Chapter 14: Liu Bang's Invasion

  Qu Yu.

  Fifty miles east of the outer city, a military flag was rolled up and rushed forward in the night, with neat footsteps echoing clearly in the dark wilderness.

  The vanguard of the Western Expedition, Liu Bang's number one general, butcher Fan Kuai led six hundred elite soldiers to rush towards Daliang two hundred miles away. Behind Fan Kuai were the advance troops of Lü Shang and Cao Shen, who were half a day behind Fan Kuai's journey. Further back was Liu Bang himself, leading an army of 20,000, in conjunction with various lords as reinforcements, attacking the empty and weak Sanchuan County.

  Xingyang

  Newly appointed County Governor Yang Xiong gathered all the generals to discuss strategies against the enemy in the outer yellow change and the western expedition of the Chu army. In the main hall, Yang Xiong sat in the middle, with Imperial Historian Wang Ming sitting at the top right, and Clan Regulator Chen Di on the left. Further back, County Lieutenant Zhao Bin sat next to Wang Ming, followed by a group of lieutenant-generals and military marquises who were mid-level officers.

  Yang Xiong is as his name suggests, rough and unrefined in appearance, clearly a believer in brute force rather than brainpower. In this important military meeting, judging from the level of the attendees, it's clear that Yang Xiong has fallen behind in the internal struggle for control over Hengyang. Wang Ming and Zhao Bin took advantage of the thorough investigation into Li You's treason to suppress and persecute officials loyal to Li, and facing this unfavorable situation, Yang Xiong belatedly realized his mistake but failed to take effective countermeasures. In this situation, the initiative in the military meeting is no longer in Yang Xiong's hands.

  "Yang Junshou, a bandit from Pei County, actually dares to call himself the Marquis of Wu'an. He's really asking for death by pulling out the whiskers of our great Qin Empire! In the Battle of Dingtao, General-in-Chief led the army in defeating Xiang Liang. How can we lag behind others? We should take the lead in fighting bravely and beheading this bandit Liu to repay the trust of the Emperor and Prime Minister." Wang Ming said with a shake of his head, stroking his beard and narrowing his eyes.

  "In military discussions, the matter concerns the life and death of the entire army. Please, Inspector Wang, be cautious with your words." Yang Xiong furrowed his brow and gave Wang Ming a displeased stare. In fact, for this purely military meeting, it was not necessary for Wang Ming, an inspector official, to attend, but under Zhao Bi's instigation, Wang Ming came uninvited, saying he wanted to sit in on the meeting and gain some experience. This official position of Wang Ming was much higher than Yang Xiong's, and as an inspector, he couldn't afford to offend him. As a result, Wang Ming started aggressively and began to expound his lofty views from the very beginning.

  "Prefect, what the imperial censor says is reasonable. I have tens of thousands of elite soldiers and fierce generals in Xingyang. General Yang is invincible, and his troops are well-trained. If they were to be captured by a group of bandits, wouldn't that be laughable? If the prefect has an order, I, Zhao, will lead my troops out of the city to find the enemy and engage in battle, to boost the prestige of our great Qin army." Zhao Bi secretly stabbed with one sentence, Wang Ming attracted Yang Xiong's firepower from the front, then he, Zhao Bi, would provoke him again. This double-pronged approach made Zhao Bi doubt that Yang Xiong could withstand it.

  "Magistrate Zhao, the county guard is here, what do you mean by this?" Yang Xiong furiously asked, staring at Zhao Bi with his eyes wide open and red.

  "Two generals, put aside your anger for now. The great enemy is before us, but we absolutely cannot afford internal strife. If at this time we allow the rebels to take advantage of our weakness, and the Emperor's punishment comes down on us, then we will have no way out!" exhorted Zong Zheng Chen Di.

  Chen Di was an official in charge of sacrificial rites and ceremonial affairs, a virtual worker who had never participated in the factional struggles within the court. There were not a few officials like him who chose to preserve themselves by being wise and cautious. Zhao Gao's main approach towards these officials was intimidation and winning them over, after all, he could not turn all officials into his own followers.

  This time in Xingyang, Chen Di was almost speechless in the investigation of Li You's case, letting Wang Ming jump up and down. As for the local forces in Xingyang, Chen Di kept a respectful distance. After all, he would only be staying in Xingyang for a while, and Chang'an was his foundation. If Zhao Gao found out that he had any improper words or actions, Chen Di's days would be difficult.

