As mentioned above, in order to strengthen his own strength and weaken the enemy's help, Xiang Kang and Xiang Yu made the decision to contact Yingbu almost at the same time, in which Xiang Yu decided to use the means of ordering and inducing to pull Yingbu's army into the Chu-Han battlefield, and let the Yingbu army act as cannon fodder for the Western Chu army to attack the Han army; Xiang Kang planned to use the means of entrapment and inducement to try to make Yingbu turn his back on Chu and surrender to Han, and suddenly stabbed another dangerous enemy, Liu Laosan, from behind, to divide and neutralize the enemy's strength.

Prior to this, the Western Chu army had never had any conflict with the Yingbu army, and Yingbu had always recognized Xiang Yu, the lord of the princes' alliance, at least in honor of submitting to Xiang Yu; The Han army and the Yingbu army not only had no master-slave relationship, but on the contrary, they also fought a battle in Wancheng and formed a lot of grudges; Therefore, in terms of the background premise of fighting for Yingbu, the Han army was obviously at a disadvantage, and the difficulty of success was far higher than that of the Western Chu army.

Because of this, Xiang Kang can only try his luck with the intention of giving it a try, even if the design is divisive, how much Xiang Yu has some suspicion of Yingbu, Xiang Kang does not dare to say that he has any certainty that he can win Yingbu over, and he has to be mentally prepared to persuade the envoy to go and not come back.

Chen Hui, a Han military pawn who repeatedly sent envoys to Zhao State, volunteered and resolutely asked to carry out this dangerous task, and when he took the initiative to ask for help, Chen Hui also clearly told Xiang Kang, saying: "Your Majesty is incompetent, and he has been sent to Zhao State several times before, but he has not been able to make Zhao Guojun and his ministers sincerely conclude an alliance with our country, resulting in their repeated betrayal of the king, which has caused great harm to our country, and it is really a shame to know the king." Now Weichen only asks for the king's permission, let Weichen atone for his crimes, and go south to Jiangling to persuade the king of Linjiang to abandon Chu and join the Han, if it still can't be successful, the minister is willing to die to apologize! ”

Xiang Kang knew very well the reason why Chen Hui had failed to succeed in his previous missions to Zhao Guo, and knew that it was because Zhao Xie and Zhang Er were too capricious, and he had also betrayed the interests of Zhao State, Zhao Guo had repeatedly failed to believe in his words with a tooth for a tooth, and he had little to do with Chen Hui, the envoy, and the mission was too dangerous, and the envoy did not have enough guts and courage, and he was almost not sure of success. So after thinking about it again, Xiang Kang still nodded and agreed to Chen Hui's initiative, and asked Chen Hui to lead ten entourages to go south via Yingchuan, and then disguised himself as ordinary people to go through Liu Laosan's Nanyang County and come to Nanjun to contact Yingbu.

With all their efforts, and relying on a certain amount of luck, Chen Hui and his entourage finally passed through the dangerous Nanyang County, went south to Deng County to take a boat down the Han River, and abandoned the boat at Jingling and landed on the shore, hired a civilian vehicle to go west into Jiangling, traveled thousands of miles, and finally arrived at Jiangling City, the capital of Yingbu. However, after entering the city, Chen Hui did not rush to the gate of the palace to ask to see Yingbu, but first sent people around to inquire about the news to find out whether the envoys of the Western Chu army had come to Jiangling first.

Fortunately, because the envoy of the Western Chu army also needed to pass through Yingchuan County, the enemy-occupied area, the envoy sent by Xiang Yu did not come to meet with Yingbu in advance, and after confirming the news, Chen Hui was overjoyed and ran to Yingbu's palace gate to identify himself, and asked to meet with Yingbu to present his credentials. However, it is a pity that Yingbu not only refused to meet Chen Hui, but also ordered Chen Hui to leave Jiangling immediately and did not allow Chen Hui to continue to stay in the city.

"Please report to King Linjiang again." Chen Hui said to the Linjiang Dianke who came to chase away the guest: "Let's just say that the reason why he refused to summon the little envoy is very clear, it is nothing more than that he is afraid that the king of Western Chu will know that he will be suspicious, but just drive the little envoy away, the king of Linjiang is not afraid that the king of Western Chu will suspect that he is deliberately leaving room for him, in fact, he still wants to contact our king of Han at any time?" In this case, why didn't the king of Linjiang let the little envoy be taken down immediately and beheaded in public, so as to completely eliminate the suspicion of the king of Western Chu about him? ”

"Sir is not afraid of death?" Linjiang Dianke asked in surprise.

"What is the pity of dying if you die faithfully for the Lord?" Chen Hui replied proudly, and said: "But before the little envoy dies, please also ask the king of Linjiang to meet with the little envoy, so that the little envoy can complete the entrustment of the king of Han and present our national letter to the king of Linjiang in person, so that the little envoy can die without regrets even if he is immediately beheaded." ”

The fox looked at Chen Hui suspiciously, and saw that Chen Hui's face was full of frankness and did not seem to be a fake, so the Linjiang pawn gave a suspicious order to let Chen Hui wait for a while, and went back to the palace to report Chen Hui's original words to Yingbu, and then after a while, the pawn returned to Chen Hui and said: "Our king said, for the sake of you being a loyal and righteous person, you can die without regrets, follow me into the palace to meet our king." ”

Chen Hui breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly saluted and thanked the pawn, and then followed him into the palace, and went up to the so-called Linjiang Palace with a comfortable expression, and finally saw the most critical person in the current Chu and Han battles for dominance on the southern front battlefield - Linjiang Wang Yingbu, who had briefly attached himself to the young marshal's army.

