God of War through the ages: Han Xin

Chapter 12 Han Xin's Choice: Xiang Yu or Liu Bang?
The wonderful banquet at Hongmen was over the moment Zhang Liang turned around and opened the curtain.The cups and cups were in a mess, Fan Zeng walked away weeping bitterly, Xiang Yu couldn't drink anymore, so he was tucked back to his bed by his servants to rest.

Liu Bang, who escaped back to Bashang by chance, immediately killed Zuo Sima Cao Wushang who betrayed him and was later betrayed by Xiang Yu.It's auspicious for a villain to be in the army!If he hadn't faced difficulties at the Hongmen Banquet, he might have become the ghost of Xiang Yu's halberd.Until now, Liu Bang can still feel the sound of his heart beating violently. The scene of Hongmen is too thrilling and exciting!
But there is one thing Liu Bang believes, as long as he doesn't anger Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu will not move him for the time being.Just watching Guan Zhong, whom he had fought so many battles, want to give it to Xiang Yu like a grandson, Liu Bang was furious.But right now is when Xiang Yu is in power, blindly hitting an egg against a rock is either tragic or stupid, so Liu Bang has to endure it!

Liu Bang was very upset for losing Guanzhong, but Xiang Yu was very excited for the new Guanzhong. The pair of jade bis that Liu Bang gave him had long since been thrown into a corner.Because Xiang Yu knew that in the centuries-old Xianyang Palace, there are rare treasures that are far more dazzling and priceless than the pair of jade biscuits, and of course, there are thousands of stunning beauties in the Qin Palace.

It is said that Liu Bang is lustful, but in fact Xiang Yu is even more lustful, and Xiang Yu's side is far more than just Yuji.It's hard to say that there is a so-called earth-shattering and weeping love between Xiang Yu and Yu Ji. In Xiang Yu's view, Yu Ji is just a tool to vent a man's instinct.Later generations infinitely beautified and exaggerated the relationship between Xiang Yu and Yu Ji, but called Liu Bang's lustful nature a hooligan, which is very unfair.

Xiang Yu has never been a conqueror who is constructive to the development of history, he is just a destroyer of history, destroying the old history, and then writing new history by others.Time soon proved this assertion to be correct.

"Historical Records: Xiang Yu's Benji" contains: "In a few days, Xiang Yu led his troops to the west to slaughter Xianyang, killed Qin's prince and baby, burned the Qin palace, and the fire lasted for three months; he took his goods and treasured women and went east." Seeing that Xiang Yu was extremely stupid Some people dissuaded him face-to-face: "The general is ridiculous! Guanzhong blocks mountains and rivers, four fortresses win, and the land is fertile and grain-rich. With Guanzhong as the capital, it is enough to become a king." The name of this person is Han Sheng.Regarding Han Sheng's objection to returning to the east, Xiang Yu replied in this way: "Wealth and honor do not return to our hometown, and we travel at night like embroidered clothes. Who will know my greatness and glory?"

Xiang Yu wanted to return home in fine clothes, Han Sheng scolded: "I often hear people say that the people of Chu wear monkeys to wear their crowns. Looking at it now, it's true!" Han Sheng didn't say this in front of Xiang Yu, but someone stabbed him to Xiang Yu. , Xiang Yu couldn't tolerate others questioning his authority the most, and in a rage, he cooked and killed Han Sheng.

Han Sheng is right. One of the most critical geostrategic factors for Qin to be able to establish a country and merge with the Kanto is that Qin has no strong enemies on the west, north, and south sides. Only the east front faces Zhao, Wei, Han, and Chu. But a long river is guarded in the pass, easy to defend and difficult to attack, this talent Qin Yicheng became king.

Faced with such a prominent geographical advantage, Xiang Yu actually turned a blind eye to it. He only had the prospect of returning home, which disappointed Han Xin, who was watching coldly.Judging from the information Han Xin knew, he should know Liu Bang's strategic choice, which is to become king according to Guanzhong.Liu Bang had already determined the strategy of taking Guanzhong and annexing the world based on it. This made Han Xin admire: this is the style of the king!
After following Xiang Yu for so long, Han Xin should have made a lot of military exploits, but Han Xin is still a low-status halberd master, with no hope of being promoted at all.Han Xin began to think that it was time to change the development platform.

