However, with the city gates wide open, the Chu army surged in like a tide, and they were not so easily driven away. Moreover, many Chu cavalrymen also rushed into the city, making a formidable force.
Of the original 100,000 defenders, some were killed by arrows, some fled in all directions, and some surrendered. Less than 50,000 remained who could fight the Chu army.
However, some of these 50,000 troops still need to remain on the south and west city walls; otherwise, what would be the point of rescuing the north gate if the west and south gates were lost?
Just as Liang Bin and Hu Zhe were fighting fiercely, the previously closed East Gate suddenly opened!
Peng Yue led his troops near the East Gate in a decisive breakout, effectively declaring the abandonment of Suiyang.
Liang Bin and Hu Zhe also decisively led their troops to break through towards the east gate. As they retreated, the Chu army that had been fighting them followed suit and slaughtered them. Many of the Liang soldiers who were left behind immediately chose to surrender.
Before Liang Bin and Hu Zhe could even reach the East Gate, they were overtaken by the Chu cavalry. The two had no choice but to give up resistance and surrender with their troops.
Even now, the two of them still felt a sense of unreality. Suiyang had fallen too quickly. How exactly was the north gate defended?
East of Suiyang, Peng Yue led his army in a frantic retreat, constantly looking back to see if any Chu troops were pursuing them.
After repeatedly confirming, Peng Yue gradually felt relieved; there were indeed no pursuers behind them.
Although only five hundred cavalrymen escaped with him, if they could reach Ōnosawa safely, there was still hope of turning the tide, since he still had troops in several other cities.
"Hehe, if it weren't for Xiang Yu's clever strategy of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open, how would I have had a chance to escape?" Peng Yue comforted himself in his heart.
Honestly, the strategy of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open was really effective when it was first used. Many defending generals couldn't resist the temptation, abandoned the idea of fighting to the death with the city, and chose to lead their troops to break out through the escape route, only to fall right into the enemy's ambush.
However, with the popularization and promotion of this tactic, this ambush method has become less effective. Instead, it is used as a feint to make the defenders believe that the attacking side has a large force, putting great psychological pressure on the defenders and realizing the transformation from a conspiracy to an open strategy.
Normally, when a siege has not yet begun or has only just begun, most of the enemy troops who escape through the gate of life surrender immediately.
As the siege progressed into its middle stage, more and more enemy soldiers surrendered at the city gates. A considerable number of enemy soldiers also tried to sneak through and break out of the city. As long as the number of fleeing troops was not too large, the besieging army would mostly turn a blind eye. It was possible to successfully escape far away and attract more and more people to run with them.
However, if the city is about to fall and the enemy forces break out in an organized manner through the escape gate, then they may not be able to escape successfully.
Because the besieging army outside must leave behind a fast-moving fresh force for pursuit and encirclement, and the Chu army has 30,000 cavalry, which is perfect for this task.
However, Peng Yue is also a veteran who has been through many battles. His ability to fight head-on may not be very strong, but his guerrilla warfare skills and sense of smell are extraordinary.
After the Chu army formed a three-sided encirclement with one side missing, Peng Yue immediately prepared a cavalry force to be placed near the east gate, ready to cover his breakout at any time. The force was small in number, but more suitable for escape.
Since everyone is a cavalryman and their speeds are similar, as long as they seize the opportunity to break out with all their might, and then pursue when the Chu army has a chance to react, how can they possibly catch up?
If Peng Yue had continued running east, he would have ended up in Pengcheng. So after running for a while, he turned northeast. Changyi and Dayeze were both in that direction. If the Chu army caught up, they would surely think he had fled into Changyi. In this way, he would be safer.
Although the conditions in the Great Wilderness Marsh were poor, it was his only place to live and make a living. Even if Xiang Yu chased him into the Great Wilderness Marsh, he had nothing to fear.
Just as Peng Yue was pondering how to get Han Xin and Zhang Er to send troops to attack Chu in order to relieve the crisis of Liang, a furious shout suddenly came from the rear.
"Old man Peng Yue, don't run! Give me your life!!!"
Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, arrived on horseback!
Chapter 112 The Battle of Suiyang (Final)
Xiang Yu's earth-shattering roar nearly scared Peng Yue to death.
However, when Peng Yue looked back, he was immediately relieved, because only Xiang Yu was chasing after them.
Peng Yue felt that most of the rumors about Xiang Yu killing a thousand men single-handedly and taking the head of a general from among ten thousand soldiers as easily as taking something out of a bag were exaggerated. Many things in the world are exaggerated and become more and more incredible as they are spread.
Peng Yue felt that Xiang Yu was powerful, but not to that extent. The truly powerful ones were the elite cavalry under Xiang Yu's command who were skilled in riding and archery.
