Chapter 54: Liu Wu entrusted his son to others in Xiling City!
Chapter 054: Liu Wu entrusted his son to others in Xiling City!
Night fell over the entire Jiangling City. After a day of fighting between Cao and Liu, silence finally fell on the exhausted soldiers who had fallen into a deep sleep.

In the army tent in Jiangling City, Liu Xuande, who had been resting, stood up and put on his clothes. With red eyes, he listened to the person in front of him:

"Master celebrated his birthday, and Mr. Zhuge performed a hundred plays for him. Everyone was happy, except Master Adou, who was crying alone. This was because the master was not in the seat. He missed his master so much that his heart was broken and his cries shook the sky."

"Mrs. Mi asked me to tell you, my lord, that you should remember your love for your son and return to Gong'an to celebrate Mr. Adou's birthday, so that we can enjoy the happiness of a happy family..."

Adou!

Adou was only seven years old, he was still a child, but his father was not around on his birthday. How sad and upset he must be, how could he bear such suffering?

In a trance, Liu Bei seemed to have seen a scene...

In the bustling and joyous mansion, everyone was applauding the wonderful performances, except Adou who was crying inconsolably, missing his father!
Liu Bei felt so heartbroken that he could no longer hold back and said, "Go back to Gong'an and report the news. I will cross the river right away."

"Yes! I have left a raft by the river, which can help you cross the river."

After Mrs. Mi's confidant left, Liu Bei immediately asked someone to call Zhao Yun to meet him at the top of the South Gate.

A moment later, Zhao Yun hurried to the top of the South Gate and said, "My Lord, you summoned me so late at night. Is there something serious going on?"

When Zhao Yun came, he was holding a shiny silver spear and had a Qingguang sword on his waist. The lord summoned him to the top of the city at this time, which must mean something big has happened. How dare he be negligent?

"Something big has happened." Liu Bei said solemnly, "I will escape from the city walls and cross the river back to Gong'an!"

My lord, do you want to escape from the city wall and return to Gong'an?

Suddenly, Zhao Yun was startled: "But is there something wrong with the police?"

Liu Bei sighed, "Yes, today is Adou's birthday. Since I am not at the table, the child is crying loudly. As a man and a father, how can I stay in Jiangling City? So I have to return to Gong'an overnight to celebrate Adou's birthday."

call! ~
The cold river wind whistled past, making Zhao Yun look dazed. He could hardly believe his ears.

Crossing the river to Gong'an late at night just to celebrate the birthday of a seven-year-old child?
Is this the big event that the lord was talking about?!
Zhao Yun tried his best to calm himself down and tried to persuade Liu Bei: "My lord, Cao's army is now surrounding Jiangling, and tens of thousands of soldiers are fighting with Cao's army at the risk of their lives!"

"At this time, how can you abandon all the soldiers in the city and leave?"

"My lord, have you forgotten? Jiangling City is the key place for my lord to conquer Jingyi and fight back to the Central Plains! Once my lord leaves, the army's morale will be shaken, and Jiangling City will be destroyed. Wouldn't all the hard work my lord put in before be wasted?!"

Zhao Yun became more and more excited as he spoke: "My lord, are you really going to celebrate the birthday of a seventeen-year-old boy and abandon the foundation of your great cause?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "I understand what you said. Jiangling is very important. Doesn't that mean Adou is not important? He is my own son, the one I want to make my heir!"

"He is celebrating his birthday as a seven-year-old child, but his father is not around. How sad is that?"

Zhao Yun was stunned. Does his lord know what he is talking about?
In the lord's heart, is the seven-year-old child really more important than the tens of thousands of soldiers fighting hard in the city, and more important than his own cause?

But he was clearly still throwing Adou at Changbanpo.

Liu Bei explained: "Don't worry, Zilong. I will go back now and return tomorrow evening. It will only take one day. With my second brother, third brother and General Huang guarding the city, it will be safe."

"I just need to trouble Zilong to protect me for a while."

Zhao Yun was still making his last effort: "My lord, please think twice..."

Liu Bei's face turned cold. "Well, since Zilong is unwilling to escort me back to Gong'an, I will just escape from the city walls by myself."

