"Hahaha……"
...
"I was careless. I should have left Wuzhui in the mountains if I had known this would happen." Hao Jiu didn't expect Chang'an to be in such a mess.
Xiang Yu frowned. "Fine, let's leave the black horse with him for now. We can take it with us when we leave Chang'an."
Hao Jiu nodded. "That's one way. Anyway, Wuzhui isn't going to be at a disadvantage, and anyone who sees such a fine horse would take good care of it. But let's hurry up and try to get Wuzhui away tonight."
"Alright. Let's go." Xiang Yu suddenly stood up and strode away from the inn.
The black horse, Wuzhui, which had been led away, glanced back at Xiang Yu, snorted in dissatisfaction, and then wagged its tail.
Xiang Yu remained silent, following at a distance until he confirmed the whereabouts of the black horse, Wuzhui, before heading towards the palace.
His clone is a soul form, which, apart from not being able to be exposed to sunlight for long periods of time, is very suitable for gathering intelligence.
Of course, the clones are relatively weak now, but there won't be so many restrictions when they become stronger in the future.
After Xiang Yu secretly infiltrated the palace, he remained cautious and finally spotted Wang Mang.
“Wang Mang is so old,” Xiang Yu murmured. Through his split soul, he saw a frail, lonely old man.
"Uh, he seems to be almost seventy years old." Hao Jiu slapped his forehead, realizing he had forgotten about it. As long as the target system isn't stupid, it shouldn't bind to such an old guy, right?
“He cried,” Xiang Yu added.
"He cried?" Hao Jiu looked bewildered, then said with relief, "He was probably heartbroken. He was an idealist who wanted to accomplish great things. After ascending the throne, he implemented reforms to benefit the people. However, his governing philosophy was a bit too advanced and offended the landlords and powerful clans, making the reforms a failure and worse than not reforming at all. In addition, there were years of locust plagues, which made everyone in the country want to rebel against him."
"If he had a system, he wouldn't be in such a miserable state, would he?" Xiang Yu asked doubtfully.
"Uh, cough cough, I made a mistake here. I was only thinking about the story of the time traveler fighting the chosen one of the plane, but I forgot that Wang Mang is too old. Even if he is over fifty, he still has the strength to fight. He is really willing but unable now."
Hao Jiu was extremely embarrassed. Although Wang Mang had been ruled out, he couldn't confirm that Liu Xiu was the target, because Wang Mang couldn't possibly be the host, and now there was another suspect, Ju Wuba.
If one suspect emerges, another will follow. Who can guarantee that other suspects won't come forward?
"What about his son? Can't he help him out? He seems so pitiful." Xiang Yu couldn't bear to look at him.
"It's not necessarily pitiful. More than half of his six sons died at his own hands. The ones still alive are probably fighting against the Red Eyebrow Army." Hao Jiu curled his lips.
"Huh? He killed his own son with his own hands? And more than half of him?" Xiang Yu exclaimed in shock.
"The second son was forced to commit suicide by Wang Mang to atone for killing a servant. The eldest son opposed Wang Mang's usurpation of power and was given poison to die. The fourth son became the crown prince, but his coup failed and he was killed. The third son died of illness, but the cause of his illness was also related to the killing of his brothers. Only two sons born out of wedlock were left. Alas, I can't remember the specifics. Maybe I'll go to a modern world to brush up on my historical knowledge when I have the chance."
Hao Jiu felt a headache coming on. If you didn't consider Wang Mang's age, this resume, combined with the resentment system, would be invincible.
"So what should we do next? Should we continue to monitor Wang Mang?" Xiang Yu asked.
"No need. We'll go find Wuzhui when it gets dark, then head to the Kunyang battlefield to investigate Ju Wuba and Liu Xiu first." Hao Jiu made a quick decision, thankfully only wasting half a day and not suffering too much loss.
"Alright." Xiang Yu withdrew his soul clone and quietly left the palace.
The sun sets and night falls.
Xiang Yu turned and entered the courtyard, heading straight for the stables. From afar, he could hear the snorting of the black horse, Wuzhui.
"Are you getting impatient?" Xiang Yu smiled slightly, then gripped the Emperor's Sword behind his back.
The black horse shook its head and came out of the stable.
Just then, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"With such skill, why not join the army and serve your country?"
Chapter 237 Joining the Army
The person who suddenly appeared near the stable was none other than the general who had led his troops to the inn to capture the rebels.
Although Xiang Yu had already discovered him, he did not stop his operation because there was nothing to be afraid of. He could simply ride his black horse and charge out.
The target system is definitely not in Chang'an. As long as the black horse doesn't take off in front of living people, nothing will be exposed.
The best time to break out is late at night; once you reach a secluded spot, you can fly away.
