Chapter 35 4. Swords and Swords

Fan Zeng walked outside the big tent, was blown by the cold wind, smelled of alcohol, and almost vomited.He forcibly suppressed the churning stuff in his stomach, let out a long breath, and calmed down a lot.Holding the flagpole with one hand and pinching his forehead with the other, Fan Zeng tried to get his head running again, looking for a way to break the deadlock.When he was racking his brains to search for a clever plan to eradicate Liu Bang, Xiang Zhuang, who was leading the guards outside the tent, came over, "Yafu, are you all right? Did you drink too much? Let me help you go back and rest." !"

Seeing Xiang Zhuang, Fan Zeng's eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood.He grabbed Xiang Zhuang and said, "Your Majesty is too soft-hearted, and he can't bear to eradicate Liu Ji, a future rival. You should share your brother's worries!" "Of course. Ya Fu, tell me, what should I do?" Xiang Zhuang said happily.He is a swordsman, not as powerful as a counselor. "Now you are lending money in the name of a toast to the king. After the toast, ask for a sword dance to cheer you up. You are the number one swordsman in Chu, and your swordsmanship is superb. The king will definitely agree, so that you can win glory for the warriors of Chu in front of all the princes. At that time, you will find an opportunity to stab Liu Ji to death on the seat. Otherwise, once Liu Ji escapes, we will all become his prisoners in the future."

Xiang Zhuang asked hesitantly: "Isn't Yu Ji still in their hands? If we kill Liu Ji, and Yu Ji has something wrong, the king will definitely blame us." Fan Zeng made up his mind and said nonsense, "I have already sent someone to bring Yu Ji back, so don't worry. Go ahead and do it! The matter is successful, and you are the number one contributor to laying the foundation for the king!" Xiang Zhuang has always respected and trusted Fan Zeng. Hearing what Fan Zeng said, he immediately dispelled his worries and said boldly, "Don't worry, Father Ya, I will fulfill my mission!"

When the matter developed to this point, Fan Zeng was desperate.He wanted to get rid of Liu Bang at all costs, even at the expense of Concubine Yu.Jiu Jin dispelled his fear, and he also lost any scruples. "If Xiang Yu wants to commit the crime, I will bear it all, and Liu Ji must die!" Deep in his heart, Fan Zeng felt an unprecedented firmness and strength, and his withered body was revived with vitality.His mind is very clear, this is not a momentary impulse, because his plan went bankrupt and he became angry and frantic, but for a long-term goal, for his own belief.Fan Zeng, who was more than seventy years old, straightened his stooped body, and followed Xiang Zhuang into the big tent.

Xiang Zhuang walked up to Xiang Yu's table, bowed to salute, held up the jade goblet, and said, "Your Majesty, you have taken the lead and put on a firm footing, leading us to overthrow the Tyrant Qin Dynasty and revive the six kingdoms. You toast!" Looking at this younger brother who followed him through life and death, Xiang Yu's heart felt hot, he picked up the jade goblet, and drank it down in one gulp.Xiang Zhuang took the opportunity to propose: "Your Majesty invited Pei Gong and other princes to a banquet, but unfortunately there is a fly in the ointment..."

"Oh! What's the shortcoming?" Xiang Yu asked with great interest. "There is no entertainment in the army, so I can't cheer you up!" Xiang Yu nodded with deep empathy, "It's a pity that Concubine Yu is not here. When she comes back, let her dance a song in the big tent. Concubine Yu's dancing posture is unparalleled in the world, and everyone in charge applauds!" Xiang Zhuang hurriedly stopped him and said, "Sister-in-law must be very tired from running back and forth, so it's better not to bother her. If Your Majesty allows it, I'd like to dance the sword for fun!"

Xiang Yu clapped his fists vigorously, and suddenly realized: "That's right! Why did I forget you, the number one swordsman in the Chu Kingdom? Well, come quickly, come quickly!" With Xiang Yu's permission, Xiang Zhuang turned around and walked to the center of the big tent, and glanced at Liu Bang's seat.Just at this glance, Liu Bang was terrified, and felt that Xiang Zhuang didn't have any good ideas.He looked at Zhang Liang as if asking for help, and Zhang Liang felt the same, and looked at Uncle Xiang.Xiang Bo nodded knowingly, patted his saber, and signaled Zhang Liang to rest assured that since he promised to be Liu Bang's guard, he would do his best to protect his safety.

