Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1289 Farewell
Chen Shi, who was beside Liu Bei, wanted to protect him, but Liu Bei said to him, "It's okay. I just want to have a few words with the King of Jin in private."

After hearing this, Chen Shi had no choice but to walk away. Yuan Xi also looked at Sun Li beside him, but unexpectedly Sun Li said, "My lord, I can't leave. If I leave, you can't beat the King of Hannan."

Yuan Xi and Liu Bei were startled, then laughed at the same time. Yuan Xi raised his foot and kicked Sun Li on the butt, "Go away, go away."

Sun Li covered his butt and walked several dozen steps away, but his eyes were still fixed on this side. Yuan Xi was both angry and amused, and explained to Liu Bei: "This is the one I rescued from the Southern Xiongnu massacre when I was in Youzhou. He has been with me for ten years. We are like brothers."

Liu Bei felt that he was running out of strength, so he held onto the tree trunk and tried to sit on the half-broken stump next to it, but his arms were shaking. Seeing this, Yuan Xi hurried over and helped Liu Bei sit down.

When Liu Bei bent down, his rib injury was aggravated. He lowered his head and gritted his teeth. A layer of cold sweat oozed out of his forehead, but he kept his expression unchanged. At the same time, he raised his sleeves inconspicuously to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and then he said: "My second and third brothers and I have known each other for twenty years."

"My third brother also comes from Zhuo County. I was able to avenge my third brother this time thanks to the help of King Jin. I am very grateful."

Yuan Xi said a few humble words, but Liu Bei just stared at the sky in a trance, "Back then I lived in Zhuo County, and I was very poor. Although I had been to Luoyang before, I was very poor at that time, and I couldn't get into the door of the nobles, so I had to leave in embarrassment."

Yuan Xi said in a deep voice: "Lord Xuande started from humble beginnings, but he was loyal and consistent. He is a model of morality for the world. Xi deeply admires him."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly, "Prince Jin, you are too kind. I can't even protect my brother's life, how can I face others?"

He seemed to be in a trance. "Thinking back to the time when the three of us met and swore brotherhood in Peach Garden, I never expected that the youngest third brother would die before me and my second brother."

At this point, Liu Bei touched his chest, his face showing grief. "The lofty ambitions I had back then have now turned into nothing. The Han Dynasty is about to fall, but I am powerless to stop it. I am really ashamed of my ancestors and my brothers."

Yuan Xi was about to say something to comfort him, but he saw Liu Bei turn around, with a murderous look on his face. "The King of Jin said, if I kill you here, will there be hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty?"

Yuan Xi knew that if it came to hand-to-hand combat, two or three of him would not be able to defeat Liu Bei. Although the opponent was injured, if he fought to the death with him, no one present would be able to save him in time. However, Yuan Xi did not panic at all, but said in a deep voice: "Lord Xuande should know that it is too late."

"Even if I die now, the Han Dynasty will never be revived. My ambition will be carried on by others. Even if there is no Jin, Duke Xuande will not be able to defeat Wei."

"Or does Xuande think that handing the world over to Wei is a better choice than Jin?"

Although Liu Bei had expected Yuan Xi's words, he still lost his momentum after hearing them. He seemed to have aged a little, and said, "Yuan's ancestors were also Han officials. Why must they overthrow the Han Dynasty?"

Yuan Xi said: "It is not me who wants to overthrow the Han Dynasty, it is the Han Dynasty that has given up the world."

"During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the Han Dynasty had already lost the Mandate of Heaven and the support of the people"

Liu Bei asked, "Because of the Party Imprisonment?"

"No," Yuan Xi shook his head and said, "In my opinion, the Party Imprisonment Disaster is not the key issue."

"The imperial power must necessarily restrict the nobles. As the emperor of a unified country, how could he tolerate sharing the world with the nobles?"

"So I don't hate the Party Imprisonment Persecution, I can even understand it, but the starting point of this whole thing is wrong."

"Restricting the gentry is only a superficial act. Its fundamental purpose is to strengthen the imperial power. But what was the original purpose?"

"The intention of Emperors Huan and Ling was not to save the people because the nobles exploited the people, but to do so for their own selfish desires. They wanted to get more benefits, a more luxurious life, and no one could restrict them."

"For this extremely selfish purpose, after they imprisoned the gentry, they did not send officials to take over the power vacuum left by the gentry in various places. Instead, they sent officials to various places to levy heavy taxes and increase taxes. At the same time, they gave up the most basic contributions of the dynasty to the people, such as disaster relief and farming."

"Under such circumstances, the people of the country were living in misery, bandits were everywhere, starving people were everywhere, and the people had no way to survive. The imperial treasury was indeed full of gold and silver, and silks were piled up like mountains and seas, but it did not benefit the people at all."

“Then, the Yellow Turban Army appeared.”

Liu Bei hesitated to speak, and Yuan Xi said, "I know what Lord Xuande is going to say. You started your career by suppressing the Yellow Turbans. I also admit that by that time Zhang Jue was already dead, and most of the Yellow Turbans were no different from bandits. They robbed the people and became a disaster."

"But they were not like this at the beginning. At first they just wanted to save themselves and survive."

"Who forced them to become like this?"

"It was the Han emperor who betrayed them. The emperor was supposed to protect the people, so why did he force them to not even have food to eat, and to the point where they had to rebel?"

