Under the scorching sun, Cai Hao followed Liu Zhang with his head bent and nodding, sweating profusely but not even noticing...
"Uncle, you don't know that when you were in Yizhou, I felt that Jingzhou should give way to you. Why? It is the unshirkable responsibility of every Han Dynasty citizen to defeat the unworthy ministers. What's more, Liu Biao is also the Han Emperor's uncle.
, Such behavior really chills our hearts. Comparing me with you, uncle emperor, is like a bug compared to a dragon.
When you were in Jiangling, I felt that you were the real lord of Jingzhou, and I had long planned to submit to heaven, but Liu Biao and Xu Shu wouldn't let you go. I was so anxious, tut tut... Especially that old guy Sima Hui, I couldn't help but
He tried to persuade Liu Biao, saying that Xu Shu is so powerful that he can fight against you, the emperor's uncle. It's just a fantasy.
What's going on now, are you dead? You're not overestimating your abilities.
Uncle Emperor, don't blame me, Cai Mao, for being outspoken. During the Baichuan period, I knew the Emperor's power, so I retreated. During the Xiangyang period, I refused to send troops to Xu Shu, and was extremely loyal to the Emperor's uncle. Now that the Emperor's uncle is in Xiangyang in person, I will never do it again.
I can't bear it any longer. Even if I bear eternal infamy and be spurned by millions of ignorant people, I will leave Xiangyang in the hands of a truly benevolent master. History will prove that I, Cai Mao, am right."
Liu Zhang listened to Cai Mao's words with enjoyment, nodded repeatedly, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and praised: "General Cai is really a loyal man. But I have two questions: how did Chen Sheng escape?
Isn't the commander-in-chief of the Jingzhou navy General Cai? How could Zhang Yun be allowed to take away all the navy?"
"Oops." Cai Mao suddenly clapped his hands and said with a face full of grief and anger: "You are so angry when you talk about this. That Chen Sheng was so brave. He cut off the arm of the emperor's favorite general on Caisang Slope. He should have been crushed to pieces. I should have been ashes."
I wanted to kill everyone in his family, but I just thought that I would let the emperor's uncle do the execution himself. Moreover, I, Cai Mao, was not being kind, so I locked him up.
But who would have thought that when I was busy welcoming the emperor's uncle, Chen Sheng's remnants of Wohu Mountain kidnapped him, and Zhang Yun took advantage of the chaos and abducted the navy in the city. It was really annoying.
Don't worry, the emperor uncle. We, the Cai family, will give our full support to the emperor's uncle. It is our duty to hold the official examinations in the four civil servants and the land decree. Given time, we will definitely wipe out the two thieves Chen Sheng and Zhang Yun. I, Cai Mao, am willing to be the pioneer of the emperor's uncle. This time, we, the Cai family, will protect the emperor's uncle.
There are seventeen warehouses of weapons, eight warehouses of grain, and a warehouse of money..."
Liu Zhang listened absently to Cai Mao's expression of loyalty when he suddenly saw an archway in front of him with more than a dozen corpses hanging on it.
Uncle General, I, Cai Mao, simply want to bury their skin, eat their flesh, and peel their bones. These are the corpses of Xu Shu’s family. Does the emperor want to whip the corpses or cut them into pieces? I, Cai Mao, can help."
Li Yan looked at the corpse hanging on the archway. In just two days, the corpse had stinked under the scorching sun, and his face was blurred. Thinking of the past with Xu Shu, he couldn't help but feel sad, and said to Liu Zhang: "My lord, Li Yanneng
Do you want to bury Xu Shu’s family?”
Liu Zhang looked at the dead bodies, took a breath, and said in a deep voice: "That's right."
"Thank you, Lord." Li Yan turned around and took two steps, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and said: "My Lord, Li Yan please kill the Sima family in Xiangyang."
Thinking of Xu Shu's always sad face, Li Yan couldn't help but feel hatred. Sima Hui had said that he would protect Xu Shu's family, but now Xu Shu's family was exposed to death here. Sima Hui had never done anything for him.
Xu Shu fell in love once, and now Sima Hui also ran away.
Sima Hui left, but the Sima family did not leave*. Li Yan wished that all the Sima family members would be captured and killed.
All the generals looked at Liu Zhang, especially Cai Mao. Although he still had a flattering smile on his face, his eyes were fixed.
Liu Zhang exhaled and said slowly: "Bury Xu Shu's family first."
Li Yan looked disappointed and agreed to leave.
"This Xu Shu has repeatedly opposed the emperor's uncle. If it weren't for him, the emperor's uncle would have gone to Xiangyang long ago. Why would he still bury his family?" Cai Mao asked tentatively.
Cai Mao was right this time. If it weren't for Xu Shu, the Sichuan army would have entered Xiangyang long ago. Liu Zhang smiled and said: "With so many corpses placed here, isn't General Cai afraid of contracting diseases? This can greatly affect the appearance of the city. Since it is you
If you do this, I will fine you one hundred taels of gold."
"City...city appearance." Cai Hao didn't react yet, gritted his teeth and said, "Yes." One hundred taels of gold was not a small amount, and Cai Hao secretly resented that Liu Zhang was really open-minded.
"Didn't you say that my old brother is sick? Take me to see him."
"This... this..." Cai Mao was in a dilemma. Liu Biao was not sick at all. Wasn't he just lying to Liu Zhang? If he went to see him, wouldn't the secret be revealed?
…………
Cai Hao followed Liu Zhang nervously, only to feel that Liu Zhang, who was walking in front of him, was covered in murderous intent, wrapping himself up, and making his heart beat with every step he took.
