The most powerful emperor Liu Bang

Chapter 30 Success
Liu Bang led the Han army and finally defeated Xiang Yu, becoming the only one among the warlords at that time, and all the princes from all walks of life voluntarily belonged to his banner.Even if there were some small feuds with Liu Bang in the past, even though he was very reluctant in his heart, he had to surrender against his will, otherwise Liu Bang's army would point at him and it would be wiped out in an instant.Anyone who engages in politics knows that "a bachelor does not suffer immediate losses", as long as there is no water in his head, whoever commits the crime is like hitting an egg with a rock.

Yong Chi also came to join Liu Bang at this time.Knowing that he had betrayed the Han army several times and went directly to Liu Bang, there would definitely be no good results, so he asked Lu Wan to intercede for him.Lu Wan is Liu Bang's childhood friend, and his friendship with Liu Bang is not even higher than that of Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Fan Kuai.Yong Chi entrusted this person to be right.

Lu Wan said to Liu Bang: "Yong Chi has come to take refuge in you. For the sake of fellow villagers, I hope you can give him a bowl to eat."

"What? This bastard has betrayed me several times. I wish I could see him eating meat and skin. He still has the face to come to me and see if I don't kill him." Liu Bang immediately heard that Yong Chi came to him. Thinking of the past, he said bitterly.

"Oh, brother, don't be so narrow-minded. The reason why he dares to come to you at this time is because he thinks that we are childhood friends after all, and we can forgive his mistakes no matter what. Second, he thinks that you are always magnanimous. Sincerely apologizing to you, you don’t have the same knowledge as him. Everyone has a heart of flattery. If he knew that you can make such a fortune at that time, he would not betray you if you asked him. They are old relatives. Neighbor, you can give him a way out." Lu Wan said.

"You bastard is a good person. This person is capricious. I don't want to see him. You can arrange a place for him." Liu Bang said.

"Although the overall situation has been decided, there are still many Qin Jun and Xiang Yu's buddies in various places. He can take advantage of his experience in several armies and ask him to lead troops to eliminate the remaining forces of the enemy. Let him do it." Let’s be a good general to wipe out stubborn ones.” Lu Wan said.

"Alright, tell him to make up for his past mistakes. If he can get something, he won't be held accountable. Maybe give him a job, or he will have a good life in the future." Liu Bang said.

"Yes, man, I will definitely convey these words to him." Lu Wan promised.

At this time, Liu Bang really needed someone like Yong Chi to help him wipe out the remnants of the forces everywhere, and Lu Wan's suggestion hit the spot, so it was right.

After this Yongchi escaped from Fengyi a few years ago, he first defected to Qin general Li You. After Li You was defeated by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang jointly, he worked with Peng Yue for a while, and then defected to Xiang Yu.The reason why he has always been an enemy of Liu Bang is mainly because he grew up with Liu Bang, and he is not convinced by Liu Bang's work.But he was unlucky, and in the end he still had to rely on Liu Bang's breath.If he can't achieve a career, he can just go home and become a farmer, but he doesn't have that ambition, so he has the cheek to find Liu Bang again.This is a common problem of being an official in the world.Lu Wan recommended him to be the Sweeping General, and he used his strengths. He really made achievements in this position. Later, Liu Bang pinched his nose and made him a marquis.

Not only Yong Chi, but many of the princes and generals who are now voting for Liu Bang have opposed Liu Bang before.This moment and that moment, as long as you don't make trouble for me, I will accept it first and then you can talk.Thinking this way, Liu Bang opened the door and shook hands with his old enemy.Politics is like this, what is needed more often is compromise, and Liu Bang can be regarded as a master in this regard.You see what he does. He not only greets you with a smile, but also forgets the past. For some former kings, he will ask you to be king, and at most he will change your place; for some generals who lead troops to fight, they should be named prince The feudal lords, those who should crack the soil, and those who have made outstanding contributions will be given a certain amount of food.It really makes everyone happy.

The result of Liu Bang's doing so was immediately rewarded.The newly appointed Han Wang Jixin, Changsha Wang Wu Rui, Fan Jun Meizhen, Zhao Wang Zhang Ao and others quickly joined forces with Xiao He, Zhou Bo, Cao Shen, Chen Ping and other meritorious ministers to play the book together, imploring Liu Bang to be the emperor.This was what Liu Bang dreamed of, but he saw that the people who persuaded him were the kings of a few small countries, as well as a few people around him, so he felt that this matter should not be abrupt, and he needed to get the opinions of those powerful generals.So he deliberately said: "I heard that a person who is an emperor must be a person of virtue and talent, otherwise he will not be able to keep it even if he becomes an emperor. Credit, everyone elected me to be the emperor, I dare not take this position."

