My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 105 The place where the situation breaks
Hearing Zhang Liang's earnest words, Lu Ze nodded, then sighed slightly, "I can't take care of my son Xiang Chang right now. The King of Han sent a message that in order to allow Ying Bu to retreat early in the Battle of Gaixia, he promised to give him half of the land of Jiujiang. Now Ying Bu will lead his army to arrive soon, and I am considering giving him that half."

Zhang Liang pondered for a moment after hearing this, his eyes lit up, and he said decisively: "Since you have decided to win over Ying Bu, just give him all the land of Jiujiang. There is only one condition, that he must break off all ties with the Chu camp and not be allowed to support the Chu army at Gaixia. Ying Bu is selfish and will definitely agree. In this case, you will also withdraw 50,000 troops under your command and rush to Gaixia as soon as possible to participate in the encirclement and annihilation of the Chu army. - Whoever is in Ying Bu's army now, send a message to him immediately and go to negotiate with Ying Bu on this condition."

Listening to Zhang Liang's plan, Lu Ze thought about it and found it very clever. This would stabilize Ying Bu, and once his 50,000 elite soldiers were deployed at Gaixia, they would play a decisive role. As long as Xiang Yu's Chu army was destroyed, Ying Bu could do whatever he wanted. Based on his understanding of his brother-in-law Liu Bang, he would never tolerate the existence of the princes.

Lu Ze thought of something else and said hesitantly:
"The king's envoy Sui He has been in Ying Bu's camp. He was the one who persuaded Ying Bu to defect to Han. Six or seven days ago, he sent a message saying that Ying Bu was quite interested in returning to Han, but his generals had different opinions. But since then, there has been no news from Sui He. Recently, I heard rumors from merchants in the city that they had done business with the Jiujiang army on their way back to Shouchun, and they said that Sui He had been killed by Ying Bu in the army."

Zhang Liang frowned and sighed, "I knew this fickle villain was unreliable. In that case, I cannot give him half of Jiujiang. Not only that, I have to keep him out of Jiujiang. As long as he cannot enter Jiujiang and get supplies, the army of tens of thousands will fall apart in no time."

Hearing Zhang Liang's cold words, Lu Ze's spirits perked up. This coincided with what he had thought. He hesitated and said, "But Ying Bu has the letter of the King of Han on him. What if he comes to ask for it?"

Zhang Liang lowered his head and drank the warm soup without saying a word.

Lu Ze was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly, and smiled bitterly: Just let me take the blame. Just use my disagreement as an excuse to reject Ying Bu.

"In your opinion, military advisor, will Xiang Chang join forces with Ying Bu in order to recover the Chu territory?" Lu Ze asked, remembering Zhang Liang's intention.

Zhang Liang shook his head, stood up and looked at the old map of Chu, and said thoughtfully: "If my guess is correct, Ying Bu's sudden killing of Sui He may have something to do with this guy. Because if I were that guy, I would do this, first of all, let Ying Bu and the Han Dynasty break up completely, and there will be no possibility of reconciliation, so as to delay the general's 50,000 troops and make them unable to go north to Gaixia. As for the place to break the deadlock in the recovery of Chu, I will only choose here-"

Zhang Liang gently tapped a location on the topographic map. When Lu Ze looked, it was the Linjiang Kingdom, the fiefdom of Gong Ao.

"With you, the great general, in charge of Jiujiang, even if Ying Bu comes to fight for it, it will be difficult to decide the outcome for a while, and naturally he will not be able to support the Chu army at Gaixia. As for Wu Rui, the King of Hengshan, he has a very good relationship with me. He betrayed Xiang Yu and supported the King of Han. He is determined and he cannot be persuaded in a short time. Therefore, the only choice he can make is the Kingdom of Linjiang. Especially during the Battle of Gaixia between Han and Chu, the Kingdom of Linjiang remained neutral and did not move its troops. In his opinion, it is worth fighting for." Zhang Liang sneered, "Who are our envoys to the Kingdom of Linjiang now? Has the King of Linjiang changed his attitude?"

