Chapter 54 Part 1

Liu Yuan's current situation was very delicate.

Although he had preemptively occupied the city of Xianyang, Xiang Yu and the other lords' armies, hundreds of thousands strong, were garrisoned outside, forming an encirclement. With a single command from Xiang Yu, these hundreds of thousands of troops would swarm in, and each man could stomp Liu Yuan into a pulp with a single kick.

Just as Liu Zhen had thought, although the Emperor of Chu had previously declared that the first to enter Xianyang would be its master, Xianyang was the capital of the world and had accumulated immense wealth. Liu Yuan was now sitting on a mountain of gold, and it was impossible for others not to be envious. The reason they hadn't charged in yet was that no one wanted to be the first to bear the reputation of being "treacherous," so they were all observing the situation, waiting for someone else to make the first move.

In the camp stationed outside Xianyang, Xiang Yu was not in a good mood.

In his eyes, Xianyang was a prize within easy reach, a juicy piece of meat that should have been his. Now that someone else had snatched it, he was naturally furious. Not to mention, Liu Yuan had overstepped his authority, preemptively killing Zhao Gao and protecting Prince Ziying of Qin, which was a great slap in the face to Xiang Yu.

When Fan Zeng and Ji Ping entered, they saw Xiang Yu cutting a piece of fruit with a dagger in his hand.

To say he was cutting it would be an understatement; "hacking" would be more appropriate.

An originally round and lovely piece of fruit was nearly reduced to a pulp under the ruthless hand of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

In Xiang Yu's eyes, this fruit was likely the personification of Liu Yuan.

Beside him, an exquisitely beautiful woman quietly accompanied him, her face unable to conceal its worry.

Fan Zeng and Ji Ping exchanged a helpless glance and cupped their hands in salute. "Your Majesty!"

"Ah, you have arrived—" Xiang Yu drawled, his tone lazy and casual. "Be seated!"

The two men sat down separately.

Fan Zeng spoke first, "Given the current situation, what does Your Majesty plan to do?"

Xiang Yu finally showed mercy to the wretched-looking fruit and sneered, "Liu Yuan is now a turtle in a jar. If he doesn't know what's good for him and hand over Xianyang, then with a single command from me, all the armies will storm the city. By then, even if Liu Yuan wanted to offer it up with both hands, it would be too late. We'll see how many days he can hold out!"

Ji Ping said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Chu did make a promise..."

Xiang Yu waved a hand. "We both know there's no need to pay him any mind!"

Since he had so bluntly pointed out the Emperor of Chu's status, Ji Ping found it improper to say anything more and immediately fell silent.

Fan Zeng asked again, "How much time does Your Majesty intend to give Liu Yuan?"

Xiang Yu held up three fingers. "Three days. One day has already passed."

He was not a man who could tolerate his own failure, and it had been this way ever since he raised troops in Kuaiji. Xiang Yu hailed from a family of generals in the Chu State. Relying on his exceptional martial prowess, he had won victory after victory. He then took over his uncle's burden, commanding an army of hundreds of thousands. Although the Emperor of Chu was still nominally above him, everyone knew that Xiang Yu was the one who had the final say. He already possessed the reality of being the common ruler of the world; all he lacked was the title.

Xiang Yu had already made plans long ago. Once he entered Xianyang, he would burn the city and its royal palace to the ground to avenge the fall of the Chu State. Then he would take all the wealth to fund his army. In a few more years, he would directly depose the Emperor of Chu and rightfully ascend the throne himself.

Who would have thought that Liu Yuan would beat him to it? Now there was a small error in his plan. Fortunately, with the city under siege, Liu Yuan could probably hold out for three days at most. After three days, Xianyang would still be his. It was just that now, with all the various forces gathered here, on the day the city fell, he would inevitably have to share more of the wealth with others. If he had been the first to enter Xianyang, he wouldn't have had these troubles.

At this thought, Xiang Yu snorted coldly and lightly tossed the dagger in his hand. It plunged straight into the ground beside Ji Ping's foot, startling him into a cold sweat. When he looked down, he saw a small insect there, which had been split in two by the sharp blade, unable to die in peace.

