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Qin Shihuang's ability to unify the six countries was inseparable from his generals in addition to his own majestic talents.

If it is really said, which of these generals is more powerful, it is hard to say.

But if anyone is said to be the most hated enemy of Qin State, it is Chu State.

"Although there are three households in Chu, Chu must die when Qin dies." '

From these simple words, you can see how much Chu State's hatred for Qin State is.

Wang Jian exterminated Zhao, Wang Ben exterminated Yan and Wei, plus South Korea, which was annihilated by Taishou Teng before, now there are only Chu and Qi remaining in the six eastern countries. From the perspective of comprehensive national strength, Chu and Qi are not weak.

After moving its capital several times, Chu State merged with Lu State, and its strength is still strong.

However, Qi State has never used foreign troops for more than half a century, and its territory is far less than it was in its heyday, but the population is prosperous, the people are rich and the country is strong.

The first emperor decided to destroy Chu State first. The capital of Chu State, Shouchun, is closer to Qin State. At the same time, Changping Lord Xiong Qi can also serve as an internal support in Chencheng. It is appropriate.

During this expedition, Shihuang intended to hide King Jian and Wang Ben's father and son. As the founder of the Qin Dynasty, Shihuang could not allow these two generals to overtake the master, especially if they were still father and son.

The first emperor had carefully considered who to choose as the general. A few years ago, Li Xin had made great achievements in Liaodong, so he was the most favorite candidate for the first emperor.

The First Emperor summoned Li Xin and asked, "If the general wants to attack Chu, how many troops will he need?"

Li Xin said confidently: "To defeat Chu, 20 is enough!"

Chu State was different from the three Jins that had been wiped out before. The Three Jins were located in the land of the Four Wars, and there was not a year without wars. However, Chu State got a certain amount of recuperation in the late Warring States period, and its population and military strength were stable at a certain level.

Moreover, the number of the Chu army is definitely more than 20, and the number of troops is less than that of the opponent to destroy the opponent. If others say "20 is enough", Shi Huang will never believe it.

But Li Xin has his own opinion. Since he dared to chase the 10,000+ troops of Prince Dan of Yan Kingdom with 20 troops, he said "[-] is enough", which is also in line with his personal temperament.

When the first emperor recruited Wang Jian another day, the old general Wang Jian gave the same question, "It must be 60!"

One of the things that the first emperor was most worried about was that he would not accept the orders of the king outside. If Wang Jian had control of an army of 60, as long as Wang Jian was willing, he would definitely be able to destroy Qin and become king himself.

The first emperor's worry was not unfounded. A few years later, he sent 50 troops to expand south, but Zhao Tuo became king with mercenaries in Lingnan, and none of the 50 Qin troops returned to China.

After weighing again and again, Shi Huang appointed Li Xin as the main general, Meng Tian as the deputy general, and sent 20 troops to Chu.

Shihuang trusted Li Xin so much, which is inseparable from Li Xin's background.

Li Xin's ancestral home was in the State of Zhao, and his ancestry was a doctor. The first person to become a general was Li Tong, who served as a general under the tent of King Wuling of Zhao.

Li Tong had a famous son, Li Dui, Prime Minister of Zhao Guo.

Li Duiyong was unstoppable, he killed King Zhao Wuling in the Shaqiu Palace, and planted the gene of bravery for the Li family.

After Li Dui's death, the Li family was excluded and suppressed in Zhao State, and some people moved to Qin State.

Li Xin is the ninth generation following Li Tong, a native of Qin, his loyalty is not a problem, and since he was born in a general family, this kind of famous general temperament is not possessed by many grassroots generals.

Li Xin led the army for the first time, about five years ago, when Wang Jian led the army to attack Zhao, and Li Xin led a team of 2 people. The task was to prevent several counties in the north of Zhao from reinforcing Li Mu.

In that battle, Li Xin's opponents had the same total strength, but they were scattered in five counties in the north of Zhao State, so the opponent's strength can be said to be pitifully small.

Li Xin led the army for the second time, about four years ago, when Jing Ke assassinated the King of Qin, Wang Ben led the army to attack Yan, and Li Xin assisted Wang Ben.

In that battle, Li Xin's [-] troops chased after more than [-] horses and horses, and finally beheaded Prince Dan.

