Chapter 172

Upon arriving at Gangnyeong Castle, I immediately sought out Ban Jun.

The infantry brigade coming down the Yangtze River had not yet arrived, but to depart as soon as they did, we needed to analyze the situation and strategize during this brief respite.

Just as I had hurried to find Ban Jun without rest, he too came out to greet me upon hearing of my arrival.

“Mingjing, welcome. We’ve prepared the battle map with the others, so please follow me.”

“Who is present?”

“General Wu Ban of the Eastern Army, Eun-gwan of the Byeolga, and Bang Rim of the Chijung are here.”

“All the high officials of Gangnyeong have gathered.”

“In addition, Governor Seol Je of Uido and County Magistrate Yu Min of Dangyang are also here.”

Governor Seol Je was from a region located on the route from Nan Commandery to Yi Province, encompassing areas like Jagwi and Iling.

Seol Je was a renowned figure from Cao Wei, but there was also a namesake, Seol Je (薛齊), in the Han Dynasty.

Like Bu Chuan or Guo Yi, he was a man who had served Liu Bei for two generations, starting from his father.

Though one might wonder who he was, his descendants are likely known to modern Koreans.

Seol In-gwi, often depicted as a rival to Yeon Gaesomun, was a direct descendant of this family.

Though Seol Je himself was not exceptionally outstanding, he possessed decent talent, befitting a man who served Liu Bei for two generations, and his loyalty was remarkable.

Yu Min, like Seol Je, had a more famous relative, his cousin Zhang Wan.

Though he made a name alongside Zhang Wan, his career seemed doomed when Zhang Wan fell out of favor with Liu Bei. However, as Zhang Wan regained Liu Bei’s trust, Yu Min also began his official career.

Yet, it wasn’t just Zhang Wan’s influence that secured his position; Yu Min himself was quite capable. In the original history, he participated in the Battle of Xingxi, also known as the Battle of Luogu, where he distinguished himself.

In any case, with Seol Je and Yu Min, there was nothing to worry about; they were competent individuals who would only be an asset, not a liability.

“Good. Did Shengming call them?”

“Yes. Initially, only Governor Seol Je was summoned, but upon hearing of your immediate return, County Magistrate Yu Min was also called. The Supreme General left General Pingdong at Yangfan, so it was deemed safe to temporarily leave Dangyang.”

General Pingdong must be Yao Hua.

Yao Hua is reliable. At the time of Shu Han’s fall, Yao Hua was one of the three major generals alongside Jiang Wei and Zhang Yi, so he would surely defend Bansheng well.

“How many troops do we have?”

“That… everyone is here. Let’s discuss inside.”

Upon arriving at the meeting room, those who had been waiting stood up to greet me.

“Let’s skip the formalities. Report the battle situation immediately.”

“Then, I shall speak.”

Chijung Eun-gwan began.

He first detailed the current status of our forces.

“Currently, our forces are divided across several locations. General Wu at Wuling, General Hou besieging Jingling County, General Zhong consolidating the occupied territories in the east, and the Supreme General stationed at Xingbu. General Wei has joined us here at Gangnyeong Castle, so we can count the Lanling Army, arriving by water, as present here.”

“Agreed. And since Jingling County is close, if Zhu Yan withdraws according to the agreement with Sun Ding, General Hou will soon join us, so include them as well.”

“Understood.”

Eun-gwan continued his explanation.

Including those gathered at Gangnyeong Castle, the forces heading to Xingbu could tentatively be called the Xingbu Expeditionary Force. This force could be broadly categorized into four groups.

First, the 20,000 Lanling Army led by me, General Wei, Chang-ran.

Second, the 10,000 troops under General Hou, Wei Yan.

Third, the 5,000 troops brought by General Wu Yi of the Eastern Army.

And finally, the combined 5,000 troops from Governor Seol Je of Uido, County Magistrate Yu Min of Dangyang, and Ban Jun, Governor of Gangnyeong and Inspector of Jing Province.

In total, we had about 40,000 available troops.

Since Uido and Dangyang left some troops behind for public order, it didn’t matter, but we needed to station some troops in Jingling and Gangnyeong for security.

Jingling County had just seen battle, requiring extra attention, and Gangnyeong Castle, being the center of Jing Province, was large and needed a significant garrison.

After allocating necessary troops, our effective force was about 35,000.

‘But this is enough.’

Our goal is not a full-scale war with Cao Wei but to break the siege and rescue Guan Yu.

35,000 troops are more than sufficient.

“Has the Supreme General’s location been confirmed?”

“That’s…”

Eun-gwan, who had been reporting smoothly, hesitated. Ban Jun spoke instead.

