ATPnovel Chapter 44 Xiang Yu Slaughters Qi
Chapter 44 Xiang Yu Slaughters Qi
Qi region, Ju County.
Inside the Chu army camp.
Long Ju, tall and imposing, dressed in silver armor and with an iron sword at his waist, sat kneeling at the head of the table, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.
Generals such as Ji Bu, Ji Xin, and Xiao Gongjiao, dressed in gilded silver armor, knelt on either side.
After receiving news of the fall of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu personally led 30,000 elite cavalry back and decisively defeated Liu Bang. His main force then attacked Qi. The person in charge of the attack on Qi was Long Ju.
Long Ju was Xiang Yu's trusted and beloved general. He was not only exceptionally brave but also a master of military strategy and skilled in warfare. As a result, he was deeply favored by Xiang Yu, and the task of leading the attack on Qi fell to him.
"We have received Xiang Yu's order: we are to retreat immediately." Long Ju's eyes were sharp as he scanned the generals.
"Withdraw your troops?" Ji Bu was very surprised.
"Why retreat now?" Xiao Gongjiao asked reluctantly. "We have the upper hand. If we just put in a little more effort, we can kill that traitor Tian Heng and pacify Qi. It won't be too late to retreat then."
"Good!" Ji Xin agreed.
"General Xiao, stop talking nonsense." Long Ju looked at Xiao Gongjiao and shouted, "Since King Xiang has given the order, we will obey it. Even if the Chu sword is at Tian Heng's neck, if King Xiang wants us to retreat, we will retreat immediately. Not to mention, it will take time to defeat Tian Heng."
Xiang Yu held immense prestige in the army, and his orders were like divine decrees; how could Long Ju not obey them?
"Good!" Xiao Gongjiao's expression changed slightly, and he no longer objected.
"Xiang Yu's retreat at this time is surely to concentrate his forces to attack that traitor Liu Bang." Ji Bu, an expert in military strategy, saw it clearly: "In the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Bang's 560,000-strong army was almost wiped out. He is now at his weakest, which is the perfect opportunity for King Xiang to launch a major westward advance. We must not miss this chance."
"Excellent!" Long Ju agreed wholeheartedly. "If we don't seize this opportunity to advance westward and give Liu Bang a chance to catch his breath, he can gather his defeated troops, mobilize reinforcements, procure provisions, regroup, and stabilize his position. By then, if we advance westward, the battle will be much more difficult."
"The western region is surrounded by mountains, with hills everywhere. If Liu Bang's traitors can hold their ground and defend the mountains, even if Xiang Yu's army is large, it will be difficult for them to make any moves," Ji Bu analyzed. "Therefore, the most important task at present is to eliminate Liu Bang's traitors. After Liu Bang's traitors are eliminated, we can mobilize a large army to attack Qi again, and eliminating Tian Heng will be a piece of cake."
"The land of Qi is mostly plains, flat as a pancake, perfect for a large army to roam freely. Letting Tian Heng go now is just letting him live a little longer," Long Ju thought to himself.
Qi, which is present-day Shandong Province, is mainly a plain with no natural defenses. Guanzhong, where Liu Bang was located, is nestled in the mountains to the west, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. To the east lies Luoyang, a strategically vital location. If Liu Bang were allowed to regroup and then launch an attack, defeating him would be far more difficult.
We should take advantage of the fact that Liu Bang's army has suffered heavy losses and advance westward with all our might, so that we can destroy Liu Bang in one battle.
The generals had no further objections to this matter.
"Xiang Yu also has a military order: Before retreating, kill all the people of Qi! Make the land of Qi red with blood! When you leave, take all the wealth and beautiful women with you!" Long Ju stood up, his left hand on the hilt of his sword, his killing intent palpable.
"Xiang Yu is mighty!"
"Xiang Yu is mighty!"
The generals stood up, their eyes filled with fervor, their admiration for Xiang Yu extremely intense.
~~~~~~~
Outside Ju County, in a village.
Hundreds of households and hundreds of people were herded together by the Chu army like sheep. The Chu soldiers, swords in hand, began to select people.
"This woman is quite pretty, not bad, let's take her with us."
"This strong young man is quite capable; he'd be perfect as a slave. Take him away."
"This woman is a bit young, but she's quite pretty. Take her with you."
Hundreds of people were selected like livestock, and dared not utter the slightest dissatisfaction.
"You dare glare at me? I'll kill you!"
"How dare you disrespect me? Die!"
The slightest dissatisfaction among the common people could immediately lead to their deaths.
Strong men, if they fall into the hands of the Chu army, will be reduced to slaves; they are excellent laborers, so naturally they must be taken away. Beautiful women are even more indispensable; Xiang Yu will use them to reward his soldiers, so they must also be taken away.
Needless to say, he took all the valuables and things he liked with him.
After the selection was completed, only the elderly, weak, women and children remained. Then, the Chu army drew their swords and slaughtered them all, leaving no one alive.
Before leaving, set it on fire and turn the place into ruins.
Such things happened throughout the entire Qi region, turning countless miles into ruins and slaughtering countless civilians.
Wherever the Chu army passed, everything was reduced to scorched earth.
It's difficult to even encounter any living creature that can breathe.
The Chu army burned everything they couldn't take with them, not even sparing the crops in the fields.
Even birds that want to fly over Qi must bring their own food.
The massacre lasted for ten days. By the time the Chu army began to withdraw, the land of Qi was completely devastated.
The people of Qi suffered the greatest catastrophe in history, with countless deaths and injuries, and few survivors.
