Liu Bang, who returned to Xingyang all the way, was extremely depressed when he learned that Han Xin was captured. The family's hard-earned hardship was consumed by Xiang Yu, and the Chu army was pressing step by step and was already under Xingyang. Although he had not launched an attack during this period, a fierce battle was inevitable.

Before the battle in Xingyang started, news came that the Chu general Ji Bu was attacking Zhao. He confronted Xiang Yu in Xingyang and ordered Han Xin to go north to pacify Zhao, Yan and other places in order to complete the siege of Xiang Yu. Unexpectedly, Xiang Yu actually used his own way to control him, and even sent generals to attack Zhao in order to bypass Xingyang and cross the river from the north to attack Han. This move made Liu Bang angry but powerless.

Seeing that Xingyang was about to have a big battle, the Chu army went to attack Zhao again. His son-in-law, King Zhao Zhang Ao, sent a letter to ask for help. Even if the person surrounded was not his son-in-law, Liu Bang would still rescue Handan, because Zhao was bound to be lost. Once Handan was lost, the danger of Chenggao would be gone and the Chu army could attack him twice. In any case, the already tired Han army could not resist the Chu army coming from both sides in Xingyang, and the land outside the pass would no longer be owned by the Han, and such an ending would be unimaginable.

But the Xingyang army could not be mobilized, so the only way was to let Xiao He send the recruits recruited by General Guanzhong to rescue Zhao. Liu Bang was undecided and immediately ordered someone to find Zhang Liang. Many times, at the end of his life, Mr. Zhang could always come up with wonderful tricks to help him overcome difficulties.

"Zifang, the Chu army is powerful, what can I do about it?" Liu Bang said to Zhang Liang with a sad face.

Zhang Liang also frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "Since the Chu army was in the east of Xingyang, how could there be a large army to conquer Zhao? Could it be that Xiang Yu had 300,000 troops? Zifang thought that the Chu army in the east of Xingyang would have a weak force. If the Han King could attack the Chu camp with all his strength, he would have gained something. Even if the Chu people all obtained Qi land, it would be more than worth the loss."

"Zifang," Liu Bang said in surprise, "Do you think Xiang Yu has less than 100,000 troops left in the east of Xingyang?"

"Not only that, Zifang thought that perhaps Xiang Yu was not in the Chu army camp in the east of Xingyang, but went to Zhaodi quietly." Zhang Liang thought for a while and boldly speculated.

"Oh," Liu Bang asked quickly, "How can you see?"

"If Xiang Yu was in the Xingyang army, he would definitely knock on the gate and attack, but the Chu army in the east of Xingyang did not move for several consecutive days, which really made people suspicious. Therefore, Zifang calculated that Xiang Yu would definitely lead a large army to attack Zhao, and a general would set up a false flag to restrain the King of Han's troops. If the King of Han led a large army out of Xingyang and went east, it would definitely defeat the Chu army. If the Chu army was broken, Xiang Yu would definitely send troops to rescue him, and the siege of Handan could be resolved. This was the plan to surround Wei and save Zhao." Zhang Liang stroked his sparse beard and said calmly.

"If this happens, my army will attack the Chu camp with all its might and will win a complete victory." Liu Bang's eyes seemed to have a light of fire, and his white beard also trembled. He finally found a great opportunity to annihilate the Chu army. He can finally use a big victory to increase his morale that has been sluggish to the trough.

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Under the city of Handan, the Chu army camp.

Ji Bu led Ma San to Xiang Yu again. When Ma San saw Xiang Yu, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed twice. Then he stood up and said, "General, my master has a letter here. I hope the general will see it."

After saying that, Ma San took out a cloth bag from his arms, opened it, took out the silk book hidden inside and presented it to him. Xiang Yu took it apart and saw it: "Meng Shu, the general in the Zhao Palace, knocked under the command of General Chu. Meng Shu couldn't bear to see Handan suffer from the disaster of swords and the people suffered from the suffering of the people. He was willing to give it to Handan to relieve the danger of the people's upside down. To ensure the completeness of Meng's family, the general can lead troops to the east gate at the third pm tonight. Meng Shu raised the fire as a call to open the city gate for the general. The envoy's family presents a letter, and hopes that he will not delay."

After reading it, Xiang Yu put the silk book down and said to Ma San: "You go back and tell your master, and you will say that my Western Chu army will be at the city at the third update tonight. I hope he will prepare early. At that time, we can lead our army to capture King Zhang Ao of Zhao."

"As for the order," Ma San kowtowed repeatedly.

That night, the moonlight was dim. The Chu army, led by Ji Bu, quietly arrived at the city of Handan. After waiting for a while, the city was in flames. Then the gate opened with a "creaking~". Ji Bu did not hesitate and rushed to Handan City with his elite troops.

"General, general, the villain is Ma San. Master ordered me to wait for the general here. General can follow me. I will lead the general to the residence of King Zhao." Ma San waved quickly when he saw Ji Bu.

When Ji Bu saw Ma San, he smiled and said, "What are you waiting for? I will lead me to Zhao's mansion and capture Zhang Ao alive. Your master and servant have a wonderful achievement. My King of Western Chu will definitely have a heavy reward."

"Then I thank the King first," Ma San said with a smile, "General, come with me."

The city of Handan immediately became chaotic, and the horns of warning sounded everywhere. The Zhao army guarding the city was also panicked. The news that the Chu army had entered the city came from the army. Many Zhao soldiers quickly took off their armor and fled to the houses, pretending that they were not soldiers, but ordinary people. The front army led by Ji Bu did not suffer decent resistance, so they surrounded the Zhao Prince's mansion.

"Bang~"... "Bang Bo!" The gate of the Zhao Prince's Mansion was finally knocked open.

