Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 162 156. Zhang Fei Returns to Sichuan
The Han army rested in Xiangyang for a day and then moved according to the previous strategy. Zhao Rong and Xiang Chong led more than 20,000 Han troops to guard Xiangyang.

Fancheng on the other side of the river has been reduced to ruins because of the fire and explosion the day before. If it wants to play the role of a bridgehead or roadblock it once was, it will probably take a long time to repair it.

Of course, neither the Wei army nor the Han army would give the other side the time and opportunity to do this, so the abandoned Fancheng was like a no-man's land buffer zone, giving both sides room to breathe.

A dozen days ago, Jiaozhou.

Under the attack of Zhang Fei and his son, Yulin and Cangwu counties were firmly controlled by the Han army. Sun Quan's control over Jiaozhou was not too strict, and now Sun Quan has withdrawn all his troops back to Yangzhou. Even if the whole Jiaozhou was tied together, it would not be enough for Zhang Fei and his son to fight.

However, Jiaozhou was too large, and the weather was extremely hot and the climate was humid, which made it difficult for many soldiers to adapt, so the advancement was not that fast.

"Father, a messenger from Shu has come to deliver a letter."

In the city of Yulin County, Zhang Bao pushed the door open with a serious face and reported to his father.

Zhang Fei was lying on a hard rattan recliner, taking a nap in the sun. Mr. Zhang, who was already dark-skinned, had become even darker, but a normal person couldn't tell.

"Someone from Shu? Bring him here quickly."

Zhang Fei immediately sat up, straightened his clothes and followed Zhang Bao into the main hall. The envoy in a cloth robe was obviously not used to the humid and hot weather in the south, and at this moment he couldn't help but fan himself gently, hoping to reduce the heat in the air.

"Meet the three generals."

When the visitor heard the footsteps of Zhang Fei and his son coming in, he quickly turned around and greeted them.

"No need to be polite. You came here from Shuzhong, so I guess you have something important to tell me, Zhang? Is it my elder brother or the Prime Minister who wants to tell me something?"

Zhang Fei walked straight to his seat and asked the person who came. This kind of thing was not uncommon. In the past few decades, his elder brother and Zhuge Military Advisor often sent people to remind him of some details, so Zhang Fei was not surprised and just thought it was the same as before.

"Yes, Third General, it was His Majesty who sent a message to you personally. His Majesty said that he has been feeling uneasy recently, and he missed you more than a quarter after they parted in Chengdu. He hopes you can return to Yong'an City as soon as possible to have a chat."

The messenger bowed and repeated Liu Bei's words, which made Zhang Fei stunned for a moment.

Zhang Fei knew that his elder brother would not do something without a purpose. He also knew that he was currently managing the affairs of Jiaozhou and was busy with important matters, so he would not do such a thing for no reason.

unless……

Zhang Fei was unwilling to continue thinking about that conclusion. But he knew that birth, aging, illness and death were common to all human beings, and who in the world could live forever?

"Bao'er, I'll leave the Southern Expedition Army to you. I'll bring over a hundred Yanyun cavalrymen back to Yong'an to meet your uncle. You must remember to think carefully before doing anything. Don't be like me when I was young. I would get carried away and fall into other people's traps when I got angry. Do you understand?"

Zhang Fei made a prompt decision to hand over his 30,000-strong army to Zhang Bao for management, not seeking merit but avoiding mistakes. As long as the situation could be stabilized, there would be room for improvement when he or others came back.

Although Zhang Fei also knew that Zhang Bao was most likely to have no rivals in Jiaozhou, he still had to be prepared. This kid was almost the same as himself when he was young: reckless and easily impulsive. If he didn't give him a warning, he would probably go crazy.

"Father, don't worry and go back to Sichuan. I will be careful."

Zhang Bao patted his chest and agreed, but it was unclear how much of his sincerity was in this.

Zhang Fei did not dwell on these matters any further. He immediately summoned more than a hundred veteran soldiers who had fought with him for several years or even decades, and went to Sichuan with the envoy.

It was not difficult to return to Yong'an from Jiaozhou. There were many rivers and tributaries in southern Jing. Therefore, the group used boats and horses and traveled light. In less than ten days, they returned to Yong'an from Jiangling area upstream.

"Brother! Brother! I, Old Zhang, am back!"

Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his voice and walked towards the Yong'an Palace. A eunuch had already led Zhang Fei into the palace.

"...Yide, are you back?"

When Zhang Fei followed the eunuch through the hall and came to the deep end of the palace, he saw Liu Bei lying in bed. Zhang Fei's heart suddenly paused, and he strode over with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, and hurried to Liu Bei's bed.

