Chapter 116 Born a Qin person, died a Qin soul! 28

Liu Bang scratched his head, but he wasn't angry. He turned around and started chatting with the prefect.

The army following behind him wasn't exactly orderly, but their morale was excellent. No one tried to break into any house; they all silently followed behind Liu Bang. They wouldn't act rashly unless Liu Bang gave the order.

All of this was thanks to the efforts of Meng Tian and Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu a few days ago. Some of these soldiers were drawn from Fengyi, and some came from Pei County. Perhaps the two had reached some agreement, and the soldiers they trained could be deployed together without any need for adjustment.

The prefectural supervisor took the initiative to find a place for the soldiers who entered the city to camp, and then went to the county magistrate's residence with Liu Bang and a few others. This time, the division of troops was a great victory. Not only did they gain Huling County, but they also took over the surrounding Kangfu County and Fangyu County.

Cao Shen was sent by him to guard Fangyu County, so the prefectural supervisor held a banquet, which means that Cao Shen was not at the banquet when he surrendered.

Everyone enjoyed the banquet, and Liu Bang genuinely smiled as he considered the territory he controlled.

After a meal of eating and drinking, the banquet ended, and Huling County officially came under his control. He hummed a happy little tune as he headed to his room.

Then, the slight drunkenness vanished the moment he saw the figure standing in the room, and he instinctively stepped forward obsequiously: "What brings you here?"

"You don't want me to come?" Zhu Qing'ai turned to look at Liu Bang, sizing him up, and said lightly, "Do you feel like you're standing on clouds right now, just short of flying into the sky?"

"No, no, I'm so happy you could come. I was just wondering where you'd been the other day, and why you hadn't come to see me," Liu Bang answered His first question, then pretended not to understand and said, "I don't feel anything when I'm walking on clouds, but it's true that the ground feels soft when I'm drinking."

"Oh my god... I naturally had business abroad. What about you? Didn't you say you were in charge of suppressing the rebellion? How did you end up in an uprising?"

It was hard to describe the feeling of being watched by 'Qin', but Liu Bang knew he had to explain. This explanation didn't have to be anything special, but it had to show his attitude: he was still 'Qin's' most sincere lackey!

Nothing else matters.

"It's all due to the circumstances. Thank you for your trouble with such a small matter. Did your trip abroad go smoothly?"

"Hahaha, she's just bullying the weak abroad, only she would do something like that." A voice interrupted their conversation.

Liu Bang: ?

This frantic female voice, judging from its timbre and speaking habits, is not the same as the one in front of me.

Qin said, "Don't worry about her. I'll go myself, and it will go smoothly."

Yes, that's the feeling I'm looking for. That's how composed she is; she wouldn't flinch even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her.

Qin: "I'm worried about you."

"Heh," the female voice interrupted again with a sneer, "I'm worried that such a useful fool will die in the country, rather than on a battlefield abroad."

Another soft, childlike voice spoke up: "Huh? Is this person an idiot?"

Qin paused, then added, "Don't worry about them."

There's an extra '们'.

"Are you stupid? I'm worried that if I stay here with you, it will affect me when I leave someday."

A woman's voice spoke coldly, sounding as if she knew 'Qin' quite well: "Stop arguing, do you even think you can get out?"

"You're not going out now because you don't want to, are you?"

The soft, childlike voice complained, "Why is your country like this? We're all a country in exile, why do you have to be like this?"

“Her influence is waning day by day. I can sense that someone has already re-established a country. It’s only a matter of time before they separate,” the woman who spoke first calmed down and even had time to talk to Liu Bang. “You were born in Chu and are a Chu citizen. I saw you when you were young. The important task of restoring the country is now in your hands.”

Liu Bang immediately recalled the moment he met Him, or rather, the people they had met. The problem was that when he looked up, 'Qin' was looking at him with a half-smile, just listening to the spirits digging people up in front of him, without saying a word, letting them argue and bewitch him.

No way, no way, is He just acting like I'm the one?!

Putting aside his various thoughts, Liu Bang immediately declared righteously, "I, Liu Bang, was born a Qin man and will die a Qin soul. Even if I establish a new state, I will carry on the will of Qin. I am utterly loyal to you and have no other intentions!"

Of course, he remembered saying it in a low voice, but since there was a wall between them, no one could hear him.

The chaotic sounds from the other side were even less likely to travel; even if someone stood right in front of them, they wouldn't hear them.

His establishment of the new state was also full of ulterior motives. Just kidding, he wasn't a member of the Chu royal family. Even if the state was restored, he wouldn't be the emperor. Why should he risk his life for the restoration of Chu?

Whether or not the new society will have a new leader, we'll wait until he becomes emperor before arguing with 'Qin'.

