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

Chapter 105 Borrowing a Knife
Most of the counties and townships west of Xiangyang are located along both banks of the Han River.

When passing by Longzhong, Mi Wei suggested visiting Zhuge Liang's former residence.

Unfortunately, like Yuliangzhou in northeast Xiangyang, this place has long been abandoned.

Considering that the "Prime Minister" was still alive and well in Shu at this time, it was not appropriate to hold any abstract or elaborate memorial ceremonies.

So, together with Guan Xing, we reviewed the "Longzhong Dialogue" and recited the "Liangfu Chant" several times, and that was our visit.

They continued their journey upstream, passing through Shandu County but not entering, and then lodged in Zhuyang County that night.

Both counties had previously followed King Meifu of Yi and submitted to the south.

They are now all under the jurisdiction of Liu's Nanxiang County.

The newly appointed prefect, Pan Jun, chose to govern in Zhuyang County.

The following day, Mi Wei went to the prefectural government to pay his respects to Pan Jun.

As soon as he sat down, Old Deng's mouth reeked of sourness:
"I finally managed to persuade the two small cities of Ju and Zhang to surrender. I thought I would be the number one contributor in Jingzhou this year."

"Unexpectedly, just as the two cities fell, I heard that you had already captured the great city of Xiangyang."

"Afterwards, I intend to offer the king a suggestion to attract the people of Fancheng to move south."

"Who would have thought that before the strategy was even finished, I heard that you had already gone north to Deng County, where you used the 'Yuzhou Grain' to frighten away the northern general, protect Xiangfan, and gain fame throughout the prefectures and counties... Tsk, Heaven, why did you create Jun and then Wei!"

Mi Wei hurriedly said:

"My success today is due to two reasons: first, your excellent teaching; and second, the influence of Your Majesty's past efforts to win the hearts and minds of the people of Jingzhou. It is simply a matter of going with the flow."

"If you ask me, the one who has made the greatest contribution to Jingzhou is Your Majesty, followed by General Guan, and then you, sir. My humble contribution is not worth mentioning."

Upon hearing this, Pan Jun rolled his eyes on the spot:
"Why should we, master and disciple, be so hypocritical!"

"To assess the situation and achieve great success in one fell swoop—isn't that true skill?"

"Why do you think the King summoned you to Shu and put you in charge of this year's provincial and regional reports?"

"It's because they saw that you were far more talented than Baili, and they decided to cultivate you!"

Mi Wei thought to himself, "I'm not being hypocritical. I really think this way."

However, seeing that Old Deng was mostly joking, he stopped taking it seriously and changed the subject:
"When I was in Deng County, Zhang Jian told me that Cao Cao had exploited the people of the southern countryside no less than he had in Nanyang in previous years, and that the people of this area had long harbored the intention to abandon Cao Cao and submit to the south."

"Sir, could it be that you have taken a liking to this situation and therefore volunteered to go north to govern a region?"

Pan Jun then revealed a sly smile and said:

"Thanks to the commotion you caused in Deng County, who in Mianbei doesn't praise 'Yuzhou Grain' now?"

"This time, I've benefited from your influence and power!"

Having said that, he took out a newly drawn map of northern Jing and showed it to Mi Wei:
"With the capture of Xiangfan, the strategic advantage of 'possessing both Jing and Yi' as described by the strategist Zhuge Liang in the past will be realized."

"In the coming years, domestic and foreign affairs will go without saying. But in general, they will be eyeing Qin Chuan to the north."

"The original county seat of Nanxiang was located on the banks of the Dan River, north of Zhuyang."

"If we can annex Nanxiang and control the Dan River in the future, we can travel north to Wuguan and look towards Chang'an!"

Miwei looked at the map, recalling his experiences in both lifetimes, and nodded repeatedly.

The Danshui River Valley, which Pan Jun spotted at first glance, is a major transportation route from the Jianghan Plain into the pass.

During the pre-Qin period, the states of Qin and Chu fought for supremacy over the surrounding cities and passes for a long time.

Therefore, it is also known as the "Ancient Road of Qin and Chu".

Old Deng's strategic vision remains as accurate as ever.

Although it may seem like they were stationed in an incomplete border region, it was actually a key location for the future Northern Expedition.

In the future, various resources will continuously flow northward from Xiangyang, Jiangling and other places.

His position as the prefect of Nanxiang was highly sought after.

However, the usually thick-skinned Old Deng surprisingly showed his true feelings today, sighing:
"I'm old now and can only do small things like hammering and mending. For the important things in the future, we still have to rely on your generation."

As he spoke, he instructed his servants to summon his eldest son, Pan Zhu, to pay his respects to Mi Wei.

“My eldest son has just been recommended as a candidate for the civil service examination in Nanjun and will be going to Shu to serve as a court official. Everyone says that he can inherit the family business, but I don’t think so.”

“My son has been following you for a year, and I see that he has made great progress.”

