However, in the eyes of the enemy, these 10,000 cavalrymen were not elite, and might not even be able to ride horses steadily, let alone be skilled in mounted combat and archery.
However, with Hao Jiu's system possessing modern memories, it's not impossible to improve the cavalry's combat effectiveness in a short period of time.
The time traveler can acquire all three essential cavalry tools: horseshoes, saddles, and stirrups. With these tools, the Chu soldiers, who were originally not good at riding, can quickly reach a level close to that of elites.
If you can ride a horse steadily and won't fall off when you exert force, then horse combat and archery will not be difficult to master, and the gap between you and those eight thousand soldiers will not be so large.
This is the most important part of Xiang Yu and Hao Jiu's entire battle plan. Training these 10,000 cavalrymen is not difficult; the difficulty lies in keeping it secret from the enemy.
To this end, Xiang Yu and Hao Jiu put a lot of effort into it. First, they expanded their territory, keeping a close watch on the enemy scouts to prevent them from spying on the Guangling area. Then, every time they transported troops and horses into Guangling, they did so in batches at night to minimize the possibility of being detected by the enemy.
Even the three essential tools for cavalry were secretly crafted within Guangling City. During training, the horses' hooves were wrapped in hemp cloth, and their mouths were usually tied up. The warhorses ate grass in batches to prevent the noise from reaching outside the city.
The key point is that Guangling City is located in a remote area, far from the main battlefield near Juchao. The Han army itself did not pay much attention to Guangling, so Hao Jiu and Xiang Yu's plan to deceive the heavens and cross the sea was very successful.
Now, the time for harvest has come, and Ying Bu's tens of thousands of troops are just the first appetizer!
Squeak squeak...
The south gate of Guangling City opened, and a torrent of eight thousand Chu infantrymen charged straight into the enemy camp!
As planned, Ying Bu had the southern garrison feign defeat to lure the Chu army away from the city, and then the eastern and western armies immediately surrounded them.
However, just when Ying Bu thought he had victory in the bag.
The east and west gates of Guangling City opened simultaneously, and then 10,000 hastily trained elite Chu cavalrymen poured out of the two gates.
The sound of ten thousand horses galloping is already loud, but if ten thousand warhorses equipped with horseshoes were to gallop, it would be deafening!
The Huainan army was dumbfounded, the Zhao army was stunned, and Ying Bu's face was instantly filled with terror and despair!
"My life is over!"
Chapter 82 The Decisive Battle of Jiujiang (Part 11)
Under the starry sky, on the great river, boats and rafts slowly moved from south to north, their quietness surprising everyone.
Hao Hu squatted on the small boat at the front, holding a large shield in his hand. He was a little flustered and kept telling himself that if he won this battle, he would gain Xiang Yu's trust. This was his pledge of loyalty.
It wasn't just Hao Hu; many of those who joined the Chu army during the Battle of Danyang had similar thoughts to some extent. Of course, most of them were simply trying to survive in this chaotic world.
Just as they were about to enter the range of the arrows, Hao Hu suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't fire! The troops besieging Danyang have withdrawn! I am Hao Hu, the deputy general of the Huainan army!"
The garrison north of the river paused for a moment. "Not the Chu army? It's General Hao Hu? No wonder they set fire to the other side to expose their whereabouts. Shen Tu Jia was really worrying unnecessarily this time."
Shen Tu Jia was also somewhat bewildered. In fact, he didn't believe that the Chu army would deal with Cheng Hei's troops so quickly and then attack them again without stopping. Moreover, setting fire in Jiangnan was indeed a bit hard to explain.
But if this army belongs to Generals Cheng Hei and Hao Hu, then it makes sense. It's clear that after Ying Bu withdrew, Cheng Hei was also afraid and attacked the city several times without success, or perhaps he didn't even attack the city and directly led his army here.