Besides, even a fool could see the situation clearly at this moment. That inexplicable voice was simply trying to get something for nothing. There were no benefits, but the difficulty was enormous, and they would also have to withstand the pressure from 'Qin'. Only a fool would betray them.

They were clearly being suppressed by 'Qin'; they had just finished expressing their loyalty and were only scolded half a sentence before being silenced.

That was close; I almost made the wrong choice.

It's not terrible to go astray; what's terrible is that this wrong path is fabricated by the spirit.

Liu Bang even suspected that these female voices were created by 'Qin' itself. After so long since the fall of the six states, were their spirits still alive? Were they just here to test him?

Fortunately, he remained loyal and unyielding.

“I did see some interesting things when I went north.”

As he spoke of 'Qin,' he waved his hand, and an unfamiliar map appeared in the air. Compared to flat and abstract maps, this clear and three-dimensional map far surpassed all other maps of the time. Even though Liu Bang had never been to the northern border, he immediately recognized where this vast grassland was.

He had never actually been there, but his social circle had given him considerable experience, so even if he hadn't been, he had heard of it. He tentatively asked, "Is it the land of the Quanrong?"

Qin smiled and simply said, "Modu killed his father and seized power, becoming the Chanyu of the Xiongnu. When I went there, he happened to send a fine horse to the Donghu."

When Liu Bang learned that the man had murdered his father to seize the throne, he exclaimed, "Good heavens!" It wasn't that he thought the man was unfilial, but rather that he wondered why there wasn't a throne to inherit in his family.

Liu Taigong: Danger (jpg)

Liu Bang knew that if this person were ordinary, Qin wouldn't have specifically singled him out, so he sincerely asked, "Is there anything special about this person?"

“Extremely ruthless,” Qin said, waving his hand. The map in mid-air zoomed in, revealing more black dots on the grassland. Zooming in again revealed the Xiongnu royal court. The scene then shifted to the Yuezhi, where a man was stealing a horse and fleeing at night. “It’s a pity we can’t kill him now.”

"It made me wait and wait, and I vented my anger by beating up the Hun's unconvinced consciousness. Luckily, it was very sensible and I dispersed it, otherwise it would have made me even angrier."

Liu Bang immediately connected this with what someone had said earlier about 'Qin' going abroad to bully the weak. Of course, he didn't think there was anything wrong with this behavior. He wanted to applaud and say that it was a good thing. He thought so in his heart and said so in his mouth. He couldn't miss the rare opportunity to flatter.

"Sigh, what's the point of me winning? The important thing is whether you can win."

Liu Bang was deeply moved that Qin had entrusted him with such an important task, but he dared not act. What was he, a nobody, to fight the Xiongnu?

Meng Tian! Calling Meng Tian!

'Qin' didn't expect Liu Bang to make any promises, but continued to narrate the scene: "He fled back to the Xiongnu."

“Touman was also a fool. Why did he think that just because he was the ruler and father, he was certain that Modu wouldn’t dare to kill him?”

Liu Bang felt uneasy under the gaze of the "Qin" woman. He thought to himself, "What kind of barbarians are they to the north? What do they know about etiquette?" But in the end, he kept quiet and listened to her continue.

The one-minute footage quickly shows how Modu made whistling arrows and how he trained his men, from killing birds and beasts to killing his own beloved horse, then killing his beloved wife, and finally killing his father.

The next minute shows him killing his stepmother, his brother, and the ministers who disobeyed him. Only at the very end is there a scene of him declaring himself the Chanyu.

He's a complete scourge.

Liu Bang fell silent, reflecting on his own situation. He might also have murdered his father to seize power, but he couldn't bring himself to kill his wife. He even wondered if Modu was mentally ill.

No, why is he thinking about this? His family doesn't have a throne to inherit.

“This is your future opponent. I will suppress the Xiongnu and make them unable to live,” 'Qin' turned her head slightly and met Liu Bang’s gaze. Her calm eyes held a deep, dark glint. “Can you win?”

Liu Bang wanted to boost his own prestige, but unfortunately he knew in his heart: "The First Emperor has taken too big a step. The people of the world can no longer withstand the turmoil. If the world is truly pacified one day, it will definitely need to recuperate."

Qin nodded, quite satisfied with his reply. If Liu Bang had truly claimed to have defeated the Donghu and Xiongnu, she would have suspected he was either exaggerating or lying to her.

This answer was exactly what she expected. She smiled and said, "The fate of each country is like this, I don't blame you, but..."

Do you want to defy fate?

think!

Liu Bang didn't need much thought to know his answer. His destiny was perhaps to become a minor official, a mediocre village head, perhaps with one or two close friends, perhaps...

