Peng Yue was a bandit in the early days of his career in Dayeze. He was most skilled in guerrilla warfare. What is guerrilla warfare?
They never confront the enemy head-on, but instead launch sneak attacks and strikes, then run away.
Most importantly, Peng Yue's elite force consisted of only 20,000 troops, while the rest were all newly formed soldiers, whose combat effectiveness was even inferior to Ying Bu's Huainan New Army.
"But what is the purpose of the Chu army's breakout to the north? Does the Chu army really think that after crossing the Xiao River, they can bypass our army and head to Jiangdong?" Li Zuoche asked suspiciously.
"I will not give the Chu army such an opportunity, and the Chu army will surely think of this as well." Han Xin was also considering this issue. Crossing the Xiao River to the north to break through would certainly be a good move, but what would happen after that?
“That’s strange. To the north is Peng Yue’s territory, to the northwest is Liu Ji’s territory, and to the northeast is Qi…” Li Zuoche murmured.
Han Xin gave a wry smile. "It's definitely not going to the northwest. It wouldn't make a difference anyway, as Zhou Bo is stationed around Xingyang. Therefore, Xiang Yu must have taken advantage of the fact that Peng Yue and I are vulnerable in our rear to devise this ingenious plan."
If they continued north, Ji Bu and Zhongli Mei could cross the river through Liang to Zhao, Wei, Dai, Yan, or even further to the desert. In short, their chances of survival would be greater than if they broke out and went to Jiangdong.
If they head northeast, they can penetrate deep into the heart of Qi, sustaining their war effort along the way, eventually occupying several major cities to put up a stubborn resistance, or they can rapidly grow stronger and simply garrison the Great Wall and Mount Tai in Qi territory, keeping us out and thus usurping our territory.”
"Perhaps Your Majesty is overthinking it. Peng Yue is quite capable, and his forces outnumber the Chu army several times over. Do you really think he can let the Chu army break through smoothly? At least he should be able to hold out until our main army crosses the Xiao River, right? At least he won't give the Chu army a chance to escape to Hebei." Li Zuoche was still somewhat puzzled.
"That's enough. It's no use thinking about it anymore. Peng Yue should manage his Liang state, and I will guard my Qi state. Let Ji Bu and Zhongli Mei's Chu army have no place to stand, and they can only fend for themselves."
Order Chen Xi to march quickly to Pengcheng and garrison it. Under no circumstances should the Chu army be allowed to recapture Pengcheng, otherwise their strength will surely increase significantly. In addition, troops should also be stationed in Xiapi, Qulu, Xiaxiang, and Tongcheng in the northeast to prevent the Chu army from growing stronger and resupplying.
Make sure Ding Fu closely monitors the Chu army's movements, lest they exploit any openings and manage to escape back to Jiangdong. If they do, I will lose all face.
"Strategist, my arrangements should be complete, right? After dawn tomorrow, let's bid farewell to the King of Han and return to Qi. What do you think, strategist?"
One of the reasons Han Xin was unwilling to come to Gaixia was that although the Qi region had been pacified on the surface, there were still some people secretly plotting to restore the Tian family's Qi state. If he stayed away for too long, things might change, so it was better to go back as soon as possible.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Now that the Battle of Gaixia is over, it would be best to return home as soon as possible. As for the Chu army under Ji Bu and Zhongli Mei, General Ding Fu can cooperate with Peng Yue to annihilate them."
"But according to the agreement, the land east of Chenjun, including Gaixia, should belong to Your Majesty. Should we send troops to occupy the Chu army's fortifications at Gaixia first?" Li Zuoche suggested.
"Then let's send a troop over there. It can prevent the Chu army from being driven back to the fortress by the King of Liang. Hmm? In that case, we can't give up on the Xiao River either. If the Chu army really can't break through Peng Yue's defenses, they might continue to go downstream and break out by water."
Han Xin felt a bit of a headache. Xiang Yu's move of crossing the Xiao River to break through the encirclement could produce so many changes. If he was not careful, the Chu army might take advantage of the situation.
However, after cutting off the two escape routes of the fortifications and the Xiao River, the Chu army could only operate north of the Xiao River. Without cities and territory to rely on, their annihilation was only a matter of time.
"Your Majesty's thinking is meticulous, and I admire it. In this way, our army will truly have no extra troops to support Zhou Yin's Jiujiang army. If anything unexpected happens there, it will be none of our business." Li Zuoche smiled slightly.
