However, after a system radar scan, the target system was not located there.
After some investigation, Hao Jiu and Xiang Yu figured out the time and the events that had occurred.
The history of this plane is clearly off track, so the target system is either a naive fool or someone with immense power who has no scruples.
In the Wenjing era, in the eighth year of Emperor Wen of Han, the Xiongnu launched a major offensive against the Central Plains, dividing their forces into three routes.
They marched out of Jiuyuan Commandery, captured Shang Commandery, and headed south directly towards Chang'an in Guanzhong. The commander-in-chief was Zhongxing Yue, the chief strategist of the Xiongnu Chanyu. This guy was quite famous in history. He was a eunuch who surrendered to the Xiongnu and hated Emperor Wen of Han very much. He was determined to destroy the Han Dynasty.
Later generations generally believe that Zhongxing Shuo was the first traitor to the Han Dynasty, but he was not the first Han Chinese to surrender to the Xiongnu. Han Xin, who was forced to rebel by Liu Ji, surrendered to the Xiongnu before Zhongxing Shuo.
However, Zhongxing Shuo's misdeeds were far more heinous than those of Han Wangxin. He completely betrayed his country, forgot his identity as a person from the Central Plains, betrayed the Chinese nation, and was unworthy of being a descendant of Yan and Huang. He even suggested that the Xiongnu use bacteriological warfare against the Central Plains and contaminate water sources with corpses. Legend has it that Huo Qubing died young after drinking this kind of water. Zhongxing Shuo truly deserves the title of a great traitor.
The second Xiongnu army is the one north of the Yangtze River, personally led by the Chanyu Laoshang. They have captured Yunzhong, Yanmen, Taiyuan and other counties, swept through Henan, and are now approaching Jiangdong.
The third route was led by Junchen, the most trusted son of the old Chanyu. They attacked Yan and Zhao from Dai County, and after pacifying them, they attacked Qi from Jibei.
Today, of the vast Central Plains, only Jiangnan and Jiangdong remain; the rest has been occupied by the Xiongnu.
However, the Xiongnu made solemn promises to the various Han kings and nobles, promising to retreat to the desert grasslands after destroying the Han Dynasty, and to return to the Central Plains as vassal states of the Xiongnu, under the administration of the Central Plains people.
This plan originated from Zhongxing Shuo. Without this brilliant plan, Laoshang Chanyu would not have been able to conquer Jiangdong so easily.
It should be noted that Liu Ji created a bunch of kings with the surname Liu, all of whom were qualified to inherit the throne. The conflict between the emperor and the various vassal kings gradually intensified, and the vassal states banded together and became increasingly disobedient to the emperor's orders.
Historically, the Rebellion of the Seven States broke out after Emperor Jing ascended the throne, but the seeds of this conflict were sown as early as the reign of Emperor Wen of Han.
Everyone was born out of wedlock, so why did Liu Heng succeed to the throne? The one who made the greatest contribution to quelling the Lü Clan Rebellion was Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, but he was so angry that he died!
In the eyes of the kings, what was the point of being a vassal state of the Xiongnu? Didn't they used to cede territory, pay reparations, and send princesses to marry foreign rulers?
Wait until you are strong enough to become independent. This is called enduring humiliation and biding your time!
Chapter 348 Luan Bu
Hao Jiu currently has enough energy to fully utilize the system radar's 3D scanning capabilities. However, Hao Jiu is worried that this inexperienced system might be too poor; what if the captured energy isn't enough to cover the system radar's losses? Wouldn't that be a loss?
Of course, Hao Jiu didn't think the target host for this mission was that difficult to find. There were only three key suspects, one of whom was Lao Shangshanyu, who had already been ruled out.
Another one is Junchen, the son of the old Chanyu, and the other one is Zhongxing Shuo.
However, if the target system chooses a eunuch as its host, that would be quite a heavy taste. Would naming it the Eunuch System be appropriate?
As a struggling online writer, Hao Jiu really dislikes the word "eunuch," and it seems that apart from Zheng He, the other eunuchs in history didn't have a very good reputation.
Just now, Xiang Yu casually snapped the neck of a prisoner in another dimension. This guy was originally a Han Chinese who not only surrendered to the Xiongnu but also became their guide and advisor. Coincidentally, he was also a eunuch.
After being captured and taken to another dimension, this eunuch was initially very tough, the kind who would rather die than speak, which made Xiang Yu look at him with new respect.
However, after the emperor intervened, the eunuch eventually revealed everything he knew.
After the great battle, the Emperor's Sword returned to Xiang Yu's hands. Although the swords looked the same, Hao Jiu always felt that the original sword was the best.
For now, two Emperor Swords are enough for Xiang Sheng. He can even use ordinary swords without any problem. After his weapons are wrapped in Armament Haki, their strength is comparable to divine weapons.