However, the black horse was not wearing horse armor. If there were a large number of archers lying in ambush nearby, it was still possible to injure the black horse, but that would be all. One, uh, no, a small piece of healing medicine would be enough to fix it.
Therefore, it's best to listen to what the other person has to say.
"Who are you?" Xiang Yu had a strange feeling that this person was not simple and seemed to have been waiting there in advance.
“My name is Wang Yi, and I have been ordered by His Majesty to guard Chang’an and suppress the rebels. I was wondering what kind of hero could be worthy of this fine horse. Now I see that you are indeed extraordinary. I remember that you were taken away by my soldiers at the inn, but I couldn’t find you anywhere afterward. Your ability to escape silently is truly that of a master among masters,” Wang Yi said, bowing.
"So, you've been waiting for me here?" Xiang Yu asked.
"Haha, I just come to visit occasionally. I have no ill intentions and know you are not a rebel. The world is in chaos now, which is the time for heroes like you to make your mark. Our great Xin Dynasty has a million-strong army attacking the bandit rebels in Yingchuan. I can recommend you as a general to go and provide support. With your abilities, wouldn't it be easy for you to gain merit and be rewarded?" Wang Yi laughed.
"The God of Wine? Should I agree or not?" Xiang Yu asked himself.
Hao Jiu thought for a moment, "I think this is a good opportunity to observe Ju Wuba up close. We should agree to his request, but not too quickly. Liu Xiu can use his clones to investigate, using a two-pronged approach to save time. If Ju Wuba is indeed the target, then we can make our move."
Xiang Yu's eyes lit up. "You really believe you can recommend me for the position of general?"
Wang Yi was overjoyed. "Hahaha...of course. Please stay at my residence for the night, and tomorrow you can take the imperial edict to the Yingchuan army. Come, come, let's have some wine first. Uh, may I ask your honorable name?"
"Wang Xiang." Xiang Yu thought suspiciously, "God of Wine, this man is being far too polite to me. Could there be a trap?"
Hao Jiu pondered for a moment, "This Wang Yi is a bit strange, but we don't know him very well. Maybe he's just naturally hospitable, and he's trying his best to recruit you. It makes sense that he's trying to be courteous to people. We should just be careful. If he has any ill intentions, we can just kill him."
Wang Yi was slightly taken aback. "Wang Xiang? Oh dear, I didn't expect we were from the same clan. Then we should work together to protect the Great Xin Empire."
"Of course. You might as well tell me about the current battle situation, or which troublesome figures the Green Forest Army has." As Xiang Yu spoke, he led his black horse back to the stable.
"Of course, of course. Please come with me for a meal first, and we can chat while we eat!" Wang Yi gestured.
Xiang Yu didn't stand on ceremony and followed Wang Yi directly into the hall.
Soon, a banquet was prepared.
When they were drunk, Wang Yi told Xiang Yu about the current situation.
"Brother Wang, the Great Xin Dynasty is currently in turmoil due to natural disasters and man-made calamities. The Red Eyebrow Army in the north has not yet been quelled, and the Green Forest Army in the south has gained momentum."
In February, by the Yu River outside Wancheng, Liu Xuan was proclaimed Emperor Gengshi. Wang Kuang and Wang Feng were appointed Grand Dukes, Zhu Wei was appointed Grand Marshal, Liu Yan was appointed Grand Minister of Works, and Chen Mu was appointed Grand Minister of Agriculture.
These people are all key members of the rebels, especially Liu Yan. I've heard he usually identifies himself with Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Ji. However, in my opinion, he doesn't resemble Liu Ji at all; he's more like Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King!
"Why?" Xiang Yu raised an eyebrow.
"He was resolute, generous, and principled, unlike Liu Ji who was lustful and liked to insult people. The key point is that he was a capable strategist and a skilled warrior, unlike Liu Ji who relied on his subordinates such as Zhang Liang and Han Xin."
I heard that when the rebels elected emperor, the support for Liu Yan and Liu Xuan was almost equal, but in the end Liu Yan backed down. Otherwise, the two groups of rebels would have gone their separate ways, which would have been very beneficial to our new dynasty.
"Hehe, I don't know if Liu Yan is truly generous or just trying to emulate Liu Ji's feigned politeness, but Liu Xuan might not be able to tolerate this cousin. Oh well, why am I telling you all this? Let's keep drinking!" Wang Yi said, raising his wine cup and drinking it all in one gulp.
"What about Liu Xiu?" Xiang Yu asked, somewhat puzzled. Why hadn't Wang Yi mentioned Liu Xiu, whom Dionysus valued so highly?
Wang Yi scoffed, "Liu Xiu? Which Liu Xiu? Ah~~ He's Liu Yan's younger brother, Liu Yan's lackey. I heard he was diligent in farming before the uprising, and even rode an ox into battle. I wonder how much of his brother's skills he's acquired now. Oh right, he seems to have been appointed as a Lieutenant General of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Don't worry, Brother Wang, the general position I recommend will definitely not be such a low-ranking, miscellaneous title."
