Soon, the large banner with black background and red characters on the high slope became clear, and there were many generals' flags next to it, such as Lü, Jin, Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao and so on.
Beneath the large red banner bearing the Chinese character 'Han', a general stood tall and imposing, his face ashen, coldly gazing at the battlefield ahead.
Could he be Liu Ji?
Wait a minute, Liu Ji should be an old man, and he only travels by carriage. This guy on horseback is not very old, so how could he be Liu Ji?
Furthermore, Liu Ji had bee-like eyes and a fierce appearance, while this guy was incredibly handsome—it doesn't match up at all.
Hao Jiu thought it was better to play it safe first, in case she tied up the wrong person, that would be embarrassing.
A moment later, soldiers went down to the banner to report the military situation.
"Reporting to the General, General Guan Ying's cavalry has successfully bypassed the battlefield, and the Chu army has not detected them."
"Excellent! Order Kong Cong's troops to reinforce Chen He with all their might and hold back the Chu army!"
"Here you go!"
The Great General? Hao Jiu was dumbfounded. Who exactly was this person?
According to historical records, the Grand General of the Han army should have been Han Xin. However, the problem is that Han Xin should be trying to cross the Xiao River in the east. Besides, Han Xin has already been enfeoffed as the King of Qi, so it is impossible for him to continue to serve as the Grand General of the Han army.
Could this general who suddenly appeared be the host of the mutated system?
They have already silently eliminated Liu Ji and taken his place?
Chapter 3 Xiang Yu, the Overlord
Hao Jiu thought about it again and realized it didn't seem likely. If he really had taken over, the people below should be calling him the Great King.
Just then, a man beside the general spoke up, “Brother, why not send the whole army at once? Xiang Yu’s forces are less than half the size of ours, and they are exhausted. Kong Cong and Chen He can handle them together. In addition, General Guan Ying’s cavalry has already circled around to the rear. Even if we can’t defeat Xiang Yu in one battle, we can at least severely damage the Chu army.”
“Shizhi, you underestimate Xiang Yu. The one leading the Chu army on the battlefield right now is Xiang Yu’s cousin, Xiang Zhuang, not Xiang Yu himself. If I’m not mistaken, Xiang Yu is trying to lure me into a decisive battle. Don’t forget, what we need to do now is hold our ground and wait. As soon as reinforcements arrive, Xiang Yu will surely be defeated.”
“What you say is absolutely right, brother.”
...
Elder brother? Release him?
Hao Jiu suddenly realized that there was only one person named Shi Zhi in the history of Chu and Han, and that was Lü Zhi's second brother, Lü Shi Zhi.
The general standing before them was none other than Lü Ze, Lü Zhi's elder brother.
There are very few historical records about Lü Ze, not because he had no merit, but quite the opposite. Lü Ze's merits were enough to make him a king, but Liu Ji did not grant him the title, because his merits were truly too great for the emperor.
Later, due to the rebellion of the Lü clan, 99% of Lü Ze's records were erased, and his military achievements were naturally attributed to Liu Ji, leading many in later generations to believe that Liu Ji was also a capable and skilled general.
In reality, Han Xin's assessment that Liu Ji could command 100,000 troops was merely to save face for Liu Ji, and being able to command 100,000 troops did not necessarily mean that he could win a battle.
The defeat of 560,000 men to Xiang Yu's 30,000 in the Battle of Pengcheng already proves that Liu Ji, Lü Ze, and even Han Xin were at least one level below Xiang Yu militarily, and they simply couldn't win without a coordinated attack.
In fact, Lü Ze was the true commander of many of Liu Bei's victories. Han Xin mostly led his own troops and fought independently, sweeping through Hebei and eventually becoming the king of Qi.
To be honest, Liu Ji was unwilling to entrust the main force of his army to Han Xin, a newcomer. Moreover, Han Xin was unable to command the veterans who had followed Liu Ji in raising the army. What he was given were old, weak, and disabled soldiers with little fighting ability. However, Han Xin was so capable that he managed to destroy the Wei Kingdom with this small force.
That's not all. After destroying the Wei Kingdom, Han Xin already had a strong army, but Liu Ji jumped out at this time to steal the credit and took away all of Han Xin's elite troops.
