Chapter 14 3. Meet on a narrow road

A group of people talked and laughed, and arrived at the city of Xianyang.The gate of the city is guarded by soldiers under Liu Bang, which is a small number of security forces left behind by Liu Bang when he returned to the hegemony.The officer in charge saw that this team was extraordinary. Dozens of attendants were dressed in bright armor, mighty and majestic, the horses under their crotches were vigorous and powerful, and the carriages surrounded by them were luxuriously decorated. "Which general is that?" Xiang Zhuang glanced at him contemptuously, and pointed to the car, "Don't even King Xiang recognize him?"

This officer once fought with Xiang Yu under Liu Bang's command. After seeing Xiang Yu, he looked into the car and quickly tapped on one knee, "See King Xiang". Xiang Yu hummed, and with a wave of his hand, the team passed through the city gate and entered Xianyang City. The prosperity of Xianyang City is incomparable to other cities. There are crowds of pedestrians on the street, and there are many shops on both sides of the street.On such a lively street, the carriages and horses moved slowly, so Xiang Yu and Yuji simply got off the car and went shopping on foot. Xiang Zhuang and the guards also got off their horses and scattered around to form a protective circle.

Yu Ji stopped in front of a jewelry stall and picked up a copper hairpin.Seeing that she couldn't put it down, Xiang Yu took it and stuck it in her head.The stall owner saw that the two men were dressed gorgeously and knew they were nobles. He quickly complimented them and said, "You two are really a good match. Heroes and beauties are peerless. This general is mighty and heroic. He must be a hero who is invincible on the battlefield; this lady is magnificent and charming. Guo Qingcheng, even in this city of Xianyang, she is also one of the most beauties!" Although the stall owner's words were a bit embarrassing, Xiang Yu and Yu Ji were in a happy mood and didn't take it seriously. They picked out a few more jewelry to help the stall owner's business.

After walking for a while, Yu Ji felt weak and tired, and said to Xiang Yu, "My lord, it's too noisy here, let's find a quiet place!" The group turned into a small street, where there were few pedestrians and it was much quieter.Before he had gone far, Xiang Yu noticed that there were several armed soldiers guarding the gate of a house in front of him, and asked casually, "What is this place?" Your Majesty, this is where Prince Qin's baby is detained." Xiang Yu immediately frowned when he heard this, and said in a cold voice, "Go in and see this subjugated king!" After speaking, he strode over.

The soldiers at the door were lazy and listless, but when they saw someone approaching, they immediately became vigilant.A leader raised a spear in his hand and pointed at Xiang Yu, "What are you doing?" His voice was obviously lacking in confidence. Xiang Yu's tall and mighty figure exuded a domineering aura, although he was not wearing a military uniform, but was wearing casual clothes, but It can be seen that he is not an ordinary person, which makes the guard a little timid, and loses first in terms of momentum. Xiang Yu didn't pay attention to this unknown pawn at all, and walked towards the spear with a blank face, and waved the spearhead aside.The guards behind rushed forward, blasted the pawns at the door aside, and opened the door.These soldiers saw that the other party had a large number of people, so they didn't dare to make mistakes, so they could only watch Xiang Yu and others break into the house.

There were several elderly servants cleaning in the yard. Hearing the commotion outside, Ziying had already walked out of the room, and stood at the door of the main room with the queen and two sons, looking nervously at these unexpected guests.Xiang Zhuang stepped forward and shouted: "King Xiang is here, why don't you kneel down to greet him?" Xiang Yu looked at Ziying viciously. Although the two had never met, he was sure that this person was his enemy, Qin Ziying.Enmity for the subjugation of the country, hatred for killing relatives—grandfather Xiang Yan, uncle Xiang Liang, and so many relatives all died under the iron hooves of Tyranny, and this person is the representative of Tyranny, although he did not do it himself, but All the guilt and all the hatred should be borne by him. Who made him the King of Qin?

Xiang Yu's ferocious appearance and reputation of killing 200,000 Qin soldiers made Ziying's legs weak, cold sweat soaked his forehead, and the feeling of fear swept his whole body, making him almost unable to support his body, and he was about to collapse on the ground.He took his own leg with difficulty, walked down the steps, and fell to his knees.His wife and two sons followed behind him, bearing another humiliation with cold water in their eyes. Looking at Ziying kneeling at his feet, Xiang Yu was filled with disgust and contempt.Is such a weak and useless man his opponent?Is it the enemy I want to revenge day and night?Xiang Yu was even a little disappointed.Several old servants around watched this scene nervously, with unconcealable pain and helplessness on their faces.

