"Oh, His Majesty is not up yet. Does Lord Chen have something important to discuss?" Guo Meng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally no longer having to worry about whether or not to wake Liu Ji up.
“Prince Zang Tu of Yan has led his army here, requesting an audience with Your Majesty,” Chen Ping stated truthfully.
"Hiss... Such a momentous matter! Your Majesty, Zang Tu requests an audience! Your Majesty!" Guo Meng shouted, but no one answered. Even if Liu Ji hadn't woken up, shouldn't that beauty have at least given some response?
Chen Ping frowned. "Your Majesty! This is extremely urgent! Please change your clothes immediately!"
However, there was still no response.
Chen Ping's expression changed slightly. "Something's not right. Let's go in and see who the beauty who served us last night was."
"Uh, she's a beauty I found in Zhao a few days ago. She's been serving me for several days now, and there's been nothing unusual." As Guo Meng spoke, he walked to the door and lifted the curtain. "Your Majesty, I'm coming in. Hiss... such a strong smell of blood!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ping was horrified and immediately followed Guo Meng into the sleeping tent, where he witnessed an extremely bloody and terrifying scene!
Two naked corpses, a man and a woman, lay in a pool of blood. The man's body was even missing his head!
"Ah! This! What should we do!"
Zang Tu was shocked to learn that Guan Ying's cavalry had circled around to their rear.
However, the thought of the elusive and powerful figure on his side quickly calmed him down.
"Lu Ze, you scoundrel! Is that old Liu Ji afraid of me and dares not show himself?! Hahaha..." Zang Tu roared.
"Zang Tu! Stop talking nonsense! If you don't want to wait, then let's start the war!" Lü Ze's face was ashen. He turned his head and said in a low voice, "Has His Majesty not arrived yet? Send someone else to fetch him!"
Xiahou Ying clasped his hands and said, "General, when His Majesty gets angry, it's probably impossible for ordinary people to rouse him."
Lu Ze nodded slightly. "Indeed, Lord Teng is right. Then let Lord Teng make the trip himself... Wait, Lord Teng alone is probably not enough. Fan Kuai! You and Lord Teng go and capture him!"
"Yes," Xiahou Ying and Fan Kuai replied in unison.
But both of them were inwardly grumbling. Capture him? Do you still think His Majesty is the same mild-mannered brother-in-law you used to have?
However, Your Majesty has indeed gone too far. It is one thing to be fond of women in ordinary times, but how can you do this when you are the nominal commander-in-chief in the midst of battle?
Just then, a fast horse came galloping from behind, it was Guo Meng!
"Make way! I have urgent business with the General! It's extremely urgent!"
Guo Meng's face was deathly pale, his hands were covered in blood, and he was desperately whipping his warhorse.
Fan Kuai knew that Guo Meng's arrival must be related to Liu Ji, so he didn't rush to find Liu Ji and stepped aside.
"What is it?" Lu Ze frowned. Why would Guo Meng be so out of control?
"General, come closer!" Guo Meng dared not utter a sound. If such a major event were to spread, the morale of the army would surely be thrown into chaos. This was something Chen Ping had specifically instructed him to keep secret.
Even now, Guo Meng still couldn't figure out who killed Liu Ji. All the guards outside were there, guarding the sleeping tent in layers. Even if someone was far away from the sleeping tent, it was impossible for them to break in, unless the assassin could fly!
But how could that be!
However, Chen Ping also gave a more reasonable explanation: it is possible that the assassin dug a tunnel to get in. At this time, Chen Ping was leading his men to search for tunnels throughout the camp, and at the same time, he arrested all the guards who were on duty last night.
Although Lü Ze didn't know what Guo Meng was up to, he knew that something that had to be said in secret must be extremely important, so he didn't hesitate to stick his neck out.
"What I am about to say is not a lie. General, please do not lose your composure. His Majesty has been assassinated..." Guo Meng briefly explained the situation. The strange thing about this matter was that Liu Ji's head was missing.
Lu Ze's eyes widened suddenly. "Absolutely impossible! How could a head just vanish into thin air?"
Just then, a commotion arose from both armies, followed by endless noise.
"General, watch out! Something is falling from the sky!"
"Oh my god..."
Am I seeing things?
"Look! What's that?!"
"I actually saw someone riding a horse in the sky!"
"This can't be real, I must be dreaming!"
...
Lu Ze and Guo Meng hurriedly looked up at the sky, and then they heard Fan Kuai scream in terror beside them.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! His Majesty has passed away!"
Fan Kuai was eavesdropping on Guo Meng and Lü Ze's private conversation when he suddenly felt something hit his chest, which he instinctively caught.
Fan Kuai looked down and saw that the object in his arms was a very familiar human head—it was Liu Ji's head!
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Lü Ze roared in anger. Had Fan Kuai overheard their conversation?
However, the next moment, Lü Ze noticed the human head that Fan Kuai was holding, and tears instantly streamed down his face.
Xiahou Ying, standing nearby, also felt dizzy and murmured, "His Majesty has really passed away..."
At that moment, a long roar came from the sky, shaking the heavens.
"Hey! Liu Ji committed countless evils and has been slain by this heavenly deity! What are you waiting for if you don't kneel and worship before a god!"
Xiang Yu rode his steed, Black Steed, clad in golden armor and a crimson cloak, wielding the Overlord's Halberd, exuding an aura of divine power and prestige.
All the generals of the Han army looked up, their mouths agape. The celestial being in the sky was so majestic, but why did it look so familiar?
"That's Xiang Yu! Xiang Yu has become a god!" Many people in the Han army recognized Xiang Yu; his appearance and his black horse were too distinctive.
Xiahou Ying raised his hands blankly and, with all his might, slapped himself hard several times across the face.
