God of War through the ages: Han Xin

Chapter 33

Liu Bang laughed too early.

Although Fan Zeng was killed by Chen Ping's alienation scheme, and cracks appeared in the upper echelon of Chu, but "a centipede is dead but not stiff", the strength of the Chu army was not damaged by this, but increased its offensive against Xingyang.The shouts of the Chu army shook the world, and the King of Han in Xingyang City felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.Now he can't fight, and he can't escape. After Liu Bang laughed, he was dejected and at a loss.

According to Liu Bang's original intention, he definitely wanted to escape from Xingyang first, and then make plans, but the Chu army surrounded three areas outside the city, and if he chose to forcefully break through, it would be impossible to succeed.Could it be that Liu Bang bowed his knees and surrendered to Xiang Yu?Is there still a way out after surrendering?

Just when Liu Bang was making a painful decision, a voice suddenly came: "Your Majesty, for the current strategy, if you want to preserve the Han Kingdom, you have to surrender to Xiang Yu." When Liu Bang looked intently, it was General Ji Xin.Liu Bang spat on Ji Xin's face, pointed at Ji Xin and cursed: "Chu thief, you want to sell me!"

Ji Xin smiled: "The minister's plan is that His Majesty will pardon him for his disrespect. Let him pretend to be His Majesty, take His Majesty's Luanyu out of the east gate, attract the Chu army, and then His Majesty will leave the city." Liu Bang looked at Ji Xin carefully, Liu Bang was overjoyed to find that Ji Xin's appearance was indeed somewhat similar to his own, what a plan!

On the basis of Ji Xin's plan, counselor Chen Ping added another trick, releasing 2000 women in the city.Faced with so many beauties, the bachelors in the Chu army were all drooling and gathered at the east gate of Xingyang to snatch the beauties.At the same time, Ji Xin swaggered out of the east gate in the vehicle of the King of Han, announcing the surrender of the King of Han to the Chu army.When the Chu army heard that Liu Bang had come out of the east gate to surrender, they immediately crowded to the east gate. Who doesn't know Liu Bang's value?
The Chu army was successfully transferred away from Ximen. Seeing this, Liu Bang ignored the prestige of the King of Han and fled with dozens of trusted cavalry out of Ximen.

When Xiang Yu found out that Liu Bang he captured was actually a counterfeit, he was furious and asked Ji Xin: "Where is the King of Han?" made noise, almost hysterically pointing at Ji Xin and yelling, "Burn him to death!"

Liu Bang fled westward to Hangu Pass. Hearing that Ji Xin was burned to death by Xiang Yu, Liu Bang was filled with grief and indignation.A counselor, Yuan Sheng, stopped Liu Bang's reckless agitation in time. He told Liu Bang: "The morale of the Chu army is at its peak. Now we are looking for a decisive battle in Chu. The egg hits the stone. I have a plan to make Xiang Yu divide his troops to the south to break the siege of Henan." The king of Han was delighted to hear about it.

According to the plan proposed by Yuan Sheng to tune the tiger away from the mountain, Liu Bang led his army south to Wancheng and cruised around Nanyang.Because Xiang Yu would put Liu Bang to death, and when he heard that Liu Bang was in Nanyang, Xiang Yu led the main force of the Chu army to Wancheng without hesitation, wanting to take Liu Bang's head.Liu Bang is good at defending the city, fortifying the city and not fighting, which consumes the physical strength and fighting spirit of the Chu army.At the same time, the Chu army went south, which also relieved the strategic pressure on Han Xin on the northern front, allowing the Han army in Zhao to rest, recharge their batteries, and strengthen Qi by fighting.

Liu Bang's luck is always amazing. When Liu Bang used his body as bait to lure Xiang Yu, Peng Yue, Liu Bang's strategic ally on the eastern front, suddenly showed his power and conquered [-] cities including Suiyang and Waihuang near Pengcheng, the capital of Chu.If Peng Yue is not defeated in time, once Pengcheng is lost, Xiang Yu will be homeless.Xiang Yu immediately sent his troops eastward to ask Peng Yue for an explanation.

