After everyone left, Bai Xiaowen returned to the inner hall.
Not long after, Li Shuyi led Zhao Yun into the hall.
"General Zilong, did you see the confrontation in the hall today?" Bai Xiaowen asked.
Zhao Yun wasn't used to being called by his courtesy name by Bai Xiaowen, but he didn't care about these details and just nodded silently.
"This is how the world works. What you see is only what others are willing to let you see. Everyone has a side that others don't know, such as Liu Bei. "
Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "The three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang are indeed loyal. However, this kind of brotherhood is only suitable for traveling Jianghu, not for contending for hegemony. If you follow Liu Bei, no matter how brave you are, you will never be able to integrate into the core circle of the three brothers. You will always be an outsider. "
Zhao Yun nodded and said, "I also understand this point."
Bai Xiaowen said, "Since you understand that Liu Bei isn't your wise master, why don't you come under my banner? Haven't you heard of the saying, 'A fine bird chooses a tree to nest in, and a virtuous minister chooses a master to serve?' Now that the world is divided into ten parts, I already have nine. The Sun Clan of Jiangdong will soon be pacified. If you want to follow a wise master and leave your name in history, I am the best choice. "
Zhao Yun shook his head, "Imperial Uncle Liu will always be the master I follow. This won't change because of his defeat. I appreciate the Duke Of Yan's good intentions. I am willing to die with my master and the two generals Guan and Zhang. "
Bai Xiaowen sighed. As expected, he still couldn't persuade Zhao Yun to surrender.
"General Zilong, why don't you and I make an agreement?"
Bai Xiaowen used the backup plan and said with a smile, "I can spare Liu Bei and his two brothers. However … "He paused.
Zhao Yun was somewhat surprised and then seemed to think of something, "Duke Of Yan, don't tell me you want to use my surrender as a condition for letting Imperial Uncle Liu and the two generals Guan and Zhang go?"
Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "If I really raised this condition, would you agree?"
Zhao Yun replied without hesitation, "No, I won't. A real man is born between heaven and earth. There are things that he should do and things that he should not do. My ambition is to follow my master and restore the Han Dynasty, not to confer titles to my wife and children and leave my name in the annals of history. If my master knew about this, he would definitely not agree to it. "
Bai Xiaowen shook his head. "Alright! Then I'll change my condition … "
…
That night, Bai Xiaowen invited Liu, Guan, and Zhang to a banquet.
The banquet was very sumptuous. There were songs and dances, but the host was only Bai Xiaowen. There were only three guests, Liu, Guan, and Zhang. Ge Xuan was also there to accompany them. A total of five people were drinking in the hall.
Liu Bei and the other two were indeed not ordinary people. It was clearly their last meal, but they drank their wine and talked and laughed as usual.
Bai Xiaowen praised, "Your three brothers are really heroes."
Liu Bei blushed and said, "If Liu Bei had a strong foundation, there would be no need to worry about the ordinary people in the world."
Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "What a pity. I know that you are heroes, but I can't let you live."
Liu Bei said, "If I don't kill Liu Bei, the Duke Of Yan won't be able to sleep. I don't mind dying, but I hate the fact that the Han Dynasty cannot be restored. "
Bai Xiaowen nodded and said, "Not long after I pacified Yizhou, there was a messenger from Yedu. The officials asked me to be promoted to Prince of Yan and add nine pieces of tin to show my glory."
Zhang Fei stared and sneered, "Officials made of clay and officials made of wood! The officials and generals of the court, including the emperor, are all at your mercy. "
Bai Xiaowen laughed and said, "Third General, you are not a boorish person. These two sentences hit the nail on the head."
Liu Bei stopped Zhang Fei and said to Bai Xiaowen, "The general trend of the world is like this. It is not something that can be changed by human power. I hope that after the Duke Of Yan unifies the world, he will be benevolent, eliminate the disaster of war, and return the world to prosperity. The Emperor of the Han Dynasty is not guilty. I hope that he will live to the end of his life. "
Bai Xiaowen said seriously, "It is also my wish that the world be peaceful. As for the Emperor, he is a man who understands the situation. I will not harm him. I hope that he will live a carefree life."
Liu Bei was silent for a long time. He stood up and said, "The three of us have eaten and drunk to our heart's content. Where are the executioners? You can take our heads now. "
Bai Xiaowen looked reluctant and said, "You really can't surrender to me?"
Liu Bei shook his head firmly.
Bai Xiaowen sighed. He waved his hand and ordered a servant to bring in a tray. On the tray, there was a jade pot and three golden goblets.
The servant poured wine. The wine in the jade pot was yellow.
Liu Bei said with a smile, "The three of us have been on the battlefield for half of our lives. We are very lucky to be able to die in one piece." He immediately took the middle goblet.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei each took a goblet. The three brothers stood in a circle facing each other and raised their goblets.
"We do not ask to be born in the same year, month, and day, but we ask to die in the same year, month, and day. The heavens and the earth bear witness to this. If we break this oath, we will be punished by the heavens! "
After drinking, the three brothers were exhausted and fell to the ground.
There was a commotion outside and the sound of footsteps could be heard. Zhao Yun entered the inner hall and saw that the three brothers had all fallen to the ground. He was shocked and angry and said, "You … did not keep your promise?"
Bai Xiaowen said with a smile, "Zilong, there is no need to panic."
Ge Xuan stood up and said, "General Zhao, you may not know. I was entrusted by the Young Master to refine a cauldron of 'Resurrection Pills' that can be dissolved in wine. After consuming it, you will be unconscious for half a month like a dead person. After half a month, you will wake up. "
After a pause, Ge Xuan said, "If you don't believe me, you can go and check."
Zhao Yun bent down and checked Liu Bei's pulse. He found that there was no pulse and no breath at the tip of his nose. After a long time, he could feel a faint heartbeat. It was like a hibernating tortoise. His heartbeat was extremely slow.
Zhao Yun sighed in relief. He also understood that if Bai Xiaowen was willing to go through so much trouble, he would definitely not kill Liu Bei and the other two.
However, Zhao Yun still asked, "How will the Duke Of Yan deal with my master?"
Bai Xiaowen said, "In the far east, there is a row of islands called the Eastern Ocean. I have already prepared a fast ship to send Liu Bei and the other two to the Eastern Ocean. After that, I will destroy the ship and forbid them from returning to the Central Plains. "
Bai Xiaowen had already done his research. The unification of the Three Kingdoms did not require conquering the Eastern Ocean, Southern Yue, Northern Lake, and the Western Regions. He only needed to unify the fourteen prefectures (including the newly created Yongzhou).
Zhao Yun was skeptical.
Bai Xiaowen said, "After our agreement, I will give you a sea map and a large ship. You can take Liu Bei's family and go to the Eastern Ocean to find Liu Bei."
Zhao Yun could only believe Bai Xiaowen now. He cupped his hands and thanked him.
Yizhou was settled, and Liu Bei had been dealt with. Bai Xiaowen ordered Zhang He to lead thirty thousand soldiers to the east of Ba County to support Wei Yan and take over Jingzhou.
Bai Xiaowen led the rest of the soldiers back to the capital. However, Ma Chao was missing from the list of generals in the parade.
When Bai Xiaowen asked about it, Ma Dai and Ma Yunlu knelt and asked for forgiveness.
It turned out that after Ma Chao excavated Pang Tong's grave, he returned to his hometown to observe mourning for Ma Teng. He was afraid that Bai Xiaowen would not allow it, so he left without saying goodbye.
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