My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 2 Besieged on all sides
As the eldest son of his stepfather, many soldiers knew Xiang Chang. When they saw him leading a team of cavalrymen passing by, they struggled to stand up, looked at him eagerly, and waved their arms and weapons to greet him.

Seeing that the soldiers were either sleeping soundly or keeping warm, although the conditions were difficult, they never took off their armor and weapons, and were ready to fight at any time. Facing the heavy siege outside the city, they were all unconcerned and their fighting spirit remained undiminished.

These veterans who have followed their cheap dad in hundreds of battles until now obviously regard their king as a god and have all become die-hard fans.

Xiang Chang had no doubt that even if his stepfather ordered them to jump off the city wall, they would definitely jump without frowning or hesitation.

Xiang Chang sighed inwardly, his cheap father might have a hundred flaws to complain about, but his ability to lead troops in battle and win the hearts of the soldiers was truly admirable, no matter who came, they would have to admire him. The title of "No king is better than Xiang" was well-deserved.

No wonder after the Battle of Gaixia, when the cheap old man broke through, the abandoned Chu soldiers were leaderless and were eventually slaughtered by the Han soldiers. Even if they surrendered, they could not escape death.

For Liu Bang, these soldiers were the remnants who were deeply infected with the Xiang Yu virus. Even though Xiang Yu was dead, they were definitely restless elements, which made him feel uneasy. Perhaps killing them was the only reassuring solution.

Unfortunately, these soldiers were superstitious about the incredible and miraculous victories their king had led them to achieve along the way, including countless heaven-defying battles in which the few defeated the many and the weak defeated the strong. So even though they were now trapped in an isolated city, they still believed that their king could lead them to create miracles again and continue to perform their own glory. However, they did not know that their king had indeed reached the end of his rope and was at his wits' end.

After the final battle the day before, which was undoubtedly a gamble and ultimately ended in failure, Xiang Chang, who was familiar with the history of the Chu-Han Contention, estimated that in these few days, the man who seemed completely invincible like a god would face a complete collapse of confidence. He would finally make up his mind to abandon the army and lead a part of the elite cavalry to break out.

"Master Chang, stop looking and hurry up. The king is waiting for you." The tall, strong and burly general Xiang Zhuang beside him saw the worry on Xiang Chang's face. He walked slower and slower and urged him again.

Xiang Chang looked back at him and keenly sensed a hint of fear and despair in Xiang Zhuang's eyes. He suddenly realized that the generals were clearly aware of the current unsolvable situation, and only the low-level soldiers were still unaware.

Yes, this tall, strong and rugged general was none other than Xiang Zhuang, who was known as the “number one swordsman” in the Chu army, was deeply trusted by the Overlord of Chu, and had always served as the captain of the central army guard. Of course, he was also the famous Xiang Zhuang who “danced with swordsmanship aiming at the Duke of Pei”.

Xiang Zhuang was Xiang Yu's cousin, Xiang Chang's uncle, and the immediate superior of the General of the Central Army.

However, Xiang Chang was the only son of Xiang Yu and had a special status. Xiang Zhuang was nominally the captain of the guard army, but when the two of them traveled, they still followed behind him unconsciously, with Xiang Chang at the head.

Xiang Chang's face turned cold, he lowered his head and urged his horse to hurry.

At this moment, a sad, desolate and cold Chuci tune suddenly sounded outside the city:

In September, deep autumn, frost flies all over the fields; the sky is high and the water is dry, and the cold geese are sad.

The most miserable thing is to guard the border, wandering day and night; to be armed with sharp weapons, standing firm on the sand hill.

……

The singing was long and endless, coming from outside the city, sweeping every corner of the city, echoing in every street, every house, and every tent.

"Besieged on all sides!"

A famous historical allusion suddenly flashed through Xiang Chang's mind like lightning, making him feel terrified.

That terrifying figure who was revered as a sage of strategy by later generations and represented the intellectual ceiling of the ancients finally took action!
"How come so many people in the Han army can sing Chu songs? Could it be..." Hearing the desolate Chu songs, the fear in Xiang Zhuang's eyes could no longer be concealed and spread to his face.

The cavalry behind him, as well as the surrounding soldiers, all looked confused and stretched their heads to look outside the city.

The sound of the song "Chu Song from All Sides" meant that the outcome of tonight was set. The once glorious Chu Dynasty would usher in its final chapter and condense into a bright meteor in the history books.

