Xiong Xin, the great-grandson of King Chu Huai, who was full of cowardice and timid appearance, successfully deceived Xiang Liang, the old Jianghu, so that Xiang Liang felt that he was easier to fool and bully at first sight, and immediately completely made up his mind to support Xiong Xin as the king of Chu. However, out of the righteousness of the monarch and the ministers, Xiang Liang still pretended to convene the Chu army and the civil and military forces to solicit everyone's opinions on this matter.

Because Xiang Liang showed his attitude as soon as he came up, he said that he was optimistic about Xiong Xin, so the so-called soliciting everyone's opinions was purely a formality, including Song Yi and Jing Ju did not dare to take a breath, and they all raised their hands with a smile and expressed their willingness to support Xiong Xin as the king, Xiang Liang made a decision on the spot again, and said loudly: "Since everyone has no opinion, they all think that Xiong Xin Gongzi should be the king, then it is so decided, immediately prepare a high altar, ask Xiong Xin Gongzi to fast and bathe, and hold an enthronement ceremony for Xiong Xin Gongzi in the suburbs of Pengcheng five days later." ”

Xiong Xin is indeed difficult to pretend, even if Xiang Liang has already made a decision to support him as the king of Chu, after learning the news, Xiong Xin still shook his head again and again to refuse, and cautiously begged Xiang Liang to find other more virtuous descendants of the king of Chu to support him, and finally Xiang Liang took the Chu army to plead again and again, Xiong Xin pretended to be very reluctant to agree to be the king.

Five days later, Xiong Xin's enthronement ceremony was held in the suburbs of Pengcheng as scheduled, and the enthronement ceremony of the King of Chu, who had not been forgotten by Xiang Liang and Song Yi and others, was extremely cumbersome, just waiting for Xiong Xin to ascend the altar waited for more than two hours, and then waited for Xiong Xin to worship the gods and ancestors in order, officially sat on the throne, and accepted the congratulations of the ministers and envoys of various countries, and most of the day had passed. But fortunately, Xiang Kang is not in vain, in addition to being officially named the right general and Lanling Jun by the orthodox Chu royal family, Lanling was also given to Xiang Kang as a fief by Xiong Xin. The other Chu military civil and military forces also had their own promotions, and they were all awarded official positions in the Chu State, which was barely a big joy.

After going through the scene of claiming the king and re-establishing the Chu regime, the first thing Xiang Liang did was to implore Xiong Xin to take Xutai as the national capital, and ask Xiong Xin to move to Xutai, although Xiong Xin understood that Xiang Liang was crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, and after using his bloodline, he sent himself to a remote place to avoid being an eyesore, but he still did not dare to object, and immediately agreed with a smile, and two days later led a group of civil and military officials arranged by Xiang Liang for him to go to Xutai to build the capital.

After Xiong Xin left, Xiang Liang fulfilled his promise and borrowed the place to let Han Cheng and Wei Bao also hold a ceremony to claim the king in Pengcheng, and set themselves up as the king of Han and the king of Wei respectively, and then Xiang Liang also allocated another 1,200 troops to Han Cheng to act as the Korean army, and let Han Cheng and Zhang Liang take this army west into Han to seize the old land. Although Han Cheng was too little, he didn't dare to be wordy, so he could only obediently thank Xiang Liang for his great kindness.

Although it was clear that Xiang Liang didn't take Han Cheng seriously at all, and it would definitely be difficult for an army in his early 1,000s to open up a decent situation under the noses of Zhang Han and Li You, in order to facilitate Zhang Liang in the future, Xiang Kang, who was unwilling to give up on Zhang Liang, still took time to go to the newly established Han army camp for a walk, and came to contact Han Cheng and Zhang Liang with the sign of congratulating Han Cheng on becoming king, so that he could try to recruit Zhang Liang when he had the opportunity in the future.

