My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 140 Heartbroken
"Defeation does not count as running away. Defeation is a common occurrence for generals, how can it be considered running away? Besides, the old villain Xiang appeared here, and the Chu army at Gaixia is in a state of disarray. I must report this critical military intelligence to the King of Han as soon as possible - I am doing a great deed!" Gu Feng lay on the horse's back and galloped against the strong autumn wind, muttering to himself.

The 3,000 Han cavalry were all Lu Ze's family members, fellow townsmen, and county magistrates. Even though their leader, Gu Feng, had fled and the defeat was certain, they still fought to the death and none of them surrendered. This is why generals like to use their own family members and fellow townsmen. At critical moments, the fellow townsmen dare to fight to the death and have strong fighting power.

After forcing the Hengshan Kingdom's cavalry to surrender, the two thousand cavalry brought by Xiang Yu began to join in, and together with the two thousand Chu cavalry, they began to strangle the three thousand Han cavalry, hacking them to death and wounding many of them.

At this time, the morale of the Chu infantry, which was surrounded by the 24,000 Han infantry, was also high. They gave up their defensive position and started a counterattack, rushing down from the mound. In addition, the 4,000 Chu laborers who were escorting grain also came to help. With the combined efforts of both inside and outside, the 24,000 Han infantry were defeated in one fell swoop.

These 24,000 Han infantrymen were not as determined as the 3,000 Han cavalrymen. When they saw that the situation was not good, they fled in all directions. Those who could not escape knelt on their knees, raised their hands high and shouted surrender, all in a mess.

Soldiers carry guns and eat food, so there is naturally no need to risk your life for a full meal.

The reason why the Han infantry collapsed so quickly was that the main generals Feng Wuzhe, Guo Ning, Guo Meng and others who were supervising the battle left the battlefield and fled on horseback almost at the same time as Gu Feng.

Allowing his cavalry to strangle the Han cavalry, Xiang Yu immediately left the battlefield, galloped to the grain cart, dismounted, and strode towards Xiang Chang.

"My father, how are you?" Xiang Chang was very excited to see his father whom he had not seen for so many days. He shouted loudly and was about to kneel down and worship him with his fists clasped, but was pulled up by Xiang Yu.

The Overlord held his son's shoulders with both hands and looked him over carefully. Seeing that he had no injuries, he relaxed greatly. His eyes showed deep emotions, but he suppressed them. He said slowly, "I immediately brought 3,000 cavalrymen here after receiving your message. I was worried that you could not withstand the heavy siege of Lu Ze, but I didn't expect that you would kill him in battle. Well done! I'm afraid that old Liu Ji will be heartbroken when he hears this."

The Overlord's words revealed deep relief and pride. He was able to hold out for so long against Lu Ze with inferior forces and even defeated him. He finally felt relieved about his son and regarded him as a general in the same ranks as Xiang Sheng, Zhongli Mei and others.

At this time, the Chu army killed the last stubborn Han cavalry, brandished various weapons, jumped on the spot, and burst into explosive cheers that shook the sky.

The generals and soldiers led by Xiang Chang looked at the Overlord with respect; the two thousand cavalry brought by the Overlord, on the other hand, looked at Xiang Chang with respect.

Overlord ordered the soldiers to immediately clean up the battlefield, bury the bodies of the dead soldiers, and count the military achievements. Then he walked slowly with Xiang Chang and said softly: "You have captured the Kingdom of Linjiang this time, which really revitalized the situation of our Great Chu. Next, we can let go and have a good fight with old Liu Bang."

It must be said that the Kingdom of Linjiang fell into the hands of the Great Chu again and became the rear base of the Great Chu. The continuous supply of food and military equipment meant that the Great Chu finally had a foothold, which was indeed of great significance to the Great Chu. The reason why Xiang Chang insisted on sending a letter to Xiang Yu to come to support was to destroy the Lu Ze army in one fell swoop. Only by destroying the Lu Ze army, the weapons and granaries of the Kingdom of Linjiang could be transported to the north to avoid being harassed and robbed.

"Father, have you made arrangements for Gaixia City now that you have arrived?" Xiang Changdong asked.

"Everything has been arranged exactly as you said. If old Liu Bang doesn't attack, it's fine. But if he does, he will suffer." Xiang Yu was really convinced of his son's strategy at the moment. He patted Xiang Chang's shoulder with a happy tone.

At this time Qu Fu ran towards Xiang Yu and Xiang Chang in a panic and reported the military intelligence he had just learned as quickly as possible.

Xiang Yu killed the bear-like general of Hengshan Kingdom and forced the remaining cavalry to surrender, many of whom were high-ranking generals. At Xiang Chang's signal, Qu Fu immediately separated them for interrogation and unexpectedly learned that under Zhang Liang's instigation, Hengshan King Wu Rui not only sent this elite cavalry of 7,000 people to pursue their grain team, but also mobilized the kingdom's 50,000 elite troops to attack Linjiang Kingdom, intending to cut off the foundation of the newly acquired land of Da Chu.

