On April 18th, in Shouchun City, the capital of Jiujiang County, "rebels" lit torches and spread throughout the southern suburbs of Shouchun City, making the night sky dark and red, and the flames glowing.
It was not because of the rebellion of the Southern Expeditionary Army that Jiujiang County was ordered to assist Feng Wuze in suppressing the rebellion, which left the county empty. However, after the news of "the death of the First Emperor" came, rebellions broke out one after another in several counties around Shouchun.
Now that a month has passed, the rebels have become a traitor and have begun to gather together to plot to seize Shouchun.
Since the Jiujiang County governor and most of the county soldiers were not in the city, it was left to the defender and the Qin officials to nervously prepare for the battle.
However, the atmosphere outside the city was very relaxed. In the temporary camp, which was so simple that it could be called a shack, a contest that Chu people liked was going on. There were many onlookers and cheers could be heard endlessly.
Their shouts were so loud that every time they shouted, the hands of the sparse county soldiers at the top of the city trembled, and they could hardly hold their weapons steady.
Not long after, the cheers reached the climax, but in the dusty arena, among the desperadoes, Yingbu, who was known as a brave man, had never lost in a fight, but today he was defeated by his opponent, the shirtless man
The heavy eyes full of muscles easily fell to the ground!
Yingbu straightened up and quickly rolled away before the opponent attacked to avoid a greater failure. He then handed over to Chongtong'er: "Major General, Yingbu lost!"
Xiang Yu, who was only twenty-three or twenty-four years old, still had some unfinished ideas and wanted to fight Yingbu a few more times. However, Fan Zeng, whom he called his "sub-father", shook his head and chose to stop. He also praised Yingbu:
"You're not bad, you can go back and forth with me for several rounds."
"The young general's magical power is inferior to Yingbu's."
Yingbu refused to accept it, so he brought seven to eight hundred prisoners and knights from six counties to surrender to Xiang Yu. There was nothing to do in the camp, and they only had fun fighting each other. After the two fought against each other, Yingbu realized that this title was indeed well-deserved.
.
It is said that Xiang Ji, as the direct grandson of the Xiang family, learned swordsmanship and the art of war from his uncle Xiang Liang when he was young, and was quite famous for his bravery.
Later, the Xiang family suffered disaster, Xiang Liang moved away, his family was raided, and Xiang Bo fled. Xiang Ji fought his way south alone and fled south, entering the Yangtze River and becoming a thief with Huan Chu.
At that time, he was more than eight feet long, could carry a cauldron, and was so talented that all the bandits on the river were afraid of him and were willing to be controlled by him. Later, he entered Chao Lake, where his reputation became even greater, and he gathered thousands of dead people.
He continued to attack villages and towns, killing Qin officials who were extorting rent and forcing them to do corvee, which won the support of the local Chu people and gave the Luyi government a headache.
In the middle of last month, when Xiang Ji heard that the First Emperor was dead, the process of raising his troops to seize Luyi was even more legendary: he actually brought a few cronies into the county town, and asked the wise men in the city who had secret dealings with him to lie that he was
The captured Chaohu thieves were taken to the county magistrate for interrogation.
In the court, Xiang Ji, who was unarmed, snatched the sword of the attendant, drew his sword and chopped off the head of the county magistrate. The county soldiers in the court wanted to kill him, but Xiang Ji roared in anger, frightening everyone so that they did not dare to move, so they were captured without mercy.
.
Xiang Ji led more than ten people, holding the head of the county chief and wearing his seal and ribbon, and went straight to the command and command department. The county lieutenant blocked his way, but Xiang Ji, who was like a god descending from heaven, killed dozens of people under his command, and was shocked and disturbed. Finally, the county commander
The commanders and lieutenants were all killed by him, and Luyi was captured without any bloodshed.
At first Yingbu didn't believe there was such a person in the world, but now that he saw him, he realized that the rumors were probably true.
Xiang Ji is easy to make friends with, and he especially likes warriors. He hit it off with Yingbu, and while he was drinking and chatting with Yingbu, he asked, "Why do you want to join me?"
