Chapter 150: Youthful Ardor

Wei Ba burst into laughter. He had long anticipated that using Zong Yu to provoke Deng Zhi would be the most effective approach. Zong Yu and Deng Zhi were both natives of Nanyang, both in middle age yet lacking the opportunity to be enfeebled as marquises, and both harbored the ambition to achieve great feats and establish their careers. Moreover, Zong Yu was about ten years younger than Deng Zhi. Now that Zong Yu was serving as the Commandant and Inspector of Fangling, he was practically a major commanding general. How could Deng Zhi, approaching fifty years of age, possibly be willing to let slip such an opportunity?

His hesitation already spoke volumes. If he truly understood the mandate of heaven and harbored no ambitions, why would he deliberate for so long? With these arrangements in place, Wei Ba’s intention to dominate Guanzhong alone was glaringly obvious; Deng Zhi could not possibly fail to see it. Hesitation meant that he was weighing his options and was unwilling to abandon this opportunity.

Once Deng Zhi nodded, the subsequent matters became much easier to arrange. According to the original plan, Wei Yan rushed toward Tongguan with the utmost speed. He needed to organize the Tongguan defense line in the shortest possible time, extending his reach to the area around Pubajun as well. His task was heavy and admitted no further delay. Deng Zhi led five thousand men toward Wuguan, while Zhao Yun divided his forces, giving Zhao Guang three thousand men and sending him toward Mount Long and Xiaoguan. Xiaoguan was adjacent to Anding, and since Anding had already surrendered to Shu Han, there would be no major military engagements there. Mount Long bordered Tianshui; although it directly faced Guo Huai, Zhuge Liang’s main force was stationed precisely in Tianshui, so presumably Guo Huai would not commit his full strength to attack Mount Long. Even if he did, and should the defense fail, they could directly appeal to Zhuge Liang for reinforcements.

In Wei Ba’s view, had he possessed sufficient troops, he certainly would have deployed more men to Mount Long to prevent a single soldier or horse of Guo Huai’s from entering the heartland of Guanzhong. However, his forces were currently stretched to the limit, leaving him no choice but to make this arrangement. Still, this outcome was favorable as well, as it avoided a falling-out with Zhuge Liang, temporarily preserved a harmonious facade, and allowed the focus of defense to be placed squarely on the east.

Rescuing troops was as urgent as putting out a fire. Early the next morning, Wei Yan, Deng Zhi, and Zhao Guang each led their respective grand armies toward their destinations. The Wu Fortress was left with only the one thousand Wei family elite soldiers that Wei Yan had left for Wei Ba, two thousand men from Zhao Yun’s command, and over three thousand Wei army captives. From among them, Wei Ba carefully selected more than seven hundred men who were originally from Hanzhong or believers of the Way of the Celestial Masters in Guanzhong, dispersing them and assigning them to various battalions. The rest were disarmed and relegated solely to performing physical labor.

After a bustling day during which various matters were basically settled, evening came, leaving only Zhao Yun and Wei Ba sitting opposite each other at the dinner table.

Zhao Yun had hardly spoken all day. Even when Zhao Guang came to take his leave, Zhao Yun had shown little reaction, merely watching quietly as Wei Ba busied himself. It was not until they sat down for dinner and Wei Ba raised his cup to offer a toast that Zhao Yun calmly opened his mouth.

"Ziyu, have you thought it through?"

Wei Ba was startled for a moment, failing to react immediately. When he caught sight of Zhao Yun’s complex gaze, he finally realized what Zhao Yun was referring to. He gave a fake cough to mask his embarrassment. "Well... I have been thinking about this for a long time."

"When did it start?"

Although Zhao Yun’s voice was not loud, Wei Ba sensed a heavy pressure emanating from it. Daring not to be negligent, he restrained his expression and replied, "From the very day I learned that the Prime Minister had changed the operational plan."

Zhao Yun raised an eyebrow, pondered for a long time, and said nothing more. Having spent so many years in officialdom—renowned for being undefeated on the battlefield and undefeated in the official arena—how could he fail to see the profound mystery within this? What Zhuge Liang wanted to do, he knew; what Wei Ba wanted to do, he also knew. Indeed, one could say that the moment Wei Ba spoke the previous night, he had already realized what Wei Ba was plotting. Asking now was merely to confirm it.

