Chapter 168 The situation is serious
Chenggao City, the county magistrate’s office.

Inside the spacious main hall, the air was so dull and oppressive that it seemed frozen.

Generals Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, Chai Wu, Ding Fu, Zhang Yue, Yong Chi and others, who were kneeling on both sides, looked like clay sculptures in a temple, stunned, tongue-tied and speechless.

Liu Bang, who was sitting at the top, had a pair of unfocused old eyes under his messy white hair. He looked around but could not find what to look for. His mouth was like a fish out of water, opening and closing in vain but could not utter a single word.

With the help of Chenggao’s geographical advantages, relying on the advantages of deep trenches and barriers, and the large number of soldiers and generals gathered from various parties, Liu Bang actually defended the Chu army led by the Overlord himself, which was coming like a landslide, and managed to hold them back here.

Chen Xi and Li Shang in Jiujiang emerged as a new force and defeated Ji Bu, Xiang Guan and Zhongli Mei successively. Li Shang’s special force joined forces with Li Ji to retrace Chen County and cut off Overlord’s retreat. The situation was very good.

Seeing that the revived Chu camp was about to fade into darkness again, the Han army was filled with joy and the morale of the confrontation with the Chu army became high.

Who would have thought that the joy was only a short while away, as news came from Jiujiang and Chen County one after another: Xiang Chang, the eldest son of the Great Chu State, personally led tens of thousands of troops back from Yan, marched straight into Jiujiang, broke through Yinling in one fell swoop, and killed Chen Xi; then he marched non-stop to the city of Chen County, intimidated the local tyrants, turned against them and killed Li Shang and Li Ji, and offered Chen County back to the Great Chu State…

The successive pieces of news were like a series of extremely rough hammers that struck down upon the heads of the entire Han camp, including Liu Bang.

Even a fool could see that the situation was extremely serious. When the tens of thousands of Chu troops led by Xiang Chang came up and surrounded the Han army trapped in Chenggao, they would be completely defeated. All the generals present would become prisoners of the Chu army without exception and would die without a burial place.

That’s why Liu Bang called them together to discuss the next military strategy, and the generals looked so depressed and frustrated.

“Oh!”

Liu Bang was the first to come to his senses. He slammed the table with force, stared with his eyes wide open, his raised forehead shining, and shouted angrily:
“Why are you all so sad and depressed, acting like women? Cheer up, we still have 70,000 troops. Isn’t the situation a hundred times better than the Battle of Pengcheng? Even if Xiang Chang comes, what can he do? It would be extremely difficult for him to destroy us in one fell swoop! Humph, besides, I was able to fight Xiang Ji for several years in Chenggao, forcing him to be defeated in the end with his unparalleled bravery. There is no reason why I can’t do it now!”

It has to be said that Liu Laosan’s mental tenacity is unmatched in the world. After a brief panic and depression, he immediately cheered up and was full of fighting spirit again, as if he didn’t care about the defeat at all.

“The King of Han is absolutely right! Not only do we have an army of 70,000, we also have the entire Guanzhong and Hanzhong to rely on. Even if the Chenggao line is lost and we retreat to Guanzhong, relying on the strategic location of Hangu Pass, we can become the master of an area just like the Qin State did in the past!” At this time, Chenggao County Magistrate Ling Chang jumped out and encouraged with great enthusiasm.

Ling Chang was originally the Lingyi of the Great Chu, and was also a high-ranking official. When the Overlord retreated through Chen County, he and Li Ji stayed behind and surrendered to the Han camp together.

Liu Bang trusted him quite a bit, so he let Li Ji guard Chen County and arranged him in Chenggao to serve as the magistrate of Chenggao County.

At the moment, seeing that the Chu camp was so powerful and ready to take over the world, Ling Chang was so frustrated that he couldn’t sleep at night. However, there was no turning back at this point, and he had no choice but to go all the way. Therefore, he was more loyal and devoted to protecting the Han camp than Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo and others.

Under Liu Bang’s scolding and Ling Chang’s encouragement, the generals in the Han camp thought that this was indeed the case and the situation was still far from being over. Slowly, the huge rock pressing on their hearts loosened, the gloom on their faces disappeared, and they regained spirits.

Liu Bang was overjoyed, and gave orders repeatedly, shouting at people to prepare wine and meat, play music, and sing and dance, so that they could have a feast and have fun.

Just as the palace was filled with jubilation and vitality, another piece of explosive news came in, like a heavy rainstorm, bringing the atmosphere in the palace to a freezing point again:

“Report, King of Han, the Chu army of Xiang Chang has split into two groups and is attacking Wuguan Road and Pujin Road with all their might, attempting to enter Guanzhong! The defenders on both sides are calling for help at the same time!”

The generals in the Han camp, including Liu Bang, looked horrified. They jumped up from their seats and screamed:
“What? What should I do?”

“Xiang Chang is such a brave boy!”

“Both fronts are being attacked at the same time. The situation is critical!”

“Is this the end?”

……

Since ancient times, Hangu Pass has always been the first choice for entering Guanzhong from the Central Plains.

