Chapter 258 Admonition to Chu
Xiang Ying.
Xiang Yu and Luo Xin sat opposite each other.
Xiang Yu captured Empress Lü, Liu Ying and Liu Le, but because of Luo Xin, he did not make things difficult for them. He merely confined them to house arrest. Especially Liu Le, even the house arrest was not that strict. His living conditions were even much better than when he was in Pei County.
There was a wine cup on the table, and the atmosphere between the two was not solemn, but rather relaxed.
Xiang Yu said with a smile on his face: "Your elder brother Luo Gongling speaks like a sage in the Book of Songs, sits upright like a superior official in etiquette, his crown is always straight, his robe has not even a wrinkle, and he always toasts to King Su first when drinking. This is a person in the book, truly isolated from the world, and should not exist in the human world.
I am the emperor of the world, so I don't want to communicate with Luo Gongling. Now that you have come to my country, I am very happy. "
Luo Xinwen laughed. The eldest brother had always bound himself with strict rules, because once he broke free from the restraints, the damage he caused would be too great.
Thinking about how Xiang Yu was kind to him and that Lu Zhi and others had not been troubled by him, Luo Xin wanted to repay him.
So he asked in a deep voice: "King Xiang, the hunters in the mountains kill the deer to get its meat, not to let other beasts eat it; the farmers harvest the grain to fill their stomachs, not to let rats steal it. This is the principle that everything you do must be rewarded.
After your great victory in Yingdu, you abolished the original princes and gained so much land and population, but you redistributed the lands of the princes to their ministers. This is something Xin cannot understand. "
Xiang Yu replied, "The venison obtained by the hunters and the grain obtained by the farmers are rotten. Can they still use them to fill their stomachs?
Those lands do not obey my rule. If I send members of my royal family to guard them, the result will be like that of King Qin and King Yong. Not only will it be ineffective, it will also cause harm to me.
That is why I have to use these local nobles. I have granted them fiefs and made them noble from being humble. Is there any other way for them to go besides being loyal to me?"
In fact, if Xiang Yu had not been unwilling to anger Luo Ling, what he would have wanted to do most was to kill all those who were unwilling to obey, and then migrate the Chu people there, just like what King Su did to the barbarians back then, so that the Chu Kingdom would be stable.
Luo Xin sighed secretly, it was indeed the case, so he persuaded: "King Xiang, you are the supreme ruler of the world, it is your power to confer rewards, but conferring rewards is a complicated matter, and the key lies in people.
You are now directly dividing up several counties without any identification. I believe you want to win the hearts of the various countries and completely defeat the princes who oppose you.
Especially the King of Han!
But can a dam made of earth withstand the impact of floods?
Can a sparrow flying through the woods reach the sky?
Only brave warriors can defend your land, and only wise men can make plans for you. Without these people, no matter how dangerous the mountains and rivers are, they will just be food for others.
There are so many insects among the princes. You defeated them easily. You must be very clear about their strength.
The King of Han defeated Meng Tian, broke through Guanzhong, and conquered the Three Qins. He went out of the pass and raised his flag to win the submission of the princes. Isn't he a hero worthy of your serious attention?
You defeated him outside Yingdu, and he abandoned his wife and fled in panic, but as long as a man like him is alive, he will definitely rise again in Guanzhong. Do you think you can stop the King of Han with those people?
If they cannot be stopped and defeated, the entire country will belong to the King of Han.
The vast land you own now is like a lotus leaf without roots, floating on the water. Just a small storm will destroy it in the blink of an eye.
You will change from the emperor of the Xia to the King of Chu. How much blood of the Chu people will you have to shed before you can conquer the world again?
This is what Xin can advise you. "
Xiang Yu's eyes immediately flashed with ferocity when he heard this, and his tone became somewhat unfriendly, of course not directed at Luo Xin, but at the people Luo Xin mentioned, and he said with a hint of chilliness: "Sir, I have been thinking about a question.
The land of the Xia Dynasty is five thousand miles, but how little of it is suitable for living.
The people of Chu love me, the people of Qin resent me, and the people of Zhao, Wei, Han and Qi do not regard me as their leader.
Although Jiangdong is a fertile land of fish and rice, it is not as good as the vast plains of the Central Plains. The land of the Chu people is gradually becoming less. I think that making those who love me suffer and those who resent me enjoy themselves is not the way it should be between heaven and earth.
I want to drive them to the Taihang Mountains, and then move the Chu people there so that they can reproduce and thrive as much as they want. Do you think this policy can be implemented?"
Luo Xin was completely stunned. Even a wise man like him couldn't understand Xiang Yu's train of thought.
After thinking carefully about what I said, I finally understood a little bit.
Perhaps Xiang Yu did not listen to the previous advices, but the King of Chu did.
Moreover, Xiang Yu was really talented in brutality. His naked slaughter was restrained by the family honor and Luo family, and he resorted to forced migration.
