Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 14 Hell on Earth

Liu Bang was a heavy drinker, and when things took a turn for the better, he was in high spirits and wanted to buy some wine to drink to his heart's content. Xiahou Ying had to persuade him to stay.

Feng County was no longer reliable, so it was best to keep a low profile. Although Liu Bang was unwilling, he knew that this made sense, so he did not mention the matter of wine and meat.

Then, he pestered Liu Ying, wanting to get close to him and rekindle their father-son relationship. Liu Ying, of course, wouldn't let him succeed and ignored him. After all his efforts to get close to him failed, Liu Bang had no choice but to become close to Liu Le.

Liu Le was a proper little girl, no match for Liu Bang. She was quickly charmed by him and became his slingshot, clinging to him and refusing to leave.

The next day.

The postmaster still brought cold, hard flatbread and unboiled water. Liu Ying and the others ate some of it and set off on their way.

After leaving the county town, we headed straight southwest.

"Where are we going?" Liu Ying asked Liu Bang as he spurred his horse into a gallop.

"Xiayi," Liu Bang replied.

"Why go to Xiayi?" Liu Ying asked, puzzled.

"The Marquis of Zhou stationed his troops in Xiayi. Once we arrive in Xiayi, we will have an army." Xiahou Ying was full of anticipation.

"Who is Zhou Lühou?" Liu Ying did not know who this person was.

"Lü Ze," Xiahou Ying replied.

"Uncle?" Liu Le, sitting on horseback and nestled in Liu Bang's arms, was overjoyed to hear this. He looked up at Liu Bang and asked, "Father, how is Uncle?"

Lü Ze was Empress Lü's elder brother. When Liu Bang first rose to power, he led his troops to join him. Four years ago, when Liu Bang led his army away from Pei County to compete for the throne, Lü Ze also went with him.

Four years had passed without a trace, and Liu Le was overjoyed to receive news of Lü Ze at this time.

"Very good. He is now one of my top generals." Liu Bang raised his head and said proudly, "I have him stationed in Xiayi to guard Dangjun."

"Little brother, our uncle is so good to us," Liu Le said to Liu Ying with a happy expression.

Liu Ying searched diligently, but his predecessor had no direct impression of Lü Ze, only an indirect one, which he heard from Empress Lü.

Empress Lü respected her elder brother very much, praising Lü Ze as formidable.

Throughout the journey, Liu Le chattered incessantly like a magpie, telling many stories about how good Lü Ze had been to her.

Before noon, the group left Feng County and entered Dang County.

Once Liu Bang entered Dang County, he started talking non-stop.

"Back then, when I sent my disciples to Mount Li, many fled along the way, but I generously released them. They followed me wholeheartedly and obeyed my orders. Dang County is the place where I rose to power." Liu Bang was extremely proud.

Dangjun was the birthplace of the Han Dynasty, because Liu Bang started his career here.

He was ordered to escort convicts to Guanzhong, but because the journey was too long, none of them wanted to go, and many escaped. According to Qin law, Liu Bang would not have a good outcome, so he released these convicts.

Some people found their own way to make a living, while others, having nowhere else to go, followed him and became bandits in the mountains.

From then on, Liu Bang became a mountain bandit king, gathering several hundred men.

When the magistrate of Pei wanted to start a rebellion but had no troops, Xiao He recommended Liu Bang to him, saying that he had several hundred men and if he could recall them, he would have enough manpower to start a rebellion.

The magistrate of Pei obeyed and sent Fan Kuai to summon Liu Bang.

Fan Kuai was Empress Lü's brother-in-law, and the two had an extraordinary relationship. Liu Bang naturally trusted him and led his men back to Pei County.

At this point, the magistrate of Pei changed his mind because he had no one under his command. If he accepted Liu Bang's hundreds of men, should he listen to the magistrate of Pei or to Liu Bang?

The magistrate of Pei wanted to kill Liu Bang, but Xiao He and Cao Can turned the tables and killed the magistrate instead.

With the magistrate of Pei County killed, there was no one to lead the uprising in Pei County, and a leader needed to be elected.

Xiao He and Cao Can held much higher status and prestige than Liu Bang in Pei County. Logically, the position of leader should not have been Liu Bang's. However, Xiao He and Cao Can were timid and worried that if their plans failed, they would be executed by the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, they dared not take the position of leader.

In the end, no one dared to take the responsibility, and after much back and forth, no one was willing to accept it.

