The Conqueror Isn’t Alone

The next day, the army set off again and advanced towards Linzi.

Zhang Er and his party, who had just escaped from Boyang, suddenly suffered an unprecedented blow when they learned that Zhao Xie, their original ally who was supposed to be a retreat, had suddenly rebelled.

In the previous battle against the main force of the Chu army, which showed its sharpness, Zhang Er, who lacked courage and resourcefulness, could not be the opponent of King Xiang who had been fighting for many years and was invincible.

The two armies were about the same size, but after several months of fighting, Chu's army only suffered a few casualties. With 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers thrown in, he suffered heavy losses.

——Two hundred thousand troops were temporarily recruited from Zhao, but the number of those killed in battle was as high as one hundred thousand.

Of the remaining 100,000 people, 40,000 resisted and were captured. Only 60,000 survivors secretly escaped from Boyang with him in the middle of the night, and rushed all the way to Linzi, where they had a chance to breathe.

Zhang Er lived for most of his life and experienced countless storms. Although he knew that the situation was unfavorable, he still felt that there was still a way to survive because he still had Zhao territory to hold on to and the two countries of Dai and Yan as allies.

So when the morale of the generals was low, he could force a smile and boost their morale.

However, as soon as the military report that his allies turned against each other came, his spirit collapsed and he became even more depressed and restless than his subordinates.

Although there are still 200,000 Qi soldiers under his command, Zhang Er knows very well that the Qi people have never been convinced by him, an outsider who took advantage of the opportunity and claimed the territory as king.

His Jilu regime was untenable for a while, so he had to hastily establish a man named Tian as the king of Qi, hoping to repeat the old trick of supporting Zhao Xie to regain the hearts and minds of the people of Zhao.

Unexpectedly, his many evil deeds of imposing excessive taxes and extortionate taxes, constantly forcing the people to join him in resisting the powerful Chu soldiers, resulting in heavy casualties, soaring food prices, and the people's desperation had long aroused deep resentment among the people.

He is living in dire straits, how can he be willing to accept the false king who is clearly his puppet?

Tian Rong and others who were quite famous in Qi at that time were also hated by the people when they did this act, and ended up having their heads cut off by the people of Qi in their sleep, not to mention it was just an outsider like Zhang Er?

The Chu army, which was also a foreign force, did not commit any crimes in the early autumn, cared for the orphans, and released the prisoners, but it was much more tolerant and kinder than them!

Not long ago, there was such a sharp contrast, and the people of Qi were even more unwilling to surrender to Zhang Er.

Seeing that Zhang Er's army was at a disadvantage, Qidicheng and County, who had already taken advantage of the wind, took the initiative to turn away, opened their doors to the Chu army, and surrendered in anticipation of the wind.

Zhang Er was really angry when he learned that except for a few major old cities where he sent heavy troops to garrison, most of the cities and counties in Qi surrendered without a fight, and even turned around and joined the Chu army to drive them out of Qi. I almost want to vomit blood.

Facing the Qi people who were full of complaints, he really couldn't tell the truth.

Who doesn’t know that only by treating people kindly can you win the hearts of the people?

He clearly has this intention, but he doesn't have the power!

The Chu State's powerful army was coming fiercely. If he did not rely on conscription, he would not be able to support these 400,000 soldiers. How could he care about the life and death of the Qi people who would be useless for a while?

It's not like the state of Chu, which occupies two fertile lands in the east and west, and has all the treasures of the former Qin Dynasty. It can be rich and generous, and it can spread wealth wantonly, and there is no need to worry about such trivial figures.

Although he knew that the situation was unfavorable, Zhang Er did not want to sit still and wait for death.

After half a day of desolation, he quickly came to his senses and decided to use Linzi as a fortress. Before the Chu army arrived, the whole army devoted all its efforts to build forts in order to hold on to it in the future.

At the same time, he ordered people to strengthen the walls and clear the country, so that the Chu army would not be able to get any food supplies within a hundred miles.

He personally inspected the granaries in the city and listened to the reports from his subordinates. He said that these grains could feed the people in the city for half a year, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

If he could really hold on for half a year, he would surely be able to survive until the day when the Chu army, which was facing off outside the city, ran out of food and exhausted its troops and was forced to retreat.

