The King of Han's surprise attack terrified the King of Yong, who asked his attendants, "Did the King of Han's army fall from the sky?
"How did they march hundreds of li without grain and fodder to launch a surprise attack on me?"
"Your Majesty, the King of Han must have harbored treacherous intentions long ago and made preparations in Guanzhong before the Son of Heaven enfeoffed the lords. That was how he caught us off guard.
"Our most urgent task now is to contact the King of Qin and resist the King of Han. The Hegemon-King has gone east to campaign against Qi State. If Liu Bang comes through the passes, he will have to fight on two fronts."
The King of Yong woke as though from a dream and immediately ordered his troops to march.
Han Xin led the Han Army in capturing city after city, driving straight toward Xianyang without meeting anyone who could withstand a single clash. Still adhering to the principle that the highest form of warfare was to defeat the enemy's plans, he sent persuaders into the cities.
"Elders, since the King of Qin and the King of Yong received their fiefs, the Qin people have treated the two kings respectfully, yet the two kings have treated the Qin people brutally.
"The Sage King said that when a ruler treated his subjects like worthless grass and wantonly abused them, his subjects should regard that ruler as a bandit and an enemy. Was there anyone in this world who bore a deep blood feud yet did not seek revenge?
"I, Xin, believe that such people are unworthy of being human.
"The King of Han was the first to enter Guanzhong and treated the people of the Qin lands well, for according to the agreement among