Chapter 035 A Pair of Friends
Han Xin stood in front of the palace gate, holding Liu Chang in his arms, looking proudly at the top of the city wall.
He saw the frightened faces on the city wall and their trembling hands, already loaded with crossbow arrows.
Han Xin couldn't help but grin. The cold wind blew, and his robe made a rustling sound. His body stood still. The soldiers on the city wall looked at the beast in fear, as if his body was much taller than the city wall.
At this moment, Han Xin enjoyed an unprecedented peace. The anger, resentment, and irritability that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time disappeared without a trace.
He didn't even blink when the soldiers charged out of the palace and surrounded him densely.
The soldiers separated, and Empress Lu walked over quickly. She first looked at Liu Chang, and then quickly began to stare at the heroic figure who was wrapped in Liu Chang.
The depressed, unwilling, angry, irritable King of Chu, who lived in complaints and sorrow all day long, is gone.
He was wearing an ordinary robe, with his hair tied casually, and looking at Empress Lu in front of him with a wanton look. The unruly and unceremonious young man in Huaiyin County was back.
"Useless boy, you killed someone and ended up vomiting like this."
Han Xin said with disdain.
Liu Chang opened his eyes weakly, "Mother~~"
Empress Lu was stunned, and the murderous intent on her face weakened a little. "Who did he kill?"
"Kill the helper who gave me advice and prepared for the rebellion."
“Hahahaha~~”
Empress Lü sneered, "Marquis Huaiyin dares to say anything, where do you get the courage?"
Han Xin laughed loudly. He gently put Liu Chang on the ground, stretched out his hand suddenly, pulled open the collar on his chest, exposed the position of his heart, patted the position hard, and said proudly: "It came from here."
Empress Lu began to tremble and stared at Han Xin with angry eyes. Han Xin was not afraid at all and also stared at her coldly.
Empress Lü had seen Han Xin like this once. At that time, he was wearing armor, facing an almost invincible enemy, his face full of arrogance, and that kind of shadow will never be forgotten by anyone who has seen it. The spears held by the armored soldiers were trembling slightly, their faces were pale, and no one dared to raise their heads to look at the downtrodden Marquis of Huaiyin.
"kill."
The soldiers' eyes widened, their faces turned grim, they slowly approached Han Xin, step by step, without the decisiveness of the past. Han Xin did not move, his face did not change at all.
"Wait~~"
Liu Chang mustered up his strength, supported himself with his hands, and managed to sit up. "Master did not commit treason! He killed Kuai Che who instigated him to rebel!"
Empress Lu narrowed her eyes, "Is that so?"
"No, Kuai Che was killed by Liu Chang. It was me who decided to rebel."
“Master!!!”
Han Xin looked at Liu Chang on the ground with disdain, "I have not yet fallen to the point where I have to rely on the kindness of a child like you to survive."
"kill!"
"etc!!"
This time, it was not Liu Chang who spoke up to dissuade them, but Xiao He who jumped off the carriage. Xiao He jumped off the carriage panting, his clothes in disarray. It was obvious that he rushed here as quickly as possible after receiving the news. Facing this old prime minister, Empress Lu had to give him face, and even though she was unhappy, she did not scold him.
"Your Majesty the Queen..."
Xiao He walked quickly to the side of Empress Lu. He no longer had the smiling expression he used to have before. He was a little flustered and looked at Empress Lu breathlessly, but didn't know how to start. He looked at Han Xin who was standing beside him, and Han Xin was also looking at him.
Xiao He was the only person in the court who dared to joke with Han Xin, and he was also the only friend Han Xin trusted, just like Liu Bang trusted King Yan.
Han Xin was able to have what he has today because of Xiao He. In his early years, Han Xin was not respected by anyone. In his hometown, he was notorious, his family was penniless, he was arrogant and did not abide by etiquette. If Chen Ping was looked down upon, then Han Xin was insulted by everyone. Even the humiliation under the crotch could not change his character. He remained the same as before.