"Brother...how is your health...? Where is the imperial physician? What does an imperial physician do?!"

Seeing Liu Bei so sick, Zhang Fei held Liu Bei's dry and old hand. The leopard-headed man with round eyes could not help but get so angry that his eyes widened and he shouted at the eunuchs serving in the room, scaring them to kneel down on the spot.

"Yide, don't be so alarmed. I am suffering from a heart disease, and medicine can't cure it. Don't vent your anger on others."

Although Liu Bei was bedridden, he was still somewhat angry. When he saw Zhang Fei scolding the eunuch, he grabbed Zhang Fei with both hands to stop him from continuing to attack the eunuch.

"You guys go down first. I want to talk to Yide alone."

Liu Bei stopped Zhang Fei and gave orders to the other eunuchs in the room, asking them to rush out as if they had been released. The last one to leave was also sensible and closed the door gently.

"Brother...what's wrong with you?"

Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Zhang Fei hurriedly asked his eldest brother. After all, although Liu Bei had enjoyed wealth and glory since entering Sichuan, his health had always been good and he had not neglected exercise. He was considered a healthy old man. How come he suddenly looked like this?

"Alas... Yide. Since the Battle of Yiling, in the past few months, I have often thought back to the days when you, I, and Yunchang, started from Zhuo County and fought together in the south and the north. The oath we made in Taoyuan echoes in my mind almost every night, as if you, me, and Yunchang, the three of us met for the first time just yesterday."

When only Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were left in the room, Liu Bei took off his mask of "Han Emperor", as if his only identity left was Zhang Fei's elder brother.

"Brother, you must rest assured and take good care of your health. The Han Dynasty is just beginning to rise, and we still need you to stay in charge of the central government. Things will definitely get better in the future."

Zhang Fei racked his brains and could only comfort Liu Bei with a few dry words. He already had a guess in his mind. After all, Zhang Fei had seen Liu Bei's symptoms in many elderly people, but he just didn't want to face it.

"Haha, Yide, birth, aging, illness and death are common to all human beings. Why are you acting like this? I'm just feeling sad. Maybe I'm really old. Even if you're like that thief Cao, you can't escape the laws of nature. You'll die when the time comes, right?"

Liu Bei waved his hands, seeming to be quite open-minded, and was frank about "death". "Brother... I don't understand... why... this Eastern Expedition was so smooth, not only did we conquer Jingzhou, but we also avenged my second brother, and all the Wu generals who participated in the war to besiege my second brother were also beheaded, why... why is it like this?"

Even though Zhang Fei had white hair and beard, he still couldn't control his emotions when he was excited. He could no longer hold back his tears, which flowed down drop by drop.

Zhang Fei really didn't understand. His eldest brother's Han Dynasty had clearly experienced the low point when the Eastern Wu crossed the river in white clothes to attack Jingzhou. Now the situation has just improved and is very good again, but why is his eldest brother failing?

"Alas... Yide. Perhaps both me and that thief Cao are outdated. The present era may not belong to old guys like us."

Liu Bei patted Zhang Fei's shoulder gently, as if comforting a child, but his eyes were blurred.

Liu Bei had gone through numerous hardships since he moved to Xuzhou: Lü Bu's rebellion, attacking Yuan Shu, returning to Xuzhou, Cao Cao's invasion, joining Yuan Shao, fleeing south, fighting in Huainan, and finally arriving in Xinye.

Although Liu Bei was defeated every time, both he and the civil and military officials who followed him were trying their best to change their fate. It was not until Kong Ming came out that Liu Bei seemed to have found his backbone and truly joined the chess game of "the world", instead of just drifting with the flow and being a passive chess piece on the chessboard.

After the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Bei realized that he could now compete with Cao Cao, who once was as overwhelming as a mountain.

However, the Battle of Yiling soon gave him a slap in the face.

Feng Xi, Ma Liang and others tried to persuade him, but Liu Bei thought that he had been fighting on the battlefield for almost his entire life, and had also been in cahoots with a treacherous hero like Cao Cao. His political skills were among the best, if not the best in the world.

Liu Bei thought that his elder brother-in-law should be more sensible and give him some face, which was enough. He also needed the energy of Dongwu to contain Cao Wei's Xuzhou and Huainan, so he didn't want to do anything extreme, and he still had to ignite Dongwu to resist Cao Wei.

However, Lu Xun used a big fire to tell Liu Bei, "Old man, stop wishful thinking. We don't care about you and your family."

If Feng Xi had not appeared out of nowhere and prevented this killing calamity, Liu Bei would probably have to use Ji Han's future as tuition to learn this unforgettable lesson.

Even so, Liu Bei is not feeling well now. Old people are usually deeply rooted in the worldview they have established over decades, and the older they get, the harder it is to change.

