"Give the order!" he gritted his teeth, "The troops on both flanks, fight and retreat, withdraw to the main position!"
But before the order could be relayed, the main force of the Qin army launched an attack.
Without the obstruction of the Deer Fortress, the Qin army's chariots and cavalry charged straight in, heading directly for the central army formation.
"Fire!" Lord Chunshen urgently ordered the archers to fire.
But the Qin army was prepared, raising their heavy shields to block all the arrows.
As the Qin army drew ever closer, Lord Chunshen finally realized that something was amiss.
While the defensive materials used by the Mohists were useful, they were far from enough to change the course of the battle. Even more critically, their painstakingly prepared defensive lines proved utterly vulnerable to the Qin army.
"Commander!" the lieutenant rushed in to report, "The fortresses on both flanks have been breached, and the Qin army is closing in..."
Before he could finish speaking, a series of urgent bugle calls rang out.
Lord Chunshen looked up and saw that the Qin army's three forces had formed an encirclement and were about to completely surround their camp!
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Lord Chunshen shouted hoarsely.
But it was too late; the Qin army had already cut off their retreat.
A great battle ensued.
Although the Chu army fought hard, they had already fallen into a passive position.
The battle was basically over by sunset.
The 100,000-strong Chu army was almost completely wiped out, and Lord Chunshen was also killed by stray arrows in the melee.
This battle destroyed the Chu army's carefully prepared defenses and annihilated its main force, giving the Qin army a strategic passage to the south.
That night, the Qin army camp was filled with jubilation.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Wang Jian said, bowing. "Using gunpowder to clear obstacles, followed by a cavalry charge, this battle was brilliantly fought!"
Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, gazing south. By the moonlight, he could vaguely see the outline of Mount Xiao.
On the other side of that mountain lies the heartland of the Chu Kingdom.
"The State of Chu..." he murmured to himself, "You ultimately underestimated the strength of my Great Qin..."
......
Yingdu, the capital of the State of Chu.
"What? Lord Chunshen's entire army was wiped out?!"
When King Xiong Qi of Chu heard this news, the bamboo slips in his hand fell to the ground with a thud, and all the civil and military officials in the hall turned pale, unable to believe it.
"Absolutely true!" The scout, kneeling on the ground, trembled. "Lord Chunshen's meticulously prepared defenses have been breached, his army of 100,000 has been almost completely wiped out, and even Lord Chunshen himself has died on the battlefield..."
"How could this be..." Xiong Qi slumped onto the dragon throne. "Wasn't it said that a way to deal with gunpowder had already been found? What about the Mo family's mechanical arts?"
"Your Majesty," the scout reported, "the Mohist defenses have indeed been somewhat effective, but the Qin army..."
What happened to the Qin army?
"The Qin army didn't follow conventional tactics at all. They used gunpowder to blast open the defensive lines, then took the opportunity to divide their forces and encircle the enemy. Lord Chunshen was caught off guard, and that's why..."
Xiong Qi felt a chill run down his spine.
He originally thought that with the help of the Mohists, he could at least hold off the Qin army for a while. Who knew that the Qin army not only had powerful firearms, but also such a sophisticated way of fighting.
"Gentlemen..." his voice trembled, "What should we do?"
The hall was deathly silent. After a long while, an old minister stepped forward: "Your Majesty, why not send an envoy to sue for peace? Offer a large sum of money and ask the Qin army to withdraw..."
"What a joke!" the Minister of War roared. "The Qin army is coming in overwhelming force; how can they be appeased with gold and silver? Besides, the lesson of Zhao's fate is right before our eyes. Are you blind?!"
"Then what is your opinion?" the old minister countered. "Are we just going to stand by and watch the Qin army march all the way to Yingdu?"
"this......"
In the midst of the debate, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the hall.
"Report! King Ying Zheng's edict has arrived!"
"What? Bring it up here right now!"
A messenger strode into the hall, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in both hands.
Xiong Qi took a look and his expression changed drastically.
"The King of Qin issued an edict: 'I, the ruler of the six kingdoms, have done so in accordance with Heaven's will. The State of Chu has refused to submit and has acted arrogantly. I will now personally lead a large army south to punish the State of Chu.'"
"If the King of Chu repents and surrenders immediately, I will show leniency. If he remains obstinate, my army will press upon our borders, leaving not a blade of grass standing!"
The imperial edict resounded with power and authority, filling the courtiers in the hall with even greater fear.
"That Ying Zheng!" a high-ranking official exclaimed, trembling with rage. "He's trying to force the State of Chu to submit!"
"Your Majesty!" Several generals stepped forward. "Your humble servants are willing to lead the troops to defend Yingdu to the death and fight the Qin army to the bitter end!"
"Wait!" Minister Zhen Xiong hurriedly stopped him. "In this urgent situation, we must consider this carefully. Although our Chu state is vast and populous, Lord Chunshen's defeat has already put us at a disadvantage. Perhaps..."
How about we do it?
"It would be better to feign weakness for now," Zhen Xiong said in a low voice. "Let's hold off the Qin army for now, and at the same time gather troops from all sides to prepare for future troubles."
Another minister said, "Indeed! The most important thing now is to stabilize the Qin army. Your Majesty might as well write a reply to slow their advance."
Just as the King of Chu was about to speak, another scout hurriedly entered the palace.
"Report! Urgent report from the front! The Qin army has advanced south in three routes, and cities are surrendering without a fight wherever they go!"
These words caused even greater panic among the court officials.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Zhen Xiong urged, "If this continues, Yingdu will be lost!"
Just then, another piece of bad news arrived.
"Report! Secret letters have arrived from the governors of the northern prefectures, saying that morale is low and many soldiers are considering defecting to Qin..."
"Damn it!" someone shouted angrily, "These traitors!"
But Zhen Xiong's expression was grave: "This matter cannot be handled forcefully. The army's morale is low; if handled improperly, it could backfire."
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