After Zhang Liang's analysis, Lu Ze felt as if he had suddenly realized something, and hurriedly said, "The person currently on a diplomatic mission to Linjiang Kingdom is Shusun Tong. According to the letter he sent, Linjiang Kingdom is divided into several factions, and they are arguing endlessly, and the King of Linjiang has been unable to make a decision."

"It's that old scholar. With him here, it shouldn't be a problem to stop Xiang Chang." Zhang Liang heaved a sigh of relief, lowered his body, and sat limply on the mat. He couldn't even kneel down. He stroked the wound on his chest and ribs, smiled bitterly, and said, "I can't go. I originally planned to ask for an envoy after meeting the general, and go there in person. But judging from the condition of this body, I'm afraid I'll die on the way before I get there."

Lü Ze was shocked and tried to appease him, begging him to stay and help him deal with Ying Bu, but he dared not let him go to Linjiang Kingdom. Lü Ze knew very well how important Zhang Liang was to Liu Bang. If he went to Linjiang Kingdom and something happened to Xiang Chang, he would have no way to explain to Liu Bang.

"Does Shusun Tong have any capable people in Linjiang Kingdom?"

"He took away several carts of valuable gifts such as gold, shells, and silk from here, and brought dozens of disciples as an envoy group. He doesn't have many capable people. However, he said that he has persuaded the general Huang Jizhong of the Linjiang Kingdom to join our Han camp, so we should have enough manpower." Lu Ze told him everything he knew.

"Very good! I knew this old guy was still reliable." Zhang Liang's face was full of approval, and then he lowered his eyes, with a hint of sternness flashing across them, "We can't just do nothing. Please ask the general to send soldiers to set up checkpoints in key cities to blockade and kill Xiang Chang and his party. However, given his shrewdness, I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed if we kill him halfway. Please ask the general to send a message to Shusun Tong, asking him to make all preparations. As soon as Xiang Chang shows up in Linjiang Kingdom, don't be afraid of offending the King of Linjiang, and kill him immediately at all costs. This kid must not be kept. And tell him clearly, just say it's what I said, he only has one chance."

At the end of his speech, Zhang Liang was so excited that he began to breathe heavily and lay on the soft mat for a long time before he calmed down.

Lu Ze was greatly surprised, as he could keenly hear a hint of anxiety in Zhang Liang's tone. He had never really seen Xiang Chang's extraordinary qualities, and this was the first time he saw Zhang Liang take an opponent so seriously. Even the overlord who was invincible in the past did not make him treat him so seriously.

"What's so special about that kid Xiang Chang that the military advisor values ​​him so much?" Lu Ze hurried forward and handed him another hot towel, unable to help but ask.

Zhang Liang glanced at Lu Ze and said bitterly, "The general is far away from Gaixia and doesn't know much about that kid. I'm afraid I don't think highly of him. I only regret that I can't go to Linjiang Kingdom in person. This kid is even more terrifying than Fan Zeng back then. The battle of Gaixia helped Xiang Yu stabilize the situation and was not destroyed by us in one fell swoop. Xiang Yu trusted him more than Fan Zeng did back then, and he obeyed his orders. The most important thing is that he and Xiang Yu are still father and son, so Captain Chen Ping's plan to alienate him has no room to work. I originally thought that Xiang Yu would relapse and become arrogant again soon, but who knew that perhaps because he was beaten repeatedly by the King of Han, his temperament has changed greatly."

Hearing the unwillingness in Zhang Liang's tone, Lu Ze blinked, feeling unbelievable.

Zhang Liang raised his head with great effort, stared at Lu Ze, and said in a deep voice:
"I know the general is dissatisfied. Jin Xu, Fu Kuan and several other generals died in the north of Gaixia City. But I swear, this is not the intention of the King of Han. Now is the most critical moment to destroy the Chu camp. We in the Han camp must stick together. Once Xiang Yu catches up, you and I will die without a burial place."

Lu Ze's face changed, he stood up, turned his back to Zhang Liang, and looked at the old Chu topographic map hanging on the wall with his hands behind his back, without saying a word.

