Chapter 253 Attack Chu
Lu Zhi fully saw Liu Bang's current power. He was the first prince under Xiang Yu, and there was no falsehood. Among the 400,000 troops gathered here, Liu Bang alone had as many as 200,000 troops.
Seeing this, Luo Yi said, "Your Majesty, most of the princes you invited have already arrived, and only a few princes who are far away are left. We can just join forces and send troops together when the time comes.
Since ancient times, if the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Now the most urgent task is to establish your reputation among the princes."
Liu Bang nodded in agreement and summoned the princes to a meeting. Luo also dug out the etiquette of the alliance held by Duke Huan of Qi from a pile of old papers.
As the smoke rose to the sky, the kings smeared the blood of the cows on their lips and swore an oath of blood to each other. Liu Bang said in a loud voice: "Kings, I have called this meeting today because I am extremely disappointed with Xiang Yu.
When he was distributing fiefs, he treated the heroes who had destroyed Qin harshly. Those who had made contributions did not receive rewards, while those who had no contributions were given land instead. How unfair was this?
The King of Jiaodong died in the battle, and the King of Qi risked his life as bait, but Xiang Yu thought that the Battle of Handan was all his credit, which I cannot accept.
What I didn't expect was that Xiang Yu was not satisfied with occupying the large tracts of land that should have belonged to the King of Qi, and he actually attacked an innocent vassal king for no reason.
As the old saying goes, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Now the King of Qi has done nothing wrong but has ended up like this. Will Xiang Yu let us go in the future?
I believe you all are thinking these things, otherwise you wouldn’t be standing here with me to swear an oath of blood.
Although I have limited talents, I was born with some courage. From a commoner in Pei County, I have risen to my current noble status with a three-foot sword in my hand.
Even now, I still dare to wave my sword at Xiang Yu and tell him that there is still justice in this world and he cannot cover the sky with one hand.
Before entering Guanzhong last year, I sent a letter to the Qin court, saying, "The Qin Dynasty has run out of luck." Today, I can still send a letter to Xiang Yu, saying, "All people of the world, please give up your title, King Xiang."
Really tough!
This was everyone's first thought, especially the princes who had sworn blood alliance with Liu Bang. They followed Liu Bang to oppose Xiang Yu because they were dissatisfied with Xiang Yu.
But if Liu Bang was defeated, they would rebel again immediately. But Liu Bang was different. Once he said this, it meant he was really determined to fight Xiang Yu to the death.
This behavior of leaving no way out for himself was a bit shocking to the other kings, but Luo Yi's face was full of smiles. He was worthy of being the King of Han. He dared to do what he said. He was indeed very courageous and heroic.
A monarch should have fewer schemes and more heroism, otherwise, he will not be able to create a prosperous era.
Although the princes were secretly shocked, they had a vague feeling in their hearts when facing a man like Liu Bang that only such a man could fight against Xiang Yu.
If they were asked to face Xiang Yu, they would probably be frightened out of their wits by him. How could they be like Liu Bang now, and speak passionately about asking Xiang Yu to abdicate?
Liu Bang looked at the princes below the high platform, with a hint of emotion in his eyes. These nobles were proud of their bloodline, but so cowardly. No wonder Xiang Yu looked down on them.
Those princes who jumped up from the bottom became cowardly nobles in a short time. The sudden wealth and luxury blinded their eyes and corrupted their minds.
Many of the heroes who dared to wield swords against the tyrannical Qin have now fallen. Perhaps these people are still fierce generals on the battlefield, but they are different after all.
Liu Bang led an army of 400,000 and marched towards Chu. The armies of other princes who failed to arrive at the alliance also marched towards Chu, totaling 600,000.
Although not all of them were combat soldiers, their number was substantial. In a short while, the road from Xingyang to Chu was filled with fluttering flags, covering the sky and the sun, and was extremely magnificent.
There were two main reasons why Liu Bang was in charge of the troops. Han Xin was already quite famous. After all, not every general under the command of every prince was known to all the princes. However, his prestige was really not good enough.
It sounds like a brilliant record, but among these princes, only the King of Han had seen it with his own eyes. The others had not, so they naturally had some doubts about Han Xin's past achievements.
The second reason, and also the main reason, is that Han Xin’s position in Liu Bang’s group is indeed very high. He is a general with great power. However, no matter how high his position is, he is still a general of princes. How can he command so many princes?
Only King Liu Bang of Han was qualified to lead the coalition forces, and Liu Bang himself also wanted to demonstrate his command ability.
When Luo Yi said that Han Xin was a national hero, he was absolutely right.
Since Han Xin joined his army, most of the battles were fought by Han Xin, including the most crucial ones, such as destroying Qin and pacifying Guanzhong. He cut the Gordian knot quickly, just like chopping melons and vegetables, which enabled Liu Bang's power to expand rapidly.
Han Xin's contributions were so great that a general was not enough to repay him.
Liu Bang was already considering letting Han Xin wear the seal of prime minister and general, and even began to look for a fief for Han Xin to prevent Han Xin from being suspicious.