Yingbu also told the truth: "Of course I admire the name of the young general. Furthermore, the Xiang family has been well-known in Chu for generations. If we want to do great things now, he must be the one to do it. Yingbu is a despicable prisoner. If
If you can rely on famous clans, Qin will be destroyed!"
After hearing this, Xiang Ji secretly said: "Yafu's method is indeed good. It has indeed attracted the heroes who are involved in the Huainan uprising to rush to join us."
It turned out that after Xiang Yu captured Lu County, Fan Zeng proposed: "The Xiang family has been a Chu general for generations, and the Shangzhu State is even more powerful against the Qin State. He defeated Li Xin and saved the Chu State from danger. He has meritorious service, loves his soldiers, and the Chu people pity him."
Respect it."
"Although the Shangzhu Kingdom died, most of the people in Chu didn't know it. Some thought they were dead, or thought they were dead. Today, the young general should inherit the remaining power of the Xiang family, gather people to hold high the flag of the Shangzhu Kingdom, and use the name of "Reviving the Great Chu" to sing for the world.
, there will be many who respond!”
That night, Yingbu saw Xiang Ji's aristocratic temperament. Although he was brave and brave, he was respectful and kind to the virtuous and good men, and his words were disgusting. This made him feel that it was right to come to Xiang Ji.
It's just that he didn't know whether he forgot or something, but Xiang Ji didn't mention a word about Yingbu's expectation of "Captain Sima" and other positions.
He didn't care too much, after all, the ultimate goal was to "become the king". As for the empty title, it would not be too late to talk about it after he captured Shouchun.
…
The next day, when it was daylight, Xiang Ji invited Yingbu to inspect the camp together, preparing to launch another attack on the fortified Shouchun City.
It is early summer, and the clear Huaihe River is gurgling. On the bank of the Huaihe River, green apples have grown new leaves, and angelica dahuricas are sprouting and fragrant. There is a continuous jungle on the north bank, and you can walk along the swamps and paddy fields, and there are roads.
From Bada, you can see the vastness of the wilderness, and you can see all of Huainan for thousands of miles.
And Shouchun, the old capital that carried the last period of the Chu Kingdom, is standing in front!
Xiang Ji and Yingbu rushed to the front of the formation and pointed to the right:
"That's Zhongli over there. He used to be a member of the Chu army. Now he is in trouble in Zhongli and has brought more than a thousand people over."
Xiang Ji gritted his teeth and said, "Speaking of which, Zhongli is actually Hei Fu's old enemy. I heard a lot about this thief from him."
It can be seen that Xiang Ji does not have the slightest fondness for Wu Zhonghou, the first prince of Wuchang. After all, it was more than ten years ago that Heifu became famous by capturing Xiang Yan's military flag.
He pointed back again: "In front are Huanchu and Chaohu. The righteous soldiers of Luyi saw my great father's flag and heard that we were going to restore our old capital. All the Chu people along the way joined us enthusiastically."
The nearly a thousand prisoners, Qingxia, brought by Yingbu were placed in the west of the city.
"There are only two thousand county soldiers in the city, and the hearts of the Chu people in the city are on our side, and they will not help the Qin officials to defend the city. Now we have two or three sons to attack together. With five thousand people, we will attack the city with different levels."
Defeat it!"
Indeed, although they lacked all the armor and soldiers and looked like a rabble, their victory was due to their strong morale. On the other hand, the city was already in chaos.
At this time, Yingbu saw that there was an altar set up at the front of the position, and there was another person on it, an old man who was prostrating to the sky.
"Major General, what is that?"
Xiang Ji glanced at it, frowned and said, "It's Cai Ci, the former disciple of King Chu of Chu. He heard that I was raising troops to restore Chu, so he came to surrender with the secret "杌" of the history of Chu!"
Although Xiang Ji lost his father when he was young and loved martial arts, he didn't understand it very well and thought it was useless.
But his mastermind Fan Zeng paid special attention to it. He not only asked Xiang Ji to welcome Cai Ci ceremoniously, but also agreed to one of Cai Ci's requests...
