"Lu Matong, I never thought you'd end up like this." Xiang Yu changed the subject. "Since you're surrendering, why didn't Guan Ying come in person?"
"Reporting to King Xiang, General Guan Ying is unable to come. He is unwilling to submit to King Xiang and has already left. I beg King Xiang to show leniency and let him go." Wang Shang finished speaking and kowtowed to the ground.
At this moment, on the great river.
Guan Ying, accompanied by two personal guards, boarded a raft and sailed downstream, slowly disappearing into the night.
He did not want to surrender to Xiang Yu, but he also did not want to risk the lives of all his soldiers. So he handed over Lü Matong's head to his deputy general Wang Shang, ordering him to lead his troops to surrender, while he himself quietly left on a raft.
If he's lucky enough, he can travel by water through Guangling and then ashore, heading from the coastal Donghai County to the Qi region.
Liu Ji had once arranged for him to follow Han Xin in battle, but now that Liu Ji was dead, no matter who succeeded him in Guanzhong, Guan Ying did not believe that they could defeat Xiang Yu.
Zhou Bo's army was originally located south of Juchao. Even if they rushed to Shuxian earlier, it would take them two or three days to reach it. After Xiang Yu dealt with Zhou Bo's 50,000 cavalry, he should go and take care of him.
With 200,000 troops stationed in Jiangdong, Lü Ze would likely have to pay a heavy price whether he retreated via Tongling or across the river.
However, if they occupy Jiangdong and usurp the territory, it will be extremely difficult to hold on, and they may even face annihilation.
After this battle, it's hard to say how much fighting strength Guanzhong will have left.
Peng Yue, Wu Rui, Gong Ao, Zang Tu, Zhang Er, and others lacked military strength, so it was impossible to expect them to defeat Xiang Yu.
Only Han Xin, who was proficient in military strategy and occupied the territory of Qi, and had the assistance of the capable Li Zuoche, could perhaps have some hope.
After an unknown amount of time, the soldiers rowing the boat interrupted Guan Ying's thoughts.
"General, there's a ship heading our way."
"It must be Xiang Yu. It seems he still doesn't want to let me go." Guan Ying smiled bitterly. "In the future, neither of you should say or do anything. If Xiang Yu wants to kill me, then let him kill me."
"General..." Both soldiers knew how powerful Xiang Yu was. If Xiang Yu himself came, even if there were two of them, or even two thousand men, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
"I am deeply sorry to have troubled King Xiang to come in person." Guan Ying had gradually come to see the person on the boat clearly, and it was indeed Xiang Yu.
"Since General Guan has ordered the surrender, why did you leave without saying goodbye? Are you worried that I, the king, am not tolerant enough? In the past, when Zhang Han killed my uncle Xiang Liang, I was able to forgive and forget. How much more so should I forgive you?"
After hearing Hao Jiu's account of Guan Ying's deeds, Xiang Yu was indeed interested in recruiting him, otherwise he wouldn't have come in person.
Guan Ying was somewhat taken aback. He had thought that Xiang Yu had come to take his life personally, but he hadn't expected that Xiang Yu was here to recruit him.
Of course, if he didn't accept the offer, his life might really be in danger. Xiang Yu had come all this way, how could he go back empty-handed?
"I know I am no match for Xiang Yu. What else can I do but surrender? I can't let tens of thousands of soldiers die on the riverbank because of my decision, can I?"
I have long heard of Xiang Yu's tolerance, benevolence, trustworthiness, and commitment to his promises. However, I have always despised traitors like Lü Matong who betray their masters for personal gain. With my former lord now dead, I cannot comply.
Moreover, my closest and most trusted friend died at the hands of Xiang Yu. If I were to join his ranks, my conscience would be troubled. Xiang Yu, you need not say more; kill them if you wish, but please spare my two followers.”
After saying this, Guan Ying let out a long breath. He had already made up his mind that if Xiang Yu still wanted to capture him alive, he would rather jump into the river and commit suicide than let him succeed.
Xiang Yu nodded to himself, “General Guan is indeed a hero. It is a real pity that he cannot be used by me. However, I did not come here to kill anyone. I just have something to entrust to you.”
I know you intend to go to Qi to join Han Xin, but there are still many of my warships patrolling the river ahead. With only these two soldiers and one raft, it will be difficult for you to pass.
"I happen to have a letter to deliver to Han Xin. Why don't you act as my messenger and deliver the letter to Han Xin? I guarantee that no one will obstruct you along the way, and someone may even provide you with horses for transportation. What do you say?"
Guan Ying was taken aback, then smiled bitterly and said, "It seems I have no choice but to serve King Xiang this time. But I wonder what token King Xiang wants me to send to the King of Qi?"
Xiang Yu tossed a bulging cloth bag hanging from his waist over, saying, "Give this to Han Xin in exchange for the four commanderies of Donghai, Langya, Sishui, and Xuelu. If Han Xin disagrees, I will personally lead my army to take them in half a month, and while I'm at it, conquer the entire state of Qi!"
The two soldiers beside Guan Ying heard it clearly. What kind of treasure could be exchanged for four counties from King Han Xin of Qi?
