Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Chapter 101 Assessing the Situation and Adapting to Change (Bonus Chapter 3/5 for Alliance Leader Man·Liuyun Zhishang)

"Half a month or a month —"

After listening to Fei Yi's account, Liu Shan frowned and remained silent.

Clearly, this is a difficult choice.

As an emperor who had assumed personal rule, making decisions and choices was a necessary task. However, one of Liu Shan's strengths was that he was not stubborn. Zhuge Liang's many years of experience in governing allowed Liu Shan to trust the abilities and character of his ministers, and there were no obstacles to seeking advice and solutions from them.

Liu Shan looked at Fei Yi: "Does my advisor have a plan?"

Fei Yi cupped his hands in greeting: "This matter is simply a matter of choosing between three options: strict, urgent, or lenient. Each has its advantages, and it depends on how the court decides to proceed."

Liu Shan frowned slightly. He could roughly guess what was going on, but he couldn't quite figure it out. So he turned his head and looked at Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this matter lies with Qiang Duan, and also with Wei's current move to win over the Qiang and Hu tribes. Since Qiang Duan dared to betray us, he must have informed Wei about this matter when he sent his second son away with the envoy."

"Xiabian is only about four hundred li away from Chencang. When Your Majesty and your ministers were discussing matters here, Qiangduan's message must have reached Chencang as well. Wei is just about to distribute official positions in Chencang to win over the hearts of the Qiang and Hu peoples. Given this opportune moment, Wei will inevitably have to react to Qiangduan's actions."

"The so-called strictness means that General Jiang should advance his troops to kill Qiang Duan, so as to cut off his troops' willingness to surrender to Wei. In this way, there will be no need to relocate the people."

""

"The so-called 'urgent' action means to spare Qiangduan's life, not to punish him for his defection to Wei, and to quickly relocate Qiangduan to Mozhong."

"The so-called 'gradual' relocation means that the migration will be slow and will take half a month to a month."

"However, each of the three has its own drawbacks."

"If we kill Qiangduan, but there is no concrete evidence that Qiangduan has surrendered to or helped Wei, the Qiang and Hu people in Yong and Liang may harbor resentment if the news gets out."

If the people are relocated hastily, the loss of their property and the deaths and scattering of their people will be inevitable. Your Majesty, forgive my frankness, but this is precisely the kind of evil policy that occurred when Cao Cao relocated the people of Hanzhong in the past, and countless people died along the way.”

"If the relocation of people is gradual, the Wei state will have enough time to send troops from Chencang, and we may have to fight another battle in Wudu."

Liu Shan sighed and said, "I understand what you mean."

"In short, there is no concrete evidence to deal with the powerful, so we cannot kill them. Killing them would incite resentment among the Qiang and Hu peoples, who would only think that the Han army forcibly annexed their territory. If we relocate them hastily, it will also cause resentment. If we relocate them slowly, then the Wei state will come!"

Fei Yi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise. This year, the court intends to advance westward into the Qiang region and forge alliances with the Qiang and Hu peoples. However, we must take into account the reputation of the court."

"In short, it boils down to war." Liu Shan shook his head helplessly. "Pu She, Feng Zong, tell me, is this what you mean?"

Fei Yi, however, appeared quite composed: "If the Han army adopts a fighting spirit and is willing to fight, the Wei army may not dare to come."

After hearing Fei Yi's words, Chen Zhi unconsciously recalled the conversation he had with Wu Yi and Wu Ban at lunchtime after sending Jiang Wei out of Yangping Pass.

Sima Yi certainly wouldn't want to fight a major war!

Chen Zhi coughed lightly: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"Fengzong said so." Liu Shan nodded immediately.

Chen Zhi said in a deep voice: "The Han and Wei states have been fighting in Wudu for a long time. If my memory is correct, in the seventh year of Jianxing, the Prime Minister sent generals to attack Wudu and Yinping. Guo Huai of Wei led troops to rescue them. The Prime Minister led his troops to Jianwei, and then Guo Huai retreated. Since then, Wudu has been under the jurisdiction of the court."

