Volume 1: Kyoto Winds and Clouds Chapter 26: Obtaining the Divine Sword and Blackmailing the Emperor

  Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, was one of the few heroes at the end of the Qin Dynasty. He had unparalleled divine power and was extremely skilled in leading troops and fighting battles. Unfortunately, although Xiang Yu was very strong in tactics and had a good hand in leading troops, his strategic and political vision was very short-sighted. Moreover, he was a very intelligent person who often refuted the advisors around him, so people often said that he was arrogant and self-willed.

  Han Gaozu Liu Bang repeatedly defeated by Xiang Yu, finally relying on politics and strategy, united with various lords in Gaixia to defeat Xiang Yu. It is said that after Xiang Yu was defeated, he escaped to the banks of the Wujiang River, where his black horse transformed into a black dragon, while the weapon in his hand transformed into a white light.

  What kind of weapon Xiang Yu used has always been a mystery. Some say it was a knife, some say it was a spear, and others say it was a halberd. However, so far, the "Duke of Conquest Spear", "Duke of Conquest Halberd" and "Duke of Conquest Knife" have all appeared, each one being a divine and sharp instrument. The "Duke of Conquest Spear" collected by Liu Hong was originally used by Huo Qubing, but whether it was left behind by Xiang Yu is unknown.

  Liu Hong felt a bit uneasy when he saw the sword of beheading snakes summoning Liu Zhang. Then, he heard an inexplicable sound of granting a sword, and Liu Hong became somewhat wary of Liu Zhang. Because although the sword of beheading snakes had been used by Huo Qubing, it was still the emperor's sword, otherwise it wouldn't have been stored in the imperial treasury! Now that the Hegemon Spear has fallen, Liu Hong felt relieved, because what he heard was to let Liu Zhang protect the Great Han, and this spear was also used by Huo Qubing. In Liu Hong's heart, Liu Zhang was his Huo Qubing. Liu Hong firmly believed that as long as he didn't die, he would definitely be able to control Liu Zhang, and if he died, even if Liu Zhang usurped the throne, it would still be the Han dynasty. As for his own son, in the imperial court, the incompetent would always be eliminated.

  Liu Hong looked at the spear and sword and said: "It seems that heaven has ordained it, my imperial brother will have to use these two weapons!"

  "Brother, are you joking?" Liu Zhang bitterly smiled and said: "This sword is still manageable, it's only seven feet long. But this spear is over ten feet long and weighs at least eighty pounds or more, how can I possibly use it?"

  "Don't worry, imperial brother! This sword is not for you to use now, I'll give it to you first! When you can use it, take it out and use it!" From this one sword, Liu Hong firmly believed that Liu Zhang was sent by heaven to assist him, so he became even more generous.

  "In that case, my brother will not be polite!" Liu Zhang was not very old, but his face was absolutely thicker than the city wall. With an attitude of not taking it for nothing, he put away the Hegemon-King Spear!

  "Right!" Liu Zhang had originally planned to take it and leave, lest Liu Hong regretted it. But seeing Liu Hong being so generous, he got a greedy idea. Then Liu Zhang said: "Brother, I don't know if you have any knives or spears here, I'm worried that guns aren't suitable for me, learning more has its benefits, doesn't it?"

  Actually, martial arts all have their commonalities; otherwise, where would the legendary masters who are proficient in all eighteen types of weapons come from? However, Liu Hong didn't understand. When he heard Liu Zhang say this, he thought it made a lot of sense. In order to win over Liu Zhang, Liu Hong smiled and said: "There should be! Look for some, and also help that Huang Zhong find a few pieces. I think his martial arts skills are extraordinary; if he had a good sword, he would be even more formidable! With him protecting you, I can rest assured!"

