Chapter 50

For the first time, Liu Yuan was so angry in front of his subordinates that he was hopping mad. Without any restraint, he furiously cursed the Chu Emperor's envoy with a torrent of rural slang. Of course, in reality, he wanted to curse the Chu Emperor and Xiang Yu even more.

Everyone's faces twitched as they listened. Old Master Song Xie had the best self-restraint; he listened without a change in expression and then asked, also without a change in expression, "Governer, the Chu Emperor's order, shall we accept it or not?"

Liu Yuan's outburst came to an end. After venting all the fire in his chest, he felt much better and regained his usual composure. "What are your thoughts, everyone?"

An Zheng said, "Why don't we each take a step back? The matter of ennoblement can be accepted, but as for ceding the land, we can submit a petition asking the Chu Emperor to choose another place to grant to Ying Bu. Yingchuan Commandery was won by Big Brother through blade and spear, and has been carefully managed. It's not comparable to Hengshan or Nanjun. I'm sure the Chu Emperor won't force the issue."

Meng Xing said, "The Chu Emperor is merely a puppet. What ability does he have to force our hand? It must be Xiang Yu instigating this from behind. Our lord now occupies the lands of three commanderies. Although these places combined might not be as large as the Chu Emperor's territory, it sounds like the most among the vassals and is very conspicuous. If we disobey the order, I'm afraid Xiang Yu will have a perfect excuse to launch a punitive expedition against our lord!"

Wu Yu said, "Hangu Pass has not yet been entered, and the Qin ruler has not yet been vanquished. How would Xiang Yu dare to raise arms against an allied force? In the end, wouldn't that just be giving the Qin people a free advantage?"

An Zheng volunteered, "Big Brother, I am willing to travel with the Chu envoy once more to probe Xiang Yu's intentions. If his aim isn't Yingchuan, then we have no need to give it up."

Liu Yuan remained noncommittal. He always waited for everyone to finish speaking before expressing his opinion. This time, his gaze turned to Song Xie. "What do you think, Teacher?"

Song Xie said slowly, "Actually, Yingchuan isn't necessarily impossible to give up."

An Zheng couldn't help but say anxiously, "Teacher!"

Liu Yuan made a gesture, signaling him to be patient, then said to Song Xie, "Please speak, Teacher."

Song Xie pointed to a map spread on the floor and said, "If we're being precise, Yingchuan and Hengshan are not even adjacent right now; Chen Commandery lies between them. It's just that with things still unsettled and chaotic everywhere, no one is strictly adhering to the original commandery boundaries. Otherwise, for our lord to govern Hengshan, he would have to pass through Chen Commandery, and that would lead to many troubles."

It was unclear since when, but Song Xie had also started addressing him as "lord" like the others.

Liu Yuan nodded, indicating he was listening. "Please continue, Teacher."

Song Xie said, "So, unless we also take Chen Commandery or Nanyang, no matter who the Chu Emperor grants Chen Commandery to, they will be an obstruction in the middle. If relations are good, it's fine, but if we become enemies, it will surely become an obstacle. Although Nanjun and Hengshan are to the south, they are also prosperous lands. If our lord intends to advance into Nanyang, giving up Yingchuan is actually acceptable. Otherwise, holding four commanderies at once will provoke the wariness of everyone."

He paused, then finally summarized, "A timely display of weakness can deceive the eyes and ears of others."

Song Xie was not skilled in military affairs, so his words were analyzed purely from a political strategy perspective.

Liu Yuan was silent for a long time. He stared at the position of Yingchuan on the map, seemingly lost in thought.

A suffocating silence filled the hall.

Even though everyone knew there was some truth in what Song Xie said, Yingchuan Commandery was simply too tempting. For Liu Yuan, this was not just his hometown; it represented his foundation. His career had started here and grown strong here. Yingchuan Commandery was like his blessed land, making it difficult to part with.

Rationally, everyone knew one must give something up to gain something else, that you can't have both the fish and the bear's paw. But in reality, people are often greedy; having gotten the fish, they still want the bear's paw, which is why situations where one ends up with neither often occur.

After Song Xie proposed giving up Yingchuan, Meng Xing and Wu Yu also agreed with his opinion.

With the vote at three to one, An Zheng also compromised.

He understood clearly that no matter how reluctant he was to part with Yingchuan, at this stage, it was not suitable for them to openly resist the faction in Pengcheng.

Not only was it unsuitable, but it was best to play the coward, to assume a posture of submission, to make everyone think they were truly spineless.

Eight pairs of eyes turned in unison to look at Liu Yuan, waiting for his final decision.

Liu Yuan stared blankly for a long time, his finger nearly gouging a hole through "Yingchuan" on the map. Fortunately, the map was made of sheepskin and wasn't so fragile, so it barely remained intact under its master's abuse.

Then he said four words: "Accept the title, cede the land!"

Those four words were squeezed out through gritted teeth.

The matter was thus decided. But when Meng Xing was teaching his students, he did not reveal the final resolution of the meeting, instead using the matter as an assignment to test them.

