Xiang Yu personally led the army back from Jiaodong. When he reached the plain area, he ordered his soldiers to build camps and repair on the spot, and no longer continue westward into the territory of Changshan.
At the same time, he continued to send orders to Jiujiang King Ying Bu, Hengshan King Wu Xi and Linjiang King Gong Ao, ordering the kings to immediately select their generals and send troops to jointly attack Changshan.
Ying Bu was inevitably upset when he was summoned again.
He had followed Xiang Yu in battle for many years and was well aware of his unparalleled bravery, so he was naturally in awe and fear of him.
However, he was born a prisoner in Mount Li. The reason why he risked his life on the battlefield and made great achievements was just to gain a share of the land, become a king, and enjoy power and luxury.
As a result, less than two months had passed since he was granted the title of Jiujiang. While he was enjoying the joy of returning home in glory, enjoying fine wine every day and beautiful women every night, he was suddenly summoned by his former king. He had to put on the cold iron armor again and live the hard life of sleeping in the open air and riding horses on icy rivers, which he had long been tired of.
How could he be willing to do that
Although Xiang Yu proclaimed himself the Overlord, he was ultimately just one of the princes. It was only because the Chu Kingdom was the strongest that he had the authority to lead other countries.
Since they are both kings and princes, why should he still obey the orders of his old master, put on his military uniform again, and serve him at his beck and call
Ying Bu was really reluctant to leave, but he could not suppress the fear of Xiang Yu buried deep in his bones.
He understood Xiang Yu's character quite well, knowing that he was extremely brave, liked to consider himself a hero, and valued loyalty and righteousness. However, because he had a clear distinction between love and hate, he was extremely brutal, cold-blooded and cruel to the enemy.
He was appreciated by the emperor in the past and was promoted many times out of turn, becoming his most valued and beloved general. Moreover, due to his accumulated achievements, he was given the title of King of Jiujiang today.
If he claimed illness again and refused to move forward, he might be considered ungrateful. Even if he was not questioned, the fact that he disobeyed orders would be seen as an offense would certainly anger Xiang Yu.
When Ying Bu thought of Xiang Yu's unparalleled bravery and the harsh methods he used to treat his enemies, he felt a chill in his heart.
Just when he was in a dilemma, not knowing whether to respond to the call, a military officer suddenly came in to announce that there was an envoy from Hengshan.
Ying Bu's eyes lit up, and he said impatiently: "Why don't you invite someone in quickly!"
King Wu Xi of Hengshan was not only his father-in-law who appreciated him, but also his ally who had fought side by side against Qin for many years.
This relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law made the relationship between Jiujiang and Hengshan even closer and unbreakable.
The messenger was summoned and soon entered the palace with a smile.
Ying Bu sat anxiously in the main seat. Seeing that the man was eight feet tall, with a long sword on his waist, and walked as if with the wind, but he was wearing Confucian clothing and a Confucian cap, and one glance at his age showed that he was over 60 years old. He could not help but frown and felt a little more contempt in his heart.
Why did his father-in-law send an old scholar to discuss important matters with him
Ying Bu said nothing and continued to sit in the main seat. The old scholar did not care about his arrogant attitude and bowed to him.
Without waiting for Ying Bu to speak, he sat down in style, calmly met Ying Bu's unhappy gaze, and started with a shocking statement: "I am Li Ji, and I have come here on the orders of the King of Han and the King of Hengshan to save your life!"
This person was none other than Li Shiqi, the most capable debater and strategist under Liu Bang, who proclaimed himself King of Han after entering the land of Bashu.
Ying Bu frowned and repeated subconsciously: "King of Han?"
Where in this world did the King of Han come from
Looking at Li Shiqi's half-smile, Ying Bu suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but sneer, "Great! I was a little careless that day, and you guys got a chance to survive and linger in Bashu, but I didn't expect that the traitor was so bold and shameless that he proclaimed himself the King of Han!"
He used to be a general of Chu State and was deeply afraid of Xiang Yu's power. But how could he look down on Liu Bang, a defeated general and a mere stray dog!
Ying Bu said contemptuously: "You are so bold that you dare to come to my house. If you have any last words, tell them now. Otherwise, I will have you tied up tomorrow and sent to the Overlord. Once you are in the cauldron, even if you are eloquent, you will be useless."
