"Pass down the order: the entire army shall immediately assemble at the east of the village, return to camp for the time being, and fight again tomorrow!" Guan Ying felt that it was safer to take a detour from the east.
"Here you go!"
...
Inside the best house in the nameless village, Yu Ji sat curled up by the fire.
Although Xiang Guan had just come to inform her that the enemy had retreated and that she could rest and take off her armor, she still couldn't sleep.
Since the enemy has retreated, it means that King Xiang has won a battle and will be back soon. Yu Ji thought to herself.
Soon after, a familiar snorting sound came from the courtyard; it was the black horse, Wuzhui.
Yu Ji quickly got up and walked towards the door, calling out joyfully, "King Xiang!"
"Yu!" Xiang Yu strode in. "Haha, I have won another great victory. Even that scoundrel Guan Ying has been scared away."
Just as Yu Ji was about to speak, she smelled a strong stench of blood. "Oh dear, why is there so much blood? Is King Xiang injured?"
"It's alright, this is all enemy blood. I'll be fine once I take off my armor." Xiang Yu said, and began to remove his armor, with Yu Ji helping him from the side.
"My husband is the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, the ruler of a nation. If it were possible..." Yu Ji hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
Xiang Yu smiled and said, "If I, the King, were to hide in the back like Liu Ji, would I still be the Hegemon-King of Western Chu? My lady, rest assured, no one can harm me on the battlefield. This battle is enough to prove it. I promise you, when the Chu army is strong enough in the future, I will give the credit for charging into battle to my soldiers and will no longer personally go into battle."
"Mmm." Yu Ji murmured softly, pressing her face against Xiang Yu's chest, even though the taste wasn't very pleasant.
The two embraced for a moment, and Xiang Yu patted Yu Ji and said, "I have already ordered the whole army to rest. Let's get some sleep before dawn. Tomorrow we will cross the Hui River and head straight for the Huai River. Once we reach Huainan, we will be safe. Oh, tonight should be safe too. The enemy will probably be busy licking their wounds."
"Mmm." Yu Ji felt quite satisfied, but also a little scared. She was thankful she hadn't died...
The Han army camp, the central command tent.
Liu Ji stayed up all night, not because he didn't want to sleep, but because the military situation was urgent and he simply couldn't fall asleep.
Zhang Liang's strategy of "surrounded by enemies on all sides" had worked, and with the intelligence from Xiang Bo, Liu Ji thought Xiang Yu was doomed this time. After his initial excitement, he decided to get a good night's sleep.
Soon after, news arrived that Xiang Yu had broken through the encirclement ahead of schedule. Then, Xiang Yu broke through the Jiujiang army camp, and many soldiers even followed him in breaking through the encirclement.
Later, Guan Ying sent someone to inform Liu Ji of his plan to surround Xiang Yu with 100,000 troops from all sides. This really excited Liu Ji. 100,000 men against 10,000 men, and the number of cavalry was three times that of the Chu army. Even if they could not annihilate the Chu army, they should at least severely damage it.
But before Liu Ji could rejoice for long, he received news that the Huainan army, which had participated in the encirclement, had been defeated by Xiang Yu.
This made Liu Ji even more sleepless. With 80,000 troops left to besiege Xiang Yu, could they succeed?
"Your Majesty should go to sleep first. I will keep watch. Even if we fail to encircle them tonight, Xiang Yu will not escape our cavalry's pursuit." Lu Ze originally thought that Xiang Yu was overconfident by only bringing a few thousand cavalry to cover the rear, but he did not expect Xiang Yu to turn the tables and break Guan Ying's encirclement from all sides in one fell swoop.
"Indeed, then I shall go and rest." Liu Ji thought that even if he couldn't sleep, it would be good to take a nap.
Just then, a soldier rushed in to report.
"Report! Your Majesty, General Liu Jia has been killed by an arrow in battle against Xiang Yu! His army has suffered heavy casualties, with more than half its men killed or wounded!"
