The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 136 No Rooster Crows for a Thousand Miles

Since entering Shu, Mi Wei had not seen Meng Da for a long time.

I thought this guild was doomed.

Unexpectedly, as the army gathered today, he reappeared.

And judging from their appearance, it seems they've come to accompany the emperor on his journey north?

“I am from Pingling, Fufeng. My father once served as the governor of Liangzhou during the reign of Emperor Ling.”

Seeing the strange looks from everyone, Meng Da explained with a straight face.

"His Majesty, knowing that I am familiar with the customs and culture of Yongliang, has granted me permission to travel north for consultation."

Before Mi Wei could respond, Ma Zhong behind him burst into laughter.

Ma Zhong then addressed the crowd:

"Master Meng truly lives up to his title of Consultant; his eloquence is truly remarkable!"

"You gentlemen may not know this, but previously, Lord Meng wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and bribe the palace eunuch in order to obtain a position as a guard."

"Little did they know that Your Majesty's strategic vision far surpasses that of Emperor Ling, and our dynasty no longer has the so-called Ten Attendants of the past."

"Not only did Meng Gong's move fail to achieve his goal, but he also suffered a setback and was fined half a year's salary."

"It's less about him accompanying the emperor and more about His Majesty deliberately keeping him by his side to prevent him from causing trouble in the palace!"

The story Ma Zhong told was the story of Meng Tuo, the father of Meng Da.

In the past, Meng Tuo spent all his wealth to curry favor with eunuchs in order to obtain the position of governor of Liangzhou.

He also presented Zhang Rang, a court attendant, with a bushel of precious grape wine.

In the end, they got what they wanted.

So much so that Su Shi, a later scholar, ridiculed it as "gaining Liangzhou with a single bushel of grain."

When the family scandal was brought up again, Meng Da's face darkened, and he made a move to leave.

Mi Wei immediately stepped forward to stop him.

Meng Da retorted angrily, "Does the military supervisor also intend to humiliate me?"

Mi Wei shook his head and said seriously:

"I just want to ask how much a bushel of grape wine from the Western Regions costs these days, and where I can buy it?"

Meng Da thought Mi Wei was indeed humiliating him, and in his anger he laughed instead:

“Since the Jian’an period, Liangzhou was in great turmoil, and most of the trade routes to the Western Regions were no longer open.”

"If you wish to taste the rare wines of the Western Regions, I'm afraid you'll have to go to the wine cellars of the nobles in Chang'an; you won't find them in ordinary markets!"

After saying this, he turned and left.

Once Miwei got the information he wanted, he stopped bothering with him.

Guan Xing, having followed Mi Wei for a long time, understood his thoughts to some extent and asked curiously:
"Does Master Shan intend to follow the example of what was done in the three eastern prefectures and the southern region and reopen the old route to the Western Regions?"

Miwei waved his hand and said:
"The Western Regions are vast and boundless; how could I possibly possess such an ability?"

"I just wanted to take this opportunity to learn about the road conditions between Yong and Liang."

"After all, whether this northward expedition can succeed depends on whether Cao Wei's large armies on the east and west sides can come and disrupt things in time."

"If you ask me, whoever can investigate this matter thoroughly will not only be able to take away the post of a military commander, but will also be able to rise to the rank of one of the Nine Ministers."

"Isn't this worth much more than a bushel of grape wine?"

After saying this, he and his generals laughed and left.

Meanwhile, Meng Da, who hadn't actually gone far, suddenly brightened up.

To be honest, he had been eyeing the position of "guardian of the army" for a long time.

After entering Shu, he witnessed the entire process of the establishment of the Shu Han state.

They were already familiar with the new system.

Now, although Liu Bei had already declared himself emperor.

However, the guards in the Forbidden City still used the same system of guards, commanders, and supervisors as those in the warlord era.

The central army and the imperial guards are often confused.

Examples include the five schools of the Northern Army in the Later Han Dynasty, and the generals and officers under the Guanglu Xun (a high-ranking official in charge of official duties), such as the five officers, the left officer, the right officer, the tiger guard, and the feathered forest guard.

Instead, it's just an empty shell.

These titles were often bestowed upon nobles and had no actual command.

The three captains, including Mi Wei, were of this nature.

However, Mi Wei himself had some "insignificant" credit.

So he was given the extra post of military supervisor.

Instead, he became a true military general.

Therefore, don't underestimate Zhao Yun and Wu Yi just because they are only generals with miscellaneous titles.

Huang Quan and Chen Dao were merely unranked lieutenants.

Once the central army sets out on the expedition.