  Liu Zhang originally wanted to help Huang Zhong, and now that Liu Hong has spoken out, he naturally won't be hypocritical. After a flurry of rummaging, Liu Zhang found in the treasury a large Xiaolong Que knife, an iron-tendon bow, a pair of iron halberds, and a Longlin knife. Then Liu Hong took out several sets of battle armor and a piece of soft armor. Unfortunately, none of them were usable by Liu Zhang at present.

  After thoroughly plundering Liu Hong's treasury, Liu Zhang returned to the Zong Zheng Fu. Of course, among those things, except for the beheading sword which Liu Zhang carried with him, all others were sent by Liu Hong. Otherwise, even twenty Liu Zhangs might not have been able to take them back. However, looking at a whole cart of weapons and armor, Liu Yan was somewhat dazzled!

  "Han Sheng! Yan Yan!" Liu Zhang shouted loudly as soon as he entered the mansion: "Come out and divide the spoils!"

  At the sound of Liu Zhang's shout, Huang Zhong, Yan Yan and Shi Er all came out!

  "Prince, this..." Huang Zhong and others were also shocked.

  Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Your Majesty knows that I am determined to serve the country, so he sent me a few things. Let's take a look, is there anything suitable?"

  Huang Zhong and Yan Yan were both skilled with knives. As soon as they saw Da Xiaolong Que and Longlin, their eyes couldn't move away.

  "Is this really for us?" Yan Yan swallowed his saliva and said: "These are all divine weapons!"

  "Are you not going to give these divine weapons to anyone? Are they just going to stay at home and collect dust?" Liu Zhang smiled and said, "Enough idle chatter. Each of you two take one of these knives, this bow is for Huang Zhong, and each of you will get a set of armor for future battles. As for this soft armor, Shi Ah Xian will wear it! I originally wanted to help you get a good sword, but Master Wang said that the sword in your hand is no ordinary sword, there's no need to switch!"

  Liu Zhang divided up the equipment on the carriage, taking away more than half of it, and leaving the rest for future use. Huang Zhong and others immediately went to familiarize themselves with their new equipment, but Liu Zhang still had an old father to deal with. Liu Yan had been waiting for Liu Zhang, wanting to know why he was so determined to go to Youzhou.

  Father and son sat opposite each other, Liu Zhang suddenly smiled and said: "Is Father still angry about the child going to Youzhou?"

  "Just want to hear your reason for going to Youzhou!" Liu Yan took a sip of tea and said: "Since you recovered normally five years ago, I can see that you are not an ordinary person. Your intelligence and strategy have surpassed those of ordinary adults, even as a father, but you are only eight years old this year. Staying in Luoyang has famous teachers to guide you, why go to the dangerous land of Youzhou where foreign tribes roam?"

  "Father, what do you think of the Han dynasty's future?" Liu Zhang did not answer Liu Yan's question, but instead asked one in return.

  "Liu Yan thought for a moment and said: 'Our great Han has undergone several political upheavals, coupled with the eunuchs' interference in politics, the prospects are worrying!'"

  "Father is wrong!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "In fact, the use of eunuchs is where the emperors of past dynasties showed their wisdom. As for saying that eunuchs disrupt politics, that's because Father hasn't seen through to the essence of things!"

  "Oh?!" Liu Yan's face was full of surprise, he knew his youngest son was very clever, but didn't expect that this young son would say he understood more than his father. Liu Yan smiled and said: "Then tell me, my son, why did the Great Han Dynasty end up in such a chaotic situation."

  "Land!" Liu Zhang spat out two words from between his teeth.

  "Land?" Liu Yan asked somewhat puzzled: "Why is it land?"

  "Father, eunuchs may be powerful, but they can only hold power for one generation. They have no offspring and are destined not to usurp the throne. As long as there is a wise and enlightened ruler born into the world, it is easy to take back power. That's why I say that employing eunuchs is the clever move of emperors throughout history!"

  "That makes sense!" Liu Yan nodded and said: "Eunuchs have always been dependent on the emperor, usurping the throne is not very beneficial."

