Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

On the third day of the first month of the fifteenth year of Jianxing, the imperial entourage departed Chengdu and headed north along the Jinniu Road, preparing to travel to Hanzhong. The journey covered 1,200 li, and it was expected to arrive before the end of the month.

The emperor's entourage was escorted by General Zong Yu, who led 5,000 infantrymen. The entourage consisted of hundreds of officials of all ranks, including officials from the Secretariat such as Fei Yi and Chen Zhi, as well as capable officials promoted from various parts of Sichuan and Chongqing, and young officials newly selected from powerful families and local strongmen in Yizhou.

Of course, at Chen Zhi's suggestion, several officials from the Chengdu Secretariat also accompanied the imperial entourage northward. The Secretariat was responsible for handling documents and recording major events in the court, making them semi-professional historians. Chen Zhi hoped they would fulfill their duties.

In conclusion, at this point in the first month of the fifteenth year of Jianxing, the overall structure of the Shu Han court had irreversibly changed as Emperor Liu Shan's imperial procession moved from Chengdu to Hanzhong, shifting the focus to the north and neglecting the south. The court's primary task was to continue the strategy that Prime Minister Zhuge Liang had employed since the fifth year of Jianxing, continuing to emphasize the Northern Expeditions.

This trip was actually Liu Shan's first time traveling north along the Golden Ox Road.

With Fei Yi and Chen Zhi by his side, Liu Shan's journey was certainly not boring. He could talk about the past and listen to people introduce the local customs and culture of various places.

While in Xindu, Liu Shan heard about Wu Han and Cen Peng's campaign to quell Gongsun Shu's rebellion in Shu. Upon arriving in Luo County, Liu Shan heard about Liu Bei's past campaigns in Shu and specially dispatched Fei Yi as an envoy, accompanied by Pang Hong, the son of Pang Tong and a court official, to offer sacrifices at Pang Tong's tomb, which was not far from Luo County.

When the imperial entourage arrived in Fuxian, it was already the eleventh day of the first lunar month. The army and the imperial entourage rested there for a day and would continue their journey the next day.

On the same day, General Jiang Wei (Jiang Boyue) was not in Hanzhong, but in Jianwei, more than 400 li northwest of Mianyang.

Jianwei is not a well-known place; it is a small town located at the border of Wudu County and Tianshui County.

In the seventh year of Jianxing (221 AD), during Zhuge Liang's third Northern Expedition, he captured the two commanderies of Wudu and Yinping, northwest of Hanzhong. At that time, Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou of Wei, wanted to lead troops to relieve the siege, but upon hearing that Zhuge Liang had stationed his troops at Jianwei, he dared not make any rash moves. Later, Zhuge Liang also built a small city there and left 500 soldiers to garrison it.

From the seventh year of Jianxing to the thirteenth year of Jianxing, Jianwei was the northernmost place that the Shu Han court could actually control.

If one were to depart from Jianwei and travel northeast for another forty li or so, one would reach Qishan Fort, the southernmost point of Wei's territory in Longyou, under the jurisdiction of Tianshui Commandery. For Wei, with Hefei to the east, Xiangyang in the center, and Qishan Fort to the west, these three strategically vital border locations were absolutely crucial and could not be lost. In fact, despite numerous attacks from both Han and Wu forces, Qishan Fort and Hefei remained firmly in Wei's hands and were never breached.

Of course, Jiang Wei's journey from Hanzhong to Jianwei with three hundred cavalry was not a routine patrol, but rather to wait for someone.

Waiting for the Qiang people.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the twelfth day of the first lunar month that a cavalry force of more than fifty Qiang riders arrived from the north. After announcing their names and receiving permission from Jiang Wei, they entered the city.

