Marshal He inspected the camp and, finding that the Chu army was breaking camp, couldn't help but ask me, "Where are you all going?"
I said, "Let's go home."
Old He asked curiously, "Go home?"
I laughed and said, "Don't worry, they won't cause you any trouble. Their home is far away."
Given the gravity of the matter, Lao He couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?"
I casually asked, "Marshal He, how many of your three wishes have come true?"
Old He stroked his beard and smiled: "It's really something to be happy about. The Rouran have fled far away, and I've also adopted a goddaughter. I've already fulfilled two wishes."
“Three!” I pointed at Xiang Yu and said to him, “Don’t you admire the Hegemon-King of Western Chu? That’s him, no doubt about it.”
Old He was stunned and said, "Don't joke..." At this moment, he saw a large number of Chu soldiers mysteriously disappear into the black mist, and he immediately turned pale and said, "This... who exactly are you people?"
I laughed and said, "Didn't I tell you? We are people of Chu. If the old marshal can't understand it, just take it as fate."
The scene before him left Lao He no choice but to believe it. He stared at Xiang Yu for a long time and muttered, "Brother Xiang is actually Xiang Yu... How is this possible?"
I said, "The vanguard who fought alongside you for 10 years was a girl, so why can't Brother Xiang be Xiang Yu? There's nothing impossible in this world, only things you haven't thought of. The old marshal's sincerity moved Heaven, so he sent me to bring the King of Chu to meet you—you wouldn't be someone who only pretends to love something, would you?"
Old He had no more doubts. He grabbed Xiang Yu's hand and said in a trembling voice, "Old Xiang... Oh dear, I've been calling you 'brother' for so long, I'm so sorry for offending you."
Xiang Yu smiled slightly: "That's a good way to address me." He pointed at me and said, "He's the husband of my great-great-granddaughter, but doesn't he still call me Brother Yu?"
Old He turned around and glared at me: "You're really reckless!"
I'm speechless...
At this moment, most of the Chu army had entered the battle route. Suddenly, they all knelt down before Xiang Yu, crying out in grief, "Your Majesty!"
With tears welling in his eyes, Xiang Yu waved his hand and said, "Go, all of you. You are the most outstanding soldiers in the world. I am honored to have fought alongside you!"
Seeing how melancholic they were, I quickly said, "Let's sing a song before we leave, the one I've been teaching you these past two days. There's a principle here that doesn't need explaining. Ready—sing!"
The Chu army chorus sang: "There's one truth that doesn't need explaining: soldiers should go to the battlefield..."
Old He listened intently, and after a long while, he exclaimed, "This must be the legendary Chu Song!"
The last batch of soldiers had already entered the barracks, and I waved to them, saying, "Then I'll go too."
Mulan, looking stunningly beautiful, rode on her horse and said cheerfully, "Xiao Qiang, hurry back and take us to reunite with everyone."
I waved my hand vigorously and said, "No problem, it's just a pity I can't come to your house for a free meal this time—your brother is historically famous for sharpening his knives at cattle and sheep!"
Yu Ji covered her mouth and laughed, "Xiao Qiang is indeed very talented, Your Majesty. How about we let our child recognize Xiao Qiang as his godfather after he is born?"
I told Lao He that I was still holding a grudge against him for being reckless, and he hummed and said, "I wouldn't dare, your sons, grandsons and great-grandsons are all my ancestors!"
Everyone burst into laughter. I felt I had to say something more, so I said loudly, "Everyone, as long as we remain together, our friendship will endure. When we meet again in the future, we will surely..."
Xiang Yu and Hua Mulan pointed to the fading entrance to the military road behind me and said in unison, "Let's hurry up, or we'll miss the number two bus!"
Chapter 185 Empress Lü
After bidding a temporary farewell to Xiang Yu, Hua Mulan, and others, I followed 50,000 Chu troops into the military corridor, and soon returned to the old battlefield of Gaixia. Black Tiger straightened the ranks. I climbed a high point and shouted, "Brothers, let's disperse now. Go back and live a good life. Report to the local government when you get home, and you'll all be settled as veterans." The soldiers, though reluctant to part with Xiang Yu, were also eager to go home, and they responded with a resounding "Yes!" and set off on their respective journeys. They were lucky to be in this situation; if they had no other choice, who would want to live a life of constant danger? I believe Bangzi has the ability to give them a normal life.
