacify the people in a proper manner.
Every time they captured a county, they killed the chief official and detained the defending general. They then opened the granaries, took only 30% of the grain, and distributed the rest to the local people.
Zang Tu was puzzled at first, and then he was frightened.
Being able to make the Chu army, which had always acted recklessly, abide by the rules for the first time and even care about the people of Yan, it doesn't seem like they are going to send an army to punish him, but it is clear that they are preparing to use his generosity to win the hearts of the people so that they can swallow up Yan!
I didn't expect that Xiang Jie, who was pretending to be abiding by his promise and dividing the land to be crowned king, would be so cunning in taking advantage of the situation and reveal his true face so quickly!
Zang Tu cursed Xiang Yu inwardly.
Although he was afraid of the invasion of the Chu army, he was after all the most capable general of the Yan State. Now that his long-cherished wish had come true, how could he be willing to sit back and wait for death even before he had even sat on the throne
Seeing the situation deteriorate inexplicably and seemingly without room for recovery, Zang Tu calmed down completely after despair and asked the spy who brought the news in a deep voice: "Who is the general of the Chu army?"
The spy replied: "Lü Bu."
"Lu Bu?"
Zang Tu repeated it in surprise.
What he was most worried about was that Xiang Yu himself would come.
The King of Western Chu was famous for his unparalleled bravery. Not to mention his own soldiers, even he himself could not suppress his fear when he saw Xiang Yu's flag, let alone confronting him head-on.
But he knew more clearly that given Xiang Yu's arrogance, he might not attach so much importance to this battle, and he should send his generals to fight first.
If we talk about the most capable generals under Xiang Yu, the first one is Ying Bu, the only one who was crowned king this time, followed by Long Ju, Zhongli Mei, Zhang Han and Xiang's relatives.
But... Lu Bu
Judging from his surname Shan, he is definitely not a member of Xiang Yu's clan and he has never heard of him, so he must have no military achievement.
Sending an unknown person to fight
Zang Tu's eyes were unpredictable, and he snorted at last.
Ridiculous! This is really underestimating Zang Tu!
He felt both ashamed and angry at being looked down upon, and overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. He then asked, "Who is the deputy general of the Chu army?"
The spy replied, "Han Xin."
Zang Tu frowned: "Han Xin?"
Another unfamiliar name that Zang Tu had never heard of.
Although the Yan spy did not know the details of Lü Bu, he had heard a little about Han Xin: "My lord, if I remember correctly, Han Xin was once a halberd-wielding doctor beside King Xiang."
"Halder-wielding doctor!"
Zang Tu murmured, feeling completely relieved.
Although he didn't know Lu Bu's specific background, he was just an unknown and inexperienced boy, so how could he possibly fight against Zang Tu!
Even though the Chu army was famous, under the leadership of the second brat, they were just a group of rabble that were not worth worrying about.
Zang Tu shook off his previous sadness and laughed loudly, "Thank goodness Xiang Ji is so arrogant that he dared to send a second brat to fight me! In this case, I will crush his prestige and make sure these 100,000 Chu soldiers never return!"
The names of Lu Bu and Han Xin were really unheard of, which made his attendants feel relieved. They smiled and agreed: "Your Majesty is wise! The Chu army claims to have 100,000 troops, but in fact there are only about 50,000 troops. They are led by two young boys who have traveled thousands of miles recklessly, intending to launch a surprise attack on our country. They did not camp to rest or get supplies along the way, so they must be exhausted. In this situation, Your Majesty only needs to reorganize the army and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and you can easily make them collapse without attacking!"
Zang Tu was pleased to hear this, but he refused to make any plans. "You are all polite. Since the Chu army has arrived here, they must be exhausted. If I wait for them to tire themselves out and do not take the initiative to attack, wouldn't that give them a chance to recuperate and restore their morale? Moreover, it was Xiang Yu who was arrogant and sent inferior generals to fight. He still did not avoid the situation when the situation was completely favorable. The princes and the soldiers under my command would definitely think that I am a coward! Once the reputation of cowardice spreads, my Yan State will never have peace. Even the light troops will dare to invade."
The Chu army was strong and brave, and was feared by the world. However, this time, because Xiang Ji was confused and sent two useless guys to fight, it was a great opportunity given by God to the Yan army to show its power.
How could he retreat and fight? We must take advantage of his exhaustion and strike him head-on!
Seeing that the king had made up his mind and that his words did make some sense, his subordinates looked at each other in silence and stopped trying to persuade him.
When Zang Tu believed that he had won the battle and had already begun to reorganize his army to prepare for a head-on attack on the 50,000 exhausted Chu soldiers, Lu Bu and Han Xin had already led their troops to a place only 20 miles away from Jin.
Lu Bu, who had been driving his soldiers forward all the way without resting unless necessary, suddenly ordered the troops to stop advancing, build camp and have food.
Even though it was still early for dark, he didn't care and ordered his soldiers to set up the tents. After eating, they took turns to go inside to rest.
Soon, smoke billowed from the Chu camp.
The scene that happened only twenty miles away was reported by the spies to Zang Tu who was ready for battle in the city within less than a cup of tea.
Hearing that the two Chu generals acted so ridiculously, rushing all the way here, and actually cooking and eating right under their noses and wanting to have a good sleep, Zang Tu was so angry that he laughed.
"You still want to set up camp and eat?" Zang Tu sneered, summoned his deputy general without hesitation, and was about to lead the troops to fight: "I will send them off for a while, and let them enjoy themselves after they reach the underworld!"
