Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

Local officials were killed one after another.Some local officials simply took the lead in rebelling. Yin Tong, the governor of Kuaiji (Zhejiang Province), became restless when he heard that the rebellion in Jiangxi (northwest of the Yangtze River) was raging. "The people here will rebel soon. At that time, I will definitely be the target of blood sacrifice. Why don't I rebel myself?" So he called Xiang Liang, a powerful person in the area, to discuss with him. "The whole land of Jiangxi has set up rebellious flags. This is heaven's will to destroy Qin, and heaven's will cannot be defied. Since ancient times, there is a saying: the first to strike is the strong, and the second to suffer. Therefore, I want to raise troops. Now I can lead the children of Jiangdong to fight There are only you and Huan Chu, and I want you to be generals."

Xiang Liang was astonished when he heard this. How did things become like this? He originally planned to kill the county guard Yin Tong, and then set up the rebellion flag himself. Xiang Liang was the son of Xiang Yan, a famous general of Chu State.Xiang Yan was killed because he was defeated by Qin general Wang Jian, but the Chu people did not believe that Xiang Yan was dead.When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised their troops, they used the Chu people's theory that heroes are immortal to falsely use the name of Xiang Yan, as mentioned above. The son of General Xiang - when this is called for, the Chu people will definitely actively participate in the uprising.This is different from Chen Sheng and the others who falsely used Xiang Yan's name. What they support is the genuine son of a hero.

He intended to kill the sheriff, but the sheriff approached him to discuss a big plan—of course Xiang Liang was greatly astonished. "Huan Chu is on the run. Only my nephew knows this place. Let me ask where Huan Chu is going!" Xiang Liang replied in this way, took his leave and left.In fact, neither Xiang Liang nor his nephew Xiang Yu knew the whereabouts of Huan Chu.Xiang Liang answered in this way in order to avoid a positive answer and to conduct research with his nephew quickly. After Xiang Liang told Xiang Yu what had happened, he asked, "What should we do?" "Do you still need to consider this? Uncle, this is a god-given opportunity. Wouldn't it be against God's will to miss it? Let's kill the county guard immediately and call on the children of Jiangdong to raise troops!"

"The sheriff's mansion is heavily guarded!" "We can take advantage of the situation and get rid of him in one fell swoop. Take me to the sheriff!" "Okay! When the time comes, wait for me outside with your sword. As soon as I call you, come in and cut off the sheriff's head on the spot!" "Yes, I know." Xiang Yu said proudly. Xiang Yu is eight feet tall. At the age of twenty-four, he is full of vigor and strong in martial arts. He is the best among young people in Jiangdong. Xiang Liang returned to the governor's mansion and said, "My nephew knows where Huan Chu is, but if he sends someone else, Huan Chu will not even want to meet him. Therefore, please assign Xiang Yu as the envoy."

"Okay, then send Xiang Yu to see Huan Chu!" "I'll call my nephew right now, he's waiting outside..." Xiang Liang then stood up and went to the door, shouting loudly: "The sheriff welcomes you! Come in, Xiang Yu!" "Yes!" Xiang Yu also replied loudly, holding a saber, and strode in. "This young man looks very handsome!" Yin Tong narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiang Yu.This promising young man was going to be his subordinate-he thought of it with joy. Xiang Yu walked straight in front of the sheriff, and none of the sheriff's staff present expected that something would happen.They all thought that Xiang Yu came in to accept the order of the sheriff and was going to see Huan Chu as an envoy.

Why go so close?When everyone was suspicious at first, Xiang Yu not only didn't stop, but even rushed forward with the momentum of getting rid of a rabbit. At the same time, he drew out his sword and roared.Yin Tong, the prefect of Kuaiji, stood up reflexively.Before he could stand still, Xiang Yu's sword slashed at his neck.The sheriff's head spurted blood, fell to the ground, and rolled to Xiang Liang's feet.The staff suddenly stood up, and Xiang Yu immediately swung his sword and slashed at them.This is a surprise attack. Kill dozens of people. "Historical Records" so recorded.

