Three Kingdoms

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In November of the second year of Taixing.

First grade of junior high school.

According to the usual practice, the chief officials of the counties and counties in Jingzhou will rush to Xiangyang to participate in the monthly meeting. Of course, some people may not be able to come because of this or that matter, so they will report in advance and then send an official. Come and sit in on the record.

Some people say that life is like climbing a hill. When you are young, you go up, higher and higher, and see more scenery. But after you are forty, it starts to go downhill, getting darker and darker. Controlled faster and faster.

Liu Biao has now had all the bronze mirrors in the hall removed, but even so, Liu Biao can still feel that his body is getting worse and worse day by day, as if something is rotting in his body. Just like that, it is decaying from the inside bit by bit.

Liu Cong turned from the corridor on one side and bowed in front of the hall. His voice was clear and translucent, "Father, the time has come..."

Liu Biao closed his eyes slightly and sighed secretly in his heart, yes, the time has come, his own time has come.

Back then, Liu Biao also had good moments like Liu Cong.

Liu Biao stood up slowly, letting the attendants around him check and tidy up his clothes again, then raised his head as much as possible and walked forward.

That year, Duan Ying defeated the Eastern Qiang, and Wuhuan Shule rebelled and proclaimed himself king. Also that year, Liu Biao raised his head like this, followed Chen Fan among a group of imperial students, shouted loudly, and went to the palace to express his grievances.

Then, there was blood flying all over the sky.

Under the Luoyang Du Pavilion, heads piled up like a mountain, and Dou Wu's head was the top one.

Chen Fan, died.

Taiwei Liu Ju died, Sikong Wang Chang died, Yilang Luanba died...

Liu Biao was lucky enough to survive, but because of the party's imprisonment, from the age of 26 to 42, he achieved nothing except a few bad names.

Turn around the corridor and you will find the front hall.

Liu Biao raised his legs and walked up the steps made of white stone step by step, just like the steps he took when he stepped into the general's palace.

That year, the Yellow Turbans were in chaos and the world was in turmoil. The imperial court loosened its grip on the party, and Liu Biao was conscripted into the position of Lieutenant Commander of the Northern Army. That was the first time Liu Biao put down his books and pens, picked up swords and guns, and put on armor.

Liu Biao tried his best to straighten his back, just like when he was in the Northern Army, he straightened his back for the first time and stood in front of the soldiers.

Unfortunately, a straight waist does not bring military bonuses.

Huangfu Song won, Zhu Jun won, and even Cao Cao, the cavalry captain at that time, defeated the Yellow Turban bandits, while Liu Biao was easily defeated by Zhang Mancheng and Zhao Hong. If Huangfu Song hadn't arrived with his troops, he might have become Zhang Mancheng's Soul Under the Sword.

From that year onwards, Liu Biao studied the art of war crazily and studied strategies. Finally, under Huangfu Song's tent, Huangfu Song raised his eyes and said, "Good!"

"I've met my lord!"

Seeing Liu Biao enter the hall, all the county and county officials who had been waiting in the meeting hall fell to the ground and saluted Liu Biao.

Liu Biao stepped up to the high position step by step, looking around, just like Dong Zhuo standing on the Dan steps, looking down at the ministers under Dan.

"No gift..."

Liu Biao waved his sleeves and sat down.

That year, the heroes of Guandong refused to obey Dong Zhuo's orders. From Jizhou to Yuzhou, from Yanzhou to Yangzhou, they raised the banner against Dong Zhuo everywhere. Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and Cao Cao gradually came to the forefront. Liu Biao himself visited Dong Zhuo secretly. After a performance, he obtained Dong Zhuo's approval and became the governor of Jingzhou...

When Liu Biao looked up for the first time under Xiangyang, he was already forty-eight. At that time, the level of chaos in Jingzhou was no less than that in Luoyang. Local officials were hostile to each other, local tyrants were everywhere, Su Dai and Beiyu supported their own troops, clan traitors were rampant in the south of the Yangtze River, Yuan Shu stationed troops in Luyang and watched with eagerness, and Liu Biao, except for the two who followed him, Apart from being an official, he is poor and has no soldiers.

Liu Biao faced an entire state surrounded by powerful enemies, but Liu Biao was not afraid. He rode into Yicheng alone and met with representatives of the local wealthy families, the Kuai family and the Cai family.

