Competing

Chapter 94 A Fire
Puyang is located in the lower reaches of the Dahe River, a plain bordered by the three kingdoms of Zhao, Qi and Wei.Puyang has a splendid and long history and culture. In ancient times, Zhuanxu, one of the five emperors, and his tribes were active here, so it is called "the capital of Zhuanxu".Puyang was called Kunwu State in the Xia Dynasty, and it was the capital of the Wei State in the Spring and Autumn Period. It was called "Puyang" in the late Warring States Period, and Puyang County was established in the Qin Dynasty.

This ancient city has many allusions and stories.For example, Cangjie created characters, Jin Wengong retreated to Sanshe, Liuxiahui sat in his arms... This is also the place where many historical celebrities were born and raised, such as Wu Qi, the ancestor of military strategists, and Shang Yang, the legalist who reformed and strengthened Qin.In the troubled times when wars raged, gold and iron horses, Puyang, which is the key to the north and the south and connects the east and the west, has always been a battleground for military strategists.During the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes met here for [-] times, the "Battle of Chengpu" between Jin and Chu, and the "Battle of Maling" between Qi and Wei took place here.

After the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising, Zhang Han went out of Tongguan to wipe out all the insurgents. The Wei and Qi allied forces were defeated in the first battle of Linji.Afterwards, Zhang Han gathered troops and camped in Puyang, because he took a fancy to Puyang's military strategic significance.Not long ago, Zhang Han almost came out of his nest, led his army south, and started a fierce battle with Qi and Chu in the south of the river.Yin Xu, Marquis of Shaoxing in Chu State, noticed that the camp of the Qin army in Puyang was empty, so he adopted Han Xin's suggestion to cross the river and make a surprise attack.

Outside the city of Puyang, the water of the big river is thick and thick. In this era, the ecology of the Loess Plateau has not been damaged too much, and the water quality of the Yellow River is still relatively clear.Especially at the confluence of the two rivers, the clear Pu water flows into the Yellow River, and the river surface is even more magnificent and majestic.Puyang City is in the north of Pushui, hence the name.

Where the two rivers intersect, the alluvial plain has fertile land, a mild climate, and mulberry trees everywhere, stretching as far as the eye can see.At this time, in the mulberry forest by the Pu River, there was an army of about [-] people hidden, which was Yin Xu's subordinate.After he crossed Jishui River and Dahe River, he sneaked into Puyang territory quietly, not daring to act rashly, and acting like a grasshopper.Therefore, hide in the mulberry forest first, investigate the situation, and make plans after finding out the enemy's situation.

At this time, it has entered autumn, but the mulberry leaves are already green and yellow, but they have not yet fallen off.It happened to be the season of picking mulberry and raising silkworms, and few people came to the dense mulberry forest.The dense mulberry forest just hides the actions of the soldiers, and they will not be easily discovered.

When the sun was setting, several people walked carefully through the dense mulberry forest and came to the vicinity of Pushui quietly.On the flat ground where the two rivers meet, there are tents and warehouses in the sky, and the tall flag with the characters of Qin fluttering in the wind, it is the camp of the Qin Army in Puyang.

"Zhang Han really knows how to choose a place!" Look; Yin Xu couldn't help admiring the layout of the Qin army's camp.

Han Xin also said: "It's really good!"

"Talk about it!" One of Yin Xu's recent pleasures is to ask Han Xin, listen to him talk about marching formations, and plan strategies.Asking for advice from Bingxian can be regarded as recharging yourself, gaining more knowledge, and communicating more can also enhance mutual feelings.

Han Xin has always had great ambitions, but his talents were underappreciated. He finally seized an opportunity and naturally cherished it.He knew very well that only if he convinced General Yin would he have the chance to meet his uncle and nephew Xiang Liang.After several days of contact, he concluded that Yin Xu is an upright person who would not be jealous of talents, so he dared to speak frankly.

Listening to Yin Xu's question, Han Xin explained: "Camping along the river, there is no need to worry about the water source, and the two big rivers are natural barriers, which saves the enemy from attacking from the southwest and a lot of troops. It is used to defend Yanzhao in the north. The military camp is built next to the golden embankment of the big river, and above it is a [-]-foot-wide imperial road, which is solid in texture and is extremely convenient for dispatching troops and transporting grain and grass."

Pu Jun nodded in admiration, scanned the tents of the Qin army in the distance, and said, "Then where should we attack?"

Yin Xu turned to look at Han Xin and asked, "Han Xin, what do you think?"

Han Xin smiled softly and said, "The general already has a plan, so why ask me?"

"Why don't we talk about it together!"

"Pu water!"

After counting one, two, three, Yin Xu and Han Xin said what they were thinking in unison.

Su An asked suspiciously: "Pushui? Didn't you just say that? Did Zhang Han set up camp along the river not long ago to prevent sneak attacks? There is a big river in front of us, how should we act?"

