In February of the twenty-eighth year of Zhangwu, it was 228 AD in the Western calendar and 368 in the Han calendar.

Emperor Liu Bei of the Han Dynasty was 68 years old.

His hair and beard were gray, and his originally smooth face was covered with wrinkles and age spots.

Time is always people's biggest enemy.

No matter you are a wealthy landowner with a net worth of billions, or an emperor or general with overwhelming power, you will eventually be unable to escape the fate of aging.

Over the years, Liu Bei has bid farewell to countless old friends. At the beginning of this year, he once again felt this heart-wrenching sadness.

His wife Li, who had been with him for more than 40 years, passed away at the age of 62. The 40 years of mutual support could not withstand the ravages of time in the end, leaving people with endless regrets.

In February, after the funeral was held for the queen, Liu Bei was full of expectations and full of a mentality of wanting to return to his roots after the sunset. When he went to Taoyuan, Zhang Fei fell ill again.

At this age, even in the 21st century with advanced technology, a slight headache or fever, or even a fall, may have serious consequences.

Not to mention that Zhang Fei is already sixty-three years old. Although his body is healthy, it will inevitably become weak as he gets older. He occasionally felt cold a few days ago, and now he still has fever and cough all day long.

Fortunately, Wu Pu was sent to check immediately, and it was confirmed that it was just a common cold, not a serious illness. He took medicine and rested for a while.

However, Liu Guan, Chen, and the Duke of Yan were alerted. When they learned that Zhang Fei was ill, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Chen Mu came to visit him immediately.

Liu Bei has always been generous to his three brothers.

Whether it is the residence of the Duke of Qin, the Duke of Qi or the Duke of Yan, they are all the largest mansions in Luoyang City.

For example, the Duke's Palace of Yan is in the former Liangji Garden, the Duke's Palace of Qin is in Pingle Garden, and the Duke's Palace of Qi is in Guangcheng Garden. They are all new mansions built on the original site.

The previous gardens and mansions were destroyed by the war. Although the new mansion is not as luxurious as before, it is more advantageous in that it covers a large area and is not far from the West Market.

After Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Chen Mu arrived, they saw Zhang Fei waving a snake spear measuring eight feet in the yard. Although he was old, his movements were not slow. He was spinning like an electric fan, making the leaves of the big tree next to him rustle and shake.

.

"Big brother, second brother and fourth brother, you are here."

Seeing the three of them, Zhang Fei pretended to be relaxed, laughed, stopped dancing, held the spear in one hand, wiped his sweat with the other hand, and said, "I haven't practiced for a long time, so I feel rusty."

Liu Bei frowned and said: "Third brother, since you are sick, you should listen to the doctor and have a good rest. How can you move around at will? What if something goes wrong?"

Zhang Fei threw the spear in his hand to Zhang Bao, the eldest son who had been waiting beside him, stretched out his right arm and showed off his knotted muscles, and said cheerfully: "It doesn't matter, it's just a minor illness. You see, I'm not doing well."

?"

The words were not spoken yet.

He suddenly covered his mouth, holding in something.

Guan Yu immediately went up and held his hand, while Liu Bei slapped his back, and then Zhang Fei began to cough violently.

"Cough cough cough..."

Because I was forced to hold back the cough, and after finally releasing it, it became more intense than before. The cough caused tears and mucus to keep coming out, which was very embarrassing.

"Father."

Zhang Fei's second son Zhang Shao on the other side quickly handed over the handkerchief.

"Brother, I..."

Zhang Fei held Guan Yu's shoulder with one hand and pressed his own chest with the other. He did not take the handkerchief from his son. When he raised his head again, his face was already full of tears, and his face was covered with snot and tears.

Chen Mu took the handkerchief, carefully wiped the dirt on the third brother's face, and said softly: "Third brother, we all understand what you mean. Time is not forgiving. Sometimes, we have to admit that we are old.

, but precisely because of this, we cannot force it.”

In fact, the three brothers had already figured out that Zhang Fei's illness might be just a common cold. If he was young, these would not be illnesses at all, and they would be over with a little resistance.

But at this age, the body's resistance is extremely weakened, and even a cold will have a great impact. Normal people should have a good rest and take medicine to recuperate their bodies.

But Zhang Fei stood up and danced with his spear, just to prove that he was in good health and not to delay his trip, fearing that it would delay Liu Bei's long-cherished wish for many years.

The result is counterproductive. If you continue to exercise when your body is weak, your body will not be able to hold on and will become even weaker.

"It's all useless to me..."

Zhang Fei really cried this time.

For the first time, he felt like a useless person and a drag on everyone.

It's like a person who is as light as a swallow and runs very fast.

Suddenly one day there is a problem with his foot and he can't run, he may have some kind of emotion.

I resented my feet for being like this, and then hammered them hard, hating myself for being incompetent.

Liu Bei missed Taoyuan very much, why didn't Zhang Fei and Guan Yu not want to go back and see it again?

People have reached old age.

I always like to miss my lost youth.

Since that year when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, he had had wine and conviviality with his three brothers in the peach garden, and he had not returned to Zhuojun for more than thirty years.