Although Xiang Yu's ladder is made of luxurious and famous wood, it looks golden, but it can't hide the internal cracks. Han Xin has already seen this.Squatting on this broken ladder that is "outside the gold and jade, inside the ruins", Han Xin will fall from a high place sooner or later, is there still a way to survive?
To change the ladder, Liu Bang is the most suitable candidate. Presumably at this time, Han Xinxin already has a relatively clear plan for his future.

It’s not that Han Xin didn’t try his best. He once wrote several reports to Xiang Yu on the development of the current situation. How many sleepless nights are these written under the oil lamp with a man’s pride and ambition, supplemented by his loyalty and sincerity?But what did Han Xin get?Xiang Yu didn't even look at it, and threw it directly into the stove. The crackling sound of burning wooden slips made Han Xin want to cry without tears.

Han Xin was already mentally prepared to leave Xiang Yu's rotten ladder, and waited for the right time to jump onto Liu Bang's ladder.Xiang Yu didn't care what Han Xin was thinking, a small halberd master was not qualified to get the attention of the princes and generals, and Xiang Yu's energy was now focused on entrusting the kings.

Xiang Yu is not a politician with a long-term strategy. He is just an avenger from Chu State.What county system, what the same language and track, these are not options for Xiang Yu, he just wants to be a prince.Xiang Yu's thinking is still stuck in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period.

Before enfeoffment, Xiang Yu needed to do a particularly important thing, which was to drive Xiong Xin, King Huai of Chu, who had lost his supreme power, out of the Central Plains, and take him to Chen County (now Chenzhou, Hunan), thousands of miles away from the Central Plains, named Jiuguo. , actually in custody.Although Xiang Yu changed the name of King Huai to Emperor Yi, but after losing power, what practical significance do these false names have?

The encapsulation plan will be grandly introduced soon.

Xiang Yu, the self-appointed overlord of Western Chu, has his capital in Pengcheng.

It had already been determined that Zhang Han, the inspector of the Shaofu of the late Qin Dynasty, would be the king of Yong;

Wei Bao was made king of Western Wei, Han Cheng was made king of Han, Sima Ang was made king of Yin, Han Guang, king of Yan, was made king of Liaodong, former Yan general Zang Tu was made king of Yan, Tian Du was made king of Qi, Zhao Xie was made king of Dai, and Zhang Er was made king of Changshan , Get the land of the old Zhao.

Yingbu was the king of Jiujiang, Wu Rui was the king of Hengshan, and Gong Ao was the king of Linjiang.

For Liu Bang, who has become the target of public criticism, he was named the King of Han by Xiang Yu. His territory is in today's southern Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing.

This is a enfeoffment that Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng formulated together, full of malice.The southwestern region between Chu and Han was sparsely populated, with difficult and dangerous roads and a backward economy.Liu Bang was named Fenfeng, but he was actually kicked out of the Central Plains. Once Xiang Yu burned the plank road that must pass from Guanzhong to Shu, Liu Bang would die in a foreign land, and he would never return to his hometown to reunite with his elders.

When the enfeoffment order was issued, Peigong was furious, drew his sword and said, "The boy with double pupils bullies me, and I will fight him to death!" It was the servants under his command who tried hard to persuade Peigong to put the sword back into its sheath.Xiao He's words are very representative: "Although Hanzhong and Bashu are dangerous places, they are still enough to support the king's career. As long as the king is good at raising the people, showing courtesy to the virtuous, and when the way of heaven changes, he will also set up the Three Qin Dynasty and attack Chu in one fell swoop. The world may not be impossible. "

Liu Bang put his sword back into its sheath, and let out a long sigh: "What can I do if I give up this!" Under the low eaves, people have to bow their heads, and the man who can bend and stretch is a real man!Although on the surface, Liu Bang fully supported Xiang Yu's decision, secretly he gritted his teeth with hatred.Liu Bang scolded Xiang Yu for being ungrateful and ungrateful, while urging the army to leave Guanzhong, take the Qinling plank road, and meander into Shu.

