People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 529 Retreat!

"Father, now it seems that Shu Han is in trouble. The Yellow Turbans have managed to bypass Jiange and enter the heart of Shu. Now that Shu is under siege, who can restrain them? At least our 30,000 soldiers are definitely not strong enough to do so!"

Not long after the army stopped to rest, a young general rode up to Wei Yan and started talking to him worriedly. He was Wei Chang, the eldest son of Wei Yan.

Wei Yan had only been leading his troops to serve Shu Han for a short time, and had not yet established his own prestige in the Shu Han army. He also had few available men, and only his own direct subordinates could be truly commanded.

Wei Chang was not actually a talented general, but he was already Wei Yan's right-hand man.

Hearing his son's judgment, Wei Yan frowned and looked troubled. How could he not understand what his son could see? However, the truth was more serious than Wei Chang said.

"It's not just Shu Han that is in trouble. The Wu-Shu alliance is in trouble, and the only remaining powerful families on the south bank of the Yangtze River are in trouble. In this battle, the Wu-Shu coalition hasn't even had a head-on confrontation with the main force of the Yellow Turbans, and fires are breaking out everywhere, making it difficult to take care of both ends. It's impossible for them to win from now on." Wei Yan's tone was deep and full of worry as he spoke.

Wei Chang was stunned at first, then fell silent for a while, and apparently he came to his senses.

It is said that up to now, the main forces of Wu, Shu and Xuan Xia have not really engaged in direct combat, but the South has been unable to withstand it. It is hard to imagine what the scene will be like after the real fight.

If Yangzhou and Shuzhong were to fall one after another, the lifelines of Wu and Shu would be held by the Yellow Turbans respectively. Would it be possible to win this war?

"Father, are you saying that the Wu-Shu alliance is doomed to fail?" Although Wei Chang had already made a vague judgment in his mind, he still didn't dare to be completely sure.

Wei Yan got off his horse and looked at Fucheng, which was only a few dozen miles away, and at Chengdu in the other direction. He was obviously thinking about something, but he did not delay answering Wei Chang's question: "Although the situation between Wu and Shu is critical now and the hope of a comeback is slim, nothing is absolute in this world, so we'd better be prepared for both situations."

Wei Chang couldn't help but get nervous. With the world changing, no one could stay out of it. The outcome of this war also affected the fate of them, father and son.

If the Yellow Turbans had won and Wu and Shu had perished, then as part of the powerful aristocratic families, they would inevitably have to suffer the Yellow Turbans' reckoning and public trial. Perhaps they could have saved their lives because they had not done any evil, but the social class decline of their families and individuals would have been inevitable.

Who would be willing to pick up a hoe and dig in the soil again when they can act like a master and do whatever they want?
However, if we want to stand on the side of Wu and Shu and fight the Yellow Turbans, it seems that there is a 99% chance that we will end up seeking our own death. Not only will we fall down the social ladder, we will not even be able to keep our lives, and we will not even be able to get food.

Wei Chang felt that he had reached a crossroads in his fate: "Father, what should we do?"

Wei Yan's feeling at this moment was just like that of Ma Miao, the magistrate of Fucheng County before him. He was going through a fierce ideological struggle in his heart. If he took a wrong step at this moment, the result might be the difference between life and death.

Seeing that Wei Yan remained silent for a long time, Wei Chang became even more nervous.

If they go forward, they will have to face the suffocatingly powerful Yellow Turbans. What are the chances of winning? Wei Chang's scalp tingles just thinking about it.

If he could occupy Jianmen Pass and fight the Yellow Turbans, he could still try his luck. But now that they have already rushed in, he doesn't know how he can defeat the Yellow Turbans.

Among the 30,000 troops that came back to support, the only ones that could be counted on were the 10,000 private soldiers brought by Wei Yan himself. The 20,000 conscripts deployed by Liu Bei were not capable of fighting at all.

With just this little strength, can you defeat 20,000 fierce and ferocious Yellow Turbans? Even if Wei Chang drank ten more pots of wine, he would not be able to say such a thing.

After a long time, Wei Yan finally responded. He narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of Jianmen Pass and said, "Once the Yellow Turbans take Fucheng, they will definitely attack Jianmen Pass from both sides. Our army is not strong enough to stop them. I'm afraid we have to accept the reality of the fall of Jianmen Pass. The only thing we can do now is to stop the loss as much as possible. After the army has rested for a while, we will immediately turn around and march towards Chengdu."

Wei Chang was stunned when he heard this, and was obviously a little surprised: "If we let the Yellow Turbans enter the pass, it would be equivalent to handing over Shuzhong to us. What can we do even if we defend Chengdu to the death?"

Wei Yan said in a deep voice: "All we can do is to preserve the capital and wait for your majesty's army to come back for help. If your majesty can come back, there is still hope of recovering Shu."

After saying that, Wei Yan just patted Wei Chang on the shoulder, and without further explanation, he went somewhere else.

Wei Chang stayed where he was and fell into deep thought.

He saw a meaningful look in Wei Yan's eyes. It was obvious that Wei Yan had not finished saying some things, which left the not-so-smart Wei Chang with no choice but to think about it slowly afterwards.

Fortunately, although Wei Chang is not very smart, he is still serious after all. As he thought about it, he really gained some insights.

Rather than returning to Chengdu to preserve strength and wait for Liu Bei's help, it would be more accurate to say that he took a step back and watched the situation develop.

If Liu Bei really comes back to drive away the Yellow Turbans, it would be a merit for me to keep Chengdu. If Liu Bei does not come back, there will be no way out for us, so we can consider surrendering.

After all, Wei Yan still didn't dare to make a complete decision. He wanted to wait and see, and decide his choice based on the outcome of the main battlefield of the Wu-Shu coalition.

Wei Chang thought about it and decided that taking a step back was an option. At least he didn't have to fight the Yellow Turbans head on and get beaten to a bloody pulp. He could retreat to Chengdu and rely on the convenience of the city's high walls to be qualified to challenge the 20,000 Yellow Turbans.

As for the loss of Jianmen Pass and the fall of Shuzhong, what does this have to do with me?
The so-called retreat to Chengdu to defend the imperial city could also be to hold the court hostage and keep the possibility of surrendering to the Yellow Turbans at any time. By then, as long as all the people in the Shu Han court and Liu Bei's relatives were packaged and presented to the Yellow Turbans, it would be a great achievement.

After thinking this through, Wei Chang couldn't help but admire Wei Yan's foresight. It could be said that this was almost the most favorable choice for him under the current circumstances, as it not only retained the possibility of Liu Bei's return, but at worst there was also a chance for him to surrender to the Yellow Turbans.

After his thoughts were opened, Wei Chang's mind calmed down a little, thinking that he would not reach a dead end after all.

The current situation is unpredictable and a single move could affect the entire body. With these 30,000 troops in their hands, the father and son are no longer considering how to serve Shu Han, but quietly observing the development of the world situation and seeking possible benefits for themselves.

Wei Yan and his son, who died for Liu Bei and devoted themselves to Shu Han, did not have such awareness, even though they had just joined Shu Han.

And the person who had such thoughts in his mind might not be just Wei Yan.

It was Deng Dang on the Xiangyang battlefield. Although his mental journey was completely different from Wei Yan's, they ended up in the same place. They gradually drifted away from the forces they belonged to, and even stood directly on the opposite side.

(End of this chapter)