A leaf floated down diagonally and landed on Liu Bei's shoulder. This gentle blow made him stop, raised his head, and looked at the tree.
This tree is an extremely tall mulberry tree. It is said that Kong Rong's father, Kong Zhou, was invited to plant it in this pavilion when he was appointed as the captain of Mount Tai. It has been sixty years ago. Sixty
Years are enough to make a young man grow old, and enough to make a memory fade. Now, there are not many mulberry leaves left on this tree, but Liu Bei also knows that in three months, the yellow leaves on the ground will also turn into
The mud and dust return to the tree, causing the branch to spit out new buds.
Times have changed, things have changed, and people have changed. He couldn't help but sigh. Ten years ago, who would have believed that he could lead a hundred thousand troops and be famous all over the world. Even he himself was not sure. But today, when he has achieved success and fame, he misses it.
The excitement, longing, and even ignorance I felt back then can no longer be felt in myself today. The more experiences I have, the harder it is to imagine the future, as if I have unknowingly walked from a broad road to a straight road.
On the single-plank bridge. But fortunately, I don’t regret it.
When the guard who brought him in saw him standing, he also stopped and whispered: "General, please go in, everyone is waiting for you."
Liu Bei turned his head and looked at the white banner at the entrance of the pavilion. Thinking of his clan brother who died in the battle, he couldn't help but sigh slightly and replied: "Okay."
He walked into the temporary main tent and saw at a glance that most of the military staff and generals were gathered here. They came from all over the world and were all famous heroes in the world. They were all standing here, waiting for him to give orders. Liu Bei
Looking at them, he felt both happy and a little sad. He couldn't help but lament in his heart: There are really fewer and fewer old faces around him.
But this sentiment lasted only for a moment, and Liu Bei soon devoted his attention to the battle against Sheqiu. In the past few days, Guan Hai failed to attack the mountain camp three times, which greatly boosted the morale of the Han army. Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and stepped up his attack on Sheqiu.
The outer city has basically been captured, leaving only a lonely inner city. Presumably in a few days, the city's destruction will no longer be an empty talk on paper. Therefore, Liu Bei planned to let all his troops take a short break to recharge their batteries for the final battle.
Prepare for the siege.
Now everything is going so well that Liu Bei is already thinking about post-war matters. According to his and Xu Shu's plan, Cao Cao killed too many people in Yanzhou. At this time, he was about to show his kindness to ease the people's feelings. It would be better to move the prisoners and refugees to Shouzhang Tuntian and promote them.
A benevolent and righteous man in the Black Mountain Army, Liu Bei had a special memory of Bai Rao, and planned to appoint him as the lieutenant general who would overcome the difficulties like Zhang Yan's story.
Everything was arranged, and Liu Bei and the generals breathed a sigh of relief. Just as the meeting was about to end, Liu Bei saw some sunshine coming in from the west, which reminded him that it was almost time for dinner. So he turned to smile at everyone
He said: "You have worked hard for days of hard work. Let's take a rest here tonight. Let's have a light drink and eat a little." Everyone laughed and returned the greeting to him: "Good!"
There were so many staff in the mansion that they couldn't even sit in the pavilion, so they found an open space with a wide view outside the pavilion, spread out straw mats, and put tables on them. Most of them sat directly on them, eating red dates, peanuts and other dried fruits.
, chatting with their comrades about interesting stories about acquaintances in the military. Some young people gathered together, pointing at the towering mountains rising from the northeast, and discussing next year's war.
Liu Bei held the wine cup, walked along the table, and talked to them one by one. Liu Bei had always been able to see all directions and listen to all directions during the banquet. At this time, he found that a soldier broke in, but there was hesitation on his face.
His expression seemed to be debating whether to report it or not. After Liu Bei finished talking to the person in front of him, he immediately strode forward and asked the soldier softly: "Is there something wrong?"
When the soldiers saw Liu Bei coming, they breathed a sigh of relief, straightened their chests and said: "General, some people came from outside the camp, bringing a lot of baskets, food, pots and pulp, and wanted to give them to our army. The camp gatekeeper asked me to come.
Ask the general what he means."
Liu Bei was extremely surprised when he heard this. Since the Battle of Hekou, wherever the Han army passed, all the people along the road had closed their doors tightly and did not dare to see each other. At this time, there were actually people bringing baskets of food and pots of pulp? It was really strange.
So he asked: "Where did they come from? Is there anything different about them?"
The ordering soldier thought for a while, shook his head and said, "There is nothing wrong, but their leader said that they are from Dongping, and they are old acquaintances with the general!"
"He's from Dongping?" Liu Bei was stunned and quickly asked: "Did you tell me what his name is?"
The soldier replied: "He said his name is Kong Zhen, and his courtesy name is Yi Sheng. The general will definitely remember it."
