Liu Bei seemed to hear his mother's low-pitched crying, dripping, whimpering, and even deeply felt that his arms seemed to be wet with tears, and his clothes were stuck to his body, like a tight layer.
The restraints wrapped around him pressed him smaller and smaller, and pressed him tighter and tighter.
"ha!"
Liu Bei suddenly turned over and sat up, only to realize that it was already raining, and the raindrops drifted in and wet his clothes.
"Brother..." Guan Yu, who was guarding outside, turned around, with raindrops still on his face. The broken shirt in front of him had been soaked by the rain, and a large dark stain spread out, while Guan Yu's back was covered with raindrops.
Dry.
Liu Bei smiled, his smile still gentle, showing no trace of the decadence or frustration of defeat, as if he just lost his prey while hunting, um, he broke his bow by the way, um, and fell off his horse...
"Second brother, thank you for your hard work." Liu Bei did not say any words of thanks, nor did he say any kind words to prevent Guan Yu from having to shelter him from the wind and rain, because Liu Bei knew that they were not brothers, but they were better than brothers.
Guan Yu nodded silently and stepped aside.
In fact, this cave might be better if it is said that it is a concave. It is a recessed stone platform under the rock. It can barely accommodate two or three people. Although it is crowded, it is much better than lying on the soil that will return to moisture at night.
Liu Bei jumped off the rock, stood in the drizzle, raised his face, closed his eyes, let the slightly cool rain fall on his head and face, took a long breath, and casually pulled off his robe,
He wiped his face, completely ignoring this piece of brocade clothing with fish and dragon pattern embroidery that was originally Liu Bei's favorite.
"Where is the third brother?" Liu Bei looked around and asked.
"I took some people and went to the woods to cut firewood..." Guan Yu responded from the side. After a moment of silence, he added, "...last night, more than ten people escaped..."
Liu Bei's smile stiffened for a moment, and then continued to bloom, "It doesn't matter! Everyone has his own ambitions, let him go!"
The city was abandoned and the soldiers were scattered, but Liu Bei's smile remained the same, making people feel at ease just by looking at it. However, the shadow hidden deep in the wrinkles of his smile was a pain that only Liu Bei could understand.
"Hahaha!" Zhang Fei arrived first, and emerged from the forest with something dangling in his hand, "Brother! Look, I hunted two rabbits! There are also two pheasants!"
"Okay!" Liu Bei's smile became brighter, "Wash it, peel it, and stew it in the pot! Share it with everyone, everyone has it!" Some soldiers came out with Zhang Fei, holding some wild vegetables and
Mushrooms and the like seem to be a good harvest.
Seeing the blood food, the originally listless soldiers seemed to have gained some energy, and they immediately became busy in the open space in front of the forest. Some people dug earth stoves, some went to get water, and some went to find dry wood and dead branches.
…
Liu Bei walked slowly, smiling and nodding with almost every soldier. Sometimes he saw familiar veterans, and even stopped to chat for a few words. When he came back after walking around, he saw Zhang Fei
He had been sitting on the big rock for a long time, with his hands in his arms and his eyes rolling.
Seeing that Liu Bei and Guan Yu were back, Zhang Fei jumped down quickly, then got closer, and carefully took out four small bird eggs from his arms, then gave two to Liu Bei, and then gave one to Guan Yu. Finally, he held a small bird egg and laughed twice, "I happened to see a bird's nest in the forest. I took it out... I kept it specially for the eldest and second brothers. It's still warm... With such a small amount, brother doesn’t need to distribute it to the soldiers..."
Liu Bei held two bird eggs that were no bigger than his thumb. He looked at the eggs and then at Zhang Fei. He couldn't help but burst into laughter. Zhang Fei carefully hid such fragile things and emphasized that, This is really...
"Okay, we can't tell the difference..." Liu Bei smiled, nodded, took Zhang Fei's hand, and then returned a bird egg and said, "Third brother, it's hard work hunting early in the morning... I'll just eat one." That's enough, I'll give this to you..."
"Ah? This...eldest brother...second brother..." Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, then looked at Liu Bei and then at Guan Yu.
Guan Yu glanced at Zhang Fei: "Look what he is doing! Since big brother gave it to you, just eat it!"
"Oh!" Zhang Fei was not polite and threw the two eggs directly into his mouth, biting them into pieces with a clicking sound, and swallowed them in a few mouthfuls.
Liu Bei smiled slightly, and like Zhang Fei, he bit the whole bird egg into pieces and swallowed it.
The same is true for Guan Yu.
Although the eggshell of the bird egg is hard, it is still a solid material. The empty abdomen is crying, and the friction between each other is painful. With some mixture of eggshell and egg liquid, the burning feeling between the chest and abdomen is considered good. Some.
