Since both sides had reached an agreement, Xiang Yu no longer worried. The next day, he led an army of four hundred thousand and set out for Hangu Pass.
However, Hangu Pass was completely different from before, when its gates had stood wide open. The entire pass was sealed shut. Moreover, the people on the walls did not see the familiar archers or crossbows. Instead, strange thick black tubes protruded between the battlements, aimed straight at the ground. Behind those tubes stood objects resembling enormous shields, making for a particularly bizarre sight.
Beyond that, there were the flags fluttering in the wind atop the walls.
"They are indeed the wordless flags. It seems the other side truly intends to hold this place."
Seeing this, Fan Zeng stroked his beard and spoke softly. Xiang Yu frowned slightly at his words but remained silent.
The so-called wordless flag was the banner of Fang Zheng's rebel army. In this era, the flags of various states usually bore their respective family names or state names—Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, and the like. Yet Fang Zheng's rebel banner was unique: a red field without a single word upon it, only a huge five-pointed star in the center, with a crossed sickle and hammer beneath it.
For that reason, the feudal lords called Fang Zheng's banner the "wordless flag," and his troops the "wordless army." On one hand, it was simply a fact. On the other, it was a subtle insult. After all, only those of low birth supposedly could not read or write, implying that Fang Zheng's side was filled with uncultured commoners.
At that moment, Hangu Pass was steeped in dead silence. No people could be seen, nor could any sound be heard. Yet through the gaps between those enormous iron shields, they could make