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

Chapter 184 Suspicious Movements
Just as the various battlefields were about to enter a heated phase.

The Jiangxia sub-battlefield, located in the rear, was the first to determine the victor.

Specifically, Deng Zhi set out north from Jiangxia and Anlu, intending to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and seize Wusheng Pass (Wuyang Pass), the southernmost of the three passes of Yiyang.

Unexpectedly, they encountered Wen Ping's army heading south on the way.

The two sides clashed hastily, and Deng Zhi was no match for the fierce Wen Ping, so he was defeated and returned to Anlu.

Fortunately, Wenping did not pursue the matter further.

Deng Zhi was able to retreat safely.

However, this also raises a serious question:

What exactly is Wen Ping's purpose in suddenly heading south?
"Lord Liao, what do you think of Wenping's actions?"

Mi Wei looked at Liao Hua, the governor of Nanjun, who looked travel-worn.

The latter had just crossed the river from Gong'an to Jiangling and hadn't even had a hot meal before this happened, causing him to suffer from severe toothache.

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Liao Hua said:
"I believe that Wen Ping's southward journey was not simply to block Deng Bomiao."

"If the goal is merely to block our army from breaching the pass, we only need to divide our forces to defend the three passes; there is no need to leave the pass."

"The reason for insisting on leaving the pass and heading south is clearly to make a difference in the land east of the Yu River and west of the Tongbai Mountains."

"Perhaps he originally planned to launch a surprise attack on Anlu, but he didn't expect Deng Bomiao to also head north to attack, and the two sides met unexpectedly?"

So, they were sneaking into each other's bases and ended up bumping into each other on the way?

Miwei looked at the map and stroked his beard, which had grown quite a bit.

I have a feeling that things can't be that coincidental.

Or rather, even if it was just a coincidence, Wen Ping's journey south must have had a more important reason.

After all, his troops belonged to Xiahou Shang's Jingzhou army.

If Xiahou Shang hadn't given his approval, why would he have rashly ventured south?

After thinking for a moment, Mi Wei said to Wang Ping:

"Zijun, take two hundred cavalrymen north to Anlu to assist Lord Deng in gathering his defeated troops."

"In addition, find out as soon as possible how many troops Wen Ping brought."

Wang Ping accepted the order and left.

Liao Hua immediately agreed:
"The number of troops is indeed the key!"

"The number of troops and supplies required for blocking or attacking a city are completely different. As long as the numbers are clear, we can roughly deduce the enemy's target!"

Mi Wei then said to Ma Zhong:
"Dispatch scouts to notify all cities, military outposts, and shipyards to prepare for war immediately in case of unforeseen circumstances."

After Ma Zhong left to receive his orders, he said to Zhuge Qiao:

"Write a letter for me to your uncle and tell him that Wenping has gone south and that he should be prepared."

Zhuge Qiao had been adopted into Zhuge Liang's family, so he changed his address to his biological father as his uncle.

After Zhuge Qiao left, Mi Wei said to Liao Hua:
"If things don't go well, I hope Lord Liao will mobilize soldiers and civilians to help me defend against the enemy."

Liao Hua is perfectly acceptable.

He sighed again:

"After several years, I never expected that Shi Shan would have the demeanor of a great general, commanding with such composure!"

……

Chaoyang County Temple.

Guan Yu gazed at the banner of the great Han general hanging high, remaining silent for a long time.

Only after Chief Secretary Yang Yi coughed did he lower his head and say:

"Xiahou Shang is different from Cao Ren, and Cao Pi is different from his father."

"Although these two scoundrels are not good at winning the hearts of the common people, they are very good at winning over the scholar-officials."

"In this respect, Guan is indeed inferior to others."

"It's just a pity about the spies who infiltrated Wancheng; they were all loyal and brave enough to die for their cause..."

Yang Yi intended to offer words of comfort.

But the thought of the truckload of heads that the enemy sent over...

I simply can't bring myself to say anything hypocritical.

If it weren't for the cooperation of the local scholars in Wancheng, how could Xiahou Shang have so easily uncovered the hidden spies?
From this perspective, after their initial defeat, the enemy immediately retreated into the city.

Besides military considerations, the potential gains and losses in terms of public sentiment must have been taken into account.

Outside the city, the mess Cao Ren left behind will certainly not be cleared up in a generation.

However, within the city, the leniency shown by the Cao Wei court towards the scholar-officials in recent years did ultimately have some effect.

Fortunately, Guan Yu did not dwell on it.

He then asked, "Still no reply from Sun Lang?"

