Chapter 148: A Game of Chess

Inside the inner courtyard of Mei Fort, the lights blazed brilliantly. Four tables were set upon the main hall; Zhao Yun and Wei Yan sat at the two upper seats. Below Wei Yan sat Wei Ba, while Zhao Guang sat below Zhao Yun, with Deng Zhi sharing the seat beside Zhao Guang. They chatted and laughed freely, passing wine goblets back and forth, fully indulging in the joy of victory.

Down in the courtyard, dozens of tables were crowded together, one side for Wei Yan's subordinates, the other for Zhao Yun's. Originally, a clear line had been drawn between them, but this joint operation had thoroughly defeated the Wei army. Seeing the entire Guanzhong region spread before them as their spoils of war, their spirits were soaring. Exchanging toasts and drinking deeply, it was no longer possible to distinguish whose men belonged to General Zhao and whose to General Wei.

As the one who contributed the greatest merit, Wei Ba received the most expressions of admiration and drank the most wine. Had he not kept in mind that there were major matters left to discuss and intentionally restrained himself, he would have slipped straight to the floor long ago. Even so, his face was flushed red, his head spun, and he had no choice but to plead with his senior martial brother Zhao Guang to help block the toasts for him.

Zhao Guang felt a mixture of joy and envy. Wei Ba had achieved such an extraordinary feat and was about to be promoted once again, scarcely half a year after his previous appointment as an advisor in the Prime Minister's Office.

"Ziyu, if there are any good things like this next time, you must not keep us in the dark again," Zhao Guang complained half-jokingly. "While you were enjoying yourself in Guanzhong, my father grieved for a long time. You are his only disciple, and he felt deeply lost thinking you had perished just like that."

Wei Ba laughed heartily, throwing an arm around Zhao Guang's neck. "Senior brother, I appreciate your heartfelt concern. This time there was simply no choice; without absolute secrecy, my little life would have been forfeited." He paused slightly, catching his breath with a soft hiccup, and then continued, "However, capturing Guanzhong is merely the beginning; holding Guanzhong is the true major task. Senior brother, the battles ahead will be hard ones. You must prepare yourself well."

Excited, Zhao Guang nodded repeatedly. "No problem, no problem at all. I have been ready for a long time."

Zhao Yun, who was conversing with Wei Yan, glanced over at the whispering Zhao Guang and Wei Ba. He set down his wine cup and smiled faintly. "Wenchang, Bomiao, I am advanced in years and can no longer hold my liquor. Let us call it a night for today, shall we?"

Wei Yan had not yet fully enjoyed himself, but since Zhao Yun had spoken thus, he could hardly insist. Exchanging a glance with Deng Zhi, they spoke in unison, "Since it is so, let us end here." He stood up and clapped his hands. The officers drinking competitively down in the hall raised their heads to look at him. "Lords, today's battle at the Bao-Xie Pass was a resounding victory, but there is no time for complacency. Many fierce battles still lie ahead. I ask all of you to remain highly vigilant and properly execute your respective duties. If any errors occur, military law will show no mercy."

The assembled generals looked startled; only the officers of the Wei family troops shouted their compliance in a unified roar. After a moment, Zhao Yun's subordinates muttered their assent in a disorganized chorus, the perfunctory nature of their response glaringly obvious.

Wei Ba frowned. He knew his father Wei Yan had somewhat overstepped his bounds by doing this. Regardless of the circumstances, Zhao Yun's subordinates outnumbered his own, and Zhao Yun held greater seniority. Naturally, such words were more fitting coming from Zhao Yun, or even from Deng Zhi in his capacity as the army inspector. By rushing to speak first, it mattered little to the Wei family troops, but how would Zhao Yun's subordinates view it? What would Zhao Yun himself think? Even if Zhao Yun chose not to take offense, what would Deng Zhi think?

At that moment, Zhao Yun cast a glance at Deng Zhi. Deng Zhi gave a wry smile, nodded, walked up to the steps, and surveyed the officers in the courtyard with an imposing gaze. Coughing lightly, he said, "Did you not hear the words of the General Suppressing the East? Is it that the wine prepared by Advisor Wei was too fine and you drank too much, or have you stuffed bird feathers in your ears that you cannot hear clearly?"

