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

Chapter 254 My son-in-law, Mi Wei, has the qualities of a pillar of strength.

Guan Yu narrowed his tiger-like eyes, his hand stroking his beard pausing in mid-air.

The tent fell silent for a moment.

Those around him held their breath and lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at him.

When Mi Wei saw that Guan Yu did not immediately rebuke him, he knew there was a rift between them, so he wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

Unexpectedly, Guan Yu raised his hand to stop them and calmly said:

"You say that if I fall, Jingzhou will be in grave danger. But if you fall, does that mean Jingzhou will remain unshaken?"

"Master Mi, Lord Mi!"

"I have a clear memory of what you have done in Nanyang over the past two years, including your time in Nanjun and Jiangxia in earlier years."

"Not only me, but throughout Jingzhou, who doesn't praise your virtue, Lord Mi?"

"Even those who harbor resentment and make sarcastic remarks, aren't they just saying it in private because they know that Lord Mi's prestige is unshakeable?"

"You just said that your uncle is now a pillar of the court and a cornerstone of Jingzhou. Aren't you yourself one of them?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei was completely dumbfounded.

He never imagined that one day Guan Yu would boast about himself to his face and in public.

If they weren't father-in-law and son-in-law, Mi Wei would have suspected that the Second Master was about to strike him down at any moment.

That's the ever-proud Lord Guan!
However, when he looked around, he saw that everyone nodded in agreement without any objection.

A chill ran down my spine.

At this moment, Guan Yu's eyebrows furrowed, and he resolutely said:

"I am old. In the future, the task of governing the world for His Majesty will depend on you young people."

"I am but a mere warrior. If I do not take advantage of the remaining strength to fight, am I to lie in my coffin with regret?"

The flickering candlelight cast Guan Yu's tall figure onto the tent, making him appear as imposing as a mountain.

These were Guan Yu's heartfelt words at that moment.

This was also Guan Yu making arrangements for his affairs before his death.

At that moment, Mi Wei felt as if a heavy burden was pressing down on his shoulders.

These were originally tasks that Guan Yu had to shoulder alone.

It turns out that, unknowingly.

His prestige was now comparable to that of Guan Yu, who could inspire the entire city of Jiangling with just the return of his banner.

Having considered this, Mi Wei solemnly rose and bowed, saying:
"I will always remember my maternal uncle's words of advice."

"I hope my brother-in-law takes good care of himself and achieves great success!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu finally smiled and burst into laughter.

……

In the winter of the fourth year of Zhangwu, another great war broke out in the Central Plains.

This time, Eastern Wu was not involved.

However, the scale of the war was no less than that of the Three Kingdoms War of the previous year.

On the side of Shu Han, attacks were launched successively from three directions: Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Liangzhou.

Generals such as Zhang, Zhao, Wei, and Guan took to the field one after another.

The total number of troops mobilized in the end reached an unprecedented 200,000 since Liu Bei raised his army.

If we include the conscripted auxiliary soldiers, laborers, Qiang, Di, Yi, and Yue people, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there were a million of them.

On Cao Wei's side, the number of people conscripted will only be more, not less.

After all, this battle was related to the gains and losses of Luoyang and Guanzhong, two important political centers.

This directly targets the very foundation of Cao Wei's foothold in the Central Plains, and a full-scale war must be waged against it.

However, upon closer examination, the logistical pressures of the two countries are not entirely the same.

It was also a full-scale war.

On the side of Ji Han, before the battle, Yizhou had been recuperating for more than two years since the Battle of Guanzhong.

This time, they marched north with well-trained troops and ample supplies, allowing them to proceed with ease.

Although the war in Jingzhou last year last year continued into the spring, thanks to Mi Wei's timely consolidation of the Fangcheng line, there was at least a six-month lull, and some gains were made in the autumn.

But if we go back further...

Since the struggle with Sun Quan for Jingzhou in the 25th year of Jian'an, the two sides of Yizhou and Jingzhou have consciously adopted a strategy of alternating warfare.

When Liu Bei marched north to contest Guanzhong, Guan Yu remained stationary in Xiangfan.

When it was Guan Yu's turn to launch a northern expedition against Nanyang, Liu Bei was recuperating in Chengdu.

In this way, there will always be one direction that can get enough rest, while still putting continuous military pressure on Cao Wei, preventing them from having peace.

On the other hand, the Cao Wei side had been at war for five consecutive years, starting with the second Battle of Xiangfan at the beginning of Cao Pi's reign.

In the past two years, there have been constant battles with little respite.

It was only because of Sun Quan's major defeat that Huainan was given a chance to catch its breath last year.

In comparison, even with its considerable national strength, Cao Wei, after five years of continuous attrition, could no longer maintain a decisive advantage over Shu Han in terms of manpower and resources. Perhaps this is why Cao Pi had to risk inviting Xianbei cavalry into the pass to assist in the war?

