novelAbuy Chapter 55 The World is at Peace
Chapter 55 The World is at Peace
If we were to list the five most worthy emperors to follow in ancient times, Liu Bang would undoubtedly be among them, no matter how you choose!
Before Liu Bang decided to join the outlaws, he already had a wealth of experiences.
To people at the time, Liu Bang was not only well-connected and knowledgeable, but also a man with a strong sense of chivalry.
As a young man, he greatly admired Lord Xinling. When he grew up, he not only traveled to the former territory of the State of Wei, but also served as a retainer for Zhang Er, who had once been a retainer of Lord Xinling.
The Records of the Grand Historian, in the biography of Zhang Er and Chen Yu, states: When Qin destroyed Daliang, Zhang Er's family lived in Waihuang. When Emperor Gaozu was a commoner, he often traveled with Zhang Er, staying as a guest for several months.
With such a resume and story, Liu Bang naturally entered the local government after his return and became the head of the Sishui Pavilion, mainly responsible for local security.
He had once served corvée labor in Xianyang. On one occasion, when Qin Shi Huang was on a tour and the people were allowed to watch, he saw the emperor and sighed with emotion, "Alas, this is how a true man should be!"
Sima Qian recorded that Liu Bang liked to tease local officials and was fond of drinking and women, but this overshadowed his diplomatic skills and personal charisma.
Later, Lü Gong's family moved to Pei County, and Liu Bang went to attend the banquet.
There was a specific arrangement for this banquet: seating was determined by the value of the gifts given. Those who gave less than a thousand coins sat in the lower section of the hall.
Liu Bang didn't bring a single character with him, but in order to sneak into the hall, he said: "Liu Ji, ten thousand coins!"
After the visiting card was presented, Lü Gong was greatly surprised. He got up and went to the door to greet Liu Bang. Lü Gong was skilled at physiognomy, and upon seeing Liu Bang's appearance, he respected him greatly and led him to a seat.
At that time, Xiao He was in charge of protocol, so he introduced Liu Bang to Lü Gong, saying that he loved to talk big and had accomplished nothing.
Liu Bang then treated the other guests with disrespect and humiliation, and then sat in the seat of honor without showing any courtesy.
As the banquet was about to end, Lü Gong winked at Liu Bang, signaling him to stay.
After Liu Bang finished his wine, he stayed behind and did not leave. Lü Gong said, "When I was young, I was good at reading people's faces. I have seen the faces of many people, but no one can compare to yours. I hope you will cherish and respect yourself."
"I have a daughter who wishes to marry you." After the banquet, Lady Lü angrily said to Lord Lü, "You always said this daughter was extraordinary and wanted to marry her to a nobleman. The magistrate of Pei County was on good terms with you and asked to marry her, but you refused. Why did you so recklessly betroth her to Liu Ji?"
Lü Gong said, "This is not something a woman like you could know."
In the end, Lü Gong married his daughter to Liu Ji, and this woman was none other than the famous Lü Zhi!
Later, because too many of the people he was escorting had escaped, Liu Bang himself simply became an outlaw.
Some say that Liu Bang lost every battle in his life, but don't forget that before he met Han Xin, Liu Bang had already fought his way up from a bandit in Mangdang Mountain to become the King of Hanzhong.
After he raised an army, he first joined the Chu army, then gradually became a general in the Chu army, and fought against the Qin army together with Xiang Yu.
Xiang Yu was also a chivalrous hero in his early years. The two hit it off immediately upon meeting, and they were kindred spirits in the early days.
After Xiang Yu's uncle Xiang Liang was defeated by Zhang Han, King Huai of Chu (Xiong Xin, grandson of King Huai of Chu, also known as Emperor Yi of Chu), who was installed by Xiang Liang, had the opportunity to seize power and wanted to break free from the constraints of Xiang family's army.
At that time, Liu Bang, who was close to the Xiang family but not a core figure, was entrusted with an important position by King Huai of Chu, who enfeoffed him as Marquis of Wu'an and put him in charge of Dang Commandery. Xiang Yu, on the other hand, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Chang'an and appointed Duke of Lu, in charge of a county.
In order to resolve internal conflicts and expand his territory, King Huai of Chu decided to divide his forces into two groups.
