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

Chapter 295 Recognizing Change but Unable to Utilize It

Compared to the desperate battleground in Henan, the more open terrain of the Hedong battlefield was far more complex.

Because the terrain was more open, Zhang Fei's attack was much smoother.

In fact, after Zhang Fei smashed open the gates of Jie County with stone cannons, making Guan Yu's title of Marquis of Jie truly deserved,

That very night, the Yi clan, located on the opposite bank of the Sushui River, sent people to surrender.

Zhang Fei captured another city without bloodshed and continued his northward march along the Sushui River.

It wasn't until they reached An'yi City in Hedong County that they were stopped by the relatively high city walls.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun's troops had already captured Linfen City, an important stronghold on the banks of the Fen River.

They have finally established a foothold in Fenbei.

After a short rest, they continued upstream, heading straight for Guanjuejin.

Compared to Zhang Fei, who needed to overcome many obstacles, Zhao Yun's advance was undoubtedly faster.

To facilitate a cavalry raid, Zhao Yun specifically chose to advance along the relatively flat and open left bank of the Fen River.

But this also brings another problem.

Because of the flat terrain, there will inevitably be more cities and strongholds on this side.

Zhao Yun couldn't possibly completely disregard his own safety.
They inevitably had to split up their forces along the way.

After a while, by the time his troops arrived at Yong'an (Zhi County) near the south entrance of Guanjuejin, the number of cavalry had been reduced to about two thousand.

At this point, the Wei army, which had already received orders, no longer lingered inside the city and went out to intercept them.

Tangcheng, located across the Fen River from Yong'an, also sent troops to provide support.

They vowed to stop the Han army outside the valley at all costs.

Thus, even the fastest-moving force of the Han army finally slowed down.

……

"Even the strongest arrow at its end cannot pierce through fine silk."

"The Han army is now showing signs of weakness, and Guanzhong is under control, but the granaries are insufficient, so they cannot fight for long."

"Zhongda, the time has come for us to make our mark!"

Wu Zhi held the military report from Hedong, his eyes fixed intently on Sima Yi.

However, the latter simply closed his eyes and remained silent.

It was unclear whether he was deep in thought or dozing off.

Wu Zhi waited for a long time without him saying a word, and said impatiently:

"When you first came here, didn't you keep saying that you wanted to go to Hedong with me and achieve great things together?"

Why did you hesitate and back down when the time came?

Sima Yi chuckled but remained silent.

Wu Zhi's gaze shifted:
"Could it be that Zhongda was intimidated by the names of Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun?"

"You can't be so scared that Zhuge Liang and Mi Wei are far away in Chang'an that you're afraid to go to Hedong!"

Sima Yi then leisurely spoke:

"Zhang Junyi wrote you a letter?"

Wu Zhi opened his mouth and chuckled:
"So you suspected me... Unfortunately, you guessed wrong. It was Xu Yuanzhi who asked me to persuade you."

He said that you and Zhang Junyi are both important ministers of the state, and that cooperation would be beneficial while conflict would be detrimental.

"Why not follow the example of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, and achieve harmony between the generals and ministers?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi slowly opened his eyes.

Nana said:
"Xu Yuanzhi was always good at reading people's expressions and was adept at getting along with everyone."

"Even a villain like him is trying to persuade me with righteousness... I'm afraid the political winds in the court have already shifted."

Then he looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.

When I looked down again, my eyes were fully open.

"The Han army's offensive has only slowed down; it is far from being at its last gasp."

"If you want to fight Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun now, I won't stop you."

"After you die, I will take care of your wife and children."

Wu Zhi: "You...!"

"I'm doing this for your own good." Sima Yi didn't care about his friend's expression. "If you had Zhang Junyi's bravery, I would certainly advise you to go to Hedong to fight Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun."

"You don't have it!"

"Since we can't win by force, we'll have to outsmart them."

Wu Zhi's expression softened slightly: "How do we outsmart them?"

Sima Yi walked to the flattened map on the table with his hands behind his back and said slowly:

"You just mentioned the famous ancient general Lian Po, who won more battles than he lost throughout his life. Do you know which battle he was defeated in?"

"How could I not know?" Wu Zhi snorted.

"When Qin and Zhao fought for Shangdang at Changping, Zhao initially appointed Lian Po as general. After several battles, he was no match for Qin general Wang He and could only retreat to the east bank of the Dan River, where he built fortifications and defended the area by relying on the terrain."

