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

"To the northeast."

As they spoke, Xiang An and Han Xin had already stood in front of the sand table, their brows furrowed.

"In the direction of Julu," Han Xin said, pointing to a city with a hint of anxiety.

Xiang An supported himself with his hands, while Tong Kong quickly scanned the sand table, moving several chess pieces around to simulate the current situation.

"Tsk." He gritted his teeth, looked up and called out towards the outside of the tent, "Liao Ye! Call Fourth Uncle and Commander Liang over!"

"Yes!" Liao Ye's voice came from outside the tent.

Before long, several of Xiang An's generals arrived at the camp where Xiang An was to be stationed.

"The plan has changed, and Zhao Jun's defenses have retreated." Xiang An didn't bother to delay and directly stated the current situation. "We can't attack Anyang now. The general will probably change the battle route and head straight for Anyang after crossing the river at Wuyan."

"This completely clashes with our operational objectives."

"According to intelligence, Wang Li's army group is now moving south under Zhang Han's orders. It seems that the two armies are trying to encircle Julu and launch a general offensive against the Zhao state."

"General, how many Qin soldiers are there in total?" Liang Ning, a relatively young general, raised his head and looked at Xiang An seriously.

"I don't know, but after the reorganization, Zhang Han's troops number at least 180,000. In addition to Zhang Han's army in the south, there are also the people who previously guarded the Great Wall in the north, which adds up to at least 200,000."

"In other words, the enemy we will ultimately face... may number as many as 400,000." Xiang An shook his head, his tone quite heavy.

Everyone fell silent.

Four hundred thousand...

This number is suffocating everyone.

"Is King Zhao Xie a fool?" Xiang Lu cursed through gritted teeth.

"If only he could hold on for two more days..." Liang Ning seemed deflated, covering her head with a distressed expression.

Now things have changed. They couldn't hold out, and the defensive line continued to pull back, creating space that allowed the two Qin armies to rendezvous.

After Han Xin and Xiang An fell silent, Xiang Lu and Liang Ning also kept quiet, waiting for Xiang An to speak.

......

On the other side, there is no salt.

Before Xiang Yu could even cross the river, he heard the devastating news that King Zhao Xie had been routed and that the two Qin armies had joined forces on the north bank of the river.

The atmosphere in his command tent was similar to that in Xiang An's camp.

Lieutenant Zijuan's chin trembled slightly, and her lips were pursed.

She was the highest-ranking military officer besides Xiang Yu, but Xiang Yu never listened to her. Not only her, but also the words of Fan Zeng, whom he had known for a long time.

"General, what should we do now..." Fan Zeng pondered for a long time, as if he had thought of something, and then spoke to Xiang Yu.

"I've asked for reinforcements." Xiang Yu interrupted Fan Zeng without even looking at him, and calmly addressed his generals.

He was just observing the reactions of his generals.

Silence, repression, and despair could be seen on the faces of the generals.

Zijuan, Weihao, Jiang Chun, and many other subordinates were all troubled.

Fan Zeng, who was standing behind Xiang Yu, paused with his outstretched hand, which hung in the air for a long while before finally lowering it. He let out a long sigh, not daring to let Xiang Yu hear it.

How many men does Xiang Yu have in his army now?

Thirty thousand.

What about the Qin army north of the river?

Four hundred thousand.

"Screw it," that was the generals' idea.

"Request...help?" Zijuan's expression showed some hesitation.

"Request reinforcements." Xiang Yu nodded, his expression unchanged. "I'm not stupid. The situation has changed. We must stay put and rethink our strategy."

"The rebel army that has settled south of the river is not just our Western Chu, as everyone should know," Xiang Yu shook his head. "Although we have absorbed quite a few of them before, there are still a considerable number remaining."

"Now that Zhao Wangxie, that good-for-nothing, has been defeated and is fleeing in panic, almost all of the Qin army's remaining main force has gathered together, and the current situation is overwhelmingly unfavorable to us."

He leaned forward, his fingers interlaced.

“In the name of the King of Western Chu, I have requested assistance from the remaining rebel armies.”

After Xiang Yu said this, everyone immediately understood what this so-called "request for help" meant.

Coercion under the guise of seeking help.

Among these people, there must be quite a few who genuinely want to help. After all, no one can live in peace without eliminating Zhang Han, and many also want to curry favor with Western Chu, even though that power is rather weak...

"Approximately how many are there?" Zijuan glanced at the faces of the generals in the command tent, then turned to look at Xiang Yu.

