I don't know when Zhuge Liang, like Wei Ba, adopted a different approach from the current mainstream military system, that is, partially restored the military system before Emperor Guangwu, maintained a certain number of county soldiers in each county to maintain law and order, and at the same time maintained a standing army that could go to war at any time, which was directly controlled in his own hands, and once there was a war, he could quickly put it into the battlefield.

Jiang Wei and Wei Yan retreated from Bingzhou, and the standing army of nearly 40,000 people lost more than 10,000, and after returning to Chang'an, they were not disbanded, but replenished, and were still stationed in Chang'an. When Wei Ba's three-way army attacked Wu, Zhuge Liang was able to quickly exert pressure on Yingchuan, so that Lu Xun did not dare to move lightly, because of the existence of this liliang.

After the autumn harvest, Zhuge Liang used the military parade as an excuse to transfer the garrisons from all over the country to gather in Chang'an, but it was just to further strengthen this standing army. Zhuge Liang was sick in bed, and it did not affect the adjustment of military power, Jiang Wei was like one of his hands, faithfully executing his orders, and controlling the military power of Guanzhong and Liangzhou in his own hands.

It can't be said that there are no different opinions, but at least for now, these opinions can't form an opposition to Liliang, when Wei Yan's thorn was opened, no one dared to jump out against Zhuge Liang's decision, even the Liangzhou elites under Wei Yan's command could only remain silent, closely watching the progress of the situation, and at the same time using official channels as much as possible to send the news of Guanzhong back to Chengdu and report it to Wei Yan.

That's all they can do.

Wu Yi has been in Chang'an. He still has the position of governor of Hanzhong, but the actual power is temporarily controlled by his son Wu Min, and he can stay in Chang'an wholeheartedly to stand for Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei. As a foreigner who has been in Yizhou since Liu Zhang's time. As the elder brother of the Queen Mother, he has a role that ordinary people can hardly imagine. He is like a rock rounded by time, although there are no edges and corners, but the weight should not be underestimated. With him standing by Zhuge Liang's side, he can suppress many voices invisibly.

The general of the chariot and cavalry has no opinion, what other opinion can an ordinary general have?

In addition to Wu Yi, there was another important person who was summoned to Chang'an: Xiang Lang.

Xiang Lang is a well-deserved veteran of the Jingxiang family. If Zhuge Liang is the leader of the Jingxiang system, then Xiang Lang is the leader of the Jingxiang system. When Ma Tan and Zhuge Liang broke up, the Jingxiang system was divided into two, or even divided into three. Xiang Lang, the old man, has a role that none of them can replace. Zhuge Liang summoned him from Shangqi to Chang'an. Naturally, he also hopes to use his prestige to help Jiang Wei and Yang Yi control the situation. And Xiang Lang left Shangti, and Shangti City, which was a fortress at the southern end of Longshan, naturally fell under Wang Ping's absolute control.

Wang Ping was a loyal supporter of Zhuge Liang.

There is Wang Ping in Shangtai, and Chen style in Xiaoguan. In the middle is Zhao Guang of Longguan. The western defense line of Guanzhong can basically be said to be foolproof. In Zhenxi, the general Wei Yan was sent to Chengdu. And when the elite Liliang under his command stayed in Chang'an, Liangzhou naturally became the Liangzhou of Liangzhou people, and Jiang Wei, a Liangzhou person, also had some advantages that others did not have.

That's all it takes. Zhuge Liang decided to leave Chang'an and return to Chengdu to face Li Yan face to face. The most worrying thing now is nothing else, but his body. Maybe it's because he was resting in bed for a while, maybe it's because Zhuge Jun came to Chang'an with Zhuge Zhan, which made him feel the warmth of family affection, and Zhuge Liang, who has been unable to govern, actually appeared in front of the public again and rushed to Chengdu.

This news surprised many people, when Zhuge Liang's Xuanche left Chang'an City, I don't know how many fast horses rushed out of Chang'an City.

Xiang Lang and Yang Yi accompanied him, Jiang Wei and Wu Yi went outside the city to see them off, and sent Zhuge Liang out of the long pavilion fifty miles away.

Jingzhao Taishou Zhao Su accompanied him, and when Zhuge Liang's carriage disappeared into the shadows of the trees like smoke in the distance, Zhao Su unconsciously came to Wu Yi's side. Wu Yi glanced over his head, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"What advice does Zhao Fujun have?"

Zhao Su smiled: "The general said that he was joking, where do I dare to advise the general." But there is a question I would like to ask the general to explain. ”

Wu Yi was silent, and glanced at Jiang Wei in the distance. Jiang Wei was still looking at the direction of Zhuge Liang's departure, his expression was focused and pious, as if he was a stone statue.

"General, now there are 50,000 troops stationed near Chang'an, and I am afraid that it will not be able to support it for too long with the grain stocks of the autumn harvest alone." Zhao Su had a polite smile on his face, but his brows were slightly frowned, as if he was worried about his official business. "General, if the army stays here, we may have to ask the imperial court to allocate some food."

Wu Yi did not speak. He knew what Zhao Su was tempting, but that didn't mean he was willing to tell Zhao Su. He was silent for a moment, and then said something that was incompatible.

