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

Chapter 372 Deception Against Deception

A slight joking thought did not diminish Mi Wei's inner joy.

Zhuge Qiao clapped his hands in praise, his face beaming with joy.

Yes.

According to Mi Wei and his advisors.

The ideal plan for this northward expedition across the Yellow River would, of course, be for Liu Shan himself to lead the campaign.

Secondly, Mi Wei used the emperor's name to pretend that Liu Shan was personally leading the expedition.

However, this is based on historical experience from previous or subsequent generations.

Some things, once done, will have endless consequences.

So he could only settle for the next best thing.

But to his surprise, Liu Shan realized his intention as soon as he turned around and took the initiative to follow.

Mi Wei looked at Dong Yun with suspicion once again.

Dong Yun remained expressionless.

Well, it's good that you came.

Next, in accordance with Mi Wei's plan, the various departments quickly sealed off the cities along the ancient canal of the Yellow River.

However, they only surrounded the enemy without attacking.

Unless the Wei army comes out to intercept us.

The same applies to Zhang Fei's group.

But soon, the gap between the two sides became apparent.

Miwei advanced rapidly, completing the initial siege of Dunqiu City the very next day.

Even as the city was besieged, Wang Ping and Ju Fu, the two vanguards, immediately set off to Yin'an and Weiguo to the north and east respectively.

The scouts sent north have even reached the outskirts of Yuancheng, further north.

Conversely, Zhang Fei's troops advanced along the Baigou line.

They are still fighting the Wei army on the riverbanks south of Liyang.

"Minister Zhang is getting on in years, won't something go wrong?"

Although Liu Shan was determined not to interfere in any military operations, he was determined to rely on Mi Wei's coattails.

But since we're already here, we can't just ignore everything.

Seeing the huge difference in progress between the two sides, some concerns are inevitable.

However, only Dong Yun, the Chamberlain, was relatively free.

Dong Yun's military skills were only slightly better than his, and he also didn't quite understand it.

Fortunately, among Zhang Fei's entourage was an old acquaintance from Shu, Jiang Wan, the governor of Henan.

The man was currently overseeing logistics for Zhang Fei at Baima on the south bank, and the two sides were not far apart, so Dong Yun personally crossed the river to find out the situation.

Half a day later, Dong Yun hurriedly returned and reported the good news to Liu Shan:
"Zhang Biaoqi, though old, is still vigorous and has already killed two enemy lieutenants under the walls of Liyang. His momentum is unstoppable!"

Liu Shan was even more puzzled:

"If the old general is not ill, why is the progress slow?"

Dong Yun said, "Because the Wei army along the Baigou line is swarming south to block General Zhang with all their might."

Liu Shan recalled the incident earlier when Mi Wei called a deer a horse to Xiahou Mao, and felt he had grasped a spark of inspiration.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes:
"Was this all a pretense to feign a full-scale rescue?"

"It is indeed a disguise, but not a simple one."

Dong Yun gently shook his head.

"As Chiang Kung-yen said: Their cunning lies not in the beginning, but in the end."

Liu Shan was completely bewildered by these words.

The glimmer of wisdom that had finally appeared in his eyes instantly cleared.

Dong Yun patiently explained:
"The key to this matter lies in whether Xiahou Mao, the fake Wei emperor, has been captured by our army."

"If we had not captured him, the Wei army along the Baigou line would have pretended to be doing their best to rescue the emperor, so as not to arouse our suspicion."

Liu Shan was able to understand this point.

"Then what does it mean if it's in the back and not in the front?"

Dong Yundao:
"After Xiahou Mao was captured, the Wei army along the Baigou line no longer needed to pretend."

"Logically speaking, since our army suddenly crossed the river to attack us, catching us off guard, the cities should hold their ground and block our way at every level. We should wait for reinforcements to arrive before launching a combined attack while our army is exhausted."

"But this 'common sense' requires one prerequisite: that Cao Rui is safely in command of the troops from the rear, without any imminent danger." "But what if Cao Rui's situation is not currently secure?"

"If there is no peace, there are two situations."

