20demayo Chapter 252
Chapter 252
The Zhenbei Army led by Xiang Yu, plus the army conquered from the alliance of various countries, totaled 600,000. Now they are entrenched on the border of the Jin Kingdom, which has caused great pressure on the Jin Kingdom.
The legion under Xiang Yu's command is all cavalry, equipped with mounts. Although they are not as elite as the Han Iron Cavalry and Guanning Iron Cavalry, they are also enough to cause headaches.
The Jin Kingdom must be on guard at all times. If they are allowed to enter the Jin Kingdom, it will definitely cause considerable losses to the Jin Kingdom.
"Order the army to prepare. We don't need to set up a vanguard for this battle. Our army's mission is not to capture the city of the Jin Kingdom, but to rush here quickly and capture Jin Huaicheng before the Jin soldiers arrive to support."
Xiang Yu pointed to a place on the map and issued a combat order.
Jin Huaicheng is a city of the Jin Kingdom. It is located on the border between the Jin Kingdom and Zhenzhou. It is the most solid defensive border town of the Jin Kingdom.
As long as this place is taken, the passage from Jin to Xia will be blocked. If the Jin soldiers who entered Zhenzhou want to retreat, they must pass through here. As for other directions, there are mountains and ridges, and the army cannot pass through, and the baggage and food cannot be transported.
When the army set out, the border of Jin immediately received the news, and all the defense corps were ready.
However, to their surprise, after the army from the north entered Jin, it did not attack the city, but bypassed the city and moved quickly along the border.
This move confused the generals. They thought that the Xia army came for revenge, but they didn't expect that they would not fight at all and just leave.
When everyone reacted and wanted to intercept, it was too late.
It was a joke for the infantry to chase the cavalry. Helplessly, they could only watch Xiang Yu's army leave.
Afterwards, the relevant intelligence was passed on, and the cities on Xiang Yu's route also began to prepare for the coming of war.
But along the way, Xiang Yu did not attack the city or destroy any facilities of the Jin Kingdom. He just marched quickly and Xiang Yu did not dare to delay too much time. After all, this was in the territory of the Jin Kingdom. If he was surrounded by a large number of troops, Xiang Yu would not have enough supplies and could not fight for a long time, and he would face a crisis of extinction.
The Jin soldiers also had their own concerns. Even if someone saw Xiang Yu's intention, they did not dare to stop him.
The infantry went out of the city to fight the cavalry, which was at a disadvantage. If the opponent ran away without fighting, the infantry could do nothing. Unless the cities worked together and laid out in advance, it would be possible to trap the enemy.
But at this moment, it was obviously too late, and he could only watch Xiang Yu's army galloping in the territory of the Jin Kingdom.
Fortunately, Xiang Yu was eager to hurry on his way and did not cause large-scale damage to the Jin Kingdom. In this case, the generals of the Jin soldiers also explained that no one was willing to risk their lives and fight to the death.
Three days later, Xiang Yu's army arrived at Jin Huaicheng, which was the biggest test of this battle.
The Jin Kingdom had already determined Xiang Yu's purpose through his route of action. Either he would take Jin Huaicheng and block the main road, or he would pass by here and enter Zhenzhou.
As an important border town, Jin Huaicheng had perfect defense measures, and there was only one road leading to Zhenzhou, which was occupied by Jin soldiers. In the final analysis, no matter what Xiang Yu's ultimate goal was, this battle was inevitable.
In order to prevent accidents and to take down Xiang Yu's cavalry, the cities in the mainland of Jin were also quickly mobilizing troops to support Jin Huaicheng, hoping to keep Xiang Yu here completely.
If this army was let go, it would be extremely disadvantageous for the cavalry entering Zhenzhou, and the Jin Kingdom naturally saw the situation clearly.
"General, the gates of Jin Huaicheng are closed, and the city is full of soldiers. We are ready for war. If our army attacks by force, we will suffer heavy losses."
Xiang Yu also received the news, and these situations were all expected.
"Order the army to be divided into three groups, each with 100,000 people, to defend our rear and block the enemy's support."
"I will lead the remaining 300,000 people myself, and we must take Jinhuai City within one day."
The only advantage to Xiang Yu is that there are only 200,000 defenders in Jinhuai City at this time. After all, 2 million Jin soldiers have entered the Xia Kingdom, and this is no longer the real front line.
It is reasonable that the Jin Kingdom did not deploy heavy troops.
Xiang Yu did not have the arrows provided by Long Tian, so he could only rely on the people he brought.
The losses will certainly be great, but the results will also be significant, which will have a subversive effect on the entire war in Zhenzhou.
The army moved separately, and the war broke out quickly.
Xiang Yu had limited time and might be surrounded by Jin soldiers. He had to take Jinhuai City in a short time before he could defend the city.
With the supplies in Jinhuai City, Xiang Yu was able to hold on for a while, and during this period, it was up to Li Jing.
The Zhenbei Army was stronger than the Jin soldiers, but they were the attacking party after all, and were in a disadvantageous position, so they were evenly matched with the Jin soldiers.
The two sides fought and consumed each other.
In the periphery, the Jin Kingdom's support troops were also on the way. In order not to affect the Jin HuaichengIn the battle, Xiang Yu ordered the blocking army to go deep into the heart of the Jin Kingdom and attack the supporting army on the way.
At this time, the advantage of the cavalry was revealed. Often, when the Jin soldiers were busy rushing on the road, an unknown number of cavalry suddenly appeared. These people did not say a word and charged directly.
The scattered infantry either fled or waited for death on the spot, and the Zhenbei Army was ruthless and did not take prisoners at all.
Those who were lucky enough to run away were not chased, and those who were unfortunate enough to stay behind were left behind.
A full 300,000 cavalrymen escorted Xiang Yu behind him, and the Jin soldiers fled in panic. At this time, let alone support, it was difficult to protect themselves, and no one thought about the situation in Jin Huaicheng.
A day later, the various supporting armies received an order that made them happy. The entire army retreated and gave up supporting Jin Huaicheng, waiting for unified arrangements to be made above.
In one day, Xiang Yu paid the loss of nearly 100,000 people and finally captured Jinhuai City. This was the first time that such a huge loss occurred after Long Tian took over the Zhenbei Army.
Xiang Yu had no choice. The walls of Jinhuai City were tall, densely covered with killing weapons and arrows. If he wanted to take it quickly, he had to sacrifice himself.
If Xiang Yu was given enough time and sufficient supplies, this battle would not have been so bad, but at this moment, Xiang Yu could only bite the bullet.
"Order the army to withdraw, leaving 100,000 troops stationed outside the city to patrol the surrounding area."
"Immediately send out scouts to find out the situation around Jinhuai City, especially the deployment of Jin soldiers in the direction of Zhenzhou."
"Everyone should repair the fortifications immediately and be ready to deal with the enemy's counterattack at any time. If anyone in the city makes trouble, there is no need to report, just kill without mercy."
Xiang Yu gave the order murderously. He knew very well what he would face next. If Li Jing could not quickly achieve results and delay the Jin soldiers, Xiang Yu would be attacked from both sides. The crisis at that time would be much greater than it is now.
Xiang Yu has already staked everything on this and has no way out.