  "The aristocratic families are different, once they take power, the emperor may not be able to control them! In fact, the biggest aristocratic family of the Han Dynasty is our Liu family!" Liu Yan nodded repeatedly, and suddenly Liu Zhang asked: "Father, do you know why the Qin Dynasty perished?"

  "Qin Shi Huang was tyrannical, the Second Emperor was greedy, and they did not care about the people's strength. The eunuch Zhao Gao held power..." Every time Liu Yan reported an answer, a strange look appeared in Liu Zhang's eyes. Finally, Liu Yan couldn't take it anymore and directly knocked on Liu Zhang's head, scolding: "If you have something to say, say it quickly! If you have fart, let it out quickly! Are you playing with me? It's fun!"

  "Hmm! It's quite interesting!" Seeing Liu Yan having a tendency to explode, Liu Zhang hurriedly sat up straight and said: "What Father said are all the reasons given by aristocratic families. Actually, the reason for the downfall of the Qin Dynasty is only one - the common people had nothing to eat!"

  Liu Yan was shocked. From the beginning of his studies, his teachers had told him that the Qin Dynasty was destroyed due to eunuchs' misrule and the cruelty of the First Emperor. But his son gave a different answer, which couldn't help but astonish Liu Yan.

  Ignoring Liu Yan's astonishment, Liu Zhang continued: "As long as there is food, the common people will not rebel. If the common people do not rebel, even if the First Emperor was cruel and Zhao Gao misruled, the Qin Dynasty would not have perished! But why did the common people not have enough to eat? It was because of land annexation! Who was it that annexed the land? The aristocratic families! When all the land was annexed by the aristocratic families, the common people had no land to cultivate, but the country's population continued to surge. Originally, one mu of land could support one person, but later one mu of land had to support three or even ten people. The common people had nothing to eat, so they had to rise up and rebel. When war broke out, people would die, and some aristocratic families would also be overthrown and destroyed. With fewer people, the land returned to the hands of the common people, and the country became peaceful again. Our ancestors took advantage of this opportunity to replace Qin Shi Huang and Xiang Yu!

  Liu Yan was really stunned. He had never thought that the reason for the country's turmoil was actually due to the powerful clans! Liu Yan asked, "Then how can we suppress land annexation?"

  "It's impossible now!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Father, the Han Dynasty is already on its last breath! If you want to save it, there's no other way but to overthrow it first! Now maybe nothing will happen, but once the current Emperor dies, the Han Dynasty will definitely collapse. At that time, a hero will be needed to sweep across the land, and it will also be a good opportunity to clean up the aristocratic families."

  "Alas!" Liu Yan sighed and said: "It seems I have no chance! That Liu Hong is only twenty years old this year, I'm sure he'll die before me!"

  "That's not necessarily true!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Father is strong and healthy, living for another 70 or 80 years is no problem. Look at the current emperor, he's weak and thin, who knows... Ah..."

  Liu Zhang didn't dare to say that Liu Hong was hanged early, and just expressed it vaguely. Liu Yan slapped a palm on Liu Zhang's head and said: "You stinky brat, no need to flatter me! Speak! Why did you come to Youzhou?"

  "Old man! The Han Dynasty is in chaos, we need to build our own power. In Luoyang, we are under the emperor's nose, what else do you want to cultivate?" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "The people of Youzhou are fierce and have many brave generals, if we can recruit one or two fierce generals, a few wise generals, and assist them with one or two good strategists, perhaps the world will be ours!"

  "What! My son is not thinking..."

  "Old man! If the world is not chaotic, I am a loyal minister and general. If the world is chaotic, then I am the first person to help the dynasty! Old man once said that I am a relative of the Han imperial family, with the blood of our ancestors. This great Han also has my share! If someone else wants to take it, they will have to ask the long sword in my hand!" Liu Zhang drew out his waist-long sword, and Liu Yan's eyes widened again!