It can be said that Emperor Wu watched how the Shu people grew step by step from a place with no foundation to a Han state with four states.
At that time, Liu Bei only gained one and a half states, but Emperor Wu couldn't wait to ask Liu Bei to give up Jingzhou.
Not to mention, the current leader of Han Dynasty is Liu Chan, who can be regarded as his junior.
It was precisely because of this that Emperor Wu became increasingly unbalanced.
Why?
The Liu family and his son had no place to stand at first. If it weren't for the help of Jiangdong, how could Liu Bei be able to gain a foothold in several counties in Jingzhou?
Later, Liu Bei relied on several counties in Jingzhou to enter Shu and create a foundation, which is why he now has four states in the world.
And what about Wu State, which has been making great efforts during this period?
After so many years, it is still no more than the land of three states.
This is not fair!
The more Emperor Wu thought like this, the more anxious he felt in his heart.
He couldn't wait to ask the people from the school affairs office to immediately go to Shu with his secret message.
Among the school officials, Qin Bo is the only one who has been to Shu, so he is naturally the most suitable person for this trip.
Taking a boat from Jianye to Jiangling, and then entering Shu from Jiangling, Qin Bo rushed to Hanzhong without even stopping in Jincheng.
Even so, when Qin Bo came to Hanzhong, it was already mid-February of the fifteenth year of Jianxing.
When we left Jianye, the weather was still chilly.
When I first entered Shu, I felt a little warm.
When we arrived in Hanzhong, spring was already in full bloom.
In early spring in Hanzhong, the water level of the Han River was higher than in winter, and the mighty water looked a bit muddy and yellow.
Along the river bank, light yellow and tender green grass sprouts emerged from patches of last year's dead grass.
Between the misty willow trees beside the road, swallows' scissor-like figures flashed from time to time.
Facing the beautiful scenery that was different from Jiangnan, Qin Bo was not in the mood to appreciate it.
The last time he came to Han, he got unexpected results.
And this time, he hoped to live up to His Majesty's expectations.
But since he entered Hanzhong, especially when he came to Nanzheng, where the emperor's palace of the Han family was located, he found that the atmosphere here was actually a bit depressing.
The officials who received him looked even more sad.
This made him wonder.
Didn't it mean that the Han people won a great victory in the battle of Guanzhong and captured the two states of Yong from the Wei thieves?
Why do these people look like their masters are seriously ill and about to die?
Liu Chan, the leader of Han Dynasty, learned that Lord Wu personally sent someone to deliver a letter, and he quickly met with Qin Bo.
After he finished reading Sun Quan's letter, he couldn't help but sigh and said to Qin Bo:
"Han and Wu are originally allies. The Lord of Wu wants to attack the thieves. Logically speaking, why should the Han Dynasty not help?"
Speaking of this, sadness appeared on Liu Chan's face:
"It's just that two days before envoy Wu arrived, someone from Guanzhong sent an urgent report."
Qin Bo's heart skipped a beat: "Guanzhong?"
Although something was wrong, Qin Bo still asked a little rudely:
"I dare to ask Your Majesty, but the Wei thieves sent troops to re-enter Guanzhong?"
(Note: During the alliance between Han and Wu, they recognized each other's throne, and all those who sent envoys called themselves ministers, and also called the other emperor's emperor his majesty.)
Adou shook his head:
"The thieves were scared out of their wits during the battle in Guanzhong. How dare they return to Guanzhong? Even if the thieves come, the Han has strong generals and elite soldiers stationed in Guanzhong, so how can he be afraid of them?"
Qin Bo:......
Thinking that Zhuge Kongming and Feng Mingwen were both leading troops stationed in Guanzhong, Qin Bo wisely shut his mouth.
The two of them joined forces to annex the two states in one fell swoop. Even if the top general of Wu State came over, he would not dare to show off in front of them.
But if there was no danger in Guanzhong, then why did the Han Lord say that there was urgent news in Guanzhong?
Adou didn't let Qin Bo wait too long, he gave the answer himself:
"After the beginning of spring, the prime minister's condition worsened, so the Guanzhong army may not be able to move lightly."
Qin Bo was horrified when he heard this: "Is Prime Minister Zhuge's condition getting worse?"
Adou nodded: "Of course. Now the whole country of the Han Dynasty is worried about the Prime Minister's illness. I have sent envoys several times in the past few days to visit Guanzhong."
When Qin Bo heard this, he felt suddenly. No wonder all the Han sergeants and officials looked sad.
In fact, the condition of the Han Prime Minister was more serious than Adou said.
In winter, the Prime Minister rarely leaves his bed.
However, judging from the news coming from Guanzhong, the prime minister at that time was in good spirits.
I never thought that it would be the beginning of spring, and I don’t know if it would be cold or cold in spring. The unpredictable weather makes people unprepared.
The prime minister first suffered from wind and cold and did not recover for a long time. Finally, his condition worsened and he could not get up from his bed.
