The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away all heroes.
By the Wu River.
Xiang Yu paused, a hint of sorrow on his face. When he rose from Chu and overthrew the Qin dynasty, he never imagined a day like this.
Yet, he had fallen to such a state, reduced to a cornered beast by the Wu River, which truly saddened him.
"General."
A soldier approached Xiang Yu, his expression tinged with grief: "Your Majesty, the Han army has already reached the Wu River, encircling us. What can we do now?"
He whispered, "We are willing to cover your retreat, please cross the river, Your Majesty!"
At this moment, by the Wu River.
A small boat slowly glided along the river, creating ripples on the water. On the boat sat an old man, his face gaunt, with a hint of lamentation.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to ferry you across the river!"
"The children of Jiangdong are waiting for you, Your Majesty. Our Jiangdong is vast. You only need to cross the river, and then you will surely be able to make a comeback."
"Please cross the river, Your Majesty!"
Xiang Yu stood by the riverbank, his expression somewhat indifferent. He held the Overlord Halberd in his hand, standing like a rigid stone by the river.
"Enough."
He gave a bitter laugh: "The children of Jiangdong who rose with me are almost all here. How can I possibly return to Jiangdong and let them be killed by the Han army?"
Xiang Yu whispered, "Old man, you should leave first."
He looked at the stirring dust in the distance and whispered, "The Han army... will be here soon!"
Yes.
The Han army will be here soon!
Hearing this, the old man felt distressed but didn't know what to say. After Xiang Yu's repeated refusals, he finally rowed his small boat away.
In the middle of the river.
He stood on the boat, clad in a straw cape, looking at Xiang Yu's back, his expression suddenly changing.
"Hmph, he's quite lucky!"
The old man's eyes were full of malice as he looked at the boat beneath his feet: "If he hadn't been so stubborn, how would my son have died?"
His face was streaked with tears.
When Xiang Yu raised his army, his only son followed Xiang Yu. However, after the Feast at Hong Gate, his son died at the hands of Liu Bang's army. From then on, he hated Xiang Yu.
If Xiang Yu hadn't been close to treacherous officials, how could he have let Liu Bang go at the Feast at Hong Gate?
If there were no Liu Bang, how could his son have died there?
He came today for revenge!
Otherwise, the Wu River would have long been deserted. How could only his small boat be left?
He came today, fully prepared to die with Xiang Yu.
At that time, on the Wu River, with no one to call upon, and a small boat slowly sinking into the water, no matter how brave the King of Chu was, could he still survive and escape?
It was just a pity.
On the small boat, the old man rowed farther and farther, finally stopping in the middle of the river, looking at the shore from a distance.
At this moment, the shore was already filled with dust.
Liu Bang sat on his horse, pausing on a high slope. Beside him, Han Xin, Chen Cheng, Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, and others were successively mounted, guarding Liu Bang.
"At this point, Xiang Yu has reached a dead end."
Liu Bang smiled freely: "This world, after all, has fallen into my hands."
Zhang Liang naturally smiled and echoed: "Your Majesty has won the hearts of the people. If this world does not fall into Your Majesty's hands, then whose hands will it fall into?"
He chuckled: "Even if Xiang Yu can fight a hundred, it's useless."
"At this moment, our great army has surrounded Xiang Yu's remnants. We only need to encircle and kill him. Even if Xiang Yu has extraordinary abilities, he is still just a mortal."
Han Xin and others agreed.
With an order, the great army closed in and began to slaughter Xiang Yu.
At this moment, Xiang Yu wielded the Overlord Halberd left and right, incredibly fierce, like Xingtian dancing with his shield and axe in ancient times, preventing anyone from approaching him.
The soldiers around him became fewer and fewer, until finally, only three or five people were left to protect him.
Xiang Yu was covered in blood. Finally, he stood there, his eyes filled with sorrow, unable to say or do anything, as if he were completely numb.
Bloody.
"Hahahahahahaha—"
He laughed up to the sky, his voice desolate: "I never thought I would fall to such a plight!"
After Xiang Yu finished speaking, his eyes instantly became ferocious, and then he stepped forward: "I want to see what you, these petty scoundrels, can do to me?!"
With that, he once again led the three or five soldiers by his side to charge into the Han army.
On the high slope.
Liu Bang witnessed this scene of Xiang Yu and couldn't help but sigh: "Xiang Yu is indeed a hero of the ages."
He looked around, then gazed at the people beside him and the soldiers encircling below the mountain, saying: "Pass on my order."
"Slaughter Xiang Yu!"
"Whoever kills Xiang Yu will be rewarded with a thousand gold and enfeoffed as a Marquis of Distinction!"
