My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 58 How to Defend
No one expected that Xiang Yu would really consult Xiang Chang for his opinion. The arguing generals were stunned, but they all smiled and nodded, looking at Xiang Chang, quietly waiting for him to make a speech.

Xiang Chang has a lot to say. Today, he persuaded Zhou Yin and Ying Bu to surrender and Peng Yue to retreat. In their view, he is certainly qualified to be a strategist. But when it comes to deploying troops on the battlefield, what does a mere kid in his teens know? Asking him for advice is like asking a blind man for advice, isn't it?
Xiang Yu was used to being stubborn and dictatorial, so he insisted on asking. Naturally, these generals had no choice but to agree with him, even though they secretly disapproved.

Xiang Chang was naturally aware of the twists and turns of the generals. He remained calm but said bluntly: "I have been listening for a long time, but what puzzles me is why we have to defend?"

Hearing his childish words, the generals frowned and were very unhappy. But the quick-witted general Zhong Limei's eyes suddenly lit up, and he had already vaguely grasped the meaning of Xiang Chang's words.

"As far as I know, the best defense is always offense. Since we are not completely sure that we can defend, then why should we defend? Why not just take the initiative to attack, and if we can't kill the deer, we won't let the deer graze, and harass the Han army, making them tense and exhausted, and they won't have the energy to launch a surprise attack. Isn't that better?"

"Well said! Chang'er, what you said is exactly what I think! The best defense is always offense. Chang'er's words are exactly the essence of my use of troops!" Xiang Yu raised his eyebrows and said in high spirits.

The other generals finally understood what was going on and instinctively found it incredible. They murmured, "Are they still going to make trouble and launch a sneak attack?"

The Chu army was exhausted after a long battle, the Zhou Yin army and Ying Bu army had just surrendered, and they had also fought fiercely during the day. They were psychologically and instinctively in a defensive posture, and did not even think of the strategy of "night raid".

"You can't think of it, and the Han army certainly can't think of it! The way of war is the way of deception. As a general, the first thing to do is to break out of the enemy's mindset, to attack with the right way, to win with the unexpected, to fight with the unexpected, and you will be invincible."

Looking at Xiang Chang who was speaking eloquently, the generals could not hide the surprise in their eyes. Even if they did not admit it, when it came to commanding a general, this young boy Xiang Chang also had unique insights.

Even so, they still didn't take it seriously. No matter how good the strategies were, or how loud their words were, they were just talk on paper. Everything still depended on how they were implemented in the end and whether they could truly win.

"Seeing that you are well prepared and confident, I will leave this battle to you. Do you dare to take it?"

"Why not!" He knew that his father was pushing him intentionally. On the battlefield, one still had to rely on military performance to speak. As long as the raid tonight was successful, his position as rear general would be completely secured. This also coincided with his own wishes. He also urgently needed to establish his own prestige and possess his own power. The current critical situation left him no room for decline or humility, so he spoke up and took on the responsibility.

Xiang Yu nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that he had great confidence in Xiang Chang. He was not afraid at all that Xiang Chang might be defeated and lose face in the surprise attack tonight.

Xiang Zhuang, who was standing next to him, glanced at Xiang Yu, then glanced at the generals around him, and sneered in his heart. As the captain of Xiang Yu's guard army, he knew that Xiang Chang had launched a surprise attack tonight, and the Overlord Xiang Yu was obviously planning to secretly come out to escort him.

Next, Xiang Chang explained his overall plan of night attack to Xiang Yu and other generals one by one. After hearing this, not only were all the generals stunned, but the Overlord, who was unpredictable in using troops, was also greatly surprised. He looked at his son with new eyes and his worries were completely put to rest.

Zhou Yin military camp, the central army tent.

Zhou Yin was lying on a couch covered with colorful tiger skins, his face as pale as gold paper, his bare back covered with horrible whip marks. A military doctor carefully applied medicine to his wounds.

There were more than a dozen generals standing in the tent, tall and short. Seeing Zhou Yin being whipped so miserably, they all had different expressions. Some were angry, some were worried, and some were afraid. One of the young generals with a fierce face clenched his fists and roared, "The Overlord is too much. How can a man endure such humiliation? Sima, you are throwing a pearl into the dark. Let's just..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Yin, who was trembling with pain, suddenly turned back and shouted at him angrily: "Shut up! Do you want to kill everyone? Get out!"

The young general's momentum faltered, he yelled, turned around and left the tent angrily.

Zhou Yin winked at Lieutenant General Qu Fu and said, "Go out and keep an eye on him. Make sure he behaves himself and doesn't cause any trouble."

Qu Fu nodded and chased after him.

Zhou Yin endured the great pain and sat up. After panting for a while, he said to the generals, "I am Zhou Yin and I am sorry to you all. You are all good men of Chu and loyal to the Overlord. Because of my incompetence as the commander, the false surrender turned into a real surrender, which was a great loss of integrity. Fortunately, Master Xiang Chang came alone to speak, so that we can stop at the brink of the precipice, rectify the chaos, and return to the Chu camp."

After a pause, Zhou Yin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his hand, gritted his teeth and said:
"Don't worry, everyone. The whipping by the Overlord means that the matter of our surrender to the Han Dynasty has been exposed. The blame is all mine, and you will not hold me accountable from now on! You all know the Overlord's character. He will not punish a crime twice, so you can all put your hearts at ease. Another good news is that our army will be designated as the rear army of the Great Chu from now on, and will be led by Master Xiang Chang, who has been promoted to the rank of rear general. Master Xiang Chang is a generous person with outstanding talents. You will not have to worry about high positions and generous salaries if you work hard in the future!"

After hearing Zhou Yin's words, the oppressive and tense atmosphere in the tent was greatly eased, and the generals' tense nerves relaxed invisibly.

All the generals spoke out to comfort Zhou Yin, asking him to rest and recuperate. As for talking about rebellion, no one mentioned it again.

They were all very aware of the terror of their former king Xiang Yu, and they had always been in awe of him. Seeing Zhou Yin being severely punished by Xiang Yu, they were inevitably uneasy, but when they heard that he would let bygones be bygones, they immediately felt relieved.

"That's right! What Captain Zhou Yin said is exactly what I want to say!" A clear and powerful voice came from behind.

The generals were startled and looked back, then they saw the tall and agile Xiang Chang, with his hand on his sword, walking slowly in with other generals including Hei Shi, who became famous for his scolding, the foolish Xiang Xi, and the cold and aloof young man Tian Jian.

The generals were in an uproar. Most of them were seeing Xiang Chang for the first time. Although they had heard of Xiang Chang's bizarre and legendary achievements of "talking about three kings in one day", seeing him in person was a bit too much, especially for someone so young. They still found it hard to believe and couldn't help but look down on him.

There was silence in the tent for a while.

Xiang Chang smiled and walked to the center of the tent. The generals standing close to each other, blocking his way, involuntarily moved aside to the sides and made way for him.

(End of this chapter)