At the very moment Liu Bei and Kongming departed from Chengdu for Hanzhong,
the southern front in Nanzhong was also advancing—steadily, methodically, without pause.
As the campaign progressed step by step, Sima Yi found himself increasingly astonished.
Shu Commandery truly did possess capable men.
Take Wu Yi, for example.
When governing troops, he was strict.
When deploying forces, he was steady.
When battle was joined, he personally led from the front.
Calling him a general of true caliber was no exaggeration at all.
Then there was Zhang Yi.
Merely a gongcao by background, yet once entrusted with troops, he showed no fear of death—charging first into battle and setting himself up as a living standard for the soldiers behind him.
In Sima Yi's eyes, Zhang Yi was clearly a general in the making, lacking only experience.
Zhang Yi's performance successfully dispelled Sima Yi's earlier doubts.
And yet, Sima Yi still could not quite understand how Liu Bei had been able to see through appearances, override objections, and promote this man in the first place.
After all, a gongcao and commanding troops had nothing to do with each other—
true, the Former Han had produced founding ministers who began as gongcao…
But Xiao He had been one of the Three Heroes of Early Han, later honored with the posthumous title "Wen."
How could that comparison possibly hold?
Still, no matter how one looked at it, Zhang Yi was undeniably a genuine seedling of a great general.
Sima Yi took note.
And even Li Hui—who at first glance seemed entirely unremarkable—was able to identify gaps and oversights in Sima Yi's strategy against the Cuan clan.
Especially notable was Li Hui's familiarity with the great families of Nanzhong.
That alone made Sima Yi inwardly envious.
His earlier condescension gradually faded, replaced by a desire to befriend these men.
Unfortunately, this was where Sima Yi began to feel a headache coming on.
He wished to humble himself and build connections—
but none of them seemed particularly receptive.
General Wu Yi, who held the post of Commandant, always maintained a stern, unreadable expression when dealing with others—a clear keep your distance sort of demeanor.
When Sima Yi discussed strategy against the Cuan clan, Wu Yi listened attentively and even raised occasional questions, making it clear he had put real effort into military studies.
But the moment conversation drifted away from official matters, Wu Yi's interest evaporated.
Most of the time, Sima Yi spoke; Wu Yi listened quietly, lips curved with a faint, inscrutable smile.
That single smile made Sima Yi deeply uncomfortable.
Because he knew it all too well.
It was the smile of someone who felt everything was already under control.
Back in the north, when Sima Yi had first faced the envoys Cao Cao sent to summon him into service,
he himself had worn that very same smile.
Thus, with Wu Yi, Sima Yi could only give up.
Things went no better with Zhang Yi and Li Hui.
Zhang Yi lived frugally.
On Sima Yi's first private visit, he found the vanguard general personally stitching repairs into his own leather armor.
On the second visit, he happened upon Zhang Yi standing in a field, teaching the local tribesmen how to use a curved plow.
None of this fell within Sima Yi's sphere of understanding—or expertise.
As for the delicacies, fine wine, and prized horses that Sima Zhongda was familiar with, Zhang Yi's utter lack of interest was written plainly on his face.
So once again, Sima Yi withdrew.
Visiting Li Hui was at least somewhat smoother—but only just.
Speaking with Li Hui reminded Sima Yi of his elder brother, Sima Lang.
Warm as a spring breeze in manner, easy to converse with—yet in private, impeccably measured, never forming deep attachments.
Each visit was pleasant.
Each conversation agreeable.
And yet, after several meetings, the actual relationship made no progress at all.
After making the rounds and achieving nothing of substance, Sima Yi gradually abandoned the effort.
He could only conclude that the depth of talent under Imperial Uncle Liu was in no way inferior to that under Cao… Cao the bandit.
Rather than wasting effort here, he would be better off producing tangible achievements, earning the Imperial Uncle—no, the lord's—favor, and returning to the northern front.
By then, he, a son of the Sima clan, would no longer need to swallow such slights.
With this mindset in place, the pacification of the Cuan clan proceeded with remarkable speed.
The Cuan clan held Tonglao, defending difficult terrain where large troop formations were hard to deploy.
At Sima Yi's suggestion, Wu Yi led the main army to contest the high ground, securing it with crossbowmen and advancing steadily to draw enemy attention.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi, with Meng Huo as his deputy, detoured through Guchang and Lianran, advancing by night straight to the gates of Dianchi.
Meng Huo, having grown up in Nanzhong, volunteered to disguise himself as a member of the Cuan clan, tricked the guards into opening the gates, and allowed Zhang Yi's elite troops to surge in and seize the city under cover of darkness.
