Chapter 28 2. The final word

When Zhang Liang stepped into Liu Bang's big tent, Liu Bang was drinking with his arms around a young woman.Zhang Liang clapped his fists in a hurry, "My lord! You really have such leisure and elegance! Disaster is imminent!" Seeing Zhang Liang's impatient look, Liu Bang, who was already a little bit drunk, not only didn't follow in a hurry, but instead teased Zhang Liang: "Zifang, you were also the one who assassinated Qin Shihuang back then, why are you so restless? When there is something wrong, I will yell." As he spoke, he touched the face of the woman in his arms and kissed her on the cheek.

Zhang Liang was not in the mood to argue with Liu Bang, so he took a step forward and said, "Xiang Yu will lead an army of 400,000 troops to attack Bashang tomorrow morning. If there is no other way, this will probably be Pei Gong's last supper!" Hearing Zhang Liang's words, Liu Bang shivered, and the wine immediately sobered up. He pushed the woman in his arms away, stood up and asked, "Why did this happen?" Zhang Liang briefly introduced the whole story, "Pei Gong, you have to take contingency measures quickly, otherwise it will be too late!" "What should I do? Send Yu Ji back quickly?"

Zhang Liang ignored Liu Bang's question, "Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Bo is in my camp now, and he told me the news. Pei Gong can meet with him to clarify the misunderstanding, and ask him to explain it for you." "Okay, who is older, you or Xiang Bo?" "Uncle Xiang is old." "Then I'll call him my elder brother, please invite him here!" Zhang Liang left Liu Bang's big tent and returned to his residence.Lu Gong and Xiang Bo were drinking around the brazier. They seemed to be having a good conversation, and they liked each other very much.Zhang Liangdao: "Brother Xiang, follow me to see Pei Gong! To clarify the misunderstanding and avoid this catastrophe, I have to trouble you to come forward!"

Uncle Xiang hesitated and said nothing, and Duke Lu also persuaded him: "General Xiang, please help me! This is not only for the harmony between Liu and Xiang, but also for the people in Guanzhong to be spared from the ravages of war, and for the peace of the world. Infinite!" The white-haired Lu Gong begged, and he had the kindness of a savior, Xiang Bo had no choice but to agree, and the three rushed to Liu Bang's big tent. Liu Bang had already been waiting at the gate of the big tent, and when he saw Uncle Xiang walking between Lu Gong and Zhang Liang, he greeted him with a smile on his face, and said, "This is the famous Brother Xiang, my foolish brother Liu Ji is polite! "

Seeing Liu Bang being so enthusiastic and courteous, even though he knew that he had something to ask for, Uncle Xiang could not be too indifferent, and returned the greeting with a smile on his face.After entering the big tent, Liu Bang took Xiang Bo's hand and affectionately asked him to sit at the same table with him, and Lu Gong and Zhang Liang also sat opposite him.Liu Bang is a sophisticated and shrewd man, he did not ask Xiang Bo for help straight to the point, such an overly utilitarian approach would arouse the other party's resentment and refuse to help.Therefore, Liu Bang first talked with Xiang Bo, "Gui Geng? Who is there in the family? Are the children married?"

Liu Bang gave full play to his advantages of sharp mind, quick response, good psychological quality, and flexible actions, and he has calmed down from the initial shock and panic.Seeing Liu Bang's calm expression, decent handling of things, and no signs of guilt, Uncle Xiang completely believed in Liu Bang. Hearing Uncle Xiang say that he still has a daughter who has grown up but is not yet married, Liu Bang was overjoyed and said, "I also have a son who has not married yet. If my brother doesn't dislike it, we will make a marriage contract. When the situation stabilizes in the future How about getting married for the two of them?"

Lu Gong and Zhang Liang were also very happy, and encouraged them to say: "You should agree! The marriage between Liu and Xiang will make the relationship even closer, and they will live in harmony regardless of each other. From now on, the world will not be the same as your two families. Forget it!" Hearing what they said, Uncle Xiang was also moved, and Liu Bang kept urging him, so he simply nodded and agreed to this sudden marriage. After the relationship between brothers and in-laws was confirmed, Liu Bang turned to the main topic, "I and Xiang Wang were originally brothers, but after entering Guanzhong, misunderstandings continued to occur. It is really chilling to think about it!"

