In the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Bang suffered the biggest defeat since the start of the army. Liu Bang fled to Xiayi, where Lu Ze was stationed, and only then did he settle down a little, collect the remnants of the army, and reorganize the troops.

Several princes and kings broke away from Liu Bang's camp and rejoined Xiang Yu.

The tide is turning.

Xiang Yu made another mistake in judgment, he did not recognize that the biggest opponent was still Liu Bang, and did not seize the opportunity to pursue the Han army with all his strength and completely eradicate Liu Bang's group.

Liu Bang finally turned over and had the last laugh. Later generations are familiar with this history, so they have the feeling that "it is advisable to chase the poor bravely, and not to become famous and learn from the overlord".

Liu Bang recruited Sergeant Guan to rendezvous in Xingyang. This is preparing to fight Xiang Yu to the end. After the defeat of Pengcheng, Liu Bang realized that it was impossible to eliminate Xiang Yu in the short term.

The course of history is just as he judged, and the dispute between Chu and Han entered a stage of strategic stalemate.

The enemy is strong and I am weak, Liu Bang needs to buy time. He sent a messenger (a full-time diplomat) to accompany He Yu to envoy Yingbu of Jiujiang to win Yingbu's support.

Before leaving, Liu Bang told Sui He: "You must persuade Yingbu that as long as he raises an army to rebel against Chu and contain Xiang Yu for a few months, I will be able to seize the world." ”

Yingbu, a native of Liuxian (Lu'an, Anhui), was once the most powerful general under Xiang Yu. When Xiang Yu was a prince, he was named the king of Jiujiang.

The experience of this prince is also legendary. When he was young, someone gave him a face and said, "Be a king of punishment." As an adult, he successfully became a street gangster. On one occasion, he was punished for a crime (with ink on his forehead and cheeks). He was not worried about the damage to his appearance, but said happily: "Someone has shown me a photo, saying that I will be the king after being tortured, this is about to be fulfilled!" When the others heard him, they laughed at him and called him Tuobu.

At the end of Qin, there was chaos, and he gathered a team of thousands of people and took refuge in Xiang Liang. He often played as a striker in the rebel army, made outstanding achievements, and was deeply relied on by Xiang Yu. The killing of 200,000 Qin troops and the assassination of Emperor Yi were all carried out by Yingbu.

Yingbu was not satisfied with Xiang Yu's separation, and he felt that the treatment he received was not worthy of his own merits. After becoming the king of Jiujiang, Yingbu began to support his troops and did not obey Xiang Yu's command anymore. Tian Rong rebelled, Xiang Yu asked Yingbu to transfer troops, but Yingbu only sent a few thousand people to do a perfunctory job. Liu Bang went on an expedition to the east, Yingbu said that he was sick, watched the fire from the other side, and did not rescue Pengcheng.

Xiang Yu and Yingbu have a mustard. This trend fell into Liu Bang's eyes, and after thinking and analyzing, he had the action of sending Sui He to win over Yingbu.

The process was not smooth, but he showed amazing courage and courage to complete the task successfully.

Sui He arrived in the Jiujiang Kingdom for three days, but Yingbu did not receive him.

Sui He said to the officials who received him: "Isn't it because the King of Jiujiang doesn't see me because the Chu army is strong and the Han army is weak?" That's what I'm here to talk about. What I said promises that the King of Jiujiang loves to listen. If I say something wrong, I will be dragged to the street and killed, I have no regrets, and I can also show the world that the king of Jiujiang is hostile to the king of Han and loyal to the king of Chu. ”

The reception officer reported to Yingbu. Yingbu became interested and met with Sui He.

With He Qiao's tongue like a spring, carefully analyzing the current situation, "Xiang Yu is all fierce in battle, he exiled and assassinated the righteous emperor, contrary to the righteousness, in fact, he is unpopular, but he is powerful on the surface. Although the King of Han encountered setbacks in Pengcheng, the Bashu region in Guanzhong was thousands of miles, with sufficient soldiers, grain and grass, and a stable rear, which could continuously support the front line, so it was the King of Han who was really powerful. ”

After analyzing the strength and weakness, he pointed out Yingbu's hidden worries with a sharp point: Xiang Yu ordered you to help attack Tian Rong, you dealt with it passively, and ordered you to send troops to save Pengcheng, you pretended to be sick, and others like me could see it, can Xiang Yu not know it in his heart? Take 10,000 steps back, Xiang Yu won the battle in the end, can he let you go? It's hard to protect your existing interests, right?

Sui He accurately poked at Zhongyingbu's pain point, and then he prescribed a prescription: The only way out is for the princes of the world to unite to deal with Xiang Yu. No matter how strong Xiang Yu is, he can't beat the army of the whole world. Now is a good time for you to rebel against Chu and return to Han, the King of Han will be happy, and he will give you a large area of Huainan in the future, you can sit back and relax, why do you need to look at Xiang Yu's face to live!

At the negotiating table, strength and interests are emphasized. What can determine the final plan must be the balance of interests and interests. Yingbu was tempted, promised to consider it carefully, and expressed his inclination to turn his back on Chu and attach himself to Han. Sui He's persuasion has worked, but this is not the result, and there are still variables.

The next matter, with He He's extraordinary courage, completed the kick at the door, prompting Yingbu to completely throw himself into Liu Bang.

At this time, the envoy sent by Xiang Yu also arrived in Jiujiang Kingdom. Yingbu received him, and the envoy severely rebuked Yingbu and urged him to send troops to attack the Han army as soon as possible.

During the meeting, Sui He came uninvited, broke into the pavilion, sat down in a big way, and said: "The king of Jiujiang has already attached himself to the king of Han, what kind of troops do you ask him to send?" ”

Yingbu was stunned. Seeing that the situation was not right, the messenger hurriedly stood up and ran away.

Sui He persuaded Ying to preach: "Things have come to this point, and he can't be kept." ”

Yingbu had no choice but to kill the messenger and publicly break with Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu was furious when he heard the news and sent the general Long He to attack Yingbu. Liu Bang's move really dragged Xiang Yu.

Yingbu was defeated and fled with Sui He to Liu Bang. When Yingbu arrived, Liu Bang was washing his feet. This foot wash is like a modern pedicure, leaning on a couch and having a technician (a beautiful maid) massage the feet. Liu Bang casually met Yingbu in the footwashing room. After receiving such treatment, Yingbu was angry and regretful, and he wanted to die.

When Yingbu came to the hotel prepared for him, with luxurious configurations, many attendants, curtains, furnishings, utensils, food and Liu Bang, he was immediately surprised and delighted.

Liu Bang is amazing!

Yingbu sent people to Jiujiang to recruit thousands of people from the old army, and with the army allocated to him by Liu Bang, his power was restored a little. Yingbu thus became a general under Liu Bang's account.

Liu Bang has never read "The Theory of Contradiction" or studied the theory of the united front, and his leadership art has become more and more refined in practice.