The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 323 Sishui, Please Don't Cry for Me

In Chendu, the setting sun bleeds like blood.

Li Yi entered the residence of Prince Chen alone.

Liu Chong was still wearing his armor, and the flickering candlelight on his desk reflected the worry in his eyes.

"Your Highness."

A servant entered and said, "Li Ziyu requests an audience."

"Li Yi?"

Liu Chong frowned, put down his book, and said, "Quickly, invite him in."

A moment later, Li Yi stepped into the door, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and looked solemn.

"Your Highness..."

"Now that Qi and Wei are at war, the land of Chen has become a battlefield."

"Although the Wei army has retreated, it is hard to guarantee that they will not make a comeback."

"If we wage war again and disturb His Majesty's presence, we will die a thousand deaths to atone for it."

"Therefore, I have come here specifically to discuss with King Chen the matter of moving the emperor eastward."

Li Yi got straight to the point, explaining the purpose of his trip.

To prevent a repeat of the situation Xiahou Dun faced, Li Yi went directly to Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, who controlled the Imperial Guards.

Once he agrees, there will be no further obstacles to the eastward relocation.

Liu Chong frowned and asked in a deep voice:

"Is the relocation of the Emperor's carriage to the east your idea, or the King of Qi's?"

"This is my opinion, and has nothing to do with the King of Qi."

"So, have you come here to protect the emperor or to abduct him?" Liu Chong asked again.

"I came specifically to protect you," Li Yi replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

"If you're here to protect the emperor, why bring so many soldiers!"

Li Yi shook his head and said encouragingly:
"Your Highness and I have known each other for many years, and you should know my intentions."

"The Han dynasty is in decline, and no single person can save it."

"Now the Wei army has retreated north, but its momentum has not diminished. If they attack again, the capital of Chen will have no natural defenses."

"Moving the imperial carriage eastward to temporarily avoid military confrontation is a plan for the sake of the nation."

Liu Chong remained silent for a long time, then lightly tapped the map on the table with his fingertips:
"If the emperor leaves Chen, how is it any different from him falling into your hands?"

Li Yi looked him straight in the eye and answered seriously:

"Today, people are the butcher's knife, and we are the fish on the chopping block."

"If Your Highness insists on staying here, the Wei army will return one day, and the emperor will fall into Cao Cao's hands. Only then will the Han dynasty truly be overthrown."

“Our lord is a descendant of the Han imperial family. Wherever he is, he should put the Han dynasty first.”

"If it falls into the hands of Cao Cao, there is no guarantee that Cao Cao will not usurp the Han throne and establish himself as emperor."

The evening drums sounded heavy outside the window, and Liu Chong finally let out a long sigh:
"...Fine. I will accompany you to the palace to meet the Emperor."

Inside the Deyang Palace, Liu Xie sat alone at his desk, the candlelight making his face appear pale.

Li Yi and Liu Chong entered side by side and prostrated themselves on the ground.

"His Majesty."

Liu Chong spoke first, sounding somewhat remorseful:
"Chendu is in ruins and is probably not a place to stay for long."

"Your Majesty, I request to temporarily relocate to Linzi to avoid the ravages of war,"

Liu Xie's fingertips trembled slightly:

"I've just escaped the tiger's den, and now I'm going to enter the new capital?"

Li Yi kowtowed:

"Linzi is a high city with a deep moat. King Qi has ordered Grand Master Kong to prepare a temporary palace here."

"Your Majesty's eastern tour will not only reassure the people but also keep you away from the chaos of war."

"It's not too late to restore the old ways after the Central Plains are pacified."

Li Yi didn't forget to offer Liu Xie a rosy picture, saying that once the Central Plains were pacified, they could move back.

Then we can simply return it to the old capital, Luoyang. Wouldn't that be better than staying in Chen?
The emperor's brother-in-law, Dong Cheng, stood beside the emperor and said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, Qingzhou has been the land of Qi and Lu since ancient times, a land of etiquette."

"Kong Wenju was a man devoted to the Han dynasty, and Linzi was far from the war, so it was not a bad choice."

"Moreover, since Prince Chen has already uttered these words, he has likely already weighed the pros and cons..."

Liu Xie then looked around at the other officials in the hall, and seeing that no one objected, he finally nodded dejectedly.

"Your Majesty's permission is granted."

