The scout leader frowned. "Line up in one row? How far do we have to go? Is this the only road ahead?"
The old hunter chuckled sheepishly, "Uh, no, no, there's a good road a little further on after we cross this mountain."
"Oh, you all continue scouting. I'll go back and report this to King Xiang." The scout leader said, then turned his horse around and was about to leave.
The old hunter bowed and said, "Sir, please wait. The road ahead is similar to this. Just follow the foot of the mountain and you will find a way out. Why don't you leave me here and go? I can take a shortcut back home sooner."
The scout leader sneered, "Since you're in such a hurry to get home, then hurry up and scout out the route as soon as possible. After you've asked King Xiang, you can go home, and maybe even get a hefty reward. You two keep a close eye on him!"
"Here you go!"
"I hope what you're saying is true, otherwise..." The scout leader glared at his horse, flicked its rump with the back of his sword, and rode away.
The horse's hoofprint left a deep mark on the ground, and then slowly became wet...
The old hunter's expression changed slightly. He spurred his horse and galloped forward, shouting, "Gentlemen, let's hurry!"
The two scouts exchanged a smile and then spurred their horses to follow.
At this moment, in the dense forest on the hillside, all the Han soldiers held their breath.
Shen Tu Jia sensed something was wrong. Xiang Yu's army hadn't arrived yet. Could it be that the guide had told them something?
Or was Xiang Yu really so cautious that he insisted on waiting until the route was clear before proceeding?
"General Shen, should we capture these scouts first?" the lieutenant asked, pointing down the mountain.
Shen Tu Jia slowly peeked out from behind the tree, bow and arrow in hand. "This is not a good idea. The Chu army is not far from here. We should wait for Xiang Yu to arrive before making a move, so as not to alert the enemy. Once the scouts have scouted the route, Xiang Yu should be leading his army over."
“But if Xiang Yu doesn’t dare to take this route after we’ve discovered it, wouldn’t that be…” The lieutenant hesitated.
Shen Tu Jia snorted coldly, "When has Xiang Yu ever been afraid? However, your concerns are not without reason. Didn't a scout just come and go? He must have gone to inform Xiang Yu. Let's see how Xiang Yu decides."
"If Xiang Yu really turns back, we'll give chase immediately. If all goes well, their retreat has been cut off by the strategist. We only need to hold this mountain; the surrounding area is all swamp. Xiang Yu won't be able to escape this time."
"What about the guide?" the lieutenant asked.
"The road ahead is blocked, the road behind is cut off, and the mountain road is heavily guarded by our army. If Xiang Yu wants to escape, he has to cross the swamp, and that hunter guide is their only hope. That hunter knows the way out of the swamp, and we must not let him fall into the hands of the Chu army."
Shen Tu Jia unconsciously clenched his fist. Now that he had fallen into the trap, how could he give Xiang Yu a chance to escape?
Whether I, the temporary general, can become a real general depends on this battle!
...
Chapter 59 The Battle of Yinling (Part 1)
North of Lianci Mountain, Zhang Liang's Han army was busy at work.
One by one, chevaux-de-frise were placed between the swampy grasslands and the Lianci Mountain, completely cutting off the Chu army's retreat route.
It would be even better if Shen Tu Jia could successfully ambush Xiang Yu. Even if the ambush fails, Xiang Yu will surely fall into despair once he escapes to this place.
Zhang Liang, dressed as a Confucian scholar, strolled leisurely at the foot of the mountain, carrying a small bucket. In the bucket, besides half a bucket of honey, there was also a rough pen made of wormwood.
"Oh, this is nice." Zhang Liang looked at a hole where an ant colony was going in and out beside the hillside and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
After clearing the slope, Zhang Liang took the thick brush from the bucket, stirred it, and then slowly lifted the brush, bending down to write on the hillside.
Perhaps due to the crudeness of the pen, Zhang Liang's writing was not very beautiful, but the strokes were straight and clear, and it was clearly written as the five large characters 'Xiang Yu died here'.
"Alas, if anyone in this world could kill Xiang Yu, it would probably be Xiang Yu himself." Zhang Liang put down his pen and quietly watched the ants that were drawn by the scent.
The honey was quite sticky. The ants, with their keen sense of smell and greed, climbed over the bodies of other ants to reach the five large characters, where they got stuck and became stepping stones for the ants that followed.
