Chengdu.
Bai Xiaowen sent an imperial edict in the name of the court.
Liu Zhang took the edict and read it. Alarmed, he said, "The Duke of Yan has won a great victory, and his army has reached Luo Castle. He wants me to go welcome the troops and thank them for their efforts. What should I do?"
Wang Lei, an aide, said, "My lord, you must not go. This is the Duke of Yan's scheme to lure you out of the city."
Huang Quan remained silent.
Fa Zheng smiled. "If my lord makes an excuse not to go, you'll be defying the court. Wouldn't that throw away all the goodwill earned by sending troops to help?"
"I opposed sending troops to help in the first place," Wang Lei said. "Wouldn't it have been best to watch the Duke of Yan and Liu Bei fight? Even now, throwing away that goodwill is better than going to your death!"
"When Western Sichuan's troops faced Liu Bei, they lost more often than they won," Fa Zheng said. "Yet Liu Bei's entire army was destroyed in less than ten days against the Duke of Yan. Does my lord think Western Sichuan's troops can stand against his army?"
Liu Zhang shook his head without thinking.
"Since my lord sees that so clearly," Fa Zheng said, "why not submit to the court?"
"My lord, you must not!" Wang Lei protested. "West of the Fu River, the trenches are complete and our camps are linked. With the river to defend, our army can hold off the enemy! The Duke of Yan has already burned all the grain around Luo Castle. His army has no supplies and cannot stay long. He'll have to retreat within three months."
Fa Zheng threw back his head and laughed.
Liu Zhang