Qin Official

"The impure fate of the Emperor and Heaven will shock the people.

The people were separated and lost each other, and they moved eastward in the middle of spring.

When I went to my hometown, I was far away. I followed Jiangxia and went into exile. "

As a Sanlu official of the new Chu State, Zhao Sao knew Qu Yuan's "Sorrow" by heart when he moved eastward. However, this was the first time in his life that he came to "Jiangxia".

As the oldest nobles of the Chu State, the Zhao, Jing, and Qu families failed to take the lead in the war to revive the Chu State. Another "King of Chu" Jing Ju who invested in the state was killed by Xiang Ji, which also led to The three families failed to occupy important positions in the new court, and the fiefdoms that had been taken away by the Qin Dynasty did not come back. Instead, they were divided between Xiang Ji and his subordinates. Among the three families, only one Zhao Sao was left with the highest official position. He's just a Sanlv doctor with no real power.

Following Xiang Ji's expedition to the west, Zhao Sao came here with political purposes. As early as after moving east, the nobles in the Chu Kingdom who had the dream of restoring the country had always believed in one thing, that is, the people of the three Chu lands, They have been oppressed by Qin officials for a long time and have lived in dire straits. As long as the Chu army enters, they will naturally be welcomed by the people.

In other words, as long as troops are sent out, the compatriots in Hengshan and Nanjun will definitely serve as the leading party. They will also build colorful gates with fragrant flowers and grass at the border to welcome them. They sigh with emotion: "Finally the fight is back. The elders of Western Chu have been waiting for Master Wang for a long time..."

Although the state of Chu later fell, this idea was still accompanied by the prophecy that "although Chu has three households, the death of Qin will inevitably lead to Chu." It remained in the Chu land. After Xiang Ji rebelled against Qin, the remaining lords of the Chu state raised their troops to respond. Once the Eastern Chu Dynasty changed its banner, Chu people from all over the country killed Qin officials and rebelled.

After seeing the power of the banner of "Great Chu Rising", some people once again set their sights on Hengshan and Nanjun. As Heifu officially started war with Chu State, some were pessimistic and some were optimistic. The idea of ​​"unifying Chu State" became more and more popular. The heavier.

After Xiang Ji returned to the Chu State and expelled the nuisance troops from Jiangdong, the voices within the Chu State to "fight back to the Western Chu" and "recover the capital of Ying" were very high. The losses in Huainan were too heavy, and they had to let the enemy suffer too. The taste of pain.

Ge Ying and others who had previously fled to Huainan from Hengshan County defected to the Chu State. They said that the labor force in Nan County and Hengshan County was heavy, and both counties were supporting Heifu to destroy Qin. The people had long been resentful. People in the Chu State such as Cai Ci and others , so he took it for granted that the lands of Western Chu and Southern Chu would be the same as the Huaihe River. Once the Chu army arrived, they would be invincible.

Although Xiang Liang and his father Fan Zeng raised objections, they believed that the people of Nanjun and Hengshan had lived under the rule of Qin officials for a long time and had been separated from Eastern Chu for nearly a hundred years. They no longer regarded themselves as Chu people, and the two sides could not talk about any common feelings. What's more, that's where Heifu started his career. Almost every household has children in the Northern Expedition. They are looking forward to enjoying the benefits that Heifu will give back after he takes over the world. How can he yearn to return to the embrace of Chu?

But these words were not heard.

The people at the top want to unify the three states.

The people at the lower level wanted to plunder Hengshan and Nanjun to make up for their losses.

Xiang Ji wants to fall into a passive war, open a way out, attack him and save him, and at the same time lure Jiangdong's army hiding behind the building ship on the other side to fight in Jianghan!

Chu State has been surrounded, and future wars will inevitably start in the east, south, west, and north at the same time. Chu State must at least relieve its worries first.

He must win a war in order to buy time to join forces and fight against the underworld again in the future!

The three parties hit it off immediately, and the war was launched rashly.

But when Zhao Sao, the Sanlu doctor, finally came to the "Jiangxia" in Qu Yuan's poem, he discovered that the truth was not as simple as he thought.

When they heard that the Chu army was coming, the counties and townships in Hengshan County had no intention of bringing pots of wine to welcome them. Instead, many people fled, as if to avoid bandits. After all, under the propaganda of the government, Xiang Ji had become synonymous with the murderous devil. What's worse? What is surprising is that among his troops was Ge Ying, who had committed a heinous crime in Hengshan County and massacred Echeng.

When it came to the richest counties along the river, the government organized a planned evacuation, burning down the cities, emptying out grain and grass, and blocking wells. Under the protection of the fleet, the people took refuge on the other side of the river, leaving only a piece of scorched earth. Xiang Ji...

As a result, the sad scene of the past reappeared again. Tens of thousands of people from the northern part of Hengshan County helped the elderly and children to cross the river to take refuge. However, this time, the people who feared and evaded were those who came back under the banner of "recovering the old capital". Chu army...

