Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 59 Xiang Yu Slaughters Guanzhong

"Could these wealthy people have switched sides to Xiang Yu?" Seeing Liu Bang's murderous aura, Liu Ying seemed to realize something.

"Excellent!" Xiahou Ying nodded heavily. "These wealthy and powerful men from Shandong are all nobles from Shandong. Some of them have existed for hundreds of years, and some for thousands of years. How could they possibly respect the King of Han? When King Xiang arrives with the army of the feudal lords, they will naturally turn to him."

Liu Bang was of humble origins, with no noble ancestors, so the wealthy and powerful of Shandong would never have looked up to him. To cooperate with him in overthrowing the Qin Dynasty was already an overestimation of Liu Bang. Xiang Yu, on the other hand, came from the powerful Xiang clan of Chu. In the eyes of these wealthy individuals, he was the true aristocrat, naturally drawing them closer, so their allegiance to Xiang Yu was perfectly understandable.

"They opened Hangu Pass to welcome Xiang Yu, right?" Liu Ying suddenly realized that Hangu Pass was so strategically important, yet Liu Bang failed to defend it and Xiang Yu took it in one fell swoop.

This is illogical.

If wealthy Shandong residents respond, then it will naturally not be a problem.

"Liu Ying, you are this one!" Xiahou Ying raised his right thumb.

"Didn't you take any precautions against these wealthy Shandong people?" Liu Ying found it unbelievable. "The wealthy Shandong people are born aristocrats, arrogant to the core. It's inevitable that they look down on your humble origins. How could you be so careless? Who can you blame?"

Liu Bang's face twitched, and he clenched his fists, clearly wanting to punch someone.

Xiahou Ying turned his head and glanced at Liu Bang, his face full of strange expressions.

"Weren't you exhausted from working on the woman? You didn't have the mind to care about these things, right?" Liu Ying understood somewhat.

"You unfilial son!" Liu Bang finally erupted, letting out a thunderous roar.

"Hangu Pass is so formidable. As long as you defend it diligently and suppress these wealthy Shandong merchants with force, they will be powerless. If Xiang Yu hadn't been able to enter Guanzhong, none of this would have happened." Liu Ying looked at Liu Bang, shaking his head repeatedly with regret: "Hangu Pass is a natural barrier. Even with the six states' century-long alliance, has anyone managed to breach it?"

Hangu Pass was too treacherous. For a century, the six states united to attack Qin, but they never succeeded in breaching Hangu Pass.

Instead, the Qin state suffered a bloodbath, with corpses piled up like mountains and countless people dying.

From the time of Shang Yang's reforms to the fall of the Qin Dynasty, only two people entered Guanzhong through Hangu Pass: Zhou Wen and Xiang Yu.

Zhou Wen was a subordinate of Chen Sheng. It's unclear how he managed to pass through Hangu Pass and enter Guanzhong, arriving at Xixia. Then… he was beaten by Zhang Han, beaten again and again, until finally killed.

Xiang Yu's swift and decisive capture of Hangu Pass was truly unexpected, as if Hangu Pass were an easy target.

Liu Bang kept grinding his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury that seemed to ignite the very air.

If Liu Bang had held Hangu Pass, Xiang Yu would not have been able to enter Guanzhong, there would have been no perilous Feast at Hongmen, no humiliation of being imprisoned in Hanzhong, and no defeat at Pengcheng...

Hangu Pass was heavily guarded. When Liu Bang arrived, Xiahou Ying presented his token, and the guards opened Hangu Pass. Under Tian's protection, the group passed through Hangu Pass and entered Guanzhong.

"Guanzhong, the Land of Abundance." Having traveled to Xi'an, Liu Ying knew that the term "Land of Abundance" originally praised Guanzhong. As for it becoming a specific term for Sichuan, that came later.

The Qin people rose to power because of Guanzhong, conquering the six states, defeating the Xiongnu, pacifying the Baiyue, and completing the unification of the country, with far-reaching influence. Liu Ying had high hopes for Guanzhong at this time.

"This is too dilapidated!" Liu Ying, riding on his warhorse, looked around and found that the roadside was in ruins, comparable to Dang County.

Not far ahead, there was a small enclosed area, which should have housed many people. However, it had become a den of snakes and rats; the inner walls had collapsed, and the houses were reduced to ashes, in a state of utter ruin.

"Are there bones?" Liu Ying recalled the situation in Dang County and felt a chill run down his spine.

Dang County was too tragic. Even though so many days have passed, Liu Ying still finds it hard to accept when he thinks about it.

"It's already buried," Liu Bang said, poking his head out.

"Buried?" Liu Ying's heart pounded. "How many people died?"

"The Qin people managed Guanzhong for five hundred years, and thus became powerful. Qin Shi Huang built the Zheng Guo Canal and managed the salt and broth fields. From then on, Guanzhong was free from famine, with guaranteed harvests regardless of drought or flood, and became even more prosperous and powerful. Relying on this, Qin Shi Huang destroyed the six states, defeated the Xiongnu, pacified the Baiyue, and unified China." Liu Bang explained to Liu Ying, "Therefore, Guanzhong is the richest and most populous land in the world, where the people live in peace and prosperity, which is the foundation of the royal enterprise."

He gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "Last year, that scoundrel Xiang entered Guanzhong and carried out a massacre. Guanzhong was a barren wasteland, and not a single one of the common people survived. That's what we see now."

Liu Ying had already heard about Xiang Yu's massacre in Guanzhong, but witnessing it firsthand still left him utterly shocked.

Not far ahead, there was another village, equally dilapidated, now a den of snakes and rats.

Unlike Dangjun, the villages (li) in Guanzhong were very densely packed, with one village every few miles. It is conceivable that Guanzhong was a densely populated area during the Qin Dynasty.

Moreover, although the land in Guanzhong is now barren and overgrown with weeds, it is clear that it was once a prime farmland.

They traveled for ten miles without seeing a single inhabited village; all they saw were abandoned villages.

"The devastation in Guanzhong surpasses that of Dang County," Liu Ying made a rough assessment.

"The reason Dang Commandery is in ruins is because it is located in a strategically important area, a battleground for military strategists, and has been repeatedly plundered." Liu Bang gritted his teeth and cursed, "That Xiang Yu no longer just massacred cities in Guanzhong, but he massacred an entire region. The whole of Guanzhong was washed away in blood. How could it not be tragic?"

Xiang Yu first massacred Xiangcheng, then Chengyang, then Xin'an, and finally Guanzhong.

Upon entering Guanzhong, Xiang Yu no longer simply slaughtered a city, but instead ravaged the entire 800-li Qin Plain of Guanzhong.

Guanzhong and Qi were the places where Xiang Yu committed the most brutal massacres, and these two places were thus devastated.

"Xiang Yu was too cruel!" As Liu Ying traveled along, seeing one abandoned village after another, she gained a new understanding of Xiang Yu's cruelty.

"That scoundrel Xiang is taking revenge!" Liu Bang cried out in boundless hatred. "He's avenging the Qin Emperor for killing his clan!"

Xiang Liang disregarded the lives of his clansmen and fled with his close relatives and nephews, including Xiang Yu, Xiang Zhuang, and Xiang Bo. Qin Shi Huang then had all of Xiang Yu's clansmen killed. When he entered Guanzhong, how could he not seek revenge?

The burning of Xianyang and the bloodbath in Guanzhong were only to be expected.

"And the feudal lords are also retaliating." Xiahou Ying shook his head, filled with emotion: "Most of those who rebelled against Qin in Shandong were former nobles of the six states. Tian Rong, Wei Wujiu, Han Cheng, and Zhao Xie were all members of the royal families of the six states. Their states were destroyed by Qin Shi Huang, who also desecrated their ancestral graves. They followed Xiang Yu to Guanzhong, the ancestral homeland of the Qin people. How could they not carry out a large-scale massacre to retaliate against the Qin people?"

Although Xiang Yu was not a member of the royal family of the six kingdoms, he was a member of the Xiang clan, a prominent family in the state of Chu.

The Xiang family of Chu was a prominent clan that had existed for hundreds of years and was the top noble family in Chu.

"These wealthy and powerful scoundrels from Shandong have been in Guanzhong for ten years. They know the situation there well and acted as guides. With their rampant slaughter, Guanzhong could not help but be devastated." Liu Bang was filled with boundless hatred.

"When Xiang Yu withdrew from Guanzhong, he also plundered the wealth and women of Guanzhong." Xiahou Ying felt very distressed: "Otherwise, it wouldn't be so devastated."

After traveling thirty miles, all he saw was devastation, and he did not encounter a single living person. Liu Ying gained a new understanding of the ruins in Guanzhong and realized the cruelty of a chaotic world.

Finally, after traveling forty li, they came to a relatively intact village where common people lived.

A middle-aged man, carrying firewood, was hurrying inwards.

"Ying'er, let me tell you, last year when I entered Guanzhong, I made a three-point agreement with the people, which won their hearts. You'll see, he will definitely come to kneel and pay homage." Liu Bang pointed at the man, puffed out his chest, and was extremely proud.

"You scoundrel!" The man's face changed drastically when he saw Liu Ying and his group. He cursed loudly, threw down the firewood, turned around, and ran away as fast as a rabbit, disappearing into the forest.

"Is this the 'love and respect' you were talking about?" Liu Ying's lips curled up into a wide smile.

Liu Bang: "..."

Note:

The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Xiang Yu, states: "After several days, Xiang Yu led his troops west to slaughter Xianyang, killed the surrendered Qin prince Ziying, burned the Qin palaces, and the fire did not go out for three months; he collected its treasures and women and went east."

The Book of Han, Biography of Xiang Yu, records: "Several days later, Yu massacred Xianyang, killed the surrendered Qin prince Ziying, burned its palaces, and the fire burned for three months; he seized its treasures and abducted women and women to the east. The people of Qin were filled with despair."

The Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Emperor Gaozu, states: "Xiang Yu then went west, slaughtering and burning the Qin palaces in Xianyang, leaving nothing but ruins in his wake. The people of Qin were greatly disappointed, but fearful, they dared not disobey."

The Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Gaozu, records: "Several days after Liu Bang returned, Guan Yu led his troops west to massacre Xianyang, killed the surrendered Qin prince Ziying, burned the Qin palaces, and left devastation in his wake. The people of Qin were greatly disappointed."