The most powerful emperor Liu Bang

Chapter 28 Taking Xianyang Lightly
Qin's army killed Xiang Liang and took advantage of the momentum to attack Zhao.In the serious situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, Xiang Yu is not afraid of hardships and dangers, and organizes the most famous battle of winning more with less in history - the Julu War, which established his position among the princes at that time in one fell swoop.

At this time, King Huai of Chu summoned the princes from all walks of life and said: "Whoever can defeat the Qin army, first enter Guanzhong and occupy Xianyang, we will elect whoever is the king of Guanzhong."

Although the Qin army lost to Xiang Yu in the Battle of Julu, their army is still very strong.Although King Xu of Chu's offer was very attractive, the princes from all walks of life did not dare to accept the offer easily.Only Xiang Yu, a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers, and just won a big battle, bravely stood up and said: "I am willing to attack Xianyang, the capital of Qin State, with Peigong."

The king of Chu asked, "Mr. Liu, are you willing?"

Liu Bang's relationship with Xiang Yu was still very good at this time, and he himself was also a restless person, and he didn't want to stay in one place for too long, so he replied: "I am willing."

When Xiang Yu heard that Liu Bang agreed to work with him, he was very happy, and immediately said: "Pei Gong is so generous and righteous, which is admirable. I would like to become brothers with you in front of the King of Chu and plan great things together. We also agreed , you fight from the south of the Yellow River, and I attack from the north of the Yellow River, whoever occupies Xianyang first will be the king of Guanzhong."

When Xiang Yu said this, he believed that the deployment of the Qin army on both sides of the Yellow River was similar, and that his team was stronger than Liu Bang's. When these two aspects were combined, his own advantage was obvious, and he would definitely be able to enter Xianyang first. This is the position of the king of Guanzhong. It must be him.At the same time, Liu Bang's ambition has not yet been revealed at this time, but he is still a good guy blindly, so Xiang Yu is willing to cooperate with him.

Liu Bang saw that Xiang Yu was talking about brotherhood, which was his strength, and immediately said, "Thank you brother for trusting me. I am willing to share weal and woe with you and work together to eradicate Tyranny."

The two expressed their opinions to the king of Chu, and Xiang Yu quickly pulled up the team to leave, but Liu Bang didn't have a clue in his heart, and he didn't move for a long time.Apart from the small number of people in his team, he always felt that something was missing and he couldn't just leave like this.

Liu Bang thought for a while, and finally realized that there is one less person who can advise him at any time. How can there be no Zhang Liang at such a time?But he just left again.Liu Bang had no choice but to think of Xiao He again, and immediately sent people to Pei County to remove Xiao He and Cao Can. The task of guarding Pei County had to be temporarily delegated to others.

After Zhang Liang came to Han Wang's side, he regained a lot of lost land in South Korea, and is currently active in Yingchuan area.The route Liu Bang chose to enter Guanzhong happened to pass through here.Liu Bang led his army to conquer Yingchuan and Yangdi in one fell swoop, and joined Zhang Liang. He asked King Han to garrison Yangdi. He insisted on borrowing Zhang Liang for a period of time, and King Han had to agree.

Liu Bang saw that Xiang Yu had greatly established his image through the Battle of Julu, and he also wanted to take the opportunity of going west to Guanzhong to show his prestige.It was also to thank King Han for his support. He wanted to help King Han take back all the cities occupied by Qin.But Zhang Liang knew that the King of Chu had promised to the princes from all walks of life that "whoever enters Guanzhong first will be the king of Guanzhong", he immediately realized that this was a rare opportunity for Pei Gong, and quickly said to Liu Bang: "Will you help me?" I am very happy that King Han captured the lost city, but as a friend, I have to remind you that for you, the most important thing is to enter Guanzhong first and seek the throne in Guanzhong. So how fast can you Just push westward as fast as possible, and enter Xianyang as much as possible before Xiang Yu's, so that you can hope to become a vassal. As for other things, you can do it later."

"Zifang is very right. You reminded me in one sentence, or I would almost miss a major event." Liu Bang suddenly woke up and said, and at that time he thought of bypassing the blocking of Qin Jun and going straight to Xianyang.

