Chapter 149: Allies

Deng Zhi was deeply conflicted. He did not believe Guo Huai possessed five thousand elite cavalrymen. Even though Longyou was a region well-suited for horse breeding, such a high proportion of cavalry was practically impossible. He estimated that the cavalry under Guo Huai's command numbered around three thousand, and certainly no more than four thousand. Yet, three thousand elite cavalrymen still could not be taken lightly.

If they were to engage in a formal, pitched battle, the combat strength of three thousand cavalrymen would roughly equal that of ten thousand to fifteen thousand infantry. As Wei Ba had stated, this alone could not offset Zhuge Liang's superior numbers. However, if those three thousand cavalrymen did not fight a conventional pitched battle, but instead dispersed into Guanzhong to wage guerrilla warfare, the situation would change entirely. Three thousand elite horsemen, even when facing ten thousand foot soldiers, would dare to launch an attack and maintain a high probability of victory. Moreover, should the situation turn unfavorable, they could easily slip away and bide their time in the shadows to strike again.

In other words, once those three thousand elite cavalrymen entered Guanzhong, aside from seizing a few strategic strongpoints, the rest of the region would remain under Cao Wei's control. Guarding against such a force with their current troop strength was simply impossible.

Those three thousand elite cavalrymen were like three thousand blades hanging suspended over their heads, ready to hack them to pieces at any moment.

Wei Ba proposed that they should be blocked outside Guanzhong. Admittedly, this was the best choice available under the circumstances. Rather than letting them roam freely and slaughter at will within Guanzhong, it was better to force them into a desperate, head-on clash with Zhuge Liang's main army.

However, while this favored Wei Ba, it was highly disadvantageous for Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang had only Ma Dai's one thousand cavalrymen under his command; the more cavalry Guo Huai possessed, the greater the difficulties Zhuge Liang would face. The greater the difficulties, the longer the delays would be, granting Wei Ba ample time to make his deployments within Guanzhong.

In essence, Wei Ba's arrangement shifted the burden onto Zhuge Liang.

Deng Zhi was deeply displeased by this, but he had no grounds to dissuade Wei Ba. From an overall strategic perspective, Wei Ba's plan was undeniably the most feasible course of action.

If Zhuge Liang were here, which option would he choose?

Deng Zhi could not be certain. True, he was Zhuge Liang's trusted confidant, but was not Wei Ba as well? Yet, when Wei Ba secretly infiltrated Guanzhong and Wei Yan marched out of the Ziwu Valley, he had not caught wind of it at all.

Left with no choice, Deng Zhi buried his doubts, intending to submit a secret report to Zhuge Liang later.

Wei Ba continued his briefing.

"Aside from needing troops to guard these mountain passes, there is one more tough bone we must crack." He tapped heavily on the map at the location representing Chang'an: "Chang'an."

"Attack Chang'an?" This time, not only was Deng Zhi bewildered, but even Zhao Yun and Wei Yan were somewhat confounded. Laying siege to a city was no simple matter, let alone a colossal stronghold like Chang'an. Even though Chang'an had suffered some damage recently, attempting to capture it in a short period with their current forces was an impossible task.

"That's right, we are going to attack Chang'an." Wei Ba scratched his head. "I am well aware that this is an extremely perilous decision. However, I have my reasons for considering this." He raised three fingers. "First, Xiahou Mao is still in Chang'an. Though incompetent, he is a high-ranking minister of Cao Wei. Furthermore, Princess Qinghe is by his side; as the aunt of Cao Rui, she will not simply stand by and watch. In other words, unless we kill or capture the couple alive, Cao Wei will immediately dispatch massive reinforcements to rescue him. This means enemy reinforcements may arrive much faster than we anticipate."

"Second, Xiahou Mao is the Governor of Guanzhong, and Chang'an is the heart of the region. As long as Chang'an does not fall, people in other parts of Guanzhong will still believe the region is in their hands. They will fight to the bitter end, which is highly detrimental to our consolidation of Guanzhong."

