The Fourth Volume of Chu Army Will Open the Curtain of Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Ganquan, located on the south bank of the Huai River.

  In the Spring and Autumn period, Xuyi was known as "Shandao" and belonged to the State of Wu. It was once a place where vassals would gather for alliances. In the past, King Fuchai of Wu opened up the Han Gou canal to connect the Yangtze River with the Huai River for the transportation of troops and grain, making Xuyi a crucial hub on the Huai River. During the Warring States period, Chu State expanded eastward to the area above the Si River, and Xuyi became a Chu town called Duliang.

  After Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, in the 24th year of King Zheng's reign, when the county system was implemented, Xuyi was established as a county. The county name was initially "Xutai" and later changed to "Xuyi". During the Chu-Han period, Xuyi belonged to Dongyang County in western Chu. In June of the 2nd year of Qin Er Shi's reign, the leader of the anti-Qin rebel army, Xiang Liang, enthroned the grandson of King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin, as king, calling on the world to follow him. Led by Ling Yin Song Yi and General Yin Xu, they escorted Xiong Xin to Xuyi, where he accepted the homage of the vassals and prepared to ascend to the throne.

  Xiang Liang, who was far away in Pengcheng and Xue, received the news and immediately brought his civil and military officials to hurry to Pengcheng for an audience. Liu Bang, the Marquis of Pei, also received the news and followed closely behind. At this time, the leaders of the various Chu State volunteer armies rushed to gather at Pengcheng. The small city was filled with countless soldiers and horses, and suddenly became bustling and extraordinary. It seemed that the state of Chu had regained its former vitality.

  When Xiang Liang arrived, Yin Xu went to the post house to meet him and report on the results of this mission.

  Yin Xu and Chen Ping have met with the Grand Marshal!

  "Welcome! You must be tired from your journey!"

  Xiang Liang spoke up, but Yin Xu did not get up, apologetically saying: "General, please forgive me, the task you entrusted to me has not been done well!" As a result, Chen Ping also knelt on the ground, too embarrassed to get up.

  Xiang Liang said nothing, stood up from his seat, and personally helped Yin Xu and Chen Ping up, sighing: "General things have already known, you've done a good job, it's not your fault."

  Yin Xu and Chen Ping finally stood up and sat down beside them.

  Xiang Liang sighed: "It's not easy to find the legitimate grandson of King Huai in such a short time, and no one expected Song Yi to appear suddenly. I heard from Zhuang that Ping Wu is a master of the Mo Zu Xing Hui, and now it's you who risked your life to turn the situation around, General will remember this."

  Yin Xu was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xiang Liang to react this way, with sincere words that seemed to come from the heart, and a hint of emotion rising in his chest. But he remained clear-headed, knowing that every word and action at this level contained too much intrigue and interest. In political struggles, there were no pure emotions to speak of, and this time, another weight had been added to the scales of merit.

  The cunning Fan Zeng asked, "East coming ah, how did Song Yi suddenly appear? Can you detect anything unusual?" This matter can be said to be the biggest mystery, which has been troubling many people for a long time.

  Yin Xudao said, "It's strange to say that at this time, Chen Daxia and I have been careful and low-key all the way, and no one knows our whereabouts. The only possible link that may leak out is the nine rivers village visit, which is only four or five days, mountain villages, wild fields, and the possibility of spreading out is not great."

  "That evening, we had just found Xiong Xin Taizi in Xihe Village when Song Yi arrived. He brought 5,000 troops with him at the time. Moreover, Jiucheng and Jiangxi are thousands of miles apart, so his sudden appearance was clearly a premeditated move. The only explanation is that someone secretly followed us, like a mantis stalking a cicada, and all our efforts were in vain as we ended up doing it for someone else." When mentioning this matter, Yin Xu and Chen Ping were still fuming with anger, and their great achievements were greatly discounted because of this.

  Fan Zeng asked: "Is he a man of Song Yi?"

  "It should be, I was careless and didn't notice at all."

  Xiang Bo indignantly said: "Song Yi is really a despicable person, just now when the marshal went to pay respects to the crown prince, he actually obstructed him in every way. If this continues, the crown prince will be deceived by him and become his...” Xiang Bo realized he had misspoken and hastily stopped himself, everyone understood that he was saying "puppet".

  It doesn't matter if Xiong Xin becomes a puppet, but he must be the puppet of the Xiang family, not Song Yi's. Using the crown prince to control the vassals, both sides are making such calculations, which is a struggle for discourse power, and behind it lies unlimited political interests.

  Yin Xu shook his head and said, "Song Yi is despicable, but today without General Xiang, he may not be able to take charge. The Crown Prince has great ambitions, the Emperor is intelligent and has a strong sense of justice. I have secretly observed that the Crown Prince's foster father, Xiong Kang, is not simple-minded. From a young age, he taught the Crown Prince how to manipulate situations to his advantage."

