After Chen Yu was defeated in Dongyuan, King Zhao and his subjects hurriedly ran to Julu to avoid disaster. Then they sent people to ask for help from various countries. The crisis of Zhao State affected the hearts of the princes.
Since Chu's proclamation was posted in various places, people rushed to read it and caused a sensation. A month later, 100,000 martyrs came to join the army. King Huai also ordered the troops to practice day and night, so Chu was still the most powerful anti-Qin force in Shandong. After the messenger from Zhao State came to Chu State, he told King Huai of Chu about the situation in Hebei. King Huai summoned his ministers to discuss: "Now that Wang Li has led the Great Wall Army out of Jingxing Pass, defeated Zhao General Chen Yu's 90,000 troops, and surrounded Julu City, King Zhao asked for rescue. What do you think we should do?" "Chen Ying of Shangzhu Kingdom came out and said: "Your Majesty, although Wang Li has surrounded Julu, there is still the Yan Kingdom. They are dependent on each other and will not fail to save them, so it seems dangerous, but it is not. And now Qin Qin The country's Guanzhong is very empty. Why don't we take this opportunity to march to Xianyang? Once Xianyang is captured by us, Qin will be destroyed. Should we still be afraid of Wang Li? This is called 'Without the skin, how can the hair be attached?' This plan is to 'surround Wei and rescue Zhao', please consider it, your Majesty."
King Huai asked Fan Zeng for his opinion, but Fan Zeng was far-sighted and said: "Although Guanzhong is empty, the number of soldiers and horses guarding Hangu Pass and Sanchuan County is less than 100,000. If Zhang Han and Wang Li are not defeated, it will be difficult to shake them. The State of Qin. The State of Zhao was originally weak, and suffered the disaster of Li Liang. Its strength cannot compete with the powerful State of Qin. Now only the countries in Shandong unite can they completely defeat the State of Qin." Chen Ying said: "But 'avoiding the truth' "Voidness" is the essence of military use!" Fan Zeng said: "Guanzhong is empty, but once our army advances westward, how can Zhang Han sit idly by? Or should we go north to save Zhao, wait until the Qin army is eliminated, and then enter the pass?" Chen Ying still insisted: "The Qin State has hundreds of thousands of troops, and even if all countries unite, they may not win. When our army goes north, it will be a head-on confrontation with the Qin Army. Moreover, the Chu Army is newly recruited, and its number is far less than that of the Qin Army." If there are too many, the battle will be defeated!" Fan Zeng said: "Since ancient times, the skill in using troops has not been too many. As long as the Chu people work together, there is no unwinnable battle. Moreover, the outcome of the war does not depend on the number of troops, but on whether the people's support is obtained. Support and generals have a chance of winning. Now the people of Qin have lost their hearts. This is the fundamental reason to defeat them. In the past, Sun Wu defeated Chu in five battles and Tian Shan defeated Yan. They were all considered in terms of time, location, personnel, politics, generals, etc. . Now I just want a general who emerges from the sky, and he will be able to establish the great cause of destroying Qin!" Lu Qing said doubtfully: "But it is easy to ask for thousands of armies, but it is difficult to ask for one general! Even with Wu Xinjun's reputation, he can't succeed. , I wonder who else in Chu State can take on this important task?"
When Fan Zeng saw that Lu Qing had asked about the idea, he said decisively: "Wu Xinjun's nephew Xiang Yu is good at attacking and has a deep hatred for Zhang Han and Wang Li. If he is chosen as a general, he will definitely make great achievements!" When Chen Ying heard that Fan Zeng wanted to recommend Xiang Yu as the general, The general objected firmly: "The king is a benevolent and righteous king, the Chu army is a benevolent and righteous army, and the generals of Chu should also be benevolent and righteous generals. However, Xiang Yu is young and willful, and has a violent nature. Everywhere he goes is destroyed. This way How can a man of this age serve as a general?" Lu Qing also objected: "Yes, yes! Killing one person will frighten thousands. When the Xiang family first raised troops in Kuaiji, they innocently killed the wise county guard. This shows that Xiang Yu is not a kind person. How can such a person carry out the royal way?" Fan Zeng explained: "Although Xiang Yu is young and has many faults, as long as I teach him by his side, similar mistakes will not happen again in the future." Just when King Huai felt influenced When he was in trouble, someone suddenly came in and reported that Chen Yu's envoy had also arrived in Pengcheng.
