But now he has lived for nearly seven more years, is now 82 years old, and is still active on the battlefield.
Shen Chen thought that the old general might be able to live longer, because at least he seemed to be in good health, he could eat a bucket of rice a day, he could shoot a three-stone bow, and he had the courage to be honest.
Unexpectedly, General Huang, who seemed to be in no condition, died suddenly on an ordinary night in December 226 AD.
Things in the world are unpredictable, and people's destiny is always so elusive.
When Shen Chen received the news, he was filled with grief and hurried to Lantian to attend the funeral for the old general.
Huang Zhong was a native of Nanyang. Historically, Nanyang was occupied by Cao Wei. Naturally, his soul could not return to his hometown after his death. Fallen leaves return to their roots.
But now that Nanyang is in the hands of the imperial court, he can be buried in his ancestral land and his soul can return to his hometown.
Shen Chen then ordered Zhao Yun to be the chief general and Pang De to be the deputy general, and sit in Chang'an on his behalf. He personally carried the coffin and sent the old general's body to Nanyang.
In addition to Shen Chen, Huang Zhong's heir Huang Cheng and some of Huang Zhong's generals also sent him back.
Fortunately, Liu Bei chose Huang Cheng as his heir from the descendants of Huang Zhong's brothers, thus continuing the Huang Zhong bloodline. Otherwise, the old general might not even have a single descendant.
Over there, Liu Bei soon learned of Huang Zhong's death and was deeply saddened. However, he was already bedridden and could not go, so he had to order Ma Liang to observe integrity and send the emperor's guard of honor to mourn the old general.
Although General Huang wasted his time in his early years, in his later years he fought against Jingzhou and attacked Jiangdong, and killed Lu Meng and Xiahou. He made outstanding achievements and became a top general in the Han Group. Naturally, he was buried in a grand ceremony.
Unfortunately, it was during the war, and the main generals were fighting on the front lines. Therefore, in addition to the emperor sending Ma Liangzhi as an envoy, Zhuge Liang went to Nanyang to preside over the funeral in person.
At the end of December, Huang Zhong was buried at his ancestral home in Nanyang. According to his wishes during his lifetime and the thin burial style currently advocated by the court, he was buried simply. Apart from the red blood knife and the precious eagle bow that he had used, there was only one pair. Buried with battle armor.
More than a month later, time had gradually diluted the sadness of Huang Zhong's death. But unexpectedly, just one month later, in the seventh year of Zhang Wu's reign, that is, at the beginning of 227 AD, the old Taiwei Jia Xu finally died of illness.
In fact, Jia Xu has been in poor health since the year before last and has some basic diseases of old age. He did not go to the front line to advise Liu Bei throughout last year and has been recuperating in Xiangyang.
If it weren't for the famous doctors in the south, like Shen Chen who bribed the jailer to get Hua Tuo's "Qing Nang Shu", and Zhang Zhongjing, many veterans and ministers could keep their bodies and minds in good health. I'm afraid that very old ministers like Jia Xu would probably Will die early.
But now it's time to retire.
Historically, Jia Xu died in 223 AD. Now he has lived 4 years longer than in history, and his age has reached 81 years old. It is considered a happy death. However, the old ministers passed away one after another, which still left Liu Bei mentally and physically exhausted, and his condition became more and more serious.
This time Jia Xu was not sent back to Liangzhou. Wuwei has now been taken back by Shen Chen, but Liangzhou is too far away, and Jia Xu's body may have rotted when he was sent back.
Therefore, according to the wishes of Jia Xu's family, he was finally buried in Xiangyang and placed at the foot of Xian Mountain, where Jia Xu often climbed, to keep company with Qingshan Mountain.
Similarly, Liu Bei sent Ma Liang to hold the ceremony, and Zhuge Liang to preside over the funeral to see off the old captain.
The saddest thing about Jia Xu's death was Zhang Xiu.
In fact, he has always treated Jia Xu as a disciple and respected him as his father. Moreover, the Liangzhou Group has a relatively small number of people in the Liu Bei Group. Only two Wuwei fellows, Jia Xu and Zhang Xiu, support each other.
Keep trying.
Now that Jia Xu died, he was immediately grieved and soon fell ill. More than twenty days later, Zhang Xiu, a veteran in his sixties, also died of illness, ending his life of repeated leaps.
Although Zhang Xiu is not the first echelon general of Liu Bei's group, he is also ranked relatively high in the second echelon.
If it weren't for the slow promotion due to team issues in the early years, I'm afraid the ranking would be higher.
The main reason is that when he later defected to Liu Bei, he did not go alone, but with thousands of cavalry.
For Liu Bei's group, which was extremely short of cavalry at the time, this undoubtedly solved an urgent need and allowed Liu Bei to have cavalry to compete with Cao Cao.
Therefore, even if he repeatedly jumps around on the issue of which team to take, and is disliked by loyal people, if he joins in the credit of leading troops, it is considered as a capital investment, and his status belongs to the senior general of the Dahan Group who can lead the army alone.
