Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Xiling, as the front line of Shu Han's defense against Wei, has been garrisoned by General Wei Yan, who has been in charge of the Eastern Expedition, for four years since the ninth year of the Taihe era in the Wei calendar.

Ten thousand Shu soldiers and ten thousand Wu soldiers handed over by Sun Deng in the past—this was Wei Yan's entire force here.

Twenty years ago, Wei Yan was ordered by Liu Bei to guard Hanzhong, a crucial military stronghold in the north. Twenty years later, Wei Yan is still stationed on the border, facing pressure from the Wei army in Jiangling.

However, in those twenty years, Shu Han lost Jingzhou and Hanzhong, and its repeated failed northern expeditions weakened its national strength. This was not due to a lack of popular support, but rather the inevitable trend of the times.

At present, it is the thirteenth year of Taihe in Wei and the seventeenth year of Jianxing in Shu Han.

As a general commanding troops at the front, Wei Yan's keen intuition alerted him to the impending major event. In fact, as Wei's campaign against Wu became increasingly peaceful, tensions within Shu Han grew. Since April, Wei Yan had frequently dispatched scouts to the Zhijiang and Yidao areas.

On May 3, a scout team of twenty riders went missing fifty miles west of Zhijiang.

On May 7, a team of thirty elite scouts lost contact with Xiling in the mountains north of Yidao.

On May 14th, another scout team of twenty riders lost contact with the rear in the northwest of Zhijiang...

The losses of scouts continued until early June. All indications suggest that the Wei army had increased its defenses against scouts, a stark contrast to the peaceful state of affairs of the previous years.

Wei Yan himself could no longer sit still in Xiling and decided to personally lead his elite cavalry to Zhijiang to investigate.

"Issue my order: Commander Chen, select one hundred elite cavalrymen, three horses per man, to accompany me to Tiger Tooth Mountain Fortress in half an hour." Wei Yan, holding a message from Tiger Tooth Mountain that another group of scouts had gone missing, put his other hand on his hip and said to his commander, "Once we reach Tiger Tooth Mountain, I will personally lead them to Zhijiang to investigate! I wonder what Wei is up to in Zhijiang!"

Sima Zhao Xi showed some concern: "General, you bear the heavy responsibility of an entire army. How can you personally lead the cavalry to the front to scout? What if something goes wrong?"

Wei Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he shook his head and said, "So many scouts have disappeared. As the commander-in-chief, it is my duty to find the reason. The Wei army's military system is that twenty cavalrymen form a scout team. Several teams of our scouts have gone missing, so they must have encountered Wei cavalry in pursuit."

"I personally lead a hundred elite guards, each with three horses, moving swiftly like the wind. What is there to fear?"

Seeing that Zhao Xi was still hesitant, Wei Yan whispered, "Don't hesitate any longer, go find Commander Chen immediately!"

"Your subordinate obeys." Zhao Xi had no choice but to accept the order and leave.

At noon on June 4th, Wei Yan led one hundred elite cavalrymen out of Xiling City and arrived at the Shu army's outpost fortress at Tiger Tooth Mountain that evening.

On the morning of June 5th, Wei Yan led his cavalry towards Zhijiang. After circling around to the northwest, they arrived at a location about ten miles north of Zhijiang City, where they finally spotted a long stretch of Wei army camps on the plains to the east from a low hill.

Before Wei Yan could even take a few more glances, Sima Chenshi came to report: "General, our scouts have spotted a group of about twenty or thirty Wei cavalrymen heading this way. We should retreat."

"Withdraw?" Wei Yan sneered. "You send ten men to guard the horses here. The remaining ninety riders will join me in annihilating this cavalry force before we leave!"

"Yes!" Chen Shi replied with a fist and palm salute.

……

Several days later, in northern Yizhou, at Baishui Pass.

At the Zhenbei General's Mansion, a middle-aged man who looked like a merchant was led into the mansion by a group of armored soldiers.

"Reporting to the general, Commander Huo has returned from Hanzhong."

