My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 458 Is Liu Bei's time coming? Xiao He: Old Liu, you will definitely live to see the day when the world is unified!
Jia Xu remained silent.

He did have some strategies for defending against the enemy.

However, this strategist seemed to understand that at this point, any countermeasure would be nothing more than a death throes.

In a sense, he seems to have lost confidence.

Having lost confidence, they naturally chose silence.

"Your Majesty, I believe we should proceed in two steps, one internal and one external."

"Inside, we should immediately expand our army, train troops, and repair and reinforce the three passes of Puban Pass, Tong Pass, and Wu Pass."

"As long as we hold these three passes, we can still stop Liu Bei from advancing westward and seizing Guanzhong."

"In particular, Puban Pass, I believe, will definitely be a key target of Liu Bei's attack in the future. The pass must be built to be impregnable, and river defenses should be built along the river for ten miles before a large number of troops are stationed there."

"If Liu Bei launches a large-scale army crossing the river, we must stop the Han army from crossing at all costs."

"As long as the Han army cannot cross the Yellow River, Guanzhong will be as safe as a rock."

"In addition, the same preparations should be made for the upstream Linxian Ferry and Longmen Ferry lines."

"As for the Tongguan and Wuguan lines, I believe that with the natural defenses of these two passes, a few tens of thousands of troops would be sufficient to stop the Han army."

Sima Yi offered a lengthy and detailed strategy for defending against the enemy.

In short, the focus of defense should be on the Puban Pass line.

Cao Cao stroked his fine beard and nodded slightly.

"As for this step towards external relations..."

Sima Yi then changed the subject, pointing south:
"Your Majesty should send another envoy to Yizhou to explain to Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang the previous scheme by Liu Bei to sow discord between them. By using the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,' you can persuade the two to temporarily set aside their mutual suspicions and unite against external threats."

"If we can persuade the two to launch a full-scale attack on Jingzhou, that would be ideal. At the very least, we should persuade them to launch a feigned attack on Jingzhou, which would at least tie down some of the puppet Han's forces and relieve some of the pressure on our main battlefield."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, the grief and despair on his face gradually fading, and he finally regained some confidence.

The seemingly hopeless situation has been given a glimmer of hope thanks to Sima Yi's strategies, both internal and external.

"Not bad, not bad. There is still hope for our Great Wei. We have not yet reached the point of desperation and having nowhere to turn."

"Very well, we'll do as Zhongda plans, we'll do as Zhongda plans!"

Cao Cao slammed his hand on the table and gladly adopted Sima Yi's plan.

Inside the hall, the generals' despair seemed to subside, and their eyes began to regain their composure.

Cao Cao picked up his cane, stood up again, and walked unsteadily down the steps to the outside of the hall.

Looking towards Jinyang, I vaguely saw the tragic scene of Xiahou Dun's refusal to surrender and his beheading by Liu Bei.

Cao Cao clenched his fists, and endless hatred immediately burned fiercely in his heart again.

"Yuan Rang, your sacrifice will not be in vain. I hereby swear that I will protect our foundation at all costs."

"As long as I have a breath left, the Great Wei will not perish, it will never end!"

...

Both the Han and Wei states chose to cease hostilities at the beginning of spring.

Liu Bei withdrew his troops because he had already captured Bingzhou and achieved his strategic goals. With the upcoming spring rains, the roads in the Taihang Mountains would be muddy, making the transport of supplies difficult. It was clearly not advisable to continue using force against Wei.

Moreover, with hundreds of thousands of troops attacking for months, the soldiers were exhausted, so it was a wise move to withdraw and return to the capital.

Another reason that was inconvenient to disclose was Liu Bei's poor health.

Liu Bei is now nearly sixty years old.

Years of campaigns in the east and west, enduring wind and rain, and the mental pressure of commanding a large army had already taken a heavy toll on Liu Bei's body and mind. At this time, Liu Bei's energy and spirit were far inferior to when he lived in seclusion in Fancheng. Although he had not yet contracted any serious illness, his physical and mental health was deteriorating.

During the previous campaign to recapture Bingzhou, Liu Bei already felt his strength failing him, but he relied on a strong belief to force himself to lead the expedition in person.

With the recapture of Bingzhou and Jinyang, the tense nerves suddenly relaxed, the last breath they had been holding on for suddenly disappeared, and their bodies were unable to adapt.

So, on the way back to the capital, passing through Jiguan Pass, Liu Bei fell ill.

After discussing it with Zhang Fei and others, Xiao He decided to announce that the emperor was considerate of the soldiers and had decided to let the army rest at Jiguan Pass for a few more days in order to avoid undermining morale.

The 200,000-strong army remained at Jiguan Pass and did not continue eastward to Yecheng.

Meanwhile, Xiao He sent someone to Ye City to urgently summon Hua Tuo to Jiguan Pass to treat Liu Bei.

Jiguan Pass, Imperial Tent.

After Hua Tuo finished examining Liu Bei, Xiao He and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the physician's not-too-serious expression.

"Yuanhua, how is my illness?"

With Chen Dao's help, Liu Bei sat up.

Compared to when he first fell ill, his physical condition has greatly improved.

Hua Tuo did not answer, but instead cupped his hands and asked in return:
"Your Majesty, may I speak frankly?"

Liu Bei smiled and waved his hand:
“I am not the kind of ruler who avoids seeking medical treatment. Yuanhua, please speak frankly about my condition.”

Hua Tuo was relieved and sighed softly:

"The so-called birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural order, regardless of social status or gender."

"According to my diagnosis, Your Majesty is not actually seriously ill. The reason you fell ill this time is simply because of your advanced age, coupled with the fact that you have been leading the army on campaigns all year round and have been overworked in state affairs, which has taken a toll on your physical and mental health far beyond that of an ordinary person."

"Therefore, Your Majesty, if you do not pay attention to rest and recuperate, or if you are physically or mentally exhausted, you will fall ill and never recover."

Hua Tuo revealed the cause of the illness.

Xiao He immediately understood.

Hua Tuo's words, translated, simply meant that Old Liu was getting old.

As people age, their organs deteriorate rapidly, and their resistance weakens dramatically. Even a slight cold or excessive fatigue from staying up late can cause them to collapse.

To put it bluntly, at your age, you've already stepped into the gates of death, so it's perfectly normal to get sick every few days.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order, and this cannot be reversed by medical techniques or drugs.

Xiao He counted on his fingers again and realized that more than ten years had passed since he first met Lao Liu in Fancheng.

Based on Lao Liu's original birth and death dates, he only had a few years left before his death.

Of course, the original Lao Liu died of grief and illness after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Yiling, which severely damaged his spirit. It is possible that he died a few years earlier.

Old Liu is currently in a very favorable situation, and is only one step away from unifying the world. Naturally, he is in a great mood and should be able to live a few more years without any problem.

Even if I live a few more years, it will only be five or six years at most.

In other words, Lao Liu's life was actually on a countdown.

During this period, it's understandable that various health problems would arise and one would fall ill every now and then.

"Five or six years is neither a long nor a short time. Sweeping away Cao Wei and eliminating the two traitors, Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu, shouldn't be a problem. Old Liu should be able to see the day when the world is unified..."

Xiao He looked at Liu Bei and sighed inwardly.

(End of this chapter)