My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 33 Willing to be a Hostage
Xiang Chang waved his hand, and the last few cavalrymen at the end of the formation, carrying a head and suppressing two Han soldiers, walked towards Ying Bu.

When he got closer, he respectfully placed the head in front of Ying Bu's horse, then tore off the masks on the heads and the cloth stuffed in the ears of the two Han soldiers who were escorting him.

When Ying Bu saw that the head was Liu Jia, his face darkened. He had been mentally prepared for this and was not surprised.

To his surprise, the two soldiers looked quite familiar. They were the guards of Liu Jia. When they saw him, they looked angry and cursed him, saying things like "traitor must not die well", "bastard who betrayed the kindness of the King of Han", "the traitor who changes his mind every day must die", which made him confused and a little uneasy.

Xiang Chang waved his hand, and the cavalrymen chopped off the heads of the two captured cavalrymen. Then, a general with a similar build to King Jiujiang and also wearing flashy golden armor rode out from the back of the formation, clasped his fists towards King Jiujiang, and returned to the queue.

Xiang Chang looked at the King of Jiujiang and said leisurely, "I want to apologize to the King of Jiujiang. I asked this general to dress up as you and kill Liu Jia here when he tried to rush to your camp. Unfortunately, Liu Jia's generals were not killed, including his nephew Liu Xin, who escaped and may have returned to the Han army camp."

Looking at the general who looked very similar to himself, and thinking of the insults he had just received from the two guards beside Liu Jia, Ying Bu already had some vague guesses. But now, after hearing Xiang Chang's words, he no longer had any hope. He felt a chill all over his body, and for a moment his eyes widened in anger. He clenched his spear and was ready to charge at Xiang Chang.

"If I were you, I should calm down right now and think carefully about what to do next. Liu Xin must have informed Liu Bang of your rebellion. Who did you kill? But he was your cousin who had made great military achievements for him. Needless to say, he would not let you go even if he continued to make you a king!"

"Bullshit, I didn't kill him. As long as I explain it to the King of Han, he won't blame me at all."

"That makes sense! Then just go and explain it clearly." Seeing Ying Bu baring his fangs and roaring angrily like an enraged tiger, Xiang Chang became more relaxed.

The reason why he dared to risk his life to persuade Ying Bu was certainly because he had no choice, but he had also done his homework beforehand.

By recalling his impression of Ying Bu, combining it with historical materials from his previous life and the rumors and deeds he had collected about Ying Bu, after careful consideration, he had a vague grasp of Ying Bu's character and felt that he should be 70% to 80% sure of persuading him.

Like Ying Bu, who was originally just a criminal, relied on his strong military talent, as well as the blessing of the times and luck, he successfully occupied a place in the turbulent tide of the late Qin Dynasty, was named king, achieved a reversal in life, and obtained supreme power, wealth and glory.

So what is the most feared thing for people like him?

lose!

If he lost everything he had now, became penniless again, and turned into that lowly prisoner again, that would be tantamount to the end of his life!

This can be seen from the fact that he betrayed his father and joined Liu Bang, but was defeated by his father and had nothing. When he went to see Liu Bang, he found that Liu Bang looked down on him and asked a maid to wash his feet while meeting him. After he left, he wanted to commit suicide!

He had nothing at that time. If Liu Bang did not accept and support him, he would have no chance to make a comeback. So he, a desperate outlaw who had stood on the top of the mountain and tasted the power, lost everything and was completely desperate. He wanted to end his life!

In addition, things like his wife, children, relatives and family are important to Ying Bu, but they are definitely not the most important.

In this regard, he, Peng Yue, Liu Bang, and Wu Qi, who killed his wife to become a general in Lu during the Warring States Period, are all the same type of people.

They are too eager for success and power. As long as they can climb up and possess power and wealth, all other external things, even family affection, can be abandoned by them!
Perhaps this is a common problem for those at the bottom who have gone through untold hardships, endured countless pains of being skinned and replaced, before finally fighting their way up?
What Ying Bu fears most is loss, so what does he want most? ——It’s simple, more power!
For a desperate man like him, his desires are endless. As long as the benefits are big enough, he is not afraid to gamble! Even if it means gambling his life!
His many winning experiences in the past also gave him a deep and mysterious self-confidence. As long as he dared to gamble, he would succeed. This made him not afraid at all, or even directly ignore the risks!
Otherwise, he had already been made a king, but he betrayed his father and joined Liu Bang. Although it was because he was afraid of his father, the bigger reason was that Liu Bang tempted him with greater power and higher status.

Now that we have grasped his weakness, found out what he fears the most, and figured out what he desires the most, it's easy. We just need to formulate a targeted strategy to threaten what he currently possesses and cherishes - it is possible to deprive him of it all, leaving him with nothing again, and then tempt him with what he desires, and in the end he will naturally follow the expectations of our plan.

And this is the reason why Xiang Chang dared to persuade Ying Bu, the fierce tiger of the time.

"At this point, Ying Bu, why are you still holding on? Ask yourself, are you the kind of person who would put your fate and life on the mercy of others? My father treated you like a drought-stricken land waiting for rain. When I came here, he said that as long as you come back to join him, he will make a pact with you as a brother and share the world with you. You also know my father's credibility. Compared with Liu Bang, that sinister villain with no credibility, who do you think is more reliable?"

Facing Xiang Chang's eloquent speech, Ying Bu took a long breath and said coldly:

"If you want me to surrender, fine! But you can't just rely on words, Xiang Chang, you have to show some sincerity. Otherwise, even if I end up with nothing, I will never follow you and your son into this muddy water!"

"What sincerity do you want?"

"It's very simple. You will be my hostage and follow me back to the barracks. As long as you promise, I will immediately organize the army after returning to the barracks, respond to the Overlord, and attack the Han army!"

"Absolutely not!" Before Xiang Chang could say anything, Zhou Yin beside him got angry and interrupted, cursing, "Ying Bu, don't think too highly of yourself! We can still make rice dumplings without your rotten reed leaves! If you want to die, we will grant your wish! You want the eldest son to be your hostage, you are deluded!"

Ying Bu pretended to be deaf to Zhou Yin's scolding, his expression unchanged, his eyes like a hawk, staring straight at Xiang Chang.

Xiang Chang narrowed his eyes slowly, and his mind was rapidly calculating. He smiled and turned to Zhou Yin and said, "Grand Marshal, you will immediately return to the barracks to reorganize the army. After two breakfasts, if you don't receive my signal, you will immediately attack the Jiujiang King's army!"

After saying this, he urged his mount on, left the Chu army alone, and headed straight towards Ying Bu.

(End of this chapter)