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

Chapter 219 Decisive Victory in the Court

Guan Yu achieved a decisive victory at Wancheng!

Just as the officials and nobles of Luoyang were thrown into a state of chaos and astonishment by this news.

The Han army at Fangcheng was filled with extreme joy and excitement.

There are many reasons.

From a military perspective, this battle was strategically aimed at Nanyang from the very beginning.

Whether it's Jiangxia's clever maneuvering or his surprise attack on Fangcheng from the north through the three passes.

This includes the civil and military conflicts south of the Zhi River during this period.

All these local campaigns and tactical maneuvers must serve the ultimate military objective of "capturing Nanyang".

As is widely known, the Yushui River line, with Wancheng as its core, is the heart of Nanyang.

Once Guan Yu had effectively captured Wancheng, the Han army could be considered to have achieved a strategic victory.

It was another resounding victory with no suspense whatsoever.

From the perspective of the local battlefield, since Nanyang has been completely recaptured.

Then the main force can be freed up to support Fangcheng.

This will undoubtedly greatly reduce the defensive pressure on the Miwei side.

Did they really think Cao Hong and his 30,000-strong Wei army were made of paper?
However, all of the above are from the perspective of military officers.

For the lower-ranking soldiers, the reformed rebels, and the civilians who remained on the front lines of Fangcheng for various reasons.

The reason for their happiness is quite straightforward.

The land has been allocated!
It is well known that the Nanyang Basin has abundant fertile soil and farmland.

Granting land to those who achieve military merit has been common practice since the Qin Dynasty.

In Nanyang, rural settlements have become an integral part of daily life for locals.

Due to the war, a large amount of land became unclaimed.

There have long been regulations governing this.

How could I not be happy?

In fact, the day after the news of the victory in Wancheng arrived, Mi Wei's desk was piled high with letters of request to join the battle.

This was written on thin Milo paper.

It's as if we can conquer Xuchang tomorrow, break through the pass and enter Luoyang the day after, and unify the world next month.

Fortunately, Mi Wei himself did not lose his mind.

In fact, he had been in communication with Guan Yu during this period and was very clear about the details of the battle.

Xiahou Shang and his men had long ago decided to consolidate their position in the fortified cities along the Yu River and wait for reinforcements from the Central Plains.

Despite Guan Yu's rapid seizure of vast territories in the early stages of the war, he did not actually inflict sufficient casualties on the Wei army.

When did the situation begin to change?
First, there were the continuous torrential rains after the start of summer.

Secondly, Miwei suddenly blocked the Fangcheng passage.

The former caused extensive collapses of the lakes and embankments along the Yu River, flooding the city and subsequently destroying the fortified walls that the Wei army relied on to defend.

The latter directly cut off the southward passage of reinforcements from the Central Plains.

The combination of these two factors, along with Guan Yu's clever use of the negative impact of Xu Huang's burning of Xinye, completely crushed the morale of the Wancheng garrison.

Even so, the Wei generals still caused the Han army a lot of trouble during their retreat.

In particular, Xu Huang, who personally covered the rear, led his cavalry in several counterattacks, almost breaking through Guan Ping and Kou Feng's army formation.

In the end, Guan Yu had to personally step in to boost morale and kill Xu Huang, thus securing the victory.

After that, capturing Xiahou Shang and Man Chong was much easier.

Seeing that the Fangcheng passage had long been blocked by Mi Wei, the two followed the example of the Lu Hun rebels and fled into the Funiu Mountains, intending to cross the watershed and return to Luoyang via the Yi River.

Before they even left the Yushui River basin, they ran into a group of rebels in the mountains who were preparing to migrate south.

They were eventually surrounded by Han troops who rushed to the scene and were captured.

However, after a major battle that lasted for more than half a year, Guan Yu's army was already at its last gasp.

The grain, horses, and weapons accumulated over the previous three years have been almost entirely depleted.

The best course of action now is to defend rather than attack.

Therefore, Mi Wei resolutely rejected Jiang Wei's suggestion to launch a surprise attack on Guangcheng Pass.

Incidentally, Sun Lang was given the task of continuing to recruit rebels in the mountains.

To prevent the enemy from always thinking about conquering cities and seizing territory.

Of course, Mi Wei did not overlook these basic tactics: exaggerating the battle results south of Guangcheng Pass, intimidating Cao Wei's rulers and ministers, and incidentally coordinating with Xu Shu's possible operations behind enemy lines.

In short, after a busy ten days, just as Cao Hong's army was finally ready and pressed forward to the Ru River line, Guan Yu also personally led his army to Ye County.

Seeing his father-in-law, beaming with health, spurring his horse forward.

Mi Wei felt as if a thousand-pound burden had suddenly lifted.

Thus, this hastily launched northward raid, which lasted half a year, finally came to an end with Guan Yu's capture of Nanyang.

……

That afternoon, Guan Yu and Mi Wei climbed a well-preserved section of the Chu Great Wall together.

The two gazed at the mountain scenery and looked down at the rows of military camps and earthen ramparts below.

Guan Yu turned around and said:
"I thought that if my uncle could take Nanyang in this lifetime, he would have lived a worthwhile life."

"Who could have imagined that one day I would stand atop Fangcheng, gazing north towards the Central Plains?"

Mi Weidao:
"My maternal uncle is in the prime of his life. One day he will surely be able to conquer the Yellow River and Luo River region, welcome the emperor to the old capital, and achieve unparalleled feats!"

Guan Yu chuckled at his words and said:
"Will that day ever really come? Don't try to fool me with your empty promises!"

Miwei's tone was firm:

"After this battle, although our nation's strength is still not as good as Cao Wei's, it is not far behind."

