Liu Ji was originally a general of the Chu army, and the army he commanded was also the Chu army. Therefore, Liu Ji's Han army also wore red uniforms before the Chu-Han Contention.
However, during the Chu-Han Contention period, Liu Ji's army became increasingly complex in composition and large in number, leaving no time to develop a unified red military uniform.
Therefore, the uniforms of Liu Ji's army were quite varied and mixed.
However, at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, although iron could not be used as weapons, it could be used as farm tools or armor, and it was much cheaper than bronze.
The 'black clouds' that Xiang Yu and his men saw were the color of iron armor, the standard equipment for Han cavalry. Its defensive capabilities were terrible, but its uniformity made the army look much more orderly and quite intimidating.
With enough arrows, the Chu army's elite cavalry could wipe out ten times their number of armored cavalry. If given the opportunity to fly arrows, they might be able to eliminate even more enemy cavalry.
However, Xiang Yu and his twenty-eight soldiers were now out of arrows, and the enemy outnumbered them by more than a hundred times.
A moment later, Fan Kuai's troops disappeared on the horizon, and their voices faded away.
"King Xiang, the enemy has gone far away, shall we go down the mountain?"
The Chu army soldiers had recovered some of their strength and were in high spirits, feeling a sense of joy at surviving a calamity.
Fortunately, there was this mountain to hide in, otherwise it would have been very dangerous. With people blocking the way in front and pursuing them from behind, the situation was truly critical.
Xiang Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's go around to the southeast and go down the mountain from there."
"Here you go!"
...
However, what the Chu army did not know was that in the dense forest at the foot of the other side of Dushan Mountain, there were hundreds of cavalrymen who had not followed Fan Kuai away...
Chapter 117 The Battle of Dushan (Part Two)
Fan Kuai couldn't be sure whether Xiang Yu was hiding on that mountain or not, but he was more afraid that Xiang Yu wasn't on that mountain. If Xiang Yu really turned around and ran back, then the credit would go to the generals under Guan Ying.
Although Liu Ji's reward was that whoever killed Xiang Yu would be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households, this "whoever" did not refer to just any ordinary soldier; he had to be at least a commander of an army.
If any common soldier were to get lucky and kill Xiang Yu, and the credit wasn't attributed to his commander, he would most likely die before even seeing Liu Ji.
Although Fan Kuai was a rough and uncultured man, he was very clear-headed. If the dozens of riders he had just seen were Xiang Yu's defeated troops hiding on Dushan Mountain, then his backup plan would be sufficient to deal with the situation.
Therefore, what Fan Kuai needs to do now is to pursue Guan Ying's troops with all his might and compete for the credit, which is that of a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!
Although Fan Kuai had made many contributions in the years he followed Liu Ji in conquering the world, given Liu Ji's character of being generous on the surface but extremely stingy on the inside, he would never be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, let alone a king.
Despite Liu Ji's past generosity and willingness to treat his friends well, often taking them to his sister-in-law's house for meals or to Fan Kuai's dog meat restaurant for drinks, he was always using other people's money to curry favor. When it came to spending his own money, Liu Ji was more stingy than anyone else!
Having spent so many years with Liu Ji, Fan Kuai knew Liu Ji's true character all too well. How much money did Fan Kuai owe Liu Ji for food and drink in the years before the uprising? He probably wouldn't be able to pay it back in this lifetime.
On the other hand, even if Liu Ji were to repay Fan Kuai for the money he owed for wine and meat, Fan Kuai wouldn't dare to accept it. He would be terrified and might even be killed.
Therefore, Fan Kuai coveted this opportunity to rightfully become a marquis with ten thousand households more than anyone else, and Liu Ji, no matter how stingy, would never renege on this promise.
Of course, the fact that Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, only rewarded a marquis with ten thousand households for the head of a man of great stinginess was already quite stingy.
Historically, the population of the Western Han Dynasty at its founding was approximately 13 million. Even a fraction of that population could have been used to create 60 marquises with ten thousand households each.
In reality, although many people were eventually granted the title of Marquis after Liu Ji unified the country, if converted into standard Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, the total number was not that many.
