After Yong'an entrusted his son to Liu Shan, Liu Shan turned evil and ruled the world.

Chapter 49 The Red Thread Drawn for Two Years—The Prime Minister's Fan Wasn't Caught

On the third day, Liu Shan disassembled the bamboo slips.

It was sent by the Prime Minister. Three volumes.

The cover reads "Best Strategy," "Middle Strategy," and "Worst Strategy." It sat untouched on the corner of my desk for two days.

Let's look at the worst option first.

They held Hanzhong, adopting a defensive strategy instead of attacking, while waiting for internal strife within Cao Wei.

Turn it over. A middle-ground strategy.

They marched out of Qishan, took Longyou, and advanced step by step. In three to five years, they gradually eroded Yong and Liang provinces.

Finally, let's consider the best strategy.

The troops split into two groups. One group was sent to Qishan to contain the enemy, while the other group launched a surprise attack on Chencang via Xiegu Valley.

Liu Shan laid the three scrolls out side by side on the table.

The thumb slid from the worst strategy to the best strategy. It stopped at the two characters "Chencang".

Deterioration and dents.

He bent down and pulled a piece of silk from the bottom of a hidden compartment. The one that had been pressed under the jade shards.

A picture was drawn on the silk.

He drew it himself. He started painting it in the winter of the first year of Jianxing. He revised it more than ten times. He added to it for two years.

Hanzhong, Qishan, Sanguan, Chencang, Chang'an. Connected by a single line.

The estimated troop strength was noted next to each pass in vermilion ink. The mileage of the supply routes was marked.

There is a curved red line in the lower right corner of the silk.

Start from Hanzhong. Avoid Sanguan Pass. Detour around to the rear of Chencang.

The words "Chencang Ancient Road" were written next to it.

He stacked the silk and bamboo slips together, tied them with silk thread, and placed them on the corner of the table near the door.

wait.

The next day. The Imperial Study.

Dong Yun stood guard outside. The doors and windows were tightly shut.

Zhuge Liang sat down. His feather fan rested on his lap. He didn't take it.

"Which policy does the Prime Minister favor?"

"A moderate strategy."

Liu Shan didn't take it. He pushed the silk away instead.

The silk was unfurled. Zhuge Liang looked down at it.

Three lines. The first two overlap with his strategy. The third—

The feather fan slipped an inch from his knee. Zhuge Liang didn't help him up.

My finger landed on the red line. I followed it. I reached a marked spot.

Wei River Ferry Crossing.

The fingers stopped.

"This road is treacherous. The army cannot pass."

Zhuge Liang's voice was a beat slower than when he entered.

"A large army won't do. Light cavalry will."

"Chencang's garrison commander, Hao Zhao, was skilled in defense. His light cavalry could not capture the city."

"No attack on the city."

Zhuge Liang looked up.

"Break the grain supply route."

Liu Shan's finger moved eastward from Chencang, landing on the Wei River ferry crossing.

"The grain from Chencang was transported from Chang'an to the Wei River. The grain ships were burned. The supply lines were cut off. The city had no grain—it couldn't be defended."

The Imperial Study fell silent.

Zhuge Liang's fingers were still pressed on the silk, pressing down on the ink stain at the Wei River ferry crossing.

A long time passed. The finger moved away. To the west. Landing on Sanguan Pass.

"If Sanguan sends troops to rescue us, our light cavalry will be attacked from both sides."

"Therefore, the route through Qishan is not a diversionary tactic."

Liu Shan drew a line with his finger from San Pass northwards.

"We must be serious about attacking Qishan. We need to make Cao Wei think that the main attack is in Longyou. This will prevent the garrison at Sanguan from moving, giving the light cavalry time to burn the supply lines clean."

Zhuge Liang withdrew his fingers from the silk and placed them on his lap, next to his fan.

Three breaths passed.

"Who will lead this light cavalry?"

"I'd like to hear what the Prime Minister has to say."

Zhuge Liang stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Liu Shan.

Approximately twenty breaths.

He didn't sit back down when he turned around. He said it while standing.

"In Tianshui, there's a person surnamed Jiang."

Liu Shan waited.

"Jiang Wei, courtesy name Boyue, was a General of the Household. He was twenty-seven years old."

Zhuge Liang walked back. His fingertip touched the location of Tianshui County on the silk.