"Oh?" Wang Ping stood up in surprise upon hearing this, and nodded: "Quickly, bring him in!"

Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, Wang Ping frowned and asked, "Huo Fang? What brings you here at this hour?"

Huo Fang, who looked like a middle-aged merchant, repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "General, it's not that I insisted on escaping back, but that something is about to happen in Hanzhong in Wei. The mountain roads used to smuggle Shu brocade were blocked by Wei soldiers several months ago, and many passes have been set up to patrol."

“Since the end of April, the Wei army has been transporting grain from Guanzhong to Hanzhong via the old road. The continuous stream of grain ships is no ordinary supply. I was worried that the Wei army was about to launch a war, so I rushed back via the mountain road to inform the general of this.”

Wang Ping's face showed a hint of solemnity: "Absolutely true?"

"Absolutely true!" Huo Fang raised his right hand as if making a solemn vow: "If I have uttered even the slightest lie, may I die a horrible death!"

"I understand. You may leave now." Wang Ping sighed softly. "Do not make this public. Stay in your residence for a while, and I will discuss this further after I obtain the imperial decree." "Your subordinate obeys." Huo Fang bowed and then slowly retreated.

Even during the war between Wei and Shu, small-scale smuggling still occurred, and Huo Fang was a spy under Wang Ping's command who used the smuggling of Shu brocade as a pretext.

Indeed, at this time, Wang Ping was in charge of the defense of the northern front of Shu Han. In the fifteenth year of Jianxing, Wu Yi, who had been stationed in Baishui for many years, died of illness. The Chengdu court conferred upon Wang Ping the title of General Zhenbei, and his post was transferred from Yinping to Baishui, where he was fully responsible for the defense of the entire northern front of Shu Han, including the Yinping, Baishui, and Yang'an Pass line.

With the continuous recovery of the economy in Shu, the reduction of foreign wars, and the rise of military settlements, the military strength of the Shu Han court gradually increased to 120,000, which was the result of the complete assimilation of the military force that Sun Deng had handed over to Wu.

General Wei Yan, who was in charge of the Eastern Expedition, was appointed as the Governor of Xiling, responsible for the defense of the line from Yong'an, Baidi City, Zigui, and Xiling. There were 20,000 troops near Xiling and 10,000 troops stationed in Baidi City, for a total of 30,000 troops.

General Wang Ping, the General Who Guards the North, was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Baishui, responsible for the defense of the northern borders of Yinping and Zitong counties. The four passes from north to south—Yang'an Pass, Baishui Pass, Jiameng Pass, and Jiange Pass—were all under Wang Ping's command, with a total force of 30,000 troops.

Wu Ban was promoted to General Who Guards the East, leading 10,000 troops and responsible for the defense of Bazhou Commandery. Ma Zhong, the Governor of Yijiang Commandery, was stationed in Wei County of Jianning Commandery, leading 4,000 troops. Zong Yu, the General Who Pacifies the East, was stationed in Jiangzhou, leading 6,000 troops.

In addition to the above-mentioned distribution, 20,000 imperial guards were stationed to protect Chengdu, and 20,000 outer troops were stationed in Fuxian County as a strategic reserve to provide timely assistance to the north.

Wang Ping dismissed his attendants and pondered alone in the mansion for more than half an hour before emerging from the hall and leading his personal guards out of the city to the military camp five miles south of Baishui City.

This is where General Hu Ji stationed his troops.

Hu Ji was surprised to hear that Wang Ping had come. He quickly went out to greet him, saying, "Why did the Commander come all the way from Baishui to the camp? If there is anything you need, please send someone to inform me, and I will go to Baishui to pay my respects."

Wang Ping looked around carefully, then recounted what he had just learned. He then said in a deep voice, “General Hu, you have a very good personal relationship with the Prime Minister, and His Majesty often values ​​you. I’m afraid that if someone else went to Chengdu, I wouldn’t be able to do my job well. That’s why I came from Baishui, hoping that you would go to Chengdu in person.”

