"Brother, when you go back this time, help me tell the tens of thousands of fathers, brothers, brothers, brothers, and sisters who are temporarily living in Jiangnan. It's not that Heifu doesn't let the folks go back to Anlu, but because Anlu is not safe enough and anyone can
If you don’t want to just go back to your hometown and your butt is still hot, why don’t you come with me to Yunmengze again?”
"Furthermore, both spring plowing and summer work have been delayed. There is not a grain of food within a hundred miles of Anlu. It is better to plant rice in the south of the Yangtze River. By the beginning of next spring, the Northern Expeditionary Army has successfully advanced the front to Wancheng, Wuguan, and even
The Northern Expedition has been successful, and if we let them come back and return them to their homes, I will also provide money and effort to repair each house!"
After waving Zhong off and looking back, Heifu saw Anlu County in ruins in front of him...
The ones who burned the city were the remnants of Feng Wuze. While they were being pursued by Li Cang and Ji Ying, they began to wreak havoc. Almost all the villages and towns in Anlu County were burned down, and the farmland was reduced to scorched earth.
My mother passed away on the first day of June. The three brothers Heifu, Zhong and Jing gathered together to stay with her. The old man passed away peacefully. Her last wish was whether the villagers could return to Anlu as soon as possible...
"I will definitely do it! Not only will the Anlu folks live a good life again, but I will also let everyone in the world enjoy peace!"
This was Heifu's last promise as he held his mother's hands.
Heifu and his eldest brother Zhong took the old woman's coffin back to Anlu and buried her in Yunmengxiang.
The once prosperous rural areas are now in this situation:
Rabbits enter from the sinuses of dogs, and pheasants fly from the beams. Valleys grow in the courtyard, and sunflowers grow in the wells. Among the pines and cypresses, there are numerous tombs...
It may take an entire generation to restore the situation to its original state.
"Once a hero draws his sword, another ten years of calamity will befall the common people... The first to suffer is his hometown. Is this the price?"
"Am I still qualified to stand on the moral high ground and criticize Brother Tian Heng?"
Heifu laughed at himself: "I just hope that I can use all my strength, no matter what means I use, to shorten this catastrophe to three years... no, within two years!"
With this in mind, Heifu also started working today in an abandoned pavilion. Even if he took the time to return to his hometown, he still wanted to keep abreast of the military situation coming from urgent reports.
It is now the middle of June in the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shihuang. Although Heifu said to his fellow villagers that Anlu is not yet safe, in fact, the entire Nanjun has been placed within the newly built defense line of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
To the east is the Huai River, the Tongbai Dafu Mountain natural barrier, and the core is the newly occupied Ming'e Three Fortresses, Dongmen Leopard, Li Cang guarded it with 20,000 people, and strangled the five counties of Nanjun, Hengshan, Nanyang, Jiujiang, and Chenjun.
land boundary.
To the west is the Han River, the natural dangers of Jingshan Mountain, and the core is Yan County, which is later known as Xiangyang. Han Xin, Gongwei, and Zhou Chang led 30,000 people to guard it to block any enemy troops that might come from the north.
Suixian is the hub between the two. The one who suggested Heifu "become king" was Suihe. Heifu wanted to sell horse bones for a thousand gold coins so that common people from all over the country would flock to them and save his life. Suihe was defeated.
He became a lot more honest, made suggestions and made great contributions in the process of conquering Suixian County, and helped Ji Ying's soldiers capture it without bloodshed.
Now that the defense line has been completed, the strategic plan formulated after the Northern Expeditionary Army was formed was completed in less than two months...
Seeing that things were progressing smoothly, the "left-leaning radical errors" that Heifu had suppressed began to resurface again.
Heifu opened the military newspaper from Yan County and frowned.
"Gongwei reported that the Qin army in Guanzhong was only huddled in Wancheng (Nanyang City, Henan Province) and ignored the surrounding counties. He requested to continue marching north to occupy Deng and Ye. Will the three routes join forces in Wan?"
Heifu immediately gave instructions: "Let him listen to Han Xin and only take food from surrounding counties. He must not rush to attack Wancheng!"
"Nanyang is a trap, a trap set by Wang Ben!"
Heifu already knows who his opponent is. The most senior general in the world today, Tongwuhou Wangbi, his former boss and now a difficult opponent, must not take it lightly!
"When I was just a pawn who didn't know how to fight, General Wang Ben had already commanded an army of 200,000 to destroy Liang, luring the enemy to gain advantage. He did it extremely cleverly, deliberately not defending the counties in Nanyang, just to lure my army deep into the territory.
It is best to besiege Wancheng, that will suit his wishes!"
The moment the prey is careless, Wang Ben will take action. The main force he uses this time is the Shangjun soldiers, who are as famous as the Southern Army. Together with the miscellaneous levies, the total force is at least 200,000, which is twice the number of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
…
After discussions with Xiao He, Han Xin and others, everyone agreed that the Northern Expedition army was now outnumbered and the Qin army was large. They could not fight on the enemy's planned battlefield. They first adopted a defensive posture from the front and then looked for breakthroughs from the side to break the situation and disperse the enemy.