Speaking of Kong Zhen, Liu Bei's first reaction was that it sounded familiar, and then his mind went into chaos. He thought for a long time, and it seemed that he had gone through a lot of fog before he connected the name with himself, and the image of Kong Zhen in his mind also followed.
It gradually became clear. In the process, a smile slowly appeared on his face, as if he had taken a sip of mellow wine. He nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, I have such a friend, please take me there.
Right."
After that, he apologized to his staff and went to the gate of the camp with his troops. On the way, Liu Bei's steps were a little lighter, and many dusty old things in his mind seemed to be replaced by the word "Kong Zhen".
Quietly revived. He thought happily about the years in Dongping. Just these five words reminded him of many people.
At that time, the courtyard of Jikuting was full of apricot trees. In spring, the aroma of apricot blossoms was as strong as fire, and the aroma of the wine cellar opposite the door was even more intoxicating. The wine cellar was opened by Mr. Wang, and his wife
He came out to help from time to time, and everyone liked to make noises nearby. Next to the wine stall was Du Mai's dog meat shop. Du Mai's yellow dogs were extremely fat and tasted full of juice when eaten, so he often came here to buy wine and meat. The children around the pavilion
When they smelled the meat, they rushed over to take a bite, but in the end they didn't even take a few bites.
At that time, he had some local recruits under his command, and they were all good men who dared to fight. They included Hu Kuang, Fan Gu, Guo Lu, Niu Ming, Liu Gui and others, who followed him to fight back and forth between Qingxu and Xuzhou. They did not
As prestigious as I am now, there are not so many red tapes. Sometimes, only the simplest actions can express the most sincere affection.
Thinking like this, Liu Bei saw Kong Zhen in the crowd. Although he had changed a lot, lost some weight, and was covered with dust, when Liu Bei put the person in his mind together with him, he quickly recognized him.
Out.
Liu Bei walked up quickly, took Kong Zhen's hand as fast as shooting an arrow, and asked: "Yisheng, why are you here?"
Kong Zhen was quite at a loss. He called General in his mouth and wanted to bend down to salute Liu Bei, but Liu Bei supported him with his other hand and said with a smile: "Why so many courtesy? The fathers of Dongping are my fathers."
, No matter where I am, I will still be Liu Xuande, the captain of Dongping School."
Kong Zhen didn't expect him to say such a thing. He stared at the person in front of him, and soon the lines at the corners of his mouth softened a little, and he said naturally: "But the captain looks much richer, after all, he is different.
”
Liu Bei said with a smile: "Ke Yisheng, you haven't changed in my eyes." He put down Kong Zhen and looked back at the people who came with him. He didn't see any familiar faces anymore, which made him somewhat disappointed, so he turned around and asked:
"There are nearly a thousand people in Jikuting, are you the only one here?"
"It was said that there were nearly a thousand people. At that time, less than half of them left with the captain. Later, Chen Jun sent people to pick up their families, and most of them followed. In the past two years, there have been military disasters again, and now there are not many people in the pavilion." Speaking of this, Liu Bei suddenly remembered that many people in his memory had followed him to death in Sanggan. It is true that many of those familiar faces could never come back. When he thought back a little, he felt that his shoulders were heavy.
Many, as if there are thousands of souls pressing on it, or even more.
For the first time, he choked up and said to Kong Zhen: "Yes, I am sorry for them. But because of this, I will never forget them."
After a moment of silence, Liu Bei asked him like a barrage of arrows: "How is Prince Dumai? When I left, you had just married your wife. Do you have any children now? How is Aqiu Abao Aqi now? It has been seven years in the blink of an eye.
, they should have grown up."
Kong Zhen said: "I'm fine. But not long after you left, Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Wang's business deteriorated. Later, he couldn't survive, so he moved away, and there was no news for a long time. Mr. Du's house was destroyed by Liu
One of the uncles of Shijun (Liu Dai) fell in love with him and wanted to rob him. Lao Du couldn't even give him money. In the end, he killed his whole family. Because of this, I was dismissed from my post and stayed at home for a long time."
"Aqiu and Abao and the others heard the news that the captain was in Bingzhou, and they made an appointment with each other the year before last, saying that they would go to Jinyang to join the army together. As a result, as soon as they left Wuxiang, they were forcibly recruited by Liu Shijun.
After the battle, all the corpses were thrown into the Wenshui River."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Liu Bei quietly, and Liu Bei looked back at him. Liu Bei was almost speechless. When he heard the words "Liu Shijun", although he knew that he was referring to Liu Dai, his face was filled with emotion.
Fever, isn’t the word “jun” too heavy?
Liu Bei's eyes suddenly became solemn. He straightened his back and said to Kong Zhen: "Anyway, I'm very happy that you can come here to see me. Come in and sit with me for a while. Yide is also here. Wait.
After the war is over, I will put the people first, rectify the administration, and appease the people."
Having said this, he patted Kong Zhen on the shoulder, walked back to the accompanying people, and said loudly to them: "Fellow fellows, you have come a long way, please go in and have a rest! Our army is cooking, everyone eats.