Liu Bang was in a bad mood, chattering all the way, cursing the two bastards Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng, and throwing the master to the place where this man was crying and worrying.The more Liu Bang thought about it, the more useless he became. Even if he was named king of Hanzhong, he spent a lot of money to buy Xiang Bo through Zhang Liang and let Xiang Bo speak well in front of Xiang Yu. This changed Liu Bang's fiefdom from the hinterland of Bashu to Hanzhong.

This time Liu Bang went west, although Zhang Liang also followed the team, but before arriving in Nanzheng, Zhang Liang took the plank road and turned back to Bashang, leaving Hangu Pass, with the goal of Pengcheng.Why didn't Zhang Liang stay in Hanzhong and share the joys and sorrows with Liu Bang?Could it be that Zhang Liang couldn't bear these sufferings?Of course not, Zhang Liangdong still has more important military tasks to do.

Before leaving, Zhang Liang told Liu Bang: "After Wang Qiliang leaves, he can burn the plank road and cut off the way back, so as to prevent the three kings of Guanzhong (Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi) from sending troops to attack Han. Han Wuyu." Liu Bang understood Zhang Liang's good intentions, Xiang Yu sealed Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi in Guanzhong, and was ready to deal with Liu Bang at any time.

Before leaving, Liu Bang held Zhang Liang's hand tightly, shed tears before saying a word, and said to each other that he cherished each other.Zhang Liang was wearing straw shoes and riding the wind on the plank road. Liu Bang stood for a long time, feeling lost.When Zhang Liang disappeared out of Liu Bang's sight, the King of Han gave an expressionless order: Burn the plank road!
Amid the wailing of the Eastern native Han army, a fire dragon rose up the mountain, and burnt wooden sleepers kept falling to the bottom of the valley with flames. The scene was very shocking.If the plank road is burned, it means that the soldiers of the Han army who live in the Central Plains will never return to their hometowns. Fathers, brothers and wives, leaning on the door and looking forward, shedding tears into the sea, will die forever.

Burning the plank road, although it is difficult to return home, at least it can guarantee the safety of Hanzhong. Zhang Han and the others will definitely not be able to kill them. This is also an important purpose of Zhang Liangdong's return.Zhang Liang rushed to Pengcheng to meet the Overlord of Western Chu who was flirting with the women of the Qin Palace for fun.The Overlord asked about the King of Han, and Zhang Liang replied with a smile: "How can Liu Bang have ambitions! After he entered Hanzhong, he burned the plank road in order to prevent the three kings of Guanzhong from attacking. There is no way to return east. Why worry about it, Your Majesty."

Overlord is overjoyed.

Liu Bang is the dangerous enemy that Xiang Yu is most worried about, but has the least reason to kill. Moreover, because of the injustice of enfeoffing the princes at the beginning, the original Qi Wang Tianrong has expelled the new Qi Wang Tiandu and raised the flag to rebel. With the help of Tian Rong, Tian Rong calmed down Sanqi and launched an attack on Xiang Yu.Xiang Yu was furious, Tian Rong's son, how dare he disobey the might of the Overlord Tiger!Xiang Yu and Tian Rong, two extremely fierce men, bit each other hard, and Xiang Yu quickly forgot Liu Bang.

Liu Bang was still on his way to Nanzheng to rule the country in April of the first year of the Han Dynasty (206 BC).

Since ancient times, the plank road has been difficult to walk. There is a sky ninety thousand miles above, and a deep ravine below.This is a transportation passage dug at the risk of life, and it is also a destiny that can make people live or die. Walking on the plank road, if you are not careful, you may fall into the abyss and be smashed to pieces.

(End of this chapter)