Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

In the Xiang family's barracks, Liu Bang and his subordinates were hungry, and were entertained by Xiang's soldiers for dinner.Everyone ate the barnyard rice without shame.Zhou Bo and several Xiang Jiajun brought in several urns of wine.Everyone was overjoyed. Liu Bang and Zhang Liang were sitting far away from the crowd, chatting with each other.Zhang Liang said, "Pei Gong, to be honest, I thought you wanted to beat Jingju so suddenly..." Liu Bang said: "Think I'm crazy?!" Zhang Liang smiled: "I followed you to Jingju's camp, just to see how this crazy trick will end. I didn't wake up until Pei Gong called out in the city. I can quickly contact the Xiang family army and turn to them to borrow troops; secondly, I can get rid of the embarrassing situation of not being able to find Jingju."

Liu Bangdao: "It's a troubled time now. Jingju is dead. How can it be so convenient to ask others for help? It's really helpless to make such a bad plan. It makes me laugh." Zhang Liang said, "Pei Gong, you are a god! I admire you." Liu Bang said: "Where, Mr. is the righteous man. You dare to assassinate the emperor. I, Liu Bang, dare not even think about such an act! I really admire you." The two bowed to each other and toasted each other. The next morning, the golden horn sounded.The camp boiled up, and all the soldiers of the Xiang family army ran in the camp one after another.

"General Yu is back! The general is back!" The people in the camp rushed out of the barracks, and Liu Bang and others were wrapped in it.The pawns were gradually divided into left and right sides and lined up in two rows.Liu Bang and the others stood beside Chu Bing in tattered clothes, very conspicuous.I saw the red light on the horizon gradually becoming brighter, and a horse leaped out. A young general with a golden helmet and red tassels, and a black cloak fluttering in the wind.All the generals walked quickly in parallel, closely following behind.When Liu Bang saw Xiang Yu for the first time, he couldn't help admiring him.

Xiang Yu rode his horse into the camp like a gust of wind.Xiang's soldiers raised their spears like a forest and cheered loudly.Xia Houying, Fan Kuai, Lu Wan and others stared wide-eyed, never seeing such a formation. Watching Xiang Yu enter the camp, Liu Bang followed Xiang Yu outside his tent, and went in after reporting. Liu Bang called out: "General Yu!" Xiang Yu said: "Pei Gong...what can I teach you?" Liu Bang said bluntly: "I heard that the general is a man of righteousness. Are you willing to save people from fire and water?" Xiang Yu said: "What's the matter, just tell me."

Liu Bang said: "To be honest, I am in deep trouble now because of a traitor. This traitor was originally a brother of mine. He took advantage of my pursuit of the Qin army and occupied Pei County, making my brother displaced! I beg you The general will lend me a force to go and attack!" Xiang Yu lowered his face and said, "Just kidding! I have a military order, how can I move soldiers at will?" Liu Bangdao: "General, you know why I beat Jingju? Chen Sheng just died, and he couldn't wait to take up the banner of Chu. What is this for? Overthinking one's abilities! What I hate most is the villain who takes advantage of others' danger! The traitor Yong Chi , the same! For a little profit, he sold himself to the king of Wei, and bit me back! We are all from Chu, General Yu! How can you say that I am willing to bow to the king of Wei! I don’t accept it!”

Xiang Yu finally turned around and asked, "How many people do you plan to borrow?" Liu Bang felt uneasy, but still looked directly at Xiang Yu calmly: "Five thousand!" Xiang Yu smiled: "Is five thousand enough?" Liu Bang said: "Enough! Enough! General Yu Gao En's righteousness, I will never forget it!" Xiang Yu said: "Thank you in no hurry, I can lend you soldiers, but there is one condition." Liu Bang asked: "What conditions?" Xiang Yu said, "Borrow five thousand, and give me back eight thousand." Liu Bang said in surprise: "But... I don't have so many people."

Xiang Yu asked, "How many do you have?" Liu Bang thought for a while and said, "One...three thousand." He also counted Zhang Liang's people. Xiang Yu said: "Including the person I borrowed from you, isn't that all?" Only then did Liu Bang come to his senses, and suddenly he made a firm decision: "General Yu, I understand. When I get my teeth leveled, I will definitely join the general's account!" Xiang Yu said, "It's a deal." The two clapped their hands together as an oath. Xiang Yu suddenly said again: "Thinking about it, it seems that I can't borrow so many people. Can I do less?"