In short, he would never have the throne to pass to his descendants, but things are different now. His uprising was an attempt to change his fate; he both believes in and does not believe in fate.

When Qin said he was the second emperor of Qin, he believed in fate. Later, when it became clear that he would not become the second emperor of Qin, he stopped believing in fate and decided to fight for it himself.

It's clear that his belief system is entirely based on what's beneficial to him; he selectively believes in things that won't cause him any loss.

"I think so!" This change of fate should also benefit 'Qin', otherwise Liu Bang really couldn't understand why 'Qin' could be aligned with him.

“Good, that’s ambitious,” Qin said with a smile. “First, you have to protect one person. Do you remember Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu who came to you? I slightly influenced him when he was choosing where to settle down, and made him choose to live in Pei County. He was originally going to die in the war.”

"The current situation is difficult to change, but if we plan ahead, we may be able to change the future outcome. He is an example of my successful experiment."

In an instant, Liu Bang understood many things. He realized why some of His logic didn't work and why His behavior seemed strange. It was because He was playing chess with the future, and His opponent did not exist in the present.

It was too advanced for him to understand, and many of his questions were answered when she explained part of the plan.

Liu Bang nodded solemnly: "I will protect Wei Sheng to the ninety-nine percent."

Regardless of his reasons, he wanted to keep this talent. If this person were to die one day, it would be when he wanted to seek refuge with someone else. He couldn't let go of a talent he didn't have.

"But what does this have to do with the Xiongnu?"

“He will make the Xiongnu people sing and dance,” Qin’s smile suddenly changed, and an enigmatic aura enveloped him. “The situation can reverse, and fate can change in an instant. I will win everything.”

At this moment, it was certainly not a good time to say anything discouraging, so Liu Bang boldly declared, "I will certainly lend you a hand!"

A promise is not always necessary, but demonstrating loyalty is enough.

"Good boy." 'Qin' gracefully raised her hand and stroked Liu Bang's head.

Her height was similar to Liu Bang's, around 1.75 meters. The four or five centimeters that made Liu Bang taller was due to his hair being tied up in a bun, while she preferred to wear her hair down and not tie it up.

Her gesture of raising her hand was incredibly natural, and Liu Bang didn't flinch. Although Li Bai hadn't written about the immortal touching his head and bestowing upon him immortality, Liu Bang's mood was still suddenly stirred.

I'm even more motivated now!

Even at his age, he was still a child. He didn't blush at all. Just thinking about how Qin had lived for hundreds of years, he felt that he could be a grandson, or even a great-great-great-grandson.

"Ancestors, that map..."

'Qin': ? Well, you call him that quite naturally.

The woman named 'Qin' who was being recognized as a relative did not object to the title. Thinking that even if you were just trying to trick a donkey into moving forward, you still had to offer a carrot in front of it, she generously released a map of the entire Qin territory.

The light gold lines roughly outlined the terrain of the Qin state, and under Liu Bang's gaze, they gradually enlarged until they became a map of the area near present-day Huling County.

Each city and county was listed on it. Zhu Qing'ai thought that Xiao Kai wasn't enough, so she casually marked the number of people stationed there and the locations of the weakest points in the defenses.

How can it be considered cheating if you can't even see through the lock?

Liu Bang, who was on a winning streak on the spot, did not feel that this was unfair to the enemy. He felt that this was what he deserved. His loyalty was as good as heaven and earth, and he even moved the Qin army. This was all due to his abilities!

"Ancestors, can I look at this anytime?" Liu Bang called out to his ancestors more and more fluently, and while doing so, he didn't forget to push his luck.

After thinking for a moment, 'Qin' nodded: 'It's permissible within Qin territory.'

"Then does that mean the territory I conquered is no longer considered part of Qin territory...?" Liu Bang realized the problem in his words, but giving up the territory was out of the question. He could only think that once he conquered it, he wouldn't need a map anymore. The bigger problem was the areas controlled by other rebel armies...

"As you think, it's fine within Qin territory, and it's also fine in the places you control, but not for those who are trying to restore their kingdoms."

That's certainly possible, but saying it this way might make Liu Bang more proactive.

The evolution from 996 to 007 is also very necessary.

"However, the old maps can still be viewed, but they don't show real-time personnel movements."

Liu Bang exclaimed with delight, "Excellent, excellent! This is perfect! Ancestor, you've been too good to me!"

As Liu Bang spoke, he burst into tears, appearing deeply moved.

Qin just watched him cry quietly, without saying anything, her unchanging expression as if to say that she wasn't buying it.

After crying for a while, Liu Bang realized the reality, wiped away his tears without embarrassment, made another vow, and happily learned how to use the portable map.

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 15:40:40 and 17:38:05 on July 10, 2024!

Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: 14 bottles from the Flower Garden family;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!