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

Chapter 56 Heading South to Dankou, Officially Entering the War

Guan Ping has been having the same dream lately.

In his dream, after his defeat, he was cornered by Pan Zhang between two river channels.

He was eventually captured after exhausting his strength, and was then beheaded by Sima Ma Zhong, a subordinate of Pan Zhang, on the riverbank.

I woke up in the middle of the night several times.

Open your eyes and take a look.

He was indeed trapped on an isolated island between the Yuan and Li rivers.

There is indeed a flag with the character "马" (horse) on it near a water outlet on the Lishui River.

Could this be a revelation from heaven?
He will eventually lose his life in this deadly place between the rivers.
To be fair, he wasn't afraid of death.

He just didn't want to die such a pathetic death.

They still had over three thousand troops at their disposal, enough to put them in a fighting position.

They were exhausted, lacked supplies, and had no boat to cross the river.

They were easily blocked by the enemy navy in an isolated island, making it difficult for them to achieve anything.

I let my mind wander like this for several days and nights.

Until he saw a troupe of soldiers, seemingly from friendly forces, blocking Ma Zhong's path.

They neither provided aid nor launched an attack.

They simply held their ground on the shore.

Guan Ping, with his keen insight, immediately understood the allied forces' plan.

They even vaguely guessed that the general in charge of the troops was Liao Hua.

Meanwhile, another naval force of about two thousand men, carrying banners bearing the character "Sun," crossed the lake and headed west.

It blocked the Yuan River channel on the other side.

Guan Ping was at his wit's end.

……

Born on the river island, coming and going from south to north.

Pan Mi: "Sir! The rain was heavy last night, and the summer floodwaters rose suddenly. The pontoon bridge that was originally built with bamboo rafts is no longer usable!"

Miwei: "Take the raft apart and use it as a ferry!"

Pan Mi: "Sir! A batch of arrows were not properly wrapped and were damaged by frost. Should we send them to Huarong to find a craftsman to repair them?"

Miwei: "No time to repair, just replace it with a new one!"

Pan Mi: "Sir! Some soldiers' horses fell into the river while crossing it, and died from intestinal entrails after being exposed to the cold. The soldiers are asking if they can be slaughtered and eaten?"

Miwei: "Don't eat it! Burn and bury it on the spot!"

Secretary Pan: "But the camp is running low on rations these days!"

Miwei: "That's precisely why we absolutely cannot eat it! Do you believe that if I agree to eat horse meat today, even more warhorses will 'die from intestinal entrails' tomorrow?"

Pan Mi: "...Sima Gaojian!"

New problems arise every day.

There are new ideas every day.

After taking over a section of the grain route that was over a hundred miles long.

Miwei works as soon as he opens his eyes every day, and then falls asleep as soon as he lies down.

Sometimes he couldn't help but doubt himself.

I clearly wanted to lie down.

Why am I becoming more and more like a model worker as I get older?

He clearly just wanted to curry favor with powerful figures.

Why are they being relied upon more and more?

Did I do something wrong with how I hugged his leg?
Will he have to lead troops into battle in the future?
Emmm...it's not that bad.

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

That afternoon, Zhan Sifu rode north to deliver Liao Hua's latest transfer order.

Sima Miwei led ten garrisons south to Dankou, where he joined forces with Xi Hong's army.

Mi Wei held the thin piece of military order wooden tablet in his hand, unable to utter a word.

After looking at it carefully for a moment, I finally saw the word "overestimated" between the lines.

This military order seemed to simply mean sending him south to meet up with Xi Hong.

But Miwei is no novice on the battlefield and has been maintaining communication with the south recently.

Of course I know it's not simple.

Let’s talk about it.

What was Xi Hong doing stationed at that waterway called "Dankou"?

Monitor Ma Zhong's troops.

And while Liao Hua crossed the river to attack Pan Zhang, he covered the eastern flank of the main army.

Why was Mi Wei suddenly called in to reinforce Xi Hong?

It is said that Sun Huan has come to reinforce Ma Zhong.

Xi Hong's song caused four or five hundred Zhang Shi to be unable to hold back the army's eastern flank.

Furthermore, considering that Mi Wei was a separate commander with a rank equivalent to 1,000 shi (a unit of grain), he was also a commander of a separate division.

He was ranked above Xi Hong, a military officer with the rank equivalent to a deputy.

It was clear that Liao Hua intended to entrust Mi Wei with full authority over his most important eastern wing.

At this moment, Pan Mi saw Mi Wei staring at the military order without speaking and asked in confusion:
"But is there a mistake in the military order?"

Mi Wei: "The military orders are correct, but I have some concerns."

Pan Mi: "What is Sima worried about?"

That's too much.

For example, if troops are divided and sent south, can the logistical lines still be maintained?
For example, will the winter rain that caused the sudden rise in summer water levels a few days ago happen again?
This is not just him being overly worried.

After all, the Jianghan River basin experienced a rare and heavy downpour in early autumn this year.

