Chapter 28: The Uprising in Pei County 2

  Han Xin still forced himself to open his eyes.

  "Hey young man, what's wrong with you? Are you ill?" An old woman's voice once again entered Han Xin's ears.

  "I... I... I'm not sick." Han Xin wanted to struggle, but his body really didn't have any strength, so he had no choice but to give up.

  "Aren't you ill? If you're not ill, then what's wrong?" The old woman seemed somewhat puzzled.

  "This is all I have, and I'm starving. Mother, I haven't eaten in days." The beggar had no choice but to speak the truth. Alas, when people reach this point, they can't afford to care about dignity anymore, so whatever it is, just say it; perhaps if you run into a kind person, you might be able to save your life.

  "Oh, I see! As it happens, I still have some dry rations here. Come, let's split them in half! You don't seem like a bad person, otherwise, I wouldn't bother with you." The old woman said, and then took out a package of dry rations from her own body, divided it in half and handed it to Han Xin.

  "Eat, child, eat and you'll have energy. Alas, in these times, even a strong man like you has been reduced to this state, what kind of era is this!?" The woman sighed and watched as Han Xin wolfed down the dry rations, then turned to leave, but suddenly turned back and said: "Child, I think your body is still very weak, so I'll save you. From tomorrow on, I'll bring you some dry rations every day. Anyway, I'm here washing clothes every day, you don't have to run around, wait until you have energy in your body, then I won't bother with you anymore. Is that okay?" The old woman's face was full of sincerity.

  Han Xin at this time also did not have the energy to think about anything, could only exert his strength and nodded.

  Then, really, from that day on, the old woman would really send some food to Han Xin every day, without interruption, until Han Xin's body recovered.

  Han Xin was originally not ill, but because he had not eaten for several days, he could no longer support himself and fell unconscious by the river. Now that he has food, his body naturally recovered quickly.

  One day, Han Xin felt that his body had finally recovered, so he decided to go and join Xiang Liang's rebel army. Before leaving, he searched high and low for the old woman who had shared her food with him several times and saved his life. After much difficulty, Han Xin finally found her in a corner. He walked up two steps, knelt down on both knees, and said: "I, Han Xin, am about to leave for distant lands. In these few days, I have received your kindness many times, sharing food with me and saving my life. I will never forget the kindness you showed me in saving my life. If I ever make something of myself, I will definitely repay the kindness you showed me in saving my life. Farewell, and may you be safe and sound. I, Han Xin, have come to bid you farewell."

  The woman looked at Han Xin, sighed and said: "Alas, I was also thinking of you starving to death, so I shared food with you! What do I want your repayment for?" She continued washing her clothes, ignoring Han Xin.

  Han Xin thought for a moment, then bowed deeply again to the washerwoman and said: "I, Han Xin, am not good at speaking and have offended you. I bid you farewell."

  Han Xin had just taken a few steps when his mother suddenly asked him with concern: "Hey, where are you going?"

  "I, Han Xin, want to go and join Xiang Liang's rebel army." Han Xin said with great enthusiasm.

  "Be careful then! The world is in a state of unrest, when you go out, you must be careful!" the matchmaker said with concern.

  Han Xin listened and felt deeply moved. He bowed again, saying: "Thank you, Madam. I bid farewell." With that, Han Xin took big strides and left.

  No one would have thought that Xiang Yu, who had endured such humiliation at the hands of others, would become a great general who dominated the world in just a few years! And almost half of the credit for the Han dynasty's success was due to Xiang Yu's efforts. Later, after Liu Bang appointed him as the Marquis of Huaiyin, he sent someone to find the woman who had saved his life and rewarded her with one hundred pieces of gold. A great man can be humble or proud, hates evil like an enemy, and knows how to repay kindness, just like Xiang Yu.

  Liu Shanhe, after a night of heavy drinking and revelry with his brothers, led all five or six hundred men out of Mangdang Mountain at dawn the next day, marching towards the county seat of Pei County in an imposing manner. Although the troops were not very large, they had an aura that was as sharp as a sword just out of its scabbard, with gleaming blades and an intimidating presence. The army marched along the official road, raising clouds of dust as they headed straight for Pei County.

  Riding a white horse, Liu Shanhe's heart was also filled with emotions. He thought about how he had traveled back to the end of the Qin Dynasty three or four years ago and now finally had some leads. He had begun the great cause of unifying the world under one rule, just like Liu Bang did 400 years ago when he established the Han Dynasty! However, thinking about the ups and downs of the past few years, his heart was also filled with emotions, nostalgia, and many thoughts.

