The 300,000 Chu troops were returning to Xianyang at a leisurely pace. Xiang Yu, who had recently sent two generals, Zhang Han and Zhongli Mo, to gather the forces of the Former Qin Army in the North, also quickly received the news.
After the fall of the Former Qin Dynasty, the Zhenbei Army, which had lost its king to be loyal to and its food supply, had been struggling for several years. It could no longer hold on a month ago and finally fell apart.
Except for a few soldiers who missed their families and were willing to travel long distances to return home, most people chose to wander around the garrison, either farming or becoming pawns of local tyrants.
Because of this, Zhang Han and Zhongli Mo were ordered to go this time, although they only brought 10,000 people to test the waters, it was enough to deal with such a situation.
Zhang Han, who once served as the Shaofu of the Former Qin Dynasty, was familiar to many of the Former Qin generals.
After he abandoned the imperial court and surrendered to Xiang Yu, he not only survived, but also rose rapidly to a high position again...
With such a living example before them, the Zhenbei Army soldiers, who were still somewhat hesitant, quickly made up their minds and expressed their willingness to surrender.
Although it took some effort, thanks to Zhang Han's strong call and Zhongli Mo's great efforts, after a month, this group of Zhenbei Lions, which had been scattered for only a month, successfully gathered together like a river entering the sea.
The soldiers who have been guarding the border for many years put on their armor again, held their weapons, held their heads high and puffed out their chests, and lined up in a heroic posture. They were all solemn and cold, and there was no sign of unfamiliarity in their demeanor.
Whether it was the Central Plains, which had been in chaos for several years and was unified by the Chu army led by Xiang Yu, or the Northern Frontier army, which was displaced and disbanded, being pacified and then coordinated; these two huge movements aroused the high vigilance of the Xiongnu Chanyu Maodun.
Since he killed his father and seized the throne, Maodun had endured the Donghu's attacks and shown weakness time and again.
Until the enemy completely let down their guard and looked down upon him, he launched an attack again and not only easily killed the King of Donghu who had humiliated him time and time again, but also robbed all the people and property of the enemy country.
Maodun was proud of the 300,000 soldiers under his command, all of whom were good on horseback and particularly skilled in bows and arrows.
However, he also knew that the Central Plains had more troops - the army guarding the northern gate to the fertile Central Plains alone had a total of 300,000 troops, not to mention the tall and majestic city walls that blocked his way and made cavalry and fine bows powerless.
Although he had long coveted the fertile land in the south, Maodun was aware that the hateful Zhenbei Army was like a centipede that would not die even if it was cut into pieces, so he was extremely cautious.
Seeing that the Zhenbei Army was still there, he took advantage of the chaos among the princes and the unclear situation to continue sending troops westward to drive away the Yuezhi, and then march southward to annex Loufan and other forces.
However, as he waited and waited, the Zhenbei Army finally collapsed and fell apart. He knew that the defense of the northern part of the Former Qin, which had been taken away by the Qin general Meng Tian, was almost gone. Just when he was about to lead his troops to take the area, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!
Zhang Han, the general of Former Qin, and Zhongli Mo, a trusted general of the Emperor of Chu, marched north together and, just on the eve of his offensive, they managed to reorganize the 300,000-strong Northern Zhen Army that had been lingering around since Ying Zheng's death and was a thorn in his side!
Even though Maodun was filled with hatred, he had to make other plans.
From this, it can be seen that the emperor of the Central Plains attaches great importance to the border defense army. If he wants to retake the Hetao County, it will be more difficult...
What Maodun did not know was that the new emperor, whose surname was Xiang, under the supervision of his favorite general, not only wanted to reorganize the Former Qin army, but also intended to march north to expand the territory.
Xiang Yu's sudden concern for the defense of the northern border not only touched the interests of the Xiongnu Chanyu, who had a vested interest in the matter, but also aroused the interest of a Qi man named Lou Jing.