The fall of Dianchi instantly shook the Cuan clan's rear.
Using his intelligence network, Li Hui precisely detected the news, and Wu Yi did not hesitate—
his army advanced at once, pressing straight toward Tonglao.
At the same time, he ordered the troops to shout loudly:
"Wudan has fallen!"
"Tongbing has fallen!"
Both Wudan and Tongbing lay directly behind Tonglao, and neither was far from Dianchi.
Wu Yi's move threw the defenders of Tonglao into utter chaos.
From a distance, Wu Yi could even see figures atop the walls jumping and hurling curses.
It made no difference.
The Tonglao defenders collapsed at first contact.
"General's might is unmatched!"
Sima Yi waved flags and shouted encouragement from the side—the last thing he could meaningfully contribute on this battlefield.
And in truth, he wasn't wrong.
Once Wu Yi judged that Tonglao was beyond saving, he ignored Sima Yi's unconcealed eagerness and handed battlefield command to Li Hui.
Then, leading his personal guards, he charged forward himself.
Wu Yi's entry became the final weight tipping the scales.
Soldiers do not carefully evaluate whether the enemy before them is rabble or elite.
They only know one thing:
Ever since the pacification of Nanzhong began, whenever they fought under General Wu, victory followed without exception.
One side surged with momentum—disciplined, confident, and convinced of victory.
The other was gripped by panic, worried for its rear, and poorly trained.
The fortifications the Cuan clan had labored for months to build along the gorge proved useless.
Wu Yi's fierce assault soon carried him onto the walls, sapping what little morale remained.
Among Wu Yi's guards were men fluent in local tribal dialects.
Seeing the moment, they raised their voices without hesitation:
"Tonglao has fallen! The general has fled!"
Battlefield information travels poorly.
For the Cuan troops, simply hearing that their rear had fallen was enough to sow panic.
Now, with the tide visibly against them and such cries ringing out, their will to fight shattered completely.
No one knew exactly where the rout began.
But Wu Yi soon felt the pressure at his side vanish.
When the final tribesman before him dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, Wu Yi straightened—and saw the narrow pass filled entirely with his own infantry.
Those conscripted by the Cuan clan had either fled or surrendered.
Just as the guards had shouted, Tonglao was taken, and the enemy commanders had escaped.
There was not a single true city in all of Nanzhong.
Even Tonglao's pass had been hastily constructed by the Cuan clan over mere months.
Now that this defensive line had been pierced, Wu Yi knew with certainty—
The complete recovery of Nanzhong lay unobstructed ahead.
And as a commander, Wu Yi knew exactly what he must do next.
After the battlefield was cleared, his gaze lingered briefly on Li Hui and Sima Yi.
Almost without hesitation, he made his decision.
"De'ang," Wu Yi called Li Hui by his courtesy name, his tone warm.
"I'll trouble you to lead the rear army, mop up the remaining rebels at Tonglao, then advance along the Wen River and garrison Wudan."
Then he turned.
"Registrar Sima—please accompany me in pursuit of the rebels."
Sima Yi showed no disappointment. He clasped his hands.
"General may address me by my courtesy name… I obey your command."
Wu Yi smiled faintly.
By instinct, he felt this campaign was nearing its end.
Southern Yizhou was called Nanzhong, and its heart lay right here.
Centered around the vast Dian Marsh—broad as a sea—were nearly twenty towns, and if villages were counted, close to a hundred inhabited settlements.
Pacify this region, and Yizhou would no longer be fractured.
From here, one could advance north into Guanzhong, east into Jing and Yang, south into Jiaozhou—no longer trapped defending a single corner of the realm.
And then there was his younger sister…
Wu Yi suppressed the thought and felt his fighting spirit rise.
Over the next month, Wu Yi and Zhang Yi moved like two great arms, methodically sweeping the lands around Dian Marsh.
Dianchi, Wudan, Tongbing, Xifeng, Shengxiu—key cities were garrisoned and assigned officials.
The region was formally pacified and restored as part of Yizhou.
By early February, the work was complete.
Wu Yi immediately led his troops south again.
Advancing through the Jinsheng Gorge linking Jiaozhou and Yizhou, Wu Yi stationed Li Hui at Dian Marsh, then concentrated forces with Zhang Yi to seize Bengu County at the northern end of the gorge.
He left Sima Yi to garrison the area, then marched east with Zhang Yi, capturing Xunfeng County without difficulty.
North of Wanwen City, they intercepted the last remnants of the fleeing Cuan clan.
The outcome was inevitable.
