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

Chapter 301 Crossing the River
Mi Wei: "That's exactly what I meant."

"However, since I hold an official position, it is inconvenient for me to directly interfere in the mundane affairs of commerce. I can only ask another commoner in the clan to take the lead."

Mi Zhu thought for a moment and said:
"Then let Zifang handle this matter."

"His position as Yizhou Yicao Congshi was a leisurely official post."

"Now that I have moved to Chang'an with you and am living a leisurely life, I am not worthy of the title. I might as well resign and go sell salt."

"All the profits from this venture will go to his family, so that he can give an account to all parties involved."

Mi Wei: "That's exactly what I'm thinking, but I'm worried that my uncle might not agree."

Mi Zhu snorted:
"He almost couldn't keep his chastity back then, and had already been disliked by the court. He can live out his old age in peace entirely thanks to my son and me, so why wouldn't we be willing?"

"In my opinion, you're not worried about your uncle, but about me!"

Miwei sighed softly.

Mi Zhu could easily guess his son's thoughts, and said:
"You want to go to Hedong, but you're worried that something might happen to your father and you won't be able to fulfill your filial duties. Isn't that right?"

Before Mi Wei could respond, Mi Zhu continued:
"Actually, I have been thinking about my affairs after death these days."

"If I could die in Chang'an and be buried next to the late emperor's mausoleum, it would certainly be a great honor for my ancestors."

"But should a person's reputation be judged solely by their posthumous honors and disregard for their achievements during their lifetime?"

"My life as a father is not exactly epic or moving."

"But in his early years, he did not rest on the family business left by his ancestors. Instead, he devoted himself to the business of making money and befriended many heroes and talents. As a result, he amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions and even earned the title of Prefect of Xuzhou from Tao Gongzu, which made him famous throughout the province."

"Later, during a period of chaos, he was not content to be a miser. Instead, he spent lavishly to help the late emperor carry out his righteous cause, thus gaining merit in following the emperor's rise to power, which was enough to bless his brothers and descendants."

Then, pointing at Miwei, he said:
"It was you who suffered a great misfortune in Jiangling back then. Didn't you and Zifang not go with the flow? Instead, you fought back and built your own foundation, even helping your father to ascend to the position of one of the Three Dukes?"

"It is clear that neither you nor I, father and son, are people who like to live a mediocre life."

"Once a person's temperament is set, it's hard to change it for the rest of their life."

"I have worked hard and made a name for myself for most of my life. How can I just wait to die in the capital when I am old?"

"One should remember to die on the battlefield... cough cough cough."

By the end, Mi Zhu was hoarse and exhausted.

He also suffered from shortness of breath and coughed repeatedly.

Mi Wei patted Mi Zhu's back gently while secretly pondering.

Was the old man truly going to die a heroic death, or was he doing it to fulfill his own wish?

Looking at his father, whose face was turning blue from coughing, Miwei could no longer tell what was wrong.

All he knew was that even if he set aside the physical bonds of blood,

The other person is still an elder worthy of my respect.

……

In the mid-autumn of August of the first year of Jianxing (this story is set in 226 AD), during a lull in the fierce battle between the Han and Wei dynasties in Hedong.

Mi Zhu, the former Minister of Works who was already terminally ill, requested to serve as the Salt Commissioner in Hedong, presiding over the salt exchange policy, citing his expertise in commerce.

His son, General Mi Wei, and his younger brother, commoner Mi Fang, accompanied him.

As a high-ranking official who once held one of the Three Dukes, it was utterly illogical for him to condescend to serve as a salt official.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that Mi Zhu's move was actually to make it easier for his son to go on a campaign in Hedong, so as to avoid being branded as unfilial.

Therefore, this memorial was approved by the emperor and the imperial court in just one day.

Furthermore, he bestowed upon Mi Zhu the title of Marquis of Qu [qú] to commend his selflessness in putting the public good before his own.

Qu County is the hometown of Mi Zhu in Donghai County, Xuzhou.

Just before departure, Mi Zhu's condition worsened, and he could not even ride in a carriage. He had to be carried on a stretcher and slowly crossed the Wei Bridge.

According to Yang Xi, the chief clerk of Yuzhou who accompanied the group, when they arrived at the bridge, General Wei Mi Wei intended to set up camp early so that his elderly father could rest in peace.