"If it were up to you to handle this matter, do you think this edict should be accepted or not?"

The subjects of Meng Xing's question were five in number, meaning that the number of Meng Xing's students had nearly doubled. In addition to Liu Jin, Song Hong, and Liu Zhen, two more had been added: Xu Zhongfang's son, Xu Ji, and Guo Zhi.

Although Liu Jin leaned towards being gentle and frail, and Xu Ji was just there to make up the numbers, the overall aptitude of this group of students was quite good. None were particularly dull, so teaching them wasn't too strenuous.

As the students were at different paces, Meng Xing also intended to cultivate their talents, so he would often use recent government affairs as homework to guide and enlighten them.

Song Hong loved listening to Meng Xing's lectures. After shedding his initial shyness, he had become more and more active, and was the first to answer, "It must not be accepted!"

Meng Xing asked, "Why?"

Song Hong said, "Everyone in the world knows that the Chu Emperor is just a puppet, and the Hegemon-King of Western Chu is the true overlord. If we accept the title, doesn't that mean we must submit to another? The Governer already has the land of three commanderies, so why should he depend on the whims of others?"

He was only five years old this year, yet he already had the eloquent bearing of a strategist. It was just that his voice, not yet shed of its childishness, was slightly comical. Liu Jin and the others were clearly already used to Song Hong's precocious manner of speaking and found it nothing out of the ordinary.

Meng Xing nodded, his gaze turning to the others.

A look of disappointment crossed Song Hong's little face.

Guo Zhi said, "I think we should accept it!"

Meng Xing: "Why?"

Guo Zhi said with a grin, "Because Teacher's expression already told us!"

The others couldn't help but chuckle.

Meng Xing was not one to hide his emotions well. So if he agreed with a student's opinion, even if he didn't say it aloud, he would express it by slapping his thigh, striking the desk, or through some other action. Liu Zhen and the others had been taking lessons from Meng Xing for a long time and had become familiar with his body language, but only Guo Zhi dared to point it out directly.

Hearing the students' stifled laughter, Meng Xing snorted coldly. "Guo Zizhang, copy The Analects twenty times!"

Guo Zhi's face immediately fell.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Because of Guo Zhi's disruption, the original question couldn't be pursued further. Meng Xing instructed each of them to write a policy essay and hand it in the next day. The moment Meng Xing's front foot was out the door, a chorus of wails erupted from his back foot,

Guo Zhi gathered his things. Looking up, he saw everyone staring at him. He couldn't help but touch his own face and say strangely, "Even if I am exceptionally handsome, you don't all need to stare at me like this, do you?"

Xu Ji couldn't resist landing a solid punch on him. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have to write policy essays! Teacher Meng is serious by nature, and yet you still dared to cause trouble!"

The two of them started roughhousing, but Liu Zhen sighed.

Liu Jin looked at her. "Elder Sister, why are you sighing?"

Liu Zhen patted his head. "I'm afraid we'll have to move."

Xu Ji had sharp ears. Hearing her words, he asked while still roughhousing with Guo Zhi, "Why do we have to move?"

Liu Zhen said, "If Father and the others are going to cede Yingchuan, we will certainly have to relocate. I just don't know if we're moving to Hengshan or Nanjun."

"Aiya," Xu Ji exclaimed, stopping his play. He rubbed his forehead and said, "Then what about Elder Sister from the An family? She's already married. Is it possible her husband's family would let her go with us?"

The "Elder Sister from the An family" he spoke of was An Zheng's daughter, An Ze.

Liu Zhen wasn't sure either. "They probably will, right?"

Although An Ze had married into an ordinary family, given An Zheng's current status, her husband's family wouldn't dare to bully her. But if they all left, it would be hard to say.

Guo Zhi leaned over. "Don't worry. If we really move, the procession will definitely be large. Governer Liu has bestowed great benevolence in Yingchuan Commandery, blessing the common people. Many will surely follow!"

After Guo Zhi said that, everyone thought about it and agreed. Given their age, whether they moved or not didn't have much to do with them anyway.

——————

The Chu envoy who had come with An Zheng was very satisfied.

Ever since he arrived in Yangdi, he had received the highest level of hospitality and the highest level of treatment. Although he knew this was only because he was the Chu Emperor's envoy, it also showed Liu Yuan's attitude of submission to Xiang Yu. After hearing that the other party would accept the title and cede the land, the Chu envoy smiled and said to Liu Yuan, "Your Highness is truly wise and righteous. His Majesty is considerate of Your Highness's hardships and bids you not to rush the move. You need only to have moved within three months!"

Since Liu Yuan had already accepted the title "King of Yu," the Chu envoy's form of address naturally changed from "Governer" to "Your Highness."

Forcing someone to cede land was one thing, but to set a deadline for moving out? His words were asking for a beating, but Liu Yuan smiled happily. "Many thanks for His Majesty's consideration for this humble subject. But since His Majesty has commanded it, how could we dare to delay? Please report back to His Majesty, honored envoy, that within two months, we will all have certainly moved!"