This also includes figures like Mei Xuan, who was granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, but in reality, he might not even have ten households. This was because Liu Ji granted Mei Xuan his fiefdom in the Nanyue Kingdom, meaning that if he wanted it, he could just go and snatch it from Zhao Tuo himself.
Moreover, many of the marquises that Liu Ji enfeoffed were recouped with interest during Liu Ji's reign, making it extremely difficult to take advantage of him.
Rumble rumble...
Fan Kuai led his army on a swift march, when suddenly a large number of cavalry appeared opposite them.
Therefore, Fan Kuai ordered the entire army to stop and rest, waiting for the enemy to come over.
The newcomers were none other than Yang happy and Lü Matong's troops.
"This humble general pays his respects to General Fan!" Lü Matong clasped his hands in a bow, his helmet drooping down.
"General Fan, have you seen Xiang Yu's defeated army?" Yang happy asked, clasping his hands in greeting.
"I was just about to ask you two, how many troops does Xiang Yu have left?" Fan Kuai asked in return.
“Less than a hundred riders!” Lü Matong blurted out.
"Lu Matong! Didn't you say that Xiang Yu would definitely take this route? Why didn't General Fan see Xiang Yu when he met our army?" Yang Xi said angrily.
Lu Matong's face flushed red. "General Fan, please judge for me! Xiang Bo's intelligence also says that he will take this route, and the strategist agrees. What's wrong with me saying that Xiang Yu will take this route? This is simply outrageous! I am also a cavalry general appointed by the King of Han!"
"Hmph! Instead of pursuing Xiang Yu, you two are shirking your responsibilities! This general has no time for such nonsense! The entire army, march out and return the way you came!"
Fan Kuai glanced at the two men with disdain. One was a surrendered general of Qin, and the other was a traitor of Chu. Unless they were incredibly lucky and killed Xiang Yu, they would never have a chance to be ennobled in this lifetime.
Fan Kuai led his army away in the blink of an eye, leaving only Yang happy and Lü Matong staring at each other in bewilderment.
Lu Matong's eyes darted around. "Since General Yang believes that Xiang Yu went to Shuxian, why don't we part ways here? I'll continue my search for Xiang Yu to the east. Farewell!"
Yang happy frowned. "Wait! Lü Matong, I am here. When did it become your place to give orders, you shameless traitor? You go to the west, I will go to the east! All troops, listen to my command! Follow me to the east to search for Xiang Yu!"
"Yes, sir!" The entire army, including Lü Matong's troops, responded in unison.
Lu Matong's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, then he slowly clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "This humble general obeys..."
Dushan Mountain, southeast slope.
"Don't move! There are enemies down the mountain!" Xiang Yu said in a deep voice.
The Chu soldiers looked down and indeed saw several hundred cavalrymen hiding in the woods.
If Xiang Yu hadn't stopped them from rushing down the mountain, they probably would have been ambushed by that cavalry by now.
But even if they weren't ambushed, breaking out wouldn't be easy, given that they were exhausted and outnumbered.
Moreover, they couldn't continue hiding in the mountains. Fan Kuai's troops were very likely to encounter Guan Ying's pursuing army, and at that time they would definitely turn back to search the mountains.
The longer they stayed on the mountain, the greater the danger became; no one knew how far Guan Ying's pursuers had been outpaced by them.
Xiang Yu was momentarily dazed. The battles at Gaixia and Yinling had resulted in devastating losses, and the future seemed bleak. Was it truly Heaven's will to destroy him?
The Chu army junior officer gritted his teeth and said, "King Xiang, I will go down the mountain first to lure them away!"
"One person isn't enough, I'll go too!"
"I'm going too!"
Count me in!
...
Xiang Yu's eyes regained their brilliance. He realized that he still had so many loyal subordinates. Even if Heaven wanted to kill him, what was there to fear?
"Wait a moment. Even if you all go, it won't work. The person they are looking for is me, the King. Gentlemen, please be patient. I have something to say to you all."
