At the end of the sixth year of Han Zhangwu and the seventh year of Wei Huangchu, Liu Bei had to leave the front line and retreat to Wancheng to recuperate due to physical reasons.

At this time, Liu Bei had been dead for almost four years in history, and Cao Pi had also been dead for half a year.

But now they are still alive and have not left the scene.

It's not because they're better off now than in history, but simply because Shen Chen changed history so that they didn't die so quickly.

Just like Guo Jia did not go to the Saiwai expedition to Wuhuan, he survived to Jian'an for twenty-four years.

Without Guan Yu's defeat of Maicheng, Zhang Fei's killing by his subordinates, and the fiasco of the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei was naturally not as emaciated as in history and died of illness in White Emperor City.

Cao Pi, as Cao Cao's heir, neglected to manage him in his early years because of Cao Cao's southern and northern wars, which made Cao Pi indulge in lust at a young age.

For example, he and Cao Zhi have written a lot of poems about wine, and they often indulge in wine banquets and are hollowed out by wine.

Therefore, in history, after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty, and his power reached the peak of his life, and no one disciplined him, so he indulged himself even more, and he died of illness in just five or six years after ascending the throne.

But at present, the great enemy is not having time to give Cao Pi a stable and enjoyable life, so naturally he will not die of illness in Luoyang early as in history.

It's just that the years are merciless.

Liu Bei is old after all, even if he lives a few more years, he can only live so long if he is not so tired physically and mentally, but the aging body is not controllable by manpower.

So now I can only leave the front line and return to Nanyang to recuperate, and I can't go back to the expedition in person to deal with the unforgettable Northern Expedition.

And just when Liu Bei had to return to Nanyang, in late December, in Chenliu County, Chenliu County, Henan, Cao Pi's temporary palace.

"Ahem, ahem."

A violent cough resounded throughout the hall.

Although Cao Pi lived half a year longer than in history, his foundation was too poor, and he still got sick.

In ancient times, due to the lack of effective warmth measures, every winter was the most dangerous time, and a little cold and bitter weather, infected with wind chill, and then caused pneumonia, was a terminal disease.

The imperial doctor diagnosed Cao Pi and prescribed medicine, but it was not good. It's just that the symptoms are much milder than Liu Bei's, and now he can still have a meeting with the strategists.

Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Dong Zhao, Jiang Ji, Liu Ye and other strategists in the hall were quite worried about Cao Pi's body, and when he coughed for a while, he spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm into the spittoon next to him, and then his face was slightly ruddy and a lot soothed.

The palace is full of charcoal fire, the best incense charcoal, and there are attendants next to it who occasionally take out some spices from the bag and pour them into the charcoal basin to burn, so that the room is full of incense, and the warmth has a hint of sweetness.

Cao Pi lay on the seat, adjusted a more comfortable posture, smelled the fragrance wafting in the hall, and felt that his body was gradually becoming comfortable, so he raised his head slightly and looked down at the people below.

"Liu Bei has returned to Nanyang?"

He said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Sima Yi arched his hand and said, "Nanyang's spies saw his escort go to Wancheng with their own eyes. ”

Jiang Ji said: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei is nearly seventy years old and still has to go on a personal expedition, which shows that his desire for the Northern Expedition is extremely strong, and under normal circumstances, it is impossible to leave the front line." ”

Cao Pi nodded slightly and said, "What does Zitong mean?" ”

"It can only show one thing, that is, Liu Bei's health has become worse and worse, and it is very likely that he will die soon in a few months."

Jiang Ji analyzed: "If we can attack while Liu Bei is dead, we will definitely be able to defeat the south." ”

"Well, that's right."

Cao Pi groaned: "It's just that in the recent period, no matter how the hussar general provokes, that Zhang Fei is resolutely not out of the camp, I'm afraid it will not be easy to fight a decisive battle." ”

Chen Qun said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Zhang Fei has a rough temperament, and he is not out of the camp right now, because Liu Bei ordered him not to fight. Now that Liu Bei has retreated to the rear, no one is taking care of him, as long as His Majesty allows the hussar general to take the initiative to attack the enemy camp, Zhang Fei will definitely not be able to hold it back and go out of the camp for a decisive battle. ”

"That Pang Tong and Fa Zheng are not good stubble."

Cao Pi sighed: "Even if they can provoke Zhang Fei to go out of the camp to fight, I think they will have countermeasures." ”

"It doesn't matter."

