The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Chapter 295 Xiang Yu Heads North

A few days passed quickly, and after preparation, the army was finally ready.

However, the secret alliance between the Chu army and the Qin army in the northern border has always been kept a closely guarded secret.

Except for Xiang Yu, Xiang Liang, Fan Zeng and a few others, the rest of the generals knew nothing about this.

Because of this, Meng Yi kept his identity secret and hid among the Chu army.

After careful deployment, the army finally decided to split into two groups and attack separately.

One of the routes will advance towards the north, with Xiang Yu personally leading an army of 30,000 and heading straight for Julu.

Another army led by Xiang Liang chose to march westward, heading directly for Hangu Pass.

After all the troops had set off, Meng Yi led 5,000 elite cavalry and galloped towards Sishui County.

It turned out that Meng Yi had heard that Liu Bang had already emerged and was rapidly rising in the Sishui County area, but he had changed his identity. Unlike in history, he was no longer anti-Qin, but became the leader of the local pro-Qin forces.

Xiang Yu's army headed north, but encountered an army of 40,000 led by Wang Li's deputy general Su Jiao, who was ordered to garrison in Dingtao.

When Wang Li led his army north, he was worried about Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu who were hiding in Chenjun, so he specially sent Su Jiao to garrison Dingtao to cut off the Chu army's way to the north.

Seeing that Xiang Yu's army was small in number, Su Jiao prepared to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, but he never expected that he would meet Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu was a man who led the army into battle and became stronger when facing a stronger opponent.

Su Jiao thought to himself, "The Chu army only has 30,000 men, while ours is nearly 50,000. If we take advantage of their rest and wait for them to tire themselves out, we'll surely win easily."

He showed a smug smile on his face and said to his deputy general, Su Ning, "When our army defeats the Chu army, we will definitely let Xiang Yu know how powerful we are!"

When Xiang Yu saw Su Jiao's army blocking his way ahead, there was no fear in his eyes, but instead a strong fighting spirit surged up.

He raised his Overlord Halberd and shouted, "Soldiers, follow me to break through the enemy's defenses!"

Inspired by Xiang Yu, the Chu soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the earth.

Xiang Yu took the lead and rode his horse towards Su Jiao's army, like a tiger descending from the mountain.

Su Jiao thought he could handle it easily, but seeing Xiang Yu's momentum, he was shocked. He forced himself to remain calm and shouted, "Soldiers, stop Xiang Yu!"

When the two armies met, Xiang Yu was like a fish in water, and every swing of his Overlord Halberd took away several lives.

The Chu army soldiers followed closely behind and fought bravely.

Su Jiao tried his best to lead the resistance, but Xiang Yu was too fierce. He watched his soldiers fall one after another, and he was extremely anxious.

"Brother, we can't resist anymore!" Su Ning ran to Su Jiao and said breathlessly.

"Hold on a little longer!" Su Jiao said gritting his teeth.

However, in less than half a day, Su Jiao's 40,000-strong army was scattered by Xiang Yu's 30,000-strong army.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Su Jiao secretly cried out in his heart, his eyes wide open, his face full of fear, and he wanted to break through and escape. However, his action was keenly noticed by Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu shouted, "Su Jiao, where are you running to!" His voice echoed on the battlefield like thunder.

Xiang Yu galloped towards Su Jiao like a flaming meteor, the halberd in his hand flashing with a cold light, as if it was about to tear the entire space apart.

Su Jiao was unable to dodge and felt a surge of despair in his heart.

At this moment, Suning stepped forward without hesitation and used his body to block Xiang Yu's fatal halberd.

There was blood at the corner of Suning's mouth, and his eyes were firm and resolute.

"Big brother, let's go!" Su Ning shouted to Su Jiao with his last bit of strength.

His voice was trembling, yet full of determination.

Su Jiao looked at Suning, a trace of pain and reluctance flashed in his eyes. He knew that Suning did this to protect him.

Su Jiao gritted his teeth and fled north with the remaining soldiers.

After the Chu army successfully broke through the Dingtao defense line, they left a small number of troops to garrison.

Xiang Yu stood on a high place, overlooking the battlefield, his eyes full of confidence and pride.

Afterwards, Xiang Yu reorganized his army, left a small number of soldiers to garrison Dingtao, and led the main army to continue marching towards Julu.

When the army arrived in Puyang, Xiang Yu became more and more excited.

At this time, Xiang Yu already had 40,000 troops, and with the 10,000 troops reinforced by Pu Gang, the total force reached 50,000.

At this moment, the troops led by Wang Li, who had tightly surrounded Julu City, together with the remnants of the defeated soldiers who had fled back from Dingtao, had a total force of up to 250,000.

This 250,000-strong army was like a dark mountain, pressing people to the point of suffocation.

Outside Julu City, the endless tents of the Qin army in Guanzhong were like a vast ocean, with no end in sight.

Inside the main tent in its central location.

Wang Li was seen sitting upright in the position of the chief general. His stern face seemed covered with frost, and his eyes slowly swept over every general in the tent.

"Everyone!" Wang Li suddenly broke the silence, his voice tinged with a hint of anger that was hard to conceal. "Xiang Yu has broken through the strong defenses we set up in Dingtao. He is now leading an army of 50,000 towards Julu!"

Upon hearing this, former General Baili Hong immediately stepped forward and declared confidently, "Your Majesty, please rest assured! Xiang Yu is nothing more than a reckless, courageous man with no strategy. With only 50,000 men, I am willing to personally lead my army to meet him and annihilate him without a single mortal left!"

However, Wang Li just snorted coldly, obviously extremely dissatisfied with Baili Hong's attitude of underestimating the enemy.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at Baili Hong, and said in a deep voice, "Don't underestimate Xiang Yu! Since he was able to successfully break through our tightly guarded lines in Dingtao, he must possess extraordinary abilities and strategies. Don't take him lightly!"

Then, Wang turned his head and cast his gaze on Su Jiao, who had escaped from Dingtao, and said in a deep voice, "Su Jiao, tell us in detail about the specific circumstances of Xiang Yu's actions!"

Su Jiao lowered his head, his face filled with shame. He spoke in a low voice, "General, Xiang Yu was like a demon descending from the earth. He charged forward alone, and wherever he went, no one could stop him. Inspired by him, the Chu army fought bravely and fearlessly. He broke through the defenses of the entire army with his own strength, and our 40,000-man army was unable to stop him."

After hearing this, all the generals showed expressions of disbelief on their faces and started whispering to each other.

"How is it possible? How could Xiang Yu alone possess such power?"

"We fought him in Puyang City before, but because of the city walls, we couldn't feel his personal bravery at all."

Wang Li frowned upon hearing this, his worry growing even stronger. He slowly walked over to the map and lightly traced it with his finger.

"No matter what, Xiang Yu's army is coming, and we must make plans early."

Wang Li's voice echoed within the tent, carrying an irresistible majesty. "Propagate my military orders. Su Jiao muster 140,000 troops and follow me to Jiyuan to station and defend the tunnel. Baili Hong, you will lead 110,000 troops to remain outside Julu City. Remember to focus on attacking Julu City and be prepared to eliminate any reinforcements from the various vassal states at any time. At the same time, reinforce the barracks, strictly guard the key roads, and send out scouts to closely monitor Xiang Yu's movements."

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison.

Wang Li stood up, walked out of the tent and looked up at the sky.

"This battle concerns the honor and disgrace of our Great Qin. We must not slack off in the slightest." Wang Li's voice drifted in the wind for a long time.

The generals then took the order and left.