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

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Chapter 949 In your opinion, which of us, I or Xiang An of Western Chu, is more talented?

At midnight, Liu Ji, Xiao He, and Han Xin were sitting in the garden of the Han King's palace, drinking and exchanging toasts.

Although it was called the Han King's Palace, it was actually the residence of the city lord of Nanzheng. When Liu Ji was enfeoffed as the King of Han and established his capital in Nanzheng, this Nanzheng city lord's residence was given the incongruous name of "Han King's Palace".

"According to Mr. Han Xin, the King of Chu and General Xiang An are not on good terms." Liu Ji held his wine cup, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He took a small sip of wine but did not drink more.

Liu Ji was well aware that drinking was meant to liven up the atmosphere, not to get drunk.

“But they are twin brothers who have grown up together since childhood. Now that the vassal kings are fighting each other, why would Xiang An have a conflict with his brother?” Xiao He frowned slightly, his hand holding the wine cup remained motionless, not even touching it to his lips.

Han Xin, with a casual demeanor, finished a cup of wine in two gulps and then began to drink alone again.

"Aren't there countless examples throughout history of brothers turning against each other?" Han Xin said while drinking wine, his eyes turning to Liu Ji. "Your Majesty, in my opinion, there are only two people in the world with the talent to govern the world."

"One is the king, and the other is Xiang An."

"The King of Chu was without virtue, and the world overlooked him. When the kingdom was divided up, the contradictions had already begun to emerge. And later, the fierceness of the dispute between the two was enough to overturn the Epang Palace."

Liu Ji stroked his beard. Back in Xianyang, he was so preoccupied with his disappointment and self-pity that he focused on organizing his army to march to Bashu. He hadn't paid any attention to what was happening in Xianyang.

"There's such a thing?" His expression was genuine, one of pure delight.

He was familiar with both of them, but they had both been his enemies. It would be best if one of them was killed in the ensuing dogfight.

"So what happened? I remember you were by Xiang An's side. Why did you leave now?" Liu Ji took a sip of wine, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Han Xin.

Han Xin paused, holding the wine cup, and sighed softly.

"Because they are brothers, even though they argued like that, they didn't become enemies."

"From what you're saying, it seems you actually hope they break off their relationship."

"What I expect is not a complete break." Han Xin's face was cold as he placed his wine cup on the table, meeting Liu Ji's gaze without flinching. "What I expect is simply to part ways."

"Xiang An's talent should not be subordinate to the King of Chu; absolutely not."

"If Xiang An were to accept Yin Xin's words and break away from the King of Chu to establish his own power, the Central Plains, and even the entire world, would be at his mercy."

Han Xin's words were so powerful that they surprised both Liu Ji and Xiao He.

"So that's how it is." After finishing his drink, Liu Ji slowly placed the cup on the stone table, his aura rising. "I think I understand why you left Xiang An."

"You just said that there are only two people in the world with the talent to govern: myself and Xiang An. Now, I ask you," Liu Ji stood up, his eyes brimming with authority, hands behind his back, and asked Han Xin, "In your opinion, between me and Xiang An of Western Chu, who is more talented?"

Han Xin, however, showed no sign of yielding.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty's talent is somewhat inferior to Xiang An's." Han Xin also stood up and bowed slightly to Liu Ji. "However, Your Majesty does not have a brother who would hinder you in every aspect."

Han Xin's words, though seemingly derogatory, made Xiao He, who was sitting next to him, speechless, but Liu Ji burst into laughter.

"Hearing your words puts my mind at ease."

"That's good, that's good! Someone, come here!" Liu Ji shouted towards the outside of the garden, his hands behind his back.

Before long, two guards came in and knelt before Liu Ji.

"To the west of the palace stands a three-courtyard mansion, which will henceforth serve as the residence of Lord Xin."

"Lord Xin shall reside here and wait for several days. When the troops are mustered, I will appoint Lord Xin as Grand Marshal and Pillar of State, with a salary of two thousand shi and two horses."

