"Your Highness, you must not fall for the Chu army's provocation," Cheng Hei warned.
"Don't worry, when I was leading troops into battle, that little brat Xiang Guan was still wearing open-crotch pants. Issue the order: surround the city with 40,000 troops, and the rest of the army will cross the river to fight tomorrow!" Ying Bu smiled coldly. It seemed that Xiang Yu's goal was still to hold back their army, but unfortunately, he had run into me.
"Yes." Cheng Hei breathed a sigh of relief. Losing 10,000 soldiers was a small matter, but delaying the crossing of the river was a big deal. If the fighting continued, it would be difficult to explain to Liu Ji.
North of Juchao, at Liu Jijun's camp.
"Hahaha... Wu Rui fought well! Mei Xuan fought well!" Liu Ji was overjoyed to learn that Tongling had been captured by Mei Xuan. This was truly an unexpected joy.
If I had known Tongling was so easy to capture, I would have saved trouble by sending more troops to Jiangnan to support Wu Rui.
However, things haven't changed much now, and we're sure to win easily tomorrow's river crossing operation.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty." Chen Ping stroked his beard. So far, everything was proceeding according to plan, and very smoothly. Hmm? Smoothly? Wasn't it a little too smooth?
"Finally, I can get a good night's sleep tonight. Oh dear, what do you think Xiang Yu's expression will be when he finds out that Tongling has been captured? Haha, do you think Xiang Yu will try to break out overnight?" Liu Ji really wanted to tell Xiang Yu this good news.
Chen Ping was somewhat tempted. If he told Xiang Yu that Tongling had fallen, Xiang Yu might actually fight to the death to break through back to Jiangdong, and then they could set up an ambush...
"Your Majesty, I think we should first block the news and stabilize Xiang Yu. After our army takes over Jiangdong, we can give Xiang Yu a big surprise." Chen Ping thought that he had already stayed up all night last night, and he couldn't stay up any longer tonight. Moreover, Xiang Yu might not break out overnight as Liu Ji guessed.
Liu Ji nodded slightly. "Yes, that's right. I was too hasty. The most important thing now is to stabilize the situation, cut off Xiang Yu's contact with the outside world, turn Juchao into a dead end, and never let Xiang Yu escape."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right." Chen Ping was actually a little anxious, after all, victory was in sight, and who wouldn't be excited?
It was a dark and windy night in Tongling County.
After the barbarian army entered the city, they began to plunder and loot. They had finally captured a city, so how could they not get some spoils of war?
However, the people in the city had learned of the impending war in advance and had already moved to the depths of Kuaiji County. Those who did not want to go too far from home went into the mountains and hid in caves. Tongling was almost a ghost town. Naturally, they took all the valuables with them, and buried what they could not take.
Mei Xuan was not surprised by this. He didn't care about the money; the military merit of capturing Tongling was enough for him.
There are many residences in Tongling City, but the largest and best one is the county magistrate's mansion. Mei Xuan naturally chose to stay there as well. After dinner and washing up, he went to bed early. It would be strange if he wasn't tired after fighting all day.
However, Mei Xuan never dreamed that there were other distinguished guests staying in the magistrate's mansion.
...
In the pitch-black room, a beam of moonlight shone through a small hole, illuminating a cold, stern face.
"It's about time, Overlord, let's go." Hao Jiu smiled wickedly.
A pair of double pupils, which had been suppressed for a long time, suddenly opened!
Chapter 76 The Decisive Battle of Jiujiang (Part 5)
The magistrate's mansion was heavily guarded, especially Mei Xuan's bedroom. He had thoroughly searched the area before moving in, but no one suspected that there was a tunnel and a secret room hidden inside.
Hehehe...
The hidden door opened, and Xiang Yu pushed aside the large, strange rock blocking the way, then picked up his sword and walked towards the soldiers standing guard in the mansion.
Although Xiang Yu was somewhat displeased with Hao Jiu's plan, with the decisive battle imminent, he should choose the most effective method from any perspective.
Of Liu Ji's five armies, Xiang Yu was most concerned about Wu Rui's army, because they were in Jiangnan, while Xiang Yu wanted to focus his defense on Jiangbei, where the main battlefield of the decisive battle would also be.
Only by eliminating the threat posed by the southern barbarian army can Xiang Yu fully focus his attack on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
Mei Xuan was Wu Rui's number one fierce general. Whether it was a direct confrontation or an ambush, there was no guarantee that this trouble could be resolved in one fell swoop. All's fair in war, so if an ambush was possible, why not ambush Mei Xuan next to his bed?
