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

Chapter 365 Emperor versus Emperor

Guan Xing: "After Jiang Boyue was transferred, His Majesty promoted Huo Yi and Huo Shaoxian to the position of Imperial Guard General."

Upon hearing this name, Guan Ping's brows immediately relaxed.

He nodded slightly and said:
"Huo Shaoxian is a descendant of a fine man. In his early years, he followed Shi Shan to pacify the south. With him around, the carriage is much safer."

Guan Xing could easily understand the implication of his elder brother's words.

He rubbed his hands nervously and said:
"Is Brother worried that Guanqiu Jian might risk attacking Puyang if he hears that the imperial carriage has arrived?"

“With your brother here, he wouldn’t take that risk,” Guan Ping said firmly.

"However, this man was defeated by me several times but his camp did not collapse, which shows that he is good at managing troops and should not be underestimated."

Guan Xing: "The military report says he retreated to Dayeze, where the three counties meet?"

Guan Ping nodded:

"Daye Marsh is also known as Juye Marsh. It has a wide body of water and a complex network of waterways."

“Shi Shan wrote that ‘Liangshan Marsh, which is eight hundred li in size, can hide one hundred thousand soldiers.’ I personally led people to scout it out. Although it was somewhat exaggerated, it is still two or three hundred li in size. Hiding more than ten thousand people is not a problem.”

"I have been thinking about this for several days. I want to take all of Yanzhou. Guanqiu Jian's remnant army must be eliminated."

"But to fight deep into the Great Lake, we cannot rely solely on infantry and cavalry without the support of a naval force."

"Shi Shan has already dispatched Xi Hong's naval forces to Dongjun. Originally, I planned to attack Dayeze by both land and sea, but who would have thought that the imperial carriage would arrive in Puyang first!"

Guan Xing could only remain silent.

Guan Ping: "The best course of action now is for me to march towards Da Ye Ze, block the land and water routes, and ensure that the enemy cannot escape the marshland."

"You stay in Puyang and work with Huo Shaoxian to protect the emperor carefully."

Guan Ping quickly agreed.

After seeing his elder brother off, he thought about it and decided to write another letter to Mi Wei, who was still in Yuzhou.

Let's see if he can persuade the emperor to go back.

However, before the letter could be sent, scouts crossed the river to report that there were signs of a large-scale Wei army gathering around Liyang and Dunqiu on the opposite bank.

Guan Xing dared not delay and immediately went to the riverbank to investigate, together with Huo Yi and other accompanying generals.

When the group rode their horses to Puyangjin in the north of the city, they looked out at the opposite bank of the great river.

Beneath the small city called "Gancheng," Wei army flags fluttered in dense array.

For a time, it was impossible to count how many soldiers had arrived.

What alarmed the two even more was...

A banner bearing the character "Cao" of considerable importance was prominently displayed on the city wall.

This suggests that the commander of this force must be a general from the Cao Wei imperial family.

Considering that few of Cao Cao's generals remain, the identity of the enemy general is obvious.

If it really is that person leading the troops here personally, then there's a big problem.

Those were the elite central army troops used to protect Ye City, the capital of Wei!

Why did they suddenly head south to the riverbank?
By that afternoon, intelligence was being relayed back by scouts and spies lurking on the north bank.

More astonishing news has emerged:

North of Gancheng, in the larger county town of Dunqiu, a magnificent banner adorned with pheasant feathers was prominently displayed.

Those were banners belonging exclusively to the emperor.

Meanwhile, upstream in Liyang County, on the north bank of Baimajin, came Xiahou Mao, the Cao Wei general in charge of the Western Expedition.

Now, no one had any hope left.

The fact that the Cao Wei emperor personally traveled south meant that he was undoubtedly heading towards the Han emperor.

Surely Cao Rui wouldn't have come to the river to fish out of boredom, would he?

So the Han army acted overnight, closing the city gates, blocking the roads, and preparing for battle.

Huo Yi even led a contingent of Imperial Guards cavalry westward to Baima to guard the ferry crossing, in order to prevent the Wei army from suddenly crossing the river and cutting off Liu Shan's westward return route.

As for the messengers sent to Luoyang, Yuzhou, and Dayeze, they were already on their way.

The next day, Liu Shan, who had been suffering from insomnia all night, finally managed to doze off for a short while before being woken up by Dong Yun, the Chamberlain.

Dong Yun was truly shouting at the top of his lungs.

The Dongjun Prefectural Governor's Mansion, which served as a temporary palace, immediately caused an uproar.

The guards quickly assembled and locked the doors.

The various palace servants and attendants were running around busily.

