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

Chapter 298 Difficulties
Mi Wei held both the positions of general and governor, so naturally there was no shortage of positions under his command.

Qiao Zhou was quickly recruited back to the capital as a minor official.

However, recruiting a scholar from the countryside is ultimately not worth mentioning.

The focus of discussion throughout Chang'an was always Zhuge Liang, who was leading an expedition to Hedong.

Not long after Miwei had settled all the personnel matters within the manor.

News also came back that Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan had joined forces at Puban.

At the same time, news also came that Guan Ping had repelled a counterattack by the Wei army in Hongnong, preserving the gains he had made in the previous battle against Wei Yan.

This undoubtedly boosted morale within the pass once again.

Because once these two directions are stabilized, the eastern gateway to Guanzhong will be completely closed, as stable as Mount Tai.

Thanks to this, this year's autumn harvest proceeded smoothly without any major setbacks.

The granaries, which were on the verge of running out, were thus able to recover.

This, in turn, relieved the pressure on the Yizhou direction.

With the year-end approaching and the court at its peak of prestige, Mi Wei submitted a memorial to Liu Shan, requesting a systematic review of the selection system for officials, which had already been piloted in Shu, in preparation for its formal promulgation to the entire country the following year.

Generally speaking, the regular subjects for the annual examinations were fixed as filial piety and incorruptibility, outstanding talent, knowledge of classics, knowledge of law, literature, arithmetic, and military strategy.

Then, based on this, a written test and a trial period were added, lasting from six months to one year.

After a clerk completes his one-year probationary period, the local opinion in the area where he originally served still links his official rank.

Furthermore, it will be re-evaluated every three years thereafter.

The most crucial point is the last one.

Apart from the candidates for the titles of Filial Piety and Incorruptibility and the title of Outstanding Talent, the other subjects of the examinations for the titles of Nobleman, Prefect, and Judge were not based on rank or social status.

It depends solely on an individual's character and abilities.

This undoubtedly tilts the upward mobility channels towards the lower classes as much as possible without excessively encroaching on the inherent interests of the aristocratic families.

This is one of the reasons why Mi Wei insisted on conquering Qiao Zhou.

Although Qiao Zhou's father was a rare scholar in the village, he was by no means from a wealthy or powerful family, and in fact, he often went hungry.

By the time of Qiao Zhou's generation, according to later standards, they had fallen into poverty.

He became famous in his hometown entirely because of his extensive knowledge and learning.

He is an excellent example of recommending poor scholars.

In short, thanks to Zhuge Liang's influence, many things that Mi Wei originally wanted to do but dared not do were put on the agenda.

However, just as Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching and Miwei was about to welcome two new family members, bad news suddenly came from the front lines.

General Wei Yan, who led the Northern Expedition, suffered a defeat!

……

Victory or defeat is unpredictable.

"Wen Chang's ability to steadily regroup the defeated army is commendable, and there is no need to criticize him too much."

Zhuge Liang looked calmly at the military report stained with blood in the hands of his chief clerk, Hu Ji.

Hu Ji was initially flustered by the bad news.

Seeing Zhuge Liang's posture, his breathing calmed down, and he said:

"This defeat is not a major loss."

"The key was that the Wei army unexpectedly marched east from Zhiguan Pass, cutting off our army's direct passage from the upper reaches of the Sushui River to the Fenshui River."

"In this way, unless our army changes course and goes upstream to the Fen River and exits at the mouth of the river, we will be separated from Zhao Zhengbei's troops."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang shook his head without even looking at the map on the table and said:
“That section of the river has been meandering between the east and west banks all year round, with many hidden shoals, making it difficult for boats to navigate. Now that winter is approaching, the danger is even greater.”

"If we abandon the ships and proceed on foot, the losses will be enormous, and our army's food supplies are already insufficient, so we should conserve as much as possible."

"We still need to find a way to open up the pass and get in touch with Shang Zilong."

Hu Ji naturally understood this principle.

but:

“Sima Yi clearly had enough time to pursue Wei Zhengbei after breaking through his encirclement.”

Instead, they decisively withdrew their troops to occupy the pass and set up a pincer movement.

"It's clear he's determined to wear down our army."

The western exit of Zhiguan Pass was located precisely between the watershed of the upper reaches of the Sushui River and the Huishui River, a tributary of the Fen River.

There happened to be a natural mountain pass there, blocking the way.

While not to the point of being so formidable that one man could hold off ten thousand.

However, if Sima Yi is not defeated first, the Han army will find it difficult to proceed normally.

"Sima Yi..." Zhuge Liang muttered.

There was a hint of unease in his eyes.