Pu Jun thoughtfully, looked at Tangtang Puyang, contemplating.

Yin Xu smiled softly: "Let Han Xin explain it!"

Han Dao said: "It is good to use the surface of the Pushui River as a barrier. It is impossible for a large army to cross the river to sneak attack, but it is possible for a few to swim across the river. It is precisely because of the existence of the river that the Qin army will be careless, and the defense will be more organic. It can be used. Puyang itself only has more than 2 defenders, and now 8000 people are divided out, leaving only more than 1. Even though there are only more than 1, we may not be able to take advantage. So we have to find the weakness of the Qin army and achieve our goal. , it doesn’t have to be a frontal war.”

"Then where is Qin Jun's weakness?"

Pu Jun looked at the rippling water of the river, the towering warehouses beside the river, and suddenly said: "Grain!"

"That's right, it's grain and grass." Han Dao said, "Zhang Han has been operating in Puyang for several months. He set up camp here and built a specially built corridor for transporting grain. He gathered a lot of grain again. , the rest can be roughly calculated by looking at the amount of grain and grass by the river, which is less than half a month to 20 days for the Qin army. If it is set on fire, Zhang Han will be very angry!"

Yin Xu said with a smile: "The grain and grass are built along the river. The fear is fire. It is convenient to rescue. As long as you find a way to dive across the river and avoid the guarding sentries, you can ignite the grain and grass, and the Qin army will inevitably panic. Of course, there is a certain degree of difficulty. Yes, but it is a matter of man-made, and it must be done. As long as the riverside wins, and then leads people to kill from the other side, it will definitely make a difference."

"The main defense targets of the Qin army in the camp are the two countries of Yan and Zhao. They are slack in defense against us, which is why we have a chance to succeed." As Han Xin spoke, he was already paying attention to the positions of the Qin army's sentries in the camp, and the interval between patrols.Yin Xu couldn't help sighing, maybe this is the basic quality of a general's talent!

Night fell quickly, and several people retreated quietly into the mulberry forest.Yin Xu strictly ordered the Chu army in the mulberry forest not to make loud noises or show the slightest light of fire. Everyone can only eat dry food and drink clean water.If it is discovered by Qin Jun at this time, all previous efforts will be wasted, and there is still great danger.

Yin Xu ordered Pu Jun to pick out twenty players with pure water quality from the army.Most of the Chu soldiers are from the south, so the advantages of this aspect are self-evident.Immediately he ordered: "Bo Zhou followed me across the river to burn food and grass, Pu Jun, you and Han Xin, after the fire started, lead the army to cover up and kill."

"General, you are the chief general of the whole army, so don't be easily involved. Let me cross the river to burn food and grass!" Pu Jun didn't want Yin Xu to take risks, so he took the initiative to share.

Yin Xu shook his head, and said: "Don't worry, we will be able to escape unscathed. You must give me a good time, remember to be calm when encountering problems, and listen to Han Xin's advice!"

Han Xin was moved for a while, he was just a small soldier, and Pu Jun had indeed joined Yin Xu's army from the very beginning, so could his status be the same?But from the first meeting, General Yin admired and trusted him.At this time, he also specially told Pu Jun that this trust is really rare.

From the contact these days, Pu Jun could see that Han Xin's military strategy was really extraordinary.I understand that there is a reason why General Yin admires him so much and admires him so much. Since the general has listened to his opinion, Pu Jun will follow suit.Firstly, Han Xin is capable and smarter than himself, and secondly, Yin Xu's orders have always been strictly carried out by him.As for the young and vigorous Su An, he is easy to be arrogant and might be stubborn about bad things. This is the reason why Yin Xu left him to lead the army.

Faint clouds drifted across the sky, and the moon appeared and disappeared. Yin Xu ordered people to paint all the blades of the sword black to prevent reflections from revealing whereabouts.The subtleties were done very cautiously, and Han Xin sincerely admired it. It is only reasonable for General Yin to have such an achievement.

Yin Xu confessed a few words, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, he led twenty masters to quietly dive across the river.Pu Jun also started to make preparations here, preparing to send a big gift to Qin Jun.

In the northern part of the autumn night, everyone quietly dived into the water, and a chill suddenly hit their bodies.But to Yin Xu, Su An and the twenty masters from Chu State, it was nothing.Instead, it stimulates their sobriety and fighting enthusiasm.

A total of 22 people, using various postures, swim in the water.Yin Xu was studying in the military academy, and swimming was a compulsory course. Winter swimming was also common, and he was very proficient.Breaststroke for a while, butterfly for a while, and freestyle for a while.Let a group of Chu soldiers who grew up on the banks of the rivers and lakes of the Chu State feel ashamed. The general is really extraordinary. He is better than us in diving and swimming.
It didn't take long to see the fire on the shore and the barn tents. The closer they got to the other side, the more cautious everyone was, and they all lowered their speed, lest they should make any noise and disturb the guarding Qin army.Taking the risk to swim here, if someone finds out, it would be a waste of all previous efforts.

