Chapter 149 The Price of Being a Good Person is Too High 61
Zhang Liang brought up something that seemed completely unrelated to the siege: "Xiang Yu and Zhang Han made a pact at the southern Yin Ruins, and appointed Zhang Han as the King of Yong and Sima Xin as the Supreme General."
"During this period, he led 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers, but before entering Guanzhong, Xiang Yu ordered all 200,000 surrendered soldiers to be buried alive in Xin'an City."
"Perhaps there were concerns about the large number of Qin soldiers and Zhang Han's prestige within the Qin army, but the massacre of them all... I believe it was because Xiang Yu's army lacked sufficient provisions. The provisions he carried might have been enough for 400,000 people, but adding another 200,000 would have been a stretch, so it's not surprising that those 200,000 were massacred."
Liu Bang immediately replied, "But those 200,000 men also followed Xiang Yu's army for a period of time, and even if the Qin court originally provided them with provisions, the consumption was much greater."
"What do you say, Ziying?"
Ziying said, "At that time, the Second Emperor Huhai was still alive. Zhang Han was defeated by Xiang Yu many times. The Second Emperor sent someone to reprimand Zhang Han. The chief clerk sent by Zhang Han came to Xianyang to ask for instructions, but was not received for several days."
Ziying then said tactfully, "...at that time, the imperial court did not send any new grain supplies there."
In short, it was meant to give Zhang Han a hard time, and as a result, Zhang Han actually betrayed them and made an alliance with Xiang Yu.
Zhang Liang nodded. He guessed that was the case. He had been reincarnated in his dreams many times over the years, and he already knew what Hu Hai was like. This was a dream created by 'Qin' himself, so he always knew Qin Er Shi better than they did.
"So, if things really drag on, it's not necessarily that we'll be the ones who can't hold on first."
With both sides dragging us down, we might not necessarily be the first to slink away from Guanzhong when things get really bad.
Besides, at least they can hold onto one city, while Xiang Yu has to figure out how to maintain his own camp.
The city walls of Xianyang were exceptionally tall, and with the cannons on top, as long as no one went out and deliberately caused a fatal accident, they could be dragged down.
But this couldn't go on forever, so Liu Bang was still thinking of a way to break the deadlock.
"The previous letters should not have been sent out yet. So, before Xianyang is besieged, let's go out through the other city gate and send another letter to tell the lady about the situation here, and tell her to be careful in Pei County."
"As for now, let's gather all the artisans in the city and hand them over to Weisheng, the Grand Minister of Agriculture. We can always come up with some other solutions."
====
A few days later, Liu Bang met with the messenger sent by Xiang Yu again. This time, the messenger brought a letter. Unlike Liu Bang, who was used to writing letters on paper, Xiang Yu was still using bamboo slips or silk.
Perhaps to show respect, Xiang Yu sent a silk scroll this time, with ink-black characters written on soft silk, which could be seen when unfolded...
Liu Bang read it through, discarding the useless words. What remained was nothing more than pressuring him with his fiefdom and title, saying that the King of Hanzhong should not occupy Guanzhong and should immediately withdraw from Guanzhong.
The reason for sending the letter of persuasion at this moment was only because he had made great contributions in capturing Xianyang, and they hoped that he would not do anything irrational.
Liu Bang scoffed. So the King of Chu and Xiang Yu also knew that the capture of Xianyang was his achievement. Why did they try to persuade him instead of sending a threatening letter to attack the city directly? Did they expect him to be grateful?
It's a pity, Guanzhong is his, and so are his ancestors.
Liu Bang even gloated, wondering what Xiang Yu's expression would be if he knew that the former Qin dynasty favored him to inherit the empire.
At least in the eyes of our ancestors, Xiang Yu was never taken seriously, nor could he possibly be their rival.
One has to admit that sometimes you can't go too far in what you do; the country is watching what you do.
Hehe~
As soon as he chuckled, Liu Bang covered his mouth, realizing he'd caught the trait from his ancestors.
I won't laugh next time.
He wasn't too nervous. In the past, he would have been worried about the emotions of the people in the city, but after what happened a few days ago, almost everyone in the city believed that Xiang Yu would definitely lose, and no one took the opportunity to cause trouble.
So after reading the letter, Liu Bang immediately wrote a reply, a few thin pages that conveyed his deep concern for Xiang Yu.
After finishing writing, Liu Bang folded the pages and put them into an envelope, writing on the envelope: "To General Xiang personally."
He handed the letter to the messenger with a smile and kindly instructed him, "Be sure to deliver this letter to the general."
The messenger was somewhat puzzled, but judging from Liu Bang's attitude, he figured the letter probably meant compromise, concession, and appeasement. So he nodded demurely and said, "I will certainly deliver it."
