Hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Li Yan remained outwardly respectful but inwardly began to harbor resentment.
Who doesn't know that the great Han is now under your Zhuge Liang's sole authority!
He alone handles all matters and issues edicts from the Palace. Last year, during the war in the southern middle region, he even personally led troops south, fearing that his military power might be seized by others.
Last year, the emperor even said, 'Policy is handled by the Geshi family, and I myself handle the sacrifices.' Officials at the state and military levels now know only of the chancellor and not of Your Majesty.
He pretends to ask for the emperor's approval; can the emperor not agree? What is this different from what Cao Mengde would do?
However, at this moment, Zhuge Liang who was sitting in the hall was worrying about other matters, and he had not expected Li Yan's hidden malicious thoughts at all.
The affairs of the state have decayed to such an extent, who else can take on the heavy responsibility of restoring the Han dynasty if I, as Chancellor, do not assume responsibility?
After a while, Deng Zhi brought in Zhang Wen, the envoy from the Eastern Wu.
After Zhang Wen paid his respects, Zhuge Liang sat in the hall and spoke with a clear and loud voice, "Have you been to Chengdu for the third time?"
Zhang Wen sighed lightly and then said, "Chancellor Zhuge, indeed, this is my third time in Chengdu. The previous two visits were to establish good relations with the Great Han, and this time I have come at the command of the Wu King to seek an alliance with the Great Han."
Zhang Wen has always been known for his eloquent speech.
Even when he was first sent to Chengdu as an envoy, Sun Quan still referred to 'Su' instead of 'Han.' Zhang Wen directly used 'Han' in the document.
However, as the saying goes, 'What's sweet to one may be deadly to another.' After Zhang Wen returned to Eastern Wu, he was despised and kept under house arrest by Sun Quan due to excessive praise of Shu Han. Even during the Nai Yan case, Zhang Wen almost fell victim. This is another story altogether.
Zhuge Liang nodded: "Now that the power of Cao Wei is great, it is beneficial for Han and Wu to unite, and harmful to both if they are divided. I am sure the King of Wu is also aware of this."
"Last night when you arrived in Chengdu, Deng Bamei informed the Prime Minister about the setback in Wu King's campaign in Wan City that evening, but we do not know the details of the situation there," Zhuge Liang looked at Zhang Wen. "Please pardon me, Zhang Wen, what is the actual situation in Wan City? We need to know for sure."
Zhang Wen hesitated for a while, unsure how to tell the truth. The people present had already noticed that Zhang Wen looked different from his previous two visits. His eyes were slightly red and he had dark circles under his eyes, looking extremely tired and sleep-deprived.
After a moment, Zhang Wen bowed and said, "Chancellor Zhuge, the setback this time was indeed the greatest defeat for Eastern Wu to date."
Everyone in the hall was listening quietly to Zhang Wen's words. Although Zhang Wen spoke slowly, Zhuge Liang showed no signs of impatience.
"During this campaign, the King of Wu led a force of one hundred thousand troops to Wan City..."
Zhang Wen had not finished speaking when he was interrupted by Ma Zhou.
Ma Zhou sternly bowed and said, "I would like to ask the envoy from Eastern Wu, did the King of Wu really gather ten thousand troops for this campaign or was it just a false claim? The difference between ten thousand troops in name and ten thousand troops in reality is significant!"
"It was real troops," Zhang Wen said slowly, as if he were organizing his thoughts while speaking: "The one hundred thousand troops were ambushed by Wei troops in Wan City and lost seven out of ten in one battle. However, since there is no naval force in Wei's hands, there is the naval force of the Great Wu along the river to keep watch, so Wei dare not cross the river to attack."
Ma Zhou interjected again, "What does it mean to have lost seventy thousand men? Did seventy thousand soldiers die or were they captured?"
It is a rather embarrassing thing for an envoy to speak such words in front of the rulers of other countries. Ma Zhou once again interrupted Zhang Wen's words, and even Zhang Wen, who is known for his literary elegance in Shu Han, could no longer bear it.
