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

It was Jiang Ming, the strategist originally sent by Liaodong to negotiate with Northern Chu.

......

"What did you say? Say it again!?" In the Zhao King's palace, King Zhao roared in disbelief, glaring angrily at Jiang Ming.

“Lord Zhao, everything comes at a price, you should understand that.” Jiang Ming’s face held a faint smile as he narrowed his eyes at Zhao Xie.

"This is no longer the time when we needed to unite against a common enemy at the gates of Julu City."

"Did I not pay the price?!" Zhao Xie pointed angrily at Jiang Ming, his words fierce. "I already promised you money, food, whatever you want. Isn't Xiang An lacking these things?!"

“We don’t lack anything now.” Jiang Ming’s face always wore a confident smile. “The King has destroyed Yan and annexed Liaodong. The resources he has obtained are more than enough to keep up with his consumption. What you’re talking about is not enough to impress the King. You must understand this, Lord Zhao.”

The powerful fighting force that Northern Chu had gathered after its reorganization gave Jiang Ming enough confidence to negotiate. He looked at Zhao Wangxie, who seemed to have eaten a bug, with a smile on his face and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

The country is small and weak, yet it tries to attract strong allies with things that are not even rare in its own country. Lord Xiang Lu's assessment is truly incisive.

Chen Yu sat opposite Jiang Ming, his brows furrowed and his head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

“…Go back and tell Xiang An.”

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Xie finally raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

“Just say that if I were to cede territory… even just one prefecture, I would be willing.”

"If he insists on taking my two prefectures... then I might as well just give him the entire Zhao Kingdom!"

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Jiang Ming's leisurely voice came over.

"You!" Zhao Xie's eyes widened suddenly, he stood up abruptly, pointed at Jiang Ming, and was speechless for a long time.

"Lord Jiang, Northern Chu... has gone too far." Chen Yu said with a gloomy face, raising his head and glaring at Jiang Ming.

"I merely offered a new option, didn't I? At least it can ensure the safety of Lord Zhao's life." Jiang Ming smiled and shook his head, then stood up. "It seems Your Majesty is not interested in my proposal. In that case, I will take my leave. Please await good news, Lord Zhao."

"I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Jiang Ming walked slowly out of the Zhao Palace, his back to Zhao Xie's murderous gaze.

"......asshole!!!"

Long after Jiang Ming left, a hysterical roar finally echoed from the Zhao King's palace.

......

"So, you didn't agree?" Xiang An asked Jiang Ming, who was standing behind him, as he sat in the backyard of the Northern Chu Palace.

"Yes, as you expected." Jiang Ming bowed slightly.

"Hmm." Xiang An nodded, without much reaction.

Northern Chu is currently in a very weak position.

Very strong, but weak.

Therefore, Xiang An did not intend to start another war immediately. The wounds caused by the war in the first half of the year needed time to cool down.

"Xiao Ye, go and call Zijuan over." Xiang An thought for a moment, but then felt it was a bit inappropriate, so he instructed Liao Ye, "I have some things to discuss with her."

"Yes." Liao Ye nodded, then turned and ran away.

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Chapter 985 The Two Families Divide the Zhao Family

“The autumn harvest season is approaching, and there are many affairs in Northern Chu. I need to stay in Linzi to play a greater role. Xiao Si, there are some things outside that I need to trouble you with.” Xiang An stood beside a strange rock in the palace and looked at Zijuan as he spoke.

"Second brother, what exactly do we need to do?" Zijuan stood next to Xiang An. She was much smaller than Xiang An in both height and shoulder width, but she looked more upright and sharp than Xiang An.

"Could it be related to the State of Zhao?"

"Yes, but not in attacking the State of Zhao." Xiang An nodded and sighed softly.

"As the general, you should be well aware of the situation on the northern defense line." Xiang An slowly shook his head and turned to walk towards the palace.

Zijuan pursed her lips and did not respond to Xiang An's words.

One thing led to another. Although Xiang An had conquered Yan and annexed Liaodong, he had to return to Linzi as soon as possible to take charge of the overall situation due to the autumn harvest. This directly led to instability in the newly conquered lands in the north.

The situation is unstable, so we can only temporarily leave it to others to handle. Liaodong is relatively easy to deal with, as Han Guang was already inclined to comply and was more familiar with the local situation.

However, Xiang An brought Zang Tu directly back to Linzi.

There was no other reason than that I was simply not comfortable leaving the old Yan territory in his hands any longer. Bringing it back to Linzi and making him a subject would be more useful.

Besides the geographical issues, there was also the problem of reorganizing the army. After absorbing the armies of Yan and Liaodong, the number of soldiers in Northern Chu had swelled to a staggering 250,000. However, their quality varied greatly, and there were also many internal conflicts. After all, they were originally soldiers from three different countries, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they had a blood feud with each other. In addition, mediation issues and chaotic management were also pressing problems.

While preparing for the autumn harvest and also getting ready for winter, Xiang An had to take care of all these things at the same time.

“However, the task I need you to do has little to do with the northern defense line. I can handle it.” Xiang An sat on the platform outside the main hall and beckoned to Xiao Ye, “Go get some water.”

"Yes." Xiao Ye ran off quickly, found two palace maids, and relayed Xiang An's orders.

