Lu Bu had no way of knowing that there was a fox thousands of miles away who was eyeing him.
A few days ago, he excitedly led a part of the Chu army northward, and forced the cities along the way to surrender or captured them with ease, but he still felt unsatisfied.
—It is effortless to storm these small cities with less than a thousand soldiers guarding them, which the three kings cannot take care of.
Before he could even get on the field and look for an opportunity to show off his prowess, the group of ferocious soldiers under him had already scattered and taken all the credit.
Before Lu Bu even had time to warm himself up, he had already arrived at Baimazin in full swing.
Go west for another eighty miles and you will reach the Yin capital, Chaoge.
He saw that the water was too deep to force his way across, and then he looked at the other side and found that somehow there were no soldiers guarding the other side…
What is this for
Lu Bu was completely confused.
While he was muttering to himself that the King of Yin was so arrogant that he didn't even bother to defend the city, he ordered his men to speed up the felling of trees and building of boats. Two days later, they finally had enough boats to cross the river in turns.
When he led his army across the river, he was still wondering whether this was a trap prepared by Sima Ang, who was waiting to send a large army to launch a surprise attack while crossing the river, so he was always highly vigilant.
Unexpectedly, his rare cautiousness only ended up wasting his time, as he had to fight a battle of wits and courage with a mass of air - not to mention the Yin soldiers, not even a single bird was to be seen.
While the soldiers were sorting out their wet baggage and resting on the spot, Lu Bu looked towards Chaoge and fell into deep thought.
…Where have all the people gone
The smoothness was so extraordinary that even a brave man like Lu Bu felt it was very bad.
However, there is no use thinking too much, so just stop thinking.
His think tank brother is not far away, so why bother with his poor brain
With the confidence that if an enemy comes, he will be fought with his generals; if a flood comes, he will be blocked with earth. After pondering for a while but failing to come to any conclusion, Lu Bu decided not to waste his energy any more.
He readily put aside his doubts and led his soldiers to continue advancing towards Chaoge.
Within half a day, the Chu army arrived at the city of Chaoge with great momentum. When they looked up, they saw the bright flags of the Chu army fluttering in the wind on the top of the city.
- Apparently, his cunning brother had used some clever trick to get there first.
The soldiers were stunned at first, and then cheered.
Amid the cheers, Lu Bu just silently reached out his hand and casually wiped away the dry dust stuck on his face.
He looked expressionlessly at the surprised look on the city guard's face when he recognized him, and then hurriedly opened the city gate and went out to greet him in person.
I was thinking seriously in my mind: How many legs does Han Xin have? How can he run so damn fast
Han Xin was completely unaware of his brother's criticism.
He trained his troops very quickly. Moreover, although the Wei soldiers were not as brave and good at fighting as the Chu soldiers, at least they had a better foundation than the ordinary young and strong men.
Under the intensive training he personally took part in, his kung fu began to take shape in one month, he had some skills in two months, he could control his skills freely in three months, and after half a year, he could truly live up to the saying "use it as easily as one's own arm".
As soon as he received Xiang Yu's military order, he was excited. He estimated the military strength of the Yin State and led the new Guanzhong Army, which had only been trained for a little over a month and had a larger number of troops, and marched non-stop towards Chaoge.
When King Sima Ang of Yin learned that he had become a target of the Chu army, he was so frightened that he turned without thinking to Zhang Er, the former master of Zhao and now the leader of the anti-Chu alliance, for help.
Zhang Er, knowing that Yin, Qi and Zhao were closely connected, readily agreed to the request to rely on his old subordinates. He sent 100,000 reinforcements that day, which soon arrived in Chaoge to help him fight against Chu.
However, before Sima Ang could breathe a sigh of relief after the reinforcements arrived, the 100,000 Qi soldiers, who had not even set up their tents, had already set out and hurried back to Qi.
