Lü Zhi finally saw the full extent of Liu Bang's present might. His standing as the foremost of the Lords King beneath King Xiang was not exaggerated in the slightest. Of the four hundred thousand troops gathered here, fully two hundred thousand belonged to Liu Bang alone.
Seeing this, Luo Yi said, "Your Majesty, most of the Feudal Lords you invited have arrived. Only a few who are farther away remain; we can simply join forces with them when we march.
"Since ancient times, without a rightful name, words have carried no authority. The most pressing matter now is to establish your reputation among the Feudal Lords."
Liu Bang nodded in agreement and summoned the Feudal Lords for an alliance assembly. Luo Yi dug through old records and unearthed the rituals used at Duke Huan of Qi's alliance assemblies years ago.
As wisps of blue smoke drifted toward the heavens, the kings smeared ox blood on their lips, sealing their alliance with a blood oath. Liu Bang declared in a ringing voice, "Kings, I, the Lonely One, have summoned this assembly today because I am deeply disappointed in Xiang Yu.
"When he enfeoffed the lords, he treated you, the men who had earned merit in destroying Qin, harshly. Those with merit received no reward, while those without merit were granted land. What injustice!
"The King of Jiaodong died in battle, and the King of Qi risked his life to serve as bait. Yet Xiang Yu believed that all the credit for the Battle of Handan belonged to him. This I cannot accept.
"What I never expected was that Xiang Yu would remain unsatisfied even after seizing vast stretches of land that should have belonged to the King of Qi, and would actually attack a blameless lord king without cause.
"As