When passing through Wancheng, he launched a fierce attack on the city.Seeing the ferocious approach of the enemy army, Zhang Qi, the guard of Wancheng, hid in the city and refused to fight, which delayed Liu Bang a lot of time.

After hearing Zhang Liang's suggestion, Liu Bang didn't want to be entangled in Wancheng any more, and led his team to leave overnight.Unexpectedly, Zhang Liang said: "No. I suggest that Peigong not delay too much time on the road. I want the Peijun to occupy Xianyang as much as possible before Xiang Yu, so that you can win the political initiative for you to become the king of Guanzhong. But it is not for the Peijun Take shortcuts and rush forward recklessly. Some necessary battles should be fought or fought, otherwise haste makes waste. From here to Guanzhong, there are still many strong enemies ahead, and most of them are guarding dangerous terrain. The enemy has been wiped out, and if you go to the front, there will be a strong enemy in front, and there will be pursuers behind, and the trouble will be even greater."

Hearing what Zhang Liang said again, Liu Bang thought it was very reasonable, and he was silent for a while and said, "It seems that if you don't fight the Qin army in Wancheng, it will be very difficult to go west. But Zhang Qi can't hold on, so what can I do?"

Zhang Liang offered a plan and said, "It can be so."

After the two discussed, they led the army to leave Wancheng with great fanfare during the day and marched west.Seeing that Liu Bang had left, Zhang Qi did not pursue him. The troops had been besieged for several days and were exhausted. He asked the soldiers to take off their guard and take a good rest. The defenders who had been fighting against the Pei army outside the city were also asked to withdraw into the city.Who would have thought that Liu Bang's troops would stop walking after a certain distance, and they hid in a wood.That night, they replaced the flag with the flag of the Qin army, took a small road and turned back, completing the siege of Wancheng overnight.At first, the defenders on the city saw that the people below were fighting under their own banner, and thought it was their own troops changing defenses. At dawn, they saw that the surroundings were densely covered with Pei troops. It was impossible for the defenders to figure it out. Continue to hide.

Liu Bang besieged Wancheng for a few days, because there was no channel to communicate with the outside world a few days ago, and some people entered, eating and drinking soon became a big problem, and gradually some people escaped from the city.Zhang Liang estimated that there was not much food in the city, so he ordered the Pei army to step up the siege and force the enemy to surrender.At this time, Chen Hui, a staff officer in the army, suggested: "Adopt psychological tactics, or they can be disintegrated."

"How can we disintegrate them?" Liu Bang asked.

Zhang Liang said: "This idea is feasible. After we capture Wancheng, we also need to send people to guard it. If Peigong can allow them to pardon the whole city from death, Zhang Qi can still be the prefect in the future. Now they are running out of firewood and food." In times of crisis, it is estimated that he will agree to submit to Pei Gong."

Liu Bang said: "This condition is not too much, it can be done, but who can act as this messenger?"

"I would like to go." Chen Hui said immediately.

They shot a piece of cloth onto the city wall with arrows, and it was written: "Pei Gong has something to say to the general, please open the corner gate and let the envoys in."

The soldiers in the city picked up the news arrow and immediately delivered it to Zhang Qi. He looked at his subordinates and said, "Open the corner door and let their envoys in."

The soldiers led Chen Hui to the hall, and Zhang Qi shouted at the sight: "Pei Gong has besieged Wancheng for many days, causing the army and people in the city to suffer a lot. This must be to persuade him to surrender. He is daydreaming. The Qin army has always been mighty and invincible." , there is no reason to surrender to you stragglers, I will kill you first and see what you have to say."

Chen Hui was taken aback when he saw this. He didn't expect Qin Junshou to come up with this move, and immediately shouted: "The two armies are fighting, and you don't fight. What kind of character are you, so ignorant? I'm here The person who sent you the letter, if you don’t even ask, kill me first, if there is news that is beneficial to you, why don’t you destroy your good deeds!”

"Who am I? I am Zhang Qi, the prefect of Nanyang you are going to meet today. You say I am self-destructive? What good news can you bring? It is nothing more than asking us to surrender. Qin Jun has always asked others to surrender, never Surrender to other people's principles, so your Liu Bang's idea is wrong." Zhang Qi said.

"It's not about letting you surrender, it's about the cooperation between the two armies." Chen Hui immediately changed his strategy and said.

