Chapter 21 Gaoling pays homage to the king, Lao Ji dies
In early spring, in February, although there is no cold snow, there is still a biting cold wind.
To the west of the Imperial City, to the north of the Divine Tiger Gate, on the Lingyundai. The monarchs and ministers who have been away for a long time are now overlooking the splendid mountains and rivers.
[Note 1: "Shishuo Xinyu" records that Lingyuntai was first built in the second year of Huangchu, Emperor Wen of Wei.]
Emperor Cao Pi looked at the mountains, rivers, residential areas outside the imperial city, and the bustling gold market not far away. He seemed to be very satisfied, but he also seemed hesitant to speak.
The veteran minister Yu Jinsuili, whose status had already plummeted, looked after him with his eyes filled with vicissitudes of life.
"General Yu..." Cao Pi directly addressed Yu Jin as a general, as if he had forgotten that this old general of the late king was a man who surrendered to the enemy and humiliated his country.
He did not look back, but said softly:
"Do you still remember that when I was eight years old, I wanted to learn to ride a horse, but I couldn't climb up. At that time, General Yu held me on the horse..."
"Your Majesty..." When Yu Jin heard this, he had mixed feelings at the moment. He burst into tears and fell to the ground.
"General Yu, why should you be so polite? Get up quickly." Cao Pi helped Yu Jin, who had gray hair and a haggard face, with mixed feelings in his heart. He sighed softly and continued:
"General, do you know how the mausoleum platform under our feet was built?"
"Your Majesty, please enlighten me."
Yu Jin lowered his head and just listened quietly to the emperor's story.
"Before the construction of the Lingyundai, skilled craftsmen first weighed the wood used in all directions to make sure it was exactly the same. Then it was built with inlays. There is always a breeze on the high platform, but this high platform is actually
It sways with the wind from time to time, but it never collapses. Does Yu Qing know why?"
"I would like to ask your majesty for advice." Yu Jin continued to nod and listen quietly. Although he was extremely tired, he always had to guess the king's heart and had to be careful.
"The reason why a high platform is dangerous and does not fall is because the trees from all directions work together to hold it together. A high platform is like a river or a mountain, and there is always a danger of collapse, so it needs good trees like your beloved to support it."
Cao Pi said this loudly and confidently.
"Your Majesty..." After hearing these words, Yu Jin choked with emotion and fell to the ground: "The guilty minister is a man who humiliated the country by defeating the army. How can he be so virtuous and capable that he has received such kindness from the Cao family for generations!
"
"Please tell me, in ancient times, there were Meng Mingshi, a general of Qin Mugong, and Xun Linfu, a general of Jin. They both suffered heavy defeats, but they were not discouraged and were brave in the face of setbacks. They both made unparalleled achievements and were famous for generations to come.
Why can't Yu Qing become the father of Meng Mingshi and Xun Lin in our great Wei Dynasty? The old general has been in Wu for many years, and now he has turned white again. It really insults the general's past achievements. Now I worship you as General Anyuan. I hope the general will encourage him!
"
Hearing this, Yu Jin burst into tears and knelt down on the ground.
Cao Pi bowed and helped Yu Jin up, and continued: "I heard that Liu Bei is at war with the Marquis of Wu this time when he is conquering Wu, and the Marquis of Wu has the intention of forming a good relationship with the Wei Dynasty, so I want to send an envoy to Jiangdong.
To promote a good alliance. Since Yu Qing has been in Soochow all year round, he is naturally a suitable candidate. I wonder if he is willing to go?”
After a pause, the emperor expressed his condolences to Xun Lin's father, and Meng Ming reviewed the story... He wanted to send an envoy to Wu, so he ordered him to go to Ye in the north to pay a visit to Gaoling.]
"Since Your Majesty has the order, Jin will fight to the death. However, before I leave, I have one request, which I hope Your Majesty will grant." Yu Jin kowtowed to the ground and paused.
"Oh?" Cao Pilong narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "I wonder what your request is?"
Yu Jin paused again and said in a trembling voice: "The guilty minister wants to go to Gaoling, Ye County, to apologize in front of the late king and pay homage to the late king."
"General Yu and the late king have known each other for more than thirty years. It is indeed time to go and see the late king." The emperor's face was as calm as a flat lake at the moment, expressionless. He nodded and said: "I'm sure."
"I thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I thank you, Your Majesty!"
Yu Jin, who was white-bearded and white-haired, bowed his head to the ground, seeming ashamed, excited, and relieved.
——
After Yu Jin left Lingyuntai, Cao Pi still did not leave.
This was not just to see the scenery. He made an appointment with a few confidants here to discuss important matters, and also to prove something to his servant Liu Ye.
Thinking of this, a proud smile appeared on Cao Pi's lips.
