Chapter 110: The Art of Feigned Retreat

As Wei Ba had said, with the travel permit issued by his father, the journey proceeded smoothly without a single hitch. With Dun Wu rowing the boat, Wei Ba and Jin Dongliu sat comfortably, watching the green mountains on both banks recede briskly. It was a marvelous feeling.

With ample food, Jin Dongliu’s body recovered rapidly. The wounds that had never quite healed properly finally closed under the care of the Wei family’s premium medicinal salves, leaving behind only a scar. This scar would likely remain with him for life, a permanent memento of his ordeal.

Five days later, they reached the west of Anyang. Wei Ba sought Jin Dongliu’s opinion. Since the travel permit was for Chang’an, they had to turn north from there, travel upstream against the Zhi River, and then abandon the boat to traverse the Ziwu Valley on foot. If Jin Dongliu did not wish to go to Chang’an, Wei Ba offered to let him have the boat to continue eastward, though without a permit, he would have to travel under the cover of darkness.

After careful deliberation, Jin Dongliu decided to accompany Wei Ba to Chang’an first. He was unfamiliar with the terrain of Hanzhong, and his accent was distinctly out of place; whether he got lost or was captured by patrols, the risks were too great. Once in Chang’an, after verifying his identity, he could wait for Xiahou Mao to dispatch a report to Wancheng, confirming his credentials, which would allow him a safe return.

Thus, Wei Ba led Jin Dongliu onto the path through the Ziwu Valley. In the plans formulated by Zhuge Liang, this was a crucial step. On one hand, it allowed Jin to experience the valley’s plank roads firsthand, providing an assessment of the Ziwu Valley campaign’s details. On the other hand, it served to transmit the reality of the valley’s rugged and impassable nature to Xiahou Mao and even Sima Yi through Jin’s own mouth, thereby lulling them into a false sense of security.

Regarding this, even Wei Yan would not deny that the Ziwu Valley was treacherous. Wei Yan’s plan relied on the Wei family’s elite soldiers as the core force, supplemented by infantry skilled in mountain travel to carry provisions, forming an assault force of about ten thousand. Only such men could pass through the valley quickly; ordinary commandery troops could not even consider it, let alone the troops of Cao Wei, for whom even standard infantry movement was a struggle, let alone cavalry.

Due to subtle differences in troop quality, there was a preconceived bias in how both sides viewed the difficulty of the Ziwu Valley. Zhuge Liang considered Jin Dongliu a man of mediocre talent—he would notice the difficulty of the trek, but might not grasp the different strategic implications the valley held for the Shu and Wei states. Having this information delivered to Xiahou Mao via Jin was far more effective than Wei Ba stating it himself.

To ensure this link remained unbroken, Zhuge Liang had personally interrogated Jin Dongliu three times. Yet, Jin remained unaware that his interrogator was none other than Zhuge Liang himself, as the Prime Minister had appeared before him under the guise of Yang Yi, a military advisor from the Prime Minister’s Office.

From this detail, Wei Ba once again experienced the caution of Zhuge Liang. He recalled a famous premier from his previous life; many said that the near-saintly premier was as cautious as Zhuge Liang, attentive to every minute detail. The only difference was that he had a more powerful Chairman above him to steer the overall course, allowing them to coordinate in tacit understanding. Once Zhuge Liang lost the oversight of a monarch like Liu Bei, he exceeded the scope of a prime minister’s role, which ultimately proved counterproductive. He excelled at being a chancellor, but as the ruler of a nation overseeing the big picture, he was somewhat out of his depth.

After all, truly omnipotent men are rare.

It took Wei Ba’s party of three nearly twenty days to traverse the Ziwu Valley. While Wei Ba had intentionally slowed their pace to foster a misconception in Jin Dongliu, the difficulty of the route was indeed real. Given Wei Ba’s current resources, completing the trek within ten days, as his father had planned, would have been a daunting task. As he walked, Wei Ba pondered ways to quickly repair the plank roads to mitigate the hardships. With current technical capabilities, he could not entirely eliminate the difficulty—after all, even in the twenty-first century, constructing such paths was a monumental challenge. However, by conceptualizing these solutions and relaying them back to Mianyang for Zhuge Liang to analyze and refine, it was possible to develop useful tools.

At the end of the second lunar month, the three arrived at the Ziwu Pass, the northern terminus of the valley.

Circling past the pass, they stood on the southern mountains and gazed into the distance at the city of Chang’an on the Wei River plain. Wei Ba remained silent, his fingers twitching nervously behind his back. Dun Wu glanced at him casually and moved silently behind Jin Dongliu, positioning himself in a pincer formation with Wei Ba.

After twenty-plus days of arduous trekking, although Jin Dongliu had grown much thinner, the life in the wild had sharpened his instincts. He immediately sensed the danger. Looking at Wei Ba, who was staring toward Chang’an, he asked, "Ziyu, are you planning to kill me?"

Wei Ba gave an awkward smile, lowered his head, and kicked at small stones with boots so worn his thumb was visible. "I don't know."

Jin Dongliu said gravely, "I know what you are worried about, but please believe me: I owe you my life, and I will certainly repay that debt. Even if I cannot help you, I will not harm you."

