Zhang Quan was taken to Kunyang. It was already the next morning when he was brought directly to the government office to see Zhuge Liang.
As soon as he reached the door, he was stopped by Zhou Cang. He saw several people in the hall looking nervous, while Guan Yu was playing chess with Zhuge Liang there.
There is a brazier under the stage with medicinal soup boiling on it. Guan Yu exposes his left arm, and an old man with white hair and a youthful face takes out props from the brazier.
Zhang Quan's face changed drastically upon seeing this. He thought to himself that Guan Yu, a great general, actually wanted to torture him. There were so many torture instruments, all of which were finger-sized knives and sharp spikes with hooks. Was he going to skin him alive and pull out his tendons
Thinking of this, Zhang Quan shuddered all over, cold sweat broke out, and he knelt down at the door with a plop: "General Guan, spare me, I don't know anything!"
Zhou Cang ran over quickly, gritted his teeth and whispered, "Stop making noise."
Zhang Quan was startled, and the old man sighed, "I dare to treat you. I will cut open the skin and flesh and scrape off the poison on the bone. Please be patient."
Guan Yu held a piece in his hand, pondered for a moment, and slowly placed it on the chessboard, ignoring the old man's words.
Zhang Quan was stunned until he realized that he was going to treat Guan Yu's injury. He stood up awkwardly, leaning against the door frame. His whole body was soaked with sweat, and he shivered again as the cold wind blew.
The old man took a knife, held Guan Yu's arm, and cut a half-foot long wound. Then he cut the flesh and blood gushed out into the copper basin with a dripping sound.
Zhang Quan gritted his teeth and dared not look straight at it. He turned his head and heard a teeth-grinding squeaking sound. When he looked over again, his mouth suddenly opened wide.
The old man actually used another knife to scrape the bone. The blade scraped against the arm bone, and the sound continued to be heard. Everyone present changed color and several people lowered their heads.
Zhuge Liang on the opposite side frowned and looked at Guan Yu's arm nervously, but Guan Yu remained calm, made another move, took a gulp of wine from the bowl, and laughed loudly: "Military Advisor, it's your turn!"
Zhuge Liang was slightly startled, then he remembered to gently wave his feather fan to fan the two men in the cold weather. When he picked up the chess pieces and looked at them again, he exclaimed: "Your Excellency's chess skills are amazing. You have pushed me into a dead end!"
Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled, "I have played chess with the military advisor, and I have never won even if I gave him two pieces. Today, I was lucky enough to get the first move. It's because the military advisor is restless!"
When Zhang Quan saw this, he didn't know why he suddenly felt panicky, short of breath and dizzy. He was a little unsteady on his feet and could only stand by leaning against the door. He wanted to remind Guan Yu loudly that the knife had scraped his arm!
Zhuge Liang made another move. The two of them played chess only when the basin was almost full of black blood. Then they stopped. They first applied herbs and then used needle and thread to sew the flesh. Guan Yu remained calm.
When everything was done, not only Zhang Quan, but everyone was sweating profusely. The old man also dropped the blade in his hand and sat on the ground gasping for breath.
In the silence, Guan Yu stood up and laughed, "Military Advisor, you have completely lost this time."
"We lost!" Zhuge Liang shook his head and sighed, then stood up and bowed deeply to Guan Yu: "Your Excellency is so courageous that you can scrape your bones to treat the poison without changing your expression. You are truly unique in ancient and modern times!"
The old man also sighed and said, "Hua Tuo has never seen such a situation in his entire medical practice. Your Excellency is truly a god!"
Zhang Quan was shocked. He never thought that the old man was Hua Tuo. Cao Cao had previously sought medical treatment for his headache but to no avail. Now this old man actually came to Xiangyang.
Guan Yu helped Hua Tuo up, clasped his fists and said, "The pain and numbness in my arm are gone. Sir, you are truly a miraculous doctor."
Hua Tuo wiped the sweat off his face and sighed, "I have been practicing medicine for most of my life. Fortunately, I have been treated well by you, my lord, and I have seen your bravery. I have no regrets in this life!"
