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

Chapter 303 Jiang County
Jiang County is located on the south bank of the Fen River.

Linfen, which is across the river, was the central hub of Hedong Commandery.

After capturing Linfen, Zhao Yun immediately ordered General Feng Xi to continue the eastward attack on Jiang County in order to block all the passages leading to Shangdang and Hanoi.

Upon receiving the order, Feng Xi immediately adopted the artillery warfare techniques that the Han army had already widely adopted.

However, even after the Wei army poured out of Zhiguan Pass and occupied the mountain pass, Jiangcheng remained standing.

When Miwei arrived at this place, he had only managed to damage one city gate.

However, it was not entirely unexpected to discover that the Wei army inside the city had already used the past few months to build another earthen wall behind the city gate, forming a crude but absolutely practical inner barbican structure.

"General Feng has not been negligent."

On an earthen platform in the northern suburbs of Jiang County, Mi Wei looked south at the terrain and turned to Feng Xi, saying...

The latter came to greet Miwei alone, his face remaining tense throughout.

Only then did he feel somewhat relieved, but he still kept his head down and remained silent.

Mi Wei glanced at the other party's clenched fist, which had turned white, and then turned to Jiang Wei, the Imperial Guard General, standing beside him.

The latter, having been ordered by Zhuge Liang to march north and participate in the siege of Jiang County, had been there for some time.

Jiang Wei: "General Feng has indeed not slackened. The reason why we have been unable to capture the city for so long is mainly due to two reasons."

"Firstly, it is natural that the Wei general Hao Zhao was indeed good at defense."

"In the past, when the late emperor led his army to conquer Hexi, Hao Zhao stubbornly resisted at Shouyang in Longxi. In order not to delay the battle, the late emperor had no choice but to risk dividing his troops."

Upon hearing this argument, Feng Xi, who had also participated in that battle, lowered his head even further.

Jiang Wei continued:
"Secondly, it is related to the terrain here."

"Unlike Linfen City, which is located on the plains north of Fenbei."

“Jiang County is located south of the Zhongtiao Mountains and the foothills of the Wangwu Mountains, making its terrain even more rugged and varied.”

"Although the city itself is not built in the mountains, the Wei army can go out of the city to set up camp on the mountain and use the high terrain to avoid the attack of stone cannons."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to the cliff to the south.

A military camp built against the mountain, with a large amount of earth and stone piled up on its front, came into view.

Its location was more than 600 paces from the foot of the mountain, which, even without considering the height difference, exceeded the range of the "city-breaking cannon" on flat ground.

Clearly, the Wei general had a full understanding of the Han army's current siege capabilities.

Jiang Wei:

"In this way, the two Wei armies inside and outside the city can form a pincer movement."

"Once the city walls are breached and the cannons fire stones into the city, the Wei troops on the mountain will come down to intercept and disrupt them."

"Otherwise, the Wei army in the city will launch an attack."

"In fact, until my troops arrived, General Feng couldn't even build the artillery array properly, and it was burned down several times."

At this point in the analysis, without Jiang Wei needing to elaborate, the generals already displayed serious and worried expressions.

This means that the Han army's earlier tactic of using "city-capturing cannons" to completely suppress the defending side has now been countered by the Wei army generals.

Jiang Wei naturally knew what was causing everyone's frustration.

He hurriedly addressed the crowd:
"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry!"

"Jiang County ultimately possesses a unique geographical advantage, which is why it can defend the city so effectively!"

"In my opinion, if we do not have the advantage of being able to capture the city with cannons, the Wei army can set up camps further forward to support the county town... In that case, not only will our army have difficulty firing cannons, but we may not even be able to besiege the city."

The crowd's expressions softened slightly.

Besides Feng Xi:

"In the end, it was my incompetence that led to this."

“The enemy general adapts to local conditions, while I stick to the old ways; this is a fault of our war.”

As he spoke, Feng Xi stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute:
"Now that the general has arrived, he should take command of all the troops. Feng Xi has little wisdom, but he is brave and courageous enough to be of use."

"I am willing to personally go up the mountain and take down this stronghold for the general!"

"General Feng died a heroic death!" Mi Wei exclaimed in praise.

"In that case, I will lead you three elite soldiers to take down that mountain stronghold within five days."

