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

"Han Xin would not fight a battle he was not sure of winning, so he would most likely wait for an opportunity or seek one himself."

"But the problem is that Wu Sangui won't be fooled for long."

"Emperor Gaozu is still in his hands; whether he lives or dies is entirely up to him."

"Can Han Xin really be given that much time to prepare?"

No one doubted Han Xin's abilities.

After all, the title of "God of War" is not something to be taken lightly.

No one would think that he would be stopped by a mere Shanhaiguan Pass.

But he needs time and to wait for an opportunity.

What Liu Bang lacks most right now is precisely time.

You can fool people for a while, but you can't fool them forever.

"It's very simple. What Emperor Gaozu needs to do now is to maintain the delicate relationship between himself and Wu Sangui."

"Although Wu Sangui's idea sounds a bit too cowardly, Emperor Gaozu really had to follow his lead if he wanted to complete the challenge."

We must not anger Wu Sangui.

Otherwise, not only Zhang the tailor and his companion, but even Liu Bang himself would likely be in danger.

"It's hard to say. If it were someone with ambition and courage, they would probably be completely manipulated by Emperor Gaozu by now."

"Let alone a hundred or so elite soldiers, even if Emperor Gaozu wanted to transfer all three thousand men into the pass, he would not object in the slightest!"

"But Wu Sangui only wanted to be a lackey, and it was precisely because of this that he was immune to Emperor Gaozu's deception."

"This should be considered a natural counter."

For a moment, some people on the sky sighed, while others were at a loss for words.

Not only did they fail to achieve their goal, they also exposed themselves and their troops outside the pass.

Whenever Liu Bang thought of this situation, he wanted to slap himself twice.

He shouldn't have had even the slightest expectation of Wu Sangui, that lackey who allowed the Manchus to enter the pass!

"Xiao He, how is it going today? How many people have been arranged?"

For three whole days, Xiao He held up three fingers.

"Three hundred?"

Liu Bang was immediately overjoyed.

Unfortunately, his joy did not last long, and Xiao He spoke up.

"Thirty people."

"And they were all under close surveillance; he was very cautious."

"Fortunately, our people are all quite shrewd and did not expose any major flaws."

"But this is not a long-term solution. In the past few days, all those who have entered the city have been placed in one place and are under tight guard. Any movement will probably be detected immediately."

On the surface, the banquet that night was a joyous occasion for both the host and guests, and Wu Sangui's performance was also impeccable.

The two were almost ready to chop off chicken heads, burn yellow paper, and become sworn brothers.

This is the kind of behavior they exhibit when they turn around.

Although Liu Bang had already guessed this outcome, he really didn't expect that this guy would be so well-prepared.

"At this rate, it will take a long time to gather a hundred people, and even if we do manage to get enough, they will notice us immediately once we start fighting. We won't have enough people to fill their teeth."

"Your Majesty, should we change our approach slightly?"

"It really doesn't work..."

"Give up on those two?"

Although Xiao He also knew Liu Bang's temperament.

The current situation is that insisting on protecting those two people will only put our side in a difficult position.

"Xiao He, why do you think I sent those two men to test Wu Sangui?"

Do you really think it's just me who's afraid of death?

Liu Bang gave him a deep look.

"Before even entering the challenge, I already knew that Wu Sangui would eventually surrender to the Qing. Was I really that stupid to send two more people to deliver the food?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao He was taken aback.

He never questioned Liu Bang's decisions, and even though he felt the two men's actions were unreasonable this time, he didn't ask any further questions.

Looking back now, if it was just a test, there was no need to send them.

After all, the outcome is well-known.

Does it matter what Wu Sangui's reasons were for surrendering to the Qing?

Even if he had his reasons and was willing to change his ways and pledge allegiance, would Liu Bang really dare to use such a person?

This is obviously impossible.

Regardless of the reason, as long as such consequences occurred, given Xiao He's understanding of Liu Bang, he could not escape a death sentence.

The difference is at most whether it's slaughtering the entire family or exterminating three generations.

For this purpose alone, was it really necessary to risk sending those two people to Wu Sangui's hands, and then go through all the trouble of rescuing them?

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant, and I beg Your Majesty to enlighten me."

Xiao He was puzzled for a moment.

Liu Bang could only sigh softly.

"If Zifang were here, he would surely know what I intend to do."

"Your abilities in internal accounting and logistics are unmatched, but in other matters, you are a few steps slower in your reactions."

"I have neither a foothold nor a reputation in this region. How many people do you think would believe me if I were to announce Wu Sangui's intention to surrender to the Qing?"

"Conversely, what if their own people found out and made it public?"

Are they their own people?

Ordinary people are often like a heap of loose sand; no matter what happens, their first reaction will always be to protect themselves.

Even if they knew that Wu Sangui intended to surrender to the Qing, they would at most simply flee.

What good will it do to let them know and believe?

Seeing the puzzled look on Xiao He's face, Liu Bang knew that he hadn't figured it out.

Or rather, he knew nothing about the situation in the city.

“In the past few days, I have learned through various investigations that most of the original inhabitants within this pass have been forced to migrate or captured by the Tartars.”

"Most of the so-called civilians you see here are deserters from the Ming army."

"Otherwise, why do you think Wu Sangui would be so wary? He was not only wary of me, but also of those who would take up arms as soldiers."

"what?"

Xiao He was startled.

He truly hadn't expected that such a seemingly ordinary border region would harbor such a secret.

"But why is it that these people, who have already deserted, don't hide away under assumed names, but instead brazenly settle down here in this area?"

This situation was beyond his comprehension.

But he quickly realized what was happening.

The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and it was powerless to deal with Li Zicheng's army that was approaching the capital, let alone spare any effort to deal with these deserters.

Wu Sangui, not wanting his territory to become a deserted, isolated city, simply turned a blind eye and allowed them to settle in the city.

"So Your Majesty never even considered trying to persuade Wu Sangui to surrender?"

After figuring this out, Xiao He suddenly understood.

If that's the case, then everything makes sense.

No wonder!

Based on Xiao He's understanding of Liu Bang, such a traitor who let the Tartars into the pass should certainly be executed without mercy.

"Try to recruit him? I'm not so desperate as to be indiscriminate!"

"For him, there was only the question of whether he could be utilized; the option of recruiting him was never considered."

"So now you should know what those two are useful for, right?"

"Whether for public or private reasons, I cannot allow them to run into problems."