Xiang Yu swirled the wine in his cup. "Oh, very well then. Let the strategist personally finish this man off."
Zhang Liang, "..."
Chapter 67 Returning to Jiangdong
Fan Kuai was completely devastated. Zhang Liang had actually suggested that Xiang Yu behead him and display his head to the public!
But Zhang Liang was right. Someone of his status should not be let go, and even if Zhang Liang hadn't suggested it, Xiang Yu couldn't possibly have been unaware of this.
Zhang Liang was also in a bad mood. Xiang Yu actually ordered him to personally kill Fan Kuai?
However, the words had already been spoken, and if Zhang Liang were to change his mind now, he would be truly doomed.
"Here!" Zhang Liang slowly stood up, picked up a sword, and walked towards Fan Kuai.
Xiang Yu watched the scene unfold with great interest; it truly was the spectacle the god of wine had described.
"Zhang Zifang, you traitor!" Fan Kuai was furious. He broke free from his restraints and pounced on Zhang Liang, throwing punches.
Ugh!
As one of the most valiant generals in Liu Ji's army, Fan Kuai was naturally quite strong. In addition, he had not resisted at all before, so the soldiers who were restraining him were somewhat unprepared and he managed to break free.
Zhang Liang was terrified and swung his sword to strike, yelling, "Die!"
Fan Kuai smiled coldly, dodging the sword to the side. He instantly closed in on Zhang Liang, grabbed his hand, and snatched the sword, placing it against Zhang Liang's neck. "Don't move! Anyone who dares to move, I'll kill him!"
Zhang Liang was ultimately a civil official, and he was no match for Fan Kuai. So, his fate was not unexpected for Xiang Yu and the others.
"King Xiang, save me..." Zhang Liang was sweating profusely.
"King Xiang, if you don't let me go, I'll kill him!" Fan Kuai slashed Zhang Liang's neck with his sword, and a few drops of blood seeped out.
"How dare you threaten me, the king?" Xiang Yu stood up and walked over step by step.
"Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll... I'll..." Fan Kuai was dumbfounded. Did Xiang Yu not care about Zhang Liang's life or death? This was the brilliant strategist Zhang Liang!
"King Xiang, even if Zifang dies, he has no regrets. We must not let Fan Kuai leave!" Zhang Liang's eyes were filled with determination, and he looked as if he were ready to die for his cause.
"Very well. After your death, I will posthumously confer upon you the title of Marquis of Liu." Xiang Yu said, quickening his pace.
Zhang Liang was also dumbfounded. Xiang Yu wasn't that kind of person. He had just pledged his loyalty and followed Xiang Yu's orders to do his best to kill Fan Kuai. He had also bravely faced death without fear of personal injury. Why was Xiang Yu not moved at all and didn't care about his life or death?
Well then, let fate decide our fate...
Zhang Liang closed his eyes. In this situation, saying anything more would be superfluous. If Fan Kuai wanted to kill him, then let him kill him.
Fan Kuai's face showed despair. He had been completely wrong. It turned out that Xiang Yu never considered Zhang Liang one of his own. Otherwise, why would he not care about Zhang Liang's life or death? Or had Xiang Yu changed? Could no longer be moved by heroic deeds?
Xiang Yu is still the same Xiang Yu, except that he now has a trusted and experienced wine god secretly advising him. This is a grand drama, with three top actors putting on a show, and whoever backs down loses.
"Ignore Zhang Liang's life or death, just seize the sword," Hao Jiu advised.
"Alright." Although Xiang Yu was still a little reluctant to part with Zhang Liang, he still adopted the suggestion of the god of wine.
"Die!" Fan Kuai gritted his teeth, shoved Zhang Liang forward, and then thrust his sword forward, intending to kill Zhang Liang and Xiang Yu together.
At this point, Fan Kuai had given up hope of survival. He knew that Zhang Liang was in a similarly precarious situation, and that Zhang Liang had already done his best to help him. Since he was going to die anyway, if his death could earn Xiang Yu's trust in Zhang Liang, then it would be worth it!
I refuse to believe that Xiang Yu truly didn't care whether Zhang Liang lived or died!
puff!
The sword pierced Zhang Liang's back, and blood flowed from the wound. However, Fan Kuai's sword could not advance any further, because a hand like a pair of pliers firmly gripped the sword.
"Hey! Hey~~~" Fan Kuai bent his left leg and pushed off with his right, using all his strength to thrust forward.
What a joke! Do you think all my strength is less than one of Xiang Yu's hands?
However, the sword gradually left Zhang Liang's body, and no matter how hard Fan Kuai twisted or bent the sword, he couldn't change anything.
Zhang Liang's eyes rolled upwards and he fainted. Although the wound wasn't deep, it was truly terrifying; it was his heart, a vital organ.
Xiang Yu stepped over Zhang Liang and strolled leisurely toward Fan Kuai. In an instant, the hilt of his sword pressed against Fan Kuai's chest, and he pushed Fan Kuai backward.
