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

Chapter 5: What I Saw and Heard by the River, the True Meaning Revealed

The Prefectural Governor's Office of Nan Commandery.

"You want to ride a horse outside the city?"

Mi Fang sat down on the reed mat with a thud.

Mi Wei looked at the other party's unusually broad body and said without any change in expression:
"Since the ship hasn't arrived yet, instead of just waiting, I might as well go out for a walk; it might help with my recovery."

“That’s right, you’ve been bedridden for too long,” Mi Fang said, casually pointing to Zhan Sifu, who was standing guard outside the door.

"Let Zhan Jun accompany you. I'm not comfortable with you going out of the city alone."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhong!"

"only!"

The two responded and exchanged a glance. Zhan Sifu was the first to lower his head and avoid eye contact.

At this moment, Mi Fang suddenly said:

"If you ask me, Nanjun is just as rich as Shu. If you stay here and work, your uncle will find a rich place for you and make you a marquis. Your future may not be much worse than if you went to Shu."

"You should know that although Shu County is a good place, it also has many talented people, and it is not easy to make a name for yourself... Why don't you consider it?"

What's the point of thinking about it? If you stay, you'll probably just surrender to Sun Quan along with me.
Indeed, Nanjun was a wealthy county, second only to Nanyang, the "Number One County in the World," in Jingzhou, and comparable to the neighboring Jiangxia County.

Moreover, Sun Quan would most likely not be stingy with rewards.

But what is the price?

He'll never be able to hold his head high again.

Despite their wealth, they wore fine clothes in the dark.

The original owner of this body in history lived a much more carefree life!

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle! But this matter is of great importance, please allow me to think it over!"

Mi Fang sighed softly and said no more.

……

The next morning, Mi Wei left the city to the sound of the morning bells and drums.

Zhan Sifu led a group of guards to follow him.

The group rode south to the riverbank, paused briefly, and then "coincidentally" saw another group of people coming this way.

The leader was tall and thin, and it was Guan Xing.

After exchanging pleasantries, Guan Xing suggested that they dismount and take a walk on the river embankment.

Mi Wei glanced back at Zhan Sifu, but before he could speak, the latter had already ordered the guards to scatter and stand guard along the river embankment.

He then directly reined in his horse and turned his back to Mi Wei and the other man.

They showed no intention of following.

Miwei was quite surprised.

He thought this person was sent by Mi Fang to spy on him, and was even thinking of finding an excuse to send him away.

Surprisingly, they were quite sensible.

interesting……

Once on the river embankment, Mi Wei noticed that Guan Xing was followed by a similarly slender "guard".

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be Guan Jiji dressed in military attire.

The woman's appearance was already on the more heroic side, and with her hair wrapped in a men's headscarf, she went unnoticed for a moment.

"My sister doesn't like needlework; she spends all her time riding horses and playing games. I wonder if she'll cause trouble when she marries the prince..."

Guan Xing glanced at his sister and shook his head helplessly.

"Lord Guan, you are overthinking it! She is the daughter of a military family, of course she is different from ordinary women!"

Mi Wei could easily see Guan Xing's doting on his younger sister, and he was determined to cling to the Guan family as a powerful backer, so of course he would say nice things to them.

Guan Xing smiled upon hearing this.

Guan Jiji glanced at Mi Wei discreetly.

However, Miwei did not notice.

Because his gaze was now fixed on the sash wrapped around Guan Xing's waist several times.

The main body is bluish-black, supplemented by bright red and dark red patterns, making a total of three colors.

It was covered by a leather pouch.

During the Han Dynasty, officials had the custom of wearing "seals and ribbons".

Since there is a ribbon, there should naturally also be an official seal.

According to the original owner's memories, this kind of "blue-red-blue" tricolor ribbon was worn by officials of the rank of 600 to 1000 shi.

"May I ask what position you hold now, Lord Guan?"

"I haven't even come of age yet, so I don't have any official position. I just hold the post of Marquis of Qujun in the General's Mansion, which is convenient for commanding the soldiers guarding the gate!"

As Guan Xing spoke, he untied the leather pouch and took out a crudely made copper seal.

The seal is inscribed with the three seal characters "Qu Jun Hou", which refers to the former general Qu Jun Hou, whose rank was equivalent to 600 shi.

"So, Lord Guan still has a fine arsenal at his disposal?"

Miwei looked expectant.

