章節 5: Meicheng Battle Report
When the battle report of Meicheng reached Jieting, Zhuge Liang read it over and over again. Then he sent it to Jiang Wei, sent it to Wei Yan, sent it to Wang Ping, and reclined himself. He seemed to have entered some dreamland, as if he had finally unloaded the burden from his shoulders that had been weighing on him for years. His eyes, rarely empty, gazed into the distant fields.
Silence, silence engulfed the camp in Jieting tonight.
Wei Yan looked left and right, but no one spoke. Unable to restrain himself, he blurted out, "Prime Minister, you don't really believe this is true, do you?"
Zhuge Liang remained nestled in his chair, saying nothing.
Wang Ping calmly said, "Whether this commotion is true or not, it cannot be concealed from everyone. It would be meaningless to forge a military report."
Wei Yan stood up directly and paced back and forth inside the tent. Finally, he slammed the battle report onto the table and exclaimed, "I understand the logic, but how the hell can this be true?"
Jiang Wei was even more bewildered than Wei Yan. He carefully examined the battle report, scrutinizing the passages about His Majesty breaking through the tens of thousands of Cao Wei soldiers with only eight hundred men, about His Majesty not removing his armor for three days and cutting through the treacherous Bao-Xie Path, about His Majesty leading a small group of riders to lure Cao Zhen out of the city and then penetrating the enemy's formation, about the blood-stained sleeves in the final battle... The paper was filled with vivid descriptions of valor and determination.
Jiang Wei wondered in confusion: What does this have to do with me? Prime Minister, is it necessary to conceal the existence of this Majesty from me?
Only Wang Ping remained composed, neither overly excited nor perplexed. He even maintained his calm demeanor as he asked Zhuge Liang, "Prime Minister, now that Meicheng has been captured and Chang'an is within our reach, Zhang He will undoubtedly retreat. Shouldn't we pursue him?"
Zhuge Liang remained nestled there, in his long-awaited moment of relaxation.
Just a few days ago, he had already prepared for the retreat, as well as for resolving the complicated internal affairs and improving the military resources of the state. Zhuge Liang even contemplated whether he should send someone to this crucial position in the future. Even if the task wasn't particularly difficult, he felt he should personally oversee it.
One must handle things personally to ensure nothing goes wrong.
As for whether he would exhaust himself before accomplishing everything, Zhuge Liang didn't have the mental capacity to dwell on it.
Suddenly, His Majesty appeared, but Zhuge Liang didn't give it much thought. He had considered the possibility that His Majesty might suffer defeat at Jigu, which would only add to the challenges he had to deal with.
However, Zhuge Liang didn't mind.
Because he knew that His Majesty had grown up, and these matters were no longer to be shouldered by him alone. Even if His Majesty's methods were still a bit naive and things didn't always go as planned, it didn't matter.
On a lonely night, Zhuge Liang smiled at the starry sky and secretly said, "My lord, the young prince has become our companion on this journey. I will wait for the day when he becomes skilled in archery and horsemanship, adept in political affairs, just like you witnessed Zhang Fei's victory at Yiling, Zhao Yun's triumph at the Han River, and when I witnessed you leading the people across the river, becoming the person you are today."
I believe that one day, His Majesty will join me in conquering Mount Qi, returning to the old capital, and establishing a great Han that puts the people first.
Unexpectedly, Liu Shimin won.
And he won so decisively, so triumphantly, so arrogantly.
Faintly, Zhuge Liang heard someone calling him.
Wang Ping had already asked twice, but Zhuge Liang still didn't respond. Unable to restrain himself, Wang Ping took a few steps forward and called out, "Prime Minister?"
Zhuge Liang suddenly snapped back to reality. He looked into Wang Ping's eyes and saw the uncontainable eagerness, even from this young man who was usually calm in any situation.
Zhuge Liang didn't answer; instead, he burst into loud laughter.
Wang Ping was taken aback. He was still young, and Wei Yan was considered young as well. All the people who had come with Zhuge Liang on this northern expedition were young, and none of them had ever seen the Prime Minister laugh like this.
It had been more than twenty years since Zhuge Liang last laughed so heartily.
At that time, he had just left Longzhong and said, "Once I establish control over the world, I will return here to cultivate the land." At that time, he faced a predicament no less daunting than when Liu Shimin encountered Ma Su's failure at Jieting, with Cao Cao's army pursuing him relentlessly.
