The majestic Mount Tai, Liu Bei has visited countless times.
When he was the Prime Minister of Jinan, Mount Tai was very close at hand. He occasionally climbed mountains in his spare time and often looked at the scenery along the way.
However, compared to the mentality of climbing Mount Tai as the Prime Minister of Jinan at that time, now that I have become the emperor and I have to climb Mount Tai again, my feelings are completely different from those at that time.
It is the end of January, which is almost March according to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, at this time, the foot of the mountain is lush and lush, the trees are dense, and the afternoon sunshine is just right.
Looking up at the mountains from the foot of the mountain, you can see the looming peaks stretching for who knows how many miles, shrouded in thick fog. The mist is like a gauze surrounding the mountains, and is floating like white clouds, like a fairyland on earth.
Groups of soldiers arrived at the foot of the mountain. A majestic honor guard rode on a tall horse and held various weapons in their hands. The emperor used a six-horse carriage with an umbrella cover to pull it.
There were many roads to Mount Tai in the Han Dynasty, but there were very few major roads. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, countless bandits were hiding in the mountains and forests, and they were called Mount Tai bandits.
Zang Ba, Sun Guan Yili and others were all Taishan thieves, and now they are all important officials in the imperial court. Most people in Liu Bei's group, including Liu Bei, are very familiar with the roads and terrain of Mount Tai.
At a glance, you can see the scenery and mountains that I have seen before. However, the ministers are sitting on the carriage watching, and their mood now is no longer as uneasy as they used to be when they were young.
At least this is the case for Jushou Xunyu and others who are accompanying them this time.
Horse-drawn carriages were driving on the road.
Last year, Liu Bei sent people to repair the road. This time, cement was used. It took about half a year to repair the road from the foot of the mountain to about halfway up the mountain. It would be difficult to transport the cement up again.
Since the advent of the steam engine, there have been mixers. Manual mixing of cement has long been a thing of the past, and now all is done mechanically.
It’s just that the current cement formula is actually many times worse than that of later generations. It is nothing more than limestone, clay, iron ore powder, volcanic ash, etc. Later generations of civil engineering have thoroughly studied various building materials, so the quality of Dahan cement is far inferior to that of later generations.
Later generations.
However, there was no problem in dealing with the scene in front of me. It was the best road to speed all the way to the mountainside. There was a large open space on the mountainside, and there was also a steam cement mixer that had not been transported down, which showed the rush of paving the road.
Officials of all sizes in Qingzhou are already waiting. The original Qingzhou Mu Zhongyao was added to the cabinet at the beginning of this year. The current Qingzhou Mu is Gongsun Fang from Youzhou and an early scholar who joined Liu Bei's group. He is responsible for internal affairs.
After meeting up with the Qingzhou officials at the mountainside square, what appeared in front of them were the stone steps leading to the top of the mountain.
There are dense trees and greenery on both sides of the stone steps, but the top of the mountain is covered with snow. Looking from a distance, it looks like a white-headed man. There are thick forests below, but there is thick fog and ice cold above.
January is actually not a good time to climb Mount Tai. Because of the Little Ice Age, the weather on Mount Tai has not warmed up yet, and there is still snow in many places on the top of the mountain.
But there was not enough time.
The matter of Feng Chan was only decided in the second half of last year, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were going on an expedition to the Western Regions at the beginning of this year.
This time, it may only take one or two years or even two or three years.
The reason why Emperor Guangwu refused to take back the Western Regions and attack the Xiongnu was because the country had just recovered from the war and did not have the strength to expedition to the Western Regions and Northern Sailor.
The same is true for Liu Bei now, but through a series of means, the degree of recovery is much higher than during the time of Emperor Guangwu, and he has an economic and agricultural foundation to back it up.
The problem of food and clothing is the primary problem that Chen Mu needs to solve. Although American cotton has been found from South America, most of the land in our country is currently used to grow food to fill the people's stomachs, and cash crops are not suitable for cultivation.
Therefore, the cotton production areas can only be placed in the Western Region first, and then the Western Region cannot be lost.
Under such circumstances, an expedition to the Western Regions was a last resort.
Therefore, they had to hurry up and build roads and palaces before they went out to conquer Mount Tai. In a sense, it was a waste of people and money.
However, in fact, Liu Bei's enthronement was not necessarily to show off his martial arts skills, but to perform sacrifices on Mount Tai to confirm his legitimacy.
Just as Liu Bang did not need to be granted Zen status, Liu Xiu did.
Because Liu Bang was the founding emperor, he himself represented orthodoxy, and naturally there was no need to use the title of Zen to strengthen his orthodoxy.
Strictly speaking, Liu Xiu was a successor, and he inherited from a small sect to a large sect. It was equivalent to a peripheral branch of a large family replacing the main sect, so he had to use the title of Zen to strengthen his authority.
The same is true for Liu Bei.
As a big man in Xiaozong Sanxing, although he followed Liu Xiu's example and adopted the name of Dazong, he still lacked a certain amount of orthodoxy and could only choose to be granted Zen status.
