Diqin Designer

Chapter 84: Even if you make a comeback, it won’t work

Moreover, Xiang Yu really liked to cook people. He cooked Xu Sheng, Zhou Ke, and even the mother of Wang Ling who had committed suicide. With these precedents, his decision to cook Liu Taigong was not just lip service.

When Li Nian told him that Xiang Yu wanted to cook Liu Taigong, and Pei Gong asked Xiang Yu for a cup of meat soup, the First Emperor said, "This is Pei Gong's plan. Only in this way can Liu Taigong be saved from death. However, Xiang Yu's move not only offended Pei Gong, but also offended Liu Taigong. Since Lu Zhi is also in Xiang Yu's camp, it will also offend Lu Zhi."

Because of the incident of cooking Liu Taigong, Xiang Yu became enemies with Pei Gong, Liu Taigong and Lu Zhi at once.

The person he wanted to cook was Pei Gong's father. If he really cooked him, even if Pei Gong was really heartless, in order to save face for the people of the world, he would still be irreconcilable with Xiang Yu until his death.

As Liu Taigong was the ingredient to be cooked, how could he not be afraid when he heard that Xiang Yu wanted to cook him, and how could he not feel hatred afterwards?

Lu Zhi was also detained by Xiang Yu at that time. Did she think about who would be the next ingredient after Xiang Yu cooked Liu Taigong?

Li Nian nodded and said, "It is just as Your Majesty said. That is why I believe that Xiang Yu was eventually surrounded at Gaixia and his army was defeated. Even if he surrendered, he would still die."

Not to mention that Liu Bang and Liu Taigong wanted to kill him, who among Zhang Liang, Wang Ling and Fan Kuai didn't want to kill him?
Han Xin probably wanted to slap him twice: I told you to look down on others. You didn’t listen to my advice in the past, and now you’re a prisoner, Overlord?
When Xiang Yu cooked Wang Ling's mother, he had already been fighting for supremacy in the world for three years, but he still acted so casually, which showed that he had not grown much in those three years.

When Li Nian told about Xiang Yu's defeat at Gaixia and his unwillingness to return to Jiangdong, and his suicide at Wujiang River, the First Emperor made a sharp comment: "It's not that he didn't want to return to Jiangdong, but he knew the situation was hopeless, and it would be difficult for him to reverse the situation. How many talented people in Jiangdong can compare with the ministers under Pei Gong?"

"Is there anyone who can compare to Xiao He, Han Xin, Zhang Liang, and Wang Ling?"

"If he returns, it will only bring disaster to his fellow Jiangdong people. He is a man who knows that returning to Jiangdong will bring disaster, so he committed suicide."

Li Nian believed that the First Emperor's evaluation was correct. After the defeat at Gaixia, Xiang Yu's situation was completely over. Even if he returned to Jiangdong, he would only push his Jiangdong disciples into the fire pit. It would be impossible for him to turn the tables.

What's the saying "There are many talented disciples in Jiangdong, and they may make a comeback"? He was facing the entire founding group of the Han Dynasty, and many important officials wanted him dead. In that era, could he still pull together a group of people from Jiangdong to fight against them?

After telling all of Xiang Yu's deeds, the First Emperor's hatred for Xiang Yu actually eased. Xiang Yu did not behave like an emperor at all, and some of his behaviors were even not like those of a normal person. Being too concerned with such a person would only lower his status.

The First Emperor said: "Even if Xiang Yu conquers the world, it will soon fall apart and perish. Although he has the courage of a hegemon, he does not have the talent of a king. He can be a general, but not a king. How will future generations evaluate him?"

Li Nian said strangely: "Many people in later generations insulted Pei Gong and praised Xiang Yu. They thought Pei Gong was despicable and shameless, a scoundrel, while the Overlord was loyal and righteous, and a hero."

"Especially during the siege at Gaixia, he said goodbye to Concubine Yu, which led to the allusion of 'Farewell My Concubine' that has been passed down through the ages and praised by later generations. It is often used to describe the end of a hero."

"There is another poem to go with 'Farewell My Concubine', written by Xiang Yu himself: My strength is as great as that of a mountain and my courage is as great as that of the world, but the time is not right and my horse will not move. What can I do if my horse will not move? What can I do, Yu Xi, Yu Xi?"

"'Zui' refers to the fine horse that Xiang Yu often rode, and 'Yu' refers to 'Yu Ji'!"

The First Emperor commented: "It is his own fault that he has come to this point. Why should he lament or feel sorry for it?"

When saying this, the First Emperor was thinking of the demise of the Qin Dynasty. The fate of Xiang Yu, "Farewell My Concubine" and "Suicide at the Wujiang River" were mainly due to Xiang Yu's own faults. The demise of the Qin Dynasty in the second generation was also due to the Qin Dynasty itself, wasn't it the same?
But now, the Qin Dynasty will definitely avoid the end of the second generation, and Xiang Yu will not have to worry about parting with Yu Ji. Even if he committed suicide at the Wujiang River, he would never have the chance to meet Yu Ji again.

