Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Cao Shen's attempt to encourage others failed; he himself could not hold on any longer and fell to the ground, sprawled out on his back.

Only Guan Ying could still stand, looking at the defeated soldiers scattered on the ground with a helpless expression.

"Guan Ying, you're young and strong, you should leave now," Cao Can urged Guan Ying.

"I won't leave." Guan Ying was a man of great loyalty; how could he abandon his comrades and leave?

"Of all of us, you're the only one still strong. Staying here is pointless; you should leave," Cao Shen persuaded. "I reckon we're almost at Xingyang; perhaps we'll encounter the Han army there. You can bring them to rescue us."

"Good!" The defeated soldiers' eyes lit up, and they agreed in unison.

This is indeed the only way.

Guan Ying thought for a moment and then agreed: "Hold on, I'll go find reinforcements."

After saying this, he bowed to Cao Shen and the others, and, leaning on a tree branch, walked with difficulty.

When the hunger became unbearable, they would pluck a handful of grass, remove the roots, shake off the dirt, and throw it into their mouths, chewing vigorously and swallowing with difficulty. After eating some grass roots, they regained some strength and quickened their pace.

As for whether the grass roots are poisonous or edible, Guan Ying no longer cared.

He set off full of hope, but reality was harsh; after walking for half an hour, he hadn't seen a single person. He couldn't go on any longer and collapsed by the roadside.

In a daze, Guan Ying was awakened by the sound of hooves. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids seemed to be sewn shut, and he could only pry them open with his hands. Through his blurry vision, he saw a troop of cavalry approaching.

"Red clothes? Red banners? Han army?" Guan Ying was half-conscious from hunger and couldn't see clearly, thinking he was seeing things. He shook his head, clearing his mind, and, slightly more awake, opened his eyes wide. With great effort, he finally saw clearly: "It really is the Han army!"

He tried to sit up, but couldn't manage it. He could only wave his hands with all his might, his voice hoarse: "Han army! Help!"

Liu Ying, leading his cavalry as the vanguard, spotted a ragged, unkempt man by the roadside, shouting and yelling like a madman. He and his men stopped before Guan Ying and asked, "Who are you?"

"A boy? How could there be a boy?" Guan Ying was somewhat surprised, but that wasn't the point. The point was to save Cao Can and the others, so he hurriedly said, "I am Guan Ying. Please save General Cao."

"Which General Cao?" Liu Ying asked.

"General Cao Shen." Guan Ying finished speaking with his last bit of strength, then his head lolled to the side and he fainted.

"Cao Shen? The ancestor of Prime Minister Cao?" Liu Ying might not know history well, but he knew Cao Shen because he was the ancestor of Prime Minister Cao.

Before they could ask where he was, Guan Ying had already fainted.

The military doctor arrived and treated Guan Ying, but he was simply too exhausted and had fainted; he was otherwise fine. However, no matter what they did, they couldn't wake him up.

"There's really no other way." The military doctor was at a loss.

"Take him away and treat him properly," Liu Ying ordered.

"How do we find General Cao?" Li Bi asked.

"We are cavalry, with four legs, why should we worry about not finding Cao Can?" Liu Ying ordered, "Use the standard of 'ten' (a unit of measurement) and spread out to search in a net-like manner."

~~~~~~

Cao Shen felt as if he had just escaped death, as if he had dreamt of many little ghosts demanding his life. But for some reason, he opened his eyes again.

"King of Han?" Cao Can's eyes nearly popped out as he stared at Liu Bang.

At this moment, Liu Bang opened his eyes wide and carefully examined Cao Can. Seeing that he had woken up, he breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face: "Cao Can, you are really lucky to be alive. You were able to recover from this."

"It really is the King of Han!" Cao Shen had no choice but to accept the surprising reality.

Liu Bang waved his right hand to stop Cao Can from sitting up: "You lie down and rest well. You'll get better with some rest."

"King of Han, where are your comrades who accompanied you?" Cao Can was worried about the defeated soldiers who had fled with him.

"More than thirty people did not survive, but the rest are safe and sound," Liu Bang replied.

Cao Can sighed, lamenting the loss of more than thirty of his fallen comrades. However, the rest were saved, which was not a bad outcome.

He was so tired that he relaxed and fell asleep again.

It wasn't until two days later that Cao Shen woke up and regained some of his strength.

Of course, he didn't wake up from hunger. During his unconscious period, people fed them liquid food, so he wasn't starving.

Cao Shen had not fully recovered, only recovered somewhat, and was very tired. He wanted to rest some more, but Liu Bang wouldn't let him rest and wanted him to lead the troops.

So far, more than 50,000 defeated soldiers have been gathered, but having soldiers without generals is a big problem.

Although Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, and Lu Wan have returned and are capable of leading troops, their military abilities are rather lackluster, and their leadership skills are far from satisfactory, inferior to Cao Can's.

Cao Shen was a capable military commander; with him leading the troops, the army became much more disciplined.

The saying "the general is the courage of the soldiers" is absolutely true.

