"Listen to my command! Archers, prepare!" Zhang Ning knew they didn't have many arrows, so they wanted to wait until the enemy got closer before firing.
"put!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Chapter 78 The Decisive Battle of Jiujiang (Part 7)
North of Juchao, the Han army camp.
"Huh? Lü Ze ordered a halt to the crossing of the river? That's absurd! Xiang Yu has been trapped in Juchao City, which is heavily guarded on all sides. How could he possibly make it to Tongling!" Liu Ji was furious upon hearing the messenger's report.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry." Chen Ping frowned. "This matter is probably not simple. If Xiang Yu is really in Jiangnan, then this could be a trick by Xiang Yu."
"Hmm? What do you mean by that, strategist? Didn't Lü Ze, Guan Ying, and others personally witness Xiang Yu flee all the way to Juchao during the Battle of Guchao?" Liu Ji asked in confusion.
Chen Ping shook his head with a wry smile, "No, many people saw Xiang Yu fleeing to Juchao that day, but they all saw it from a great distance. Who can know whether that Xiang Yu was actually Xiang Yu?"
The main reason we believe that person was Xiang Yu is the testimony of the dying old soldier that day. He said that Liu You recognized Xiang Yu at close range and said some regretful things.
Moreover, according to other eyewitness accounts, the man did indeed fit Xiang Yu's description: a snow-white steed, a large halberd, black gold armor, and superb martial arts skills. However, there is one point we may have overlooked.
"Which point?" Liu Ji asked, puzzled.
"Xiang Yu's horse is fast. He could easily break away from the main force of the Chu cavalry first, then find a place to hide. After Guan Ying's troops catch up, Xiang Yu could then secretly sneak back to Jiangnan. Last night, he ambushed Mei Xuan, probably also planning to ambush our army crossing the river." Chen Ping sighed inwardly. He had underestimated Xiang Yu and thought things were too simple.
Liu Ji's expression changed slightly. "Ah? Then what should we do?"
"Your Majesty, do not panic. It is only my speculation that Xiang Yu is not in Juchao. We need to confirm it before we can draw a conclusion," Chen Ping comforted him.
"How can we confirm it? Juchao City's defenses are like an impregnable fortress; scouts simply can't get in." Liu Ji certainly wanted to know the situation inside Juchao City, but communication between the city and the outside was cut off, leaving him with no way to do so.
"It's very simple. Your Majesty can just ask Xiang Yu directly. If Xiang Yu is in Juchao, he will definitely show up to meet you. If he is not, he will make up an excuse or simply ignore you."
"Ah? You want me to go? Can't someone else go?" Liu Ji's voice trembled slightly.
Chen Ping shook his head. "Others wouldn't be of enough importance. Even if Xiang Yu were in Juchao, he might not personally receive you. Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will ensure your safety is impeccable. If Xiang Yu truly harbors ill intentions towards Your Majesty and comes to attack, I will ensure he never returns."
Besides, in my humble opinion, it's quite possible that Xiang Yu wasn't in Juchao. Where in the world could one find someone as brave and fierce as Xiang Yu?
Liu Ji gritted his teeth and said, "Then I will go and investigate Xiang Yu's strength. If Xiang Yu is not in Juchao, I can sleep more peacefully at night."
"Your Majesty is wise." Chen Ping bowed with his hands clasped.
Soon, Chen Ping sent someone to deliver the official letter requesting an audience to Juchao.
"Generals, Liu Ji wants to see Xiang Yu. Should we agree or not? Perhaps he's here to confirm if Xiang Yu is here." Fan Zhong had a guess in his mind; it was probably because Xiang Yu had severely damaged the enemy army there.
“If we don’t agree, Liu Ji will definitely guess that King Xiang is not in Juchao. But if we agree, can you fool Liu Ji and the others with your disguise as King Xiang?” Xiang Han said worriedly. It seems that this charade has come to an end.
The elder brother Xiang Han mentioned was naturally Xiang Sheng, who had just returned to the Chu army. Apart from not being as strong as Xiang Yu, he had many of Xiang Yu's traits in other aspects, but he was still somewhat lacking in experience and too young.
Military geniuses like Xiang Yu are rare even throughout thousands of years of history. For Xiang Sheng to achieve such success and possess such great abilities at such a young age is already quite remarkable.
Meeting Xiang You in Guchao that day was purely accidental. Xiang Sheng could fool others with his disguise, but it was not very likely that he could fool a member of the Xiang family like Xiang You, who was familiar with both Xiang Yu and Xiang Sheng.
