The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

"If one general is incompetent, the whole army will suffer."

In mid-March, a few miles south of Qicheng, the Chu army lined up behind the city. Looking at the exhausted Chu soldiers who had been defeated for half a month, Xiang Yan, the Supreme State General, was filled with sadness.

As early as February, although Xiang Yan noticed Wang Jian's intention to suddenly attack the Chu Bi camp with a large army and evacuated the soldiers and civilians in advance, he still underestimated the combat effectiveness of the 30,000 warriors and sharp soldiers selected by Wang Jian. They bit the tail of the Chu army and fought a fierce battle on the banks of the Ying River, resulting in the death of 10,000 Chu soldiers and the loss of 30,000 civilians.

Xiang Yan could only fight and retreat. He did not listen to the order of the King of Chu and led his army to evacuate to Shouchun in the south of the Huai River, because he believed that the Ying River could provide continuous grain ship supplies for the Qin army.

He used the same trick he used against Li Xin, and kept retreating to the east where there were no big rivers flowing, hoping to lengthen the Qin army's supply line, and at the same time let the civilians with little combat power stay in the cities, while the combat troops were always concentrated together. This was done in the hope that the Qin army would divide its troops while conquering cities, so that the number of people on both sides could be equalized.

Only in this way could the Chu army have a chance of winning.

According to the plan, the Qin army would become more and more tired, and the number of people would become smaller and smaller, but Wang Jian seemed to see through his intentions, and changed his previous prudent attitude. After crossing the Honggou and Yingshui, he let the soldiers only carry ten days of food, and ignored the many "traps" left by Xiang Yan along the way, and led the army to bite the main force of the Chu army.

Although the two armies did not come into contact, the activity areas of the scouts they sent out were completely overlapping, and sporadic confrontations were carried out every day.

Wang Jian's goal was clear. As long as he could fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Chu army as soon as possible and defeat it, the Chu State would lose its resistance. At that time, the army could advance to Suishui and meet with the grain ships sent by the Northern Army, retreat to Yingshui and Honggou to get food, and then slowly capture the cities of Chu.

When Xiang Yan learned that the Qin army Meng Wu had broken through Ruyin, crossed the Yingshui River, and appeared dozens of miles to his southeast, and the Qin army led by Feng Wuzhe had cruised to Fuli Pass more than a hundred miles to the north, he realized that he wanted to lead Wang Jian into a trap, but Wang Jian had surrounded him in turn!

This strategic encirclement within a range of hundreds of miles was terrifying. Xiang Yan knew that he had no way to retreat. If he continued to retreat, the encirclement would become smaller and smaller. The only chance was to stop in Qinan and fight the Qin army to the death!

But he was no longer sure whether he could win.

"Shangzhuguo should not say discouraging words."

At this moment, the weather was cloudy and wet, with drizzling rain. Seeing Xiang Yan sighing after inspecting the army's situation, Zuo Sima Zhaohua comforted him: "The Qin army has also been dragged by our army for more than 200 miles. The Chu people are exhausted, and the Qin army is also exhausted. Moreover, there are tens of thousands of stones of grain in Qicheng, which is enough for our entire army to eat for six days. In order to catch up with our army, the Qin army only took a small amount of food on the road, leaving the baggage behind. At this moment, I am afraid that they are close to running out of food. This is the weakest moment for them!"

What's more, Qicheng is also the place that brought good luck to the Chu army in the last war. More than a year ago, Xiang Yan gathered the Chu army here and marched towards Chengfu, following the arrogant Li Xin and defeating him in one fell swoop.

Although the lonely and empty winter scenery at that time has now been replaced with lush green spring clothes, Zhaohua believes that Shangzhuguo will be able to create miracles here again!

When the rain stopped, Xiang Yan regained his confidence. He ordered his son Xiang Rong to take more than a hundred people to Xiapi, two hundred miles northeast, and Xiang's territory to see if he could bring more people. He rode with Zhaohua and others to inspect the surrounding terrain and choose a place for the decisive battle.

"Rainy weather is a good thing for us."

Xiang Yan said to Zhaohua and the generals of the Jing and Qu families that the roads were muddy, the fields were flooded, and the rivers were swollen. The Qin people might not be accustomed to the climate here, and the advance of the Mengwu tribe, dozens of miles away in the south, would also become difficult.

Although Wang Jian was so powerful that he set up a large encirclement of hundreds of miles wide for Xiang Yan and 100,000 Chu troops within the territory of Chu, he could not have calculated the weather, so there was a flaw in this encirclement, that is, the southern and northern Qin troops could not arrive here in a short time, which gave the Chu army an opportunity.

But how could Wang Jian not know? Zhou Wen reported that more than 100,000 Qin troops stopped more than ten miles to the west and began to set up camp. They were not in a hurry to attack the Chu army.

"Wang Jian wants to wait for the northern and southern armies to join forces, and then attack me with twice the force."

Xiang Yan knew the plan of this old opponent very well. He did not bother to dry his beard and hair in the tent, and pointed at the map with his rain-soaked hands and said: "Feng Wuze's troops of the northern Qin army were blocked by Fuli Pass and can only arrive in three days! Meng Wu's troops of the southern army hurriedly marched a hundred miles to seek benefits, and encountered cloudy and rainy weather, so they can arrive at the earliest tomorrow!"

There was only one chance in front of Xiang Yan, that is to create a time difference and defeat the Qin army's central army, which was not much different from the Chu army in number! In this way, there might be a glimmer of hope!

