Chapter 154

The road from Yi Province to Jing Province.

Yi Province, surrounded by mountains, had few entrances. The road connecting to Nan Commandery of Jing Province, which we currently occupy, was the only one. Therefore, our path of advance was already determined.

Following the flow of the Yangtze River from Yi Province to Jing Province. Midway along this river lies Baekje Castle, where Liu Bei of the original history met his end.

Entering the foothills of the mountain range separating Yi Province and Jing Province. Arriving at Yangge County, the gateway to Jing Province, we were greeted by someone who had arrived earlier to wait for us.

“Hahaha, welcome, Commander Wei. It’s been a while.”

Commander Wei, Yi Yan.

While others were busy with the Northern Expedition or defensive wars, Yi Yan, who had always been responsible for stabilizing the rear, seemed genuinely pleased to be on this expedition.

Commander Wei held a high position, but perhaps Yi Yan was dissatisfied. In the original history, Yi Yan rose to the position of Chief Minister and attempted to build power comparable to Zhuge Liang, but overreached and was purged.

Liu Bei never overlooked the contributions of those in the rear. However, achieving merit against Cao Wei or Eastern Wu on the frontlines had a distinctiveness that differed from the rear.

Despite this, Yi Yan was promoted to the rank of Four Direction Generals alongside those who had distinguished themselves in the Northern Expedition and the subsequent defensive war against the Wei-Wu alliance. Yi Yan’s abilities were exceptional.

‘It might also be a sign of intent to utilize talents from Yi Province.’

Looking at the upper echelons of the military, there were few from Yi Province. Despite Yi Province being the foundation of Liu Bei’s power.

Three of the top four generals in the military were from Liu Bei’s direct forces. Myself, my father, and Guan Yu. The remaining position of General of the Standard was held by Ma Chao.

There was a need to place someone from Yi Province even in the next rank of Four Direction Generals.

Leading the way was Zhao Yun, who had long followed Liu Bei, followed by Pang De as the Left General considering Yongyang Province, Yi Yan as the Right General considering Yi Province, and finally Wei Yan as the Rear General, a close ally of Liu Bei and from Jing Province.

The Four Direction Generals were a form of regional allocation. However, since all were capable individuals, it was far from being purely politically motivated appointments.

“That’s right. It feels like it’s been almost two years since we last met.”

About two years ago, before the Northern Expedition, I sought out Yi Yan to apologize for my hasty judgment of character, and Yi Yan repaid the debt by recommending Bi Yi to me.

“Yes, it has been that long.”

“Though belated, congratulations on your promotion to Right General.”

“Haha, I should be congratulating you on your promotion to Commander Wei.”

After exchanging congratulations, Yi Yan and I decided to rest in Yangge County for a day before setting off. Being a small village with limited capacity to accommodate a large army, our subordinates set up temporary camps outside the county.

Meanwhile, Yi Yan and I had a separate conversation. Although I was the overall commander of this Jing Province recovery campaign, Yi Yan was also a general leading a unit and responsible for a front. It was important to share our thoughts.

As we discussed strategy, the conversation naturally drifted to casual talk.

“Since the Bi Yi you recommended has risen to the position of Chief Minister, your reputation must have grown as well.”

“Hmm, it’s true that more people have been seeking me out, but it’s nothing compared to you, Commander Wei.”

The rumor that Yi Yan had recommended Bi Yi to me had spread, significantly increasing Yi Yan’s influence.

It served as one of the catalysts for Yi Yan, who previously had no significant connections except for Bi Guan, to build relationships with officials from Yi Province.

“By the way, are the troops gathered here all we have for this war?”

“Rear General Wei Yan stationed at Gangnyeong Castle and the Jing Province army will also join.”

The troops mobilized for this war were significantly smaller compared to the Northern Expedition or the defensive war against the Wei-Wu alliance.

But that was understandable, as the previous cases were total wars that squeezed the nation’s full strength. This time, it was an attack using surplus troops while maintaining defenses at the borders.

With Guan Yu from Yangfan, Ma Chao from Xiliang absent, more than half of the military strength was missing.

“His Majesty has sent the Central Army as reinforcements, so our troops are sufficient.”

Concerned about a potential lack of troops, Liu Bei decided to dispatch his direct force, the Central Army. The Central Army, led by Shang Chong, was currently under my command.

Shang Chong, considered the successor to Jin Dou, had served Liu Bei since Jing Province as a trusted officer and was recognized by Zhuge Liang as an outstanding general.

In the original history, during the Battle of Yiling, while other generals’ camps collapsed, Shang Chong’s camp remained intact, proving his capabilities.

The troops of the Four Direction Generals Yi Yan and Wei Yan. The Central Army, along with reinforcements like Yi Yan, and the troops led by General Wu Ban of the Eastern Expedition, who would join later. Adding the Jing Province army stationed at Gangnyeong Castle, we would have at least 50,000 troops.

“50,000… that should be enough.”

“Let’s discuss the details further after arriving in Jing Province. For today, let’s end here.”

After a brief meeting with Yi Yan, we entered Jing Province.

Thanks to our efforts to hold onto Nan Commandery, connected to Yi Province, arriving at Gangnyeong Castle was accomplished without much difficulty.

