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

Chapter 284 Stirring a hornet's nest

Sima Yi gave Xu Shu a deep look and said:
"Although Yuanzhi does not have the privilege of entering and leaving the palace, given your current extraordinary favor with the emperor, how could the emperor not approve any memorials you submit?"

Why should we expect anything from the New Year's Day ceremony?

This old fox!
Xu Shu cursed inwardly, then feigned annoyance and said:
"Master Sima, please don't flatter me to death!"

"Compared to you, what extraordinary favor do I possess?"

Seeing that Sima Yi smiled but remained silent, he hurriedly said:

"If you insist on saying he's been favored, isn't it because of Lord Sima's appreciation?"

Sima Yi let out a strange "Oh!" and laughed:
"Isn't it because of Grand Commandant Zhong's appreciation?"

Xu Shu: "That's because Lord Sima showed me favor first!"

"To be honest, Xu Shu is a man who cherishes old friendships."

"I heard some time ago that my former lord had passed away in Chang'an. Although I was bound by the principle of irreconcilable enmity with the Wei traitors, I couldn't help but feel saddened. I secretly shed tears at night, but I couldn't tell anyone else!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi glanced at Xu Shu's slightly red and swollen eyes, paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter:

"Yuanzhi, there's no need for you to smear yourself like this!"

"We are both trusted confidants of the Emperor, so we should cooperate seamlessly and have no suspicion of each other!"

Xu Shu smiled upon hearing this:
"Since we cooperate so well, could you perhaps include me in the important matter that Master Sima is undertaking?"

Sima Yi took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned around, his gaze passing over Xu Shu and landing on the majestic palace behind him.

He said in a low, languid tone:
"Such a palace, if it were not occupied by a great ruler, wouldn't it be a pity?"

……

Liu Adou is really having a huge headache lately.

The reason for this was that an imperial edict had been issued earlier to solicit good strategies for governing Guanzhong.

He intended to take this opportunity to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the group members, and he did indeed gain something from it.

He even earned a reputation in Chang'an for being "good at accepting advice".

Liu Shan became somewhat arrogant at that time.

Deciding to strike while the iron is hot, and also to satisfy curiosity, I raised a new topic: the strategy to pacify Wei.

Unexpectedly, this stirred up a hornet's nest.

Specifically, the generals had significant disagreements regarding the choice of subsequent military routes.

There are broadly two schools of thought.

First, a faction of generals led by Wei Yan and Guan Ping advocated prioritizing sending troops to Henan and directly attacking Luoyang.

The reason is quite straightforward.

Luoyang, as an "old capital" alongside Chang'an, is now the central hub of the Cao Wei state.

If we can capture and kill Cao Pi in one battle, we can destroy the Wei court.

The trend of the Han dynasty's restoration will be unstoppable.

Even if we can't capture Cao Pi, driving him out of the heart of the Central Plains would still be a huge strategic victory.

However, the faction led by Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun disagreed.

This faction believes that the Xiaohan Pass behind Tongguan is easily blocked, which is not conducive to the deployment of large armies.

Considering that the Wei army actually suffered relatively few losses in the Battle of Weibei, which was enough to hold the Heluo Pass, the subsequent conquest of Henan would be quite difficult.

Therefore, it is recommended to bypass Tongguan Pass first.

Instead, they headed north to Pubanjin, crossed the Yellow River to the east, and went to take the Hedong and Bingzhou areas.

There are two advantages to doing this.

One is to completely close this not-too-small opening in the northeast of the Guanzhong Basin.

It should be noted that Puban County, which is east of Pubanjin, is still under the control of the Wei army in Hedong.

If this breach isn't sealed, Wei's knights can enter the pass and harass us at any time.

Just like the Fangcheng Gap in the Nanyang Basin.

Conversely, precisely because this passage is relatively large, it is easier for the Han army to deploy its forces when marching out of Hedong than through the Tongguan line.

It is advantageous to the attacking side.

Secondly, once Hedong or even Bingzhou is captured.

Then, when they turn their attention back to Luoyang, the Han army will have more flexible strategic options.

For example, they could cross the Zhongtiao Mountains from Anyi and Dayang in Hedong, cross the Shanjin River to the south, and directly attack Shanxian County, where the western ends of the Xiaohan Pass meet.

This would allow them to bypass the narrow, easily defensible area from Tongguan to Hongnong (Qin Hangu Pass).

