The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 513: Liu Bei Dies and Zhuge Liang Is Captured
Liu Bei's boat drifted farther and farther away on the river. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his haggard face, reflecting a desolate dark red. He looked at the sound of fighting gradually disappearing on the shore, his eyes full of sadness and unwillingness.

"My lord, we still have a chance." Zhuge Liang endured the pain in his shoulder and whispered, "As long as we reach Nanzhong and unite with Meng Huo, we still have a chance to make a comeback."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said with a wry smile: "Military Advisor, the situation is over, why bother to deceive yourself? It will only make all your efforts go to waste."

Zhuge Liang was about to persuade them again when suddenly a burst of rapid drum beats came from the distance on the river. Everyone looked back and saw several speedboats approaching at high speed, with the flags flying on the bows being the battle flags of the Tang army!

"Oh no! It's the Tang army's navy pursuing us!" the bodyguard exclaimed.

Liu Bei clenched the two swords in his hands, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and he shouted loudly: "Since God wants to kill me, I will fight to the death with the Tang thieves today!"

Zhuge Liang quickly held down Liu Bei's arm and shouted, "My lord, don't do that! As long as we have the green mountains, we will not be afraid of running out of firewood! Let's quickly reach the shore and break out by land!"

The boat turned hastily and rowed towards a dense forest on the shore. However, the Tang army's speedboat was extremely fast and within the range of bows and arrows in a blink of an eye.

“Shoot!”

At the command of the Tang army general, arrows poured down like rain.

"Protect the Lord!"

The guards raised their shields to block the attack, but several of them were still shot and fell. The boat was shaking violently and could capsize at any time.

Liu Bei looked flustered and Zhuge Liang looked pale. At this moment, they were really worried. There were only a dozen soldiers around them. If they were entangled by the enemy, they would surely die.

"Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, today is the day you will die. If you don't stop the ship, I will spare your life."

On the warship, Wendai looked at the small boat not far away with a look of joy on his face. This was a huge fortune, and he never expected that it would fall on his head. Whether he captured it alive or took away the body, it would be a great achievement for him.

Imagine that Emperor Zhaowu killed his way through, and Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Lu Bu and others were all defeated by him, but the real opponents were only Yuan Shao brothers, Cao Cao and Liu Bei in front of him.

If Liu Bei could be captured alive, Wen Dai would think that he had made a great contribution and might be awarded a title of nobility. At that time, there would be two nobility in the Wen family, which would be a very impressive thing.

Thinking of this, Wen Dai became even more anxious and shouted, "Shoot! Aim at the sails, don't let them get away!"

Arrows flew through the air, piercing several holes in the sail of Liu Bei's boat, causing it to slow down. The river was turbulent, and the boat began to spin uncontrollably.

"My lord, the boat can't hold on!
"The boatman shouted in horror.

Zhuge Liang looked around and saw the dense forest on the shore was just around the corner. He made a quick decision and shouted, "Abandon the boat! Swim to shore!"

Liu Bei gritted his teeth and nodded, and jumped into the river with Zhuge Liang and the remaining guards. The cold water soaked their clothes instantly, and the heavy armor slowed them down. Seeing this, the Tang army drew their bows and aimed at the figures in the water.

"Shoot! Get rid of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, and leave no one else alive!" Wen Dai waved his hand with a grim smile.

Arrows rained down, and the river surface was covered with blood. A personal guard tried to block Liu Bei, but was hit by several arrows and sank into the water. Liu Bei's eyes were bloodshot, but he was powerless and could only swim desperately towards the shore.

The river was surging and the air was filled with blood.

Liu Bei paddled hard, but felt his strength draining away quickly. The cold arrow rubbed his arm, causing a sharp pain. He looked back and saw that his personal guards were shot and sunk one after another, and Zhuge Liang was also washed further and further away by the current.

Liu Bei staggered up the bank, soaking wet, with cold water dripping down his armor. He looked back and saw the bodies of his guards floating on the river, while Zhuge Liang's figure had long disappeared in the turbulent water.

"My lord! Let's go!" The few remaining guards supported him and stumbled away into the forest.

However, the Tang army's pursuers did not give up. Wen Dai led the elite soldiers to quickly land and pursued them along the bloodstains and footprints. Soon, Liu Bei and his men were forced to an isolated mountain, surrounded by fire, and the Tang army had formed an encirclement.

"Liu Bei, you have no way to escape!" Wen Dai stood at the foot of the mountain and shouted loudly: "Surrender! His Majesty may spare your life!"

Liu Bei stood on the top of the mountain, looking at the dense torches below, and sighed: "I, Liu Bei, have devoted my life to restoring the Han Dynasty, but now I have ended up in such a situation. I am ashamed of my ancestors and the people of the world!"

The guards beside him knelt down and cried, "Lord, we are willing to fight to the death to escort you out of the siege!"

Liu Bei shook his head and said with a wry smile: "The situation is over, why should we let you die in vain?"

He slowly drew out his sword, the cold light reflecting his haggard face. He looked into the distance, as if he saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the sworn brothers in Peach Garden, the soldiers who had followed him, and himself who was once high-spirited.

"Today, I have no choice but to die to thank the world!"

Before he could finish his words, he slashed his throat with his sword, and his blood spilled onto the rocks.

The remaining guards were grief-stricken and knelt down crying. Wen Dai led his troops to the top of the mountain and saw that Liu Bei was dead. He was happy and sighed. He ordered his men to collect his body and prepare to bring it back to Chang'an to report.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky red, and Liu Bei's blood slowly flowed between the rocks on the top of the mountain, as if it had merged into one with the setting sun.

Emperor Zhaolie of Han, who once dominated history, ultimately failed to realize his long-cherished wish of reviving the Han Dynasty and fell under the iron hoof of the Tang army. His death also officially announced the end of the Three Kingdoms era.

At this moment, a scout came running over: "General! We found Zhuge Liang's traces by the river!"

Wen Dai's eyes flashed: "He is still alive?"

The scout nodded: "A fisherman downstream fished up a man who looked very much like Zhuge Liang, but he was unconscious."

Wen Dai clenched his sword tightly: "Lead the way! We must not let Zhuge Liang escape!"

In a small fishing village by the river, several fishermen were whispering around an unconscious scholar in white. The man's face was as pale as paper, and the wound on his shoulder had turned white from being soaked by the river water.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard at the entrance of the village. Wen Dai led dozens of elite soldiers into the village, and the fishermen scattered in panic.

“Zhuge Liang!”

Wen Dai recognized the figure lying on the fishing boat at a glance and sneered, "God is helping me!"

After going forward to test it, he found that Zhuge Liang was still breathing, so he quickly ordered his men to take him back to the military camp for rescue. A living Zhuge Liang was better than a dead one.

Poor Zhuge Liang had no idea of ​​this and allowed Wendai to send people to carry him back to the Jiaozhou camp.

Huang Zhong and Sima Yi also received the battle report soon, and looks of ecstasy appeared on their faces.

"Liu Bei is dead, Zhuge has been captured, and our mission to the south is mostly accomplished."

Huang Zhong said with great joy.

(End of this chapter)