Chapter 46 Chapter Forty-Six

Lu Wan came to Han Xin's camp and said, "The king of Han asked me to visit the general. I hope the general can go south immediately to attack the Chu army." Han Xin said: "I have acted according to the intention of the King of Han, but at present, the strength of our army is not enough to deal with future wars, we need to stay here, and we can go to war when we strengthen our army." Lu Wan said: "General, the battle with the Chu army is the consideration of the overall situation of the King of Han. If your side does not move, it will affect the entire battle situation."

Han Xin said: "Please go back and tell the King of Han that I am here to preserve my strength and wait for the right time for the overall victory." At this time, Han Xin heard the noise outside, so he went out to have a look, and Lu Wan followed suit.I saw Li Zuoche standing outside, and when Han Xin came out, he reported, "A soldier from the Zuoying wounded someone and has put him in a cage. He is a very bastard. I don't agree with it, but, very soon." Soon he won't be like this." Li Zuoche looked completely confident. In the afternoon, Han Xin and Lu Wan walked to the cage and looked at the imprisoned soldier. Sure enough, the irritable man seemed to have no energy now, and he looked listless.

Lu Wan asked, "How did you do it?" Li Zuoche said: "It's just that the salt in the food is gradually reduced. This is a very effective way to control the soldiers, and the proof is in front of us." Lu Wan returned to Liu Bang's camp and introduced Han Xin's situation in detail, including this method of controlling soldiers with a low-salt diet. Liu Bang said: "It turned out that Han Xin accepted such a guy. So, what is he responsible for in Xiuwu?" Lu Wan said: "In Xiuwu, Li Zuoche took on two tasks, one is responsible for training soldiers, and the other is responsible for collecting food, and storing the food in each post station along the way to Qi. At the same time, While adding more oil to the soldiers' meals, he organized and popularized the technology of cooking. The soldiers all said: "General Han Xin's team even eats delicious food! It's all thanks to Li Zuoche's credit for getting such a good evaluation." Credit."

Liu Bangdao: "Hmph, Han Xin really found a good cook." Lu Wan said: "Li Zuoche is deeply loved by Han Xin. In my opinion, the decision not to go south is probably his idea." Liu Bang said: "However, Han Xin returned to Xiuwu at the southern end of the old Wei and used it as a base for recharging his energy. Farther." Li Shiqi said: "Speaking of martial arts, in ancient times, King Wu of Zhou used to train soldiers there in order to crusade against the emperor Yin Zhou of the current dynasty. After his success, he renamed Ningyi as Xiuwu." Liu Bangdao: "Then, it is a place that is associated with rebellion. The battle at Jingxingkou made Han Xin a hero. People in the old Wei Dynasty regarded Han Xin as a fairy in their hearts, right?"

Xia Houying entered the account and reported: "King of Han, the vanguard has arrived in Chenggao." Liu Bang said loudly: "Okay, from here on, I want to revive the sluggish morale of our army. Ask them to attack me, and the first to go to the top of the city will be rewarded with ten thousand gold!" Xiang Yu led an army to attack Peng Yue, who was defeated, but Peng Yue himself escaped from death, and soon regrouped his troops.After Xiang Yu got the news that Liu Bang was attacking Cheng Gao, he was very angry.This time, he was annoyed at himself. Xiang Yu said: "The two cities of Chenggao and Xingyang both obtain grain from the huge granary in Aocang Mountain as the lifeline of their city walls. In this regard, they can be said to be a pair of twin brothers. Yafu also When I was alive, I once persuaded me to completely destroy Chenggao and Xingyang, so that I can completely control Ao Cang. However, I did not listen."

