Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Zhang Han's fame in later generations was immense, and he received countless praises. Therefore, Liu Ying had extremely high expectations for Zhang Han, believing him to be a great man, tall and handsome, with a majestic and heroic appearance.

However, when he saw Zhang Han in person, he was greatly surprised, as it did not meet his expectations at all.

Seeing is believing!

"He's just torturing himself." On second thought, it makes sense; Zhang Han has tormented himself into this state.

The annihilation of the main Qin army in the north, led by Wang Li, at Julu was inextricably linked to Zhang Han; the massacre of 200,000 surrendered soldiers at Xin'an was also his doing; and Xiang Yu's burning of Xianyang and the bloodbath in Guanzhong were largely due to him…

If Zhang Han had even a shred of conscience, he would feel remorse.

Needless to say, Zhang Han was the most principled among the "Three Qin" people.

Sima Xin and Dong Yi surrendered to Xiang Yu and were enfeoffed in Guanzhong by him. When Liu Bang pacified the Three Qin, they surrendered to Liu Bang. After the Battle of Pengcheng, they switched allegiance to Xiang Yu. Their actions were no less than those of Lao Bu, the three-surname servant.

Only Zhang Han refused to surrender to Liu Bang. Even though he was trapped in Feiqiu and his demise was only a matter of time, he still insisted on not surrendering. This is Zhang Han's integrity.

"Listen up, my men: as long as you haven't committed any heinous crimes, the King of Han will not pursue your involvement with the rebels," Liu Ying said, turning his gaze from Zhang Han to the surrounding Li Shu.

"Thank you, King Han!" Li Shu was overjoyed.

They were forced to move to Feiqiu by Zhang Han and were trapped with him for nearly a year. If Liu Bang were to hold them accountable, the consequences would be severe.

"You must remember: you must abide by the law! Otherwise, don't blame the law for being merciless!" Liu Ying's face tightened, and she shouted in a deep voice.

Although we've given the common people a break, we still need to warn them.

"Yes!" Li Shu's heart tightened.

"Ji Ying, you are in charge of the investigation. If any of them are truly wicked, they shall be executed without mercy." Liu Ying entrusted this matter to Ji Ying.

Ji Ying, having imprisoned Zhang Han for almost a year, is most familiar with Feiqiu. Letting him take over this matter is the best course of action.

"Yes, sir." Ji Ying accepted the order.

Liu Ying rode in front, with Xiahou Ying following behind, as the Han army escorted Zhang Han into Feiqiu.

The ruined hill was extremely dilapidated and lifeless; many houses had been demolished to build fortifications. Upon entering the ruined hill, Liu Ying felt as if he had entered a tomb.

They escorted Zhang Han to the palace to the north.

Although it's called a royal palace, it's actually about the size of a county government office and it's quite old.

Feiqiu was originally a county in the Qin Dynasty. Zhang Han's palace was actually a slightly modified county government office of the Qin Dynasty, and it looked too shabby.

Having experienced so much, Zhang Han had long lost his spirit and had no interest in making a fuss over these matters, so his palace was just passable.

Upon arriving at the main hall and entering, one sees an old, long table placed directly in front of them, not a magnificent throne.

Liu Ying strode forward, knelt down behind the long table, and Xiahou Ying knelt behind the short table on the right. The Han soldiers escorted Zhang Han to the foot of the steps.

"Zhang Han, I have something to ask you." Liu Ying looked at Zhang Han, feeling inexplicably excited. Finally, he could ask Zhang Han about the Battle of Julu in person.

Historical records about the Battle of Julu are scarce, riddled with doubts and many unanswered questions. Even Liu Ying, who was not well-versed in history, was unaware that Wang Li had led troops in this battle.

Since the trip to Ao Cang, Liu Ying has been cramming on his missing historical knowledge. The more he learns, the more he realizes how complex the Battle of Julu is. Now that he has caught Zhang Han, he is determined to ask him personally.

"If the prince asks, I will answer without hesitation," Zhang Han replied readily.

For him, there's nothing left to hide now that he's fallen into this predicament.

"I've never understood why you, Zhang Han, who are not incapable of fighting, lost to Xiang Yu at the Battle of Julu?" Liu Ying looked at Zhang Han with anticipation.

With his troops burned and boats destroyed, Xiang Yu had only 50,000 men and three days' worth of rations. He was at a severe disadvantage in terms of manpower and was in dire need of supplies. If Zhang Han could stall for a few more days, he would exhaust Xiang Yu's supplies, and Xiang Yu would be the one to lose.

At that time, Zhang Han had the grain stored in Ao Cang, which was extremely abundant. Moreover, Zhang Han was a good general and very capable in battle. Furthermore, he had an absolute advantage in troops, four or five times that of Xiang Yu. He should have been able to easily destroy Xiang Yu.

The result was a great victory for Xiang Yu and a crushing defeat for Zhang Han.

Liu Ying couldn't understand this matter.

Liu Ying pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out how Zhang Han had been defeated.

"Someone leaked the information." Zhang Han gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, his hatred boundless.