Sima Yi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, what we need is to take advantage of Liu Bei's absence to start a decisive battle with the enemy, as long as it is delayed until Liu Bei's death, the morale of the southern army will decline, and the victory will naturally be achieved, the important thing is not to let the southern army retreat smoothly." ”

"Hmm."

Cao Pi thought for a while and said, "Okay, then pass on my edict and let the hussar generals and Zhengnan generals start attacking at the beginning of next year." ”

"Yui."

The crowd bowed their hands in unison.

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At the end of the sixth year of Zhang Wu, Liu Bei returned to Wancheng to recuperate due to poor health.

Shen Chen sat in Chang'an and began to harass Hedong.

At this time, in Hefei City, Zhang Liao was dying and was about to die.

In the backyard of the former general's mansion in Hefei City, the room is full of medicinal incense.

Zhang Liao lay on the bed with a pale face.

He has lived five years longer than in history, and is fifty-eight years old this year.

However, in the early days of the southern and northern wars, he suffered many traumas, and his body was weakened in his later years.

Especially after Hefei was besieged for more than a year, Zhang Liao's originally strong body has been thinned into dry firewood.

Xue Yi stood beside the bed, looked at him worriedly, and said sadly: "Wenyuan, it's all my fault, I shouldn't."

Zhang Liao said with difficulty: "Xiaowei is just respecting his duty, and this matter has nothing to do with Xiaowei." What's more, I shouldn't be honest with myself, what's wrong with filial piety? ”

Xue Yi said sadly: "Wen Yuan, now Guan Yu is still storming the city, Hefei is already crumbling, but Wen Yuan is sick in bed, how is it good." ”

Zhang Liao sighed and said: "Hefei City can't be defended, the grain and grass in the city are only used for one year, and they are almost exhausted. ”

"Alas Wenyuan, you are sick in bed now, and you can't stand the rush, how can I take you to break through."

Xue sighed.

He knew that what Zhang Liao said was right, but he was unwilling to give up Hefei like this, and more importantly, Zhang Liao was now sick like this, shaped like dead wood, and if he broke through, he was afraid that he would die of illness soon.

Zhang Liao laughed miserably: "The eldest husband was shrouded in horse leather, and I died of illness in bed, which really lost the majesty of the general." But I can't get up now, Xiaowei goes, and I will die in Hefei. ”

Xue Yi shook his head firmly and said, "I will never give up on Wenyuan, if I break through tonight, I will definitely take Wen Wen away." ”

After that, he resolutely went out and arranged a breakthrough.

There is not much grain and grass in Hefei City.

Chang'an City is very large, and it is more than enough to store 50,000 soldiers with grain and grass for several years.

However, Hefei City is not very large, the number of soldiers in the city was 20,000 at the beginning, and 60,000 stone of grain and grass were consumed every month, and more than 700,000 stone of grain were consumed a year, totaling about 20,000 tons.

A small city covering an area of only three or four square kilometers simply cannot hold more than two years of grain storage.

Because in addition to food, the city also has to prepare a large number of garrison materials, ordnance and equipment, as well as places for soldiers to sleep and train.

So at the beginning, only one million stone of grain was stored.

It's okay to save a little bit and use it for a year and a half, or even two years.

However, from the end of last year to the end of this year, a year has passed, Guan Yu often attacks the city, in order to ensure the physical strength of the soldiers, the city has a large amount of grain and grass, and now there are less than three months of grain left.

In this case, Xue Yi and Zhang Liao have to consider the back road, and now after Cao Xiu's defeat, Cao's army is no longer able to rush to Huainan, they are lonely and can't hold on for long.

So it's time to plan ahead and prepare for the breakout.

As a result, at this juncture, Zhang Liao fell ill in bed again, which made the already bad situation of Cao Jun even worse.

It's just that no matter what, in order to survive, you have to fight hard and take the soldiers of Hefei City out.

At that moment, Xue Yi immediately mobilized the army and prepared to start the breakthrough operation.

In fact, he had the idea of breaking through more than ten days ago, and he had made arrangements in secret.

It's a pity that Zhang Liao's condition has never improved, and it is getting worse, and he was able to barely inspect the city defense last month, but he can't get out of bed this month.

In this case, Xue Yi was unwilling to give up Zhang Liao and ran away alone.

So he can only continue to do a good job defensively.

