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

Chapter 160 Hosoyanagi Warehouse

Of course it will cause an uproar!

First of all, what was the combat strength of the Wei Kingdom's imperial guards who protected Cao Pi?

What kind of fighting power does Zheng Gan's ragtag group have?

Even though Zheng Gan claimed he was going to "disturb" the peace, it still seemed absurd.

There was no need to even deploy Cao Pi's imperial guards; the local county troops of Hedong alone would be enough to give Zheng Gan a hard time.

The so-called "Three Rivers Knights" of the Eastern Han Dynasty referred to those from Henan, Hedong, and Henan.

Hedong is one of them.

The local people have a martial spirit and a fine cavalry tradition.

Guan Yu and Xu Huang were both generals from Hedong.

Moreover, if I remember correctly, Zhao Yan, who was appointed as the governor of Hedong under Cao Wei at this time, was a ruthless character with considerable skills.

If Zheng Ganzhen goes to Hedong, can he defeat Lord Zhao?
However, it must be said that...

Although in terms of troop quality and military organization, Zheng Gan's situation was truly like throwing an egg against a rock.

But from a military-geographical point of view, his suggestion is actually quite feasible.

Because the Yellow River slows down after it flows from north to south out of the Shaanxi Plateau and into the Guanzhong Plain.

There are many places where you can cross the river during the dry season.

Among them, Tongguan and Pubanjin in the north of Tongguan are the most famous.

One could cross the river near Tongguan and directly enter the Wei River, reaching Chang'an.

This is precisely the route Zheng Gan claimed Cao Pi took to enter Guanzhong.

Pubanjin is located directly opposite the counties north of the Wei River.

The Fengyi Commandery, where Zheng and Gan were active, was located north of the Wei River.

Crossing the river from there was not only closer, but also conveniently bypassed the heavy Wei army forces near Tongguan.

It might actually have a miraculous effect.

Of course, regardless of whether this idea is reliable or not.

All of this has one premise.

Is Cao Pi really going to come to Guanzhong to take command?

Of course I can understand.

After all, Liu Bei and Ma Chao had been fighting in Hexi for almost half a year.

The Wei court in Luoyang must already be aware of what's happening there.

The emperor's personal presence in Chang'an to direct operations can help stabilize public sentiment.

Historically, during Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, three commanderies rebelled against Wei, causing a great uproar in Guanzhong. Cao Rui chose to personally go to Chang'an to oversee the campaign.

But there are reasons why some people don't come.

Because Cao Pi had only been emperor for three years at this time, and the internal affairs were not yet stable, it could not be compared with the later reign of Cao Rui.

Especially in the Yongliang area.

The fact that Zheng Gan and Lu Shuihu surrendered just last year, only to rebel again less than a year later, is evidence of this.

Cao Pi, as the emperor, has come here rashly. If something goes wrong, isn't he afraid of making things worse?
Just when everyone was puzzled...

Miwei suddenly spoke:
"Zheng Gan would dare to risk going to Hedong just for a title of nobility?"

Meng Da sighed and said, "Not only that, he said his troops are short of supplies and requested the royal army to lend him 50,000 bushels of grain and 5,000 bolts of silk as a reward for his soldiers before he can send out troops."

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei immediately laughed in anger:
"So he was just a freeloader!"

The generals immediately understood and cursed him, saying that his thieving nature was incorrigible.

He was also secretly annoyed that he had actually seriously considered the possibility of cooperation.

Of course, Mi Wei laughed sarcastically.

They did not sever ties directly, and Meng Da was still allowed to contact the other party as before.

After all, this is one of the few intelligence channels available right now.

Even if nine out of ten of the other person's statements are false, as long as you can discern even one true statement, you've already gained something.

Several days later, Zheng Gan indeed changed his story again.

It is said that he learned that Cao Pi not only personally entered Guanzhong, but also brought a large amount of grain and supplies from Luoyang.

It is said that grain ships traveled upstream from the river, stretching for dozens of miles without stopping.

If planned properly, they might be able to seize a few ships and then repay the royal army tenfold for what they borrowed.

Miwei, of course, didn't believe in the idea of ​​repaying tenfold.

However, it must be admitted that Zheng Gan's explanation is indeed more in line with the current situation than the previous one.

Given the current situation in Guanzhong and Longyou, it doesn't matter whether Cao Pi himself comes or not.

But the food must come.

This also explains why Cao Zhen was willing to compromise temporarily.

He needed to ensure the safe delivery of grain to Chang'an's Taicang to stabilize the morale of the army.

Conversely, if it were Cao Pi himself who came, Cao Zhen's actions would be somewhat disrespectful to Cao Pi as emperor.

At this point, Meng Da suggested:
"If Zheng Ganzhen goes to Hedong, he will surely be able to lead some of the Wei army eastward, which will not be detrimental to our return south."

Why not respond with empty words?

Miwei shook his head and said:
"If he intends to cheat us out of grain, his lies will be useless." "If he truly submits, we will lose his trust and ultimately damage the prestige of the court."

