Perhaps Zhang Liang could have been recruited back then, but as for Zhang Liang now, Hao Jiu certainly wouldn't dare to use him.
"What if I could win Zhang Liang's heart?" Xiang Yu countered.
"How can you be sure you've won Zhang Liang's heart? What if he's deceiving you? He might be feigning loyalty while secretly aiding Liu Bei, showing you that his heart is with Liu Bei while his body is in Chu. Can you see through that?"
Hao Jiu doesn't believe in the protagonist's halo. Wherever he goes, people rush to join him and worship him. Why wouldn't he betray him?
Xiang Yu frowned. You can't see into someone's heart. After a string of traitors like Ying Bu, Ding Gu, Xiang Bo, and Zhou Yin, Xiang Yu understood a lot. "What does the God of Wine think we should do?"
Hao Jiu chuckled, "Let's put him under house arrest first, completely cutting him off from all contact with the outside world, and then... how about this?"
At this moment, Xiang Yu's five hundred cavalrymen also caught up one after another, seemingly without suffering any major casualties.
Zhang Liang also approached Xiang Yu. Seeing that Xiang Yu did not speak to him, he had no choice but to take the initiative to bow and say, "King Xiang, what does King Xiang have to say to me?"
"Do you want to die or live?" Xiang Yu asked, staring into Zhang Liang's eyes.
"Of course I want to live." Zhang Liang said helplessly. Sure enough, if you are forced into a corner and then try to persuade someone to surrender, you will not receive the same treatment as before, and it will be even more difficult to gain Xiang Yu's trust.
"If you want to live, then sincerely surrender to me and join me in punishing the traitor Liu Ji; otherwise... die!" Xiang Yu said bluntly.
Zhang Liang glanced at Xiang Yu in surprise. He was really direct. But what did a verbal promise mean?
"Since King Xiang thinks so highly of me, how could I refuse? Zhang Liang is willing to sincerely pledge allegiance to King Xiang." Zhang Liang jumped off his horse and bowed deeply. If it weren't for the fact that the three-knee-nine-bow ceremony wasn't being performed at this time, Zhang Liang would probably have done the same for Xiang Yu.
After the Feast at Hongmen, Xiang Yu had recruited Zhang Liang. While Zhang Liang outwardly submitted to Xiang Yu, he actually used Xiang Yu's trust to greatly help Liu Ji.
Therefore, it was impossible for Zhang Liang not to feel uneasy when he rejoined Xiang Yu. How to make Xiang Yu believe him was a question that Zhang Liang was pondering deeply.
If Xiang Yu doesn't trust him, his future will certainly be difficult, and he can forget about secretly helping Liu Ji.
"Excellent! Hahaha..." Xiang Yu also jumped off his horse and helped Zhang Liang up with both hands. "Zifang, please get up quickly. From now on, you will be my strategist."
"King Xiang trusts me so much, I, Zifang, am unworthy of such trust..." Zhang Liang turned his head away, his face full of shame, but his heart was full of doubt. Happiness had come too suddenly.
"It's alright, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to prove you can shoulder this responsibility and atone for your sins." Xiang Yu changed the subject, "It's getting late, Zifang, do you know where nearby would be a suitable place to camp and rest?"
“Reporting to King Xiang, about five li to the east of here, there is a secluded mountain valley where my previously set up camp is located, which is a good place for the army to rest,” Zhang Liang said, bowing.
"Excellent! Then I'll trouble you, strategist, to lead the way." Xiang Yu had already guessed that Zhang Liang would have a camp in Yinling.
"King Xiang, what about General Xi Juan and the others..." Zhang Liang hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Xiang Yu thought for a moment, "Let's escort them to the main camp first. After they're settled, I'll have a proper talk with them."
"Yes, sir." Zhang Liang bowed respectfully. At least Xi Juan's life was temporarily saved, but he wondered where that Shen Tu Jia was now...
rustling...
In a valley nestled among the mountains in eastern Yinling, a team is trekking with great difficulty.
"Reporting to the general, I need to relieve myself," the old hunter said, clutching his stomach.
"Go quickly and come back quickly. You two go with him." Shen Tu Jia waved to the two soldiers beside him.
"Look!" the two soldiers cursed inwardly, "Even taking a dump requires someone to accompany you."
"Thank you, General." The old hunter responded and headed towards the side path and ravine, searching for a secluded spot as he went, going further and further away.
"Hmm? Don't go too far! Just use the restroom there!" Shen Tu Jia vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
Just as the two soldiers were about to reprimand the hunter, they saw the old hunter suddenly accelerate and rush into the bushes next to him, running faster and more nimbly than a rabbit!
