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

Chapter 96 A tree that can be embraced grows from a tiny sprout.

When Guan Yu entered the city, Xiangyang was in an uproar.

Men and women, old and young.

Familiar and unfamiliar faces.

At this moment, people flocked to the streets to watch the old but vigorous man with a beautiful beard under his command.

Although this scene was not as spectacular as the city's population had decreased sharply, it did not reach the level of a city where everyone was deserted.

Yet it was certainly a magnificent sight.

Mi Wei thought to himself, "So this is what the so-called super idols of my past life were like."

At this moment, Guan Yu slightly reined in his horse, riding alongside Mi Wei, and asked:
"Have you looted the city in the three days since you entered?"

Mi Wei honestly said:
"They only plundered the government's reserves to strengthen the city's defenses and provide supplies for the soldiers, without conscripting any soldiers or civilians from the city."

"Firstly, morale is low, and secondly, there is a shortage of manpower."

"Three come..."

Mi Wei paused slightly, looking at the various ragged figures on both sides of the road.

"The traitor Cao has already been thoroughly plundered."

Guan Yu nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"My uncle has been traveling for several days without a proper meal. Is there anything in the city to fill his stomach?"

Mi Wei's heart stirred slightly, and he said, "There is a basket of chickens given to me by an old friend."

Guan Yu raised an eyebrow: "Who is this old friend?"

Mi Wei: "He claimed to be an old friend who followed the king south to Jiangling in the past."

Guan Yu paused for a moment, then gently stroked his beard and said:

"Since it was given to me by an old friend, I have no choice but to try it!"

As they were talking, a familiar face stepped forward, surrounded by a crowd.

It was none other than the three old men from the village who had given him half a basket of eggs.

This time, he was carrying a box of steaming hot noodles and some mixed wine made from some wild fruit.

Anyway, everything is real and substantial, packed full.

No more weeds were added.

Mi Wei was momentarily speechless, then deeply moved.

Afterwards, Mi Wei introduced himself to Guan Yu as that "old friend".

Guan Yu was overjoyed and invited the other party, along with several local respected elders, to dine at the county government office.

During the banquet, the three elders of the village pointed at Mi Wei and said:
"This Commandant Mi previously claimed to be the son-in-law of the Marquis, and I secretly thought it was just an excuse to appease him. I never expected that the Marquis would actually come to Xiangyang!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu addressed the elders:

"A virtuous person repays kindness with virtue."

"I will never forget the loyalty you showed me in the past, and how could I not repay it?"

He then stepped forward, grabbed Mi Wei's hand, and said...

"Commander Mi is indeed Guan's son-in-law, and this is not an excuse!"

"My son-in-law has made a great contribution to our return to Xiangyang and our joyful reunion with old friends!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room turned to look in astonishment.

Everyone turned to look at the young captain.

I thought he was just a young general who risked his life to seize the city, but I never expected him to actually be Guan Yu's son-in-law.

Guan Yu was also willing to sacrifice.

This general is also very bold.

He truly deserves to be called the son-in-law of a valiant general of our time!
He probably has a bright future ahead of him.

So, many people stepped forward to greet Mi Wei and offer him a toast.

Of course, food was scarce in the city, and the few mixed fruit wines available were hardly intoxicating.

So-called banquets are merely a necessary means of appeasement during times of social unrest.

The cups and plates were quickly emptied.

But the elders still lingered, unwilling to leave.

They all gathered around Mi Wei and Yang Yi, asking them questions.

Someone asked if General Guan had come to Xiangyang, and if so, was Governor Liu also coming?

Someone nearby immediately corrected him, saying that the title should be "King of Hanzhong".

The man asked in bewilderment, "When did this king come into being?"

Before the second person could answer, the third person interrupted, "Why not the Prince of Xiangyang...?"

Such absurd words from the streets and countryside are not taken seriously by the general public.

Aside from Yang Yi, who has always been clueless about his place and continues to speak recklessly:
"I had previously thought that General Guan was the greatest asset in defending Xiangyang."

Miwei chimed in: "Now we realize that it is actually Your Majesty who is the one?"

Yang Yi nodded upon hearing this, then gently shook his head:
"He is less the King of Hanzhong today and more the Liu Yuzhou of twelve years ago who could gather 100,000 men in an instant!"

Miwei recalled the lively scene of people lining the streets to welcome him earlier and felt a deep sense of empathy.

Then, as people of later generations, we inevitably have some hindsight-based reflections:
"If Liu Cong hadn't surrendered without notice back then, those 100,000 troops should have been able to reach Jiangling."

"If that were the case, we might have seen the prosperity of Xiangyang today a few years earlier."

Yang Yi shook his head, raised his hand and gestured towards the south, saying:

Laozi said: "A tree that can be embraced grows from a tiny sprout, and a nine-story tower rises from a pile of earth."

"The bamboo forest on Mount Xian did not grow into what it is today overnight."

"If we hadn't witnessed Cao Cao's various brutal methods over the past twelve years, who would still remember those 100,000 men from back then?"

