Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 169
The Young Marshal did not take the risk in vain and fought three separate battles on the two battlefields of Dingtao and Wanqu. Although not many military supplies were seized, and a large amount of military equipment that could not be taken away was forced to be abandoned and burned, it was a real deal. More than 6000 prisoners of the Chu army were rescued, and some of the prisoners of the Qin army in Sanchuan were also incorporated when they defeated Li You. Therefore, without knowing it, the main force of the young commander's army, which was once deliberately split and weakened by Xiang Liang, became more and more powerful. They broke through the [-] mark once, and basically followed Xiang Kang back to Suiyang, with very little loss on the way.

The surge in troops made Xiang Kang no longer overwhelmed in terms of distribution. The young generals such as Uncle Zhou, Zhong Limei, Long Qi, and Li Shang, who had to be overqualified before, were finally able to command an army that matched their record and status. The young marshal's army has also been supplemented with enough soldiers, and the full establishment has been restored. The old and weak soldiers who have been eliminated are also organized into an army separately to help with some logistics work and try to share the pressure for the main soldiers.

After helping Xiang Kang to quickly complete the reorganization of the army, Zhou Zeng, the first civilian deputy, sighed sincerely, saying: "Turning around, and returning to the original place, if there is no accident, our army , it must be the army with the most troops and the strongest strength among the armies of Chu State."

Of course Zhou Zeng’s words were not arrogant bragging. Although the Young Commander-in-Chief had not yet contacted the remnants of the Chu Army who had fled from Dingtao South to know the strength of other Chu Army troops, Xiang Kang’s direct subordinate army was originally one of the Chu Army’s various troops. The number is the largest, and now it has directly doubled. Even if the remnants of the Chu army who fled south have no losses on the road, the number of troops is absolutely impossible to match the young commander's army.However, what Zhou Zeng didn't expect was that after he casually said such a sentence, Xiang Kang, who was already in good condition, did not know what evil had caught him, and his condition worsened again, and he had to give up the planned plan to withdraw to Pengcheng as soon as possible.

Xiang Kang's flamboyant intestines were Zhou Zeng who was able to deceive a more kind man, but he couldn't hide it from Chen Ping, who was also full of bad things, so after asking about Xiang Kang's physical condition, Chen Ping made a suggestion, saying: "Right General, since your illness is not recovered and you can no longer suffer from the fatigue of boats and cars, our main force may temporarily station in Suiyang, and lead the troops back to Pengcheng after your health recovers. However, the body of the general must be put to safety as soon as possible. How about this, let me lead a team to escort the body of the general back to Pengcheng first, and hand it over to Cao Sima and General Xiang Yu for burial as soon as possible, and I will also help you understand the current situation in Pengcheng."

Glancing at Chen Ping, seeing that he already understood his thoughts, Xiang Kang was not polite, nodded and said: "In this way, there will be Mr. Lao, but the road from Suiyang to Pengcheng is long and dangerous, and you are a civil servant. , you will lead the troops to escort my uncle's body back to Pengcheng, and there may be accidents on the way. How about this, I will let Brother Xiang Guan lead an army to escort my uncle's coffin back to Pengcheng with you first."

"The right general is indeed cautious." Chen Pingyu smiled with a pun, and said, "Okay, then please ask the right general to make arrangements for me."

Xiang Kang agreed, immediately called Xiang Guan, and asked him to lead an infantry and cavalry army to protect the remains of Chen Ping and Xiang Liang and return to Pengcheng first. Commander Ying, and then led two thousand paces and set off with Chen Ping to protect Xiang Liang's coffin and return to Pengcheng first.

The road was really not close, and it was difficult to travel due to the continuous heavy rain, so even though Xiang Guan and Chen Ping did not encounter any setbacks on the road, it still took nine days to return from Suiyang to Pengcheng.At the same time, the remnants of the Chu army who had fled southward in embarrassment had already withdrawn to Pengcheng. It was heard that Xiang Guan and Chen Ping were escorting Xiang Liang's coffin back. Negligent, he immediately went out of the city and knelt down to meet Xiang Liang's coffin, and wept bitterly in front of Xiang Liang's body without mentioning it.

The role of Xiang Kang deliberately arranging Xiang Guan to return to Pengcheng early was also reflected at this moment. Without the need for an outsider like Chen Ping to speak, Xiang Guan had already introduced in detail to Xiang Yu, Xiang Zhuang and other members of the Xiang family with tears in his eyes, The history of Liang's body also explained the reason why Xiang Kang failed to return to Pengcheng immediately. After learning that Xiang Kang had won the Dingtao War with illness, let alone Xiang Yu, Xiang Zhuang and others who had no scheming, just Uncle Xiang didn't have anything to say, and he had to pretend to be concerned about Xiang Kang's condition.