Seeing Cai Ci with disheveled hair on the altar, with his hands in the air, as if he was performing an ancient ritual, Yingbu couldn't help but be surprised.
"Is he doing something wrong?"
Yingbu thought of a widely circulated joke in the Chu region: when Shouchun was about to die, the King of Chu was in despair and asked the Chu Wu to go to the city to summon Yun Zhongjun and use all the hundreds of thousands of Qin troops outside the city.
Thunder struck to death...
As a result, Chu Wu did not attract even a cloud. Qin general Heifu and others took the opportunity to attack the city under Wang Jian's order, broke through the city wall, and entered the palace. Chu died.
This old man Cai, isn't he doing the same thing?
Xiang Ji said, "Cai Ci is summoning spirits."
"May I ask which kind of soul you recruited?" Yingbu was surprised.
Xiang Ji became solemn.
"The people Cai Ci wants to recruit are the souls of the dead who died fighting to defend Chu State and resist the invasion of Qin invaders more than ten years ago!"
Just as he was talking, he heard Cai Ci say loudly in an old voice:
"The emperor told Wu Yang: There is someone here, and I want to help him. If his soul is separated, you can help him..."
"Wu Yang Yanai sent a message: The soul is back!"
"Don't go east, don't go south, don't go west, don't go north, don't go to heaven, don't go down to the capital!"
"Come back! Return to Ying!"
…
"You know, no matter how many times the Chu State moves its capital, or how many times our country is destroyed and destroyed, the new capital will always be named Ying."
Fan Zeng, a nester who was over seventy but increasingly wise, came to Xiang Yu and Yingbu, stroked his beard and said:
"The capital of Chu was originally located in Danyang and was named Ying. Later, due to various reasons, either due to the growth of the country or to avoid strong enemies, it was moved many times. However, no matter how it was moved, the new capital would still be named 'Ying'
.”
In the "Chu Ju" written by Cai Cixian, there are countless city names such as Yanying, Zaiying, Qiuying, Fanying, Ying, Daying, Ying, Jiaoying and Meiying.
But it doesn't matter what the prefix is, as long as it is Ying.
Ying is the hometown of all Chu people’s souls.
Therefore, in "Calling Souls" written by Song Yu and exclaimed by Cai Ci in the local Chu dialect, the evil of the four directions is exposed externally, while the beauty of the Chu country is admired internally, so that the souls of the loyal soldiers who have been wandering for a long time can be attributed to the "Ying"
Hometown - Shouchun, the last capital of Ying!
This is a tradition that has lasted for eight hundred years. The Chu people, especially the nobles of the Chu State, the descendants of Emperor Gaoyang, have a stronger ancestral and patriotic sentiment than other princes.
This is the case with Xiang Ji.
"The soul is back! Come back to your former home..."
Xiang Ji, who was born to be easily emotional, couldn't help himself and began to read along with Cai Ci.
He remembered that before the fall of the Chu Kingdom, the Xiang family also had a mansion and courtyard in Shouchun City. His house had a high lobby and deep rooms, with many pavilions and pavilions. When he woke up, he could see it when he opened his eyes.
The carved square rafters depict images of dragons and snakes.
When he walked out of his room, the door was carved in red and the windows were engraved with checkered patterns. When young Xiang Ji stood on tiptoes, he could see the mountains to the east of the city. At this time, his eldest father Xiang Yan would always touch his head with his hand.
Grandfather and grandson looked at each other and smiled.
At that time, I was still young, and I danced wooden swords with my brothers for fun all day long. My uncles gathered together to prepare for the sixtieth birthday party of my great-grandfather. In the courtyard, dancing girls lined up to perform, and the musicians set up the chimes, set up the drums, and sang the newly composed music.
Play.
After singing "She Jiang", she sang "Cai Ling", and even "Yang A" sang...
The family members were extremely happy, writing poems to express their common feelings, drinking fine wine and laughing to their heart's content.
But all this prosperity and joy were destroyed by the Qin people.
My grandfather died in battle, and his body was killed by the Qin people.