This time, the First Emperor did not ask Li Nian what to do with the Xiang family. He had already made the decision in his mind and did not need Li Nian's advice.

Li Nian knew that the First Emperor must be filled with murderous intent towards the Xiang family, but he never thought of admonishing the First Emperor. He had a good impression of Pei Gong, Zhang Liang and others, but not much of Xiang Yu.

The First Emperor thought of a question at this time, and asked: "Why do people in later generations like Xiang Yu and hate Pei Gong?"

Although Li Nian did not deliberately discredit Xiang Yu, the First Emperor still saw the difference in his attitude towards Pei Gong and Xiang Yu.

Li Nian said: "Although most people in later generations go to school, not everyone knows history. On the contrary, some anecdotes, such as 'Farewell My Concubine', are almost known to everyone. Moreover, 'Farewell My Concubine' is a tragic story, which often makes people feel the same."

"Furthermore, historical materials are written by people, and everyone has emotions, so they naturally have likes and dislikes. Most of the historical facts I mentioned come from the "Records of the Grand Historian" written by Sima Qian. And in my opinion, Sima Qian looked down on the Duke of Pei and felt indignant for Xiang Yu." This is not Li Nian's nonsense, but the "Records of the Grand Historian" does record it this way.

Sima Qian wrote a great deal about Xiang Yu's experiences before his death, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes, and portrayed him as a tragic hero.

Moreover, in "The Records of Xiang Yu", Xiang Yu's cruelty is either not mentioned or only mentioned briefly, but the good things Xiang Yu did are written in great detail.

Although "Records of the Grand Historian" records historical facts collected and compiled by Sima Qian, and Sima Qian should not have modified historical facts due to personal thoughts, his preferences are obvious!
The First Emperor nodded. Historians are also human beings. When recording history, they may record historical facts truthfully, but they may also include personal emotions in their specific descriptions.

After nodding, the First Emperor looked at Li Nian and asked, "How do later history books record me?"

After asking, without waiting for Li Nian's answer, the First Emperor asked and answered himself: "If it is not a good review, it will probably be written that I am a violent and incompetent ruler."

Li Nian never told him directly how he would be evaluated in the future, but how could Ying Zheng not guess? If it was a good evaluation, would this kid not take the initiative to mention it?

Moreover, from what Li Nian said about the demise of the Qin Dynasty during the second reign, and when he analyzed that he was the main reason for the demise of the Qin Dynasty, he thoroughly knew that he probably had a bad reputation in history and could be lumped in with Jie and Zhou.

After all, the huge Qin Dynasty fell just over ten years after he proclaimed himself emperor. Although it did not fall directly at his hands, it fell a few years after his death.

He didn't want to ask, but after listening to Li Nian talk about Pei Gong, the "Three Heroes" of the early Han Dynasty and Xiang Yu today, he was really curious.

Li Nian also knew that the First Emperor would ask this question sooner or later, so he prepared in advance and said truthfully: "The comments of the king in later generations are mixed. Generally speaking, no one thinks that the king is a tyrant."

If you're not a tyrant, then you think I'm a tyrant, right?

"Although the king has made great contributions to China, after unifying the country, he frequently carried out large-scale construction projects, abused the people's power, and made the people of the world live in misery, which laid the groundwork for the demise of the Second Qin Emperor."

"The burning of books, burying of scholars, building the Afang Palace, repairing the Great Wall, and building the Mausoleum of Mount Li were all considered to be manifestations of the king's abuse of the people's power and cruelty."

"Your Majesty, do you know how many prisoners were there in Mount Li when Zhang Han was fighting against Chen Sheng's army?"

The First Emperor glared at Li Nian and said, "If I knew, would I need you to tell me?"

Li Nian said: "It is said that there are 700,000 prisoners!"

The whole hall suddenly fell silent, and the First Emperor himself also fell into silence.

He thought it would be a lot, but 700,000 prisoners was too large a number.

Even if not all of them were brought to Mount Li when he was alive, most of them were brought by him, right? How many years did Hu Hai wreak havoc on the world?

Ignoring the Emperor's silence, Li Nian continued, "I have told Your Majesty about the burning of books and burying of scholars before. A poet in later generations once wrote an 'Ode to the Afang Palace' about the Afang Palace."

"When I was a student, this fu was one of the ancient Chinese articles that I had to memorize. Let me recite it for you, Your Majesty."

"The six kings are gone, the four seas are one, the Shu Mountains are steep, and Afang is out. It covers more than 300 miles, blocking out the sun and the sky. Mount Li is built in the north and bends in the west, going straight to Xianyang..."

The entire Zhangtai Palace was extremely quiet, with only the sound of Li Nian's recitation.

(End of this chapter)