Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Recently, Xiang Yu led the Chu army on a northern expedition, engaging in a fierce battle with the Xia army led by Bai Su.

According to news from a few days ago, the Chu army has captured Yingchuan and is currently confronting Baisu in Qi County, which is great news for them.

After all, the Great Xia had established a fortified territory in the north, and taking it over would inevitably result in huge casualties.

This is a perfect opportunity to preserve our strength and let the two sides fight it out so that we can benefit as the third party can reap the rewards.

The best outcome would be a mutually destructive battle, allowing them to seize control of the situation by heading north, replacing Chu as the leader of the alliance, and reclaiming lost territory from the poorly defended Xia army, thus dominating the Central Plains.

Therefore, the closer the battle between Xiang Yu and Bai Su became, the happier they were.

In any case, their alliance with Chu was an opportunity, so no matter how angry Xiang Yu was, he wouldn't do anything to them before he had a decisive victory with the Xia army, and he even had to keep trying to win them over.

However, they can use this opportunity to preserve their strength to extract some benefits from Bai Su, thus getting something for nothing.

If Xiang Yu is about to collapse, they will march north to help him fight the Xia army.

If Xiang Yu can remain calm, then they will deliberately delay, causing the Chu state to bleed more blood and weaken its strength as much as possible, in order to prevent the Chu state from becoming the dominant power in the future.

In any case, they are not at a disadvantage.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened."

Just as the two were drinking merrily, a general strode in and said anxiously.

"What happened?"

Looking at the general in front of him, Wei Bao, still slightly drunk, asked.

The general said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the envoy from Chu has departed."

Upon hearing this, Wei Bao said nonchalantly, "Could it be that he left in anger because he saw us delaying our advance? Let him go. The Chu army still needs our strength right now. Even if the King of Chu is dissatisfied, what can he do? There's no need to worry."

She joined forces with King Xin of Han, and they commanded an army of over 100,000.

Although the Xia army is currently the strongest, followed by the Chu army, and they are the weakest, they are the most crucial third-party force.

Whichever side chooses to join will gain a huge advantage. Under this premise, as long as the Xia army and the Chu army have not yet determined a winner, neither side will easily take action against them.

If that's the case, then what is there to worry about?

Upon hearing this, Han Wangxin, who was standing to the side, also smiled, clearly agreeing with Wei Bao's statement.

After all, it would be foolish for a third-party force to directly confront the top two powers with its own resources. Only by using a balancing strategy to weaken the strength of the top two powers can they have a chance to rise.

The general smiled bitterly and said, "It's not that I'm dissatisfied, but the alliance has broken down, and the State of Chu is going to part ways with us."

Wei Bao was stunned, and said incredulously, "This... how is this possible? Even if the Chu Kingdom is dissatisfied with us, they wouldn't suddenly sever diplomatic relations. What exactly happened?"

"Your Majesty, you should take a look for yourself..."

The general sighed, took a letter from his pocket, and handed it over.

Wei Bao hurriedly took the letter, tore it open, and read it. Suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply, and she murmured, "It's over, it's over, we've been tricked."

Upon seeing this, King Xin of Han was taken aback and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Wei Bao's face turned deathly pale, and his lips trembled slightly as he said, "We've been tricked by Bai Su..."

She clenched her fists and slowly recounted the whole story.

It turns out that Bai Su's previous mission to send envoys to make empty promises and deliver supplies was ostensibly to win them over, but in reality, it was just a performance.

They deliberately exposed these private transactions to Xia Jun's spies, making King Chu Chu suspicious that they might have reached some kind of agreement with Xia Jun in private.

So when King Huai of Chu sent an envoy here, wanting to ask him about it in person.

Suddenly, something happened in Song territory where they were stationed. At some point, various tabloids began to circulate, claiming that they had made a deal with the Xia army.

While Bai Su and Xiang Yu were engaged in a decisive battle in the north, they went south to launch a surprise attack on Shouchun and Jiangdong. After the eventual success, the two sides would divide the land along the river and share the Chu territory.

To show their sincerity, they even sent the royal seal and royal robe.

With the help of certain individuals, the news spread like wildfire throughout the city, causing widespread panic. Even many of their civil and military officials believed it.

After all, the Xia army had indeed sent envoys beforehand, bringing with them many valuable gifts.

Originally, they just wanted to put on a show to swindle some benefits from Bai Su, getting something for nothing. But now, thanks to Bai Su's planning, the fake show has become real.

What's even more infuriating is...

In order to completely cut off their chance to defend themselves, Bai Su also ordered the Xia army to use their name to intercept and kill the Chu envoys and launch a surprise attack on Chu territory.

This effectively confirms their innocence, leaving them with no way to clear their name.

In this situation, no matter how they explained, Xiang Yu would no longer easily believe them. In fact, to prevent the loss of Jiangdong and Shouchun, he would even divide his troops to guard them and cut off their food supply.

The people in the city were in a state of panic and had lost all popular support. Before the rumors were quelled, it would be difficult to stabilize the situation in the short term, let alone march north. It would be good enough if Xiang Yu didn't come to attack them.

After all, they explained that it was all a misunderstanding. Then Xiang Yu saw that there were supplies brought by the Xia army in the Han and Wei camps, as well as royal robes and seals bestowed by the imperial court. Rumors were circulating that they planned to attack Jiangdong and divide the country along the river.

Furthermore, under the pretense of transporting valuable gifts, the Xia army launched a surprise attack on Chu territory from the rear.

It would be a miracle if Xiang Yu believed them.

They are now completely trapped here and unable to move.

Originally, they wanted to please both sides and gain some benefits, but now they've offended both.

After hearing Wei Bao's words, King Han Xin stared wide-eyed, the wine cup in his hand falling to the ground, and asked blankly, "Then... what should we do?"