Now that he had an opportunity to defeat Xiang Yu, Liu Bang would certainly not let it go. Once Xiang Yu was defeated, he would be able to intimidate his ministers with this military achievement and would not need to worry about Han Xin's achievements overshadowing his own.
Thinking of this, Liu Bang felt slightly pleased, and said to Luo Yi with a smile: "Zi Yu, Xiang Yu has only 50,000 soldiers under his command. With 600,000 troops against 50,000 troops, I have the advantage. No, I should say that I am in a winning position.
After conquering the Chu capital Xiangying, he held a grand banquet there and invited all the princes to come and celebrate together.
Luo Yi felt a little uneasy, because Xiang Yu was the military leader certified by his elder brother, and one war after another had proved his ability.
Either you beat him to death or you are beaten to death by him. So far, no matter who it is, he has been beaten to death by Xiang Yu.
But then he thought again, although Xiang Yu's 50,000 troops were relatively elite, even ants can kill elephants, let alone humans?
Moreover, the elite troops in the Han army were no less than those in the Chu army. Liu Bang's command level was very high. Before Han Xin came, he led the troops to fight on his own, and most people were no match for him.
Even with the 200,000 troops of the Han army, they could not resist Xiang Yu, unless Xiang Yu rushed directly into the battle and killed Liu Bang with one blow.
But after the Battle of Handan, basically no commander dares to stand so close to the front.
Luo was also a small hexagonal warrior, he had some knowledge of military strategy and command, he said in a deep voice: “My king.
Later, when you fight against Xiang Yu, you must put the elite troops of the Han army directly at the front. Only these elite troops in armor can barely withstand Xiang Yu.
As long as Xiang Yu cannot break out of the formation, the Chu army will lose its sharpest arrow, and we will be able to strangle the Chu army.
No matter how brave Xiang Yu is, he is still a human being. Without the protection of the Chu army's personal guards, he can be defeated by bows and arrows or nets."
Liu Bang nodded in agreement and led the coalition forces of the princes all the way towards the State of Chu. Without Xiang Yu's leadership, the combat effectiveness of the Chu army was not much stronger than that of the Han army, but their fighting will was slightly higher.
In the face of the huge gap in strength between the two sides, this little fighting will made the Chu people's resistance like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. They were easily defeated by Liu Bang, and Xiang Ying soon appeared in front of the coalition forces.
Xiang Ying was the capital chosen by Xiang Yu when he re-established the State of Chu, Yingdu, New Yingcheng, and until now Xiang Ying. The word Ying can never be missing from the capitals of the State of Chu, which represents a long-standing culture.
Liu Bang himself did not expect that he could reach Xiang Yu's lair so easily. It was because too many people joined him along the way.
Most of them saw that Liu Bang had invaded Chu so easily, and was still unstoppable without any obstacles at all. They wanted to show their faces in front of Liu Bang as soon as possible to avoid being regarded as Xiang Yu's accomplice and attacked later.
Liu Bang accepted everyone who came to him.
This made Luo Yi very worried, so he asked Han Xin: "Zi Mu, the king has been gathering more and more soldiers these days. I am really worried. With so many soldiers with different policies, I am afraid something will happen. You are a master of military strategy, what do you think?"
Han Xin thought for a moment and then said, "The troops you have gathered may seem large, but you clearly know that you cannot command so many troops, so you still let the princes lead them, and he will give orders to them.
It would be fine if there were only the Han army. With the king's ability to command an army of 100,000, it would be enough. The remaining 100,000 would be led by Xin, and they would be able to retreat safely even if facing King Xiang.
The only worry now is, what if the vassal army fails to withstand King Xiang's attack and collapses, taking the Han army with it?"
With Han Xin's ability, the army could withstand more casualties without collapsing, but once it collapsed, it would still be unstoppable, and even Han Xin could only wait until afterwards to gather the army.
Luo Yi frowned deeply. It would be futile even if he told Liu Bang these words.
Because Liu Bang's control over the princes is so loose, now being able to cooperate with Liu Bang and obey his orders is already the limit, and this situation will not change in a short time.
As for not wanting the armies of the princes, that is even more of a joke. Without the armies of the princes, how could the Han army fight against Xiang Yu, the commander of the most elite army in the world?
Even someone as proud as Han Xin doesn't have this kind of confidence.
Luo Yi frowned slightly and said, "It will be useless to persuade the king now. Fortunately, Xiangying City is right in front of us. There will be a chance after we take Xiangying. Then the king will definitely listen."
————
After Huaiyin had secured Guanzhong, Emperor Gaozu led 200,000 troops to attack Chu. Marquis Ying said, "King Xiang is strong. If he unites all the princes, we can defeat him."
Gaozu said, "Good."
He then sent envoys to persuade the princes, who were resentful of Ji and all of them defected to Emperor Gaozu.
In March, the Emperor defeated Xiang Ying. Gaozu sighed and said, "The victory of Xiang Ying by me is like a great river rushing down, and the Chu army is swept away thousands of miles.
Why?
Ying Hou said: "Xiang Yu lost the support of the people, and the whole world turned against him. Your Majesty has won the support of the people, and the princes have attached themselves to you, so we are where we are today." - "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Emperor Gaozu"
(End of this chapter)
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