Chapter 20 Chapter 19: Liu Xiang's Great Contest

At the critical moment of the confrontation between the Chu and Han armies, the coach An Wei maintained the morale and morale of the army.When Zhang Liang asked Liu Bangqiang, who was shot by the arrow, to patrol, the morale of the Han army was boosted. The winter of 203 BC.On the land of China, the flames of war have been ignited since Chen Sheng raised the pole in the first year of Qin II. Although it has undergone several changes, it has lasted for seven years. The war made this land full of starvation, blood flowed like rivers, ten houses were empty, and families were destroyed.The soldiers are exhausted, the people are exhausted; the land is barren, and the walls of the city are broken.

When will the dispute between Liu and Xiang end?When will the deer that ran out of the royal garden of the Qin Dynasty be caught? Don't let the common people stand on the red ground thousands of miles away and cry out in despair to the poisonous sun in the sky: "When will you die? I am willing to perish with you!" It has been several months, Liu Bang has occupied Chenggao, and Xiang Yu has occupied Xingyang. The armies of the two sides have confronted each other in Guangwu by the river in the north (that is, the Yellow River). Live each other. A terrible silence. It was just dawn one day, and a tall platform was set up in front of the camp gate of the Chu soldiers, and a large pot was set up in front of the stage. A raging fire was ignited under the pot, and the water in the pot was boiled to a boil. of.I saw Xiang Yu walking out of the camp gate in a majestic manner. He stood on the high platform and stared at the Han army camp opposite for a long time.

Last night, he received another urgent report that Peng Yue was making trouble in Liangdi again.What made him even more disturbed this time was that Peng Yue cut off his food supply again.Therefore, he was even more eager to provoke Liu Bang to a decisive battle as soon as possible. This silent confrontation was tantamount to sitting still and waiting to die. What made him even more worried was that when he led troops to attack Pengyue last time, he repeatedly told Cao Jiu, who was guarding Chenggao, not to act rashly no matter what.Waiting for his flat beam to return.Unexpectedly, Cao Jiu couldn't withstand the insults and provocations from the Han army outside the city, and angrily opened the city gates to fight, chasing the Han army to the edge of the Si River that flows from south to north and flows into the river between Chenggao and Xingyang.As soon as the Chu army crossed to the middle of the river, the Han army turned back and defeated the Chu army.Grand Sima Cao Jiu and Chief Shi Xin saw that they had no power to return to heaven, so they drew their swords and killed themselves on the bank of Sishui.After the Han army defeated the Chu army, they reoccupied Chenggao and captured a large amount of gold, jade, and property.So Liu Bang took Chenggao as his base, stationed his troops in Guangwu, and took food from Ao Cang, pushed into Xingyang, and besieged Chu general Zhonglimei.Although Xiang Yu captured more than ten cities of Liang Pengyue, he hurriedly turned around and returned to the west, relieved Zhong Limo, and led his troops to Guangwu, the two armies remained at loggerheads for several months.

Now Xiang Yu is worried not only that Peng Yue has cut off his food supply, but since Long Qie was killed, Wu She is gone forever, and Han Xin was proclaimed King of Qi by Liu Bang, what worries him day and night is that Han Xin will go south to meet the King of Han. Bing, then defeat will come, so he must force Liu Bang to come out for a decisive battle without delay. He stood on the high platform with his head held high, and thick smoke from burning under the platform floated in front of him.He waved his hand, and two soldiers escorted a white-haired old man tremblingly onto the stage.He thought, I don't believe you Liu Bang is still so calm!

Xiang Yu yelled at the other party: "Call the King of Han to come out and answer!" The soldiers hurriedly reported to the camp. When Liu Bang heard that the grandpa was escorted to the high platform by Xiang Yu, his face turned pale.He knew that this butcher who killed 200,000 soldiers overnight without batting an eyelid could do anything!When he thought that his father would be thrown into a cauldron to cook to death, his heart felt like a knife was twisted, his internal organs were torn apart, it was like five thunderbolts. His face turned from white to red, his veins were violent, his eyes widened with anger, and he roared hoarsely: "All the soldiers of the army and I rushed to fight, and we must take back the grandpa and me! Whoever can take back the grandpa will be crowned king!"