The ants gathered in greater numbers, and before long, the faded writing became clear again, eventually turning completely black from the ants' ink.
"It's done." Zhang Liang smiled confidently again. "This is the will of Heaven..."
Plop, plop...
A warhorse galloped in.
"Strategist! Xiang Yu is back! He's coming this way!" the Han scout reported, bowing.
Zhang Liang frowned. "So fast? How many troops did Xiang Yu bring?"
"Reporting to the strategist, including Xiang Yu, there are only two people and one horse, and there is a woman on horseback... Ah!" As the scout spoke, he saw five large black characters on the hillside. He initially thought they were written with ink, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the characters could move, which startled him greatly.
"Hahaha... That woman must be Yu Ji. It seems Shen Tu Jia did a good job. Xiang Yu has fallen into the ambush after all. Pass down the order, prepare for battle. Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is coming to break through a thousand men single-handedly."
"Yes, sir." The scout responded and rode back to relay the order.
Zhang Liang picked up the small bucket and walked towards the eastern defense line, his face full of smugness.
Just then, a cold wind blew in from the west.
Plop, plop...
The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, growing louder and louder.
"Hiss..." Zhang Liang's expression changed drastically and he ran away, then threw the small bucket into the roadside bushes, completely abandoning his superior demeanor.
The scouts just reported that Xiang Yu only escaped with Yu Ji. Zhang Liang was so happy that he forgot to ask how far Xiang Yu was from here.
Logically speaking, the scout should have rushed over to report as soon as he saw Xiang Yu from afar, but Xiang Yu caught up with him in just a few words!
What does this prove? It proves that Xiang Yu's horse was much faster than the scouts'!
Riding two horses at such a high speed, truly worthy of being called the Black Steed...
Fortunately, Zhang Liang wasn't too far from his own troops, so he could still escape in time, as long as nothing unexpected happened.
"Ouch!" Zhang Liang tripped over a small stone while running and almost fell.
Not only that, his stomach suddenly started to hurt, and the more he ran, the more it hurt.
Zhang Liang was now filled with regret. Why hadn't he brought more guards? He could have at least thrown them in as cannon fodder...
At this moment, Xiang Yu and Yu Ji rode their black horse to the spot where Zhang Liang had just written.
"God of Wine, could that guy who almost tripped while running just now be Zhang Liang?" Xiang Yu said, looking at the five large characters "Xiang Wang Died Here" on the hillside and then at the direction Zhang Liang had fled.
"Of course it's Zhang Liang. Who else would dress like that? And look how stylishly he ran away just now. It's just a pity we arrived too late; we definitely can't catch up now." Hao Jiu stood on Xiang Yu's shoulder and saw everything clearly.
"If I can catch up, I can use my bow and arrows to kill him. I'm 70% sure I can." Xiang Yu picked up his bow and arrows.
"70% is a bit low. There might be a better opportunity later."
Hao Jiu glanced at Yu Ji below. Actually, Hao Jiu had originally suggested that Xiang Yu keep Yu Ji in the army so that Xiang Yu could move faster and catch up with Zhang Liang in one fell swoop.
But now that he had Yu Ji with him, Hao Jiu really didn't want to take that risk. In the chaos of battle, swords and spears have no eyes, and if Yu Ji were injured or killed, Xiang Yu might lose his composure.
Xiang Yu already doted on Yu Ji, and after the incident of the Hegemon-King Bids Farewell to His Concubine, their relationship was elevated to another level.
Yu Ji can provide Xiang Yu with endless motivation, but she can also become the root cause of Xiang Yu's collapse, and at present, she is Xiang Yu's only weakness.
But none of that matters, because Hao Jiu is the strongest system. Give him some more time to develop, and he will definitely be able to eliminate all his weaknesses. It's even possible that he can turn his weaknesses into strengths.
"King Xiang, those words..." Yu Ji covered her mouth, her face turning pale.
"Yu, don't be afraid, it's alright. That's just a little trick Zhang Liang played. He just wrote with honey to attract ants to stick to it." Xiang Yu had heard Hao Jiu tell this story when he and Hao Jiu devised the plan to cut off his arm.
"Honey? Ants? King Xiang knows so much, I admire you greatly." Yu Ji suddenly realized.