Wei Ba hesitated for a long time before turning to look into Jin Dongliu’s eyes. Jin Dongliu watched him steadily, refusing to let his guard down. He could guess Wei Ba’s state of mind. Since Wei Ba intended to disappear and go into hiding, he naturally did not want his movements known. If it were discovered that Wei Yan’s son had fled to the Wei state, the powerful nobles would surely treat him as a valuable asset to be controlled. Wei Ba might not die, but he would certainly lose his freedom, and it might even trigger internal chaos in Shu Han.

The latter was a distinct possibility.

At this moment, Wei Ba felt the urge to kill to eliminate the only witness, which was understandable. Having endured so much, Jin certainly didn't want to die at Wei Ba’s hands just as they reached Chang’an.

Seeing Wei Ba hesitate, Jin Dongliu’s heart leaped to his throat, and his palms grew slick with sweat.

Little did he know that Wei Ba was merely acting. The most critical part of this "false surrender" plan was Jin Dongliu; having come this far with such difficulty, how could he possibly kill him? Yet, it was precisely for this reason that Wei Ba had to maintain this posture, reinforcing the fixed perception that had taken root in Jin’s mind over these past days. If he didn't play this role, Jin might one day grow suspicious and rethink everything. Wei Ba needed to push that moment as far into the future as possible; it was best if Jin never thought of it at all.

Wei Ba’s acting grew increasingly convincing, while Jin Dongliu became more and more tense, cold sweat soaking his inner garments.

"Ziyu, a friend in court is a friend indeed. Since you cannot go back, if you want to survive in the Wei state, I will always have opportunities to help you," Jin Dongliu said, suppressing his anxiety as he continued his persuasion. "In truth, I truly hope you will return to Wancheng with me. I believe the General of the Flying Cavalry is not a petty man; he will surely make good use of you. But if you do not think highly of the General, I cannot force you."

Wei Ba seemed swayed by Jin’s words. He smiled and gave a slight wave, and Dun Wu stepped back, relaxing his guarded posture. "It is not just that I do not trust that Sima scholar; more importantly, the spy he planted is the culprit who drove me to this state. That Sima Yi is my indirect enemy—how could I possibly surrender to him? Say no more. If one day I am destitute, I will seek you out, General Jin, and I hope you will allow me to be your guest."

Jin Dongliu let out a sigh of relief and laughed heartily. "As long as you think well of me, you shall be my honored guest whenever you come."

Wei Ba also relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "Then I am at ease."

Jin Dongliu added, "If you are to go to Luoyang, you will need a travel permit. Think of a name; I will help you process it. It should be possible."

"That would be perfect," Wei Ba said, scratching his head. "I shall call myself Wei Xing. He is Dun Wu; there aren't many who know his name anyway."

Jin Dongliu agreed with a smile. They discussed a few more details before descending the mountain together, heading straight for the city of Chang’an.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Chang’an, Jin Dongliu identified himself directly to the officer guarding the gate. Hearing that a general under the Wancheng General of the Flying Cavalry had escaped from Hanzhong, the officer did not dare to delay. He immediately invited Jin Dongliu into a small room beside the gate, ordered food and wine, and instructed his men to maintain a strict guard, preventing anyone from approaching them. He then rushed to the office of the General Who Pacifies the West to report to Xiahou Mao.

This was the benefit of Jin Dongliu’s status as a general. While generals were somewhat common in these times, a general commanding three thousand men still held some standing, especially one who was a confidant of the General of the Flying Cavalry, Sima Yi. Regardless of anything else, the hospitality was guaranteed. Though Sima Yi might not have been a brilliant field commander, he was nonetheless one of the prominent generals alongside Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen. Jin Dongliu could not compare to the nobility of Xiahou Mao, but with his connection to Sima Yi, he could not be dismissed as a commoner.

The General Who Pacifies the West, Xiahou Mao, was the second son of the late Grand General Xiahou Dun. Though not the eldest, he had been enfeoffed as a marquis long ago. His wife was Princess Qinghe, the eldest daughter of Cao Cao, and he himself was a close childhood friend of Cao Pi. Being commissioned with imperial authority in Guanzhong, his status was extraordinary—honored and wealthy, his life was exceptionally comfortable.

However, Xiahou Mao had been in a foul mood lately. Since the beginning of last year, reports had constantly arrived claiming that the Shu Han Prime Minister, Zhuge Liang, was stationed in Hanzhong with over a hundred thousand troops and intended a major invasion. As the General Who Pacifies the West and Governor of Guanzhong, Xiahou Mao was naturally on edge. Though he came from a military family, he disliked war. He had accepted the post in Guanzhong only because, after the death of Xiahou Yuan, Liu Bei had occupied Hanzhong but had also suffered a major blow due to Guan Yu’s defeat at Maicheng, later falling into conflict with Sun Quan, shifting his military focus eastward rather than northward. After Liu Bei’s crushing defeat at Yiling, Shu Han had remained silent, with no news of military campaigns for years. The peace in Guanzhong had allowed him to enjoy his position.

Now that Zhuge Liang was leading a hundred thousand men with designs of conquest, how could Xiahou Mao not be nervous? He waited constantly for news from Hanzhong, yet dreaded hearing it—the internal conflict was indescribable.

Compared to the looming threat from Zhuge Liang, what made Xiahou Mao even more anxious was the fire brewing in his own backyard: Princess Qinghe was coming.