In the autumn of the fourth year of Shu Han Jianxing, Zhao Shu finally agreed to start the Northern Expedition. Of course, he did not summon the world, nor did he play the "Teacher Table" to the emperor Liu Chan, Zhao Shu had already written the teacher table, and then thought that in Liu Chan's eyes, he was a chaotic minister and thief, killing his wife and enemies, why should he do it, just claimed to return to the emperor, and led his troops to leave Chengdu and stationed in Hanzhong. Just as Guo Huai discussed with him in private, the reason why Zhao Shu can have today's power position, can be proud of the court, and is not bound by Liu Chan, is mostly because of the support of the generals in the army. Since Wei Yan, Huan Yi and other generals have the heart of the Northern Expedition, Zhao Shuruo still insists on going his own way, wouldn't it chill everyone's hearts. Moreover, Lu Rong forced the empress to death, and the contradiction between Zhao Shu and the emperor Liu Chan and the royalist Jiang Wan and others has been maximized, if Zhao Shu has no intention of replacing him, he must find a way to resolve and alleviate this contradiction. Often, the most effective way to transform domestic contradictions is to transfer them between countries. Moreover, Shu Han regarded himself as orthodox and denounced Cao Wei as a rebel, Zhao Shu only needed to use the names of Emperor Gao, Emperor Guangwu, and Emperor Zhaolie to say that he was guilty of hanging the people and recovering the Han River, and Jiang Wan and others had no reason to object.

From Zhao Shu's heart, he didn't want to start a war with Cao Wei, from Kong Ming's six outs of Qishan to Jiang Wei's nine expeditions to the Central Plains, Shu Han's national strength really couldn't compete with Cao Wei. Of course, Zhao Shu now has some advantages over Kong Ming and Jiang Wei, such as the southern rebellion was put down a few years earlier, for example, Jing Xiang is still in the hands of Shu Han, for example, Sima is no longer Cao Wei's courtier, but Zhao Shu still doesn't know if he has a chance to win. Seeing Wei Yan, Guo Huai and others eagerly seeking war, Zhao Shu also had to nod and agree, in order to stabilize his position in Shu Han.

Guo Huai returned to Jingzhou first, Wei Yan also rushed to Hanzhong to prepare, Huan Yi, Zhang Wei and other generals were busy gathering military horses, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and other officials were in a hurry to raise money and food. Zhao Shu also hung the map in his bedroom, thinking about the Northern Expedition all day and night, he knew that he didn't care about it at all, but it was related to the lives of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

After more than half a month of intense preparations, Zhao Shu finally bid farewell to the civil and military officials personally led by Liu Chan, chose a good day, and set off with an army of 50,000 in Chengdu to Hanzhong. The political affairs of Chengdu were decided by Jiang Wan and others, the garrison was handed over to the Wu brothers, and Li Yan was still in charge of the White Emperor City, but most of his subordinates were transferred to Hanzhong with Zhao Shu. General Huan Yi of Anhan, Governor Zhang Yi of the "Wudang Flying Army", Deputy Governor Tianyi and General Shi Yangyi, Li Feng and others who joined the army accompanied the army. On the other day, the army and horses arrived in the city, and Zhao Shu ordered the army to be stationed in the city for one day. It was night Du and Lu Rong, with Guan Tong, and several family generals, to prepare the sacrifice and go to the southwest mountain of Yucheng to pay tribute in front of Guan Feng's tomb.

When Zhao Shu entered Sichuan from Liu Bei, it was in this mountain that Guan Feng fell in love, although many years have passed, but the old place is revisited, the sound and smile of the past can't help but echo in Zhao Shu's mind, everything is like yesterday. Zhao Shu knew that Guan Feng, like himself, didn't like luxury, so when he made Huan Yi build a tomb, he told him to be simple. In the past few years, there has been nothing in the country, and every year Zhao Shu will take some time to sweep the festival three or five times. It's just that this time I went to Hanzhong, the generals had the intention of the Northern Expedition, and as soon as the battle began, I was afraid that there would be no time to come here, so Zhao Shu deliberately passed through the city and came to Guan Feng's tomb to pay his respects.