One route was led by his confidant Song Yi to the north to support the Zhao state, while the western route was decided to be led by Liu Bang after internal discussions.
To motivate his troops, King Huai of Chu made a pact with his generals: whoever entered Guanzhong first would become king!
Xiang Yu originally wanted to follow Liu Bang on the western route to attack Guanzhong, but King Huai of Chu did not trust him and sent him to aid the Zhao state with Song Yi instead.
Unexpectedly, under such circumstances, Xiang Yu was able to kill Song Yi and then turn the tide at the Battle of Julu, regaining power.
This surprised Zhang Han, who was surprised that the Chu army he had decimated still had some experts.
King Huai of Chu was also very surprised. Later, Xiang Yu led his army to attack Hangu Pass, but was refused entry by Lord Ningguo, Zhang Sili.
After failing to capture Hangu Pass, Xiang Yu, in order to avoid returning to Chu and being controlled by King Huai of Chu, staged a performance to distribute fiefs after the Feast at Hongmen.
He appointed some generals in the allied forces as feudal lords in order to disrupt the existing feudal system, create chaos in the land, and then lead his army to unify the country.
Liu Bang's military ability was indeed a major weakness, but he continued to improve through actual combat. When attacking Hangu Pass, he heard that Sima Ang of Zhao wanted to take advantage of the situation and enter Guanzhong first, so he sent troops to resist Sima Ang.
This tempted Zhang Sili, who only wanted to hold his ground and avoid confrontation, so he led his army out of the pass and defeated Liu Bang.
Given the circumstances at the time, Xiang Yu did not intend to kill Liu Bang at the Feast at Hongmen. After all, he was leading a coalition of feudal lords at that time. He only wanted Liu Bang's obedience, to send him to Hanzhong, to quickly subdue King Huai of Chu, and then to take advantage of the chaos among the feudal lords to forcefully reap the rewards!
He just didn't expect that after Liu Bang entered Hanzhong, Zhang Bi, the King of Liang in Guanzhong, would directly surrender to Liu Bang. Not only that, Liu Bang also gained a famous general—Han Xin!
With Zhang Sili stationed at Hangu Pass and Zhao Sineng and Li Zuogeng guarding key locations respectively, the death of Zhang Ling once plunged Guanzhong into a power transition shock.
However, although Zhang Bi, the successor, was capable, he lacked the far-sighted political acumen of Zhang Ling.
While Liu Bang was openly repairing the plank roads in Hanzhong while secretly crossing Chencang, Zhang Sili was deploying heavy troops at Hangu Pass and Wu Pass, fully guarding against Xiang Yu's pressure on the eastern front. He never expected that Liu Bang would be able to break through the natural barrier of the Qinling Mountains.
What he didn't expect was that King Zhang Bi of Liang was tired of the suffocating feeling of "holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords" in Guanzhong, while being eyed covetously by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
When Liu Bang's envoy entered Guanzhong with the promise of "sharing the world," Zhang Bi, after weighing the pros and cons, made a decision that shocked the world: surrender to the Han.
He believed that rather than letting the Zhang family be crushed between Chu and Han, it would be better to join Liu Bang when he was weak and exchange the Guanzhong region for the Zhang family's stable position in the new dynasty.
Thus, Liu Bang took over Xianyang almost without bloodshed, gained a large area of land west of Hangu Pass, and his power expanded rapidly.
Although Zhang Sili was unwilling, he could not disobey the patriarch's orders and had no choice but to lead his troops into the Han army, becoming a crucial force under Liu Bang.
Zhang's defection caused the balance of power to begin to tilt, but the overlord is still the overlord!
In 205 BC, while Xiang Yu was mired in suppressing a rebellion in Qi, Liu Bang united with five other feudal lords, assembled an army of 560,000, and stormed into Xiang Yu's capital, Pengcheng.
When the news arrived, Xiang Yu was personally beating drums to attack the city in Qi.
Upon hearing that Pengcheng had fallen and that Liu Bang had taken all the treasures and beauties, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu was enraged.
Without the slightest panic, he made an extremely reckless decision: leave the main force to continue attacking Qi, while he personally led the Loufan elite cavalry southward under the cover of night, heading straight for Pengcheng!
