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

The soldier who took over Huang Xiaozhong's messenger position was named Yang Xiaohan, and he was now riding a fast horse toward Xutai.

With the death of the Grand General, the backbone of the state was broken. King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin, had no choice but to take the lead, even if he didn't want to.

Xiang Lu and his son Xiang Jing knelt on one side of Xiang Liang's coffin, while Xiang Yu and his brother Xiang An knelt on the other side. Zijuan, unable to control her emotions, was lying on Xiang Liang's coffin, weeping bitterly.

Xiang Bo, who was absent, was active in various places as a grain transport officer, and Xiang Yu had already sent soldiers to inform them of this terrible news.

Xiang An's lips were still trembling, and his eyes were half-closed.

Xiang Yu suddenly stood up and walked outside.

Xiang An was taken aback. He glanced at Xiang Lu and Zi Juan, then suddenly remembered something, stood up, and walked out of the room.

Xiang Yu walked to the side of the pavilion, and suddenly leaped to the top of the building.

Xiang An pursed his lips and followed behind Xiang Yu, jumping onto the roof as well.

The moon was bright and the stars were few. The cool moonlight shone on the earth and on the shoulders of the two brothers, lengthening their shadows.

Xiang Yu sat on the tile, looking up at the bright moon, without saying a word.

"Brother, you've remembered the past too, haven't you?" Xiang An asked, his voice filled with sorrow.

"So you remembered too, Xiang An." Xiang Yu said, his head bowed, his voice devoid of emotion.

Xiang An sighed, walked over to Xiang Yu, and sat down.

Neither of the brothers knew what to say, so they just sat quietly.

"Brother, what should we do next?" Xiang An rested his elbows on his knees, his head bowed low.

"Gather our troops, return to the south of the Huai River, and await Your Majesty's next instructions," Xiang Yu replied. "We have suffered too many losses so far that to avoid further conflict with Zhang Han, we have no choice but to retreat."

Xiang An's hands clenched involuntarily, the friction of skin against skin producing a teeth-grinding sound.

Angry, sad, but to no avail.

Even though his emotions outweighed his reason, and anger had already filled Xiang An's chest, he still understood one thing.

If we act rashly now, we will completely destroy Chu.

Xiang Yu glanced at Xiang An.

"Now that you've recalled the past, you should still remember the meaning of our birth, Xiang An, Kuaiji First Style."

"You call me Kuaiji Yishi?" Xiang An stared blankly at Xiang Yu, seemingly puzzled, but then a hint of understanding appeared on his face.

"Ah, I remember. How could I forget the Kuaiji Zero, my elder brother."

"We are machines, machines for saving the world."

"The significance of our existence is to ensure the stability and survival of the Central Plains," Xiang An said, raising his head and looking into Xiang Yu's eyes.

"It's good that you still remember, my brother." Xiang Yu nodded, shifting his gaze from Xiang An's face and raising his head.

Xiang An was puzzled, so he could only sigh, shake his head, stand up, jump off the roof, and walk towards the room where Xiang Liang's coffin was placed.

Xiang Yu glanced back, his eyes narrowing slightly. (Please remember: Free, fastest updates, no anti-theft measures)

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Chapter 907 Chu is nothing to fear

Xiang Yu sat in his bedroom, taking deep, heavy breaths.

"huhu"

His chest was heaving dramatically, and white steam rose from his back.

What's striking is the gleam in his eyes.

Xiang Yu, the "Future Prediction Module," looked slightly distressed, pressing a finger to his temple.

"I can see, I can see!"

Xiang Yu stood up, released his head with both hands, and looked ahead.

What exactly is the view he can see through his eyes?

No one else knew this except Xiang Yu.

The next morning, in the room used for meetings.

Xiang Yu and Xiang An sat on either side of the main seat, which was empty.

It originally belonged to Xiang Liang.

Sitting in the room were Xiang Yu, Xiang An, Xiang Lu, Zi Juan, Wei Hao, Liang Ning, and other generals, as well as confidants such as Han Xin and Fan Zeng.

Everyone remained silent.

Even Han Xin was somewhat pessimistic about the current situation.

Xiang Liang, the greatest pillar of the Western Chu and the source of everyone's unity, is dead.

Along with Xiang Liang's army and the several thousand garrison troops in Dingtao, most of them were also wiped out. Although the Chu army was not less than half its original strength, it suffered at least more than a third of its losses. Moreover, the wounded and sick rescued from the Dingtao battlefield needed to be treated, so it was impossible to abandon them.

"Send someone to contact General Liu; we need to start our retreat." Xiang Yu looked around. Among the generals present, he and Xiang An held the highest military ranks, and he was also Xiang An's elder brother. Now that Xiang Liang was dead, he had to take up the mantle that Xiang Liang had once carried and take charge of commanding the entire army.

Xiang An felt that Xiang Yu was acting strangely, but for the sake of the bigger picture, Xiang An nodded and agreed, even though he was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth to dust.

“General Xiang Yu, even if we are to retreat, I still have to say something.” Xiang An’s eyes were devoid of warmth, only coldness remained. “Whether it is for the sake of avenging the General or for the prosperity of our Chu, Zhang Han must be eliminated.”

"I know." Xiang Yu nodded casually, but glanced subconsciously in the northwest direction.

"Let's hurry up and reorganize the army. Zhang Han's fighting strength is still quite abundant. Our morale is low right now. If we clash with the Qin army again, I'm afraid we will continue to suffer losses." Xiang Yu stood up and slammed his hand on the table.