"King of Han, calm down!" Zhang Liang shouted. "Zifang, I listen to you on weekdays, but you can't stop me this time! Can I just watch my grandfather be cooked as an unfilial son, leaving a thousand years of infamy? How can I, Liu Bang, be a hero in today's world? To be humiliated like this?!" "Does the King of Han know why Xiang Yu did this?" "It's nothing more than forcing me to fight." "That's right, now that Xiang Yu has been frustrated by Han Xin, and has been cut off by Peng Yue, he is anxious to jump over the wall and beg for a decisive battle with the King of Han. If the King of Han dispatches his nest, he will fall into Xiang Yu's treacherous scheme. At that time, not only the grandpa will not be able to save him, but he will not be able to save himself either. Obviously the current situation It is extremely beneficial to the King of Han, so why do you have to rely on a momentary impulse to change from active to passive? Please think twice, King of Han!"

Although Liu Bang was no longer impulsive, he still fell into deep pain, unable to extricate himself, and was depressed.At this time, the soldiers came in and reported: "King Xiang said that if the King of Han doesn't go out, he will push the Grand Duke into the cauldron!" Liu Bang was so anxious that he was king in vain and commanded hundreds of thousands of troops in vain. He couldn't even save his father and wife. Wouldn't it be passed down as a joke through the ages?He raised his head and said to Zhang Liang: "Zifang, please come for me and ask what that lunatic wants? As long as they release the Grand Duke and Empress Lu, I will obey him on any terms, even if I bring troops back Go to Guanzhong!"

Zhang Liang said, "This is impossible!" The king of Han was enraged: "Why are you so heartless? If your father was in such a situation, what would you plan to do, go quickly!" Xiang Yu's roar was heard again from afar. "King of Han, it's not that I dare not go. Going to beg Xiang Yu at this time is tantamount to seeking skin from a tiger. You will get nothing in the end." Liu Bang said helplessly: "Then what do you think I should do?" Zhang Liang replied: "As for Xiang Yu at this moment, the less you are afraid of him, the more he will be afraid of you; the more you are afraid of him, the less he will be afraid of you. Will slaughter the Grand Duke at will!"

Suddenly enlightened, Liu Bang immediately led his generals to the front of the battle on horseback.From a long distance, he could see the raging flames in front of the Chu army, and his father's silver-white beard and hair were so dazzling in the sun.His heart was bleeding, and the pain was so numb, he really wanted to rush forward to hug his father and cry bitterly! At this time, Xiang Yu, who was standing beside his father, shouted to him: "Liu Bang, listen up, if you don't come out and fight me, I will immediately throw the grandfather into the pot!" As soon as he raised his hand, two soldiers from Chu lifted the fainted grandpa from the platform, and as soon as King Xiang gave an order, they threw him into the boiling cauldron.

There was no sound in front of the two armies, only the thick smoke from the fire rolled in the wind. At this time, Liu Bang's heart swelled, and he showed the temper of the prodigal son who played a scoundrel in Fengyi back then.Do you want me to kneel down and pretend to be a grandson begging you?I don't!Only when you treat a rascal with a rascal, will he have nothing to do with you. He suddenly pretended to be indifferent and said to Xiang Yu: "I, Liu Bang, and you, Xiang Yu, were brothers when we were ordered in front of King Huai. In this case, my father is also your father. If you really If you want to cook Taigong, please give me a mouthful of soup, okay?"