The next day, the emperor's imperial carriage departed from the east gate of Chen capital.

Liu Xie rode in his palanquin, looking at the kneeling people on both sides, his expression dazed.

Liu Bei personally led the way, clad in black armor and a red turban, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

Prince Liu Chong of Chen, leading his elite troops, stood guard beside him. Suddenly, he sighed to Li Yi beside him:
"What we do today, history will record with iron will one day, and we will not know whether it is loyalty or treachery."

You could hear the helplessness in Liu Chong's tone.

Li Yi gazed at the distant smoke and dust, and said calmly:

"The victor is king, the loser is villain; all that matters is having a clear conscience."

……

Pengcheng, the main camp of the Wei army.

It was during the plum rain season, and the Huaihe Plain was muddy and impassable. Military tents stretched for dozens of miles, and banners hung low in the humid south wind.

At dusk that day, the central command tent was brightly lit.

Xiahou Dun was discussing matters with his generals when a scout, covered in mud and water, burst in.
"Report! Our spies have discovered that Liu Bei has seized the emperor and is preparing to move the capital east to Linzi!"

Cao Hong slammed his hand on the table and laughed loudly: "Just as Yuan Rang predicted!"

Xiahou Dun's single eye gleamed, and he clapped his hands, saying:
"Liu Bei, having taken the king's carriage with him, will certainly not be able to travel quickly."

"Our army's strategic transfer to Pengcheng ahead of schedule can truly be described as gaining a significant advantage."

"As long as we can defeat the main force of the Qi army here."

"The emperor's carriage will eventually fall into our hands..."

Before he could finish speaking, Man Chong suddenly interrupted him:
"General, we have now penetrated deep into the heart of Xuzhou..."

"This is Liu Bei's territory. If we fight Liu Bei here, I'm afraid we will suffer the consequences."

Le Jin immediately echoed, "Xuzhou is Liu Bei's base of operations, and our army has gone on a long and arduous expedition..."

"Moreover, Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare and has no natural defenses."

Li Dian was deeply worried, "If we are defeated, we may lose all of Henan."

The more rational generals in the army raised questions about the Battle of Xuzhou.

After all, this is Liu Bei's territory, so he has the home-field advantage.

Moreover, just as Yue Jin analyzed, Xuzhou was a strategically important location with no natural defenses.

This means that the Wei army can only confront the Qi army head-on.

It should be understood that the consequence of using a massive troop buildup to close the numerical gap with the Qi army and even overtake them was low morale, poor quality, and weak individual combat capabilities.

The candlelight in the tent flickered, and Xiahou Dun slowly rose, his iron armor clanging.

He swept his single gaze across the generals, then suddenly struck Pengcheng heavily with his sword sheath:
"Do you gentlemen know the story behind this place?"

"Since the Chu-Han Contention, more than fifty major battles have been fought before the capital was finally established here!"

As he spoke, he slashed his sword across the map, stirring up fine dust.

"Xuzhou has been the site of countless large-scale wars throughout history, the rights and wrongs of which are difficult to discuss."

"But historians have all noted that it was on this ancient battlefield that the rise and fall of countless dynasties were determined."

"Therefore, there has been a saying since ancient times that one should aspire to conquer the Central Plains."

"Back then, Lord Wei led the Qingzhou army in three routes to converge on Xuzhou to avenge his father."

"Wherever the army goes, it is invincible in battle and unconquerable in attack."

"Tao Qian saw that the situation was hopeless and once considered surrendering by binding himself."

"In the fourth year of the Chuping era, which was also in the suburbs of Xuzhou, I had the honor of personally leading the elite troops to conquer Pengcheng."

"The Qian army suffered a crushing defeat, with tens of thousands of corpses lying on the ground, and the Si River was blocked by the wreckage."

"At that time, our army returned in triumph, its might shaking Xu and Yang."

"I don't understand why everyone is talking about Xiang Yu being trapped at Gaixia. Isn't that absurd?"

"It seems that this ancient battlefield in the Central Plains is destined to bring us more misfortune than good."

"Seventeen years ago, I followed Duke Wei on his expedition from Xuzhou and began the second campaign against Xuzhou."

"Wherever our army goes, soldiers and civilians alike surrender, truly taking full advantage of the opportune moment."

"That desolate scene, where nothing survived, not even chickens or dogs remained, and the world was utterly bleak, is still vivid in my mind."