Upon hearing Qu Fu's report, generals such as Xiang Guan, Xiang Ta and others who followed Xiang Yu, as well as generals such as Tian Jian, Xiang Xi and Meng Xia who were under Xiang Chang, all changed their expressions.

It must be said that the Linjiang Kingdom, which Xiang Chang took with great effort, was too important. It could be said to be the key to the revival of the Great Chu and must not be lost.

Currently, there are only 20,000 troops led by Hei Shi stationed in Jiangling City of Linjiang Kingdom, and they have to suppress many aristocratic families with ulterior motives. Facing the attack of 50,000 elite troops of Hengshan Kingdom, they are absolutely unable to defend themselves.

The generals were extremely anxious and made suggestions one after another, requesting Overlord and Xiang Chang to lead their troops to rescue.

Xiang Chang thought for a moment, shook his head slightly, turned around and walked quickly to the generals who were being tortured and interrogated them personally.

After a while, he turned around and walked in front of the Overlord, and said to the generals in an unquestionable tone: "If we rush to Linjiang Kingdom now, we will inevitably be caught in a bitter battle with the 50,000 troops of Hengshan Kingdom, which will fall into Zhang Liang's calculations. Therefore, if we want to relieve the siege of Linjiang Kingdom, we must do the opposite."

Xiang Guan and Xiang Ta, the cavalry generals who came from Gaixia, looked at each other with confusion, obviously unable to keep up with Xiang Chang's thinking and didn't understand how to do the opposite. Qu Fu, Tian Jian, Xiang Xi, Meng Xia and other generals who followed Xiang Chang all the way made rapid progress under Xiang Chang's instructions. At this time, they showed joy, obviously understanding the meaning of Xiang Chang's words.

"According to what these captured generals said, the Hengshan Kingdom had a total of 80,000 troops. There were 7,000 cavalrymen who came to support Lu Ze, and 50,000 troops who attacked the Linjiang Kingdom. In addition, there were more than 10,000 troops scattered around the kingdom. As a result, the garrison in Zhucheng, the capital of the Hengshan Kingdom, was less than 10,000. In this great victory, we have captured 16,000 Han troops, plus 3,000 to 4,000 war horses, with a total force of 30,000. We will then raid Zhucheng and implement the tactic of cutting out the heart. In this way, not only will the siege of the Linjiang Kingdom be lifted, but the Hengshan Kingdom will also be in our pocket." Xiang Chang used branches to mark the ground and explained everything clearly, looking confident and excited.

Compared with his high spirits, Xiang Guan, Xiang Ta and others could not help but look ridiculous.

In other words, Xiang Chang had proven himself time and again, and his military rank was higher than theirs, that of a general, otherwise the two would have denounced him.

Although the defenders of Zhucheng were less than 10,000, they had strong and tall walls for defense. Hengshan King Wu Rui was a wise and intelligent man, and could not be compared to Linjiang King Gong Wei, who was a fool. With a single call, he could mobilize the nobles and common people in the city to contribute manpower, money and materials to help defend the city. They had only 30,000 soldiers and most of them were prisoners. How could they possibly capture the city in such a hurry?
Xiang Guan and Xiang Ta couldn't help but look at Xiang Yu next to them.

Xiang Yu also showed hesitation, obviously he was unsure about Xiang Chang's bold military strategy. If it was a field battle, with his 30,000 troops, Xiang Yu would be confident of winning even against 100,000 troops. Wu Rui, the King of Hengshan, had been a general under him, and Xiang Yu was very clear about his military talent. Even if 30,000 troops could capture the stronghold of his 10,000 troops, it would take at least a month.

With such a long time, I am afraid that the Linjiang Kingdom has already been conquered and the Hengshan Kingdom’s army will have enough time to return safely.

Generals such as Qu Fu, Tian Jian, Xiang Xi, and Meng Xia have taken action to disband the 16,000 surrendered Han troops. According to the strategy passed down by Xiang Chang at the Battle of Gaixia, they coerced and bribed them to surround and kill the captured officers, make them pay a letter of surrender, and then disband them and incorporate them into the army.

For them, since they understood Xiang Chang's military strategy, they just had to execute it. As for the difficulties and obstacles they encountered along the way, they just had to overcome them. After following Xiang Chang for a while, they regarded him as a god in their hearts, and their reverence and admiration for him exceeded that of the Overlord.

Facing the looks from Xiang Guan and Xiang Ta, Xiang Yu frowned and said in a deep voice: "Just follow what General Xiang Changhou said and attack Zhucheng, the capital of Hengshan Kingdom!"

Xiang Guan and Xiang Ta were greatly surprised. They swallowed their saliva, dared not say any more words, and bowed in response.

Xiang Chang had not expected that his father would support him so unconditionally. After all, if he took the wrong step, all his previous efforts would be wasted. He had originally organized a set of arguments to convince his father.

