On New Year's Eve, the last day of the third year of Chuping, all the officials in the court accompanied the emperor to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors. After all, since the death of the late emperor, the imperial court has been in exile for nearly three years, and has been in danger of overthrowing several times. It is only today that it can be saved. All officials are grateful, and they should also report to their ancestors with courtesy, hoping that in the nine heavens, somewhere in the world, The ancestors can also protect the Han Dynasty, so that the Han Dynasty can prosper and the world can enjoy peace again.
After some complicated etiquette, the emperor, wearing a crown with twelve dragon patterns, a black robe on top, and a red dress on the bottom, slowly walked onto the stage and read to the heaven and earth the "Announcement to the Ancestors of Sheji" written by Chen Chong. Then they burned the inscription into the book. After seeing a wisp of green smoke dissipate on the stage, Chen Chong and Liu Bei led the ministers to bow three times to the heaven and earth, and then to the emperor three times. Then Taichang rang the giant bell three times to complete the ceremony. sound. Under the clear sound of the bells, all the officials knelt down at the steps respectfully and listened to the emperor's announcement that the title of the next year would be changed to Yanxing.
Changing the Yuan Dynasty has always been a national event. According to the "Book of Han" records, in October of the first year of Yuan Shou, Shizong personally caught a one-horned white lin when he went hunting. After seeing it, all the officials thought it was an auspicious creature. It is worthy of commemoration, so the reign name is Yuanshou.
Since then, the country has used the year name as a calendar year, and unless the country experiences major events, it is not allowed to change the year name.
It's just that times have changed. Today, three hundred years later, the country is in turmoil. The late emperor frequently changed the reign names, such as Jianning, Xiping, Guanghe, and Zhongping, hoping to pray to heaven to benefit the great man, but it had no effect for a moment. Woolen cloth? What the late emperor did was really putting the cart before the horse.
This time the country changed its Yuan Dynasty, hundreds of officials proposed three era names, namely Yongping, Hanshou and Yanxing.
When it came to Yongping, Chen Chong discussed with Liu Bei for a while and said to the minister: "How can there be a year of Yongping in the world? There is a sea of Yellow Turbans in Zhongping, and Dong Zhuo usurps in Chuping. What harm can happen to Yongping? It is unlucky." "
Then there was Han Shou, but the two were still dissatisfied. Liu Bei said: "Although the name of Han Shou is good, it is not the name of this era. The country is still in chaos and the world has not yet been peaceful. How can we call Shou? This is the name of governing the world. , change again.”
In the end, it was Chen Chong himself who proposed the Yanxing reign and explained: "The Yan Han Dynasty was so virtuous that it suffered from continuous disasters and floods, leading to the fear of overthrow. This is what we and other lofty people are working hard for. What is Yanxing? We use our lives as a salary. To revive the virtue of fire and build a new era together, all the kings encourage you!" All the officials heard this and had no objections.
When the people in Guanzhong heard about the new year's name, they were very happy and told each other: "There are small officials who take people as salary everywhere in the world. We have seen the envoys who want to use themselves as firewood today."
After the worship, the emperor left Chen Chong and Liu Bei to have a meal in the palace. The emperor was usually quiet, but in front of Liu Bei and Chen Chong, he was particularly talkative. He first asked the two of them about their attitude towards the late emperor, and then asked about the late emperor's attitude towards them. Both of them told the truth.
When the emperor learned that Liu Bei had a Zhongxing sword given by the late emperor, he suddenly had a whim and asked Liu Bei to perform a sword dance in the palace. Liu Bei did not refuse after thinking for a moment, and immediately sent someone to get the sword.
When the sword arrived, Chen Chong borrowed a transverse flute, sat next to Liu Bei, and played the "Soldiers' Formation Song" to him. The sound of the flute became clearer and more exciting, as if directly expressing the soldiers' thoughts. The palace was filled with the sounds of passionate conquest. The emperor had clearly seen the corpses on the battlefield, but when he saw Liu Bei's sword flashing, he was so angry that he broke into a cold sweat. Seeing this, Chen Chong had no choice but to stop playing music and said to the emperor: "Conquest is a matter for ministers. Your Majesty does not need to worry about it."
The banquet ended like this. After the meeting, Liu Bei and Chen Chong walked out and said with emotion to him: "Although your Majesty has a very good heart and courage, he is a man of gentleness." Chen Chong said aside: " This is not a bad thing. If you love others but don’t have the intention to kill, there will be fewer disputes."
The two of them walked out of the palace while talking and rushed directly to Sili Xiaowei's mansion. After all, on New Year's Eve, both of them still wanted to get together with their families. Unexpectedly, around a corner, they bumped into three warriors. These three people were wearing leather riding caps, military uniforms, furs, and daggers hanging from their belts. They looked like high-ranking military officials. Chen Chong recognized that the leader was Gao Zhun, so he stopped and waited for them to come over. . He came to talk to them at this time, obviously to report on important military matters.
Gao Zhun was very happy when he saw Chen Chong and Liu Bei. He raised his hands and said to the two of them: "General, Ambassador Chen, good news has come from Luoyang in the east. It is said that the Liuzhou Mu envoy from Youzhou has arrived and that he can send 20,000 reinforcements. Assist in the Eastern Expedition and we will reach Luoyang in twenty days!"
This was completely in line with Chen Chong's expectations. He and Liu Bei looked at each other and smiled, then asked Gao Zhun, "Are these the only things? There's no need for you to send a message! When I saw you coming, I thought it was Liang Ren who was attacking me again." coming."