"From now on, the world will be in a state of struggle between the Han and Wei dynasties."

"The other heroes from Jiangdong, Liaodong, and Jiaozhou are too narrow-minded and are not capable of shouldering the divine weapon."

"The one who will eventually establish the Central Plains will be either Wei or Han."

"If we plan properly, we will surely be able to return to the old capital within ten years!"

Inspired by the vision he described, Guan Yu felt a surge of pride and leaned against the wall, gazing northwards in silence for a long time. Finally, he shook his head and said:

"Alas, I am old."

"In the future, when we achieve great things on the battlefield, we can only rely on you younger generation."

"There are only the two of us here, you and I, uncle and son-in-law, I won't hide it from you."

"The late Zhuge Liang sent a letter from Chengdu, saying that Your Majesty's health has been poor recently..."

This!
Mi Wei's pupils suddenly contracted.

Although he had been away from Yizhou for more than half a year, he was unaware of Liu Bei's current situation.

But he clearly remembered that in the original history, Liu Bei died in the spring and summer of that year.

This dealt an even heavier blow to the already weakened Shu Han.

It will take several years to recover.

Fortunately, after his initial shock, Guan Yu quickly continued:
"Fortunately, the physicians performed their skillful treatment in time, and His Majesty is now safe and sound."

"But in the future, I will certainly no longer be able to handle the heavy state affairs, let alone follow the army on expeditions."

"Nowadays, all affairs in Shu are being maintained by Kongming, Jichang and others."

Guan Yu sighed softly, then pointed to his full head of white hair and said:
“My uncle has been having trouble reading lately, so he often can’t see the words clearly and has to ask Uncle Wei to read them to me.”

"I felt drowsy after listening for a short while."

"In a few years, I'm afraid they won't even be able to listen to audiobooks anymore..."

Miwei was speechless for a moment.

He could certainly tell that Guan Yu was unwilling to admit his age.

But age, like war, is not something that can be changed by an individual's will.

Although in private, Mi Wei often jokingly referred to Guan Yu as "Second Master".

But his age was actually about the same as Liu Bei's.

They are all over sixty years old and have entered their twilight years.

If he hadn't been indispensable in the Battle of Nanyang, he should have long ago gone to the rear to enjoy his retirement.

After all, from a more pragmatic perspective...

Whether Liu Bei and Guan Yu themselves went to the battlefield or not is no longer important.

For them, living was more important than anything else, as they served as the spiritual banner of the Shu Han dynasty.

Thinking of this, he said bluntly:

"The court's next goal will inevitably be to take Guanzhong."

"Now that my maternal uncle has obtained Nanyang and controls the Dan River, the Wei army in Guanzhong will definitely have to divide its troops to guard the Wuguan line."

"My maternal uncle only needs to occupy Nanyang to effectively contain the enemy and support the Northern Expedition of Yizhou."

"In that case, why not slow down again, recuperate for a few years, and consolidate the gains of this Northern Expedition?"

"After several years of training, the army will be well-trained and well-supplied. At that time, the imperial court will take Guanzhong and then launch a two-pronged attack on the Yellow River and Luo River regions. What difficulty will we have in achieving our great cause?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu remained silent for a few breaths, then exhaled and said:
"We should indeed prioritize the overall situation."

"That's fine."

"What are your thoughts on how to defend Nanyang?"

Mi Wei had already prepared his answer in mind, and continued:
"The main problem facing Nanyang today lies in Fangcheng."

"The main threat to Fangcheng lies with Cao Hong's army in Xuchang."

"Previously, with fewer troops, I could only hold strategic points and slow down the enemy."

"Now that my maternal uncle's army has arrived, our defenses are quite secure, so we might as well take the initiative and launch an attack."

Guan Yu raised an eyebrow:

"Didn't you just say you wanted to slow down?"

Mi Wei: "Uncle, don't worry. When I said to take the initiative, I didn't mean to engage the Wei army at Guanzhong."

Guan Yu: "If we don't engage in battle, how can we defend against the enemy?"

Mi Wei: "Victory will be decided in the imperial court!"

……

"Grand Commandant, your calligraphy is excellent!"

"Any calligraphy by Master Zhong must be of the highest quality!"

"This calligraphy is perfectly natural, without any trace of artifice; it is probably comparable only to the work of celestial beings!"

"I only regret that my skin is dark; otherwise, if Zhong Gong had written on my back, it would surely have become a legendary tale..."

Zhong Yao looked at the sycophantic officials and was filled with emotion.

During the Wei Feng Rebellion, he was implicated and dismissed from his post; everyone avoided him.

Now that he has made a comeback, those who were once estranged from him are now trying even harder to please him.

It can only be said that the allure of power is always so irresistible, and once you've tasted its sweetness, you'll want more.

After reflecting on his past life, Zhong Yao casually replied with a few words before turning his gaze to another person standing solemnly to the side.

Xu Shu, Imperial Censor.

During the banquet that day, Xu Shu publicly criticized Cao Hong for his incompetence, but no one took it seriously.

Unexpectedly, subsequent developments proved Xu Shu right.

Despite his lowly position, Xiahou Ba achieved victory after victory.

Cao Hong, despite his high rank, acted slowly, which led to Guan Yu's great victory at Wancheng.

And this rendered Xiahou Ba's victory meaningless.

After this incident, Xu Shu's prestige soared.

He gained a reputation for being honest, outspoken, and discerning of others' strengths and weaknesses.

Zhong Yao, having just taken office, needed to build up his faction.

This capable and principled man from the same county, who had connections with Chen Qun and Sima Yi, caught his eye.

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(End of this chapter)