Yang Yi shook his head and said:
“A month ago there were sporadic reports that after Man Chong retreated from Ye County to defend the Bowang and Zhiyang line, the mountain roads were blocked by the Wei army, and messengers could neither enter nor leave.” Guan Yu was silent for a moment before continuing to ask:
"Has Juwei (Xiang Chong) taken Anchang by now?"

"The report came back last night that they have entered the city," Yang Yi replied fluently.

"In addition, he said that there were few enemy troops on the east bank of the Yu River, and that it would be enough to leave a small number of troops to guard the city."

"Should we send him north to Xinye to participate in the siege of Xu Huang?"

Guan Yu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:
“Shi Shan and Bo Miao sent a letter the day before yesterday, saying that Wen Ping went south, and his whereabouts are suspicious.”

"Let Juwei continue south to attack Sui County, so that he can cooperate with the troops of Mi and Deng under Wenping to hunt east of the Yu River, lest he support Xiahou Shang and ruin our overall situation!"

Yang Yi thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

……

A few days later, Wang Ping returned from Anlu, bringing with him some intelligence.

The good news is that Deng Zhi has already gathered most of her men.

Although he narrowly lost the battle, he still managed to kill a significant number of enemy soldiers.

Wen Pingsheng's advantage lay in the cavalry's ability to traverse flat terrain; if an attack failed, he could immediately retreat.

But this also brings bad news.

The group that Deng Zhi encountered appeared to be the vanguard led by Wen Ping himself.

In other words, the number of soldiers Wen Ping brought was far greater than what Deng Zhi had seen.

Because of his defeat and subsequent efforts to gather his routed troops, Deng Zhi had no time to inquire about the enemy's next moves.

"General!" Wang Ping suddenly shouted.

“Jiang Boyue disobeyed Lord Deng’s orders and pursued them into the mountains without authorization. He has now disappeared without a trace. Should we send a rescue?”

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei was slightly surprised.

He thought that after last year's lesson, Jiang Wei would at least restrain himself, even if he didn't truly change his ways.

Why have you reverted to your old ways after just a few days?
Perhaps... he had a reason to pursue them?

However, at this moment, as a general holding the imperial staff, he had no time to care about the life or death of a mere Imperial Guard.

It would be a joke to disregard the overall situation simply because the other party's name is Jiang Wei.

So he temporarily put it out of his mind and asked Wang Ping:
"Have you seen the Wei army crossing the Yun River to the west?"

Mi Wei paid special attention to the Yun River because of the four counties of Jiangxia Prefecture under Deng Zhi's jurisdiction, only Anlu was located on the east bank of the Yun River.

The other three counties are all located in the mountains and marshes west of the Yu River and east of the Han River.

Whether the Wei army crossed the Yun River to the west would determine whether Wen Ping's southward expedition was aimed directly at Jiangling.

This route of advance was precisely the brilliant maneuver of Sun Tzu, the strategist of war, in the Battle of Baiju.

A single sword thrust into the enemy's brain can disrupt their formation and even cause brain death.

Wang Ping shook his head:

"No, this subordinate has dispatched scouts to quickly check with the counties of Nanxin, Yundu, and Jingling, but no trace of the Wei army has been found!"

So, Wenpin's target isn't Jiangling?

Miwei still dared not be careless.

Fortunately, Liao Hua had already urgently conscripted three thousand regular soldiers, five thousand county and auxiliary soldiers, plus three hundred cavalry for him.

Together with the Shu knights brought by Mi Wei, there were a total of six hundred riders.

Even if they encountered Wen Ping's Wei cavalry, they could still put up a fight.

Therefore, Mi Wei simply led his troops to Huarong to garrison the area.

While providing cover for the eastern side of Jiangling, it is also closer to the Jiangxia battlefield, making command easier.

At the same time, he contacted Xi Hong, the shipyard supervisor on the Han River, and ordered him to lead the naval forces south to the waters near the old city of Jingling, as a second line of defense against the westward advance of the Wei army.

He also notified Wu Ban and Chen Shi's two divisions on the Yangtze River to send a detachment of their navy into the Xia River channel to transport supplies, while also preparing to enter the Han River to join the battle at any time.

It's the perfect time of year for summer, with abundant water levels, and the conditions for navigation on the summer waters are already met.

In short, Miwei mobilized based on the worst-case scenario.

The main point is to be prepared.

However, just after all the people were in place...

The enemy situation has taken another turn.

It has truly and completely reversed course.

"Wenping went to Qichun in the east?"

"Your uncle asked me to send troops to help him quell the rebellion?"

Upon seeing the letter handed to him by Zhuge Qiao, Mi Wei fell silent for a moment.

(End of this chapter)