Seeing Liu Bang's playful, cynical face, Xiang Yu was helpless, and was so angry that he really wanted to throw the grandfather into the pot.At this time, Uncle Xiang, who was standing aside, walked up to him and said, "Don't be willful. If you make things hard to handle, you should leave room. Things in the world are unpredictable, and those who want to take over the world, It doesn't matter to the family, it's not good for you to kill his father, it will only cause more trouble in the future, it's better to keep it!" In this way Xiang Yu was not presumptuous. He had no choice but to turn around angrily and leave, and two Chu soldiers carried the grandpa down the high platform. Liu Bang frantically called the generals and soldiers to rush over and snatch the grandpa back. Zhang Liangjin said: "Now the Grand Duke's life is clearly preserved for the time being. If he rushes to kill him, wouldn't he kill him immediately? I don't know whether the King of Han wants the Grand Duke to live or die?" Liu Bangcai had no choice but to give up, waved his hands and turned to leave. In this way, the stalemate continued. Teams of young and middle-aged people had to leave their hometowns and were driven to the front line to be used as tools for killing and being killed.People who have no strength to kill are driven like cattle and horses, carrying heavy rations to the front line, to feed those murderers, and let them kill each other after they are full. Frozen on the dead branches of the wild grass in the severe winter, shaking in the cold wind.Their wives, children, and children are still leaning on the door and watching, eager to see through... The old cellars of the "Chu-Han struggle" that have been passed down for thousands of years in Chinese history were soaked in the blood and tears of millions of people.These millions of individual lives who have not left their names, the white bones piled up act as scaffolding, and the two names Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, the thirty-nine dots, horizontal, vertical, left, and right, of the four Chinese characters are supported to the clouds Installed on the peaks of history. Holding each other silently like this, Xiang Yu feels like sitting on pins and needles.He is easily credulous, impulsive, and repentant.He also hated the old man who didn't cook Liu Bang that day, maybe it was only when he threw the old man into the pot that he angered that rascal Surabaya pavilion chief.In the past few years, this kid has been the softshell in the urn many times, but he has been let go. Thinking of these Xiang Yu, he gritted his teeth with hatred. Today he decided to challenge Liu Bang again, to fight it out.Xiang Yu has this kind of temper, rushing to kill a fight, even if his head is moved, it is much better than cutting flesh with a blunt knife! Between the positions of the two armies in Guangwu, there is a small hill on the north slope, separated by a deep ravine in the middle. If you can't pass on this side, you can't even think about coming over on the other side.So, after Xiang Yu set up his battle, he asked Liu Bang to meet here. After waiting for a while, Liu Bang and Zhang Liang rode down to the deep stream on the top of the mountain, surrounded by guards. Xiang Yu stepped forward impatiently and said: "Liu Bang, I didn't cook and kill the grandfather that day, so it can be regarded as the most benevolent and righteous!" Liu Bang cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for the overlord's kindness in not killing the grandpa!" "Don't say those nice words! If you really want to thank me, just let us have a good fight!" "Why is the Overlord so eager for a decisive battle? I think it's better to be merciful and not hurt the peace!" Liu Bang is good at overcoming rigidity with softness, and he can be regarded as Xiang Yu's nemesis. "The world is in chaos, and the war has been going on for several years! Why do the people have no peace? Isn't it because of you and me? We will fight it out and decide the winner. Why let the people in the world Ordinary people suffer for us?" "The Overlord is right. Chu and Han are fighting, and the soldiers are exhausted, and the people are complaining. Don't let the people curse us like they cursed Xia Jie. I also hope to decide the outcome as soon as possible..." "Okay, let's fight!" Zhang Liang reminded Liu Bang behind him: "Don't be fooled, fight wits!" Liu Bang thought for a while and answered Xiang Yu: "No, I would rather fight wits than strength!" Xiang Yu became enraged again, and cursed: "You scoundrel, today I can't let you go, you have to fight if you fight, and you have to fight if you don't fight!" Xiang Yu ordered a