"Chang'an used to be the capital of my Han Dynasty, and a mere army of 50,000 is nothing. Zhao Fujun, you can't treat yourself as an ordinary guard. Since you are a believer in the Tao of the Heavenly Master, you must not understand this truth. ”

Zhao Su raised his eyebrows, thoughtful. As Jingzhao Taishou, as the representative of the Hanzhong people in Guanzhong, and as a high-level in the Heavenly Master Dao, although Zhuge Liang did not tell him that he planned to return to Chengdu, he could guess it to some extent. Wu Yi's words were very vague, but the meaning that should be revealed was already in place, not only would the more than 50,000 troops not leave in the short term, but there might be more people entering Chang'an, and the burden on his shoulders was very heavy. If he does a good job, he may be able to seize this opportunity, but if he does not do a good job, he may be excluded.

Compared to the position of Jingzhao Taishou, choosing the object of support at such a sensitive time is a more important choice. One wrong step can lead to all the previous efforts being in vain.

Zhao Su had to carefully analyze the situation in front of him and make the most accurate judgment to minimize the risk without losing the opportunity.

……

When Zhuge Liang was still wandering along the plank road in Baoxie Valley, a fast horse rushed into the General's Mansion in Chengdu City.

After Li Yan finished reading the news that was so simple that it was only one sentence, his face turned blue and white for a while, and the corners of his eyes twitched involuntarily.

Zhuge Liang not only did not die, but became more and more energetic, and actually wanted to return to Chengdu. What is he going to do back to Chengdu, to fight for control of the emperor?

This is the exact opposite of what Li Yan expected.

Li Yan's heart was in turmoil. All his recent actions are based on the premise that Zhuge Liang is seriously ill and about to die, whether it is to provoke a debate about whether it is feasible to make a king of the opposite sex, or to make people propose to move the capital to Chang'an, it is all based on Zhuge Liang's poor health. If Zhuge Liang not only won't die, but also has the energy to return to Chengdu, things will be completely out of his control.

Even with Ma Tan's help, he didn't have the confidence to compete with Zhuge Liang head-on, not to mention that he now wondered if Ma Jian had ulterior motives. The news that Zhuge Liang was seriously ill came from Ma Yan's mouth. If Ma Jian and Zhuge Liang should be together, how can he still believe Ma Jian?

There is also Wei Ba, Wei Yan was deprived of military power by Zhuge Liang and returned to Chengdu, Wei Ba has not reacted so far, which also makes Li Yan uneasy. The father and son of the Wei family used to be very close to Zhuge Liang, which is a well-known truth in the world. If their relationship hadn't been as fractured to the point of no return, as he had imagined, would they stand back together?

Li Yan was full of doubts, and he didn't know who to trust for a while.

Fortunately, Zhuge Liang is not in good health and cannot travel day and night, and he still has a little time to prepare. While Li Yan was nervous, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and he was a little happy in his heart. In the face of Zhuge Liang, I don't have no chance of winning, at least my body is better than him. He didn't recuperate well in Chang'an, so he had to rush back to Chengdu, a trip of nearly 1,000 miles, and it was also a severe test.

Li Yan waited for two days before telling Ma Tan the news that Zhuge Liang had left Chang'an and was on his way back to Chengdu. Ma Jian was very surprised, and he lost his mind for a moment. Li Yan saw some familiar fear in his distraction, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Judging from Ma Tan's expression, at least Ma Tan did not expect Zhuge Liang to return to Chengdu suddenly, that is to say, it is not very likely that Ma Tan and Zhuge Liang should be together.

Ma Jian quickly calmed down: "General, is the prime minister's itinerary clear?" ”

Li Yan nodded. Zhuge Liang's departure from Chang'an exceeded everyone's expectations, of course, the ears and eyes he arranged would not be careless, how many miles Zhuge Liang advanced every day, and where he stayed, he was clear.

"Pay close attention to the Prime Minister's diet." Ma Tan's eyes became brighter and brighter, as if a warrior had seen a powerful enemy and aroused his fighting spirit. "In addition, find more unclear things, like the last time Qian Zhou suggested the establishment of a historian, it would be good, and send it to the prime minister with a fast horse for him to see."

Li Yan felt Ma Tan's nervousness and understood what Ma Tan meant. Paying attention to Zhuge Liang's diet is to pay attention to his physical recovery, and to find some unclear government affairs to give him, so that he can stay busy and not have a good rest, at least not let him think about how to fight for power with him with peace of mind.

Starting from the subtleties is the performance of the master.

"I see." Li Yan nodded, and said, "Do you think you want to inform Wei Ziyu about this matter?" ”

Ma Tan smiled: "General, the prime minister will return to Chengdu this time, I'm afraid he won't deal with the general alone." But to deal with the general and Wei Ziyu at the same time, he is not enough. I think, there is also a role of discord in this, the general is suspicious of Wei Ziyu, and the two of you are suspicious of each other, which is probably what the prime minister wants to see the most. ”

Li Yanpi grinned without smiling, looking a little embarrassed. Ma Yan's words today were very straightforward, and he didn't hide it at all, which made him feel embarrassed to be seen through. However, Li Yan also understood that Ma Yan was right, even if he was suspicious of Wei Ba, he couldn't let Zhuge Liang seize the opportunity. When he and Zhuge Liang compete head-on, at least Wei Ba's neutrality must be maintained.

Li Yan promised to have someone send a letter to Wei Ba to get him ready.

Ma Tan left the General's Mansion, returned to his home, locked himself in the study, and sat alone for most of the night. The next morning, he opened the door and called Xie Guanglong.

"You go to Jiaozhou immediately."

(To be continued......)