Zhang Wen waved his sleeves and turned to look at Ma Zhou with a slightly angry expression: "Military Adviser Ma, since I am to explain to the Chancellor, all the details, big or small, will be gradually explained. I respectfully ask Military Adviser Ma not to interrupt my speech anymore."
Seeing that everyone in the hall was staring at him, Ma Zhou felt a bit embarrassed and bowed to Zhang Wen, saying, "I apologize for my impudence. Please continue to explain to the Chancellor, Your Excellency."
Zhang Wen continued to face Zhuge Liang and said, "Approximately two thousand of the seventy thousand troops were killed and five thousand were captured. It is reported that Major-General Lu Xun was captured by Wei, Generals Zhu Hen and Pan Zhang died in service."
Everyone in the Prime Minister's residence drew a deep breath, and even Zhuge Liang on the stage looked a bit gloomy. However, there were still people in the hall with smiles on their faces.
Zhuge Liang sat at a higher position, and he could see all the minor movements and expressions of the people in the hall clearly.
It is normal to be surprised. In the past, Emperor Liu Bei led an army of 50,000 men to fight at Shiyi. The casualties or surrenders resulted in a loss of more than 40,000 men. Great Han suffered greatly from this and has not yet fully recovered to this day.
Now that Eastern Wu has dispatched a real army of one hundred thousand, and they have suffered a loss of seventy thousand, even though the population and territory of Eastern Wu are both larger than those of Great Han, it is still a crushing defeat.
However, those who are laughing at this moment, Zhuge Liang does not want to blame or ask for explanations from.
Today, Lu Xun was captured by Wei. However, Lu Xun was the main strategist who led Great Han to a crushing defeat in the Yiliang campaign. And Generals Zhu Hen and Pan Zhang died, with Pan Zhang being the general who obeyed Sun Quan's order to cut off Maicheng's rear route and kill Guan Yu at Linjiao.
Indeed, there is a strange sense that Wei is avenging the Han's blood for us.
Zhuge Liang asked, "How many troops did Wei use this time? Who is the commander-in-chief?"
Zhang Wen said, "Wei's troops this time should exceed one hundred thousand. The commander-in-chief of Wei's army is the Grand Marshal Cao Xu of Wei. Moreover, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei also went to the battlefield in person."
Cao Xu...
Although Zhuge Liang's expression did not change, he sighed again in his heart.
Why does the Cao family have so many capable generals? Cao Cao himself is a great military commander, and Xiahou Yuan and Cao REN are also among the best choices. Now that the regents of Wei entrusted by Emperor Wu are Generals Cao Xu and Cao Zhen, are they also capable generals? If His Majesty also had such relatives, how wonderful it would be?
As for what Zhang Wen said about Emperor Cao Rui of Wei personally going to the battlefield, Zhuge Liang did not believe that this had a particularly great connection to the victory of the Wei army.
Before Cao Rui ascended to the throne, no one had heard of him. How could a twenty-something-year-old emperor, who is not even as capable as Sun Ce, possibly know how to fight?
Zhuge Liang asked in a sincere manner, "Now that Wei's troops are close to the Yangtze River, has the King of Wu taken any measures to prevent this?"
Zhang Wen replied, "The waterway between Wan City and the Central Plains is not interconnected. If Wei were to build ships in Wan City, it would take several years. The King of Wu has sent a message to me early on, and now that Wei has abandoned the land and come to the riverbank, they are sure to recapture Wankou within this year."
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, but did not make any comment. If Sun Quan claimed that he wanted to take over Wei's Hefei or Shouchun cities, Zhuge Liang would definitely not believe it. Eastern Wu does not have the capability for land battles yet.
However, if Sun Quan guarantees that he will remove Wankou located on the riverbank this year, this matter seems more credible.
After Zhang Wen finished his statement, Zhuge Liang did not give Zhang Wen time to buffer and directly asked, "If Han and Wu form an alliance, how should the positions of both sides be determined?"
Zhuge Liang's gaze seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. After Zhang Wen thought for a moment, he decided to be honest.
Zhang Wen bowed and said, "I hope that Chancellor Zhuge understands. The relationship between Han and Wu should not be called Emperor of Han and King of Wu, but rather Western Emperor and Eastern Emperor. All other matters should be treated equally."
