My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Upon hearing Sima Yi's arrangement, Wang Ji was stunned for a moment, his face filled with astonishment and confusion.

His expression was as if he had witnessed something incredible.

He stared wide-eyed at Sima Yi, unable to fathom what Sima Yi meant.
At this moment, Sima Yi was in the army at Weikou, shouldering the responsibility of the chief strategist of the Great Wei, but suddenly proposed to bring his younger brother and son out of Chang'an.

Moreover, the destination is the Ziwu Valley.

This sudden decision left Wang Ji puzzled, unable to understand what Sima Yi was planning.

Wang Ji frowned, pondered for a moment, and then cautiously guessed:
"Does Sima Shizhong perhaps worry that His Majesty will suffer a defeat in this battle and Chang'an will fall, which is why he wants to send his family out to seek refuge ahead of time?"

But as soon as he uttered this guess, he felt something was amiss, and then, looking puzzled, he pressed for an answer:
“Even if it’s for refuge, they should have been taken to Longxi in advance.”

“Longxi is relatively remote and easy to defend, making it the safest place. Why then connect it to the Ziwu Valley entrance? Wouldn’t that be even more dangerous?”

The entrance to the Ziwu Valley is located southeast of Chang'an.

If the Han army successfully captures Weikou and its forces advance directly towards Chang'an, then logically speaking, all the counties east of Chang'an will fall under the control of the Han army.

At that time, if we bring our families to the Ziwu Valley, wouldn't that be like walking into a trap and handing our families over to the Han army?

Wang Ji became increasingly confused the more he thought about it.

Seeing Wang Ji's bewildered expression, Sima Yi let out a long sigh, then asked in return:

"Do you really think that if Chang'an falls and Yongzhou falls into the hands of the Han Kingdom, His Majesty can hold Liangzhou with only tens of thousands of defeated soldiers and have any hope of recovery?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ji was taken aback again, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

He stood there blankly, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and unease.

Seeing Wang Ji's reaction, Sima Yi knew he had already noticed something, so he stopped beating around the bush and lowered his voice, speaking seriously:
“I asked you to bring my brother and son to Ziwu Valley, not to send them to Liangzhou.”

"Although Liangzhou is located in a remote area, it is not a safe place given the current situation."

"I sent them here so they could meet up with me at any time. If the situation turns bad, we'll retreat to Hanzhong."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ji was immediately shocked and his face turned deathly pale.

He finally understood Sima Yi's true intentions.

It turns out that Sima Yi had already made preparations to abandon Cao Cao and the Wei Kingdom!
If Cao Cao were to lose this battle, it would mean that the destruction of the Wei Kingdom was inevitable and there would be no way to reverse it.

At that time, Sima Yi will lead his brothers and sons through the Ziwu Valley, across the Qinling Mountains, to Hanzhong to join Zhang Lu.

Thinking of this, Wang Ji felt a mix of emotions.

He always believed that Sima Yi was loyal to Cao Cao, and that his military pledge and his act of risking his life to remonstrate were all for the sake of the Wei Kingdom.

But now it seems that it was all a lie.

Sima Yi never even considered committing suicide to atone for his sins, nor would he ever die for Cao Cao.

In that life-or-death moment, his first thought was to protect his family and secure a way out for himself.

Wang Ji's expression was bitter. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly asked:

"Sima Shizhong, has the situation truly reached a point of no return, where we must abandon the country?"

His voice trembled slightly, as if he hesitated to betray Cao Cao. After all, although Sima Yi was his patron and had shown him great favor, he was still living off the resources and privileges afforded by the state of Wei.

To flee south when the country is in peril is morally unacceptable.

He was conflicted and struggling, torn between his loyalty to Sima Yi and his commitment to his responsibilities to the country and his sense of morality.

Sima Yi looked helpless and sighed deeply:

"The emperor has been kind to me, and I would never have the heart to abandon him unless absolutely necessary."

"Back then, the emperor was a man of great martial prowess and strategic vision, and his power shook the four directions. I, Sima Yi, was naturally willing to follow him, to devise strategies for him, and to fight for him in all directions."

"However, times have changed. The current emperor is no longer the spirited and ambitious Cao Mengde of yesteryear. He has become stubborn, suspicious, and unwilling to listen to honest advice."

“It is meaningless for us to continue following him except to be buried with him.”

Suddenly, Sima Yi's face lit up with hatred. His eyes sharpened and became fierce as he gritted his teeth and said:
“My Sima clan was wiped out by Liu Bei and Xiao He. More than seventy members of the clan were killed overnight. This hatred is still vivid in my mind.”

"I, Sima Yi, bear the deep-seated hatred of my family's extermination. How can I face death without avenging this blood feud?"

"Therefore, I must live. Only by living can I have hope that one day I can avenge my Sima clan."

Sima Yi's voice was generous and tragic, venting the hatred and indignation in his heart.

Wang Ji suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

He finally understood Sima Yi's predicament and realized that in his heart, the hatred for his family far outweighed his loyalty to the Wei Kingdom.

No wonder, the Sima clan of over seventy members was wiped out by Liu Bei overnight.

Anyone would do anything to avenge such a deep-seated hatred.

Faced with this deep-seated family hatred, the national feud between the Wei and Han kingdoms seemed insignificant.

After a moment of reflection, Wang Ji, with a resolute expression, cupped his hands and solemnly said:

“Sima Shizhong has been kind to me, and I, Wang Ji, will follow him to the death. Wherever you go, I, Wang Ji, will follow. No matter what lies ahead, whether it be mountains of knives or seas of fire, or any other difficulties and dangers, I will never back down.”

Sima Yi nodded in satisfaction, a hint of relief and emotion flashing in his eyes.

He patted Wang Ji heavily on the shoulder and said with emotion:

"It is my good fortune to have you by my side. I am glad that I did not misjudge you. It is my blessing, Sima Yi, to have you following me in this time of life and death."

After his generosity, Wang Ji looked worried and hesitated for a moment before saying:

"Minister Sima, there is something I'm unsure whether I should say."

Sima Yi waved his hand and laughed:
"We've been through thick and thin together, so what can't we say? Feel free to speak."

Wang Ji composed himself for a moment, then pointed south, his expression worried, and said:
"Our Great Wei, which possessed the entire north, had a vast territory and a strong army, yet it still ended up being destroyed by Liu Bei."

"Zhang Lu only occupies the mere Hanzhong Commandery, and his strength is weak. How could he possibly withstand the might of a million soldiers from the Han state?"

"Even if we flee to Hanzhong and seek refuge with Zhang Lu, won't we still be doomed when Liu Bei's army marches south?"

"What will we do then?" (End of Chapter)