Lu Bu in the Chu camp used a clever trick to get into Xiang Yu's tent and became a famous person with some say. With his high vision, although he was far from successful, he finally got by smoothly.
The blame must be put on Liu Bang, and the merit of killing the King of Chu and more than sixty of his followers cannot be recorded openly.
However, because Xiang Yu never cared about the reputation of his subordinates, the brilliant record of Lu Bu killing four generals alone was spread along with the sensational rumor that the King of Chu was stabbed to death by the infantry sent by Liu Bang.
After Fan Zeng deliberately sent people to spread the news, it became known to everyone in the streets and alleys in just a moment, and was also introduced into the Han camp earlier through the help of spies.
Compared to Lu Bu's satisfaction, Liu Bang, who escaped back to the Han camp alone, had not even had time to breathe a sigh of relief before he heard the bad news of "four generals were beheaded, Zifang was arrested, the King of Chu was assassinated, and the Chu army will attack the Han army on the pretext of suppressing the rebels."
Especially the deaths of Fan Kuai and Xiahou Ying, even a cold-hearted person like Liu Bang couldn't help but shed a few real tears.
He was not only a capable and trusted subordinate to him, but also his brother-in-law who was very loyal to him and a good brother who had called him "Third Brother" for many years!
Wave after wave, even a man with a strong character like Liu Bang became so angry that he fainted on the spot!
With his generals' hurried rescue, Liu Bang, who subconsciously knew that the Han army was in great danger, did not remain unconscious for long. He woke up and vomited blood. The gasp in his chest was slightly relieved.
At this time, he did not know that it was Lu Bu who was behind this, and he also deliberately forgot his arrangement to leave the four generals to fight on foot and use them as shields. He was filled with hatred and directed all his hatred at Xiang Yu: "What a vicious Xiang Ji!"
Both he and other wise counselors like Zifang completely underestimated Xiang Ji, who usually disguised himself as arrogant but was more ruthless than anyone else when it came to plotting and scheming!
How could he have imagined that Xiang Ji, who had always been upright and even soft-hearted, would suddenly become enlightened and seize upon such a huge flaw of his
Just because of his momentary greed, he not only ended up helping the enemy, but was also slandered and had to flee in embarrassment... Liu Bang regretted it so much that he wished he could turn back time so that he could slap himself in the face for being so complacent that day.
By using this trick, Xiang Yu not only successfully killed his lord who had been obstructing the Chu army's actions, which only obeyed his orders, but also made good use of him to make a fuss about his lord serving as a soldier and hiding horses and escaping from the banquet. After silencing those followers who refused to obey his orders, he used those cowardly Chu officials to firmly pin the stigma of injustice on him!
Liu Bang, who was always eloquent and quick-witted, experienced the feeling of being unable to defend himself for the first time.
Although Xiang Ji could not deceive all the smart people in the world, the people's support was mostly determined by the common people who could not read a single word and who only heard the news from others.
Moreover, the powerful Chu army was about to arrive and kill him. Who could he go to for explanation or ask for justice
"General, time is running out. Please give orders quickly."
Zhang Liang never returned. When Liu Bang was at a loss and felt desperate, Xiao He had to step forward and remind him.
Speaking of the sadness in their hearts, Xiao He and Cao Shen, who had known Fan Kuai and Xiahou since Pei County, were no less sad than Liu Bang, who was in tears.
But when the disaster struck, it was not their turn to feel sad for their dead brothers.
There were eight city gates in Xianyang, six of which were guarded by the Chu army, and only four were still controlled by the Han army.
However, nearly half of the 100,000 Han troops under Liu Bang were still trapped in the city.
How much you want to bring and how much you can bring must be decided as soon as possible before the Chu army is fully deployed.
Liu Bang took a deep breath, raised his red eyes, and said in a hoarse voice: "There are only 20,000 Chu troops in the city, and Xiang Ji is in the palace. If we gather 100,000 troops, instead of fleeing, we can counterattack, rush into the palace and kill Xiang Ji by surprise. Can we fight him to the death?"
This crazy decision shocked his close ministers and they all tried to dissuade him.
"This must not be done!" A group of old officials including Cao Shen, Zhou Bo and Guan Ying all bowed down and said, "General, please think carefully!"
Although they did not actually go to the Battle of Julu that made Xiang Yu famous throughout the world, the rumors that the enemy relied on his natural talent as a general to cause the high-spirited and powerful Qin army to be defeated, and the powerful Qin soldiers were ruthlessly slaughtered by the Chu army who entered the field to catch sheep and rabbits, had already spread to the world.