"Huh? Say it again!" Liu Ji could hardly believe his ears. The defeat of the Huainan army was one thing, but Liu Jia was a rare general in the Han army! With 20,000 troops under his command, how could he have lost his life at the hands of Xiang Yu?
The messenger had no choice but to repeat the message again, then looked hesitant to speak.
"Where are General Guan Ying's cavalry? Why didn't they go to provide support?" Lu Ze felt something was amiss.
"General Guan Ying sent General Zhang Meng with 10,000 cavalry to the rescue, but they arrived too late and were defeated by Xiang Yu. General Zhang Meng was killed in battle, and only about 2,000 of his 10,000 cavalry remained..." the messenger said, forcing himself to speak.
Liu Ji felt a wave of dizziness. "What about Guan Ying? What about the Jiujiang army?"
"Your Majesty, General Guan Ying personally led 10,000 troops to attack the Chu army left behind by Xiang Yu in Wuming Village. The Jiujiang army has played no role since the start of the battle and has been scared away by Xiang Yu. I have also heard that there are no Jiujiang soldiers' corpses on the battlefield, only Han and Huainan soldiers."
Liu Ji's face twisted in a ferocious grin. "Ha! What a Xiang Yu! What a Jiujiang army! Issue my order: at dawn, muster 100,000 troops and march to the Jiujiang army camp!"
Chapter 38 The Fate of a Traitor
Liu Ji originally planned to go to sleep after Guan Ying returned, but he waited and waited without seeing him or even receiving any news.
It wasn't until dawn that Guan Ying's cavalry returned to the Han army camp, having taken quite a detour.
Then, Guan Ying received an order that drove him to the brink of collapse. Despite not having slept all night, he was ordered to immediately follow Liu Ji to the Jiujiang army camp!
In last night's battle, Liu Jia's 20,000 elite troops suffered heavy casualties, and their commander Liu Jia was killed in action. The 10,000 new troops from Huainan were almost completely wiped out, and Guan Ying's cavalry suffered more than half its losses, with their general Zhang Meng killed in action.
Only the three armies from Jiujiang were completely unharmed.
Rumble rumble...
Guan Ying led his cavalry in a grand charge into the Jiujiang army camp, followed by elite Han infantry who lined up on both sides, forming a road leading directly from the camp gate to the central command tent.
Liu Ji, along with generals such as Lü Ze and Lü Shizhi, stormed into the central command tent. He immediately spotted Zhou Yin, who was lying half-dead on the couch, as well as several other commanders from the Jiujiang army.
"Greetings, King of Han," the Sima said in unison.
"King of Han, please forgive me for not being able to rise and perform the proper rites." Zhou Yin struggled to sit up with the help of two people.
"No need for formalities. Grand Marshal is seriously injured. Let's talk while he's lying down." Liu Ji waved his hand. Zhou Yin's injury was indeed genuine, even more serious than expected.
Zhou Yin looked grateful. “Thank you, King of Han. However, I dare not call myself Grand Marshal anymore. I only ask to be an ordinary general under your command. After I recover from my injuries, I will assist you in defeating Xiang Yu and avenging this grudge.”
"Please don't thank me yet. General Zhou must know about the battle to encircle Xiang Yu last night. I've come to ask about the results and casualties of your Jiujiang army last night." Liu Ji was fairly satisfied with Zhou Yin's attitude.
"Last night, our army fully cooperated with the other armies to encircle and annihilate Xiang Yu. However, due to the darkness of the night and the rapid defeat of our allies, the outcome of the battle is unclear. Nevertheless, our army suffered no casualties and we also treated hundreds of soldiers from the Huainan army." Zhou Yin looked embarrassed. He couldn't deny it; too many people had witnessed Xiang Yu and the Jiujiang army refusing to fight each other.
Although Xiang Yu showed benevolence to the Jiujiang army, it was not good news for Zhou Yin. Zhou Yin would rather Xiang Yu kill all the Jiujiang soldiers he sent out than let Liu Ji misunderstand.
