Upon hearing Lu Li's name, Jiang Wei's expression instantly turned extremely solemn. After a long silence, he finally said, "Yes!"
He never intended to rely on the names of Guigu and Lu Li, but by some twist of fate, Zhuge Liang still found out.
Zhuge Liang was overjoyed because he greatly admired Jiang Wei, both for his personality and his talent.
"Mr. Lu has treated me very well, sending such a talented person to my side," Zhuge Liang said, stroking his beard with satisfaction.
Jiang Wei was somewhat embarrassed and didn't know how to respond to Zhuge Liang's words.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, let's talk about something else."
Zhuge Liang changed the subject, laughing, "I hereby appoint you as a Lieutenant General. You will be further rewarded after you have rendered meritorious service in battle. What do you say?"
For ordinary people, becoming a lieutenant general is like rising to the top in one step.
But Jiang Wei shook his head and said, "The Prime Minister is too kind, but Jiang Wei wants to rely on his own abilities."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but show an expression of appreciation.
He is neither arrogant nor impatient; he is indeed a rough gem.
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Alright, then you will serve as a centurion under Zhang Bao for now. I look forward to seeing how you achieve military merit."
"Thank you for your trust, Prime Minister!" Jiang Wei said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Zhuge Liang nodded, then looked at Chen Dao and said, "I intend to form an imperial guard called the White Ears Army to protect His Majesty. Would you be willing to be the commander of the White Ears Army?"
Chen Dao was immediately overjoyed, knelt on the ground, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister! This humble general obeys!"
Zhuge Liang smiled with satisfaction. "Today we have gained these two generals. It is truly a blessing from heaven for the Shu Kingdom!"
Three years later, Zhuge Liang devised the strategy of the Northern Expedition, which was the first large-scale war launched by the Shu Kingdom since Liu Shan succeeded to the throne!
"Your Majesty, for the past three years, our Shu Kingdom has been strong and well-equipped. Now is the perfect opportunity to launch a northern expedition against the Central Plains!" Zhuge Liang said excitedly.
Now that the Shu Kingdom is internally stable and holds two provinces, it is time to launch a northern expedition.
"You are right, Prime Minister. Everything can be arranged by you," Liu Shan said with a slight nod.
Where are Zhang Bao and Guan Xing?
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I hereby appoint you two to each lead 50,000 troops to attack and capture Hanzhong!"
"Your humble servant obeys!"
Jiang Wei was stunned; he thought he had misheard.
To capture Hanzhong? Shouldn't we launch a northern expedition from Jingzhou?
As the saying goes, the road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven. It's hard to get in, but it's also hard to get out!
Although Jiang Wei was puzzled, he did not say anything.
Where are Zhang Liao and Wei Yan?
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Zhang Liao is appointed as the commander-in-chief, and Wei Yan as the deputy commander, commanding 200,000 troops and stationed in the central army!"
"Your humble servant obeys!"
"Your Majesty, I will personally lead 100,000 troops as the rear guard."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan immediately refused, saying, "Your Excellency, you mustn't! Let the generals handle the fighting!"
Zhuge Liang sighed and said, "Your Majesty, if we want to quickly conquer the Central Plains, we must swiftly take Hanzhong, which would be tantamount to strangling Cao Cao."
After a pause, Zhuge Liang continued, "In this way, our Northern Expedition can proceed without worry!"
“Yuanzhi and Xiaozhi are both stationed in Jingzhou. I must go with them.”
After Liu Bei's death, Zhao Yun, Xu Shu, and Fa Zheng stayed behind to guard Jingzhou.
"Alright! Be careful, Your Excellency." Liu Shan hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.
On the sixth day of the third month, the Shu army set off for Hanzhong.
After Sima Yi captured Hanzhong, he was immediately transferred back to Xuchang and continued to be placed under house arrest by Cao Cao.
After Cao Cao's death, Cao Ang succeeded him. He carried on his father's will and heavily relied on Xi Zhong, Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, and others.
At this time, the one guarding Hanzhong was Cao Zhen of the Cao clan.
Although Cao Zhen was not as brave and skilled in battle as Cao Ren and Cao Hong, he was still a formidable general in the Cao family.
"Report... My lord, news has come from outside that the Shu army has dispatched a large force to invade Hanzhong!"
Cao Zhen was handling government affairs in his study when a person suddenly rushed in, panting, and said...
Cao Zhen frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
"According to the scouts, the Shu army's vanguard seems to have 100,000 troops, but they are divided into two groups!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Zhen's expression changed slightly, and he quickly asked, "Who is leading the army?"
"They're waving flags with the characters 'Guan' and 'Zhang' on them!"
"Come on, let's go out of the city and take a look!" Cao Zhen stood up and strode towards the city wall.
On the city wall, the Shu soldiers were already fully armed and ready to attack, just waiting for Cao Zhen's order.
"Greetings, General!" Everyone greeted Cao Zhen with clasped hands in unison as he appeared.
Cao Zhen waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities."
Cao Zhen looked at the Shu army in the distance. They had a forest of banners and a murderous aura, and they were clearly elite troops.
"The flag with the character 'Guan' should belong to Guan Xing, the son of Guan Yu, while the flag with the character 'Zhang' should belong to Zhang Bao, the son of Zhang Fei!"
"If Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were here in person, I would be somewhat afraid. But Zhuge Liang sent these two greenhorns as the vanguard. It seems that the Shu army is truly lacking in talent!" Cao Zhen sneered.
"General, what should we do?" Cao Zhen asked from the side.
Cao Zhen narrowed his eyes to slits and said coldly, "Since the Shu Kingdom has sent two children to their deaths, then kill them all!"
Cao Zhen didn't take Guan Xing and Zhang Bao seriously.
After all, those two kids are too inexperienced and not worth worrying about at all!
"Here you go!"
Soon the Wei army began to assemble, while Cao Zhen rode on horseback, quietly observing the Shu army's actions.
"Brothers, as the art of war says, 'Strike unexpectedly, attack where the enemy is unprepared!'"
"Do you dare to charge into the Shu army's camp with me? To dampen the morale of the Shu army's vanguard?" Cao Zhen shouted.
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