Forty-six years ago, during the fifth year of Jian'an in the previous dynasty, the 18-year-old Zhu Ran was studying in Yangzhou Official School and met Sun Quan, the Lord of Wu, who was also just a young man. , the ambitious ambition to unify the world.
When I was young, I was high-spirited and always thought that traveling around the world would be as fun and enjoyable as a roc flying across the nine heavens. However, as time flies by and time passes, I gradually realize that life is not easy.
Today, he and Sun Quan are already in their sixties, but the world is still in troubled times.
Years pass by in a sudden flight. Human beings are born to live between heaven and earth. They are indeed just like birds temporarily living on dead trees that are about to decay. They are always fleeting.
But the sixty-two-year-old Zhu Ran has not forgotten the heroic ambitions of his youth. At this moment, with his beard and hair all white, he is wearing a fifty-pound armor and holding a horse as bright as frost and snow. He, riding on his horse that was accustomed to fighting, led the 30,000 men of Dongwu who had just defeated Meifu, the Yi king of Wei State, and whose morale was as high as a rainbow, and marched towards Waihuang County near Taizhong, the southern border of Wei State. .
Zhu Ran started his career as a county magistrate in Yuyao when he was young. He was promoted to a lieutenant because of his bravery in battle. He was also granted the title of prefect of Linchuan for his merits and defeated the Danyang bandits. He showed his prominence before he was twenty-four years old.
Twenty-seven years ago, the 35-year-old Zhu Ran followed the former Governor Lu Meng to intercept Guan Yu in Jingzhou, and successfully captured Guan Yu and his son. He made an immortal contribution and became the high-status General Zhaowu. He was awarded the title of Marquis of Xi'an Township and officially became a general of Soochow.
Twenty-five years ago, the thirty-seven-year-old Zhu Ran mobilized his army to defeat Liu Bei's forward army in the Battle of Yiling. Together with Sun Huan, he cut off Liu Bei's return route, and finally killed Liu Bei and fled westward into Baidi City. , once again made great achievements, and was directly promoted by Sun Quan to the respected General Zhengbei. He was awarded the title of Marquis of Yong'an and became a rare high-ranking general in Soochow.
Twenty-three years ago, when Zhu Ran was approaching his forties, he encountered the most dangerous battle in his life.
That year, Emperor Wei Wen sent Xia Houshang, Cao Zhen, Cao Ren, Cao Xiu and other close generals to attack Wu in three directions. Zhu Ran was ordered to lead a small number of soldiers to guard the crumbling Jiangling City, the west gate of Dongwu.
Xiahou Shang defeated Zhuge Jin's reinforcements with a fire attack, and blocked the rest of Wu's reinforcements outside Jiangling City. At that time, a plague broke out in the army, and most of the few soldiers fell ill. In the end, only a few people were left in the city. to five thousand defenders.
Xiahou Shang surrounded Xiahou Shang outside, and Cao Zhen attacked fiercely day and night. All the soldiers were frightened and thought they were certain to die. However, Zhu Ran led his elite soldiers out of the city to counterattack, and actually defeated two Wei army strongholds one after another. The Wu army was so morale that they refused to retreat. , and finally Xiahou Shang and Cao Zhen withdrew their troops.
After this battle, Zhu Ran was completely famous in the enemy country and became a world-famous general at that time. Sun Quan also specially changed his title and fief to the rich Dangyang.
Eighteen years ago, the former Prime Minister Lu Yi set up a plan to fake the surrender of Zhou Yi and lured Cao Xiu and Cao Wenlie, the first general of the Wei family and known as the Cao family's thousand-mile horse. The forty-four-year-old Zhu Ran once again cooperated with Lu Yi to suppress Cao Xiu's rear. , successfully defeated the arrogant Cao family Qianliju. After this battle, Zhu Ran was awarded the title of Chariot General second only to Da and Piao, and became the mainstay of Soochow.
At this moment, Zhu Ran's thoughts were pulled back by the appearance of the Wei army camp in the distance.