He had been stationed in Longxi and often had to deal with foreigners, so he was very familiar with it.
He keenly sensed that this might be an opportunity for him to make a name for himself, so he left his post and made a special trip to Xianyang. He also took the trouble to ask a general from Qi to introduce him, and finally got the opportunity to enter the palace and meet His Majesty.
Seeing that he was still wearing the common brown clothes seen outside the Great Wall and looked exhausted, he was about to enter the palace to meet the emperor. The former Qi general who recommended him could not help but dissuade him: "I have asked my servants to prepare clothes for you. Why don't you take a bath and change your clothes before going to see the emperor?"
Lou Jing said confidently: "If I wear silk, I will appear before the emperor in silk; if I wear brown, I will appear before the emperor in brown. I will keep my original appearance and will not deceive the emperor!"
Seeing that he was determined to do so, the former Qi general felt uneasy and had no choice but to go into the palace first and tell Xiang Yu what he had said.
Xiang Yu listened quietly, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, and asked calmly: "What is your original appearance?"
Seeing that His Majesty was in an unexpected mood, the former Qi general was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat, and he lowered his head even lower on the spot.
He cursed Lou Jing a hundred times in his heart for insisting on being different and causing him so much trouble.
Xiang Yu said coldly: "If he had insisted on his original appearance, why would he leave his post and come to Xianyang?"
Such ulterior motives would be extremely opportunistic.
Don't imitate others, just dare to imitate the love general's behavior of still wearing battle robes and meeting the emperor in his original appearance on the day of reward!
A trace of deep disgust flashed across Xiang Yu's eyes.
When Fengxian, who was full of pride, did this, he felt that it was straightforward and honest, and very... cute.
However, Lou Jing, who was full of utilitarianism and flattery but still tried to cover up his mistake, was nothing more than an ugly imitation of a beautiful woman.
If Lu Bu had not repeatedly said, "A wise man may make mistakes in a thousand considerations, and a fool may gain something in a thousand considerations. Your Majesty should listen more to other opinions," he would have driven this man out long ago.
- Lu Bu, who had long forgotten where he heard this and had never thought about Li Chezi, the low-key person beside him, had never expected that Xiang Hanzi, who was always cold and indifferent, seemingly full of dignity but not really concerned, remembered all his words clearly.
Seeing that the general was trembling all over and dared not raise his head, Xiang Yu softened his tone and said calmly: "If he does not want to bathe and change clothes, he does not need to come to the palace."
Hearing this, the general, whose body was already soaked with sweat, finally felt alive again.
He quickly agreed, and when he returned home, he immediately scolded Lou Jing who almost killed him.
If His Majesty had not personally asked him to convey these words, he would have probably driven Lou Jing away directly, and would not have cared about the friendship between them as fellow Qi people!
After being spat on by everyone, Lou Jing was furious in his heart, but he kept it under control and apologized in a flattering manner to the general who was almost implicated.
If he was really a tough guy who didn't care about fame and fortune, he would have just given in to his temper and left.
But he came here from afar, risking everything, just to seize the opportunity and make a splash. Why would he be willing to return empty-handed
So she had no choice but to swallow her anger, take a bath obediently, change into gorgeous court clothes, and then enter the palace.
However, the Emperor of Chu obviously had some government affairs to attend to, so Lou Jing waited respectfully outside the palace for two hours, until his legs ached and his neck became stiff, before he summoned him.
It took him two full hours just to consider the wording, and finally Xiang Yu was very satisfied with the letter he had written to Fengxian.
When he summoned Lou Jing, he was still in a good mood: "Why are you here?"
Lou Jing bowed and asked respectfully, "I heard that Your Majesty recruited the Zhenbei Army. I guess it is intended to guard against the Xiongnu who are gaining momentum!"
Xiang Yu said calmly: "Oh?"
