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

Chapter 326 Mi Wei Responds to the Challenge
Should we immediately send troops to Huguan Pass?
Given Deng Ai's infiltration of northern Shangdang over the past two years, his chances of success are quite high.

But at what cost?

The Cao Wei rulers and their ministers would immediately learn of the vulnerability on the west side of Ye City.

We must either do everything we can to plug the leak, or we must move east or north again.

In short, this caused the Han army to miss a strategic opportunity that could have ended the Cao family's rule in a short period of time.

Incidentally, since Deng Ai was able to easily capture Huguan, Yang Dao, regardless of whether any evidence of treason was found, would certainly be charged with serious dereliction of duty.

Conversely, if Yang Dao had foreseen this outcome, would he have truly become a loyal subject of the Great Wei?

To be a loyal subject of the Great Wei is to sacrifice only one daughter.

Being a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty might mean having to sacrifice one's entire family.

Clearly, the former involved fewer sacrifices.

Alternatively, Yang Dao could simply resign from his post before Cao Rui, indicating that he lacked the ability to guard the pass.

Although this would inevitably draw criticism, it wouldn't warrant death, nor would it implicate family members.

These are all variables that are difficult to estimate.

What if we don't send troops?
If Cao Rui really came for Yang Dao.

The next step will inevitably be to continue westward and further purge the officials in northern Shangdang.

Finally, taking advantage of the situation, they replaced Yang Dao with a powerful general named Qian Zhao to guard Huguan Pass.

Then Mi Wei and Deng Ai's plans over the past two years have been in vain.

In short, whether or not troops are dispatched, there are certain risks involved.

The crux of the problem is that Mi Wei has not yet figured out what Cao Rui came to Shexian for.

They truly possessed evidence of Yang Dao's treason and came prepared.

Or perhaps it was based on military intuition that they realized the importance of Shangdang and Shexian to Jizhou and Yecheng, and instinctively strengthened control in this direction?

Miwei never dared to bet on his opponent's miscalculation.

So Deng Ai was instructed to try to appease Yang Dao and prevent him from taking any rash actions.

Meanwhile, he sent someone to Ye City to contact Xu Shu to see if they could obtain more accurate intelligence.

At the same time, he did not forget to inform Xu Miao of Hedong, Shi Tao of Hongnong, and the generals on both sides of the river to prepare for war.

Because once the two sides go to war.

Since it concerned the safety of an emperor of Cao Wei, the scale of this war could not be small.

Several days later, Miwei finally received a reply.

However, it was Zhao Yun who came from Bingzhou.

Zhao Yun said.

After he opened up the northern entrance of Guanjuejin, he found that most of the cities and strongholds in Taiyuan and Xihe counties had been burned down and were deserted.

The Wei army had clearly prepared for this day by fortifying their defenses and clearing the fields in advance.

Today, a large amount of manpower and resources are concentrated in a defensive perimeter centered on Jinyang City, the capital of Taiyuan Prefecture.

Liang Xi, the governor of Bingzhou under Cao Wei, personally oversaw the defense of the city.

Zhao Yun bluntly stated that without a year or two of attrition, it would be impossible to conquer that fortified northern city.

Therefore, Zhao Yun had two ideas.

First, they retreated to the north entrance of Guanjuejin, and then sent troops south to help Miwei resolve the Shangdang issue.

Losing the opportunity to quickly capture Ye City is still better than losing the gateway to Ji Province from Shangdang.

The other side did the opposite, first sending troops to lock down Jinyang City, and then continuing north to attack and plunder Xinxing, Yanmen, and even Dai County in Youzhou.

By subsequently linking up with the various Hu tribes and completely isolating Jinyang City, the morale of the latter might be severely damaged, leading to a successful surrender.

However, this meant that Mi Wei would have to find someone else to help solve the problem in Shangdang.

"Yunnan, how should I respond to General Zhengbei?"

Mi Wei had only one scholar among his retainers, Qiao Zhou, so he could only consult with him.

Qiao Zhou was not a man of quick wit.

After thinking for a long time, he finally said:
Zhou believed that Zhao Zhenbei should adopt the second strategy.

Mi Wei: "I would like to hear the details."

Qiao Zhou pondered for a moment before continuing:
"Since the end of the Hedong War, the court has been working with the people to make peace and has only taken action in two counties in Henan and Guanjuejin. However, the main approach has been to appease the people rather than to launch a large-scale military campaign."

