Chapter 61 Part 1

From the moment Liu Yuan gave up Yingchuan Commandery, Fan Zeng began to take notice of this person.

At the time, he had advised Xiang Yu to force Liu Yuan to cede Yingchuan Commandery to Ying Bu. It was intended as a test, but he never expected Liu Yuan to be so readily obedient. In Fan Zeng's view, a person who could so easily hand over territory he had fought hard to win was certainly no simple character. If such a person could not be a friend, then he would surely be a troublesome enemy.

Later, when Liu Yuan preemptively occupied Xianyang, only to once again cede the Guanzhong region to Zhang Han under Xiang Yu's command and retreat with his men to Nan Commandery, Fan Zeng felt that if Liu Yuan was not genuinely timid and fearful, then his ambitions must be vast. For if even Guanzhong was of no consequence to him, what Liu Yuan had his eyes on was likely the entire world.

To eliminate this potential threat, Fan Zeng had more than once advised Xiang Yu to kill Liu Yuan.

But Ji Ping opposed this suggestion, and his reasons were sound. Liu Yuan had done nothing excessive so far. Killing him would only alarm the other vassal kings and alienate them from Xiang Yu. He believed in judging a person by "observing their actions" rather than "punishing their intentions."

This debate had begun when Liu Yuan moved to Hengshan Commandery and continued to this day, with Liu Yuan now proposing a summit of the vassal kings. Fan Zeng and Ji Ping were at a stalemate, neither able to convince the other. Xiang Yu, his head aching from listening, cut off their argument and said to Ji Ping, "I hear your nephew wishes to marry a daughter of the Liu family? I suppose the Ji Family and the Liu family will be joined in marriage. No wonder you speak up for Liu Yuan!"

This was a rather serious accusation, one that Ji Ping dared not accept. He hurriedly clarified, "Great King, you misunderstand. Not to mention that my third brother and I have already left the Ji Family to establish our own branch, even if we had not, the Ji Family would never marry into the Liu family. It was merely a verbal agreement between children and cannot be taken seriously. My eldest brother has already arranged a marriage for his son, and she is not a daughter of the Liu clan."

Xiang Yu nodded. He had only heard of this from others and hadn't paid it much mind himself, but after hearing Ji Ping's explanation, he indeed felt much more comfortable.

With a hearty laugh, he helped the fawning Ji Ping to his feet. "Sir, I have never doubted your loyalty. There is no need for this! As for this summit, what are your thoughts?"

Ji Ping smiled and said something that seemed completely irrelevant: "Liu Yuan is a clever man."

Xiang Yu, who was used to being direct, did not particularly like this way of feigning profundity. But alas, the men of letters, be it Ji Ping or Fan Zeng, all had this foible. "How so?"

Ji Ping said, "Regardless of Liu Yuan's purpose for inviting the vassal kings, he did not hold the summit on the lands of Yu. Instead, he borrowed Zhang Er's territory to avoid the main thrust of attention. This is the first point. He also invited all the vassal kings, including you, Great King, in an open and aboveboard manner that leaves no room for criticism. This is the second point."

Xiang Yu frowned, "Sir, what are you ultimately trying to say?"

Seeing his impatience, Ji Ping cupped his hands and dared not be mysterious any longer. He said directly, "I wager that this time, he only wishes to test the Great King's bottom line and will not actually do anything. If the Great King is not at ease, you can have Ji Ying attend as the emissary of Western Chu to see what is happening, and also to monitor from the side, to prevent Liu Yuan from colluding with the other vassal kings."

This resolution was excellent; even Fan Zeng could not raise an objection. So in the end, it was decided. Ji Ying, the third brother of the Ji family, would go to the territory of King Zhang Er of Changshan to represent Western Chu at the summit.

Ji Ying and his second brother had already taken Xiang Yu's side, so of course, he had to plan for Xiang Yu with all his heart. Before setting out, he discussed it with his second brother, Ji Ping. No matter how they looked at it, Liu Yuan's unprovoked gathering of the vassal kings seemed to harbor sinister intentions. The purpose, however, was not yet clear. Perhaps he wanted to rally the vassal kings to oppose Xiang Yu or something of that sort. In short, his intentions were not good.

So Ji Ying set out on this journey with the tragic resolve of one prepared to die. He decided to keep a close watch on every move of Liu Yuan and the others, so that he could report back to Xiang Yu at any moment.

But a few days later, he discovered he was wrong, terribly wrong.

The summit in Ji Ying's eyes: A gathering of vassal kings with ulterior motives, brewing a greater conspiracy.

The actual summit: Daily banquets and festivities, a scene of peaceful prosperity with song and dance. Everyone ate and drank, then drank and ate some more, then dispersed to share the beautiful maids and handsome youths they had brought with them, sleeping with beauties in their arms. After waking, they would gather again for another banquet.