It wasn’t that we gave up Gong’an City for nothing. Gangnyeong Castle was the administrative center of Nan Commandery and held significant importance as a central location.

There was a reason why Guan Yu personally supervised the construction of its walls, making it a strong fortress.

And now, it would serve as the foothold for the Han Dynasty’s counterattack.

There, I met a familiar face after a long time.

“Shengming! How have you been?”

Even I could tell that my reaction was markedly different from when I met Yi Yan.

But there was no helping it. And Yi Yan didn’t seem disappointed but rather accepted it as natural.

Ban Jun. Our friendship, transcending gender and generation, was now known throughout the Han Dynasty.

“Welcome, Mingjing.”

As I addressed him informally by his courtesy name, Ban Jun also addressed me informally.

It had been a long time since I last saw Ban Jun. It had been over four years since the last Jing Province defense battle.

Ban Jun was now past the age of fifty. Upon closer inspection, I noticed his hair had started to gray.

I walked side by side with Ban Jun into Gangnyeong Castle.

“Seeing you again like this brings back many memories.”

“Haha, indeed. I never thought we’d be fighting together in Jing Province again.”

“Haha, you recommended me for the position of Chief Minister. Who would have thought the Supreme General would agree?”

“Ah, the Supreme General followed the example of Yan Po’s story. Back then, Chengdu was in an uproar. Truly, Shengming.”

Like Yan Po, who apologized to Lin Xiangru whom he had previously looked down upon, Liu Bei was pleased when I sought out Ban Jun, whom I had previously underestimated, to apologize, saying even Yan Po had been surpassed.

“How could it be my doing? It was all Mingjing who paved the way, and the Supreme General who stepped forward with great ambition.”

“There’s no need to be modest in front of me.”

Even after a long time apart, there was no awkwardness, and our conversation flowed as if we had just seen each other yesterday. That’s what true friendship is like. In that regard, Ban Jun and I had a genuine friendship.

Even as we entrusted the army to our subordinates and entered the official residence, Ban Jun and I continued to catch up on all the conversations we had missed.

I could sense Wei Yan, who had come out to greet us alongside Ban Jun, feeling a bit left out.

After congratulating him on becoming Rear General when we first met, I had mostly talked with Ban Jun, so Wei Yan might have felt somewhat excluded.

I felt sorry, but this time I didn’t have the chance to attend to him.

‘Anyway, we’ll hold a military council soon, so we can talk then.’

Speed was of the essence in this war.

While the soldiers, exhausted from the arduous march, needed rest, the generals, who were less fatigued from riding horses, couldn’t afford to rest.

As the generals, having finished preparing the soldiers’ lodgings, arrived one by one at the official residence, the seats filled up. Quite a number of people attended the military council.

Excluding myself, there were five from Commander Wei’s office alone, and just the commanders of individual units included Shang Chong, Yi Yan, and Wei Yan, totaling three, with their deputies easily exceeding ten.

In addition, key officials of Jing Province’s governance, though mostly remaining in Nan Commandery, also attended.

Naturally, Ban Jun, the Inspector of Jing Province, was present, along with his right-hand man, Assistant Officer Yin Guan, Pang Lin, the younger brother of Pang Tong and Assistant Officer next in rank, and Jin Shi, acting Governor of Xingnan, who took over the military authority of Jing Province’s army after Feng Shu’s death.

Including myself, a total of sixteen people gathered in the meeting hall.

Although the first-generation figures were still active, making the gathering seem somewhat lacking in weight, it was actually a gathering of the ace-level figures responsible for the mid to late period of the Han Dynasty.

“Before we begin the military council, I want to announce the most important matter first.”

At my words, everyone’s focus sharpened. All eyes in the room turned to me.

Now accustomed to such attention, I calmly pointed to a spot on the map prepared in the center of the meeting hall.

“Our primary objective is the occupation of Hegu.”

Hegu was the nickname of Siai County in Jiangxia Commandery. Different from the place where You Qi had been stationed, it was located at the point where several tributaries like the Han River and the Xia River converged into the Yangtze River.

Therefore, controlling Hegu would make it easy to advance to various parts of Jing Province via the waterways. Conversely, blocking Hegu alone could easily prevent the Jing Province navy from entering Yang Province via the Yangtze River.

Understanding its importance, Sun Quan had fortified Hegu Castle and strengthened its defenses, appointing Zhu Huan, one of the Four Surnames of Wu, as the Governor of Hegu to add weight to its defense.

In the original history, Zhu Huan was deployed to the frontlines as the Governor of Yushui. However, with the capture of Hefei reducing the importance of Yushui and the Han Dynasty growing stronger, the importance of Hegu had increased, seemingly altering his fate.

“However, I propose not just Hegu but also the occupation of Wuchang and Qichun beyond it as our objectives.”

Wuchang was the city Sun Quan had made his capital during his reign as the King of Wu in the original history, and Qichun was a strategic location between Yang Province and Jing Province.

Capturing Qichun would make it possible to isolate Yang Province, much like how capturing Yiling isolated Yi Province in the original history.

“The complete recovery of Jing Province. That is the objective of this war.”