Li Xin's prestige shook the world, and the first emperor's evaluation of him was three words: "Young, strong, and brave!"

The first emperor used Li Xin as the main general to attack Chu, which naturally had a profound reason, and the deputy general Meng Tian was also the general whom the first emperor intended to promote.

Li Xin is not a brave and foolish person, he did not underestimate the enemy, but made very careful arrangements.

When the Qin army entered Chu, Li Xinbing divided into two groups. He led an army of 15 to attack Yanling, and Meng Tian led an army of 5 to attack Pingyu.

On the north side of Li Xin's army is Chencheng controlled by Lord Changping, and on the south side is Mengtian's army.

This arrangement has many advantages. First of all, the north and south sides of Li Xin's army must be safe, and the most important thing is to gain a foothold invincible.

Then with such a large-scale advancement, it is difficult for the main force to hide somewhere.

Under the cover of various siege equipment, the main force of the Qin army captured Yanling in one day, and Meng Tian also drove to Pingyu city.

Pingyu is a food storage stronghold in Chu State. The purpose of sending troops to Pingyu is to grab food for my own use;

According to Li Xin's plan, Lord Changping appeased the people of Chu in Chencheng and provided food and supplies. Li Xin could not enter Chencheng, so he moved his troops eastward to attack Chengfu.

Li Xin had the opportunity to attack Shouchun directly with an army of 20, but he did not do so. He chose a very steady strategy, first clearing all the strongholds in Shouchun's frontier, gradually encroaching on Chu State and then conquering it.

However, in Li Xin's seemingly sound plan, there is also a slight omission.

Let's take a look at the three major families of Chu State, the three major families of Qu, Zhao and Jing.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the three major families have controlled the government and military power of the Chu State for a long time. The Jing family has many famous generals, and many of them served as the Shangzhu State.

Jingyan has a fief, not far from the south of Chen, called Xiangcheng, so Jingyan is also called Xiangyan.

As the upper pillar of Chu State, Xiang Yan naturally became the commander-in-chief of Chu State's resistance to Qin State.

If Li Xin didn't consider everything thoroughly, it was ignoring the existence of Xiang Yan and Xiang Cheng.

In Li Xin's view, it doesn't matter who commands the Chu army, and it doesn't matter where Xiang Yan's fief is.

Li Xin's 15 troops went to Chencheng first before heading to Chengfu to get supplies from Lord Changping.

Chen was chosen as the capital for the first stop. The city here is strong and wide, and many members of the clan of Chu State settled here. It is a famous city in Chu State.

A few years ago, during the internal struggle in Chu, Lord Changping failed to fight for the throne, so he became the king of Chu in Chencheng.

At that time, the king of Chu killed the king of Chu Ai. Lord Changping, king of Chu, and king of Chu Ai were all brothers, and they were both the sons of King Chu Kaolie. Lord Changping was qualified to take the throne.

Lord Changping was supported by Qin State at that time. In order to support Lord Changping and make Chu State unable to support South Korea's Xinzheng rebellion, Shi Huang also sent an army to Chu State to support him.

After receiving supplies in Chencheng, Li Xin moved eastward to Chengfu as planned, preparing to occupy this small city where grain was stored, gradually conquering other strongholds, and finally went south to attack Shouchun, the capital of Chu.

Li Xin's army marched east from Chencheng Road.Lord Changping stayed in Chencheng to appease the army and the people. He mobilized tens of thousands of troops and people to deliver supplies to Li Xin's army.

Along the way, Li Xin encountered a stronghold in a small city in the Chu State, and he used both soft and hard tactics, persuading if he could, and attacking if he could not.

The benefits of attacking the father of the city are also obvious. With the food and grass of the father of the city, not only can the war be supported by the war, but also the hidden safety hazard on the east side is eliminated. Although Li Xin is brave, the tactical arrangements for this battle are indeed step by step.

When Li Xinjun arrived at Chengfu, good news came from Pingyu, and Meng Tian successfully took over the place.

Li Xin immediately sent someone to inform Meng Tian that the food and grass could be taken as soon as it could be brought, and all the grain and grass could not be brought and destroyed. The two armies met at Chengfu and prepared to go south to attack Shouchun.

