Chapter XVI: Restoration

The foundation of the empire became crumbling, and there were terrible situations of popular riots in many places, and the local government was simply unable to cope with it, and even a large number of grassroots government officials such as county guards and county magistrates were murdered by mobs. Civil service became the most dangerous profession.

However, the central government remained indifferent for a long time and allowed the situation to fission. What is even more surprising to the people is that almost all of the leading members of the current government, headed by Prime Minister Li Si, have been arrested and imprisoned. In the eyes of Hu Hai, the supreme ruler of the empire, it seemed that they were paying for the nationwide uprising. Prime Minister Li Si was sentenced to the most extreme punishment on charges of rebellion, and his body was beheaded.

The new government was immediately formed, and the new prime minister turned out to be Lang Zhongling Zhao Gao, who replaced Li Si's original position. From an outsider's point of view, with his qualifications, it may be difficult for him to take on this important responsibility. However, Emperor Hu Hai trusted him extremely and had great hopes for him. Hu Hai even adopted the method of complete decentralization, allowing the new prime minister Zhao Gao to control everything, and he himself lived more comfortably than before.

The new government doesn't seem to have a better way. Like a plague, the riots spread rapidly throughout the country and could no longer be stopped. The royal family and nobles of the Six Kingdoms took advantage of this opportunity to incite the remnants of their homeland to raise the banner of restoration, and the title of the kingdom that had disappeared for 12 years actually reappeared on the land of China - Chu, Qi, Zhao, Yan, Wei, and Han, as if the fireworks of the Warring States Period had never gone far. The Qin Dynasty's unification project and national education for so many years seem to have failed, and the thoughts of the remnants of the Six Kingdoms have revived.

The most striking is Chudi. This is because it is not only the starting point of the insurrection, but also the place where the revolutionary enthusiasm is at its highest.

The people of Chudipei County also responded positively to this national carnival, and after they killed the county order, they supported an imperial fugitive, Liu Ji.

Liu Ji really didn't want to be this leader, and he resigned many times. He felt that Pei County was full of talents, many of them had superior intelligence and high skills, and he couldn't compare with them at all, especially the two heavyweights in the county - Xiao He and Cao Shen.

Xiao He may be the highest official in this team, and he is also the initiator and main culprit of this riot, and he is the most respected. Originally, he was the leader recommended by everyone, and everyone expected him. However, Xiao He has his own concerns. First of all, he felt that his personality was not suitable to be a leader, nor was he suitable to charge in front of him. He has always regarded himself as a literati, and his personality is more introverted, so he is more suitable for planning behind the scenes rather than being a leader. Secondly, in the minds of the literati, riots were not a glorious cause, but something to lose their heads. When this leader is a leader, his body will be broken into thousands of pieces in minutes, and even the entire family will be implicated. This is the most reluctant thing he wants to see, and it is also an unbearable weight. If he becomes a sinner who plagues his family, it will be more painful for him than if he died ten thousand times.

Since Xiao He is unwilling to be this leader, then Cao Shen is undoubtedly the second choice. However, Cao Shen was not willing to be. It's not that he's worried that he'll implicate the family, but he doesn't want to take on so many things at all. He prefers a life of unrestrainedness, and he is already very satisfied with wine and meat to eat. If the Qin Dynasty hadn't perished, it would be good to be a small prison boy in Pei County quietly. He didn't feel that he was capable, he didn't care what others thought, and power wasn't that important to him. He has always been Xiao He's subordinate, and he is headed by Xiao He in everything, and everything obeys Xiao He's orders. Since Brother Xiao thinks that it is better for Liu Ji to be the leader, let Liu Ji be the leader. What's more, Cao's relationship with Liu Ji is also relatively good, and his personality is also somewhat similar, such as being very open-minded and casual. His life is more comfortable than Liu Ji's, after all, he has a good family background, a stable job, and a relatively high social status in Pei County. His mantra in life is to follow the crowd.

Liu Ji didn't think about being this leader, but since everyone respected him, he also took advantage of the situation. The private release of prisoners allowed Liu Ji to gather some prestige in the anti-Qin wave. Moreover, at present, only Liu Ji has so many troops around him in Pei County - a group of outlaws. Now with the support of Xiao He and Cao Shen, it is Liu Ji's greatest encouragement. So, Liu Ji naturally became the leader of this Peixian team.

Liu Ji, who is nearly half a hundred years old, has a new identity since then - Pei Gong.

Pei Gong Liu Ji's riot team broke through their hometown of Pei County Fengyi in the first battle, because they were too familiar with this place, not only familiar with the environment, but also familiar with the people here. Fengyi became their first base camp, and Liu Ji decided to leave a capable fellow to guard here, and then led the large army to continue to advance.

The talented fellow who was left behind is named Yongya. The Yong family also belongs to the family in Pei County, and even without this anti-Qin wave, Yongya can live a superior life. Liu Ji may also take a fancy to his family background, thinking that there will definitely be no problems if he entrusts Fengyi to him. With the ability of the Yongfang, he should be able to hold this small place. It's a place to start, and if anything happens in the future, you can at least come back and recuperate.

Yongya is Liu Ji's fellow villager and friend, and he grew up together, but he definitely hasn't eaten with Liu Ji. Because of Yongya's heart, he actually looks down on Liu Ji. Yongya thinks that Liu Ji is just a scoundrel in the township, with no knowledge at all, and no ability, what qualifications does Liu Ji have to be the leader.

