My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 142 I will not obey your order
Zhang Liang chuckled and shook his head, "I have heard that Master Chang is very eloquent, and he has the style of a great strategist. Now I see that it is true. Even if there are really 60,000 Chu troops outside the city, it will take more than one day to capture Zhu City, right? Mei Xuan, the sworn brother of the King of Hengshan, will lead 20,000 troops to help us soon. General Mei Xuan's bravery in battle was no less than Ying Bu's. Even your father, the Overlord, recognized him and named him the 'Marquis of 100,000 Households'."

"In addition, 'Ji's successor' Shusun Tong has taken the Han king's edict to lobby Ying Bu, giving him the fief of Jiujiang King and Linjiang King in exchange for his sending troops to rescue. Add to that the 20,000 troops of Chen Xi stationed in Lujiang County and the 40,000 Hengshan troops attacking Linjiang Kingdom, a total of 100,000 troops, who will arrive soon. Needless to say, the siege of Zhucheng can be lifted, but you and your son are in danger of being destroyed in front of the city, right? With the cruel and bloodthirsty temperament of the Overlord, how could he waste words on traitors? Now that he sent you here as an envoy, I guess he is not sure of breaking through Zhucheng, so he is threatening you, right?"

The important officials and generals of Hengshan Kingdom immediately felt that it made sense, and their expressions all softened. They then looked at Xiang Chang with vigilance.

For the officials and generals of the Hengshan Kingdom, surrendering to the Chu State was a last resort to save themselves and their families in the face of a life-and-death crisis. After hearing that the Overlord and his son were just bluffing and had no confidence in conquering Zhu City, they naturally decided to maintain the status quo and enjoy wealth and honor, which was more in their own interests.

Xiang Chang pointed at Zhang Liang, raised his head and laughed loudly, and stopped laughing after a while: "Back then, the son of Lord Mafu of Zhao State talked about war on paper and ruined hundreds of thousands of Zhao troops. In my opinion, the words of today's military advisor are no less than his."

Seeing Zhang Liang's deep eyes and unhappy face, Xiang Chang suppressed his laughter and continued:
"You don't understand, do you? If the success or failure of a battle between two armies was determined solely by the number of soldiers, then the Great Qin Empire should have lasted for thousands of years, and why was it defeated by the princes? My father's attack on the Great Qin in the Battle of Julu, and the beating of old Liu Bang in the Battle of Pengcheng, the military advisor never witnessed it in person. As for you, haha, you must be aware of it, right? A mere 100,000 rabble dares to say that you can destroy the 60,000 elite Chu troops led by the Overlord himself. You are really obsessed! Only a scholar like you, the military advisor, who doesn't know anything about military affairs, dares to say such a thing."

"With my father's courage, he commanded 60,000 troops to capture this small city of Zhu. It would only take a few beans. How much effort would it take? How could he wait for your reinforcements to come back? You underestimated the overlord who was feared by the world, didn't you? Humph, according to my father's intention, we will attack the city today. After the city is captured, we will slaughter your Hengshan Kingdom from top to bottom. I considered the overall situation and believed that the preservation and surrender of Hengshan Kingdom would be more beneficial to our Great Chu. Therefore, I persuaded my father to come here as an envoy to give you a way out. Having said that, whether you continue to be a Chu citizen, maintain the Great Chu regime, and share wealth and glory, or become a dog of Liu Bang in the Han camp, fighting against each other, and making your relatives sad and your enemies happy, it is up to you to make the decision."

The generals and ministers of Hengshan Kingdom looked at each other, their expressions shocked, hesitant and restless.

It has to be said that the rhetoric skills of Zhang Liang and Xiang Chang, the two top strategists, were indeed too good. The ministers and generals of the Hengshan Kingdom, including King Wu Rui, were like mentally handicapped babies. Sometimes one person's words made sense, and sometimes another person's words also made sense. They were completely brainless and were being manipulated.

Looking around at the panicked and hesitant faces of the people in Linjiang Kingdom, Zhang Liang secretly tensed up his nerves. He clearly felt the pressure from the boy opposite him, but his expression did not change at all. He said calmly: "With the cruelty of the Overlord, even if Hengshan Kingdom surrenders, who dares to believe that he will not settle the score with them later? Besides, after the battle of Gaixia, Da Chu was already dying, and its time is running out. Now at the critical moment of death, it is too shameless to drag Hengshan Kingdom into the water!"

The Hengshan Kingdom immediately turned its eyes to Xiang Chang to see how he would refute.

Xiang Chang had a look of disdain on his face. He sneered and flicked his sleeves heavily. "The Chu army is running out of time? You are so arrogant! Your Han camp at Gaixia is several times larger than the Chu army, and you have Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu to help you. It can be said that you have a large army and an absolute advantage. What will be the final outcome? Did you defeat the Chu army? Never mind. I don't want to waste any more time talking to you. - Wu Rui, I know that you will not give up until you see the Yellow River. This time, I came here on the order of my father to bring you three valuable gifts. Please accept them with a smile!"

