"Haha, what is there to be afraid of? This humble general Wei Yang greets King Xiang." A general on the city wall clasped his hands in greeting.
"Oh, I've heard of you. Since you still call yourself a humble general, why don't you open the city gates and let me in?" Xiang Yu said loudly.
"Hahaha... If King Xiang wants to enter the city, of course he can, but only King Xiang can come in alone. I wonder if King Xiang dares to do so?" Wei Yang laughed.
"Okay, open the door."
...
Chapter 66 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap
"Alright, open the door, I'll go in right away." Xiang Yu said without changing his expression or hesitating in the slightest.
Zhang Liang thought to himself, "Could this be Xiang Yu's original plan? With Xiang Yu's bravery, even if he were alone, he could hold the open city gate and hold out until the reinforcements arrive."
It's laughable that Wei Yang actually wanted to take this opportunity to embarrass Xiang Yu. This is a classic case of shooting oneself in the foot. Opening the gates risks the city falling, but if he doesn't open them, he's already lost face.
Wei Yang was stunned upon hearing this. Xiang Yu had actually agreed! How dare he agree? Wasn't he afraid of being surrounded and killed if he entered the city alone?
"What? Are you, as the commander-in-chief, going back on your word in front of the entire army?" Xiang Yu glanced at him disdainfully.
Wei Yang's face was ashen. He wanted to order the city gates opened to see if Xiang Yu would dare to enter the city alone, but he held back.
Xiang Yu might actually dare to enter the city alone. It is said that Xiang Yu is a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men. Although that is somewhat exaggerated, Xiang Yu's martial prowess is definitely the best in the world. How long would it take to surround and kill Xiang Yu?
What if Xiang Yu blocks the city gate? Opening the gate is easy, but closing it is difficult. It's better to lose face than to take such a risk.
"Well, I have already followed the Grand Marshal and surrendered to the King of Han. King Xiang, you don't need to make things difficult for me, do you? If King Xiang enters Shucheng alone, he will surely be captured and killed by our soldiers and handed over to the King of Han. How can I bear to do that?" Wei Yang said, pretending to be concerned for Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu laughed loudly, "Hahaha... Don't you all know that Zhou Yin has been killed by Liu Ji? If you don't believe me, you can ask Zhang Liang, the former strategist of the Han army, who is standing next to me!"
"hiss……"
The soldiers guarding the city wall all turned their gazes toward Zhang Liang. Among them were some who had seen Zhang Liang in person before, after all, Zhang Liang had served under Xiang Yu and had even served as prime minister under the King of Han earlier.
Moreover, could such a major event as Zhang Liang being captured and surrendering to Xiang Yu be faked?
That's why Xiang Yu couldn't just find anyone to impersonate Zhang Liang. If the lie were exposed, he would lose face and ruin his reputation.
"It really seems to be Zhang Liang, the strategist of the King of Han, but how did Zhang Liang end up by Xiang Yu's side..." Wei Yang felt that his brain was not working properly, but he did not make a fuss about it.
Zhang Liang smiled bitterly to himself, "You don't need to ask anymore, Zhou Yin was indeed killed by the King of Han."
"This..." Wei Yang was dumbfounded. It was one thing that Zhou Yin was killed by Liu Ji, but the fact that Zhang Liang had fallen into Xiang Yu's hands and seemed to be obeying Xiang Yu was a huge amount of information!
Xiang Yu glared at them, "Wei Yang! Open the city gates immediately! I'm giving you one last chance, or don't blame me for showing no mercy and treating you as my mortal enemies!"
Wei Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He had been involved in Zhou Yin's massacre of Shu Liu and had personally killed many people loyal to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was a man who hated evil and was extremely cruel to traitors and those who insulted him.
Even if Xiang Yu were allowed to enter the city, and even if Xiang Yu made a verbal promise not to kill him at this time, once the truth about Shu Tu Liu came to light, he would still be unable to escape being boiled alive.
Wei Yang gritted his teeth, thinking, "Why did Xiang Yu send a fake Zhang Liang to deceive us? I've seen the real Zhang Liang; it's not him. Don't be fooled! Zhou Yin, the Grand Marshal, has abandoned the darkness and made great contributions. Why would the King of Han kill him? As long as we hold the city, the rumors will fall apart once the King of Han's army arrives! Men! Fire arrows! Shoot Xiang Yu down beneath the city walls!"
However, the air suddenly fell silent, and no one obeyed Wei Yang's order to attack Xiang Yu.
