At the sight of the Emperor's exaggerated assumption, Zhang He, being new to the court, was not yet accustomed to the Emperor's jumping thoughts, and said immediately: "So in Your Majesty's assumption, is it because Your Majesty is worried about the many soldiers of Zhuge Liang that he wants to destroy the roads?"
Cao Ren smiled lightly: "Destroying the roads is not the purpose of the Emperor. Both you and the Great General should know that Zhuge Liang can come to attack from any direction. The Emperor is only limiting the ways Zhuge Liang can come to attack."
"General Zhang, the Emperor has long heard of the difficulty of Shu's roads. Zi Wu Road, Tang Luo Road, Fou Xia Road, and Chen Cang Road. Do you think which of these four roads is easiest to block?"
Zhang He is not unworthy of being a famous general of the state. Years of experience leading troops in Yong and Liang have made him extremely familiar with the mountainous terrain and geography of the border. How can a military leader not recognize the geography and terrain?
After a moment of silence, Zhang He said, "Your Majesty, if it is necessary to destroy roads, the Fou Xia Road would be the easiest to damage. I have heard that the plank roads along the Fou Xia Road are situated between cliffs and sheer walls, with holes in the mountains serving as posts and wooden beams inserted as supports, with wooden boards laid to connect into a gallery. Since they are plank roads, they must be relatively easy to destroy."
Cao Ren nodded in agreement: "Constructing false causeways and secretly crossing the Chen Cang Pass, it is all about this Fou Xia Road! When Liu Bang was the King of Han, he burned all the causeways he had crossed to show the Chao brothers that he had no intention of claiming the world. That was his strategy."
"Now the Emperor and all the ministers know that the Fou Xia Road is easy to destroy. If the other three roads are not easily destroyed, can we build fortresses on the roads?"
Zhang He hesitated and said, "Nowadays, there are not many soldiers in Yong and Liang. On the three roads—Zi Wu Road, Tang Luo Road, and Chen Cang Road—there are no soldiers stationed along these routes, so naturally there are no complete forts."
"Since the Emperor mentioned building fortifications, there are indeed suitable locations along these three roads."
How can a Shu road without fortifications be considered difficult?
Cao Rui nodded and said, "I also understand geography. Fortresses must be built at narrow and perilous spots along the road, and there are many such narrow and dangerous areas in the Shu roads. How could they not be suitable for fortifications?"
Zhang He bowed his hands: "The three roads are different, and the places suitable for building fortifications are also different. Let me start with the eastern Zi Wu Road."
Cao Rui did not speak out, but extended his hand to indicate that Zhang He should continue.
Zhang He said, "From Chang'an City to the mouth of the Zi Wu Valley, going upstream for over twenty miles, one can reach the watershed between the Zi Wu Valley and the Feng River. This place relies on plank roads for passage and can be destroyed. Another twenty miles south from the watershed leads to the ruins of Zi Wu Pass."
"Although the Zi Wu Pass has long been in ruins, its geographical dangers and ruggedness make it suitable for use if troops are dispatched to repair and renovate it."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "So it's from Chang'an to the mouth of the Zi Wu Valley, with plank roads for over twenty miles, and another fifty miles or so to the Zi Wu Pass, right? With this distance, if troops are stationed at the Zi Wu Pass, even if the pass is captured by the enemy, retreat to the Zi Wu Valley and Feng River and burn down the plank roads. The enemy troops will not be able to cross?"
Zhang He assented, "Your Majesty's words are most accurate. The Zi Wu Road is about six or seven hundred miles long. If we secure these two positions, the enemy troops will be confined within the Zi Wu Road."
Cao Rui took a deep breath and said, "What about Tang Luo Road?"
Zhang He thought for a moment: "Tang Luo Road is over six hundred miles long. From Luo Gu Valley, follow the Xi Luo Gu Water and head southwest about eighty miles to the Eighteen Plateau, where the terrain is extremely perilous. A fort can be built here. Moreover, there are many mountains obstructing the road from the northern Luo Gu Valley to the southern Tang Shui Valley. Controlling one or two of these locations will suffice to block Tang Luo Road."
