Chapter 43 United Troops 5

  Zhang Liang saw Xiang Liang's downfall and politely said, "Zhang Liang is not talented, but General Xiang Liang has shown such great kindness, Zhang Liang truly does not dare to accept, truly does not dare to accept!"

  "Mr. Zifang is too polite, Mr. Zifang is too polite! Come on, come on, let's go inside, let's go inside!" Xiang Liang said as he stretched out his hand to gesture to Liu Shanhe and Zhang Liang, walking towards the big tent.

  After the three men sat down, they experienced a very brief silence. This silence also reflected what Xiang Liang and Liu Shanhe were thinking in their hearts. Xiang Liang thought that this Lord Pei had come to his camp today with Zhang Liang, what was he here for? It couldn't be that he wanted to surrender to him, could it? That didn't seem likely, if so, why would he have come with Zhang Liang? Because of a slight doubt in his heart, his expression became slightly stunned.

  As for Liu Shanhe, he quickly turned his mind and thought that he must seize this opportunity to borrow troops from Xiang Liang. If not, what was the point of coming here? But how should he bring up the topic? It wasn't that he couldn't open his mouth, it just wasn't his style since his youth when he had no problem speaking out in village gatherings. Now, however, it was a matter of borrowing troops from someone else, not just one or two things, so the words had to be spoken with care and precision. Therefore, because his thoughts were preoccupied with these considerations, his speech slowed down somewhat.

  Fortunately, Zhang Liang was there. Seeing that both of them seemed to have nothing more to say, he thought to himself, why bother beating around the bush with Xiang Liang? He might as well get straight to the point. Whether it would work or not depended on this one move. With this in mind, Zhang Liang clasped his hands together and addressed Xiang Liang: "General Xiang Liang, Liu Bang of Pei has come to pay his respects today and has an important matter to discuss with you."

  After finishing this sentence, Zhang Liang cast his eyes on Liu Bang and thought to himself: I've already said the opening words for you, now it's up to you, Emperor Gaozu, to say the rest!

  Liu Shanhe naturally understood Zhang Liang's meaning, but he still felt that Zhang Liang had said too little and should have helped him say a few more sentences. He thought to himself that at the crucial moment, he would take over the conversation again. Thinking of this, Liu Shanhe deliberately hesitated for a while, looking somewhat embarrassed. Zhang Liang saw this and thought to himself, "It seems that today, this Marquis of Pei is not going to let me off until I've said almost everything. Otherwise, it looks like my mission will be impossible to complete."

  When Liu Shanhe seemed to be unable to speak, Zhang Liang knew he was seeking help from himself. So, Zhang Liang clasped his hands together and respectfully said to Xiang Liang: "Oh, General Xiang Liang, the situation is like this. After Lord Pei occupied Fengxiang, he left behind one of his generals named Yong Chi as a garrison commander. Since Fengxiang was Lord Pei's hometown, he naturally attached great importance to it and chose to station a capable general there. That Yong Chi was a native of Fengxiang and came from a prestigious family with considerable influence in the surrounding areas, which is why Lord Pei let him guard Fengxiang. However, Yong Chi betrayed Lord Pei on the grounds that he was not allowed to follow him on the expedition, and instead went over to the King of Wei when Lord Pei sent troops to conquer Suiyang. Later, when Lord Pei led his army back to punish him, Yong Chi shut himself within the city walls and forced the people of Fengxiang to become enemies with Lord Pei.

  "Lord Pei was indeed a man of benevolence and righteousness. He did not wish to see the sons of his hometown slaughter each other, so he voluntarily gave up continuing the siege. Zhang Liang received an invitation from General Xiang Liang and happened to meet Lord Pei on the way, who was worried about this matter." Zhang Liang said as much, then glanced at Liu Shanhe with his eyes. Liu Shanhe understood his intention and knew it was time for him to speak up. Because it seemed like a matter of borrowing troops and horses, naturally Zhang Liang would not say anything more.

  Liu Shanhe immediately took over Zhang Liang's words and bowed respectfully to Xiang Liang, saying: "General Xiang Liang, because my righteous army has just started and our military strength is too weak, Liu Bang feels very powerless. Therefore, Liu Bang wants to borrow elite soldiers from the general to help me retake Fengxiang, and after borrowing the troops, Liu Bang will immediately return them. Please, General Xiang, help us as much as possible, Liu Bang is extremely grateful."

  After listening to Zhang Liang and Liu Shanhe's words, Xiang Liang naturally understood the intention of Liu Bang's visit. He thought to himself: "At this moment, I am in need of people, and showing favor to one more person will gain me another supporter in the upcoming self-proclaimed King of Chu affair. Moreover, with my current large army of tens of thousands of soldiers, a few thousand troops are nothing but a small matter for me. It seems that Zhang Liang is also involved in this matter, otherwise why would he be so willing to speak on Liu Bang's behalf? I must give some face to Zhang Liang. Haha, no problem, I will help Liu Bang with this matter. Since we both belong to the anti-Qin alliance, helping Liu Bang will surely earn me praise from all the heroes of the world and increase my status and influence in their eyes. How can I not do such a thing? Isn't this an excellent opportunity for Liu Bang to raise his own influence by providing it to me?"

