Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Hearing Zhao Yan's question, Guanqiu Jian responded with a smile:
"Lord Zhao may not know that when Xiangyang was under siege, the commander of the troops north of the Han River was the newly appointed General of Ningyuan, Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi."

"In the north of the Yangtze River, there are currently 10,000 foreign troops brought by Lieutenant General Wen Dai from Jiangxia, the troops of General Shen Dan, the Wuwei Battalion, and General Lu's headquarters, totaling more than 30,000 people."

"Your Majesty actually sent Minister Xu?" Zhao Yan stroked his beard and said thoughtfully: "The Wuwei Battalion is here, so General Qian should be here too, right?"

Guanqiu Jian calmly replied, "Lord Zhao, General Qian has retired, and Cao Zhendong is the one who replaced him."

"Cao Fangcheng?" Zhao Yan asked with raised eyebrows.

"That's right, Lord Zhao is right." Guanqiu Jian said.

Zhao Yan smacked his lips and looked sideways at Niu Jin and Yin Fan: "During the more than one month that Xiangyang was besieged, so many things happened in the Wei Dynasty."

"There are many more." Guanqiu Jian smiled slightly and recounted the court's arrangements in Guanxi and Yangzhou. The three of them were moved.

I actually felt a little dazed.

During the more than one month of siege, Wei was actually preparing to fight Shu and Wu in Guanxi, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou. Although it was a defense rather than an attack, it would definitely consume a lot of national strength and manpower.

"Zhonggong, what do the court and Xu Gong want us to do?" After Zhao Yan asked this question, he shook his head and sighed. As the military supervisor of Jingzhou, he helped stabilize the morale of the defenders in Xiangyang during the siege, but he had no control over the entire Xiangfan battle situation, so the court could only send Xu Shu here from afar.

It seems that after the Xiangfan incident, his position as the governor of Jingzhou would no longer be stable. However, for Zhao Yan, who was in his sixties, ups and downs in the officialdom were common, and he felt more stable after a while. Sitting in the position of the governor of Jingzhou was like being on fire.

After Zhao Yan asked, Niu Jin and Yin Fan also looked over. They were cut off from news in Xiangyang City, which was a very uncomfortable thing. They had long wanted to know the court's arrangements.

"Of course we have to counterattack the Wu army." Guanqiu Jian explained: "Before I led the army here, General Xu had already discussed this matter with me in detail. The area around Xiangyang is narrow, and the army in the city and the reinforcements I brought are enough to deal with the Wu army. And General Xu's army in the north can also be mobilized to attack Yukouwu at the same time."

Did the Wu army build a fort at Yukou?
Thinking that this must be the case, Zhao Yan did not ask any more questions, but asked directly: "Zhong Gong said that he wanted to mobilize the troops at the same time. Which day should be chosen, and how should he send a message to General Xu? The Wu army's warships are blocking the river, and there is no communication between the north and the south. Otherwise, Zhong Gong would not have to come here on such a long journey!"

Guanqiu Jian smiled and said, "Lord Zhao, don't worry about this. The Privy Council has already made a plan."

"Ah Xiu," Guanqiu Jian waved to Guanqiu Xiu who was standing by the door, "Take the summons to Lord Zhao to have a look."

"Yes, brother." Guanqiu Xiu stepped forward, took out a booklet from his bosom, and handed it to Zhao Yan respectfully: "Mr. Zhao, please take a look."

Zhao Yan took it, but did not rush to open it. Instead, he smiled and said, "This must be Zhong Gong's younger brother, right? He is indeed a handsome man, and his family heritage is well-organized."

"Mr. Zhao is so kind to me that I dare not." Guanqiu Xiu felt a little shy. He bowed and retreated behind Guanqiu Jian.

Guanqiu Jian was much more generous and said with a smile: "It is my brother who was previously awarded the position of a Thousand Stone Sima by Your Majesty. This time I will bring him with me to see the world."