Liu Bang pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "... yes, three thousand is fine." Xiang Yu said, "Two thousand lines?" Liu Bang said: "...OK!" Xiang Yu said, "Then, what about eight hundred?" Liu Bang's eyes were almost red, and finally said: "...It's okay! As long as there are people!" Xiang Yu said again: "Let me ask you, if I don't lend you a single soldier, will you take revenge for this revenge?" Liu Bang said: "This revenge must be avenged!" Xiang Yu said: "Okay! It's a man! Man, I'll lend it to you! That's it!"

In the early morning, there is a lot of mist.Xia Houying, Lu Wan, Zhou Bo and other brothers came out of the camp, holding their swords and packing their bags. Suddenly, seeing everything in front of them, they froze.Liu Bang was the last one to come out of the camp, with a sword slung around his waist.He also saw everything in front of him and was stunned.Opposite them, at the gate of the Xiang family's barracks, there is a mighty army, the ranks are neat, the flags are fluttering, and the red tassels are brightly armored. It is the Xiang family's army with five thousand troops!Zhongli Mo, the leader, jumped out of the battle, got off his horse, and saluted the army: "Pei Gong! I'm Zhongli Mo, leading Xiang's army of 5,000 soldiers and horses, and obeying your orders!" Following his words, ten generals were also marching on the horse military salute.

Liu Bang was too excited to speak.Xiang Yu led his personal horses to meet Liu Bang before the battle.Xiang Yu bowed his hands solemnly: "Pei Gong! Take revenge! Don't forget the agreement between you and me!" Liu Bang was very grateful, and bowed solemnly: "General Yu! I don't want to thank you for your kindness. I guarantee that the five thousand people, including my troops, will be brought back by the general, not a few of them!" Xiang Yu nodded, turned his horse's head around, and galloped along with a few of his followers.Liu Bang's people all bowed and saluted, and only straightened up when Xiang Yu walked away.Liu Bang got on his horse, drew his sword and pointed: "Listen to my orders! The target is Pei County, and the army will go out!"