Upon hearing this, Pan Zhu immediately knelt down and repeatedly called himself an unfilial son.

Pan Jun ignored him and continued speaking to Mi Wei:

"But he is still my own son, I can't just ignore him."

"Master Shan, I hope that in the past, out of consideration for our teacher-student relationship, you will take care of me in the future!"

Miwei was quite taken aback by Old Deng's sudden emotional outburst about entrusting his son to someone else.

But the next moment, Pan Jun grabbed his hand and said:
“Previously, the king intended to recommend me as a candidate for the position of outstanding talent in the state, but I declined and gave the position to Meng Zidu of Shangyong.”

How could Meng Da be appointed as the top scholar of Jingzhou this year?

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei's heart stirred, and he sat down again, saying:
"Does the gentleman intend to use this position to drive Mengzidu out of the three prefectures?"

"What a fine 'chasing away'!" Pan Jun chuckled upon hearing this. "Indeed, the title of 'Outstanding Scholar' carries weight, but for a teacher, it is of little use."

"If this can eliminate the hidden dangers right next to our bedside, why not do it?"

As he spoke, he handed a letter of recommendation to Mi Wei.

“When you go to Shangyong, I suspect that person will cause trouble.”

"This book is the 'sword' that your teacher is giving you. How well you use this sword depends on your own ability."

Mi Wei suddenly realized.

Pan Jun was trying to use someone else to "kill" him.

However, having come all the way from Dengcheng, I have some thoughts on the situation in the three counties.

He and Poon Chun hit it off immediately.

So he bowed and thanked them, and accepted the gift.

……

Nanxiang is a newly surrendered prefecture, and there is no need for examinations this year.

Mi Wei truthfully recorded some local customs and traditions, then allowed Guan Jiji and other female relatives to stay temporarily, and then headed south to Fangling with only Guan Xing and his entourage.

Yes, the three eastern counties are separated only by a narrow strip of water.

However, except for the westernmost Xicheng County seat, which is located on the banks of the Han River.

The other two prefectures are Shangyong and Fangling.

The county seat was located deep in the valley of a tributary on the south bank of the Han River.

For example, Fangling County, the seat of Fangling Prefecture, was located upstream of the Zhu River, the southern branch of the Han River.

It is a full two hundred miles by waterway from Zhuyang County.

Kou Feng said that the roads to the three prefectures were difficult and long, which gives us a glimpse into the situation.

However, they had only just reached the border between the two counties and had not yet ventured deep into Zhushui.

Mi Wei unexpectedly encountered Deng Fu, the prefect of Fangling, and his party.

It turned out that Deng Fu had heard that the "accountant" from the prefecture was coming, so he personally brought the accounting books and officials from Fangling.

This saves Miwei from having to travel back and forth.

While grateful, Miwei couldn't help but be curious:
"The Prefect can simply send a chief clerk to deliver the documents; why bother coming in person?"

Deng Fudao:
“Mi Anhan’s son, General Guan’s son-in-law, Pan Gong’s outstanding disciple, and a meritorious official in the capture of Xiangyang and Fancheng… How could I not come to pay my respects to such a talented man?”

Mi Wei took it as a polite remark and did not take it seriously, then introduced himself.

Deng Fu also had the "account book" handed over to Mi Wei for review, and had his subordinates and village elders take turns being questioned by Mi Wei.

This completes the entire procedure.

Deng Fucai pulled Mi Wei aside and said:
“Master Shan may not know something. The dangers of the three prefectures lie firstly in the winding mountains and rivers, and secondly in the fact that the mountain people do not submit to him.”

"Leaving aside the mountains and rivers, these mountain people have lived in seclusion for a long time and do not know the heroes outside the mountains. They are bound to be arrogant and brave and resist the government."

"The officials accompanying this group are all from prominent local families."

"We should take advantage of Shi Shan's previous dominance over Xiangfan and intimidate those people!"

Miwei immediately understood.

This Lord Deng also wanted to use his "knife" to quell the unruly spirit of his subordinates.

However, he did not believe he possessed any great power or prestige.

Let's find an excuse to have Guan Xing, this true son of a military family, lead everyone to hunt and practice martial arts nearby.

Guan Xing had been cooped up at home for a whole year and had nowhere to vent his energy, so he gladly accepted the task.

Two days later, the officials followed Guan Xing back to Zhuyang, and they all behaved with utmost deference.

He even said he wanted to have his disciples join Mi Wei's forces as his retainers.

Mi Wei was curious about how Guan Xing had done it.

Guan Xing, however, said:

“I fought the bravest one among them and won.”

"Then tell them that I am not as brave as my elder brother, and my elder brother is not as brave as my lord."

"Your Excellency and Xu Huang are roughly equal in skill."

"And not long ago, Xu Huang was driven away by you, Shi Shan!"

what? !

Miwei couldn't hold back for a moment.

(End of this chapter)