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

Chapter 63 Facing Death as If Returning Home

Pan Zhang: "There's no chance of winning. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

"Just like when Liao Hua crossed the river to attack, it can be said that the one with more strategic planning wins."

"But in the end, didn't man propose and God dispose?"

“Besides…” Pan Zhang paused slightly.

"Although defeating Liao Hua must have been a remarkable feat."

"But if we are defeated by them instead, and the overall situation is shaken, it would be an undeniable disgrace!"

"If that day ever comes, you and I might have to follow the old custom of the Chu state of defeating its army and killing its generals, and die to atone for our sins to the elders of Jiangdong!"

The implication is that they have no choice but to gamble with their lives.

Sun Huan gasped repeatedly upon hearing this.

He said after a short while:

"Then what's the middle strategy? Join forces and wipe out Guan Ping with ease?"

Pan Zhang nodded emphatically.

Sun Huan felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

But then he couldn't help but feel embarrassed:
"That day, the heavens were on our side, and they helped the general repel Liao Hua. We thought we had turned the tide."

"How did things come to this?"

Pan Zhang remained silent for a moment.

In a muffled voice:
"It all comes down to the fact that favorable timing is not as important as favorable location, and favorable location is not as important as favorable human relationships."

"On that day, the wind and rain were fierce, and the enemy general braved all dangers, traveling dozens of miles to set up camp behind us."

"But at that time, we were only grateful for the opportune moment and for being saved, without thinking of doing anything... This destined us to make a wrong move!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Huan was once again disheartened.

He wasn't unaware of this aspect.

Rather, it means that Mi Wei is clearly younger than himself.

Why do they have such insight and courage?
It was clearly when we were in Huarong.

He's just a mediocre general who only knows how to cower in his camp!

……

On the sixth day after establishing the village, the Miwei tribe had only enough food for two days.

The arrows were almost all used up.

Although Mi Wei remained calm throughout.

But I couldn't help feeling tense.

However, after breakfast that day...

A scout suddenly reported that Ma Zhong had withdrawn his troops.

Mi Wei was both pleased and suspicious, and personally led a team to investigate.

It was soon discovered that not only Ma Zhong had been withdrawn.

Even his superior, Pan Zhang, had already broken camp!
In other words, looking east from the Miwei camp at this moment.

There was no trace of enemy troops left on the entire southwest bank of the Lishui River!
That afternoon, Zhan Sifu's half of the barbarian cavalry crossed the Li River and arrived in front of Mi Wei.

"Sima Miwei remained calm in the face of danger and achieved a surprising victory, which deserves great credit... This is what Registrar Liao specifically instructed me to relay to our lord!"

Upon hearing Zhan Sifu's words, Mi Wei was overjoyed and then asked the other party to tell him about his recent situation.

It turned out that Liao Hua had received Zhan Sifu's message that day.

After checking the map, he immediately approved of Miwei's plan.

He did not rush to provide assistance or attempt any counterproductive actions.

We must organize our troops in a down-to-earth manner.

Prepare for the battle steadily and surely.

This was to inform Pan Zhang on the other side that he would soon be organizing a second river-crossing operation.

Afterwards, Miwei held out for four days and gained a foothold behind enemy lines.

Pan Zhang's predicament of being attacked from both sides is now clear.

Finally, they were forced to take action.

Zhan Sifu: "Registrar Liao also said that this merit, combined with the previous contributions in dispatching, will definitely bring him an official position when he returns."

"He also praised our lord for having the demeanor of a famous general of ancient times... Our lord is about to become a true general!"

Mi Wei thought to himself, "It's not that easy."

Although the three families of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan produced a large number of generals with extraordinary titles, resulting in a certain overabundance of generals in this era.

But it's not something you can just casually become a general.

Even the most accomplished strategists like Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun only had the miscellaneous titles of "Military Advisor" and "Military Advisor" at this time.
Not to mention that he himself, as a subordinate commander, was only a mid-to-low-level officer.

There are several levels above it.

Of course, the rewards will certainly be plentiful.

This adventure was worthwhile.

In short, the most difficult time is finally over!
Mi Wei: "Does Registrar Liao have any other arrangements?"

Zhan Sifu: "He said that the lord could move his troops to Zuotang to rest and recuperate, and continue to maintain his legacy after his death."

"He is currently crossing the river, and will soon head west along the trail to rescue Lin Yuan!"

Miwei had no problem with the former.

But regarding the latter, after briefly recalling the map, he asked in confusion:
"Why not continue south along the Yuan River as originally planned, and then go upstream?"

Advancing along the river would make logistics more convenient.

Zhan Sifu said:
"Because Pan Zhang broke camp and withdrew overnight, the two sides did not engage in battle, and his troops still numbered more than two thousand."