Yu Ji followed behind Xiang Yu, looking at Ziying's family with some sympathy.She understands Xiang Yu's hatred for the Qin State, and she doesn't know what he will do in a fit of anger, but Qin Shihuang is guilty, Qin Ershi is guilty, but Ziying's family is somewhat innocent, even scapegoats, taking responsibility for those culprits The crimes and punishments that should have been borne by them. Suddenly, Xiang Yu spat a mouthful of saliva in front of Ziying with a "bah", expressing his inner contempt in this way, venting the hatred and anger accumulated for many years.He didn't expect that he and his uncle had planned so hard for so many years, fought to the death and fought with their lives again and again on the battlefield, paid the price of blood and lives, and finally overthrew the Tyrant Qin, but in the end, facing the enemy, they ended up with such a simple To retaliate in a marketable way.

Ziying lay on the ground without moving, but his ten fingers had dug into the soil. He was trying his best to restrain the urge to jump up and fight desperately with the enemy.In order to restore the country, in order to protect his wife and children, Ziying chose to be patient, and the humiliation he endured now will be doubled by the enemy when he has the strength to fight back. But Xiang Yu still felt that he was not satisfied. He walked behind Ziying, paused for a while, suddenly raised his leg, and kicked Ziying's ass fiercely. Ziying fell to the ground, rubbing the dirt on his face. , took a bite of the mud.Xiang Yu's unexpected action surprised everyone present. Ziying's queen and two sons rushed forward desperately and helped Ziying up. "My lord!" "Father!" He looked at Xiang Yu with his eyes, and the flames of hatred were burning in his eyes.Several old servants rushed over, trying to rush to Ziying's side to protect him, but were stopped by Xiang Yu's guards.Xiang Zhuang instinctively put his hand on the handle of the knife, preparing for possible resistance, and the other guards were also ready to go.

Yu Ji stared at Xiang Yu with her eyes wide open.Xiang Yu also felt that he seemed to have gone too far, and he was especially unwilling to show his rudeness and cruelty in front of Yu Ji.Glancing at the stunned Yu Ji, Xiang Yu shouted, "Go!" The guards surrounded him and Yu Ji out of the yard. The queen and the two princes helped Ziying up from the ground. His face was ashen, and he stared straight at Xiang Yu's back, with gloomy eyes that made people feel creepy.The queen grabbed his arm, for fear that he would lose control and do something reckless.Several old servants gathered around and said to Ziying one after another: "Your Majesty, you must endure the humiliation!"