I wandered around for a short while and entered Liu Bang's temporary palace. Outside the imperial tent, two very familiar soldiers were on guard. When they saw me, they exchanged a glance and walked towards me with complicated expressions. I quickly and skillfully took out all my belongings to hand over for inspection—last time I barged in to grab a wine jug and knocked Liu Bang down, they weren't punished afterward, which showed that Liu Bang was quite lenient towards his subordinates.
Unexpectedly, the two men knelt down when they were still about ten steps away from me, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
I was taken aback, then immediately realized that this probably meant Liu Bang had become emperor, and the title of "King of the Same Rank" he had bestowed upon me years ago had been fulfilled. Speaking of which, I had received quite a few official titles, sometimes so many that I could get them mixed up—King of Qi, King of Wei, Grand Tutor, Prime Minister—but the "King of the Same Rank" title held the most real power. Liu Bang personally bestowed it upon me by the hotpot, declaring that within a hundred li (a unit of distance), seeing me was as if seeing the King of Han. A li is 30 li, and a hundred li is 3000 li! It was only because China is so vast and rich that this title was bestowed; in South Korea, such a title within 3000 li would have been meaningless to the person in charge.
At this moment, Zhang Liang came out from the side and greeted me warmly, "In-law! You've arrived?"
Otherwise, Zhang Liang wouldn't have been able to rise up; he's pragmatic. Seeing that the boss favors me, he stopped calling me General Xiao and instead tried to curry favor. I don't dislike him either, so I took the opportunity to pull him close, saying affectionately, "Isn't my daughter-in-law quite nice?"
Zhang Liang scratched his head and said, "Your daughter-in-law... oh, you mean my dog daughter? That's good, that's good."
My attempts to get close to him weren't entirely insincere. What if Baozi really did have a son? If the gender field is filled in as "male," then he'll gloriously join the ranks of China's 60 million bachelors. How could a father not plan ahead? Not only is it said that marrying a woman three years older is like finding a gold brick, but at least she's the daughter of a high-ranking official. With such a father-in-law, my son won't suffer any losses.
As I was about to go inside, Zhang Liang hesitated and said, "My dear in-law, I think you should go in later. The Emperor is resting..."
A lazy voice came from inside: "Is that Xiaoqiang? Let him in."
Zhang Liang immediately looked at me with newfound respect and said enviously, "My dear in-law, the Emperor's favor is truly unparalleled. He never receives ministers during his rest time."
I smiled slightly at him and entered the temporary palace. Liu Bang seemed to have just woken up; his eyes were still sleepy, and he sat listlessly on a stool, dressed in black pajamas. No wonder he refused to receive his ministers at this time; his appearance was truly unappealing, and anyone who saw him would probably sigh inwardly at their poor choice of ruler.
Seeing that I was alone, Liu Bang pointed to a stool next to him and told me to sit down. He poured me a glass of water and sipped it, saying, "Xiang Da Ge still refuses to come and see me?"
I waved my hand and said, "Don't mention it. He said he owes you a favor and will never set foot in Han territory again."
Liu Bang said disdainfully, "What a character! He's just ashamed of losing face after a defeat. How did I ever see him when I was defeated?"
I said, "Can you compare people? He likes to use those who are willing to die for their cause, while your men are all people who crawl between people's legs and pick up their used shoes. This is how character determines destiny."
Liu Bang said angrily, "We're all brothers, why do I feel like you're always taking his side?"
I said, "Nonsense, we're family. Even if you were to marry your granddaughter to me, I'd still speak up for you."
Liu Bang said, "I don't have a granddaughter, but I do have two daughters. The eldest is 12 years old. I'll take you to see her sometime."
"...Forget it, it's illegal!"
Liu Bang clicked his tongue dismissively and said, "In this territory, the two of us brothers are the law!"