It turned out that Zhang Er finally learned from the spies the bad news that Xiang Yu, who had been stationed in Lingbi, was going to personally send troops north and head straight for Qi, which he ruled.
On one side is the rising star Han Xin, on the other side is the famous Overlord, on one side is the mixed army of Guanzhong, and on the other side is the main force of the Chu army... It is easy to tell which one is more important.
With a powerful enemy at the doorstep, how could Zhang Er have time to support Sima Ang
Even though he knew that this would incur resentment from his allies, he had no choice but to urgently call back the soldiers he had just sent out, station them at the border, and prepare to meet the enemy.
Seeing Zhang Er like this, Sima Ang felt both hatred and helplessness.
Although he asked Shen Yang for help, Shen Yang's military strength was limited, and the troops they provided were just a drop in the bucket. How could they resist the 200,000 Chu troops led by Han Xin
Even though there are prisoners of war mixed in with them and their combat power is not as strong as the main force, it is more than enough to fight against the mere 100,000 soldiers under his command!
Sima Ang had no choice but to accept Han Xin's surrender after holding out in Chaoge City for three days. He opened the gates and offered the city, begging for his life.
After Han Xin entered the city and successfully took over Chaoge, he successively sent deputy generals to lead troops to the four directions to surrender the remaining stubbornly resisting cities in Yin.
As for Sima Ang himself, Han Xin, apart from putting him under house arrest, was very loyal to his promise and did not deliberately humiliate him.
While being locked up in a civilian house and facing the dilemma of greatly reduced food and clothing, Sima Ang, who managed to save himself and his family's lives, was still hesitant when he suddenly learned that Lu Bu, the number one general under the famous Overlord, had also come here with tens of thousands of elite soldiers...
The slight regret that had just emerged disappeared immediately.
Not to mention that he was isolated and helpless and was definitely no match for Han Xin's army. Even if he had resisted until now, he would never be able to withstand the powerful attack of Lu Bu's army!
Upon hearing that his brother was coming, Han Xin was overjoyed. He immediately dropped the things at hand, jumped on his horse, and went to the city gate to greet him.
Lü Bu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked up and down at his cheap brother who was no longer as quiet as before but bright and cheerful, and greeted him lazily: "Long time no see, Brother Han, you look stronger."
Han Xin was the general in charge of the army. He had just won a brilliant victory in Wei, and his talent was evident. His demeanor, appearance and attire were all different from before.
In the mouth of Lu Bu, who was casual even in praising others, this high-spirited and high-spirited look was worth only one word: "strong".
But this simple word of praise made Han Xin, who had heard thousands of flattering words from others and could laugh at himself without being moved, feel extremely happy. He smiled brightly and said, "My dear brother, your demeanor is even better than before."
After these words were spoken, Lu Bu just glanced at him, showing no joy or anger.
Han Xin didn't know what was going on, so he couldn't help but say a few words of concern, which made Lu Bu sigh and glance at him, his eyes full of resentment: "Brother Han acted too quickly. I rushed all the way, but I didn't even get a sip of the meat soup!"
At this moment, Lu Bu had completely forgotten that a few months ago he still maintained the lazy attitude of never sitting if he could lie down, and never doing things himself if he could leave it to others.
Although Brother Han still remembered it clearly, he was a little surprised, but the next moment he smiled and said in a good-natured way, "I didn't know you were here, otherwise I would have waited for you."
This cheap old man acted like a submissive and honest person, and spoke sincerely, which made it harder for Lu Bu, who knew he was being unreasonable, to vent his anger.
He snorted lightly, and then swung his two long pheasant tail feathers in a dashing manner, which Han Xin saw and found quite amusing.
I don't want to show it, so as not to make my shy brother angry and embarrassed.
Lü Bu had no idea what this cheap elder brother was thinking. He frowned and pondered for a while, then suddenly asked, "In your opinion, how long will it take for the king to unify the world?"