King Huai ordered the envoy to come in. The envoy came in and saluted and said: "Your Majesty, Wang Li's army of one hundred thousand is besieging Julu. If your country does not send troops to rescue, Zhao will be in danger of subjugation! Our general is because of this. He was defeated and ashamed of the Zhao people. He has already mobilized tens of thousands of troops in the Taihang Mountains. Now he is asking the king to send troops as soon as possible to help him save Zhao?" King Huai said: "Sir, please report to General Chen Yu first, and Chu will definitely send troops to rescue. "After the envoy left, King Huai asked: "Now the Zhao State is in great danger. Prime Minister Zhang Er and General Chen Yu have come to ask for help. Is there no better candidate besides Xiang Yu?" Lu Qing asked again. He said: "But your lord, Xiang Yu is a fierce and cruel man. When he conquered Xiangyang and Chengyang, he either buried alive or massacred the surrendered Qin army, leaving almost no survivors. How can such a person be a general? Besides, there are already many states in Chu. The second attack on Qin was led by Zhou Wen and Wu Guang, followed by Qin Jia and Xiang Liang. They all failed. The reason was that the leaders did not know how to be a general. Xiang Yu is violent by nature and must not be commander-in-chief!" While everyone was talking about it, Xiang Yu walked in in a hurry. When he came to the palace, he paid homage to King Huai and said: "Your Majesty, I heard that Julu was surrounded and that Zhao was in danger. I am willing to lead troops to rescue Zhao. I will not kill Zhang Han." I swear I will never give up!" King Huai looked at Xiang Yu and then looked around the steps. He saw that the old ministers were all shaking their heads to indicate to King Huai that they would not let him hand over the seal and ribbon of the general to Xiang Yu. King Huai touched the big seal on the imperial case and said to Xiang Yu: "Rescuing Zhao this time is of great importance, so we should not act hastily. Please step aside for now and let me think about it again." Xiang Yu had no choice but to walk out.
That night, King Huai was sitting alone and sighing. Suddenly, his mother, Mrs. Wei, came in and said, "Your Majesty, you must be worried about the selection of generals, right?" King Huai said, "Mother, your Majesty, I am just worried about this matter." The lady asked: "Your Majesty, do you have anyone in mind?" King Huai said: "Some time ago, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, and Lu Chen, three beloved ministers, made many military exploits against the Qin Dynasty. Lu Chen is the son of Ling Yin Lu Qing. He is a loyal man. Because the Chu State had just moved its capital to Pengcheng, the people's hearts had not yet returned, so the few wanted him to stay and defend the capital. Liu Bang was also a kind elder, and his generals were all brave and good at fighting, but he was afraid that he would not be able to win a decisive battle with the powerful Qin. Xiang Yu was Xiang Yu. Although Liang's nephew is extremely brave, he is violent and cruel by nature. He often massacres the city to vent his hatred after winning a battle. For this reason, all the ministers strongly oppose his appointment as a general. Apart from these three people, there is no other capable person in the country. He is a candidate who is qualified to be a general." Mrs. Wei said: "The king is concerned that Xiang Yu is brave enough to champion the three armies, while Liu Bang has always been like an elder. Each of them has his own merits. I have long heard people's comments about them. , Now let’s compare it with what our predecessors said.” King Huai asked, “If you have any advice, please give me your advice.” Mrs. Wei said, “Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, the former is like the summer sun, and the latter is like the winter sun. , if you want to destroy Qin, both of them are indispensable? The people in Guanzhong have suffered from Qin for a long time, and they need a warm sun, and Liu Bang can do it; and the Northern Expedition to save Zhao requires an attack and killing, and they need a fierce sun. Taiyang, Xiang Yu is naturally the candidate. This is for my mother to consider for you, but in the end, how to choose the person should be discussed with the king and the ministers?" King Huai thought about it for most of the night, and slowly had an idea in his mind.
