Reborn Liu Bei: I'll lead this Three Kingdoms to victory!

On the fifth day of the third month of the seventh year of Jian'an, in Xuchang.

Just as dawn was breaking, footsteps echoed in the backyard of Xun Yu's residence.

Xun Yu sat under the plum tree as before, having not slept all night. His clothes were damp with morning dew, and his temples were covered with fine frost, but his back remained ramrod straight.

Xun Yun walked over carrying a bowl of water, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Father, there's only water left."

Xun Yu took the bowl of water and slowly drank it all.

"How are the people in the manor?"

"They're all hungry," Xun Yun said in a low voice, "but no one's making a fuss. They say... they'd be willing to die following their father."

Xun Yu remained silent.

He returned the empty bowl to Xun Yun and stood up.

"Yun'er, go and call everyone to the backyard."

Xun Yun was taken aback.

"Father, you must..."

"Go."

A moment later, more than thirty people from the household gathered in the backyard. There were old servants, maids, clerks, and guards. Everyone's face was pale and emaciated from hunger, but not one of them complained.

Xun Yu stood before them, his gaze slowly sweeping over each and every one of them.

"How many years have you followed me? Some for three years, some for twenty." His voice was soft, yet clear. "Today, I have a few words to say to you."

Everyone listened quietly.

"My first sentence," Xun Yu paused, "is that I'm sorry. Following me has caused you all suffering."

Some people started wiping away tears.

"The second thing," Xun Yu continued, "I will have someone open the back door in a moment. You can all go out from there and escape for your lives. The Prime Minister only wants me; he won't make things difficult for you."

"My lord!" An old servant knelt down with a thud. "This old servant won't leave! I've served you for twenty years; I'd rather die by your side!"

The others also knelt down. "We won't leave!" "We'll follow our lord even in death!"

Xun Yu looked at them, his eyes slightly red.

"The third thing," his voice was a little hoarse, "if you manage to get out of here alive, remember one thing—"

He took a deep breath.

"If anyone asks how Xun Yu died in the future, you should say: He was a Han official, not a Wei official."

Everyone was stunned. A Han official? Not a Wei official? Xun Yu didn't explain further. He turned and walked back into the house. Xun Yun followed, his voice trembling:

"Father, what are you doing?"

Xun Yu did not answer.

He simply walked to the desk, spread out a piece of paper, and picked up a pen.

Chen Shi (7-9 AM), at the Prime Minister's residence.

Cao Cao did not sleep all night.

He sat in his study, the letter lying open in front of him. The letter was crumpled and crumpled, but he stared at it without moving.

Cheng Yu entered from outside, his expression grave.

"Prime Minister, there's been some movement at Xun Yu's residence."

Cao Cao suddenly looked up.

"What's that noise?"

Xun Yu gathered everyone in the mansion, said a few words, and then... opened the back door and let them leave.

Cao Cao was stunned.

"Let them go?"

"Yes. At first, those people refused to leave, but Xun Yu insisted. In the end... most of them left. There were still a dozen or so old servants who refused to leave and stayed in the mansion."

Cao Cao remained silent.

He suddenly recalled the scene when he first met Xun Yu many years ago.

He was only in his early thirties at the time, just beginning to establish himself. Xun Yu came with the hopes of the scholars of Yingchuan, saying to him, "If Your Excellency wishes to restore the Han Dynasty, you must recruit many talented individuals."

At that moment, he held Xun Yu's hand and said, "He is my Zhang Liang."

Now, this "Zifang" is dismissing his servants.

What does he want to do?

"Prime Minister," Cheng Yu's voice interrupted his thoughts, "there is one more thing."

"explain."

Xun Yu sent those men with a message.

Cao Cao stared at him.

"What did you say?"

Cheng Yu lowered his head and spoke very softly:

He said: "If anyone asks how Xun Yu died in the future, just say that he was a Han official, not a Wei official."

Cao Cao's face suddenly froze.

A Han official? Not a Wei official?

What does this mean?

He was a Han official? Then what was Cao Cao?

Cao Cao suddenly stood up and strode outside.

"Prime Minister!" Cheng Yu caught up, "Where are you going?"

"To Xun Yu's residence!"

At 9:00 AM, in the western part of Xuchang City, at Xun Yu's residence.

The wooden strips on the main gate haven't been removed yet, but the back door is already open.

Cao Cao stood outside the back door, staring at the half-closed door, and remained motionless for a long time.

Cheng Yu followed behind him, not daring to breathe.

"Prime Minister, should I go in first...?"

"No need," Cao Cao interrupted him. "I'll go in alone."

He pushed open the door and went inside; the backyard was quiet.

Under that plum tree, a person sat with their back to him.

Xun Yu.

Cao Cao walked over and stopped behind him.

"Wenruo".

Xun Yu did not turn around.

"The Prime Minister has arrived."

"I am coming."

silence.

After a long silence, Xun Yu spoke:

"Did the Prime Minister come to see me off, or to kill me?"

Cao Cao remained silent.

He walked around to stand in front of Xun Yu and looked at him.

