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

Chapter 128 Zhang Yi's Intelligence

Then Ma Dai said:
"Apart from those who have been assimilated, most of the Qiang and Hu tribes are nomadic."

"However, whether the water and grass are abundant or not, and whether the winter is cold or not, ultimately depends on the weather, just like farming in the Han region."

“No, it depends even more on fate than farming!” Ma Dai shook his head and emphasized.

"Therefore, most Qiang and Hu people are either full for one day or hungry for three, and they are busy foraging for food every day. How can they have the leisure to train in any battle formations?"

"But if one's body is not strong enough, how can one don armor and go into battle?"

"Therefore, they would only gather together to plunder southward when necessary."

"Grab what you can, otherwise try another store."

"If the government troops come, we will fight if we can, and if we can't, we will go home."

Upon hearing this, Ma Su frowned and said:

"Aren't these just thieves and bandits?"

“You Chang’s words are correct; this is exactly the behavior of bandits!” Ma Dai burst into laughter.

“I was not familiar with the southern barbarians before, and I thought there would be differences. But after seeing it today, I found that the four barbarians in the north and south are actually very similar.”

"Without the laws of the Han dynasty, without the hierarchy of superiors and inferiors, no matter how many people there are, they are just a bunch of thieves."

“I heard that my elder brother (Ma Chao) and my eldest brother (Mi Wei) discussed this matter, saying something about ‘fighting together with the strength of both sides.’”

[The value of an army lies not in its quantity, but in its ability to unite forces effectively to assess the enemy and capture their strength.]

Ma Su, who was well-versed in military strategy, instantly recalled the original text of the military treatise.

Then came the sudden realization:
"The barbarian bandits are lawless and unruly. They rely solely on their large numbers and momentary courage to barely form an army."

"Once they see the true might of the royal army, they will reveal their ugly side and collapse at the first touch."

"From this perspective, Shi Shanning's preference for experienced veterans from Zitong who were familiar with battle formations over newly recruited young men was probably due to this point, which is to say, to win by 'rules and regulations'."

"This is the most superior form of 'winning hearts and minds'!"

Ma Su was both enlightened and impressed, and sighed inwardly.

This time, they ventured out to deliver a message and offer advice.

Although he was embarrassed in public because of a miscalculation in the temple.

But they also witnessed the true art of warfare.

Worth it!

……

As night fell, Ma Zhong and Wang Ping's troops also gathered there.

Because they were a step too slow, Wang Ping's troops harvested nothing.

However, after learning about Miwei's record, they had nothing to say.

He could only lament that he hadn't expected Gao Ding to be such a strong swimmer; he should have jumped into the water and cast his net earlier.

At least he could earn the title of barbarian commander as a military achievement.

Ma Zhong also failed to achieve any positive military merits, but he did have an unexpected gain.

It turned out that after receiving the order from Miwei, he immediately headed south to encircle them.

However, they encountered the dozen or so "rebels" on the way and managed to repel the pursuers.

More accurately, the pursuers turned away smoothly as soon as they saw his group, not daring to even touch them.

In short, the Maoniu Yi nobleman named Lang Li was brought to Mi Wei by Ma Zhong.

Upon hearing Qing Miwei's name, the man knelt down with a thud and said:

"Captain, save me! I am Zhang Boqi's sworn brother!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei subconsciously looked at Guan Xing and Ma Dai beside him.

He thought to himself that Zhang Yi's sworn brother was probably even more fake than his own.

The oath of brotherhood between Ma San and Mi Guan was at least witnessed by the reigning emperor.

However, brothers can lie, but a machete cannot.

Gao Ding chased him all the way, so the two sides were definitely not on the same side.

As Lang Li recounted his past, Mi Wei finally understood the whole story.

Firstly, the Maoniu Yi tribe is currently divided into two major mountain ranges.

One was the Southern Allied faction, led by the Maoniu Yi King, which mainly relied on the Gaoding tribe of Yuexi.

After all, he was a dominant figure among the "heroes" of the South.

As for the other hilltop, it is naturally the Wolf's Lair right in front of us.

The man claimed to admire the king's rule, but Mi Wei, observing his words and expressions, felt that these were all just excuses.

The root cause was internal power struggles and potential conflicts of interest with Gao Ding, necessitating the intervention of external forces. Zhang Yi happened to represent the Han court in recruiting them, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

However, it cannot escape the three basic tactics of palace intrigue in East Asia.

