northernbook Chapter 555 Conquest of Chu 11
Chapter 555 Conquest of Chu 11
Inside the city lord's mansion in Chencheng, candlelight flickered uneasily in the night wind, reflecting the lingering gloom on everyone's faces.
Xiang Yan stared at the rough city defense map on the table, his brows furrowed into a deep frown. His son, Xiang Liang, stood beside him, reporting the grim situation in a low voice:
"Father, there is still no news of reinforcements from the King's side. General Jingqi is being held back by a detachment of Qin troops on the southern front and is unable to make any progress. The batch of grain we risked to bring in earlier, even if we use it sparingly, will only last for two months at most."
He paused, a hint of struggle flashing across Xiang Liang's face, but he still lowered his voice and said, "Moreover, there's some chaotic news coming from Xianyang about Yu'er. Some say he'd rather die than submit, that he's of unyielding integrity; others... there are rumors that he's been seduced by the Qin people's generous treatment and is gradually becoming complacent, and even... there are even comments questioning the loyalty of my Xiang clan..."
Xiang Yan suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, like a tiger on the verge of death, but that light quickly dimmed and was replaced by deeper worry.
After a moment of silence, Xiang Yan's voice was hoarse but firm: "I know Yu'er's temperament well. He is as fierce as fire and is by no means a subservient person! This is a vicious ruse by the Qin people to disrupt our morale. We must not fall for it!"
However, his fists, clenched tightly at his sides, knuckles turned white from the excessive force. His grandson's safety and reputation were like poisoned needles, relentlessly piercing his heart day and night.
After calming down for a moment, Xiang Yan adjusted her mindset, walked to the huge map hanging in the sky, and traced the Qin army's encirclement like iron hoops with her finger: "Wang Jian's military tactics are shrewd and steady. After the last small-scale conflict, he must have reinforced his defenses to be impenetrable, like an iron barrel. Trying to find an opening to break through is as difficult as climbing to heaven."
His voice grew increasingly low, carrying an indescribable heaviness: "Moreover, what I'm worried about isn't just the hundreds of thousands of Qin troops outside the city, nor just Yu'er's safety..." It's also the increasingly cold and suspicious gazes coming from the direction of Yingdu. He didn't say these words aloud, but every core general present felt the suffocating weight of that oppressive silence.
"General, what should we do next?" a scarred general asked in a deep voice, his eyes burning with an indomitable fighting spirit.
Xiang Yan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all her worries and anxieties, her gaze sharpening like a hawk's once more: "Holding our ground and waiting for reinforcements remains the fundamental strategy! But we cannot sit idly by and let Wang Jian slowly wear us down! He wants to subdue his enemy without a fight, but we will make sure he has no peace!"
As he spoke, he slammed his hand on several Qin army outposts on the map: "Starting tomorrow, send more elite squads, breaking them into smaller units, to harass the city day and night in shifts! The goal is not to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible, but to make them lose their appetite, sleep, and be constantly on the move! Focus your attacks on their supply convoys, water sources, and the laborers and soldiers who are building fortifications! We must make Wang Jian understand that if he besieges Chen City, his Qin army will also pay a price in blood and fire, and will never have a moment's peace!"
In Xianyang, inside the princess's residence, Ying Wuyou was listening to reports from both the front lines and the Chu region.
"Your Highness, General Wang Jian has successfully locked down Xiang Yan's main force in Chen City as planned, and their internal and external communications have been almost completely severed."
"In the Chu region, the 'Da Qin Xin Bao' has been widely circulated, and there is much discussion in the capital, Yingdu, both in the court and among the people. The implication that Xiang Yan's 'merits are too great for his lord' and that 'the army's hearts are with him,' as well as the portrayal of his grandson Xiang Yu's 'hearts are set on Xianyang,' has begun to show results. According to reports from secret agents, King Fu Chu of Chu has been frequently summoning his close ministers recently, and he looks displeased, indicating that his suspicions about the Xiang family are growing stronger every day."
