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

Chapter 181 Traveling East to Meet Old Friends

Deng Ai had not expected this outcome.

But not to the point of disappointment.

At that moment, he was overjoyed.

Ultimately, he was just an insignificant petty official.

With a recommendation from a general of Zhang Liao's caliber, what need is there for a fine horse and golden saddle?

He could not possibly foresee that decades later he would successfully turn his life around and reach the pinnacle of success.

So they quickly put military strategy and tactics to the back of their minds.

Instead, they seriously considered which side they would choose to continue doing their job well in the future.

Lu Yu, the Agricultural Commandant of Suiyang, was from the Lu family.

Xu Miao, also known as Xu Jingshan, was appointed as the Agricultural Commissioner of Yingchuan.

Both of them were capable officials among the officials of the two thousand shi rank in Yuzhou.

It has both reputation and achievements.

However, the differences between the two are still quite obvious.

Lu Yu was the son of Lu Zhi, a great Confucian scholar of the Later Han Dynasty.

He had previously risen through the ranks to become the Prefect of Qiao Commandery, but his opposition to the large-scale relocation of people to Qiao Commandery, the birthplace of Cao Wei, angered Cao Pi, who demoted him to Suiyang.

In short, this son of Lu Zhi was outstanding in every way, but he was not favored by the current emperor.

Relatively speaking, Xu Miao, as a former official of Cao Cao's prime minister's office, can be considered a veteran minister who followed Cao Cao from the beginning.

Yingchuan County is widely recognized as a place where the best of the world gathers.

It's relatively close to Luoyang.

Therefore, after only a little consideration, Deng Ai made the obvious choice:

"This humble official wishes to go to Ying, Ying... Chuan!"

Zhang Liao nodded and gestured for his clerk to take his official seal to help write a letter of recommendation.

For him, personnel changes of this level were simply a matter of nodding in agreement.

There's no need to do it yourself.

In short, having casually decided Deng Ai's future, Zhang Liao finally returned to Zhu Ling and said:

"I know what you're thinking."

"If I wish to return to Luoyang, then you should burn down Hefei, dismantle your camp, and retreat to Shouchun."

"If I am unwilling, then I am advised to go to Shouchun to take charge, while you stay in Hefei, is that right?"

Zhu Ling raised her hand in a gesture of respect, but it was too late.

This is the default.

Zhang Liao groaned, but the cold air entered his lungs, causing him to cough repeatedly.

After finally calming down, he maintained an authoritative demeanor.

Let's be frank:
"It's not that I'm unwilling to give up this city, nor do I have any obsession with dying on the battlefield."

"If a good death is possible, who would choose to have their bones left behind?"

"But I have been deeply favored by the late emperor and cannot help but think of repaying him to the current emperor."

"Do you know that before Cao Zheng marched southeast, he wrote a letter to Jia Liangdao and me, detailing his strategy for this campaign?"

Zhu Ling lowered her hands, revealing an expression of attentive listening.

"Then do you know that both Jia Liangdao and I approve of his strategy?"

"Even though he has been captured alive, he still doesn't change his mind?!"

Zhu Ling suddenly looked up.

……

From Sichuan to Jiangdong, it is three or four thousand li to the east, and one cannot reach such a distance without taking a boat.

After departing from Chengdu, Mi Wei and his entourage traveled by boat down the Yangtze River.

Passing through Wuyang and Nan'an, it finally reached Bodao, the southernmost point of Jianwei Commandery, which is near Yibin in later times.

This section of the river, running north-south and later known as the "Minjiang River," was once considered by the ancients to be the true source of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and many people lived along its banks.

On the contrary, the true source of the Jinsha River was still a barren land at that time, and was called "Lushui".

Before Zhang Yi reopened the Maoniu Ancient Road, Lushui served as a backup plan for the South Central Trade Route.

Historically, Zhuge Liang's southern expedition also took place through the Lushui River Valley.

That's why the "Memorial on Dispatching the Troops" says, "In May, we crossed the Lu River and ventured deep into the barren lands."

However, since Mi Wei led his people to subdue the Maoniu Yi two years ago and reopened the convenient old road, merchants no longer need to take this long route.

Various specialties from the south were able to be transported in large quantities to Sichuan, bolstering the nation's strength.

In short, the group sampled some wild fruit wines offered as tribute by the local Bo people in Bodao, and then rested for a while.