"Pei Gong doesn't need to worry, it turned out to be a misunderstanding, just find a way to explain it clearly. However, the situation is urgent now, and we must act immediately." "King Xiang really misinterpreted my good intentions. After I entered the pass, I sealed up the treasury and appeased the officials and people. This was all to stabilize the situation in Guanzhong and welcome the arrival of the general, but the rumors said that I was in order to become king in Guanzhong , I understand the reason why good intentions may not be rewarded!" Liu Bang lost no time in expressing his grievances.

"I will try to tell King Xiang about these things. The crux of the problem now is that some people say that you want to use Ziying as your chancellor to win over the forces of the dead Qin, and fight against Xiang Yu and other princes. This is a serious crime against the world! In addition... Xiang Bo paused for a moment, and continued: "It is said that you kidnapped Yu Ji and used her to blackmail Xiang Yu. Yu Ji is Xiang Yu's favorite. If anyone dares to make up her mind, Xiang Yu will definitely not let it go!" Liu Bang patted his thigh, "Where is such a thing, Yuji is indeed in my army, but my wife Lu Zhi invited her to catch up on the old days. It is getting late now, and I will send someone to send her back tomorrow. As for Baizi The thing about Yingwei is that he insisted on coming to see me, so I had no choice but to let him come. At the banquet, I deliberately teased him and laughed at him, the king of subjugation. How could I really worship him? To be the prime minister, isn’t that an enemy of the world?”

"It's just a misunderstanding! Otherwise, wake up Yuji and I'll take her back now. Also, come to Hongmen tomorrow morning and explain it to Xiang Yu yourself. I'll talk to him first when I go back." , I believe it will clear up his misunderstanding and quell the military disaster." Hearing Uncle Xiang's words, Liu Bang was taken aback for a moment. Seeing that Uncle Xiang was looking at him, waiting for his answer, he immediately nodded and said, "Okay, I will follow my brother's advice!" At this time, Lu Gong said, "Concubine Yu is resting in Lu Zhi's sleeping tent. There is such a heavy snowstorm outside and it is so late. It may not be good to rush her on the road. In case something happens along the way, don't worry." How about explaining to King Xiang! Why don’t we follow what Liu Ji said just now and send her back tomorrow.”

