The distance is too far, and the traffic is very seriously blocked, regarding the matter of Emperor Chuyi's bear heart, Xiang Kang can only lead his accomplices and lackeys to deduce as carefully as possible, and the arrangements are reliable or must be carried out by manpower, and then there is no way to influence the development of the situation, and honestly hide in the pass and wait for the news to reply.

During this period, of course, the Han army seized the time to complete the established expansion plan, recruited troops, recruited and surrendered soldiers, and expanded the more than 30,000 troops at the time of entering the customs to as many as 150,000 in one go, and relied on the huge treasury left by Qin Shi Huang and Hu Hai, and it didn't take much effort to complete the new army, but it was a pity that the soldiers still lacked training, and they could not immediately form sufficient combat effectiveness for the time being, and the Han army had to take over the Qin court to take over the heavy task of resisting the Xiongnu, and it was necessary to leave enough troops to guard in Longxi, Jiuyuan and Yunzhong County, Therefore, the mobile army that the Han army can really use to dominate the Central Plains is only about 100,000 at most, and the overall number of troops is still not as good as the Western Chu army and Zhao Qi.

The lack of sufficient troops has a lot to do with the internal policy of the Han army, Xiang Kang has never liked to be a person who is reckless and indiscriminate, and the decision-making level of the Han army also unanimously decided that the land of Guanzhong, Hanzhong and Bashu should be regarded as a large rear construction, and did not recruit men of appropriate age to enlist in the army and fish, and carefully left a large number of labor force for the people to produce and build, and the result was not without returns, in the case of sufficient manpower to cultivate, the Han army controlled the land that was not greatly damaged by the war, This year is almost certainly a good year, with a large supply of grain and grass at the time of the autumn harvest, laying the foundation for the Han army to dominate the world in terms of food.

In addition, Xiang Kang is most concerned about the promotion of new agricultural tools and the reform of staple food work has also been carried out very smoothly, the Quyuan plough and manpower plough invented in advance have just begun to be popularized to the people, and soon received the applause of the landlords and people in Guanzhong, and the farming technology has directly improved a lot, and the spring ploughing in the coming year will definitely make extensive use of these advanced agricultural tools. When each kiosk was compulsorily equipped with a stone mill for the people to use for free, steamed buns, pancakes and knife-cut noodles and other pasta were also welcomed by the Han people at lightning speed, and wheat, which was originally only a supplementary food, also rose and quickly became one of the staple foods of the Han people, which largely stabilized the price of rice in the Han region and reduced the cost of living for the poor people.

In addition, the soldiers in the Han army also enjoyed the blessings, especially when the army was training, the soldiers of the Han army no longer had to eat only what sun-dried rice or slimy yellow rice balls, directly gnawed on the steamed bread pancakes, and sometimes they could eat steamed buns made of fermented flour to beat the tooth sacrifice, the quality of the diet rose sharply, and almost everyone applauded the soldiers of the Han army, and at the same time, the advantages of flour products to satisfy hunger and endure hunger were gradually reflected in the army training.

There are still thorny problems for the decision-makers of the Han army, first of all, the attachment of the people's hearts is not enough, without Xiang Yukeng's killing of Qin pawns and the burning of Xianyang, the people of Qin lack a unified hatred target, so it is naturally not so easy to accept Xiang Kang as an outsider. Secondly, the core backbone of the Han army is almost all people from outside Guanzhong, who are far away from their hometown and relatives and settle in Guanzhong, saying that there is no homesickness is self-deception, and it also affects the morale of the Han army to a certain extent. The third is that there are still many remnants of the Qin court who are nostalgic for the previous dynasty and have become time bombs ambushed within the Han army.

In this regard, Xiang Kang did not have any particularly effective methods, but only to make a fuss about leniency in criminal law and reduction of forced labor, completely abolishing the harsh Qin law that had been revised beyond recognition by Zhao Gao, and reformulating the simple and relatively moderate Qin law, and at the same time stopping all unnecessary civil engineering works to reduce the burden of forced labor on the people in Qin, so as to appease the people and buy the hearts of the people.

In addition, Xiang Kang also sacrificed his own enjoyment, sealed all the palaces in Guanzhong except Xianyang Palace, abolished the Shangyuan Royal Park, which specializes in raising rare birds and beasts, minimized the palace expenses, indirectly reduced the burden on the people, and released all the palace maids except Xianyang Palace back to the people, and tried to marry these young and beautiful palace maids to the soldiers of the Han army, which not only won the hearts of the army, but also reduced the burden of money and food and increased the population. - Because of this matter, Xiang Kang was also beaten behind his back by Wei Yuan, one of his mother-in-law, "I was born poor, and I don't know how to enjoy myself if I have a palace, don't you give one to my aunt!" ”

In terms of military morale, Xiang Kang also promised in public that sooner or later he would break out of Guanzhong to rescue the families and relatives of the Han soldiers or let the Han soldiers return to their hometowns and settle down. As for the remnants of the Qin court, Xiang Kang was ruthless, once he found a rebel, he would immediately kill him, and he would never forgive, and at the same time reward and appoint the old ministers of the Qin court who were really willing to serve him, carrots and sticks, desperately dividing and encircling the remnants of the Qin court. Of course, this is destined to produce slow results, and it is destined to be a long way to go to completely eliminate the influence of the Qin court.

