pappabearbooks Chapter 30 Exploiting Others
Chapter 30 Exploiting Others
"The grain supplies are gone?" Liu Bang's eyes widened in disbelief. "We brought plenty of grain supplies when we set off from Xiayi, enough for us to reach Xingyang."
"The provisions in Xiayi were prepared for 100,000 people, but we now have more than 150,000," Lü Ze said helplessly.
"Only fifty thousand more," Liu Bang said, unconcerned.
"Only 50,000 more men? You talk like it's nothing." Lü Ze pointed at Liu Bang with his right hand and launched into a tirade: "Ying'er gathered 30,000 defeated soldiers, all of whom were able-bodied men..."
"Good for the able-bodied men! I was just worried that the soldiers in Xiayi were getting old. With able-bodied men, our fighting strength will be much greater." Liu Bang was very pleased and didn't forget to praise Liu Ying, "Ying'er is truly remarkable!"
"What's so good about it? You don't know the cost of firewood if you're not in charge of the household." Lu Ze continued to spew insults: "You all eat more than pigs! Do you know how much food and fodder 30,000 people consume in a day?"
"Good." The able-bodied men were skilled warriors, but they were also adept at preparing food; one meal from one could be equivalent to several meals for ordinary people. Liu Bang looked at Lü Ze and asked, "Can you find a way to obtain provisions?"
"If I had a solution, would I be asking you?" Lu Ze retorted irritably.
"Let me think about it." Liu Bang had no choice but to take it one step at a time.
Two days later, the group finally entered Liang, which was the territory of the State of Wei, one of the Seven Warring States. Because the State of Wei once had its capital at Daliang, it was also known as the "State of Liang," and its capital Daliang and the surrounding area were called "Liang Land."
This refers to the area surrounding Kaifeng in modern Henan Province, which is located in the heart of the Central Plains.
Upon entering Liang, Liu Ying discovered that the situation here was far better than in Dang County, though not quite as good as in Fengpei, but still quite good in a chaotic world.
Some fertile fields lay barren, and some villages were destroyed, but many fertile fields and villages remained. The people were busy in the fields, sweating profusely, creating a lively and bustling scene.
It's early June now, the rice harvest season. Piles of rice are being harvested and then taken home to dry.
"Such a scene can still be found in chaotic times?" Liu Ying was very surprised.
"Peng Yue has no great ambitions; his greatest wish is to rule Liang." Liu Bang, riding beside Liu Ying, explained, "Therefore, after Peng Yue conquered Liang, he disciplined his troops, suppressed bandits, and ordered officials to govern diligently, resulting in the present situation."
"Peng Yue is also a capable person," Liu Ying exclaimed.
"What kind of capable person is he? This is just his own property, so he cares about it. If he encountered someone else's property, he would definitely take it for himself." Liu Bang looked down on Peng Yue and kept pursing his lips.
"I dare to inform the King of Han: Peng Yue has sent an envoy to request an audience," Tian reported to Liu Bang.
"Let him come over," Liu Bang said happily.
"Yes, sir." Tian accepted the order and rode away.
"Ying'er, guess why Peng Yue sent someone here?" Liu Bang looked at Liu Ying, beaming with pride. "You'd never guess. Peng Yue sent someone to give me a gift."
"Gifts?" Liu Ying asked, puzzled.
"Peng Yue's current situation is all thanks to my kindness." Liu Bang puffed out his chest. "Last year, when that scoundrel Xiang Yu entered Guanzhong and bestowed titles upon the princes, Peng Yue had only ten thousand men. In this chaotic world, such a small force was nothing, so no one paid him any attention, and Xiang Yu naturally wouldn't have granted him any titles. When I led my army eastward, Peng Yue surrendered to me, and I appointed him as the Chancellor of Wei to reclaim the Liang territory. That's how Peng Yue achieved his current position. Therefore, he must have sent someone to thank me this time."
Peng Yue's personality dictated that he wouldn't intervene until the situation was clear, which is why he started his uprising too late at the end of the Qin Dynasty.
When Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched their uprising in Dazexiang, people from all over the country responded. Peng Yue enjoyed good prestige in the area, and many people supported him and urged him to join the rebellion. However, Peng Yue said, "Two dragons are fighting, let's wait and see." It wasn't until a year later, when the situation became clear and the demise of the Qin Dynasty was inevitable, that he finally started his uprising.
Because he started his rebellion more than a year late, almost when the Qin Dynasty was about to fall, his fate was too late, so his power was not great.
When Xiang Yu enfeoffed the feudal lords last year, he only had a little over ten thousand men. In the chaotic world at the end of the Qin Dynasty, this number of men was nothing, so nobody paid him any attention. He was the kind of person who was neither cared for nor loved.
When Liu Bang attacked Pengcheng from the east, Peng Yue gave Liu Bang 30,000 troops. In return, Liu Bang appointed him as the prime minister of Wei. Only then did Peng Yue have a legitimate official position. He took this opportunity to conquer Liangdi, which he wanted to make his own fiefdom.
