Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 499: It is difficult for people from the past to board the ship of the future
Liu Huai and his group had just passed the central Suzaku Street and turned a corner when they saw several generals of the Huaidong army and the carriage that Liu Qi was riding in.

Liu Qi did not participate in today's parade to show off his martial arts.

His body no longer allows it.

Although he was in much better condition than when he was seriously injured and unconscious that day, he still found it difficult to get up, so he just waited quietly by the stove in the post station for his subordinates to boast about their achievements. Then, he and his generals were led to another examination center by officials from the Taifu Temple.

"General Liu." Liu Huai drove his horse to the carriage and saluted Liu Qi.

Two coughs were heard from the carriage. The wooden window was opened, and through a layer of gauze curtains, Liu Qi's old and weak voice came out: "Liu Dalang, what's the matter?"

Li Heng was about to step forward to stop him, but Liu Si held him back again and shook his head slowly.

Liu Si knew that Liu Huai was not a person who did not know the importance of things, and would not disturb Liu Qi just for idle chat. He must have some important business.

Liu Huai waved his hand to let the others go away, leaving only Li Heng, Liu Si, and Wang Fang by his side. He whispered to Liu Qi, "General Liu, I just received news that the Jin Kingdom has sent an envoy, and he is now staying at Duting Inn."

As soon as he finished speaking, a violent cough was heard from the carriage, and generals such as Li Heng beside him all changed color.

The court actually asked Liu Qi and Liu Huai, two anti-Jin generals, to make room for the Jin envoys. This was not only a humiliation, but also a major political signal.

Is this another round of peace talks?

Li Heng's eyebrows were raised, and he was about to call his guards to do their work, holding his sword and turning his horse. But Liu Qi's old voice came from the carriage: "Li Er, stop right there."

Liu Qi took a few deep breaths in the carriage before saying, "Li Er, I'm about to die. You've made great contributions in this battle. Don't you think about the future and the future of the Huaidong army? Moreover, how dare you be so presumptuous in front of Liu Dalang?!"

Li Heng's status and position in the Huaidong army was similar to that of Xin Qiji in the Jingnan army. Both of them could act independently when other generals were absent.

In the past, this identity was still a little vague. After all, there was Liu Si, Liu Qi's successor in the Huaidong army. When it was pointed out, Li Heng's heart was instantly filled with mixed emotions, and his lips trembled and he couldn't speak.

Of course, there is another meaning in Liu Qi's words.

As the leader of the Shandong rebel army who has the most direct interests at stake, Liu Huai doesn't even step forward. Why are you so anxious?
Moreover, this guy even tried to stop us from entering the city. How could he tolerate such a thing?

Sure enough, the next moment, Liu Huai said directly, "I just wanted to take people to chop off the Jin envoy, but was stopped by General Manager Li and General Manager Cheng, saying that the overall situation should be prioritized. Did General Liu say that I should prioritize the overall situation?"

Liu Qi took two deep breaths before saying, "Liu Dalang, it depends on your overall situation."

Liu Huai raised his eyebrows: "I don't understand what General Liu said."

"If Liu Dalang's overall interests are limited to Shandong, then he can naturally do whatever he wants," Liu Qi said slowly. "But if Liu Dalang has the whole world in mind, has far-reaching ambitions, and takes peace and prosperity as his own responsibility, then he should remain calm and observe the political situation."

Liu Huai clicked his tongue.

Through today's repeated tests, Liu Huai discovered that these three generals were truly loyal to the Song State. It would be fine if Liu Huai was arrogant and domineering, but if he really wanted to interfere in the overall strategy of the Song State, especially in matters concerning Zhao Gou himself, the three generals almost simultaneously developed resistance.

Even if killing the Jin envoy is beneficial to these three generals and has nothing to do with them, it is not allowed!

Because these were envoys from one country to another, even if an order to execute them was to be given, it had to be Zhao Gou. If Liu Huai took action, it would be an act of usurpation!
Among them, Liu Qi's reaction was particularly intense.

Faced with Liu Huai's extremely presumptuous ideas, Li Xianzhong wanted to stop it with force, but that was just to narrow the matter down to a fight between military officers; Cheng Min wanted to smooth things over and deceive people; and although Liu Qi's words were the softest, the meaning behind them was the strongest.

If Liu Huai had just committed an act of usurpation, Liu Qi would have to find a way to drive Liu Huai back to Shandong and prevent him from continuing to stay in Song. By then, the Shandong rebel army would have been caught between the Song and Jin sides and would have had to prepare to die.

After making these harsh remarks, Liu Qi's tone became sincere when he saw that Liu Huai remained silent. "Liu Dalang, I know your ability. To be honest, if I were your age and had your ability, my thoughts would be even more complicated and my ambitions even higher. I might be like Qu Duan, who wrote a few crooked poems and then gained power.

