Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

"Who?" Yi Xiaochuan was also curious about who was so important that Fan Zeng specifically asked him to take with him.

"The grandson of King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin?" At this moment, Fan Zeng's slightly cold voice was heard slowly, as if a gust of cold wind blowing past Yi Xiaochuan's ears.

When Yi Xiaochuan heard this, his heart was shaken as if he was hit by a heavy hammer. His brain began to work rapidly, and various thoughts kept flashing through his mind. In just a moment, he understood the real purpose behind Fan Zeng's move.

The so-called support was just a cover. What Fan Zeng really wanted to do was to bring Sun Xiongxin to Zhixian County. Of course, boosting morale might be one of the reasons, but it was by no means all. With his keen insight and deep understanding of the situation, Yi Xiaochuan quickly guessed the deeper intention behind this matter - Fan Zeng probably wanted King Huai of Chu to die in Zhixian County!

If the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan had never divided the kings, or if Sun Xiongxin had been directly given the title of King of Chu, it would have been more conducive to controlling the people's hearts and minds in Chu. However, now that the court has issued such an order, the situation is very different. This order is undoubtedly extremely disadvantageous to Xiang Yu. It is tantamount to placing Xiang Yu on a raging fire, repeatedly burning him.

You know, such mutually influencing decrees will inevitably lead to serious divisions throughout the Chu region. The people will start to wonder: should they support Xiang Yu or stand firmly on Sun Xiongxin's side? This is completely different from the situation where all power is directly concentrated in Sun Xiongxin and Sun Xiongxin is completely sidelined. Even though Xiang Yu has not yet accepted the court's enfeoffment and still respects Sun Xiongxin, it cannot stop the people of Chu from having doubts. Especially when Xiang Yu is in power, it is easy for people to speculate whether he coerced Sun Xiongxin.

Under this situation, for Xiang Yu, Sun Xiongxin's death may be the best way to solve the problem. But Sun Xiongxin must not die at the hands of Xiang Yu, even if assassination is used. Because once it happens, it will cause an uproar and make the situation worse. Therefore, launching a fierce battle with the Southern Border Army at the moment is undoubtedly a wonderful arrangement, and it is also the most suitable way for Chu Huai Wang Sun Xiongxin to end his life.

"Xiaochuan, you must understand the current situation. Sun Xiongxin is already full of dissatisfaction and resentment because of the decrees issued by the court. But for the common people in our Chu land, the truth is that there is no two masters in heaven and no two hearts in people! This will not only greatly boost the morale of our soldiers, but also follow the principle of 'the army of mourning will win' and unite the hearts of the people in Chu land. More importantly, we have to make good use of Sun Xiongxin as a chess piece."

"But Xiang Yu must not be informed of this. You know Xiang Yu's character very well. He is too arrogant and conceited. He will certainly disdain such strategies and tactics. So, this matter has to be done by the two of us in secret!" At this moment, Fan Zeng pointed out the true meaning of this to Yi Xiaochuan without any concealment. To put it bluntly, he must make sure that Sun Xiongxin dies in the hands of the Southern Border Army.

After hearing this, Yi Xiaochuan hesitated for a while, but finally clasped his fists and said, "I understand, sir, don't worry, I will definitely get this done." Then he turned and left. However, at the moment he turned around, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. In fact, he knew clearly that Fan Zeng still had doubts about him. Even though he seemed particularly intimate in his address to him, in fact, in Fan Zeng's eyes, he was still just an outsider.

In the county, the flames of war were raging, the smoke of gunpowder filled the air, and the storm of war was still raging. Han Xin knew that in order to successfully capture the county, he would have to continuously invest manpower and resources to launch a long and arduous war of attrition.

Han Xin ordered three attacks in one day, but the timing of these attacks was erratic. Sometimes it was at dawn, sometimes it was at the height of the sun, or before nightfall. He would randomly choose targets among the four gates of Zhixian and launch sudden attacks. And each attack was like a thunderbolt, putting great pressure on the enemy defenders, making people feel that they might attack at any time and break through the gates in one fell swoop.

Faced with such a fierce attack, General Long Ju, who was in charge of defending Zhi County, did not dare to take it lightly. After all, a slight negligence could lead to the fall of the city and the loss of lives. However, in this intense offensive and defensive battle, a key problem gradually surfaced - the number of defenders in Zhi County was relatively small, while Han Xin's army from the south was strong and numerous.

As a military strategist who had experienced many battles, Han Xin not only knew how to defeat the enemy with fewer troops when the troops were at a disadvantage, but also knew how to use strategies after gaining an advantage and taking the initiative. Therefore, within just one day, he organized three consecutive siege operations. What was even more clever was that in each attack, he would only concentrate his forces to attack one city gate, and would never disperse his forces to attack other city gates at the same time.