"Hahaha... A hundred thousand troops couldn't stop Xiang Yu's few thousand cavalry. If such an accident really happened, then Zhou Yin might as well die. Living would just be a waste of food. Hmph, Zhou Yin was so highly valued by Xiang Yu, yet he still did such a despicable thing. King Han was wrong to kill Ding Gu to establish his authority; Zhou Yin is the one who should have been killed the most!" Han Xin said angrily.
...
The Han army camp, the central command tent.
Liu Ji paced back and forth like a headless fly, "What should I do? What should I do! The strategist is not here, what should I do!"
Lu Ze frowned. "Your Majesty, please stop pacing back and forth. Hasn't Liu Jia's army already gone to reinforce Zhou Yin? How could Xiang Yu's mere few thousand cavalry break through the defenses of 100,000 troops? Perhaps by the time Liu Jia's army arrives, Zhou Yin will have already annihilated Xiang Yu's Chu army."
"My great general, those are Xiang Yu's several thousand cavalry! Back then, Xiang Yu's thirty thousand cavalry defeated my fifty-six thousand-strong army, causing the Ju River to stop flowing. Now, what's wrong with five thousand cavalry defeating one hundred thousand Jiujiang troops? Even if they can't defeat them, breaking out shouldn't be difficult, right? Alas, what should we do!"
Liu Ji was so upset not only because Xiang Yu had suddenly broken out ahead of schedule, but also because the tracking signal that Hei Long had planted in that system had disappeared.
According to Heilong, this situation either means the tracker was removed by the other party, or the system died from exhaustion. However, under normal circumstances, once a system binds to a host, it is impossible for the system to run out of energy before the host dies, unless the host is a nobody who provides very little energy, even too little to cope with the energy consumed by the tracker. Obviously, Xiang Yu is not like that.
Of course, Liu Ji didn't understand much about system trackers, but being able to know Xiang Yu's location at all times gave him a lot of confidence. No matter how capable Xiang Yu was, he couldn't escape Liu Ji's grasp.
However, the tracking signal disappeared not long ago, and then Xiang Yu changed his plan and broke out ahead of schedule. It is unknown whether Xiang Bo was exposed.
"Since Your Majesty is worried, why not send Guan Ying with a large cavalry force to provide immediate support?" Lü Ze still didn't quite believe that Xiang Yu could break through Zhou Yin's defenses.
Liu Ji was slightly taken aback. "That's right, General, you're right! Immediately send Guan Ying to lead the army out! Alas, I've really lost my mind in my haste; I've completely forgotten about Guan Ying's cavalry. Hmph, this time I'll use Xiang Yu's most proficient cavalry tactics to utterly defeat him!"
“Indeed, Xiang Yu is doomed this time.” Lu Ze sneered.
"Well said, there's no escape! Hahaha..." Liu Ji felt much more at ease. As long as Guan Ying's cavalry appeared, Xiang Yu would be completely finished.
Just then, a soldier came to report, "Your Majesty! General Liu Jia has sent a message that Xiang Yu, with the help of an inside agent in the Jiujiang army, has successfully broken through Zhou Yin's defenses. Zhou Yin fought Xiang Yu fiercely but was seriously wounded and may not live much longer!"
Liu Ji, “…”
Lu Ze, "..."
Chapter 33 Breakthrough (Part 11)
North of the Chu army's fortifications at Gaixia, more than 13,000 Chu soldiers had already crossed the Xiao River.
"General Ji, Peng Yue has already formed his battle lines. Shall we attack?" Zhongli Mei hadn't expected Peng Yue's Xiaoshui defense line to be so vulnerable. He suddenly became arrogant and even considered launching an attack against superior numbers.
“Peng Yue cherishes his reputation, which is a good opportunity for our army to break out. Let’s not cause any more trouble. In my opinion, we should break out towards Pengcheng as soon as possible. What do you think, General Xiang?” Ji Bu looked at Xiang Zhuang beside him. Although Xiang Yu said that he was the military leader among the three, Xiang Zhuang was a member of the Xiang family and would naturally represent Xiang Yu.
"General Ji is absolutely right. Let's break out as quickly as possible according to the original plan, but we must also be on guard against Peng Yue's sneak attack. Didn't King Xiang say that if Peng Yue's army blocks us, we can send a message to Peng Yue, telling him that our purpose is to take back Pengcheng and not his Liang Kingdom? I think we should send it now." Xiang Zhuang looked at Ji Zhong and the other man.
