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

Chapter 154 Shifting Between East and West
"So it was that old thief!"

As soon as Meng Da finished speaking, Ma Dai roared in a ferocious voice.

Everyone was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening.

When Yang Fu was defending against Ma Chao in Longyou, he devised a plan to lure Ma Chao out of the city and then kill his wife.

Later, he fought against Ma Chao, and both sides suffered casualties, thus beginning a blood feud.

In the context of the warlord conflicts at the end of the Han Dynasty, this kind of thing was all too common.

There's not even a need to argue about who's right and who's wrong.

However, this did not prevent Mi Wei from fully remembering Yang Fu's past.

Then they finally found the source of their unease.

You Chu traveled a long way to seek help, without even reminding Chen Cang to be wary of his own forces.

How could it be just to let myself leave?

“This must be a trap set by that old thief. We must not abandon our horses and go into the mountains!” Ma Dai said resolutely.

Seeing everyone turning their heads to look, he reined in his horse and went to Miwei to defend himself:
"Brother, I am not saying this because I have a blood feud with Yang Fu, nor because I am reluctant to part with the horse!"

"We have many Qiang cavalry under our command."

"My two brothers are willing to follow our elder brother on horseback, traveling east and west, partly to serve His Majesty, and partly because it suits the nomadic habits of the Qiang and Hu peoples!"

"As long as the horse is there, one can travel anywhere, no matter where one is."

"Once a horse is lost, it's like soldiers losing their armor and weapons; morale collapses!"

Ma Dai's words still carried a strong sense of personal ownership.

But that was enough to make Miwei make up his mind.

How could our hundreds of men, who were on the run in enemy territory, have managed to escape?

Besides the usual talk of knowing history and being familiar with geography, etc.

Internally, isn't it all about having a spirit of courage and determination?

And spirit and energy.

Ultimately, isn't it just a strong subjective emotion?

and this.

This is probably where You Chu and the people behind him made their move.

Think about it this way.

Even the seemingly plausible Suiyang Valley became suspicious.

Even if the road did exist, it could only reach as far as the east bank of the Xieshui River.

That place was indeed very close to Wei Yan.

However, it was not far from Zhang He's troops, who had already reached Wuzhangyuan.

What if I finally manage to get through the canyon, only to find that Wei Yan has already retreated?
Without horses back then, wouldn't they have been completely unable to escape?
What seems like a way out is actually a dead end.

Warhorses, we cannot abandon them!
Meng Da: "But if we don't go to Xiegu, where else can we go?"

Mi Wei thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Longyou!"

"what!?"

Meng Da was shocked and thought he had misheard.

Didn't they just escape from Longyou across the mountains into Guanzhong a few days ago?

But then Mi Wei explained:
"Instead of returning the same way, we will head north to the Qian River, cross the Longban Pass from Qian County, and reach Jieting!"

"There are two advantages to taking this route."

"First, Guo Huai would not have expected that we would actually leave Longxi again in such a short time, thus catching the enemy off guard."

"Secondly, Jieting is far from the Wei River and located deep in the plateau, making it more suitable for small groups of people to hide their tracks than the vast plains of Guanzhong!"

"Whether we head south from Jieting to cross the Wei army's blockade and join up with Zhao Yi's army at Qishan, or turn west to Hexi to seek out the king's army, we can proceed with ease!"

Upon hearing this, the generals all showed thoughtful expressions.

The Miwei route still carries considerable risks.

But its true advantage lies in "catching the enemy off guard".

After all, just moments before, even they themselves hadn't expected to go in that direction!

The Qian River Valley is located north of the Wei River.

Their ultimate goal, Hanzhong, is located south of the Qinling Mountains.

They were going in the opposite direction.

Meng Da pondered for a moment and said, "The plateaus and gullies in the northern part of Longyou are indeed good for hiding, but they are more barren than the south, and it is not easy for people and horses to find food."

"Before crossing the Longshan Pass, why not capture a grain depot first, and take enough food before continuing?"

Ma Dai, who was more familiar with the geography of Longyou than Meng Da, immediately agreed.

