The region of Bashu, around Chengdu, is rich in water…
This is why, in later years, the Sichuan Basin would be referred to as Bashan Shushui.
Unlike "remote and backward villages breeding unruly people," Shu land enjoyed a favorable climate and produced gifted individuals. Moreover, the women here were exceptionally beautiful, leading to… the local young men often lacking ambition and being notoriously unwilling to fight.
Hanzhong, situated between Guanzhong and Bashu, was a small basin.
The entirety of Hanzhong connecting to the interior of Bashu was practically a flat plain, with only some hills…
In this sense.
Once the troops of Hanzhong entered the basin, Chengdu would have no defenses!
There were three main routes from Hanzhong to Shuzhong—the Jinniu Road, the Micang Road, and the Lizhi Road.
At this time… on the Jinniu Road, villagers were gazing towards the north…
News had arrived that Hanzhong had surrendered to Great Wei, and the Five Pecks of Rice Sect had become the state religion of Great Wei.
The people of Shu, who detested conflict, gathered in hushed whispers.
"Will the troops of Great Wei advance south?"
"Once Jiange and Jiameng Pass fall, the Wei army will truly have a clear path…"
"Currently, throughout the entire realm, only the corner of Bashu has not surrendered to Great Wei. Liu… Liu Bei, is he… reliable?"
"Don't we still have Strategist Zhuge? He will definitely be able to stop the troops of Great Wei!"
"What if… he can't?"
"Shhh… don't say that, you'll lose your head!"
Not only the common people…
The garrisons on Jiange Pass were also in a state of panic. They had only a few thousand men, while it was rumored… Great Wei possessed over a million elite soldiers. Now that they had subdued the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, who knew… how many followers of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect were hidden in Shu.
It was possible…
With an inside and outside coordinated attack, Jiange Pass could fall at any day… If Jiange Pass fell, then… would they still be alive?
"Brother… are we still defending?"
"What else can we do but defend? Our general is Wei Yan… If he hears you say that, he'll strike you down with a single sword!"
"Cough cough… Brother, but the difference in strength is so great. Defending… defending is also a dead end!"
"Shhh… stop talking, it'll be over if someone hears!"
"Brother… I'm still scared! We are all people from Jingzhou, why are we defending here… What are we fighting for?"
"Have you forgotten what Lord Liu and Strategist Zhuge said… that there can be no co-existence between the Han and the traitors, and that the royal enterprise cannot be confined to one corner?"
"If our lives are gone, who cares about Han or not Han… Whoever can let us live a good life, we will follow them…"
On Jiange Pass…
More and more soldiers were gathering in small groups, discussing amongst themselves…
Because Hanzhong had surrendered to Great Wei, the morale throughout Shu plummeted, and all the soldiers in Shu were in an uproar.
Ma Su, who happened to be patrolling on Jiange Pass, overheard the soldiers' words…
He looked up and saw Wei Yan approaching angrily, as if intending to punish these soldiers.
Ma Su quickly stopped him, "General Wei, you cannot…"
Wei Yan coldly said, "What is it that I cannot discipline my own soldiers for?"
Ma Su still blocked Wei Yan's path, "It's not just here, General. Currently… all of Bashu is in such an uproar. You can punish one or two soldiers, but can you punish all the soldiers of Bashu?"
This…
Wei Yan was speechless…
Ma Su continued to persuade, "I often advise Strategist Zhuge that he should learn the art of psychological warfare from the Crown Prince of Wei… Perhaps, Lu Yu is currently employing psychological warfare against Bashu. If General Wei, in his anger, punishes the soldiers, leading to widespread discontent… can Jiange Pass still be held?"
At this moment… Wei Yan's gaze towards Ma Su held a hint of admiration.
After a moment…
"Alas…" Wei Yan sighed deeply, turned his head… and let the soldiers' complaining and fearful discussions reach his ears. He said nothing… but he seemed too stifled internally. Finally… he covered his ears and retreated dejectedly!