Ji Ying did not miss a single banquet, attending every one to fulfill his duty of monitoring the words and actions of the vassal kings. However, according to his observations, when they gathered, they only chatted about everything under the sun. Forget brewing conspiracies, they did not even utter a single bad word about Xiang Yu or the Emperor of Chu. On the contrary, they vied with one another to praise Xiang Yu, saying that without the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, they would not have their current dominions and so on. The content was extremely positive and upright, with absolutely no hint of conspiracy.

Moreover, of the twelve two-hour periods in a day, the banquets took up more than half the time. Ji Ying also stayed close to Zhang Er or Liu Yuan, knowing that they had no opportunity to slip away from him for secret talks.

Could it be that this summit was truly just for everyone to foster their relationships with one another?

Ji Ying was extremely perplexed.

After half a month of this, he gradually let down his guard. Finally, one day, he accidentally drank a few too many cups, was dazedly pushed upon by two beautiful maids, and then lost consciousness.

The group, having finally managed to take Ji Ying down after half a month of effort, breathed a collective sigh of relief. At last, everyone had the chance to get away from Ji Ying and gather in Zhang Er's palace chambers.

Among these men, Tian Rong's resentment toward Xiang Yu was the greatest. He slammed his hand on the table and cursed, "Xiang Yu doesn't trust us, even sending a man to monitor us, never leaving our side, treating us like pigs and dogs. This is truly going too far!"

Everyone was already somewhat tipsy. Now that someone had opened the floodgates, the others no longer remained silent.

Han Guang said, "To think, I rose up in arms even earlier than Xiang Yu, yet just because he wields the authority of the Emperor of Chu, I must be subservient to him, bowing when I see him. Even my principal wife can only be called a Princess Consort and not an Empress. How can such a principle exist in this world?! That Xiang Yu is merely the descendant of a Chu noble. He and his uncle killed a friend to seize his troops, and by a twist of fate defeated Zhang Han, and that is how they climbed on top of us. If not for us, could he alone have defeated Zhang Han's army of two hundred thousand? What virtue or ability does he possess now to place himself above us?!"

The attendees were, in fact, all within Liu Yuan's expectations.

The host, Zhang Er, had a diplomatic personality and was very well-liked. When Liu Yuan had asked to borrow his land for the summit, Zhang Er, though worried about offending Xiang Yu, ultimately did not refuse. Moreover, Liu Yuan had considered that Xiang Yu had a good impression of Zhang Er; borrowing his land could also dispel a great deal of Xiang Yu's suspicion.

It went without saying for Tian Rong and Han Guang; these two had long been dissatisfied with Xiang Yu and were certain to attend.

The fiefdom of King Sima Ang of Yin was the smallest among all the current vassal kings, and he expressed his discontent.

King Zhao Xie of Dai was purely an opportunist who trimmed his sails to the wind. He came both to join in the excitement and to sit on the fence and observe.

As for the others who did not come, they were either like Zhang Han, who dared not offend Xiang Yu again, or like King Tian An of Jibei, who had been propped up by Xiang Yu himself.

Although the intentions of those who came were not pure either—everyone had accepted Liu Yuan's distant invitation for various reasons and come here simply to see if there was any advantage to be gained and to get a share of the spoils—Ji Ying's close surveillance for half a month had greatly vexed the crowd. Even the diplomatic Zhang Er had some complaints.

We haven't even done anything, yet you're already guarding against us like we're thieves?! Although our statuses may differ, at the end of the day, we are still vassal kings, not subordinates or slaves of your Xiang family. On what grounds should we be treated this way?!

Thus, with no need for Liu Yuan's instigation, their drunken words became sober thoughts, naturally bringing out their dissatisfaction. The gathering without Ji Ying turned into a grievance session, where the men lamented Xiang Yu's wickedness and tyranny. The more they spoke, the more they felt their lives were bitter, and the more indignant they became.

Finally, Tian Rong slapped the dining table before him and boomed, "King of Yu, you were the one who invited us here! Why don't you say the word on what ought to be done, and we will surely follow your lead!"

Receiving the scorching gazes from all around, Liu Yuan set down his wine cup and gave a bitter smile. "Chancellor Tian, you think far too highly of me. What virtue or ability do I, Liu Yuan, possess, to dare take the lead for all!"

Tian Rong thought he was merely being modest and said, "King of Yu, why be so self-deprecating? If even you dare not take the lead, what right do the rest of us have to speak?"

