stonecrandall Chapter 865 Yi Xiaochuan arrives and the two armies meet!
Chapter 865 Yi Xiaochuan arrives and the two armies meet!
Although the mistake may have been made and the opportunity may have been delayed, Yi Xiaochuan's arrival will undoubtedly help him sort out his thoughts and solve the problem. At the very least, this brother he trusts most can help him analyze the fog in front of him and at least determine the next marching strategy of the Chu army.
With a backbone in his heart, Xiang Yu no longer hesitated and immediately regained his decisiveness. He waved his hand and ordered in a voice as loud as a bell: "Order the entire army to rest on the spot and set up camp!"
"Yes!" The general received the order and immediately passed it on. The Chu army, originally somewhat confused and exhausted, began to move, looking for a suitable place to camp, cook a meal, and rest for a while.
Xiang Yu himself, however, could not truly calm down. Alone in the central army tent, he paced anxiously throughout the camp, practically grinding the ground flat under his feet.
Time seemed to slow down, each hour stretching as long as a year. He waited for over three hours, glancing outside the tent countless times before finally arriving at Xiang Yu's camp, exhausted.
"Xiaochuan! Xiaochuan! You're finally here!" As soon as Yi Xiaochuan entered the central army tent, Xiang Yu immediately rushed forward, his face full of guilt and anxiety. He began to sigh with regret: "I've made a mistake!!!"
His tone was filled with self-blame, and he deeply regretted his earlier decision to withdraw. But the problem was that it was too late to regret now, or perhaps he no longer had the conditions to dwell on it. What he urgently needed was a solution. So, upon meeting Yi Xiaochuan, his most trusted figure, he unabashedly expressed his regret.
After all, Yi Xiaochuan was the original core conceiver and driving force behind this grand plan of a joint military operation and surprise attack on Xianyang. But now, due to his own misjudgment and possible trap, the plan was likely to fail, and all previous efforts would be wasted. Xiang Yu was naturally filled with regret, feeling that he had failed his brother's plan and expectations.
"Brother Yu, don't be so anxious. Take your time and talk. Let's get down to business first!" Seeing Xiang Yu so agitated and self-blaming, Yi Xiaochuan could only suppress his travel fatigue. He stepped forward and took hold of his arm, calmly soothing him while immediately directing the conversation to the core of the matter: "What exactly is going on? Why did they suddenly withdraw their troops?"
After all, he had been rushing all the way, and all he got was a simple message brought by the messenger - Xiang Yu had retreated. He had no time to understand the specific situation, details, and reasons.
After hearing Yi Xiaochuan's steady voice and to-the-point questions, Xiang Yu's excited emotions seemed to have found an outlet and a direction to channel, which forced him to calm down a lot.
He took a deep breath, led Yi Xiaochuan to the map, and began to explain in detail the specific situations encountered in the attack on Yangping Pass in the past few days: how Gao Yao suddenly appeared, how the flags were flying on the wall and the morale of the defenders was boosted, how the other side boasted that "reinforcements from the south" had arrived, and how he weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to retreat to avoid greater losses.
Yi Xiaochuan's expression also changed constantly as Xiang Yu narrated: from initial doubt, to solemn contemplation in the middle, and then to a frown when he heard the decision to retreat...
Yi Xiaochuan remained silent for a moment until Xiang Yu finished his story. His mind rapidly integrated the information, and he finally understood what had happened. He sighed softly, feeling somewhat emotional. Strictly speaking, Xiang Yu had indeed fallen for a trick. Gao Yao was most likely using the empty city tactic.
But what deeply shocked and moved Yi Xiaochuan was this: "Gao Yao actually dared to come to Yangping Pass in person to defend it! This is absolutely beyond my expectation."
What is Gao Yao's current status? He is a powerful and influential king who dominates the southern border! He has been officially canonized by the King of Qin! In other words, Gao Yao is now one of the most powerful princes in the world in the true sense, and there will be no surprise about this. And Yangping Pass was such a dangerous frontier at that time, it could be breached at any time.
He actually dared to risk coming to support Yangping Pass with only his personal entourage. This is simply unimaginable! Yi Xiaochuan's tone couldn't help but reveal a complex emotion for his old rival's courage and boldness, mixed with even a hint of indescribable admiration. This was definitely not a decision that ordinary people would dare to make.
After listening to Xiang Yu's story, he did not immediately explode or accuse him, but instead fell into a strange silence. Meanwhile, Yi Xiaochuan's mentality was gradually changing, like spring water quietly flowing beneath the frozen river.
Before, Yi Xiaochuan had felt nothing but overwhelming hatred for Gao Yao. That hatred, consuming his bones and burning his heart, had completely robbed him of his dignity as a man in the most brutal way possible. Yi Xiaochuan had completely sunk into a state of near-madness, with revenge becoming his sole motivation to survive. He even went so far as to distort himself and act out the very person he hated most—Zhao Gao—in front of Qin Shi Huang.
Over time, through many experiences, and under the impact and influence of the enigmatic Yi Xiaochuan, Yi Xiaochuan has slowly begun to transform. His shattered worldview has been forced to restructure, and he's begun to transcend personal grudges and emotions, viewing others, including his nemesis Gao Yao, from a broader and more sober perspective.
He reflected carefully: Gao Yao's current status, position, and power were definitely not achieved through sheer luck or sheer luck. Putting aside hatred and moral judgment, Gao Yao was truly daring, bold and careful, ruthless and decisive, and possessed a formidable grasp of timing. His sheer willingness to personally venture into the impenetrable Yangping Pass revealed a boldness and a willingness to risk everything, a stark contrast to the Gao Yao from Yi Xiaochuan's memory before his time travel. It was practically a complete transformation.
At that time, Gao Yao was just an ordinary cook, and the person he loved the most was his sister Gao Lan. He often appeared very fierce in words, but was actually a bit timid at heart. Except for being extremely brave in protecting his sister, it could almost be said that he was a completely honest, even a bit cowardly man.
But after arriving in the Qin Dynasty, in this era of danger and danger, Gao Yao almost single-handedly climbed from the bottom of society to his current position, second only to the emperor. The price he paid, the hardships he endured, the wisdom he employed, and the tenacious vitality he displayed—this alone forced Yi Xiaochuan to admit his formidable strength and formidable power.