"The number of reinforcements that can ultimately support us should be around 100,000," Xiang Yu said, rubbing two fingers together as he looked into Zijuan's eyes.

"One hundred thousand..." Zijuan's eyebrows were still furrowed, but she stopped speaking.

Talking won't help.

I just don't know how many people will die before my brother comes to his senses.

She recalled the orders Xiang Yu had given in Dong'e City a few days ago, and couldn't help but shut her mouth and let out a heavy sigh through her nose.

Fan Zeng, sitting behind Xiang Yu, also turned his head and let out a listless sigh.

When Xiang Yu was serving under Xiang Liang, he had already had considerable contact with his brother's family.

Ever since Xiang Liang died, Fan Zeng felt that... Xiang Yu had changed. No, rather than saying he had changed... it would be more accurate to say that he had become a completely different person.

Was it Xiang Liang's death that hit him too hard? Or was it something else?

It doesn't matter anymore, Fan Zeng feels... powerless right now anyway.

It wasn't that Xiang Yu didn't trust him, but rather—he didn't need him.

If it were just distrust, Fan Zeng might be happier, but that's not the case...

With a long sigh and a gentle shake of his head, Fan Zeng chose to close his eyes and rest.

“130,000 against 400,000…” Commander Wei Hao gently pinched his chin, his brows still furrowed.

Isn't this still just nonsense...?

However, Xiang Yu's orders were not to be questioned. He stood up and looked at his generals: "Rest where you are and wait for reinforcements. Once the reinforcements arrive, we will attack immediately!"

"...This subordinate obeys orders."

After waiting for a long time, Xiang Yu finally heard a weak and feeble reply.

Looking at the lowered head, Xiang Yu narrowed his eyes.

Is morale still somewhat low...?

......

Everyone is waiting.

The siege of Zhao was extremely urgent, and everyone was waiting for an opportunity.

Xiang An breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Xiang Yu had asked for help. Although his elder brother seemed stubborn, at least he wasn't stupid.

And Xiang Yu finally received the 100,000 reinforcements.

That very day, the crossing of the river began!

The all-out offensive has begun.

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

Chapter 921 Giant Deer

"As expected, Xiang Yu has arrived." In Zhang Han's command tent outside Julu, Zhang Han narrowed his eyes.

Zhang Han wasn't blind; he could tell that Xiang Yu had made quite a show of force along the way with just a little inquiry.

By capturing Handan and forcing the Zhao army to retreat north, Zhang Han accelerated the convergence of the two armies. This was done not only to prepare for a general offensive against Zhao, but also to guard against Xiang Yu on the south side.

He doesn't underestimate anyone.

This is why he has been able to win every battle.

When he first left Hangu Pass, he led an army of 100,000. Even when facing Zhou Wen, who had only 10,000 men left, he launched a full-scale attack, relentlessly assaulting Zhou Wen's army until he killed the last soldier in Zhou Wen's army before he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength; this was the principle that Zhang Han believed in when leading his troops into battle.

Now, Zhang Han, Wang Li, and 400,000 men have surrounded Julu City from two directions, while King Zhao Xie and General Chen Yu are trapped inside Julu City.

Xiang Yu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the letter requesting reinforcements that Chen Yu had sent to the Chu army.

His gaze lowered, and Xiang Yu looked down at his chest.

My heart pounded like a drum.

A smile played on Xiang Yu's lips as he stepped out of his tent and gazed at the distant river.

It is the Huan River.

"Zijuan, Uncle." He called out twice, and two generals stepped forward and stood beside him.

Xiang Yu turned around and looked at the two men: "Tell the entire army to have a big meal now, eat until they are stuffed and can't speak."

"Huh?" Zijuan paused, slightly hesitant. "But General, it's still breakfast time..."

Before she could finish speaking, she noticed Xiang Yu's serious gaze and instantly understood everything.

"This subordinate obeys your command." With a bow, Zijuan turned and left.

"...Are we going to cross the river?" Fan Zeng asked, his expression grim as he stood beside Xiang Yu.

"Cross!" Xiang Yu nodded, pounding his chest. "We're going to have a battle!"

......

Although the order was somewhat strange, Xiang Yu's army, including the reinforcements, had a big meal, and their bellies were bulging.

Previously, Xiang Yu sent Generals Ying and Pu across the river, but this did not attract Zhang Han's attention. He knew that Zhang Han was also prepared.