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

Xiang An smacked his lips, his brows furrowed.

He's a smart man; with a little thought, he could probably figure out the pros and cons behind it.

"tsk"

Peng

He slammed his fist on the table, making a loud noise that knocked the military tally lying next to him off the table.

"Damn it, which bastard is that?" Xiang An picked up the military tally, gritting his teeth.

"Third brother, send your men to investigate and find out where this damned news came from." Xiang An was inexplicably branded as the one who "killed Ziying," so it was impossible for him not to be furious.

"Tell me immediately after you find out, and I'll take men to wipe them out." Xiang An exuded a dangerous aura as he narrowed his eyes.

He was just worried about not having a reason to start unifying the world.

"This subordinate obeys your command." Xiang Jing clasped his hands in a fist salute and withdrew from the tent. Xiang An was now the highest-ranking general in the Western Chu army.

"Second Brother, is this really a good idea?" Zijuan asked with a worried expression as she sat to the side, looking at Xiang An.

"It's alright." Xiang An's angry expression came and went quickly, and he had already started working on the documents again. "Actually, if you ask me, I can probably guess where this nonsense came from."

"When the eldest brother divided the land among himself, it was inherently a move to sow discord, but most people were certainly satisfied with the distribution."

"Those who are dissatisfied, or those with great ambitions, are the ones who might spread rumors."

"The first one, Liu Ji from that remote corner of Sichuan, he'll definitely be the first to be unhappy."

"Then there's Sima Ang. His fiefdom is pitifully small, so he must be unhappy too."

"There are also the King of Han and Peng Yue. The King of Han's fiefdom is equally small. As for Peng Yue, he made the greatest contribution to the capture of Xianyang, but he didn't even get a kingship. However, his influence is still there."

"Those who say I killed Ziying are definitely one of these people; they can't escape," Xiang An said confidently with a cold snort.

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I need to take a few days off.

As the title suggests, I'm having some health issues and might need to be hospitalized. Combined with other matters, I might need to take 3 to 5 days off. I apologize for this. When I resume updates, I will start writing 10,000 words per day until I finish the Qi An chapter.

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Chapter 951 The Grand Strategy of the World: A Self-Inflicted Trap

After March.

Xiang An's guess was accurate; the person who spread the rumors that he killed Ziying was indeed one of the people he had guessed.

Peng Yue, Xiang An settled on this name.

"The rumors originated in the Liaodong area." Xiang Jing pointed to the map and noted three locations. "But you probably know what's going on with those three Wang Erges over there."

"Hmm." Xiang An crossed his arms and nodded with a furrowed brow.

He naturally knew what had happened in the territory of the old Qi. The Tian family and their people had many grudges against Western Chu. In Xiang Yu's enfeoffment, he specifically divided the old Qi into three parts and granted them to three kings, precisely to incite internal strife on the peninsula and prevent them from focusing their attention on Western Chu. But now it seems...

"It seems that none of the three kings of the peninsula have much say." Zijuan sat on a stool, crossed her legs, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, staring at the map, as if she was thinking about something.

"In the vast Central Plains, there are only a handful of generals and leaders who can truly command respect." Xiang An shook his head, picked up his bowl, took a sip of water, and said casually, "The eighteen kings may seem prestigious, but in reality, very few of them can truly control their own territories. Moreover, anyone who isn't blind can see that my elder brother's method of enfeoffment is deliberately inciting conflict; he's practically issuing orders to start a fight."

"I remember, Tian An, the King of Jibei, should be the son of Tian Jia, right?" Zijuan thought for a moment and asked somewhat uncertainly.

Tian Jia, who marked the beginning of the rift between the brothers Xiang Yu and Xiang An, is a memorable figure. During the Battle of Linji, when Qi and Wei were in peril, he usurped the throne of Qi. Later, he was driven out and sought refuge with Xiang Liang for protection. After many events, he was personally killed by Xiang An after the Battle of Dingtao.

However, his son survived and was even made a king by Xiang Yu.

Xiang An showed a disgusted expression, but did not steer the conversation toward Tian An. "The key now is not the three kings of the peninsula, but Peng Yue of Juyeze. You should know who this guy worked for before, the third and the fourth."

“Han King Liu Ji,” Xiang Jing scratched the back of his head and sighed, “It seems that my elder brother, for some selfish reasons, deliberately removed Peng Yue and Zhang Liang, two great contributors to the attack on Qin at Wuguan Pass, from Bashu.”