Han Xin straightened his face, thought seriously for a moment, and answered seriously: "Bashu is located in a remote area, and it is not convenient to send troops, so let's not count it for now. As for the areas outside the pass, it will take at most one year, at least half a year."
Zhang Er controlled both Qi and Zhao, which made him greedy. However, he had a wide network of contacts and was able to find some capable people in a hurry.
In addition, Qi and Zhao have large populations and vast lands. If Zhang Er can gather the people of Qi to resist the powerful Chu together, and stabilize his position in the future Yan... even if he cannot compete with them, he can at least delay the war for another year or two.
What Han Xin didn't know was that Dai Yan, the ally that Zhang Er had been trying to consolidate, had been successfully instigated to rebel by Chen Ping.
Lu Bu's eyes suddenly widened.
Even though he had guessed it, when he actually heard these words, he was more surprised than happy.
He did not have time to think about it, but looked at Han Xin in disbelief, who changed his words without saying hello, and asked anxiously, "Why is it only one year? Didn't you say a while ago that it would take eight years at most? If Bu is involved, it will also take four years, right?"
Han Xin was slightly stunned.
He was very perceptive and a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes when he heard that.
My brother has always been a person of true character, and he is very open with me, so he knows how determined my brother is to kill Liu Haozi with his own hands.
Otherwise, my dear brother would not have been so upset because the plan to attack Bashu was far from being realized, and he would not have been so shocked by the long-lasting task of unifying the world for the king.
But judging from the reaction at this time, it is not joy but shock
Han Xin remained silent for a while, which made Lu Bu even more anxious. He urged, "Brother Han?"
Han Xin had to put aside the thought that flashed through his mind for the time being and said gently, "It's all because of King Xiang, not that King Xiang."
The King Xiang, whom he was once familiar with, was feared by the world for his bravery and dominated the world with his powerful Chu State, but he was stubborn and self-righteous, and had few strategies.
He has lost the support of the people by killing prisoners indiscriminately, he has surrounded himself with treacherous people by appointing people based on personal connections, he is short-sighted and has chaotic ambitions, so he has no chance of unifying the country.
Today's King Xiang still has unparalleled martial arts, but he has restrained his edge and put away his butcher knife. He not only pacifies the people, but also accepts advice with an open mind and employs capable ministers.
The importance of all matters is clearly distinguished.
Although he was still not a perfect ruler, given the strength of Chu, it was more than enough to unify the Central Plains.
Seeing his brother's dazed look, Han Xin could not help but smile and reminded him loudly: "Whether it is in my opinion or that of others, you must have contributed the most to the change in King Xiang's temper."
Everyone in the Chu army noticed the king's transformation.
He also silently remembered Lu Bu, the chief contributor who dared to make military remonstrations and brought about these changes.
Otherwise, if we only talk about military achievements, the brave generals under your command, such as Long Ju, Zhongli Mei, Ji Bu and others, have all been engaged in military campaigns for many years, and their military achievements are no less than yours.
However, the king has repeatedly promoted me out of turn and given me complete trust, and the entire army is convinced and there is no one who objects... except my dear brother.
After hearing Han Xin's words of praise, Lu Bu became even more absent-minded.
He looked around with mixed emotions, fixed his gaze on Han Xin for a while, then fixed his gaze on the carefree jade lion beneath him for a while, then turned his head and looked far away to the east.
He thought that he would have to endure three or four years of hard times, so he kept scolding that fool for not living up to his expectations and ruining his plans...
How come when I was distracted, there was suddenly less than a year left
He already had some feeling, and after Han Xin confirmed it, he felt even more empty.
Once the Central Plains is settled, the general situation is settled, and the troops are concentrated, Liu Haozi will have nowhere to display his evil plans. By then, I will be able to enter Bashu with an unstoppable force, and it will be easy to capture people.
Lu Bu lowered his eyes slightly and subconsciously tightened the reins.
…The day when he would achieve his long-cherished wish and retire was getting closer.