Three pillars of green smoke, several plates of fruits, Zhao Shu is still as sad as when he first lost Guan Feng, only Guan Tong can no longer be taught, so he knelt down by himself, crying and shouting "Mother", which made Zhao Shu feel a little comforted in his heart. Whenever he saw Zhao Shu sitting alone in front of Guan Feng's tomb, silent, Lu Rong felt both relieved and a little regretful. The comforter, the man he has is so affectionate and righteous, but the regret is that he can never fully own his heart.

The mountains and forests in autumn always look a little bleak, and when the night breeze blows, Lu Rong can feel a coolness, and he can't help but hug the sleeping Guan Tong in his arms tighter. It's already past midnight, and there will be a march tomorrow, so Lu Rong has to remind Zhao Shu: "Tong'er has already slept, we should go back, right?" This sentence pulled Zhao Shu from his memories to reality, and he had the heart to accompany Guan Feng for a while, but he also knew that time was running out, so he had to nod and get up.

Reluctantly glanced at the tombstone a few more times, Zhao Shu finally opened his mouth and beckoned the distant family general to lead the horse over. Ye Feng was ordered to go to the capital of Wei, and Zhao Shu's personal guards were replaced by Xiao Ben. This person was originally a subordinate of Ma Chao, and received his great favor, so after the death of the master, he has been following Zhao Shu, although he does not speak much on weekdays, but he is dedicated to his duties and is deeply appreciated by Zhao Shu. At this moment, he heard Zhao Shu shouting, and hurriedly led someone to bring the mount over.

Zhao Shu was just about to get on the horse, but he heard some sounds next to him, and he couldn't help but stop his movements, but when he listened carefully, it seemed that someone was walking not far away. In this barren mountains and mountains, it is the middle of the night, and there are only a few people around Zhao Shu, if someone assassinates, it is very dangerous. Xiao Ben didn't dare to be sloppy in the slightest, drew his sword in his hand, looked back and said, "Protect the general." But he walked towards the voice and said sharply: "What kind of person is sneaky, don't get out of here quickly." Even after a few shouts, the other party didn't answer, Xiao Ben was even more suspicious, so he wanted to step forward again. Zhao Shu was afraid that he would be calculated, so he hurriedly stopped: "Don't be reckless." Naifu said in a loud voice: "It is dangerous in the mountains in the middle of the night, since there is a fate to meet, why not meet the honorable driver, how about going down the mountain together?" ”

"Haha." Suddenly, there was a burst of old and powerful laughter from the forest, and the old man replied: "I have heard that the general is humble and treats people, and it is true that we meet today, and we are not as rude as our subordinates." Zhao Shu was very surprised when he was revealed by the other party, and when he saw that Xiao Ben was about to be lustful again, he hurriedly waved his hand to stop him, and said: "The family is unreasonable, please forgive me." The old man lives in this mountain, he must be a sage in the world, please see it. ”

"It's okay, it's okay." The old man replied, "The old man has been waiting here for many days, and he has been ordered by his master to show the way for the general. It's just that the old man has never seen a layman, and the general wants to see the old man, so he asks everyone to avoid it. "Zhao Shu is the most important country of Shu Han at the moment, how can he risk letting the family retreat because of a few puzzling words from the other party? was about to excuse himself, but he heard the old man say: "Back then, Xu Du watched the stars at night and left words in his hand, and the general has been involved in the mystery for many years?" ”