  This road I've taken, basically hasn't deviated from Liu Bang's path back then. It seems that the rise and fall of worldly affairs are mostly predetermined by fate! At many times, even if you want to deviate a bit, it's unlikely to succeed! Alas, when you see a mountain, open up a mountain; when you see a river, build a bridge; just keep walking and see what happens!

  Looking at the team under his own careful operation, there were already five or six hundred people. A sense of accomplishment arose from his heart. In these years, especially since he was forced to hide in the mountains after releasing a prisoner, he had been tolerant and inclusive, seeking talents and gathering brave men from all directions. Many people with great ambitions came to join him on Mount Mangdang. This made his team not only have a large number of five or six hundred people but also be full of talented individuals, making it a very powerful force. This time, Liu Shanhe had already planned to cut off the head of the dog-like official in Pei County, both to avenge himself and to seize control of Pei County as a base for his future plans. This was his first battle after coming out of the mountains, and he believed he would win it.

  Liu Shanhe was leading his troops forward when he suddenly saw two horsemen approaching in a cloud of dust, their speed extremely fast, looking like two arrows shot from a bowstring. Liu Shanhe sensed that something was amiss and ordered his men to halt their advance, waiting for the two men to come and ask questions before proceeding.

  At last, the two horsemen arrived at Liu Shanhe's side. Liu Shanhe took a closer look and was shocked to find that it was Xiao He and Cao Shen! The two men had lost their usual calm and composed demeanor, looking flustered and covered in dust. As soon as they saw Liu Shanhe, Xiao He quickly pulled him down from his horse and said in a hurried tone: "Brother, I'm telling you, brother, something has changed, something has changed!"

  Liu Shanhe signaled to Xiao He not to panic, letting him speak slowly. Xiao He hastily swallowed a mouthful of saliva and panted to Liu Shanhe: "I'm telling you, brother, Cao Shen and I originally wanted to borrow your troops to enter the city to help defend the city under the pretext of helping Lord Pei, but in reality, we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to start something. Now is a great opportunity to make a big move!"

  "At first, the corrupt official listened to us two, but later on, for some reason, he suddenly became disloyal and suspicious of our intentions. He thought that if he let you lead the army into the city, it would be detrimental to him, so he closed the city gates tightly and refused to let you in. Moreover, he issued a wanted order to capture us two and put us on trial for execution! Fortunately, I and Cao Shen received the news early and were able to escape with our lives. Otherwise, I'm afraid we wouldn't be seeing each other again now!"

  Xiao He's face clouded over with worry as he said this, and he sighed: "Alas, although we two have escaped, our families are still in the city! The most pressing matter at hand is to rescue them first!"

  Men are not made of wood or stone, who can be without feelings? Those without feelings are not necessarily true heroes, only those with strong sense of justice and righteousness are truly great men!

  Liu Shanhe listened to this point, and said emotionally to Xiao He and Cao Shen: "In these years, my family and I have received help from the two of you many times. This kindness, Liu Bang will never forget. Now that the two of you are in trouble, how can I, Liu Bang, not care? Please rest assured, your affairs are my affairs, your families are my families! I, Liu Bang, will definitely rescue you with all my might to repay the kindness you have shown me and my family over the years!"

  Saying this, Liu Shanhe waved his big hand at Xiao He and Cao Shen: "Look, gentlemen, in these two years, I have been hiding in Mangdang Mountain. Now I have gathered 500-600 elite soldiers, who have become very powerful after two years of hard training. They are all good fighters, excellent at attacking cities and plundering the land. With such a strong force, what is a small county town like Pei County? Come on, let's go to the county town first and then discuss what to do next!"

  Then Liu Bang led Xiang Yu, Cao Shen, and Fan Kuai, with the five or six hundred men, to continue attacking the county seat of Pei County. At this time, in Liu Bang's body, his blood was rushing rapidly, his heartbeat had already exceeded 150! Excited, excited, and a little nervous. Anyway, this is the first step in his own affairs! Of course, along the way, he and Xiang Yu and Cao Shen rode horses side by side, constantly discussing the plan to break into the city, but they never came up with a complete strategy.

  Because the road from Mangdang Mountain to Pei County is very far, although Liu Shanhe and his party started descending from Mangdang Mountain early in the morning, it wasn't until dusk that they finally saw the shadow of Pei County. Pei County, I'm back! Liu Shanhe silently shouted in his heart as he gazed at the towering city walls of Pei County from afar.

