Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 133 Mi Zhu and his son, Liu Bei's preference for Liu Feng
Essentially, this is just a report letter.

The content of the letter was almost all about Liu Feng’s governance summary in the past few months, future plans, etc., which were related to Xincheng County.

Liu Feng also emphasized the difficulties in governing Xincheng County, and mentioned that the officials of Xincheng County lacked understanding of the issued direct money, so that the old Wuzhu coins were still circulated or used for barter in Xincheng County, which was quite inconvenient.

Therefore, Liu Feng asked Liu Bei for talents in the letter, hoping that Liu Bei could transfer Mi Zhu's eldest son Mi Wei to Xincheng County as Shaofu to assist in the circulation of Zhibai Wuzhu coins.

The duties of the county Shaofu were similar to those of the imperial court Shaofu, the difference being that the county Shaofu was in charge of the prefect's inner treasury rather than the royal treasury.

It seems that he did not mention pleading for Mi Fang, but in fact he was hinting to Liu Bei: Mi Wei is talented and virtuous, so let Mi Wei be my Shaofu and be in charge of my inner treasury's money and grain!
If Liu Feng had asked for someone like this a few months ago, Liu Bei would not have thought there was any hidden meaning behind it.

But now, Mi Zhu took Mi Fang to Jiangling.

Liu Bei is not a fool.

He didn't want the person earlier or later, but he wrote to ask for the person after Mi Zhu came to Jiangling, and he specifically asked Mi Wei to go to Xincheng County. Wasn't he just trying to do a favor for Mi Zhu?
Liu Feng handed the letter to Tian Zhong, the captain of the personal guard, and asked him to go to Zigui and enter Jiangling as soon as possible.

Now is the flood season, and Zigui is in Jiangling, which can be reached in less than a day.

Compared to taking the Jingshan Mountain Road to enter Jiangling, the difference is more than ten times!
In addition, a large number of post stations were built between Fangling and Zigui, so Tian Zhong arrived in Jiangling City in just two days.

So eager.

Liu Feng was also afraid that he would come too late and miss the opportunity to do favors.

In fact.

It would be fine even if Liu Feng came two days later.

When Mi Zhu arrived in Jiangling, Liu Bei was near Dongting Lake in Baqiu.

Liu Bei was a man who could not sit still.

Guan Yu and others are in charge of all civil and military affairs in Jingzhou, and Liu Bei will not interfere easily.

Now that we have come to Jingzhou, we naturally have to take the opportunity to visit various counties and increase our influence.

Liu Bei rose step by step from the bottom to the position of King of Hanzhong. He was well aware of the truth that "the sky is high and the emperor is far away, the people suffer and there are many evil officials." If he had just stayed in the central court, away from the people, it would have been difficult for him to understand the suffering of the people.

On the third day after Tian Zhong arrived in Jiangling City, Liu Bei returned from Baqiu.

This was because Guan Yu saw that Mi Zhu was anxious and irritated every day and was afraid that Mi Zhu would fall ill, so he secretly sent someone to inform him.

Mi Zhu once emptied his family fortune to support Liu Bei's comeback when Liu Bei was most helpless, and followed Liu Bei through thick and thin for more than 20 years.

It can be said.

Without Mi Zhu, there would be no Liu Bei today.

therefore.

Even though Mi Zhu's talent was not enough to handle major affairs, Liu Bei appointed Mi Zhu as General Anhan, whose status was even higher than Zhuge Liang, and the treatment he gave Mi Zhu was the highest among all the ministers.

Such favor is only to repay Mi Zhu's kindness in the past.

Even Guan Yu would not vent his anger on Mi Zhu because of Mi Fang's affairs.

After learning that Mi Zhu and Mi Fang came to Jiangling to apologize, Liu Bei immediately gave up his plan to inspect Changsha County and hurried back to Jiangling City.

As soon as he returned to Jiangling City, Liu Bei went straight to see Mi Zhu without even taking a rest, fearing that Mi Zhu might be upset and something bad would happen to him.

Liu Bei felt very distressed when he saw Mi Zhu looked like he looked ten years older than he was a few months ago.

When Mi Zhu saw Liu Bei, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, crying, "Please have pity on my pain and spare Zifang's life. I am willing to use my official position and the remaining wealth in my family to atone for Zifang's sins."

Liu Bei quickly helped Mi Zhu up and said to him in a hasty voice: "Zi Zhong, don't be like this! Stand up and talk first."

Mi Zhu reported to Liu Bei everything that happened to Mi Fang in Jingzhou, without hiding anything.

When Liu Bei heard that Mi Fang was secretly reselling military equipment and food in Nanjun, playing the business game of hoarding and buying low and selling high, his veins bulged.