"You kept me behind simply to help you frighten Xiaohao Mao, didn't you?" Zhao Yun took a sip of wine and asked unhurriedly.

Wei Ba’s face flushed. He knew that the old general had already become a master of his craft, and nothing could be concealed from him; it was better to be honest. Yet, by phrasing it this way, Zhao Yun had clearly tacitly approved of his plan, allowing the heavy stone in Wei Ba’s heart to finally drop to the ground. Although given Zhao Yun’s discernment, it was impossible for him not to know what Wei Ba was doing, his prolonged silence regarding differing opinions had already signaled his attitude. Nevertheless, hearing his explicit consent still brought Wei Ba a great deal of reassurance, even if the manner of it was somewhat unexpected.

"Yes. I have more important matters for which I must humbly request Master's assistance."

"Let's hear it. I am getting old; I fear I may no longer be up to heavy responsibilities or able to help you much."

"Master will certainly be able to help," Wei Ba said ingratiatingly. "Master, I recall that when you first followed the Late Emperor, you were in charge of the cavalry for him, weren't you?"

Zhao Yun suddenly felt a sense of distant bewilderment. When he first followed the Late Emperor? That was more than forty years ago. Back then, they were in the prime of their youth, full of vigor and vitality. Gongsun Zan, the Chief Clerk of the White Horse, held sway over the northern frontier, and Liu Bei brought Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to join Gongsun Zan. Though weak in power, they possessed boundless heroic spirit and a magnanimous ambition to clear and pacify the realm. Upon meeting, they felt as though they had known each other for a lifetime, regretting only that they had not met sooner, and quickly became close friends who shared every thought. Later, Liu Bei left Youzhou, dispatched by Gongsun Zan’s order to Qijun to fight Yuan Shao, and Zhao Yun also quietly departed from Gongsun Zan. Nominally returning home to mourn a death, he actually went back to his native place to recruit youths, raising the very first troop of cavalry for Liu Bei. From that time onward, he followed Liu Bei through countless campaigns across the south and north until they finally reached Yizhou.

Now, Gongsun Zan was dead, Guan Yu was dead, Zhang Fei was dead, and Liu Bei was also dead. Countless once-familiar faces had turned into memories, leaving him alone, profoundly lonely.

Zhao Yun lowered his head, wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, and smiled bleakly. "Forty years... I almost forgot where my homeland is."

"Master, your homeland is not far away," Wei Ba comforted him. "King Qin of Qin swept away the feudal lords and unified the realm in merely ten years. We have already established our footing in Guanzhong; soon enough, we will sweep across the realm, restore the Han Dynasty, and that day is not far off. By then, Master can return in glory to your hometown."

"Let us hope so," Zhao Yun sighed deeply, smiling with a trace of self-reproach. "You want me to take charge of the cavalry as well?"

Wei Ba waved his hands repeatedly. "Master, you speak too seriously. How could I dare assume such a thing? I merely wish to ask Master to help me build a force of cavalry."

"Building a cavalry unit is no simple matter. Even if you can find warhorses, without skilled horsemen, you cannot build a cavalry force in a short time. The Han people are not barbarians raised on horseback; even if they know how to ride, transforming into true horsemen capable of forming combat effectiveness requires at least three to five years of bitter practice."

"I know this," Wei Ba smiled like a cunning fox. "Master, what do you think of the horsemen recruited from places like Anding?"

"Anding?" Zhao Yun’s eyes lit up. "You recruited horsemen from Anding? How many?"

"Currently, there are only a little over three hundred." Wei Ba leaned closer to Zhao Yun and said gleefully, "To not keep it from Master, I have already sent people to contact various families in Anding, hoping they can lend a hand. If things go smoothly, forming a cavalry battalion of over a thousand men should not be a problem. This time we also captured some warhorses, and I intend to select those among Master’s subordinates who are well-versed in horsemanship. Even if they cannot form combat effectiveness overnight, at the very least they will not be completely defenseless when facing the Wei army's cavalry."

Zhao Yun nodded repeatedly. Anding lay in the northern part of Liangzhou and bordered the nomadic tribes year-round; it produced horsemen more familiar with mounted warfare than the interior lands. Cavalry recruited from Anding would mature into combat-effective forces at a much faster pace. The local customs of Anding were fierce and unyielding, and it also produced famous generals—Huangfusong, the last God of War of the Great Han, was a native of Anding.