Ziying said two words from between his teeth, "Close the door!" He seemed to want to shut the door of the humiliation he suffered just now.After the gate was closed, several old servants followed Ziying into a secluded house, while the queen, two sons and Ying Fu stayed outside to keep watch.These old servants are the prime minister, Taiwei, Yushi and other important officials of Qin State. Ziying summoned them to discuss the plan of restoring the country, but he was bumped into by Xiang Yu.Fortunately, several ministers were disguised as servants. Xiang Yu only cared about venting his emotions and didn't pay attention to them, so he didn't see any flaws. After sitting down, Ziying still had a gloomy face and didn't say a word, and the others didn't dare to speak.After a long time, Ziying gradually calmed down, looked around at the ministers in front of him, and said, "General Han's 100,000 troops are ready to go, and now they are just waiting for my order. What do you think should be done next?" Several ministers looked at each other, wondering what Ziying wanted to ask, and finally the prime minister said, "It's up to the king to decide!" Ziying let out a long breath, spit out all the anger and malice in his chest, and said: "Xiang Yu is as fierce as a tiger, and Liu Bang is as cunning as a fox. Their combined army is 500,000, which is far more than that of a tiger." Qin Jun. Therefore, we cannot act rashly, the time is not yet ripe, we must endure and wait." The Taiwei said worriedly: "I'm afraid that there will be many nights and dreams. Once the plan is leaked, the enemy will find out the movements of our regiment outside the pass and will attack first. Your Majesty will be in danger! The enemy is prepared and guards the pass. Our army counterattacks the pass. The plan may be thwarted. When the enemy is not aware of it, our army descends from the sky, and we can attack them unprepared, one against ten; once the enemy is prepared and loses the effect of the surprise attack, victory or defeat will be unpredictable!" Ziying frowned, unable to make a decision for a while, as if considering various pros and cons in her heart.In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "I have already decided that I would rather risk myself than let the army act rashly. I can take the risk myself, but I can't let the 100,000 army take the risk. This army is the last capital of our restoration of the country." Therefore, we must be cautious. Now Liu Bang and Xiang Yu are fighting with each other, and there are many conflicts. They must be allowed to kill each other. When Liu and Xiang are both defeated, our army will wait for work, clean up the mess, and drive the rebels out of the pass." "Liu and Xiang had some conflicts because of entering the customs and becoming king before, but now the conflict seems to have eased, otherwise Xiang Yu would not just bring these few people to visit Xianyang City under Liu Bang's control." Yu Shi thought. speak. "Why don't we call up people immediately, intercept and kill Xiang Yu in Xianyang City, and then plant the spoils on Liu Bang, let them annihilate, can't we reap the benefits of the fisherman!" The prime minister said excitedly. Ziying shook his head, "I'm afraid it's too late in a hurry. Besides, Xiang Yu has the courage of all men, and the guards around him must not be idle people. It may not be so easy to kill him. Even if it can be successful, after Xiang Yu's death, the allied forces of the princes With no leader among the dragons, Liu Bang can take the opportunity to annex his troops, and the two tigers fight to become the dominant one, and Liu Bang is full of wings, which is even more difficult to deal with."After hearing Ziying's words, the prime minister's enthusiasm that had just been inspired quickly cooled down, and he lowered his head in frustration. The censor asked, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?" Ziying cast his deep eyes into the distance, and said, "I want to meet Liu Bang for a while, to whet his appetite." At the same time, Zhang Liang made an appointment with Xiang Bo, Xiang Yu's uncle, to meet in Xianyang City.As soon as he saw Zhang Liang, Xiang Bo said excitedly, "Benefactor, long time no see!" When Xiang Bo was wanted for murder, Zhang Liang protected him, so Zhang Liang was Xiang Bo's savior.Zhang Liang kept this matter a secret and never mentioned it to anyone, so neither Liu Bang nor his subordinates knew about it.On Xiang Yu's side, apart from Xiang Liang who had already died in battle, even Xiang Yu didn't know. The two of them were talking about the old days while walking on the street, and they turned into an alley without knowing it.Zhang Liang pointed, "Look, there is a wine shop over there, let's go in and have a good drink!" Uncle Xiang nodded and said, "Okay! It's quieter here, not as noisy as outside, so it's convenient for us to talk." When the two entered the restaurant, Zhang Liang was taken aback for a moment. Uncle Xiang asked vigilantly, "Grandfather, what's the matter?" The back door of the shop disappeared.Hearing Uncle Xiang's question, Zhang Liang waved his hand, "It's nothing, boss, bring some wine!" Lu Gong walked out of the backyard of the restaurant, looked back, no one was following him, and thought to himself: "Why did Zifang come here? Did he notice something and follow me?" But thinking about it carefully, although he was in Liu Bang's He met him several times in the military camp, but they all passed by in a hurry without much interaction, so he had no reason to doubt himself.If Liu Bang had become suspicious of him, he would have sent his cronies to follow him instead of letting Zhang Liang, a guest, come forward.Seeing his expression when he