When the officials heard this, they thought Liu Bang was too modest, and they were afraid that he would really not let him go.Changsha King Wu Rui said on behalf of everyone: "Your Majesty started as an ordinary commoner. Since the Snake Uprising, he led the rebel army to fight in the north and south. He was born to death, destroyed Qin, defeated Xiang Yu, and swept the world. What a credit. It wasn't you who took the lead and organized everyone. We princes and generals are not in a state of disunity. Not only can we not eradicate Qin Xiang's rebellion, but we may still kill each other. Now those of us who work with you have been given fiefs , bestowing the title, but you yourself don’t want to be the emperor, how can this be justified? If you don’t ascend to this great position, we will not agree to it.”

Liu Bang said: "My virtuous brothers, why do you do this? It's not that I'm humble. I really think that my virtue is not worthy of this position. That will make the people of the world dissatisfied."

Han Wang Jixin said: "Your position in everyone's mind was formed in the long-term struggle. Who can compare with this? We all came here with you. If you don't call yourself the emperor, now Among the heroes in the world, who else would call this position? I dare say no! You are the king of Han and the king of Guanzhong, and the people will cheer and support you. People in other places have heard of the virtuousness of the king, and they are looking forward to you as emperor day and night. How can you not accept it? Well. On the contrary, if you don’t become the emperor, the people of the world will be disappointed.”

Liu Bang pretended to be angry and said: "Don't talk anymore, whoever you want to do it, do it, anyway, I won't do it." Then he got up and left. The officials looked at me and I looked at you, and broke up unhappy.

In the evening Xiao He came to Liu Bang's mansion, and after some pleasantries, he asked Liu Bang: "The ministers proposed that you be the emperor, why don't you agree?"

Liu Bang said: "The emperor of Qin is the only one, the whole world is angry, Xiang Yu is the hegemony, and the princes are abandoned. Now that the universe has been settled, why should I want to risk the disgrace of the world?"

Xiao He said: "Qin Xiang is honored but not honored by the world because he has made too many enemies. Pei Gong used the common people to revolt, eradicate rebellion, eliminate harm for the people, and the people all support him. Now that the powerful enemy has been eliminated, the princes have come back. The king is the great position, and the time is right, so why worry so much?"

Liu Bang said: "You are a sensible person, and I don't need to pretend to be clear in front of you. You see, those who persuade me to make progress are the kings of small countries and you people who are by my side all day, those generals who lead troops outside What kind of attitude? I don’t know. I don’t know whether those princes of great powers will obey me or not. Without the support of these people, how can I be at ease when I ascend to the throne rashly?”

Xiao He laughed when he heard this, and said: "It turns out that the king is worried about this. It's not difficult. In the future, I will ask the king of Changsha to make a persuasion form and send it to various places. Anyone who agrees, let them sign on it to express their opinions. Wouldn't it be a problem?" Those generals who led the army outside were all brought together by Peigong. Who else would not agree? Even those princes and kings with slightly larger fiefdoms, even if they do not have the same surname as the king, how dare they have different ambitions when they see that they are unified today? Ya."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as you said. This matter should be delayed." Liu Bang said.

"Otherwise, send envoys to invite all the princes and generals from all walks of life to the front, and jointly plan the great cause of the founding of the country. At that time, it will be safer for everyone to support you as the emperor on the spot." Xiao He further suggested.

As soon as Liu Bang heard that this method was good, he immediately said: "This is also fine." In fact, why didn't he want to ascend the throne of emperor as soon as possible, but he was a little uncertain about whether the princes of the world really supported him to sit on this seat.He wants to fix it as soon as it is done, so that people will not be kicked out of the stage and become the laughing stock of history if it is not done for three days.On the other hand, he is used to guarding against others, always worried that others will throw black bricks behind his back.This is the magic weapon he has been able to save the day for many years, and he must not lose it at any time.In addition, he also needs to show his own attitude, because when he started to lead others' uprising, the banner he used was to benefit the common people.Although everyone understands, he still has to tweak it a bit. Although on the surface it seems to be deceiving himself and others, but in essence he can stop the mouths of some stupid pigs.Those who engage in politics must be able to act.Liu Bang is an excellent actor in this respect.