Zhuge Liang: "I remember Zilong already ordered Feng Xiuyuan to lead the White Feather Army to attack Jiang County?"

"That is indeed true," Hu Ji replied fluently.

"Zhao Zhengbei's original intention was to capture Jiang County and then take advantage of the situation to move eastward and occupy Baijian Pass in order to block Zhiguan Pass."

"However, Hao Zhao, who was defending the city, was extremely tenacious, and Sima Yi arrived too quickly, so the opportunity was missed."

"In the past, during the Battle of Hexi, Hao Zhao demonstrated considerable skill in defending the city."

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly and said:

"This is not Zilong's fault for being careless."

"His troops rushed north first, so naturally they couldn't spend much time and manpower in the cities along the way." "And General Feng's troops were surrounded by enemy cities. If they didn't capture a tenth of the cities first, it would be difficult for them to hold a foothold in a single pass for long."

"When Sima Yi's men arrived, they colluded with Hao Zhao from within and without, and instead suffered heavy losses."

Hu Ji was speechless.

There's no absolute right or wrong in this matter.

It's simply a matter of choice.

In everything, there are gains and losses.

If Zhao Yun had only planned to proceed cautiously from the beginning, then perhaps the Wei army from Bingzhou and the Xianbei people would be here now.

"Let Jiang Boyue lead the Imperial Guards to Pishi to meet up with Feng Xiuyuan and cover the White Feather Army's attack on the city."

Zhuge Liang quickly made up his mind.

“Feng Xiuyuan is outnumbered and outgunned, yet he is in a crucial position connecting the two places, and cannot afford to lose his position.”

Hu Ji quickly wrote down the military order and then presented it to Zhuge Liang for review.

After Zhuge Liang signed the seal, he said:

"Although our army has the advantage of a quick battle, it is always better to be prepared."

"Tell Mi Shishan to find a way to transport enough grain and supplies to Hedong for the monthly expenses of 30,000 troops."

This time, Hu Ji hesitated somewhat before putting pen to paper.

Before he could write a few words, a scout rushed in to report:
"Prime Minister, urgent report from Henan!"

"Scouts have witnessed a large number of Wei troops crossing the Shaanxi-Jin River to the north!"

"The Guan-Fu-Han naval force failed to stop them, confirming that it was Zhang He's men!"

clack.

Hu Ji's pen fell to the ground.

I could no longer remain calm.

……

"The Prime Minister has given me a difficult problem..."

As Mi Wei looked at the letter in Zhuge Liang's own handwriting that had come from Hedong, he felt, for the first time in a long time, that he was being overestimated.

In fact, the only purpose of transporting grain was to store it in warehouses throughout Guanzhong after the autumn harvest.

If you grit your teeth, you can still squeeze out a little bit.

But given his current position, Mi Wei certainly can't just focus on the immediate difficulties.

In fact, as military reports continued to arrive from the east bank of the river, coupled with his certain "prophetic" advantages, he was able to gain a better understanding of the situation.

They have gradually discerned the Wei army's battle intentions.

In short: fight a war of attrition with the Han army, buy time, until the Han army runs out of food and retreats.

It was the same old tactic used in the Battle of Guanzhong last year.

But tactics are never old or new; they are only about whether they are suitable.

Unlike the Battle of Guanzhong, where the Wei army pinned its hopes on the Han army's turmoil triggered by Liu Bei's death.

The key to Wei's victory this time lay in the most basic issue of food.

Unfortunately, this is a universally acknowledged major problem that has existed since ancient times.

As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for people.

As the saying goes, "An army marches on its stomach."

No matter how superb your combat skills are, or how well-equipped your soldiers are.

If you can't get food, then everything else is in vain.

Admittedly, the war between Han and Wei lasted for several years, and the Wei army's food reserves were not necessarily better than those of the Han army.

However, there is an objective issue of one side gaining at the expense of the other.

Specifically, it refers to the gains and losses in Guanzhong.

In reality, the majority of Cao Wei's military food consumption in the Central Plains region was used to support the operations in Guanzhong in the west.

In recent years, Guanzhong has been plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities.

Until last year, there was no chance to restore private production capacity.

It is precisely because of its importance that it cannot be easily lost.

We'll sell everything we own to help them.

But Guanzhong changed hands.

Cao Wei certainly suffered a major strategic defeat.

However, it also shed a huge and heavy military burden in a short period of time.

The logistical challenges and actual needs of supplying the Sanhe region are both less than before.

The Han army, on the other hand, did the exact opposite.

This means that, in the short term, the Han army, which is on the offensive, faces much greater logistical pressure than the Wei army, which is on the defensive.

This is precisely where the Wei army's chances of victory lie.

……

【Wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 】

(End of this chapter)