At the gate of Zhang City, Jushou bowed his hand to Liu Bei and raised his head. A trace of blood red appeared on his old face.
Blood began to flow from his nose at some point, and his lips were stained with bright red.
When everyone saw this scene, they were stunned. Liu Bei quickly grabbed Jushu and asked: "My lord, why do you have a nosebleed?"
Jushou took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the nosebleed, and said with a forced smile: "Maybe it's because of the hot weather recently and my excitement. Your Majesty, don't worry, I'm fine."
Chen Mu stared at the handkerchief in his hand and said softly: "Mr. Yu, you have never brought a handkerchief before. In the past few months, my eldest brother has been touring various places, but you often used the excuse of returning to Chang'an City for some business. Are you trying to hide something?
."
"Zigui, I..."
"Gongyu."
Liu Bei said solemnly: "Tell the truth!"
Jushou's slightly pale face still forced a smile and said, "I'm fine."
Chen Mu looked not far away, and following behind them was Guo Huai, the new commander of the Military Intelligence Department.
Seeing Chen Mu looking over, Guo Huai had no choice but to stand up and say: "Prime Minister."
"Has Mr. Ge gone to see Wu Yuanling?"
"this....."
Guo Huai glanced at Jushou hesitantly.
Jushou waved his hand and said, "That's all, I asked him not to say it. Wu Yuanling said that I won't live long."
Liu Bei felt like a bolt from the blue, and said angrily: "What is the disease?"
"It's said that there is a tumor in the brain."
Jushou smiled bitterly and shook his head. He is already seventy-one years old this year, and he is actually more open-minded about this kind of thing.
Chen Mu was silent for a moment.
Liu Bei glanced at Chen Mu's silent expression blankly, and said softly: "Fourth brother, you are well-informed, do you know whether this disease can be cured?"
Chen Mu said bitterly: "There is no cure, but if it can make the patient feel better, it may be able to delay his life."
Jushou smiled and said: "Actually, I have been suffering from this disease at the end of last year. Apart from the occasional physical weakness and nosebleeds when I cough, it doesn't have any other problems. I don't have much time left. In the past two years, I have been able to follow His Majesty all over the country.
And I am content.”
Everyone in the group remained silent.
The so-called "tumor disease" in ancient times was cancer.
There are few records of this disease in ancient times, not because no one smoked and stayed up late drinking in ancient times, but because the number of ancient people was small and their average life span was short.
Cancer is an immune disease, and the elderly have weak immunity, so they are more susceptible to cancer.
The average lifespan of ancient people was very low. They might not be able to survive wars, famines, plagues, and even the prime of life, let alone the elderly. Therefore, there are almost no records of cancer.
But less doesn’t mean none.
Master Sima was suffering from eye cancer, a tumor grew in his eye, and he eventually died of the disease.
There is nothing we can do about this disease in modern times. We can only rely on chemotherapy. Getting cancer is almost equivalent to a reprieve of death. The difference is only three months or two to three years.
Not to mention that we don’t even know what kind of cancer it is now. If Jushu gets cancer, there is no possibility of living.
Liu Bei's eyes were filled with sadness, and he said softly: "Liangbi, Ziyi, Yuanhao, and Gongda have all left me. Gongyu, are you leaving too?"
Jushou said slowly: "Which one can live without death? It may be lighter than a feather, or heavier than Mount Tai. I was born in a poor family, and I promoted my talents to become an official. I wasted more than ten years, and finally met your majesty, won his favor, and was able to show what I have learned.
, I will die without any regrets. I just hope that after I leave, Your Majesty can take care of your health and prosper the country, which is also my wish."
Liu Bei was already in tears.
The sky was getting dark, and the stars illuminated the blue sky at night. Only one star beside the purple star flickered on and off, as if it had burned out its last light and was about to turn into a shooting star and disappear into the night.
In May of the 25th year of Zhangwu's reign, Liu Bei took Jushou back to Luoyang to recuperate. He looked for soups and medicines every day and lived in the West Garden for a long time to recuperate his body.
Guanzhong Jingzhaoyin was ordered to build a statue for Liu Bei and Guan Yu.
