The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 242 Liu Bei's Personnel Appointments in Liangzhou

In a battle between two armies, morale is the most important factor, and morale is inextricably linked to victory or defeat. As long as you keep winning, morale will continue to rise.

The Han army was riding high after their victory, so when they heard Zhuge Liang say that Cao Cao might attack Hanzhong, they were not afraid but excited. They all volunteered, saying, "This mere Cao Cao is nothing to fear. If he dares to come, we will make sure he never returns."

“That’s right. The King has already won three consecutive victories against Cao Cao in Hanzhong, Xiangfan, and Longxi. Winning another one will not be difficult. Strategist, tell me how to fight.”

"It's good that Cao Cao has come. We should defeat him again in Hanzhong, then head north to Guanzhong to attack Chang'an, completely take over the ancient capital of the Han Dynasty, and relive the glory of Emperor Gaozu."

The generals were in high spirits and so excited that they were almost floating on air.

However, they did have the right to be arrogant, because since Liu Bei occupied Bashu, he had never lost to Cao Cao, and had won in Hanzhong and Longxi.

As for Xiangfan, Guan Yu inflicted irreparable damage on Cao Cao, and his eventual defeat was due to betrayal by allies and teammates, and had nothing to do with the Wei army.

In other words, Guan Yu was still the victor in the Battle of Xiangfan against the Wei army.

It's not wrong to say that Liu Bei won all three major battles against Cao Cao for Hanzhong, Longxi, and even Xiangfan. With such a record, who wouldn't be overconfident?

Zhuge Liang remained calm and, looking at the enthusiastic generals, said, "Cao Cao's foundation is far deeper than ours. Even the crushing defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs didn't do much to him. What is a mere minor defeat at Longxi to that scoundrel Cao Cao?"

"Moreover, the upcoming counterattack is very likely to be Cao Cao's final act in this life, so it will definitely be extremely fierce. We must deal with it carefully. So everyone remember the principle that pride comes before a fall. Go all out to withstand this counterattack. As for the rest, we'll deal with it after the battle is over."

The generals' expressions changed simultaneously, and they all bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"

Zhuge Liang turned to face Liu Bei, bowed slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, you shall arrange the rest."

Liu Bei nodded and stood up. After scanning his generals one by one, he said, "This time, we must not only defend Hanzhong, but also Longxi. We finally managed to capture the Longxi highlands, and I don't want to lose them. Wei Yan, you work hard again and prepare to lead 10,000 troops back to Hanzhong to set up defenses in advance. I will return to Hanzhong in three days."

Wei Yan was the Prefect of Hanzhong and concurrently the Commander-in-Chief of Hanzhong. He was responsible for the defense of Hanzhong and, upon hearing this, did not refuse and immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes, sir."

Liu Bei continued, "I appoint Huang Quan as Governor of Liangzhou, Cheng Ji as Assistant Governor of Liangzhou, Guan Ping as Prefect of Tianshui to defend Jieting, Wang Pingsheng as Assistant Prefect of Tianshui and General Who Subdues Bandits to assist Guan Ping in defending Jieting, and Xi Zhen as Chief Clerk of Tianshui and Magistrate of Shanggui County to guard Shanggui and prevent Wei troops from launching a surprise attack through the narrow pass of Chencang."

After this battle, Tianshui Commandery became the front line between Shu Han and Cao Wei, and the safety of Tianshui Commandery was directly related to the survival of Longxi. Therefore, it was necessary to arrange for several loyal and capable people to guard it.

Guan Ping was undoubtedly the best choice. First of all, he was his eldest nephew, and his loyalty was beyond question. Secondly, Guan Ping had made great military achievements and was gentle in nature. He did not have his father's arrogant attitude of looking down on the gentry, nor did he have his third uncle's violent temper of beating and scolding soldiers. He was an all-around warrior without any flaws. Liu Bei would be absolutely at ease letting him guard Tianshui County.

As for Wang Ping, although he was a surrendered general, he made great contributions in this battle, thus proving his ability and loyalty, so he must be given an important position.

Another advantage of heavily relying on Wang Ping is that it allows the Wei generals who have not yet surrendered to see Liu Bei's attitude towards them, thus enabling them to surrender without hesitation in future battles.

As for Xi Zhen, even after Sun Quan and Lü Meng betrayed him and Jingzhou was lost, he still endured humiliation and waited for an opportunity to act. His loyalty is commendable and far superior to that of Mi Fang and Fu Shiren. If we don't give him an important position, who should we give him?

