The Conqueror Isn’t Alone

Zhang Erzong hated himself for bringing a wolf into the house, but Chen Yu's threat was even more imminent.

Under the persuasion of his subordinate Gan Gong, he finally made up his mind to put down his resentment and reluctantly wrote the letter of credence according to the greedy Xiang's son's intention, claiming that he was not worthy of the throne and reluctantly gave up the throne of Changshan to Let go out.

As soon as the Chu army got this book, they immediately broke camp and marched westward.

Since Chen Yu vented his anger and resigned, he has only a few hundred soldiers left around him. After making a living by hunting, dozens of them have dispersed, leaving a pitifully small number of soldiers.

Although Tian Rong later had the help of troops and dared to attack the mediocre Zhang Er with his anger, he knew in his heart that with these 20,000 troops, he had no chance of winning in a duel with the Chu army with strong morale and strong troops. .

As soon as he received the military report that the Chu army was heading here, Chen Yu made a decisive decision and broke it into pieces on the spot.

He dispersed most of the soldiers from Zhao, leaving behind a small group of elite soldiers who were willing to follow him. Before the Chu army's cavalry could be killed, he decisively abandoned the anxious battle situation at night and took a path to the west.

Early the next morning, Zhang Er, who was anticipating the Chu army's imminent arrival and finally had the courage to go out of the city to pursue him, could only face the empty enemy camp angrily and the bewildered stragglers who had been left behind.

Relying on the invincible and glorious record of the Chu army under his command, Xiang Jui actually managed to scare away Chen Yu who had plunged him into a bitter battle without even consuming a single soldier!

Thinking about the throne that he had given up, in the end, he had not eliminated his sworn enemy, nor had Xiang Jiu, who had taken advantage of the situation, lost even half of his troops...

Zhang Er's heart ached unbearably and he almost spit out a mouthful of blood.

Even Xiang Yu never thought that Chen Yu would be very alert and decisive, and would retreat at the earliest opportunity.

He had no intention of chasing down those abandoned Qi soldiers, but ordered them to be captured. According to Fan Zeng's previous rules, those who were available and willing to stay were kept, and the rest were sent back to their respective villages one by one after asking about their place of origin.

He ordered a thousand elite soldiers, led his trusted ministers, and entered Zhao Duxiang Kingdom in simple clothes.

On the same day, Zhang Er watched with suppressed resentment and announced the abolition of Zhao State and changed it into Zhao County. From now on, it would directly belong to Chu, with Chu general Zhongli Mei as the county guard.

Zhang Er, the former King of Zhao, was granted the title of Marquis of Zhao, and nominally took over the land of the three counties formerly entrusted to Chen Yu. He had no real power, but he was given an old Zhao palace and generous rewards.

If Zhang Er had not been the king of Zhao, or had not been a minister, he would probably have shed tears of gratitude and accepted this compensation.

But he once owned Guangwo Zhao land, how could he be willing to be an ordinary rich man!

Xiang borrows a common man, it is really hateful!

Zhang Er was furious after hearing this.

Although he is over sixty years old, he has experienced many more storms than a young boy like Xiang Jui!

When the old country was still there, he was the magistrate of Huang County outside Wei State, but he was a national hero who was famous all over the world.

Later, he was pursued by the Qin soldiers and had to hide in all directions, but he did not lose his will. Instead, he lay dormant for many years and rose up to serve as the prime minister of Zhao. Due to his achievements in defeating the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu was named one of the nineteen kings.

Who would have expected that at the moment when he should be the king of the territory, enjoy peace of mind and have power, he would accidentally fall into the plot of Chen Yu and Xiang Ji, and be bullied repeatedly!

If it weren't for his rationality and knowing the huge disparity in strength, Zhang Er would have almost been unable to suppress the ferocity in his bones, tearing up the royal edict and breaking off with this despicable villain.

He was forced to choose the lesser of two evils, but he still underestimated Xiang Yi's despicableness: he took advantage of the situation and forced him to give up the Zhao land, but he even refused to give him the post of county guard and only changed it to that job. Chen Yu didn't even bother to be a Marquis of Yi, but he took over the land of three counties and lived in a dilapidated palace.

Unexpectedly, Duke Gan had always regarded Xiang Yu as a hero and an upright person, but he had such a cunning side. He had buried his ambition to devour the land of kings so well, only to be exposed at this moment.

He was shocked and doubtful, but still tried his best to persuade Zhang Er.

After returning to the army, Zhang Er couldn't control his temper and got angry. Duke Gan waited for a while before making up his mind and stepped forward to offer his plan.

After some earnest persuasion and careful planning, Zhang Er's face softened slightly and he set off on his journey with a curse.

It was a huge surprise for Zhongli Mei to suddenly get this position.

