Chapter 37 1. Enfeoffment of princes

Bashang barracks, where Cao Wushang was stationed, was surrounded by groups before Liu Bang came back.In Cao Wushang's tent, the confidant urged him anxiously, "My lord, call the brothers to fight out! We can't just sit here and wait to die!" Cao Wushang smiled wryly, "We are outnumbered, fighting hard is a dead end. Now that the matter has come to this point, don't let so many people be buried with me!" The guard came in and reported, "Pei Gong's envoy has arrived!" Cao Wushang knew that Liu Bang had returned safely, and his own death was approaching.He tidied up his clothes, walked out of the tent with his head held high, maintaining the dignity of the last moment of his life.

In Xianyang City, when Ziying woke up from a coma, it was already the next morning.At this time, the Hongmen Banquet had just started.He felt powerless all over, and there were bursts of severe pain from the wound, which made him moan uncontrollably, and there were calls in his ears, "Your Majesty!" "Your Majesty!" Ziying struggled to open his eyes, and the vague figures in front of him gradually became clear, they were the Prime Minister, Yu Shi and Taiwei.The room was very dark and had a bad smell.Ziying was lying on the cold ground, every joint in his body was sore, but compared with the severe pain at the wound, it was nothing.

Ziying asked in a weak voice, "Where is this place?" "The prison in Xianyang." The prime minister replied.After Ziying was injured, the imperial guards were wiped out, and the princes, nobles and their families were all captured and imprisoned in Xianyang Prison. A thought flashed through Ziying's mind. He grabbed the prime minister's hand and asked, "How are the two princes?" The prime minister shook his head, "I didn't see it!" Ziying's heart is relieved, which at least shows that the two princes may have succeeded in breaking through under the protection of Meng Hong and Ying Fu.The flame of hope was rekindled in his heart. As long as the two princes survived and successfully reunited with the Qin army outside the pass, there was hope for the restoration of the country.However, this joy was only fleeting, and Ziying began to feel uneasy again, what if the two princes did not rush out, but died in the chaos?He shook his head, hoping to get rid of such thoughts. Now that he is in prison, it is useless to think about anything, because he is powerless to do things outside and can only resign himself to fate!

"How do the traitors plan to deal with us?" Ziying looked at the "Three Dukes" in front of him, but no one answered.Everyone knew very well in their hearts that if they failed to escape, there must be no good fruit to eat. Ziying closed his eyes, now he is just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, and his life and death are completely controlled by others.However, he was not afraid, because he would soon be able to see the queen, and she must be alone there and needed her company.Like the queen, death was a rare relief for him. After the Hongmen Banquet, Liu Bang withdrew the garrison in Xianyang and handed over the former capital of the Great Qin Empire to Xiang Yu.The first thing Xiang Yu did was to take revenge on Ziying. The combination of old and new hatred made him fall into a frenzy of revenge.

In Xianyang City, Xiang Yu indulged his soldiers in looting, looted all the treasures in the treasury, set fire to the palace, and turned a prosperous and magnificent metropolis into a hell on earth.There were red-eyed soldiers everywhere, roaring like wild beasts, intertwined with people's screams full of fear, and the blazing fire lasted all night, burning for three months in a row. Xiang Yu rushed into the prison of Xianyang with his guards and slaughtered all the princes and nobles imprisoned there.Standing in front of Ziying, Xiang Yu's eyes showed fierceness. He wanted to kill this enemy who symbolizes the state of Qin himself, but Ziying didn't kneel down and beg for mercy like the others, showing timidity and fear, but watched very calmly. With Xiang Yu.Ziying's expression made Xiang Yu even more angry, because what he read from it was his contempt and disdain for himself.

Xiang Yu dropped his saber, took a step forward, grabbed Ziying, and with all his strength, lifted Ziying into the air with ease, and fell down with his head down.Ziying's head was crushed instantly, and the brain was mixed with blood, splashing all over the place. After turning Xianyang into ruins, Xiang Yu started to do another thing-carve up the territory of the world after the fall of the Qin Empire, and divide the princes.He left King Huai of Chu aside, presided over the distribution of the fruits of revolutionary victory as the overlord, and proclaimed himself the Overlord of Western Chu.Everyone else is easy to say, but the most difficult one is Liu Bang.Fan Zeng firmly opposed the assignment of the rich and dangerous Guanzhong region to Liu Bang, "Yu'er, you can't set yourself up as an opponent in the future!"

Xiang Yu said in embarrassment: "I have already promised Liu Ji to be the king of Guanzhong. How can I not keep my promise? Besides, I have reconciled with him, and he has nothing to do with it. I am afraid that everyone will be deprived of the position of King of Guanzhong." Dissatisfied!" Fan Zeng had already thought of a workaround, and said, "Why don't we assign the two counties of Ba and Shu to Liu Ji. Ba and Shu also belong to the Guanzhong area, so it is not considered a breach of contract. However, these two places are remote and remote, and the traffic is poor. Inconvenient, barren and backward, Liu Jiwo is there, even if he wants to make a difference, it will be difficult. You can entrust Guanzhong to Zhang Han, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi, several generals who died in Qin Dynasty, and let them occupy Guanzhong and block Liu Ji's way out. In this way, this formidable enemy can be eliminated!"

Xiang Yu felt that this compromise was good, so he followed Fan Zeng's suggestion.Liu Bang didn't expect that he endured the humiliation and endured humiliation, but in the end he got such a result: Xiang Yu still deprived himself of his position as the king of Guanzhong, and drove himself to the remote Bashu.The anger that had been suppressed for many days broke out, and Liu Bang immediately sent an order to summon his troops to fight Xiang Yu to the death, to wash away the shame he imposed on him, and to seek justice. Liu Bang's civil servants and military generals all came forward to persuade him, but he couldn't listen to anyone's words, even Zhang Liang, who Liu Bang treated more politely after the Hongmen Banquet, couldn't help it.At the critical moment, Xiao He stood up and said to Liu Bang with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng gave you such a generous gift, why would you refuse it? Isn't this a disappointment to Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng's kindness! "

Liu Bang was taken aback by Xiao He's words, not knowing whether he was serious or joking.Seeing that Liu Bang didn't speak, Xiao He stopped playing tricks and expressed his own opinion: "The ignorant Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng thought that Bashu was a remote and barren place, and wanted to trap the king there. As everyone knows, Bashu has a suitable climate and fertile land. , the products are rich, and Qin State has been operating for a hundred years, especially after Li Bing and his son presided over the construction of Dujiangyan, irrigating tens of thousands of hectares of fertile fields. disaster, the people fled, the land was barren, the city walls were dilapidated, and the people's livelihood was dying. Only Bashu was not affected by the flames of war, and it is still a paradise on earth. I only knew these after studying the map files seized from the "Sangong" government office. "Book of Zhou" said: "God does not take, but you will be blamed!" They give you such a generous gift, if you don't accept it, be careful of disasters from heaven!"

After hearing Xiao He's words, Liu Bang's face softened, and a sly smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Xiao He suggested: "We might as well bring over Hanzhong, which connects Bashu and Guanzhong, and use it as a springboard in the future to counterattack and fight for the world!" Liu Bang nodded again and again.He immediately arranged for Zhang Liang to go to Xiang Bo with a heavy gift, and Xiang Bo came forward to intercede, and he took Hanzhong into his pocket as he wished.