SFS Chapter 540 Has Liu Bei gone mad?
Chapter 540 Has Liu Bei gone mad?
what?
Cao Cao has died?
Including Guan Xing, the people in the tent stood up at the same time, looking at Chen Dao with disbelief on their faces.
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang were all frozen in place as if they had been struck by a spell. They knew Cao Cao's physical condition and that he was not long for this world, so his death was to be expected.
But I was still shocked when I heard the news of Cao Cao's death.
That was Cao Cao, the powerful warlord Cao Mengde who dominated the Central Plains and suppressed all the other warlords in the world. And now he's dead.
Liu Bei stood there stunned for a good quarter of an hour, his lips dry. He wanted to say something but tragically found himself speechless. He, who was usually quite articulate, couldn't utter a single word.
Liu Bei struggled to move his Adam's apple, and after a long while, he finally uttered a hoarse question that even shocked himself.
"Is the news that Cao Cao is really dead true?"
Chen Dao nodded emphatically and said, "It is absolutely true. Our spies infiltrated the Wei King's mansion and saw it with their own eyes. Besides, Cao Cao has already returned to Luoyang. There is no need for him to deceive us by faking his death."
Cao Cao is dead?
Cao Cao is finally dead.
That damned Cao Mengde is finally dead.
Hahahaha...
Liu Bei muttered a few words to himself, then suddenly burst into unrestrained, sweat-drenched maniacal laughter.
He laughed and then plopped down on the ground and burst into tears, crying so hard he was hoarse and heartbroken. He cried and then laughed again, his crying and laughing making him look like a mentally deranged madman.
When Cao Cao died, the tension that had been constantly on his mind finally snapped. He felt a sense of relief, but also a bit lost.
Liu Bei knew all too well how formidable Cao Cao was. From Xuzhou to Jingzhou and then to Bashu, he was chased and attacked by Cao Cao for many years.
Only by personally experiencing Liu Bei's experience can one fully understand the terror of Cao Cao. Although Liu Bei repeatedly called Cao Cao a traitor, he harbored the same deep-seated fear of Cao Cao that Liu Bang felt when facing Xiang Yu.
It is no exaggeration to say that Cao Cao was a mountain weighing down on Liu Bei, a sword hanging over his head. With Cao Cao around, Liu Bei dared not relax for even a moment.
But now, the peerless tyrant who had been suffocating him is dead, and he is completely free.
Thinking of this, Liu Bei cried even harder, tears of joy streaming down his face—truly tears of joy.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, and the others were well aware of Cao Cao's terror and naturally understood Liu Bei's feelings at that moment. Therefore, none of them tried to persuade him and let Liu Bei vent his frustrations.
But they forgot that Liu Bei had stayed up all night, and it was a night of intense emotional turmoil. Now he had received news of Cao Cao's death. How could a man in his sixties withstand such an ordeal?
Therefore, after experiencing extreme joy and sorrow, Liu Bei's eyes rolled back and he fainted. This frightened the people in the tent, who rushed forward to check his breathing and pinch his philtrum. After several attempts to revive him failed, they had no choice but to carry him back to the tent and call for a doctor.
Liu Bei remained silent, but Jiangling City became bustling.
Upon receiving news of Cao Cao's death, the officials in the city erupted in cheers. While the officials of Jiangdong, including Sun Quan, joined in the jubilation, they also felt an unprecedented sense of lingering fear and relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness I didn't defect to Cao Cao that day, otherwise it would have been a real problem.
Cao Cao was the only person in the world who could suppress Liu Bei. After Cao Cao's death, Liu Bei had no rivals. No one believed that Cao Pi would be a match for Liu Bei, and Cao Pi himself probably thought so too.
Therefore, unless Liu Bei suddenly dies like Cao Cao, he will surely be able to restore the Han Dynasty three times.
But Liu Bei was as strong as a calf, and didn't look like someone destined to die, which meant that the restoration of the Han Dynasty was secure.
Fortunately, he surrendered to Liu Bei; it would have been embarrassing if he had surrendered to Cao Cao and then been captured by Liu Bei.
With Cao Cao's death, the rebellious elements in Jiangdong completely abandoned any other thoughts and decided to wholeheartedly follow Liu Bei to restore the Han Dynasty.
