The withered yellow leaves were swept away by the autumn wind, one, two, three, floating lightly on the water like yellow butterflies, like countless small boats, slowly swinging on the river.
The cold wind blew from the river, blowing Liu Bei's white beard to flutter gently. He squinted his eyes, feeling a little cold, wrapped his cloak tightly, and looked towards the north, his gaze seemed to cross Crossing thousands of mountains and rivers, you can reach Youzhou in the north.
That's where he was born and raised.
That was the place where his brothers chose a garden and became sworn brothers.
That was the starting point for his military career.
The older he gets, the more homesick he feels, especially in this sad autumn, when he misses his hometown and his old friends even more. It’s been many, many years since I’ve heard that kind hometown dialect. If I could hear one now, it would really make my guts burn!
Seventy thousand troops have been trapped in Hanyang for two months.
One after another bad news came from all over the country: Zhao Yun was trapped in Guilin by Liu Feng, Yan Yan, and Kuai Yue. I don't know what the situation was. Zhang Xian's army defeated Mi Fang's army and besieged Jianye; Kuaiji fell, followed by Danyang County, and Yangzhou was in danger.
Liu Bei tried several times to break out, but suffered heavy losses and failed to break out.
After Zhang Xiu learned that Liu Bei was besieged, he rushed from Jingjing to Nanjun and led 50,000 cavalry to strengthen the siege of Liu Bei. Today Liu Bei took a small boat alone to meet Zhang Xiu.
In the late Han Dynasty, the two most representative figures were Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
Before Cao Wei fell into isolation, Zhang Xiu had met Cao Cao once. The purpose was to meet this heroic figure. Now that the Chu Kingdom was dying, Zhang Xiu met Liu Bei at this time. He also had some of this mentality and wanted to defeat Cao Cao. , Liu Bei’s sense of pride and pride.
Zhang Xiu was conflicted about them.
To be honest, Zhang Xiu admired the two heroes Cao Cao and Liu Bei. He was able to achieve the final victory by relying on the advanced knowledge of later generations and the conditions of the prophets. You know, in the late Han Dynasty, maps were important military objects, but Zhang Xiu knew the layout of the thirteen states of the Han Dynasty and the heroes of the late Han Dynasty without looking at the map.
Relying on the advantage of the prophet, Zhang Xiu gradually succeeded and became the master of the world.
It also forced Cao Cao and Liu Bei to end heroically.
At this time, Zhang Xiu was already forty-seven years old. He was gradually moving from middle age to old age. He was less sharp and more calm and old. The sharpness had been smoothed by time and was hidden, leaving only a kind and kind face. World.
In the middle of the Han River, a gorgeous and noble ship was parked in the middle of the river.
There were closely guarded warships parked all around, and all the soldiers were in formation and very cautious, demonstrating the majesty and honor of the royal family.
After Liu Bei's ship approached, it was not blocked and stayed directly beside the big ship.
Zhang Xiu stood on the boat waiting for Liu Bei's arrival. When he saw his boat approaching, he walked down to greet him personally. When Liu Bei appeared with a gray beard and an old face, Zhang Xiu shook his head: "Master Xuande! Long time no see." , you are so old!"
Liu Bei looked at Zhang Xiu: "Bo Yuan's spirit is still the same!"
Zhang Xiu shook his head: "I'm so old! I'm not as energetic as I used to be. Please invite Mr. Xuande!"
The two entered the boat and served wine.
Zhang Xiu raised his glass and said: "Mr. It’s true!”
Liu Bei smiled bitterly: "What a pity! Meng De and I are not Bo Yuan's rivals."
"The general trend of the world is that if it divides for a long time, it will unite, and if it unites for a long time, it will unite." Zhang Xiu shook his head and sighed, "Xia came to Shang, Shang to Zhou, Zhou to Qin, Qin to Han, Han to Jing, all are divided and combined. This is the trend of the world. It is not humanly possible to say that if Dajing unified the world, how many years would the country be able to enjoy? It is still unknown!"
Liu Bei was surprised that Zhang Xiu could say such a thing, but he had a different opinion on Zhang Xiu's words: "Things! It depends on man-made things. If everything is in accordance with God's will, then it can be ruled by inaction. The Han Dynasty begins with Emperor Gao." , there was no fall in the middle, but Emperor Guangwu revived the Han Dynasty and reorganized the prestige of our Han Dynasty. Such a revival cannot be consistent with your saying that after a long period of separation, it must be reunited."
Zhang Xiu nodded: "I have to admit that Emperor Guangwu was powerful and that he was destined to return to the Han Dynasty. However, Xuande believes that with the current situation, is there any chance for Chu to reverse it?"
Liu Bei said decisively and honestly: "No!"
After saying these two words, Liu Bei raised his head and swallowed a sip of wine. He couldn't taste the wine in his mouth, it was all bitter.
Zhang Xiu said: "Xuan Degong saw it thoroughly and dared to say it. Boyuan admires him."
Liu Bei smiled self-deprecatingly, and the wrinkles on his face became clearer. He looked at Zhang Xiu seriously: "Bo Yuan, you and I have known each other for decades!"
Zhang Xiu said: "It has been decades since the conquest of Yuan Shu began."
Liu Bei nodded: "I know the purpose of your invitation. You must also know that no matter how capable I am, Liu Xuande, I still have the determination to fight to the end. If I am afraid of death, I will not go to this step; but for the sake of the common people in the world, I still have the determination to fight to the end. , I am willing to give up resistance, but I have a condition."
Zhang Xiu looked at Liu Bei seriously: "Mr. Xuande, please speak."
Liu Bei's voice was calm and slightly hoarse: "As the saying goes, you must remove the roots. I know you can't tolerate my existence, and I don't want to live anymore. I want to perish with the Chu State, but...my son Liu Chan, he is a coward." I'm asking you to spare this little timid kid a favor and save his life so that he can become a rich man and have a peaceful life. I wonder if Boyuan can do that?"
Hearing Liu Bei's request, Zhang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Just now, he didn't agree directly because he was afraid that Liu Bei would make excessive demands. He didn't expect that it would be for Liu Chan, a son who couldn't help him. How pitiful the hearts of parents in the world!
Zhang Xiu nodded: "What a pity for the hearts of parents in the world! Don't worry, Mr. Xuande. I will absolutely guarantee Liu Chan's life safety and let him live a peaceful and prosperous life."
Liu Bei looked at Zhang Xiu gratefully: "Thank you! Please don't give him a title or an official position. He can't afford it and doesn't dare to accept it."
Zhang Xiu knew what Liu Bei meant and nodded: "I understand what you mean."
Liu Bei stood up, looked to the north and said, "As the saying goes, fallen leaves return to their roots. Emperor Jing, after my death, can my body be sent back to my hometown in Youzhou for burial?"
Zhang Xiu nodded lightly.
"Thank you!"
Liu Bei raised his feet and walked towards the bottom of the boat, his figure as handsome as ever.
Looking at Liu Bei's leaving figure, Zhang Xiu had a different feeling in his heart. Liu Bei was defeated and the world was unified. Dajing completely gained the world. He officially became the lord of the world. At the same time, he also had some feelings for Liu Bei. The sense of frustration at the end of this rare rival.
He also felt the same way when Cao Cao passed away.
