As for Xiang Yu's order for them to cross the river first, no one intended to obey. Moreover, the ferryman at Wujiang also said that Xiang Yu would only have boats when he arrived there, and it was impossible for them to use them.
If they wanted to live, wouldn't it have been easier for them to just surrender?
Several miles west of Wujiang Pavilion was the Han army camp.
"Assemble immediately and head to Wujiang Pavilion! Mount your horses! Mount your horses! No need to bring provisions!" Sun Yi, a general under Fan Kuai, was urgently giving orders.
Sun Quan was initially dissatisfied with Fan Kuai's decision to leave Liyang behind, thinking he wouldn't even get a sip of soup. However, he never expected that a small place like Wujiang Pavilion would be engulfed in flames, and that Xiang Yu had already broken through to Wujiang Pavilion!
Although he didn't know what Fan Kuai and the others had gone through, this was a golden opportunity for Sun Quan.
Because after Fan Kuai left, he had moved the cavalry camp to the border between Liyang and Dongcheng, which was really not far from Wujiang Pavilion!
This is a gift from God! If Xiang Yu had been killed without Fan Kuai's presence, even if Fan Kuai had a big face, he wouldn't have dared to steal the credit from him, right?
The title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households belongs to me, General!
Sun Yi believed that even if Xiang Yu could break through Fan Kuai's defenses, he would not have many soldiers left by the time he reached Wujiang Pavilion. The thousand or so cavalrymen under his command were enough to kill Xiang Yu!
"Send the order! Three hundred cavalrymen per squad, surround Wujiang Pavilion from three sides!" Sun Quan didn't want Xiang Yu to escape.
At this time, the smoke signals west of Wujiang Pavilion had been extinguished.
When the Chu army junior officer arrived at the scene, the man who lit the beacon fire had already run far away, but he was still caught up by the enraged Chu army and killed by a flurry of halberds.
Then, they faced the direction of Liyang and lined up to wait there.
Because if they escape now, the enemy won't see them and won't mistakenly think Xiang Yu is among them. If they can't lure the enemy away, they won't be able to help Xiang Yu.
However, when they discovered enemy cavalry in the southwest, they also found traces of enemy cavalry in the northwest. As a result, their plan to lure the enemy to the northwest failed.
Moreover, they cannot run back to Wujiang Pavilion. Going north might lead to a collision with Xiang Yu, while going south would only allow them to escape to the riverbank, which would buy them very little time. What should they do?
"Brothers, let's charge towards the river! Once we get there, we'll turn around and say that King Xiang has already crossed the river!" The Chu army junior officer made a decisive decision.
"Yes!" Everyone knew that now they could only do their best and leave the rest to fate. They were not afraid of dying, but they were afraid of dying in vain.
...
"Catch up with them! Encircle them from three sides! Make sure to trap the Chu army on the riverbank!" Sun Bi roared. It turned out that the Chu army had less than thirty riders left!
"Hahaha... All troops, charge! Leave no one alive!" Sun Yi waved his hand, and the entire army rushed forward.
However, just as the twenty-six Chu cavalrymen reached the riverbank and prepared to counterattack, they heard a furious roar from the north...
"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here!"
Chapter 120 Better to Die Than to Cross
The main river from Liyang to Wujiang Pavilion flows from southwest to northeast, so Sun Bi's encirclement from three sides refers to the southwest, northwest, and northeast directions, plus a large river that cannot be crossed by boat, forming a perfect encirclement.
The route to the northwest is the closest to Wujiang Pavilion and requires no detour. Naturally, Sun Zi personally leads it. They only need to slow down their pace and wait to be surrounded by the other two routes.
Of course, we need to slow down the southwest route as well, while the northeast route is the longest and we need to sweep through from the northeast of Wujiang Pavilion.
Sun Zi waited until the troops from the northeast surrounded them before finally confirming that the Chu army on this side consisted only of the thirty riders they had initially discovered, and that they had already fled to the riverbank.
The troops responsible for the southwest route naturally couldn't let the Chu army slip past the riverbank, otherwise they would escape to Liyang City.
