Xiang Ancai did not believe that Xiang Yu had not seen all of this, but Xiang Yu simply watched it happen.

Can't figure it out.

Can't figure it out.

Can the feelings between family members be manipulated at will?

......

An hour later, it was pitch black.

The camp at Hongmen was still brightly lit.

This banquet was not specially hosted by Xiang Yu for Liu Ji; Liu Ji was just the main character, not the only one.

The various warlords and famous generals were all present at this banquet, making it a truly grand affair.

Xiang Yu cleared a large open space in the center of his camp as a dance floor. He found several dancers from the surrounding cities, who were dancing in the center of the dance floor. The feudal lords sat around them, but all of them were on the outer circle.

Those seated in the inner circle were all extraordinary individuals.

Xiang Yu sat facing east, holding a wine cup without saying a word. Beside him, to his left sat Xiang An, arms crossed and head bowed, his expression unreadable. To his right sat Zi Juan, sitting properly and also silent, her eyes fixed on the food in front of her.

To Xiang Yu's left, facing south, sat his advisor Fan Zeng, his third uncle Xiang Bo, and his fourth uncle Xiang Lu. The three men had different expressions. Xiang Bo and Fan Zeng sat expressionless, looking somewhat dejected, while Xiang Lu swirled his wine cup, curled up, and seemed quite content.

Opposite the three, sitting facing north, was Liu Ji. Unlike the two in the northwest, Liu Ji was sitting alone, looking slightly embarrassed, with a noticeable bead of cold sweat on his face, clearly visible in the candlelight.

Facing west, there were two people: Zhang Liang and Han Xin. Han Xin nodded to Zhang Liang and smiled, leaving Zhang Liang somewhat puzzled.

Han Xin was a renowned strategist and confidant. Not to mention, he played a crucial role in the two famous battles of Pengcheng and Zhangshui. He assisted Xiang An in becoming a victorious general and also made himself a highly respected military strategist.

Liu Ji had many talented people under his command. He had Xiao He to manage logistics, Zhang Liang to oversee the overall situation, as well as fierce generals like Fan Hui and strategists like Li Shiqi who could persuade people from all over the world.

However, Liu Ji heard Zhang Liang say in person, "If we talk about military strategy, I am not as good as Han Xin."

Liu Ji sat in his seat, glancing slightly at Zhang Liang and Han Xin. He knew Zhang Liang's abilities all too well, yet Zhang Liang claimed he was inferior to Han Xin in military strategy...

"In that case, Your Excellency wishes to drink with you all. Let us then begin the banquet." Xiang Yu did not stand up, but simply raised the wine cup filled with wine in his hand, his expression indifferent, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

"As the General said."

All the warlords, including Liu Ji, raised their wine cups and echoed the sentiment.

Xiang An and Zi Juan's eyes were fixed on Liu Ji, making Liu Ji feel a little flustered.

Xiang Yu took the lead and drank the wine in one gulp.

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Chapter 936 Xiang Zhuang's Sword Dance

The matters of seniority and hierarchy, and the proper etiquette, are things that none of us here are children, so we naturally understand.

As the banquet began, the various lords and generals naturally ate and drank to their hearts' content, toasting and exchanging cups, thoroughly enjoying themselves. There were also dancers performing in the dance floor, creating a harmonious and joyful scene.

However, Liu Ji, who was sitting alone, felt uneasy.

Xiang Yu spoke very little, but even without saying anything, he absolutely controlled the entire banquet.

At this point, speaking little is not a sign of caution, but rather arrogance and disdain.

Liu Ji was a smart man. He sensed something was amiss with the seating arrangement, the gazes of Xiang Yu's two younger siblings, and the attitudes of the feudal lords.

After taking a sip of wine, he saw Fan Zeng sitting opposite him, seemingly holding something in his hand and fiddling with it. Every now and then, he would raise it in Xiang Yu's direction, but Xiang Yu didn't seem to notice, or rather, he didn't want to.

Even so, Fan Zeng continued to hold it up.

Liu Ji couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Although there was a dance floor separating them, he was only a few meters away from Fan Zeng, so he could clearly see what Fan Zeng was holding up back and forth.

It is a jade pendant.

The jade pendant signifies the decisiveness of a gentleman.

At this moment, Fan Zeng raised his hand back and forth in front of Xiang Yu, and what he wanted Xiang Yu to do was self-evident.

Liu Ji swallowed, feeling a chill on his neck. He glanced sideways at the reactions of the three people in the west seat, only to see Zijuan drinking her wine absentmindedly, and Xiang An also lowering his head, focusing on eating, neither paying any attention to him. Xiang Yu, however, had a wandering gaze, surveying the entire tent.

Looking at Zhang Liang again, Liu Ji noticed that Zhang Liang and Han Xin were chatting happily, drinking as they talked.

Everyone spoke in hushed tones because Xiang Yu did not speak loudly.

This is the situation; Xiang Yu has completely taken control.

The people in the very center, except for Zhang Liang and Han Xin, were all silent, creating an eerie silence.

Xiang Yu spoke up, and the person he asked was Liu Ji. Liu Ji thought that Xiang Yu was going to deny the agreement made at Xutai that day, but he did not expect that Xiang Yu was just chatting about everyday things. He forcibly suppressed his emotions and answered calmly.

strangeness.

That's really strange.

What exactly are they trying to do?

Even though Xiang Yu hadn't done anything so far, only exchanging a few normal greetings with Liu Ji, Liu Ji was already in a state of panic and sweating profusely.

Xiang An had just finished gnawing on a leg of lamb, his mouth dripping with oil. He and Xiang Yu exchanged a glance, and Xiang Yu nodded slightly.