Knowing what Xiang Kang's status was in the Chu army, Han Cheng personally went out of the camp to welcome Xiang Kang's arrival, and invited him into the camp to set up a banquet to entertain him, while Xiang Kang pretended to offer rich gifts to Han Cheng and Zhang Liang, and asked Han Cheng and Zhang Liang how they planned to open up the situation after returning to Han Land. As a result, Han Cheng replied very honestly: "Don't hide it from the right general, this king and Zhang Situ plan to return to Han by way of Chen County, and try to recruit the lost soldiers of Zhang Chu's army on the way, and take them to the south of Yingchuan to see if there are any cities with weak defenders of the violent Qin army that can be captured, first establish a little foundation, and then try to recover the lost land." ”

"The king is really pragmatic." Xiang Kang casually praised and said: "Yes, as far as your current situation is concerned, you can't rush to success, only by strengthening the army first and establishing a foundation is the best policy to restore the country." Moreover, in the territory of Chen County, there are indeed many old soldiers of Zhang Chu who are living among the people, and the king you hold high the banner of the king of Han to recruit them, in order to avenge the king of Chen and find the tyrannical Qin to settle accounts, they will inevitably be attached one after another, so that the king can quickly expand the army. ”

After that, Xiang Kang, who was actually coming for Zhang Liang, deliberately turned to Zhang Liang again, and asked with a smile: "Uncle Zhang, this must be your clever strategy, right?" ”

"General Right has misunderstood, this is a decision made by our king himself."

Zhang Liang smiled politely and gave an answer that surprised Xiang Kang. Han Cheng next to him refused to be greedy, and took the initiative to say: "This matter is indeed determined by this king, but this method was not thought up by this king, it was my cousin Han Xin's idea for me." ”

"Han Shin?!" Xiang Kang's surprise was not trivial, and he asked in surprise: "Wang, Mr. Han Xin is your cousin?" ”

"General Right, do you know my cousin Han Xin?" Han Cheng was stunned by Xiang Kang.

"I've heard his name." Xiang Kang asked very eagerly, "Wang, where is your cousin Mr. Han Xin now?" Could you please come out and let me see him? ”

"It's very unfortunate that Brother Xin's brother is still in Yingchuan." Han Cheng replied truthfully: "When Wu Xinjun's envoy found me, although Brother Xinjun was by my side and also gave me the idea of borrowing troops from Wu Xinjun to restore the country, he did not come to Pengcheng with me, and stayed in Yingchuan to contact other Korean old people for me, preparing to raise troops when I returned to Yingchuan. So I can't, I can't invite him to meet with General Right right now. ”

Xiang Kang was dumbfounded, the history was too sparse, Xiang Kang only knew that Han Xin, who was known as a soldier immortal, was a descendant of the nobility, first the queen of Qi and then the king of Chu, and later was demoted to the marquis of Huaiyin, but he didn't know whether Han Xin was from there and was a descendant of the nobility of that country, so after coming to this era, although Xiang Kang also wanted to find Han Xin out as an accomplice and lackey, but because he had long forgotten Han Xin's origin and hometown, he had no way to start. But Xiang Kang said that he didn't expect that the famous Han Xin turned out to be Han Cheng's cousin who he looked down on at all, and he still lived in Yingchuan County, which was once not far from him.

It's too late to regret knowing the truth, Pengcheng is too far away from Yingchuan, and Han Xin, who is a descendant of the Korean royal family, will definitely only give priority to Han Cheng's help, so Xiang Kang had no choice but to endure the saliva that was about to flow out of his mouth, and expressed his appreciation and love for Han Xin to Han Cheng, and asked Han Cheng to tell Han Xin his thoughts, and at the same time, in order to please Han Cheng, Xiang Kang, who has always been picky, has a rare iron rooster plucking, and took the initiative to give Han Cheng a hundred good steel knives to help Han Cheng strengthen the army.

was baffled by Xiang Kang's sudden extremely affectionate attitude, and at the same time, Han Cheng also broke his head and couldn't understand how his cousin Han Cheng could have such a big reputation, and he could make the notorious Xiang Kang value it so much, but this was a good thing after all, so Han Cheng nodded again and again, and constantly thanked Xiang Kang who took the initiative to send the knife, and put down his identity, repeatedly raised a glass to toast Xiang Kang, and then when Xiang Kang was full of wine and food and asked to leave, Han Cheng also personally sent Xiang Kang out of the Han military camp gate.

