The most powerful emperor Liu Bang

Chapter 13 Execution of Cao Wushang

Xiang Yu passed all the way and finally reached the territory of Qin State.His goal is also to capture Xianyang.Unexpectedly, he was blocked by Liu Bang's defenders near Hangu Pass, and Liu Bang had entered Xianyang before him.

The meaning of Liu Bang's defense of Hangu Pass is to occupy Guanzhong, prevent other princes from entering, and become king in Guanzhong himself.Prior to this, Xiang Yu relied on his bravery and invincibility and strong military strength, thinking that he was the king of Guanzhong.Now that I know that Liu Bang is going to dominate here, how can I tolerate it, and immediately let General Yingbu attack Hangu Pass and drive Liu Bang away.

At this time, the military strength of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu was quite different. Xiang Yu had 40 troops and claimed to be a million, while Liu Bang had only a mere 20 and boasted that he had [-].Cao Wushang, Liu Bang's subordinate Zuo Sima, originally had a grudge against Liu Bang. Seeing this, he was immediately shaken. Not long after Xiang Yu arrived, he secretly went to Chuying to report Liu Bang's situation to Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng, saying: " Liu Bang intends to become king in Guanzhong, and let Qin's prince Ying be the prime minister, and occupy Guanzhong for a long time."

Fan Zeng asked, "What did he do?"

Cao Wushang said: "You know, Liu Bang is a greedy and greedy person, but this time when he came to Xianyang, he didn't love money at all, and he was not close to women. He even made three chapters with the common people in Qin to buy people's hearts. This fully shows that His ambition is not small, he not only wants to be king in Guanzhong, but I am afraid he will also conquer the world in the future."

After hearing this, Fan Zeng nodded and said, "That's the truth. From this point of view, he must be the one who will compete with King Xiang for the world in the future, so we must get rid of this cancer in time."

Xiang Yu said: "Well said, we will do it tomorrow and wipe him out in the cradle in one fell swoop."

Cao Wushang asked: "You will attack Liu Bang tomorrow, do you want me to be your guide?"

Xiang Yu said: "No, you go back, and you can serve as an internal response over there. If you stay here, it won't be of much use."

Cao Wushang said: "The general is brilliant, I will definitely help you with all my strength."

Seeing Cao Wushang's excitement, Fan Zeng suddenly asked, "You are Liu Bang's subordinate, why do you oppose him?"

"Well, it's a long story. I have a personal grudge with Liu Bang, and I used to be the housekeeper of Cao De, the county magistrate of Pei County. He killed my master, so I have always hated him. The reason why I followed him Do it, this is what we are waiting for." Cao Wushang was afraid that Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng would suspect that he was unfaithful, so he used Liu Bang's assassination of the county magistrate to beautify himself.

"Oh, it turns out that there is such a holiday, so it's justifiable, we trust you." Fan Zeng said with a sense of enlightenment.

"But after the matter is done, I would like to ask the General and General Fan to support me more." Cao Wushang took the opportunity to put forward his own conditions.

Xiang Yu said, "Naturally, don't worry."

Cao Wushang got a promise from Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng, and went back to have a sweet dream.What he never imagined was that Xiang Yu's major decision to defeat Liu would change overnight, which made him happy for nothing.

When Liu Bang was the head of the pavilion, he had indeed beaten Cao Wushang, and the two had feuded since then.As for Liu Bang's failure to marry Cao Zhi, he also showed righteous indignation, but it was just a hypocrisy, so he wouldn't mind so much business.Liu Bang killed the county magistrate, saying that it was false to make him hate, and it was true to say that he had no support.Seeing that Liu Bang's power in Pei County was growing, he bit the bullet and asked Xiao He to intercede, and defected to Liu Bang's command.He thought that Liu Bang would not want him, but in fact Liu Bang had long forgotten about beating him.As for the matter of him picking up the matchmaker, Liu Bang didn't even know about it, so how could he hate him.And because it was an acquaintance recommended by Xiao He, so he gradually used him in the future.As the saying goes, wolves can't change eating meat, and dogs can't change eating shit.This Cao Wushang was originally a villain, but now that Liu Bang was at a disadvantage, he immediately defected to the enemy.