Under the orders of Jiang Wei's guards, only the leading Qiang chieftain was allowed to enter Jiang Wei's tent. This Qiang chieftain, in his prime at forty, immediately bowed to Jiang Wei with Han Chinese etiquette upon seeing him, and spoke sincerely:

"General Jiang, please forgive me. There were many matters in my unit, which delayed my departure by two days. I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

"Burning the spears." Jiang Wei's face was cold and stern. His tiger-like eyes swept over the Qiang chieftain for a few moments, and he said in a deep voice, "It's only about 130 or 140 li from Dongting to here. Do you think you can bring your light cavalry here in a day? You've missed the deadline, you've missed two days. Do you think I don't know the geography of this place?"

Shao Ge was about forty years old. He wore a felt hat, a sheepskin coat, and a belt around his waist. Apart from not having a beard, his face looked no different from that of an ordinary farmer from Liangzhou, and even his accent was no different from that of an ordinary Han Chinese.

Seeing Jiang Wei's question, Shao Ge could only cup his hands and smile obsequiously, his smile carrying a hint of naive cunning:

"Of course the general knows this place well, how could I dare to lie to him? Putting aside other things, the general's hometown is in Ji County, and our unit is located in Dongting, which is only 150 li away from Ji County. We are from the same hometown. I heard of the general's name ten years ago when he was a clerk in the prefecture. How could I dare to lie to the general? I want the general to know that something has really happened in the unit."

Jiang Wei's expression remained resolute. He pointed to the seats beside him and said, "Shao Ge, since there really is something wrong, then I won't blame you. Sit down and let's talk."

"Okay, okay." Shao Ge nodded repeatedly. After sitting down, he saw Jiang Wei's gaze fall on him, so he quickly responded and spoke.

"I originally planned to leave the ministry early the day before yesterday and arrive at the general's place before sunset. However, a few days ago, someone from the prefecture came to tell me that someone from the prefecture was coming to our ministry, so I waited a while. The person from the prefecture arrived the afternoon before yesterday and left yesterday."

Jiang Wei frowned slightly: "Who's here?"

Shao Ge replied, "It was Ren Tong, the clerk in charge of bandits in the prefecture. He came to the department to roughly count the population and announced that the former Prefect Zhao had left office and returned to Luoyang. The new prefect is called Lu Zhi, who is said to be a military advisor in the General's mansion... no, in Sima Yi's mansion."

"Ren is more than ten years younger than me, and comes from a prominent family in Tianshui County. We are old acquaintances. How come he is now serving as a bandit official in the county?" Jiang Wei didn't care about the slight difference in address in Shao Ge's words and continued to ask, "I also know Lu Zhi. He used to be the Prefect in Guo Huai's government. If he took office recently, then it must be because Sima Yi rewarded his merits after the war last year. Lu Zhi was in his staff and actually got a position with a salary of two thousand shi."

"What does Lu Zhi have to say to you?"

Shao Ge swallowed hard, cupped his hands, and said, "To be honest, General, the clerk Ren told us that the state has issued an order requiring all the Qiang, Di, and Hu tribes within Yongzhou to send ten people from each tribe, including one person in charge of the tribe, to go to Linwei before February 10th. After that, they will be led by the state to Chencang. It is said that Sima Yi wants to see us and bestow official positions upon each of our tribes. We cannot refuse; otherwise, we will be punished."

Seeing Jiang Wei's increasingly serious expression, Shao Ge quickly shut his mouth after speaking, not daring to say another word.

The news brought by Shao Ge was a very troublesome matter for Jiang Wei, and it was an unexpected trouble.

The Prime Minister's first Northern Expedition was in the sixth year of Jianxing, which is nine years ago. Jiang Wei also joined the Prime Minister's army at that time, and later surrendered to the court, where he was favored and became a general.

When the Prime Minister launched his first Northern Expedition, the three commanderies of Nan'an, Tianshui, and Anding responded to his call. Longxi Commandery held out for a while, but also indicated that if Zhuge Liang could prevent the Wei troops from reaching Longyou, they would surrender a month later.

Unfortunately, Ma Su disobeyed the Prime Minister's orders and suffered a major defeat at Jieting, which led to the failure of the first Northern Expedition. The army withdrew and returned, and the three counties of Nan'an, Tianshui, and Anding, which had submitted to the Shu Han, also returned to the rule of Wei.