Liu Ji laughed loudly as he arranged Han Xin's treatment, leaving Xiao He, who was standing beside him, dumbfounded.

"Your Majesty, you..." Xiao He stood up, wanting to advise Liu Ji.

“Old Xiao, there’s no need to persuade me,” Liu Ji said, extending a hand to cut off Xiao He’s words. He smiled and said, “Back in the days of Hongmen, although I was caught in the game and assassinated by the swordsman, I did not gain nothing.”

"At the banquet, Zifang was seated in the east seat, and sat down with Han Xin, where they had a great deal of conversation."

"Later, Fan Zeng and his ilk wanted to kill me. I fled with Master Zifang to the south bank of the river, where I asked him, 'What is the quality of Han Xin's talent?'"

Liu Ji turned around, took Han Xin's hand, who was a little stunned, and bowed slightly despite being the King of Han, which surprised everyone.

The gentleman said, "Han Xin's talent is unparalleled in the nation."

It was late at night.

Han Xin followed the two guards to the residence arranged by Liu Ji to rest. Only Liu Ji and Xiao He remained in the garden, still drinking and chatting.

"Your Majesty, I have a question." After Han Xin left, Xiao He finally drank a few sips of wine and looked at Liu Ji with some puzzlement.

"Hmm, what's up, Lao Xiao? Ask away, ask away!" Liu Ji looked quite happy, drinking one glass of wine after another as if he couldn't stop. A slight flush appeared on his face, which was particularly noticeable in the moonlight.

"Han Xin once said that Your Majesty's talent is inferior to Xiang An's, which was clearly a belittling of Your Majesty. Why did Your Majesty laugh and even promise Han Xin many benefits?" Xiao He cupped his hands and asked in confusion.

"Old Xiao, what do you think of Han Xin?" Hearing Xiao He's words, Liu Ji was stunned for a moment, but did not answer Xiao He's question. Instead, he lowered his head, looked into Xiao He's eyes with interest, and asked a question in return.

"This man is proud and arrogant, yet his talent is undeniable. Moreover, since Master Zifang has said so, he must have his own unique insights." After a moment's hesitation, Xiao He gave a slightly cautious assessment.

"Yes, that's being arrogant."

Peng

Liu Ji suddenly slammed his hand on the stone table, making a loud noise that startled Xiao He.

"It is precisely because of his personality that he would not lie to me here, which proves one thing."

"He truly intends to work for me, and given his character, he would never serve two masters."

"In this way, as long as I don't drive him away, he will stay by my side and offer me advice. How can I not keep such a talented person?"

"As for the claim that my talent is inferior to Xiang An's," Liu Ji smiled dismissively, "it doesn't matter."

"If I get angry and reject talented people just because I've been told a few truths, then what kind of ruler am I? I might as well just grow old and die here in Sichuan."

After drinking another cup of wine, Liu Ji abandoned Xiao He and, accompanied by his maids, staggered towards his bedchamber. (Please remember: Free, fastest updates, no anti-theft measures)

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Chapter 950 Nonsense Rumors

When Xiang Yu divided the land among himself, the territory he left for himself might not have been the largest, but it was certainly the richest.

Pengcheng was the city where Xiang Yu established the capital of Western Chu, the city where he and Xiang An first made a name for themselves. At this moment, Xiang An was standing in the military camp outside the city.

The world is at peace now, but Xiang An, fully armored, is examining what he has in his hands.

"How many troops does our Western Chu still have?" He patted the bamboo slips in his hand and looked up to ask his deputy general.

Upon returning to Western Chu, Xiang Yu fulfilled his promise, appointing his younger brother Xiang An as Grand General and his third sister Zijuan as Deputy General, placing her beside Xiang An to train the troops.

Other generals did not retire to their hometowns, but remained outside the city or were stationed in other cities.

At present, Western Chu has a total of 100,000 troops left.

"There are still 13,000 horses, but their quality varies greatly, and only about 8,000 of them are actually capable of being ridden on the battlefield."