Naturally, his death from illness should also be taken seriously, so the standard is only slightly inferior to that of Huang Zhong and Jia Xu, and he is also buried in the south.
Not long after, Huang She, the general who conquered the south and the commander of the Jiangxia Navy, also died in Changsha. After pacifying the entire south, the navy was no longer of much use. Because the Northern Expedition required an army, the navy continued to develop southward.
In the past few years, Huang She had been staying in the south, pacifying Jiaozhou, and even went to sea along the coast to Zhuyazhou and Yizhou. The Han Dynasty had also been to Luzon, so they were sailing towards Luzon.
However, Huang She was older, so he stayed in Changsha and only let the navy stationed in various parts of Jiaozhou, expanding offshore, and even reached Jiaozhi with his fleet, regaining Jiuzhen and Rinan counties.
As a result, Huang She died of illness at this point in time.
In just three months, four old ministers passed away one after another, which dealt a heavy blow to Liu Bei, and his condition has not improved for a long time.
There was nothing he could do for this.
We can only treat the heirs of meritorious officials favorably, let Huang Zhong's stepson Huang Cheng, Jia Xu's eldest son Jia Mu, youngest son Jia Mo, Zhang Xiu's eldest son Zhang Quan, Huang She's eldest son Huang Xu inherit their titles, and give them generous rewards.
In May of the seventh year of Zhang Wu, Mi Zhu also died.
Historically, because of Mi Fang's betrayal, Mi Zhu felt guilty and uneasy, but Liu Bei comforted him, which made Mi Zhu even more ashamed and angry, and finally died of shame.
But now without Mi Fang's betrayal, Mi Zhu would naturally not be as sad and angry as in history.
It's just that time will never take pity on anyone. Mi Zhu is also very old, almost seventy years old. At this age, no matter how well he takes care of himself, he will inevitably reach this point.
In fact, since the last five years, after Cao Cao and Liu Bei fought the Battle of Jingzhou and the Battle of Guanzhong, senior generals and ministers from both sides have been dying one after another.
For example, Cao Cao himself died of illness, Cao Hong, Zhao Yan, Xiahou Dun, Guo Jia, Xun You, Xing Yong, Huan Jie and other historical celebrities died.
On Liu Bei's side, Taishi Ci, Xu Jing, Huang Zhu, Wu Lan, Ren Kui and other generals and ministers died of illness one after another.
Both sides suffered varying degrees of losses.
The main reason is that most of the old people who conquered the world were born between 140 and 170. Now in 227 AD, even Shen Chen, who was born in 187, is over 40 this year, not to mention Liu Bei's group of the same period.
generals and counselors?
The youngest among them is 57 years old, and the oldest are in their 80s. At this historical point, between 220 and 230 AD, a large number of veterans will inevitably leave, which will deal a certain blow to both parties.
However, in contrast, the second generation of Cao Wei has held up the situation. The Liu Bei Group also has a large number of successors and heirs, which will not cause a disconnect in the middle layer.
For example, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and Xia Houshang of the second generation of Cao Wei were all good talents, and there were also a number of rising stars such as Guo Huai and Xia Houba.
The big man's side is even more shining with stars.
Shen Chen, Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, Zhou Buyi, Cai Du, Guan Ping, Guan Xing, Zhang Bao, etc. are all characters who can stand alone.
Especially Shen Chen, who was already the leader of Liu Bei's group in the veteran era. After the veterans left one after another, he became an important minister of the country. His status may be the same as that of Zhuge Liang, in charge of the power of the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, even if it is time for the previous generation to leave, the next generation of successors of the two empires can still take over, and it will be a time when the two sides will face off head-on.
May 6, Wancheng, Nanyang.
In the emperor's temporary palace, the emperor lived in the back garden, with flowers and birds, a pond, and a pleasant scenery.
Liu Bei was sitting by the pond. His hair was all white. Last year it was only gray and white, but now it is gray, his skin is sagging, and his face is full of wrinkles, as if he is about to die.
At this age, even as an emperor, he cannot escape the fate of aging.
What's more, Liu Bei's health has been deteriorating in the past two years, but he does not have to work on military affairs on the front line all day long, and Zhuge Liang is handling state affairs. After relaxing and just recuperating, his condition has not worsened.
At this moment, he was sitting by the pond, looking at the carps swimming in the pond, slightly in a trance.
Zhou Buyi, the prefect of Nanyang, has been promoted to the state pastor for his outstanding achievements in supervising the transportation of grain and grass, raising labor for the people, and building equipment in the past few years. At the same time, Deng Hong also served as the pastor of Jingzhou.
Now that Liu Bei has returned to Nanyang, Deng Hong and Zhou Buyi are both handling rear baggage matters in Nanyang and reporting to the emperor every day.
After Zhou Buji reported the affairs to Liu Bei today, he saw that Liu Bei seemed a little absent-minded, so he asked curiously: "Is Your Majesty still thinking about the military affairs on the front line?"
"no."