Li Xing, the general in the Wei camp in the distance, naturally noticed the Wu army here. He looked far into the distance and saw clearly the large banner of the general Wu army. He saw the large blue banner swaying in the wind like a flying blue dragon. There are several powerful characters embroidered on it:
"Wu Cheqi General Dangyang Hou Zhu"
Li Xing, who was personally selected by Wang Chang, the governor of Jingzhou and the general who conquered the south, was considered a rising star with both wisdom and bravery, but when he saw the famous Zhu Ran's banner, he was still shocked and broke into a cold sweat. He did not Thinking that Zhu Ran had really set his sights on Waihuang County where he was stationed.
The soldiers came to block the water and the earth covered them. After all, Li Xing was a general. No matter how panicked he was at this moment, he would not sit still and wait for death. After taking a few deep breaths, the tension in his heart was temporarily dissipated.
Li Xing, who barely calmed down, suddenly thought of a good idea. He called his lieutenant general and good friend who was good at defending the city. After whispering a few words to him, he went down to the watchtower to mobilize his troops.
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Ten days later, Qi Zhong's battle report was sent to the general's residence in Luoyang.
"Reporting to the general, General Li Xing saw that Zhu Ran had penetrated deeply into our territory, so he led six thousand infantry and cavalry out of the stronghold in an attempt to cut off Zhu Ran's return. However, Zhu Ran noticed it, and Zhu Ran pretended not to know. Late at night eight days ago, Li Xing When the general was detouring, he suddenly made a sneak attack in the opposite direction and severely defeated General Li's troops. Unfortunately, General Li was killed in the battle! Zhu Ran's army turned around and looted the Yi Wang tribe's Dazhai, which had returned to Taizhong, and Yi Wang Meifu's subordinates suffered losses. Countless baggage and a full five thousand people!"
"What!"
Just hearing a crisp sound of "Cang Rang", a crystal-clear celadon cup and a cup of hot water hit the ordering soldier head-on and fell to the ground into countless fragments. The ordering soldier did not dare to speak carelessly. If you move, you can only let the residue scratch your knees and palms.
Just when Cao Shuang was furious, a clear voice suddenly came from the front hall:
"I originally thought that Marquis Wu'an was a virtuous corporal and a hero who wholeheartedly reformed the world, but I didn't expect that he turned out to be a reckless man who took anger out on others. The prime minister has done it before, so why should he let a pawn suffer for no reason?"
After hearing this, Cao Shuang laughed angrily. He asked the visitor in a deep voice:
"Who are you, how dare you speak to me like this!"
At this time, the visitor finally entered the lobby. Cao Shuang looked up and saw that this person had an extraordinary appearance, a smile on his face, no fear at all, and an elegant demeanor. He looked calm and unconcerned, and he seemed to be a person born in the world. Like an immortal, the man smiled and cupped his hands at Cao Shuang and said:
"Your Excellency, Yuan Zhun and Yuan Xiaoni of Chen County, have offended the general. I hope the general will forgive me!"
When Cao Shuang heard this, he was quite surprised. His anger subsided a lot and he hurriedly said:
"Are you Yuan Xiaoni, the fourth son of Emperor Wu's close friend and former minister Yuan Yaoqing, the younger brother of Shangshu Yuan Kan, and known as 'upright and talented'?"
Yuan Zhun smiled, cupped his hands and said:
"It's just me! I was recommended by He Shangshu, and today I came to pay a visit to the general. He Shangshu was busy with business and could not come to introduce me in person. I gave him a letter of approval and used it as a basis to knock on the door of your mansion. This is what caused the offense just now.”
Cao Shuang's anger was mostly gone at this moment, but the regret and sadness in his heart remained unabated. He shook his head, sighed and said:
"Gu originally wanted to force the King of Yi to guard the border for the country, but he never thought that he would lose good border generals and people in vain. Do you think Gu is really like the rumors, just a middle-class talent, unworthy of shouldering the important responsibility of the country? "
Yuan Zhun saluted Cao Shuang and said sternly:
"No one is a saint, and no one can make mistakes. What's more, victory and defeat are common matters for military officers. Why should a general care about it?"