Cao Wushang went back without a good night's sleep, always thinking about how to incite people around him to surrender to Xiang Yu tomorrow, how to respond to Xiang Yu's troops attacking Liu Bang, and thinking about what kind of official Xiang Yu will give him in the future.Unexpectedly, the dream on his side has not yet woken up, and Xiang Yu's side has already shaken hands with Liu Bang.So the little man is always a pawn in the hands of the big man. When he uses you, he will bluff you like brothers. Once he doesn't need it, he will throw you away or sell you like wrapping paper.This is what politicians do.

Five or six of Liu Bang and Fan Kui escaped from Hongmen in a hurry, and when they returned to Bashang, they asked Wang Ling to lead a few guards to arrest Cao Wushang, and scolded: "This traitor who eats inside and outside, I will kill you!" His body was broken into pieces!"

Wang Ling didn't follow to Hongmen, but when he saw Liu Bang was so angry, he asked, "What's the matter, Mr. Pei, that made you so angry?"

"Don't ask, quickly catch this thief for me, I will kill him with my own hands!" Liu Bang said angrily.

Wang Ling said: "My lord, please calm down, I will do it right away."

Liu Bang arrived at Hongmen in the morning, and ate, drank and chatted there for half the morning. When he returned to Bashang, it was already past noon.

Cao Wushang got up very early today, and after breakfast, he found a few good friends to join him as an internal response, but he couldn't explain it clearly, so he could only reveal it mysteriously: "General Xiang Yu heard that Pei Gong was going to become king in Guanzhong, and sent Heavy troops guarded Hangu Pass and prevented the Chu army from entering Xianyang. He was very angry and wanted to attack Pei army today. With Xiang Yu's military strength, I am afraid that Pei Gong is not his opponent. As the saying goes, a bachelor does not suffer immediate losses, and a good bird chooses a tree to live in. Instead of following Liu Bang to die, it is better to take the opportunity to surrender to Xiang Yu when Xiang Yu fights over. Xiang Yu is the biggest hero today, and following him is definitely more promising than being here."

The friend asked: "How do you know? This is not just for fun. If you let Pei Gong find out, you will definitely be severely punished. Stop talking nonsense."

Cao Wushang said: "This news is [-]% accurate. I have a relative in Chu Ying who risked his life to tell me yesterday and asked me to be a good internal response. You are all my best friends, so I decided to Let me tell you, let's do it together?"

Several people were discussing, and there was a person in front of Liu Bang called Qiu Shang, who was also a friend of Cao Wushang. After he came in, he heard them say that Xiang Yu was coming to attack Pei Gong today, and he wanted some people to play by ear, so he immediately dissuaded him: "Forget it, Today, Pei Gong went to Chu Ying to make peace with Xiang Yu, and it is estimated that the peace has been settled by now, if not, the Chu army would have already arrived at the door of the house."

Cao Wushang was wondering why Xiang Yu's troops came so slowly. When Qiu Shang said that Liu Bang had gone to the Chu camp early in the morning, his mind buzzed, and he asked, "How did Duke Pei know that Xiang Yu was coming to attack Peijun today? When did he come?" went?"

Qiu Shang said: "Last night, Pei Gong heard from the people in the Chu camp that Xiang Yu meant to blame him, so he went to apologize early in the morning. General Zhang Liang also went with him. With their wisdom, they will surely succeed immediately and turn the war into jade."

Cao Wushang grimaced when he heard this, and murmured: "What else is there?"

The friend said: "Isn't this a good thing? It saves you from having to go all out to seek refuge with Xiang Yu." How did the friend know that this ghost was recruited by him, and now that he doesn't come, wouldn't his hopes be dashed.