general to charge towards Liu Bang's camp on horseback.Liu Bang also made preparations in advance. He has a shooter named Lou Fan under him.He ordered Lou Fan to take cover in front of the formation, and Xiang Yu sent a strong man of great stature and strength to charge into the formation, killing all the soldiers of the Han army and falling off their horses, as if entering the land of no one! When he was rushing towards Liu Bang, Lou Fan bent his bow and set an arrow, a feathered arrow flew to the middle of his throat, and he turned over and fell off the horse with a loud cry.Seeing this scene, Xiang Yu immediately ordered another strong man to kill him, and was shot between the eyebrows with an arrow from Lou Fan. He couldn't scream, so he fell on the horse's back.This happened three times in a row, and no one dared to fight anymore. Xiang Yu was so angry that he put on his armor and stepped on the black horse, and took the halberd. The three generals in this company have no scruples anymore, they simply stood up, stood upright in front of the formation defiantly, bowed their bows and set their arrows, who would dare to come up? Unexpectedly, the Overlord came riding a black horse in the blink of an eye, and roared like a thunderbolt, which made Lou Fan's hair stand on end, and his head was covered in cold sweat.He was about to raise his arm to raise the arrow, but his hands were trembling, and the arrow kept shaking.However, the black whirlwind was coming towards him quickly.He was flustered, his feet were weak, he turned around and ran, hiding in the camp and not daring to come out, he was so frightened that he was scared out of his wits. The soldiers of the Han army rushed up and stopped Xiang Yu. After fighting hard, he stopped him and went back.Liu Bang watched the battle from a distance, and his heart was pounding with fright, and he was in shock.Only then did he understand why Zhang Liang repeatedly told him that he would rather fight wits than strength.He hurriedly ordered to strengthen the deep trenches and high fortifications, and not to fight. The front of the two armies fell silent again, and the silent stalemate continued.Although Xiang Yu came to fight every day, the King of Han just ignored him, and in Chenggao City, he hugged Qi Ji, who was as beautiful as a flower and jade, to forget his worries.Xiang Yu really had no choice but to go back and listen to Concubine Yu singing "Lotus in the South of the Yangtze River" in a soft voice. A few days later, the weather was extremely cold that day, and the cold wind howled in the wilderness of Guangwu.Xiang Yu drank to relieve the cold, and couldn't hold back his heart again. He was so drunk that he wore a halberd and rode his black-tailed horse to the deep stream of Beishan, and asked Liu Bang to come out to talk. Liu Bang was having a drink with Zhang Liang to relieve boredom, and the report came in. Zhang Liang said to ignore him, but Liu Bang thought that his wife and old father were still in Xiang Yu's hands and would not follow him. This madman could do anything, so he still took Zhang Liang Liang went to meet him together. When he came to the edge of the deep stream, the north wind blew loudly. Liu Bang shrank his neck and said, "Does Bawang have anything to say that we can choose a better weather? Why do we have to do it today!" Xiang Yu was already a bit drunk and couldn't care about anything else, so he said to Liu Bang, "I can't wait, I have to talk today!" "Just say what you have to say, if you don't say anything else, I'm going back!" "You rascal, you've shown off the tricks you used to eat, drink, prostitute and gamble when you were the pavilion chief in Surabaya! A rascal like you still wants to be the emperor, don't you laugh at the big teeth of the world?" Liu Bang was also enraged: "Chongtong, if you speak rudely again, I will not accompany you! Say what you have to say, and fart if you have to!" Xiang Yu yelled: "You bastard, your grandpa doesn't have the time to accompany you to be a coward in this wilderness. If you have the guts, you can fight against your grandpa alone, one-on-one, and fight to the death! Don't you dare?" Liu Bang laughed loudly: "You four-eyed dog, a stupid donkey, you only have such a savage energy! To tell you the truth, what fights for the world is great wisdom and bravery. People like you are only worthy of bullfighting, not of fighting for it." The world! Haha..." Xiang Yu was furious, pointed at Liu Bang and scolded: "You dishonest villain! After the distribution of feudal titles, the feudal lords were entrusted with their own affairs. But you led the troops out of the pass and disturbed the world. Lead the people