The reinforcements from Nanjun and Jiangdong did not stupidly come to fight him. Xiang Ji, who held his breath, rushed to nothing. He originally planned to use Lu County as his base to spend the winter, but after the fire, the entire city was reduced to ruins, and half of the village was in ruins. Completely destroyed, the Chu army was unable to obtain even a grain of food.

So they turned their attention to those people around Zhu County who did not evacuate due to stubbornness or luck.

The army was sent to the countryside to search for grain. The powerful clans who were unwilling to abandon their ancestral grave property became the target of robbery by the Chu army. The granaries and houses were looted. It became more and more difficult to maintain military discipline. There were evil-doing Chu soldiers everywhere, but the officers Turn a blind eye and say:

"This is what the soldiers deserve."

There are many ways to stimulate morale, such as giving wine and meat as a reward in front of the station, or conferring land rewards for meritorious service before the battle. There is another method that has been adopted by the Chu army in the past year or so.

That is massacre and robbery. Massacre can stimulate the morale of the army. After capturing the city, they can burn, kill and loot. This method can greatly improve morale, release the suppressed heart of the long-term battle, and also obtain a large amount of money. It can be regarded as a reward for those who lack merit. In addition, especially the Massacre of Xihe, the Chu army who was instilled with hatred only felt that they were doing a just act of revenge.

But in the past, the Chu army had only slaughtered the cities of the Wei people and the land of the Qin people. This time when they entered Hengshan, it was the first time that they aimed their butcher knives at their "comatriots" who also spoke the Jingchu dialect.

The Chu generals who failed to get the Hengshan people to "bring pots of pulp to greet them" plausibly said:

"That generation is no longer the proud phoenix of Chu State, but a group of poultry locked in a cage by Qin officials, a group of chickens that cannot fly!"

"A few months ago, Vietnamese soldiers also burned, killed, and looted in Huainan, taking away the last bit of food from the Huainan population. We just went back in revenge!"

Every soldier is like a wolfdog with a leash, but the Northern Expeditionary Army has a tight leash, while the Chu soldiers have almost none.

They unscrupulously abused the Hengshan people who had not evacuated. In their hometown, these Chu soldiers were honest and simple husbands and fathers. On the battlefield, they held high the red flag and transformed into fearless warriors. But here, they were lawless villains.

For example, an eighty-year-old man in the suburbs of Zhu County who had lived through countless wars was stubborn. Zhao Sao went to persuade him, hoping that the Huang family could hand over the stored grain to replenish the military, but the old man refused, so they then If the color changes, just use strong...

In the end, all the Huang family's food was robbed, all the men and women were taken away, and those who resisted were killed. Only an 80-year-old man was left standing on the broken wall with a group of children waiting to be fed. place, watching them go away helplessly.

And the snowflakes also fell at this time...

Hubei is also a strange place. It’s humid and hot in summer. You could call it the south. But in winter, it’s cold to the core. Call it the north. But there’s no central heating. You can only keep warm by shivering...

It snowed heavily and lacked food and clothing. Twenty to thirty thousand Chu troops lived in the burned-out city, and the enemy troops continued to send boats to cause trouble.

All this caused Xiang Ji to abandon Zhu City and lead his army to Xiling County (Xinzhou, Hubei Province) where Emperor Qin Shi Huang died of illness...

Although the journey was only over a hundred miles, the Chu army marched for five full days. The soldiers lacked food and clothing. In addition to frostbite on their feet, typhoid was prevalent. Dozens of people fell down along the way every day and never woke up. .

After arriving in Xiling County, they found that the place had been burned to the ground and there was nowhere to search for food. The Chu army even had to go hunting in the snow-covered mountains and forests by themselves, hoping to catch wild boars and deer by chance, but this would increase the risk of hunting. The possibility of being attacked by small enemy forces has increased, and losses continue to increase.

"This is not the way to go!"

The generals who had clamored to come to the west to cut their flesh retreated, and some began to suggest that Xiang Yu withdraw his troops and return to Huainan.

But the way back was no longer open.

"Danyang Anpu, the defeated general has been taken by Jiangdong's boat division to the north of Pengli Ze. He blocked my return route, burned the boat beams, and cut off the news between our army and Huainan. If we turn around and return, we will be attacked by the enemy. An attack from both land and water may be disadvantageous."

What is annoying is that the enemy army does not concentrate its forces to fight against them. Instead, it takes advantage of the boats to continuously harass and bleed the Chu army.

"It's better to keep moving forward!"

Yingbu felt aggrieved and said in a low voice: "They can't burn Nanjun too? Why don't we cross the Han River and go to Jiangling!"

Another capable general of Xiang Ji, General Pu, objected: "If we want to attack Jiangling, we must cross the Han River and Yunmeng River, which is not easier than crossing the river. If the enemy is intercepted by a boat division and attacked halfway across, The consequences could be disastrous!"

