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

Chapter 139 Qishan Camps
Zhang knew Su was straightforward, so he just smiled.

Su sighed a few times and asked:
"I just saw the Guanzhong Gazetteer the day before yesterday, which said that the Zuo Fengyi Zheng Gan surrendered a month ago but then rebelled again, and also took the Lushui Hu of Anding hostage."

"Your Excellency is from Gaoling, the same prefecture as Zheng Gan. Do you know his abilities?"

“Just a greedy thief, not worth mentioning!” Zhang said decisively.

"The imperial court has ordered General Cao Zhen and General Zhang He, among other veteran generals, to enter Fengyi to quell the rebellion. They will be victorious in no time!"

Seeing that Su Ze finally showed a hint of relief, Zhang Jicai reminded him:
"Last year, His Majesty ascended the throne and changed the era name. Zuo Fengyi has been renamed Fengyi County, and Gaoling has also been renamed Gaolu to avoid the taboo of Emperor Wu's (Cao Cao) mausoleum."

"Your Excellency is a great governor and a role model for all the people. You should be careful in your words and deeds. I hope you will take heed!"

Su chuckled and apologized repeatedly.

After making a few more self-deprecating remarks, he indeed became Hu Rong.

Then, suddenly remembering something, he said:
"Speaking of which, I heard before that Hanxing County was to be merged into Fufeng County because the name 'Hanxing' was inappropriate."

"You Zhongyun, the Prefect of Hanxing, was originally recommended to the court by the Governor. But I don't know where he was transferred after the prefecture was abolished?"

Zhang Ji replied:

"You Zhongyun is about to be sent to defend Longxi, which is right behind Jincheng!"

Su frowned:

"I wonder if my 'backer' is reliable?"

Zhang Ji nodded and said:
"Although You Zhongyun is not fond of scholarship and prefers music and gambling, he is generous and principled, and can win the hearts of the people. He should be able to guard Longxi well!"

Upon hearing this, Su's brows relaxed slightly.

Then he said:

"With the reinforcements from the Prefect, Jincheng should be able to hold out."

Zhang Ji understood his subtext and his heart tightened:
"Have the several prefectures in Hexi become indefensible?"

Su shook his head:

"It's not that we can't defend it, but that to defend Hexi, we must first protect Longyou!"

Zhang Ji lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

He looked up and met Su Ze's gaze.

Zhang Ji: "Shoot men or horses?"

Su Ze: "To catch the thief, catch the king!"

……

"Why capture the king first to capture the thief? By dissecting his heart and tearing out his belly!"

On a platform at the southern foot of Qishan Mountain, Liu Bei pointed his sword at the source of the Xihan River, full of vigor and ambition.

"It is not that I overestimate my abilities."

"But whether we can achieve complete victory in this campaign against the Western Rong tribes really depends on whether my imperial banner can intimidate Yong and Liang."

"We must not only subdue the various barbarian tribes, but also deter Cao Wei."

"If we can defeat the Wei army in front of all the Rong tribes, that would be more effective than bestowing a thousand hereditary official titles, rewarding them with ten thousand bolts of Shu brocade, and giving them a hundred thousand bushels of grain!"

Upon hearing this, a general stepped forward, clad in armor, and said:

"This humble general is willing to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard commander, conquering cities and seizing territories!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Feng Xi, the general of the central army.

Although he was not as senior as Zhao Yun, he was a fierce general from Nanjun in Jingzhou.

According to some regional enthusiasts in later generations, he belonged to the Jingzhou faction of Liu Bei's central army system.

With Feng Xi taking the lead, all the generals, regardless of their background, stepped forward to volunteer for battle.

In addition to Zhao Yun, Huang Quan, and Mi Wei's troops who were in charge of guarding the bodyguards.

Upon seeing this situation, Liu Bei praised the generals for their bravery and said that the army's morale was high.

But turning back, his tone became serious, half reassuring and half reminding:

"I do not intend to launch a rash attack."

"The art of war says, 'First make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable.'"

"My intention is to use Qishan as the boundary and deploy defenses along both banks of the Xihan River."

"Each general shall command a unit to build fortresses and establish linked camps for self-defense."

"Firstly, to demonstrate military might, and secondly, to prevent the enemy from having any opportunity to exploit."

"As for whether or not to attack, we'll have to see how the northern bandits react and decide accordingly!"

The generals readily accepted the order.

Liu Bei then said to Mi Wei:
"Mi Wei, the military supervisor, will be in charge of a separate unit, responsible for surveying the terrain and enemy strongholds, and overseeing the deployment of the various generals' camps!"

