Chapter 437 The death of Zhang Liao, the era is coming to an end
Chapter 437 Zhang Liao’s death, the era is coming to an end
Author: Playing with Basilisk
Chapter 437 Zhang Liao’s death, the era is coming to an end
At the end of the sixth year of Zhangwu in the Han Dynasty and the seventh year of Wei Huangchu, Liu Bei had to leave the front line due to physical reasons and retreated to Wancheng to recuperate.
At this time in history, Liu Bei had been dead for almost four years, and Cao Pi had been dead for less than half a year.
But now they are still alive and have not left sadly.
It's not because they live better 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 Wuhuan expedition outside the Great Wall and survived until the 24th year of Jian'an.
Without Guan Yu's defeat in Maicheng, Zhang Fei being killed by his subordinates, and the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei would not have died of illness in Baidi City as physically and mentally haggard as in history.
As a son of Cao Cao, Cao Pi neglected to manage him in his early years due to Cao Cao's wars in the south and north, which made Cao Pi indulge in sensuality at a young age.
For example, he and Cao Zhi wrote many poems about drinking and sex. They often indulged in wine and banquets, and were exhausted by drinking and sex.
Therefore, in history, after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty and reached the peak of his power. With no one to discipline him, he indulged himself even more. He died of illness within just five or six years after he ascended the throne.
But now that the enemy is facing a formidable enemy, there is no time for Cao Pi to enjoy peace and security, so naturally he will not die of illness early in Luoyang like in history.
It’s just that time is ruthless.
Liu Bei was old after all. Even if he lived for a few more years, he would only be able to live that long if his body and mind were not so exhausted. However, his aging body was beyond human control.
So now we can only leave the front line and return to Nanyang to recuperate. There is no way to go on a personal expedition and deal with the unforgettable Northern Expedition.
And just when Liu Bei had no choice but to retreat to Nanyang, in late December, Cao Pi was staying in Cao Pi's temporary palace in Chenliu County, Chenliu County, Henan Province.
"Cough cough cough cough."
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 fell ill.
In ancient times, due to the lack of effective measures to keep warm, winter was the most dangerous time every year. If you encountered cold and bitter weather, you would be infected with wind and cold, which would lead to pneumonia, which was a terminal illness.
The imperial doctor diagnosed Cao Pi and prescribed medicine, but he did not feel any better. However, the symptoms were much milder than those of Liu Bei, and he can still hold meetings with his advisers.
In the hall, Sima Yi, Chen Qun, Dong Zhao, Jiang Ji, Liu Ye and other counselors were quite worried about Cao Pi's health. After he coughed for a long time and spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm into the spittoon next to him, his face became slightly rosier and relieved. Quite a few.
The palace was full of charcoal fires, which were the finest incense charcoal. There were attendants nearby who occasionally took out some spices from bags and poured them into charcoal pots to burn, making the whole room fragrant and warm with a hint of sweetness.
Cao Pi lay on the mat and adjusted to a more comfortable position. He smelled the fragrance wafting in the hall and felt his body gradually getting comfortable. Then he raised his head slightly and looked down at the people below.
"Liu Bei returned to Nanyang?"
he said.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Sima Yi cupped his hands and said, "Nanyang's spies saw his escort going to Wancheng with their own eyes."
Jiang Ji said: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei, who is nearly seventy years old, still wants to fight in person. This shows that his desire for the Northern Expedition is extremely strong. Under normal circumstances, he would never leave the front line."
Cao Pi nodded slightly and said, "What does Zitong mean?"
"It can only mean one thing, and that is that Liu Bei's health has become worse and worse, and it is very likely that he will die soon within a few months."
Jiang Ji analyzed: "If we can attack while Liu Bei is dead, we will definitely defeat the south."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Cao Pi pondered: "It's just that in the recent period, no matter how provocative the hussar general is, Zhang Fei is determined not to leave the camp. I'm afraid it won't be easy for a decisive battle."
Chen Qun smiled and said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Fei has a rough temper and is not leaving the camp now because Liu Bei ordered him not to fight. Now Liu Bei has retreated to the rear and no one is watching him. As long as your Majesty lets the hussar general take the initiative to attack the enemy camp,
Zhang Fei will definitely lose his temper and go out for a decisive battle."
"Then Pang Tong and Fazheng are not good friends."