Dr. Zhao Sao of Sanlv agreed with General Pu: "However, the Ying Road is far away, and the Jiang and Xia are inaccessible. Now that things have happened, we must not go to Jiangling, but should return to Huainan as soon as possible, otherwise Huainan may be invaded by Jiangdong again."

The three of them were arguing constantly, but Xiang Ji's eyes were only staring at the cold water in the distance, and suddenly asked: "Can the Han River condense?"

A local man captured by the Chu army confessed. The old man said that he had lived for a long time and that since he was a child, he had only seen the Han River freeze once. It was a cold winter that could only happen once in a hundred years.

"God won't help me."

There was some sparkle in Xiang Ji's eyes. Even if it was so cold in Ye Neng this winter, it would be difficult for them to stay here for a whole month, waiting for the entire Han River to solidify for human and animal use. At that time, the Chu army will probably not only face the Nanjun and Hengshan soldiers who are avoiding the battle, but also be surrounded by enemy reinforcements from Guanzhong.

It must be admitted that this counterattack and this western expedition failed.

In this way, not only was the encirclement not broken, but the Chu army became a little more exhausted. Unless there was a major change in Heifu's camp, either he choked to death on his rice, or a certain general suddenly became hot-headed and rebelled, otherwise the situation would be difficult to reverse. .

But Xiang Ji is not willing to stop there!

"We are neither going west nor east."

He pointed at the crude map and said: "Go north, pass Shen and Xi, and go to Runan!"

"Runan? Going to Chen County?" Everyone looked at each other, not expecting it.

Xiang Ji's eyes sparkled again, full of fighting spirit. He was going to war again and making another gamble:

"Of course, since the south avoids fighting, we will go to the Central Plains to meet its main force, gather the troops of Han and Wei, and fight Heifu to the death!"

…

At the same time, Li Xian, who was in Wuchang and sent people to spy on the Chu army's movements day and night, was all red and beaming with joy.

"Auspicious snow heralds a good year. After this snow, there will be good news every day, and today there are three at once!"

"We need good news." Wei Jing was busy settling the resettled people in Hengshan and lost a lot of weight.

"First, the regent agrees with our strategy of avoiding the enemy's edge."

This was a dangerous move ordered by Li Xian, and they were not blamed for losing their territory.

"Secondly, General Zhao Tuo has arrived in Xiangyang. He led an army of 20,000 soldiers, all veterans of Nanjun and Hengshan. He immediately took over the defense of Jianghan and worked with the Nanjun militia to intercept Xiang Ji!"

Since the change of Yuan Dynasty, Heifu has also strengthened the construction of the army. Not only did he establish a general staff, he also appointed eight generals at once and divided the territory he controlled into eight military regions.

Jizhou Theater - General Han Xinxin, with Dong Yi as his deputy. Currently, there is only one area east of Hedong, but in the future it will include the entire north of the river. It is responsible for the attacks on Zhao, Wei, and Yan, all under the single-handed command of Han Xin.

Central Plains War Zone - Dongmen Bao is appointed as the general, and Zhao Ben is the deputy. He is currently in charge of the war in Sanchuan and Nanyang. This is the main passage out of the east. He will face the main forces of Chu, Wei and Han. Heifu will go there in person in the future. .

Northern War Zone - Zhang Han is appointed as the general, and Wu Chen is the deputy, in charge of the war in Beidi, Shuofang and Shangjun. The enemy is naturally the Xiongnu Maodun Chanyu who is still entrenched in Beijia and Yunzhong.

Jianghan War Zone - Zhao Tuo is appointed as the general, with Lieutenant Gong as his deputy, in charge of the war in Nanjun, Hengshan and Yuzhang, in order to protect his hometown and resist Xiang Yu's attack.

Southeast War Zone - Wu Rui is appointed as the general, and Wei Yang is the deputy. He is in charge of Kuaiji, Danyang, Wu Commandery, and the boat division. The goal is to harass the Chu Kingdom from the rear.

Haidai War Zone - Cao Shen is appointed as the general. As long as Jiaodong is there for one day, he can hold back some of the troops of Qi and Chu.

In addition, there is the Liangzhou War Zone - Xiao Tao is appointed as the general, and Zhou Chang is the deputy, guarding Bashu and Hanzhong.

Southern War Zone - Gong Ao served as general, in charge of the entire Lingnan, Changsha, and central Guizhou.

Heifu felt that if he put his efforts together and discovered talents with potential, he might be able to build a founding country... no, ZTE's top ten marshals.

In this way, coupled with the winged men who rushed to the place with General Yin, the command of each theater was not as chaotic as before.

"So good!"

Wei Jing only felt that the decisive battle that they had been waiting for so long to completely unify the world and eliminate the war might really be coming!

"It seems that as soon as the snow melts, Brother Zhong will immediately send troops and march eastward!"

“You don’t have to wait for the ice to melt.”

Li Xian told him the third good news:

"I just got good news. Luoyang, the old capital of Zhou Dynasty and a famous city in the world, has been surrendered to the regent!"

…

ps: Chapter 2 is at night.