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

Chapter 38: Zhan Sifu Provides Military Advice

Miwei: "Do we have to wait for the ground to freeze-dry a bit more?"

“Yes, but that’s not all,” Pan Junbei said.

"It should be noted that the land is muddy and slippery, making it difficult for both people and horses to travel."

"The difficulty of the journey will inevitably lead to a disconnect between the front and the rear, and a loose formation."

"If we are not careful, we risk being attacked by the enemy in two separate attacks."

"And to avoid this danger, we must, in turn, deliberately slow down our marching speed..."

Mi Wei's head throbbed with pain as he listened, and he said directly, "Sir, just tell me how long it will take for you to come back."

Pan Jun: "It will take at least five days, and at most ten days."

"If the weather doesn't cooperate and it rains in the next few days, our return will have to be postponed."

"We still have to wait five to ten days..." Mi Wei rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Do you believe the city can hold out for another five days?"

Pan Jun stroked his beard and said, "Given the balance of power between the two sides inside and outside the city, holding out for five days should not have been difficult."

"But the Sun family has broken the alliance this time and will definitely launch a full-scale attack. Lü Lu should be their vanguard."

"I'm afraid that once Sun Quan's army arrives, General Guan won't have time to cross the river, and he might not dare to let his army get easily stuck in the quagmire."

Mi Wei was taken aback upon hearing this, and stammered:
"Doesn't that mean Jiangling has become an isolated city without any support, and can only wait for the two armies to decide the victor?"

Pan Jun stroked his beard, shook his head, and remained silent.

Mi Wei was initially puzzled, but after a moment of thought, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Let’s talk about it.

Jiangling has been able to hold out until now despite being besieged by the enemy.

The strategic defense system of two in the north and three in the south has naturally played a crucial role.

The timely reinforcements from Guan Ping and Liao Hua were also indispensable.

Ultimately, however, most people in the city believed that Guan Yu would be able to return to the rescue in time.

Based on this, Mi Wei manipulated things, and only then was a situation that could barely be described as a united front temporarily achieved.

The so-called belief in the power of "belief".

But now...

Guan Yu's main force was blocked outside the wetlands northeast of Jiangling.

Sun Quan's army, however, was able to advance smoothly north to Jiangling, cooperating with Lü and Lu's forces to blockade the city.

This is a long time.

At this critical juncture, will the families in the city remain as well-behaved as they have been in the past few days?
Don't forget that when Miwei was "optimizing" things for various companies, there was an important premise:

Guan Yu and Sun Quan each held a city, facing each other across the river, their strength evenly matched!
If the situation becomes unbalanced and we are outmatched in the future.

Who can guarantee that these people will still actively cooperate in defending the city?
The situation changed again within a single day.

At this juncture.

Guan Xing was seriously injured and could not get out of bed.

Guan Ping and Liao Hua were isolated by the flood.

The return date of Guan Yu's main force remains difficult to predict.

Suddenly, Miwei realized that he was the one who had always wanted to curry favor with powerful figures.

It became the key to determining the future and fate of a city, a prefecture, and a state.

It's so hard to hold it in!

"Sir, how should we break this deadlock?"

Mi Wei looked at Pan Jun.

This time, Pan Jun didn't hesitate and blurted out:

"Although you humiliated Yu Zhongxiang, you were ultimately working for different masters."

“Since Sun Zhongmou was able to become the ruler of Jiangdong, he must not be a narrow-minded person.”

"You are young and intelligent. With me and your uncle as guarantors, you may have a bright future under the Sun family!"

Mi Wei was stunned for a full ten breaths before he was convinced that Pan Jun was not being sarcastic or trying to fool him.

I couldn't laugh or cry for a moment.

On the one hand, this old man was indeed as agile as ever, capable of being both loyal and treacherous.

On the other hand, it is rare that, while engaging in treacherous acts, he genuinely considered the future of his disciple.
Mi Weixin couldn't help but feel a little touched.

Then decisively refused:

"So that you may know, sir, that my father and I have shared hardships and prosperity with the King of Hanzhong, and have long been one with him as ruler and subject."

"If I were to serve another master, I would be disloyal and unfilial, and would only become a laughingstock to the world."

"Please, sir, refrain from mentioning anything about 'rejecting grandsons'!"

Pan Jun seemed to have anticipated this, but with a sigh of regret, he said:

"You know in your heart that the key to this battle lies in two things: whether General Guan can return in time and whether the morale of the people in the city can be stabilized."

"Right now, Lu Xun has used the power of heaven and earth to block the reinforcements, and there is nothing we can do." "The only thing we can do is to stabilize morale."

