klisemfg Chapter 294 Zhao State Seeks Help
Chapter 294 Zhao State Seeks Help
Chapter 294 Zhao State Seeks Help
After the tragic battle of Dingtao, the once mighty army of hundreds of thousands led by Xiang Liang was now reduced to only about 50,000 troops, including those led by Xiang Yu.
However, Xiang Liang was not defeated by the failure. He made a prompt decision and led Xiang Yu and Meng Yi to retreat all the way, and finally arrived at Zhe County in Chenjun.
Here, we took a short break and tried to replan our next move.
Not long after, Xiang Liang received news that Wang Li was leading a large army rapidly northward.
This information made Xiang Liang keenly aware that an excellent opportunity might be quietly approaching.
So Xiang Liang quickly summoned Meng Yi and Xiang Yu to discuss important matters.
In the spacious lobby, Xiang Liang sat steadily on the main seat.
Xiang Liang's gaze slowly swept over Xiang Yu and Meng Yi, and a barely perceptible hint of relief flashed in his eyes.
"Wang Li led his army north to attack the State of Zhao this time. As the saying goes, when two tigers fight, one of them will be injured. In my opinion, we may be able to take advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits. Yier, what do you think about this matter?" Xiang Liang asked.
Meng Yi sat quietly by the side and replied solemnly, "Master, you are quite right. My elder brother, Meng Tian, has already led his army to the Xiaoguan area, while Zhang Han's troops have been ordered to rush back to Guanzhong to support him, attempting to confront him. Right now, throughout the Guandong region, only Wang Li's army is still suppressing the rebellion. However, even so, we cannot be complacent. You must know that Qi, Zhao, and Yan each harbor their own ulterior motives. If Wang Li can conquer them one by one and gather all their forces, the Xianyang court will undoubtedly become even more powerful, which will be extremely disadvantageous for us!"
Then, Meng Yi's lips curled up slowly, revealing a confident and calm smile. He said slowly, "However, Master, you can rest assured. Regarding Zhao and Yan, I have already made appropriate arrangements."
Xiang Liang, who was standing by, did not ask any further questions when he saw this, but just nodded slightly.
At this moment, suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from far away, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
A dusty scout carrying a military flag on his back ran into the hall like a gust of wind.
When the scout arrived at the hall, he knelt on one knee without a word, clasped his hands together, and announced loudly: "General, an urgent letter has arrived from the State of Zhao!"
When Xiang Liang heard this, his expression froze and he hurried forward to take the letter from the scout.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was Wang Li who led a large army to besiege Julu, causing the State of Zhao to fall into a crisis, so he sent an envoy to deliver a letter asking for help.
Seeing this, Meng Yi and Xiang Yu stepped forward at the same time, walked to Xiang Liang's side, and looked carefully at the contents of the letter together.
After reading the letter, Xiang Yu's eyes flashed with an excitement that was hard to conceal.
Xiang Liang gently stroked his long beard as he turned his head and looked at Meng Yi. He asked, "Yier, in your opinion, what should we do next?"
Meng Yi looked up at Xiang Yu, who seemed eager to fight, and smiled slightly. He asked, "Brother, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Xiang Yu listened from the side, his eyes gleaming with determination as he spoke loudly, "Uncle, Brother Yi, in my opinion, why don't we go north and take the initiative? First, unite with Yan, Qi, and Zhao to fight Wang Li together. After we have dealt with Wang Li, we can then fight Yan, Qi, and Zhao to the death."
Xiang Liang nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. He stroked his beard and said after a moment of contemplation, "Yu'er, this is a brilliant plan. I just wonder if Yan and Qi are willing to join hands with us."
Meng Yi pondered this, recalling the historical Battle of Julu. He couldn't help but think, "The Battle of Julu, thanks to Xiang Yu, gave rise to the well-known idiom 'burn the boats and break the cauldrons.' Although the Yan, Qi, and Han coalition forces came to support Zhao, each nation was like a frightened bird, fearing Zhang Han and the might of the Qin army. They set up camp and dared not attack rashly. When Xiang Yu arrived with his army, the armies of the other nations watched with indifference, as if watching a show. It wasn't until Xiang Yu's desperate move, burning his boats and defeating Zhang Han, that the other nations attacked like hungry tigers. I imagine it would be extremely difficult for them to resist Wang Li now."
Meng Yi said solemnly, "Wang Li and his 200,000-man army have weathered countless campaigns, and their combat prowess cannot be underestimated. This army is truly an elite force! Disciple, I believe that even if the allied forces of various countries were to come out in full force to support Zhao, they would probably be intimidated by Wang Li's army and would not dare to engage them easily. Furthermore, the difficulty of getting these allied forces to cooperate with us is unimaginable."
Xiang Liang nodded slightly in agreement and asked, "Then, Yi'er, do you have any clever plan for dealing with this predicament? Are we just going to sit back and watch Wang Li annex Zhao, thus strengthening his power?"
At this point, Meng Yi confidently responded, "Master, I do have an idea. We might as well send envoys to Wei, Han, and Qi to sincerely express our desire for cooperation. Whether they are truly willing to join forces with us is beyond question. As long as we can convince them to mobilize their troops and rush to the vicinity of Julu, that will be sufficient. At the same time, we can secretly arrange for Brother Xiang Yu to lead an elite force to quietly and preemptively recapture Puyang City. This way, we can create an invisible deterrent to Julu."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Yu's originally frowned brows relaxed instantly, and his eyes shone brightly. It was obvious that he had instantly understood the deep meaning behind Meng Yi's plan.
Meng Yi continued, "If the other kingdoms remain inactive, Big Brother can lead the charge against Wang Li's army. With your bravery, you will surely crush their morale. Once the war begins, the other princes, seeing the potential for profit, will certainly not stand idly by and will join the fray."
Xiang Liang clapped his hands and laughed. His laughter was as loud as a bell, echoing throughout the hall.
"This plan is brilliant. We don't have to rely entirely on other countries, but we can also take advantage of their power." His eyes flashed with admiration and excitement.
Xiang Yu clenched his fists excitedly, his arm muscles tense, revealing his inner excitement. "That's it, then. I'll go back immediately to prepare the troops and food supplies."
Several people nodded and smiled at each other.
Meng Yi gazed up at the distant horizon, thinking to himself, "I bet Han Xin should have already dispatched his troops to Julu by now. When Xiang Yu leads his army north, a pincer attack from both north and south would not only deal a fatal blow to Wang Li's forces, but also potentially capture the combined forces of Zhao, Qi, Wei, Yan, and Han, completely reversing the current tide of war."
Thinking of this, the corners of Meng Yi's mouth rose slightly, revealing a smile.