Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

The first two days were spent traveling 800 li at a rapid pace, but the last 400 li was the most difficult. Heading north from Jiange, passing through Jiameng Pass, Baishui Pass, Yang'an Pass, and Yangping Pass, we alternated between walking and riding horses, and it took us two full days to finally arrive.

Because the pace has slowed down, only one person has fallen off his horse and fallen behind in the past two days.

Once you pass Yangping Pass, you will be in the territory of Hanzhong Commandery.

The reason why Hanzhong has the character "中" (zhong, meaning middle) is twofold. Firstly, it refers to the middle section of the Han River. Secondly, the area is a basin surrounded by mountains, long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The Han River flows from west to east, and cities such as Mianyang, Hancheng, Nanzheng, Lecheng, Chenggu, and Nanxiang are arranged in order from west to east on the north and south banks of the Han River. This arrangement is conducive to water transport and agriculture, and it is now a solid base for the Shu Han dynasty on its northern border.

Liu Bang was enfeoffed as King of Han here, Liu Bei was proclaimed King of Hanzhong here, and Zhuge Liang launched his five Northern Expeditions from here. Hanzhong is now closely linked to the Han Dynasty and the Liu family.

Initially, after Liu Bei entered Shu, the first person he appointed as the Governor and Prefect of Hanzhong was Wei Yan (Wei Wenchang).

In his prime, Wei Yan, a powerful and ambitious general, guarded the northern border here. He could never have imagined that just over a decade later, this place would become the burial ground for him and his entire clan, and that he would die at the hands of Yang Yi, the chief clerk of the Prime Minister's residence. Even more ironically, the Prime Minister's residence, now located in Mianyang and where Yang Yi commands from his post, was personally supervised by Wei Yan during his tenure as the Prefect of Hanzhong.

Fate is most adept at playing tricks on heroes, and often in ways they least expect.

Chen Zhi's destination was Mianyang. The distance from Yangping Pass to Mianyang was only fifteen li.

Within this short fifteen-mile stretch, all that could be seen were the permanent camps and temporary encampments of various armies, arranged at intervals along the north bank of the Han River, with large groups of armored soldiers frequently patrolling between them. Except for passing through Yangping Pass, where there were few obstacles, one would be stopped and questioned almost every two or three miles.

As Chen Zhi and Liu Yin approached Mianyang, their anxiety grew. Liu Yin even ordered his men to don light armor and check their swords and lances, but Chen Zhi stopped him when he was about to order them to adjust their bowstrings.

"It's better to be cautious." Liu Yin's expression was solemn, his eyes gleaming beneath his thick eyebrows. "Something must have happened in the army, and judging from the situation, the troops here seem to be on guard against Mianyang. If a conflict breaks out, we are outnumbered and outmatched, and we'll probably suffer here."

Chen Zhi's expression was serious: "It shouldn't be a matter of fire fighting. It's more likely that the general here is on guard against Mianyang, or rather, he's on guard against Yang Yi."

Liu Yin said indignantly, "This is the imperial army! This is Hanzhong! How come the Han army has become like this after the Prime Minister's departure?"

Chen Zhi gazed into the distance, his hands gripping the reins tightly: "Wei Yan was highly respected in the army. Whenever the Prime Minister led a large army north, he always entrusted Wei Yan with commanding the vanguard and ensuring its success. He shared a bond with the generals and had the authority to act as an imperial envoy. Wei Yan's entire clan was executed, and he was easily accused of treason. There must be suspicion among those generals and officials in the Prime Minister's office... Regardless of whether Wei Yan's rebellion was genuine or feigned, the fact that Yang Yi killed him so easily will inevitably cause the generals to feel a sense of shared fate. They may worry that Yang Yi might go mad again and kill one or two more to establish his authority."

"The imperial army is not Yang Yi's private army!" Liu Yin gritted his teeth. "This man is a real threat."

