My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 101 Supreme Mission
"Woo——"

The low and mournful sound of the horn, with a whimpering sound, echoed among the continuous hills to the east of Gaixia City.

On the shady hillside, from the top to the foot, there are densely packed rows of neatly arranged newly built tombs.

On the top of the mountain, a huge white silk banner with the words "Heroic Spirits of Great Chu" is hung high and fluttering in the wind.

Amid the sad sound of the trumpet, all the important generals and ministers of the Great Chu, some in full armor, some in tall crowns and wide belts, stood solemnly with their hands clasped, looking at the majestic Overlord standing in the front, with solemn faces, paying homage to the newly built "Garden of Heroes" where the generals, officers and soldiers who died in the battle were buried.

Behind the important generals and ministers, from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, on the mountain road, among the woods, and in front of every tomb, stood a huge memorial team composed of thousands of officers and soldiers who fought bravely and had outstanding achievements.

In addition, all the generals and soldiers in the military camps inside and outside Gaixia City stood upright like javelins at this moment, facing the direction of the Eastern Warriors Cemetery.

The autumn wind is bleak and the mountains are silent.

Only the sound of the horn, which soothes the sleeping spirits of heroes, echoes through the valley.

Proper burial of the bodies of the dead soldiers, building a special cemetery, and holding such a grand ceremony were all things that none of the important generals and ministers of the Chu State had expected.

The planner and promoter of all this was naturally General Xiang Changhou.

Thinking of the series of military strategies that Xiang Chang had promoted in the military camp before, especially the "Great Chu Military Merit Reward System", it actually greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the soldiers. In this great battle with the Han Dynasty, only the right army led by him achieved complete success. After the war, all the important generals and officials did not wait for the king's signal, but used their own means and multiple channels to understand the details of the battle of the right army. The 30,000 troops faced each other head-on and forcibly flattened the 60,000 troops commanded by the famous Han general Kong Xi, and completely collapsed. After understanding it, facing the dreamlike super combat power of the right army, all the important generals and officials had only two words in their hearts: shock.

Many of the military strategies promoted by Xiang Chang, especially the "Great Chu Military Merit Reward System", were ostensibly implemented throughout the Great Chu military camp under the pressure of the Overlord. However, in reality, due to the overt or covert resistance and neglect of many generals, it had always been covered up and ambiguous. Only Xiang Chang's Right Army implemented it most thoroughly.

Now that the final result is out, Xiang Chang's right army, with its superior combat power and outstanding military exploits, has dealt a heavy blow to the faces of all the resisting generals in the Chu State.

The Overlord did not say much about this. However, all the important generals and ministers looked embarrassed when they saw the Overlord during this period, knowing that their little thoughts were exposed. Naturally, they did not dare to hinder the "Great Chu Military Merit Reward System" any more. They immediately sorted out the soldiers, officers, and generals who had killed meritorious deeds in this battle, and cashed them out according to the reward system without any discount, and also invited the Overlord to issue the rewards in a proper manner.

He also attached unprecedented importance to all the military strategies proposed by Master Xiang Chang, and not only stopped complaining, but implemented them honestly. For example, the proper burial of the dead soldiers and the memorial ceremony were held.

After the memorial ceremony, Xiang Yu slowly stood up, turned around, looked at the generals, ministers, officers, and soldiers standing from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, and looked at the newly built tombs. Suddenly, an inexplicable emotion surged up, and he took a large cowhide loudspeaker from the guard and shouted:

"Today, we are here to pay tribute to our fallen comrades! Since the uprising against Qin, countless soldiers have died on the battlefield, resting their heads on the green mountains, and their souls have returned to the earth. Some people wonder if their deaths were in vain? Was their death worth it? After all, death is like the extinguishing of a light, and it is all over. What I want to say here is that their deaths were definitely not in vain, and their deaths were definitely worth it. They are the backbone of my Great Chu and the heroic spirits of my Great Chu.

They fell on the road to building a prosperous and powerful new Chu State. For this goal, today, they fell on the road, and there will be thousands of brothers behind them, including me, including all the generals and officials standing here, who are ready to fall on this road at any time! We will die without regrets!
In my heart, I have always had a dream. From the rising sun in the east to the setting sun in the west, from the four seasons of severe cold and ice in the north to the year-round warmth like spring in the South China Sea, it is all the territory of my Great Chu Empire!
In my heart, I have always had a dream. In the Great Chu, in this new empire, the monarch is wise and brave, with great talent and strategy, and his flags are shining everywhere. At the same time, he is compassionate, generous and kind, loves the people and the weak, and is upright and open-minded.