"The Art of War says that the enemy surrounds me and cuts off my front and back. This is the most difficult thing in the world. If you use it suddenly, you will win; if you use it slowly, you will lose."

Since Wang Jian set up camp and did not move forward, Xiang Yan could only take the initiative to counterattack and attack the Qin army!

"Jing Rui, Jing Ju!"

Xiang Yan first named the two brothers of the Jing family in the general's tent.

"Your father, Grand Marshal Jing Yang, was resourceful. He once sent troops to rescue Yan, defeated Qi and Wei, and subdued the princes. Today, Chu is in danger. Are you two willing to lead the Jing family soldiers to defend me against the enemy?"

Jing Rui was brave and liked to drink but was too reckless. Jing Ju was a little smart but liked to speculate. They were not people Xiang Yan liked, but the Jing family was the head of the three major clans, with a full 20,000 troops, so he had to rely on them.

At present, Xiang Yan hoped that the Jing brothers could take the Jing soldiers to the south to block the Mengwu army that might arrive at the battlefield at any time. As long as they could hold out for one more day, there would be a chance for them to win when they attacked Wang Jian's army alone.

The two Jing brothers looked at each other and left. Xiang Yan also selected the Qu, Zhao and Xiang families, with a total of 90,000 soldiers, led by nine lieutenants. This was all the troops he could mobilize.

"The Qin army has just arrived and the camp is not strong. Tonight, we will set up four Wu Chong Chen and use military chariots and cavalry to scare and disrupt their army. After breakfast tomorrow, we will fight them!"

That night, the Xingjun and the Zhuijun of both sides fought countless times in an area of more than ten miles. The Chu army had been trying to use its familiarity with the terrain to harass the Qin camp. The Qin army also set up defenses everywhere, leaving no opportunity for the Chu army to take advantage of. In addition, it rained a little in the middle of the night, and the Chu army's plan to burn the camp ended in failure.

At noon the next day, the sudden rain had just stopped, and after the whole army had a full meal, at the beginning of the morning (9 to 11 o'clock), more than 90,000 troops and horses came out of the camp one after another, and set up their battle array in a range of four or five miles in front of the camp, and then slowly advanced to the Qin camp more than ten miles away in the west!

Xiang Yan had considered the reason for choosing to march in the morning. The Chu camp was in the south of Qicheng, with its back against the city, sitting north and facing south, while the Qin camp was sitting west and facing east. Therefore, today the weather was clear and the sun came out again. In the morning, the camp was invited to fight. The sun was in the east, and the Qin army went out to fight and lined up, just to face the dazzling sunlight, which was more beneficial to the Chu army.

After all, it was a temporary camp set up the day before. The Qin army had no barriers to protect it, and they did not dare to stay in the camp and avoid fighting like in winter. Therefore, when they heard the drums in the Chu camp and saw them coming out in full force and lining up outside the camp, they knew that Xiang Yan was going to fight him, and they did not show weakness.

Wang Jian immediately ordered all the captains to lead the troops out of the camp and line up in front of the camp, waiting for the Chu army to attack in the west where the terrain was higher.

The Qin Central Army originally had 150,000 soldiers, but because some soldiers and horses were left behind along the way, all the baggage was left behind, so there were now 120,000 combat troops.

Together with the 90,000 Chu troops, the two sides had a total of more than 200,000 troops, who lined up on this piece of land with a radius of dozens of miles, densely packed with hills, farmlands, and even streams. The spears they held were really an endless forest, and the neighing of people and horses was noisier than any city.

For a time, in the southwest of Qicheng, flags covered the sky, and war drums and horns continued. The rainy weather for many days seemed to be completely dispersed by the murderous aura of more than 200,000 people. The dazzling sunlight broke through the clouds and illuminated the flags of the commanders of both sides.

Under the red flag of the Chu army, Xiang Yan's hair and beard were standing up. He was wearing a bright red armor with a pair of burning phoenix reliefs flying on the bronze armor. His cloak was blown up by the wind, and under the light of the rising sun, it also looked like a ball of fluttering flames, which rekindled the already cold hearts of the Chu people.

Xiang Yan shouted solemnly in the car: "The King of Qin has a greedy heart and sent troops to attack us, wanting to destroy our country and our people. The Qin invaders have been in the country for half a year, and we have no way to retreat. If we fight, we will live, and if we are cowardly, we will die! Whether your family and wife will become Qin captives, and whether the Chu country will survive or die for 800 years, all depends on this battle!"

And ten miles away, Wang Jian's high-ranking flag (dào), also with a dragon flag and feathers, fluttered in the wind.

General Wang was still as energetic as he was in the past. Although his armor was not as gorgeous as that of the Chu general, he was still majestic. His hair was tied under his crown and his long sword was hung on his waist. Looking at the endless red Chu formation approaching, he smiled and asked his soldiers to pass on a message to the Qin army:

"According to the king's order, we have mobilized all our troops, and have been marching to the border of Chu for half a year. You two should eat well and rest for half a year, just for this day! We are not alone. The northern and southern armies will arrive in a moment. After this battle, we can report the victory to the king and reward everyone with merits and titles. The 3,000-mile territory of Chu will also be yours!"

The soldiers of Qin and Chu shouted loudly, and they could also hear the familiar yet unfamiliar accents of each other, penetrating a distance of ten miles and rushing towards them!

Wang Jian and Xiang Yan knew it clearly.

Qin and Chu have been in a 23-generation alliance.

Since the time of King Hui of Qin and King Huai of Chu, there has been a 100-year-long feud.

These two hostile countries will soon have a final victory here, in Qinan!