"This morning, scouts discovered that his troops had joined forces with Sun Huan's troops and the remnants of Ma Zhong's troops in the lower reaches of the Yuan and Li rivers."

"Registration Liao did not want to divide his troops to guard both rivers at the same time, but he was worried about the rear if he went along the Yuan River, so he simply marched along the southwest trail of the Li River!"

Mi Wei thought about it and felt that this was indeed a safer approach. He also admired Pan Zhang's decisive departure, without any hesitation...

“No!” Mi Wei’s gaze sharpened.

"You just said that Pan Zhang and others joined forces in the lower reaches of the Yuan and Li rivers?"

Seeing his expression, Zhan Sifu knew that he had noticed.

Said bluntly:
"They're after General Xiao Guan."

"But Clerk Liao also said that the overall situation should be prioritized and that personal matters should not be neglected for public duty."

Mi Wei paused for a moment before saying:

Why didn't you say so just now?

Zhan Sifu bowed and said:
"We will obey our lord's orders!"

"If our lord is to go and rescue them, we will follow him to the death!"

Mi Wei smiled for a moment.

They both clearly had legitimate military positions.

The other party still referred to himself as a servant, and addressed him as "Master".

Fortunately, his appearance clearly identified him as a barbarian, what the ancients called "a monkey wearing a crown."

Therefore, most scholars were too lazy to argue with him.

Without giving it much thought, Zhan Sifu asked, "Does our lord intend to save General Xiao Guan?"

Mi Wei thought for a moment and said frankly, "Whether it can be saved or not, we'll only know after we go and see for ourselves."

He has thought it through.

Liao Hua was able to put public interests before private ones.

That's because he was carrying a heavy responsibility and was a renowned scholar from Jingzhou.

To put it bluntly, even if Guan Yu did hold a grudge against Liao Hua afterward because of this...

Would Liu Bei simply abandon it and not use it?

Guan Yu was still unhappy about being ranked alongside Huang Zhong as one of the Four Generals.

Shouldn't Liu Bei have used Huang Zhong instead?

At worst, he can be transferred to Sichuan and promoted again.

But I am different.

With Liu Bei's exceptional ability to judge people, he must have been able to see through the fact that he was overrated at a glance, right?

He was able to see through Ma Su's exaggeration.

Seeing through me isn't easy, is it?
Therefore, we must try our best to cling to Guan Yu's coattails!

If you've tried your best but still can't save them, that's a matter of ability.

But if you don't even look at it, that's a matter of attitude.

Just do it.

Mi Wei instructed Xi Hong to stay behind to receive Liao Hua's army that was coming along the trail, and to return to Zuo Tang to rest later.

He and Zhan Sifu and twenty or thirty barbarian cavalrymen made some preparations and headed straight for the lower reaches of the Yuan and Li rivers.

……

"Guan Ping, you are surrounded and have no way out!"

"If we surrender without resistance, given my lord's magnanimity and love of talent, we may still be able to employ him in the future!"

"If you resist stubbornly, you will be devoured by fish today!"

Guan Ping heard the young general shouting in the river.

He only glanced up at the tall "fighting ship" on the Yuan River.

He then continued to examine the bow and knife.

An unnamed islet, surrounded by water on all sides.

The horses couldn't get going.

The enemy ships, however, were enough to surround them from all sides.

Only foot combat is possible.

This inevitably brings to mind Xiang Yu, who was besieged on all sides.

However, the Overlord could easily return home by simply crossing the river.

However, their ancestral home, Jie County in Hedong, was far away in the enemy territory to the north.

Let alone someone born into a military family.

Even adults who have spent half their lives traveling probably can't remember their native accent anymore.
Oh, vast and boundless Heaven, where does it all reside? (When will I be able to return to my hometown?)

Perhaps, only death can allow one's soul to return home?
Think about it this way.

Today's battle.

We should be ready to die for our cause!

Taking advantage of the lull in the arrow-drawing, he shouted loudly into the river:
"How can a tiger cub recognize a raccoon as its master!"

After saying this, he shot an arrow like a shooting star, which struck a flag bearer on the enemy ship.

Chaos erupted on the ship in an instant.

Guan Ping laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.

Raccoons are the cubs of raccoons; they belong to the same family as dogs and raccoons.

Sun Quan initially claimed he was going to Xiangfan to assist in the battle, but deliberately delayed.

Guan Yu used this phrase to rebuke Sun Quan, showing his contempt.

Now that Guan Ping has picked up his father's ideas, Sun Huan, Pan Zhang and others are furious and lead their troops in a fierce attack!

In an instant, boats and oars flew like shuttles from all sides of the island, arrows rained down, and drums thundered.

Guan Ping was already on high alert; now it was simply a matter of dealing with the enemy as they came.

(End of this chapter)