After thinking for a moment, Mi Wei said:
"Just tell him frankly that we don't have any money or provisions for the time being, and I dare not agree to anything even if you are the Prince of Fengyi."

"But if he can lead away some of Cao Cao's troops and return to Shu in the future, I will definitely persuade my father, the Minister of Works of the Han Dynasty, to recommend him for a prestigious and real title of Marquis of a Township."

"If he can provide enough valuable intelligence, the county magistrate might be a possibility!"

Meng Da realized that Mi Wei really intended to cooperate with Zheng Gan, and couldn't help but hesitate:

"Judging from Zheng Gan's appearance, his thieving nature is hard to change. Aren't you afraid he's being tricked?"

Mi Wei: "Zheng Gan must be bluffing."

"But the fact that he was able to contact us means that Cao Zhen has relaxed his siege of his troops."

"But I always felt that Cao Zhen's actions at this moment were somewhat suspicious, and I need to investigate further."

……

Changan.

General Cao Zhen, dressed in military attire, had just stepped out of the palace when a rider came chasing after him.

He reined in his horse and looked back; it was Xiahou Mao.

Seeing the other person's worried face, Cao Zhen said unhappily:
“I am about to travel east. It’s one thing if you don’t go to Ba Bridge to see me off with willow branches, but why do you look like you’ve lost your parents?”

Upon hearing Cao Zhen's booming voice, Xiahou Mao instinctively trembled and stammered in response:
"Zidan has no shortage of capable generals and officials under his command, why must he personally travel east?"

Cao Zhen: "The imperial carriage is coming from the east. As a general of the imperial clan, how can I not personally go out to greet it?"

Xiahou Mao: "Is the imperial carriage really coming from the east?"

Cao Zhen narrowed his eyes and glanced at him coldly, saying:
You will know in a few days.

Xiahou Mao said urgently:

"Then who will guard Chang'an these next few days?"

Cao Zhenli naturally:

"You are appointed by His Majesty as the General of Anxi, holding the imperial insignia to oversee Guanzhong. It is you who will guard Chang'an."

Xiahou Mao sighed inwardly and said with a wry smile:
"The generals have been privately discussing my lack of military strategy, and indeed I am. Given this, would Zidan still entrust Chang'an to me for defense?"

Cao Zhen impatiently cracked his whip and said:

"Chang'an has strong walls and deep moats; even a pig could hold it for several days. What are you afraid of?"

Xiahou Mao, unperturbed by the veiled insult of being called a pig, simply pressed on with:
"Is Zidan really able to return within a few days? Or are you lying to me?"

Snapped!
Cao Zhen lashed out with his whip, and the warhorse immediately bolted.

After galloping for a while, Cao Zhen finally reined in his horse and turned it back to where he started, annoyed:

"If your father were alive, seeing your timid and hesitant manner, he would probably be furious!"

"Are you worried about losing the city, or are you worried that Princess Qinghe will discover your concubines hidden in Xiliu Warehouse?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Mao finally revealed a look of shame and anger, and stiffened his neck, saying:
"This is a family matter!"

Cao Zhen scoffed:

"How can a son-in-law of the imperial family have any family matters to discuss?"

"Let me give you a piece of advice: Princess Qinghe is His Majesty's eldest daughter, and they share a deep bond. If you don't want to lose His Majesty's favor, you should cut ties decisively!"

Having said that, he ignored Xiahou Mao, who was stamping his feet on the spot, and finally rode away.

……

At the foot of Qishan Mountain.

You Chu, though short, moved with incredible agility.

Upon seeing Miwei's figure in the distance, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Wait a moment, wait a moment!"

Mi Wei reined in his horse, turned around to wait for You Chu to catch up, and laughed:

"I was just about to make my bet when you stopped me. Are you trying to renege on the debt?"

"No, no, huff, huff..."

You Chu took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, and then said:

"I've heard you intend to attack Hosoyanagi-kura?"

Miwei: "You're quite well-informed."

“That’s right. The righteous man Zheng Gan from Fengyi sent me a message the other day, saying that Cao Zhen will soon be heading east. Once he’s far away from Chang’an, the Xiliu granary will be empty, and we can take it to seize the grain and enrich ourselves!”

You Chu was too exhausted to even criticize "righteous man Feng Yi" anymore, and hurriedly said:

"The willow trees have long been abandoned; where would we get food supplies?"

Mi Wei said slowly and deliberately:
"I have heard that Xiahou Mao is good at managing money."

"In the past two years, while stationed in Chang'an, he has embezzled a lot of government funds from the Taicang granary to enrich himself, and built a private granary in Xiliu to store his family's wealth."

"I've heard they keep quite a few concubines there, and they're quite beautiful!"

Upon hearing this, You Chu's face stiffened, then he exclaimed in shock and anger:

"In the past, Zhou Yafu governed his army at Xiliu with strict discipline, making him a model for all ages. Who would have thought that Xiahou Zilin would want to defile this place of a sage?"

Miwei squinted upon seeing this:

"What, you didn't know about this?"

(End of this chapter)