Yu Ziqi said: "This is not the time to regret. We still have a chance!" Xiang Yu said: "This time, I will never be led by the nose again by Liu Bang. Pass my order and march overnight. Our goal is Xingyang!" Xingyang City was finally captured by Xiang Yu, Duke Cong died in battle, Zhou Ke was captured and angrily rejected Xiang Yu's request to surrender, and was thrown into the frying pan.His death was equally tragic as that of his brother Ji Xin. Xiang Yu took Xingyang and ran to Chenggao overnight, Liu Bang escaped again in embarrassment; Xia Houying carried Liu Bang to a small boat by the Yellow River, jumped into the water to push the boat, and only after a while did he jump up from the stern and start rowing.Liu Bang looked at the distant shore, and the dark sky was also reflected in a fiery red.

In the night on the north bank of the Yellow River, Han Xin stood, looking at the opposite bank, and Zhang Er walked behind him.Without turning his head, Han Xin realized that it was Zhang Er, and said, "Listen." Zhang Er listened carefully but looked confused. Han Xin asked, "What did you hear?" Zhang Er said: "I heard the sound of the southeast wind blowing the military flags and hunting, and the sound of the waves in the Yellow River rolling driftwood down the river... I also heard the sound of fierce fighting on the battlefield on the other side of the river. The mighty roar of Kong Wu, the helpless weeping of the defeated..."

Han Xin said: "History always belongs only to the victors, and the losers are not qualified to speak out." Zhang Erdao: "But there is no general victorious on the battlefield." Han Xin twitched the corner of his mouth in disdain, and said with a half-smile: "At least for Xiang Yu, I will definitely be the final winner." Zhang Er asked: "Are you so sure?" Han Xin said: "If I wish, I can even wipe out all the armies in the world." Zhang Er asked, "Does that include the King of Han?" Han Xin smiled, but did not answer. Liu Bang and Xia Houying fled all the way to Xiuwu.The two found a hotel in the city, and Liu Bang entered the room and drank a drink before falling into a deep sleep.The hotel owner became suspicious and listened to Liu Bang's snoring outside hesitantly.

Xia Houying found out and asked, "What are you doing?" The hotel owner said: "Guest officer, in order to prevent thieves from sneaking in from other places, if you find any suspicious tenants, you must report them to the police." Xia Houying said: "We are good people. The money is for you." Then he took out some money and gave it to the boss. Liu Bang also woke up, and asked: "This is the territory managed by General Han Xin, right? Have you seen him?" The innkeeper said, "I don't dare to call you by my name directly. If it refers to Master Huaiyin, I have seen him several times on the side of the road when he was passing by in a carriage. He is really a remarkable person."

Liu Bang said: "I am from a foreign country, and I often hear people praise Han Xin. Is he really so powerful?" The innkeeper said: "That's needless to say? Although Master Huaiyin's troops are all soldiers from Wei and Zhao, I heard that all the soldiers have changed, and even their expressions are different from before. There is an area outside Xiuwu. In the sandy wilderness, I heard that the troops who are training there advance and retreat quickly, and the army is majestic, which is incomparable to any army in the past." Liu Bangdao: "So powerful?"