The two maids stood outside the bead curtain and bowed. Liu Zhang opened the curtain and walked in. Cai Mao's heart was raised in his throat.
The room was full of the smell of medicine residue. An open medicine jar was lying on the ground, and a half-empty medicine bowl was placed on the coffee table. Liu Biao was dying on the bed, his face was sallow, and his breathing was heavy and slow. It looked like he was about to die.
He died soon.
Mrs. Cai sat beside the bed and gently beat Liu Biao's back. Her eyes were red, as if she had just cried.
Liu Zhang frowned, and Cai Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his own sister with admiration. He only felt that his sister was really thorough in handling things and could anticipate the enemy's opportunities.
Liu Zhang called the military doctor Aguda to look at Liu Biao and shook his head, meaning that it was indeed a serious illness and he could not cure it.
"The canthus muscles are related to the five internal organs, and the tongue coating indicates the six internal organs. The internal organs of Liu Biao seem to be infected. The life should be fine, but it is difficult to cure."
After Aguda finished speaking, he went out. Liu Zhang looked at Liu Biao on the hospital bed and waved to his entourage. Cai Hao and others all retreated.
"Madam, please go down first. Brother Jing Sheng and I have something to say," Liu Zhang said to Cai.
Ms. Cai bowed, said nothing, and left the room. Only one person was left guarding the room.
Liu Zhang sat down where Cai had been, looked at Liu Biao whose eyes were cloudy, and said calmly: "Brother, we meet again. Do you still remember the conversation on the Baichuan tea table?"
Liu Biao waved his hand feebly and said in a long voice: "Brother Xian, you win."
Liu Biao's eyes looked at the gray-white tent roof, as if he had returned to that day in Baichuan. He was filled with anger at losing his land and only regretted the loss of his son, but he did not dare to truly confront Liu Zhang in his heart.
After talking on the tea table, he laughed, as if he could still hear it now. However, he could still ride a horse at the beginning, but now he only breathed his last breath, as if he had passed away.
"Brother, what are your plans for the future?" Liu Zhang asked.
Liu Biao smiled bitterly: "What plans can I have? Isn't my life in the hands of my dear brother? Now that I am seriously ill and there is not much time left, I can do whatever I want to do with my dear brother. In fact, I would like to ask
, my dear brother, what are your plans?"
Liu Biao sighed as he spoke. When people are sick, it is easier to fall into memories. Liu Biao seemed to recall the scene when he rode into Jingzhou, gathered some aristocratic families, and conquered clan traitors from all over the country. How high-spirited he was.
Now that I think about it, that time was the happiest.
In the following years, Jingzhou was prosperous and peaceful. I sat and watched the chaos in the northern part of the Central Plains and Jiangdong. I recited poems and composed poems in the pastor's house every day, and admired the flowers and moonlight. Now I can't even remember it at all, as if the memory of these years has disappeared.
generally.
After all, I still prefer the battlefield, but aging and comfort have corrupted everything.
But now it was too late to regret it, and Liu Zhang was still in his prime. Liu Biao wanted to hear about Liu Zhang's future path, and perhaps the road ahead of Liu Zhang was the path he had always longed to take, but had not dared to take.
"I have no plans. Just as I told my brothers in Baichuan, it has never changed and it will not change in the future."
Liu Biao's vision was blurred in the hospital bed, but Bai Chuan and Liu Zhang's firm expressions clearly came to mind.
"But let me tell you, no matter what the reason is for me to attack Jingzhou, I will definitely save the emperor, and I will definitely rebuild the Han Dynasty, a brand new Han Dynasty... So what? My hegemony is tied to the prosperity of the Han Dynasty.
, my hegemony is the hegemony of the Han Dynasty...Liu Biao, you are one of the most powerful princes in the world, but also the most useless prince. Do you think you are worthy of occupying the land of Jingzhou?..."
Liu Zhang's words were still clear in Liu Biao's ears. Liu Biao smiled sadly and said with great effort: "Brother Xian, although you won, it doesn't mean you really won. You won me, but you may not win the princes in the world.
Look at the land you have walked along. Jingnan has been turned into ruins. The people of the two rivers are in dire straits. Ancient Xiangyang no longer exists. Before you enter Xiangyang, nearly 100,000 Xiangyang people have fled. If you continue like this, there will be no more
How far can we go?"
Liu Biao let out a long breath and said slowly: "Brother, I hate you deeply. My foundation in Jingzhou was destroyed by your hands, and your eldest son Liu Qi was also forced to death tragically. You and I are sworn in, but you and I are both.
If the virtuous brother of a descendant of the Han Dynasty can help the Han Dynasty, he will feel happy for his brother. He can even put aside the hatred of losing his son and offer his land to surrender. After all, they are of the same ancestry, and they should support each other in the autumn of the Han Dynasty's peril.
I have grown old because of my brother, and my wise brother has great wisdom and strategy, and I am willing to use your hands to carry out my life ambitions. But my dear brother, look what you have done? You put down the civil strife, went to Hanzhong, left Jingnan, and crossed two rivers.
What a hero, can't you see that the family is the backbone of our great Han Dynasty? Our Han Dynasty has lasted for four hundred years and has gone through great chaos, especially when Wang Mang usurped power. How could we not rely on the family to reorganize the country?
As long as the clan is here, no matter how much trouble those unruly people make, they are nothing more than clowns. The clan has absolute power and puts loyalty first, so it can easily suppress them. This was the case with the red eyebrows and green forest back then, and it was the same with the yellow turbans yesterday. Our national policy is the Han Dynasty
, the lifeblood of the family and the country are tied together, the two have common interests, and they are in harmony.
But what are you doing now, dear brother?” (To be continued.