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

Chapter 244 Appointing Generals for the Northern Expedition
Zhuge Liang met Liu Bei's gaze:

"Your Majesty governs the world with virtue and wisdom, rewarding merit and punishing crime. The people are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence and all hope to repay you."

The Book of Documents says: "Be sincere and honest, clarify righteousness, uphold virtue and reward merit, and the world will be well governed by doing nothing."

"At this very moment!"

Upon hearing the words "rule of office," Liu Bei smiled slightly and then looked at Ma Liang.

The latter stepped forward proudly, his face resolute:

"The emperor's health is of paramount importance to the nation; therefore, he should be appointed as the empress!"

"Though I am dull-witted, I am willing to serve as a dog or horse, and to be the vanguard in the fight against the enemy!"

Liu Bei laughed heartily, as if he had expected this.

Pointing at Ma Liang, Zhuge Liang asked:

"If Ji Chang is to be in command, I wonder if the generals will be able to obey orders?"

Ma Liang blushed upon hearing this.

The others were also embarrassed.

Guan Yu goes without saying.

Zhang Fei, Wei Yan, and Zhao Yun—these three generals were so powerful that few in Shu could simultaneously keep them in check.

Upon seeing this, Zhuge Liang sighed slightly and bowed, saying:

"I have served under Your Majesty in military affairs for eighteen years and have gained some prestige. I wish to serve as Your Majesty's commander-in-chief!"

Liu Bei was somewhat surprised.

After a moment's hesitation, he flatly refused:
"The Prime Minister must not go."

"The reason why I was able to appoint people based on their virtue and talent is partly due to the Prime Minister's efforts."

"If you fail, half of my virtue will be lost, and how can I govern the world?"

Zhuge Liang repeatedly said in a trembling voice that he dared not accept such praise.

But his expression was already calm.

"I also believe that I should not go."

"However, the reasons why I cannot go are similar to those of Your Majesty, but the loss to the country is far less than that of Your Majesty."

"Since Your Majesty cannot tolerate minor mistakes, how can you tolerate major ones?"

Liu Bei was stunned.

It turns out that they were using their own weapon against them.

As expected of my Kongming.

He sighed inwardly, and when he spoke again, it carried a more deliberate tone:
"In your opinion, Prime Minister, who should be the commander-in-chief? Guan Yu? Zhang Fei? Zhao Yun? Wen Chang?"

"I would like to promote Huang Gongheng, but I have heard that Ma Mengqi is seriously ill. Hexi cannot be without a general to guard it. He and Wu Ziyuan (Wu Yi) are both untouchable."

Zhuge Liang responded:

"Generals Huang and Wu are indeed not to be touched."

"The general's achievements and bravery are unparalleled in the army, and he should be able to command respect. However, since he is stationed in Wancheng, facing Luoyang and Yingzhou directly, it is more advantageous for the Northern Expedition to remain still than to make a move."

"I'm afraid that at that time, Mi Wei, Guan Ping and other generals will have to come to support Guanzhong, but they will only be there to provide support and will not be able to lead the troops."

"The other generals, Zhao Zhenbei, are the governors of Longyou, and Wei Zhengbei, are the governors of Hanzhong. Their powers and responsibilities are roughly equal, so I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to be convinced."

Liu Bei understood: "Then we can only let Yide take command."

"His central position allows him to directly connect with Longyou and Hanzhong, facilitating the coordination of the three armies."

"However... he has a fiery temper, his killings are excessive, and he is also negligent in guarding against those close to him. I am always a little uneasy about him."

Zhuge Liang immediately said:

"Jiang Gongyan, a court official, is upright and authoritative, and can command respect from the masses. He is suitable to serve as the military judge of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, in charge of military law."

"Your Majesty may also travel slightly north to Hanshou to supervise the generals. In this way, nothing will go wrong."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei glanced at Jiang Wan, who was sitting below Ma Liang.

The latter immediately bowed and stood up.

Liu Bei nodded, then looked at the composed Zhuge Liang;

"Is the Prime Minister afraid that I will not heed advice and insist on personally leading the expedition, so he drew a line in Hanshou?"

Zhuge Liang could not bow in time.

Liu Bei chuckled again.

"That's fine."

"I still want to see what Chang'an looks like with my own eyes and pay my respects at the mausoleum of Emperor Gao."

"Hanshou, Hanshou...that's a good name!"

……

Mi Wei returned to Ye County later than Jia Kui had anticipated.

Because the weak force heading out of Guangcheng Pass was actually under his personal command.