That's why Xiang Sheng took the initiative to attack and kill Xiang You. However, Xiang You did him a small favor before he died by pretending to be Xiang Yu, thus concealing his identity.
Of course, if Xiang You hadn't said that, Xiang Sheng wouldn't have spared those few survivors; he would have killed them one by one, at least not one near Xiang You's body.
"I'll agree to Liu Ji's request first. As for whether I'll meet him or not, that depends on Liu Ji's preparations. If I have the chance, I'll lead my troops out and kill Liu Ji," Xiang Sheng said confidently.
Fan Zhong's eyes lit up. "This is indeed the best choice. I will send someone to reply to Liu Ji immediately."
...
Soon after, the Han army of over 10,000 troops lined up in battle formation and gradually approached Juchao City.
If it weren't for the prior letter arranging a meeting, the Chu army would have thought the enemy was coming to attack the city.
Liu Ji was surrounded by several shield soldiers in the middle, and in front of him were another layer of spearmen and shield soldiers. Moreover, these spears were not ordinary spears, but large and extended spears that required two people to barely use, which were specially designed to deal with cavalry.
The surrounding troop composition is also very reasonable, all of which are specifically designed to counter cavalry raids. Even if Xiang Yu, the Overlord, were to actually come, he wouldn't be entirely confident of breaking through this formation. It can be said that Liu Ji's safety is quite well guaranteed.
Whoosh!
An arrow was launched from the city wall and landed in the ground some distance outside the city. The shield-bearers in the front row of the Han army stopped there.
Liu Ji cautiously peeked out from behind his shield and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I have arrived! Does King Xiang dare to show himself?"
Just then, a general clad in black gold armor appeared briefly at the crenellation of the city wall before turning and leaving.
Then Xiang Han, standing nearby, shouted loudly, "King Xiang said that King Han's surrender with so many troops shows no sincerity; he's probably just trying to trick us into giving up the city! King Han's treacherous plan has been exposed by King Xiang. If you want to take this city, then come at me!"
Liu Ji nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. "When did I say I was here to surrender! I've come to see King Xiang on important matters! I'm not here to feign surrender and trick him into giving me the city!"
"King of Han, was I unclear just now? You should have the entire army behind you retreat to show your sincerity, and then King Xiang might consider seeing you. As for now, don't even think about it! Prepare the crossbows!" Xiang Han waved his hand, and a large crossbow was aimed at Liu Ji. "Fire!"
Ugh!
A large crossbow bolt flew straight towards Liu Ji's location with a whoosh.
Liu Ji was greatly alarmed and quickly ducked down, and the shield soldiers in front of him immediately raised their shields to meet him.
Click!
puff!
ah!
One of the shields was immediately pierced, and the soldier behind it was also stabbed. Fortunately, the wound was not very deep, and he narrowly escaped death.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Liu Ji cursed inwardly. What a load of rubbish! If such a thick crossbow bolt had hit him, he would be dead!
Chen Ping was also a little scared. Although the accuracy of crossbows was basically based on guesswork and they were few in number, what if he guessed right?
"Is Your Majesty alright?"
"Hmph! The strategist saw it too. I risked so much to meet Xiang Yu, and almost lost my life. Now tell me, is Xiang Yu in the city or not?" Liu Ji was angry, but now was a time when he needed manpower, so he wouldn't blame Chen Ping for this.
Chen Ping cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, there is a 99% chance that Xiang Yu is not in the city."
"Huh? 99%? Doesn't that mean there's still a slight chance?" Liu Ji thought to himself, "So all that risk I took was for nothing?"
Chen Ping looked embarrassed. "Just now, it seemed like Xiang Yu's figure appeared on the city wall. It was just a fleeting glimpse, and I didn't get a clear look at his face, but it really looked like him. However, no matter how well the Chu army tried to conceal it, Xiang Yu ultimately failed to appear, so I believe that Xiang Yu is not among them."
"So he's gone. Does that mean we have to change our plans?" Liu Ji sighed inwardly. Winning against Xiang Yu was indeed not so easy.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have a plan in place." Chen Ping regained his confident smile.
"Oh? Tell me about it." Liu Ji knew that Chen Ping was much worse than Zhang Liang, but he had a lot of clever ideas, which suited him very well.
"Ying Bu and Cheng Hei in Guangling must have already begun their crossing of the river to fight. Let them launch a full-scale attack on Jiangdong, penetrating deep into the heartland to burn, kill, and plunder. Xiang Yu will surely have to come to the rescue. As soon as Xiang Yu leaves this area, our main force will begin crossing the river. Once Xiang Yu has dealt with Ying Bu and Cheng Hei, our main force will be able to gain a foothold in Jiangdong." Chen Ping smiled slightly.
