My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 65 Dirty and Ugly
Halfway through the banquet, Liu Bang, in high spirits, drank the whole bottle of wine and had drunk a little too much. His old face became rosy and his old eyes became drunken.

Liu Bang was the King of Han, and all the generals toasted to him. However, to Han Xin, he personally toasted several times, praising Han Xin's merits, sympathizing with Han Xin's hard work, and marveling at Han Xin's superb military talent. During the toast, he also recalled how confused and hesitant he was when Xiao He recommended Han Xin to him and asked him to appoint him as the general. In the end, he realized how wise his decision was after facts proved it... This series of toasts showed his respect, trust, and friendship for Han Xin to the fullest.

Faced with Liu Bang's warm toasts and flattering words, and the envious and jealous looks of the generals nearby, Han Xin, although he did not drink much and still remained sober, could not help feeling a little tipsy. It was not the wine that made him drunk, but he himself was.

The generals had drunk a little too much, and gradually they gathered in groups of three or two, chatting with each other. Liu Bang held a wine jar, walked crookedly to Han Xin, and sat down next to him on the soft seat: "Come, King of Qi, I'll toast you another glass, and wish you great fortune and a long life!"

Han Xin was about to stand up to express his gratitude, but Liu Bang grabbed him and held him down on the table: "Why are we talking about so many formalities? Today, we are no longer king and subject, but brothers! I am a few years older than you, so it is not too much for you to call me brother, right?"

Liu Bang drank half of the wine in the bottle in one gulp and handed the remaining half to Han Xin, "If you recognize me as your brother, you will drink this half of the remaining wine!"

It was totally unexpected that Liu Bang, as the King of Han, would recognize him as his brother. This honor was something that even loyal and close ministers like Xiao He, Cao Shen, and Fan Kuai had never had. Han Xin's face flushed with excitement. He took the wine without hesitation and drank it all in one gulp!
"Good brother, I, Liu Bang, was not wrong about you!" Liu Bang laughed happily, raised his hand and stroked Han Xin's back, patting him hard.

After a while, he suddenly sighed, his face full of worry: "Brother, since you and I are family, let's not talk about our differences. Peng Yue was persuaded by Xiang Chang halfway and returned to Liangdi quietly, which disappointed me. Now Xiang Ji has the help of Ying Bu's army and Zhou Yin's army, and there are signs of resurgence. It is difficult to destroy him with just my troops."

"In the future, when we fight Xiang Ji, we will need your Qi army to join us. Only when our two families become one and truly inseparable can we hope to achieve success! Don't worry, since I have promised to make you the King of Qi, I will never break my promise! After I kill Xiang Ji's son, I will immediately announce it to the world and guarantee that you will enjoy the honor of the King of Qi, and pass it on to your descendants for eternity, and live with the Han Dynasty!"

Facing Liu Bang's sincere and heartfelt words, Han Xin felt the blood boiling in his body. He was so moved that he felt willing to die for Liu Bang. He knelt down and swore, "Brother, how dare I not die to help you?"

Liu Bang was very happy.

The atmosphere at the banquet became more and more lively. The generals gathered around and toasted Han Xin one after another.

At this moment, Yang Tian, ​​a close minister of the Imperial Court, came hurriedly into the tent with an anxious look on his face and presented a roll of cloth in his hand to Liu Bang.

Liu Bang looked unhappy and said drunkenly, "You bastard, don't you see that I am entertaining the King of Qi and the generals? Can't we wait until tomorrow to discuss the matter?"

Yang Tian smiled bitterly, but did not retreat, insisting on holding the cloth high.

Liu Bang glared at him and grabbed the cloth: "You disturbed my interest. If it's not something important, I will whip you!"

After opening the cloth and taking a quick look, Liu Bang's eyes suddenly widened, his face changed drastically, his body shuddered, the alcohol on his face turned into cold sweat, and he stood there in a daze.

At this time, all the generals realized that something was wrong and gradually stopped the banquet and toasts. Slowly, the camp became quiet.

"Haha, this little Xiang Ji really has some tricks up his sleeve. Is he forced into a desperate situation and is desperate?" Liu Bang looked up at the inquiring eyes of the generals, chuckled dryly, then turned to the person behind him and said, "Zifang, come and see." He found that it was Chen Ping standing behind him, then he remembered that Zhang Liang was seriously injured by an arrow and was still recovering, so he handed the hand to Chen Ping.

Chen Ping took it and opened it. His eyebrows suddenly raised, and a look of surprise flashed across his handsome face. He immediately pinched the cloth and said with contempt: "King of Han, there is no need to pay attention to such a deceptive thing. Just throw it away and burn it. The Great Chu is about to be destroyed, and Xiang Yu will die and his clan will be exterminated. Even if such an order is passed down, who will obey it? It will only make the world laugh at you."

Liu Bang saw that the generals were becoming more and more curious, staring at the roll of cloth. He knew that since Xiang Yu had sent someone to deliver it, he must have announced it to the world and spread it widely. It was impossible to ban it. As for the people whose names were on the list, he was afraid that the order would also be passed on to their respective armies. With a magnanimous look on his face, he waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter."
"What's the big deal? Let's spread it to everyone, so that everyone can know how ridiculous Xiang Ji's trick is and how panic-stricken the Overlord is right now. That's good."

Sure enough, at this time, the servant of King Han Xin of Qi also came into the tent with a roll of identical cloth, and even a sword, a seal in a wooden box, and a dark blue brocade flag, and presented them to Han Xin.

Han Xin took it puzzled, opened it and opened his mouth in surprise.

This was an imperial edict issued by Xiang Yu in the name of the Overlord of Great Chu, enthroning a new round of princes.

The edict said that the eighteen princes who were enthroned in the early period either rebelled or were killed by Liu Bang, and only a few remained. In order to stabilize the country, appease the people, recuperate and enjoy eternal peace, a new round of princes was enthroned.

Looking at the list of new princes except Han Xin written on the imperial edict, all the generals in the camp, including Han Xin, looked surprised.

Some generals looked at each other, then quickly withdrew their gazes as if they had been electrocuted, lowered their heads, and remained silent. However, in this glance, they could vaguely see the heat and desire in each other's eyes.

In this edict, all the important generals and ministers under Liu Bang, including Lü Ze, Cao Shen, Wang Ling, Zhou Bo, Xiao He, Fan Kuai, Zhou Chang, Li Shang, Jin Xu, etc., were all on the list and were named kings!
Although Xiang Yu's Chu looked dying, it had not really died. As long as it was still hanging on, it was a resounding golden signboard, with the legitimacy of inheriting the Qin Dynasty's command over the world and the natural and unquestionable legality of enfeoffment of princes.

All the forces in the world, the local tyrants, the princes, even the King of Han, Liu Bang, had to recognize them.

Seeing that all the generals were silent, and some even couldn't hide their joy, although Liu Bang had expected this, he still couldn't help feeling very angry!

Chen Ping saw that Liu Bang was in trouble, so he shouted, "What the King of Han said is right. Xiang Yu is at the end of his rope. He is about to be defeated and destroyed. Who in the world still recognizes him as the overlord? He is implementing such a cunning strategy just to alienate the King of Han and you guys, as a delaying tactic. It's really ridiculous!"

All the generals came to their senses immediately, and they echoed and expressed their thoughts loudly, saying that they would never be misled by the thief Xiang.

After such a commotion, the banquet could not continue and ended in a hurry.

Liu Bang returned to the resting tent, drew his sword, and chopped all the furnishings in the tent into pieces, cursing all night long. His curses were so foul and ugly!
(End of this chapter)