Even though Zhang Er hated himself for letting a wolf into the house, the threat from Chen Yu was even more imminent.
Under the persuasion of his subordinate Gan Gong, he finally made up his mind, swallowed his resentment, and reluctantly wrote a letter to the state according to the intention of the greedy young man of the Xiang family. He claimed that he was not worthy of the position, and reluctantly "gave up" the throne of Changshan.
The Chu army, who would not release their eagles until they saw the rabbit, immediately broke camp and marched westward upon receiving the letter.
Since Chen Yu resigned in anger, he was left with only a few hundred personal soldiers. After he started hunting to make a living, dozens of them left, leaving him with a pitifully small number of soldiers.
Although he later received military support from Tian Rong and dared to attack the mediocre Zhang Er out of anger, he knew in his heart that he would have no chance of winning against the high-spirited and powerful Chu army with only 20,000 troops.
Upon receiving the military report that the Chu army was heading this way, Chen Yu acted decisively and broke up his troops on the spot.
He dispersed most of the soldiers he had obtained from Zhao, leaving behind a small group of elite troops who were willing to follow him. Before the Chu cavalry arrived, he decisively abandoned the tense battle situation at night and fled westward via a shortcut.
The next morning, Zhang Er, who had finally mustered the courage to leave the city and pursue the Chu army as he anticipated its imminent arrival, could only face the empty enemy camp and some confused stragglers who were left behind in frustration.
Thanks to the invincible and brilliant record of the Chu army under his command, Xiang Ji was able to scare away Chen Yu, who had put him in a tough battle, without losing a single soldier!
Thinking about the throne that he had given up, in the end, he still hadn't eliminated his mortal enemy, nor did he allow Xiang Ji, who took advantage of the situation, to lose any of his troops...
Zhang Er felt such unbearable pain in his heart that he almost vomited blood.
Even Xiang Yu had not expected that Chen Yu was so alert and decisive, and would retreat as soon as he said so.
He had no intention of pursuing the abandoned Qi soldiers, so he only ordered them to be captured. According to the rules set by Fan Zeng earlier, those who were useful and willing to stay would be kept, and the rest would be sent back to their respective villages in batches after their hometowns were ascertained.
He selected a thousand elite soldiers and led his trusted ministers, and entered the Zhao capital Xiangguo in a simple manner.
On that day, under the resentful gaze of Zhang Er, it was announced that the State of Zhao would be abolished and replaced by Zhao County, which would henceforth be directly under the jurisdiction of Chu, with the Chu general Zhongli Mei as the county governor.
Zhang Er, the former King of Zhao, was granted the title of Marquis of Zhao. In name, he took over the three counties originally granted to Chen Yu, but he had no real power. However, he was given the old Zhao palace and generous rewards.
If Zhang Er had not been the King of Zhao, or if he had not been born into a noble family, he would probably have been grateful and accepted this compensation.
But he once owned the vast and fertile Zhao land, so how could he be willing to be an ordinary rich man!
Xiang Ji is a really hateful man!
Zhang Er was furious when he heard this.
Although he is over sixty years old, he has experienced much more storms than Xiang Ji, a young boy!
When the old country still existed, he was the magistrate of Guohuang County in Wei State, but he was a famous hero throughout the world.
Later, he was hunted by Qin soldiers and had to hide everywhere, but he did not lose his will. Instead, he lay dormant for many years, and then rose up and became the Prime Minister of Zhao State. Because of his contribution in defeating Qin, he was named one of the nineteen kings by Xiang Yu.
Who would have thought that when he should have been the king, enjoying his power, he would be accidentally framed by Chen Yu and Xiang Ji one after another, and be bullied repeatedly!
If he had not still retained his rationality and known the huge disparity in strength, Zhang Er would have almost been unable to suppress his fierce temper and would have torn up the royal edict and fought a decisive battle with this despicable villain.
He was forced to choose the lesser of two evils, but he still underestimated Xiang Ji's meanness: not only did he take advantage of the situation to force him to give up the Zhao land, but he was also reluctant to give him the position of county governor. He only made him a marquis of a county, which even Chen Yu disdained to be, and let him rule over a mere three counties and live in a dilapidated palace!
Lord Gan had not expected that Xiang Yu, who had always prided himself on being a hero and worthy of being upright, would have such a cunning side. He had buried his ambition to swallow up the lands of all the kings so well that it was only exposed at this moment.
He was confused and uncertain, but still tried his best to persuade Zhang Er.
When they returned to the army, Zhang Er could no longer control his temper and flew into a rage. Gan Gong waited for a moment before making up his mind and stepping forward to offer advice.
After some earnest persuasion and careful planning, Zhang Er's expression eased a little, and he set off cursing.
Zhongli Mei was extremely surprised to get this position suddenly.