Fan Kuai looked like he'd seen a ghost. Although he had never fought Xiang Yu head-on, the difference in their strength was just too great, like the difference between an infant and a grown man.
"I admire Xiang Yu's divine strength. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you." Fan Kuai loosened his grip on the sword hilt, resigned to his fate. Why did he have to come to Shucheng of all places?
Xiang Yu casually threw the sword on the ground. "Tie him up and lock him up in confinement. Send Zhang Liang to be treated. No one is allowed to speak to him or leave without permission."
"Yes, sir!" Ma Liang responded and quickly stepped forward to tie up Fan Kuai.
"Xiang Yu won't kill me?" Fan Kuai asked in surprise.
"Did I ever say I wanted to kill you? Just now, it was the strategist who wanted to kill you, and I had no choice but to give him face and reluctantly agree, even letting him do it himself. I still have a use for your life; perhaps it can be used to exchange for our captured people in the future. Of course, if Liu Ji is unwilling to exchange, then keeping you alive is useless, and you can blame Liu Ji." After saying this, Xiang Yu turned around and went back to continue drinking and eating meat.
Fan Kuai was led away with a blank expression, while Zhang Liang, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, suddenly felt a pang of heartache. So this was Xiang Yu's plan? What on earth were he and Fan Kuai doing, turning against each other and then using a self-inflicted injury to show their loyalty?
"Ouch..." My back hurts so much!
Zhang Liang was carried away, and the Han soldiers who entered the city also surrendered. Originally, these people should have been rewarded for their merits for hiding the boats and cutting off Xiang Yu's retreat, but now they have become prisoners.
The following day, Xiang Yu left Shuxian and went to Guchao, Juchao and Liyang, and finally arrived at a small place called Wujiang Pavilion or Wujiang Village east of Liyang.
The Wujiang River where Xiang Yu committed suicide is not the same Wujiang River that originates in the Wumeng Mountains within Sichuan Province. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Wujiang River in Sichuan was not called Wujiang River, but rather Zangke River, Neijiang River, or Fuling River.
The Wujiang River where Wujiang committed suicide should be near the modern-day Wujiang Town. Wujiang Town was established as a county in the Western Jin Dynasty and changed to a town in the Ming Dynasty. However, during the Qin Dynasty, Wujiang Town was just a small village.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the country, he decreed that a pavilion be set up every ten li. This pavilion was not an administrative division like a township or county, but rather similar to a modern police station. Liu Ji, as the pavilion chief, was actually the head of local security.
The Wujiang Pavilion Chief, who appeared in historical records as someone who wanted to help Xiang Yu cross the river, was naturally the person in charge of maintaining order in this small place called Wujiang.
As for why Wujiang Village or Wujiang Pavilion is named this way, it is naturally related to the fact that this place is located on the banks of the Yangtze River. It is very likely that this place was called Wujiang before the Qin Dynasty, because the character 'Wu' is often used in place names, and the Yangtze River has been named in sections since ancient times.
Therefore, the Wujiang River associated with Xiang Yu was just a small riverside port village under the jurisdiction of Dongcheng. The actual location of Dongcheng should not be too far from modern-day Chuzhou. Some experts have nothing better to do than insist on proving that Xiang Yu did not commit suicide at Wujiang River; they are simply trying to attract attention.
Looking at the rolling Yangtze River and then at the small village behind him, Hao Jiu was filled with emotion.
The wheels of history keep turning, and generation after generation of people from Wujiang live here, passing down the heroic story of Xiang Yu's suicide here.
Xiang Yu, who had the opportunity to return to Jiangdong to regroup and make a comeback, ultimately chose to commit suicide by the Wujiang River because of the betrayal of Xiang Bo, Zhou Yin, and others; because of the death of Yu Ji; because his eight thousand followers could not return; because he had no face to see the elders of Jiangdong; because he did not want the flames of war to reach his hometown; and also because he wanted the people of the world to enjoy peace as soon as possible.
If Xiang Yu had not done this, the great war between Chu and Han would probably have continued for several more years. After the ravages of the Qin Dynasty and the continuous wars of anti-Qin and Chu-Han, the country was on the verge of collapse, and countless people starved to death.
Why was Liu Ji able to gather more troops and make a comeback after each defeat?
To put it bluntly, Liu Ji controlled most of the grain in the country, and most of the people became refugees. Even if they became bandits, they could not survive. Only the army had food.
Therefore, those who could wield weapons all joined the army, leaving only the weak, elderly, women, and children to live in hunger and cold, and the tragic situation of cannibalism may not have occurred.
Although it is said that the success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand, this has clearly exceeded the world's capacity to bear it.
When Xiang Yu divided the land, why didn't he replace Qin Shi Huang and become emperor as he originally envisioned?
One of the main reasons was that Xiang Yu was deeply influenced by Confucianism and had a benevolent heart. At that time, the people of the world were already suffering. Even if he wanted to unify the world, he should have allowed the people to recuperate for a few years first. Xiang Yu was still young, and he could afford to wait.
