"Aww..."
At this moment, a man's voice suddenly rang out. The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Han Xin, but he couldn't remember who it was. Was this an illusion?
"Han Xin, do you regret betraying Xiang Yu back then?"
"I regret it so much!" Han Xin blurted out without thinking.
He had been thinking about this problem for a long time, especially after he was demoted to Marquis of Huaiyin.
When Xiang Yu destroyed the Qin Dynasty and brought peace to the world, he rewarded his followers according to their merits in the anti-Qin uprising. However, Han Xin had no military achievements and was not granted a title.
Xiang Yu, however, insisted on ending the war and allowing the people to recuperate, desiring peace for the world, and even went so far as to spare the ambitious Liu Ji.
Without war, there are no military achievements. I am a dignified man, with all my knowledge and skills. Can't I even win a title of nobility?
Having followed Xiang Yu for so many years, Han Xin had learned everything he needed to. He felt that he was no less capable than Xiang Yu, but if he continued to be overshadowed by Xiang Yu's brilliance, Han Xin didn't know when he would be able to rise above others.
At this moment, Han Xin remembered Liu Ji, a man who attempted to seize Guanzhong for himself, yet had the courage to personally go to the Hongmen Banquet to apologize to Xiang Yu and beg for mercy, and successfully escaped.
Given Liu Ji's ambition, he would never be content to remain confined to a corner of Hanzhong and refuse to come out.
The most crucial point is that Liu Ji is not young. If he doesn't hurry, he will die of old age in a few years, and no matter how ambitious he is, it will be useless.
Moreover, Liu Ji had capable men like Zhang Liang and Xiao He to assist him, and he also had many fierce generals under his command. Those who were willing to follow Liu Ji to Hanzhong were all his trusted confidants.
If there is anyone in the world who can overthrow Xiang Yu, Liu Ji is definitely the most likely candidate.
To be fair, Han Xin felt that he and Liu Ji were the same kind of people, both of whom were able to endure humiliation and hardship.
He endured the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs, while Liu Ji was able to grovel and submit to Xiang Yu at the Feast at Hongmen. This is the kind of lord he wanted!
If he continued to follow Xiang Yu, he could probably only manage to become a general at best. If he were lucky enough to achieve great merit, he might have a chance to be ennobled, but it was unknown how many years that would take.
Moreover, if Xiang Yu were to rule a peaceful and prosperous world with no more wars, where would he go to claim credit?
Given Xiang Yu's military prowess and prestige, if he really wanted to attack any country, a single imperial edict would suffice, right?
In addition, he was young and impetuous at the time, and still harbored the idea of competing with Xiang Yu.
For all of the above reasons, Han Xin resolutely left Xiang Yu and went to join Liu Ji with full confidence.
As a result, Liu Ji didn't take him seriously at all and actually put him in charge of the warehouse!
Fortunately, Xiao He was in charge of logistics. Han Xin met Xiao He while managing the warehouse, which made Xiao He aware of his talent and recommended him to Liu Ji again.
Han Xin thought his time had come, but despite recommendations from Xiao He and others, Liu Ji still refused to employ him.
Han Xin was disheartened and decided to leave Liu Ji, so he ran away halfway to Hanzhong.
Unexpectedly, after learning that Han Xin had run away, Xiao He went after Han Xin without even saying goodbye to Liu Ji, which almost scared Liu Ji to death. He thought that Xiao He had abandoned him like those generals who were unwilling to go to Hanzhong.
If Xiao He also runs away, how will Liu Ji manage to win?
It was because of this incident that Liu Ji began to take Han Xin seriously after Xiao He brought him back.
Initially, Liu Ji only wanted to appoint Han Xin as a general, but Xiao He said that a general was not enough, so Liu Ji gritted his teeth and appointed Han Xin as a grand general.
At this point, Han Xin finally ushered in his spring and had a stage to realize his ambitions.
When he was granted the title of King of Qi, Han Xin truly felt that his decision had been incredibly wise!
Even after being stripped of his military power and becoming the King of Chu, Han Xin felt that his life had been worthwhile because of Liu Ji's promise not to kill him.
