The battle in the woods saw the Chu forces rout over twenty thousand Qin soldiers with only minor casualties, causing General Pu to view the young Ye Xiu with newfound respect. Meanwhile, in the land of sweat, Xiang Yu personally led the main Chu army to annihilate a large Qin contingent, forcing the commanding general, Zhang Han, to retreat to Jiyuan, where he adamantly refused to march out and engage.

"I never thought that dog Zhang Han was such a coward," Xiang Yu declared, sitting high within his command tent, pulling Yu Ji close. "My foster father, what should we do? Should we summon the troops and prepare to lay siege?"

"Cough, cough!" Fan Zeng cleared his throat twice, signaling Xiang Yu to tone down his intimacy with Yu Ji. Firstly, he absolutely opposed having a woman present during crucial military discussions. "Ah-Ji, you must not act rashly. Although Zhang Han has suffered a crushing defeat, the Qin army still vastly outnumbers ours. A head-on clash benefits us in no way."

"If this way won't work, and that way won't work, are we just supposed to wait here until we die?" Xiang Yu’s temper flared again, but luckily, Yu Ji soothed him from beside him. "Foster Father, if you have some brilliant insight, just say it. Don't play coy with me."

Fan Zeng adjusted his sleeves and began to speak, "General Pu has already advanced south of the Zhang River to destroy a contingent of Qin forces, and he has now successfully cut off the Qin army's supply lines and retreat routes. Within three days, the Qin army will descend into chaos on its own."

"That sounds simple enough, but what if the Qin army receives reinforcements? How can General Pu’s small contingent possibly hold them off? If we wait three days, perhaps our entire army will be finished." Xiang Yu remained extremely impatient, though his concern was not entirely without merit.

Fan Zeng waved his hand and slowly walked toward Xiang Yu, his expression relaxed and pleasant yet filled with mystery.

"Why, Foster Father..." Xiang Yu was momentarily slow to react, but upon reflection, knowing Fan Zeng was a master strategist of that era, his composure at such a time suggested he must have an ace up his sleeve.

"I won't hide it from Ah-Ji; I already sent men to persuade Zhang Han's trusted subordinate, Sima Xin, to surrender. Otherwise, how could these recent victories against the Qin army have been so smooth?" Fan Zeng’s eyes brightened with a touch of smug satisfaction.

"You mean Deputy General Sima Xin is our inside man?" Xiang Yu found it hard to believe. "Foster Father, when did you arrange this?"

"A small matter," Fan Zeng said, raising his hand and taking two steps back. "That Sima Xin and Zhao Gao have held a deep-seated grudge for a long time. This man was previously the magistrate of Liyang Prison—the one in charge of penal institutions. It was through that very connection that Lord Xiang Liang was safely released from prison years ago."

"Oh, now that you mention it, Foster Father, I recall. This fellow is nothing more than a greedy opportunist." Xiang Yu had an epiphany; although he wasn't a towering hero back then, he did know about his uncle Xiang Liang's imprisonment.

"Precisely because he once showed leniency to Lord Xiang Liang, he drew suspicion from Zhao Gao. The two are fundamentally incompatible," Fan Zeng nodded and continued, "This time, the man Zhang Han dispatched from the heavily fortified Jiyuan to seek reinforcements was none other than this Sima Xin."

"Given Zhao Gao's immense power and his relationship with Sima Xin, he absolutely cannot call for reinforcements!" Xiang Yu stroked Yu Ji's long hair, feeling immensely pleased. "Or rather, he would be too proud and unwilling to beg Zhao Gao for aid."

"Exactly." Fan Zeng was slightly amused; at least in his mind, Ah-Ji, while fond of glory, was not hopelessly obtuse. "This strategy of surrounding without attacking is precisely to give Zhang Han the opportunity to abandon darkness and turn to the light by submitting to our Chu army."

"Excellent, truly a masterful plan," Xiang Yu stood up, not forgetting to pull up Yu Ji, who was leaning against him. "Then we shall wait another two days and see what capabilities Zhang Han truly possesses."

Fan Zeng bowed slightly to Xiang Yu and turned to exit the tent. With Sima Xin’s persuasion, Zhang Han’s submission should be logical. However, he commanded two hundred thousand troops; if they could indeed be successfully brought under control, it would be a huge boon to the Chu army. But what if they couldn't subdue these two hundred thousand soldiers?

...

At this moment, Ye Xiu was beginning to feel a touch of boredom. He was extremely unaccustomed to his heavy armor. Compared to being a general, he seemed to prefer the life of a wandering martial artist—simple coarse cloth, sword in hand—which felt far more unrestrained.

"Brother Ye, why take off that Blood Armor? It will surely affect the morale of the soldiers if they see you," General Pu showed concern for the junior officer.

Ye Xiu yawned and turned his head back languidly, smiling, "I’m not used to wearing this stuff. Besides, I'm just a common soldier, merely favored by Lord Fan Zeng."

General Pu couldn't argue with Ye Xiu and reluctantly helped him pick up his armor. "Brother Ye, your martial arts are peerless and your courage remarkable; you are naturally suited for great things in the army. After this battle, I will surely report to the Lord and request a promotion for you."

"Enough," Ye Xiu raised a hand to cut off General Pu. "I dare not claim all the merit; General Pu can have that. I just want to remain an honest halberd attendant, with no other ambitions. Oh, I also wanted to ask General Pu if you’ve heard of a soldier in the army named Han Xin."

"Who? Han Xin?" General Pu shook his head. "These minor soldiers are either called A-Mao or A-Qiang; they don't have such formal names. I’ve never even heard the name Han Xin."

"Alas," Ye Xiu sighed and turned his gaze back toward the Jiyuan encampment beyond the woods. If history continued on this path, it wouldn't be long before Xiang Yu’s name as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu would become famous. Where in the world was that fellow Han Xin mixing now? Had the historical records been wrong, and Han Xin had never defected to the Chu army at all?

Suddenly, several sharp gusts of wind swept toward the camp, causing the surrounding trees to rustle violently. Ye Xiu’s nerves tightened instantly, and he squinted, scanning his surroundings. There was killing intent.

"General Pu, did you hear anything?" he asked suspiciously. "Someone just passed over our heads!"

"Who’s there? Are you talking about the enemy?" General Pu joked. "With so many soldiers here, how could someone pass by unnoticed? Brother Ye, you must be tired and hearing things."

"Yes, I should probably get some proper rest," Ye Xiu waved to General Pu and walked away from the camp alone. He knew his intuition was rarely wrong. He had clearly felt three distinct auras of killing intent brush past him. Those men focused on marching and fighting only heard the neighing of thousands of horses; they had no comprehension of the qi that martial artists often spoke of. Something was definitely about to happen, he was certain.

"Brother Ye, where are you going?" General Pu asked with concern.

Ye Xiu didn't look back to answer him, only gesturing as he walked deep into the woods. At this moment, he sensed the killing intent within the forest again—not above him, not beside him, but seemingly beneath the very ground. Clearly, the swift movement of three martial arts masters had passed by. But their target didn't seem to be Ye Xiu. What were they up to?