That year, a lonely middle-aged scholar rode a horse into a city.

Then, Ping Zong's thieves destroyed Zhang Xian and established the nine counties of Jing and Xiang.

There was a dull pain from the gangrene on his back, but Liu Biao still tried to stand up straight.

Zhang Zhongjing came here, and although he helped pull Liu Biao back from the endangered line, he could not eradicate it. He could only hang it with decoction, like a thread tied to it, and it would break at some point. .

After Liu Biao took control of Jingxiang, he sat on the high platform and looked around. There were three royal family members who were also ranked first, nodding and smiling at Liu Biao, Liu Yan, Liu Yu, and Liu Chong.

But in the blink of an eye, Liu Yu was killed by Gongsun Zan, Liu Chong was assassinated by Yuan Shu, and Liu Yan also fell ill and died in Sichuan. Liu Biao was the only one left with the power of the Han royal family.

Liu Biao knew that he was stingy, careless, and always had the sour air of a scholar. He was good at conversation but not good at military affairs. He knows this himself. After all, he only started to use swords and guns after holding a pen for nearly forty years. How can the habits of literati be easily changed?

Therefore, every time there was turmoil and every time a fighter plane appeared, Liu Biao was often in shock and suspicion when he gradually calmed down while his heart was surging.

Should we launch a surprise attack on Xu County?

Should we send troops to hand over the state?

Do I have that ability?

Am I missing something?

If it weren't for Liu Qi, Liu Biao might not have taken the initiative to attack Sichuan and Shu. But even this only initiative ended in failure, which made Liu Biao even more cautious.

Because now, Liu Biao is already fifty-eight.

Time, body, illness, everything reminded Liu Biao that if he missed the mark, would he be able to get up again?

Winter is coming.

Liu Biao knew that no one could survive alone in the rolling torrent, and sooner or later he would be swept away by the whirlpool of the times.

But at least for now...

Liu Biao glanced at Liu Cong beside him, who looked very much like him when he was young, and his gray beard moved slightly. No matter when his time came, he should at least guard Jing Xiang first.

And then hand it over to the next generation.

At the very least, don’t let your children experience the pain you endured when you were young.

At the very least, don't let your children bear the shame of begging for help.

"Lord, Cao Sikong has sent someone here again. They are at the post station in the city. I don't know..." Kuai Liang reported.

Liu Biao endured the pain in his back and shook his sleeves, "No. Just say that I am ill..."

…………

Compared to the relatively warm land of Jingxiang, in the north of Youzhou, the cold wind swept up the rain and snow, cutting everything in the world like a knife.

Amid the rain and snow, an almost frozen river appeared in front of us.

This place is already deep into the desert. Strictly speaking, it is no longer Youzhou, but the territory of Xianbei.

Behind the rocks sheltering from the wind above the river valley, Zhao Yun's men and horses had skillfully started to set up the shed, then spread it with oilcloth and felt blankets, cleared the snow on the ground, and finally lit a bonfire.

From being in a hurry at the beginning, focusing on one thing and losing another, to now being very orderly, and even having the time to chat and ridicule each other, Zhao Yun's men have gradually begun to adapt to the cold and are accustomed to marching under the wind and snow.

The cavalry general's later protection has always been unambiguous, especially when it comes to food. When the dry food mixed with lard was cooked with snow water, the aroma of fat and wheat flour came out, making Zhao Yun sniffle and take a breath.

The dry food is sufficient and thick, so that the soldiers have strength in the cold winter. Of course, what is more important is the newly issued cotton uniforms issued by the hussar general...

Different from the usual fur or felt that are often worn in winter, cotton clothes have better breathability. Unlike leather blankets, it is easy to sweat all over, and then be blown by the cold wind if you don't pay attention. As soon as you sneeze, if you don't drink some hot soup to ward off the cold, the mild person will have to lie down for ten days and a half, and the serious person will lose his life!

And now, although I still sweat, it is much better than before. The most important thing is that it is lighter than the heavy leather blanket, even if it is stained with some snow water. Sweat or whatever, as long as you put it on a spear and stand aside at night, it can block the cold wind, and you can bake it in the campfire, and it will be almost ready to wear the next day. And if it is a felt blanket, if it gets wet, it is extremely difficult to recover. Even if it is baked overnight like cotton clothes, it will still be wet and heavy in the morning...

