Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 440
In the summer and May of the seventh year of Zhang Wu, Liu Bei returned to Xiangyang.

Zhuge Liang and Liu Chan greeted each other. After Liu Bei rested in the palace overnight, he went to Mi Zhu's mourning hall with his sick body the next day, and took a last look at Mi Zhu.

Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, and Mi Fang were Liu Bei's followers when he was in Xuzhou. Mi Fang was not valued by Liu Bei, but Jian Yong, Sun Qian and Mi Zhu have always been his confidantes. When Liu Bei was the king of Hanzhong in history, Mi Zhu was the first , Sun Qian and Jian Yong tied for second.

It’s just that Sun Qian and Jian Yong died of illness one after another as early as the end of Jian’an. Even Liu Bei’s generals gathered when he was the shepherd of Yuzhou, only Shi Ren, Liu Yan, Yuan Wei, and Chen Dao were still alive. Not much left.

Now that Mi Zhu died, only Mi Fang remained in Xuzhou's Yuan Cong.

Liu Bei then summoned Mi Fang, Shi Ren, Liu Yan, Yuan Wei and others, chatted about the recent situation, and narrated the past in Yuzhou.

At the end of May, in the back garden of the Xiangyang Imperial Palace, after personally choosing a cemetery for Mi Zhu and watching his burial, Liu Bei still wanted to return to Wancheng and always pay attention to front-line military affairs.

Under the desperate persuasion of Zhuge Liang, Ma Liang, Zhou Buyi, Yang Yi and others, they finally gave up this idea and continued to take care of their bodies in Xiangyang.

However, if he is on the front line, maybe he will feel better because he has been watching the situation on the front line.But he was not on the front line, worrying about it every day, and it was a bad thing, which made Liu Bei very worried. In mid-June, he finally fell ill in bed and couldn't get out of the ground.

Although I was ill before, I could barely walk around, but now my condition is getting worse.He also heard that Zhang Fei was accidentally shot by an arrow during the battle with Xia Houyuan. It is said that the injury was minor, but it still made Liu Bei panic.

"Second brother and third brother."

On the night of June [-]th, in the Xiangyang Palace, Liu Bei woke up startled from his sleep. When he woke up, he was covered in cold sweat, panting continuously, and felt pain like needle pricks all over his body.

He dreamed that Guan Yu died in battle while continuing to attack Henan, and Zhang Fei was also killed by arrows in the battle with Cao Jun.

But after waking up, I realized that it was a dream, and it was a nightmare.

It turned out to be a dream.

Liu Bei calmed down a little, and when he came back to his senses, he found that his face was covered with tears and his pillow was wet with tears.

Deep in his heart, this is the most terrifying thing, which he dare not recall.

Unconscious tears continued to fall.

He couldn't imagine it after all.

If the second and third younger brothers died before him, how sad and desperate he would be.

"His Majesty."

Chen Dao, who was guarding outside, heard the movement and rushed in.

"Uncle Zhi. Cough cough cough cough"

Liu Bei barely wiped away his tears, panted heavily, and then coughed violently.

"The minister is here."

Chen Dao first lit the candle, and then came to Liu Bei's side in three steps in two steps.

Liu Bei resisted the discomfort in his body, and said softly: "Send someone to the front line to convey the order, and call the second and third brothers Xiaoqing and the others back."

Chen Dao hurriedly said: "But Your Majesty, the Great General, Hussar General, and Cheqi General are now."

Liu Bei sighed and said, "I feel that my destiny is approaching. Maybe it won't be long before I die. Before I die, I want to take another look at my second and third brothers. I still have some things to tell Xiaoqing."

"."

Chen Dao hesitated for a moment, and finally he could only say, "Wei."

In fact, at this time, everyone knows that it is the key.

Shen Chen broke through the pass in the west and won Chang'an, and the situation on the western front was very good.

Guan Yu also won consecutive battles on the Eastern Front. He first defeated Cao Xiu, then besieged Hefei for more than a year, and finally captured Xue Ti alive when Cao Jun broke through. Zhang Liao also died of illness in the army.

With both the eastern and western fronts of Cao Wei at a disadvantage, Guan Yu and Shen Chen can continue to send troops in another year or so. One will attack Henan and cooperate with the main force of the Han army in Henan to fight against Cao Wei. Attacking Bingzhou or Tongguan threatened Luoyang, Cao Wei's lair.

It can be said that this time was the time when the Liu Bei Group was strong. Although Guanzhong and Huainan were thousands of miles away, it took time to stockpile food and grass transportation, and Cao Wei deployed heavy guards in Tongguan and Runan, so that Shen Chen and Guan Yu could not continue to march for the time being.

