When Wu Yi stepped out of the tent, the sun had already set in the west.
The faint light of stars in the sky was intertwined with the flickering torches lit on the walls of camps, riverside docks, and other places.
Between the campsites, which were slightly illuminated, lay the silent flow of a river at night. Above it, a series of floating bridges connected them as if invisible ropes held the Shu Han troops near Zhongt ing together.
Wu Yi received Zhuge Liang's orders but did not directly head north back to his own camp. Instead, he crossed the river and went west to meet his younger cousin Wu Ban.
During a confrontation between two armies, it was a rare moment of relaxation for generals. They did not have to do any military planning or lead troops personally. With the help of adjutants, officials, and other personnel who took care of the camp's daily affairs, it was sufficient.
"How did you come here, my brother?" Wu Ban looked surprised at Wu Yi: "Isn't it against the General's orders to leave camp without permission?"
Wu Yi waved his hand: "I was returning from a meeting with the Prime Minister. I just took a detour to come here; it's nothing serious."
"The camp still has other generals. Nothing important will be affected."
Wu Ban knew that nothing could be kept secret from the Premier in camp.
After saying these words, he immediately reached out and pulled Wu Yi into the tent, "Brother, please come in quickly."
Wu Yi nodded and went in reversed.
After entering the tent, Wu Ban waved his hand, and the guards who had been with Wu Ban for a long time quietly withdrew, leaving the space in the tent to the two.
"Brother, what is it really about?" Wu Ban stared intently at Wu Yi.
If it wasn't an urgent matter, this family elder who is known for his calm and steady demeanor would not have come to look for him personally.
Wu Yi spoke calmly, "My troops are in the north. The Prime Minister has ordered me to begin attacking the Wei troops in the Baishui Valley tomorrow."
"The Prime Minister mentioned that the Wei army's offensive in the Qingni Valley to the west is even more fierce. The Wei army in the north is somewhat weaker, so he has sent me to test them out, with an order to attack for three consecutive days."
"To fight is to fight, nothing special. Is it that brother is afraid to fight?" Wu Ban asked.
Wu Yi sighed, "How could I be afraid to fight? You and I are both used to handling troops. Why would we shrink back from something like this?"
"What is it?" Wu Ban stood up from the bench and stared at Wu Yi for a few seconds: "Brother, why do you have to hide things? Is there anything that can't be said directly?"
Wu Yi hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Youdon't think that the current situation of confrontation between Han and Wei is the same as that day at Xianling?"
"If I didn't have that feeling, why would I come here to see you?" Wu Yi sighed: "During the campaign against Wu, I was in Chengdu and did not accompany the troops. You were with the army back then, so I came to ask you for details."
Wu Ban was startled and quickly sat down beside Wu Yi, kneeling. "How did you figure that out?"
"The situation here at Zhongting is completely different from Shilin. We are defending ourselves with advantageous terrain and there are fortifications in the rear path of Wuxing. How can it be the same as that day at Shilin?"
"Why are you thinking about that, Youdon?" Wu Yi gave Wu Ban a cold look: "It's not that we are the same as we were then, but rather that the Wei army is like the Han army of that time."
Wu Ban remained silent, just staring at Wu Yi.
Wu Yi leaned closer and spoke in a lowered voice, "You see, the Han army suffered a defeat at Shilin because a large part of them were attacking the Yidao in the south, while the remaining troops were defending against the main force of Lu Su in the north."
"On that day, after you were defeated by Xu Sheng, wasn't the Han army divided into two parts by the Wu army?"
After a moment of silence, Wu Ban nodded, "The Wei army has indeed been divided into two parts, but not because of Han attacks, but because they came from two places themselves and were divided intentionally!"
You are suggesting that we can now act as the Wu army did, blocking the Wei troops in one place while attacking them in another."
That is to say, we should block the smaller part of the Wei army at Baishui, while sending a large force to break through the Wei army on the side of Qingni Water."
"That's right." Wu Yi nodded: "But it concerns the previous defeat of the Great Han, and in front of everyone in the Prime Minister's tent, I would not dare to say it."
"More importantly, if we were to step back and assume the worst, and the Prime Minister were to heed my advice and refuse to engage the Wei troops at Baishui." Wu Yi swallowed: "Given the Prime Minister's temperament, as a senior general and commander in that position, I would be expected to hold my ground!"
"The Empress Dowager is not close to the Emperor, and there are tales of the Han dynasty executing relatives-in-law..."
"As brothers, you lost a battle at Liao Yang and I failed to achieve much in the Battle of Xianbin, which is not as good as the Miao brothers in our previous lives!"
Wu Ban was shocked: "How could there be such a thing? Brother, you are overthinking it!"
Wu Yi laughed coldly: "Truly, I overthought it? You don't know that when the Prime Minister was cold to me in Guitang, I felt that he had been suspicious of me for a long time!"
"Youdon, you and I have been in Shu for so many years. Let's not talk about the former Emperor taking over from Liu Zhang. After the former Emperor passed away, the Prime Minister has been exercising power alone in the country, and the Emperor has been on the throne for five years without personally governing!"
"Things like this, one should believe that it exists rather than not."
Wu Ban's chest rose and fell rapidly, taking deep breaths, unable to stop pacing in the tent.
"You are right, brother! We can't gamble!" Wu Ban sat and stood restlessly for a while before finally standing still, looking straight at Wu Yi.
What persuaded Wu Ban to make up his mind was not what Wu Yi said about the current situation being similar to that of Shilin, but the word "outside marriage".