On the way back to the army camp, Xiang Kang, who finally found Han Xin's whereabouts, was of course quite excited, and couldn't wait to figure out how to win Han Cheng's cousin Han Xin over. However, what made Xiang Kang even happier was still behind, he didn't go far from the Korean army camp, and Zhang Liang, who had been quite cold to himself before, actually caught up with him in person and took the initiative to invite Xiang Kang to stop and talk.

In order to facilitate the future acquisition of Zhang Liang, Xiang Kang of course accepted Zhang Liang's request very happily, but unfortunately, after stopping Xiang Kang, Zhang Liang did not express any intention to follow Xiang Kang, just hugged his fists and said: "General Right, there is something to ask for in the future, and please be sure to do us a favor to the Korean army." ”

"Uncle, please tell me something." Xiang Kang replied: "As long as the little nephew can do it, he will do his best." ”

"Then thank you General Right." Zhang Liang thanked him first, and then said: "General Right, if it is convenient, please be sure to speak in front of Wu Xinjun, let the Chu army move as soon as possible, and don't blindly gather troops in Pengcheng and stand still." ”

"Let's move the army of Chu as soon as possible? Uncle, what do you mean by that? Xiang Kang asked suspiciously.

"To tell you the truth, I want to use your country's military might to try to share some of the pressure for our South Korean army." Zhang Liang said very directly, and his tone was also very sincere, and said: "The current situation of the Korean army, General You, you should also know in your heart, even if we return to Han by means of Chen County, and collect the remnants left by Zhang Chu's army along the way, it will be difficult to grow the army to any extent for a while, and Han Di is close to the area of Chenliu, where the main force of the tyrannical Qin is currently stationed, if Zhang Handpifu continues to garrison Chen Liu, even if he only sends a partial division, he can nip our Korean army in the bud at any time." ”

"So for our king and our army, the only chance is to count on Zhang Handpifu to go all out and leave us a little chance to recover the Korean land." Zhang Liang continued: "Your army is strong and strong, and you have successfully leveled Zhang Han in Dangjun, Zhang Han will inevitably regard your army as a great enemy of life and death, if your army makes a move, Zhang Han will inevitably move randomly, so Zhang Liang is cheeky and wants to ask your army to temporarily contain Zhang Han's main force for our army." ”

Speaking of this, Zhang Liang said more directly: "Although Zhang Liang's move is to use your army, but it is also for the sake of your army, although Pengcheng is good, but if your army is conservative, does not think about expanding its territory, and takes the initiative to attack, then it will not be long before it will inevitably cause military discipline to be sluggish, people's hearts are scattered, and combat effectiveness will decline, which is extremely unfavorable to your army's recovery of all the old land of Chu. Therefore, Zhang Liang implored General Right to do us a small favor for the sake of your army. ”

Xiang Kang pondered, and after a while, he smiled and said: "Uncle Zhang, my little nephew thinks that you are a little unfounded, if my uncle is a person who is greedy for pleasure, how can he support Xiong Xingongzi, a descendant of King Chu, as the king?" Wouldn't it be better to set himself up as the king and set the capital in Pengcheng? So the little nephew thinks you don't have to worry, it won't be long before my uncle will definitely make a move. ”

"General Right, it's definitely not unfounded that you're worried about it." Zhang Liang smiled bitterly and said: "Don't hide it from General You, your third uncle has been instigating your second uncle to continue to stand still, sit and watch the other five countries fight with the Tyrannical Qin, and wait for the other five countries to fight with the Tyrannical Qin army, and then take action to collect the benefits of the fisherman." In the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain, I am afraid that there are many people in your army who have this idea, once they say that Wu Xinjun acts like this, the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, Zhang Liang had no choice but to ask General Right to speak on your behalf in front of Wu Xinjun, and asked Wu Xinjun not to hold back, giving the tyrannical Qin army a chance to calmly defeat the armies of the other five countries. ”