Desperate to escape, the Cuan forces collapsed swiftly—dead, surrendered, none left standing.
Witnessing this, the people of Wanwen opened their gates and welcomed Wu Yi inside.
"After nearly eight months of campaigning," Wu Yi said calmly atop the modest city tower,
"Yizhou is finally pacified."
Beside him, Zhang Yi was visibly overwhelmed with excitement.
"If only our lord were here," he said hoarsely.
Wu Yi did not speak—but his expression said the same.
He soon collected himself, glanced at the captured rebels below, and smiled.
"Petty rebels blocking the road like mantises," he said.
"Our lord has likely already reached Hanzhong."
"When we return, perhaps we'll hear news of the recovery of the Three Qins."
That thought only made Zhang Yi more excited.
Wu Yi, however, found himself uncertain of the next step.
From Bengu, traveling two hundred li through Jinsheng Gorge led to Jiaozhi.
From Wanwen, the Qiangke Road ran east—complex terrain leading to Hepu in Jiaozhou.
News of Nanzhong's pacification would surely reach Jiaozhou through these trade routes.
How would Shi Xie respond?
Would the other Sima Yi—sharing the same name—handle it well?
The thought surfaced unbidden.
But Wu Yi did not dare act on it.
Before returning to Chengdu, their lord had privately instructed him:
Sima Yi must not be entrusted with heavy authority.
That was why Wu Yi had stationed Li Hui at Dian Marsh and kept Sima Yi close.
His relationship with the lord might grow… complicated.
He would not delay his younger sister's future.
Two words guided him:
He listens.
Wanwen was populous but remote—its prosperity built on trade, lacking great clans or magnates.
After leaving a small garrison, Wu Yi began the return march.
Dian Marsh was the true fertile heart of southern Yizhou and required careful governance.
But unexpectedly, upon returning to Bengu, Sima Yi brought startling news.
"Envoys from Jiaozhou?"
Sima Yi nodded.
"Led by Shi Hui, son of Shi Xie. Two deputies accompany him—Lu Meng and Gan Yi."
After a pause, he added thoughtfully,
"From my observation, neither is an ordinary man."
Wu Yi nodded calmly.
"Have they said the purpose of their visit?"
Sima Yi's expression grew animated.
"Unrest has arisen in southern Jing. They seek to borrow troops."
Wu Yi was momentarily speechless.
Sima Yi stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"General, I believe—"
Wu Yi raised a hand, stopping him.
His lord's words echoed in his mind.
And at that moment, Wu Yi thought of his sister in distant Chengdu.
Their family hailed from Chenliu. Their uncle Wu Kuang had served as deputy to General-in-Chief He Jin.
When He Jin died and chaos engulfed the court, the Wu family fled west with Liu Yan into Shu.
No one could have foreseen that Liu Yan himself would rebel—killing imperial envoys, severing Hanzhong, even building imperial carriages with ambitions toward Chang'an.
Nor that their present lord would now tread the old path of Emperor Gao, restoring the Han.
In such times, one could not afford to cling to a corner.
Thus Wu Yi waved his hand.
"Then let us meet the envoys of Jiaozhou."
Far away in Chengdu, as Wu Yi thought of his sister, the Wu lady—speaking softly with Lady Sun—seemed to sense something and gazed southward in a daze.
Her distraction was quickly noticed by Ah Dou, who clung to her leg and began to whine.
Lady Sun clicked her tongue.
"Ah Dou, you still have ten sets of the Five Animal Exercises left."
She tapped his shoulder lightly with a wooden sword.
Ah Dou obediently returned to practice.
Only months after reuniting with his father in Chengdu, his father had departed again—Kongming along with him, bound for Hanzhong.
He remembered Kongming's words:
Strengthen the body.
Study diligently.
Only then could he aid his father—and stand at his side.
The Wu lady sighed.
Her brother was still campaigning in the south.
Lord Xuande was now in Hanzhong.
Chengdu bustled as ever, yet to her, it had lost its color.
Watching Ah Dou practice, she suddenly thought of something.
Lady Sun also had a brother.
One who now attacked Lord Xuande without hesitation.
Caught between loyalties, Lady Sun must be suffering far more than she herself was.
Compared to that, her own worries felt small.
Nearby, Lady Gan sat quietly, watching the Wu lady whisper something to Lady Sun, drawing soft laughter and easing her frown.
I wonder how my husband fares in Hanzhong…
Meanwhile, Liu Bei felt quite at ease.
Striding boldly into Shanggui, he laughed from afar.
"A year apart, Xianhe—and you are well. My heart is greatly comforted!"