Seeing the army inspector step forward to speak in support of Wei Yan while offering them a graceful way out, the generals under Zhao Yun burst into hearty laughter. Chanting their compliance in unison, they filed out one by one.

Wei Ba also stood up, inviting Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Deng Zhi into the inner hall where a sobering broth was served anew, before spreading out a map of Guanzhong. This map, made of silk, had been left behind by Xiahou Mao, and a large dried bloodstain still marked its surface.

Wei Ba bowed with cupped hands toward Deng Zhi. "General Deng?"

Deng Zhi smiled faintly, picked up the sobering broth, took a sip, and shook his head. "I am not well-versed in the situation of Guanzhong. Furthermore, you are an advisor of the Prime Minister's Office; employing spies in Chang'an this time was a mission personally assigned to you by the Prime Minister himself. With the Prime Minister absent, you are his representative. You should be the one to explain."

Wei Ba repeatedly demurred, yet inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. The current situation here was somewhat complicated. His master, Zhao Yun, commanded more troops and held higher seniority; if a contest arose, Zhao Yun possessed far greater qualifications than his father Wei Yan to claim the position of commander-in-chief. Beyond that, Deng Zhi as the army inspector could by no means be overlooked, for nominally he held even greater authority to speak than Zhao Yun, as he represented the emperor.

Indeed, while Wei Ba had been appointed central army inspector by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, nominally the post was dispatched by the emperor, with the Son of Heaven merely delegating that authority to Zhuge Liang—whether willingly or under duress. Should Deng Zhi harbor dissenting views, even if Zhao Yun were willing to yield, Wei Ba would still have to weigh Deng Zhi's perspective carefully.

Fortunately, Deng Zhi chose not to contend with him, tacitly acknowledging that he could represent Zhuge Liang here—meaning that until Zhuge Liang arrived in person in Guanzhong or explicit orders reached them, Wei Ba was empowered to make subsequent tactical arrangements on Zhuge Liang's behalf.

This constituted immense support.

Wei Yan might consider it of little consequence, but Wei Ba understood full well the significance of Deng Zhi's concession. He bowed politely to Deng Zhi and then turned his gaze to Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun, wise and seasoned with age, could hardly fail to grasp such subtle dynamics. That he had managed to exit the valley smoothly was entirely the merit of the Wei family father and son, and a single glance allowed him to estimate how much painstaking effort the Weis had invested in marching into Guanzhong. Since even Deng Zhi had relented, Zhao Yun saw no need to dispute the chief command with Wei Yan.

Moreover, he knew full well that he was merely a figurehead; had Zhuge Liang been present, he likely would not have appointed Zhao Yun as commander-in-chief either.

"Since Bomiao holds you in such regard, do not stand on ceremony. Give us an overview of the situation in Guanzhong."

No longer holding back, Wei Ba pointed to the map and detailed the state of Guanzhong step by step.

"At present, the main force of Cao Wei is stationed in Longyou, currently locked in a stalemate with the Prime Minister's grand army. The exact situation in Longyou remains unclear to us, though military dispatches from Cao Wei indicate that the three commanderies of Nan'an, Tianshui, and Anding in Longyou have already surrendered to the Prime Minister, leaving only Longxi Commandery lingering in its final breaths. Where the Inspector of Yongzhou, Guo Huai, and his two subsidiary tens of thousands of troops are located, we remain ignorant. However, given a troop strength disparity exceeding three to one, the likelihood of them defeating the Prime Minister is exceedingly slim."

Wei Ba drew a circle across Guanzhong on the map.

"At present, Cao Wei retains virtually no heavy forces in Guanzhong. Aside from the fortress of Mei Fort which has fallen into our hands, Tong Pass has already been secured by our army, and we are stepping up repairs on its walls. The remaining locations that demand our attention are as follows." Wei Ba pointed to each spot on the map in turn: "Wu Pass, Long Mountain, Xiao Pass, and Pubazhuan north of Tong Pass. In addition, there is Chang'an..."

Deng Zhi raised his hand, cutting Wei Ba off. "Ziyu, I can understand your reasoning that we must defend Tong Pass, Pubazhuan, Wu Pass, and Xiao Pass, but why must we defend Long Mountain?"

Wei Ba lowered his hand and remained silent for a moment. "General Deng, do you know the ratio of cavalry within the Cao Wei army?"