They could advance eastward to Luoyang, or retreat and join forces with Guanzhong to attack Tongguan, thus gaining control of this strategic gateway.

Even more bold.

They could also march east from the Jiang County area in Hedong, pass through Zhiguan Pass, and directly cross the Taihang and Wangwu Mountains to unexpectedly reach the northern part of Luoyang.

This was also one of the key routes for communication between the three Jin states and the Zhou emperor in Luoyang during the pre-Qin period.

If successful, it would be like piercing the heart of Cao Wei with a sword, and its impact would be decisive.

As for using other passages through the Taihang Mountains to exit Hebei and take Jizhou... this adds even more strategic options.

Of course, the Hedong faction also had its own problems. For example, the Xianbei people in the Bingzhou direction were always a significant hidden danger.

The Wei army in the Bingzhou direction, including generals such as Liang Xi, the governor of Bingzhou, and Qian Zhao and Xie Jun, the Protector of the Xianbei, were not easy to deal with.

Once the Han army leaves Hedong.

They would likely be attacked by both the Wei army and the Xianbei people at the same time.

Other than that.

Whether we cross the Zhongtiao Mountains or traverse the Taihang Mountains to reach Hebei, we will continue on our journey.

Both belong to long-distance flanking operations.

The logistical pressure will be considerable.

However, the returns cannot be guaranteed.

On the other hand, once the Henan faction opens up the Xiaohan Pass, it can coordinate with Guan Yu's army, which has already occupied Guangcheng Pass, to launch a two-pronged attack.

Then the capture of Luoyang will be just around the corner.

In short, both sides have their own reasons, and neither side can convince the other.

Furthermore, they were all important generals with considerable influence.

This naturally attracted a large number of followers.

It has clearly become a significant media storm.

Liu Shan was a young emperor who had just ascended the throne and lacked prestige.

They couldn't control either faction at all, nor did they dare to easily suppress them.

if not?
Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan—consider their seniority and age.

Which one of them wasn't his uncle or elder brother?
Although there was a nominal relationship between the emperor and his subjects, everyone knew that these generals truly respected their father, Liu Bei.

Rather than a young man who had never been on the battlefield.

Although Guan Ping was of the same generation, he also had real military achievements.

Not to mention Guan Ping, a general whose ancestral home was Hedong, resolutely chose the route of advancing out of Henan first.

What is this called?
Putting public interests before private ones.

A model of a loyal subject.

Guan Yu remained silent throughout, refusing to cause trouble for the new emperor.

It's not appropriate to criticize either of them.

Of course, Liu Shan cannot be blamed for this.

It's not fair to blame Liu Bei for protecting his son too well and not giving him the opportunity to make merit on the battlefield.

Because of some unspoken political traditions of this era.

If the king goes on a campaign abroad, the crown prince must either stay in the capital or accompany the king to pacify the army.

In short, one cannot lead an army into battle alone.

Even pairing him with a highly experienced general wouldn't work.

Otherwise, it would be interpreted by the world as a signal that the crown prince is about to be deposed.

It would cause great turmoil in the political situation.

The origin of this tradition can be traced back to the story of Duke Xian of Jin and his son Shen Sheng during the pre-Qin period.

Why did Zhuge Liang advise Liu Qi to be stationed in Jiangxia?
Because if Liu Qi chooses to lead troops to an outer town, it would be tantamount to voluntarily giving up his status as heir.

It no longer threatens the interests of Liu Cong's faction.

This is what is meant by "Shen Sheng died while inside the palace, while Chong Er lived peacefully while outside."

Furthermore, considering that this story originates from the Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, and even Liu Shan himself were all well-versed in the Zuo Zhuan.

Then naturally they wouldn't make such a fundamental mistake.

However, it is also an undeniable fact that Liu Shan's military prestige is currently insufficient.

Fortunately.

Fortunately in misfortune.

Liu Shan's prime minister was named Zhuge Liang.

The two factions were getting increasingly embroiled in conflict.

Liu Shan made a decisive decision.

Summon the Prime Minister!

It is worth mentioning that Liu Shan originally planned to go directly to the Prime Minister's residence to find Zhuge Liang.

Fortunately, Dong Yun reminded him in time to change "幸" to "召", thus preventing a new disturbance.

In short, just when Liu Shan was about to succumb to the pressure of public opinion.

Zhuge Liang finally managed to squeeze out some time from his busy schedule to visit Weiyang Palace.

(End of this chapter)