Ji Bu nodded and said, "I think it's feasible. Let's stabilize Peng Yue first. As long as Peng Yue doesn't move, we won't be afraid even if Han Xin's Qi army catches up."
"Then let's do it this way. In any case, we need to hurry, the Qi army will catch up soon." Zhongli Mei knew Han Xin quite well and there was no way he would let them go and leave them all to Peng Yue to handle.
"Alright, pass down the order: the three armies will take turns providing cover as planned and proceed towards Pengcheng. Set off immediately!" Ji Bu waved his hand. Whether this breakout would succeed depended on Xiang Yu's judgment. Sigh, I wonder how things are on Xiang Yu's side; his forces are still too few…
Five miles south of the Jiujiang army camp, several neighboring, unnamed villages became the temporary camp for the Chu army's cavalry.
The village was full of dilapidated houses, and there wasn't a soul in sight.
Come to think of it, the battlefield of Gaixia was right to the north, so it was only natural that all the villagers would run away, which would free up some houses for the Chu army to take shelter from the wind.
The problem is that this place is too close to the Jiujiang army camp. Even if it's to cover the departure of the 35,000 infantrymen, there's no need to do this.
This isn't a breakout at all; it's incredibly reckless and arrogant!
Hao Jiu was speechless, but considering Xiang Yu's strength and the mobility of his cavalry, it didn't seem like a big deal. He could just wipe out anyone who dared to chase after him.
If the enemy has too many people to wipe out, you can run away whenever you want, which is the advantage of cavalry.
The 6,800 cavalry under Xiang Yu's command were divided into three armies. Huan Chu led 800 cavalry to the front to scout the way to Jiuwan Shoal. The central army of 3,000 cavalry, led by Xiang Han and Xiang Guan, was mainly responsible for protecting Yu Ji. Xiang Yu personally led 3,000 cavalry to hold off the pursuers for the rear army.
"Hey, Xiang Yu, aren't you afraid of being surrounded by enemy forces again in this place?" Hao Jiu still felt that spending the night here was not very reliable, but he didn't seem to have the right to point fingers at Xiang Yu.
"If we were already surrounded by the enemy, I might be afraid, but for now, it's enough to take some precautions. The enemy might not dare to come, and our army also needs to rest." Thinking of this, Xiang Yu turned to the window and whispered, "Send out two more groups of scouts."
"Here you go."
...
The central command tent of Ying Bu's Huainan army camp at Gaixia.
"Report! Your Majesty, Xiang Yu has indeed broken through the Jiujiang army's defenses, and Zhou Yin fought bravely against Xiang Yu but was seriously wounded!"
Ying Bu squinted and murmured, "Oh... Xiang Yu is indeed Xiang Yu. He was able to defeat the enemy in one battle despite such a huge disparity in troop strength. Zhou Yin was lucky enough to survive facing Xiang Yu."
"Your Majesty, should our army send troops to pursue Xiang Yu? If we remain inactive, I'm afraid the King of Han will be displeased," suggested Deputy General Hao Hu.
Ying Bu chuckled, "That's true. Then you can lead 10,000 new troops to assist Liu Jia in pursuing Xiang Yu. Listen carefully, it's to assist Liu Jia."
"Well." Hao Hu cursed inwardly, "What can ten thousand new soldiers do? They can only follow Liu Jia around and get some credit."
Ying Bu yawned. "I'm going to rest now. Tonight, strengthen the defenses of the camp and be extremely careful of Xiang Yu's raid."
"Huh? Xiang Yu still dares to raid the camp?" Hao Hu asked in surprise.
"I know Xiang Yu too well. The more you think he should run away or dare not attack, the more likely he is to suddenly appear right under your nose. This is how Zhou Yin was defeated most of the time. You have to be on guard."
Ying Bu sighed inwardly. His current strength was barely enough to protect himself, so it was best to avoid conflict with Xiang Yu. Liu Ji and Han Xin, with their strong and well-equipped troops, should naturally shoulder more responsibility.
...
In the Jiujiang military camp, Liu Jia frowned as he looked at Zhou Yin, who was barely breathing.
"General Zhou, I heard that your left and right commanders led tens of thousands of troops to follow Xiang Yu. Is that true?"