of the world to denounce you and kill you!" Liu Bang was even more excited when he heard it, and cursed: "Well, you are a heinous Xiang Yu! It's good if I don't condemn you, but you still have to condemn me!" Xiang Yu said: "What is my crime? Do you dare to tell me one by one?" Liu Bang said: "Okay, listen! First, you and I have accepted the order of King Huai from the beginning, and whoever enters Guanzhong first will be the king there. I, Liu Bang, entered the pass first, but you Xiang Yu Why do you want to break your promise and entrust me to Bashu and Hanzhong?" Xiang Yu: "Is there any more?" Liu Bang: "Article 2, King Huai of Chu made Song Yi General Qingzi and went north to rescue Zhao. As his lieutenant general, what right do you have to murder him?" Xiang Yu: "Is there anything else? Keep talking!" Liu Bang: "Of course, there is also the third point. You killed Song Yi, and after you saved Zhao, you should have returned to King Huai to report. What right do you have to hijack the princes' army and enter the pass?" Xiang Yu: "Speak again!" Liu Bang: "Please listen! Article 4, King Huai has an order first, no matter who enters the pass, no one is allowed to burn, kill and loot. But what did you do after you entered the pass? Burned the palace, excavated Qin Shihuang's tomb, Qin's property was taken away by you Loot it all!" Xiang Yu: "Where is the fifth?" Liu Bang: "Article 5, Qin Prince Ying has surrendered, but you brutally killed him!" Xiang Yu: "Haha, you're so boring, it's a crime? I don't think you have anything to say?" Liu Bang: "Do you still have more sins? You only said half of it! Listen, Article 6, who made the general of the Qin army king, but buried the 200,000 innocent soldiers alive?" Xiang Yu: "It's me, so what?" Liu Bang: "Some vassal states obviously already have kings, but you want to entrust them to others and encourage their subjects to rebel. This is the seventh article!" Xiang Yu: "I don't want to hear it anymore, let's fight!" Liu Bang: "Are you afraid? Also, you blatantly drove Emperor Yi out of Pengcheng, where you became king! You abolished King Han, merged Liang into Chu, and dominated one side yourself! This is the eighth strip!" Xiang Yu: "Forget it, it's all trivial matters!" Liu Bang: "Ninth, is it a trivial matter that you designed to assassinate Emperor Yi? Who in the world does not curse you?" Xiang Yu's expression changed, his sword hand was shaking, his teeth were chattering, and he was so angry that he couldn't utter a word. Regardless of whether he would listen or not, Liu Bang continued: "As a subject, you killed your own king and soldiers who had surrendered. It is unfair to preside over political affairs, and you do not abide by the covenant. You Xiang Yu is a heinous crime. It is unacceptable to the world." Xiang Yu roared angrily, and waved his hand vigorously.Zhang Liang urged the King of Han to leave quickly, when Liu Bang was about to turn around, an arrow flew towards him and shot him, if Zhang Liang hadn't reached out to support him, he would have almost fallen off his horse. Liu Bang leaned on the horse's back, covered his feet with his hands, and pretended to say, "These gangsters hurt my toe!" Surrounded by him, he returned to the camp, and untied the blood-soaked clothes on his chest. The arrow wounded his left chest. Fortunately, he didn't hurt any vital parts, but the arrow penetrated deeper, and the injury was not minor.Immediately, he asked the doctor in the army to take out the arrowhead for him, put on the medicine and bandaged it, and lay down. The pain was unbearable, and he groaned. That night, it snowed heavily one after another, and the tents were covered with snow. Last night Xiang Yu was very happy. He hadn't been this happy for a long time. He drank all night.Because he clearly saw Liu Bang being shot by an arrow, and almost fell off his horse. He didn't know how to live or die?If Liu Bang really died, wouldn't it be a one-shot decision?The situation of no war and no peace that has been stalemate for several months, isn't it over? Xiang Yu woke up at dawn, and Yu Ji beside her asked sleepily, "Is the king not sleeping yet? What are you doing up so early, and you don't want to fight?" Xiang Yu replied: "There is a big event today. Yesterday Liu Bang was hit by an arrow. I don't know how to live or die?" "If Liu Bang is really dead, wouldn't the king be the second Qin Shihuang?" "If one day, you are my concubine, I will make you my queen!" "Thank you, Your Majesty!" "Ha ha ha ha……" At this time, a guard shouted loudly outside the tent: "Report to the Overlord, the tents of the Han army are all white!" "See clearly?" "The sky is not clear, I can't see