Among them, Liu Bei's sculpture is built in the square outside Chang'an Palace, surrounded by guards. Guan Yu's statue is built in the Supreme Headquarters of Chang'an Military Region, and Jushou's statue is placed in Jingzhao Yinfu Yamen Square.
In the second half of the year, although he was recuperating, Jushu's health deteriorated. By the second half of the year, he was so weak that he could not get out of bed and could only lie in bed.
At the end of the year, Jushu was on his deathbed. Wu Pu pricked his acupuncture points with silver needles every day, which only temporarily delayed his death.
At the beginning of Zhangwu's twenty-sixth year, Jushou died of illness at the age of seventy-two.
After his death, Liu Bei seemed to have aged ten years, and he was sixty-six years old as if he were eighty-six years old. His face was sad all day long, with tears in his eyes. He was grieving for Ju Shou's death and fell ill in bed.
But death is inevitable, and the living must continue to live. Liu Bei could only hold on to his illness, take care of Jushou's funeral, and personally conduct his funeral.
So far, he has sent away many of his subordinates, and there are fewer and fewer people who have accompanied him along the way, making him feel extremely lonely.
After finishing the funeral for Jushou, Liu Bei looked around. Three of the original seven people, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Mu, Jushou, Dian Wei and Taishi Ci, had left, and only four brothers were still there.
Everything seems to be back to where it started.
On the night when Jushou was sent to the mountain for burial, Liu Bei returned to the West Palace in Luoyang, where he and his three brothers were so drunk that they fell unconscious.
In his sleep, he vaguely recalled a glass of wine in the spring breeze of the peach garden forty years ago.
The wine is in full swing, but the person is not drunk. The horse sings loudly, and the shape of life is great.
Immediately afterwards, fierce battles broke out.
Jize meets Jushou, Quyang meets Dianwei, Donglai Taishi, peach blossoms smile in the spring breeze.
Then there is the matter of watching the lights, with decades of bitterness and hardships all in it, that is the forty-two years of their lives that they have spent with them!
When he woke up from the dream, Liu Bei was heartbroken and burst into tears.
In January of the 26th year of Zhang Wu, Ju Shou's sculptures and portraits were moved to Taoyuan Hall, and he was given the posthumous title of "Marquis Wen'an". His descendants inherited his title, and his incense has been passed down forever.
Liu Bei originally wanted to go north to see the peach garden that he always dreamed of, but he fell ill. Although it was not a serious illness, the elderly were weak and it was not easy to recover, so he was temporarily delayed in Luoyang.
When he was recuperating, he spent all day with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Chen Mu, often having discussions in the Western Garden. He was afraid that without one of them, his three brothers would leave him forever, just like Jushu.
Fortunately, the system of the Han Dynasty is now very mature, and government affairs are divided into categories. Most matters, such as criminal proceedings, education and publishing, building roads and bridges, and agricultural taxation, are handled by the three ministers and nine ministers.
Moreover, the prince has overseen the country, joined the cabinet to discuss national affairs many years ago, and now often helps the emperor handle government affairs, and is already a qualified prince.
Although Liu Bei liked his concubine Liu Yong, who was the smartest among his heirs, he learned from Yuan Shao's lesson and resolutely promulgated the royal succession law, completely ending the internal strife caused by the seizure of heirs.
Although the prince Liu Feng is not particularly smart, he is also a student taught by Chen Mu. He is honest and kind-hearted, and is more than enough to be a conservative king. Joining the cabinet is equivalent to letting many ministers in the cabinet help him grow, and it can also be regarded as making plans for the future.
Therefore, even though the Han Dynasty does not have an emperor, three generals, or a prime minister to govern, the entire court is still running smoothly without any problems.
In the second half of the 26th year of Zhang Wu, General Huang Zhong died without illness and passed away quietly in his sleep at the age of seventy-nine.
At the beginning of the twenty-seventh year of Zhang Wu, General Gao Shun died of illness at the age of seventy-one.
Liu Bei sent people to mourn for them, named Huang Zhong as "Yihou" and Gao Shun as "Duanhou", ordered their heirs to inherit their titles, and moved the portraits and sculptures to Taoyuan Hall.