"I'm afraid there aren't many real 'old acquaintances' left in the city right now, are there?"

Mi Wei was momentarily dazed.

However, just a moment later, his eyes suddenly widened.

At this moment, the chaotic, hurried, confused, and doubtful thoughts that had plagued me during the Northern Expedition vanished.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

……

After the banquet, Mi Wei dozed off for a few hours before returning to the city tower to stand guard for the night.

Before Cao Cao's army broke camp at Fancheng.

The defenses of Xiangyang must not be relaxed.

Even if Cao Cao's army did retreat, the question of how to rebuild Fancheng would still need to be considered.

We also need to consider how to replenish and consolidate the population of the Xiangfan area after the large-scale loss of its population, and how to allow it to recuperate and thrive—problems that are destined to be difficult but must be taken seriously.

This time, our side ultimately only managed to exploit a weakness during the enemy's strategic wavering period.

There was no large-scale major battle between the two sides like the one during last year's Northern Expedition.

Anyone with even a little military knowledge knows this.

Before the main battle is over, a war cannot be said to have a true winner or loser.

Cao Cao's army will eventually march south again.

Regardless of whether the commander is Cao Ren or someone else.

That's when the real test of each side's strength comes into play.

Of course, compared to last year, or even compared to the original history.

These are ultimately the troubles of happiness.

It allows you to plan ahead without causing sleepless nights.

At dawn, the sky began to brighten.

Mi Weiwang saw that the banner with the character "Xu" was still flying high in Fancheng, as stable as ever.

But no one knows what Xu Huang's mood is at this moment, or when Cao Ren will arrive to provide support.

However, with Guan Yu already here, these general issues were naturally left to the Second Master to worry about.

Mi Wei rubbed his sore eyes, gave Xiang Chong a few instructions as he went upstairs to hand over his shift, and then went downstairs to rest.

Just as I reached the bottom of the building, the sound of an old woman crying suddenly came from a corner of the city wall.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the wife of the three old men from Egg Village.

Mi Wei inquired about the reason.

The old woman cried out:

"To be honest, Commandant, my eldest son did not hide in the mountains on the north bank, but was conscripted into the Cao army in Fancheng as a laborer!"

"My husband was worried about being suspected of being a spy for Cao Cao's army, so he lied to me!"

Mi Wei said reassuringly, "It's alright, I already guessed it."

The old woman asked in surprise, "How did the captain know?"

"This year, there is a food shortage around Xiangfan, and there are constant disasters and bandits. In order to fill their stomachs, they even have to roast the bones until they are charred so that they can gnaw on them a few times... In such a situation, how can they survive if they flee into the mountains?"

The old woman felt ashamed, but she cried even more bitterly:
"Now that General Guan has arrived, Cao Cao's army will certainly not release my son... That's fine. What I fear is that Cao Cao's army, upon learning that we are still staying in Xiangyang, will mistake us for General Guan's spies and kill us!"

Miwei pursed his lips and said:

"General Cao of Fancheng will soon burn the city and break camp. After that, he will retreat north, and he will have to dismiss most of the laborers along the way."

"Perhaps your son hasn't gone far. For example, if he reaches Deng County, he can return home."

"And once he returns, I assure you that General Guan will never regard him as a spy for Cao Cao's army."

Mi Wei paused, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Of course, your son is young and strong, so I'm afraid I'll have to take him to farm the land."

"But it's still a way to survive, isn't it?"

The old woman's expression softened slightly, and she repeatedly agreed.

Mi Wei also breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the old woman had just said goodbye and had not gone far.

Then she burst into tears again.

"I have a terrible memory; I must have misremembered!"

“My son didn’t go to Fancheng, but to Dengcheng or somewhere even further away!”

"I'm afraid I'll never be able to come back in this lifetime!"

Mi Wei was puzzled for a moment: "How did you know? Did you send a letter home?"

"There is no letter from home!" The old woman cried and shook her head.

"After General Cao massacred Wancheng, he no longer trusted the people of Jingzhou. He insisted on conscripting laborers from other places!"

"This summer, bandits have become even more rampant, and we have to rotate our garrison every other month."

“My son went to Zhonglu last month and crossed the river to Fancheng last month. He is not in Fancheng this month, nor has he returned south. He must have gone north!”

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei recalled the Northern Expedition and a thought struck him:
Do you know where the county soldiers or laborers of Yicheng have gone?

The old woman said, "I vaguely heard that they went to Chaoyang or Xinye... Anyway, they're not south of Xiangyang."

“The people from Yicheng came to Xiangyang last month, and this month they crossed the river to the north.”

No wonder Yicheng was so empty before; it turns out they went too far.

Mi Wei nodded secretly.

But the next moment.

He suddenly realized a possibility.

A possibility that could shake up the overall situation in Xiangfan for years to come.

He asked urgently, "Are there any relatives or friends of laborers from other counties in the city?"

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(End of this chapter)