While Xiang Yu's main force was stationed in Lingbi, the Chu army was still on the move.
On the northwest side, the Guanzhong Army led by Han Xin confronted the Wei Army at Linjinjin. On the surface, they seemed helpless against the turbulent river and dared not cross even with boats. But in fact, they were secretly making intensive preparations for a decisive battle.
On the northeast side, several Chu envoys, led by Chen Ping, sought to see the king and princes and lobbied hard, but no news was sent back yet.
On the southern battlefield, Long Qie and Zhongli Mei had conquered Jiujiang State. Following the Overlord's order, they abolished the state and turned it into a county, which actually caused the elders of Jiujiang State to cheer in unison.
Jiujiang was the land of the old Chu State, and was closely connected with the people of Eastern Chu State by blood. Seeing Ying Bu rebelling against his old master without reason and slaughtering the people wantonly, it had already aroused public anger.
After Ying Bu's defeat and escape, they were afraid that the Overlord might get angry and punish them severely without any reason, so they kept a low profile and did not dare to act rashly.
Unexpectedly, the king was magnanimous and friendly. Not only did he not vent his anger on them, he also ordered that anyone who could provide the whereabouts of the remnants of Ying Bu and Wu Rui would be rewarded handsomely.
There will always be brave men when there is a big reward, let alone people like Ying Bu who are already unpopular among the people
Long Ju and Zhongli Mei were stationed in Liucheng, the old capital of Jiujiang State, and were ordered to hold a banquet to celebrate the New Year and appease the people.
Only one month later, some common people discovered that Ying Bu and his companions had changed their identities and were hiding in the mountains and forests outside the city, and had resumed their old ways of banditry. They immediately reported them to the county magistrate.
The county magistrate knew that the murderous army would not withdraw until Ying Bu and Wu Rui were found, so how could he dare to delay
Within two days, the news was reported to the higher authorities by express horse, and soon reached Long Zhong and the other two.
Long Qie and Zhongli Mei immediately divided their forces into two groups and sneaked around secretly, surrounding the mountain before revealing their identities.
Long Ju's temper was even worse than Xiang Yu's.
Thinking of the shameless chief culprit Ying Bu who had massacred several cities in Dongchu, hiding in the mountains at this moment, he was so angry that his eyes were red, his teeth were chattering, and he stared at the dense forest, roaring like thunder: "Shameless Ying Bu, why don't you come out and die quickly!"
The roar was like thunder, and the echo was loud and clear, and it also reached the ears of Ying Bu who was anxious about his predicament on the mountain.
Ridiculous, who would go out and seek death
Ying Bu's face was gloomy. He spat angrily and continued to plan a breakout route with his subordinates.
He knew very well that since his whereabouts had been exposed, he could no longer hide in the mountain.
Not to mention that the Chu army could just sit there and wait for an opportunity, they could also keep him from getting any supplies and make him run out of food and soldiers. If the other side didn't even want to wait, they could just set fire to the mountain and he would have to show up.
However, after much planning, he was still not 100% sure... or even 70% sure about whether he could defeat the dragon and Zhongli's weak defense.
He once served in the Chu camp, so he was naturally familiar with the abilities of all the Chu generals, except for Lu Bu who had recently become famous.
Among them, the one he was most afraid of was none other than Xiang Yu, who was extremely brave and strong enough to move mountains and rivers; and after Xiang Yu, the most powerful generals he was most reluctant to face were Long Ju and Zhongli Mei.
King Xiang actually thought highly of him. Although he did not stay to fight in person, he did keep the brave generals he did not want to fight against, and he kept two of them.
Ying Bu frowned and looked at the gray sky, vaguely feeling a sense of desolation that the situation was hopeless.
I'm afraid that even if I can escape the first day, I can't escape the fifteenth.
—Ying Bu’s ominous premonition came true soon after.
Although he managed to escape from the mountain with great difficulty after careful deployment and by sacrificing more than a hundred of his trusted cavalrymen, he was unable to get far.
His father-in-law, Wu Rui, was shot by several stray arrows while escaping. Although he was not hit in the vital parts, how could an old man endure so many injuries
Moreover, the journey was extremely bumpy, and one had to sleep in the open air, with the wind howling and the sound of the wind at all times, and one had to avoid being seen and heard, so it was impossible for one to seek medical treatment.
On the third day after escaping, the wound was oozing pus and Wu Rui was in so much pain that he was almost unconscious.
At this moment, Wu Rui, who was in so much pain and in tears, really regretted it.
He regretted not expelling the envoy of the King of Han that day, but believed his lies; he regretted even more that he implicated his son-in-law Ying Bu and ruined his smooth future as the King of Anle.
Now that I think about it, every word Li Shiqi said seemed to make sense, but it was full of loopholes.
Although Xiang Yu was brutal and cruel, and was suspicious and treacherous, he was always kind and loving to his subordinates, and was respectful and courteous to the older and wiser ones.