Chen Zhi nodded: "How could it not be? When the Prime Minister was in power, he followed the rules in everything he did. Every time he went out to war, he had to submit a formal report; every time there was progress, he had to issue a battle report; every time he dismissed an official, he had to ask for permission; every time the offensive was thwarted, he would apologize. Even when he defeated Li Yan, he didn't kill him! When has he ever done something like privately killing someone and exterminating their entire family?"

"You, Yang Yi, have broken political rules. Isn't it normal for others to be wary of those who have troops at their disposal? Commander Liu, wouldn't you be afraid if you were in their shoes?"

Liu Yin thought for a moment: "With soldiers at our disposal, we have nothing to fear! But we still need to be wary of him. I just don't know whose army this is. I asked several times, but the leader refused to say."

Chen Zhi squinted at the patrolling soldiers not far ahead and said, "We're almost at Mianyang. This is probably the last time we'll be questioned. Sima, go and spend some gold. I'll reimburse you for whatever you spend when we get back to Chengdu."

"The Imperial Censor is right. Gold ingots are more prestigious than my official position as a Sima." Liu Yin agreed, chuckled, and spurred his horse forward to communicate.

After Chen Zhi and his group passed through this area, Liu Yin came to Chen Zhi's side and said, "I just gave the leader, Du Bo, ten taels of gold before he finally spoke. The troops stationed here are the Left General's troops, and the troops closer to where we came from, at Yangping Pass, are the Rear General's troops. The two troops are almost combined."

Chen Zhi narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

Seeing this, Liu Yin explained, "The two Generals Wu..."

"I know! Let me think about it." Chen Zhi reached out and stopped Liu Yin, not letting him interrupt his thoughts.

Liu Yin wisely kept quiet.

According to the military system of the Later Han Dynasty, the highest-ranking generals in the army were the four generals with the most prestigious titles: Grand General, General of the Flying Cavalry, General of the Chariots and Cavalry, and General of the Guards. Below them were the four generals of the front, left, right, and rear, followed by the four generals of the east, south, west, and north, and then the four generals of the east, south, west, and north.

The Wei Kingdom in the north, on the other hand, arranged its forces in the order of the Four Expeditions, the Four Garrisons, and the Four Directions.

The military system of the Shu Han dynasty largely followed that of the Later Han dynasty. With the Prime Minister dead and Wei Yan's clan exterminated, the four highest-ranking generals of Shu Han were General Yuan Chen, General Wu Yi, General Gao Xiang, and General Wu Ban. Among them, there were distinctions in rank: General Yuan Chen did not command troops; General Wu Yi and General Wu Ban were cousins, practically one entity, and also relatives of Empress Wu whom Liu Bei had taken in after entering Shu. Wu Yi and Wu Ban were among the few powerful maternal relatives of Shu Han.

The two men set up camp between Yangping Pass and Mianyang to maintain order...

Does this mean that the conflict between Yang Yi and the powerful generals has become almost public?

This place is also the only way for the army to retreat back to the heart of Sichuan. Could it be that Wu Yi and Wu Ban intentionally blocked the army here?

From another perspective, Chen Zhi had only just entered Hanzhong. If the places he could see were like this, what about the places he hadn't yet seen?

Liu Yin appeared somewhat anxious: "Imperial Censor, the situation within the Prime Minister's residence in Mianyang is unclear. We are all unaware of Chief Clerk Yang's circumstances. Perhaps you should first go to the Left General's army to inquire and familiarize yourself with the situation, so as to avoid encountering setbacks upon entering the Prime Minister's residence."

Chen Zhi shook his head: "I am an envoy of the Emperor, here with imperial credentials. I should go straight to the Prime Minister's residence and meet everyone. Why be so timid? Commander Liu, there is no need to say more. Just follow me later."

Liu Yin gripped the reins tightly: "I'll leave everything to the Imperial Censor's command."

Chen Zhi and Liu Yin's group traveled along the official road. About half a mile from the west gate of Mianyang City, they passed through the outer wall of the city and were stopped by the soldiers stationed there.

……

"Angels have come to Mianyang!"

Before Chen Zhi even entered the city gates of Mianyang, the news spread like wildfire throughout the city.