It was also by this opportunity that Chen Ping, who returned to Pengcheng with a group of young marshals, quickly found out the current situation of the remnants of the Chu army. There were only less than 3 people left, and among them, Xiang Kang's biggest competitor, Xiang Yu's direct troops, had only more than [-] people left.At the same time, the remnants of the Chu army have not had time to re-elect Xiang Liang's successor, and are in a chaotic stage without a leader.

But fortunately, due to the heavy rain, the main force of the Qin army, which had difficulty in transporting food and grass, had been forced to withdraw to Dingtao for food, and temporarily had no strength to launch the southern expedition. The remnants of the Chu army were not in great danger for the time being, and there was still time to reorganize and spend The chaotic period after Xiang Liang's death.

To Chen Ping's surprise, the first person to raise the issue of Xiang Liang's successor was Xiang Bo, who had never won military power from the beginning to the end. After Xiang Liang's mourning hall was built in Pengcheng City, he prostrated himself in front of Xiang Liang's coffin , in front of many civil and military personnel of the Chu army, Uncle Xiang wailed like this: "... Don't worry, brother, your brother will definitely avenge your big enmity, and my brother will definitely inherit your legacy and lead our Xiang family children to rectify the crimes for you." Soldiers and horses, rebuild the army of Chu State, go north to capture and kill Zhang Han to avenge your blood hatred! Brother!"

Crying loudly, Uncle Xiang put on airs of elders again, and ordered to the Xiang family children present: "Children, in front of your second uncle, make an oath to me now, and you must work together in the future Under my command, avenge your second uncle!"

Xiang Bo's tricks were a bit rough, except for Xiang You who was lucky enough to rush across the Jishui pontoon bridge to escape, and promised loudly, according to Xiang Bo's request to swear an oath before the spirit, the other Xiang family children hardly moved, and the first to cross the river with Xiang Yu Old man Fan was still not polite, and immediately said: "Master Xiang, please pay attention to your words. When did the general say that if he encountered misfortune, he would let you take over from him to lead the army of Chu State? You forced everyone to What does it mean for the general to swear to follow you before the spirit?"

"You...!" Uncle Xiang's forehead had some blue veins twitching again, and he said angrily: "Brother never said that I would take over his command of the army, but as the master of Chu State and my only younger brother, I will take his place. Leading the Xiang family's children to avenge him is justified, and it is also our Xiang family's family affairs, you, Fan Zeng, an outsider, what right do you have to intervene in our Xiang family's family affairs?"

"Master Xiang, whether you will succeed the general to command the army is not only your family matter, but also the state affairs of our Chu State." Ling Yin Songyi also stood up and said even more bluntly: "Our Chu State now has The king of Chu, who will succeed the general to lead the army of the Chu country, except for the king of Chu of our Chu country, it doesn't count."

Old man Fan and Song Yi took the lead, and some brave civil and military soldiers from the Chu army also joined in. They all accused Xiang Bo of his ulterior motives and vain attempts to seize military power. Uncle's body is still cold, you can't wait to replace him, isn't it too much?"

The other members of the Xiang family didn't say a word, and no one stood up to say a word for Uncle Xiang. Seeing that he was so unpopular, Xiang Liang, who was so angry and ashamed, didn't even bother to cry. He just stood up and left without saying a word, " Alright, since you are so opposed to the old man avenging your brother with your own hands, then I don't bother to take care of Chu's affairs, you can do whatever you like!"

Seeing this situation, Chen Ping immediately came to a conclusion in his heart, knowing that Xiang Bo could no longer compete with Xiang Kang for the qualification of Xiang Liang's heir, but he glanced at Xiang Yu, Xiang Kang's elder brother who openly opposed Xiang Bo to succeed Xiang Liang, Chen Ping was still very worried, and secretly said: "Unless this person voluntarily elects General You as commander, he will not only have a fierce battle with General You, but maybe the Chu army will be split."

