It was late at night, and Ying Liang hurried to the Chinese army's tent after receiving the news of Xiang Zhuang's summons. The tent was very quiet at this time, and Ying Liang did not enter rashly. He shouted outside: "Your Majesty, the general wants to see you."
"
"Come in." Xiang Zhuang's hoarse voice came from inside the tent. Ying Liang opened the curtain and entered. Xiang Zhuang was not in the outer tent, and Ying Liang did not dare to enter the inner tent rashly. He was a little embarrassed, but it was Xiang Zhuang's.
The voice came again: "Why are you still lingering? Come in quickly."
This time Ying Liang no longer hesitated. He hurriedly entered the inner tent and saw his sister Ying Xueyue sitting next to Xiang Zhuang. Xiang Zhuang was also slowly drinking a bowl of ginseng hotpot. Ying Liang wanted to
He stepped forward to see the ceremony, but was stopped by Xiang Zhuang. After a brief silence, Xiang Zhuang ordered: "I must return to Wu County tomorrow afternoon. You go and gather some big ships tonight and be on standby tomorrow."
"Why is the king so anxious?" Ying Liang was puzzled. Xiang Zhuang sighed softly and said with a hint of helplessness: "The war is coming, and I cannot afford to delay it."
Xiang Zhuang waved his hand again, "Hurry up and get ready."
Ying Liang sang his promise and left. Ying Xueyue also stood up and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, please rest early. I will also take my leave."
Ying Xueyue gave Xiang Zhuang Yingying a gift, then turned and left. Looking at her back, Xiang Zhuang wanted to say, 'Don't leave tonight, okay?' But Xiang Zhuang knew that Ying Xueyue was not his wife yet.
If she stays here, her reputation will be completely ruined. Xiang Zhuang also wants to make it clear that the matchmaker is marrying him and welcome Ying Xueyue into the palace generously. Thinking of this, Xiang Zhuang suppresses the desire in his heart and returns to the map again. The long night
, I'm afraid I have no intention of sleeping again.
…
At three o'clock in the morning, rumbling drums sounded in the Chu camp. Groups of Dongchu soldiers holding big halberds lined up on both sides of the camp, forming a human wall that led directly to the Chinese army's tent.
Then, there was another round of beating of war drums and a low sound of horns. Ying Liang walked out of the camp and shouted: "The king has an order to announce that the envoys of Linjiang Kingdom and Yong Kingdom have entered the camp."
The soldiers stood up and shouted mighty, Zhang Ping, and the captains all walked into the camp under the escort of several soldiers, and walked along the human wall toward the depths of the camp until everyone came to the inner camp, where several Xiangzhuang's inner guards
Blocking their way, a camp commander took a step forward, cupped his hands and said: "This is an important area for the Chinese army. Please stay outside the camp. Two envoys, please come with me."
The commander of the village brought Gong Wei and Zhang Ping into the camp. At this time, Xiang Zhuang was already sitting high on the ground. On both sides were Kong Ji, Li Hong, Gui Yinghao and other general civil servants and generals. Everyone's eyes fell on the two of them.
He soon came to the center of the tent and saluted Xiang Zhuang: "We are here to pay homage to the King of Eastern Chu. I hope that the King of Eastern Chu will live a long life and live as long as the heavens."
Xiang Zhuang smiled and waved his hand: "You're welcome."
Xiang Zhuang glanced at Ying Liang next to him again. Ying Liang understood and immediately asked the inner guard to fetch soft seats and put them on the guest seats. They thanked each other and took their seats. At this time, Xiang Zhuang was the first to look at Gong Wei and asked with a smile.
: "How is your father's health?"
"Thanks to the King of Dong Chu, my father is in good health. He often talks about you and says that if he has the opportunity, he must come to visit the King of Dong Chu in person." Gongwei clasped his fists and said with a smile.
Xiang Zhuang couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard what Gongwei said. He then pointed at Kong Ji and said, "I have heard what Mr. Kong said, do you want to smelt your own weapons?"
