"Cao Zhen? Is he the one who saw through third brother's trick back in Hanzhong?"
Guan Yunchang's memory was as sharp as his blade.
"The very same." Lord Liu cast a side eye at his youngest brother. "Yide tried to play the same old tune, but Cao Zhen did not dance. The city fell and lives were lost because of it."
Zhang Yide's face flushed a deep and mottled red. He huffed, unable to find a witty retort, and simply cupped his hands with a stiff bow. "Fine. If we cross paths with this Cao Zhen again, I, Old Zhang, officially request the vanguard."
The hall erupted in laughter. The tension broke under the weight of the giant's wounded pride.
Huang Zhong however remained focused on the Light Screen. His eyes lingered on Zhao Zilong's name.
"At that time, General Zilong must have been nearly seventy years of age," he noted with a solemn nod.
"A lifetime of war yet still leading from the front. As the Light Screen says, he was truly bending his back until the very end."
Lately, while guarding Dangyang and picking off Yue Jin's scouts, the old archer often thought back to the future vision of Mount Dingjun.
What was his seventy year old self thinking then? Was he mourning a life of wasted strength? Or was he fueled by the fire of a late blooming fame?
"General Zilong's sincerity is something I can only hope to match," Huang Zhong admitted.
"Zilong is needed to oversee the affairs of Yizhou." Lord Liu glanced back at Zhang Yide, who seemed more interested in the Light Screen's mention of little lambs than the military logistics.
One general plants the seeds. The other just wants to eat the harvest. The difference between men is truly vast.
Kongming remained silent. His mind was already tracing the lines on the glowing map. Through Wudu....then to Tianshui. The name the Light Screen had teased so many times, Jiang Wei, was finally within reach.
[Lightscreen]
[The Prime Minister's march out of Mount Qi began at the Hanzhong forward base. The route followed the Han River west to the Ju River, then cut across to the Jialing River, known then as the West Han River. By following the waterway upstream, the army could reach Longxi.
This path led through Wudu, a commandery Cao Cao had effectively emptied of its people.
After his defeat in Hanzhong, Cao Cao had been so paranoid about the proximity of the border that he had forcibly relocated the population of Wudu along with the Hanzhong refugees.
When the Prime Minister finally reached Mount Qi, the Longyou region trembled.
The Wei leadership was stunned. 'We are all waiting at Mei for him! Where in the name of Heaven is Zhuge Villager?!' Meanwhile, because the Wei administration had been so brutal toward the peasantry, the appearance of the Han banners triggered a wave of uprisings.
Out of the five commanderies in Longyou, three, Tianshui, Nan'an, and Anding, rose up to welcome the Royal Army. Their governors did not even put up a fight. They simply packed their belongings and bolted.
But the Governor of Longxi, a man named You Chu, was a different breed. He was a master of risk management. Seeing the other three commanderies fall, he gathered his people and delivered an astonishing speech: 'The other regions have surrendered. Which means your path to wealth has finally arrived!'
He explained the situation with cold logic: 'We will hold Xiangwu City. If the Wei army arrives, we have the merit of defense, made all the more impressive by the cowardice of the other three governors. We shall be hailed as heroes. But if the Wei army fails to show? Well. You can simply cut off my head and present it to the Han army as a gift of surrender. Either way, you win.'
The officials and citizens thought it over. The governor was right! It was a win win scenario.
They were like the First Emperor eating Sichuan peppercorns, absolutely numb with victory! So Xiangwu City stayed united and decided to wait it out. You Chu even sent a message to the approaching Han forces: 'Brothers, if your Prime Minister can sever the Longyou Road and keep the Wei army out for a month, you will not even need to fight. All of Longyou will fall into your lap. But if you cannot hold that road? Then whatever you do here is a waste of time.'
You Chu's words were the crux of the entire campaign. The success of the First Northern Expedition hinged on one single objective: Severing the Longyou Road.]
Ma Jichang's hand jerked. A massive ink blot bloomed across his notes. He cursed under his breath and reached for a fresh sheet, his mind racing to record the details. As a celebrated talent, his strategic vision was sharp. The phrase Sever the Longyou Road sat in his stomach like a lead weight.
He had combed through every map he could find since the last session. He had not found Jieting. But he had found Jiequanting. A spot that perfectly choked the Longyou Road.
Jiang Gongyan however remained optimistic. "If a mere governor like You Chu can see it, then the Prime Minister surely had a plan. He would not leave such a vital artery unguarded."
"This You Chu possesses a rare wit," Lord Liu remarked, though his voice held a familiar note of regret. Another fine talent. What a pity he serves the Cao.
Guan Yunchang squinted at the route through Mount Qi. "How does one get from the Ju River to the West Han River?"
Kongming, his brow furrowed at the mention of the Longyou Road, answered without looking up. "That is the legacy of Yu Xu. In the second year of Yuanchu, while serving as the Governor of Wudu, he burned the rocks and cleared the timber to open a canal for transport ships. Since then, the waterways have been navigable."
Guan Yunchang nodded. That changed the math entirely. If grain could be moved by water from Hanzhong all the way to Mount Qi, the logistics were infinitely more sustainable.
But Kongming's heart was heavy with a silent dread. If the objective was so clear, why did the Light Screen say I made six attempts? If the chance was this perfect, where did it all go wrong?
He ran through the possibilities. His gaze eventually drifted toward Ma Su.
