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

Chapter 76 Eight Hundred Breaks Ten Thousand

This time, Zhuge Ke was noticeably more cautious.

After a moment's thought, he raised his hand to the vicinity of Xiangyang.

But when Mi Wei thought he was going to make a fuss about the two cities of Xiangfan.

He suddenly moved westward, turning to the three eastern prefectures.

That is, the three prefectures of Xicheng, Shangyong, and Fangling. (Note)
Yes, although the three eastern prefectures are named after "east", they are located in the northwest of Jingzhou.

the reason is simple.

Because the three eastern commanderies were once under the jurisdiction of Hanzhong Commandery, and were located exactly east of Hanzhong.

From a geographical perspective

The Han River meanders southeastward from Hanzhong, passing through three prefectures.

These two sides are essentially the same geographical unit, separated only by a narrow strip of water.

Therefore, after Liu Bei successfully seized Hanzhong last year, he was able to send Liu Feng down the Han River to meet Meng Da in Shangyong.

However, just when Mi Wei thought they were about to discuss the classic question of Meng Da.

Zhuge Ke moved his son westward again.

Finally, it landed right in Hanzhong.

Zhuge Ke: "Do you know that Hanzhong is now a barren wasteland?"

Seeing that Mi Wei remained silent for a moment.

Zhuge Ke finally smiled and said with satisfaction:
"So there are things you don't know either?"

And said:

“From the time Cao Mengde surrendered Zhang Lu in the twentieth year of Jian’an to the time of his complete defeat in the twenty-fourth year.”

"Over the course of four or five years, Cao Wei carried out four large-scale eastward migrations of Han and Di people, which had already hollowed out the foundation of Hanzhong!"

Mi Wei remained noncommittal, only asking, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"We should launch the Northern Expedition!" Zhuge Ke emphasized loudly.

"Although I am not as familiar with the geography of Yizhou as you are, I have heard that Hanzhong is the gateway to Yizhou. It is the gateway to both the east and the west."

"Now Hanzhong is almost deserted. Without three to five years of recuperation, I'm afraid it will be difficult to reliably support tens of thousands of troops on their northern expedition."

"If Yizhou only sends out a weak and detached force, how can it support Guan Yu in taking Wan and Luo in the north?"

"Let alone Wanluo, I'm afraid he wouldn't even be able to get a foothold in his uncle's old residence in Longzhong, would he?"

Good grief, he's even willing to criticize his own uncle just to win, huh?

Miwei couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Zhuge Ke raised an eyebrow: "Why the sigh?"

Mi Wei: "Since you have repeatedly spoken rudely, I am too lazy to be polite anymore."

“I have always believed that you, including your General Sun.”

"Although he has great ambitions, he is always self-centered and does not understand the value of sincere cooperation."

"You said that because Hanzhong is depleted, Yizhou is unable to move east to support General Guan's northern expedition."

"But why must we send troops from Yizhou to support General Guan?"

"Why can't General Guan take the initiative to support Yizhou in stabilizing Hanzhong and then attack Guanzhong?"

He paused slightly, then continued:

"As long as General Guan leads his troops north again, there is no need to occupy the city. Cao Cao's army will do its best to come south to rescue the city, just like last year."

"At that time, whether Yizhou first dealt with its internal troubles or seized the opportunity to enter the pass and spy on Qin Chuan, couldn't it have been dealt with calmly?"

"That's why strategist Zhuge said the general of Jingzhou 'headed' towards Wanluo, rather than 'captured' Wanluo!"

"This is what military strategy calls 'controlling the enemy without being controlled by them'!"

"This is exactly how the coordinated efforts should be!"

Snapped!
Mi Wei placed his piece in Guanzhong.

And it happened to be north of Zhuge Ke's second son.

Zhuge Ke was dumbfounded.

Yet it's hard to believe.

"Guan Yun... General Guan, are you willing to be a mere foil for the officials of Yizhou?"

Mi Wei chuckled lightly, too lazy to explain further.

People cannot accept ideas that contradict their own values.

In the words of a past life, this is called a clash of values.

Zhuge Ke was indeed clever and saw through his disdain.

He looked embarrassed and said, "Well, I guess you win by half a point!"

Mi Wei chuckled as usual, and casually sipped the porridge that Zhuge Qiao handed him.

Surprisingly, it has a pleasant aftertaste.

At this moment, Zhuge Ke picked up the last blue pebble.

Their attention, however, was no longer on the "chessboard".