The Han army's organization consisted of two to five garrisons under a single unit, depending mainly on whether the units above the garrison level were organized in a two-two or two-five pattern.

However, it is certain that each hamlet consisted of a hundred people.

Therefore, Guan Xing has at least two hundred soldiers at his disposal.

This is a force we can rely on!
Guan Xing chuckled:

"The elite troops went to war with my master long ago, how could they have ended up in the hands of a half-baked military commander like me? They are just some retired old soldiers. Since they have nowhere to go, they might as well stay in the mansion to guard the house, which is a way to make a living."

Mi Wei was disappointed, but still asked carefully:

"Are they familiar with city defense?"

"Of course... but Lord Mi, are you still worried about Sun Quan's invasion?"

Knowing that words were meaningless, Miwei stopped wasting time and changed the subject back to horseback hunting.

Guan Jiji was indeed eager to try.

Later, at Guan Xing's suggestion, the three of them went back to the meadow by the river and had a competition.

During the Han Dynasty, scholars valued martial arts. Apart from a few scholars who devoted themselves to studying the classics until their hair turned white, most men from aristocratic families could ride horses and shoot arrows.

The original owner, Mi Wei, came from a wealthy family and had the material conditions to learn riding and archery, and was already skilled in both.

Miwei only needed a little time to adapt before regaining his senses through muscle memory.

Gradually, he was able to keep pace with Guan Xing, a "tiger son of a military family."

However, it was Guan Jiji who ultimately came out on top.

Although the riding bow she used was a size smaller.

But shooting pheasants and rabbits doesn't require much strength; skill and experience are more important.

In the end, she had more prey than the two grown men combined.

"My Lord Deer, let's take a rest!"

Upon hearing the sound, Mi Wei reined in his horse and, seeing Guan Xing beside him breathing heavily, couldn't help but tease him:

"How could Lord Guan be so incompetent? Could it be that he has been too busy burying himself in his books and has been neglecting his physical exercise?"

Guan Xing smiled wryly:
"Mr. Deer has it backwards."

"Do you remember that major epidemic two years ago? I was critically ill at one point. Although I recovered, I was left with a chronic illness. I would get exhausted after riding a horse for more than half an hour... So I simply buried myself in my books!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei immediately recalled the great plague that swept across the land in the twenty-second year of Jian'an.

Later historical records described this great plague as "every family suffered the pain of death, and every room was filled with the sorrow of weeping."

Now, with the original owner's memories superimposed, the tragedy seems even more intense.

Even Guan Yu's son almost died.

It's no wonder that Guan Xingying died young in history.

His body was already in poor condition, and then his family was wiped out by Sun Quan, leaving him with no way to avenge his family. Who wouldn't be furious in that situation?
So, my archery skills and physical abilities are only slightly better than Guan Xing's when he's low on health?
Thinking about it this way, Mi Wei felt it was even more necessary to cling to the Guan family's coattails.

Although Guan Xing is a bit weak, his father and brother are still very strong!
Otherwise, how could she have such a fierce younger sister?

"Was your younger sister not affected by the epidemic at that time?"

Mi Wei gazed at a certain "Han Dynasty JK" who was still frolicking and chasing wild rabbits in the distance.

"I can't explain it either. Perhaps Ji Ji's constitution is different from that of ordinary people? Two years ago, during the great epidemic, I lost three of my older sisters in succession, but the youngest Ji Ji survived."

Mi Wei then realized why the other woman was called Ji Ji, but he couldn't see any of her other sisters.

Bo (孟), Zhong (仲), Shu (叔), Ji (季), with Ji being the last in the family.

Ji Ji isn't exactly a proper name either.

It means "Fourth Sister".

In this era, aristocratic women would only be given a formal courtesy name when they got married.

After chatting for a while, Mi Wei deliberately led Guan Xing back up the river embankment.

The two were now positioned slightly to the west than before.

Looking south from here, you can see stretches of mudflats and sandbars in the river.

The largest of them is called "Jiangjin Island".

A small fortress called "Fengcheng" or "Jiangjin Garrison" was built on top.

It is one of the many satellite cities outside Jiangling City.

Mi Wei pointed his whip at the city, revealing the true nature of the situation:
"Lord Guan, I am indeed worried about Sun Quan, and I really don't believe that after all the elite troops of Nan Commandery have been sent out, these fortified villages can still effectively protect Jiangling."

"Unless you take me there yourself, to see for yourself!"

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(End of this chapter)