"Wei Yang, it seems you are truly determined to betray Chu. In that case, I cannot let you live. Brothers on the city wall, listen up! I know you have been misled and threatened by Zhou Yin and Wei Yang, and you are not truly betraying Chu. Whoever kills him will be granted the position of general!"
As soon as Xiang Yu finished speaking, several people behind Wei Yang drew their swords and stared at him menacingly.
Wei Yang hurriedly drew his sword and turned to guard against the crowd, shouting, "Don't be fooled by Xiang Yu!"
"Don't let him continue!" Hao Jiu reminded him, and Xiang Yu also released his grip on the halberd.
Wei Yang continued, "If Xiang Yu were to find out about you..."
Whoosh!
puff!
An arrow pierced through the air and struck Wei Yang squarely in the head!
"Hiss..." Zhang Liang stared at the bow in Xiang Yu's hand and gasped. What terrifying archery skills!
Thump!
Wei Yang's corpse fell to the ground, his eyes filled with resentment. If he had been allowed to finish his sentence, at least some people in the city would have stood by him.
"One arrow to the head! What excellent archery skills, Xiang Yu!" Hao Jiu exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "666!" In this world, Xiang Yu was practically invincible.
"You flatter me, God of Wine. That arrow was nothing." Xiang Yu disliked being attacked from behind from the bottom of his heart, but he couldn't ignore Hao Jiu's opinion.
As he put away the bow and arrows, Xiang Yu gently flicked his toes upwards, and the halberd flew back into his hand.
"Why haven't you opened the gate yet? Do you still want to be my enemy?" Xiang Yu swept his halberd across the city wall.
Meanwhile, a cavalry force was galloping toward Shuxian County.
Rumble rumble...
"Hurry! Get to Shucheng as soon as possible, and then rest well there!" Fan Kuai didn't know how long the ancient nest could hold out, so it was better to get to Shucheng as soon as possible.
Juchao County, formerly known as Chaoyi.
Upon hearing that Xiang Yu's army had arrived in Huainan, Fan Zhong, the garrison commander of Juchao, immediately declared that Juchao would return to Xiang Yu's rule and established contact with the Chu army. Now, he has also led his troops to Juchao.
The walls of Guchao were already dilapidated, and the main reason why Xiang Guan did not attack the city was that he lacked siege equipment. Fortunately, Fan Zhong brought a lot of long ladders.
After the army had formed its siege formation, Xiang Guan issued an ultimatum to the enemy forces inside Guchao: if they did not surrender, the city would be attacked, and no further surrenders would be accepted.
The morale of the army in Guchao City was in chaos, and many people turned their attention to the supreme general Duan Hong, with some even showing a hint of murderous intent.
Seeing this, Duan Hong knew that Gu Chao could not be defended, so he immediately ordered a surrender.
Meanwhile, in Tangyi City, which Xiang Han had besieged, the Chu army had just built a few simple ladders to prepare for the attack when the enemy troops inside the city surrendered.
The city walls were dilapidated, and to make matters worse, there wasn't even a single grain reserve inside the city. Even if all the grain in the people's homes were looted, it wouldn't be enough to feed them for two days.
More importantly, Tangyi City lacked sufficient troops, and Sun Zi only brought five hundred men, making the city impossible to defend.
Fan Kuai was unaware of Sun Yi and Duan Hong's ordeal, and he didn't care to know. He was already satisfied that he had safely arrived in Shuxian County.
Shuxian County, outside the East Gate.
Fan Kuai glanced back at the direction of the ancient nest, and finally felt relieved after confirming that there were no pursuers.
"Send someone to announce that Fan Kuai, a general under the King of Han, has arrived here and wishes to enter the city to rest."
"Yes, sir." A soldier with a loud voice responded and hurriedly walked towards the city gate.
"Soldiers on the city wall, listen up! General Fan Kuai, under the command of the King of Han, has arrived here and wishes to enter the city to rest. Open the gates immediately!"
"Oh, it's General Fan Kuai! Open the gate!" The officers on the city gate tower immediately gave the order.
Squeak... Clang!
"Enter the city!" Fan Kuai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was actually a little afraid that the Jiujiang army in Shucheng would not give him face.
Fan Kuai's army entered the city, and the city's garrison commander hurriedly came to greet them.
"Haha, General Fan Kuai must be tired from your journey. Please come with me to the mansion to rest. I have already ordered wine and dishes to be prepared to welcome you back."