"What? What? Someone leaked the secret?" Liu Ying jumped up suddenly, he absolutely never expected this answer.

Xiahou Ying looked at Zhang Han with a shocked expression.

"Uncle, you don't know either?" Liu Ying asked Xiahou Ying.

"There are many secrets surrounding the Battle of Julu, even the King of Han doesn't know much about them, let alone me," Xiahou Ying explained.

"Who leaked the information?" Liu Ying stared at Zhang Han, her face full of anxiety.

"Sima Xin, you scoundrel!" Zhang Han gritted his teeth, his hatred soaring to the sky. If Sima Xin were in front of him, he would definitely bite off pieces of his flesh and devour him.

"Sima Xin? Why did he leak the secret?" Liu Ying asked, puzzled.

"His Majesty decreed the relocation of 120,000 wealthy households from Shandong to Guanzhong, and the Xiang family was among those to be relocated. Xiang Liang, disregarding the lives of his clansmen, fled with Xiang Yu, Xiang Bo, and Xiang Zhuang, and His Majesty then had the entire Xiang family killed." The hatred in Zhang Han's eyes grew increasingly intense, like a raging fire that seemed to ignite the air. "Not long after Xiang Liang and his nephew fled, they were captured by the Qin and imprisoned in Liyang Prison. The traitor Sima Xin, a prison official in Liyang, secretly released Xiang Liang and his nephew."

The prison clerk was the same as the prison warden in later times, in charge of the prisons in a certain area.

Cao Shen was a prison clerk in Pei County.

Liu Ying was very puzzled: "Why did Sima Xin release Xiang Liang without permission?"

"Sima Xin had no connection with Xiang Liang and his nephew, but he had a good personal relationship with Cao Jiu. Cao Jiu was originally from Chu and had an excellent personal relationship with Xiang Liang. At that time, he was a prison clerk in Qi County. When he learned that Xiang Liang and his nephew were imprisoned in Liyang, he wrote a letter to Sima Xin, and Sima Xin released Xiang Liang and his nephew privately," Zhang Han explained.

"This isn't right, is it?" Liu Ying shook his head. "The Qin law is cruel, punishing even minor offenses severely. To scatter ashes in the wind is punishable by nose-burning. Releasing Xiang Liang and his nephew is an extremely serious crime. If discovered, even Sima Xin's ancestral graves would be in danger. Would Sima Xin risk such a terrible fate to release Xiang Liang and his nephew just for his personal relationship with Cao Jiu? Doesn't he think about his family? Doesn't he think about his ancestral graves?"

"Excellent! Your Highness has great insight!" Zhang Han exclaimed, full of praise. "What if we added a generous gift?"

"A generous gift?" Liu Ying shook his head again: "According to Qin law, 'one who accepts even one coin will be sentenced to hard labor in the city.' Even if Cao Jiu dared to offer a gift, Sima Xin would not dare to accept it."

The Qin Dynasty's punishment of corruption had reached an abnormal level. If a public official accepted even a single coin, it was considered bribery, and he would be sentenced to "complete hard labor in the city," which meant being imprisoned.

The severity of the punishment was unprecedented in history.

If Sima Xin had accepted bribes and released Xiang Liang and his nephew, the consequences would have been extremely severe; his family would have been exterminated, their ancestral graves dug up, and their property confiscated.

Given the extreme danger, Sima Xin would certainly have given it serious consideration.

"The Qin laws were harsh, unprecedented in their crackdown on corruption, yet they couldn't completely eradicate it. There were always some greedy people, and Sima Xin, that scoundrel, was one such person." Zhang Han gritted his teeth and cursed, "Xiang Liang offered him enough wealth to support twenty generations; how could he not be tempted?"

"Twenty... generations?" Liu Ying's mouth gaped open, and it took her a long time to close it.

Wealth moves people's hearts. If half a lifetime's worth of wealth doesn't tempt you, what about a lifetime's worth? If one generation doesn't tempt you, what about two generations? If two generations don't tempt you, what about five generations? If five generations don't tempt you, what about ten generations? If ten generations don't tempt you, what about twenty generations?

If you have enough money, I don't believe you won't be tempted.

Ironically, Xiang Liang came from the Xiang clan, one of the most prestigious families in the state of Chu, and was extremely wealthy. Although Qin Shi Huang had confiscated a great deal of his wealth, causing him heavy losses, it was impossible for him to have it all. He was able to come up with so much money.

"When His Majesty was alive, Xiang Liang and his nephew were merely wanted criminals, hiding in various places without incident. But when Shandong descended into chaos and Xiang Liang and his nephew launched their rebellion, causing widespread trouble, how could Zhao Gao not send people to investigate?" Zhang Han added.

"Zhao Gao will investigate?" Liu Ying asked, somewhat surprised.

"Zhao Gao was indeed a traitor. He forged an imperial edict to kill Prince Fusu, and General Meng Tian died as a result. He was the main culprit in the downfall of Qin, but he did not want Qin to perish, as it was not in his interest," Zhang Han reminded Liu Ying.

"Good!" Liu Ying agreed.