Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 13: Secrets and Idioms (4.4k)

Guanzhong.

The mouth of the inclined valley.

Four or five hundred Han soldiers dressed in Shu clothing set up tents and checkpoints at the end of the Xiegu plank road, not allowing any outsiders to pass.

A young general in a white robe and white helmet and white armor sat on the edge of the plank road, his feet dangling in the air, gazing towards the north.

At the end of the sight is the fortress called Meiwu, which was built by Dong Zhuo forty years ago.

This is the advantage of being in a high position. It takes at least one day for Cao's army to march from Meiwu to the Han army camp.

These Han troops on the mountain can observe the enemy's movement at the first moment.

As soon as Cao's army left the fort, they could notify the people down the mountain to respond.

The young general in white robe looked in the distance for a long time but saw no movement, so he turned his attention to the nearby Han army camp.

Viewed from this height, an experienced person could easily see that this large camp, which appeared to be able to accommodate 40,000 to 50,000 troops, had a coming and going that was not consistent with the size of the camp.

Too sparse.

His eyes turned to the nearby Qinling Mountains, where soldiers in charge of collecting firewood were carrying bundles of firewood and slowly coming down the mountain towards the Han camp.

Suddenly, he vaguely heard a sound of drums coming from the Xiegu plank road behind him.

With doubt, he turned around and looked at the last big corner of the Xiegu plank road.

As the sound of drums echoing between the two mountains grew closer, two knights holding halberds finally appeared in his sight.

He was startled at first.

After a while, when all twenty-four knights holding halberds and leading the way appeared, the expression on the face of the young general in white robe became more and more weird.

Anyone with a little common sense knows that using twenty-four halberds to clear the way is the ceremonial procession for the emperor's travels.

Soon, the so-called five-colored dragon banners, consisting of six sides each of blue, white, red, yellow, and black, all appeared on the plank road, fluttering in the wind of the canyon.

In the middle, under a three-flagged golden banner topped with a yak tail, a man wearing armor and helmet is reining a white horse and galloping slowly forward.

"General Xiao Zhao, why is there such a big scene? Who is coming?" The military commander beside Zhao Tong had never seen such a big scene before.

"See that dragon banner in the middle, topped with a yak tail and three fluttering tails?"

Zhao Tong asked.

"Who else do you think it could be?"

The military commander shook his head.

Zhao Tong curled his lips and said, "Anyone with a little common sense knows that this thing is called the Jinwu Banner, and it is used exclusively by the emperor. The Jinwu Banner is here, which means that the emperor of the Han Dynasty is also here."

"Ah?!" The military commander was stunned. "Why is the emperor here?!"

Zhao Tong shook his head.

He had thought a few days ago that the emperor had just come to Jigu for hunting and fun, but who knew that the emperor had somehow made his father angry and drank to his heart's content.

Who would have thought that he would come today with flags, drums and full ceremonial equipment?

And he was even wearing armor. Was he showing off his power in front of the two armies?
So that's why my father was so angry that day?
The military commander suddenly thought of something: "Could it be that the Prime Minister has already won in Longyou?!"

Zhao Tong originally wanted to shake his head.

Because his father had analyzed that if the Prime Minister won in Longyou, the news would be transmitted to Jigu first, not Chengdu.

But in the end, he nodded excitedly to the military commander and said, "It's possible, otherwise the emperor would never leave Chengdu to supervise the front line!"

In fact, only a very few people in the army knew that the troops leaving Xie Valley were a decoy, and only a very few people knew how many troops were in the camp on the right side of Xieshui.

It is said that things are accomplished through secrecy and ruined through disclosure.

If even a small soldier knew that he was a decoy and knew how many troops he had, the news would quickly reach Cao's camp.

When two armies face each other, both sides will spare no expense, fame and status and try their best to buy information from the other side.

No matter which side, no matter when, there will never be a shortage of spies, or traitors.

