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

Chapter 153 Where is the Way Out?
East of Chencang, there are countless tributaries of the Wei River.

One of its southern branches, called the Xieshui River, originates from the Xiegu Valley in Weinan.

Therefore, the water flows through Wugong County and is also known as "Wugong Water".

This is the northern section of the Baoxie Road, one of the routes through Shu.

The next day at dawn, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Mi Wei and his party quickly left the valley and continued eastward along the Wei River.

The destination was a flat area called "Jishi Plain".

That area belongs to the western section of the Guanzhong Plain, on the north bank of the Wei River, hence it is also called the Northern Plain.

The river here is gentle with many shallows, making it easy for people and horses to cross quickly.

On the other side of the river lies Wuzhangyuan, a place very familiar to fans of the Three Kingdoms period.

Behind Wuzhangyuan lies the northern exit of the Baoxie Road.

However, just as Miwei approached the vicinity of Jishi Plain, Wang Ping, who was in charge of scouting ahead, suddenly sent back an urgent report.

It is said that a large number of Wei troops are gathering in this direction.

Furthermore, some Wei troops have already crossed the river and established a camp at Wuzhangyuan on the opposite bank.

In other words, if they continued as planned, they would inevitably fall into the encirclement of the main force of the Wei army.

Mi Wei was not surprised but pleased upon hearing this.

The first thing that came to his mind was...

Wei Yan has indeed broken out of Xiegu and reached Weinan!

Only Wei Yan's arrival could trigger such a large-scale mobilization of the Wei army.

Subsequent intelligence reports from Wang Ping confirmed this.

After Wei Yan left Xiegu, he immediately headed east along the mountain slope, heading straight towards Wugong County.

From the perspective of the Northern Expedition, this is definitely not a good choice.

Because the Baoxie Road was where Wei Yan's supply line was located.

We should first secure a foothold at the mouth of the valley, such as Wuzhangyuan.

Once we've established a firm foothold, then we can consider other things.

But Wei Yan wasn't really planning a northern expedition this time.

Instead, it was used as a detachment to contain the Wei army in Guanzhong.

Therefore, they chose the tactic that would most attract the Wei army to march south.

However, that's the end of the good news.

It's similar to Zhang Fei's troops leaving Sanguan Pass.

From a strategic perspective, the fact that the two generals successfully contained the Wei army in Guanzhong is definitely a good thing.

However, this also effectively blocked the route for Miwei's small group to return south.

In particular, when they learned that the Wei army commander who was heading south to Wuzhangyuan was Zhang He.

Miwei had lost even the last shred of hope.

Despite his success in Guanzhong, including raiding Zhang Ji and capturing Jiang Wei, he was still remarkable.

They even encouraged Liu Bei to swallow up Hexi.

Essentially, it was due to the severe shortage of soldiers and food in the Guanzhong region, while the support from Guanzhong had not yet been transported westward.

It's the same principle as the attack on Xiangfan two years ago.

They seized a time difference.

Guanzhong is a different story.

This area belonged to the Sili region of the Han Dynasty, and Chang'an was one of the five capitals of the Cao Wei Dynasty.

It is the location of the "Central Plains" in a broad sense.

Otherwise, why would Cao Pi have sent veteran generals like Cao Zhen and Zhang He?
To face off against these people, especially on their home turf.

Do they want to die sooner rather than later?
Not to mention Wang Ping's subsequent return in a sorry state.

They encountered an outpost of another Cao Wei general, Yang Qiu, on the road and were almost entangled.

In other words, at this point, heading east from Jishiyuan, regardless of whether it is south or north of the Wei River.

They have already amassed a large number of Cao Cao's main forces.

Continuing eastward along the Wei River is no longer feasible.

If we don't return south via the Shu Road, where else can we go?
"Our troops are mostly Qiang cavalry. Why don't we disguise ourselves as Qiang horse traders, disperse into the counties, and wait for an opportunity to contact Wei Zhenbei?"

Ma Dai offered his suggestions.

But this was immediately rejected by Meng Da:
“Guanzhong is different from Guanxi. The people are strictly registered. The living are registered and the dead are removed. Even keeping an extra servant requires reporting to the government.”

"It's impossible to hide as a secret resident."

"Besides, the Wei army is currently on a large-scale conscription. Once a hidden household is discovered, the family will be destroyed and the people will die. Who would dare to take in someone of unknown origin?"

As a native of Fufeng, Meng Da's views on this issue are beyond question.

The generals fell silent once again.

Just when they were at their wits' end.

Suddenly, several Wei soldiers stealthily crept over, lingering a short distance away, neither drawing their bows nor brandishing their blades.
It seems they're here to communicate more than to spy.

The old soldier cautiously approached and made contact with the enemy.