Liu Yuan sighed, "I am naturally indignant about the actions of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, but what can I do? He has the support of the Emperor of Chu and comes from a noble family of Chu, whereas I am but from the background of a minor village official. How can I contend with him? Before, when he wanted me to cede Yingchuan Commandery, I ceded it. Later, he wanted me to cede Guanzhong, and I ceded that as well. Now, I only hope that Xiang Yu can understand that I have no disloyal intentions, and will not come looking for trouble with me! I invited you all here precisely to ask for your advice on how we can make the Hegemon-King of Western Chu lower his guard against us, so that we may be peaceful vassal kings in safety."

The moment he spoke these words, the way everyone looked at him became very strange.

So you called everyone here not to rebel, but to make Xiang Yu lower his guard? Who would believe that? Are you kidding us?

But when they recalled Liu Yuan's previous words and actions, they couldn't help but believe him.

Had it been an ordinary person, being asked by Xiang Yu to cede Yingchuan Commandery, they would have resisted. At the very least, they would have dragged their feet and refused to leave. Liu Yuan, however, was incredibly obedient, not even haggling. If a person like that wasn't timid and afraid of trouble, what else could he be?

It was a pity. Liu Yuan possessed the land of three commanderies, yet was so timid and conservative. Even without Xiang Yu, he would be annexed by someone else sooner or later.

With that thought, they no longer wanted to include Liu Yuan in their plans. After the meeting dispersed, Tian Rong privately found Han Guang and told him that Liu Yuan was timid and useless, and it was hopeless to count on him. But they could act on their own. He could stage a coup and assassinate the King of Jibei, while Han Guang dispatched troops to seize the lands of the Three Qis. Then, by coordinating from within and without, once they had the land of Qi, they could divide it—three parts for him, seven for Han Guang, sharing the good fortune.

This win-win proposal was somewhat tempting to Han Guang, but not being reckless, he said he needed to consider it and did not make an immediate decision.

Tian Rong then went to Sima Ang and Zhang Er, but received the same reply. He was a little disappointed, but did not approach Zhao Xie. In his view, a fence-sitter like Zhao Xie was not reliable. If he were to report what Tian Rong had said to Xiang Yu, Tian Rong would die before his campaign had even begun.

When Ji Ying awoke the next day from an embrace of soft jade and warm fragrance, he discovered that the summit had already concluded. Liu Yuan, Han Guang, and the others had even returned to their respective fiefs before him. Zhang Er sent a man to kindly tell Ji Ying that he need not rush back and could stay for a few more days, for as long as he wished. The maids who had served him yesterday, if he found them satisfactory, could also be taken back with him.

Ji Ying, still hungover and in a fog, did not understand how the half-month-long festivities had ended so abruptly. In terms of composure, he was inferior to his eldest brother Ji Ran; in terms of strategy, he was no match for his second brother Ji Ping. But Ji Ying had at least not forgotten his mission. He dared not linger and set off for Pengcheng with the gold, silver, and beautiful maids that Zhang Er had gifted him.

Upon seeing Xiang Yu, Ji Ying naturally did not dare to mention that he had gotten drunk on the last day. He only reported his observations from the preceding days. He said to Xiang Yu, "Among them all, Liu Yuan was the most reserved. Not only did he not dare to slander the Great King, he did not even chime in when others voiced complaints. Tian Rong expressed considerable resentment, followed by Han Guang. The others were unremarkable, with nothing out of the ordinary."

Xiang Yu had long known of Tian Rong's dissatisfaction, but he paid Tian Rong's resentment no mind. In any case, he was not a vassal king now, had few troops, and could not stir up much of a storm. But hearing Ji Ying say that Han Guang was dissatisfied made him very unhappy.

"During the campaign against Qin, Han Guang contributed little merit, yet I granted him the land of Yan and even made him King of Yan, treating him far better than Tian Rong. Instead of thinking of repayment, he harbors resentment. How outrageous!"

"Great King, calm your anger!" Fan Zeng still held to his opinion. "In my humble opinion, Han Guang's resentment is plain to see and not worth worrying about. The one to worry about should be Liu Yuan. To think he would go to such lengths to organize a summit, only to feign simplicity and honesty. I fear he harbors wicked intentions and is up to no good! The Great King should deal with Liu Yuan first, make an example of one to warn a hundred, so that the other vassal kings dare not harbor treacherous thoughts!"

Ji Ping said, "Neither of them has committed any wicked act. If you kill them on these grounds, I fear the people of the world will speak ill of the Great King. Why does the Great King not use a two-pronged approach, a small punishment to serve as a big lesson, to intimidate both Liu and Han?"

Fan Zeng and Ji Ping were Xiang Yu's most valued advisors. Xiang Yu himself did not much enjoy contemplating such schemes and intrigues. When his two advisors held opposing views, he found himself somewhat indecisive.