Liu Ji sneered, "So, General Zhou has done a great service. Everyone else has lost at least half of their troops, but the Jiujiang army has not lost a single soldier. Come, tell me how you did it. If you have a good plan, I will now appoint you as the King of Yin and promote it throughout the army. If you desert or collude with the enemy, I will kill you to comfort the soldiers who died last night!"
Zhou Yin was sweating profusely. "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. I am loyal to Your Majesty and have already pledged my allegiance. If I hadn't been seriously injured, I would not have suffered such a defeat if I had personally commanded the battle. Please, Your Majesty, understand!"
"Who led the troops to join the encirclement of Xiang Yu last night? Tell me, how did you manage to avoid losing a single soldier?" Liu Ji looked at the other Jiujiang military commanders. "Speak!"
The commander of the central army stepped forward with his hands clasped. "Last night, I followed General Hao Hu of the Huainan army to fight for the northern route. Unexpectedly, Xiang Yu suddenly attacked. General Hao Hu intended to lure Xiang Yu back to the main camp to surround and kill him, so he ordered the entire army to retreat. However, Xiang Yu did not fall for the trick and went west halfway."
It was only because Xiang Yu was benevolent and couldn't bear to kill his former comrades that he specifically targeted the Huainan army. This humble general originally intended to lead the troops to fight Xiang Yu to the death, but then remembered General Zhou Yin's instructions before our departure—to preserve our strength as much as possible. Therefore, this humble general led the troops back to the main camp with General Hao Hu.
Zhou Yin almost coughed up blood upon hearing this. How could someone say something like "preserving strength" in front of Liu Ji?
The Right Army Commander was the second to step forward. “Reporting to the King of Han, last night our army was encircling and annihilating the Chu army from east to west as planned. However, we received news that the Chu army was attacking the Northern Route Army. I led my troops to provide reinforcements, but the Chu army had already left and the Northern Route Army was nowhere to be seen. I thought Xiang Yu had broken through the encirclement. I also remembered Zhou Yin’s previous instructions to preserve our strength, so I treated several hundred wounded soldiers and returned to the camp.”
Zhou Yin's face was ashen. If a third person also pinned the blame on him, he would not only be considered a traitor but would also completely lose Liu Ji's trust. On the battlefield, he only cared about preserving his strength, which was a mistake that ruined the battle and harmed his allies!
The Left Army Commander glanced disdainfully at the other two commanders and continued, “King of Han, those two who suffered no losses either fled in disarray or never encountered the Chu army at all. But this humble general is different. This humble general does indeed have a strategy to defend against the enemy!”
Zhou Yin's eyes lit up. It seemed that the third person had managed to escape unscathed through his own abilities, which could help exonerate him from some of his crimes.
"Oh? Tell me quickly." Liu Ji carefully examined the man.
The Left Army Commander clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, “Reporting to the King of Han, I have been well-versed in military strategy since childhood. If we encounter a cavalry attack, the best way is to form a circular formation. That’s what I did last night, and as a result, not a single soldier was lost.”
However, Xiang Yu seemed to have a grudge against General Liu Jia, and he attacked General Liu Jia with all his might. General Liu Jia could not resist and led his army to flee towards the main camp.
My humble general led his troops to rush to the rescue, but the circular formation was too slow to move, and General Liu Jia abandoned his troops on horseback and fled, causing his army to suffer a great defeat and be pursued by Xiang Yu all the way.
Seeing that there was no hope of saving them, and worried that Xiang Yu would turn around and attack our army after dealing with General Liu Jia, I realized that General Liu Jia's 20,000 elite troops were no match for our army, which only had 10,000 soldiers. We couldn't even hold off the Chu army.
Xiang Yu's breakout was inevitable, and remembering the Grand Marshal's instructions to preserve our strength before his departure, I had no choice but to lead my troops back to the main camp.
puff……
Zhou Yin finally couldn't hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Are you trying to kill me? King of Han, don't believe their nonsense! This general suspects that they have been bribed by Xiang Yu! Guards, drag these three traitors away and behead them!"
Liu Ji raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute! I think the three of them are telling the truth."
