Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Chapter 36 The Dog-Killer Duo

Fan Kuai was originally a dog butcher in Pei County. He made a living by slaughtering dogs and killed countless dogs in his life, owing countless dog lives.

In the moment when he was most likely to starve to death, images of ferocious dogs appeared before him, barking incessantly as if demanding his life. Fan Kuai resigned himself to his fate: "I was born a commoner, with no skills other than slaughtering dogs. I make my living this way, and I owe you all my lives. I accept it. Even if I am reborn as a dog in the next life, just like you, it will be my destiny."

Fan Kuai was Empress Lü's brother-in-law and had an extraordinary relationship with Liu Bang. As a result, he was a key general under Liu Bang. After the defeat at Pengcheng, he naturally became a prime target for assassination.

Starting from Pengcheng, he was relentlessly pursued, facing dangers no less than those faced by Liu Bang.

Fortunately, Fan Kuai was strong and skilled in martial arts. He was forced into desperate situations many times, but he managed to fight his way out with his exceptional skills. Even so, he still could not escape the pursuit of the Chu army.

In his panic, he only knew to run west, but he had no idea where he ended up.

By this time, he had used up his last bit of strength and could no longer even sit up; he could only lie there, waiting to die.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

The thunderous sound of hooves rang out, rhythmic and very orderly.

Fan Kuai knew immediately that this was a well-trained cavalry force. Gritting his teeth, he used his last bit of strength to sit up with difficulty, grabbed a fist-sized rock next to him, and angrily cursed, "Xiang thief, are you a dog? Why are you chasing me so relentlessly?"

He was being chased so fiercely by Xiang Yu's cavalry that he became neurotic, thinking that Xiang Yu's cavalry had caught up with him again.

"Am I seeing things? I must be seeing things." Fan Kuai noticed that the cavalry were flying Han army flags and wearing Han army uniforms, all in crimson. He couldn't believe they were Han army cavalry and thought he was seeing things.

Fan Kuai rubbed his eyes repeatedly, almost rubbing them until they burst, before he finally had to believe it, overjoyed. He seemed to find strength from nowhere, leaping to his feet and waving his right hand repeatedly, shouting, "Han army... Han army..."

Liu Ying, leading his cavalry as the vanguard, cleared the way. Hearing a shout, he looked closely and saw a burly man in the desolate wilderness by the roadside. He was eight feet two inches tall, which is about 1.9 meters, and extremely robust. His clothes were so tattered that they were practically naked, barely covering the parts that needed to be covered.

His beard, like steel nails, made him look fierce, like the mighty Zhang Fei. However, the stubble, grime, and exhaustion ruined his image as a fierce general, making him look like a stray dog ​​at first glance.

"Who are you?" Liu Ying rode up and shouted.

"My lord..." Fan Kuai raised his head and puffed out his chest, his loud voice booming like thunder.

"You scoundrel, how dare you take advantage of me! Do you even know what death means?" Liu Ying roared in fury, "Come on, beat him! Beat him to death!"

"Nai Gong" is not a good word.

This was a popular insult at the time.

It is equivalent to the later terms "your grandfather" or "my father".

Four years ago, when Fan Kuai followed Liu Bang away from Pei County, Liu Ying was only three years old, or two years old by modern reckoning. He had no memory of anything and had no recollection of Fan Kuai.

Liu Ying was furious when she heard Fan Kuai use foul language and try to take advantage of her.

"Yes, sir!" Li Bi and Luo Jia accepted the order, spurred their horses over, and lashed Fan Kuai with their whips.

The two were extremely grateful to Liu Ying for taking them in, and naturally obeyed his orders without hesitation. They were ruthless, and the whips were quite powerful. Every lash left a bloody welt on Fan Kuai's body.

Fan Kuai covered his face with his hands, his rage uncontrollable, and roared, "How dare you! You dare to hit me! Do you even know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are! Even if you're the King of Heaven, I'll still beat you!" Liu Ying was even angrier.

"Where did this wild child come from? At such a young age, how dare he take advantage of you! What audacity!" Fan Kuai roared in anger.

"How old are you? How dare you talk to me like that? You were the one who took advantage of me first," Liu Ying retorted.

"I am your master, what's wrong with you?" Fan Kuai said rudely.

"Gag him and beat him to death." Liu Ying's eyes glared, filled with murderous intent.