After saying that, Liu Bei reached out and grabbed the rope that had been prepared in advance on the top of the city wall, and prepared to lower himself down from the city wall alone.

"My lord, wait a minute!" Zhao Yun stopped Liu Bei. With tens of thousands of Cao's troops surrounding the city outside, how could Zhao Yun really let Liu Bei go back to Gong'an alone?

If this trip back can allow my lord to guard Jiangling with peace of mind, it would be worth it.

Zhao Yun sighed helplessly, "My lord, please wait a moment. I will explore the way first."

Liu Bei: "Zilong is indeed loyal and brave!"

Two figures descended from the top of Jiangling's south gate in the dark night. Fortunately, there were not many Cao troops attacking the south gate, and the defense was quite lax. Liu Bei and Zhao Yun ran to the riverside safely and found the raft left by Mrs. Mi's confidant.

Wow! ~
The river was filled with thick fog and the waves were rising and falling. Zhao Yun paddled the raft slowly towards the other side.

Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief standing on the raft. Thinking of seeing the lovely Adou on the raft, he immediately felt very happy: "Zilong, a seven-year-old child is enjoying the entertainment of a hundred plays, but he still feels sad when he thinks his father is not at the table. What do you call this?"

"This is pure filial piety, a true filial son! I decided to make Ah Dou the crown prince, and I was right about him..."

The prince?
Zhao Zilong, who was paddling the raft, felt a sense of melancholy, and the young figure flashed through his mind involuntarily.

If it was Liu Wu who was made the crown prince, not only would he not have done such a ridiculous thing as abandoning Jiangling and returning to Gong'an to celebrate his birthday, but the siege of Jiangling might even have been lifted.

My lord, my lord, you made Adou the crown prince. Were you really not wrong?
……

Xiling City, inside the county magistrate’s residence.

After Liu Wu's wound on his back was bandaged, Sun Shangxiang silently packed up the instruments for treatment and was about to turn around and leave...

"Wait." Liu Wu stopped Sun Shangxiang and said, "I want to write a letter. I will dictate it and you can write it for me."

write a letter?

Who should he write to at this time?
Sun Shangxiang was surprised, but still took out the silk, writing brush and ink. Liu Wu stood up from the couch and slowly walked to the door. The moon was in the sky at that time: "Liu Zilie of Xiling writes to Prime Minister Cao..."

Is this a letter to Cao Mengde?

Sun Shangxiang was stunned, but the beautiful handwriting had already appeared on the silk.

Liu Wu said in a low voice: "You have been attacking the four gates fiercely in recent days. Although the people of Xiling are determined to defend the city, the soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. The day when Xiling will fall is approaching."

Did he admit to Cao Cao that Xiling could no longer be defended? Did he change his mind and surrender to Cao Cao?

Sun Shangxiang breathed a sigh of relief. Xiling was the gateway barrier west of Jiangdong. If they captured Xiling, they could go downstream to Jiangdong. If Cao Cao captured it, Jiangdong would be under the threat of Cao's army at any time.

But in the current situation, Jiangdong is unlikely to send troops to support Liu Zilie. If he does not surrender to Cao Cao, all that awaits him is death along with the city!
"But Liu Zilie will never surrender to anyone in the world, including you. After I die, you will see my corpse..."

pat~
Sun Shangxiang dropped the pen in her hand to the ground. She looked at Liu Wu with a pale face: "You, you still want to..."

Liu Wu frowned: "Keep writing."

He still wants to defend Xiling to the death, even if it turns into ruins along with Xiling?

If he died, what should I do?
Sun Shangxiang picked up the rabbit-hair brush on the ground in a daze, but she felt that the brush in her hand was as heavy as a thousand pounds and she couldn't put it down no matter what.

"I have heard that you are eager to recruit talented people. Gao Shun and Wei Yan, two generals under my command, are both famous generals in the world. After I die, please accept these two generals. Even if you cannot use them, please treat them well..."

Liu Wu's voice echoed in the room, and Princess Jiangdong, who was writing for him, looked confused.

