Chapter 122 The Orphan 34
Most people had no objection to Liu Bang's decision. After all, the worst thing they had ever done was kill surrendered soldiers, and no one present had ever done anything like massacring entire cities.
Habits are terrifying; once you start, there's only the choice between zero times and countless times.
While Liu Bang's men were still able to refrain from entering the city to burn, kill, and plunder, this did not mean that no one in the group envied those who could enter the city to loot.
After Liu Bang noticed this phenomenon, he first looked at the situation in the city and saw that Xiang Yu's men were no longer there before he ordered his men to gather together.
"Does everyone remember why we started this uprising?"
Zhang Liang stood aside listening to Liu Bang begin to speak. He was quite favorable towards Liu Bang's decision, after all, he wasn't a bloodthirsty person.
Moreover... after hearing Liu Bang's question, he also recalled his reasons for rebelling against Qin: besides restoring the country, it was because the people of the world had suffered under Qin for too long.
"The imperial court levies exorbitant taxes and levies. Last year, they minted new coins, but the new coins are far inferior to the old ones, weighing significantly less. Yet they force us to use the new coins. What's the difference between this and robbery?"
"If we enter the city today, what difference is there between us and the imperial court in terms of burning, killing, looting, and plundering?"
Liu Bang paused. He still remembered that Qin was standing right next to him. When she spoke, she only mentioned the court and didn't mention Qin's name. How could she be wrong? The court was wrong, and it had nothing to do with Qin.
“Our uprising is to overthrow the court, not to become like them. Those in power are corrupt and cannot plan for the long term, but our state wants to plan a peaceful and prosperous future for everyone.”
Whether or not it can be achieved, let's at least make a grand promise.
The soldiers below listened with bright eyes. Yes, who would want to fight if they could farm? They were all people who used to work in the fields, and they hadn't been holding weapons for very long.
"Now we have no choice but to fight, we absolutely must..."
Zhang Liang's gaze towards Liu Bang had changed. Indeed, Qin law was harsh and involved the innocent in large-scale collective punishment. What difference was there between Xiang Yu's reasoning and collective punishment? It was nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black.
Zhang Liang had already abandoned the idea of running away. A benevolent superior was always more attractive to him than a tyrannical one. He even turned around to look at his surroundings, trying to figure out whether 'Qin' had arrived based on his own abilities. However, he did not have that ability. All around him were Liu Bang's soldiers.
Xiang Yu's men were already eager to enter the city and loot, and there wasn't even a guard at the city gate, Zhang Liang thought to himself with a sneer.
While Zhang Liang was distracted looking for someone, Liu Bang had already mentioned who didn't have parents and who didn't have a wife and children. Most importantly, this wasn't even the old Qin territory. If Xiang Yu dared to do this, what would happen if Xiang Yu came knocking on their door one day?
People are always more concerned about themselves, even though these soldiers come from all over the surrounding area.
Although customs and traditions vary from place to place, they felt terrified once they put themselves in that situation. Who wouldn't be afraid if such a terrifying, mobile criminal gang was operating near their hometown?
Especially the soldiers of Dang County who had recently surrendered felt a chill run down their spines and were extremely grateful that it was Liu Bang who led the troops to attack them, giving them the opportunity to surrender.
For a moment, they felt that Liu Bang himself was practically radiating light, and many people exclaimed that the Duke of Pei was benevolent and kind.
Having achieved his goal and given Xiang Yu a piece of his mind, Liu Bang was quite satisfied with his more cohesive troops, but he couldn't laugh out loud at this moment.
They also had to look heartbroken and gaze towards the city.
----
Ultimately, Liu Bang still had to lead his men into the city. After all, they needed to rest and recuperate after the battle, and it was impossible for them to stay outside the city forever.
The fire burned for a whole day. By the time Liu Bang led his men into the city the next day to clean up the mess, the city was already silent, and the wind blew through the streets but there was no trace of anyone.
No, actually there are still some: bloodstains and corpses everywhere, as well as traces of burning, but the difference between the living and the dead is vast.
The soldiers from Dang County who had surrendered were the ones with the worst complexions among Liu Bang's troops. Thanks to their relatively good logistics and timely supply of food and fodder, they really did not rob when Liu Bang ordered them not to.
There were very few survivors left in the city; the soldiers who entered were the last remaining survivors.
Zhang Liang suddenly spoke up: "Lord Pei, did you hear anything?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bang stopped and listened carefully. He said, "It sounds like I can hear faint weeping, but weren't all the people in the city killed...?"
"There's a child in the wooden box in the room to the left," Zhu Qing'ai said. The environment here made her uncomfortable. It was only because she was a projection that she wouldn't vomit because of the environment and could still maintain her image, though her expression wasn't very pleasant.
Liu Bang's eyes darted around, and he had a plan in mind. He had seen everything that happened after entering the city.
But what can he do? That's just how chaotic times are. He has very little compassion, but when it's time to show it, he can do it perfectly!
"You, and you too, hurry over there and see what's going on at that house!"
Two soldiers were called upon and quickly ran to the spot Liu Bang pointed to. After a while, they came out carrying a baby in swaddling clothes.
"Reporting to Lord Pei, it's a child..."
