coobybook Chapter 1169 Only the wise and virtuous can win people's hearts.
Chapter 1169 Only the wise and virtuous can win people's hearts.
Liu Bei stood there, watching the Xiliang cavalry turn into a wisp of dust in the night until they completely disappeared on the horizon, before slowly closing his eyes. Two lines of clear tears slid down his cheeks, landing on his clothes and spreading a small dark stain. The emotions surging in his heart were indescribable, whether it was guilt or helplessness, he only felt a tightness in his chest, as if a piece of wet cotton was pressing down on him.
Guan Yu watched with a heavy heart. He stepped forward, looked at his brother's dejected figure, and sighed, "Brother, how did things... turn out like this?"
Liu Bei remained silent, only shaking his head slightly. After a long while, as if suddenly remembering something, he abruptly opened his eyes, turned to Guan Yu, and said, "Yun Chang, go quickly and inform all the passes along the way that under no circumstances should the King of Liang's army be obstructed in any way, not even by firing a single arrow!"
Guan Yu replied in a deep voice, "Yes, brother, I'll go right away." He paused, looked at Liu Bei's red eyes, and couldn't help but add, "But brother, the Liang King's more than 10,000 cavalry are all battle-hardened elites. The passes along the way are already weakly defended, so I'm afraid... no one can stop them."
"Even if you can't stop him, you have to go and tell him!" Liu Bei's voice was somewhat stubborn, but his eyes were unusually serious. "Meng Qi has been loyal to me and has been in danger twice because of me. I have failed him today. If he suffers even the slightest grievance on the road, I... I will have no face to see my master even if I die!"
After saying that, he turned and walked into the city, waving his hand and saying, "Go ahead." His back was desolate, and he didn't look back.
Guan Yu watched his retreating figure, opened his mouth as if to offer some words of advice, but ultimately swallowed his words back. He leaped onto his yellow horse, spurred it on, and galloped off in the direction Ma Chao had gone—even if he couldn't stop him, he wanted the guards along the way to see clearly that this was his elder brother's intention.
Inside the city gate, a dark mass of figures knelt on the bluestone path. Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and others all knelt with their heads bowed, none daring to raise their heads. Seeing Liu Bei enter, Zhang Fei's throat bobbed, and he called out in a hoarse voice, "Brother..."
Liu Bei didn't even lift his eyelids, walking straight past them with steady steps, yet revealing an indescribable weariness. "Get up, all of you," he said softly, but with an undeniable air of authority, "Go back to your residence."
The group exchanged glances, and finally slowly stood up, bowing their heads and following behind him.
Back at the mansion, the traces of the banquet were still vivid in his mind. Broken sword tassels and overturned wine jars were scattered on the ground, and dark red bloodstains spread across the bluestone slabs. Overturned cups and jars lay crookedly in the corner, as if silently telling the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place.
Liu Bei walked dejectedly to the main seat, slowly sat down, and his wide robe sleeves swept across the remaining wine stains on the table, leaving a faint watermark. Behind him, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and the others silently followed, kneeling again before the hall, their heads bowed low.
The hall was so quiet you could hear the crackling of the candlelight. Liu Bei's voice broke the silence, calm yet carrying a chilling undertone: "Tell me, whose idea was this today?"
Pang Tong gritted his teeth, raised his head first, and said in a resolute voice, "My lord, it was I who planned this."
Liu Bei looked at him abruptly, his eyes filled with pain: "He is my junior brother! Back in Chang'an, he almost lost his life because he trusted me. Do you know how deep my debt is? A few days ago, when I heard that he was coming to Jingzhou, I couldn't sleep at night, hoping to make it up to him properly."
He took a deep breath, his voice trembling: "My junior brother is of noble character and exceptionally magnanimous. Even in that situation back then, he never blamed me, and this time he entered the city without any resentment, not mentioning the past at all. But you..."
At this point, two lines of tears slid down his face again, flowing down his increasingly deep-set cheeks.
Pang Tong, however, stubbornly retorted: "My lord! The Xiliang cavalry is unstoppable, and Ma Chao is a man of great talent and ambition. Which warlord in the land does not fear him? Even Yuan Shao, the overlord of Hebei, who controls several provinces, may not be able to defeat him. If my lord wishes to achieve great things, how can you be bound by personal feelings? Taking him down is the safest decision!"
"Safe?" Liu Bei slammed his fist on the table, his eyes wide and bloodshot as he stared intently at Pang Tong. His voice was a guttural roar, almost forced out through clenched teeth. "Pang Shiyuan! He's my junior brother! He nearly died because of me back then, yet he never hated me! This time he came with sincerity, and I've put him in this predicament—if I break my promise, even if I possess the world, how can I face heaven and earth with a clear conscience?!"
The remaining wine on the table was jolted and spilled, splattering onto the hem of his robe like specks of blood. Everyone in the hall was stunned by his rage and lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word.
Pang Tong staggered to his feet, his chest heaving, and pointed at Liu Bei's nose, his voice trembling with anger: "My lord! You keep talking about loyalty and righteousness, but in this chaotic world, womanly compassion will only ruin our great cause! Ma Chao is holding onto his troops and is too powerful. If we don't eliminate him today, he will surely become a major threat tomorrow! Yide, Zilong, and Hansheng fought bloody battles, were they for your vague 'petty righteousness'?"
He pointed sharply out of the hall, his words like knives: "You say you want to govern with benevolence towards the people, but you don't even dare to eliminate the threats before your eyes. How will you pacify the world in the future? When war breaks out and the people are displaced, where will your 'righteousness' be?!"
