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

Chapter 106 The mountains are high and the roads are long, regardless of the Wei and Jin Dynasties

Guan Xing's strategy for playing Animal Chess shocked Mi Wei for an entire day.

However, he quickly figured out what was going on.

In fact, the major local surnames have always tended to attach themselves to the powerful.

This is no different in essence from the old guard in Jiangling.

This is simply because transportation here is inconvenient and information is not delivered in a timely manner.

Often, locals can't tell what year (or date) it is.

The question remains: which of the "feudal lords"—Zhang, Cao, or Liu?

Which Liu is it that has the surname Liu?

This time, following Prefect Deng Fu northward along the main channel of the Han River, they approached "civilization".

Naturally, there are now more channels to obtain information.

After inquiring for two days, they quickly learned who the current owner of Xiangfan was.

Whether Mi Wei truly possessed the bravery to "suppress Guanzhong and Xuzhou" is secondary.

Knowing that he was Guan Yu's son-in-law and Guan Xing was Guan Yu's second son, both of whom were truly powerful figures, was enough.

In short, he successfully completed his mission to govern Nanxiang and Fangling, and also inadvertently did Prefect Deng a favor.

Mi Wei joined Guan Jiji and other female relatives, and also brought along the newly promoted Nanjun Xiaolian Pan Zhu, and continued their journey westward.

After that, they passed through Yin County and Zan County in succession.

These are all counties that have already been incorporated into the south.

After passing Danshuikou, the Han River narrows rapidly, making it too narrow for large boats to pass, so passengers have to transfer to smaller boats.

Miwei simply had everyone walk on the shore, leaving only the boatmen to carry the luggage in the water, in order to speed things up.

However, after entering the Shangyong area, as the mountains on both sides become steeper, only some dilapidated plank roads remain on the shore for walking.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Miwei instructed everyone to return to the ship.

According to our guide, the further west we went, the steeper the mountains became on both sides.

Especially in Xicheng County, the Qinling Mountains are to the north and the Bashan Mountains are to the south, with many dangerous shoals and rapids in the middle of the river.

Miwei gained a more direct understanding of the road congestion in the three counties.

It seems that Liu Feng and Meng Da's reluctance to go south to meet Guan Yu was not just an excuse.

Even small groups of people would find it difficult to travel in this terrain.

If it were an army of tens of thousands.

If even half of them made it to Xiangyang, they would be considered the elite of the elite.

This doesn't even include the issue of subsequent supply transport.

He recalled that historically, the transportation situation in Shangyong only improved slightly when Xiahou Shang took charge of Jingzhou and opened up hundreds of miles of trails west of Shangyong.

……

That day, the guide came to report in a panic:
"Commander, there are barbarian bandits coming down from the western mountains to the riverbank and blocking the road!"

Mi Wei frowned and asked, "Is it the western mountain on the side of the river in Yunxiang?"

"Exactly!" the guide exclaimed.

"There are three riverbanks connected end to end at the foot of the mountain. If bandits set up camp on these banks, they could easily block the passage of boats!"

"If we don't cross the shoal first, we won't be able to turn into the dammed river and head south to the seat of Shangyong County!"

Mi Wei immediately took the map given to him by Pan Jun, examined it carefully, and found that it was indeed so.

He then said to the Pan brothers, "I remember that Shen Dan, the Prefect of Shangyong, was the Marquis of Yunxiang. Is this the place?"

“It is precisely where his fiefdom is located,” Pan Mi answered first.

Mi Wei: "Since we are people from the local fiefdom of the prefect, how could we be thieves? Could it be that Prefect Shen is levying exorbitant taxes and levies, leaving our hometown without a livelihood?"

The group looked at each other, unable to find an answer.

At this moment, Guan Xing said:
"They're just petty thieves blocking the road. I'll capture the ringleader first, and then Shi Shan can interrogate them!"

Mi Wei said there was nothing wrong with it, but he was advised to be careful.

Afterwards, Pan Mi also volunteered to help, and Mi Wei agreed.

……

Half a day later, Guan Xing and Pan Mi returned with ease after capturing the thief.

The armor and blades had no trace of blood.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the other side surrendered immediately upon seeing the fully armored soldiers.