Cao Pi sighed: "Even if they can provoke Zhang Fei to go out 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 launch a decisive battle with the enemy. As long as it is delayed until Liu Bei dies and the morale of the Confederate army declines, we will naturally win. The important thing is not to allow the Confederate army to retreat smoothly.
"
"Well."
Cao Pi thought for a while and said: "Okay, then pass on my edict and let General Hussar and General Zhengnan start attacking early next year."
"only."
Everyone bowed their hands in unison.
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At the end of the sixth year of Zhangwu, Liu Bei returned to Wancheng to recuperate due to poor health.
Shen Chen took control of Chang'an and began to harass Hedong.
At this time, in Hefei City, Zhang Liao was dying and about to die of illness.
The house in the backyard of the former general's residence in Hefei City is filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs.
Zhang Liao lay on the bed with a pale face.
He has lived almost five years longer than in history and is fifty-eight years old this year.
However, in his early years of fighting in both the South and the North, he suffered many traumas, and his body eventually became weak in his later years.
Especially when Hefei was besieged for more than a year, Zhang Liao's originally strong body was reduced to dry wood.
Xue Ti stood by the bed, looked at him with worried eyes, and said sadly: "Wen Yuan, it's all my fault, I shouldn't have done it."
Zhang Liao said with difficulty: "Xiaowei is just abiding by his duties. This matter has nothing to do with Xiaowei. Besides, I shouldn't be honest with him. What is Xiaowei's fault?"
Xue Ti said sadly: "Wenyuan, now Guan Yu is still storming the city, Hefei is already crumbling, but Wenyuan is ill in bed, what should we do?"
Zhang Liao sighed and said: "Hefei City cannot be defended. The food and grass in the city only lasts for a year and is almost exhausted. Now the morale of the army is declining. Xiaowei should lead the soldiers to break through the encirclement tonight, and they can still return to Henan."
"Hey Wenyuan, you are sick in bed now and can't stand the rush. How should I help you break out of the encirclement?"
Xue Ti sighed.
He knew what Zhang Liao said was right, but he was unwilling to give up Hefei like this. What's more important was that Zhang Liao was now so ill that he looked like a dead tree. If he were to break out of the encirclement with him, he would probably die of illness soon.
Zhang Liao laughed miserably and said: "A real man should be wrapped in horse leather, and I die in bed. I really lack the majesty of a general. But I can't get up now. Xiaowei, go, I will die in Hefei."
Xue Ti shook his head firmly and said: "I will never give up on Wenyuan. I will break through tonight and will take Wenyuan away with me."
Having said that, he decided to go out and make arrangements for a breakout.
There is not much food and grass in Hefei City.
The city of Chang'an is very large, and it has more than enough food and fodder for fifty thousand soldiers to store for several years.
But the city of Hefei was not that big. There were 20,000 soldiers in the city at the beginning, and they consumed 60,000 shi of grain and grass every month, and more than 700,000 shi of grain a year, totaling about 20,000 tons.
A small city covering an area of only three or four square kilometers cannot store grain for more than two years.
Because in addition to food, the city also needs to prepare a large amount of defense supplies, ordnance and equipment, as well as places for soldiers to sleep and train.
So at the beginning, I only saved a million stones of food.
If you use it sparingly and use it for a year and a half, or even two years, there will be no problem.
However, from the end of last year to the end of this year, a year has passed. Guan Yu often attacked the city. In order to ensure the physical strength of the soldiers, the city spent a lot of money on food and grass. Now there is less than three months of food left.
In this case, Xue Ti and Zhang Liao had to consider their retreat. Now that Cao Xiu was defeated, Cao's army was no longer able to rush to Huainan. They were defending the city alone and could not hold on for long.
So it’s time to plan ahead and prepare for a breakout.
As a result, at this juncture, Zhang Liao fell ill in bed again, which made the already bad situation of Cao's army even worse.
But no matter what, in order to survive, we have to fight hard and take the soldiers out of Hefei City.
At that moment, Xue Ti immediately mobilized his troops and prepared to start a breakout operation.
In fact, he had had the idea of breaking out more than ten days ago and had made arrangements in secret.
It's a pity that Zhang Liao's condition never got better and became more and more serious. Last month he could barely patrol the city defense, but this month he could no longer get out of bed.
Under such circumstances, Xue Ti was unwilling to give up Zhang Liao and escaped alone.