Xiao He quickly sent envoys to various places, and after receiving the invitation, the princes from all walks of life came to the place where Liu Bang's camp was located to flood the water.But not all of them came. The three people Liu Bang most wanted to come were Chu Wang Hanxin, Liang Wang Pengyue, and Huainan Wang Yingbu.

After Han Xin received the invitation letter, he was about to leave. When discussing with his counselors what to bring as a gift for the meeting, Kuai Che said: "All the kings always kill the heroes at the beginning of seizing the country, because at this time, Those meritorious officials still have a large army, because the king is afraid that they will turn against them, so they often use some ruthless tactics when the ministers least expect it, and wipe out the meritorious officials. At this time, Pei Gong asked you to go to the establishment of the country together, It seems reasonable, but there is also a deep mystery. If he follows the practice of the ancients, you heroes will die without a place to die. Therefore, I advise the king of Chu not to join in this fun. Not only do not go this time, but in the future Don’t go to any occasion where you are told to go to the meeting, it’s too dangerous.”

Han Xin also knew a lot of such situations in history. Hearing what Kuai Che said, he also felt that this possibility was not impossible. Since Liu Bang suddenly drove him from Qi to Chu, he had some precautions in his mind. consciousness.He nodded, and said noncommittally to Kuai Che's argument: "After the pacification of the world, the King of Han summoned the princes to discuss state affairs for the first time. If you don't go, don't you want to let the King of Han have an opinion? Besides, what's the reason not to go?"

Kuai Che said: "He has opinions and can't take this risk. You can send an envoy to Fanshui, let the envoy speak on your behalf, fully support all matters of the founding of the country, and express full support for the king of Han to proclaim himself emperor. Pei Gong saw this. I don’t want to blame you too much. The reason is that you have just arrived in Chu, and Xiang Yu’s remnant forces launched a rebellion, and you are organizing the extermination. What Pei Gong is most worried about now is that Xiang Yu’s subordinates will rebel. Surely he will believe it."

Han Xin said: "This is a good idea, let's do it like this." This time there is no danger, Han Xin did this, which made Liu Bang unhappy.It's a pity that there will be danger in the future, but he can't resist the drive of face, so he boldly went to the meeting alone, and finally he was counted by Liu Bang.This is something.

Peng Yue was unable to attend the invitation due to illness, but he was also advised to submit a form to the King of Han.

The envoys sent to Huainan never came back, and Yingbo neither came nor persuaded Jin Biao to send it.Xiao He sent an envoy again, and learned that there was a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, and the envoy could not cross the river. Either Yingbu did not get the information, or he got the information, because the big river blocked him, and he could not arrive as scheduled.

Other princes and generals also did not come for some reason.If these people don't come, Liu Bang doesn't care. He thinks they won't make much of a difference. It's just that Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu didn't come. Although there are legitimate reasons, it still makes him very upset. The emperor sat a little uneasy, when a strange thought came to his mind.

There have been no wars in various places for more than two months in a row, and Liu Bang's monarch and ministers felt that the world was peaceful and relaxed, and felt that it was time to hold the founding ceremony and enthronement ceremony.Some people who surrounded Liu Bang every day would sing praises, flatter horses, and brag about Liu Bang so that he didn't know where it was itching or hurting, so it didn't work.This made him think, no matter what, the world was brought down by me leading the princes, and it doesn't matter if you accept it or not, and it doesn't matter if you come or not, I have to sit as the emperor.People have this kind of bad habit, and they hate flattering people, but once someone else is shooting themselves, even though they know that what the person said is all lies, they still feel very intoxicated. Good sentence.Therefore, Mr. Sima Qian said that "good words can be marketed".Liu Bang is not a god, so why can't he be fooled.

Xiao He hurriedly prepared for the enthronement ceremony.How the ministers persuaded him to come in, how the people knelt and begged, who would announce that Liu Bang was the emperor, how Liu Bang appeared on the stage, etc., were all planned by Xiao He.He reported these to Liu Bang at any time. Liu Bang deeply felt his talents and praised and affirmed him from time to time.

Seeing that the good day of ascension to the throne was approaching, as soon as Liu Bang went out, he found that there were many people discussing in groups in the streets and alleys. At first he thought that these people gathered together to praise his benevolence and martial arts. Too much, he felt something was wrong, and found that those people looked at him a little strangely, and didn't even want to say hello to him.Just at this time Zhang Liang came to ask him to take a few days off, so Liu Bang asked, "Zifang, what are these people talking about?"