Although Ying Bu neglected King Xiang's order and failed to send troops to help in time, which made King Xiang angry and their relationship became rigid and distant...but it was by no means a break down, and there was clearly room for repair.
How could they be so bewildered that, just because they suspected disaster was about to happen to them, they gave up everything they had and rebelled preemptively
"It's my fault... I was confused for a moment," Wu Rui said apologetically as he lay on the dirty mud ground, resting his head on the cloak that Ying Bu had taken off to cushion him, which had also become dirty and whose original color could not be recognized. "I hurt you!"
Ying Bu said nothing, but his eyes were already red.
After saying this, Wu Rui closed his eyes weakly, his strength slowly faded away, and his breathing slowly stopped.
After burying Wu Rui, Ying Bu continued to flee.
But the world is so big, where can he escape to
The reason why his whereabouts were exposed was because the people of Jiujiang hated him as the former King of Jiujiang!
Ying Bu lost the support of the people inexplicably, and was disheartened by the death of his father-in-law. He was unable to escape for long and was eventually caught by the pursuing troops led by Long Ju.
He stared blankly at the last fifty officers and soldiers who had loyally followed him all the way, who had fought to the death until the very last moment, and who had tried their best to secure a chance for him to escape, and who were all brutally killed by the furious Long Qie.
He was tied up again, put into a prison cart, and taken to Lingbi with the army.
Since being captured, Ying Bu has been in a state of disarray, ready to be slaughtered at will.
Even though Long Ju punched and kicked him, cursed him angrily, and on several occasions Zhongli Mei had not tried desperately to stop him and almost drew his sword to kill him, he remained indifferent.
Until we arrived at the Lingbi Chu Army's main camp, we saw two tall figures with broad shoulders and narrow waists standing in front of the camp gate...
Ying Bu's whole body trembled violently, and he finally tasted the long-awaited fear.
Who else could the two people who came to the camp in person to welcome the triumphant army of Long Ju and Zhongli Mei be if not King Xiang and Lu Bu
Lu Bu was so impatient to see the tragic end of the ignorant rag that he couldn't help but lean forward and move his feet a few inches.
Before he knew it, he was standing side by side with Xiang Yu at the front of the line.
This standing position, coupled with his tall stature which was as tall as Xiang Yu, made him extremely eye-catching.
It should be noted that even Fan Zeng, who was politely called "Ya Fu" by Xiang Yu, tactfully lagged behind, let alone other trusted and important ministers.
Fan Zeng was the first to notice that Lu Bu had overstepped his authority. Fearing that he would anger the king, he coughed lightly, trying to whisper a reminder.
Xiang Yu seemed to have noticed something.
After catching the light cough, he tilted his head slightly before Fan Zeng could speak.
Although it was difficult to tell whether the profile was happy or angry, the silent look in the eyes was clear as day.
Fan Zeng couldn't help but be stunned.
Although he did not have such supernatural powers as to be able to read the unpredictable king's thoughts with just a glance, it was not difficult for him to understand the most basic meaning.
The king tacitly approved and even intentionally encouraged...
Fan Zeng straightened his back calmly, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
Seeing that the king was becoming more and more open-minded and generous, and had changed his previous stubbornness and nepotism, and was now willing to accept advice - although only from one person - and was willing to take the initiative to be friendly with Fengxian, a great contributor who was both brave and wise, he was more pleased to see it than anyone else.
How could I have nothing to do and go there to ruin the scenery
Before he knew it, Fan Zeng's face was full of smiles.
Compared to Fan Zeng, who was delighted at the king's growing transformation, Ying Bu was extremely frightened at this time.
When the prison cart was pushed in front of Xiang Yu, who was wearing frosty silver armor but whose face was colder than frost and snow, the fear in his heart instantly reached its peak.
Xiang Yu only glanced at the former brave general and ordered calmly: "Release him."
The door was opened, the shackles were removed, and Long Qie, gnashing his teeth in hatred, personally pulled him out and threw him to the ground.
Ying Bu was exhausted and could not withstand the energy of the furious Long Qie.
He was pulled and thrown to the ground in a mess, and rolled on the rough sand and gravel, his whole body was burning with pain.
But he didn't dare to stand up.
He just prostrated himself with his head bowed, and even towards the ground, his eyes were still evasive.
Even without looking at King Xiang, he could clearly feel the cold gaze filled with murderous intent.
Even though he knew that he had made an irreparable mistake, even if he lost face and begged for mercy, he was doomed to die...
But when the moment came when he had to face the Overlord, he was still extremely terrified.
Xiang Yu said nothing, his cold gaze resting on Ying Bu for a long time.
After losing the capital, Ying Bu was hunted everywhere and fled for several months. Along the way, he was trapped in a prison cart and was cursed by the Chu soldiers all day long. He was unrecognizable.
Not only was his clothing tattered and he was completely emaciated, his demeanor was also extremely depressed. His former high spirits were long gone.
