Chapter 148

Until now, Sima Yi had not been the main axis of the war.

In the wars of the Central Plains, he participated as a strategist, so he couldn’t actively coordinate the battlefield.

The few operations where he had some military command were not in the Central Plains but in the frontier regions. Whether it was suppressing northern tribes, attacking the Gongsun clan in Liaodong, or handling post-war affairs in the Central Plains, that was all.

This was because military command was strictly reserved for the Cao and Xiahou families and their relatives.

Cao Pi, who had received Cao Cao’s favor, ironically performed Cao Cao’s rites carelessly but diligently followed the will related to his own imperial authority.

But now, that’s all in the past.

Facing an unprecedented crisis, Cao Pi began to grant military authority based on ability rather than bloodline.

The tiger that had been lying low finally broke free from its leash and was released into the grasslands to show off its claws.

Zhuge Liang and I were most wary of Sima Yi among Zhang Pei, Xu Huang, and Sima Yi. While I knew of Sima Yi’s fearsomeness through future knowledge, I didn’t expect Zhuge Liang to also be on edge about him.

Thinking it might be a fateful intuition, Zhuge Liang explained to me why we needed to be cautious of Sima Yi.

And now, that explanation was being repeated.

“Your Majesty, you must not underestimate Sima Yi. The world considers Zhen Jun, who proposed the Nine-Rank System, as the top figure under Cao Pi, but after discussing with Mingjing, I believe Sima Yi truly deserves that position.”

From the start, Zhuge Liang highly praised Sima Yi and began to explain the reasons to Liu Bei, who still looked unconvinced.

“Previously, when Cao Cao captured Hanzhong, Sima Yi proposed a strategy to march south and attack Xichuan. Even in northern battles, his boldness is well-known.”

“I remember Gongsun Yuan causing trouble and being defeated by Sima Yi.”

Gongsun Gong, who bowed his head, was the younger brother of Gongsun Kang, the former leader of the Gongsun clan, but Gongsun Yuan took the leadership position due to his youth.

However, when Cao Wei was faltering, Gongsun Yuan allied with Gabi Neng to plot a restoration, and Gongsun Gong seemed to collapse.

That’s when Sima Yi stepped in.

While Zhen Ye dealt with Gabi Neng, Sima Yi launched an unbelievable lightning attack on Gongsun Yuan. With a daring offensive, he swiftly defeated Gongsun Yuan, annihilated the Gongsun clan, and fully incorporated Liaodong into Cao Wei’s territory.

When he returned to Ye after completing the absorption of Liaodong, I was there for mourning.

“Your Majesty, in my view, Sima Yi is a fearsome man.”

“Yes. Mingjing, you saw Sima Yi in Ye, didn’t you?”

“Yes. The strategy to urge Sun Quan’s betrayal and jointly attack Jing Province was also Sima Yi’s, and the scheme that troubled me was also his plan.”

“Hmm… but both failed, didn’t they?”

“The former was possible because we were prepared for Sun Quan’s betrayal, but without Your Majesty’s foresight, we would have suffered greatly. The latter also failed because Cao Pi’s temperament didn’t align with Sima Yi’s strategy, so it’s hard to see it as Sima Yi’s shortcoming.”

Cao Cao, who had retreated with his tail between his legs, seemed to have internal issues, so the difference in opinions between Cao Cao and Sima Yi was likely just a matter of perspective.

However, in the original history, Sima Yi’s strategy of reversing alliances to attack Jing Province ended in great success.

If Sima Yi had any shortcomings, it was perhaps the misfortune of facing an enemy who knew the future.

Since both Zhuge Liang and I insisted on being wary of Sima Yi, Liu Bei, though not fully understanding, had no choice but to agree.

“Huh… so Sima Yi is that formidable.”

The pressure isn’t just from Sima Yi.

Xu Huang and Zhang Pei are also formidable foes.

Recent records may seem lackluster, but that’s due to the inexperience of their troops and their small numbers, not Xu Huang’s lack of ability.

In Guan Yu’s petition to attack Luoyang, Sima Yi and Zhang Pei were mentioned in passing, but Xu Huang was described in great detail.

Guan Yu’s petition emphasized that once Xu Huang’s Wancheng was breached, Luoyang would be within reach, and he detailed how he would break through Xu Huang’s defenses.

However, Liu Bei, more concerned about Zhang Pei, reportedly wrote Guan Yu’s reply.

When Liu Bei was under Cao Cao, he had met Zhang Pei. He understood why Cao Cao was so cautious and careful around Zhang Pei.

“Zhang Pei is a hero. Not only can he command an army like Yun Chang (Guan Yu), but he also has the capacity to dominate a region. Even Yun Chang would find it difficult to defeat both Xu Huang and Zhang Pei.”

Liu Bei repeated his assessments of Sima Yi, Xu Huang, and Zhang Pei, as if consoling himself.

To cut through Liu Bei’s dilemma, Zhuge Liang drove the point home.