If so, Xiang Yan will definitely not let her fief fall into the hands of the Qin army, and the decisive battle between Qin and Chu will be staged in advance.At that time, it cannot be said that the Qin army was completely sure of winning, but at least both sides were in the clear and evenly matched.

Li Xin and the generals of the Qin army did not consider this plan. From the Qin people's point of view, the three major families of the Chu people had many fiefdoms, and the Qin people could not control whose fiefdoms were, as long as they were all Chu's land.

Li Xin didn't know that behind the Chu people who were transporting supplies to the Qin army, there was a Chu army of more than [-], led by Xiang Yan, who had been following the Qin army for three days and three nights. They were like a group of hungry wolves chasing their prey. It is always ready to pounce fiercely and devour its prey.

When the Qin army attacked those small town strongholds along the way, Xiang Yan was unmoved at all. Humans are naturally smarter than wolves, and people don't know how to startle snakes.

Li Xin never imagined that Lord Changping would secretly surrender to the king of Chu, and that the main force of Xiang Yan's Chu army was hidden behind the Chu people who were transporting grain and supplies by Lord Changping.

Just as the Qin army was building barriers and building siege equipment, Xiang Yan mobilized the Chu army and launched a surprise attack on the rear of the Qin army.

The Qin army has been fighting for more than 100 years. Although they encountered a sudden attack, most of them remained calm and fought against the Chu army.

Li Xin divided more than 13 people into more than 20 teams, each with 5000 people, led by a captain. Each team built camps, supported each other, and waited for the Chu army to attack the camps.

Although the Qin army's fortress was built in a hurry, it was waiting for attack after all. In the case that the Chu army did not have large siege equipment, the Qin army could launch a counterattack just waiting for the reinforcements to arrive.

When the Chu army launched the first round of all-out offensive, Li Xin discovered that the Chu army had already prepared for it. They transported many siege equipment from Chengfu City, and captured two edge Chu camps on the first day. Ten thousand Qin troops None escaped.

Li Xin made a decisive decision and decided to abandon the camp and turn west to join Meng Tian's army.

Li Xin's decision is very wise. If he continues to defend the camp, he will be defeated one by one by the Chu army. If he retreats northward to the old Wei State, not only will he suffer heavy losses, but the 5 men of Mengtian's army will not be able to escape. The army was wiped out.

At this time, Meng Tian's army was also entangled by a partial division of the Chu army.

Xiang Yan also understands that at this point in the war, there are not many strategies to plan, and it is basically a matter of courage.

Everyone in Chu knew that if one more Qin army was killed this time, the Qin army's offensive in the next war would be weakened by a point.

Then Li Xin and Meng Tian joined forces, and then retreated northward to the old Wei State, but suffered heavy losses.

Li Xin counted the army, lost seven captains, and the 5000 troops under the jurisdiction of these seven captains, and the entire army was wiped out.

The other teams were also severely injured to varying degrees, and the Qin army lost nearly half of the 20 troops.

Li Xin failed to attack Chu, and there seemed to be two choices left for Shihuang, the veteran Wang Jian, or Wang Jian's son Wang Ben.

But Shi Huang was worried that if Wang Jian or Wang Ben were given 60 troops, this would be enough troops to overthrow the rule of Qin.

After exchanging pleasantries with the monarch and his ministers, Shi Huang said: "The battle to attack Chu must be done by the general, and the general must not refuse."

Wang Jian was so clever. He understood that Shihuang wanted to send troops for himself, but he didn't want to give 60 troops. He cut to the chase and said, "If the king uses small ministers, he must have 60 troops."

The first emperor had already prepared a set of rhetoric: "I have heard that the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period added to the princes, and their control of the country is no more than a thousand times. One multiplication counts 75 people, which has never reached a hundred thousand. Today's generals use 60 troops, which is unprecedented in ancient times. Yes."

Wang Jian's answer was fluent: "The ancients set up an army around the sun, and fought against the purpose of the battle, and their steps were all regular. To use force without serious injury, to make a crime without going to the ground.

Although in the middle of fighting, it means courtesy.

Therefore, when an emperor employs troops, he never uses crowds.

Qiheng public soldiers, but 3 people.