entered the store just now, he didn't seem to have come prepared, "Maybe it's just a coincidence!" Lu Gong comforted himself and left in a hurry.But he still had a question in his mind, who was the person with Zhang Liang, and why did he hide here to meet? In the wine shop, Zhang Liang and Xiang Bo were drinking together, but Zhang Liang was a little distracted by the glimpse just now, and he didn't listen to what Xiang Bo said.Xiang Bo called twice before Zhang Liang came to his senses, "Grandfather, what's the matter with you? Look at your absent-minded look! If you have something urgent, let's meet again another day, so don't delay the business!" Xiang Bo was already a little dissatisfied. Zhang Liang hurriedly apologized, and said, "No, it's just that recently because of the misunderstanding between Liu and Xiang's family, traveling back and forth has taken a lot of energy, so I'm a little tired. It's okay, we haven't seen each other for so long, we must have a drink." , He picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.Hearing what Zhang Liang said, Xiang Bo couldn't ask any more questions. "Xiang Liang listened to your suggestion, made Hengyang Lord Han the king of Han, allocated more than a thousand horses, and Han Cheng worshiped you as a disciple, and went to recover the old place of South Korea. That happened in June of the first year of Qin II. We It has been more than a year since we parted. How come you are in Pei Gong's army again?" "Pei Gong and I met under the command of the 'King of Chu' Jingju. Later, Jing Ju was defeated by Wu Xinjun (Xiang Liang), and Pei Gong and I switched to Wu Xinjun. After Wu Xinjun died in battle, King Huai of Chu sent Peigong to lead the army On the west expedition, marching into Guanzhong, I met me on the way. I persuaded the king of Han to cooperate with Pei Gong in the west expedition, and the king of Han stayed at Yangdi (Yu County, Henan Province), and I went west with Pei Gong and arrived here." Speaking of this, Zhang Liang raised his wine bowl and said: "At the beginning, Lord Wu Xin followed my advice and established Han Wangcheng. Thanks to your mediation, I realized my wish to restore the country. I respect you!" Uncle Xiang waved his hands and said, "My benefactor owes me my life, and this is what I should do!" Zhang Liang is a legendary figure. His grandfather and father successively served as the prime ministers of five generations of Han kings, and he was a prominent noble family in Korea.South Korea was destroyed by the Qin Dynasty. He hid among the people, wandered the rivers and lakes, made friends with heroes, and took it as his mission to restore the country. After years of experience, his courage, wisdom, and strategy are all superior to others.He once made friends with a strong man who could make a hundred and twenty catties of iron vertebrae and ambushed Qin Shihuang in Bolangsha. Although he failed, his move shocked the world and showed Zhang Liang's extraordinary courage and courage.Back then, Zhu Hai, who helped Lord Xinling kill General Jin Bi and seize the military power of Wei State, used forty catties of iron vertebrae.Zhang Liang was able to find a strong man who was good at using 120 catties of iron vertebrae, which shows that he has a wide range of friends and contacts in the world. Later, he hid in Xiapi. One day, passing by a bridge, an old man was sitting on the bridge, and his shoes fell under the bridge. He called out to Zhang Liang: "Young man, help me pick up my shoes! Zhang Liang wanted to get angry at first, but when he saw that the other party was an old man, he suppressed his temper and helped him pick up the shoes.Unexpectedly, the old man stretched out his foot again and said, "Put it on for me!" Zhang Liang was annoyed and funny, but he picked up all the shoes, and he had to bend down again, so he put them on for the old man again. The old man said: "The child can be taught. Wait for me on this bridge in the morning after five days." After saying that, he walked away, leaving Zhang Liang there in a daze.Five days later, Zhang Liang got up early and came to the bridge. The old man had already arrived before him, and reprimanded Zhang Liang, saying: "I have an appointment with the elders, but I am late. Come back in five days!" After another five days, Zhang Liangtian arrived at dawn. On the bridge, the old man arrived earlier than him again, and he still said, "Come back in five days!" No matter how well-bred Zhang Liang is, he is on the verge of the limit of his patience at this time, and if he is tricked again, he may explode. Five days later, Zhang Liang arrived on the bridge in the middle of the night. After a while, the old man also came. Finally, with a satisfied smile, he gave Zhang Liang a book and said, "If you read this book thoroughly, you can become a king teacher!" After saying that, the old man drifted away and never appeared again.This book is called "The Taigong Art of War", but it is not a military book, but teaches the emperor's art. From these stories, it can be seen that Zhang Liang's mind and self-cultivation are different from ordinary people.With his keen intuition and rich experience, he has long seen that Lu Gong is not an ordinary person. From his speech and behavior, he can feel a kind of calmness and grandeur that only people in high positions have.Zhang Liang didn't believe that he was a warlock who made a living by looking at faces.Therefore, Zhang Liang believed in his intuition even more during this chance encounter.He didn't stay in Liu Bang's barracks, but ran to Xianyang City. His whereabouts were surreptitious, and there must be some ulterior secrets.Zhang Liang talked with Xiang Bo, but his mind was full of this mysterious old man.