Chapter 27 I once captured Bai Qi alive
Liu Chang had never seen Liu Ying contradict his mother, nor had he ever seen the two of them so tense.
Liu Ying was always very obedient. He would listen to almost everyone, whether it was his parents, brothers, ministers, or someone he didn't even know. As long as someone made a suggestion or wanted his help, he would basically never refuse.
From childhood to adulthood, the only one who could listen to Liu Chang seriously and help him with all his strength was his second brother.
Liu Chang saw tears flashing in his second brother's eyes. He was very angry because of the grievance and unwillingness, but he could not vent because of his respect for his mother and his own character. Under the angry rebuke of Empress Lu, Liu Ying turned and left. He dared to defend himself, but he did not dare to quarrel with Empress Lu or contradict her.
Empress Lu was so angry that her chest was heaving violently and her eyes were extremely fierce and frightening.
"Mother? Why is my brother so angry?"
"What does this have to do with you? Didn't you go to Tianlu Pavilion today? Where did you go?"
Empress Lü's anger immediately turned to Liu Chang. Liu Chang's eyes widened and he quickly argued, "I went to Shangfang and was told that there was a small problem with the spinning wheel."
"I have raised you two ungrateful bastards for nothing! You two don't listen to me! You think you have grown wings, don't you?!"
"We are grown up! We have our own ideas. Why can't we make our own decisions and do things? I went to Tianlu Pavilion just to stare blankly and sleep. What's wrong with not going?"
"How dare you talk back! Did I ask you to go to Tianlu Pavilion to sleep? How are you going to govern the country in the future if you don't learn anything?"
"It was my brother who annoyed you, not me! You are being unreasonable!"
The rascal Liu Chang was not Liu Ying. Perhaps he was used to being beaten, and he just couldn't learn to swallow his anger. Sure enough, after a round of talking back, Empress Lu almost beat his butt to pieces. After being beaten, Liu Chang snorted angrily and "left the palace".
Liu Hui looked helplessly at the younger brother who was sitting in front of him in a sullen state, and handed him the dried meat.
"I won't go back this time no matter what. It was obviously my brother who provoked her, but she came to beat me up!"
"You always say that...Isn't this the third time this month?"
“This time it’s different!”
"oh……"
"Don't be so angry... Mother also wants you to learn something. Being beaten by mother is actually quite happy."
"What happiness is there in getting beaten???"
Liu Hui looked at him with a complicated expression, shook his head and did not answer.
Liu Hui was actually very pitiful. His mother died very early, but unlike Liu Chang, he was not sent to be raised by Empress Lu. Instead, he was raised by a group of old palace maids. Liu Bang did not care much about this son. Liu Hui was not as famous as Liu Ying, not the eldest son like Liu Fei, not as loved by Liu Bang as Liu Ruyi, not having a good mother like Liu Heng, and not even having a backer like Liu Chang.
Although he lacked love since childhood, he is a very emotional person. Unlike his parents who occasionally show a ruthless side, he is a person who values feelings and the feelings of others. Perhaps because he was lonely since childhood, he values the people around him very much. He also loves his unknown half-brother Liu You who has the same experience.
This is a tolerant, gentle and kind person.
In history, Liu You, the King of Zhao, was imprisoned and starved to death by Empress Lü. Empress Lü, for some unknown reason, appointed Liu Hui as the King of Zhao. This appointment probably made Liu Hui extremely painful. Later, Empress Lü asked him to marry Lü Chan's daughter, hoping to control Liu Hui through marriage.
Before this, Liu Hui already had a favorite concubine, and the two were very affectionate.
However, Queen Lu had a cruel and vicious personality and was self-righteous. She believed that she had Queen Lu's support behind the scenes, so she monopolized power in the palace. She secretly kept an eye on Liu Hui, did not take him seriously at all, and did not allow him to get close to any other woman.
In the end, out of jealousy, Queen Lu upheld the Lu family's fine tradition and poisoned Liu Hui's former concubine.
This became the last straw that broke the camel's back for Liu Hui. In the fourth month after his beloved concubine's death, Liu Hui missed her too much and committed suicide.
But when Empress Lü heard that he had committed suicide for a woman, she thought that he was not worthy of being enshrined in the ancestral temple and received sacrifices, so she abolished his kingdom and was determined not to adopt a son for him. Thus Liu Hui's family line ended without an heir.
It was not until Liu Heng ascended the throne that he posthumously named him Prince Gong because he missed his kind-hearted brother.
Probably the heaviest tragedy in the early Han Dynasty was that some of the most beautiful people and things were killed right in front of you.