The external environment of the Han army is also not optimistic, because the Nanyang Han army was destroyed too quickly, Xiang Kang's plan to leave a broken Nanyang to Liu Laosan was greatly affected, and a large number of people and money and food could not be evacuated or transferred in time, so that Liu Laosan successfully obtained most of Nanyang, which was not damaged by the war, and became a sharp knife against Xiang Kang's waist. After Yingbu went south to Nanjun, he also quickly controlled large areas of land such as Nanjun and Changsha, which were in a semi-blank state, and also became a threat to Xiang Kang's side.

The same is true for the northern front, Sima Xin, who successfully took Taiyuan County, has a close relationship with Xiang Yu, and there is almost no possibility of reconciliation with the Han army; Zhang Han, who has successfully won Yanmen, is a target that can be fought for, but whether he can win over Xiang Kang is not so sure; Not to mention Dong Peng, the fiefdom is currently all in the hands of the Han army, and it is destined to be incompatible with the Han army, and it is only a matter of time before you fight to the death.

Needless to say, the situation on the eastern front is the worst, Sima Wei's ass has always been firmly on Xiang Yu's side, although he has no plans to start a war with Xiang Kang for the time being, but when Xiang Yu moves eastward, Sima Wei's army is almost determined to fight side by side with Xiang Yu. At the same time, Shenyang, who was beside Sima Wei, was also one of the hidden dangers of the Han army's eastern front.

The only ally, Zhao Guo, was also constantly disgusted with Xiang Kang, openly coerced Xiang Kang to recognize Zhao's territorial claims to Shangdang County, and resolutely asked Xiang Kang to send troops north to attack the coalition forces of Sima Xin and Zhang Han and others.

In the face of such a harsh external environment, Xiang Kang certainly hoped that his plan would succeed and successfully prompt his cousin Xiang Yu to directly kill Xiong Xin as in history, so that he could gain a broader diplomatic space. The result is also that the sky has no eyes, promoting evil and bullying good, and just received the news that Zhang Han and Dong Peng's coalition army successfully took Daijun, and before Xiang Kang lost Daijun, Zhao Guo would definitely fall to Xiang Yu and be worried, and the good news came from outside the gate that Xiong Xin died of a violent illness.

"Died of a violent illness? Died of a violent illness? Xiang Kang first shouted twice, and then laughed wildly and said: "My brother has really grown a little, and he even knows how to find an excuse to cover up!" If a person dies of a violent illness, I don't believe it, the paper will definitely be able to contain the fire, and the truth will not be revealed to the world that day? ”

Overjoyed, Xiang Kang did not hesitate, and immediately announced the good news to a few of his cronies, but Chen Ping and Zhou Zeng and other insiders were of course overjoyed when they heard it, knowing that the general trend of the world would soon turn to the benefit of the Han army, Zhang Liang, who still didn't know that he had sent a messenger to Xiang Bo, was inexplicable, and said in surprise: "How is this possible?" Emperor Yi was only seventeen or eighteen years old, how could he die so suddenly? ”

"Mr. Zifang, this is all thanks to you!"

Xiang Kang was no longer obscure, and finally told Zhang Liang carefully about the causes and consequences of sending someone to pretend to be Zhang Liang's messenger to contact Master Xiang Boxiang, Zhang Liang was dumbfounded when he heard it, and after a while, he said helplessly: "King, the next time you do this kind of thing, can you tell the foreign minister first?" ”

"Mr. Zifang forgives the sin, first, you were still in Hanzhong at the time, and it was too late to ask for your consent." Xiang Kang smiled and apologized: "In addition, I am also a little worried that you are afraid of King Han's safety and are unwilling to do this, so I will cut it first and then pretend to be your reputation, please don't mind." ”

After that, Xiang Kang hurriedly said: "But Mr. Zifang, don't worry, in the letter to my Uncle Ji, I used your reputation to intercede for King Han, and also hinted that he said that you are willing to continue to serve as an internal response to the Western Chu army, so that King Han will not die." If nothing else, my brother and my Uncle Ji will definitely not poison King Han again, and will only treat him like a baby. ”

Zhang Liang didn't answer, but after thinking carefully for a long time, Zhang Liang said: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, it stands to reason that King Han should only be safer." But King Han, have you ever considered the dangerous consequences of doing so? ”

"What dangerous consequences?" Xiang Kang Yileng.

