Chapter Twenty-Four: A Great Surprise

  Li Yu then asked Liu Bei for orders to go out and fight, leading his army to Han Zhong to attack Zhang Lu.

  Liu Bei sank into thought for a moment and did not nod, because he was still thinking about whether it would be disadvantageous to the ministers and civilians to start another war now! Since Liu Bei entered Yizhou, he has gone on several expeditions and encountered Dong Zhuo's attacks twice, resulting in countless deaths and injuries! Liu Bei had originally wanted to let the people rest for a year or two before thinking about conquering Hanzhong again. However, Li Yu proposed attacking Hanzhong now, which Liu Bei had not expected.

  Guo Jia saw through Liu Bei's thoughts and stepped forward to advise: "Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, the great threat to our Yizhou has disappeared. At present, Xiliang and Guo Si, Li Jue are not on good terms! This is the best time for our army to conquer Hanzhong! Your Majesty must not hesitate, opportunities are fleeting and will never come again! Now the great general has abandoned his family and children to fight for Your Majesty in Hanzhong! It's hard to find such a valuable opportunity! Our army's morale will surely be greatly boosted! At that time, our army will be strong and brave, with high morale! One battle can determine Hanzhong! At that time, our Yizhou will have no more worries!"

  Liu Bei sank into thought for a moment, then sighed and said: "Now that I have been at war in Yi Province for years, comforting the widows and orphans of fallen generals, my treasury is empty! A few days ago, I wanted to build a garden for my fourth brother, but the Ministry of Finance has no more gold to allocate. What can we use to wage war now?!"

  Liu Bei had just finished speaking, when Zhu Ge knelt down on the ground and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance can still raise 20 million taels of military pay! And one billion yuan can be called up immediately! Enough for the great general's initial battle needs. If the war situation is not favorable, I can call upon the Mint Bureau and the Coin Bureau, the Furniture Bureau and the Paper Bureau, as well as the Chess Bureau, five bureaus to collect 5 million taels of military pay!"

  Liu Bei was furious and scolded: "You dare to deceive me, Guan Yu! Do you know your crime?"

  Mi Zong touched his head to the ground and said: "If Your Majesty still wants to call up the treasury, I'm still saying that there's no money! However, if Your Majesty wants to conquer Hanzhong, I'll sell my family property, smash pots and sell iron to raise military rations for you!"

  Li Yuyi hastily came forward and advised: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on obtaining a loyal and virtuous minister! Zou Ji can be the pillar of Your Majesty's court!"

  Liu Bei asked in response, "Does the King want to build a rear garden for his fourth brother? Is he not angry?" Li Yu said, "My younger brother is not angry. My younger brother's mansion has already reached the extreme of luxury and does not need to be rebuilt! This money can support our army's expedition to the battlefield! Revive the great Han! Zong Lu is for the public good! Now my younger brother is willing to establish a military order here, now my wife Wang Xue still has half a month before giving birth. My younger brother will take down Hanzhong for his older brother within one and a half months!"

  Liu Bei said, "Good! Since the fourth brother does not pursue it, the elder brother also does not need to pursue it! In addition, the fourth brother is so confident, and the elder brother supports you! Since our monarch's intention has been decided, let's discuss the matter of attacking Hanzhong! Now our army's discussion focuses on how to capture Hanzhong!"

  Mi Zhu, with his head touching the ground, said: "Great General, you are well aware of the great righteousness! I, Mi Zhu, also made a military order in front of the civil and military officials of Yizhou and the king today! If my supplies for the army are not delivered smoothly later on, behead me first!"

  Liu Bei personally helped Zhuo up and said: "You and I are monarchs and ministers who share the same enemy, what fear is there of Zhang Lu in Hanzhong?"

  The civil and military officials of Yi Province all knelt down on the ground and said: "Great King is wise!"

  Liu Bei said, "Alright! Then we will have a double happiness in Yizhou in half a month. However, the wedding of Guo Jia, the left national general, is imminent and it's not easy for him to go on an expedition! I think the position of military advisor can be taken over by Chen Gong, the right national general, or Tian Feng, the imperial charioteer!"

  Guo Jia knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, I, Guo Jia, have never fallen behind others whenever I go on a campaign! Now the Grand Marshal has abandoned his wife and children to go on a campaign for the country! Why can't I, Guo Jia, postpone my wedding by half a month for the great cause of the state? I, Guo Jia, have been partnered with the Grand Marshal for many years, and now I must follow him into battle! For our great king to capture Hanzhong in his bag! Please grant me permission!"

  Liu Bei nodded and roared: "All the lords of the world, look at this! This is my commander-in-chief of Yi Province! This is my prime minister of Yi Province! What are you afraid of?"

  The civil and military officials of Yi Province knelt down on the ground in unison, saying: "We are willing to serve the great Han dynasty, exhaust ourselves to death, and only then will we stop!"

  Liu Bei asked Liu Ba: "How many grains of rice can be called up in Yi Province now?"

  Liu Ba said to Liu Bei: "Now that Yi Province has a surplus of grain, it is enough for several hundred thousand troops for five years!"