Since then, portraits and sculptures of ten founding heroes have been placed in the Taoyuan Hall. The last one in the list is Guan Hai, the leader of the twenty generals.
On the memorial tablets placed for each sacrifice, in addition to the Emperor Tianhou Tu and the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty, there are the eighteen princes of the early Han Dynasty, the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai, and the ten heroes of Taoyuan Palace who have died so far.
If those who are still alive are included, there should be twenty-four people in the list of heroes of Taoyuan Palace.
Needless to say, in terms of generals, there are Zang Ba, Zhang Liao, and Zhao Yun, leading four generals.
As for counselors, there is still one Xun Yu left.
Others like Jia Xu, Dong Zhao, and Mao Jie are definitely not qualified to be selected for the Taoyuan Palace. They either have no qualifications or do not have much merit. Naturally, they cannot be counted as the founding heroes.
Finally, there are the talents in internal affairs. Although they are not on the front line like Dianwei, Taishi Ciju, Tian Feng and others, they have made great contributions by stabilizing the rear and delivering food and grass to the front line.
Like the initial battle against Dong, and then the stalemate war with Yuan Shao. Without these people from the rear who continued to deliver soldiers and food to the front, I am afraid Liu Bei would not have been able to win.
Therefore, when selecting the heroes of Taoyuan Palace, in addition to considering the frontline military exploits and seniority, we must also consider those who maintain the stability of the rear.
Just like Xiao He, the representative figures are: Shi Yi, Sun Shao, Jian Yong, Hua Xin, Sun Qian, Wang Lang and Cui Yan.
Others like Han Hao, Sun Guan, Xu Huang, Cai Yang, Guoyuan, Wu Anguo, Gongsun Fang, etc., although their merits and qualifications are not bad, and they are now in high positions, compared with the previous people, they are just.
Much worse.
Not to mention Zhang Yan, Duan Xuan, Zhang Xiu, etc., who were originally hostile forces, but later joined because Liu Bei was so powerful.
There is no way to talk about his seniority and military exploits, he can only be regarded as a normal twenty general.
So it can also be seen from here that there are two qualifications for judging the selection of Taoyuan Palace - merit and qualifications.
Liu Bei's journey to this day can be divided into four stages.
One is the Yellow Turban period.
Those who joined during this period were the most senior ones, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Mu, Ju Shou, Dian Wei, and Tai Shi Ci. It was the first year of Zhongping, which was 184 AD.
Seven people formed the earliest team at this time, so these six people and Liu Bei were the highest core level of the Han Dynasty.
The second period is after the Yellow Turbans and before the war against Dong.
According to the order of joining, there are Zang Ba, Shiyi, Sun Shao, Guan Hai, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Hua Xin, Cui Yan, Qianzhao, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Wang Lang, Tian Feng, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong and so on.
Five people.
The third and fourth periods were the war against Yuan Shao after the war against Dong, and the war to unify the world.
Looking at Liu Bei's team from here, we can know that among the twenty-four heroes, 21 of them had joined before the rebellion against Dong, and only three joined after the rebellion against Dong, namely Xun Yu, Xun You and Xu Rong.
Moreover, before Xun You crusaded against Dong, he served as an official under Liu Bei for a period of time. When he crusaded against Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, he made suggestions for Liu Bei, so he had contact with him very early.
Xun Yu, on the other hand, first served as a subordinate under Chen Mu. Later, when the world was in chaos, he had to go back to settle his relatives, so he did not join immediately.
As for Xu Rong.
He was indeed the last to join, and did not come to Qingzhou with Yan Zhong until after the struggle for Dong was over, but his military exploits were also real.
Before the crusade against Yuan Shao, he had pacified the Sanhan Peninsula, and then made countless contributions in the battle against Yuan Shao.
He once led three thousand cavalry and caused great chaos in the Qinghe Kingdom, and later almost single-handedly pacified Liaodong, with great military exploits. To a certain extent, his meritorious service made up for his seniority.
But even so, due to seniority issues, Xu Rong could only be ranked last among the Nine Tigers, and his military achievements were far inferior to his.