Now, Xiang Yu's cavalry is nowhere to be seen, but Peng Yue has five hundred cavalrymen under his command. Although they are not as elite as the Chu cavalry, they are skilled in mounted combat, and each of them has two warhorses to switch between.
"Speed up and get on the road at full speed!" Peng Yue was confident that he could escape into Changyi City before Xiang Yu killed his five hundred cavalry.
The journey from Suiyang to Changyi is about 200 li. If the warhorses were to run at full speed, they could arrive in a day.
However, Peng Yue did not expect Xiang Yu to be so fast, or rather, that Xiang Yu's steed, Wuzhui, could run so fast.
Before long, Xiang Yu had caught up with Peng Yue's defeated army to within a hundred paces.
Peng Yue panicked and hurriedly ordered a change of horses to speed up the army. After the horses were changed, the Liang army's speed increased slightly, but not by much. After all, the main purpose of changing the warhorses was to improve endurance.
Just as Xiang Yu could easily defeat anyone in this plane, the Black Steed's advantage over other warhorses was overwhelming, and the distance between the two was constantly closing.
Peng Yue knew that they would be caught up if things continued this way, so he hurriedly ordered the last ten riders to stay behind and intercept Xiang Yu, while the others continued to advance.
While leaving more troops might allow them to successfully surround and kill Xiang Yu, what if Xiang Yu breaks through instead of being surrounded?
That would mean all the troops left behind would be rendered useless.
Peng Yue knew that Xiang Yu's target was him alone, so the best strategy was to slow down Xiang Yu's pace as much as possible. He wanted to leave ten men behind to see the effect.
However.
"kill!"
Ahhh...
As Xiang Yu walked by, he casually took down a few Liang cavalrymen who were blocking his way, which at most took him two breaths.
Peng Yue shuddered. It seemed that the remaining men were too few to be of any use in stopping Xiang Yu. "Send another fifty riders, no, send a hundred! We must stop Xiang Yu!"
"Yes, sir!" The men Peng Yue brought were his personal guards, all loyal and elite soldiers.
Then.
"Those who block the way shall die!"
Ahhh...
Xiang Yu didn't give the enemy a chance to surround him at all. Using the enemy soldiers who were knocked away to clear a path, he broke through the hundred cavalrymen left by Peng Yue to cover the rear in just a few breaths.
The black horse, like a tank, smashed through the warhorses blocking its path. The warhorses seemed to know how powerful the black horse was, and they all took the initiative to give way.
Peng Yue looked back and almost burst into tears. He gritted his teeth and said, "You will form groups of fifty riders, spaced five zhang apart, to intercept Xiang Yu. Leave them all here!"
"Yes, sir!" The Liang cavalry responded and quickly formed ranks. Those who knew how to shoot arrows did so, while those with extra weapons threw spears.
However……
Xiang Yu turned his horse and went around it from the side!
With nearly four hundred Liang cavalrymen arrayed in this formation, Xiang Yu could have broken through head-on, but it was far less convenient to flank them from the side.
This sudden change caught Liang Jun off guard, and the first two teams were overtaken by Xiang Yu before they could even react.
Liang Jun began to move laterally from the third column to block Xiang Yu, but the black horse was too fast, and their formation was disrupted, so they could not play their due role in blocking him.
Ahhh...
Xiang Yu wielded his halberd and once again broke through the enemy's blockade; Peng Yue was not far ahead.
Peng Yue panicked completely. "My life is over... King Xiang! This humble general is willing to surrender and serve King Xiang like a dog or a horse. I will give up the title of King of Liang. What do you say?"
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. You don't need to feel wronged by your defeat. I have ambushed troops in Changyi, Dayeze, and even outside Dingtao. No matter where you run, you will die. Surrender!" Xiang Yu really had no good feelings towards Peng Yue and killed him cleanly.
"Xiang Yu! You've gone too far! Today I'll test your martial skills, King Xiang... Ah!" Before Peng Yue could finish speaking, Xiang Yu threw his halberd at him.
Then, in a panic, Peng Yue desperately used his weapon to block...
Snap! Thud! Bang!
Peng Yue's weapon broke instantly, and he was pierced by the halberd, falling off his horse and dying on the spot!
Xiang Yu then spurred his horse forward, used his halberd to lift Peng Yue high into the air, turned his horse around, and roared at the pursuing Liang cavalry, "Peng Yue is dead! Will you surrender or not?"
"Kill! Avenge our king!" The Liang cavalry, their eyes red with fury, immediately charged toward Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu swung his halberd with force, and Peng Yue's corpse flew towards the crowd like a cannonball, knocking over several people before landing.
