Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Several cavalrymen dismounted, knelt on one knee before Xiang Yu, and bowed.

"I see……"

Xiang Yu slowly opened her eyes, her handsome face showing no surprise whatsoever; all of this was exactly what she had expected.

After all, Yu Ji was a spy they had carefully selected. She originally wanted to get close to the enemy commander to gather intelligence and find an opportunity to assassinate Bai Su.

But right now, not only has the assassination mission failed, but the intelligence has also run into serious problems.

It looks like the spy has been bribed by the other side. Such a big matter needs to be discussed properly with her.

......

Inside the Chu army camp.

Xiang Yu, carrying a long spear in one hand, walked into the main tent.

At this moment, in the main tent, besides King Huai of Chu, Mi Xiongxin, and his guard Lü Zhu, Xiang Liang was also pacing back and forth with his eyebrows furrowed.

As the main tent of the King of Chu, this place symbolized authority and dignity. Anyone who entered had to remove their armor and was not allowed to bring weapons. However, Xiang Yu was an exception.

Inside the tent, Xiang Liang's jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, completely unkempt. He was dressed simply in a long dress, and his face looked grim, clearly having heard some bad news.

Mi Xiongxin's fair face was full of fatigue, and she was lazily yawning. When she saw Xiang Yu walk in, she hurriedly shifted her little bottom and adjusted her posture: "Xiang Yu, you're back."

Xiang Yu casually handed his spear to a guard beside him, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I underestimated the enemy and rushed in recklessly, falling into their ambush. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Mi Xiongxin waved her hand and comforted him, "This battle is not your fault, my dear minister, but there is another reason."

Xiang Yu was taken aback: "There's another reason?"

Mi Xiongxin exchanged a glance with Lü Zhu beside him. The latter nodded slightly, took out a letter from her sleeve, and handed it over: "General Xiang, take a look for yourself."

"This is a letter written by Yu Ji..."

Xiang Yu looked at the familiar handwriting at the beginning, and a look of surprise immediately appeared on his originally tired face.

Since Yu Ji sacrificed herself to feed the tiger and got close to Bai Su, the two have not been in contact for a long time. In addition, some unexpected events last night have filled her with worry about Yu Ji.

Now that she had finally received a letter from Yu Ji, she naturally wanted to see how Yu Ji would explain it.

It must have been a trap set by Bai Su. No matter who in the world might betray her, Yu Ji would never betray her.

But as her gaze slowly moved downwards, she froze on the spot, her eyes wide with disbelief, her lips trembling slightly: "This...how is this possible?!"

The letter slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground.

Han Xin, who was following beside him, was taken aback. He picked up the letter with curiosity and looked at it. Even his usually calm eyes were momentarily stunned.

The letter was simple. Yu Ji said that after spending some time with Lord Bai, she had gradually fallen in love with him and had given up the assassination mission.

From now on, I hope to serve you wholeheartedly.

I'm sorry I can't keep our childhood promise because...

She has now found a new purpose in life and hopes that Xiang Yu will not come looking for her.

Han Xin blinked calmly and murmured, "Has Miss Yu Ji fallen for that Grand Chancellor? No wonder... the Xia army was lying in ambush beforehand. So there was an inside man?"

"But it's not surprising. Heroes are always paired with beauties. Although Bai Su is an enemy, she is impeccable in terms of talent and background."

"He was highly respected among the common people, and countless women had long admired him. It was only natural that Miss Yu Ji would fall for him..."

Her words were cut short before she could finish speaking.

The reason is quite simple...

Xiang Yu clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and stared intently at the tent with a terrifying killing intent, like an enraged lion. The air in the tent seemed to freeze.

Han Xin blinked innocently and tilted his head: "Hey Boss Xiang, don't stare at me like that, it's kind of scary."

Xiang Yu said in a deep voice, "Yu Ji would never betray me."

Han Xin scratched his cheek with his fair hand and said, "But it clearly says in this letter..."

"I don't believe a single word of this letter. I must find Yu Ji myself and ask her directly for an explanation..."

