Chapter 87: Battle of Chu and Qi Sishui (3) [two in one]
In the early morning of the fourth day of October, the Qi troops stationed at Fuli Fortress quietly evacuated from the fortress at midnight last night, led by Qi veteran Tian Ao, and headed towards "Pengcheng" in the north, leaving only Qi general Tian Wu led 3,000 soldiers to cut off the rear, and was responsible for setting fire to the fortress after the army evacuated.
"set fire!"
Following the order of Qi General Tian Wu, his Qi soldiers held torches and ignited the accumulated tinder, turning the fortress into a sea of flames in a short period of time.
It has to be said that Fuli Fortress was ill-fated. When Xiang Mo, the general of the Chu State who was stationed here, was forced to evacuate, he set a fire to burn the fortress. From then on, the fortress fell into Later, the Qi people repaired the fortress and sent the famous general Tian Dan to garrison here. To this day, Qi generals Tian Ao and Tian Wu also set fire to the fortress again when they were forced to evacuate.
After staring at the fortress in flames for a few times, Tian Wu quickly ordered his Duanhou troops to evacuate immediately and chased his father Tian Ao's large army, because he knew that the fire in Fuli Fortress would definitely not be hidden from Chu Gongzi Yangcheng Jun. Xiong Tuo believed that a large number of Chu troops would arrive to take over the fortress in a short time.
"..."
After taking one last deep look at the fortress, Tian Wu turned and left.
The generals who were familiar with this general swallowed their saliva. Unlike the old general Tian Ao who was approachable and smiling all day long, Tian Wu was not good at words. He was usually a boring gourd, and if he got angry, he would say nothing. Not posting is so dull that it makes people feel more stressed.
Just like at this moment, even if they knew clearly that it had nothing to do with them, the soldiers and generals on the side did not dare to look directly into Tian Wu's eyes. Although they also knew that although Tian Wu was a barbarian, he would not do anything to vent his anger on innocent people. People's affairs.
Just as Tian Wu expected, when the fire broke out in Fuli Fortress, someone in the Chu army camp stationed more than ten or twenty miles south of the fortress immediately reported this urgent military situation to Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng.
"Fu Li Sai is on fire?"
After hearing the news, Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed as if he had thought of something.
After laughing, he glanced at the many nobles and generals who were sitting or standing in the tent, and suddenly said softly: "Xiang Xing, I will give you three thousand soldiers to capture Fulisai for my master."
"Yes!" Xiang Xing, who could only stand in the corner of the tent due to his position, accepted the order with clasped fists. Under the envious or jealous eyes of many nobles and generals in the tent, he turned around and left the tent.
Only one person has never expressed anything. This person is Xiang Xing's father, "Xiyang Lord Xiang Gong". He was the clan brother and subordinate of "Runan Lord Xiong Hao" at that time, and he is also the Chu State who now strongly supports Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo. One of the nobles.
Perhaps noticing the expressions of the generals in the tent, especially the nobles, Xiong Tuolang, Lord of Yangcheng, said with a smile: "I will give this credit to the youngest general in our army commander's tent. You guys will not mind." Right?"
Hearing this, everyone in the tent looked at each other and smiled. After all, in this handsome tent, Xiang Xing, the son of Xiyang Lord Xiang Gong, is indeed the closest to him. Furthermore, considering that Xiyang Lord Xiang Gong has gone to Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo After losing the eldest son and the second son, only the third son Xiang Xing was left. Under such circumstances, Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng, favored Xiang Xing, which is human nature.
In fact, everyone knows that when Fuli Fortress caught fire, it must have been because the Qi army stationed at Fulisai learned that the war situation in Donghai County was unfavorable, and was afraid that Fuli Fortress would become a lonely fortress, so they decided to retreat and set fire to it while withdrawing. Therefore, Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, asked Xiang Xing to lead troops to Fuli Fortress this time, which was purely to give the latter the credit for nothing.
But Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo had already said this, and they couldn't say much. After all, although everyone in the tent was gathered here because of their combined interests, it was undeniable that there was still a difference between closeness and distance, like Xiyang Jun Xianggong and his son are the most trusted confidants of Yangcheng Jun Xiong Tuo. This is also human nature.