"Alright, let's go. If a fight breaks out, close your eyes and lie on the horse's back. It's best to have a healing pill in your hand so you can swallow it quickly if you get hurt." After saying this, Xiang Yu gently squeezed the horse's flanks, and the black horse slowly galloped forward.
"Yes." Yu Ji's pretty face flushed slightly. This was the first time Xiang Yu had led her into battle, and in such an odd way at that.
Hao Jiu's lips twitched violently. For some reason, he suddenly thought of the classic scene of Leon Lai and Fan Bingbing on horseback. But he was actually a little looking forward to it.
Actually, Hao Jiu had another reason for not stopping Xiang Yu from bringing Yu Ji: with Yu Ji present, Xiang Yu would be more restrained, and Zhang Liang would feel more at ease.
In reality, Xiang Yu's abilities have now reached the point where he can "pass through a sea of soldiers without getting hurt in the slightest." Even with Yu Ji by his side, he is confident that he can protect her while capturing enemy generals and flags.
This raises the question of whether Yu Ji should sit in front or behind. Obviously, Xiang Yu is more confident in dealing with the enemy in front, and with Yu Ji lying in front, she can minimize the interference with Xiang Yu's halberd movements.
If she sat in the back, not only would Xiang Yu be unable to use many of his moves, but Yu Ji would also be at risk of falling off her horse.
If someone were to shoot an arrow from behind, Yu Ji would become Xiang Yu's human shield, something Xiang Yu would naturally not do.
The final plan was just as Xiang Yu had said: Xiang Yu would be behind, and Yu Ji would be in front. When the battle started, Yu Ji would lie on the back and neck of the black horse, Wuzhui, to make sure she didn't fall off.
At this moment, Zhang Liang finally successfully touched the finish line.
Huff, huff...
Zhang Liang, leaning on the barricade antlers, gasped for breath, "It's safe now."
"Strategist." The guard handed Zhang Liang a water pouch.
Zhang Liang was indeed a bit thirsty, so he took the drink and gulped it down. As he drank, he realized something was wrong. He had just been chased by Xiang Yu, so why hadn't any of his guards come to his aid?
Could it be...?
Zhang Liang looked back and realized that Xiang Yu hadn't chased after them at all!
Of course, under normal circumstances, they shouldn't have chased after them, since they would have seen the Han army blocking the road after turning the corner.
But when the pursuer is Xiang Yu, can we still make the same assumptions as usual? It's entirely possible that Xiang Yu will catch up and even charge into the enemy formation.
However, it turned out that Zhang Liang had overthought things, and all that running was for nothing. He even hurt his stomach from the exertion. He was really panicking and losing his mind.
Zhang Liang was somewhat frustrated. Every time he encountered Xiang Yu, he felt suppressed, and this feeling was becoming stronger and stronger.
"Pass on my order: the entire army is on high alert. We will wait for General Shentu to arrive and then join forces to annihilate Xiang Yu!"
"Yes!" The response was very loud.
Zhang Liang nodded to himself; morale was high and the army's spirits were high.
However, another junior officer in the Han army immediately pointed to the west and shouted, "Strategist, Xiang Yu is coming!"
Zhang Liang hurriedly turned around and saw that Xiang Yu was indeed heading this way, but he was not moving fast, and Yu Ji was on his horse. He didn't seem to be trying to break through the encirclement at all, but rather he seemed to want to come over and negotiate.
"Bring my horse over and let us form a battle formation to meet the enemy." Zhang Liang thought it would be better to ride a horse, at least he wouldn't be too much shorter than Xiang Yu, and he would run faster.
"Yes, sir." The soldier responded, then led Zhang Liang's horse over and knelt down to serve as a mounting block for Zhang Liang.
Zhang Liang used the soldier's back as leverage to leap onto the horse, maintaining a steady and composed smile.
No matter how you look at it, your side has an absolute advantage: a thousand cavalry against one, and Xiang Yu also has Yu Ji, who is a hindrance, so you're not afraid even if a fight breaks out.
In Zhang Liang's view, Xiang Yu's attitude meant either that he was coming to surrender or that he wanted to beg him to let him go. However, Xiang Yu was an extremely proud man, and it was absolutely impossible for him to surrender to the King of Han and submit to Liu Ji.