“Yes.” Xiang An nodded, his fingers fidgeting nervously, as if he were calculating something. “But even if some people are singled out, their individual power will be much greater than that of some unknown nobody.”

"What are these three kings of the peninsula?" Xiang An sneered, his laughter full of disdain. "Just a bunch of worthless scoundrels. Even if we ignore them, they'll never amount to anything. But right now, Peng Yue is standing behind these guys."

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

“If we’re talking about troop strength and morale, our Western Chu is not afraid even if we are at odds with the whole world, but…” Zijuan looked at Xiang An, sighed softly, and shook her head slightly, “we have no legitimate reason to fight.”

Xiang Yu did not grant Peng Yue the title of king, but instead gave Peng Yue the opportunity to hide behind the scenes and do things in secret.

Moreover, a war must have a legitimate cause. If war breaks out without any justification, Western Chu will be condemned by everyone. The Three Qi are currently spreading rumors behind the scenes that Xiang An killed Ziying, but on the surface they appear to be actively fighting amongst themselves. Even on the border with Western Chu, there has been no real friction. It will be difficult for Western Chu to take action against the Three Qi.

We can't just follow the old ways and say, "We are barbarians."

The current prosperity of Western Chu is such that even if Xiang Yu had not declared himself emperor, the whole world would still admire it. If a state of Chu of this caliber were to say, "We are barbarians," wouldn't that be tantamount to insulting the other vassal states that had been granted fiefdoms?

And most importantly, whether or not to fight now, what Xiang An said may not be entirely accurate.

Xiang Yu was the true King of Western Chu.

"There will always be an opportunity." Xiang An didn't seem to care, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Although the Central Plains appear calm on the surface, undercurrents are already surging. Given the opportunity, war could erupt at any moment, like a volcano that, once it erupts, will engulf the entire Central Plains. No one can remain uninvolved. This "game" is destined to have only one winner.

The others either bowed down and submitted, or turned to ashes.

Although Xiang An wanted to unify the world as soon as possible, he couldn't rush it. For the time being, he could only strengthen the military power within Western Chu.

“I will not let Peng Yue go, nor will I let Sanqi go.” Xiang An stood up, looked at the sand table divided into eighteen pieces, and said in a deep voice, then looked up at Xiang Jing and Zijuan, “This is not because of rumors, but because they are blocking the path of the world and have no reason to exist from the beginning.”

The third and fourth sons of the Xiang family exchanged a glance, both showing a helpless expression.

My own second brother is subtly criticizing my eldest brother.

"Now that the two Qin states are blocking our way, Han Xin, what do you think we should do to break this deadlock?" In the Han Palace, Liu Ji asked the man to his side, who was his newly appointed commander-in-chief of the three armies, Han Xin, the great general of the Han state.

Han Xin was already famous throughout the land. Although there were some criticisms about his defection to the Han army, with some believing that Han Xin was originally in cahoots with Western Chu and therefore unreliable, almost everyone acknowledged Han Xin's talent.

Other things, Han Xin himself needs to erase them through their interactions.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, when Your Majesty led your troops to Shu, you must have burned down all the mountain trails, right?" Han Xin, already confident, smiled slightly and asked Liu Ji.

“That’s right. The northeastern part of Shu is full of towering mountains, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack, thus blocking communication between the inside and outside of Shu. However, our ancestors built hundreds of miles of mountain roads to facilitate the passage of troops and horses, which solved the difficulty of the Shu roads. But” Liu Ji’s hand holding the wine cup paused slightly, and he sighed with a sorrowful expression, “I destroyed the Shu roads because I had to restore this situation of being easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

With the Qin states to the north and Gong'ao to the east, Liu Ji had no choice but to hastily burn the mountain roads when he arrived in Shu to prevent the feudal lords from attacking Han through the Shu roads. This was a desperate measure.

"It's alright, Your Majesty's move is a brilliant one." Han Xin smiled. "Although we don't know Xiang Yu's true intentions in dividing the world into fiefdoms, it is undoubtedly a case of him trapping himself in a trap."

“Look at the two Qin states in the north, they are wary of each other. Although Xiang Yu instructed them to be vigilant against our Han, they each have their own thoughts. Internal strife will definitely affect their thinking. In the east, Gong Ao should be wary of the two states further east. Moreover, our Han has the natural barrier of Bashu in the east, so he will not focus his attention on us.”

"And Your Majesty only needs to listen to my word, and you can easily conquer the two Qin states and return to the Central Plains." Han Xin's smile was full of confidence.