As for the people of the "Xiang clan" like veteran Xiang Yan, Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei and other people in the tent, they will not say much about it. Compared with the past, they were like fire and water, and now there are still gaps, but they are hidden and not revealed. Although there are "Xiong Clan of Chuxi" and "Xiong Clan of Chudong", the internal conflicts within the Xiang clan are not serious.
Therefore, Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei quickly turned his attention to the situation at hand: "The Qi army withdrew from Fuli Fortress, I am afraid they have received an order from the King of Qi."
Having said this, he shook his head and said in a bit of disbelief: "I originally thought that the Qi National Congress would deploy its elite troops in Donghai County, but I didn't expect..."
A few days ago, they received good news from Shouling Lord Jingyun and Diyang Lord Xiong Li from the Tancheng area of Donghai County, saying that their two armies defeated Qi's Donghai Navy and Donglai Army, allowing Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei to It feels so unexpected to wait for others.
After hearing this, Lord Zhangyang Xiong Zheng smiled and said: "This shows that Qi Gongzi Bai is not as talented as Qi Wang Xixiong after all... The feud between our country of Chu and Qi for more than thirty years will finally have the opportunity to repay it today."
Upon hearing these words, everyone in the tent, including Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, felt their blood boiling. Regardless of the many conflicts between the people of Chuxi and Chudong, they still had to deal with the two issues of "retaliating against Qi" and "opening up new territory". In this battle, the attitudes of both sides are consistent and their interests are aligned. This is why Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, responded to everything during this battle - because no one would oppose him on these two matters.
As long as he takes this opportunity to defeat Qi or even annex Qi, Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng, will be able to successfully replace his father Xiong Xu, king of Chu, and become the new king of Chu without any surprise.
After looking around at the people in the tent who were in high spirits, Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, said in a deep voice: "The people of Qi have abandoned their defense and left the fortress. Now that the only obstacle in front of our army has been removed, it is time to launch a massive attack on Qi. !... Send the order, the three armies will break out of camp and attack "Pengcheng"!"
"Yes!" Everyone in the tent stood up and clasped their fists in response.
At this time, Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, looked at Xiang Pei, Lord of Xinyang. After thinking for a moment, he said seriously: "Jun Xinyang, I hope you will lead your troops to attack Xiangcheng, and then send your army to the north. , to invade the State of Lu. In the meantime, you can contact General Xiang Mo to discuss matters in the meantime."
Upon hearing this, Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei knew that Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo was preparing to attack Lu State - unlike the wealthy Qi State, the city of Lu State was not very wealthy, and the only thing that attracted Chu State was What attacked Lu was only the smelting technology possessed by the latter.
The wealth of Qi and the craftsmanship of Lu are the real reasons why Chu strongly supports Wei this time, brazenly aligning at the same time, and Lu declares war.
"Follow the order!" Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei responded solemnly.
The next day, after confirming that Fu Li Fortress had been received, Yangcheng Jun Xiong Tuo sent his confidant "Xi Yang Jun Xiang Gong" to garrison Fu Li Fortress and rebuild the empty fortress that was set on fire by the Qi army. The building was repaired and Fu Li fortress became the center of the Chu State's food route to attack Qi State and the Lu State.
In addition, Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng, divided his troops into two groups. The partial force was led by Xiang Pei, the king of Xinyang, to attack Xiangcheng, bypass Pengcheng and drive directly to the state of Lu; while he himself led the main force of the Chu army and marched towards Go to Pengcheng.
According to Xiong Tuo's judgment, Qi generals Tian Ao and Tian Wu may try to stop them in Pengcheng after abandoning their guards and leaving the fortress.
In fact, just as Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, had guessed, Qi generals Tian Ao and Tian Wu chose to garrison Pengcheng after abandoning Fu and leaving the fortress, intending to block the Chu army here.
After retreating to Pengcheng, Qi general Tian Ao called his son Tian Wu to the study and told him: "A Wu, you must lead the army to support Donghai County this time!"
After hearing this, Tian Wu asked in confusion: "Father, are you planning to garrison in Pengcheng?"
No wonder Tian Wu was confused, because the Wang Ling sent to them by King Lu Bai of Qi clearly stated: If the retreat is not cut off by the Chu army, they will retreat to Donghai County; otherwise, they will retreat to Donghai County. He retreated to the territory of Lu State and retreated to Taishan County.
