On July 3rd of the 18th year of Yugan in Western Chu, the King of Chu personally led an army of 500,000 to resist the attack of the King of the Sea, King Chen.
Since then, all parts of Western Chu were plunged into the smoke of war, and the people lived in dire straits. Cities were destroyed, homes were broken, wives and children were separated, and countless people were displaced. There was wailing throughout Western Chu.
However, the King of Chu only had 500,000 troops at his disposal, while the combined forces of King Chen and King Hai numbered nearly 3 million. Although Chu Feiyang was a skilled military commander, it was not easy to recover the lost territory in a short period of time.
Moreover, this time Chu Feiyang had to face not only the Sea King and Chen Wang, but also Dongyu to the east of West Chu. Fortunately, Chu Feiyang had been on guard beforehand and left a large army to suppress the three fronts of east, south and north. Otherwise, the people of West Chu would have been in dire straits.
In this chaos, the King of Chu boldly promoted generals in the army. Many generals from humble backgrounds who were often suppressed by the powerful in the capital were given important positions in this war.
In such a tense situation, the King of Chu confidently handed over many affairs to the military generals. This move was supported by many generals. The King of Chu's army was united and full of momentum.
The most eye-catching thing is that Han Shaomian, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, is a new upstart in the court. He has no combat experience and no military rank. However, the King of Chu handed over the 100,000 troops originally under Chu Nanshan to him, and let him command 150,000 troops to guard the gate of the capital, so that the city defense troops inside the city cannot go out, and the Haichenxi troops outside the city cannot enter. Such a confident and bold use of troops is really rare in the world.
But since Han Shaomian received this appointment, he has been guarding the city gate more attentively and dared not to be negligent or relax at all. It can be seen that the King of Chu has a keen eye and is very good at employing people. It also reduces the worries of the King of Chu's army, allowing them to charge at the front line without having to worry about the capital.
The Chu army was about to capture a city from the Sea King's men. They left 10,000 men to guard the city and assisted the local military and civilians in resuming production, then moved their camp to the west of Western Chu.
The army marched westward in a mighty force. The King of Chu sat upright on his horse, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Xi Lin, standing beside him, followed Chu Feiyang closely, holding the reins in one hand and holding a sheepskin map in the other, so that Chu Feiyang could analyze the terrain and the battle situation.
"Report!" At this time, a strong sound of horse hooves came from the rear. After running to Chu Feiyang's side, the leading guard immediately clasped his fists and reported to Chu Feiyang, "Your Highness, a battle report just came from the east. The Dongyu army has begun a large-scale invasion of Western Chu. Although the Dongyu army has had some minor friction with the army of King Chen of the Sea, they are concentrating their forces to deal with our Chu army. In addition, our scouts who went to the east were severely injured, and only a dozen of them returned alive. Please give your instructions, Your Highness."
When this news came out, the generals following Chu Feiyang were all stunned. Meng Tao was the first to speak, "Your Highness, what is the reason for Dong Yu's behavior? Could it be that Dong Yu has formed an alliance with either the Sea King or the Chen King?"
"Based on the current situation, it's very likely they've formed an alliance." Du Ronghui nodded in agreement upon hearing Meng Tao's speculation. "We're currently outnumbered, and we're really stretched thin. If one of them gains support, it would be even more powerful, not only boosting their morale but also enabling them to suppress both forces. However, forming an alliance with a foreign race isn't the best solution. After all, the biggest benefit of the alliance between the Sea King and Northern Qi is the marriage between Hai Tian and Qi Jingyuan. Without this relationship, given the Sea King's suspicious nature, he wouldn't trust Northern Qi with interfering in Western Chu's affairs."
"Brother Du is absolutely right! The King of the Sea has always been cautious. If it weren't for Hai Tian as a link, he wouldn't have reached an agreement with Northern Qi so quickly. This caught us off guard." Ye Chi also spoke in a low voice, expressing his thoughts.
Chu Feiyang listened attentively to the generals' analysis, then raised his hand and said loudly: "Stop and have a cup of tea."
Then Chu Feiyang took the sheepskin map from Xi Lin's hand and ordered Xi Lin, "You stay here and guard it. The rest of you, follow me to see Grandpa."
As he spoke, everyone heard the sound of horse hooves. In the dust, Chu Feiyang rushed out like an arrow...
"Your Highness, why are you stopping?" Qu Lingao, who was sitting upright on horseback, saw Chu Feiyang leading several generals coming. He looked past Chu Feiyang's figure and observed the front carefully for a moment. He thought that something had happened on the road ahead and couldn't help feeling worried.
If there was one thing that gave Chu Feiyang the most headache this time, it was the group of court officials left behind by Emperor Yugan. They were all accustomed to a life of luxury. When he had previously asked them to accompany the army, they all complained that they couldn't endure the hardship and were unwilling to leave the capital. Chu Feiyang also didn't want to bring any more burdens with him, so he left them all in Han Shaomian's camp, leaving only Prince Duan and Qu Lingao on the journey.
However, Prince Duan and Qu Lingao, who had been taciturn in the past, were able to endure hardships. They rode on horseback like the soldiers without any complaints.
