"It is possible, but it's very slow to enter and exit the ground, and your vision and hearing are also limited. In addition, a part of your body must be connected to you. Huh? Why is Xiang Yu asking this?" Hao Jiu asked in confusion.
"In that case, please, God of Wine, make the sacrifice tonight and bury your head in the ground."
Hao Jiu, "..."
Chapter 141 Chang Le Palace
As dawn broke, Hao Jiu rubbed his neck, but it was all in his mind; there was no real soreness.
Moreover, Hao Jiu has mastered a life-saving skill. When an ostrich is in danger, doesn't it just stick its head into the sand?
Of course, this was just a little joke. In fact, Hao Jiu was practicing penetrating objects last night. The more difficult the object is to penetrate, the better it can train one's penetrating ability.
As for why something like the system, which is not a physical entity, has such difficulty penetrating the earth, Hao Jiu still hasn't figured it out.
But none of that matters. What matters is that Hao Jiu can now bury his entire head in the ground much faster than before, and he can also pull it out much faster than before.
After practicing on the land, Hao Jiu can now penetrate walls with almost no resistance.
"God of Wine, let's go." Xiang Yu covered the sleeping Yu Ji with a blanket, then quickly finished his breakfast and left the palace for Fangxian Temple.
hoo~~~
The black horse flew directly from the sky to greet Xiang Yu, and was also wearing new equipment. The main change was that it had an extra piece of horse armor and the saddle had been modified, with two additional safety belts.
Xiang Yu leaped onto his black horse and flew into the Fangxian spectator's courtyard, where An Qisheng was already waiting.
"This humble Taoist pays his respects to the Great God and King Xiang." An Qisheng bowed with great enthusiasm.
"You've worked hard, Immortal Master. This equipment looks quite good." Xiang Yu nodded in satisfaction, and judging from the condition of the black horse, it didn't seem like it had been bullied.
Of course, given Wuzhui's personality, it wasn't something An Qisheng could bully at will.
"Your Majesty, there's no need for such formalities. This is merely my duty. Your Majesty, the scales on this leather horse armor are the remains of a strange beast that I happened to obtain. It's ancient, and I can no longer discern what species it was, but its scales are resilient, making it perfect for protecting my steed, Wuzhui."
Furthermore, I have added some small mechanisms to the saddle. Xiang Yu can put the two straps on his body and then fasten them into this slot. When he wants to take them off, he needs to press the mechanism on the saddle to unlock them.
In this way, it would be less likely for Xiang Yu to fall off his horse in mid-air. An Qisheng explained as he spoke to Xiang Yu, and he himself was very satisfied with his work.
"Very well. I still have to go to the other planes to handle some business, so I'll leave this to you, Immortal Master. Oh, by the way, the Great God said that once he's finished with this, he will reward you with another great gift." Xiang Yu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
An Qisheng's face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Great God! Thank you, King Xiang! I wish you and King Xiang both swift success!"
"Thank you for your kind words. I take my leave." Xiang Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute, then led his black horse into the secret chamber and selected the portal to the fifth dimension to enter.
The last time I came to the fifth plane, I received news that the acting prime minister Chen Xi had rebelled, and Liu Ji had no one to rely on, so he had to personally lead the army.
Therefore, during this period, Liu Ji should still be fighting in the Dai region.
However, Hao Jiu stopped Xiang Yu from going to Dai immediately.
"Why?" Xiang Yu was puzzled. Since he knew Liu Ji's approximate location, why not just rush over and finish him off?
"King Xiang, there's another reason why I chose to be the first to complete the mission in the fifth plane: Han Xin is about to die." Hao Jiu smiled slightly.
"Does the God of Wine want me to rescue Han Xin?" Xiang Yu instantly understood.
"That's right. Even if Han Xin is dull-witted by now, he should have completely given up on Liu Ji. With his abilities, he might become an asset to Xiang Yu in the future. Of course, if Xiang Yu really doesn't like Han Xin, then disregard what I said. It's just a pity that such a promising talent would be formed by merging six Han Xins." Hao Jiu thought that even an ordinary person possessing six times the strength would be extraordinary.
Xiang Yu laughed freely, "The God of Wine is overthinking it. Back then, I even spared Zhang Han, so why would I insist on killing Han Xin? I'll just give him another chance."
"Haha, in that case, let's fly to Chang'an Changle Palace now. Whether we can save Han Xin depends on his luck," Hao Jiu laughed.
...
