Within a few days, Qingzi Champion sent his son Song Xiang to Qi State to become prime minister. On the day of departure, Song Xiang was dressed up beautifully. In order to show his dignity, Qingzi Champion selected 500 soldiers to accompany him and personally escorted him out of the country. When he was about to leave the military camp, he coldly dropped a military order: "Those who are as fierce as tigers, as ruthless as wolves, as greedy as sheep, and who are stubborn and disobey the general's orders shall be killed according to the law." 'This is obviously aimed at Xiang Yufa. Qingzi Champion thought that everything would be fine if he did this, so he escorted his son away with the envoys of Qi State. But as soon as they left the military camp, a mutiny broke out in the army. The soldiers had long been dissatisfied with Qingzi Champion's actions, especially Xiang Yu, who was extremely angry.
Xiang Yu immediately summoned Fan Zeng and other generals and said: "Song Yi is not in the army. I am the deputy commander, and I will give orders to all the soldiers. For the current plan, what do you think we should do?" Chen Ping saw Xiang Yu's anger. Chong Chong, first said: "The general should first ask King Huai for instructions, just say that the general did not follow the order to go north. Ask him to issue an edict and immediately order troops to rescue Zhao. If the general disobeys the king's order, it is blatant disobedience!" Fan Zeng also agreed! Chen Ping's suggestion was: "This is just and justified." Xiang Yu wrote a report to King Huai of Chu in the name of all the soldiers in the army, and immediately sent a horse to Pengcheng. After the envoy left, Xiang Yu said with emotion: "If King Huai had chosen me as a general, how could we be here today?" Fan Zeng said: "King Huai had no problem with his selection of generals. He focused on the overall situation. Thinking that Song Yi was nearly fifty years old, he could consider things thoroughly. I just worshiped him as the general. But who would have expected that this man would do nothing?" Xiang Yu said: "If he doesn't save Zhao, I will save Zhao!" Fan Zeng said: "Vice-general, don't be impatient, and wait for news from the king with peace of mind." Xiang Yu had no choice but to endure.
The next day, Xiang Yu came to see Fan Zeng again and said: "Old General, I think King Huai has been in the countryside for a long time, so he may have little knowledge. Besides, he also lacks assistants around him." Fan Zeng said: "No, although King Huai has been among the people for a long time, His mother, the Wei family, may not be knowledgeable, so King Huai must have been influenced by his ears and eyes, and besides, he also has experts around him to give guidance." Xiang Yu asked how he could see this. Fan Zeng said: "There is one thing that can prove it." Xiang Yu asked which thing. Fan Zeng said: "Do you know why King Huai wanted to make you Duke of Lu?" Xiang Yu said he didn't know. Fan Zeng said sincerely: "This is because you are young and inexperienced. Besides, you are arrogant, like to kill, and don't know the way of a king. That's why the king granted you the land of Lu, implying that you must refrain from killing and uphold the values of kings in the future." Benevolence and righteousness. If you think about it carefully, is it true?" Xiang Yu pondered for a while and said, "Your Majesty does have good intentions. I only hope that he can follow the example of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, and be able to rectify the world and achieve hegemony." Fan Zeng He said: "King Huai's intentions are well-intentioned, please keep them in mind. If Chu conquers the world with kindness, I will definitely be able to help you make a difference." Xiang Yu said with a smile: "Old military advisor, please don't worry too much, I will definitely listen to your warning. "
The next day, snowflakes suddenly appeared in the sky, and the sergeant who went to Pengcheng also returned. It turned out that King Huai had sent someone to convey the order to Song Yi to send troops to rescue Zhao a few days ago, but Song Yi used the words that the general was away and the emperor's life was not in order to prevaricate King Huai. When Fan Zeng learned about this situation, he sighed: "That's it! I think Song Yi is indeed a mediocre person who talks about military affairs on paper. Letting him serve as the commander-in-chief will really delay the important matter!" At this time, the soldiers all expressed: "King Huai is Wu Xin. The emperor was established by the emperor, and Song Yi has not contributed much to the Chu State. Now it is up to the deputy commander to decide what to do, and we are willing to follow the deputy commander's arrangements!" Another uproar followed.