But the current situation is very favorable for the Liu Bei Group. If Liu Bei recalls the three main generals now, although it will have little impact on the front line, it will not be a good thing after all.

Fortunately, in Henan, Zhang Fei has always only been named as the chief general, and Pang Tong and Fa are actually leading the army.

But Guanzhong and Huainan are different. Shen Chen and Guan Yu are the main players. Even Zhao Yun, Pang De, Wei Yan and others can temporarily serve as the main generals. After all, they are not as strong as Shen Chen and Guan Yu.

Therefore, the departure of the coach at this time point may indeed have a certain impact.

Of course.

The impact will not be too great.

At present, Shen Chen and Guan Yu have no plans to continue to march, and they still need to wait for the opportunity, so it is not a big problem to let Zhao Yun, Pang De, Wei Yan and others take over military affairs temporarily, and focus on defense in Guanzhong and Huainan.

In this way, Shen Chen and Guan Yu only need to explain the defensive task and order the three of them not to take the initiative to attack, and there will be no surprises.

However, for the sake of safety, Chen Dao did not convey Liu Bei's order immediately, but first sent someone to the prime minister's mansion to inform Zhuge Liang of the matter.

It was already midnight at that time. After Zhuge Liang got the news, he didn't go to the palace immediately. Instead, he told Chen Daoxian not to deliver the order until after dawn, before he went to the palace to meet Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was ill and couldn't get out of bed recently, and the house was filled with the fragrance of medicine. Zhuge Liang came to the Emperor's West Palace in the backyard of the palace, and asked to enter the house after playing.

Empress Wu, Mrs. Gan, Mrs. Mi, A Dou, Liu Yong, Liu Li, Liu Ning and other children were all accompanying by the bedside. Chen Dao stood guarding the door faithfully, and the rest of the Imperial Physician Ling, Ma Liang, Yang Yi and others were also by his side. .

After Zhuge Liang entered, he saw Liu Bei's thin face, as if he had aged a few years overnight, he felt a little distressed for a while, and his face became sad involuntarily.

A hero's twilight years, and a beauty's resignation, this is probably the saddest thing in the world.

When Liu Bei heard about Zhuge Liang's arrival, he leaned against Muta with the support of the queen, turned his head to look at Zhuge Liang, and said softly, "Kong Ming."

"The minister is here."

Zhuge Liang adjusted his complexion, stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, all blessings are the same."

"Ah."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly and said, "I know my body, I'm afraid it won't be long before I die, so how can we talk about all blessings?"

Zhuge Liang said seriously: "Your Majesty is responsible for the safety of the country and the great cause of the Northern Expedition. You should live a long life and be healthy. Your Majesty still needs to take care of your body with peace of mind. Please believe in yourself, everything will be fine."

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "My body is in pain, and the day of my death is approaching. I only worry about the things behind me. Fortunately, Kongming and Xiaoqing can inherit my ambition, be able to unify the world, revive the Han Dynasty, and make the people peaceful and peaceful. No regrets. Kong Ming came just in time, and I am about to call you, my second brother, third brother, and Xiaoqing, and I have something to say to you."

Zhuge Liang said: "Now is the time for the Northern Expedition, and the generals at the front are leaving, I'm afraid."

"It's okay."

Liu Bei said softly: "There is no war between Guanzhong and Huainan. It is enough for Zhao Yunpang, De Weiyan and Wei Yan to guard. Henan has Shiyuan and Xiaozhi, so it should be fine. My great cause has not been accomplished, and I have no face to meet my ancestors. The only way is to send the Northern Expedition Only by entrusting my career to you can I feel at ease."

Seeing Liu Bei's old face, Zhuge Liang was already full of lifeless anger, and was very sad for a moment. He knew that Liu Bei was about to confess his last words, so he didn't stop him. He cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I will ask Shangshutai to send a letter to recall the general and the others."

"Ah."

Liu Bei nodded, watched Zhuge Liang back away, then turned to Liu Chan and said, "Adou."

"Father."

Liu Chan knelt down beside the bed and served him with a sad expression.

Liu Bei said softly: "At first I was just suffering from diarrhea, but I didn't expect that after staying in the army for a long time, I contracted some other miscellaneous diseases. The imperial doctor said that I have asthma syndrome, lung disease, etc., which probably can't be cured. I'm afraid it won't be long. In this world. People say that 50 years old cannot be called a premature death. I am already over 60 years old and nearly 70 years old. I have nothing to regret, so don’t be sad anymore.”

"Yes."

Liu Chan wiped his tears and was heartbroken. Although Liu Bei said so, but thinking of his generous father leaving him, how could he hold back the sadness in his heart and not shed tears?

