Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Although he currently holds a significant advantage based solely on the information on paper, it would be wise to exercise caution when facing Han Xin and Xiang Yu, two monsters whose abilities cannot be measured by conventional standards.

Never gamble everything just because of a temporary victory.

Otherwise, if we are even slightly careless, we might repeat the mistakes of Prime Minister Cao.

His accumulated wealth over many years was instantly reduced to ashes, and he was never able to unify the Central Plains again, only able to watch helplessly as the two sides ruled separately across the river.

Just as he was deep in thought, a fast horse approached, standing out conspicuously in the secluded battlefield.

Looking up, they saw Fan Kuai riding a fine steed towards them.

She quickly came to Bai Su's side, dismounted, and bowed, saying, "My lord..."

Bai Su asked, "Is there any news about Chen Sheng or Wu Guang?"

Last night, Bai Su felt a pang of regret because they were a step too late in entering the city, allowing the bandit leaders Chen Sheng and Wu Guang to escape.

After all, the next step was a direct confrontation with Xiang Yu, and he naturally didn't want any unsettling factors to arise in the rear.

Fan Kuai said with a smile, "Although I failed to capture Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, my lord, you don't need to worry."

Bai Su was taken aback, and asked curiously, "Why?"

Fan Kuai said, "Because they are already dead, killed by their own coachmen."

"The... driver?"

Bai Su was taken aback for a moment.

Fan Kuai chuckled and slowly recounted the whole story.

It turned out that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang planned to flee to the Chu region, hoping to rely on Xiang Yu's support to make a comeback. However, they did not expect that the valuables they carried in their carriage would arouse the covetousness of the coachman and guards.

After all, this group of people were originally prisoners and had no martial virtues.

Seeing their once high and mighty leader now in such a sorry state, they were overcome with greed. So, while the two were asleep at night, they murdered him and stole his money.

The former regional lords vanished without a trace.

Upon hearing this, Bai Su sighed deeply.

Indeed, not everyone can be like Liu Ji and Liu Bei, who, after suffering a crushing defeat and losing everything, still have a group of core members who are determined to follow them to the death and start over.

Not everyone can possess a human heart.

Fan Kuai couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what should we do next?"

Bai Su gazed at the distant street and pondered, "Judging by the time, the envoy should have arrived at the Wei-Han allied forces by now. When the envoy returns, it will be the day we head south and make a final decision with Xiang Yu."

Fan Kuai's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "My lord, we have just won a series of great victories and our morale is soaring. Why be so cautious?"

Bai Su glanced at her and couldn't help but sigh: "There's nothing we can do. On the surface, we seem to have a million-strong army, but more than half of them are stationed in various border regions, some in the Western Regions, some beyond the Great Wall, and some in Liaodong..."

"We don't actually have many troops that we can use to march south. Moreover, Xiang Yu is a man who cannot be described by ordinary standards. If we want to deal with her, we must be on high alert and absolutely not give her any chance to breathe."

"Therefore, we must make full preparations. Commanding tens of thousands of troops depends on morale, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops depends on logistics, and commanding a million troops depends on the will of the people and the general trend of the world."

"Only by intimidating others with power can one remain invincible."

Fan Kuai nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Although she couldn't understand what it meant for the time being, it seemed very impressive.

......

......

"The Xia envoy has met with the King of Wei and the King of Han..."

Chen Ping, dressed in a black court dress, bowed respectfully inside the tent, looking no different from any other official.

As Bai Su's envoy, she was ordered to persuade Wei Bao and Han Wang Xin not to interfere, and that the decisive battle between the Xia and Chu armies should at least... take place before Xiang Yu is defeated.

Wei Bao glanced at Chen Ping, but this unknown minor official in front of her did not attract much of her attention.

She took the letter of state from Chen Ping's hand, lowered her eyes to look at it, and couldn't help but show a look of surprise on her face: "Oh, your Great Xia wants to negotiate peace with me?"

Even Han Wangxin, standing to the side, couldn't help but be slightly taken aback by his clear, black-and-white eyes.

After all, they and Xia Jun were mortal enemies, and now Xia Jun had taken the initiative to come and negotiate, which was really beyond their expectations.

Chen Ping showed no nervousness whatsoever despite the suspicious looks from the crowd.

She smiled and said, "The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit. Although we had some conflicts in the past, we now have a common enemy, Xiang Yu. Therefore, we may be able to cooperate."

Wei Bao was taken aback. She pretended to be casual and said, "What do you mean by that? I respect the King of Chu and am an ally of Xiang Yu. How can you talk about us being enemies?"

Chen Ping gave her a half-smile: "Your Majesty can deceive others, but you can't deceive me. That Xiang Yu is arrogant and overbearing; she doesn't take either of you kings seriously at all."

"According to the alliance, after you helped her restore the Chu Kingdom, she should also help you to march north. But now, not only is she not helping, she is threatening you to provide warhorses, provisions, and weapons."

"This is hardly an ally; she's clearly treating you like suckers. With her personality, even if she overthrows the Great Xia in the future, she'll probably only divide up territories for those around her and won't consider you at all."

"Therefore, His Highness Hu sent me here to discuss with you two how to deal with Xiang Yu together. After the matter is accomplished, he will grant you both a fiefdom as kings. For this purpose, His Highness has already prepared royal robes and a jade seal for you..."

After saying that, she clapped her hands, and the guards outside the tent quickly came in carrying the royal robe.

Wei Bao looked over and saw that the emperor's robes were placed on the bronze plate. He was thrilled, but he managed to suppress his excitement.

She gave Chen Ping a strange look, then said, "We are very grateful for Your Highness's sincerity, but... we have made an oath with Xiang Yu after all. Even if we can't be allies, we can't turn into enemies."

