Xiang Yu sighed, "Alas. Women should never go out to fight."
Hua Mulan's expression changed, and she said, "Who are you calling a woman?"
Xiang Yu knew it was inappropriate to say that at this moment, so he changed his tune, saying, "Anyway, if it were me, I would..."
Hua Mulan interrupted him, saying, "I am not you!"
Xiang Yu said, "So you can only miss this opportunity."
Mulan: "I will not bring about my own destruction!"
Xiang Yu: "...%￥#..."
Mulan: "...%￥#..."
...Well, the two started arguing again as soon as they met.
Chapter 178 Yanran Unconquered, Return Unplanned
I remember Xiang Yu and Hua Mulan had a huge argument when they first met in my village because of whether women should be allowed to go to war. Needless to say, Xiang Yu was definitely a chauvinist. True chauvinism isn't about looking down on women; it's just that they subconsciously can't place women on their own level. They would never bully or be disrespectful to women; they simply believe that there are certain things women shouldn't do. For example, going to war—if a woman were to do that, they would first and foremost feel it was an insult to men.
Later, after the two discussed the matter on paper, a new disagreement arose: the debate between Xiang Yu's rough-and-ready approach and Mulan's gentle and refined approach. There's not much to say about this; it's entirely due to differences in personality, environment, and a combination of innate and acquired traits. It's similar to disagreements about diet. Some overly scientific pedantic types meticulously calculate calories and joules every day, even weighing an orange after peeling it and only eating two segments to determine its calories. Others believe in large bowls of wine and large chunks of meat, thinking that "a little dirt won't hurt," and indulging in whatever feels good. Both behaviors are wrong. The former are prone to starving themselves, while the latter often rely on insulin injections after the age of 40.
The same applies to military strategy; those who can achieve perfect impartiality are few and far between. True invincibility is impossible; neither Sun Tzu nor Sun Bin could achieve it. A general who can win 8 out of 10 battles is enough to secure his place in history.
Therefore, the stylistic debate between Xiang Yu and Hua Mulan is actually quite meaningless. As the saying goes, "The rough-and-ready school versus the refined school—the one that catches the mouse is the best school..."
Su Shi and Li Qingzhao are both remembered by later generations, aren't they?
Throughout their military careers, Xiang Yu consistently displayed an indomitable spirit. From his early days fighting alone against Yin Tong's hundreds of guards, the essence of the Hegemon's tactics was "unbreakable by force, speed is the only way to win." The Chu army never asked how many enemies there were; they only asked where the enemy was. In the Battle of Julu, the Chu army fought against a hundred men; in the Battle of Pengcheng, the Chu army fought against a hundred men. From this, we can observe an interesting observation: Xiang Yu's opponents always failed when they attempted to win with forces several times his size. This Chu hero could not be subdued by brute force. However, another problem arises: Xiang Yu was incapable of winning battles. Basically, after a major victory, he would suffer a major setback, making him particularly prone to arrogance and complacency.
Mulan's enemy was the fierce Xiongnu. China had a history of victories against the Xiongnu, but these were always achieved through protracted wars of attrition, wearing down the enemy before gradually advancing. The Xiongnu were valiant and skilled warriors; fighting them head-on was clearly unwise. Mulan's cautiousness was not inherently wrong, but Xiang Yu couldn't tolerate it. There's a subtle point here: Xiang Yu could accept Wu Yong's use of cunning and intrigue in leading troops, yet he constantly argued with Mulan because subconsciously he still perceived her as a woman—this was the root of their conflict.
Unfortunately, in theoretical battles, Mulan's tactical style was exactly the counter to Xiang Yu's, so in unbiased combat, Xiang Yu was always at a disadvantage compared to Mulan.
The two started arguing again after only a few words upon meeting today. Mulan retorted a few times, but because she had official duties to attend to, she waved her hand and said, "Fine, I won't argue with you anymore."
Seeing that the matter had come to an end, we all came down from the mountain. The appearance of 50,000 troops scattered across the mountains and plains caused Mulan's people to stir again. In any era, 50,000 is not a small number. Especially during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there were no superpowers, and the territory was severely fragmented; the war between the Northern Wei and the Xiongnu often involved a standoff of tens of thousands of troops.
Xiang Yu glanced back at his troops and smiled, "General Hua, how about this? You just need to provide the food, and we'll take care of the Xiongnu for you. What do you say?"