The bandit leader was quickly brought before Mi Wei, where he mumbled a string of words.

Miwei couldn't understand a word.

They could only ask the guide to translate, asking why the other side was blocking the envoy from entering Korea. The bandit leader was stunned when he heard the guide relay the message.

He responded after a moment, his eyes darting away in fear.

The guide relayed:
He said that the common people of the mountains and fields did not recognize angels and begged for forgiveness. He also asked why the envoys who came to the court did not go east, but instead went west?

Mi Wei glanced at his left and right, and said:
"Tell him that Cao Cao is plotting rebellion and harming the emperor, and that my lord, the King of Hanzhong, is upholding the Han dynasty and establishing the legitimate dynasty!"

The guide relayed the information again.

After hearing this, the bandit leader was stunned for a while before responding.

But this time it was the guide's turn to be stunned, and he avoided eye contact.

Mi Wei: "Just relay the truth as it is, there's no need to hold back."

The guide then spoke hesitantly:
"He asked Prime Minister Cao, 'Weren't you protecting the Emperor? When did you start harming him?' He also didn't know who the King of Hanzhong was..."

Miwei immediately understood.

They immediately lost interest in "education" the other party.

This version of the message is way outdated.

It's fortunate that this isn't the legendary Shangri-La.

Otherwise, we'd have to start from the time Emperor Gaozu slew the white snake and started his rebellion.

sidewalk:

"Ask him two more things."

"First, why are you blocking the road?"

"Secondly, how heavy are the taxes in Yunxiang?"

The guide immediately relayed the information.

And Miwei quickly received an answer.

It turns out that this group of thieves were not registered residents of Yunxiang.

They came down from the mountain to make a living because the harvest was bad in the past.

However, the fertile land on the plains is all in the hands of the powerful clans, and there is no guarantee of survival even if one goes down the mountain.

Fortunately, not long ago a general surnamed Meng recruited troops.

They volunteered and were then assigned to set up roadblocks on the riverbank ahead, supposedly to prevent bandits from sneaking into the county town.

Upon hearing "General Meng," everyone immediately became alert.

Mi Wei, however, didn't seem to care. Instead, he looked around at the mountains and rivers and said to everyone:
"My two questions just now were superficial."

"What we see today is a story of powerful and wealthy people oppressing ordinary people. It is a good opportunity to eliminate evil and punish the wicked, and to speak up for the people."

"Unexpectedly, the local mountain people are so struggling to make a living that they no longer care about the issue of oppression."

Miwei then had the other person untied and carefully inquired about some details of life in the mountains.

Finally, he said to those around him:

"Since General Meng is willing to crack down on thieves and protect the county, I should not obstruct him."

"In that case, we'll rest in Yunxiang ahead."

"Which of you gentlemen is willing to be my envoy, to travel south to Shangyong to meet Shen Yiju and Meng Zidu?"

Pan Mi volunteered again.

Mi Wei glanced at the other party's elder brother, who had just been recommended for the civil service examination, and understood.

warned:
"Remember not to offend the local prefect or garrison commander, and do not reveal anything about the state's outstanding scholar."

Pan Mi accepted the order and left.

Afterwards, Mi Wei and his group entered Yunxiang, but how they investigated the local customs and culture is another matter.

Two days later.

Pan Mi returned from Shangyong, furious, and said:
"Commander, Meng Da is refusing to see any guests. He only sent his nephew Deng Xian and his subordinate Li Fu to deliver a message that he unfortunately fell ill while suppressing bandits in the mountains and is now bedridden. If you have any assignments, please choose someone else!"

Mi Wei remained noncommittal, then asked, "What did Lord Shen say?"

Pan Mi: "Lord Shen also stays at home, but there is indeed a reason for this."

“Meng Da accused the local powerful families of colluding with foreign bandits and using this as a pretext to confiscate the land of several families and use it as military settlements.”

"It is said that a collateral branch of the Shen family was also involved."

"Lord Shen feared Meng Da's ferocity and the large number of his followers, so he dared not confront him and could only shut himself in!"

Pan Mi finished speaking in one breath, then looked at his brother with a livid expression:

"Meng Da insulted you in his letter, why didn't you tell me, brother?"

(End of this chapter)