My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia
Chapter 100: The King of Han Kills the Envoy
Chapter 100: The King of Han Kills the Envoy
"These stirrups are owned by each of the tens of thousands of Chu cavalrymen, and are known to everyone. Yet that fellow merely used some kind of 'detoxifying medicine' to fool me, and didn't even mention this sharp weapon. Is he sincerely surrendering to me?" Liu Bang picked up the pair of saddles, took a look at them, then slammed them heavily on the table, and said to Chen Ping with his ugly old face drooping.
Chen Ping nodded gently: "I received Ding Gu's report after the war started, and it was too late by then. Xiang Chang obviously knew that this item was too important, and he knew it at a glance, so he kept it secret very carefully. According to Ding Gu, this item was equipped to the cavalry and trained to be familiar with it two days before it was put into the battlefield. In addition, Xiang Chang issued strict military orders and directly sealed off the cavalry camp to prevent it from being leaked in advance."
"That's fine." Liu Bang's gloomy face gradually softened. He sighed, patted the soft mat beside him and asked Chen Ping to come over and sit down. He said earnestly: "Captain Chen, Zifang was seriously injured and returned to Hanzhong to recuperate. The only person I can rely on now is you. I wonder if you have any advice for me in the current situation?"
Chen Ping thought for a moment, then looked up at Liu Bang calmly:
"After yesterday's battle with the Chu army, I couldn't sleep at night. After thinking it over, I found that the Chu state has now gone from being precarious to being stable. It will be difficult for our Han Dynasty to destroy it in a short period of time. I hope that the king has already made up his mind about this. From now on, military arrangements must not be made too hastily. Once impatience reveals a flaw and is caught by the enemy, I am afraid that the situation may further deteriorate. At present, our Han Dynasty cannot afford to suffer defeat or losses again. We must be cautious."
After hearing Chen Ping's words, Liu Bang's face was wooden, and he didn't speak for a long time. It was obvious that he was about to destroy the Chu in one fell swoop, but in just a few days, it became difficult to destroy it, and he had to return to the confrontation during the Battle of Chenggao. He found it difficult to accept this result.
After a long while, Liu Bang let out a long breath, and then he stood up, waved his sleeves, and paced back and forth for a few steps, saying with emotion: "Well, if it is difficult to get rid of him, then it is difficult to get rid of him. I will start over. If I can defeat Xiang Yu once, I can defeat him twice."
Chen Ping showed appreciation and nodded secretly.
If you want to accomplish great things, it is essential to have a thick skin, a strong will, and not be discouraged by failure. Liu Bang is undoubtedly one of the best among them, and few people in the world can match him.
"Although it is difficult to eliminate Xiang Yu in a short period of time, from a long-term perspective, I have prepared seven strategies for Your Majesty to consider."
Liu Bang was greatly encouraged, clapped his hands repeatedly, and said with hope: "Tell me quickly!"
Chen Ping stood up and bowed, then reported clearly:
"The first is to win over the King of Qi. Your Majesty must have realized that the key to defeating Xiang Yu lies in this man. The other generals, including your Majesty, do not have the military strategy to defeat Xiang Yu. Therefore, we must win him over and let him continue to serve the Han Dynasty."
Liu Bang understood the meaning of the music, and shook his sleeves with a look of regret. "What the commander said is very true. I also understand what the commander meant. When the king of Qi apologized for the defeat in the battle, I should have expressed my attitude immediately and comforted him. But it's not too late. I will find him later, drink with him, talk about the war, and talk about brotherhood. I guarantee that he will be happy and have no grudges."
Chen Ping had no doubts about Liu Bang's words. If Liu Bang was determined to win over Han Xin, Han Xin would definitely not be able to escape from his grasp and would not have second thoughts. He continued:
"Second, cut off their food supply. Xiang Yu led hundreds of thousands of Chu troops to besiege Gaixia. If he wants to hold out for a long time and confront Han, he needs food, fodder, weapons and other reserve military supplies. At present, the only place that can supply them with military supplies is the Zhou Yin army in Chu. Now Zhou Yin has surrendered to Chu again. Your Majesty can order General Lu Ze, who is guarding the area, to quickly eliminate his forces in Chu. If this goes on for a long time, without the food and fodder supply from Chu, the Chu army will collapse on its own without the Han attack."
Han Xin had also said this before, but his words were not as thorough as Chen Ping's. Liu Bang adopted them without hesitation.
Next, Chen Ping explained the third to sixth strategies one by one:
"Third, remove the firewood from under the cauldron. Taking advantage of the great opportunity when Xiang Yu and the main force of the Chu army are pinned down at Gaixia, let General Lu Ze not only eliminate the remnants of Zhou and Yin, but also seize the time to conquer Chu and turn Chu into Han territory, so that Xiang Yu's army will completely lose its foundation and become a tree without roots.
Fourth, attack Jiangdong. Send a general to lead elite troops to attack Jiangdong, incorporate it into the Han territory, and cut off and eliminate Xiang Yu's influence in Jiangdong.