Hearing what Lu Gong said, Liu Bang immediately reacted, "That's right, Yu Ji is very tired today, let her have a good rest, it's not too late to leave tomorrow!" Uncle Xiang bowed his head and thought for a while, then said, "Okay! Peigong, come tomorrow morning, don't miss a word, and bring Yuji with you when you come. In this way, the misunderstanding can be completely eliminated." Liu Bang nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, brother, I will be there on time." Xiang Bo got up to say goodbye to everyone, and rushed back to Hongmen overnight.After seeing Uncle Xiang off, Liu Bang, Lu Gong, and Zhang Liang returned to the tent, and then they showed a tired look, and sat down on the mat, picked up the wine bottle and poured wine into their mouths, to calm themselves down. Lu Gong waited for Liu Bang to calm down and asked, "What are you going to do?" Liu Bang tapped the wine bottle with his fingers, thought for a long time, and said: "This matter is very important, and I can't make up my mind for a while. Call everyone here and discuss it!" The guards invited all the main members of Liu Bang's team to the big tent, and Lu Zhi also came.As soon as she sat down beside Liu Bang, Liu Bang leaned over and asked in a low voice, "How is Yu Ji?" "Sleep soundly, don't worry." Liu Bang briefly introduced the current situation to everyone, and everyone is invited to express their opinions.Liu Jiao, Lu Wan, Xiao He, Cao Can, Zhou Bo, Xia Houying, Li Shiqi and others became nervous when they heard that the situation had taken a sudden turn for the worse overnight, and that Xiang Yu would be surrounded by soldiers early tomorrow morning.The atmosphere in the big tent was very oppressive, and no one spoke. Seeing the silence in the tent, Liu Bang lost his composure, and urged, "Why don't you speak up? Now is a life-and-death moment. The lives and lives of me and everyone are in the blink of an eye. You can speak up if you have any thoughts. " Cao Shen suddenly stood up. He was a fierce general in Liu Bang's army. He was often the first to climb to the top of the city when he attacked the city and conquered the whole army. "Pei Gong, I don't think Yu Ji can be sent back, and the king doesn't have to go to Hongmen to explain humbly to Xiang Yu." "What advice does General Cao have?" "Your Majesty is the righteous King of Guanzhong. Now Xiang Yu openly broke the promise of King Huai, entered the pass by force, and seized the pass. How is his behavior different from that of a robber? Bowing his head to such a treacherous villain is really despised by a gentleman. Now the elders in Guanzhong support him Your Majesty, my 100,000 generals are united and ready to fight. It is better to send troops to attack Xiang Yu now. Although Xiang Yu is a general of the princes and has 400,000 soldiers, the coalition forces of the princes do not necessarily obey Xiang Yu's command. Many people sympathize with the king. Yes. As long as we put all our eggs in one basket and fight back vigorously, it is still unknown who will win the battle!" Cao Shen's proposition was immediately responded by Zhou Bo, Xia Houying and other generals. Seeing that their master was bullied by Xiang Yu so much that they couldn't lift their heads, these people held their breath for a long time and wanted to challenge Xiang Yu to a duel.Taking the initiative to attack before Xiang Yu launches the attack tomorrow morning is exactly what these people want. Without waiting for Liu Bang to speak, Zhang Liang spoke first, "Since Xiang Yu is planning to raid Bashang tomorrow morning, the Hongmen barracks must be heavily guarded and ready for battle. If we take the initiative to attack, it is tantamount to throwing ourselves into a trap, and if we provoke internal strife first, we will be punished by the world." People’s accusations. I don’t think this policy is advisable!” Cao Shen was about to argue with Zhang Liang, when Liu Bang waved to him, motioning him to sit down and listen to others. "Anyone else have any opinions?" Guan Ying said: "Since you can't take the initiative to attack, it's better to stay still and stay the same to deal with all changes. Our whole army is waiting in line, setting up the formation and setting up an ambush. As long as Xiang Yu dares to come, let him come and go. In this way First of all, Xiang Yu took the initiative to provoke internal strife, and the public opinion is on our side." Fan Kuai agreed: "I think this method is good. It is better to be still than to move, and wait for work with ease." Zhang Liang still disapproved, "Xiang Yu's troops are absolutely superior, and stopping still is tantamount to waiting for death. If Xiang Yu really comes over, I'm afraid the whole army will be wiped out." Fan Kui became a little anxious, "Zifang, you don't agree to take the initiative to attack, and you also object to defending yourself, so what do you say? Let the king take us to escape?" Zhang Liang smiled and said: "Now the king and