The Loufan were originally a nomadic tribe in northern Shanxi, skilled in horsemanship and archery, and brave in battle.
King Wuling of Zhao's adoption of nomadic dress and cavalry archery was modeled after the Loufan military tactics.
After Qin Shi Huang unified China, Meng Tian led a northern expedition against the Xiongnu and incorporated a large number of Loufan soldiers into the Qin army.
After his death, with Zhang Ling not taking office, military power fell into the hands of Wang Li, a descendant of a military family.
Xiang Yu killed Wang Li in the Battle of Julu, and this elite force naturally fell into his hands.
At this moment, Liu Bang was immersed in the joy of victory.
He thought Xiang Yu was too busy to attend to everything, so he held lavish banquets in Pengcheng every day to reward his troops.
Zhang Sili was once a valiant general guarding Guanzhong, with extremely rich experience. He repeatedly advised Liu Bang: "Xiang Ji has not yet been defeated, Your Majesty should be on high alert."
But Liu Bang was blinded by his great victory and simply waved his hand, laughing, "Lord Ningguo, you're overthinking it. Xiang Yu is currently in chaos in Qi to the north; how could he possibly have a hand to touch us?"
Unexpectedly, the tables turned quickly. Xiang Yu suddenly appeared at the east gate of Pengcheng, swiftly breached the gate, and the Loufan elite cavalry cut in like sharp blades.
The Han army was thrown into chaos. The 560,000-strong army, under the onslaught of tens of thousands of Chu soldiers, was unable to support each other and trampled one another.
Liu Bang didn't even have time to assemble his central army before he was swept away by the fleeing soldiers and fled westward.
Amidst the chaos of battle, Zhang Sili attempted to steady his troops, brandishing his halberd and leading his personal guards in a desperate fight against the Chu army's pursuit.
Historical records state that at the time, "more than 100,000 Han soldiers all entered the Sui River, and the Sui River stopped flowing because of them."
After the disastrous defeat at Pengcheng, Liu Bang fled westward, even pushing his own children off the carriage several times to lighten its load, only to be rescued by Xiahou Ying who stopped the carriage and carried them back.
In his constant anxiety, he made a wise decision: he entrusted all affairs east of Guanzhong to Han Xin, who had just been appointed general.
At this time, Han Xin was still a young and shrewd strategist.
He saw the key to victory in the Chu-Han Contention: on the main battlefield, no one in the Han army could defeat Xiang Yu; but the Han army could rely on its superior numbers, logistics, and attrition.
Han Xin proposed a grand strategy to Liu Bang: "To conquer Yan and Zhao in the north, attack Qi in the east, and cut off Chu's supply lines in the south."
In this grand game of chess, Zhang Sili and others, former subordinates of Guanzhong, were incorporated into Han Xin's forces.
At first, Zhang Sili was not convinced by this young commander, but in the Battle of Jingxing, which destroyed Zhao, Han Xin deployed his troops with their backs to the river and defeated Zhao's army of 200,000 with tens of thousands of new soldiers, killing Chen Yu and capturing King Xie of Zhao alive, which completely convinced Zhang Sili.
After conquering Zhao, Han Xin won a series of victories, pacifying Wei, conquering Dai, and defeating Qi. In particular, during the Battle of Wei River, Han Xin used sandbags to block the water, feigning defeat to lure the enemy. When the Chu general Long Ju led his army in pursuit, Han Xin breached the dike and flooded the Chu army of 200,000, killing Long Ju, a general under Xiang Yu.
This battle completely severed Xiang Yu's eastern arm and made him feel fear for the first time.
In 202 BC, the Chu-Han Contention entered its final stage.
Xiang Yu was constantly harassed by Peng Yue's supply lines and was exhausted from running around. He was forced to negotiate peace with Liu Bang, dividing the country in two at the Honggou Canal.
After the peace treaty was signed, Xiang Yu led his troops eastward. Liu Bang originally intended to return westward, but Zhang Liang and Chen Ping strongly advised him: "Han controls more than half of the world, and all the feudal lords have submitted to it. The Chu army is exhausted and starving. This is the time for Heaven to destroy Chu. It would be better to seize the opportunity and take it over."
Liu Bang listened. So he tore up the treaty, led his army in pursuit, and ordered Han Xin, Peng Yue, and other lords to join forces against Xiang Yu.
