The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

Is he stupid?

Upon hearing Liu Wenxiu's words, Li Dingguo almost cursed out loud.

Can such a radical and drastic approach be called stupid?

It's clearly a double-edged sword!

If you don't accept it, then they will have a reason to smear you, the Great Western King, saying that you don't care about the lives of the people and that your so-called goal of feeding the people is nothing but empty talk!

But if we accept it, then what were the envoys sent by Liu Bang doing?

They will naturally find a way to make the whole city know where the grain came from.

By then, the people of Sichuan will know that the emperor of the Central Plains wants them to have enough to eat, even though they are not yet under his rule!

The reputation of a benevolent ruler will resound throughout the heavens at that moment.

Even if they do not surrender in the short term, the hearts of the people will gradually shift towards the Central Plains.

But what about accepting it once, and then again, and the time after that?

Food was already scarce in Sichuan, and once natural disasters or man-made calamities occurred, the people would inevitably go hungry.

If Liu Bang had sent people with grain to aid the people of Shu every time...

Without needing to resort to force more than three times, he would be able to win the hearts of the people of Shu.

By then, the envoys he sent could even stay and serve as local officials in Sichuan, and probably no one would object.

Aside from Zhang Xianzhong, and themselves!

After expressing her concerns, Liu Wenxiu fell silent.

Zhang Xianzhong could only manage a wry smile.

He did consider that the messenger sent by the enemy, bringing provisions, was certainly not a simple act of goodwill.

But before Li Dingguo explained the reasons, he really hadn't thought that this was a method to dig down his corner all at once!

"Hongyuan, what do you think we should do now?"

"To accept or to refuse?"

Neither option will yield a good result.

It seems that no matter what choice he makes, he will inevitably be defeated in Shu without bloodshed.

Compared to Li Zicheng, who could only use forceful means to contain them in Sichuan, this enemy's methods are a hundred times more sophisticated.

He couldn't even think of a way to retaliate.

"There are ways to temporarily cope with this."

“They agreed, but refused to let the envoys he sent be in charge of providing relief to the disaster victims, and instead handed the task over to our own people.”

"If they are willing, we can do this for the time being, at least for a short period of time, and there shouldn't be any major changes."

“If they are unwilling, then the godfather’s refusal can be considered a reason.”

"But this is by no means a long-term solution; the truth will eventually come out."

Li Dingguo thought for a moment and said.

The truth will eventually come out, and such tactics can only be used a few times. In the long run, they will be exposed, or the enemy's envoys will always find an opportunity to expose their lies.

They will face a huge backlash at that time!

"Then Hongyuan, go and connect with the envoy from the Han Dynasty, using the method you suggested."

"Delay it as long as possible."

"I cannot relinquish the position of the Great Western King right now."

After a long silence, Zhang Xianzhong spoke.

At least not now.

"Father, I understand what you mean, but if we drag this out until then, I'm afraid you won't have a good end."

If you wisely submit now, you might be able to enjoy a carefree life as the Marquis of Anle.

If the truth is never revealed, even if his opponents are magnanimous enough to let him off the hook, the angry people who have been kept in the dark will never let him go.

Even if it's just to quell public anger, we must kill him.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. Whatever fate befell Li Zicheng, that's what I'm destined to suffer."

"Rather than replacing him with Marquis Anle, we should see him through to the very end."

"I'm very curious whether he's just putting on an act or genuinely loves the people like his own children!"

"If it is the latter, then I will accept defeat willingly and die willingly."

If it's the former, and he reveals his true colors during this last period of his perseverance, then he has something to say!

It can be said that Zhang Xianzhong was worried about the people and wanted to stand guard for them until the very end.

You could also say he was unwilling to accept it.

Unwilling to simply hand over the world, they wanted to make one last struggle.

"That works too, let's do it that way."

Li Dingguo nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Although he didn't care that the truth would eventually come out and no one would be spared when the nest was overturned.

His life was given to him by his adoptive father from beginning to end, so it was only natural that he was willing to die for him.

"But if that's the case, then by then, won't we..."

"Is there no way out?"

On the contrary, Liu Wenxiu, who had just made a confident promise that he could conquer the Central Plains with his troops, hesitated.

"What? You want to pledge allegiance to the emperor of the Central Plains and find a way to survive?"

"You want to betray your adoptive father for your own wealth and status?"

Li Dingguo glanced at him and said indifferently.

"How could that be? I was just thinking, if there's really no chance of winning, what's the point of us staying here?"

Liu Wenxiu quickly explained.

He might consider his own interests, but that would certainly not be based on betraying Zhang Xianzhong!

"For the sake of my original intention."

"After all, I haven't completely forgotten what my original intention was to become the Great Western King step by step."

"I want people to live a good life, and I want people like me to be able to live and work in peace and contentment without worrying about food and clothing."

"It is obvious that I cannot achieve such a goal, but I would be happy to see others achieve it."

"But firstly, I want to see with my own eyes that the disaster situation of the people in this part of Sichuan is truly improved."

"Secondly, if he is just putting on an act and soon reveals his true colors, I also want to have the ability to fight one last time."

Even if you know you are no match for them, you will never back down!

If he were to hand over the entire empire, he might be able to obtain a noble title that would allow him to enjoy his later years in peace, but he would probably never be allowed to approach Shu for the rest of his life.

"Understood. If that's the case, I will naturally do my best to fulfill my godfather's instructions."

Leave their food and send their people back!

Many people were astonished by what these people in the Daxi Army did.

It wasn't unexpected; it was exactly the same prediction Liu Bang had made when he sent his envoy.

Emperor Gaozu of Han truly had an unparalleled understanding of human nature!

"You could have guessed that?"

"But if he guessed it, why did he still send an envoy with grain? Isn't that like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone and never to return?"

Confused words filled the entire sky.

In the end, Liu Heng chose to step forward and explain.

"Besides being the cunning and scheming Emperor Taizu of Han, my father was also a benevolent ruler."

"He sent envoys with grain to provide relief to Sichuan. Couldn't it have been simply so that more people could survive?"

"In his eyes, the people of Shu will surely become subjects of the Han Dynasty in the near future. When subjects suffer from disasters, isn't it only right that the emperor should send people to provide disaster relief within his power?"