Judging from the voice, it must be General Hao Hu, and it doesn't sound like a Chu soldier impersonating him. Moreover, given Xiang Yu's personality, even if he really led his army on a rapid march from Wuhu back to the Jiangdong interior, he wouldn't leave Cheng Hei's army in Danyang unattended and cross the river to attack them first.
But what if the Chu army hastily marched to Danyang, defeated Cheng Hei, captured Hao Hu, and came here to feign an attack...?
Thinking of this, Shen Tu Jia hurriedly ordered, "All troops on alert! Shout to them to stop and not to dock for the time being!"
But the boats on the river were getting closer and closer, and Hao Hu kept shouting, "Don't fire arrows, don't accidentally hurt anyone!" The guards had relaxed their vigilance considerably by this time.
In addition, Shen Tu Jia's prestige in the army was not enough. Apart from a defeat at Yinling, he had no military achievements whatsoever. He was just a spy sent by the King of Han, and many soldiers in the Huainan army and Zhao army did not take him seriously.
When the fire was lit on the opposite bank, Shen Tu Jia guessed that the Chu army had attacked. There were already many people who had doubts about this, but now, upon hearing Hao Hu's voice, the soldiers of the Huainan army and the Zhao army began to laugh at Shen Tu Jia. Only the troops that Shen Tu Jia brought with him obeyed his orders.
General Shen has ordered that you are not to approach the shore!
"Bullshit! Which General Shen would dare to issue such an order! I only obey the King's orders! Shen Tu Jia is nothing!" Hao Hu roared.
"Hahaha..." The garrison on the north bank burst into laughter.
Shen Tu Jia's face was ashen. This was too difficult. "General Hao! Immediately order the ships to stop! I will send someone to verify your identities before your army can dock. I am on duty, so I hope General Hao will do me a favor!"
"Sigh~ That's more like what a human would say, but the current in the river is too strong, and my soldiers are almost exhausted. We really can't stop. General Shen, please be lenient! The whole army should speed up and get to the shore!" Hao Hu waved his hand repeatedly.
Shen Tu Jia felt aggrieved. It was bad enough that Ying Bu and Cheng Hei treated him like air, but even a deputy general like Hao Hu didn't take him seriously.
While Shen Tu Jia was still in a daze, the fleet on the river was already very close to the shore. The defenders gradually saw the people on the boats and also saw Hao Hu hiding behind his shield.
"Huh? Why are they all hiding behind those big shields? Are they really afraid we'll shoot them with arrows?"
"Why do I think I saw red military uniforms on the ship?"
"Is it stained with blood?"
Just then, Hao Hu suddenly gave the order, "Fire! General Cheng Hei has been killed by Xiang Yu today! If you want to live, surrender now! Charge!"
Before Hao Hu could finish speaking, a rain of arrows rained down on the enemy troops on the riverbank, and screams of agony rose and fell. The Chu army was caught off guard.
"Charge! Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here!" Xiang Yu originally didn't want to resort to this trick of bluffing the city, but Hao Jiu said that this plan could greatly reduce casualties, so Xiang Yu agreed.
As it turned out, this tactic was indeed effective, and coupled with Xiang Yu's domineering presence, the enemy's defensive line on the riverbank collapsed instantly.
Shen Tu Jia turned and fled, faster than a rabbit. It makes sense; Cheng Hei had been killed by Xiang Yu, Hao Hu had surrendered to Xiang Yu, and Xiang Yu was personally leading a large army across the river to fight. If he didn't run, he'd be waiting to die.
The only option now is to join forces with Ying Bu as soon as possible, then flee northwest to Dongyang County and defend the city; only then will there be a glimmer of hope.
Zhao Jun ran very fast. Cheng Hei was already dead, and if he didn't want to surrender to the Chu army, he could only run for his life.
On the contrary, more soldiers of the Huainan army surrendered. Many of them were originally from the State of Chu, and now with Hao Hu, Ying Bu's confidant, leading the way in surrendering to Chu, they could at least have some support.