As long as he takes a breather, he will have a chance to make a comeback.

Thinking of this, Zhang Er couldn't help but gnashed his teeth and hated the short-sighted and timid Zhao Xie!

If he had known this, he should not have worked with Chen Yu to support him in the first place, but in the end, he bit him back at the most critical moment!

The army led by Xiang Yu came to the city for several days in the evening. When they saw that there were barriers outside Linzi City, it was difficult to conquer for a while, so they changed their mind about a quick battle.

Along the way, he has quietly changed his habit of using force to defeat force and fighting to end wars in everything.

If you can reduce the loss of generals, you will lose less generals.

Seeing that Zhang Er was prepared, he ordered his army to surround the city. Each gate was guarded by several layers of troops to prevent the other party from escaping.

Unlike the Chu army, which had won great victories all the way and had high morale, Zhang Erjun, who was already uneasy due to the tragic defeat, felt miserable when he saw that his side was deeply surrounded in the city.

Zhang Er was also very nervous and had trouble sleeping at night. Many blisters soon appeared on his mouth. Every time they were popped, it caused him excruciating pain.

What made Zhang Er most uneasy was that the Chu army, led by the notoriously violent and impatient Xiang Yu, was not only good at quick field battles, but also surprisingly patient.

Since the city was heavily surrounded, Xiang Yu seemed to be a different person. He never launched a strong attack, but just stayed here quietly, calm and composed.

The eighth month is still young, and the clothes are given in the ninth month.

In the blink of an eye, two full months passed.

Zhang Er is really puzzled.

Why did Chu Jun remain motionless and so patient?

The situation was very different from what he had imagined. What Zhang Er, who became increasingly anxious, did not know was that Zhao Di, which he thought was still safe and sound, had actually fallen to Han Xin during the two months he was besieged in Linzi City.

Less than half a year had passed since the day Lingbi set out, but most of the land had been easily recaptured, and a lot of damage had been done.

There were only 30,000 people, and Han Xin's army swept Wei and Zhao...

Linzi, which had no idea about it, had become an isolated city.

Facing an opponent with mediocre abilities and foolishly trapped in an isolated city, who didn't even know that sooner or later he would run out of troops and food, Xiang Yu knew that he could just wait quietly and reap the rewards soon.

Of course there is no need to rush.

At the end of September, when food and grass were gradually running out and Zhang Er could hardly sit still, Lu Bu, still leading only his two thousand cavalry, suddenly arrived at the Chu army's garrison outside Linzi City.

After a few months, everyone in the Chu camp was secretly surprised when they suddenly saw General Lu, but they gave way without hesitation.

Before Lu Bu could say a word, he saw the dark mass of Chu soldiers in front of him split into two sides with a swift, and automatically and consciously gave way to a spacious passage.

Lu Bu raised his eyebrows and raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.

——You should really let that blind Zhou Lan learn from you.

Like a knight on its back, the jade lion came to the main tent with its head held high, and then lowered its long neck, allowing Lu Bu to turn over and jump down.

With Wang Ling in front of him, Lu Bu had an unimpeded journey and strode into the tent, breaking into the middle of Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng's discussion.

As we all know, Lu Bu was the only one in the entire army who had the privilege of being able to enter accounts without notification.

Therefore, before others arrived, the two of them stopped talking and followed the footsteps in unison.

Lu Bu walked closer, blinked, calmly bowed his hands, and sat down in his old position.

According to etiquette, when a minister sees his master, he should kneel down.

However, although Lu Bu was forced to follow these rules by the nagging old man, he always pretended to be ignorant and never followed them. He pretended to be a frank and reckless man, and always just sat down hastily.

He is a man who is used to being the master of power. Even if he has to temporarily submit to the fool in order to seek revenge, he is not willing to give such a big gift at every turn!

Lu Bu was rude to the king as always, but neither Fan Zeng, who was smiling broadly, nor Xiang Yu, who unconsciously slightly curved his lips, felt anything was wrong.

His eyes were finally able to catch the familiar bright pheasant tail feathers in the usual place. Watching it swaying with its owner's dignity, the curvature of the corners of Xiang Yu's lips became more and more obvious.

Lu Bu had no idea that this stupid king was silently staring at the two feathers on his head, so he inexplicably got Fan Zeng to praise him: I have been running around and working hard, why don't you go back to your tent to rest, and then come to meet the king?