Military strength.
To the west, Heifu has sent Lu Jia as an envoy to cross Jiangguan and sneak into Bazhong. In addition to welcoming back Ye Zijin, he also has another mission...
As for the east... Heifu has set his sights on a place in Chen County, and believes that it may be the key to determining the outcome of the future.
He opened the letter sent by Ming E. According to Heifu's instructions, Li Cang had occupied Xixian County, Chen County, and was calling on people with lofty ideals in Chen area to respond, but he didn't know what the effect would be.
Unexpectedly, in addition to Li Cang's false and true report to Chen Jun, there was an unexpected surprise!
Heifu scanned to the end of the letter and couldn't help but stand up:
"Wu Guang came to invest?"
…
"Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were recruited to attack the Northern Expeditionary Army. They encountered heavy rain on the way, so they led the garrison to attack Linyang. They failed to attack Huaiyang from the north and were defeated in Linyang. Chen Sheng went to join Xiang Ji in the east, but Wu Guang came to join me?
"
He summoned the envoy to deliver the letter to Li Cang and inquired about what happened in Xixian County in detail. Heifu felt it was a bit funny. This period of history looked so familiar, but upon closer inspection, everything was completely messed up...
Heifu now knows that Xiang Yu who went to Guanzhong with Xiang Liang many years ago was a fake. The real Xiang Yu had rebelled in Huainan, occupied Shouchun, and announced the revival of Chu.
The strategy of "proclaiming him the King of Chu" suggested to Hei Fu by Sui He was also used by Xiang Yu. The young man with a brain full of muscles may not be so smart, and there must be a wise man to give guidance.
Although he knew that leaving Xiang Ji alone would lead to serious trouble, Heifu, as the court's most concerned person, focused all his energy on building a defense line to deal with Wang Ben. His troops were stretched thin and he really had no time to go to Huainan to compete with Xiang Yu.
We can only temporarily maintain the state of keeping the well water from the river water. At most, we can send the boat master and his brother Wu Rui to lead the Vietnamese troops eastward, waiting for an opportunity to steal Jiangdong...
So he just smiled: "Chen Sheng went to the wrong place, I'm afraid he will regret it soon."
"Wu Guang is smart and has chosen the right person!"
A native of Yangxia, whose courtesy name is Uncle, he should be the famous Wu Guang in history.
Although I don’t understand why he and Chen Sheng parted ways, since he fell into the black husband’s pocket, don’t even think about running away!
Heifu rubbed his chin and thought: "I just need a team that can go deep into Runan. It is best to be led by locals from Chen County..."
The so-called Runan refers to the south of Ru River, the city of Zhumadian in later generations. Heifu was actually very familiar with that area.
Fourteen years ago, during the first battle between Qin and Chu, after Linyang broke through, Heifu took his brothers and crossed Ru River. Pursued by Chu general Jingju, they passed by Shenyang (Zhengyang, Henan).
An (Queshan, Henan), went to Wufang (Suiping, Henan) under the control of the Qin State, and passed through Runan.
Therefore, he knew very well that this place looked to the north of Ying and Luo, and to the south was connected to the Huai and Han Dynasties. It relied on the heroes of Jing and Chu, and followed the roads of Chen and Xu. The mountains and rivers were dangerous, the fields were smooth and comfortable, and it had the resources to fight and defend.
The space is an important place.
What's more important is that Runan is on the left of Nanyang County. In more than a month, when the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Qin Army, with a combined total of more than 200,000 people, confront Nanyang, Runan may become the key to breaking the situation.
Heifu had to make a move in advance...
"As for Wu Guang, when he and Chen Sheng raised their armies, did they take up official positions?"
Heifu smiled and said: "Don't these righteous people like to call themselves generals, captains, and even kings?"
The messenger thought for a while and said: "Chen Sheng calls himself Captain, and Wu Guang seems to call himself Sima. However, Wu Guang only brought three to four hundred people. Lieutenant Li thought that it would be enough to grant him a title of five hundred, or at most two to five hundred."
"No, just make Wu Guang Sima, and other Sima's will take orders from me directly!"
But Hei Fu shook his head: "Wu Guang was one of the first people from Chen County to surrender. They are horse bones. What they were originally, they must be what they are now!"
This official position is equivalent to "Captain Wu of the Independent Regiment".
Heifu then directed the messenger: "When you return to Xixian, find Wu Guang and tell him my exact words."
"Wu Guang, if you can help me recruit more than 3,000 people from Chen County and serve as a vanguard to capture Runan, I will make you the captain!"
…
At the same time, in Xiacai County, the southernmost part of Chen County, "Captain" Chen Sheng, who had gone through untold hardships and traveled three hundred miles, finally met "Major General Xiang".