Mi Wei was still a little dazed when he first heard the word "connected camps," but he quickly responded.

In fact, Liu Bei's intention was the same as his large-scale military training in front of the Maoniu Yi "royal palace" in midsummer.

The main objective is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

After all, the main objective this time was to "make peace with the various tribes in the west".

It is time to appropriately demonstrate the "might and might of the Han Dynasty".

This vast, visible military camp, displaying its formidable strength, is a way to showcase military might with minimal cost and maximum effectiveness.

Liu Bei then asked:
Are your troops up to the task? Do we need to call in more troops?

Miwei thought for a moment and then answered truthfully:
"Although I have two squads of knights under my command who are good at spying on the enemy, most of them are from Wuling and Jingman and are not familiar with the customs and culture of Longyou."

"Only Ma Dai's troops are somewhat familiar with them."

"However, we need to go out to scout, so we have to divide our forces. But Ma Dai's troops are few and not enough. We need more guides."

Liu Bei nodded and said:
“In that case, Mengqi has helped me recruit many Qiang cavalry. You can choose two elite groups to add to your troops.”

Miwei was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Yes!"

……

The next few days.

Mi Wei may have patrolled the banks of the Xihan River to supervise the generals' encampment.

Or they could divide their forces and head north to the area north of Qishan to investigate key passes within enemy territory.

As the map gradually took shape, he discovered some differences from the "history" of his previous life.

For example, the famous "Qishan Fort".

At this time, it was actually just a small military camp.

It was less a defensive fortress and more a sentry post used for early warning.

Miwei sent men to lie in ambush around the area, and with a single surprise attack, they easily captured the city.

The defending troops didn't even have time to light the beacon fire.

There are many similar cases.

To summarize in Mi Wei's own words, the Longyou region was not yet fully militarized during this period.

After all, the Battle of Hanzhong had only been a few years ago, and both Liu Bei and Cao Cao were in a period of recuperation and building up their strength.

They didn't even have time to manage the Longyou region.

The small number of people is also an important reason.

This is incomparable to Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions or even Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions.

Then, by extension...

Could the situation be similar in Liangzhou and even within the Guanzhong Plain of Yongzhou?

Any large-scale construction project begins with a demand, followed by the requisition of land.

Before Zhuge Liang's first campaign shook Guanzhong, who could have imagined that the "Shu bandits" actually had the terrifying power to cut off Longyou?
Of course, both sides are conserving their energy and recharging.

Cao Pi was temporarily unable to strengthen the militarization of Longyou, and Liu Bei was not necessarily confident in cutting off Longyou.

What we are doing now is merely laying the groundwork for a future great war.

The best course of action right now is to first replenish the population and enhance war potential.

In short, ten days have passed.

Mi Wei successfully completed his mission and was commended by Liu Bei.

As winter approached, news finally arrived from the Di people who had migrated south.

First, two groups of Di people, each with a strength of a thousand, arrived at the Qishan camp.

These two tribes not only formed an alliance with their leaders, but their entire clans and families also migrated south to submit to the government.

Liu Bei was overjoyed and immediately bestowed upon him an official title and generous rewards.

He then ordered Grand Herald He Zong to lead the people of the two tribes south to Wudu Fudi to settle down.

The goal is to eat the meat as quickly as possible.

After that, several more Di tribes arrived one after another.

However, apart from a group of about three or four hundred people who came all the way south, the others were allied only by their chieftains.

They adopted a wait-and-see attitude.

Liu Bei did not urge them, but only announced publicly at the time of the alliance that those who submitted to the south first would have priority in choosing fertile land and would be exempt from one year of corvée labor.

If you arrive late, you'll only get leftovers.

The leaders of each department were finally moved and began to send messages to their own households.

After that, several more nearby stations were added in Nantou.

Seeing that Wudu County was regaining some vitality, they were about to return home with a full harvest.

On this day, a group of about two hundred people from the Di tribe surnamed Fu came to join them.

However, its leader, Fu Jian, insisted that his tribe originally numbered over a thousand.

While traveling through the valleys south of Ji County, they were suddenly attacked by a Wei army, and most of their clansmen were captured.

puff.

Fu Jian knelt down in public and, with tears streaming down his face, said to Liu Bei:
“My people’s tribe were originally Di people from Wudu. They were lured north by Cao’s governor Zhang Ji, but they never thought of returning to their homeland.”

"I originally intended to take advantage of the situation to submit to Your Majesty, but I did not expect to suffer this misfortune. I hope Your Majesty will uphold justice for me!"

(End of this chapter)