Seeing Xiang Chang's confident state, Zhang Liang suddenly felt uneasy.

Xiang Chang waved his hand, and Xiang Xi and Meng Xia behind him took the two brocade boxes they were holding, stepped forward a few steps, and solemnly presented them to Wu Rui.

Wu Rui looked cautious and motioned to the attendant beside him to take it. When he slowly opened it, he couldn't help shaking his body and his face changed drastically. When the generals and officials around saw it, they all burst into an uproar.

There were two heads in the brocade box. One had messy hair like straw, an old face, and an inexplicable fear on it. It was Shusun Tong, the "Ji Si Jun" of the Han camp who went to lobby Ying Bu. As for the second head, it was huge, with rough features, and eyes as wide as copper bells, emitting an expression of unwillingness and anger. It was obviously a military commander. Wu Rui and others were even more familiar with it. It was the one they had high hopes for - Mei Xuan!
"My Great Chu army attacked Zhucheng with great fanfare all the way, and you sent an envoy to summon Mei Xuan to rescue. Now that my Great Chu army is at the gates of the city, Mei Xuan is still slow to come. Don't you feel strange? No need to be surprised, my father personally led 8,000 cavalry to intercept him halfway, defeated his 20,000 troops, and beheaded him." Xiang Chang paused, considerately leaving Wu Rui time to be shocked, and then continued: "As for old Shusun Tong, he trusted his own smooth talk too much, and fooled Ying Bu here and there, thinking what he thought? My father sent a letter, and Ying Bu beheaded the old man and sent his head. Right now Ying Bu is fighting with Chen Xi's army to seize Lujiang County."

The generals and officials of Hengshan Kingdom were horrified. Doesn't this mean that three of the four armies that Zhang Liang had just spoken so confidently about have been destroyed and there is no hope for them anymore? Only the 40,000 troops attacking Linjiang Kingdom are left? And how much combat effectiveness can the 40,000 troops attacking Linjiang Kingdom have after a long journey to urgently rescue them and return to the city? Moreover, will the army of Linjiang Kingdom let it retreat so easily?

Wu Rui sighed and stood up slowly. All the generals and officials looked at him nervously. He bowed to Zhang Liang and said solemnly, "I, Wu Rui, was named the King of Hengshan by the Overlord. This favor is as deep as the sea and as high as the mountains. Now the Overlord has come to reprimand me personally. I will go to see him and ask for his order. I am sorry that I cannot obey your orders."

Zhang Liang smiled bitterly, shook his head and shut up.

In fact, when Zhang Liang heard that the Overlord was coming to Hengshan Kingdom in person, he already vaguely knew what the consequence would be. After all, the Overlord's prestige in the old Chu was too high, and no general of the old Chu, including Wu Rui, dared to face him head on.

The Han army camp in front of Gaixia City.

Under the escort of elite cavalry led by Xiahou Ying, Liu Bang led Han Xin and Chen Ping out of the Han army camp and climbed onto the seven or eight meter high observation platform built in front of the formation to spy on the military situation in the distant Gaixia City as part of their daily routine.

"Don't worry, your Majesty. Although Xiang Chang has taken control of the Linjiang Kingdom and obtained ample food and military supplies, it is not so easy to transport them to Gaixia. General Lu Ze and Military Advisor Zhang Liang made a prompt decision to negotiate peace with Ying Bu and concentrated their forces to intercept Xiang Chang's grain transport troops. The military advisor also successfully persuaded Hengshan King Wu Rui to send important generals and elite cavalry to participate in the interception. Even if Xiang Chang has extraordinary abilities, there is no way that this batch of military rations can be transported to Gaixia, and he may even be defeated and killed. Therefore, your Majesty can just sit back and wait for good news." Yang Tian, ​​a close minister of Liu Bang, watched Liu Bang's expression, bowed his body, and carefully comforted him.

Liu Bang was wrapped in a thick brocade fur coat made of white bear skin. He stretched out his hand and scratched his scalp carelessly, looking at the Gaixia City in the distance. He did not make any comment, but turned to Chen Ping who was standing beside him and said, "What do you think, Captain Chen?"

The arrow wound on Liu Bang's body had healed, but he was old and frail, and he was afraid of cold. Even though it was not severe winter, he had already wrapped himself in thick fur coats.

Chen Ping bowed slightly and said respectfully, "I agree with Yang Tianzhongjuan. No matter how many tricks Xiang Chang has, he has limited soldiers and no generals. Moreover, he has to transport military rations, and the long journey will inevitably make him very tired. He is at an absolute disadvantage. General Lu Ze and the military advisor have concentrated their absolute strength. It is like a lion fighting a rabbit, and a stone is used to crush eggs. It is a sure thing for us to seize this batch of military rations."

Liu Bang nodded slowly, his tense face relaxed greatly, and he stroked his messy beard and sighed, "I am not worried about General Lu Ze's military strategy. With the help of the military advisor, I don't think there will be any accidents. However, the general needs to be more vigilant in the future, and be careful of those in Gaixia City who hear the news, especially Xiang Yu, who will be furious and desperate, and will fight to the death. Let him escape again."

