Chapter Thirteen: The Newborn Calf

  Investment involves risks. Enter with caution.

  This famous stock market saying also applies to people. When one person succeeds, the whole family rises with him. Li Yuan had long expected the attitude of the two small families of Hu and He towards him. Fortunately, Hu Zhuang and He Ping still had some vision and resisted the pressure from their families, continuing to serve in Li Yuan's army.

  In return for the trust of his subordinates, Li Yuan immediately gave a generous reward. On September 10th, Li Yuan took drastic measures and began to implement military control over the three counties of Daliang that were actually under his control.

  He appointed Hou Xi as Gong Cao, Hu Zhuang as Cang Li, and He Ping as San Lao with great courage and momentum. He began to reassess and reappoint officials set by the Qin state, strengthening the administrative jurisdiction of the three counties of Daliang, initially building a local government agency distinct from the military, wearing the cloak of Qin, but in fact, carving up the territory.

  With no way forward, blocked left and right, and suppressed by many powerful forces on a tiny land, Li Yuan made up his mind to strike back. A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. What's more, this tiger is even sick. Who cares about the imperial court, who cares about the enemy being strong and us being weak? If you have what it takes, come over and try me out. At worst, I'll just consider this time-traveling experience a one-day tour.

  Li Yuan didn't care, his subordinates Wang Lao Liu and others were all rough men, they knew nothing about the profound things of national system and power distribution, which made Li Yuan feel a little less suffocated.

  The wound healed, and in the army with Jian'er and others to practice, try seven years as a soldier's skill and ancient heroes compared to which one is more powerful. From time to time, come up with one or two operational ideas to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops, such as: Li Yuanjun lacked weapons, and there were no smelting craftsmen and localities in the Da Liang area, making it difficult for the army to replenish its weapons. Li Yuan had an idea and suggested using sharpened bamboo instead, with bamboo as a spear, bamboo is light and easy to use, and a few meters of bamboo pole can be grasped in one's hand, which is not a problem for young soldiers.

  There is a saying that "one inch of weapon length, one inch of strength". As a result, the bamboo pole soldiers who formed an army array almost completely defeated the other side who were holding swords, spears and halberds in training.

  Bamboo spear is long and sharp, enough to deal with the thin armor of the Allied Army. In actual combat, even if the bamboo spear is cut off by the opponent, the remaining tip can continue to stab the opponent. Moreover, once the bamboo spear is completely broken and cannot be used, the companions in the rear array can also pass up another spear in time.

  Bamboo spear, under Li Yuan's instructions, began to equip the two military marquis units under his command. Li Yuan was busy with his own one mu and three fen of land, but did not know that his "unscrupulous behavior" had triggered an invisible earthquake in Qin Guo from top to bottom.

  Li Yuan's move to appoint officials on his own directly challenged the system of prefectures and counties established by Emperor Gaozu, where officials were no longer appointed uniformly by the imperial court but rather by the actual holders of military power, which was almost tantamount to treason.

  The vassals of the Kanto region rebelled against Qin because they were originally people from the six states, and had long been dissatisfied with the Qin government. However, Li Yuan's army was still affiliated with the Qin military, and he was also a member of Chancellor Li Si's faction. This move of his could very likely be seen as having been instructed by Li Si in prison, and may have triggered a trend of self-establishment among the garrison troops in various regions of Qin.

  These days, Li Si was put in prison, and Li Yu died in battle but was still accused of being a traitor. The county troops system that had been under Li Si's jurisdiction for a long time were suppressed, one of the foundations of Qin's ruling power, the pillar of local administration, was kicked down by Li Yuan at the critical moment when it was already shaky.

  Separation of powers.

  The system of national governance summarized by the Western countries in later generations actually existed in Qin State. Under the strong personal charm of Emperor Shi Huang, local powerful representatives Li Si, palace inner court representative Zhao Gao and hereditary general representative Meng Tian mutually restrained and balanced each other, ensuring the efficient operation of the vast Qin Empire's war machine. However, after Emperor Shi Huang's death, his successors obviously failed to balance this point.

  First, Meng Tian was killed, causing the most powerful of the three pillars to lose heart and morality. Then, Li Si was imprisoned, and the county official system with the broadest foundation began to collapse. In the end, only Zhao Gao was left in Xianyang, single-handedly directing and acting out his own play, until he was finally killed by opponents who could no longer tolerate him.

  Fourteenth day, Dang County, Outer Yellow.

  The governor of Dang County suddenly led his troops to withdraw from the city and cross the river to Qi, after which this branch of the Qin army disappeared without a trace. Dang County was a major county in Guandong, with 21 counties under its jurisdiction, including Li Yuan's stronghold of Da Liang, which also belonged to Dang County according to administrative divisions. Later, due to the strategic importance of Xingyang, it was placed under the command of Sanchuan County for military purposes.

  Outer Yellow One lost, the anti-Qin allied army's obstruction to the west no longer exists. On the western advance route of the allied army, the Daliang area where Li Yuan is currently stationed is a must-pass place.

  At the end of September, General-in-Chief Zhang Han and Wu Xinjun Xiang Liang had a decisive battle in Dingtao. Overconfident Xiang Liang was ambushed by Zhang Han without recalling his nephews Xiang Yu and other powerful generals, leading to defeat and death. Subsequently, Zhang Han followed the imperial court's order, crossed the Yellow River northward into Zhao territory to encircle and annihilate the rebellious forces of Zhang Er and Chen Yu.

  Zhang Han's move was truly puzzling, and it would have been better to pursue the remaining brave warriors and exhaust the enemy. Although Xiong Xin, the King of Chu, was only a nominal king, he still had some rallying power. Pengcheng is not far from Dingtao, and with just a bit more effort, the various heroes of Chu would be forced to turn on each other. By the time they elected a new leader, who knows how many years or months it would take?

  The Qin army made a strategic mistake, the reason is complicated and simple. The northern defense of the Great Wall of China went south. General Wang Li had a probing contact with Liu Bang's army in the area of Gangli, and then returned to Zhao to besiege the most stubborn King Xie of Zhao in the area of Julu.

  Zhao was the mortal enemy of Qin, and the gunpowder of the Changping War still lingered. The Hu-style cavalrymen of Zhao had always been regarded as a powerful opponent of the Qin army. As an arrow to quell the resistance forces, Zhang Han would not allow Wang Li's prestige to surpass his own.

  Moreover, marching north into Zhao territory was not only a military necessity but also a political demand. Zhao Gao, who had just taken over as Chancellor, needed victory after victory to consolidate his position in the court. Since there were no more eye-catching targets in Chu territory, he would switch to a target that seemed more influential.

  In October, taking advantage of the internal strife in Qin, the powerful men in Chu territory unexpectedly gained a chance to breathe. King Xiong of Chu convened a meeting with various anti-Qin forces from Chen region in Pengcheng, and they agreed to form an alliance to launch a western campaign and northern expedition, with the first to enter Guanzhong being made king. The Western Expedition Army was led by Wu'an Hou Shi Gong Liu Bang, who commanded the allied army to attack the areas of Sanchuan County and Dang County. The Northern Expedition Army was led by Song Yi as the commander-in-chief, with Xiang Yu as the deputy commander, and went to Zhao territory to reinforce the besieged Zhao army.