That night, Xiang Yu avoided Fan Zeng and said to Yingbu and others: "We took the risk just to save Zhao, but the army has been stationed here for a long time without doing anything. This is a waste of time! Now the soldiers only eat some taro to satisfy their hunger. Everyone lived like years, but Song Yi didn't want to save Zhao at all. Instead, he said that he would attack when the Qin army was tired. Qin was already strong, and it would be easy to attack the weak Zhao. When the Qin army destroyed Zhao, their strength would be reduced. Will it be stronger, how can we take advantage of it? What's more, Chu State suffered a new setback, and King Huai was restless, so he handed over the country's troops to us. If we don't cheer up at this time, what is the future of Chu State? And Song Yi is afraid of his hand. He is afraid of his feet, has no stomach for big things, and does not care about the hardships of soldiers. He shows off all day long, spends military resources for no reason, and even colludes with Qi Gou to seek private interests! This is simply liaison with foreign countries, how can he be regarded as a loyal minister? "
After hearing this, Yingbu was the first to stand up and said: "King Huai was founded by the Xiang family, and the Kingdom of Chu was founded by Wu Xinjun. We are willing to obey the orders of the deputy commander!" Seeing the excitement of the crowd, Xiang Yu became more and more courageous, so he He shouted angrily: "Instead of wasting time for no reason, let's have a good time!" The generals asked what to do. Xiang Yu said: "Kill that man, and I will lead you to a decisive battle with the Qin army!" After hearing Xiang Yu's words, the generals were frightened, but they immediately said in unison: "We just want to follow the deputy commander, what do you say?" Let's do it?" Xiang Yu said without hesitation: "Okay, wait until the common man returns to the army, and then..." Xiang Yu said, gritting his teeth and making a beheading motion. Yingbu asked: "Can we discuss this matter with the old military advisor?" Xiang Yu said: "The old military advisor was ordered by King Huai. He must not agree with this move. He can only kill first and then report!" Yingbu and others knelt down and spoke plausibly. Said: "We have absolutely no objection!"
Qingzi champion escorted his son Xiangqi to Wuyan before breaking up, and then slowly returned to Anyang, which took a total of more than ten days. When Qingzi Champion came back, he first summoned Fan Zeng and asked him what happened after he left. Fan Zeng said: "The military pay is almost used up, and the soldiers want to make achievements as soon as possible." Qingzi Guanjun smiled and said: "I know, you go back to the camp first and wait for my order." Fan Zeng withdrew silently. That night, Qingzi Champion still had a drinking party, eating and drinking wildly with several of his close friends, and they only dispersed late at night. Champion Qingzi had a dream just after he fell asleep. He dreamed that the wine he drank turned red and flowed everywhere like blood. After waking up, he was sweating profusely and hurriedly sent someone to invite Fan Zeng. When Fan Zeng came, he told him what happened in his dream. Fan Zeng said: "In ancient times, generals would drop the blood of livestock in wine to swear an oath before going to war, so they could make great achievements. The general has returned to the army, why not follow this example and swear an oath to fight as soon as possible. This dream is auspicious. Otherwise, it's a bad omen!" After hearing this, Qingzi Champion said: "Please go back first, I will hold a grand military banquet tomorrow to discuss a more important matter." After hearing this, Fan Zeng had to be disappointed. out. At this time, the military lanterns in the camp were high and the snow was falling heavily. The soldiers were also hungry and cold and could not sleep at all. Fan Zeng stood in the heavy snow.