"Who would have thought that just seventeen years later, this scenic spot would be seen as a death trap?"

Xiahou Dun's gaze swept over the crowd, he slammed his hand on the table with a resounding clang, and shouted:

"No matter how you look at it, I now have an army of 800,000 against an army of 600,000."

"I have the advantage of timing and location."

"The advantage is mine!"

it is good!
After Xiahou Dun delivered a passionate speech, all the generals rose to their feet and echoed his sentiments:

"General Xiahou's insight is brilliant!"

"Our army has the advantage of timing and terrain in this battle, and we are bound to defeat the Qi army!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The generals roared in response, the sound so loud that the map scroll rolled off the ground.

Xiahou Dun then made the following arrangements.

Li Dian led 20,000 troops and deployed them in Lücheng to strengthen the city's defenses.

Cao Hong, Yue Jin, and Du Xi led three armies to attack Pengcheng and strengthen control over the area.

Cao Chun and Guo Huai's two detachments were stationed at the Sishui section to monitor the Qi army's movements.

Cao Ren led his troops south to the Runan Military Region.

In that rainforest, he maneuvered against Zhuge Liang and Chen Deng, trying his best to slow down the advance of the Jingzhou and Huainan armies.

This was to allow the Wei army to maximize its numerical advantage on the Pengcheng battlefield.

Xiahou Dun's main force served as the general reserve.

Provide support to all teams at any time.

Before dawn, thick fog blanketed the outskirts of Pengcheng.

Messengers carrying torches shuttled through the camps, the sound of horses' hooves startling flocks of crows.

"General Li Dian's troops—proceed to Lücheng immediately!"

In the eastern camp, veteran Wang Wu was fastening leather armor to a new recruit.

The boy's trembling hand couldn't hold the sword sheath, and the old soldier slapped it away.

"What are you shaking for! There are ready-made arrow towers in Lücheng, which are much safer than here!"

This boy was only fourteen years old when he was captured by Cao Cao's army and sent to the battlefield.

According to Cao Cao's conscription standards, anyone who was twelve years of age or older should be drafted into battle.

Although the boy had not directly participated in the Battle of Chenye before, his fellow villagers said that the battle was like a hellish battlefield.

Looking around, all that could be seen were skeletons and corpses, a scene resembling a living hell.

The boy was terrified just hearing the description.

Because he had heard that the scale of the Pengcheng Campaign was far greater than that of the Chenye Campaign.

Many mid-level officers, filled with trepidation, followed their general to the target location.

No one knew what awaited them ahead.

By the time dusk fell, the vanguard of the Qi army had reached within thirty li of Pengcheng.

The scout, with three feathered arrows tucked into its back, galloped in.

"Report! The Wei army has deployed defenses along the Si River, with heavy troops stationed at Lücheng, Pengcheng, and Sishui!"

Liu Bei was about to issue orders to set up camp and planned to convene a military conference to discuss battle strategies.

Li Yi suddenly pressed down on the hilt of his sword, "Wait!"

"Your Majesty, speed is of the essence in war."

"The Wei army has just arrived and its deployment is not yet secure."

"A swift and decisive strike at this moment will surely catch them off guard and throw them into disarray."

Wang Lang narrowed his eyes slightly and said:
"Xiahou Dun is no ordinary man; I fear he may be on guard."

Li Yi replied without hesitation:
"Precisely because of their skill in battle, they must have anticipated that our army would need to rest after a long march."

"Now that their army has just arrived, if we launch a sudden attack, we will surely succeed!"

Liu Bei gazed at the setting sun in the west, his furrowed brows gradually relaxing.

He took off the sword from his waist and handed it to Li Yi:

"You are granted full authority to mobilize troops!"

"You will be in charge of commanding the Battle of Pengcheng!"

"my pleasure!"

Li Yi took over command and immediately began to deploy the troops.

As the saying goes, when two people meet on a narrow path, the brave one will prevail.

Both sides have now committed their largest number of troops to this battle.

Whoever loses will suffer a devastating blow.

At this time, the Wei army also learned that the Qi army had arrived in Pengcheng.

Every soldier was on edge, waiting anxiously.

Suddenly, thunderous drumbeats resounded from both banks of the Sishui River.

The Qi army advanced in three columns, with its most elite troops leading the charge.

The armor was extremely thick, and the iron armor reflected a chilling light.