  Xiang Liang burst out laughing and said to Liu Bang and Zhang Liang: "Oh, I see! Haha, it's just a small matter, a small matter indeed! Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'll dispatch 5,000 troops and 10 generals to help you capture Fengxiang and return it to you, how about that?"

  "Thanks to General Xiang's troops for their assistance, this kindness Liu Bang will never forget!" Xiang Liang's words made Liu Shanhe speechless, and he only felt that a bright lamp had suddenly lit up in his heart, illuminating the direction of his future progress.

  Yes, some help from others, especially when you need it most, will naturally play a crucial role. Even if this help is insignificant to others, but for yourself, it's extremely important, truly extremely important.

  The next day, Liu Shanhe led the 5,000 elite soldiers borrowed from Xiang Liang, rushing to Fengxiang like a flying horse, with yellow dust rolling in all directions. After arriving at his own camp, he reunited with his original troops and took advantage of the momentum to quickly attack the city of Fengxiang.

  Liu Shanhe took a look and laughed, indeed the more soldiers, the effect is different! Now, adding the 5,000 troops borrowed from Xiang Liang, he has a total of over 10,000 people! These 10,000 troops are like heaven and earth compared to his original 5,000 troops! The flags were fluttering in the wind, making a rustling sound, truly shaking the sky with their momentum. His generals, whether they were newly borrowed from Xiang Liang or his original ones, all had high morale, clenched their fists, and expressed their determination to capture Fengxiang, take that scoundrel Yong Chi alive, and cut him into pieces to avenge Lord Pei's hatred. Liu Shanhe was naturally delighted to see the soldiers' enthusiasm.

  After all, there were tens of thousands of people and horses, so it was not easy to make adequate arrangements and complete all the preparations before the attack. Liu Bang knew that Xiao He was a master at coordinating things, so he said to Xiao He: "Xiao He, brother, how to coordinate all the troops to complete the preparations for the attack, just leave it to you to handle. I am most at ease with you handling things."

  "Xiao He obeyed the order." Xiao He then led the order and went out, relying on his excellent organizational skills, after a careful consideration, finally completed the preparations before the attack. After that, he reported the results to Liu Bang. Liu Bang listened to Xiao He's deployment plan, immediately smiled with joy, and said in his heart: "Haha, Xiao He, you really have your own way! You really have your own way!"

  Xiao He's deployment mainly utilized the momentum and rich combat experience of Xiang Liang's troops, who had just been borrowed. They were tasked with implementing the siege, while Xiao He's own archers were hidden in ambush. When the attacking soldiers reached the height of eight stories (climbing cloud ladders), Xiao He ordered his archers to start firing arrows directly at the defenders on the city wall. At this time, the enemy commander would not have been prepared for this, as it seemed counterintuitive to fire arrows that could also harm their own attacking troops. However, even with the risk of losing some of his own forces, Xiao He aimed to drive the defending soldiers back behind the walls and prevent them from peeking out. As a result, the attacking soldiers who had climbed eight stories up the cloud ladders accelerated their pace, striving to breach the city wall in the shortest time possible. Once the city wall was breached, the enemy's defense line would be declared broken, and the siege would naturally achieve success.

  Of course, the key to this plan is actually a psychological warfare. In other words, before attacking the city, we must already put pressure on the psychology of the defending army, thereby undermining their determination and confidence in defending the city. This point is also crucial. Because after that rain of arrows, there will definitely be a short period of confrontation between the attacking soldiers and the defending soldiers. It is precisely this brief confrontation that can reveal which side has the upper hand psychologically, which side has more confidence, and which side has a stronger conviction of winning. As the saying goes, "When two armies meet on a narrow road, the bravest one wins", it's exactly this logic.

  Before borrowing troops from elsewhere, it can be said that due to the small number of soldiers and generals on both sides, the attacking side and the defending side had their own strengths. The defending side relied on its high walls and thick fortifications, so they also had enough confidence to defend the city; similarly, the attacking side would also lack confidence in taking the city due to their limited troops, resulting in Liu Shanhe's initial failure in attacking the city.

  Now the situation has taken a drastic turn, with the attacking side borrowing elite soldiers and generals in large numbers, greatly boosting their morale and confidence, as if they would not rest until they capture the city. On the other hand, the defending side is naturally dwindling, watching as the enemy borrows troops from who-knows-where, almost doubling their numbers compared to the last attack, causing them to be deeply worried and uncertain, with both their morale and momentum greatly reduced. Moreover, these soldiers were mostly recruited from Fengxiang locals, and from the start of their service, they had been under Liu Bang's banner; now, being ordered to defend the city was a reluctant move for them. In this way, the fate of Fengxiang City was already sealed before the battle even began.