Although it was not the position of king that most men dreamed of, he knew in his heart that with Xiang Yu's generosity and kindness, the position of the prefect of Zhao could not only allow him to live in the original Zhao palace, appoint officials, and hold absolute power, which was not much different from being a king.
The fact that Zhaojun was directly under the jurisdiction of Chu and had to obey King Xiang's orders was very much to his liking.
He knew very well that ever since Ying Bu was crowned king and disobeyed orders, Xiang Yu would inevitably become more suspicious of his subordinates. Even he and Long Ju, the Chu generals who had followed him for many years, were secretly on guard against him.
Now that he had gotten rid of that empty title, he could rest assured that he was under the command of the King of Chu. In case of chaos, he could seek help from Xianyang, the capital of Chu, so that he would not be isolated and helpless. It could also help resolve the rift between the king and his subjects... all of which was exactly what he wanted.
Seeing that Zhongli Mei gladly accepted the order and bowed his head to express his gratitude, Xiang Yu felt a little more satisfied.
He turned his head slightly and looked at Long Qie, who could hardly hide the admiration on his face, and gave another order expressionlessly.
—Abolish Jiaodong, Jibei and Qi states and merge them into Qi County, which, like Zhao County, was directly under the jurisdiction of Chu, with Long Ju as the county governor.
After these words were spoken, Long Qie, who was originally envious, had a blank expression on his face, and then he became ecstatic!
The territories of the Three Qis were merged, becoming far richer than those of Zhao, with more soldiers and more soldiers. They were also adjacent to the former Chu capital Pengcheng and the territory of Zhongli Mei, his most friendly friend.
But if there is a situation, we can respond to each other and not be isolated and helpless.
Long Qie was so struck by this good news that he grinned with joy, overjoyed.
Like Zhongli Mei, he was not as ambitious as Ying Bu, but had been loyal to Xiang Yu since he followed him to Chu, and was accustomed to the military orders of this unparalleled commander.
Asking him to leave completely would make him feel even more uneasy - how could it compare to holding the title of county governor and the title of a general, and continuing to be protected by the powerful Chu army, which would give him peace of mind.
Long Ju leaned forward with joy to express his gratitude. Xiang Yu nodded lightly and turned to look at Lu Bu.
His eyes seemed indifferent, but there was a rare hint of hesitation in them.
… Should he take advantage of the situation and grant the former Yan State land to Fengxian
Completely unaware that the stupid king was having another irritating idea, Lu Bu was enjoying the ecstatic expressions of Zhongli Mei and Long Qie, who had just been promoted, and feeling relieved at the same time.
The reason for being relieved was that after this stupid king was beaten by him impulsively that day, the wooden head on his neck seemed to finally come to his senses.
Finally, he stopped being obsessed with granting the existing territory in his hands to other kings, and instead showed some courage that he should have shown long ago. On the grounds that the old king was incompetent, he directly abolished the country and turned it into a county directly under the jurisdiction of Chu.
In just two months, Zhao, Qi and Yan had all fallen into the hands of the Overlord.
Next, whether it was the easy-to-control Western Wei King Wei Baozi, or the weak Han King and Henan King Shenyang who were sandwiched between the two, or the insignificant former Zhao King Xie who had now moved to Dai... none of them could be a match for the Chu State!
The only two military forces that could pose a threat to the State of Chu were Hengshan and Jiujiang, which were led by former Chu general Ying Bu and his father-in-law Wu Xi.
But with Ying Bu's poor brain that even Liu Bang couldn't catch, and without a decent leader, how could he dare to be the first to confront the powerful Chu army
If you think about it carefully, all the princes in the world are weak and no one can stop them!
Lu Bu's eyes gradually lit up, and he almost couldn't resist the urge to rub his hands.
Since God has shown mercy, the stupid king has finally opened his mind and started to think about sweeping across the Central Plains, dominating the four fields, and unifying the country...
Then his grand plan of leading the army into Bashu and killing Liu Haozi will surely benefit from it and will be realized in the near future!
Lu Bu was just thinking about it with great joy, but when Xiang Yu's hesitant gaze fell on him, he immediately noticed it.
After learning from the lessons of the previous times, he quickly came to his senses and looked back vigilantly.
The two looked at each other for a while, and even someone as slow-witted as Xiang Yu could clearly taste the overflowing vigilance in his beloved general's eyes.
Why were Zhongli Mei and Long Qie so happy about being appointed together, while Fengxian was trying to avoid him as much as possible
Xiang Yu was filled with emotion.
No matter what, since Fengxian was so reluctant, he swallowed the words of appointing the other party as the governor of Yan County several times on his lips.
—Wait until we return to the Chu capital of Xianyang, and then send Zhang Han to take up the post.