On the opposite bank, in the Wei army camp, upon seeing the Qi army arrive, the square formation began to change, and the forest of spears and halberds stirred up a tense atmosphere.

"Fire arrows!"

As Li Yi waved his command flag, countless feathered arrows soared into the sky, forming a dark cloud that blotted out the sun.

The Wei army's shield wall instantly turned into a hedgehog-like pile of arrows. Before the screams could even land, a second volley of arrows arrived.

Guan Yu personally led his heavily armored swordsmen to cross the Si River.

Infantrymen pushed over a hundred rafts into the Si River. Immediately, the sound of urgent clappers rang out from the Wei army's watchtowers on the opposite bank.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The rain of arrows instantly covered the entire river surface, making the water boil like boiling water.

Guan Yu stood on the lead raft, wielding his sword to deflect several stray arrows.

"Raise your shield!"

The soldiers immediately raised their ironwood shields above their heads, and the sound of arrows striking the shields was as dense as hail.

"General, be careful!" a guard suddenly shouted.

Guan Yu dodged to the side, and a three-foot-long crossbow bolt flew past his breastplate, pinning a flag bearer behind him to the raft.

Dozens of corpses were already floating on the river, and blood was spreading in the water, forming an eerie red vortex.

When Guan Yu saw the soldiers on the third batch of rafts being set ablaze by rockets, he screamed and jumped into the river, but sank to the bottom due to his heavy armor.

"Paddle faster!"

Guan Yu roared, his phoenix eyes wide open.

When the raft finally reached the shore, he took the lead and leaped onto the riverbank. His Green Dragon Crescent Blade flashed, and three Wei archers were instantly decapitated.

In the birch forest to the north, Zhang Fei licked his dry lips.

"My lads, it's our turn to take the stage!"

He mounted his horse, his eighteen-foot spear gleaming coldly in the twilight.

Accompanying him were Gongsun Xu's White Horse Cavalry, totaling five thousand light cavalry, who charged out of the woods like arrows released from a bow.

The Wei army's left flank, led by Yue Jin, was hastily engaged in battle. Before their spear formation could be fully deployed, they were scattered by the galloping horses.

"How could this be a full cavalry unit?!"

Le Jin looked horrified; his spear formation was indeed quite effective against cavalry.

But if it's all cavalry, then that's troublesome.

Even Le Jin himself did not expect that the Qi army, as if they had a vision cheat, would actually send out their entire cavalry force at the perfect moment on this battlefield.

"Zhang Yide of Yan is here!"

With a roar, Zhang Fei pierced the chest of a Wei general with his spear, then flicked the body three zhang away.

His beard and hair stood on end, and his eyes were wide open, making him look like a war god descended to earth.

Le Jin personally led his personal guards to stop them.

"You scoundrel, come up here and die!"

Zhang Fei grinned maliciously, his spear flashing like a venomous snake, each strike aimed straight for vital points.

Just as Yue Jin was struggling to cope, Gongsun Xu's White Horse Cavalry had successfully completed a flanking maneuver.

The white horses employed the tactics of the ethnic minorities, mounted archery.

The Wei army was exhausted from dealing with Zhang Fei's light cavalry when they were suddenly hit by a hail of arrows on their flank and fell like waves of wheat.

The battle raged from dusk until dawn, and the fighting had reached a fever pitch.

In front of Xiahou Dun's central army camp, corpses piled up like mountains.

"Liu Bei! Do you dare to fight me!"

Xiahou Dun, with one bloodshot eye, stood at the front of the formation, holding a long spear.

He shouted for Liu Bei to come out and fight him one-on-one.

Xiahou Dun was already blinded by rage and had no other thoughts at the moment.

He just wanted Liu Bei to come out quickly so he could go up and stab him to death with his spear.

And that's the end of it all.

Just as Liu Bei was about to step forward, Li Yi stopped him:

"My lord, please wait."

He turned to the crossbowmen formation behind him and shouted, "Triple volley, fire!"

Three thousand powerful crossbows fired simultaneously, the arrows forming a black cloud in the air.

The Wei army's front-line soldiers fell like wheat being harvested, and Xiahou Dun was also struck in the shoulder by an arrow.

By noon, the sun was high in the sky.

After a day and a night of fierce fighting, soldiers from both sides fought desperately with their own flesh and blood, relying on their indomitable will.