Hangu Pass is a checkpoint in name, but in reality it is a small city. To the north is Zhongtiao Mountain, to the west is the Yellow River and Huashan Mountain, and to the east is Xiaoshan Mountain. It is completely surrounded by mountains and rivers, and was originally impassable.

However, there is always a way out. There is a natural mountain crack between the mountains that is more than ten miles long, more than 30 meters deep, and only two meters wide at the bottom. It is called Hangu. Later, after renovation, it became the ancient Xiaohan Road connecting Guanzhong and the Central Plains. When King Ping of Zhou moved the capital from Luoyi to Haojing, he took this route.

Hangu Pass was built at the eastern entrance of Hangu.

Even if the army attacking Guanzhong managed to capture Hangu Pass by chance, they still had to attack the more disgusting Hangu Fissure, which was more than ten miles long, step by step. Because the terrain was so dangerous, it could be said that one man could block the pass and ten thousand men could not break through, so Hangu Pass was a natural barrier connecting the Central Plains and Guanzhong.

Hangu Pass played an important role in the Qin Dynasty’s eventual unification of the world. The only time Hangu Pass was breached in history was when General Kuang Zhang of Qi State united the forces of the six states and fought Qin at Hangu Pass for three years. In addition, the State of Chu tied down the main force of the Qin army in the direction of Wuguan Pass, and finally succeeded.

Even when Liu Bang took advantage of the battle between Xiang Yu and Zhang Han, the main forces of the Qin army, to lead a surprise force into Guanzhong, he took the southern Wugu Pass and attacked Xianyang instead of going through Hangu Pass.

The reason why Liu Bang’s Han camp was so stable was that the current situation was severe. Most of the world had been owned by the Chu State, but people’s hearts had not collapsed. This was because they had the confidence of the Hangu Pass.

Unfortunately, in addition to the central route through Hangu Pass, there are two other routes, south and north, to invade Guanzhong from the Central Plains.

The northern route is the Pujin Road, which means crossing the Yellow River in the north of the Central Plains, crossing the Wangwu Mountain, heading west along the Zhongtiao Mountain, and finally crossing the Yellow River in Pujin. The biggest difficulty of this route is to cross the Yellow River.

The southern route is Wuguan Road, which goes south to the Nanyang Basin, then north through the Qinling Mountains, and then into Guanzhong. The biggest problem with this road is that the route is too long, and there are two checkpoints, Wuguan and Lantianguan, which make logistics difficult.

However, no matter how difficult it was, or how many natural barriers there were, tens of thousands of troops without worries and with sufficient logistical supplies would eventually succeed if they focused on the attack. It was precisely because of this that the Han army camp became truly panicked.

Liu Bang looked indifferent as he slowly glanced at the generals, drew his sword from its sheath, and held it high in the air: “Order, mobilize all the troops, and fight a decisive battle with the Chu army tomorrow!”

The generals were shocked, and then they came to their senses.

Under the strong attack of the Chu army, which has an absolute advantage, it is only a matter of time before the two lines of north and south are breached. Once the Chu army enters Guanzhong, Guanzhong is full of old, weak and sick people, and has no defense at all, and will inevitably be swept into the pocket of the Chu army. By then, won’t his Han army become a tree without soil and a duckweed without roots, and will only collapse?
Therefore, before the Chu army entered Guanzhong, the only strategy was to start a decisive battle with the Chu army led by the current Overlord. As long as they could defeat the Chu army in front of them, and then quickly retreat from Hangu Pass to Xianyang to support the other two fronts, they would still be able to hold on to a corner of Guanzhong!

This is also a last resort!
Xiang Chang was so cunning and vicious in using troops. He easily divided his troops into two lines, forcing the Han army to abandon their deep trenches and fortifications and choose to fight the Chu army head-on!
“I don’t need to tell you what this battle means to our Han camp, but you all know it. If we win this battle, you will be rich and powerful, and your descendants will be honored for generations. If we lose, not only will you be beheaded, but your entire clan will be reduced to slaves, and you will never be able to stand up again. You all know the strategy that the Chu camp uses to deal with the stubborn nobles. Therefore, tomorrow’s decisive battle, everyone, bring out your enthusiasm for sucking milk and playing with women! I believe that as long as we go all out, 70,000 people against the mere 40,000 of the Chu army, we can win the battle!”

Liu Bang’s eyes were extremely cold, and his words were as sharp as a knife, revealing a chill that penetrated the bones. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word, and a heavy and stagnant feeling of oppression emanated from him.

At this moment, the old guy was really angry. At the critical moment of life and death, he was so reckless that he dared to risk everything.

The generals felt nervous, but they also knew that what Liu Bang said was true, so they nodded vigorously, bowed their hands and growled in response.

On the second day, accompanied by dull and rapid trumpet and drum sounds, 70,000 Han troops continuously emerged from the solid city walls, deep trenches and high ramparts and began to line up in front of the battle formation.

