Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 38 Hitting 1 Pair

After the defeat at Pengcheng, the generals were scattered and fled for their lives, with no one able to care for anyone else.

Zhou Bo seized a warhorse and rode it to escape. The situation was too chaotic; he could only flee westward. He was repeatedly overtaken by Xiang Yu's cavalry, but relying on his decent martial skills, he fought his way out and escaped with great difficulty.

After fleeing for hundreds of miles, he unexpectedly encountered Lu Wan, who was being chased and had nowhere to run. He provided assistance and helped Lu Wan escape.

From then on, the two fled together, heading west.

After a bloody battle, they finally managed to shake off the Chu army, but the two were exhausted. They ate tree bark and grass roots, and were so hungry that they even ate dirt. They didn't know where they had fled to, but they stopped in the wasteland by the roadside.

At this point, Lu Wan no longer had the strength to stand and could only lie against the tree trunk.

Zhou Bo was slightly better, but not by much.

Lu Wan believed she was doomed, but was unwilling to accept it. Knowing that Zhou Bo was skilled in music, she asked him to play a tune to cheer her up.

Zhou Bo was indeed skilled in music, but Lu Wan forgot that Zhou Bo's musical style was somewhat unconventional.

Lu Wan slapped herself across the face with her right hand: "I was so foolish! I forgot you're in a lowly profession, making a living by weaving brocade and supporting people through funerals. Your specialty is funeral music. How could I ask you to play music to cheer people up? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?"

Zhou Bo was neither tall nor short, about seven feet two inches, or approximately 1.65 meters. He was rather thin and slender. He had a slightly hunched back, thick lips, and a perpetually troubled expression, giving the impression of someone from a poor background.

Upon hearing this, he carefully put away his panpipes.

This panpipe had been with Zhou Bo for decades. He earned a meager living by using it to handle funerals, so he treasured it and carried it with him wherever he went.

Even after the defeat at Pengcheng, when they were pursued by the Chu army, they did not lose it.

"Zhou Bo, we've known each other for decades." Lu Wan patted the person next to her with her left hand, gesturing for Zhou Bo to sit down, her face full of reminiscence: "I remember, back then, my brother and I looked down on you for your lowly profession, and we were always trying to bully you. You must have gotten quite a few beatings from us, right?"

The elder brother he mentioned was Liu Bang.

Lu Wan was Liu Bang's lackey, a complete sycophant. Wherever Liu Bang went, he followed; whatever Liu Bang asked him to do, he did. Under the influence of Liu Bang, a man of humble origins, Lu Wan became a scoundrel and a rogue.

The two men looked down on Zhou Bo, who was engaged in a lowly profession, and made things difficult for him, even beating him.

Zhou Bo sat down next to Lu Wan, rolled his eyes, and said, "You know it, that's all that matters."

"I truly never imagined that you would be by my side when I was dying." Lu Wan said with deep emotion, "Zhou Bo, you are a kind man. You didn't hold a grudge and risked your life to save me when I was being hunted down. I am extremely grateful. If I had survived this ordeal, I would have considered you a brother."

"That's what I should do." Zhou Bo was a man of few words and deep thoughts. This was a polite way of putting it, but to put it bluntly, Zhou Bo was a man of few words and not good with words.

"What a pity, I'm about to die." Lu Wan looked at Zhou Bo: "Before I die, I have no other wish but that you play me a funeral dirge. If you still have the strength, bury me. If you don't, leave me here and let the wild dogs carry me away."

"Then I'll play it for you right now." Zhou Bo took out his panpipes.

"I'm not dead yet," Lu Wan said, somewhat annoyed. "Are you so eager for me to die?"

"I don't know how long I can hold on; I might even pass away before you." Zhou Bo wasn't one for tricks; he just said what he thought, "I'm afraid I won't be able to play for you anymore then."

"Fine... go ahead and brag." Lu Wan gritted her teeth.

Zhou Bo brought the panpipes to his lips and began to play.

A mournful funeral hymn drifted far and wide.

"Where is that music coming from?" Liu Ying, mounted on horseback and leading his cavalry to clear the way for the vanguard and the main army, was surprised to hear faint music: "So mournful, someone must have died."

"These days, you can't play funeral music when someone dies. If you have the strength, you bury them hastily; if you don't, you let wild dogs eat them." Li Bi raised an eyebrow, quite puzzled.

"Let's go take a look." Liu Ying pulled the horse's head and rode off in the direction of the music.

Li Bi and Luo Jia followed behind on horseback.

The group soon arrived at the place where Lu and Zhou were resting.

"Two roughnecks." Liu Ying looked at the two men, who resembled beggars, with great surprise: "Why are you playing funeral music here?"

"Perhaps he's dying, and this is his final farewell," Luo Jia guessed.

"Cavalrymen?" Lu Wan gritted his teeth. "That Xiang traitor is still determined to kill us, he's even chasing us. Heaven, why doesn't lightning strike down that Xiang traitor?"

"It looks like... it's the Han army." Zhou Bo's face was full of horror. He stared wide-eyed at the cavalry rushing towards him like a whirlwind. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that they were wearing red uniforms and carrying flags with Chinese characters.