Liu Bang entered Shu and Han Xin left Chu and joined Han, but still no one looked up to him. Although Xiahou Ying discovered that this man was unusual and recommended him to Liu Bang, even Liu Bang did not think there was anything different about him.
Later, Xiao He talked with Han Xin and found that this man had amazing talent. Later, Liu Bang led his army to war, and more than a dozen generals ran away along the way. Suddenly someone came to tell Liu Bang that Xiao He also ran away.
Liu Bang almost collapsed, angry and aggrieved. Suddenly, Xiao He came back on his own.
Liu Bang asked him angrily, "Since you ran away, why did you come back?"
Xiao He told him: "I did not run away, I just chased someone who ran away."
"who?"
"Han Xin."
Liu Bang did not listen to Xiao He's explanation. He asked, "There were more than a dozen generals who escaped, but you didn't chase them. Now you said you were going to chase Han Xin. Who would believe you?"
Xiao He called Han Xin over and said to Liu Bang, "All those officers tied up are not as good as Han Xin. You will never find another general like him in the world! "
Then, Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as a general, and Han Xin officially began his outrageous military career, leaving a top ceiling in the history of Chinese wars with a leap. It was left for later generations to admire, and most people could only look up to it. Only a few of the few could touch this ceiling. In the entire cold weapon era, no one dared to say that they had jumped over this ceiling.
Xiao He and Han Xin had a good personal relationship. Xiao He admired Han Xin very much and loved his talents.
However, Han Xin has now become a thorn in the side of Liu Bang and Xiao He. As the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He has a lot to consider. Why did the old friend who could share hardships with him become an enemy that must be eliminated at this moment?
Empress Lu was very calm and did not struggle like Xiao He did. She knew that Xiao He would not persuade her to keep Han Xin. As the prime minister, Xiao He saw things much more clearly than she did. The news about Kuai Che was known to the prime minister, and even the prime minister's secret instigation allowed Kuai Che to successfully get to Han Xin.
Xiao He stood quietly for a long time, then walked to Han Xin and straightened his open collar.
"When I was ready to face death calmly, I felt like I had walked out of a quagmire. I saw through many things that I couldn't figure out and understood... Prime Minister, do you want to kill me?"
"Yes, it was me... You have to die. Just one word from you can make Chen Xi rebel. Do you know that? His army burned, killed and looted in Zhao and Dai. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Zhao and Dai have been constantly demanding food, but the people's food has been snatched away by him. The land that has been cultivated with great difficulty is going to be abandoned again..."
Xiao He spoke calmly, his eyes gradually becoming moist.
"Your ambition has harmed hundreds of thousands of innocent people... If the war continues, there will be a food shortage, and I don't know how many people will starve... The world can't stand your destruction. In the past few years, I haven't been able to sleep at night. I have spent so much effort, and various places have gradually improved... You said, I can't watch you destroy the world... You won't blame me, right?"
"No, no, my collar wasn't done properly..."
"Oh, you're nervous. Don't blame me. Your dress looks great. Why have I never seen you wear it before?"
"This is the burial object I prepared for myself. Look here, it's the phoenix my wife wove for me. Isn't it beautiful..."
After hurriedly packing Han Xin's clothes, Xiao He wiped his eyes with his hands, took a few steps back, looked at Han Xin in front of him again, nodded, and was finally satisfied.
"Bring me something to eat and a sword."
"Come on, I'll eat with you."
"Hey? Where's that bastard?"
Han Xin looked at the side in surprise. Liu Chang, who had just been lying on the ground, was no longer there.
From beginning to end, Empress Lu didn't say a word. She just looked at the two old friends quietly with a cold face as they reminisced about the past.
…
"Brother, please save Master. He won't rebel again...Brother, please save him...He already knows his mistake..."
Liu Ying looked at Liu Chang lying on the sickbed and begging for mercy, and he became conflicted.
"Okay, I'll go save him."