It's just that now it has reached the point where there is no way to retreat, if it continues to hold on, once Zhang Liao dies of illness and the morale of the army is low to the bottom, the city is likely to be captured.

As a last resort, I can only break through.

That night, at the end of the rooster crow, at the beginning of the day, it was almost three o'clock in the middle of the night in later generations, which was the time when people slept most soundly.

The gate in the east of Hefei opened silently, and groups of Cao soldiers slowly left the city.

will go out of the city gate, and a series of orders have been passed down one after another.

"Silence, don't light torches, go forward in the dark!"

"The scouts spread out along the wings."

"Investigate the situation outside the city and report back as soon as possible."

These people were naturally not the main force of Cao Jun's direct exit from the city, but scouts who went to explore the way.

If you go straight out of the city, what if you are ambushed?

So it is necessary to investigate the situation.

Soon the scouts returned and reported to Xue Yi that there were no ambushes outside the eastern city.

Xue Yi waved his hand and broke through overnight.

So a large number of Cao's troops came out of the city and slowly advanced towards the east.

Xue Yi rode on horseback, looking at Zhang Liao who was being carried by several Cao soldiers on the stretcher next to him worriedly.

He had a fever and was unconscious.

The weather is already cold, even if Zhang Liao is covered with several quilts, there will still be wind and cold invasion, which makes Xue Yi sad.

But if this situation is not left now, Zhang Liao will really die in Hefei City.

Leave Hefei, send back to the rear as soon as possible, and maybe saved.

Xue Yi could only think so.

At this time, it was a normal day, and a crescent moon in the night sky was hidden behind the dark clouds, and the cool moonlight came through the edge of the clouds, illuminating a small piece of blue-white sky, and even the edge of the dark clouds was stained with a touch of white frost.

The ground was dim, except for the fire in front of the tent of the Han army camp a few miles north of the city, and everywhere there was a dark and hazy shadow.

Cao Jun trotted all the way out of Hefei City and ran towards Junyu County to the east.

Junyu County is the Feidong County of Hefei City in later generations, the distance between Hefei is very close, only seventy or eighty miles of road, and the road is extremely flat, it is a vast plain area, which can be described as endless.

Only in the east are a few small rolling hills, and the mountains are wooded below, with small streams and rivers running through the trees, and the occasional sound of deer and wild boars chirping.

Xue Yi knew that the road back to Runan in the north had been blocked by Guan Yu, so he planned to go northeast to enter Guangling first, and then return to Henan.

The soldiers had been walking for more than an hour, and it was almost six o'clock in the morning, when the east showed a touch of fish belly white. Although the days are short and the nights are long in winter, sometimes it doesn't dawn until seven or eight or even nine o'clock in the morning.

However, the morning dawns earlier in the south, so the field of vision in the wilderness is still relatively open at this time.

Xue Yi looked around and saw that he was already some distance away from Hefei, and he had asked the soldiers to walk slowly and quietly, because he was afraid that the movement caused by running would be too big, so that the Han army outside the city in the distance would notice.

It shouldn't be discovered now, so I want to give an order and let the soldiers run. But suddenly I noticed Zhang Liao who was pale and unconscious with a high fever.

Thinking that if the soldiers were allowed to run, Zhang Liao would definitely be bumped and uncomfortable, and if Zhang Liao's condition was directly aggravated, wouldn't it kill him?

Therefore, Xue Yi had no choice but to continue to let the soldiers walk forward.

By the end of the day, at seven o'clock in the morning, they had approached the little hills in the distance, and had reached the edge of the forest.

Xue Yi was planning to let the soldiers rest and make a fire to make food to replenish their strength.

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in the forest.

"Woooooooooooo

The sound of a desolate trumpet shook the wilderness.

In the distance, countless figures appeared in the forest in an instant, and the orange-red Han army uniforms were like a brilliant burning cloud.

They held high the banner of the word "Guan" and rushed towards Cao Jun like a tide.

Cao Jun had been walking for several hours, and he didn't expect that there would be ambushes here, and there was chaos for a while.

Xue Yi was shocked and hurriedly ordered the soldiers to line up.

"Hurry, hurry, array!"

"Don't run, don't mess around, if you don't want to die, make a lineup."

"Death to the fugitive!"

The low-level officers were quite qualified, and they hurriedly organized manpower.

But it is obviously impossible to arrange the ranks of soldiers of an army in a short period of time.

