Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1450: First th Chapter Wishes
The next morning, Yuan Xi took Da Qiao to visit Huang Zhong who was recuperating in Shouchun.

Originally, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan followed Zhao Yun to attack Cao's army, but one year ago, Huang Zhong caught a cold and became bedridden. After the doctor treated him, he said that Huang Zhong was old and should have taken care of his health to prolong his life, but he had been active on the front line in recent years and had been exhausted by the war, so his health was damaged and it would be difficult to recover.

Huang Zhong didn't take it seriously after hearing this. He felt that he had been a general all his life and had wasted most of the first half of his life. It was not until his middle age that he met Yuan Xi and became famous. How could he be willing to quit now?
But after experiencing another battle, his body could no longer support him and he collapsed. He had to stay in bed for three months without recovering. Zhao Yun saw that this was not a solution, so he asked Yuan Xi to send Huang Zhong to the rear to recuperate.

Yuan Xi was still in Jicheng at that time. After hearing the news, considering that Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing and others of the time were all from Jianghuai, and the area centered on Shouchun was also the place with the highest level of medical skills in Jin State, he ordered someone to send Huang Zhong to Shouchun.

Huang Zhong had been recuperating in Shouchun for more than a year. Although his health had improved, his physical condition was not suitable for fighting in the battlefield. Today, when he heard that Yuan Xi was coming to visit him, he hurried out on crutches to greet him.

Yuan Xi got off the carriage and saw the white-haired Huang Zhong wearing a coat, standing in the cold wind like an old pine tree. He hurriedly stepped forward, held Huang Zhong's arm, and walked into the house while saying, "The weather is cold, old general, please take care of yourself."

Huang Zhong smiled and said, "I haven't seen Your Majesty for more than two years. I missed you very much. I am really happy to see Your Majesty here in person today."

Yuan Xi saw that Huang Zhong looked much older, especially his arms which were two times thinner than before. He felt even more uncomfortable and said, "I really shouldn't have let the old general run around so much that he was exhausted. It's my fault."

At this time, the two men walked into the house. Huang Zhong insisted that Yuan Xi sit down first, and then he turned to the seat below, slowly supported himself on the table and knelt upright, then he said: "Zhong had been wasting time in Jiangxia, and thought that he would die there, but fortunately he was appreciated by Your Majesty, and then he was able to show his merits in the battle and show his strengths. Without Your Majesty, there would be no Huang Zhong today."

"As a soldier, I am not afraid of dying on the battlefield, but I am afraid of ending up without success. Now that I have been appointed to an important position and have made great achievements, I am grateful to you. What have you done wrong, Your Majesty?"

Yuan Xi sighed in silence. Judging from Huang Zhong's face, he thought he would not live long. This was seven or eight years earlier than in later generations. It can only be said that the intensity of the war between Jin and Wei in those years was much higher than the war between Shu and Wei in later generations.

Huang Zhong had been with him for less than ten years, and he had fought in dozens of battles, large and small. Such intensive and high-intensity combat was enough to cause Huo Qubing to die young, not to mention Huang Zhong who had already entered his twilight years.

He didn't know what to say for a moment. A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers. But how many generals also died on the road to becoming the emperor of the world?
He looked at Da Qiao beside him, who quickly stepped forward with the imperial edict and seal in her hand and presented it to Huang Zhong. Yuan Xi said, "General, you have fought bravely for the Jin Dynasty over the years and have made outstanding military achievements. You should be granted the title of Hou Jiangjun and Guannei Hou."

"According to the usual practice, one must go to Jicheng to receive the title, but the journey is long and inconvenient, so I personally brought the imperial edict and the title."

Huang Zhong straightened his face, took it solemnly with both hands, and bowed to Yuan Xi, saying: "It is the greatest blessing in my life to meet Your Majesty. I have no regrets in this life."

Yuan Xi felt even more uncomfortable when he saw that Huang Zhong's hands, which were exposed from his sleeves, were skinny. The last time he saw Huang Zhong in the army, he could still pull a three-stone bow, and his arms were much stronger than those of ordinary soldiers. He didn't expect that after a serious illness, he would age so quickly.

He stood up and helped Huang Zhong up, saying in a deep voice: "It is my great fortune to meet you, old general."

A few days later, when Yuan Xi was about to leave for Nanchang, he heard the news that Huang Zhong had passed away. After hearing the news, he took Da Qiao and Bu Lianshi on a carriage and rushed to Huang Zhong's mansion to personally hold the funeral.

In the car, he felt heavy-hearted and said to Da Qiao, "I killed him."

"If I hadn't granted him a title of nobility and reward, he might have still had the determination to return to the battlefield. But I directly dispelled his thoughts, so he felt that there was nothing to be nostalgic about."

Da Qiao said softly, "Your Majesty, this is not your fault. General Huang has simply reached the end of his life."

"Military warfare is extremely life-threatening. The fact that the old general can fight on the battlefield like this shows that he is much stronger than most generals in the world."

"In fact, Your Majesty should know that after seeing so many things like this, everyone in Jin State, including the Queen and I, does not want Your Majesty to lead the army too frequently."

"Your Majesty's health is related to the people, and your Majesty's safety is related to the harem. Every time I hear that Your Majesty has gone to the battlefield, I don't know how worried I am."

"If there is another war in Hannan this time, I will be busy day and night. I wish I could go with Madam Bu to follow His Majesty."

Yuan Xi sighed: "I know I made you worried."