In just three days, the man who had followed her for twenty years seemed to have aged ten years. His temples were grayer, his eyes were sunken, and his face was so pale it was almost transparent.

But those eyes remained as calm as a deep pool of water.

"Wenruo," Cao Cao finally spoke, "do you really want to die?"

Xun Yu looked at him.

"Does the Prime Minister want me to live?"

Cao Cao remained silent.

"If you're willing to admit your mistake and say that the letter was just Xun Chen's own idea and had nothing to do with you—" Cao Cao's voice was a little hoarse, "I can pretend that nothing happened."

Xun Yu smiled.

It was a very faint smile, as faint as ripples left by the wind on the surface of water.

"Prime Minister," he said softly, "where did I go wrong?"

Cao Cao was stunned.

"Was my mistake in letting my brother live? Or was my mistake in allowing him to have his own thoughts?" Xun Yu's voice was calm. "Prime Minister, Xun Chen is my brother, but he is also an independent person. Who he meets and what letters he writes are not things I can control."

"Then why don't you explain it clearly?"

"Explain yourself?" Xun Yu looked at him. "The Prime Minister has sent people to watch me, sealed off my residence, and won't even let the people who bring me food and water in—is this how you expect me to explain myself?"

Cao Cao was speechless.

"Prime Minister," Xun Yu stood up, meeting his gaze, "I've followed you for twenty years. For twenty years, I've offered you advice, devoted myself to you tirelessly, and offended countless people for you—do you know that?"

Cao Cao remained silent.

"The Xu Du massacre, you killed Kong Rong, I advised you against it. You wouldn't listen." Xun Yu's voice was soft. "The tax increase in Ji Province, you forced the people to rebel, I advised you against it. You wouldn't listen either. The Battle of Hefei, you insisted on the southern expedition, I advised you against it. You still wouldn't listen."

He paused.

"Prime Minister, it's not me who's changing, it's you."

Cao Cao's expression changed repeatedly.

"Wenruo..."

"I'm tired," Xun Yu interrupted him, turning his back to him. "Prime Minister, please return."

Cao Cao stood still, motionless.

He looked at the figure with its back to him, at the plum tree that had just sprouted new buds, and at the courtyard where he had lived for twenty years.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything at all.

a long time.

He turned and strode away.

At noon, we arrived at Xiapi.

In the secret room where no one was on duty at night, an urgent secret report had just been delivered.

Sima Yi took it and unfolded it.

His hand stopped when he saw the first line of text.

"Cao Cao personally visited Xun Yu's residence, and the two had a private conversation. After the conversation, Cao Cao left, but Xun Yu remained in the residence. The area outside the residence remained sealed off."

He handed the secret report to Pang Tong.

Pang Tong glanced at it and fell silent.

"Sir," Sima Yi spoke, "what does this mean?"

Pang Tong took a swig of wine.

"It means—" he paused, "Cao Cao gave Xun Yu an opportunity, but Xun Yu did not take it."

Sima Yi was stunned.

"That Xun Yu..."

"He's waiting to die," Pang Tong said softly.

Sima Yi remained silent.

He remembered the middle-aged man he had met in Yingchuan, and the look in his eyes when he said, "I'm waiting for an answer."

Is this the answer?

"Sir," he finally spoke, "are we just going to watch like this?"

Pang Tong turned to look at him.

"What do you want to do?"

Sima Yi was speechless.

What can he do?

Xun Yu was in Xuchang, right under Cao Cao's nose. He was just an eighteen-year-old boy, hundreds of miles away, and there was nothing he could do.

"Zhongda," Pang Tong's voice rang out, "remember one thing."

Sima Yi looked up.

"Some people are destined to die. Not because we want them to die, but because they want to die themselves." Pang Tong's gaze was profound. "Xun Yu had shown Cao Cao great kindness and had a relationship of twenty years that we cannot interfere with. He used his death to teach Cao Cao a lesson and to give the world an explanation."

He paused.

"This is his choice. We respect his choice."

Sima Yi lowered his head.

He didn't speak.

But his fists were clenched tightly.

---

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), in the western part of Xudu City, at Xun Yu's residence.

The backyard was quiet.

The dozen or so old servants who refused to leave gathered in the courtyard, silently watching the tightly closed door.

Xun Yu has been locked in his room for an hour.

No one dared to knock on the door.

No one dared to speak.

Finally, the door opened.

Xun Yu came out, holding several pages of paper in his hand.

He handed the papers to the oldest servant.

"Ah Fu".

The old servant accepted it with trembling hands.

"This is..."

"My last letters," Xun Yu said calmly, "one to the Emperor, one to the Prime Minister, one to my younger brother Xun Chen, and one..." He paused, "...to that person in the north."

Tears streamed down the old servant's face.

"My lord..."

"After we leave, open the door and let the Prime Minister's men in," Xun Yu continued. "They will search the mansion and take everything. But hide this will."

He took a jade pendant from his sleeve and put it into the old servant's hand.

"This was bestowed upon my father by the late emperor. Take it and go out of the city. The guards at the city gate should still remember this jade."

The old servant knelt down.

"My lord! This old servant will not leave! This old servant wants to stay with you!"