Yingbu spoke very directly, and just after seeing Chen Hui finish his salute, he immediately said: "Say, you would rather lose your head than see this king, what do you want to say?" ”

"The little envoy has the courage to persuade the king to abandon Chu and return to Han, and send troops to help our Han king defeat the king of Western Chu." Chen Hui replied more directly.

"Abandon Chu and return to Han?" Yingbu laughed directly, laughed and said, "Xiang Kang is talking in his sleep? Why did this king abandon Chu and return to Han and help him attack the king of Western Chu? ”

"With the battle of Chu and Han, our Han king will win." Chen Hui said in a deep voice: "So for the sake of your own interests, the best choice is to abandon Chu and return to Han, follow the example of Shenyang, the king of Han, and join us under the command of the king of Han." ”

Yingbu laughed even more and said, "Follow Han Wang Shenyang? You probably don't know, sir, do you? Just yesterday, this king just received accurate news that Liu Ji, the king of Nanyang, had killed the Shenyang rebel in Kunyang, and you still want this king to follow him? ”

"Shen Yang has already died in battle?!" Chen Hui was shocked in his heart, but his face was silent, he just bowed his hand to Yingbu and said: "If this matter is true, then the little envoy must say hello to you, the king, as long as you make a wise choice, our Han king just wants not to give you the land of Nanyang and Yingchuan as a land." ”

"The land of Nanyang and Yingchuan?" Yingbu's eyelids jumped slightly, and he said with a sneer: "Listen to your tone, Xiang Kang's condition for the thief to envelop this king is that he wants to give Nanyang County to this king?" ”

"It used to be, but now it must be added to the land of Yingchuan." Chen Hui replied: "Originally, in order to persuade the king to abandon Chu and return to Han, our king of Han could only take out a county in Nanyang as a thank you gift to repay the king, but now that the king of Han has unfortunately died in battle, Yingchuan has no owner, of course, our king of Han has to use the anointed land of Yingchuan to thank you, the king." ”

"It's easy to say." Ying Buyi sneered and said: "Xiang Kang is a thief with red lips and white teeth, so he promised to give the land of Nanyang and Yingchuan to this king, can he do it?" ”

"Of course it can be done." Chen Hui replied confidently, and said: "If the king wants to ask the reason, then the foreign minister still has the same answer, because of the battle between Chu and Han, our Han king will win!" ”

Knowing that he didn't have many opportunities, Chen Hui didn't wait for Yingbu to refute, and immediately said: "Great King, you, the King of Han, and the King of Western Chu are all comrades-in-arms against Qin, and they have all fought side by side with them?" How much stronger is our Han King than the King of Western Chu, don't you know it, King? In terms of the use of soldiers, the king of Western Chu is the same as our king of Han, although they are also victorious in a hundred battles and have never been defeated, but the king should not forget that every time our king of Han fights, he fights more with less, and breaks the crowd with outnumbered, which the king of Western Chu can reach? ”

"In terms of governance, the king of Western Chu and our king of Han are even more different, everywhere the army of the king of Western Chu goes, they are all poor in searching for people's wealth, trying their best to fish, only caring about the present and never thinking about the future, even if the head of the Qiantou resents the anger of the sky and the people are resentful, he never repents! And what about our Han King? Whenever his rebels went to a place, didn't that time first appease Li Shu and resume farming, and no matter where they went, it was not the desire of the people to support the people? In the long run, how can the King of Western Chu be the opponent of our King of Han? ”

"As for morality and virtue, I'm afraid that the king of Western Chu himself must admit that he is far inferior to our king of Han in these aspects, right? If it weren't for the fact that our Han King was the first to raise the banner of righteousness, personally laid the foundation of Huaisi, and later dedicated himself to the King of Chu to establish the country, I am afraid that the King of Western Chu is still rootless and has nowhere to rely on, right? ”

"Marching and fighting, governing morality, our Han kings are far superior to the kings of Western Chu, and it is already obvious who will win and who will lose in the battle between Chu and Han. In this case, the king, you Shengming Candle Watch, why do you continue to bury the defeated King of Western Chu in the future? Why don't you hurry up and abandon Chu and return to Han, stand on the side of the victorious Han King, help our Han King defeat the King of Western Chu, get the land and city rewarded by our Han King, and establish a foundation that is not easy for eternity? ”

The situation is different, in history, Yingbu decisively abandoned Chu and returned to Han because he offended Xiang Yu first and was afraid of Xiang Yu's retaliation, so he decisively defected after listening to the great truth of Liu Laosan's envoy. And now it is also a big truth, Yingbu, who has not offended Xiang Yu, will certainly not be easily moved by Chen Hui's words. After thinking about it for a while, Yingbu sneered and said: "There are a bunch of crooked reasoning, since you said that Xiang Kang will win, then what are you doing to persuade this king to abandon Chu and return to Han?" Wouldn't it be better to lay down the world by yourself? ”

