Chapter 72 Criticism
The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
After the Vietnamese army captured another camp, they continued to clean up the battlefield, picking up weapons such as halberds, spears, and swords scattered on the ground, and taking off the armor of their comrades and enemies as their trophies!
Both are remote countries, but Wu is much richer and more powerful than Yue!
At least many Vietnamese soldiers were unable to equip themselves with a complete set of armor!
Of course, it is not easy to make a set of armor. Not only the Yue State, but also countries like Wu, Chu, and Jin cannot guarantee that every soldier can wear armor!
At this moment, King Yunchang of Yue, accompanied by Shi Mai, Helu, Wu Zixu and others, got off the chariot and looked around. He saw only ruins and corpses everywhere.
Among them, naturally, the majority are soldiers from the State of Yue!
“Boom!”
Just then, a military vehicle came rushing over.
A general got off the chariot and said with a look of shame on his face: "Your Majesty, we let the Wu army escape again."
"We are not familiar with the local terrain. Once they hide in the dense forest, they disappear completely. I cannot chase them!"
Upon hearing this, Yunchang gnashed his teeth in hatred.
“It’s so frustrating!”
Yun Chang was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, "I have fought dozens of battles in my life, but I have never fought such a frustrating battle! Could this guy Sun Wu be the nemesis of my Great Yue Kingdom?"
"Your Majesty , please do not encourage others to be more ambitious and destroy your own prestige."
Helu on the side said calmly: "Sun Wu is just a trapped beast fighting. We have more people and more power, while Sun Wu has fewer soldiers and fewer generals. Even if we capture one camp after another, what's the harm?"
"Sun Wu can't afford to waste time, but the Yue army can!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Chang felt a little relieved, but he still couldn't help but said in hatred: "Mr. Wu, although that's what you said, I really can't swallow this!"
"Every time we capture a camp, our Yue army suffers hundreds of casualties, which is a huge loss. I wish I could tear Sun Wu into pieces to vent my hatred!"
“…”
Helu and Wu Zixu looked at each other and were both speechless.
In fact, long before Yunchang led his troops to attack Wu, Wu Zixu had advised him to cross the sea with his navy and then use the water network in the west of Wu to attack the capital of Wu.
It’s a pity that Yunchang did not listen to Wu Zixu’s advice!
Otherwise, even if the Vietnamese army had not captured the Wu capital, they would have been at the gates of the city. How could the situation be like this today?
Wu Zixu said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Sun Wu has repeatedly built camps with a clear intention, which is to block the attack of our army and slow down the offensive."
"The armies of Wu and Chu are currently fighting fiercely in Zhenzi, and the outcome is still undecided. If Your Majesty can march straight in and capture the capital of Wu in one battle, then great things can be accomplished."
"What's your plan, Lord Wu?"
Yun Chang asked.
"I don't dare to take credit for this brilliant plan. For now, Your Majesty can only attack the camps built by the Wu army one by one, but it would be too slow to break them down one by one."
"Therefore, I think that Your Majesty can divide his forces to defeat the Wu army camp and strive to reach the capital of Wu as soon as possible!"
"good."
After hearing what Wu Zixu said, Yun Chang thought about it and thought that this was the best solution.
However, in order to reach Wudu as soon as possible and destroy the State of Wu, Yunchang will also dispatch the domestic navy to attack the heartland of Wu directly from the sea. In Yunchang's view, it doesn't matter whether it is risky or not.
…
Night falls.
On the edge of a lake less than thirty miles away from Tongcheng, a Chu army camp has been built.
After another day of arduous siege, the soldiers of the Chu Army returned to the camp one after another, holding weapons in their arms. Each of them looked like an eggplant hit by frost, with a listless face and no energy at all!
It was November and the weather was very cold.
The Chu army soldiers had to sit by the fire to keep warm.
A soldier who was blinded in one eye and whose blood stained his cloth belt could not help but sigh: "Everyone, how do you think we can fight this battle? Wu Manzi is like a tortoise, hiding in the city and not daring to come out."
"Our Chu army lacks siege equipment, and we have very few arrows left."
"The rations are getting less and less every day, which shows that the army has run out of food and grass. If this continues, I think we will all starve to death without the Wu army fighting back!"
"Who said it wasn't?"
A soldier with a rough face beside him echoed: "It was okay when we attacked Zhenzi City before. At least our Chu army had enough supplies and no worries about food and drink. Now we can't even get enough food, how can we fight?"
"Shh! Be careful what you say!"
Another soldier whispered, "Your criticism is shaking the morale of the army. This is a capital crime."
"What are you afraid of?"
The soldier snorted and said, "In my opinion, since this battle cannot be continued, why should we continue to fight? We just want to return alive. If we die, I want to die on the land of Chu."
Upon hearing this, the Chu army soldiers present could not help but fall silent, and they all agreed with this statement in their hearts.
If not forced to do so, who would be willing to be buried in a foreign land?
The current war is indeed difficult to resolve, and it seems that the Chu army is still the attacking party, but it is just a trapped beast fighting desperately, trying to see if there is an opportunity for a reversal.
However, this is really a slim hope!
After the night had fallen silent, just as the Chu army soldiers in the camp were falling asleep, or taking a nap because they could not sleep, suddenly a chaotic sound of horse hooves was heard from outside.
"kill!"
Huge shouts of killing rose into the sky, frightening the awakened Chu army soldiers.
They stood up and looked around, only to find that the soldier who was originally responsible for standing guard on the arrow tower had been stabbed in the neck by the enemy and died.
The Wu soldiers who sneaked into the Chu army camp had killed the Chu soldiers guarding the camp gate and quickly opened the gate!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
This sudden change really caught the Chu soldiers off guard.
"superior!"
"Burn the Chu barbarians' food supplies!"
Accompanied by a loud rumbling sound, hundreds of chariots came galloping and filed into the Chu army's camp.
Meng Ben, standing on the chariot, shouted loudly and immediately swung his halberd to kill the groups of enemies on the opposite side.
Their purpose was very clear, which was to take advantage of the Chu army's unpreparedness, burn all the food and supplies of the Chu army in one fell swoop, and completely cut off the Chu army's life resources!
“Swish!”
“Puff!”
The galloping chariots were like wild horses that had broken free from their reins, moving forward unstoppably. The Chu soldiers on the left and right sides were often killed under their horses before they could even react, with blood splattering everywhere and them dying!
Meng Ben, who led the troops, was extremely brave and went all the way to the warehouse where the Chu army stored their food and fodder. He was unmatched .
"Quick! Stop them!"
The awakened deputy general Mi Ji quickly drew his sword and summoned the surrounding Chu soldiers to step forward to stop them.
But it's too late!
The Wu soldiers who broke into the camp threw away their torches without saying a word when they saw the warehouse full of haystacks!
Suddenly, a raging fire broke out on the haystack, and a large amount of thick smoke rose into the sky, burning half of the dome red!
"Damn Wu Manzi!"
"Quick! Send someone to put out the fire!"
Mi Ji was so angry when he saw this that he stamped his feet.
While he sent people to fetch water to put out the fire, he also had to resist the offensive of Wu's army. He was really exhausted!