Liu Bang divided the 70,000 troops into three armies: left, center, and right. Cao Shen was the commander of the center and Ding Li was the deputy general; Fan Kuai was the commander of the left army and Zhang Yue was the deputy general; Zhou Bo was the commander of the right army and Wang Jing was the deputy general.

These three armies each had 20,000 troops, and the remaining 10,000 cavalry were led by him personally as a reserve mobile army.

As the Han army began to line up and took the initiative to prepare for a decisive battle, the Chu army on the opposite side was surprised and impatient, and rushed out of the camp like nimble dragons and completed the battle line.

Standing on the high and wide wooden platform, under the protection of Xiahou Ying, Liu Bang looked at the Han army in battle array, and then at the Chu army on the opposite side that was eager to fight and full of energy, and sighed secretly.

It must be said that the battle formation he set up could only be described as mediocre, without much brilliance. When the country is in trouble, good generals are needed. At this moment, he could not help but feel a little regretful for his hasty decision to get rid of Han Xin.

His military strategy was far inferior to that of Han Xin, Peng Yue, and even Ying Bu, but he was also the best in the Han camp. Other generals such as Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, etc. were not as good as him.

This can be regarded as picking a general from among the short men.

“King of Han, when two armies face off, the most important thing to fight is the number of troops! Our 70,000-man army has an absolute advantage, and the generals are determined to fight. This battle is enough to inflict heavy damage on the Chu army!”

Sensitively noticing the worry in Liu Bang’s heart, Ling Chang beside him comforted him softly and gave Liu Bang a thoughtful psychological massage.

When Liu Bang heard this, his expression softened and he nodded slightly. He looked at the flags of “Chu” and “Xiang” flying high in the Chu camp opposite him, and his teeth clenched. “My little boy Xiang Ji, today is different from the past! This Chenggao will be the place where you will be buried!”

On the opposite side of the Chu camp, all the generals surrounded the Overlord, rubbing their hands together, with excited looks and ecstasy in their eyes.

These brave generals were almost going crazy after being blocked by the Han camp with deep trenches and high fortifications for such a long time. Now, the Han camp actually prepared for a head-on decisive battle for the first time, which was like a blessing from heaven for them!

“The eldest prince broke Yinling, beheaded Chen Xi, attacked Chen County, and destroyed Li Shang, eliminating our worries. Now the troops are divided into two groups to attack Guanzhong and force Liu Bang’s army out of its lair for a decisive battle! It can be said that he has done everything he can! This battle depends on us! In this good situation, if anyone fails on the battlefield again, I don’t need to do anything, just commit suicide on the spot!” The Overlord’s double pupils swept across the generals, his body surging with a majestic and powerful aura, and he said in a cold tone.

Upon hearing this, the generals became even more excited, shouting and vying to express their opinions!
“Overlord, please give the orders. How should we fight? Among the left, center and right of the Han camp, which one should we choose as the main attack point?” Xiang Guan, who was ready to go into battle again with the intention of avenging his previous humiliation, asked the Overlord with wide eyes and murderous intent.

Xiang Yu raised his head and looked towards the Han camp opposite.

The fierce north wind whistled past, but it could not suppress the burning fighting spirit in the hearts of the generals.

All the generals held their breath, looked at the Overlord, and waited for military orders.

The Overlord suddenly smiled, his words filled with endless arrogance and arrogance: “To fight old Liu Bang, what main attack point do we need? All 40,000 troops are pressed forward, the entire Han camp is the main attack point, fight to the death!”

After saying this, he took the halberd, urged his black horse to charge, and led three thousand elite cavalry guards to charge straight towards the Han camp.

At this moment, the generals of the Chu camp felt a surge of blood rushing from the soles of their feet to their foreheads. They howled and whistled as if they were crazy. They quickly rode their horses back to their own army, gathered the soldiers, selected a Han camp, and could not wait to lead their troops to attack violently.

If you look down from the sky, you will find that the 40,000 Chu troops are divided into more than a dozen groups, like a dozen angry ferocious black dragons, baring their fangs and claws, and rushing towards the Han camp.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Ji once again came up with the idea of ​​”starting off is a sprint, beginning is a decisive battle”. This shows how confident he is in himself and how much he contempts himself. Liu Bang didn’t know whether he was angry, upset or afraid. His old face turned pale and his body trembled!

“Chai Wu, Yong Chi, Ding Fu, the three of you, each lead two thousand cavalrymen, meet Xiang Yu in the middle road, and make sure to kill him in battle!” Liu Bang’s face was determined, with two long streams of white air spewing out of his nostrils, and he roared the order.

Generals Chai Wu, Yong Chi and Ding Fu were originally quite happy that Liu Bang had left them in the reserve army. However, they were dumbfounded when they heard that they, the reserve army, would lead the charge without waiting for the main army to engage in battle.

In the Battle of Gaixia, brave generals like the Cavalry Commander Jin Xu were defeated and killed by the Overlord Formation. How could they withstand the waves?

“Old Liu Bang, you are such a scoundrel!” The three men cursed inwardly while they had no choice but to mobilize their own two thousand cavalry and charge towards the Overlord one after another.

(End of this chapter)