On the fifth day of February, Liu Bei decided to execute Cao Cao.
In fact, according to the usual practice, Cao Cao, as a tycoon who has resisted the imperial court for nearly two decades and brought endless disasters to the country, should be escorted to Luoyang Market, first raised to the city in public and surrendered, and then sentenced to death. Only in this way can he comfort the people who have fought for many years.
The heroic spirits in heaven who died on the battlefield.
But firstly, Liu Bei considered that his health was unknown and he might not be able to support himself to the capital; secondly, under the auspices of Chen Chong, the country had abolished Lingchi and other torture methods; thirdly, he also wanted to persuade Liaodong to surrender without using weapons.
So after thinking over and over again, I simply decided to keep Cao Cao's body intact, so that I could show my magnanimity as a king.
After the news came out, the generals in the Western Dynasty felt many regrets, while the surrender officials in the Eastern Dynasty were sad. Although these old officials were afraid of Cao Cao's jealous and murderous personality, they all admired Cao Cao's natural talents.
He is probably the only person who combines various contradictory qualities such as a poet, a hero, a scholar, and a famous general.
On the sixth day of February, the Westerners took Cao Cao to a small house in Linzi City and imprisoned him. That night, the prisoner sent by Liu Bei arrived and the execution was carried out immediately. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the prisoner sent by Liu Bei turned out to be from the Eastern Dynasty.
Former minister Tian Chou. Although he was often ostracized by Cao Cao, he was in a complicated mood at the moment and didn't know how to treat his old master.
At this moment, Cao Cao, with a cloth turban on his head and plain clothes, was sitting alone in the dark. He saw soldiers from the Western Dynasty pouring in. Because he had expected it, he felt calm and just sat still. In the flickering candlelight, he saw Tian Chou also
He walked in with the Westerners and stood aside with his head bowed silently. The leading Western general was Chen Dao. After he waited for all the prisoners to arrive, he signaled his followers with his eyes and served Cao Cao a box of dishes.
, which contained a plate of fish dumplings, a plate of dog meat, two biscuits and a plate of pickled radish.
Cao Cao ate calmly. He had not eaten well during this period, so he quickly wiped away all the food and sighed: "It's a pity that there is no tofu." At this time, Chen Dao's people came forward to tie up Cao Cao, and he suddenly raised his hand.
Shou said: "No need! I won't resist." He then asked: "How will I die?"
Chen Dao didn't say anything and asked the two men to carry a bag of earth weighing more than a hundred kilograms and throw it on the ground.
Cao Cao understood, he smiled and said: "Xuande left my whole body, very good, very good." He turned around, took out a cloth towel from the broken mat under him, and said to Tian Chou: "Please come over Zitai.
"While handing out the cloth, Tian Chou was afraid to accept the promise, and hurriedly bowed to take the cloth. He saw four poems written on it in small regular script. Cao Cao smiled and said, "I thought no one would know it, so I hid it under the mat. I didn't want to be a child.
Tai is here, and God has been so kind to me. Please read this to see me off!"
When Tian Chou heard this, tears were already in his eyes. He read the poem aloud with all his strength: "The clouds are walking in the rain, surpassing the Gao River in Jiujiang. When I see the similarities and differences, I feel hesitant and don't know what to do. When I pass by Jieshi, I feel melancholy.
East China Sea." Tears had already dripped on the cloth. He choked with sobs and began to read the second poem: "The country is different, the river is swollen and cold. The current is floating, and the boat is difficult to move. The cone cannot penetrate the ground, and the ripples are deep. The water is exhausted.
If it doesn't flow, the ice will be solid enough to walk on. A scholar is a hermit but a poor man, and a brave hero is ignorant of his mistakes. The heart often laments and complains, and the sorrows and sorrows are full of sorrow. Fortunately, even! Songs are used to celebrate aspirations."
Listening to Tian Chou's crying recitation, Cao Cao slowly lay down on his side, like a Buddha lying down, with his back facing the executioners without moving. The two executioners lifted the soil bag and covered it with their heads towards Cao Cao.