Han Xin, tall and fully armored, looked reserved and proud. He stood with his hands behind his back beside Liu Bang, seemingly on an equal footing with him, looking clearly superior to all the other generals.

In order to win over Han Xin to continue to serve as the general, Liu Bang used all his tricks to make Han Xin confused, and he regarded himself as Liu Bang's good brother and the second most important person in the Han camp. "Don't worry, my king. As long as the military grain of Linjiang Kingdom cannot be delivered, I guarantee that this Gaixia City will be the burial place of the Overlord." After a pause, Han Xin said with regret, "I didn't expect that the Overlord could really hold back during this period, and didn't rely on his courage and strength to take the risk of leaving the city to attack our grain route."

"This must be what Xiang Chang asked before he left." Chen Ping said with a serious look, "It's OK that Xiang Chang has all kinds of tricks, but the most important thing is that he can suppress the rage of the Overlord and make the Overlord listen to him and no longer act recklessly because of greed. This is too scary."

"That's right! Therefore this kid must not be kept! I hope General Lu Ze can bring good news." Liu Bang nodded in agreement, his tone resentful.

It has to be said that the Overlord who calmed down, acted in moderation and no longer did whatever he wanted was indeed too terrifying, and it was something that no one in Liu Bang's Han camp wanted to see.

"Since the Overlord will not be fooled, recall the heavy troops ambushed at the grain road and concentrate our forces to prevent the Overlord from fighting desperately."

Just as Han Xin finished his words, a horn suddenly sounded in the distant Gaixia City. Then, from the two major camps of the Chu army stationed in the northwest and northeast of the city, tens of thousands of cavalry and infantry poured out like a swarm of frightened bees, lined up neatly facing the Han camp, and approached steadily.

At the same time, the west gate of Gaixia was wide open, and elite cavalry from the Great Chu State continued to pour out of the city, forming a formation to the west of the city ready to charge at any time.

"It works! Little Xiang Yu has learned about Xiang Chang's defeat and is so desperate that he is determined to fight to the death!" Liu Bang was surprised and happy. He waved his sleeves and laughed as if he had drunk the urine of a mad dog.

Chen Ping and Yang Tian both looked delighted and excited.

After spending so much time trying to deal with the King of Chu, we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Han Xin stared at the Chu army formation for a long time, then hesitated and shook his head: "No! The Chu army formation looks like an attack, but in fact it is more like a defense. It is even more unreasonable to open the west gate instead of the north gate."

Everyone in the Han camp was convinced of Han Xin's military strategy. Liu Bang, Chen Ping and Yang Tian felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over their heads, and the excitement on their faces gradually died down.

As if to verify the correctness of Han Xin's words, in the endless plains to the southwest of Gaixia City, hundreds of ox-mule carts loaded with unknown objects came steadily and meandered towards the open west gate of Gaixia.

Hundreds of soldiers stood high on the ox-mule carts, raised their arms and shouted in unison:

"We have food to eat and clothes to wear! The military rations and uniforms of the Linjiang Kingdom have been successfully transported to Gaixia!"

The Chu army camp in the north of the city, the Chu cavalry in the west of the city, and the Chu defenders on the top of the city were all filled with great joy upon hearing this shout. They were greatly inspired, waving their weapons and cheering loudly, wantonly venting their ecstasy:
"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

……

"How is this possible? Right now Lu Ze is intercepting Xiang Chang's grain team. How is it possible that the military grain of Linjiang Kingdom suddenly came to Gaixia? - Humph, could it be a trick of Xiang Yu to deceive the soldiers?" Liu Bang's eyes widened, his hair stood on end, and he shouted angrily.

Chen Ping and Yang Tian were also surprised and looked at each other in disbelief.

"Report, my king, these caravans are undoubtedly transporting military rations and uniforms - Zhou Yin used the caravans to smuggle them from the Kingdom of Linjiang." The scout came over on horseback with sweat on his forehead to report.

Chen Ping felt a chill all over his body, glanced at Han Xin quickly, and blurted out: "Openly repairing the plank road, secretly crossing Chencang?"

As a counselor, Chen Ping reacted very quickly and instantly understood Xiang Chang's scheme of using himself as bait to lure Lu Ze into the trap and secretly letting Zhou Yin use the caravan to secretly transport military supplies to Gaixia.

Han Xin lowered his eyelids, looked solemn, and remained silent.

As a rare and famous general who had fought for many years, he had encountered countless unfavorable situations where the situation suddenly reversed, so he was not too panicked and had begun to think about how to deal with it next.

——Whether Lu Ze succeeded in killing Xiang Chang or not, it was an indisputable fact that sufficient military rations and uniforms had been transported to Gaixia. As a result, it was obviously not possible to trap the Chu army in the city by relying solely on siege.

(End of this chapter)