In fact, Mi Fang’s business game itself was not a big crime. If he played it well, it would mean that the treasury of Nanjun was full, which would be a merit and no crime.

The key point is: Mi Fang did not bring Guan Yu to play together, and he secretly falsified accounts to enrich himself.

Just when Mi Fang was reselling military weapons, money and food, Guan Yu sent troops, and Mi Fang had to burn Longcang to settle the accounts.

Just before the autumn harvest, when Mi Fang could use the autumn tax grain to make up for the shortfall, Sun Quan sent Lu Meng to launch a surprise attack on Jiangling.

Just at this time, Fu Shiren fell into the trap and surrendered the city.

Mi Fang's business game of buying low and selling high was completely ruined.

In addition, Liao Li fled the city without being severely punished by Liu Bei, and Mi Fang, relying on his status and qualifications, simply refused to resist.

however.

Regardless of the process or the reasons, merit and accountability are determined by the results.

For example, although Guan Yu lost the city, he eventually took it back twice as much. His merits and demerits offset each other, so he was not only innocent but also meritorious.

Mi Fang was different.

Mi Fang's current achievements are not enough to atone for his sins.

After hearing Mi Zhu's crying, Liu Bei was suddenly in trouble.

If we don't punish them severely, first there was Liao Li, then Mi Fang, and there will surely be others who will follow suit in the future. Who will be able to turn the tide then?
Even if he were to punish him severely, Liu Bei couldn't bear it.

As Liu Bei's elders died of illness one after another, Liu Bei was afraid that Mi Zhu would also die because of this.

While thinking.

Someone reported that Liu Feng, the prefect of Xincheng County, sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that "this letter is urgent."

Liu Bei then summoned Tian Zhong in.

Just as Liu Feng expected.

As soon as Liu Bei saw the content of the letter, he understood Liu Feng's intention.

"Zi Zhong, you can take a look at this letter first." Liu Bei handed the letter to Mi Zhu, then leaned against the table, lowered his head slightly, and it was unknown what he was thinking.

Mi Zhu hurriedly took the letter, glanced at it quickly, and was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, Xincheng is an important county in the future Northern Expedition against Cao Wei. It must not be short of money and food. My son Mi Wei has been with me since he was a child, and he has a lot of experience in money and food. I would like to send my son to Xincheng." With Mi Zhu's current status, Mi Wei does not need to go to an important frontline county like Xincheng County.

If I go there, it means that I might die at any time, or be ambushed by Cao's soldiers, or be assassinated, or fall ill from overwork. How can it compare to the comfort of being on duty in Chengdu?
But now, in order to save his younger brother Mi Fang, Mi Zhu is willing to give it his all.

As long as Mi Fang's life can be saved, he would be willing to give away all his wealth, stop being an official, or even let Mi Wei go to Xincheng to atone for Mi Fang's sins.

Liu Bei took a deep breath and slowly made his final decision: "Mi Zifang's crime cannot be forgiven lightly. However, considering that he has been with me for a long time and has made great contributions, I will pardon his death penalty and allow his nephew Mi Wei to go to Xincheng to atone for his crime. I will also punish his sons and nephews by not allowing them to be promoted for five years.

In the future, we will implement this law: if parents are guilty, their sons and nephews will be allowed to make up for their crimes, and according to the severity of the crimes, their sons and nephews will be punished by being banned from promotion for several years. I hope you will reflect on yourselves and not let your sons and nephews' future be affected by a momentary wrong thought.

As for Mi Zifang himself, he can be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape the punishment of life imprisonment. He should reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors and write a book to forgive his sins."

Mi Zhu kowtowed again and cried: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Liu Bei sighed, helped Mi Zhu up, and said, "Zi Zhong, Mi Zifang's crime should not be borne by you and your son. This decision is also to warn others not to rely on their status and treat defending the city as a joke."

Mi Zhu knew it well.

Even if Liu Bei punished Mi Wei by not allowing him to be promoted for several years and pardoned Mi Fang's death sentence, it would make the officials of Jing and Yi feel lucky, which would be extremely detrimental to the implementation of the law.

Once the rules are broken, it will become: Liao Li didn’t die when he surrendered the city, Mi Fang didn’t die when he surrendered the city, why should I die when I surrender the city?

Despite this, Liu Bei still made an exception for Mi Zhu.

Mi Zhu asked again, "The road to Xichuan is long, so why don't I go to Xincheng County first and take over the post of Xincheng County Shaofu temporarily, so as not to delay the time and miss the matter that the deputy general is worried about."

Liu Bei agreed to Mi Zhu's request and wrote a letter to Mi Zhu to pass to Liu Feng, admonishing him: "My son's military command makes me amazed, but his governance of the local area makes me worried. When we get to Xincheng, Zi Zhong can take care of me."

