Chapter 30: The Uprising in Pei County Begins

  And so the Magistrate Pei, with a mind to temporarily stall for the time being, proactively opened the gate of the yamen and let in all the soldiers and civilians who had come to settle accounts with him.

  "Let's take the initiative to get close to them and stabilize this situation first, otherwise, we'll be in big trouble." Commander Na Pei thought to himself and continued, "As I mentioned earlier, I've been dissatisfied with Qin for a long time, but I haven't waited for the best opportunity yet. In recent days, I've also heard about General Xiang Liang's rebellion against Qin, and my mood is very excited. Today is just right, since all of you have arrived, let's sit down and discuss the matter of starting an uprising."

  Na Pei thought his words were quite reasonable, using reason and emotion to persuade the crowd. However, just as he was about to relax, a burly man suddenly emerged from the crowd, his eyes wide with anger, breathing heavily, one hand holding a sword and the other pointing at Na Pei: "You corrupt official! Still trying to negotiate? Who's going to negotiate with you? With your little tricks, don't think you can fool us simple farmers again! We all know you want to ride roughshod over us! Humph, if you want to keep bullying us, go ahead and dream on! Negotiate? What a joke! I'll let you ride roughshod over our necks... you can go see King Yama now! Go make your threats there!" The big man stopped talking, raised his sword, and took a step forward. The sword flashed in the light, and before anyone could react, Na Pei's head had already fallen to the ground, with blood gushing out of his neck...

  "Great, great, killing this corrupt official is so satisfying! Killing this corrupt official is so satisfying!" The crowd saw that the strong man had beheaded the Magistrate of Pei with just one sword strike, and they all applauded and cheered, feeling extremely satisfied in their hearts. For many years, these common people living at the bottom of society had been suffering from the exploitation and oppression of the Magistrate of Pei - although this was not caused by the Magistrate himself, but rather because he served as a vanguard for the brutal Qin dynasty. Nevertheless, it was enough to make all the people of Pei County hate him so much that they wished they could eat his flesh and drink his blood. Today, seeing a strong man behead the corrupt official with one sword strike, their hearts felt even more satisfied.

  That sturdy fellow was Fan Kuai, who had led the crowd in rushing into the county office.

  At this time, Fan Kuai saw that the county magistrate had been beheaded by himself, and immediately cut off the county magistrate's head with a tablecloth, holding the county magistrate's dog head in one hand and the precious sword in the other. He shouted to the soldiers and civilians who followed him: "Fellow villagers, now that the county magistrate has been beheaded by me, let us go and open the city gate to welcome Liu Bang's righteous army! Go, fellow villagers, go and welcome Liu Bang's righteous army into the city!"

  Xiao He's clever letter, combined with Fan Kuai's bravery in killing the county magistrate, made the people of Pei County abandon their last illusions about the Magistrate of Pei. They all followed Fan Kuai wholeheartedly and rushed towards the outer city gate, shouting loudly "Welcome Liu Bang into the city! Welcome Liu Bang into the city!" The momentum was truly overwhelming.

  But when they rushed to the front of the city gate, they found that the soldiers guarding the city were stupid, as if they had not reacted from what had just happened, staring blankly at the crowd surging like a tide, with a bewildered and lost expression. This is not surprising, for many years, they only knew to be loyal to the county magistrate, loyal to the Great Qin State, but now, it seems that all of this has changed. But as the armed forces guarding the city gate, who should they listen to now? They naturally had no idea.

  At that time, they also clearly saw the appearance of Liu Bang's rebel army outside the city, with several hundred people, and their momentum was strong and unstoppable. Moreover, the arrow rain from their previous battle had injured several of their brothers, which was extremely fierce, and in their hearts, they were already intimidated by three points. If Liu Bang's rebel army really broke into the city by force, then these defending soldiers, no matter what, would be shouldering the responsibility of defending the city, and a soldier's duty is to obey orders. However, with their limited military strength, it was almost impossible to stop Liu Bang's army of five or six hundred people. Once the city was broken, those who would suffer first would naturally be these guys who were responsible for defending the city. Even if not a single civilian in the entire city was killed, these defenders would still face the fate of being beheaded due to the casualties they suffered during the battle with the rebel army. Therefore, their current anxious and helpless state of mind can be understood.

