The Great Qin Dynasty: The egg of the Black Bird was revered as a national guardian beast.

outside the city.

Liu Ji led his followers back here once again.

Looking at the tightly closed city gate of Pei County in the distance, he raised one hand, and his followers lined up behind him.

"Release the arrows!"

At his command, Liu Ji lowered his raised hand.

Countless arrows with strips of cloth tied to them flew up, obscuring the sky, and shot towards the city, whistling as they fell.

The magistrate of Pei County stood atop the city wall.

Seeing the arrows coming at him, he panicked for a moment and quickly ducked behind the city wall.

Strangely, no arrows fell from any direction.

They tentatively raised their heads and discovered that the arrows were not aimed at them, but at the city.

He gave a disdainful laugh.

"They are indeed a rabble, nothing to fear."

The magistrate smiled and shook his head, but just then, a county soldier came over with an arrow in his hand.

He bowed slightly and handed over the arrow.

"Magistrate, there are strips of cloth tied to the arrows. We do not know what they are. Please decide what they are."

He reached out and took the arrow.

Then, holding the strip of cloth in one hand and the arrow in the other, he gently removed the cloth from the arrowhead.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the arrow to the ground.

Then he lowered his eyes, carefully unfolded the rolled-up strip of cloth with his hands, and examined it closely.

"Proclaim to the elders: The people have suffered under Qin for too long. Now you are the magistrate of Pei, but uprisings are breaking out everywhere, and I fear Pei may be slaughtered!"

"Now that the elders have jointly executed the magistrate of Pei, let us choose a suitable son or younger brother to be established as the new magistrate so that we can support the uprising and preserve our families."

"Otherwise, we'll slaughter everyone, young and old; it's pointless!"

"How dare he? How dare he?" The magistrate stared wide-eyed, his hands trembling, as he glared angrily at the city below.

Then he turned around.

Looking at the county soldiers all around, he gave an order.

"Go, go and collect all the arrows shot into the city! Anyone who dares to hide them and refuse to hand them over will be punished for treason!"

"Yes."

The county soldier hesitated for a moment, but ultimately obeyed, took his spear, and walked down from the city wall toward the city.

At this moment, chaos had broken out in the city.

When arrows are shot into the city,

Someone then noticed the strips of cloth tied to the arrows, and they removed them and showed them to someone who could read.

After the literate person saw it, he read it aloud in front of everyone.

After they heard what was written on the cloth, the people around them were filled with panic and at a loss.

Just then, county soldiers came to confiscate the arrows and cloth strips.

Immediately, a butcher stepped forward.

Looking around at the people, he raised his arms and shouted, "What is said above is correct. If the righteous army attacks the city, they will surely slaughter the people of Pei County."

"Why not kill the magistrate of Pei and start an uprising to protect your family?"

Then, it seemed that someone was persuaded; the panic on their face disappeared, replaced by ruthlessness.

Look at the county soldiers coming forward.

They captured the county soldiers who came to confiscate the arrows and cloth strips.

Then a group of people walked in droves toward the magistrate of Pei County, their eyes filled with ferocity.

..............

Hearing the shouts of battle coming from the city.

Outside the city, Xiao He pulled Liu Ji aside.

She looked up at him and said, "Liu Ji, I know most of what you said and what was written on the strip of cloth!"

"All's fair in war."

Liu Ji, however, seemed indifferent.

He said with a smile, "Whatever the plan, as long as it works, that's all that matters."

But Xiao He shook his head: "That's true, but whether the rebel army will capture Pei County is still uncertain."

"Aren't you afraid that people will find out you've been lying to them?"

"Heh." Liu Ji chuckled nonchalantly. "When did I ever say that the rebel army would capture Pei County?"

Xiao He looked at Liu Ji and paused for a moment.

"I just wanted them to know that uprisings were breaking out all over the land and that the rebel army might massacre Pei."

He laughed and said, "As for the rebel army capturing Pei County, that's just their imagination. How is that deception?"

Seeing Liu Ji's serious expression, Xiao He chuckled.

Although Liu Ji was good at recognizing and employing people and was unconventional, he was nothing more than a street ruffian in ordinary times.

Not long after, the tightly closed city gates slowly opened.

The elders of the city led a large group of people out, and one of them came to Liu Ji and bowed, saying something.

"The magistrate of Pei has been executed, so we are opening the gates to welcome you all into the city."

With a smile, Liu Ji turned to look at his men behind him, raised his hand, and waved: "Brothers, let's go into the city!"

"Walk."

"Let's go, let's go into town!"

Amid cheers, Liu Ji led his hundreds of followers into the city and arrived at the county government.

I found a spot to rest.

Then, one of the elders who had come with them approached Liu Ji and said something.

"Liu Ji, you are also from Pei County."

"After discussion, we have all unanimously decided to appoint you as the magistrate of Pei, in order to support the uprising!"

"No."

Looking up, Liu Ji glanced around and declined.

"With the world in chaos and warlords rising up everywhere, choosing a leader is of paramount importance. If we appoint the wrong general, we fear we will suffer a complete defeat."

"I do not dare to be modest, but my abilities are meager, and I am unable to fulfill my duties to my father, brothers, sons, and younger brothers. I wish to recommend a suitable candidate and select another virtuous and capable person."

As he spoke, he looked at Xiao He and Cao Can standing to the side.

He pointed at them and said, "These two have served as officials in Pei County for many years, and their abilities are evident. Appointing them as magistrates of Pei is appropriate."

Upon hearing this, Xiao He and Cao Can turned pale and vehemently declined.

The two men were Qin officials; if their plot failed, they would likely face the extermination of their entire clan.

Then, they jointly recommended Liu Ji, and the two looked at Liu Ji and took turns urging him to take the position.

"Liu Ji, please don't refuse. Your hundreds of followers have come after hearing of your name, which clearly makes you more popular with the people."

"You should follow the will of the people and take the post of Magistrate of Pei."

After listening to what Xiao He and Cao Can said, the elders stood there and pondered for a while, and finally decided to choose by divination.

They performed divination for Xiao He, Cao Shen, and Liu Ji respectively.

Finally, he lowered his eyes and looked at Liu Ji.

"Of all the extraordinary things I have heard about Liu Ji in my life, he is destined for greatness. I have consulted divination, and none is more auspicious than Liu Ji."

Thus, everyone here turned their attention to Liu Ji.

He raised his hand in front of him and bowed slightly: "No one else can take on this task but Ji."

So many people are urging me to take the plunge.

After several refusals, Liu Ji finally agreed.

Sitting in the main seat of the Pei County Magistrate, looking around at the people, Liu Ji straightened up and spoke.

"Now that I have decided to launch an uprising, I will call myself the Duke of Pei."

"From this day forward, we will offer sacrifices to the head of the magistrate of Pei, worship the Yellow Emperor, and offer sacrifices to Chiyou. We will change our flags to red, gather the men of Pei County, and rise up in rebellion against Qin!"

The people around them exchanged glances, then bowed down.

"I will obey Liu Bang's orders."