The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 131 Preventing Disease Before It Takes Form

On the afternoon of the second day after entering the mountains, Miwei arrived at Hanjia City.

This took a little longer than expected.

The main problem is that the mountain roads are indeed not suitable for large armies to travel on.

To be on the safe side, Miwei chose to advance by "re-conducting" his troops.

Most soldiers were required to be fully armed, and all units were required to maintain strict distance from each other.

Ensure that each other can provide timely support and coordination.

This will undoubtedly take up a lot of time on the road.

However, the advantage was that when they arrived at Han Jia City, the thousands of troops were not only in excellent military condition.

Moreover, before the city's defenders could react, they had already formed a semi-encirclement of the city.

Mi Wei then sent an envoy into the city.

Moments later, the city gates swung open.

Miwei saw a familiar figure.

It was Han Jia who served Zhang Yi.

Behind him was an official sitting in a prison cart, wearing a blue sash at his waist.

Judging from this entourage, it must be Huang Yuan, the Prefect of Hanjia.

Mi Wei laughed and stepped forward, saying:
"Before leaving camp today, the sky was clear and the air was crisp, so I knew something good was going to happen. I never imagined it would be three happy events at once!"

Zhang Yi asked, puzzled:
"May I ask, Supervisor, what are the Three Joys?"

Mi Weidao:
“I am delighted that Boqi is safe and sound.”

"Taking this city without bloodshed is a double joy."

"The country has gained a great general, which is a cause for celebration in three ways."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi, who had been somewhat apprehensive, immediately felt relieved.

He then briefly reported the intelligence provided by Huang Yuan to Mi Wei.

Finally, Zhang Yi said:

"I believe that Huang Yuan's words should not be taken at face value, especially those concerning Li Zhengfang."

Although Mi Wei didn't have a good impression of Huang Yuan, he didn't think Zhang Yi was the type to hold a grudge.

It became clear after a little thought:
"Does Boqi mean that Huang Yuan's policies and abilities do not extend beyond one city, and he may not be able to truly grasp the current situation in southern Hanjia?"

“Yes, but that’s not all,” Zhang Yi said.

"After this lesson, I finally see Li Zhengfang for who he really is."

"His personal desires outweighed his public-spiritedness, yet he did possess some military skills; he was a talented but immoral villain."

"When a petty person tries to protect himself, he may do some incomprehensible things."

"Now that Shi Shan has obtained the noble title of supervising the army on behalf of the emperor, he should lead a dignified army south to prevent them from having any further opportunities to scheme and cheat!"

Mi Wei was greatly pleased upon hearing this.

He immediately ordered that Huang Yuan's prison cart be sent to the capital.

Then, with Zhang Yi's assistance, they took full control of Han Jia City.

He also sent messengers to various counties to convey military orders.

First, effective immediately, Mi Wei, acting as military supervisor, attendant, and chariot commander, will temporarily take over the military affairs of Han Jia Commandery.

Unless a new edict arrives, all other edicts are false.

Secondly, if any county or department discovers traces of foreign bandits, regardless of whether they can resist them, they have the responsibility to report it truthfully.

Several days after the letter was sent.

Miwei received two replies.

First, the county magistrate replied, confirming that Gao Ding had indeed sent a thousand remnants of his troops south along the Qingyi River to Jianwei.

His story is consistent with that of the county magistrate who escaped.

The difference between Huang Yuan's account and the one in the story is that the county magistrate did not escape on his own. Instead, he was captured by Gao Ding and then deliberately released by Gao Ding to deliver a message.

The purpose is debatable, but it is enough to prove that the cooperative relationship between Li Yan and Gao Ding is very fragile.

The relationship was largely based on mutual exploitation.

In other words, at this point, theoretically there were no more bandits or enemy troops from Hanjia County to Xi County and then to Yandao County.

The second letter was a handwritten letter from Li Yan of Yandao County.

In the letter, Li Yan described that he had contracted severe dysentery and was so ill that he could not get out of bed.

Therefore, he requested that Mi Wei send troops to suppress the bandits in Jianwei.

This reason seems utterly absurd at first glance.

But given the hygiene standards of that era, it's hardly an excuse.

Of course, Li Yan's credibility was severely compromised at this point.

Not to mention Zhang Yi, who suffered greatly as a result.

Even Ma Su, who had once been involved with him, was affected.

After reading the letter, he immediately launched into a tirade of profanities.

I suggest Miwei stay out of Jianwei's affairs. After all, the high-end customization problem was brought on by Li Yan himself.