Liu Bang was poor but bold; if you won't take the job, I will. Then, Xiao He, Cao Shen, and others elected Liu Bang as their leader, and he became the Duke of Pei, beginning his path to becoming emperor.

It was precisely because Liu Bang was poor but bold and fearless that he looked down on Peng Yue, who was unclear about the situation and refused to get involved.

"Ying'er, do you know that I am a born emperor? I can hide in Dangshan and no one can find me except your mother. I was puzzled and asked her how she found me. She said that there was a cloud of mist where I was." Liu Pei was extremely proud and patted his chest with his right hand: "There is an aura of an emperor in the southeast. Qin Shi Huang toured the world to suppress it, but he did not know that the aura of an emperor was gathered in my body."

Liu Ying pouted, but before she could speak, Liu Le, innocent as a child, looked up at Liu Bang with surprise and said, "Mother said: Father told Mother where Father is hiding, and as long as we go there, we can find you."

"Cough cough cough." Liu Ying almost choked to death on her own saliva.

"Heh." Xiahou Ying exposed him: "Liu Ji, do you think I don't know your tricks? Back then, you had just arrived on the mountain and lacked prestige. You needed these supernatural tales to increase your prestige, so you sent Lu Wan to make them up. After these strange and supernatural events, the convicts became respectful of you, and that's how you gathered so many people."

"Excellent!" Liu Ying agreed.

The southeast is said to possess the aura of an emperor, and Qin Shi Huang's grand tour of the empire was believed to suppress it—a story told with great detail and conviction. However, modern people with a kindergarten education would certainly not believe it; where in the world is there such an aura of an emperor?

This must have been a ruse by people like Liu Bang and Xiang Liang to create momentum for themselves in order to rebel against the Qin Dynasty, using supernatural beings to increase their prestige.

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Liu Bang's face flushed red, and he slapped Liu Le on the back of the head with his right hand.

"Father, this is what Mother said." Liu Le puffed out his cheeks, very unconvinced: "Mother said that when she comes to find you, you should secretly meet with her first, tell her the place, and let her go there to find you. Then tell everyone that Mother can see the clouds."

"I'll beat you to death!" Liu Bang roared, repeatedly slapping Liu Le on the back of the head.

Liu Le covered the back of his head with both hands, his eyes brimming with tears of grievance, almost crying.

As a young girl, she couldn't understand why Liu Bang punished her when she was simply telling the truth.

"The Prince of Han is really something, all he does is bully my sister." Liu Ying couldn't stand it anymore.

"Hmph." Liu Bang snorted angrily, no longer beating Liu Le, but remained silent, sulking.

"This is so dilapidated!" Liu Ying, riding on his warhorse, looked at the scene before him with great surprise.

The residential areas on both sides of the road are dilapidated.

The "li" was similar to a gated community in later times. Each li was surrounded by a high and thick inner wall, and only the main gate allowed entry and exit. At the main gate, there would be a side room, and the person guarding the gate was called the "li jianmen," similar to a gatekeeper in later times.

Every morning, after dawn, the village gates are opened, and the people lead their cattle and sheep out to work. At nightfall, they return to their villages to spend the night. After dark, the village gates are closed, and no one may leave unless there is an urgent matter; otherwise, it would be a violation of Qin law.

The village that Liu Ying saw was completely different from the one in the Qin Dynasty. The village walls had collapsed, the village gates were gone, and the houses inside the village had either collapsed or been burned to ashes.

This is in stark contrast to the situation in Phong and Pei counties.

The two counties of Feng and Pei are relatively well preserved. The people still farm and live their lives as usual, without any signs of chaos.

Take Liu Bang's hometown, Zhongyangli, for example. If Xiang Yu hadn't been furious and sent Zhongli Mo to arrest Liu Bang's family, it wouldn't have been destroyed.

"Dangjun is strategically located and a place that military strategists fought over. During the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, it was repeatedly plundered and countless people died." Liu Bang explained to Liu Ying, "In comparison, Fengpei is a stronghold of the Great Chu, and no one dares to act recklessly there, so it is certainly not bad."

The State of Chu was the largest power during the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, and no one dared to cause trouble within its sphere of influence.

In addition, Xiang Yu had established a formidable reputation in the Battle of Julu, and his military power was at its peak. Who would dare to cause trouble in his fiefdom?

Therefore, Fengpei can be considered a paradise in the chaotic world at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

"Ah..." Liu Le's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his face contorted, and he screamed incoherently.

"Oh my god..." Liu Ying's heart was pounding, and she felt like her whole body was about to break apart. Her scream was high-pitched and piercing, and her voice even cracked.