The words "leave words in your hand" came into his ears, and Zhao Shu was even more surprised in his heart. At that time, he was trapped in Xu Du, and watched the stars with the plain Guan Shenbu, and then the pipe wheel was left in the palm of his hand: "When you meet water, you will be born, you will fall into gold, you will go when you meet fire, you will go when you meet wood, and you will meet the soil" Nineteen words. Over the years, Zhao Shu has silently consulted many times in his heart, and he seems to have some eyebrows, but he can't be sure, and in the end, after "meeting the soil general", there is obviously a word missing, what will it be? has always been a mystery in Zhao Shu's heart, but he has never mentioned it to anyone, including the dead Guan Feng, and Lu Rong by his side now. Not to mention that Zhao Shu was still recalling the incident of Xu Du back then, but the other party urged: "If the general is unwilling to let his subordinates avoid it, the old man has to say goodbye." ”

"Stay with my husband." Since the other party can know such a hidden thing as leaving a word in his hand, it must be related to the management. Just now he mentioned the word "master's life", Zhao Shu naturally thought that the other party was a disciple of the Guan, at this moment he didn't know what the future would be, it was easy to meet such a master who could predict the prophet, how could he be willing to say goodbye? hurriedly spoke out to stop him, and then turned to the crowd: "Wait, stand back and wait." Lu Rong was worried about Zhao Shu's safety, so he didn't agree, but seeing that he was happy, he didn't expect that there would be no danger, so he had to leave with Guan Tong and Xiao Ben and others.

Seeing Lu Rong and the others again, Zhao Shucai said again: "There is no one else, please ask the old man to appear." After saying that, he heard a long laugh again, and when he looked around, he saw an old man walking out of the forest beside him. By the moonlight in the mountains, Zhao Shu took a closer look at the other party, although the old man had white hair, his complexion was ruddy, and his eyes were shining, and he couldn't guess how old he was. The old man also looked Zhao Shu up and down, bowed slightly, and said: "The ancestor once said that the general's face has not changed, and he is fortunate to meet at this moment, as expected, it is really envious." Zhao Shu thanked him slightly, then hugged his fists and asked: "The old man said twice about respecting the teacher, I don't know which master is the master?" And what is the name of the old man? ”

The old man replied with a smile: "The old man has no name and no surname, and the general doesn't need to care." The first master of the plain was in charge, and he had a relationship with the general in Xudu, and today the old man came to see the general, and it was also the last life of the first teacher, giving the general a point or two. Zhao Shu expected that he was a disciple of Guan Gong, and he was not surprised to hear it, but he didn't want to be in charge of his own affairs but was still worried about his own affairs, so he threw himself to the ground and thanked him: "I am in charge of God's wrong love, Shu is indeed confused in my heart, and I hope that my husband will not hesitate to tell you." ”

The nameless old man stepped forward slowly, supported Zhao Shu, and said, "In the past, the ancestor once gave the general nineteen words, presumably the general has already comprehended it?" Zhao Shu thought about it for a while, and then carefully recalled the nineteen words. "Born when it encounters water", it must refer to the Yangtze River in distress and reborn in the Three Kingdoms; "Fall into Jin", it means that he met the villain Jinquan on the Huainan battlefield and was trapped in Xu Du; "When you encounter a fire, you will leave", which is about the Xuchang fire, and he was desperately rescued by Jin Wei and others; "Yumu Fangxing", does it mean that he met Huan Yi and gradually took power in the Shu Han camp? But in the end, what kind of word was behind "Yu Tu General", Zhao Shu raised his eyes and looked at the old man, and he was about to ask. Unexpectedly, the other party spoke first and said: "The first four sentences, the general also knows it in his heart, but the first master still has the last word not written, that is, the old man will inform the general today." As he spoke, he lightly crossed the word "death" in Zhao Shu's palm.

