Poor Lu Matong was trembling behind the two men, totally unaware that he had been targeted by an unreasonable, brutal and vicious tiger.
Lu Bu turned his head several times inconspicuously, and only after he remembered Lu Matong's disgusting face clearly did he snort coldly and pay attention to the front.
Because he was unhappy, he subconsciously forgot the rule that he had to lag half a horse's length behind the king, and just followed his own temper.
As soon as he kicked the horse's belly, Wuzhui, who was already annoyed by pacing, immediately understood and wagged its tail, happily passing the stupid Jade Lion in front of it who was pretending to be powerful.
Xiang Yu stared expressionlessly at the back of his beloved general as he rudely passed him, and without thinking, he urged the jade lion under him to follow closely to avoid being left behind.
The Jade Lion was afraid of the Overlord's aura and had been walking on thin ice all the time, so how could it dare to disobey him now
No matter how tired I was, I dared not delay for a moment and hurried to catch up.
Wu Zhui looked down on the jade lion and suddenly got angry when he saw that it dared to follow him.
Taking advantage of the fact that the rider on its back only held the reins loosely, letting it do whatever it wanted, it was not willing to let the jade lion catch up, and immediately started running at full speed!
However, with a killing god riding on its back, the jade lion was very frightened and could not let it get rid of it. It immediately used all its strength to run forward.
The two riders, one black and one white, galloped like two flashes of lightning across the vast plain, always following closely one in front and one behind.
After such a fast and furious ride, both Wuzhui and Yushiju were exhausted and out of breath, but they only left the riders behind them far behind.
The two horses galloped as fast as they could, and in the blink of an eye they had travelled nearly a hundred miles, and both were extremely tired.
Lu Bu seemed to have just come to his senses at this moment and couldn't help but frown.
He tightened the reins slightly, and Wuzhui slid down the stairs swiftly and began to walk slowly.
Xiang Yu then calmly ordered Yu Shi to speed up his pace and keep pace with him. He asked calmly, "What did Fengxian do when he looked at Lü Matong just now?"
Lü Bu lazily tilted his head, glanced at him indifferently, and said nonsense: "Your Majesty, you must have seen it wrong. I didn't look at anyone."
Xiang Yu pursed his lips, and the next moment he couldn't help but said: "Three eyes."
Lu Bu looked at him in confusion.
Xiang Yu had a cold face.
The pair of pupils did not look at him, but stared solemnly at the empty path ahead. After a long while, they slowly said, "Fengxian turned back and glanced at Lu Matong three times."
How come he doesn't know that this fool has the ability to keep his eyes and ears open
Lu Bu secretly complained, but he just said "Oh" nonchalantly, and said perfunctorily: "It's rare for Bu to meet a relative, so I took a few more glances at him just now."
Xiang Yu remained silent.
When Lu Bu thought of Lu Matong's hateful appearance, he was filled with disgust.
Besides, he had already included the person in the list of future settlements, so he didn't want this foolish king to mention that person again and upset him.
but…
Lu Bu's eyes rolled and he suddenly realized that there was no one around and the stupid king seemed to be in a good mood. This was a great opportunity to ask for that cheap brother's favor!
His anger always came quickly and went away even faster.
Having made up his mind, he narrowed his tiger eyes, curled up the corners of his lips slightly, and his cold brows just now turned into a sly smile: "My king, I have something important to report!"
His expression changed so quickly that Xiang Yu was overwhelmed.
Xiang Yu was slightly startled, and said calmly: "Fengxian, please speak as you please."
Lu Bu only considered his words for a moment before he began to speak nonstop: "The New Year's Day has passed and the spring ploughing season is approaching. No matter for the common people or the soldiers, we must not miss the farming season. As we all know, Qi has always been a vast land with a large population. Even though it cannot be compared with Guanzhong, it should not be underestimated, not to mention Yan and Zhao. If the princes are allowed to catch their breath, the king will only rely on the money, food and soldiers of West Chu and East Chu. I am afraid that you will be trapped in a stalemate of equal strength for a while, unable to defeat the enemy, and instead fall into danger."
Xiang Yu listened carefully, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Does Fengxian mean to send troops to retake the three places as soon as the New Year's Day is over?"
"Chen Ping and others are still in Zhao," Lu Bu said bluntly, "If Your Majesty is like this, wouldn't it be like killing your own envoy? Of course, we have to wait for a while!"
Xiang Yu frowned.
Seeing that this fool was not understanding, Lu Bu thought that he had not counted on him, and continued: "In my opinion, as long as the situation in the north is not stable, the land of East Chu will probably need the king to be in charge, and it will not be easy to move the army north, lest those rats take advantage of the situation and sneak in, and then we will be exhausted. Although Hengshan has been conquered, the battle in Jiujiang is still unclear..."