Zhuge Liang did not offer any comment but instead turned directly to Deng Zhi: "Bomyao, take Hui Hu down for rest. After I report to the Emperor, then we will talk to Hui Hu again."
"Thank you, Chancellor Zhuge," Zhang Wen bowed and followed Deng Zhi out.
But the deliberation in the Prime Minister's office had not yet concluded.
Zhuge Liang glanced at Li Yan and the others in the residence, then said aloud, "Forming an alliance with Wu should focus on its substance rather than its name. This afternoon, I will go to the palace to make a personal report to the Emperor."
"Now that Wei's Yong and Liang are insecure, the Han are also ready to march on the Central Plains and return to their old capital. I plan to march into Hanzhong this spring, and the Prime Minister's office will also accompany the army."
"Li Yan," Zhuge Liang said to him, "I plan to take the army to fight Wei when I march. I want you to stay in Hanzhong with your own troops and act as my rear guard. Would you be willing?"
"This..." Li Yan hesitated for a moment, stood up, and replied, "Chancellor, there is still unrest within Yi Province. It should be me who stays within the borders while the Chancellor takes the army outside."
Li Yan seemed to have thought of something, and then said, "Chancellor, I also have something I would like to report to the King. It might be better if we discuss this first with the Chancellor."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Please proceed."
Li Yan spoke slowly, "At present, the Han has only one state. The state governorship is merely nominal without any supervisory function. It would be better to combine Ba, Xian, Bi, Fuling, Jiangyang into a single state and name it 'Ba State'. I am willing to serve as the governor of Ba for the court."
Upon hearing Li Yan's words, Zhuge Liang's expression remained unchanged: "Ba Commandery is strategically important, and it should indeed be under the watch of a national minister."
"I have already understood what you said, Li Yan. Let's go together to the palace to report to the King this afternoon."
Li Yan bowed and sat down.
But any discerning person can see that Li Yan is using the opportunity of the Chancellor's upcoming military campaign to assert power, both towards the Chancellor and towards the court. Yet why did the Chancellor say nothing and even decided to go to the palace together with Li Yan?
At this moment, Ma Zhou's expression changed the most. Just as he was about to stand up and refute Li Yan, he was stopped by Xiang Lang with his eyes.
Ma Zhou stared at Xiang Lang with wide eyes. Xiang Lang still shook his head slightly, indicating that Ma Zhou should not act. Ma Zhou and Xiang Lang have always been good friends, and Ma Zhou knew that Xiang Lang must have some other calculations. Therefore, he did not speak out on the spot.
After Zhuge Liang and Li Yan came out of the palace in the afternoon, the officials of all ranks in the Prime Minister's residence began to busy themselves.
The King has approved the alliance with Wu. He requires the Prime Minister to discuss the details with the Wu's envoy, as well as how to deal with Wei after the alliance is established.
The King also approved the Prime Minister's proposal to march to Hanzhong and agreed to allow the Prime Minister's office to accompany the Prime Minister to Hanzhong. They will prepare for a northern campaign in Hanzhong.
Not only was the alliance with Wu and the march to Hanzhong approved, but also, the Grand Secretary Li Yan was given a new position. The King ordered Li Yan to serve as the Inspector General of the Central Plains, overseeing military affairs both inside and outside, and to lead troops to be stationed in Ba Commandery for any unforeseen needs.
In the Prime Minister's residence at night, Zhuge Liang was still reviewing documents, and Ma Zhou stood by asking, "Why should we be lenient towards Li Yan? He is clearly trying to use state affairs to seek personal gain."
Zhuge Liang looked into Ma Zhou's eyes and said, "Young Fool, the state is in danger and the government is facing many difficulties. It's better to temporarily appease Li Yan instead of exposing his shortcomings."
"Disgracing Li Yan is easy, but the territory of Yi Province is already narrow. If we cannot utilize the manpower and resources of Yi Province for the northern campaign, how can we restore the Han Dynasty?"
"Do not think about such shortsightedness in the future."
Ma Zhou bowed, "I understand the Chancellor's intention."
(End of Chapter)
