In the Xiang residence, Roy, Xiang Liang, and Fan Zeng were secretly plotting their rebellion.
"Today, I received a secret letter from Zhao Ping of Guangling, claiming that the lands east of the Yangtze have been pacified. He hopes we can send troops to join his forces and march west together to attack the Qin army!"
Zhao Ping of Guangling was a subordinate of Chen Sheng, having risen in rebellion alongside him. Though Kuaiji Commandery was considered remote in this era, its isolation had its advantages—no one paid it much attention, allowing the Xiang clan to develop peacefully here.
In this regard, the Qin heartland of Guanzhong was also remote. However, Guanzhong was fertile and situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, enabling Qin to observe the struggles of the six states before unifying the realm. Kuaiji, on the other hand, lay in the lower reaches of the Yangtze—its geographical position was far too poor to be a true dragon's lair.
"There must be treachery in this."
Even without knowledge of history, Roy could sense the stench of conspiracy.
"Ji is right. Not long ago, King Chen failed to capture Yingyang after prolonged sieges, preventing him from entering Guanzhong. The Second Emperor of Qin, heeding the advice of Shaofu Zhang Han, pardoned the hundreds of thousands of convict laborers at Mount Li and formed them into an army led by Zhang Han himself. This man is formidable—he repelled the forces of Zhou Wen, King Chen's subordinate, who had bypassed Yingyang to attack Hangu Pass. Zhou Wen suffered a crushing defeat."
"...Moreover, internal strife has arisen within King Chen's ranks. After relieving the siege of Yingyang, Zhang Han led his troops to attack Chen County. King Chen fled, and his current fate is unknown. Zhao Ping knows the Qin army will soon attack him, so to save himself, he fabricated this lie, hoping we would march west to help him resist Qin."
Xiang Liang let out a cold laugh. No one knew how long the Xiang clan had been preparing for rebellion. The fact that Xiang Liang had been able to travel from Kuaiji to Xianyang, enter the underground palace, and find Roy proved that he had connections in Xianyang as well. In this era, transportation was inconvenient, and information was slow to spread. Zhao Ping intended to exploit this to deceive the Xiang clan, dragging them into battle with the Qin army so he could save his own life.
Unfortunately, Zhao Ping had miscalculated one thing—the Xiang clan's spies had already rushed the intelligence to them at full speed.
"Ji'er, what do you think we should do now?"
Xiang Liang looked at Roy with hope.
After a brief moment of thought, Roy replied, "...In the end, we must advance west and fight the Qin army. A military force that has long been idle cannot last. Now is the perfect opportunity. Though the Qin army numbers in the hundreds of thousands, they are merely a rabble of convicts. It was only under Zhang Han's leadership that they achieved a great victory. Such a motley crew, no matter how numerous, is nothing to fear. As long as we defeat them a few times, their morale will surely collapse."
"...Though Zhao Ping is now cornered, he still commands tens of thousands of troops. Since he wants to survive, I'll take the opportunity to advance west and take control of those tens of thousands of soldiers."
The once-invincible Qin army was long gone. Whether it was the current Qin forces or the rebel armies, they were mostly convicts and peasants with little combat effectiveness, far inferior to the Xiang clan's well-trained eight thousand elite soldiers from Jiangdong.
Only after prolonged warfare, when those peasants and convicts had become seasoned veterans and undergone proper training, could they truly become elite troops.
Xiang Liang was overjoyed at Roy's words and exclaimed, "...Excellent! With Ji'er's assurance, I am at ease! Take six thousand of the eight thousand soldiers with you. Once you join forces with Zhao Ping, we will truly engage the Qin army in battle!"
Direct confrontation with the Qin army was extremely dangerous, especially now that they were riding high on victory. Xiang Liang had enough self-awareness to know he was no military strategist. Seeing Roy take on the most difficult task, he recalled the diviner's prophecy and Roy's superhuman combat prowess displayed in Xianyang, growing ever more convinced that the Xiang clan's great destiny would be fulfilled under his leadership.
"As for me, I'll take the remaining two thousand soldiers and cross the Huai River. There are some small rebel forces there—I'll see if I can bring them under our banner to bolster your strength, Ji'er!"
Xiang Liang was decisive. He knew he couldn't just sit idly in the rear—he had to take to the frontlines himself.
"There's one more thing. In Dongyang, Kuaiji, someone has risen in rebellion, reportedly commanding twenty thousand troops, with the Dongyang Magistrate's clerk as their leader."
Xiang Liang frowned as he spoke. It displeased him that someone in Kuaiji, right under his nose, had dared to rebel without permission.
