The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

After the envoys declaring war were sent out.

The conflicts between the various warlords seemed to have been suddenly put on pause.

Their troops retreated.

Everyone knew this was the calm before the storm!

But no one expected that Xiang Yu would declare war on everyone at this critical juncture!

Several days later, the various aristocratic families put aside their past grievances and gathered together.

No matter how fiercely they fought before, they all knew very well that it was only the common people below who would die.

Ultimately, it won't hurt them in the slightest.

It is precisely because they know this that they are able to strategize effectively.

But when facing Xiang Yu, the situation was completely different!

If they are defeated by the aristocratic families, they can simply surrender; they will still have a chance to rise again.

They were defeated by Xiang Yu.

Without a doubt, the fate of the Luoyang gentry serves as their example!

"Join forces to encircle and annihilate Xiang Ji?"

The proposal was met with unanimous approval.

Since he is unwilling to wait for his demise, let's eliminate this madman from the game first!

The allied forces of the feudal lords joined forces once again.

This time, however, with the support of the gentry, their momentum was several times greater than before!

Allied forces gathered, boasting a million-strong army!

When the intelligence was sent back to Luoyang, Huangfu Song and the others no longer had smiles on their faces.

After so long of fighting among the feudal lords, they still managed to muster such a large army!

This was something they hadn't anticipated!

At present, the standing army in Luoyang City does not exceed 300,000.

Regardless of their combat strength, the number of soldiers temporarily conscripted would not exceed 500,000.

In any case, the pressure of facing a million-strong army is immense.

"Gentlemen, you were so confident in your victory before, but now you're afraid?"

There were not many officials in the imperial court; most of them were recommended from humble backgrounds.

Upon hearing such news, no one would be too pleased.

A million-strong army!

They could easily surround the entire city of Luoyang, leaving it completely blocked!

Even if it's a protracted war, Luoyang will definitely be the first to be unable to afford it!

How can the power of a single city truly rival that of twelve states!

"If there were no internal strife among the aristocratic families, this number would be 30% to 50% higher."

"A mere million is enough to scare you?"

A mere million?

Huangfu Song and the others looked over in bewilderment.

A million-strong army—no matter how you look at it, it has absolutely nothing to do with the word "merely."

"Does Your Majesty already have a good plan?"

Cao Cao asked tentatively.

"A good plan?"

"Wouldn't it be the best strategy to crush them?"

Xiang Yu's actions were entirely justified.

"It is said to be a million-strong army, but in reality, the aristocratic families have been fighting for so long, and they must all have their own ulterior motives."

"They cannot work together, while our army is a united front."

"They marched hundreds of miles, while our army waited in comfort."

"I cannot fathom the reasons why our army lost. My esteemed ministers, can you possibly foresee them?"

Quantity has never been the key to deciding a war!

A general who has never won a battle with fewer troops is not worthy of being called a famous general!

"But if the enemy surrounds us without attacking, even if our army has these advantages, it will probably be difficult to reverse the situation."

Lu Zhi frowned.

"Then we won't give them a chance to surround us. We'll take the initiative and try to defeat them in one battle!"

what?

Your Majesty, what are you saying?

Many of those present had indeed fought battles where the few defeated the many.

But no matter which battle it is, there are always preconditions!

The right timing, the right location, and the right people are all indispensable!

The people are fine, but what about the right timing and location?

Luoyang was a strategically important location, easily attacked but difficult to defend.

Taking the initiative and failing means there's no way out!

Have you all ever heard of the phrase "burn the boats and break the cauldrons"?

"In the past, I was able to defeat 300,000 elite troops of the Qin Dynasty with 50,000 soldiers. Today, what is there to mention of that rabble!"

"By my decree, the army shall advance to the outskirts of Sishui Pass, and no troops shall remain in the city!"

"I, Xiang Ji, have never needed a way out. All invading enemies have only one path: defeat and destruction!"

Liu Bang: “…”

Yes, this approach is still very much like Xiang Yu!

They will never be roundabout or appeasement-oriented; they will always only launch headlong, forceful attacks!

"What a pity for my great Han dynasty, it is truly going to be ruined by this brute."

Liu Bang sighed deeply.

He didn't think Xiang Yu would lose.

"But only a brute like Xiang Yu could truly govern these aristocratic families. If it were you, Emperor Gaozu, the final result would have been just another Han dynasty."

Li Er spoke a fair word.

Even when he first participated in the challenge to reorganize the aristocratic clans, he did not choose the path of extermination.

Among the emperors he could think of, there were few who possessed both such ability and such courage!

"We just didn't expect that the aristocratic clans of the past could be so powerful."

Only at this time could Zhu Yuanzhang truly feel the deterrent power of the aristocratic clans!

Without the full support of the aristocratic families, the allied forces of the feudal lords numbered just over 200,000.

With the support of the aristocratic families, they were able to muster an army of a million despite repeated internal strife!

This is truly a power that can be controlled by the aristocratic class!?

"Old Zhu, weren't there any prominent families back then?"

Li Er was somewhat puzzled.

"There are some, but none are nearly as powerful as this. If we really wanted to kill them, we could uproot them at any time."

"On this point, we should thank the Mongol Yuan and one of your Tang Dynasty's rebels."

Old Zhu laughed.

"A traitor to the Great Tang Dynasty?"

Li Er blinked.

"He almost wiped out the gentry of the Tang Dynasty. Even after the Song Dynasty, when the gentry were able to recuperate, they were never able to recover to their peak."

Instead, it suffered another major blow during the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Even now, during the Ming Dynasty, the aristocratic families have not yet recovered their vitality.

"Although they are rebels against the Tang Dynasty, why does it sound so satisfying?"

Li Er stroked his beard, his expression somewhat complicated.

One should deeply abhor traitors, but one knows that these traitors slaughtered the gentry.

For some reason, I felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

After all, the prestige of the five clans and seven noble families in the Tang Dynasty was truly immense.

It was so big it gave him a headache!

"It was indeed satisfying. If it weren't for Huang Chao, the world would probably have fallen into the hands of those scholars and gentry."

As the group was talking, the scene in the sky changed, becoming filled with a chilling atmosphere.

Xiang Yu was a man of his word.

The entire army of 300,000 was deployed outside Sishui Pass.

Upon learning this intelligence, the newly encamped allied forces were overjoyed.

"Has Xiang Ji gone mad? He actually abandoned Sishui Pass on his own initiative and instead deployed his troops outside the pass. What is he trying to do?"

"Perhaps they felt that simply hiding and holding on wouldn't work."

"But wouldn't doing this be tantamount to giving up the struggle altogether?"

"Are you going to surrender? Does the mighty Overlord not even have the courage to fight?"

"After all, with a million troops pressing in, anyone would panic. It's not surprising."

"Then we shall prepare to share the fruits of this victory."

"First, I want to say something on behalf of Jiangdong: we don't want Luoyang, but we want Xiang Yu's head!"

“Then we need one-third of the city’s money.”

"We need supplies..."

With just a few words, it was as if Luoyang was already in their grasp, just waiting for them to enter the city and divide it up.

Little did they know that the scene in the military camp outside Sishui Pass was completely different from what they had imagined!