Jing Province had specialists managing internal affairs, and with provisions and equipment supplied from places like Jiao Province, Guan Yu was able to free up his energy and focus solely on the northern campaign.
The twenty thousand troops Lan Tian had sent to reinforce Xiangyang had trained for over half a year, and their combat strength was now a match for Jing Province's main force. Even if Zhang Liao had not died of illness, Guan Yu had still planned to send troops against Wan City once more, coordinating with the Huainan battlefield to keep up the pressure on the State of Wei.
Besides writing to Lan Tian and hoping that Gan Ning and Lan Yuan could advance toward Hefei, Guan Yu also submitted a memorial requesting that Liu Bei send troops to Tong Pass. With three armies striking in concert, Wei would be left unable to tend to both head and tail.
Liu Bei attached great importance to the memorial and urgently summoned Pang Tong and Fa Zheng into the palace for deliberation.
There were agricultural garrisons throughout Guanzhong, Longyou, and the Jincheng region, but most of the grain they produced was transported to the northwestern front in preparation for Zhao Yun's imminent western expedition.
The new city by the Yellow River had already been built. Making use of his own influence, Ma Chao had persuaded a total of thirty thousand Qiang and Hu tribes from places such as Longyou and Jincheng to relocate to the area around the new city, where they could enjoy pastures rich in water and grass.
Large numbers of lambs and foals were born in autumn. With the newly built city shielding them from wind and snow and defending them against prairie wolves, most would survive the bitter winter. By next summer, they would become