Zhang Liang sighed lightly, and then said: "The Han King's clever plan is indeed clever, and the foreign ministers can be sure that it must be because the uncle hated the Emperor Yi for agreeing to help you kill him, so he strongly encouraged the King of Western Chu to kill the Emperor Yi recklessly." But the King of Han must not forget that the King of Western Chu is not without capable people around him, and he will not fail to tell the King of Western Chu about the adverse consequences of killing the Yi Emperor, with the temper and character of the King of Western Chu, he will definitely be extremely tough in his mouth, and he will not admit his mistakes to death, but he may not regret it in his heart. ”

"If the king of Xichu regrets it in his heart, then someone will definitely be unlucky." Zhang Liang smiled and continued: "The king of Western Chu regrets it in his heart, so he must find a punching bag to vent his fire, King Han thinks, who is most likely to become the punching bag of the king of Western Chu?" ”

Xiang Kang's face suddenly changed, and he knew that Xiang Yu would definitely use his cousin, who was full of evil, as a punching bag. Zhang Liang took the opportunity to take revenge on Xiang Kang for ruining his reputation, and said with a smile: "Estimate the time, even if the injury of the King of Western Chu is not completely healed, at least it will not affect the battle of the army." Now the princes outside the pass are either afraid of his might, or they are trying to take advantage of the fire to rob, or they are like Liu Ji, afraid that you will retaliate in the future. ”

Xiang Kang's face was no longer half happy, and his expression began to cry, but Zhang Liang gloated more and more, and said: "If the King of Han asked the foreign minister's opinion at that time, then the foreign minister would definitely advise you a few words, so that you don't anger the king of Western Chu so quickly." ”

"Because of the current situation, the later the king of Western Chu sends troops to Guanzhong, the more favorable the situation in the world will be for you, and the reason is also very simple, the princes outside the gate are not evenly matched, and the longer the time drags on, the easier it is to give rise to contradictions, so that the King of Han You have the opportunity to break them all like cleaning up Wei Bao and Chai Wu, even if the king of Western Chu forcibly unites them, the princes outside the Guanxi will also be like scattered sand because of various internal contradictions and different interests, reduce your pressure."

"But now it's a completely different story." Zhang Liang smiled more and more gloatingly, and said: "Sima Xin, Liu Ji, Yingbu and Shenyang, these princes and kings have just won their fiefdoms, and their enterprising spirit is still very strong, and they definitely want to fight into the pass to grab as much oil and water as possible. Dong Fei stared at your Shangjun and the northern land, although Zhang Han understood that you wanted to win him over, he was afraid that the King of Western Chu would not make up his mind easily, Zhao Guo was angry that you didn't help them save Taiyuan and Daijun, and Sima Wei, who was sandwiched in the middle, didn't dare to offend the King of Western Chu, when they came together with the King of Western Chu, how do you plan to resist it, King? ”

Zhang Liang's strategic vision is indeed far longer than Xiang Kang, Xiang Kang is face is like dirt, he has to regret his rush, prematurely angered his grumpy cousin, did not leave himself too much buffer preparation time, Chen Ping and Zhou Zeng next to him also looked at each other, and only then did he find that he was too anxious, only thinking about eliminating Xiang Yu's coercion of heaven to give the princes an advantage, but forgetting that the initiative was still on Xiang Yu's side, Xiang Yu launched a surge, Xiang Kang is currently very difficult to resist.

It's still okay, Zhang Liang is no longer as dissatisfied with Xiang Kang's belly as before, and after gloating, Zhang Liang said again: "But King Han doesn't have to worry, now you still have a chance to make amends, you can temporarily stabilize the King of Western Chu and let him sprinkle his anger on others." ”

"Mr. Zifang, how can Xiao Wang make amends?" Xiang Kang hurriedly asked.

"Of course, hurry up and set up an enemy for the King of Western Chu, and let him bear the monstrous anger of the King of Western Chu for you." Zhang Liang said in a deep voice: "This enemy is also an ally that the foreign minister has planned for you a long time ago, but the time is not ripe enough, so I didn't mention it in front of you, King Han, but in the current situation, King Han, you can only quickly pull them out to share the pressure for you." ”

"What Mr. Zifang said, could it be Tian Shi and Tian Rong of Qi State?" Chen Ping took over the conversation and asked quietly.