The next day, King Huai invited Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, and said to them sincerely: "Both of you are today's geniuses, warriors who conquer Qin. You must take sole responsibility for the country. But the main force of Qin is now here." Hebei, so going north to rescue Zhao is of great importance. I am very worried about whether you can succeed, so I can't sleep at night?" Liu and Xiang immediately stood up and said: "I will work hard for the king and fight for the country. I will definitely work hard to make contributions. King Huai said: "But generals have chiefs and lieutenants, and there are many soldiers and horses. Once you worship a general, it will be unfair. Don't you have any complaints in your heart?" The two of them felt a thump in their hearts. Liu Bang thought that he might want to make Xiang Yu his general, but Xiang Yu thought that King Huai wanted to hand over the command of the army to Liu Bang. The two looked at each other and then fell silent. King Huai said: "If the two beloved Qings cannot serve as the main generals in the attack on Qin, will they resent me in their hearts?" Pei Gong and Xiang Yu said in unison: "Let the king arrange it." King Huai smiled and said: "As the saying goes, 'Only those who are friends in Jinlan can be of the same mind.' . Whether you can defeat the powerful enemy, whether you can enter the pass, and who will enter the pass first is not yet known. I am worried that you will compete for credit on the road, so I have to swear to the heavenly alliance and become brothers with different surnames, so that I can rest assured!" Xiang Yu and Liu Bang expressed his willingness to become brothers. Seeing this, King Huai happily took their hands and walked out of the palace, and then ordered the officials to prepare the incense table.
At that moment, the two of them walked to the incense table and burned incense to make a sworn vow, and then they swore together: "Although we have different surnames, after our sworn vows today, we are brothers in life and death. From now on, we must work together to eliminate the violent Qin Dynasty, and we must live up to the king." It is a great trust. The emperor and heaven are above, if you betray your trust, heaven and earth will not tolerate it!" After the two of them became sworn brothers, Liu Bang became the elder brother, and Xiang Yu became the younger brother. King Huai was very happy and said: "Since the two beloved ministers have married, why worry about the Qin Dynasty being destroyed and the achievements not being made?" He held a special celebration banquet in the main hall and called on everyone to congratulate them. Later generations wrote a poem:
How many times have the two heroes fought together to become kings of the Central Plains?
Brother Qianqiu helps his brother, and a bowl of meat soup divides the boundaries.
The alliance of cattle and wine warms the heart and lungs, and in a blink of an eye, the world is in a cold war.
The Zhedao Wujiang River is like a dream, full of emotions and sighs of rise and fall.
The next day, King Huai went to court and proposed a good way to convince everyone. He said: "I am going to send two armies to attack Qin!" When everyone heard this, they said happily: "Yes, yes, why not Send two armies? One way to the north and one to the west. Isn't this the best of both worlds?" King Huai said: "The people in Guanzhong have suffered from Qin's rule for too long, and a benevolent man must be sent as general. Since Liu Bang's Northern Expedition, He has made many meritorious deeds and is known for his generosity. If he is sent to pass, the people will definitely welcome him. And Xiang Yu is brave and good at fighting. If he goes north to rescue Zhao, he will be able to subdue the Qin army." As soon as these words came out, although some people agreed, there were still some who objected, and more of them People still objected to Xiang Yu leading troops to rescue Zhao. King Huai hesitated again, so he announced the dismissal of the dynasty.
That night, when King Huai was extremely distressed about the matter of choosing his general, someone suddenly came in and reported that Lord Song Yi had returned from Qi with the envoy Gao Lingjun of Qi, and he asked for an audience outside the palace gate. .