Even if Guan Hai hadn't had no intention of getting promoted, Jiuhu might not have had his share.
This is also the reason why Guan Hai was selected into the Taoyuan Palace as a lieutenant general.
It was really because of his high qualifications and military exploits that he was convinced by Guan Yu and was willing to ride the horse in front of him. If not, he would have already been among the Nine Tiger Generals.
The rest, such as Xu Huang, Zhang He and other famous generals who were later called the Five Great Generals of Cao Wei, as well as historical celebrities such as Xu Chu, Jia Xu, Dong Zhao, Mao Jie, etc., although they have high intelligence and force, their qualifications are too low and they cannot be selected at all.
Go in.
In this way, the list of heroes of Taoyuan Palace is confirmed.
The top six core people are: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Mu, Ju Shou, Dian Wei, and Tai Shi Ci.
There are three representatives of counselors: Xun Yu, Xun You, and Tian Feng.
There are seven internal affairs representatives: Shi Yi, Sun Shao, Hua Xin, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Wang Lang and Cui Yan.
If Chen Mu and Jushu are placed in the counselor's corps, and Guan Yu, Zhang Feidian, Wei Taishi Ci are placed in the generals' corps, then there will be five counselors, 12 generals, and seven internal affairs officers.
This is the list of candidates for the entire Taoyuan Palace. According to the left and right ranks, there are exactly twelve civil servants and twelve generals. They can be divided into two ranks: civil and military.
Among them, the leader of the military generals is Guan Yu, and the leader of the civil servants is Chen Mu. The positions reserved for them are also the first one to the left and right of Liu Bei.
In recent years, the number of people in Taoyuan Hall has gradually increased.
When Guan Hai died, Liu Bei did not give him a posthumous title.
Until Dian Wei died of illness, those who entered the Taoyuan Palace were among the greatest contributors to the three prosperity of the Yan Han Dynasty. Therefore, Liu Bei imitated the Eighteen Merit Marquises of Emperor Gaozu, and the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai were given posthumous titles to highlight his achievements.
Among them, Guan Hai's additional posthumous title was "Chun Hou", which was chosen from the fact that throughout his life, he was "loyal and loyal" and "unconcerned with safety". He was unwilling to be promoted based on merit and qualifications, and was only willing to be a pawn under Guan Yu's tent. He was pure and simple, so
He was given the posthumous title "Pure".
Next is Sun Qian, who devoted himself to domestic affairs and made great contributions to maintaining the stability of Liu Bei's rear.
His posthumous title is "Chenghou", which means he is "honest and honest" and "gives kindness sincerely". When Liu Bei was fighting on the front line, Sun Qian managed the people of Qingzhou and ensured that there was no chaos in the rear. For "sincerity".
Then there is Xu Rong, whose posthumous title is "Huanhou". Although Huanhou was Zhang Fei's later posthumous title, it was just right to give it to Xu Rong at this time.
Because he had great achievements in opening up territory and expanding territory, he not only pacified Liaodong with one person, but also captured many places when he was in charge of the Sanhan Peninsula. For example, the entire Sanhan Peninsula that Chen Mu had not taken before, as well as the Beiwoju tribe, The Urugu tribe and other places.
These places later became the northeastern part of Korea and the Vladivostok region of Russia, which were not the territory of the Han Dynasty at that time.
Therefore, in a sense, the reason why Xu Rong was listed in the Nine Tigers and Taoyuan Palace has a lot to do with the expansion of territory during this period. With this contribution, he was named Huan for "expanding territory and conquering the country", and his posthumous title was "Huan". "Hou".
Then Gao Shun was given the posthumous title "Duanhou" because he was an innocent and dignified person, did not drink alcohol, did not accept gifts, was dignified and courteous, and was respectful and courteous. Therefore, the posthumous title was "Duanhou" which means "pure and quiet". ”.
Next is Huang Zhong, who was given the posthumous title "Yi" because of his ability to kill enemies, his strength and ability to cut off enemies, his kindness and loyalty, his ability to charge into battle during battles, and his ability to support his younger generations.