Dongyang was a county in what is now modern-day Jinhua.
"I know this Dongyang Magistrate's clerk. Given his timid nature, he doesn't seem the type to rebel—he was likely forced into it. I'll send someone to persuade him. There's a ninety percent chance he'll choose to join us, and I can incorporate those twenty thousand soldiers into our forces."
Roy, of course, knew that those twenty thousand soldiers were probably just peasants armed with sticks. But in war, numbers mattered—the larger the force, the greater the intimidation. Even if Roy could single-handedly defeat ten thousand, there was nothing quite as exhilarating as leading a million-strong army to conquer cities and territories. That was the true romance of a warrior.
"Excellent! Then I leave all these matters to you, Ji'er!"
Xiang Liang said cheerfully.
At this moment, Fan Zeng finally spoke up, "...I have already sent people to find Mi Xin, the grandson of King Huai of Chu, among the common folk. The people of Chu still cherish the memory of King Huai. We can appropriately enfeoff Mi Xin as King Huai of Chu once more, proclaiming our intent to restore the state. Undoubtedly, the entire populace of Chu will unite in hatred against the common enemy, rallying to the cause of Lord Xiang and the general."
He was precisely aiming to exploit the populist consciousness of Chu.
"Very well, the matter of establishing the state shall be entrusted to Master Fan!"
After some secret discussions, the group finalized their next steps.
"Ji'er, are you planning to leave your Yu Meiren in Wu County?"
With major affairs settled, Xiang Liang turned to chat with Roy about personal matters.
Roy paused briefly before smiling. "...She said she wants to accompany me to the battlefield."
The Grand Historian recorded in Records of the Grand Historian that Yu Ji often followed the Conqueror on campaigns. Now it seemed this was indeed historical fact. However, when others read about Yu Ji accompanying the army, they would assume she was merely there to sing, dance, and satisfy Xiang Yu's desires. Only Roy knew the truth—Yu Ji was no mere entertainer. If her temper flared, she alone could decimate a million-strong army!
Xiang Liang praised, "...For that woman to have such resolve shows her true feelings."
Having family accompany an army on campaign was perilous. If defeated, one could imagine the fate awaiting the commander's loved ones. Thus, Xiang Liang felt that though the woman wasn't human, her willingness to follow Roy into battle was truly commendable. Should Roy leave his mark in history, she would undoubtedly be recorded alongside him.
...
Liu Ji had been feeling rather down lately.
After killing the magistrate of Pei County, she had been proclaimed Duke of Pei, leading the uprising there—all part of her long-laid plans. Naturally, she set up altars, raised red banners, declared herself a descendant of the Red Emperor, and expanded her forces to three thousand.
At first, everything went smoothly as she swiftly conquered the areas around Pei County. Unfortunately, she soon encountered the Qin army, fresh from their great victory at Xingyang. Against their hundreds of thousands of troops, her meager forces were utterly useless. Defeat followed defeat, and though she barely managed to fight her way out of Pei County, she was eventually driven back in.
Fortunately, the Qin army didn't take her seriously. After pushing her back, Zhang Han dispatched his officers to deal with Zhao Ping, a subordinate of Chen Sheng, before advancing east to attack Chu.
Seizing this opportunity, Liu Ji raised her banner again, intending to capture Fengyi. But contrary to her hopes, Fengyi remained unconquered, leaving her humiliated once more, fleeing like a stray dog.
At this point, Liu Ji was finally convinced: she was not cut out for warfare!
"If the Qin army succeeds in attacking Chu, we'll be surrounded and likely executed along with our families. I've heard Lord Xiang has crossed the Huai River, with many rebel forces joining him. The Xiang family were nobles and generals of Chu—why don't we seek refuge with them?"
Liu Ji had thick skin and saw no shame in admitting she couldn't handle the current situation and turning to others for help. Besides, she was genuinely afraid now. If the Qin army took notice of her, even a small detachment could spell her doom.
Right now, clinging to a powerful ally was the safest bet!
Xiao He and Cao Shen, being cautious civil officials, had only recommended Liu Ji as Duke of Pei because they feared death themselves. Thus, they eagerly nodded in agreement. Even Zhang Liang, who had recently pledged allegiance to Liu Ji, found himself at a loss without resources. Unable to devise any clever strategies, he had no choice but to endorse Liu Ji's plan.
Though reputed as one who could "plan strategies within a tent and secure victory a thousand miles away," with almost no troops under his command, what was there to plan? Swallowing his pride and joining the Xiang family was the only way forward!