Over the years, there have always been delays in things big and small. Unfortunately, his two children, who are almost 20 years old, have never been back to their hometown to visit. Zhang Fei himself wants to go back.

But before departure, he fell ill, and Zhang Fei wished he could have two hammers on his chest. If this could help him recover, he would be willing to have two more blows.

Liu Bei smiled and comforted him and said: "Yide, it actually doesn't matter whether you go back or not. As long as the four of us are together, everywhere is a peach garden."

"Third brother, you don't have to be so sad. If you can't go in the spring, then go in the summer."

Chen Mu also smiled and said: "The Taoyuan is right there and we can't run away. In our old age, we should be thankful that we have supported each other along the way and have never been separated, instead of resenting ourselves, right?"

Zhang Fei was stunned: "Don't you blame me? It's all because of me, and I can't go."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Liu, Guan, and Chen looked at each other and smiled.

Chen Mu said: "No one will blame you, and the third brother will not blame himself. At this age, just let everything take its course."

"yes."

Liu Bei sighed: "Birth, old age, illness and death are normal things in life. How can I blame my third brother?"

Guan Yu also said: "Third brother, please rest in peace and recuperate. We will leave after you are cured."

Zhang Fei wiped his tears, his eyes were already red.

If you have a brother like this, what else can you ask for?

Spring passes and summer comes.

More than a month has passed again.

By the end of March, it started to rain in Luoyang.

This period is the Cold Food Festival of the Han Dynasty, which is also the Qingming Festival in later generations.

As the saying goes, it rains heavily during the Qingming Festival. During the Han Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival had a very high status, and every household had to prepare for the festival.

After the Cold Food Festival and the National Day, Zhang Fei's condition improved a lot. In late April, the emperor set out again to visit Hebei, Youzhou and other places.

In the past few years, the emperor went to the south to inspect the situation in the south. The development in the north is still in full swing. Hebei's steel output is increasing day by day. By this year, the output of Jizhou alone has reached an annual output of three million tons.

We must know that Hebei's output was only more than one million tons three years ago. In just three years, it tripled. We can know how far places like Wei County and Zhao State have developed despite their advantage in mineral location.

Swift and fierce.

And Qingzhou is not slow either. It used to have an annual output of two million tons, but now it has reached a level of more than five million tons. By the end of this year or next year, Dahan's total output value will be tens of millions of tons.

The increase in steel production capacity has driven the entire economy of Hebei. Now both sides of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are extremely prosperous and lively, and counties and cities in various places are developing rapidly, and there is a dance of singing and dancing.

Perhaps there are still many poor people in the Han Dynasty, but grassroots governance is not that simple. Fortunately, the Han Dynasty has not yet fully formed the gentry and clan culture. For example, the formation of the gentry will not be until the Jin Dynasty, and the formation of the clan will not be until the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Therefore, as long as the grassroots governance of the Han Dynasty finds the right method, it will not be as troublesome as the Ming and Qing Dynasties. You must know that during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the clan power in Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangzhou and other places in the south was very large, which can be said to be a model of imperial power not going to the countryside.

In the Han Dynasty, when the power of clans was not greater than that of the royal family, grassroots civil servants were used to solve the problem of governance that had previously relied solely on village clan elders. This made it easier to prevent the situation in which big clans in the countryside controlled the countryside.

Especially in the Hebei region, as industrialization deepens, roads are being built everywhere in the originally endless and extremely flat North China Plain, and the economy is also developing at a rapid pace.

Liu Bei set out in late April and successively inspected the industrial conditions along Wei County, Zhao State, Julu and other places, and then went all the way north, arriving at Zhuo County in early June. Now Zhuo County has become an international metropolis.

Nomads gather here.

The Yongji Canal was dug from Sili to Tianjin, connecting several rivers such as Juma River and Laishui River. Zhuoxian County is just south of Laishui River, so the fleet first went to Quanzhou, which was Tianjin in the Han Dynasty, and then went upstream.

Then go up to Anci and Zhuoxian.

When Tianzi Luanjia disembarked from the Laishui River, he saw a busy Zhuoxian pier. The entire pier was endless, with countless people coming and going, connecting the bustling city, warehouses, and streets.

In fact, the scale of Zhuoxian Wharf is actually not as large as Quanzhou Wharf.

Because at this time, Quanzhou had become a northern freight distribution center. From Quanzhou, you could go to Liaodong, south to Qingzhou, or even all the way to Southeast Asia. You could also go to inland cities through canals, so Quanzhou's shipping was more developed than Zhuoxian.

But Quanzhou relied on transportation, and Zhuoxian relied on the textile industry.

Not long after Liu Bei succeeded to the throne in the early years of Zhangwu, Chen Mu was already laying out plans for Zhuo County.

He ordered Ma Jun to improve the spinning machine and start a pilot project in Zhuoxian County. Then, using the wool from Monan, he gradually began to build the textile industry.

In the beginning, there were only two small factories, recruiting more than a dozen female workers, and only a dozen looms.
To be continued...