vstars Chapter 461 Zhao Zilong
Chapter 461 Zhao Zilong
"In the chaos, Liu Bei noticed that Zhao Zilong had not followed, and someone said that he had been seen going to Cao Cao's side."
However, Liu Bei immediately became angry, retorting that Zilong would never abandon him. Shortly afterward, Zhao Zilong returned with Liu Bei's wife and son.
"Although this period is not well documented in history, the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms has given later generations endless room for imagination."
"On the other hand, the people who followed Liu Bei saw that he abandoned even his own sons and led them away in his escape. Old Liu was truly righteous."
"Therefore, the people here are of one mind; almost everyone present is willing to follow Liu Bei, something other warlords have not been able to achieve."
"But it must be said that Liu Bei was in a dangerous situation at this time, because most of his troops had followed Guan Yu and left. Could the remaining troops stop Cao Cao's army?"
The one who stayed behind to cover the rear was Zhang Fei, the third of the three sworn brothers from the Oath of the Peach Garden.
"He led only twenty cavalrymen, a force no one could have confidently defeated unless they knew the outcome."
"Therefore, Zhang Fei held his position on the riverbank, dismantled the bridge, gripped his spear horizontally, and shouted to Cao Cao's army: 'I am Zhang Yide! Come and fight to the death!'"
"Zhang Fei's imposing aura was so overwhelming that Cao Cao's army dared not approach, allowing Liu Bei to escape. It is quite rare for someone to frighten away the pursuing troops with just his imposing presence."
"Just when Liu Bei was in a very bad situation, his allies arrived, namely Sun Quan in Jiangdong."
"After Liu Biao's death, Sun Quan sent Lu Su to spy on Jingzhou, hoping to profit from the situation. He's also eyeing Jingzhou!"
News of Jingzhou spread quickly. Lu Su heard that Cao Cao had marched south and Liu Bei had fled, so he decided to meet with Liu Bei at Changban in Dangyang.
"First, Lu Su probed Liu Bei, asking him: Where are you going next?!"
"Liu Bei said that Wu Ju, the governor of Cangwu Commandery, was an old friend of his, and he planned to go and seek refuge with him."
After hearing this, Lu Su said that Wu Ju's place was too far away, and it would be better to come to Jiangdong and seek refuge with General Sun.
"It is also said that General Sun is now intelligent, and the powerful families in Jiangnan are all under his command, with well-trained soldiers and abundant food."
"So Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, with their remaining troops, joined forces with Guan Yu's troops and went to join Sun Quan."
Yuan Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: These two have formed an alliance?!
Zhang Fei: ...Cao Cao! Just you wait! ...
Da Ming Zhu Ba Ba: The Shu Han side also had a lot of talented people. Basically, the Three Kingdoms were settled after this battle!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: It didn't take long before it felt like we entered another era!
Emperor Zhao Zhen, the greatest benevolent ruler of all time: The Eastern Han Dynasty existed in name only!
……
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly remembered that Emperor Xian of Han was the last emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was his bad luck to be born into such an era, but at least he was able to make a living.
The others are in real trouble!!!
Lin Ke's voice continued to come through.
“Since the target has already been set, there’s no need to go to Jiangling. Besides, even if he went, it wouldn’t make a difference. Because Jiangling has already been taken over by Cao Cao.”
"He appointed Liu Cong as the governor of Qingzhou and enfeoffed him as a marquis. Including Kuai Yue and others, a total of fifteen people were enfeoffed as marquises. It seems that the predictions of those officials at the time were correct. There was no harm done, and we can continue to live together!"
Seeing the critical situation, Zhuge Liang told Liu Bei to go and meet with Sun Quan first, as they couldn't wait any longer!
"Therefore, Zhuge Liang met Sun Quan in Chaisang and began by talking about the current situation. He said to Sun Quan, 'The world is in chaos. You raised an army east of the Yangtze River, but now Cao Cao has unified the north and then marched south to conquer Jingzhou.'"
"If you, General, can use the troops of Jiangdong to contend with Cao Cao, who occupies the north, then you should simply submit to him. If you hesitate in everything, it will be too late when things become critical!"
"He also told Sun Quan that Liu Bei was surnamed Liu, and was at least a descendant of the royal family, and also had popular support."
"But Sun Quan might not bet everything on this. After all, Cao Cao is after Liu Bei, but if Jiangdong is surrendered, who knows if things will turn out as they expect!"
"Therefore, Sun Quan had to consider the matter carefully. While he was discussing it with his subordinates, Cao Cao sent him a letter. In the letter, Cao Cao stated that he was issuing orders through the imperial court. His army marched south, and Liu Cong surrendered."