While Yongya was still indignant, a Wei army besieged Fengyi, which Yongya was guarding, and threatened Yongya with bloodied Fengyi if he did not surrender. Yongya weighed the pros and cons, and felt that Liu Ji himself had no ability, and it was really not worth it to succumb to him and help him guard Fengyi.

Yongfang surrendered defenselessly.

Liu Ji really didn't expect that as soon as they walked on the front foot, Yongya would rebel. After he heard the news of Yongya's surrender, he was so angry that he couldn't wait to break Yongya's body into pieces. He immediately led his troops back to Fengyi, intending to take Fengyi back, and then kill Yongya. (Being betrayed at the first stop may have left a great shadow on Liu Ji's heart, and it may also be one of the sources of his distrust of his heroes later.) ）

However, it was not possible to attack it for a long time.

Speaking of leading troops to fight, Liu Ji is the first time, and he is obviously inexperienced. As for how to dispatch these 3,000 people, how to arrange posts, and how to give orders, he is a complete layman. None of his people could help, because none of them had experience with it. Xiao He was a man of letters, familiar with government affairs, and familiar with geography, but had little experience in leading troops to fight. Although Cao Shen and others are very familiar with matters such as catching thieves, they are also half-witted about the bloody battlefield.

Facing the high walls, they could only shake their heads and sigh. At this time, what they had to deal with was not the county commander, but a large group of fellow villagers led by Yongya. Yongya and they relied on the city wall and held on to this small city, and Liu Ji didn't know how to attack it.

This is not to say that Yong Tooth is superior, but that they are facing an army that is too low-level. In other words, if Yongya is outside the city, Yongya will definitely not find a way to attack the city. Both sides are military "rookies", both have just started and have no experience in conquering cities.

There was no way, Liu Ji had no choice but to move the rescuers.

However, the surrounding area was full of rioters, and no one knew anyone, and it was not clear who was friend or foe. In the end, Liu Ji is not sure who can help.

As a result, Liu Ji could only lead a huge team and run around like a headless fly. When he heard that there was a huge army nearby that was also composed of Chu people, and that the leader of this army was a descendant of the nobles of the Chu State, Liu Ji seemed to see hope and thought that he had found a powerful organization.

Liu Ji rushed there non-stop and asked for the other party's support. It turned out that this team was Chen Sheng's old subordinates, and since Chen Sheng's defeat and death, they also scurried around like headless flies. But they seem to be more experienced than Liu Ji's gang, and they have established a descendant of a Chu nobleman named Jing Ju, under the banner of reviving the Chu state. The effect was immediately apparent, and in addition to Liu Ji and them, other rebel troops in Chu also gathered one after another.

Liu Ji hopes to use their power to regain the lost territory. But this wish was quickly dashed. Because this team, under the banner of reviving the Chu state and led by the descendants of the Chu royal family, was so conspicuous that the central government of the Qin Dynasty listed it as a key target. Soon this team was besieged by the Qin army, and they were too busy to take care of themselves.

This team not only failed to help, but also made Liu Ji lose a battle. They let Liu Ji lead his men and horses to a decisive battle with the Qin army, but they lost completely. Liu Ji and his gang had to flee.

What puzzled Liu Ji even more was that another army, which also claimed to want to revive the Chu State, also rushed here, claiming to fight to the death with Jingju's team. They said that Jing Ju's team was an impostor, and the whereabouts of Chen Sheng, the king of Chu, were unknown, and Jing Ju and others were in a hurry to establish themselves as kings.

This team is the army of the Xiang family.

Liu Ji didn't want to get involved in the grievances between them. Who is orthodox and who is fake, Liu Ji doesn't care at all. What he cares about is the strength of both sides, and whoever can help him recover Fengyi, he will lean on whichever side he wants. Jingju's strength, Liu Ji has already understood. Not only did they fail to reap any benefits, but they also had to build on their own roots, and such an organization was really unreliable.

According to the current situation, the prestige of the Xiang family is growing, with 100,000 troops and strong horses. The Xiang family is the most powerful team in Chu. Then why not take refuge in the Xiang Group nearby. So, Liu Ji led more than 100 pro-soldiers and knights to the military camp of the Xiang Group non-stop, hoping to defect to the Xiang Group.

The Xiang group regarded Liu Ji's surrender as a sign of defeating the Jingju camp and a defection from the people within the Jingju camp. Moreover, at this time, Liu Ji's team had gathered nearly 10,000 people, and it was also an anti-Qin force in Chu that could not be ignored. Therefore, the Xiang group quickly accepted them and generously extended a helping hand to them, sending them more than 5,000 additional troops.

The most important thing is that the Xiang group also gave Liu Ji 10 generals who were familiar with the war and asked them to assist Liu Ji in recapturing Fengyi. This is undoubtedly the most practical help for Liu Ji, who has no military experience. Liu Ji's strength instantly became much stronger.

Without any suspense, Fengyi was soon captured, and Yongya fled to Wei. And Jingju's camp was also annihilated by the Xiang group soon after, and Jingju and other leaders were killed one after another.

Liu Ji is glad for his choice. If they remain in the Jingju camp, then they are likely to be wiped out along with the Jingju camp and become innocent burial objects.