Mi Wei had no way of knowing the treacherous situation in the Luoyang court at the moment.

While Guan Yu was away on campaign, he became the top official in Jingzhou, which belonged to the Han Dynasty, both in name and in fact.

We must continue to advance various internal governance measures to sustain the Ji Han Jingzhou army, while also ensuring that there are no problems with the logistical arrangements for Guan Yu and Guan Ping.

The pressure and intensity of this job are unimaginable.

As a result, he had to leave the matter of taking a concubine to his wife, and he had no time to pay attention to it at all.

Of course, behind the so-called "taking a concubine" was still a scheme of deceit and treachery.

It was part of the power struggle between the Han and Wei dynasties.

It may not be considered a purely private matter.

From this perspective, Mi Wei and Guan Linghui can be considered a husband and wife team working side by side.

In short, after half a month of intense preparation and planning, in mid-November, Guan Yu personally led 30,000 regular soldiers and a sufficient number of auxiliary troops, out of Fangcheng from the east, following the route that Mi Wei had taken earlier, and pressed step by step toward Xuchang.

Kou Feng, Xiang Chong, Ma Zhong, Wang Ping and other generals under Mi Wei's command in the Fangcheng system were also temporarily placed under Guan Yu's command.

As for Jiang Wei and Deng Ai, since they were nominally under the jurisdiction of Yuzhou Prefecture, they did not directly participate in the battle, but were required to assist in defending Ye County, Kunyang and other places behind the main army, and maintain the supply lines.

Mi Wei himself moved his administration to Wancheng and took over the administration of Jingzhou from Guan Yu.

Time quickly moved to the latter half of the month.

That day, Mi Wei was worried about whether his stored grain could last until the next year's wheat harvest.

Li Hong suddenly requested an audience, saying that Sun Lang had made a major discovery north of Xiong'er Mountain.

"The Wei army has stockpiled a large amount of supplies in Yiyang? Is it definitely Yiyang? Is it definitely supplies?"

Seeing Mi Wei's solemn questioning, Li Hong dared not be negligent and presented a military report with both hands.

This newspaper was written on pale yellow Mithril paper.

The handwriting is crooked and messy, with many typos, and it lacks any literary merit whatsoever.

It's obviously at a beginner's level.

Mi Wei, on the contrary, was convinced that it was Sun Lang's handwriting.

So I looked at it carefully.

The result was that my doubts only grew stronger.

First, Sun Lang swore on his life that he had personally witnessed a large amount of supplies being transferred from the Luo River to Yiyang City on the north bank.

The transportation by vehicle and ship continued day and night for several days.

The boat was drafted very deep, and the tracks were clearly visible, indicating that it was not an empty boat or cart.

In addition, probably because the mansions and pavilions in the city were not enough, the Wei army temporarily built granaries outside Yiyang City, which stretched for several miles and were heavily guarded.

If this is true.

That means the Wei army in the Luoyang direction will launch a large-scale military operation on the western front of the Luo River.

What is west of Luoyang?
Guanzhong.

Since ancient times, there have been only two routes from Luoyang westward into Guanzhong.

First, one would travel by boat westward along the Yellow River, heading directly to Tongguan.

This is theoretically the fastest route, but in reality, very few people take it.

Because the section of the river west of Luoyang, all the way to Sanmenxia in Shanxian County, is known for its many reefs, rapid currents, and difficulty in navigation.

The gates of humanity, the gates of gods, and the gates of ghosts are all more dangerous than the last.

Going downstream is easy to capsize, but going upstream is an even bigger nightmare.

It is absolutely impossible for a large army to pass through.

Furthermore, considering that the north bank of this section of the Yellow River is characterized by continuous steep cliffs with very little flat land.

Therefore, the main transportation routes between Guanzhong and Luoyang were located on the south bank of the Yellow River.

This is also known as the Xiaohan Pass.

This passage is further divided into the northern route and the southern route depending on the different routes leading west out of Luoyang.

The northern route has the shortest distance.

After leaving Luoyang, travel along the river valley on the south side of Mangshan Mountain, passing through Gucheng, Hangu Pass, Xin'an, and then arriving at Shanxian County. From here, turn back to the Yellow River to take a boat, and finally enter the Guanzhong region from Tongguan.

The southern route, on the other hand, takes the wider Luo River, lands near Yiyang, and ultimately still heads towards Shanxian.

Compared to the northern route, the southern route is undoubtedly more winding.

However, its advantage lies in the fact that a large section of it runs along the Luoshui River.

This means that if a large amount of supplies need to be transported between Guan and Luo, the southern route is a more reasonable choice.

Moreover, the supply route to the south leaves the soldiers with a shorter route to the north, facilitating rapid attacks and support.

Yiyang City was an important transit point for supplies on the southern route.

(End of this chapter)