When the army arrived in Pei County, Wei Jun opened the gate behind and ran away.Yong Chi also galloped on his horse, trying to escape for his life.A person stabbed obliquely, and the spear pierced Yong Chi's ribs with a "pop", and Yong Chi fell off the horse.Yong Chi swung his sword to cut off the handle of the spear, got up and slashed vigorously, wounding his opponent.The opponent falls.Yong Chi staggered forward, forced the man with his sword, leaned over to look, and couldn't help being dumbfounded—it was Shen Shiqi!He was about to kill him, but stopped because his surroundings had darkened, and when he looked up, he was surrounded by heavily armed Chu troops. Yong Chi was tied into rice dumplings and thrown on the ground.Two strong swordsmen squatted next to him and guarded him.All the brothers came in one after another.Liu Bang and Yong Chi looked at each other.Yong Chi was disheveled, his clothes were in pieces, barely hanging on his body, but he was still rebellious.He met Liu Bang's gaze fiercely, showing no shame or showing weakness. On the second day, there was no one on the street, and Yong Chi knelt and tied him in the city.Not far from Yong Chi, the elders and brothers all knelt down in the darkness.Liu Bang is coming, and the central army will follow closely behind, majestic and majestic.Liu Bang stared at Yong Chi.Yong Chi rolled his eyes and looked at Liu Bang with an expression of dying. Xiao He read out the crimes he had drafted: "Ten crimes committed against the bandits! Defeating kindness and forgetting righteousness. In the Mangdang Mountains, moving our army's morale is the first crime! Slandering the Lord and boasting of meritorious service are the second crimes." Yes! Annoying the neighbors, bullying men and women, this is the third crime! Greedy, betraying the master and turning to the enemy, this is the fourth crime! Coercing the elders, brothers and sisters, this is the fifth crime..." Liu Bang stepped forward and waved his hand: "Don't read it! Yong Chi! Your crimes are more than ten?! Today is your death day!" Liu Bang drew his sword.The crowd parted, and a woman in white came crying.The soldiers froze for a moment and did not stop her.The woman fell down, crawled towards Yong Chi, protected him with her body and said: "If I follow Yong Chi, I will be his. If I live, I will follow him. If I die, I will follow him! I don't want to be a widow again." Liu Bang turned around, looked at the crowd, looked at Yong Chi again, and said, "You are a ruthless, unjust, dog-like thief! Even if you escape, where can you escape? Although the world is big, there will be no you!" Where to live! You escape to the sky, and I will take your dog’s life back! I really want to kill you with my own hands! Yes! This is really a time when you can’t live without killing people! But I want you to know that although the world is chaotic, There is a sky above your head, and there is still a human heart under the sky! Even if you are a beast, you still have a life!" The villagers nodded slowly after hearing this.Seeing this, Liu Bang continued: "I don't kill you, there is another reason. I, Liu Bang, will never kill my fellow countrymen in my lifetime. From now on, you and I will have no grudges! Get out." Liu Bang cut the rope on Yong Chi's body.Yong Chi stood up and smiled disdainfully.The woman in white hugged Yong Chi.Yong Chi took the woman away.Fathers and villagers all bow down.Facing the kneeling elders of Pei County, Liu Bang said with mixed feelings: "Fellows of Pei County, you are being coerced, hand over your weapons and go home." The villagers handed over their weapons and piled them at the city gate down on the ground. Liu Bang said again: "I'm about to leave. I'm going to follow the King of Chu and beat Qin Qin hard! I don't know when I will be able to return, and I don't know if I can come back! Liu Bang's life is not worth it. Village party elders! I hope that from now on, you will never have to go to the city to die, and you will never have to sacrifice your life for anyone! Everyone go home! Close the door and live a good life!" All the people prostrated themselves on the ground, their heads were crowded, and the sound of sobbing and crying shook the heavens and the earth.With the help of the elders, they left like a tide, feeling the joy of remaining alive after a catastrophe, and loudly praised Peigong for his kindness! Liu Bang regained Pei County, and brought himself and Zhang Liang's men back to Xiang Liang's camp as agreed. Xiang Liang suddenly asked Zhang Liang to follow him under his tent. Liu Bang had no other choice but to agree.Then Xiang Liang and Zhang Liang had the following dialogue. Zhang Liang said: "Duke Xiangliang supported the son's heart as the king of the Chu State, which is enough to be popular with the people. Now Qi, Zhao, Wei, and Yan have all returned to the country, but I, Han, have not yet returned to the country. I am worried that someone will support him in the future." Li. Why doesn’t Duke Xiang Liang help me to restore the country? If someone else takes the lead, maybe I will become an enemy of Da Chu in the future, isn’t this something to worry about?” Xiang Liang said: "I have indeed considered this matter. But sir, is there any descendant of the Korean royal family?" Zhang Liang said: "Among the sons of South Korea, son Cheng is quite famous, and he was named Hengyang Lord. He has been hiding among the people, and he is still safe and sound. I think he can be established as the king of Han. The Hengyang Lord who is the king of Han must be I will be grateful to Dade and become Da Chu's strong support." Xiang Liang said: "Okay! In that case, according to what you said, I will immediately send envoys to look for Young Master Cheng." Zhang Liang said: "This, I want to ask for my life. Young Master Cheng, I can find it as soon as I go, but it may not be possible for others to go. What's more, restoring Korea is also my long-cherished wish in my life." Xiang Liang smiled and said, "That's fine, then please ask Mr. to go to Han to look for Young Master Cheng." Before Zhang Liang left, he met Liu Bang, and the two talked a lot with each other. Zhang Liang said: "Xiang's army seems to be generous, but there are murderous intentions hidden inside. Liang is not worried about his own safety, but is afraid that he will cause trouble to Pei Gong, or even kill him. Liang has always had the ambition to restore the country. Some things, Knowing that it can’t be done, I still have to do it. Please forgive me.” Liu Bangdao: "What