Chapter 33: The Uprising in Pei County Begins

  Liu Shanhe saw that Xiao He and the others had all arrived, with big smiles on their faces. First, he rushed to Xiao He and said: "Hey, I'm asking Old Xiao, have our oath-taking arrangements been made?"

  Xiao He bowed deeply towards Liu Bang and cupped his hands, saying: "I report to Your Excellency, regarding the matter of mobilizing the troops, Xiao He has made all necessary preparations yesterday and is only waiting for Your Excellency's arrival."

  "Hmm, with you, Xiang Yu's brother, in charge of this matter, I, Liu Bang, am 100% at ease, 1,000% at ease, and 10,000% at ease! Who doesn't know that you, Xiang Yu, are the most capable person from our Pei County? No matter what task it is, once you take care of it, it will be done perfectly. Not only will it be done in an orderly manner, but often it will also have a unique touch that makes people praise it!"

  Liu Shanhe seized the opportunity and lavishly praised Xiao He, causing Xiao He to secretly wonder: "What's wrong with this Liu San today? Did he take the wrong medicine or something? Why is he suddenly flattering me?" Moreover, it wasn't over yet. However, when he spoke about his own experiences, they took on a different flavor, and when some words were spoken through Liu Bang's mouth, they became even more elegant and enjoyable for the listener.

  Xiao He hastily cupped his hands and said, "My lord is joking, Xiao He is actually dull by nature, only seeking stability in all things, and has no exceptional talent. It's my lord who is open-minded and often does things unconventionally, truly a great talent for achieving big things!"

  Liu Shanhe listened to Xiao He's words and didn't say anything else, just waved his hand and said thoughtfully: "Brother Xiao He, think back to those years, when the dog official of Pei County was trying to please Lord Lü, he specially mobilized the dignitaries of Pei County to go congratulate Lord Lü on his move. The scene was quite grand! But it wasn't until you, Brother Xiao He, with your outstanding organizational skills, managed to organize that complex and grand scene without a hitch, truly not simple, truly not simple!" As he spoke, Liu Shanhe deliberately winked at Xiao He, his expression seeming to reveal some slyness.

  As for someone as astute and perceptive as Xiao He, he naturally understood Liu Shanhe's gaze at once and chuckled: "Thank you, Your Excellency, for your praise. It was indeed Xiao He who had no choice but to take his place. If I'm not mistaken, didn't Your Excellency make a grand display that day? Originally, all the people who went there to congratulate on the promotion were higher in rank than Your Excellency, yet none of them could compare to your generosity in presenting a gift of 10,000 coins at once! Just from this one thing alone, it's enough to see Your Excellency's magnanimity! Xiao He is truly impressed, truly impressed!"

  Liu Shanhe saw that Xiao He was able to bring up the matter of his own private affairs in a subtle and understated way, and he was very pleased with Xiao He's performance. He chuckled a few times, then said seriously: "Alright, everyone is here now, let's go to the school field! I think it's about time!"

  In this way, a group of people chatted and laughed together, surrounding Liu Shanhe, walking towards the oath-taking venue set up in the school field.

  The sky was very clear at that time, it was autumn, and the air was crisp and refreshing. The sky was a brilliant blue, looking crystal clear. There were only a few white clouds floating lazily in the sky, looking very relaxed and carefree.

  Not long after, Liu Shanhe led Xiang Yu, Cao Shen, Xia Houying, Zhou Bo and Fan Zeng, with steady steps, to the open space on the east side of the county government building. That was where soldiers usually trained - the drill ground. At this time, hundreds of soldiers were already lined up neatly on the drill ground, and around the drill ground, red flags fluttered in the wind. On each flag, a large "Liu" character was drawn with black ink. The red flags rustled as they waved, as if interpreting a solemn oath to the sky and the world: another new peasant uprising army was formally born!

  Liu Shanhe glanced around the school field, feeling very satisfied with Xiao He's deployment. It seems that this Xiao He is really a good hand at doing such things! One day, if his own people become prominent and gain the world, this person can be considered for the position of Prime Minister! Liu Shanhe thought so in his heart.

  "Master, please proceed to the front desk for the oath-taking ceremony!" Xiao He gestured with his hand. Liu Shanhe simply nodded and then strode forward with his agile steps, walking towards the very front of the school grounds.

  The entire school grounds, although crowded with hundreds of people, was eerily silent, the atmosphere extremely solemn. Liu Shanhe finally walked to the front of the school grounds in such an atmosphere, and naturally, he was closely followed by Xiao Hezhenren.