In the next two days, Chen Ping, who is good at intelligence work, carefully understood the internal situation of the Chu army through various channels, and found that on the issue of Xiang Liang's successor, the Chu army was roughly divided into three factions. Headed by Song Yi, he advocated that the king of Chu, Xiong Xin, should decide Xiang Liang's successor; one group, headed by Old Man Fan, Cao Jiu, Huan Chu, and other Jiangdong Chu army veterans, supported Xiang Yu, who was born in the Jiangdong Chu army, to inherit Xiang Liang's military power. The Chu army's children and the generals of the Chu army Yingbu and Jibu also stood by Xiang Yu's side; while the members of the Chu army who hoped that Xiang Kang would inherit the position of general were the most numerous, but the strength was the weakest, except for Feng Zhong, the polished commander who had almost lost his army, could barely Apart from a few words, the others are all low-level soldiers of the Young Marshal Army who were recruited by the Chu Army. Generally speaking, they are soft-spoken and have no right to speak in the temple.

After roughly figuring out the situation, Chen Ping was inevitably more worried, and said secretly in his heart: "The situation is not good. For their benefit, the Chu army in Jiangdong all supports Xiang Yu in command of the army, and Xiang Yu is the eldest brother of General You. In terms of seniority, the superiority is obvious, if he and General You don’t make a certain compromise with each other, I’m afraid there will be a situation where the claw and the claw will fight, and the fisherman on the King of Chu’s side will benefit.”

After reaching this conclusion, for the benefit of Xiang Kang, Chen Ping couldn't help thinking, and planned to find a way to persuade Xiang Yu to let him give up competing with Xiang Kang for military power, and each lead an army to completely empty Xiongxin, and firmly hold the power of Chu State It is firmly in the hands of the Xiang family.However, before Chen Ping could take action, an accident occurred. The king of Chu, Xiong Xin, who was forcibly moved by Xiang Liang to Xutai to build his capital, suddenly led Chen Ying's army, Jing Ju and other Chu officials to Pengcheng in a hurry, in order The honorary presidency of the king of Chu presided over the overall situation of Pengcheng after Xiang Liang's death.

After crying in front of Xiang Liang's soul, the seemingly young and cowardly Xiong Xin quickly showed his sharpness, and immediately sealed off all officials without hesitation, especially the generals of the Chu army who currently hold military power. Liu Laosan was named Marquis of Wu'an, governor of Xuejun County; Xiang Yu was granted the title of Marquis of Chang'an, Shiyi Ludi, named Lu Gong; Cao Jiu was named You Sima, Marquis of Wen'an; Lu Chen, the chief culprit of the Chu army's Dingtao fiasco, was also bestowed by Xiong Xin in order to buy people's hearts and appease the officials.

Only Xiang Kang did not receive Xiong Xin's reward immediately, but in front of the officials and Chen Ping, Xiong Xin made a promise again with a smile on his face, saying: "The right general's reward is not in a hurry, the reason is not that I am stingy and reluctant to give it to you." The general's conferment is due to the fact that the right general's contribution is too great, and his hard work is definitely not inferior to the martyred general, so the widow will wait for the right general to return to Pengcheng, and reward him face to face."

After all, Xiong Xin specifically named Chen Ping, and said: "Mr. Chen Ping, please tell General You about the widow's words, so that he doesn't have to have any thoughts, and bring the army back to Pengcheng as soon as possible to assist the widow. Take charge."

Chen Ping agreed with a smile, and thanked Xiong Xin on Xiang Kang's behalf, and then Xiong Xin said: "Dear dear friends, the general died in the country unfortunately, and I feel very sad in my heart, but the Chu army cannot be without a leader. Today we will discuss the situation of the army. Let's do it."

Hearing this, Uncle Xiang immediately stood up straighter, and coughed involuntarily, reminding Xiong Xin not to forget himself, the respected master of Chu State, Xiang Liang's younger brother.Old Man Fan, Cao Jiu and the others were also gearing up, ready to recommend Xiang Yu to Xiong Xin, but Song Yi complained in his heart, saying that Xiong Xin had no brains, and wanted to continue to hand over the military power to members of the Xiang family.

Xiong Xin's next words surprised everyone, Xiong Xin actually said: "The current situation of our Chu army, I also have a certain understanding, except for the army of the right general Lanling Lord, the other Chu troops are already The organization is uneven and incomplete, and many troops are even less than half of the full number. If this situation does not change, it will be difficult to resist the invasion of the Tyrant Qin army, let alone overthrow the Tyrant Qin and avenge the general. Therefore, the widow I intend to temporarily take back the troops in the hands of the generals, completely break them up and reorganize them, and then send them back to the generals, I wonder what the generals want?"

Before Xiong Xin finished speaking, Song Yi, who didn't want members of the Xiang family to continue to control the Chu army, his eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Xiong Xin with admiration.However, Xiang Yu, Cao Jiu and others were in a great uproar, saying, "Your Majesty, the reorganization of the army can be carried out directly in the battalions of our army. Why do we need to completely break up and then reorganize?"

