Chapter 148 What evil intentions could our ancestors possibly have? (60)
"However, being granted the title of king..."
'Han' didn't really want to. She originally planned to go to Xianyang City with Lü Zhi. Although she could create clones, that way it would be less likely for the two of them to notice something was wrong.
If one person appears, the other person will definitely not appear. Does that mean these two people are the same person?
She still wanted to see the expression on Liu Bang and Lü Zhi's faces when they found out they weren't the only ones; it would be very interesting.
"It wouldn't hurt to go."
'Han': "But I still prefer the coronation ceremony."
Liu Bang easily understood what 'Han' meant; it meant urging him to quickly reunify the country.
Whether he ascends the throne or becomes emperor is not her concern; what she cares about is not breaking apart.
"The same goes for Bang."
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During the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, the Han general casually chose a spot and inadvertently stood in front of Liu Bang, who was performing the grand ceremony.
Liu Bang's lips twitched, then he bowed down without changing his expression.
What bad intentions could one have towards one's own ancestors? It must be because one acknowledges their status.
The officials who participated in the sacrificial ceremony did not notice anything amiss. They could not see the figure standing on the high platform. They only felt that the spring chill outside was not so cold, which was rather strange.
The simple sacrificial ceremony to Heaven ended quickly. It can be said that even without this ceremony, the people in the city would have acknowledged Liu Bang's status as King of Hanzhong.
====
The contents of that silk scroll had already spread far and wide, and it quickly reached other cities from Xianyang.
If we're talking about who was the first to know this news, besides the King of Chu and Liu Bang himself, it was Xiang Yu.
After returning from King Huai of Chu, Fan Zeng told Xiang Yu about it. Xiang Yu probably knew about Liu Bang becoming the King of Hanzhong even earlier than Liu Bang himself.
When news arrived from Xianyang, Liu Bang was offering sacrifices to Heaven in the city and officially proclaimed himself King, showing no intention of leaving the city.
"It seems that the King of Han has great ambitions and is after the whole country."
Fan Zeng's words were seemingly trivial, but they were also a reminder to Xiang Yu that he could no longer hesitate.
The army's morale had been hard-won, and he also believed that the impressive force the Han army had used that day was hard-won and that Liu Bang should not be given more breathing room.
"However, since he accepted that silk scroll, it means he acknowledged its contents. In that case, how can the King of Hanzhong remain in Guanzhong?"
Fan Zeng's eyes flickered, as if in question, yet also hinting: "Since ancient times, has there ever been a country whose capital was located outside its borders?"
"That's right. Liu Bang is in the wrong. Guanzhong is not his fiefdom, yet he lingers here, attempting to seize it."
Xiang Yu took a sip of wine from his cup before continuing, "It is only natural to let him leave Xianyang."
"And those unruly people in Xianyang actually helped him perform the sacrificial ceremony in the city... Heh."
Fan Zeng opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't try to persuade him. That was also a tactic. He had known all along that Xiang Yu was like this, hadn't he?
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Despite his constant cursing, Xiang Yu's messenger to Xianyang was outwardly polite, and his words were quite dignified.
Now that Prefect Liu has received his fief, he should go to his own territory, where the Chu army will take over.
Of course, these Chu soldiers were definitely not King Huai of Chu's men.
This was just an excuse Xiang Yu made up. If Liu Bang had been wise enough to retreat, that would have been fine. But if he didn't retreat, they would have simply besieged Xianyang instead of attacking the city. How could Liu Bang's soldiers possibly fight head-on against his hundreds of thousands of troops?
Those strange things on the city wall, as long as they don't get close, can they still take people's heads from thousands of miles away?
Xiang Yu knew that not only were some of Liu Bang's troops inside the city, but the outer walls were filled with more commoners gathered from the surrounding areas.
Hearing this news, he wanted to laugh at Liu Bang's womanly compassion. With so many people inside Xianyang, how long could Xianyang's own grain reserves last? If Liu Bang were truly smart, he should have surrendered obediently after sending envoys and before the army besieged Xianyang.
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When the envoy first arrived to persuade him, Liu Bang refused. However, he spoke eloquently and politely, and he also sent the envoy sent by Xiang Yu back safely.
They didn't kill the envoy.
Xiang Yu did not make any immediate move. He sent men to detour and cut off the routes from the nearby cities occupied by Liu Bang to Xianyang, while also searching for any possible hidden supply routes nearby.
When the envoy came a second time, he gave almost the same explanation. He even seemed quite nonchalant, as if he didn't care about Liu Bang's attitude.
Liu Bang recruited a group of trusted confidants, from strategists to military generals, as well as those who were skilled in diplomacy and strategy.
He was too lazy to hold a grand ceremony for temporary matters. Liu Bang did whatever was convenient for him. He even preferred to be surrounded by people, which was also a way to gain favor among a group of talented individuals.