Liu Bang said is nailed to the board. My husband is going to restore the country, and Liu Bang only regrets being unable to help." Liu Bang untied his sword, and handed it to Zhang Liang with both hands: "This sword has never left my side since Mangdang raised troops. Now I give it to you, sir. The sword is with me." Liu Bang bowed.Zhang Liang hurriedly returned the gift and took the sword. Zhang Liang also instructed: "Uncle Xiang Liang's Xiang family army is like a towering tree, standing as stable as a mountain in troubled times. Peigong wants to achieve great things in the future, but now he still needs to be placed under the shade. Although Xiang Yu thinks very highly of himself It is not easy to get close, but he is bold and has no scheming. Be patient when you encounter public affairs, and don't use your emotions." Liu Bang thanked again, and the two said goodbye. In Xiang Liang's tent, two attendants were holding lamps, and Xiang Yu was looking at the march map.Fan Zeng was at the side, watching together.Xiang Yu took the lamp from his followers and signaled them to back down.Step back.Xiang Yu personally held the lamp for Fan Zeng. Xiang Yu asked: "This Liu Bang... I'm afraid he's not really a character?" Fan Zeng said: "This small group of people is really useless, but his staff and subordinates are all capable, and they seem to be outstanding talents. It is not ordinary to be elected as the leader by these people. Therefore, according to the old man, Liu Bang is slightly different from the leaders of those rogues. I have heard General Mo say that he was crying and laughing in front of the gate of the village. It is clear that he failed to vote for Jingju, so he came to join our army This kind of quick wit is beyond the reach of ordinary people.” Xiang Yu laughed: "In today's troubled times, no one is living a precarious life. If he turns his head away, I think he is respectable. Now it seems that he is just a little clever." Fan Zeng said: "General Xiang Liang's alienation plan made him lose Zhang Liang. He kept his face, as if nothing had happened. This is the ability of forbearance, so we must guard against it." Xiang Yu walked back and forth a few steps, nodded and asked, "Sir, what you said is true. Then, how do you arrange him?" Fan Zeng said: "Just follow the old way of dealing with Yingbo." Xiang Yu shook his head and said: "Yingbo is a reckless man. Although he was brave before the battle, he didn't have any scheming. He didn't even notice when he divided the tens of thousands of soldiers who surrendered into three. I don't think Liu Bang is so generous. He has to pay for it again." Plotting against him!" Xiang Yu ordered Liu Bang to lead his troops to attack Xiangcheng, but transferred all the lieutenants of the vanguard Fan Kuai.However, there were more than 2,000 men in Zhou Bo's army, all of whom were veterans who had followed Liu Bang for many years. Xiang Yu insisted on arranging two lieutenants for him, and replaced 70% of his soldiers. Some people are holding swords that have not even opened their blades.In this case, some people said not to fight, some said let it go, and some said to go to Xiang Yu to make him take back his life. Liu Bangdao: "Xiang Yu has always boasted that his military order is as high as a mountain, and this time he did it on purpose. Asking him to withdraw the military order is simply impossible. He sent someone to inform that Xiang Bo will be the supervisor of the army tomorrow. It is clearly for surveillance. .” After hearing this, everyone was very helpless and looked at each other, not knowing what to do.Liu Bang suddenly said: "Tomorrow when the rooster crows, we will bury the pot and make rice, and attack Xiangcheng!" All the generals were dumbfounded after hearing this final decision, and all looked at Liu Bang in a daze. The attack on Xiangcheng went smoothly, and soon Liu Bang's men had already entered the south gate of Xiangcheng.Liu Bang suddenly reined in the horse that was rushing forward, thought for a moment, and said, "Stop! Send my military order, and the whole army will withdraw from Xiangcheng." Everyone was dumbfounded and looked at Liu Bang blankly. At this time, on the high slope outside Xiangcheng, Xiang Bo and Zhong Limo were watching the battle and talking.Xiang Bo said: "A small Xiangcheng is not what General Yu is interested in. He just wants to test his strategy of dividing the troops. You and I are here to be spies. Don't worry, once Peigong takes Xiangcheng, the It means that he himself gave up his command over the old brothers in Qunpei County." Zhongli Mo nodded and said: "Mo knows well that General Yu is working hard. I don't think the battle is going well." While he was talking, Cao Shen rode over and shouted: "Two generals! Hurry up, retreat quickly. The right army led by Zhou Bo has failed to break through the north gate so far. They suffered heavy losses and retreated in all directions. I am specially ordered to come for help." Xiang Bo asked anxiously, "Pei Gong is at the front?" Cao Shen said: "Pei Gong led the Chinese army to reinforce, but they have also fallen into the enemy's line." ... Xia Houying came to Xiang Yu's tent with Liu Bang on his back.Xiang Bo and Zhong Limei followed.Xiang Yu stepped forward, supported Liu Bang, and said very enthusiastically: "Brother, it's good that you are fine, just come back!" Liu Bang said guiltily: "Liu Bang is ashamed of the general!" Xiang Bo said: "Pei Gong has done his best, but the defenders are too fierce." Xiang Yu said: "No wonder brother. Send me an order that Peigong's army return to camp to rest. Ling Jibu and Zhonglimei each lead 10,000 men, and take Xiangcheng within two hours. If the defenders don't surrender, none of them will break the city." Keep!" Liu Bang suddenly said: "Wait a minute! The troops you sent to me, General, are all brave and well-trained warriors. And my brothers have never been used to the rules. I take them to fight on weekdays, and I don't follow the rules. It is often possible to win by surprise. This is like... like putting a tiger and a jackal together." Speaking of this, he pretended to be funny, and said coyly, "It can't be done!" All the generals under Xiang Yu laughed.Only Fan Zeng looked at Liu Bang calmly.Xiang Yu asked: "Brother is right. So what do you think?" Liu Bang said: "Let me take the original brothers to attack the city, and we must take Xiangcheng down." Xiang Yu said: "There is no joke in the army." Liu Bangdao: "If I don't come down within a day, I'm willing to behead my head!"