"Whoever obtains Xiang Yu's corpse will be rewarded with a thousand gold and enfeoffed as a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"
"Whoever obtains Xiang Yu's complete corpse will be rewarded with a thousand gold, granted five thousand households, and enfeoffed as a Marquis within the Passes!"
As soon as this news spread, the people below who were besieging Xiang Yu instantly went mad, surging forward frantically. They seemed tireless and fearless of death.
At this moment, a hearty laugh came from beside Liu Bang.
"Hahahaha, Your Majesty, watch me slay this villain!"
As soon as the words fell, Chen Cheng immediately spurred his legs and then rushed down the mountain!
At this time, "Chen Cheng" had descended upon Chen Xi's body. He held the weapon that Liu Bang had previously ordered a blacksmith to forge specifically for him, then laughed loudly and charged forward.
With the momentum of a tiger descending the mountain, Chen Cheng was unstoppable at this moment, like a god or demon!
"Clang—"
When the two weapons clashed, everything instantly vanished like smoke.
Xiang Yu couldn't help but retreat four or five steps. His eyes were filled with shock, and he said in disbelief: "How is this possible? Why has your strength increased again?"
He himself was a "strongman" and naturally knew the rules of strength growth.
How could it have increased so much more?
Chen Cheng grinned. Why did it increase so much?
That's a secret!
He held the great halberd behind him and laughed loudly: "Hahahahahaha, King of Chu, today you are merely a cornered beast. Why struggle so much?"
"Why not use your head to earn me another merit!"
After speaking, Chen Cheng wielded the great halberd again!
....
"Book of Han, Biography of Chen Xi": "In the fourth year of King of Han, Emperor Gaozu arrived at the Wu River and surrounded Xiang Yu. At that time, sorrowful songs echoed from all four directions, and Xiang Yu fought desperately. Chen Xi bravely leaped out, holding a great halberd, fought Xiang Yu, and defeated him."
"Emperor Gaozu saw this and sighed: 'Since ancient times, there has been no hero greater than Xiang Yu, but today, Le Zhi's bravery surpasses Xiang Yu's by three-tenths. He is truly a fierce general of a thousand ages.'"
....
On the high mountain.
Liu Bang looked at the scene below and sighed softly: "Although Xiang Yu is brave, he is ultimately not as good as my subordinate, Chen Xi. Le Zhi's bravery is truly unmatched throughout history."
"That I could obtain Le Zhi is truly a blessing from heaven."
His brows couldn't help but show a hint of joy. At this moment, Liu Bang was completely relaxed. After all, it was now certain that Xiang Yu was heading for his demise. Besides him, who else could unify this world and obtain this empire?
So why worry?
He was about to become the third emperor in history, so he was naturally joyful.
Moreover... his emperorship was not inherited but seized from the Qin dynasty, which made him even more joyful and excited. The grand dream he had when the First Emperor toured had finally come true.
He sighed softly.
"This world... has finally fallen into my hands."
....
At this moment, by the Wu River.
Xiang Yu held the Overlord Halberd, half-kneeling there, his face covered in splashed blood. Blood from the corner of his mouth slowly trickled down his neck onto his armor. At this moment, he was utterly exhausted.
He raised his head, looking at Chen Cheng, his voice ferocious: "Hahahahaha, good, good, to die by your hand, I have no regrets!"
"Come on!"
Xiang Yu roared ferociously, like a lion: "Come and kill me!"
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Cheng's great halberd flew out directly, piercing through all the dust, and landed heavily on Xiang Yu's chest.
After a tearing pain, Xiang Yu slowly fell backward.
His brows showed a hint of lament and an inexplicable sigh, but he merely sighed deeply, his tone filled with resignation.
"Today... though I die."
"But... I am still..."
"The Overlord of Western Chu!"
As his voice fell, Xiang Yu's corpse hit the ground, his heavy-lidded eyes, signifying an overlord, stared fixedly at the sky, unable to close for a long time.
At this moment, Chen Cheng withdrew and left, ignoring Xiang Yu's body on the ground.
After Chen Cheng left, a group of soldiers looked at each other, and then a chaotic fight broke out instantly!
Everyone wanted to get Xiang Yu's body!
This was a symbol of being enfeoffed as a Marquis and crossing social classes!
The few people who emerged victorious guarded against each other. One young man stood there, his brows firm, holding one of Xiang Yu's legs in his arms.
Yang Xi!
....
On the high mountain.
Liu Bang saw Chen Cheng, who was covered in blood, and was overjoyed. He stepped forward and said: "Le Zhi's bravery is truly unmatched throughout history!"