Therefore, he can only continue to do a good job of defense.
But now we have reached the point of no return. If we continue to hold on, once Zhang Liao dies of illness and the morale of the army drops to the bottom, the city will probably be captured.
We have no choice but to break out.
That night, at the end of the rooster's crow and the beginning of the morning, it was almost three o'clock in the middle of the night in later generations, which is when people sleep the deepest.
The gate to the east of Hefei City opened quietly, and groups of Cao Jun soldiers slowly left the city.
As he was about to leave the city gate, people in front of him were already picking up people and giving out a series of orders.
"Be silent, don't light torches, and move forward in the dark!"
"The scouts spread out along the wings."
"Inspect the situation outside the city and report back as soon as possible."
Naturally, these people were not the main force of Cao's army who left the city directly, but the scouts who went to explore the road.
What if I were ambushed if I left the city directly?
So the situation must be investigated.
Soon the scouts came back and reported to Xue Ti that there was no ambush outside the east city.
Xue Ti waved his hand and broke out overnight.
So a large number of Cao's troops came out of the city and slowly advanced toward the east.
Xue Ti was riding on horseback, looking worriedly at Zhang Liao who was being carried by several Cao soldiers on a stretcher next to him.
He had a fever and was unconscious.
The weather was already cold, and even if Zhang Liao was covered with several quilts, the wind and cold would still invade, making Xue Ti worried and uneasy.
But if this situation persists, Zhang Liao will really die in Hefei City.
Leave Hefei and send him back to the rear as soon as possible. Maybe he can be saved.
Xue Ti could only think so.
It was already a moment of peace, and a crescent moon in the night sky was hidden behind dark clouds. The cool moonlight shined from the edge of the clouds, illuminating a small piece of blue-white sky, and even the edges of the dark clouds were dyed with a touch of white.
Frost.
There was darkness on the ground. Except for the firelight in front of the Han army's camp a few miles north of the city, there were dark and hazy shadows everywhere.
Cao Jun trotted away from Hefei City and ran towards Junqiu County in the east.
Junqiu County was Feidong County in later Hefei City. The distance between Junqiu County and Hefei was very close, only 70 to 80 miles, and the road was extremely flat. It was a vast plain area that stretched as far as the eye could see.
There are only a few undulating hills in the east. There are dense forests at the foot of the mountains, and streams and rivers pass through the forests. Occasionally, you can hear the roar of deer and the chirping of wild boars.
Xue Ti knew that the road back to Runan in the north had been blocked by Guan Yu, so he planned to go northeast into Guangling and then return to Henan.
The soldiers walked for more than an hour, and at about six o'clock in the morning, a touch of fish belly white appeared in the east. Although the days are short and the nights are long in winter, sometimes it does not get bright until seven, eight or even nine o'clock in the morning.
However, it gets bright earlier in the south, so the field of vision in the wilderness is still relatively wide at this time.
Xue Ti looked around and saw that he was already some distance away from Hefei. He had asked the soldiers to walk slowly and quietly because he was afraid that running would cause too much noise and would be noticed by the Han army outside the city in the distance.
They should not be discovered now, so they wanted to give an order to let the soldiers run. But suddenly they noticed Zhang Liao, who was pale and unconscious with high fever over there.
I thought that if the soldiers were allowed to run, Zhang Liao would definitely be jolted and uncomfortable. If Zhang Liao's condition worsened, wouldn't he be killed?
Therefore, Xue Ti had no choice but to continue to let the soldiers advance on foot.
By the end of sunrise, that is, at seven o'clock in the morning, they had approached the small hills in the distance and reached the edge of the forest.
Xue Ti was planning to let the soldiers take a break and light a fire to cook food to replenish their physical strength.
At this moment, a sound suddenly sounded in the forest.
"woo woo woo woo!"
The desolate trumpet sound shook the wilderness.
Countless figures suddenly emerged from the forest in the distance, and the orange-red Han army uniforms were like a gorgeous flaming cloud.
They held high the banner with the word "Guan" and surged toward Cao Jun like a tide.
Cao Jun had been walking for several hours. He never expected that there would be an ambush here, and everything was in chaos for a while.
Xue Ti was shocked and hurriedly ordered the soldiers to line up.
"Quick, quick, get in formation!"
"Don't run, don't mess around, just make a formation if you don't want to die."