Xiang Yu took the lead in clapping his hands, beating the beat for Xiang Zhuang, and the people in the tent also clapped along with him.Xiang Zhuang held his breath and concentrated, following the sound of the rhythm, the sharp sword pierced through the air, swift and powerful, retractable and retractable freely, moving with the sword, moving and jumping.A sword has gained life in his hands, whether it is chopping, sweeping, stabbing, or carrying, there is no fixed routine, but they are intertwined and integrated, and the fierce murderousness is covered by the graceful and vigorous dance.The audience in the big tent was stunned, held their breath, and gradually forgot to hit the beat.

Among all the people, only Liu Bang, Zhang Liang, Xiang Bo, and Fan Zeng were not confused by this rare sword dance.They stared at Xiang Zhuang intently, not letting his every move go.Liu Bang and the others maintained a high degree of vigilance, with their hearts raised in their throats, ready to respond at any time; Fan Zeng was praying that the sword in Xiang Zhuang's hand would stab Liu Bang's heart accurately, and that there would be no more mistakes.He is only one step away from his goal, so he won't fall short again! Xiang Zhuang's soul-stirring sword dance made Xiang Bo really unable to hold back. If he continued watching like this, he was worried that his heart would stop beating suddenly. "This nephew can't let this nephew perform alone! Something will happen sooner or later, and it will be too late to take any action at that time." Xiang Bo made up his mind, stood up, and said to Xiang Yu: "My lord, I am excited to see it, and I am so excited. Itching, dancing solo is worse than dancing with each other, how about letting Xiang Zhuang and I dance swords together for fun?"

Xiang Yu was still immersed in the majestic sword dance, and didn't see any abnormalities. Hearing what Xiang Zhuang said, he became more emotional, and clapped his hands: "Okay! Your uncles and nephews dance together, and my nephew will be the referee. Everyone, come together Judge the pros and cons, and the winner will be rewarded!" With his sword in his hand, Xiang Bo walked to the center of the big tent and stood opposite Xiang Zhuang.Xiang Zhuang didn't know the relationship between Uncle Xiang and Liu Bang, but when he was approaching Liu Bang step by step, he suddenly jumped out of such a roadblock, and felt very annoyed.He kept winking at Uncle Xiang, but Uncle Xiang pretended not to see it.Looking at Fan Zeng again, Fan Zeng could only stare blankly, helpless.

