The most powerful emperor Liu Bang

Chapter 19 Planned alliance plan

Liu Bang organized an allied force to attack Pengcheng, which completely annoyed Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu. First, it made him see Liu Bang's ambition to compete with him for the world, and second, he clearly saw Liu Bang's strength. It must be a big problem.He regretted that he didn't listen to Fan Zeng's words and killed this guy at the Hongmen Banquet.

Xiang Yu failed to catch Liu Bang in the west of Pengcheng, and later Liu Bang escaped from Pei County, and let him slip under his nose again.Fortunately, he captured his father and wife. Xiang Yu saw that Lu Zhi was also a great beauty, so he could be favored. From time to time, he let her have a drink with her to relieve his hatred.

It was heard that Liu Bang had fled to Xingyang and Chenggao. Xiang Yu led a large army to chase after him, and surrounded Xingyang like an iron barrel.The situation Liu Bang faced for a while was precarious.It turned out that a group of princes who were attached to Chu and Han saw that the Chu army was strong, and feared that Xiang Yu would clean up after Liu Bang was wiped out, so they fell to the Chu army one after another.

Seeing that he had little chance of winning against Xiang Yu, Liu Bang also lost the confidence and patience to continue fighting.Fortunately, he has a group of advisers who are very intelligent and have gone through many ups and downs, so they persuaded him: "Your Majesty, you often say that victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. Now we are only in temporary difficulties. You must not be discouraged. Throughout the ages , There are many people who have achieved great things, not all of them have gone through countless hardships and setbacks, and finally succeeded.”

"I also know this truth, but now that we are so weak, and the princes of the world have abandoned me, when will we turn defeat into victory and live a stable life?" Liu Bang has been thinking about it for more than ten years, always worrying about his head and not knowing when to move. , Now that the old father and his wife are captured by Xiang Yu again, and the woman he loves can't take him to live with him, how can he not be discouraged and depressed.

Xiao He said: "We are now about the size of China and Hanzhong, and there are tens of thousands of troops. Do you think what we had when we came out? Didn't you take this step because you were forced to have nowhere to go by the government? Yes. Your team has grown from scratch, and your territory has grown from small to large. It took only a few years to develop to the current scale, which is smooth enough. Looking at the princes of the world, at present, only you and Xiang Yu can fight against each other. I think In a few years, we will be able to surpass him."

Zhang Liang also said: "The general trend of the world depends on planning. As long as we plan properly, it is possible to grow from weak to strong, from small to large. In the years when you started your army, you have grown stronger step by step through wisdom."

Xiao He said again: "I believe in fate. Lu Gong and many fortune-tellers said that the King of Han will be incomparable in the future. Whenever you encounter a crisis, you can turn danger into prosperity and turn danger into safety. I think the difficulty in front of you will not be too long. past."

"That being said, this time I feel different from the past. There is a scene where the mountains and rivers change color and the sun and the moon are dying." Liu Bang said.

"This is the reason why the king has not yet come out of the shadow of the battle of Pengcheng. Now that the Chu army is chasing the door again, the king is busy with all kinds of affairs, and he is tired. That's why we have this illusion. In fact, when we saw you, all the confidence and confidence Courage has come." Confucian scholar Li Shiqi said.

"When did your majesty become so concerned about gains and losses? Xiao Xiangguo is right. Think about it when we first started our army. At worst, we will go back to the past and have a bowl-sized scar on our heads. There is nothing to worry about!" Fan Kui listened They discussed, and couldn't bear their temper to interject.

Hearing what they said, Liu Bang's mood immediately improved a lot, and he clapped the table and said: "Well said, the big deal is to go back to the past. I have become a bit pampered in the past few years, and I look forward to the future when I am in trouble. After you remind me, I understand. There is nothing to worry about! A lot of things in the past were not ours, we can get them if we don’t have them, and we can lose them if we get them, so why not take a gamble!”

Zhang Liang applauded secretly when he heard the words, admiring Han Wang's generosity from the bottom of his heart.

Liu Bang looked around at all the counselors present, and said unexpectedly: "I am willing to set aside all the land east of Hangu Pass and give it to those who help me defeat Xiang Yu. Who is willing to build a great cause with me?"

