Chapter 38: The Uprising in Pei County Begins

  However, after all, Yong Chi had not been idle for the past two days. He naturally expected that Liu Shanhe's troops would soon return to the city to avenge him. So, he had long ordered his soldiers to prepare a large number of rolling logs and thunderstones. As soon as they saw Liu Shanhe's soldiers start attacking the city, those who had been waiting on the city wall did not panic, but some people moved the prepared rolling logs and thunderstones into position, while others tightly grasped their long spears, their eyes fixed intently on the attackers getting closer and closer.

  When the attackers climbed to the middle and upper parts of the city wall, the soldiers holding the rolling thunderstones finally threw their rolling thunderstones at the attacking soldiers fiercely. The soldiers climbing the cloud ladder were already unstable on the cloud ladder, let alone withstand the strong impact of the rolling thunderstones flying down from the top of the city wall? As a result, the soldiers who were hit fell down one after another, and most of them were either killed directly by the rolling thunderstones or fell to the ground and died.

  Some of the soldiers who attacked the city used a lasso method, throwing a long rope with a five-clawed spearhead at one end over the city wall. The five-clawed hook caught on the wall, and then the attacking soldier grabbed the other end of the rope and climbed up the wall using his feet. However, this tactic seemed relatively covert but was still discovered by the defending soldiers. As a result, the rope was cut off with a sword, and the attacking soldier who had already climbed halfway up the wall could only scream in terror, clutching the severed end of the rope as he fell to the ground.

  Those soldiers who were about to rush up the city wall were swept down by the defenders on the city wall with long spears, or simply stabbed to death. For a time, Liu Shanhe's attacking troops suffered greatly and were severely damaged. Seeing this situation, Liu Shanhe's heart was burning with anxiety.

  Xiao He, standing shoulder to shoulder with Liu Bang on horseback, saw that the situation was not good and said to Liu Bang: "Your Majesty, it seems that Yong Chi is well-prepared, and it appears that he has prepared a large number of rolling wood and thunderstones. If we launch a strong attack now, we can only suffer heavy casualties, which will greatly damage our morale and vitality. Why don't we temporarily withdraw our troops and come up with a better plan?"

  Liu Bang listened to Xiao He's words and looked at the situation on the battlefield, which was not very good. So he nodded and said to his deputy generals Fan Kuai and Xiahou Ying: "Quickly, sound the golden drum to retreat, sound the golden drum to retreat!"

  But Liu Shanhe retreated and returned to the military account, where he sighed. Faced with this predicament, Xiao He and Cao Shen were also powerless. It is true that a person's talent is important, but it must be known that no matter how clever a person is, or what kind of heavenly talent they have, if they do not have enough real power to rely on, then they are "a skilled woman who cannot cook without rice", and their talents cannot be displayed. Moreover, Xiao He and Cao Shen were originally from a literary background, and they only knew a little about military affairs. If they were asked to come up with a clever strategy for Liu Shanhe in military affairs, it would be somewhat difficult for them.

  As a result, due to his failure to capture his hometown of Fengxiang, Liu Shanhe became so anxious that he fell ill and was bedridden for several days. In fact, Liu Shanhe wasn't really sick, but rather just feeling depressed and unwilling to see anyone. Even his wife, Lü Zhi, had become annoying to him at this time.

  Actually, Lü Zhi had just arrived at Liu Shanhe's side. Previously, after she had prepared all the necessary items for Liu Shanhe to start his uprising, she felt that as a woman, it was not suitable for her to stay in the military camp for too long, fearing that it would affect her husband's great cause. So, she returned to her hometown in Zhongyang and stayed there for several days. Although there was an honest and capable helper named Shen Shi who had been sent by Liu Shanhe, he was a man after all, and many things were not considered as meticulously. However, when mentioning Shen Shi, Lü Zhi's heart still fluttered with an unusual emotion rising from the bottom of her heart. Nevertheless, several days later, she was summoned back to the military camp by Liu Shanhe again. The reason was simple: although Liu Shanhe was already nearly fifty years old, he was a man who could not be away from women for even a single day.

  Now, Lü Yu was holding a bowl of medicine soup and carefully brought it to Liu Shanhe's bedside. On the bed, Liu Shanhe was tossing and turning, sighing constantly.

  "Hey, get up! It's time to take your medicine! Get up! It's time to take your medicine!" Lü Cuī put the medicinal soup on a nearby table while continuously calling out to Liu Shanhe.

  But Liu Shanhe had just sat up and scolded Lv Wei with a look of disgust, saying: "Ah, ah, what's wrong with you? I don't want to drink this bitter soup! Didn't I tell you? I'm not sick! I'm not sick! Since I'm not sick, why do I need to take medicine? It's really annoying!"

