Chapter 131: The Art of Lying

After surveying Ziwu Pass, he turned westward.

Wei Ba inspected Wugong, Meiyang, and other areas before veering north to examine the region around Chiyang. Finally, he turned east, traveling all the way to Tong Pass. He openly inspected the terrain of Tong Pass, completing the task that should have been his first priority.

Once his inspection was finished, Wei Ba wrote a detailed report. Upon returning to Chang'an, he did not head to his own residence but instead brought the report to see Xiahou Mao.

Xiahou Mao was in good spirits; it was evident that his life had been quite comfortable of late. However, the moment he saw Wei Ba, his brow furrowed.

Wei Ba presented the report with both hands. "General, these are my humble observations gathered along the way. I beg for your guidance."

A guard beside Xiahou Mao took the report and placed it on the desk. Xiahou Mao glanced at it but did not open it. He simply nodded and said, "Tell me about it."

Wei Ba sat upright and gave a brief account of his journey. He had seen many cities that were largely in disrepair, fearing they would be of little use against an enemy. Therefore, he suggested that Xiahou Mao abandon some of the secondary cities, salvage their building materials, and concentrate his forces to reinforce the crucial cities surrounding Chang'an.

Xiahou Mao grew impatient halfway through and waved his hand to interrupt. "What about Tong Pass?"

Wei Ba had long known that his trip to Tong Pass could not be hidden from Xiahou Mao’s eyes. The report was merely a formality; his every move had likely been reported to Xiahou Mao already. Tong Pass was not within the jurisdiction of the Chang'an garrison; his visit there was easily prone to suspicion.

In other words, it was a highly imprudent choice.

However, since he dared to go, he certainly had his own considerations. In the Ziwu Valley plan, Tong Pass was a position of vital importance. Whether or not they could block the Cao Wei Imperial Guard coming from Luoyang depended entirely on it. Regardless of the risks, he had to see Tong Pass for himself.

"Tong Pass?" Wei Ba chuckled, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Actually, Tong Pass is of little consequence. If the Shu army could reach Tong Pass, it would mean the entire Guanzhong region had already fallen, and repairing the walls would be pointless."

"Since you know this, why did you go there?"

"This... it was just a personal obsession. I abused my official position to indulge a private desire."

Seeing Wei Ba answer so candidly, Xiahou Mao was momentarily unsure. Hearing that Wei Ba had gone to Tong Pass had made him feel something was amiss, and Xiahou Hui had also warned him to be wary of this move. After all, Tong Pass was the gateway between Chang'an and Luoyang; it was impossible for the Shu army to reach it. As Wei Ba said, if Tong Pass needed defending, the entire Guanzhong region would be lost, and his own career as the Governor of Guanzhong would be over. He had been waiting to question Wei Ba, intending to refute any excuse and leave him speechless, forcing him to reveal his true intentions.

Yet, he had not expected Wei Ba to make no attempt at concealment, admitting plainly that his visit was merely a personal indulgence.

Xiahou Mao was puzzled. "What does Tong Pass have to do with personal desire?"

Wei Ba showed an awkward smile again, hesitated for a moment, and said, "General, do you know Ma Chao, Ma Mengqi?"

Xiahou Mao snorted. Though he had never fought on the battlefield, how could he not know of Ma Chao? "Are you close with him?"

"Ma Chao died of illness in Chengdu several years ago; how could I be close to him?" Wei Ba said with a touch of embarrassment. "However, Ma Chao... had a daughter. She is... very beautiful. She is with the army in Hanzhong, and I... I know her."

Xiahou Mao suddenly understood and couldn't help but laugh. Ma Chao had once occupied Guanzhong, only to fail because he lost the Battle of Tong Pass to Cao Cao. That battle was the one that allowed Cao Cao to unify half of China, and it was the battle that forced Ma Chao out of Guanzhong. After that, all of Guanzhong fell to Cao Cao, followed by the Xiliang region. The entire Guanzhong-Longshan military clique collapsed, and Ma Chao was eventually forced to retreat to Hanzhong and surrender to Zhang Lu.

That was where Ma Chao’s nightmare began, and it was the turning point for Cao Cao to seize control of the Guanzhong-Longshan region. Since then, Ma Chao had become a stray dog, so it was only natural for him to dwell on Tong Pass. Wei Ba liking Ma Chao’s daughter and wanting to see the place she spoke of was a understandable youthful sentiment.

Perhaps, it was a place that reminded him of the girl in his heart?

"Lad, a woman of the Ma family is easy to come by. Once you conquer Hanzhong and capture Zhuge Liang alive, I will bestow her upon you. However, you are a general of the Great Wei now; watch your words and actions, and do not invite gossip."

Wei Ba nodded awkwardly. "The General’s instruction is correct. It was my oversight."

"Well, young people always make mistakes. Just be careful in the future," Xiahou Mao said with a magnanimous wave of his hand. "Any other observations from your journey?"

Wei Ba furrowed his brow. "General, actually, there was another reason I went to Tong Pass."

"Oh?" A hint of a smile appeared in Xiahou Mao’s eyes, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

"When I was in Hanzhong, my father and I once proposed a Ziwu Valley plan to Zhuge Liang." Wei Ba’s voice was dry, sounding somewhat unnatural. "Tong Pass was a link in that plan."