Xiang Yu are fighting for the world. Where can they go? Even if they go to the ends of the earth, Xiang Yu will pursue him relentlessly. He will not stop until he kills the grass and roots. " Liu Bang said, "Zifang, tell me your opinion!" "I suggest that Your Majesty still abide by the agreement with Xiang Bo, send Yu Ji back, take the initiative to go to Hongmen to eliminate misunderstandings, show Your Majesty's open mind in front of the princes from all walks of life, and win their support. According to Xiang Yu's personality of seeking fame, he will definitely not take the responsibility. Unrighteous crimes, and arbitrarily harming the king in front of the princes from all walks of life. I think that the king's trip is safe and safe, and he will definitely be able to eliminate the military disaster and return safely. Zifang is willing to walk with the king and share life and death." Zhang Liang said sincerely , Liu Bang was also moved by him. Lu Pheasant was a little worried, "Xiang Yu is staring at the tiger now, and has a deep misunderstanding of the king. If the situation gets out of control and the king is in the tiger's den, it will be in danger. If something happens to the king, the crowd of over 100,000 will disperse like birds and beasts. We People can only die to the end of the world!" Lu, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth, "What Zifang and Ejin said are both reasonable. We must be prepared for everything, which is the best solution. The King of the Hongmen is going. Only by doing this can we show our sincerity. Calm down the fighting. But just in case, Yu Ji can not send it back to Xiang Yu for the time being, just say that she is not feeling well and needs to rest for half a day in Bashang. We will send her back when the king is fully recovered. In addition, all The army is ready for battle. Your Majesty must select a guard. The number should not be too large, so as not to arouse Xiang Yu's vigilance, but it must be one of the best warriors in a hundred. If the situation gets out of control, they will protect you and kill a bloody road, and there is still a chance of life. In addition ..." At this point, Lu Gong stopped, he didn't know whether he should hand over Ziying or not. Now the conflict between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu has become intense.To resolve this dispute, someone must take the blame and use blood to extinguish Xiang Yu's anger.Otherwise, even if Liu Bang can return to Bashang safely and send Yu Ji back to Hongmen intact, Xiang Yu will still have a grudge, and sooner or later he will find an excuse to ask the teacher for the crime.Therefore, there must be a scapegoat.The last time it was Cao Wushang, this time he needs a more powerful scapegoat, and Ziying is the best candidate.However, Duke Lu couldn't bear to let Ziying and the dead Qin clan bear the scourge of extermination. He had already promised that person that he would never fight against the descendants of the Ying family again. Are he going to break his promise now?However, if you don’t do this, what you have to sacrifice is your daughter, son-in-law, and even more relatives and friends. Liu Bang saw that Lu Gong looked wrong, and asked with concern: "Father-in-law, what's the matter with you?" , I can only help the living first, put aside the promise to the dead for the time being, and find a way to remedy it when I have a chance! Lu Gongdao: "I have already found out that the person who kidnapped Yuji was Ziying's subordinate. It seems that Ziying had a premeditated plan to come to Bashang to support you as king and send someone to kidnap Yuji, just to provoke you and Xiang Yu's quarrel, he likes to make a profit. If you tell Xiang Yu the truth, Xiang Yu will definitely shift the blame, find Ziying to settle the score, and stop embarrassing you." "It really was made by Ziying?" Liu Bang asked in amazement.Lu Gong nodded slowly. "This guy (boy), I'll send someone to arrest him right away, and he must be skinned. I saved his life and didn't humiliate him, and he dared to plot against me. It's just revenge." Liu Bang yelled.Lu Zhi listened to it, and smiled coldly, thinking: You are really thick-skinned for molesting and insulting Ziying's wife, and now accusing Ziying with confidence. Lu Gong stopped him and said: "Your Majesty, don't be angry. Ziying should let Xiang Yu deal with it! However, I am worried that after Yu Ji is rescued, Ziying will jump over the wall in a hurry and mobilize his dead soldiers in ambush among the people to rescue him and the princes and ministers." .If they escape, the dead Qin is likely to revive. It is said that Ziying’s confidant, Han Tan, has assembled a 100,000 army outside the pass, preparing to counterattack. So, I asked my subordinates to closely monitor Ziying’s movements. Hurry up Reinforce the defenders in Xianyang, be prepared for contingencies, and don't let Ziying escape." Lu Gong threw another blockbuster, which frightened Liu Bang