Chapter 590 Main Force
The sky was bright and the soldiers of the Chu army retreated like a tide.
Li Xin's armor was torn, his hair was disheveled, and the spear in his hand was stained with blood and filth.
Although the Chu army retreated, it is difficult to say that the battle was won. Just last night, he defeated the Chu right army with his flying army, then turned back to the central camp and fought with the Xiang clan's army.
In the end, he was defeated.
But the crisis has not been resolved. The Qin army paid a huge price and temporarily gained a breather, delaying its defeat, but it only breathed a sigh of relief.
After this breath, the dilemma will not change. Unless the situation on Chen Di's side changes.
"Hanyang Jun, what should we do next?"
In the melee last night, the only one who remained unchanged among the Qin army was Zhao Shuang.
But just because this doesn't change doesn't mean there's anything good about it. When Zhao Shuang first came here, he was dirty, and now he is almost the same.
"The Chu army has retreated, this breath is alive."
Zhao Shuang spoke slowly, with a sense of leisure in his words, which was a bit incongruous in today's environment.
Li Xin turned his head and glanced at Zhao Shuang, a little strange.
"But it can't be delayed for long. The Chen Di matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible."
Zhao Shuang shook his head.
"We were not defeated last night, but our army suffered far greater casualties than the Chu army. At this time, it is better to be still than to move. If we retreat, the Chu army will catch up. More importantly, our army's current situation is worse than that of the previous few days. If you are weak, you won’t be able to withstand the torture.”
In the vast and flat hinterland of the Central Plains, the Chu army had a home field advantage.
Li Xin was in a very difficult position. After a great battle, they delayed their demise, but the problem was still so complicated.
"But as the land becomes uncertain, the dilemma becomes more difficult to solve."
The problem of the 200,000 Qin troops is still a problem of material supply. Chendi is a key node in logistics and transportation. Only by relying on this water transport artery can the supply of materials for 200,000 people be solved.
"Before I came, the Sanchuan Army had already marched eastward, and Wang Ben's Army had also moved south. If Lord Changping were to hold on, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long. In as little as half a month, as much as twenty days, the territory of Han and Chen can be determined. Our supplies can still be used. how long?"
"We have not yet calculated the supplies we received from the Chu army during last night's battle, but including the original food reserves, it is estimated that they can be used for another four or five days."
"The Chudi city captured by our army is now out of food. Before I came, I ordered several counties near Dang County to collect supplies and collect and transport them. We should be able to arrive when we run out of food and grass, and we can still last for a while. Two days.”
Compared with water transportation, land transportation is much lower in cost and efficiency.
A truck of supplies can basically carry only more than twenty stones, but a grain transport ship can at least carry a hundred stones of grain and grass. The two are not in the same order of magnitude at all.
A boat can travel hundreds of miles a day if it goes smoothly, but a horse-drawn carriage can travel dozens of miles at most, and an ox-cart can travel even slower. Not to mention, both cattle and horses need to be fed with grain and grass, which greatly reduces the total stock of grain and grass transported to the destination. There is also the issue of vehicle wear and tear repair, which is also quite troublesome.
This is also the reason why after Lord Changping rebelled against Qin in Chen, the Qin army was in danger and Li Xin had to return immediately.
Because even if there is food in the nearby counties, they can rely on land transportation. Firstly, the time is too slow. Secondly, the upper limit of the food that can be transported is limited, which is completely unable to supply the needs of the army.
What's more, the Qin army attacked the city all the way, and most of the nearby counties had no food reserves.
Only by relying on the water transport logistics system between Chashu and Huaihe River can military operations of the level of 200,000 troops be maintained.
The food and grass from the new Wei area will be transported here regardless of the cost, and it will not last more than one or two days at a time. But the delivery time is far more than a day or two.
But this is just an emergency and cannot last long.
"In addition, use centurions from each army as a group to organize people to go to nearby forests, rivers, swamps, and mountains to collect wild fruits, wild vegetables, grass roots, stems, and hunt fish, elk and other wild animals, as long as they can't be eaten to death. Bring everyone back."
Li Xin nodded, but at the same time he was a little worried.
"I'm afraid the Chu army won't give us this time. Although they retreated this time, it won't be long before they come back again."
"So instead of letting them attack, it's better to take the initiative into your own hands."
Li Xin smiled bitterly.
"The Chu army is here. Along the way, I wanted to fight them many times, but they kept holding me back. They wouldn't make a move unless we were exhausted."
Zhao Shuang's eyes were filled with a dark look, and there was a faint smile on his lips.
"So, I still need ten days. When I fall, even if the Chu army doesn't want to fight me, it won't be possible."
Looking at the confident smile on Zhao Shuang's face, Li Xin was a little surprised. How confident was Zhao Shuang?
The Chu army's tent.
Ji Bu supported Ying Bu and returned to the Chinese army's tent.
There was silence in the tent, Xiang Yan was sitting behind the commander's desk, looking a little ugly.
Last night's battle, although the Chu army retreated in the end, was still a victory. Although the right army was defeated, the left army remained undefeated. The central army was also the Xiang family's own army, and it can be said that it had a very good record.
The casualty ratio between the Chu army and the Qin army was about one to four. This kind of record is still comparable to Qin's most elite Guanzhong Army, no matter how you put it.
Just a tactical achievement does not mean that a strategic result has been achieved.
"We don't have much time."
Xiang Yan spoke, but all the generals in the tent were silent. The advantage of the Chu army is still there, because the predicament of the Qin army has not changed, and at most it prolongs the time of defeat.
The most critical part of this war is the land of Han and Chen. If the Chu army does not deal with the Qin army for a day, Changping Lord will have to waste his time there.
It’s just that this time has a limit and cannot be delayed forever. The Qin army stationed in Dongjun was another elite tiger army, no less powerful than Li Xinfei's army. The tiger army of the Wang family had great military exploits and had just destroyed Wei.
In this battle, the Qin army will definitely quell the rebellions in Han and Chen at all costs.
"The main force of the 200,000 Qin troops must be eliminated within half a month."
Xiang Yan looked at Fan Zeng, who had obvious worry on his face.
"Sir, what are you worried about?"
"Looking at Qin Jun's deployment this time, it doesn't look like Li Xin's style. Qin Jun's coach may have been replaced."
"Who can replace Li Xin at this time?"
Xiang Liang said from the side.
"That person who never showed up!"
When Fan Zeng said this, everyone was shocked. Then, an urgent message came from outside the tent.
"General, there are 30,000 Qin troops coming towards our camp."
In the camp, all the Chu generals were shocked. A fierce battle had just ended, and it was extremely abnormal for the Qin army to come so quickly.
"Whose banner are they playing under?"
Fan Zeng asked from the side.
"Zhao Shuang, Lord Hanyang Lord of the Great Qin Pass!"
Xiang Shaoyu turned around and saw the sun shining down from the skylight, reflecting Xiang Yan's extremely complicated expression. I saw the Chu army commander with an army of 200,000 men leaning back, lowering his head slightly, and murmuring.
"He is indeed here!"