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

Chapter 43 New Military Orders
Without hesitation, Miwei countered with a question:

"May I ask you, my lord, and may I ask you generals, how does the power of a commandery with a salary of two thousand bushels of grain compare to that of the former general who held the authority to oversee the affairs of Jingzhou?"

Guan Yu smiled but did not answer.

The others present chimed in, "Not nearly as good!"

Miwei asked again:

"If war breaks out, a 600-stone official will be ordered to deploy troops in the prefecture. I ask you, would a 2,000-stone prefect dare to disobey orders?"

The crowd then egged them on, saying, "Of course we wouldn't dare!"

Miwei spread his hands and said:
"If that's the case, then the so-called power of a two-thousand-stone official is nothing more than that; what's there to regret?"

Everyone laughed and agreed.

Mi Wei then turned back to Guan Yu:

"To be honest, my lord, there's another reason why I gave up the position of 'Five Officials Clerk' and chose the position of 'Attendant Gentleman'!"

Guan Yu raised his hand: "Tell me!"

Mi Weidao:
“Back when Your Majesty was still the Left General, my master (Mi Zhu) served as the Left General’s Attendant Gentleman along with Jian (Yong) and Sun (Qian), and was undoubtedly a trusted minister.”

"After that, the three dukes shared both hardship and wealth with the king, and for more than ten years they followed each other through thick and thin, never abandoning each other."

"Therefore, I dare to ask today, in the capacity of 'Attendant Gentleman of the Palace,' to serve Your Majesty and share joys and sorrows with you, my Lord, and never abandon you!"

These words were met with enthusiastic applause from the entire audience.

It was rare for Guan Yu to be moved and exclaim in shock:

"Mi Zizhong has indeed given birth to a fine son! Excellent, very excellent!"

After that, everything fell into place.

Guan Yu ordered his men to bestow silk, a precious sword, and a fine horse upon Mi Wei.

All of these were obtained during the previous Northern Expedition.

Most importantly, it was a bronze official seal engraved with the words "Chengshi Zhonglang".

And to match, a three-colored ribbon in blue, red, and dark blue, representing a status of 600 to 1000 koku.

Every other matching accessory was included.

The official seals and ribbons are complete.

From that moment on, Mi Wei was a proper Han official.

This is completely different in nature from the private subordinates of the prefect, such as the inspector, the merit officer, and the five officials.

And considering that the seal of office for "Zhonglang" was prepared in advance.

This suggests that Guan Yu's appointment was likely made after private correspondence with Liu Bei, or that the two had a tacit understanding.

Miwei couldn't help but feel glad that he had made a wise choice.

……

"My lord, my younger sister was just lingering outside the tent. Why don't you invite her in?"

After Mi Wei and the others left, Guan Ping stayed behind alone, but he used a more intimate way of addressing his father.

Before his eldest son, Guan Yu no longer maintained the airs of a "Lord," and with a soft sigh, said:
"How could I not know what you siblings are thinking?"

"It's nothing more than the fact that this northern expedition was abandoned halfway and we lost half of Nanjun. They're worried that my position is unstable, so they want to arrange a marriage between us as soon as possible!"

Guan Ping's thoughts were exposed, and he no longer concealed them:

"This matter was decided long ago before the Northern Expedition. Now, why not go with the flow?"

"Smooth? Where is it smooth!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu slammed his hand on the table and his expression changed drastically:

"Has Your Excellency already captured Xiangyang and Fancheng, or has he already captured that scoundrel Sun Quan alive?"

"Having done nothing wrong, how dare you ask the King for a marriage?"

"Don't you know the meaning of the word 'shame'?"

Guan Ping lowered his head awkwardly.

He knew, of course, that the reason his father suddenly got angry at him wasn't because he had said anything wrong.

Given the current situation.

The matter lies in the gains and losses of Jingzhou.

Rather than blaming Guan Ping, it would be more accurate to say that he was blaming himself.

His pride prevented him from asking Liu Bei for a reward after the defeat in battle.

That would be more painful for him than killing him.

After venting his frustrations, Guan Yu lost interest.

He said to his eldest son in a low voice:

“If you are as ashamed as your father, you should learn from Mi Wei and be brave enough to take on responsibilities in critical moments.”

"If you brothers achieve great merit on the battlefield, why don't you ask the king for a princess to be your wife?"

