At the end of the war, Liu Feng and his troops bid farewell to everyone and returned to Shangyong.
The mighty fleet of Liu Chan and others went back to Jiangxi, entered Yizhou via Badong, and separated at the intersection of many tributaries in the northwest of Bajun.
Fan Qiang and Zhang Da led their troops from the north of the Jialing River back to Langzhong.
Liu Chan and others continued westward, heading straight to Chengdu.
As soon as Lao Liu received the last battle report, he ordered people to publicize the great victory in Jingzhou in Yizhou, and even spread the word to Hanzhong, in order to reassure the people and boost the morale of all walks of life.
So the people who had received the news in advance along the way, especially the people in Jiangling who were temporarily settled in Yizhou, rushed to the riverside and cheered when the fleet passed by.
The army won the battle, and they who had left their homes could return home.
Although Fa Zheng ordered people to mobilize food and warm clothing from various sources, and arranged and even built temporary shelters for them, except for some people who died of illness due to acclimatization and other reasons, none of the people in Jiangling who were resettled in Yizhou died of cold and hunger.
Compared with the tragic fate of the Wudu Di people who were moved by Boss Cao, it is really incomparable.
But even if there is no shortage of food and clothing, the foreign country is not as good as home after all, so they are all very excited at this time, and the cold cannot stop their enthusiasm.
Equally excited are the officials from various places. Their own forces have won a great victory. This is a major event related to the future and interests of each of them.
Many officials had ordered their servants to wait by the dock river early, just hoping to meet the prince and generals Guan and Zhang to express their feelings...
However, a few people were eager to return to the city and did not make many stops along the way. This disappointed the officials who wanted to take the opportunity to become familiar with each other.
The big ship carrying Liu Chan, Guan Yu and his son, Zhang Fei, and the prince's troops did not stop for a moment, and the men rowed hard day and night, and finally arrived in Chengdu in the late twelfth lunar month.
At first, the four of them were still drinking and talking, but as they got closer and closer to Chengdu, Guan Yu gradually became taciturn.
When he approached the dock, Guan Yu became completely silent, his brows furrowed from beginning to end.
Liu Chan, Zhang Fei, and Guan Ping all knew that he was in a complicated mood at this time, so they stopped disturbing him and only waited until he saw Liu Bei.
In the cold wind, the pier was crowded with people coming to greet him.
"Welcome the crown prince and the two generals! Congratulations on the great victory in Jingzhou!" People on the dock bowed and shouted with joy on their faces.
Liu Chan and others also returned the greetings with smiles... Of course, Guan Yu still frowned deeply.
"Father! Brother!"
Until a woman's shout came from the crowd.
Guan Yinping separated from the crowd in front of him, rushed over like a gust of wind, threw himself directly at Guan Yu, and threw himself into his arms.
"Father...wuwuwu."
It was only then that Guan Yu's expression changed, his brows relaxed slightly, and he patted his daughter on the shoulder: "Okay, it's okay as a father."
There was a young man who came with him. This man looked to be about the same age as Guan Yinping, and he could also see the shadow of Guan Yu in his appearance.
"Father, brother." He was also very excited at this time, but as a man, he could still restrain himself. "You finally returned safely!"
Guan Yu nodded and patted his shoulder: "An Guo, I will tell you the details about Jingzhou after I have spoken to your uncle about the business."
The young man nodded in agreement, then walked up to Liu Chan and bowed and saluted: "Prince, I haven't seen you for many years. This time my father and brother have returned safely, thanks to the prince's help, I am very grateful."
Then he saluted Zhang Fei again, his manners were generous and thorough.
The boy was Guan Xing, the second son of Guan Yu. This time he was sent back to Yizhou along with Guan Yu's other family members who stayed in Jiangling.
Unlike Liu Chan, who had been wandering around all day long since he was a child, he had been well-behaved and observant of etiquette since he was a child. He studied and practiced martial arts on weekdays, and rarely interfered with the official duties of his father and brother.
So much so that when he was in Jingzhou, he had little contact with Liu Chan.
Previously, Liu Chan went with the caravan to Jingzhou to set up a layout, which coincided with Liu Chan going out to study, but he only met him at this time.
[Guan Xing favorability +20, +20] (60)
[Guan Xing's favorability is 40, military talent +10×2, long soldier talent +8×2, equestrian talent +8×2]
【……】
Guan Yinping then came forward to greet him, his tearful eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, but this was not a good time to talk.
Liu Chan and others who were eager to meet Liu Bei hurried into the city and had to wait until the official business was over before saying goodbye.