Zhao Yan said with a smile: "Envoy Guanqiu is in Nanyang. You rushed here from Xuchang, but you didn't have time to see him, right?"

"It's really hurried." Guanqiu Jian sighed softly, "State affairs are busy. Speaking of which, I haven't seen my father for more than a year. When I return to the army this time, I must make an appointment with my father to see him."

The sources of power were complicated. The most common situation was that the sons borrowed the prestige and reputation of their fathers, obtained official positions through favors, and started their own official careers. Guanqiu Jian's father, Guanqiu Xing, became the governor of Jingzhou, and a small part of the credit was thanks to the close relationship between his eldest son, Guanqiu Jian, and the emperor.

Guanqiu Xing and Zhao Yan were colleagues, so Guanqiu Xiu just called himself a junior. But Guanqiu Jian did not follow this argument. The important position of Zhonglingjun was enough for him to establish himself, not to be someone's son.

"Very good." Zhao Yan also sighed: "Qian Zijing retired, it seems that I should retire too."

After saying that, Zhao Yan flipped open the booklet handed to him by Guanqiu Xiu, looked through it carefully, and looked up at Guanqiu Jian in amazement:
"Zhong Gong, who came up with this ingenious idea?"

"It's the Privy Council." Guanqiu Jian said, without mentioning the emperor's role in this plan. In fact, most of the ideas were the emperor's.

How about using signal smoke with direction and time as a code, building a giant crossbow with a letter tied to it and shooting it across the Han River, asking the Privy Council to breed carrier pigeons to send messages between nearby cities, and using long bamboo poles to make breathing apparatus to dive underwater and cross the Han River...

He wrote a lot of plans and more than ten plans in total.

When it came to Xu Shu, he directly chose the simplest means of communication: wolf smoke.

Fancheng and Xiangyang face each other across the Han River. As long as the northeast and northwest corners of Xiangyang City are lit at the same time at any of the three time points: 3:15 pm, 3:15 pm, and 3:15 pm, it means that all the troops under Guanqiu Jian have arrived in Xiangyang.

If the fire is lit at the Chou hour that night, it means an attack on that day; if the fire is lit at the Yin hour, it means an attack on the next day...

Simple and crude, as long as there is an agreement in advance, it can be effective.

……

It was already afternoon, and Fei Yi led several cavalrymen to the Han army's camp in Xiabian. When the army was still in Wujie, Fei Yi was sent by Zhuge Liang to join Wei Yan's army. After the army reached Sazashan, they headed west again to Wudu. This was Fei Yi's first visit to Xiabian during this northern expedition.

Before entering the city, Fei Yi was shocked by the scene outside the city.

The west of the city was like a huge factory, with logging and wood-making teams coming and going all the time, and the finished antlers and wooden fences filled the open space on the northwest side of the city.

On the south side of the west side of the city, there were many newly made wooden carts neatly packed in. The soldiers also modified the baggage carts that were used to transport baggage into the city and to leave the city empty, and also added wooden boards to surround half of them.

These wooden carts are the key to defending against the enemy and restraining the cavalry on flat ground. Among the eight formations of military tactics passed down by the prime minister, the chariot formation is an important component.

Fei Yi only took a quick look and understood Prime Minister Zhuge's intention, which was to prepare for a decisive battle between Xiabian and the Wei army. Otherwise, there would be no need to prepare so many instruments.

After entering the city, Fei Yi went straight to the prime minister's camp in the city, made a brief report, and after getting permission, he walked into the hall and reported:

"Prime Minister, I have returned from Wei Wenchang's army."

"Wen Wei?"

Zhuge Liang raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at Fei Yi, and didn't seem surprised. He asked, "When you wrote to me last time, Wen Wei didn't say he was coming back. You're in a hurry again today. Are you here at Wen Changzhi's request?"

"The Prime Minister is wise." Fei Yi bowed slightly and said nothing more.

