Chapter 064: Factional Strife

Chapter 064: Factional Strife

Up to this point, Wei Ba had spoken two prophecies in a tone of prescience, but tragically, he had not enjoyed the treatment that a prophet ought to receive. On the contrary, he was met with disdain. When he told his father that the plan for Ziyu Valley would not be approved by the Prime Minister, his father retorted, “You know nothing!” Now, when he told Zhao Guang that Zhuge Liang would unite with the Eastern Wu and incite the defection of Meng Da, Zhao Guang appeared to agree, but in truth was indifferent, as if Wei Ba were merely stating a secret everyone already knew, and only refrained from exposing him out of courtesy.

This left Wei Ba feeling aggrieved. As the two climbed halfway up the mountain, he could not help but ask Zhao Guang, “Senior brother, did you already expect the Prime Minister would do this?”

Zhao Guang was momentarily stunned, then, after a pause, understood what Wei Ba referred to and broke into laughter. He lowered his head, rubbed his nose, and said, “Ziyu, don’t forget: in the entire camp, my father’s style of command is closest to the Prime Minister’s. It’s not surprising we can guess what strategy he might employ, is it?”

Wei Ba scrutinized Zhao Guang, trying to discern whether he was being sincere or merely polite.

“Fine, let me explain in more detail, and you’ll see there’s nothing mysterious about it,” Zhao Guang said, pulling Wei Ba to sit on a stone by the roadside, breaking off a branch and sketching a rough map on the ground.

Wei Ba had been studying military tactics with Zhao Yun these days, who often used maps to explain the situation. Thus, Wei Ba had a thorough grasp of the overall Three Kingdoms landscape. Although Zhao Guang’s drawing was simple, he could make sense of it.

“First, let’s talk about Eastern Wu.” Zhao Guang pointed with the branch to the location of Eastern Wu. “Since assisting the late Emperor, the Prime Minister has always leaned toward alliance with Eastern Wu. It was only because the late Emperor was furious over Lord Guan’s defeat and raised arms in anger that the relationship was torn apart. When the Prime Minister took charge, his first act was to restore the alliance with Eastern Wu. So, if the Prime Minister is to launch a northern campaign, uniting with Eastern Wu is inevitable.”

Wei Ba nodded helplessly, conceding that this strategy was hardly novel—anyone could have thought of it.

“As for Meng Da…” Zhao Guang chuckled, somewhat dismissively, “You grew up in Hanzhong and don’t know the situation in Chengdu. But we are quite clear. Meng Da surrendered to Cao Wei, but his family remained in Chengdu, undisturbed. When the Prime Minister returned from the southern campaign two years ago, he even sent a special envoy to offer condolences to Meng Da’s family. Do you know what that means?”

Wei Ba blinked. “Making friendly overtures to Meng Da?”

“Exactly. From that moment, the Prime Minister had the intent to win Meng Da over. The Three Eastern Counties are the gateway to Hanzhong. If they remain in Cao Wei’s hands, it’s like a sword hanging over Hanzhong. How could the Prime Minister ignore it?” Zhao Guang straightened up, sighing deeply. “But this move has both advantages and disadvantages; the final outcome is still uncertain.”

Wei Ba did not press further, knowing Zhao Guang’s temperament: if he wished to speak, he would do so without prompting, and if not, no amount of questioning would compel him. But that didn’t mean Wei Ba couldn’t ponder it himself. Zhao Guang said there were pros and cons. The advantages were obvious—regaining the Three Eastern Counties would secure Hanzhong’s gateway, a benefit that spoke for itself.

But what of the disadvantages?

The greatest problem in reclaiming the Three Eastern Counties would be Meng Da himself. Like Fa Zheng, Meng Da belonged to the Eastern Province faction. Back then, Fa Zheng enjoyed the late Emperor Liu Bei’s trust, wielded power, and even Zhuge Liang had to tolerate him. The Eastern Province faction was far more powerful than the Jing-Xiang faction, second only to the original followers. With the deaths of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others, the original followers declined rapidly; when Fa Zheng died early and Meng Da defected, the Eastern Province faction suffered a severe blow, leaving only Li Yan, who straddled both the Eastern Province and Jing-Xiang factions, barely holding on. Thus, the Jing-Xiang faction finally had a chance to dominate.

If Meng Da returned with the Three Eastern Counties, he would not easily relinquish them in the short term. In other words, Meng Da would become a warlord with over four thousand troops, causing the Eastern Province faction’s power to surge, enough to rival the Jing-Xiang faction. Currently, although the Jing-Xiang faction enjoys ample influence at court, their military authority does not match; the most formidable is the Wei family, with just over three thousand troops.

Meng Da’s return would ignite another round of power struggles within Shu Han. Even if the Eastern Province faction could not regain its former glory, it would still be enough to restrain Zhuge Liang, whose roots lie in the Jing-Xiang faction. Factional strife has always been a bottomless internal drain, especially for Shu Han, where it might exhaust their already limited resources and energy.

Thus, for Zhuge Liang, inciting Meng Da’s defection is a poisoned apple—whether he eats it or not, it remains a dilemma.

Understanding this, Wei Ba began to sympathize with Zhuge Liang’s predicament; he did not know what he would do in Zhuge Liang’s place. Whatever course he chose, he would be criticized, and the Bashu faction, currently under intense suppression, was eagerly awaiting his mistake.

Even Wei Ba himself did not wish for the Eastern Province faction to rise again, for he was also a Jing-Xiang native and did not want to lose his vested interests.

