Chapter 304: Burn the Boats and Sink the Ships, Nine Battles, Nine Victories

Liu Bang looked at Ying Zheng standing up, the smile at the corner of his mouth faded a little.

He thought the joke had gone too far, but words once spoken are like splashed water, impossible to take back.

Ying Zheng ignored Liu Bang.

He watched the scene on the sky screen of Zhang Han's surrender and suddenly said:

"I truly wish to go back and beat that rebellious son again."

Liu Bang was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

Ying Zheng turned his head to look at him, his gaze cold as a knife.

Liu Bang shrank his neck and stopped smiling.

Liu Che hurried to smooth things over: "First Emperor, cease your anger; the affairs of the Qin dynasty are already in the past…"

Ying Zheng raised his hand, and Liu Che fell silent.

On the sky screen, the commentaries of each dynasty's emperor began to drift by.

Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng was the first; he suppressed his anger and spoke.

【Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng: Zhang Han is the last barrier I left for Great Qin.】

【He can fight, can command troops, can use strategy.】

【He lost the Battle of Julu not because he was incapable, but because there was no one behind him.】

Han Gaozu Liu Bang saw Ying Zheng's commentary and, unusually, did not make a joke.

【Han Gaozu Liu Bang: Zhang Han, I have fought him before.】

【He is hard to fight.】

【In the Battle of Julu he lost to Xiang Yu, not because he was weak, but because Xiang Yu was too mad.】

【Fighting someone who does not fear death, everyone must weigh the situation.】

【But the real defeat of Zhang Han was not on the battlefield, but in the court.】

【Zhao Gao gave him no supplies, no reinforcements, and even wanted to kill him; besides surrendering, what else could he do?】

Han Wudi Liu Che noted a few points in the booklet, then added a commentary.

【Han Wudi Liu Che: "Burn the boats and sink the ships"—these four characters are easy to say, hard to do.】

【When the Chu army crossed the river, Xiang Yu left no retreat for himself, nor for the three armies' soldiers.】

【In such a war, winning makes one a deity, losing leaves no corpse to be found.】

【Xiang Yu won, so he is the Hegemon of Western Chu.】

Tang Taizong Li Shimin's tone carried a hint of respect.

【Tang Taizong Li Shimin: The key to the Battle of Julu lies not in tactics, but in resolve.】

【Xiang Yu's method was actually very simple—charge.】

【Keep charging, reckless charge.】

【Yet this simple, brutal style broke the Qin army.】

【When you are less afraid of death than the enemy, the enemy fears you.】

【This is also military strategy.】

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang said it in a carefree manner.

【Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang: Xiang Yu that kid truly fights without regard for life.】

【Burn the boats and sink the ships, burn the camp and destroy the stove; it is like placing a knife at one's own throat and forcing oneself to rush forward.】

【If it were us, we would do the same.】

【In this kind of war, either die or win.】

【There is no third path.】

Emperor Qianlong waved his folding fan, leisurely summed up.

【Emperor Qianlong: The Battle of Julu, "Burn the boats and sink the ships" became an eternal masterpiece, "watching from the wall" became an eternal joke.】

【Later generations, when recalling this battle, remember Xiang Yu's bravery, remember the lords' cowardice, remember "though Chu has three households, the fall of Qin must be Chu."】

【In this battle, Great Qin's fate was sealed.】

On the sky screen, the bullet comments of later ages began to drift.

【Netizen·Chu Overlord Die‑hard Fan】

The Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu led tens of thousands, burned the boats and sunk the ships, nine battles nine victories, crushing forty thousand Qin troops into disarray.

This is not war, it is cheating.

【Netizen·Historical Research Party】

Those lords who "watch from the wall" were not cowardly; they merely wanted to wait for both sides to be exhausted before stepping out to reap the fruit.

In the end Xiang Yu alone broke the Qin army; they didn't even get to drink soup.

【Netizen·Li Bai Doesn't Drive】

Zhang Han was truly unlucky.

He lost the Battle of Julu, but still had two hundred thousand troops.

