In the bedroom of the Son of Heaven in the Xiangyang Imperial Palace, Liu Bei leaned on the wooden collapse, looking at the three of them with cloudy eyes.

Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen, and Guan Yu stood by the bed worriedly and waited.

The spices burned in the indoor stove, slightly dispelling the slightest smell of medicine, the windows were open to let in air, the sun was shining outside, and the atmosphere inside the room was heavy.

Liu Bei saw that the three of them had solemn faces, so he said with a smile: "What's wrong with the three of you, even Kong Ming has pacified Nanzhong, and he is a general on the battlefield, and he is used to seeing life and death, so why is he sad." ”

"Big brother. Alas."

Even though Guan Yu didn't flick even though the man had tears, seeing Liu Bei's current appearance, he couldn't help but tears kept falling from the corners of his eyes.

Liu Bei stretched out his hand to signal the three of them to come closer, and then said to them: "I called you here, I think you also know the reason. The great cause of the unification of the country has not been accomplished, but I am going to die, and the rest of the matter will be entrusted to you. ”

"Big brother."

Guan Yu went up and squatted on the ground, and the two-meter majestic body became rickety at this time, holding Liu Bei's outstretched hand tightly, looking at him and saying, "Don't say such frustrating words, big brother. The major national affairs are still on the eldest brother. ”

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Okay, Yun Chang, I know my body." Everyone has this time, and you don't want to be so childlike. Xiaoqing said, don't indulge in fantasy, accept the facts. ”

"Big brother."

Guan Yu and Liu Bei have an extremely deep relationship, even if Liu Bei says this, how can he not be sad?

Liu Bei clapped his hands and said softly: "My death is approaching, and with the help of all the monarchs, I have no regrets about reviving the Han family in the south." I only hope that the country will be unified as soon as possible, Kong Ming. ”

"Your Majesty."

Zhuge Liang stepped forward and arched his hand.

Liu Bei said: "After my death, the crown prince inherited the unification, and the king did the affairs of the Duke of Zhou, and the affairs of the state depended on Kong Ming's assistance. ”

"The minister remembers it in his heart."

Zhuge Liang solemnly bowed and saluted.

This is intended to take care of life.

Since King Cheng of Zhou entrusted the state affairs to Zhou Gongdan before his death, the Minister of Gu Ming was born.

And the minister of care is often not one, there are many teams.

For example, King Cheng of Zhou left Zhou Gongdan, Zhao Gongxiu, Bi Gonggao and others to assist King Zhou Kang, so there was the rule of Chengkang.

The team left behind by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty before his death was the general Huo Guang, the general Jin Riyan, the general of the left Shangguan Ji, and the imperial historian Sang Hongyang, who assisted Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty.

Now Liu Bei obviously intends to follow the example of King Cheng of Zhou and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, leaving Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, General Guan Yu and Hussar General Shen Chen to assume the role of taking care of life.

After Liu Bei instructed Zhuge Liang, he summoned again: "Yun Chang, Xiaoqing." ”

"Big brother."

"Your Majesty."

Guan Yu and Shen Chen both responded.

Liu Bei continued: "The great cause of the Northern Expedition is entrusted to you, the soldiers and horses are all in charge of you, distributed by the prime minister, and major matters must be discussed together. ”

"Yes."

Both were commanded.

Liu Bei said: "Did Xiaoqing say before that she was going to attack Bingzhou? ”

Shen Chen replied: "Yes, Your Majesty, the minister has prepared soldiers and horses, and the grain, grass and equipment are also readily available, first take Hedong, and then attack and annex the state, threatening Hanoi, Luoyang and other places." ”

"Hmm."