Needless to say, Taishi Ci's Shunhou was "kind and kind" and "beautiful as jade". He was obviously a fierce general on the battlefield, but he was willing to obey Chen Mu's instructions and march into Qingsi, secretly making countless achievements. , so the posthumous title is "Shun".
Dian Wei is the "Loyal Marquis", and as the saying goes, "Sacrifice at the risk of one's life is said to be loyal." Dian Wei, as Liu Bei's early personal bodyguard, saved Liu Bei's life countless times on the battlefield. His whole body was injured more than a hundred times and was riddled with scars. Who can be given the posthumous title of "Zhong" if he is not "Zhonghou" if he is loyal to the Lord?
Tian Feng was also given the posthumous title "Zhenhou", which was taken from his qualities such as "innocence and integrity", "straight and perseverance", and "constant virtue and integrity".
Xun You was given the posthumous title of "Jinghou" because he was "careful and courteous", "cautious" and "respectful without neglect".
As for the "Marquis Wen'an" given by Ju, it is a double posthumous title with extremely high standards.
"Wen" and "An" were both the top posthumous titles in ancient times, and when the two top posthumous titles were added together, it represented the emperor's highest recognition of this minister.
For example, Zhuge Liang's posthumous title is "Zhongwu", Guan Yu's posthumous title is "Zhuang Miao", and Zhao Yun's posthumous title is "Shunping".
There are also "Marquis Wencheng" Zhang Liang, "Marquis Wenzhong" Xiao He, "Marquis Jinghuan" Huo Qubing and "Marquis Xuancheng" Huo Guang in the Western Han Dynasty. These famous officials all have double posthumous titles.
Historically, Jushu was just a counselor of Yuan Shao, but now, because he got acquainted with Liu Bei earlier, and for more than forty years, he has worked conscientiously to help Liu Bei support the Han Dynasty, formulate strategies, and assist Liu Bei in unifying the world, so he was given the posthumous title "Wen'an" !
This posthumous title is Liu Bei's affirmation of Jushu's life, and it is also a gift for his many years of assistance to him.
It can be said that Jushou's death was a huge blow to Liu Bei's heart.
At the beginning of Zhang Wu's twenty-seventh year, the imperial court gave posthumous titles to all the heroes of Taoyuan Palace, awarded them according to their titles, and posthumously awarded some new medals, such as the Eleventh Founding Medal, the Han Empire Medal, the Glory Medal, and the Marquis Medal. wait.
Liu Bei often visited Taoyuan Palace with Guan, Zhang and Chen. During major national events, such as National Day, Chinese New Year, Cold Food, Double Ninth Festival and other festivals, they would open altars in Taoyuan Palace to offer sacrifices to mourn the souls of the dead.
In fact, in addition to these founding heroes who followed Liu Bei to conquer the country, many other princes died of illness.
Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Lu Bu, Ma Teng, Han Sui, Liu Zhang and others all died of illness one after another in these years. Others include Xi Zhicai, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Yu Jin, Xia Houyuan, Gan Ning, Cheng Yu, Zhou Yu, Chen Gong, etc.
wait.
But their departure is just a splash in history.
In today's Han Dynasty, they are no longer world-famous princes, counselors, and military generals, but have become rebels one by one. In the end, they are just bandits who surrendered to the Han Dynasty and died in depression.
It's just that no one will remember them losers, but Liu Bei and Chen Mu still remember it. Occasionally, they will go to the cemetery of Gongqing to see Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Lu Bu.
Pour a glass of wine to remember the past time. Recall the good times, and finally sprinkle the glass of wine on their graves to pay homage to the dead souls.
Such days lasted for about half a year, until the second half of the 27th year of Zhang Wu, when Liu Bei's condition finally improved.
He made an appointment with his three brothers to go north to Taoyuan, Zhuo County in February next year, when the flowers are blooming, to see the manor again. To see whether the peach blossoms are still the same, whether the spring breeze is still the same, and whether the Zhang Fei family's manor is still the same.
.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
The last chapter is coming soon, I have to think about how to write it and it will make me cry to death. I may not update it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, because I have to think about it carefully.