In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

Xiang An gripped the reins with one hand and his three-zhang-long halberd tightly with the other, glaring at the army he had just nearly annihilated in a sneak attack.

Because they suddenly appeared from the rear, Xiang An's army was indeed caught off guard, and because Xiang An was at the forefront, he had no way to reach the rear in time.

The most critical thing is—this Wang Han has essentially blocked the east gate of Dongyang! The battering ram can't even budge it!

But at this moment, Zijuan stepped forward.

Although Zijuan's horse wasn't a thoroughbred like Wuzhui Tuanchi, it was still a rare and excellent steed. While Xiang An and most of the army were tied down at the front, Zijuan led half of her brigade and forcefully broke through to the rear of the column. With a single spear thrust, she pierced the heart of the general who came to launch a sneak attack, directly shattering the morale of the attacking soldiers.

After that, it was Xiang An's turn to adjust and change course.

Although they won, it was a Pyrrhic victory, and Xiang An's army suffered its biggest blow since the uprising began.

With a long sigh, Xiang An looked at Zi Juan standing beside him and said with a wry smile, "Xiao Si, if it weren't for you, we might have lost today."

Zijuan shook her head seriously: "Even without me, Second Brother, as long as you adjust things, these people will be no match for you."

"Don't belittle yourself; you deserve the credit for today." Xiang An picked up his large halberd, his sharp gaze fixed on the south. "But let's talk about the credit later!"

"We don't even know what's going on at the South Gate! The entire division, listen to my command—!"

"!" Xiang An roared, his voice filled with anger and urgency, "Follow me to support the general!"

Oh! Oh!

! ”

......

Jiang Han was standing on the south gate city wall, a slightly strained smile on his face.

The Zhuji Stone in the west has been successfully repelled, but there has been no news from the east yet, and he has a vague feeling of unease.

He gritted his teeth and tried his best to ignore these chaotic thoughts, focusing his attention on the battlefield below.

We can't beat them... we simply can't beat them...

In terms of numbers, Xiang Yu had a huge advantage. He basically relied on the thick walls of Dongyang City to resist wave after wave of attacks from Xiang Yu's army, but this could not last long...

However, reinforcements from the east should be arriving soon, and those from the west too...

Suddenly, in Jiang Han's eyes, troops rushed out from both the east and west sides at the same time.

"Good! Good! Finally here! Finally—wait?" Jiang Han saw someone coming and subconsciously felt relieved, but after the dust settled and he saw the raised military flag, Jiang Han's joyful shout immediately stopped.

The two raiding parties he arranged did not carry military flags in order to move quickly on horseback and lightly equipped.

But that army had a military flag, which means...

Xiang An, of course, noticed the surprise attack team rushing out from the west.

His eyes widened in anger, and he gritted his teeth inwardly.

That old bastard Zhu Jishi is really unreliable! I wonder how he is now, and how his master is doing!

"All generals! Follow me and intercept that enemy force!" Xiang An roared, turning his head. "We can't let them escape!"

! ”

Having said that, he spurred his horse, propelling it even faster, and charged into the enemy ranks, leading the charge.

They were outnumbered, and Xiang An alone was worth a thousand men. The raiding party that came to their aid was as if they had been hit by a carriage the moment they met Xiang An's army. The general and his horse were sent flying by Xiang An's spear, and both were deformed from the impact.

Standing on the city wall, Jiang Han couldn't help but feel bitter.

His heart sank to the bottom when he saw the character "Chu" on Xiang Anshi's military flag.

He knew that the surprise attack team on the east flank, even with more troops, had failed. Moreover, after the failure, the commander Xiang An immediately realized his plan, abandoned the attack on the east gate, and led his division back to help Xiang Yu. Now, they had just run into the west flank team that had successfully launched a surprise attack on the other side...

"I must say, these two brothers are truly worthy of their names..."

The Xiang Liang uprising featured many notable figures, such as Xiong Xin, Xiang Lu, and Song Yi. However, the most active and meritorious members of the Xiang Liang uprising army were the brothers Xiang Yu and Xiang An.

Xiang An's reputation was still relatively unknown, but Xiang Yu had already made a name for himself. Now it seems that Xiang An might not be inferior to his brother.

Jiang Han collapsed weakly to the ground.

"My lord! My lord!" The guards nearby discovered Jiang Han, who had collapsed, and were terrified.

Jiang Han forced himself to stand up and slammed his fist on the city wall twice.

"Prepare... to open the city gates." His voice was filled with sorrow. "We can't win, we... surrender—"

Before Jiang Han could finish speaking, he saw a cold glint flash among the Chu army below the city, followed by a whooshing sound that reached right in front of him.

Before he could think any further, the arrow, which seemed to have come from nowhere, pierced his eye socket, spraying blood everywhere. The arrowhead emerged from the back of his head, and the force of the arrow sent Jiang Han flying, before he crashed heavily to the ground.

"M-lord!"

Below, the man who had just drawn the powerful bow had already sheathed it with a maniacal smile.

"General, the enemy general has been killed!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

“…Hmm.” Xiang Yu glanced at him, nodded, mounted his black steed, and pointed the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd at the city gate of Dongyang City.

"Break down the city gate!" he roared. "Where are the siege engines?!"

Meanwhile, Xiang An had almost wiped out the raiding party, leaving only a few survivors. He quickly turned around and joined Xiang Yu in attacking the south gate.

Dongyang City was incorporated into the territory of Western Chu.

