Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 12 Discussing Heroes by Candlelight

Since transmigrating, Liu Ying has witnessed Liu Bang's shamelessness; his skin is thicker than the Great Wall, and bullets cannot penetrate it.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bang, who was putting on a brave face, actually cried at this moment.

After thinking about it carefully, I felt relieved.

In the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Bang commanded an army of 560,000, nineteen times the size of Xiang Yu's forces. Despite possessing such overwhelming numerical superiority, he was utterly defeated and forced to flee by Xiang Yu.

If it weren't for Liu Ying's skillful training, which severely injured Zhongli Mo and forced the Chu army to retreat, he might have been captured alive by Zhongli Mo.

How could this be a small blow to Liu Bang?

The postmaster's attitude was the last straw that broke Liu Bang's back. Having witnessed the postmaster's attitude firsthand, Liu Bang was not treated as the King of Han at all, but as worse than a dog.

He had long anticipated that many people would look down on him after the news of the defeat at Pengcheng spread, but he never expected to be looked down upon so much.

Even someone as thick-skinned and resilient as Liu Bang couldn't withstand it.

"After the defeat at Pengcheng, Liu Bang was without an army, which was his weakest moment. Xiang Yu would definitely seize this opportunity to launch a major attack, enter Guanzhong, and destroy Liu Bang without lifting a finger." Liu Ying scratched his head, puzzled: "Why did Liu Bang win in the end and Xiang Yu lose? What exactly happened in between?"

After the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Bang's fighting force was almost completely wiped out, leaving Guanzhong vulnerable and essentially undefended. Even a certain animal would know that this was a golden opportunity to eliminate Liu Bang, and Xiang Yu would certainly seize the chance to launch a major westward offensive and attack Guanzhong.

Liu Bang was powerless to resist and could only be destroyed.

Even if Xiang Yu, as Liu Bang said, was all brawn and no brains and couldn't think of this, Fan Zeng would still have him do it.

In the end, Xiang Yu was defeated and Liu Bang was victorious. How did Liu Bang overcome this difficult situation?

Liu Ying regretted that he was not a history expert and did not know how Liu Bang overcame the most difficult hurdle.

Even if you're not a history expert, as long as you're a history enthusiast, knowing a little bit of information is helpful.

Unfortunately, Liu Ying was neither of those two people and had no clue about the matter what to do.

"..." Xiahou Ying looked at the dejected Liu Bang and felt a pang of panic. He comforted him, "Liu Ji, don't give up. We still have a chance."

"Opportunity? What opportunity could there be? There's no opportunity!" Liu Bang slapped his right cheek with his right hand and sobbed, "Xiang Yu will definitely seize this opportunity to launch a major westward offensive and attack Guanzhong. This time, I took all the troops I could with me on the eastward march. Guanzhong is empty and practically useless. Xiang Yu can take it without lifting a finger."

Xiahou Ying's face turned pale, then flushed: "Are we just going to give up like this?"

"What can we do if we don't give up?" Liu Bang spread his hands, his face full of helplessness: "Unless you can conjure up a million soldiers for me."

"A million-strong army?" Xiahou Ying sat on the edge of the couch, his face ashen.

In the Battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Yu not only defeated Liu Bang's army of 560,000, but also surpassed his previous prestige, reaching its peak. For Liu Bang to contend with Xiang Yu, he would need a large army at his disposal.

A million is too much; several hundred thousand is more likely.

Liu Bang doesn't have that many troops at the moment.

Therefore, failure was an inevitable outcome.

Liu Bang and Xiahou Ying were both dejected and silent, and the room was filled with a somber atmosphere.

Liu Le, his eyes red-rimmed, came to Liu Bang's bedside, reached out his little hand to wipe away Liu Bang's tears, and comforted him, "Father, don't cry! Father, don't cry!"

"Can you find a way to stall Xiang Yu and buy yourself a chance to catch your breath?" Liu Ying asked tentatively, scratching his head in frustration.

"Delay him?" Liu Bang's eyes lit up, then dimmed, and he shook his head fiercely: "How can we delay him? No matter what the plan is, Fan Zeng will see through it and urge Xiang Yu to advance westward quickly."

"Excellent!" Xiahou Ying nodded heavily in agreement, "Anyone who isn't an idiot knows that this is the perfect opportunity to destroy the King of Han, and King Xiang will certainly not miss it."

"Tell me about the situation, let me think, is there any way to hold off Xiang Yu?" Liu Ying came to the bedside and looked at Liu Bang.

"You mere child, yet you dare to spout nonsense? Do you think I can't think of a way?" Liu Bang didn't believe him at all.

Xiahou Ying didn't believe it either.

"You can't say that," Liu Ying patted her small chest. "Before I instructed you, didn't you believe you could defeat Zhongli Mo's army of several hundred men? I didn't do it!"

"It's different!" Liu Bang was taken aback, somewhat tempted, but then rejected the idea: "Zhongli Mo only has a few hundred men, while Xiang Yu has hundreds of thousands of troops, advancing westward with all his might. I have no army at my disposal and cannot resist."

"Since it's already like this, just tell me, I'm just curious." Liu Ying persisted.