Liu Bei shook his head.
Zhou Buyi asked: "Who is your Majesty?"
Liu Bei sighed: "In just a few months, four of my veterans died of illness."
Zhou Buji comforted him: "When a person reaches the end of his life, my senior brother often says that no one has ever died since ancient times. The only thing we have to do is to keep our loyalty and shine on our youth. Life does not depend on the length, but on whether we can do meaningful things. This is also Tai Shigong said that death is heavier than Mount Tai and lighter than a feather."
"Are you trying to tell me that I should not lament the separation of life and death, but should pay more attention to the great cause of the Northern Expedition?"
Liu Bei said.
Zhou Buyi smiled and said: "Yes, your majesty has inherited the ambition of the great ancestor Guangwu, and naturally he wants to gather the support of people in the country, unify the world, and restore the Han Dynasty."
Liu Bei liked what Zhou Buji said very much, because his words always spoke to his heart.
But after a while, Liu Bei still said with some sadness: "Humans are not grass and trees, and they cannot be ruthless after all. What's more, even if I am reluctant to leave and can give up missing them, I myself am also old and dying."
Zhou Buji said in a deep voice: "Although people have their time to die, their ambitions and great wishes cannot be erased by time and life. His Majesty's ambition to rule the world and his heart to care for all people, together with his two sworn brothers, senior fellow apprentices, and the Prime Minister, they The kindness that is like a fish taking to water will always be in our hearts. The prince has the kindness of His Majesty. As long as we carry on this friendship and pass it on from generation to generation with unity, our long-cherished wish will one day come true."
"Yes."
Liu Bei looked at the sky in the distance and murmured to himself: "Even if I die, I still have public heirs, Xiaoqing, Kongming and others who can take up the great cause, so I have no regrets. Cough cough cough cough cough."
A slight cough made the attendant next to him nervously hand over the handkerchief.
There was no blood coughed up on the handkerchief, but Liu Bei felt uncomfortable all over. He had no energy, and there was pain all over his body. At this age, if you can't feel relaxed and comfortable, your lifespan will be shortened.
After a while, the imperial physician from a distance came over with a plate of soup and medicine, and said to Liu Bei: "Your Majesty, take the medicine."
Zhou Buji helped Liu Bei get the medicine and said to him: "Your Majesty, relax your mind and body, take the decoction when you need it, and your condition will be cured. Now during the Northern Expedition, your Majesty will be able to see the day when the Han Dynasty will be unified."
"hehe."
Liu Bei smiled, took the bowl and said: "I will not hide my illness like Cao Mengde and kill Hua Tuo because he wants to open his head to take out the wind. Even if he is not willing to open his head, why kill the doctor?
Woolen cloth?"
He picked up the bowl and was about to drink.
Suddenly, Ma Liang hurried in from outside with a solemn face. He came to Liu Bei and saw that he was drinking medicine, so he did not speak.
Liu Bei drank half of the drink. When he saw that Ma Liang's face was not very good, he put down the bowl in his hand and said, "Ji Chang, what happened? Is there something wrong on the front line?"
Ma Liang said in a deep voice: "This is Mr. Zhong. He died of illness the day before yesterday."
"Alas!"
Liu Bei was stunned for a moment and said, "Is Zizhong dead?"
The bowl in his hand fell to the ground and he didn't know it.
Although Mi Zhu was not a wise man, he had always supported Liu Bei from Xuzhou and even married his sister to him.
Their relationship is very deep, and they are among the earliest ministers of the Dragon, second only to Guan Zhang.
After Liu Bei founded the country, even though Mi Zhu had no talent and low desire for power, he still gave him a very high status and even let him manage the country's finances and give full play to his business abilities.
Now that he heard that Mi Zhu had passed away suddenly, Liu Bei was in a daze for a moment.
"His Majesty."
Ma Liang consoled him: "Please forgive me."
"well"
Liu Bei sighed, his mood became even lower, and said, "Go back to Xiangyang, I'll go see Zizhong."
He didn't have to go see others, but Mi Zhu was a minister of Conglong and had to go back.
But his health was very bad, so Ma Liang advised him, "Your Majesty, it's better to recuperate now. I'll be honest and say goodbye to my son Zhong Gong."
Liu Bei shook his head: "Zizhong has been with me for more than thirty years. If I don't go and see him, how can I sleep? What's more, Zizhong has a spirit in heaven, and he will resent me for being ruthless."
"His Majesty."
"I have made up my mind to return to Xiangyang tomorrow. It is also my fault that I cannot send him back to Donghai, Xuzhou and return to his hometown for burial."
Liu Bei raised his head and looked north.
His eyes were full of sorrow and grief.
Although I wasted most of my life, I established a foundation in the south.
But the earliest group of veterans all followed him from the north and traveled far away from their hometown to get here.
You cannot take them back while alive, and you cannot take them back after death.
Liu Bei's heart was filled with guilt.
Since we can't let them return to their roots, we should go see them and see them for the last time, that's all we can do.