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

Chapter 33 Use it to show that you don't need it

"Well said!"

Pan Jun finally showed a satisfied expression.

“In cavalry formations, everyone rides a horse, unlike in infantry formations where orders can be quickly relayed by officers on horseback or with quick legs. They can only use flags to lead the way.”

"This means that when a cavalry general is in command, he often has to make a decision in an instant, because the opportunity to fight is fleeting."

"The more cavalry you lead, the more difficult it is to grasp the battle situation and opportunities."

"And this is precisely what makes Guan Yu and Zhang Fei so admirable!"

At this point, Pan Jun changed his tone, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly:
"But then again, even if we can't be like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, does that mean we can't be warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men?"

"Even after Guan Yu grew old and held a high position, didn't he often sit in the central army to command and send his eldest son and subordinates to lead the vanguard into battle?"

"Did this prevent him from becoming a figure of great prestige throughout China?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei felt that he had benefited greatly that night.

After spending a few days with him, I realized that this old man's character was really not good.

However, he does have insightful military knowledge, and his judgments are generally accurate.

What's even more remarkable is that he doesn't talk about abstract principles, but focuses more on practical matters such as geography, military operations, and so on.

He can be considered a good teacher.

The two were engrossed in teaching, while Mi Fang listened silently, her face expressionless.

But my heart was already in turmoil.

He originally thought that Mi Wei's apprenticeship to Pan Jun, or rather, Pan Jun's acceptance of Mi Wei as a disciple, was merely a temporary expedient for both parties!

I never expected that one of them was truly learning and the other was truly teaching!

Although Mi Fang was not good at fighting, he was worldly-wise.

It was obvious to Pan Jun that although he always wore a sullen expression.

However, he did indeed regard Mi Wei as his personal disciple.

I wouldn't say I gave them everything I knew, but I certainly put my heart into it.

Otherwise, how could he get more and more excited as he talked?
If things continue like this, will the Donghai Mi clan really produce a general?

It should be noted that the Mi brothers held a prestigious and high position under Liu Bei.

But neither his elder brother Mi Zhu nor Mi Fang himself actually had much talent for leadership.

Therefore, although Mi Zhu held the title of General Who Pacifies the Han Dynasty, his rank was still above that of the Military Advisor General Zhuge Liang.

However, he never actually commanded troops.

Even Mi Fang, who was a prefect of a prefecture, did not have any real military power.

They were only qualified to be in charge of logistics for Guan Yu.

The Mi clan's weakness lay precisely in its lack of generals and military power.

In these chaotic times, the difference between having military power and not having military power is huge!
And right now...

Mi Fang glanced at the strange master-disciple pair beside her, who seemed to be "different in appearance but harmonious in spirit."

Thoughts I'd never had before began to stir in my mind.

Perhaps staying with the King of Hanzhong wouldn't be a bad thing...

Some people on the city wall were chatting happily, while others were lost in their own thoughts.

The battle situation outside the city was constantly changing.

As the enemy lines on the west side of Mamucheng began to weaken, Guan Xing, who was well-prepared, immediately organized a breakout.

However, it is not just one road, but rather splits into two directions: west and north.

The western route was naturally intended to coordinate with Guan Ping's cavalry in their charge against the enemy lines, creating a pincer movement.

The northern route is even more straightforward, because Jiangling City is located to the north.

However, it's hard to say whether Guan Xing himself is in the west or the north.

Because Miwei did not see which route his own flag had landed on.

It's unclear whether it was due to poor visibility or Guan Xing's deliberate actions.

But regardless of the approach taken, the progress of breaking through is somewhat worrying.

As far as the eye could see, some of the "sparks" representing the enemy would be extinguished from time to time.

But soon new ones will be added, forming a new barrier.

From Miwei's perspective.

If the two passes are two swimming fish, then the enemy is the fishing net.

On the surface, the fish kept breaking through the net.

But upon closer examination, isn't it also the fisherman deliberately pulling on the net to exhaust the fish?
Once the fish are exhausted, the net will be tightened.

This inevitably made the people on the city wall feel somewhat distressed.

Only Mi Wei, a person from later generations, knew that in the original history, Lü Meng took the two cities of Nan Commandery almost without bloodshed.

Now let's look at the current battle situation, which can barely be described as "stalemate".

It looks much better now. At least the two sides are going back and forth, right?

As he pondered, the battle situation changed again.

But it wasn't on the west side of the battlefield, where the commotion had lasted for most of the night, but in the opposite direction.