Today the nations fight with each other, the strong bully the weak, the many tyrannize the few, they kill everyone they meet, and attack the land they meet.Tens of thousands were beheaded, and the siege lasted for several years.

Therefore, farmers and children are all fighting with swords, and they are bound to come. Although they want to use less, they cannot get it.

Kuang Chu State is as far as the southeast, and once an order is issued, millions of people can follow it.

The minister said that 60 is still not quite enough, how can it be reduced to this? "

Seeing that Wang Jian refused to let go, the first emperor had no choice but to flatter him: "It is not the general who is good at using troops, but I can't get to this point. I will listen to the general!"

The first emperor transferred Wang Ben to Xianyang to control them, and Wang Jian commanded 60 Qin troops as he wished. Before leaving, he did not forget to ask the first emperor to reward the fields and houses near Xianyang, and said to the first emperor: "I am old, like a man in the wind. Candle, how long will it shine? Most of the ministers have beautiful fields and houses, which are reserved for descendants, and they will receive the favor of the king from generation to generation."

Wang Jian is a master of playing politics. He expressed his no dissent to the first emperor with a few words, and then led a mighty army to the state of Chu.

Wang Jian stationed troops in Pingyu, where 60 troops were stationed. This used to be a granary, but it was a good place to station troops.

On the Chu side, Xiang Yan was still in charge of the army, but this time Xiang Yan's troops had reached more than [-], and almost all of Chu's mobile forces were brought out.

What is puzzling is that Wang Jian did not fight, but built a fortified stone wall with a radius of more than forty miles, hiding 60 Qin troops deeply in the wall, and holding on to it.

Wang Jian's sixth sense told him that he must avoid the edge of the Chu army. The difference between an excellent and hardworking general and a famous general may lie in this feeling about war.

Wang Jian was so low-key, and Xiang Yan didn't expect that he had no better way than building a camp opposite the Qin army and sending people to challenge him every day.

Wang Jian ordered the sergeants to intensify their drills every day. Wang Jian's way of training troops is very unique.

The first is to throw twelve catties of stones, with a limit of [-] steps, using a small trebuchet to throw stones. Those who exceed [-] steps will be rewarded. If they do it with bare hands, they can eat beef every day.

The second type of training is the high jump. Two poles seven or eight feet high are connected with a rope at the top. Anyone who jumps over this height will have beef.

Qin Jun stayed in Chu State for more than a year this time, and treated the training as a game, which also relieved the boredom of Qin Jun soldiers.

Having nothing to do, Wang Jian gave up the general's meal and ate the same military meal as the soldiers. If a soldier came to ask for a fight, he would invite him to drink, but he just didn't fight.

Wang Jian showed a state of self-defense. Before setting off from Xianyang, Wang Jian asked the first emperor to reward several beautiful fields and houses in Xianyang. He marched to Hangu Pass and sent people to Xianyang to reward many farms and gardens.

From the perspective of Chu people, Wang Jian was not greedy for land, but worried about the suspicion of King Qin. After all, he commanded 60 Qin troops. If the Wang family really had a different heart, how could King Qin not be worried.

In the winter of 224 BC, the winter of this year was extremely cold. Wang Jian had already ordered the literate soldiers in the army to carve houses for the soldiers in each camp, and asked the families to send clothes or belongings to ensure that they could survive the severe winter.

Goose feathers and heavy snow are flying all over the sky, and the sky and the earth are white. In the season of wind and snow, it is impossible to even walk. Naturally, it is impossible to mobilize troops.

As a guest army, the Qin army came from a more northern region, and it is common for this kind of weather. In addition, the warm clothes were prepared in time, and the bonfires in the camp continued day and night, so the Qin people did not suffer losses due to the cold.

Winter has passed and spring has come, and the pattern of war is still two cold words: confrontation!
Wang Jian ordered the soldiers to go out of the camp and not to enter the area controlled by the Chu army to collect firewood, so as not to be captured by the Chu army.As for the Chu people captured by the Qin army, Wang Jian graciously invited them to eat and drink, and released them after they were full.

Wang Jian was inspired by the Battle of Changping. The multi-year war had a particularly great impact on the agricultural harvest. Back then, Zhao Guo was unable to withstand the hunger of the poor in the country, so he took the lead in seeking change and was defeated.

