Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 71 Zhang Han

Zhang Han had snow-white hair and beard, was as thin as a rake, and looked like a skeleton wearing human skin.

However, he was extremely tall, exceeding eight feet (over 1.85 meters) when standing. He had a very large frame, and in his prime, he would have been a massive and imposing figure, exuding a powerful presence.

Zhang Han knelt behind a long table, his eyes unfocused and unfocused, clutching an iron sword in his arms. It was a four-foot-long sword, its sharkskin scabbard adorned with jewels, making it quite valuable.

His lips moved slightly, as if a monk were chanting sutras, muttering to himself. His voice was extremely soft, almost inaudible. If one were to lean in, one could barely make out: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"I dare to inform the Prince of Yong: chaos has broken out in the city." The trusted aide, a middle-aged man, rushed in, looked at Zhang Han, and sighed repeatedly. Today's Zhang Han was no longer the Zhang Han of the past; he no longer possessed the spirited demeanor he had when he commanded hundreds of thousands of troops to quell the chaos in Shandong.

Zhang Han's eyes gradually focused, finally settling on his trusted confidant: "Chaos? The city is in chaos?"

"It's really getting chaotic," the confidant quickly affirmed.

"Why the chaos?" Zhang Han didn't understand. He had been trapped for almost a year. If there was going to be chaos, it would have happened long ago. Why wait until now?

"The Han army is cursing you." The confidant lowered his head, hesitating whether to report to Zhang Han, but ultimately decided to tell the truth.

"Scolding me? I am a sinner for all time, causing the downfall of the Qin Dynasty and bringing disaster to Guanzhong. I deserve to be cursed!" Zhang Han nodded slightly, feeling extremely guilty, and believed that the curse was justified.

"When the Han army hurled insults, the Qin people in the city responded, wanting to bind you and hand you over to the Han army," the confidant added.

"Tie me up? Why?" Zhang Han asked, puzzled.

There were many Qin people trapped in Feiqiu, all of whom he had screened and trusted. He didn't believe they would kidnap him.

"Because the insults were really..." The confidant lowered his head, like a schoolchild who had done something wrong, not daring to finish his sentence.

Zhang Han had no intention of making things difficult for him. He stood up, took his iron sword, and strode out. His gait was unsteady, and he seemed somewhat frail, completely lacking the imposing presence he once had when leading hundreds of thousands of troops to quell a rebellion.

The confidants followed behind.

As soon as Zhang Han stepped out of his palace, he heard a chorus of angry shouts.

"Zhang Han, you traitor, it's all your fault!"

"For your own selfish gain, you betrayed two hundred thousand citizens of Qin. You deserve to die!"

"You traitor Xiang Yu slaughtered 200,000 surrendered soldiers, and you still have the nerve to live?"

"The Guanzhong region was devastated and bloodied by Xiang Yu, all because of you!"

"If you hadn't been so cowardly and surrendered to Xiang Yu for your own selfish reasons, the Qin Dynasty wouldn't have fallen! If the Qin Dynasty hadn't fallen, there wouldn't be the devastation we see in Guanzhong today!"

Many Qin people, carrying weapons—some with kitchen knives, some with wooden sticks, and others with plows—rushed towards Zhang Han as if they had seen their father's killer.

"Well said...it makes sense." Zhang Han listened and felt that the Qin people's words were very reasonable.

If I hadn't surrendered back then, there wouldn't have been the defeat at Julu; if I hadn't been defeated at Julu, the Qin Dynasty wouldn't have fallen; if the Qin Dynasty hadn't fallen, Xiang Yu wouldn't have led an army of 400,000 feudal lords into Guanzhong; and if the feudal lords hadn't entered Guanzhong, Guanzhong wouldn't have been bloodily annihilated...

Zhang Han believed that all of this was his fault.

As he thought about it, tears welled up in Zhang Han's eyes, and his eyes turned red. Under the protection of his trusted men, he climbed to the top of the city wall. He saw the Han soldiers on the opposite city wall cursing loudly, their spittle flying everywhere, almost submerging the city wall.

"The devastation and countless deaths in Guanzhong are all the fault of that traitor Zhang Han!"

"The 200,000 surrendered soldiers who were massacred at Xin'an were all heroes who fought desperately alongside the traitor Zhang Han. What did they do wrong to be killed by Xiang Yu? You traitor Zhang Han, their corpses paved the way for your wealth and glory. How can you enjoy it? Don't you feel ashamed?"