In my heart, I have always had a dream that in Da Chu, in this new empire, all the nobles and officials will have noble character, proper manners, both moral integrity and ability, broad minds, and be honest, prudent, and diligent.

In my heart, I have always had a dream that in Da Chu, in this new empire, soldiers, businessmen, civilians, workers, all walks of life, each doing their own job, living and working in peace and contentment, with a stable and abundant life.

In my heart, I have always had a dream that in the Great Chu, in this new empire, there will be peace all over the world, horses will be put to rest, weapons will be put into storage, the people will no longer suffer the hardships of war, no longer endure the pain of separation from their loved ones, and will enjoy eternal peace.

In my heart, I have always had a dream that in the Great Chu, in this new empire, there will be no famine, no cold and starvation. The elderly with gray hair and beards can live in peace and have warm fur coats to wear. Children can grow up without worries and health, and the elderly, the weak and the disabled can be properly cared for. Ordinary families can have meat to eat from time to time.

In my heart, I have always had a dream that in the Great Chu, in this new empire, the people would be reasonable, modest and wise. Every city and village would run a school so that every child could read and learn and receive an education.

In my heart, I have always had a dream, that my empire and my people will always stand at the center of the world, and will always be glorious, prosperous and powerful.

My soldiers, as your king, I want to ask you, are you willing to join me in building this empire and realizing this dream? "

At the end of his speech, Xiang Yu suddenly clenched his right fist, raised his arm and shouted loudly.

This silk book has been circulated throughout the three armies, and the captains are responsible for informing each of their soldiers. The generals, officers, and soldiers were originally skeptical, but now they have heard what the Overlord said in person, and they no longer have any doubts. Their blood is boiling, their eyes are full of longing, and they are completely fascinated by the beautiful picture of the new empire described by Xiang Yu.

Especially those officers and soldiers who were civilians, their blood was boiling, their hearts seemed to be jumping out of their throats, and they raised their arms and shouted:

"willing!"

"willing!"

"willing!"

The sound was like thunder, echoing in the valley and spreading far away from the vast land.

At the same time, Xiang Chang led a thousand cavalrymen and quietly left the military camp, galloping towards the old Chu territory in the south.

Hearing the roar coming from the eastern valley, Xiang Chang's face was filled with a bright smile. At this moment, the confusion, fear, and timidity he had felt since coming to this world were swept away, replaced by endless determination, pride, and confidence:
"I came to this world not to bring iron and blood, but to carry out a supreme mission! I want to make this deeply beloved, ancient and sacred land, this ancient, intelligent, hardworking and kind people with a long history, eliminate barbarism, vulgarity, selfishness, greed and ignorance, accelerate the process of prosperity and nobility, and cast a beam of civilization into it..."

The biggest gain from the battle with the Han camp was the capture of a large number of war horses. The dead ones were eaten as meat, the broken and lame ones were bred, and the intact ones totaled more than 20,000 horses. Therefore, the cavalry led by Xiang Chang were so luxurious that each of them had three horses, and they were all tall and strong horses.

After a day of galloping, changing horses without rest, they were already far away from Gaixia by evening.

In the vast flat plains of the west, a huge red sun with its beams of light converging slowly sank toward the horizon. The sharp autumn wind was like a whip swung by the heavens, constantly whipping the withered trees and decaying weeds.

Xiang Chang stood on his horse, quietly looking at this gorgeous scroll, and could not help but recite softly:
"After years of battle, my clothes are covered with dust, and I see the autumn wind withering the greenery.

The beautiful water and mountains are too beautiful to be seen, and the sound of horse hooves shatters the afterglow. "

Qu Fu, who was standing behind him, was of noble birth and quite talented in writing. He looked surprised and said, "General, is this a poem? It is very different from the Book of Songs. It feels more straightforward and easy to understand."

Xiang Chang smiled awkwardly, waved his hand, and did not continue the conversation on this topic.

At this time, the scouts who were looking for a campsite in front came back to report that there was a small village not far to the east where they could rest.

