Early the next morning, Xiang Yu informed the two flank divisions led by Xiang An and Zhu Jishi to attack the city from the east and west respectively, while he himself led the central army in a direct breakthrough from the south gate.
Dongyang City's defending general was named Jiang Han, a man of exceptional stubbornness. He split his forces into three routes, dispatching part of them out through the north gate to launch surprise attacks on Xiang An and Zhu Jishi to the east and west. All remaining troops were stationed at the south gate, defending against Xiang Yu with everything they had.
He believed his surprise troops would catch the flank commanders Zhu Jishi and Xiang An off guard, crush those two smaller forces, then swiftly reinforce the south gate and encircle Xiang Yu.
The surprise attack on Zhu Jishi's western force did indeed succeed. Zhu Jishi was beaten into a panicked retreat, dazed and disoriented as he was forced westward.
But what Jiang Han had not expected was that the surprise attack against Xiang An's eastern division—the one he had committed more troops to—had failed!
One hand gripping the reins and the other tightly clutching his thirty-foot spear, Xiang An ground his teeth as he stared at the ambush force he had nearly annihilated.
Since they had suddenly emerged from the rear, Xiang An's army had indeed been caught off guard. And because Xiang An had charged at the very front, he had been unable to reach the rear in time.
Worst of all—the bastard Jiang Han must have directly blocked off Dongyang City's east gate! Even the battering ram could not budge it!
But at that moment, Zi Juan stepped forward.
Though Zi Juan's horse was not a thousand-li steed like Wu Zhui or Torrent Gallop,