However, the Chu army cheered wildly, shouting "King Xiang is mighty!" Their admiration for Xiang Yu was even stronger, reaching a point of fanaticism.
Because Xiang Yu was generous, he always rewarded his soldiers with a lot of wealth, beautiful women, and even able-bodied men. They would be given a lot of wealth, beautiful women to play with, and able-bodied men to serve them and work hard for them, making their lives even better.
At Long Ju's command, countless fully loaded vehicles stretched for thousands of miles like a long dragon.
Countless beautiful women and able-bodied men, driven by the whip, wept bitterly and had no choice but to leave the land of Qi and head towards the abyss of uncertainty.
~~~~~~
Ju County.
Tian Heng was a tall man with graying hair and beard, his face weary, and his eyes bloodshot. Clad in full armor, with an iron sword at his waist, he rode a magnificent horse to the ruins of Ju County. Gazing at the ashes of the city, tears welled in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "That traitor Xiang Yu! How cruel he is! What have the people of Qi done to deserve such slaughter twice!"
The Chu army's retreat and subsequent massacre was the second such incident.
The first massacre was personally presided over by Xiang Yu.
After Tian Rong rebelled, Xiang Yu personally led his army to attack him. Tian Rong was no match for him and suffered defeat after defeat, with the Qi region surrendering without resistance. After fleeing to the plains, Tian Rong was killed by the locals. From then on, the Qi region could be considered pacified.
However, Xiang Yu made a bizarre move, carrying out a large-scale massacre in the Qi region, leaving behind a desolate wasteland.
The people of Qi were forced to take up arms and fight against Chu. Tian Rong's tens of thousands of defeated soldiers surrendered to his brother, Tian Heng. Tian Heng rallied these defeated soldiers and then fought against Xiang Yu.
At this time, the people of Qi wholeheartedly supported Tian Heng, and the army and civilians worked together to fight the Chu army to the death.
Xiang Yu was thus bogged down in Qi, leaving his rear vulnerable. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Bang led an army of 560,000 and easily captured Pengcheng.
If Xiang Yu hadn't committed the massacre in Qi, Qi would have been pacified long ago, and he would have withdrawn his troops long ago. Liu Bang would never have had the chance to capture Pengcheng, and none of the subsequent events would have occurred.
The massacres and looting orchestrated by Long Ju were necessary tasks for the Chu army during their retreat. They had done the same thing in Guanzhong last year.
~~~~~
On a desolate mountain wilderness.
There were originally three thatched huts and more than ten acres of barren land. The thatched huts have been reduced to ashes and the crops in the fields have been burned.
Yuan was tall and strong, carrying a large deer on his back, his face beaming with joy. Seeing the lingering smoke from the thatched hut in the distance, he was terrified, dropped the deer, and ran back home.
"Ah..." Yuan let out a cry that was not human, and dug out the bones of his wife and children from the ashes with his bare hands, held them in his arms, and cried out in despair.
He cried until his tears dried up, his eyes cracked, and his eyes were filled with blood and tears, and he died uncontrollably.
He cried for three days and three nights until he was emaciated and his body was destroyed. Only then did he dig a pit to bury his wife and children.
"You traitor Xiang, I will never let you live under the same sky! I will kill you! I will dig up your ancestral graves!" Yuan knelt before the graves of his wife and children, swore a poisonous oath, and then quickly left, embarking on his path of revenge.
Note:
The Records of the Grand Historian, in the chapter on Xiang Yu, states: "In the winter of the second year of the Han dynasty, Xiang Yu marched north to Chengyang, where Tian Rong also led his troops to fight. Tian Rong was defeated and fled to Pingyuan, where the people of Pingyuan killed him. They then marched north, burning and destroying the city walls and houses of Qi, burying all of Tian Rong's surrendered soldiers alive, and capturing the old, weak, and women. They then marched on Qi to the North Sea, causing widespread destruction. The people of Qi gathered together and rebelled. Thereupon, Tian Rong's younger brother, Tian Heng, gathered tens of thousands of Qi's deserters and returned to Chengyang."
The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Tian Dan, states: "When Xiang Yu heard of this, he was furious and launched a northern expedition against Qi. King Tian Rong of Qi was defeated and fled to Pingyuan, where the people of Pingyuan killed him. Xiang Yu then burned and razed the city walls of Qi, slaughtering all who passed through. The people of Qi revolted against him. Tian Rong's younger brother, Heng, gathered the scattered soldiers of Qi, obtaining tens of thousands of men, and counterattacked Xiang Yu at Chengyang."
The Book of Han, Biography of Tian Dan, records: "When Xiang Yu heard of this, he was furious and launched a northern expedition against Qi. Rong raised troops to resist him at Chengyang. Rong's army was defeated and fled to Pingyuan, where the people of Pingyuan killed Rong. Xiang Yu then burned and razed the city walls of Qi, slaughtering and destroying everything in his path. The people of Qi gathered together and rebelled against him. Rong's younger brother Heng gathered the scattered soldiers of Qi, obtaining tens of thousands of men, and counterattacked Xiang Yu at Chengyang."
The Book of Han, Biography of Xiang Yu, records: "When Yu arrived at Chengyang, Tian Rong also led troops to fight. Rong was defeated and fled to Pingyuan, where the people of Pingyuan killed him. Yu then went north and burned and destroyed the city walls and houses of Qi, burying all the surrendered soldiers alive and capturing the old, weak, women and children. He marched through Qi to the North Sea, leaving devastation in his wake. The people of Qi gathered together and rebelled against him. Thereupon, Tian Rong's brother Heng gathered tens of thousands of deserters and returned to Chengyang."