Preface
The Battle of Julu is a battle that has attracted much attention in Chinese history, but Zhang Han's actions in the war are incredible. Why didn't he attack Xiang Yu with Wang Li, but was broken one by one?
What kind of military strategy was hidden behind this tactical decision? So, what kind of battle was the Battle of Julu that allowed the rising sun of the Qin Dynasty to fall into the sky? Let us find out.
1. The Battle of Chu and Qin
Xiang Yu killed the champion of Qingzi, raised the prestige of Chu State, and shocked the princes. At this time, the Qin army had captured Julu City and besieged the people of King Zhao. At the time of the crisis, the envoys of Zhao State rushed to tell each other, and Yan, Qi, Chu and other countries sent troops to reinforce each other.
Dangyang Jun Yingbu and General Pu of Chu led 20,000 elites to cross the river first, and encountered the Qin army, and the battle was stalemate. Yingbu reinstated Xiang Yu and asked for more troops. Xiang Yu made a quick decision, personally commanded the army, sank the boat and broke the cauldron, only brought three days of rations, and showed his determination to die.
Xiang Yu's move is undoubtedly a bold bet. He knew very well that in order to completely defeat the powerful Qin army, it was far from enough to rely on 20,000 elites. But he also understood that only the determination to fight to the death could inspire the fighting spirit of the officers and men of the Chu army and achieve the final victory in this war related to the survival of the country.
So, Xiang Yu led the army to cross the Yellow River and rushed straight to the city of Julu. During the long journey, he always encouraged the soldiers and encouraged them to fight for the glory of the Chu State. When they finally arrived at the battlefield, they were in high spirits and high spirits.
Fighting all the way, the Chu army was invincible. Xiang Yu personally supervised the battle, strategized, and finally found the Achilles heel of the Qin army - the grain and grass supply line. He ordered his generals to concentrate their firepower, fought nine battles in a row, and finally cut off the grain route of the Qin army.
This move was also a genius strategic decision. Although the main force of the Qin army was numerous, it was scattered on different fronts and could not concentrate superior forces. Moreover, they are also responsible for the continuous supply of grain and grass to the Wang Li army on the front line, which is undoubtedly a huge burden.
Once the grain route was cut off, the Qin army's Wang Li army would be in a desperate situation. Sure enough, soon Wang Li's army of 200,000 began to collapse. Xiang Yu took advantage of the victory to pursue, and the army pressed the border, and quickly surrounded Wang Li's army. The desperate Wang Li had nothing to do, so he had to ask Xiang Yu for surrender.
Xiang Yu rejected Wang Li's request for surrender with a cruel smile, and ordered the Chu army to march straight forward and annihilate Wang Li's army. This decision was cruel, but Xiang Yu knew that only by completely destroying the main force of the Qin army could the victory of the state of Chu be ensured.
2. Siege traps
Zhang Han, the commander of the Qin army, originally set up a huge net in an attempt to destroy the alliance of princes by encircling the points and sending reinforcements. He personally led an army of 200,000 to guard the southern front and deliver grain and grass to the vanguard Wang Li's army, while Wang Li led another army of 200,000 to besiege Julu City.
According to Zhang Han's deployment, once the princes' coalition army reinforces Julu City, it will fall into the encirclement of the Qin army.
However, the reality is far from what Zhang Han expected. Although the alliance of princes arrived one after another, they were far away outside Julu City, and they had no intention of assisting. Even the main force of the Chu army has not yet arrived, and only the vanguard led by two junior generals, Yingbu and Pu, is fighting alone.
This situation undoubtedly disappointed Zhang Han. He originally thought that as long as he could wipe out the alliance of the princes, the Qin army would be able to win easily. But now it seems that this plan may be in vain.
Just when Zhang Han was anxious, he sent Chang Shi Xin back to the court to report the news, but was deceived by Zhao Gao's henchmen, saying that the power in the DPRK was manipulated by Zhao Gao, and even if he made great achievements, he could not escape the fate of being suspicious of Zhao Gao.
As a result, Zhang Han's fighting spirit began to waver, and his determination to deal with the alliance of princes gradually faded. He secretly sent an envoy to negotiate peace with Xiang Yu in an attempt to end the war in a peaceful way.
This is undoubtedly a fatal mistake. Zhang Han was supposed to concentrate all his strength on a decisive battle with the princes' coalition forces, but he was confused by Zhao Gao's conspiracy and lost the courage and determination to fight. How could such a Zhang Han command an army of 200,000 to achieve victory?