Tian Ao thought for a while, stroking his gray beard and said: "I want to meet the Chu army again in Pengcheng." After that, he didn't wait for his son Tian Wu to speak, and said with a smile: "Pengcheng also has the danger of Surabaya, so I haven't tried it. You cannot stop the Chu army here."
However, although Tian Wu seemed to be reckless and rude, he was actually not a foolhardy general. After hearing his father's words, he frowned and thought for a moment, and then said to the point: "Father, do you want to help the Lu State?" Are you going to stop the Chu army?"
Tian Ao was stunned for a moment, then fell into silence. After a long silence, he nodded.
To be fair, despite the current war situation, it seems that Qi is at a disadvantage, but in detail, the so-called skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Qi still has the ability to protect itself. At least in a short period of time, the Chu army It is not even possible to defeat Qi.
But Lu State is different. First of all, Lu State does not have as many troops as Qi State. More importantly, Lu State lacks generals who are good at fighting-Wei State has Wei Gongzi Zhao Run, Nanliang King Zhao Zuo, as well as Shao Hu, Sima An, Jiang Bi, Wei Ji, etc., Qi State has Tian Ao, Tian Wu, Tian Dan, Tian Tao, Zou Ji, Lu Qiutai, Ji Mi, etc., Korea has Li Mu, Le Yi, Bao Yuan, Jin Piao, Dangyin Hou Han Yang, Yang The Marquis of Yi, Han Xu, etc., the Chu State had Xiang Mo, Xiang Juan, Xiang Yan, Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu, etc., the Pseudo-Song Dynasty had Xiangdong, the Yue State had Wu Qi, and even the Wei State had one Wei Gong Ziyu, and who is there in the state of Lu?
The capable scholar-bureaucrats such as "Uncle Ji" were actually officials skilled in internal affairs. The general Ji Wu currently in charge of the Lu army was only able to become the commander-in-chief of the Lu army because of the status of his father and family. , However, looking at the Central Plains, this Ji Wu is probably just an ordinary general.
The State of Lu really lacks generals.
Therefore, Qi General Tian Ao really did not dare to expose the Lu State to the Chu army's attack range, because he knew clearly that without the support and assistance of his Qi State army, the Lu State would not be able to withstand the Chu army. The offensive, and the embarrassing thing is that the Qi State, which once overwhelmingly pushed the Chu State into the mud during the era of Qi King Lu Xi, now needs to gather all the domestic forces to be able to block the Chu State. Attack - In this case, how could the Qi State spare any effort to support the Lu State?
Therefore, under the current situation that the Qi State is not completely disadvantaged in the war, Qi General Tian Ao considered the overall situation and felt that he had to block the Chu army for the Lu State, at least through this winter. After all, if the Lu State He was quickly defeated and even destroyed at the hands of the Chu army. This was also a heavy blow to the Qi State.
After receiving his father's affirmation, Tian Wu frowned and said, "In that case, I will stay in Pengcheng."
Again, he was not worried about his old father, who was over sixty years old, staying alone in Pengcheng to face the hundreds of thousands of Chu troops under the command of Xiong Tuo, the king of Yangcheng.
However, after hearing this, Tian Ao said for the first time in a tone that could not be refuted: "No, you must go to Donghai County." After saying that, he shook his head and explained: "Although the army under Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo is the The main force of the Chu army, but as far as the current battle situation is concerned, the key lies in Donghai County. As long as Donghai County curbs the momentum of the Chu army, several other battlefields will have a chance to breathe. Ji Mi and Donglai of the East Navy Although Zou Ji of the army is a general, he may not be able to gain an advantage in a short time. What's more, in the current critical situation, if you don't go to Donghai County, Linzi will probably transfer the garrison to Ning. Tian Dan of Yang, asked him to guard Donghai County... This matter must not be done. In the Ningyang area, there is Chu State General Xiang Mo. Now that Tian Dan has restrained Xiang Mo, he can protect the peace of Lu State. Once Tian Dan If he is transferred back to his homeland, the Lu State will most likely be destroyed by Xiang Mo. If the Lu State is destroyed, I am afraid that the Qi Dynasty will also..."
"But..." Tian Wu showed a hint of hesitation on his face.
