As late autumn passes, what follows is the long winter. The first snow came as promised, covering the branches and alleys, and the cold breath filled the entire Changyang.
This year, Tsuneshiro is no longer interested in taking the flower girl to enjoy the snow. Sitting in the palace, his face was full of unconcealable worry.
"Chen Que, is this all true?"
"I dare not hide it from the King of Yuzhou, it is all true." Chen Que, who was called into the palace, sighed deeply, "Forgive me for my incompetence, Mr. Zhongde's body can no longer be saved."
Tsuneshiro remained silent and closed his eyes. Ever since Lao Zhongde said he wanted to swear an oath to the army, he had been doubtful. He never thought that he was right.
"Chen Que, is there really nothing we can do?"
"No more." Chen Que looked up with a tired face, "If the King of Yuzhou wants to blame, just kill one of me. I also ask the King of Yuzhou to spare my disciples."
"Sir, you are joking." Tsuneshiro slumped down weakly, his eyes a little dazed. From the beginning of his business, Lao Zhongde has been with him. Without Lao Zhongde, he would not be able to conquer half of the country in the north.
In this world, the second of the three people he values the most is already ready to leave him.
Thinking of the sadness and ignoring Chen Que's presence, Chang Shiro's eyes turned red and he started sobbing while cursing his mother.
"Master... today is the day to swear an oath to the army." Chang Wei, who was next to him, spoke hesitantly.
After a long time, Changshiro rubbed his eyes, regained his appearance, and stood up again. Without stepping forward immediately, he turned around and looked at Chen Que.
"Sir, please go back to Shu. I'll have someone send you the medical fees later. When I go back to Chengdu, I'll see my little boss and say hello to me."
Chen Que's face was moved, "King of Yuzhou, do you have anything else to say?"
"No need, just say hello. If you really have something to say, I will talk to him personally."
"Wang Dayi of Yuzhou." Chen Que clasped his fists and bowed.
Chang Shiro closed his eyes, softened his expression, and then walked out of the hall with Chang Wei.
As Chang Wei said, today is the day when Beiyu swears an army. Except for the generals like Le Qing, the rest of the people rushed back to Changyang.
After walking out of the palace, the first time he looked up, Chang Shiro saw Lao Zhongde who had put on a thick cloak. It was as if he had regained his strength, and even walked much more steadily.
Changshiro's heart aches.
"Lord." Old Zhongde took a few steps closer, with unspeakable joy on his face.
"Zhongde, look, I'm going to follow your wishes and take the Winter Pledge." Chang Silang smiled and supported old Zhongde with difficulty, and the two of them walked down the royal road.
Under the imperial road, Beiyu's generals and staff were already standing. A large group of people, numbering more than a hundred, has quite a reputation.
"My lord, how about you let me take care of today's pledge?"
"It's all according to Zhongde's wishes."
Turning his head, Chang Shiro saw Chang Wei wiping tears behind him and quickly kicked him away.
"I took advantage of my free time and organized it again last night. Not including General Pi, we have a total of seventy-nine generals in Beiyu, and fifty-four army staff. These people are all the mainstay of our Beiyu. From now on, I will follow my master and continue to conquer the country."
"This time, I will help the lord in ordering generals."
Chang Shiro said nothing, endured his sadness, and carefully pulled off the thick cloak on old Zhongde. He had vaguely understood that Lao Zhongde's insistence on holding this pledge had another meaning.
"Dayu is orthodox, with strong soldiers and horses, and Changyang, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, is loved by the people of the aristocratic families. It is only one step away from the Lord being able to unify the Central Plains and create a new dynasty."
"My lord, please see, this is the defense line map I drew last night. In the next two or three years, my lord can use this map to defend Western Shu from going north. Don't forget, the poisonous owl and the lame man are the biggest enemies in the world." Gamblers are good at defeating more with less. Besides, Xu Buyi also likes to surprise others, so we have to guard against this."
With trembling hands, Changshiro took the drawing from old Zhongde in the wind and snow.
"Lord, do you remember the list of famous generals in the world?" Old Zhongde coughed twice.
"Of course I remember."
"The third, Shentu Guan, has already joined me in Beiyu. The fourth, Jiang Meng, has been a logistics general for many years. I suggest that my lord, he can be appointed as the marshal of the East Road. Together with Shentu Guan, one in the west and one in the east, he can be the candidate to guard Qingzhou when the time comes. . When the war begins, we will lead an army from Qingzhou, cooperate with the army in the middle, and cross the river to attack Shu!"
"In addition, there is a Huo family in Huzhou, Hebei Province. They migrated from the south twenty years ago. The head of the family, Huo Fu, was once a famous naval general in Chuzhou. The lord can also find and use him."
Tsuneishiro nodded bitterly.
In fact, the most reasonable arrangement would be for Shen Tu Guan to stay on the east road, but considering that Donglai was originally Shen Tu Guan's home, safety was the top priority, so this arrangement was the best.
"Le Qing stopped moving and continued to garrison Hezhou."
"Of course, the Central Plains can fight with each other, but don't let foreigners take the opportunity to enter the Central Plains." Old Zhongde coughed again without any objection.
"My lord, I want to recommend one more person to you. If I...are no longer here, he will be my lord's chief military advisor."
Tsuneshiro finally couldn't hide it, his face was filled with sadness.
"Zhongde... Doctor Chen told me all this. How can I, Chang Silang, let Zhongde leave!"
Old Zhongde paused and laughed calmly. In the wind and snow, his hunched figure seemed to slowly stand upright.
"My lord, my great cause has not yet been accomplished. I really want to ask God to borrow another ten years of my life. But I am already old, and I suffered the pain of losing my son last year. I thought at that time that I might not be able to survive."
Old Zhongde turned around, with tears in his eyes.
"The most commendable thing in this life is to worship the Lord. If the Lord trusts me, let me finish today."
"When I leave, there are still poisonous ospreys and lame people in Western Shu, so I'm worried. I've thought about it for a long time, and in this huge Beiyu, only Changsheng can take my place."
"He is a scholar general in battle, but he is most suitable as a staff advisor. He was able to take down the three states of Donglai and his constant victory is at least half of the credit."
"Zhongde, I will listen to you..."
In the wind and snow, the old counselor's face turned paler.
"I know that from the bottom of my heart, my lord, I have never wanted to be an enemy of Xu Buyi. I also don't want to use military power to take down the entire world. But this is wrong."
"My lord, please raise your head, look at the soldiers below, and then look at the people outside the palace. Only by settling the affairs in one battle and opening up a new dynasty can the world be balanced."
Changshiro raised his head and looked at the ant-like figures in front of him, like the entire Changyang wrapped in white cloth. There are also the snow-capped mountains and rivers beyond Changyang.
"My lord, don't help me anymore. I will finish this journey and help my lord take the oath of war for the last time."
Old Zhongde raised his head, and there was no trace of blood on his face. His extremely pale face was exactly the same as the white of heaven and earth.
Changshiro let go, and a seven-foot-long man, the king of Beiyu, cried loudly in the snow without any cover.
"Zhongde!"
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