Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 169. Liu Bei Dies

Liu Bei was now afraid that because of his own sense of entitlement, he would once again ruin the good situation that the Han Dynasty had finally fought back after its ups and downs.

Zhuge Liang carefully savored the meaning of Liu Bei's words and felt the same way as Liu Bei's good intentions.

"After that, I will let some generals return to Sichuan, and at the same time withdraw most of the Eastern Expedition troops back to Sichuan to ensure that there are sufficient soldiers and officers in Shu. An Guo and Xing Guo have grown a lot after this Eastern Expedition. Even if they can't stand alone, they are more than enough to be the vanguard generals.

"If you have military plans in the future, Kong Ming, you can also use the two nephews and the young talents of our Han Dynasty, such as Bo Gong, De Xin, and Bo Qi. Zilong and Yide are already over fifty years old, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to go to the battlefield frequently in the future. They can only stay in the rear."

As Liu Bei spoke, he sighed, as if lamenting that time was like a knife.

Of course, if Feng Xi heard this, he would definitely sneer. Even Old Liu would never have thought that Zhao Yun, who was over 60 years old, could kill four people including Han De and his son, capture one alive, and delete a household registration book for the Han family.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with employing young generals. We can't always let these old men take over, right? Even Feng Xi himself agreed to let these young generals first gain experience in future low-intensity battles.

"Your Majesty is wise. I will arrange for the younger generation of our Han people to have more experience in the future."

Zhuge Liang had no objection to this.

"By the way, Kong Ming... I heard that you think highly of You Chang..."

"Your Majesty is very perceptive. I have seen that Youchang has read a lot of military books, and I have personally discussed military affairs with him. Many of his views and opinions are in line with the art of war. If we can cultivate him in the future, he will be a pillar of the Han Dynasty."

When it comes to Ma Su, Zhuge Liang is full of praise. Like Yang Yi, Ma Su often serves Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang also often tested Ma Su, and Ma Su's performance made Zhuge Liang admire him endlessly.

Ma Su often spoke eloquently about the art of war, and many of his ideas even inspired Zhuge Liang. Therefore, Zhuge Liang felt that Ma Su just lacked an opportunity to show his talents, and once he had this opportunity, he would soar to great heights.

"... Kong Ming, I feel that Ma Su is a bit exaggerated, and without reliable achievements to prove his worth, I'm afraid he is not up to the task. Even if we want to use him, we need to hone his character."

Liu Bei was silent for a moment, pouring cold water on Zhuge Liang. Although Ma Su could talk about the art of war very well, every time Liu Bei saw Ma Su, two words would flash through his mind unconsciously, "Zhao Kuo".

It cannot be said that Zhao Kuo was guilty. After all, the person he faced on the battlefield for the first time was Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an. If Zhao Kuo could have defeated him, he would probably have gone down in history in another way.

Liu Bei felt that young talents like these who had read books but were arrogant still needed some practical training, but not too much. They could personally join the army to fight in a few battles, suppress bandits or fight some unimportant small battles. After gaining some experience and shedding their frivolous shell, they would be useful.

But if you entrust someone with an important task right from the start, there is a high probability that something will go wrong.

"I will follow your majesty's order..."

Kong Ming would not argue with Liu Bei about this and silently agreed with Liu Bei's opinion. However, he still felt in his heart that Liu Bei might not understand Ma Su's talents well enough to have such an opinion.

"After I leave, you can let Adou be the emperor. However, Adou is young and cannot distinguish right from wrong. I am afraid he will be bewitched by evil people. I will have to trouble Kong Ming to assist him."

The situation of Ji Han at this time was different from that in the original timeline. Jingzhou had been fought back, and the army that had fought in hundreds of battles in the East was almost intact, and even defeated Dongwu so much that there was no longer any soldier left to fight. So Liu Bei naturally would not say anything like "You can take it yourself". He just told Kong Ming to assist him wholeheartedly and asked Liu Chan to be close to virtuous ministers and stay away from villains.

Liu Bei talked a lot, and Zhuge Liang basically listened in silence, occasionally responding or asking a few questions about certain issues.

"Ah... that's all. The actual situation of our Han Dynasty still depends on you, Kong Ming, to adapt to local conditions. It is not something I can predict..."

Liu Bei finally let out a long sigh, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and completely collapsed on the bed.

"...I understand. Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself."

When Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei's appearance, he knew that Liu Bei had run out of breath, so he simply walked to the door and asked Zhang Fei, the eunuchs, and the imperial doctors to come in and continue to take care of Liu Bei.

The dark clouds in the sky were as black as solid ink, stirring restlessly. The wind howled mercilessly, as if venting something.

"Cough cough..."

Liu Bei's condition took a turn for the worse after the conversation with his important ministers. Several imperial doctors who had rushed from Chengdu were in a panic, but the situation still did not improve.

"Doctor Wang, what's the situation?!"

Zhang Fei was also anxious and sweating, but he was just a soldier, not a doctor, so he couldn't help much and could only walk around anxiously.

"Third... Third General, this is a sign that your Majesty is running out of energy. We... we are really helpless..."

The imperial physician Wang, whom Zhang Fei asked, was also sweating profusely. After all, if he was not careful in this matter, he would be blamed for the poor treatment, so Doctor Wang also used all his life's knowledge.