*Smack! Smack! Smack!* ...
"Ouch...it hurts!"
Chapter 167 The Unbelievable Secret
In the previous times they played the "God Descends to Earth" game, Xiang Yu was always dressed casually and empty-handed, which didn't make much of a show. So this time, Hao Jiu and Xiang Yu changed their outfits beforehand.
Sure enough, once Xiang Yu appeared in this form, it became much easier to win over the people present.
Large groups of people knelt on the ground, silent as cicadas in winter, including Fan Kuai, Xiahou Ying, and others.
Although King Zang Tu of Yan was far away, Xiang Yu had a loud voice, so he heard everything clearly. In his excitement, he also took the lead in bowing down and submitting to the emperor.
A moment later, only Lü Ze remained standing between the two armies.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe you can become a god! You must be a demon or monster disguised as Xiang Yu to deceive us!" As Lu Ze spoke, he took off his precious bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at Xiang Yu, and drew it to its full extent.
"Lu Ze, how high can you shoot? How about I get a little closer?" Xiang Yu said, slowly approaching Lu Ze on his black horse. "However, defying the gods will bring divine punishment."
Lu Ze, panting heavily as if insane, cried out, "If you die, who will punish me!"
Whoosh!
The arrow pierced the air, heading straight for Xiang Yu.
Then.
It bounced back with a whoosh!
puff!
"Ah!" Lu Ze screamed in pain as his eyes widened and he fell off his horse.
Since he was going to act like a god, he naturally had to wear an energy shield. Xiang Yu's combat talent was truly exceptional; even his counterattacks were incredibly accurate.
"Xiang Yu is amazing, he even hit the mark." Hao Jiu immediately offered a compliment, hoping to increase their intimacy level.
"Just luck," Xiang Yu said with a slight smile.
Xiang Yu thought it was luck, but Lü Ze and the others who witnessed this scene didn't think so. The arrow shot at the god turned back before it even touched the god, hitting Lü Ze squarely. It was truly astonishing.
Lu Ze, clutching his wound, struggled to his knees. "May I ask, King Xiang, what brings you back as a god? Surely a dignified deity wouldn't wish to contend with mortals for the world?"
"There's no need to argue about it," Xiang Yu said with a smile.
Lu Ze secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even if Xiang Yu became a god, it seemed he still couldn't escape moral coercion.
"Because this world already belongs to me. Those who disagree will be punished the same as Liu Ji!" Xiang Yu added.
Lu Ze, "..."
"I am the Overlord God, are you willing to surrender?" After saying this, Xiang Yu performed another magic trick and put away the Overlord Divine Halberd. He also showed off a bit without anyone noticing. In fact, the halberd was too heavy and Xiang Yu was a little sorry for his horse, Wuzhui.
"We are willing to surrender!" Fan Kuai said, leading the way.
"We are willing to surrender!" countless soldiers shouted in unison.
"Then kill all those around you who refuse to submit to this god," Xiang Yu said coldly.
"This humble general is willing to surrender!" Lu Ze suddenly felt that he could still be saved. The arrow was blocked by the armor and did not penetrate very deeply.
"We are willing to surrender! Overlord God!" This time the shouts were even louder than before.
"Good. Before I became a god, I took it upon myself to bring peace to the world, and I remain so after becoming a god. Anyone who dares to obstruct me will be destroyed! Today, I will convey my decree through your words: Liu Ji is dead, and the King of Han has been succeeded by Lü Zhi. No country shall wage war to harass the people. Within one year, whoever governs the country best will be appointed by me to rule this world!"
After saying this, Xiang Yu rode his black horse and soared into the sky, disappearing from everyone's sight in an instant.
Zang Tu swallowed hard. Xiang Yu's final decree contained a lot of information. He actually made a one-year agreement that whoever was good at governing the world would manage the world for him!
Indeed, how could a dignified god have time to concern himself with such trivial matters in the mortal realm? Someone must be needed to manage them on his behalf!
Zang Tu became more and more excited as he thought about it. He was the first of the feudal lords to submit to Xiang Yu, and at that time Xiang Yu had not yet revealed his identity as a god.
With this relationship in place, as long as he can govern the Yan state well and allow the people to live and work in peace, who else could be the ruler of the world?
It should be noted that the surviving former subordinates of Xiang Yu had long since surrendered to Liu Ji, but he, who had raised an army to rebel against Liu Ji, had unintentionally submitted his pledge of allegiance first.
Lü Ze stared blankly in the direction Xiang Yu had left, muttering to himself, "So, Liu Ji's death and Xiang Yu's return are actually a good thing! Spring has come for my Lü family! Wait, why did Xiang Yu appoint Lü Zhi as King of Han? Could it be that my sister and Xiang Yu..."
Lu Ze became more and more excited as he thought about it, as if he had inadvertently discovered an incredible secret!
It's worth noting that when Liu Ji was defeated at Pengcheng, he used his entire family as bait to attract the Chu army's attention, and Lü Zhi was captured by Xiang Yu.
"Back then, my younger sister was quite pretty..." Lu Ze recalled.
Xiang Yu was unaware that Lü Ze would misunderstand the situation; otherwise, he would have cursed Hao Jiu to death. It was Hao Jiu who demanded that Lü Zhi succeed to the throne as King of Han.
The reason is simple: although Liu Ying succeeded Liu Ji after his death, it was actually Empress Lü who held power, and only Empress Lü was able to keep the situation under control.
After Empress Lü's death, the country descended into chaos once more. The Liu family kings appointed by Liu Ji and the Lü family kings appointed by Empress Lü immediately engaged in fierce fighting. Even several of Liu Ying's sons were killed by Chen Ping and a group of ministers on the grounds that they might not be Liu Ying's biological children.