After Xiang Yu left, Guan Ying, who had been lost in thought for a long time, slowly knelt on the raft.
He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
After a long while, she opened the cloth bag and immediately burst into tears.
"Waaaaah... My Han King!"
Chapter 104 Negotiation
Just as Xiang Yu led his army back to Juchao, a major battle had just ended on the south bank of Chaohu Lake.
After Xiang Sheng defeated Lü Matong and Yang Wu's troops and symbolically pursued them for a while, he led his army to attack Zhou Bo's army.
As the two armies faced off, Xiang Sheng announced Liu Ji's death. However, Zhou Bo did not believe it, or perhaps he pretended not to. He left most of his troops to fight the Chu army, while he, along with Zhou Chang and Zhao Yao, led several thousand men to successfully break through the encirclement under the cover of night. Instead of going directly to Shu County, they fled towards the Dabie Mountains.
Once they entered the mountains, the Chu cavalry would be helpless against them, making all the hardship worthwhile.
In fact, Xiang Sheng did not intend to wipe out Zhou Bo's army in one fell swoop. The Chu army was exhausted from continuous battles and their appetites were too big. It would be easy to overextend themselves. As long as they could defeat and scatter Zhou Bo's army, that would be enough.
Moreover, Xiang Yu didn't take Zhou Bo too seriously. Guan Ying's main cavalry force was the real threat to the Chu army, and it was worth Xiang Yu's personal visit.
Thus, Zhou Bo and the others narrowly escaped disaster.
But Guan Ying's situation was tragic; not only was his entire army wiped out, but he also cried terribly!
In the middle of the night, he was adrift on the river with Liu Ji's head in his arms. He couldn't just throw it away, and he had to spend several days delivering the head to Han Xin. Who wouldn't cry in his shoes?
Xiang Yu intended to end the war by exchanging Liu Ji's head for four counties. This matter was of great importance, concerning the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Guan Ying dared not make the decision for Han Xin, so he could only obediently bring the head to Han Xin.
However, after accepting the mission, Guan Ying knew that his life was finally saved, which was a happy thing, but he really couldn't smile at all.
Yang Wu got separated from Lü Matong halfway and wanted to find Zhou Bo's group, but he ran into Xiang Sheng's troops. After a fierce battle, Yang Wu managed to escape by chance and caught up with Zhou Bo, Zhou Chang and others. The group decided to travel along the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains to Shuxian County, and then leave Jiujiang County to return to Guanzhong.
The following day, Lü Ze assembled an army of 200,000 and arrived at the Guchao pontoon bridge.
After receiving news last night that Liu Ji had been killed by Xiang Yu, he pondered the matter until dawn and finally decided to come and see Xiang Yu.
The reason for this was that Lü Ze still believed in Xiang Yu's character and that he would not commit a treacherous act of luring someone to their death. Moreover, since Xiang Yu had expressed his desire to cease hostilities, there would be no benefit in killing him.
Under these circumstances, as long as Lü Ze doesn't act rashly and deliberately provoke Xiang Yu, his safety is still guaranteed.
At worst, he could simply agree to whatever additional demands Xiang Yu made, and then renege on those excessive requests once he returned to his main army.
If all else fails, we can send 200,000 troops to attack Tongling, or we can simply not fight and charge straight through the city. If nothing unexpected happens, we will only lose 20,000 to 30,000 men at most.
But if they could reach an agreement with Xiang Yu and he was willing to let them go, that would be the best outcome.
Of course, Lü Ze had also made arrangements for his future. If Xiang Yu killed or detained him, Lü Shizhi would temporarily assume the position of general and fight the Chu army to the death.
On the north bank of the Yangtze River, beside the pontoon bridge.
Lu Ze, accompanied by two guards, stood in the fierce wind and waited for a long time, but still could not see Xiang Yu's shadow.
Although this meeting was supposed to be a negotiation, because Liu Ji was dead and Guan Ying's army had been defeated, Lü Ze knew from the beginning that this would never be an equal negotiation. Therefore, he came early to wait for Xiang Yu, and dared not make Xiang Yu wait for him.
However, Xiang Yu slept exceptionally well in Juchao last night and woke up rather late, so it would still take him quite a while to get from Juchao to the riverbank.
Thus, Lü Ze found himself in a tragic situation: leaving was not an option, but staying was too painful.
Fortunately, the black horse was fast enough, and Xiang Yu finally reached the riverbank before Lü Ze's legs were crippled.
"Lu Ze pays his respects to King Xiang." Lu Ze was excited, but he also felt that he should not have such emotions at this moment.
"I am a little late, General Lü, please forgive me." Xiang Yu cupped his hands in greeting.
"Not late, not late, I'm early. Uh, what brings King Xiang here?" Lü Ze was very flustered, trying his best to keep a low profile, afraid of displeasing Xiang Yu and being slapped to death.
"Liu Ji is dead. I cannot bear to see the people suffer from the ravages of war any longer and wish to end the war. However, the territory of Chu has been occupied by you, and I cannot help but take it back. General Lü, what good plan do you have?" Xiang Yu asked in a deep voice.
