latelenovela Chapter 635: Burn your boats and march into Xianyang!
Chapter 635: Burn your boats and march into Xianyang!
The central and northern part of Qin State.
"General Guan, do you think we can capture Xianyang before the Sichuan Army?"
In the county seat of Cangling County, which is adjacent to Xianyang County, the Yan army is cleaning up the battlefield.
In the commander's tent, Su Wuan asked Guan Shouchang worriedly.
Guan Shouchang looked at the map, frowning, his eyes solemn, and slowly said,
"After the autumn harvest, the Sichuan Army immediately set out north to support the Qin State.
We were blocked for so long in Tianshui County by a heavy rain. Although we pacified Yulei Pass in one battle, the drainage, dam construction and corpse clearance took another ten days.
As we headed south, the Qin people put up very strong resistance. Every city we conquered required a bloody battle. The Qin people's bravery was truly well-deserved.
Moreover, we are too far away from Shengjing, the supply line is too long, the Qin people have fortified their cities and cleared the countryside, the food at Yulei Pass has been soaked and ruined, and there is not enough food and fodder.
Now, the Sichuan Army is about to enter Xianyang County. These 400,000 Sichuan Army are in addition to the 300,000 troops in Xianyang City.
"There are 700,000 men defending the city, twice as many as me, and we are short of food and fodder. How should we fight this battle?"
Compared with Shen Changgong's side, which had sufficient food and supplies, a large number of soldiers and generals, and fought all the battles with favorable winds, the three legions far in the west were not having it so easy.
It can even be said that it is in trouble.
According to Shen Changgong's expectation, the best result would be that they would quickly destroy the Wei State and then fight against the Qian-Chu coalition forces, while Guan Shouchang would quickly destroy the Qin State and fight against the Sichuan Army.
The bad result is that Guan Shouchang's side cannot quickly destroy the Qin State, so he will defend the city. After they have eliminated the Qian-Chu coalition forces, they will send troops to support the Qin battlefield.
And now, it is obvious that the result is worse than a bad result.
The war was fought on two fronts. The western front was too far away and supplies could not be delivered in time. Moreover, many places along the way were still under the jurisdiction of the Qin court. They were like an isolated army advancing deep into the enemy's territory.
If you are not careful, you will be suffocated to death within the Qin State.
Zhang Yide said impatiently,
"I, Old Zhang, don't understand what you're saying. Um, Wu Changge, can you translate for me?"
Wu Changge rolled his eyes at Zhang Yide and said,
"It's very simple. We don't have enough food to eat, not even enough to eat until we get to Xianyang. The enemy has 700,000 people, and we have more than 300,000.
It will be difficult for us to defeat the enemy. If the stalemate continues, we will starve to death first."
"Ah? So serious? Then...didn't the prince say that we should wait for him to come and fight together? Shouldn't he tell us to find a city to defend first, and then wait for him to come?"
"Brother, which city are you defending? The Qin Emperor is a ruthless man. He just took away all the food and cleared the land.
The Qin local army is also full of tough guys. Even though they have no food to eat, they still want to follow us and fight to the death, which seriously slows down our marching speed.
Even if you go to a city to defend it, and the enemy surrounds it, what will you eat and drink? Will you starve to death with the people inside?
Even if you eat human flesh and eat all the people in the city, how long can you last?
The prince is still fighting in Luoyang. After defeating Luoyang, he has to fight the Qian-Chu coalition. After defeating the Qian-Chu coalition, he has to walk from the southern part of Wei State to here. It will take at least three months.
Three months is enough time for us to collect the bodies!"
Zhang Yide heard this, his eyes widened, and he said,
"Damn it, we've been winning battles all this time, and now you're telling me we're going to lose?"
Wu Changge said,
"A tactical victory cannot change our strategic disadvantage. In the grand scheme of things, we are alone and deep in our territory, making us the disadvantaged party."
"Damn it, we're going to die anyway, so let's just fight the Qin people. I've got a scar the size of a bowl on my head, so what's there to be afraid of? Killing one is no loss, killing two is a huge profit!"
Chen Qing stood up and said,
"I think General Zhang is right! There is only one way to break this situation!
That means burning our boats and crossing the river, regardless of the consequences, and fighting the enemy to the death!"
He pointed to the map and said,
"Look everyone, we are still 180 miles away from Xianyang City. A normal march would take four to five days, but a forced march would take three days!
The Sichuan Army is only a hundred miles away from Xianyang. If they march normally, they can arrive in two days!
Everyone, we have to fight!
First, let General Zhao Biao lead the White Horse Army to quickly march south and bypass Xianyang City. Relying on the mobility of the cavalry, he will hinder the advance of the Sichuan Army and drag the Sichuan Army at least fifty miles south of Xianyang City!
At the same time, we will abandon the baggage and even the tents, leaving them to the baggage battalion to walk slowly. Then, we will bring food, drag artillery and artillery shells. If there are not enough horses, let the generals and commanders contribute their horses, and we will follow on foot!
The entire army marched quickly and rushed forward desperately. They had to reach Xianyang City within three days and launch an attack on Xianyang City overnight.
We directly bombarded the interior of the city wall and the city gate, broke the city gate open, and rushed in!
We must fight the Qin army at night, defeat them, defeat the enemy in one battle, and force them to surrender!
Although we will suffer heavy losses, we can rely on the geographical advantage of Xianyang City and our artillery to fight against the Sichuan Army!
Furthermore, the Qin army has fortified their defenses and cleared the countryside, so they must have hidden their food in Xianyang City. As long as we can capture Xianyang, we will have more food than we can eat, and we can slowly wear down the Sichuan army."
Hearing this, Su Wuan frowned and said,
"Isn't this too risky?"
Guan Shouchang shook his head firmly and said,
"No, we have no way to retreat. Whether we return the same way or head east to join the prince, we don't have enough food. It would also be equivalent to handing over all the gains we have made so far.
If you don't fight, you will die.
If you fight hard, there is still a glimmer of hope!
Fight like this. Tell all the soldiers that we are running out of food. Only by taking Xianyang as quickly as possible can we survive. Otherwise, this Qin State will be the burial place of our 300,000-plus Yan troops, and we will become the greatest sinners in the history of Great Yan!"
Zhang Yide immediately supported it.
"Okay, Lao Guan is right, Chen Qing is also right, let's fight them.
If we win, we will be successful and famous, and our reputation will last forever.
If we lose, the worst that can happen is death. We'll die anyway if we don't fight!"
The other generals also stood up and said,
"Okay, let's fight them!"
Guan Shouchang narrowed his eyes, looked at everyone, and said,
"Everyone, no one can stop Great Yan's march towards unification. Your Highness will surely defeat the enemy with unstoppable force.
Even if we die in battle, with the combat power and manpower of the Eastern Army, they can easily destroy the Qin State and avenge us.
If we survive, we can join forces with the prince, unify the world, and leave our names forever.
Our Great Yan cavalry is invincible!
Our Dayan artillery can destroy cities and capture strongholds!
Dayan! We will win! "