Seeing that Xiang Zhuang stood there motionless, Uncle Xiang was not polite, and attacked with his sword. Xiang Zhuang had no choice but to parry.Xiang Bo tried his best to turn his back on Liu Bang, and used his body to block his father-in-law, so as not to give Xiang Zhuang a chance to assassinate.Seeing that Liu Bang was not in danger for the time being, Zhang Liang breathed a sigh of relief, hurried out of the big tent, and walked towards the gate of the camp. Outside the gate of the camp, Fan Kui, Xia Houying and others were running around anxiously, not knowing what was going on inside.Seeing Zhang Liang walking out, everyone quickly surrounded him.Zhang Liang opened his mouth and asked, "When will Concubine Yu arrive?" Fan Kuai replied: "Just received the news, it will be here soon!" Zhang Liang nodded and said, "Before Concubine Yu arrives, I must find a way to get the king out." "How's the situation inside?" Fan Kuai asked anxiously. "The situation is urgent. Xiang Zhuang drew his sword and danced, looking for an opportunity to assassinate the king. Fortunately, Xiang Bo stepped forward and danced with him to protect the king, so his life is not in danger for the time being. But if this continues, it will be difficult to say if it goes on for a long time." When Fan Kui heard this, he became anxious immediately, "It's too dangerous! I'll rush in now, if they dare to attack the king, they will die together!" After finishing speaking, holding the shield with the lotus sword, he charged into the gate of the camp.Zhang Liang wanted to stop him, but it was too late, so he had to explain a few words to Xia Houying and the others, and followed Fan Kuai back to the barracks. When the soldiers guarding the camp gate saw someone breaking in, they immediately came to stop them.Fan Kuai erected the shield in front of him to block the weapons that were stabbing at him, and then resisted the shield with his body, and charged forward with all his strength, knocking the soldiers who blocked him to the ground one after another.He was as strong as an ox, and risked his life again, for a moment, no one could stop him, and he insisted on rushing into the gate of the camp.On the way from the camp gate to the big tent, elite warriors had already been deployed, and when they saw someone break through the camp gate, they immediately surrounded them, trapping Fan Kui and Zhang Liang who was following him in the middle. Seeing that he and Fan Kui were about to be hacked to death, Zhang Liang shouted in desperation: "This is Fan Kui, Pei Gong's personal guard. King Xiang heard that he was often beheaded dozens of times before the battle, and admired him for his extraordinary bravery. Everyone, make way for him quickly, and don’t hurt your own people.” In a hurry, Zhang Liang thought of using Xiang Yu’s name to order these warriors, and at the same time frightened them with Fan Kuai’s bravery.Xiang Zhuang, who was in charge of commanding the warriors, was dancing swords in the big tent. For a while, the group of dragons had no leader, and the warriors stared wide-eyed and lost their minds.Fan Kuai was not a reckless warrior, he reacted quickly, and immediately walked towards the big tent with his head held high and his chest held high.The warriors were taken aback by his cooperation with Zhang Liang, and gave way one after another. When they came to the big tent, the warriors here were all Xiang Yu's bodyguards, so it was not so easy to dismiss, so they raised their long halberds and stopped Fan Kuai.Zhang Liang knew that using the method just now would definitely be ineffective, and without Xiang Yu's order, they would not let anyone enter the tent.He whispered in Fan Kuai's ear: "This time we can only do it hard!" Without saying a word, Fan Kui rushed forward with a shield in his hand. The noise outside the big tent caught the attention of Xiang Yu and everyone else. Just as Xiang Yu was about to ask what was going on, he saw the door curtain lifted, and a majestic and strong man appeared at the door.Fan Kuai held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, with the door curtain still draped over his shoulders, looking directly at Xiang Yu who was sitting upright, his hair stood up one by one, his eyes stared as if they were going to burst their eye sockets, his crown was really angry, and his canthus were about to burst.Everyone was startled by Fan Kuai's appearance, and Xiang Bo and Xiang Zhuang who were dancing their swords stopped involuntarily.Xiang Yu stood up and pressed his sword vigilantly, and asked, "Who is it?" Zhang Liang who followed came in hastily replied on behalf of Fan Kui, "This is Fan Kui, Pei Gong's bodyguard." Fan Zeng scolded angrily: "Disobeyed the military order, broke into the barracks with weapons without authorization, pulled them out and chopped them down!" Just as Liu Bang wanted to intercede, Xiang Yu spoke first. He had never issued an order "no entry for those with weapons", so he didn't feel very annoyed. "That's