Once Tongling is captured, the Han army will reach the southern end of the Guchao pontoon bridge, effectively breaking through the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. If Wuhu and Rushan are also captured, the overall situation will be settled, and the main force of the Han army can easily land in Jiangdong.
However, Wu Rui was still a little panicked. After all, he was the only army attacking Chu from Jiangnan. King Gong Ao of Linjiang was just making excuses and refusing to send troops.
The war has already reached this point, yet they still haven't chosen sides. Are they planning to reap the benefits without lifting a finger?
Wu Rui was also helpless. No matter whether Xiang Yu or Liu Ji won in the future, Gong Ao would not have a good outcome.
But this was Gong Ao's own choice, so who can he blame?
Ancient Nest Battlefield.
Lu Ze and Zhou Bo wanted to find out why Xiang Yu abandoned the bridge and went to Juchao, so they sent people to search for survivors on the battlefield.
Coincidentally, a dying old soldier was found near the spot where the vanguard officer Liu You had died.
"Help, help me..."
"Do you know why the Chu army didn't run towards the pontoon bridge? Tell me and I'll save you immediately."
"Yes, it was Liu You. Before he died, he cursed the King of Han and then informed Xiang Yu of our army's plan to seize the pontoon bridge."
"Oh, I see. Brother, your injuries are too bad. Get some rest. The medic will be here soon."
"You scoundrel who dared to lie to me, may you never forgive me even in death..."
Outside Liyang City, Cao Shen used 50,000 troops to surround the city, while the remaining troops built a defensive line along a small river southwest of Liyang.
The purpose was obvious: to prevent Xiang Yu from leading his army to break out towards Liyang after the pontoon bridge was destroyed.
Fortunately, there are several small rivers southwest of Liyang. As long as most of the bridges over them are destroyed, the defense will be much easier. Moreover, Cao Shen has brought 20,000 cavalry this time, which can hold off Xiang Yu's main cavalry force for a while.
According to the previously agreed-upon tactics, if Xiang Yu really broke through towards Liyang, Guan Ying's cavalry army would pursue him relentlessly, eventually joining forces with Cao Can's army to annihilate the Chu army from both sides.
Of course, Cao Can is unaware that the main force of the Chu cavalry has retreated towards Juchao, but even if he did, he would still build this defensive line.
Although the Chu army was heading towards Juchao, they could change direction at any time and head straight for Liyang.
Cao Can knew in his heart that anything was possible when fighting against Xiang Yu, and he could not be careless in the slightest. Xiang Yu was a true military genius and also had outstanding martial prowess.
If Xiang Yu hadn't disliked using intrigue and was not constrained by benevolence and morality, the world would have belonged to him long ago.
With equal numbers of troops, anyone would undoubtedly lose to Xiang Yu. Only those with three to five times the strength of Xiang Yu would have a fighting chance. In the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Ji's army of 560,000 was utterly defeated by Xiang Yu's 30,000. Even those with twenty times the strength of Xiang Yu would not be guaranteed victory.
Cao Shen was not as brave as Fan Kuai or Zhou Bo, nor as good at commanding troops as Han Xin or Lü Ze, nor as wise as Zhang Liang or Chen Ping. However, Cao Shen had his own strengths, namely his steadiness. He was neither greedy for credit nor fond of taking risks, but he had strong execution ability.
If Xiang Yu were to break through from Guchao directly to Liyang, he would likely encounter considerable trouble.
Chen Ping had also served in Xiang Yu's army, so his choice of Cao Can to go to Liyang was carefully considered. If Ying Bu had been sent to guard Liyang, Xiang Yu would have had a much greater chance of breaking through.
In a battle against Xiang Yu, a steady and cautious approach, avoiding rash actions and mistakes, is much more effective. Xiang Yu is good at seizing opportunities, but what if he could eliminate any chance of victory?
Of the five anti-Chu coalition forces, Liu Ji's was the most relaxed. The army set up camp north of Juchao, enjoying a pleasant life nestled against the mountains and by the water.