"I know that the general has also received the imperial edict from Xiang Yu to be crowned as king. The general must not make any mistakes now. With the general's intelligence, he must have seen that it was just Xiang Yu's delaying tactic to disrupt our Han camp. If the general really believed it, he would have fallen into his trap."

Lu Ze's body was as still as a spear, but he was very clear in his mind: Zhang Liang came to Shouchun with injuries, and his purpose was indeed impure. Of course, he was targeting Xiang Chang and Ying Bu, but a big part of the reason was probably to help Liu Bang keep an eye on him, so that he would not run to Xianyang to become the King of Qin with the edict of Xiang Yu's enthronement as king.

After bidding farewell to Ying Bu, King of Jiujiang, Xiang Chang led a thousand cavalrymen and headed straight for the Kingdom of Linjiang.

At Xiang Chang's request, they hid during the day and traveled at night, and tried to avoid counties and prefectures as much as possible, walking on small roads in rural villages to avoid possible pursuit and ambushes.

Zhou Yin disagreed with Xiang Chang's caution. After all, the roads between counties were extremely poor, not to mention the small roads in the countryside. Moreover, they were traveling at night, so the cavalry could not gallop at all.

Xiang Chang was determined to do so, and explained to Zhou Yin: "For the enemy, we would rather be more prepared than be careless. People like Zhang Liang and Chen Ping in the Han camp are afraid that they have guessed that I am going to Linjiang Kingdom. How can they remain indifferent and not chase me along the way?"

Zhou Yin was stunned, with his old eyes shining with pure light, "Can they figure out your whereabouts? Are they gods?"

Xiang Chang simply said: "It's very simple. I put myself in their shoes and can infer from their perspective. There is no reason why they can't think of it."

Zhou Yin was confused by him. His scalp felt itchy and his brain seemed to be not enough.

Just like Zhang Liang's inference, Xiang Chang went to Linjiang Kingdom this time in an attempt to persuade the King of Linjiang to change his flag and support the Great Chu. If the situation at Gaixia was to be completely revitalized, the first thing was whether the old Chu land could be recovered; and whether the old Chu land could be recovered depended on whether the King of Linjiang could be successfully persuaded.

Gong Ao, the King of Linjiang appointed by Xiang Yu, had died of illness the year before last, and now his son Gong Wei is the King of Linjiang. Xiang Yu valued Gong Ao's noble family background and his loyalty to him, so he appointed him to Linjiang and regarded him as the "pillar of the south sky".

After Gong Ao died of illness, his son Gong Wei took over, and this "pillar of the southern sky" began to show signs of crumbling.

Many of the new King of Linjiang's secret operations made Xiang Chang, who prided himself on being smart, exclaim "I don't understand". For example, now that Han and Chu are fighting, everyone can see that one of them will win, so as a vassal, you can only choose one. However, to the surprise of everyone in the world, the new King of Linjiang, Gong Wei, chose the third way, neutrality. In the history of the previous life, Han and Chu fought to the death, brains splattered, and King of Linjiang, Gong Wei, had always been holding on to his fiefdom, saying that he was deaf and blind, and he kept his head down and did not help either side. After the battle of Gaixia, the Chu was destroyed, and the Han Dynasty had the world. Logically, Gong Wei should have surrendered to the Han camp, but another unexpected scene happened. The King of Linjiang still held on to the old tricks, holding on to his fiefdom, resisting stubbornly, and refusing to surrender.

Naturally, Liu Bang would not tolerate this and immediately sent General Jin Xu to lead the army to wipe out the rebellion in one fell swoop. Gong Wei was captured alive and escorted to Luoyang to be beheaded. As for the important generals and ministers in the kingdom, such as the Pillars of the State, the Grand Marshal, and the Generals, they all surrendered and none of them died for their country. Not even one person collected Gong Wei's body.