In any era, unprepared migration is equivalent to a massacre. Given the national strength and organizational level of the Luo State, it took a lot of effort to carry out the migration.
If Xiang Yu really carried out migration, large numbers of people would starve to death on the road. Even if they survived, how could they survive from the plains to the mountains? How could the mountains accommodate the population of the plains!
"King Xiang!"
Luo Xin frowned and said, "The people of Chu love you, and you are willing to be friendly with them. This is reasonable, but you are the common ruler of the world. Even King Su is willing to treat all the people of Zhuxia well. If you don't show kindness to the world, how do you know that your subjects are unwilling to support you?
Everyone in the world knows that you are a descendant of King Su. You should think about it before you do anything. King Su's spirit is in heaven. Will he watch his descendants turn China into a purgatory?
You gained the world because of your talent and the support of the Chu people, but it would be impossible to consolidate the world if you only rely on these two things.
You are a descendant of the Xiang family. Haven't you heard that if you rise by this, you will fall by this?"
After hearing the words of King Su, Xiang Yu's murderous intent finally calmed down and he said, "My lord, you rose with this and will fall with this. I never approve of this.
Decline will only come when the things that make people prosper are lost. As long as I and the people of Chu are of one mind, there is nothing in the world that we cannot defeat.
If King Su were still here, he would definitely protect the State of Chu even if the State of Luo ceased to exist.
Please go back, sir. I am tired."
Xiang Yu issued an order to expel the guests, but he was still very polite. If it were someone else, he would have been driven out long ago.
Luo Xin then stood up to say goodbye. Yu Ji walked out from behind the screen, sat next to Xiang Yu and whispered, "Your Majesty, I think what Gongzi Xin said makes some sense. After all, there are too many people in this world to kill. If that's the case, we have to take their hearts."
Xiang Yu said nothing, but asked, "How is the Queen of Han?
I am the King of Western Chu, a hero of my lifetime, and I cannot have the reputation of being harsh on women and children."
"Don't worry, my king. I have made all the arrangements."
Yu Ji recalled the conversation with Lü Zhi and could not help but say, "She was a wonderful woman. It is a pity that she married the old man, the King of Han."
"oh?"
Yu Ji said softly: "When I arrived, the Queen of Han was reading. She was very beautiful and had a smile on her face. You couldn't tell that she was a captive and confined.
The King of Han abandoned her and fled, even to her children...
If I were to encounter such a thing, I would definitely not be as calm as she is.
I talked to her and she was very calm. She thanked you for your kindness to her and asked about your latest situation.
I chatted with her and she has profound knowledge and good upbringing. She must be a good wife. However, as Your Majesty said, she never asked a single question about the King of Han. "
Xiang Yu stretched out his hand and took Yu Ji's soft body into his arms. "Liu Ji is just like this. I am different from Liu Ji. You and I will live together in life and be buried together in death. We will never be apart."
Yu Ji leaned tightly in Xiang Yu's arms. When she saw Lu Zhi's calm and indifferent expression, she realized the importance of having a confidant.
Luo Xin walked out of the Chu Palace and stood in the corridor surrounded by high walls on both sides. He looked at the palace gate slowly falling and sighed slightly.
“If one day you saw Jiangdong in ruins because of you, Jiangdong’s young men dying because of you, and Jiangdong’s elders in mourning because of you, would you still persist in your military power?
Without profound wisdom and planning, and unwillingness to listen to correct advice, how can you succeed?
Your eldest brother was willing to protect the King of Qi because of the Lu family. Liu Bang also knew that he could rely on his wife's status to get close to his third brother. As a descendant of the Xiang family, you should be close to the Luo family. You are the only candidate for the supreme ruler of the world.
But you are so stubborn that you won't listen to Luo's advice, let alone others. No wonder my elder brother distanced himself from you after he destroyed Qin."
Watching the light in the palace gradually disappearing, Luo Xin seemed to see the brilliant light before his eyes finally falling. Character determines destiny, and a character like Xiang Yu is doomed to failure.
Luo Xin turned and left with some regret. Unlike Lu Zhi, he was free in this city. Xiang Yu still had some trust in Luo.
Lu Zhi was tending to flowers and plants in an independent courtyard. She was thinking about the woman who was like a delicate flower in the afternoon. Probably all men would like such a woman.
In her heart, Lu Zhi was indeed grateful to Xiang Yu. After all, in the current situation, Xiang Yu was magnanimous by not killing her. Judging from the treatment she received, it was real favor, although she knew that it was brought by Luo Xin.
————
After Emperor Gaozu had unified the empire, he conferred titles on his meritorious officials. However, Dong'e had not yet been conferred a title, and all the officials were suspicious. Emperor Gaozu said, "Prince Xin has made contributions to the private sector, but has no merit to the Han Dynasty, so he should not be conferred a title of nobility."
Dong'a was given ten thousand gold coins, but he refused to accept them, saying, "To accept a reward without merit is not the behavior of a gentleman."
He then hung up his sword and returned home.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
