I switched allegiance to Zhang Han and rebuilt the Qin Dynasty; Liu Bang was heartbroken.

Liu Bang now looks like a child who has lost his candy, feeling wronged and angry.

Xiao He was quite familiar with Liu Bang and wasn't flustered. The most important thing was to give Liu Bang hope!

Give him a little hope, and he'll work his hardest.

Haven't they already fought their way from that small town of Peifeng to the present-day King of Han?

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Qin people have probably only heard of Master Zifang's reputation and want to win him over."

"But the Qin people don't know just how terrifying Mr. Zifang's abilities are. Even in our camp, not many people know."

"The Qin people should have been trying to win over the virtuous and capable in the usual way."

“Master Zifang comes from a prominent family, and the Qin army will certainly not treat him unfairly.”

"Once we reach Hanzhong and have enough food and other weapons, we will bring Mr. Zifang back."

Seeing that Liu Bang was wavering, Xiao He continued, "Moreover, Master Zifang regards Your Majesty as a confidant."

"This trip among the Qin army might make them resent the Qin army even more and miss the King even more!"

“Once we bring back Zifang, he will certainly not want to return to the side of that mediocre ruler Han Cheng, but will instead fully support Your Majesty in establishing your empire and fighting against Qin.”

Liu Bang nodded: "Master Zifang has suffered. I will definitely strengthen our troops in Bashu and once we have retaken Guanzhong, I will not treat him unfairly."

"These are my brothers!"

Even though Liu Bang was extremely frustrated, he had no choice but to take Xiao He's advice: now was not the time to fight Xiang Yu to the death.

Finally, they made up their minds to follow Xiao He's plan.

Zhang Ping has already gone back to inform Zhao Long.

“These Han soldiers are cowards. I led my men to provoke them, but not one of them dared to fight back.”

Zhang Liang felt very uncomfortable listening to this. He wanted to defend Liu Bang, but he didn't know where to begin.

The Han army backed down; that's a fact.

"Liu Bang doesn't even seem to intend to attack?" Zhao Long asked, somewhat surprised.

Liu Bang's current strength is far greater than that of his contemporaries in history, and his ambition for power is growing stronger every day.

The Qin army has come to bully us like this, and we actually held back this time?

He had repeatedly advised Liu Bang to restrain himself, but Liu Bang rarely listened, remaining stubbornly defiant each time.

After thinking about it, Zhao Long understood.

Liu Bang was very reckless back then, all in an attempt to gain greater power and status.

The current tolerance is still for the sake of power and status.

By driving himself away, wasn't he simply afraid to fight Xiang Yu to the death, and instead venting all his anger on himself?

A bully who only fears the strong.

He was already the King of Han, and he was afraid of losing that position!

People taught him a lesson, but Liu Bang never learned.

A lesson can be taught in one go.

Liu Bang had been winning every battle in the past, and victory had blinded him.

However, after the crushing defeat at Chang'an, Liu Bang finally saw the reality: he was no match for Xiang Yu.

This was only a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled Qin soldiers supported by Xiang Yu, yet they inflicted heavy losses on him.

If the elite Chu army, which had fought against the Qin army at Julu, were to attack, how would the Han army possibly stop them?

What Liu Bang feared most was Xiang Yu!

Zhao Long has been using this tactic all along: borrowing the tiger's power.

"Yes, not only that, Liu Bang also directly distributed the grain and fodder to the soldiers after taking it."

"Didn't Liu Bang have any sense of shame?"

Zhang Ping asked, puzzled.

Zhao Long smiled and shook his head: "It seems that Liu Bang is planning to leave."

Zhang Ping was puzzled: "Why?"

"Liu Bang took our supplies. If we have to swallow this humiliation, there are only two possible thoughts."

"First, we should take the provisions, let the soldiers have a good meal, and then fight the Qin army to the death."

"Secondly, he was enduring humiliation and choosing to leave Guanzhong, waiting for an opportunity to return and fight back."

"Even with your previous provocations, he didn't take the opportunity to attack. It seems Liu Bang has chosen the second option!"

After Zhao Long finished speaking, Zhang Ping nodded subconsciously. In any case, the young master was resourceful and wise, so he just had to follow his plan.

But Zhang Liang was shocked. Zhao Long had completely grasped Liu Bang's mind and understood his true intentions.

"Ziyun, don't you suspect that the King of Han took the supplies to give you the illusion that he was preparing to leave, while in reality he was secretly planning to launch a surprise attack on the Qin army and engage in a fierce battle?"

Zhao Long looked at Zhang Liang with a smile and said, "Does Master Zifang think Liu Bang can afford to gamble?"

Liu Bang was no longer the same as before. As the King of Han, he had a strong desire to control power and seemed to want to control everything.

In reality, there were many things Liu Bang dared not gamble on, fearing that one wrong move would lead to total defeat.

Having enjoyed the glory of being the King of Han, how could Liu Bang allow himself to fall back into the mortal world?

Leaving aside the question of whether the Han army, which has been without food for several days, can defeat the Qin army now, Xiang Yu may have only just stepped out of Hangu Pass.

The Qin army is now nominally under Xiang Yu's control.

Liu Bang doesn't dare to engage in a decisive battle with Xiang Yu yet!