The child had dried blood on his face, his eyes clear and innocent, not understanding what had happened. He was only crying because he was hungry. Zhang Liang's voice was slightly hoarse: "They must have let the child go..."
But what's the use of letting them go? Such a young child will die in a couple of days if no adult takes care of them.
The word "hypocritical" popped into his mind.
Liu Bang glanced at Qin's face out of the corner of his eye. She stared at the child with a blank expression, her thoughts unreadable.
But Liu Bang could guess that, out of pity, and most importantly, to please her, he said, "How can such a young child survive now..."
The little, soft bundle stopped crying after being held, but kept tugging at the person's sleeve and making "ah ah oh oh" sounds as if it wanted to express something.
The people around him weren't made of stone, and hearing Liu Bang say this, they felt sympathy for the child.
"How about this, if we find any living children, we'll take them with us. You guys go and see if there's a donkey cart nearby."
"only."
Liu Bang did the math: raising a few children was just a matter of time. If he could win the favor of the Qin, he would make a huge profit.
They walked towards the city and searched for many people along the way, but in reality, not many survived. After meeting up with Xiang Yu, the donkey cart they found only carried a dozen or so children, none of whom were even over three years old.
They had seen children as old as they were; some died in their parents' arms, some died in rice jars, and some were run over and killed on the roadside.
Xiang Yu was stationed on an open space on the west side of the city. When Liu Bang led his men there, Xiang Yu was holding a victory celebration banquet.
Xiang Yu also saw the dozen or so children Liu Bang had brought back. He frowned and asked, "Did you pick them up in the city?"
There was no conflict between them at the moment, and Liu Bang, being sensible, did not say anything provocative. He simply smiled and said, "I feel sorry for them and plan to take them back to Pei County."
Xiang Yu glanced at Liu Bang again and said disdainfully, "Woman's kindness."
He felt that Liu Bang was incapable of achieving great things, and after saying this, Xiang Yu realized that he had nothing in common with someone like Liu Bang, so he turned and left.
However, since they would still be pursuing the Qin army together, Xiang Yu did not let Liu Bang get rid of those burdens. He only told him to send the people away quickly so as not to delay the march the next day.
Liu Bang readily agreed. He had a good understanding of Xiang Yu's temperament and did not want to cause conflict with him. Before setting off, he arranged for a dozen men to take donkey carts back to the county they had previously been stationed in before heading towards Pei County.
Xiang Yu was very satisfied with Liu Bang's sensibility. Although Liu Bang held a higher official position than him, he didn't care much, since Liu Bang's superior was still Xiang Liang.
Xiang Yu rarely had anyone he respected, and Liu Bang was certainly not among those he admired.
----
The loot was either gathered together and sent back, or the soldiers secretly hid it away. After a few days of rest, the army once again pursued the Qin army.
From Chengyang to Puyang East, Xiang Yu led his troops at the forefront, displaying great prowess and once again inflicting a major defeat on the Qin army.
However, Qin reinforcements had already arrived, and Liu Bang knew that Puyang was probably beyond his reach. He had received this news earlier than anyone else, as the markings on his personal map were clear.
Therefore, after receiving the definite news, Liu Bang suggested bypassing Puyang and attacking elsewhere.
----
Empress Lü looked at the letter in her hand, then at the dozen or so children being cared for. Originally, sixteen children were sent, but two died on the way due to unforeseen circumstances, and the remaining one, who was seriously ill, had been sent to a clinic.
Only thirteen people came to her in good health. She recalled the contents of the letter: Xiang Yu massacred the city, and all the people in the city died, leaving only these dozen or so orphans.
Out of pity, I had it delivered, hoping she could make arrangements to support it.
It wasn't difficult to arrange for a dozen or so children; she was just wondering when Liu Bang had become so kind.
Having shared a bed for so many years, she still knew very well what kind of person Liu Bang was. Today's behavior was like the sun rising in the west.
strangeness.
“Find an empty house in the city and put these children in it…” Lü Zhi frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, “Since we’ve already started, let’s do it to the best of our ability.”
"Pass on my order: go and ask the families who followed Liu Bang in his campaigns if they have any children who are left unattended, and bring them along."
"Even if they die, their children will still have food to eat in the sales orphanage."
"Madam is kind!" The messenger looked at Lü Zhi with gratitude. What he worried about most when he was fighting on the front lines was that his family would be left unattended after he died.
“We asked some women who had given birth to take care of the place, posted a notice on the notice board under the altar, and assigned someone to be in charge.”
"only."
Although she didn't know what Liu Bang meant by suddenly saving more than a dozen children, once she had the idea, she realized that it was actually quite simple to get her subordinates to work for her.
Liu Bang did not propose the establishment of any orphanage; this idea came to her in a flash of inspiration. Raising a dozen or so children was the same as raising more.
However, she still needs to consider these expenses; they are poor now and cannot afford to live beyond their means.
Lü Zhi rested her chin on her hand and thought, "So what Wei Sheng said is true? If it's really as good as he said, then we won't have to keep calculating the harvest every day."
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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 2024-07-24 21:49:03 and 2024-07-26 21:55:15!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yu Xi (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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