The soldiers were also frightened and took a long time to come back to their senses. They hurried inside to report. Zhuge Liang invited Guan Yu and others to rest in the hall and set up a banquet to thank Hua Tuo.
When Zhang Quan was brought into the lobby, he felt cold all over. He had just sweated a lot, and the cold wind made him feel cold all over and shiver.
Zhuge Liang drank three cups of wine in public, which was rare. He then calmed down and said to Zhang Quan, "General Guan's arrow wound was poisonous. Do you know who designed it?"
Zhang Quan was already shocked by Guan Yu's momentum, and was still in shock. He subconsciously shook his head and said, "This matter has nothing to do with me."
"If it had anything to do with you, how could I have survived?" Zhuge Liang said, "This was Jia Wenhe's plan to set up an ambush. We were willing to accept defeat, but they used this despicable and vicious plan. It was too much."
Zhang Quan was shocked. Half a month ago, Zhang Liao and Guan Yu had fought each other and both had won and lost. A few days ago, he heard that Kunyang had fallen and thought that Guan Yu had won a great victory. Unexpectedly, he was also ambushed by Jia Xu.
His mind raced, but he said, "Although Jia Xu and my father are old friends, they have each performed their duties since arriving at Cao's camp, and there has not been much contact. I am not aware of this matter."
Seeing Zhang Quan trying to excuse himself, Zhuge Liang asked calmly, "Do you know what the consequences would be if General Guan was attacked like this, or if Dr. Hua didn't treat his injuries?"
"This..." Zhang Quan was stunned and didn't know how to answer.
Zhuge Liang said: "Uncle Liu was killed by Cai Mao, and the Cai family was exterminated. Generals Guan and Zhang were entrusted to Master Liu. They have always been treated as elders and relatives. If they die on the battlefield, I will have no complaints. If they are plotted against by villains, I will take revenge even if I chase them to the ends of the earth!"
Zhang Quan was stunned and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
Zhuge Liang sighed, "Fortunately, you escaped unharmed, and the matter has been resolved. Now Cao Cao has fled far to the north of the desert, Cao's army is facing the enemy from all sides, and General Guan has already broken through the Central Plains. I'm sure you are aware of the situation! You are not Cao's generals. You went with the flow and protected yourself in the past. You should recognize the overall situation."
Zhang Quan was completely confused and clasped his fists and said, "I wonder if you have any advice for me, sir?"
Zhuge Liang said, "I don't want you to stay. I just want you to bring something to Jia Xu and tell him what I said."
Zhang Quan was pleasantly surprised: "Are you really going to let me go back?"
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "How can we joke in the army? Your father's body has been buried outside the city. You can bring it back to Xuchang and bury it properly."
"Really?" Zhang Quan stood up in shock.
Zhuge Liang sighed, "If the princes had not coexisted and each had his own different intentions, how could there be any strife in the world? Now the two armies are at war, each serving its own master. At that time, I had no choice but to bury him, recognize the situation, and do not be stubborn."
Zhang Quan was impressed by Guan Yu's demeanor today, and was indeed a little disheartened by Zhang Xiu's death. He clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your tolerance, sir. No matter what it is, I will personally hand it over to Jia Xu, and from now on return home and no longer serve Cao."
Zhuge Liang ordered someone to fetch a brocade bag and gave it to Zhang Quan, saying, "I heard that Jia Wenhe is old and weak, and his eyesight is blurry. I just asked Hua Tuo for a good medicine. If you give it to him, it will surely cure his illness."
Zhang Quan was stunned. Zhuge Liang had just said that he wanted to seek revenge on Jia Xu, and then he sent medicine. What was going on
Without waiting for further questions, Zhuge Liang ordered people to take him away and prepare wine and food.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they were sent outside the city, where they saw a carriage waiting for them. On the carriage was a coffin, which contained Zhang Xiu's body.
Zhang Quan was escorted out of the country. He was worried along the way and was afraid that Zhuge Liang would frame him, so he secretly opened the brocade bag.
There was only a piece of angelica, a piece of aconite, and a half-burned charcoal inside, and I couldn't figure out what it was.