The innkeeper said: "Of course. In front of the army of Lord Huaiyin, both Chu and Han will have to submit, right?" When the owner of the store said this, Liu Bang's face suddenly darkened.Could it be that the people of Xiuwu City regard it as the third force? Liu Bang asked again: "Did Han Xin say that?" The innkeeper said: "How did Master Huaiyin's words reach the villain's ears?" Liu Bang and Xia Houying continued to rush to Hanxin's camp. They could have arrived that night, but Liu Bang stopped suddenly and found a small guest house nearby and stayed there.The shop was full of refugees fleeing from refugees and small businessmen. The smell of stinky feet on the kang, Liu Bang curled up in the corner, suddenly laughed, and said, "Tell me, how beautiful I was a few days ago? But can you imagine it? In a blink of an eye From the commander in chief of an army of tens of thousands, to sharing the kang with traffickers and pawns, how proud should Xiang Yu be at this time?" Xia Houying didn't know what to say and called out: "My lord..." Liu Bang said: "However, we can escape from the dangerous situation, we have to say that it is destiny." Xia Houying asked: "My lord, why did you look downcast just now, but after a while you looked proud again?" Liu Bang said: "Hehe...so I am the King of Han and you are Xia Houying." Xia Houying asked: "My lord, why didn't you enter the barracks, but came to this poor place?" Liu Bang said: "What do you know? Just the two of us, without a soldier or a pawn, you know I am the King of Han, why don't people think I am the King of Han? We can take you and me on the spot!" Xia Houying suddenly realized and broke out in a cold sweat. In the early morning of the next day, two people drove wildly into Han Xin's camp, shouting loudly all the way: "The envoy of the King of Han has arrived! The envoy of the King of Han has arrived!" The car drove into Han Xin's base camp in a hurry. Before the guards woke up, Liu Bang had already jumped out of the car. He rushed into the tent of the Chinese army, took the seal, and showed his identity: the King of Han is here! Liu Bang said: "As long as you have this seal, you can serve as the general of the Han Dynasty to issue orders to the generals under his command. For example, at a specific time and a specific place, you can even issue an order to 'crusade Liu Bang'." Xia Houying said in surprise: "Ah? Isn't it? Anyone can get it?" Liu Bang said: "Of course. However, as long as the seal is received, Han Xin will become an ordinary person without power. Of course, as long as this seal is in my hands, the soldiers and horses here can only listen to me." Soon all the generals had arrived, and Liu Bang asked from above: "Everything is fine here..." Han Xin and Zhang Er didn't know what he meant, they said in unison: "King of Han, we..." Liu Bang said: "Needless to say, I have seen it all. You have strict military discipline and a prosperous military. You really manage the army well. I have decided, and I will reward you greatly." Han Xin and Zhang Er looked at each other. Liu Bang said loudly: "Zhang Er, Han Xin listen to the letter." Zhang Er and Han Xin quickly knelt down. Liu Bang said: "We now designate Zhang Er as the king of Zhao, and Han Xin as the prime minister of Zhao." Zhang Er and Han Xin said in unison: "Thank you King Han." Liu Bang said: "Get up. You guys... start recruiting troops now, and when you are ready, we will march eastward." Han Xin was still in a daze, and Liu Bang said again: "Han Xin, I don't trust others to take the recruits. Look at you, these soldiers are so loose, but you really have a way to train them like this." Han Xin hurriedly said, "Thank you King of Han for your compliment." Liu Bang said: "Let me take these soldiers away now. When you train new soldiers, you must train them to be invincible tiger and wolf divisions." Han Xin nodded and said, "Yes." The matter of forcibly regaining the military power of Han Xin's army can be said to be the only beautiful performance in Liu Bang's life.Liu Bang himself also believes that he is a person with no skills. Since he was young, he has been surrounded by a group of people who are responsible for planning everything.And he is just controlling these people, and the method of controlling is also very clever, he only has this kind of ability. Xia Houying said: "It's really amazing, Your Majesty." Liu Bang said: "It's nothing, A Ying, I'm just lucky." Xia Houying said: "That being said, sometimes luck cannot be explained. No matter what the situation is, you are willing to expose your body in front of the army formation where you can see the enemy's face clearly, and never hide behind the soldiers. behind. Not everyone can do this.” Liu Bang said, "It's nothing." Xia Houying asked, "Where are we going now?" Liu Bang said: "We should stay on the north bank