Xun Yu bent down and helped him up.

"Ah Fu, you've been with me for thirty years." His voice was a little hoarse. "You are the one my father left behind, and the one who understands me best in this world. Only you can deliver my will."

The old servant nodded through his tears.

Xun Yu turned around and went back into the house.

He stopped at the door and looked back.

The plum tree, in the afternoon sun, had tender green new buds.

spring is coming.

But his spring has already ended.

---

At the hour of You (5-7 PM), at the Prime Minister's residence.

Cao Cao sat in his study with a letter spread out in front of him.

It was sent by Xun Yu.

Just one sentence:

"Twenty years of service as ruler and subject, today we are even. After my death, I hope the Prime Minister will take good care of himself."

Cao Cao stared at the words for a very long time.

His hands were trembling.

He recalled the light in Xun Yu's eyes when they first met.

He recalled the figure of that person who stayed up all night planning for him during the Battle of Guandu.

He recalled countless late nights when the two of them would sit facing each other under the lamp, discussing the state of the world.

In those years, they were ruler and subject, and also confidants.

Now, my confidant is dying.

And he was the one who killed him.

"Wenruo..." he murmured, "Why...why won't you lower your head even once?"

No one answered.

Only that letter lay quietly on the desk.

Those words were like knives, cutting into his heart piece by piece.

---

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), at the Governor's Office of Xiapi.

I stood before the map, listening to Pang Tong's report.

"Xun Yu wrote his will." His voice was very soft. "One to the Emperor, one to Cao Cao, one to Xun Chen, and one..." He paused, "to the Prefect."

I was stunned.

"Give me?"

"Yes." Pang Tong nodded. "According to the information from the inside, he gave his will to an old servant and asked that person to find a way to send it out of the city."

I remained silent.

Xun Yu.

The person I never met, the person Cao Cao called "my Zhang Liang," the person who maintained his dignity even in dire straits.

He wrote me a letter.

"What was the contents of the letter?"

"I don't know yet," Pang Tong shook his head, "but I guess it should be..." He didn't finish his sentence. I finished it for him.

"He was probably advising me to treat his people kindly."

Pang Tong nodded.

"Very likely."

I looked at the location of Xuchang on the map.

At that tiny dot, someone is waiting to die.

He used his death to prove his innocence.

He used his death to teach Cao Cao a lesson.

He used his death to give the world an explanation.

"Shiyuan".

"exist."

"Do you think he's worth it?"

Pang Tong remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke, his voice very soft:

"If you can be true to yourself, then it's worth it."

At 9:00 PM, in the western part of Xuchang City, at Xun Yu's residence.

Night fell.

Xun Yu sat on the veranda, gazing at the plum tree.

The moonlight shone on him, casting a long shadow.

Xun Yun sat beside him without saying a word.

"Yun'er."

"exist."

Are you scared?

Xun Yun remained silent for a moment.

"I'm afraid," he said, "but as long as Father is here, I'm not afraid."

Xun Yu turned his head and looked at him.

Under the moonlight, the young son's eyes held no fear, only an indescribable determination.

"Good," he said softly, "They are descendants of the Xun family."

Xun Yun lowered his head.

"Father, when...?"

Xun Yu did not answer.

He simply gazed at the brightest star in the north.

That's the direction of the Big Dipper.

That's the direction of Xiangping.

That's... a place he can never go.

"Soon," he finally said, "before dawn."

Xun Yun's tears flowed down his cheeks.

But he didn't say anything.

He simply held his father's hand tightly.

At dawn.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Xun Yu stood up and walked to the plum tree.

The tender green buds shimmered in the morning light.

He reached out and gently touched the leaves.

Then he took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, and drank it all in one gulp.

It was a very potent poison, which he had prepared many years ago.

He had kept it all this time, waiting for this day.

The medicine works very quickly.

He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, which then slowly spread to his limbs.

He leaned against the plum tree and slowly sat down.

Xun Yun knelt beside him, holding his hand tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"Father...Father..."

Xun Yu looked at him, a very faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Yun'er...remember...that letter..."

Xun Yun nodded vigorously.

"I remember... I remember..."

Xun Yu's gaze passed over him and fell upon the already dim star in the north.

That star is no longer visible.

Its daybreak.

He slowly closed his eyes.

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), in Xiapi.

I was deep in thought in front of the map when Pang Tong rushed in.

His expression was more solemn than ever before.

"My lord, an urgent report from Xuchang!"

He handed over a note.

I took it and unfolded it.

Only one line of text:

Xun Yu died on the sixth day of the third month of the seventh year of Jian'an (200 AD), at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

I stared at those words for a long time without saying a word.

Pang Tong stood aside without saying a word.

But in my heart, it felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on me.

Xun Yu died.

The man Cao Cao called "my Zhang Liang," the man who secluded himself in Xuchang for three months straight, the man who maintained his dignity even in dire straits—

died.

"Shiyuan".

"exist."

"Where is that letter?"

"Still on the way," Pang Tong said softly. "We should arrive soon."

I nodded.

He didn't say anything more.

He simply stared at the location of Xuchang on the map.

That tiny dot is now empty.