Even during the later Chu-Han Contention, Xiang Yu did not miss any opportunity to end the war as soon as possible.
As a result, Xiang Yu wanted the people to recuperate and rebuild their lives, but some people did not want that. Those ambitious and selfish people kept provoking wars, causing the world to sink into the flames of war time and time again.
It's ironic, really. If Xiang Yu had been ruthless enough to kill Liu Ji and the other warlords, perhaps fewer people would have died in the war.
No one knows what Xiang Yu was thinking when he committed suicide, but perhaps there was some sense of atonement in it.
The historical records portray Xiang Yu as two very different people: one benevolent and loving with a heart for the world, and the other utterly wicked, massacring cities and killing surrendered soldiers. However, a careful reading of these historical records reveals that Xiang Yu actually did many things that evil people would never do.
If Xiang Yu was truly a heinous murderer, why did he spare so many enemies who shouldn't have been spared? Why did even Liu Bang's camp say that Xiang Yu was benevolent and loving? And why did so many people swear to follow Xiang Yu to the death?
Actually, the problem is quite simple. Liu Bang's title of King of Han was bestowed by Xiang Yu. He needed a suitable excuse to rebel against Xiang Yu, and he also needed to maintain his righteous image after unifying the country.
Therefore, Xiang Yu's shortcomings would be magnified infinitely, and some unfounded accusations would be falsely attributed to him, which is something a normal ruler would inevitably do.
This is the principle behind history being written by the victors. No ruler or their descendants would deliberately smear themselves in history books; they would only smear their opponents.
Unless the ruler is a saint, impartial and strictly records events according to historical fact.
Even a saint would not smear himself; at most, he would refrain from smearing his opponents.
However, was Liu Bang a saint? Obviously not. He was a ruthless and cold-blooded emperor who would stop at nothing, as clearly recorded in history books.
Liu Ji, who triggered the Chu-Han Contention and won with the help of a group of traitors, gained the world for free. During his eight years on the throne, he did not give the people a chance to recover and rebuild. He went from massacring Xiang Yu's former subordinates to forcing the kings of different surnames to rebel one by one, and then eliminating them by means of war.
Liu Ji was only concerned with consolidating his rule, and even meritorious officials such as Xiao He and Fan Kuai almost died at the hands of this founding emperor.
As a loser, Xiang Yu's benevolence and heroism, passed down through word of mouth, were recorded by the historians of the Han Dynasty, thus giving rise to the hero Xiang Yu in the history books.
Yes, only heroes can do heroic things, while villains are always groveling and living a life of ignominy.
Unfortunately, heroes are not always victorious, and often find themselves at a disadvantage in the treacherous struggle for supremacy. Even a powerful figure like Xiang Yu was ultimately killed by a group of villains.
However, this may also indicate that Xiang Yu was not powerful enough. If one could fly through the air and sweep away a million soldiers, what schemes and tricks would he be afraid of?
Hao Jiu felt himself burning with passion. As a system, he was fully capable of granting Xiang Yu such immense power. The history of this plane would be completely rewritten by them, and even all the heavens and myriad worlds would bow down to the Overlord!
"King Xiang, the ships are here." Yu Ji took Xiang Yu's arm.
"Yes, let's go home."
...
Chapter 68 Northern Chu Army
Green hills and clear waters, with the east bank of the Yangtze River in sight.
However, Xiang Yu's fleet did not land directly on the opposite bank of Wujiang Pavilion, but instead sailed downstream to Jiangcheng.
Jiangcheng is located to the east of the ancient city of Jinling, separated from Jinling only by Zhongshan Mountain. After Qin Shi Huang abandoned Jinling, most of the original Jinling residents went to Jiangcheng.
In short, Jiangcheng is now one of the largest cities in Jiangdong, and it was also the temporary capital of Western Chu chosen by Xiang Yu and Hao Jiu.
Although Wu County, the seat of Kuaiji Commandery, is more prosperous and located further back, making it safer, choosing Wu County would be too conservative given the current situation.
By choosing Jiangcheng as his capital, Xiang Yu was fully capable of controlling Shuxian, Juchao, Liyang, Dongcheng, Tangyi, Guangling, and other places in Jiangxi and Jiangbei. It was even possible that he could control Xuyi (the former capital of Chu) south of Hongze Lake and the nearby Dongyang County.
Liu Ji would certainly be unwilling to give up such a large territory as Jiujiang Commandery, but keeping it all would also be too much of a burden. Therefore, he could only retain a portion of it. The cities near the river were the best choice, as they were accessible by waterway and could receive support from Jiangdong at any time.
In fact, Liu Ji ordered a halt to the advance immediately after learning of Fan Kuai's complete annihilation.
Furthermore, they spontaneously used the line of Hongze Lake, Jianshan, Dongcheng, Chaohu, and Shuxian as the boundary, regarding the area south of this boundary as Xiang Yu's territory, and dared not cross this line.