Although it was not the position of prince that most men dreamed of, he knew in his heart that with the generosity and kindness of his subordinate Xiang Yu, the position of the county governor of Zhao could not only occupy the palace of the original Zhao Kingdom, but also appoint subordinate officials, and hold absolute real power in his hands, as well as being the king. There is not much difference.

The fact that Zhao County belonged directly to Chu and had to obey King Xiang's orders was very suitable to his liking.

He knew very well that Xiang Yu would inevitably become more suspicious of his generals since Ying Bu became king and refused to obey orders. Even Chu generals like him and Long Qie, who had followed him for many years, were secretly wary.

Now that he has gone away from that empty name, he can safely return to the leadership of the Lord of Chu. In case of chaos, he can turn to Xianyang, the capital of Chu, so that he will not be isolated and helpless, and can also relieve the resentment between the monarch and his ministers... This is exactly what he wants.

Seeing that Zhongli Mei accepted the order happily and bowed his head to thank him, Xiang Yu felt a little more satisfied.

He turned his head slightly, looked at Long Qie who couldn't hide the admiration on his face, and gave another order without expression.

——The states of Jiaodong, Jibei and Qi were abolished and merged into Qi County, which was the same as Zhao County and belonged directly to Chu, with Long Qie as the governor.

As soon as these words came out, Long Qie, who was still envious at first, went blank, and then he became ecstatic!

The land of the three Qi was merged, and it was far richer and more numerous than the land of Zhao. It was also close to Pengcheng, the former capital of Chu, and the territory under the jurisdiction of Zhongli Mei, his closest friend.

But if there is a situation, they can respond to each other and not be isolated and helpless.

Long Qie was hit hard by this good thing and grinned happily, overjoyed.

He is also like Zhongli Mei, not as ambitious as Yingbu, but has been loyal to Xiang Yu since he followed him in Chu, and has long been accustomed to listening to the orders of this unparalleled master.

Asking him to completely break away on his own made him feel even more uneasy - it was nothing compared to the fact that he was the governor of the palm of his hand, and he had the name of a general and the peace of mind of continuing to be protected by the wings of Qiang Chu.

Long Qie leaned over to thank him happily. Xiang Yu nodded lightly and turned to look at Lu Bu.

His eyebrows seemed indifferent, but there was a rare hint of hesitation.

...Should he take advantage of the situation and seal the land of the original Yan Kingdom to Fengxian?

Oblivious to the fact that King Dai was having irritating thoughts again, Lu Bu was admiring the ecstatic expressions of Zhongli Mei and Long Qie that Chad had conferred with great relish, and he felt very happy along the way.

The reason why I was so happy was because after the idiot king was impulsively beaten that day, the elm head on his neck seemed to have finally awakened.

Finally, he no longer insisted on entrusting the acquired territory to other kings, but showed some courage that he should have had long ago, and directly abolished the country on the grounds that the old king was incompetent and changed it into a county, which belonged directly to Chu.

In just two months, the lands of Zhao, Qi, and Yan had all fallen into the overlord's bag.

Next, whether it is the easy-to-handle Western Wei King Wei Baozi, the weak King of Han and Shenyang of Henan who are caught in the cracks, or the insignificant former King Xie of Zhao who has moved to the Kingdom of Dai... all of them will... It is impossible to be the opponent of Chu State!

The only two military forces that could pose a threat to Chu were Hengshan and Jiujiang, led by the former Chu general Yingbu and his wife Wu Bing.

But with Yingbu's poor brains, which even Liu Bang couldn't catch, and without a decent leader, how could he dare to take the lead and face the Chu army?

If you think about it carefully, all the princes in the world are weak and unstoppable!

Lu Bu's eyes gradually shone, and he almost couldn't help but get ready for action.

Now that God is merciful, King Dai has finally opened his mind to the plan of sweeping the Central Plains, dominating the four fields, and dominating the world...

Then his grand plan of leading an army into Bashu and killing Liu Mozi will surely follow Zhan Guang and is just around the corner!

Lu Bu was thinking happily, but when Xiang Yu's hesitant gaze fell on him, he was keenly aware of it immediately.

After learning the lessons from the previous times, he quickly came to his senses and looked back warily.

Their eyes met for a moment, and even though he was as slow as Xiang Yu, he could still clearly taste the overflowing alertness in his beloved general's eyes.

How come Zhongli Mei and Long are so happy to be appointed together, but Fengxian avoids them for fear of not being able to do so?

Xiang Yu was filled with emotions.

No matter what, since Fengxian was so reluctant, the words of making him the governor of Yandi came to his lips several times, but he still swallowed them alive.

——When he returns to Xianyang, the capital of Chu, he will send Zhang Han to take over the post.

