The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Guan Xing's words silenced everyone present.

Because they knew that no regime would allow the presence of enemy troops within its borders, and the Eastern Wu was no exception.

Wu Jun is probably already on his way, and it's estimated that he will be at the city gates in less than half a month. Moreover, his forces will definitely be several times larger than the Han army. This isolated army will face its most severe test yet.

Xie Chong pondered, "Captain, we seized over 100,000 shi of grain from Zhu Hong and the three major families. Adding Yan Zhen's private stash, it's estimated to be no less than 200,000 shi. Should we transport all the grain back to the city and defend Wushang City to the death?"

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "A prolonged defense will inevitably lead to defeat, and holding out to the death is tantamount to courting death. The Wu army would love for us to do just that."

"You have to understand that we have no reinforcements, and the walls of Wushang are low. If we hold out to the death, we will be breached in less than three days. The best way to deal with an enemy stronger than ourselves is guerrilla warfare, and that is the only way."

Xie Chong frowned and said, "But if we go to guerrilla warfare, won't we become bandits? Wandering around everywhere will only lead to our deaths sooner or later."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Guerrilla warfare without a popular base is just banditry; with a popular base, it's a royal army."

"If we don't want to become bandits, there are a few things we must do quickly, preferably before the Wu army arrives. First, we must seize the land from the local tyrants. We have already taken down the local tyrants, and the land must be distributed as soon as possible."

"Xie Chong and Ji Jie, you two are in charge of the land distribution. However, it cannot be distributed per capita. First, the land that Zhu Hong robbed must be returned to its rightful owners. Only after the land is returned to its rightful owners can the remaining land be returned to the landless people."

In the past two years, there have been quite a few victims whose fertile land was robbed by Zhu Hong and the three major families, and most of them were poor and lower-middle peasants. Their land should naturally be returned.

If they don't return it but instead give it to others, what will these victims think?

If things go wrong, not only will we fail to win over the masses, but we might also push these victims to the opposite side of the Han army, which would be a losing proposition.

In short, allocating land is a complicated task that requires taking into account the interests of everyone as much as possible. Even if it is impossible to be all-encompassing, efforts must be made to protect the interests of the majority.

Xie Chong bowed and said, "This humble servant understands."

Guan Xing continued, "When distributing land, we should also find ways to exchange land and try to connect the land of each household into one piece, instead of having pieces scattered here and there. It would be ridiculous if we spent two hours farming and an hour and a half traveling instead."

Corrupt officials have endless ways to exploit the people. Some corrupt officials deliberately divide their land into three or five plots in order to harm the people. One plot is in the east, one is in the south, and one is in the west. These plots are dozens of miles apart or even separated by several mountains. If you set off in the morning, it will be dark by the time you reach your destination.

In the end, the people couldn't take care of everything, so they had to sell off the few plots of land far from their homes at a low price.

This is exactly the same as the later experts' approach of having farmers live in the city and drive back to farm. The Han army cannot do that.

Xie Chong and Ji Jie bowed simultaneously and said, "Yes..."

Guan Xing continued, "Meng Jun, let's go into the mountains to the treasure location of the Eight Vajras and see their treasures. Gan Xun and Shen Yi, you two gather the vehicles and prepare them. When I return, immediately transport the grain and supplies out of the city and hide them in the mountains. Don't leave a single grain for the Wu army."

"Ning Huan and Guan Yan, you two will personally lead the team to expand the reconnaissance area to fifty li. Keep a close eye on the Wu army's movements. If you spot any trace of the Wu army, immediately light the beacon fire. Let's move out."

"Yes..." Everyone bowed and prepared to take their leave when Guan Xing suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Old Xie, what was the name of the steward of the Zhang family from Yuyao called at the execution ground just now? Qian Yun, right? Ask him if he is willing to join the Han army. If he is, take him with you. He'll be an asset, after all."

These days, anyone who can read and write is considered a highly skilled person. Qian Yun had been a manager, possessed management skills, and was responsible for business that took him all over the country. He had foresight far exceeding that of ordinary soldiers, and had lived in Wushang for many years, familiar with everything in Wushang and its surrounding areas. He was definitely a multi-talented individual.

Such talent is exactly what the Han army needs right now, and we can't afford to waste it.