Unless the person who commands the troops is mediocre.

The emperor's carriage was soon approaching Zhao Tong. Zhao Tong put away his sword, bow, and crossbow and stepped forward to pay his respects. "Your Majesty, I, Zhao Tong, have been ordered to guard the plank road!"

Liu Chan dismounted and helped Zhao Tong up. He then took Zhao Tong to a place away from his troops and took out his sword from his waist and handed it to him.

"General Xiao Zhao, this is the sword given to the late emperor, engraved with the characters Shang Fang.

"If things don't go well, we can execute them first and report them later. General Xiao Zhao, please act accordingly."

Zhao Tong was shocked and wanted to reach out to take it, but found that he could not lift his hand.

He is just a guard, holding the imperial sword, and he kills first and reports later, just acting on the spot?

When will that be?
Why do things not go well?

Why act with a camera?

Why do we have to act first and report later?

Isn’t the emperor here to have fun?

Before he could sort out the mess in his mind, the emperor had already pulled up his hand and solemnly handed him the sword to slash horses. Then he turned around and walked away, jumping onto his horse.

After a long time, the emperor's Jinwu flag set foot on the Guanzhong Plain.

At this time, thousands of accompanying troops had all passed the checkpoint built on the plank road by Zhao Tong and others.

The one leading the charge was Deng Zhi.

Zhao Tong, who already had the imperial sword given to him on his waist, was extremely surprised when Deng Zhi signaled him to be silent.

These people were sent here this morning to set up tents and checkpoints to guard the entrance to the plank road.

Therefore, it is unknown when Deng Zhi crossed the plank road to welcome the emperor.

Deng Zhi took Zhao Tong to a deserted place, glanced at the horse-slaying sword at Zhao Tong's waist, and patted Zhao Tong on the shoulder:

"Secrecy is the key to success, while disclosure leads to failure. Your Majesty has entrusted you with the important task of state, so please do your best!"

Zhao Tong just felt his legs go weak.

Things are accomplished through secrecy, but are ruined through disclosure?
What is your majesty planning?
Why is the important task of serving the country entrusted to me?

...

...

breaking Dawn.

Meiwu.

Cao Zhen, who was still asleep, heard a knock on the door.

Without any displeasure, he quickly stood up and ran to open the door without even bothering to put on his shoes.

"General, a bandit from Shu has arrived outside the fort, claiming to have important news to report!"

Cao Zhen was immediately delighted.

After so many days and spending so much money, I finally get some news!

"pass."

"only!"

Not long after, a man in black with a rat-like look walked into the conference room where Cao Zhen was.

Cao Zhen put on a fake smile: "Tell me, what do you want?"

The man in black asked, "Are you the great general of Wei?"

Cao Zhen nodded.

The man in black said happily, "Then I'll tell you the news. You can decide for yourself."

"Row."

"Liu Chan, the pseudo-Han emperor, arrived at the Xiegu camp yesterday at noon!"

Cao Zhen was shocked.
"what?!"

The man then repeated it.

"wait."

Cao Zhen said this and went out. After giving a few instructions, he came back and sat on the straw mat in the middle without saying a word, and began to think for a long time.

Only the rat-looking man in black was left standing in the middle of the hall, looking like a minion who dared not to utter a word.

Soon, all the Cao army officers above 2,000 stones and the general's staff arrived at the conference hall.

"General, what happened?"

Du Xi, the military advisor to the general, glanced at the little man in the middle of the conference room whose legs were shaking.

After a few glances, he could tell that this person had a typical Bashu appearance, and realized that he must be a spy.

But the general's expression was serious, as if it was bad news.

Cao Zhen raised his chin and gestured to the spy: "Go ahead."

"Reporting to the General, the pseudo-Han Emperor Liu Chan arrived at the Xiegu camp yesterday at noon."

