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

Chapter 264 Entering Guanzhong
The north wind at Wuzhangyuan is even stronger than that at Xiegu.

Zhuge Liang braved the biting cold wind to climb the plain, his body already covered in frost.

Until this moment.

Only then did I finally feel a touch of warmth in my palm.

"Your Majesty, I am not tired."

Liu Bei: "Even if you're not tired, go and take a rest."

"I do not wish to gain Guanzhong but lose a prime minister."

Zhuge Liang was moved instantly.

sidewalk:

"I will go and rest shortly."

Liu Bei then released his grip.

In fact, Zhuge Liang was in his prime at this time, so how could he easily die from overwork?

She simply didn't want Liu Bei to worry about it.

If there is anyone in this world who understands his heart better than Liu Bei, it must be Zhuge Liang.

Conversely, the same applies.

What is the actual situation of the military?

After a moment of silence, seeing that Zhuge Liang showed no sign of leaving, Liu Bei finally asked.

Zhuge Liang pursed his lips and said in a calm tone:

"On the surface, the generals have been attacking and capturing cities one after another, and expanding their territory rapidly."

"But in reality, it was the Wei army that took the initiative to withdraw its forces eastward, seemingly trying to emulate the wisdom of Duke Wen of Jin in retreating three she."

"Contract...avoid war..."

Liu Bei stammered a few times, then chuckled:

"In this light, I have accomplished something in my life."

“In the past, when Zhang Fei held the bridge at Changban in Dangyang, he challenged Cao Cao’s generals to a duel, and none of them dared to respond.”

"Before I even gave the order today, these rats had already fled far away, fearing me as much as a mighty tiger!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang chuckled a few times.

"Do you think that if I were to appear at the gates of Chang'an right now, I could frighten that brat Cao Pi?"

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Zhuge Liang was visibly taken aback.

"This is just a joke."

Liu Bei added with a smile.

But Zhuge Liang's smile no longer looked natural.

"Your Majesty, we..."

"I know," Liu Bei interrupted Zhuge Liang.

"Your arrangements are very appropriate; it was just that I was a bit willful."

"In truth, I am already content to have been able to enter Guanzhong alive. How can I sacrifice the greater good for my own selfish reasons?"

"His Majesty……"

"Let me finish speaking first," Liu Bei interrupted Zhuge Liang again.

"In fact, I have been fighting with the Cao family for most of my life, and the Han and Wei states have been at war with each other for several years. We know each other inside and out, so what ingenious strategies could I possibly have?"

"It's all about everyone putting in their best effort to save face and trying their best not to make any major mistakes."

"Regarding this battle..."

"We were better prepared, seized the opportunity better, and Yun Chang and Shi Shan handled things properly in Nanyang, so we were able to gain the initiative."

"Once Yide entered Dasanguan Pass and broke through Chencang, he then joined forces with three armies, so it is only natural that he would be advancing with such unstoppable momentum as he is now."

"While Cao Wei was merely patching things up from scratch and drinking poison to quench its thirst, it was still a death throes with a solid foundation and the ability to fight back."

"Therefore, the outcome of this battle will determine the victor."

"The only variable here is me."

"Cao Wei is betting that my death will shake the morale of their army."

Having said all this in one breath, Liu Bei was already out of breath and exhausted.

But his gaze grew increasingly resolute.

"In truth, wasn't I also gambling on this?"

“These rats think that with me gone, the Han army will be leaderless and will inevitably cause chaos.”

"Little did they know that I had long ago entrusted the affairs of state to the Prime Minister and the central government."

"If I leave, the morale of the army may waver, but as long as you manage everything here, you will be able to stabilize the situation." "If the Wei army thinks they have an opportunity, they will suffer a great loss."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang choked up slightly:

"Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to eliminate the wicked and fail in your trust!"

"You are neither incompetent nor dull," Liu Bei said with a weak smile.

