nashuaworldcup Chapter 490 Even without him, you, sir, can still conquer this world!
Chapter 490 Even without him, you, sir, can still conquer this world!
Can't even seize an opportunity like this?
Does he deserve to be called a coward?
Seeing Zheng Chong's blatant mockery, Jia Yan didn't say another word.
Once everyone had stopped paying attention to him, he quietly turned and left the main hall.
"A bunch of idiots who don't even realize they're about to die."
"I really don't know whether to say that you look down on the emperor too much, or that you think too highly of yourselves."
"You did seize the opportunity, but it was an opportunity for your entire family to die, for your entire clan to be wiped out!"
……
When Liu Bang's army joined forces with Guanqiu Jian's army, the army arrived at the city walls of the capital.
They were all somewhat surprised to see the troop deployment in the capital.
The troop strength was several times greater than they had anticipated!
"General Guanqiu, how long do you think it will take our army to capture the capital?"
After inspecting the arrangements in the capital, the group returned to their tent, where Liu Bang asked a question.
"capture?"
Guanqiu Jian frowned deeply, and after a moment, shook his head.
"Your Majesty, if there are no problems within the city's garrison, even if we abandon all 100,000 troops here, we may not be able to break into the city."
If ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them.
Their 100,000 troops faced an almost equal number of defenders.
With such a disparity in troop strength, to attempt to capture a city, especially the capital, is nothing short of wishful thinking!
Guanqiu Jian originally thought that after Liu Bang defeated several enemy armies along the way and captured and recruited 50,000 prisoners, the gentry had already suffered heavy losses.
Now he realized that the so-called heavy losses were nothing but his imagination.
Even after defeating 80,000 enemy troops, they could still muster the same number of soldiers in the capital.
And it's very likely that this isn't even their limit!
They reacted so quickly, switching from offense to defense and turning the capital into an impenetrable fortress.
Guanqiu Jian had reason to suspect that, apart from the garrison in the capital, there were still troops on the border armies on their way to come to the emperor's aid.
Their current situation is no worse than Sima Shi's back then!
"What if we surround them but don't attack?"
Liu Bang thought for a moment and said.
"Once the gentry in the capital use the Empress Dowager and... the Prince of Qi to issue an edict, ordering the troops of the whole country to come to the aid of the king."
"Your Majesty, whether we succeed or fail will depend on their whims."
"It would be better to retreat first..."
It is obvious that delaying will be more disadvantageous to our side.
Regardless of Liu Bang's abilities, his foundation was too shallow.
Compared to him, the various clans had been operating in the Great Wei for many years. Even if they couldn't completely control the border troops, they could still use their family's coercion and inducement to influence the choices made by the generals.
Even though both sides had imperial edicts, the advantage of the aristocratic families was still too great.
Guanqiu Jian wanted to advise Liu Bang to retreat to Xudu or Huainan first and then make further plans.
"That is indeed true. If this continues, I am not confident that I can win over the generals on the border with my personal charm."
"But if we really want to retreat, we will be unwilling. How about this, General Guanqiu, you go down and discuss the attack strategy with Minister Wen. Let me wait here by myself."
Liu Bang knew that Guanqiu Jian's words made sense, but he did not listen to them any further.
Retreating would have been a safer course of action, but he couldn't wait.
"Zifang, do you also think I should retreat first?"
After Guanqiu Jian and the others left, Liu Bang finally spoke and asked.
Zhang Liang had assisted him for so many years, so he naturally understood his thoughts.
retreat?
Absolutely no refund!
"Your Majesty, I know you will not back down, and the current situation does not allow us to retreat even a single step!"
If we're talking about being safe, there's definitely no safer option than taking a step back now.
But once this step is taken back, from now on, he will never be able to compete with Cao Fang in the capital for legitimacy.
"Then tell me, what should I do?"
"Your Majesty should already have the answer in your heart, shouldn't you?"
"Since we're not retreating, then we have no choice but to fight to the death. Besides, there are people in the city who can provide backup."
"No matter what, our army has a greater chance of winning."
Zhang Liang thought for a moment and said.
Having come this far, he had no better options.
No one expected that these powerful families in the capital had hidden so many.
It should be noted that when the Han army attacked the city, they had already deployed a considerable number of men to defend it.
Furthermore, the Han army suffered considerable losses during that process, and the gentry also suffered heavy losses.
Given these circumstances, it is astonishing that they were able to assemble such a large force in such a short time.
It wasn't that Liu Bang was unprepared, but rather that he genuinely hadn't anticipated that the emperors of Wei would allow the aristocratic families to become so unrestrained.
"Since you say so, Zifang, then I naturally have no reason to back down!"
"Issue the decree."
"Fight to the death, never retreat!"
"The first to reach the summit will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households!"
"Whoever captures the flag will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"
"Whoever captures the city gate will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households!"
At this point, Liu Bang no longer dared to casually promise the title of king, but promising a few marquises with ten thousand households was still not a problem.
Seeing the high spirits in his eyes, Zhang Liang was stunned for a moment.
He seemed to see Liu Bang when he had just secretly crossed the Chencang pass, determined to compete with Xiang Yu for the world.
"What are you doing standing still?"
Liu Bang reminded him, then immediately pursed his lips.
"Based on my understanding of Han Xin, at this moment he is probably secretly mocking me for being blind to his abilities and not including him in this challenge."
"After all, in terms of military strategy and tactics, whether it is an encounter battle or a siege battle, he is far superior to you and me."
"He had previously belittled your military leadership abilities on several occasions."
"Today, I'm going to show him what I'm capable of: even without him, I can conquer this world just the same!"
For a moment, people both inside and outside the canopy were at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"It seems that Emperor Gaozu still had some reservations about Han Xin."
"The fact that Emperor Gaozu remembered this shows how arrogant Han Xin was. I reckon that most of the treasonous words recorded in the history books were true."
Li Er admired Han Xin's military strategy.
However, in Li Er's eyes, this military genius was clearly unqualified, as a subject.
"You think Han Xin's words were treasonous, and the historians may think so too, but in our opinion, Emperor Gaozu and Han Xin themselves may not have thought so."
Old Zhu shook his head slightly.
Liu Bang was not an emperor who was bound by formalities, and Han Xin was even more straightforward.
Whether it was the position of Grand Marshal of the Army or the position of King of Qi, Han Xin took the initiative to ask for them.
But if you say that Han Xin used threats to force Liu Bang to bestow a reward, how do you explain that he asked for a fake King of Qi, but Liu Bang instead gave him a real one?
At least in Lao Zhu's view, the two were straightforward people who understood and appreciated each other.
The two may have been exchanging sarcastic remarks, but in Liu Bang's eyes, it was definitely not considered insubordination; rather, it was more like mutual respect.
The Han Dynasty.
Han Xin: “…”
Mutual appreciation? Perhaps there was some in the past, but now he has a bad feeling.
I have a feeling I'm about to witness something truly shocking.
He really wants to know what Xiang Yu did to Liu Bang before he died!