Liu Bei suddenly turned his back, his eyes bloodshot, his sleeves fluttering, and declared, "In my life, I, Liu Bei, have no shame before Heaven, no shame before Earth, and no shame before my own heart!"
"If the great cause you speak of requires betraying faith and righteousness, then I would rather not have this world!" Liu Bei's voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying the tragic grandeur of a desperate gamble. "Our paths diverge, further words are useless. Pang Shiyuan, from this day forward, our ties are severed, and we shall go our separate ways!"
Pang Tong was struck dumb, frozen in place, his anger instantly replaced by astonishment. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat blocked, unable to utter a single word. He had never imagined that his lord would utter the words "severing all ties"—all his schemes, however ruthless, were for his lord's greater cause!
After a long silence, Pang Tong smiled bitterly, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, his movements carrying an indescribable desolation: "Since my lord has made his decision, I dare not detain you any longer. However..." He looked up at Liu Bei, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, "I hope that in the future, my lord will not regret the decision you made today."
Pang Tong turned and walked away, his steps unsteady yet filled with stubbornness. Seeing this, Zhuge Liang quickly got up and chased after him, reaching out to grab his sleeve and whispering, "Shiyuan, our lord is in a fit of anger. Let's talk things out tomorrow. Why hold a grudge now?"
Pang Tong abruptly shook off his hand, his voice muffled: "Kongming, there's no need for further words. Since our lord has already said that our paths are different, my presence here is superfluous."
"Oh no, what should we do!" Zhang Fei slapped his thigh in frustration, then turned to Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong and shouted, "Zilong, Hansheng, you two go and stop Mr. Pang! We can't let him get away!"
Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong exchanged a glance, then looked at Liu Bei, who remained silent in the main seat, hesitating. Seeing this, Zhang Fei glared anxiously, "Hurry up! Do you think waiting here will only make our brother angrier? Go now!"
The two then kowtowed and bowed, then got up and quickly chased after him.
Inside the hall, Zhang Fei crawled a few steps on his knees, reached Liu Bei, and grabbed his leg, his voice trembling with tears: "Brother! Ever since Mr. Pang followed us, he has helped us conquer Nanyang and besiege Xiangyang, earning us the foundation of Jingzhou. His contributions are immense! Even though he acted hastily today, it was all for your sake, brother, and he is utterly loyal! How can you really send him away?"
Liu Bei looked down at Zhang Fei's reddened eyes, raised his hand and gently patted his head, his voice tired but with unwavering determination: "Yide, don't you all know my temperament?"
He stared at the bloodstains on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbing: "In my life, I, Liu Bei, have never been ashamed before heaven and earth, nor before my brothers, yet I have failed Mengqi. Once in Chang'an, and again today... He trusted me so much, yet I have twice put him in dire straits."
Zhang Fei grabbed Liu Bei's leg, his rough hands gripping his brother's robes tightly. His usual fierce, glaring eyes were completely gone; instead, his eyes were red-rimmed, and large tears rolled down his dark cheeks, splashing dust on the ground. He choked back sobs, his voice hoarse with emotion: "Brother! Since we brothers rose up to fight those Yellow Turban rebels, we've fought countless battles, enduring countless clashes and flashes of swords, yet we haven't even found a safe haven! Following you, even if we eat only coarse food and sleep on straw piles with swords as pillows, we'll feel at peace!"
He wiped his face, but the tears flowed even more fiercely. With a sob in his voice, he continued, "We finally managed to get Mr. Pang and with the help of Mr. Zhuge, we've managed to conquer this small territory. It wasn't easy! Our old brothers who followed us have died one after another, their bones buried in unknown places... Now we can finally catch our breath, but you want to send Mr. Pang away. Brother, brother, how can this be!" Before he could finish speaking, he burst into tears, his sobs making the candlelight in the tent flicker, and even soaking Liu Bei's clothes with tears.
Zhang Fei's words were like a key, suddenly unlocking Liu Bei's long-sealed memories. The years of wandering, living under the roof of others, the brothers lost in the chaos of war, the comrades who fell beside him—all flashed before his eyes. Looking at Zhang Fei's weeping face, he felt a mix of emotions. The harsh words that had been on the tip of his tongue remained unspoken. His eyes welled up, and two streams of tears slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the back of Zhang Fei's hand.
Liu Bei took a deep breath, reached out and pulled Zhang Fei up, wiping the tears from his face with his sleeve. He patted Zhang Fei's broad shoulder, his voice choked with emotion, "Enough, Yide, let's leave it at that for now. I won't mention it again in the future." He paused, his eyes earnest, "You must persuade Mr. Pang properly. You absolutely cannot let him leave like this and break his heart."
Seeing that his brother had relented, Zhang Fei nodded hurriedly, wiping away his tears hastily: "Hey, hey, don't worry, brother! I'll go right now!"
Looking at his somewhat reckless back, Liu Bei instructed him again: "Remember, no matter what the future holds, or where you are, a true man should be upright and honorable. Whether you achieve great things or waste your life, you must not lose your beliefs. If you lose what you firmly believe in, how can you unify the world and bring prosperity to the people in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei nodded heavily, his steps becoming more steady. He wiped his face and turned to run outside, only to bump into Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong helping Pang Tong back inside—Pang Tong, though still angry, no longer stubbornly tried to leave. Seeing this, Zhang Fei immediately adopted a tearful tone: "Mr. Pang, you're finally not leaving! My brother was just crying, he's just being stubborn, but he cherishes your talent more than anyone else!"