Xiang Yu silently looked away, his complex emotions rising and falling repeatedly. He really didn't know how to make up for his indifference to fame and fortune, and his devoted and loyal love, Fengxian.

Lu Bu had no idea that he had escaped disaster thanks to his timely reaction.

He stared at the silly king's side face suspiciously for a while before taking off his guard.

Once you have received the order, you should go to your station immediately.

Now that Zhongli Mei had captured Zhao Commandery, he could have just stayed and taken over the affairs of the former Zhao capital of Xiang State; Long Qie couldn't wait to take the lead, and set off the next day to go south to his jurisdiction.

As for the five thousand men who were trapped in the camp that Lu Bu initially led, after he waited for several days and finally recalled all the soldiers who were scattered in the original Qi area and who were temporarily in charge of the affairs of various counties under his order, they followed Xiang Yu himself. Twenty thousand Chu troops headed west toward the land of Guanzhong.

When Peng Yue caused rebellion and Xiao Gongjiao was defeated in Liangdi, Xiang Yu ordered his army to stay in place and personally ordered five thousand fine cavalry. They cooperated with the five thousand led by Lu Bu and marched towards Jiyin City with all their strength. Go away.

In less than half a day, these ten thousand elite Chu troops, galloping at full speed, arrived at Jiyin City.

When they were still quite a distance away, Xiang Yu and Lu Buju, who had outstanding eyesight, saw at a glance that the flag hanging on Jiyin City was the banner of the Chu army.

Such a murderous cavalry army could not escape the eyes and ears of the guards in Jiyin City.

Han Xin, the general guarding the city, quickly received a notification from his subordinates.

When he heard that his wise brother and the king had arrived at the same time, he was so happy that he didn't care about anything else. He only hurriedly tidied up his appearance and led his troops out of the city to greet him.

The horses Xiang Yu and Lu Bu ride are rare horses that can travel thousands of miles a day and are rare in the world.

Seeing that the Chu army had retaken the city, they completely controlled Wu Zui and the Jade Lion. They no longer restrained their speed and let them run wildly. After a while, they threw away the fine cavalry behind them and came to the front of Jiyin City to meet the people who came to pick them up. Han Xinxiang met.

Han Xin got off his horse and bowed respectfully to Xiang Yu: The last general, Han Xin, has met the king.

Xiang Yu looked indifferent and lowered his eyes: Get up.

Although he had never had a real confrontation with Peng Yue, he knew that the other party was just a fisherman with 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 its peak, the number of troops was only more than 10,000.

In the battle to defeat Qin, the only time Peng Yue showed up was when he fought with Liu Bang's coalition forces in Changyi City when Julu defeated the main force of Qin.

After the Qin army was defeated in Julu, Liu and Peng's two armies still couldn't defeat it even though they had no worries, so they had to disperse and return in embarrassment.

How could such a nobody with so little power deserve to be taken seriously by the world-famous and arrogant Xiang Yu?

Although he knew that Xiao Gongjiao was defeated by him, he was more inclined to believe that Xiao Gongjiao's ability was mediocre and he underestimated the enemy, so that Peng Yue could succeed by luck.

And Han Xin led tens of thousands of elites from the former Qin Dynasty and came prepared

, the soldiers attacked Peng Yue several times.

If this can be defeated, it is really incompetence that should be beheaded.

When Han Xin reported the results, he was concise and concise: On the first day of arriving at Jiyin City, he used a trick to trap Pengyue, defeated all his main forces, killed nine thousand people, and captured one thousand people.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Peng Yue himself quickly greased the soles of his feet and actually left the thousands of subordinates behind to block him. He took the remaining elites and ran towards the river, and his figure quickly disappeared in the mountains and forests. middle.

Han Xin chased for more than ten miles, then because of double concerns, he made a prompt decision and ordered his soldiers to stop and return to the city.

First, Peng Yue has been active here for a long time, is familiar with the landforms of Liangdi, and is good at guerrilla warfare.

If he rashly enters the forest, the opponent's troops will be outnumbered and they can use the cover of the mountains and forests to move around flexibly. However, the army he leads will be at a disadvantage as if they have lost their ears and eyes.

Moreover, there are only a few hundred remaining troops under Peng Yue's command. It is difficult to achieve success for a while, but it is difficult and troublesome to pursue them. They will waste their troops in vain and be restrained by them.

Second, Han Xin was always wary of the situation in Xianyang.

Wei Bao was originally the king of Wei, but because Xiang Yu coveted the territory of Liang, and he had not made many achievements in defeating the Qin Dynasty, he was forcibly driven to the Hedong area, and he was not without resentment in his heart.