As a result, Han Xin was left with only a few thousand remnants of his army. Then, he faced Chen Yu's hundreds of thousands of troops at Jingxing Pass. With a decisive move that captured the essence of Xiang Yu's military strategy, he defeated the foolish Chen Yu who ignored Li Zuoche's advice.
Legend has it that in this battle, Han Xin's forces consisted not only of a few thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers, but also of more than 100,000 female soldiers recruited from the State of Wei.
Then, after Han Xin pacified the Yan state, Liu Ji suffered another defeat and asked Han Xin for troops again. Without hesitation, Han Xin gave away most of his troops.
Fortunately, with the reinforcements from the Yan state, Han Xin took advantage of the Qi state's carelessness and pacified it.
After that, Liu Ji was being soundly defeated by Xiang Yu in Xingyang, so he sent envoys to ask Peng Yue and Han Xin to send troops to help. This time, Han Xin was indignant. He was like someone who wouldn't give a horse grass but still expected it to run. He couldn't just keep pulling the wool from a sheep.
Following the advice of his strategist Kuai Che, Han Xin took the opportunity to request the title of a fake King of Qi.
Liu Ji initially refused, but after being kicked hard by Zhang Liang, Liu Ji gritted his teeth and appointed Han Xin as the King of Qi, and Peng Yue as the King of Liang, which led to the Battle of Gaixia.
Yes, Zhang Liang was that awesome. He dared to kick Liu Ji. The reason why Liu Ji was able to win over so many people was precisely because he could endure what others could not, and he hid his desire for revenge very well, waiting to deal with them one by one after he became emperor.
Getting back to the main point, if the person commanding the battle was Lü Ze, the possibility of Liu Ji being replaced would be very small. Lü Ze was Liu Ji's most trusted confidant and the person he trusted the most. Unless Lü Ze was the host of the mutated system, there was absolutely no way he would betray him.
Hao Jiu decisively left the place and headed straight for the three fortifications of the Han army. He figured that the slightly larger fortification in the middle was probably where Liu Ji was located.
At this moment, a portion of the Chu army on the battlefield of Gaixia suddenly left, and the three thousand cavalrymen who were originally at the rear of the army formation galloped straight to the southeast.
Rumble rumble...
Leading the Chu army was a majestic general clad in black gold armor, wielding a massive black halberd. His steed was exceptionally strong, with glossy black fur, except for its four snow-white hooves.
This person was none other than Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, who was later hailed as the unparalleled hero of the ages!
This horse was the prized steed of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, and was named the Cloud-Treading Black Steed.
The man and his horse looked like gods descending to earth, so majestic and imposing!
Soon after, a large cavalry force marching from west to east came into view.
Xiang Yu's lips curled slightly as he took the Overlord Bow from his back and raised it to the sky. "All archers, prepare your bows and arrows!"
"All archers, prepare!"
"Full power launch, fire!" Xiang Yu gave the order, but instead of launching the ball, he chose to fire a precise horizontal shot!
Whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Arrows rose like locusts, then fell like rain.
puff!
Puff puff puff...
Ahhh...
In an instant, screams rose and fell, and the Han cavalry suffered heavy casualties.
The Han army junior officer next to Guan Ying, the Han cavalry general, was the first to fall from his horse. If this man hadn't suddenly accelerated forward and blocked the arrow, Guan Ying would be dead by now.
Although Guan Ying spotted the Chu cavalry immediately, how easy was it to escape?
Continuing eastward would inevitably lead to an ambush by Xiang Yu, while the Hui River blocked their path to the south. The best chance of survival was to turn back immediately, which is what Guan Ying did.
Going back sounds simple, but in reality, it requires slowing down first, then turning around, starting again, accelerating, and sprinting to shake off the Chu army. Just as Guan Ying's troops finished turning around, the Chu army's arrow rain arrived. The timing was perfect, and the arrows were incredibly accurate.
In that era, those who mastered archery were truly elite cavalrymen. Legend has it that Xiang Yu had eight thousand men from Jiangdong, all of whom were seasoned veterans.
Although Guan Ying's cavalry had a numerical advantage, in terms of combat strength, even two against one might not be able to defeat Xiang Yu's elite cavalry.
Therefore, Guan Ying did not adopt the most suitable counterattack tactic, but decisively chose to retreat, even if half of his troops were lost here, it would be better than the entire army being wiped out.