"Oh, what's the plan? Tell me." Liu Ji showed interest, his body involuntarily leaning forward.

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Chapter 952 Northern Barbarians

"The plan is simple, but sufficient." Han Xin took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and looked at the other Han officials in the hall, except for Liu Ji. They all looked like they were listening attentively, including Xiao He, who had questioned Han Xin that day.

"What Master Zifang said is indeed true. Han Xin is a man of unparalleled talent." He was vaguely excited.

As Liu Ji's most trusted advisor, Xiao He naturally understood what kind of person Liu Ji lacked, and Han Xin's arrival was just what filled that gap.

"The first thing Your Majesty must do is to issue a proclamation to the world, expressing your dissatisfaction with the enfeoffment granted by Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu." Han Xin shook his finger, looked up, and found Liu Ji looking thoughtful.

"Declare war on the world?" Liu Ji frowned slightly, weighing the pros and cons.

“I think this is inappropriate,” another voice rang out opposite Han Xin. “Declaring war on the world is too dangerous. We should plan this carefully. Moreover, since we were the first to rebel against Chu, we will definitely become the target of everyone’s criticism. At that time, I’m afraid even my silver tongue will be unable to salvage the situation.”

Everyone looked up and saw Li Shiqi frowning, looking at Han Xin with displeasure.

Han Xin frowned slightly, showing no fear of this meritorious veteran. "In my humble opinion, Lord Li's tongue has other uses. As for the current situation, please listen to my explanation."

I hadn't finished speaking yet, why are you interrupting, you old fool who only knows how to talk?

Li Shiqi glared at him. He had never liked Han Xin, a young man with a strong sense of pride. Now that Han Xin had become a general and his status was above his own, Li Shiqi shouldn't have said anything more. However, relying on his previous military achievements, Li Shiqi didn't intend to back down so easily. He glared at him and was about to lash out.

Just then, Liu Ji intervened between the two, giving Li Shiqi a serious look, and said, "Let Han Xin finish speaking before making a decision."

Li Shiqi's words were immediately thwarted by Liu Ji. After a couple of seconds of thought, he could only helplessly cup his hands and say, "What Your Majesty says is absolutely right. Let's hear what brilliant plan General Han has in store."

Han Xin turned his head, no longer caring about Li Shiqi, cupped his hands in greeting, and said to Liu Ji, "Declaring war does not mean fighting immediately. Your Majesty only needs to express your attitude."

"Sometimes, it's easier to fish in troubled waters. What Your Majesty needs to do is stir up this water before moving on to the next step."

"The two Qin states are powerful, but the north is our only route into the Central Plains, so even if it's difficult, we have to take it on."

"But we can't announce our attack on Qin beforehand," Han Xin waved his hand. "Their attention can't be on us, so we should go and repair the plank roads."

Liu Ji frowned at the mention of "building plank roads," but then seemed to have figured something out, his eyes lighting up. "Han Xin's idea is that we openly build plank roads, making it seem like we're going to attack Gong'ao, and then secretly set up an ambush to launch a surprise attack on the two Qin states."

"Yes." Han Xin nodded with a smile. Liu Ji's attitude was already very clear. He narrowed his eyes and pointed to a location on the map. "Our Han army's target will be here."

The city that Han Xin was pointing to was called Chencang.

Xiang An is still waiting.

Saying he killed Ziying didn't affect him much; what he cared about was when things would change.

The trap set by Western Chu must not become a turning point.

However, Xiang An waited for a month but did not see the Three Qi cause trouble. Instead, he received a summons from Xiang Yu.

"Big Brother wants to see me?" Xiang An looked at Xiang Jing with a surprised expression, instinctively wanting to refuse, but then he suddenly remembered something, "Why does he want to see me?"

"My elder brother asked me to give you four words, saying that you will definitely go to him." Xiang Jing shrugged. "My elder brother talked about the matter of the alien race."

call

Xiang An suddenly stood up, his aura surging, and glared at Xiang Jing. "Is this true?"

Xiang Jing was startled by Xiang An's imposing manner, as if his heart had skipped a beat. He quickly nodded, "That's really what my elder brother said."

Xiang An said nothing more, and grabbed his military seal and command token.

Donning armor and helmet, they mounted their steeds and headed towards Pengcheng.

Xiang Jing scratched his one-eyed eye socket and patted his chest with lingering fear.

"Phew, sometimes I feel like my second brother is even scarier than my eldest brother, especially when they argue."

Pengcheng, the Chu King's Palace.