The territory of the Western Wei Dynasty was located right in the middle of the Chu Kingdom, outside Hangu Pass to the east, cutting off the east and west sides of Chu Land.

Because Xiang Yu personally conquered the Three Qi Dynasty to quell the rebellion, not only using all his troops, but also using all his elites and leading powerful generals to accompany him. Now, in addition to Xiang Yu's old subordinates and Grand Sima Zhou Yin, those currently in charge are mainly the three generals from the former Qin Dynasty - Zhang Han, Sima Xin and Dong Yi died.

Xiang Yu prided himself on his tyrannical strength and was determined to win a quick victory. He left the new capital in the hands of Zhou Yin and others, and was not afraid of betrayal by the three old Qin generals.

Han Xin couldn't help but think more.

Among the kings who divided the Chu territory and separated the old and new capitals in the east and west, Sima Yan, the king of Yin, and Shen Yanggu, the king of Henan, were Zhao generals and were very friendly with Zhang Er.

Zhang Er had been friends with Liu Bang since they were young, and they called each other brothers and sisters, and their friendship was very stable.

Looking at Xianyang, the capital of Chu, Zhou Yin, the chief minister, once worked with Yingbu. It is said that he had a close personal relationship and was very familiar with Jiujiang affairs.

At present, the tattooed Wu Bing is not responding to the king's call, and his attitude is subtle and unclear. How can he completely win the trust of Zhou Yin, who is in harmony with him?

At first glance, there is no connection between Ying Bu and Zhang Er's faction, but once there are people connecting them... it will be difficult to be loyal and defective.

Having thought of this, Han Xin was unwilling to underestimate the hidden dangers, so he would rather give up pursuing Peng Yue than pursue him to Sanqi to meet up with his general Lu Bu.

Rather, he would rather bear the reputation of being timid and fearful of things and wasting his troops and food in vain, but he would also sit in a place that would become a critical point once something happens, waiting for the overlord to return.

Han Xin knew very well the principle of not being close to each other, so even when Xiang Yu came, he did not express his concerns.

Zhou Yin won Xiang Yu's trust and took the position of Grand Sima to guard the capital; while Yingbu followed Xiang Yu in his early years and made many military exploits, but he has not rebelled now; on the other hand, others are soft-spoken and have made meager achievements, so they are not valued by Xiang Yu at all.

If you say it hastily, you will not only make you angry, but also scare the snake.

Therefore, Han Xin said nothing about this consideration when reporting on the military situation.

Xiang Yu sat on the main seat and after listening to his story, he pondered for a long time.

Then he nodded indifferently, cherishing the words like gold and said: Not bad.

He didn't think highly of Peng Yue's achievements. The reason why he praised Han Xin was because he saw the troops in order at a casual glance since he entered the city.

Even if they stick to one side and haven't fought for a long time, they still have high morale, which is even more commendable.

Observing the condensed appearance of the army is enough to know the level of the general's talent.

Xiang Yu's attitude seemed cold, but in his heart he already recognized Han Xin's ability to lead troops.

Han Xin felt slightly relieved after receiving this rare compliment.

But it was more relief than joy.

——With a virtuous brother who is willing to believe in him and give him military power despite all opinions, so that he can do whatever he wants, whether he can be recognized by the overlord seems to be irrelevant.

Fortunately, he was trusted by his wise brother and did not lose face to his wise brother.

Han Xin couldn't help but smile.

Lu Bu didn't know that this cheap guy of his had so many twists and turns.

The moment he saw Brother Han again, a big stone quietly fell from his chest.

——He has so many legs, and with the Soldier Immortal here, he doesn’t have to use his poor brain all day long!

As soon as there was an opening, Lu Bu, who was delighted, put his arm affectionately on the other's shoulders, grinned and pulled him towards him, causing Han Xin to stumble and almost fall, but he secretly praised: Han Brother is really far-sighted!

He seemed serious at first, but in fact he listened absently for a long time. When Peng Yue didn't catch him and asked people to run away, his first reaction was that this sinister soldier at heart did it on purpose.

After all, others didn't know it, but he knew that Peng Yue seemed inconspicuous, but he was a powerful character who would go down in history.

If he had killed him with one knife when he was weak, it would have been clean and tidy, but he would not have had time to let the stupid king know Peng Yue's true ability. Wouldn't he have suffered a big loss when assessing his merits?

It's better to just do it this time, wait until Peng jumps around more and shows more skills, and then finish it off with a quick and easy blow.

It's really powerful to suppress first and then rise in this way, to play hard to get!

Staring at Lu Bu's admiring, sparkling eyes, Han Xin's tightly pursed lips slightly raised, and his heart warmed.

——As expected, the person in the world who knows his plans best and has the deepest tacit understanding with him is none other than his wise brother.