"Kill them——————"
"Slay the Qin troops, earn promotions and riches!!"
"Cut them down!!"
"Oooohhh————"
"..."
Roy had executed his plan of burning bridges behind him, leading 50,000 Chu troops northward in an unstoppable advance.
Zhang Han dispatched his subordinates to intercept, but the Chu army, with their overwhelming momentum, routed them completely. Zhang Han sent nine generals one after another, yet the Chu forces sliced through them like a hot knife through butter, winning nine consecutive battles and capturing or killing many of Zhang Han's top commanders, including Su Jiao, Wang Li, and She Jian.
The Qin army was already exhausted. After defeating Xiang Liang, they had no time to rest before being urged by Emperor Qin Ershi and Zhao Gao to attack Zhao territory directly. Zhang Han knew the Qin troops couldn't sustain prolonged warfare, so he sought quick victories. With the other feudal lords watching from the sidelines, he easily trapped the King of Zhao at Julu—victory seemed only a matter of time.
But he never expected that after Xiang Liang's death, when he thought Chu was no longer a concern, someone from the Xiang clan would emerge, kill the Chu king, seize power, and boldly march north without hesitation. Unlike the other lords who remained passive observers, this force plunged straight into the heart of the conflict.
With reinforcements arriving, the King of Zhao, unwilling to die, naturally fought back fiercely. The Zhao troops, realizing survival was possible, exerted their utmost effort, pinning down Zhang Han's main forces and forcing him to split his army to intercept Chu. Yet this interception proved utterly ineffective—within days, the Chu army shattered nine Qin divisions and advanced straight toward Julu.
In these nine battles, apart from personally slaying hundreds to maintain his miraculous combat record, Roy didn't intervene at all, relying entirely on the Chu soldiers to fight.
The Qin troops were weary, while the Chu army was fresh and well-prepared. Moreover, Roy's tens of thousands of troops had undergone professional military training in Pengcheng. With Roy charging at the forefront in every battle, cutting down enemy vanguards—a crucial factor in ancient warfare—each engagement left Qin soldiers terrified and Chu troops bloodthirsty. String of victories turned Qin soldiers into mere stepping stones for glory; each Chu warrior could practically take on ten Qin fighters.
Though Zhang Han commanded 400,000 troops besieging Julu, the 50,000-strong Chu army drove them back relentlessly, leaving them no chance to counterattack.
After nine consecutive victories, the Chu army severed Qin's supply corridor. Even with ample provisions, the loss of this lifeline meant hundreds of thousands of troops had to rely on dwindling reserves. What began as Qin besieging the King of Zhao had now reversed—Roy's 50,000 men had cut off their retreat. With massive daily grain consumption, the entire Qin army was shrouded in despair.
After the Chu army severed the Qin supply lines, General Pu and others led elite soldiers to plunder the Zhao territories under their control, seizing Qin's provisions. This stabilized the five-day rations for the 50,000-strong army, eliminating any risk of mutiny.
Witnessing the Chu army's ferocity—capable of crushing 500,000 Qin troops—the passive onlookers among the feudal lords were terrified. After defeating the Qin's nine-pronged forces, Roy allowed his troops a brief respite, rewarding them with the seized provisions and distributing the plundered treasures among his commanders. The Chu army's morale soared, eagerly awaiting the order from the Conqueror of Western Chu to bury the hundreds of thousands of Qin soldiers in the land of Julu.
Upon receiving Roy's summons, the armies of Yan, Han, Wei, and other peasant-uprising feudal lords dared not delay. They arrived at the Chu camp with only their personal guards, kneeling and crawling through the gates, too fearful to lift their heads. When they stood before Roy in the camp, they trembled like leaves, their faces pale with terror under his gaze.
The sheer might of the Chu army had shaken them to the core. If even the Qin's massive forces couldn't stop them, how could their own meager reinforcements for Zhao stand a chance? They feared the slightest misstep might provoke the Conqueror of Western Chu into ordering their annihilation.
To the ambitious Chu soldiers, it mattered little whether they slaughtered Qin, Han, or Wei troops—as long as there were merits to claim.
"Gentlemen," Roy began, his voice icy as he surveyed the kneeling lords, their expressions as if facing a demon king. "Zhang Han's Qin army is now trapped in Julu. Though cornered beasts fight desperately, the Qin soldiers are exhausted from months of battle, further pressured by the Second Emperor and Zhao Gao in Xianyang. Even Sun Bin himself would be helpless here. Once we crush Zhang Han's 400,000 troops, Qin will have no strength left to resist. The gates of Guanzhong will lie open, and we will march straight to Xianyang, toppling the First Emperor's so-called eternal dynasty!"
He laughed darkly. "I do not blame you for your earlier hesitation. But the time to destroy Qin's main force is now. I command you to hand over your armies to my control. Let the six states unite to overthrow Qin's tyranny. Who agrees? Who opposes?"
The feudal lords exchanged uneasy glances. The murderous intent in Roy's words was unmistakable—those who opposed would never leave this camp alive. Swiftly, they reached a silent consensus and prostrated themselves, shouting in unison, "We submit to the Conqueror's command!"
"Good," Roy nodded in satisfaction. "Then I shall dispatch officers to take command of your forces. We will rest south of the Zhang River for three days. On the fourth, we annihilate Qin!"
Returning to his desk, he picked up a brush and wrote swiftly on a bamboo slip. "Let me send Zhang Han a letter. If he surrenders with his army, it will spare the blood of my Chu men."
"As the Southern Sage of Chu once said: 'Though Chu has but three clans, it is Chu that will destroy Qin.' And now, that prophecy shall be fulfilled!"
...
Zhang Han stationed his large army at Jiyuan. The consecutive defeats of the Qin forces over the past days had left him utterly exhausted. He hadn't slept for two days, and his entire being was abnormally weary and weak. Yet no matter how hard he pondered, he couldn't find a solution to the crisis before him.
"The Second Emperor and Zhao Gao continue to pressure me..."
Thinking of the urgent reports from Xianyang, his heart burned with resentment, and he began to feel discontent toward the Qin state.
He unrolled the bamboo scroll before him—it was the surrender offer sent by the State of Chu.
"This king has long heard that Zhao Gao monopolizes power at court, leaving none below him capable of action! Should you win this battle, Zhao Gao will envy your achievements, General, and you will die; should you lose, death is equally inevitable!"
"...This king knows that Bai Qi served as Qin's general, conquering Yan and Ying in the south, burying the Ma army alive in the north, seizing cities and territories beyond count—yet he was rewarded with death! Meng Tian served as Qin's general, driving back the northern barbarians and opening up thousands of li of land in Yuzhong—yet he was beheaded at Yangzhou! Why? Because their merits were too great for Qin to reward!"
"For three years now, you have served as Qin's general, losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Now the feudal lords rise together, and Zhao Gao, having curried favor too long, fears the Second Emperor may kill him. Zhao Gao will surely shift the blame onto you to absolve himself! Without merit, you die; with merit, you still die. This is Heaven's will to destroy Qin. How can you, General, defy Heaven's decree? To refuse would be most unwise!"
"...Heaven's mandate lies with Chu. Why not turn your arms, lay down your armor, and surrender with courtesy? Let us join to destroy Qin together, and you shall lose neither title nor rank. You may sit facing south and style yourself as a lord!!"
Reading this letter of persuasion, Zhang Han was no Zhuge Kongming—he couldn't utter crude words nor understand shamelessness—but his heart was already moved.