"Okay, I understand." Xiang An thought for a moment, nodded, and put the bamboo slip aside. "Any other news lately?"

"No, my older brother hasn't come out recently." Zijuan sighed, somewhat helplessly.

Since returning to Pengcheng, the world has calmed down, and Pengcheng has also calmed down. Moreover, now that Xiang Yu has become the King of Chu, his brothers and sisters eat separately. Xiang Yu lives in the palace. The third and fourth brothers are fine, as they can often go to the palace to see Xiang Yu. However, Xiang An, who has really had a conflict with Xiang Yu, lives directly in the military camp. He eats, drinks, and relieves himself with the soldiers all day long and never goes to the palace. Xiang Yu doesn't care about Xiang An's rudeness and is too lazy to make trouble for him. The two brothers have entered into this strange cold war atmosphere.

Shaking his head slightly, Xiang An didn't care and walked out to check on the training of the various units.

Inside Pengcheng, at the Chu King's Palace.

Xiang Yu sat on the couch, looking at the attendants below, and asked, "Is what you say true?"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true." The servant's head was pressed to the ground, and his cheeks were covered in a little cold sweat.

"You go down first."

"Yes."

After the attendants left, Xiang Yu stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in his bedroom.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with that person?" Yu Meiren, dressed in a magnificent robe, walked to Xiang Yu's side and asked with some concern.

“Just some trivial news.” Shaking his head, Xiang Yu pulled over a stool, picked up a jade pendant from the table, and started playing with it. “Yu, you should still remember Ying Ziying, right?”

“I remember, it should be that King of Qin.” Yu Meiren nodded. Although she had never met Ying Ziying, she had heard Xiang Yu mention him.

"There are rumors that Ziying was killed by Xiang An."

"Killing him is impossible!" Yu Meiren exclaimed, her mouth agape in surprise. "Didn't Uncle say he was going to protect Ziying? How could he possibly kill Ziying?"

“But that’s what’s being said outside.” Xiang Yu chuckled. “Xiang An didn’t kill him. I know his character all too well. If he says something, he’ll definitely do it. So Ziying was indeed sent out of Xianyang by him to find a place to live in seclusion.”

"These rumors are probably meant to damage my reputation by attacking Xiang An."

Xiang Yu may not have intended to become emperor, but he was definitely the biggest obstacle on the road to becoming emperor for others.

In this world, how many people don't want to be emperor?

Yu Meiren frowned slightly, having roughly figured out the ins and outs of the matter. "The person who spread this rumor is despicable."

This rumor is absolutely flawless.

Because Xiang An had no way of proving that he did not kill Ziying, but instead sent Ziying out of Xianyang, and that the "killed" Ziying had already gone into seclusion in the mountains and forests, it was impossible for him to stand up and help Xiang An dispel the rumors.

Therefore, no matter how Xiang An explains it, the unjust label of "killing Ying Ziying" will definitely be placed on his head.

"It's alright, Xiang An won't care about these empty titles, and neither will I," Xiang Yu waved his hand dismissively.

Shaking her head helplessly, Yu Meiren obediently sat down next to Xiang Yu. "Lord Xiang Yu, why are you unwilling to become the ruler of the world?"

Xiang Yu stroked Yu Meiren's soft hair, his eyes darkening slightly. "Yu, do you consider me a human being?"

Yu Meiren leaned against Xiang Yu's chest, lost in thought. After a long while, she finally shook her head.

"I may not know, but I do know that Lord Xiang Yu, you must be the most outstanding person in the world."

Xiang Yu sighed slightly, his answer irrelevant.

He didn't continue to make things difficult for Yu Meiren. He put the jade pendant aside, picked up Yu Meiren, and walked towards the bed.

Xiang An also received that message.

"How could I not know that I killed Ziying?" Xiang An frowned as he looked at Xiang Jing.

"There must be some blind fool trying to smear you, Second Brother," Xiang Jing reminded him, his face showing resentment.