Xiang Kang pondered, and said with a wry smile after a while: "It seems that I will offend the third uncle again this time, okay, Uncle Zhang, I promise you, as long as there is a chance, I will definitely persuade the second uncle to move as soon as possible." ”

Knowing that Xiang Kang was a little trustworthy when he spoke, Zhang Liang hurriedly thanked Xiang Kang, Xiang Kang returned the salute, and said quite sincerely: "Uncle, the little nephew doesn't know your noble status, and he is disrespectful to you, please don't mind uncle." The little nephew can swear to God, in fact, I have always been full of respect for you, and I only hate not having the opportunity to talk deeply with you and accept your earnest teachings. In the future, if there is a chance, please ask your uncle to be sure to give advice to the little nephew, and the little nephew will definitely obey his words. ”

"General Right, don't be polite." Zhang Liang bowed his hand again and said more sincerely: "In fact, Zhang Liang also knows very well in his heart that General Right refused to communicate with me before, the reason is not that General Right has no one in your eyes and does not respect the elders, but because of other special reasons, Zhang Liang will definitely not mind." Let's let the past pass forever. ”

After that, Zhang Liang also bowed deeply to Xiang Kang, Xiang Kang hurriedly bowed and returned the salute, and erased the unhappy things in the past with the notoriously broad-minded Zhang Liang - but unfortunately, Xiang Kang still did not have the opportunity to recruit Zhang Liang to be his accomplice.

After this matter was settled, two days later, Han Cheng and Zhang Liang took the more than 1,000 troops sent to them by Xiang Liang and went westward, passing through Xiangxian and Chengfu to march to Chen County. At the same time, after resting for nearly a month, the Chu army also successfully completed the reorganization and merger, replenished the weapons and baggage, and basically restored its combat effectiveness, so within the Chu army, there were gradually voices that continued to expand.

Those who advocated the rapid expansion and use of troops were the militants Xiang Yu, Fan Laotou, Huan Chu and others, who all believed that they should take advantage of the opportunity of Zhang Han's main force far away in the Chenliu area, and quickly take down as much as possible the surrounding cities and lands that were still controlled by the Qin army, and further expand their territory and strength, so as to meet the decisive battle with the main force of the Qin army in the future.

The selfish Xiang Bo, Song Yi and others resolutely advocated continuing to hold on, and felt that they should strike later, try to let the armies of the other five countries consume Zhang Han's strength first, and wait for the other five countries and the Qin army to lose both, and then reach out to pick peaches. The people of the two factions each said that they had their own reasons, and they argued endlessly in front of Xiang Liang, and there were several disputes.

Xiang Liang was obviously a little hesitant in this matter, and he didn't make up his mind for a long time, but Xiang Kang was observant of his words, until Xiang Liang's attitude was slightly inclined to continue to expand, Xiang Kang stood up and fanned the flames, and said to Xiang Liang: "Wu Xinjun, the last general thinks that General Xiang Yu and Yafu's words are quite reasonable, since ancient times, they have been sailing against the current, and if they don't advance, they will retreat, and they will sit and watch the five countries fight against the tyrannical Qin, although it is also a good idea." However, if we have been blindly conservative for a long time, our soldiers will inevitably lose their morale and lose their spirit, and at the same time, they will miss the rare opportunity to continue to grow in strength and expand the army, which is a great pity for our army. ”

"So, Kang'er, you also advocate expanding as much as possible?" Xiang Liang asked.

