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

Chapter 52 Preparing for War
Why do mountain birds gather among the aquatic plants?

Why are fishing nets hanging on treetops?

Birds lose their nests, and nets lose their power.

What a tragedy!
How can I possibly tell you, Lady Xiang...?

Thinking of the line, "The Yuan River has angelica, and the Li River has orchids; I think of my lord, but dare not speak of it."

Sun Quan's ambition and aspirations had already reached their peak and were about to burst forth again.

But look back.

Only Zhu Ran and Pan Zhang, two generals, stood silently by his side.

In addition, there was a young cousin, Sun Huan.

Although Zhu and Pan were brave and fierce, they were rough and uncouth men who did not study much.

Sun Huan was indeed a scholar.

But being young, they may not be able to grasp the true meaning of poetry.

They don't understand a thing like "I think of my lord but dare not speak"!
Talk to these roughnecks.

We can't go in circles.

It cannot be described using metaphors or allegories.

We must tell them clearly and explicitly:
My thoughts are with Jiangling, Nanjun, and Jingzhou!
It's a million young and strong men from the Jianghan Plain!
It was 100,000 armored soldiers!
Upon thinking of this, Sun Quan immediately lost all inspiration for poetry and simply inquired about the military situation.

The three generals finally perked up.

This means the troops are well-trained, well-supplied, and in high spirits.

That person said that by taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, a single battle could secure victory.

Some say that Guan Yu had too few soldiers, making it difficult for him to gain the upper hand.

All these statements are already settled.

Until someone brought back a military report from Wuling, addressed to "General Sun Jiao, Protector-General Who Conquers the Barbarians".

Sun Quan's eyes lit up, and then he burst into laughter.

His generals couldn't help but be curious.

But then Sun Quan pointed to the Xiang River below the mountain, its waters clear and muddy, and the vast lake, and said with great pride:

"Within a month, this magnificent land will surely belong to me!"

……

Since Zhang Yi came to Huarong, Mi Wei has felt like he's on vacation.

Of course, this is an exaggeration.

But there is one thing to say.

Before Zhang Yi arrived, he had to train troops for war and repair roads and cities.

He also had to lead troops on patrols in the north and south.

I'm exhausted, like an old ox.

After Zhang Yi came, at least he no longer had to worry about the tedious tasks such as repairs and construction.

He only needs to focus on patrolling.

What surprised him even more.

Zhang Yi actually intends to improve those old-fashioned repeating crossbows that he had previously looked down upon!
Only then did Mi Wei remember that Zhang Yi had been appointed as the governor of Yizhou before...

He once served as Liu Bei's "General of the Treasury".

Their duty was to oversee the manufacture of agricultural implements and weapons.

Over the years, Liu Bei has been engaged in campaigns in the south and north, cultivating the land domestically and fighting abroad. Most of the military equipment and weapons were manufactured with the help of Zhang Yi.

He's actually a multi-talented individual who combines management and technical skills!
Of course, Zhang Yi's move was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Rather, it is a matter of real need.

The reason was that after returning from his second patrol, Miwei still felt uneasy.

So he asked Zhang Yi for help to fill in the gaps.

Zhang Yi bluntly stated at the time:
"Huarong, a small town, lacks everything."

"But there are two things that are most lacking."

"First, capable officials."

"Secondly, usable soldiers."

In short, we are short of staff.

Mi Wei deeply agrees with this point.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he has 1,300 soldiers under his command.

In fact, the soldiers who could truly be used for direct combat were the original five garrisons led from Jiangling.

This limited force is barely enough to defend the hundred-mile-long supply route.

The grain transport route is a hundred miles long today, but will it still be the same tomorrow?
As the army marches south to fight, are the battle lines getting longer and longer?

Will the enemy send troops to harass us along the way?

Could they flank and launch a surprise attack on Huarong City?
War is a dynamic and ever-changing process.

As the war progresses, the demand for troops will only increase.

The five garrison troops were completely useless.

But then again.

The lack of soldiers and officials was not a unique situation on Miwei's side.

The entire Guan Yu army in Jingzhou, including Liu Bei's army in Yizhou, was like this.

On a broader scale, the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period was inherently plagued by a widespread problem of manpower shortages.

The reasons behind this could be elaborated into a full academic work.

But for Miwei at the moment, the cause of the problem is not important.

The important thing is how to solve the problem.

Zhang Yi offered two suggestions.

First, to address the shortage of officials, we can vigorously promote and appoint members of prominent local families. For example, the relatives of that County Magistrate Fan.

