novelhk Chapter 862: Give up Xianyang and meet Xiang Yu!
Chapter 862: Give up Xianyang and meet Xiang Yu!
"Impossible... absolutely impossible..." Yi Xiaochuan muttered to himself, his brows furrowed in a knot. "Xiang Yu's 50,000-man army... even if Yangping Pass was impenetrable, with ten times the force, they should have made some progress after ten days of siege... How could they have reached the point where they had to retreat? Gao Yao's reinforcements... where did they come from? How large were they? How could they have intimidated even Xiang Yu?"
He found that all his previous calculations and deductions seemed pale and powerless in the face of this sudden news. A sense of loss of control, mixed with doubts about the unknown, deeply troubled him.
As soon as the messenger finished speaking, an eerie silence descended upon the tent. The air seemed frozen, with only the crackling of burning torches as the noise faded. The news was so shocking that it almost sounded like a poor joke.
Yi Xiaochuan's rationality told him that even if a messenger had ten thousand guts, he would never dare to make a false report on such a matter. That token, that anxious expression, could not be fake - Xiang Yu had really retreated!
A strong sense of unease instantly gripped Yi Xiaochuan's heart. Regardless, now was not the time to investigate the cause or waste time. The opportunity for battle was fleeting, and whether it was a blessing or a curse, action must be taken immediately. He suddenly raised his head, a flash of determination in his eyes, and all hesitation was forcibly suppressed. His voice suddenly became sonorous and powerful, echoing throughout the military tent:
"Immediately order the three armies to break camp and move immediately towards the King of Chu's main force! March day and night without delay!"
"Yes!" Although the generals under the tent were also surprised and doubtful, they immediately clasped their fists and accepted the order, turned around and walked out quickly to carry out the order.
After the tent cleared a bit, Yi Xiaochuan's brows furrowed once more. He keenly sensed that something was amiss; everything was anomalous. He quickly walked over to the military map, his eyes scanning the enemy and our own situation. If Xiang Yu simply retreated at this moment, the greatest loss wouldn't be to our Southern Border Army, but to the Chu Army itself!
His mind raced, calculating the huge costs one by one in his mind:
In this battle, Xiang Yu mobilized 80,000 elite Chu troops, practically staking the entire Chu territory. A military operation of this scale consumed an incalculable amount of military supplies, enough to drain a vassal state of several years' worth of resources.
More importantly, Xiang Yu's main force was cavalry! Cavalry was far more valuable than infantry. This was not only due to the lengthy and challenging training cycle, but also due to the daunting cost of maintaining a cavalry unit. Men needed food, and horses needed fine feed and water, placing logistical demands many times greater than those on infantry. Then there was the loss of warhorses—even with the Chu army's superior horse supply, entrenched in the northern borders, the loss rate was still alarmingly high. The toll of long marches, the casualties of fierce battles, the toll of daily training... each one of them was astronomical. On a cavalry expedition, sufficient fodder and supply depots were not readily available.
If Xiang Yu retreated at this moment, all of this massive investment would be wiped out in an instant, leaving nothing behind. The lightning-fast assault on Xianyang had completely failed. If even Yangping Pass couldn't be taken, the losses in this battle would be enormous—meaning all the military reserves the Chu army had painstakingly accumulated over the past year, if not years, would have been wasted!
Moreover, the adverse effects far exceeded the loss of supplies. Yi Xiaochuan's gaze grew graver. After this battle, once Gao Yao (referring to the Qin commander) had recovered, he would undoubtedly have a clear understanding of the Chu army's tactics and strength and be fully prepared. The chances of Chu achieving a similar unexpected and advantageous victory would be slim to none. Xiang Yu's own colossal defeat had effectively sounded the loudest warning bell for his enemies.
The final, and most devastating, blow was the devastating blow to morale. Yi Xiaochuan could almost imagine the dejection and confusion the Chu soldiers felt at that moment. After years of hardship, the Chu army marched out with the might of a hundred thousand cavalrymen, their morale soaring, their resolve determined to win. And the result? They failed to win a single decent battle, failed to capture even a single important city. With such favorable timing and location, they retreated home in such a dismal, humiliating manner?
This was a humiliating event, enough to break the backbone of a mighty army and completely destroy its morale. It wasn't just a military defeat, it was a devastating loss of both politics and reputation; it was truly humiliating.
"Xiang Yu, what on earth has happened to you that made you make such a decision, regardless of the cost, to destroy the Great Wall?" Yi Xiaochuan stared at the direction of the Chu army's retreat on the map, and his doubts grew heavier.
Yi Xiaochuan's brow furrowed, as if enveloped by a thick fog. His thoughts were like a vast maze, filled with dead ends. He could not fathom how or why Gao Yao had been able to mobilize such a vast army so far south so quickly. This completely defied common sense, exceeding his understanding of the Qin army's capabilities and Gao Yao's authority. Even more perplexing was Xiang Yu's reaction—how could Xiang Yu, the valiant and unyielding King of Western Chu, choose to withdraw his troops? This was even more incredible than the sudden appearance of Gao Yao's reinforcements.
There were so many confusing things, inside and outside, like a tangled mess tangled in his mind, with no end in sight. In this situation where intelligence was unclear and the movements of both the enemy and himself were unpredictable, Yi Xiaochuan knew that any rash action could bring disaster.
He forced himself to calmly analyze the situation. The only sensible option he could make now was to temporarily abandon his obsession with Xianyang. He looked up at the towering silhouette of the capital in the distance. It now resembled a lurking beast, its defenses imposing, its defenders on high alert. Xianyang was now as secure as an iron barrel, leaving no room for attack. He knew that even with a hundred thousand more troops, let alone his own thirty thousand, a month-long siege would be a formidable challenge. A forced attack would be like hitting a rock with an egg, resulting in only further casualties.
Therefore, abandoning the attack on Xianyang at this point had already lost its strategic significance. This was precisely why Yi Xiaochuan was able to so decisively and without delay order the entire army to turn. His priority was no longer to capture cities and territories, but to reach Xiang Yu as soon as possible. He needed to see Xiang Yu in person, to question him personally, to understand the truth behind all this - why did Xiang Yu make this seemingly self-destructive and puzzling decision to retreat?