  Two years ago, I escaped to Mangdang after releasing the prisoners who were building the imperial mausoleum on Mount Yi. It's been two years since I said goodbye to my wife Lü Zhi and led my two subordinates back home. Although I haven't returned in reality, Liu Shanhe has returned many times in his dreams! Every time he dreamed of returning home, he was leading thousands of troops with great momentum and grandeur. He rode a tall horse, surrounded by his subordinates, and the scene was truly impressive! Once, he even dreamed that he became Qin Shi Huang, sitting in an eight-man sedan chair, with flags and banners waving in front and behind him, and hundreds of guards shining brightly. In that dream, he really became the emperor, just like Qin Shi Huang who unified China, with unparalleled majesty. He returned to his hometown of Pei County, Zhongyangli, and invited all the villagers to come out, bestowing them with imperial wine and delicacies. As the Son of Heaven, he didn't care about his body and toasted with the villagers one by one.

  It seems that he, in his intoxication, also composed a poem. That poem can be described as heavenly inspiration. To know that I have always been very disinclined to indulge in literary pursuits, but on that day in my dream, I was truly overjoyed, truly stirred, and unable to control myself. Thus, I transformed the heroic emotions in my heart into a majestic poem: "The great wind rises, clouds fly high! Authority added to the inner sea, returning to our hometown! Where can we find brave warriors to guard the four corners?"

  But dreams, after all, are just dreams. And when you wake up from a dream, there's always a sense of disappointment and melancholy. Now, he had finally set foot on the same path that Liu Bang had taken years ago, and here he was, standing in front of the very Pei County city that had once captivated his heart!

  "When the city is broken, I'll drink with my brothers for several days!" Liu Shanhe couldn't help but think excitedly. But, after all, how could he break through the city? After all, he only had a few hundred troops!

  As the sky was already late, Xiao He said to Liu Bang: "Master, today's weather is late, should we set up camp and attack the city tomorrow? Or can we use tonight to discuss how to attack the city tomorrow? What do you think, Master?"

  Liu Shanhe was taken aback by Xiao He's words, but what startled him was not the suggestion itself, but rather the way he was addressed. Not long ago, when Cao Shen and Liu Shanhe had met halfway to welcome him, they were still calling each other "brother". But now, Xiao He was suddenly addressing him as "master"? What did that mean? Liu Shanhe knew all too well - it was a term of respect used by subordinates to address the highest leader of their political group. His good friend had suddenly become distant. For a moment, Liu Shanhe felt uneasy in his heart. However, after experiencing many ups and downs over the years, he also understood that in many cases, relationships between people change with changes in identity and status. Often, it's not that you want to change, but circumstances dictate otherwise - can you remain unchanged? Those who are adept at adapting will often gain recognition, fit into their environment, especially when they have the support of others, and quickly own a piece of land; while those who cannot adapt will soon be eliminated by the times, blaming fate for being unfair to them. Little do they know that in many cases, their fate is actually in their own hands.

  For example, in this matter today, although Liu Shanhe felt that Xiao He had changed his title to himself and felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart, however, after thinking about it again, he really admired Xiao He's ability to adapt. Because now, no matter what, they are all a political group, a currently very weak political group that has risen up for rebellion. And the task of a political leader is to need a leader, and also need a core figure, and must establish this core figure in the absolute authority of this group. This point is almost related to whether this political group can have strong combat effectiveness as a prerequisite.

  Although I had a good relationship with Liu Shanhe in the past, and we had a good private relationship, and I helped him a lot on his growth path, as well as after Lü Zhi was imprisoned, Liu Bang also owed me a great favor. However, this is a different matter. If I relied on these things and still called him "brother" in front of Liu San, others would think what? And how would Liu Bang think? It's necessary to know that when a person's status and identity change, many things will also change accordingly. Changing with the times, changing with the situation, this is actually a wise move for a person to protect themselves.

  For Liu Shanhe, Xiang Yu's suggestion was still very necessary. So, he readily said: "Yes, what Xiang Yu said is extremely right, let's set up camp here today! After dinner, all the department heads will come to my account to discuss tomorrow's attack on the city."

  Liu Shanhe was not confused, and after hearing Xiang Yu's humble words, he immediately didn't take him seriously either. At this time, a sentence "Xiang Yu brother" still felt quite appropriate to himself.

  The sunset in the west had not completely faded, and the county town of Pei in front was even more mysterious in the twilight. The city seemed very quiet, as if it were the calm before a great war. However, everyone knew that the people there, whether they were officials or ordinary civilians, were already tense with anxiety. Or perhaps all the citizens had been mobilized by the government or spontaneously organized to prepare for battle against Liu Bang the next day!

  After dinner, in Liu Bang's marching tent, those with some heads and faces in the team all gathered here. The first is naturally Liu Bang, Xiao He, Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, and Zhang Ping, as well as several small heads who directly command the army.