Xiahou Mao narrowed his eyes, watching Wei Ba silently, while feeling a long breath of relief in his heart. This was not the first time he had heard of the Ziwu Valley plan. First, spies in Hanzhong had reported multiple times that Wei Yan and Zhuge Liang had frequent disputes over such a plan, which was one of the reasons Wei Yan was demoted. However, the spies could never discover the specific details. Second, when Wei Ba inspected Ziwu Pass, he had also mentioned the Ziwu Valley plan, with slightly more detail than the spies had gathered, but he only knew that one part involved attacking Chang'an, while the rest remained unknown.

Xiahou Mao had worried that Wei Ba’s trip to Tong Pass might be a ruse of surrender, with the true intent of gathering intelligence on Guanzhong. If this suspicion were true, it would be a disaster for Xiahou Mao, as he was the one who had promoted Wei Ba. He did not want to see this happen, so he had discussed it thoroughly with Xiahou Hui before Wei Ba returned. If Wei Ba truly had ulterior motives, he would take decisive measures to eliminate the threat in advance.

His earlier attempt to brush off the Tong Pass incident was a feint to test Wei Ba’s honesty. If Wei Ba had let it slide, he would have found it difficult to leave the Governor’s Mansion today.

Wei Ba’s initiative to bring up the role of Tong Pass in the Ziwu Valley plan made not only Xiahou Mao breathe a sigh of relief, but even Xiahou Hui behind the screen felt the tension ease—though she remained far less relaxed than Xiahou Mao.

"My father and I proposed a Ziwu Valley plan: the main force would emerge from Xie Valley or San Pass, while a surprise force would take Ziwu Valley to attack Chang'an and hold Tong Pass. However, Zhuge Liang rejected it, saying the plan was too risky."

Xiahou Mao asked with a smile, "Do you think the plan had a chance of success now?"

"I still think so, but I don't even have the chance to advise him anymore," Wei Ba shrugged, looking disappointed. "Zhuge Liang is skilled in administration but lacking in military command. He is overly cautious and does not truly understand warfare. Alas, his dreams of overcoming the strong with the weak and conspiring to take Longyou and Guanzhong are nothing but pipe dreams; there is no chance of success."

"Longyou?" Xiahou Mao suddenly sat up straight. "Are you saying Zhuge Liang’s target is Longyou?"

Wei Ba smiled bitterly and recounted how Wei Yan had offered three strategies to Zhuge Liang, only for Zhuge Liang to choose the inferior one. These were all facts; he didn't even need to pretend. His genuine performance was enough to make Xiahou Mao believe him.

Xiahou Mao was stunned for a long time, his face showing shock. "Then the people he has in Xie Valley... are a feint?"

Wei Ba was startled. "Zhuge Liang has sent troops to Xie Valley?"

"No, not yet, but someone is repairing the plank roads and storehouses in Xie Valley. I had always assumed he intended to strike from Xie Valley, so I prepared a large amount of grain and fodder in Mei County." Thinking of the tension, Xiahou Mao gasped, staring at Wei Ba. "Ziyu, are you certain Zhuge Liang will strike at Longyou and not Mei County?"

Wei Ba pondered for a long time before nodding firmly. "I believe the force in Xie Valley is merely a feint; his true target must be Longyou."

Xiahou Mao stood up and paced back and forth anxiously. He had always believed that Zhuge Liang’s repair of the Xie Valley plank road was intended for an attack through the valley. After all, it was the shortest route to attack Chang'an from Hanzhong; when Cao Cao attacked Hanzhong, he had used the Xie Valley. Attacking from Xie Valley was much closer than the Chencang ancient road, and more than twice as close as going through Longyou.

As for the Ziwu Valley, not to mention Zhuge Liang, even Xiahou Mao himself found it laughable. The road had been abandoned for so long that no army could pass through it; it could be completely ignored. The fact that Wei Ba and his father, who proposed the Ziwu Valley plan, were either demoted or forced to flee was proof enough that Zhuge Liang had never intended to accept the plan from the start, and it was even less likely to be considered now.

Therefore, after Xiahou Mao received word from the garrison in Mei County, he began his preparations. Now that Wei Ba was saying Zhuge Liang’s target might be Longyou and that Xie Valley was just a feint, his entire plan was thrown into chaos. Shifting defensive forces to Longyou was not as simple as merely moving troops; the entire defensive line would need to be redeployed. More importantly, Longyou was not under his control; it would require going through the Imperial Court, and likely require General Cao Zhen to command in person.

Xiahou Mao not only did not want to see this happen, but he also knew it was unrealistic. The situation with Eastern Wu had reached a critical juncture, and Sima Yi had already launched troops from Wancheng. Cao Wei’s military focus was on the southeast, and Cao Zhen had to remain in the capital; he could not possibly come to Guanzhong.

"Are you certain?"

Wei Ba used a tone of a trusted confidant to remind him, "General, this matter is of great consequence. Your authority alone is not enough to command this; you should request General Cao Zhen to come."

Xiahou Mao gave a bitter laugh. "It is not that I am greedy for credit; it is simply that he cannot come."

Wei Ba hesitated, then seemed to realize something, clamped his mouth shut, and lowered his head in silence. Xiahou Mao looked at him and sighed. "Ziyu, I will not hide it from you. Guanzhong now only has the forces currently stationed here; there will be no reinforcements in the short term."

Wei Ba said in panic, "General, this is a military secret. I am a surrendered general; it is not appropriate..."

Xiahou Mao waved his hand. "Enough, I trust you." He thought for a moment, then laughed. "If you were a spy, you would be a 'dead spy'—one who doesn't even know how to tell a lie."

Wei Ba blushed with embarrassment, but his heart was filled with wild joy.