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

Chapter 210 The value of the lucky general is still rising.
The minor official from Wei was of average appearance, with rough and dark skin.

He was clearly a corrupt official who had spent his life farming.

Because of his low rank, he didn't even have an official seal, so people didn't pay him any attention and didn't even bother to ask about his name.

Jiang Wei grabbed him by the rope and dragged him in front of Mi Wei, shouting...

"Quickly relay what you said yesterday to my general!"

Upon hearing this, the minor official looked up at Mi Wei, his gaze slightly hardening.

He seemed surprised that the other person was so young.

But under the stern gazes of the generals, he still obediently spoke:
“I am Xu, an assistant under Xu Gong, and I know his family.”

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

I didn't expect him to be a stutterer.

Jiang Wei, growing impatient, interrupted:

“I previously abducted a distant female relative of the Xu family. This person, unaware that I had abducted the wrong person, risked his life to rescue her. However, I discovered that he was an official under Xu Miao.”

"Afterwards, he tried to make the best of a mistake to cover up Xu Miao's family, but this angered the distant branch of the Xu family and led to their complete exposure."

"Knowing that his plan had failed, this man begged me to bring him to see the general, saying that he was willing to give his own life in exchange for the general not harming Xu Miao's family."

Upon hearing this, everyone who had just been laughing fell silent.

Loyal and righteous people are respected wherever they go.

Although Mi Wei didn't laugh, he certainly didn't take it seriously.

Only then did he take a good look at this unassuming minor official from Wei, and said:
"Is Xu Jingshan your sponsor?"

The minor official shook his head and said:
"I was recommended by General Zhang Wenyuan. But I was appreciated by Lord Xu and received a meal from his eldest daughter!"

It was Zhang Liao who recommended Xu Miao?
Miwei became even more curious upon hearing this.

Just as he was about to ask the man's name and background, Jiang Wei interrupted again:

"General, I have investigated thoroughly!"

"This woman is Xu Miao's eldest daughter. If we use her as a hostage, we might be able to control Xu Miao and shake the morale of the city!"

Li Hong, standing nearby, immediately shook his head:

“Xu Miao is a capable and principled man, and he puts public interests before private ones. If we try to coerce him with personal feelings, I’m afraid he might not comply.”

Jiang Wei quickly replied, "I don't think he would lose his integrity for the sake of a legitimate daughter!"

"What I mean is, Xu Miao made the farmers abandon their families and fields to come from afar to defend the city, but secretly he made the women flee to Xuchang. If the villagers in the city find out about this, they may harbor resentment!"

Upon hearing this, Deng Ai, who was on the ground, stared in disbelief, his face showing shame and indignation.

Li Hong said to Mi Wei:

"If that's the case, then we might as well give it a try."

"However, I would like to reiterate that Xu Miao is quite capable of calming people's hearts, and this method may not be able to shake the overall situation."

Mi Wei nodded, about to send Jiang Wei to handle the matter.

But then, thinking of Xu Miao's daughter, a "historical figure" suddenly came to mind, and he blurted out instinctively:
"How old is this woman? Is she talented and beautiful? Is she married?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of those around him became subtle.

Jiang Wei chuckled:

"This girl is about sixteen years old. I don't know about her talent, but she is certainly quite beautiful."

"As for marriage, she is now a general's prisoner. If she is taken in, so be it. Why bother?"

The people around burst into laughter again.

Mi Wei looked at Jiang Wei speechlessly.

He then secretly blamed himself for being too talkative.

However, because of Jiang Wei's answer, he was basically certain that he had not misunderstood.

According to the original history, this woman would be betrothed to a Wei scholar named Wang Jun in the near future.

During the reign of Emperor Wei, Wang Jun was merely a minor local official, known only as a provincial official.

However, after the Jin dynasty replaced the Wei dynasty, he gradually grew into a famous general thanks to the support of influential figures.

And in the distant war of Jin's conquest of Wu, they achieved a military feat that has remained unsurpassed for over two thousand years, a feat unique to them:

They fought their way from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (Yizhou) all the way to the lower reaches (Yangzhou), achieving victory across the entire river basin.

He can be called the God of War of the Yangtze River.

I wonder where Wang Jun went at this time?
Could their fates have changed due to historical shifts?
Can we recruit them?
Mi Wei secretly noted this matter down and then instructed Jiang Wei to take good care of the hostages, as he would soon be of great use to them.

After Jiang Wei left to carry out his orders, Mi Wei ordered his men to untie the Wei official, who looked utterly dejected, and said:
"From what you've said, it seems that your encounter with the Xu father and daughter was just an ordinary one. Yet you've risked your life for them, which is enough to repay their kindness."

“But I am not a bloodthirsty person.”

"I think this is a good idea. Why don't you switch allegiance to me? In return, I won't harm your former master's women. What do you say?"