In this battle of millions of people in the Chu State, Wang Jian gradually created opportunities to transform the battle against Chu into the model of the Battle of Changping.

If it is a protracted war, a war of attrition, this is Qin's strength, and Wang Jian is using Qin's strength to deal with the Chu army.

The people of Chu were anxious. If they missed another harvest season, the soldiers would go hungry, and their wives and children would have nothing to eat.

In the autumn of 223 BC, when the Chu people were extremely anxious, Wang Jian finally launched an attack that both sides got what they wanted.

The fierce battle of millions of people is by no means the imminent melee as imagined. Apart from the small-scale confrontation, both Qin and Chu only responded with arrows, and did not make any real moves. Everyone focused their energy on setting up the formation. .

On the side of the Qin army, Wang Jian ordered each battalion to form a team of 5000 people, line up neatly, and rush to help each other.The front of the team is a chariot, which is used to cover the army behind and conceal the movement of the army.

The Chu army is divided into several large formations, and each large formation is divided into nine small formations according to the types of troops. The first three formations are shield soldiers and light infantry, and the other six formations are heavy infantry attacking the main force. , guns, swords, shields, horses, spears, halberds and other weapons.

The size of each formation and the distance between each other are well versed in the laws of a certain battle formation. Xiang Yan is definitely a master of the art of war.

Both sides have their own advantages. The Chu army is strong in formation, and the Qin army is strong in numbers and individual soldiers.

The drums of war sounded from the sky, and both sides cleared the way with chariots. The infantry followed closely and shouted together. The horses in the team felt the dangerous atmosphere of the decisive battle, and they also neighed shortly.

The catapults threw roaring boulders, occasionally knocking down several people, and the surrounding sergeants immediately made up for the vacancy.

The rain of arrows poured down from the sky, and both sides advanced while protecting the formation with shields. The scene that both sides expected and the other side turned their backs did not appear on the battlefield.

The Qin army formed a team of 5000 people, and Wang Jian specially deployed 2 people in a certain team on the left. These 2 people were all outstanding performers in the stone throwing competition this year.

When the two sides were close to hand-to-hand combat, the team of 2 people suddenly threw [-] solid stones weighing twelve catties. The stones were different from the arrows. A phalanx of the Chu army was hit by the hailstones all over the sky, thousands of people fell to the ground and howled, and the formation was in chaos.

1 strong men, each carrying three hard stones, [-] hailstones will bloom in an area of ​​[-] square meters in one minute. If one person occupies a space of one square meter, each of the [-] Chu soldiers will bear ten hailstones. The two-kilogram stone wailed again and again, and a small gap was opened in the Chu State's square formation.

There was a strange sound of drums coming from behind the Chu army. Hearing the sound, the Chu army suddenly retreated like a tide, revealing countless deep pits for horses. Barbed pit.

It turned out that Xiang Yan had exhausted his plan, even the details of the retreat. The Chu army used planks to cover up the deep pit, and they removed the planks when retreating, so that the Qin army could not pursue with all their strength.

Xiang Yan stopped the defeat, retreated dozens of miles and set up camp for more than ten miles, quickly forming a new round of confrontation.

Wang Jian was on the hillside. According to the scouts' reports, he knew the situation of the Chu army.

As soon as the Qin army moved, the Chu army became even more chaotic. The militiamen who were still hesitant to escape felt like a spring of longing for their parents, wives and children in their hearts.

Inside and outside the Chu camp, the sky collapsed and the earth collapsed, like landslides and seas boiling.After a whole night of hard work, corpses were scattered all over the field, and blood flowed like rivers, which was extremely tragic.

Xiang Yan collected the remnants of the army, and more than [-] people retreated to Chencheng, trying to join forces with Changping Jun and continue to resist the Qin army.

At this time, the old general Wang Jian was no longer conservative. Instead of chasing Xiang Yan, he sent his troops southward, crossed the Huai River and took Shouchun, the capital of Chu State.

The cities in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period have a characteristic, that is, the more they are built, the bigger they are, and the more newly built cities are, the bigger they are.

The capitals of Haojing and Luoyi in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty were both about 10 square kilometers. According to regulations, the capitals of the princes could not exceed 3 square kilometers. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the capitals of Lu and Wei were only close to the size of Luoyi. .

