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

Chapter 338 Long-term plan
Mi Wei learned of the military situation in Yangzhou in mid-April of that year.

His first reaction was, of course, surprise.

But I was not surprised by the sudden deterioration of the situation in the Kingdom of Wu.

Based on his limited understanding from his previous life, if the military strength of Eastern Wu after its founding were measured in shi (a unit of dry measure), Lu Xun and his son would each possess eight dou (another unit of dry measure), Zhu Ran would possess one dou, and the rest would share the remaining dou.

Now that Lu Xun's legendary skills are gone, it's no wonder that Eastern Wu has fallen into such a state.

What surprised him was...

Lu Xun was actually dragged into Lingnan because of that trivial matter involving Shi Hui from Jiaozhou.

Moreover, it is very likely that he himself brought about a butterfly effect.

In his previous life, when the Eastern Wu dynasty dealt with Shi Hui, Lu Dai, the governor of Jiaozhou, was more than capable of handling the matter.

Even Bu Zhi wouldn't need to be alerted, let alone Lu Xun.
Regardless of the circumstances, given how things have developed, as the Han general closest to Jiangdong, he was bound to react.

Save or not?
If we need to save them, how should we do it?
Which force needs to be deployed?
From which direction should we begin the rescue?

Although this battle took place outside the country's borders.

However, its gains and losses will affect the future landscape of Huainan and Jiangzuo, and in turn, the process of Shu Han unifying the world.

We must consider this carefully.

First, the first question.

After discussing it with his colleagues, Mi Wei quickly came to a conclusion.

We must rescue Eastern Wu.

There are two reasons.

First of all, the Sun family of Jiangdong has always been an ally.

Despite being an ally with a major blemish.

However, it would be morally wrong not to provide assistance when the other party has already voluntarily submitted.

Secondly, as Mi Wei had previously analyzed for Zhuge Qiao.

Jiangdong's unique geographical environment, like that of Yizhou, was very suitable for the long-term existence of separatist regimes.

Once it falls into the hands of the Wei people, it's hard to guarantee that it won't leave behind long-term troubles.

Moreover, unlike the Wu Kingdom, which only had half of its Yangtze River defense line left.

The Wei army in Huainan also maintained a large area crisscrossed by waterways south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze River.

The fact that Jianghuai was controlled by both sides meant that it was a typical form of a separatist regime in the south.

The consequences will be endless.

Besides, if this rescue is successful, Ji Han will be able to conveniently get involved in Jiangdong's affairs.

After that, it became much easier to discuss the issue of bestowing titles upon the Sun family, or to carry out operations such as sowing discord, winning over others, and planting spies.

Even the Shi clan of Jiaozhou might be able to assimilate into their culture.

After all, the latter already had this intention.

However, due to the alliance between the Liu and Sun families, Chang'an did not dare to agree directly earlier.

In short, for the sake of long-term interests, it is necessary to rescue Eastern Wu.

So the key question now is: how to save them?

Miwei's subordinates had differing opinions on this issue.

Some people believe that going directly to Yangzhou is too far and that the opportunity has already been lost.

Instead, we should adopt a strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" and attack nearby Xuchang and Qiao County to lure Cao Hong and his men back.

Then, taking advantage of their superior position, they annihilated the Wei army between Ying and Ru, thus completely eliminating the Wei forces in Henan.

Those who hold this view are all former subordinates of Mi Wei from Fangcheng, such as Kou Feng, Xiang Chong, and Wang Ping.

Mi Wei knew that these people had been operating locally for a long time and were naturally unwilling to go to Yangzhou to fight for another country.

Another group of people hold the opposite view.

It is believed that after the fall of Luoyang, Cao Wei had already taken the initiative to retreat eastward.

Attacking Xuchang and Qiaoxian alone may not be enough to draw Cao Hong's main force back.

Maybe they've already planned to carve out their own territory in the Jianghuai region?
Moreover, even if Cao Hong is defeated, isn't there still Zhu Ling who has already reached the gates of Jianye City?
There's no reason for them to abandon Jianye, which is right in front of them, and then travel thousands of miles to rescue Xuchang, right?
This clearly violates basic military logic.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to quickly head south and then send all the troops from Jingzhou down the river to rescue Jianye.

Those who held this view were naturally officials from the Jingzhou faction who were not closely involved with Yingru, such as Liao Hua, Deng Zhi, Zhang Yi, Wu Ban, and Chen Shi.