Zhao Shu thought about everything, but he never thought that it would be such a word, his body shook involuntarily, and then he heard the old man laugh and say: "The general is afraid? Zhao Shu felt out of shape, so he sneered and said: "People die like smoke, if you want to leave such a country, everyone will inevitably be a little reluctant." The old man smiled, stared at Zhao Shu tightly, and said, "Others are like this, but I'm afraid that the general may not." ”

Zhao Shu couldn't help but be suspicious when he heard what he said, and was about to ask, but he heard the other party say: "How unwise the general is." Life is not true life, and death is not necessarily true death. Besides, in a hundred years of life, who can live without death? The generals and ministers enjoy all the wealth and glory, and they are human beings in two lives, what are the shortcomings? Zhao Shu was even more surprised when he heard it, knowing that he must know his origin, so he smiled and said: "What the old man said is extreme, and Shu Yuan can't reach it." Saying that, he saluted again, and said respectfully: "Shu Shang has something to ask for, and I hope that the old man will give me advice." The old man brushed his beard with his hand and asked, "If the general wants to ask about going north, what is the success or failure?" Zhao Shu shook his head and said, "Shu doesn't care about success or failure, he only asks how many soldiers of the three armies are killed or wounded." ”

"Haha." The old man laughed a few times and said: "The general should respond to the heavenly phenomena, and he has the cause of ambition, but he blindly seeks 'benevolence', so he still has no ambition today." This northward march is a heavenly opportunity, so the general should experience it himself. Zhao Shu's heart felt a little heavy after hearing this, but he still thanked: "Thank you for your words." The old man replied: "Although this is providential, it also needs to be artificial. Don't you hear that 'it is up to man to plan things, and it is up to heaven to accomplish things'? The general still has to work hard, and the old man has said that, so he will take his leave. Then he turned and left.

Zhao Shu had the intention to keep it, but he felt that the other party had already said it very clearly, and if he asked more, he would be a little greedy, so he had to bow again and say, "Congratulations to my father-in-law." The nameless old man was a little surprised to see Zhao Shu let him go so easily, but he didn't leave, and asked, "The general doesn't ask what the result is?" Zhao Shu was also stunned, and then smiled: "The old man has not already seen the accusation, there is just a 'death'." ”

The old man was even more surprised in his heart, staring at Zhao Shu for a long time before shaking his head slightly, and said, "The way of heaven is impermanent, and it changes from time to time. If the general has a heart, this word is not the result of the general. Zhao Shu listened to the meaning of his words, and seemed to be able to avoid the misfortune of his "death", and his heart was naturally happy, so he wanted to ask again, but after the old man said this, he walked away. Zhao Shu hurriedly shouted to stop, but the other party did not answer. Seeing that the old man walked into the forest in a blink of an eye, Zhao Shu hurriedly chased forward and turned a few ancient trees, but where was there still the other party's figure?

Zhao Shu still didn't give up, and shouted a few more times, but he never responded, so he had to turn around alone and come to meet Lu Rong and the others. After walking not far, I heard the sound of people and horses, it was Lu Rongjiu who didn't see Zhao Shu coming, and he heard him shouting, so he came back with his generals to look for Zhao Shu. When the two sides met, Zhao Shu was unharmed, and Lu Rong felt a little at ease, so they got on the horse together and went down the mountain to look at the city. Zhao Shu was still thinking about every word of the old man in his heart, so he didn't say anything all the way, but Lu Rong saw that he was silent, so he said, "Anguo has been here." ”

Guan Xing was ordered to inspect other counties, but he hadn't seen him for a few months, and when Zhao Shu heard his news, he hurriedly asked, "Where is it now?" Lu Rong replied: "You were not present at the time, I only said that you were sitting alone in front of your sister's grave, and you didn't want anyone to disturb you." An Guo bowed a few times in the direction and left. Before leaving, let me tell you that he will also go to Hanzhong with the army. Now it must have arrived in the Yucheng army. ”

There are not many generals in the Central Plains of Shu, and it is rare for Guan Xing to go with the army, Zhao Shu is naturally happy in his heart, not to mention that he has not seen him for many days, so he ordered to speed up and rush back to the city. Lu Rong shouted to stop, and asked the generals to go first, and then said to Zhao Shu privately: "When An Guo came, his face was full of anger, and there was a murderous aura in his eyes. You'd better be careful. Zhao Shu knew that Lu Rong would not be alarmist, but he didn't want to believe Guan Xing, so he really wanted to kill himself, so he sighed heavily and shook his head.