"Although this allowed the enemy to prolong their lives and reduced the earlier achievements of rapidly expanding territory every year, it did gradually fill the granaries of various prefectures and counties, winning the hearts of the people. It was indeed a long-term solution."

"With the Prime Minister in charge of military affairs in Guanzhong, the soldiers became more familiar with formations and archery than before, and their combat effectiveness increased twofold."

"Furthermore, the lord has been recruiting and pacifying the gentry of Guandong in Hedong, and his craftsmanship and skills have reached their peak, enriching the military resources."

"Now that the prefectures and counties in all directions have been settled and the army is well-equipped, even Zhao Zhengbei's army is sufficient to besiege the great city of Jinyang and still have the strength to go north to relieve the people and punish the guilty."

"If we don't seize this opportunity to quickly pacify Bingzhou, wouldn't all our efforts over the past few years have been in vain?"

"As for Shangdang, as long as the general is determined, Deng Shizai alone is enough to handle it, and there is no need for the other generals to reinforce him." "It would be better to let the generals spread their voices elsewhere to support Deng Shizai in stabilizing Shangdang. It might have a surprising effect."

"The suggestion to Zhao Zhengbei to continue the Northern Expedition also conveys this meaning."

Miwei nodded repeatedly as he listened.

He himself had similar ideas.

It was just a routine consultation to check for omissions and fill in the gaps.

But to my surprise, Qiao Zhou had made progress in military strategy and geography, and his thinking was clear.

So, is this person the type who achieves great things later in life?
Slightly surprised, Mi Wei immediately replied to Zhao Yun, instructing him to continue north.

The only requirement is that the commotion be quite loud.

This was done to distract Cao Rui from Shangdang.

This further reduces the risk of the sheep suddenly turning against them.

……

Just as Zhao Yun was half-pretending and half-acting as he headed north to Yanmen.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the two generals from Henan, also intensified their offensive against Luoyang.
However, for Zhang He, who was defending the city, this was not something to be alarmed about.

Because he had been trapped in Luoyang for two years and had witnessed the entire process of the fall of Henan to the Han army.

There was already a prediction about how long Luoyang could be defended, and how long it would last.

He simply wanted to preserve his reputation in his later years, so as not to end up like Yu Jin.

As for emulating Xu Huang's burning of Xinye, leaving the Han army with not a single grain of rice or an inch of cloth.

He had considered it.

It's just that I can't do it.

Things are different now.

This is no longer the era when Cao Wei dominated the north.

As long as you're not blind or deaf.

Who in Luoyang didn't know that the Han army would enter the city sooner or later?

Why then obediently listen to Cao Wei's soldiers and let them destroy everything they own?

At worst, we can just flee outside the city and surrender to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!
Who in the world does not know that the Han army treated those who surrendered generously, and there was never any saying that "those who surrendered after being besieged would not be pardoned"?

Just keep grinding.

They just wear each other down.

Until the Wei army could no longer hold out, they welcomed the royal army into Luoyang with food and drink.

This is the prevailing sentiment in Luoyang right now.

This was also a situation tacitly approved by the Han army outside the city.

This was a reality that Zhang He had long recognized.

There's nothing surprising about that.

However, just as this veteran general of the Great Wei was planning to continue lying down and die,

One morning, a deafening roar stirred a ripple in the still waters of his desolate heart.

The towering Lingyun Terrace in Luoyang Palace was one of Cao Pi's favorite places to visit during his lifetime.

It collapsed.

How did it collapse?

Zhang He frowned as he looked at the group of panicked palace servants.

"Perhaps, perhaps it's because the wind is too strong."

A weak and feminine voice rang out.

Zhang He looked closely and realized it was a young eunuch who had been left to guard the palace because of his old age.

It must be said that "young eunuch" does not refer to a person's age.

It was a formal title for a eunuch, subordinate to the Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household Department), with a rank of 600 shi (a unit of grain).

He was considered to be in the middle ranks among the eunuchs.

Zhang He, seeing that he was an old palace man, naturally did not suspect anything.

Until a questioning voice rang out from the side:

"This is a big fallacy!"

"Two years ago, before the imperial carriage left Luoyang, His Majesty said that the foundation of this platform was unstable and that he was afraid it would collapse and injure the palace women, so he issued an edict to ask the craftsmen to reinforce it."

"Why did the wind not blow it down after we reinforced it, but it still collapsed after we reinforced it?"

"I can clearly see that enemy spies have infiltrated the city to assassinate General Zuo!"

(End of this chapter)