The next day Liu Qi bid farewell to Liu Biao, ordered Liu Pan to guard Xiangyang, and rushed to Xinye for the funeral.
On this trip, four people, Xu Shu, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and Huo Jun, and two people, Liu Pan and Wenpin, were in Xiangyang to ensure that the rear was safe.
When he finally got to see Guan Zhang, he was inevitably a little uneasy. Liu Qi deliberately postponed his visit for two days to give the two of them some buffering time.
Although he was entrusted by Liu Bei, like the company's paratroopers, they would definitely have psychological conflicts and needed to adjust to the process.
With Guan Zhang's character, he will definitely react violently. Once the situation gets out of control, all previous efforts will be wasted. It would be better to let Yi Ji and Zhao Yun persuade him first.
Crossing the river and heading north, Liu Qi's heart was like the waves of the river, ups and downs, thinking about various meeting scenes.
Nanyang was the largest county in the late Han Dynasty, with a population of one million, but most of it had been occupied by Cao Cao. It was bounded by Feishui River, and the west was Cao's army's territory. Only the barren land of Tongbai Mountain east of Xinye remained.
Huang Zu of Jiangxia had long been separatist and refused to obey orders. Liu Biao had actually lost control of Jiangbei, and Xinye was like useless. It was a wise move to give it to Liu Bei to contain Cao's army.
The waterway in Fancheng was impassable, so everyone disembarked from Huyang Port and arrived at Xinye. They saw white flags hanging all over the city, and even the people spontaneously paid tribute to Liu Bei.
Xu Shu sighed and said, "I passed by this place from Yingchuan and heard the song of the people saying: 'New wild animal husbandry, uncle Liu Huang, since arriving here, the people have been rich.' Looking at this situation now, it can be seen that Liu Shijun is deeply popular among the people."
Liu Qi nodded and said: "My uncle is famous for his benevolence and is determined to revive the Han Dynasty. Now that I have inherited his ambition, I should also set an example. Those who win the hearts of the people will win the world!"
Xu Shu nodded deeply, and when everyone came to the government office, they saw white cloth all over the courtyard, soldiers paying homage, and one man on each side of the coffin, one black and one red, who was Guan Zhang.
Although the two looked desolate and looked like gaunt trees, they were both alive, and Liu Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After Sun Qian heard the news, he hurriedly came out and led Liu Qi to the funeral. After burning incense and worshiping, everyone looked at him blankly.
Liu Qi saw that Guan and Zhang's eyes were red, and there were even blood stains on Guan Yu's long beard, so he knew that they were extremely sad.
He bowed and apologized: "Junior failed to protect my uncle thoroughly, please forgive me, two generals."
Guan Zhang sat there like a wooden sculpture, turning a deaf ear.
Sun Qian hurriedly said: "The two generals are overly sad and should not be blamed for their rudeness."
Liu Qi let out a long sigh: "I only hate that the Cai family deceived the master. I was single and weak, and made a big mistake!"
Guan Yu's expression moved slightly when he heard this, and he finally raised his head. Danfeng's eyes were swollen into blisters. He glanced at them but said nothing.
At this time, the two ladies also walked out of the back hall after hearing the news, holding the babbling little Adou in their arms.
Liu Qi stepped forward to meet him as a junior and took the baby in his arms. The little guy bit his fingers and looked at him giggling, not afraid of life at all.
After appeasing the two ladies, Zhao Yun and Yi Ji also came over. They had been handling the affairs of the city in the past few days to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.
Liu Qi ordered Huo Jun to bring a plaque and place it in front of the mourning hall. On it were four big words written by him: Don't forget your original intention.
After setting it up, Liu Qi said to everyone: "I was ordered by my uncle to protect my wife and children with you, and to help the Han Dynasty. I know that my virtue is weak but my position is high, my strength is small but my responsibilities are heavy, and I still need your full help. Always remember my uncle's words." He said that he would make great contributions to comfort the heroic spirits under the spring."
Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, Jian Yong and others all bowed to accept the order. Guan and Zhang remained motionless, staring at the four words on the plaque in trance.
Liu Qi was not in a hurry, and added: "In the past, our great ancestor made the White Horse Alliance. Although I am not talented, I want to imitate my ancestors. Today, I will make another White Horse Alliance with the three generals. I am willing to do my best to fulfill my uncle's last wish, protect his children, stabilize the country, and achieve success." What do you two think about your achievements?"
