Xiang Yu, brimming with high spirits, wanted to battle Lin Tian.
He had even picked up his weapon, ready to charge out.
But then, Xiang Yan appeared.
"Yu'er, what are you doing?"
"Grandfather, I want to fight Lin Tian of Qin!"
"You are forbidden to go! You are forbidden to go!"
Upon hearing Xiang Yu wanted to fight Lin Tian, Xiang Yan immediately became anxious.
Although he felt Xiang Yu was no match for Lin Tian, and that Xiang Yu no longer held the hope of revitalizing the Xiang clan and restoring the Chu state.
Still, Xiang Yu was his beloved grandson, and he did not want Xiang Yu to simply throw his life away.
Therefore, he forbade Xiang Yu from fighting Lin Tian.
He knew that if Xiang Yu fought Lin Tian, he would surely die.
Having lived for so many years, Xiang Yan had never seen anyone as powerful as Lin Tian.
Under such circumstances, if he still allowed Xiang Yu to fight Lin Tian, it would truly extinguish the hope of the Xiang clan.
However, his not wanting Xiang Yu to go did not mean Xiang Yu did not want to go.
"Grandfather...!"
"No more talk. You are the hope of our Xiang clan. If I say you cannot go, you cannot go!"
"Guards, take the young master away!"
"Yes!"
The Xiang clan had secret passages, and if Xiang Yu wanted to leave, he absolutely could.
And if Xiang Yan wanted to escape, he could also flee for a short while.
But he knew that the Qin army was coming for him. If he fled,
the Qin army would inevitably pursue relentlessly.
At that point, he would be unable to escape.
So, merely letting Xiang Yu leave was a wise choice. The Qin state would likely not make a great effort to pursue a mere child.
Then, he looked at his son beside him, Xiang Liang.
He saw the determination in Xiang Liang's eyes and his resolve to fight to the death.
This softened Xiang Yan's heart, and then Xiang Yan spoke again:
"You leave too!!"
"Father, I will not leave. I will fight alongside you!"
"Leave. Yu'er is still young and needs care and nurturing!"
If it were before, Xiang Liang might have truly agreed with Xiang Yan saying such things.
Before, they all believed Xiang Yu was the hope of the Xiang clan.
Such hope naturally needed to be well protected and nurtured.
Thus, if Xiang Yan had forced Xiang Liang to leave and protect Xiang Yu, Xiang Liang would have accepted.
But now, hope was shattered. They were certain that Xiang Yu was no match for Lin Tian.
In such a situation, whether to nurture Xiang Yu was no longer so important.
At least in Xiang Yu's generation, their Xiang clan had no hope of turning things around.
This also solidified Xiang Liang's resolve. He would stay.
"No, Yu'er is already this old. He can take care of himself!"
"I will stay to fight with Father. Even if we die, we will die together! Our Xiang clan has no deserters!"
Lin Tian's army was already pressing forward. They did not believe they had any hope of survival.
Therefore, they were prepared for a desperate fight.
However, upon hearing Xiang Liang's words about the Xiang clan having no deserters, Xiang Yu, who was being led away, looked extremely displeased.
Although he was young, he possessed a strong sense of honor.
The Xiang clan had no deserters, yet he was being led away by servants. Didn't this mean he was becoming a deserter of the Xiang clan?
Such an outcome was something Xiang Yu absolutely refused to accept.
But he understood that if he broke free at this moment, Xiang Yan might send even more people to take him away.
So, he waited, he endured.
It wasn't until they were close to the secret passage entrance that Xiang Yu finally exploded.
With a surge of strength, he broke free from the grip of two servants and shouted loudly:
"I will not go! I want to fight alongside Grandfather and Uncle!"
"Young Master, you must not! His Lordship has given an order; you must leave here! This is a desperate situation. If you continue to stay, it will surely be a dead end!"
"Did you not hear my uncle say it? Our Xiang clan has no deserters! I am the young master of the Xiang clan. Are you going to make me the first deserter of the Xiang clan?"
"This...!"
Xiang Yu's words left the Xiang clan servants speechless.
If it were about anything else, they would have immediately retorted.
In the face of life and death, survival was clearly more important.
But this involved the honor of the Xiang clan and Xiang Yu's honor. They truly did not know how to decide.
While they hesitated, Xiang Yu, carrying his spear and mounting his horse, rode away without hesitation.
"You all escape. I am going to save my grandfather and uncle!"
At this moment, Xiang Yu was full of spirit, not only going to save them but also to fight Lin Tian.
The servants who were originally meant to take Xiang Yu away were also stunned.
Then, gritting their teeth, they caught up to Xiang Yu.
"Young Master, we go with you!"
Those assigned to take Xiang Yu away at such a time were naturally extremely loyal.
Even though they knew that going meant a near-certain death.
Still, they followed Xiang Yu's lead, willing to die fighting for the Xiang clan.
Their decision sent a tremor through Xiang Yu, and his valor soared.
"Good! Then let us go and fight that Qin army. Even if it is an impregnable fortress, we will carve a bloody path through it!"
Xiang Yu did not believe that his strength, combined with the loyalty of the Xiang clan, could not carve a bloody path through the Qin army.
Lin Tian was unaware of this.
He was present, watching the encirclement of the Xiang clan.
However, since he did not see Xiang Yu, he did not appear.
He merely watched his army advance step by step, encircling the people of the Xiang clan.
Although the Xiang clan had a considerable number of people, and their individual combat prowess was not inferior to that of the soldiers on the battlefield,
they had not formed a true army and were significantly weaker in coordinated combat.
Therefore, as time passed, the Xiang clan's space for maneuver decreased.
More and more of their people died.
Xiang Yan and Xiang Liang, trapped within the encirclement, fell into a desperate situation.
At the current rate of slaughter, their surrounding forces would soon be wiped out.
Once their surrounding forces were all dead, they themselves would be next.
But at this moment, they could do nothing but retreat step by step, constantly reinforcing their defenses.
This retreat made Xiang Yan and Xiang Liang's expressions extremely grim.
And after the time it took to brew half a cup of tea, their expressions grew even more grim.
Because Xiang Yu appeared.
"Grandfather, Uncle, do not fear! Yu'er has come to save you!"