"He now commands a navy of 700,000. He's just waiting to hunt in Wu with the general!!"
"Now that you mention it, everyone thinks the other side is incredibly arrogant. What do they think Jiangdong is, Cao Mengde's backyard?!"
"So this group split into two factions, similar to the Song Dynasty: those who wanted to surrender and those who wanted to fight."
"Lu Su, however, expressed a different view on Sun Quan, stating that someone like him could surrender and welcome Cao Cao."
"Because he can start as a low-ranking official, and perhaps he can even ride in an oxcart with soldiers following him, just like before. But what about a general? Where should a general go?"
"The most crucial question is whether Sun Quan would have a peaceful end after surrendering!"
Sun Quan: These people are so disappointing! Surrender my ass!
"Lu Su's persuasion convinced Sun Quan to withdraw his troops. The next person to appear was also a key figure in the Three Kingdoms period, Zhou Yu."
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: I know this. It's like Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one was willing to hit, and the other was willing to be hit!
Zhou Yu: ...
Sang Hongyang of the Great Han Dynasty: It seems that the stories of the Three Kingdoms period are widely circulated, which is also because of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms!
Luo Guanzhong: (??????????)
Yuan Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: Let's fight! Let's fight!
Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty: Liu Bei is truly in a sorry state this time; the Sun-Liu alliance has been formed!
……
During the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty
At this moment, Zhao Zhen was watching the live broadcast intently.
He suddenly thought of the Southern Song Dynasty, wondering if things would change after the change.
However, when he looked at the small screen on the table, he couldn't help but sigh, "The Three Kingdoms period was full of heroic spirit."
It's a pity that the Three Kingdoms, which he fought for most of his life, was ultimately won by Sima Yi!
It seems that longevity really can outlive a lot of people!
Ling Ke continues on screen:
"If I were to ask you, 'Who were the mothers of Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu?' what would your answer be?"
Zhuge Liang: ? ? ?
Zhou Yu: ? ? ?
"The answer is Ji and He, because Ji was born from He who gave birth to Liang!"
Zhou Yu/Zhuge Liang: ...
At that moment, everyone watching the screen suddenly felt a shiver. Why did they suddenly feel a little cold? And what on earth was that question?
Lin Ke then laughed and said, "Zhou Yu was a military strategist in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and a famous general of Eastern Wu. It is said that he was handsome, tall, and proficient in music. There was even a saying at the time that if a piece of music was wrong, Zhou Yu would notice it."
"In his youth, he was on good terms with Sun Ce, and after Sun Ce's death, he and Zhang Zhao supported Sun Quan."
"This time, Zhou Yu also gave advice to Sun Quan, analyzing the four major problems of Cao Cao's army and advocating resistance against Cao Cao. The Battle of Red Cliffs laid the foundation for the later division of the country into the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty."
The live stream is still ongoing:
Around July of the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD), Liu Biao died of illness, and Cao Cao had already marched south!
"When Liu Biao was old, he doted on his second wife, Lady Cai, which allowed her relatives, such as Cai Mao, to gain power. After his death, this group deposed the eldest son and installed the younger son, Liu Cong, as the new ruler."
"As for Liu Biao's eldest son, she sent him to Jiangxia long ago. It was probably premeditated, just to prevent him from succeeding to the throne!"
"But at this time, Jingzhou was in a state of panic due to Liu Biao's death. Liu Cong then asked his ministers whether they should defend Jingzhou?"
"The ministers' opinions were simple and unanimous: over the years, Cao Cao had been constantly encroaching on their territory; if he had already pacified the north, what would they have left to fight for?"
"And then there's Liu Bei. If we're talking about using Liu Bei to fight Cao Cao, he's not qualified. Judging from Liu Bei's past records, his victories weren't particularly significant."
"So some people advised Liu Cong that even if Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao, Jingzhou would still belong to him or Liu Cong, so the only thing we could do was surrender to Cao Cao."
"Most importantly, although Cao Cao held the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, wasn't he still nominally the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty?"
"So these people probably felt that even if they surrendered to Cao Cao, their good days would continue. Therefore, these powerful families of Jingzhou and Liu Cong decided to surrender and submitted their surrender documents to Cao Cao."
"But clearly, they forgot to inform Liu Bei that after they finished discussing it, they only told him when he was almost there. Liu Cong then went to find someone else and told Liu Bei:"
We're quitting. We're surrendering to this company and disbanding it. You can do whatever you want!