"I have something to discuss with Prince Duan, my uncle, and my grandfather." Chu Feiyang's voice was clear and steady. He then pulled the reins in his hand and approached Prince Duan and Qu Lingao.
Seeing Chu Feiyang coming, Chu Nanshan handed the guarding to Jiao Da and rode closer to the crowd. He heard Chu Feiyang carefully tell them the news he had just received. Finally, Chu Feiyang expressed his opinion, "Since the Sea King has decided to join forces with Northern Qi, if he forms an alliance with Dongyu at this time, it will probably anger Qi Jingyuan. I think the chances of Dongyu and the Sea King joining forces are slim. As for the King of Chen, Jiang Muchen now thinks he is extraordinary, and he probably disdains to join forces with Dongyu, who covets the territory of Western Chu. And judging by Dongyu's current hostile attitude towards our army, it can be seen that Dongyu's real intention is to deal with the Chu King's army."
"You previously suspected that there was a spy in Western Chu, which is why Dongyu is so familiar with the terrain of Western Chu. According to the information we have received, we can guess that this spy probably has a grudge against us, otherwise why would he take advantage of this civil strife to send troops to invade our Western Chu territory. However, Western Chu is so big, and my Chu family has offended so many people, so it will be difficult to find such a person in a short time. Moreover, this person was able to persuade the Dongyu royal family to send troops. His strength should not be underestimated." Chu Nanshan is still strong. His many years of experience in marching and fighting allowed him to immediately grasp the most important content from Chu Feiyang's words and analyze what happened.
However, it is not easy to find the culprit from the myriad of clues. Even the shrewd Chu Nanshan frowned for a moment, his eyes showing embarrassment.
"I'm afraid Dongyu has long harbored the intention of annexing Western Chu. This time, Dongyu simply took advantage of that person's familiarity with Western Chu to capture our Western Chu cities." After speaking, Chu Feiyang unfolded the sheepskin map in his hand. His slender and powerful fingers slid along the mountain range all the way to the east, pointing out several cities that had already been lost. He said in a deep voice: "The ambition of the Dragon Feather Emperor is obvious. After the Dongyu Army occupied these cities, they burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of atrocities. The young women in the cities were tied up and used as prostitutes by the Dongyu Army. The remaining strong men, the elderly and children were all slaughtered. The property in the city was looted. It was almost a massacre. Compared with the actions of the Sea King and King Chen after they captured the city, it is hundreds of times worse. If such foreigners are not driven out of Western Chu, the people will live in fear all day long."
Prince Duan and Qu Lingao used to be noble aristocrats in the palace. Although they often stood in the hall and listened to battle reports with the emperor, now they heard such horrifying things with their own ears while marching and fighting. Their faces were already solemn, and their eyes showed sinister resentment.
"Fight! Only by beating them back and scaring them can Dongyu understand how powerful we are. What's more, both the King of the Sea and the King of Chen are obsessed with the throne. If anyone dares to obstruct their chance to ascend the throne, I'm afraid they won't let him go!" Qu Lingao frowned and spoke. He was always upright and couldn't stand such things the most. Now, seeing his own people suffering, how could he not feel pain in his heart?
Prince Duan used to act as if nothing had happened to him, but now, after hearing Chu Feiyang's words, his face was filled with a solemn and murderous look. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and spat out, "He has such a wolfish ambition that he doesn't even regard the people of Western Chu as human beings. I want to see who it is that dares to be a traitor and I will tear him into pieces. However, the Sea King and the Chen King are only concerned about the throne at this time. They have ignored the matter of Dongyu and left it all to us. What a good trick."
Prince Duan sneered repeatedly. It seemed that he was already furious in his heart, and he was even more disappointed with the actions of Prince Chen of the Sea who disregarded the lives of the people for their own selfish interests.
"Your Highness, I am willing to lead the troops to the east to resist Dongyu and take back the lost city!" At this time, Qu Changqing, who had been listening to the analysis silently, suddenly spoke. He looked up at Chu Feiyang, with indignation in his upright and clear eyes, and his words sounded like a military order.
Chu Feiyang did not immediately agree to Qu Changqing's request. Instead, he stared at the map in his hand, his mind quickly organizing his thoughts. A few wrinkles gradually appeared between his smooth brows. Then he pointed to the cities in the north and south of the Yangtze River and said, "If you are willing, this king will give you this important task. But you must be careful. Yicheng in the east is now in the hands of Liu Minghong, a subordinate of the Sea King. The Chen King has also stationed a large army in the east, plus Dongyu. Even with the army I left in the east to help you, you can't be careless when you are alone against three. Liu Minghong is one of the four most powerful generals of Haiquan. To be entrusted with such an important task by Haiquan, his ability should not be underestimated. And Jiang Muchen wants to control the entire Western Chu, so naturally he has to seize Yicheng. And Yicheng is the gateway to Western Chu from the east, so Dongyu will naturally fight for it. There will be ambushes along your way, so you must be extremely careful and don't act too aggressively."
Chu Feiyang's well-intentioned analysis made Qu Changqing nod his head frequently, and also made Prince Duan Qu Lingao's expression more solemn.
Qu Changqing took the token from Chu Feiyang and called over a group of guards. He clasped his fists and said goodbye to the people in front of him. He bid farewell to the King of Chu's army and rushed towards the east...
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