But it's only been a few years! The King of Qi became the King of Chu, the King of Chu became the Marquis of Huaiyin, and now he can't even be the Marquis of Huaiyin anymore. He's going to be charged with treason!
Han Xin never expected to have such a hallucination before his death. He thought that Xiang Yu must be a powerful ruler in the underworld. Perhaps he still had a chance to beg for Xiang Yu's forgiveness and follow him to conquer the underworld?
Just then, Han Xin heard Lü Zhi's terrified voice, "Who are you! Protect the Emperor!"
Chapter 143 Don't Panic, Empress (Bonus Chapter 1/2 for the first Hall Master Yan in this book)
"Protect the Emperor!!!"
Lu Zhi, who had just been enjoying the torment of others, suddenly let out an extremely sharp scream.
She instinctively felt that the stranger who suddenly appeared at this moment was definitely an enemy, not a friend!
The key question is, how did this person sneak into the palace? Are all the palace guards outside pigs?
The head guard's eardrums throbbed with pain, and he quickly stepped in front of Lü Zhi, waving his hand, "Who dares to trespass into the palace! Seize them!"
"Yes, sir!" The guards threw down their bamboo spears, picked up their swords, and rushed towards the masked man at the door. A group of people fighting one person was nothing to be afraid of.
"This...isn't an illusion? Someone really did ask me that question just now!" Han Xin struggled desperately on the bell, searching for the source of the sound within his field of vision, and then he saw a scene that shocked him. This person was too strong!
Swish, swish, swish...
With a flash of sword light, several guards collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from their necks, dying without even having a chance to utter a scream.
Glug.
The head guard swallowed hard, his sword trembled slightly, and he longed for someone to help him up, but there was only Lü Zhi behind him.
Empress Lü looked at the newcomer in shock. The palace guards who usually boasted that they could take on ten men were all killed in an instant.
With such combat power, if the opponent wanted to kill her, even if there were ten or more people protecting her, it wouldn't be enough!
Empress Lü Zhi forced a smile, maintaining her slightly distorted elegance. "Your skills are truly impressive, sir. As the Empress, I am in dire need of someone as skilled as you. Money, beauty, power—whatever your request, I can fulfill it for you. What do you say?"
"Hahaha... You can grant any request? Then I want Liu Ji's head, can you give it to me?" Xiang Yu stepped in front of the chief guard and placed his sword against the man's neck. "Put Han Xin down, then go and guard the entrance. No one is allowed to enter, or you will die!"
"This humble servant obeys." The head guard was easily subdued by the other party without even blinking. Such strength could kill him as easily as killing an ant.
Died for the sake of loyalty to Empress Lü? Why should I?!
Xiang Yu lowered his sword, showing no concern whatsoever about the enemy launching a sneak attack or escaping.
"I am the King? Who are you?!" Empress Lü Zhi's heart skipped a beat. Could this person be Ying Bu? But even Ying Bu wasn't this powerful.
"Madam, why don't you guess? You and Shen Shiqi once spent a very happy time in my camp." Xiang Yu wanted to take off his mask directly, but Hao Jiu brought it up again, and Lü Zhi might be scared to death, so it was better to wait.
"Are you a former subordinate of Xiang Yu? Could it be that you have inherited Xiang Yu's throne?" When Lü Zhi first heard that the other party wanted Liu Ji's head, half of her heart sank. Now the other half sank as well. This is someone who has sneaked into the palace to seek revenge!
"You guessed half right. I was able to command the world when I was just over twenty years old. Speaking of which, I was the one who bestowed the title of King of Han upon Liu Ji. I never expected that it would lead to the establishment of the Han Dynasty."
Xiang Yu sighed deeply. If it weren't for Xiang Bo's secret help, Liu Ji would have been enfeoffed as the King of Shu. Even if Liu Ji had won in the end, wouldn't the world have been called the Shu Dynasty?
Upon hearing this, Lü Zhi calmed down and thought about how to buy some time. She had shouted so loudly that someone outside should be coming to help soon, right?
"Xiang Yu is already buried, a fact known to all. What is your purpose in putting on such a mystical act?"