"Third, there are still two thousand elite Cao Wei troops remaining in Guanzhong. If we do not eliminate them, we will have to allocate a considerable force just to guard against them. Our current troop strength is already severely lacking, and if we are attacked from both the front and the rear, the situation will become catastrophic."

Having finished, Wei Ba swept his gaze across the faces of his three elders. He knew that while his three reasons sounded plausible, they were actually quite forced. These three men were all seasoned veterans; trying to pull the wool over their eyes was no easy feat—at least, it was no easier than capturing Chang'an.

Sure enough, before Deng Zhi could voice his objections, Zhao Yun slowly spoke up: "Since you know our forces are insufficient and time is short, why insist on attacking Chang'an? Even if there are countless reasons to attack the city, how do you plan to resolve these two major difficulties?"

Wei Ba remained silent for a long time before declaring, word by word: "I intend to levy troops."

"Levy troops?" The three of them exchanged glances, looking utterly baffled. "Levying what troops?"

Wei Ba forced a composed smile. "Master, General Deng, you may not be fully aware, but my father should know: what is Hanzhong's greatest problem? It is a shortage of population. Hanzhong was once a prosperous place. Zhang Lu occupied Hanzhong for thirty years without major warfare, maintaining a registered household population of over one hundred thousand. Why is it that today there are only a little over twenty thousand households?"

Deng Zhi suddenly understood. "They were relocated to Guanzhong?"

"Precisely." Wei Ba's smile grew more cunning. "Based on my observations during this period, these Hanzhong natives are scattered all around Chang'an. Although they left their homeland more than a decade ago, quite a few still long to return. I plan to conscript them to help me capture Chang'an, secure Guanzhong, and their compensation will be the right to return to their native Hanzhong, along with full compensation for all their losses."

Zhao Yun stroked his beard in deep thought. "Then how many troops do you estimate you can levy, and how long will it take?"

"By my rough estimation, I can probably raise about ten thousand to fifteen thousand men. Right now, they are busy harvesting crops; the grain they gather will serve perfectly as military provisions. Half a month from now, I can have a force of over ten thousand men and sufficient food."

"What about before then?"

"Before then, I would like to request that Master lead two thousand men to hold Chang'an. With Master's formidable reputation, Xiahou Mao will not dare to act rashly. At the same time, I will negotiate with him to buy time." He turned to Deng Zhi with a smile: "My father is heading to Tongguan and must also manage the defense of Pubazhen, leaving him with little spare capacity. My senior martial brother is heading to Mount Long and Xiaoguan. As for Wuguan, we may have to trouble General Deng."

Deng Zhi was sneering inwardly. Wei Ba was pushing his luck; he actually dared to scheme against him! Conscripting ten thousand men? You must be joking. Wei Yan is the General Who Pacifies the North, and Zhao Yun is also the General Who Pacifies the North, yet each of them commands only about ten thousand men. You are merely an Adjutant in the Prime Minister's Office; logically, you have no qualification to command troops, let alone ten thousand of them. Commanding ten thousand troops makes you a major regional commander—enough to guard Guanzhong entirely. One must remember that Cao Wei's Guanzhong Governor, Xiahou Mao, was a prominent regional commander commanding ten thousand men.

Do you want to dominate Guanzhong all by yourself? You can dream all you want, that's your business, but if you expect to drag me down as your scapegoat, think again. One can easily imagine the Prime Minister's reaction upon hearing this news; his retaliation would likely be far harsher than Cao Wei's.

Even though I am also a native of Nanyang, is there any need for me to take this risk with you? Do we share such deep ties?

Just as Deng Zhi was about to reject Wei Ba's conscription proposal, he heard Wei Ba ask him to lead troops to garrison Wuguan. A sudden jolt went through his heart, sweeping away all his previous displeasure instantly. "I am going to guard Wuguan?"

