God of War through the ages: Han Xin

Chapter 37 A real man decides the princes, but how can he be a fake king!

General Han Xin's strategy of encircling Chu on the northern line was officially completed at the moment when the heads of Tian Su, Tian Ji and others were thrown at Han Xin's feet.With an almost impossible probability, Han Xin drew a beautiful semi-arc in the northern half of China.From Hanzhong to Chencang, from Chencang to Xianyang, from Xianyang to Pingyang, from Pingyang to Xiangguo, from Xiangguo to Linzi, these cities with hundreds of years of glory written on bronze sacrificial vessels will all be changed for the arrival of Han Xin their original colors.

Han Xin's soldiers have reached the level of perfection, and it is not an exaggeration to praise Han Xin as a master of war art.Does war have to be about the handsome generals on both sides galloping their horses, dancing their halberds, and fighting to the death for three hundred rounds to decide the outcome?It was just a street kid's rough and tumble game.The real master of war is the one who is best at leveraging strength to fight, using the heaven and the earth as soldiers, mountains and rivers as horses, and conquering the world, instead of fighting with a knife in a daze.

Just as the Ming Dynasty man Mao Kun commented on Han Xin: "Break the Wei with wood poppies, break Zhao with the red flag of the Han, and break the Qi with sand. They all fall from the sky, and they have never fought bloody battles with the enemy." These battles launched by Han Xin basically did not Large-scale positional warfare uses all skillful soldiers, wise soldiers, and soldiers of heaven and earth. This is the highest level of military use.

Tian Yi, a member of the early Eastern Han Dynasty, praised Han Xin’s military genius in his "Report to Bao Yongshu": "In the past, Han Xin's soldiers were invincible in the world. His achievements are invincible, and he will never see him again." There is only one person in the past and the present!" These famous historical critics in history almost worshiped Han Xin, which is enough to illustrate the greatness of Han Xin.

Han Xin escapes from the unaccompanied small town of Huaiyin in a hurry to pursue a dream that is almost a laughingstock in the eyes of others-to become a general and sweep the world!Even an unsuspecting employer like Liu Bang did not recognize Han Xin's value at the beginning.History should thank Xiao He. If Xiao He hadn't forced Liu Bang to make Han Xin a general, Han Xin's legendary footprint would not have been left on the rivers and lakes.

As the old saying goes, gold always shines.No matter how long this piece of gold has been buried in the ground, there will always be a day when it breaks ground and sees light.Even though he had experienced such unbearable suffering, Han Xin still gritted his teeth and persisted, never giving up for a moment.After Han Xin got a platform to display his ambitions, he threw one victory after another in the faces of those who questioned him, such as Liu Bang, Xiang Yu, and Long Qi.

Before Han Xin became the general of the Han Dynasty, the situation in the world was in chaos, with dozens of princes, among which the Western Chu was the strongest.now what?Qin, Wei, Zhao, Dai, Yan, and Qi were all trampled under by Han Xin, and Han was already the world's most well-deserved country.What made Han Xin even more excited was that Xiang Yu's last elite unit "20" was successfully annihilated by Han Xin under the leadership of Long Qie.

All of Xiang Yu's allies on the northern front were wiped out by Han Xin, which seriously squeezed the strategic survival space of Chu State. Peng Yue kept making troubles inside Chu State. The Han army is about to encircle Xiang Yu on the northern and eastern fronts. It's coming!

However, Han Xin is very cautious. Even though Qi is basically conquered by him now, there are still some small forces in Qi who are trying to revive Qi. This is intolerable to Han Xin.How can Qi be stabilized in the shortest possible time, and then complete the final blow to Xiang Yu?I don’t know whether it was Han Xin’s own hard thinking or Kuai Che’s and others’ secret incitement. Han Xin wrote a letter to Liu Bang, the King of Han who was recuperating in Chenggao. Agent) King Qi.

For Han Xin's sudden request, there have always been two explanations. One is that Han Xin was indeed out of consideration for stabilizing the overall situation of Qi, and the other is that Han Xin had a selfish desire to split the land.For those small groups of resistance forces within Qi, Han Xin's military genius is not a big problem.The only reasonable explanation can only be the second point.

Objectively speaking, Han Xin's life picture scroll has been successfully written so far, but there is one thing that always makes Han Xin feel a little unhappy, and that is his title.Although Han Xin has made outstanding achievements and is powerful in the world, except for his military position as a general, Han Xin has no title or feudal city. It is almost unbelievable under the background that most of the high-level people in the Han Dynasty have titles.

