My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 60: Taboos for military strategists
The tent of the commander-in-chief of the left army of the Han army.

General Kong Xi of the Left Army was wearing a dark blue silk gown with a dragon pattern on the hem. He was lying on the couch with a leisurely look on his face, holding a bamboo scroll of the military classic Wei Liao Zi, reading it intently. When he was happy, he leaned over and took a few sips from the wine bowl on the table in front of him.

Deputy General Ding Li, dressed in iron armor and with a sharp sword on his waist, hurried in from outside the tent. When he saw Kong Xi's lazy look, he stamped his feet and said anxiously, "My great general, why are you still thinking about reading military books and drinking wine? You don't even wear armor. Are you really not afraid of the Chu army's attack?"

Kong Xi raised his eyelids and glanced at him, then put down his wine bowl with a disdainful look on his face: "You overestimate them! Xiang Yu's army is exhausted after a long battle, Ying Bu led his elite troops to attack the rear army which is not in the camp, and Zhou Yin's army just suffered a great loss at the hands of the general. Who will attack? Who dares to attack?"

Han Xin led the central army and the right army to retreat far to the north. Their left army became the vanguard and faced the Chu army in Gaixia City alone. The deputy general Ding Li felt under great pressure.

At present, the Chu army, Ying Bu army, and Zhou Yin army have joined forces. Although they suffered heavy losses in today's battle, they still have more than 100,000 troops. Compared with them, their 70,000 left army is at an absolute disadvantage. In particular, the Chu army forced the main force of the Han army to retreat and successfully lifted the siege of Gaixia. The aggressiveness made all the generals, including Ding Li, feel uneasy.

Just now, Ding Li inspected all the camps one by one without stopping, and issued strict orders to all the generals, asking them to reorganize the soldiers and take strict precautions. After that, he quietly slipped out of the camp and sneaked to the front of Gaixia City to investigate the military situation of the Chu army camp, and just returned.

After listening to Kong Xi's convincing analysis, Ding Li could not help but frown and shake his head, "Even if it is so, it can't be like this! What if the Chu army is wrong and has gone insane?"

"Your biggest problem is that you are too cautious at best and too timid at worst!" Kong Xi dropped the bamboo slips and stood up from the couch, stretching his arms and chest as he walked. "Tell me, you risked your life to sneak into Gaixia City to gather military intelligence. You must have made some earth-shattering discoveries, right?"

Kong Xi, who was trusted by General Han Xin and appointed as the commander-in-chief of the left army against all odds, had a great reputation in the Han army camp.

But meeting him in person is bound to be disappointing.

He was of medium build and plain appearance. He looked inconspicuous. He was like a grain of sand thrown into a pile of sand among a group of generals. He was easily overlooked. Only his triangular eyes, which occasionally revealed a cunning and cold light, made people feel cold when they saw him, showing that he was not as mediocre as he appeared to be.

Kong Xi was appreciated by the military genius Han Xin, so he must have his own unique way of using troops. In the many battles that Han Xin led against the three kingdoms of Zhao, Yan, and Qi, he showed his extraordinary military talent. Especially in the famous battle of Jingxing, Han Xin led the main force to fight with his back to the river, and sent another elite force to attack the Zhao army Chen Yu's base camp, cutting off Chen Yu's retreat, and finally achieved a brilliant victory by defeating the Zhao army of 200,000 with 30,000 troops.

The one who led this elite cavalry in the surprise attack was Kong Xi!

Han Xin once commented on Kong Xi, saying that he was as good as a leopard in using troops!

What this means is that when facing the enemy on the battlefield, Kong Xi is very good at forbearance. If there is no favorable opportunity to attack, he can lie in wait and wait patiently. But once the opportunity to attack appears, he can launch the attack without hesitation, as fast as lightning, and give the enemy a fatal blow!
Ding Li showed a helpless expression at Kong Xi's mockery. Although he was also very good at using troops, had made many military achievements, and was a member of Liu Bang's family, he was highly trusted by Liu Bang, but he was far inferior to Kong Xi, and could be said to be completely crushed by him.

"You are right. Xiang Yu's army was too exhausted and retreated to Gaixia City to rest. Zhou Yin's army and Ying Bu's army were stationed outside the city. Zhou Yin's army was stationed in the north of the city, and Ying Bu's army was stationed in the west of the city. It seems that they are mainly defensive and have no signs of launching an offensive surprise attack against us." When talking about military affairs, Kong Xi also became serious and pondered, "Did the general leave any words behind after retreating?"

Ding Li shook his head, and after a while his face looked strange again, and he said vaguely: "At present, we don't know whether the King of Han is alive or dead. Generals Fan Kuai and Li Shang are like a pair of chopsticks holding a meatball, and they don't leave General Han Xin's side. As for the rest of the generals, each of them led a cavalry to the west, looking for the King of Han."

Kong Xi nodded, understanding the unfinished meaning of Ding Li's words. With the King of Han missing and his life or death in doubt, all the generals in the Han army camp were restless. General Han Xin also had a lot of troubles around him and had no time to take care of them.

After a brief thought, Kong Xi slapped the table with his palm and said decisively: "Since the general has not issued any military orders, let's play a game with the Chu army tonight!"

Ding Li was startled and asked in astonishment: "What do you want to do?"

"What? Ying Bu's army and Zhou Yin's army have fought hard all day, and the soldiers are exhausted. Ying Bu is not in the camp, and Zhou Yin's fighting spirit has been severely dampened by the general. Right now, the two armies are not like men who have had sex with women all night. They look mighty and strong, but in fact they are weak and feeble."

"As for our Zuo Jun, we have been on guard against Peng Yue's army and have been guarding the camp without any battle! I originally thought that in this battle, our Zuo Jun was destined to be a maidservant in the dowry, but I never thought that now we have the opportunity to become a lady in the spotlight! How can we miss such a God-given opportunity and make the most of it!"

Kong Xi was like a poisonous snake that had found its prey, his cold triangular eyes revealed a greedy and ferocious light!
Ding Li looked hesitant and said, "General, the King of Han is currently unknown whether he is alive or dead. Shouldn't we stay still and stay in the camp? It won't be too late to make any plans after we learn the King of Han's true situation."

Kong Xi glanced at him and sneered, "The Han army has 60,000 soldiers, and is protected by many generals such as Xiahou Ying. Even if Ying Bu is a god, he can't kill him by chance! And the current situation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, it will be too late to regret it tomorrow when the Chu army has finished resting."

"Haha, the reason why the Chu army was able to break the siege of Gaixia today is because of Xiang Yu's good son Xiang Chang's 'One Day to Three Kings'! Now the Chu army has joined the rebellious Zhou Yin army and Ying Bu army, and its momentum has been greatly boosted. The number of troops has increased dramatically, and there is sufficient food and fodder. Once they have rested and recovered, it will be difficult for our Han army to destroy them. The siege of Gaixia that the King of Han has worked so hard on will be in vain!"

Ding Li frowned and thought for a while, then nodded slowly: "Okay, you convinced me! What are you going to do?"

"The cavalry of my left army was withdrawn by the general, and most of them are infantry. I have selected 30,000 elite soldiers, and they will rest immediately after a full meal. After midnight, you and I will each lead 15,000 and attack Ying Bu's army and Zhou Yin's army on two fronts!"

Ding Li was startled and said in a lost voice: "Divide the troops into two groups? Isn't this a taboo in military strategy?"

(End of this chapter)