Although Liu Bang had some ability to lead troops in battle, he was overshadowed by the example of Xiang Yu - not to mention that Xiang Yu's greatest achievement was winning quick battles with a smaller force.
The Chu army has an absolute advantage in numbers, so how can the Han army compete with them? This is not a case of both sides perishing, but a case of hitting a rock with an egg, seeking death!
Liu Bang was cornered by them. Although he was still stiff-necked and gasping for breath, he no longer mentioned the idea of taking 100,000 Han soldiers to attack Xiang Yu.
Xiao He, who had been silent since the reminder, saw that he had calmed down a lot, and stepped forward again and said: "Although the current situation is bad and dangerous, it is not hopeless. There is still hope for survival."
Liu Bang's expression slightly changed, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Where did you get this from?"
Xiao He did not answer but asked: "If you had fine wine every day and beautiful women every night, would you enjoy them and let your will be worn away by them?"
"Don't laugh," Liu Bang said with a wry smile, "I'm almost dead, how can I get wine and beauties?"
Xiao He said nothing, just stared at Liu Bang silently.
Liu Bang then straightened his face and answered seriously: "Fine wine and beautiful women are just pastimes that are easily available. How can they be compared with the great affairs of the world?"
Xiao He smiled slightly, and then continued: "Xiang Yu's army is strong and cannot be defeated by force. We can only defeat him with wits. If we charge forward blindly, we will only destroy ourselves."
Liu Bang frowned in embarrassment but did not refute.
Xiao He changed the subject and said, "General, do you still remember the events of King Tang of Shang and King Gou Jian of Yue? The great things of the world can only be planned slowly, not hastily. We should not rush forward because of a temporary gain, nor should we shrink back because of a temporary loss. Only those who are willing to bend their backs and endure temporary difficulties when they see the situation clearly can gain the trust of the people of the world in the future. Since the general is not afraid of being locked up and wearing people out, I hope that the general will be willing to give up the redundant things around him and go to Bashu to win the hearts of the people, employ wise men, and use the two counties as the foundation of his kingdom. When the situation becomes turbulent, he can recruit allies, gather the strength of the two counties, and counterattack Guanzhong."
What Xiao He did not mention was that although Xiang Yu seemed to have many followers around him, he neglected Xiang Bo, a woodworm that was eating away at the heart of the tree, because he only employed people based on personal relationships.
With Zhang Liang's intelligence and quick thinking, he might not die. As long as he lived, Xiang Bo could be used by them, and the turning point they hoped for might come earlier than expected.
Liu Bang listened attentively to Xiao He's words, sighed for a long while, and nodded heavily: "I will follow your plan, sir."
Although the two counties of Bashu are located in remote areas and were once poor and backward, they are rich in resources and the people have always been comfortable and self-sufficient.
Especially after the careful management of the Former Qin Dynasty, water conservancy projects were developed, city walls were repaired, order was restored, and every aspect was completely renewed.
Based on this, it was the final retreat that Liu Bang had once considered.
Most importantly, Bashu is surrounded by natural dangers, towering mountains, and narrow and rugged roads, making it notoriously easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Not to mention a large army, even a small troop marching along would be terrified and would not be able to afford the slightest carelessness.
This is such a difficult road that even if Xiang Yu relied on his large army to pursue and kill, it would be useless.
Besides, he has already thrown mud on his own head, and the ultimate goal has been achieved. There is no need to kill him. In the future, we only need to deploy heavy troops in Hanzhong and put him under house arrest.
Liu Bang suppressed his grief and made the fastest arrangements to quietly withdraw his troops to Bashu.
He thought to himself in a cheerful tone: Fortunately, I had thought of this idea before and had made a fairly detailed plan. It would not be difficult for me to restart the old plan now.
Unfortunately, the road to Shu was difficult to travel, and he could not bring many soldiers. Moreover, the Chu army was coming in full force, so he had to abandon most of his troops to stop the enemy and buy time for his own evacuation.
When the Chu army led by Xiang Yu's capable generals Ying Bu and Zhongli Mei broke into the Han camp, the Han soldiers were leaderless and at the mercy of others. They suddenly realized that they were one step too late, and the cunning and cold-blooded Liu Bang fled to the west along a small path with only a group of his cronies and 5,000 elite soldiers!
When Lu Bu, who had no position to lead troops and could only stay in the palace and wait for news, learned the bad news that 30,000 of the more than 90,000 Han soldiers who were left behind were slaughtered, and the remaining more than 60,000 surrendered, but unfortunately Liu Bang and others escaped, he did not get furious, but was completely numb.
… What can he say.