"General Wang Li's 200,000 elite Qin soldiers were wiped out due to lack of supplies. As the grain transport officer, don't you feel ashamed?"

"Dang County was once a large county with a population of one million, but now less than one hundred thousand remain. Everywhere you look, there are skeletons—all because of you!"

Each and every one of these incidents was a tragic event during the chaotic end of the Qin Dynasty, and all of them were related to Zhang Han.

"How dare you live to this day! You have no shame!"

"If you have even a shred of shame, then quickly commit suicide!"

The Han army's curses were like thunder, each word striking Zhang Han's heart and stirring his emotions.

The 200,000 surrendered soldiers of Xin'an were massacred by Xiang Yu, and the people of Guanzhong regarded him as an enemy. With Xiang Yu's massacre of Guanzhong, the hatred of the Qin people in Guanzhong for Zhang Han was more intense than the surging waters of a great river...

Zhang Han could not and did not want to defend himself. He was filled with self-blame, believing that the fall of the Qin Dynasty was entirely his fault. Therefore, he spent his days holding his sword and only chanting the words "Your Majesty," as a way of repenting to Qin Shi Huang.

"Suicide?" These two words seemed to possess a demonic power, landing in Zhang Han's ears and lingering there: "I truly do not deserve to live! I should have died long ago! When two hundred thousand comrades were massacred, I couldn't save them. What face do I have to live? The bloodbath in Guanzhong, the countless deaths and injuries among the common people, are all my sins. I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

Large tears streamed down his face. His knees buckled, and he knelt on the city wall. He drew his long sword and held it before his eyes: "His Majesty knows my love for soldiers and has bestowed this sword upon me, hoping that one day I can lead troops to achieve great deeds for the Great Qin! With this sword, I led the convicts of Lishan to defeat Zhou Wen at Xixia, and marched east out of Hangu Pass to destroy Xiang Liang. I was invincible."

"It is my fault for being incompetent and failing to protect the Northern Army's supply lines, which led to General Wang Li's capture!"

"I should never have listened to Xiang Yu's lies and surrendered, which led to the massacre of 200,000 of my comrades!"

"Every time I close my eyes, I see their vengeful spirits rushing towards me!"

"Today, I will cut my own throat to atone for my sins!" He gripped the long sword with both hands, placed it against his neck, and with just a little effort, he could commit suicide.

Then, as if remembering something, he stopped: "I have no face to see His Majesty! I should gouge out my eyes!"

He plunged his left index and middle fingers into his eyes, intending to gouge them out so that he would not see Qin Shi Huang after death.

Zhang Han came from the Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household Department).

The Shaofu was responsible for managing Qin Shi Huang's private finances. Zhang Han's ability to manage Qin Shi Huang's private wealth indicated that he was highly valued by the emperor; otherwise, why would Qin Shi Huang entrust his personal finances to him?

Therefore, for Zhang Han, Qin Shi Huang had shown him immense kindness and placed high hopes on him.

He believed himself to be deeply sinful and ashamed to face Qin Shi Huang after death, so he decided to gouge out his eyes.

"Tie him up and hand him over to the Han army." Just then, the furious Li Shu rushed over, pounced on him, and pinned Zhang Han to the ground.

"I want to commit suicide, but none of you will allow it?" Zhang Han's tears flowed like a spring, a pitiful sight.

"You scoundrel, with your sins, you think you can just die? Not so easy!" The angry crowd attacked Zhang Han with fists and feet, their blows extremely vicious and powerful, each strike resounding like thunder.

Zhang Han felt as if this body did not belong to him, and instead felt a sense of pleasure. With each punch he received, his sins seemed to lessen. He did not struggle and let the people beat him.

The people only stopped when Zhang Han was beaten black and blue, covered in wounds and blood. They tied him up, shoved him, and headed straight for the city gate.

Looking at the opened city gates and Zhang Han being escorted out by the people, Ji Ying had a look of utter disbelief: "That's it?"

"This works?" Xiahou Ying's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his face showing an expression of utter disbelief, as if he'd seen a sow climb a tree.

"This is Zhang Han?" Liu Ying stared wide-eyed at the Zhang Han being brought over, utterly disappointed. "This is the same Zhang Han who once so full of vigor, pointing out the flaws in the land, and almost quelling the chaos in Shandong?"