The Huan King's Revenge

North of the Huai River, south of Chen City, the capital of the Zhang Chu Faction, lay Ruyin.

Four major cities stood south of Chen City: from nearest to farthest, Xiang County, Xinyang, Ruyin, and Xincai. Together, they formed a slanted trapezoid guarding Chen City's southern approaches.

Peerless Martial Marquis Han Xin of Great Qin had already taken Xincai and now threatened Ruyin and Xiang County. The main Great Qin force under General-Marquis Xin Sheng threatened Chen City itself. Heaven-Warring Marquis Wang Ben had captured Changping to its northwest, while Martial Marquis Tong Meng Tian had taken Guling to its north. Taking advantage of the crisis, Liu Bang's army had seized Zhang Chu's northern territory and reached Kucheng northeast of Chen City. Peng Yue's army had reached Qiaocheng near Kucheng, and the Xiang Clan Army was marching south from Pengcheng.

The Zhang Chu Faction now faced enemies on every side. Its once vast, elephant-shaped territory had been squeezed into a narrow strip like a caterpillar, its domain reduced dozens of times over. It had reached its limit.

Apart from its capital, Chen City, the nearby southern cities of Xiang County, Xinyang, and Ruyin, and the eastern cities of Chengfu, Lower Chengfu, and Yongcheng, all forming that caterpillar shape, Zhang Chu's hold on the rest of its territory existed in name alone. With the Great Qin Empire, the Xiang Clan, Liu Bang, and Peng Yue sealing it off, no other force could come to its king's aid.

The newly enthroned Huan King was a case in point. Great Qin's Peerless Martial Marquis Han Xin had him pinned south of the Huai River, unable to reinforce Zhang Chu!

On the ninth day after the Huan King reached the Huai River.

To meet the Huan Kingdom Army, the Zhang Chu Faction sent the