Guan Yu finally turned around and asked in a hoarse voice: "Young Master, would you like to make an oath of alliance?"
"If it weren't for my uncle's advice, I would be nothing more than a walking zombie!"
Liu Qi nodded seriously, pulled out the sword given by Liu Bei, and said loudly: "As a clan member of the Han Dynasty, I should carry a three-foot sword to kill all the treacherous, sycophantic and ungrateful people in the world, and establish the Han Dynasty to achieve immortality."
Zhang Fei stared and said in a buzzing voice: "Does the young master have the ambition of my elder brother?"
Liu Qi solemnly nodded again: "When a man lives in this world, he should have the ambition to serve the country. Otherwise, he will rot with the grass and trees. Since my uncle sacrificed his life to serve the country, why should I care about my small life? I should be like my uncle and other generals who sacrificed their lives and blood for the Han Dynasty, and would not hesitate to die. !”
Guan Yu gently tidied up his scattered long beard and ordered Guan Ping behind him: "Go find a white horse!"
The rhetoric that he racked his brains to come up with finally worked. Liu Qi let out a sigh of relief. He would really run out of words if he continued to act.
After calming down, he hurriedly said: "Lu is a ready-made white horse, so why look for another one?"
Sun Qian was surprised and said: "General, this is a good horse, how can I bear to kill it?"
Liu Qi sighed: "Even if it is a divine dragon, how can it be compared to the life of my uncle? This horse hinders the owner and makes it unlucky. The death of my uncle is also related to it, so it is perfect for being used as an oath."
Guan Yu caressed his long beard gently, his swollen red phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, Zhang Fei's big red and swollen eyes looked deeply at Liu Qi, both of them were moved by such courage.
Huo Jun immediately led people to take action, brought Lu over, slaughtered him in the government office, set up an incense table, burned incense and set out wine again, and placed a total of five bowls of blood wine.
Everyone swore an oath together in front of the soul to eliminate the traitors and traitors, and work together to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty.
After the oath was completed, Liu Qi sprinkled the first bowl of blood wine in front of Liu Beiling, and drank the rest with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun.
This oath was comparable to a Taoyuan oath, but it was not at all festive, but full of tragedy. After drinking, Guan and Zhang knelt in front of the spirit and cried bitterly.
Liu Qi also lay on the ground crying and exchanging tears, looking extremely sad.
In fact, he cried with joy and was so excited that snot bubbles came out of his nose.
If he didn't lie on the ground and howl, he was really afraid that he would laugh out loud.
With the addition of Guan, Zhang and Zhao as expected, together with Huang Zhong and Wei Yan, this lineup is comparable to the Five Tiger Generals, and anyone who replaces them would be able to faint with laughter.
Yi Ji and Sun Qian wiped away their tears and helped Liu Qi up, offering words of comfort and being moved by his sincerity.
Liu Qi ordered Xu Shu to temporarily take charge of all affairs in the new field, while Huang Zhong and Wei Yan were responsible for military training. Two days later, Liu Bei was buried on the bank of the Han River, across the river from Xiangyang.
After the burial, the two ladies and Adou, together with the family members of Guan Zhang, Sun Qian and others, were sent to Xiangyang for resettlement, so as to avoid worries.
Everyone bid farewell by the river, and Liu Qi calmly said to Xu Shu: "Now that Yingchuan is controlled by Cao Cao, the military advisor still has his family, so it is better to take them all to Jingzhou and avoid being implicated."
Xu Shu said with emotion: "Young Master Duomeng is worried about you. Gaotang is still alive and well at home, but she is old and cannot endure the hardships. I have already arranged her properly, so there is no need to worry about her."
Liu Qi frowned slightly. Xu Shu still calls himself Shan Fu. He thinks he is disguised very well, but unexpectedly, Cheng Yu knows his background. This is a huge hidden danger.
But Xu Shu didn't reveal his identity, and Liu Qi couldn't tell the truth. He thought of finding a suitable time to persuade him to bring his mother over, so as to avoid the regret of Xu Shu entering Cao Ying.
After the funeral, everything was finally on track. Liu Qi worshiped Xu Shu as his military advisor and ordered Yi Ji to set up a recruitment hall to recruit talents. The duties of the rest of the people remained unchanged and they trained the people in accordance with Liu Bei's orders.