But this is not the Jingkang and Jianyan eras after all. The current situation in the world is only the Great Song and the Jin Kingdom. Since you don't want to surrender to the Jin thieves, you can only be united with the Great Song. I am old and can't control the future, but I still want to be generous and use my status as an elder to advise Dalang to be a loyal subject and never act rashly.

After saying these words, Liu Qi seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength and began to cough repeatedly. After the coughing subsided a little, only heavy breathing was left. A servant carrying a medicine box hurriedly entered the carriage, and a man who looked like a doctor was rushing over from behind the queue.

Liu Huai sighed, saying that when a dying man is about to die, his words are often good.

Liu Qi was about to die, yet he still wanted to win over Liu Huai, a Shandong general, for the Song State. This was a very well-intentioned move. Even the most heartless person would not contradict a loyal and dying veteran under such circumstances.

"What's that smell? It's so bad?"

In just a moment, the group had already approached the examination center. Xin Qiji sniffed and asked in confusion.

"Next to it is the West Market, where there should be a large number of mules and horses. There will be no more after this section of the road." Lu You was thinking about something and waved his hand indifferently.

However, the closer they got to the other test sites, the stronger the stench became. In the end, it was almost like falling into a cesspool, so much so that even these rough men covered their mouths and noses and frowned.

Amid the stench, Liu Huai suddenly dug out something from the corner of his memory of his previous life. Then he couldn't help but look at the carriage beside him with eyes mixed with pity, sympathy and sadness, and through the gauze of the wooden window he saw the old man who had obviously realized something.

At this moment, Liu Qi's eyes suddenly widened, as if he had seen something terrifying. He was stunned for a long time before he closed his eyes in pain.

"Dalangjun."

"Mr. Dutong."

Among the generals of the Jingnan Army, all of them were smart and seemed to feel that something was not right. They stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

Liu Huai waved his hand and ordered the soldiers to advance and bring over the officials from the Imperial Household Department. "Sir, I don't want to waste time talking. Who ordered you to do this?"

The green-clad official, facing a row of gleaming knives, dared not hide anything: "It was Wei Qi, the chief clerk, but he was also following orders from Tang Liushou."

"Mr. Lu." Liu Huai looked at Lu You again and said sincerely, "What happened today is not that I failed the Song Dynasty, but that the Song Dynasty failed me."

Lu You opened his mouth, but felt a palpitation in his heart. He wanted to persuade her, but he didn't know where to start.

"Pass on my orders." Liu Huai's tone became as cold as the winter wind. "Everyone, wear armor. I'm a man of few tricks. If someone wants to kill me with a soft knife, I'll kill him with a hard knife!"

"promise!"

More than a hundred cavalrymen of the Jingnan Army, both officers and soldiers, responded loudly at the same time, frightening the Huaidong army marching side by side and making them at a loss.

"Liu Dalang!" An angry roar came from the carriage.

"Liu Dalang..." Liu Qi's tone immediately became low, with a hint of pleading in it.

Liu Huai looked at Liu Qi's pleading eyes and finally sighed: "Now that we've reached this point, does Commander Liu still want to persuade me?"

Liu Qi's mouth was bloodshot, his face pale as paper. He held onto the wooden window with one hand and leaned towards Liu Huai, his face full of pleading. "Liu Dalang, I was not thoughtful enough just now. Now I think I really can't show weakness to the Jin envoy. But my body is really unable to support it. Liu Dalang, why don't you take my badge and interrogate the Jin envoy?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Huai shook his head and said, "How about General Liu come with me to Duting Posthouse to drive away the Jin thieves' envoys and take a rest?"

Seeing that Liu Qi just shook his head, Liu Huai simply made his words clearer: "General Liu, do you know what lies ahead?" Liu Qi's face was still full of pleading: "I can probably guess, but I have fought for the Song Dynasty all my life, and I should see the result with my own eyes.

But you are different, you are still young...you...Commander Xiao Liu, take my badge and say you are following my military orders to go to Dutingyi, okay?"

As he spoke, Liu Qi took out the talisman he was carrying from his waist and handed over the wooden window.

Liu Huai looked at the trembling hand and said sternly, "General Liu, do you know that no one will accept your kindness?"

Liu Qi nodded with difficulty: "Of course I know, but my family has been a family of generals in Guanxi for generations, and we have been blessed by the emperor for generations. I should always insist on something."

Liu Huai sighed again.

He was not afraid of anything soft or hard, anything yin or yang, but he was afraid of the whispered pleas from Liu Qi, a national hero whose name was recorded in history books.

At this time, Liu Qi's actions clearly showed that he wanted to take all the humiliation and faults on himself, and he also wanted to keep Liu Huai and others in the State of Song so that they would not be disheartened by this incident.

No matter how hard a heart is, one will become soft and gentle in the face of such a situation.

"General Liu, please take back the badge." Liu Huai shook his head and replied, "Since you want to leave behind a reputation as a loyal minister of the Song Dynasty, you should be flawless."