Specifically, it was a growing chorus of increasingly agitated horse neighing.

A layer of white mist rose faintly, making the enemy campfires under the river embankment in the distance appear illusory and hazy.

"Lu Meng's large cavalry force has arrived!"

Poon Chun hit the nail on the head.

Before Mi Wei could react, Mi Fang was already at a loss:

"The three garrisons in the southwest have not yet been lost, and there has been no large-scale cavalry mobilization by the enemy during the day. Could it be that such a large number of enemy cavalry have fallen from the sky?"

Pan Jun snorted coldly, ignoring him.

Mi Wei pondered for a moment and deduced:
“Uncle, the enemy cavalry did not cross the river from the sandbar, but instead rushed in from the southeast downstream overnight.”

Mi Fang was, of course, familiar with the geography around Jiangling. After a slight pause, she suddenly muttered to herself:
"Yesterday, three thousand enemy soldiers landed on the east bank from downstream..."

"Last night, we turned west and bypassed Guanxing's rear route, but this also caused the ferry crossing that was being repaired to be burned down again..."

"From that time on, the southeast was weak, and Guan Xing was trapped in the southwest, so we naturally underestimated the southeast..."

"But this cavalry force remained hidden downstream for an entire day, patiently waiting to strike..."

"Only after the troops at the two passes had exhausted their strength did they launch a sudden northward attack overnight..."

Mi Fang became increasingly alarmed as she spoke.

He's really not good at fighting.

But that doesn't mean he hadn't read any military books.

What was that saying of Sun Tzu, the strategist of war?

Warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when you are capable, pretend you are incapable; when you are active, pretend you are not.

Why show the enemy that soldiers who are clearly capable of being used are unusable?
Because this cavalry force, which had been hidden for two whole days, was Lu Meng's trump card tonight!

As they spoke, the massive cavalry group, which had been vaguely visible under the starlight, quickly lit up with a fiery outline.

They were more than twice the size of the cavalrymen at Guanping on the west side!
Even more terrifying is that once this enemy cavalry force of thousands of men suddenly starts moving...

Completely disregarding the stalemate on the west side, they headed straight for Jiangling City!

At this time, the only mobile force on our side outside the city was Guan Ping's cavalry.

They were already trapped in layers of fishing nets on the west side of the battlefield and there was no time to send reinforcements.

Mi Fang's legs went weak instantly, and she leaned against a wall, wailing in pain:
"These two passes have ruined me!"

"Liao Hua has misled me!"

"My life is over!"

Pan Jun watched from the sidelines, shaking his head repeatedly.

It can only be said that Mi Zifang at least still cared about family ties and didn't cry out, "My nephew has ruined me."

As for his nephew, namely Mi Wei, a disciple of Pan Jun.

At this moment, he was also leaning against a wall, staring at the thick fire dragon in the southeast, pursing his lips and remaining silent.

I don't know if they were stunned or just bewildered.

Pan Jun's mind stirred slightly, and he stepped forward and said:
"Lu Meng has launched a surprise attack on the city. As the defending general, how will you respond?"

Miwei remained silent, continuing to keep a close eye on the battlefield below.

At this moment, because of this huge, uninvited enemy cavalry, the comrades who broke through on the north road of Mamu City began to charge forward desperately, disregarding casualties.

It seems they intend to provide aid to the area heading towards Gangneung.

But to be honest, two legs can never outrun four legs.

Given that enemy soldiers were blocking their way, it was less of a rescue mission and more of a show of force to the city walls.

To prevent the city's defenders from being frightened by the enemy and making wrong decisions in a panic.

In fact, after seeing that the advance was ineffective, the allied forces simply raised Guan Xing's banner.

The unusual activity here quickly attracted the attention of the western breakout army, and even the Guanping cavalry further west.

Both sides quickly adjusted their plans, abandoning the original strategy of encircling the enemy forces on the western flank.

They headed towards the direction of Guan Xing's flag, which was also the direction of Jiangling City, and forced their way there.

What was originally a breakout operation suddenly turned into a rescue operation for Jiangling City.

Faced with such a reversal and such a complex battle situation, Mi Fang was completely panicked.

Even Pan Jun frowned slightly, seemingly hesitant about whether to take any action.

But just as everyone on the city wall was at a loss.

After observing in silence for a while, Mi Wei suddenly shouted to the soldiers beside him:
"Quickly, strike the gong!"

(End of this chapter)