"...Your Majesty's martial prowess is truly extraordinary!" Ji Ping, who had almost thought his toes were done for, wiped away his cold sweat and forced a laugh.

But life is life precisely because it often takes unexpected turns.

In everyone's eyes, Liu Yuan was already in an extremely disadvantageous and passive position.

He had only one path to take: to meekly surrender Xianyang and then shamefully scurry back to Nanyang Commandery.

But Liu Yuan refused.

——————

"What did you say?!"

The speaker's eyes widened, and even his previously slouched body involuntarily straightened up.

Liu Yuan paid it no mind. His face wreathed in smiles, he repeated his words, "I have already ordered my men to complete an inventory of all the treasures and wealth in Xianyang. I am willing to gift one-tenth of it to the King of Yan!"

The lords currently gathered outside Xianyang, including Xiang Yu himself, numbered ten in total. King Han Guang of Yan was one of them. Historically, this King of Yan was granted the title King of Liaodong by the Emperor of Chu for occupying the Liaodong region, becoming one of the eighteen lords at the end of the Qin era. But for now, the King of Yan was still the King of Yan. Although he occupied Liaodong, he had not changed his title to King of Liaodong.

This King of Yan, who had raised his banner of rebellion even earlier than Xiang Yu, had a territory furthest from Xianyang. Even if he had been the first to arrive, it would have been impossible for him to claim Xianyang for himself from a thousand li away. Therefore, he had purely come along with the others to join the excitement and pick up some scraps. But to be honest, with the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, Xiang Yu, present, even if they drove Liu Yuan away, more than half of the wealth in Xianyang would certainly fall into Xiang Yu's hands. The others would be lucky to get even a small share. Han Guang had never imagined he could get more.

But now, Liu Yuan had personally slipped out of Xianyang, come to Han Guang's camp, and told him that he was willing to give him one-tenth of the wealth.

Han Guang clenched his fists, his breathing involuntarily growing heavy.

Since Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin State had gradually shed its reputation as the "Poor Qin" and become a great power in the west. Twenty years of recuperation had given the Qin State enough national strength to contend with the powerful states of Wei and Qi at the time. But it didn't stop there. After that, the Qin Dynasty won victory after victory in its external wars, also receiving ceded lands and tribute from other states. Wealth was accumulated step by step in this way. By the time of Qin Shi Huang, Qin had conquered the six states and gathered all the wealth of the world into its coffers. Countless treasures and precious artifacts from all the states flowed like water into the Qin Royal Palace. Building mausoleums, constructing the Great Wall, and laying roads all required vast sums of money. Even so, it was said that the Qin Royal Palace was still filled with rare treasures. In the emperor's bedchamber, what was used for illumination at night was not candlelight, but luminous pearls. It was even rumored that the emperor's bed was carved from a single, peerless piece of blue jade. Even if most of these rumors were exaggerated, it was not hard to imagine what an enticing mountain of treasure a city like Xianyang, which had gathered the wealth of the world, especially the Qin Royal Palace, would be!

Riches stir the human heart. Anyone who claimed not to love wealth simply hadn't been presented with an amount large enough to move them. Han Guang didn't know the total value of all the wealth in the Qin Royal Palace, but just thinking about the one-tenth Liu Yuan had mentioned was enough to make his face flush and his heart race.

Taking a deep breath, Han Guang forcibly suppressed his excitement and made himself calm down. "So, in the two days the King of Yu arrived in Xianyang before us, you've been taking inventory of the wealth?"

Liu Yuan said, "That's right. The treasures in the Qin Royal Palace are numerous, and it was impossible to inventory them all in just two days. Fortunately, with the help of Prince Ziying of Qin, I now have a complete list of all the assets."

Han Guang raised an eyebrow, first throwing his head back with a loud laugh, then his expression hardened. He slammed his hand heavily on the table before him and shouted, "King of Yu, you look down on me, Han, too much! Do you think you can humiliate me with a mere pittance of wealth! Do you think I'll fall for your little trick of sowing discord?! With a single command from me, men will immediately drag you to see the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. At that time, forget one or two tenths, you'll have to obediently hand over the entire city of Xianyang!"

Hearing his threat, Liu Yuan not only did not lose his composure, but actually laughed out loud.