"How is that possible? Didn't General Fenwu say a few days ago that the Liang people in Chencang did not dare to fight and fled to Wudu when they saw the army? How could they still fight here?"
Speaking of this, Gao Zhun was quite embarrassed and said with a smile: "Actually, the brothers in the army are lonely. Today I went to the south of the city to hunt a few deer and came back. I don't want to have it all to myself, so I hope that the general and the envoy can spend the night in the army. Soldiers I will be happier too. General Zhang has been invited over!"
Hearing what he said, several people laughed, and Chen Chong took over: "It depends on how well your venison is cooked. If it tastes bad, I would rather stay at home and spend more time with my Zhao Ji and Xiao'er!" He said this, but he did not hesitate. He went to the mansion to confess to his wife and family, then immediately rode Qingkui and went to the camp in the north of the city with a few others.
It was already late at night, but the camp was full of joy. The smell of campfires and meat almost spread to the entire south bank of the Wei River. The hot atmosphere in the camp seemed to have dispelled even the coldness of winter.
Under Chen Chong's arrangement, alcohol has always been prohibited in the army, so naturally there is no alcohol to drink on weekdays. But today was an exception. The soldiers brought these drinks from Chang'an City, and they moved countless jars, so that there were soldiers competing for their drinking capacity everywhere. In the main camp, just as Gao Zhun said, several skinned elk were roasting, and the blood and yellow fat dripped onto the fireworks, emitting bursts of white smoke. As soon as they saw the two men arriving, the soldiers began to boo and crowded around Chen Chong and Liu Bei to Zhang Fei. The three brothers were extremely emotional and felt very sorry that Guan Yu was not here.
After a while, the sound of a watch was heard one after another in the military camp. This was a sign that told everyone in the camp that the third year of Chuping had passed and the first year of Yanxing had officially begun.
Some people turned their attention to Liu Bei. Liu Bei suddenly realized what he should say. He thought of it and said it. He held a glass of wine and stood up gently. However, the scene was already silent, and everyone could only hear the faint sound of air flowing. , Liu Bei said slowly:
"The ancients often said that people make things happen, and they also often say that people fail because of things. Liu Bei has gone through wars, winning and losing, and he can be said to be deeply touched by this. If you talk about the heroes of the world, I am not as good as Ting Jian in military use, not as courageous as Yun Chang, and not as brave as Wu Wu. Virtues, erudition, family reputation, and resourcefulness are not his strengths. His journey so far is all about his enterprising spirit."
"But there are so many people in the world who are striving for progress. No matter whether they are fish, birds, beasts, caterpillars, flowers, or trees, they all have things they want to achieve and ambitions to achieve, not to mention the heroes of the world. Liu Bei is able to have the position of assisting the government today, and he will support and unify the country. Hey, this is all because of your support and assistance!"
At this point, he drank the wine in one gulp, then filled it up again, and continued:
"Everyone who has followed me in the war, no matter how long the time, no matter how deep the friendship is, is a generous and righteous man. After all, you have given up your family ties, abandoned your true love and relatives, and risked your life to trust Liu Bei. You are not a true righteous man. How can you be like this today? Come to think of it, on the battlefield, none of you abandoned Liu Bei, and on the battlefield, none of you slandered Liu Bei. Thinking of this deep kindness is like an ocean, and every time Liu Bei thinks about it, he always feels uneasy, even though he has thousands of taels of gold and thousands of silks. How can I repay him for a horse?"
At this time, someone in the crowd replied: "Why is the general like this? The world is in ruins and the people are hungry and cold. If the general had not advocated righteousness and held the sword, we would all be dead bones in the road. We are just waiting to die. If we can wrap our bodies in horse leather, it is better than dying on the bed of illness!" The kindness and righteousness of the general are like my parents. Fighting for the general, there is no regret even if you die!" These words expressed the hearts of the soldiers, and they all echoed loudly.
When the voice calmed down again, Liu Bei took a few steps forward and said slowly: "How can human life be such a worthless thing? How can we think of our dead comrades and die for the sake of death? Mencius said, the people are Noble, the country is second, the king is the least important. Therefore, every time Liu Bei thinks of the people of the world, every time he thinks of the heroes of the martyrs, his only wish is to help the Han Dynasty, calm the troubled times in the world, and restore peace to the people."
He said loudly: "Liu Bei's ambition is great but his talent is sparse. He does not measure his virtue and his ability. Only this statement of ambition is like the bright sun shining in the sky. Even though hundreds of generations have passed, he will never forget it!"
After that, he poured down the wine and refilled it three times, and said:
"To the great emperor!"
"Honor the great Han Dynasty!"
"Here's to the heroic spirit of the great man!"
Liu Xuande spoke generously and was very energetic. All the soldiers looked moved and raised their wine cups in response to the general. Then the feast continued as before.
The banquet lasted until Chen time. The soldiers and officers had a good night and returned to the camp to rest. Liu Bei and Chen Chong slowly walked out of the camp, just in time to catch the first sunrise in the first year of Yanxing. It appeared from the top of Lishan Mountain, and the golden sunshine covered the snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and Chang'an. Although it was a desolate scenery , but they all felt a refreshing warmth.
They both remembered the time in Taoyang, and in the blink of an eye it was more than ten years ago.
Liu Bei smiled and asked Chen Chong: "What kind of year will it be in the year of prosperity?"
Chen Chong felt the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the east wind, brewing a different kind of pride in his heart. He pointed at Chang'an with his riding crop and said: "It will be a time that will be sung to the world a thousand years later."
After that, he said goodbye to Liu Bei and rode quickly onto the official road into the city. He knew that his wife must not have slept yet and was waiting for his return at the door of the house.