"My spy in Hanzhong sent back a message last year—this man's father, Jiang Jiong, died protecting the prefect. The court gave him a small amount of compensation. There has been no further news since."

It paused for a moment.

He had no loyalty to Cao Wei. He was familiar with every road in Longyou.

"The Prime Minister wants to turn them into rebels."

"Let's take a look first."

Zhuge Liang tapped the Tianshui County with his finger.

"Once Qishan pushes through, Tianshui will be within the attack range. I will personally confront him then."

Liu Shan rolled up the silk.

"The primary strategy is the middle course, supplemented by a surprise attack. The strategy needs to be refined further and discussed in court."

"A surprise attack on the Wei River—"

"It will not be mentioned in court discussions."

Zhuge Liang nodded. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Prime Minister."

"Your Majesty has further instructions."

"Deliver the provisions to Jiang Wan. Deliver the military documents to Yang Yi. Do not exchange them."

Zhuge Liang nodded. He pushed open the door and went out.

The door closed.

Liu Shan did not act rashly.

He pulled out the map of Shu left by Liu Bei from the hidden compartment.

In a corner. Beside Tianshui County. Father's handwriting was extremely small. Squeezed between the mountain lines—

"Jiang Boyue of Tianshui is a superior scholar from Liangzhou and is capable of great use."

Liu Shan picked up a vermilion brush and wrote two characters in the blank space on the map: Jiang Wei.

A new line was added at the end: "To be verified during the Northern Expedition."

The map was stored in a hidden compartment. The cover was pressed shut.

The curtains moved. The sentry's voice was kept low.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent matter."

Liu Shan's thumb fell into the dent.

"Qian Dafu left Yongxing Inn at 9 PM last night. He walked along the north wall of the city and reached the East Market. There was someone waiting for him. The two met, exchanged a few words, and then went their separate ways."

"Who is it?"

"Dong Yun's men recognized him. He's a waiter from the Jianwei Guild Hall."

The hall was quiet for two breaths.

Qian Dafu took the wax tube from the woodshed. The tube contained the grain reserves of Jianwei. After taking the tube, the first person he bumped into was from the Jianwei Guild Hall.

The line was extended upwards by another section.

"What happens after we meet?"

"Qian Dafu returned to the inn. The waiter went south and entered through the back gate of the Jianwei Guild Hall."

Liu Shan pulled a strip of silk from his sleeve. He wrote two lines of text on it.

First line: Keep an eye on things. Who will Qian Dafu meet next time he goes out—that person is worth more than him.

Second line: Record all those who entered and exited through the back gate of the Jianwei Guild Hall. Compare this list with the one from the day the curtain was lifted during the Li Yanchao meeting. Mark any overlaps.

Fold it neatly. Tuck it into the gap in the curtain.

"Give it to Dong Yun."

The curtain was taken away.

Two folded documents were still on the table. Jiang Wan's rotation progress—the second batch had been implemented.

All seven prefectures are in place. Fei Yi's official gazette from Eastern Wu is buried underneath. Sun Quan has built a new palace. Thirty million coins.

Liu Shan wrote a line on the corner of the official gazette and handed it to a eunuch to be delivered to the Prime Minister's residence.

"The Wu ruler squandered the national treasury. This is a case of one side gaining at the expense of the other. Our dynasty should cherish the people's strength."

He stood up, pushed open the door, and went out.

The lanterns in the corridor had just been lit. The light fell on the blue bricks. Crookedly.

Chen Dao led the White Feather Soldiers to change shifts. Upon seeing him, he saluted.

"Your Majesty, it's windy tonight."

"Need not."

He took two steps. Then he stopped.

"Uncle has arrived."

"exist."

"How many White Feather Soldiers are there?"

"Eight hundred."

"Next year. 1200."

Chen agreed without asking any further questions.

Liu Shan walked forward. At the end of the corridor, a eunuch came carrying a food box.

Not Xiao Shunzi. A new face.

Liu Shan didn't stop walking. He didn't even lift his eyelids. He walked past.

He took three steps. The new face, holding the food box, stood still. He didn't follow, nor did he turn towards the kitchen.

Liu Shan did not look back. His steps were neither fast nor slow.

They entered the side hall. The door closed.

The thumb fell into the dent.

[End of Chapter]