"Alright then." Liu Bang remained silent for a moment before finally agreeing: "The story of the world's affairs begins last year when Xiang Yu entered Guanzhong and enfeoffed eighteen princes..."

Although Liu Bang was a rogue by birth and never studied, he was very good at organizing his thoughts. When he talked about the general situation of the world, he analyzed it in a clear, concise and easy-to-understand way.

"What kind of person was Xiang Yu?" Liu Ying asked after listening.

"Xiang Yu possessed immense strength, capable of lifting a cauldron, and loved charging into battle. He was invincible wherever he went, so his men regarded him as a god, worshipped him as a deity, and were all willing to die for him." Liu Bang's goodwill towards Xiang Yu was short-lived. He curled his lip in disdain: "Commander-in-chief of the three armies, the ruler of a nation, charging into battle like a common soldier—what a mere mortal!"

"You lack Xiang Yu's bravery; are you just jealous of him?" Liu Ying mocked.

"What do you know, you little boy? The Qin Dynasty had a military law that 'a high-ranking official who is beheaded will be exiled,' which was to prevent generals and officers who were responsible for command from not leading troops into battle, but instead charging into battle like ordinary soldiers." Liu Bang glanced at Liu Ying: "If that scoundrel Xiang Yu were in the Qin army, charging into battle like him, he would have been killed countless times long ago."

The doctor was beheaded and exiled!

This was indeed a military law of the Qin Dynasty, designed to prevent generals and officers with command responsibilities from acting impulsively, abandoning their troops and charging into battle like ordinary soldiers.

Such a person is condemned to exile as a serious crime.

If Xiang Yu had fought like that in the Qin army, he would have been killed countless times over.

"Where is Peng Yue?" Liu Ying asked again.

"Peng Yue? He has the ambition to achieve great things, but not the courage. He's a coward!" Liu Bang scoffed, completely looking down on Peng Yue.

"You look down on Peng Yue so much?" Liu Ying was surprised.

Peng Yue was a general under Liu Bang who made great contributions. His military talent was second only to Han Xin, so the two were called "Han Peng". Liu Bang looked down on him completely, which was really unexpected for Liu Ying.

"Peng Yue is the kind of person who won't get involved when the situation is unclear. He's always thinking about picking up easy profits. There's no such thing as a free lunch," Liu Bang's mockery deepened. "As soon as King Chen raised his army, someone advised him to quickly join him. Guess what Peng Yue said?"

"How so?" Liu Ying asked curiously.

Peng Yue said, "The two dragons are fighting, let's wait and see." Liu Bang shook his head: "If the two dragons have already fought to a conclusion, how much profit can you make if you enter the fray? If you want to gain substantial profits, you have to enter the fray early and get involved."

"The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!" Liu Ying agreed with this saying: "There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If you want to make a fortune, you have to take great risks."

"Great! Excellent!" Liu Bang cheered, clapping his hands together heavily. "Peng Yue is always thinking about taking advantage of others; he'll never amount to anything."

Peng Yue was the kind of person who would never intervene unless the situation was clear, always thinking of waiting until the situation became clear before making a decision. Even when Liu Bang led an army of 560,000 eastward in a massive offensive, Liu Bang's momentum was immense, and many feudal lords joined his camp, personally leading their armies to attack Xiang Yu.

Peng Yue also joined Liu Bang's camp, giving Liu Bang 30,000 troops, but not going himself.

This shows just how cunning Peng Yue is.

Therefore, it's impossible that Peng Yue was executed by Empress Lü on charges of treason, as that would be too risky and inconsistent with Peng Yue's character. This was merely a charge imposed on him by Empress Lü.

"Where is Yingbu?" Liu Ying asked again.

"Ying Bu? He's nothing but a butcher!" Liu Bang looked down on Ying Bu. "If we're talking about who has the blackest heart and the dirtiest hands, it has to be Ying Bu. Ying Bu does all the dirty work for that scoundrel Xiang Yu, engaging in all sorts of shady dealings. When Xiang Yu slaughtered 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers at Xin'an, Ying Bu was his henchman; when Xiang Yu massacred Guanzhong, Ying Bu was still his henchman; when Xiang Yu killed Emperor Yi, Ying Bu was still his henchman!"

"So gloomy?" Liu Ying was shocked.

The massacre of 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers at Xin'an, the bloodbath in Guanzhong, and the killing of Emperor Yi were notorious sordid events in the chaotic late Qin period. Ying Bu not only participated in all of them, but was also Xiang Yu's henchman.

This was unexpected by Liu Ying.

"The most ridiculous thing is that Ying Bu has done so many underhanded things for Xiang Yu. He's already tied to Xiang Yu, they're in the same boat, their fates intertwined. Yet Ying Bu still has many ideas. When Tian Rong raised the banner of rebellion in Qi, Xiang Yu wanted him to go with the army, but he pretended to be sick and didn't go, only sending a few thousand men to deal with him, which greatly displeased Xiang Yu." Liu Bang mocked even more enthusiastically.

"Is Xiang Yu really not happy?" Liu Ying asked Liu Bang, his eyes wide open.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" Liu Bang asked, puzzled.

"I know how to stall Xiang Yu!" Liu Ying exclaimed excitedly.