clearly!" Xiang Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Liu Bang is really dead?Before he had time to put on his clothes, he strode out of the tent. The pre-dawn chill hit his face, and he shivered all over.It's ridiculous that the guard just opened the tent door and came to report. He couldn't see his own camp, but saw the Han camp opposite, so he hurriedly informed the Overlord.Xiang Yu came to look outside the tent, only to realize that there was a heavy snowfall last night.If he hadn't been in a particularly good mood these two days, this guard would have been in great trouble.When he returned to his tent, he only gave one order, and immediately sent troops to the Han camp to investigate, and if there was any news, he would report back immediately.After giving the order, the cold was unbearable, so I went back to sleep on the couch. Last night Liu Bang was burning hot all over, and slept all night in a daze, sometimes muttering to himself, sometimes moaning in pain, Zhang Liang and others stayed by the sickbed all night, fearing that something might happen. After daybreak, He Jian called him out of his tent and reported two pieces of news to him: one was that there were many rumors among the soldiers that the King of Han was seriously injured, or even critically ill, and that people were panicking; While watching, some cavalry rushed into the camp of the Han army to spy.After dawn, the Chu army was mobilizing troops, and there seemed to be some changes. In the snow-capped mountains of Guangwu, although the temperature dropped, the tense atmosphere suddenly heated up. Zhang Liang took He Jian to a small hill, looked down at the positions of the two armies, and observed the movements.Then silently returned to Hanwang's side, Liu Bangzheng woke up, still burning hot and haggard.The doctor changed the medicine for him, and when he was serving breakfast, Liu Bang shook his head and told him to bring it down. Zhang Liang asked the king of Han to eat a little harder to be energetic.After Liu Bang drank a few mouthfuls of porridge, Zhang Liang told everyone to go out.Liu Bang asked: "Ovary, outside... is it still calm?" "Calm. But the atmosphere is tense, the hearts of the Han camp are fluctuating, and the Chu army is ready to move." "Then... the most urgent thing... what should I do?" Zhang Liang said: "There is no good strategy, the only way is to stabilize the morale of the army and restrain the enemy!" "How... can I do it..." "King of Han, please hold on, take a car and walk around the camp to comfort the soldiers. It is not only for the soldiers to see, but also for the Chu army!" "I'm afraid... no way..." "The king of Han must bear the pain and force himself, it's a matter of the overall situation, it has to be like this!" The King of Han silently closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then turned over and sat up resolutely, with a layer of cold sweat oozing from his forehead. After a while, a group of dignified guards appeared in the camp of the Han army, guarding an open car.I saw Liu Bang, the king of Han, dressed neatly and sitting in the car with a calm demeanor. Zhang Liang and a group of civil and military ministers were walking beside him, inspecting the camps one by one.The soldiers in each camp were lined up neatly and dignifiedly to accept the inspection of the King of Han. The thunderous cheers on the snow field rushed straight into the sky. Xiang Yu and Chu Jun stood quietly opposite each other and watched without moving. When Liu Bang was about to finish inspecting all the camps, Zhang Liang, who had been watching him closely all the way, saw Liu Bang holding Che Shi's hand tightly, trembling more and more, he clenched his teeth tightly, sweating profusely straight down.Seeing that he couldn't hold on any longer, he might fall down on the car soon. Zhang Liang ordered the soldiers pushing the cart in a low voice but forcefully: "Hurry up, go back to the camp!" The cheering soldiers saw that the King of Han's chariot was pushed faster and faster, and finally returned to the camp quickly. As soon as the car entered the camp, Liu Bang fell on top of Che Shi and groaned in pain. That night, Zhang Liang arranged the whole army to stand ready to prevent the Chu army from attacking.He Jian led a small group of elite soldiers and safely sent the King of Han back to Chenggao City. When Qi Ji saw that the King of Han was injured like this, she lay down beside her pillow and wept bitterly.In Liu Bang's heart, a warmth flowed silently, washing away the fatigue and pain left by the battlefield.Especially when he hugged the fat boy Qi Ji gave birth to him, all his worries were thrown away.