Chapter 56 Walking Through the Yin Tomb (Part 1)
After two days of breakout and several battles, the Chu army was exhausted, but fortunately, the entire army had crossed the Huai River and used it as a barrier to gain temporary peace, finally able to rest and recuperate.
After returning to his camp, Xiang Yu went to sleep. Thanks to his swim across the Huai River, he was much cleaner.
Hao Jiu opened his system panel again, and his energy value was already 80 points, which meant that he had gained about 70 energy points in the two days he had bound himself to Xiang Yu.
Assuming his intimacy level with Xiang Yu reaches 100%, then even without the intimacy bonus, he would get 17.5 energy per day, which is 2.5 points higher than the perfect standard of 15 points.
But is their intimacy level 100%? Most likely not, so Xiang Yu's true talent value is higher than 17.5.
Let's make a bold assumption that their intimacy level is 50%, and the calculated talent value would be about 23. But Hao Jiu estimates that their intimacy level must be above 50%.
Based on this calculation, Xiang Yu's talent value is between 17.5 and 23, with an average of around 20, which is quite extraordinary.
However, after his initial excitement, Hao Jiu gradually calmed down. High talent does not equate to invincibility, and the host's abilities can be increased over time.
Even a host with mediocre aptitude can become very strong through hard work and long-term accumulation. They can even improve their aptitude through promotion. Moreover, the system's power and wealth can compensate for the host's lack of aptitude.
Hao Jiu had read many system-based novels, and some of these systems were truly overpowered, allowing any randomly selected host to become extremely powerful in a very short time.
To give a simple example, if Hao Jiu had tens of millions of energy points, he could directly purchase various items from the God's Shop that could enhance Xiang Yu's strength, without Xiang Yu having to complete any tasks; the items could be given directly.
At that time, one look from him would be enough to kill Liu Ji. Not to mention dominating the lower planes, he wouldn't be afraid to go directly to the middle and higher planes. It all depends on how many energy points he spends.
Of course, the system's energy points don't come for free; they are accumulated little by little from the first host. As long as the system isn't stupid, it certainly won't waste all the hard-earned energy on a host with low talent—that would be too wasteful.
However, Hao Jiu can't afford to squander money now. At his richest, he only has 100 energy points, which is below the safe limit, so he can't buy anything.
Hao Jiu decided to check the system panel frequently to see what the so-called security value actually was. Perhaps because his system hadn't completed the novice tasks, many of the system's rules and settings were vague.
This is a completely new field...
Hao Jiu opened the God's Shop, ready to plan what to buy first, after all, he was a white-collar worker who earned thirty or forty energy points every day.
Before we knew it, dawn broke and a new day began.
Yu Ji got up early to prepare a sumptuous breakfast for Xiang Yu. It wasn't exactly delicious, but it was better than the communal meals made by the army cooks.
Since the situation for breaking through the encirclement was unclear, Xiang Yu had Yu Ji disguise herself as a man and even painted her face.
After crossing the Huai River and the situation improved, Yu Ji naturally tidied herself up and changed back into women's clothing.
"Yu, let's go on the expedition together today." After finishing breakfast, Xiang Yu had fully recovered to his peak condition.
"Yes," Yu Ji replied happily, "Are we going back to Jiangdong?"
"Well, but we need to take care of some other things along the way, and it might be a bit dangerous." Xiang Yu had considered having Yu Ji go with the other groups, but in the end he felt it would be safer for Yu Ji to stay with him.
"Then I'll change my clothes and put on that armor again," Yu Ji said, and began to take off her clothes.
Xiang Yu quickly stopped him, "No, there's no need to change your clothes or put on armor. Today we'll ride the same horse, and I will surely protect you."
“Well then. How about I just wear the armor and helmet? Anyway, with the divine medicine at hand, as long as the injury isn’t fatal, it’ll be fine. King Xiang won’t need to be too distracted protecting me.” Yu Ji was naturally happy to hear that she could ride a horse with Xiang Yu, but she was also afraid that she would be a burden to him.
