Chapter 296

【Fu Jian ordered the whole army to retreat slightly.

However, as soon as the Former Qin army retreated, the Eastern Jin surrender general Zhu Xu shouted from behind the formation:

"The Qin army is defeated! The Qin army is defeated!"】

【The Former Qin army formation was in chaos, thinking they were really defeated, and fled one after another.】

【Xie Xuan took the opportunity to lead 8,000 elite troops across the river to launch a fierce attack.】

【The Former Qin army collapsed across the board, trampling on each other, with countless deaths and injuries.】

【Fu Rong was killed in battle, Fu Jian was shot by a stray arrow, escaped alone, and the 870,000-strong army vanished into thin air.】

A picture appeared on the Sky Screen.

On both sides of the Feishui, it was full of people.

On the west bank was the Former Qin's 870,000-strong army, with tents connected in a line, unable to see the edge.

On the east bank was Xie Xuan's 80,000 Beifu troops, fewer in number, but the formation was orderly and silent.

In the center of the picture, Fu Jian was riding on a horse, behind him were flags covering the mountains and plains.

He looked at the Jin army on the east bank and said a sentence to his brother Fu Rong that later spread throughout the world:

"This is also a strong enemy, why say they are few!"

That's what he said, but there was no fear in Fu Jian's eyes.

He had 870,000 people, the other side only had 80,000, ten people against one, how could he lose?

Then he gave an order.

Retreat slightly.

It was this order that destroyed everything he had.

In the picture, the Former Qin army began to retreat.

The front troops walked backward, the back troops didn't know what happened, and followed suit.

Walking and walking, I don't know who ran first.

Once they started running, they couldn't stop—thousands of people began to run wildly, weapons were thrown all over the ground, and flags were trampled underfoot.

At this time, Eastern Jin surrender general Zhu Xu shouted from behind the formation: "The Qin army is defeated!"

This shout was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The Former Qin army collapsed completely.

The soldiers didn't know what they were running for, but everyone was running, so they ran too.

Fu Jian rode on his horse, being carried away by the fleeing soldiers toward the west.

His personal guards tried their best to protect him, but there were too many people, and they couldn't stop it.

A stray arrow flew over and shot through his shoulder.

He gritted his teeth and didn't scream.

Fu Rong died.

Trampled to death by his own people.

870,000 troops, just like that, gone.

In the Eastern Han court, Liu Bang finished watching this and was silent for a long time.

"I have lost battles," he suddenly said, his voice not loud, "At Pengcheng, 560,000 people were scattered by Xiang Yu's 30,000. I ran for a night, even losing my driver."

"But that defeat of mine... was because the other side was too good at fighting. This defeat of Fu Jian... he destroyed himself."

Gu Shanhe thought for a moment and said: "It's not entirely his own problem."

"The person who shouted (The Qin army is defeated) behind the formation—Zhu Xu—he was a surrender general of the Eastern Jin, actually an undercover agent planted by the Eastern Jin in the Former Qin."

Liu Xiu nodded: "This Zhu Xu is the key."

"If he hadn't shouted that, the Former Qin army might not have collapsed."

"Even if they collapsed, they wouldn't have collapsed so thoroughly."

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke, his tone very cold: "Zhu Xu was just a trigger."

"The Former Qin army collapsed because it was already scattered to begin with."

"870,000 people, coming from dozens of different tribes and forces, without a unified military heart, without a unified will."

"It's not visible when things are going smoothly, but once they encounter a headwind, they immediately scatter."

He paused and said: "Fu Jian wasn't defeated by Xie Xuan, he was defeated by the mess he governed."

Gu Shanhe glanced at Ying Zheng and said: "The First Emperor is right."

"Fu Jian's biggest problem was that he was too impatient."

"He had only unified the north for a few years, hadn't had time to digest these forces, and was in a hurry to go south."

"If he had waited another ten years, integrated the army, and straightened out the internal affairs before fighting, the result might have been completely different."

Liu Bang asked another question: "Then who is this Xie Xuan?"

"80,000 people defeating 870,000, is this person very good at fighting?"

Gu Shanhe thought for a moment and said: "Xie Xuan was a famous general of the Eastern Jin, and the Beifu troops under his command were the most elite troops at that time."

"These people were all refugees who fled from the north to the south, had a blood feud with the northern regime, and didn't fear death in battle."

Liu Che recorded a note in the booklet and asked: "What happened to Xie Xuan later?"

Gu Shanhe said: "He died of illness not long after the Battle of Feishui. Less than fifty."

Liu Bang shook his head: "Another short-lived one. Why do people who can fight die so early?"

The commentaries of the emperors of various dynasties began to float across the Sky Screen.

Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, spoke first.

【Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian: The Battle of Feishui is the most inconceivable battle in Chinese history.

870,000 people were defeated by 80,000, not because the 80,000 were so good at fighting, but because the 870,000 ran away themselves.

This is not a military problem, this is a management problem.】

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, followed with a sentence.

【Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin: Fu Jian had the ability to unify the north.

But he made a fatal mistake—he didn't know what kind of goods his army was.

870,000 people look like a lot, but few are truly capable of fighting.

Once a battle started, those who were just making up the numbers ran away immediately.】

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's commentary was as straightforward as ever.

【Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang: Fu Jian fought this battle shamefully!

870,000 people, even if everyone threw a stone, they could smash the 80,000 people on the other side to death.

And the result?

A retreat order went down, and they all ran away.

This is not a problem of the soldiers, it's a problem of the general!】

Emperor Qianlong shook his folding fan and said slowly.

【Emperor Yongzheng: The wind blew and the cranes called, every tree and shrub looked like an enemy.

This idiom comes from the Battle of Feishui.

870,000 people were scared away by their own shadows, which is unique in world military history.】

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, finally gave a long speech.

【Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin: I read history books and read about the Battle of Feishui, and every time I feel sorry for Fu Jian.

He had the strength to unify the world, but not the fate to unify the world.

He wasn't defeated by Xie Xuan, he was defeated by his own impatience.

If he had waited another ten years... but there are no ifs.】

Eastern Jin Jiankang City, Xie Xuan stood in the military camp, looking at the picture on the Sky Screen, silent for a long time.

Beside him were the generals of the Beifu troops, each looking up at the battle that hadn't happened yet on the Sky Screen. 870,000 against 80,000, they won.

Not a tragic victory, but a great victory.

Liu Laozhi was the first to speak: "General, we won! 870,000 people! We won!"

Xie Xuan didn't smile.

He was looking at the moment Fu Jian ordered the retreat on the Sky Screen.

That one order buried 870,000 people.

He was thinking about a question—if Fu Jian hadn't ordered the retreat, if he had ordered a direct attack, what would the result be?

He didn't know.

But he knew that history has no ifs.

Former Qin Chang'an City, Fu Jian sat on the dragon throne, his face pale.

The hall was full of kneeling ministers, no one dared to look up at him.

The Sky Screen was still playing the picture of the Battle of Feishui, frame by frame, clearly.

The appearance of the 870,000-strong army collapsing, the appearance of him escaping alone, the appearance of Fu Rong being trampled to death.

He lost.

Lost thoroughly.

"I..."

Fu Jian spoke, his voice as hoarse as a broken gong.

"I have a million troops, throwing whips to cut off the flow..."

He didn't finish.

He couldn't go on.

Because he knew, "throwing whips to cut off the flow" had now become a joke.

Later generations mentioned this sentence, not to praise his strong troops, but to laugh at his overestimation of himself.

The golden light on the Sky Screen began to gather.

【Ranking Top Ten Ancient Battles · Battle of Feishui · End】

【Next preview: Battle of Red Cliffs】