"Cooperation? How to cooperate?" Zhang Qi asked back.

"Please screen back to the left and right." Chen Hui looked at the people in the room and said.

"It's nothing, just tell me, these are people I can trust." Zhang Qi said.

"The armies of the princes of the world are now attacking the Qin State together. The ruler of the Qin State is incompetent, and the eunuchs are in charge. They are in chaos. There is no such thing as the first emperor in Japan. The rebel army will break Qin soon. The Qin State has knowledge. The scholars all made other pictures, such as Zhang Han and Dong Yi, who had voted for Xiang Yu. Pei Gong led his troops to the west, singing triumphantly all the way, but the general was unable to attack history because he knew something about the art of war. But Wancheng was trapped for many days. There is not much food and grass left in the city, and within a few days, it will be stretched and hard to sustain. My lord asked me to meet the general today, and I love the general's talent. If you cooperate as you wish, and if you are willing to submit to Peigong, the people in the city will not die. After the army passes, the general I am still the prefect of Nanyang. My words are not only Peigong's meaning, but also my thoughts, and I hope the general will seriously consider it." Chen Hui said.

When Zhang Qi let Chen Hui in, he already had a wavering heart. Just now, he ordered Chen Hui to be killed, but it was just a bluff. Now that he heard what Chen Hui said, he thought it made sense, so he immediately asked Chen Hui to be untied, saying: "What Mr. said Reasonable, in order to save the people of the whole city, I am willing to submit to Pei Gong."

"But the general still has work to do. You are the prefect of Nanyang, and there are still several cities under your jurisdiction. Most of the guards around you also obey your orders. Why don't the general order them to submit to Pei Gong together? You have done a great deed to all the soldiers, the common people, and Pei Gong." Chen Hui said again.

"If Mr. Pei is truly benevolent and doesn't hurt the people, I would rather be like this." Zhang Qi promised.

Chen Hui said, "I will never break my promise."

Zhang Qi listened to Chen Hui's words, and quickly asked the soldiers on the city wall to lower the Qin flag, and opened the city gate to let Peigong's army in.

When Liu Bang and Zhang Liang met Zhang Qi, they comforted him and sealed Zhang Qi as Nanyang prefect on the spot.Zhang Qi saw that Pei Gong Yingwei and Zhang Liang were kind, and thought it reliable, so he immediately sent envoys to various places under his jurisdiction to persuade the other guards to surrender.Seeing that Zhang Qi had already surrendered, the guards felt that they were no match for Liu Bang, so they surrendered with Zhang Qi.

Liu Bang won more than a dozen cities at once without bloodshed. His army was greatly boosted, his morale was high, and the supply of food and grass was more guaranteed, and his troops quickly advanced westward.Because Zhang Qi was settled in advance, Liu Bang had no worries, and the army was able to drive straight into Guanzhong.It took only a few months to reach the Qin State's natural barrier, Yaoguan.

Gaoguan is the throat fortress leading from Guanzhong to the outside of the pass, and it is also the most important pass for external forces to enter Xianyang. Therefore, although the terrain here is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack, the Qin army still sent heavy troops to guard it.When Liu Bang arrived here, he knew that he was not far from Xianyang. He was afraid that Xiang Yu would enter the pass first from the north road, and he would attack by force immediately.At this time, his team was only more than 2 people, and the Qin army arranged to guard here as many as 5 soldiers, and the Qin army was condescending.

After Zhang Liang learned of Liu Bang's thoughts, he immediately dissuaded him and said: "This place is very important to the Qin army, and there must be heavy guards. When we first come here, we must not act rashly, otherwise, we may fall here. It's a failure."

Hearing what Zhang Liang said, Liu Bang immediately realized the seriousness of the problem, and hurriedly asked: "What should we do? We have come to Xianyang now. If we don't break through this pass quickly, the time to enter Xianyang may be half as slow as others. Pai, wouldn't all the hard work I made before be in vain?"

"Don't worry about Peigong. Now we need to understand two things. One is where Xiang Yu is and how long it will take to get to Guanzhong, so as to decide our next move plan. The second is the situation of the guards in Guanzhong. Where is our breakthrough." Zhang Liang said.