"Alright, let's do it that way then. We'll set off in half an hour. No need to rush to put on your armor. I'll go take a walk around the camp first." Xiang Yu said and left his tent, while Yu Ji wiped her armor, which she had cleaned the day before, cleaned it again.
Half an hour later, Xiang Yu rode his black horse carrying Yu Ji, followed closely by five hundred elite Chu cavalrymen carrying provisions and supplies, and left the camp, heading towards Yinling.
However, this action was clearly seen by enemy scouts hiding near the camp, who then quickly sent the message to Zhang Liang's location.
Meanwhile, the Chu army's main camps at Tuyi, where Xiang Guan was stationed, the original Dongfuqiao camp where Xiang Han was stationed, and the Guantangpu camp where the infantry was stationed were all busily constructing defensive fortifications on the south bank of the Huai River, their posture of defending the Huai River was self-evident.
Yinling, Zhang Liang's camp.
"Xiang Yu has more than 40,000 troops under his command. What will his next move be?"
Zhang Liang had already learned of Guan Ying's crushing defeat at Guantangpu yesterday, which was quite unbelievable. If he could swim across such a wide river as the Huai River, then the Yangtze River probably wouldn't be able to stop Xiang Yu either.
After this incident, Zhang Liang lost confidence in preventing Xiang Yu from returning to Jiangdong.
Zhang Liang looked at the map and muttered, "The main force of the King of Han may reach the north bank of the Huai River before dark today, and can launch a general offensive to cross the Huai River as early as tomorrow. I'm afraid Xiang Yu has already abandoned the Huai River and headed to Jiangdong."
Zhang Liang currently has one thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry. The cavalry were obtained from Guan Ying, while the infantry were recruited from Huainan and collected from Chai Wu's defeated troops.
With just these troops, even with the advantageous terrain of Yinling, they probably couldn't stop Xiang Yu's cavalry army, not to mention that Xiang Yu might not even go through Yinling.
Zhang Liang rubbed his forehead. The feeling of having the initiative in someone else's hands was really unpleasant, even a little frustrating. After being surrounded by enemies at Gaixia, Xiang Yu should have been completely defeated and lost the initiative.
However, Xiang Yu managed to regain the initiative step by step, and even recovered a lot of strength, causing considerable losses to the Han army, which was truly amazing.
However, the more soldiers and the stronger Xiang Yu is now, the less likely he is to give up Jiujiang Commandery.
"Strategist! Urgent report from the Huai River! The Chu army is rushing to build defensive fortifications on the south bank of the Huai River, intending to hold it!" Shen Tu Jia walked in with the intelligence report, his face beaming with joy.
"Oh? Let me see it quickly!" Zhang Liang couldn't help but feel excited. If Xiang Yu really intended to hold the Huai River, that would be wonderful.
Shen Tu Jia handed the intelligence to Zhang Liang, who took it and read it three times.
"Apart from that, has the Chu army made any other moves?" Zhang Liang wondered. Even if Xiang Yu intended to defend the Huai River, he couldn't just stay there like this, could he? Could it be a feint?
It should be noted that most of the Huainan region and Jiujiang Commandery were already under the control of the King of Han. Only Dongcheng and Liyang remained unsubdued. However, both cities were far from the Huai River and could not provide Xiang Yu with any support. Meanwhile, the main city of Tuyi was located north of the Huai River.
If Xiang Yu wanted to hold the Huai River for a long time, there were two cities he absolutely had to capture: Shouchun and a city thirty miles south of the mouth of the Mo River...
Just then, two scouts entered the central command tent almost simultaneously.
"Report! Zhongli County is under siege! General Huan Chu of the Chu army is leading nearly 10,000 cavalry to besiege Zhongli County!"
"Reporting to the strategist, Xiang Yu is leading over five hundred cavalrymen towards Yinling!"
Zhang Liang's eyes lit up instantly. Heaven is on my side!
