Guanzhong, with its eight-hundred-li Qin Plains, was the cradle of Qin's rise to power. Occupying Guanzhong would recreate the momentum of Qin's conquest of the six states. Moreover, Qin had developed Guanzhong for generations, and the First Emperor had gathered the treasures of Yan and Zhao, the wealth of Han and Wei, and the elites of Qi and Chu there—how could the feudal lords not covet it?
Yet Roy had promised Guanzhong to the Duke of Pei. Though this was contingent on the Duke conquering it first, the mere promise was staggering.
Everyone had assumed that with Roy's current dominance, no other force in the land could rival him. If Guanzhong were truly taken, they expected him to claim it for himself.
However, the gathered crowd quickly regained their composure, casting doubt on Roy's promise. After all, Roy was the ruthless man who had dared to kill King Huai of Chu—his nominal sovereign—right in his own residence before declaring himself king. Who could say how much trust his words truly held? If the Duke of Pei went through countless hardships to conquer Guanzhong, only for Roy to later renege on his promise, the Duke of Pei would have nowhere left to weep.
At this thought, many in the crowd looked at Liu Ji with schadenfreude.
This was the problem of reputation—the very reason King Huai of Chu had believed Roy wouldn't kill him and had dared to spout such arrogance here.
If Roy didn't possess power beyond reason, if he truly sought to conquer the realm and become emperor, his current notoriety would make the task nearly impossible. Even usurpers would discreetly find an excuse to depose a ruler, but Roy had openly beheaded King Huai of Chu before the eyes of the world's heroes and declared himself king. Calling him the "Overlord" was something no one would dispute—far surpassing even the historical Xiang Yu's deeds.
While the others gloated over the Duke of Pei's predicament, only Liu Ji herself knew Roy's words were genuine. If she could truly conquer Guanzhong, she believed Roy would not hesitate to grant her the land and the title of "King of Han."
Liu Ji gave Roy a deep look before kneeling and declaring loudly, "Ji accepts this command!"
King Huai of Chu had once offered her the same terms, but Liu Ji had refused to prevent Roy from being abandoned by his followers. Now that Roy was once again offering Guanzhong as a gift, Liu Ji agreed without hesitation.
I once promised to help you become emperor, asking only for wealth in return. Now, I shall conquer Guanzhong for you—all I ask is the title of "King of Han."
With this thought, Liu Ji felt a burning passion in her heart, her entire being radiant with vigor.
The Overlord treats me with sincerity; I shall repay him in kind.
At this moment, Liu Ji felt she and Roy truly shared a profound understanding.
Xiao He, who had crawled out from under the table, was overjoyed upon hearing Roy's command. The Duke of Pei's rise to power had begun!
In the original history, Xiang Yu had already held Guanzhong but abandoned it to return to Western Chu, only to be outmaneuvered by Han Xin's "open repair of the plank roads while secretly crossing at Chencang," allowing Emperor Gaozu to seize Guanzhong and the Han dynasty to rise.
Xiang Yu's historical enfeoffments had been a reluctant necessity, but he had chosen the wrong location. While Chu's geographical position seemed advantageous, it was a battleground surrounded by enemies. Combined with Xiang Yu's arrogance, he had spread himself too thin, leading to his downfall.
"Good! Since the Duke of Pei has accepted, I grant you thirty thousand elite troops to aid in conquering Guanzhong!" Roy laughed heartily.
His words sent shockwaves through the other high-ranking officials of Chu. They had assumed Roy would send Liu Ji with only a thousand or so men to attack Guanzhong—never had they imagined he would entrust her with thirty thousand of his finest soldiers. Such was the Overlord's trust in the Duke of Pei that he would divide his own forces for her sake.
The crowd gazed at Liu Ji with envy. With these thirty thousand elite troops, meticulously trained by Roy, the commoner who had risen from Pei County had truly become one of the warlords capable of contending for supremacy. Before this, Liu Ji had only engaged in minor skirmishes, never commanding more than ten thousand soldiers. Neither the feudal lords nor those with even a passing understanding of the realm's affairs had ever taken her seriously.
Liu Ji lowered her head without speaking. As a woman, she was easily moved, and now her eyes were rimmed with red. Roy had given her these thirty thousand elite soldiers, truly placing her on the stage of historical momentum. She was no longer the self-proclaimed "Duke of Pei" but the Marquis of Wu'an, acknowledged by the many feudal lords.
"Duke of Pei, go and prepare. Five days from now, we march together!"
Roy waved his hand grandly, and the others quickly rose to take their leave.
Before long, numerous soldiers entered to clean up the estate, gathering the corpses of those Roy had killed and burning them in a single fire. They also erected a tombstone for King Huai of Chu, Xiong Xin, giving him a proper burial.
From then on, Chu changed hands, and the name "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" spread far and wide.
...
"What is the Yu Beauty pondering so deeply? Has the earlier disturbance troubled your peace?"
Roy left the cleaning to the servants and walked into the rear courtyard. Upon entering Yu Ji's residence, he saw her standing beneath a ginkgo tree, clad in a revealing gown. Her snow-white feet rested on the stone bricks, untouched by dust, her ten toes tinged pink, with faint blue veins visible on the tops of her feet. Her delicate ankles were slender enough to be encircled by a single hand, stirring the heart.
Yu Ji turned around, revealing a glimpse of her fair chest, her collarbones as elegant as bamboo, her figure as slender as a willow. Between her jade-like fingers, she held a poppy flower—it was hard to tell whether the flower or the woman was more enchanting.
She fixed her gaze on Roy, her flawless face slightly flushed, her beautiful eyes lowered to the poppy in her hand as she whispered, "...I know nothing of what happened earlier. My King may handle it as he sees fit."
"Hmm..."
Roy acknowledged and briefly recounted the earlier events to Yu Ji.
Yu Ji frowned slightly. "...Will this affect My King?"
"No matter. It aligns with my plans. In fact, I should thank King Huai of Chu and those alchemists—they gave me the perfect excuse to act."
"My King's plans... are they related to Liu Ji?"
"They are. I've sent her to conquer Guanzhong. With her abilities, she should succeed."
Roy spoke thus. In the history he knew, the future Emperor Gaozu had led fewer than four thousand men to attack Guanzhong, growing his forces along the way until he successfully seized it.
Though this world's version of Emperor Gaozu differed slightly from the one Roy knew, her abilities remained. With the aid of the thirty thousand elite soldiers Roy had trained, conquering Guanzhong should not be difficult.
"Once Liu Ji takes Guanzhong, the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor will be under my control. Then, Yu Beauty and I shall investigate it together."
Roy had already calculated every detail in his mind.
Seeing that Roy was not troubled by her concerns, Yu Ji finally relaxed. The moment this thought arose, she startled herself—since when had she begun to worry and care for him so deeply?
"My King... would you like to see me dance?"
Yu Ji bit her moist lips and spoke softly.
Seeing this once-temperamental fairy transformed into such a shy maiden, Roy felt his efforts over the past year had not been in vain.
Delighted, he clapped his hands. "...Wonderful! I've yet to witness the Yu Beauty's dance."