Chapter 38: North and South

At the south gate of Chengdu.

"Gao Qing, thank you for your hard work on this matter," Liu Zhang said, clasping the hand of the General of the Household who was preparing for the southern expedition against the Sou barbarians.

The burly Gao Pei bowed in a military salute and replied modestly, "It is my duty to serve you, my lord; I dare not call it hard work."

The two exchanged a knowing smile, their mutual understanding unspoken.

Liu Zhang gestured for Gan Jiu to approach and said to Gao Pei, "This man is named Gan Jiu. He is familiar with the geography of the southern regions and should be able to assist you."

"That is excellent," Gao Pei said with a smile, turning to Gan Jiu, "I look forward to your guidance, young brother Gan."

"I dare not, I dare not," Gan Jiu replied humbly.

After the exchange of pleasantries, Gao Pei’s expression turned solemn as he promised Liu Zhang, "Rest assured, my lord. I shall not allow the Sou barbarians to run rampant; I will return with a complete victory."

Liu Zhang nodded with a smile and pledged, "On the day of your triumph, I shall personally untie your armor."

Gao Pei bowed once more, mounted his horse, and led his four-thousand-strong army in a grand procession toward the south. Liu Zhang watched them depart, a faint smile on his face as the dust kicked up by the soldiers swirled in the air.

Compared to the straightforward and honest Yang Huai, he had chosen Gao Pei, known for his tactical flexibility, to handle the delicate task of infiltrating Ba Commandery. The situation in Ba Commandery was currently obscure and complex; it required someone clever to navigate the turmoil. Furthermore, while Yang Huai had spent years guarding Baishui and Jiange, mostly campaigning in Zitong Commandery and remaining ignorant of the local customs and terrain of Ba, Gao Pei had visited Ba Commandery once before to suppress a rebellion by the powerful Li clan, giving him a distinct advantage.

With Gao Pei sent to secure Jiangzhou, the seat of Ba Commandery, and Kuimen, the eastern gateway to Shu, Liu Zhang felt he could finally sleep soundly tonight. He would simply wait for news of the uprising in Ba to reach Chengdu, and then dispatch a great general to march east and quell the rebellion.

Among the crowd seeing them off, Zhao Wei watched the scene with a smile of his own. With Gao Pei heading to the south, he had one less powerful rival to worry about. Though he considered himself the most suitable candidate for the eastern campaign due to his prestige, familiarity with the terrain, and personal capability, one could never be too careful. Gao Pei’s previous experience in Ba Commandery had made him a potential contender.

*Hmph.* Zhao Wei sneered inwardly. Officially, the Li clan had been purged for rebellion, but everyone in Ba knew they had no such intentions; it was merely a pretext Liu Yan had concocted to kill and establish his authority. He had once been on friendly terms with Li Quan, the head of the Li clan, and it pained him even now to recall that he had been unable to save a fellow clansman.

After a moment of dejection, Zhao Wei cast thoughts of Li Quan aside and returned to the current situation. He had been worried that Liu Zhang might send Gao Pei to suppress the inevitable rebellion in Ba, but now, with Gao Pei gone, there were only himself and Yang Huai left as major generals under the young Liu Zhang. The command of the eastern expedition was surely his. He imagined his title of "General of the Household of Virtue" would soon be changed to "General of the Household of the East."

Liu Zhang noticed Zhao Wei smiling in the crowd and walked over. "General Zhao, please join me in my carriage. Let us return to the residence; I have an urgent matter to discuss."

Realizing he had been spotted, Zhao Wei wiped the smile from his face and bowed. "I would not dare refuse."

*An urgent matter?* Zhao Wei pondered. What could be urgent now? Gao Pei was already heading south, and the rebellion in Ba had yet to break out. He shook his head slightly, then recalled Liu Zhang’s earlier suggestion that he be sent to garrison Hanzhong.

*Hiss.* Zhao Wei drew a sharp breath. With the rebellion in Ba imminent and his own eyes set on leading the eastern campaign, he had to find a way to decline the Hanzhong assignment—and he could no longer do so with the same feigned enthusiasm as before.

As he sat in the carriage with Liu Zhang, Zhao Wei maintained a composed expression while his mind raced, desperately searching for a way to refuse the Hanzhong post.

They soon arrived at the Governor’s Mansion, where they took their seats as host and guest.

Liu Zhang spoke first, confirming Zhao Wei’s fears: "General Zhao, do you remember our previous discussion about you garrisoning Hanzhong?"

*Disaster,* Zhao Wei thought. He steeled himself and replied, "I have kept your words in my heart, my lord. Naturally, I remember."

"I have some new thoughts, but I wish to seek your opinion first," Liu Zhang said with a benevolent smile, his eyes narrowing as he studied Zhao Wei.

"Please speak freely, my lord. I am at your disposal," Zhao Wei said, adopting the persona of a loyal subject, as if he would agree to any request.

Liu Zhang waved a hand dismissively. "I am new to Yizhou, and I fear my judgment may be flawed. You must not agree to everything I say. If you see me acting rashly, you must offer honest, blunt advice to prevent me from making mistakes."

Zhao Wei bowed respectfully, though he sneered internally: *If you don't make mistakes, how am I to advance?*

After some small talk to warm the atmosphere, Liu Zhang turned to the matter at hand. "As I said before, if I were to send you to Hanzhong now, the foolish masses might think you have fallen out of my favor."

"Therefore, I intend to choose one of your subordinates, Colonels Pang Le or Li Yi, to lead their own troops to garrison Hanzhong and relieve Zhang Lu."

Suppressing his inner ecstasy, Zhao Wei forced himself to look as though he were deep in thought. After a moment, he said, "My lord, if you send only one, I fear he may not be enough to suppress Zhang Lu. It would be safer to send both Pang Le and Li Yi together."

Today was truly a good day. Zhao Wei was jubilant. With Gao Pei sent to the south, the command for the Ba expedition was his. And now, the young fool Liu Zhang was handing over his own trusted lieutenants, Pang Le and Li Yi, to replace Zhang Lu in Hanzhong. With this, both Hanzhong and Ba would be his. He could launch a pincer attack on Shu Commandery from the north and east, and Yizhou would be his in the blink of an eye.

He had considered it carefully: Zhang Lu was a formidable man, using his Five Pecks of Rice sect to beguile the people. Sending both Pang Le and Li Yi was indeed the safest way to ensure a successful transition of power in Hanzhong. As for Ba Commandery, his reputation preceded him; he believed that his mere presence would be enough to pacify the region without a single blade being drawn.

"General Zhao, your reasoning is sound," Liu Zhang said, adopting the air of a ruler who listens to counsel. "Zhang Lu is a petty man with hidden agendas. Sending both men is indeed the only way to ensure success. If they go together, even if Zhang Lu has designs, he will be powerless to act."

Also suppressing his internal joy, Zhao Wei feigned deep emotion. "My lord is truly a wise ruler who accepts good advice. I am moved to tears." He even changed his form of address, his eyes beginning to well up. It was not that he was truly moved, but he could barely contain his laughter, and the tears were the result of his intense effort to keep a straight face.

Liu Zhang watched the exaggerated display, marveling at Zhao Wei’s acting skills. "General Zhao, there is no need for this. We are one, lord and subject, and we shall never fail each other."

After discussing a few more details, Zhao Wei took his leave.

Watching Zhao Wei’s retreating figure, Liu Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. He had not expected things to go so smoothly. He had intended to send only one of the two colonels to Hanzhong, but Zhao Wei had served both up on a silver platter.

It was a game of driving tigers to devour wolves.

He just wondered whether the tigers would eat the wolves, or the wolves would eat the tigers.