Wei Bao clenched his fists tightly, and the drunken, lewd look on his face was gone.

At that moment, she felt a surge of frustration.

When Zhang Yi deceived the King of Chu, he used at least six li of land to trick the King into believing it was eight hundred li.

Now, Bai Su has managed to deceive them so badly with just a piece of clothing and a broken stone—the royal seal! They are utterly heartbroken.

But it's too late to regret it now.

Wei Bao gritted his teeth and said, "Our priority should be to strengthen our defenses and avoid fighting the Chu army as much as possible. While stabilizing the morale of the troops in the city and suppressing the rumors, we should try to send an envoy to contact Xiang Yu. Hopefully, it's not too late now."

Chapter 355 Xiang Yu's Determination

Inside the Chu army camp.

A weary female general walked towards the main tent.

After passing through numerous guards, the female general entered Xiang Yu's tent.

"Great...General, I'm back."

Xiang Yu was discussing state affairs with his aunt Xiang Liang when he heard footsteps. He looked in the direction of the sound and was taken aback: "Xiang Zhuang, what happened to you? Who injured you like this?"

Xiang Zhuang was in a sorry state; her robes were covered in scratches, her boots were covered in mud, and there was even a white bandage wrapped around her forehead, indicating that she had suffered some injuries.

Seeing her like this, Xiang Yu's tone was tinged with anger.

It should be noted that Xiang Zhuang was her cousin, and they were as close as sisters. He had been her right-hand man since she started her career in Jiangdong.

Seeing Xiang Zhuang so badly injured, he naturally felt a surge of anger.

Xiang Zhuang sneered and said, "Who else could it be but Wei Bao and Han Xin?"

"Wei Bao!!!"

Upon hearing her words, let's not talk about Xiang Yu anymore.

Even Xiang Liang, standing to the side, couldn't help but furrow his delicate eyebrows, his expression grave as he asked, "What exactly happened?"

Xiang Zhuang didn't hide anything and recounted her experiences on this trip in detail.

She was originally ordered by Xiang Yu to urge the Wei-Han allied forces to quickly march north and join them in a northern expedition against the Xia army.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving in their territory, they learned that Wei Bao and the Xia army were secretly colluding to divide the Chu territory and rule it along the river.

At first, she thought it was just a rumor, but when she actually arrived at the camp of the Wei-Han allied forces, she did see carriages and envoys from Xianyang.

They also sent a large quantity of spices, precious bronzeware, porcelain...

Even inside the carriage, one could see clothing, a royal crown, and sacrificial items used in the King's Ceremony.

This made her believe that Wei Bao and King Han Xin had indeed betrayed their former alliance.

When she realized something was wrong and wanted to get back as soon as possible, she encountered pursuers sent by the Wei-Han allied forces on the way.

After a fierce battle, the entire delegation was wiped out. If she hadn't reacted quickly and escaped along a secluded mountain path, she might not have made it back.

"Wei Bao, Han Wangxin... they have some nerve! They dared to kill my men! Do they have a death wish?!"

After hearing Xiang Zhuang's words, Xiang Yu clenched her slender jade hands into fists, deforming the bronze wine cup into a thin copper sheet, with wine dripping continuously between her fingers.

She was like an enraged beast, emanating a chilling killing intent. In a daze, the temperature in the tent seemed to drop significantly, sending a chill down one's spine.

Xiang Liang raised her delicate eyebrows slightly. As Xiang Yu's aunt, she was much older and naturally wouldn't be as impulsive as a young person.

She felt that things were too coincidental, as if an invisible hand was manipulating things from behind, which made her feel uneasy.

After a moment of contemplation, she looked at Xiang Zhuang beside her and asked, "Xiang Zhuang, are you sure you witnessed all of these things?"

Xiang Zhuang nodded: "That's right, I'm willing to stake my head on it. The envoy from Xianyang arrived at the camp of the Wei-Han allied forces half a month ago, carrying all sorts of valuables."

"If you don't believe me, sir, you can send some spies to investigate. This caravan has traveled thousands of miles and it's impossible for it to escape the notice of everyone along the way."

Hearing Xiang Zhuang say this, the two of them no longer had any doubts.

For a moment, the entire tent fell silent.

Xiang Zhuang, clutching his throbbing forehead, couldn't help but ask, "Sir, we're surrounded by wolves in front and tigers behind. If this drags on any longer, the situation will likely turn dire. We need to quickly send troops back to prevent the fall of Shouchun, the capital of Chu, and Jiangdong."

Xiang Liang sighed softly: "Of course I know that the rear cannot be lost, but... facing Bai Su, such a troublesome opponent, we need to concentrate all our energy just to deal with him. Do you think he will let us leave?"

Xiang Zhuang was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Does the gentleman mean that the Xia army will launch an attack on us at this time?"

Xiang Liang nodded slightly: "As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. If I were in Bai Su's shoes, I would not let the Chu army leave easily. As long as they can keep us here for a long time, they will have already won half the battle."

"Once we arrive at the height of our battle, news of the sudden fall of Chu in our rear will surely cause our morale to plummet and we will be doomed to defeat."

Whether it was a coincidence or unintentional, I don't know.

Shortly after she finished speaking, the tent flap was suddenly flung open, and a guard rushed in, cupping his fists and saying, "General, sir, something terrible has happened! The Xia army has launched a surprise attack on our eastern camp, burning hundreds of tents and a considerable amount of supplies."

Xiang Yu frowned and couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Our army has always been very well-defended. How could the Xia army have succeeded?"

The guard gave a wry smile: "General, you don't know how cunning the Xia army is. They're making a ruckus everywhere, startling us into thinking the Xia army is attacking. We have no choice but to be on high alert and take precautions."