Liu Bei stroked Liu Chan's head, and said softly: "The country has a prime minister and a hussar general. I have nothing to worry about. I only miss you brothers. Before, Mr. Sheyuan taught you to read well, and even the prime minister They all praised your intelligence and talent, which shows that your knowledge has greatly improved and exceeded the prime minister's expectations, if this is the case, it would be great."

Liu Chan forced a smile with tears in his eyes, and said with a forced smile, "If the father's health can recover, the child will definitely work harder in his studies."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Alright, alright, you have to work hard. Hard work is a good thing. The great cause of my Northern Expedition will rest on you, the prime minister, and the Hussar general. You must be virtuous to be trusted. In other words, don’t neglect to do something small, you must remember this sentence.”

"Yes."

Liu Chan nodded repeatedly and said, "I remember it."

Liu Bei raised his head to look at the ceiling, tears kept falling, coughed a few times from time to time, and then sighed: "Your father and I have shallow morals and cannot revive the Han Dynasty like Gaozu and Shizu Emperor. You must not follow me, you must Have your own ambitions, don't be too ambitious, even if you become the emperor in the future, you have to discuss more with the prime minister and the hussar general, understand?"

Liu Chan was sobbing, and said in a crying voice: "My child understands, but in my heart, my father has always been a great hero who stands up to the heaven and earth. Everyone in the world praises my father for his virtue and kindness. My child will never be praised like his father in the whole world."

"Haha."

Liu Bei laughed and said: "If you want to be a hero, you can't just say it with your mouth, but you should do it with practical actions. Caring for the people is what you must do in the future. Xiaoqing said that power should not be It should be used in the right place, just like I used to take you, you can go to see the sufferings of the people, understand the lives of the people, and be kind to the people of the world."

"Yes, the child knows."

Liu Chan felt that his father seemed to be confessing his last words, and the tears couldn't stop falling. He could only keep wiping the tears on his face in response, and the sadness in his heart could not be described in words.

Liu Bei looked at his sad appearance and said, "My son does not need to grieve. You must remember what you said for your father. In addition to recuperating yourself, you can also read "Zhuziyan", "Shen's Jingji", "Humanism" , "Hanshu", "Book of Rites", and in your spare time, you can browse through hundreds of schools of thought and "Six Secret Teachings", "Book of Shang Jun", "Shenzi", "Han Feizi", and "Guanzi" to enhance people's will and wisdom .”

"Yes."

Liu Chan continued to respond, keeping Liu Bei's words firmly in his heart.

"I heard that General Hushi sent you some scriptures written by him, but they were lost before they were delivered. You don't need to worry about this. General Hushi is a great Confucian in the world, and his knowledge is unmatched by anyone in the world. He asked for the unity of knowledge and action."

Liu Bei instructed: "These books can be used as our family motto to study. Whether it is my heirs or your heirs, they must learn from generation to generation. People are not plants, and human life and character are equivalent. Although I You are a descendant of the great ancestors, but you are also born in a rough place, no different from ordinary people. Since you came from Qianshouzhong, and you want to go back to Qianshouzhong, you must remember that you and the people will always be one."

Liu Chan replied earnestly: "Yes, General Hushi once said that the king and the people are fish and water. The people can live without the king, but the king cannot live without the people. Only by treating the people well and loving all the people can the people and the people love the king. The boy will always remember, the boy will never forget, and in the future, the boy's heirs will also inherit it from generation to generation."

"Father, we will not forget Father's entrustment."

"Yes, father, the child must remember."

Liu Yong and Liu Li also kowtowed and said.

"Well, cough cough cough cough."

Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction, then coughed continuously.

Historically, he suffered from diarrhea, which is commonly known as diarrhea, and his gastrointestinal function was very poor.

Later, due to the death of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, coupled with the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Yiling, his condition worsened, and he finally died of illness in Baidi City.

Although there is no such thing as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and the battle of Yiling, the disease of diarrhea has always been there.

The main reason is that when I was young, I went to war in the South and the North, and I was often hungry and full. I lived a life of wandering, which ruined my stomach and body.

It was okay when I was young, I could hold on.However, as we get older, our resistance becomes weaker. The basic diseases in the early years, old injuries and later diseases caused some other diseases.

For example, heart, lung disease, and kidney failure, so even if Liu Bei has been taking care of his body, he still hasn't recovered for a long time.

At this moment, he was in pain all over his body, he couldn't eat well, he couldn't sleep well, his stomach function was disturbed, and there were many problems in his lungs and heart.

At this time, Liu Bei also felt that the destiny had come, and began to prepare for the affairs behind him.

It's just sad in the end.

(End of this chapter)