Wei Ba nodded. "Yes. I simply cannot think of anyone else capable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility, so I must trouble General Deng. I wonder if General Deng..."

Deng Zhi pondered for a long time. While he somewhat disagreed with Wei Ba's overall strategy, he was deeply tempted by this specific proposal. Despite holding the title of General Who Displays Might, he had never actually commanded troops in the field. Without commanding troops, there was no opportunity to campaign and achieve military merit, and thus no chance of being enfeebled as a marquis. For someone like him, hailing from the Deng clan of Xinye in Nanyang, life lost its meaning without the prospect of attaining a marquisship.

When he first arrived in Yizhou, Liu备 had not valued him greatly. Feeling deeply frustrated, he went to seek a physiognomy reading from Zhang Yu, an official in Yizhou. Zhang Yu gave him a bittersweet prediction: he would indeed be enfeebled as a marquis, but not until after he turned seventy. At the time, Deng Zhi had almost fainted from anger. Though disappointed, he could only resign himself to fate and patiently wait. Now, Wei Ba suddenly told him he could lead troops to garrison Wuguan—it was like a ray of sunlight suddenly piercing through thick clouds, appearing before him entirely unprepared and leaving him dizzy with excitement.

Could it be that Zhang Yu was wrong, and I won't have to wait until seventy to be made a marquis? It must be so! Otherwise, why would that rascal have been executed by the late Emperor? Famed for his skill in physiognomy, yet he failed to foresee his own doom.

Deng Zhi rapidly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He was well aware that Wei Ba's offer did not come for free. To secure this opportunity, he had to agree to Wei Ba's conscription plan. As the Army Supervisor, he would essentially be granting Wei Ba this permission on behalf of Zhuge Liang, or at the very least, refraining from raising objections. If Zhuge Liang questioned this in the future, Wei Ba would naturally bear primary responsibility, but he himself would not escape complicity.

Yet the greater likelihood was that Wei Ba would achieve great success, amass massive military power, and have his father Wei Yan and master Zhao Yun as backing. Zhuge Liang would not be able to move against him immediately and would have to acquiesce, leaving Deng Zhi as the ultimate scapegoat.

Was the chance to command troops worth taking this risk? Deng Zhi unconsciously clenched his fists, tiny beads of sweat blooming at his temples and dampening his hair.

Wei Ba studied Deng Zhi closely. He was not afraid of Deng Zhi's opposition. Ever since he learned that Zhuge Liang had outmaneuvered him, he had prepared to take Guanzhong for himself. With his father and master supporting him, coupled with the strength he could accumulate on his own, he had a seventy percent certainty of bringing Guanzhong into his fold and preventing anyone else from meddling. Deng Zhi was indeed the Army Supervisor, but he had no troops; his symbolic significance far outweighed his practical power. It would be better if he agreed; if not, he would simply kick him aside and act alone. There were plenty of people willing to cooperate with him—he had as many potential allies as Zhuge Liang had enemies. Having Deng Zhi was not a surplus; missing Deng Zhi was not a loss.

The room suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Zhao Yun calmly sipped his hangover soup, appearing completely oblivious to everything happening before him. Wei Yan evidently failed to grasp the deeper implications, merely smacking his lips impatiently and urging Deng Zhi to give his assent soon. Wei Ba watched Deng Zhi quietly while Deng Zhi sweated profusely.

After a long while, Deng Zhi spoke in a hoarse, dryly laughing voice, "I have never commanded troops before. I fear I may not be able to shoulder such a heavy responsibility."

Just as Zhao Guang was about to speak, Wei Ba interrupted him: "Not at all. Zong Yu had never commanded troops before either, yet during the battle of Fangling, he displayed the bearing of a great general. I believe General Deng will not fall short of our fellow townsman."

Upon hearing the name Zong Yu, Deng Zhi's expression shifted. After a brief hesitation, he nodded heavily: "Since that is the case, I shall do my utmost."

(To be continued)