When Zang Tu was dressed in military uniform, he suppressed his anger and ordered the soldiers to open the city gates. Then he and three of his trusted generals, together with 70,000 elite soldiers, marched towards the place where the Chu army had set up camp with high morale.
Little did they know that at this moment in the Chu army's camp, there seemed to be curling smoke, boiling pots and bubbling hot soup, but the soldiers who were busy coming and going always walked in step, and the weapons on their waists were also neatly arranged.
At this time, Lu Bu and Han Xin were not in the camp, but rode their horses together and climbed a nearby hill.
Looking down from a high place, one can clearly see the aggressive Yan army.
"It's just as Brother Han expected," Lü Bu snorted and said proudly, "You and I are unknown, so Zang Tu will definitely underestimate the enemy and come here to die."
Han Xin smiled silently.
After the two men confirmed with their own eyes the momentum of the Yan army, they did not linger for a moment, but quickly turned their horses around and galloped back to the camp.
The Yan army arrived in a flash.
Zang Tu was well aware of the principle that speed was of the essence in war, and taking advantage of the perfect opportunity when the Chu army was exhausted from cooking and making fire, he roughly deployed a half-moon formation in three directions and then launched a fierce attack on the Chu camp.
This camp was built hastily and roughly, how could it withstand the impact of chariots
However, in the blink of an eye, they fell to the ground with a loud bang, revealing the Chu army soldiers who were in neat formation, armed with weapons, and full of energy.
Zang Tu's heart suddenly sank.
-With such a spirit and demeanor, how could they be the tired soldiers who had been running around for days, were hungry and had low morale as the spies described
It was obvious that he had repaired it somewhere else and pretended to be so good that he deceived his stupid spy!
Even so, Zang Tu did not feel panicked.
He snorted lightly: "A mere trifle."
Those two young boys were quite cunning, but with their tricks, how could they be a match for the Yan army soldiers who swore to defend their country
Zang Tu glanced at the two men in the distance who were handsome but no more than twenty years old. One of them was a Chu general who was dressed very flashily. The contempt in his heart instantly reached its peak.
The Chu army is really empty-handed, and they even dare to send out such a useless person!
Xiang Ji was too arrogant to think that he could rely on these two cowards who only knew how to hide at the back of the army and whose hair hadn't even grown fully to deal with Zang Tu!
Zang Tu sneered, deciding that this army of Chu was not reliable, so he raised his hand and ordered the three deputy generals to lead their troops, redeploy their troops on the spot, and attack the Chu army again.
He sat firmly in the center of the army, observing the military situation at any time.
He was surrounded by three hundred elite soldiers, front, back, left and right, protecting him like an airtight iron barrel; behind him, a large banner was flying in the wind.
The great banner is the eyes and ears of the entire army, and the king is the morale of the army, so the defense is naturally the most strict.
Lu Bu, who was listening to Brother Han's tactical deployment in a disjointed manner, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
Seeing that his expression was strange, Han Xin couldn't help but stop talking and looked in the direction of his gaze, which immediately passed through the soldiers of the two armies who were fighting hard and fell on the extremely eye-catching banner and the king's carriage which was even more eye-catching than it.
Han Xin didn't think there was anything wrong. As soon as he withdrew his gaze, he was shocked by the strong fighting spirit that burst out from Lu Bu's tiger eyes.
He blurted out: "Brother!"
Could Fengxian be preparing—
Lu Bu tilted his head, stroking the hilt of the sword at his waist unconsciously. Hearing this, he lazily hummed, pointed at the direction of the large banner with his chin, and said without hesitation: "Brother Yuan Han's plan will be saved for next time."
It is really too much effort to first show weakness to trick people into being careless and then lure the enemy into a trap.
After his inspection, the defense at the big flag seemed tight, but it was not strong enough to withstand a single blow.
How can a group of weak and vulnerable sheep huddled together withstand the bite of a fierce tiger
Whether it was the banner or the head of King Zangtu of Yan, he was determined to get them.
Without waiting for Han Xin to speak, he sneered lazily, and said in a relaxed tone with a bit of nonchalance: "Bu will call a thousand soldiers to cut down the banner. I will trouble Brother Han to work harder and lead the troops to charge the battle in time."
The military genius decides the fate of the world with his tactics, but he is used to defeating ten opponents with force and breaking the deadlock with brutality.
Seeing Han Xin's shocked expression, and that he was about to speak up to stop him from rushing into danger, Lü Bu looked directly at Han Xin and asked simply, "Brother, are you willing to believe me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, no matter how many persuasions Han Xin had, they were all blocked in his throat.
As soon as he met Lu Bu's shining tiger eyes filled with fiery fighting spirit and strong self-confidence, he was shaken unconsciously.
My dear brother has always believed in him, whether it was when he directly recommended him to King Xiang, or when he resolutely entrusted 45,000 soldiers to him, or even when he was fighting this extremely dangerous battle, with his life at stake...
Faced with such consistent and unreserved trust, how could he waver at this moment and refuse to believe in his brother's ability
My dear brother, since you are not an ordinary person, you should be treated with extraordinary principles.
"…Okay." Han Xin was stunned for only a moment, and his heart was filled with thousands of waves. He quickly came to his senses and said seriously: "My dear brother, you are charging into the battle alone, so you must be careful and cautious."
This time, Lu Bu grinned and finally agreed happily.