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

Chapter 36 Pincer Attack and Blockade

"I know, the Yunmeng Great Swamp!"

Lu Xun became more and more excited as he spoke.

"But why is the once vast marshland now divided into small, unconnected lakes?"

Li Yi thought for a moment, then speculated uncertainly:

"Perhaps, because this area of ​​Nanjun land east of Jiangling, along with Jiangxia County which we occupy, is located between the Jiang and Han rivers?"

"Because of the siltation of the two rivers, over the years, the lake was gradually filled in, resulting in the current landscape?"

"That must be it!" Lu Xun clapped his hands and laughed.

"You are indeed very knowledgeable about hydrology. In the future, when the world is at peace, why not write a commentary on the Sang family's 'Waterways Classic'?"

Li Yi waved his hands repeatedly and said, "This humble general is a crude and uncultured man, how could I know anything about commenting on the classics!"

After teasing his subordinates, Lu Xun turned back to look at the gradually dissipating fog ahead.

Pointing to the two or three miles of white land between the two rivers, he said:
"We don't care what happened to the people before us, but a canal should be built here in the future."

"In the future, those traveling from Jingnan to the Han River will no longer need to detour through Xiakou (Hankou). They can directly ascend the Yangtze River via the Three Gorges Reservoir to Yangshui, and then transfer to the Han River at Yangkou... This will save hundreds of miles of waterway travel and tens of millions of bushels of grain!"

Seeing his commander giving such detailed instructions, Li Yi was surprised, but finally understood.

Lu Xun is acting as the master of Jingzhou, planning for a future northern expedition!

But at that time, Jiangling City, which was not far west of the Three Lakes, was still in Guan Yu's hands!
"Is the general very confident about this battle?"

Lu Xun chuckled lightly, his hands behind his back:
“Guan Yu is arrogant and disdainful of his men. If we attack him when he is unprepared, Jiangling will be as easy as taking something out of a bag.”

"This matter was already discussed privately when Lü Huwei recommended me to the lord."

"Now... despite the twists and turns, I still hold this view."

Li Yi was puzzled:

"The spies from the north sent word that Guan Yu had indeed retreated."

Lu Xun didn't turn around: "Where is Guan Yu?"

Li Yi quickly recalled the military report and said:
"A letter came from Jiang Gongyi (Jiang Qin), the Right Protector General, saying that Guan Yu was leading the navy to approach Jingling and confronting the navy of other forces."

Lu Xun chuckled and said, "That's exactly where my confidence lies!"

"If Guan Yu abandons everything and returns quickly by land, I will truly have no choice but to accept it."

"But he still harbored the idea of ​​a second Northern Expedition...isn't it because he looked down on us Jiangdong scholars from the bottom of his heart?"

"Fortunately, he underestimated us so much, so we still have a chance to win this battle!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi thought of their purpose in secretly crossing over here last night during the great battle in the south, and nodded slightly.

However, some concerns remained:
"However, Jiangling is a fortified city and difficult to take suddenly, and our army may not be able to successfully delay Guan Yu's troops."

"Who says a fortified city cannot be taken suddenly?"

Lu Xun suddenly turned around and pointed south, saying:
"Liu Bei had been managing things in Jiangnan for several years, so Gong'an City was considered a fortified city, wasn't it?"

"As a result, when Lü Huwei's army arrived, didn't they surrender without a fight?"

“I know, you mean to say that the south surrendered the city voluntarily, which is different from here.”

Lu Xun withdrew his finger, pausing in his speech.

"But are the two sides really different?"

"Just because there's one more child who hasn't even come of age yet?"

Li Yi frowned and said, "Isn't that right?"

"Yes and no."

Lu Xun once again put his hands behind his back.

"I admit that in this battle, Mi Zifang, this nephew, has truly impressed us."

"But he is young and inexperienced, so what makes him think he can control the hearts of the people in the city?"

"Relying on Mi'anhan, who is thousands of miles away?"

"Of course not! His reliance, from beginning to end, has always been on Guan Yu!"

"If Guan Yu can return quickly, this city will be difficult to conquer even without him."

"But what if Guan Yu doesn't return for a long time? What can a spoiled brat like him do?"

"Therefore, our secret crossing northwards this time is not only to break Guan Yu's retreat route, but also to break the morale of the people in Jiangling!"

As they were talking, the fleet docked.