Article 5: Confer the title of King of Liang. Immediately send an envoy to Liang to confer the title of King of Liang on Peng Yue, give him all the land of Liang, and give him precious treasures. Even if he cannot be brought over, he must remain neutral and not join the Chu army camp.
Article 6: Use the old trick again. Xiang Ji promoted the "Qin military merit system", and many noble generals like Ding Gu suffered losses. We can increase our efforts and pay a lot of money to buy them off. "
Listening to Chen Ping's calm and eloquent speech, Liu Bang was overjoyed and could not help dancing with joy, saying repeatedly:
"Although Zifang is seriously injured and not by my side, I have Commander Chen, so I don't have to worry."
"The last one," Chen Ping looked at Liu Bang and said seriously, "If our Han army wants to truly defeat the Chu army, we must also implement the 'Qin military merit system'!"
The joy on Liu Bang's face slowly faded. He sat back on the soft seat, picked up the wine jar and drank slowly, falling into deep thought.
At this time, Liu Bang's close minister, Zhongjuan Yang Tian, led the Great Chu envoy Wu She in and winked at Chen Ping and said, "Captain Chen, the Great Chu envoy is here to bring you treasures again."
Chen Ping's face turned angry and he looked up at Yang Tian. He didn't understand if this guy was really stupid. He couldn't tell that Liu Bang was pretending to be magnanimous last time, or did he see that he had gained Liu Bang's trust during this period and deliberately disgusted him to increase Liu Bang's suspicion of him?
Although Liu Bang said last time that he would not stop Wu She from lobbying him and asked him to accept all the treasures Wu She sent him, he was naturally just saying it to sound nice. How could he not have any grudges in his heart?
"Oh, my dear Captain Chen Ping, we fought against the Han army yesterday and our Great Chu won a great victory and gained a lot. As a counselor, Captain Chen has always been weak. If he doesn't have armor, and the Han army is defeated by our Great Chu, and the soldiers are in chaos, wouldn't it be heartbreaking if he gets injured? With this in mind, Master Chang was worried and asked me to deliver this treasure to the captain."
At this time, two soldiers came in carrying a large wooden box. After putting it down and opening the lid, they found a heavy armor inside.
"This is the armor of Jin Xu, the commander of the Han cavalry. It is indeed a valuable treasure. The eldest son specially gave it to the captain for protection. This is also a good story." Wu She raised his chin like a spatula, twirled his goatee, and spoke leisurely and happily.
Liu Bang standing by couldn't bear it any longer, and suddenly drew out his sword, shouting angrily: "You bastard, you are bullying me like this, do you think I'm dead?" He immediately swung his sword to chop at Wu She.
Wu She was so frightened that he jumped three feet high, his face turned pale, and he ran out of the tent in a flash.
After that, "The King of Han Beheaded the Envoy" became a joke known to the whole world and spread widely, implying that the person was not sincere and pretended to be magnanimous.
After a great battle, the two camps of Han and Chu were busy reviewing the gains and losses on the battlefield and counting the losses and gains. It must be said that this inventory was a great pain for both sides.
First of all, the Han camp lost about 40,000 cavalry and more than 40,000 infantry, nearly one-third of the 240,000-man army. The most painful thing was that there were less than 20,000 cavalry left.
Of course, the Chu camp was not in a good situation either. The total casualties of the central army and the right army were nearly 30,000. The severely damaged Ying Bu's Jiujiang army directly withdrew from the battlefield and fled back to their hometown. The total remaining force was less than 50,000.
Fortunately, the Chu army also captured some prisoners, and there were still several thousand soldiers available to defend the city, so the total force could barely reach more than 60,000.
60,000 vs. 160,000. Although the Han army still has an absolute advantage, it is no longer the situation of life and death when Xiang Chang first came. Especially since the Chu army has a strong cavalry, it can barely fight the Han army. In other words, even if the Han army still has an advantage in manpower and has the "military genius" Han Xin as its commander, it is extremely difficult to destroy the Chu army in one fell swoop.
The Han and Chu armies were undoubtedly aware of this. In particular, the Han camp immediately changed its mindset from attack to defense, returning to the deep trenches and high fortifications used in the Battle of Chenggao, intending to drag the Chu army to death in Gaixia City.
Liu Bang was more familiar with this business than Han Xin and had rich experience.
The Chu State was naturally very anxious about this, but due to insufficient troops and weak overall military strength, it was helpless and could only passively defend itself.
Early in the morning, after breakfast, there were loud gongs and drums and colorful silks fluttering on the Chu army's right army drill ground.
Under the chairmanship of General Xiang Changhou, with the Overlord personally issuing the rewards, and with all the officers and generals standing in awe and watching, a grand, solemn and dignified awarding ceremony was once again held on the reviewing platform in the drill ground.
This time, Xiang Chang invited all the generals and ministers of the Great Chu camp to watch the ceremony. All the officers and generals of the Great Chu Right Army, as well as all the rewarded soldiers, lined up neatly on the drill ground, eagerly looking at the rewards on the podium.