very much. Ziying was about to escape from prison, and he was backed by the 100,000 Qin army outside the pass.This is a matter of life and death.Liu Bang quickly ordered Cao Shen to lead 10,000 troops to advance lightly to reinforce the defenders of Xianyang City.According to Lu Gong, Ziying's rebellion may happen at any time, and there is no room for carelessness. Faced with the several proposals proposed by everyone, after Liu Bang weighed them, he still felt that Mr. Lu had a more thorough view of the problem and a more comprehensive thought.He stood up and said to everyone: "According to my father-in-law, I will go to Hongmen to meet Xiang Yu tomorrow morning. Please Zifang come with me. Fan Kuai and Xia Houying, you choose a hundred knights. You must be skilled and not afraid of death. One against ten, and you will lead the guards. You are optimistic about Yu Ji, and you can neither let her slip up, nor let her escape. She is the trump card in our hands, and it is also the key to my safe return from this trip. Guarantee." Lu Zhi nodded, no matter how much this husband feels sorry for him, at the moment of life and death, the love between husband and wife is still hard to let go. After arranging everything, Liu Bang thought of the worst ending, what should he do if he never returns?He cast his eyes on Liu Jiao and Lu Wan, who are usually closest to him, and finally fell on Lu Wan, "If anything happens to me, Lu Wan will succeed me, and you all must obey his orders and assist with all your heart. Don't fight to the death to avenge me, you can temporarily avoid the edge, withdraw from Guanzhong, and make plans. After Lu Wan, Liu Jiao will succeed." Liu Bang arranged for Liu Jiao and Lu Wan to be his heirs. The reason for this is vaguely known to everyone. Although it has not been confirmed, it is already an open secret in the military camp.Since the matter was sensitive, everyone pretended not to know it, and no one would be so stupid as to talk about it publicly, but it was just a matter of private conversation among the soldiers. Everyone left one after another, busy with their own affairs.Only Liu Jiao and Lu Wan stayed until the end. Liu Bang looked at the two closest people to him and said emotionally: "Brother's departure may be a farewell. In the future, you should live in harmony and take care of each other. Brothers are of one heart, and the other Li Duanjin, the three of us are of one heart and one mind, so we have achieved today's achievements. If I am gone, Liu Jiao, you have to listen to Lu Wan and don't act willfully. Only in this way can we protect the family we have built through life and death. Understand? " Liu Jiao and Lu Wan nodded with tears in their eyes.Liu Bang told Lu Wan, "Remember to take good care of your father, and when the world is peaceful, take him out of his hometown and share the wealth." It turned out that Liu Bang's nominal father, Mrs. Liu, was also a prodigal son when he was young.The young wife takes care of the children while doing housework and doing farm work, which is very hard.Lu Wan's father was a neighbor and good friend of Mrs. Liu. Seeing that Mrs. Liu was pitiful, she often came to help.Among them, Liu Bang was older, Liu Jiao and Lu Wan were twins, and the old lady Liu was not at home when she was born. Lu Wan was taken away by her biological father and claimed that her pregnant wife gave birth to twins.Mrs. Liu has been kept in the dark about this matter, and Liu Bang and Liu Jiao learned the identity of their biological father from their mother, so they have the closest relationship with Lu Wan and the other three. However, when Mrs. Liu was pregnant with Liu Bang, Mrs. Liu happened to be wandering outside and did not return. Only a few months after returning, Liu Bang was born.Neighbors are bound to gossip, and family ugliness cannot be publicized. Mrs. Liu lied that she saw a dragon intersecting by the lake, and Ms. Liu also said that she had sex with a god in her sleep and was pregnant with Liu Bang.The country people had never seen the world, and they were intimidated by the couple, thinking that Liu Bang was not an ordinary person, and he would definitely achieve great things in the future.When Liu Bang became an adult, he drank in the tavern and slept in the tavern after he was drunk. The boss claimed that he vaguely saw a dragon shadow wriggling on Liu Bang's body.This is the myth fabricated by the old lady Liu and the wife Liu in tacit understanding, and the delusion aroused after psychological hints to the villagers in the mountains. Later, Lu Wan's father became the leader of the Lishe, the old man, who helped old Mrs. Liu change his ways. Harmony shut his mouth.After Liu Bang raised his troops, Liu Jiao and Lu Wan were always by his side, forming an iron triangle, which was the core of Liu Bang's team.Therefore, today Liu Bang announced that Lu Wan and Liu Jiao are the heirs, including Lu Zhi, no one was surprised, and no one raised any objections.