The greater the losses suffered by Jianwei, the heavier Li Yan's guilt will be.

Mi Wei certainly knew why Ma Su was so angry.

Shortly after Mi Wei replied confirming Zhang Yi's innocence, Chengdu sent a letter inquiring whether Ma Su had hoarded government salt and profited by raising prices.

After Mi Wei told Ma Su about this, the two stared at each other for a long time before they realized what had happened.

Ma Su was also shifted the blame by Li Yan!
Believe it or not, this lie actually worked.

As is well known, the areas surrounding Shu County all depended on well salt produced in Linqiong.

After Liu Bei pacified Yizhou, he implemented a state monopoly on salt and iron in order to replenish the treasury.

Therefore, whether they were Han Chinese or Yi people, they could only buy salt from official channels.

So, when Ma Su used his position for personal gain, the Han people, fearing the government, might have dared to be angry but dared not speak out.

The Yue and Yi peoples in the mountains didn't have so many concerns.

With Gao Ding's large-scale northward advance, it was perfectly reasonable for the mountain barbarians to surrender to the rebels out of anger.

This also explains why Huang Yuan dared not resist.

Because Han Jia was originally a mountainous region inhabited by Yi people.

If all the barbarians rebel, Huang Yuan will be lucky to even hold onto the city; how could he dare to launch an attack?

Huang Yuan, in order to protect himself, would most likely be willing to cooperate with Li Yanyuan's lie.

Even if you can't make it work out, you can always back down.

It was said that this was done privately by one of Ma Su's subordinates, and that Ma Su was guilty of failing to investigate.

This perfectly matches Liu Bei's assessment of Ma Su: "ambitious but incompetent."

This false accusation might actually come true.

Of course.

Because Mi Wei came in person, defeated Gao Ding, and captured most of his men.

There was so much witness testimony and physical evidence that the Linqiong County jail couldn't hold it all.

Therefore, the lie has long been exposed.

Now let's get back to the present.

Ma Su's suggestion was somewhat influenced by personal grudges.

However, from the perspective of completely bringing down Li Yan, it is actually quite feasible.

Miwei's vision, however, had already transcended the immediate and localized world, and his own limited perspective.

So I refused without hesitation.

Miwei addressed the crowd:

"The blame for Gao Ding's downfall lies with Li Zhengfang, not with the people of Jianwei."

"Moreover, the bandits have wreaked havoc on the counties, and the subsequent remedial efforts will certainly come at a greater cost than the current suppression of the bandits."

"You all followed me in pacifying the local areas in Linqiong and Jiangyuan counties some time ago, and you should have a deep understanding of this."

"If we don't make amends and it affects the Northern Expedition next year, even if we kill Li Zhengfang ten or a hundred times, what good will it do to make up for it?"

"A physician's saying is to eliminate disease before it manifests, to cure disease before it is even present, just like now!"

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed, and Ma Su even apologized on the spot.

Zhang Yi secretly noted down Mi Wei's words, intending to write them into his supervisory report and submit them to the provincial authorities.

Next, Mi Wei left Guan Xing and Huo Yi to guard Han Jia City, overseeing logistics and miscellaneous affairs.

He himself took charge of the three departments of Ma Dai, Ma Zhong, and Wang Ping, along with Zhang Yi and Ma Su, and moved south to relocate the county.

Upon arriving at Xixian, Gao Ding's remaining troops had indeed already left.

While pacifying the local area, Mi Wei dispatched Wang Ping's troops to continue south along Yandao to clear the roads.

He then ordered Ma Zhong's troops to follow the Qingyi River eastward to pursue and attack the remnants of Gao Ding's forces.

The reason for choosing Ma Zhong over others was that, although Ma Zhong's military ability was not the most outstanding among the generals.

However, he is the only one who has served as a county magistrate and possesses comprehensive talent with experience in governing the people.

It would be perfect to go to Jianwei County to coordinate relations between superiors and subordinates and work together to suppress the bandits.

a few days later.

Before Ma Zhong's troops had reported any victory, Wang Ping had already sent back news.

It was said that Yan Dao's city gates were tightly closed, and Li Yan's men were not allowed to approach.

Wang Ping asked whether to attack the city directly or send an envoy into the city first to question the intruders.

After thinking it over, Mi Wei decided to try diplomacy first, rather than resorting to force, to avoid falling into a trap.

This time, Ma Su volunteered.

He was clearly provoked by Zhang Yi's success in persuading an entire city to surrender.

There is nothing wrong with the deer's might.

(End of this chapter)