…
…
In Hanzhong, on a mountain peak.
From here, one could overlook Jiange Pass at the end of the road.
Beyond Jiange Pass was Jiameng Pass, and beyond Jiameng Pass was Zitong.
The entire road… was surrounded by mountains and hills… If troops were stationed on these mountains, and sufficient large stones were prepared, then no matter how the enemy attacked, they would likely be defeated and suffer heavy losses!
"Jiange Pass is rugged and steep, one man guarding it, ten thousand cannot pass… The difficulty of the Shu Road is harder than ascending to heaven!" Lu Yu stood on the mountain, gazing at Jiange Pass with emotion.
Behind Lu Yu, apart from Dian Wei and Xu Chu escorting him, only Zhuge Jun remained.
Zhuge Jun had arrived after surrendering in Hanzhong, to establish forging workshops, workshops, and refining workshops in Hanzhong as soon as possible.
Accompanying him were civil officials like Mao Jie and Chen Qun, with the purpose of assisting the 300,000 followers of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect with their resettlement, and Lu Yu's mention of "fielded grain reserves"!
"The difficulty of the Shu Road is harder than ascending to heaven. Master rarely says things that boost the enemy's morale and dampen our own spirit…"
Zhuge Jun sighed.
"Heh heh…" Lu Yu gave a slight smile, "It's not about boosting the enemy's morale, but that currently… the time is not yet right to march south and attack Bashu."
Zhuge Jun blinked his eyes and asked doubtfully, "Besides the difficulty of the Shu Road that Master mentioned, Master's concerns also include the difficulty of transporting grain and supplies, right?"
Just as Zhuge Jun stated.
The biggest bottleneck in marching south to Bashu now was transportation.
Admittedly, after passing Jiange Pass and Jiameng Pass…
The route from Hanzhong to Chengdu would be a flat plain, but that was only a prerequisite to passing these two formidable passes.
And Qishan, north of Hanzhong… transporting grain from the Central Plains to here was a major problem, let alone transporting large logistical supplies and siege equipment!
Therefore…
A southern campaign into Bashu still relied on Hanzhong's self-sufficiency in grain and… Hanzhong's self-manufacturing of supplies…
These things required time.
"You are correct, and you see it clearly…" Lu Yu looked back at Zhuge Jun, "So, we need time now."
"But Bashu also needs time," Zhuge Jun retorted…
Speaking of which, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't help but speak, "I have heard about Brother's talent in governance, and I am willing to believe… if Brother is given some time to govern Bashu, even with limited resources, he can assemble an army capable of fighting Great Wei… Does Master intend… to foster a threat?"
The brother Zhuge Jun mentioned was naturally Zhuge Liang…
And Zhuge Jun's mentioning this was enough to prove… his progress over the years.
Lu Yu nodded slightly and gently patted his shoulder.
"You've grown…"
"It's all thanks to Master's cultivation!" Zhuge Jun said humbly.
Lu Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, "Let's not talk about this for now. I have a task for you now…"
"Me?" Zhuge Jun was stunned… He thought it was a task related to "craftsmen."
Who would have thought…
Lu Yu's next words startled him. "I want you to be an envoy to Bashu, to meet your elder brother…"
"You want me to see my second brother?" Zhuge Jun wasn't just stunned this time; he was completely dumbfounded… His pupils widened as if he had heard something impossible.
Bashu was currently the last territory for Great Wei to unify the realm. Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang would inevitably resist to the bitter end…
An envoy to that side at this time might…
"Why is Master sending me?"
"Because you are the third brother of Zhuge Kongming…" Lu Yu smiled, "At least, as long as Zhuge Kongming is there, Liu Bei will not take your life!"
"But what if… second brother… second brother…" Zhuge Jun wanted to say, what if his second brother confined him and he couldn't return?
But before the words could escape…
Lu Yu seemed to have seen through his thoughts, "He will not do that, because… your mission this time is to forge a 'truce agreement' between me and your second brother!"