The younger Ma immediately sat up straight. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion. The Military Advisor is a genius, yet he looks so young. Almost my age. How can I possibly ask him to be my foster father? No. No. Ma Su shook his head inwardly. I will simply work harder. Win more glory. And treat him as a brother instead.
[Lightscreen]
[As we mentioned, Cao Zhen was still lounging in Luoyang, so the defense fell to three men. First, Xiahou Mao, the Grand General Who Restores Peace to the West. He was a pampered fop who cared more for his concubines and his bank account than military matters.
A total waste of space. We can skip him. Second, Xu Miao, the Inspector of Liang Province. A capable man, but he had only just arrived at his post. A victim of bad timing. Skip him too.
The real problem was Guo Huai, the Inspector of Yongzhou Province. Because the region had been thoroughly pacified by Cao Cao years ago, they did not have a Provincial Governor, only an Inspector. A role meant for auditing and reporting. Usually, they would be in the capital around the New Year to give their reports to the Emperor.
If this were a normal year, Guo Huai would have been in Luoyang, drinking wine and watching the archery matches. But for some reason, he was out on an inspection tour when the news broke. He did not hesitate. He immediately retreated to hold Shanggui, ensuring that the Longyou Road would not be lost without a fight.]
Zhang Yide slapped Huang Zhong's thigh in frustration. "Damn it. Why could this Guo Huai not be more like Cao Zhen? He should have stayed in Luoyang and enjoyed the comfortable life."
Guan Yunchang disagreed. His voice was cold. "The march out of Mount Qi already held the supreme advantage of surprise. There were no heavy garrisons. No great generals in the way. Victory should not be staked on the hope that the enemy is lazy. One should be prepared to take Shanggui by force before the first soldier even marches."
"Logically, yes," Zhang Yide grumbled. "But it would have been nice."
Kongming offered a thin smile. "Yide, remember what the Light Screen said about your little trick in Xiabian? In the art of war, one cannot always count on the opposing general being a fool."
Zhang Yide fell silent. Even the Military Advisor is starting to get punchy today.
Liu Bei, however felt a strange sense of relief reading the critique of Xiahou Mao. At least the Light Screen sees some potential in my Adou. If Xiahou Dun, a man of such talent and ferocity, could produce a son so utterly useless, then perhaps he should not be so hard on his own heir.
[Lightscreen]
[There is a small interlude with Guo Huai. While he was on his inspection tour, he was accompanied by the local officials. When the news of the invasion hit, Guo Huai decided to fall back to Shanggui.
Ma Zun, the Governor of Tianshui, shouted, 'Wait for me! Take me with you!'
His own subordinates were horrified. 'Sir! You are the Governor of Tianshui! You need to go back to Ji County and defend the seat of government!'
Ma Zun turned on them, screaming, 'You traitors! You just want to kidnap me and hand me over to that Zhuge Villager to win some rewards! Get lost!'
The officials had no choice but to head back to Ji County on their own.
In those days, local administrators were almost always locals. Their clans and families were all in the city. When they arrived at the gates, before they could even step inside, the lead official was grabbed by the elders of the city and dragged to see the Prime Minister.
'Prime Minister! Look! This is our very own Qilin Son of Tianshui!'
That year, the forty seven year old Prime Minister looked into the eyes of a twenty six year old Jiang Wei for the first time. At that moment, Jiang Wei was still green. And the Prime Minister was still wrestling with the weight of the campaign.]
Jian Yong let out a sharp laugh. "He is only nine years old right now?"
That explained why the peddlers could not find a legendary strategist. They were looking for a man and finding a child playing in the dirt.
"This is perfect." Zhang Yide roared with delight. "Xianhe, get over there and bring that kid here. Let him be the Military Advisor's foster son. He can be a playmate for Adou. It is a match made in Heaven."
"Enough nonsense," Lord Liu barked, though his eyes twinkled.
Ma Su's ears pricked up. Is this Jiang Wei really that impressive?
Jiang Gongyan sighed and shook his head. "To think Ma Zun was such a coward. pathetic."
"It just proves that the hearts of the people in Longyou were ready for us," Ma Jichang noted. "Men as silver tongued as You Chu are few and far between."
He and Jiang Gongyan both instinctively glanced at Kongming. If it came down to a battle of wits and words, who in the world could match their Military Advisor? Only perhaps the Prime Minister on the screen, whose insults were so poetic they could linger in a room for three days. Zhang Yide was still quoting the shameless line at least once a week.
[Lightscreen]
[Once Guo Huai reached Shanggui, he dug in. He knew exactly how vital the position was. And the Prime Minister? Perhaps he was too cautious.
He moved slowly, and that caution cost him time. In hindsight, the commander of Mount Qi, Gao Gang, deserves a lot of credit for the Wei defense. He held the heights and weathered the storm of the Han assault, eventually forcing the Prime Minister to bypass the city and push east.
But those few days of delay were all Guo Huai needed to fortify Shanggui. When the Prime Minister finally arrived, he saw clearly that Shanggui had to be taken. But the Longyou Road also had to be blocked.
There were several ways into Longyou from the Guanzhong region, but they all converged at Jieting before passing through Shanggui.
Jieting was, in theory, easy to defend. It was a narrow choke point. Furthermore, the elevation of the Yongzhou and Liangzhou region was higher than Guanzhong, giving the defenders the advantage of height and control of the upstream waters.
For such a critical position, the generals recommended veterans like Wei Yan or Wu Yi. But the Prime Minister ignored them all. Overruling every objection, he chose Ma Su.
'You,' he commanded. 'You will hold Jieting!']