Lu Ze wiped his sweat and said, “Reporting to King Xiang, attacking Chu was Liu Ji’s decision. I was just following orders. Now that Liu Ji is dead, I think we should stop fighting. I can order all Han troops to withdraw from Chu, but I have no authority to command the troops of Qi and Liang.”
Xiang Yu nodded slightly. "You don't need to worry about other places. Just command the Han army to withdraw from Sanchuan, Jiujiang, Yingchuan, Nanyang, Sishui, Chenjun, Dangjun, and Dongjun. Can you do that?"
"Yes! I will make sure they leave as soon as possible." Lu Ze secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Xiang Yu only made these demands, then they had actually come out ahead.
Because when Liu Ji first raised his army, he was only in Hanzhong. Later, he seized Guanzhong and a large area of territory outside the pass. How many of the eighteen kings that Xiang Yu originally enfeoffed are still alive?
Even if Xiang Yu regained the lands he wanted, his strength would not be comparable to what it was before. He had only taken back half of the territory that he had granted to Ying Bu, but Dongjun was still in Peng Yue's hands.
Furthermore, in order to persuade Han Xin to send troops, Liu Ji ceded a large area of land, including Gaixia and Pengcheng, to the State of Qi, which significantly reduced Xiang Yu's strength.
The only point worth discussing here is Sanchuan Commandery, which was originally the territory of Shenyang, the King of Henan. After surrendering to Liu Ji, Shenyang was stripped of his military power and the title of king. His nominal fief was still Henan Commandery, but in reality, he had long been sidelined by Liu Ji and had been arranged to retire in advance.
Now, Xiang Yu wants to reclaim the Sanchuan Commandery and has placed it in the top priority, which shows that Xiang Yu is determined to succeed. The Sanchuan Commandery is a strategic location, and people who want to enter Guanzhong or leave Guanzhong must pass through it.
It seems impossible to refuse Xiang Yu's condition right now, but as long as we can preserve our strength, giving the Sanchuan Commandery to Xiang Yu wouldn't be a problem.
Once the period of chaos following Liu Ji's sudden death is over, the various lords will still need to unite to resist Xiang Yu, otherwise they will be at Xiang Yu's mercy. All the lords are well aware of this.
"Very well, the territory is settled then. Next, we should discuss the troops." Xiang Yu smiled slightly.
"Army?" Lu Ze's lips twitched violently. If Xiang Yu wanted his 200,000-strong army to surrender, this condition was absolutely unacceptable.
"General Lü, do you really think I'm going to let your 200,000 troops leave so easily? What if you change your mind after leaving Jiujiang County? I've experienced your army's integrity firsthand." Xiang Yu's expression turned cold.
"Well, the decision to break the promise at Honggou was made by Liu Ji and Zhang Liang, and had nothing to do with me. Does King Xiang have any other requests? Why don't you say them all? As long as they are not too excessive, I will certainly comply." Lü Ze was already thinking about how to appease Xiang Yu.
"It's very simple. General Lü and his troops within Chu territory can leave safely, but only with people from Guanzhong, Hanzhong, and Bashu. All people from the other six states must remain with me. The warhorses are not to be taken after delivering the message, and any looted goods from various parts of Chu must also be left behind. These are my demands. Are they excessive?" Xiang Yu asked, staring into Lü Ze's eyes.
"Uh, this... isn't excessive!" Lu Ze felt a chill run down his spine. Xiang Yu's eyes were truly terrifying!
Chapter 105 Returning the Corpse
To be honest, if Lü Ze were to lead his troops to break through Tongling now, he really wouldn't be confident that they could get through. Xiang Yu would never let them go easily.
And upon closer reflection, Xiang Yu's demands weren't actually that excessive.
It was necessary for the people of Chu to leave behind for Xiang Yu. The people of Qi, Zhao, Yan, Han, and Wei cannot all be considered Xiang Yu's people, but they also cannot be considered Han people.
Furthermore, if Lü Ze were to return to Guanzhong as promised, the people of the six states would certainly be unwilling to follow him into Guanzhong, and they would likely all flee before even reaching Guanzhong.
Unless they told the people of the six states that their army would not enter the pass, but even if that was true or false, it would not be acceptable if it reached Xiang Yu's ears, and they would inevitably suffer Xiang Yu's wrath.
Xiang Yu did not confiscate their weapons, but only their warhorses, which was actually quite lenient, allowing them to have some ability to protect themselves.
But relying solely on these self-defense capabilities is still insufficient to fight Xiang Yu in another battle.
If Guan Ying's cavalry army were still around, perhaps Lü Ze could still consider staying outside the pass, but now it's clearly impossible, as even Guan Ying has disappeared.
While a fortified city could hold off the Chu cavalry, tens of thousands of soldiers needed to be fed. The Chu army didn't need to attack the city; they could easily win by simply attacking their supply convoys.
Moreover, with Liu Ji dead, it was uncertain who would take control of Guanzhong, since Liu Ji had more than one son.
Given the current situation, Lü Ze wanted to return to Guanzhong as soon as possible, because he was eager to go back and support Lü Zhi. His son, Liu Ying, as Liu Ji's eldest son, should logically be the one to inherit the title of King of Han.