With a wave of his hand, Xiang An signaled the panicked dancers to step down. The feudal lords and generals present were all soldiers who spent their days on the battlefield, surrounded by bloodshed. Although these dancers were still dancing, they were probably already in a state of panic.

The dancers left, but then Xiang Yu's advisor, Fan Zeng, noticed a glint in his eye. He stretched out his right hand behind him and silently beckoned, at which point a young man darted out from behind.

The feudal lords were all puzzled. Why did this young man suddenly appear? And why was he carrying a sword? What was his intention?

Xiang Yu gave Fan Zeng a deep look, but didn't say anything more.

"Xiang Zhuang, why are you moving forward?" he asked, causing Xiang Zhuang, who had suddenly appeared, to freeze in shock.

Xiang Zhuang was also a member of the Xiang clan, but he was a member of a very distant branch of the family. He wasn't very familiar with Xiang Yu, and he only held a minor military position under Xiang Yu.

"Hahahaha." A hoarse laugh rang out, and the feudal lords looked over to see that it was Fan Zeng's laughter.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Xiang Yu: "We are all rough men who wield swords and spears. The subordinate general knows that the elegance of the dancers is for those in the palace and temple, so he dismissed the dancers. Although it is quiet now, the banquet is a little less lively, isn't it?"

The unaware feudal lords all nodded in agreement. Although the dancers were beautiful, they were not suitable for them or for this occasion.

"In that case, why not have some entertainment suitable for you generals?"

Fan Zeng stood up, a smile on his face, and bowed to the feudal lords.

Looking at Fan Zeng's forced smile, Liu Ji had a vague feeling of unease.

Han Xin sat on the east seat, one hand supporting his chin, with an expression of anticipation for the show, while Zhang Liang beside him looked worried.

"May I ask, Lord Fan, what kind of entertainment do you have?" A general asked Fan Zeng with some curiosity, cupping his hands in greeting.

“Speaking of you and me, that means we’re going to war.” Fan Zeng chuckled and stroked his beard. “But right now there’s only a small tent here, so we can’t go on a military campaign. Therefore, we can just have a simple sword dance to entertain you.”

“My nephew is named Xiang Zhuang. He is the General’s cousin and his swordsmanship is superb.” Fan Zeng walked to Xiang Zhuang’s side, grabbed Xiang Zhuang’s shoulder and said, while constantly winking at Xiang Zhuang. “Today, I invite all the generals to witness it.”

After saying this, Fan Zeng returned with a smile and sat down in his seat.

Xiang Bo frowned and silently glared at Fan Zeng from the side.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Yu didn't launch an attack, but this old scoundrel did... I advised my second brother to stay away from this old bastard when he was still alive... No, it's also possible that Xiang Yu instructed him to do so...

Lost in thought, Xiang Zhuang, without hesitation, drew his gleaming sword and began to wield it.

Regardless of how well Xiang Zhuang's swordsmanship was used in actual combat, it was certainly a spectacular sight at the banquet. His agile movements and skillful maneuvers were astounding, truly demonstrating excellent swordsmanship.

However, one person felt that the sword dance was full of murderous intent.

This person is Liu Ji.

The dance floor isn't large, but it's certainly not small either; there's more than enough space for one person to practice sword dancing.

However, when Zhuang was performing the sword dance, his steps became unsteady, and he moved towards Liu Ji.

If Liu Ji still couldn't see through Fan Zeng's plan, he'd be a fool.

In a moment of distraction, Liu Ji felt a blur before his eyes, and a cold light slashed towards him. His muscles tensed, he exerted force with both hands, and pulled his whole body backward, avoiding Xiang Zhuang's sword.

Covered in cold sweat, Liu Ji gasped for breath and looked at Xiang Zhuang in horror, only to find that Xiang Zhuang seemed to have done nothing and continued to dance with his sword. The feudal lords also seemed to have noticed something, and they all fell silent, watching the flashing sword light in the dance floor.

Rice ball reading

He's going to kill me! He's going to kill me!

Liu Ji clutched his chest, while Tong Kong trembled slightly.

No one can remain unmoved in the face of death without the will to die.

Zhang Liang gritted his teeth, unconsciously connecting with the thought key. If necessary, he would directly use magic to turn against Xiang Yu.

As Xiang Zhuang danced, he suddenly swung his sword again, aiming at Liu Ji.

Ping Pong —

A crisp clang of metal rang out, and a man, sword in hand, stood between Liu Ji and Xiang Zhuang.

"It's no fun dancing with a sword alone, I'll keep you company." Xiang Bo laughed tremulously, looking in Xiang Yu's direction.

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Chapter 937 Liu Bang's Escape

For a moment, everyone, including Zhang Liang who wanted to use magic, Fan Kuai who was sitting behind Liu Ji and had already stood up and was about to rush out, was stunned.

“Third Uncle…” Xiang Zhuang was somewhat surprised and uncertain. He glanced silently in Fan Zeng’s direction, as if asking a question.

However, Fan Zeng was also somewhat stunned.

He guessed that someone would probably come out to stop Xiang Zhuang's "sword dance," but he imagined that the person who would stop the assassination would be Zhang Liang, or Fan Kuai who was sitting closer to Liu Ji, or even his second son Xiang An, who was somewhat at odds with him.

He never expected that it would be Xiang Bo, whom he knew well, who would stop Xiang Zhuang's assassination attempt with a single sword.

But now that things have come to this, even if someone tries to stop us, this assassination must not be stopped!

Liu Ji occupied Guanzhong and controlled much of the former Qin territory, including the northern regions. He had almost completely taken over everything left behind by the Qin Dynasty, and he had to die!

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