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

"Your Majesty, you used to be the most adept at winning the hearts of the people, so why have you become so sluggish in this challenge?"

"If it were the old you, you wouldn't have come to question me."

Seeing that Liu Bang had realized what was happening, Han Xin said no more, only casually making a sarcastic remark.

"Perhaps it really is because I'm getting old."

Although Liu Bang did regain his youthful vigor in this challenge, his mindset was something he couldn't change overnight.

Having held the throne for many years, he has indeed become much less responsive to these matters.

"Your Majesty, you are not old, and you can rest assured that Dorgon's actions are still under control."

"And I also sent out several pursuing troops to ensure that they did not have the opportunity to plunder the people along the way."

"If nothing unexpected happens, several hundred of them will starve to death before they reach the capital."

"It will also let them taste the suffering that the people of the Central Plains once endured."

Han Xin explained with a smile.

He did open a passage, but he knew exactly how many people were let through and along which roads they ran.

Originally, more than four thousand people were released, but half of them went the wrong way and were killed.

How many of the remaining people will make it to the capital depends on their own fate.

"Haha, I knew you, Han Xin, were reliable!"

"You truly deserve to be called the God of War by later generations, and one of the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty."

"Han Xin, you are truly my right-hand man. Bringing you along for this challenge was definitely the right choice!"

"So, what are your plans for ourselves going forward?"

"To be clear, the grain and fodder we obtained from the Qing army have been almost completely burned, and what remains can only last for a little over a month."

Han Xin: “…”

Liu Bang's words left him utterly bewildered.

"Your Majesty, what did you just say?"

"The grain and fodder transported from the Qing army are only enough to last for a little over a month?"

"Even though the fire that attacked the camp was huge, Dorgon managed to salvage a lot of supplies. When your troops arrived later, you also left some men to fight the fire."

"Just look at the amount of grain my men transported back to the interior; it must have been more than a month's worth."

After a brief moment of surprise, Han Xin quickly pressed for an answer.

"Didn't I tell you, it was burned?"

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; you can't catch a hooligan without risking your wife."

"Without provisions as bait, how could the Guan Ning cavalry have stood by and watched themselves be surrounded by oil, even to the point of being in dire straits without realizing it?"

Liu Bang shrugged, indicating his helplessness.

"Why don't you put a layer of grain on top and use haystacks underneath? It would be easier to ignite and would also save a lot of resources!"

Han Xin almost lost control of his expression and cursed out loud.

stupid!

If we're talking about piling up grain, does that mean we really have to fill the camp to the brim with grain?

Who would be so bored as to go into your granary and rummage through it to see if what's underneath is grain or straw?

"This wasn't something you didn't think of for a moment, and at that time, neither the Guan Ning cavalry nor Wu Sangui were in a peaceful state."

"Most importantly, no one can guarantee that there won't be any idle people in the Guan Ning cavalry who might suddenly go and take a look first."

“If I had revealed even the slightest flaw, what you see here now might not be me.”

Seeing Liu Bang's confident and determined appearance, Han Xin didn't believe a word of it.

He also knew that at that time, the problem of the Guan Ning cavalry was indeed an urgent issue that needed to be addressed.

but……

There are clearly many ways to deal with those people; at worst, we could just make some sacrifices.

However, Liu Bang chose the method that would be most entertaining.

"Your Majesty, there's no need for this pointless pretense between us, is there? You're clearly unhappy with my presumptuous actions and trying to set me up, aren't you?"

"But the problem now is that a month's worth of provisions is far from enough."

"Whether it's our reputation for annihilating the Qing army or the story of Li Zicheng accepting the Manchu regent, countless people will come to join us."

"Under these circumstances, the current calculation of one month's rations will definitely be far less than what is expected next month!"

"More importantly, Your Majesty, you don't need to expect to go to the Qing court anymore."

"Even if someone leads the way, and even if most of the Qing army has been wiped out, as long as there are still garrison troops, we won't have enough time!"

"To venture deep into the grasslands with such meager supplies to attack the Qing Dynasty is utterly ridiculous!"

Han Xin no longer cared about Liu Bang's identity.

After all that scheming and planning, I was told this in return.

What difference is there between this and declaring all his plans to have failed?

Without supplies, all subsequent operations must be abandoned!

"Don't you have any other ideas?"

Liu Bang asked tentatively.

"...If Your Majesty is willing, you can send your troops to plunder grain and use war to sustain the war effort. Perhaps that will allow us to hold out."

"But in doing so, all the people's hearts and all the sense of righteousness will leave us."

What other sources of food and provisions are there?

We either had to seize it from the enemy, or we had to seize it from the civilians.

But what Han Xin least wanted to do was rob poor people of their grain.

It's time-consuming, laborious, and damaging to your reputation, and you don't even get anything worthwhile.

These poor bastards, especially those poor bastards during years of frequent natural disasters, might not even find a few grains of rice even after ransacking their homes!

"What are you thinking? When did you ever set your sights on ordinary people? Let alone ordinary people, you can't just rob the money of the gentry and wealthy gentry."

"Popular sentiment is a very fragile thing. When the timing and location are not favorable, it is something I must do well to win over the hearts and minds of the people."

We must grasp this carefully.

and then?

The problem now is that you don't have a chance to seize it, otherwise you'll starve to death.

"So what can we do if we don't do this?"

"Your Majesty, the money and grain of the local gentry are our last reserves."

"Only by sacrificing them can we raise enough money and supplies for the Northern Expedition."

Han Xin had no choice but to offer his advice.

If he had known that Liu Bang would choose such a dramatic method, he should have left himself more provisions to bring back when cleaning up the battlefield!

"I have said that no one needs to be sacrificed."

"I came here in a hurry today for two reasons. First, to ask for an explanation, but now there is no way to ask for an explanation. The second purpose is to resolve this issue."

"You feel……"

"If we had money, could we buy food?"

Han Xin thought for a moment and nodded.

"If there is gold and silver, that is certainly acceptable. Whether it is local gentry or aristocratic families with surplus grain, they will surely not be stingy."

"But Your Majesty, do we really have to be so polite to them? You must know that if we take a step back, they will take a hundred steps forward. If we rely on their power now, things will not be easy in the future."