"What do you all think Xiang Yu meant by this?"
Fan Kuai immediately said, "The Chu army is not trying to conceal their movements too much; they are probably cutting off the roads between Xianyang and other cities."
Liu Bang was silent for a moment. This meant that they were going to besiege him for a long time. It was also because his resources were meager, and the troops he brought were almost all of his wealth. He couldn't transfer many troops from other places.
He didn't control many of the surrounding cities, as he had been busy fighting Xiang Yu and hadn't had time to send troops to persuade them to surrender.
Although Ziying has surrendered, some cities are still observing. It's better to farm in Xianyang now than to rely on them for grain.
Thinking this through, Liu Bang looked at Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu with a somewhat whimsical idea: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, do you think it's still too late to start farming in the city?"
There is little farmland in the city, but it's not that there isn't any. What he was actually asking wasn't about starting to plant, but whether using the Microbial 99 method to improve the soil quality could increase the yield of grain at harvest time.
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu: "Fertile fields are not like a fairy garden, they cannot be cultivated."
Liu Bang anticipated this answer and was not disappointed; he was simply asking in case.
He then asked, "How much grain is currently stored in Xianyang?"
Someone replied, "If we consider the previous population of Xianyang, all the grain combined could barely feed the entire city for a year, but too many people moved into the city before..."
Even if that number is accurate, it includes the savings of the common people in the outer city and the possible donations from nearby cities.
There are too many people in the city right now. Even if he reports an inflated number, it'll still be... "At most three months..."
After all, it wasn't just the local people from outside the city who were brought into the city; there were also the troops that Liu Bang himself had brought, and the amount of grain they brought wasn't actually that much.
Liu Bang sighed. If the court hadn't repeatedly sent troops to quell rebellions, he might have had even more left over. He stopped thinking about it and looked at Ziying, asking, "Does the Prime Minister know if there are any hidden granaries in the city?"
What he really wanted to ask was whether the Qin royal family had any wealth or resources, but he phrased it more tactfully in the end.
Ziying thought it over and over: "There are no hidden granaries, but I can donate some."
His relationship with Liu Bang was certainly not that good. He decided to donate because he knew what kind of person Xiang Yu was. Wouldn't it be better to live well under Liu Bang and have the honorary title of prime minister? Only a fool would not help Liu Bang and instead kill himself at the hands of Xiang Yu.
Presumably, the clan would not refuse. The amount he could donate was not much; he was merely reminding Liu Bang that the city had more than just grain from the imperial court that could be requisitioned.
Ziying did give Liu Bang an idea, but he didn't intend to offend all the wealthy families in the city who had grain until he was really at his wit's end.
Liu Bang: "I thank you for your kindness, Prime Minister, but I still believe that Xiang Yu cannot conquer Xianyang."
Zhang Liang: "Fortunately, the letter from a few days ago has not yet been sent out, and the Queen should not have brought the two princes to Xianyang."
With so many of Duo Yu's troops outside the city, it was clearly not a good time to come.
But then he changed the subject: "However, we can also send another letter back to Pei County. The county had a bumper harvest last year and should still have surplus grain. We can make do with the stored grain for now. As long as we have a normal harvest this year, it won't have much of an impact on the county."
That sounds like a good idea. With the farming methods taught by the Minister of Agriculture, the amount of grain harvested has visibly doubled.
However, there is another problem: farming is not just about the land and people's efforts, but also about the weather. If the weather is favorable all year, then there is no problem. But if something goes wrong, the outcome is very uncertain.
Fan Kuai could tell that he still had a deep affection for his hometown, so he changed his approach: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, I wonder if you can take those cannons outside the city. If they can be mounted on the city walls, then going out to fight might not be out of the way."
Upon hearing Fan Kuai's words, everyone's attention in the room immediately focused on Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu.
"That cannon is very heavy."
Liu Bang: "Can we put it on a carriage and pull it along?"
"The chariot will be destroyed after the cannon fires."
Zhang Liang seemed to be thinking about something, then tentatively asked, "Then how about installing bronze wheels on the cannons?"
"Is it too late?"
Oh right, is there enough gunpowder? I was so busy asking if we could take the cannons out of the city to meet the enemy.
Liu Bang sighed, "If only they would attack the city on their own initiative, as long as they get within a certain range."
"What a pity, Xiang Yu wasn't a fool."
Zhang Liang thought about it and still didn't believe that Xiang Yu would take the initiative to attack the city. The lesson from last time was enough to make every normal person realize that it was not advisable to launch a direct attack on Xianyang City. The only way was to rely on wisdom, or rather, to besiege it.
After all, Xiang Yu's side did have a larger number of people.
“They outnumber us…” Zhang Liang suddenly said.
Liu Bang: "I know."
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