After this meal, rest in the army for one night. It won’t be too late to go home tomorrow!”
During the cheers, in the crowd in front, an old man with white hair and beard suddenly fell to the ground. He touched his chest and gasped for air, with a look of agony on his face.
Liu Bei realized something was wrong and hurriedly walked up and tried to help him with both hands. Suddenly a cold light flashed in the old man's eyes. Kong Zhen saw clearly from behind and shouted: "Captain, be careful!"
The old man jumped up. His beard and hair were all white. Just now, he looked like an ordinary old man who was extremely depressed. But now, his beard and hair were spread out. How could he still look old? With his right hand, he had pulled out the short knife hidden in his chest.
, stabbed Liu Bei in the neck.
This knife was as black as graphite, and it was obvious that it was coated with poison. I was afraid that as long as a cut was made, he would be killed immediately. Liu Bei did not expect an attack, and he wanted to get the Zhongxing Sword from his waist.
, but it was too late to see, he could even smell the stench of poison on the black blade.
It's over. Liu Bei's heart felt cold, and he heard Kong Zhen shout: "Colonel!" He followed Liu Bei two feet behind Liu Bei. He rushed forward like a meteor, almost beyond the limit of human beings, and the short sword
He was almost in front of Liu Bei when he heard a loud noise. Liu Bei was pushed sideways to the ground by Kong Zhen, and Kong Zhen took the knife for Liu.
When the assassin saw that he had missed the inevitable blow, he panicked. He jumped up and dove into the crowd behind him. The guards at the camp gate were shocked when they saw this. They rushed forward and surrounded Liu Bei.
Surrounded. Some people yelled at the crowd, telling them not to move.
Liu Bei stood up and did not look at the moment. He pushed the guards aside and went to find Kong Zhen who was lying on the ground. He saw Kong Zhen holding a poisonous knife in one hand, lying slumped on the ground, with blood rising and falling on his chest.
The water flowed out, and his lips were already a little white. His eyes were tracing the crowd, and they met Liu Bei's eyes.
"Yisheng!"
Liu Bei shouted loudly, rolled to his feet, and picked him up again. Kong Zhen looked at him, the poison knife in his hand trembling slightly, and asked: "Captain, are you okay..."<
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Liu Bei looked around and shouted: "Medical officer! Medical officer! Come and heal him!"
If Liu Bei was slashed with this knife at this time, Liu Bei would be completely defenseless. No matter how many guards there were, he would definitely die. Kong Zhen held the poison knife in his hand and moved it slowly. He seemed to see the faces of his dead parents.
The eyes of approval, and the glory and wealth of his wife and children.
But his hand was pressed by Liu Bei's chest, and it was difficult for him to move for a while. Kong Zhen felt that his strength was slowly disappearing with the passage of time. If he didn't tighten up, he might not even have the strength to draw the sword. Okay.
Liu Bei was still holding him, not knowing that he was thinking about it.
Liu Bei finally released him slightly and looked at his face, giving Kong Zhen some space. Although his strength had weakened a lot, Kong Zhen knew that the poison on the knife was indeed powerful. As long as a little was inserted, it would definitely be able to scream.
Liu Bei was poisoned and died. Just as he was about to lift the poisoned knife, his vision suddenly went dark, as if he had returned to Jikuting where the apricot blossoms were blooming. He saw many dead people, all smiling at him, as if everything was separated from life and death.
It never happened. But suddenly the scene changed, and he seemed to see the dead bodies trampled under the iron hoof, the crying people, and the bones covering the wilderness like snow. Those cries were tearing at his heart,
His body gradually lost consciousness and felt unbearable pain.
He suddenly asked Liu Bei: "Captain, are you telling the truth?"
Liu Bei was stunned and said, "You know me, who am I going to lie to?" As soon as Liu Bei finished speaking, he saw Kong Zhenlu's painful expression gradually calmed down, and her lips turned from white to black. He was about to die. Liu Bei immediately understood.
, he asked Kong Zhen loudly: "Yisheng, where are your parents, wife and children? I will definitely send someone to pick them up and support them as my family!"
The corners of Kong Zhen's mouth moved, and he spoke in a low voice, so that Liu Bei had to listen attentively. He said: "My parents... are buried in Jingguan in Puyang, it is not important anymore. My wife... is in Linzi
, Colonel, you have to remember...what you said, I came here just to ask you to withdraw...withdraw..."
With a "ding" sound, the poisonous knife fell to the ground. After all, Kong Zhen did not finish saying the word "soldier".
A gust of wind blew, and Liu Bei sat there blankly. He raised his head and saw a few dead leaves falling from the cypress trees in front of the camp, and the branches were empty.
Winter finally came again, and he knew that in Jinyang City, there were still family members waiting for him to return. But in a family in Linzi, would there be a woman waiting for him to return?
He was originally an irritable man, but at this moment he shed tears in public.