The Han River overflowed and flooded the seven armies, and it hasn't even been half a year since then! Do you really think that a veteran general like Yu Jin wouldn't know to avoid setting up camp in low-lying areas?
This autumn rain was truly unusual; man proposes, God disposes.

Not to mention, he heard that Liao Hua had recently been frequently consulting local elders who were familiar with the weather, and was trying to choose a day to cross the river.

What does this mean?
This shows that Liao Hua was also worried about the changing weather.

He participated in Guan Yu's Northern Expedition!
Of course, fate is ultimately unpredictable.

Aside from stockpiling extra waterproof raincoats and tarpaulins, we can only rely on the weather for our livelihood.

Miwei decided to be frank:
"The water conditions on the west bank of Dongting Lake are complex, which is advantageous to the enemy but disadvantageous to us."

"If we are not careful, the enemy navy could easily cut off our retreat."

"This is what military strategy calls 'hanging form'."

Wasn't Guan Ping's thigh "hooked" up?

"Sima has great insight!" Pan Mi thought the other party was testing him, and immediately became interested.

Sun Tzu said: "It is possible to go, but difficult to return; this is called 'hanging'."

"When encountering a situation where the enemy is caught off guard and unstable, the only way to win is to launch a decisive attack."

"This is precisely the predicament our army is in right now!"

“However, Sima need not worry!” Pan Mi’s tone changed.

“My master (Pan Jun) has been in charge of state affairs for many years and has already thoroughly investigated the geography of Jingzhou. I made a copy of the map before I went south!”

After speaking, he took a precious piece of silk.

Mi Wei was half-believing and half-doubting.

When they unfolded it, it really was a topographical map of Wuling County!

Although he already knew that Pan Jun was an old man familiar with the geography of Jingzhou.

But to my surprise, even a remote place like Wuling County has records.

Therefore, there is indeed a traceable history to the fact that he repeatedly helped Sun Quan quell the Wuling Five Streams Barbarian Rebellion.
Mi Wei was momentarily astonished.

"Very well, favorable timing is not as important as favorable location, and favorable location is not as important as favorable human relations."

“If a general is afraid of battle, causing the morale of the army to waver, this is more terrible than any heavy rain or great river.”

"Go and plan out the supplies we need to take south, and we will set out tomorrow!"

Pan Mi immediately perked up: "Yes, sir!"

Miwei never overestimated himself.

but.

This does not mean he will back down because of this.

In times of crisis, someone always needs to step up.

Previously it was Xi Zhenfan Zhou.

Later it was Guan Ping and Zhao Lei.

Next was Liao Hua.

And now it just so happens to be his turn.

Just because someone doesn't think they're good enough to be a hero doesn't mean they want to be a coward.

His idea was simple:
Even if it's just so we can lie down with a clear conscience in the future, we have to face the challenges head-on right now, right?

Otherwise, what difference would there be between me and Mi Fang and (Fu) Shiren?
……

The following day, Mi Wei instructed Pan Mi to remain in Shengjiangzhou to continue overseeing logistics.

Then, they selected the best and strongest auxiliary soldiers from the five villages who were skilled in archery, and combined them with the regular soldiers from the five villages to form a force of over a thousand.

They also prepared sufficient supplies and officially set out to attack.

When an army marches, there must be a "guide" in front to lead the way and conduct reconnaissance.

Miwei assigned this task to Zhan Sifu's barbarian cavalry.

They were already very familiar with this route, so there's no need to elaborate.

At this very moment, Liao Hua was based in Zuotang City on the northeast bank of the Lishui River, while Pan Zhang's troops were facing off across the river on the southwest bank.

Therefore, Miwei cannot directly cross the Lishui River.

That would be suicide.

You must turn west between the riverbanks northeast of the Lishui River.

First, cross a small river called "Lunshui".

Then you reach another small river further west called "Danshui".

These two streams are quite remarkable.

First, it was submerged in water.

Liao Hua not only built a pontoon bridge, but also drove wooden stakes into the riverbed and erected barrier cables.

It arouses suspicion upon looking at it.

Mi Wei checked the map and found that the Lunshui River could actually lead north to the warehouse city (Dige) in the southern suburbs of Gong'an County.

In fact, this road is likely the shortest route south from Gangneung to this place.

This is because Gong'an County is currently occupied by the forces of Lü Meng and Lu Xun, who also control the river route.

Therefore, Liao Hua, Guan Ping, Zhao Lei, and others had to detour from the direction of Huarong.

Miwei had previously thought he had hidden in a corner of the battlefield.

Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a lucky break, allowing them to get into a crucial position early on.

That's why we have this bizarre leg-hugging posture today.

Then comes Danshui.

This river is a tributary of the upper reaches of the Lishui River, and it lies to the left and right of the main stream of the Lishui River, enclosing the Tang Dynasty city in the center of a relatively open plain.

Therefore, although Zuotang is a small town, it is still a reliable foothold because it is surrounded by waterways.

Dankou is the point where the Danshui River flows back into the Lishui River downstream.

Xi Hong was stationed here.

This was also the final destination of Miwei's trip.

(End of this chapter)