"That's because our Han King doesn't want to make more enemies, and hopes to defeat the King of Western Chu faster." Chen Hui immediately replied: "Yes, at the moment, the advantage of our Han King is not big, and I don't know when we will be able to establish a victory and completely defeat the King of Western Chu to dominate the world." But if you have your help, and as long as the king takes advantage of the opportunity of Liu Ji, the puppet king of Nanyang, to go north and the rear is empty, and suddenly send troops to Nanyang and stab Liu Ji in the back of the puppet king, then the battle situation in the Central Plains will inevitably be completely reversed, and it will be a hundred times easier for our Han king to defeat the king of Western Chu. The great opportunity to help the Han King make a contribution is in front of us, why do you want to miss it, your king? ”

After a pause, Chen Hui hurriedly said: "Besides, the king, you continue to help Chu attack the Han Dynasty, what else can he give to the king of Western Chu to thank you?" Will he sacrifice Liu Ji and give you the Yingchuan that Nanyang and Liu Ji won? Will he sacrifice himself and cede the land of Western Chu to expand your territory for you? After taking the fertile soil in Guanzhong, will he be willing to give up the anointed land in Guanzhong to others? The foreign minister speculated for the king, even if the king of Western Chu was generous, at most he only promised to take the land of Bashu as a gift to thank the king, but what is the effect of the land of Bashu in his hands? Nanjun, Changsha and Qianzhong are already remote enough, will the king always deserve only these remote miasma lands? ”

Chen Hui's words finally got to the point, the reason why Yingbu has not moved until now and has not fought in the Chu and Han Wars, in addition to not wanting to be cannon fodder for Xiang Yu anymore, there is also an important reason that Yingbu knows very well that Xiang Yu can no longer take out anything decent to reward himself! The north has been blocked by Liu Laosan, and the Lujiang and Minzhong in the east are both Chu and remote and barren, even if Xiang Yu is willing to Yingbu, he can't look down on it, only the Bajun Shu County in the west can be thrown by Xiang Yu as a bone to gnaw on himself, but these two counties are also remote and remote, even if they are taken by Yingbu, it is of little significance, on the contrary, it will increase the cost of governance, only the rich and prosperous territory of the Central Plains can now meet Yingbu's growing appetite.

Because of this, Yingbu finally showed a calculating expression, Chen Hui saw that he began to waver, and hurriedly said: "King, you can think about it again, how easy it is to help the King of Han defeat the King of Western Chu now, as long as you take the spacious avenue and march to Nanyang." But if you want to help the King of Western Chu attack our King of Han, how difficult is it? From Nanjun to Bashu Hanzhong, the road is narrow and remote, rugged and difficult, just the grain and grass transportation is enough for the king You have a headache, our Han king's army only needs to defend according to the danger, how sure can you win, the king? ”

"Of course, the king, you still have the option of directly sending troops to join the Sanchuan battlefield." Chen Hui added: "But if you do this, the king, seeing that you sent troops to Sanchuan, and the king of Western Chu doesn't have the reason to force you to be in front of every vicious battle?" At the beginning of the battle of Hangu Pass, the lesson of the Zhao army, have you forgotten it? Your Majesty, you are now a golden body, do you still want to be arbitrarily enslaved by the King of Western Chu and driven as a striker like before? ”

Chen Hui's words got to the point again, he had been the king of Linjiang for half a year, and he was used to the luxurious life of wealth and comfort, Yingbu was unwilling to go to Xiang Yu's tent to be a cow and a horse like before, and tied his head to the belt of his trousers to charge for Xiang Yu, fighting a tough battle to attack the city and consume strength, and finally cheapened others in vain.

It was only that he repeatedly impressed Yingbu, and he really wanted Yingbu to make up his mind, and Xiang Yu, who had betrayed him for many years, turned his face and started a war with him, which was not so easy at that time, so after thinking for a while, Yingbu ordered: "Leave the national letter, go to the pavilion to rest first, let this king think about it carefully, and then give you an answer." ”

Of course, Chen Hui didn't dare to expect that he would persuade Yingbu to defect with just a few words, so he hurriedly thanked him, presented Xiang Kang's letter of state with both hands, and then said: "King, if the little envoy is not bad, within three or two days, the envoy of the King of Western Chu should also come to Jiangling to meet you, if this is the case, please also ask the king to send more people, secretly keep an eye on the envoy of the king of Western Chu and his entourage, and the little envoy dares to take the first guarantee, and the king will definitely have an unexpected discovery." ”

"What do you mean by that?" Yingbu asked vigilantly.

"Forgive the little envoy for selling a pass, and temporarily hang the appetite of the king." Chen Hui smiled and arched his hand and said: "In short, the king will definitely find out how much the king of Western Chu trusts you, and how he is at ease, and maybe he will find out how the king of Western Chu intends to treat you at a critical moment." ”