Seeing the two about to start fighting, Xiang Liang quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Yu'er, don't be angry. Since it has already happened, there's no point in arguing about who was right and who was wrong. Now we should think about what to do next. Something has happened in Jiangdong..."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yu temporarily suppressed her anger, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "What's wrong with Jiangdong?"

Xiang Liang sighed slightly and said, "That Bai Su is really too cunning. We don't have many cavalry to begin with, and we lost nearly half of them last night. Taking advantage of the fact that we lost a leg in a short period of time, the Xia army directly dispatched a force of several thousand men."

"They made a long march to our rear, harassing us everywhere. We lacked cavalry and could not keep up with their mobility. In addition, the commander of our troops was a fierce general named Fan Kuai, who was capable of fighting a thousand men single-handedly. Ordinary people were no match for him."

"This has led to a situation where the supplies and provisions from the rear cannot be transported in the short term, and our camp only has less than a month's worth of supplies left. If this continues, the situation may become dire."

"What's most infuriating is that the Xia army ignores the troops of Wei, Han, and the other six states and focuses on harassing us."

"The reason why His Majesty has been able to firmly hold the position of leader of the allied forces and command all sides is because he is the strongest."

“If our Chu army encounters a major problem and its prestige is greatly diminished, those people will not only refuse to come to our aid, but they might also turn a blind eye to our difficulties, or even betray us on the battlefield, given that the Xia army has sent envoys and promised benefits.”

"Therefore, we must find a way to stabilize the situation and let them see that we can win. They will only help whoever wins!"

After pondering for a long time, Xiang Yu said coldly, "Hmph, as long as I, Xiang Yu, am alive, they will not have any disloyal thoughts."

Xiang Liang was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "You mean..."

Xiang Yu said, "First, send envoys to the allied forces of Han and Wei to demand warhorses, and have Long Ju and Ji Bu lead their troops back to Jiangdong to encircle and annihilate Fan Kuai's troops."

Xiang Liang raised an eyebrow and said, "Relying solely on envoys is probably not enough to command these allied forces."

Xiang Yu frowned and said coldly, "Here's what we'll do... send an envoy to the city. I will set up a banquet at Hongmen, a few miles away from both armies, and invite Bai Su to the banquet. If he agrees, then we will temporarily cease hostilities, and I will personally ask the allied forces for supplies."

"If they disagree, then I will force my way into the city. Even if it costs us our last soldier, we will bite off his neck and tear off pieces of flesh. At worst, we will both suffer heavy losses. With the situation in the north still unstable, Bai Su will definitely not want to fight us head-on until the very last moment..."

"After all, if our Chu army and the Xia army fight to the death, the main force on the grasslands cannot be withdrawn. Once the troops in the Central Plains are exhausted and Guanzhong falls, the main force fighting on the grasslands will suddenly be cut off from supplies and may be completely wiped out in the face of the siege of the Xiongnu and Donghu."

"Such a situation will only benefit the barbarians on the grasslands and the people of the six kingdoms with their own differing intentions."

"Bai Su is a smart person, but the thing smart people hate most is fighting to the death and entrusting their fate to the elusive will of heaven."

"I can take advantage of this banquet to meet Bai Su properly and see what kind of man my long-time enemy is."

"At the same time, I want to ask Yu Ji myself what exactly happened. If I don't find out the truth, there will always be a thorn in my heart that I can't pull out."

After listening to his niece's words, Xiang Liang couldn't help but sigh. Sure enough, she still couldn't let go of Yu Ji's matter.

However, at present, the morale of the three armies all depend on Xiang Yu's banner, so this is the only way.

She couldn't help but ask, "Since you say Bai Su is a smart person, would he really come to such a risky banquet?"

Xiang Yu clenched her fair hands tightly and said in a deep voice, "I don't know, but if he really has the guts, he will definitely come."

Chapter 322 This servant is willing to act as your advocate, sir.

A light rain began to fall from the sky.

In the quiet courtyard, a beautiful woman, adorned with jade at her waist and a skirt with beaded curtains, sits on the long corridor, her fingers plucking the strings of a zither.