However, Han Xin's army did not arrive in time.
Xiang Yu launched a surprise attack at Guling, inflicting a crushing defeat on Liu Bang, who was forced to fortify his defenses.
Liu Bang was in a panic and asked Zhang Liang for advice: "The feudal lords won't listen, what should I do?"
Zhang Liang laughed and said, "The Chu army is about to be defeated, and Xin and Yue have not yet received their share of the land, so it is understandable that they have not yet arrived. If Your Majesty is willing to share the world with us, we can bring them here immediately."
Liu Bang gritted his teeth and offered the entire empire as a bargaining chip, appointing Han Xin as King of Qi and Peng Yue as King of Liang. The decree sent shockwaves throughout the land.
Han Xin led an army of 300,000 south from Qi, Peng Yue marched north from Liang, Liu Bang's troops advanced east from the west, Ying Bu marched north from the south, and Han general Liu Jia and Chu general Zhou Yin rebelled, joining forces with 100,000 troops to march north.
The five armies, totaling more than 600,000 men, formed a giant iron net, trapping Xiang Yu's 100,000 Chu troops at Gaixia.
Zhang Sili, a veteran general who had confronted Xiang Yu at Hangu Pass for many years, was now appointed by Han Xin as the vanguard.
He stood on the high slope at Gaixia, gazing at the lights of the Chu camp in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.
The once mighty Hegemon of Western Chu, who roared outside Hangu Pass, is now out of supplies and reinforcements, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
At midnight, Han Xin ordered his men to sing Chu songs loudly all around. Hearing the songs, the Chu soldiers, homesick, scattered and fled. Xiang Yu, startled, rose and drank in his tent, then sang a poignant and impassioned song to his beloved Yu Ji: "My strength could uproot mountains, my spirit could cover the world, but the times are against me, and my steed will not run. My steed will not run, what can I do? Yu Ji, Yu Ji, what will become of you!"
With tears in her eyes, Yu Ji danced with her sword, and after singing, she committed suicide.
Xiang Yu led eight hundred brave men in a night breakout and fled south. At dawn, Han Xin discovered that Xiang Yu had escaped and hurriedly ordered five thousand elite cavalry to pursue him.
On the banks of the Wujiang River, Xiang Yu had only twenty-eight riders left, and he engaged in a final battle with the pursuing Han army.
Zhang Sili was in the pursuing group. He looked at the overlord, who was covered in blood and moved through the chaotic army as if there was no one there, and couldn't help but rein in his warhorse.
Xiang Yu slew generals and cut down flags in the battle, killing hundreds of people. He suffered more than ten serious wounds, and finally laughed loudly, shouting, "I am the Overlord!" Then, he drew his sword and committed suicide.
In 202 BC, Xiang Yu committed suicide at Wujiang, and the Chu-Han Contention ended with Liu Bang's complete victory.
In the same month, Liu Bang ascended the throne as emperor on the south bank of the Fan River in Dingtao, establishing the Han Dynasty with its capital at Luoyang, later moving to Chang'an.
When rewarding his officials, Liu Bang couldn't forget Zhang Bi's decision in Guanzhong. If Zhang Bi hadn't surrendered Guanzhong to Han, the outcome of the Chu-Han Contention might have been different.
He personally wrote the decree, appointing Zhang Bi as King of Western Liang, Grand Commandant, and enfeoffing him with the state of Liangyi; he also appointed Zhang Sili as Marquis of Ningguo, with a fief of 5,000 households; and Zhao Sinong, Li Zuogeng, and other former generals of the Zhang family were each enfeoffed as Marquises within the Passes.
When Zhang Bi received his title, he prostrated himself on the ground and made only one request: "My father, Zhang Ling, served as a general throughout his life and died of illness in Xianyang. I request that he be buried in the ancestral cemetery in Liangyi."
Liu Bang granted the request and personally wrote the epitaph for Zhang Ling: "The late Marquis of Jingning of Qin and King of Liang, Zhang Ling, was a man of great virtue and foresight, a hero of his time!"
Liu Bang posthumously honored him with the title of Wu Zhao, and he is historically known as King Wu Zhao of Liang!