“Your Majesty, capturing Jing Province will make it much easier to attack Sun Quan through combined land and water routes via Jiangxia. Moreover, it will halve Sun Quan’s influence in Jiao Province and allow us to enter Jiao Province from both the north and west, effectively gaining a foothold for its recovery.”

“Do you think Cao Zhi will just stand by and watch? If we attack Jing Province, they will also raise an army.”

The principle of mutual destruction no longer applied only to Han and Wu.

If Han rises, Wei and Wu will join hands to stop it.

If Wei tries to recover, Han and Wu will join hands to hinder it.

Although Wu is currently expanding aggressively, if we seem to capture Jing Province, Wei will stop the war and attack us.

“The symbolic value of Luoyang will be their shackle this time.”

They won’t move recklessly over Luoyang.

Its value is too great, and they can’t afford to leave its defense vulnerable.

“If the Supreme General and General at Gogi target Luoyang from Guanzhong, and the Commander Wei gathers the tribes from Hatu to pressure Cao Zhi’s Bing Province, they won’t act rashly.”

Using Luoyang not as a target to capture but as a means to tie down Wei’s forces.

Zhuge Liang prioritized a more stable and certain method over risky ventures.

“Raise an army this time to recover Jing Province and win over Shi Xie’s allegiance to embrace Jiao Province. Then, entrust the Supreme General, General at Gogi, and Commander Wei with the three routes of Jing Province’s water and land routes and Jiao Province’s land route. Sun Quan won’t dare to resist.”

The tripartite division of the world proposed at Longzhong was successfully established. Thus, Zhuge Liang prepared for the next step.

“Next is the bipartite division of the world.”

Jing Province, Yi Province, Yong Province, Liang Province, Jiao Province, Yang Province, and Guanzhong.

If we control more than half of the world’s land, time will be on Han’s side.

From then on, time will smile upon Han, and as long as we don’t retreat but steadily move forward step by step, we will achieve the great undertaking of unifying the world.

“Tripartite division, bipartite division, and then unification.”

Liu Bei muttered as if entranced.

The allure of unification shakes people’s hearts far more than Luoyang’s.

But Liu Bei soon broke free from that enchantment and spoke.

“No matter how many times Sun Quan has betrayed us, and no matter how great Jing Province’s value is compared to Luoyang, will the people truly accept it? Our sworn enemy is Cao Zhi, who dared to oppress Emperor Xiaomin and usurp the throne.”

Justification.

Righteousness.

That was Liu Bei’s root and his most powerful weapon.

Only the deaths of his beloved brothers, more than his own kin, could make Liu Bei disregard justification.

Attacking Wu before Wei.

Prioritizing Jing Province over Luoyang.

Liu Bei wanted a justification that could persuade the masses of the righteousness of his choices.

Without hesitation, Zhuge Liang immediately responded.

“That is what we must do.”

§

Click.

As the reminiscence ended, the Go game also concluded.

It was a clear victory for white. Bi Yi, who had improved by playing against future strategies, was now almost equal to me, often deciding games by a single point. But since I started three points behind, the result was inevitable.

The outcome of the Go game, showing the difficulty of capturing Luoyang, and the strategy Zhuge Liang presented to Liu Bei after Longzhong left Bi Yi deep in thought.

A master of multitasking, he continued to move Go stones while pondering.

I helped him move the stones and spoke.

“Of course, this is just the overall framework. We still need to think about ways to prevent Sun Quan from surrendering to Cao Pi and blocking Cao Zhi’s intervention in this process.”

If Longzhong’s strategy was to ally with Sun Quan to attack Wei.

This new grand strategy, proposed at Zhang Family Manor, tentatively called the Zhang Family Strategy, aimed to absorb Wu by splitting Sun Quan and Cao Pi.

In fact, both Zhuge Liang’s Longzhong strategy and the Zhang Family Strategy lacked intricate details.

But I agreed to Zhuge Liang’s Zhang Family Strategy because I already knew a solution that could fill those gaps.

‘Cao Pi’s death.’

If history follows its course, Cao Pi will die in just a few years.

Of course, I can’t be certain it will happen that way.

But even if historical trends seem coincidental, there’s plausibility in how those coincidences come about.

I saw that Cao Pi still indulged in pleasures and heard that he personally led a southern campaign against Sun Quan, just as in the original history.

Cao Pi’s cause of death was said to be illness. The chances of him living a long, healthy life aren’t high.

‘This is just an assumption, but I can’t rely solely on it.’

I fervently prayed for Cao Pi’s death.

As I prayed, Bi Yi, having finished organizing his thoughts, spoke.

“So the operation against Zhuge Ge was for the justification you mentioned?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Still skeptical, Bi Yi shrugged as I spoke.

“I’m not entirely sure this will work either. The Prime Minister is also preparing separately. The more contingencies, the better, right?”

But I believed Zhuge Ge would act as I hoped.

I trusted in his arrogance.

‘Hang in there, Zhuge Ge.’

Don’t lose to Zhuge Jin.