of the Yellow River. I remember that there is a town called Xiaoxiuwu on the map to the east of Xiuwu. We moved the food and grass supplies there and hoarded military supplies in the small town. My military camp is located in Do not set up in the city to the south of Xiuwu near the bank of the Yellow River." Xia Houying said: "Chenggao City on the other side has fallen, why not go to the south bank, where it will be safer?" Liu Bang said: "The soldiers of the Han army have fled in all directions. Once they hear that I am on the north bank, they will gather in groups. According to Yingbu's ability, if he is not an idiot, he should be able to withdraw successfully. Go out to avoid Xiang Yu's sharp edge. Then immediately send troops south to garrison Gong County and redeploy the defense line to prevent Xiang Yu from continuing to the west." Liu Bang's new commander-in-chief is holding the first military aircraft meeting. Apart from Liu Bang, Lu Wan is the only participant. Liu Bang asked: "Cross the river and fight Xiang Yu to the death?" Lu Wan said: "This won't work. Now we should build high forts, dig deep, and find ways to expand our troops." Liu Bang said: "Then do as you say!" Lu Wan also said: "Under the current situation, it is very dangerous to do nothing and only take a defensive position. If we have been living on the north bank, Xiang Yu's army will expand more and more on the south bank, and its strength will become stronger and stronger. We We must send a large number of troops to continuously harass Xiang Yu's rear." Liu Bang asked: "Isn't it very risky?" Lu Wan said: "No, as long as it is a small group of troops. That is to say, go straight to the rear of Chu. The Chu army obtains food from the wet rice-growing area, and the journey is so long. This is one of his major tasks. Weaknesses. Now it is time to harass his old battalion, cut off the food transportation road, and attract Xiang Yu's attention there." Lu Wan was about to go out when Liu Bang stopped him suddenly and said, "Wait, I thought about it again, it's too boring for you to do this by yourself, how about calling my brother Liu Jia together?" Lu Wan smiled and said, "That's great!" At this time, Xia Houying came in and reported that the king of Linjiang was dead. Liu Bangdao: "Oh? In this way, Xiang Yu lost his last loyal ally in Jiangnan. This is good news." Lu Wan said: "Yes, King of Han, now Xiang Yu's troops are scattered and deployed everywhere, exhausted, while our army is guerrilla in the Central Plains, preserving its strength and growing its strength. The balance of strength between Chu and Han is quietly changing. However, Xiang Yu is not stupid, he is now looking for the main force of our army to fight." Liu Bang asked: "Now, what should we do? Xiang Yu's army is rushing towards us like locusts. What should we do? To fight or not? If we don't fight, we have to pack up our things quickly and hide far away." Lu Wan said: "King of Han, we should wait for Xiang Yu with high forts and deep moats, and then unite with Peng Yue and the main forces of Chenggao's Han army to invade the Chu army from all sides and cut off their food routes. Then there is no need to fight fiercely, and Xiang Yu will surely be defeated for a long time." In Peng Yue's tent, a piece of silk cloth was spread out on the table, with more than a dozen big seals placed in a mess on it.Peng Yue picked up one and looked at it carefully, while preparing a letter to Liu Bang.A man who looked like a civil servant was holding a pen and waiting to write on the brocade silk. Peng Yue said: "Well... I have taken the supply line between Pengcheng and Xingyang. The soldiers you sent me last time are very good, very obedient, and capable of fighting...so I took seventeen cities in Liangdi again. , Now Suiyang, Waihuang and other important towns are in my hands. These are the city seals of seventeen cities. You can play with them... Oh, and Xiang Yu may starve to death in two days, haha .Gone." The civil servants wrote vigorously, and Peng Yue threw the city seal into the silk bag. The Chu army was exhausted by Lu Wan's harassment, and Peng Yue blocked the Chu army's supply line. Xiang Yu had no choice but to order Cao Jiu to defend Chenggao, not to fight, and he led his own troops to pacify Liang. Hearing the news, Peng Yue abandoned the city again and fled, first leaving Suicheng. However, Liu Bang's army is now in a supply dilemma again. The soldiers lack winter clothes and food, and there has been no news from Xiao He. Zhang Liang said: "I have already sent two messengers to urge him. Presumably the Prime Minister also has his difficulties." Liu Bangdao: "Many times in the past, he was able to supply supplies in time when the situation was more urgent than now. Now that it has been so long, I really don't know what he does in the rear every day."