Actually, the Emperor's Sword isn't particularly sharp, but it's very durable. For this kind of immortal sword to unleash its true power, it must be used by a master of the immortal path.
The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past.
Xiang Yu opened a door, threw the corpse out of the alternate dimension, and sank it into the river to feed the fish.
"Since our target isn't here, should we head to Guanzhong or Qi next?"
"Of course it's Qi. It's close, and the host is quite likely to choose Junchen, who is the successor of the old Chanyu. However, before that, let's go to Zhongshan to set up the secondary array plate and extract some energy to alleviate the pressure on the Chu-Han plane."
If we act quickly, we can still return before the Xiongnu cross the river. Surely the Hegemon-King wouldn't want to let those 100,000 Xiongnu soldiers and tens of thousands of Central Plains rebels escape?
Hao Jiu knew Xiang Yu too well. Although this world was not Xiang Yu's home, there was still Jiangdong here, with its own people, and it was also the Central Plains. When foreign powers invaded, how could the Hegemon stand idly by?
"That's exactly what I wanted." Xiang Yu glanced at the old Chanyu, and thought, "I'll let you live a little longer."
Whoosh!
Xiang Yu rode his black horse Wuzhui to Zhongshan in no time. He dug caves and set up battle formations there with ease and speed.
At this moment, at the Guangling ferry crossing on the Yangtze River, 100,000 Xiongnu troops had already boarded ships and begun their crossing to fight. The river was densely packed with warships.
On the south bank of the Yangtze River, the Han army also had tens of thousands of troops on its defensive line, with three generals standing against the wind at the head.
“General Luan, the Xiongnu are not good at naval warfare. The two of us brothers are enough for this battle. The wind is strong by the river. General, you should go back to camp and rest first,” said Ji Bu’s son, Ji Si, clasping his hands in greeting.
"Hehe, this battle won't be easy. Don't underestimate them. Although the Xiongnu aren't good at naval warfare, there are plenty of rebels who do. Hmph! They're just a bunch of spineless cowards." Luan Bu said, his molars grinding loudly.
Luan Bu was originally Peng Yue's subordinate. Peng Yue was killed by Liu Ji on the grounds that he might rebel in the future. He was chopped into mincemeat and sent to Ying Bu and other lords to eat, but Peng Yue's head was preserved and hung under the gate of Luoyang by Liu Ji as a warning to the public.
At that time, Liu Ji declared, "Anyone who dares to try to abduct or visit Peng Yue will be arrested immediately!"
As a result, Luan Bu, who was on official business under Peng Yue's orders, learned of Peng Yue's death and resolutely went to Luoyang to pay homage to his benefactor. While offering sacrifices, he wept and reported on his work. Then Luan Bu was arrested.
Liu Ji summoned Luan Bu and scolded him, "Are you plotting a rebellion with Peng Yue? I forbade anyone to collect his body, yet you insisted on holding a funeral for him and weeping for him. It's clear that you're rebelling with Peng Yue. Quickly boil him alive!"
As Liu Ji's men were lifting Luan Bu toward the boiling cauldron, Luan Bu turned around and said, "I hope Your Majesty will allow me to say one more word before I die."
Liu Ji asked, "What did you say?"
Luan Bu replied, “When Your Majesty was trapped in Pengcheng and suffered defeats in the Xingyang and Chenggao areas, the reason why Xiang Yu could not advance westward smoothly was because King Peng held Liang and joined forces with the Han army, thus causing trouble for Chu.”
At that time, if King Peng had turned back and allied with Chu, Han would have been defeated; if he had allied with Han, Chu would have been defeated. Furthermore, regarding the Battle of Gaixia, without King Peng, Xiang Yu would not have perished.
After that, the world was at peace, and King Peng accepted the imperial seal and the title, intending to pass it down through generations. Now, Your Majesty is merely going to Liang to conscript soldiers, and King Peng is unable to come due to illness, yet Your Majesty has become suspicious, believing that he intends to rebel.
But no signs of Prince Peng's rebellion have been revealed, yet Your Majesty, nitpicking over minor matters, has executed his entire family. I fear that all meritorious officials now feel in danger. Now that Prince Peng is dead, I would rather be dead than alive; please, cook me alive.”
Although Liu Ji was cruel by nature and didn't understand many principles, he was good at listening to others' opinions and had self-awareness. Listening to advice and eating well was one of his life's creeds.
Before becoming emperor, Liu Ji liked to pretend to be a wise ruler, appearing to be tolerant and trustworthy. However, after becoming emperor, he saw everyone as better than him and distrusted everyone.
Peng Yue died unjustly. If he had truly rebelled, why would he have obeyed Liu Ji's orders to go to Luoyang to explain?
Luan Bu's words served as a reminder to Liu Ji. After defeating Xiang Yu, the world had been at peace, but his actions had disrupted it again. Killing Peng Yue without convincing evidence had already made the other lords wary.