I believe that Xiang Yu was reluctant to slaughter the soldiers of Jiujiang because of old friendships, and I also believe that General Zhou secretly ordered his three generals to preserve their strength.
Liu Jia did indeed escape to the vicinity of the main camp and was shot and killed by Xiang Yu. I believe that if Liu Jia had run into the circular formation of the Jiujiang army, he might not have lost his life.
I am heartbroken. Grand Marshal Zhou is in such a hurry to behead them, is he trying to silence them? They were merely following your orders, what crime have they committed?
Grand Marshal Zhou, how exactly did Xiang Yu break out of the Jiujiang army camp? Was it your order? I think you were the one Xiang Yu bribed! Xiang Yu used your life to buy you off!
I truly cannot understand why Xiang Yu would choose someone like you to succeed Ying Bu in governing Jiujiang Commandery. Zhou Yin betrayed King Xiang first, and then betrayed me; he is even more despicable and shameful than Ding Gu!
"Guards! Drag Zhou Yin out and behead him at once! What use is there in keeping such a scoundrel who only knows how to betray his master for survival?"
No sooner had Liu Ji finished speaking than two soldiers rushed toward Zhou Yin.
Zhou Yin's eyes widened. "Your Majesty! I'm innocent! I truly served Your Majesty. Xiang Yu only captured me by disguising himself as a surrendered soldier and infiltrating the camp when we were surrounded by enemies. I had no choice. I have rendered great service to Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
"Hmph!" Liu Ji flicked his sleeve, not even glancing at Zhou Yin. "From this day forward, the Jiujiang Army will be disbanded and reorganized, and all will be incorporated into the Han Army!"
After being dragged out of the central command tent, Zhou Yin finally realized that Liu Ji had long ago decided to kill him!
"Liu Ji! You despicable villain, you shall die a horrible death! You will all follow Liu Ji sooner or later..."
Snap, gurgle.
Zhou Yin's voice abruptly stopped, and his gaze was exactly the same as Ding Gu's.
"Well done, your luck value is full." The black dragon's voice rang in Liu Ji's mind.
Just then, a soldier came to report.
"Your Majesty! Generals Wang Yi, Yang happy, Lü Sheng, and Yang Wu have arrived with 50,000 cavalry to reinforce our camp!"
Chapter 39 Battle of the Huai River (Part 1)
Just as Liu Ji was annexing the Jiujiang army, Xiang Yu had already led the Chu army across the Hui River from the Jiuwan shallows.
Because of the large number of horses and wounded soldiers, Xiang Yu left only 6,000 cavalrymen, while the rest escorted the warhorses and wounded soldiers to Guantangpu to join the infantry.
Next comes the most difficult hurdle: crossing the Huai River.
Xiang Yu drew the enemy's main force to Gaixia. In theory, there shouldn't have been many troops guarding the Huai River. However, the problem was that there was only one large bridge and a few pontoon bridges on this section of the Huai River. Because of Zhou Yin's betrayal, they were all under the control of the enemy. Even if each bridge was guarded by only a thousand men, it would be extremely difficult to break through.
Of course, the Chu army could also build their own rafts or pontoon bridges to cross the Huai River instead of using the existing bridges, but that would require more time to prepare and some luck; if the enemy discovered them too early, it would be dangerous.
However, the Chu army was currently in a retreat and breakout phase, with blockades in front and pursuers behind. It was unlikely that such a large target as six thousand cavalry could completely evade enemy scouts.
Therefore, Xiang Yu decided not to waste any more time on that matter and instead planned to directly seize the Huai River Bridge located east of Tu Mountain, near Tu Yi.
In more distant ancient times, the area around Tushan was known as the Tushan State. Tuyi was just a small town on the banks of the Huai River in that state, roughly located in present-day Huaiyuan County, Bengbu City, Anhui Province.
The Tuyi Huai River Bridge is a mixed structure of wood and stone, with stone piers and a wooden deck.
The Huai River is nearly 200 zhang wide on the Tushan side, so this bridge is also nearly 200 zhang long.