Under the cover of night, everyone approached the shore quietly. Yin Xu raised his head from the water to fully mobilize his vision, hearing and taste to observe the situation on the shore.

Only someone on the bank said: "Little Brother Wu, this wine is not bad. I stole it from the warehouse quietly, and it's specially for you."

"Give it to me? It's just that drinking alcohol is not allowed in the camp. What if the captain finds out?"

"What are you afraid of? It's just you and me here. If you don't tell me, who will know?"

Yin Xu thought to himself, the Qin army is famous for its strict military discipline, but unexpectedly, some people secretly drank and made omissions.Immediately, I remembered that Zhang Han's team came from Lishan Mountain, they were desperadoes!

When the two people's drinking mood faded, Yin Xu winked at Su An beside him.The two quietly waded through the water, and the black dagger had already been drawn out of their boots. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were in high spirits, but the two Qin Bing didn't notice it at all. The two daggers passed through the throat at the same time, without making a sound.

Yin Xu gestured towards the river, and twenty masters from the state of Chu came out in a single file. They wrung out the water stains on their bodies one after another, and quietly groped to both sides, and the sound sounded again when they spoke.

"I heard that the fighting is going on in the south. The day before yesterday, 8000 people were dispatched to help besiege the Chu army. Maybe this will be a complete victory."

"That's right! We can cut off a few heads casually, and it's no business for us to make meritorious deeds. What a pity, alas!"

"That's right, squatting by the river all day long, how old is it!"

Yin Xu smiled to himself. The reason for dispatching troops for support is to report good news and not bad news. Zhang Han, you are so serious!He originally wanted to say that these two little soldiers were lucky, they would probably die under the city of Yongqiu if they went there, staying here... staying here is also a death, no wonder me!
The commander touched it, and two daggers cut the throat, and two more names were added to the Qin army's dead.Su An also gained a lot. The two teams advanced all the way and killed sixteen Qin soldiers in total.After the outlying guard posts were cleared, Yin Xu ordered his people to act immediately to pour the tung oil that had been set on fire on the granary. After that, the lanterns were knocked down one by one, and the torches fell to the ground one by one.

The raging fire was ignited, and the river wind blew in, and the wind helped the fire, and the flames burst into the sky in an instant.Yin Xu made a gesture, and the 22 people dived back into the water again, and left from afar.The awakened Qin Jun rushed to put out the fire, and when he saw the sixteen corpses, he immediately understood what happened.

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

Although the warning was given in time, it was still a step too late, and the sky-shattering shouts of killing sounded in the front camp.When Pu Jun and Han Xin saw the fire, they knew that Yin Xu's side had already succeeded, so there was no hesitation, so they quickly mobilized more than [-] Chu troops to attack the Qin camp.

Many Qin Jun were awakened in their sleep, and they didn't know what happened at all. When they saw the flames by the river and the sound of fighting on all sides, they were a little confused.In a hurry to fight, the Chu army became a mess, and the Chu army gained momentum with their intentions and intentions.

Pu Jun and Han Xin commanded the Chu army to attack with all their strength, and killed countless enemies in the Qin army camp. It was not until half an hour later that the Qin army organized an effective resistance and stabilized their position.However, more than 4000 people were killed and injured, and countless granaries and tents were burned.

The goal has been achieved, and Chu Jun's face is filled with triumphant smiles.Yin, who came up from a distant river bank, hurried back, wiped the water stains on his face, and said with a smile: "The river is a bit cool! I want to dry my clothes over there and come back, but the fire is too big, and the people of Qin do not welcome it." , I had no choice but to come back first.”

Everyone laughed heartily, and immediately led the army to retreat.The people of Qin had just been ambushed and were in chaos, so they did not dare to pursue them lightly.Yin Xu saw the raging fire from a distance, and smiled knowingly, it was not in vain to risk crossing the river to attack Puyang.Recalling that he only sent someone to inform Xiang Liang that day, but did not go to Zheng's transfer order, so it was considered a private action.I have lost contact with the Chu army in the south for several days, and I don't know how the battle is going?It's time to go back quickly. Can you go back just by saying go back?
With this fire, Xiang Liang and the others wouldn't blame him.Yin Xu only saw what was in front of him, and didn't expect it at all, because of the chain reaction and subsequent impact brought about by the fire.Even when the incident happened later, Yin Xu didn't realize that he had accidentally done a major event that would affect the battle situation and history.

Until many years later, Yin Xu sighed: Maybe history itself is composed of a series of inevitable and accidental combinations...

(End of this chapter)