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

Chapter 147 The Final Raid

Mi Wei saw Jiang Wei fleeing.

But they didn't chase after him recklessly.

A qualified commander should only do one thing at this time.

That is to take advantage of the moment when the enemy general escapes and the enemy's command sequence is disrupted, and quickly expand the results of the battle.

With the addition of the Miwei tribe to the assault.

The Wei army, whose formation had been broken, could no longer be reorganized and was quickly scattered.

Then, under Miwei's deliberate guidance, it began to roll backwards towards Yicheng.

However, the garrison of Jicheng had clearly received a death order and did not open the gates to provide support.

Instead, they shot and killed their own soldiers who were charging the city gate, forcing the deserters to run to both sides.

The result of this was that the more than 1,000 Wei soldiers who left the city were completely annihilated by the Han cavalry.

However, this also prevented the city from falling.

An hour later, there was not a single Wei soldier left standing outside the city.

Mi Wei led his troops slowly forward to the city of Ji, finally reining in his horse a short distance away.

"Anguo, have someone send a message into the city saying that if the governor surrenders with his bare chest exposed, I will withdraw my troops!"

Guan Xing accepted the order and left.

Soon after, an official, bound hand and foot, was pushed off the city wall with screams.

When Guan Xing and his men brought the body back, the body still had the silver seal and blue ribbon, the exclusive designation for a 2,000-stone official, hanging around its neck.

Mi Wei picked up the silver seal and saw the inscription "Prefect of Tianshui" on it.

I can't help but sigh:
"Jicheng has a capable person to guard it."

"That's fine."

"After this battle, the defending troops will not dare to go out of the city to fight in the field for a short period of time, and our army can freely come and go to hunt!"

He then led his troops around the city, displaying his military might, before crossing the Wei River to the north and returning to the Luomen camp.

After that, Mi Wei dispersed his troops into smaller groups, but no longer attacked cities.

Instead, they circled around Ji City and hunted down Wei scouts, messengers, and couriers.

And destroy various small outposts and fortified villages.

This would destroy the enemy's communication system, making it difficult for them to communicate in all directions.

This slowed down Zhang Ji and Guo Huai's integration of counties and prefectures.

……

"The year-end is approaching, and the cold winter is coming to an end."

"This should be the last snowfall of this winter, right?"

On this day, You Chu, who was temporarily acting as the prefect of Tianshui, invited the local gentry to his mansion to enjoy the snow.

He then had the accompanying female musicians play string and wind instruments to entertain the guests.

However, not everyone appreciated the governor's hospitality.

For example, Jiang Wei, who always kept his head down and drank.

Seeing this, You Chu stepped forward with his cup and said:

"Brother Boy, why are you so gloomy?"

"But my batch of female musicians doesn't meet your standards? How about we get a different batch?"

Jiang Wei became quite depressed after that day's defeat.

Upon hearing this, he simply responded with a faint reply:

"The ladies-in-waiting of the Prefect are all of the highest caliber, but my ambitions lie elsewhere, and I am not fortunate enough to enjoy them."

You Chu: "Oh, but I wonder what Boyue's ambitions are?"

Jiang Wei: "Why does Your Excellency ask a question you already know the answer to?"

"A man of stature should think of dedicating himself to serving his country and making contributions, rather than indulging in sensual pleasures every day."

"I understand."

You Chu responded calmly, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in the other person's words.

"Boyue is still blaming me for not lending you troops!"

Jiang Wei couldn't help but scoff: "How dare I, a mere Zhonglang (a minor official) granted by my father's influence, harbor any resentment towards the Prefect?"

You Chu: "So, you harbor resentment towards the two magistrates, Zhang and Guo?"

Jiang Wei sneered and did not answer.

You Chu didn't take it seriously and turned around to pull an elderly musician in front of Jiang Wei.

Just as Jiang Wei frowned, he saw You Chu asking the old musician to play a newly composed piece.

The musician hesitated slightly, but dared not disobey.

However, this piece is quite difficult and has never been made public before. The old musician's performance was rushed and inevitably he stumbled.

It took years of practice to barely manage to compose a piece.

After the song ended, You Chu said to Jiang Wei:
"You complain that the two magistrates and I refused to send troops to suppress the bandits, which led to the Shu bandits ravaging the counties. Is that right?"

Seeing Jiang Wei nod with his lips pursed, he continued:

"But ask yourself honestly, is your ability to command troops comparable to that of Lords Zhang and Guo?"

“I consider myself no less capable than Guo Boji!” Jiang Wei replied proudly.

"However, Zhang Gong is shrewd and calculating; I am indeed no match for him?"

"It's rare to find someone you consider inferior!" You Chu chuckled.

He then pointed at the old musician and said, "Even a highly skilled musician, without prior practice, cannot play a new piece smoothly. How much less skilled than her?"

