Chapter 600: The lion opens his mouth wide, do you still want to be king?

Chapter 600: The lion opens his mouth wide, do you still want to be king?

In the camp deep in the forest, Han Xin stood in front of the military map, concentrating on studying the specific route. His eyes were as sharp as torches, as if he wanted to see every mountain, river and stream through the map.

This is why the army was able to be mobilized on such a large scale without being noticed by the local lords. After a long period of training in the mountains and forests, Gao Yao's troops are already familiar with this environment. Whether it is fast marching in the mountains and forests or setting up camp, there is no problem.

This was also the key to Han Xin's ability to lead 60,000 troops to hide in Kuaiji and successfully avoid the eyes of various forces. In addition, he also cleverly used the Shangshang Guild under Gao Yao as a cover to secretly transport food and grass for the army. Even the spies of the princes could hardly find any clues.

Just as Han Xin was deep in thought, suddenly, the door curtain of the tent was suddenly lifted, and a messenger ran in panting.

"Report, General!" The messenger knelt on one knee and reported to Han Xin, "The navy has sent a message. They are ready to launch an attack at any time!"

Upon hearing the news, Han Xin's face immediately showed a look of joy. After all, he had been waiting for several years, and now he finally had the opportunity to fight on the battlefield again and show his military talent.

The various treatments in the southern border were first-class, whether it was living conditions or material enjoyment, which made people feel extremely comfortable. However, for a young and ambitious general like Han Xin, these were not his main concerns. What he longed for was to be able to make achievements on the battlefield and show his military talents and ambitions.

The last mission to conquer the Peacock Kingdom was undoubtedly a great opportunity. This mission was not only challenging, but also brought great honor and rewards after success. However, in the end, this good job was snatched away by Zhang Liang, Ying Bu and others, which made Han Xin feel a little disappointed and dissatisfied.

However, Han Xin was not stupid, he knew Gao Yao's intention. As the commander of the army, Gao Yao needed to balance the forces of all parties to prevent any one party from becoming too strong and causing instability in the army. Therefore, he could not give all the good opportunities to one person, but had to make reasonable allocations according to the actual situation.

Although he was a little unhappy, Han Xin still had great respect for Gao Yao. After all, Gao Yao had lent him a hand when he was in the most difficult time. He not only provided him with food, but also gave him trust and training. This kind of kindness and life-saving grace was of great significance to Han Xin.

It can be said that if the age gap was not too big, Han Xin would not hesitate to worship Gao Yao as his adoptive father. Because Gao Yao's kindness to him was so great that he was willing to repay it with his whole life.

"Send an order to the navy to mobilize immediately!" Han Xin said seriously.

"Yes!" The messenger responded quickly, then turned and left to convey the order.

Han Xin no longer hesitated, and decisively ordered the navy to launch an attack immediately. After all, he and the navy had already cooperated tacitly in the last battle, and he was more experienced this time. This was also an important reason why Gao Yao arranged Han Xin here.

As the messenger left, Han Xin immediately called his personal soldiers and issued further orders: "Pass the order down, the troops will be mobilized the day after tomorrow morning, and all units must be fully prepared. There must be no shirking or slacking! Anyone who violates the order will be punished by military law!"

"Yes!" The personal soldiers responded in unison, and then quickly passed on Han Xin's order.

Following Han Xin's order, the First Corps quickly entered a state of preparation for battle. Soldiers checked their weapons and equipment, and generals began to deploy battle plans. The entire corps was filled with a tense and orderly atmosphere.

At this moment, Han Xin's primary goal was clear, which was Donghui. Although this city was not a big county in terms of size and influence, its geographical location was of great strategic significance.

Donghui is located near Xiapi in Xuzhou during the Three Kingdoms period, and is now known as Xiayuan City. The city has a population of only over 500,000, with eight counties under its jurisdiction and a total of only over 20,000 soldiers. However, as the saying goes, "every inch has its own strengths and weaknesses", everything has its two sides.

Although Donghui has a relatively small number of troops, which is undoubtedly a major disadvantage, it also has its own unique advantages. Its superior geographical location makes it a strategic location that cannot be ignored. Once it is controlled, it will have a significant impact on the surrounding areas.

Donghui's strategic location is extremely critical. It runs through the north and south, like a throat, and can be said to be a place that must be fought for by military strategists. Because of this, during the construction of the city, people spared no effort to make it as solid as a rock. It is no exaggeration to say that this city is definitely a strong city. It is not only easy to defend but also difficult to attack, and it has almost all the advantages of geographical location.

In addition, Donghui has another troublesome feature, that is, its food and grass supplies are extremely abundant. This undoubtedly brought some difficulties to Han Xin's attack. After all, in war, the supply of food and grass is often one of the key factors that determine victory or defeat.

Han Xin was thinking about how to capture Xiayuan City. The current owner of this city was Feng Yu. He was not only a general of the former Chu, but also a subordinate of Xiang Yu in the original historical records, but he surrendered a little later.

However, due to the capture of Kuaiji by Gao Yao and the awkward geographical location of Donghui, other princes were deterred from attacking it. After all, whoever captured Donghui would directly threaten Gao Yao's flank. Gao Yao chose to develop stably internally, which gave Feng Yu room to survive in Donghui.

Of course, at the beginning, Feng Yu was not the master of Donghui, he was just one of the many rebel forces of Donghui. But after a period of development, he gradually emerged and eventually became the overlord of today.

Gao Yao naturally noticed Feng Yu's rise, so he sent an envoy to persuade him to surrender. However, although Feng Yu was mediocre in ability, he was ambitious. He expressed his willingness to surrender, but the conditions he proposed surprised Gao Yao. He asked Gao Yao to make him a king and grant him a fief of no less than four counties.

Such a condition was unacceptable to Feng Yu. Even the ministers who had made great contributions to the Southern Territory had never received the price of being crowned king, let alone Feng Yu.