Before long, the old soldier returned with a scroll of bamboo slips. It was sealed with the seal of "Supervisor of Military Supplies".

Peel off the ink and unfold the bamboo slips.

It turned out to be a letter from You Chu.

He claimed that he had been given a new assignment and was about to return to Chencang to oversee the transport of military supplies.

To repay Mi Wei for sparing his life, he showed Mi Wei a way out.

It is said that in the eastern suburbs of Chencang, after crossing the Wei River to the south, there is a Suiyang Creek that winds its way south to the vicinity of Xiegukou.

Go this way, and no one will know.

If Mi Wei trusts him, then they should agree on a time two days from now to secretly cross the river at a ferry crossing and return south.

“Suiyang Creek…Suiyang Valley…”

After recalling his experiences in both lifetimes for a moment, Miwei finally remembered the place name.

Historically, Zhuge Liang's last Northern Expedition took the Baoxie Road.

While advancing to Wuzhangyuan, a detachment was dispatched to clear a path along the Suiyang River in order to deter enemy forces from the Chencang direction and prevent them from supporting Sima Yi.

Later generations called this road Suiyang Xiaogu.

However, there is no such thing as Zhuge Liang clearing the way now. Is it really possible for anyone to pass through there?
After looking around, Mi Wei could only consult Meng Da, a native of Fufeng.

Meng Da also thought for a while before frowning and saying:
"The Wei River has many tributaries, both north and south. Among them, the area south of the Wei River is mountainous, and the valleys flowing down from the Qinling Mountains are countless."

"However, apart from well-known Shu roads such as Sanguan and Xiegu, most of them are difficult for people and horses to pass through."

"If we really want to go in, we'll probably have to abandon our horses and climb the mountain."

"Of course, this applies to our army as well as the pursuing troops."

It means you might as well give it a try.

Miwei couldn't think of any reason to object at the moment.

However, I felt that You Chu's letter was suspicious, and You Chu was not someone to be underestimated.

Therefore, I always feel uneasy.

Look around.

Upon hearing the words "abandon the horse".

Many soldiers subconsciously stroked the mane of their mounts, their faces filled with reluctance.

Warhorses are precious, and they are also partners who have faced life and death together.

I'm definitely reluctant to part with it.

No matter how precious something is, it's not as important as one's own life.

After a moment's thought, Mi Wei's gaze fell once again on the peeled-off seal clay, and a thought suddenly struck him.

Meng Da asked:

"What kind of official is this military supply inspector who can command the regular soldiers of the Wei army to voluntarily give up the crossing point?"

"That depends on who's assigned the task," Meng Da analyzed.

“I heard that Du Xi, a famous scholar from Yingchuan, held this position last year. He was once the attendant to the King of Wei and the chief secretary to the prime minister. He was a strategist in the central government of Cao Wei.”

“If he comes here, he can manage to allocate supplies regardless of whether he is in charge of supplying the army.”

"As for You Zhongyun... it's hard to say."

That means that, normally speaking, You Chu no longer has the authority to command the regular soldiers.

Mi Wei understood and said to his left and right:
"I have a concern."

"This Suiyang River flows from Xiegu through Chencang and into the Wei River, spanning the two counties of Chencang and Wugong."

"Before the abolition of Hanxing Commandery, this valley was divided between Hanxing and Fufeng Commanderies, each occupying half of the area."

"As the former governor of Hanxing, even if You Chu could remotely control Chencang through his former officials, how could he possibly influence Wugong?"

"Not to mention that Zhang He's rank and position are far above You Chu's, and his officers and soldiers would never obey the latter's orders."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhong, who had once served as the head of a county, immediately understood:

"Does the Left Commander believe that You Chu is being helped by local officials from Fufeng?"

"This is probably no ordinary official!" Meng Da realized.

"This person's rank may not be higher than You Chu's. After all, our few hundred remaining soldiers are not worth the attention of a general like Zhang He."

"But when it comes to communication and cooperation between the two counties, the person in charge cannot be of low rank and must have prestige."

Ma Zhong: "Then he is most likely a person with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

Mi Wei asked Meng Da, "Who is the current Prefect of Fufeng in Cao Wei?"

Meng Da smiled awkwardly and said:
"After Fa Xiaozhi and I went to Sichuan, we have not returned to our hometown for many years and are really unaware of the current situation."

"I only vaguely remember that Zhao Yan and Zhao Boran were governors of Fufeng in their early years and achieved considerable success in governing the region. However, they have long since been transferred away from Guanzhong."

“However,” Meng Da’s tone changed.

"Although I do not know the current Prefect of Fufeng, I do know that he has a man of great talent who is no less than Zhao Yan by his side."

Miwei: "Who?"

Meng Da: "Yang Fu, the Prefect of Wudu under Cao Wei!"

(End of this chapter)