~~~~~~~

The Han army was not large, with only a little over two thousand men.

Dressed in red, carrying red flags, they marched in neat formation.

The two commanders in the center were riding warhorses. Their horses were quite impressive, tall and magnificent.

"Brother Zhong, are we almost at Xingyang?" A middle-aged man with a refined appearance asked the man beside him as he rode on a warhorse.

"We're almost there." The man being asked frowned. "We're back, but we don't know if the King of Han has escaped."

"If the King of Han has not escaped, it will be of no use for us to return. What will we do if Xiang Yu attacks?" The first man to speak said worriedly.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" The man being asked had no idea.

Liu Bang was the backbone; his presence or absence made a world of difference. If Liu Bang hadn't escaped, their return would have only meant a later death. When Xiang Yu attacked, the Han army would inevitably crumble, and Xiang Yu would have easily wiped them out.

For a moment, the atmosphere was heavy, and neither of them spoke.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

A thunderous sound resounded, shaking the earth and mountains, its power extraordinary.

"Is this... an army arriving?" The man being questioned listened intently and immediately recognized that a large army was marching in.

"An army? Judging from the sound, there are many." The first man spoke was shocked. "Where did this army come from? Could it be that Xiang Yu has launched a major westward offensive? What should we do?"

"Don't talk nonsense." The man being questioned shook his head: "Xiang Yu's main force is still attacking Tian Heng in Qi. It will take some time before he can withdraw. Even if he does withdraw, he will need to gather provisions and recruit soldiers from all over the country before he can advance westward. It will be a month or two before Xiang Yu launches a major westward advance."

In the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu used 30,000 elite cavalrymen brought back from Qi. Although he defeated Liu Bang and recaptured Pengcheng, it was impossible for him to destroy Liu Bang with such a small force.

Therefore, Xiang Yu had to recall his main force from Qi.

A large army needs to be coordinated from multiple perspectives before it can make preparations for its westward advance.

"Excellent!" the man who spoke first agreed. "Then whose army is this? Could it be Peng Yue's?"

"Unlikely," the man being questioned shook his head. "We're far from Liang, not far from Xingyang. Could it be the King of Han's army?"

"The King of Han? He's lucky he escaped; where would he find an army?" The man who asked the question didn't believe it.

"Brother, you have stationed your troops in Xiayi. The King of Han has escaped. You should go to Xiayi. With your army here, we should be able to revive the dynasty." The man being questioned was very excited.

"Then we'll send someone to take a look," the man who asked the question said.

"We should send someone to check it out. However, we also need to be prepared for war." The man being questioned was meticulous.

Before they could even send out any men, hundreds of cavalrymen surrounded them.

"They really are Han soldiers!" The two men were overjoyed at the sight.

The Han army they led cheered loudly.

"Who are you? Why are you flying the Han army flag?" Liu Ying led his cavalry to surround them and shouted.

"Whose child is this, so rude?" The man who asked first was very displeased.

"Ying...er?" The man being questioned had his eyes glued to Liu Ying's body, unable to look away.

"Who are you?" Liu Ying asked in surprise.

"Ying'er, I'm your uncle." The man's face lit up with joy. "It's been four years since we last met. You've grown so much!"

Liu Ying's maternal uncle was Empress Lü's elder brother, Lü Shizhi.

"Are you really my uncle?" Liu Ying wasn't sure, as the previous person had no memory of Lü Shizhi.

"It really is Ying'er." The man who asked the question looked Liu Ying up and down for a while, recognized her, and was overjoyed: "Ying'er, I am your uncle."