  Fortunately, Lü Zhi was also very familiar with Liu Shanhe's temperament, after all, they had been husband and wife for over a decade. So she didn't scold him, but instead comforted him in a gentle tone: "I know that losing Fengxiang has made you feel suffocated, and you've been holding it in for many days. If this goes on for too long, won't you get sick? Just listen to me and drink this medicine first. We can talk about these things later, there will be a way."

  It can be said that Lü Yu's words really hit the nail on the head, making Liu Shanhe think of the most painful and annoying thing again. So Liu Shanhe gritted his teeth and said: "That bastard Yong Chi! That despicable thing, I hate him so much that I want to catch him immediately and cut him into pieces, it's not enough to vent my anger! If I don't get rid of this hatred in my heart, I'll be damned if I'm still a Liu!" Gao Xin clenched his teeth with a cracking sound.

  However, Lü Yu's words made Liu Shanhe slightly calm down: "Look at you being so anxious! A man seeking revenge can wait ten years. How can you be so impatient? What kind of master are you if you can't even keep your cool? Calm down and there will be a way!"

  After listening to his wife Lü Zhi's words, Liu Shanhe fell silent, deep in thought, seemingly thinking of something, and lowered his head without speaking.

  Upon seeing her husband not speaking, Lü Zhi thought for a moment and then continued to say: "Alas, to put it bluntly, the reason why Yong Chi dared to betray you is because your strength is not strong enough! If you have enough strength, think about it, would Yong Chi still dare to betray you?"

  Liu Shanhe also knew that Lü Zhi's words had hit the nail on the head, and had struck at his very weakness. However, when people are in this state, they are most afraid of others pointing out their shortcomings. Although it is a wise fact, there is an instinct that does not want others to speak directly about it, and even oneself does not want to think about it, always wanting to cover one's ears and pretend ignorance. This is actually also a way for people to escape reality many times.

  However, as the saying goes, "good medicine tastes bitter" and "well-intentioned advice is unpleasant to hear". Liu Shanhe felt extremely annoyed after hearing Lü Yu's words, and his temper, which had just subsided, suddenly flared up again. He glared at Lü Yu and said, "Can you please get to the point? Why so many unnecessary words? You're always whispering in my ear, driving me crazy! Can't you speak less? Please?"

  After hearing Liu Shanhe's tone and seeing his expression, Lü Bu felt displeased. She didn't buy into Liu Shanhe's nonsense, so she also shifted her words and coldly said: "Hmph, you think I'm a bother? Fine, then let me ask you something. If that's the case, why did you have me come from home to serve you in this military camp? You've become a lord and now you look down on me. Have you forgotten how I treated you when you were nothing? You're not even emperor yet, and you're already turning your back on people like this.

  "You're now tired of being bothered? Hmph, just right, my wife and I were planning to rush back home tomorrow anyway. At home, there are elderly people upstairs and young children downstairs, and after so many days outside, we still can't put our minds at ease!" Lü Wei said indignantly.

  Liu Shanhe seemed to have suddenly remembered something after listening to Lü Wei's words, and with a seemingly careless tone, but also somewhat mysterious and ambiguous, he said to Lü Wei: "At home, are you still worried about things at home? Isn't there Eldest Brother Liu Yuan, and the gatekeeper Shen Shi Zu whom I sent to take care of things for you? What's there to worry about?"

  Lü Cuī was originally washing Liu Shanhe's socks, but after hearing him say that, she couldn't help but pause for a moment, as if something had triggered her thoughts. However, Lü Cuī was indeed Lü Cuī, with a deep mind and profound intentions, to the point where even two Liu Shanhes might not be her match.

  Lv Wei was taken aback for a moment, but immediately regained her composure, smiled slightly and said: "You're talking about him! Alas, although that husband of mine is indeed honest and diligent, doing things very carefully and being very considerate of family matters, he's still a careless man after all. There are many things that he can't help with, alas..."

  Liu Shanhe listened and although he understood what was going on in his heart, he couldn't say it out loud. So he just seemed to be saying casually: "Alright then, I'll change it for you to a more agile and meticulous one, guaranteeing that you'll be increasingly satisfied, how about that? Haha..." As he said this, Liu Shanhe's heart inexplicably rose with an indescribable pleasure.

  Lü Lü was taken aback, but then quickly replied: "What's the point of changing anything? After all, outsiders are just that - they're not like family. You shouldn't worry about this either, you should focus on your plans for the uprising instead. These trivial matters at home aren't worth your consideration!" As she spoke, Lü Lü grabbed Liu Shanhe's feet and submerged them in a foot bath that had already been prepared, beginning to wash his feet...

  Here is the translation:

  It was because of this that when Lü Zhi mentioned the name of Shen Shi, the housekeeper, to Liu Shanhe, her heart would suddenly skip a beat. There was a reason for this. The reason was that she, the wife of Pei Gong, the leader of a local righteous army, had an affair with Shen Shi! This was something that only she and Shen Shi knew about, as well as heaven and earth - it was a top-secret matter. And yet, it was actually Liu Shanhe who had arranged for this to happen. It's just that when he made these arrangements, he never could have imagined that one day things would turn out like this. Otherwise, even if you killed him, he wouldn't have handed his own wife over to one of his subordinates on a silver platter. Alas, the human heart is truly impossible to fathom!