Hearing this, Cao Shuang felt slightly relieved. He looked at the map of Jingzhou in front of the case. After pondering for a moment, he asked again:
"Now Zhu Ran is still eyeing Jingzhou, and the people in the south and north are all trembling in fear. But I don't know what Xiaoni has to do to make Zhu Ran retreat and Jingzhou be safe?"
When Yuan Zhun heard this, he waved his sleeves, pointed at the map of Jingxiang counties on the case, and said seriously:
"The people of Wu and Chu are fragile and incompetent, and their talents and sages have not come out of their own soil. They cannot compare their skills and measure their strength. They are not equipped to fight against the Central Plains. However, Soochow has always been a serious problem in the Central Plains since Emperor Wu. Why?
From my point of view, Soochow has Jianghan as a pond and boats for use. If they make a profit, they will go ashore to loot, but if they fail, they will flee on the river. If we want to attack in the Central Plains, we will have a long way to go alone, and we will not be able to use the strengths of our cavalry. Only then did Soochow's arrogance become increasingly arrogant.
Sun Quan has been coveting the north of the Yangtze River for more than ten years. He has constantly repaired and improved his armor and defense, and repeatedly sent elite soldiers and fierce generals to invade the border. In recent times, he dared to stay away from the river where he was hiding, and traveled hundreds of miles to the plains of the land. Isn't this what I, the Central Plains, want to compete with me, the Wei Dynasty, for supremacy?
General, when using troops, the most important thing is to feed the hungry and fight the tired with ease. The army cannot fight for a long time, and it is not suitable to march over long distances. The fewer the passes and strongholds guarded, the more concentrated the troops are. This is called the stronger the force is specialized!
In view of the accuracy, the general might as well simply abandon the defense of a hundred miles south of the Huaihe River and the Han Dynasty. In this way, if the Wu thieves occupy this land and invade our border, then the Wu thieves will sacrifice the advantage of water warfare for the shortcomings of land warfare. Our country has just been able to demonstrate its strength in cavalry warfare!
If the Wu thieves dare not invade, the border will be safe from now on, and the border people will no longer have to worry about money theft!
When the general's reform is successful, and the country becomes rich and powerful, and the government is unified and the people are united, it will not be far away to take back the homeland and destroy the country!
Today, the small county in the south of Xiangyang is isolated to the south of the Han River. If the Wu thieves dare to go up the Han River to invade our territory, their way back will be cut off from their own country. By then, the general will march south and win in a single battle. , then the Wu people will not attack but surrender!
Therefore, it would not be beneficial to the country to hold on to the territory south of Han Dynasty, and it would not be a shame to temporarily lose it. General, just imagine, in order to forcefully defend the wasteland of the small counties in Huainan counties east of Jiangxia, how many materials and soldiers has our country lost since the three ancestors of Wu, Wen and Ming Dynasty? This is precisely because its land is close to the territory of thieves and is easy to plunder!
If the general moves the people of Miannan to Huaibei, far away from Wu, then the people will be safe and happy, and how will there be any alarm at the border? ! "
After hearing what Yuan Zhun said, Cao Shuang was instantly shocked by this novel perspective. He had been educated by Cao Zhen since he was a child, and it was deeply planted in his bones that no inch of territory should be given to the enemy. Now after listening to Yuan Zhun's words, the cloud covering his heart seemed to be dispelled in an instant.
Cao Shuang, who had always been arrogant, was full of admiration for Yuan Zhun at this moment. He stood up and saluted Yuan Zhun, and then said sincerely:
"After hearing what you said, I was really enlightened. Thank you Mr. Xiaoni for clarifying my doubts. Although I dare not give up the territory of Miannan and Huainan, I have decided that from now on, I will no longer drive away the people who migrated to Huaibei and Mianbei on their own!"
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Jiuzifang, Changlinghou Mansion.
This day is the sixtieth birthday of the old lady Cao Jue.
Xia Houxuan was busy with border affairs and couldn't spare his time, so he specially wrote a letter and arranged for Gu Ting and Lu Zhongxiong to attend his mother's birthday banquet together.