Deng Zhi smiled dismissively. "Cao Wei is renowned for its iron cavalry; their proportion of cavalry is roughly ten percent or so. That much I do know. Calculating based on Guo Huai's force of twenty thousand men, he should possess about two thousand cavalry. Even with two thousand horsemen, they cannot determine the entire course of the campaign."

Wei Ba nodded. "General Deng is indeed well-acquainted with Cao Wei's military composition. However, you have overlooked one point: Guo Huai has long been stationed in Longyou, and Longyou is horse-breeding territory. The proportion of cavalry among the local garrison far exceeds the average proportion of the Wei army. This means Guo Huai commands well over two thousand cavalry—perhaps three thousand, perhaps four thousand, or potentially as many as five thousand."

"Those four or five thousand horsemen may not suffice to bridge the numerical gap between him and the Prime Minister, but should those five thousand cavalry break into Guanzhong, it would spell disaster for us." Wei Ba spread his hands. "You should be aware that we currently possess no organized bodies of cavalry."

Deng Zhi was momentarily stunned, a flush rising to his cheeks. Yet he still retorted, "Are you suggesting we control Long Mountain and block those five thousand horsemen in Longyou?"

"Precisely, that is my thought," Wei Ba replied bluntly.

"Yet if we do that, while Guanzhong may be secure, the pressure upon the Prime Minister... will become immense." Deng Zhi's voice turned cold, and his gaze grew somewhat unfriendly.

Zhao Yun's graying brows furrowed slightly. He lifted the sobering broth to shield his face. Wei Yan's expression chilled, and just as he was about to speak, Wei Ba caught his eye, shook his head, and addressed Deng Zhi with an expression of absolute certainty. "May I ask, General Deng, what difficulties you believe the Prime Minister must overcome to fully conquer Longyou and subsequently seize Guanzhong?"

Deng Zhi smiled skeptically. "Please enlighten me, Advisor Wei."

Having just countered Wei Ba's proposal and now altering his mode of address, Deng Zhi clearly manifested his displeasure. Greatly irritated, Wei Yan let his expression darken as well. Seeing this, Wei Ba repeatedly signaled him to remain calm and patient. Since Deng Zhi had been appointed army inspector by Zhuge Liang, it went without saying that he enjoyed Zhuge Liang's trust, and looking out for Zhuge Liang's interests was entirely expected. With a man of this caliber, reasoning with him was vastly preferable to resorting to coercion; otherwise, friction would only escalate, proving severely detrimental to his plans.

"I harbor some superficial thoughts, and where there are omissions, I trust the Army Inspector will not mock them," Wei Ba said courteously. "For the Prime Minister to fully conquer Longyou, the first objective is to secure warhorses; the second is that grain transport is somewhat more convenient there than along other routes—though not immensely so; and the third is that Longyou lies farther from Luoyang, stretching Cao Wei's supply lines too thin should they attempt reinforcements."

Deng Zhi nodded expressionlessly.

"Now, we have captured Guanzhong, and Guanzhong can resolve two of those three problems," Wei Ba expounded fluently. "First, since the beginning of the year, I persuaded Xiahou Mao to establish agricultural colonies; the crops have now matured, and I have already dispatched men to harvest them ahead of schedule. Once gathered, the grain can be transported by boat to Longyou to supply the Prime Minister's army, resolving the difficulties of shipping provisions from Hanzhong."

"Second, by holding Guanzhong, Cao Wei's reinforcements cannot march west. Once the Prime Minister defeats Guo Huai, he can fully conquer Longyou."

"With Longyou secured, warhorses will be acquired, and the third problem will resolve itself effortlessly."

"Therefore, the crux of the matter no longer lies in Longyou, but in Guanzhong. Guanzhong is the very pivot of this entire game of chess. Hold Guanzhong, and everything west of Tong Pass becomes a vast game where the Prime Minister can advance or retreat at will; lose Guanzhong, and the entire board is lost." Wei Ba slowed his cadence, pronouncing each word with distinct weight. "General Deng, do you believe that once those five thousand elite Wei cavalry enter Guanzhong, we will still be able to hold it? Without Guanzhong, can the Prime Minister successfully occupy Longyou?"

Deng Zhi fell silent, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.