all! Since he is Peigong's guard, it's not a big mistake to be reckless when he is worried about the safety of the Lord. What a strong man! Come, give him a drink!" The guards at the door did not stop Fan Kui, but also followed the big tent, and was very annoyed at being assaulted by him. Hearing Xiang Yu's order, he took the first bucket of wine and handed it to Fan Kui.Seeing that the guard wanted to embarrass himself, Fan Kui smiled contemptuously, put down the weapon in his hand, took the wine, turned his back to the sky, poured it into his mouth, and drank the whole bucket of wine in one breath.Such a bold and unrestrained drinking method stunned all the princes including Xiang Yu.Seeing that Fan Kuai had finished drinking, Xiang Yu hurriedly said, "Give him meat!" The guard deliberately opposed Fan Kui, and even brought a whole raw pig leg and threw it in front of Fan Kui.Seeing this, Fan Kui burst out laughing.He was originally a butcher, and it was exactly what he wanted to be asked such a difficult problem.Fan Kuai put the shield upside down on the ground, put the raw pig leg on it, replaced the butcher knife with a sword, skillfully chopped off the meat from the pig leg piece by piece, stuffed it into his mouth as he cut it, chewed it and swallowed it Go down, eat it raw, and eat the whole pork leg in a short while.Some of the guests who were timid and weak in stomach and intestines felt sick when they saw it, and couldn't help vomiting.Fan Kuai, however, remained calm, staring at Xiang Yu with his shield and sword as before even after eating and drinking. Instead of being angry, Xiang Yu admired Fan Kuai's beastly demeanor and asked, "Can a strong man drink more?" Fan Kuai said loudly: "I'm not even afraid of death, why am I afraid of drinking?" Xiang Yu nodded approvingly. Liu Bang wanted to stand up and apologize on Fan Kuai's behalf, but Fan Kui still wanted to teach Xiang Yu a lesson in public. "Your Majesty, I'm a rough person, I don't know how to bite the bullet, and I'm arty, but I have some things in my heart. If I offend the Majesty with my words, please forgive me. If the Majesty wants to blame, Fan Kui will bear it all. Don't hurt my lord. " "Speak, strong man, don't have any worries!" Xiang Yu was very happy. "The Tyrant Qin had the heart of tigers and wolves. He imposed punishments indiscriminately and killed countless people. That's why the heroes of the world rebelled against Qin. King Huai made an appointment with everyone: the first to enter the pass is the king. Pei Gong entered the pass first, and the soldiers came to Xianyang. He forced Ziying to surrender, but he sealed up the treasury and palace, took nothing from jewelry and property, and stationed troops on Bashang, waiting for the king to come to dispose of him. He sent troops to guard Hangu Pass before, just to catch robbers and prevent accidents. Pei Gong has made great achievements. Your Majesty did not offer a reward for being a Marquis, but instead listened to the slander of the villain and wanted to kill the heroes. How is this different from Tyranny? I consider it from the standpoint of the Majesty, and I think this approach is really inappropriate!" Although Fan Kui turned over old accounts and spoke impassionedly, he grasped the measure very well, killing three birds with one stone, just right.He not only exposed Xiang Yu's conspiracy to destroy Liu Bang in public, but also shifted the responsibility to the villain who slandered him, saving Xiang Yu's face, and at the same time advocated for Liu Bang the "reward of the Marquis", showing Xiang Yu that Liu Bang did not claim the king without authorization. The ambition to dominate the pass. After being educated by Fan Kui in public, Xiang Yu was silent for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "The strong man sit down, I understand!" Fan Kui sat down behind Liu Bang to protect him.With Xiang Bo and Fan Kui present, it was impossible for Xiang Zhuang to assassinate Liu Bang, so he had to resign in embarrassment.Xiang Yu never had the idea of ​​killing Liu Bang, but after Fan Kuai made such a fuss, he even felt guilty for his recklessness and almost causing a big mistake.The atmosphere of the banquet fell into a dull moment. Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhang Liang leaned close to Liu Bang and said in a low voice, "Pei Gong, Concubine Yu is coming soon, let's go!" Liu Bang got up and left the table immediately after hearing this, and walked outside the big tent.Xiang Yu was drinking, and the others were also drinking and chatting on their own, and no one noticed that Liu Bang was leaving.Zhang Liang nodded to Uncle Xiang as a greeting, and followed Liu Bang out of the big tent with Fan Kui.However, there is one person who has not been distracted and has been staring at Liu Bang——Fan Zeng. As soon as Liu Bang, Zhang Liang, and Fan Kui left the tent, they heard someone shouting from behind: "Pei Gong, where are you going in such a hurry?" In an instant, cold