"Yes..." Xie Chong clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

Guan Xing stood up and said, "Meng Jun, let's go too, let's scout ahead first."

After the meeting, the Han army's high-ranking officers split up and began their operations. Guan Xing led Meng Jun's battalion into the mountains to Yan Zhen's treasure location.

Wushang is located in what is now Zhejiang Province. Most of its territory is mountainous, earning it the reputation of being "seven parts mountains, two parts water, and one part farmland," with the mountains becoming increasingly more numerous as one moves southward.

Led by Ji Jie's secret agent Wang Ergou, Guan Xing entered the mountains and successfully found the nest of the poisonous bees.

The venomous bees' nest is located in a remote place called Chicken Head Ridge, surrounded by cliffs on all sides, with only a narrow path about a meter wide for passage.

Moreover, their lair is not on the mountaintop, but in a karst cave halfway up the mountain.

As they walked, Wang Ergou explained, "That cave is huge, with many interconnected passages. It could easily accommodate five thousand people. Yan Zhen left a hundred men to guard it before he left, so it might not be easy for us to attack it."

Guan Xing looked at Jitou Ridge and sneered, "This location was really not chosen very wisely. Although Jitou Ridge has a dangerous terrain, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is difficult for people at the bottom to go up, but the problem is that people at the top cannot come down either. If you send a hundred or eighty people to squat down the mountain, the bandits will only starve to death."

Influenced by the ideas of later generations of teachers, Guan Xing's primary condition for choosing a place to garrison was whether the surrounding area was open enough and whether he could escape quickly if he encountered enemy troops, rather than being trapped in a dead end where he could not even get off.

Meng Jun said, "Captain, we don't have time to waste. We have to take it quickly, but there's only one narrow path here, and it's extremely steep. What should we do?"

The road up the mountain is too dangerous. Even if there are only ten people blocking the road, let alone a hundred, they won't be able to get up.

Guan Xing's eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, an idea came to him. He laughed and said, "If we can't go up, let them come down. The people on the mountain probably don't know that Yan Zhen has been captured yet. This is our advantage, and we must make good use of it."

"Wang Ergou, take a few gold coins up there and tell them that Yan Zhen has successfully captured the county town and looted countless gold and silver. There are too many supplies to carry, so tell them to come down and help carry the things."

"Alright..." Wang Ergou nodded and left, while Guan Xing ordered the army to find a place to hide and prepare for an ambush.

Although the mountain path was steep and difficult to traverse, it posed no challenge for someone like Wang Ergou who was used to such paths, and he reached the cave in just 15 minutes.

When Yan Qing, the captain who stayed behind in the cave, saw him return, he quickly asked, "Er Gou, why are you back? Where's the boss? How's the battle going? Did you take it?"

Wang Ergou took out a gold coin from his pocket and boasted, "What do you think? The Han soldiers in the city are sleeping like pigs. They fought this battle without any pressure, and the captured grain and wealth are piling up like mountains."

"The boss is looking for vehicles to transport supplies. There are too many supplies this time, and one trip is not enough to transport them all. The first batch of supplies will be back soon. The boss wants you to hurry down the mountain and move the supplies back into the cave. We are in a hurry to transport the second batch."

"Brother Qing, you always take such good care of your younger brother, so I can't let you down. Let me tell you a secret: these supplies haven't been registered yet, you know what I mean?"

Yan Qing's eyes lit up. Not being registered meant there were no specific numbers, so no one would find out if he kept a little bit.

Yan Qing excitedly gave him a bear hug and said excitedly, "Er Gou, from now on you are my own brother. You rest for a while, have some water, and leave the rest to me."

Then he turned around and called out, "Brothers, let's go down the mountain and move our stuff."

Many people shared Yan Qing's thoughts. Upon hearing this, the bandits who were left behind all rushed down the mountain, leaving only Wang Ergou behind.

Wang Ergou gripped his sword, stared at Yan Qing's retreating figure, and sneered, "Once you're down there, don't even think about coming back up."

The road up the mountain was only one meter wide. Even if Yan Qing saw through Guan Xing's ambush and returned the way he came, he was confident that he could hold the road and create an opportunity for Guan Xing to encircle and annihilate him.