Cao Rui continued to ask, "General Zhang has spoken well. Now, please tell the ministers and me about Chen Cang Road as well?"
Zhang He nodded: "If fortifications are to be built on the Chen Cang Road, it will be much easier than for Tang Luo Road or Zi Wu Road. There is a scattered pass at about forty miles southwest of the Chen Cang City. The scattered pass is like the Zi Wu Pass, dilapidated and without any soldiers stationed there. If the scattered pass is repaired, its effect will be similar to that of the Zi Wu Pass, preventing enemy troops from reaching the Chen Cang Road."
"Do you all understand?" Cao Rui, pointing towards Zhang He with one hand and looking at Cao Zhen, Cao Hong, and the others present: "From Han to Guan there are four roads. Among them, Fou Xia Road can be destroyed, while the remaining three roads can have fortresses built for defense."
"Even if the enemy troops can take down the forts, the time they gain is enough for Da Wei to mobilize troops and officers. At least there will be no worries in Guanzhong among these two places, Guanzhong and Longyou."
"If Guanzhong has no worries, the troops can be used with all their might in Longyou. Even if Zhuge Liang's army comes, the defense will undoubtedly be more relaxed and orderly."
Cao Rui coughed lightly: "I am not discussing military strategies with you, but rather the simplest deployment of forces. If the Zi Wu Road, Tang Luo Road, Fou Xia Road, and Chen Cang Road are all unobstructed, with four roads in Guanzhong and one road in Longyou, there is no way to immediately know which road Zhuge Liang's real army is on and which road is a decoy."
"I don't believe that a few forts will permanently block the enemy troops, but at least it will give Da Wei enough time to calmly deploy troops."
E Emperor, listening to the Emperor's statement, also sighed lightly: "Your Majesty is wise. I have also led several campaigns in Yong and Liang, and indeed, the counties are ravaged and all industries are in ruins. This is inseparable from the chaos in Liangzhou for many years."
Cao Rui nodded, indicating that Cao Zhen should continue.
Cao Zhen continued to say, "In my early years, I fought against Ma Chao and Han Su in the army of Wu Di, and the general beside me fought against Song Jian. I also fought with the general beside me to suppress the Qiang."
"But the chaos in Liangzhou did not start only in these years. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, figures like Beiyu of the North Palace, Wenhou Li, Biao Zhang, and Han Su all rebelled. To go further back, the disturbances from the Qiang people troubling the border counties of Liangzhou have been going on for several centuries."
"Our Da Wei has only controlled Yong and Liang for just ten years, and looking at this, it would be difficult to resist with only the forces of two states. It would be hard to fight against eighty thousand people if we don't send troops from the Central Plains."
Cao Rui clenched his left fist on the desk, stroked the wine cup with his right hand, and his eyes had already narrowed slightly: "In that case, the two states of Yong and Liang need even more wise and brave generals to command for the Emperor."
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, combined with yesterday's news that Xiahou Chuan had lost his position as the Governor of Chang'an and the title of General Anxi, as well as Zhang He's recent hurried return from Qianxian County, it seems that the Emperor has already seen the name of the person to command the forces in Yong and Liang.
But it's not clear yet! Besides General Cao Zhen and General Cao Hong, almost all of the generals from the Cao and Xiahou families present on the stage hold their breaths, watching the Emperor.
Some are excited and tense, while others look solemn, which describes the situation of Xiahou the Secretary sitting below Cao Hong.
Out of everyone's expectations, Cao Rui pointed to a name that no one had guessed.
"Xiahou Zhongquan!" With the Emperor's voice, everyone looked towards Xiahou Dong's second son, Xiahou Biao.
Xiahou Biao's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the Emperor. But quickly realizing that the Emperor was addressing him, he got up from behind the desk and walked to the center of the hall.
After bowing respectfully, Xiahou Biao said, "Your servant Xiahou Biao pays his respects to the Majesty."