"Come, sit down." Liu Bei greeted, looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and said, "We were defeated... There is no need to deny this, but we must know why we lost... and for next time... next time Don’t make the same mistakes again…”
No matter what the two warring parties think, one thing is definitely the same, no one wants to lose.
During the battle with Ji Ling, Liu Bei originally tried to use this time to order him to go north to attack Yuan Shao to hide the truth, but unexpectedly he failed.
Liu Bei mobilized his troops on a large scale and pretended to go north, which naturally lured Ji Ling to attack. As a result, the ambush army was detected by Ji Ling...
To ambush, one must naturally divide the troops, and dividing the troops means that the strength is dispersed. The dispersed troops were attacked by Ji Ling's large army. Even strong generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei still could not save the defeat and could only protect them. Liu Bei fled all the way.
"I have been thinking about it for the past two days as to why a certain ambush was exposed..." Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The whole army went north, and Yuan Jun came to pursue... Everything is normal... However..."
Liu Bei closed his eyes, and the eyes under his eyelids moved rapidly.
"It's really strange..." Zhang Fei also scratched his head and said, "A certain person led an army and was located in the valley. For some reason, Yuan's army attacked directly... It was as if he knew I was in the valley a long time ago. generally……"
Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and said: "It is impossible to say that there are Yuan Jun scouts investigating...the third brother has not noticed..."
Zhang Fei's eyebrows were twitching, and he said angrily: "Impossible! I, Lao Zhang, are at the mouth of the valley and haven't left even an inch! There is a forest outside the valley. If you don't go out through the forest, how can you see what's going on inside the valley? I didn't see any Yuan Jun scouts.
, what came directly was Yuan’s army!”
Liu Bei opened his eyes and said: "Other than the two wise brothers, who else knows about the ambush?" There is nothing strange about the strategy being seen through. After all, what Liu Bei can think of, others may also think of.
, but it is very strange that the place where the ambush was located was accurately found without the scouts' early exploration.
Guan Yu's slender phoenix eyes glanced left and right and said: "Zizhong, Yuan Tan... and the army commanders... huh? Third brother, where are your army commanders Chen Song and Chen Zicheng?" Mi Zhu and Gu Yong were
The civilian officials who followed Guan Yu and Zhang Fei naturally knew the specific plans and arrangements, while the Army Sima was the front-line commander and was responsible for the specific arrangement of military sundries. Of course, they could not hide it.
"Chen Zicheng?" Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, turned to look at Liu Bei, and said, "Didn't Chen Zicheng get the order from his elder brother to go... Could it be..."
Liu Bei shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Why did I have an order? Even if something happens, I will go directly to you, third brother. How could I go past you, third brother, to give orders to your army officers and horses..."
"Ah, ah, ah, ah! You are so angry!" Zhang Fei was so angry that he stood up and roared to the sky, scaring many surrounding soldiers who turned their heads and looked over.
"Third brother!" Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "Shut up! Sit down!"
Chen Song was a native of Chen County. His family was in decline, so he traveled around. He knew that Liu Bei was looking for talents, so he came to join him.
Liu Bei quickly recalled the relevant information about Chen Song. Although he was unwilling to associate everything with the young man with a beard, no matter from which perspective, Chen Song was still most likely to be a traitor.
"..." Zhang Fei sat down and wrinkled his face tightly. He didn't cry loudly, but just shed tears silently. Big tears jumped out of the corners of Zhang Fei's eyes and jumped to his beard.
, and then like a swing, swinging a few beards before falling to the ground.
Zhang Fei was very sad and cried like a child weighing two hundred pounds.
Because of his negligence in this aspect, Liu Bei and Guan Yu had to return to rescue, which led to the regret that the entire army was defeated...
Although Liu Bei and Guan Yu didn't say a word of blame after their defeat, Zhang Fei still felt very uncomfortable in his heart. Now that he knew that the most critical factor in the defeat might be his, the turbulent emotions in his heart naturally became intense for a while.
hard to control.
Chen Song also had a beard. Although not as exaggerated as Zhang Fei, Zhang Fei and Chen Song seemed to hit it off, and there was an indescribable sense of intimacy. Perhaps this sense of intimacy and trust was due to Zhang Fei listening to Chen Song.
I didn’t think too deeply about the reasons when I made excuses...
Guan Yu sighed, then reached out and patted Zhang Fei's shoulder gently.
Liu Bei was silent for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Third brother! What's so sad about this! Instead, we should be happy!"
"Ah?" Zhang Fei was a little confused.
"It is only when the weather is cold that we know the green pines and cypresses, and when the earth is far away we know how powerful the horses are..." Liu Bei said with a smile, "What can we do now with a small defeat? It is important to know that only by getting rid of the clutter can we get the essence!"