Liu Bei asked Guan Yu again: "Yun Chang, how is Huainan?" ”

Guan Yu replied: "I have just captured Hefei, and the soldiers and horses are still quite tired, so they are still rectifying military affairs, and after the follow-up grain, grass, weapons and ordnance have arrived, we can continue to attack Guangling, Runan and other places." ”

Liu Bei said: "Can Xiaoqing respond to Yun Chang and attack with Yun Chang?" ”

Shen Chen shook his head and said: "The matter of the military plane, we still have to adapt to the situation, if we attack together, I am afraid that we will lose the opportunity." What's more, the minister thought that it was a good thing for the minister to attack first. ”

"Why?"

"If the minister attacks Hedong and threatens to merge the state and Hanoi, Cao Wei will be frightened, at this time, the general will not move, and even pretend that he can't go north, only send people to garrison Hefei, and the main force will withdraw to the mouth of the water, Cao Jun may mobilize the defenders of Runan to defend and merge with the state, and then Runan may be better to break through."

"Well, I see."

Liu Bei tapped his chin, and after a while, he sighed again: "There is Xiaoqing in Guan, and there is Yunchang in Huainan, so I am satisfied." The only thing I am worried about now is that if I die, there will be no main general on the battlefield in Henan, Yide will be reckless, Meng Qi will not be too in charge of the army, and Shiyuan and Xiaozhi will sometimes disagree to the left, which is worrying. ”

This is what Liu Bei is most worried about now.

In history, Ma Chao died of illness quickly, but now because he is doing well in the south, he even followed Liu Bei to defeat Cao Jun several times, and reluctantly avenged some revenge for his family, so he did not vomit blood and die as in history.

But among the five tiger generals, only Guan Yu has the ability to lead the army. Although Ma Chao can command, he has commanded the army several times, but he has been beaten by Cao Cao, and it may be difficult to serve as the main general.

The other is that his character is flawed, self-serving, and capricious. Liu Bei has always been a discerning person, so it is naturally impossible to hand over the position of chief general to Ma Chao.

The rest of Huang Zhong fell ill and died.

Zhang Fei also has a flawed personality, is short-tempered and impulsive, and is prone to bad things.

Zhao Yun is calm and calm, and he may be handsome, but he has almost no experience in leading troops alone in his many years of military career, and he has raided Sun Quan in Xunyang to defend the city once, and it is difficult for him to take on the command of a group army of more than 100,000 people.

The significance of Pang Tong and Fa Zheng's staff is more important, and Pang Tong has a mild temperament, and Fa Zheng has a violent temperament, both of which are not suitable for being the main general, and sometimes there are even quarrels, which are easy to cause contradictions.

Therefore, once Liu Bei, who was reconciled in the middle, died, there was indeed no one in the Henan battlefield who could take on the responsibility of the main general.

Zhuge Liang recommended: "Your Majesty can make Zhao Yun the chief general of Guanzhong, and Xiaoqing will return to Henan." ”

"Xiaoqing?"

Liu Bei looked at Shen Chen and said, "What do you think?" ”

"Let me go back to Henan?"

Shen Chen lowered his head and thought for a while.

At present, there are only three handsome people who are really powerful, himself, Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu.

Zhao Yun may be the main general, but after all, he has no experience in commanding large-scale military operations, don't look at the history of his command in the Battle of Keigu, and he did not cause much loss in the case of losing the battle with Cao's army.

The problem is that the Guanzhong battlefield is a large-scale war with a total of more than two or three hundred thousand people, and there are very few people in the entire Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty who can command so many people at the same time.

Sun Quan took it, and then was abused by Zhang Liao as a fool. Cao Cao also brought it, and Chibi burned it to the ground. After that, those who can lead more than 100,000 victories or no major defeats seem to be Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Jiang Wei, Zhong Hui, Sima Fu, Sima Zhao and a few others.

Even Jiang Wei was suspicious, because Zhong Hui had brought more than 100,000 troops at most, and Jiang Wei had brought 50,000 or 60,000 troops at most, and there was no record of bringing more than 100,000 people at one time, but he had 50,000 or 60,000 people blocking Zhong Hui's more than 100,000 troops at Jianmen Pass.