"Firstly, Cao Rui is in a city along the Baigou line. If so, then the Wei army is not in disguise, but has come to protect him."

"Secondly, Cao Rui is not on the Baigou line. If so, the Wei army on this line is pretending to rescue the emperor, but in reality, they are covering Cao Rui's northward transfer."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan finally grasped the train of thought:

"Now that the Wei army is swarming towards Liyang, Cao Rui is either inside Liyang or completely out of the Baigou area?"

“Exactly!” Dong Yun nodded.

"Moreover, it can be basically confirmed that the driver of that carriage is not in Liyang."

"Firstly, the two armies have been facing each other across the river for several months. If their carriages were to pass through this riverside city, our spies would not be able to remain unaware."

"Secondly, since this city is located on the banks of the Baima River and is not far away, why would Cao Rui go to such great lengths to send Xiahou Mao across the river under his banner to attack the city? Is he just worried about something going wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan thought to himself that if it weren't for the fact that the general leading the troops this time wasn't Mi Wei, he really wouldn't have dared to cross the river for the sake of this "what if".

He was no longer the naive child who could only cling to Zhao Yun and wail at Changban.

Don't you know your own limitations?

Of course, he's not so foolish as to judge others by his own standards.

Therefore, the conclusion is very clear.

Cao Rui's plan was to proceed elsewhere.

So the Wei army was indeed just pretending to rescue the emperor.

However, this bought Cao Rui the opportunity to relocate!
At the same time, he also figured out why Mi Wei had chosen to send troops in two directions.

In this way, no matter which route Cao Rui is hiding in, we can probe him to the greatest extent possible and then target him!

"So, in which city south of Ye City is Cao Rui hiding?"

……

"Cao Rui may not be south of Ye City, or even in Wei Commandery."

Inside the central command tent, Mi Wei stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the map hanging high above him, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"But it doesn't matter."

"For me, it is enough to confirm that Cao Rui is not in Ye City."

“Bosong”.

Zhuge Qiao stepped forward with paper and pen: "Your subordinates, listen to my orders!"

Miwei turned around and said:
"Wang Ping led all the cavalry westward toward Ye City, and set off immediately upon receiving the order."

"Xiang Chong stepped forward to take over the siege of Yin An, continuing the strategy of besieging but not attacking."

"My unit will depart from Dunqiu tomorrow and proceed west to Fanyang and Neihuang."

"Let Ju Xiaoxing take over the siege of Dunqiu. We can fire cannons to bombard the city and launch a feint attack."

"I request General Zhang to send Huo Yi or Guan Xing northward from Liyang as a feint to lure the southward-bound Wei army away, and then block the enemy south of Dangyin!"

"Furthermore, starting tomorrow, wherever our troops go, we shall send proclamations to the prefectures and counties, saying that we have captured Cao Rui at Baima, that the traitor Cao is about to perish, and that the Han dynasty will rise again!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, even Zhuge Qiao, who had long cultivated a calm and composed demeanor, couldn't help but tremble.

After giving his instructions, Mi Wei calmly walked out of the tent.

His gaze fell upon the banner of General Cao Tai, which hung high atop the city wall of Dunqiu, not far away.

He grinned slightly and said:
"This is your last chance to show your face!"

……

"Miwei is trying to trick me into leaving the city!"

Inside a county temple surrounded by heavy troops, Cao Rui spoke to those around him with a gloomy face.

"He couldn't guess where I was going to attack him, he only knew that I had ulterior motives, so he simply used offense as defense to force me to expose my whereabouts."

"This thief is even more cunning than Liu Bei was back then, and with so many elite soldiers and fierce generals under his command, it's no wonder that Cao Zilian was defeated by him last year!"

"Your Majesty, what should we do? Should we continue to hide?"

The one asking the question was Cao Tai, the last surviving member of the imperial clan.

Upon hearing this, Cao Rui looked at the two white-haired officials with blue ribbons beside him:

"Gongren and Ziyang, you two are known for your wisdom and resourcefulness. I wonder what advice you have for me?"

These two men were none other than Dong Zhao, the Commandant of the Guards, and Liu Ye, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, who served three reigns under the Wei court.

(End of this chapter)