"It's them." Zhang Liang nodded solemnly and said: "Tian Shi and Tian Rong are each the king of Qi and Qi Xiang, but when the king of Western Chu divided the princes in Luoyang, he deprived them of the title of king of Qi, changed their title to the king of Jiaodong, and sealed Tiandu as the king of Qi, and mastered the anointed land of Qi, they must hate the king of Western Chu to the bone, as long as they have the opportunity, they will definitely send troops to attack the back of the king of Western Chu." ”

"Since it is very likely that the king of Western Chu will send troops to Guanzhong now, the king of Han should quickly send envoys to contact them, conclude an alliance with them, and agree to attack the Western Chu army before and after, so that when the king of Western Chu sends troops to the west, take the opportunity to send troops to attack Pengcheng, so that the king of Western Chu will be embarrassed, and the king of Western Chu will be furious when he hears the news, and he will definitely give priority to sending troops to attack Tianrong in Tianshi, which is close at hand, and you can also take the opportunity to win the time to join forces and divide the princes outside the Guan."

Xiang Kang listened carefully, and only after Zhang Liang finished speaking, Xiang Kang said: "The method is a good way, Tian Shi and Tian Rong are indeed our natural allies, and there is a great hope to win them over, but I am afraid it will be too late in time." Also, how can we let my brother know about this, and do we want to ask you, Mr. Zifang, to come forward and tell the truth? ”

"Whistleblowing, just do it once in a while, the foreign minister will send someone to tell the secret about everything, and the king of Western Chu will become suspicious sooner or later, so let the foreign minister, a traitor, stay for the time being, and then serve the king of Western Chu in the future."

Zhang Liang smiled again, and then said, "King, didn't you receive an urgent report today, saying that Daijun has been lost?" Take this opportunity, quickly send envoys to contact Tian City and Tian Rong through Zhao State, when your envoys pass by Zhao State, Zhao State hates you for not saving them, and is anxious to curry favor with the King of Western Chu who has changed his mind and forgiven them, and will definitely take down your envoy and dedicate it to the King of Western Chu. ”

Xiang Kang finally turned his worries into joy, and laughed: "It's a shame that your Mr. Zifang still claims to be not good at scheming, and this conspiracy of yours is much more effective than ours." ”

Zhang Liang smiled slightly, then changed his serious face and said: "King Han, among the princes in the world, I am afraid that only Tian Shi and Tian Rong will be determined to help you deal with the King of Western Chu, so no matter what, this time you must not save Tian Shi and Tian Rong when they see death, as long as it is confirmed that the King of Western Chu sent troops to crusade against them, you must immediately take corresponding actions, send troops to attack the princes around you who are resolutely on the side of the King of Western Chu, and force him to ask for help from the King of Western Chu." In this way, it can not only reduce the pressure on Tian Shi and Tian Rong, so that they can contain the King of Western Chu for you for a long time, but also let the princes around you take a look and help the King of Western Chu to fight against you, what kind of fate will it be! ”

Xiang Kang nodded immediately without thinking about it, and then hurriedly said: "Mr. Zifang, I must be a villain first, and I will confess my guilt to you, the road leading to Nanyang in Guanzhong is too narrow and long, the transportation of grain and grass is difficult, and Liu Jipifu is too treacherous, even if I send troops to Liwei, it is unlikely that I will choose to send troops to Nanyang to rescue King Han for you as soon as possible." ”

"The king doesn't need to explain, the ministers understand your troubles." Zhang Liang was still extremely good at talking, and said: "How to save King Han, the foreign minister also has a little idea in his heart, but the time is not ripe enough, when the time is ripe, the foreign minister will ask the king of Han to help." ”

Xiang Kang hurriedly agreed, patted his chest and promised that he would do his best to help Zhang Liang rescue Han Cheng, and then Xiang Kang hurriedly discussed carefully with Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, and decided on a plan to send Jiaodong to cause trouble to the east, and arranged for people to implement it.

In the end, it was only after sending the envoy to Jiaodong that Xiang Kang suddenly remembered something and said secretly: "Is it too much?" I'm afraid that the average casualty rate of the envoys I sent out was already higher than that of the first dead soldiers who besieged the city? If this continues, who else will dare to be a messenger for me? ”

After discovering that it seemed that something was wrong with what he did, Xiang Kang quickly made up his mind, and decided to add some more bereavement benefits to the families of the envoys of the Han army and the young marshal army who had sacrificed for him, and by the way, to see if there were any of their female dependents who were equivalent to his age and appearance, and then take care of them personally, so that the envoys he would send out in the future could worry about the future and serve and sacrifice their lives with confidence.

By the way, it is not that Xiang Kang is lustful at this point, but that Zhang Liang, Zhou Zeng and others have already woken up Xiang Kang in a roundabout way, and persuaded Xiang Kang to work harder at night and get more children out, and then he can use his children's relatives, or entrap his cronies, or make good alliances with princes, so as to increase the cohesion of the Han army and Xiang Kang's political bargaining chips.