In addition, Sima Fu and Sima Zhao belonged to tricks, and Sima Fu was only on the defensive in the Battle of Xincheng, waiting for Zhuge Ke to retreat because of the plague. Sima Zhao is a group of rabble, not an elite opponent.

Therefore, such a large-scale corps battle, and it is still the main elite of the two sides fighting, must have strong military talents.

Zhao Yun may be a good hand at leading a few thousand or 10,000 or 20,000 people to fight a small-scale campaign, but whether he can take on the military commander of more than 100,000 people in Guanzhong is bound to be a matter to be discussed.

Thinking of this, Shen Chen shook his head and said, "Uncle Zilong doesn't have the experience of commanding more than 100,000 troops, I'm afraid that he has some negligence in the confrontation with Cao Jun, which will affect the entire battle situation." Therefore, for the sake of safety, the minister thought that it was necessary to have an experienced general in Guanzhong. ”

"What about Henan?"

Liu Bei asked.

Shen Chen looked at Zhuge Liang and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the prime minister's ability to use soldiers is not below me, so why bother to seek the near and far?" ”

"Prime Minister?"

Liu Bei turned his head, he didn't doubt Zhuge Liang's military talent, after all, Zhuge Liang had already proved himself in the battle of Nanzhong, and he easily pacified Nanzhong with almost no losses, which can be described as a wise general.

The main reason is that the current south is not like the historical Liu Bei Group only owning Yizhou, but owning the entire south of the Huai River, plus Guanzhong and Northwest Liangzhou.

Such a large territory is almost twice the size of Cao Wei.

Even though most of them are sparsely populated mountainous areas and ethnic minority habitats, the larger the territory, the more government affairs will be handled.

Now Liu Bei is ill, and when he dies, even if Liu Chan has just inherited the throne, he is not capable of handling government affairs.

Therefore, at that time, the political affairs of the entire south must be related to Zhuge Liang.

And not even just government affairs.

They were at the key juncture of the Northern Expedition, and the grain, grass, ordnance, and materials had to be raised and transported to the front line by Zhuge Liang.

If Zhuge Liang leaves, the state affairs will obviously be taken care of. At that time, even if Zhuge Liang achieves results on the front line, I am afraid that the rear will be a mess.

Liu Bei heard Shen Chen's recommendation of Zhuge Liang, and hesitated: "But now the major national affairs are all related to Kong Ming, if he goes on the expedition."

Shen Chen said: "Your Majesty, the country's government affairs are indeed cumbersome, but the three deputy ministers and so many officials of the three provinces and Taiwan are enough to deal with it, but this military aircraft major matter must have the mastermind to avoid damage." ”

"Hmm."

Liu Bei felt that it made sense, and looked at Zhuge Liang with hopeful eyes and said, "Kong Ming, if I die, Henan will be handed over to you." ”

"Your Ministers obey."

Zhuge Liang did not refuse, and finally responded to this request.

Because what Shen Chen said was right.

Large-scale corps operations are not fought by tens of millions of people, and they are related to the fortunes of the country, so we must be cautious.

After all, Zhao Yun has no experience in leading troops in this area, and if there is a mistake, it may cause the Northern Expedition to fail completely, so it is safest for him to go out in person.

At that moment, Liu Bei did not hesitate, and divided the current Han military power into three, which were held by Shen Chen, Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu.

At the same time, let the three of them be in charge of national affairs as ministers of care, with Zhuge Liang as the main one, and Shen Chen and Guan Yu can manage the appointment of officials and local government affairs in Liangzhou, Hanzhong, Guanzhong, Huainan, Yangzhou and other places respectively.

In this way, the entire Han is almost divided into three, and the power is controlled by three people.

But Liu Bei was not afraid that they would rebel and divide the country, he clearly realized that he was originally from a grass people, and to have what he is today, all rely on the help of the three of them.

If they had a different heart, they would not have been able to have the great South they are now.

So he has a lot of trust in them.