Of course, Liu Ji also sent troops to attack Juchao, but he attacked it with words.
He found over a hundred loud-voiced soldiers to stand outside Juchao City and start cursing, just in case the city's garrison commander got carried away and came out to fight.
If you're lucky, anything is possible.
Unfortunately, Fan Zhong, the garrison commander of Juchao, was also a man of unwavering composure. Although he was far inferior to Fan Zeng, he was not so easily swayed by Liu Ji's crude provocation. Let him curse if he wanted; after all, he lived in the city and couldn't hear it.
Fan Zhong looked at the Han army camp layout map that the soldiers had just delivered, and thought to himself, "The defense is really tight. They've completely blocked the north side of Juchao. It seems that Liu Ji didn't intend to attack Juchao from the north at all. Instead, he was trying to prevent the Chu army from rushing out of the city to attack his camp."
In fact, Fan Zhong was right. In the battle plan devised by Chen Ping and others, Liu Ji only had two tasks.
One task was to defend the north and west of Juchao, preventing the Chu army inside Juchao from breaking out. Although there was Chaohu Lake to the west, we could not be careless, as Xiang Yu had swum across the Huai River.
Another task was to protect himself; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought so many soldiers. It would be a waste to surround only half of Juchao with 100,000 troops, but if protecting Liu Ji's safety was included, then it was worthwhile.
It should be noted that Xiang Yu's favorite tactic was to kill generals and seize flags. Normally, Xiang Yu cherished his soldiers the most, but on the battlefield, he often sacrificed many soldiers' lives in order to kill generals and seize flags. However, the result of doing so was that he greatly reduced the casualties of his soldiers.
The Han army had been fighting Xiang Yu for so long, and the losses of being beheaded were endless. The reason for this was that Xiang Yu seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.
However, if Liu Ji was still killed by Xiang Yu despite such a huge advantage in military strength, then he truly deserved his defeat.
As long as Liu Ji can guarantee his own safety, Xiang Yu's chances of turning the tide are practically zero.
Of course, it would be safer for Liu Ji to hide in Shouchun than here, but this time he has made up his mind to supervise the battle at the front line, so that his luck can have the greatest impact on the entire army.
Besides, this is the final battle. If Liu Ji stays far away and can ensure his safety, the soldiers in the army will inevitably look down on him. Moreover, how can he claim the credit for the victory if he doesn't personally go to the battlefield?
If any general in the future were to be chosen and had more military achievements than Liu Ji, then where would his prestige as King of Han be?
Therefore, Liu Ji must personally go to the front lines this time, and he must also be given the title of commander-in-chief. The last time he was in command was during the Battle of Pengcheng, which was a crushing defeat. Liu Ji still feels a pang of pain when he thinks about it...
Fan Zhong put down the map. "Heh heh, that's all Liu Ji is capable of. Let's see how Xiang Yu deals with him when he comes."
Fan Zhongyan said this, but in fact he was also a little scared. The Han army had an absolute numerical advantage. Although Xiang Yu had made many arrangements and even guessed that Liu Ji would participate in the siege of Juchao, no one was sure whether they could turn the tide and win. They could only do their best and leave the rest to fate.
Just then, a soldier came to report.
"Report! General, Xiang Yu's army has arrived at the South Gate!" the soldier said, clasping his hands in greeting.
"Ah? So fast! Is the door open? Come with me quickly to greet them." Fan Zhong hurriedly put on his helmet and walked out as he spoke.
"Well, it's already open. How could the captain guarding the gate dare to stop King Xiang?" the soldier said with a wry smile.
"It's good that it's open, it's good that it's open. Oh, by the way, is there any Han army pursuing them?" Fan Zhong knew that Xiang Yu was going to defend Guchao, and had informed him beforehand that once Guchao fell, he would come to Juchao and wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Liu Ji. If King Xiang knew that Liu Ji was just north of Juchao, he would probably be very happy, wouldn't he?