Chapter 57 Walking Through the Yin Tomb (Part Two)
To be precise, from Shouchun to Guantangpu, there were three large cities relatively close to the Huai River: Shouchun, Tuyi, and Zhongli, which are the modern-day Shouxian, Huaiyuan, and Fengyang counties.
Shouchun was the capital of Jiujiang Prefecture, and its importance is self-evident.
The main city of Tuyi is in Huaibei, but Tushan is in Huainan. Some villages and Tuyi east of Tushan originally belonged to the Tushan clan. However, after the Qin state unified the world, the Huai River was used as the boundary. The area north of the Huai River belonged to Sishui Commandery, and the area south of the Huai River was under the jurisdiction of Jiujiang Commandery.
Of the three major cities, Zhongli County is the farthest from the Huai River, but it is still less than 30 li away. It is also about the same distance from Mohekou and Guantangpu, located directly south of Mohekou and southwest of Guantangpu.
Of course, whether it is Shouchun, Zhongli County, Dongcheng, or Liyang, the jurisdiction is very large, not just a single city, which is not fundamentally different from a modern city.
Although Yinling is under the jurisdiction of Shouchun, it borders Zhongli County. In other words, Yinling is located on the border between Shouchun and Zhongli County, on the side of Shouchun.
However, in terms of distance, Yinling and Zhongli County are closer to each other, and the area of modern Yinling is indeed under the jurisdiction of Fengyang County.
"Report! Zhongli County is under siege! General Huan Chu of the Chu army is leading nearly 10,000 cavalry to besiege Zhongli County!"
"Reporting to the strategist, Xiang Yu is leading over five hundred cavalrymen towards Yinling!"
The two scouts arrived almost simultaneously, bringing with them the two pieces of news that Zhang Liang most wanted to hear.
If we add the intelligence brought by Shen Tu Jia, it is enough to prove one thing: Xiang Yu really intends to hold the Huai River and regain control of Jiujiang County!
Zhang Liang finally revealed an elegant and composed smile. "Xiang Yu thought that after winning a few battles and seizing the initiative, he could take back Jiujiang County. What an arrogant and conceited fellow. It's a pity that he missed this opportunity. Even if Xiang Yu wanted to escape back to Jiangdong, he couldn't do it now."
"But hasn't Xiang Yu already led five hundred cavalry towards Yinling?" Shen Tu Jia was a little worried. Since the breakout from Gaixia, Xiang Yu's army had won one battle after another, and their morale was high.
Zhang Liang flicked his sleeves. "So what? If five thousand cavalry came, I might not be able to do anything to them, but five hundred cavalry? If they manage to get past Yinling, they'll be skinned alive."
“The strategist is absolutely right, but why did Xiang Yu only bring such a small number of troops here? Could it be that he doesn’t know that Yinling has already been occupied by our army?” Shen Tu Jia asked in confusion.
"How could he not know? Xiang Yu probably knows about my time in Yinling, but given his personality, he would never stop leaving just because we've taken over Yinling."
Furthermore, Xiang Yu's 40,000 troops had to defend the Huai River and capture Zhongli County as soon as possible, so he couldn't bring more troops. His move through Yinling while besieging Zhongli County was simply to slip away while our army was reinforcing Zhongli County.
"It's a pity that no matter how sneaky Xiang Yu was, he couldn't escape the eyes of our scouts. You did a good job." Zhang Liang said, nodding approvingly at the scout.
"You flatter me, sir. Uh, there's something I'm not sure if I should say..." The scout hesitated, but Xiang Yu wasn't being secretive at all. But if he just told the truth, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the strategist?
Zhang Liang frowned. "Everyone who is not involved, please leave."
"Yes, sir." The other scout clasped his hands in a bow and then slowly withdrew.
The others also withdrew, leaving only Zhang Liang, Shen Tu Jia, and the scout in the central command tent.
For safety's sake, Shen Tu Jia could not allow the scout to meet Zhang Liang alone.