Lu Zhi made a special trip to Xiahou Xuan's mansion early in the morning to help her brother Lu Zhongxiong arrange the birthday banquet. At the moment, she and Lu Zhongxiong were busy working together.
Xia Houxuan also specially sent a famous chef who was good at making Yongzhou specialty delicacies stuffed skin and vegetable tofu to arrange meals for his mother, and sent him the handprints, footprints and graffiti painted by Xiao Xiahouyun.
Cao Jue looked at the child's crooked scribblings and vaguely discerned that what was drawn on the paper were four or five little people holding hands. She handed the scribblings to the housekeeper Gu Ting beside her and couldn't help laughing:
"Look what this kid drew?"
Before Gu Ting could speak, the messenger sent by Xia Houxuan explained:
"The Marquis of Changling asked me to tell you that this painting was painted by your granddaughter. The people in the painting are none other than you, the lord of Deyang Township, the leader of Anxiang Marquis Cao Zhong, the eldest son Mingyue, and Gu Guanshi. .”
After the old lady Cao's family heard from the messenger that the children's paintings were of her own family, she felt happy and burst out laughing instantly.
In the early morning, Ruan Ji took his eldest son Ruan Hun and made a special trip to the house with his friend Ji Kang, the doctor of Zhongsan, to pay his birthday.
Cao Shuang was busy with official duties and could not pay special birthday wishes to his aunt Cao Jue. Instead, he asked Cao Xi to bring his wife Wei Yuan and three-year-old Liangchen to the birthday banquet together with the congratulatory gifts from the General's Palace.
As for two good friends, Guan Qiujian and Zhuge Dan, they also made a special trip to send special congratulatory gifts from Yuzhou and Yangzhou. Guan Qiujian's eldest son Guanqiudian and Zhuge Dan's eight-year-old beloved son Zhuge Liang brought them to the Changling Marquis Mansion. .
Zhuge Liang's eldest sister Zhuge Shi and her brother-in-law Wang Guang Wang Gongyuan also accompanied Zhuge Liang to the Changling Marquis Mansion.
Twenty-one-year-old Guan Qiudian not only brought congratulatory gifts today, but also specially brought his wife Xunshi and his six-year-old daughter Guan Qiuzhi, in order to make the birthday banquet more lively.
Guanqiudian saw that there were a lot of things going on in the Hou family, so he also went to help.
Cao Jue stopped laughing, picked up the graffiti and handed it to his nephew Cao Xi, who was standing beside him, and said with a smile:
"Xi'er, look at our little Yun'er, who is less than one year old, and she already knows in her heart that your cousin is also part of her family!"
Cao Xi took the graffiti and looked at the child's tender brushstrokes, feeling a warm feeling in his heart.
At this moment, the servant from Tongzhuan came to the back hall again:
"For the information of the village master, Miss Yirong, Miss Mengrong, and Mr. Yan from the Sima Mansion, as well as Mr. He Qiao and Mr. He Yu have all arrived!"
Cao Jue, who was originally in a good mood, heard the names of his two granddaughters, Yirong and Mengrong, and instantly thought of his beloved daughter Xia Houhui, who died suddenly twelve years ago, and his granddaughter who died young after marrying Zhen De. Nian Rong, there was a trace of uncontrollable pain in his heart.
If she were still alive, she would be almost forty years old now.
Yu'er followed Kui to Yongzhou, while the two children, He Qiao and He Yu, who were only in their teens, were left in Luoyang.
After a while, Cao Jue adjusted his mood. At this time, Yirong, who came to celebrate his grandmother's birthday, happened to come to the main hall with his two younger sisters and his ten-year-old cousin Sima Yan.
Brothers He Qiao and He Yu also came to the hall at this time, and several children bowed down together and said:
"My grandson Yi Rong, together with his sister and brother, pays his respects to the Lord of Deyang Village!"
"My grandsons, He Qiao and He Yu, congratulate the village master on his birthday!"
"Children, get up quickly, there is no need to be so polite in front of grandma!"