"Death to those who run away!"
The lower-level officers were quite qualified and quickly organized manpower.
But it is obviously impossible to arrange a marching team of soldiers into formation in a short period of time.
What's more important is that the Han army will not give them time.
I saw the Han army roaring like wild wolves and rushing into Cao Jun's formation. Cao Jun's soldiers were scattered and fleeing everywhere. Only a handful of them successfully formed a formation and resisted.
Guan Ping rushed to the front of the team, slashing and killing indiscriminately, and soon defeated Cao's army that had just regrouped.
There are mountains and plains all around, and Han troops are swarming everywhere. At present, Cao's army not only has only more than 10,000 to less than 20,000 people, but more importantly, their morale and physical strength are not high.
In this case, Cao's army was in chaos.
Zhang Liao was drowsily awakened by the chaotic noise of the battlefield. His face was pale, and his lips had no color at all. He opened his eyes with difficulty, only to see himself lying on the ground.
The Cao army carrying him had no choice but to place him on a hillside. The guards defended the hillside and fought to the death with the Han army.
But their number was getting smaller and smaller, and soon only seven or eight of them retreated to guard Zhang Liao.
The Han army below did not continue to attack. Among the crowd, an old horse that was gradually getting thinner slowly came over. The man on the horse was also much thinner. He did not have a Qinglong Sword in his hand, but only an ordinary ring-headed sword on his waist.
.
Guan Yu is about the same age as Liu Bei. They are both sixty-seven or seventy-eight years old. His once burly body has become more and more craggy. He can no longer hold the Qinglong Sword, so he can only use an ordinary straight knife.
Zhang Liao slowly turned his head, glanced at the situation in the formation, and saw that Cao Jun had been defeated in the distance, and even Xue Ti was missing. He didn't know if he was dead.
It seems that Xue Ti failed to break through.
He thought to himself.
"Wenyuan."
Guan Yu rode on the old and thin red rabbit horse and said in a deep voice: "Surrender. Back then you persuaded me to surrender to Cao Cao. I accept your kindness and you should surrender today. Since you are a Han, why do you need to be a Wei minister?"
Zhang Liao laughed miserably, feeling heavy in his chest, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and said with difficulty: "Yunyunchang, I will not surrender. I can die in your hands, that's enough."
"well."
Guan Yu sighed and said, "Even if you can't think about yourself, you should still think about your soldiers."
Zhang Liao then said to the guards beside him: "You surrender."
"General."
The guard gritted his teeth and said: "We will never surrender and will protect the general to the death."
"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: "When I am about to die, I will not die on the hospital bed, but on the battlefield. That is enough."
He opened his mouth and his voice was very weak. At the end, he slowly turned his head and fell into coma again.
Guan Yu looked at Zhang Liao's guards and yelled, "You still won't surrender?"
Many Han soldiers held spears and threatened them.
Zhang Liao's personal guards looked at each other, and finally threw down their weapons and surrendered to the Han army.
Guan Yu coughed slightly and waited for the Han army to escort Zhang Liao's guards away. He slowly climbed up the hillside alone, dismounted and came to Zhang Liao's stretcher.
At this time, Zhang Liao was almost on his deathbed. His eyelids were trembling slightly and his lips were open, but he was speechless.
Guan Yu knelt down and pulled Zhang Liao's eyelids open. His eyes were distracted and had become cloudy.
"Wenyuan."
Seeing his old friend's life slowly fading away, Guan Yu let out a long sigh, sat next to Zhang Liao, and looked into the distance.
His eyes were also filled with tears, feeling sorry for Zhang Liao's death.
In the east in the early morning, the sky has gradually become brighter, and there seem to be meteors falling in the distant sky.
Time will not stop its rapid pace.
No matter whether you are a world-famous hero or a wealthy emperor, you cannot escape the changes of time.
Zhang Liao served as a soldier for nearly forty years, and his life finally came to an end.
Guan Yu lamented not only the departure of old friends and friends.
What I also lament is the rush of time.
Belongs to their time.
It seems that it's time to end.
Own.
Maybe he will soon die of old age, illness, or death in battle.
Guan Yu gently stroked Zhang Liao's forehead, which was gradually losing temperature, and finally a trace of tears appeared in the corners of his eyes.
I am saddened by the passing of my best friend, and also grieved by my own aging appearance.