Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 863: Retreat 15 miles and realize the mistake!

In his military logic, Xiang Yu's retreat made no sense. After all, Xiang Yu's forces consisted almost entirely of elite cavalry, capable of rapid movement. This was their greatest advantage. Even if Gao Yao had miraculously recalled the Third Corps, its main force would undoubtedly be infantry. How many cavalry would there be?

Could a corps composed primarily of infantry really dare to leave the city and pursue Xiang Yu's tens of thousands of cavalry? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble, actively exposing the infantry's weak points to the cavalry's hooves? Xiang Yu was fully capable of using his cavalry's superiority in a field battle to strike back and strike back at any pursuers. This retreat, avoiding battle, was completely inconsistent with Xiang Yu's characteristically domineering and aggressive character, known for his ability to kill any enemy he encountered. All of this was utterly unnatural.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yu's mood was far from calm during his retreat. While he made the difficult decision to withdraw, guided by the need to avoid further losses, he harbored deep doubts and even some hesitation. He was no reckless man, fully understanding the principle of "all is fair in war." Therefore, even as he withdrew, he continuously dispatched his most elite scouts, casting an invisible net around the army and to its rear, meticulously monitoring every movement, especially those at Yangping Pass.

He needed to confirm whether Gao Yao's reinforcements were truly as powerful as he had anticipated, or merely a bluff. Was his retreat a wise move to cut losses, or a colossal blunder, a miscalculation of the enemy's situation and a missed opportunity? This uncertainty pierced his heart like a thorn.

The news brought back by the scouts was even more subtle: their side had just withdrawn its troops, and Gao Yao had indeed personally led several thousand troops out of Yangping Pass, but they did not set up a pursuit formation. They just carefully checked the situation and cleaned up the battlefield within a certain distance outside the pass, and then stopped advancing, and never took any substantial pursuit action.

This scene made Xiang Yu's brows furrow even tighter. Gao Yao's caution only deepened the mystery - was he really lacking confidence and deliberately creating confusion to scare him off?

The clatter of heavy hooves and the clatter of rolling wheels blended together, forming the dull symphony of a retreating army. Yet, amidst this seemingly hasty retreat, Xiang Yu sat upright on his black horse, his expression as gloomy as the sky before a storm. And as the retreat progressed, Xiang Yu grew increasingly uncertain.

Initially, his plan seemed to be proceeding smoothly. Scouts could be heard reporting numerous Southern Border Army scouts around the troops. Like ghosts, they hovered around the Chu army's flanks and rear, occasionally venturing closer to gauge their progress, formations, and morale. This feeling of being watched only intensified Xiang Yu's conviction—Gao Yao was indeed keeping a close eye on him, and the possibility of pursuit was high.

But as their army moved further and further away from Yangping Pass, the situation began to become more delicate. According to scout reports, the number of Southern Border Army scouts in the surrounding area began to decrease significantly. The oppressive feeling that had been following them like a shadow was rapidly fading.

After leaving Yangping Pass for more than a hundred miles, the scouts of the Southern Border Army had already begun to disappear in ten places. Occasionally, one or two shadows could be glimpsed in the distance, and they quickly disappeared over the horizon.

After a distance of 150 miles, the scouts were almost completely out of sight. Looking out across the vast plain, apart from his own "disorganized" retreating army, he could no longer sense any enemy gazes.

During the entire journey, Xiang Yu had been carefully guarding against two things: one was whether Gao Yao inside Yangping Pass would come out in full force and lead his troops in pursuit; the other was whether the main force of the legendary Southern Border Army would suddenly come out from an unexpected direction and raid his side.

Of course, Xiang Yu wasn't so foolish as to simply retreat. His real purpose was to use this opportunity to trick Gao Yao! His thinking had changed: now that Gao Yao's "reinforcements" had arrived and the balance of power between the two sides had become blurred, the next issue became much simpler - a decisive battle in the field!

Therefore, Xiang Yu deliberately feigned a hasty, even panic-stricken, retreat, aiming to lure Gao Yao into pursuing him. He understood human nature, particularly Gao Yao's suspicious nature and unwillingness to suffer loss. Xiang Yu knew that any cooperation between the two sides was over; they were now nothing more than bitter rivals. Would Gao Yao seize this opportunity to pursue the "defeated" King of Western Chu, inflicting heavy casualties and perhaps even annihilating him? This can be understood as a strategic evolution and change on the part of Xiang Yu, the so-called "reckless man."

Therefore, the Chu army seemed to be retreating in a disorganized manner, and the troops looked very messy. They even "accidentally" left behind a lot of supplies along the way, such as some damaged tents, scattered grain bags, and even some seemingly heavy marching pots and supply vehicles that they had no time to take away. All of this was actually to give Gao Yao a fatal misleading impression that the Chu army's morale had collapsed and they were only concerned with escaping.

Yet, within this seemingly chaotic marching formation, Xiang Yu was actually keeping a tight rein on his command. While seemingly dispersed, the elite cavalry units maintained a formation capable of coordinating and regrouping for a counterattack in an instant. If Gao Yao, driven by greed and reckless pursuit, led his troops into Xiang Yu's pre-planned battlefield, he would inevitably be met with a devastating and devastating counterattack from the Chu army! This was Xiang Yu's proactive, seemingly passive, strategy, seeking an opportunity to engage Gao Yao in a head-on confrontation, hoping to reverse the tide of battle.

But after retreating a full 150 miles, and with the southern border army's scouts completely gone, Xiang Yu's mind completely sank. His last glimmer of hope vanished. The wilderness was silent, save for the sound of the wind and the clamor of his own troops. The expected pursuers never appeared.

At this point, Xiang Yu, no matter how foolish he was, should have figured it out: the distance was too great. Even if Gao Yao only thought of pursuing him at this moment, he had already missed the best opportunity and could not possibly catch up. This also illustrates two points:

Alternatively, Gao Yao might have indeed sent reinforcements, but their numbers might not be as strong as expected. Their primary goal was to secure Yangping Pass, so they chose to hold the pass firmly, forgoing the risky possibility of pursuing him. In this case, while their plan had failed, it at least proved that their retreat was based on a realistic threat, something Xiang Yu could still accept.

Or... I had been deceived by Gao Yao from the beginning! There had been no so-called massive reinforcements, or perhaps only a very small number. All that grand display and tight scouting network was just a carefully planned empty city tactic! I had been completely intimidated by Gao Yao's bluffing, and had voluntarily given up an advantage that was within my grasp, and perhaps even missed the golden opportunity to break through Yangping Pass!