A truce agreement…
This was Zhuge Jun's third surprise today…
Do they really want… to have a truce?
To abandon the southern campaign into Bashu at such a favorable juncture?
"Five years…" Lu Yu uttered the time, "I will give your second brother five years. By then, I hope he can grow to a level that I, and Great Wei, can take seriously. It would not be in vain for me to have taken such pains to 'foster a threat' for five years…"
With that said, Lu Yu revealed a big smile…
As if eagerly anticipating Zhuge Liang's achievements.
As the saying goes: a laborer works, a laborer's soul!
Who would Zhuge Liang be helping by governing Bashu…
"Master… can I be an envoy…" Zhuge Jun still lacked confidence. He had never been an envoy… let alone an envoy of Great Wei!
"Yes!" Lu Yu smiled and patted his shoulder again, his words firm!
Speaking of which… Lu Yu suddenly thought of something, "I forgot to tell you, Master will be returning to Xudu city first. My father and the Son of Heaven have summoned me back to discuss important matters… As for here, Master will leave Ma Chao stationed below Jiange Pass, both as a deterrence to Liu Bei and as a send-off for you!"
Uh…
Even though he was still a bit confused…
But how could Zhuge Jun disobey his master's command!
He immediately cupped his hands, "Your disciple will surely not fail in his mission!"
…
…
In Shu, Chengdu City.
In the spacious official residence hall, a large plaque hung prominently, inscribed with ten resplendent golden characters—There can be no co-existence between the Han and the traitors, and the royal enterprise cannot be confined to one corner!
These few words were incredibly imposing.
However…
Beneath the plaque at this moment, Liu Bei's expression was ashen. He looked at an urgent report in his hand, his face continuously changing, turning pale… turning like paper!
In just a few days, he had received many urgent reports…
—The gates of Hanzhong have been opened!
—The Five Pecks of Rice Sect has surrendered to Great Wei.
—Thirty thousand followers of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect are to be resettled inland…
This… this…
It was known that each of these three pieces of news made Liu Bei feel a sense of dread.
It made him feel as if his heart was being crushed, unable to breathe.
The deterrence… this series of deterrents was too overwhelming.
Even Liu Bei, the lord of Shu, felt this way, let alone the officials and the generals…
Morale was low…
Willpower was flagging… Liu Bei felt that he was finished… At this time, if Lu Yu led the elite army of Great Wei to march south into Bashu, then… then his vision of "no co-existence between the Han and the traitors, and the royal enterprise cannot be confined to one corner" would soon turn to ash.
"Kong Ming… Kong Ming…"
In such a state of mind, Liu Bei could only call out Zhuge Liang's name… but his voice was exceptionally mournful, his voice almost choked with sobs.
As the saying goes… can one allow others to snore beside their own bed?
Now, for Liu Bei, someone was already snoring beside his bed… not only snoring, but the snoring was so deafening that it felt like it was shaking his very heart and liver.
"My Lord…" Zhuge Liang had just arrived, "My Lord, please do not worry. At least… Jiange Pass and Jiameng Pass are still here. The Shu Road is difficult… and passing these two passes is even more difficult… Moreover, this time Lu Yu rushed to Hanzhong with only the accompanying Longxiao Camp and the Xiliang cavalry led by Ma Chao. While the Wei army might reach below Jiange Pass, grain and siege equipment may not be able to cross Qishan so easily."
A detailed analysis…
Since entering Shu, Zhuge Liang had studied the terrain maps of Shu for a long time. He was intimately familiar with the terrain here, knowing which places to defend, which places to abandon, and where one man could guard against ten thousand.
Even though the entire Shu was in an uproar now…
Zhuge Liang dared to assert that if the Wei army marched south, he would ensure that these Wei troops were buried between Jiange Pass and Jiameng Pass!