If someone in the court supported him, he could still fight.

But Zhao Gao stabbed him from behind; he could only surrender.

After surrendering he was trapped by Xiang Yu and twenty thousand were killed.

Zhang Han's life was terribly bitter.

【Netizen·Tang Monk Washes Hair】

The First Emperor, seeing Hu Hai turn Great Qin into this mess, the coffin lid likely cannot hold it down.

Zhao Gao pointed to a deer and called it a horse; Hu Hai took it as a joke.

Zhang Han fought desperately on the front lines, and Hu Hai sent people to reprimand him, asking why he didn't seek a quick victory.

With an emperor like this, if not the Great Qin, who would perish?

【Netizen·Pearl milk tea without pearls】

Three thousand years ago, Xiang Yu broke his cauldrons and sank his boats; in the three thousand years since, countless people have learned from him.

But how many have truly mastered it?

Because most people only learned to break the cauldrons, not the desperate struggle after sinking the boats.

Xiang Yu could win, not because he smashed the cauldron, but because he dared to die.

In the Eastern Han court, Ying Zheng watched these bullet comments and remained silent for a long time.

Liu Bang watched his expression and carefully said, "Brother Zheng, later generations are all cursing Hu Hai."

Ying Zheng really wanted to hang Hu Hai up and give him a beating.

Liu Bang lifted his tea cup, not knowing what to say.

Ying Zheng suddenly stood up and walked toward him.

Liu Bang watched Ying Zheng's face draw nearer, and his tea cup trembled slightly.

"Brother Zheng, what do you want? I haven't provoked you—"

Ying Zheng slapped him on the back of the head.

Liu Bang clutched his head and jumped up: "Why did you hit me?!"

Ying Zheng took off one of his boots.

Seeing that, Liu Bang took off running.

Ying Zheng chased after him.

Liu Bang ran around the hall, his robes billowing, his cap askew.

Ying Zheng's steps were small but steady, each step deliberate, neither hurried nor slow, each time just missing landing a hit.

Liu Che and Liu Xiu sat in the chairs, exchanged a glance, then both lowered their heads, pretending to read a booklet.

Liu Che wrote a line in the booklet: "The First Emperor and the Grand Duke are sparring today."

After thinking, he crossed it out.

Liu Xiu held her tea cup, lifted it to her lips and found it empty, but she didn't dare get up to pour more water.

Liu Bang ran to behind Gu Shanhe, hid behind the chair, panting: "Immortal master, save me!"

Gu Shanhe held his tea cup, didn't turn his head, and said:

"Say two fewer sentences, and he'll stop chasing you."

Liu Bang objected: "What did I say? I didn't say anything!"

Ying Zheng stood three steps away, smoothed his robes, and said expressionlessly: "You said Hu Hai is a talent."

Liu Bang opened his mouth, wanting to say "I was being sarcastic," but seeing Ying Zheng's gaze, he swallowed the words.

The hall fell silent for a while.

Ying Zheng turned and walked back to his seat, sat down, lifted his tea cup, took a sip, and his expression eased considerably.

Liu Bang poked his head out from behind the chair, confirmed that Ying Zheng had no intention of chasing him again, then carefully walked back and sat down.

His movement as he sat down was light, like a cat that had stolen a fish and felt guilty.

The golden light on the celestial screen began to gather.

Xiang Yu stood in the camp, looking at the "complete" character on the celestial screen, and gripped his sword tightly.

The Battle of Julu——he will win, he will defeat Zhang Han, he will shatter the Qin army's main force, and he will become the Hegemon-King of Western Chu in the eyes of all under heaven.

But he did not smile, because he had already seen the subsequent Battle of Gaixia.

Zhang Han stood at the gate of the grand camp, silent for a long time.

The deputy commander beside him asked quietly: "General, what should we do?"

Zhang Han lifted his head to watch the last trace of golden light on the celestial screen fade away, and said seven words: "Take it step by step, see how it goes!"

The celestial screen completely dissipated.

【The review of the Battle of Julu is complete; everyone can guess which battle will be reviewed next.】