The entire city of Jiangling was celebrating Cao Cao's death, but Guan Yu alone was somewhat disappointed.
After sending Liu Bei back to his tent and entrusting him to Sun Shangxiang's care, Guan Yu returned to his own tent to set up a memorial tablet for Cao Cao, offering incense and prayers. After offering incense, he looked at the tablet with a complicated expression.
Cao Cao had been kind to him, and although the favor was repaid at Huarong Road, the bond remained. Now that Cao Cao was dead, he should pay his respects out of both sentiment and reason.
As for whether others will impeach him or spread rumors, so be it. When has Guan Yu ever cared about the gossip of outsiders?
After settling Liu Bei in, Guan Xing wanted to go home to sleep, as he had stayed up all night and desperately needed rest. However, the energetic Zhuge Liang wouldn't let him go, forcibly dragging him to his tent and dismissing the onlookers before saying to Guan Xing, "What you said last night was too much and too shocking. I need time to digest it, but there are a few things you need to do now."
Guan Xing said speechlessly, "Strategist, I want to sleep now."
Zhuge Liang patted the back of his head with his feather fan and said with a laugh, "Then we'll deal with it after you wake up. First, write me a memorial to expand the steel mill and shipyard."
"If you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools. If you want to develop Jiangnan or even Funan, you can't do without tools. Currently, the area south of Jiaozhou is mostly sparsely populated primeval forests. The fallen leaves accumulate and rot over time, producing miasma. If you want to develop Jiangnan or even break through the Shiwan Mountains, you need sufficient tools. Therefore, the steel plant must be expanded."
"And then there's the Grand Canal. This canal is incredibly valuable. Once we get back Champa rice and promote it, grain from Jiangnan will have to be transported to the Central Plains and even to all corners of the country via this canal. Although we can't afford to build the Grand Canal now, we still need to plan ahead and make preliminary preparations. We'll act as soon as the time is right."
“You possess knowledge that surpasses ours by two thousand years, and you are certainly more experienced than us in factory construction. Write down everything you know, and I will supplement the rest.”
Zhuge Liang was the kind of person who could learn by analogy and grasp things quickly. After learning the information he wanted from Guan Xing, a plan to develop Jiangnan automatically came to mind.
Guan Xing nodded in agreement, and Zhuge Liang continued, "There's something even more important. Write down for me the official positions, laws, policies, reforms, and policies for governing the barbarians from all the dynasties of the Han Dynasty. I'll see if there's anything we can use. For example, what does the Privy Councilor you mentioned do?"
Holy crap, when will this ever finish? It'll probably take more than a book!
Guan Xing immediately protested, "How would I know? I'm just a policeman, not a historian."
Zhuge Liang laughed and scolded, "Nonsense, you seem quite familiar with history, reciting it like a treasure trove, which shows your extensive knowledge."
Guan Xing: "..."
In the workplace, you really have to hide your true abilities; the more capable you are, the more your boss will push you to the limit.
He wanted to refuse, but seeing the gleam in Zhuge Liang's eyes, it was clear that he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted. Guan Xing had no choice but to nod in agreement and then quickly took his leave.
He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would get some more assignments that would add a lot more work to his schedule, so he decided to run away.
Although his idea was good, Guan Xing was stopped by Zhuge Liang as soon as he reached the tent entrance. He turned around with difficulty, grimacing, and asked, "Strategist, is there anything else?"
Zhuge Liang said, "Go and summon Fei Yi. Ma Su has not returned for so long, something must have happened. We must send someone to Longxi to investigate."
"Alright..." Guan Xing took off running, ordered someone to find Fei Yi after leaving the tent, and then quickly ran back to his own tent to prepare for sleep. However, he was blocked by Zhou Cang halfway there.
Zhou Cang opened his arms to block him and said, "Young General, the Lord requests your presence."
Guan Xing was in so much pain from his toothache that he didn't want to go, but he knew that if he dared not go, Zhou Cang would knock him out and drag him there. Helpless, he had no choice but to go with him to see Guan Yu.
Following Zhou Cang to Guan Yu's tent, Guan Yu had Zhou Cang guard outside the tent, then pressed Guan Xing down on his heels and pointed to the paper, pen, and whip on the table, saying, "I'll give you two choices: either write the 'Memorial on Dispatching the Troops,' or I'll break the whip. You choose."