"Hahaha...who said that going to the netherworld means never coming back? Look who I am!" Xiang Yu said, removing his mask. "Don't shout!"
Lü Zhi's eyes widened instantly. Just as she was about to scream, she felt a sword against her neck. How could this be!
"King Xiang, spare my life! I have never harmed you. If you want to take my life, you should go after that scoundrel Liu Ji. You wouldn't make things difficult for a woman like me, would you?"
Han Xin was completely bewildered. The person who came to save him was Xiang Yu?
Is it a human or a ghost?
"Is it really Xiang Yu?! Gaa!" The head guard rolled his eyes and fainted.
Bang!
Han Xin fell from the bronze bell and crashed to the ground with a thud.
Because Han Xin's limbs were pierced with many holes by bamboo spears, it was extremely difficult for him to even turn over and look up at Xiang Yu.
The head guard originally intended to slowly put Han Xin down and then lean him against a wall, but when he learned that the masked man was Xiang Yu, he was so frightened that he fainted.
And so Han Xin met his tragic end, falling with tremendous force, and only after desperately trying to turn around did he finally see Xiang Yu's figure.
"Give the order that they are not allowed to enter." Xiang Yu sheathed his sword; he had just drawn it against Lü Zhi simply because he didn't want to hear her scream.
Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from outside.
Xiao He arrived with his men, never expecting that so many people were lying in ambush inside, and that something unexpected would happen when dealing with Han Xin.
"Your Majesty, do not panic! Your humble servant has come to your rescue!"
"Prime Minister Xiao, I am now fine. You all just need to keep watch outside!" Lü Zhi said loudly.
Xiao He was about to push open the door when he heard this and stopped. "Now, surround the bell tower completely!"
"Yes, sir!" the guards replied, immediately surrounding the bell chamber in layers.
Xiao He knew that Lü Zhi was likely already a hostage. If they broke in, the bandits would attack; if they didn't go in, Lü Zhi might still have a chance to negotiate and be rescued.
"Go quickly and gather more troops." Xiao He was still a little worried. Who was capable of infiltrating the palace and taking the Empress hostage? Could it be a group of assassins secretly trained by Han Xin?
"Han Xin, how have you been?" Xiang Yu turned around and looked down at Han Xin, who was lying on the ground.
Han Xin smiled bitterly, "King Xiang shouldn't have come here. If he wants revenge, he should go to Zhao to find Liu Ji. The outside is already heavily surrounded. King Xiang should take Empress Lü hostage and leave quickly."
"King Xiang can leave at his leisure. I can order them to make way and personally escort him away from Chang'an." Lü Zhi now understood that the Xiang Yu before her was not a demon, but a living person. Xiang Yu was not dead!
In other words, the body dismembered by Lü Matong and others that day was a double of Xiang Yu. But why did Xiang Yu come to Changle Palace at this particular time instead of earlier or later?
Xiang Yu chuckled and said to Han Xin, "Do you think I came here for revenge?"
"That Xiang Yu is..." Han Xin thought of a possibility, but felt it was unlikely.
"Han Xin, I can give you another chance to serve me. Are you willing?" Xiang Yu asked directly.
"Han Xin is naturally willing, but Han Xin is now a cripple and dares not be a burden to King Xiang." Han Xin knew how serious his injuries were. Even if Xiang Yu saved him now, he could probably only save him from being pierced by a hundred spears.
Xiang Yu took out a healing pill from his pocket, then his lips twitched slightly as he broke the pill in half and leaned down to feed it to Han Xin. "Eat it."
Han Xin was puzzled, but he still opened his mouth and swallowed the half pill.
Lü Zhi looked at the two of them with suspicion, wondering what Xiang Yu wanted to do by taking in a seriously injured and crippled man. Could it be that he wanted to humiliate Han Xin?
However, Lü Zhi's eyes and mouth grew larger and larger, and she even forgot to breathe.
Just moments ago, Han Xin, whose limbs were completely crippled, slowly stood up and casually picked up a bamboo spear!
Lü Zhi, "..."
Chapter 144 My Lord (Bonus Chapter 2/2 for Master Yan)