The most eye-catching among them is the great General Huang Jizhong. After surrendering to the Han Dynasty, he followed Liu Bang to pacify Han Wangxin and Jiujiang Wang Yingbu, and followed Zhou Bo to the north to conquer Mayi and Loufan. He always charged at the front in every battle, fought hard and never retreated, made outstanding contributions, and was finally named Marquis of Bin by the Han Dynasty.

This shows how unpopular Gong Wei's strategy of neutrality was.

Thinking back on what Gong Wei had done, Xiang Chang couldn't help but recall Zhu Yuanzhang's evaluation of Zhang Shicheng in previous history - he was petty!
Zhu Yuanzhang said that Zhang Shicheng was a small businessman at heart. Although he occupied a wealthy land, his ambitions were not big. All he wanted was a stable and prosperous life.

This is highly consistent with the current Gongwei.

Xiang Chang looked in the direction of Linjiang Kingdom and sneered: "Captain Gong, this is a chaotic world, a world where everyone is struggling to survive, not a peaceful and prosperous world where you can live a simple life with your wife and children. Moreover, where did you get the chance to own a piece of land and enjoy wealth and prosperity? You were granted a title by my Great Chu, but you hid yourself when my Great Chu was in trouble. Such ungrateful behavior is not advisable. Since you don't want to be decent, I will come here in person to help you be decent."

"You said that the Linjiang Kingdom is currently divided into three factions. General Huang Jizhong strongly supports surrendering to the Han Dynasty. Great Pillar State Bo Pi has always had a friendly relationship with you and may be able to win over our Great Chu camp. The Grand Marshal Chu Licuo, who is most trusted by the King of Linjiang, advocates maintaining neutrality and not helping either Han or Chu. Do you know Chu Licuo? Is there any possibility of winning him over?" Xiang Changdong asked.

Zhou Yin shook his head. "That old villain is a trusted official that Gong Wei has just promoted. He has no old relationship with me. According to the spies I have placed in Jiangling City and the feedback from the officials of Linjiang Kingdom that I have bribed, they all said that this old villain is extremely stubborn and cannot be moved by words. He will not change his mind easily."

Xiang Chang gently waved his whip, remained silent for a while, and said coldly: "Two tigers are fighting for their lives, but the wild dogs on the side remain neutral. I really don't understand who gave them the courage to rule over them?"

"Bo Pi, the great pillar of Linjiang Kingdom, wants to meet you." Zhou Yin said while peeked at Xiang Chang's face, feeling quite ashamed in his heart.

Originally, he had repeatedly told Xiang Chang that Bo Pi was his best friend, and that they had served under Xiang Liang during the anti-Qin campaign, and that they had a deep friendship, and that he could definitely pull Bo Pi to the Great Chu camp. However, when they were about to arrive at Linjiang Kingdom, he sent him several messages, but the old man was hesitant and worried, and could not make up his mind to join Chu.

Xiang Chang understood this quite well, nodded and said leisurely: "He wants to see if my father and I are worth continuing to invest in. It is also human nature. Where does he want to meet?"

"That old guy has a manor outside Jiangling City." Zhou Yin, who was quite familiar with Xiang Chang's character, was very anxious about Bo Pi's hesitation and reluctance to make a decision. But now that Xiang Chang agreed, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long after, the group arrived safely at the border of Linjiang Kingdom. There was a caravan waiting at the border. One hundred elite cavalrymen were separated from the one thousand cavalrymen, who changed into armor and served as the caravan's escort cavalry.

The remaining 900 cavalrymen then crossed the border, entered the territory of the Linjiang Kingdom, and rushed to the capital Jiangling City. Along the way, caravans continued to converge, and the 1,000 cavalrymen kept splitting up. When the last 100 cavalrymen merged with the last caravan, the 1,000 cavalrymen disappeared like a drop of water in the sea.

Zhou Yin, as the most prominent noble in the old Chu land, was appointed by Xiang Yu as the highest official in the old Chu land, and the power he controlled was amazing. Although he rebelled against the Han and returned to Chu, his power in the old Chu land was wiped out by Lu Ze, but he still had a lot of power to use secretly, such as these caravans.

These caravans are real and belong to branches or vassals of his Zhou family. They travel to various places to do business over the years.