Not long after, Sima Yi, the chief censor, Liu Ye, Bao Xun, the ministers, as well as the minister Ling Chen Qun, the minister Pushe Xing Yong, the minister Du Xi, Henan Yin Sima Zhi, Guang Luxun Hexia, Dahong Lu Cui Lin, and the Shaofu
Chang Lin, Sanqi Shilang Pei Qian, Wang Xiang, Bian Lan, Xun Wei and others all arrived at Lingyuntai.
"I will see you, Your Majesty!"
"My lords, there is no need to be too polite."
Cao Pi seemed to be in good spirits, and he took out a memorial sent from Jiangdong by his number one Wang Chongchen with a different surname, Sun Quan, King of Wei and Wu.
"Everyone, please take a look at this."
Sima Yi took the letter and read it with Chen Qun. The letter said:
"His Majesty the Emperor: Your Majesty, King Wu Quan, has said that Liu Bei has a party of 40,000 men and 2,000 or 3,000 horses. He is returning from Zizi. Please go and attack him in order to achieve victory."
Not long after, all the ministers had finished reading.
"Zi Yang [Liu Ye], what do you think?"
Cao Pi smiled and asked Liu Ye.
Liu Ye smiled slightly, and he understood that His Majesty was trying to beat him up. He had previously discouraged Sun Quan from being granted the title.
After all, Liu Ye is a minister, and he is a minister who knows how to guess his superiors' intentions and knows what he should say.
"Your Majesty has brought great blessings to the heavens. Since the King of Wu has submitted a request to punish the bandits, your Majesty should reply to express his gratitude."
Cao Pi was in a good mood at the moment. He smiled and said: "Zi Yang's words are right. Bian Lan helped me write a reply to Sun Quan and said: "In the past, the disadvantages of Kuihuo brought disaster to the city. Zi Yang's bird became a defender.
Guan, the general is fierce and mighty, and strives to perform extraordinary feats to show my will." In addition, Zhongshu Sheng was asked to draft an edict, saying that the eight counties of Jing, Yang, and Jiang were named Jingzhou, and Wu was named
Wang Sunquan also led Jingzhou as a herdsman; the counties north of the Yangtze River in Jingzhou were called Yingzhou, so the Jingzhou shepherds conquered the southern general, and Changling Township Marquis Xia Houshang became the Yingzhou shepherds."
"only!"
Bian Lan, the regular attendant of Sanqi, accepted the edict and immediately started preparations.
Cao Pi laughed again and said: "I heard that Liu Bei went east this time to fight with the King of Wu. The Shuzha company camp was more than 700 miles away. In my opinion, there are no troops prepared. How can a camp of 700 miles away be able to resist the enemy?
What's more! 'Anyone who joins the army in the dangerous situation of Baoyuan Xi will be preyed upon by the enemy'. This is a taboo for soldiers. Liu Bei will definitely be defeated!"
"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"
All the ministers bowed their heads and worshiped.
——
In the northern suburbs, the chill that has not yet dissipated blew into the pavilion with the spring breeze.
Yu Gui poured some warm wine for his father, as if he didn't want to say goodbye prematurely before leaving. The father and son just held the bottle in silence for a long time.
"Gui'er, it's getting late. If you drink this bottle of wine, your father will be on his way..." Yu Jin smiled slightly, raised his head, and drank the wine in one gulp.
"Father..." Yu Gui paused, but didn't say anything else. He smiled, raised the wine bottle, and drank it in one gulp. After a while, Yu Gui also smiled slightly, and he gently put it down.
He picked up the wine bottle and saluted his father: "Take care..."
"Okay." Yu Jin put down the wine bottle and stood up to leave the table. Just like Yu Gui sent his father on an expedition when he was a child, Yu Jin still didn't look back this time. Just like this, Yu Gui watched his father's old back gradually disappear.
In the northern breeze.
In the past, Yu Gui always prayed for his father's triumphant return, but today, Yu Gui only wished his father a safe journey and had no other extravagant hopes.
Yu Jin did not let the accompanying retinue go north together, but he went alone, trusting the reins of his horse.
He really wanted to take a good look at this splendid country. This was the splendid country that he had worked hard with his brothers, sword and sword, along with the late king.
Along the way, he looked at the mountains and rivers that had been conquered by the late kings, and saw the peaceful Central Plains where the war had subsided.
I remember back then, when I defeated Guangqi, defeated Lu Bu, attacked Dingtao, and besieged Yongqiu, every battle was so exciting.
There is also what the late king once said about himself:
"Although he is a famous general from ancient times, why add him to him?"
As a war general, if you can be treated like this, what else can I ask for?
Even if I die for my late king, what do I have to fear?
Isn't this what I once dreamed of, to create for future generations a world where people can communicate with each other and where chickens and dogs can hear each other... But no one will remember me as a former general.
The past is like a dream, like a white horse passing by, or like a dog in the white clouds.