The Chenjun lieutenant who came to defend Cai Cai and his three thousand soldiers had suffered a devastating blow. They were completely annihilated by Xiang Yu who suddenly crossed the Huaihe River from downstream and attacked.
When Chen Sheng arrived, the Chu people were happily tidying up the battlefield and selecting soldiers, which gave Chen Sheng and his party a sense of security after having just lost the battle.
After a long briefing, when he was able to go to the tent and pay a visit, Chen Sheng discovered that his team was not the only one who came to vote.
Longqie, a man from Longkang, Yu Fanjun, the father of Xiacheng, and Xiang Ta, a descendant of the Xiang family from Donghai County. They were either Xiang Yan's old tribe or local heroes, and Xiang Ta was a nephew of Xiang Ji's clan. They all heard about Xiang Ji.
After raising the flag to restore Chu, he responded positively.
The people who sat in the tent were ranked according to their reputation, family status, and age. Chen Sheng had to sit at the end, sitting close to the door.
Ya's father is not here, but Major General Xiang still shows his aristocratic demeanor: although he is brave and brave, he is respectful and kind to the capable men from Chenjun, Donghai, and Sishui who come here to seek refuge, and his words are disgusting.
Xiang Ji personally invited Long Qie to sit under him and said, "Long Sima was once a general in Xiang Ji's father's army. He can stand alone. I have admired him for a long time. Now that he can join us, our army will be even more powerful!"
Then he turned around and punched his nephew Xiang Tao, laughing and scolding him: "Young man, if you haven't shown up for so long, I thought you were dead!"
Xiang Ji also praised Yu Fanjun and others after hearing their names. However, when it was the turn of Chen Sheng, who came in last place, he got stuck.
"Chen Sheng from Yangcheng?"
Xiang Ji looked around in confusion, but they also shook their heads and wondered who this person was.
Chen Sheng was a little embarrassed and introduced himself: "Sheng Cheng is just a commoner from Guizhou, a mediocre man with no reputation..."
Xiang Ji smiled and gave him a step down: "Under the rule of the Qin Dynasty, who is not a commoner in Guizhou? They are all the same, all the same."
He said the same thing with his mouth, but in his heart he didn't think so.
"I'm not, I'm a prisoner with a painted face."
Yingbu, the first general under Xiang Ji and appointed as the vanguard general, answered the question wittily, and everyone laughed.
At this point, the atmosphere was pretty good. Chen Sheng also revealed some facts about Huaiyang and suggested that Xiang Ji take the city.
But when someone with knowledge whispered in Xiang Ji's ear, Xiang Ji frowned and the way he looked at Chen Sheng changed.
"Chen She, some people say that when you attacked Huaiyang northward after the uprising, you not only used the banner of my eldest father, but also the banner of Young Master Fusu?"
He sneered and said: "When you take action this time, do you follow Mr. Qin? Do you follow Chu?"
Xiang Ji asked him face to face, Chen Sheng was sweating on his forehead, so he could only pretend to be stupid and said: "Chen Sheng is a disciple of Yonggeng who has no knowledge. He only heard people say that Fusu is the nephew of Lord Changping and the son of Concubine Chu. He thought he was also from Chu, so he beat him randomly
I'm so angry, I didn't expect it to be wrong! I hope the young general won't laugh!"
"Chen Sheng now only wants to serve the general and contribute to the revival of Chu!"
"Fusu is from Chu?" A group of people in the tent were amused.
Although Chen Sheng's words were clumsy, he was able to deal with Xiang Yu's questioning after some prevarication.
But Chen Sheng didn't know that Xiang Yu, although he has a noble demeanor and is very enthusiastic when dealing with people and things, is also a narrow-minded person who never forgets the sins of others...
After the banquet for heroes from all walks of life was over, Xiang Ji began to arrange official positions for everyone.
Now that they have "revived the Great Chu", at the initiative of Cai Ci and Fan Zeng, they have abolished the Qin system and continued the "Ao system" of Chu.
Xiang Yu touched the seal in his hand, thought about it a lot, and decided to let Long Qie be "Mo Ao", an officer with a high status. Yu Fanjun led the city to serve, so he became the father of Xiacheng County. Even 19
Xiang Ta, who was 20 years old, also became a "doctor" and stayed in the tent to take care of things.
Seeing that the official positions of the others had been decided, Xiang thought of the gangster Chen Sheng who "thought Fusu was from Chu" and asked Xiang Yu:
"Major General, what position should Chen Sheng have?"
Xiang Ji felt uncomfortable when he thought that Chen Sheng dared to raise two flags at the same time. He also looked down upon the hundreds of defeated soldiers he brought with him, so he said casually:
"I think he has a strong figure and some martial arts skills, but I don't know if his heart can be loyal to Da Chu. Let's stay in the camp first and be a small official holding a halberd!"