Here you look at me, I look at you, I don't know what to say for a while.They are all willing to follow Liu Bang in the southern and northern wars, but whoever wants to attack the city and charge the battle, and Xiang Yu, does not have the hard power yet.However, as the most important adviser of the King of Han, Zhang Liang has studied the general trend of Tiantian more, and he has a better understanding of who can challenge Xiang Yu, so he said: "Among today's heroes, there are only three people who can compete with Xiang Yu. It is Jiujiang Wang Yingbu, one is the general Han Xin, and the other is Wei Xiangguo Peng Yue. However, none of these three people can compete with Xiang Yu alone. Only by integrating them and fighting the enemy together can there be hope of victory."

Hearing this argument, Liu Bang felt very reasonable, but after a little calm down, it was not easy to persuade these three people to fight against Chu together.So he said in an inquiring tone: "Han Xin is my general. Although he is a bit self-respecting, as long as he moves with affection and promises to benefit him, he will not betray me at present. He can still come in handy at critical times. But the other two -"

Xiao He interjected: "General Han is trustworthy, I can guarantee this."

"Although Peng Yue has belonged to the Han army, he is a team he has drawn up by himself. He occupies the mountain as the king and does his own way. Although he cooperated a lot when attacking Pengcheng, he always felt not so handy when dispatching it, which caused a lot of delays. In the Battle of Yangxia, our army was beaten to pieces by Xiang Yu and urgently needed Peng Yue's support. He saw that the Chu army was strong at this time, but they didn't come here for some reason. He meant to betray the Han and attach to Chu. Like these people who are watching from the sidelines, Whoever is more powerful, he will fall to whomever. Now we are at a disadvantage, how can he be with me?" Liu Bang said with emotion when recalling the past.

Zhang Liang said: "Peng Yue has always been an independent force. He made contributions in the struggle against the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty. But after Xiang Yu entered Guanzhong, he sealed off the princes and ignored Peng Yue's existence, which made Peng Yue very dissatisfied. When Qi and Chu fought, he attacked Chu again, and Xiang Yu had long wanted to cut him off. Therefore, if the Chu and Han families asked him to choose a family, it was unlikely that he would choose Xiang Yu. The reason why After surrendering to the Han army, he was not active. I think it has something to do with him not being crowned king after he pacified the Liang land. Now if the king of Han allows him to be the king of Wei after defeating the Chu army, he will take the north of Suiyang to Zhu If you reward him with a large piece of land in the city, he will definitely be willing to help Han and join forces to attack Chu."

"As Zifang said, I would rather make him king of Liang. But who can act as an envoy to persuade Peng Yue to raise troops immediately to fight the Chu army?" Liu Bang said still uncertain.

Zhang Liang said: "The counselor Lu Jia can take up this position."

"Then let Mr. Lu work hard." Liu Bang immediately made a decision.

While everyone was talking, an envoy from the front line came in and reported: "Recently, the Chu army has been mobilized frequently and its personnel have increased greatly. It is estimated that a major attack on Xingyang will be launched in the near future. Please be prepared early, Your Majesty."

When Liu Bang heard this, he didn't want to discuss how to unite to break Chu, and immediately led a group of followers to the city wall to observe the movements of the Chu army.The city guard general Sui He reported: "Now that the Chu army is pressing down on the border, the defenders in Xingyang City may not be able to match it. In addition, the food in stock will not last for a few days. The situation is extremely critical."

Liu Bang said: "Tell the soldiers, although Xiang Yu's army is assembled, there are reinforcements from my periphery. Han Xin's army is advancing towards Guanzhong. If they stop the Chu army, Xingyang will definitely not be unable to hold for a while." But he understood that light defense is not enough. The method is that there is no food in the city, and it will not last for a few days, but this matter cannot be explained. "

At this time, he recalled the conversation with Zhang Liang and others just now, looked at the group of people around him and said: "If anyone can persuade Jiujiang Wang Yingbu to attack Xiang Yu from behind, the crisis for our army will be over just now. It's a pity you people Among them, although there are many debaters, none of them can come in handy at the time of Guan Jian."

