Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 440: Oath to defeat the thief

In the spring of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an.

Han Palace, Yidian.

In the hall, the female concubines played the harp and the male musicians gently beat the bells and drums. Their sounds were chirping and general, which was the sound of singing and dancing.

With her long sleeves fluttering, her arms stretched out and her waist twisted, the singer is frivolous and has a charming face. The dancing postures are exquisite and all match the sound of the music.

We gather for a thousand hours to drink, and the attendants pour the wine among them; the meat is cooked in a cauldron, and the cook cuts it.

Eight hundred people dance in the court, bells ring and cauldrons eat. The king and his ministers drink together and enjoy the court gifts. This is a feast for the enjoyment of the king and his ministers.

Liu Bei sometimes laughed and chatted with Zhuge Liang, and sometimes held up his wine bottle to drink with his ministers. His expression was mostly joyful!

Looking at the dancing singers in the palace, Liu Bei stroked his short and white beard and asked: "Kong Ming, is this the Dance of the Eight Hundreds?"

Zhuge Liang held a feather fan and said with a smile: "I should ask Mr. Mi about this!"

Mi Zhu put down the wine bottle, cupped his hands and said: "The king has been fighting for thirty years and traveled across the Central Plains. Now that the situation is gradually stabilizing, he can enjoy singing and dancing in peace. Therefore, Zhu boldly benefited the concubines of the two generations and danced for the king."

Liu Bei coughed a few times and said: "Although Cao Cao has usurped the throne in Xuchang, the emperor is still in China. How can I dare to occupy a high position if I am a man of little virtue?"

"Oh?"

"No gift!"

Zhuge Liang stroked his fan and thought for a moment, and seemed to have some words to persuade Liu Bei to proclaim himself emperor.

"Your Majesty, Ma Liang, pays homage to your Majesty!"

After a while, I saw a white-browed scholar, dressed in Confucian clothes and well behaved, entering the palace directly and saluting Liu Bei to say hello.

"Come here, please invite Ma Liang into the palace for questioning!"

Seeing that Liu Bei was about to receive Ma Liang, the attendants looked at her and waved their hands to signal the singers in the palace to stop dancing, asking them and the musicians to step aside, leaving space for the Southern Han monarchs and ministers to discuss matters.

Liu Bei raised his eyebrows and said in surprise: "There has been no battle report from Xiangfan for a long time, so Guzheng wants to send people north. This season, Chang is ordered to return to Beijing, which may solve his worries!"

In the singing and dancing room, the attendant came to the main couch and said: "For your information, Your Majesty, Ma Shizhong has returned from Xiangfan to the capital on the orders of General Zuo and wants to report the war to Your Majesty. He is already waiting outside the palace to obey Your Majesty's instructions."

Hearing this, Mi Zhu smiled and said: "Cao Cao usurped Xuchang, and now the Han Dynasty has lost the world, but Ji Han is the only one to rise. In the world today, except for the great king, who can raise the Han Dynasty?"

Why he refused to proclaim himself emperor was due to Liu Bei's identity and past political speeches.

"promise!"

Seeing everyone in the hall looking over one after another, even the singers and musicians in the hall stopped moving, and it was very quiet.

Today, Cao Cao accepted Liu Xie's abdication in Xuchang, and then made his capital the emperor. As his old rival, how could Liu Bei not have the desire to become emperor?

With that said, Liu Bei motioned to the singers in the palace and said with a smile: "Keep playing music, keep dancing!"

"In my opinion, the king can not only enjoy the Eight-Yuan Dance, but he can even follow the old ways of the ancestors and ascend to the throne of emperor. Then he will establish the Han Dynasty, restore the Central Plains, and return to the old capital."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and smiled, and said: "The songs and dances arranged by Zizhong are very good, but the dance of Ba Yi may be a bit over the top."

Of course, these are not big problems. The big problem is to do psychological work to understand Liu Bei and make him willing to proclaim himself emperor.

At that time, in order to fight against Cao Cao, Liu Bei held high the political slogans of Yidai Edict and Fengtian Jingnan, and set up the slogan of loyalty to Liu Xie. Now that Liu Xie is alive and Liu Bei takes advantage of the situation and proclaims himself emperor, wouldn't that violate the flag he set before?

"otherwise!"

Liu Bei greeted Ma Liang and asked him to sit down, saying, "Ji Chang came from Xiangfan. I wonder how the war will be going on now?"

Ma Liang knelt down on the table and said: "I would like to report to your Majesty, after the Lord defeated Cao Ren in Zhushui, Cao Ren and Niu Jin led the remaining troops to retreat to Fancheng. The Lord took advantage of the victory and advanced, stationing troops on Yuliang Island, besieging Xiangyang in the south and surrounding Xiangyang in the north. Fancheng.”

"Cao Cao sent Yu Jin to lead his army south, and the princes faced off against him several times. However, due to the lack of troops and cavalry, it was difficult for the princes to defeat Yu Jin. Therefore, the outcome of the two sides was not decided, and they faced off in the north and south of Fancheng."