Xiang Yu heard that Fan Zeng was standing alone outside the tent, so he sent someone to invite him. Fan Zeng came to Xiang Yu's military tent and sighed when he saw Xiang Bo and others there. Xiang Yu asked: "What did he say?" Fan Zeng said: "The general called me into the tent and said that he had just had a dream in which the wine he drank turned red. This was originally a bad omen. But I told him: In ancient times, generals would drink the blood of livestock and swear an oath before going on an expedition. I advised him to go out as soon as possible. This dream would be auspicious, otherwise it would be a big disaster. But he said that there would be a grand military banquet tomorrow, and he also said that there would be another We are discussing a more important matter, I wonder what it is?" Xiang Yu was secretly surprised. He deeply admired Fan Zeng's foresight, so he advised Fan Zeng: "You'd better go back to the camp and rest quickly, Song Yi doesn't know how to deal with it at all. Go and rescue Zhao." After Fan Zeng left, Xiang Yu summoned Chen Ping, Ying Bu, Pu Jiang, Zhong Limei, Ji Bu, Huan Chu, Yu Ying and others and said: "Song Yi is a man who deserves his fate. You all should be prepared. , I will go and kill him early tomorrow morning!" Everyone said in unison: "The Chu State was initiated by Lord Wu Xin to revolt, and we are willing to obey your orders!" Xiang Yu was very happy and asked everyone to return to their camps.
Early the next morning, someone came to persuade Xiang Yu to kill Qingzi champion while he was drunk. Xiang Yu said: "No, we must wait until he wakes up and let him die clearly." After waiting for another hour, Qingzi Champion finally woke up. Xiang Yu led his generals and strode into the commander's tent. When the guards saw something bad, they all avoided it. The champion of Qingzi was washing up at this time. When he saw Xiang Yu come in, he angrily shouted: "What are you doing here again?" Xiang Yu sternly scolded: "You are not good enough to achieve great things! Today I will get rid of you, a traitor to the country, on behalf of the entire army. He is a mediocre person, and then goes to save Zhao!" Champion Qing Zi was shocked and said: "Vice general, how dare you..." Before he finished speaking, Xiang Yu rushed forward and raised the sword in his hand. The Qingzi champion's head rolled to the ground as the sword edge passed by, and the blood from his neck spattered to the top of the tent. The brilliance of Qingzi's champion ended just like a flash in the pan.
Xiang Yu killed Song Yi, took off the general's seal from his waist and tied it to himself, then picked up Song Yi's head and walked out of the tent. When the Huben guards saw Xiang Yu raising his head with his sword, they were all frightened out of their wits. They obediently put down their weapons and knelt on both sides, not daring to raise their heads. Xiang Yu said to them righteously: "Pick up your weapons and continue to do your job!" The guards stood up and continued on duty. Xiang Yu announced to the entire army: "Song Yi conspired with the traitors of Qi to rebel. I have killed him according to King Huai's secret order! Our army's military pay is about to run out, but Song Yi's traitors have been entertaining Qi all day long. The bad guy of the country is consuming food in vain. This thief only cares about his own happiness but does not care about everyone else's life and death! If we don't get rid of this thief, it will not quell the army's anger. If we want to eat food, we should go to the Qin army to seize it!" As soon as he finished speaking, Immediately a burst of earth-shaking shouts broke out: "General Xiang! General Xiang!..."
Fan Zeng arrived after hearing the news. When he saw Xiang Yu holding Song Yi's head, he burst into tears. Xiang Yu said to him: "This is called cutting off the mess with a sharp sword. I knew you would never let me do this, so I didn't discuss it with you!" Fan Zeng said: "Song Yi was a minister of the previous dynasty, but I didn't expect that today, this is all mine. What a mistake! If I had firmly opposed King Huai's appointment of him as a general, how could I be here today?" The soldiers advised Fan Zeng: "The army cannot be without a commander for a day. The Xiang family has contributed to the Chu State, and now the deputy commander has killed him. Rebel general, we are willing to support General Xiang as acting general!" Fan Zeng yelled: "I have not asked the king for instructions. How can I make my own decision? I will send someone to Pengcheng immediately to report the reason why Song Yi was killed. Then please ask the king to re-select the general!" The generals were all young people. Seeing Fan Zeng, they were very angry and did not dare to speak.