Lu Bu, who was granted a seat next to Xiang Yu, in the precious seat usually occupied by Xiang Bo, stretched out his long legs arrogantly. Compared with Xiang Yu, who was sitting upright next to him, he looked completely unruly.
However, he only fixed his dead fish eyes full of resentment on Ying Bu, who was in high spirits and excitedly reporting the results of the battle to Xiang Yu.
Not to mention Xiang Yu's procrastination, the people with the surname Liu that he met were probably born rats, and they ran faster than anything else...
If he were the one leading the troops to chase, instead of this fool with the same name as Bu, the enemy would be captured easily!
Ying Bu's attention was completely focused on Xiang Yu who was listening silently. He did not notice Lu Bu's burning gaze at the side at all. However, he caught a glimpse of him from the corner of his eye from Zhongli Mei who was silent.
Zhongli Mei glanced at Ying Bu, who was speaking eloquently, and then glanced at Lu Bu, who was sitting next to King Xiang. After sensing the inexplicable hostility, he couldn't help showing a bit of confusion.
Could it be that this is the case that there is no room for two people in one mountain
An idea suddenly occurred to Zhongli Mei.
He frowned slightly and began to think wildly: For the sake of their comradeship, even though he had little friendship with Ying Bu, he had to give him some advice.
-After all, although he didn't know the details of what happened in the palace, the other party's name "Lü Dushi" came from the mouths of those old ministers of the King of Chu who were so scared that they knelt on their knees, so it couldn't be false.
Seeing how politely Yafu treated Lu Bu, it was clear that he was extremely wise.
Lü Bu, who was glaring at Ying Bu for his incompetence with deep resentment, would never have imagined in his dreams that one day he would be labeled a "poisonous scholar".
And Xiang Yu's idea was indeed as Liu Bang predicted.
Although he felt a little regretful that he failed to behead Liu Bang and give a more beautiful "explanation" to the "world", the object of his greatest hostility was the King of Chu, who had been persevering in confronting him from beginning to end.
Now that the King of Chu is dead, Liu Bang, in his eyes, is just a clown who borrows the power of the King of Chu to stir up trouble. Fortunately, this self-righteous clown has now fled to the Bashu area in a panic, so it is clear that he is no longer a threat.
In the future, as long as we station a heavy army in Hanzhong, we will be able to block the people of Shu.
Any general who has a little experience in fighting a war can see this at a glance, and Lu Bu is also very clear about it.
This made him even more anxious: If Liu Bang kept holding it in, what else could he do to that bastard? He couldn't just follow him into the rat hole!
—No, no.
Lu Bu, who had suffered repeated setbacks in his attempt to kill Liu Bang but became more and more courageous, suddenly had a new idea.
With his great achievements that were not easy to publicize, Xiang Yu would definitely reward him in the future. Then he could ask for at least a general position and request to guard Hanzhong in person.
With the wolfish ambition of Liu Bang's grandson, once he sees any opportunity, he will definitely not be willing to live out his life in leisure on that small piece of land - he can just lure the enemy out of the cave and then give them a heavy blow!
Lu Bu was happily thinking about it when suddenly his stomach growled and he felt hungry.
He had always been very thick-skinned, and because of Xiang Bo's obstruction, he was unable to attend the banquet. He then quickly killed more than seventy people. Although he miraculously remained unscathed, he was also severely exhausted physically.
Xiang Yu and others who had summoned him to join them as advisors had eaten their fill at the previous banquet, and were now only focused on how to end the matter, thus ignoring the fact that Lu Bu had not eaten all day.
The sound was not loud, but Xiang Yu, who was closest to it, heard it clearly. He frowned slightly and thought for a moment before realizing that he had overlooked something. He turned around silently and looked at the man holding the halberd behind him.
Han Xin seemed to be the only one who still cared about Lü Bu's hunger. Before Xiang Yu could speak, he stepped out and whispered, "I will order someone to prepare dinner."
"Thank you, General Xiang, but there's no need to trouble Brother Han." Han Xin stood closer, and Lu Bu, who had a keen sense of smell, caught the very faint but unique smell of meat mixed with spices, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He said this, and without thinking, he reached into Han Xin's sleeve and took out several pieces of dried meat wrapped carefully in a clean towel. He immediately ate them with the cold soup in front of him without any disgust. While chewing, he mumbled a thank you: "Thank you, Brother Han too."
Xiang Yu stared silently at the unruly Lu Bu for a while, not knowing what he was thinking. After a while, he looked away and forgot to mention ordering dinner.
After being stunned for a while, Han Xin looked at Lü Bu who was chewing the dry meat slices with relish, and he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction... like feeding a tiger.