The Chu army quickly landed and regrouped. Xiang Yu led a small number of cavalry ahead, while Zhang Ning and Hao Hu led the remaining infantry to continue their advance towards Guangling.
Huff, huff, huff...
Shen Tu Jia was panting heavily when he ran and suddenly noticed an army approaching from the front, and he could faintly hear the unusually loud sound of horses' hooves.
"That's... the Prince of Huainan?" Shen Tu Jia's eyes widened instantly.
"Shentu Jia? Why did you run here instead of guarding the riverbank!" Ying Bu had lost his helmet and was in a sorry state. Of his 20,000 troops, only a little over 100 remained.
"Reporting to the King of Huainan, Xiang Yu used the surrendered General Hao Hu to create a ruse, and now his entire army has landed! Our only option is to join forces and break out towards Dongyang!" Shen Tu Jia wanted to ask Ying Bu why he wasn't guarding Guangling, but he swallowed his words.
"Break through to Dongyang my ass! The east, north, and west are all surrounded by Chu cavalry! We're about to be encircled! Our only chance of survival is to break through by water!"
Ying Bu's face turned pale. Even now, he still couldn't understand how the main force of the Chu cavalry could have emerged from Guangling City, and with such astonishing momentum and combat power. Liu Ji and Chen Ping were too much of a traitor!
"Huh?" Shen Tu Jia's jaw almost dislocated, his mind filled with questions. Wasn't the main force of the Chu cavalry in Juchao?
Rumble rumble rumble...
Xiang Guan took the lead and led the Chu cavalry to block Ying Bu's escape route to the west. At the same time, a large number of Chu cavalry surrounded them from the east, quickly trapping Ying Bu, Shen Tu Jia, and others in one place.
At this moment, Xiang Yu also arrived at the scene, passed through the encirclement and came inside, and immediately saw Ying Bu in the center of the circular formation.
"Ying Bu, are you still going to put up a stubborn resistance?" Xiang Yu said coldly as he rode forward.
"King Xiang..." Ying Bu was filled with mixed feelings. Just a few days ago, he watched Xiang Yu being driven to the brink of despair step by step, but now it was his turn to be surrounded. If he had known this would happen, why did he betray his conscience and join Liu Ji?
"Ying Bu has long admitted his guilt and is very remorseful, but once the arrow is released, there is no turning back. It is no use saying more now. I do not ask for Xiang Yu's forgiveness, but only that Xiang Yu take my life with his own hands and then bury me in my hometown!" After saying this, Ying Bu spurred his horse out of the circle, closed his eyes, and looked as if he was ready to die.
Xiang Yu's expression was indifferent. "Since that's the case, I, the king, will grant your request. Prepare to die!"
Xiang Yu was truly heartbroken by Ying Bu's betrayal. He had defied public opinion to appoint Ying Bu as the King of Jiujiang, only to be betrayed in return.
If Ying Bu hadn't killed Emperor Yi and framed Xiang Yu, how could so many people in the world have rebelled?
Xiang Yu did not believe that Ying Bu killed Emperor Yi for his own good. If it were truly for his own good, why not do it cleanly instead of making it known to the whole world?
Perhaps in Ying Bu's eyes, he himself was the biggest obstacle to his unification of the world, while Liu Ji was just an incompetent person who posed no threat to him.
Even now, Xiang Yu is still unsure what Ying Bu was thinking. He had done nothing to wrong Ying Bu; he had given him everything he was entitled to, yet Ying Bu still betrayed him.
Xiang Yu understood that Ying Bu was right; things had come to this point and further words were useless, only death could settle the matter.
"Die!" Xiang Yu charged towards Ying Bu alone on horseback.
However, Ying Bu, who was prepared to die, suddenly opened his eyes at this moment, shouting, "Protect the king! Surround and kill Xiang Yu!"
"Kill!" Ying Bu's guards were slightly taken aback, then rushed towards Xiang Yu.
Shen Tu Jia's troops also wanted to join the encirclement and kill, but Shen Tu Jia ordered them to stop and led the way in laying down their weapons and kneeling to surrender.
