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

As the interlude ended, inside the sky...

After the old shopkeeper's red-faced explanation, he was taken down.

In the words of the squad leader, neither the overlord nor the strategist ever said that they needed to take orders from anyone, nor did they ever say that anyone was inside the border.

The more the old shopkeeper explained and described Liu Bang's appearance and demeanor, the more suspicious the squad leader and several Chu soldiers became.

Ultimately, he was captured by the reinforcements at the place where he was supposed to fetch help.

"Please, please! It's a matter of life and death! Let me see the Overlord! I truly have something important to tell him!"

"You've delayed something incredibly important, can you people take responsibility for that?!"

"I am truly not a liar, nor am I a spy sent by the imperial court!"

"Wait, even if I'm sent by the imperial court, I'm not a spy! You can't treat me like this!"

Confined to a deliberately vacated private house, the old shopkeeper felt like he was going crazy.

On the road in the village, he saw everything he wanted to see.

The elderly, children, women, and kids all engaged in farming and weaving. Although the people's faces were not rosy, they were not starving and emaciated.

You can even occasionally see long-lost smiles on their faces.

In the eyes of these people, the old shopkeeper saw hope and anticipation for tomorrow.

These are things that have almost disappeared from the world today!

He was very satisfied with the village and with the Chu army, but he was almost driven mad with anxiety.

Everything satisfied him, except that he was locked up and unable to see the tyrant, which was the biggest problem!

This matter concerns the lives of Xiao Er and Zhang the tailor, and judging from Liu Bang's solemn instructions before their departure, it may even concern the safety of the border.

Such a heavy responsibility rests on his shoulders, and if he fails to do it well, he finds it hard to imagine how he can forgive himself.

"Stop yelling, old man! If everyone can see the Overlord, then we've failed in our duty!"

"However, the sergeant has already reported your matter. If what you said is true, then just wait, the strategist will naturally come to see you."

The soldiers guarding outside couldn't stand his howling any longer and couldn't help but knock on the door.

"I can't wait any longer, I really can't wait any longer!"

"I have already wasted a lot of time on the road, and your army also needs time to reorganize. Adding the time spent on the road, if we are late, I'm afraid it will be too late!"

"Young man, please do me a favor, just to save this old man, okay?"

The old shopkeeper almost burst into tears.

Nothing is more despairing than seeing hope but being powerless to grasp it.

He had clearly seen the paradise he longed for in this village.

"Raise an army? You want us to send troops?"

"Old man, you've got a big face!"

The guard outside said irritably.

"Let me be frank with you, the Overlord has just returned from his campaign, and it is currently the time for his soldiers to rest. Even if it is extremely urgent, he will definitely not send troops out."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

This old man is really greedy.

In these times, if there's a place that doesn't put people like him to the fire, but instead locks him up and even provides him with food, he should be extremely grateful.

They're still clamoring for the Great Chu to send troops.

What?

Is BaWang yours?

Even if the Overlord is yours, you still have a strategist!

Upon hearing this, the old shopkeeper plopped down on the ground, lost in thought for a long time.

……

"No, that's not like my Emperor."

"It's been so long, and he still hasn't sent anyone to ask for troops. That's really strange."

Sitting at the dilapidated table, Han Xin sensed something was amiss.

Given Liu Bang's personality, even if he didn't send troops back twice every three days, after all these days, he should at least have made them do something.

"Indeed, that old rascal Liu Bang is still silent at a time like this. Either he's up to no good, or he made a mistake in finding us."

Xiang Yu tore off a large piece of meat, chewed it, and realized something was wrong.

Simply put, this is not Liu Bang's style of doing things!

"Do you think it's possible that the people he sent have already arrived?"

"You mean, he was misunderstood by his subordinates and arrested on the spot?"

At this point, Xiang Yu's heart skipped a beat.

It's not impossible!

He didn't give any instructions to his subordinates, so it was only natural that any suspicious persons would be detained directly.

If the suspicious person had been any more arrogant, they might have been killed on the spot!

Should we pay attention to it?

After a moment of silence, Han Xin asked.

"..."

"He is unrighteous, but I cannot be unjust. Moreover, he has already proclaimed me the Hegemon-King of Western Chu in front of everyone. I cannot ignore him, both out of sentiment and reason!"

"Men, go and ask if anyone has been acting suspiciously lately and wants to see me or the military. If so, bring them up!"

……

"Logically speaking, Xiang Ji and his group would have made quite a commotion. If the old shopkeeper had just asked around, he should have found them by now."

Inside the border region, Liu Bang was completely baffled.

Logically speaking, from the time the old shopkeeper left the border to the time he brought back reinforcements and news, twenty days should have been enough.

Even at a slower pace, it shouldn't take more than twenty-five days.

After all, his original agreement with Xiang Yu was to attack from both sides and take over the border.

If the distance is too far, not only will the march be inconvenient, but the consumption of logistical supplies will also increase.

That's why he was confident that he could prepare the troops within the time it would take for Wu Sangui to send someone to the capital to confirm the situation.

"Your Majesty, could it be that Xiang Yu and Han Xin have joined forces to rebel?"

Xiao He hesitated before speaking.

It was only because Liu Bang was somewhat undecided at the time that he sought him out to enter the pass; otherwise, he would probably still be being chased by the Manchu cavalry.

Fortunately, the Jiangdong soldiers under Xiang Yu's command were all brave and skilled in battle, and even without him, they could barely hold off the Qing army for a short period of time.

After hearing his words, Liu Bang hesitated for a moment before shaking his head in denial.

"impossible."

"Even if Han Xin had such intentions, Xiang Ji was not that kind of person."

"We were sworn brothers after all, so I know Brother Xiang quite well."

Let alone the fact that there would be no benefit in rebelling during this challenge, even if there were, given Liu Bang's understanding of Xiang Yu, he would never betray him.

Given Xiang Yu's pride, he couldn't have done it.

"That must have been due to the negligence of those two, who failed to inform their subordinates beforehand, which caused the people Your Majesty sent to be delayed."

It must be said that Xiao He was indeed clever.

He guessed the real problem with just one sentence.

"If that's the case, then those two alone might not be enough to keep Wu Sangui in check."

"Furthermore, what are the battle losses outside the pass these days? How many troops are left?"

Liu Bang frowned; he could understand that possibility.

But this would introduce a lot of variables.

"More than a thousand were killed or wounded, and around two thousand enemy soldiers were killed."

In such a situation, injury is tantamount to death.

Not to mention that there are no military doctors in the army, even if there were, there would be no conditions to allow the wounded to recuperate.

To this day, they don't even have a place to stand.