Seeing this, Tian Ao said with a smile: "Shuzi, I have been a soldier all my life. Even if my strength is not as strong as it was back then, an extraordinary person can defeat me. Even if I suffer a defeat, I can retreat to the state of Lu, so there is nothing to worry about." of?"
After hearing this, Tian Wu thought about it carefully.
He could not deny that although the old father in front of him was far inferior to him in terms of bravery, in terms of seeing the situation clearly, Tian Wu thought that he was still not as comprehensive and thorough as his father.
After careful consideration, Tian Wu finally nodded in agreement.
The next day, Qi general Tian Wu led 30,000 troops to Donghai County.
When Tian Wu led his army to Tancheng in Donghai County, Chu State's Shouling Lord Jingyun and Diyang Lord Xiong Li were launching a siege against Tancheng that had lasted for three days.
It turned out that after the harassment tactics were implemented a while ago, Chu general Yangyou observed the demeanor of the Qi troops in Tancheng every day. He saw that the Qi troops were extremely tired due to continuous fighting and lack of adequate sleep at night, so he asked for instructions. Shouling Jun Jingyun launched an all-out attack on Tancheng.
Shouling Lord Jingyun certainly believed in the judgment of General Yang You, so he invited Diyang Lord Xiong Li. The two used all their troops to attack Tancheng, almost forcing the Qi army in Tancheng to a dead end.
After temporarily repelling the Chu army again with difficulty, Zou Ji, the commander-in-chief of the Donglai Army, could not help complaining to Ji Mi, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Navy: "If you listened to my words and retreated early, how could you and I end up like this?"
Ji Mi smiled bitterly and said nothing.
As the garrison general of Donghai County, how could he retreat in fear of the Chu army's massive attack, exposing the empty defenses of Langya County and Beihai County to the Chu army's eyes?
After thinking about it, he said apologetically to Zou Ji: "Ji feels extremely sorry for causing trouble to General Zou. If you and I are lucky enough to survive after this battle, Ji will definitely buy a banquet to apologize to General Zou Ji."
As soon as he said this, Zou Ji felt embarrassed.
In the final analysis, the two of them only differed on tactics: Ji Mi believed that as a general of Qi, he should defend every inch of the country without giving in and attack the Chu army outside the country; while Zou Ji believed that before he could
When both the Donghai Navy and Donglai Army have been severely demoralized by the Chu army, they should first retreat strategically and regain their morale. Only in this way can they have a chance to turn defeat into victory. If they only focus on the gains and losses of one city and one place, they will only
They will be led by the Chu army, with no possibility of victory.
Facts have proved that Zou Ji's judgment was very accurate. If Ji Mi had listened to his advice a while ago, even if Tancheng was captured by the Chu army, the Donghai Navy and Donglai Army could retain most of their troops. After rebuilding their morale,
If you wait for the opportunity to move, you may not become a threat to the Chu army.
Unfortunately, Ji Mi did not listen to Zou Ji's advice, so that his two armies, the Donghai Navy and the Donglai Army, were pinned down in Tancheng and were subjected to endless attacks and harassment by the Chu army day after day. The soldiers therefore
With exhausted energy and low morale, is there any possibility of turning defeat into victory?
But now that things have happened, it is useless to talk about it anymore.
"Report! Two generals, the Chu army is attacking the city again!"
A hurried messenger interrupted the conversation between Ji Mi and Zou Ji.
After giving Ji Mi a helpless look, Ji Mi said in an evil tone: "Remember your words, if you are lucky enough to survive this battle, you owe me a banquet!"
"It should, it should." Ji Mi nodded with a smile, but his smile was a little bitter.
In fact, Ji Mi and Zou Ji both understood each other that neither their soldiers nor the frank people could hold on for long. If the reinforcements sent from Linzi failed to arrive in time, then as generals, they might only have to fight.
This is the ending of the battlefield.
However, to Ji Mi and Zou Ji's surprise, at the most critical moment of the siege, when Tancheng was about to be captured by the Chu army, reinforcements from Linzi did not arrive in the north of the city. However, there was an army
Under the banner of "Qi", they attacked the Chu army from the rear.
"Reinforcements! Reinforcements!"
The joy of surviving the desperate situation made Ji Mi, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Navy, shout with joy, which also shocked the morale of the Qi army on the city.
