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

Chapter 32 The Difference Between Infantry and Cavalry
Taking advantage of Liao Hua's absence from the city, Mi Wei seized the opportunity to rest and conserve his energy for the night battle.

However, without a powerful figure by my side, I can never feel at ease.

I took a short nap for two hours and then got up.

After a quick dinner, Miwei climbed the south city wall again.

at this time.

Smoke rose from every corner of Jiangling City, including enemy camps outside the city and strongholds to the north and south.

It is a magnificent sight under the setting sun.

Fighting is fighting, but it won't interfere with dinner.

But although it's called dinner, it's actually just the afternoon between 3 and 5 pm.

Therefore, this meal is also called "bushi".

According to Miwei's previous life habits, this is called afternoon tea time.

Office workers eat afternoon tea, of course, so they can work overtime in the evening.

That does fit the situation tonight.

After observing the smoke from the cooking fires for an hour, I haven't yet discerned any sophisticated methods of adding or removing stoves.

Mi Fang suddenly climbed the city wall.

Mi Wei was surprised: "Is Uncle still awake at this hour?"

Mi Fang: "I heard that Registrar Liao has put you in charge of the city's defenses. I was worried that you lacked experience, so I came to see you."

Perhaps it's because they had no other way out and finally couldn't hold back anymore?

Mi Wei chuckled inwardly, confirming that his actions that morning had been quite effective.

More than one person is having trouble sleeping tonight.

"Sir, are you still awake?"

Mi Wei smiled as he looked at Pan Jun, who had also climbed onto the city wall.

"as well as……"

Pan Jun glanced at Mi Fang beside him and immediately understood.

Feigning anger, he said:

"Your reckless behavior during the day angered Lü Meng, and I'm afraid the whole city will suffer because of you in the future. How can I sleep at night!"

The whole city may not necessarily suffer as much as I do.

But what if we lose?

Your reputation, old Deng, will suffer because of my unworthy disciple.

So, you couldn't hold it in any longer!

Miwei chuckled inwardly again.

What did I say this morning?

Older people are unlikely to have such good sleep quality!

At this moment, on the city wall of Jiangling.

A legitimate governor of Nan Commandery;
A garrison commander stationed in Jingzhou;
In addition, a former general's chief clerk was personally appointed as the person in charge of defending the city.

These represent the three highest-ranking military commanders in Jiangling City at present.

After observing for a while, and seeing that it was getting dark, Mi Wei took a slight breath and asked Pan Jun:

"Sir, Registrar Liao has ordered me to defend the city, but I am truly unsure of my abilities. What advice do you have for me?"

Pan Jun stroked his beard and asked in return, "How many soldiers are there in the city?"

"Around three thousand," Mi Wei said.

"Originally, Lord Guan had gathered about five thousand soldiers. Some of them were stationed at the three garrisons in the southern suburbs. Registrar Liao took two batches to the northern suburbs. Last night, Lord Guan launched a night raid and took some more. Less than half of them have returned since then."

Poon Chun: "In other words, compared to before, the number of soldiers is smaller and more depleted."

Having summarized in one sentence, Pan Jun pointed to the area outside the city and asked:

How many soldiers does Lü Meng have?

Miwei quickly replied:
"Based on the scouts' inquiries over the past two days, and the observations my disciple made of the smoke and banners from the enemy camp, the enemy army is divided into twenty camps. All told, they probably number more than 20,000 men."

Pan Jun did not ask any more questions.

Miwei understood:
"Does the gentleman mean that the enemy's troop strength is so disparate that we have no other choice but to rely on fortified cities for defense?"

"Indeed," Pan Jun replied calmly.

Mi Fang, who was standing nearby, nodded slightly as she listened.

In fact, Mi Wei had been observing from the city wall for most of the day and basically shared the same idea.

However, this was his first time serving as a commander.

He has always been skeptical of his own practical skills.

So we just need to find a few authoritative sources to confirm it.

Not long after darkness fell, flames suddenly flickered in the direction of Mamu City.

However, it was far away and dark, so it was impossible to see what was happening for the time being.

But as the besieging enemy forces began a large-scale mobilization, coupled with the rumbling of war drums, Mi Wei finally realized that Guan Xing had begun his breakout attempt.

Soon, on the western side of the battlefield, roughly in the middle reaches of the Lingxi River, a fire dragon suddenly rose up and rushed towards the enemy forces downstream.