“Zhang Pei has blocked the route between Bansheng and Wancheng, cutting off communication for quite some time. Even the smugglers crossing the border have been completely blocked.”

“Zhang Pei… what about Xu Huang?”

“We’ve exchanged messages with Governor Zhang of Shangyong. Xu Huang has divided his forces to block both Shangyong and Wuguan.”

“Shangyong and Wuguan. They’re trying to completely isolate the Supreme General.”

Wuguan, leading directly to Guanzhong, and Shangyong, the route into Hanzhong.

Blocking these two points, Guan Yu had no way to send messengers for help.

The messengers sent before Zhang Pei completed the encirclement at Yangfan were all there was. And those messengers had to take a long detour to reach Chang’an or Chengdu.

Even if they managed to deliver the message, by the time reinforcements reached Xingbu, Sima Yi’s scheme would have already been completed.

If I hadn’t hurried back, Sima Yi’s encirclement would have succeeded.

Ban Jun of Gangnyeong, Seol Je of Uido, Zhang Yi of Shangyong… none of them would have left their posts to support Guan Yu while the war with Eastern Wu was still ongoing.

Nor would Yao Hua at Yangfan. Yao Hua, who in the original history opposed Jiang Wei’s aggressive offensives, would never abandon a key position like Yangfan.

But there was one thing Sima Yi failed to measure.

My existence.

Just as Sima Yi was wary of me, I too had been wary of him.

Thanks to Sun Ding, we quickly concluded the war with Eastern Wu and returned, which was fortunate.

If Sun Ding hadn’t been there, and we had easily taken Hagu Fortress, I would have advanced to Qichun.

Then, I would have been late to notice Guan Yu’s plight in Xingbu. Naturally, the distance to return would have been greater, delaying my return, and by then, I might not have been able to do anything.

‘As they say, life is full of ups and downs. Struggling to capture Hagu Fortress because of Sun Ding has now become a godsend.’

Because of Sun Ding, Jingling County, which we expected to be a prolonged battle, was easily resolved.

Zhu Yan is impressive, but he’s still human. Unless he’s a superhuman like Xiang Yu or Liu Xiu, it’s hard to turn this situation around.

But it’s true that he has the capacity to drag it out. It’s nearly impossible to make Zhu Yan withdraw so quickly.

Reflecting on life’s lessons briefly, I quickly regained focus and concentrated on Ban Jun’s continued explanation.

“Zhang Pei, who entered Nanyang Commandery via Pingdi County, is currently forming a siege around Xinye County.”

“He’s planning to block even Yuxu, just in case.”

“Indeed. He’s gathered troops from Xuchang and even scraped together forces from Runan, so his numbers are not insignificant. He’s stationed troops at every route leading to Wancheng, cutting off the Supreme General’s messengers.”

“Is the main force still at Xinye County?”

“Yes. If the Supreme General chose to return to Yangfan, blocking both land and water routes from Xinye would be the easiest. However, no battle has been reported at Xinye yet.”

If Zhang Pei and Guan Yu haven’t clashed at Xinye yet, it’s safe to assume Guan Yu has given up on returning to Yangfan.

Then, there are three remaining paths.

Stay at Wancheng, choose the route to Shangyong, or… continue northward.

Why exclude Wuguan? Wuguan’s narrow paths make it easy to block large forces with a small number. It’s no coincidence Xu Huang is blocking both Wuguan and Shangyong.

If Guan Yu heads to Wuguan and gets blocked by the terrain, Xu Huang and Zhang Pei would rush in to attempt a complete encirclement.

“Has there been any battle on the Shangyong front?”

“No. From what I’ve seen, it seems he’s preparing for a defensive battle at Wancheng…”

Holding out at Wancheng until reinforcements arrive.

Rationally, that seems the best option. Wancheng is a strong fortress, and Guan Yu has experience with fortresses.

But is that really the case? Guan Yu ambitiously planned this northern expedition, prepared for a two-front war. It’s unlike Guan Yu’s temperament to simply wait for reinforcements at Wancheng.

‘If Guan Yu has advanced northward, it will be really hard to catch up. I can only hope he’s holding out at Wancheng.’

In the end, we could only do our best.

“Once the naval forces arrive, we will head north immediately. Everyone, prepare for the imminent departure.”

Our goal is to defeat Zhang Pei at Xinye and break the encirclement.

If possible, cooperate with Guan Yu to add a slap to Sima Yi’s shameless face.

As the personnel at Gangnyeong Castle secured military supplies and prepared for departure, Jiang Wei and Ma Su arrived. As previously arranged, we set out from Gangnyeong Castle immediately after joining them.

‘This is the second time.’

The journey to save Guan Yu.

Unlike the first time when everything was prepared, this journey began under the pressure of time.