  In the early days, when Liu Shanhe first arrived at Mangdang Mountain, Lü Yu soon became impatient with the hardships of not having a husband and brought her children on a long journey to find him. Relying on her ability to read "cloud energy", she managed to track down Liu Shanhe's hiding place in Mangdang Mountain. After spending some time with Liu Shanhe there, Lü Yu used her wisdom to guide him in opening up farmland and planting crops in the mountains, as well as setting up an ironwork shop to forge weapons, laying the foundation for their long-term development in this deep mountain.

  Later, as Liu Shanhe's position in Mangdang Mountain became more solid, the number of troops also increased, and the most basic problems of eating and armament were well solved. After all, this mountain is not a place where people live, and there are old fathers at home. So, Lü Yu decided to take two children and leave Mangdang Mountain, first returning home to wait for a while. When leaving, Liu Shanhe was worried about Lü Yu's safety on the road, and also thought that after Lü Yu returned home, he would bear the burden of production and household chores alone, fearing that Lü Yu would be exhausted. Therefore, he selected a young and strong, loyal and diligent personal bodyguard named Shen Shi Qi from the army to follow his wife Lü Yu on the road, responsible for her safety along the way, and after returning home, he became the manager of the household, helping Lü Yu with household chores. However, a chance encounter later led to an affair between Lü Yu and Shen Shi Qi, who was supposed to be her subordinate or servant...

  Actually, Liu Shanhe had heard something about this matter. It was precisely because of this that when Lü Yu said "At home, there are old and young, I'm still not at ease" just now, he couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart, and a strange emotion flashed through his mind like a fleeting thought. He then said a sentence that seemed very casual and unrelated, but actually had deep meaning: "Isn't there Shen Shi to take care of things at home? How could it be that he doesn't miss you?" In fact, the implication in this sentence, as well as the subtle information it conveyed, was something only Lü Yu could understand.

  Liu Shanhe also learned about the affair between his wife Lü Wei and guest Shen Shi in a very accidental opportunity.

  That was when we were having a funeral for our mother, and my elder brother Liu Yuan finally found an opportunity to say something after hesitating for half a day. He said to Liu Shanhe: "Younger brother, there's something I want to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not!"

  "Come on, big brother, what's wrong with you? If there's something to say, just say it." Liu Shanhe was somewhat impatient with his big brother Liu Yuan at this time, as they were in the middle of their mother's funeral.

  "Hmm, that's how it was. When you were still on Mangdang Mountain, your younger siblings went there to look for you and brought back a young servant named Shen Shi Qi when they returned. Do you still remember this?" Liu Yuan asked Liu Shanhe hesitantly.

  Actually, if it weren't for Big Brother Liu Yuan bringing it up, Liu Shanhe had really forgotten about that guy Shen Shi Qi. Yes, at the time he was worried about the safety of the road home and also thought that in order to reduce the burden of taking care of his family, he chose a loyal and reliable young man to accompany Lu Lü's mother and son back home. Moreover, at the time Liu Shanhe had promised Shen Shi Qi that if he achieved great things in the future, he would naturally not forget Shen Shi Qi's contribution. However, later on, with many things happening, this matter was naturally forgotten by him.

  "Oh, is there such a person? I seem to have asked him to escort Wenyu back home from Mengtang. How come this person is still in our house?" Liu Shanhe looked at his older brother Liu Yuandao with some confusion.

  Liu Sen glanced at Liu Shanhe a few times, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, and only half a day later said to Liu Shanhe: "I'm telling you, third brother, originally at our mother's funeral, I shouldn't be talking about these trivial matters with you. But thinking about it, except for this occasion, we brothers can still meet up and have some time to talk... if it were another time, there really wouldn't be an opportunity..."

  "Come on, big brother, just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush." Liu Shanhe was a bit dizzy from being circled around by his big brother Liu Yuan.

  "It's like that. Actually, I've only heard rumors too. Hmm, it seems that Liu Mei and Shen Shi have a somewhat ambiguous relationship..." After saying this, Liu Yuan saw Liu Shanhe's face turn pale in an instant, so he suddenly stopped talking and didn't say another word. Only after a while did Liu Yuan sigh again and continue: "I'm just telling you what I know, and I know that once you find out, you'll definitely feel terrible inside. But as your older brother, I think if I don't tell you, then we're not really family. As for how to handle it, you can figure it out yourself! Anyway, I think this matter requires careful handling..."

  It can be said that Liu Yuan's words were just enough. He said what he should have said, and those things that shouldn't be said, he naturally didn't mention a word.