Han Guang was somewhat irritated. "What's so funny!"

Liu Yuan shook his head and said sincerely, "The King of Yan misunderstands. This is no humiliation! The Emperor of Chu has long decreed that he who first enters Xianyang gains the land. My acquisition of Xianyang is rightful and proper. However, I have no intention of keeping the wealth of the Qin Royal Palace for myself! The annihilation of the Qin Dynasty was not my achievement alone, but the achievement of all the heroes under heaven. Naturally, the wealth of Xianyang cannot be enjoyed by me alone. I will not take a single coin of this wealth from the Qin Royal Palace for myself. It will all be divided into more than ten shares. Not just you, King of Yan, but the other lords as well, I will present each with a share, ensuring that their values are equal and not far apart. As for the Emperor of Chu, since he is the common ruler of the world, it is only natural that he should receive a larger share of the wealth. This is only reasonable. I hope the King of Yan will understand!"

Han Guang sneered, "Does the King of Yu intend to bribe us into retreating our armies? I'm afraid you've made a miscalculation. The Hegemon-King of Western Chu is now bent on taking Xianyang. He will not rest until he has entered the city!"

Liu Yuan smiled. "Let me put it this way. I ask you, if Xiang Yu enters the city, what good will it do him? Of course, there are benefits for him, but what benefits are there for you? In terms of territory, your Liaodong is more than a thousand li from Xianyang, with countless commanderies and counties in between. It's impossible for you to occupy it. As for wealth, once Xiang Yu enters the city, more than half of Xianyang's riches will naturally fall into his hands. Not to mention, you are far away in Liaodong, your reach is short and your power is weak. I fear even people like Zhao Xie and Zhang Er won't get much of a share. And with Xiang Yu's hatred for the people of Qin, he might even burn the Qin Royal Palace to the ground. What benefit is there in that for you?"

Han Guang's expression was uncertain. Liu Yuan's words had struck a chord with him, and he couldn't deny them. In fact, he also had many dissatisfactions with Xiang Yu. After all, he had started his rebellion much earlier than Xiang Yu, but now he was being overshadowed by a junior. Although he acted as if nothing was wrong on a daily basis, Han Guang had been bottling up this resentment for a long time.

Liu Yuan added, "Right now, I want the land, and you want the wealth. We each get what we need. Everyone is happy. Why not do it?"

Han Guang was silent for a long while with a somber face, then said, "And how can I believe that what you say is true?"

The moment he heard this, Liu Yuan knew the other party had been persuaded. He let out a stifled laugh. "Pardon my bluntness, but right now I have entered your camp alone. Is this not the greatest show of sincerity? If I intended to deceive you, why would I go through such trouble? The inventory of wealth is all recorded on bamboo slips, which are inconvenient to carry, so I did not bring them with me this time. The King of Yan can send an envoy to accompany me into the city to inspect and verify it."

Before Han Guang could speak, he added, "Before coming here, I had already met with the King of Dai and the King of Changshan. They have already agreed to this matter. Once the wealth is divided, they will withdraw their troops and are willing to form an alliance with my land of Yu, to advance and retreat together, share fortune, and resist powerful enemies."

Han Guang's eyes widened. He instantly understood the unspoken meaning.

Resist powerful enemies? The Qin Dynasty has already fallen. What powerful enemies are there left to resist? Besides the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, who else could be called a powerful enemy!

Han Guang was no fool. He could see Xiang Yu's ambition, and he was naturally worried. Now, he only regretted that he had realized it too late. Liu Yuan was not wrong at all; he had gained no benefit from following Xiang Yu this time. If he accepted Liu Yuan's conditions, it would actually be a much better deal.

He, Han Guang, was also one of the vassal kings. Why did he have to follow behind Xiang Yu in everything?

The two sat facing each other, one with his head bowed in thought, the other at ease.

After a short while, Han Guang raised his head and said slowly, "My courtesy name is Xiaguang. I wonder what the King of Yu's courtesy name is?"

Liu Yuan smiled. "What a coincidence. My courtesy name also has 'Xia' in it. It's Xiafang."

His father, Liu Xin, had never given him a courtesy name. It was Song Xie who had chosen this one for him.