Xiang Yu immediately ordered Huan Chu: "General Huan, you can take dozens of followers and rush to Pengcheng immediately to report the situation to King Huai. You must clearly report the fact that Song Yi was too slow to advance and defied the imperial edict. , please ask the king to re-select the general. Set off immediately without delay!" Huan Chu accepted the order and set off immediately. Xiang Yu said to Ying again: "I hate the ungratefulness of the Qi dog the most. Otherwise, how could Lord Wu Xin die? But the common man of Song Yi sent his dog Song Xiang to serve as an official in the state of Qi. This is simply eating the inside out. This kid must still be there now. On the road, you quickly lead a thousand cavalry, travel day and night, catch up with Song Xiang, cut off his head and deliver the order, and you must not let him return to Qi!" Yu Ying accepted the order and immediately galloped towards Qi. Xiang Yu then ordered his sergeants to bury Song Yi's body together.
Xiang Yu then reorganized his army and asked Fan Zeng for advice on some specific matters. Fan Zengdao: "Immediately inform the four parties and explain to the princes the reason why Song Yi disobeyed the king's order and was killed when the slow army failed to advance. This will also show the princes the determination of the Chu army to save Zhao. If everyone goes to rescue Julu, the resistance will be Qin's battle line has been formed." Xiang Yu immediately informed all parties and called on all the countries in Shandong to rescue Zhao in the name of the deputy commander of the Chu army.
Huan Chu came to Pengcheng and met King Huai of Chu. He told the story of the general's death and asked for a new general. King Huai was shocked when he heard that the general had been killed by Xiang Yu. He said to Huan Chu, "You go to the palace to rest first. I will summon the ministers to discuss it immediately." King Huai hurriedly summoned the ministers. When the ministers heard that Xiang Yu had killed General Song Yi, they were all shocked. They all proposed to King Huai: "As a deputy general, Xiang Yu disobeyed the king's orders and killed the commander-in-chief of the three armies without authorization. This is a serious crime. If he does not Summoning Xiang Yu to question him will only encourage his arrogance. I'm afraid he will even dare to disobey the king's edicts in the future!" King Huai thought for a moment and said, "You are wrong. I wanted to worship Xiang Yu as my general, but you They all said no. I had no choice but to appoint Song Yi as the general and ask him to go to Hebei to rescue Zhao. But why did Song Yi stop when he reached Anyang City? Now that he is dead, it is also his fault. I heard that Lord Wu Xin was dying He had left a will before, asking Xiang Yu to worship Fan Zeng as his father. This must be their conspiracy. Xiang Yu is as fierce as fire, what if he is called back? If another person is sent to serve as a general, which of you dares to go? He My uncle has made great contributions to the state of Chu, so why not do Xiang Yu a favor and make him a general? Xiang Yu has a deep hatred for Wang Li and Zhang Han, so he must use all his strength to fight." After hearing what King Huai said, Wen and Wu did not dare to No more talking. King Huai immediately sent an envoy with the imperial edict and Huan Chu rushed to Anyang City at night to confer Xiang Yu.
When the two arrived in Anyang, the envoy took out King Huai's edict and read it out, formally conferring Xiang Yu the title of general and ordering him to immediately go north to rescue Zhao. Xiang Yu accepted the order and became the general of Chu. At this time, Yu Ying also rushed back from Qi with Song Xiang's head, and reported to Xiang Yu how to kill him: It turned out that after Song Yi sent Song Xiang to Wuyan, Song Xiang traveled all the way to the mountains and rivers. He was putting on a show, but was caught up by Yu Ying, who killed him by surprise, cut off his head, and then brought back 500 soldiers to give orders. Xiang Yu was very happy to see that his future troubles had been eliminated.