Cao Wu secretly groaned sadly, but said in his mouth: "That is, that is." He said "That is", his heart was trembling with fear, and he didn't care to say hello to others, so he left in a hurry.A few friends thought he was bored and left, so they didn't ask him about it.He wondered what Xiang Yu would say to Liu Bang and whether he would be sold out.Thinking that Xiang Yu is a person who doesn't pay much attention to strategy, it is inevitable that he will not tell the truth to Liu Bang.If that was the case, Liu Bang would not spare him lightly when he came back. He would be beaten and scolded at least, and it would be difficult to say at worst. It is also possible to chop him up with a knife.Back then, Liu Bang beat him dozens of sticks because of disputes with his neighbors. Today, he provokes the relationship between the two armies, and Liu Bang will not let it go.Thinking of this, Cao Wushang felt that he had to leave quickly, no matter what happened, he should avoid the limelight first.When he returned to the dormitory, he took all the money with him. For fear of arousing suspicion, he didn't bring anything else and left quietly.

Later that afternoon, Wang Ling led a group of people to the place where Cao Wushang lived at a very fast speed, trying to catch him on the spot, but he was in vain.Asked the person who lived with Cao Wushang, and replied: "Cao Sima was still there in the morning, but he went out during dinner, and he hasn't returned yet."

Wang Ling said, "Pei Gong asked him for something. Where did he go?"

"Will you go drinking with others? Go to a nearby restaurant and have a look." The person who was asked said.

"Let's look for it, and if we see him, let him go to the general's account immediately and tell him that there is something urgent to do." Wang Ling said to the man.

Cao Wushang fled to Xianyang, made up a lie, and hid with an acquaintance in the garrison.

At that time, the catering industry was not yet developed, and there were only one or two restaurants in Bashang. The people from Wangling visited all these places, and there was no trace of Cao Wushang.Go back and report to Liu Bang: "Report to Peigong that Cao Wushang is not in the barracks, and he ran away beforehand, wondering if he heard something."

"Damn it, he has a ghost in his heart, he must be hiding." Liu Bang said.

"However, he didn't bring his things with him. The people who lived with him said that he was still there in the morning, and at most he left around noon." Wang Ling said.

"Keep looking for me. Once you see him, catch him and bring him here." Liu Bang said with hatred.

Xiao He knew that it was Cao Wushang's fault that Xiang Yu wanted to attack Peijun, and Cao Wushang was recommended by him, so he didn't have the nerve to bring it up in front of Liu Bang, for fear that Liu Bang would scold him.Although Liu Bang has always respected him very much, but with the rise of his status, some of his original sexual habits were gradually exposed, and he would curse at people at every turn, even for a friend like Xiao He.On this point, Xiao He is still a little timid towards Liu Bang sometimes.Because of Cao Wushang's mischief, Liu Bang's head was almost cut off by Xiang Yu this time. Remembering that this had something to do with Xiao He, he felt a little resentful towards him.Therefore, when I came back from Hongmen, I didn't bother to answer him.

Cao Wushang hid in Xianyang for more than a month, seeing that there was no movement, he thought that maybe he was worrying too much.But I also thought that I left for more than a month without saying hello to anyone, which was a clear violation of military discipline. Even if the previous incident was not pursued, the crime of leaving without authorization should be punished.After thinking about it, Cao Wushang felt that there was only one way to go, and that was to join Xiang Yu.

Awed by Xiang Yu's strength, Liu Bang took the initiative to let Xianyang out.At this time, there was no one in the world who could compete with Xiang Yu, so he proclaimed himself the overlord of Western Chu and Liu Bang the king of Han.When Cao Wushang went to look for him again, he felt that this person was useless, so he avoided seeing him.Later, it was Fan Zeng who took Cao Wushang in, but he only appointed a small account clerk, that is, a few people to stand guard at the entrance of the barracks.This is not as high as Sima's status under Liu Bang, which really discourages him.After another month or so, he couldn't stand this kind of humiliation, so he fled back to the Han camp one night, plunged into Xiao He's house, wept bitterly, and begged Xiao He: "Mr. You have to help me one more time."

