Chapter 17 1. Hongmen labor force

After the crowd dispersed, Fan Kui stayed alone to discuss matters with Lu Zhi.Fan Kui asked: "Second Sister, do you have any ideas?" Lu Zhi didn't answer his question right away, but recalled the story of Liu Bang's army in Pei County. "At the beginning, the king released the criminals who served in private service, and went into exile with hundreds of people who took refuge in him. After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang started the incident, the county magistrate of Pei County planned to respond. He told Xiao He and Cao Shen of his plan. I couldn't make up my mind, so I consulted with you again, and you told me the news. Under my arrangement, Xiao He and Cao Shen suggested to the county magistrate, saying, "You are an official of Qin State, and you call on the children of Pei County to revolt. I'm afraid everyone will not." Believe it. It’s better to call back the exiled people in Pei County and use them for yourself after pardoning. With the support of these people, no one dares to disobey your orders.'”

"After the county magistrate agrees, you go to the king and ask him to lead his subordinates back to Pei County. I don't want the county magistrate to go back on his word, and worry that the magistrate will seize his power after he returns, so the city gates are closed and the whole city is under martial law. Let the elders in the city lead The disciples climbed to the top of the city and fought against the king. He also ordered the arrest of Xiao He and Cao Shen, but fortunately, these two men escaped over the city wall. Do you still remember how the king took the county seat later?"

Fan Kuai recalled: "Of course I remember, that was the first battle when we raised our troops against Qin! At that time, the king wrote a 'Letter to the Fathers of Pei County'. I still remember the general content, 'We are under the rule of Tyrant Qin. It has been painful for a long time. Now the fathers and elders are assisting the magistrate of Pei County to defend the city. When the anti-Qin heroes attack in groups, there will be a massacre of the city. If everyone kills the magistrate together, one of the children will be selected as the leader , If we respond to the heroes, our homeland and relatives can be preserved. Otherwise, we will lose our lives.' After reading this letter, the elders felt that it made sense, so they killed the county magistrate and welcomed the king into the city."

Lu Zhi shook his head with a smile and said, "Pei Ling is an old friend of my father. The marriage between me and the king was arranged at the reception banquet that Pei Ling held for my father. You know this. On that day, Pei Ling Keeping the king out of the city, the situation is in dire straits. As a friend, my father invited Peiling to his home, mediated for them, and persuaded him to open the city gate and welcome the king into the city. Peiling refused, so my father decisively ordered someone to arrest him. Killed, threw the body on the street, and claimed that the elders responded to the king and killed Pei Ling. In this way, the elders had no way out, and could only open the city gate to welcome you into the city. Later, everyone elected a leader, and it was also My father presided over the divination and chose the king."

Hearing what Lu Zhi said, Fan Kui suddenly realized, "The king will become the king of Guanzhong in the future, and your father and daughter will be the number one heroes!" "What I mean by this sentence is that you don't need to care about benevolence, righteousness and morality. As long as you can achieve your goal, all means are reasonable. In order to let the king go smoothly, my father can kill his benefactor and friend. King Cheng Defeated bandit, you won, no one will care about what you did in the first place. Even if someone talks behind your back, so what? They still have to obey your orders and obey your mercy."

Fan Kuai said approvingly, "Second Sister's insight is far superior to mine, I feel ashamed to be inferior." After completing the foreshadowing, Lu Zhi turned to the main topic, "Now we want to deal with Xiang Yu, we must also have the same determination. Facing an opponent stronger than ourselves, if we want to defeat him, we must find out his weakness , a fatal blow, leaving him no room to stand up. Where do you think Xiang Yu's weakness is?" Fan Kui shook his head, guessing: "Is it because he considers himself a nobleman, has better face, and cares about other people's opinions?"

Lu Zhi also shook his head, paused for a while, and finally spit out two words - "Concubine Yu!" The next day, Liu Bang led Xiao He, Zhang Liang, Fan Kui, and Xia Houying to Xiang Yu's barracks in Hongmen with food, wine, money and silk to reward Xiang Yu's army.Of course, there was also Cao Wushang in the team who was like a dead man with his hands tied behind his back.His face was pale, without a trace of blood. On the one hand, it was because of fear. He didn't know how Xiang Yu would deal with him, whether his head could be saved; on the other hand, because of the humiliation and anger he had suffered, he was thrown out as a scapegoat. It's really uncomfortable, although Liu Bang has repeatedly promised him that he will try to ensure his safety and compensate him after the matter is resolved.But all of this can't appease Cao Wushang's wounded heart, no matter how many rewards, no matter how great the official position, if he dies to endure it, what's the point?