Xiang Chang nodded and led the cavalry to the east. Not far away, a small village appeared in sight. It was a typical northern village, surrounded by a circle of low rammed earth walls. Outside the wall, there was a large circle of willows, locust trees, poplars and other trees growing in disorder. The houses inside the wall were all made of rammed earth walls, with gray and white thatched roofs. Many of them seemed uninhabited, and the roofs had collapsed.

At this time, some villagers with unkempt hair and ragged clothes secretly crouched on the low wall, looking out with fear and hatred. Xiang Chang originally wanted to go into the village to rest, but when he saw this scene, he sighed secretly and found a threshing ground in the south of the village, so he ordered to set up camp there.

The generals and soldiers were greatly surprised, but they dared not disobey the order. The threshing ground was very spacious, more than enough to accommodate a thousand cavalrymen. A dozen scouts were sent out to guard in all directions, while the rest of the cavalrymen were busy setting up tents or going to the nearby pond to fetch water to wash and feed the horses.

As the giant sun sank, the sky darkened and a bonfire was lit on the threshing floor. The cavalrymen drank boiling hot soup and ate minced meat mixed with millet and horse meat cooked in their helmets.

With Zhou Yin's help, Xiang Chang formulated dozens of extremely detailed rules for the army's camping, such as not drinking raw water at will, keeping the camp clean and tidy, not gambling or shouting, etc. At first, the knights were naturally not used to it and violated it repeatedly. After being severely whipped several times by the guard captain Zhou Yin, they gradually obeyed.

After everything was cleaned up and the minced meat was eaten, the cavalrymen sat around the campfire and began their evening study routine.

The content of learning is very different. Sometimes it is military regulations, sometimes it is how to march, sometimes it is how to deploy troops, and sometimes it is practical combat skills to attack and kill the enemy.

What is essential every night is that you must learn two words.

This evening was different. After learning the characters, the middle-ranking officers from noble families held up a piece of silk book and read aloud a copy of the Overlord's edict with flushed faces. After each item was read, they explained it in detail again in plain language that the illiterate cavalrymen from common families could understand.

Just as the reading was in full swing, an old man with a skinny body, unkempt hair and beard, wearing a starched but pudding-like gray-brown robe, led dozens of equally skinny middle-aged men with bare upper bodies and only a piece of cloth around their waists, carrying hot soup, a paste made of millet and wild vegetables, on their shoulders and in their hands. They walked out of the village tremblingly, touched the edge of the camp, and begged the guarding cavalry to see the commander.

When Xiang Chang received the report from the cavalry, he hurried out with Zhou Yin to greet them. When he saw the things carried by the young and middle-aged villagers behind the old man, he immediately realized that they were here to entertain the troops.

Xiang Chang smiled and asked the old man a few questions. It turned out that this was a village inhabited by people with the surname Wang. The old man was the clan leader, named Wang Heji. After years of war, there were only a hundred households left in the village, and most of them were old and weak. There were only a few dozen strong men left.

The villagers were greatly surprised to see that these strong and ferocious cavalrymen, who were obviously not good people, did not enter the village to cause trouble like previous armies, but stationed outside the village. After all, they did not dare to ignore them. After hesitating for a long time, the clan leader Wang Heji came to visit the troops. Now that he saw that the young general was quite kind, he felt relieved.

Hearing the clan leader frowning, racking his brains, and stumbling over some half-literate words to comfort the troops, but never mentioning letting the royal army go into the village to rest, Xiang Chang smiled and welcomed the old man into the military camp. He said in a gentle voice:

"Don't panic, old man. These soldiers of mine are all civilians from our Chu land. They are our own soldiers. From now on, they will never harass you again. If such a situation occurs again, I will punish them severely."

As he said this, he waved his hand and asked the cavalry to collect the rice porridge. Then he filled the utensils with dried horse meat as a return gift and asked the strong men in the village to carry it back.

No one had expected these soldiers to be so generous. Looking at those black pieces of horse meat, the strong men in the village had their eyes shining and their throats moving rapidly. It was only because they were still in the barracks that they would have pounced on them and started to chew on them.

Wang Heji already knew Xiang Chang's identity at this time. Hearing that he was the eldest son of the King of Chu, he knelt down in panic and kowtowed. Xiang Chang took a long time to pull him up.