Feng Xi shouted "Understood!" and went to muster the troops.

After he had walked away, Jiang Wei couldn't help but step forward and say:

"General, you must have discussed a strategy to defeat the enemy with the Prime Minister. Why let General Feng waste his energy here?" Mi Wei retorted.

"How could it have been in vain?"

Jiang Wei: "Isn't that just a matter of course?"

"At this stage of the Battle of Hedong, it's a contest of who can hold out until the very last breath and force the other side to retreat."

"As for Jiang County, although it has withstood months of fierce attacks, it has long since reached a dead end."

"The reason why we can still hold our ground is simply because we have seen that Sima Yi and Wu Zhi's surprise attack was successful, and there is still room for the situation in Hedong to turn around, so we still have some hope."

"Therefore, our army should concentrate all its efforts to defeat that surprise attack, or at the very least drive them back to Hanoi."

"How can we waste time and continue fighting here?"

After hearing this, Mi Wei turned around and smiled at those around him, saying:

"Jiang Boyue, who used to only act rashly, has now learned to advise people against reckless battles!"

"There's a saying: 'A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation.' Your talent and strategy are no longer those of the humble abode of Longyou!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Because Mi Wei often made surprising remarks, these kinds of jokes about Eastern Wu were already well-known to everyone around him.

Jiang Wei's face immediately flushed slightly.

But when his gaze fell upon Deng Ai, who looked completely at ease, a thought suddenly struck him.

General Wei's words had a hidden meaning!

So let's leave that aside for now.

After the group arrived at his military camp, he dismissed his attendants and took the initiative to ask Deng Ai for advice:

“Shi Zai accompanied General Wei to see the Prime Minister and should know the details of his plan.”

"If I'm not mistaken, General, your deliberate act of letting Feng Xiuyuan attack the mountain was actually a smokescreen?"

Deng Ai shook his head slightly and replied fluently:
"Although General Feng's tactics lack variety, he is loyal to the country and brave in battle. To regard him merely as a pawn to deceive the enemy would be too harsh."

Jiang Wei: "So what exactly are the Prime Minister and General Wei thinking?"

Deng Ai: "Nothing more than that, those who have more strategic plans will win."

"If General Feng can capture this stronghold, then General Wei will take advantage of the victory to capture Jiang County, and then join forces with General Zhang's troops to attack the pass and drive Sima Yi away."

“If you can’t get down, then don’t go down another road. General Feng has been convinced after this battle, and he will naturally be able to follow orders in the future, so there will be no further discussion.”

Jiang Wei then realized what was happening.

Sure enough, ginger is still spicy.

"So what exactly is this 'don't take another path'?"

However, Deng Ai smiled but remained silent.

Jiang Wei was filled with anxiety: "I am also a former subordinate of General Wei, and I regard him as my patron. What is there that I cannot say?"

Deng Ai then spoke up: "The general didn't explain it to me in detail; I was just figuring it out on my own."

"Since it's just a guess, then keep it to yourself and wait for it to be verified in the future."

"Why follow the example of Yang Xiu, the son of Minister Yang (Yang Biao), who brought disaster upon himself with his words?"

After saying this, he waved his hand and went to check the military register.

Jiang Wei paused for a moment, then began to ponder it on his own.
……

Several days later, Feng Xi returned covered in wounds to apologize.

He bluntly stated that the military camp on the mountain was heavily fortified, and without five thousand soldiers, it would be difficult to take it down.

So Mi Wei immediately agreed to give Feng Xi five thousand soldiers and ask him to attack the mountain again.

However, Feng Xi returned after only half an hour.

He also brought all his subordinate officers and generals to pay their respects to Mi Wei.

"General, your merits are outstanding, and you are deeply trusted by the late Emperor and Your Majesty. How could we possibly rely on our seniority and disobey orders?"

"As long as there is a cause for action, speak your mind!"

Mi Wei seemed oblivious to the slight disrespect the other party had shown earlier, and calmly replied:
"I do need a general to lead five thousand soldiers to attack the mountain."

"But if the general is not confident of taking the position, we can change the attack from a direct assault to a feint, or even a night raid. The only thing we cannot do is remain inactive... Does the general understand what I mean?"

(End of this chapter)