"I don't have a better solution to this matter. I can only guarantee that the few families I know well won't take advantage of the situation to cause trouble."

Mi Wei thought about it and realized that this was indeed the only way, so he thanked him and left.

However, upon returning home, he was struck by the thought that the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

There's also Lu Xun's infamous reputation from his past life.

After a journey of an hour.

I still couldn't fall asleep.

I decided to head out under the stars and climb the watchtower in the northeast corner once more.

The starry sky is still dazzling tonight.

But the wetland between the two rivers in the northern suburbs was completely dark.

Lu Xun's camp, on the other hand, was brightly lit.

After a day of construction, the scale has expanded compared to yesterday.

Not only did it firmly hold onto half of the northern shore of Lubai Lake, but it also extended northward to a place less than a kilometer from the southern dike of Yangshui.

It seems that Lu Xun intends to connect this camp to the pontoon bridge over the Yangshui River.

The goal is to establish a massive defensive position that connects the barren valley and three lakes to the south and spans the Yangshui River to the north.

Once completed, it can block Guan Yu's main force from returning to the east, and assist Lü Meng in attacking Jiangling from the south to the west.

It truly is a force to be reckoned with, capable of both offense and defense.

Mi Wei watched with growing disinterest, then turned around and saw Zhan Sifu looking drowsy, feigning regret:
"Lord Zhan, if only you were a fierce general like Meng Huo of the Southern Regions!"

"That way you can launch a night raid on Lu Xun and break through his camp!"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Sifu immediately woke up.

Then, as expected, he revealed a subtle expression as if he had heard, "Go and get rid of Tang Sanzang and his disciples."

Miwei's actions were merely a momentary whim born out of suppressed emotions; he should just laugh it off.

But for James, who had already pledged allegiance to God, the shock was followed by...

The main purpose of quickly understanding is to test his abilities.

They actually began to seriously consider the issue of a night raid on the enemy camp.

Of course, he was an illiterate man from the mountains, and apart from being arrogant about his strength, he knew nothing about military strategy or tactics.

After much deliberation, the only suggestion that came to mind was, "Why don't we dig up the Lu Bai Lake dike and flood Lu Xun's camp?"

This is of course impossible.

Lu Xun was no novice on the battlefield. Since he chose to establish his camp by the lake, how could he not consider the terrain and the thickness of the lake embankment?

To breach the lake dam, one must first enter the enemy camp and then pray that the thousands of enemy soldiers are all deaf and blind... It's laughable just thinking about it.

However, Miwei didn't laugh; instead, he asked in an encouraging tone:
"How long do you estimate it will take to breach the dike, Mr. Zhan?"

Zhan Sifu lowered his head and thought seriously for a while, then said:
"If there is no enemy interference, two hours will be enough!"

"So fast?" Miwei was somewhat skeptical.

It should be noted that Lu Xun had been digging all night!
Zhan Sifu scratched his temples and said:
"To be honest, I don't really know the ins and outs of this. I just heard it from chatting with the craftsmen in the city."

Mi Wei nodded, but still found the speed somewhat unbelievable.

Upon seeing this, Zhan Sifu volunteered to go and question the craftsman.

There is nothing wrong with the deer's might.

Before long, Zhan Sifu brought in an old craftsman with thinning hair and beard.

Miwei didn't know what to ask for a moment, so he asked the other person to share their experience.

The old craftsman went on and on about a whole bunch of trivial matters.

Mi Wei, having no engineering background in his previous life, found himself drowsy listening to the lecture.

Seeing this, Zhan Sifu hurriedly said, "Old man, why don't you tell me how well the enemy camp below the city is constructed? Are there any flaws?"

The old craftsman scoffed, "You southern barbarians know nothing! Dikes and fortified camps are two different things; one is for waterproofing, and the other is for protecting against people."

Zhan Sifu's face immediately turned red.

"Everyone has their own expertise, and it's perfectly normal for Mr. Zhan not to know this, it's alright."

Mi Wei offered a comforting word, then said to the old craftsman:

“Old man, Lord Zhan is not some southern barbarian, but a county official personally recruited by the prefect. Please show him some respect.”

The old craftsman repeatedly said he dared not.

Zhan Sifu looked grateful.

Mi Wei then said, "Since you are more skilled at waterproofing, why don't you tell me how this enemy camp below is waterproofed? I'd like to learn from you; you never know when it might come in handy."

Upon hearing this, the old craftsman pondered for a moment and said:

"If we're going to talk about this enemy camp, there's definitely something to it."

(End of this chapter)