At that time, Mi Zhu raised his hand and pointed north while on the stretcher, shouting "Cross the river!" three times against the wind before setting off.

Thus, the army arrived at the original campsite on time that day, without delay.

……

The Mi family father and son crossed the Wei River in mid-autumn and arrived in Yi County in just five days.

That is, the location of Zhuge Liang's central army headquarters.

The reason it was so quick was that there was less water at this time of year, making it easier to cross the river.

Furthermore, since Zhuge Liang launched his campaign in Hedong, the battle lines between the Han and Wei sides have hardly changed significantly.

But this does not mean that the two sides will cease hostilities.

Conversely, along the line from Anyi to Wenxi, both sides constructed a dense network of camps, fortresses, and outposts on both banks of the Sushui River. Based on this, a bloody battle raged for months.

Thousands were killed or injured.

So much so that after crossing the river, when passing through Zhangyang Pond, located west of Puban County and downstream of the Sushui River, they witnessed a horrific scene of blood flowing like a river.

However, considering the combined force of 70,000 to 80,000 troops on both sides, this number of casualties seems insignificant.

Compared to the Guanzhong Campaign last year, which had a larger number of participants, this is extremely rare.

Regardless of the circumstances, after several months of fruitless progress in Hedong, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun all faced criticism and pressure.

In other words, Wei Yan had suffered a defeat earlier and had no grounds to cause trouble at the moment.

Otherwise, calls for a change of leadership would inevitably arise.

In fact, after Mi Wei and his son were stationed in Yi County, everyone from top to bottom began to pay attention to their relationship with Zhuge Liang.

After all, although Mi Wei's official rank was below Zhuge Liang's, his personal achievements were far more outstanding than those of Zhuge Liang, who was always in the rear.

Although he wouldn't replace him, Zhuge Liang certainly wouldn't dare to underestimate his military advice.

However, Miwei seemed determined to fulfill his filial duty to his father.

After arriving in the county, he paid no attention to military affairs.

I immediately sought medical help to care for my father.

The next step was to arrange the exchange of military rations for salt permits.

He waited until everything was finished before finally meeting Zhuge Liang.

However, it wasn't a formal meeting.

He was merely invited by Zhuge Liang to inspect a military settlement that Zhuge Liang had temporarily set up in Hedong outside the city.

The military settlement was crisscrossed with neatly arranged fields, and soldiers patrolled the area, making it look quite impressive.

Not a single seedling could be seen.

"The military settlements have just been established, but it is not the farming season."

"It was less about self-sufficiency and more about cultivating the land for the soldiers to see."

When Zhuge Liang faced Mi Wei alone, he directly revealed the truth.

"However, with this method of opening the middle, we should be able to sustain ourselves until the wheat harvest next spring."

"For this single act of providing sufficient food, Shi Shan can be considered to have made a great contribution after the war."

Mi Wei: "I am merely revisiting the wisdom of my predecessors; how dare I compete with you generals for merit?"

From any perspective, these are Miwei's true feelings.

But clearly, Zhuge Liang took it as mere humility and dismissed it with a smile.

So Miwei smiled and then asked:
"The army's immediate crisis has been resolved. I wonder what the Prime Minister's next plan is? Will he continue the stalemate with the Wei army?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang countered with a question:

"Does Master Shan think we should continue this stalemate?"

Miwei subconsciously touched his chin.

The beard there was already quite thick.

He paused for a moment before saying:

"There is some discussion in Chang'an that the Prime Minister's army is heavily armed and, although it is in an invincible position, it is difficult to break through Sima Yi's defenses. This battle may be forced to retreat due to running out of food."

"But when I arrived, I knew that the Prime Minister already had a chance of winning; he was just waiting for the right opportunity."

"And I thought the perfect opportunity had arrived..."

As he spoke, Mi Wei turned his gaze southward.

In the distance, the majestic and narrow Zhongtiao Mountains stretch across the horizon like a reclining dragon.

It completely obscured the beautiful and magnificent scenery of the Heluo region.

Zhuge Liang's gaze then turned south, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"I am indeed waiting," Zhuge Liang said in a low voice.

"But I am not waiting for a good opportunity, but for a good general to seize the opportunity for me."

"And today."

Meeting Mi Wei's surprised gaze, Zhuge Liang raised his finger and said:
"A capable general has arrived."

(End of this chapter)