His words sounded sinister, but Li Shiqi was not afraid at all. Instead, he burst into laughter.
Ying Bu knew that he did it on purpose, but he still couldn't help being angry, and said murderously: "Since you have nothing to say, then-"
"My life is nothing but a blade of grass, why should I fear death?" Li Shiqi said bluntly, "What I am laughing at is that Your Majesty is so foolish that he rejected the glimmer of hope that was delivered to him, and even acted so proudly!"
Before Ying Bu could get angry, Li Shiqi suddenly stood up, took a step closer, and said aggressively: "The people have been deceived about who the traitor who killed the king was that day. You were once Xiang Ji's trusted general, so how could you not know!"
After stopping Ying Bu, Li Shiqi angrily brushed his sleeves and mocked, "Xiang Ji cannot be trusted. He killed the king first, and then passed on the stigma. The princes' armies joined forces to defeat Qin, but he was asked to reap the fruits of the battle and preside over the division of fiefs. If he really ceded land for merit, not to mention that the King of Han entered Guanzhong first and should be the king, then why is Zhao's general Chen Yu unknown? Why did Zhang Han lose his fief?"
Ying Bu looked coldly at Li Shiqi who was mocking him.
Li Shiqi laughed loudly and continued, "The world is divided into fiefdoms, and the generals are kings. If Xiang Ji really has no selfishness, he should disband the soldiers and let the people recuperate. But now he first took advantage of the fact that the King of Yan killed the old king to attack Yan, and then destroyed Yan. After occupying Liaodong, he marched eastward in the name of suppressing the rebellion and seized the land of the three Qi. Xiang Ji killed the rebel generals one after another, but was unwilling to make another Qi king. Instead, he was greedy and let the Chu officials take over! From this, it can be seen that Xiang Ji is very scheming. What he wants is the whale. Swallowing the land of the princes, ruling the world alone, and emulating the imperial cause of the Former Qin! If this is the case, how can it be stopped easily? Qi is vast and fertile, with a large number of soldiers. After obtaining this land, Xiang Ji's strength will increase again. The Chu army was already as powerful as the sky, with great prestige, and now it is even more powerful. If they want to do whatever they want and tear up the alliance, who can stop them! If the princes still fight on their own, or watch from the sidelines, or fight endlessly, I am afraid that tomorrow they will become the snipe and the clam, and the fisherman will gain the benefit! "
These words struck home with a resounding voice, making his face, which was tattooed with indigo ink, look even gloomier.
He took a breath and urged in a harsh voice: "Speak!"
Li Shiqi smiled, but every word he said was heart-piercing: "The king sent Ji here to ask for your advice. Why did you give King Xiang a perfunctory answer and claim illness as an excuse to not join the coalition? And how can you believe that King Xiang will not raise an army to punish you and attack you in the future?"
Ying Bu was touched by the words and finally relaxed his expression. He looked straight at the arrogant and bold scholar and said coldly, "What is the King of Han planning? Just tell me directly."
—The change in title from "rebel" to "King of Han" made Li Shiqi, who seemed to be confident, feel relieved and he immediately knew that the matter was accomplished.
When Ying Bu met Li Shiqi, Gong Ao Ze, the former pillar of Chu and current King of Linjiang, summoned his generals and troops on the day he received the order, gathered 30,000 soldiers, and rode non-stop to Pingyuan.
For some reason, Xiang Yu showed rare patience this time.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. He waited for the arrival of Gong Ao's troops who were far away in Linjiang, but never saw anyone from Jiujiang and Hengshan, who were closer. His face became more and more ugly.
The Chu army remained motionless, which not only puzzled and unsettled the common people, but even the think tank Fan Zeng could not guess what the Overlord was thinking.
Only after Lu Bu changed his position, he quickly figured out a clue based on his past experience and was greatly surprised.
—This foolish overlord is actually just watching!
Xiang Yu, who was always quick and decisive in his marches, was unusually patient and waited for the situation to become clear.
As for the conflict between Zhang and Chen in Changshan State, Xiang Yu did not take it seriously at all.
Even the main rebel leader, Tian Rong of Qi, had already been executed. How could Chen Yu, who was fighting alone with the support of his troops, possibly be a match for the Chu army
Given the bravery and strength of the Chu army, once they intervene, the rebellion will be quelled within three days.