"King Zhao was furious that Lian Po dared not fight, and thus fell for Qin's counter-espionage plot, changing generals before the battle... This was the reason for his defeat."

"However, compared to Zhao Kuo's later crushing defeat, Lian Po's losses were insignificant..."

At this point, Wu Zhi suddenly paused and focused his gaze:
"Does Zhongda suspect that Zhuge Liang used a counter-espionage scheme, or does he intend to use a counter-espionage scheme against Zhuge Liang?"

Sima Yi laughed heartily and turned around, saying:
"Both His Majesty and the Crown Prince possess the qualities of wise rulers and are shrewd and calculating. How could they be as easily misled by slander as King Zhao Xiaocheng?"

"And Zhuge Liang is now nominally a regent in Guanzhong, but in reality he is a powerful minister. Even if Liu Bei's son believes the lies of the double agent, what can be done?"

"This is but a trivial matter; how can it be used for matters of state?"

He then raised his hand and pointed heavily to a location on the map:
"This is our path to victory!"

Wu Zhi rushed forward to see what was happening.

But the spot where Sima Yi pointed was clearly on a passageway at the southern foot of Wangwu Mountain.

He looked up and asked, "Zhongda means to go through Zhiguan Pass and out of Hedong?"

Sima Yi: "If we send troops out of Ye City to Hedong, there are only two routes."

"First, we went south along the route I came from, then through Zhiguan, Jiguan, and Baijian Pass, finally reaching the source of the Sushui River, which is the Zhiguan Pass you mentioned."

"Secondly, go west against the Zhang River, cross the watershed at Shexian County, go south to Huguan, enter Shangdang County, and then go west from Shangdang to cross the Qin River to reach Duanshi in Hedong."

"Of course, one could also head south to Hanoi first, and then north to Shangdang from Yewang County. Bai Qi traveled from here to Changping back then. However, this is not fundamentally different from the second route, so there is no need to elaborate."

"In short, of these two routes, going to Shangdang is naturally closer. However, there are too many mountain paths, which is not conducive to the army's westward march."

"As for the Hanoi section, it's flat and easy to travel, so I won't go into details. I had already spoken with the elders of my homeland before I came to Ye City."

“Once the army passes through Hanoi, the people will surely welcome the king’s army with food and drink, which will greatly reduce the difficulty of conscription and transporting supplies.”

"So you were prepared all along!" Wu Zhi exclaimed, realizing the situation, but not entirely surprised.

Sima Yi wanted to be reinstated in the future, so he needed to rely on allies and former officials in the court, and naturally, he needed to rely on relatives and friends in the provinces.

"But what does this have to do with Lian Po's defeat?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi smiled faintly and said:

"Although Lian Po's defeat was due to the schemes of the court, wasn't the root cause his military strategy a failure to adapt, his inability to attack despite his ability to defend, and thus his constant passivity?"

"Nowadays, although Zhuge Liang and others have foresight in general terms, they have chosen the more ingenious Hedong route as the main direction of attack."

"But being able to see the changes does not mean that you can make good use of them."

"Since the Shu bandits invaded the east, although their forces were divided into several routes, they appeared to be a formidable force."

"However, upon closer examination, it is nothing more than the usual tactics of attacking cities when they come and seizing passes when they come."

"Moreover, each general fights his own battle, so there is no question of combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics."

"If we're talking about variables, the cannon strike was even more unexpected!"

Therefore.

"At the beginning of the war, the political situation in Luoyang was turbulent, and the distribution of grain and fodder was not smooth. The Shu bandits seized the initiative and were able to win one victory after another."

"But once the situation in the court stabilizes and reinforcements arrive, the Shu rebels will lose their ability to adapt, and the situation will naturally become sluggish... This is exactly the situation we are in now."

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhi's previously suppressed ambitions ignited once more.

"Zhongda said that Zhuge Liang recognizes the variables but cannot use them. Could it be that he has already thought of a way to break the deadlock?"

Tuk Tuk.

Sima Yi tapped the map on the cutting board with his finger again.

Wu Zhi looked again and found that the place it was pointing to had already crossed the Baijian Pass, where the western exit of Zhiguan Pass was located, and landed on a pass.

The mountain range where the pass is located is the watershed between the Sushui River basin and the Fenshui River basin.

(End of this chapter)