Xiao Hezheng was embarrassed in front of Liu Bang because of his affairs, so he reprimanded him angrily: "What kind of person are you? Do you have no brains, or are you a fool? I am really ashamed to have your friend."

"Sir, I'm shameless. I'm a villain. I don't have any brains. You can scold me whatever you want. As long as Pei Gong can continue to feed me, you can ask me to do anything in the future." Cao Wushang said pitifully.

"Oh, I really can't do anything about you. But I have to say, I can ask for this love for you, but I'm not sure. If Pei Gong really can't forgive you, don't blame me." Xiao He said.

"I will never blame you. But I know that Peigong trusts you the most. As long as you are willing to show up, Peigong will give you face." Seeing Xiao He's agreement, Cao Wushang complimented him.

Xiao He is still confident in this point. Although Liu Bang sometimes scolds and criticizes him, when it comes to business, he basically obeys his words.Cao Wushang was sure of this point, so he had the courage to come to Liu Bang again.But this time was different from the past. After Liu Bang came back from Hongmen, even though many people knew that he was going to kill Cao Wushang, for some reason, Liu Bang didn't mention it to Xiao He. Was it because of face, or because he was too resentful?The more he didn't mention it, the more uncertain Xiao He felt.So I can only say to Cao Wushang: "Give it a try."

Liu Bang has been unhappy for a while because he did not become the king of Guanzhong. Finally, under the persuasion of Zhang Liang and Xiao He, he reluctantly decided to go to Hanzhong.After finally seeing him happy one day, Xiao He took the opportunity to say: "Cao Wushang is back, he knows he was wrong, and he wants to come to you to apologize, saying that he wants to continue working with you, because he is afraid that you will kill him, so he dare not Come to see you. The adults don't count the faults of the villains, since they are all from Pei County, you should spare him this time."

"What, Cao Wushang is back?" Liu Bang listened to Xiao He's words with a smile, and had already planned in his mind how to deal with this villain.He thought, if it wasn't for this traitor chewing his wife's tongue in front of Xiang Yu, how could Xiang Yu be so angry and attack me overnight.Under the extremely critical situation, I risked my life to go to the banquet and almost lost my life.Although Xiang Yu didn't do anything to me at that time, he started to guard against me from then on, so he pushed me into a big ravine, where people couldn't get in, birds couldn't fly, when would be the day when I was in the early days... Thinking of these, Liu Bang suddenly became angry from his heart, and the evil turned to the gall, if he didn't kill Cao Wushang at this time, how long would it be!I thought so in my heart, but I was afraid that Cao Wushang would walk again this time, so I pretended nothing had happened and said, "It's all over, why would I care about him? Did I mention it this time? You don't know me As a human being, he has always been generous and kind, he can live well, and others can live well. Tell him, it’s all right, come and see me at ease, and do whatever you want to do.”

"I knew you were broad-minded, and you are the most tolerant of others, and you don't care about these trivial matters." Xiao He said flatteringly.

"That's right, otherwise, how could we unite so many brothers and follow me to fight the world." Liu Bang dealt with Xiao He on the surface, but he thought in his heart: A good man told you to be a bear, and my life was almost killed by him. If it is a trivial matter, is there any principle?

I don't know if Cao Wushang had nightmares at night, but after hearing Xiao He's words, he came straight to Liu Bang the next day.When familiar people greeted him, he nodded and said hello.When I arrived in the big tent, I saw Liu Bang sitting on the couch looking at him, not speaking, and a little nervous.At this time, the guards who had been ambushing on both sides stepped forward and held him down, dragged him outside and beheaded him.

Xiao He heard that Cao Wushang was beheaded, so he didn't say anything for a long time.

(End of this chapter)