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

Chapter 205 Seeking Advice from Below
Zhan Sifu responded and spoke:
"The garrison at Kunyang numbered over three thousand, with Xu Miao, the nominal commander of the agricultural administration in Yingchuan, being the chief commander."

"In reality, Xu Miao relied entirely on his own reputation to oversee the overall situation, and his command in battle was carried out by the officers of various garrisons and outposts."

The position of "Dian Nong Zhong Lang Jiang" in Cao Wei, which included "Dian Nong Xiao Wei" and "Dian Nong Du Wei," appears to be a military post.

In reality, they were purely agricultural officials responsible for land reclamation and did not possess military command authority.

This was already known to everyone, so it wasn't surprising.

"In addition, there are scattered county soldiers stationed in Chou, Dingling, Wuyang, and Yanxian on the banks of the Ru River downstream, ranging from a single garrison to a single outing."

Mi Wei: "In short, the main force of the Wei army in Yingchuan is concentrated in Kunyang, and other places are not worth mentioning."

Mi Wei concluded by saying this, then turned to Ma Zhong:

"How is the training of the rebel army going?"

Ma Zhonglang said in a loud voice:
"I have a basic grasp of setting up camp, marching, and forming ranks, but I am not proficient."

"Forgive my bluntness, but although the righteous army has many young and strong men, they have been repeatedly defeated by the Wei army and have long lost their courage."

"Although we have slightly boosted morale with the help of the general's prestige, it is only a temporary burst of courage."

"If we encounter the formidable Wei army in the open field, we will likely be routed if things go wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei nodded repeatedly, clearly still looking down on the rebel army, which was essentially composed of mountain bandits and refugees.

Mi Wei remained noncommittal, looking at Li Hong:
"Military Advisor Li traveled south with Sun Lang and the others, so he must already be familiar with the situation. What are your thoughts?"

Li Hong quickly stepped forward and said:
"I believe that what you all say is generally correct. The refugees are hastily mobilized and are ill-equipped for battle."

"Even Sun Lang's troops, though they have experience in battle, are best used only for defending cities."

"If we have to go out to fight, it will probably only be used to fight when things are going well, or to steal a city that is not heavily guarded, like when we attacked Duyang before."

Mi Wei then slowly nodded.

But I wasn't disappointed.

He never expected to completely transform the seven thousand rebels through hasty training.

They don't expect that by putting on a few famous general cosplays, eating and living with the soldiers, sucking out gangrene from the soldiers, or having the rebels keep watch for them, they can turn the rebels into a group of loyal and fierce men who will risk their lives for their general on the battlefield.

This does not mean that he, like Jiang Wei, had any hierarchy of contempt for soldiers.

Rather, he meant that after his conversation with Ma Chao two years ago, he had come to understand that military organization is one of the extensions of a country's "rules of law".

The establishment of laws and regulations is a large-scale, systematic project.

It requires a country to concentrate a large amount of human and material resources, countless top talents, and the efforts of one or two generations to form a system and ultimately achieve military results.

Why were the armies of the Han Dynasty so powerful that they could suppress the barbarians in all directions?

This systematic project, known as the "Han Dynasty," has lasted for four centuries.

Even by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the system had already broken down.

Its legacy was enough to sustain the various states of the Great Division era in maintaining their dominance over the surrounding regions for nearly a century.

It wasn't until the barbarians finally woke up completely and accepted this system of rules, whether willingly or unwillingly, that the balance of power between the two sides began to shift.

This is the power of the law.

In reality, the famous general Wu Qi, who supposedly ate and lived with his soldiers and even sucked their sores, was actually...

Besides being good at fighting, they also understand how to reform and innovate.

There is even the classic saying, "The strength of a country lies in its virtue, not in its natural defenses."

The virtue here does not refer to personal morality, but rather to "virtuous governance".

It's still a matter of law and regulations.

In fact, according to Mi Wei's plan, the best way out for this group of rebels was to go back home and farm.

Whether it's self-cultivation or conversion to military or civilian settlements.

Only when a person starts a family and has a business will they settle down, consciously accept the discipline of the law, and instinctively fear military law when going into battle, thus ensuring that orders are obeyed.

Of course, we have to go back to the other side.

There are no perfect plans in the world, and even fewer perfect conditions.

Hoping that the enemy will give you enough time to develop is essentially as unrealistic as cosplaying a famous general.