Although there were troops besieging Liyang City, those infantrymen were not even worth mentioning. At most, they could scare the defenders inside Liyang City or bully the unarmed civilians. They were no match for Xiang Yu's surprise attack from the rear.
In short, Sun Quan was very satisfied with his tactics this time. It seems that he also has the potential to be a famous general. In the future, when people talk about this great battle that ended Xiang Yu's life, who wouldn't praise him for his brilliant military strategy?
Sun Quan's decisive victory at the Battle of the Yangtze River, where he surrounded and annihilated Xiang Yu's army from three sides, sounds incredibly exciting!
Heh heh, if I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to divide my troops into ten groups and surround them from all sides. A ten-sided encirclement sounds more powerful, doesn't it?
In fact, Xiang Yu saw the tactics used by Sun Quan as full of flaws. The idea of encircling from three or ten sides was flawed; unless the enemy was willing to be surrounded, they would have already run away.
Who wouldn't see the smoke signals when they go off? To stand there waiting to be surrounded is either bait or a death wish, but General Sun Yi didn't have a single doubt.
Of course, generals who could remain calm in the face of such a stroke of good fortune would have long since become famous historical figures, and would not even have a name in the history books.
Sun was immersed in a sweet dream when he suddenly heard a deafening roar from his side and behind.
"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here!"
"Ah Lei?" Sun Li turned around abruptly, then looked at the few remaining personal guards beside him. "Hiss... All of you, come back here! Xiang Yu isn't over there!"
The Han cavalry, who had charged halfway, hurriedly reined in their horses and turned back to fight. Upon hearing Xiang Yu's voice, the twenty-six Chu soldiers also began a counter-charge, intending to join Xiang Yu.
They never expected that Xiang Yu would come here, thus wasting all their efforts!
However, if Xiang Yu really abandoned them and fled alone, would he still be Xiang Yu?
Xiang Yu judged that the smoke signal was not within the vicinity of Wujiang Pavilion, but it was not too far away from Wujiang Pavilion, so he made a special trip to see if there were Chu troops fighting the enemy.
When they arrived nearby, they witnessed the Han cavalry encircling the enemy, and saw an unknown Han general who didn't even keep reserves around him during battle.
Xiang Yu could have easily rushed over and taken the enemy general's head, but that would have meant the end for the Chu army surrounded by the Han army. So Xiang Yu shouted it out in advance, which resulted in hundreds of enemy cavalry turning around and heading straight for him.
Sun Quan estimated the speed at which his troops would return to reinforce him and believed he could protect Xiang Yu before he arrived. He immediately perked up and decided not to run away anymore. After all, Xiang Yu was only one person, so how powerful could he be?
"Surround and kill Xiang Yu! Charge! Seize the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!" Sun Zi shouted excitedly.
Previously, Fan Kuai and Yang happy had fled too quickly, and Xiang Yu was already unhappy that he had only managed to cut down two banners. Now that he had finally encountered a fool, how could he let the opportunity pass him by?
"Enemy general! Prepare to die!" After the battle against Fan Kuai and Yang happy, Xiang Yu didn't really take these hundreds of cavalrymen seriously and swung his halberd to sweep them away.
Screams rose and fell, as people were thrown from their horses, crashing into others and breaking bones.
In the blink of an eye, Xiang Yu rushed to a spot less than ten zhang away from Sun Quan.
"Hiss... Charge! Charge now! Those who are afraid to fight will be killed without mercy! Charge!" Sun Yi suddenly felt that he was not safe here, so he quickly spurred his horse and fled west.
However, it's too late to run now!
Xiang Yu swung his halberd, sending an enemy soldier flying. The corpse then hurtled towards Sun Quan like a cannonball.
Bang!
"Ah!" Sun Yi screamed in agony, vomiting blood and falling from his horse.
Xiang Yu then spurred his horse forward, pierced Sun Quan with his halberd, and lifted him up. He looked around and roared, "Who else is there!"
When the Han cavalry saw that General Sun Quan had been smeared with sausage by Xiang Yu, who would dare to charge?