Hao Jiu's lips twitched violently. "Liu Xiu only rose to prominence during the Battle of Kunyang. Before that, he was overshadowed by his elder brother's brilliance, which is why he only became a lieutenant general."
So what is the rank of a lieutenant general?
Actually, it's not a small position; it's just below the Grand General, General of the Cavalry, General of the Chariots and Cavalry, General of the Guards, the Four Generals of the Front, Rear, Left, and Right, the Four Generals of the Expedition, the Four Generals of the Garrison, the Four Generals of the Pacification, the Four Generals of the Peace, and the Generals of the Pacification, as well as miscellaneous generals (such as the General of Subduing Waves)!
But he was still a general, with thousands of soldiers under his command.
"Oh..." Xiang Yu nodded. "I heard that His Majesty has recruited a fierce general who is ten feet tall and can tame wild beasts to fight? And a military genius who is proficient in sixty-three schools of military strategy?"
"Hahaha... He is indeed a fierce general, but as for this military genius, I think he's just a theorist like Zhao Kuo. But Brother Wang, you don't need to worry about the command. With the Grand Minister of Works and the Minister of Education in charge, and with generals like Yan You and Chen Mao assisting, even if things aren't great, we're still better than those rebels..." Wang Yi said, then lay down on the table and started snoring loudly, actually falling asleep.
Xiang Yu gently nudged Wang Yi, "General, go back to your room and sleep. General? Someone, help the general back to his room to rest!"
"Here you go."
...
The next day.
"Brother Wang, I have prepared the edict of appointment and armor for you. Please take a look." Wang Yi handed the edict to Xiang Yu and then waved his hand, and a servant brought up the armor.
"Thank you for your trouble, General Wang." Xiang Yu took the imperial edict and saw that he was appointed General Who Pacifies the East, which was indeed much better than Liu Xiu's position as Lieutenant General.
"Haha, Brother Wang, you're too kind. Oh, by the way, here's a personal letter I wrote to the Grand Minister of Works. Alas, the country is in peril, and we must do our utmost. I've already ordered the mobilization of troops, and Brother Wang can head to Yingchuan tomorrow to join the main army. Uh, it's just that the number of troops is a bit small, please don't take offense, Brother Wang." Wang Yi then took out a scroll of silk from his bosom.
"It's alright. Speed is of the essence in war. I plan to leave now. With a million troops in Yingchuan, that's enough." Xiang Yu carefully put away the letter and the imperial edict.
"Excellent! Brother Wang is truly a righteous man!" Wang Yi exclaimed with great joy.
A moment later, Xiang Yu led his black horse out of the general's mansion.
Xiang Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Farewell!"
"I wish you great success, Brother Wang!" Wang Yi clasped his hands in a bow.
Then, Xiang Yu mounted his black horse and rode faster and faster, farther and farther.
Wang Yi's smile gradually turned eerie...
There's a problem with Chapter 238.
"That Wang Yi is indeed a bit problematic. Should I leave my clone here to monitor him?" Xiang Yu asked himself.
Hao Jiu thought for a moment, "No need. The Battle of Kunyang is about to begin, and both Ju Wuba and Liu Xiu are more suspicious than Wang Yi. If neither of them is the suspect, we can investigate Liu Yan and Liu Xuan first, and then investigate Wang Yi later."
Moreover, Wang Yi went to such great lengths to place you in the army, appointing you as General Who Pacifies the East right off the bat. How could he not have ulterior motives? You hit it off immediately, and he entrusted you with such an important task without even investigating the identity that Xiang Yu casually made up. He must have had his own purpose.
But whatever Wang Yi's true purpose may be, it will all come to light once we're in the army. All the scheming will ultimately be decided by strength; our only opponents are the target system and the host.
"The God of Wine is right. Let's go and meet that Ju Wuba first." Xiang Yu's lips gradually curled up.
"By the way, let's see what's in that letter," Hao Jiu suggested.
Xiang Yu took out the letter and read it. "It seems to be a suggestion for Wang Yi to give me an important position. It doesn't seem to contain any coded messages, but it does seem to be a bit of flattery, since Wang Yi doesn't know my strength."
"It's normal for the words to be somewhat flattering, because that will surely make Xiang Yu highly valued in the new army... Wait, it seems that being highly valued isn't good for us." Hao Jiu noticed the problem.
“That’s right. Didn’t Dionysus say we should play dumb to catch the tiger? If we stand out too much, it will be harder to keep up the act.” Xiang Yu nodded.
"Then we won't give this letter to Wang Yi. We'll just drift along while investigating the target. Sigh, it seems we should try to keep a low profile from now on. I've noticed that both Black Dragon and this target system are hiding themselves very well."