"Reporting to the general, when King Xiang arrived at the city, he was neither in a hurry nor did he form ranks to guard his rear, so there should be no pursuing troops," the soldier replied truthfully.
In fact, the Han cavalry pursued them all the way to the southern pass of the Juchao Mountains. The terrain there was treacherous, and Guan Ying, fearing an ambush, did not continue the pursuit.
However, Guan Ying also sent scouts to follow Xiang Yu's army. He needed to confirm that Xiang Yu had entered the city, and he also needed to send people to keep an eye on the east gate of Juchao.
Although Liu Ji's army is guarding the north and west, Guan Ying's troops are guarding the southern exit, and the eastern mountain exit leads directly to Hanshanyi in Liyang County, Cao Can should have already set up defenses there if nothing unexpected happens. The encirclement can be said to be basically complete.
However, before Lü Ze's army arrives, Guan Ying must be wary of Xiang Yu's attack on Cao Can's defenses from the east of Juchao, crossing the mountains and heading straight for Hanshanyi in Liyang County.
If that's the case, Guan Ying needs to rush over to provide support as soon as possible, since it would be difficult for Cao Can's army alone to withstand Xiang Yu's attack.
The terrain around Juchao is truly unique. Not only do the mountains and Chaohu Lake protect Juchao city very well, but there is also a main road connecting the mountains to Liyang.
Of course, as long as hundreds of thousands of Han troops gather here, no matter how easy or difficult it is to defend Juchao, it will not be a big problem to surround the main force of the Chu army inside. These mountains can also be used by the Han army to trap the city of Juchao inside.
In this way, the scales of victory began to tip in favor of the anti-Chu coalition, and even the outcome of Ying Bu's army became irrelevant.
North of Juchao, the Han army camp.
"Excellent!" Liu Ji jumped up excitedly after hearing the battle report of the Battle of Guchao.
Although the Han army lost nearly 30,000 soldiers in the Battle of Guchao, it was of great significance, as Xiang Yu was indeed left behind north of the Yangtze River as they had planned.
"Uh, right, Old Chen, where exactly did Xiang Yu escape to?" Liu Ji suddenly thought of this crucial question.
"It was Juchao. After Xiang Yu's army entered Juchao City, they did not head out of the east gate towards Liyang." Chen Ping smiled slightly.
"Hiss..." Liu Ji gasped. "Then strategist, quickly strengthen the camp's defenses! Xiang Yu might charge towards us any minute now!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already increased our manpower. If Xiang Yu dares to raid our camp tonight, we will make sure he doesn't return alive," Chen Ping said with an expression of complete confidence.
Liu Ji felt relieved. "That's good, that's good. How's Old Cao doing?"
"General Cao's side is also doing well. There's still no news from Ying Bu's side, and we don't know how the battle is going." Chen Ping mentioned when he made the plan that of the five armies, only Ying Bu's side was the farthest away. If something unexpected happened, there would be no time to send reinforcements.
Liu Ji waved his hand, "Hey~ Strategist, why bother with them? As long as Xiang Yu is in our hands, what does it matter if Ying Bu's army is completely wiped out?"
Chen Ping smiled and said, "Your Majesty's thinking is indeed more insightful than mine."
"Hahaha……"
Chapter 74 The Decisive Battle of Jiujiang (Part 3)
The distance between Guangling and Liyang is about 300 li. After the Chu army withdrew to Jiangdong, Guangling was essentially an isolated city north of the river.
According to Chen Ping and others, the reason why Xiang Yu chose to send a force to defend Guangling was because he valued the city's size and sturdiness, which would allow it to play a certain role in restraining Xiang Yu.
Everyone thought that Guangling was the easiest of the cities north of the Yangtze River to conquer. Ying Bu was also very satisfied with receiving this task because it was the farthest from Xiang Yu's ancient lair and therefore safe.
Because Guchao, Juchao, and Liyang are bound to be the center of this great battle, the absolute protagonists, and the focus of everyone's attention, while Guangling is like a dispensable extra or a tree.