The captivating melody draws you in.

She seemed like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting, perfectly blending into the misty rain, creating a stunning picture.

At this moment, three people were sitting upright at a table, brewing wine over a stove. A few green plums floated on the surface, emitting a faint aroma of wine.

The young man in white robes at the head of the group, though sitting in a relaxed and casual posture, exuded a magnificent aura. Unlike a nobleman, his every word carried an imposing presence that commanded respect.

"Xiang Yu has invited you to a banquet, sir. This is clearly a conspiracy. Sir... we'd better not go."

The female general, dressed in a black skirt armor, frowned after reading the letter in her hand and couldn't help but speak.

"Yes."

Upon hearing Zhang Han's words, Liu Ji nodded, a hint of vigilance appearing in his large, peach-blossom eyes: "Xiang Yu is extremely bloodthirsty, like a tiger or wolf. As the commander of the three armies, what would happen if something were to happen to you?"

Yu Ji's fingers, which were plucking the strings of her zither, paused slightly.

She hesitated for a moment, then continued playing the zither, but her beautiful eyes couldn't help but glance at the white-robed youth with his back to her, as if she wanted to hear what Bai Su planned to do.

Bai Su put down her wine cup and sighed helplessly, "If I could, I wouldn't want to go either. I clearly have the upper hand, so why should I go and negotiate with her? But I have no choice but to go this time."

Why?

Liu Ji blinked his big, fluffy eyes, a hint of confusion on his face.

"Something happened in the northern desert..." Bai Su said after a long silence.

Liu Ji raised a delicate eyebrow: "This... how is this possible? In this battle of Mobei, General Meng Tian personally led the army, bringing together the elite troops from the Central Plains. The Xiongnu and Donghu are merely second-rate troops. How could they be a match for Meng Tian?"

Zhang Han nodded in agreement with Liu Ji's statement.

Although they secretly smuggled ironware and armor to the Xiongnu, it was still far inferior to the fully armed forces of the Central Plains.

Under normal circumstances, as long as Meng Tian didn't make any fatal mistakes, the situation on the grasslands should have been settled.

Bai Su sighed: "Therefore... this is not a man-made disaster, but a natural one."

As he spoke, he tossed a recently delivered secret letter from his sleeve to the two men.

Liu Ji and Zhang Han lowered their eyes, as if they had seen something terrifying. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. Plague... plague!!!

They never expected that a natural disaster would suddenly break out on the grassland.

Bai Su said, "No, to be precise, it should be called the Black Death, or... the plague."

According to a secret letter sent by the imperial court, the situation on the grasslands was very favorable in the early stages. The allied forces of the nomadic tribes were no match for the Beiting Protectorate. Often, one Han Chinese could hold off five nomadic tribes, and only a thousand soldiers were needed to force back tens of thousands of troops.

However, as they ventured deeper into the northern desert, things began to look strange.

Soldiers kept falling ill for no apparent reason, starting to have nosebleeds, their skin turning black and festering, and they died quickly. Panic gripped the entire army.

Sensing that something was amiss, Meng Tian immediately halted the army's advance to prevent further losses. While strictly controlling the spread of the disease, he also immediately reported the situation to Xianyang.

Based on some characteristics in the letter, Bai Su had roughly guessed that it was most likely the plague.

Historically, the plague originated in the grasslands, but because nomadic peoples did not have a written language, these events were not recorded until they had large-scale contact with the Central Plains and were gradually recorded.

Almost every one or two hundred years, a large-scale plague outbreak occurs on the grasslands.

As for the reason, it's quite simple.

People living on the grasslands follow the water and grass, relying on the weather for their livelihood. Unlike those in the Central Plains, they do not have much food stored. Once they encounter severe drought or blizzards, many livestock die, and no one comes to provide them with disaster relief.

On the grasslands, the strong prey on the weak. When powerful tribes run out of livestock, they will plunder the resources of other tribes. The herders who are plundered and left with nothing begin to dig holes and eat rats in order to fill their stomachs.