"It makes sense, let Xia Houying do it immediately." Liu Bang immediately decided.

Xia Houying took the task and turned around to make arrangements.

Those who went to Yaoguan to find out the situation, because they were close, came back soon.They spent some money to bribe a small official in front of the account of the chief general of the Qin Army. Not only did they find out the situation of the defense of the Gaoguan, but they also learned that Yang Xiao, the guard of the Gaoguan, was the son of a butcher. He is full of fat, has a rough face, and is known for his cruelty and bravery in battle.Zhang Liang nodded after listening to these reports, but didn't say anything at that time.On the second day, he analyzed to Liu Bang: "The defense of this pass is very strong. In addition, the terrain is dangerous. It can only be taken by chance and cannot be attacked by force. I heard from the spies that the guard here is the son of a butcher. He is probably the son of a butcher. It is a good breakthrough for us to break through this barrier.”

"How do you say that? His guard is a vicious and brutal person, how could it be a breakthrough?" Liu Bang asked curiously.

"Since this man is the son of a butcher, he is probably a snob. Although he is vicious, it is only for money. Whoever gives more money will treat him as his master, and he will not sincerely work for anyone. For With his kind of virtue, as long as we give him more money to understand the advantages and disadvantages, and tell him the example of Zhang Qi, he will probably let him out immediately." Zhang Liang analyzed.

Hearing this, Liu Bang said happily: "It makes sense, let's do it like this."

Zhang Liang said: "This plan cannot be done hastily, but only slowly. We must first create a great momentum, and plant the flag of the Pei army all over the mountains and plains around Gaoguan, so that the Qin army will have the pressure of a large army to suppress the border, and then send more envoys." Bring some gold, silver and jewels to win Yang Flea."

Liu Bang acted according to his plan, and soon covered the surrounding mountains with his own team, very bluffing, deliberately lighting more fireworks every day when cooking, and the sound of drills came and went, creating an aura of millions of soldiers near Yaoguan .When Yang Xiao saw this situation, all the hair on his body became tense.

At this time, the people who went to Xiang Yu's place to inquire about the situation also came back and told Liu Bang and Zhang Liang: "Xiang Yu's army has passed Xin'an and is approaching Hangu Pass. It is estimated that it will enter Xianyang in about a month."

Zhang Liang said: "I heard that Xiang Yu was notorious for killing 20 soldiers from the Qin Dynasty at one time. The closer he was to Qin, the stronger the resistance he encountered would be. If he wanted to enter Xianyang smoothly, it might be difficult to do so. I guess they alone If you can't reach Xianyang within a month, Pei Gong doesn't have to worry about that."

Liu Bang said with a smile on his face: "Although this is the case, we must not slack off and enter the customs as soon as possible."

Zhang Liang said: "That's natural. Now I can go and persuade Yang Xiao, there is no shortage of money and treasures."

Liu Bang knew Li Shiqi's eloquence well, so he asked him to persuade Yang Xiao first, and after he left, he sent people to pull two carts of treasures to follow him.

When Li Shiqi said it first, Yang Xiao still didn't buy it. He twisted his head and said, "One hundred thousand of my iron army is stationed here. Based on the security of the pass, I'm not afraid that no matter how many ghosts you come to attack, the custodian will ask you to come and kill the other. They have all been used as fertilizer to close the grass and trees."

After all, Li Shiqi is a very experienced lobbyist, and he is the best at watching people order dishes. This was also considered by Liu Bang and Zhang Liang in advance, and he made a very sincere look and said: "As a person who is a few years older than the general As a ten-year-old person, I have seen the world's affairs more than you, and I can see the general trend of the world more clearly. Qin is powerful, but that is in the past. Now there are so many people who oppose it. The feudal lords attack it, and it will perish sooner or later. Even if it will not die quickly, you can rely on it. With the current status of the general, it will only be a vanguard for a few more years, and it will give you a higher status and more Wealth? As the saying goes: "A long-distance official is for food and clothing." Soldiers work hard outside to earn more property for their families. Since the Qin State can't give you more, why do you still have to hang yourself on a tree? My lord Pei Gong, according to the agreement with the king of Chu, he will become the king of Guanzhong immediately. This time, let me contact the general. If he wishes to offer the pass, he will immediately give two carts of gold, silver and treasure. I have already brought it, a small gift is not a respect, please accept it with a smile."