  Liu Shanhe had just stood still in front of the altar where sacrifices were being made, when Fan Kuai was already holding a clay bowl filled with water and wine. He walked past Xiao He, Cao Shen, Xia Houying, and Zhou Bo one by one. Every time he passed by someone's side, that person would bite their index finger, then drop a drop of fresh blood into the wine bowl. Finally, Fan Kuai brought the wine bowl to Liu Shanhe's face. And Liu Shanhe, like everyone else, stretched out his left hand and bit his index finger, also dropping a drop of his own fresh blood into that bowl. He knew this was called swearing an oath with blood.

  Liu Bang held a command arrow in both hands and walked slowly to the front of the table where sacrifices were offered. He first looked around the whole scene, then said loudly: "Fellow villagers, elderly people, brothers of the righteous army, today I, Liu Bang, offer sacrifices to the gods, make vows to heaven, unite as one, respond to the call of Chen Wang, the leader of the righteous army! Exterminate the cruel Qin dynasty, with no hesitation, and ask for the help of heaven and earth! If the cruel Qin is not exterminated, I will not give up! Fellow villagers, elderly people, brothers of the righteous army, today I, Liu Bang, offer sacrifices to the gods, make vows to heaven, unite as one, respond to the call of Chen Wang, the leader of the righteous army! Exterminate the cruel Qin dynasty, with no hesitation, and ask for the help of heaven and earth! If the cruel Qin is not exterminated, I will not give up!

  "The cruel Qin will not be destroyed, I swear to never give up! The cruel Qin will not be destroyed, I swear to never give up~~~" The crowd below, including Xiao He and others, also raised their arms and shouted loudly, it was truly a scene of overwhelming emotions, shaking the heavens! The atmosphere on the scene deeply infected every person present! Seeing this scene, Liu Bang's heart felt extremely relieved, he saw that the timing was ripe, so he spoke sternly: "General Xiao He, Deputy Generals Fan Kuai, Cao Shen, Zhou Bo, Xia Houying, listen to my orders!"

  "The final general is here!" The five men immediately cupped their hands and bowed their heads, with a humble and respectful attitude.

  "You all go to various towns in Pei County to recruit soldiers and expand the army. In half a month, we will start the uprising, attacking cities and plundering the land! First, we'll attack Huling and Guangyu counties, then head to attack Xiafeng City! Do you all understand?" Liu Shanhe said loudly.

  "General Mō shall obey orders!" "General Mō shall obey orders!" "General Mō shall obey orders!" "General Mō shall obey orders!"

  The crowd also continued to bow their heads and respond in unison.

  Here is the translation:

  And so, expanding their development space with one action, it has begun! According to Liu Shanhe and Lü Yu's thinking, now that they have already occupied the county seat of Pei County, this Pei County should be their backyard, a base for further developing their own power. The first aspect is that they must think of ways to solidify this base, so that even if they encounter unexpected situations in future battles, it won't be a problem, having such a rear base as their old nest, at least there will be a way out! Therefore, Pei County must dispatch a trustworthy person to garrison and prepare for recruitment and food production at all times, preparing to transport personnel and logistical supplies to the front line.

  At the same time, on another front, that is to hurry up and expand the army. Now they only have a force of five or six hundred people, such a force, if it's just to scare people, it might be okay, but if it really comes down to fighting against a strong enemy, then it won't do. It must be understood that no matter who the opponent is, actual strength is the most important thing. Without actual strength, it's equivalent to having nothing at all. Therefore, the current plan is to rapidly expand military power.

  According to Liu Shanhe's own standards, it should be expanded to more than 3,000 people, which would make it a decent army with certain combat effectiveness and deterrent power. In fact, in real battles, most of the time, it is still relying on deterrence against opponents, making them tremble with fear, thus achieving the goal of winning without fighting.

  Liu Shanhe's expansion plan is as follows: a major goal in the near term is to capture the county seat of Fengyi. To be sure, he currently only occupies one county town, which is too small and restrictive for his activities, with limited space for strategic maneuvering, making it unfavorable for long-term development. Therefore, at the very least, he must first capture a prefectural city, so that no matter what, he will have secured a place to establish himself and can better develop and expand his forces. After all, one prefecture is as large as ten or more counties!

  It wasn't until now, when he had finally gained some power and started to have some ambition, that Liu Shanhe realized how insignificant his former position as a village head was. To say nothing of the others, one county has more than ten towns, one town has more than ten villages, and one village has more than ten hamlets! And Liu Shanhe's hometown was Lao Liu Village in Zhongyangli Hamlet, Fengxiang County, Fengyuan Prefecture.

  Many generals naturally received orders to go to various towns to recruit soldiers. As for who went to which town to recruit soldiers, it was all arranged by the main general Xiao He. Such trivial matters, Liu Bang didn't bother to consider. Others had gone to various towns to recruit troops, and Liu Bang couldn't idle around either, because he now had another matter waiting for him to attend to! This matter was that early in the morning when he got out of bed, he had already thought about proposing a marriage between Vice General Fan Kuai and his wife Lü Zhi's younger sister Lü Xu. Naturally, this matter must be discussed with his wife Lü Zhi first. After all, the woman to be proposed to was none other than Lü Zhi's own younger sister Lü Xu!