"They are talking about rebellion." Zhang Liang said.

"What are you talking about, why are they rebelling?" Liu Bang asked in surprise.

Zhang Liang said: "You give great rewards to those who have made great achievements, those who often hang around with you, those who used to have some status in Qin State and came to take refuge in you, and even those who are closer to Xiao He. The king who conferred the title of king, the one who bestowed a title with a title, received very generous treatment, but they didn’t take care of those who made a little less credit and were not close to you. How could these people have no resentment. So they inevitably have resentment , even if it is not opposed temporarily, it will be opposed in the future.”

Liu Bang was a little anxious when he heard this, and said: "How could this be? I never thought of awarding them, but there are so many of them. How can I figure out their contribution for a while, for fear that they will be dissatisfied if the award is not allowed. I want to wait until after the ceremony." , let people register and verify their merits clearly, and then reward them according to their merits. What should we do like this?"

"It seems that we can't wait any longer. I'm afraid these people will make trouble during the enthronement ceremony." Zhang Liang said.

"How can this be in time?" Liu Bang said.

"Then choose the important one and seal it." Zhang Liang suggested.

"How do you say this, Zifang Ming said." Liu Bang asked.

Zhang Liang asked, "Who do you hate the most among these people with lesser achievements?"

"Yong Chi." Liu Bang replied without thinking.

"Then seal the teeth. When other people see that even the people you hate the most have received generous rewards, they must not doubt that you will reward them heavily, and then ask people to take the opportunity to do some work and settle down. This crisis can be resolved." Zhang Liang said.

"Then let's do it like this. It's just that I'm really unwilling to seal this Yongchi, and I didn't think that this bitch would take advantage of it." Liu Bang said.

After quelling the rebellion of middle-level cadres, Liu Bang thought it was time to take care of his own business.Unexpectedly, there was another fork, and news came from the Great North that Zang Tu, king of Yan, rebelled.This Zang Tu was originally one of the eighteen kings entrusted by Xiang Yu, and he was a figure who stood shoulder to shoulder with the King of Han.When the conflict between Chu and Han was the most intense, because he refused to listen to Xiang Yu's dispatch and was suppressed by Xiang Yu, he took refuge in Liu Bang's side.After Liu Bang pacified the world, in order to stabilize the north, he was asked to fight against the Xiongnu as a barrier to protect the Central Plains. In addition, he supported him when he was in danger, so he was considered a friend in need, so he was not touched.He didn't expect this person, but he was unwilling to send him under the fence. Seeing that Liu Bang was about to proclaim himself emperor, he actually raised his troops to rebel, which caught Liu Bang by surprise.After Liu Bang heard the news, he was furious, and immediately led his troops to attack the country of Yan.Xiao He and Chen Ping hurriedly came out to stop them, saying: "Now the world is basically at peace, a king of Yan rebelled, why bother you to fight it yourself, and send any general in the court to wipe out the rebels. Besides, the matter of establishing a country and enthroning is just now. Right now, there are many things that need to be decided by you, once you leave, why don't you put such an important matter on hold?"

"I have treated this thief well, but he actually has two hearts. If this thief is not eliminated, it will be difficult for me to calm down." Liu Bang said.

"The country is big, and everything happens every day. How can the king personally solve everything. You are about to be the emperor, and some things should be handed over to the ministers. Detach yourself, otherwise no one will be exhausted." Xiao He persuaded.

"You are right. I should be more detached. The little country of Yan, what is the matter? Xiang Yu is so powerful that he was defeated by the Han army. I am afraid that the kings of these two small countries will rebel. See who is sent to conquer the country of Yan Is it suitable?" Liu Bang said.

"There are countless generals in the court, and you can send whoever you want." Xiao He and Chen Ping said.Now is the critical time, whoever is sent may not be willing to go, they are all waiting for a good job arrangement in the court.In addition, after fighting for several years, I just stopped to catch my breath. At this time, someone is sick in his head and wants to go out for an adventure.Zang Tu is also a brave general, not easy to deal with, now is the time when we need good news, who to send to conquer him, it's good to win, but lose?Don't take responsibility.Thinking of this, neither of the two shrewd people made any specific suggestions for candidates, so let Liu Bang make up his own mind.

Although Liu Bang knew the reason why they didn't talk about it, he was very aware of the subtleties of interpersonal relationships at critical moments, so he said: "Then let a few generals come over and see who among them is willing to go out on my behalf."