Ying Wuyou tapped her slender fingers lightly on the jade tabletop, a cold smile curving her lips.
“Not enough.” Her cold voice echoed in the hall. “Xiang Yan is still resisting, which means that although the King of Chu is suspicious, he has not yet reached the point of completely destroying his own defenses. Then let’s add fuel to the fire.”
Her gaze shifted to Ying Yueying's: "In the next issue of the newspaper, focus on how 'merciful' our Great Qin is towards the captured Chu soldiers, distributing rations and treating the wounded. At the same time, 'accidentally' intercept and publish a few letters 'from the garrison of Chencheng,' filled with their admiration for General Xiang Yan, as well as their 'confusion' and 'complaints' about Yingdu's delay in sending reinforcements. Remember, the tone of the letters should be simple and down-to-earth, the more like the writing of an ordinary soldier, the better."
“Furthermore,” she added, “we will have merchants spy on Xiang Yu’s remarks in Xianyang, ‘worrying about his grandfather and lamenting the King of Chu,’ and let those generals who are still loyal to the Xiang family hear them. We want to stir up trouble among them first.”
She wanted Xiang Yan, who was in Chencheng, to not only face Wang Jian's impregnable defenses outside the city, but also to endure the suspicion of the emperor behind him and the instability of morale within the army. She also wanted him to learn of his grandson's distorted "news," causing a fierce internal conflict between familial love and loyalty.
Chen Cheng's harassment tactics initially had some effect, with several Qin army supply convoys being ambushed and small patrols being wiped out. However, Wang Jian quickly responded by tightening the defenses and setting up numerous traps, causing Xiang Yu's small units to suffer greater losses.
What exhausted Xiang Yan even more was that some subtle rumors began to circulate in the city.
"Have you heard? It seems the King doesn't quite trust our general anymore..."
"Are the nobles in Yingdu afraid that the general will win the battle and gain too much merit?"
"The young general is in Xianyang... Alas, I wonder how he is doing..."
These rumors, like maggots clinging to bones, quietly eroded the morale of the defending troops and their trust in their superiors.
Xiang Liang angrily dealt with several people who spread rumors, but he knew that the root of the problem was not in the city, but in the invisible battlefield of public opinion and the deep palace of Yingdu.
Standing atop the city wall, Xiang Yan gazed at the endless Qin army campfires in the distance, feeling the gradually waning morale within the city, and sensing the faint, cold gazes emanating from behind. He felt as if he were caught in a tightening net, with tigers in front and the sharp blades of suspicion behind, while his grandson in Xianyang had become a pawn in the enemy's hands, a tool to unsettle him.
The cold wind whipped at his graying temples, and for the first time, this seasoned general of Chu felt a deep-seated weariness and chill. This war had long since transcended the realm of swords and spears.
The sharp blade of public opinion is gradually severing the bonds between the Chu rulers, ministers, and soldiers, proving more deadly than Wang Jian's million-strong army.
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
In Xianyang, inside the princess's residence, Ying Wuyou, dressed in a black casual robe with her long hair tied up with a simple jade hairpin, was reviewing reports from various places.
As her fingertips traced a secret report from the Chu region, a slight smile played on her lips, revealing a knowing and composed demeanor.
"King Fuchu of Chu has rejected the joint petition from the Jing and Zhao clans for assistance three times."
"The scouts of Chencheng risked their lives to spread the news that the garrison's daily rations had been halved, and some soldiers were even subsisting on tree bark and grass roots."
A children's rhyme circulating in Yingdu goes: "The swallow flies high, its tail feathers drooping; the king does not help the swallow, the nest collapses and the eggs are in danger." (This rhyme was spread at Ying Wuyou's behest.)
“Xiang Yan’s general Long Ju almost clashed with the supervising envoy because he angrily denounced the treacherous officials in the court.”