Lu Xun was the first to jump onto the lake embankment, and facing the rising sun, he gave the order:
"It's already daylight, there's no need to hide any longer, let's quickly go ashore and set up camp!"

"Li Yi, you will personally lead a force north to build a bridge across the Yangshui River. You must be able to cross to the north bank of the Yangshui River tonight!"

……

Miwei slept until the end of the next day's mealtime (Chen Shi), which is around nine o'clock in the morning.

I only learned about it from Zhan Sifu.

Lu Xun's troops established a fortified village northeast of Jiangling City, backed by a large lake.

It's really not his fault for being a heavy sleeper.

He hadn't had a proper rest for two days and two nights before this. Although he was young and strong in this body, he wasn't Superman after all.

Furthermore, it's no wonder that others didn't wake him up in time.

What good is awakening?

The enemy forces outnumbered our own by several times, which was enough to allow us to divide our forces for an attack.

Since there is no possibility of Jiangling engaging in open battle outside the city.

Then let's assume Lu Xun has arrived.

Can't we just stick to our old ways and stay out of the game?
In reality, this incident only caused a brief moment of confusion for the guards on the east wall.

Even Mi Fang didn't react.

It was only when Mi Wei heard Lu Xun's name that he subconsciously became nervous.

They didn't even have time for breakfast, and hurriedly climbed a watchtower in the northeast corner to observe the enemy situation.

But let's be honest.

He examined it from all angles for almost half an hour.

Besides confirming that Lu Xun's camp was quite well-organized and that he was definitely a seasoned veteran, there was also the fact that he was the only one who had managed to establish a presence there.

I couldn't figure out any secrets.

And to be fair...

Because Liao Hua and Guan Ping still firmly control the two former capitals of Chu in the north,

Therefore, in reality, the enemy was unable to completely blockade the city at this point.

At most, it forms a somewhat crooked "pincer attack" from the south and northeast.

Furthermore, Guan Xing was stationed in Mamucheng to the south, overseeing three defensive strongholds.

This pincer attack was somewhat forced.

So, aside from the fact that the name Lu Xun made him truly uneasy.

It seems like there's really nothing to be surprised about... just kidding!
This is Lu Xun, who could defeat Liu Bei!
Although the big shots have been overestimating him lately.

But Miwei never overestimated himself.

They simply stayed in the watchtower and refused to leave.

Zhan Sifu brought up all the food, drinks, and other necessities.

They remained squatting there until noon, when Liao Hua sent someone into the city to deliver a message.

The scouts reported that the enemy was building a pontoon bridge downstream of Yangshui, and advised Jiangling City to remain on high alert.

"Pumping water..."

Miwei turned his gaze northward.

He now knows which river Yangshui refers to.

He even knew that there was a small river called Zhaxi to the north of Yangshui, which flowed into Yangshui downstream.

Its upstream route leads to Ginnam Castle, a defensive stronghold northwest of Jiangling.

That is, where Guan Ping is located.

The area sandwiched between the two rivers was another stronghold, Yingcheng.

That is, where Liao Hua was located.

Therefore, a logical conclusion can be drawn:
Lu Xun built a bridge to cross the Yang River to the north, aiming for the second northern city.

Furthermore, considering that the second city in the north was the route back for Guan Yu's army, this was also a factor.

Therefore, it is very likely that Lu Xun's detachment was sent to intercept Guan Yu.

But can it really stop it?
Mi Wei has been cramming on the military geography around Jiangling with Pan Jun these past few days.

Borrowing from the story of Lü Huwei in the south:

He is no longer the ignorant fool he once was.

He now knows that there are roughly three routes for marching from Jiangling to the Han River.

The first route goes downstream from the Yangtze River to Xiakou, which is later known as Hankou, and then flows into the Han River.

This is the smoothest route.

This is because this section of the Yangtze River not only has a large flow, but also basically does not have problems with freezing or seasonal flow interruption.

However, this road also has two drawbacks:

Firstly, the journey is long;

Secondly, it passes through Jiangxia Commandery, which is part of Sun Quan's territory.

The two countries were allies before, so they could use each other's passageways.

Now that we're at war, we definitely can't leave.

In fact, according to Liao Hua's message, Jiang Qin, the Right Protector General under Sun Quan, had already led his troops into the Han River to wait for Guan Yu.

(End of this chapter)