Although Liu Bang worshiped himself as a general, Han Xin and Liu Bang did not have any personal friendship, they were all business affairs.Even if it is a matter of business, Liu Bang should give Han Xin the title, and Han Xin also has personal pursuit of fame and fortune.However, Liu Bang regarded Han Xin as a volunteer, and took advantage of everything.

Take a look at Fan Kuai, every time he made a contribution, he was awarded a noble. When he broke Wanling, he beheaded eight enemy troops, and Fan Kui was named Xian Chengjun.Han Xin defeated Qin, Wei, Dai, Zhao, and Qi in succession, and made great achievements in the world, but he gained nothing.Fan Kui did make meritorious service, but some people were obviously not as good as Fan Kui, but they were granted fat titles. For example, Lu Wan was granted the title of Marquis of Chang'an just because he was Liu Bang's younger brother.

When he was first worshiped as a general, Han Xin could still focus on defeating the enemy, but with the continuous increase of credit, Han Xin's mentality inevitably changed.Of course, Han Xin's request is actually not too much. With Zhang Er's merits, he can still be named King Zhao. All he asked for was an acting king of Qi.

Han Xin was still anxiously waiting for Liu Bang's reply.

Liu Bang's chest injury has basically healed, so he made a special trip back to Guanzhong to inspect Xiao He's logistics work.Because of the intense fighting on the front line, Liu Bang only stayed in Liyang for four days before returning to the front line in Henan immediately.Although Liu Bang did not accept Xiang Yu's request to single out, the Chu army's offensive was still fierce. Liu Bang's military ability was not as good as Xiang Yu's. Under the dense attack of the Chu army, Liu Bang already felt the pressure obviously.

If he wanted the hated Xiang Yu to withdraw his army, Liu Bang could only expect Han Xin to draw his salary from the bottom of the pot and attack Pengcheng from the south of Qi.Liu Bang already knew the news of Han Xin's pacification of Qi, and the king of Han waited every day for the news that Han Xin's army would go south to attack Chu.

As the special envoy Han Xin galloped into the camp and presented the general's chicken feather letter, Liu Bang's face was full of joy.Han Xin must have sent troops to the south, and Xiang Yu will scold and leave in a short time.Liu Bang opened the kit, took out the silk letter, glanced at it, his expression changed drastically, and he swears on the spot: "Your uncle, Han Xin!"

Han Xin's Chicken Feather Letter reads: "Your Majesty, I have basically pacified the Qi State and are about to go south to attack Chu. However, because Qi State has always been capricious in its affairs, it can be attached to Han today and Chu tomorrow. Don't believe it. For the current plan, only His Majesty appoints ministers to act as the acting King of Qi, and use His Majesty's power to control Qi. Sincerely, I salute!"

Liu Bang waited hard for Han Xin to attack Chu on the outskirts to save Henan from danger, but in the end he was looking forward to Han Xin's threatening letter, so how could Liu Bang not be annoyed.While handing the letter to Zhang Liang and Chen Ping next to him, Liu Bang cursed at his feet: "I was alone in Henan under the attack of Xiang Yu, and I was already in danger. I hoped that he would come to save me, but I didn't know that he wanted to become a king on his own."

Liu Bang is so angry, naturally he has his logic.

Han Xin's request to be established as a false king of Qi actually set a very bad precedent within the Han Dynasty: anyone who has meritorious service can blackmail Liu Bang for reward.Han Xin has merit, so don't the other generals have merit?If everyone stretched out their hands for this and that like Han Xin, Liu Bang still talked about the majesty of King Han?
It is reasonable to say that Han Xin's meritorious service is so high that it is not an exaggeration to make him king, but Liu Bang understands a truth: Treating Han Xin is like raising an eagle. go.In order to destroy the great cause of Chu, Liu Bang must keep Han Xin's hunger for honor at all times. If Han Xin is crowned as the king of a great country too early, it will be doubtful how much Han Xin's fighting spirit is still there.

As the war progressed smoothly, Han Xin's status became more and more important, which made it difficult for Liu Bang to rest assured.If Han Xin could destroy Chu today, he might destroy Han tomorrow.Liu Bang scolded Han Xin after reading the letter, which was the inevitable result of long-term suspicion of Han Xin.

Zhang Liang and Chen Ping had already read Han Xin's letter, and looked up at Liu Bang's aggressive reaction. They immediately realized that the moment to determine the future and destiny of the Han Kingdom had arrived ahead of schedule.Han Xin's meritorious service is so great that the world's face changes when he hears about it, and he holds a heavy army. Han Xin's attitude will determine the fate of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, and will also determine the fate of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping.If Liu Bang falls, is there any value in their existence?