  "Yang County Guardian, the fate of Xingyang hangs in the balance, and it's up to you to decide with a single word. Please give the order!" Zhao Benyi spoke with righteous words and a resolute expression on his face, which earned him many trusting glances from the military officers. The Qin army prided itself on bravery, and its leaders held the notion that strength was paramount, deeply ingrained in their minds. Zhao Benyi's assessment of the situation was spot on, and Yang Xiong had now been forced into a desperate corner.

  "Please give the order, General! We are willing to lead the troops into battle and cut down the enemy to achieve merit!"

  "Our army is strong and valiant, why should we fear that scoundrel Liu?"

  The Qin army officers were in high spirits, all asking to lead troops into battle. As for Liu Bang, who was not a well-known figure and not a fierce general like Xiang Yu, these officers all showed great confidence.

  "All generals, quickly gather your troops and follow me to battle. Zhao Bi, you stay behind to guard Hanyang as our rear support." Yang Xiong scowled and grunted, not waiting for anyone's response, and strode out of the great hall.

  "I will obey your orders!" Zhao Bi loudly responded, exchanging a knowing smile with Wang Bi, finally revealing a self-satisfied expression on his face.

  Yang Xiong has made his move!

  Confronting Liu Bang, regardless of whether Yang Xiong won or lost, Yangyang was no longer surnamed Yang. If Yang Xiong won, that was his duty as the guardian of the Three Rivers County, and Zhao Bi would also have a share of the credit; if he pursued the victory and attacked, Yang Xiong could not escape the bitter task. If Yang Xiong lost, that would be even better, he could accompany the dead ghost Li Yu early, and it would save Zhao Bi from worrying about how to get rid of him.

  In addition, Gu Yunniang no longer had Yang Xiong as her backing, and Zhao Bi could imagine that his opportunity was coming. At that time, whether it would be a forceful takeover or a gentle step-by-step seduction, Zhao Bi thought to himself, his heart burning with excitement.

  ——。

  Without mentioning Yang Xiong's fierce and impetuous leadership, the troops clashed with Liu Bang in a bloody battle. In the county magistrate's mansion of Daliang, Li Yuan's military conference was also underway. With his precognitive sense of history, after the Battle of Dingtao ended, Li Yuan had already realized that his good days were temporarily over.

  Liu Bang's western expedition, with Da Liang right in front of him, and the unclear encounter battle with Liu Bang a few months ago, beheading Ji Xin and defeating Peng Yue, all made Lao Liu look disheveled, and Li Yuan was convinced that the gentle and magnanimous image of Liu Bang would not show such great tolerance. Liu Bang must have been waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.

  Li Yuan's expression was solemn, and Wang Shang, Gan Houbo, Zhou Xing, He Ping, Hu Zhuang and others were even more silent, staring at the two eyes on the map of the silk book in front of them. In these days, although they had undergone intensified training, they had basically learned the basic method of looking at pictures, but to ask these few people to come up with a way to deal with Liu Bang was indeed overestimating them.

  "The Chu army is coming to offend, what do you all think, let's hear it?" Half a moment later, Li Yuan stood up and his eyes swept over Wang Shang and others who were stunned and speechless.

  When Li Yuan asked this, Wang Shang and other generals immediately became like eggplants that had been hit by frost, standing solemnly on both sides, silent as cicadas in winter. Those with mediocre talent were also thinking of a clever plan to defeat the powerful enemy, but unfortunately, after searching for a long time, they couldn't find any brilliant ideas.

  "When the enemy comes, we will defend; when the water comes, we will dam it. Our army should prioritize defending the city and wait for the enemy's strength to weaken before retreating!" He Ping felt encouraged by Li Yuan's gaze and mustered up his courage to be the first to speak out.

  "It's not suitable to defend the city, our army is too small. If we get trapped inside the city, we'll be close to death!" Zhou Xing swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said with a bitter face. A few months ago, the siege of Yongqiu City was still fresh in memory, under the circumstances where military strength was vastly different, if they still clung to the city and refused to let go, it would be almost equivalent to sending themselves to death.

  "In fact, looking at it from a lower level, avoiding the enemy's sharp edge and retreating to Xiangyang is a feasible option. At least, there are still tens of thousands of troops in Xiangyang, and even if we can't win in a field battle, defending the city is possible. However, if the enemy underestimates us, perhaps we can fight one more battle before retreating." Wang Shang stared at the map for a long time before speaking. Wang Shangliu, who had always been called "Wang Lao Liu" (Old Six) in the army, now felt that the name was too rustic after becoming a military marquis, so he invited Hou Xihou, the most literate person among his acquaintances and the marshal of the Hou family, to dinner and formally changed his name to Shang.

  Li Yuan nodded his head. Wang Shang was able to consider these aspects and had put in a lot of effort. If he were given time to cultivate, he might be able to grow into a capable general.

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