Hua Mulan was initially quite wary, but seeing that Xiang Yu didn't seem to have any ill intentions, she tentatively asked, "Are you serious?"
Xiang Yu shrugged: "Of course."
Hua Mulan hesitated for a moment and said, "But I still don't know who you are. I've fought so many wars, how come I've never heard of tens of thousands of bandits in Yanshan?"
So this is the famous Yanshan, the same Yanshan mentioned in the poem "But I heard the chirping of the barbarian cavalry of Yanshan".
Xiang Yu said, "Why do you care so much? If we wanted to harm you, we wouldn't have helped you in the first place, let alone killed so many Xiongnu for you."
Hua Mulan pondered for a moment and said, "But I am just a vanguard, and I can only carry a limited amount of provisions."
Before Xiang Yu could say anything, a Northern Wei soldier reported to Hua Mulan: "Vanguard, a small group of Rouran troops has been spotted ahead. It seems they are looking for their accomplices to ambush us."
Hua Mulan pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that their main force is nearby. The time for a decisive battle has come. If we retreat to join the marshal, we will easily be thrown into disarray by them. Pass on my order that the entire army should set up an ambush here. Go and inform the marshal to ask him to send reinforcements immediately."
Accompanied by Xiao Huan, Yu Ji slowly descended the mountain. Seeing Hua Mulan's heroic appearance, she praised, "This sister is truly remarkable, stronger than many men."
I said, "This is what it means for women to be just as capable as men."
Yu Ji said, "Women are just as capable as men—that's a good saying. Xiao Qiang is truly talented."
I couldn't be bothered to explain to him. Next time he comes, I plan to give her a few books to dispel the misconception that I'm "unparalleled in talent."
After issuing her first order, Mulan glanced at Xiang Yu. The immediate problem remained unresolved, and the other side's intentions were unclear. However, Mulan's decisiveness was second to none, and after assessing the situation, she said swiftly, "General, if you are truly interested, please join our army and encamp here. Supplies are not a problem; I will explain the situation once the commander arrives." Her actions weren't to lower her guard against us; after all, our 50,000 men could easily devour her 5,000. If we harbored ill intentions, this would also serve to tie us down, giving the main force time to prepare.
Xiang Yu chuckled and said, "No problem, our men will stand in front of you."
Hua Mulan nodded, clutching her stomach as she went to check on the casualties of her men.
Watching Mulan's retreating figure, Xiang Yu looked at me, and we both gave a bitter smile. Our good friend was so close, yet we couldn't acknowledge her. Giving her the medicine became a major problem; she still didn't quite trust us, and administering it through food would likely be ineffective.
Seeing our troubled expressions, Yu Ji chuckled and said, "Give me the item, and I'll try it."
I looked at Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu said, "Give it to her. A Yu knows everything; she knows what to do."
I took out a blue pill and handed it to Yu Ji. She then took out a crystal-clear jade cup, carefully placed the pill inside, and poured in half a cup of tea—the same Da Hong Pao tea I had given them last time.
By now, someone had already set up Mulan's tent. Mulan was sweating profusely from the pain and couldn't bear it any longer. She stood by the tent for a while before going inside to rest. Yu Ji walked in carrying a cup of tea and said gently, "General Hua, drinking this will make you feel better."
I looked at the tent and sighed. Xiang Yu asked, "What's wrong?"
I said, "Da Hong Pao has cooling properties..."
Xiang Yu paused for a moment and said, "So you mean Mulan will feel even worse after drinking it—what if she thinks it's poison?"
Then there was silence from inside the tent. Xiang Yu rubbed his hands together and said, "Do you think Mulan would harm A Yu?"
I wasn't sure either, so I craned my neck to look in that direction. After a long while, I suddenly heard Mulan's voice say softly, "This cup is really beautiful—" Xiang Yu and I both breathed a sigh of relief. Then I exclaimed, "Wait a minute. Mulan said this cup is beautiful, so that means she's already drunk the medicine?"
"That's right!" Xiang Yu exclaimed, and strode forward. Suddenly, the tent flap was lifted, and Hua Mulan stood there smiling, saying, "Cousin, you've arrived?"
After a moment of surprise, I exclaimed, "Sister Mulan, you remembered everything?"
Mulan glanced around in a panic, then whispered fiercely, "Don't shout, you want to get me killed?" I understood and quickly shut up.