The other officers and generals, who had recently followed Mi Wei on guerrilla warfare in Longyou, had a deep understanding of this and nodded in agreement.

As a result, everyone reached a consensus.

The discussion quickly shifted to which grain depot to attack.

Meng Da answered without hesitation:
“The grain depots along the Wei River, just looking at the Fufeng line, include the prefectural capital Huaili, Mei in the central region, and Chencang in the west.”

"Among them, Huaili and Mei are both east of Jishiyuan, and at this time they are blocked by Zhang He and Yang Qiu's army, making it difficult to pass through."

"Chencang has just been plundered, so it must be on guard now."

"Therefore, I suggest targeting the cities along the Qian River: Yong, Yumi, and Qian."

Mi Weidao:
"Yong is the closest to this place, and its terrain is the flattest of the three. What do you think?"

Meng Da shook his head and said:
"Yong County appears to be on a plain, but its capital city is built on a plateau, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

“If we cannot quickly retreat, the enemy cavalry will come upon hearing the news. The surrounding terrain will be too peaceful, which would be a bad thing.”

Miwei: "What about Yu Mi and Qian, which are located in the Qian River Valley?"

"Qian is the furthest from Chencang, let's attack Qian!" Meng Da said confidently.

"As the Left Commander-in-Chief suggested to His Majesty on the banks of the Wei River that day, military intelligence transmission varies depending on distance."

"After our army marched east from Linwei, the first place we became alert was Chencang."

"Afterwards, military intelligence was relayed along the river, first to Yumi, and then to Qian."

"If our troops advance at full speed, the garrison in Qian County may not have enough time to react!"

After further discussion, the generals decided to implement Meng Da's plan.

……

At the same time, the post horses and boats of Chencang were constantly traveling back and forth between east and west.

In Jianye, Yangzhou, more than 2,000 miles away, an unusual letter was also received.

Upon seeing the seal on the letter, Zhuge Jin dared not delay and immediately went to see Sun Quan.

Seeing the solemn look on his face, Sun Quan frowned and said:

"But the Cao family is again urging us to send a hostage to court?"

As Zhuge Jin handed over the letter, he said:

"It was Guan Yu who sent the letter to inquire about the joint northern expedition next year."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan's brows relaxed slightly, but he then let out a cold laugh:
"After Guan Yu captured Xiangfan, he did not think of advancing north. Instead, he guarded against me closely. I thought he had forgotten Kongming's strategy!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jin immediately lowered his hands and remained silent.

Although Sun Quan knew that he was avoiding suspicion, he couldn't help but feel bored.

He went straight to the point: "Has Kongming sent any letter?"

Zhuge Jin's demeanor became increasingly respectful:
"I received your letter yesterday and will forward it to Your Majesty (King Wu of Wei) shortly."

Sun Quan waved his hand and said, "No need, just briefly summarize the main points."

Zhuge Jin responded with a nod and said:
"In his letter, Kongming said that Liu Bei had been working diligently in Yizhou for two years and now had 100,000 armored soldiers."

"We will soon conquer Hexi, and next year we will surely be able to add another 20,000 Hu cavalry."

"At that time, the armies of Jing and Yi provinces were dispatched simultaneously to spy on Qin Chuan, so Cao Pi could not attend to both the east and the west."

"The Central Plains are in turmoil, but Your Majesty must strive to strengthen the nation and not miss this opportunity bestowed by Heaven!"

Sun Quan nodded upon hearing this:
“Your words are indeed sincere, much easier to get along with than Guan Yu.”

He then sighed:

"If Liu Bei truly conquers Hexi, his territory will span three provinces, and will be three or four thousand li in all directions, making it a superior nation."

"Back then, he was defeated by Cao Cao and was like a stray dog ​​by the roadside. He could only survive by relying on my help."

"I never imagined that more than ten years later, I would become the ruler of a great nation."

How generously Heaven has treated him!

At this point, he pointed to Guan Yu's letter:
"If we, the ruler and his subjects, do not work harder, I fear that one day Guan Yu will personally come to Jianye to take my son to Shu as a hostage!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jin knelt down in panic, pleading for death.

(End of this chapter)