The captain hurriedly leaned over and saluted: "The road is far away, and it is inconvenient for us to transport weapons all year round. Moreover, the Han army is now ready to move, and war is imminent. We are also worried that the lack of military supplies will seriously affect morale. I hope the King of Eastern Chu will understand."
Xiang Zhuang nodded slightly: "In fact, today, such as Qi State, Zhao State, Yan State, Jiujiang State, Yin State, etc., they are all trying their best to develop iron weapons, and smelt them on a large scale to equip the three armies. In other words, iron weapons
Weapon making is no longer unique to our country of Chu. In that case, why don’t I pass this skill on to your country so that the generals and generals of Linjiang country can also use the weapons made by our own country?”
Xiang Zhuang said and smiled again: "How about you discuss the specific details with Mr. Kong?"
Gongwei did not expect it to go so smoothly. He hurriedly saluted again: "I am willing to listen to the arrangements of the King of Dongchu."
At this time, Xiang Zhuang finally set his sights on Zhang Ping. Although Liu Bang's imminent move made Xiang Zhuang feel great pressure, this pressure only existed in Xiang Zhuang's heart, and he did not show this uneasiness.
He did not rush to talk to Zhang Ping in detail because of this. He stared at Zhang Ping for a long time and then said slowly: "The Yong Kingdom is located deep in the Guanzhong. It is not easy to travel far across the mountains and rivers to the east of the Yangtze River."
"Thank you, King of Eastern Chu." Zhang Ping also saluted Xiang Zhuang. Just as he was about to speak, Xiang Zhuang continued: "Although Liu Bang entered the Han Dynasty, his generals were from Chu, and the Han army would not be willing to stay in Hanzhong for a long time.
Our country is adjacent to Hanzhong. I wonder if your country has any strategy to defend itself against the enemy?"
"We have also sent scouts deep into Hanzhong many times. The Han army did have an intention to go north. They sent soldiers to repair the plank road and made a big move to go north. And they cast weapons on a large scale in China. The weapons were mainly made of iron, which were sharp and tough.
, especially the length, which made us feel deep pressure." After Zhang Ping finished speaking, Gui Yinghao on the side asked: "The danger of Qinling Mountains only requires strong bows and crossbows to hold on to the pass. Even if Liu Bang has three heads and six arms, he will never come.
Come on, why should you be afraid?"
After Gui Yinghao finished speaking, someone else laughed and said: "Even if the Han army repairs the plank road, it cannot be completed overnight."
Seeing that all his generals were despising Liu Bang, Xiang Zhuang shook his head helplessly. He looked at Zhang Han and asked, "How many soldiers did the Han army send to build the plank road?"
"There are probably more than a thousand people."
"More than a thousand people? Tsk, tsk, more than a thousand people may not be able to finish building the plank road in their lifetime."
"yes"
"Haha, Liu Bang is stupid."
Everyone was chattering and mocking Liu Bang, but Xiang Zhuang coughed and scolded: "You all shut up!"
Everyone looked at each other in astonishment, and looked at Xiang Zhuang. Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Xiang Zhuang said, "What do you know? If Liu Bang really planned to walk on the plank road, how could he send only more than a thousand people? This is
By showing weakness and releasing King Yi's guard, he will then lead his army northward from elsewhere and attack Guanzhong by surprise. Guanzhong will definitely be defeated."
Xiang Zhuang's words surprised everyone, especially Zhang Ping, who was even more impressed. Ever since there was news that Liu Bang was repairing the plank road, Zhang Ping felt that Liu Bang had other intentions. At this time, Xiang Zhuang expressed his worries. Zhang Ping
There was a feeling that the heroes had similar views. At this time, he had forgotten the purpose of his visit. He only kept thinking about Xiang Zhuang's words just now. After a long time, he asked: "The King of Dong Chu may have guessed that Liu Bang will
Where to fight out? Is it the Han River or the Qinling Mountains?"
"Haha, neither, he will fight out of Chen Cang." Xiang Zhuang said firmly.
This surprised everyone even more. Zhang Ping did not expect that Xiang Zhuang would think that Liu Bang went north from Chencang. He couldn't help but reply: "The chance of Chencang is not too great. The King of Eastern Chu is worried."