Faintly, the sound of warhorses neighing could be heard.

It turned out to be Guan Ping's cavalry, who had been lying in wait and heading south.

To ensure the element of surprise, Guan Ping's troops kept their horses gagged and deliberately did not use torches, only launching a sudden attack once they reached the designated position.

Mi Wei couldn't help but admire the elite status of Guan Yu's cavalry.

He had been observing from his vantage point atop the city wall, yet he hadn't noticed it beforehand.

It would be even harder for the enemy to detect it.

The same is true.

Faced with the cavalry that suddenly emerged from the darkness, the enemy forces on the western front panicked.

The siege of Lingxi Garrison on the westernmost side was quickly lifted.

But Guan Ping did not rush to the next place to relieve the siege.

Instead, he led his cavalry to make a slight turn and drive the already scattered enemy troops eastward.

He seemed to intend to send the routed soldiers to break through the enemy lines on the west side of Luanmamu City.

But as to the actual effects, Miwei really couldn't see clearly.

In fact, although he had the advantage of height, his poor visibility at night meant he could only roughly judge the battlefield situation by the scattered firelight.

For example.

The group that moves the fastest is Guan Ping's cavalry.

Those that move slowly and are wiped out after a short distance are naturally the enemy's retreating infantry.

On nights without moonlight or electric lights, this is all that can be done even when separated by miles.

But thinking about it this way, even with his superior position and overall view, he could only guess and speculate about the battlefield situation under the cover of night.

Guan Ping will be the first to face this challenge, and the difficulty will only be greater.

It seems they're relying entirely on intuition to guide them.

Mi Wei suddenly understood why Pan Jun said that few people could compare to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were warriors capable of defeating ten thousand men.

Because this really requires talent.

At this moment, Mi Fang was also deeply impressed by Guan Ping's heroic bearing on the city wall.

He sighed with a complex expression:
"Guan Yu's might shook the land, and his son also possessed the appearance of a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men. How fortunate Heaven is to the Guan family!"

Mi Wei thought to himself, "Of course not!"
If it weren't for you and Fu Shiren, that pair of mischievous geniuses.

Guan Ping doesn't get his own biography in historical records.

At least I can write two or three more lines.

"Does Master Pan think so too?" Mi Wei asked curiously, turning to Pan Jun.

Pan Jun shook his head dismissively and said:

"Guan Ping is an excellent cavalry general, but he is not a match for ten thousand men; he can only be considered a match for a thousand men."

"It should be known that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed Your Majesty from the time of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood to this day."

"Character, talent, and luck are all indispensable."

"But Guan Ping, in the end, lacked sufficient experience."

Seeing Mi Wei's seemingly confused expression, Pan Jun scoffed and continued:

"Let me ask you, after observing the battle for two days, what is the difference between a cavalry general and an infantry general, who are both commanding troops?"

Miwei pondered for a moment and said:
"Infantry generals usually sit in the rear of the army formation, using flags, drums, and messengers to direct and command the soldiers."

"The cavalry generals, on the other hand, often took the lead, using their banners as a marker, and personally led their knights in a charge."

"You have indeed observed carefully!" Pan Jun rarely praised him.

"Have you ever wondered why there is such a difference?"

Miwei thought for a moment, then said slowly:

"Because infantry operations require them to be arranged in square formations, whether they are dispersed when marching or tightly packed when facing the enemy, they all require strict top-down command."

"If we compare the infantry formation to the human body, then the general is the head, the brain. Once the general is beheaded by the enemy, the formation will collapse."

"Therefore, the central army formation where the infantry general is located needs to be protected from the front and back, and needs to be flanked by the left and right."

“Indeed,” Pan Jun said. “Then why did the cavalry general lead the charge? Wasn’t he afraid of being beheaded by the enemy?”

“Of course I’m afraid, but cavalry are mobile on the battlefield,” Miwei said, his voice becoming more and more fluent.

"On the battlefield, cavalry can charge, circle, and turn."

"The only thing you can't do is stay in one place for too long."

"Otherwise, if we get trapped in the enemy's lines and lose our room to maneuver, we will easily be wiped out by the infantry."

"And this determines that cavalry generals cannot command from the rear and direct operations from the center as easily as infantry generals."

(End of this chapter)