The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 141 Last Wish

After waking up, Tao Qian was filled with inner turmoil. His two sons were only of average talent. For a moment, Tao Qian was filled with despair. He realized that all his years of hard work and dreams had been in vain, and he had only benefited others. After a period of inner turmoil that no one else knew about, Tao Qian finally made a decision.

He had Chen Deng summoned to his presence and said to Chen Deng, "Yuanlong, I'm afraid my body won't last much longer. While I'm still relatively lucid, promise me two things."

"Master Tao, please speak," Chen Deng said, his voice trembling with emotion.

"The first thing is to take good care of my two sons. Their abilities are limited and they can't do much. If this weren't a chaotic world, they might still be able to inherit my position, but this is a chaotic world. In a chaotic world, no matter how big the family business is, it can't be maintained if you don't have the ability. Besides, I don't have any family business left for them now."

Tao Qian said sadly, "The second thing is that after I leave, you should lead everyone to seek refuge with Prince Wei. With your talent, Yuanlong, you will surely be highly valued by Prince Wei."

"Master Tao!"

"No need for further words, my mind is made up. Yuanlong, let my two children in; I have something to say to them." Tao Qian interrupted Chen Deng's conversation, sensing that his body was nearing its end.

"He still had something to tell his child, and Chen Deng understood that. He didn't say anything more because it was no longer meaningful. Now it was just a father wanting to secure a future for his child, and he shouldn't stop him."

Chen Deng left and called Tao Qian's two children in, inviting them inside.

Calling the child in was, of course, also a way to give instructions for the funeral arrangements.

At this moment, Tao Qian and his two sons showed their true feelings. People say that true friendship is revealed in times of adversity, and perhaps this was truly the case. Lying on the bed, Tao Qian struggled to get up and said to his two sons, Tao Shang and Tao Ying, "Your father's days are numbered. You two brothers, come forward."

“Father, you will live to be a hundred years old!” Tao Shang said. Tao Ying cried and said, “Father, you will not die, you will definitely not die, you are lying to us, you are trying to deceive us.”

“My children, everyone must die eventually. No one can escape death. My time has come. From now on, you will have to rely on yourselves.”

Tao Qian laboriously raised his right hand and stroked Tao Shang and Tao Ying's heads, comforting them: "But you are different. You are still young, with many beautiful years ahead of you. You can't let them go like this. Your father has already made arrangements for your future."

"After I pass away, you should quickly take your last savings and troops to the north to seek refuge with Prince Wei. My relationship with Prince Wei is relatively friendly, and I believe he will treat you well. Don't think about conquering the world anymore; just live well and bring glory to the Tao family."

"Father, we understand." In truth, Tao Shang and Tao Ying didn't have any ambitions. Their greatest ambition was to inherit their father's position. The two brothers had even fought over Tao Qian's position, all for the sake of becoming the first in line of succession.

But now, Tao Qian has almost lost everything. No matter how much the Tao brothers, Tao Shang and Tao Ying, fight, they can't gain anything. Facing their dying father and the precarious Tao Qian, the Tao brothers finally put aside their past disputes. Now they face a more important problem: how to resolve the current predicament and preserve the Tao family's legacy.

"Xuzhou and Donghai Xiapi are still in our hands. You two brothers should immediately send someone to Qingzhou to find the influential high-ranking officials of the autonomous region and tell them that I am willing to exchange these two places and the seal of the governor of Xuzhou for the safety of my descendants," Tao Qian said to Tao Shang.

"Father!" Tao Shang and Tao Ying were truly shocked to hear their father's words. They had never imagined that their father would be willing to pay such a high price for his two children. "Father, we still have two counties. Although we are no match for Yuan Shu, we should still be able to protect ourselves, right?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong from the very beginning," Tao Qian said sadly. "Now it is the age of firearms. Xuzhou is far behind. We haven't even made a single Shenwu cannon. We've only cast three or four thousand flintlock muskets and less than thirty thousand matchlock muskets."

"With such equipment, we can't possibly defeat Yuan Shu's army. Rather than having so many innocent civilians and soldiers fight Yuan Shu to the death, why not use this little territory to secure a more stable future for our Tao family?"

“Even if you can’t become a powerful family, it would be excellent to become a great merchant under the rule of the King of Wei. At least the King of Wei has never oppressed you,” Tao Qian said.

"Your father... Your father is dying. You two brothers must... stay together..." Tao Qian tried his best to hold Tao Ying and Tao Shang's hands together, and slowly closed his eyes.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Tao Shang broke free and shouted loudly outside, "Doctor! Where the doctor is!"

Soon, Chen Deng and the doctor, who had been waiting outside, rushed in. The doctor grabbed Tao Qian's right hand, took his pulse, and then shook his head at Chen Deng with a deep expression. There was no hope.

"How is Father?" Tao Shang quickly asked the doctor.

The doctor, whose clothes had been grabbed, showed no displeasure. He slowly pushed Tao Shang's hand away and said to him, "The lord's health was already poor, and the recent days of travel and exhaustion have left him beyond saving. Young general, you should prepare for the lord's funeral as soon as possible!"

"Father!"

On February 26th, in the year 2190 of the Yellow Emperor's reign, Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, passed away in Xiapi City, leaving this world forever. After Tao Qian's two sons, Tao Shang and Tao Ying, hurriedly arranged his funeral, Chen Deng took the lead.

He sent a delegation to Qingzhou to meet Gao Shun, expressing his willingness to conditionally cede Xiapi and Donghai to the autonomous region and place them under the rule of His Highness the Prince of Wei. Their condition was to guarantee the safety of the Tao family and to arrange a place of refuge for the two Tao brothers and the rest of the Tao family in Youzhou.

Chen Er quickly agreed to this condition and ordered Gao Shun to lead the First Army Corps south immediately to take over the cities of Xiapi and Donghai. These places were temporarily designated as military-controlled areas, with Gao Shun's First Army Corps stationed there permanently.

At the same time, Man Chong immediately went south to take charge of the administrative work in northern Xuzhou and establish the Xuzhou Northern Special Zone. After the Xuzhou Northern Special Zone had a stable government structure, the military control would be lifted.