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

Xiang An's plan was very clear and had a very high success rate.

They marched south to cut off Liu Ji's supply lines, drove away the troops led by Fan Hui and Ren Ao in the rear, and together with the Western Chu army on the east side, they encircled the main force of the Han army and annihilated it in one fell swoop.

but--

Xiang An had a deep understanding of the resilience of the Western Chu army.

Whether in terms of individual martial prowess or fighting will, the soldiers of Western Chu possessed extraordinary tenacity, and due to Xiang Yu's presence, their cohesion far surpassed that of the Han army.

How did we lose so quickly?

Xiang An couldn't understand it, he really couldn't understand it.

Now that Western Chu was gone, Xiang An forced himself to stand up and swayed as he walked toward the sand table.

"Xiang An, you...you need to rest." Xiang Lu stood behind Xiang An, looking at Xiang An's broad but somewhat hunched back, and called out.

"I can't rest, I can't rest." Xiang An had already gripped the edge of the sand table, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot. "I have to... find a way out!"

......

"Next... is Xiang An." Liu Ji sat in the Pengcheng military camp, closed his eyes, and murmured, "Only Xiang An is left..."

Gong Ao has already given up his land and become a Han subject.

The only remaining power in the world that has not been destroyed by the Han or surrendered to the Han is the family of Xiang An of Northern Chu.

Liu Ji was not particularly happy about completing this monumental task, comparable to that of the First Emperor.

Too many old friends and subordinates have left his side.

When Fan Hui's mutilated corpse appeared before him, he couldn't control his emotions and burst into tears.

"I'll go and try to persuade him," a minister at the head of the table said with a sigh to Liu Ji.

"Are you sure? He'll probably kill you." Liu Ji sat up straight, looked at the man clearly, and couldn't help but offer a word of advice.

"He...is very sentimental, he probably won't kill me." The man picked up his glass, took a sip, and chuckled self-deprecatingly. "...Probably."

Liu Ji looked intently into the man's eyes and saw through his true thoughts.

"Is that so...? Is that how it is?"

"Then go ahead."

"I hope you... will succeed."

The man breathed a sigh of relief, raised his head, and looked at Liu Ji with grateful eyes.

"Thank you... Your Majesty for your great favor."

His name is... Xiang Bo.

Xiang Bo, who had betrayed Western Chu, was now a Han official.

Now, I will go to the military camp of Northern Chu as an envoy.

......

Xiang An rode on the back of Tuanchi, alone at the forefront of the army, leading the Northern Chu army in a northward retreat along the Si River.

It was already June 11th.

Xiang An, looking around with a sense of weariness, glanced behind him and sighed deeply.

"Where should we go?" he murmured to himself, then looked north again.

He has already sent people to Northern Chu to request reinforcements and ensure that the main force of Northern Chu can withdraw to the north of the river.

As long as he could go back, Xiang An firmly believed that he could find a way to break the deadlock.

but......

Han Xin, who fought his way out of the Juye Marsh, thwarted Xiang An's idea.

Xiang An's escape route was blocked.

"We have no choice but to head west." Xiang An sighed. "If we launch a strong attack to the west, Xiao He will be no match for us."

“But Chen Ping’s troops have already circled back from the south, and it’s highly likely that they will take over Xiao He’s command.” Xiang Lu lowered his head, anxious but helpless.

The Han army had too many troops.

Even with extremely high casualty rates, the Han army still has at least 400,000 troops available for deployment.

Xiang An also had 210,000 men under his command.

Four hundred thousand troops have surrounded Xiang An from all sides and are about to kill him.

Just as Xiang An and Xiang Lu were discussing how to deal with the enemy, a messenger brought news.

The envoy from the Han army has arrived.

......

"Third Uncle, I really don't want to see you at this time..."

Xiang An sat in the main seat, looking at the so-called "Han envoy" standing in the center of the tent.

That is, Xiang Bo, whom we haven't seen for a long time.

"Third Brother...why is it you?" Xiang Lu also asked, his head down, not looking at Xiang Bo.

"...Is it surprising?" Xiang Bo had a seemingly relaxed smile on his face. "After all, I am no longer a subject of Chu, but a subject of Han."

Xiang An's hand suddenly clenched, making a teeth-grinding sound as his skin stretched.

"...You betrayed us."

"They betrayed me, they betrayed the King of Western Chu."

"is it?"

Xiang An looked at Xiang Bo and asked in a compelling tone.

"I didn't come here to discuss this with you, Xiang An." Xiang Bo shook his head, not caring about so much, and sat down on the ground, looking very casual, with his usual gentle smile on his face.

"Then tell me, what do you want to say to me on behalf of Liu Ji?" Xiang An asked in a deep voice.

"I've come to persuade you to surrender," Xiang Bo said calmly.

"...What?" Xiang An thought he had misheard.

"I've come to persuade you to surrender," Xiang Bo repeated.

Xiang An didn't speak again, but looking at Xiang Bo's calm expression, he felt a burning sensation in his chest again.

"Surrender to the Han, Xiang An." A trace of sadness finally appeared on Xiang Bo's face.

“Your older brother is dead... I don’t want you to suffer the same fate.”

"My older brother... is dead?" Xiang An's face showed a look of astonishment and disbelief.

Is Xiang Yu dead?

How could he have died?

"In the Battle of Gaixia, your elder brother was defeated. Most of his army perished on the main battlefield. He led a few hundred men and fled south. Finally, he was caught up by the Han army on the banks of the river, and then... he committed suicide." Xiang Bo recounted calmly.

"Ugh—whoa..." Xiang An clutched his chest, spitting out another mouthful of blood. "Cough cough—um—..."

"How could he die? He... how could he die!?"

Xiang An lay on the table, staring at the pool of dark red blood, his whole body trembling. Tong Kong shook violently, muttering the same sentence.

Yawen Bar

"How could he...?"

"Xiang An, so you see, your older brother is already like this, why don't you just—"

"Shut up!

"!" Xiang An suddenly roared.

stop--

The eight-sided sword was thrown straight out by Xiang An.

puff-

It pierced right through Xiang Bo and landed on the ground at the entrance of the camp.

"Pfft—Ugh..." Xiang An looked at Xiang Bo, whose face was filled with astonishment but slowly turned into a smile as he fell to the ground. The things in front of him began to blur once again.

"Xiang An! Xiang An!"

! ”

All that could be heard was Xiang Lu's terrified screams.

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

Chapter 998 Ode to Homecoming (3000)

Xiang An killed Xiang Bo, and then fainted.

This coma lasted for more than a day and a night.

His injuries had already affected his internal organs, and in the past two days he had been repeatedly aggravated by them, in addition to the great fatigue he had accumulated over the years since the founding of the Northern Chu Kingdom.

It's already a miracle that he was only unconscious for a day and a night.

When he opened his eyes, Xiang Lu was sitting next to him.

“...Fourth Uncle…” Xiang An called out.

"Don't speak yet, have some water." Xiang Lu said with a sorrowful expression, handing Xiang An a glass of water.

Xiang An didn't move, letting Xiang Lu feed him water. He swallowed it with difficulty, his throat twitching.

"Cough-cough-"

But I still choked.

He didn't pay attention and just struggled to sit up.