The eldest son of the Great Chu State was rich and naturally disdained to rob his own poor little village. Wang Heji was finally relieved. At this time, he saw the strong men in the village steaming all over, looking at the horse meat that Xiang Chang gave him in return with a look of greed like a starving ghost. He felt ashamed and couldn't help but sigh.

Wang Heji also pulled out seven or eight pale and skinny women in their teens from among the middle-aged men, and pushed them towards Xiang Chang with flattering smiles on their faces.

Xiang Chang was stunned, not knowing what the clan leader meant.

The generals standing behind him suddenly showed strange smiles.

Zhou Yin leaned over and whispered something. Xiang Chang's face darkened.

These women were sent by Wang Heji to sleep with him and the generals in the army. In the past, when the army entered the village, they not only forcibly conscripted able-bodied men and robbed the civilians of their food, but also bullied the women.

Seeing that these soldiers did not enter the village or harass them, the clan leader Wang Heji did not dare to be rude, so he not only gritted his teeth and allocated half of the village's only food reserves to make porridge and send it over, he also did not dare to fail to prepare the women who were to serve him in bed.

Xiang Chang naturally refused firmly and asked the strong men in the village to send the horse meat and the women back to the village.

Zhou Yin was not surprised by Xiang Chang's behavior. At Gaixia, Xiang Chang sent all the maids to the wounded camp to take care of the wounded. Together with Ying Bu, he defeated Liu Bang's rear army and captured many beautiful girls, but he did not take any of them and distributed them to the soldiers. For a strong young man of his age, it was natural that he did not like women, but he was so strict with himself, which meant that he had great ambitions.

This point was undoubtedly what Zhou Yin appreciated the most. The reason why his former master, Overlord, lost the support of the people was largely because he had no restraint or control over his desires in the past. He was so arbitrary and reckless. Of course, after being beaten by the big man, he has changed his mind now under Xiang Chang's strong persuasion.

Xiang Chang warmly invited the clan leader to sit down by the campfire: "If you have nothing to do tonight, why don't you sit with us and join our campfire night study."

The old man had no interest in night school, but since Master Xiang Chang had invited him, he knelt down beside the campfire as solemnly as possible and listened attentively.

"...

In the future New Empire of Great Chu, soldiers, merchants, civilians, and workers from all walks of life will perform their duties, live and work in peace and contentment, and lead a stable and abundant life.

In the future, the new empire of Great Chu will be a land of peace and prosperity, with horses put to rest in the mountains and weapons put away. The people will no longer suffer from the hardships of war, nor endure the pain of separation from their loved ones, and will enjoy eternal peace.

In the future, the new Great Chu Empire will be free of famine and hunger. Old people with gray hair and beards will be able to live out their old age in comfort and wear warm fur coats. Children will be able to grow up healthily without worries, and the elderly, the weak, and the disabled will be properly cared for. Ordinary families will be able to eat meat from time to time.

......"

Sitting around the campfire, listening to the generals of noble birth reading out and explaining the Overlord's edict, they imagined the prosperous scene described in the edict that they had never dared to dream of: no war, everyone could live and work in peace; no famine, everyone could be warm and well fed, and even have meat from time to time, and children could learn to read... All the officers and cavalrymen were full of longing.

"If I could really live a life like this in the future, I would be willing to die." Clan leader Wang Heji, who was kneeling awkwardly beside Xiang Chang, was completely fascinated after listening to a few words. He sighed with a melancholy look on his face.

Xiang Chang looked at him with a slight smile, and said very seriously and firmly: "It will definitely be possible, old man. Give me twenty years, and I will give you a strong empire."

Wang Heji laughed and nodded repeatedly, but his expression was a bit perfunctory and not very enthusiastic. It was also true that at his age, he had experienced enough vicissitudes of life, so he would naturally not listen to the bragging of young people who could be his grandsons and easily believe anything.

Even if he is the son of the Overlord of Chu.

Seeing the old man's expression of disbelief, Xiang Chang was not discouraged. He knew that one must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. After all, this time he was truly setting out on the journey.

As long as you set out, take each step firmly and diligently, you will reach your destination one day. By then, all those who do not believe, doubt, or even oppose will naturally believe it.

(End of this chapter)