Tian Chou knew that Cao Cao was being tortured and did not dare to watch. While crying, he recited the third poem loudly: "The swan geese leave the north of the Great Wall, but they are in an uninhabited country. They lift their wings for more than ten thousand miles and travel on their own. In winter, they eat southern rice, and in spring they return to the north.
Xiang. There is a turret in the field, which is blown far away by the wind. If it is long enough to be eradicated, it is not enough to live forever. However, this expedition can go to all directions!"
One of the Westerners who was executing the execution pressed the earth bag hard, and the other held down the limbs that were still shaking and twitching under the earth bag. But they were obviously listening attentively, curious about the Eastern Marshal's last desperate poem.
Tian Chou read the last words: "Although the divine tortoise has a long life, it still has its time. A flying snake rides on the mist, but it will eventually turn into ashes. An old man is struggling with his ambitions for a thousand miles. A martyr is ambitious in his old age. The period of growth and shrinkage is not only in the sky, but also in the sky.
If you are lucky enough, you can live forever. Fortunately, you can even sing to express your aspirations."
After Tian Chou finished reading, the cloth in his hand had already been soaked with tears. Looking back at Cao Cao, the body under the soil bag had become stiff and motionless.
After listening to the last death poem, Liu Bei outside the house couldn't help but exclaimed: "Mengde's poetry is the best." So he had Cao Cao's body wrapped in a cloth handkerchief, and then put it in a coffin with white grass tied outside.
He was carried in an ox cart and taken to his hometown in Qiao County, Pei County, Yanzhou for burial. At the same time, envoys were dispatched to pass the news to Cao Pi of Liaodong and Sun Quan of Xuzhou.
Later, Liu Bei thought that Linzi was flooded twice, which was very unlucky, so he ordered Yuan Tan to demolish Linzi, a thousand-year-old city, and build a new city thirty miles southeast of the original site, named Zhangwu City. Of course, Linzi was destroyed along with it,
There is also the "Picture of Loyalty and Defeating Thieves" carved by Cao Cao on the wall of Linzi City. However, among the Qingzhou people, there are still many Taiping Tao believers who copied and carved it and preserved it, but this is all for another time.
After Cao Cao died, the armies of the Western Dynasty basically began to return westward, and the Eastern Dynasty accepted the surrender of civil and military forces and followed them. Only the emperor Liu Bei did not return. He told the envoy sent by the prince Liu Xie: "Hebei is in chaos and unrest.
If you want me to comfort you, I will not return to the capital for the time being. All major matters can be handled by the prince independently. I am very relieved that he has matured in handling matters in recent years."
Before Liu Bei left, he completed a number of new appointments in Qingzhou. He appointed Zhongshu Supervisor Fa Zheng as the governor of Qingzhou, Meng Da as the prefect of Donglai, Li Yi as the prefect of Beihai, Guo Kai as the prefect of Taishan, and Li Dian as the prefect of Le'an.
The eunuch appointed Yuan Tan as the governor of Zhangwu and the military governor of Qing and Yanzhou to deal with possible wars in the direction of Xuzhou and Yangzhou. At the same time, he appointed Sima Yi, Wang Can and others to enter the East Palace, and asked Liu Xie to be his friend to recruit Hebei scholars.
The human heart.
In mid-February, Liu Bei and his party set out to patrol the north. He was accompanied by his ministers Wang Ling, Sun Qian, Pan Jun, Yang Di, Zhang Wei, as well as Liu Biao's son Liu Qi, Jian Yong's son Jian Ke, and Chen Qun's son Chen
Tai, Zhang Fei's son, Zhang Bao and others, except for a few old ministers, are mostly young men. Among them, the one he trusts the most is Xu Huang's son Xu Gai. After all, it was he who rescued him from the weir water, so he was given the gift.
Three hundred gold, and planned to betroth his daughter, Princess Chen, to him.