  When no outsiders were present, Yin Xu's words were very straightforward. The puppet prince was not obedient and did not meet the requirements. Moreover, he secretly used Yin Xu and Song Yi to balance each other. Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng couldn't help but laugh. Compared to Song Yi's appearance, the prince's mind was even more unexpected. This should have been their headache, but now it was Song Yi who was worried. Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise, which could also be a psychological comfort.

  However, Song Yi led more than 40,000 troops to camp in Xuyi, which made Xiang Liang and his nephew very angry, but they could do nothing about it. They had already accepted the situation of introducing a wolf into their home, and the top priority was to prevent being bitten by the vicious wolf, and then plan how to capture and kill the vicious wolf.

  At this time, someone from the Xiong Xin faction came to report that various righteous armies were rushing to the "Wang Gong" for a meeting. The "Wang Gong" where Xiong Xin was temporarily residing was a large mansion of a wealthy family that had been temporarily converted.

  The general under Xiang Liang's command was so angry that he stamped his foot, saying, "You wouldn't let me see you just now when I asked for an audience, and now you summon me again. This is no way to treat people!"

  Alas, there is a distinction between lord and subject, so Xiang Liang could say nothing more, and led the crowd to the "Palace of the King" to pay their respects.

  As they walked to the front gate of the palace, Yin Xu noticed that Song Yi was actually walking side by side with Liu Bang, the King of Pei. This was an absolutely unusual signal. Fan Zeng also noticed it and his deep eyes showed puzzlement and worry.

  Liu Bang also noticed them, and smiled in greeting. Zhang Liang's eyes were deep and profound, smiling but not speaking. Song Yi met Xiang Liang for the first time, laughing with great satisfaction: "Wu Xin Jun, I didn't expect we would meet here. Although Xuanyi is small, it's a good place. Otherwise, the Wu Xin army wouldn't have hurried over so eagerly. And earlier, Liu Bang was just praising the beautiful scenery of Xuanyi, saying it's a place where talented people gather."

  Liu Bang smiled and didn't interrupt, regarding Song Yi's attempt to sow discord between them. He felt disgusted but couldn't do anything about it, as neither side could afford to offend the other, so he simply pretended not to have heard. Losing some face and putting on a smiling face, after all, a great man can yield and adapt!

  Song Yi is indeed not a thrifty lamp, openly showing off, taking the lead and snatching it from the prince's hands. Aren't you going to take him to Peng City? I'll take him to Xuyi instead, let you lose your chicken but gain rice, and give up the vast land of Huainan. Yin Xu couldn't help but frown deeply, this guy is really something, pouring salt on Yimeng's wound at their first meeting.

  You! The first to get angry were Long Jue and Xiang Zhuang, but they were stopped by Xiang Yu. After nearly a year of contact, Yin Xu deeply felt that Xiang Yu was actually a calm and steady person, confident or stubborn, but not impulsive or rash.

  Xiang Liang's smile slightly froze, then immediately returned to normal: "It seems that Jiangxia is too peaceful, Song Lingyun can't bear the boredom! However, this small city in the rear of Xuancheng is too quiet, it should go to Pengcheng instead, where it's lively, and soon, Song Lingyun will definitely be interested."

  You were in the first year, I was in the fifteenth. You didn't give me face, since you weren't polite, it's not my fault! Xiang Liang bluntly accused Song Yi of gathering 40,000 to 50,000 troops in Jiangxi but not taking the initiative to attack the Qin army, instead becoming a turtle hiding in its shell. Even now, coming out from Jiangxia is still hiding in the big rear base of Xuanyu to fight internal strife. Xiang Liang clearly conveyed a message that he had the ability to make Song Yi surrender, and the capital would eventually move to Pengcheng.

  Song Yi smiled and said, "Is that so? This official is waiting with bated breath, but after all, everything still needs to be decided by Your Highness the Crown Prince. As a subordinate, how dare I overstep my bounds? What do you think?" This guy quickly pulled out Xiong Xin, afraid that others wouldn't know that the Crown Prince trusted him, and used the Crown Prince's identity to intimidate people, as if Xiong Xin had already become his puppet.

  Is that really the case? At least, Yin Xu doesn't think so, and he sneers at Song Yi's arrogance. History has already been decided: Xiang Liang may not have succeeded, but Xiang Yu will definitely complete his unfinished business. Song Yi is just a clown who jumps around, and he is not on the same level as Xiang Yu and Liu Bang; the downfall of such a cowardly and weak person is only a matter of time.

  A war of words unfolded in front of the palace gate, and the prelude to the battle between Xiang Liang and Song Yi had already begun.