However, just as Lang Li began to pressure the emperor and was about to shout to the Mao Niu King, "The Han envoy asked me to pass on a message to you,"...

Li Yan suddenly abandoned all martial ethics and started beating Gao Ding up.

After that, things happened exactly as Zhang Yi had reported.

Li Yan's "door" was breached by Huang Yuan, allowing the thieves to slip into the heart of Shu County.

However, just when Miwei thought this was Li Yan's lowest point, Lang Li gave an even more astonishing statement:
"That man surnamed Li had a private agreement with Gao Ding, telling him to seize enough grain and then return south as soon as possible."

"Then, in coordination with him, we will control the Maoniu tribe and kill those of us who disobey Gao Ding to make a military contribution!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.

Mi Wei frowned and asked, "Li Fu... does Li Zhengfang have a grudge against you?"

Lang Li shook his head and said, "He doesn't care who he kills, as long as there are heads. Gao Ding specifically asked me to be killed. That was the condition he agreed to cooperate on."

It turned out to be the case.

Mi Wei took a slight breath, suppressing his emotions, and pressed on:

"Then how will you escape? And where is Zhang Boqi now?"

Then Lang Li's face darkened, and he said:
“Boqi was quick-witted and, seeing that the situation was not good, immediately advised me to head north.”

"We fled all the way to Hanjia County. Just as we were about to leave the mountain pass, we were stopped by the prefect surnamed Huang, who suspected that I was a spy for Gao Ding."

"Boqi had no choice but to enter the city as a hostage before the Huang family would let us leave. However, they refused to take us in and instead allowed Gao Ding's men to hunt us down at will!"

Isn't this just a case of being good at nothing but causing trouble?
Mi Wei sighed inwardly.

At this moment, a young woman who had come with Lang Li, possibly his sister, suddenly stepped forward and cried out:

"Captain, please save Young Master Zhang!"

Mr. Zhang...

Upon hearing this rather ambiguous form of address and seeing the other person's delicate features, Mi Wei instantly imagined some melodramatic scenes.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that this woman was indeed a noblewoman from the Maoniu tribe, and was Lang Li's own older sister.

Now he understood Zhang Yi's methods.

Zhang Yi was not yet the great general of the south; he was merely a lowly official with no power or influence.

To gain Lang Li's trust, one must employ extraordinary measures and be extremely patient.

Of course.

From the perspective of Miwei, a person from a later generation, Langli's older sister was actually quite pretty.

If it weren't for Li Yan's interference, this matter would have been a great achievement, enough to make him famous in the region.

Anyway, it can't be considered a loss.

Thinking about it this way, Huang Yuan probably detained Zhang Yi as a hostage partly to guard against the imperial court and partly to guard against Li Yan.

Before the situation becomes completely clear, they may not take drastic measures against Zhang Yi.

Having calmed down a bit, Mi Wei then questioned him about the intelligence he had gathered.

They learned that Gao Ding still had a force left behind in Xixian, south of Hanjia County, by the Qingyi River.

There were approximately a thousand people.

Because Huang Yuan is hiding in the county town, these thousand-plus people may still head north to cause trouble in order to support Gao Ding.

So the next day, after breakfast, Mi Wei immediately broke camp and headed south to Linqiong County.

Then, instead of entering the county town, he sent someone to inform the local county officials to guard the city carefully and to supply the military with provisions.

He then led his troops all the way to the mountain pass where Shu County and Han Jia bordered.

All major and minor roads leading into Sichuan were completely blocked.

He then dispatched Ma Dai, Wang Ping, and Ma Zhong to continue searching for the remaining bandits within the prefecture in order to reassure the people.

He then dispatched Guan Xing, Ma Su, Huo Yi, and others to pacify the people of the two counties and to replant as much of the damaged land as possible.

At the same time, he also wrote a letter back to the capital.

They reported on the results of the battle while clarifying the truth of the matter.

He then asked for instructions on how to handle the issues involving Li Yan and Huang Yuan.

Essentially, it's about clarifying responsibilities and rights.

Because both of them were high-ranking officials with a salary of two thousand bushels of grain and were in charge of pastures.

Mi Wei was not a general with the authority to act on behalf of the emperor; he had only received orders to suppress bandits and had no authority to take action.

(End of this chapter)