After shaking off the negative state of "giving up," Zhu Yuanzhang had spent the past month not only handling affairs of state, but also having people find him histories of Former Han and Later Han that he had never read before.
Han Xin was one of the Three Founding Heroes of Han, so Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew how he had ended.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: According to the histories, after you arrested Han Xin, stripped him of his title as King of Chu, and placed him under house arrest as the Marquis of Huaiyin, his resentment grew day by day. He was always looking for a chance to rebel.] [In the tenth year of Emperor Gao of Han's reign, Chen Xi rebelled in Dai, and you personally led troops to suppress him. Han Xin claimed to be ill and did not accompany you.] [After you left, Han Xin secretly made arrangements in Chang'an. He planned to issue a forged edict at night, release the prisoners in Chang'an to attack the palace, and seize control of the court, coordinating with Chen Xi from within and without to overthrow Great Han.] [But the younger brother of one of his retainers reported him. When Lü Zhi learned of this, she plotted with Xiao He to lure Han Xin to Changle Palace, where she had him executed in the Bell Chamber and exterminated his three clans!]
After reading those passages, Liu Bang was overwhelmed by mixed feelings.
Ever since he had pretended to tour Yunmeng and arrested Han Xin the previous year, he had been considering how to deal with him.
He admired Han Xin immensely, and he knew full well that without Han Xin, he could never have defeated Xiang Yu or founded Great Han amid the wars of Late Qin, especially during the struggle between Chu and Han.
Thus, even after arresting Han Xin on charges of rebellion, he had merely stripped him of his royal title and demoted him to Marquis of Huaiyin.
He had kept Han Xin in Chang'an partly to watch him closely, and partly because he valued his talents and could not bear to kill him.
He had even hoped that, given enough time, Han Xin would change his mind and truly enter his service.
But judging from the original course of history Zhu Yuanzhang had described, all that effort had clearly been wasted.
Han Xin, oh, Han Xin. In the end, you still refused to serve me.
Liu Bang sighed inwardly, then asked about the other matter Zhu Yuanzhang had mentioned in passing.
[Liu Bang: How did Chen Xi come to rebel in Dai?]
Liu Bang genuinely did not understand. Chen Xi currently held the title of Marquis of Yangxia and was one of Great Han's ranking marquises. He normally stayed in Chang'an and was only sent out to command troops when needed. Why-and how-could he rebel in Dai?
[Zhu Yuanzhang: That is a long story.] [Liu Bang: Go ahead.]
The historical accounts of this affair were not particularly extensive, but Zhu Yuanzhang still did not want to spend too much time on it. He immediately began typing as concise an account as possible.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: In the winter of the seventh year of Emperor Gao of Han's reign, Liu Xi abandoned his kingdom and fled back to Luoyang when the Xiongnu invaded Dai. You demoted him to Marquis of Heyang and made Liu Ruyi King of Dai.] [You considered Chen Xi reliable and appointed him chancellor of Dai. Since Liu Ruyi was young and temporarily living in Chang'an, Dai's troops were effectively under Chen Xi's command.] [In the eighth year of Emperor Gao of Han's reign, you demoted Zhang Ao, King of Zhao, to Marquis of Xuanping because of the assassination plot by Guan Gao, Zhao's chancellor, and others. You ordered Zhou Chang, the Imperial Secretary, to take charge of Zhao's administration. Since Zhao-Dai was vital to defending the lands east of the passes against the Xiongnu, you also placed Zhao's troops under Chen Xi's command.] [Chen Xi had served under Han Xin for many years. After you appointed him chancellor of Dai, he went to bid Han Xin farewell. Han Xin poured out his suffering under house arrest and told him that if people accused him of rebellion again and again, you would inevitably lead an army against him.] [It is said that during this secret conversation, Han Xin promised that if Chen Xi rose in arms outside the capital, he would raise troops in Chang'an in support, overthrow Great Han, and help Chen Xi take the realm.] [Once Chen Xi controlled the elite troops of Zhao-Dai, his ambition and power naturally swelled day by day. By the tenth year of Emperor Gao of Han's reign, he rebelled, prompted in part by envoys sent to persuade him by Han Xin, King of Han.]
At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang paused for two breaths before continuing to type.
[I studied the relevant histories and found that Chen Xi's rebellion truly had far-reaching consequences, implicating several of the kings of other surnames from the early Han.] [Chen Xi allied with Han Xin, King of Han, and had the Xiongnu backing him. He occupied Zhao-Dai, and even after gathering your generals and troops, you needed more than a year to suppress him.] [During that time, both Han Xin, the former King of Chu, and Peng Yue, King of Liang, were charged with "rebellion" because of this affair, losing their lives and even having their three clans exterminated. Ying Bu, too, actually rose in rebellion because he was terrified by the fates of Han Xin, Peng Yue, and the others.] [There was also Lu Wan, Prince of Yan, who was suspected of harboring rebellious intentions because of the Chen Xi affair...]
At that, Liu Bang could no longer hold himself back.
[Liu Bang: Lu Wan? How could he possibly rebel?!]
If Chen Xi's rebellion was unexpected but still something Liu Bang could accept, then Lu Wan's rebellion was far harder for him to swallow.
Among his old brothers from Pei County, Lu Wan had originally been the closest to him.
