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

Chapter 215 Something went wrong
"Yuanzhi was never one to speak up before, but today he has surprisingly made a name for himself, just like Zhuang of Chu!"

Chen Qun walked over with a half-smile.

Sima Yi was half a step behind, and his smile became much more obvious.

Pointing to Xu Shu's heart, he said:
"I think this small space contains the Six Secret Teachings and the Three Strategies!"

Xu Shu's heartstrings trembled once again.

But having just experienced such a big event, they were much more composed now.

Following Sima Yi's lead, he began to mock himself:

"The Six Secret Teachings and Three Strategies didn't exist, but the Six Gods were truly in a state of chaos."

"Lord Chen! Lord Sima! Others may not know my abilities, but surely you two gentlemen do?"

"If I hadn't gotten involved in the conflict between Liu Ziyang and Dong Gongren today, I wouldn't have had the right to speak."

Chen Qun and Sima Yi exchanged a glance.

He stepped forward, took Xu Shu's hand, and said:

“Yuanzhi, there are only the three of us here. Sima Zhongda is a cautious person, and I don’t like gossiping behind people’s backs.”

"Tell me the truth, are you really collecting evidence of Cao Zilian's arrogance and lawlessness?"

When did I ever say that Cao Hong was arrogant and lawless?

Xu Shu sneered inwardly, but feigned trepidation on the surface:

"To be honest, this matter is really difficult for me."

"Investigate. After all, he is a meritorious general and a relative of His Majesty. If I were to report this to His Majesty, would I be suspected of sowing discord within the imperial family?"

"If we don't investigate, there have been rumors in the capital for a long time. As the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, specially appointed by His Majesty, wouldn't it be a disservice to His Majesty's high regard if I did nothing?"

"It's a real dilemma—to investigate it or not to investigate it. It's a difficult situation!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi stepped forward and said to Chen Qun:
"Please, Lord Ling, stop making things difficult for Yuanzhi."

"Cao Zilian's matter involves the imperial family; who wouldn't want to avoid suspicion?"

"Sima Gong understands me!" Xu Shu immediately showed a grateful expression.

“However, Yuanzhi.” Sima Yi’s tone changed.

"If the time truly comes to distinguish right from wrong, those of us who are deeply favored by the Emperor must not fail the court!"

Xu Shu repeatedly bowed his head in agreement.

Sima Yi then glanced at Chen Qun, and seeing the latter nod secretly, he said:

"Speaking of which, Zhong Tingwei will soon be hosting a banquet at his home to entertain renowned scholars from the capital. Yuanzhi is from the same prefecture as him; has he been invited?"

Is the Minister of Justice, Zhong Yao, planning a grand banquet for renowned scholars at his home?

As a marginal figure who barely reached the core decision-making level of Cao Wei, Xu Shu instantly realized that this matter was not simple.

Who was Zhong Yao?

When Cao Cao was the King of Wei, Zhong Yao was his prime minister.

If it weren't for the involvement in Wei Feng's rebellion four years ago, which led to suspicion between the emperor and his ministers, he would be at least one of the Three Dukes at this time.

They might even be required to record the affairs of the Minister of Personnel.

Now, times have changed, and Zhong Yao is highly favored by Cao Pi.

Just then, Jia Xu passed away, and the position of Grand Commandant became vacant.

Zhong Yao, as the Minister of Justice, one of the Nine Ministers, was only one step away from that position...

Thinking of this, Xu Shu once again pointed to his heart and mocked himself:
"This profound strategy is likely unknown to the future Grand Commandant, therefore I have not been invited to a banquet!"

Sima Yi smiled, gently patted Xu Shu's hand, and said:

"Then I will take the liberty of recommending Yuanzhi to the future Grand Commandant, what do you say?"

Xu Shu smiled and said, "That is exactly what I wish to do! Thank you for your trouble!"

……

When Jiang Wei climbed the watchtower of Kunyang City, Wang Ping was practicing calligraphy with great concentration.

He glanced at the calligraphy copybook the other person was using.

It turned out to be one of the surrender proclamations that had been shot into the city earlier.

Because it uses cheap and readily available Mishi paper, it can now be found everywhere in the city.

He couldn't help but recall the painful experience of practicing calligraphy and reading on bamboo slips when he was young.

Bamboo and wooden slips are cumbersome.

It needs to be roasted during manufacturing and dried in the sun from time to time for preservation.

Both are very troublesome.

Even this is a privilege that only people with a certain level of wealth can enjoy.

Jiang Wei suddenly wondered if Mi Wei's deliberate act of shooting a message into the city was a way to promote "Mi's Paper" to the enemy.

After all, the real key to persuading Kunyang to surrender was the group of elderly and weak people who were released at the end.