Although they did not come directly, they all sent their assistants to Miwei to seek instructions.

Of course, differences are differences. With Mi Wei's current prestige, once he makes a decision, none of his generals dare to disobey.

Therefore, for Miwei, the most important thing is to find a rescue route that is more in line with their own interests and has a higher success rate.

Mi Wei looked around and found that there was still one stakeholder who had not spoken.

Zhuge Qiao.

Speaking of which, during Mi Wei's period of mourning, Zhuge Qiao had already been promoted to the imperial court and served as a court official.

This trip south was undertaken as Liu Shan's envoy, and he was entitled to participate in discussions regarding matters concerning Eastern Wu.

But perhaps out of consideration for his own background, he did not speak up easily and has remained silent ever since.

Only after Mi Wei came to his attention did he reveal his thoughts.

His opening remarks were astonishing:
"King Deng of Wu is beyond saving."

"The information we have now is military intelligence from half a month ago. At that time, Zhu Ling was already close to Jianye City, while Lu Xun's troops were still far away in Jiaozhou."

"Even if we send troops immediately, it will take at least half a month to prepare, right?"

"If we factor in the journey to Yangzhou, it will take another half month."

"This combination gives Zhu Ling at least a month to besiege and induce Jianye to surrender, while Cao Hong and others have ample time to guard against our army's rescue efforts. This is what is known as besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements."

"If there are any further delays on the journey, I'm afraid that by the time we reach Yangzhou, the King of Wu of the Han Dynasty will no longer exist."

Upon hearing this, Kou Feng and the others assumed that Zhuge Qiao agreed with their viewpoint, and their eyes lit up.

However, the next moment, Zhuge Qiao changed the subject:
"But sending troops to Xu and Qiao is also not a good idea."

"Cao Wei had already moved its capital to Ye City, and last year it lost Luoyang. Therefore, Xu and Qiao were not places that the Wei army absolutely needed to preserve. They could not be considered places that they would have to defend if attacked."

"If they were not determined to come to the rescue, why would there be a strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao?"

"Cao Hong and his men might even use Xu and Qiao as bait to waste our time in rescuing Wu!"

At this point, Zhuge Qiao said to Mi Wei:

"General, in my humble opinion, if the goal of this battle is to rescue King Wu Deng, then from the very beginning, the chances of defeat are extremely high, the chances of victory are extremely low, and there is almost no hope of success!"

"However, if the goal is to prevent the Wei people from encroaching on the Jiangnan region, then it is still possible!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei understood something.

The generals on the left and right were stunned.

Those who were quick-witted also gradually realized what was happening.

But Mi Wei still solemnly asked Zhuge Qiao:

"Bosong, if I use your plan, and word gets out, aren't you afraid of being accused of being unfilial and disrespectful to your elders?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qiao solemnly bowed to the north and said:
"My ruler and father are both in the north, not in the south. How can I be considered unfilial and disrespectful to my elders?"

Seeing the other party's righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, Mi Wei remained unmoved.

Look the other person in the eyes, then ask:
Are you really not worried?

Zhuge Qiao was stunned for a moment, then exhaled and said:

"If one has no thoughts or desires in one's heart, one is inevitably inhumane."

"But haste makes waste."

"Only by walking on the right path can one hope to achieve their goals."

"Whether it's saving people, saving the country, or saving the world, the same principle applies."

Mi Wei nodded, then suddenly sighed:
“You have indeed made great progress over the years.”

"In that case, I will have lived up to the Prime Minister's expectations."

He immediately gave the order with a solemn expression:
"I have made my plans. My men, prepare quickly and do not delay."

“Yang Wenran is in Shangdang, and Qiao Yunnan is in Hedong. I am still lacking an assistant in charge of documents and laws… Bosong.”

Zhuge Qiao immediately responded:
“This humble official was once the general’s chief clerk and is willing to serve you as before.”

Miwei: "Good!"

Immediately, everyone took their orders and carried them out.

Except for Kou Feng.

He still couldn't figure out what Miwei was going to do:
"General, are you going to attack Xu and Qiao, or will you travel all the way to Jiangnan?"

“Neither,” Mi Wei said firmly.

"I'm going to attack Chenliu, Dongjun, and Yanzhou! I'm going to cut off Cao Wei's north-south transportation routes!"

(End of this chapter)