In addition to these people, there were General Zhao Yun of the Fu Army and General Huang Zhong of the Left who led the army and escorted them on the left and right. They led a cavalry of more than 2,000 people, and the horses all had mates. Liu Bei said to them: "The two tigers in our army,
I'm glad you accompanied me on this last trip." Both of them knew that the emperor was ill, and they were both grieved and thanked Liu Bei with tears.
Liu Bei set out from Zhangwucheng, crossed Jishui and Dahe, and headed towards Zhuojun via Bohai County. In late February, when the cavalry arrived at Nanpi City, Liu Bei was suddenly stunned. He ordered to stay here for a while, and then led his trusted followers to
Beipi, at the confluence of Zhangshui River and Jiangshui River, was the battlefield that determined the fate of Hebei. At this time, the battlefield was submerged in knee-deep grass. Looking from a distance, it was so lush and green that it was difficult to imagine this place.
Countless people spilled their blood and piled up mountains of corpses. Liu Bei set up an altar in the center of the battlefield, paid homage to Xu Shu, Zhang Xian and others, and told them that he had recaptured Hebei. He burst into tears for a while.
When he returned to Nanpi from the Beipi battlefield, Prince Liu Xie sent another envoy to inform Liu Bei that after hearing the news of Cao Cao's death, Yangzhou Mu Sun Quan had sent a congratulatory gift to the court and nominally surrendered to the country, but
He was unwilling to send hostages to the imperial court, and he obviously had plans to deal with both sides. Therefore, Liu Xie came to ask for instructions on how to deal with Sun Quan's surrender.
Liu Bei didn't take the exam for a long time and quickly replied: "I have been fighting for many years and the people have suffered from the corvee tax. Now in Xinping, Hebei, the common people are hungry. It is better to temporarily agree to him and let the country rest for two years." He then said to Zhao Yun and others: "
After my death, Sun Quan will rebel, and then the big things will be left to you and the prince."
In early March, the cavalry crossed Yishui from Wen'an and finally entered the realm of Youzhou. At this time, the weather was excellent, the sun was shining, the sky was clear, the waterside was full of wild flowers, and the trees were lush. The breeze blew along the way, and the horses were all excited.
He was so happy that he walked gently. Liu Bei was affected by this and felt much more relaxed. He asked everyone to stop and listen quietly to the sound by the water.
He smiled and said: "It is said that Jing Ke bid farewell to Prince Dan of Yan here and sang, 'The wind is rustling and the water is cold, and the strong man will never return once he is gone.' Although Jing Ke failed to assassinate the Qin Emperor and died in Xianyang. But we locals
There has always been a legend that Jing Ke's soul returned to Yishui. After all, when the wind blows, people can often hear the sound of someone singing, which is full of chilling atmosphere. If there is no wind, you can also hear similar sounds.
Your wonderful vocal music means that Jing Ke thinks that you are also a hero and you will have great adventures in the future."
Speaking of this, Liu Bei's eyes showed a look of reminiscence, while everyone following him listened with bated breath, and no one spoke for a long time. As for whether anyone heard Jing Ke's singing, no one told others.
After passing Yishui, we walked northwest. Liu Bei had already informed Chen Deng, the governor of Youzhou, and Wei Kang, the prefect of Zhuojun, about his northern patrol. Therefore, when they were still more than sixty miles apart, the traces of the cavalry were traced to Chen Deng.
The cavalry team found out and hurriedly came to greet me and flew to Zhuoxian County. Liu Bei was in a good mood. He joked to the people greeting him: "How is your ambassador Chen's health? When he wrote to me, he always asked
I am complaining, saying that I am not used to eating the cattle and sheep of Saibei, and I miss the fish and meat from my hometown. I tasted it in Qingzhou for a few days, and it is quite tasteless!"
All joking aside, after saying that, Liu Bei looked at the sky in the north and couldn't help but sigh: "It's even more timid to be close to the countryside!" Then he ordered his entourage to enter the city first to prepare with him, and he changed into the emperor's robes and sat on six horses of the same color.
Yu Bao covered the car and drove slowly towards his hometown.