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

Chapter 61 Encounter on a narrow road

After a brief rest, Miwei quickly deployed defenses inside and outside the camp.

If you calculate it carefully...

From initially defending Jiangling to confronting Sun Huan at the foot of Huarong City;

From guarding the grain route on Shengjiang Island to guarding Dankou, which is the closest point on the route.

unconsciously.

He had actually experienced four defensive battles of different scales.

Where to set up crossbows, where to build fortifications;
Where goods are stockpiled, roads are cleared;
How tall should the watchtower be built? How far should the scouts run before they go?

He knew everything at that moment.

This time he dared to risk going behind enemy lines.

From a strategic perspective, there is certainly a consideration to increase one's own chances of winning.

But when it comes down to the details...

Isn't it because, in essence, it's another defensive battle?

He really knows this person well.

In short, after everything was arranged properly.

The following morning, after lunchtime.

An enemy force carrying a flag with the character "horse" appeared two or three miles away from the camp.

Mi Wei had already learned of the enemy's movements through scouts and immediately beat the drums to gather his troops.

Each village and hamlet quickly took their positions according to the prior arrangements and were on high alert.

Soon, Ma Zhong led several riders to the puddle in front of the camp.

One rider suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground in a sorry state, splashing dirty water everywhere.

Amidst a chorus of snickers, Mi Wei calmly said:
"I anticipate that the enemy will not launch a frontal attack today."

The defense zone at Yingmen was immediately handed over to several reliable garrison commanders.

He and Xi Hong led the Jue Zhangshi and the infantry archers.

They quickly moved to the flank of the camp, onto a slightly rugged slope.

And as expected.

Half an hour later, Ma Zhong's men had located the side slope.

Without much hesitation, they decided to launch their attack from here.

This is no coincidence.

This section of the slope is rocky and not very wide.

However, this also meant there wasn't much standing water, and the ground remained dry.

Neither the men nor the horses had the trouble of getting stuck in the mud.

Miwei initially considered completely blocking this place off.

But then I thought, either way the other side is going to attack.

Why not let the opponent enter the battlefield you've set up?
Soon, the enemy attacked the mountain.

Soldiers carrying large shields stood at the forefront, archers were in the center, and spearmen provided cover on both sides.

A compact, elongated formation, but one that takes the terrain into full consideration.

In particular, Ma Zhong also led several personal guards to cover the rear.

While supervising the army, he also oversaw the transmission of orders between military units.

Miwei couldn't help but reminisce about the half of the barbarian cavalry he had left behind on the northeast bank of the Li River.

But it doesn’t matter.

The place he chose was never suitable for horse racing.

This is especially true in the last two days after the rain.

Soon, the enemy forces approached within 400 paces of the camp.

Mi Wei thus saw through Ma Zhong, who was under his command.

He was indeed a physically strong and powerful warrior.

Second only to Guan Yu and Guan Ping, surpassing most of the people Mi Wei had ever met.

He rode his horse up the slope, looking up at the mountain like a wolf, displaying the imposing presence of a tiger returning to the mountain.

Mi Wei noticed that Xi Hong's hand holding the crossbow was trembling slightly, so he went over and gently patted his back.

Xi Hong blushed slightly and turned his head to say:

"Sima remained calm and composed in the face of adversity, showing no fear in the face of the enemy; his composure is truly admirable!"

Mi Wei chuckled and shook his head, saying:
Who says I'm not afraid?

"But I once witnessed the might of Lü Huwei in Jiangling."

"Now that we look at Ma Zhong, he's nothing compared to him."

Xi Hong nodded in realization, thinking to himself that this Mi Sima was very knowledgeable.

He can even quote from Zhuangzi with ease.

Their knowledge and experience were in no way inferior to those of the talented individuals from the Xi family of Xiangyang.

But soon, he turned back and stared in surprise at the "Deer" flag in the center of the camp.

Miwei: "How is it?"

Xi Hong: "I heard from people from the north that there was a postmaster named Mi who had not yet reached adulthood. He held Jiangling for half a month under Lü Meng's army and eventually flooded Lu Xun's camp."