Liu Bei had something else to say in his heart.

That is: if you are short of money or food, just tell me directly. Xincheng is an important county, and there are many things to be rebuilt. There are few people and little money. How can I not allocate money and food? Why are you trying to hold on to Xincheng County?

What Liu Bei didn't know was.

Liu Feng felt that Jing and Yi were exhausted and did not want to embarrass Liu Bei. It was also his first time as a prefect and he wanted to make some achievements, so he was unwilling to ask Liu Bei for money or food.

This time, he asked Liu Bei for Mi Wei because he felt that Xincheng County lacked people proficient in business, which affected his plan to plunder the wealth of the wealthy families in Nanxiang County. He also happened to hear that Mi Zhu had come to Jiangling.

If Mi Zhu had not come to Jiangling, Liu Feng would not have asked Liu Bei for Mi Wei.

At most, Han would be allowed to return to Jiangling City and secretly recruit a few talents proficient in business to work in Xincheng County.

As long as you use the hoe well, it will not be difficult to find talents.

a few days later.

Mi Zhu and Tian Zhong returned to Xincheng County together.

Upon learning that Liu Bei agreed to let Mi Wei come to Xincheng County to serve as Shaofu, and that Mi Zhu would temporarily serve as Shaofu before Mi Wei came, Liu Feng was so happy that he almost flew to his head.

Whether it is Mi Fang or Mi Wei, their combined experience and theories in business are not as good as Mi Zhu's.

Looking at Liu Bei's reply, Liu Feng's smile was even more undisguised.

There were only eight simple words in Liu Bei's letter: If you are short of money and food, just tell me.

This is simply giving a pillow when you feel sleepy.

It comes from Liu Bei’s preference!
"I am honored that Master Zi Zhong has come to Xincheng to help. The mansion has prepared a banquet to welcome Master Zi Zhong."

Liu Feng warmly welcomed Mi Zhu into the city.

He also summoned Deng Fan, Yu Fan, Fan Cheng, Han Chong, Du Pu, Deng Fu and other prominent families, elders and famous officials from Fangling to accompany him.

No one knew that Liu Feng was doing Mi Zhu a favor.

What everyone knows is that Liu Bei actually asked General Anhan Mi Zhu to come to Xincheng County in person to temporarily take over the position of Shaofu for Liu Feng, and that he would let his eldest son Mi Wei serve as Shaofu for a long time in the future.

This means that Liu Bei values Liu Feng very much and also attaches great importance to Xincheng County. If he wants to be promoted and make progress, he has to work harder.

Deng Fu even expressed his opinion directly at the banquet, saying that in order to develop and grow Xincheng County, he would donate money to fill the Xincheng treasury.

In this regard.

Liu Feng simply said, "Today is a private banquet, and we won't discuss official business," and politely declined Deng Fu's offer of money.

However the next day.

No one knew who spread the news of what happened at the banquet, and it caused quite a stir in the new city.

even.

Some wealthy and powerful families took the initiative to request to deposit their "surplus wealth" into Liu Feng's bank, but Liu Feng politely declined.

Liu Feng did not want to exhaust all the resources in Xincheng County.

Now that Mi Zhu is here, the plan to plunder the wealth of the wealthy families in Nanxiang County can be carried out smoothly.

There is a name called Mi Zhu.

Even wealthy merchants don’t need to pretend.

It is reasonable for General Anhan, a former tycoon from the East China Sea and now a subordinate of King Hanzhong, who is well versed in the art of commerce, has channels for Shu brocade and a high status, to want to smuggle some Shu brocade to Nanxiang County.

Mi Zhu also pointed out the drawbacks of Liu Feng's plan of plundering for nothing. If the plundering was too ruthless, the nobles of Nanxiang County would turn to Cao Wei out of disgust with Liu Feng.

Mi Zhu made a new plan for Liu Feng, and sent a message to ask Mi Wei to transport a batch of Shu brocade to Xincheng County when he came, in order to open up a sales channel for Shu brocade between Xincheng County and Nanxiang County.

With a professional like Mi Zhu around, Liu Feng no longer had to show off his half-baked business skills.

Just as Mi Zhu said: The wealthy families in Nanxiang County are not fools. They may be deceived once, but they will not be able to be deceived a second time. After being deceived, they will definitely resent Liu Feng and be loyal to Cao Wei.

If he decides to attack Nanxiang County in the future and all the nobles in Nanxiang County stand on the opposite side, then Liu Feng's difficulty in attacking will increase exponentially.

Therefore.

Liu Feng did whatever Mi Zhu said.

The main point is: listen to advice!

(End of this chapter)