"Generals, stay safe and don't be impatient." Xiong Xin said very casually: "Although the reorganization of the army can be carried out directly in the battalions of our army, I have just said that our Chu army has already The vitality was seriously injured, and the organization was severely damaged. They were reorganized directly in the barracks, which was a change of soup. Each army and each battalion still had many orders, and they could not hold together as one fist to resist the tyranny of Qin. They had to be completely dismantled and reorganized. Unify the command and order, and then we can work together to revive the military prestige of our Chu State, don't you think?"

Not to mention, Xiong Xin's words are quite reasonable. If the remnants of the main force of the Chu army, which has been greatly injured, are reorganized on the basis of the original establishment, it is indeed a change of soup but not medicine. Even after the reorganization is completed, each will bring a It is even more difficult for an army with serious insufficient strength to fight against the Qin army. Only when it is completely disbanded and reorganized, and the command and command are unified, can it fight the Qin army.However, Xiang Yu, Cao Jiu and the others still had doubts in their hearts, although they no longer resolutely opposed it, they also refused to express their support.

Xiong Xin was indeed quite tactful. Seeing that the generals of the Chu army refused to express his views, he immediately backed down a step and said, "But there is no need to worry about this matter. You may as well think it over carefully when you go back, and then we can discuss it another day. How exactly is this going to be done?"

Seeing that Xiong Xin changed his words and postponed, the doubting generals of the Chu army immediately nodded and agreed. Chen Ping, who had looked down on Xiong Xin before, looked at Xiong Xin with admiration, and said in his heart: "What a little Zhuzi, it's not our right general who is ruthless." In the end, you find an excuse to take back the military power for the time being, and you will have the final say on who you will hand over the military power to in the future. But you are too good at thinking, Xiang Yu and Cao Jiu are not fools, how could it be possible Hand over the military power easily and let you arrange it?"

Chen Ping still underestimated Xiong Xin too much. After the court meeting, Xiong Xin secretly summoned Song Yi, who firmly supported him to take power, and discussed the secrets with him carefully. Then Song Yi and Jing Ju, who had accepted his fate, waited for King Chu Pai quickly became active, visiting the generals of the Chu army under various banners, persuading them to surrender their military power on behalf of Xiong Xin, and accepting the reorganization of the Chu army presided over by Xiong Xin himself.

Song Yi was in charge of dealing with the most difficult Liu Laosan and Xiang Yu. In front of Liu Laosan, Song Yi knew very well what Liu Laosan needed. Besides promising Xiong Xin that Liu Laosan would continue to lead the original Outside the soldiers and horses, he reminded Liu Laosan again in a roundabout way, saying that if members of the Xiang family were allowed to hold the power of the Chu army, Liu Laosan would definitely not have a bright future, and he might spend his whole life as the old Xiang family's horse boy. With Xin in power, Liu Laosan can hope to be on an equal footing with the old Xiang family and get a chance to stand out.

In the end, Song Yi told Liu Laosan very blatantly that after Xiong Xin came to power, in order to weaken the influence of the old Xiang family in the army, he would definitely only reuse generals of the Chu army who were not direct descendants of the Xiang family.And Liu Laosan, who is extremely talented in politics, also understands this truth, so after thinking about it, Liu Laosan still gritted his teeth and agreed to temporarily hand over military power and support Xiong Xin in power!
In front of the more difficult Xiang Yu, Song Yi's methods were even more extreme. He even pulled Xiang Kang out and threatened Xiang Yu, saying that if Xiang Yu did not support Xiong Xin in controlling the army and forced Xiang Kang to surrender his military power to accept reorganization, then Xiang Kang With the current strength of the army and the influence in the Huaisi area, he will definitely inherit Xiang Liang's power forcibly, and become Xiang Yu's boss. Only by helping Xiong Xin to forcibly reorganize Xiang Kang's army can Xiang Yu's position in the army be guaranteed. affected.In addition, Song Yi is of course indispensable and glib, making various promises for Xiong Xin to ensure that Xiang Yu's official position will only be higher in the future.

Xiang Yu has never been a selfless person, after listening to Song Yi's persuasion, he felt that it was reasonable, so Xiang Yu also gritted his teeth, nodded and agreed to take the lead in handing over the military power.Song Yi was overjoyed when he heard the words, and while desperately praising Xiang Yu's loyalty to the country, his righteousness was as low as Yuntian, and he grinned in his heart and said: "Xiang Kang, all the generals of the Chu State have surrendered their military power and accepted the reorganization. Now I see whether you will hand it over or not." ?!"

(End of this chapter)