It was Zhuge Liang venturing into the land of Jiangdong alone, engaging in debates with countless scholars, persuading Sun Quan, and igniting the great fire of Chibi. He also captured four commanderies in southern Jing province.
Liu Bei, claiming to have finally acquired a solid foundation, came over in the middle of the night to drink with Zhuge Liang, drinking until his eyes turned red. That's when Zhuge Liang burst into uproarious laughter.
His laughter echoed through the western winds of Jingzhou from twenty years ago, casting starlight across half the sky. At some point, it reached the camp in Jieting, and the laughter turned into crying. This crying was as desolate as a half-dead phoenix tree after a frost, with the white-headed mandarin ducks flying alone, exuding a melancholy and gloomy feeling that lingered for a long time.
Even when Emperor Liu Bei passed away in Bai Di Cheng, Zhuge Liang never appeared so disoriented.
"Pursue! Of course, we must pursue! I have seen how His Majesty wages war. He shows no mercy, he invades like fire. Since we are so close to Chang'an, he will undoubtedly go and assess the situation there. We must bite down hard on Zhang He and not let him block His Majesty's retreat!"
Zhuge Liang's temples lifted as he made an intense motion to rise. It was as if he had become twenty years younger. He immediately issued the order, "Zhang He will receive the news only slightly later than us. The troops will prepare their meals and get ready to attack the camp!"
Everyone in the tent stood up in unison, responding energetically.
When everything was ready, Zhang He had just begun to withdraw his troops. Zhuge Liang decisively launched a full-scale assault.
Although Zhang He had his own retreat strategy, being relentlessly pursued by Zhuge Liang and having Longshan blocking his way back to the Central Plains, he ultimately lost over ten thousand soldiers and managed to withdraw to Guanzhong.
At this moment, Liu Shimin had already led his cavalry to parade outside Chang'an.
However, Cao Rui was naturally not as capable as Cao Zhen. The news of the fall of Meicheng reached Chang'an before Liu Shimin, and despite Liu Shimin's provocations, Cao Rui remained behind closed doors.
Zhao Yun would often pull him aside and say, "Your Majesty, haven't you had enough? Can we go back now?"
Liu Shimin waved his hand repeatedly and said, "No rush, no rush. I haven't seen Chang'an in its current state yet. I want to take a good look, observe it from all angles, near and far. After all, we will inevitably come to attack it in the future. While the city has fewer soldiers now and cannot launch a preemptive strike, it's important to thoroughly survey the surrounding terrain."
Zhao Yun helplessly replied, "Then don't go out on your own with just a few people to explore recklessly!"
Liu Shimin laughed and said, "I'm used to it, used to it. I'll definitely be more careful next time!"
In this manner, Liu Shimin, swaggering and turning around, finally received the news that Zhang He had returned with his troops, and reinforcements from Luoyang were expected to arrive soon.
Liu Shimin waved his hand grandly and finally withdrew his army back to Hanzhong.
Zhao Yun and Wei Yan remained stationed along the Long Mountains, guarding the line from Longxi to Meicheng. From then on, the three commanderies of Yongzhou, and even the entire Liangzhou, fell into the hands of the Jin Dynasty.
When Liu Shimin returned to Hanzhong, he saw the people calmly engaged in farming. Even when they saw the army passing through, they did not hastily rise and make way. There were even people who, from a distance, caught sight of the imperial flag and their eyes lit up, kneeling down and shouting, "Long live Your Majesty, long live the Great Han!"
Following their lead, all the people in the fields on both sides of the army also knelt down, shouting, "Long live Your Majesty, long live the Great Han!"
Liu Shimin couldn't help but smile. Having experienced the chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he had never seen people who were unafraid of soldiers and horses until the Zhenguan era when the passage of the army no longer disturbed the civilians.
All of this was the result of the achievements of Prime Minister Zhuge.
As the wind blew, Liu Shimin's long hair gently fluttered. He looked up into the wind and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face among the fields.
That person's face was weathered, carrying a hint of sorrow between the eyebrows, embodying the phrase "concerned for the nation and the people." However, this person's eyes still held a youthful spirit, smiling like newly formed spring water. As the spring wind suddenly rose, this person harbored hope to break through all the difficulties and obstacles in the world.
Clutching a handful of crops, that person deeply bowed and said, "The Great Han has Your Majesty, which is the fortune of the world."
Liu Shimin dismounted and also bowed deeply. He said, "The Great Han has the Prime Minister, which is truly the fortune of all ages."
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榜單 
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