Zhou Bo, Cao Can, Fan Kuai, Guan Ying, Wang Ling, Lu Wan and others came to Liu Bang Palace soon after hearing the call.When Liu Bang talked about the Pingyan incident, everyone expressed righteous indignation, but no one took the initiative to ask Ying to fight against the rebels.Liu Bang weighed it and made a decisive decision: "Zang Tu is famous for his bravery. Instead of fighting, we need our fierce generals to go out. For this reason, Fan Kui is specially appointed as the general to suppress the rebellion. Please send troops to Yandi immediately. Put down the rebellion. At the same time, strip Zang Tuyan of the title of king of Yan, and make Lu Wan the king of Yan, and ask Lu Wan to go out with Fan Kui. After the land of Yan is pacified, you can stay there."

Fan Kui looked at Liu Bang, but he didn't say what he wanted to say. He thought that at this time Liu Bang would have to send him on a business trip. His bravery was partly the reason, but the main reason was that he was Liu Bang's brother-in-law. Go, so he readily agreed: "Yes, please rest assured, King Han, I will definitely complete the task."

Lu Wan didn't expect to be able to make him king. This is a good thing, and she immediately agreed: "Thank you for your kindness, King of Han. I will definitely live up to the heavy trust and do my best to manage Yan land well."

Liu Bang said: "Get ready, let's go in two days, I will wait for your good news at home. Please Xiao He prepare enough food and grass for them to ensure logistics supply."

Xiao He agreed: "Okay."

Relying on the bravery of the northerners, Zang Tu had a slightly larger number of troops among the several vassals. He proclaimed himself emperor and harassed the nearby vassals.But his military strength is not as strong as the Han army after all. In addition, the Han army has been fighting all these years and has rich combat experience. Therefore, when Fan Kuai's army arrived, he defeated the Yan army within a few battles. Zang Tu fled to the Xiongnu for refuge. .

Liu Bang's enthronement ceremony went on as scheduled.He didn't pay much attention to Confucian scholars in the past, and he accepted Xiao He's suggestion that he could win the world immediately instead of governing the country immediately, and rely on literati to govern the country. They chose a respected old Confucian to preside over the grand ceremony, which really refreshed the people of the world, especially those who are good The criticizing Confucian scholars were all convinced now, obediently loyal to the Sheng Dynasty, and singing praises for Liu Bang from time to time.Seeing this, Liu Bang was very unhappy.

On the night of the grand ceremony, Liu Bang gave a banquet to all the ministers.Even though the material was not very rich at that time, dozens of tables were filled to the brim. There were pigs, beef, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, fish, turtles and other fresh meat and fresh meat of all kinds. The general eats and drinks to his heart's content.When the wine was hot, Liu Bang laughed and said: "Today, our monarchs and ministers have a grand gathering, and it is a joy in life. Taking this opportunity, I will give you a question to test everyone and see who can answer the best."

"Your Majesty wants to test everyone, okay, you can come out." The officials cheered and said.

"After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, the struggle in the world has essentially become a struggle between Chu and Han. Xiang Yu had millions of soldiers, while the Han army had only [-], but they were completely defeated in just a few years. What is the reason, who can tell?" Liu Bang said.

Gao Qi and Wang Ling said: "Your majesty is generous and generous. We fight the world with you. You are willing to award the land you captured to those who have meritorious service. Therefore, everyone works hard. Xiang Yu is also very kind on the surface. Dadu, in fact, is very narrow-minded, those who have meritorious service cannot be rewarded in time, and those who are capable cannot make the best use of it, so although he has a large number of people, he cannot play a role and can only end up in failure."

When the officials heard what the two said, they thought it was very reasonable, so no one spoke again.But when I looked at the emperor, I saw him shaking his head vigorously. Could there be other reasons?Everyone wants to hear the emperor's opinion most at this time.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Liu Bang said from the bottom of his heart: "You have some truths, but you haven't got the point right yet. What is the most important thing here? In strategizing and winning thousands of miles away, I'm not as good as Zhang Liang; I am not as good as Xiao He in governing the country, appeasing the people, providing salaries, and keeping food and roads; I am not as good as Han Xin in commanding an army of millions, invincible and invincible. These three people are all heroes, but I can make them work for me and give full play to their role. This is the most fundamental reason why I can take over the world. Xiang Yu has Fan Zeng who is also very powerful, but he can't use it with confidence, so he failed."

(End of this chapter)