During the Warring States Period, the State of Yan built Wuyang, the capital of 35 square kilometers, which was the largest in scale.Linzi, the capital of Qi State, reached 20 square kilometers after several expansions, and Shouchun, the new capital of Chu State, was comparable in size to Linzi, also 20 square kilometers.

In terms of population, compared with the [-] households in Linzi, the [-] households in Shouchun are much smaller, which is consistent with the general trend that the population in the south is smaller than that in the north.

The defense system of Shouchun City is that the two cities rely on each other, and the water and land are developed simultaneously.The defenders of Shouchun and Xiacai supported each other. There were tens of thousands of navy troops blocking the river in the middle, and tens of thousands of troops on the periphery.

If Wang Jian launches an all-out attack, although the Chu army is small, the water army on the river is enough to block the hundred-mile-long river, and the Qin army will inevitably spend a lot of time.

Wang Jian commanded the Qin army to cross the river upstream, and then went straight to Shouchun, ignoring Cai and the Chu army on the river.

In normal times, even if Xiang Yan had only [-] troops stationed outside Shouchun City, it would be difficult for the Qin army to conquer Shouchun. Moreover, once the Chu State navy expanded the defense range on the river, the Qin army's follow-up food and grass would be greatly reduced. The luggage cannot be in place at all, and the Qin army will be in danger by then.

Now that Xiang Yan's peripheral Chu army had retreated to Chencheng, Wang Jian suddenly accelerated his march and pounced on Shouchun.

If Xiang Yan packs up the remaining soldiers and comes to Shouchun to fight, it will be hard to say who will win the battle.Quiet as a virgin, moving like a rabbit.Wang Jian fully demonstrated this in the war with Xiang Yan and the war against Shouchun.

Although Shouchun City is large, there are only [-] to [-] soldiers. How can the king of Chu have the ability to stop hundreds of thousands of Qin troops from attacking the city.

Wang Jian captured the king of Chu, and immediately announced to all parts of Chu that Chu was dead.So the counties and counties in Huaibei were really terrified. Lord Changping and Xiang Yan had no choice but to lead their troops back to the old land of Wuyue in the east of the Yangtze River. Lord Changping once again became the king of Chu.

Afterwards, Wang Jian did not immediately take advantage of the victory to pursue Lord Changping. The old general's steady military style was once again reflected. Although the capital of Chu State fell, Lord Changping and Xiang Yan still had considerable strength.

Shouchun's navy did not surrender to the Qin army when the city was broken, but went east along the river to join Xiang Yan.

At this time, Xiang Yan still has 20 troops in his hands, tens of thousands of them are sailors, and his strength should not be underestimated.

Wang Jian ordered an army to go south to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, recruit large ships, and prepare to advance by land and water.

The Chu army once again set up a decisive battle posture, but Wang Jian slowed down again. He sent a partial division, and at the same time, under the banner of the king of Chu, went deep into the Huxiang area in the south of the state of Chu, and spread the news to the southern counties, announcing the mighty virtue of King Qin, and The fact that the king of Chu was captured.

Seeing this situation, the counties in the south surrendered one after another, and Wang Jian no longer had to worry about the future.

A few months later, when the weather turned cold, Wang Jian collected enough ships, and then led the king of Chu to attack the last line of defense of the Chu army.

Under the city of Guangling, the Qin army lined up camp on all sides, and the sound of the army was loud. When the Chu army saw the king of Chu being captured, the morale of the Chu army was low.

Wang Jian launched an urgent attack with his troops, and the city was destroyed. Lord Changping was shot by arrows and died, and Xiang Yan killed himself by slaying himself with a sword.

Wang Jian appeased Anmin, led his army south to Jiangdong, and pacified the entire Chu State.

In the past few months, the king of Chu has aged dozens of years. The people of Qin repeatedly used him as a bargaining chip to show the public in front of the counties and counties of Chu. He is still suffering.

King Chu Chu was demoted to a commoner, which was no longer important to him, and Chu Chu soon died of depression. Before he died, he made a poisonous oath to the First Emperor and even the Qin State: "Although Chu has three households, Qin must be destroyed by Chu!"