At this moment, Wang Ping finally heard Jiang Wei's footsteps, put down his pen, and looked up.

Jiang Wei joked:
"Zijun is a man of great magnanimity. Even with a formidable enemy at hand, he wields his pen as usual, truly displaying the demeanor of a great general."

Wang Ping smiled sheepishly and said:
"Not at all. It's just that Mi Zhaohan always reminds me that a general may not need to write essays, but he cannot neglect reading."

"He often said that even though the general was over sixty, he still had a book in his hand every day during his marches, and he used this to encourage us." "What's that saying again? 'A person who doesn't read is worse than a pig or a dog...' I think that's how it goes?"

Jiang Wei's lips twitched upon hearing this.

But I was too lazy to correct it.

Although it is vulgar, it does not lose its essence.

From this perspective, the promotion of "Mi Shi paper" and paper books was quite effective, at least within the Han army.

After clearing his mind slightly, Jiang Wei remembered that he had important matters to attend to and solemnly said:
"Spies discovered the large-scale mobilization of the Wei army in Jia County."

"It may have a scale of five thousand to ten thousand infantry and cavalry."

Upon hearing the military news, Wang Ping's expression also turned serious.

He slowly walked to the railing, frowned, and said:

"Guangcheng Pass?"

Jiang Wei nodded: "Only Xiahou Ba's troops have an army of this size."

Wang Ping nodded, but quickly shook his head.

"This is unreasonable."

"He shouldn't have moved."

Jiang Wei: "But he did move."

Wang Ping: "...Is this a trap?"

Jiang Wei: "Something is amiss; there must be a trick involved."

"But the problem is, I really can't see the real reason behind the Wei army's troop movements. Otherwise, I would have asked Mi Zhaohan for permission to bypass Guangcheng Pass and cut off their retreat!"

Wang Ping thought about it and realized that this was exactly the kind of thing Jiang Wei would enjoy doing.

He then said, "Since we can't understand it, we should first be cautious and defend, and observe the situation. Mi Zhaohan has already said that the key to this battle lies in Wancheng."

Jiang Wei thought about it and had no objection.

……

Horse hooves pounded across the autumn river, splashing up a cloud of muddy water.

Xiahou Ba reined in his horse on the riverbank, his eyes blazing.

On the city wall, a large banner with the character "Han" fluttered in the wind, as if mocking his incompetence.

The scene of my father being killed by the Shu bandit Huang Zhong in the Battle of Dingjun Mountain four years ago is still as clear as if it were yesterday.

From that moment on, he never stopped grieving over it.

I only regret that I am too young, while Huang Zhong is too old.

Before one can reach adulthood, the other has already grown old.

But a gentleman's revenge can never be too late.

Over the course of four years, he continuously honed his physical skills, honed his horsemanship and archery, and became familiar with military law.

Finally, today, the opportunity has arrived.

"If my lord knows this in the afterlife, please bless my son to utterly defeat the bandits and avenge our blood feud!"

He hissed softly, unconsciously tightening his grip on the long spear in his hand.

"General, our scouts have discovered that the commander of Kunyang is Wang Ping, with two thousand soldiers, and the commander of Dingling is Ma Zhong, with one thousand soldiers."

“The enemy general Mi Wei led a large army to guard Fangcheng, with Ye County as the location of his central army.”

"Should we set up camp first and scout out the enemy's situation?" the lieutenant asked cautiously.

Xiahou Ba turned his head sharply, his eyes blazing with fury:

"This city has no more than two thousand rabble, and Wang Ping is just a bastard raised by the Ba people of Ba County. What is he worth mentioning?"

"Besides, our army is well-trained and well-fed, so what is there to investigate?"

"Don't you all think about this? If the court wanted a safe and secure siege, why would it send me south from Guangcheng Pass?"

"Issue my military order: immediately oversee the manufacture of siege equipment, and Kunyang City must be captured within ten days!"

……

"Xiahou Ba has indeed come to attack the city."

On the watchtower, Wang Ping gazed calmly at the billowing dust rising from the Wei army camp.

Jiang Wei, standing beside him, stared intently for a moment, then exhaled and said:
"It's understandable to do it to avenge one's father."

"I just don't understand why Luoyang would tolerate his personal favors... This is a major taboo for a general."

Wang Ping couldn't understand it either.

But unlike Jiang Wei, who was well-read.

When he doesn't understand something, he tries to understand it in the simplest way:

Whether or not to tolerate it, the truth will ultimately be revealed on the battlefield.

"If we cannot defend the city, he will be a worthy son of a tiger father, and his surprise attack will be a great success."

“That’s true.” Jiang Wei nodded.

“In that case, let’s proceed as planned. I will lead my cavalry to camp outside the city, forming a pincer movement with you.”

(End of this chapter)