Chang'an was located near Xianyang and was the fiefdom of Chang'an Jun, the brother of Qin Shi Huang. It was originally just a village.
When Liu Ji was considering establishing his capital, he hesitated between Guanzhong and Luoyang. A man named Lou Jing suggested that Guanzhong be the place to build the capital, and Zhang Liang also supported his view. In the end, Chang'an was chosen in Guanzhong to build the capital.
After Han Xin presented Zhongli Mei's head in Chen, he was taken to Luoyang by Liu Ji, who then enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Huaiyin and placed him under house arrest in Luoyang. After the city of Chang'an was completed, he was transferred to Chang'an.
All the guards around him were Liu Ji's men. As the Marquis of Huaiyin, he had no privacy whatsoever. Liu Ji knew perfectly well who he had met and who he hadn't met.
So Han Xin's rebellion at this time was probably orchestrated. It's that overused trope again: someone under Han Xin offended him, so Han Xin imprisoned him and prepared to kill him. Then, that person's brother went and accused Han Xin of treason.
Just then, Chen Xi rebelled, and Han Xin had met Chen Xi before.
Thus, Han Xin, who was so pitiful that he had no soldiers left, rebelled again, which was no different from courting death.
Historical records say that Han Xin orchestrated Chen Xi's rebellion and intended to act as an inside agent in Guanzhong. However, in reality, after Liu Ji led his army to quell the rebellion, Han Xin did nothing at all, nor could he do anything.
What can a Marquis of Huaiyin who is under house arrest do? If his servants violate him, he can only lock them up and dare not kill them; instead, he is accused of treason.
The reason Liu Ji didn't kill Han Xin was because Han Xin's contributions were too great and he had always been loyal to Liu Ji. When Liu Ji seized military power, Han Xin was too obedient and handed over his power too readily, so Liu Ji was too embarrassed to kill him.
Later, when Han Xin became the King of Chu and gained power, Liu Ji wanted to kill him again. However, Han Xin offered up the head of his assistant and close friend Zhongli Mei to prove his innocence, and Liu Ji lost his excuse once again.
When Chen Xi rebelled, Liu Ji wanted to take Han Xin to fight, but Han Xin was angry and pretended to be sick, which offended Liu Ji again and made Liu Ji want to kill Han Xin.
The saying goes that things shouldn't happen more than three times, but Liu Ji still didn't have solid evidence or a reason that could convince the world to kill Han Xin.
Although historical records indicate that Han Xin dismissed the guards and told Chen Xi about the plot to rebel when he saw Chen Xi off to take up his post in Julu.
But if it were a premeditated rebellion, how could such a secret be leaked in advance? Chen Xi wouldn't say it, and Han Xin certainly wouldn't dare to speak carelessly.
Liu Ji couldn't bring himself to kill such a meritorious official as Han Xin, so Lü Zhi stepped forward and, taking advantage of Liu Ji's trip to quell a rebellion, conspired with Xiao He to kill Han Xin.
The plan was very simple: inform Han Xin that Liu Ji had returned after suppressing the rebellion and ask Han Xin to come and congratulate him.
Outside the Bell Tower in Changle Palace.
"Prime Minister Xiao, has His Majesty truly returned to the capital in triumph?" Han Xin followed Xiao He to Chang Le Palace, but along the way, there was no indication of a victorious army.
Xiao He paused slightly, then sighed and said, "Alas, to be honest, His Majesty returned in secret while injured, and summoned his trusted ministers here to discuss the matter of the Crown Prince's succession."
"Hiss..." Han Xin's eyes widened. "Your Majesty is so badly injured?"
Xiao He shook his head and sighed, "Alas, this is not the first time His Majesty has been seriously injured. He has recovered by chance several times in the past, but this time... Marquis of Huaiyin, please do not delay, enter the palace immediately."
"The Prime Minister is absolutely right, please." Han Xin sneered inwardly. Heaven has truly opened its eyes and finally punished this villain Liu Ji!
"Please." Xiao He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost been discovered by Han Xin. This mission was extremely dangerous.
With a creak, the palace door opened.
Han Xin stepped in, exclaiming, "Your Majesty! Han Xin has arrived..."
Empress Lü turned around with a frosty expression. "Guards! Seize this traitor at once!"
"Here you go!"
Chapter 142 Illusion
"Guards! Seize this traitor!" Lü Zhi said with a cold smile.
"Yes!" The guards who were lying in ambush in the bell chamber rushed forward and subdued Han Xin in an instant.