  "All officers, listen to my orders! Today, make all preparations for the attack on the city, and tomorrow morning, we will launch a surprise attack, striving to succeed in one blow and retake the city, capturing Yóng Zǐ alive! I repeat: today, make all preparations for the attack on the city, and tomorrow morning, we will launch a surprise attack, striving to succeed in one blow and retake the city, capturing Yóng Zǐ alive!" Liu Shanhe gnashed his teeth and issued his final, fatal order at the last high-level meeting of generals. To be sure, for this Fēngxiāng City, for catching that little scoundrel Yóng Zǐ, Liu Shanhe had not slept a good night's sleep in several days. Yóng Zǐ, ah Yóng Zǐ, I see you have nowhere to run! Damn it, what a treacherous, two-faced dog! If you know what's good for you, surrender the city quietly and spare us the trouble. But if you don't know better and insist on stubbornly defending, you will surely die without a doubt. Once I, Liu Shanhe, catch up with you, I will make you wish you were dead! Anybody who dares to betray me, I will show them my ferocity!"

  But that Yong Chi was not a fool, he saw Liu Bang borrow troops from Xiang Liang during the day, and his heart cooled down immediately. Not to mention the troops Liu Bang borrowed, looking at them with a sense of overwhelming, while the city's defense force was not an opponent at all. Just saying that Liu Bang found such a big backer as Xiang Liang's righteous army, this is not a joke. Because in today's world, the first king to rise up has already died in battle, and among all the righteous armies that rebelled against Qin, only Xiang Shi's uncle and nephew's righteous army had the strongest power. Moreover, from some rumors, Chen Sheng's troops mostly defected to Xiang Liang's righteous army. It can be seen that in today's world, Xiang Liang's righteous army was unmatched in both strength and influence.

  But Liu Bang actually found such a big backing, which was something that Yong Chi had not thought of. Hmm, absolutely not thought of. He originally thought that with just your little bit of military strength, and also, they were all those rustic, untrained, and inexperienced so-called troops, you still wanted to break through his walled city of Fengxiang, that was almost like dreaming. But now it seems that Liu Bang has borrowed so many troops to come here, the situation has undergone a huge change, if he continues to hold out, the result is very clear, it's just going to be captured.

  But thinking that if he were to be captured by Liu Bang after the city was breached, he would definitely suffer all sorts of torture and humiliation at Liu's hands, Yong Chi couldn't help but break out in goosebumps all over his body.

  "Ah, forget it! A real man can yield and adapt. Why bother arguing with him about who's right or wrong? Forget it, let's just use the 36th strategy - retreat is the best option!" With that thought, Yong Chi made a decisive decision to abandon the city and escape. That night, under the cover of darkness, Yong Chi led dozens of his personal guards out of the back gate of Fengxiang City, fleeing towards Wei State.

  It turned out that Yong Chi's choice was correct. As the saying goes, a good man does not take advantage of the present, and in front of him is a stone, why bother to collide with it? Isn't that seeking trouble for oneself? Not competing with opponents stronger than oneself for temporary gains or losses, but being good at avoiding their sharp edges, choosing the right time, and even enduring hardships for many years, hiding one's light and nurturing one's talents. Only in this way can one ultimately achieve great things. From this point of view, Yong Chi is not a hero who knows how to adapt to the times. However, his natural talent was too poor, especially compared to Liu Shanhe, they were not even players of the same weight class, and naturally there was no comparability.

  The next morning, Liu Shanhe got up early. Looking at the vast night outside the tent, a faint cold smile flashed across his face. You old scoundrel, today I'll make you die without a burial place! Liu Shanhe's teeth were clenched so tightly they creaked, and the thrill of impending revenge made him shiver uncontrollably. But little did he know that the treacherous Yong Chi was already on the territory of Wei State at this time.

  Although Liu Shanhe had previously thought that Yong Chi might escape, it was just a guess after all. Moreover, regarding Yong Chi's escape, Liu Shanhe's inner heart was actually very conflicted. On the one hand, he really hoped to catch that treacherous little brat and teach him a lesson to vent his anger. On the other hand, he also wished that there would not be too much killing, after all, those 5,000 elite soldiers were borrowed from Xiang Liang. They had to be returned intact! If they suffered heavy losses during this siege, Liu Shanhe would really have no way to explain it to Xiang Liang. After all, at this time, credit was a very important thing, especially for the weak. Because in order to survive and form temporary alliances with some strong people in the future, it was still necessary. But if his own credibility became a problem now, then when the time came, those alliances would be impossible to form.