"Please take your seat." Zhuge Liang sighed and continued to flip through the bamboo slips on the table. Rolls of bamboo slips were stacked on the table, forming a small mountain. Even the wooden shelf behind him was filled with documents, and there were several piles on the ground next to the table.

During this Northern Expedition, the Prime Minister became more concerned about the major and minor matters in the army. From major matters such as food and military intelligence to minor matters such as military prisons and law enforcement, he would not feel at ease until he had personally looked over them.

He was so immersed in official business that Fei Yi did not dare to disturb his mind.

Fei Yi was not in a hurry. He sat on the table, staring at the ground, his mind wandering to who knows where. After waiting for half an hour, Zhuge Liang finally finished the work at hand and asked:
"Wenwei, what does Wenchang want you to ask?"

Fei Yi said: "Prime Minister, first, the matter of Li Zhengfang, and second, the military strategy for defending the narrow mountain."

Zhuge Liang remained calm and looked at Fei Yi calmly: "How many people in Wenchang's army know about Li Yan's affairs?"

Fei Yi thought for a moment and said, "Prime Minister, only Wei Wenchang, my subordinates, Liu Nanhe, and a military commander named Feng know about this. No one else knows about this."

Zhuge Liang said, "Only this Prime Minister, Yang Changshi, and Jiang Canjun know where the camp is. If Li Yan wants to leave, it will not harm the foundation of the Han Dynasty, but will cure a disease. Let him go, don't make it public, and we will discuss it after he returns to the army."

Let’s talk about it after we return to the army?

Is the Prime Minister so calm?

Fei Yi tried to say, "Prime Minister, the situation in the Han Dynasty and the Northern Expedition Army, Li Yan will definitely tell us everything after he surrendered to the Wei thief. What should we do?"

"What should I do?" Zhuge Liang's chest rose and fell a few times, and he even raised his voice. His calm face rarely showed anger. "Your Majesty appointed Li Yan to join the army, and I gave Li Yan the position of military officer. Li Yan abandoned his country, his family, and himself, and defected to the Wei thieves in the front line. What can I do?"

"This has nothing to do with the Prime Minister. It's all Li Yan's fault!" Fei Yi's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he clasped his hands and said carefully: "Prime Minister, but I did see Wen Chang verbally insult Li Yan several times in Wen Chang's army before. If we look into it carefully, Wen Chang should also be held responsible..."

"This matter ends here. This is Li Yan's fault. Don't involve others." After saying this, Zhuge Liang stood up suddenly, took a deep breath, and said calmly: "Wenwei, you don't have to worry about Wenchang's military affairs for now. You come and draft a letter for me."

"As you command." No one dared to persuade Zhuge Liang when he was angry, and Fei Yi did the same: "Please tell me what to write, Prime Minister."

Zhuge Liang said in a deep voice: "Quickly summon Wu Ziyuan to arrest Li Yan's son Li Feng and send him to Chengdu immediately. After this person arrives in Chengdu, exile Li Yan's entire family and relatives to Ailao County and hand them over to Ma Youchang for custody."

Fei Yi sighed lightly and carefully wrote these words on the bamboo slips.

After Ma Su wrote a letter of repentance to the prime minister last year, the prime minister and he exchanged letters almost every three months.

According to the law, Li Yan's three clans should be executed for this crime.

Prime Minister Zhuge ruled Yizhou with the power of the prime minister's office. He could not show mercy like the previous emperor did when he pardoned Huang Quan, nor did he have the authority of an emperor. Exiling Li Yan's family was already an act of special mercy.

As Fei Yi was writing, he sighed again. This was because Fei Yi thought that there were only more than ten people in Li Yan's family including relatives, and it was not at all possible for him to be included in the scope of the three clans.

And Wei Yan? As the first general in the Northern Expedition, how could the Prime Minister punish him in the slightest? (End of this chapter)