Xiang Liang grabbed Yin Tong's head and the sheriff's seal ribbon, and put them on his body. Since the Qin Dynasty, county officials were dispatched by the central government, and "seal and ribbon" were also valued.During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, ordinary people seldom heard the term Yinshou.Before the Qin Dynasty, the seal supervisor was generally named "Xi". Later, the first emperor stipulated that the word "Xi" should only be used by the emperor, so the official seal supervisor was named "Yin" to distinguish it.This situation is the same as the character "望" originally used by ordinary people who claimed to use it and later became the exclusive use of the emperor.The seal is the proof of the identity of the official.Ribbon is a belt that passes through the seal ring, with a length of one foot and two inches, and is usually tied around the waist.

Xiang Liang wore the sheriff's seal and ribbon, which was tantamount to declaring "the sheriff of Kuaiji is here". Because of Xiang Yu's bravery, everyone was frightened by his power, and no one dared to say a word. Xiang Liang then informed the people about the raising of troops.As many as 8,000 elite soldiers were mobilized from the counties in which they belonged. The first emperor divided the world into thirty-six counties.The county is the largest administrative unit, and the chief is "shou".Under the county is the county, and its chief is called "ling".Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu rebelled in units of counties, and smaller rebellions in counties can also be seen everywhere.

In the north of Jiangsu Province and the northwest of Xuzhou City, it is also called Pei County now.In the Qin Dynasty, Pei County belonged to Sishui County. The county magistrate of Pei County is thinking day and night about how to deal with Chen Sheng's army.Maybe I will be killed by the rising people.Similar things have happened frequently.However, the county magistrate himself set up a rebellious flag and rebelled, and he might be killed by the imperial court. After thinking hard, he decided to rebel, so he called secretary Xiao He, prison officer Cao Shen and other subordinates to discuss.

"Rebellion is not an easy task. Your Excellency, as an official of the Qin Dynasty, no matter how much you call out, the children of Peixian County may not respond to follow. It is better to gather the people who fled from Peixian County outside, and then use this group Use human power to put pressure on the children in the county!" Xiao He said. "Who are the people who fled from Pei County?" "Liu Bang is one of them. It is said that he has more than one hundred men." Cao Shen replied. Liu Bang was the foreman who led the fortification of Lishan Mausoleum, and they set off from Pei County.However, the workers fled one after another on the way, and as a result, they could not go to their destination. If they returned to Pei County, they would have to accept punishment, so they had to flee.Later, he naturally became the leader of the fugitives.