Liu Bei circled his arms and said loudly: "Go away, you little treacherous villain! Go away! Why should I cherish them! There are two brothers here. Their friendship is as good as gold and stone, and their loyalty shines through the world! That's enough, that's enough!" That’s right! Despite this disaster, there are still many people who are here to stay, so why worry about the big thing not happening! Congratulations, congratulations!"
The soldiers around him understood what was going on. Although not everyone understood or believed the happy event Liu Bei said, at least the surrounding atmosphere was no longer heavy and somewhat energetic.
Zhang Fei also knew that he was losing his temper, so he wiped his tears, looked at Liu Bei and Guan Yu, and said, "Eldest brother, second brother, you...don't you blame me?"
Liu Bei smiled and said: "No wonder, no wonder."
"What's your fault?" Guan Yu patted Zhang Fei, "Next time, just be more careful..." As he said that, Guan Yu suddenly raised his eyebrows, like a long knife raised, and swept towards the man in the distance. Another military commander, Liu Li, commanded the soldiers.
Liu Bei noticed something strange about Guan Yu and followed Guan Yu's gaze. After pondering for a moment, he waved his hand and said softly: "Second brother, there is no need to be like this... Chen... Zicheng is Zicheng, and Jingguo is Jingguo. , cannot be confused..."
Guan Yu still stared at Liu Li and said: "I know that my eldest brother has a kind heart...but this person also has many contacts with Chen Thief..."
Liu Bei thought about it for a while, still shook his head, and said softly: "If it were before, it would be suspicious, but in the current situation, what can you and I do for him to plot? Second brother, don't chill people's hearts... Besides, Jingguo and Zicheng is both a military commander and naturally has many contacts, so this incident is not surprising..."
"Well..." Guan Yu nodded slowly after hearing this, and then looked away from Liu Li.
Although the cause of the failure has been found, it does not mean that we can get rid of the current predicament we are facing. Where to go next is still a question that needs detailed consideration.
The failure to conquer Xuzhou for the second time was not only the pain of Liu Bei, but also the pain of the people of Xuzhou. From the time of Tao Qian until now, there have been disputes in Xuzhou. Therefore, many people in Xuzhou gradually fled. As the population increased, With the decline, Xuzhou is no longer a prosperous place, but has become a situation where ten houses and nine are empty.
The most critical point is that Xuzhou is between Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. It is a green grass that is swaying between the three parties. After all, it is not very good and cannot be said to be stable. As long as there is a slight sign of growth, Xuzhou will immediately It will attract a lot of attention. Liu Bei has experienced this once and does not want to experience it a second time.
The soldiers on the side had cooked the wild vegetable porridge, and the faint aroma of food filled the air. Liu Bei clapped his hands, stood up, and said with a smile: "Let's go eat first! After eating... let's go to Jingzhou!"
"Jingzhou?" Guan Yu frowned.
Liu Bei smiled and said: "The Lord of Jingzhou is a clan member of the Han Dynasty, and he has the elegant name of Eight Horses. He should be happy to accept me..."
"I'm not saying that Jingzhou is not good..." Guan Yu followed him a few steps and whispered, "Brother, you know what I mean..." Guan Yu also knew that, after all, either Cao Cao or Yuan Shao is in the north now.
There seems to be some space in the south, but to go and seek refuge like this would mean that Liu Bei is once again reduced to the level of his younger brother, relying on others to live. Guan Yu is proud, so he is not willing to see Liu Bei compromise.
"You naturally know what my second brother is thinking!" Liu Bei laughed loudly, with a bright smile. He pointed his hand forward like the edge of a sword and said categorically, "As long as the three of us brothers are in the same place and our hearts are in the same place,
It doesn’t matter if we are in all kinds of difficulties! One day, we will eventually find a glorious avenue!"
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, narrowed his eyes slightly, and replied proudly: "In that case, let's go to Jingzhou!"
Liu Bei laughed, smiled, nodded, and walked forward.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed Liu Bei, one on the left and the other on the right. Their backs were straight, like unsheathed swords, still sharp, just like when they set off from Taoyuan.
Although he is middle-aged.
Although nothing was accomplished.
Although defeated again.
Although there is no food and clothing.
But defeat is not terrible. What is terrible is that after defeat, you can no longer stand up and lie down in the mud and turn into pus and blood.
Liu Bei's smile was still brilliant and bright, with the innocence of a child, which seemed to warm people up just by looking at it. It also seemed to be exactly the same as the smile he had when he had never experienced failure.
The only thing that was different from before was the two or three extra wrinkles on Liu Bei's face, hidden under his bright smile. They were as deep as scars, which would only be cut open in the dead of night.
It pulled and stung, reminding Liu Bei and telling Liu Bei that he was still a loser. His childhood dreams, his brothers' promises, and his soldiers' expectations had not been realized yet.
"As long as you don't lower your head..." Liu Bei looked into the distance and said proudly, "you can still see the whole world!"