"But Yuan Qian has just been crowned king, and the situation in Shouchun is not stable yet. I still need you to take charge of the situation for a while until I return from Nanchang."

Seeing Da Qiao's worried expression, Yuan Xi comforted her, "The chances of a fight breaking out in Hannan are very low, so just relax."

After burying Huang Zhong, Yuan Xi immediately set out and led the fleet south to Nanchang. By then, winter had already arrived, with snowflakes floating across the sky from time to time. The cold north wind blew the sails inflated, pushing the ships through the cold river water, cutting through the waves and heading south.

Although a charcoal stove was lit in the cabin, it still couldn't stop the cold wind from seeping in through the gaps. Master Bu Lian took some linen thread scraps to block the gaps, but after blocking here and there, there were always some places that were not tight enough, which made her quite discouraged.

She said depressedly: "When I followed His Majesty a few years ago, this boat was still very new, but the boat has been put away for a few years, and the doors and windows have become a little deformed, and it can't be blocked at all."

"Didn't your majesty ask the Ministry of Works to repair it?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I haven't made any winter tours in the past few years. Although some officials have suggested it, I didn't allocate funds to save money." "This time, I heard that there was something unusual happening in Hannan State, so I decided to go south on a whim. It's fine as long as it can be used. Renovating it will cost a lot of money, which is just a waste."

Master Bu Lian finally stuffed the last gap with the cloth, then clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "It will last for a few days, enough to get to Nanchang."

"The letter said that General Guan had arrived the day before yesterday and was waiting for your Majesty's itinerary."

"I didn't expect that Hannan would send such an important person here. Are they preparing for peace talks?"

Yuan Xi took the letter sent by Hannan Kingdom, read it over and over again, and said, "It shouldn't be."

"Anyone can negotiate, but Guan Yu won't do that."

"So this time, Hannan Kingdom still wants to delay time."

Master Bu Lian asked in confusion: "What's the point of stalling for time?"

"Could it be possible that Hannan will be able to annex Wei and become equal to Jin?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "There are quite a few people who think so over there."

"By the way, they are called Ji Han now, not Hannan."

Bu Lianshi said: I heard that Your Majesty helped General Guan a lot. Will he become more polite?

Yuan Xi shook his head and said, "When Liu Chan became emperor, he wanted to appoint a queen, and the one he wanted to marry was Guan Yu's daughter."

"So Guan Yu's current position is definitely not to stand on the side of Jin State."

After hearing this, Master Bu Lian said, "Then doesn't that mean the Zhang girl has a chance?"

"I think Mrs. Da Qiao's son is a good match."

Yuan Xi couldn't help laughing out loud, "The age difference between the two is quite big. If the age is right, Yang Xun's daughter would be better."

Bu Lianshi asked curiously, "Your Majesty, are you talking about the man who married Madam Cai's sister?"

Yuan Xi nodded and thought that Cai Zhenji gave birth to a daughter last year, so it should be Yang Huiyu. In this era, the Sima family has no hope, so it is better to leave the child to his own child.

He suddenly thought of Sima Yi. The other side had been guarding Hanzhong for two years, seemingly doing nothing, and did not take the initiative to attack. He did not even participate in the previous Battle of Yiling. Did Sima Yi anticipate the death of Cao Zhen in this battle?
I heard that Cao Pi trusted Sima Yi quite a bit. At Sima Yi's age, he should not have had any intention of rebelling. I wonder if his thoughts would change as the Wei Kingdom was about to be destroyed?

At the same time, Sima Yi, who was far away in Hanzhong, brought hundreds of personal guards to the mountain road about a hundred miles north of Hanzhong to personally investigate the road built by the Jin army.

At this time, the Jin army retreated to Wuzhangyuan to spend the winter because winter was approaching. As a result, there was no one guarding the hundreds of miles of mountain roads. Only some spies were stationed. When they saw the Wei army coming, they retreated to report the news.

Sima Yi was afraid that there might be an ambush in the mountains, so he hurried over to investigate. After he arrived at the place and took a look, he completely understood why it took the Jin army nearly three years, with the help of a large amount of equipment, to build a 300-mile mountain road.

It turns out that most of the roads were not built on the mountain paths between the mountains, but were carved out from the side of the hillside all the way!

Sima Yi originally did not think that the Jin army's road construction was much of a threat, because Yizhou rained a lot, and no matter how flat and solid the road was, the foundation would gradually collapse under the constant erosion of rain.

In this way, even if the road can be used, the marching speed will be greatly reduced. Sima Yi estimated that as long as he defended Hanzhong for five years, most of the roads built by the Jin army would be destroyed. At that time, it would be several times more difficult for them to go to Chengdu.

However, it now seems that the Jin army actually dug deeper and wider from the middle of the mountain slope, and paved the road all the way. Such a road has the mountain above to block the rain, and the terrain halfway up the mountain and the water diversion channel prevents rainwater from accumulating and damaging the foundation. It can be said that the consideration is extremely thoughtful.

Sima Yi took the spear from the soldier and thrust it down with all his strength, but he could only leave a white mark on the topmost clay road surface. Although the ground was hard due to the cold winter, the road was indeed built solidly and there would be no problem even if it was not repaired for fifty years, let alone five years.

He thought to himself that it was no wonder that the other side did not leave a large force to guard the road. Destroying such a road in winter would be more difficult than repairing it.

Sima Yi sighed and thought that he should make plans early. Once the Jin army arrived next year, Hanzhong would be unstoppable.

(End of this chapter)