The withdrawal of the Chu army from Nanyang relieved Liu Bang's pressure on the one hand, and on the other hand achieved the goal of "tiredness" proposed by Yuan Sheng.It's time for Liu Bang to go north, and he absolutely cannot afford the price of the Chu army cutting off the communication channel between him and Han Xin.Because it was not the main force of the Chu army guarding Chenggao, Liu Bang easily captured Chenggao and put him on the back of Xingyang, effectively blocking the possibility of the Chu army's westward advance to Guanzhong.

Xingyang was still under the control of the Han army. When Liu Bang fled to the west, the remaining generals Han Wangxin, Zhou Ke, Wei Bao, and Duke Cong defended Xingyang.However, just as Ji Xin was leaving the city, Zhou Ke killed Wei Bao, the former King of the Western Wei Dynasty, on the grounds that the king was not credible.

Liu Bang's strategic intention is to let Han Wangxin and others defend the first line of defense, Xingyang, and himself to defend the second line of defense, Cheng Gao. If Xingyang guards for one more day, the main force of the Han army can rest for one more day.Han Wangxin and Zhou Ke's military ability is not very bad, but unfortunately their opponent is Xiang Yu.

In June of the third year of the Han Dynasty (205 BC), Xiang Yu had driven Peng Yue away, recovered the Seventeenth City, and stabilized the safety of the hinterland of Pengcheng.To Xiang Yu, Peng Yue was just a small shrimp, and Liu Bang was a big fish. The energetic overlord immediately marched westward and killed him at the city of Xingyang.Liu Bang is not Xiang Yu's opponent, let alone Han Wangxin, Zhou Ke and others.Almost effortlessly, Xiang Yu took Xingyang easily.Zhou Ke and Duke Cong were killed, and Han Wangxin was captured.

Xiang Yu was quick to do things. On the first day, he conquered Xingyang, and on the second day, the Chu army killed Chenggao.

When he realized that Xiang Yu was outside Chenggao City, Liu Bang screamed, dragged Xia Houying and ran away.The two huddled in a small car, staggered out of Chenggao North Gate, crossed the Yellow River in embarrassment, and fled in the direction of Xiaoxiuwu (now the eastern suburb of Huojia, Henan).

Why didn't Liu Bang flee westward and return to Guanzhong, but fled northward?The answer is actually very simple: because the Han army led by General Han Xin was stationed near Xiao Xiuwu, only by the side of General Han Xin can Liu Bang gain more sense of security.

Judging from Liu Bang's two escapes (one each in Xingyang and Chenggao), every time he fled, he threw away a large army.Those troops were either dispersed by the Chu army, or surrendered, and Liu Bang escaped almost like a bachelor.What makes people angry is that Liu Bang himself is not good at managing troops, but he mobilizes Han Xin's troops again and again, and every time he defeats all the elite soldiers that Han Xin trained so hard.

Liu Bang's thieves and mouse eyes once again focused on the elite troops that Han Xin had just trained, but Liu Bang also considered that Han Xin would inevitably have strong resistance when he repeatedly deployed elite soldiers. return?

How to do?Liu Bang was a mess in war, but he was a top-notch master at playing power. Liu Bang had a lot of ways to deal with a simple boy like Han Xin.

That night, Liu Bang broke into Xiaoxiuwu's posthouse, kicked off his shoes, and fell asleep on the couch. He needed to rest.Early the next morning, Liu Bang simply ate some food, then changed into ordinary clothes, drove a carriage, waved his whip, and the horse galloped straight to the Han army camp near Daxiuwu.

Outside the camp, the soldiers on duty questioned Liu Bang: "Where did you come from?"

"Master Jun has worked hard. I am an envoy sent by the King of Han. I need to see the General if I have something to do." Liu Bang replied with a smile.

The soldier pointed to Han Xin's sleeping tent, and said that the general was still up late, so you'd better not disturb the general and let him sleep for a while.Liu Bang actually knew Han Xin's hard work. After so many days of fighting again and again, it was rare to rest, and it was normal to sleep well.Liu Bang nodded, and then walked straight towards the sleeping tent with a little domineering attitude.