Before the death of Li Hui and Zhao Yun, the situation was basically the same. Whenever climate change occurred, his body could not bear it.
Therefore, the Prime Minister has to worry about the current situation.
Today, there are constant exchanges of messengers between Hanzhong and Guanzhong, and the density is almost as high as when the war in Guanzhong was at its peak.
The court has even begun to discuss the matters behind the Prime Minister's death, so if you want to hide this matter from Wu Envoy, you will definitely not be able to hide it.
Even if I can hide it for a while, I can't hide it for long.
It is better to tell the other party directly to show honesty.
Qin Bo knew very well that Zhuge Kongming was entrusted with an orphan, continued to prosper, assisted Ji Han, made extraordinary achievements, and had an unshakable position in Ji Han.
Now that he was seriously ill while leading his troops outside, even the people in Hanzhong at the rear were in unrest.
Not to mention the troops on the front line in Guanzhong, I'm afraid the morale of the troops is even worse.
Therefore, it is probably impossible for Han to contain Wei in the west.
As soon as he thought of this, Qin Bo couldn't help but have a sad look on his face, and he sighed endlessly.
I don’t know whether he was lamenting the illness of Prime Minister Zhuge, or the frustration of his own emperor’s plans.
After coming out of Emperor Ji Han's palace and returning to the post house, Qin Bo did not dare to neglect at all and immediately sent a messenger to the State of Wu to report this important news.
What Qin Bo didn't know was that the messenger he sent had just set off, but the servant She Li Fu sent by the emperor of the Han Dynasty was already walking on Ziwu Road.
Among all the roads from Hanzhong to Guanzhong, the Ziwu Road is the most difficult, but it is the closest to Chang'an.
In order to reach Chang'an as soon as possible, Li Fu did not hesitate to take this most difficult road.
The terrain of Ziwu Valley is dangerous and rugged. People are not allowed to ride horses but can only walk.
And there was a section where there was no water source, or in other words, there was not enough water source for the army.
Even in spring, when the winter snow melts, there are only a few small springs popping up in the mountains occasionally.
But for Li Fu, since the number of people in the team is not too large, these small springs are enough.
Even so, Li Fu and others also walked away in a bit of embarrassment, having to change their wide robes and wide-sleeved attire into tight-fitting everyday clothes with narrow sleeves.
When Li Fu and his party came out of the valley, someone was already waiting at the entrance of the valley:
"The last general, Guan Suo, was ordered by General Zhengxi to come here to greet the angel."
Li Fu hadn't thought about who Guan Suo was at first, but when he heard about General Zhengxi, he immediately reacted:
"It turns out to be General Guan Huwei under General Zhengxi, disrespectful and disrespectful!"
Seeing the stern and handsome young general in front of him again, Li Fu couldn't help but admired again:
"Everyone knows that General Zhengxi has a good understanding of people, and his subordinates are all talented people. They are sincere and will not deceive me!"
The unsmiling General Guan showed a rare smile when he heard this:
"Angel is a reward. Angel has come a long way and has to cross a dangerous road. He must be tired. The general has arranged food and lodging. Angel please."
Li Fu waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, General Guan, please wait for me some hot food and soup. After I finish eating, I have to go see the Prime Minister immediately."
Li Fu is not young anymore, and his face is full of exhaustion during this journey.
It's just that he was ordered by the emperor to see the prime minister as soon as possible on this trip, but he was not willing to delay for a moment.
Guan Suo saw that he insisted on this, so he had to have the soup prepared in advance served.
Li Fu couldn't care less about the etiquette wolf at this time, but seeing him wolfing down the food, he couldn't wait to ask Guan Suo to lead the way to Chang'an City.
As soon as he arrived in Chang'an City, Li Fu felt a sense of strictness.
Guards at the Chang'an City Gate were lined up in bright uniforms, and checkpoints were placed in many places on the wide streets.
Li Fu couldn't help but asked Guan Suo:
"General Guan, could something have happened to Chang'an City? I see that there are not many pedestrians in such a big city?"
Guan Suo knew what he meant and replied in a low voice:
"The angel will know when he sees the Prime Minister."
Is it really because of the Prime Minister?
Li Fu came all the way with a lot of worries in his heart. Now that he heard Guan Suo's words, he couldn't help but feel even more worried.
Following Guan Suo to the government office, he saw someone standing in front of the gate from a distance.
When they got closer, the man standing at the front saluted:
"Feng Yong meets the angel."
"General Zhengxi doesn't need to be polite."
Feng Yong stood up, stretched out his hand and said:
"Angel please, the Prime Minister has been waiting for the angel for a long time."
Li Fu was not too polite and walked in immediately.
Before meeting the prime minister, Li Fu first took a bath and cleaned himself, put on his luxurious clothes, and then entered the prime minister's bedroom and came to the bedside.
Most of the Prime Minister's body was hidden under the quilt, but the two arms pressing on the quilt were like withered wax, and the joints of the fingers were exposed.