Seeing that Xiang Yu did not make any comment, Lou Jing felt a little nervous, but he remained calm and said, "If your majesty really means this, I have a few humble opinions. I wonder if your majesty is willing to listen to them."
Xiang Yu said "hmm" indifferently.
Lou Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then he said incessantly, "There is no such thing as a thousand-day defense against thieves. Your Majesty personally charged into battle on horseback, conquered the four directions, and conquered the world. It is understandable that you attach importance to the military, but you should not use force lightly to govern the world. You must know that the soldiers are armed and eager to rest; the farmers have no time to farm and they long for stability; the people are exhausted and they long for harmony. If Your Majesty starts another war, how can you rest and recover the country's strength?"
Xiang Yu said expressionlessly: "Speak."
Although it was just three simple words, Lou Jing seemed to be greatly encouraged, so he said: "I have a simple plan that may be beneficial to long-term public security. I wonder if Your Majesty is willing to listen to it."
Xiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
If Lu Bu were here, he would surely see that this fool was extremely impatient and was just forcing himself to suppress his temper.
Xiang Yu said in a deep voice: "Speak."
Lou Jing was very excited: "If Your Majesty is willing to choose a daughter from the royal family, make her the eldest princess, and give her a generous dowry to show your friendship... using the relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law in exchange for Maodun's promise not to invade the Central Plains, wouldn't it be possible to resolve the crisis in the north without spending a single soldier? And giving up a mere dowry can save the military funds for supporting 300,000 soldiers guarding the north—"
The voice stopped abruptly.
Xiang Yu, who had been listening silently and without any reaction, suddenly drew his sword!
As the sound of the sword being drawn out of its sheath was heard, a silver light flashed by, and Lou Jing, who had no reaction to this, had his facial expression still frozen in the passionate moment, when his head was chopped off by the sword cleanly and crisply, and flew far away.
Blood gushed out, and Xiang Yu kicked the corpse expressionlessly, causing the body, which was still stiff in place, to fall to the ground with a bang.
"Marriage?"
Xiang Yu had a cold and murderous aura, and he talked to himself with frosty eyes.
How can I allow a jackal to snore beside my bed
This person's intentions are truly despicable - not only did he advise him to let the jackals, tigers and leopards go unchecked, he also advised him to cut his meat and feed the tigers, fearing that they would cause trouble in the future!
Although the Central Plains has experienced wars for a long time, its foundation is still there, and the extremely fertile Guanzhong area has been carefully managed in recent years and has completely regained its vitality.
Even if we only rely on the military supplies from Guanzhong, it would be more than enough.
Moreover, he had nearly 600,000 Chu troops under his command, who were invincible in every attack and battle and were feared by all.
According to Lou Jing, one has to offer a weak woman and kneel down to show goodwill to a barbarian leader who has killed his father, wife and mother and has no sense of propriety, righteousness or shame... It is really absurd and ridiculous!
How can you expect a beast who can kill even his own father to respect his father-in-law and son-in-law and honor his father-in-law
This Lou Jing was shameless and his mouth was full of self-contradictory nonsense, but he did say one thing correctly: There is really no reason in this world to guard against thieves for a thousand days.
While thinking about this, Xiang Yu called in his personal soldiers and ordered them to drag away Lou Jing's body.
However, whether it is him or Fengxian, their real intention of taking such great pains to do so would not be just to be on guard day and night
A real man, in order to eliminate danger, must intimidate with the blade, subdue the enemy with blood/violence, and achieve unprecedented feats!
Xiang Yu quietly wiped the blade of the sword and sheathed it.
—Now everything is ready, just waiting for Fengxian to return, so that he and his beloved general can return in the late summer or early autumn to fight against the Huns in the north.
Xiang Yu's mind moved slightly, and he walked slowly to the window unconsciously, looking out at the mountains in the west, lost in thought.
—With Fengxian fighting side by side with him, the Chu army will be invincible and successful wherever they go.
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