As soon as the envoy turned around, Liu Bang's expression turned cold, and he chuckled inwardly.
He didn't write anything nice in his letter; he did everything he could to provoke us.
After all, Xiang Yu was an impulsive person. Being mocked like this by someone he looked down on might just lead him to besiege the city tomorrow.
Now let's see if Xiang Yu can act impulsively, or if his men can stop him.
Just in case, after the messenger left, Liu Bang summoned Fan Kuai and ordered him to lead another group of people to patrol and defend the city walls in the next few days, and not to slacken their efforts.
Liu Bang wasn't afraid that Xiang Yu could scale the walls and break through, but when it comes to war, it's always better to be prepared.
====
Before receiving Liu Bang's reply, Xiang Yu was still arguing about whether or not to attack.
Each of the people below had their own opinion.
This person said, "We cannot attack Xianyang in such a hurry. Putting aside the strange phenomenon that day, we have not even figured out the defensive equipment they have, let alone sent people to steal it."
When they first sent envoys to Xianyang, they attempted to steal the blueprints for the manufacture of those powerful defensive siege weapons.
It was a regrettable failure, and many people in the camp were afraid of the equipment.
However, if that were the only idea, so many people wouldn't be arguing. As soon as someone said that we shouldn't rush to attack, someone else retorted: "If that thing were really that useful, you wouldn't have the chance to sit here. We should be in the ground, not on the ground."
"There's no need to be afraid of the strange phenomenon that day. If it really existed, why didn't it appear when Liu Bang entered Xianyang? So Xianyang doesn't seem like a city guarded by a divine beast."
"Yes, the strange phenomenon only appeared when Liu Bang was being attacked. Doesn't that further prove that the phenomenon was related to him? It didn't happen in Xianyang, but it did happen to him. What difference does that make?"
A sarcastic remark caused the expressions of the people around to change.
In the midst of the argument, some people got so angry that they started rolling up their sleeves, but it was Xiang Yu, who was in the lead, who spoke up and asked:
What does the Master think?
Regardless of what will happen in the future, the person Xiang Yu trusts most right now is none other than Fan Zeng, whom he is revered as his "Uncle Father".
"In my opinion, the strange phenomenon that day was nothing to fear. As you all just said, if that phenomenon could really be orchestrated by that brat Liu Bang, there would be no need for you to discuss it here today."
"Of course, a direct assault on the city is also not advisable..."
"Why not test the waters first?"
As for how to test the waters, Fan Zeng already had a plan in mind. He looked around and said, "I have heard that even in times of chaos, the King of Hanzhong does not forget his benevolence. Even when he himself is in danger, he still shows kindness by bringing the common people around Xianyang into the city."
"Firstly, it's for reputation, and secondly, it's to prevent us from recruiting soldiers," Fan Zeng sneered. "But a virtuous person isn't so easy to pretend to be, so we sent people to the villages and towns outside Xianyang to see if everyone had really gone to Xianyang."
Most people present had already realized what Fan Zeng wanted to do. There are just some people in the world who would rather die in their hometown than leave home no matter what.
There must be quite a few people like that around, and if you really want to send someone to search, you can find them.
“We’ve found them. Let’s escort them to attack the city. The people living outside Xianyang are mostly commoners who were recruited from the surrounding areas. They have many connections with those people. How will the King of Hanzhong choose?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. The price of being a good person in chaotic times was indeed high. They all felt that Liu Bang's acting was too fake, but few of them thought of this method. Only Fan Zeng could come up with such a way of killing someone by destroying their spirit.
Not only did they want to annoy Liu Bang, but they also wanted to disgust him.
Perhaps those lowly people couldn't conquer Xianyang, but they could certainly annoy Liu Bang.
Xiang Yu immediately nodded; as for using innocent civilians as cannon fodder, it really meant nothing to him.
With Xiang Yu's approval, someone immediately went to handle the matter.
The soldiers who went to find people were those who hadn't been on the battlefield recently. Those who had been on the battlefield and experienced the strange phenomena were still somewhat afraid of Xianyang City.
This time, Fan Zeng's plan was not just to annoy Liu Bang, but to test those people. No matter what, he wouldn't lose out.
====
Zhang Er was an ordinary farmer living outside Xianyang City, with no surname, clan name, or given name. He was so old that he was nearing death and had difficulty living alone.
Even so, he did not go to Xianyang City with his other family members some time ago, partly because he couldn't bear to leave his family, and partly because he didn't want to burden them any further.
There are many people like this in his village. Those who stay behind still take care of their fields, thinking that they are all so old, and they can't be forcibly conscripted into the army.
Take good care of the land, and when the war is over and your family returns from Xianyang, they can continue farming.
Zhang Er sat in front of his house, enjoying the cool air, thinking about the land he had irrigated the day before.
However, life is not so unchanging...
"Run!"
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