"Then let these people be buried with the King of Jiujiang!" Xiang Yu showed no anger at the sight. On the battlefield, all's fair in war, and no amount of fighting is too much. Compared to the betrayals outside the battlefield, these are child's play.
Puff puff puff...
Xiang Yu wielded his halberd like the wind, cleaving anyone who dared to approach in two. In just a few breaths, he reached Ying Bu.
Ying Bu was once a fierce general, renowned for his exceptional martial arts skills. Now, he fought with all his might without the slightest fear, raising his spear and thrusting it towards Xiang Yu's abdomen.
However, this spear thrust was a feint. Ying Bu touched it once and then quickly withdrew it to thrust again, aiming directly at Xiang Yu's face.
Xiang Yu kept his eyes fixed on Ying Bu, calmly dealing with the two soldiers who were attacking from the side before placing his halberd on Ying Bu's spear, as if he had already seen through Ying Bu's feint.
The whole process seemed like slow motion to Xiang Yu, but to others it was lightning fast.
Clang!
squeak……
Yingbu's spear flew from his hand, "Ah!"
Xiang Yu had no intention of leaving anyone alive. With a backhand slash, he beheaded Ying Bu, sending his head flying.
Ying Bu, the great traitor of Western Chu and King of Huainan, is dead!
I wonder if he regretted anything in the moment before he died, and what he regretted. If he had been a good King of Jiujiang and had helped the Overlord with all his might, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
In fact, Ying Bu's fate in history wasn't much better. Liu Bang chopped Peng Yue into mincemeat and sent it to Ying Bu to eat, which forced Ying Bu to rebel. Then a great battle ensued, resulting in heavy losses for both sides. However, the Han army had more soldiers and had the last laugh. Ying Bu fled to the King of Changsha, where he was tricked by Wu Rui's grandson and died a violent death.
Now that Ying Bu is dead, the remaining guards did not surrender. They either committed suicide or fought Xiang Yu to the death, and in the blink of an eye, they were all wiped out.
The Chu soldiers erupted in deafening cheers. What did it matter if Ying Bu was a seasoned warrior with superb martial skills? Before the Hegemon-King, all other kings were nothing but chickens and dogs, utterly insignificant. Ying Bu was no exception, and so was Han Xin!
As for Liu Ji, any random soldier could easily defeat him in a one-on-one fight; he's just an old rogue.
Shen Tu Jia had anticipated Xiang Yu's victory, but he hadn't expected that Ying Bu, leading so many men to ambush and kill Xiang Yu, would be so easily wiped out by Xiang Yu. No wonder Zhang Liang once said that the only person in the world capable of killing Xiang Yu was Xiang Yu himself.
"Why are you not dead?" Xiang Yu asked Shen Tu Jia and the others.
"Reporting to King Xiang, my name is Shen Tu Jia. I am not a personal guard of Ying Bu, nor do I wish to be your enemy any longer. I humbly request that you accept our surrender. I once served as the commander of Zhang Liang's guard battalion and am willing to follow Zhang Liang to serve King Xiang." Shen Tu Jia vaguely felt that the strategy Xiang Yu used when crossing the river was very similar to Zhang Liang's methods, which meant that Zhang Liang was indeed being used by Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu asked in his heart, "God of Wine, is this person really as talented as you say?"
"Yes, in that future, Shen Tu Jia eventually rose to the position of Prime Minister, and was known for his integrity and dedication to public service. He was truly a man of both literary and military talent. Don't be fooled by his current state, Your Majesty. The reason he's still alive is because he's your opponent. However, Your Majesty shouldn't easily trust him. Talented people aren't hard to find; what's truly rare is someone who is genuinely willing to serve you," Hao Jiu cautioned.
"I understand." Xiang Yu felt that Shen Tu Jia was currently out of favor, and if he were given a more important role, there was still a chance to win him over. "Raise your head."