He wrote a letter to Cao Cao admitting that Xiling could not be defended, but it was not to show weakness or surrender. Instead, he stated that he would fight to the death. But in the end, he asked Cao Cao to take back two of his generals?
Looking at Liu Wu's back, Sun Shangxiang's eyes became even more confused. What exactly was he going to do?
……

Cao’s army camp.

Cao Cao, who had just finished discussing matters with his advisers and generals, looked at the brocade bag in his hand with a strange expression on his face: "Is this a letter from Liu Zilie of Xiling to me?"

The soldier kneeling on the ground said: "The Xiling soldier who came to deliver the letter said that it was indeed a letter from his master to the prime minister."

Liu Zilie sent someone to deliver a letter to the prime minister late at night?

The counselors and generals of the four states were all stunned. Seeing that Xiling City was about to fall, could it be that this was a letter of surrender from Liu Zilie to the prime minister?

"Cheng Yu." Cao Cao handed the brocade bag to Cheng Yu and said, "Read it to everyone."

"Here."

Cheng Yu opened the brocade bag and took out the silk: "Liu Zilie of Xiling wrote to Prime Minister Cao, saying that you have been attacking the four gates fiercely in recent days. Although the people of Xiling are determined to defend the city, the soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. The day when Xiling will fall is approaching..."

Liu Zilie gave in to me?
Is he preparing to surrender?
Cao Cao was startled, then a sneer appeared on his face: "Seeing that Xiling City could not be defended, he softened his stance. This Liu Zilie is a man who knows how to deal with the current situation."

The generals of Cao's army also laughed at each other:

"Although Liu Zilie is brave, it is a pipe dream to think that he can stop the Prime Minister with only a few thousand men from Xiling City."

"So, this is a letter of surrender?"

"Haha, no wonder he sent a letter to the Prime Minister at night. He must be afraid that Xiling City would be destroyed after dawn, and it would be too late to surrender then."

"Back then, although Lü Bu was brave, he was also tied up by the Prime Minister at the White Gate Tower. Even if Liu Zilie is braver than Lü Bu, he can't escape the Prime Minister's hands!"

Listening to the flattery of the generals, thinking about the losses he had suffered at the hands of Liu Wu these days, especially the arrow wound on his arm that was still aching, Prime Minister Cao felt extremely pleased: "This Liu Zilie finally bowed to me."

"But he wants to bow to me, but it depends on whether I allow him to do so... Zhongde, continue reading."

Cheng Yu looked at the contents on the silk and seemed to want to say something, but at this moment he could only bite the bullet and continue reading: "However, Liu Zilie will never surrender to anyone in the world, and he will not surrender to you either."

"After I die, you will see my corpse..."

There was an instant of silence in the big tent.

The voice mocking Liu Wu disappeared in an instant.

Prime Minister Cao's happy smile froze on his face, and his face gradually became gloomy and frightening: "Did Liu Zilie send this letter late at night to tease me?"

The faces of the generals were all livid. The soldiers who had attacked Xiling City in recent days were all from the various units under the command of the generals. Liu Zilie's letter was not only teasing Prime Minister Cao, but also the generals in the entire Cao camp.

Xiahou Dun was the first to say, "Prime Minister, don't wait until dawn. I will attack the city now and conquer Xiling before dawn!"

"No hurry." Cao Mengde's eyes were filled with murderous intent: "Zhongde, continue reading."

Cheng Yu stared at the silk with an increasingly strange look in his eyes: "I have heard that you are eager to recruit talented people. Gao Shun and Wei Yan, two generals under my command, are both famous generals in the world. After I die, please accept these two generals as yours..."

Wei Yan, Gao Shun? !

Wei Yan was the general of the nine counties of Jingxiang, and Gao Shun was a famous general who trained a powerful army like the [Entrapment Camp]. Was Liu Zilie going to give these two generals to himself?

Be submissive but not surrender, fight to the death but entrust your generals with the task?
Prime Minister Cao, who was known as a traitor, took the silk from Cheng Yu's hand and turned it over and over, his eyes full of doubt: "What on earth does Liu Zilie want to do?"

(End of this chapter)