"No, the little nephew is just advocating limited expansion." Xiang Kang said: "The last general suggested that the main force of our army might as well continue to garrison Pengcheng, prepare for war, and only send partial divisions to attack and seize the surrounding cities and lands that are still controlled by the Tyrannical Qin army, so that we don't have to miss the opportunity to expand, and we can monitor every move of the main force of the Tyrant Qin from afar, and wait for the main force of the Tyranny Qin to make a move, and then see the opportunity or move to create a fighter to break the enemy." ”

"It makes sense." Xiang Liang finally nodded and said: "The tyrannical Qin army around us is just some county soldiers and county soldiers, if the main force is dispatched to deal with them, it will inevitably kill chickens with knives, empty labor and military strength, and waste countless grain and grass military supplies in vain." Rather than this, it is better to send a partial army to attack and sweep and seize the land of these cities. ”

"Brother, don't do it!" Xiang Bo stood up and shouted loudly, saying: "Chen Liu, the main force of the Tyrannical Qin, is obviously preparing to advance eastward at any time and launch an attack on our army. If our army sends a partial division to attack, the violent Qin army will inevitably take advantage of the situation, march east to fight a decisive battle with our army, or directly take Pengcheng, or attack our army's partial division, in this way, wouldn't it become our Chu army to resist the violent Qin alone, and cheapen the armies of the other five countries in vain? ”

"Why is Master Xiang so short-sighted?" Old man Fan opened his mouth unceremoniously and shouted: "Master, you only want to use the strength of the five countries to consume the Tyrannical Qin, how can you forget that if the Tyrannical Qin army destroys the other five countries and raises the army of the country to fight the Chu State, how can we contend with it?" ”

Roared at Xiang Bo, Old Man Fan bowed his hand to Xiang Liang and said: "Wu Xinjun, the lower officials are foolish, attacking the surrounding cities with partial divisions, although it is possible to attract the main force of the Tyrannical Qin to the east, but what we can attract is only the main force of Zhang Han's army, how can it be stronger than the army of the Tyrannical Qin in the future, and after our army has attacked the city and plundered the land and opened up the connection with the other five countries, we can also use the soldiers of the five countries to attack Zhanghan, as long as Zhanghan is broken, why should we worry that the Chu State will not prosper, and the tyrannical Qin will not be destroyed?!" ”

Xiang Liang nodded, made up his mind completely, and said: "Fan Gong's words are reasonable, if we keep standing still and sit back and watch the tyrannical Qin destroy the other five countries, then not only will we not be able to get any chance of profiteering, but we may also be isolated and helpless, and resist the army of the tyrannical Qin alone." It's so decided, let the partial division attack, to seize the surrounding cities and lands that are still controlled by the tyrannical Qin, even if the main force of the tyrannical Qin is lured, we will not be able to fight with them again, and deal with Zhang Han's army alone, how can it be better than dealing with the alluring army of the tyrannical Qin! ”

Xiang Kang was waiting for Xiang Liang to make up his mind, and immediately stood up and said: "Wu Xinjun, the last general is willing to lead the people of the headquarters to open up territory for the Chu State and seize the surrounding old land of the Chu State that was still poisoned by the violent Qin army!" ”

instigated Xiang Liang to send troops, in fact, Xiang Kang was not to help Zhang Liang, but wanted to lead Xiang Liang to go it alone again, and take the opportunity of attacking the city and grabbing land to strengthen the strength of his army again. But it's a pity that although Xiang Kang's wishful thinking played well, Xiang Yu, Huan Chu, Yingbu and Xiang Zhuang next to him all immediately stood up, scrambling to ask to lead the people of the headquarters to establish meritorious deeds, and even Liu Laosan, who had been wearing a pair of pants with Xiang Kang recently, couldn't wait to jump out and said: "Wu Xinjun, please let the last general go, most of the cities and lands around us that are still controlled by the violent Qin army are in the northeast of Xue County and Dang County, these places are familiar to the last general, and the last general is willing to go to you to ask for it." ”

"Pei Gong, you have too few soldiers and horses, I'm afraid you can't carry such a heavy burden." Xiang Kang was a little anxious, and hurriedly said: "Why don't we go together, let's join forces to conquest." ”

As soon as Liu Laosan heard the applause, he immediately begged Xiang Liang to allow him and Xiang Kang to join forces to attack the semi-blank territory around him, but unfortunately Xiang Liang only smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry, who to send to conquer the surrounding tyrannical Qin army, I have to think about it carefully before making a decision." ”