Therefore, Miwei's idea was to accept reality and make the best use of people.

If the rebel army can't be used for fighting tough battles in the field, then they should be used to defend cities, raid enemy lines, and pick up loot.

Even just going to boost morale would be fine.

As long as we win a few more battles, we can naturally regain the courage we lost earlier.

As for improving military organization... we can consider that after we've captured and held Nanyang. Mi Wei: "My mind is made up."

"Xiang Chong led three thousand regular soldiers, three groups of Nanyang righteous troops, and two groups of Hebei righteous troops to go east from the Li River, first taking Wuyang, and then north to take Dingling."

"Wang Ping's vanguard of four hundred cavalrymen will advance into Yan County; if they can capture it, they will."

"Regardless of whether or not you can take the city, once Xiang Chong's troops approach Wuyang, your troops should block the roads from north of the Li River, south of the Zhi River, and east of Yanxian, so that the Wei armies in each city cannot communicate or support each other."

"Ma Zhong led two thousand regular soldiers, and the righteous army from the south of Siqu attacked Chou County from the north, controlling the mountain pass north of Fangcheng."

"Li Canjun, you continue to go back to Duyang and assist Sun Lang in guarding the west side for me, so that the Wei army in Wancheng and Bowang counties will not harass my rear."

The generals readily accepted the order.

Jiang Wei, the Attendant Gentleman, immediately took out Mi's paper and copied down the military order.

However, after copying it down, he did some mental calculations and couldn't help but frown:
“All the regular troops have already launched their attack. Only four hundred cavalrymen remain in Ye County, along with the newly trained Hebei militia from the Three Rivers.”

"What if the Wei army in Kunyang discovers that this place is poorly defended and launches a full-scale attack?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei sneered:

"I'm afraid they won't dare to come!"

……

"Shizai, come this way!"

Deng Aile stopped his horse and looked up at the riverbank.

At dawn, the sky was dimly lit.

A small boat covered with a thatched awning is moored on the east bank of the Zhi River, gently rocking.

In the distance behind, the four gates of Kunyang City were tightly closed, and only a bamboo basket could be vaguely seen hanging halfway on the city wall.

Deng Ai dared not delay and immediately spurred his horse toward the river.

Before long, they boarded the ship and, sure enough, saw Xu Miao, who was covered in dust and dirt.

He immediately bowed and paid his respects.

Xu Miao waved his hand, urging him to sit down quickly. Then, while instructing a servant to light a lamp and bring out a briefing map, he whispered:

"The Shu bandits are cunning. Seeing that I am holding Kunyang, they went to invade the surrounding counties."

"I wish to provide assistance, but my forces are insufficient."

"If we don't help, I fear the court will blame us in the future."

"Some say that we should concentrate our forces and take Ye County, where the enemy's central army is located."

"I am not good at military strategy and cunning tactics, and I still cannot make a decision after thinking about it for several days."

"You are the only officer under my command who knows about military affairs. Quickly give me some advice."

Upon hearing this, Deng Ai took a slight breath.

He bowed slightly, then immediately picked up the briefing map and began to read it silently by the dim candlelight.

Xu Miao knew that he stuttered, so he didn't ask any questions and waited silently.

After a moment, Deng Ai put down the heavy scroll and said decisively:

"Lord Xu must not send troops to Ye County."

"The enemy's target is none other than Xu Gong, and the garrison of Kunyang!"

Xu Miao was startled upon hearing this, so much so that he forgot to be surprised that Deng Ai had suddenly stopped stuttering.

“How come you see?”

"The key is those four hundred or so enemy cavalrymen who roam between the Zhi and Li rivers."

Deng Ai pointed to a briefing stained with blood.

"It may seem that it is far away from Yanxian downstream, but if it wants, it can turn back to Kunyang at any time and block the road."

"Once the Wei army in Kunyang launches an attack, the roads to the various cities will be blocked, and the enemy cavalry will be able to cut off their rear, leaving them in a situation with no support and no rear."

"On the other hand, although the enemy forces appear to be scattered, they are actually not far from Ye County and can return to provide reinforcements at any time!"

"Ye County seems to be very close to Kunyang, but the Lishui River runs through the way."

"If Xu Gong wants to attack the city, he must first cross the Li River to the south."

"Crossing the river must be done slowly."

"If we slow down, the enemy will have enough time to surround us."

(End of this chapter)