Fan Kui turned his head to look at Cao Wushang from time to time, fearing that there would be some changes in him.Liu Bang, on the other hand, thought that everything had been arranged and that nothing would go wrong, so he walked carelessly at the front of the team, with a complacent expression, humming Chu Di's ditty. Xiang Bo and Xiang Zhuang were already waiting at the gate of the barracks. They welcomed the team of labor and apology into the barracks, and led Liu Bang and others straight to the big tent.Xiang Yu greeted Liu Bang at the gate of the big tent, bowing hands to each other, saying "brother" and "brother", "Long time no see", "How are you?" The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Entering the big tent, the leaders of the coalition forces of the princes are all there. Many people know Liu Bang. They have dealt with Xiang Liang and King Huai of Chu in the past. Liu Bang is flexible, enthusiastic, and good at building relationships. A loyal elder who is easy to get along with and has a good public image.Therefore, as soon as he walked in, many people came forward to say hello, making the atmosphere even more enthusiastic. Liu Bang's popularity and public impression can be confirmed by one thing.At the beginning, King Huai of Chu ordered Liu Bang to go west, and Xiang Yu went north with Song Yi to rescue Zhao.Xiang Yu once asked to go west with Liu Bang to avenge Xiang Liang.However, some people said in front of King Huai of Chu: "Xiang Yu is a very cruel man, and he murdered his soldiers. The Chu army failed several times because they relied on force and were unpopular. Therefore, Xizheng will send a loyal elder to appease him. The people of the Qin State strictly restrain the army, and they can win the hearts of the people by not infringing on the Qin people. Therefore, Xiang Yu must not be allowed to participate in the Western Expedition. Pei Gong is a loyal elder and the best person to take on this important task.” As a result, King Huai of Chu In the end, Xiang Yu's wish was not fulfilled, but Liu Bang was allowed to lead the western expedition alone.This shows the impression of Liu and Xiang among the princes.

After everyone sat down, Liu Bang said: "This time I led the team, on the one hand, to reward the general and the troops from all walks of life, and to honor the friendship of our friendly troops; The chief culprit of Guan blocking the coalition forces of the princes is handed over to the general to deal with..." Before Liu Bang finished speaking, Fan Zeng interrupted him, provoking Liu Bang's language problem, "Pei Gong said that, it seems to be showing the friendship of the landlord! You have three chapters to appease the people, seal the treasury, and send troops to guard Hangu Pass." , just like the king of Guanzhong."