The Wei army could no longer withstand the attack and was beginning to show signs of collapse.

The Wei army's lines on the north bank of the Si River suddenly collapsed like a dam.

The Wei army then began a massive rout, as if by a chain reaction. First, Yue Jin's troops on the left wing began to retreat, and then the entire central army began to falter.

It's unclear who shouted first:

"Escape!"

The Wei army collapsed immediately.

"Don't retreat! Hold the line!"

Xiahou Dun's single eye was bloodshot. He killed three fleeing soldiers in succession, but he could not stop the torrent of escape.

A large flag bearing the name "Xiahou" crashed down, trampled into the bloody mud by countless military boots.

Cao Hong, covered in wounds and blood, rushed forward and grabbed Xiahou Dun's horse reins:
"Yuan Rang! The tide has turned!!"

"Well……"

Xiahou Dun clutched his chest, unwilling to accept this reality.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with his deployment.

In this large-scale battle, both commanders did everything they could.

What remained was for the soldiers to fight on with their indomitable will.

The fact that the Wei army did not collapse at the beginning shows that they did not make a mistake and that their strategic deployment was correct.

But in the end, they couldn't win.

If you're going to get hit, stand up straight; if you lose, admit it.

But it is precisely because of this that Xiahou Dun and the others felt even more regretful and unwilling.

After all, they had fought for a full day and night.

What if we grit our teeth and persevere a little longer? Maybe we'll win!
"...Withdraw...withdraw...stop..."

In the end, Xiahou Dun accepted this ending with resentment in his eyes.

Zhang Fei and Gongsun Xu led light cavalry in pursuit of the Wei army, charging ahead into the fleeing ranks.

"Zhang Yide of Yan is here!"

Zhang Fei had no sympathy for the lower-ranking soldiers.

Now that we see them in retreat, they should be killed as well.

The eighteen-foot spear swept across, and the heads of three Wei soldiers flew off at the same time.

The cavalry behind him cut down the fleeing Wei soldiers in droves, like scythes slicing through wheat.

The Wei soldiers, fleeing in disarray, knelt and begged for mercy, only to have their breastbones crushed by the horses' hooves.

The soldiers who jumped into the river to escape sank and floated in the red water, eventually being covered by a rain of arrows.

A dozen wounded soldiers helped each other escape, only to be used as live targets by a group of crossbowmen.

When the pursuit finally ceased, the Pengcheng Plain had become a scene of hell.

The Sishui River was completely blocked by corpses, forming a horrifying "human dam".

The upstream flow was blocked, and the downstream riverbed was exposed, densely covered with broken weapons.

The pile of corpses in the center of the battlefield was over ten feet high, with wounded soldiers crushed to death at the very bottom.

Several wild dogs suddenly appeared out of nowhere and were tearing apart a headless corpse, dragging its entrails more than ten steps away.

As dusk fell, the quartermaster reported the battle results, his voice trembling.

A total of 110,000 bodies were recovered.

Because many of the bodies were so badly disfigured, it was impossible to tell in a short time whether they were Wei or Qi soldiers' corpses.

But the majority of them are definitely from Wei.

In addition, the bodies recovered from the Sishui River are still being counted.

Those who are critically injured and unable to recover are constantly on the verge of death.

As Liu Bei walked past the makeshift camp for wounded soldiers, he heard screams of agony rising and falling.

A young soldier, his legs severed, viciously grabbed his comrade's thigh and roared:

"Kill me...kill me..."

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

This kind of hellish battle was the first time he had ever fought in his life.

Compared to the Battle of Pengcheng, the previous battles of Chenye were merely minor skirmishes.

Li Yi stood atop the mountain of corpses, his boots stained with bits of flesh and brain matter.

Blood was still dripping from the command flag in his hand, and his battle robe was already soaked in blood, with dark red scabs forming on the hem, swaying stiffly in the wind.

Among the pile of corpses at his feet, a severed hand suddenly pointed to the sky, as if questioning something.

The evening breeze carried the stench of decay and blood, but it could not dispel the deathly aura that shrouded Pengcheng.

Liu Bei walked through the blood-soaked mud, his boots making a chilling, sticky sound with each step.

"...Why is Ziyu lost in thought?"

He asked softly, his voice unusually clear in the deathly silence of the battlefield.

Li Yi did not answer immediately.