3. The Chu army counterattacked
At the same time, Xiang Yu's Chu army was fighting hard. Although the vanguard of Yingbu and Pu was brave and fearless, they could not resist the iron hooves of the Qin army after all. Just when the Chu army was losing and retreating, Xiang Yu personally stepped forward, strategized, and finally found the Achilles heel of the Qin army.
Xiang Yu knew that in order to completely defeat the powerful Qin army, it was far from enough to rely on the vanguard of Yingbu and Pu generals. He must take matters into his own hands and use his wits to turn the tide of the situation.
So, Xiang Yu led the main force to the battlefield and personally commanded the battle. He carefully observed the deployment of the Qin army and soon discovered their Achilles' heel—the grain and grass supply line.
Although the main force of the Qin army was numerous, it was scattered on different fronts and could not concentrate superior forces. Moreover, they are also responsible for the continuous supply of food and grass for the Wang Li army on the front line, which is also a huge burden.
Xiang Yu immediately ordered to concentrate fire on the grain routes of the Qin army. After nine battles, the Chu army finally cut off the grain route of the Qin army. Once the grain and grass are cut off, the Qin army's Wang Li army will be in a desperate situation.
In this fierce battle, Wang Li's 200,000-strong army was almost completely annihilated. This was a heavy blow, which not only shattered the Qin army's plan to encircle and send reinforcements, but also put Zhang Han's main force in a desperate situation.
IV. Surrender of Zhangyu
At the same time as Wang Li's army was destroyed, Zhang Han's main force was also in trouble. His original plan to encircle and send reinforcements has been completely bankrupt, and the grain and grass supply line has been cut off by the Chu army, and there are no reinforcements on the back road. What's even more terrifying is that Xiang Yu's Chu army is rapidly approaching, and I am afraid that it will soon encounter his main force.
For a while, Zhang Han was at a loss and could no longer hold on. He originally thought that as long as he could wipe out the alliance of the princes, the Qin army would be able to win easily. But now it seems that this plan has completely failed.
What made Zhang Han even more heartbroken was that he sent Chang Shi Xin back to the DPRK to report the news, but he was deceived by Zhao Gao's henchmen, saying that the power in the DPRK was manipulated by Zhao Gao, and even if he made great achievements, he could not escape the fate of being suspicious of Zhao Gao.
Zhao Gao seized the position of prime minister by trickery back then, and now he is even more stealing the country and doing evil, tyrannical and domineering. As a veteran of the Qin army, Zhang Han naturally eyed Zhao Gao, for fear that the last great military exploits could only increase Zhao Gao's jealousy, but instead killed himself.
As a result, Zhang Han's fighting spirit began to waver, and his determination to deal with the alliance of princes gradually faded. He secretly sent an envoy to negotiate peace with Xiang Yu in an attempt to end the war in a peaceful way.
At this moment, Xiang Yu's Chu army had already approached Zhang Han's main force. Zhang Han knew that if he didn't take any action, he would probably be completely surrounded by the Chu army. So, he came to see Xiang Yu in person, with tears streaming down his face, telling Zhao Gao's various crimes, and finally decided to surrender to Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu was overjoyed when he saw this, and immediately ordered all of Zhang Han's 200,000 troops to be imprisoned. In this way, the main force of the Qin army was captured by Xiang Yusheng without a hard battle, and the country was no longer owned by Qin. The main force of the Qin army was completely wiped out, and veterans like Zhang Han also chose to surrender. This not only marked the fall of the Qin Dynasty, but also heralded the dawn of a new era.
epilogue
The Battle of Julu was originally a big net set up by the Qin army, but it was counter-killed by Xiang Yu's Chu army. The reason for this is that Xiang Yu's strategizing and seeing through the weaknesses of the Qin army are indispensable.
But more importantly, due to Zhao Gao's conspiracy within the Qin army, the vitality was greatly damaged, coupled with Zhang Han's own hesitation, which made the Qin army's encirclement plan completely bankrupt. In the end, the main force of the Qin army was captured by Xiang Yusheng without a hard battle.
The outcome of this battle not only marked the fall of the Qin Dynasty, but also heralded the advent of a new era. From then on, the people of the world will usher in a new ruler, and the land of China will also open a new chapter.