Liu Bang is still furious, which shows how much Han Xin's move hurt Liu Bang's feelings.Zhang Liang and Chen Ping looked at each other, and immediately saw what was in each other's mind: Liu Bang must be stopped from provoking Han Xin, otherwise the situation in the world would undergo major changes that would be unfavorable to Han.

Because the two were standing beside Liu Bang, Chen Ping took advantage of the cover of the case and stepped on Liu Bang's foot severely, and Liu Bang cried out immediately.As soon as Liu Bang wanted to scold Chen Ping for his rudeness, Zhang Liang immediately approached Liu Bang and explained the pros and cons to Liu Bang softly: "Our army was squeezed in Henan by Xiang Yu, and we were not allowed to enter and leave Chu. Your Majesty asked himself, with our current strength, Can Han Xin be banned from becoming king? Han Xin sent someone to ask for the king today, which shows that he still has the king of Han in his heart. The king of Han must not miss this opportunity. For the current plan, Han Xin should be made the king of Qi, and he should be stabilized first so that he can destroy Chu Otherwise, Han Xin will be angered, if he joins forces with Xiang Yu, will there be any way for us to survive?"

After listening to Zhang Liang's whisper, Liu Bang's back was soaked in cold sweat. He just cared about enjoying his mouth, but didn't think about this level.It is not impossible for Han Xin to stand on his own when Liu Bang refused to make him a fake king, to stand up against Chu and Han, or to join forces with Xiang Yu to destroy Han.One Xiang Yu has already exhausted Liu Bang, if another Han Xin who uses soldiers like a god jumps out, it will definitely be a disaster for Liu Bang.

Even though Liu Bang had a lot of dissatisfaction with Han Xin, now is not the time to settle accounts with Han Xin. Under the reminders of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, Liu Bang gradually calmed down, and he was aware of the coming crisis.Liu Bang regretted scolding Han Xin just now. After all, Han Xin's envoy was not far away, and he believed that he heard Liu Bang's voice.

If this person replied to Han Xin truthfully, if Han Xin did not rebel, he would probably be forced to rebel by Liu Bang.How to do?Liu Bang is indeed smart enough and flexible enough, he almost subconsciously thought of a countermeasure.Liu Bang opened his mouth to scold Han Xin again, and the decibels were so loud that he was afraid that the envoy of Qi would not be able to hear him.

"A real man, rule the world, and give the head to ten thousand men! The great generals conquered the Three Qins, captured Wei Bao, beheaded Chen Yu, subdued Zang Tu, and settled the Eastern Qi. They are so powerful that they shake the world, and their achievements are so high that they can be compared! This is a true man! .Without a great general, why do I have today? The great general decides Qi to be the real king of Qi, and to reward him for his unrivaled achievements. How stingy is he to be a fake king of Qi!" Liu Bang almost roared out.

Zhang Liang and Chen Ping were admiring Liu Bang's superb acting skills, feeling very complicated.

Stabilizing Han Xin means stabilizing the world of Han, otherwise everything is unknown.Although Liu Bang was extremely disgusted with Han Xin's impromptu threat, and planted the seeds of killing Han Xin from then on, on the surface, Liu Bang was still amiable.Liu Bang has a thick skin and a dark heart, Xiang Yu and Han Xin are both dark-hearted and thin-skinned. If they want to play tricks, how can they be Liu Bang's opponents?
In the spring and February of the fourth year of the Han Dynasty (203 BC), Liu Bang reluctantly sent Zhang Liang to Linzi with the newly engraved seal of the king of Qi, and canonized Han Xin as the king of Qi.

This was a result that Han Xin did not expect. He was already uneasy when he asked Liu Bang to set up a fake king of Qi. He didn't know whether Liu Bang doubted himself because of this.Hearing Zhang Liangchen talk about the King of Han's appreciation for him, Han Xin was overwhelmed with gratitude. Facing Zhang Liang, he prostrated himself like a ritual, and took the seal of King Qi with a little fear.

Of course, there is a condition for Liu Bangli Han Xin to be the king of Qi, that is, after Han Xin is crowned king, he will lead his troops south to attack Chu.Han Xin was still immersed in his gratitude to Liu Bang and couldn't extricate himself. A scholar who died for his confidant died. If the King of Han treats me like this, I will definitely repay him.

"Send troops to attack Chu!" Qi Wang Han Xin drew his sword and ordered.

Standing behind Han Xin, Zhang Liang glanced at Han Xin and remained silent.

(End of this chapter)