However, how could the doctors possibly beat the King of Hell? Their treatment was not only ineffective but also completely ineffective, so Imperial Physician Wang could only bite the bullet and tell Zhang Fei about his current condition.

"How is this possible! You quack, are you unwilling to treat my brother's illness properly? Hurry up and do your best!" As expected, Zhang Fei was so angry when he heard the answer from Imperial Physician Wang that he raised his fist to hit him, but after thinking about it, he put down his fist as big as a sandbag, and gently pushed Imperial Physician Wang, letting him continue trying.

Imperial Physician Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurried back to Liu Bei's bedside, where he continued to work busily with several other imperial physicians.

However, Liu Bei himself had already lost his temper, how could these ordinary doctors save him?

Not long after, Imperial Physician Wang, with a sad face, announced again that they were powerless and could not save Liu Bei's life.

"You quacks! Quacks! If anything happens to my elder brother, you will be buried with him!"

Zhang Fei widened his eyes and shouted angrily at the imperial doctors, scaring them so much that they fell to their knees and begged for mercy.

"Ahem... Yide, life and death are determined by heaven. Is there anyone in the world who is immortal? Don't blame Wang Yuyi and the others. You guys go down, leave Yide and I here for a while."

Liu Bei, who had been unconscious, suddenly spoke, and Wang Yuyi and others were so frightened that they all turned sideways to look at the couch.

Liu Bei was still lying, but his head was slightly tilted, looking at Zhang Fei and the imperial doctors kneeling in front of him.

Since his elder brother had spoken, Zhang Fei had no choice but to obey. He glared at Imperial Physician Wang, and they left Liu Bei in a panic.

"Brother... you will be fine. We have been through a lot of storms and waves, and we will definitely be able to turn danger into safety this time..."

Zhang Fei had tears in his eyes, knowing that this was his elder brother's last glimmer of life, and that he was afraid his elder brother would not live long, but Zhang Fei still chose to deceive himself.

Liu Bei's eyes were hazy, but he couldn't open his mouth. In his daze, he heard a door open. Liu Bei suddenly felt sharper and more alert, but he was surprised who dared to come in.

"Big brother."

The person who came was actually Guan Yu, who had been dead for nearly a year. At this moment, Guan Yu was still wearing the green robe he usually wore, and seemed to have come straight in from outside the door.

Zhang Fei, who was standing aside, seemed to be oblivious to Guan Yu's arrival. Seeing his elder brother staring at the door, he couldn't help but look there as well, but his gaze went straight through Guan Yu without a single lingering glance.

Liu Bei suddenly used all his strength to tightly hold Zhang Fei's hand, drawing Zhang Fei's attention back to Liu Bei in front of him.

Guan Yu, who was standing nearby, also stretched out his hand and put his hands together with the two of them.

"Thinking of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, although they have different surnames..."

Liu Bei suddenly spoke, and Guan Yu also started to recite. Zhang Fei was just stunned, and then he also recited:
"…Since we have become brothers, we should work together to help those in need, serve the country and bring peace to the people. We do not ask to be born on the same day, month and year, but only to die on the same day. Heaven and earth will bear witness to this heart. If we betray our loyalty and forget our gratitude, we will be killed by both heaven and man."

The three of them recited the oath they made in Peach Garden in the past. That was where their dream began and where it ended now.

"Brother, the Emperor of Heaven was moved by the friendship between me and you, and pardoned me and made me a god. Now that I know your current situation, I have come to greet you personally."

After the three men finished their oath, Guan Yu bowed and looked at Liu Bei, while Zhang Fei on the side remained indifferent, as if he had heard nothing.

"Yun Chang...you are here to pick me up..."

Liu Bei used up his last bit of strength to say these words, which surprised Zhang Fei greatly. He looked around with wide eyes, but found nothing.

"Second brother? Big brother! Big brother!"

However, just when Zhang Fei glanced around the room and found nothing, Liu Bei in front of him had died with a satisfied smile. Zhang Fei kept shaking Liu Bei's body, but Liu Bei naturally had no reaction.

“Brother… wuwuwu…”

Zhang Fei could no longer suppress his sadness and burst into tears. When the people outside the door heard Zhang Fei's crying, they knew that something bad was going to happen. They didn't have time to care about etiquette and hurriedly pushed the door open and went in.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Zhang Fei holding Liu Bei's hands and crying loudly, while Liu Bei, who was standing on the throne, had a smile on his face and still passed away.

Feng Xi felt bad when he saw this scene. Although he was worried that Lao Liu would kill him at the end of his life, when he really saw that Lao Liu was gone, he couldn't help but feel a little sad about his feelings in two lives.

All the ministers could not suppress their grief and covered their faces and cried.

Outside the door, the sky, which was originally covered with dark clouds, suddenly had a hole. The dazzling sunlight seemed particularly bright due to the refraction of water vapor in the air.

This beam of sunlight passed straight through the big hole in the clouds and shone onto Liu Bei's bedroom, making it look particularly mysterious and charming.

At this point, Liu Bei, the famous Emperor Zhaolie of the Later Han Dynasty, completely ended his magnificent military life, and the Three Kingdoms era entered the next chapter.

(End of this chapter)