Before he stayed at his brother's place until the evening, Empress Lu had already come to pick up Liu Chang. She was familiar with everything. Liu Hui hurried out to pay her respects, but Empress Lu just nodded indifferently. When she took Liu Chang's hand and left, Liu Chang looked back several times, only to see his fifth brother standing alone in front of the hall, maintaining a salute posture.
"Mother... Fifth Brother is so pitiful, living alone... and no one comes to visit him."
"As a member of the royal family, he was born to be a noble prince. For a real man, what does this mean?"
"Then why don't you let my elder brother go to the battlefield? He is also a royal family member and a real man."
"If he could be like you and have a big fight with me, I wouldn't be able to control him."
Liu Chang's eyes lit up.
"If you dare to instigate your eldest brother to quarrel with me, I will break your legs..."
Liu Chang's eyes darkened.
Liu Chang had already learned the whole story from Liu Hui. It was probably that Liu Bang wanted Liu Ying to fight in name only, and arranged a group of founding warriors under the command of the prince, so that the prince could fight on his behalf. Liu Bang did not think that these warriors could not defeat Chen Xi. He stayed in the capital and let the prince fight in name only, which could not only appease everyone, but also make the prince gain greater fame, which could be regarded as paving the way for him, having the best of both worlds.
Liu Ying himself was very happy. He felt that this was the first time his father had entrusted him with a task, so he took it very seriously and began to prepare for the expedition.
But Empress Lu felt differently. She felt that her son was not cut out for fighting. Even if he was just a figurehead, it was hard to say. Winning the battle would only be icing on the cake. His position as the crown prince was unshakable anyway. But if he lost the battle, or got injured, or something unexpected happened, then it would all be over.
Therefore, Empress Lü bypassed Liu Ying and directly joined forces with the four old men and Xiao He to persuade Liu Bang that the prince was not suitable for the expedition.
Liu Bang was furious and yelled, "My sons are all a bunch of losers!"
Liu Ying had a rare opportunity to prove himself in front of his father and was excitedly preparing to go to the battle when he suddenly learned about this matter. Naturally, he was extremely angry, but he was not as stupid as Liu Chang, so he could only let it go in grievance.
Since the prince was unreliable, Liu Bang had to fight him himself.
"That night, I patted my chest and told my mother righteously that among all the princes, I was the most suitable to go to war. Why not let me join the list and go to conquer Daidi. I guarantee that I will chop off Chen Xi's head within three months! When my mother heard this, she was shocked on the spot. I was so shocked that my body trembled. My mother praised me on the spot: If you have a son, I hope he will be like Liu Chang!"
"Is this the reason why you were personally escorted to Tianlu Pavilion by four soldiers today?"
Just when Liu Chang was bragging as usual, Liu Ruyi interrupted him impatiently.
Liu Chang glanced at him with disdain and said, "At least I dare to request to go to war, unlike a certain person who boasts all day long that he is both civil and military, but in the end he dared not leave the palace even when his own kingdom was conquered..."
"I want to fight too! I asked for the fight three times! Father didn't agree! I asked for the fight!"
Sure enough, Liu Ruyi’s defense was broken again. He began to try his best to prove that he really wanted to go out to fight, but his father did not give him that opportunity!
"Anyway, no matter what you say, we didn't go to war."
"So what? Chen Xi will be dead within three months at the latest!"
"That may not be the case."
Liu Chang frowned and analyzed seriously: "The terrain of Zhao State is very dangerous. When Bai Qi attacked Zhao State several times, he was most frustrated by the terrain. In order to resist the external enemies in Zhaodai area, the first thing to do is to occupy Zhangshui in the south and defend Handan in the north... Occupy the dangerous terrain, use water to block the enemy, and advance step by step..."
Liu Chang's remarks attracted the attention of several brothers. They listened carefully, and even Liu Ruyi couldn't help but nod.
"its not right!"
Liu Ruyi woke up suddenly.
"You have never been out of the palace , how do you know the terrain of Zhao? How do you know how to resist the enemy's attack in Zhao?"
"Ah."
If you were forced to simulate resisting Bai Qi at Changping all day long, you would be so familiar with it!
But Liu Chang did not say so. He just said in a profound and mysterious way: "Teacher once explained to me the wars in the world. This is what I saw myself. Teacher said that I am a rare genius and a natural general. I played against teacher. Teacher simulated Bai Qi and I simulated Zhao Kuo. I easily broke through teacher's defense line many times and captured Bai Qi alive!"
Although they didn't know whether it was true or not, Liu Chang's bragging really made the brothers' eyes widen.
Liu Ruyi murmured, "Han...Is Marquis Huaiyin still accepting disciples?"