He gazed towards the distant Sishui River, where floating corpses had blocked the waterway, forming a horrifying "human bridge."

Several crows stood on the floating corpse, occasionally pecking at the pale flesh.

"Does my lord still remember the scene when we first met?"

Li Yi's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Liu Bei walked to his side, looking in the same direction:
"remember."

"At that time, you were being chased by Cao Cao's army. Bei cut down one of the knights and saved you."

He tried to ease the tension, forcing a smile:
"This time it's our turn to hunt down Cao Cao's army."

A tear suddenly fell onto the iron armor on Li Yi's chest, making a soft "tap" sound.

Liu Bei turned around in surprise and found that his usually calm strategist was in tears.

"My lord, you are unaware of..."

Li Yi's voice trembled, "When you saved me back then, I swore an oath before the Sishui River..."

He pointed to the blood-red river in the distance.

“I said, ‘Before I came, the Si River stopped flowing; after I came, the Si River still stops flowing, so hasn’t my trip been in vain?’”

"At that time, I vowed never to let such a tragedy happen again..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, replaced by suppressed sobs.

Liu Bei had never seen Li Yi like this before—this usually composed strategist was now trembling like a leaf in the wind.

As dusk deepened, the last rays of sunlight shone on the Sishui River, turning the entire river a dazzling red.

Liu Bei opened his mouth, but found that his throat was choked.

He recalled the first time he met Li Yi seventeen years ago, that young man covered in wounds but with a stubborn look in his eyes.

I recall their all-night discussions about their ideal of pacifying the world.

I recall Li Yi always saying, "Using killing to stop killing is not benevolent governance; this is why you, my lord, are different from Cao Cao."

Only then did he realize what a burning and painful ideal this seemingly calm strategist had been hiding in his heart.

"Zi Yu..."

Liu Bei eventually just patted him lightly on the shoulder, only to find that Li Yi's armor was icy cold, as if it had lost all warmth.

Li Yi wiped away her tears and rallied her spirits.

Moved by his feelings, he ordered someone to bring him paper and pen and wrote a poem entitled "Ode to the Sishui River".

Blood stains the long river as the sun sets in darkness.

Corpses lay strewn across the fields, shattering the souls of the people.

It is not my will that makes me a demon's hand.
So that the common people may have fewer rubble.

If he fulfills his lifelong ambition in the future
I wish to forge plows and hoes, leaving behind only the marks of swords.

But let war become a thing of the past.
We must not allow bloodshed to devour our children and grandchildren.

Li Yi put down his pen; the ink was not yet dry, and two tear stains were already on the paper.

Liu Bei took the scroll of poems, read it silently for a moment, and then sighed deeply:
“Ziyu’s poem is written in blood, every word of which is written in tears.”

Li Yi looked into the distance. The Si River was still flowing, but the water was dark red, and the floating corpses had not yet dispersed.

He sighed:

"Although I have won this battle, my sins are still unforgivable."

“I was unwilling to stop killing with killing, but if we do not annihilate the main force of the Wei army here, the war will drag on and the casualties will be even greater.”

"In chaotic times, sometimes drastic measures are necessary."

Liu Bei didn't know how to comfort Li Yi, so he just nodded repeatedly in a deep voice.

Li Yi shook his head:

"The methods can be ruthless, but the heart must not be cold."

"When I gave the order to fire the arrows today, every arrow that left the bowstring felt like it was piercing my heart."

"Because I know that most of the soldiers in the Wei army are Henan people who were forcibly conscripted by Cao Cao."

"How similar their fates are to those of Li when he first met the King?"

"It's just that I was able to be rescued by the King, while they were not."

The night wind howled, whipping up the battle flags in front of the camp, making them flutter loudly.

In the distance, the groans of wounded soldiers mingled with the cawing of crows, like the whispers of the dead.

Liu Bei remained silent for a long time before finally saying:

"Guards, erect a monument here and inscribe the poem written by the Prime Minister on it."

"After the world is at peace, all high-ranking officials of Qi must come to this stele to pay their respects."

"So that future generations, no, so that thousands of generations of descendants, will come to this monument to pay their respects, and understand the preciousness of peace."

"We also hope they can understand that our generation has done everything we can to secure a peaceful haven for them!"

Li Yi closed his eyes and whispered:

"May that day come soon."

……

(End of this chapter)