"As for the city of Xiangyang, it is under the command of Lu Chang, the prefect of Zhangling, the thief. The princes have surrounded Xiangyang by land and water, cutting off contact with the rebels in northern Han Dynasty. ..." After speaking, Ma Liang bowed to Liu Bei and said: "Jun The Hou Shao soldiers are short of generals and are trapped in Xiangyang, but they are not enough to be defeated by Jin. Now the king ordered Liang to return to the capital to pay homage to the king, and begged the king to strengthen the troops in Xiangfan and mobilize the fierce soldiers to go north to assist General Zuo in the northern expedition."

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said, "I already know the intentions of Chief Yun and your Majesty. However, I don't know the number of soldiers and horses requested by Chief Yun. Do you have a detailed number?"

"Return to the king!"

Ma Liang cupped his hands and said: "The prince said that there were many cavalry under the ban tent, and the cavalry commanded by Yan Xing was the most elite. The prince wanted a fierce general to be the vanguard, and led the good cavalry to fight against the ban. As for the number of soldiers and horses, the prince said that the number was as few as five thousand. , as many as ten thousand people are enough!"

"good!"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and thought, and said: "It's been a lot of hard work for Ji Chang to travel around. Now I'll retire and rest. General Rong Gudian will mobilize his troops and will go north with you soon."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ma Liang stepped back and slowly left the palace.

After Ma Liang retreated, Liu Bei looked around the generals in the palace and asked: "Today, the war in Xiangfan is urgent. General Zuo has few cavalry and lacks generals. He wants to increase his troops to benefit him. I wonder who is willing to lead the troops north?"

Before Liu Bei finished speaking, he saw a military general coming out from behind the case. He had a resolute face, broad arms, and a tall body. Judging from his physique, he was a rare general.

"Since I surrendered to the king, I have not made any achievements. However, because of the king's favor, I worshiped the general and was granted the title of marquis. Therefore, I have many fears and have wanted to repay the king for a long time!"

Pang De bowed his hands and bowed, and said: "General Zuo is short of major generals now. De is good at bows and horses, and knows the depth of Yan Xing. De is willing to serve as the king's general, capture and kill in Jin and Yan Xing, and offer them to the king's command."

At the end of the Battle of Hanzhong, Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun attacked Liangzhai, during which Huang Zhong captured Pang De. When Liu Bei took the initiative to surrender, Pound surrendered to Liu Bei.

In the past few years, although Pang De had no achievements, Liu Bei treated him well. He was worshiped as General Pingtai and granted the title of Marquis of Guan Nei, so he was criticized by many outsiders. With such remarks, Pang De was eager to make contributions and report Liu Bei's kindness.

Liu Bei looked happy when he saw Pang De asking for a fight. When he was about to agree, he saw Zhuge Liang wink. Due to the cooperation between the emperor and his ministers for many years, Liu Bei remained silent and Zhuge Liang did the talking.

Zhuge Liang pretended to hesitate and said: "Liang didn't doubt the general at first, but the general's old boss Ma Chao and his brother Pang Rou both served under Cao Cao. Given the king's benevolence and trustworthiness, he should not doubt the general. However, Liang was afraid of the guilds of the government and the public. Because of this, rumors are born, which is not good for the general!"

Hearing this, Pang De raised his hem and knelt down with a sincere expression. He raised his hands and said, "I have surrendered to the king since Hanzhong. Every time I am grateful for my kindness, even if my heart and mind are ruined, I can't repay you with kindness."

"The old master, Ma Chao, was brave but not wise, and was driven by profit. Now he has surrendered to Cao Cao and helped Zhou to abuse him. De has severed all ties with him and has nothing to do with him anymore. My brother Pang Rou does not know his master, and De is close to him even though he is a blood relative. , but the king is above, how can he forget his official duties for selfish reasons?"

As he spoke, Pang De kowtowed hard several times until the skin on his forehead was broken and bleeding, and said: "Every time Virtue feels the kindness of the king, how dare he have other thoughts. I invite the troops to fight now to repay the kindness of the king!"

"Why is the general like this?"

I saw that his words were sincere and his friendship was real. Liu Bei hurriedly went down the steps, helped Pang De up, and said: "How can I not know the loyalty of the general? General Gu Zhun went to war and led ten thousand people to the north to support General Guan."

Zhuge Liang left the bed and apologized to Pound, saying: "If your bright words offend the general, please don't blame me!"

"Don't dare!"

Pound replied: "What the military advisor said is human nature. How can you blame Virtue!"

After a pause, Pang De swore an oath to Liu Bei and said: "The King of Han knows people well and trusts his ministers. He has millions of soldiers and is powerful in the world. Cao Cao is a usurper and a treacherous thief. I would rather be a ghost than the King of Han." He is a general of thieves!"

Liu Bei held Pang De's hands and said with emotion: "I know you as a righteous man, but I didn't expect you to be so strong."

"Come here, I have ordered you to go out to war tomorrow. I am here alone to pay homage to the general with a bottle."

"I thank the king for the wine. This battle will defeat the bandit army and capture Yu and Yan to repay the king's kindness."

Pound took the drink, and he was very excited and drank the wine in one gulp.

"color!"

Liu Bei showed admiration and said: "I am alone in Wuhan waiting for the general's victory!"

(End of this chapter)