For example, after the millennium, although electronic payment has been developed, many elderly people still prefer to use cash. It is nothing but path dependence.

"I'm too old to learn" and "What's the point of learning this? I'll be in the coffin soon." These are just excuses. It's more of a fear of rapid change, using stubborn resistance to protect the worldview that has been perfected for decades.

Today's Liu Bei is like an old man who was exposed by Lu Xun that "his ways are no longer effective". He is exhausted, and the sense of gap keeps washing over his heart. He can only start recalling his glorious past to try to fill his empty heart.

However, the matter was done and it was impossible to reverse it. After the window paper was broken, the past glorious years were just a placebo to comfort him, so Liu Bei's body became thinner and thinner.

"Brother... that's wrong! How many people in the world can be like you and revive the Han Dynasty? Even Emperor Guangwu was no better than him. Why did you sink into such depravity?"

Zhang Fei didn't have that kind of experience, so naturally he couldn't empathize. But in Zhang Fei's opinion, his elder brother was already no different from the former Emperor Guangwu, and even Emperor Gaozu might be no more than that.

"Yide is now able to comfort people. It doesn't matter. The merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. I heard that Cao Cao once wrote a poem. 'The tortoise may live long, but it still has its end; the flying snake rides on the mist, but it will eventually turn into dust.' It seems that Cao Cao still has a longer-term vision than me..."

Zhang Fei was speechless for a moment. In the past, when he heard about Guan Yu's death, Zhang Fei was more angry and furious. Now, facing the aging hero Liu Bei, Zhang Fei felt a deep sadness. Perhaps this is also the unique killing power brought by time.

"Come on, Yide, stop looking so sad. Help me up. Let's go walk in the garden together, reminisce about the past, and talk about everything, just like you and I used to do in the past."

Liu Bei patted Zhang Fei, and Zhang Fei finally reacted. He hurriedly and carefully helped Liu Bei up and walked out of the house. The eunuchs who had been waiting outside the door for a long time hurriedly followed the two of them.

Liu Bei had no particular plans, he just wandered aimlessly in the garden, chatting with Zhang Fei from time to time. The two of them walked and stopped, and when they were in the mood, they found a place to sit down. The eunuchs only dared to follow and serve from a distance, and naturally did not dare to come forward.

Everything seemed so peaceful and harmonious, but Zhang Fei knew that the light of his elder brother's love was probably slowly extinguishing.

"Report! Your Majesty, the report of the battle of Grand Commander Feng Xi has arrived."

After a few days of this, a military officer broke the peace.

"Xiu Yuan's battle report? Read it carefully."

Liu Bei was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, and he didn't open his eyes when he heard the military officer's words, but just let the military officer read it to him. After all, Liu Bei didn't have the energy to read it himself.

"Yes, as stated in the Grand Commander's battle report, the Grand Commander personally led the Jingzhou Army and the Eastern Expedition Army of 60,000 to fight against Cao Wei's Grand Commander Cao Ren in the Fancheng area. After more than ten days of fierce fighting, in the end... they won with a strange strategy, captured, killed and wounded more than 40,000 Wei soldiers, and the other Wei generals Xu Shang, Lu Jian, Niu Jin, and Xu Huang all died in this battle."

The military officer considered his wording and reported the news as it was.

Liu Bei had been leaning peacefully on his round pillow, but after the military officer finished reading, he suddenly sat up, opened his eyes, and their eyes were shining.

The Wei army suffered over 40,000 casualties. You should know that the Wei army in the Nanyang area had at most 50,000 to 60,000 regular troops, and the 100,000 this time were all gathered from two regions. With such a huge loss, even the powerful Wei army would be seriously injured.

What's more, Xu Huang actually died in this battle. You should know that Xu Huang was also an old acquaintance of Liu Bei's army. After Guan Yu flooded the seven armies, Xu Huang was lucky to save his life and defeated Guan Yu in the Mian River, buying time for Cao Ren and indirectly helping the Eastern Wu to sneak attack Jingzhou. He was one of the indirect enemies of Guan Yu's death.

"Good, good, good!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed, but he couldn't catch his breath and choked up, and coughed a few times, which startled Zhang Fei.

"Who told you to report to His Majesty privately?"

Zhang Fei was furious. Since he knew about Liu Bei's situation, Zhang Fei was usually present whenever there was something joyful or sad, so as to calm Liu Bei's mind and ease his emotions.

Old Liu naturally knew that his third brother had no bad intentions to undermine him and was just thinking about him.

"Third General... Your humble servant..."

The military officer was so scared that he dared not answer. In the end, Liu Bei waved his hand and let him go.

(End of this chapter)