Yu Jin took out the northern summer rooster crow wine that he carried with him. This is the most common wine made by northern people. It is brewed and stored the night before and can be drunk the next day when the rooster crows.
He took a nice sip. Yu Jin was already deeply intoxicated by the northern wind, the northern people, and the northern wine. He couldn't help but whisper: "Long time no see..."
The spring breeze comes once and again, but it still cannot save people.
Gaoling, Taizu, Ye County, Hebei Province.
A few years ago, the late king, who had always treated me like a brother and sister, and my only remaining close friend in the world, passed away in the north and was buried in Ye County.
Before he died, he still thought about his old friend Yu Jin, but more of it was a trace of resentment, complaining about why Yu Jin and he had known each other for more than thirty years, but in the end he was not as good as Pang De.
Yu Jin looked at the high mausoleum of the late king Cao Cao and sighed with emotion. He took out another unopened pot of wine beside him and sprinkled it on the ground as a sacrifice.
"Mountains never get too high, and seas never get too deep. The Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world returns to its heart... Mengde, seeing the world today, you and I will all be able to smile in the future..."
He finally called him Meng De.
Although the sacrificial temple house in Gaoling has withstood years of wind, frost, rain and snow, it still looks very majestic.
The heavy temple gate, the green moss marks on the stone street, and the high spiritual throne of the late king all made Yu Jin feel lost.
He quietly looked at everything in the temple, and suddenly caught a glimpse of the murals that had been added not long ago on the wall.
The people in the painting are people in battle.
There are enemies, there are colleagues, and there is also oneself who is kneeling on the ground.
The content of the mural is that when Guan Yu flooded the Seventh Army, Pang De would rather die than surrender, while he knelt down and begged for mercy...
Unexpectedly, he would suffer such humiliation again in front of the late king. Yu Jin's lips could not help but begin to tremble.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, why are you doing this... If you want this old minister to die, why bother with all the tricks!"
Yu Jin grinned bitterly, a mouthful of blood spurted out, and he fell to the ground!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Yu Jin finally raised his eyes and glanced at Cao Cao's spiritual throne.
"Jin... I'm sorry for you..., Jin, I'm here to find you..."
Although spring has arrived, the north wind blowing into Luoyang is still so cold.
In the residence of Marquis Yishou Ting, Yu Gui carefully read the letter sent from Ye County.
This is my father's suicide note...
[Note 3: "Three Kingdoms·Wei Shujiu": "...the mausoleum is painted with Guan Yu defeated in battle, Pang De angry, forbidden to surrender. Forbidden to see, ashamed and sick."]
Yu Gui seemed to be in disbelief. He opened the envelope tremblingly and looked at the familiar strokes in the letter. The strokes were like knives and swords, engraved on the apex of his heart, which was painful.
"When I think about this life, I have no nostalgia for my son. I have no regrets in my heart and will devote myself to serving the country...
Yu Jin Yu Wen Ze, the last writing..."
Yu Gui looked at the last piece of paper. After a long time, he finally felt so sad that he fell to the ground and cried bitterly.
Why, when I had just reunited with my father, and what I had been searching for for so many years before I finally found and obtained, why was it so quickly taken away by heaven?
"Why......"
Yu Gui, who had always been deep, elegant, gentle and modest, was like a tiger escaping from its cage, roaring crazily.
Yu Jin, a famous military general throughout his life, and later a prisoner who received mixed reputations, finally passed away in the mourning temple of the Wei Dynasty.
Perhaps, this is the best destination for him.
It started in Wei and ended in Wei.
"...
The hearts of the seven armies are all fierce, and the generals will soar with wings in the tiger's pocket.
The Jingyi can sweep across the sky, and Baidi City is as high as a wall.
The fodder and horses feed in the morning and want to fight, and the sound of thunder hits the sun in the Yin Mountains.
It has been rainy and gloomy for more than ten days, and the Han River overflowed and rose into the sky.
...
Don't you want to run around when you are poor? Looking around is as vast as the sea.
The turtles sing and the fish leap in fear. Who dares to fight if the enemy comes?
Invited to see the large ship carrying flags and drums, I heard it was Guan Yunchang.
...
The general has betrayed his friends in the past, but if this is prosperous, he can still survive.
Although the cycle of revenge is provided by God, the only thing a strong man cherishes is fame.
Cao Ma had known each other for thirty years, but when faced with danger, he could not catch up with Pang Mingxian.
When he came back, his head was white and haggard, and his head was sobbing with tears, which was particularly pitiful.
How weird is Gao Ling's portrait? It makes people feel ashamed and sad.
The masters of Feishui are the most brave in the world, and the success or failure of a hero is accidental."
Thousands of years later, future generations said so.
[Note 4: This poem is "Yu General" written by Song Dynasty poet Kong Pingzhong]