Yang Xiao didn't care if he was granted the title or not. Then Liu Bang was just an alternate king, and it was not certain when he would be in place.But the treasure is real. I heard that there are two cars, which moved him, but he pretended to be calm and said: "I don't love money, but as my husband said, Qin is in danger, and it is not enough to pay for it." Shi, I have long wanted to choose another master of the Ming Dynasty, and I wish I hadn't met you. Now that Liu Gong loves this general so much, I am willing to conspire with him for great things."

People in the officialdom are probably like this. They obviously think one thing in their hearts, but say something else.He also knew that others understood it very well, but he insisted on doing it, probably to make a fake face.Li Shiqi saw that Yang Xiao agreed, and immediately signaled his subordinates to bring in the things they had brought.

Several large boxes of things were placed in Yang Zhan's tent, but he didn't even look at them. He even said, "Thank you, Mr. Li, please convey to Peigong. Yang will let the Pei army pass through immediately, and is willing to join forces with Peigong to attack Xianyang."

Sure enough, it was so hot that the pig's head was rotten. As soon as Li Shiqi left, Yang Xiao arranged for the defenders to let the pass pass. If there was any discussion, he reprimanded him on the spot.Liu Bang's army passed the Yao Pass smoothly.According to Li Shiqi's words, this Yang Xiao would also help Liu Bang attack Xianyang together. Liu Bang wanted to take the opportunity to expand his strength, so he agreed without much consideration.Afterwards, Zhang Liang suggested to him: "This Yang Flea surrendered for money and cannot be trusted. Besides, it is only his idea to let our army pass the border now, and his subordinates may not be willing. If many people rise together to oppose, this Yang Flea There is no guarantee that he will repent, so I think that instead of fearing that he will repent soon, it is better to kill one of them when they are not prepared, and wipe them out in one fell swoop, so that we can easily enter Xianyang."

Liu Bang also knew that Yang Flea was not a very high-quality person, so he could only use it temporarily and could not cooperate for a long time. After the military adviser said this, he thought it was a stroke of genius, and immediately decided to attack Yang Flea overnight.It's a pity that the property that Yang Xiao had obtained was not warmed in his hands, but he was shot and killed by Liu Bang, who turned his back on his back and ran for his life in a hurry.

Gao Pass was lost, Yin Xu was lost, Hangu Pass was in a hurry, and Qin State was in a precarious state.Prior to this, a palace coup had just occurred within Qin.The prime minister Zhao Gao murdered Hu Hai, the second emperor of Qin, and made the second emperor's young nephew Ziying the king of Qin.Unexpectedly, although the little King Qin was young, he knew what he was doing. Not long after he ascended the throne, he planned to kill Zhao Gao.Liu Bang led his army to approach Xianyang. Knowing that the situation was over, Ziying took the initiative to surrender, and Liu Bang ordered him to treat him generously.

Liu Bangni went to the city with his legs and saw so many rich and beautiful women in the capital of Qin State at once. He was overjoyed and seemed to be self-sufficient as the king of Guanzhong.At this time, Fan Kuai poured cold water on him and said: "The reason why the common people oppose Qin is because they are extravagant and licentious, regardless of the lives of the common people. If Pei Gong does the same, he will also be cast aside by the people." Liu Bang was already dazzled by the victory. The mind, how can it listen to such words, and still go its own way.

Zhang Liang saw that Liu Bang was indeed a little flustered, and said to Liu Bang solemnly: "General Fan is reasonable, and he should learn from Qin's lessons, work hard to govern, and win the trust of the people. Not only that, but Xiang Yu has not yet arrived in Xianyang. The king of Guanzhong is none other than him. If you know that you have come here first and that you are self-sufficient as a king, you will be furious and will inevitably not fight. The situation we are facing now is actually very dangerous."

Liu Bang has always respected Zhang Liang, and when he heard Xiang Yu mentioned again, he soon came to his senses and said immediately, "You are all right, I will make a three-law agreement with Qin Min, and I will make no mistakes in the autumn, so that Qin Min will feel completely new."

He did what he said, so many years later, the people of Qin State are always grateful to him and become his most reliable and strong backing in the world.

(End of this chapter)