Cao Jue felt happy when he saw several grandchildren arriving together, and the sadness that had been aroused before was diluted a lot.
Twelve years ago, after Xia Houhui died mysteriously, Yi Rong was only six years old. At that time, there were many rumors that her mother was poisoned by her father, Sima Shi.
But her father, Sima Shi, had always been very kind to her, so six-year-old Yuanrong refused to believe this rumor.
Later, the rumors among her friends became more and more outrageous. She even heard that her uncle Xia Houxuan beat her father on Mang Mountain.
Yi Rong was naturally very confused. When she asked Weng Weng and her father, they both told her that this was a deliberate smear campaign by those who couldn't stand the Sima family.
Many years ago, when Yi Rong was in her teens, she became a little more sensible. She realized that her uncle, who had a good relationship with her father, had actually cut off contact with her family. However, her father explained that this was because they had political disagreements in the court. for the sake of.
Yi Rong originally did not believe that her father, who was gentle and protective of her, could be the murderer of his wife, so she chose to believe it.
However, the ridicule and ridicule from her childhood friends still left a big shadow on Yirong's young mind, so her character gradually became taciturn and cautious.
Because of this, she just called Cao Jue the village head of Deyang instead of her grandmother.
Although Yi Rong and Xia Hou Hui were very similar, Xia Hou Hui was lively and cute back then, but now Yi Rong is silent and timid, which made Cao Jue feel even more distressed.
Cao Jue once again touched the temples of his eighteen-year-old but unmarried granddaughter with pity:
"Yirong, you don't need to be so restrained in front of grandma from now on."
Not long after, He Zeng, Li Feng, and Xu Yun came together to celebrate their birthdays with their respective sons.
He Zeng's son, ten-year-old He Shao, was similar in age to Sima Yan, and they started chatting with Sima Yan as soon as they entered the hall.
Sixteen-year-old Li Tao married Princess Qi Chang, the late emperor's eldest daughter and current eldest sister, last year. At this time, he was already considered a young adult. Therefore, Li Tao, who is just a teenager, looks much more mature than an ordinary child at this moment.
Xu Yun's two children - nine-year-old Xu Qi and eight-year-old Xu Meng. Although they are young, they talk and behave very well. Cao Jue, who knows many people, knows the future of these two children just by looking at them. Not ordinary either.
Sima Yan, He Shao, and Zhuge Liang have always had a very good relationship with each other. Ruan Hun is also a child with a cheerful personality and loves to make friends, so everyone got along quickly and immediately ran to the court to join Mingyue. Went to play.
Guanqiu Zhi, his mother Xun, Zhuge Dan's eldest daughter Zhuge, as well as Yirong, Mengrong and other female family members, accompanied old lady Cao Jue and chatted about home affairs.
Zhuge Liang looked proud at the moment and was introducing to everyone a birthday gift brought by his brother-in-law Wang Guang and Wang Gongyuan - a hundred-year-old poem.
This hundred-year-old poem picture was made by the famous calligraphers of this dynasty - the fourth son of Chariot and Cavalry General Wang Ling and Wang Guang's fourth brother Wang Jinhu. This hundred-year-old poem is more than two feet long. It not only has a picture of hundreds of birds facing the phoenix, but also has a hundred lines of poems about longevity written in different glyphs.
Wang Jinhu's "Mingshan style" calligraphy is renowned in the contemporary era, and its reputation is as good as that of the great calligrapher of this dynasty, the late Taifu Dingling Chenghou Zhongyao, and even more so than the famous calligrapher of this dynasty, the late Shangshu Jinghou Weiju of Nanxiang. It can be said that it is worth ten golds and very precious.
Wang Guang was the eldest son of Nanxiang Hou Wangling, the governor of Yangzhou and the cavalry general. He served as a minister in the court and was good at discussing mysteries. Together with Li Feng, Zhong Hui and Fu Gu, he was called "Li Wang Zhongfu". At this moment, he couldn't help but laugh as he watched the beaming little Zhuge Liang boasting to everyone.
