The wind moaned; snow blanketed Chang'an.
The Han Army and Wei Army had faced each other across Hong Gou for nearly two and a half years, neither side yielding an inch.
Cao Wei had put Sima Yi in command, and with bumper harvests across the Central Plains year after year, it had ample provisions and a wealth of troops and generals. The Wei Army's strength had soared! Ji Han, by contrast, had suffered one disaster after another ever since Liu Bei made Chang'an its capital. Poor harvests in Guanzhong and the Shu Region had become the norm.
Rumors that Han had lost the Mandate of Heaven and was not destined to rise again had gradually spread throughout the land, growing more rampant by the day.
Had it not been for its vast territory, and for Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong's skill in governing, the newborn Ji Han Empire would have collapsed in an instant.
The ruler and ministers of Ji Han could not understand. Had Heaven truly abandoned Han?
Why had they suffered so many natural disasters over the past two years? Why had Cao Wei enjoyed year after year of good harvests?
In the autumn of Zhangwu Year 3, Liu Bei fell ill.
His illness struck like a collapsing mountain.
In Changle Palace, he gripped Zhuge Liang's hand tightly. His face pale, he murmured, "Prime Minister... I... Could it be that I truly lack the Mandate of Heaven? Why does Heaven and Earth treat my Great Han so harshly?"
With tears in his eyes, Zhuge Liang knelt beside the bed and said, "Your Majesty, Shi Yuan and I will attend to state affairs. Please, take care of your health!"
"I... fear I won't live to see..."
"Great Han restored."
Liu Bei did not live to see the Unification of