As he spoke, Liu Huai turned his horse back, took one last look at Liu Qi, and said solemnly, "Take care."

Afterwards, he led his men and ran back along the same route.

Liu Qi slowly took back the badge and looked at Liu Huai's back. His heart was in turmoil and he couldn't think clearly for a while.

But after a moment, Liu Qi forced himself to sit up straight in the carriage, as if he had returned to the day when he was the commander of the army in the Battle of Shunchang.

"Don't make any noise, go to another place!"

Liu Si's eyes showed grief and anger, but he did not dare to be negligent after hearing the words. He led the generals of the Huaidong army and walked slowly forward in the increasingly strong stench.

The green-robed official and the accompanying clerk who led the way were all trembling with fear and sweating profusely in the cold wind, but they did not dare to turn around and run. They could only move forward quickly under the pressure of the warriors.

Soon, the group arrived at the source of the stench, which was also the residence arranged by the court for Liu Qi.

The green-robed official tremblingly went forward to knock on the door, but was pushed aside by Liu Si, who kicked the bolt open with both feet. Then he stood there in a daze, his face ashen.

Seeing this, Yuan Qi also stepped forward to check. After just one look, he pulled Liu Si's arm hard.

"Wei You, pull the carriage and let's go back to Duting Posthouse!" Liu Si reacted quickly and turned around and shouted.

Wei You nodded hurriedly, but just as he pulled the reins of the carriage, he saw a withered hand reaching out from the carriage.

Liu Qi struggled to get out of the carriage. Wei You hurriedly supported him, but he felt something was light in his hands. The strong old general now looked like a ghost of the past, haggard and emaciated.

"Take me to see it." Liu Qi panted heavily, blood stains gradually seeping out of his cotton coat on his chest: "Take me to see it."

General Wang Fang and others looked at each other, and finally turned their gaze to Liu Si.

As Liu Qi's nephew, Liu Si had some understanding of his uncle's thoughts.

It's just that I want to die with a clear mind.

Just when Liu Si was hesitating, Liu Qi slowly stepped forward. Wei You and Wang Fang, who were supporting him on both sides, had no choice but to follow him forward.

Liu Qi slowly walked up the stairs and saw the scenery in the courtyard amid the stench.

There was a large amount of feces piled up everywhere in the courtyard, the houses, the screen walls, and the roofs. The entire villa looked like a dung mountain.

Making meritorious officials live in such a place is not just suppression, but naked humiliation.

Liu Qi did not yell or curse, nor was he angry. He just stared blankly at the scene. A huge sorrow rose in his heart, followed by a piercing pain in his chest. A stream of blood gushed out of his mouth, and then he fell backwards.

"uncle!"

"General!"

"Jiedu!"

"Where's the doctor?! Come over and give me acupuncture!"

All the generals of the Huaidong army rushed forward and helped Liu Qi back into the carriage.

The noisy sounds around him gradually disappeared, and Liu Qi could no longer see the people in front of him, but his memories became clearer.

Faces, some domineering, some humble, some arrogant, and some upright, flashed before Liu Qi's eyes, and he was able to recognize them all at the first moment.

In a trance, a dozen armored generals walked towards him with their heads held high. They were clearly Qu Duan, Liu Xi, Wu Jie, Zhao Zhe, Zhang Zhongyan and other generals of the Western Army.

These people fought repeatedly in the northwest during the chaotic early years of Jianyan, but were defeated over and over again. Finally, they met their end in the Battle of Fuping. Some died, some surrendered, and some escaped.

Two more people came towards them. They were Zhang Jun and Liu Guangshi, two guys with all the five evils. Liu Qi smiled contemptuously and was too lazy to take a second look at them.

"I will be the first in the world!" A majestic general galloped past on horseback from afar, laughing and shouting.

Liu Qi quickly dodged.

This Han Powu is still such a scoundrel in the underworld!

"Recover the Central Plains, attack Huanglong, and drink with you all!"

Another armored general came from a distance. He smiled slightly as he passed by Liu Qi: "It's a pity that I didn't get to drink this wine..."

"After I go down, I'll be laughed at by Han Powu again..." Liu Qi muttered softly from his throat, and exhaled his last breath mixed with blood: "I really don't know how to explain it to that big-eyed guy..."

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the thirty-second year of Shaoxing.

Amid the cries of the generals of the Huaidong army, Liu Qi, also known as Liu Xinshu, the general of the Western Army, the only meritorious man in the Battle of Fuping, the hero of the Battle of Shunchang and the Battle of Chao County, who was known as "Zhang, Han, Liu, and Yue" together with Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, and Yue Fei, was seriously injured and humiliated. He was filled with grief and anger, his condition worsened, and he died of vomiting several liters of blood.

He left no last words before his death.

He was sixty-four years old at the time.

(End of this chapter)