  At night, Liu Shanhe habitually sat on the bed, while Lü Yu was washing her feet. Every time at this moment, Liu Shanhe would feel a strange feeling, that is, some things in ancient times were not bad, such as the three virtues and four morals of women. Although from the perspective of modern people, it was a product of feudalism and autocracy, and a destruction of women's human nature. However, if viewed from another angle, most modern women have become tigresses! What happened to gentleness, virtue, forbearance, and tolerance? All those have become history! Those women living in the 20th century were all fierce and cruel, treating their husbands like servants, while they themselves were queens, high above, with everything in the family revolving around them. This was not gender equality, but rather a reversal of men being oppressed to the 18th level of hell! It seemed as if they wanted to throw all men into the tenth level of hell, never to be freed again, to avenge the deep-seated hatred of women towards men in those past years!

  Enjoying the pleasure of having his feet washed by Lü Zhi, Liu Shanhe closed his eyes contentedly and hummed softly to himself. To be honest, Lü Zhi was a great woman - not only beautiful but also strong-willed and ambitious, a true female leader. Although she was strong-willed, she could also strictly follow the traditional virtues of a wife, being diligent and responsible in all matters, whether internal or external. Whether Liu Shanhe was feeling down or elated, Lü Zhi remained the same. Since Liu Shanhe led his troops from Mangdang Mountain to conquer Yeping City a few days ago, it seemed that her hopes for her husband were about to come true! As a result, she felt even more delighted in her heart and naturally became more considerate and enthusiastic in taking care of Liu Shanhe.

  Enjoying the comfortable feeling of his wife washing his feet, Liu Shanhe's heart was not completely relaxed, because he still had something on his mind, that is, about proposing to Fan Qie. Liu Shanhe was very confident in one thing, that is, his vision and magnanimity, as well as the kind of wrist that a great man must have. He firmly believed that his consideration was absolutely correct.

  His current situation, to put it mildly, is that he has already made a good start, after all, the things he had been looking forward to for many years have finally taken shape and have shown signs of success. However, if you look at it from a bad perspective, then he has embarked on a path of no return. Of course, not just him, but also his family members, have already been tied together with him on the same boat, sharing life and death, and walking the same road. And now, what he needs most is to have more people tied to this boat with him, because only then will there be more people who will wholeheartedly go through fire and water for his own cause, fighting, bleeding, charging forward, and sacrificing themselves. For himself, at this moment, he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. Money? Beauty? Even positions and territories are all just empty things! In order to achieve ultimate success, Liu Shanhe is willing to give up everything! This is what is meant by the principle of taking and giving up!

  What is compromise? What is magnanimity? If you only covet the tiny benefits in front of your eyes, then there will be no great development. These things can be given up and taken back again. As the saying goes, "As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood." But if you lose everything, including strength, combat power, manpower, popular support, and even your own life, then what use is having great wealth and territory?

  So, for oneself, whether it's money, position, title, territory, or even beauty, they are all tools used to exchange for what one wants, they are all weights used to measure one's own interests, they are all chess pieces on the board of one's own great undertaking. When to put these weights on, when to place these chess pieces on the board, and even when to remove which piece, it all depends on what one's great undertaking requires. All those who enter this game of their own accord have already lost their autonomy, they have unreservedly surrendered themselves to this game, or rather, to the ultimate manipulator of this game - Liu Shanhe. However, Liu Shanhe is even more aware that truly controlling these chess pieces and weights with ease is not an easy task. It requires wisdom, insight, skill, and various means. Liu Shanhe is very clear about this point, and he is also very confident in his ability to do so, willing to pay any price to achieve the ability to manipulate every single piece on the board of his great undertaking with ease. He knows that this is the most basic guarantee for the success of his great undertaking.

  Liu Shanhe slowly opened his eyes, and at this time, his wife Lü Yu was still fully focused on washing his feet. The lamp light made her cheeks look very beautiful.

  Liu Shanhe let out a long sigh and said to Lü Yu: "Ehuang, there's something that I don't know whether I should mention or not!"

  Lü Wei listened to Liu Shanhe's tone and felt that something was off. This guy didn't know what he was thinking, why was he being so polite to his own wife? Lü Wei was a clever person, he must have known that Liu Shanhe had some request for him. So he continued to wash his feet while seemingly casually saying: "Hey, what's there to say or not say between us? I'm already your person, what else can I do?"

  Lü Zhi's words hit the nail on the head, being both polite and realistic, creating a calm and composed atmosphere.