Suddenly, the country was destroyed and the family was gone!
How could Xiang Ji not hate him? How could he not think about revenge day and night?
With anger in his chest, Xiang Ji roared and roared. Chu Fu, who was originally a bit slow and sad, actually became majestic!
"The soul is back! If you go to your eternal stem, why are you in the four directions?"
Xiang Ji seemed to see that in the soul-calling sound he sang loudly, his eldest father Xiang Yan, his father, the good sons of the clan, and ten people who died heroically on the battlefield but were beheaded by the Qin people.
Tens of thousands of soldiers!
Their dead souls are coming to Shouchun in a steady stream, carrying hundreds of thousands of banners, hoping to kill the Qin invaders!
First it was Xiang Ji, and then among the five thousand Chu people, there were people who kept following the young general and repeating those slightly awkward words...
"The soul is back! Enter the cultivation sect."
But no matter how difficult it is to speak, the familiar Chu Yan is more approachable than the unfamiliar Guanzhong Yayan.
Chu is not only the name of a country, but also a unique regional culture. You can tell whether you are a Chu person or not. Qin people laugh at them for talking like birds and dove tongues, but even the "Xia Li" and "Ba people" sung by the village gangsters when they are depressed
》, you can also shout out a feeling of disobedience to Zhou!
Compared with the nobles who felt the shame of losing their country and family and wanted to regain everything they lost, for ordinary people, "they don't want to be ruled by foreigners with different accents and don't want to subject themselves to heavy corvee restrictions" is more mainstream.
But this did not prevent them from being excited and shouting together when the major general was killed!
Yingbu looked at everything happening around him in surprise.
Fan Zeng smiled under his white beard.
Does he want Cai Ci to recruit just the souls of Xiang Yan and other people who died in the battle?
No, what we need to recruit is the soul of Qu Yuan who cherishes his homeland and sinks into the river.
There is the soul of King Huai of Chu who was deceived, had his alliance robbed, and was imprisoned alone in the Qin State. In the end, he was not allowed to return home and died in shame.
You Qu, Feng Hou Chou, the souls of those Chu generals and Chu soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Danyang and the Battle of Yanying over the past hundred years, and the hundreds of thousands of innocent Chu soldiers who died tragically in the floods under the attack of the Qin invaders.
The soul of the people!
There are also the souls of generations of kings, princes, scholars and people who have built up the mountains and forests in order to prosper the Chu Kingdom in the 800 years since Hui Xiong!
This great country has gone through eight hundred years of ups and downs, honors and disgrace, and wind and rain, but it remains newer and more brilliant with each passing day!
The vast territory of five thousand miles stretches from the Yellow River to the north, the East China Sea to the east, Bashu to the west, and Lingnan to the south. The romantic and elegant Chu Ci, the solemnity of the bronzes, and the mysterious and gorgeous lacquerware are the culture of Chu.
How can such a splendid civilization be said to be gone without it?
Although the body is gone, the national soul bound by the obsession of thousands of people will also float for a long time and will not be lost for a hundred years!
Fan Zeng had deliberately planned to recruit Cai Ci here, and it was already the soul of Chu!
Chu Rufeng, although dead, will be reborn from the fire!
At the end of the ceremony, Cai Ci burst into tears and shouted at the top of his lungs: "The Emperor Taiyi of the East has responded!"
"Dong Jun has responded."
"Young Si Ming, Da Si Ming, Zhu Rong has also responded: the heroic souls of thousands of soldiers will return to Ying today, and they will be our vanguard!"
"And the eight-hundred-year-old Chu will be resurrected today!"
Xiang Ji pulled out his sword and shouted for it, murmuring evil and screaming. The sound was really like thunder and could be heard by thousands of people!
“Chu people who don’t want to be slaves to the country’s subjugation!”
"The Chu people were treated harshly and oppressed by Qin officials!"
"Follow me and return to Ying!"
Five thousand people responded, and the huge shouting shook Shouchun and the two Huaihe Rivers:
"Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die!"
…
ps: I left home and returned to Kunming. I was on the road all day. There is only one chapter.