…
Liu Bei in Da Sima's mansion seemed to be no different from usual, but his behavior of adjusting his sitting posture from time to time revealed his inner eagerness.
If he hadn't become king now and had to maintain a lot of etiquette in front of outsiders, he would have wanted to go to the dock himself!
"Your Majesty, the crown prince and generals Guan and Zhang have arrived."
"Let them in quickly!"
Later, Liu Chan and Guan Zhang entered the hall together.
As soon as he entered, Guan Yu looked excited and stepped forward quickly.
He only took two steps before he paused. He thought about a lot of things to say when he came. At this moment, looking at his brother who looked much older after six years of separation, he couldn't say a word.
Liu Bei couldn't hold back his poker face anymore. He stood up suddenly and walked quickly to Guan Yu. He was also speechless for a moment.
As he got closer, the wrinkles on his face and the white hair on his head became more obvious.
Guan Yu gradually looked ashamed, and with a pop he knelt down on one knee, clasping his fists and saying: "Brother... Yu failed in the Northern Expedition this time, and almost lost Jingzhou. I have betrayed my brother's great trust. Now... I'm here to apologize!"
Liu Bei grabbed Guan Yu's arms with both hands, pulled him up, and looked him up and down. Only when he saw that he was unharmed and unharmed did he feel relieved: "It's good to come back safely, it's good to come back safely..."
"If Zifang hadn't sacrificed his life to surrender this time and Adou had come to his aid in time... Even if Yu was shattered to pieces, I'm afraid he still wouldn't be able to protect Jingzhou." Seeing that Liu Bei didn't blame him, Guan Yu felt even more guilty in his heart, "Please punish me, brother."
Liu Bei grabbed Guan Yu's arms tightly and suddenly shouted angrily: "Who wants to kill you to pieces?"
This angry shout shocked Guan Yu, but he was speechless for a moment.
"Victory or defeat is a matter of military strategists. If you lose Jingzhou, you will lose it, and you will have to fight back. If you lose, you will seek death. I have died many times!" It took me half a life of hard work to build the foundation and half of the territory. It seemed so light in Liu Bei's mouth.
"If nothing can be done in Jingzhou, you should try your best to protect yourself and return to Yizhou. How can you be determined to die just because of a temporary defeat?!"
Liu Bei finished speaking in one breath. At this time, the anger on his face gradually disappeared. Looking at Guan Yu's face that was no longer young, he tremblingly said: "If I value the land of a mere state more than the life of my brother, even if it is thousands of miles away in the future, Country, why is it valuable?"
Guan Yu's lips were trembling and his eyes were filled with tears: "Brother..."
Liu Bei stepped forward and hugged his old brother who had followed him for many years and fought in both the north and south. He could no longer hold back: "Yun Chang, it's good to come back. It's good to come back!"
The two people, who could talk and laugh even in the face of life and death, actually cried while holding each other's hands.
Zhang Fei on the side recalled the time when he lost Xuzhou, and was moved in his heart, so he stepped forward and hugged the two of them.
The three people who had not been together for six years finally reunited in Chengdu.
Liu Chan smiled and looked at the three old men who showed their true feelings without caring about the etiquette of monarchs and ministers, without many suspicions and calculations, and his nose was sore.
I can't help but think of the song from my previous life: "This bow, I am loyal and courageous, and we will stick together in adversity and vow never to be separated. This bow, I will not change my life and death, the heaven and earth, the sun and the moon strengthen my feelings..."
The reality is not so romantic, and the three of them did not become sworn brothers in Taoyuan.
Zhang Fei followed Liu Bei when he was young, and Guan Yu, who later fled to Zhuo County, was also inspired by Liu Bei's ambition and follows him to this day.
The three of them were not as close as brothers as soon as they met. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu even fought a lot at first.
They gradually built up a deep relationship while fighting on the cruel battlefield.
Although they are not sworn brothers, they are still brothers and sisters, and they are as kind as father and son.
There are very few people in the world who can treat unrelated people with other surnames as members of their own clan and avenge their brothers with an army that will destroy the country.
It is also rare in the world to be able to abandon high-ranking officials, generous salaries, and courteous treatment of beautiful women to find a poor brother living under the fence of others.
While being moved, Liu Chan also felt a surge of pride in his heart.
What worries me most is the theory of destiny.
I worry that no matter how hard we try, history will always return to its original trajectory for various reasons.
But it seems that is not the case now. Destiny can be changed and days can be reversed.
In this case, after thousands of years, this world might as well be made bigger!
(End of chapter)