Therefore, this journey was not as painful as originally imagined, but it was not easy either.

Zhao Yun and several personal guards stood on a hill not far away, looking intently into the distance.

Going deep into the desert belonging to Xianbei, the difficulty of wind and snow is relatively small. After all, when he raided Dragon City, he did not necessarily have Zhao Yun's current equipment, but Wei Qing still braved the wind and snow and succeeded in the raid, so in such an environment Among them, the most important issue is direction.

To the big man, the terrain in this area was completely blank, with no records. The direction of travel relied entirely on Zhao Yun's guesswork and experience, and of course Zhao Yun's caution.

Every day, Zhao Yun needs to make decisions on how much to travel, where to go, where to stop, and where to rest. Although he does not have to face Xianbei in a direct battle, it is not easy.

Sima Yi persuaded Zhao Yun not to lead the team himself. It was not impossible to select some elite scouts from the army to conduct the survey. However, Zhao Yun thought twice and still took the risk because Zhao Yun knew that relying on the reports of the scouts would not be as good as doing it himself. The observation is more intuitive and profound.

Zhang Xiu came over wearing a patterned fur hat and reported to Zhao Yun: "General, my subordinates have taken inventory and found that the men and women still have more than half of their rations. For this war horse... less than one-third... "

In order to deceive others, Zhao Yun often imitates the Xianbei people in appearance. Naturally, he wears a Xianbei leather hat with pointed horns. Although it looks a bit weird, it is surprisingly useful in the wind and snow. , in addition to keeping warm, it will not stick to your forehead like a Han iron helmet when the weather gets cold...

Zhao Yun frowned, nodded and said, "This is an oversight."

It's not that Zhao Yun was negligent, but that both humans and horses needed more calories to replenish themselves in the cold, so they would naturally eat more, and the soldiers could also hunt down some unlucky ones on the way. Animals are used to supplement the rations, but in this season when the vegetation is withering, the war horses can only eat the beans and hay they carry, so the consumption of the war horses is obviously much more than that of the soldiers.

"Just walk forward along the river for one more day and then turn around..." Zhao Yun said.

"Wei!" Zhang Xiu responded and stood beside Zhao Yun, seemingly hesitant to speak.

"What else is there?" Zhao Yun glanced at it and asked.

"General Qi, why haven't you seen any Xianbei tribes along the way?" Zhang Xiu seemed to have been puzzled for a while. When Zhao Yun asked, he blurted out, "Normally, in places with water sources like this, there will be more or less Some Xianbei spend the winter..."

The Xianbei people are also nomadic, but nomads do not mean to wander all the time, but to wander between pastures. So normally, when the cold comes like this, the nomads will take their cattle and sheep south. , stationed in a relatively warm place, wait until the cold winter passes, and then return north.

But when Zhao Yun came, he didn't see the Xianbei tribe.

For example, the semi-condensed river in front of us should normally have Xianbei people taking shelter in the winter, and there should even be some Xianbei people moving further south, to places with less wind and snow, but I haven't seen anything now. When we arrived, both sides of the river were deserted, with no trace of humans or animals.

Zhao Yun smiled slightly and said, "What? You can't figure it out?"

Zhang Xiu was stunned, and subconsciously reached out to scratch the back of his head, but only caught the leather hat on his head. Then he pushed it away with his fingers, reached into the gap of the hat and scratched it twice, and suddenly thought of something. He took off his fur hat, took a look, and then looked up at Zhao Yun, "General, you mean... the battle between Xianbei?"

"Haha..." Zhao Yun smiled and nodded, "That's right! The Xianbei people also have Latins. I am afraid that the Xianbei people who were originally in this area were either taken away by Bu Dugen or returned to Kebineng. There are naturally no humans or animals at the moment..."

"So, if we find traces of the Xianbei people, it means..." Zhang Xiu suddenly clapped his hands, a little excited, but soon lowered his voice, "It's not far from... Ke Bineng's royal court. Yes? But even if it is... I'm afraid there are some shortcomings..."

What Zhang Xiu is worried about is food and grass. This is a big problem after all. Even if we can track Kebineng's royal court, the distance is too long. Even if we carry more abundant food and grass like this time, there is a limit. Just like now, we can only move forward one day. It's like you have to go back.

"Are you worried about food and grass?" Zhao Yun chuckled twice and looked to the southwest, "General Hussar has already considered this matter..."