The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 367 Retreating to Advance
"It's futile, so it's better not to go."

Sima Shi made his stance clear from the start.

Xie Jun was not surprised and immediately asked:
"Then we'll wait for the water to recede before withdrawing?"

Sima Shi shook his head: "We can't just wait here."

"Firstly, if we return empty-handed, the rewards promised by the Han court earlier will be null and void."

"Secondly, if the rain continues into winter and the soldiers do not have enough winter clothing, there will likely be many deaths and injuries on the road."

"Especially the barbarian cavalry under my command, they are wild and unruly, and if I am not careful, they will cause a disturbance in the camp."

Jie Jun certainly understood this principle.

But the problem is:

"Since you are not going to cross the Liao River, why should you be concerned about rewards and honors?"

"The roads are flooded, so how can we talk about returning them?"

This time, Sima Shi did not answer immediately.

Instead, they turned their gaze to the slightly swollen Yu River in the distance outside the city.

He turned around after a long while and said.

“I know that the captain looks down on me because I am young and inexperienced… There is no need to explain, this is only human nature, and the master has no intention of blaming me.”

"To be honest, the reason we were able to reach the banks of the Yu River so smoothly was entirely thanks to the captain's help. Otherwise, if the division commander had been leading the troops alone, half of the army would probably have been lost along the way."

Upon hearing this, Jie Jun's tense expression finally relaxed slightly.

But after all, he was a seasoned official who had experienced many ups and downs in his career; he could tell the meaning from the sound of a stringed instrument.
“You and your son are already in the same boat, and you have placed a high-ranking official under house arrest in front of everyone... Do you think you can turn your back on me now?”

Sima Shi grinned slightly and said:
"Since the captain is frank, then I will speak frankly as well."

"It is no longer possible to attack Liao, but our troops have not suffered any losses, and we have already shown goodwill to the Han court. When we return, apart from not being able to be granted land and made kings, at first glance, we are not in danger of being overthrown."

"But if a person does not plan for the future, he will have trouble in the present."

"Has the captain ever studied history?"

Xie Jun was taken aback by Sima Shi's sudden question and nodded in surprise.

Sima Shi: "Does the Colonel know when is the best time for Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin, to preserve himself?"

Jie Jun thought for a moment, then said uncertainly:
"When he was the King of Qi?"

Sima Shi nodded: "Indeed, 'If he throws to the right, the King of Han will win; if he throws to the left, the King of Xiang will win.'"

"However, Han Xin has neither the bearing of a ruler nor the ambition to become a hegemon. How could he ignore both sides? He would choose either Han or Chu."

"But if they surrender to Chu, how can we know that after Chu's victory, the Xiang family will remain steadfast in their suspicions and refrain from attacking them for the rest of their lives?"

Jie Junyin had a sudden realization and said:

"Was that when Emperor Gaozu of Han first established the Han dynasty and transferred Han Xin to be the King of Chu?"

Sima Shi nodded again and said:
"This is exactly what Chen Ping said to Emperor Gao: 'Our soldiers are not as elite as those of Chu, and our generals are not as good as them.'"

"However, now that the Han dynasty has been established, Emperor Gaozu of Han, in his imperial capacity, convened a meeting of the feudal lords. How could Han Xin dare not to comply?"

"In the end, we are subject to others' control, and we will inevitably suffer losses in the long run!"

Jie Jun was completely bewildered and clicked his tongue in amazement:

"This isn't right, and that isn't right either. It couldn't be when he was stripped of his title as Marquis of Huaiyin, could it?"

"Why not?" Sima Shi countered.

"After being stripped of his title, Han Xin sometimes expressed resentment, but he was not killed by Emperor Gaozu himself, which shows that he was no longer someone who had to be killed."

"It is Emperor Gao himself who has made mistakes from time to time. If the plan is well-planned, he could very well be overthrown... This is a strategy of retreating to advance."

Jie Jun finally understood.

He stared at Sima Shi, speechless for a long time.

Instead, it was Sima Shi who felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, and turned his head to say:

"What does the captain want to say?"

Jie Jun met his gaze and slowly uttered:
"I recall that Emperor Wu repeatedly tried to recruit your father but failed. He waited for seven years and was promoted from Minister of Works to Chancellor before finally getting his wish."

"People at the time thus praised Sima Gong's reputation."

Sima Shi's gaze sharpened, then he shook his head and chuckled.

Jie Jun wanted to force a few laughs.

For some reason, a chill ran down my spine, and my smile became somewhat forced.

I had no choice but to continue from where I left off and ask:

"So, which route do you plan to take to retreat?"

Sima Shi clenched his fist slightly and said:

"Does the captain still remember the Battle of White Wolf Mountain and how Emperor Wu launched a surprise attack on Liucheng?"