To be fair, it wouldn't matter if the anti-Chu coalition left Guangling unattended. As long as they dealt with Juchao and Liyang and trapped Xiang Yu, their army could easily invade Jiangdong.
However, since Xiang Yu had already made his move in Guangling, Chen Ping and the others felt they couldn't just leave it unattended, so they sent Ying Bu's Huainan army, Cheng Hei's Zhao army, and a remnant army that had managed to escape from Yinling—Shen Tu Jia's troops—to besiege Guangling.
At this moment, Shen Tu Jia was questioning Ying Bu about why he hadn't attacked yet, saying that his lack of effort was too obvious.
"Hahaha... That's right. The King of Han's order is for us to besiege Guangling, but he didn't say when to attack. Can't we wait until they decide the outcome before attacking?"
"Of course, it's not unreasonable for you to suggest attacking the city first to probe Guangling's strength. How about I be in charge of the siege and you take charge of the attack?" Ying Bu knew that Liu Ji was afraid he wouldn't put in the effort, which was why he sent such a simpleton to monitor him.
Shen Tu Jia gritted his teeth and said, "This humble general can lead the army to attack the city, but I have too few soldiers under my command. Can the Prince of Huainan lend me some?"
"My army isn't much either. Why don't you ask General Cheng?" Ying Bu glanced at Shen Tu Jia with disdain. He was just a small squad leader. Did he really think he was a general? Zhang Liang, who promoted him, had been arrested. How could he still have the nerve to command troops?
"Gentlemen, stop arguing. In my opinion, if we are just probing the strength of the Chu army, General Shen's forces are sufficient. Rest assured, General Shen, I will send men to meet your army. If the Chu army dares to pursue us, I will make sure they never return."
Shen Tu Jia sighed inwardly, "Fine, then let's just listen to the King of Huainan. Let's wait for the results from Gu Chao before we make any moves."
Ying Bu snorted coldly, "Shen Tu Jia, I think it would be better for you to go and investigate the strength of the Chu army. What if Xiang Yu only sent a few thousand troops to Guangling and they all stood on the city wall to make a show of force? Wouldn't it be better if we took Guangling sooner? Let's settle this matter. General Shen, prepare to set off immediately. General Cheng will be in charge of receiving you."
"Your humble servant obeys." Shen Tu Jia cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. His status was far inferior to Ying Bu's. Before, when he was by Zhang Liang's side, others might not have dared to underestimate him, but now... sigh!
Not long after, Shentu Jia led his army around to the east of Guangling, preparing to attack the east gate.
According to previous intelligence, the garrison at the east gate of Guangling was smaller than that at the other three city gates because the area was near a river and small, making it unsuitable for attacking the city.
However, if the attack is launched from this side and the Chu army does not send reinforcements from within the city, but instead draws troops from the other three city walls, or there are no reinforcements at all, it means that there are not many troops in the city. Xiang Yu's deployment of troops to garrison Guangling is just a pretext to attract the Han army to divide its forces, so as to reduce the pressure on the decisive battle at Guchao.
Breaking Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem was actually quite simple; just send a small group of people into the city to take a look, and it wouldn't matter if they all died.
Of course, some say that Sima Yi had already seen through Zhuge Liang's lack of troops, but he harbored some intention to nurture the enemy and deliberately let Kongming go.
Since ancient times, all's fair in war. It's not difficult to transport troops into the city during the day so that enemy scouts can see them, and then secretly withdraw them at night.
Moreover, Xiang Yu initially occupied more than just this territory; he only abandoned most of Jiujiang County and retreated to these three cities on the eve of the decisive battle.
Prior to this, the Han army's scouts had not focused their reconnaissance efforts on Guangling. The number of troops inside the city was merely speculation and could not be taken seriously. The only way to find out was to attack the city.
Shen Tu Jia raised his sword and shouted, "Attack!"
"Kill them!"
"Charge!"