The title "Wu Zhao" (武昭) signifies that Zhang Ling was powerful and virtuous, and that his virtue was bright and tolerant, and that his fame was widespread. This posthumous title greatly affirmed Zhang Ling's achievements.
As Zhang Ling was posthumously honored as Wu Zhao, he also came to the ancestral temple.
"Well done, Lingwen!" Zhang Zhao said with satisfaction as soon as he saw Zhang Ling.
Zhang Ling looked in the direction of the sound and saw the ancestor from his dream standing not far away, with a huge crowd behind him.
"The progenitor..."
With tears welling in his eyes, Zhang Ling knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling: "Zhang Ling, a descendant of the Zhang family, pays homage to all the ancestors of the Zhang clan!"
Zhang Ling could no longer hold back his tears. He had read about these figures in the family genealogy and worshipped them in the ancestral hall since he was a child.
Now they stand "alive" before him, some stroking their beards and smiling, some nodding slightly, and some with tears in their eyes just like his.
He was the Marquis of Jingning, the King of Liang, the King of Wuzhao, a veteran general who had conquered three kingdoms and captured enemy chieftains. But now, kneeling here, he was just a child who had finally returned home.
Zhang Quzhuo stepped forward first. This former patriarch, who was later revered as "Duke Wen," pulled Zhang Ling up from the ground, looked him up and down, and laughed loudly, "Good lad, you have the style of mine back then! Come, come, let me take a good look at you."
"Good boy...good boy..."
"Lord Wen..." Zhang Ling's voice choked with emotion, as if he wanted to say something.
"Alright, it's good that you're back." Zhang Du also stepped forward.
Duke Cheng, Zhang Du, stabilized the Zhang family's crumbling empire in the Liang state through his benevolence and leniency.
He looked at Zhang Ling with kind eyes, "Lingwen, you have toiled for the Zhang family your whole life, feigning illness, enduring hardship, and leading troops—every step you took was fraught with difficulty. You have achieved what you have today not through luck, but through your perseverance. If your father, Ruotu, could enter the ancestral temple and see your achievements today, he would be very happy."
Mentioning his father, Zhang Ling suddenly looked in the direction of Zhang Ruotuo's memorial tablet, but there was no place for his father there yet.
Zhang Ruotuo had no posthumous title and could not be enshrined in the ancestral temple. He could only silently pray in his heart: Father, your son has not failed your trust.
At that moment, a figure slowly emerged from the crowd.
Zhang Lin, also known as Duke Wu Zhang Lin, was the restorer of the dynasty who implemented the rule of law with swift and decisive measures, authored the three-part "Liang Law", and was revered by later generations as "Master Liang".
He was usually a man of few words, and at this moment he simply crossed his arms, raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at Zhang Ling, and remained silent for a while before speaking. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear.
"You've toiled for the Zhang family your whole life; you've suffered so much. It's just that I didn't work hard enough back then, which is why you descendants have had to endure so much hardship."
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
Who is Zhang Lin?
He was a leading figure in Legalism, Duke Wu of Liang, and the man who single-handedly pulled the Liang state back from the brink of collapse.
The softest thing he ever said in his life was probably the half-sentence to Mr. Zizhi: "How can one be confined to one family and reject all others?"
But at this moment, he actually told a descendant that he only blamed himself for not working hard enough back then, which caused them to suffer so much.
Zhang Ling trembled, abruptly raising his head, tears welling in his eyes: "Lord Wu! You..."
Zhang Lin waved his hand, interrupting him: "You did well. Better than I expected. With you in the Zhang family, my death as Zhang Lin wasn't in vain."
Zhang Ling could no longer speak, but bowed deeply, deeply, to his ancestor from four hundred years ago.
Four hundred years ago, Zhang Lin probably never imagined that his descendants would feign illness in Xianyang and then send troops to seize control of the Qin court.
But at this moment, the two stood face to face. One was a Legalist giant who had crossed from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, and the other was a famous general who had crossed from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties. They were separated by four hundred years, but they could not be separated by the bloodline called "Zhang".
Zhang Zhao stood aside, watching this scene with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his face.
"Throughout your life, you fought in the south and the north, and in your later years you feigned illness and endured humiliation, all for the sake of the Zhang family. As for the rest of the Zhang family's life, let future generations walk it."