Therefore, on Hao Jiu's advice, Xiang Yu sent his confidants to secretly renovate a secret room in the Tongling County magistrate's mansion. When the Chu army held out in the city until almost dark, Ji Xin led the army to withdraw, while Xiang Yu hid in the secret room.
Through meticulous planning, it was highly likely that Mei Xuan would move into the magistrate's residence, and even Wu Rui might move in as well. They would never have imagined that Xiang Yu was lying in ambush in the residence.
It's not hard to guess that Mei Xuan would choose to spend the night in the magistrate's mansion, nor is it hard to guess which area he would stay in, but it's uncertain which room he would stay in, so Xiang Yu needs to figure this out first.
Of course, Mei Xuan would most likely choose the best one, which is not far from Xiang Yu's secret chamber, and that was also the first place Xiang Yu wanted to determine.
In short, the more heavily guarded a place is, the more likely it is to be where Mei Xuan is.
With Xiang Yu's current skills, he can definitely approach his target stealthily if he wants to, not to mention that he now has an extra pair of eyes.
"Overlord, Mei Xuan is indeed living here. Let's make our move." Hao Jiu stood on Xiang Yu's shoulder and looked into the courtyard. There were quite a few soldiers guarding the area.
Xiang Yu, carrying his sword, flipped over the wall and jumped over, then rushed straight into Mei Xuan's bedroom without saying a word.
"An assassin... Ah!" The guard collapsed, clutching his neck, before he could finish speaking.
Xiang Yu's speed was simply too fast, and his strength was even more astonishing. Who in this world could possibly be his match?
Puff puff puff...
Xiang Yu killed several guards in succession and charged in without any suspense.
"Ah! Who?" Mei Xuan woke up with a start, grabbed the sword beside him, and sprang to his feet.
"Does Mei Xuan still recognize me?" After confirming that it was indeed Mei Xuan, Xiang Yu threw a punch.
"Xiang, Xiang Yu? Impossible..." Mei Xuan's voice stopped abruptly. He wanted to resist, and he did resist, but the resistance was in vain, and he fainted.
Xiang Yu took out a rope and quickly tied Mei Xuan up tightly. He could have killed him, but Xiang Yu still cherished his talent and decided to give him another chance.
Mei Xuan made many contributions in the anti-Qin war. Wu Rui was enfeoffed as the King of Hengshan by Xiang Yu, while Mei Xuan was the only one to be enfeoffed as a Marquis of 100,000 households by Xiang Yu. It can be said that he was only one step away from being enfeoffed as a king, which shows how much Xiang Yu valued him.
Of course, in that era, countless people died and the population was sparse. This "100,000 households" was just a legal organization, representing that Mei Xuan was qualified to govern the territory of 100,000 households.
Unfortunately, Mei Xuan always stayed closer to Wu Rui. When Wu Rui sided with Liu Ji, Mei Xuan followed suit.
A moment later, a large number of soldiers had gathered outside. Under the protection of several shield bearers, Deputy General Kang Sheng anxiously arrived at the door.
No one dared to venture in, because many people had just heard Mei Xuan call out Xiang Yu's name, and General Mei Xuan was captured alive in the blink of an eye. Who else could possess such martial prowess but Xiang Yu?
"What does King Xiang intend to do to my general?" Kang Sheng asked loudly.
"Those who submit to me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish, and so will you all," Xiang Yu said in a deep voice.
"Ha, does Xiang Yu think he can subdue an army of 100,000 men all by himself? That's ridiculous. Although General Mei is in Xiang Yu's hands, isn't Xiang Yu also in my hands? Can Xiang Yu really break through safely after killing General Mei?" Kang Sheng clenched his fist.
"Why not? There are no 100,000 troops in Tongling City, and even fewer troops know that I am here. On the contrary, your army is isolated and about to be wiped out. No matter how many Han troops are in Jiangbei, can they help you? I'm afraid they still think I am in Juchao, hahaha..." Xiang Yu laughed.
Kang Sheng's expression changed slightly. The reason they dared to attack Tongling was because they heard that Xiang Yu was besieged by the Han army in Juchao. Now it seems that the Han army may have besieged the wrong person... What a disaster!
"Well... Xiang Yu's military strategy is superb, Kang Sheng admires it, but I am only a deputy general, and such an important matter as surrendering still needs the general to make the decision."