Ji Bu quickly jumped forward, and saw two rows of guards in the royal palace blocking him, aiming spears at the Chu army that were pouring in, and posing as if they were struggling to death. However, compared to traitors like Meng Shu, these two rows of guards are really admirable.

However, they protected the wrong master. Although their behavior was admirable, they had to die.

Ji Bu was about to order the archers to annex the two rows of people together, but saw a commotion in the palace, and the door in the main hall was opened with a "slam". Several civil servants walked out with a young man. The young man wore a purple gold crown on his head and dressed in an extraordinary manner. Ji Bu turned his sword and asked, "Who are you?"

"Bold!" King Zhao's prime minister Guan shouted loudly, "Who are you? How dare you speak to King Zhao like this."

"What? Are you the King of Zhao?" Ji Bu was overjoyed when he heard this.

"That's right, I'm Zhang Ao." Seeing that things had come to this point, Zhang Ao thought he could not avoid it, so he had to bite the bullet and go forward and say.

"Chu general Ji Bu, please move the King of Zhao and see the Overlord." Ji Bulan said.

Zhang Ao and his subordinates were all shocked and said panic: "You said, the overlord is under the city of Handan?"

Ji Bu raised his head and laughed: "Yes, the Overlord is under the city. No, the Overlord should be in the city at this moment."

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In the meeting hall of the Xingyang County Governor's Office, Liu Bang was plotting how to launch a sudden attack on the Chu army east of Xingyang. At this time, a soldier walked in and knelt down and said, "Report to the King of Han, the big thing is not good, Handan is lost."

The four words "The Lost of Handan" seem to be a thunder among the Han generals. The fall of Zhao will open the northern gate of the Xingyang line. The Chu army can go south along the Taihang Mountains, heading straight to Chenggao, and approaching Xingyang. If the Chu army in the east take advantage of the situation, then how could the Han army be invincible? The generals' eyes all looked at Liu Bang.

"Zifang, Handan is lost, Chenggao will be in danger. Will you still attack the Chu army east?" Liu Bang had no idea and had to ask Zhang Liang for advice.

"Handan has been lost. If our army rashly advances eastward, it will inevitably be cut off by Xiang Yu. If the army in Chu is gathering, our army will have no place to stand. If we advance eastward, the risk is too great and not worth a try. Zifang did not expect that Handan would be lost so quickly. In theory, Handan city is high and deep, and it would not be a problem to resist for half a month. Why was it so easily broken by Xiang Yu?" Zhang Liang said in confusion. He also raised the doubts in many people's hearts. The Zhao people have been in Handan for hundreds of years. The Qin army was arrogant and Bai Qi surrounded Handan for more than a year, but he failed to break it. Why did Xiang Yu take Handan in one fell swoop in less than two days?

"Return to Han King, Mr. Zhang," the soldier reported, "A family general under King Zhao gave out the city, so the Chu army was able to advance greatly. King Zhao was caught off guard, and all the king, ministers and families were captured by the Chu army."

"King of Han," Zhang Liang's mind turned rapidly, and suddenly shouted, "Zifang found that Xiang Yu must have threatened the King of Han with the King of Zhao and the Princess, and hope that the King of Han will make preparations early."

"What should I do?" Liu Bang was panicked when he heard this and became at a loss.

Liu Bang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and another soldier came in to report: "Report, Xiang Yu sent someone to write to the King of Han."

"Call him in." Liu Bang said hurriedly.

Soon, a man who looked like a clerk walked in. When he saw Liu Bang, he proudly refused to bow. He just bowed and praised: "The envoy of Western Chu, I have met the King of Han."

"Bold! Don't you kneel down when you see the King of Han?" a general shouted.

"The minister of Western Chu only worships me as the King of Western Chu." The visitor did not take the threat of the Han generals seriously and smiled contemptuously.

Liu Bang had no time to deal with the matter of kneeling down or not, and asked, "Xiang Yu sent you to download a book, where is the letter?"

The visitor took out the letter and handed it to Zhang Liang who came to pick it up: "The letter is here."

Liu Bang quickly took it over, took it apart, and saw that his face gradually turned white, and the veins on his forehead also burst out. He slapped the table a few times, almost shouting with all his strength: "Get out, delusion!"

"What did Xiang Yu say?" Zhang Liang asked quickly.

"Zifang, look, look, Xiang Yu actually used Zhang Ao and my daughter to threaten me and asked me to give up Xingyang. He was delusional." The muscles on Liu Bang's face were twisted so much that it made people feel chill.

"But Xiang Yu has always killed people without blinking. If the King of Han refuses to let him go, he is afraid that King Zhao and the princess will not escape." Zhang Liang quickly read the letter and saw Liu Bang being furious, he hurriedly advised.

"I have taken Xingyang and Chenggao with my life. How can I abandon it easily? Otherwise, what will I have to see the generals?" Liu Bang said in a tone without any room for negotiation.

"King of Han," Zhang Liang said anxiously, "King of Zhao and the Princess are the closest relatives of the King of Han. If a city is lost, it is still possible to obtain it. If a person loses it, it will be irreversible. I hope the King of Han will think twice."

Zhang Liang said while squeezing Liu Bang. When Liu Bang saw it, he suddenly felt suspicious and quickly changed his words: "Chi Envoy can go down and rest first, and then he can decide after I discuss with the generals."

"Okay, I hope the King of Han and his subordinates will make a decision soon, and the villain will go back to the Overlord as soon as possible." The person who came was still full of arrogance, which made many people in the Han camp angry, but they did not dare to act rashly. They all tilted their noses to the side, and gritted their teeth and made a sound of hatred. (To be continued)
Chapter completed!