This seemingly "stupid" tactical arrangement actually embodies Han Xin's foresight and wisdom. In this way, he was able to give full play to his superior forces and create a huge psychological deterrent for the enemy defending the city. At the same time, since the gates to be attacked each time were uncertain, Long Ju had to divide his troops to guard each gate, making it difficult to concentrate on dealing with a crisis in one place. In addition, frequent attacks can also disrupt the enemy's defensive deployment, making them exhausted and unable to effectively organize a counterattack.

The southern border troops were cleverly divided into three different waves by Han Xin. When one part of the troops launched a fierce attack, the other troops that did not participate in the attack began to take the opportunity to rest. They either sat together to enjoy the steaming hot meals to replenish their exhausted physical strength; or lay on the grass to sleep peacefully to recover their exhausted spirits.

In sharp contrast to these soldiers who were able to take a short break, Long Ju did not dare to slack off from beginning to end. Although he had keenly realized that Han Xin was using the tactic of exhausting the soldiers, he still did not dare to take the risk lightly.

Every time he faced an enemy attack on the city, Long Qi knew that he had to do his best and fight without reservation. He knew very well that if there was a loophole in the defense due to negligence, the Southern Border Army would be able to break through the city wall and the gate in a blink of an eye with its strong strength and swift offensive.

Once this situation occurs, the consequences will be disastrous. For Long Ju, losing this war not only means losing his precious life, but more importantly, the entire Kuaiji City will be completely trapped in a passive situation because of his defeat. Therefore, even though he knew that he might be stepping into the trap carefully designed by Han Xin, Long Ju had no choice but to bite the bullet and stick to it.

Therefore, Long Ju did not dare to gamble. He always asked the soldiers to be extremely alert. What made the soldiers feel most tired was the transportation of materials for defending the city. They were all stones and rolling logs. They looked like they were just moving between the city walls, but in fact, they consumed a huge amount of physical strength.

Until the sun set, the blood-red sunset dyed half the sky red, as if covering the entire earth with a layer of red gauze. Only then could Long Qie finally breathe a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves were slightly relaxed. After a whole day of fierce fighting and running around, he finally had some free time to take care of his injuries.

However, due to the delay of the daytime due to the war and the continuous fighting with the enemy, Long Qie's physical condition became worse and worse. When the doctor carefully opened the wound on his arm again, he couldn't help but frown and his face showed worry. The originally bright red flesh on Long Qie's arm wound had now turned into a disturbing dark yellow, and pus was oozing around it, emitting bursts of foul smell, and it had obviously begun to rot and fester.

"General, this..." The doctor hesitated, his eyes full of worry.

"Is there any way to deal with it? Don't delay my battle!" Long Qie asked, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain. He knew that the battle was tense and every minute and every second was crucial, but he also knew that if these injuries were not treated in time, the consequences would be disastrous.

When Long Qie saw the serious injury on his arm, he frowned. As a veteran of many battles, he was already accustomed to all kinds of injuries on the battlefield. He naturally understood what it meant when the wound developed to this extent - he had to rest well and receive careful treatment, otherwise even if he could save his life by chance, his arm would most likely be disabled. However, facing the urgent situation at hand, how could he rest assured to recover from his injury?

"There is a way, but..." The doctor looked at Long Qie with difficulty, hesitant to speak. Seeing this, Long Qie couldn't help but feel a nameless fire rising in his heart. He widened his eyes, glared at him, and immediately shouted angrily: "Hurry up and speak! Don't hesitate!"

The doctor trembled after hearing Long Qie's roar. He said tremblingly, "Look, General, we need to peel off some of the flesh at the injured part, and then completely remove the rotten flesh and festering part. But...but this method is too cruel. I am worried that you can't bear the pain."

Long Qie frowned, thought for a moment and asked, "After this operation, can you ensure that it will not affect my ability to fight in battle?" The doctor hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said, "It is impossible to have no effect at all. However, in the short term, it should be guaranteed that you will not lose your combat effectiveness due to the onset of your injury. But... but every time you use this arm in the future, I'm afraid it will be unbearable."

Long Qie gritted his teeth and said without hesitation: "No problem! Go ahead!"

Seeing that Long Qie was determined, the doctor knew that it was useless to say more, so he had to respond: "This... here!" As he spoke, he first picked up a knife to clean it carefully, and then called several men to hold Long Qie's arm firmly.

Then, he took an oil lamp and briefly roasted the blade over the fire to sterilize it. After completing these preparations, the doctor took a deep breath, raised his knife, and slashed towards Long Qie's wound...