After a pause, Zhang Ping continued: "I am here this time, hoping that the King of Eastern Chu can help our Yong State, so that we can have greater power to defend the Han army, and always maintain peace in Guanzhong. If there is peace in Guanzhong, Chu State will also be more stable.
Please also ask the King of Dong Chu to think twice."
Kong Ji received Zhang Ping's instructions and was about to open his mouth to help him, but Xiang Zhuang had already seen through it. He waved his hand towards Kong Ji, indicating that Kong Ji was not allowed to speak. Kong Ji had no choice but to shut his mouth and sit back on the soft seat again, and this
At this time, Xiang Zhuang had already looked at Zhang Ping's determined eyes and asked coldly: "If the country is gone, what's the use of smelting iron?"
Zhang Ping trembled and asked anxiously: "What does King Dong Chu mean?"
"I have already said that the Han army will march north from Chencang. If you cannot deploy defenses in time, the country may not be able to defend it. If the Yong Kingdom is destroyed, what is the use of me teaching you the art of smelting iron?"
Xiang Zhuang paused after saying this, and then said: "Besides, our Dong Chu spies in Hanzhong sent back news that Liu Bang worshiped Han Xin as his general and decided to swear an oath to the north in early August, and now it happens to be early August. Do you know
, the battle in Guanzhong may have already begun."
"No...impossible. If there is a war in Guanzhong, my father...will send a message to me." Zhang Ping did not want to believe it, but Xiang Zhuang smiled coldly: "Maybe the war has not started yet, but I dare to say
, the Han army has begun to move northward one after another at this time."
The tent suddenly became quiet, and everyone was silent. Although they didn't know whether Xiang Zhuang's prediction would come true, they knew that Xiang Zhuang would not speak nonsense without absolute certainty.
Zhang Ping also became silent. He lowered his head and thought about something. Big beads of sweat fell from his forehead. His hands kept scratching the corners of his clothes. This was caused by excessive tension.
Seeing that Zhang Ping had gradually understood his worries, Xiang Zhuang said again: "Han Xin was once my favorite general, and he left the Chu camp only because of Xiang Yu. But I know that Han Xin's ability is by no means as mediocre as you think."
Weak, if you despise Han Xin, it will inevitably lead to the destruction of the Yong Kingdom. Therefore, I will not sit back and watch the Yong Kingdom fall, but I hope that you will also pay attention to it as soon as possible. Are you willing to send a message to King Yong for me?"
Xiang Zhuang's words made sense, but Zhang Ping couldn't help but refuse to listen. He stood up in a hurry, knelt down on one knee, cupped his hands and said: "If the King of Dong Chu can save our Yong Kingdom, we are willing to be the vassal state of Dong Chu forever, for generations to come.
tribute."
Xiang Zhuang waved his hand. What he wants now is not that Yong will surrender to Dong Chu, but that Yong must cooperate with Chu to drive away Liu Bang. Thinking of this, Xiang Zhuang picked up a letter he had already written on the table and handed it to Zhang Ping.
"I have ordered you to ride quickly to the Yong Kingdom. I hope your father can listen to my advice and prepare your defenses as soon as possible. In addition, this is my own handwriting. You can return to the Yong Kingdom quickly and hand him over to your father and explain it in detail."
How about he immediately summon the troops of King Sai and King Zhai to jointly defend the Han army, and I will mobilize the main force from Jiangdong, march westward to support you, and deal with Liu Bang together, how about that?"
Zhang Ping stood up and took the letter. He no longer wanted to talk about iron smelting, so he could only hold his hand and said: "I will return to the Yong Kingdom immediately, and I also ask the King of Dong Chu to send troops immediately to save our Yong Kingdom from fire and water."
…
Within half an hour after Zhang Ping visited the King of Dong Chu, he hurriedly ordered a thousand Yong troops to rush west by boat.
In the afternoon, after inspecting Poyang's defense, Xiang Zhuang also took a boat as soon as possible and hurried to Kuaiji.