Everyone nodded in silence, except for Zijuan, who was still lost in thought.

"Xiao Si." Xiang An seemed a little reluctant, but still patted Zi Juan's shoulder and shook his head. "It's time to go and reorganize the army."

Zijuan's shoulders twitched, she blankly raised her head to look at Xiang An, nodded, and silently stood up.

Xiang An watched Zi Juan walk away on her own, stretched out a hand as if to say something, when suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Xiang Lu shaking his head.

"Let Xiao Si have some peace and quiet."

Xiang An paused for a moment, nodded, and walked out.

Xiang Liang is Zijuan's father. Although she was adopted, over the years, Xiang Liang has truly treated and raised Zijuan as his own daughter. Zijuan, in turn, respects and honors Xiang Liang as her own father.

Now that Xiang Liang is dead, the most heartbroken people are probably Zijuan, Xiang Bo, and Xiang Lu.

After reorganizing their troops, Xiang Yu and Xiang An led a total of over 40,000 men in two armies and began their retreat south of the Huai River.

Linji, Zhang Han's military camp.

"General, our scouts have found out that Xiang Yu and Xiang An have already begun their retreat, and they are very decisive." Jin Qixiu reported to Zhang Han with excitement, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Zhang Han, however, was not pleased but worried, his brows furrowed.

"Tsk, retreat."

"General, what's wrong?" Jin Qixiu looked up at Zhang Han, somewhat bewildered.

"Although I don't know which of the two brothers gave the order to retreat, I have to say they are very smart, or at least not stupid," Zhang Han sighed, clasped his hands together, and looked at Jin Qixiu.

Jin Qixiu blinked, ran to Zhang Han's side, and sat down cross-legged.

"Qixiu, let me ask you, what were our losses in the Battle of Dingtao?" Zhang Han turned to the side and asked Jin Qixiu.

He wasn't wearing armor; his body was wrapped in bandages, some of which were still seeping blood.

"It was a devastating defeat. It was the most brutal battle we've fought since we marched east out of Hangu Pass." Jin Qixiu sighed. "Of the 100,000 troops we took with us, at least 20,000 died on the battlefield, and the number of wounded was countless. Even you, General, suffered such severe injuries."

"But what about our morale?" Zhang Han asked with a smile.

"Morale?" Jin Qixiu was taken aback, but his expression regained its excitement. "Precisely because this battle was so difficult, our army's morale is now perhaps at its peak."

“That’s right.” Zhang Han nodded in satisfaction. “Although this battle was difficult, it is precisely because it was difficult that our morale will be even higher after we win.”

"As for Xiang Liang's side, although Xiang Yu and Xiang An still have about 40,000 to 50,000 troops under their command, plus Liu Ji who is further away, they can gather a total of 60,000 or even 70,000 troops, which is not much less than ours. It seems that they can definitely put up a fight with us."

"But they can't be touched now."

"Morale is one of the most crucial elements in combat."

"A good strategy, high morale, and overwhelming troop strength—these three points are the key to winning the war," Zhang Han said, holding up a finger and waving it.

"In the famous Battle of Pengcheng, the Xiang brothers used a brilliant strategy. And this time at Dingtao, we used an overwhelming numerical advantage to defeat Xiang Liang. If the Xiang brothers were to come now, we could easily win by leveraging the difference in morale. So I regret that they were so decisive. If we were to pursue them now, I'm afraid we would not be able to catch up."

Zhang Han shook his head regretfully.

"Oh, I see. That's quite a pity." Jin Qixiu understood Zhang Han's meaning and nodded.

"It doesn't matter anymore. With Xiang Liang dead, we wiped out his most elite troops in Dingtao City as well. Western Chu is no longer a threat." Zhang Han smiled indifferently. "Once I recover from my injuries and the soldiers are back in good shape, we'll cross the river and head to the north bank. Wang Li can only restrain Yan and Zhao. If we want to destroy Yan and Zhao, we'll still need their help."

“Leave enough troops south of the river, and then we will leave.”

"Yes, Your humble servant obeys!" Jin Qixiu's spirits lifted, and he bowed respectfully to Zhang Han.

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Chapter 908 The Great Retreat of the Chu Army

Xiang Yu's planned retreat route was to cross the Wen River at Dingtao to Chengwu, pass through Fengyi and Pengcheng, cross the Huai River to the south, and finally reach Xutai, the capital of Chu.

On the retreat route, Xiang Yu and Xiang An rode their two fine horses together at the head of the group, both somewhat silent. Even Wuzhui and Tuanchi, who were usually at odds, were quiet.

“We need to reflect on this, brother,” Xiang An said to Xiang Yu, looking at the road ahead.

"What do you mean?" Xiang Yu asked calmly, his gaze also fixed ahead.

"Although bringing this up again afterward might make me seem like I'm making excuses for failure, what exactly caused my uncle's death and the defeat in the Battle of Dingtao?" Xiang An's eyes lowered slightly, and he tightened his grip on the reins.

Xiang Yu turned his head slightly, glanced at Xiang An, said nothing, and continued walking with a normal expression.

“Troop strength. This is us, and this is the reason for our defeat in the Battle of Dingtao.” Xiang An’s voice was loud enough for the other generals behind him to hear.

Zijuan looked up slightly at Xiang Yu and Xiang An walking ahead. Xiang Lu patted her shoulder and shook his head.

The long silence was broken only by the sound of horses' hooves, which kicked up dust and sand, making the brothers' faces grow increasingly gloomy.

“I have already killed Tian Jia,” Xiang An said in a deep voice.