The black-clad man's voice was slightly lower, and he trembled slightly, but it still caused a shocking sensation in the room. The room was filled with generals and lieutenants of the Wei Dynasty, with salaries above 2,000 dan, and even higher-ranking generals' families, yet not a single one of them was not suddenly bewildered and uneasy.

"Could it be that Longyou has already been defeated?"

"Or perhaps, the Longyou side is just a decoy, and the Shu invaders are all here?"

"Otherwise, why would that false emperor personally lead the army to the front lines?"

Everyone couldn't help but be shocked.

Since the other side's emperor has come, he can only be here to win military merits and accumulate prestige, which can only mean that he must be determined to win!

Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to appear in the military camp and fight in person!
You must know that although the Emperor of Wei personally led the army into Guanzhong, he only stayed in Chang'an. How could he dare to come to the front line like Meiwu!

Cao Zhen suppressed his fear and asked the spy:

"What is your position in Shu?"

"Reporting to the General, I will lead the Qu army to wait."

Cao Zhen frowned immediately: "How could a mere officer like you know that the false emperor was personally leading the army?"

The spy said, "The false emperor led seven or eight thousand men out of Xiegu, with banners and ceremonial equipment, and almost everyone in the camp saw him!"

"Seven or eight thousand troops?" Cao Zhen was shocked again and felt even more confused.

"Did you read that correctly?"

"I estimate about 7,000 or 8,000. I can't tell the exact number."

Cao Zhen was silent for a while, then asked, "Do you have any other news?"

"No...no more."

"So, are you planning to return to the Shu Camp and gather more information for us, or are you planning to collect the reward directly?"

"General, I escaped under the cover of darkness. I'm sure the Shu invaders will find me by daybreak. Even if I want to continue serving you, I can't go back."

Cao Zhen nodded, called a guard over and gave him a few instructions.

The guard nodded, then walked straight towards the spy and said coldly, "Come on, follow me to claim the reward."

The spy was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something, and hurriedly cried and begged for mercy, saying that what he said was true.

Cao Zhen's guards caught him in no time and took him away.

Cao Zhen and others ignored the spy's screams and cries.

After that person's voice completely disappeared, the generals and the general's subordinates in the hall finally exploded and started talking about it.

They don’t understand what the Shu bandits have done in the past five years?
The large camp on the right bank of the sloping water looked to have a population of forty to fifty thousand people.

Now the false emperor has brought another seven or eight thousand men from Shu to lead the army in person.

And how many people are there in Longyou to cause all the counties in Longyou to rebel?
This must be no less than 100,000 troops, right?

One hundred thousand troops!

After learning that the Han army had invaded Longyou and Guanzhong, the Emperor of Wei sent 100,000 troops from Luoyang into Guanzhong.

How could the Shu invaders have an army of 100,000?!

Cao Zhen had previously predicted that Longyou was most likely the main force of the Han army, so he sent Zhang He to lead 50,000 troops to Longyou.

There are only 30,000 troops in this Meiwu.

The remaining 20,000 are in Chang'an.

Together with the 10,000 Chang'an defenders led by General Anxi Xiahou Meng, there were a total of 30,000 troops stationed in Chang'an.

"General, I think something is fishy." Military advisor Du Xi stood up.

Cao Zhen motioned for him to continue.

"Why is the fake emperor making such a fuss?" Du Xi asked.

“Maybe it’s just to let us know that he’s coming and confuse us.

"We were led to believe that he was the main force. In fact, that camp might be an empty one, just for show!"

Cao Zhen nodded directly: "I was thinking the same thing just now, it's not impossible.

"But isn't this too risky? If that camp is just bluffing, then isn't the false emperor afraid of an accident and being captured alive by us?"

General Sima Hao Zhao stood up and objected:
"General, as the saying goes, if you know your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. The false emperor is weak and everyone in the world knows it. If he hadn't been so sure of victory, he probably wouldn't have taken such a risky action!
"Zhuge Liang is known for his prudence. If he wasn't sure, how could he have allowed the false emperor to lead the army in person?"