They just didn't use his name.

But it wasn't just to confuse the enemy.

Rather, it was to take the opportunity to investigate the defenses of Guangcheng Pass.

After all, it is rare for an enemy to take the initiative to divide its forces and create openings.

But as it turns out, the eight passes of Luoyang, at least when the Wei army was well-prepared, lived up to their reputation.

So, after being humiliated, he retreated to the mountains in a sorry state.

It's fortunate they didn't reveal their own name. They managed to preserve the undefeated legend of "Lord Deer".

After that, they traveled south over the mountains and safely returned to the south bank of the Zhi River.

And they saw the news of Liao Hua's successful sneak attack.

As a result, Jia Kui and Cao Hong will temporarily lose the ability to launch a large-scale offensive, at least until the autumn harvest this year.

It should be able to quiet down for at least six months, allowing for rest and recuperation.

After consulting with Guan Yu, Mi Wei opened the treasury and distributed rewards to the three armies.

Shi Tao, who had rendered meritorious service in delivering the message, was appointed as the Prefectural Assistant.

Shi Tao gladly accepted the order.

Although his old friend Zhuge Liang was in Yizhou, he preferred to stay in the Central Plains.

In this way, Mi Wei finally began to resemble a proper governor of Yuzhou.

The issue of military conquest has come to an end.

Internal treatment is also progressing steadily.

Next, Miwei turned his attention to diplomacy.

News of Sun Quan's critical illness kept arriving from Jiangdong, but Mi Wei only relied on Fei Yi's reports.

The latter stated in the letter that Jianye had already begun preparations for the funeral.

It is estimated that the "result" will be available in the fall or winter.

In short, in recent years, we can no longer expect Jiangdong to harass Huainan.

Therefore, after Jia Kui and Cao Hong catch their breath next year, there will be large-scale military confrontations in Fangcheng.

This aligns with what everyone had predicted earlier.

Now it's completely confirmed.

Conversely, good news came from Luoyang.

Firstly, Yang Jun's earlier underhanded trick had indeed struck at the Achilles' heel of Cao Wei's system for selecting officials.

During this period, Luoyang was rife with bloodshed.

Many officials were implicated, some losing their posts and others being convicted of crimes.

The order placement may have to be postponed.

This would undoubtedly affect the normal administration of Cao Wei.

Although not as immediately effective as a military victory, in the long run, its impact is probably greater than burning ten grain depots.

After all, military, civil, foreign, and even world affairs are essentially "human affairs".

The second is Xu Shu.

Miwei was initially worried that he would be implicated in this matter.

Unexpectedly, he rose rapidly through the ranks and became the Commandant of the Capital Region.

He has now become a fearsome, ruthless killer in Luoyang.

There will be even more things we can do in the future.

However, Cao Pi's response was undeniably clever.

They actually brought out the already deceased "Emperor Xian of Han" again to save the day.

Of course, that person is now called the Duke of Shanyang.

It is said that he had an excellent relationship with Cao Pi.

Cao Pi once publicly stated, "The treasures of the world should be shared with Shanyang."

It means that he and Liu Xie each have half of the best things in the world.

This is, of course, just a polite remark.

It's impossible for Liu Xie to point to the Imperial Seal of the State and say that it is very beautiful, and Cao Pi would actually give him half of it, right?

The key point is to express an attitude through this:

Cao Pi's usurpation of the Han throne was in accordance with the will of Heaven, the will of the people, and was legitimate and reasonable; there was nothing shameful about it.

Any questioning of this is slander!

They are all traitors and rebels!

And this is precisely the main content of the book that Shanyang Gong wrote when he returned to the mountains.

Ji Han really couldn't give a direct response to this.

Because Liu Xie had already been declared "dead" when the campaign to establish Liu Bei as emperor was being carried out earlier.

They even gave him a posthumous title.

In recent years, many sacrifices have been held for him in Sichuan.

In other words, Buddhism had not yet received official endorsement at that time and was not considered respectable.

Otherwise, we might as well send his soul to the afterlife.

Therefore, Liu Xie's remarks cannot be directly responded to.

A response would be a slap in the face to oneself.

However, just as Miwei was about to remain silent...

But then good news suddenly came from Sun Lang's side.

While he was active in the Xiong'er Mountain area, he found out where Hu Zhao was.

They then pursued the enemy all the way to Yiyang, where they not only successfully avenged themselves but also captured Yang Biao and his grandson, who were traveling with them!
(End of this chapter)