It just so happened that Sui He and Ying Bu who were present were good friends. They were both prisoners who were sent to Lishan to perform hard labor.Today, I heard that the king wanted someone to be a lobbyist with Yingbo, and immediately said: "My lord, I have an old friendship with Yingbo, and I heard that Xiang Yu has always been dissatisfied with the king of Jiujiang, and Yingbo is restless because of this. God-given opportunity, please send me to see the King of Jiujiang, maybe I can persuade him to betray Chu and Han."

Liu Bang was very happy to hear what Sui He said, so he hurriedly asked: "What, you and Yingbo are old friends? That's great. I'll give you 20 people, plus a generous gift. You go to Jiujiang immediately and tell Yingbo that if you join the Han army , after defeating Xiang Yu, I am willing to give him a large piece of land east of Hangu Pass to share with the world. Of course, I will reward you heavily after the matter is completed."

"Thank you, my lord. The military situation is urgent, and the villain will leave immediately." Sui He expressed his opinion to Liu Bang excitedly.

Just at this time, Han Xin broke the Qi State and sent envoys to ask to be the fake king of Qi.Liu Bang was not happy about this at first, but Zhang Liang winked at him. Liu Bang understood, and he had an idea: "A man, if you want to be a real king of Qi, you can be a fake king of Qi." For Qi Wang.

Suihe arrived in Jiujiang soon, and let Yingbo know that he was coming by opening the joints of Wang Jian, the Dazai of the palace.When an old friend came to visit, I hoped that Yingbu would meet him immediately, but I didn't expect to live in the post house and wait and wait until there was no news.

Yingbu knew that whenever he came to visit at this time, he must have come with a mission, and it was nothing more than persuading him to surrender to the King of Han.But now that Chu and Han are fighting each other, the outcome is uncertain. I originally had conflicts with Xiang Yu. If I act rashly, once the Chu army wins, I will definitely be the next target to attack.With my current strength, how can I compete with King Xiang?If you meet Sui He and say that you don't want to surrender to the King of Han, you will definitely offend Liu Bang. If he wins in the next step, Jiujiang will not have a good life.Therefore, he didn't say see you, he didn't say he didn't see you, and he wanted to delay it for a while.

At this time, Yan Xiang, Xiang Yu's emissary, also arrived in Jiujiang and brought a letter from Xiang Yu.Yingbo is still Xiang Yu's subordinate in name, so I have to see him.

Yingbu opened Xiang Wang's handwritten letter, and saw that it read: "Jiujiang King Yingbu learned from brother: Chu and Han are currently facing each other in Xingyang and Chenggao. Chu's army of 50 has gathered in Xingyang and is besieging the Han army from three sides. The pass is dangerous, and the rear is well-stocked, and we want to resist at the corner. At this time, I am anxious to attack Chang'an from the south, destroy its food roads, and make the Han army suffer from the enemy. The Han army will be in chaos, and Guanzhong and Hanzhong will be conquered soon. Brother, brother's arm. For several years, you and I have joined hands to attack cities and conquer lands. We are invincible. We are almost a perfect couple. Since the anti-Qin period, the Chu flag has been raised high, and the princes of the world have come to follow the wind. Rebelling against the Han and attempting to achieve great success, this is why God bestowed it The two of us have made great contributions to the world. After the matter is completed, I will give my brother the fertile land of Guanzhong, and I will not say goodbye in the future. The miss is always there, and the words are like meeting each other, and I am eager."

Xiang Yu had always had opinions on Yingbo. The reason why he wrote this letter was that Yingbo had never explicitly opposed Chu. At the critical moment of the struggle between Chu and Han, this was an important pawn.The second is to cherish the talent of Yingbu. Among the existing generals, few can match him.But Yingbo felt that Xiang Yu was too cruel, too unfeeling, narrow-minded, and contradictory. Under his command, sometimes if one thing is not done well, it may lead to the disaster of killing and exterminating the whole family.This is also the reason why the more he became familiar with Xiang Yu, the more he gradually alienated him.