As soon as Liu Bang arrived in front of the big tent, he heard thunderous snoring inside, and it was from two people, the other must be Zhang Er.Liu Bang smiled secretly, and tiptoedly picked up the curtain to enter the tent, and found two brocade couches in the tent, separated by a screen in the middle, and Han Xin and Zhang Er slept on a couch each.

Liu Bang glanced in the tent, and found a case not far from Han Xin's couch, on which was placed the general's seal soldier amulet that only Han Xin could use. Liu Bang was overjoyed, this is what he wanted.After getting the Seal Seal Talisman, Han Xin's tens of thousands of troops will take it for himself. Liu Bang stretched out his hands, drooling, shrinking his neck, and moved over like a mouse.

Liu Bang held his breath and came to the case, looked back, and found that Han Xin was still asleep.Liu Bang held up the seal soldier talisman very carefully, turned around and walked towards the tent door, just as he got out of the big tent, Liu Bang found himself profusely sweating.

Has Liu Bang's goal been achieved after he got the Seal Seal Talisman?One step away is to announce his identity in the army and fully control the military power.This is not a big problem. No matter how powerful the general is, he is still a courtier of the King of Han. No one dares to joke with the King of Han.Liu Bang strode to the tent of the Chinese army, picked up the seal, and shouted at the man holding the halberd: "The King of Han is here, bow down quickly!" Many generals in the army had seen Liu Bang, and when they saw that it was the King of Han, everyone immediately He untied his sword and bowed his knees, bowing down like a ritual.

Han Xin had already woken up. Seeing that Zhang Er was still sound asleep, he stepped forward and shook Zhang Er who was still dreaming of Zhao Wangmeng. Seeing Zhang Er's sleepy eyes, Han Xin smiled.Han Xin stretched his waist, and practiced a few simple boxing moves on the open space in front of the bed, which can relax the muscles and strengthen the body.

Han Xin glanced at the case, but there was nothing there. Where did the Seal Seal Talisman go?Han Xin urgently asked someone to enter the tent for questioning, and the spear holder said that he had been taken away by the King of Han. At this time, the King of Han was insulting the generals in the big tent.The King of Han is here?Han Xin was shocked, why did Liu Bang come, isn't he in Xingyang?How did he make money and steal the sigil.Han Xin didn't have time to think about it, and ran towards the big tent of the Chinese army with his ears in a whirlwind.

Sure enough, it was the King of Han.

Liu Bang also saw Han Xin, who was stunned on the spot, and greeted with a smile: "The general sees the widow, why don't you worship?" Han Xin said "ah", hurriedly bowed down slowly, and performed the courtier's salute.Han Xin knelt down while thinking that Liu Bang must have lost the battle and asked for soldiers from himself, otherwise what would he do if he stole the seal?Han Xin was a little unhappy, he trained recruits, and then let Liu Bang spoil him, over and over again, which annoyed Han Xin very much.

Regardless of what Han Xin thinks, Liu Bang, as the supreme ruler of Han, naturally has the power to call on the army of Han.Liu Bang sat in the upper table, and asked people to set up two mats below. The general and King Zhao were invited to the table. This king has important strategic arrangements.Han Xin murmured softly, "Just blow it up", walked forward a few steps, and slumped down on the mat angrily, Liu Bang smiled.

The parallel development strategy of the north-south line formulated by the high-level officials of the Han Dynasty did not change because of Liu Bang's repeated defeats on the south line.The imperial meeting held in Xiuwu this time still followed this idea.

Liu Bang arranged new tasks for Zhang Er and Han Xin: Zhang Er, as the king of Zhao, stayed in Zhao State to appease the Zhao people; Back to Henan.

After the task was assigned, Zhang Er stayed in Zhao Guo, and Han Xin was preparing to attack Qi. Since Han Xin's elite soldiers were cheated away by Liu Bang, Han Xin needed to pull up a team as soon as possible, which would take a certain amount of time.Liu Bang took the elite troops trained by Han Xin to cross the south of the Yellow River and continue to contain the Chu army on the southern line.