"How about this? We will not interfere in the decisive battle between Xia and Chu. Is that alright?"

Han Wangxin's delicate eyebrows furrowed immediately. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but was stopped by a look from Wei Bao, so she had to suppress her doubts.

A hint of hesitation appeared on Chen Ping's fair face. After a long while, he said, "Very well, I will report to Your Highness truthfully."

Wei Bao waved with a smile, signaling the guards to see the guest out: "Then I'll trouble you, Your Excellency."

Only after Chen Ping's figure gradually disappeared into the distance did King Han Xin finally ask, "What are you thinking? Why do you want to cooperate with the Xia army? We and the Chu state are interdependent. Once the Chu state is pacified, the Xia army's next target will definitely be us."

Wei Bao couldn't help but smile: "I naturally understand such a superficial principle."

Han Wangxin was taken aback: "Then what were you doing just now...?"

Wei Bao's lips curled slightly as he spoke, "I was merely using a counter-strategy to make Xia and Chu fight like the snipe and the clam, so that we could reap the benefits."

“Look at Xiang Yu now that her military power is strong, she doesn’t take us seriously at all. If this trend continues, even if she overthrows the Great Xia in the future, we will probably have nowhere to survive.”

"It would be best if Xia and Chu fought to the point of mutual destruction before we went to their aid. This would preserve a large number of troops, allow us to take over Chu's position as the leader of the alliance, and enable us to capture Xia's poorly defended cities along the way. It would be killing two birds with one stone."

"Even if Xiang Yu harbors resentment towards us, he will be too weak to do anything to us."

After hearing her plan, King Xin of Han's eyes lit up.

That's a brilliant plan indeed.

......

......

Meanwhile, in the Chu region.

The campfire flickered, and the grass rippled.

Before the main tent, a woman dressed in a red silk skirt walked gracefully, her sleeves drooping low, her long skirt trailing on the ground, a jade belt cinching her waist, and her black hair coiled in a bun.

Her skin was as white as snow, and with each step she moved, her figure swayed gracefully, like a willow in March, her charm fully revealed.

As she approached the camp entrance, the beauty seemed to sense something and stopped in her tracks.

"You...you really are leaving after all, Yu Ji?"

Xiang Yu, dressed in a white, tight-fitting robe, stood at the entrance of the camp, looking at Yu Ji with a complicated expression.

The two had grown up together since childhood and were like close friends, yet now, just a few steps apart, it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

Looking at Xiang Yu's dejected face, Yu Ji felt a sharp pain in her chest. If she could, she would also want to stay by Xiang Yu's side and hold this sister, whom she considered like a brother, in her warm embrace.

But that won't work...

The decisive battle between the Xia and Chu armies is about to begin, and she must get back to Bai Su's side as soon as possible.

This doesn't mean that Bai Su held a higher position in her heart than Xiang Yu.

Instead, if Xiang Yu were to be defeated in the future, she could only stay by Bai Su's side, serving the Grand Chancellor well and whispering sweet nothings in his ear, which would bring Xiang Yu a glimmer of hope.

But she couldn't tell Xiang Yu any of this.

Otherwise, if Xiang Yu knew how much she had sacrificed for him, he would be furious with King Huai of Chu and might even be tempted to kill his ruler.

At that time, Xiang Yu would no longer be the hero in the hearts of the people of Jiangdong and the people of Chu, but a sinner who murdered his lord.

Yu Ji gently bit her lip and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Yes, Lord Bai has returned from the south. I... I must go to greet him. I hope you will not stop me."

After saying that, she walked straight out of the camp.

Xiang Yu watched Yu Ji brush past him and subconsciously reached out his hand, but stopped halfway. She bit her lip tightly and said, "Don't leave, okay? I can take care of you."

Yu Ji paused for a moment, her eyes trembled, her lips parted slightly, and as she listened to Xiang Yu's slightly hoarse voice, a lump formed in her throat.

However, she still managed to resist turning her head and said in a casual tone, "Take care of yourself first. Now I am an adult, both physically and mentally. We... can't go back to the past. I hope General Xiang won't stop me."

Xiang Yu looked at Yu Ji, who was not turning her head, and heard her cold tone. He couldn't help but clench his fists, making a cracking sound.

After a long silence, she solemnly swore to Yu Ji's retreating figure, "I...I will definitely defeat Bai Su and take you back. Whether you like it or not, you belong to me, and I will never give you to anyone else."

Yu Ji paused slightly, but gritted her teeth and continued walking.

Under the moonlight, Xiang Yu stood alone at the entrance of the camp, looking particularly lonely.

Chapter 341 My Lord, I'm Back

The Jingxiang region.

Mi Xiongxin wore a magnificent red royal robe with wide sleeves embroidered with phoenix patterns of Chu people. The tight fabric accentuated her petite figure, making her look exquisite and graceful.

She sat upright in the main seat, her height of less than 1.4 meters causing her delicate legs to dangle in the air, her black boots swaying unconsciously. This made her look less regal and more girlish and cute.

At this moment, she was listening intently to the battle report that Xiang Liang had brought back.

"Your Majesty, Bai Su mobilized three or four thousand doctors from various regions, along with a large amount of supplies, and marched north. In less than fifteen days, he completely brought the natural disaster known as the plague under control, and the army of hundreds of thousands suffered fewer than three thousand casualties."

"Afterwards, they set up an ambush before the Yin Mountains and defeated the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu. Now the Xiongnu and Donghu are completely routed."

"Bai Su used some unknown means to make the former grassland overlords, the Xiongnu, willingly come to surrender, thus allowing the Xia army to take over the entire northern desert and a large area of ​​Liaodong at a very small cost."