Chapter 41: Layers of Doubt
Gu Yun was shocked when he saw Li Yuan's appearance again, and the man in front of him, who was a bit thin and had a few cold expressions, was really Li Yuan?
Take another look at the group of soldiers behind him, after just a few days, they looked like wild men who had run out of the mountains, where was the majestic and heroic appearance of the Qin army officers?
"Li, Li Xiao Wei, what's going on? Has Liu Bang come to attack?" Gu Yun was stunned. With her understanding, she naturally wouldn't comprehend the significance of Li Yuan leading a group of soldiers into the mountains. The only plausible explanation was that Liu Bang had brought his troops to launch an assault, and Li Yuan, seeing the enemy's overwhelming numbers, had no choice but to lead his men in retreat into the mountains.
"Liu Bang, at this time he's probably still warming himself by the fire in his camp outside Xingyang. By the way, what's the situation like inside Xingyang City?" Li Yuan chuckled and didn't explain what was going on. Although Gu Yun held the title of commander of the Imperial Guard cavalry, it was actually Li Yuan who was in charge.
"Reporting back to the Colonel, fortunately I did not disappoint your orders!" Gu Yun said loudly as she pulled Li Bi who had been hiding behind her and hadn't spoken a word out in front of Li Yuan.
"General Li, no, I mean, General Li, it's me, Li Bi. I've been sent by the princess to escort you into the city." Li Bi's face turned bright red as he spoke, his words stumbling over each other.
All the way, Li Bi had a very confident and determined look, but now, Li Bi's expression was very nervous, because the Li Yuan in front of him was already very different from the one in his memory, not only in terms of appearance and height, but also in inner temperament.
People are different from one another.
Even if the body is still the same, the inner spirit cannot be concealed.
Li Yuan glanced at the sturdy, thick-browed young man with a strange expression in front of him and said sternly: "Li Bi, right? We were from the same family 500 years ago. You can call me Brother Yuan too. When you can surpass these soldiers behind me, then you can call." After crossing over, Li Yuan inherited few memories from his original owner. For this young man named Li Bi, he only had a feeling of familiarity, but it didn't seem to be that deep.
"Thank you, General Li. The princess has sent me to see you this time because..." Li Bi's eyes dimmed slightly and he nodded vaguely in response. Li Yuan's reaction was beyond his expectation. Originally, he had been looking forward to meeting with Li Yuan again, reuniting with a childhood playmate, even though the other had become a noble lord, but as long as they could talk about their feelings, it would be easy to say more.
"General Gu, take Li Xiaoge down to rest." Li You interrupted Li Bi's words and ordered Gu Yun. For the unknown things of this era, Li originally had a cautious psychology, but Li Bi's arrival made him vaguely aware of the original master's past experiences, which he did not know about.
This is Li Yuan, not that Li Yuan.
Now, continuing to talk to Li Bi immediately will only lead to more loopholes. Li Yuan needs a buffer period, on the one hand, to learn more about the true situation inside the city from Gu Yun, especially some secrets of the Li family. On the other hand, he also wants to calm down and think carefully about the memories that can still be recalled, to see if he can find a common point of intersection. Sometimes, the gate of memory just lacks a key, as long as it is opened, those dusty past events will come flooding back.
Li Bi was taken away under the gaze of Gu Yun's astonished eyes. Li Yuan's indifferent attitude towards Li Bi made her feel puzzled. As they were about to leave the city, hadn't Ying Zhu said that Li Bi and Li Yuan were childhood playmates? Why did it seem like Li Yuan didn't recognize him when they met, while Li Bi kept his head down without making any excuses?
Now that we've met, why pretend not to know each other. Or maybe Li Bi is just timid, he actually doesn't recognize Li Yuan, if it's really like this, then this seemingly honest guy is also too good at nonsense, all along the way, I don't even know where his strong confidence comes from.
Among them, is there another hidden situation? The more Gu Yun thought about Li Yuan's body, the more puzzles and doubts he had. For example: this man was obviously a semi-illiterate, and many small seal characters Li Yuan didn't recognize, still needed her help to copy, but if it was said that Li Yuan couldn't read, it wasn't accurate either. At least in terms of clerical script, Li Yuan could almost accurately identify all the words on the bamboo slips.
For example, Li Yuan's writing ability is really not up to par. His words and his spoken language are two extremes. What he says is extremely provocative, but his writing is a mess, it's really unknown who his teacher was in the past twenty years, how did they teach such a strange student?
It's possible that Wang Yu Shu was lying, and Li Yuan wasn't actually the successor groomed by the Li family in secret, but just a disposable pawn? If so, it would make sense for Li Yuan to have an indifferent attitude towards Li Bi. A discarded pawn would naturally harbor resentment when facing their former master, wouldn't they?
In Gu Yun's heart, countless doubts surged forth, making her even more interested in Li Yuan.
Under Li Yuan's inquiry, Gu Yun informed him of the connections and plans of various anti-Zhao forces within the city. Of course, he also boasted about his own merits in the process. Having obtained the plans of the various forces within the city, Li Yuan made a prompt decision to order the entire army to set out and prepare to enter Xiangyang City through the water gate at the agreed-upon time.
Now the snow is falling heavily, it's just when Liu Bang's army is slackening. Li Yuan must enter the city before the river freezes, otherwise, even if he has the intention of entering the city, he will not be able to pass through Liu Bang's interception on land.
——。
Li Yuan was rushing to reorganize and train his troops, and his old rival Liu Bang was doing the same.
One side weakens, the other grows stronger. After more than ten days of integration, Liu Bang gradually transformed from a nominal commander-in-chief of the allied forces to an absolute leader of the Western Expeditionary Army. Those vassals who were unwilling to become puppets also tried to leave with their own troops, but in the face of Liu Bang's endless tactics, they ultimately ended up leaving alone and isolated.
Outside the North Gate.
Liu Bang's army is in the military account.
The fiery charcoal fire had raised the temperature inside the big account to a comfortable level, and Liu Bang was entertaining various heroes as he had done several days ago. Unlike twenty days ago at White Horse, however, the objects of his hospitality had changed considerably. Wei Wu Pu, the man who had made it impossible for Liu Bang to save face, had been driven out of the military camp by Liu Bang, and his troops had been incorporated into Xiahou Ying's command. As for the spoils of war that Wu Pu had obtained with such great effort, they had become mere baggage in Xiao He's warehouse.
Liu Bang's recent mood was mixed with joy and worry. He was happy that the troops under his direct command were increasing, and those short-sighted vassals finally realized they had been deceived by Liu Bang. In this period of time, many of their generals were won over by Liu Bang's people. What worried him was this heavy snow, which didn't know when it would stop. If it continued for another half month, the army's food and fodder would be almost exhausted.
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