After reading the letter, Yingbo was moved, but he didn't show it.He slowly handed the letter to Wang Jian who was standing aside.When Wang Jian saw it, he was taken aback, his intention was the same as Sui Hexilai's intention, both sides were fighting for the King of Jiujiang, wouldn't it be difficult for him?
Wang Jian had already benefited from Sui He, and Ying Bu couldn't explain to Sui He if he didn't see him for a day.When he came out of the palace that day, he told Suihe the news that the envoys from the Chu army had also arrived in Jiujiang.Sui He said anxiously: "The king of Ying avoids me because he is worried about three things: one is that the Chu army is strong and the Han army is weak, and he cannot be attached. The other is that he is afraid of being retaliated by the Chu army. The third is that he was once Xiang Yu's subordinate. Turning back to Han, afraid of being ridiculed by the people of the world. This is because the King of England has not seen the general situation of the world and Xiang Yu's character, so he is hesitant. Please give me some advice, so that I can meet the King of Jiujiang , I want to state the pros and cons to him face to face!"

Wang Jian felt that what Sui He said made sense, so he came up with an idea and said, "That's all it needs to be."

In the morning of the next day, King Jiujiang was out hunting. As soon as he stepped out of the mansion, Su He rushed over to stop Yingbu's mount and shouted: "My old man Su He pays homage to King Jiujiang."

When Yingbo saw it, he pretended to be surprised, and immediately invited him to the mansion to talk.After exchanging pleasantries, Sui He immediately got to the point. He analyzed Yingbo: "At present, the Chu army seems to be stronger, but in the long run, the King of Han will surely win, and Xiang Yu will surely lose. One is that the Chu army traveled long distances, The soldiers were tired and the supplies were insufficient. How could such momentum last for a long time? However, the King of Han could advance or retreat by refusing to defend at the pass. He waited for work at ease, his morale was high, and there were sufficient supplies behind him as a guarantee. How could he be invincible? Unrighteousness, wanton killing and poking, the people of the world will always hate it. After the battle of Pengcheng, although many princes betrayed the Han and attached to Chu, most of these people were short-sighted people. A thoughtful leader like you will wait and see. How can it survive for a long time if it falls on someone's wall? The king of Han is benevolent, and many people support him. Can you overcome the brutal journey? The third is that the king of Han is magnanimous, he is a man of faith, he will do what he says, and he will do what he says. When I came this time, he told me that if you are willing to defeat the Chu army with him, he will bring the Chu army to the present One-third of the occupied land will be granted to you. He will do what he says. Yes, Xiang Yu may also promise you the same, but based on your understanding of him, you think that if he wins the world, he will Do you fulfill your promise? Fourth, you have always been taboo to say that Xiang Yu attacked Qi and asked you to send troops. You said that you would not get rid of the illness and only gave him 4000 people, so that he did not win a complete victory. After the King of Han invaded Pengcheng, you sat idly by, As a result, Pengcheng fell. These two things, Xiang Yu has always held a grudge against you, and often mentioned them before his subordinates. Almost everyone in the world knows this, and you are also very clear. If he wins the world, he will treat you well? You are already a thorn in his side. , must want to get rid of it and then quickly. The reason why I haven't done anything yet is just that I haven't freed up my hand. The four points here, I would like to ask the king to think about it."

Hearing Sui He's words, Ying Bu couldn't stop sweating on his back.After a long silence, he suddenly said, "I have decided to surrender to the King of Han!"

Sui He said: "If you decide to do this, kill the envoy of Chu, don't let him go back to report the letter, and secretly raise troops to attack the Chu army."

Ying Bu said: "Yes." Immediately ordered the warriors around him to go to the post house to drag the Chu envoy into the field and execute him.

At the same time, Lu Jia went to Peng Yue and presented a document, telling him: "The king of Han named you the king of Liang, and asked you to attack Chu from the rear of Chu. After victory, he will reward you with Wei and Liang.
. "

Peng Yue was very happy, and immediately said: "Thank you, King of Han, I will do my best to help King of Han to pacify the world."

So far, the three famous generals at that time, Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu, all surrendered to the King of Han.

Han Xin was crowned Queen of Qi, and immediately rushed to the south of Xingyang to join the battle to prevent the Chu army from advancing westward.

Peng Yue was active in the rear of Chu and attacked Pengcheng, the capital of Chu, which made Xiang Yu's army exhausted from looking at one side and not the other.

Xiang Yu was furious when he heard that Yingbo was rebelling against Chu, and immediately led an army to crusade. Although Yingbo was defeated, it involved the energy of the main force of the Chu army for more than seven months, giving the Han army a chance to breathe and win the victory for the final victory. time.

(End of this chapter)