sweat soaked on his forehead.Zhang Liang turned around, seeing Fan Zeng, he smiled embarrassingly and said, "Pei Gong wants to change, we will go with him and come back!" Liu Bang stabilized his mind, turned around, and forced himself to say calmly: "So it's the general! Yes, I drank too much alcohol, and I have a urgency to urinate. I'll be back after I go to the toilet!" Fan Zengyin smiled twice, and said, "Please go ahead! The military camp is very big, I am afraid that Pei Gong will get lost, so send some guards to accompany you!" After that, before Liu Bang could refuse, he greeted some warriors, "Pei Gong goes! Changing clothes, you are responsible for leading the way, and you must protect Pei Gong. If Pei Gong gets lost, you are the only ones to ask!" The three of Liu Bang had no choice but to go to the toilet under the supervision of the soldiers.Fan Kuai quietly raised the sword in his hand, ready to get rid of these warriors in a secluded place and help Liu Bang escape.Zhang Liang stopped him with his eyes, it was too risky to do so in a barracks with thousands of troops! After entering the toilet, Zhang Liang asked Fan Kuai to guard the door, and said eagerly to Liu Bang, "Pei Gong, hurry up! As soon as Yu Ji comes back, Xiang Yu has no scruples. If he changes his mind, it will be dangerous!" "How to get there?" Liu Bang asked blankly. Zhang Liang pulled Liu Bang to the side of the squatting position, pointed down: "Look!" Liu Bang covered his nose and glanced down, stunned.Xia Houying, Ji Xin, and Jin Qiang wrapped their mouths and noses with towels, and were carrying a ladder to the lower level of the latrine.The toilets at that time were divided into upper and lower floors. The upper floor was equipped with a springboard for people's convenience, and the lower floor was a cesspit.The door on the upper floor is open inside for people who go to the toilet to enter and exit; the door on the lower floor faces outside for people who clean up the cesspit to enter and exit.When Xiang Zhuang and Xiang Bo were dancing swords against each other, Zhang Liang took the opportunity to go outside to inform Fan Kui and others, and told Xia Houying, Ji Xin, and Jin Qiang to come to meet him under the latrine near the big tent. At that time, he had planned to escape from here. Method. Liu Bang said with emotion: "Zifang, you are really clever, you can come up with such an idea!" Zhang Liang waved his hand, "I have wronged the king, don't talk about it, go down quickly!" Liu Bang hesitated: "It's just..." "Just what?" Seeing that Liu Bang was still hesitating in such a desperate situation, Zhang Liang couldn't hold back. "I haven't said goodbye to King Xiang yet! Just leave like this, and King Xiang will blame me in the future, what should I do!" Fan Kui became angry when he heard it, "Those who achieve great things don't care about small details, and those who perform big rituals don't hesitate to make small concessions. Now people are swords and I am fish, so why do you say goodbye!" When Liu Bang was hesitating, someone outside shouted: "Chen Ping, under King Xiang, came to visit Peigong on behalf of King Xiang!" It turned out that Xiang Yu also found that Liu Bang had disappeared from the banquet, so he asked his attendant Chen Ping to come out to look for it.After Chen Ping asked the guards, he followed to the toilet. Fan Kui dodges behind the door, ready to kill Chen Ping.The door curtain was lifted, and Chen Ping walked in, his eyes rolled around, looking at Liu Bang and Zhang Liang, but he didn't expect that there was a killer behind him, ready to cut off his head at any time. "Pei Gong, why are you still here, why don't you hurry up?" Hearing Chen Ping say such words, both Liu Bang and Zhang Liang were stunned, and Fan Kui quickly put down the hand that raised the sword.Chen Ping explained: "Xiang Yu is indecisive and capricious. If he suddenly changes his mind and wants to harm Pei Gong, he will have no escape. It is better for Pei Gong to go before it is too late!" "You are..." Liu Bang was a little confused. Chen Ping is very calm, "I have long seen that Xiang Yu only has the courage of a man, not the material to become an emperor, but Pei Gong has a broad mind, knows people well, and has great ambitions. When the time is right, Chen Ping is willing to rely on Pei Gong to build a great cause together. It's just that the current situation does not allow me to do this, so I forgive Chen Ping for not being able to follow Pei Gong immediately." Liu Bang grasped Chen Ping's hand gratefully, and said: "Mr. Liu Ji will never forget your great kindness. I look forward to reuniting with you one day and working together to win the world!" Chen Ping responded generously: "Sure enough, I read Pei Gong correctly. You are not only to be the king of Guanzhong, but also to rule the world! Chen Ping is here to send Pei Gong off!" Xia Houying and others had already put up the ladder, and Liu Bang was about to go down when Zhang Liang held him back and