Looking at Zhao Long, whose eyes seemed to see through everything, Zhang Liang could only sigh inwardly.

Liu Bang, that blind bastard!

You, having benefited from Zhao Long's scheme, knowing full well that he was a great talent, still drove him away.

Not only did they drive them away, they also sent people to hunt them down.

What's even more infuriating is that they didn't kill Zhao Long, letting him go back to the mountains!

Liu Bang's thoughts were completely exposed in front of Zhao Long.

Zhao Long knew Liu Bang extremely well.

At this moment, Zhao Long gave an order: "Zhang Ping, go and summon all the generals of each camp to discuss the next plan."

Inside the main tent, only Zhang Liang and Zhao Long remained.

Zhao Long's smiling eyes made Zhang Liang feel as if countless tiny ants were crawling all over his body.

Zhang Liang clasped his hands and stood up, sighing inwardly. He then said, "Ziyun is a learned man. He can revive the Qin army from the ashes. He is truly a man of unparalleled talent."

"But Ziyun, have you considered that you are playing with fire on the edge of a knife? Once Xiang Yu learns the true situation of the Qin army and angers him, Guanzhong will fall even deeper than it has this time!"

Zhao Long chuckled. "Here he comes. Is Zhang Liang going to use his silver tongue to persuade me to do something?"

Zhao Long followed Zhang Liang's words with a smile and asked, "Then, Mr. Zifang, where do you think the Qin army has the opportunity to break the current stalemate?"

Zhang Liang was surprised that Zhao Long completely ignored his words and instead asked for advice.

Without hesitation, Zhang Liang replied, "Guanzhong and Bashu are both indispensable."

This was a consensus reached between Liu Bang and Xiao He after Liu Bang was enfeoffed as the King of Han.

In fact, Zhang Liang also felt that it would have been better for Liu Bang to enter Shu first. Compared with the other feudal lords, Liu Bang's biggest disadvantage was that he did not have his own base of operations.

Both hailed from the state of Chu, Xiang Yu held sway over the region's connections and territory, leaving little room for Liu Bang.

Liu Bang desperately needed his own base of operations.

Nothing is more suitable than the impoverished and backward land of Sichuan.

The troops in Shu had all been drawn away by the Second Emperor to suppress rebellions, and now there was practically no military force left. Liu Bang could take control of Shu immediately upon arriving there.

With Shu as his base, Liu Bang was able to march north and take Guanzhong!

The Qin River Valley, stretching for eight hundred li, is not only a fertile granary but also a breeding ground for troops.

The Qin dynasty had nurtured scholars for hundreds of years, but the Second Emperor, an idiot, didn't know how to use them. Liu Bang, on the other hand, did.

With a large rear granary and the fertile land of Qin to support the army, Liu Bang will have the strength to march east out of Hangu Pass after a year or two of development!

He was no less than Xiang Yu!

Even if Xiang Yu brought the whole world to attack, the formidable Hangu Pass would still hold him back.

Although this was a strategy devised for Liu Bang, it is actually applicable to the Qin army now as well.

After spending half a day with the Qin army, Zhang Liang had a basic understanding of the Qin army's current development plans.

Putting aside the risky tactics, they were essentially the same as Liu Bang. Once they gained momentum, they would face the onslaught of the Chu army!

If the Qin army could acquire the granary of Bashu, it would have a stable rear base!

Zhao Long smiled and praised, "Master Zifang is indeed a great military strategist; he even thought of this."

"So, wouldn't it be great if the Qin army just took Guanzhong and Bashu?"

"The Qin army fought against the Han army, but that was Xiang Yu's idea. Before the Qin and Han armies had determined a winner, how could Xiang Yu know the Qin army's true plans?"

The more intense the battle between Qin and Han became, the more satisfied Xiang Yu was.

"Once the Qin army defeats Liu Bang, they will occupy Bashu and Qin Chuan, and will have no fear of Xiang Yu's attack!"

"Why should you worry so much, Master Zifang? Guanzhong will only sink deeper!"

He cleverly used the guise of a fox borrowing the tiger's might and nurtured bandits to enhance his own prestige. He was very shrewd in his game. With Lü Matong around, he didn't need to worry about Xiang Yu having any ulterior motives.

If the Qin army becomes powerful, Xiang Yu might even give Lü Matong more power to supervise it!

Zhao Long narrowed his eyes; this was indeed something that could be done.

Zhang Liang's face turned pale as he suddenly realized that he had been drawn into Zhao Long's rhythm.

What I wanted to say to Zhao Long was instead directly refuted by him.

Zhao Long's choice of timing was indeed brilliant.

Xiang Yu needed the Qin army to deal with Liu Bang, and the Qin people were dissatisfied with Xiang Yu's massacre of Qin territory.

With perfect timing, favorable location, and harmonious relationships, Zhao Long's seemingly reckless act of snatching chestnuts from the fire was actually a calculated move.

Zhang Liang smiled bitterly, feeling incredibly frustrated. Why would Liu Bang let such a talented person escape?

He gritted his teeth and asked somewhat unwillingly, "Ziyun, I'm just curious, how can you be so sure that it will be the Qin army that will ultimately win over the two territories and face Xiang Yu?"