Xiang Yu silently looked away, his complicated emotions rising and falling. He really didn't know how to make up for his beloved general Fengxian, who was indifferent to fame and fortune and loyal to him.
Lu Bu had no idea that he had escaped danger thanks to his timely reaction.
He stared at the profile of the foolish king suspiciously for a while before he let down his guard.
Now that you have been entrusted with the task, you should go to the station.
After Zhongli Mei obtained Zhao County, he could have stayed there and taken over the affairs of the former Zhao capital Xiangguo; but Long Qie could not wait to lead his troops and set off the next day, heading south to his jurisdiction.
As for the 5,000 soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp that Lu Bu originally led, after waiting for several days and finally recalling all the soldiers who were scattered in the original Qi area and were temporarily in charge of the affairs of various counties under his orders, he followed the 20,000 Chu troops led by Xiang Yu and went west to Guanzhong.
When passing through Liangdi, where Peng Yue had rebelled and led to the defeat of Xiao Gongjiao, Xiang Yu ordered the army to stay where it was and personally selected 5,000 elite cavalry to cooperate with the 5,000 led by Lu Bu, and they rushed towards Jiyin city at full speed.
In less than half a day, the 10,000 elite Chu troops galloping at full speed arrived at the city of Jiyin.
When they were still at a considerable distance, Xiang Yu and Lu Bu, who had great eyesight, saw at a glance that the flag hanging on the Jiyin city was actually the flag of the Chu army.
Such a murderous cavalry army's arrival would naturally not escape the eyes and ears of the guards in Jiyin city.
Han Xin, the general guarding the city, was soon informed by his subordinates.
When he heard that his brother and the king were coming here at the same time, he was overjoyed and did not care about anything else. He hurriedly tidied his appearance and led his troops out of the city to welcome them.
The horses that Xiang Yu and Lu Bu rode were both divine horses that could travel a thousand miles a day and were rare in the world.
Seeing that the city had been recaptured by the Chu army, they completely let go of the Black Horse and the Jade Lion, no longer restraining their speed, and let them run as fast as they could. After a while, they had left the elite cavalry behind them and arrived in front of Jiyin City, where they met Han Xin who had come to pick them up.
Han Xin dismounted and respectfully bowed to Xiang Yu: "I, the humble general Han Xin, greet you, Your Majesty."
Xiang Yu looked indifferent, lowered his eyes and said, "Get up."
Although he had never actually fought against Peng Yue, he knew that the other party was just a fisherman who had come from a fishing background. In the past few years, he had gained troops by taking in the remnants of the defeated armies of the princes. At his peak, his military strength was no more than 10,000.
The only time Peng Yue showed up in the battle to defeat Qin was when he defeated the main force of the powerful Qin at Julu and fought with Liu Bang's coalition forces in Changyi City.
After the Qin army was defeated in Julu, the armies of Liu and Peng were free from all worries but still failed and had to flee westward in disgrace.
How could such a weak and unknown person be taken seriously by the world-famous and arrogant Xiang Yu
He knew that Xiao Gongjiao was defeated by him, but he was more inclined to believe that Xiao Gongjiao was mediocre and underestimated his enemy, which allowed Peng Yue to succeed by chance.
Han Xin led tens of thousands of elite Qin troops and came well prepared. His army was several times larger than Peng Yue's.
If you can still fail in this, you are truly incompetent and deserve to be beheaded.
When Han Xin reported his battle results, he was brief and concise: he only said that on the first day after arriving at Jiyin City, he used a trick to trap Peng Yue and defeated all of his main forces, killing 9,000 people and capturing 1,000 people.
Peng Yue himself, realizing that the situation was not good, moved quickly and left thousands of his men behind to block the attack for him. He then led the remaining elite troops to the river, and his figure soon disappeared into the mountains and forests.
Han Xin chased for a dozen miles, but because he had two concerns, he made a prompt decision and ordered his soldiers to stop and return to the city.
First, Peng Yue had been active here for a long time, was familiar with the topography of Liangdi, and was good at guerrilla warfare.
If he rashly entered the forest, the enemy's smaller number of soldiers could use the forest and mountains to hide and move flexibly, while the army he led would be like a person without eyes and ears and would surely fall into a disadvantage.
Moreover, there were only a few hundred remnants under Peng Yue's command, and it would be difficult for them to make any progress at once. It would be difficult and troublesome to pursue them, and it would be easy to waste troops and be tied down by them.
The second is that Han Xin was always wary of the situation in Xianyang.
Wei Bao was originally the King of Wei, but because Xiang Yu coveted Liang and he had not made much contribution in defeating Qin, he was forcibly driven to the Hedong area, and he was full of resentment.
The territory of Western Wei was located right in the center of the State of Chu, east of Hangu Pass, and divided the Chu territory into two sides, east and west.