Seeing his son's surprise and disbelief, Xiang Yu smiled slightly, put his hand on his shoulder, and said solemnly, "Just do it if you have made up your mind. Don't be afraid of failure. I will take care of everything for you. I went from being a warrior with nothing to destroying the arrogant Qin in one fell swoop and ruling the world. What I have the most is the courage to start over again."

Xiang Chang's heart suddenly warmed up, his expression was excited, and he nodded vigorously.

It took two days to reorganize the army and incorporate all the captured Han soldiers into the army, so that the Chu army expanded to 30,000 people, including 8,000 cavalry. With the sufficient military rations obtained from Lu Ze's army, the army's supply was also safe.

On the third day, at the command of Overlord Xiang Yu, the army broke camp and rushed straight towards Zhucheng, the capital of Hengshan Kingdom.

Not long after, they marched through counties and prefectures, and at dusk, they arrived at the city of Zhu.

Looking at the tall and sturdy city walls, and the strong soldiers defending tightly with horns blowing on the top of the city walls, Xiang Guan and Xiang Ta showed worry on their faces, and kept glancing at Xiang Chang.

Xiang Chang, however, remained calm and composed, tapping the scabbard of the sword at his waist with his fingers, secretly wondering about the character of Hengshan King Wu Rui.

Wu Rui was the fifth-generation grandson of the famous King Fuchai of Wu. He was born in Poyi. He was good at commanding troops and governing the country, and was a man of both civil and military talents. He became famous very early.

He studied "The Art of War" and "The Art of War" in depth when he was young. At the age of 18, he commanded an army of nearly 20,000 people. He also strictly enforced military discipline and never disturbed or hurt the people. After he became an adult, he led the people to build water conservancy projects, open shipping, develop fisheries, and vigorously eradicate bandits, making the people live a stable life. He was very popular and enjoyed great popularity in the Poyang Lake area. He was the "Poyang King" in name only.

After Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, he implemented the county system throughout the country. The area where Wu Rui was located was set up as Poyang County, and he was recommended by his fellow villagers as the first magistrate of Poyang. Later, when Qin lost its power and the world was in chaos, Wu Rui also called himself "Po Jun" and sent troops to sweep across the old Chu, openly supporting Xiang Yu. In particular, there were copper and iron mines in Hengshan County. He sent laborers to mine, smelt and forge, making his army well-equipped and highly combat-effective.

As he raised the banner of anti-Qin, the surrounding people, the rebel army, and some Qin officials flocked to him. Among them, Ying Bu, the leader of the Huainan rebel army, and his fellow villager Mei Xuan were brave in battle and had strong troops under their command, so they were highly valued by him. Wu Rui married his daughter to Ying Bu and appointed Mei Xuan as a general, leading them to follow Xiang Yu to conquer the world.

It can be said that Xiang Yu was able to occupy Chu in the shortest time and possess strong capital to fight for the world, thanks to the strong support of a large number of local aristocratic families such as Wu Rui.

Therefore, after conquering Xianyang, Xiang Yu immediately returned the favor by making Wu Rui the King of Hengshan and establishing his capital in Zhu County. The fierce general Mei Xuan was also made a marquis of 100,000 households.

Logically speaking, Wu Rui came from the old Chu state and should have been loyal to Xiang Yu. However, facing Xiang Yu's violence, especially Xiang Yu's secret order to Ying Bu to kill the King of Chu, Xiong Xin, he was greatly disappointed. In addition, Zhang Liang, who was on good terms with him, kept instigating him. Finally, at the critical moment of the Han-Chu war, he changed his position and abandoned Chu to join Han.

Xiang Chang was amazed by Wu Rui's legendary past. What impressed him most was that after Xiang Yu's defeat in his previous life, Wu Rui supported Liu Bang as emperor, which enabled Liu Bang to take over the Chu land smoothly, and thus he was named the King of Changsha.

Liu Bang appointed eight kings of different surnames, all of whom were forced to win the hearts of the people due to the situation at that time. Therefore, when the imperial power was determined, he immediately began to eliminate them by various means. Wu Rui saw that the situation was not good, and unlike Ying Bu, Peng Yue, Han Xin and others who relied on their merits and resentment and rebelled in anger, he chose another completely different path - abolishing his own military achievements.

He gave most of his territory to Liu Bang's children, handed over his elite personal soldiers to Liu Bang's cousin Liu Jia, and restrained his relatives, staying at home and keeping a low profile.

Without the vast territory and the army that could threaten the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang's suspicion of him was naturally greatly eliminated. He was also happy to leave this archway for him to show the world that he was magnanimous and generous and treated his meritorious officials well.

Therefore, of the eight kings of different surnames in the Han Dynasty, seven were killed or deposed by Liu Bang on various charges. Only Wu Rui and his descendants were able to inherit the throne as the King of Changsha and became the only remaining kings of different surnames in the Han Dynasty.

Speculating on Wu Rui's past and choices, especially the fact that he gave up his martial arts to dispel Liu Bang's suspicion, Xiang Chang suddenly realized: This is undoubtedly a smart man, a smart man who is very good at protecting himself.

What Xiang Chang likes most is dealing with smart people.

(End of this chapter)