"Tell me, what else did you see?" Zhang Liang also had a question in his mind: what was Xiang Yu's purpose in leading five hundred cavalry to storm Yinling?
"Reporting to the strategist, it seems that Xiang Yu is also carrying a woman on his horse, and he is also carrying a lot of provisions and supplies, so it looks like he is about to embark on a long march," the scout reported truthfully.
Zhang Liang narrowed his eyes. "Taking five hundred cavalrymen is definitely not to attack Shouchun, so it must be to Jiangdong. The woman on horseback must be Yu Ji, so Xiang Yu intends to personally escort Yu Ji back to Jiangdong, or to some other safe place."
"Oh, I see." Shen Tu Jia suddenly understood after listening to Zhang Liang's analysis, but then felt something was off. "But Xiang Yu traveled such a long way just to deliver a woman?"
"You don't understand. Xiang Yu doted on Yu Ji. He might not do this for others, but he might really do it for Yu Ji."
Because he knew how dangerous it would be to abandon the return to Jiangdong and hold Jiujiang County now. If he failed, it would be no easier than breaking out of Gaixia. It would not be difficult for Xiang Yu to break out of the encirclement by himself, but he could not guarantee that Yu Ji would be safe.
The escape at Gaixia was possible because Xiang Yu captured Zhou Yin, allowing Yu Ji to break through the encirclement unharmed. But this time, Xiang Yu wasn't so lucky; Yinling was his final resting place! A cold glint flashed in Zhang Liang's eyes.
Shen Tu Jia's breathing became much heavier in an instant. He was finally going to confront Xiang Yu head-on. Xiang Yu's troops outnumbered his own by several times and he had the advantage of terrain. If he won, he would become a marquis with ten thousand households!
Why did Xiang Yu in history insist on going through Yinling?
Because the terrain around Yinling is complex, there are many lakes and ravines in the northwest, as well as many forks in the road. To the east is a mountain range consisting of hundreds of low mountains, stretching for hundreds of miles in an east-west direction, and also interspersed with many lakes and ravines of various sizes.
There's a modern tourist attraction called Wolf Alley Maze Valley, located in the mountains east of Yinling, which is a great place to get lost.
This type of terrain is more conducive to escaping pursuers, and the enemy may not expect Xiang Yu to take this route, which has a certain effect of surprise.
Xiang Yu fought over seventy battles in his life, covering at least a third of the Central Plains, if not most. Yet, he never got lost. Moreover, he had been to Yinling before, so passing through Yinling safely should not have been a problem.
It was based on this confidence and the consideration of surprise that Xiang Yu did not go through Zhongli County to bypass those mountains from the east, but instead chose to go through Yinling.
As a result, Xiang Yu really got lost in Yinling, and was caught up by the pursuers behind him, resulting in the loss of many soldiers in the battle.
Now that Hao Jiu and Xiang Yu have actually embarked on this path, they have come to understand its hardships.
There are dozens of lakes and marshes of varying sizes that can be seen, as well as swamps hidden under weeds. There are forks in the road one after another, and some of them are no longer recognized as roads because they are covered with wormwood.
"King Xiang, there's another fork in the road ahead." Yu Ji held the reins with both hands as she rode the black horse, while Xiang Yu rode behind her. The black horse was tall and strong, and the two of them could ride together without any problem.
In fact, Xiang Yu had taught Yu Ji to ride a horse long ago. Yu Ji had followed Xiang Yu in his campaigns for many years, and she was not only skilled in horsemanship, but also had some knowledge of archery and swordsmanship.
"Hmm, this place seems to have changed a lot since the last time I came. I'm not sure whether to go left or right. Someone, go ahead and scout ahead. The rest of you, stay here and rest."
Xiang Yu had already made a wrong judgment once before. Fortunately, his army had not gone far before entering a dead end, and had to turn back to start over, which led them to their current location.
"Overlord, was this road just as difficult to navigate when you went through Yinling last time?" Hao Jiu was speechless. Logically speaking, if you can tell which way to go, finding the right road shouldn't be difficult.