Besides genuinely wanting to break the Xianbei apart, there was another troublesome matter: how to deal with the Cao Wei soldiers who had surrendered, and, of course, the great families that supported Cao Wei.
Now that they were about to wage war abroad, the surrendered Cao Wei soldiers were easy enough to handle. They could fight a few battles together against the steppe tribes and build camaraderie.
So Liu Bei's decision to take on the Xianbei was really a way to kill two birds with one stone.
As for dealing with the great families, Liu Bei had indeed followed Wang Yue's advice and gone straight to the imperial examinations, while also building schools in every commandery and county.
Although this was still treating the symptoms rather than the root cause, and eliminating the great families entirely was impossible, it could at least identify some clans loyal to the Great Han.
As long as those loyal clans remained faithful, the Great Han's fortunes could still enter a period of revival.
Fa Zheng oversaw this military campaign, with Liu Bei as commander. Many ministers and famous generals accompanied them, including Zhang Fei, who was in charge of the Jinwu Guard, and Zhao Yun, the leader of Liu Bei's personal guard.
Sima Yi and his sons were there as well.
Zhuge Liang remained in Chang'an once again, constantly arranging for provisions to be sent to Bingzhou in support of the campaign.
After Liu Bei reached Yanmen Commandery, the ministers accompanying him persuaded him to stay there. Even Zhang Fei remained in Yanmen Commandery with Liu Bei, while Fa Zheng was entrusted with directing all military operations.
Wang Yue did not take part in the campaign. He had to keep an eye on the great families in Jiangdong and pacify the Shanyue within the