"If that's the case, then Peng Yue's visit wasn't to deliver a gift, but to urge you to get out of here quickly." Liu Ying looked at Liu Bang and curled his lip.
"Impossible!" Liu Bang refused to believe it. "I have known Peng Yue for a long time, and we fought together to defeat the Qin army. Besides, I have done him a great service, so he will definitely give me a generous gift."
"Good!" Lü Ze agreed.
"Good!" Xiahou Ying echoed.
Before Liu Bang marched westward to destroy Qin, he met Peng Yue in Changyi. The two fought side by side and had a fairly good relationship.
"If you don't believe me, just wait and see," Liu Ying said confidently.
"Ying'er, if you are wrong, you must call me Father, is that alright?" Liu Bang had always wanted Liu Ying to call him Father, but unfortunately, he had shattered their father-son relationship with a single kick, and Liu Ying still wouldn't call him that.
"What if you lose?" Liu Ying asked, glancing sideways.
"I'll be your grandson," Liu Bang said shamelessly.
"Liu Bang, how old are you? How can you be so shameless?" Lü Ze scolded.
"This is a matter between father and son, you shouldn't interfere. Right, Ying'er?" Liu Bang looked at Liu Ying with anticipation.
"Get out!" Liu Ying snapped.
Liu Bang was not annoyed at all, and even wanted to take the opportunity to persuade Peng Yue's envoy.
This was a middle-aged man, dressed in a brocade robe, with a sword at his left waist. He looked like a scholar, yet also possessed a heroic air.
"Hu Zhe, why didn't Peng Yue come to greet me personally?" Liu Bang recognized the man and questioned him.
Hu Zhe was a close confidant of Peng Yue and was highly regarded by Peng Yue, so he naturally met Liu Bang.
"I dare to inform the King of Han: The Prime Minister is overwhelmed with affairs and unable to attend to matters at his own pace, so he sent me to pay my respects to the King of Han and present him with generous gifts." Hu Zhe clasped his hands together, bent his waist at a ninety-degree angle, and was extremely respectful.
"Hehe." Liu Bang winked at Liu Ying triumphantly, meaning, "Look, I won. You have to call me Father now."
Liu Ying rolled her eyes, as will be discussed later.
"What kind of etiquette is required?" Liu Bang asked with a smug look on his face.
"One hundred catties of gold and fifty pieces of white jade are but a token of my respect; I humbly request that Your Majesty accept them." Hu Zhe bowed again with clasped hands.
"Is that all? Are you trying to fetch a beggar?" Liu Bang roared in fury.
A hundred catties of gold and fifty pairs of white jade discs would indeed be a generous gift for an ordinary person. But for Liu Bang, the King of Han, it was nothing more than a gift to give to a beggar.
"I dare to tell the King of Han: Liang has just been pacified and everything is in need of rebuilding. There is nothing more to do." Hu Zhe lowered his waist even further, his attitude was excellent and impeccable, but his words were soft yet firm.
"Hu Zhe, stop your nonsense. If you want Peng Yue to send more generous gifts, I can let bygones be bygones." Liu Bang was furious, his left hand on the hilt of his sword, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing.
"Your Majesty, there's really no other way." Hu Zhe said with a bitter face, spreading his hands as if he were a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
"Do you think I don't know? Peng Yue was born in the Year of the Rat, and he loves to hide things whenever he has a spare moment. Over the years, how many treasures has he hidden away?" Liu Bang pressed.
Peng Yue is the kind of person who thinks three steps ahead before taking any action. He always leaves himself an escape route, and he hides away any good things he finds.
"I dare to inform the King of Han: Your Majesty, you have just suffered a defeat at Pengcheng. It is not advisable to cause any more trouble. Please leave now." Hu Zhe straightened his back and spoke in a firm tone.
If the soft approach doesn't work, then the hard approach will.
"You..." Liu Bang drew his sword, its blade gleaming coldly, and pointed it at Hu Zhe, shouting, "You think I can't kill you?"
Hu Zhe said calmly, "If the King of Han kills me, it will surely anger the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister, in a fit of anger, surrenders to Xiang Yu, I wonder if the King of Han can still conquer the world?"
"I..." Liu Bang really wanted to kill Hu Zhe on the spot, but he was right. Angering Peng Yue at this time would be extremely disadvantageous for him. He could only take a deep breath, suppress his anger, and sheath his sword.
"King of Han, please." Hu Zherang stepped aside and invited him.
This was a message for Liu Bang to get lost, and Liu Bang's left hand was on the hilt of his sword again.
"Hu Zhe, is that it? You hurry back and tell Peng Yue to send the King of Han 100,000 shi of grain, 50,000 jin of gold, 10,000 top-quality warhorses, 50,000 swords, 50,000 bows, 3 million arrows, 50,000 suits of armor, and 100,000 sets of coarse clothing." Liu Ying rode out and came to Hu Zhe, staring at him fiercely: "If you dare to utter a single word of dissent, I will raze Liang to the ground!"