Wu Yi and Wu Ban are the real thing when it comes to being relatives-in-law; this cannot be concealed in any way.
Since the Han Dynasty, outside-marriage relatives have had few who lived well, except for Cao Cao, the previous Emperor's son-in-law. And especially the Wu brothers' performance in this war has not been impressive!
Wu Ban continued, "I was at Shilin and knew how the Han army was defeated. The current situation has some similarities to Shilin, and if it's set up as you suggested, there might be a chance of winning."
"But even if we win, we would also lose a lot of troops and be unable to claim the Longyou region, which would not benefit the Great Han in any way and would also bring misfortune to you and me, the brothers."
Wu Yi nodded, "Exactly!"
"Won't you stop talking about it!" Wu Ban calmed down and looked at Wu Yi: "Brother, just leave things be. The Prime Minister told you to attack, so just do that. After all, Zhongting is a strategic place, and there is no worry in the rear."
"If the situation changes, there will always be a retreat route."
Wu Yi sighed and said, "Today's words, when they reach our ears, are enough. Don't spread them any further!"
Wu Ban nodded, "I understand these. Brother must be very careful when facing the Wei troops."
"I saw the fierce offensive of the Wei army in Liao Yang, which was something I have never seen before. The Wei army is not like ordinary troops; do not underestimate them!"
Wu Yi said, "I will be cautious in my deployment of troops and stability is the top priority."
Wu Ban walked up to Wu Yi and said, "Time is late. Brother should return to the camp now. We know each other well, so there's no need for more words."
Wu Yi stood up, patted Wu Ban's shoulder, and then walked out without looking back.
……
The next morning, Wu Yi personally led 2,000 troops to advance against the Wei army in the Baishui Valley.
The offensive was only slightly disadvantageous, and Wu Yi ordered the army to retreat for the sake of avoiding casualties.
So after three days, Wu Yi would make a probing attack in the morning each day and then withdraw to his camp.
On the third night, Wu Yi personally went to Zhuge Liang's tent to report the recent situation of the battle.
Zhuge Liang listened attentively to Wu Yi's report and slowly sighed, "The Wei army at the White Water Valley is also as difficult to attack as this? It seems that the battle strength of the Great Han is indeed much weaker than that of the Wei army."
"Wu General, once you return, stick to your camp and do not attack without my command. Build high walls, set up many lookout posts, dig trenches and place barbed wire in multiple locations. The key is to avoid direct combat with the Wei army."
"Understood." Wu Yi bowed and agreed.
In history, those who excel at planning for the country often lack the ability to plan for themselves.
However, when it comes to making such choices, there is inevitably a conflict between individual interests and national interests.
Wu Yi and Wu Ban, the brothers, are facing such a predicament.
In a period when Zhuge Liang's personal moral authority has not yet been universally accepted, and after just experiencing a retreat and with conservative behavior by the military leaders, it is an unavoidable phenomenon.
However, for Wu Yi, the prince's son-in-law, and Wu Ziyan personally, there is no trace of disloyalty to the Great Han. It's just that he has not reported his strategic plans to the Prime Minister and has shown a lack of enthusiasm in battle.
Wu Yi himself understood that during these three days, he had only held back on the offensive. If the Wei army really launched a full-scale attack, he would not hesitate to give his all and fight to the last!
But from the perspective of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, the number of Wei soldiers at the Baishui is unknown. Although they have not attacked, their defense has been quite effective, and they have not gained any advantage.
And during these three days, the Wei army in the direction of Qingni Water has also not made a full-scale attack. The two armies have fought two more probing skirmishes, which are truly stalemates.
It seems that the plan to hold the Red Pavilion and wait for the Wei army to retreat on its own can be carried out smoothly.
……
At this moment, in Yangzhou, a thousand kilometers away, across the Yangtze River at its lower reaches, the Great Marshal Cao Xu received an unbelievable piece of news.
"Bo Lian, what did you say?" Cao Xu stood up in astonishment: "Lü Ziheng is dead? General He's son He Miao is also dead?"
Could it be that the person opposite is a relative of his own, and Cao Xu really believes him to be a spy for the Wu army.
Cao Qi was a distant relative of the Cao clan, with a very distant kinship with Cao Xu. However, since he shared the same surname, he could still serve as a military advisor under Cao Xu.
In mid-February, Lü Fan, also known as Lü Ziheng, who was fully responsible for the downstream war efforts of the Wu state, and had been appointed by Sun Quan as General of the Front Army, Governor of Yangzhou, and Marquis of Nanchang, sent an envoy northward to deliver gifts and offer congratulations on Cao Xu's birthday.
After receiving the gifts, Cao Xu reported this to the officials in Luoyang and informed them of it, while sending Cao Qix as an envoy to deliver a reply letter to Lü Fan.
Cao Qi dare not be careless and bowed and said, "Reporting to the Great Marshal, that is correct."
"I set out from Chaochun City heading south, via Huaining and Rushu, and traveled by the Wu army's pagoda ships across the river. But I noticed right away that there were many Wu soldiers dressed in mourning robes on the ships."
"After further investigation, I learned that it was because the main commanders of the Wu army, He Qi and He Gong Miao, had passed away just two days ago."
Cao Xu sighed, "Last year at Wan Kou, it was He Qi who led the navy to block my way on the river. In the previous two campaigns against Wu, He Qi was often in charge of the naval forces on the river."
"I really didn't expect him to die like this," Cao Xu said, looking at Cao Qi. "What illness did He Qi die of?"
Cao Qi shook his head: "The specific cause of death is not known to me. But I have heard that it was related to abdominal pain." (End of this chapter)