Everyone thought that Dong Shizhong had been attacked by some assassin.

Fortunately, Liu Shan was well aware of the temperament of his close advisor.

While hastily washing up, she reassured the palace servants to calm down.

Only after the gates of the mansion were completely surrounded by guards did he grant Dong Yun a private audience. However, Dong Yun's expression was calmer than anyone else's:
"Your Majesty, at dawn, the Cao family sent an envoy to request an audience."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan's eyelids twitched instinctively:
"Is he an envoy of Cao Tai or Cao Rui? What brings him here?"

“Cao Rui,” Dong Yunyi said succinctly.

Liu Shan was lost in thought for a moment before slowly opening his mouth:
"Is Cao Rui here to escort Guanqiu Jian back to Hebei?"

Dong Yun: "I have this concern."

Liu Shan: "Or will you use military force to coerce me into signing a treaty under duress?"

Dong Yun: "I also have this concern."

Liu Shan: "You can't just kidnap me and take me to Hebei!"

Dong Yun: "It's not impossible."

Liu Shan: "Ah, this..."

"Your Majesty," Dong Yun said, looking at Liu Shan, who was gradually becoming flustered.

His tone grew increasingly calm:

"Your Majesty is not skilled in military affairs. Military matters should be left to loyal, brave and knowledgeable generals to consider."

"At this juncture, Your Majesty should do two things first."

"What is it?" Liu Shan couldn't help but ask.

Dong Yun:

"First, calm the situation and remain composed to reassure the people."

"Secondly, let the right generals do the right things."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan thought to himself, "That was exactly what I intended to do."

Before he could express his opinion, a guard came to report that Liao Li, the Commandant of Changshui, had volunteered to lead troops to the riverbank to defend against the enemy.

He also claimed that he was not skilled in the art of battle.

However, his retainer Li Ping (Li Yan) is a recognized veteran general who can advise on military matters.

Just as Liu Shan was about to start cursing, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Dong Yun's calm and composed expression.

Then I remembered how the other party had deliberately lost their composure that morning.

Take a deep breath, tighten your face, and say:
"Tell Liao Qing that an enemy assassin infiltrated the city this morning. Ask him to immediately restore order in the city and thoroughly investigate any hidden households in the neighborhood."

"As for defending against the enemy outside the city, the Tiger General and the Feathered Forest General will be in charge, so there is no need for him to take over."

Guard: "That commoner Li Ping..."

Liu Shan: "Was I not clear enough just now?"

The guard trembled slightly as he noticed Liu Shan and Dong Yun both looking at him sideways.

He dared not say another word and hurriedly retreated.

As soon as the door was locked again, Liu Shan's face fell instantly, and he said with a wry smile:

"During this eastern tour, I deliberately took away those troublesome people so that the Prime Minister could have some peace and quiet while working in the government."

"Who would have thought that their cleverness would backfire, and that the Cao Wei rulers and ministers would find a flaw in their strategy!"

Dong Yun shook his head slightly and said:
"Your Majesty's eastern tour has greatly benefited the people of Henan, and the Prime Minister strongly supported it at the time."

"For the past few months, everyone has been praising His Majesty for having the demeanor of a wise ruler of ancient times."

"Therefore, Your Majesty need not negate what you have gained earlier because of a temporary danger."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan rubbed his ears, somewhat incredulous.

Is this "wise ruler" referring to me, the emperor?

Then, upon further reflection, he realized that he was merely acting on the advice of the chariot rider to facilitate both public and private matters.

If things go well, it must be because of Mi Qing's brilliant plan.

All I can say is, he truly deserves to be my pillar of the state!

So he accepted the flattery with a clear conscience and relaxed a little, saying:
"So, shall I remain in Puyang from now on? Should I summon one of the generals?"

Dong Yun had already considered this, and solemnly said:

"Cao Wei has launched a large-scale military campaign southward, and a great general is indeed needed to protect them."

"I have surveyed the surrounding area and found that Guan Yu and Han Zhong are busy suppressing the remaining enemy forces. Moreover, the two sides have already been at war, so it is not advisable to suddenly recall them."

"The troops in Luoyang are the strongest, so we can issue an edict to reinforce them. However, Guan Yu is old and ill and can no longer lead troops. Guan Yu is already in Luoyang commanding a large army and defending the Yellow River. At this time, we should grant him the authority to act as he sees fit, rather than hastily summoning him."

"As for Generals Wei Wenchang in Chang'an and Zhao Zilong in Bingzhou, they are too far away to help in the immediate crisis, so there is no need to say more."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan understood:
"In that case, only Minister Mi is the most suitable to save the Emperor!"

(End of this chapter)