This is also something that can't be helped.
After climbing the stairs for about an hour and a half, we finally reached the top of the mountain.
Everything has been arranged on the top of the mountain.
This is a huge square with flags fluttering on both sides. Several palaces have been built in the north, and an altar has been set up in the east.
The square below the altar was covered with a red carpet, and the Habayashi Guards and other tribesmen quickly stood guard on the left and right sides.
But today is not the time for sacrifice, and we need to wait for the auspicious day in the next few days.
Starting from today, Liu Bei will live in the palace on the top of the mountain, fast and bathe, which will last for seven days.
For seven days, he had to eat vegetarian food and pray at the altar every day like an ascetic, praying to God to bless the country and its people.
During this period, all the ministers also had to accompany him, and the ceremony was always very intense. Except for Liu Bei and those who participated, for everyone else, it was like being tortured in prison.
But again, there is really no way.
Seven days passed quickly, and on January 28th, the weather got warmer, the sun was shining brightly on Mount Tai, and the snow on the top of the mountain had almost melted, making it as warm as spring.
Early in the morning, Liu Bei began to prepare for the sacrificial activities.
A large-scale sacrificial event like this should have been hosted by Tai Chang.
However, Cai Yong was older and was tired from traveling, so Taichang Yu Wanglong presided over the ceremony instead.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The accompanying officials followed the emperor to the altar. After resting for more than an hour, and after the originally scheduled auspicious day arrived, Wang Long gave an order and the sacrifice began.
The Taichang officials, who had been prepared in advance, brought the sacrifices of three animals, five grains and six livestock to the offering table, placed incense on the tomb, and then announced the sacrificial words.
On the offering table, there are not only the earthen tablets of emperors and empresses, but also the spiritual tablets of previous emperors such as the great ancestors and ancestors.
Liu Bei came to the altar table, kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, and then recited a prayer document.
The sacrificial ceremony lasted for more than an hour. In addition to Liu Bei praying as the emperor, the prime minister also read sacrificial texts, and then burned incense, burned paper, and offered sacrifices to the five mountains, four mountains, and the gods of the eight directions.
The ceremony ended in the afternoon.
According to the original schedule, Liu Bei will return to Qingzhou to visit his mother.
In fact, Liu Bei's mother is still alive and is over 70 years old this year. After Liu Bei became emperor, he should have taken his mother into the palace and called him the Queen Mother.
But after Liu Bei became successful, he brought the clan from Zhuo County in Youzhou to Qingzhou. The old man never left the clan in his life and did not want to go to Luoyang.
Secondly, the old mother was frail and sick, and her eyesight was already very poor when she first came to Jinan. She had to walk close to see people clearly.
People of this age could not live long, but fortunately Hua Tuo helped him recuperate and prolong his life, so he is still alive.
The old queen mother didn't want to leave, and Liu Bei was also afraid that she would get into an accident due to fatigue during the journey, so he asked her to stay in Qingzhou and enjoy her old age comfortably among the clan.
When he returns to Qingzhou this time, Liu Bei also plans to go back to his clan to live for a while and spend some time with his mother.
But when he was about to leave, Liu Bei changed his mind.
Because the original plan was for Liu, Guan, Zhang and Chen to leave separately after they got off Mount Tai. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were going to Guanzhong, while Chen Mu returned to Luoyang to handle government affairs.
The plan to regain the Western Regions has been prepared for half a year. Guan Zhang went to Guanzhong from Mount Tai by steamer.
It will take more than ten days to get to Guanzhong. After arriving in Guanzhong, we will reorganize military affairs and move out supplies. I am afraid it will take several months to reach the Western Regions. I don't know how long it will be delayed, so we must set off immediately.
And Luoyang cannot delay. The country cannot be without a king for a day, because the king has to manage the government.
Liu Bei can leave government affairs to Chen Mu, but both of them cannot be away at the same time.
If no one makes a decision on major matters, it will be difficult for the cabinet to handle some matters.
So here the four brothers are separated.
But Liu Bei was reluctant to give up. After hesitation, he decided to stay one more night at the Taishan Palace, where the four brothers slept together and talked about their concerns.
They first drank and ate supper in the Taishan Palace, chatting and drinking a lot.
When it was past midnight and early in the night, the four drunken people staggered out of the palace wearing silk clothes and cotton coats.
Xu Chu, who accompanied him, was relatively junior and very young. He was only 40 years old this year, but he had made many meritorious deeds in defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Sun Ce and others. He had now been promoted to the rank of backbone general, lieutenant general, and was in charge of the palace guards.
Seeing the four people coming out, Xu Chu, who was standing solemnly, immediately followed quietly. Although Guan and Zhang Zhiyong were not inferior to anyone else, the two generals were drunk, so they naturally had to act with caution.
None of them noticed that Xu Chu was following them. After coming out of the palace, they didn't go far. They all walked shoulder to shoulder and wandered to the cliff on the east side of the mountain top.