"The emperor has cut himself off from the world. This world does not belong to the emperor alone, but to everyone. Since the emperor has betrayed everyone and overdrawn the Han Dynasty's luck and reputation for hundreds of years, it is no wonder that the people rebelled."

Liu Bei said in a bitter voice: "But after all, he is the emperor today."

Yuan Xi said: "Perhaps a wise ruler will appear, but the world and even the people can no longer wait."

"They had their own choices, and they no longer dared to believe, so the Jin, Wei, and Wu Kingdoms had the foundation for their establishment. After all, the people need to eat."

"Of course, if Lord Xuande is given twenty years, he might be able to restore the glory and reputation of the Han Dynasty. But regardless of others at that time, I have confidence in myself. At that time, the Jin State will definitely go further."

Liu Bei was silent for a long while before he spoke: "Although I have not seen it with my own eyes, I have also sent people to investigate the people's livelihood under the rule of King Jin. There are many incredible things, which I cannot understand." "Perhaps, as the prophecy says, the Han Dynasty has run out of luck."

Yuan Xi thought for a moment and said, "Maybe my words are a little cunning, but what I want to say is that the Han Dynasty has been imprinted in everyone's mind for hundreds of years."

“Even if dynasties change, the people who come after them will still uphold the aspirations of the Han Dynasty and act and conduct themselves in the spirit of the Han Dynasty. Even if thousands of years have passed, it will not be erased.”

“The spirit of the Han Dynasty will live forever. Even if the name of the country and the dynasty are changed, I still consider myself a Han Chinese. My descendants, and even the descendants of all people, are the same. They are all born with the spirit of the Han Dynasty and will never forget their roots.”

Liu Bei showed a trace of relief on his face. He joked: "Although I know that the King of Jin is comforting me, I have to admit that the King of Jin has gone far ahead of me."

"The talent of the King of Jin is far superior to anyone else in the world. Even Cao Cao was defeated by the King of Jin. I am far from being able to compare with him."

"If I am not mistaken, the current situation of the four kingdoms is also intentional by King Jin, right?"

"Especially the power of Hannan Kingdom, is it also carefully controlled by King Jin?"

Yuan Xi said frankly: "Struggling for the world can easily turn people into beasts."

"I really don't want to go to war with Lord Xuande."

"And Lord Xuande should also understand that I have come this far and have no way back, so I must continue to win."

"Lord Xuande, all of us have no way back. We can only move forward and see who can reach the finish line first."

Liu Bei closed his eyes in pain, looked up to the sky and sighed, "I am truly incompetent, and I am sorry to my ancestors."

Yuan Xi blurted out, "It is our ancestors who have let Lord Xuande down by leaving us with this mess."

Liu Bei was so amused by Yuan Xi that he said, "The King of Jin is such an interesting person. Well, although I haven't let it go completely, I have figured out a lot of things."

"At least judging by what the King of Jin has done, he will definitely do better than anyone else when he gains control of the world in the future."

"Forget it. I'm tired too. I'll go back to Changsha after the military advisor has treated me."

Yuan Xi was quite surprised, "Lord Xuande doesn't want to destroy the Wu Kingdom himself?"

Liu Bei supported himself on the tree trunk and slowly stood up. "It's meaningless."

"In order to avenge my third brother, I acted impulsively and caused the deaths of so many people. This was against the harmony of nature. Now that Zhu Ran, who killed my third brother, is dead, it doesn't make much sense to look for Sun Quan or not."

"After that, Wu will be handed over to the King of Jin for disposal. I think the King of Jin has already made a backup plan. Those who came are all naval forces. I'm afraid the infantry has already reached Nanchang, right?"

Yuan Xi laughed awkwardly, "Nothing can be hidden from Lord Xuande. This time I don't want to keep Wu State any longer. The sooner the world is pacified, the sooner the people can live a good life."

"I still have a lot of things I want to do. After I destroy the Kingdom of Wu, I will destroy the Kingdom of Wei, and then that's what I really want to do."

"Destroy the barbarians in the north, pacify the southern barbarians in the south, open up new frontiers in the western regions, and go out to the open sea in the east. Adhere to the aspirations of the Han Dynasty, spread the power and virtue throughout the world, and let the name of China resound throughout the world."

“This is a long road that I will not be able to achieve in my lifetime, but I hope that before I die I can point the way for future generations, so that my life will not be in vain.”

Liu Bei reached out and held Yuan Xi's hand, "I understand the ambition of the King of Jin."

"Only people with such great ambitions and vision can come to where they are today step by step. I am very grateful for your efforts."

He patted Yuan Xi on the shoulder and said, "Those petty people in Wei will never be able to defeat the King of Jin."

"However, I still have a promise to the emperor that I have not fulfilled. When we attack Xudu, I hope the King of Jin can send troops to help me obey the imperial edict."

Yuan Xi said without hesitation: "No problem, Xi will hand the emperor over to Lord Xuande safely no matter what."

After hearing this, Liu Bei showed a look of relief on his face, "Then I thank you in advance."

"The King of Jin is indeed qualified to rule the world, but I will not see that day."

Yuan Xi was stunned, but Liu Bei had already turned around and walked away.

Yuan Xi clasped his hands together and bowed in the direction where Liu Bei was leaving. When he straightened up again, Liu Bei could no longer be seen.

(End of this chapter)