"General! Just keep going east along that road and you'll get out of Yinling! I've finished showing you the way, so I'll take my leave now. Share the reward with these two brothers behind you!" The old hunter shouted as he ran, having already shaken off the two men behind him.
"Capture him!" Shen Tu Jia roared in anger upon hearing this, took off his bow and arrows, and led his men in pursuit, firing arrows as he went.
Whoosh!
An arrow whistled past the old hunter's ear, startling him into a cold sweat, but the old hunter ran faster and faster, trying to find cover as much as possible.
Shen Tu Jia, with his superior stamina, ran and jumped, and mostly walked in straight lines, unlike the old hunter who had to find cover to walk in zigzags. He kept closing the distance between himself and the old hunter, and even overtook the two soldiers who had been arranged earlier.
However, as he ran, he leaped into the air, and upon landing, he suddenly felt his feet sink into a swampy mud pit beneath the withered branches and leaves!
The old hunter turned around and gave a cold laugh. "General, you can't blame me for this. You had a good road to take, but you insisted on chasing me. Heh heh."
Shen Tu Jia tried to turn back, but his legs were stuck and he was sinking deeper and deeper. "You old fool, don't go!"
Whoosh!
puff!
"ah!"
The old hunter, who had been so proud just moments before, was shot in the thigh by an arrow from Shen Tu Jia, and blood was flowing freely. But he didn't dare to stop. He endured the pain and disappeared into the bushes, vanishing from everyone's sight.
The soldiers who caught up behind didn't have time to chase the hunter anymore, and hurriedly organized manpower to rescue Shen Tu Jia.
After a great deal of effort, the group finally managed to pull Shen Tu Jia up. After a short rest, they continued on their way.
Having lost their guide, the Han army walked along the valley and unexpectedly encountered a large swamp ahead. They walked back a short distance and found the same thing again.
Shen Tu Jia sat on the ground in a daze, forced to admit the truth: they were... lost!
A howl broke the silence of the night.
The old hunter tried with all his might to climb a big tree, but because of his leg injury, he couldn't climb it no matter how many times he tried.
From the surrounding bushes, pairs of alluring eyes could be seen lurking in and out of sight...
Hao Jiu and Xiang Yu were unaware of Shen Tu Jia and the old hunter's plight, and they never even considered that possibility.
Historically, Shen Tu Jia only began to distinguish himself after Liu Ji became emperor. At present, he was just a temporary general, and his real position was a squad leader.
If Zhang Liang hadn't brought him up, no one would have cared whether Shen Tu Jia lived or died.
As for the hunter, it didn't matter at all. Hao Jiu thought that the hunter was sent by Zhang Liang, and Zhang Liang admitted it. But the hunter was indeed a real hunter, only he was coerced and lured.
After arriving at the camp, Xiang Yu sent men to keep Zhang Liang under strict protection, which was essentially house arrest.
Xi Juan was also put in solitary confinement, the mid-level officers were also put in centralized confinement, and the remaining prisoners huddled together for warmth.
Xiang Yu and Yu Ji went to bed early, but Hao Jiu was full of energy and didn't need to sleep.
Upon opening the system panel, I saw that the energy points had reached 121, and the warning message that the value was below the safe limit had disappeared.
However, Hao Jiu didn't plan to buy anything. As a shut-in who was extremely frugal in his previous life, saving money was a must, and energy points couldn't be wasted.
Unless absolutely necessary, Hao Jiu would never use his energy points to buy cheap items like healing potions.
Save up and buy the best – that's Haojiu's strategy.
Hao Jiu doesn't even plan to buy those cheap feature modules that aren't particularly useful, such as lotteries, treasure chests, and secondary currencies—none of them are of much use.
As the strongest system of Xiang Yu, it should rightfully place itself in the position of a manager, and the future development direction of Xiang Yu should naturally be planned and completed by Hao Jiu.
Hao Jiu's biggest wish right now is to upgrade Xiang Yu's level, which means to get Xiang Yu to level up as soon as possible. After leveling up, the speed at which he gains energy points will definitely increase significantly.
Xiang Yu is a host worth investing in, even if his system still only knows how to shout "666" a few years later, it's still worth it.
Of course, Hao Jiu doesn't know how to upgrade the host yet, but he should be able to get relevant information after completing the novice missions.
So what Hao Jiu needs to do now is save money. What if he needs a lot of energy points to upgrade later? He'll be devastated if he spends all of them beforehand.