What does he labor for?

There was a hint of confusion in Lu Bu's eyes, but he couldn't ask directly.

He rolled his eyes and simply said humbly: How can we work hard to earn the salary of the emperor and be loyal to the emperor!

As soon as these words came out, Fan Zeng sighed in his heart.

Don't take credit, don't be greedy for fame, and be loyal and courageous.

It is human nature to scheming and competing for merit.

Even those who are as straight-minded and as sharp as a dragon are not immune to this custom: occasionally they strive for more merit and are unwilling to use strategies. In everything they do, they use force to defeat the enemy, just to rely on their bravery to defeat the enemy, so that they can seek rewards later.

This is not the case with Fengxian.

The soldiers and horses have not moved, but the food and grass go first. The supply of food, grass and troops is the backbone of the expeditionary army, so it is self-evident how important it is to ensure its safety.

However, there are many people who know this, and there are only a few generals who are really willing to give up the opportunity to charge into battle and win military exploits, and personally go to perform the thankless duty of escorting the corridor.

If it was not the deputy general Zhou Lan who came to report, Lian Ao, who was responsible for transporting grain and grass from Guanzhong, or Han Xin, who was entrusted by Fengxian to conquer Zhao, all reported in the military report that Fengxian took the initiative to lead two thousand light cavalry to guard the corridor. During this period, the achievement of annihilating Peng Yue's army was full of praise, and he wrote a special book...

They are afraid that they still don't know that the military rations that are continuously sent to the front line, so that the troops have no worries, are actually full of Fengxian's hidden merits.

It is precisely because of Fengxian's far-sightedness and unique strategy that he ordered Han Xin to march north with the Longyuan Sword, so that today's complete victory can be achieved.

Lu Bu didn't know anything about the good things those bastards did behind his back. He always thought that he had rare kindness and thought that he would have to grease the soles of his feet soon, so he did it to this lucky idiot. Return to a tiring and thankless job.

Seeing that Old Man Fan cared about him, he was stunned for a moment and then treated him as just being polite, but didn't take it seriously.

Xiang Yu's eyes had silently moved down from the eye-catching pheasant tail feathers, and landed on the handsome side face of the general with deep outlines and heroic spirit. He suddenly said: I'm here unexpectedly, do you have anything important to do?

It's nothing important. Lu Bu glanced at Xiang Yu from head to toe several times, making sure that the overlord was alive and kicking and that no arms or legs were missing. Then he said casually: I heard that the king was in Linzi with Zhang Thief. Unable to hold on, Bu Fang took the liberty to come and have a look to see if he could help the king.

After resting in Chaoge City for half a month, he was afraid that someone else would take advantage of the opportunity to come in again, so he simply picked up his weapons and patrolled along the grain road.

I don't know where Chen Yu went. He disappeared without a trace. Except for some hungry and dizzy bandits who didn't know whether to live or die, he had nothing to gain and only served as a guard for the grain truck.

Every time he felt bored, he couldn't help thinking that he would soon leave Chu Camp and feel relaxed again. He couldn't help but feel a little more tolerant towards that fool, who miraculously endured this boring job. It lasted for several months.

Now that the overall situation in the Central Plains has been settled, only Linzi, where Zhang Er is located, is left. However, Xiang Yu, who has always insisted on a quick decision, has been dragging his feet for so long, which makes him unable to sit still.

This is really not what that fool always does.

Such an abnormality

His attitude, could it be that the fool suffered some serious injuries and couldn't even take charge of the overall situation, so other generals who were more stable took over?

Lu Bu thought wildly for several days, and finally couldn't help but urge the soldiers to follow him on the road, and hurriedly arrived at Linzi.

Xiang Yupin spoke with concern, his heart felt warm, and his face became a little softer.

He thought about his words for a moment and was about to speak, but unexpectedly, Yafu, who was thinking quickly, beat him to it.

Fan Zeng had no idea that his quick words had stolen the king's words.

Unconsciously facing the king's burning gaze, he looked at Lu Bu intently. After sincerely explaining the recent siege situation to the wise general in his heart who was very convinced, he asked expectantly: Do you have any good ideas for me?

Hearing this, Lu Bu looked grim, as if he was deep in thought.