The situation on the battlefield in Henan is becoming more and more unfavorable for the Han army. The Chu army has already defeated Chenggao. Xiang Yu is going to take advantage of the victory to advance westward and go straight to Guanzhong. To the west, the strategic security of the headquarters of the Han Dynasty was guaranteed.

Xiang Yu wanted to go straight to the tiger's den, and Liu Bang also thought of this.The main force of the Chu army is on the front line of Xingyang, and its headquarters near Pengcheng is relatively weak.Liu Bang accepted the suggestion of Zheng Zhong, a doctor, and sent his nephews Liu Jia and Fa Xiaolu Wan to lead 2 troops and hundreds of cavalry to cross Baimajin (now the East Yellow River Ferry in Huaxian County, Henan Province) into the hinterland of Chu State.The task of Liu Jia and Lu Wan is to cooperate with Peng Yue's army who stayed in Chu State, burn the grain and grass of Chu State, and attack the fighting spirit of the Chu army, so as to reduce the pressure faced by the Han army in Henan.

The task of the Han army was to burn the food and grass of the Chu army, and the task of Peng Yue was to attack the city and pull out the village. They kept putting pressure on Xiang Yu, and Xiang Yu really couldn't hold on.While scolding Liu Bang for being unethical, Xiang Yu hurriedly withdrew his troops and returned to the east, arresting Liu Jia and Peng Yue.

Xiang Yu took away the main force of the Chu army. He was worried that the Han army would take advantage of this to counterattack, so before he left, he specially told Cao Jiu, the chief commander who guarded Chenggao: "No matter how Liu Bang challenges you, don't go out of the city and defend Chenggao to the death. After fifteen days, Peng Yue will be wiped out and return to Chenggao."

In fact, without Xiang Yu's confession, Cao Jiu didn't have any strong soldiers, and he would not go out to fight the Han army. As long as he defended Chenggao and prevented the Han army from going east, he could relieve the military pressure on the Chu State headquarters.Don't say that Xiang Yu will come back in fifteen days, even if he won't come back in fifteen months, I believe Cao Jiu will be able to keep Cheng Gao.

Chenggao's strategic position is very important, and it is the only place for the Han army to pass through to the Aocang granary, and if the Chu army occupies Chenggao, the Han Kingdom headquarters will bear great strategic pressure.Surprisingly, Liu Bang almost gave up on recovering Cheng Gao.Liu Bang's intention was to withdraw the strategic defense line to the west to Gong County and Luoyang. Instead of attacking Chu with strong troops, it is better to defend the city with skillful troops.

Liu Bang didn't fully see what price Liu Bang would pay if he gave up Chenggao and Xingyang.The Chu army occupied Chenggao, not only obtained the Aocang granary, but also opened up the strategic channel between Henan and Hedong, and effectively blocked the connection between Zhao State and the headquarters of Han State.Once the Chu army crossed the Yellow River from Chenggao and entered Hedong, and then crossed Pubandu from Hedong, Liu Bang would not be able to cry.

Fortunately, the big drunk Li Shiqi next to Liu Bang saw the strategic harm of the Han army's abandonment of Cheng Gao, and jumped out in time to persuade Liu Bang not to be foolish.Li Shiqi is not only good at diplomatic wars, but also has a very prominent strategic outlook.Li Shiqi pointedly pointed out that we have difficulties, but we also need to see that Xiang Yu's difficulties are not smaller than ours. Chu's internal chaos, Xiang Yu's distraction is our good opportunity to destroy Chu, how can we miss it?Chenggao's terrain is dangerous, connecting Jin and Zhao in the north, Qin and Han in the west, Qichu in the east, and Wan and Ye in the south. If Your Majesty has the heart to conquer the world, Chenggao must jump over this hurdle, and there is no shortcut.

After Li Shiqi's guidance, Liu Bang suddenly realized: what Mr. said is very true.Liu Bang gave up his strategic conception of retreating to defend Gong and Luo, strengthened his spirit, launched a fierce attack on Chenggao, and then regained Aocang.

(End of this chapter)