The more Xiang Yu listened to his analysis, the more his brows furrowed.
Seeing that Xiang Hanzi had completely taken the bait, Lu Bu was secretly delighted, but with a serious expression on his face, he solemnly suggested: "Your Majesty, you clearly have a powerful army ready to go elsewhere, why not use it?"
"Which unit?" Xiang Yu looked puzzled and followed his beloved general's question and asked, "Where?"
Lu Bu said with great joy: "Although my brother is low-key and reserved, he is a natural general and has great talent in military tactics. Your Majesty, since he defeated Peng Yue, stationed in Xianyang, and managed the remaining troops, is it difficult to see what he is capable of?"
Even Xiang Yu, who had complete faith in his beloved general, could not believe what he heard.
He remained silent, but Lu Bu had read his expression and sensed his disapproval. He could not help but said anxiously, "Whether the debater succeeds or not, we can't wait. Since the situation in Jiujiang is stalemate, the army of Eastern Chu cannot move lightly. There are still more than 200,000 elite soldiers in Guanzhong. Why not take advantage of their unpreparedness and capture Wei first, so that the grain transportation route is unobstructed?"
Xiang Yu said in a deep voice: "The country must not be lost, and Zhang Han must not be moved."
Lu Bu cursed Xiang Xin in his heart for being so ignorant. He still didn't regard Han Xin, the hen that laid golden eggs, as a general who could lead an army on his own. He just treated him as an ordinary deputy general.
Moreover, sending troops from Xianyang to attack Wei would be of great benefit with no harm.
Regardless of whether Wei could be completely conquered, as long as a certain threat was posed, it would cause panic among the princes' armies, thereby greatly reducing the pressure on the next major battlefield outside the Great Wall.
If Chen Ping had not yet convinced King Xie of Zhao at that time, the loss of Wei would certainly have increased his lobbying chips.
Lu Bu suddenly changed his words and said, "Forget it. I have a close relationship with Brother Han. Your Majesty may suspect that I am partial to my relatives and believe in one side only..."
When did he say this
Xiang Yu pursed his lips and was about to speak, but he heard his beloved general's next words: "Your Majesty is the king of a country and the commander of an army. It is reasonable for you to act more cautiously. I just have a suggestion. I wonder if Your Majesty is willing to listen to it."
Xiang Yu was blocked from speaking, and after a while he said sullenly, "Speak."
Lu Bu stared at this unpredictable head, his eyes shining with light.
In Xiang Yu's eyes, the corners of this favorite general's lips rose, and his eyebrows were full of confidence and pride that made people like him: "There are nearly 200,000 soldiers guarding Guanzhong. In order to prevent any mistakes, the king can order Han Xin not to move."
No one moves
Xiang Yu frowned in confusion.
His favorite general was very excited and said, "Bu is a humble man, but I am willing to guarantee my life for Brother Han. Your Majesty can order him to raise his own soldiers and food, and take in prisoners from Han and Wei... Just use these three to piece together the army. As for the rest, let alone the army in the city, even the army in Guanzhong will not use a single person."
At this point, facing Xiang Hanzi who could hardly hide his astonishment, Lu Bu felt proud and said happily: "If Brother Han can make achievements in Wei with such a mixed army, would the king be willing to employ him from now on?"
Xiang Yu remained silent for a long time.
Anyone who hears this will think it is just a fool's dream.
—How strong is the combat capability of a troop composed only of hastily recruited young and strong men and enemy prisoners
The best example is the Central Army, which was easily defeated under the remarkable command of Zhang Han.
Such a motley crowd, let alone being able to fight against the army, even if they were just to be led to the battlefield smoothly, would not be able to be trained for only three or four months.
But the beloved general was stubborn by nature. He favored Han Xin, who was only mediocre in commanding troops and famous for his crotch shame, and recommended him repeatedly. He even took the initiative to propose such harsh conditions, which showed that he had made up his mind.
Xiang Yu thought for a long time and finally sighed.
That's all.
He was upset, but couldn't help thinking that since his beloved general insisted on doing so, he would just let him do it for once.
Although he did not think highly of Han Xin, he did not believe from the bottom of his heart that he possessed the miraculous ability to train and move troops as his beloved general said. In the end, he treated him as an ordinary general.
You won't go so far as to deliberately make things difficult for the other party or force them to suffer a crushing defeat.
“No need.”
Xiang Yu said calmly: "The Guanzhong Army of Fengxian will be directly led by him, and as for the rest of the troops... he can raise as many as he wants and can."
Six days later.