The fleet then officially entered the main channel of the Yangtze River and sailed eastward downstream. Subsequently, it passed through the three prefectures of Jiangyang, Ba, and Badong.

Before mid-spring, we arrived at Yufu County, which had completely lost its connection with the name "Yong'an".

After a brief glimpse of Baidi City, built on the mountain on the north bank, the fleet plunged into the Three Gorges of Badong, officially entering the Jingzhou region.

The perilousness of the Three Gorges has been renowned since ancient times.

If the summer floods occur, the river overflows the hills, and the rapids are so turbulent that boatmen dare not set sail.

Fortunately, although the spring waters are gradually increasing at this time of year, they are not yet enough to cause flash floods.

The group made it out of the gorge without any major incident and entered Yiling.

Prefect Fei Shi of Yidu hosted a banquet for Mi Wei.

The two reminisced about their past experiences in Jiangling, and were filled with emotion as they thought about the rising power of the Ji Han state.

Afterwards, Mi Wei presented some books and paper to the local scholars, then bid farewell to Fei Shi and continued downstream along the river.

When passing through Jingmen and Huya Mountains, the people on the boat talked about the Battle of Jingmen between Cen Peng and Gongsun Shu during the reign of Emperor Guangwu.

Only Mi Wei thought of the Battle of Yiling-Xiaoting in another time and space.

Then it suddenly dawned on me.

According to the original history, Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Xun as early as last year.

He then spent the last six months of his life in Baidi City, Yong'an.

Finally, in the spring of the third year of Zhangwu, he passed away in Baidi City.

Correspondingly, the territory of Eastern Wu expanded, and Lu Xun's victory made him famous throughout the world.

He was later appointed as General Who Assists the State and Governor of Jingzhou, becoming one of the most outstanding generals in Eastern Wu.

And this life.

But the situation was reversed.

Not only did the Shu Han state's national strength increase significantly, but Liu Bei himself also lived a long and healthy life.

At this time, he was still extremely busy with Zhuge Liang in Chengdu, making various preparations for the upcoming Northern Expedition.

Lu Xun, on the other hand, had neither the victory at Yiling nor the achievement of expanding territory.

I wonder if I will be able to become the "Grand Commander of Eastern Wu" in this life?
Was he still appreciated by Sun Quan?

……

"Lu Xun has requested to be stationed in Chaisang and will no longer serve as the deputy to Governor Zhu Ran!"

At a banquet in Jiangling, Zhang Yi suddenly uttered a startling statement.

However, this "amazing" can vary in degree.

For example, the officials and clerks from Jingzhou who were familiar with the people of Jiangdong only regarded it as an interesting anecdote.

They lamented Lu Xun's bad luck, as he had finally managed to arrange a banquet.

As a result, he was only assigned a last seat.

Mi Wei, having come from Yiling, had thought things through many times, and had many things to consider.

He knew better than anyone else what level Lu Xun was at.

They won't take the opponent lightly just because they've won.

At this critical juncture, Sun Quan was about to launch a major northern expedition. How could he leave Lu Xun behind?
Although Caisang is located at the junction of Jing and Yang prefectures and borders the Yangtze River to the north, it is an important waterway hub.

But after all, it was in Jiangnan, far from the front lines.

If Lu Xun had always been unremarkable, that would be one thing.

But didn't he just deal with Cao Xiu for Sun Quan?

Although he didn't achieve any feats of slaying generals or capturing flags, he certainly deserves credit for his strategic planning.

Mi Wei always felt that this transfer was illogical.

So he consulted Zhang Yi.

"The general values ​​a defeated general so highly?"

Zhang Yi asked in surprise, then pondered for a moment and said:
"If someone has made merit but is not promoted, it is mostly due to disagreement between the ruler and his subjects, unless there is a fundamental discord between them."

"Disagreement..."

Mi Wei narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly realized something: "Is it about the strategy for the Northern Expedition against Huainan?"

“That’s possible,” Zhang Yi analyzed.

"Upon hearing about the Battle of Shiting in Wancheng, Lu Xun's original intention was to advance east and west alongside General Guan in order to safely drive out the Wei army."

"But Sun Quan thought his strategy was too conservative and hesitated to praise him."

"Later, Zhu Huan captured the enemy's general in a battle, which further fueled the Sun family's ambitions, leading them to decide to personally go north to Ruxuwu to supervise the army."

"I heard they set off a few days ago."

(End of this chapter)