"Alas, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Fortunately, most of the soldiers in the army are still loyal to me. Otherwise, if Xiang Yu had succeeded in his sneak attack, even more troops would have fled with him. General Liu, rest assured, once my injuries have healed, I will definitely wipe out Xiang Yu and those traitors," Zhou Yin said through gritted teeth.
Liu Jia scoffed, "General Zhou, are you saying that Xiang Yu won't be defeated until you recover from your injuries?"
"Without anyone chasing him, how could Xiang Yu possibly perish on his own?" Zhou Yin's contempt deepened. As soon as Liu Jia heard that Xiang Yu had gained tens of thousands more troops, he decided to stay with him and refuse to leave.
Liu Jia snorted coldly, "You refused to give us the command of the Jiujiang Army. In this situation, how can our army rashly pursue us? However, I have already sent scouts to find out where Xiang Yu's army is. Once the reinforcements from the King of Han and the King of Huainan arrive, Xiang Yu will have no way to escape!"
Zhou Yin closed his eyes, thinking to himself, how could he possibly give up military power? Without military power, what use would he be to Liu Ji?
Soon after, Guan Ying's cavalry and Hao Hu's Huainan New Army arrived at the Jiujiang army camp, and Liu Jia, Guan Ying, and others learned that Xiang Yu's army was resting five miles to the south.
"Xiang Yu is too arrogant! He clearly doesn't take the King of Han's hundreds of thousands of troops seriously!" Hao Hu said angrily.
Zhou Yin, feigning sleep, raised the corners of his mouth slightly. This was truly Xiang Yu's style. Was he trying to buy time for the infantry to escape?
Ridiculous... hiss...
"General Guan Ying, how should we fight this battle?" Liu Jia knew Guan Ying's prowess well, and since he was sent by Liu Ji, he should be the leader.
Guan Ying frowned. “The art of war says that if you have ten thousand men, surround them. Xiang Yu’s cavalry should be less than ten thousand. I have twenty thousand cavalry. If you take out another eighty thousand, we can make a total of one hundred thousand troops to surround them. What do you all think?”
"General Guan Ying's plan is brilliant. In this way, Xiang Yu will truly have no way to escape." Liu Jia also thought of this plan. When Xiang Yu wakes up tomorrow morning and finds himself surrounded again, I wonder what he will think.
"General Guan and General Liu are absolutely right!" Hao Hu said, glancing at Zhou Yin, who appeared to be asleep with his eyes closed.
"Then it's settled. My 20,000 cavalry can flank around to the south and cut off the Chu army's retreat. Which side do you choose?" Guan Ying asked loudly.
Liu Jia cupped his hands in greeting, "This humble general has brought 20,000 elite troops, who can be responsible for the western front."
Hao Hu scratched his head. "Oh dear, I only brought 10,000 troops with me, so I can only be in charge of the north. Haha."
Guan Ying frowned again. "Only this many troops? Who will surround the east?"
Liu Jia sneered, "General Guan Ying, have you forgotten that we are currently in the Jiujiang army's main camp? It shouldn't be a problem for Commander Zhou to bring out 50,000 troops."
“Zhou Sima, how about handing over the eastern front to the Jiujiang army? It would be best to also provide 10,000 troops each to the west and north. Since Zhou Sima has already pledged allegiance to the King of Han, he wouldn’t refuse the King’s orders, would he?” Guan Ying came to Zhou Yin’s side.
Zhou Yin slowly opened his eyes, moved his pale lips, and said, "General Guan, you may not know this, but Xiang Yu took away a lot of troops, and with the wounded added, I can only send out a maximum of 30,000 more troops..."
Guan Ying snorted coldly, "Commander Zhou, do you need me to send someone to help you count your men? Send everyone who can fight, how about it?"
Zhou Yin closed his eyes. "Then let's do as General Guan Ying said and contribute 50,000..."
"Issue the order: draw 10,000 men from the Jiujiang army to follow Liu Jia in encircling Xiang Yu from the west, draw another 10,000 men to follow General Hao in encircling him from the north, and dispatch another 30,000 Jiujiang troops to encircle him from the east. I will personally lead 20,000 cavalry to cut off Xiang Yu's escape route to the south. All armies, make some preparations and set off as soon as possible!" Guan Ying waved his hand.
Even if we cannot annihilate Xiang Yu's Chu army in this battle, we must cripple it completely, even if it means sacrificing all 80,000 of them!
Chapter 34 Kite