Cao Zhen and Du Xi both fell silent.

What Hao Zhao said makes sense.

Such a risky move is totally unlike the style of Zhuge Liang and Liu Adou.

In fact, many great Confucian scholars and celebrities in Shu had regular correspondence with famous Wei figures such as Chen Qun, Zhong Yao, Hua Xin, and Wang Lang, revealing a lot of information about Zhuge Liang and Adou.

Putting aside what Zhuge Liang was like, Adou was a complete waste and was sidelined by Zhuge Liang.

This is what the emperor meant when he said, "Liang admires the reputation of being the king, but inwardly he covets the power of monopolizing power."

Cao Zhen said, "No matter what, let's go to Chang'an and tell His Majesty the news."

...

...

Changan.

Cao Rui was having a meal when he heard the news that Liu Chan had come to the Han camp in person.

His expression just changed slightly, and he took spoonful after spoonful of the soup into his mouth, motioning the general's advisor to continue.

"Your Majesty, I think it would be better to have the general move his troops to the entrance of the Xie Valley. We will know the truth after a test."

Cao Rui still didn't speak.

The eunuch beside him said:

"Your Majesty is having dinner. Please ask the General and the Military Advisor to wait outside the palace."

Du Xi bowed and took small steps back.

Although he had also heard some rumors that His Majesty seemed to be silent because of a stutter.

But after hearing that Liu Chan would lead the army in person, he did not show any emotion.

Do not be greedy because of its emptiness, nor be afraid because of its reality.

This is enough to show that His Majesty's character is much stronger than most people imagine.

The so-called silence, in his view at this moment, seemed to be a kind of calmness and decisiveness that could keep calm even when facing a crisis.

After a while, the eunuch in white came out and announced, "Your Majesty orders the general to wait and see what happens and await news from Longyou."

"Yes!"

Du Xi retreated, feeling even more emotional.

Not long after, Chen Qun, the Minister of Works of the Wei Dynasty who was entrusted by Cao Pi to assist in the administration of the country, was summoned into the palace.

"Chen Sikong, the general has sent word that the puppet Liu Adou has raised an army of nearly 10,000 and has personally visited the camp at Xiegukou to comfort the troops and supervise the battle. What do you think?"

Cao Rui looked quite relaxed and playful when he spoke.

On the other hand, Chen Qun's face was filled with shock and he was speechless for a long time.

After a long time, Chen Qun urgently advised: "Your Majesty should return to Luoyang as soon as possible!"

Before Cao Rui personally led the army, most of the court officials advised him not to leave Luoyang and put himself in danger.

In recent days, rumors have been spreading from Luoyang that the emperor has passed away, and that the ministers accompanying him are ready to enthrone Prince Yongqiu Cao Zhi as emperor.

The emperor also heard about it, but remained unmoved.

But no matter what, just one month after the emperor left Luoyang, undercurrents had already begun to surge in Guandong.

And now the emperor of the pseudo-Han Dynasty actually led the army in person, and brought nearly 10,000 troops from Shu.

Chen Qun couldn't help but feel panicked, thinking that there was no need for the emperor to take such a big risk.

"What kind of person is Zhuge Liang?" Cao Rui asked, ignoring Chen Qun's advice.

Chen Qun said: "He is a talent that can assist the king."

Cao Rui then asked, "If you were him, would you let Liu Adou lead the expedition to Jigu?"

Chen Qun: "No, Zhuge Liang is not a man who takes risks."

Cao Rui asked again: "Why did Liu Adou come?"

Chen Qun thought for a moment and said, "I don't know."

Cao Rui smiled, then turned and left, leaving the Great Wei Sikong there.

Chen Qun didn't know, but he knew.

This fake emperor of Han probably has the same idea as him, and wants to take this opportunity to take back some of his own power?
Let’s see who will win.

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(End of this chapter)