When they were still dozens of miles away from Jiangling City, on the official road leading to Jiangling, the last caravan that Xiang Chang and Zhou Yin were in suddenly turned a corner and headed diagonally towards a long hill. Soon, a dozen cavalrymen came to meet them and led the caravan along the winding mountain road, finally arriving in front of a manor hidden among many ancient trees.

To Xiang Chang and Zhou Yin's surprise, they were received by the eldest son and daughter of Great Pillar State Bo Pi, the young man Bo Li, who was about 20 years old, and the young lady Bo Yan, who was about 15 or 16 years old and had a stunning appearance.

Bo Li obviously knew the identities of Xiang Chang and Zhou Yin, and was very respectful, not daring to neglect them at all. He apologized repeatedly, saying that his father was summoned by the King of Linjiang in the capital Jiangling to ask questions, and was now rushing here in a car. As he spoke, a layer of fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead, and his expression was full of panic.

On the contrary, the noble lady Bo Yan was very generous and neither humble nor arrogant. She checked for omissions and filled in the gaps on the side without losing her courtesy. During the process, she even looked him straight in the eyes several times. She was not afraid at all and was extremely bold.

Looking at these two noble gentlemen and ladies, Zhou Yin's face darkened.

Xiang Chang remained calm, but sneered in his heart: This Bo Pi Zhuguo, does he regard me, the future king of the Great Chu, as a collaborator who comes to beg for mercy?

Xiang Chang was the eldest son and the rear general of the great Chu. Even if he went to Linjiang Kingdom, the king of Linjiang would have personally come out of the city to welcome him. But now he came to the manor of Bo Pi, a small pillar of the small Linjiang Kingdom, to pay a visit, which was already condescending enough. Bo Pi, the master, did not wait at the manor, but rushed here from Jiangling. It was simply too unbelievable.

Zhou Yin raised his eyebrows, and was about to open his mouth to scold, but was stopped by Xiang Chang. Then, under the guidance of Master Boli and Lady Boyan, Xiang Chang came to an elegant room deep in the manor.

Xiang Xi brought a group of cavalry guards who were fully clothed and kept their weapons with them, guarding the elegant room to ensure Xiang Chang's safety. As for the horses, he sent several cavalrymen to feed and guard them personally.

After sending the brother and sister away, Xiang Chang saw that there was warm water in the elegant room, so he undressed and washed himself thoroughly. Then he changed into a robe, knelt on the soft mat, picked up a scroll of silk book and read it attentively, while quietly waiting for the arrival of the arrogant Bo Pi Zhuguo.

Zhou Yin was settled in a room in the side yard, not too far from Xiang Chang. Compared to Xiang Chang's cavalry guards who were on high alert, he seemed extremely relaxed. After taking off his armor and washing up, he lay on the couch with his eyes closed and enjoyed the massage from the maid. However, the gloomy look on his face never left.

After an unknown amount of time, a minister dressed in luxurious clothes and with great imposing manner hurried in.

He was about fifty years old, of medium build, with a chubby white face and a pair of small eyes that occasionally flashed with a gleam of light, making him look very scheming.

"Oh, I'm late." This person was naturally Bo Pi, the great pillar of Linjiang Kingdom. After entering the door, he greeted Zhou Yin enthusiastically.

Zhou Yin opened his eyes and wanted to curse, but he suddenly thought of something. He snorted coldly, waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly, and closed his eyes again, looking like he was too lazy to say anything more.
Bo Pi knew him well and knew he was blaming him. He smiled awkwardly and tried to explain, but Zhou Yin was too lazy to listen and told him to go and see Xiang Chang immediately. Just as he was leaving, Zhou Yin suddenly opened his eyes, looked at his back, and a sneer of disdain flashed across his lips.

When Bo Pi arrived at the elegant room in the main hall, he took a careful look at the strong and sturdy cavalrymen guarding the room, with a trace of fear in his eyes.

After the escort cavalry informed him and got permission, Bo Pi walked in slowly.

(End of this chapter)