"Could it be..."

“It was me who was right.” Mi Wei did not deny it. “But at that time, it was all thanks to the united efforts of the people of Jiangling. I only made some insignificant contributions, so let’s not mention it.”

Insignificant... That sounds so familiar.

Xi Hong's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately nodded in agreement, asking no further questions.

However, when I turned my head, my hands stopped shaking.

The gaze fixed on Ma Zhong at the foot of the mountain now held a hint of fanaticism.

Mi Wei was momentarily astonished.

One can only conclude that a thigh truly lives up to its name as a thigh.

Although they were new to the battlefield, their adaptability was remarkable.

In the midst of their conversation, the enemy troops closed to within three hundred paces.

Considering the defenders' height advantage, this was close to the effective range of the crossbow.

There were even a few crossbows specially brought by Miwei, which could only be operated by the strongest men in the army.

We can now attempt to directly attack the enemy general and his troops.

But Mi Wei still kept everyone at a loss for words.

Until the enemy vanguard reached within two hundred paces.

He then ordered all crossbows except those that could be drawn at the waist to fire simultaneously!
In an instant, the bowstring twanged like thunder.

Because the crossbows were deliberately positioned along the path, arrows rained down simultaneously from four directions: left, center, right, and upper.

This narrow ramp is covered almost without any blind spots.

Several of the shield bearers at the front immediately fell.

Although soldiers from the rear quickly took their place.

But there is a gap in this rotation.

It was enough for Miwei to shoot down the enemy archers in the formation.

The enemy was firing upwards, and was still a little short of the effective firing range!
A meticulously planned ambush has begun.

This happened twice.

The enemy forces charged in three rounds.

However, he could never get within 150 steps.

Thus, the defending troops, almost unaffected by enemy arrows, unleashed their full firepower for two quarters of an hour.

Such a one-sided massacre naturally dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the attacking side.

A collapse occurred quickly.

Ma Zhong quickly killed several deserters and managed to hold back the army.

However, they also knew that it was not feasible at this time and place.

They had no choice but to call it quits.

At the same time, after retreating three hundred paces from the army formation, he personally led the cavalry to cover the rear, in an attempt to slightly boost morale.

But right now.

Several crossbows, which had been ready for some time, were launched with a roar at Mi Wei's command to "Shoot the horse".

It has a height bonus.

Three hundred steps.

This is definitely not the limit of the crossbow's range.

Ma Zhong was only slightly startled before he fell to the ground amidst the mournful cry of his mount.

The knights around him were all startled, but they had no time to pay attention to their commander.

Because at the same time the crossbows were fired, the other crossbows, which had already been reloaded, also sought out targets and fired in unison.

While the effective range of the crossbow was not as long as that of the waist-drawn crossbow, its advantage lay in its large number and high density.

Once the density of arrows can be increased, larger targets are more likely to be affected.

Why shoot the horse first when shooting the man?
Because horses are larger than humans!
In an instant, the rearguard riders were all thrown to the ground.

They either fell to their deaths on the spot or were trampled to death by horses after landing.

Some were even killed by stray arrows.

Unfortunately, Ma Zhong was caught by his personal guards when he fell from his horse.

Although he was injured, he was saved because his personal guards caught him in time.

but no matter.

With their commander defeated, the knights who were holding the line were either killed or wounded.

The enemy formation, which had previously maintained some order, was instantly scattered, with only a small number of elite troops managing to retreat safely.

The offensive thus collapsed.

However, Miwei did not rashly order a pursuit.

Just like Pan Zhang set up a stronghold on the banks of the Lishui River, as long as he could hold it, he would win without lifting a finger.

If Miwei were to establish a fortified camp behind enemy lines, holding it would be enough to make the enemy hesitate and look back.

The longer you persist, the better the results.

Therefore, maintaining a stable and conservative approach is the top priority.

So they continued to use the long-range crossbows to kill the enemy.

finally.

The enemy left hundreds of corpses and several horses on the mountain, but returned empty-handed.

Day 1 defense successful!
(End of this chapter)