Zhuge Liang had this confidence…
"Damn it…" Zhang Fei, standing below, clenched his fist, "I never thought this Lu Yu was so capable. First, he subdued Jiangdong and Xiliang, and now he has subdued Hanzhong without bloodshed. How come… these Xiliang people, Jiangdong people, and Hanzhong people are all cowards! When they come to fight, they don't even dare to make a sound, only knowing how to surrender. Cowards! Cowards!"
Zhang Fei looked down upon Zhang Lu, and also upon Ma Chao, and even more upon Sun Quan and Sun Yi…
Although he had suffered losses at the hands of Lu Yu, his nature dictated that he would choose to forget selectively and become more courageous with each setback!
"Third Brother's words, though rough, are not without reason!" Guan Yu stroked his long beard, "Now that he has gained Longyou, Lu Yu is bound to march south and attack Bashu. It just so happens that I also wish to meet him and see if his methods of psychological warfare are still effective on the battlefield!"
"Your subordinate requests to battle!" This time it was Zhao Yun's turn. Zhao Yun cupped his hands and requested to battle… "Your subordinate is willing to lead a reinforcement contingent to support General Wei Yan."
If Zhang Fei and Guan Yu genuinely wanted to test their strength against Lu Yu…
Then… Zhao Yun's intention was entirely different.
Zhao Yun wanted to lead a force to Jiange Pass, to Jiameng Pass… perhaps his surprise force could help Great Wei achieve victory without bloodshed.
Zhao Yun was concerned about the people of Bashu…
Given the current state of affairs in the realm, it would be best to minimize casualties as much as possible, right?
"My Lord must not be discouraged…" Mi Zhu also spoke…
Following that, Fa Zheng, Chen Dao, Li Yan, Liao Hua, Mi Fang, Sun Qian, and others all echoed their agreement…
Looking at the civil and military officials before him… Liu Bei inexplicably gained a great deal of confidence.
He abandoned his dejected demeanor, and when his eyes opened again, they were already gleaming with sharp light, "What does Kong Ming think? Currently, the realm is divided into ten parts, and Wei holds nine of them. How should my corner of Bashu resist the Wei army, and how should we confront that Wei Crown Prince Cao Yu?"
"My Lord…" Zhuge Liang took a step forward, "The current plan, facing a superior enemy with inferior numbers and a weaker force, is that our army is sufficient for defense but insufficient for offense. The immediate priority is to concentrate our superior forces to defend Jiange Pass and Jiameng Pass in the north! And defend Yiling City in the south… to block all possible routes for the Wei army to enter Bashu."
"The internal affairs of Cao Wei will not always be a solid bloc. Wei and Han will eventually have their destinies decided. I predict that within five years… the situation will change, and at that time… it will be when our army retakes Hanzhong from the north and captures Xiangyang from the south! If this is accomplished, then My Lord will personally lead a force out of Qishan, and dispatch a high-ranking general to lead a force north from Jingzhou. The realm can then be settled!"
Even in such an unfavorable situation…
Zhuge Liang still drew a grand picture of unifying the realm for Liu Bei!
And… due to the deterrence of Cao Wei, it was rare that… on Liu Bei's side, whether it was the elder faction, the Jingzhou faction, or the Eastern Shu faction, they were all united against the common enemy, presenting a united front to the outside world…
Bashu in such a situation… although the morale of the three armies was low, it could not be underestimated.
However…
"What if… what if…" Liu Bei opened his mouth and said, "What if that Lu Yu does not give us this time?"
This sentence stumped everyone.
A new question arose. If at this time, the Wei army marched south from Jiange Pass, and the Wei army mobilized troops from the four southern commanderies of Jingnan to attack Yiling… then… then could the current Bashu withstand it?
"Gulp…"
Liu Bei's words made all the officials present frown!
Even Zhuge Liang, for all his eloquent words, could not guarantee that the current Bashu could resist the invasion of Great Wei!
Difficult…
Too difficult!
Just then.
—"Report… Reporting to my Lord, a Wei envoy from Hanzhong has passed through Jiameng Pass to request an audience with my Lord!"
…
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