Wei Ba and Zhao Guang exchanged bitter smiles. After half a year’s immersion with Zhao Yun, Wei Ba had some grasp of the father and son’s way of thinking; Zhao Guang, seeing Wei Ba’s bitter smile, realized that he had roughly understood the crux of the matter.

“What will the Prime Minister do?”

“I don’t know. I can’t guess.” Zhao Guang shook his head. Seeing Wei Ba’s look of disdain, he hurried to explain, “Don’t look at me like that, I truly cannot guess. This sort of dilemma is never my strong suit.”

“What about our master?”

“You know my father’s character.” Zhao Guang curled his lip. “His suggestions always seem correct, but they’re rarely adopted, so it’s not worth mentioning.”

Wei Ba shrugged. Though Zhao Guang’s words sounded self-deprecating, he was actually somewhat resentful—both toward Zhao Yun and those in power. If not for their brotherhood, Zhao Guang would never have revealed even a hint of this to him.

Wei Ba did not wish to criticize Zhao Yun behind his back, even in front of Zhao Guang. On one hand, he admired Zhao Yun; on the other, Zhao Yun was nearly seventy, with no grounds to accuse him of lacking vigor. At such an age, he should be enjoying his twilight years at home, not waging war on the battlefield.

“Let’s go.” Wei Ba stood up, dispirited. The machinations of power always gave him a headache. The struggles in court, though not as bloody as the battlefield, were just as perilous.

...

While Wei Ba was lamenting the dangers of the court atop Yangping Mountain, a dispute erupted within Zhuge Liang’s central command tent. Had Wei Ba witnessed this scene, he would surely have felt sorrow, with no pride in his prophetic accuracy.

Zhuge Liang convened his generals to discuss the northern campaign. As the General Who Guards the North and former military advisor to the Prime Minister’s office, Wei Yan looked hopefully at Ma Su, wishing to hear something about the Ziyu Valley plan—even if his name wasn’t mentioned, so long as the plan was implemented, to launch a surprise attack on Guanzhong, he would be satisfied. But as soon as Ma Su spoke, Wei Yan’s heart sank.

Ma Su said the main force would advance through Longyou.

Longyou? Wei Yan’s heart skipped a beat. He recalled Wei Ba’s talk of three strategies—upper, middle, and lower—and his expression changed. Could that wretched boy be right? The Prime Minister would abandon my upper strategy, forsake the middle one, and choose the timid lower plan?

Wei Yan listened intently. When he heard that they would unite with Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, incite Meng Da’s defection, seize the Three Eastern Counties, and tie down Sima Yi’s forces in Wan, thereby creating an opportunity to advance through Longyou, his hope was dashed. Unable to restrain himself, he stood up and interrupted Ma Su.

“Prime Minister, why not advance through Ziyu Valley, seize Chang’an directly, then hold Tong Pass and take all of Guanzhong?”

The tent fell silent. All eyes turned to Wei Yan. Zhuge Liang’s brow furrowed slightly. Ma Su glanced at him, about to speak, but Zhuge Liang gestured for him to let Zhuge Liang himself answer.

“Wen Chang, I have carefully considered your plan. It is indeed ingenious and accords well with the art of surprise in warfare. However, advancing through Ziyu Valley involves many uncertainties, and the likelihood of success is too low. Therefore... I am putting it aside for now, and will reconsider when the opportunity is right.”

Zhuge Liang spoke slowly and clearly, his gaze fixed on Wei Yan throughout, calm but tinged with anxiety—even a hint of pleading. Wei Yan was moved, and intended to hold back for now and discuss it privately later, but remembering Wei Ba’s words that this campaign was the best opportunity and, once missed, such a chance would never come again, he could not help but raise his voice: “Prime Minister, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Xiahou Mao knows nothing of military affairs; he’s a mediocrity, the perfect mark for our surprise attack. If you advance through Longyou, by the time you reach Guanzhong, the main force of Wei’s imperial guards will likely have arrived, and then the decisive battle will be at Chang’an—what chance will our army have? Even a child should understand this, Prime Minister...”

Upon seeing Wei Yan stand up, Zhao Yun, seated beside him as General Who Guards the East, knew trouble was brewing—Wei Wen Chang’s stubborn streak was acting up, and who knew what inappropriate words he might utter. He was considering how to help the Prime Minister out of a tight spot when Wei Yan, quick-tongued, blurted out such a taboo statement. Without time to think, Zhao Yun immediately grabbed Wei Yan’s elbow and said urgently, “Wen Chang, mind your tongue!”

Zhuge Liang’s expression turned extremely grim. He had not wholly rejected Wei Yan’s plan, merely said the timing was not yet right—this was already giving Wei Yan face. Who would have thought Wei Yan would publicly claim he was not even equal to a child? Had Zhao Yun not interrupted in time, who knows what else he might have said.

Ma Su’s face darkened as well. “Wen Chang, if you have ideas, bring them up for everyone to discuss. Why speak so rudely? The rejection of your Ziyu Valley plan was my suggestion. Are you saying I am not even equal to a child?”

Wei Yan now realized his mistake. Seeing Zhuge Liang remain silent, he bowed in apology. “Prime Minister, Advisor, I spoke without thinking and meant no disrespect. Please forgive me.”

Zhuge Liang’s expression softened slightly at Wei Yan’s apology and was about to speak, when Yang Yi suddenly spoke in a sly tone. “Advisor Ma, though you possess strategic acumen and are certainly not inferior to a child, there is no shortage of prodigies in this world. Some children, in fact, should not be underestimated—such as General Wei’s talented son, Wei Ba, Wei Ziyu.”

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