------------

Chapter 869 Han Xin Offers a Plan, Sword Pointed at Xutai

Zhu Jishi did not die, but the left wing division he led was routed by the raiding troops and returned in a sorry state. That night, he sat awkwardly in the Dongyang city government office, head bowed, silent.

"Today was truly a close call," Xiang An sighed, a hint of lingering fear on his face. "If it weren't for Xiao Si, my East side would have had a very difficult time winning."

Xiang Yu nodded: "Little Si deserves the greatest credit, but what about General Zhu...?"

His gaze sharpened as he looked at Zhu Jishi.

Zhu Jishi sighed and bowed to Xiang Yu.

"General, it was my dereliction of duty that I failed to detect Jiang Han's scheme, which almost ruined everything. I... am willing to accept punishment." He looked somewhat dejected and uninterested.

"Let's talk about the punishment after the battle. I will report everything to the General." Xiang Yu shook his head and looked at Xiang An. "Your left wing division will be merged into the right wing division for now. Although your military rank is slightly higher than Xiang An's, you will be under Xiang An's command for the time being during this battle of Dongyang. Do you have any objections?"

“…No.” Zhu Jishi’s voice trembled slightly.

For him, being forced to obey the orders of Xiang An, who was much younger and held a lower military rank, was a humiliation.

But what could he do now? He had been defeated and was being chased like a dead dog; he had no choice but to obey orders.

The meeting proceeded quickly. After combining Zhu Jishi's and Xiang An's left and right divisions, Xiang Yu rearranged the battle plan based on the current number of troops and then sent the two generals back to rest.

The plan is to rest in Dongyang City for a day, wait for Xiang Liang's army to take over the city, and then seize the ferry crossing under the cover of Xiang Liang's army.

Xiang An found the villa assigned to him, which Liao Ye had already prepared for him.

Although Liao Ye is a sergeant, he seems to have taken on the role of Xiang An's military steward.

Every time Xiang An led his army to capture a county or city, he would take the initiative to bring a few people to take care of the place where Xiang An was assigned to live while Xiang An was attending a meeting.

Although he didn't know why, while Xiang An was quite grateful for Liao Ye's actions, he always felt...something was off, and he also had a strange, inexplicable sense of danger...

"Lord Xiang An, it's all ready!" As expected, Liao Ye was waiting for Xiang An at the door, making Xiang An feel both grateful and somewhat helpless.

"Um, ah, oh... Thanks, Xiao Ye." Xiang An nodded stiffly, patted Liao Ye on the shoulder, and then turned to look at Liao Ye's side.

There was another person with Liao Ye.

Who is this?

"Ah, him? He is..." Liao Ye said, trying to introduce him.

"Commander! I am Han Xin, an infantryman under Corporal Liao Ye!" Before Liao Ye could introduce him, Han Xin introduced himself loudly.

"Um, Han Xin... right?" Xiang An looked at Liao Ye blankly.

What's up with this guy?

Liao Ye's lips twitched slightly.

"My lord, Han Xin intends to..."

"Commander, I want to recommend myself!" Han Xin interrupted Liao Ye loudly again.

Liao Ye: ......

"You son of a bitch..." He looked at Han Xin with a rather dangerous gaze.

"I'm sorry, Sergeant, I was a little too hasty..." Han Xin bowed his head in apology with a distressed expression.

"...What are you two doing putting on an act for me?" Xiang An looked at Liao Ye and Han Xin as if they were idiots.

......

"So, you want to recommend yourself to me?" Xiang An looked at Han Xin with great interest.

"Yes, that's right." Han Xin looked solemnly at Xiang An. "If Commander-in-Chief can trust me and give me a chance, I will definitely use my talents... to ensure that the General has a place in the world!"

A look of surprise flashed in Xiang An's eyes.

He pulled Xiao Ye aside and asked in a low voice, "Who is this guy? Why is he so confident?"

"He's from Huaiyin. It's said he's read a lot of military books and wants to come here to make a name for himself," Liao Ye replied to Xiang An in a low voice.

"I understand." Xiang An showed a knowing look.

She looked up and waved to Liao Ye, "Xiao Ye, you can go back now."

"Yes," Liao Ye replied and withdrew.

Next, Xiang An would put Han Xin to the test.

"I've heard you're well-versed in military strategy, so you should also know about the Zhao state's 'armchair strategist' tactics. If you're truly talented, then prove that you're not like Zhao Kuo," Xiang An said, pointing at the table with his finger.

Han Xin nodded: "Commander, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"Well, what are your thoughts? Tell me. We're going to attack Xutai the day after tomorrow. Xutai isn't occupied by the Qin generals, but by another rebel army with about seven thousand soldiers. They also control the ferry crossing and the dock. What do you think we should do?" Xiang An didn't care much for the seemingly expensive platform. He drew his bronze sword and drew a simple map on it, clearly showing Dongyang to the south and Xutai to the north.

"I've come here precisely to offer my strategy for attacking Xutai the day after tomorrow." Han Xin's eyes lit up, and he drew his sword, also drawing on the table.

"According to intelligence, before our arrival, the rebels in Xutai and Dongyang had been fighting a flanking maneuver against the Qin generals. The current leader of the rebels in Xutai is named Jiang Yuan, who is not from Chu, but from Qi." Han Xin drew a line on the platform, from Xutai northwards to the border of Qi. "He only recently started the uprising, and it was launched directly in Xutai City. Such a decisive seizure of the ferry crossing is definitely not a simple matter."