"Who are you?" Fan Kuai sized up the approaching general.
"This humble general is Ma Liang, the garrison commander of Shuxian County," Ma Liang said, clasping his hands in greeting.
Fan Kuai nodded and said, "Oh, then I'll trouble General Ma. My soldiers..."
"General Fan, rest assured, I will certainly treat you well. Please." Ma Liang said, gesturing for him to enter.
"Oh, by the way, Xiang Yu's Chu cavalry has reached Guchao and could catch up at any time. General Ma, you should tell the garrison to be extra careful," Fan Kuai said as he walked.
"Haha, General Fan, don't worry. Shucheng is well-defended. I'm not afraid of any number of Chu troops coming," Ma Liang laughed.
Fan Kuai chuckled and remained silent, thinking to himself that this guy surnamed Ma was quite the braggart. He thought that such a person would probably wet his pants in fear if he saw Xiang Yu.
Soon, the two arrived at a mansion in the city.
"General Fan, please." Ma Liang led the way to the reception hall, where a meal was already being served.
Fan Kuai looked displeased. Wasn't this a welcome feast prepared for me? How come others have started eating first?
However, the moment Fan Kuai stepped into the hall, he suddenly felt himself being kicked.
Ouch! Thump!
Caught completely off guard by the sudden kick, Fan Kuai immediately fell face-first to the ground.
"You!" Fan Kuai was about to lash out at Ma Liang when he saw the person dining in front of him slowly raise his head.
"General Fan, how have you been?" Xiang Yu smiled knowingly yet politely.
"Xiang, Xiang Yu?" Fan Kuai rubbed his eyes hard, then looked at the other people in the hall.
"Huan Chu? The strategist?" Fan Kuai was completely dumbfounded.
"General Fan, why haven't you paid your respects to King Xiang yet?" Zhang Liang said, feigning anger.
"Strategist, what exactly happened?" Fan Kuai slowly stood up. He had a rough idea of what was going on. The strategist had been defeated at Yinling and captured by Xiang Yu.
"Hmph! How dare he disrespect King Xiang! Guards, seize him at once!" Zhang Liang roared.
"Yes, sir!" Ma Liang responded, and immediately he and several other soldiers rushed forward to subdue Fan Kuai and seize his sword.
Fan Kuai did not resist; what use would resistance be under such circumstances?
Resisting Xiang Yu would only hasten death; being more carefree might win him favor and save one's life.
"Fan Kuai, I have been waiting here for a long time. As expected, the strategist knows you all very well. At first, I didn't quite believe you when you said you would escape from Shu County." Xiang Yu smiled slightly. Hao Jiu's idea was really a bit...unbelievable.
Zhang Liang glanced at him in surprise. It seemed like Xiang Yu had suddenly become a different person. He was spouting nonsense and was trying to get him killed. He had to be honest, when had he ever said that Fan Kuai was going to escape from Shu County?
In fact, Xiang Yu's words just now were a double entendre, and he was actually speaking to his true strategist, Hao Jiu.
"Your Majesty, Fan Kuai is Liu Ji's confidant. We cannot persuade him to surrender. We must either kill him or imprison him. If any of our generals are captured in the future, we can use him to exchange for hostages." Hao Jiu was genuinely afraid that Xiang Yu had once again considered persuading him to surrender, after all, the Chu army was currently suffering from a shortage of talent and was in dire need of manpower.
Xiang Yu sighed inwardly, "I understand. It's good to keep them to exchange for hostages, after all, Xiang Zhuang and the others don't know the situation either."
"Don't worry, they should be fine." Hao Jiu said this, but he wasn't really sure himself, after all, they were going to face Han Xin.
"Hmph! Do with me as you please!" Fan Kuai glared fiercely at Zhang Liang. He never expected that Zhang Zifang, this strategist with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would betray him. No wonder Xiang Yu knew in advance that he was leaving from Shuxian.
Zhang Liang cursed Fan Kuai inwardly as a fool, but he couldn't just stand by and watch someone die. Moreover, he had to be careful with his methods, otherwise he risked getting himself killed as well. Xiang Yu didn't trust him and would certainly not take his advice, so Zhang Liang had no choice but to take a risky tactic of retreating to advance.
"King Xiang! Fan Kuai is a confidant of Liu Ji and also has relatives. He cannot be allowed to live. I suggest that he behead him and his head be displayed to the public!"