Li Bi and Luo Jia complied. Fan Kuai tried to resist, but he was too weak from hunger to fight back. He was no match for them and was pinned to the ground, his hands were tied behind his back, and strips of cloth were torn from his body and stuffed into his mouth.

Now the world was at peace, and Liu Ying ordered his men to beat Fan Kuai severely.

Xin kept rubbing his eyes, staring intently at Fan Kuai, his expression changing drastically, about to speak. His companions gave him meaningful glances, and Xin, lost in thought, fell silent.

The two exchanged a smile, their eyes widening as they watched the spectacle unfold.

Fan Kuai was a tough guy. Although he was covered in whip marks, he did not bow his head. He stared at Liu Ying with wide eyes, gritting his teeth, wishing he could beat Liu Ying to death.

"You dare glare at me? I'll gouge your eyes out!" Liu Ying rode up to Fan Kuai, drew the short sword from his left waist, gripped it tightly with both hands, raised it high, and slammed it down.

He used the short sword like a carrying pole, slamming the blade hard against the back of Fan Kuai's head, instantly raising a large bruise. Fan Kuai groaned, his vision went black, and he fainted.

"Awesome!" Liu Ying felt refreshed. He sheathed his sword and waved his right hand: "Drag this brute behind the horse."

Fan Kuai's hands were tied with a rope, and he was dragged behind the horse, moving along the ground.

This torture is truly severe.

Fortunately, it didn't take long. When it was time to eat, the group stopped and began to cook.

"Little brother, you're here!" Liu Le rode over on a pony, like a happy little angel.

These days, Liu Bang tried every means to please Liu Ying, hoping she would call him "Father," but Liu Ying ignored him. Frustrated, Liu Bang could only amuse himself by teasing the girl. Liu Bang was skilled in manipulation and eloquent, and he had Liu Le completely charmed and delighted.

Liu Le wanted to ride a horse, so Liu Bang had someone find her a pony and personally taught her. Liu Le was quick to learn and soon mastered it, riding the pony around everywhere on her own.

"Sister, look, I've caught a scoundrel!" Liu Ying pointed at Fan Kuai, beaming with pride.

"A bastard?" Liu Le stared at Fan Kuai's retreating figure, his expression filled with surprise and uncertainty. "He looks so familiar, like my aunt's husband."

"Uncle-in-law? Impossible!" Liu Ying couldn't believe such a coincidence: "That scoundrel was so rude, calling me 'Grandpa' all the time, taking advantage of me. He gave me a good beating."

"Turn it over," Liu Le said.

Immediately, a cavalryman jumped off his horse, turned Fan Kuai over, and laid him face up on the ground.

"Uncle-in-law?" Liu Le's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Overjoyed, he jumped off his horse and rushed over. He squatted down and looked at Fan Kuai, who was covered in whip marks, and said anxiously, "Quick, someone come here and treat Uncle-in-law's injuries."

"Is it really Fan Kuai?" Liu Ying felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

puff.

Xin opened his eyes wide, sized up Liu Ying for a while, then looked at Fan Kuai, and finally couldn't hold back anymore, bursting out laughing.

puff.

Gu followed in his footsteps, laughing so hard he almost choked.

"You recognized me a long time ago, why didn't you remind me?" Liu Yingchong and the other man demanded, their faces grim.

"I dare to tell you, Your Highness: it took us a lot of effort to recognize General Fan in this state. By then, you had already started the fight, so it was difficult for us to say anything," Xin hurriedly explained.

"Good!" Gu hurriedly echoed.

"You all better remember this," Liu Ying gritted her teeth.

Gu and Xin exchanged a strange look.

"Sister, please take good care of Uncle. I have to go now." Liu Ying shrank her neck and spurred her horse to ride away.

"Ying'er, where are you going? Your uncle-in-law is back, come and see him quickly." Liu Bang rushed over like a galloping horse, his face full of joy.

"I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." Liu Ying had no intention of staying.

"Come here!" Liu Bang shouted, and Tian led his men over, surrounding Liu Ying so that he couldn't escape.

Liu Bang, seeing this, was satisfied. He strode over to Fan Kuai, his eyes widening as he looked at Fan Kuai's miserable state. Enraged, he gripped his sword hilt and roared, "Who dares to be so audacious as to injure Fan Kuai? I will not forgive them!"

Puff!

Laughter erupted like thunder.

"What are you laughing at?" Liu Bang asked angrily, his brows furrowed and his expression murderous.

Xin Gu and his cavalry laughed even harder, tears streaming down their faces.