If someone is accidentally killed, one can excuse it by saying that one was misled by a villain and made a mistake in a moment of carelessness. But if even a righteous man like Luan Bu is killed, the remaining feudal lords will no longer trust him.
Liu Ji knew that the reason he had dealt with Peng Yue so easily was because when he dealt with Han Xin, he had only demoted him and not killed him. That's why Peng Yue dared to come and explain. If he had killed Han Xin directly back then, Peng Yue would never have fallen for it this time.
After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Ji pardoned Luan Bu's crimes and appointed him as a commandant.
Later, Emperor Wen of Han appointed Luan Bu as the Chancellor of Yan and later as a general.
When the Xiongnu launched a large-scale invasion, Luan Bu led a contingent of troops to Yanmen to provide support. However, they were no match for the Xiongnu army and retreated while fighting all the way back to the former territory of Liang, eventually arriving in Jiangdong.
They shouldn't have been defeated so quickly, but when the kings and nobles saw the situation was bad, they all surrendered, so no matter how capable Luan Bu was, it was useless.
“Alas, even King Liu Wu of Chu has surrendered to the Xiongnu. Jiangdong is now leaderless, and the King of Changsha is utterly useless,” sighed Ji Nian, son of Ji Xin.
“Who says Jiangdong is leaderless? Didn’t my father already go to invite the Overlord? Although so many years have passed, the Overlord’s name is still enough to unite people’s hearts. My father always believed that even if the Overlord were dead, he would still protect the people of Jiangdong,” Ji Si said solemnly.
Luan Bu drew his sword. "I'm afraid even if the Overlord's spirit were in heaven, he might not be able to help. We'll have to rely on ourselves. Hmph! I don't believe in any legends about the Overlord being deified after his death to protect Jiangdong, unless this Xiongnu army is buried in the Yangtze River and can't set foot in Jiangdong!"
Just then, a series of explosions suddenly erupted from the Xiongnu warships on the river.
In just a few breaths, they all sank!
Luan Bu, “…”
Chapter 349 The Overlord Appears
Xiang Yu did not hear the conversation between Luan Bu and the others. He simply unleashed a massive sword aura after setting up the array.
The violent, domineering energy, like a crescent moon blade, swept across the river from downstream, skimming the surface. The bottom of the boat was gone; how could the boat not sink?
If it were just one or two ships that had this problem, there wouldn't be anything to be afraid of. Just consider it as poor shipbuilding quality; too many people and the ship fell apart.
But all the warships on the river are in this condition. Who can explain that?
Fear stems from the unknown, and it is also human nature. Fear can make people submit, and it can also make people break down, but is fear useful in this situation? No!
The river was filled with cries of agony, screams, and calls for help. In this chaotic situation, even those who could swim would find it difficult to reach the shore.
The sinking warship would create a current that would suck up most of the people, and everyone would be desperately trying to survive. If they saw someone nearby who could swim, they would grab them and cling to them for their lives.
And so, they all died together, clinging to each other even in death!
Many people lost their lives in the Yangtze River fighting over a piece of broken wood, but even more people still fought for it, stabbing their comrades with their weapons.
Those who surrendered to the Xiongnu, whether it was a genuine surrender or a feigned one, no one cared anymore. If given another chance to choose, they would never side with the Xiongnu again.
But it was too late, because they were so unlucky as to run into an angry god of death!
Xiang Yu never expected that the world ruled by Liu Ji would turn out like this. Where is the spirit of the men of the Central Plains?
It's understandable that mortals are powerless to resist the vampire army created by the system, but are these Hun soldiers really that strong? They are mortals too!
However, with just a little provocation from Zhongxing Shuo, so many rebel armies emerged in the Central Plains to act as accomplices to the tyrants!
Xiang Yu hated betrayal the most. Those people betrayed not only Liu Heng and the Han Dynasty, but also the Chinese nation and the Central Plains. They were willing to be driven by foreign tribes and then slaughtered their own motherland!
When the tyrant is enraged, who can stop him?
The cries for help gradually subsided. Luan Bu's mouth was too wide open and had been open for too long, so he couldn't close it anymore.
Ji Si and Ji Nian were also shocked. Although they supported Ji Bu and Ji Xin's decision to go to the sacrifice to the Overlord, they did not think that the Overlord would help them in this way.
That's absolutely amazing!
More than a thousand warships sank at the same time, and whether the ships were filled with Huns or Han rebels, they all perished!
"The Overlord has appeared!" someone exclaimed.
Then.
"The Overlord has appeared."
"The Overlord has appeared!"
"Waaaaah... Oh, Overlord!"
...
The soldiers of Chu knelt down in worship. Such a great victory could only have been achieved through the divine intervention of the Hegemon-King.