That truly invincible man will also end his myth of invincibility, and end up dead. His body will be tragically dismembered after death. Five generals of the Han army, including Wang Yi and Yang Xi, will cut his body into five pieces, each of whom will take one piece to ask for credit from Liu Bang, and be named one of the Five Marquises.

As for the head, Liu Bang cut it off and persuaded the stubborn Lu people to surrender... Xiang Chang's face was gloomy, and his eyes flashed with cold light:
Well, you’re forcing me so hard, you don’t even give me a chance to breathe!
Since leaving, escaping, and staying are all unacceptable, you are forcing me to play with you!

OK, OK, OK, come on, no matter you are a wise saint, a military genius, a rogue, a gangster, a brutal bandit, or a criminal, even if I die, I will take a few of you with me!

Xiang Chang had gone through countless dangerous business wars in his previous life, and had developed a tenacious character that became stronger with each setback. The current unsolvable deadlock, on the contrary, forced out his fierce and unruly bandit spirit and aroused his strong and unyielding fighting spirit.

Turning his horse's head, Xiang Chang whipped the horse and galloped towards the city wall.

He knew very well that the Chuci tune sung by the Han army at night might seem harmless, but in fact it was like a plague. If it was allowed to spread, the army's morale would collapse.

When that time comes, it will be completely out of control and there will be no way to turn things around.

The business war experience in his previous life not only made Xiang Chang's nerves as tough as steel, but also made him realize a truth: no matter how difficult the dead end is, there is always a glimmer of hope, it just depends on whether you can find and seize it.

The situation was now ambushed from all sides and there was no way out. But if there was still a glimmer of hope, it undoubtedly lay in these 50,000 remaining soldiers!

Although their food and fodder were running out and they were extremely tired, the soldiers did not lose their spirits. They were still full of confidence in their king and were still capable of fighting!
Therefore, the most urgent task is to foil Zhisheng's vicious plot to attack the soldiers' hearts and minds and keep their morale high.

In this way, even if they fail in the end, the road is not opened, and their life is completely cut off, with this force, they can still bite off a piece of fat from the Han army and let them taste the bloody pain!

——In any case, we will all die, so why not fight till we get our money's worth? In any case, the history of the cheap dad abandoning the army and breaking out alone must never be repeated.

When Xiang Zhuang saw Xiang Chang heading towards the city wall, he immediately understood that this boy was too hot-headed and was not convinced when he heard the Han army singing Chu songs to confuse the army, so he wanted to go and break up the situation.

He looked very anxious and kept shouting to stop it, but Xiang Chang turned a deaf ear to him. The big black horse was extremely majestic and went away in the blink of an eye.

Xiang Chang's guess just now was correct. Xiang Zhuang did know that the situation was completely ruined. The Overlord had sent a message to ask him to bring Xiang Chang to see him immediately to discuss the breakout. So when he saw Xiang Chang turning to go up to the city wall, he smiled bitterly in his heart:
Even the god-like overlord was powerless to reverse the situation and had to resign himself to his fate. What can you, a mere boy of sixteen or seventeen years old, do?

Moreover, even if we can break the Han army's vicious psychological warfare plan, the situation is already over and destiny has returned to the Han. How can the final outcome be changed in the slightest?

Xiang Zhuang was losing interest and was about to turn around to report to the Overlord, but he saw the cavalrymen behind him looking at him eagerly, as if they wanted to follow Xiang Chang.

Xiang Zhuang was stunned for a moment, but he couldn't bear it anymore. He sighed, "Forget it, I'll just go crazy with you, kid." He pulled himself together, spurred his horse and chased after him, shouting, "What are you standing there for? Let's go! Follow the eldest master!"

A group of cavalrymen were overjoyed and followed closely on horseback.

The cavalrymen had excellent horsemanship and excellent mounts, and under the leadership of Xiang Zhuang, they quickly caught up with Xiang Chang.

Xiang Chang heard the thunderous sound of horse hooves behind him, turned around and saw a smile on his face.

He knew his adopted uncle too well. If he was asked for his opinion, he would definitely not agree. But if he insisted on coming, he would definitely come to support him.

In fact, in the central army, Xiang Zhuang was nominally the Captain of the Guard, and Xiang Chang was his subordinate, the General of the Central Army. However, in the past two years, Xiang Zhuang has always been focusing on Xiang Chang, while he was his assistant. It can be said that he spared no effort to cultivate Xiang Chang, the third-generation head of the Xiang family, so that he could grow quickly and stand on his own.

Therefore, the uncle and nephew have long had a tacit understanding with each other and cooperated seamlessly.

(End of this chapter)