"Yes, there is indeed such a person as Liu Bang... But, how can I get in touch with him?" The county magistrate frowned and sighed deeply.He has always been an indecisive person. "There is no way. There is a man named Fan Kui who is in constant contact with Liu Bang. Your Excellency can send this man as an envoy." Xiao He replied. Fan Kuai is a "dog butcher" (a person who kills dogs for a living).People at that time were addicted to eating dog meat, and those who sold meat were generally called "butcher dogs".Xiao He knew that Fan Kuai, the butcher, was secretly communicating with Liu Bang, who was on the run, but he turned a blind eye and did not report it. "Alright, tell Fan Kui to go find Liu Bang!" The county magistrate issued an order on the spot in a rare sight.However, this is not due to decisiveness, but a natural reaction of the mentality of jumping over the wall in a hurry.This is not an act of self-awareness.Sure enough, on the second day after sending Fan Kuai as an envoy, the county magistrate began to worry again. Is it right to call such a rough man like Liu Bang back?Will he climb on my head in the future? Although gradually declining, the Qin Dynasty still had a nationwide military organization.Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's surprise attack was only a temporary success. Once the official war comes, it is still unpredictable who will win the battle.If Qin had the upper hand, wouldn't all rebels be beheaded? After thinking about it over and over again, when he heard the news that Liu Bang and his party were about to return to the county, the county magistrate suddenly changed the previous order. "Close the city gate and prohibit Liu Bang's party members from entering the county. If anyone responds inside, shoot and kill!" The most surprised were the secretary Xiao He and the prison officer Cao Shen.Entrusted by the county magistrate to plan the rebellion, but now the county magistrate does not want to rebel, can these two people not be greatly surprised? "This is not a joke, maybe even we will be killed." "As of now, we have no choice but to escape." Cao Shen and Xiao He took advantage of the night to escape from the county by climbing over the city wall and preparing to join Liu Bang.Other than that, they have no other place to go. Liu Bang has less than a hundred subordinates. These people are either deserters or deserters. The quality is so poor that anyone will shake their heads when they see it.Even Liu Bang, the leader, is not a decent figure.His only strength is that he is bold and good at employing people. Liu Bang, dressed in rags and looking like a thief, came to the closed city gate. "Hey! You called me back, but you shut me down. What do you mean?" When he said this, he spit out a mouthful of phlegm. Xiao He and Cao Can, who had climbed over the city wall, came to Liu Bang at this time. "I'm really sorry. I didn't expect the matter to develop to this point. This was all caused by the preoccupied county magistrate. It made it difficult for us to protect ourselves. I hope my dear friend will forgive me." Xiao He and Cao Shen took turns telling Liu Bang what happened. "Okay, I got it, I didn't blame you guys. It's the county magistrate, this guy..." Liu Bang crossed his arms and thought about it. It is also one of this person's strengths not to keep things in his heart.This was the first time Liu Bang raised his troops, and he encountered a huge test at the beginning, and later he tasted the taste of defeat and many other hardships.It is impossible for people who always keep things in their hearts to win the world.Thorough "optimism" can be said to be the biggest driving force behind Liu Bang's unification of the world. Liu Bang lowered his arms and said, "Brother Xiao He, can you write?" "Of course. How can you be the county secretary if you can't write?" "Okay, then write a letter for me!" "Who are you writing to?" "Writing to the elders of Peixian County. It's the so-called call to arms!" "It's okay to write, but how to send this letter?" "This letter is not written on wooden slips, but on silk cloth. After it is written, it is tied to an arrow and shot into the city. Isn't that enough? And not just one letter, but several more. This is more sure." Liu Bang said. "That's a good idea." Xiao He admired Liu Bang's brains.The call to action will be completed soon. The world has been harmed by Qin for a long time.If the elders of Pei County defend the county together with the county magistrate, they will surely be massacred under the attack of the coalition army of princes.The only way for the people of Pei County to survive is to kill the county magistrate, and to elect a suitable person from among the children to respond to the princes, so as to ensure their wealth and life.Otherwise, there is only one way to be massacred! These silk books were shot into the city with bows.The effect is much better than expected. The people of Pei County were already very dissatisfied with the county magistrate's half-hearted style.In such an era, what the people look for is a leader with strong guidance and trustworthiness. From the standpoint of the people, a leader who is inherently unstable is not only unreliable, but also a source of fear. Faced with life and death, but the leader who survives cannot be relied on - in such a situation, how can the people not be afraid? "Just kill that guy!" The killing atmosphere of the Warring States Period has not yet been eliminated.The people's grievances about the pressure of heavy taxes, military service, and hard labor will of course target the direct ruler—the county magistrate. The residents of Peixian surrounded the county government office and killed the county magistrate. The thick city gate was pushed open.The elders of Pei County welcomed Liu Bang into the city and handed over the county magistrate's seal to him.In this regard, Liu Bang refused to accept it. "Look at my appearance, does this look like a county magistrate?" Liu Bang turned up his tattered sleeves for everyone to see.Not only were the sleeves worn out, they were also stained with dirt. "This really doesn't look like a county magistrate..." People feel this way, but they can't find another person to take up this position for a while.Liu Bang was finally elected as the county magistrate, known as "Pei Gong".It is the custom of Chu State to call county magistrates as "gong", and this name comes from this. This person who is not even worthy of being a county magistrate turned out to be the Lord of the World—who would have expected this?