The clerk thought for a moment and nodded.

A lowly official like him, who didn't even deserve an official seal, was practically no different from a commoner.

They can't even be called traitors.

Not to mention that his wife and children were also captured by Jiang Wei.

If we don't surrender, are we going to let our wives and children die with us?

He then introduced himself: "I am Deng Ai, courtesy name Shi, also known as Shizai. I am from Jiyang, Nanyang, and serve as a tuntian (military agricultural officer)."

Upon hearing his place of origin, Mi Wei immediately understood and smiled:

"It seems your family has received quite a bit of Cao Mengde's 'great kindness'!"

"That's fine. Our dynasty will open up many settlements in Nanyang in the future, so you can go back to your hometown and continue farming."

Deng Ai bowed and accepted the order, then prepared to take his leave.

However, because of his "aiai" way of speaking, Miwei couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty and silently repeated it in his mind.

then.

The more I read it, the more something felt off.

Deng Ai... Deng Shizai... Hmm... Hmm?!
Miwei: "Wait!"

Deng Ai turned around.

Mi Wei: "Are you Deng Shizai from Jiyang?"

Deng Ai nodded.

Miwei took a slight breath, his face filled with anticipation:
Do you understand military strategy?

After a while.

Mi Wei strode out of the military tent, hands on his hips, and laughed loudly.

Both sides were surprised and puzzled.

After laughing, Mi Wei pointed to Jiang Wei, who had come running at the sound, and praised him:
"Boyo, you are indeed my lucky charm!"

……

Two small boats came from the north and south respectively in the northern suburbs of Xinye.

They eventually converge at one point.

On each boat stood a majestic, armored general.

One has a beautiful beard
One person frowned.

Their hair had all turned gray.

The bearded gentleman took the lead by clasping his hands in greeting:
"Back when I served under the Cao family, I was very close to my elder brother. I never imagined that things would change so much. Today, we must sail on a boat on a flood to meet again!"

Upon hearing this, Lord Chenmei's brows furrowed even more, and he replied in a cold and indifferent manner:

"I know that Guan Yu is a man of strong character."

"But now we are each serving our own masters, and this is not a matter of state, so there is no need to discuss it."

The bearded man, Guan Yu, sighed with his hands hanging down:
"So, we really can't talk about it?"

Xu Huang, his brows furrowed, resolutely shook his head.

Guan Yu was immediately disappointed, but he didn't press the matter further. He turned around and had the soldiers on the ship fill two cups with wine, then handed one of them over.

Xu Huang readily accepted the cup, drank it all in one gulp, and then casually tossed the wooden cup overboard to show that he would only drink this one cup.

However, it's probably because the ear cup is of good quality, or because Xu Huang has a strong grip.

With this throw, the ear cup skipped across the water's surface several times, like a water bird.

The two generals then turned their gazes to the outside of the ship.

Guan Yu suddenly sighed:
“In previous years, we built a dam on the banks of the Yu River to store water, taking from the heavens to supplement the land’s deficiencies.”

"Unfortunately, the weather is unpredictable. It rained heavily for months on end. The excess rain from the sky and the earth combined and turned into a disaster!"

Xu Huang had also been pondering this question recently, and seeing Guan Yu bring it up, he couldn't help but feel curious:

"Judging from Yun Chang's words, it seems there is a better way?"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said:
"I don't know anything about flood control."

"My son-in-law, General Zhao Han, Mi Shishan, is quite capable of governing the people."

“Some time ago, he wrote to me about the policy of military farming, saying that the current water dikes in Ying, Ru, Wan and Luo only consider water storage for drought prevention, but not water diversion for flood prevention, which is a way to bring disaster.”

"The reason for this is that your country is always eager for quick success and instant benefits. As soon as they see that water storage is beneficial, they all rush to build dikes and store water. And officials, in order to get their performance evaluated, do not consider the pros and cons."

“If this continues, the river channels will be filled with waterlogged lakes and ponds. When the rainy season comes, the flood will have nowhere to go, and the dikes and dams will collapse, flooding the city moat and inundating the roads.”

"This matter may seem like a natural disaster, but it is actually a man-made one!"

Xu Huang was immediately indignant upon hearing this:

"Although the officials were short-sighted, they were ultimately acting in the best interests of the people. Why should Guan Yu be so harsh on them!"

Guan Yu sneered and recited in his Hedong accent:

“If there is famine in Hanoi, then move its people to Hedong and its grain to Hanoi; the same applies if there is famine in Hedong.”

"Looking at the policies of neighboring countries, none are as diligent as I am."

"Why is it that the population of neighboring countries has not decreased, while my own population has not increased?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huang, a native of Yang County in Hedong, looked at Guan Yu, a native of Jie County in Hedong, who was speaking eloquently.

They were stunned for a moment.

　Thank you to [eldII Southeast Branch] for the generous donation!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)