The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 207 Volume Liu Bei Enters Shu
Hanzhong.

Liu Bei and his entourage were shocked by the sultry heat of Shu as soon as they entered Hanzhong.

Zhang Fei was sweating profusely on his face. "Damn it! What a hell of a place Shu is! If it weren't for my brother's request, I really wouldn't want to come here in my lifetime!"

The south is hot and humid, which is very different from the climate in the north.

Most of Liu Bei's generals were from Youzhou, and the climate in the Central Plains and Guanzhong was comfortable for them. But the humidity in the Bashu area was really unbearable for them.

Liu Bei was also soaked in sweat, his skin and clothes were all stuck together, and he also felt a little uncomfortable.

However, Liu Bei remained optimistic: "We are going on this expedition under the order of the emperor to fight against the enemy. How can we be picky?"

"Compared with making great contributions and supporting the Han Dynasty, what does this count for?"

However, despite the consolation, Liu Bei still gave his horses to those soldiers who were not used to the southern climate, while he himself advanced on this wet road with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

When they arrived at Nanzheng, the capital of Hanzhong County, Hanzhong Prefect Xun You and Pang De had already been waiting there to welcome Liu Bei and his party.

Liu Bei was a heroic man, and he soon got in touch with Xun You and Pang De.

During the banquet, Liu Bei also discussed the court arrangements with Xun You again and clarified the preparations for the war.

When Xun You heard that the emperor actually wanted Liu Bei to sneak through the Yinping Trail, he was somewhat impressed by the emperor's imaginative thinking.

"Yinping is difficult to travel. Even with the Qiang people leading the way, it is still extremely dangerous."

Xun You told Liu Bei: "I have found several Qiang guides for your uncle. These people are familiar with Yinping and should be able to help your uncle."

Liu Bei was naturally overjoyed when he heard this: "Although I have not been in Guanzhong for a long time, I have often heard Your Majesty praise the uncle and nephew of the Xun family as outstanding people! Seeing them today, I can see that their reputation is indeed well-deserved."

Xun You actually also sensed a sense of familiarity from Liu Bei.

That was a familiar feeling that he could only feel from the emperor and his uncle Xun Yu.

Therefore, they supported Liu Bei with all their strength without holding back at all.

"Uncle, you are too kind. In addition, uncle, please note that even if Hanzhong has sufficient food and grass, it can only support your three thousand soldiers to sneak across Yinping."

"The ancient Yinping Road is rarely visited by people, and it is difficult to find birds and animals, so it is difficult to open up a food route. Therefore, the soldiers can only carry the food and grass they need on their backs and travel light."

"Each soldier can only carry half a month's worth of food and fodder, and that's only the supplies they need to get there. If we don't win quickly, I'm afraid..."

In the face of Xun You's worries, Liu Bei naturally concealed them with laughter.

"How could I not know what Gongda said?"

"But I, Liu Bei, have been ordered by the court and entrusted by the emperor, and I have volunteered to go to Yinping to attack Shu. How can I be so hesitant when the time comes?"

"And Hanzhong is the birthplace of the Han Dynasty, and the place where Emperor Gaozu founded his empire! As a descendant of the Han Dynasty, I would be lucky if I could be buried here!"

To die for the court, to die for justice, to die for ideals, this was not something unacceptable to Liu Bei!

Xun You also admired Liu Bei's faith and was deeply moved for a moment.

After resting in Hanzhong, Liu Bei also began to mobilize his troops.

The first step was to follow Jia Xu's plan, forcefully attack Baishui Pass, and then pretend to retreat.

After some thought, Liu Bei entrusted this important task to Guan Yu and Pang De.

"Big brother!"

Guan Yu looked anxious, for he knew that if he went to launch the feint attack, he would not be able to follow Liu Bei and the others to Chengdu.

Smuggling across Yinping is already dangerous. How can Guan Yu feel at peace if Liu Bei is not by his side?
Liu Bei advised him kindly: "Yun Chang, keeping you in Hanzhong is also a precaution for the future."

"If I fail in Yinping and suffer heavy casualties, Liu Mao, Zhang Wei and others will most likely realize that Hanzhong is empty and take the initiative to attack."

"It's okay if we can't take Shu, but we can't let the court lose Hanzhong because of me. If that happens, how can I face Emperor Gaozu and Your Majesty in the future?"

"Therefore, we must leave some troops to guard Hanzhong to prevent them from counterattacking Hanzhong."

Zhang Fei was also somewhat gloating at this moment: "Second brother, just stay here and be honest! The matter of advancing into Shu and protecting my brother is left to me!"