Moments later, Xiang Yu ended the battle and returned to Suiyang with Peng Yue's body.
Thus, the Battle of Suiyang ended in a great victory for the Chu army.
The capital of the Liang Kingdom, Suiyang, fell, and King Peng Yue of Liang was killed in battle. Upon learning of Peng Yue's death, cities such as Puyang, Dingtao, and Changyi surrendered one after another.
The Liang Kingdom is destroyed!
Just as Zhang Er of Zhao was still hesitating about whether to send some scattered troops to support his ally Peng Yue, news came that the state of Liang had been destroyed by Xiang Yu in seven days.
Zhang Er immediately beheaded the envoy sent by Peng Yue and reinforced the defense of the north bank of the river, fearing that Xiang Yu would cross the river to attack the Zhao state.
A few days later, King Han Xin of Qi also learned that Peng Yue had been swiftly defeated by Xiang Yu. He immediately ordered the execution of Peng Yue's envoy and abandoned those unrealistic fantasies.
Han Xin frowned. "Strategist, quickly send someone to investigate in detail how Xiang Yu captured Suiyang. It was too fast, far too fast. If there wasn't an inside agent in Suiyang, I can't imagine what brilliant strategy could have been used to conquer Suiyang in just a few days."
"Your Majesty, I have already consulted several people in the know. In this battle, the Chu army used the strategy of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open. They first broke through the north gate of Suiyang, which was personally guarded by Peng Yue, and then the army poured in. The Liang army was defeated and fled. Peng Yue was killed by Xiang Yu on his way to Changyi."
However, I also find this matter too strange. In siege warfare, the city gate is often the most difficult to breach. Peng Yue would not be so foolish as to leave the city gate undefended. There must be a reason for this.
"Your Majesty, I will immediately dispatch capable personnel to Suiyang to investigate this matter thoroughly and get to the bottom of it." Li Zuoche narrowed his eyes. If this matter is not clarified, what will happen if Xiang Yu attacks?
Han Xin nodded thoughtfully, then changed the subject, "Strategist, how is the replication of the Chu cavalry's equipment progressing?"
Li Zuoche smiled slightly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the three treasures of the Chu cavalry have all been successfully replicated. General Guan Ying has already tested them and offered some suggestions for improvement. I believe that it won't be long before they can be equipped for the entire cavalry. With diligent training, they should be able to master the art of mounted archery quickly. In addition, judging by the days, the envoy to the Donghu should have arrived in Yan by now."
Han Xin's face lit up with joy. "Excellent! Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu, to stop the war and abandon the attack on Qi for the sake of four counties is the biggest mistake of your life. I want to see how the Chu army will resist my 100,000 iron cavalry of Qi in the future!"
Chapter 113 New Landscape
After the news of Xiang Yu's killing of Liu Ji spread, the various warlords, large and small, had another opportunity to re-align themselves.
Whether to remain independent, join forces with Xiang Yu, join forces with Han Xin, or wait for the new king of Han to ascend the throne and then decide, most people were still observing the situation.
However, some immediately pledged their allegiance to Xiang Yu, such as Shen Yang, the former King of Henan, and Wang Ling of Nanyang Commandery.
Wang Ling was a fellow townsman of Liu Ji and belonged to a powerful family in Pei County. Before Liu Ji raised his army, he had been trying to curry favor with Wang Ling and treated him as an elder brother. However, Wang Ling disliked Liu Ji's rogue nature and disdained to associate with him.
After the Chu-Han Contention began, Wang Ling had already decided to help Xiang Yu. However, because Zhang Liang fabricated a rumor about five stars gathering at Dongjing for Liu Ji, it was informed of Wang Ling's mother by someone with ulterior motives.
Wang Ling's mother believed that Liu Ji was destined to be the rightful ruler, so she asked Wang Ling to surrender to Liu Ji. However, Wang Ling knew that he and Liu Ji had a long-standing conflict, and even if he surrendered, he would not be given important positions and would suffer greatly, so he did not agree.
However, Wang Ling's mother was a very controlling person. Wang Ling had always been very filial to her since childhood and had never disobeyed her, but this time she disagreed no matter what she said, which she found hard to accept.
It was clearly for Wang Ling's good, and Liu Bang was clearly the ruler of the world recognized by Heaven, so why did this silly child disagree?
Parents' hearts are always full of love and concern, but sometimes they don't know what their children really want and impose too many things on them, including their future.
Therefore, Wang Ling's mother took the opportunity of attending Xiang Yu's banquet to commit suicide by sword, dying in front of Xiang Yu. She used her death to frame Xiang Yu and force Wang Ling to submit. Afterwards, rumors spread that Xiang Yu was furious and cooked the corpse.