said, "Pei Gong, you go ahead, and I will bid farewell to Xiang Yu on your behalf! If all of us leave like this , It is indeed too abrupt. In case Xiang Yu becomes suspicious, he will raise a teacher to question him in the future, which will cause trouble again." "I'm worried about your safety!" Liu Bang said. Zhang Liang smiled and said: "It doesn't matter. After all, I am not a subordinate of Peigong. I have the status of a Korean Situ. I think Xiang Yu will not make things difficult for me as a third party. Peigong, what gift did you bring that I need to offer on your behalf?" ?" Only then did Liu Bang remember, "I brought a pair of white biscuits for King Xiang, and a pair of jade buckets for the general. They are all in my carriage now, please give them to them for me." Let’s go! My carriage and guards stayed in place in front of the camp gate, so as not to arouse suspicion, so I took these people to take a small path back to Bashang. You guess that when we reach Bashang, we will go in and bid farewell to Xiang Yu.” "Okay!" Zhang Liang agreed.Liu Bang slipped down the latrine down the latrine, led Fan Kuai and the others at full speed, and headed straight for Bashang. In the big tent, Fan Zeng found that Liu Bang was not coming back, so he sent someone to look for him.The few warriors he sent to follow Liu Bang earlier had been dismissed by Chen Ping. Later, the men he sent went to the gate of the camp to have a look and found that Liu Bang's carriage and guards were staying in place without any abnormality, so they came back to report to Liu Bang. Fan Zeng reported: "Pei Gong's chariot and attendants are still outside the gate of the camp, and they probably have not left." After all, Fan Zeng was getting old, and the alcohol and tiredness made him almost unable to support himself, and his mind became dull. His previously tense nerves relaxed, and he lost his due vigilance and keen judgment.After hearing the guard's report, Fan Zeng waved his hand feebly to make him step back, leaning against the table, propping his forehead with his hands, and fell asleep. Xiang Yu only cared about drinking with everyone, and forgot about Liu Bang's affairs, and didn't care about Chen Ping's delay in returning.At this time, the guard came in and reported: "My lord, Yu Ji's carriage has entered the barracks." Xiang Yu jumped up from his seat, regardless of other people's reactions, rushed out of the big tent, and went straight to Yu Ji's carriage.As soon as Yu Ji poked her head out of the carriage, Xiang Yu grabbed her and carried her off the carriage.Looking at Yu Ji who looked tired and looked more and more haggard and weak, Xiang Yu frowned in distress, and said, "You went out without saying hello, and you didn't come back all night, which made me frightened and almost went out." event." Yu Ji didn't know what happened during the time she was away. The imminent war and thrilling contests did not exist for her.Seeing Xiang Yu's worried look, Yuji said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I'm too self-willed, I didn't think carefully, and let the king worry about me." "It's okay, it's okay, just come back. You go back to rest first, I'm still at the banquet, and I'll accompany you after the banquet is over. I'll talk about anything later." After Yu Ji was settled, Xiang Yu returned to the big tent. Accompanied by Chen Ping, Zhang Liang entered the tent.He went straight to Xiang Yu's table, bowed and saluted, and said: "Your Majesty, Pei Gong is too strong to drink, and he is worried that he will lose his temper and make a fool of himself in front of the Majesty and other princes, so there is no time to say goodbye, so let's take a step forward and return to Bashang. Before leaving Before, he asked me to present a pair of white biscuits as a gift to the king, and a pair of jade buckets as a gift to the general.” Concubine Yu had returned safely, and Xiang Yu didn't care about other things anymore, he just wanted to end the banquet as soon as possible and go back to accompany Concubine Yu. Fan Zeng heard that Liu Bang had returned to Bashang, and finally woke up from the nerves numb by alcohol, realizing that his carefully arranged plan to eliminate Liu Bang had completely gone bankrupt.He stared straight at the pair of crystal clear jade buckets placed on the table in front of him.After a long time, Fan Zeng swept the jade bucket to the ground with a wave of his hand. Still feeling puzzled, he pulled out his sword, one sword at a time, and chopped two jade buckets into pieces, as if the jade bucket was the incarnation of Liu Bang. Vent the anger in my heart. "Ah!" After chopping up the jade bucket, Fan Zeng looked up to the sky and sighed, "Zhuzi is not enough to plan! In the future, it must be this Liu Ji who will take Yu'er from the world. We all will become his prisoners!" His famous words through the ages were drowned in the din.The princes were drinking the last round of wine with Xiang Yu, and the Hongmen Banquet came to an end.