"Was this also something you had planned out long ago?"

"Hehe, I dare not hide it from Master." Wei Ba leaned close to Zhao Yun’s ear and whispered a few more words. Zhao Yun slanted his eyes at him. "Really?"

"Would I dare deceive Master?" Wei Ba said with a straight face.

Zhao Yun meditated for a long time before nodding. "If it is truly as you say, I have a fifty percent certainty of helping you train a presentable cavalry battalion within three to five months."

"Naturally! With Master's skills, accomplishing such a feat is a mere piece of cake." Wei Ba raised his wine cup with both hands. "Master, please!"

"Bottoms up." Zhao Yun smiled faintly, raised his cup to clink it against Wei Ba’s, and drained it in a single gulp. Seeing Zhao Yun act with such bold forthrightness, Wei Ba was dumbfounded. "Master, my cup was filled to the brim."

"Do as you see fit." Zhao Yun slammed his cup heavily onto the low table, sank his expression, and put on the demeanor of *if you don't give this old man face, I will deal with you*. Wei Ba was speechless; who said this old man was an honest and kind person? When he indulged in a flash of youthful wildness, he was sinister enough. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and swallow the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"爽快! (Exhilarating!)" Zhao Yun patted the table and laughed loudly. "A young man should have some driving force. If you aren't wild in your youth, when will you be? Those two sons of mine—in terms of capability, perhaps they are no less than you, but their temperaments are too much like mine, hesitating and overthinking everything. In the end, I fear they will accomplish nothing."

"If they weren't like you, that would be the real trouble," Wei Ba muttered inwardly, accompanying the old man with a flattering smile as he refilled Zhao Yun’s cup. The old man was somewhat excited today; hopefully he wouldn't get too carried away, as his entire cavalry battalion was counting on him. Within the ranks of the Shu Han army, men skilled in mounted warfare were scarce; the Ma family could not be relied upon, leaving only this Changshan Zhao Zilong who had once commanded the cavalry for the Late Emperor.

Zhao Yun was in high spirits and had drunk somewhat heavily; by the end, his legs were floating slightly. Relying on his youth, Wei Ba forcefully supported him back to his room to rest. Wei Ba himself did not have such luxury; he returned to the study, sipped sobering soup, and combed through the matters that needed attention once more. Thinking it over, it seemed that everything he could do had already been done. What came next depended on whether developments could achieve the expected results.

"Hehe, Prime Minister Zhuge, you cannot blame me for this. I invited you to Guanzhong, but you refused to come, leaving me no choice but to swallow it all myself." Looking at the map of Guanzhong while toying with the jade pendant from the Peng family of Guanghan, Wei Ba sneered inwardly. "You wanted to use me as a spear; you are going to be disappointed."

Dunwu, who was standing to the side with his hand on his saber, heard this soliloquy and could not help raising an eyebrow. He glanced at Wei Ba, quickly raised a hand to rub his nose, and managed to suppress his laughter. *Young master, the Prime Minister is using you as a spear? Where does that leave the Prime Minister's wife?*

Unaware that Dunwu’s thoughts had wandered off in a strange direction, Wei Ba raised his head, casting his gaze toward the distant night sky where a bright moon hung over the corner of the eaves. Suddenly lost in thought, he stood up and said, "Dunwu, go to the dungeon and check on that Lady Xiaohua."

Dunwu was startled, and blurted out, "Young master, do you want to test the spear with Lady Xiaohua?"

"Test what spear?" Wei Ba asked, utterly baffled.

"Uh—" Seeing Wei Ba’s expression and assuming he was feeling shy, Dunwu hastily covered his mouth and said, "Nothing, nothing. I'll have someone prepare it immediately. There are too many captives these days; the dungeon is quite a mess." With that, he hurried off.

Wei Ba was even more puzzled, shaking his head. "What ghost is this kid playing at? Test what spear? What does that have to do with Lady Xiaohua..." He suddenly understood, his old face instantly turning bright red. Glancing at Dunwu’s retreating figure, he cursed under his breath as Xiahou Hui’s exquisitely delicate face floated before his eyes, suddenly stirring a ripple of desire within him.

This young lady was quite good-looking, and now that she was a captive, she truly made for a fine target to test his spear on.