Instead, he looked at Mi Wei with a smile:

"If you make this move, you're likely to lose the whole game."

Mi Wei's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained unchanged: "Please."

Snapped!
The stones were dropped on the banks of the Han River, blocking the mouth of the river.

This is the water outlet where the summer water flows into the Hanmian River.

Zhuge Ke: "To be honest, long before you arrived at Baqiu, my lord had already secretly dispatched General Pan Wengui to supervise the construction of a new fortified village on both sides of the Dukou Pass." "This fortified village's design is modeled after the Crescent Moon City of Xiakou… Do you know what that means?"

Mi Wei nodded, but did not answer. Instead, he turned to Zhuge Qiao:

Do you know Queyue City?

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qiao straightened his back and said somewhat timidly:

"Queyue City is a riverside fortress located north of Xiakou Mianbei."

“A dock was built on the side facing the water to allow boats to enter, exit, and moor.”

“Build fortifications on the side facing away from the water to protect the boats in the dock.”

"Because of its crescent shape, it is also called Crescent Moon Fortress."

“In the past, Huang Zu occupied this city for many years and guarded Xiakou until he was defeated and killed in the thirteenth year of Jian’an.”

"Well said!" Zhuge Ke interrupted eagerly.

He started calculating again:
"If we calculate the time, we might still be able to build a city along the river."

"It should be noted that the Han River is narrower than the Yangtze River, and the Xia River is narrower than the Han River."

"With the advantage of our Jiangdong navy, Queyue City alone is enough to block the outlet of the Xia River."

"If it can also be used to build a dock between the water and the river."

"From now on, which boats can enter the Han River and which cannot, it is up to my Lord to decide!"

Therefore.

"Although the pass only consists of two cities, it is enough to hold off 100,000 soldiers!"

After saying this, Zhuge Ke slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter, showing absolutely no manners.

Zhuge Qiao, who was standing next to him, immediately looked disgusted and covered his face with his sleeve.

But when he turned around, he saw Mi Wei silently watching his brother laugh madly, his face completely calm.

I couldn't help but wonder:

“Mi Zhonglang (Xuanxin Zhonglang), how do you respond to this move?”

Zhuge Ke laughed even harder upon hearing this:

"Brother, how dull-witted you are!"

"This move was already made, and he only realized it today. How could he possibly have time to react?"

"I've come here today simply to see the ugly face of Liu Bei's envoy!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qiao covered his face again and remained silent.

Mi Wei only responded with "Then it seems there really isn't enough time," and then called for the scribe Pan Mi to come inside.

He asked, "Has yesterday's good news been confirmed?"

Pan Mi had already heard the commotion inside the room and said, "I have confirmed it several times, and it is definitely correct!"

Zhuge Ke was immediately puzzled: "Wait!"

"The walls of Queyue City only need to be built on the side facing away from the water, which is much faster than building a city normally. They must already be completed by now!"

"Even if your lord sends troops today, it will be too late to conquer it!"

Mi Wei: "Who said we'd send troops today?"

Zhuge Ke: "What day is that?"

Mi Wei quickly calculated with his fingers: "About ten days ago."

Ten days ago…

Zhuge Ke's heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, a certain possibility occurred to me.

The smile gradually faded.

But they still wouldn't give up:
"Even if we send out a light cavalry raid ten days ago, who doesn't know that the roads east of Jiangling are muddy and difficult to travel? We might not be able to make it in time!"

Pan Mi, who was also young, had long been unable to stand it.

He said coldly:
"So that you may know, as early as the beginning of winter last year, Mi Zhonglang was ordered to level the road east of Jiangling and set up sentry posts and inns along the way."

"Although it is not yet a smooth road, it is enough for the army to proceed steadily, not to mention light cavalry raids."

"Otherwise, how do you think our army managed to march south to rescue Linyuan?"

Zhuge Ke was completely speechless.

Turning around, he saw Mi Wei leisurely picking up the last red pebble with a mocking expression.

“When my lord sent out his troops, Pan Wengui’s fortress was not yet completed, and his stronghold was not yet erected.”

"General Guan only needs 800 light cavalry to break through Queyue City, which is equivalent to 100,000 soldiers."

"This battle was a victory of eight hundred against one hundred thousand."

"We win!"

Snapped!
Miwei finally made his move.

However, it pressed directly onto Zhuge Ke's bluestone.

……

Note: After Xiahou Shang conquered the three eastern commanderies, Cao Pi renamed them Hebing Commandery. This was the old name from the late Jian'an period.

……

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(End of this chapter)