Next, the generals asked Xiang Yu for orders. Xiang Yu said: "It's late today. I have something big to do. The army will set off tomorrow." After dinner, Xiang Yu heard that Fan Zeng had rested, so he invited the generals and said: "When my uncle was dying, he left a last message: He said that if I achieve anything in the future, I will not be able to leave Military Advisor Fan. Therefore, he asked me to worship Mr. Fan as his Yafu. He also said that Yafu’s presence is as good as his presence. I will worship Fan Lao as my Yafu now, and then go to rescue Zhao. , Only in this way can Lord Wu Xin rest in peace. I was not a general before and had no chance to fulfill this wish. Now that I am lucky enough to be in charge of the army, I cannot forget Lord Wu Xin’s legacy." Zhong Limei said: "Old Military Advisor Fan is indeed very resourceful and has the talent to stabilize the country. ." Xiang Yu said: "You come with me now. If I can get his care, I will be able to complete Wu Xinjun's unfinished business!" Everyone came to Fan Zeng's tent together.
Fan Zeng was an old man in his seventies. After all this trouble, his body and mind were affected, so he went to bed early after dinner. Xiang Yu led everyone to the camp gate. He could hardly bear to be alarmed, and finally asked the guards to report. When Fan Zeng heard that the general was coming, he reluctantly got up and sat down. Xiang Yu and the generals walked in gently. After Xiang Yu met Fan Zeng, he told him Wu Xinjun's previous will. Fan Zeng was surprised and happy when he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to worship him as his second father. He was surprised that although Wu Xinjun had passed away, the will he left could still become a reality. He was happy that Xiang Yu wanted to worship him as his second father. If he could do it in the future, If he obeys his words, his grand ideal of saving the country and the people can still be realized. But Fan Zeng was indeed old. He was really not sure whether he could complete the great cause of destroying Qin and Fu Chu, so he sighed and said emotionally: "I am old and useless! I didn't expect Lord Wu Xin to praise me so much when he was dying." ?If I can't fulfill his will in the future, even if I die, I won't have the face to see him?" After Fan Zeng finished speaking, he couldn't help but shed tears when he remembered the scene when he just came out of the mountain.
Xiang Yu said: "When I was alive, my uncle said that you had hidden armor and good plans, and that even Sun, Wu, Guan, and Le could not compare with you. Since he said so, he must be right. Now please accept my gift. In order to fulfill Lord Wu Xin's dying instructions, it can also comfort my heart at this moment." Fan Zeng stood up and said with tears in his eyes: "Since the young general does not think I am old, I will use my remaining years to repay Lord Wu Xin for his kindness. Thank you for your kindness. From now on, I will serve you in the Major General's saddle. Even if you work hard, there will be no regrets!" Xiang Yu immediately helped Fan Zeng sit down, then bowed his head and said, "My father is above, please accept my nephew's respect. ." Yafu means second only to father, just like uncle. After Xiang Yu paid his respects, he told the army that, except for Xiang Bo, everyone in the army must call Fan Zeng Yafu and cannot call him by his first name. Also because of Fan Zeng's prestige and age in the army, people called Fan Zeng Fan Yafu from then on. Fan Zeng was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night after receiving such an honor. The next day, after the soldiers had breakfast, Xiang Yu ordered the camp to set off. From then on, Xiang Yu became the general of Chu State, famous among the princes, and arrogant in the world. He was only twenty-five years old. The army marched toward the White Horse in a mighty manner, and the soldiers sang a marching song:
The sky is low and the clouds are flying. I bid farewell to my family mountain and look north. The geese fly south, feeling melancholy and bidding farewell to my father and mother.
The sky is low, the clouds are flying, the journey to the east of the river is long; the wind and snow are strong, the flag is damaged, but the man goes to the battlefield with meritorious service.
The sky is low, the clouds are flying, and the brave men go to report to the wise king; they kill the enemy generals, shoot the wolf, and sing and dance to conquer Xianyang.