"Go and keep an eye on the Han-Zhao battlefield." Xiang An's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Zijuan felt her breath catch in her throat, and her heart suddenly pounded violently.

“The State of Zhao is a piece of fat meat, and now it’s definitely going to be eaten.” Xiang An tilted his head slightly, his eyes half-closed, revealing a dangerous aura. “It’s just a matter of who will eat it.”

“We, the Northern Chu, have no legitimate reason to attack, so it’s unrealistic to try and take it all for ourselves. But if we share it with Han Xin, it won’t be a big problem.” Xiang An smiled and tapped his fingernail lightly on the floor. “Now that the Northern Chu and Han are directly adjacent, it’s unrealistic for even Han Xin to block the transmission of intelligence. So we can always find a way to get the intelligence.”

"His rear is very vulnerable right now. Liu Ji has a lot of troops. We have already 250,000 troops after we have dealt with three countries. Liu Ji's troops are probably more than 400,000."

"However, these troops are extremely limited in their ability to support Han Xin."

Xiang An had already led Zijuan into the main hall and arrived next to the sand table.

"Liu Ji's strategy is very clever; even my elder brother would find it difficult to deal with, but given his ideas..."

Xiang An remained silent for a moment, shook his head, took a sip of the water brought by the palace maid, and changed the subject.

"However, Liu Ji's tactics will directly lead to the endless stretching of the battle lines and the shortage of local combat power. He probably used 300,000 of his 400,000 soldiers on the border between Han and Western Chu. Therefore, he is destined not to be able to provide Han Xin with much support. Han Xin can only rely on himself."

“So, what I need you to do,” Xiang An looked at Zijuan, “is to lead the original 80,000 soldiers of Northern Chu to the battlefield of Han and Zhao, and then stand there.”

"Is that enough?" Zijuan frowned, looking at Xiang An with some confusion.

“That’s enough.” Xiang An nodded, but didn’t say a word.

Although Zijuan was quite resourceful,

Compared to Han Xin, it was far from enough.

Zijuan was no match for Han Xin.

“As long as you stand there, Han Xin will pretty much know what I want to tell him.” Xiang An smiled, rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a commander’s seal, and handed it to Zijuan.

"This subordinate obeys the order." Nodding, Zijuan took the commander's seal, fastened it to her waist, and walked out of the main hall.

After Zijuan walked out of the main hall, Liao Ye finally found an opportunity to come over.

"Your Majesty, do you think Old Han won't come back? I think if Your Majesty is willing to talk to him, he will be willing to come back."

Liao Ye hesitated before speaking.

"That's pointless; it will only damage my dignity and reputation." Xiang An shook his head and walked towards the back hall.

"Even in chaotic times, it's best to keep these things."

He has to go and handle official business.

October.

Han Xin did not disappoint the people's expectations. With a very small number of troops, he used the terrain and tactics to complete an earth-shattering battle in the mountains, which was known as the "Battle with one's back to the river".

After the decisive battle, Han Xin awaited reinforcements. With the support of Han generals such as Jin Xi and Zhou Xie, he advanced triumphantly, and after destroying the State of Wei, he successfully brought down the State of Zhao.

However, after the fall of Zhao's capital, Xin, Han Xin discovered that some people had suddenly appeared on the front lines.

Zijuan led 80,000 Northern Chu troops and appeared silently forty miles outside Xindu. She made no move, yet she made the Han army extremely nervous.

"So that's how it is, King of the North," Han Xin said, sitting on the commander's seat with a helpless smile on his face. "So that's what you were planning?"

"How despicable."

"General, what should we do now?" Kuai Ge sat to Han Xin's side, looking at him anxiously.

"What should we do? Isn't this obvious?" Han Xin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Let's make preparations; we need to send an envoy."

“Send an envoy to the Northern Chu army to find that General Zijuan.”

"Let's discuss the matter of dividing up the State of Zhao."

"General, will the Han Kingdom really send someone?" Jiang Ming stood beside Zijuan, his eyes not narrowed into a menacing shape, but rather opened normally.

"Yes." Zijuan has now learned to think for herself.

Unless Han Xin is insane and intends to fight 80,000 elite Northern Chu troops head-on without any leverage, he will definitely send someone to find her.

The Zhao state and the Northern Chu state will definitely try to take away a portion of it.

Even though they had known each other in the past and had a fairly good relationship, Zijuan had no intention of relaxing in this negotiation.

Moreover, Xiang An also sent Jiang Ming to assist her.

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Chapter 986 A Terrible Era

“We, the Northern Chu, don’t want too much. After all, we haven’t made any sacrifices on the front lines, and I’m well aware of that.” Jiang Ming sat opposite Han Xin, his face bearing the same smile he had when negotiating with King Zhao Xie.

Han Xin's face stiffened, unsure of what to say.

Should he say Xiang An is shameless or Jiang Ming is shameless?

Gently touching his forehead, Han Xin couldn't help but sigh again. When Xiang An stood in front of him, their talents were truly outstanding and they were a perfect match. But when Xiang An stood opposite him...

"I've never seen you use such petty tricks before," Han Xin muttered involuntarily.

"General Han, what did you say?" Jiang Ming didn't hear clearly and was a little confused.

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing, Lord Jiang, please continue." Han Xin blinked, a stiff smile on his face.

"Have I finished speaking? General Han, you're..." Jiang Ming spread his hands, looking completely bewildered.