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

"You just said that we shouldn't act rashly and that the enemy's artillery and muskets should not be underestimated. Why have you changed your mind now?"

"You can't just say whatever comes to mind; you have to come up with some reasoning, right?"

For a moment, the three were somewhat dissatisfied with Han Xin's conflicting remarks.

One moment he said it wasn't about personal bravery, the next he changed his tune and said he needed to borrow Xiang Yu's bravery.

Are you contradicting yourself?

Are the two statements contradictory?

"When besieging a city, individual bravery is of course of little use. In a siege, the defending side has cannons, muskets, and all kinds of defensive equipment. What can these few thousand cavalrymen use to launch a strong attack?"

"This is what I was saying earlier: if the conditions don't allow it, then we must create the conditions that allow it so that the King of Chu's bravery can be truly brought to its fullest potential!"

"As long as we change the battlefield from a siege to a charge on the plains, and send small groups of soldiers as bait to draw the Manchu army's firearms from the front, we can attack from the flanks and win a great victory!"

This first battle, fought with a calculated strategy against an unsuspecting opponent, was arguably the simplest.

Even without elaborate strategies, they can achieve great results!

"I understand. So in your view, the easy target isn't Wu Sangui, but the Manchus?"

Liu Bang nodded slowly.

In his original impression, since the Manchus were able to take over the country, their strength should at least be greater than that of the Ming Dynasty.

But now, what Han Xin says is completely different.

Let alone being stronger than the Ming Dynasty, even comparing Nurhaci's army with Wu Sangui's, he felt that Wu Sangui was stronger!

"Isn't this just the way things should be?"

"I can roughly guess what exactly happened to the Ming Dynasty at the end of its reign."

"Due to the climate, farmers had poor harvests, and countless people were unable to pay their taxes. They were forced to leave their homes and become refugees. The court had no money, so it was unable to provide disaster relief or pay military salaries."

"Logically speaking, the Ming army's equipment and combat strength should not be low. At least with the support of the fortified border cities, they should be far superior to the Manchu army."

"But the truth is quite the opposite. According to the immortal's analysis, after Wu Sangui led the Qing army into the pass, almost every garrison they encountered did not put up a very strong resistance."

"Your Majesty, you should know why this is the case, right?"

How could Liu Bang not know?

Most of the Ming soldiers were civilians from the Central Plains. Since they were willing to join the army, they were probably thinking of protecting their homes and country.

If they had any other choice, they would never surrender, let alone surrender to the Qing Dynasty!

The only thing that could have driven them to this point was that the imperial court had not provided them with food and pay for a long time. If they did not surrender, they might not even die in battle, but instead starve to death!

"No, you're wrong."

Xiang Yu disliked Han Xin, so he naturally tried every means to refute his words.

"Since you say that the poor harvest is due to the climate, wouldn't the Qing Dynasty have encountered the same situation?"

"They have even less land to cultivate, and given this situation, their harvest will only be worse, and they might not even be able to save themselves!"

Why would the Ming army think that surrendering to them would guarantee their survival?

There is not much difference between the two sides. Given the same climate, how could their harvests be so different?

If the Ming army couldn't provide food and pay, the Manchu Qing army certainly couldn't either!

"Then you're wrong, Xiang Ji. Have you never seen the Xiongnu? Or at least you don't really understand how the Xiongnu survive, right?"

"However, I can understand. After all, since you were young, all you have been thinking about is revenge and restoring your country. But now that the Qin Dynasty has fallen, if you want to realize your greater ambitions, you should learn more!"

"Of what you just said, only one sentence was correct."

"It is true that some of the farmers among them may be living in dire straits, barely making ends meet, but how many of them are actually farmers?"

“Apart from farmers, the vast majority of other people never do farming. Where do you think the food to feed them comes from?”

Han Xin chuckled and asked in return.

Xiang Yu: "..."

"Stolen? But you just said that the harvest in the Central Plains was also poor, and countless people were forced to leave their homes and become refugees. Even if they went to rob, how much could they possibly take?"

In a good year, the Manchus could naturally seize a lot of grain when they marched south, enough to at least help them get through the winter.

But what could they possibly seize when the Central Plains were already suffering from famine?

"It's simple. If you can't get food, then take people."

"In any case, in their eyes, the people of the Central Plains are not the same as them, so if they can seize grain, they will treat the people as spoils of war and as slaves."

"If we can't get grain, then the people will be our food."

"And if it really comes to that, the Manchus will have no other concerns. Whether it's the powerful gentry or the common people, they will treat everyone fairly and justly."

Han Xin said calmly.

Xiang Yu: "..."

“By eating the people, they can save the surplus grain and salary and use it to recruit the Ming army.”

"As for the Ming army at the end of the Ming Dynasty, as long as they had food to eat and money to earn, it didn't matter who their master was."

"Does defeating such a powerful Ming dynasty really prove anything? Does it prove they have strength?"

"In my opinion, no, at most it just proves that their bottom line is even lower than that of ordinary barbarians."

If the Manchus were not pushovers, then who could be called a pushover?

"If I'm not mistaken, the Manchu army didn't have many firearms. The reason they sent a group of decoys to the front was just to be on the safe side."

"But King of Chu, you only have one chance to charge in."

"Can you take this opportunity to kill the enemy general and capture their flag, to kill the highest-ranking general you can see, and to cut down the enemy's banner in the camp?"

One round trip?

"Who do you look down on?"

Upon hearing Han Xin say that these barbarians were treating the people of the Central Plains as food, Xiang Yu was already very uncomfortable.

Hearing his words now, her tone was even more dissatisfied.

Is it still possible to make a round trip?

"Do you know who I am?"

"I am Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, Xiang Yu!"

Xiang Yu mounted his horse, holding his halberd and leisurely pointing towards the distant location where the Manchu army was encamped.

"Han Xin, don't think that just because history records that you defeated me, it necessarily proves that you are stronger than me."

"Although I don't know the situation at that time, I can guarantee one thing."

"If I want to break through, no one in this world can stop me!"

"If I am defeated, then I will only be asking for my own death!"

"Don't underestimate me just because you beat me once by luck!"

"In this world, whoever I want to kill, as long as I can see him, he will have nowhere to escape!"