Jiang Wei understood that the other party was using music as a metaphor for warfare, and directly said:
"I wonder how Your Excellency intends to play this piece smoothly, and when it will be considered smooth?"

You Chu smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "It'll be soon."

Jiang Wei leaned forward slightly: "Soon?"

You Chu: "When the reinforcements first arrived, the foreign soldiers were unwilling to risk their lives for Longyou, while the local powerful families were unwilling to donate their wealth to support the soldiers. As a result, the people were not of one mind and could not work together."

"However, after half a winter, as the Shu bandits roamed various places, those who were originally unwilling to contribute were now willing to do so. The camps that were difficult to repair were also gradually built up."

"If this continues, when the spring waters thaw, our army will be united, while the Shu bandits will be exhausted from the long battle."

"Wouldn't the victor of that strategic plan be me?"

Jiang Wei was stunned.

After a moment, he hesitated and said:
"That may be true, but as long as the Shu bandits are not eliminated, the people will remain uneasy."

"Moreover, I think that Mi Wei is quite capable of military strategy and can probably see the general trend. He is just trying to delay the speed of our army's integration so as to increase his chances of victory."

"If things really come to a critical moment, he could easily retreat unscathed... which would ultimately be detrimental to morale!"

You Chu was secretly disappointed to see that Jiang Wei still harbored a desire for quick success and instant benefits.

This young man was brave and warlike, and indeed capable of fighting.

However, his stubborn nature limited his perspective.

It's not easy to persuade someone.

To turn things around, it seems we'll have to suffer a major setback.

But how could I possibly suffer the same fate as him?
He then said, "It's alright, Master Zhang has already made arrangements. You just need to follow the plan when the time comes."

Jiang Wei sensed that the other party was implying a major operation was about to take place, and his anger immediately turned into joy.

Pointing at the female musician, he said, "Play that piece again!"

……

Luomen.

Miwei reconvened the various tribes.

Compared to a month ago.

Many of them had weathered the hardships of life.

The armor and weapons were mostly damaged.

Three or four hundred riders remained permanently in the mountain valleys of Longyou.

However, this sacrifice resulted in the enemy's failure to complete the integration of Longyou for a long time.

"My comrades have fought alongside me to this moment, and have already lived up to the expectations of the court."

"Those who are wounded or sick, or those who have no brothers at home, may follow the last batch of supplies westward."

"Anguo, you are the military judge, so please take charge of this matter for me!"

Guan Xing accepted the order, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he said:

"What should be done with the rest of them? Should they continue to 'guerrilla warfare' in the mountains?"

Mi Wei shook his head and said, "The spring water will thaw."

"At that time, once the supplies from Guanzhong were transported out, our little bit of sabotage tactics could not keep up with the enemy's replenishment speed, and it was all in vain."

Guan Xing nodded and said, "Then should we turn west as well?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei summoned his generals forward and calmly stated:

"To be honest with you all."

"I received a military report yesterday, saying that the imperial army's attack on Shouyang in Longxi half a month ago was unsuccessful. The enemy general Hao Zhao held the strategic position and put up a stubborn resistance."

"His Majesty was unwilling to miss the opportunity to fight, so he could only divide his forces to surround Hao Zhao, while the main army continued to attack Didao to the west."

"But after the troops were divided, the number of troops besieging Su Ze was less than originally planned."

"I'm afraid the time will be delayed further."

Mi Wei paused slightly, then pointed at Meng Da and addressed the crowd:

"Military Advisor Meng learned some news from an old friend."

"Zhang Ji traveled to Xinyang in Weibei the day before yesterday, and will head south to Shanggui tomorrow morning to meet with Guo Huai."

"This might be an opportunity to assassinate Zhang Ji."

Upon hearing this, the generals' previous weariness vanished, and they were once again invigorated.

After a month of fighting, everyone knew what Zhang Ji meant to the Wei army in Longyou.

If we were to name the pillar of Cao Wei in Guanzhong, it would be Cao Zhen, the General Who Guards the West, who was appointed as the Acting Military Governor of Yong and Liang Provinces.

That's in Longyou.

This pillar represents Zhang Ji, who has served as both Minister and Governor of Yongzhou, and is now Governor of Liangzhou.

Capturing and killing Zhang Ji would be a greater blow to Cao Wei than intercepting and killing a thousand scouts and messengers.

Guan Xing said excitedly, "This is an opportunity that must not be missed. Shi Shan, please send troops immediately. Why hesitate?"

Miwei shook his head and said:
“Zhang was by no means a careless person, and his old friend Meng, the military advisor, did not hold a high position and was not one of his confidants.”

Therefore, the veracity of the intelligence cannot be guaranteed.

"In other words, this raid may be fruitless, or even a trap."

"I'll give you half a day to consider. Whether you participate or not, you can send someone to my tent tonight."

"I have my own plans for tomorrow, and I will make sure that neither of us loses face or our relationship!"

(End of this chapter)