Pengcheng, South Gate.
Chen Xi led his army on a swift march of over two hundred li and finally arrived at this place.
"Open the city gates immediately! General Chen Xi, under the command of King Qi, has arrived!" a soldier shouted at the top of his lungs.
The Pengcheng garrison dared not delay and hurriedly informed Zhang Lin, the Pengcheng commander. After Zhang Lin arrived at the city wall and confirmed the situation, he immediately ordered the city gates to be opened.
"Uh, I wonder what brings General Chen here so late at night?" Zhang Lin asked, puzzled.
Chen Xi did not hide anything, "I am here to help you defend the city. The Chu army suffered a great defeat at Gaixia, and Xiang Yu fled south, but Ji Bu and Zhongli Mei led their troops toward Pengcheng."
"Oh, I see. Haha, General Chen, please rest assured, Pengcheng is perfectly safe. I will have a banquet prepared to welcome you back." Zhang Lin said, and was about to call for people.
"No need, I'm not hungry, just sleepy. Find me a place to sleep first." Chen Xi thought to himself that there was absolutely no chance of anything going wrong. His army had already reached Pengcheng ahead of the Chu army, so what could possibly go wrong?
“Here you are. General Chen, please follow me.” Zhang Lin gestured with his hand.
Meanwhile, the Chu army led by Xiang Zhuang, Ji Bu, and Zhongli Mei was still desperately making its way.
However, they weren't heading to Pengcheng, but rather passing through the west of Pengcheng and heading towards Peixian...
Chapter 63 Missing
As dawn breaks, a new day begins.
Xiang Yu received Zhang Liang's invitation early in the morning and came to his tent.
"What brings you here, Zifang, to summon me?"
"Your Excellency Xiang, I have a good plan to offer you."
Zhang Liang bowed respectfully. He had thought about it all night and concluded that the best way to dispel Xiang Yu's doubts was to achieve some merit, thereby demonstrating his sincerity. If he remained under house arrest like this, he would have no chance of escaping.
"Oh, tell me about it." Xiang Yu smiled slightly.
Zhang Liang cupped his hands and said, "King Xiang now has a strong army and horses, so there is no need for him to return to Jiangdong. He only needs to capture the two cities of Shouchun and Zhongli County, and then defend the Huai River. It will not be a problem to block the Han army's attack."
Xiang Yu may not have known that the Han army's food supplies were also running low. In order to conscript soldiers, Liu Ji had almost completely conscripted all the men in Guanzhong, not even sparing the old and weak, and had also plundered most of the grain supplies.
If Xiang Yu could delay until spring, the Han army would surely have to withdraw to focus on spring planting. By the time the Han army attacked again, Jiujiang Commandery would already be secure, allowing Xiang Yu to advance or retreat as he saw fit, making it easy to defeat Liu Bei and restore the Chu state.
Xiang Yu frowned. He felt that Zhang Liang's words made a lot of sense, but the God of Wine had already rejected the idea of staying to guard Jiujiang County.
"God of Wine, do you think Zhang Liang's plan is feasible?"
Hao Jiu scoffed, "It's feasible, but the final result might not be as good as Zhang Liang said. Jiujiang Prefecture is too large, bordering six prefectures, while we only occupy one. The defense of the border is too long, and if our troops are scattered, it will be difficult to hold it. Zhang Liang's plan might be a trap."
"Then let's return to Jiangdong as originally planned." After experiencing so many betrayals, Xiang Yu had become more vigilant, especially towards people like Zhang Liang who had a history of betraying him.
The reason he asked Hao Jiu was to confirm whether the plan itself was correct, and that there was no question of trusting Zhang Liang to use his plan, or that using his plan was equivalent to trusting Zhang Liang.
Hao Jiu pondered for a moment, "That's not necessarily true. The situation on the battlefield can change in an instant. We do have some resources now to try and gain more territory, but Shouchun and Zhongli County are not suitable for the time being, as they are too far from Jiangdong."
"Oh?" Xiang Yu's eyes lit up.
Seeing that Xiang Yu remained silent, Zhang Liang added, "King Xiang, Xi Juan, the general defending Shouchun, has been captured by our army. Shouchun is now vulnerable. We must not miss this opportunity. In three days, Xiahou Ying's reinforcements may arrive in Shouchun, at which point it will be much more difficult to attack Shouchun."
"Haha, I will give Zifang's suggestion a good consideration. Let's rest well today. The army is exhausted. Even if we want to attack Shouchun, we can only set out tomorrow."