The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Chapter 289 Defeat Wang Li

After Zhang Han led his army back to support Guanzhong, Wang Li led his 150,000 troops north to Linji.

After Wang Li learned that Tian Rong had fled to Dong'a City, he decided to lead the army in pursuit.

Tian Rong was originally a mediocre and incompetent person. Now he was surrounded by Wang Li's army in Dong'a City and could not escape.

Seeing that the situation was extremely critical, Tian Rong had no choice but to send an envoy to Xiang Liang, begging him to send troops to rescue as soon as possible.

After Xiang Liang received the news, he called Fan Zeng to discuss the matter.

The two men sat opposite each other. Xiang Liang looked at Fan Zeng and asked, "Brother Fan, Tian Rong is trapped in Dong'e and in imminent danger. I intend to send troops to rescue him. What do you think?"

Fan Zeng slowly stroked his beard and replied, "General, this is truly a noble act! Although Tian Rong is truly incompetent, we cannot stand by and watch him perish. As the saying goes, if the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. If Tian Rong were to be defeated by Wang Li this time, the morale of the Qin army in Guanzhong would undoubtedly be greatly boosted, and our Chu army would then be in a very disadvantageous position. Moreover, if Dong'e City were to be captured, the Qin army would be able to advance unimpeded and quickly sweep across the entire Qi territory. In this case, our Chu territory would be directly exposed to the attack of Wang Li's army!"

After a pause, Fan Zeng continued, "Furthermore, General, you have already secretly reached a relevant agreement with Prince Fusu. However, the troops led by Wang Li are not from the same faction as the Northern Frontier Army led by Meng Tian. If our army can take advantage of this opportunity to assist and firmly pin Wang Li and his troops in the Guandong area, it will not only relieve Tian Rong's predicament, but also indirectly help relieve the pressure on the Northern Frontier Army. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"

After listening to Fan Zeng's analysis, Xiang Liang couldn't help but nod slightly to show his agreement.

He was initially hesitant, but now his gaze became more determined, and he decisively said, "Alright! Then, as Brother Fan said, we will immediately mobilize our troops to rescue Dong'e!"

Outside Dong'a City, on the vast plain, dust and smoke rolled up and the shouts of killing were deafening.

Wang Li was riding on a tall and mighty warhorse. He saw from afar that Xiang Liang was personally leading a large army to gallop to rescue Tian Rong. He couldn't help but feel an irrepressible excitement in his heart.

Wang Li's lips curled up slightly, a sneer of disdain playing across his features. He turned to the generals around him and said arrogantly, "Haha, I never thought that old scoundrel Xiang Liang would actually come out in person. He's simply overestimating his own capabilities! With his army, he really thinks he can stand up to the Qin cavalry?"

Upon hearing this, the generals quickly echoed, "Master Taiwei, you are so wise and brave, so valiant, that the Chu army is no match for you. This time, we will surely defeat them in one fell swoop, and they will never return!"

Everyone burst into laughter, as if victory was just around the corner.

However, at this time they had no idea that the Chu army led by Xiang Liang was actually extremely powerful.

The Chu army today is strong and well-equipped, with high morale, and is well-trained. It is no longer the mixed bag it was when the uprising began.

At this moment, Xiang Yu stood in front of the army. He was tall and strong, like an unshakable mountain.

Those piercing eyes seemed to be burning with flames, emitting a chilling light.

He suddenly raised the halberd in his hand and shouted to the Chu soldiers behind him: "Brothers, today's battle! We must use blood and courage to let the Qin army know that the men of Chu are no pushovers. We will never be conquered!"

Before he finished speaking, the Chu army soldiers behind him were excited, raised their weapons high, and roared in unison: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

These three shouts were like thunder, resounding through the sky and changing the color of the earth and sky.

At the same time, Tian Rong, who had been watching the battle in the city, saw that the Chu army and the Qin army had already started a fierce battle. He immediately ordered all the Qi troops in the city to rush out, quickly attack from the flank, and attack the Qin army directly.

For a moment, the battlefield was filled with the sound of killing and blood flowed like a river...

Finally, under the fierce attack of the Chu and Qi armies, Wang Li, who had been victorious since the start of his campaign, was badly defeated.

After Wang Li was defeated, he led his defeated army to retreat westward along the Yellow River, while Xiang Liang led his army to chase Wang Li all the way. Wang Li's army was defeated by Xiang Liang many times.

After Tian Rong successfully defeated the troops led by Wang Li in Dong'a, he led his army back to Qi without stopping.

After a fierce battle, Tian Rong completely defeated Tian Jia in Qi.

After that, Tian Rong supported his brother Tian Dan's son Tian Fu to ascend the throne of King of Qi.

Tian Rong himself served as the prime minister of Qi, and his brother Tian Heng served as the general.

At this moment, Tian Rong, who controlled the powerful Qi army, had the only thought in his heart: to do his utmost to gather troops from all sides and further consolidate his power in Qi.

As for whether to send troops to assist Xiang Liang's troops who were fighting hard against the Qin army, he had never considered it at all.

Xiang Yu was furious when he saw Tian Rong's behavior. He cursed, "Uncle, Tian Rong is a completely ungrateful person! Back then, we traveled thousands of miles to help him, just to help him repel the aggressive Qin army. But now, he just stands by and watches! It's really infuriating!"

Xiang Liang looked at the furious Xiang Yu, slowly reached out and gently patted his shoulder, saying earnestly, "Yu'er, don't act so impulsively. This man has always been narrow-minded and short-sighted. We should have anticipated his actions today. I think it's not just Tian Rong who's acting this way; I'm afraid the other kingdoms share the same sentiment. Alas... As expected, just as Yi'er said before, these guys are ultimately not up to the task!"

Despite losing the cooperation of the Qi army, Xiang Liang's desire for this rare opportunity to pursue Wang Li was not extinguished.

After careful consideration, Xiang Liang finally made up his mind to rely on the Chu army's own strength to pursue Wang Li westward alone.

Xiang Liang also knew that if he continued to pursue the enemy relentlessly, he would likely be in danger of being attacked from both sides.

In order to ensure the safety of the rear and avoid encirclement and attack from the Qin army in the east, Xiang Liang made a prompt decision and sent Xiang Yu to lead his troops eastward to attack the Qin Dynasty cities.

After receiving the order, Xiang Yu immediately assembled his army and set out. He led the charge, and his soldiers were also in high spirits and fought bravely.

Along the way, they were invincible and victorious wherever they went.

In the cities along the way, some of the defenders were so frightened when they heard that Xiang Yu's army was approaching that they opened the city gates and chose to surrender before the battle; some cities tried to resist, but faced with Xiang Yu's fierce offensive like the arrival of a god of war, they were powerless to fight back, and were quickly and easily conquered, and had to surrender obediently.

As for Wang Li, after he fled westward to Puyang City, he saw the Chu army coming in full force and knew he was no longer able to fight. He had no choice but to close the city gates and hide in the city's impregnable fortifications. He no longer dared to leave the city to confront the Chu army head-on.