The Liu Family and the Lu Family lived in the same neighborhood. His father and Lu Wan's father had been friends through life and death, while he and Lu Wan had been born on the very same day and grown up together. They were closer than blood brothers!
That was why he truly could not accept Lu Wan rebelling!
Yet Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer Liu Bang's question directly. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
[Zhu Yuanzhang: Han Gaozu, I want to know: did you deliberately drive these kings of other surnames into rebellion? Or did you deliberately use charges of rebellion to strip them of their domains?] [Liu Bang: Strip them of their domains?] [Zhu Yuanzhang: I mean reducing the power of the vassal kings. You can take that to mean the kings of other surnames.]
Liu Bang was just about to answer when he saw the Administrator's message.
[Administrator: The "Rebel Army Q&A" round will begin shortly. Correct answers earn rewards; wrong answers incur penalties. Group members, please prepare!]
Seeing this, Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang immediately set aside their earlier topic, while Zhang Jiao also focused his attention.
Although Liu Bang was not afraid of the Rebel Army Group's penalties, he very much wanted to answer correctly once and receive a reward.
In fact, as soon as the Rebel Army Group had opened, he had sent people to summon Xiao He, Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, and Lou Jing. Apart from Zhang Liang, who was at home and would need some time, the other three were all near Changle Palace and were probably almost at the front hall.
Sure enough, just as Liu Bang shifted his sitting position, Xiao He, Chen Ping, and Lou Jing entered.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Rise," Liu Bang said briskly. "Take your seats. Whatever I ask shortly, you must answer as quickly as possible."
Liu Bang's arrangements were rather strange, but the three did not ask any questions. They merely exchanged glances and sat on the cushions prepared for them.
When they looked at Liu Bang again, he seemed to be staring at something before him, yet also seemed lost in thought...
Inside the Rebel Army Group.
[Question: As the leader of a rebel army, which of the following do you consider most important for a rebel army to conquer the realm? Please enter your answer within half a quarter-hour.] [A: Money and grain.] [B: Elite troops and able generals.] [C: Talent.] [D: Popular support.] [E: Mandate of heaven.]
After reading the question, Liu Bang instinctively wanted to choose all five. As a "rebel army leader" who had successfully conquered the realm, he felt that all five were important.
Then he realized that the question asked which one was "most important," meaning he could choose only one.
He immediately looked at Xiao He and the others.
"Among all the rebel armies in the chaos of Late Qin, we were the ones who conquered the realm. Which do you think mattered most: money and grain, elite troops and able generals, talent, popular support, or the mandate of heaven? Do not elaborate too much. Just answer."
Xiao He wanted to ask why Liu Bang had suddenly posed such a question, but remembering Liu Bang's two instructions, he thought briefly before saying with a smile, "Your Majesty, if we speak of what matters most, it must be the mandate of heaven."
At this, Lou Jing immediately bowed with clasped hands and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the mandate of heaven is certainly important, but not as important as popular support."
Xiao He did not rush to argue, because he too actually believed popular support mattered most. But the person asking was Liu Bang, so he had to answer "the mandate of heaven."
The reason was simple.
Popular support could be won by human effort, which meant others could strive to obtain it as well. The mandate of heaven, however, depended on heaven's will and could not be won through human effort.
By answering this way, he wanted to show Liu Bang that, in his eyes, Liu Bang's unification of the realm, accession as emperor, and founding of Great Han were heaven's will-something no one else could change.
This was precisely what an emperor most liked to hear.
Sure enough, immediately after Lou Jing answered, Chen Ping said, "Your Majesty, popular support is less important than the mandate of heaven. People can win popular support, but can hardly defy heaven's mandate!"
Lou Jing was an upright, blunt man. That much was evident from the two occasions when he had previously offered Liu Bang sound advice, only to have it rejected and be blamed instead.
By now, he could tell that Xiao He and Chen Ping were deliberately pandering to Liu Bang's wishes. Believing that senior ministers should not behave this way, he immediately said solemnly, "Your Majesty, heaven's will is illusory, but popular support is real and tangible!"
"Was Your Majesty not able to take possession of Guanzhong so swiftly because, upon first entering it, you had made the three-article pact with the people and already won their support?"
"And was the fundamental reason Xiang Yu lost to Your Majesty not that he was cruel and bloodthirsty, went against the wishes of the people, and vainly sought to restore the separate states that had existed before Qin?"
After hearing the three men, Liu Bang could not help rubbing his chin in thought...
In Guangzong City.
Zhang Jiao also found himself at a loss as he looked at the five options before him.
Had he not noticed that he could choose only one, he would certainly have chosen all five.
Now, however, his gaze wavered between "popular support" and "mandate of heaven"...
Over in Great Ming.
Zhu Yuanzhang likewise felt that all five were important.
But the most important had to be either popular support or the mandate of heaven.
Was the main reason I won the realm that I had the people's support, or that the Mandate of Heaven rested upon me?
Zhu Yuanzhang rather hoped the answer was the mandate of heaven.
That would mean his position as Son of Heaven was difficult for mere mortals to shake.
But as he recalled his own journey from joining the Red Turban Army to founding Great Ming, along with certain things revealed by the Rebel Army Group's previous questions and reward videos, his gaze finally settled on "popular support."