"Then I will ask him." Xiang Yu said, then picked up the half-bowl of water on the table and splashed it on Mei Xuan's face.
"Pfft, ah! Let me go!" Mei Xuan struggled violently, but he had already been tied up like a caterpillar, so his struggles were futile.
"Don't move, or I won't hesitate to stab you a few times." Xiang Yu placed his sword against Mei Xuan's neck. "There's a man outside named Kang Sheng who says that surrendering is a major decision that requires your approval. Do you want to live or die?"
Mei Xuan snorted coldly, "If King Xiang kills me, I'm afraid he won't be able to leave Tongling alive either."
"Answer my question. Your concern for my safety is none of my business," Xiang Yu said coldly.
"Kang Sheng! We have received great kindness from the barbarian king, how can we betray him! Don't worry about me, surround Xiang Yu, and the world will be at peace!" Mei Xuan roared.
“Yes!” Kang Sheng’s eyes were filled with tears. He knew Mei Xuan would make this choice. Xiang Yu was really naive this time.
"A true hero!" Xiang Yu nodded approvingly, then casually tore off a piece of hemp cloth, rolled it up, and stuffed it into Mei Xuan's mouth.
"Waaaah..." Mei Xuan became increasingly terrified. He had thought that Xiang Yu needed him to save his life and wouldn't dare to do anything to him, but now it seemed that something was wrong.
"Send the order! The troops inside the city must immediately surround this mansion! We must not let Xiang Yu leave this place!" Kang Sheng decisively gave the order, and he gave the order to surround the mansion, not to send his troops to rush in.
Mei Xuan was unafraid of death because of his sense of righteousness, but that doesn't mean he wanted to die. If he had rushed in at that moment, he would have been doomed.
"You have all made the wrong choice! Humph! If I wish to leave, not even a god could stop me!"
Xiang Yu stepped out of the room, holding a halberd in his right hand, a sword in his left, and Mei Xuan on his back!
"Kill!" Xiang Yu roared and charged straight at Kang Sheng.
Kang Sheng was shocked and retreated hastily, "Be careful, everyone! Don't accidentally hurt General Mei! Whoever captures Xiang Yu alive will be enfeoffed as a marquis of ten thousand households!"
"Don't be afraid, Xiang Yu is all alone!"
"The Marquis of Ten Thousand Households is mine!"
"Charge!"
The barbarian soldiers dared not kill Xiang Yu from behind, but they could rush over and grab him or snatch Mei Xuan, as long as someone blocked Xiang Yu's path for a moment.
However.
Click click click!
Puff puff puff!
Ahhh!
In this situation, the person who could stop Xiang Yu probably hasn't been born yet!
Use the halberd for ranged attacks and the sword for close-range slashes; basically, ignore what's behind you and just keep moving forward.
"If you are willing to be loyal to Wu Rui, then I, the king, will grant your wish!" Xiang Yu swept away several shield soldiers with his halberd and swept towards Kang Sheng like a hurricane.
"Stop him!" Kang Sheng never expected Xiang Yu to be so terrifying. My life is over!
Click click click!
Several spears broke, and Xiang Yu leaped to Kang Sheng's side, piercing Kang Sheng's heart with lightning speed.
Kang Sheng's eyes widened. He regretted it. He had forgotten that Xiang Yu had another title besides Overlord: Warrior of Ten Thousand Men!
The barbarian soldiers all looked like they had seen a ghost, and they all started to avoid Xiang Yu.
Just then, Kang Sheng's younger brother, Kang Li, arrived with reinforcements and witnessed Kang Sheng being killed by Xiang Yu.
"Brother! Damn it! Archers, shoot Xiang Yu into a pincushion!" Conley's eyes were red, and he didn't even notice who was carrying Xiang Yu on his back.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Amidst a hail of arrows, Xiang Yu deflected the arrows with his sword while using his halberd to clear a path and once again charged into the crowd beside him.
Coincidentally, one of the arrows struck Mei Xuan in the thigh.
"Ouch!" Mei Xuan's eyes widened, and he cursed Conley to the core in his heart. This arrow really hurt too much. Could it be a dirty arrow?
Mei Xuan felt increasingly uncomfortable, and his perspective was swaying back and forth, making him a little dizzy.
At this time, soldiers had already reported that Kang Limei was behind Xiang Yu's back. This time, he was accidentally injured in the thigh, but next time, Mei Xuan might lose his life.
Conley calmed down. "Stop firing arrows! Shieldbearers, advance! Form a shield wall and trap Xiang Yu!"