After Zhuge Liang finished boasting about Wang Feihu, he also mentioned the extraordinary martial arts of his brother-in-law's three brothers and their legendary stories on the southeastern battlefield. A group of children always like to listen to the legends of these heroic generals, so they all listened with gusto at this moment, especially Trance.
Wang Guang's second brother Wang Fei and Wang Gongyi, his third brother Wang Xiao and Wang Gongmei, and his fourth brother Wang Jinhu and Wang Mingshan have been fighting in the southeast with their father Wang Ling all year round. They are all known for their extraordinary talents. Therefore, Zhuge Liang did not boast.
After a while, Zhuge Liang felt a little thirsty, so a group of children started jumping around and playing in the yard.
Amo was wagging his tail lazily at the moment and looking at the children in the yard. He seemed to recall the scene of those teenagers holding him and unwilling to let go more than twenty years ago.
The big dog Amo is in his twenties and is already a rare longevity among dogs. Last year, Amo suffered a serious illness and was about to die. When Xia Houxuan heard about it, he hurriedly begged Li Dang, his military doctor and Huigu's senior brother. After thinking of a way, Li Dangzhi gave Amo a precious veterinary medicine prescription and made a diet list, and then Amo was rescued from hell.
At this moment, a group of children were playing happily in the distance, and from time to time they would pick up Amona's four 'dogs and dogs' and play with them.
Seeing this scene, Cao Xi's thoughts were instantly drawn back to the early years of Huang Dynasty - the morning when his cousin Xia Houxuan took him and Sima Zhao and others to look for Amo in the snow more than thirty years ago.
At that time, they were carefree and had no entangled interests. They were just a group of innocent children, exactly like the simple-minded children in front of them today.
Halfway through the lively banquet, Yang Hu arrived belatedly after writing a letter to his father-in-law Xiahou Ba to guard against Shu captives.
Mingyue, who heard that a new child was about to be born in Sima Mansion, curiously asked Sima Yan:
"I heard you're going to have a brother soon, right?"
When Sima Yan heard this, he curled up his lips and said:
"How do you know he must be a younger brother? I would rather have a younger sister!"
Mingyue laughed and said:
"I do have a one-year-old sister Yun'er, but Yun'er was born in Chang'an. I haven't met her yet. One day, I will definitely go to Chang'an to see her!"
"Your father is famous all over the world. With the power of the general, he was able to guard Chang'an. Chang'an is so far away, how can it be so easy to get there?"
Seeing that Sima Yan smelled like gunpowder, Mingyue retorted with a smile:
"Chang'an is not like the sun hanging in the sky, and it is not out of reach. Sooner or later, I will definitely go to Chang'an to take a look!"
Zhuge Liang saw that the conversation between the two was a little sparky, and was afraid that the two friends would have conflicts, so he laughed and smoothed things over:
"What about brothers and sisters, Chang'an Sun, let's go over and eat longevity peaches!"
He Shao also smiled and said:
"Going around, I heard that the chefs in Changling Marquis Mansion are good. Mingyue's father even sent a chef from Yongzhou. I heard that the stuffed skin made by the chef is amazing!"
As the children said this, they pulled Xu Qi, Xu Meng, Ruan Hun, He Qiao, and Yu towards the place where the cook was busy looking for food.
Guanqiudian, Li Tao, and Wang Guang discussed the situation of the dynasty for a long time. After asking about the time, they came to Cao Jue's table, raised their hands and said:
"Reporting to the head of the Deyang village, my nephew will make a special trip to Qiao County in Yuzhou tomorrow to meet his father, Marquis Anyi. At this moment, he needs to return home to prepare. I also ask the head of the village to forgive my nephew for not being able to accompany him any longer!"
Cao Jue smiled and said to the tall and handsome Guanqiudian:
"Zibang, go. Since your father guarded Youzhou more than ten years ago, you and your son have never had a good reunion. Now that he has finally arrived in Yuzhou at the foot of the emperor, you should naturally accompany him. "
When Guanqiudian saw that Cao Jue understood him so well, he was moved in his heart and saluted Cao Jue again before saying goodbye and leaving.