What's more, the Han army will not give them time.

I saw the Han army roaring and rushing into the Cao army formation like a wild wolf, and for a time there were scattered and fleeing Cao army soldiers everywhere, and only a very few people successfully listed the formation and resisted to the death.

Guan Ping rushed to the front of the team, slashing and slashing, and soon routed the Cao army, which had just regrouped.

The surrounding mountains were all over the place, and there were swarming Han troops everywhere. At present, not only are the Cao army only more than 10,000 but less than 20,000, but more importantly, their morale and physical strength are not high.

In this case, Cao's army was in chaos.

Zhang Liao was awakened by the chaotic battlefield noise in a daze, his face was pale, his lips were not bloody, and he struggled to open his eyes, but saw himself lying on the ground.

The Cao army, who was carrying him, had no choice but to place him on a small hillside, and the guards defended the hillside and fought to the death against the Han army.

But their numbers were getting smaller and smaller, and soon only seven or eight people retreated to Zhang Liao's side to guard.

The Han army below did not continue to attack, and an old horse in the crowd who was gradually losing weight came slowly, and the people on the horseback were also much thinner, and there was no Qinglong knife in his hand, but an ordinary ring-head knife pinned to his waist.

Guan Yu is about the same age as Liu Bei, he is also sixty-seven or eighteen years old, seventy years old, and his once burly body is becoming more and more powerful, and the Qinglong knife is almost unable to be held, and he can only use an ordinary straight knife.

Zhang Liao slowly turned his head, glanced at the situation in the formation, and saw that the Cao army had been defeated in the distance, and even Xue Yi was nowhere to be found, not knowing if he was dead.

It seems that Xue Yi's breakthrough failed.

He thought to himself.

"Wenyuan."

Guan Yu rode on the old thin red rabbit horse, and said in a deep voice: "Surrender, you persuaded me to surrender to Cao Cao back then, I accept your kindness, and you should surrender today." If you are a Han Chinese, why should you be a Wei Chen? ”

Zhang Liao laughed miserably, only to feel that his chest was dull, the corners of his mouth were bleeding, and he said with difficulty: "Yunyunchang, I will not surrender, I can die in your hands, it is enough." ”

"Ugh."

Guan Yu sighed and said, "Even if you can't think about yourself, you should think about the soldiers under you." ”

Zhang Liao said to the guards around him: "You surrender." ”

"General."

The guard gritted his teeth and said, "We will never surrender and swear to protect the general." ”

"Surrender, don't make unnecessary sacrifices."

Zhang Liao's head became more and more dizzy, and his consciousness became more and more blurred, and he said: "I am dying near, I am not dying on the hospital bed, but dying on the battlefield, it is enough."

He opened his mouth, his voice was very subtle, and at the end, he slowly turned his head and fell into a coma again.

Guan Yu looked at Zhang Liao's guards and scolded: "Still not surrendered? ”

Many Han soldiers armed with spears threatened the past.

Zhang Liao's guards looked at each other, and finally threw down their weapons and surrendered to the Han army.

Guan Yu coughed slightly, waited for the Han army to escort Zhang Liao's guards away, slowly went up the hillside alone, got off the horse and came to Zhang Liao's stretcher.

At this time, Zhang Liao was almost dying, his eyelids trembled slightly, his lips were long, but he was speechless.

Guan Yu squatted down and pulled Zhang Liao's eyelids apart, his gaze was dilated and had become cloudy.

"Wenyuan."

Seeing that the life of this old man was slowly fading, Guan Yu sighed, sat next to Zhang Liao, and looked into the distance.

His eyes were also a little tear-stained, feeling sorry for Zhang Liao's death.

In the early morning in the east, the sky has slowly brightened, and the distant sky seems to have fallen meteors.

Time doesn't stop rushing.

Whether you are a mighty hero or a wealthy emperor, you can't escape the changes of time.

Zhang Liao has been fighting horses for nearly 40 years, and his life has finally come to an end.

Guan Yu sighed not only the departure of his old friend.

The same sigh is the rush of time.

Belong to their time.

It seems like it's time for the curtain to end.

Myself.

Maybe he will soon die of old age, sickness, or battle.

Guan Yu gently stroked Zhang Liao's forehead, which was gradually dethermated, and a trace of tears finally crossed the corners of his eyes.

Grief for the loss of a friend, and mourn for his old appearance.

(End of chapter)