  Liu Bei nodded and said: "With a strong army and sufficient supplies, let's go to war! I have decided to conquer Hanzhong!"

  The civil and military officials of Yi Province knelt down on the ground in unison, saying: "Great King, you are wise!" Liu Bei continued to pull up Li Yu's hand, saying: "Fourth brother, I now appoint you as the Grand Marshal for Conquering the Enemy! The troops, horses, money, and grain needed will all be fully mobilized by me in Chengdu for you! In a month and a half, I will wait for your triumphant return at the gate of Chengdu!"

  Li Yu said: "My brother will surely not bring shame on our mission! Brother Wang, wait quietly for our triumphant return!"

  Liu Bei nodded and ordered: "The lonely king appoints the loyal and righteous Marquis Li Yu as the commander of the Eastern Expedition, and Chen Gong, the Left National Counselor, as the military strategist! All the troops, horses, and generals needed will be personally summoned by Li Yu!"

  Li Yu knelt down on the ground and said: "Your subject Li Yu wishes you a thousand years of life, a thousand years of life, ten thousand years of life!"

  Guo Jia also knelt down on the ground and said: "Your subject Guo Jia wishes our king a thousand years of life, a thousand years of life, ten thousand years of life!"

  Liu Bei helped Li Yu and Guo Jia up together!

  Li Yu immediately exercised his authority as Grand Marshal and said: "Where is Yan Yanyu?"

  Old Chiang sternly stepped forward and said: "The last general is here!"

  Li Yu said: "Order the swift horse to pass on the order to Commander Guan of the Zitong Military Region, telling him to lead three thousand cavalry to open roads and build bridges as the vanguard for the entire army to capture Hanzhong. From the moment you receive this order, you can set out! The position of Commander of the First Military Region will be temporarily taken over by Zhao Yun! Also, pass on the order to the Zitong Military Region, ordering Xu Huang to lead three thousand cavalry as the left wing battalion, and tell him that from the moment he receives this order, he can set out! In passing on the order to the Second Military Region, Jiangzhou Military Region, Zhang Ren will lead three thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry as the right wing army, and tell him that from the moment he receives this order, he can set out! I myself will be in Chengdu, leading five thousand troops, with four thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry forming the central army. Order General Yan to lead two thousand troops and one hundred catapults as the rear guard battalion. Also, limit General Yan to immediately mobilize his troops, and tomorrow at noon, I and the generals will set out immediately! Furthermore, I promise General Yan that in this battle, I will let him play the leading role. Does General Yan understand?"

  Yan Yan cupped his hands and said: "This general understands! I will strictly follow your orders!"

  Li Yu continued to order: "Order Ji Yi and Fan Chou, as well as the two brothers Huo Jun and Huo Ge, and Wu Yi as the army's assistant generals! Ji Yi will assist General Guan Yu's vanguard army, Fan Chou will assist General Zhang Ren's right-wing army! Huo Jun will assist General Xu Huang's left-wing army. Wu Yi will assist General Yan Yan's rear army! Huo Ge will stay in the central army to await orders!"

  Li Yu continued: "After I go on an expedition, the position of commander-in-chief will be taken over by General Huwei Zhao Yun, with Zhang Fei as deputy! Chen Gong will serve as military advisor and political commissar! Tian Feng will serve as chief of staff with full authority to mobilize resources! Zhang Liao will serve as deputy chief of staff and vanguard officer for the first battle!"

  Li Yu transmitted the order and then asked Han Xing Wang Liu Bei: "Brother King, seeing my younger brother's arrangement, is there anything that is not proper?"

  Liu Bei nodded and said: "The arrangement of the fourth brother is proper and there is nothing improper!"

  Li Yu said: "The supply of food and equipment for our troops will depend entirely on you, brother Wang!"

  Liu Bei grasped Li Yu's hand and said: "Fourth brother dares to march boldly, King Xian will provide what is needed, it must be guaranteed that nothing goes wrong!"

  Li Yu continued: "Big brother, fourth brother still has a personal matter to ask big brother!"

  Liu Bei said, "Fourth brother, no need to say more. After you leave, I will order your sister-in-law, Empress Mu, to move into your General's mansion, and have the imperial physician accompany your younger sister Wang Xue day and night. Rest assured! Big Brother guarantees that your younger sister will be safe at home!"

  "Old wife, your delivery is imminent! I should be at home accompanying you, but my body has been lent to the country, how can it be lent to the family?! I promise you, when you give birth, I will definitely return triumphantly! You must take care of yourself at home, the baby in your belly is my treasure!""Old husband, I know you are devoted to the country! At home, I will surely look up to the sky and wait for your triumphant return! But on the battlefield, there is no room for words, you must be careful! You have long been familiar with the art of war, but still need to be cautious, don't underestimate the enemy because Han Zhong has no good generals! The land of Han Zhong is easy to defend and hard to attack, when you go to battle, you should consider more, strive to make our soldiers die or get injured less."

  Li Yu nodded and said, "My wife's words of gold, I will remember them in my heart! General Cheng Yuanzhi's departure has left me heartbroken for a long time, and I couldn't help but feel sad!"