"At this time, Cao Cao also arrived in Xinye, which was actually very close to Liu Biao. If war were to break out, Liu Bei would be completely unprepared."
"But then again, the nickname 'Liu the Runner' isn't just for show. It's pretty obvious he can't beat Cao Cao anymore."
"Moreover, he was unprepared, so he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately packed his bags and fled."
"After all, running away isn't such an ugly thing to do. Throughout history, how many emperors have chosen to run away!"
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: This is heartbreaking... Even running away has become a new way to escape, who else can do this?!
Wanyan Jiu Mei Zhao Gou: Escaping is shameful, but it's useful!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: It's nothing! Our Tang Dynasty has gone there several times, and we still came back!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: If Emperor Chongzhen also runs away, will it take even longer?
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary Army: This matter should be done sooner rather than later; otherwise, we might not be able to escape!
……
In another timeline, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized that if Emperor Chongzhen had also been able to escape, the Southern Ming dynasty might not have lasted much longer.
However, the fact that they slowed down their journey while taking the people with them is something that not everyone can do.
……
In the other live stream room
Lin Ke continued, "But besides Liu Bei's group fleeing, other ordinary people followed them."
"In chaotic times, finding a suitable patron is not easy, and Cao Cao has been waging war on all sides for years. For powerful clans, he's willing to offer them money and status, which makes him a good boss!"
"But what about the common people? They were the people assigned to specific positions. Often, after a defeat, they were utterly incompetent. Since staying put meant certain death, why didn't they follow Liu Bei? At least he was quite benevolent!"
"Especially considering the Han Dynasty, it was different from later dynasties, especially considering the tactics Cao Cao used against the people during his years of conquest. It was either a matter of transferring resources from the local areas to the central government, or simply wiping out entire cities."
"So when they heard that Cao Cao had come to the south, these people were terrified and hurriedly packed their bags and fled. They were utterly terrified of Cao Cao."
"But to be honest, Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness still have a good reputation. In that era, all the powerful clans regarded the common people as worthless grass. After a defeat, there was a high possibility that an entire city would be wiped out, and this happened many times."
"But the baggage and supplies for so many people were quite heavy, yet Liu Bei's speed still slowed down."
"He can only cover a dozen or so miles a day, while the enemy army covers so many miles a day. So some people told him that he should hurry up and run to Jiangling, because only Jiangling can be defended. He shouldn't slow down."
"However, Liu Bei still planned to travel with these hundreds of thousands of people. He said that people should be the priority and that Guan Yu and others should go first."
However, Cao Cao knew that Jiangling contained supplies and equipment, and he feared that Liu Bei might seize it, making his campaign much more difficult.
"So Cao Cao abandoned his baggage and traveled light. When he arrived in Xiangyang, he learned that Liu Bei had already fled."
"Subsequently, Cao Cao personally led 5,000 elite cavalry in a rapid pursuit, covering more than 300 li in a day and a night."
"It's clear that Cao Cao truly wants to kill Liu Bei. Traveling three hundred li a day—is that something just anyone can do?"
"But being Liu Bei's wife and children isn't actually a good thing. For example, at Changban Slope, Liu Bei abandoned his wife and son, fleeing on horseback with Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and dozens of others."
"Perhaps this is a legacy of Emperor Gaozu, but the next person to appear will rescue that child, Liu Shan."
"That is him. The loyal and brave Zhao Zilong, who, along with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, is known as one of the Three Warriors of Yannan."
Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty: Don't blame everything on me!
Zhang Fei: That sounds nice!
Yuan Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: Liu Bei, that fellow, has quite a lot of talented people under his command!
General Judy, the Northern Expeditionary Army: Of course! And the Prime Minister, who devoted himself to the cause!
Yu Qian of the Ming Dynasty: May the Prime Minister live forever!
Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty: May the Prime Minister live forever!
……
At this time, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was astonished to learn that he had exited the stage of history due to a single defeat.
Not to mention, one by one his advisors ran off to Cao Cao's side, which infuriated him!
Now, he actually wants Liu Bei to defeat Cao Cao and make that scoundrel Cao uncomfortable, that would make this old man happy!
……
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty
At this moment, Li Shimin was humming a song while processing memorials.
"Alone he walked up Changban Slope, Cao Cao didn't waste any words, his only goal was Jingzhou..."
Ah, if it weren't for Wei Zheng's constant nagging, he would be in a much better mood!
……
Back to the live stream:
"Throughout his life, he fought for Liu Bei in numerous battles, achieving remarkable military exploits. He was later known as a Confucian general with the qualities of a great minister, and even considered a perfect figure of the Three Kingdoms period."