Because Xiang Yu personally led the expedition to the Three Qis to quell the rebellion, although he did not use all his military strength, he did mobilize his elite troops and led powerful generals. Now, apart from Xiang Yu's trusted old subordinates and the Grand Marshal Zhou Yin, the main people in charge are the three generals of the Former Qin - Zhang Han, Sima Xin and Dong Yi.
Xiang Yu was proud of his powerful strength and was determined to win a quick victory, so he left the new capital in the hands of Zhou Yin and others, without fearing that the three old Qin generals would take advantage of the opportunity to betray him.
Han Xin couldn't help but think more.
Among the kings who split the Chu territory and separated the old and new capitals in the east and west, Sima Ang, King of Yin, and Shen Yangju, King of Henan, were once generals of Zhao and were very friendly with Zhang Er.
Zhang Er and Liu Bang were once acquainted with each other when they were in humble circumstances. They were so close that they called each other brothers and their friendship was very solid.
Let's look at the Chu capital Xianyang. Zhou Yin, who was in charge, had worked with Ying Bu. It was said that they had a close personal relationship and that he was very familiar with the affairs of Jiujiang.
At present, Ying Bu and Wu Xi refused to respond to the king's summons, and their attitudes were ambiguous. How could Zhou Yin, who were on good terms with them, gain their full trust
At first glance, Ying Bu has no connection with Zhang Er's faction, but once there is someone to act as a middleman... it becomes difficult to tell whether he is loyal or not.
After Han Xin thought of this, he was unwilling to underestimate the hidden danger, so he gave up pursuing Peng Yue and did not chase him to Sanqi to meet with the main general Lu Bu.
Instead, he would rather bear the reputation of being cowardly and wasting military supplies, and stay in this place which will become a key point if something happens, waiting for the overlord to return.
Han Xin was well aware of the principle of not alienating close relatives, so even when Xiang Yu came, he did not express his concerns.
Zhou Yin was deeply trusted by Xiang Yu and held the position of Grand Marshal to guard the capital; Ying Bu had followed Xiang Yu in his early years and had made numerous military achievements, and had not rebelled yet; on the other hand, the others had little influence and had made few achievements, so they were not valued by Xiang Yu at all.
If you speak rashly, you will not only bring trouble upon yourself, but also alert the enemy.
Therefore, when Han Xin reported the military situation, he did not mention this thought at all.
Xiang Yu sat upright in the main seat, and after listening to his story, he pondered for a while.
He nodded indifferently, saying sparingly, "Not bad."
He did not think highly of Peng Yue's achievement. The reason why he praised Han Xin was that since he entered the city, he had seen that the army was in good order at a glance.
Even though they have been defending one side and have not fought for a long time, they still have high morale, which is even more valuable.
By observing the army’s appearance and whether it is focused or dispersed, one can tell the general’s ability.
Although Xiang Yu's attitude seemed cold, he had already recognized Han Xin's ability to lead troops in his heart.
Han Xin felt slightly relieved to receive this rare compliment.
But rather than being happy, I felt more relieved.
—With a virtuous brother who is willing to trust him deeply and give him military power against all odds, allowing him to do what he wants, it seems that whether he can get the approval of the Overlord is no longer important.
Fortunately, he was entrusted with an important task by his brother and did not embarrass him in the end.
Han Xin couldn't help but smile.
Lu Bu naturally had no idea that his cheap brother had so many complicated thoughts.
The moment he saw Brother Han again, the heavy weight on his heart fell to the ground.
—Damn it, with the God of War here, I don’t have to worry about my poor brain all day long!
As soon as he got a chance, Lu Bu, feeling gratified, put his arm around the man's shoulders, grinned, and pulled him towards himself, causing Han Xin to stagger and almost fall. However, he praised him furtively, "Brother Han, you are really far-sighted!"
He seemed serious at first, but actually he listened absent-mindedly for a long time. When he heard that Peng Yue failed to catch the person and let the man run away, his first reaction was that this sinister soldier did it on purpose.
After all, others don't know, but he knows that although Peng Yue may seem inconspicuous, he is a powerful figure whose name will be recorded in history.
If he had been killed with one blow when he was still weak, it would have seemed a clean and efficient act, but the foolish king would not have had time to learn about Peng Yue's true ability. Wouldn't he have suffered a great loss when his achievements were assessed
It would be better to take advantage of this opportunity, wait for Peng Yue to jump around for a while and show more abilities, and then kill him with a single, cool and neat blow.
This strategy of first suppressing and then praising, playing hard to get, is really powerful!
Staring at him with those admiring, sparkling eyes, Han Xin's tightly pursed lips slightly lifted, and he felt warm in his heart.
—Sure enough, the person in the world who knows his plans best and has the deepest understanding with him is none other than my brother.