His face was pale and thin, and his eye sockets were sunken deeply. Only those eyes still had some light.
Seeing Li Fu's arrival, the Prime Minister opened his mouth, made a few hoo-ho sounds, and then spoke:
"Sun De is here? But His Majesty sent you here?"
Seeing the prime minister's appearance, Li Fu felt heavy in his heart. He approached him, only to scare the seriously ill prime minister, and whispered:
"Returning to the Prime Minister, it is true that the emperor sent me to announce the decree."
"Declaration? Okay, make it clear, and help me up..."
Li Fu quickly stretched out his hand and pressed down, stopping him and saying:
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter! The emperor has said it himself: The late emperor ordered me to serve as prime minister like my father. Now that my father is seriously ill, I can't come to the bedside to serve the soup and medicine. I already feel guilty."
"I am sending an envoy to Chang'an to visit my father-in-law and declare that everything must be kept simple."
Having said this, Li Fu paused and continued:
"The Emperor has specifically told us that when we see the Prime Minister, no matter whether he is sitting or lying down, we are not allowed to get up. We can only declare the decree."
After hearing this, the Prime Minister showed a look of joy, relief and sadness on his face, with tears shining in his eyes:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I, I am so ashamed! The late emperor asked me to bring the thieves back to life, but I was ineffective. Your Majesty did not punish me, but instead treated me with great courtesy. I am shameless!"
Feng Yong, who was standing behind Li Fu, clenched his teeth, turned his head, and sniffed hard, trying to suck back the sourness in his eyes.
Li Fu comforted the prime minister with some warm words, and then he unfolded the imperial edict and began to read it out.
In fact, there was nothing much to say. What he said inside was nothing more than that Adou wanted his father-in-law to rest in peace and recuperate, and expressed his deep concern.
At the same time, he did not forget to flatter the prime minister, and only said that the prime minister "loves the six divisions, fights every year, has impressive martial arts, and dominates the eight wastelands. He will make great achievements in Jihan and participate in the great achievements of Yi and Zhou." "
After the announcement, Li Fu served the decoction on behalf of the emperor.
After everyone had gone out, Li Fu sat down in front of the prime minister's couch and asked:
"On the emperor's order, I came to the army to express my greetings and to consult on the country's major plans. The prime minister has been away from home for a year, and all matters in the court are now handled by the emperor himself."
"The emperor is worried about omissions. May I ask if there are people in the court who are qualified for state affairs?"
A smile appeared on the Prime Minister's face:
"In my official list, I once said that Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun and others were removed by the late Emperor and left to Your Majesty. All matters in the palace are no matter how big or small. As long as they are consulted, there will be no problem. Why ask more questions? "
"Things outside the palace are handled by the Chancellor's Desk. Jiang Gongyan's utensils are a tribute to the king's career. The Duke is sharp-witted and quick in politics. There are two of you in the Chancellor's Desk, so I have nothing to worry about."
Hearing this, Li Fu nodded, and then asked:
"The army has just settled in Guanzhong, but people's hearts are afraid that it is not stable. According to the Prime Minister's opinion, can Chang'an be defended?"
Although he did not fully explain it clearly, the prime minister knew that Li Fu was asking whether if he really died, would it cause moral turmoil in the army and make it impossible to defend Guanzhong.
Li Fu thought that the Prime Minister had already prepared for this problem.
Unexpectedly, the Prime Minister closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
This made Li Fu's heart suddenly lift.
Seeing that the Prime Minister remained silent, Li Fu couldn't help but asked tentatively:
"Prime Minister, I think Feng Ming is both civilized and military, and has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats. Can he lead the troops to defend Guanzhong?"
The Prime Minister finally opened his eyes and sighed:
"If we only talk about guarding Guanzhong, Feng Mingwen is enough!"
Li Fu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good."
When the prime minister heard what Li Fu said, he moved his lips, but in the end he said nothing.
The troops inside and outside the palace were all prepared, and Li Fu finally let go of his worries.
He said some more words to the Prime Minister, and then saw that the Prime Minister was already in a daze. Knowing that the Prime Minister was exhausted, he hurriedly left.
The emperor of Hanzhong was still waiting anxiously for news about him. Li Fu only rested in Chang'an for one day and immediately returned to Hanzhong.
Unexpectedly, he just walked into Ziwu Valley and suddenly slapped his thigh:
"Oops! I forgot something big!"
After saying that, he immediately turned around, got on his horse and ran all the way back to Chang'an City before leaving the valley mouth.
When the prime minister learned that Li Fu had left and returned, he smiled and said:
"I know your purpose of coming, and what I said the day before yesterday was incomplete, so I'm here to tell you more."
Having said this, he sighed deeply, "As for you, I have been undecided these days."
Li Fu bowed deeply:
"By the order of the Emperor, I asked the Prime Minister who would be responsible for important matters a hundred years from now. I was in a hurry and failed to consult him, so I came back."