Xiang Chang, who was standing at a corner of the reviewing platform, called out the names loudly. The generals, officers, and soldiers who had made meritorious contributions in the war walked onto the stage one after another, their expressions excited and proud. Their chests were puffed out higher than those of women, and they stood straighter than hammers in the early morning, to accept the rewards awarded by the Overlord himself.
Some officers and soldiers had such a close contact with the god of war in their minds for the first time in their lives, and they were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.
As for this awarding ceremony, Overlord went from feeling uncomfortable and indifferent at first to now being familiar with the process and even enjoying it greatly.
Looking at the officers and soldiers leading the general, their fanatical eyes and excited emotions looking at him, and their standing straight for fear of losing their composure in front of him, Xiang Yu, a tough guy like steel, was inevitably deeply infected: with such loyal and brave soldiers, looking around the world, no matter how strong the enemy is, what does he have to fear?
At this moment, the Overlord felt that the feeling of being united with his soldiers, working together to move mountains and being invincible in the world was even stronger and clearer.
The generals and ministers watching the ceremony below the stage were silent, with different expressions.
After the ceremony, Xiang Chang immediately welcomed his father and other generals and ministers into his main tent.
Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries and knelt down calmly. Xiang Chang, the host, looked solemn as he took out a dozen identical silk books from his arms, first presenting one to his father, and then one to each general and minister.
Then he turned around and knelt on the soft mat under his father, quietly watching the expressions of his father and the generals and ministers.
"What's this? Why are you so serious?" Xiang Yu had just sat down and taken a sip of water when Xiang Chang had already handed him the silk book and smiled with some surprise.
After a quick glance, his eyes gradually became glued to it. The more he looked, the more shocked his expression became, the more excited he became, and the heavier his breathing became. His hands, which were pressing on the desk, clenched into fists, and his eyes shot out terrifying sharp light, emitting a strong and powerful aura.
Not only Xiang Yu, but other generals and ministers also looked surprised and moved.
"Good! Good! This can serve as the oath of our Great Chu nation! Not only the Overlord, but also the future generations of emperors must follow it as a guideline, abide by it unswervingly, and keep moving forward towards this goal!"
Grand Marshal Xiang Sheng's eyes flashed with terrifying brilliance, he slammed the table hard and shouted decisively.
Although the other generals and ministers felt that what was said in the silk book was too exaggerated and bizarre, and they would not dare to think so even in their dreams, they had to admit that it seemed to have a mysterious power that could captivate people's souls, which made them yearn for it and fantasize about it.
Not to mention that if all of the above are accomplished, even if only half of them can be achieved, the Overlord will become an emperor who is far superior to his ancestors, surpasses the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and is on par with Qin Shihuang. All of them present here will surely become famous generals and ministers who will shine in the history books and be passed down to future generations!
The Overlord reluctantly turned his eyes away from the silk book as if he were looking at a priceless treasure, slowly raised his head, and looked around at the generals and ministers:
"What do you think of this silk book?"
At this moment, Xiang Yu exuded a majestic sense of dominating the world. His previous mighty and overbearing aura was gone, and he truly possessed the aura of an emperor!
Looking at this scene, Xiang Chang grinned.
Xiang Chang knew that his father was a warlord with unprecedentedly strong military power, and he was unremarkable in other aspects. This was evident from the fact that he could not even manage his old Chu base well, and suffered repeated rebellions and lost the support of the people.
When he saw Qin Shi Huang's grand procession, all he thought of was "I can replace him." To put it bluntly, he just wanted to be as majestic and domineering as Qin Shi Huang. He had no idea that after becoming an emperor, he would have to shoulder the responsibilities of governing the country, taking care of the people in the vast territory, balancing the conflicts between the nobles and civilians in the country, and so on.
In fact, when he achieved his goal and became as majestic and domineering as Qin Shi Huang, he proclaimed himself the Overlord, conferred titles on eighteen princes, and reached the pinnacle of his life's achievements. And then, there was nothing else.
As for the future path and what to do next, there is no clear policy or strategy. They have not even thought about it at all. They are completely confused and just muddle through.
He saw that Qin Shihuang implemented the county system and died in the second generation, so he could not help but go back to the old path of the Western Zhou Dynasty's feudal system and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty's feudal system. This did not disappoint his expectations. Before he could sit on the throne of the overlord, rebellions began to break out one after another. Even though he fought wars everywhere, the more he tried to quell them, the more chaos there was. He and his Chu were trapped in the quagmire of years of bitter fighting and could not extricate themselves.
It can be said that my father's life was completely pushed by external forces, situations, and trends. He was always in a passive state. He never took the initiative to do anything, let alone thought about changing anything.
He has a low ideological level, a small vision, no goals, and no dreams. Yes, this is the true portrayal of the old daddy overlord. He is essentially a "four-nothing" person.
However, just because my dad doesn't have it doesn't mean I don't have it. I can definitely impose my dream goals on my dad. Anyway, I will inherit my dad's legacy, so my dream is naturally my dad's dream. Is there a problem with that?
no problem!
So from now on, Dad is no longer the Dad of the past. Dad will be a brand new Dad who is free from vulgarity and has lofty goals!
(End of this chapter)
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