Liu Ji's eyes lit up. This was the advantage of having more soldiers and generals! "Strategist, this plan is brilliant! Let's proceed accordingly. Immediately send someone to inform Ying Bu!"
"Here you go!"
...
On the river south of Guangling, the battle grew increasingly fierce.
The Chu army had long since run out of arrows, and now they were using crudely made javelins, which had poor lethality and short range, but their sheer numbers were intimidating.
However, even with a large number of spears, they would eventually run out. Many soldiers had already started picking up stones to throw, but they couldn't throw them very far.
Zhang Ning knew they had reached their limit, and with both sides exchanging fire, the Chu army had suffered considerable casualties. If the enemy were to reach the shore, they would be unable to hold them off.
"Send the order! The army will assemble and retreat to Danyang! Let the laborers carry the wounded away first!"
"Here you go!"
...
At this moment, on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
Ying Bu and Cheng Hei were getting impatient. They hadn't expected this Chu army to be so troublesome, even though they were outnumbered by so much.
A small boat sped by, and before it even reached the shore, the soldiers on board shouted, "Reporting to the King of Huainan! The Chu army has withdrawn! Our army has successfully landed!"
"Haha! General Cheng, the Chu army has retreated!" Ying Bu exclaimed with great joy.
"Haha, they finally couldn't hold on any longer. I knew the Chu army was no match for the Huainan army," Cheng Hei remarked.
"Ah~ General Cheng, this is the result of the joint efforts of our two armies. Let's cross the river now. Send down the order for the army to cross the river at full speed!" Ying Bu waved his hand.
Soon after, Ying Bu and Cheng Hei's 40,000-strong army crossed the Yangtze River.
Those soldiers who were injured or killed during the crossing of the river were swapped with those who stayed behind to besiege the city, so Ying Bu and Cheng Hei still had 40,000 troops in Jiangdong.
Whether Shen Tu Jia can hold Guangling is no longer important. Moreover, even if only 30,000 troops remain in Jiangbei, the Chu army in Guangling will not dare to launch an attack easily.
Even if we take a step back and assume that the Chu army in Guangling City really drove away the 30,000 troops left behind and cut off Ying Bu and Cheng Hei's retreat, what does that amount to?
Once the main forces of the Han army, Qi army, and other armies have gathered in Jiangdong, the Chu army will be the one that needs a way to retreat.
Little did Ying Bu and Cheng Hei know that Lü Ze, Cao Can, and others had not crossed the river at all, and that Xiang Yu was currently in Jiangdong!
Chapter 79 The Decisive Battle of Jiujiang (Part 8)
After crossing the river south from Guangling, there are two relatively close cities that can be attacked: Jiangcheng to the west and Danyang to the south.
After reorganizing their troops and taking a short rest, Ying Bu and Cheng Hei led their army straight towards Danyang, firstly to pursue the Chu army defending the riverbank, and secondly to capture Danyang City and establish it as their base in Jiangdong.
Jiangcheng was Xiang Yu's temporary capital. Ying Bu judged that there should be a large number of troops defending it, so he decided to attack Danyang instead. Moreover, they suspected that the Chu army defending the riverbank was the same army defending Danyang.
After this battle, the Chu army was severely weakened, making it a good opportunity to capture the city.
Danyang was not too far from the river, and Zhang Ning led the Chu army back to the city quickly.
In fact, Ying Bu and Cheng Hei were right; Zhang Ning's troops were indeed all the soldiers in Danyang City.
However, there was one thing that Ying Bu and his men did not expect: although there were not many soldiers in Danyang City, there were many civilians gathered there. Some of them came from the interior of Kuaiji Prefecture to help defend the city, while others fled from Jiangbei.
After entering the city, Zhang Ning immediately ordered the returning army to rest and recuperate, and then had the small number of soldiers left behind lead the people to prepare to defend the city to the death.
Never underestimate ordinary people, especially in siege warfare. With stones thrown down from higher ground, a single able-bodied civilian could easily take down more than a dozen enemies in a single battle.
The people could also form long lines to continuously transport stones, logs, and other items to the city walls. In short, if the army and the people are of one mind, it is very difficult to capture a city without special means.
Ying Bu and Cheng Hei naturally noticed that most of the people on the city walls were civilians, but this greatly increased their confidence in capturing Danyang.