The Chu envoy was taken aback, not expecting Liu Yuan to be so proactive. "Won't two months be too rushed? Is Your Highness serious?"

"Of course, I'm serious!" Liu Yuan enthusiastically grasped the Chu envoy's hands, expressing his sincere greetings and thanks. "This time, thanks to the honored envoy's mediation, my humble domain's hospitality has been inadequate. I hope that after the honored envoy returns, you will put in a few good words for this Yuan before the Hegemon-King of Western Chu!"

With a wave of his hand, someone was already presenting a pile of gifts, along with two beautiful maids.

The Chu envoy was extremely moved. He felt this newly-ennobled King of Yu really knew how things worked. He had met so many vassals, but he had never seen anyone as pragmatic as Liu Yuan. Faced with the Chu Emperor's decree, not only did he not haggle, but he accepted it all without a second word. In these times, everyone relied on military might to do as they please; the bigger the fist, the louder the voice. Where could one find someone like Liu Yuan, who occupied the land of three commanderies and was still willing to give one up? Not to mention, he himself was returning from this trip laden with rewards!

"Your Highness may rest assured. After I return, I will definitely speak well of you!" the Chu envoy guaranteed, patting his chest.

The Chu envoy did not make an empty promise. After he returned, he did indeed say a basketful of good things about Liu Yuan.

In reality, not only was Xiang Yu surprised, but even Fan Zeng, who had given Xiang Yu this malicious idea, was also astonished. Fan Zeng's original intention was merely to test the waters, thinking it would be good enough if Liu Yuan accepted the kingship. Xiang Yu also felt that Liu Yuan would not easily give up Yingchuan Commandery. Who would have known that Liu Yuan would so obediently spit out the meat that had already reached his mouth.

Xiang Yu said to Fan Zeng, "This Liu Yuan is timid and cowardly, not the material for great achievements. I'm afraid Yafu has misjudged him."

Fan Zeng said, "Whether he is or not remains to be seen. I'm just afraid Liu Yuan will be unwilling to move on schedule and will make excuses to delay!"

However, this time Fan Zeng's prediction was destined to be wrong, because Liu Yuan was truly impatient to prepare for the move.

Since he had already decided to give it up, there was no need to dilly-dally and end up with a bad reputation. Liu Yuan was a man of action. He first sent An Zheng and others to Zhu County to make arrangements, with the Liu family members following closely behind, and the main army bringing up the rear.

The scale of this relocation was enormous. It wasn't just the Governer's household, but also Liu Yuan's father and brother's family in Xiang Town, Madam Zhang's maternal family, along with the officials of Yangdi City and their families, who would all certainly follow. Liu Yuan even had a notice posted in Yangdi City explaining the matter, stating that anyone who wished to follow him could do so, and he would absolutely not force those who did not wish to leave.

After this notice was posted, Liu Yuan didn't actually pay it much mind. There were many things to move this time. Since Liu Yuan had already made a huge concession by giving up the territory he had worked so hard to manage, he certainly wouldn't be so kind as to leave behind provisions and supplies for the other party. Therefore, provisions, valuables, and important documents were all to be taken along.

As a result, on the day of the official departure, the common people of Yangdi City who were willing to follow Liu Yuan, supporting the old and carrying the young, formed a mighty procession that gave Liu Yuan a huge shock.

He had never imagined... that so many people would be willing to follow him!

In the long column were not only merchants, but also common folk and official gentry families.

The merchants were understandable. Liu Yuan was famous for supporting commerce in the lands he governed. Many were worried that when a successor arrived, they might not implement a policy as lenient towards merchants as Liu Yuan's.

As for the common people, many of them were small craftsmen without land of their own—those who owned good fields would not abandon their land to run off with Liu Yuan, no matter how popular he was.

As for the major gentry clans, it was like when Guo Shu had traveled a thousand li with his entire clan to join him; it carried a hint of speculation. They were optimistic about Liu Yuan and were willing to bet on him, believing that Liu Yuan would repay their commitment.

Even so, the teeming crowd was still a breathtaking sight.

Were it anyone else, such a scene would be absolutely impossible.

This was the first time Liu Yuan realized the extent of his own influence.

He sighed with emotion to Song Xie, "Teacher, when you spoke to me of the people's hearts before, I didn't think much of it. Only now do I realize how powerful it is!"

Whether Hengshan Commandery would be easy to govern was hard to say, but having these people follow him there was enough to intimidate the local powers. When word of this spread, others would only say that Governer Liu was benevolent and righteous, that even when he left, the common people followed him. Even though in these times, benevolence and kindness were no longer worth much, with this layer of good reputation, why worry that talented people from all over the world would not flock to his side?

Song Xie stroked his beard and smiled without a word, putting on the air of a worldly expert.

At the same time, Liu Zhen, sitting in the carriage of an ox-cart, lifted the curtain to look outside and also sighed with emotion, "The hearts of the people can be put to use!"