Guan Ping and Wang Ping stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes, sir."

Liu Bei continued, "I appoint Wu Ban as the Prefect of Longxi, and Zhao Lei as the Prefect of Jincheng..."

The army was about to withdraw to Hanzhong to begin the next major battle. Before leaving, it was natural to make arrangements for the aftermath. The most important thing was the personnel appointments in Liangzhou. The people left to guard Liangzhou were all Liu Bei's loyal confidants, and their loyalty and ability were beyond question.

With Huang Quan, Guan Ping, and others around, even if the Wei army launches a large-scale westward expedition in the future, these people will be able to hold out until the day when we send troops to support them.

After arranging the personnel appointments and explaining the general policies for governing Liangzhou, Liu Bei waved for his generals to leave and prepare.

Soon only Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang remained in the tent. Liu Bei, no longer holding back, spoke frankly: "Strategist, what should be done with the General of Chariots and Cavalry? Should he be recalled or..."

Before the battle, to prevent Zhang He from retreating to Jincheng, Liu Bei specially appointed Ma Chao to go to Jincheng in advance to block the road, thereby cutting off Zhang He's idea of ​​retreating westward.

Now that the war is over, the question of Ma Chao's whereabouts has become a headache for Liu Bei. It would be inappropriate to recall him, but it would be impractical to send him out when needed and then lock him up at home as soon as he was done. Liu Bei could not do something like this, where he would treat someone with a different face when he needed them.

Besides, what would others think if I actually did it? If you, Big Ears Thief, treated Ma Chao like this, who would dare to follow you in the future?

However, Liu Bei was not at ease letting Ma Chao stay in Liangzhou. Ma Chao's roots in Liangzhou were too deep, and he also held the crucial position of Governor of Liangzhou. What difference would it make if Ma Chao was left in Liangzhou? It would be like throwing a mouse into a rice jar.

Therefore, Liu Bei was truly caught in a dilemma when he thought of Ma Chao.

Zhuge Liang was also somewhat troubled. He waved his fan and pondered, "Summoning them back is definitely out of the question, as it would give others cause for gossip. But we can't just let it go unchecked either. We have to restrict it. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"Although we have captured seven counties in Liangzhou in one battle, we are temporarily unable to manage the four counties in Hexi. It would be better to hand them over to Ma Chao for the time being, and at the same time, appoint Ma Chao as the Protector-General of the Western Regions, so that he can use the four counties in Hexi as a base to run around in the Western Regions."

"Back then, Marquis Ban Chao of Dingyuan pacified the Western Regions with only thirty-six men. Ma Chao's name is also Chao, so there's no reason why he couldn't do it."

"Moreover, Ma Chao's conditions are much better than Ban Chao's. I believe that Ma Chao will definitely make a name for himself in the Western Regions. If we can use this to open up the Silk Road and allow merchants from the Western Regions to travel back and forth to Liangzhou again, we will make a fortune."

Zhuge Liang's attitude towards Ma Chao was to avoid him if he couldn't afford to offend him, keeping him far away so that he wouldn't have to see him. This way, he could give Ma Chao something to do and avoid friction with him while they were under the same roof.

Then there's the Silk Road, a road to wealth. If Ma Chao could truly open it up and restore the connection between the Western Regions and Liangzhou, it would be like finding another way for Liu Bei to make money.

Liu Bei pondered, "Let's do it this way. Tell Ma Chao to do whatever he wants in Hexi, but if he dares to cross the Yellow River and take a step into Hedong, I will cripple him."

The two discussed for a while and were about to leave when a messenger suddenly came in and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, strategist, You Chu, the governor of Longxi under Cao Wei, is outside the tent carrying thorns to apologize. He is accompanied by Li Yue and other powerful figures from Longxi."

During the stalemate between the Han and Wei armies, You Chu and Li Yue pretended to be observing the battle from Didao. Now that the battle is over, You Chu naturally has to make a choice. Upon receiving the battle report, he immediately ran to Liu Bei to apologize and ask for an audience.

Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang naturally welcomed You Chu's arrival. They exchanged a glance and went out of the camp to greet him, inviting You Chu into the camp and offering him kind words of comfort.

For the next two days, Liu Bei continued to deal with various aftermath matters. On the morning of the third day, he led an army of 20,000 to retreat to Hanzhong, while Zhuge Liang followed behind with prisoners and wounded soldiers.