Unexpectedly, before Zhang Fei finished speaking, Liu Bei gave another order:

"Yide, you and Yunchang will stay in Hanzhong together."

Zhang Fei was stunned: "Why!?"

"The reason is the same as Yun Chang's."

Liu Bei planned to assign part of his troops to Zhang Fei and station them on the Micang Road to guard against Zhang Wei's attack on Hanzhong from Baozhong.

"No matter what, I will protect Hanzhong for Your Majesty and prevent the birthplace of the Han Dynasty from falling into the hands of the rice thieves again."

"Yun Chang and Yi De will guard the Jinniu and Micang roads respectively. Even if Yinping is lost, we can prevent the Yizhou thieves from Hanzhong!"

Liu Bei's arrangement eventually caused dissatisfaction among Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

But Liu Bei had made up his mind and simply issued a military order to prevent Guan Yu and Zhang Fei from causing any more trouble.

After leaving the order, Liu Bei also specially called Xun You and Pang De to settle them, saying: "I am entrusted by the emperor to seize Shu from Yinping... In fact, I know that this road is difficult, but this is the only thing I can do to relieve the emperor's worries."

"If it succeeds, it would be great. If it doesn't... Yunchang and Yide are like brothers to me after all. They might insist on avenging me. I hope you two can keep an eye on them and don't let them mobilize soldiers privately and bring disaster to the court and Your Majesty!"

Only then did Xun You and Pang De understand Liu Bei's intentions at this moment.

Both of them promised that if such a day really came, they would definitely complete Liu Bei's instructions and keep an eye on Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to prevent them from acting on impulse.

"Thank you both!"

As if he was settling his affairs, Liu Bei felt relieved after leaving Guan Yu and Zhang Fei here. He then found the several Qiang guides that Xun You had mentioned before and asked them about the terrain of the Yinping Trail.

Before meeting these Qiang people, Liu Bei, with the prejudice of a Chinese noble, thought that they were still uncivilized barbarians.

It was not until he met these people in person that Liu Bei discovered that these Qiang people all used Chinese names, spoke Chinese, and knew Chinese characters, and were almost exactly the same as the Han people!

One of them was even familiar with the Han Dynasty classics, which made Liu Bei quite surprised: "What do you call him?"

"I am Wang Ping, a humble citizen. I am honored to meet the Emperor's uncle!"

"Wang Ping?"

Liu Bei put the name into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

"The royal army marched south to quell the rebellion. What a great name!"

"I see that you are quite diligent and well versed in geography. It is a waste of your talent to be a scout guide. Would you like to serve as a personal soldier in my tent? After the war is over, a high position will be waiting for you."

Liu Bei thought that if he personally recruited Wang Ping, Wang Ping would definitely accept it.

Unexpectedly, although Wang Ping was of low status, he said indignantly: "Does the emperor think that I am a person who is greedy for fame and fortune?"

"This time, the emperor's uncle is going to take the Yinping trail, which is actually a life-or-death situation. If I were greedy for a high position, why would I ask for permission to serve as a guide for the emperor's uncle?"

"The reason I came here is that I hope the imperial court can pacify Yizhou as soon as possible, put an end to the chaos, and prevent the people of Yizhou from being persecuted. The emperor's uncle tempted me with a high position, which is really humiliating my ambition!"

Liu Bei immediately stood up and apologized to Wang Ping.

He said with some shame: "It's not that I want to deceive you sincerely, but the risk of fighting in Yinping is too great. I dare not publicize this matter, so as not to disturb the morale of the army." "In this case, please forget what I said before. I will ask you again now-"

"Even if you know that this journey to Yinping is a life-threatening one, are you still willing to go with me?"

Wang Ping clasped his fists and saluted: "I am willing to follow the emperor's uncle!"

"good!"

At this time, Liu Bei finally realized that he was not alone!

But God seemed to be sincerely against Liu Bei.

Just a few days before departure, it suddenly rained heavily, forcing the schedule to be delayed.

Even when they were about to set off, the road was still muddy, adding another layer of gloom to the operation.

Xun You and Pang De were both worried about Liu Bei's low morale and wanted to persuade him.

But Liu Bei looked at the sky and felt happy.

"Guanzhong had experienced a whole year of drought, but now the sweet rain has finally arrived. Isn't this a blessing for the court and the people?"

"Compared to this great blessing, even if I, Liu Bei, have to endure more hardships, what does it matter?"

After saying that, Liu Bei took some felt to shelter from the rain and set off directly to Yinping through the mud.

While on the road, Liu Bei finally understood why his predecessors did not mark the "Yinping Road" on the map.

This is not a road!

It is clearly just a silk thread that divides yin and yang, connecting along the valleys, rivers, and animal trails.