"Why are you arresting me! Why are you arresting me! I'm not a traitor!" Han Xin struggled violently. "I want to see His Majesty!"
"His Majesty is still in Zhao suppressing the rebellion, so you may not be able to see him, hehe." Lü Zhi covered her mouth and laughed.
Han Xin's expression changed drastically. "Xiao He, you scoundrel, come out! Why do you want to harm me!"
Lü Zhi said contemptuously, "Stop shouting. Once you die today, everyone will know that you are Chen Xi's inside man and that you intend to rebel."
Han Xin, oh Han Xin, His Majesty twice tried to put you to death, but you managed to escape both times thanks to your blind loyalty.
But if you were truly going to remain blindly loyal, you shouldn't have acted out and refused His Majesty's summons this time. If you had wholeheartedly helped His Majesty to wipe out Chen Xi, perhaps you could have lived a few more years. His Majesty truly can't bear to lose such a useful and fortunate general like you.
Look at Guan Ying. His achievements are not much less than yours, but he is well-behaved and obedient, and he does not take credit for himself. Even though his military talent is not as good as yours, Your Majesty can trust him, so his life is naturally safe.
Then look at Zhang Liang, he was truly a genius of his time. His Majesty once offered him the title of Marquis of 30,000 households, but he resolutely refused.
Not only that, but he also stayed at home for many years due to illness, did not care about government affairs, and did not even want an official position. This is what a wise person would do.
You, however, are blindly loyal when you have the power, but when you lose it, you start acting childishly. You truly do not understand the heart of an emperor.
I'm only doing this out of kindness, letting you die knowing the truth. If you want to take your life, go find His Majesty, haha.
You must know that I am also acting against my will. In the future, I may even have to bear the blame for harming a loyal minister on behalf of Your Majesty.
"Now, it's time to send Lord Huaiyin on his way. Remember, if you want revenge, seek it out on His Majesty, not me! Do it!"
Han Xin suddenly snapped out of his daze. "The Empress cannot kill me! His Majesty has sworn a solemn oath not to kill me! If the Empress kills me, His Majesty will surely be punished by Heaven!"
"Oh? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it. Men, tie him face up to the bronze bell!"
His Majesty promised not to kill Han Xin under the cover of darkness, on the ground, or on iron. I dare not disobey these three promises.
Inside this bell chamber, there is no view of the sky above or the ground below. I have even prepared a bamboo spear for the Marquis of Huaiyin.
Although dying might be slower, it's still better than Your Majesty suffering divine retribution, isn't it? I'll just have to make do with this.
"As I said before, if you can become a vengeful ghost, then go and seek revenge on His Majesty. He's not afraid anyway." After saying this, Empress Lü waved her hand, and the guards busied themselves binding Han Xin to the bronze bell.
Han Xin stopped struggling and begging for mercy, knowing it would be futile. He truly couldn't see the sky, the ground, or even his feet touched the ground, and he still had a bamboo spear!
This reminded him of a ghost he had encountered long ago who told him about the future, seemingly predicting that this was how he would die. Unfortunately, he didn't believe it and gradually came to think that it was just a dream or an illusion.
But now it has all come true!
"How I hate myself! Why didn't I listen to Kuai Che's advice and divide the world into three with Xiang Yu! Why didn't I believe in those ghost and god tales and rebel against Liu Ji! To think that I, Han Xin, a great man, could be deceived by a woman and a boy, and end up like this! Is this the will of Heaven?"
"Women? Hmph! Give me a hundred spears, and I'll have one spear to kill you, so I'll share the same crime!" Lü Zhi flicked her sleeve.
"A hundred spears to kill? What a vicious woman!" Han Xin roared.
"Add another hundred spears!" Lü Zhi sneered. "I've heard of a form of extreme torture that requires being cut a thousand times to die. Would the Marquis of Huaiyin like to try it?"
Han Xin closed his eyes. He resigned himself to his fate. He was at the mercy of others, and if he continued to curse, he feared he would be begging for death.
"Make your move!" Lü Zhi shouted.
Puff! Puff! Puff! ...
Several guards, each with a bamboo spear, began to stab from the limbs, but no one dared to stab vital organs. Two hundred spears! What if they killed someone prematurely?
But speed is crucial; otherwise, if Han Xin bleeds to death before all two hundred spears have been used, it would be a tragedy.
Han Xin gritted his teeth and endured a few more spear thrusts before letting out a bloodcurdling scream. But he could not beg for mercy; this was his last shred of dignity.