On the other hand, Zou Ji, the commander-in-chief of Donglai Army, was relatively calm. He looked at the Qi army in the distance of the battlefield with surprise, and secretly muttered in his heart: Is it our Qi army? But I don’t know which army it is?
At this time, in the main formation of the Chu army that was being attacked, Shouling Lord Jingyun was also paying attention to the Qi army that suddenly appeared in a panic, exclaiming and asking around: "Where is that Qi army?"
Road army?"
Shaking his head left and right.
At this time, Chu general Yangyou also noticed the Qi army emerging from the rear of his own army, and frowned deeply.
Because in his impression, there should be no Qi army coming out from behind.
Suddenly, Yang You had an idea and secretly said in his heart: Could it be the Qi army stationed at Fuli Sai?
A moment later, when he saw the general's flag with the character "田" in the Qi army opposite him, Yang You became even more convinced.
At the same time, they are more optimistic about this battle - the Qi army stationed at Fuli Fortress was forced to abandon the fortress. Doesn't this mean that their Chu army has a greater advantage?
Thinking of this, he waved his hand and ordered: "The three armies will leave Tancheng alone for the time being and use all their strength to meet the invading Qi army!"
With an order, the hundreds of thousands of Chu troops here turned around and launched a counterattack against the Qi army that sneaked up on them.
The Qi army that sneaked into the Chu army was the one led by Tian Wu to support Donghai County. Facing the tidal-like offensive of hundreds of thousands of Chu troops, Tian Wu had no expression on his face and was not afraid, waving his hands.
With the iron spear as thick as a child's arm in his hand, he leapt on horseback and fought at the forefront of the battlefield.
During this period, all the Chu soldiers and generals who met him, whether they were soldiers or generals, were swept away by him with his spears, and they were defeated step by step, so that some Chu soldiers couldn't help but be secretly shocked: Could this be this person?
Tian Dan?
Of course, Tian Wu is not Tian Dan, but on the current battlefield, the force displayed by Tian Wu is absolutely inferior to even Tian Dan.
As Tian Wu slaughtered the oncoming Chu soldiers with no expression on his face, like tigers like sheep, not only the morale of the Qi soldiers behind him was greatly boosted, but even the Qi soldiers on the Tancheng city also saw that
It's blood boiling and morale soaring.
"This kind of force...is General Tian Wu!"
After Tian Wu was so powerful that he led his army to the Chu army's main formation, the chief general of the Donglai Army, Zou Ji, after some thought, said with great joy: "It's General Tian Wu who is leading his army to help!"
After that, he turned to the commander of the Eastern Navy, Ji Mi, and said: "While the Chu army's attention is on General Tian Wu, we can take the opportunity to attack and assist General Tian Wu in launching a two-sided attack on the Chu army!"
Ji Mi nodded repeatedly.
As a result, the gates of Tancheng were opened, and Zou Ji, the commander of Donglai Army, led the soldiers in the city whose morale had been boosted by Tian Wu's army to come to support and killed them.
"..."
Noticing this, Tian Wu sent his generals to attack the Chu army's main formation, while he himself rushed into the hinterland of the Chu army's formation, striving to join Zou Ji's Donglai army as soon as possible.
After fighting fiercely for most of an hour, Chu General Yang You saw that his formation had been smashed to pieces by Qi General Tian Wu, and he sighed with regret.
Although the era of fierce generals has long ended, it cannot be denied that on the battlefield, strong generals like Lian Pi, Wu Ji, and Tian Wu who have the ability to defeat enemy generals on their own are indeed easier to defeat on the battlefield than some commanders who are good at military strategy.
Boost the morale of soldiers.
No, as Tian Wu once again expressionlessly killed a Chu army general, the Qi army, which was clearly far smaller in number than the Chu army, burst out with cheers that seemed to overwhelm everything on the battlefield.
The sound was drowned out.
In this case, even though the Chu army was still numerically superior, they could only temporarily withdraw their troops to avoid the attack of Qi general Tian Dan.
At this time, in Linzi, the capital of Qi State, just as Qi State veteran Tian Ao guessed, Qi King Lu Bai was discussing with Zhao Zhao, Tian Dan, Lian Chen, Bao Shu, Guan Zhong and others whether Tian should be transferred to Linzi.
Dan was transferred back to Qi from Ningyang.
This incident will greatly affect the future war situation among Qi, Lu, and Chu.