If it weren't for Wang Ping and others leading the way, let alone crossing this uninhabited place, we would have been lost in it and completely lost our way.

Even so, there were still a large number of non-combat casualties on the road.

"Ouch!"

We were walking peacefully in a dense forest when suddenly a soldier shouted and fell to the side of the road.

Liu Bei originally thought it was just an ordinary fall, but when he heard bursts of exclamations from all around him, he realized something was wrong.

Soon, the soldiers around him began to whip the surrounding grass with wooden sticks. Some soldiers even came to Liu Bei and asked him to stop the march, saying that there were poisonous snakes around.

Only then did Liu Bei realize that the soldier had been bitten by a poisonous snake.

He came up to him and asked about the situation. At this moment, Wang Ping was also on the side. When he saw Liu Bei coming, he also shook his head at Liu Bei.

"I just saw the trace of that snake. It has a triangular head with round spots on the top and bottom. It should be the head of a branding iron. I'm afraid this man won't survive!"

The iron head snake is a common venomous snake in the Yizhou area. If bitten by it, the mortality rate is over 70%, even if there is a doctor to cure it.

There is no village or shop nearby. If a soldier is bitten by a snake, there is no hope of survival.

Liu Bei came to the soldier and squatted down, first taking a look at his face -

still young.

Looking at the wound he was covering, it was on the side of his toe.

Lifting the soldier's feet immediately caused him to wail.

"Just bear with it."

After saying that, Liu Bei didn't mind the mud still on the other person's toes. He put them directly in his mouth and sucked out a mouthful of poisonous blood.

Turning around and spitting out the poisonous blood, Liu Bei did it several times before finally stopping.

"Go boil some water!"

Liu Bei pressed the opponent's wound and observed the color inside.

"The emperor once told me that most diseases in the world come from tiny poisons."

"Boil the water to kill the poisonous insects, and maybe it will be able to drive away the snake venom. Don't panic too much, and take a good rest."

The soldier saw his commander Liu Bei sucking out the snake venom for him. He was shocked at first, then burst into tears. He said in his halting Chinese, "I am just a humble Qiang. How can you be so unreasonable, General?!"

Liu Bei also knew that the other party was the Qiang people.

But Liu Bei asked him: "What is your name?"

"Lu Xiaobu..."

He must be a fanatical supporter of Lu Bu, as he actually gave himself such a strange name.

But Liu Bei did not look down on him because of this name. Instead, he reasoned with him.

"Lü, Xiao, and Bu are all Chinese characters. You speak Chinese and wear Chinese clothes. Why should we distinguish them by Han and Qiang?"

"The emperor specially gave you Han names to make you feel at ease and recognize that you are also Han people and citizens of the Han Dynasty. Why do you despise yourself so much?"

"Right now, we are all in the same boat, so we should support each other like brothers. Why should we differentiate between the noble and the humble?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaobu choked up again.

When word of Liu Bei's actions and words reached the army, it boosted the morale of the army. They regrouped their strength and built bridges and roads in the mountains, which accelerated the process by much more than a step.

And Lu Xiaobu miraculously survived, which undoubtedly strengthened everyone's confidence again, and they believed that they would win the battle.

But after arriving at Motianling, the soldiers led by Liu Bei finally encountered difficulties.

The fact that it is called "Skyscraper" is enough to show how steep it is.

The mountain is high in the south and low in the north. When Liu Bei climbed up Motianling, he had lost the road and could not go down the mountain from the south.

Zhao Yun and Wang Ping also advised Liu Bei that he had reached his limit and that the emperor would not blame him even if he turned back now.

But Liu Bei knew that as long as he crossed this towering ridge, the road ahead would be much easier.

Although it is easy to give up, and Liu Bei also knows that the emperor will never blame him, but there are many things that can be given up if you give up, but can be persisted if you persist.

Liu Bei ordered his men to bring the felt he had used to shelter from the rain, and directly wrapped himself in it: "Some people like to tell fortunes, and always use one thing to determine good or bad luck."

"Today, I will also do some divination myself to see what the outcome of this war will be."

Although Zhao Yun and Wang Ping had their own guesses, they still couldn't believe it: "My lord, how do you want to tell fortunes?"

"Of course, I'll get into the game and win half the game!"

Liu Bei took a deep breath and said, "If I am still alive after I go down, it will be auspicious! If I die, it will be disastrous!"

"If it is a sign of great disaster, you two should lead the troops back and do your best to save the lives of the soldiers!"

After saying that, Liu Bei took a deep leap, raising countless dust and gravel, which rolled all the way down into the valley!

"Lord!!!"

(End of this chapter)