Moreover, Xiang Yu had slaughtered countless soldiers along the way, truly invincible. Many people were already too afraid to go up against him, lest they lose their lives and the credit go to someone else.
As a result, the Han cavalry scattered and fled from Xiang Yu.
At this moment, the twenty-six riders also arrived beside Xiang Yu, each of them wounded but full of energy.
"King Xiang! The enemy has taken all the boats and timber along the river! Only the ferryman at Wujiang has hidden a boat. Please, King Xiang, board the boat and cross the river at once!" said a junior officer of the Chu army, clasping his hands in greeting.
"Please, King Xiang, cross the river at once!" the generals and soldiers shouted in unison.
Just then, a small boat drifted ashore on the river, and the person on board was none other than the Wujiang Pavilion Chief.
"King Xiang! The ferry is here, come quickly..."
Xiang Yu looked towards the riverbank and saw that there really was a small boat. "Let's go take a look."
"Yes, sir." The soldiers responded and followed Xiang Yu to the riverbank.
"Your humble servant pays respects to King Xiang!" The Wujiang Pavilion Chief bowed deeply.
Xiang Yu clasped his hands in return and said, "I am deeply grateful for your courage in risking your life to ferry me across, but I wonder how many people this boat can carry at a time?"
"Reporting to King Xiang, this boat can carry two people and one horse, or twelve people at a time. If they are thinner, it can carry two or three more," the Wujiang ferryman replied truthfully.
"Gentlemen, listen to my command! Immediately abandon your horses and board the ships. Cross the river in two groups. Those with families, board first. I, the King, will bring up the rear!" Xiang Yu immediately gave the order.
The soldiers looked at each other, but none of them boarded the ship.
"We implore King Xiang to cross the river first, otherwise we will never board the ship!" said a junior officer of the Chu army, kneeling on one knee and clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"We implore King Xiang to board the ship!" The Chu soldiers knelt down and pleaded.
"How dare you disobey my orders!" Xiang Yu roared.
The soldiers lowered their heads and remained silent.
Just then, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from the north.
Rumble rumble rumble...
The sound was like muffled thunder, growing clearer and clearer.
The ferryman of Wujiang's expression changed drastically. "There is no time to lose. I urge King Xiang to cross the river immediately."
Clang!
The Chu army junior officer drew his sword and placed it against his neck. "King Xiang! This humble general is willing to fight to the death for King Xiang! Please, King Xiang, board the ship immediately! If King Xiang does not cross first, we would rather die than cross!"
"Please, King Xiang, board the ship immediately! If you do not cross first, we would rather die than cross!"
"Hahaha...In that case, I, the King, will fight you all to the death today!" Xiang Yu laughed heartily. With such loyal soldiers, what more could he ask for?
"All riders, charge in a wedge formation!"
"Here you go!"
...
Chapter 121 The Edge of the Overlord
After the Battle of Gaixia, Han general Guan Ying was ordered to lead a large army to pursue Xiang Yu and seize Jiangdong.
However, a large army carrying provisions and supplies would inevitably move slowly, and it would be a pipe dream for Guan Ying to catch up with Xiang Yu at such a speed.
Therefore, Guan Ying appointed five vanguard officers: Wang Yi, Yang happy, Yang Wu, Lü Sheng, and Lü Matong, each leading a thousand cavalry to pursue Xiang Yu with light equipment.
Even so, if Xiang Yu hadn't gotten lost in the swamp at Yinling and been surrounded by Zhang Liang's ambush, Guan Ying's five vanguards wouldn't have been able to catch up, and wouldn't even have had the chance to follow behind and eat the dirt.
Of course, after Xiang Yu broke out of Yinling, these five vanguard armies finally got a chance to follow behind and eat dirt.
If it weren't for Zhang Liang's prior arrangements by the river, the five vanguards would have given up the pursuit long ago. They would have eaten less and less dirt, until they were completely out of sight.
However, Wang Yi and his men did not come up with no ideas. They created two more vanguard units among the five vanguard units, but these were not fixed units. Instead, the five units took turns leading the way.