  While they were still in a state of confusion, Fan Kuai had already led the civilians holding strange weapons and some soldiers to charge at the gate. As soon as Fan Kuai saw those guarding the gate with their hands on their weapons, staring at them fiercely, he was furious inside, thinking, "You bunch of idiots, don't you know how to adapt? What's wrong with you, still so stupid?" Fan Kuai didn't think that far, but with red eyes, one hand holding the severed head of the county magistrate and the other holding his precious sword, pointing at those guarding the gate, he shouted: "Listen up, brothers who are guarding the gate! The dog head of the county magistrate has been beheaded by me, and it's in my hands! Open the gate quickly, or you will be executed!"

  Fan Kuai finished speaking, but those guys still didn't show any intention of opening the city gate. Fan Kuai was furious and thought to himself: "These guys really don't know how to adapt! Their necks are almost under the knife, yet they're still so stubborn!" However, Fan Kuai didn't show any weakness, instead he became even more majestic and stern-faced, shouting again: "Listen up, all you brothers guarding the city gate! The county magistrate's dog head has already been beheaded by me, and his head is in my hands! You'd better open the city gate quickly, or else I'll have your heads chopped off!"

  Behind Fan Kuai stood hundreds of people who were extremely angry, and Fan Kuai knew that in this situation, anyone who knew a little bit about strategy should know how to handle the matter. If it were just him, Fan Kuai, then the soldiers guarding the city would never have listened to him. But now, with hundreds of people standing behind him, determined to split from the Qin dynasty, holding various "weapons" and with an air of "death to those who oppose me", the situation was different. Moreover, these gatekeepers were mostly local militiamen from Pei County, who had joined the army just to make a living. Seeing this situation, with Liu Bang's five or six hundred troops attacking outside, they naturally began to understand what to do. So when they heard Fan Kuai shout out his words for the second time, they looked at each other, then retreated to both sides and opened the city gate.

  As soon as the city gate was opened, Fan Kuai followed the soldiers and civilians behind him, shouting excitedly and rushing out of the city gate.

  "Welcome Liu Bang's righteous army into the city! Welcome Liu Bang's righteous army into the city! Welcome Liu Bang's righteous army into the city!" People shouted and cheered, overjoyed that they had finally broken free from this old, worn-out world. In their hearts, the brutal rule of Qin had almost suffocated them, but now someone had finally risen up in revolt, and the day to resist Qin had finally arrived!

  People were cheering and shouting, after rushing out of the city gate, they all spontaneously lined up on both sides, making a positive gesture to welcome the righteous army into the city. Those soldiers and civilians who had become somewhat hysterical were emotionally excited and shouted wildly: "Welcome Liu Bang's righteous army to enter the city! Welcome Liu Bang's righteous army to enter the city!!!" The scene, the momentum, was simply overwhelming! All the people present, whether they were Liu Shanhe's righteous army or those soldiers and civilians who had been inspired to fight, looked like they were celebrating a holiday, with a radiant and spirited appearance.

  At this time, Fan Kuai was even more excited. Although he had almost come to blows with the soldiers guarding the city earlier, he had also made sufficient preparations at that time. That is, once necessary, he, a butcher by origin, would take the lead and fight those uncooperative guys. Moreover, he was sure to win at that time. Because the other side only had a dozen or so people, while his own side had hundreds of parents and relatives behind him. Although those guys had undergone some military training, they were outnumbered and could not withstand the attack of his own people. Moreover, the momentum on his side was far beyond what the other side's dozen or so people could match!

  Here is the translation:

  Inside, there was another very important point, which was that these defenders were mostly local sons of Pei County, so when they faced such a large number of parents and relatives, they felt extremely short of breath. Therefore, even if it came to a last resort and both sides started fighting, they would undoubtedly be asking for trouble. So, Fan Kuai had indeed been frightened for nothing. Now, he finally held up the head of the Lord of Pei, rushed out of the crowd, ran towards Liu Bang's army while hastily shouting: "Third brother, third brother, look! The dog head of the Lord of Pei is in my hands! The dog head of the Lord of Pei is in my hands! Hahaha..." As he spoke, Fan Kuai laughed loudly and ran back to his own army.

  On Liu Bang's side, to his left was Xiao He, and to his right was Cao Shen, as well as several other leaders. When they saw the city gate finally open, they were all extremely excited. For them, this was the first bloodless victory since the uprising began, and their excitement and joy were beyond words.