Because he was afraid that they would lose their footing and fall off the cliff, Xu Chu quickly stepped up his steps to follow them.
But before he could get close, Chen Mu had already reminded his three brothers to pay attention to their safety. Instead of approaching the edge of the cliff, he stayed four or five feet away, and then began to take off his pants.
Under the astonished gazes of a group of guards, the emperor, the prime minister, and the two generals released water in the wild in a very inelegant manner, so that everyone had to back away and not watch.
"Hahahaha, fourth brother, you are a little short."
"Well, I'm getting old, and I'm not as energetic as my eldest brother, my second brother, and my third brother."
"Ha, look at me, facing the wind three feet away!"
People feel the urge to pee after drinking too much. Although Zhang Fei is 45 years old, his majesty is still the same as before. He can urinate three feet away with just one exertion.
On the contrary, Chen Mu, who was two years younger than him, was quite weak and weak, showing the helplessness of a middle-aged man.
Liu Bei shook his head, and after urinating, his drunkenness was much lessened. He tied his pants, staggered a few steps back, and sat down against a big stone, laughing happily.
But while he was enjoying himself, he suddenly started crying, and his voice changed from laughter to low sobbing and whimpering.
"What's wrong, brother?"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei quickly came over to ask.
Chen Mu sat next to Liu Bei and only said: "The eldest brother is worried about the second brother and the third brother. Let's sit down and accompany the eldest brother."
"Hey, brother, aren't we here? A trip to the Western Regions won't take long."
Zhang Fei hurriedly advised.
Liu Bei shook his head: "I'm fine. I'm a man and I won't shed tears easily. When my second brother was in Luoyang, we hadn't seen each other for several years, and he didn't show any pretense."
"Then why?"
Guan Yu asked in confusion.
Liu Bei wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said: "It's just that I saw the white hair on the temples of the second and third brothers through the moonlight just now, which made me feel sad."
"White hair?"
Guan Yu unconsciously touched his temples.
He is only one year younger than Liu Bei. Liu Bei was born in 160 and he was born in 161. One is 50 years old and the other is 49 years old.
At this age, it is normal for the hair to turn gray. It used to be just one or two hairs, but then it gradually increased in number. At this age, the hair on the head has become black and white, and the temples have also turned gray.
Time makes people grow old, but time waits for no one.
Chen Mu suddenly pointed to the cloudless sky and said with a smile: "Brother, look, how beautiful the stars are at this night."
"It's beautiful."
When Liu Bei heard his words, he raised his head and looked up at the sky.
It is already early February, the spring breeze is like scissors, and it is still very cold on the top of the mountain, but the abundant spring atmosphere can no longer hide it.
The bright moon hangs high above the head, and the stars are bright, like a blue curtain dotted with countless dazzling lights. The starry sky without a trace of pollution is full of purity, making people unable to produce any blasphemy.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Chen Mu said softly: "I heard that after death, people will turn into stars. If I can become such a star after death, watching
The big man may have no regrets in his future."
"Yes, I should be content."
Liu Bei murmured to himself, looking at the stars in the sky with a blurred look in his eyes.
Historically, he founded Jihan when he was sixty years old. As a result, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei died shortly after he was founded. In order to take revenge, he attacked Soochow and was defeated in the Battle of Yiling. He soon died of illness in Baidi City, around the same time as his second and third sons.
The feet are dead.
Now that he has conquered the entire Han Dynasty at such a young age and achieved things like Emperor Guangwu, he still has at least ten more years to live in the future. During this period, what are his pursuits in life?
Chen Mu smiled and said: "No one can live forever, but my great achievements can last for thousands of years. I don't ask for tens of thousands of years, I just hope that my life will not be wasted. That's good."
"That's what the fourth brother said."
Liu Bei nodded and said: "I am just a commoner. Since my grandfather, my family has been expelled from the clan, not even the clan. But now that I can become the emperor, it is already a great blessing. What else can I ask for?"
Woolen cloth?"
"It would be best if my brother thinks like this."
Chen Mu said.
Liu Bei looked at the stars in the sky and said softly to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Second brother and third brother, do you still remember our oath?"
“I don’t want to be born in the same year, the same month and the same day, but I want to die in the same year, the same month and the same day.”
"Yes, the Western Region is thousands of miles away. I am thinking of you in my heart. Please pay attention to your own safety and stop charging into battle. No matter where we are or whether we are together or not, the four of us must not forget the friendship of Taoyuan."
"Um."
"Pay attention to your health and don't get sick."
"good."
"Come back early..."
"knew."
"Don't forget that fourth brother, I, and your family are waiting for you."
The night was as cool as water, and on the top of Mount Tai, a crescent moon cast a silver glow, illuminating them.
Liu Bei was still talking long and hard.
I don't know when a dark cloud came from the sky and blocked the moonlight all over the sky.
Late at night.
Except for the howling of the cold wind, Mount Tai.
Occasionally there are wolves howling.
The four brothers were getting more and more drunk.