What Xiang Yu valued more was the Hengshan and Jiujiang states, whose attitudes had been unclear since their enfeoffment, and for which he was willing to postpone the opportunity to fight.
It depends on whether the latter will be obedient or show his true colors.
However, Xiang Yu could wait, but King Zhang Er of Changshan could not withstand Chen Yu's fierce attack.
He and Chen Yu were once sworn brothers, as one was the prime minister of Zhao and the other was a general of Zhao. However, they became suspicious of each other and became enemies because of the incident in Julu. Now they are killing each other in full swing and cannot get along.
Even though the fighting was fierce, neither of them forgot to pay attention to the war situation in the east. When they heard that Xiang Yu had personally led the Chu army to pacify the Qi area that started the rebellion and killed Tian Rong and Tian Heng, one was happy while the other was sad.
When Zhang Er knew that reinforcements were coming, his morale boosted greatly. Chen Yu had been a general for many years, and although he knew that he was in a desperate situation, he was stubborn and refused to surrender. Even though he knew he could not defeat Xiang Yu, he wanted to defeat Zhang Er to vent his anger. Therefore, he did not retreat but advanced, and his offensive became more intense.
However, Zhang Er was no match for Chen Yu. After holding out for nearly ten days, the Chu army still hadn't arrived, and he felt something was wrong.
When the spies he sent out returned and reported that the Chu army was stationed in the Central Plains for unknown reasons and was not moving, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood!
Xiang Ji is a really hateful man!
He was already at the end of his strength and could not care about anything else. Even though he cursed Xiang Yu a thousand times in his heart, he was humble when he sent envoys to ask for help.
He knew that no matter how critical the situation was, it could be easily resolved as long as the powerful army of Chu arrived, so he naturally did not dare to offend Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu waited for half a month, but still did not see the troops from Jiujiang and Hengshan. Even though he had expected this, he was still filled with rage.
Therefore, when the envoy sent by Zhang Er arrived, his face was as cold as frost and his body was filled with icy murderous aura, which made the envoy tremble with fear.
After hearing his purpose, Xiang Yu, who had already come to a conclusion from his previous deliberate waiting, nodded absentmindedly, knowing that he could not delay any longer on Zhang Er's side.
Just as he was about to agree to send troops, he suddenly heard a clear sneer coming from beside him.
Everyone couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound, and saw a young Chu general in fancy clothes sitting crookedly in the second seat, second only to Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng, and on par with Long Ju and Zhongli Mei. He crossed his arms lazily, with a cynical smile on his handsome fair face, and his tiger eyes full of disdain.
Although the Changshan envoy didn't know why he was sneering, he was still so angry that his face turned red, but he dared not say anything.
Xiang Yu cast a puzzled glance at his beloved general and asked, "Why is Fengxian laughing?"
"Your Majesty, I have no intention of being rude to you," Lü Bu said, smiling even more. His words were polite, but his tone was filled with an extremely irritating nonchalance. "But it is indeed a strange thing."
Xiang Yu was hooked by his demeanor and tone, and his face remained stern, but in fact, he was somewhat curious: "Oh?"
Fan Zeng's heart tightened. He glanced at King Xiang, who had a blank expression on his face and whose mood was hard to tell. He was afraid that Fengxian would say something rude and anger him, so he quickly helped to explain, "Fengxian, please go ahead."
Lu Bu grinned, but the next words he said made the Changshan envoy break out in a cold sweat: "I am a low-browed official. I don't know that these princes are helpless and in trouble. When they asked for reinforcements, they didn't even offer a little thanks. How dare they ask for such a high price, forcing the great Overlord to lead the army in person?"
Before the messenger could open his mouth to argue, Lu Bu lazily threw out the next more frightening sentence: "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought that Your Majesty was a subordinate of the King of Changshan, and allowed him to come and go at will as a matter of course!"
He vaguely remembered Han Xin mentioning that Zhang Er was not only an elder brother to Liu Haozi, but also his former subordinates including Henan King Shen Yang and the mediocre general Sima Ang of the Former Qin Dynasty. His social connections were extensive.
If that's the case, why doesn't he ask for help from those old subordinates with whom he has a good relationship, but instead shamelessly pulls at the fat sheep, the stupid king, who is running around for others for nothing while suffering losses without even knowing it
Lu Bu snorted coldly, his tiger eyes narrowed slightly, and murderous intent overflowed from within.