"As for the Wei Kingdom, Cao Cao frequently changed administrative divisions. First, he renamed Liangzhou to Yongzhou, then he divided the area west of Jincheng into Liangzhou, and then he combined the Three Auxiliary Regions with Guanzhong and Longyou into Yongzhou—the various changes in between will not be detailed here, but there is no doubt that Wudu Commandery belonged to Yongzhou. And the governor of Yongzhou was Guo Huai!"

Fei Yi raised an eyebrow at Chen Zhi, his eyes filled with caution. Liu Shan, on the other hand, frowned and listened intently.

Chen Zhi continued, "Wei lost Wudu in the seventh year of Jianxing (221 AD). At that time, Wudu was under the jurisdiction of Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, and its military affairs were under the control of Cao Zhen, who was in charge of military affairs in Yong and Liang provinces. In other words, Wudu was lost under the control of Cao Zhen and Guo Huai. When Sima Yi took over, it was already outside the border. What does it have to do with Sima Yi? Why would Sima Yi mobilize a large army to fight for an uninhabited Wudu?"

"The person in charge of Wei in Guanzhong is Sima Yi. He has served three emperors and enjoys a high reputation, while the Cao family rulers have always been suspicious of him. I roughly guess that Sima Yi's heart is not in military affairs, but in the Wei court. If we suffer losses in battle at Wudu, it will not benefit Sima Yi in the slightest!"

"In short—if the imperial court can make a show of force in Wudu and demonstrate its power to the masses, Sima Yi will certainly not come!"

Liu Shan frowned: "Since Sima Yi has taken over as governor of Yong and Liang, this is within his duties. How could he be so negligent? I have heard that he is also a veteran of three reigns in Wei."

Chen Zhi shook his head and chuckled: "Your Majesty, please forgive my words. Cao Cao was a usurper, Cao Pi was a usurper, so how could Wei have any truly loyal and virtuous ministers left? The Cao family bullied the Liu family, so why don't others want to bully the Cao family? Wei has always relied on the Cao and Xiahou clans to command heavy troops."

If Cao Zhen hadn't died suddenly, why would Sima Yi have been appointed as the commander of Yong and Liang? Given the precedents of Cao Cao and Cao Pi in Wei, suspicion would inevitably arise between superiors and subordinates!

"If the ruler of Wei suspects his ministers, and the ministers suspect their ruler, then they will inevitably try to deceive their ruler and strengthen their own power. Now that Sima Yi has become a Grand General, a man of different surnames, his achievements are so great that they threaten the ruler's position. How can we not be worried?"

Upon hearing this, Fei Yi, sitting opposite him, sighed deeply: "Feng Zong has a keen eye for people's hearts and a keen understanding of changing circumstances; he is truly wise!"

""

Liu Shan took a deep breath: "Fengzong's wisdom is comparable to that of Liang and Ping! If this is the case, the more the court wants to use its forces in Wudu, the less likely Wei will come?"

Chen Zhi smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty is wise. I believe it would be better to have Jiang Boyue's troops stationed in Xiabian first, while the court can deploy some troops to Wudu Commandery to await developments. If the Wei army is small, then we can fight them. If the Wei army is large, then we can force them to retreat, thus causing no harm to the court!"

"Of course, the specifics of how to deploy troops still depend on the advice of the Minister and the Ministry of War. I am only offering general suggestions."

Liu Shan pondered for a long time before saying to Fei Yi, "I find Feng Zong's words reasonable. What do you think, Minister?"

Fei Yi frowned: "The army should neither move lightly nor remain inactive. The reason the state prepares an army is to deal with such matters. I believe that Jiang Wei has already led 6,000 Tiger Infantry to Wudu. If we send troops again, we should select 10,000 elite troops to deal with them first. I roughly think that if 16,000 elite troops are in Wudu, they should be able to deal with the relocation of the Di people for half a month to a month without any problems."

"Of course, we might as well hear the Ministry of War's opinion again tomorrow."

Liu Shan nodded: "Since all decisions rest with Your Majesty, then I will send someone to give Jiang Boyue a reply tomorrow, instructing him not to kill Qiang Duan and to proceed with the relocation of the people gradually. The specific number of troops to be deployed and the choice of general will be discussed tomorrow morning!"

"Your subject obeys the decree," Fei Yi replied.