  The couple chatted for a long time, and even Liu Bei and the officials of Yi Province were deeply moved! If they put others' hearts in their own hearts, if their wives were about to give birth, they would not choose to go out on an expedition at this time, but rather stay by their wives' side.

  That night, Liu Bei entertained his officials at Li Yu's headquarters after which Li Yu returned to the military camp to prepare for departure.

  The next day at dawn, Yan Yansi finished reviewing his troops!

  Li Yu decided to set off at noon with a flag-raising ceremony!

  At this time, the school's military field is crowded with people, and at this time, Li Yu's seven million Chengdu Military Region soldiers are full of vigor! Morale is high! The horses and men have passed by endlessly! Seven million soldiers are even more majestic and magnificent! At this time, the Yizhou army can be described as "people like fierce tigers, horses like dragons" to describe their current state!

  At this time, Liu Bei led the civil and military officials of Yi Province to come here to see off the great army!

  At this time, 70,000 troops marched in unison, just as they were about to leave the city gate of Chengdu, the army was blocked by someone!

  Who is it?

  Liu Bei's mother, the old lady, has also arrived and is here in person to see off Li Yu and the great army!

  Li Yu didn't dare to slack off, since the last time Li Yu faked his own death and was avenged by Lao Tai Tai for being wronged by Zou Shi, the relationship between them can be described as that of a loving mother and son!

  Li Yu Dang immediately dismounted his horse upon learning that the old empress dowager was waiting ahead, and personally went to the front of her carriage to help her down.

  The old lady got off the carriage with Li Yu's support, and at this time Liu Bei also led a group of civil and military officials to arrive in front! Behind the old lady, there were also Empress Ma, Wang Xue (Li Yu's wife), and Cai Wenji (Guo Jia's fiancée) accompanying her. Moreover, the three women were holding something together in their hands! At this time, Liu Bei was also puzzled, thinking that the expedition of the three armies was a major national event, what was his old mother doing here?

  Guo Jia also followed Li Yu and came forward at this time!

  The old lady said: "Where is my son Liu Bei?"

  Liu Bei immediately went forward to support his old mother and said: "Mother, I'm here, what instructions do you have for me?" The old lady looked at Liu Bei and said: "Son! Support me to the city tower in front!"

  Liu Bei nodded and said: "Mother, please follow your son!"

  The old lady continued: "You have so many civil and military officials following me!"

  The crowd did not dare to disobey and had to follow closely behind Liu Bei and the old lady!

  At this time, the old lady was supported by Liu Bei on her left and Li Yu on her right.

  After all, people who have reached a certain age walk slowly! The three of them took some effort to finally climb up onto the top of Chengdu City Wall.

  The old lady climbed the city tower and shouted to the 730,000 soldiers below: "Many of you may not know me, but I am the mother of your king, Liu Bei! Today, I have come to see off these fine sons of Yi Province! Your commander-in-chief is excellent, he is our war god! His wife is pregnant and about to give birth, yet he has abandoned his family for the sake of our country and led the expedition against Han Zhong! How great is this? Now, I will cheer you on! As an old lady, my days are numbered, but today I want to wave the flag and shout for you once more. You are all meritorious ministers of my son, King Liu Bei! My son and I will never forget you, nor will the people of Yi Province! Today, we are covered in dust, but when you restore the great Han dynasty in the future, the common people of the world will not forget you either! Today, I have spoken a lot, but I want to give you a special gift. This gift is not valuable, but it was made by my daughter-in-law, Empress Mu, your queen, and your commander's wife, Lady Wang, as well as your future prime minister's wife, Cai Wenji!

  The old lady's words went so far that Liu Bei and Li Yu, as well as the civil and military officials of Yi Province, were all shocked, and even the soldiers of the three armies were eagerly waiting with bated breath!

  The old lady saw everyone watching him at this time, waiting for him to take out that mysterious gift!

  The old lady saw this and laughed, saying: "Come on, daughter-in-law! Open the gift for me!"

  The Queen Mother did not dare to be slow, and immediately went forward with the thing in her hand to the old lady's side. The old lady pulled up a corner and then swung it!

  It turned out that the gift was not something else, but a large flag waving in the wind! At this moment, the old lady slowly lowered the big flag in her hand, but it was blown open by the wind!

  Mi Wanghou and Wang Xue as well as Cai Wenji also immediately opened up the large flags in their hands!

  Only saw the four-sided large flag waving in the wind, with a red background and golden yellow characters, now each of you is brilliant!

  The old queen's show is loyalty to the country! The Queen of Qi's repair is to replace heaven and govern! Wang Xue's show is to open the flag and win! Cai Wenji's show is to arrive on horseback and succeed!

  At this time, the whole army's morale is high and their fighting spirit is strong!

  Liu Bei and Li Yu, as well as the civil and military officials of Yi Province, were also stirred up!

  The old lady's move was completely beyond their expectations!

  No one, including Li Yu, had expected this!

  The old lady then spoke up and shouted downwards: "Today, sending you these few words has meaning. These few words were decided by the old lady and several children's wives after discussion! What do these few words mean? You listen to me, the old lady, in the future?"

  What does it mean? See next chapter!