Hu Ji pursed his lips slightly, his chest heaving a few times, and then nodded seriously: "Don't worry, Governor, I will return to Chengdu after dawn tomorrow."

"Very well, thank you General Hu." Wang Ping's face was still full of worry: "Four years ago, the Wei Kingdom launched a large-scale military campaign against the Wu Kingdom. In the four years since, the Wei Kingdom has made no moves in the north or east, but we have heard that there have been some unusual movements in Jiaozhou. The Wei Kingdom often holds back its attacks, but once it attacks, it will surely gain something... If the Wei Kingdom really does send a large army, the court must be on full alert and cannot relax its guard in the slightest."

"General Hu, I have been deeply favored by His Majesty and the Prime Minister to command the Baishui region. However, if the Wei Kingdom were to mobilize the entire nation's army, it would be best for the Prime Minister to personally come to Baishui to oversee the entire campaign. My concerns cannot be fully expressed in a few words; I urge General Hu to speak carefully upon arriving in Chengdu..."

Hu Ji clasped his hands in a salute: "No need for the governor to explain, I understand. Tomorrow is the sixteenth, and it is more than eight hundred li from here to Chengdu. I will definitely arrive on the nineteenth or twentieth. Please take care of the troops in my camp, governor. If there is any urgent military situation, I hope the governor will handle it carefully."

Wang Ping nodded emphatically.

The next morning, Hu Ji led ten riders south at breakneck speed, and arrived in Chengdu on the afternoon of the 19th.

After arriving in Chengdu, Hu Ji, as was customary, sent someone to the Prime Minister's residence to inform him of his return from Baishui Pass, and then went to the Chengdu Palace to request an audience with Liu Shan.

Everything went smoothly. Even though it was already sunset, Hu Ji was summoned in less than a quarter of an hour. Hu Ji carefully entered the palace. As soon as he entered the Longde Hall where Liu Shan handled state affairs, and was about to bow, he noticed that the four officials—Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Jiang Wan, Military Advisor General Yang Yi, and Protector of the Army Fei Yi—were all looking at him with serious expressions.

Hu Ji's heart skipped a beat, but he made no mistake in etiquette and knelt down to pay his respects: "Your subject Hu Ji greets Your Majesty! I have been ordered by Governor Wang to return from Baishui, and I have important matters to report to the court!"

Sitting in the center of the hall, Liu Shan shook his head with a wry smile: "General Hu, what important matter do you wish to discuss? Could it be that the Wei army in the north has made a move, perhaps preparing to advance?"

Hu Ji raised his head in surprise: "Your Majesty is a man of extraordinary wisdom!"

"Rise, please." Liu Shan sighed softly. "Three days ago, Wei Zhengdong's messenger from Xiling arrived in Chengdu, saying that Wei has begun to reinforce its troops in the Zhijiang area, seemingly indicating that it is about to launch an attack. If Wei makes a move in Jingzhou, Yongliang and Hanzhong will certainly follow suit at the same time. There is no need to guess."

"General Hu, how is everything at Baishui?"

Hu Ji stood up, his heart pounding with anxiety: "Your Majesty, before I departed, Commander Wang instructed me to strengthen vigilance in the north to prevent an attack by the Wei army. Commander Wang also said that if the Wei army were to attack, the morale of the army might be better if the Prime Minister could personally oversee the situation at Baishui..."

"Alright, I understand." Liu Shan nodded. "General Hu has come from afar, so please go and rest. Go outside and find Attendant-in-Ordinary Dong; he will arrange your lodgings and meals."

"Your subject obeys the decree and takes his leave." Hu Ji pursed his lips and then took his leave.

As Hu Ji stepped out of the hall, his anxiety gradually eased. That's how it is in the court; as long as the Prime Minister is still there, even the biggest problems can gradually calm down. The generals, both inside and outside the court, have such unwavering faith in Zhuge Liang that Wang Ping even took the initiative to request Zhuge Liang to take charge.

That night, Zhuge Liang and his entourage stayed in the Longde Hall until late before leaving to return to their residences. (End of Chapter)