  Although this plan had been decided long ago, everyone knew that the plan was just a plan, and putting it into action would be another matter altogether. At first, the five or six hundred men under his command rushed towards the city gate, cursing loudly as if the sky was about to darken. Later, there was another shower of arrows, all in preparation for the crucial action that followed - attacking the heart. Although the plan they had agreed upon seemed to have no loopholes or weaknesses, when it came to actual implementation, the true effect would be a different story altogether. It was precisely because of this that after the shower of arrows shot into the city, what followed was an unbearable wait. Yes, it was an unbearable wait. And at this moment, the waiting seemed like a thousand years.

  Although they, including Liu Shanhe, heard the chaos in the city after the arrow rain passed, and the chaotic voices, but they didn't know the real situation. Until later, when Xiao He smiled slightly and said a sentence to Liu Shanhe, Liu Shanhe finally showed a relieved smile, feeling much more at ease in his heart.

  But what Xiang Yu said was after the city had been in a state of chaos for a while, and then suddenly turned into an extremely strange quietness, and then again a chaotic situation. As a thoughtful and insightful person, Xiang Yu had a fairly accurate calculation of the development of things in the city. He knew that at first, after the arrow rain was over, there would be a chaotic situation in the city, which was normal. And if this chaos was not stopped in time, it meant that Fan Zeng did not succeed in the city. However, the actual situation later was that soon after, the originally chaotic scene suddenly disappeared, replaced by an unusual calmness. Xiang Yu naturally understood that this calmness should have appeared only after Fan Zeng succeeded. And if there were no other movements after this calmness, then things might have encountered some trouble. Because it meant that Fan Zeng did not stir up the emotions of the people in the city. As for his carefully planned action, whether he could fully mobilize the emotions of the people in the city was the key to success or failure.

  But if the city remained quiet all along, it would also mean that Fan Kuai's operation might end in failure. Because if successful, there must be scenes of lively cheers from the people. The facts later told Xiao He that Fan Kuai had indeed succeeded! When Xiao He heard the louder and louder cheers of the common people, he realized that Fan Kuai seemed to have really succeeded!

  "Master, the big thing is done!" Xiang Yu said with a calm tone after hearing the silence in the city, which then turned into a loud noise. He spoke softly to Liu Shanhe, looking very casual. But Liu Shanhe, who had a deep understanding of Xiang Yu's behavior, was naturally familiar with this attitude of his, because he knew that whenever Xiang Yu showed this demeanor, it usually meant that his plan had taken effect. So, after hearing Xiang Yu's words, Liu Shanhe's heart finally felt more at ease.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, soon after, they saw the scene where the city gate was suddenly opened wide. At that moment when the city gate suddenly opened, Liu Shanhe's mind only felt a flash of golden light, which was a good omen! He knew that the success of this battle was not just about taking a small county town like Pei County, but it was a crucial step towards his grand ambition to conquer the world. It was also a very important step. With this step, on the one hand, he would naturally have no turning back; on the other hand, it also meant that his former lofty ambitions would be put into real action.

  "I, Liu Shanhe, have been given a rare opportunity by heaven to travel through time and space to this chaotic era of the Qin dynasty! This is also a great chance for me to showcase my talents and ambitions. Especially since I've become the reincarnation of Liu Bang's body, this has undoubtedly added a layer of excitement to my journey. Hmm, I really should seize this opportunity well, otherwise, it would be ungrateful to heaven's kindness. Thinking about this, Liu Shanhe couldn't help but smile wryly. Looking at the enthusiastic crowd welcoming their army into the city, Liu Shanhe's mood lifted, and he exchanged a glance with Xiang Yu on his left and Cao Shen on his right before shouting: "Let's go, let's enter the city!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, amidst the thunderous applause of the crowd, Liu Shanhe took his first step into entering Pei County.

  At that time, everyone was excited and felt that the first battle since they started the uprising had been won so easily in Pei County. It seemed unbelievable. It seems that following Liu Bang is indeed a correct choice! It seems that all the previous legends about Liu Bang were true! Liu Bang really is a true dragon born of heaven! Otherwise, how could things be so easy?!

  Those who followed Liu Shanhe at first had doubts about him, but now everything has been cleared up.

  In the cheers of the people in the county town of Pei, Liu Shanhe led his militia of five or six hundred men, marching triumphantly through the streets of the county town. Although their troops were not neatly dressed and their weapons were miscellaneous, this did not affect the majesty and grandeur of this army in the eyes of the common people of Pei County. The reason is that on the one hand, the brutal rule of Qin created a psychological expectation among the people for the arrival of new forces, and on the other hand...