“How could I not remember?” Jie Jun replied. “In the past, when the late emperor was campaigning against the Wuhuan and the remnants of the Yuan clan in the three prefectures, his army initially approached Wuzhong County and intended to take the coastal route to ambush the enemy in Liucheng.”

"Unexpectedly, the floodwaters submerged the roads, making them impassable. Tian Chou, a man from Wuzhong, volunteered to be the guide for the royal army. They took a different route, passing through the old Xu Wushan Pass and crossing hundreds of miles of mountains. Finally, they encountered the enemy at the foot of Bailang Mountain and captured more than 200,000 in a single battle!"

Speaking of that exceptionally brilliant surprise attack, Xie Jun's tone was not only excited.

Even Sima Shi's young face seemed to glow with a newfound radiance.

What general wouldn't want to be remembered in history for such achievements?
"So Ziyuan was planning to travel the Lulong Road in reverse to enter the pass," Xie Jun realized.

"However, that road has been in disrepair for many years and is probably not very convenient to pass through. Compared to the current coastal road, its only advantage is that it is passable."

"It doesn't matter, that's exactly what I want—its 'inconvenience'," Sima Shi waved his hand and said.

"Because of its inconvenience, news will naturally be blocked. This is just right for us to return to the border without anyone noticing."

Jie Jun: "What Ziyuan means is..."

Sima Shi: "According to the earlier agreement with Zhao Zilong, his troops will withdraw to the mountains after winter. We will return to the border around the same time, just in time to pass each other by."

"In this way, at least until the beginning of next spring, the Han court will not be able to track our movements."

Jie Jun: "And then?"

Sima Shi: "Then we will return south to the Yan state and the Zhuojun area to find food, lie low for a while, and observe the situation in Hebei."

"If the overall situation remains unchanged next year, we can continue our campaign against the Gongsun clan after spring warms up."

"If the overall situation is settled next year, then I will take the opportunity to surrender to the Han and become a 'Marquis of Huaiyin' who can be killed or spared, and then plan for the future."

"That's a prudent plan," Xie Jun nodded.

"However, our eastern expedition already constitutes a betrayal of Wei. We may forgive Youzhou, but how can the Emperor of Yecheng tolerate it?"

"Why can't we tolerate it?" Sima Shi smiled.

“My lord had given me some instructions before he went south, saying that if it went smoothly to secretly defect to the Han, he would speak to the emperor. Our journey north was a long and arduous one to the enemy’s rear.”

"We have now successfully forced Zhao Zilong to retreat, which is a great service to the country!"

Jie Jun's expression changed several times, and finally he said with a complicated look:

"I never expected Sima Gong's scheme to be so far-reaching, thinking three steps ahead for every one step he takes!"

"Now Zhao Zilong is unaware that we have returned empty-handed, and Ye City is unaware that we have been secretly communicating with Zhao Zilong."

"It really did happen without anyone noticing!"

However, Sima Shi shook his head slightly and said:

"No, there is still one person who knows our secrets, so we must be careful."

Xie Jun paused for a moment, then quickly realized who Sima Shi was referring to.

The chill that had just lingered in my heart rose again:

"Isn't Xu Yuanzhi a close friend of Sima Gong?"

Sima Shi glanced sideways, a half-smile on his face, and said:
"You can't see into someone's heart. Wasn't Han Xin betrayed by the younger brother of the servant he had been raised with kindness?"

……

Late autumn, Ji County.

Xu Shu: "Shizhi, you have been under my tutelage for some time now. I wonder what your plans are for the future?"

Wang Jun, who was already Xu Shu's son-in-law, respectfully replied upon hearing this:
“In the past, the villagers did not regard me as a person of high status, but my maternal uncle treated me differently. Since then, Jun has been wholeheartedly following my maternal uncle and has no other thoughts.”

"You should still read it aloud, after all, you're still young."

As Xu Shu spoke, he put down a letter in his hand.

Since there was nothing to cover it up, Wang Jun glanced at it and saw the bright red seal on it.

Since the widespread use of paper books, officials have gradually changed their method of sealing letters with seals from the old clay seals to cinnabar ink.

This change was most pronounced during the Shu Han dynasty.

The bright red seal before them clearly belonged to Mi Wei, the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Shu Han Dynasty.

That is, the "recommender" who actually recommended himself to Xu Shu.

Then, a thought struck him, and he looked up expectantly:
"Is my maternal uncle planning to officially return to Han territory?"

Xu Shu stroked his gray beard and nodded slightly, saying:
"Now that the situation in You is about to be settled, there is no longer any need for me to continue pretending."

"Besides, I am already old, and if I do not return now, I fear I will never be able to see my old friends again..."

At this point, Xu Shu seemed to recall something, and his expression turned slightly sorrowful.

Wang Jun could only remain silent.

However, before Xu Shu could say anything more, a servant suddenly handed him another secret letter.

Xu Shu glanced at it and his expression changed drastically.

(End of this chapter)