"Han army? How is that possible? I don't even know if my brother is out of danger?" Lu Wan simply didn't believe it.

After the defeat at Pengcheng, Liu Bang became Xiang Yu's primary target for pursuit. Countless soldiers were chasing him, making escape virtually impossible.

"It really is the Han army!" Zhou Bo almost rubbed his eyes until they popped out. He had to believe that he was lucky and had really encountered the Han army.

"Zhou Bo, you liar, trying to fool me...it really is the Han army!" Lu Wan didn't believe it at all, but after sizing up the cavalry, he had no choice but to believe it. He suddenly found some strength, jumped up, waved his hands, and shouted, "Han army! Han army! Come here quickly, your lord is here!"

"Your Excellency?" Liu Ying raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Are people these days so rude? Calling himself "Your Excellency" the moment they meet, taking advantage of others.

"You should be mindful of your manners," Zhou Bo reminded Lu Wan.

"Who am I? I am your sworn brother, my brother in life and death. In the entire Han army, how many are older than me? I am their lord!" Lu Wan said proudly.

"This..." Zhou Bo was speechless.

Liu Ying and his entourage rushed forward, pulled on the reins to stop, and before they could speak, Lu Wan glared at Liu Ying and shouted, "Whose servants are you? Come here quickly and kowtow to your master with the highest respect!"

"Kill him!" Liu Ying roared, waving his right hand.

Li Bi and Luo Jia rode their warhorses like a whirlwind, lashing Lu Wan with their whips.

"How dare you hit your father! Do you know who I am?" Lu Wan covered her face with both hands, still acting arrogantly, and kept saying "father, father" to herself.

"Attack! Attack!" Liu Ying's face was ashen.

"How dare you hit my father! I'm going to tell my elder brother to kill you all!" Lu Wan remained arrogant as ever.

"Gag him." Liu Ying didn't want to hear Lu Wan curse.

Li Bi jumped off his horse, tied Lu Wan's hands behind his back, then tore off pieces of cloth from his body and stuffed them into Lu Wan's mouth.

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhou Bo forced a smile and bowed to Liu Ying with clasped hands, saying, "I am..."

"You're following such a scoundrel, you must be no good person. Tie him up and gag him." Liu Ying was furious with Lu Wan and thought Zhou Bo was no good either, so he disposed of him as well.

"Yes, sir." Luo Jia accepted the order and did the same to Zhou Bo.

"Tie him to the back of the horse and drag him up." Liu Ying's face was grim.

Li Bi and Luo Jia dragged Zhou Bo and Lu Wan onto the horse's back.

Traveling at a brisk pace, the two of them dragged themselves on the ground, which was quite unpleasant.

Zhou Bo silently endured it. Lu Wan was Liu Bang's little follower. He thought that no one in the Han army was more important than Liu Bang, so he was still arrogant. He twisted and turned, glaring at Liu Ying with eyes that seemed to spit fire, wishing he could kill Liu Ying.

"Tie another rope to his leg, and tie a stone to the back of the rope." Liu Ying glared back, determined to punish this man properly.

Soon, Lu Wan was given special treatment. A rope was tied to each of her legs, and a stone the size of a washbasin was tied to the back of each rope. She was dragged along, and the feeling was indescribably unpleasant.

Lu Wan was suffering terribly. She felt as if her back was about to break. Horses were dragging her in front of her, and stones were pulling her from behind. It felt like her whole body was about to break off at the waist.

"The taste of the stone is quite good, isn't it?" Liu Ying asked with a smile as he rode beside Lu Wan.

"What flavor can a stone have?" Lu Wan was dumbfounded, her eyes wide open, staring intently at Liu Ying, wishing she could scrape Liu Ying to pieces with her gaze.

"The taste of stones is more intoxicating than a woman's legs," Liu Ying said, her smile almost reaching her ears.

"Haha." Li Biluojia and the others burst into loud laughter.

Lu Wan heard this and vowed to kill Liu Ying.

Zhou Bo saw this and glanced at Liu Ying. He felt that Liu Ying, who was so young, was not a child, but a troublemaker. He shrank back and silently endured it.

News of this quickly spread throughout the army. Liu Bang was overjoyed upon hearing the news and praised Liu Ying, saying, "Ying'er is full of clever ideas; he even came up with such a brilliant plan. Let's go see what's going on!"

Lu Ze, Fan Kuai, and Xiahou Ying responded enthusiastically, mounted their horses, and rushed off to watch the spectacle.

"Ying'er, I heard you caught two scoundrels and are punishing them. Dragging them by the legs with stones, what a clever method! You truly are my son." Liu Bang arrived and saw the two men being dragged, praising Liu Ying highly.

"Zhou Bo?" Fan Kuai, with his sharp eyes, had already recognized Zhou Bo.

"Lu Wan?" Lu Ze stared wide-eyed at the person being dragged along with stones tied to their legs.

"Zhou Bo?" Liu Ying felt as if thunder had struck her.