"However, my departure will cause you all some trouble for a while... so I will try to hold on for one more day and will not go to Chang'an to cause you any more trouble."

"When we recapture Chang'an, bury my bones beside the tombs of our ancestors, and that will be my return to the old capital!"

Zhuge Liang nodded heavily, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but he was already choked up and could no longer speak.

……

At the end of December of the fourth year of Zhangwu.

Mi Wei entrusted the task of spring plowing to the chief clerk, Zhuge Qiao.

Then, he recalled his subordinates Jiang Wei and Deng Ai and quickly set off from Wancheng to Nanxiang.

During this special time at the end of the year, I met with some local elders on the road.

He made a series of pronouncements about how it was only natural to continue firmly implementing the "two fields" new policy in the coming year.

They also cobbled together several more copies of the "Book of the People," which were half true and half false.

By the first month of the fifth year, they had already entered Danshui County in the southern part of the region.

This is the county town in Nanxiang Prefecture that is closest to Guanzhong.

General Fu Han, along with Guan Ping, the Prefect of Nanxiang, had previously captured Wuguan and occupied it.

Therefore, Danshui County naturally became the front-line base for the army's logistics.

Zhang Yi, the prefect of Nan Commandery, arrived at this place a few days earlier than Mi Wei.

When Mi Wei arrived, he had already set up a batch of "city-destroying cannons" for testing on the riverbank outside the city.

Or, to use the technical terms of Miwei's later generations:
Counterweight catapult.

What is the yield rate?

Because of their frequent correspondence, Zhang Yi had become accustomed to Mi Wei's strange verbal tics.

He replied familiarly:

"Reducing the weight of the stone ball by half can increase the efficiency by 30%, but after ten consecutive launches, a major overhaul is still necessary."

Miwei: "Would reducing the weight increase the launching distance?"

"That's true, but the stone ball is lighter and more susceptible to wind interference, which actually reduces its accuracy. It can only be said that there are advantages and disadvantages."

Miwei thought for a moment and said:
"They were originally designed to destroy large cities, so sacrificing some accuracy is acceptable. The key is to increase the quantity and range."

Zhang Yi nodded to indicate that he understood.

Miwei then said:

"If we replace the stone pellets with lighter clay pellets, gravel, or wrap them in oilcloth and ignite them, will they be able to shoot further?"

Zhang Yi had clearly done the tests, and shook his head, saying:
"Then the influence of wind direction and force would be even greater. If we were to encounter a headwind, the range might not be as far as the Great Stone Ball, and it would be a losing proposition."

"As for wrapping cloths and setting fire... forgive my bluntness, but if Your Excellency intends to use fire, you might as well stick to using ordinary fire arrows. At least the soldiers are familiar with them and are less likely to set themselves and the camp on fire."

"That's true..." Mi Wei exhaled a breath of stale air.

The development of military technology cannot be achieved overnight.

Historically, even with readily available technology and skilled craftsmen, the Mongols spent nearly two years introducing the "Xiangyang Cannon" (Huihui Cannon) and applying it in actual combat.

At present, Zhang Yi has been able to handcraft a completely new siege weapon in less than a year.

And it was modified to the point that it was "usable".

He can already be considered one of the world's top technical management talents.

The two then test-fired another round on the riverbank.

The result was almost identical to Zhang Yi's description.

After the projectile's weight was reduced, its range increased to about 400 paces. With a tailwind and strong enough wind, it could even reach nearly 500 paces.

This exceeds the maximum range of all current crossbows.

It's sufficient for actual combat.

Therefore, Miwei immediately ordered all the craftsmen who knew how to fire cannons to be gathered together into a separate unit.

Zhang Yi was put in charge of leading it.

A day later, the artisans were reorganized and brought under Mi Wei's command.

After that, Miwei set off again, heading upstream along the Dan River.

Several days later, they finally arrived at Wuguan and joined forces with Guan Ping.

(End of this chapter)