Liu Bang was taken aback by what he said, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.Instead, Xiang Yu acted as a peacemaker, "King Huai has an appointment first, and the one who enters Guanzhong first is the king. There is nothing wrong with him doing this."As soon as Xiang Yu's words came out, Fan Zeng choked, snorted, and stopped talking. Liu Bang quickly said: "Liu Ji's talents are shallow, and he really can't take on this important task. I'm afraid he will disappoint the high hopes of King Huai, the princes of all walks of life, and the people of the world. I'm sorry for the elders in Guanzhong. Therefore, who will be sent to govern Guanzhong and appease the people of Qin depends entirely on the king and the people." The princes from all walks of life decided, Liu Ji was just standing there for you. It was just good luck to be able to enter the pass first. Without the king and the princes from all walks of life fighting bloody battles in the Guandong and defeating the main force of the Qin army, how could I easily enter? What about Xianyang? Your Majesty is really the number one hero against Qin, and Liu Ji is willing to obey your orders." Liu Bang humbled himself and praised Xiang Yu a lot, which made the conceited Xiang Yu very useful. He laughed loudly, "Pei Gong is too polite! You and I are brothers, so there is no need to be so formal. You enter the customs first, according to the agreement of King Huai, It is the king of Guanzhong. We all have no objection to this. However, Qin general Zhang Han followed the current situation and led 200,000 Qin troops to surrender to the rebels. The territory. I have named him King Yong, and then you two can divide and rule Guanzhong. What do you think of Duke Pei?" Zhang Han was also in the big tent. Liu Bang glanced at him, feeling as if half of his house and land had been taken away for no reason, not to mention how angry he was.However, in the face of Xiang Yu, he still had to put on a willing face, saying repeatedly: "It's up to the king to decide!" At this time, Fan Zeng spoke again, "Then please ask Peigong to bring the chief culprit who blocked the coalition forces of the princes!" Liu Bang shouted outside, "Bring in the sinner Cao Wushang!" Fan Kui and Xia Houying escorted Cao Wushang into the big tent. Liu Bang turned to Xiang Yu and said, "This man's name is Cao Wushang, and he is a member of our army. Zuo Sima, the army guarding the Hangu Pass is his subordinate. He made his own decision and prevented the king and other princes from entering the pass, please deal with it." Before Xiang Yu could speak, Fan Zeng said first, "This man almost provoked internal strife in the rebel army. If Pei Gong was not wise and King Xiang was magnanimous, the consequences would have been disastrous. He committed a heinous crime and deserved to die. Come and kill him!" Fan Zeng was respected as Yafu by Xiang Yu, and his words were very important in Xiang Yu's camp, and his status was second only to Xiang Yu.As soon as he gave an order, the warriors outside rushed in, intending to kill Cao Wushang.Seeing that his head was about to fall to the ground, Cao Wushang was so frightened that he struggled and looked at Liu Bang helplessly, hoping that he could save his life.Fan Kui and Xia Houying, who were standing on both sides of Cao Wushang, were also at a loss. Seeing Xiang Yu's warriors coming up to take people, they didn't know whether they should stop them or not. Liu Bang's mind is quick, and his ability to adapt to changes is unparalleled.He suddenly stood up, and the saber was unsheathed with a "shua".Such a move shocked everyone present, including Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng, everyone's eyes were on Liu Bang, not knowing what he was going to do, and those warriors who rushed in to grab him stopped involuntarily. . Liu Bang strode to the center of the big tent, holding a sharp sword in his hand, and said in a loud voice: "Kill this sinner, why bother King Xiang's subordinates. He is my general, and it is my fault for not strictly governing the army that he committed such a serious crime." , should be dealt with by me." After that, he walked to Cao Wushang's side a few steps, put the sword across his neck, and asked Xiang Yu: "Your Majesty, how about I behead him here for public display?" Xiang Yu didn't expect Liu Bang to come out like this, so he lost his mind for a while.The princes present were not willing to see such a bloody scene, and said one after another: "Forget it, Pei Gong, although he was wrong, but the crime is not worthy of death, and it did not cause a catastrophe, so please spare his life!" Liu Bang ignored the princes' words, but looked directly at Xiang Yu, waiting for his decision.Xiang Yu saw that the princes were interceding for Cao Wushang, so he had to give these people face. If he insisted on killing Cao Wushang, firstly, the princes would have nowhere to put their face, and secondly, he would appear to be vengeful and narrow-minded, so he simply sent him away. Shun Shui's favor, said: "Forget it, what he did was to protect the Lord wholeheartedly, his loyalty is commendable, let him be spared!" Hearing what Xiang Yu said, Liu Bang finally breathed a sigh of relief, kicked Cao Wushang hard, and cursed: "I still haven't thanked King Xiang for not killing me!"Liu Bang winked at Fan Kui and Xia Houying, and they escorted Cao Wushang out. The matter finally passed, and Xiang Yu also felt quite relaxed, and ordered: "Put on a banquet, and I will have a drink with my brother and all the princes. Today, everyone will not return drunk." The atmosphere changed so quickly that people sighed: Life is like a play, and I will appear on the stage after you sing. Everyone present was overjoyed, only Fan Zeng was unhappy, with a sullen face and said nothing.There is another person who is very unhappy, that is Cao Wushang.Although he was lucky enough to save his life, the feeling of being humiliated in public made him breathless. He was not grateful for Liu Bang's life-saving grace, and his mind was full of hatred for Liu Bang who shirked responsibility and used himself as a scapegoat.After such a toss, the dissatisfaction and resentment accumulated for a long time began to ferment and swell.He felt like his chest was about to burst.