Seeing that the enemy showed no intention of fighting and immediately turned to flee, Xiang Yu frowned. Although he had arranged for Huan Chu to cut off their retreat, if the enemy were to fight desperately to break through to the west to Lü Ze's main force, it would be extremely difficult to annihilate them completely.
"Leave a portion of the troops to clean up the battlefield, while the rest of the soldiers follow me to continue the pursuit of the enemy!"
"Here you go!"
...
At this time, the offensive and defensive positions on the main battlefield between the Chu and Han armies were reversed. After learning that Xiang Yu had led his cavalry to pursue Guan Ying, Lü Ze decisively sent the main force of the Han army to launch a fierce attack on the Chu army.
However, the Chu army was well prepared and defended in formation, causing the Han army's offensive to be repeatedly thwarted.
Even when Guan Ying returned with over a thousand cavalrymen after breaking through the encirclement, the Han army still hadn't made any progress.
"Quickly retreat!" Guan Ying shouted as he ran, "Xiang Yu is catching up!"
Upon hearing this, Generals Lü Shizhi and Jin Xi, who were leading their troops to attack the Chu army's position, hurriedly ordered a retreat, but it was already too late.
The Chu cavalry arrived shortly afterward and took the opportunity to slaughter another wave of Han soldiers.
"Hahaha... Counterattack!" Xiang Yu, wielding his halberd, charged forward as if entering an empty field, wantonly trampling the enemy army, and finally won a resounding victory.
With his helmet askew and armor askew, Lü Shizhi fled to Lü Ze, tears streaming down his face. "Waaah, brother, I have failed you, and the losses have been devastating!"
With tears welling in his eyes, Lü Zehu cried out in anguish, "Alas! It was not a fault of our fighting spirit. The Chu cavalry was so strong, and the Overlord was so brave; who could withstand them!"
This is so hard for me...
Chapter 4 Black Dragon Liu Ji
Ten miles west of Gaixia, the central camp of the Han army is located.
Hao Jiu had been here for a while, but he still hadn't decided whether to choose Liu Ji or Zhang Liang, because Zhang Liang was surprisingly handsome and well-maintained, while Liu Ji looked like a scruffy old man compared to him.
While choosing Liu Ji as the host would certainly be beneficial in the short term for successfully completing this beginner's task, at least according to historical development, Liu Ji would be the final victor. Given his status and ruthlessness, even if the mutated system were bound to Lü Zhi or Liu Taigong, killing him would not be difficult.
However, in terms of personal ability, potential, and future development, ten Liu Jis could not compare to Zhang Liang.
Historically, Liu Ji often said "What can be done?", which shows he was quite self-aware, as most of his decisions were based on the advice of others.
But if he goes to another dimension to do missions in the future, and there are no Zhang Liang, Han Xin, and others, who will he ask for help? The host must have both literary and martial skills, right?
In reality, Liu Ji is a managerial leader who is very good at talking but has terrible professional skills. He needs to build a strong team to be effective; he would fail miserably if he tried to work alone.
Moreover, Hao Jiu didn't really have much confidence in Liu Ji's character, as there were far too many negative stories about Liu Ji's character in the historical records of the Han Dynasty.
Of course, untying the bond after completing the task is feasible, and the price to pay is within an acceptable range. However, after meeting Zhang Liang, Hao Jiu really didn't want to give her first time to Liu Ji, feeling it was a bit of a bad deal.
"Zifang, there's still no news about Han Xin and Peng Yue's troops. What should we do?" Liu Ji shrugged.
Zhang Liang, dressed as a Confucian scholar and still looking young, smiled and said, "Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry? I predict that their two armies will arrive within the next two days. Just wait patiently."
“That’s true. I’ll go back to my room to rest then. You can make all the decisions, Zifang.” Liu Ji said and walked straight out of the tent.
"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but excessive sexual activity can lead to a short life," Zifang said with a smile.
"Bah! I'm lucky enough to survive this early death." Liu Ji spat and left the central command tent.
Hao Jiu glanced at Zhang Liang, then at the door, and decisively chased after him, chuckling.
Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. Let's try binding Liu Ji first. What if we scare Liu Ji to death? Then we won't need to choose anything.
Moreover, Liu Ji was able to manipulate a large number of outstanding figures from the Chu and Han dynasties, and he was ruthless, cunning, flexible, and capable in certain aspects. With such a host, his achievements would not be too low.