When Han Xin, who was still feeling deeply ashamed for his impulsive and impolite request, finally received the imperial edict allowing him to lead the army to attack Wei...
I just felt like I was in the clouds, as if I was stepping on cotton clouds, it was unbelievable.
—It actually happened
The reason I made that request at that time was because I didn't want to miss the opportunity.
However, after his brother left, he combined the 20,000 Wei soldiers with nearly 10,000 Han soldiers, and after a month of intensive training together with the Guanzhong army, the appearance of the army changed greatly.
Although compared with the Guanzhong Army, which he was more familiar with and was once the elite army of the Former Qin Dynasty, these newly recruited soldiers seemed to be of mixed quality, they were enough to capture Hanzhong.
He ignored Zhang Han's shocked dissuasion, seized the opportunity when Liu Bang fled back to Hanzhong, and led this new army westward just after one month of training.
In contrast, Liu Bang had just escaped and was still in shock. It took him several days to calm down.
Although he knew that the garrison stationed in Xianyang would most likely come, he was reluctant to give up the fat meat in his mouth. So, with the assistance of Xiao He, he boosted the morale and recruited a group of young and strong soldiers from Bashu, intending to train them as soon as possible to serve as the garrison.
How could he have expected Han Xin to come so quickly
The 20,000 new soldiers had just arrived in Hanzhong, and he had no time to train them before Han Xin's aggressive and deadly troops arrived.
Liu Bang managed to hold out for several days, but due to low morale and fear of fighting among his soldiers, he finally found an opportunity to quietly abandon the city and flee.
Although Han Xin failed to catch anyone again, it was not too regrettable since he came here for military training.
He successfully recaptured Hanzhong, and personally drove Liu Bang all the way back to Bashu before returning to Xianyang to report to Zhang Han.
Zhang Han was feeling deeply uneasy about not being able to stop him that day. He never expected that he would be such a master of military strategy. He really relied on that ragtag army to quickly recapture Hanzhong!
Not only that, after this battle, Han Xin was able to intensify his training of soldiers, and he also added the 20,000 young and strong men that Xiao He had painstakingly recruited from Bashu.
As his troops gradually increased, Han Xin set his sights on attacking outside the Great Wall.
Although there is still plenty of food and supplies at the moment, it not only needs to be used for soldiers inside the pass, but also needs to be sent to the battlefield in Eastern Chu.
The simultaneous consumption on both sides, coupled with the long food routes passing through many countries, made it inevitable that the food would be seized by the enemy.
Opening up the food supply route and conquering Wei territory became the top priority.
Han Xin methodically trained his troops, appeased the people, and... waited quietly.
Winter is gone and spring is here, and spring ploughing is imminent, which he thinks is the best time to send troops.
But even when he shamelessly made that request to his brother, he never dared to think that the king, who had always looked down on him, would actually appoint him as the chief general!
Han Xin opened his eyes wide and stared at the short edict intently.
-From this day on, he no longer relied on the extra trust of his brother, who was the commander-in-chief, but could temporarily lead the entire army even as a deputy commander.
Instead, thanks to your sincere and enthusiastic recommendation without reservation, he was given the honor of being promoted out of turn and became the main general of the Guanzhong Army.
Yes, he is the commander-in-chief who has the full authority to recruit soldiers, raise food supplies, and send troops to fight!
Han Xin took a deep breath, closed his eyes tightly, and his hand holding the edict trembled uncontrollably.
But after a while, his eyes were hot and the corners of his eyes were wet.
At the same time, an unprecedented burning sensation flowed through his limbs and bones, filling him with unprecedented motivation to move forward.
—He had long been accustomed to a life of poverty and obscurity.
—I’m also used to chewing on the hardships alone and enduring contempt and indifference.
—I have become more accustomed to the feeling of being adrift and helpless, with my ambitions hanging high in the sky, as bright as the moon, yet out of reach.
The only thing he hasn't gotten used to is having such a sincere and loving brother who always trusts and respects him.
Han Xin stood there like a clay statue, motionless for a long time.
Only he knew in his heart that the invisible shackles that always bound him, trapped him, and oppressed him...
I have been melted by the sincere love and trust of my dear brother contained in this edict, without a trace left.
Han Xin gently wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and smiled slightly.
The eyes are clear, the mind is settled, and the path is clear.
He lowered his eyes, put down the imperial edict, and carefully put the general's seal, which was in his brother's hand not long ago, into his lapel and put it away properly.
He must repay this tiny kindness even if it costs him his life.
In sharp contrast to Han Xin's cautious actions was the boiling blood in his body, the shaking joints, and the sound of... the fierce collision of swords and spears ringing in his ears.
—That is the thrill of a hidden divine weapon once it is unsheathed.