How could anyone recognize him as the brave Chu general who always won the championship among the three armies, and the proud King of Jiujiang
When the former king and his ministers met again, only one side was left with shame and fear, while the other side was silent.
Lu Bu was originally gloating and wanted to enjoy the end of this traitor, but after seeing this, he was left with no interest.
This rag was lustful, greedy for money, and fond of pleasure. He was short-sighted, cruel and tyrannical. Not only did he betray his former master, he also massacred innocent elders of the Chu State. Even if he was chopped into meat paste, he deserved to die.
—But Ying Bu, who was about to die, never begged for mercy even though he was trembling with fear.
He just bowed silently and refused to raise his head.
Xiang Yu looked indifferent. Suddenly, he turned his right wrist outward. With a "swish" sound, the cold light of the Longyuan sword came out of its sheath.
Ying Bu heard this all too familiar sound and subconsciously stopped trembling.
He didn't expect that after committing so many heinous crimes, King Xiang, who had always acted cold-blooded and cruel, would be merciful and give him a quick death instead of severe torture.
There seemed to be ice crystals in Xiang Yu's double pupils. He raised his right arm slightly, with the sword ready to strike.
He did not stab immediately, but suddenly said: "I allow you... to leave a message."
At this point, it is meaningless to ask why they betrayed or why they massacred the city.
Even if Ying Bu was born with a silver tongue and really wanted to argue for right and wrong and injustice, it would only appear absurd and shameless in front of the blood of the people of Chu and the corpses of thousands of people.
Ying Bu was suddenly no longer afraid and grinned nonchalantly.
It's strange to say that when he followed Xiang Yu to fight in the wild in his early years, he always led the troops and fought bravely, often leading the army. He killed people like crazy, but he never feared death and injury. If not, how could he surpass all the Chu generals and win the eyes of Xiang Yu, who was the most favored!
Now that he was away from the battlefield that he hated so much, he had lost all his courage and became timid and cowardly.
In fact, even he couldn't figure out how he ended up in this situation because of a single thought.
If he had not listened to Li Shiqi's instigation and provocation, but had honestly followed the king's edict and personally knelt down to apologize to King Xiang... King Xiang had always been soft-hearted towards his subordinates. As long as he lowered his posture and was sincere, he could most likely turn a big thing into a small one.
Perhaps, Li Shiqi cannot be blamed at all.
Because of his ulterior ambition, he was so shocked that he only wanted to strike first.
In a fit of rage and humiliation, he made the stupid move of massacring the city, killing everyone along the way and losing the hearts of the people.
Not only did it make the people of Chu mad, it also alienated the people of Jiujiang and completely cut off his own path to retreat.
Ever since he fled from the capital city of Liucheng, he no longer dared to ask about the fate of his family, and his father-in-law Wu Rui was also tacitly aware of it.
They all knew that the rest of their relatives who did not have time to escape must have been slaughtered by Long Qie and others when they vented their anger.
"If I had known this..."
Thousands of thoughts surged in Ying Bu's mind, and finally he sighed sincerely: "I shouldn't have been the King of Jiujiang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Yu decisively raised his sword and cut off Ying Bu's head with his own hands without blinking.
The head, still with a ferocious expression, fell to the ground, and hot blood gushed out from the broken neck.
The body fell down, splashing up clouds of dust.
Ying Bu, who massacred the people of Chu, was finally executed. The civil and military officials of Chu who had watched with bated breath from beginning to end, finally let out the anger that they had been holding for a long time.
Long Qie was the most excited. He clapped his hands and cheered loudly on the spot.
If the king had not chopped off Ying Bu's head himself, he would not only want to kick it like a ball, but also want to throw it into a pot and boil it until it is soft, so as to ease the hatred in his heart.
The king was truly merciful, and even for this heinous rebel, he took into consideration their friendship and granted him a quick and painful death. Otherwise, he should have been punished more severely!
Only Lu Bu was absent-minded. When the crowd was in an uproar, he just clapped his hands perfunctorily, seeming somewhat out of place.
Xiang Yu's face was as gloomy as water, and he ignored the noise around him.
He silently took the towel handed to him by the servant, and carefully wiped away the remaining blood on the Longyuan sword. With a flick of the snow-like light, he sheathed the sword neatly.
Just as Lu Bu had a stern face and was daydreaming with his hands behind his back, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a slender black shadow approaching and he subconsciously grabbed it.
With a very crisp "snap" sound, he firmly grasped the Longyuan sword that had once done a great deed in his hands.
Why would this idiot give him his own weapon for no reason
Xiang Yu did not look at his bewildered general, but turned around, with a calm face, looking at his subordinates with different expressions, and announced in a deep voice: "Today, I will give you Longyuan."
Everyone held their breath and looked at Lu Bu.
As the recipient of the gift, General Lu remained calm and composed, without even a frown on his face.
Lü Bu showed no sign of fear or trepidation, and Xiang Yu did not notice anything unusual either. He said calmly, "One day, you will see Long Yuan as you see me."