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

Chapter 45 Has Other Plans

Following Pan Mi's advice, Mi Wei readjusted the canal transport system.

This was carried out for about half a month.

Finally, before the arrival of the dead of winter, most of the supplies that the army had left behind on their return journey were recovered.

He successfully completed the first military task assigned to him by Guan Yu.

Guan Yu generously rewarded him with valuables as a token of his appreciation.

Mi Wei immediately gave half of his plan to Pan Mi as a reward for Pan Mi's contribution.

He knows his own weight.

He doesn't take credit for what should be attributed to others.

however.

"How can my humble plan compare to the General's strategic brilliance, winning battles from afar?"

"I am truly ashamed that Zhonglang has bestowed this reward upon me!"

Miwei hasn't heard anyone use that phrase to blindly praise themselves for quite some time.

This Pan Mi seems to have a good upbringing.

How come he's just like Guan Xing?

"Who told you all these things?"

“That’s what all the officials in the city say,” Pan Mi said.

“The lower official heard that someone had written to the King of Hanzhong, proposing that the Gentleman of the Palace take over as the Prefect of Nan Commandery and that his nephew replace his father.”

The gentlemen of the city...

Prefect of Nan Commandery...

Mi Wei frowned, realizing that things were not simple.

Why are these old guys suddenly all bragging about themselves?

He even wanted to recommend himself to succeed as the governor of Nan Commandery?

Could it be... because of Guan Yu?
Oh, right, Guan Yu!
Miwei suddenly understood.

The current standoff between the two armies is exactly as I had previously told the old Deng and his men.

Neither Sun Quan nor Guan Yu made any move against the local gentry.

Sun Quan probably treated her with great favor.

Although Guan Yu did not enter the city to meet with the prominent figures, he also did not take any action.

Clearly, they didn't want to make more enemies at this time.

Therefore, the old men believed that he was truly "strategizing" and spread the word about it!
Perhaps, they even harbor a deeper idea of ​​binding themselves to Miwei.

In the hope that this "young talent" who was highly regarded by Guan Yu would take care of him in the future.

Just like how Pan Jun sent Pan Mi to Mi Wei's side.

While Pan Mi was intelligent, he was young and inexperienced, lacking the cunning and shrewdness of the older generation.

They were completely fooled by this rhetoric!
Why doesn't Pan Jun give his son any advice?
Uh... wait a minute!

He's an old-timer too, could he have been involved in the boasting as well?
Of course it is!

His identity, stance, and interests are no different from those of other old Deng.

Moreover, the son is more likely to believe it when his father, as the father, leads the boasting!

Not to mention that he was even bragging about his own apprentices.

It's good for his reputation too!
Miwei was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

But soon, he realized a problem that could not be ignored:

Unlike Guan Yu, Liu Bei also cared about his reputation among scholars.

What if the old men's voices are too loud and Liu Bei goes along with it and agrees to the request, and then he really lets Mi Wei become the governor of Nan Commandery, bypassing his rank?
After all, Jingzhou and Yizhou are separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, so it's always necessary to have some means of checks and balances!

Mi Wei and Mi Fang, aren't they both surnamed Mi?

Mi Wei didn't look down on the two thousand shi.

But as he said to Guan Yu that day, with Guan Yu here, nothing, not even two thousand shi of grain, is as effective as a single military order from Guan Yu.

At the time, he had repeatedly declared that he would share weal and woe with Guan Yu and had rejected the "fake governor".

Then, he turned around and tacitly allowed the old Dengs to recommend him as the "real governor"?
Guan Yu would surely suspect his intentions, wouldn't he?
We don't need checks and balances!
All I want is to curry favor with Guan Yu!

No, no, we have to deal with this immediately.

Mi Wei thought it over and over, and realized that there was no way to stop the gossip.

Self-defense only makes one appear hypocritical.

After much deliberation, the only solution was to continue obeying Guan Yu's orders and demonstrate through action that he had no ulterior motives.

But military orders are something that Guan Yu can't issue, and he can't create them himself...

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon a simple yet sufficiently accurate marching map.

It was drawn recently while reviewing the canal transport system. Soon, his gaze fell on a city east of Jiangling.