"If that day ever comes, what difference will it make whether or not a woman marries into her husband?"

Guan Ping immediately bowed his head and agreed.

In the following days, Guan Yu, emboldened by his shame, took the initiative to advance and frequently made moves to pressure the enemy camp.

The two sides engaged in no fewer than ten battles of attack and defense around a river (Lingxi), three fortified villages, and several miles of sandbars in the northwestern suburbs of Jiangling City.

The final result proved that Guan Yu was indeed worthy of being called a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men in his time, and successfully drove Lü Meng off the north bank of the Yangtze River.

The two garrisons of Ma Mu and Ling Xi changed hands again, returning to Guan Yu's control.

However, their winning streak ended there.

Lu Meng and Lu Xun were not easy to deal with.

As enemy warships continued to gather downstream, the banner of "General of Chariots and Cavalry" on the opposite bank of the river was sure to boost the morale of the Jiangdong army.

Lü Meng's troops eventually took firm root on Jiangjin Island.

This maintained the Jiangdong Army's consistent and strong control over the Yangtze River waterway.

The two armies finally entered a temporary stalemate.

This does meet the initial expectations of some people.

The reason it is only temporary is...

This is because both sides actually still have a large number of reinforcements that have not yet arrived.

One is towards Yangzhou, and the other is towards Yizhou.

Whether the outcome will be decisive, or whether the parties will return to the negotiating table, remains to be seen.

However, none of this is relevant to Miwei for the time being.

That day, I returned to the prefectural government from Guan Yu's camp.

He divided the silk he obtained in two, giving one half to Zhan Sifu.

Half of it was divided equally among the craftsmen who went out of the city to dig the dike that night.

They are all people who risked their lives for him, and they must be rewarded.

After that, Mi Wei prepared generous gifts and went to the governor's mansion to express his gratitude.

Regardless, Poon Chun did pass on his true skills.

And in critical moments, they protect those behind them.

When it's time to criticize Old Deng, then criticize Old Deng.

Don't forget to express your gratitude when it's appropriate.

After dealing with some personal matters, he spent a few days studying military strategy and geography with Pan Jun.

Mi Wei finally received his first military order from Guan Yu after joining the army:
They left the city to assist Guan Ping's troops in relocating their camp to Yingcheng, northeast of Jiangling City.

……

Before Guan Yu's main force returned, Guan Ping's troops were stationed in Jinan City, northwest of Jiangling.

He and Yingcheng, where Liao Hua's troops were located in the northeast, were positioned to the east and west respectively, guarding the main army's return route.

Incidentally, they also covered Jiangling's rear.

Now that the main force has returned, its primary function has naturally been lost.

However, the need to protect the rear of the battlefield to prevent the enemy from flanking and attacking from behind remains.

Especially the east side of Gangneung.

Unlike the western side, which was protected by Guan Yu's army, there was only a large group of natural lakes there.

Facts have proven that these lakes were insufficient to prevent the infiltration of the Jiangdong navy.

Who can guarantee that Lu Xun won't attempt another night crossing to the north?
"Lord Mi is going to Yingcheng mainly to do two things."

When Mi Wei received the military order, Liao Hua specifically explained Guan Yu's intentions to him.

"One is to assist Guan Ping's cavalry in relocating to Yingcheng, allowing them to rest and recuperate in preparation for future battles."

"Secondly, after the relocation of the garrison, we should dredge the roads between Yangshui and Zhaxi as much as possible so that military supplies on the Han River can be transported back."

"A large amount of supplies were left behind on the banks of the Han River?" Mi Wei asked curiously.

Liao Hua nodded and said:
"When you returned, you fought the enemy navy near Jingling and successfully repelled the enemy general Jiang Qin."

"However, due to the urgent need to rescue Jiangling, a large amount of supplies had to be left behind on the way."

"Given the current situation, it seems we'll have to contend with the Sun family until next spring before we can see a result."

"So what you mean is that you should try to recover as much of this baggage as possible."

"The relocation of Guan Ping's troops to the northeast was also to facilitate the cavalry's cover of the roads."

Upon hearing that it was just logistical scheduling work, Miwei immediately felt relieved.

He has been handling logistics for the past two weeks and is already quite skilled.

Not to mention that they also had Guan Ping, a "warrior capable of defeating a thousand men," as their main support.

He immediately bowed in gratitude, accepted the order, and left.

(End of this chapter)