These generals, who held positions such as protector, commander, and supervisor, could be promoted to Grand Commander or other similar positions at any time.

He became the de facto commander of the central army. That's why Meng Da was determined to seize this opportunity to march north, no matter what.

Leaving aside how Meng Da was awakened by someone's words and tried to get back on his feet.

It is said that after Liu Bei assembled his army, he immediately led his troops north.

Specifically, it means taking the Shiniu Road towards Zitong.

Although this route is not entirely by water, it involves crossing rivers along the way.

However, after the Battle of Hanzhong, the roads were fully repaired, and a large number of pavilions and post stations were built along the way.

Therefore, it is very suitable for large-scale military marches.

Soon, the army arrived at the seat of Zitong County.

Prefect Zhang Yi had already prepared sufficient supplies.

Liu Bei encouraged him and then continued north without stopping.

Afterwards, they headed north out of Jiange and arrived at the upper reaches of the Xihan River's fork.

Downstream from here lies Langzhong in Brazil, where Zhang Fei was stationed.

Continuing northeast along the Shiniu Road will lead to Hanzhong, which is under the jurisdiction of Wei Yan.

It is a transportation hub connecting all directions.

However, this time Liu Bei will leave Longyou and not go to Hanzhong.

Therefore, after staying for a few days, he sent messengers to Zhang Fei, Wei Yan, and even Guan Yu, who was far away in Jingzhou, instructing the various foreign armies to be cautious and act according to circumstances.

They then split into two groups.

The main commander was Ma Chao, the General of the Cavalry and Governor of Liangzhou, with Wu Yi, the General Who Protects the Army and Commands the Guanzhong Region, as his deputy.

The two generals commanded a total of over 10,000 troops, who turned west from the crossroads onto the Baishui and Qiangshui lines.

Finally, they arrived at the Qiang Road at the westernmost end of Wudu County.

There, they met with various Qiang tribes that had migrated south.

Liu Bei then personally led the remaining army northward along the Xihan River to the heart of Wudu Commandery, where he met with various Di tribes that had migrated south near Xiabian.

Mi Wei naturally followed the emperor's carriage.

Upon entering Wudu territory, the scenery suddenly changed.

The vast Bashan Mountains and the clear Shu River were all left behind.

Instead, there are increasingly towering cliffs and increasingly treacherous ravines.

In many places, there were no roads at all, and one could only proceed cautiously along the plank roads carved out by predecessors.

Sometimes, when encountering sections of road that have been in disrepair for years, we have to stop and cut down trees on-site to repair the road.

The speed of travel was far from ideal.

But compared to the obstacles brought about by these natural environments.

An even bigger problem comes from the sparse population of Wudu County.

According to the original history, Wudu Commandery was not captured until Zhuge Liang's third Northern Expedition.

However, this does not mean that Cao Wei had already taken control of the Longnan region before this.

As early as the Battle of Hanzhong, Cao Cao was worried that Wudu would be taken by Liu Bei.

Therefore, he ordered Yang Fu, the governor of Wudu, to relocate the local Han and Di people to Guanzhong, totaling more than 10,000 households.

Even Yang Fu himself moved the county seat to the west of Huaili, the county seat of Fufeng County in Guanzhong, and built a new city, commonly known as "Little Huaili".

This is not over yet.

Later, Cao Cao withdrew from Hanzhong, fearing that Liu Bei would take the opportunity to attack Wudu.

On the advice of Zhang Ji, the governor of Yongzhou, they lured the Di people of Wudu to move north and settle in the area between Fufeng and Tianshui.

In total, more than 50,000 tribes were relocated.
From then on, Wudu County became a barren land, no less barren than Hanzhong.

For miles around, there is no sign of human habitation; for miles around, not a single rooster crows.

In such terrain, it is difficult for a large army to obtain supplies.

They could only rely on the river channels behind them to transport military supplies forward.

This is why Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions were so difficult in history, always facing shortages of soldiers and supplies.

Now let's get back to the present.

After a difficult march.

Before winter arrived, Liu Bei's imperial carriage, with its "yellow canopy and left banner," finally entered Xiabian City.

Unsurprisingly, the county seat had long been abandoned.

Only some of the buildings in the prefectural government building remained intact, which were temporarily used as Liu Bei's "temporary residence".

But what kind of hardship hasn't Liu Bei endured in his life?
So they didn't take it seriously and immediately sent scouts and messengers north to find out where the various Di tribes had arrived.

Soon, the scouts returned south.

But it brought unexpected news.

The Di people suddenly refused to go south to Xiabian!

(End of this chapter)