I have been leading an army for eight years, fighting in over seventy battles. All who stood in my way were defeated, all who were attacked submitted, and I never suffered a defeat, thus dominating the world. Yet today I am trapped here. This is Heaven's will, not a fault of my own in battle. The times are not on my side; what can I do?
Today, I, the King, am determined to fight to the death against the enemy. I am willing to fight a glorious battle for you all, and I will surely win three victories: beheading generals, cutting down flags, and repelling the enemy, to prove that I am not at fault in battle, and to carve out a path to survival for you all!
If I am unfortunately killed in battle, and you return to Jiangdong, I hope you will do your utmost to take care of the families of my fallen brothers. I thank you!
Xiang Yu bowed deeply, then his demeanor suddenly changed. "All troops, listen to my command! After I charge down the mountain from the east to lure the enemy away, you will all break out from the south. There may be an ambush at Liyang. You may all go to Wujiang Pavilion to find boats to cross the river. Do not delay!"
“Look…”
Military orders are paramount, and the situation is urgent. Although the Chu soldiers all had tears in their eyes and were unwilling for Xiang Yu to take the risk, they could only clasp their hands in respect and acknowledge him.
Just as Xiang Yu said, if they rushed down the mountain, they might not be able to lure away many enemy troops. On the contrary, it might lead to Xiang Yu being surrounded in the mountain.
However, Xiang Yu lured the enemy away, and they took the opportunity to go to the riverbank to find a boat, which might give them a chance to meet Xiang Yu.
At this moment, the sound of galloping warhorses came again from the west; Fan Kuai's army had returned!
Xiang Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute and looked around, his gaze sweeping over the twenty-eight Chu soldiers present. "Take care, gentlemen. Startled horses! Break through!"
"Xiang Yu will surely win!" the generals replied in unison.
Xiang Yu mounted his horse, picked up his halberd, and lightly patted the rumps of several spare warhorses to the east.
Then the warhorses went berserk, neighing in fright as they charged down the mountain.
At the same time, Xiang Yu squeezed his horse's flanks with both legs, and the black horse neighed and charged down the mountain!
Whew~~~~
"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here! Enemy general, prepare to die!"
Xiang Yu let out a long roar that shook the heavens!
Chapter 118 The Battle of Dushan (Part 3)
"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here! Enemy general, prepare to die!"
Xiang Yu let out a long roar, and the Han cavalry soldiers lying in ambush below the mountain instantly paled.
"Xiang Yu is here? Run!"
Han general Duan Hong was about to run when he stopped in his tracks. "Run my ass! Xiang Yu has few soldiers left! Whoever kills Xiang Yu will be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households! Quickly mount your horses and surround and kill Xiang Yu! Anyone who dares to run, I will chop him up right now!"
Dushan was not a large mountain, and in the blink of an eye, the frightened warhorse rushed from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain and collided with several enemy riders.
"Kill!" Xiang Yu, riding his black horse, also charged in, sweeping his halberd left and right, instantly killing several people.
"Surround Xiang Yu! Don't let him escape!" Duan Hong brandished his sword, constantly gathering troops, his heart burning with excitement. Xiang Yu's army was indeed small; the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households was within his grasp!
Xiang Yu was searching for the enemy general when he heard this and immediately charged towards Duan Hong, shouting, "Enemy general, prepare to die!"
"Hmph! Xiang Yu! No matter how strong you are, you are only one person. All of you, charge!" Before Duan Hong finished speaking, several more warhorses charged down the hillside.
"Kill!" Two Chu soldiers spurred a group of frightened warhorses straight down the mountain!
Whoosh! People and horses tumbled over!
This time, there were more than twenty warhorses, and their power was naturally several times greater than before, directly disrupting the enemy's formation.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiang Yu charged straight at Duan Hong. Duan Hong had just recovered from his shock and hurriedly turned his horse around to retreat, but it was too late!
"Die!" Xiang Yu swung his halberd, smashing Duan Hong and two Han cavalrymen protecting him, breaking their bones and tendons.
Duan Hong struggled to lift his head, then spat out a mouthful of blood, kicked his legs, and died!