The other party will definitely be happy.

Doing so will, of course, create the potential problem of the Fan family becoming too powerful to control in the future.

But the troubles will come later; this trouble only arises because of what happened later.

In the present moment, however, it is not unreasonable to act expediently and swiftly.

Secondly, regarding the manpower shortage.

Since the possibility of a person turning into a living being is not possible.

Then we can only make the most of our limited human resources.

For example, auxiliary soldiers and county soldiers are certainly not suitable for field combat.

However, defending the city and firing crossbows was not difficult.

So let's follow this line of thought.

We might as well choose a dangerous spot along the hundred-mile grain route to set up a stockade and have auxiliary troops stationed in sections.

If no dangerous location can be found, then build fortifications on flat ground and have auxiliary troops defend them.

The crossbow, which is easier to use than the bow, is suitable for auxiliary soldiers to quickly form combat power.

In this way, the difficulty of patrolling the Miwei is greatly reduced.

In case the war situation changes in the future and he needs to lead troops out to provide support, he will not be caught in a situation where he has to worry about one thing while neglecting another.

Mi Wei thought Zhang Yi's suggestion was reliable after careful consideration.

Protect the rocky terrain, organize the troops, and explore the ultimate in craftsmanship and technology.

Isn't this the same overall defensive strategy that Zhuge Liang later adopted after taking charge of Yizhou?
No wonder this person will become Zhuge Liang's right-hand man in the future.

So they made a decision on the spot to follow Zhang Yi's suggestion.

……

Jiangling, Guan Yu's main tent.

"My lord, there is news from the Wuling army!"

Liao Hua bowed and presented a briefing.

Guan Yu was sitting quietly, stroking his beard with his eyes closed, cultivating his inner energy.

"You read, and I listen."

Liao Hua immediately unfolded the bamboo slips, and without avoiding mentioning names, extracted the key points:

“Sun Quan’s vanguard, led by Sun Jiao, with 5,000 troops, attacked Wuling from the west.”

"Fan Zhou and Xi Zhen were no match for them, so they retreated to Linyuan City."

"On their way south to relieve the siege, Guan Ping and Zhao Lei led 8,000 troops from Changsha to join forces with Sun Jiao to launch a counterattack."

Guan Yu's eyes widened upon hearing this:
"Is it Bu Zhi, the governor of Jiaozhou appointed by Sun Quan?"

"It is indeed this person!" Liao Hua said.

"It is said that Sun Quan appointed Lu Dai, the prefect of Luling, to take over the post of governor of Jiaozhou, and also ordered Bu Zhi to lead the Jiaozhou troops to secretly march north to Changsha."

“Sun Quan had stationed troops at the mouth of the Xiang River for nearly a month, and we thought he was gathering troops in the direction of Yangzhou.”

"But now it seems they are mostly waiting for Bu Zhi to head north!"

Guan Yu remained silent for a long time.

"...What were the results?"

Liao Hua: "Zhao Lei and Guan Ping are outnumbered and retreat in two routes."

"Among them, Zhao Lei gathered the remnants of his troops and turned towards Hanshou City, northeast of Yuancheng."

"And Guan Ping..."

Liao Hua paused for a moment.

Guan Ping has disappeared without a trace!

……

Whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh!
"Master Zhang, you have quite the skill!"

On the outskirts of Huarong County, Mi Wei supervises the county soldiers' shooting training.

They were firing crossbows with extended arms and crossbows with extended legs.

Although Mi Wei actually looked forward to the more prestigious "Yuanrong Nu".

However, the manufacturing process of military crossbows is extremely complicated.

Especially precision components like bronze-cast crossbow mechanisms.

Working hours are often calculated on a monthly basis.

Therefore, the "Yuanrong Crossbow" is currently only at the design blueprint stage.

But that’s okay.

Because Huarong already had a large, even excessive, stockpile of military equipment.

There is no shortage of bows and crossbows.

What's lacking are people who can use crossbows.

Therefore, Zhang Yi was quite pragmatic and used the limited manpower and resources to repair and manufacture consumables such as arrows, bowstrings, and shields.

Ensure that all the infantrymen under Mi Wei's command, both main and auxiliary, are put to good use.

The effect is immediate.

Miwei even had time to train the county soldiers.

He felt that soon, Liu Bei's reinforcements would arrive in Jiangling.

He could go back to being an ordinary rich kid.

However, that afternoon...

A messenger suddenly arrived in Jiangling.

Guan Yu issued him new military orders.

(End of this chapter)