After the four of them chatted for a while, Liu Bei's energy soon became worse and worse, and he slowly fell asleep tiredly.

They didn't dare to disturb, so they could only retreat to the outside of the temple first.

When everyone saw them come out, they hugged the past, and Empress Wu, Mrs. Gan, Mrs. Mi and others entered the hall to accompany Liu Bei, and the rest of the people chatted in the hall.

In the evening, everyone dispersed.

On the way out of the palace, Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang walked together.

In the palace, there are three steps and one post, five steps and one sentry, the guard is strict, the pavilions and pavilions are innumerable, the carved beams and painted buildings, the bamboo shadow is forested.

They went to the main gate of the palace, and when they walked to the eaves on the left side of the Deyang Palace, Zhuge Liang suddenly asked, "Xiaoqing." ”

"Huh?"

"How do you recommend me as the chief general of Henan?"

"After thinking about it, there is only my brother."

Shen Chen sighed.

"Your Majesty feels that the limit is coming, can this Northern Expedition continue?"

Zhuge Liang looked at the north worriedly.

If Liu Bei really died, the shock to the south would definitely be very big.

Now that the war has been fought for a year and a half, the soldiers are actually exhausted, and the morale of the army is not as high as it was at the beginning.

If it weren't for the successive battles on the Western Front and the Eastern Front, I am afraid that the morale would be low, and the troops would have been withdrawn a long time ago.

If Liu Bei really dies of illness not long after, and the news reaches the front-line army, the morale of the soldiers will definitely fall to the bottom, and even if he goes in person, he may not win.

This is too big a blow for Dahan.

Shen Chen pondered: "Brother means that he should retire and come back?" ”

"Hmm."

Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "If Your Majesty really has a chance, it is the best choice to retreat back to Nanyang first." ”

"I also agree with the withdrawal of the army."

Shen Chen said.

Zhuge Liang glanced at him strangely and said, "Aren't you worried that after you retreat and go back, the Northern Expedition will be more difficult in the future?" ”

Shen Chen shook his head and said: "The war of reunification is not so easy to fight, but no matter how difficult it is, we have to fight it, not to mention that we are at least in a strategic advantage, as long as we have a little bit of a good relationship with Guanzhong and Huainan, we will soon be able to launch a new round of offensive." Now that Cao Wei has withstood us and continues to attack, the soldiers and horses are exhausted, and they should come back to rest. ”

"Alas"

Zhuge Liang let out a long sigh.

In fact, he never said something to Liu Bei.

That is, although Shen Chen and Guan Yu have achieved a lot of advantages.

However, the Henan battlefield has been in a stalemate for a long time, and there are even some passive disadvantages.

This means that the two sides will be locked in a protracted war.

At the level of Cao Wei and Dahan, it is impossible for either to annex the other party in one bite, so they can only win by slowly wearing it off and encroaching step by step.

Therefore, if the war continues, it is likely that both sides will either lose or eventually have to retreat.

Therefore, it is best to accept it when it is good, first occupy Guanzhong and Huainan, and then slowly devour the north.

It's a pity that Liu Bei has not listened to persuasion before, and insisted on continuing to attack the north, resulting in the last half a year basically in vain, losing grain and grass.

Now Liu Bei is seriously ill, even if no one wants him to die now, but if he really dies at this time, maybe it is time to retire and come back to rest and prepare for the next Northern Expedition.

I didn't deliberately break the chapter yesterday, I haven't broken the chapter for a long time, it must have been accidental, a small problem. I haven't had any mental code words today.,Forced code out.,It's too hot.,It feels like a heat stroke.,Drowsy.,Now I'm still sleepy.,The energy is too poor.。 I'll see if I can code out the second chapter.,If you can't sleep out of the code.,That's gone.,Probably can't make it up.,But at least there should be two chapters tomorrow.,The day after tomorrow and the day after tomorrow may be a single chapter.,Because I have to go on a blind date (date) in the field again.,Hey, hey, hey.。

(End of chapter)