Some memories from past lives surfaced in my mind.

Suddenly, a light shone.

"Have it!"

……

Yangzhou, Yuzhang Prefecture, Chaisang County.

General Lü Fan, who was in charge of pacifying the south, received an urgent letter in the middle of the night and set off under the stars.

Arriving hastily at the riverbank, a massive ship, as tall as a five-story building, was prominently moored in the deep water not far from the ferry crossing.

Because the open flames were deliberately concealed, and the night was hazy, it looked from a distance like a giant water beast that had wandered to the shore.

It is awe-inspiring to behold.

As he approached, Lü Fan finally saw the flags on the ship.

It was two flags with the character "Sun" on them, one at the beginning and one at the end, one large and one small.

His expression inevitably became strange.

Furthermore, the urgent letter already stated that there were two officers on board tonight:
General Who Conquers the Barbarians, Sun Jiao, courtesy name Shulang;

Sun Huan, courtesy name Shuwu, was the Commandant of the Imperial Guard.

Both of them were outstanding members of the Sun clan, so it was reasonable for them to go west to Jingzhou to provide support at this time.

However, the two men were not only Sun Quan's younger brother and nephew, but also generals under Sun Quan.

Both morally and logically, they had no right to use such a luxurious five-story ship as the main command headquarters.

It should be noted that even a military commander like Lü Meng did not receive this treatment!
If it were someone else, they would inevitably have subtly criticized Sun Quan for nepotism.

However, there was a special relationship between Lü Fan (Lü Ziheng) and the Sun family of Jiangdong.

So even though it was only slightly strange for a moment, I already had a guess in my mind.

Sure enough, the next moment, a small boat slowly sailed in from under the ship.

"Ziheng!"

A lithe figure, long at the top and short at the bottom, stood at the bow of the boat, its voice echoing in the distance.

"If I had listened to you earlier and detained Liu Bei, I wouldn't have suffered the hardships of traveling in the winter."

"I deeply regret my actions!" (Note)
Upon hearing this, Lü Fan felt relieved for a moment, then became solemn.

He hurried forward, intending to help the lonely man ashore.

But the man only told the small boat to slow down, showing no intention of docking.

"I have heard that it is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."

"Now we want to go against the current and take back Jingzhou, but we are worried about the instability behind us."

"I wonder if Ziheng would be willing to serve as my lord in Jianye?"

Lü Fan readily agreed and accepted the order.

He was good at strategizing, but not good at fighting on the front lines.

This kind of work, guarding the rear and ensuring sufficient food and troops for the front lines, is perfect for him to utilize his strengths.

But after accepting the order, his thoughts shifted slightly, and he suddenly felt that although the man on the ship's personal campaign was indeed part of the mission, it was still a matter of course.

But they were a little too eager.

They weren't even willing to go ashore and stay for a night.

Therefore, he advised:
"Some time ago, Lu Boyan wrote to me, saying that we have lost the initiative in taking Jiangling, and Lü Huwei is getting increasingly ill, making the war in Nanjun difficult."

"It is likely that the Sun and Liu families will have to make peace in the future."

"In that case, why doesn't my lord make a grand entrance and proceed at a leisurely pace to demonstrate his composure?"

Upon hearing this, the man on the boat remained silent for a moment before slowly saying:
"Then please, Ziheng, make a big show of it on the river and continue to slowly send troops to reinforce Lü Ziming."

"As for me... just pretend I never came here tonight."

Lü Fan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He suddenly realized that he had underestimated his lord's strategic ambitions.

Just like back then, when they underestimated the enemy and dared to let Liu Bei go to Jiangling.

But before he could speak again, the small boat had already quietly turned back towards the ship.

……

The following day, in Guan Yu's central command tent, they held their usual military discussions.

After everything was discussed and agreed upon, Mi Wei suddenly made a military suggestion.

……

Note: Sun Quan had already referred to himself as "I" (孤, meaning "I am alone") long before becoming the King of Wu of Wei. For example, he once wrote a letter threatening Cao Cao, saying, "If you do not die, I will not be at peace." This may be a later historian's perspective, or the Sun family may have already shown signs of separatism. We won't dwell on that here.

(End of this chapter)