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

Chapter 112 Slowing Down

The residence of General Mi Zhu of Anhan was located near the Hanzhong Royal Palace.

Not just the Deer and the Bamboo Grove.

Xu Jing, the tutor of the King of Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang, the military advisor, and several other important generals all lived in this area.

In addition, there was an official residence called "Shangshutai" (Ministerial Office) located next to the royal palace.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the layout of the Later Han palace knows this.

This is the layout where the North Palace connects to the South Palace, and the South Palace is surrounded by the residences of the Three Dukes.

Of course, the scale of this architectural complex in Chengdu is definitely not comparable to that of the Luoyang Old Palace.

It might not even be as good as the Luoyang Palace that Cao Pi just restored.

Yes.

Based on some kind of metaphysical factor.

Cao Pi changed the name of Luoyang back to Luoyang, which has the water radical (氵).

No more gossip.

Miwei entered his own residence, where his brothers and sisters were already waiting.

After getting acquainted with his relatives and paying respects to his mother, Mi Wei followed his father, Mi Zhu, to a quiet side room to discuss matters.

Mi Fang was also called over.

Compared to a year ago, Mi Fang has gained a lot of weight.

This time she's really fat.

So much so that Mi Zhu, pointing to his son's blue sash and his younger brother's round belly, said with a face full of helplessness:
“I was worried that my son, like me, would not have the talent to lead, so I kept him in Shu in a wealthy and leisurely manner, and let Zifang take over the family business.”

"Who would have thought that man proposes, God disposes? Now Zifang is living a life of leisure, while my son has to go to the battlefield to risk his life!"

Mi Fang could only manage a forced laugh.

Mi Wei comforted his father, saying:

"I only made a great contribution by chance; I have no real talent or ability! Once Your Majesty sees through my true strength and weaknesses after this trip to Shu, you will put me aside."

Mi Zhu shook his head and said:

Whether you're talented or not doesn't matter anymore.

"Most importantly, the King himself bestowed a courtesy name upon you, making you a role model for your generation. Even if you lack talent, you can only be considered talented!"

Then he raised his hand to interrupt his son, who was about to retort, and continued:
"I have resigned myself to fate. From now on, only you can uphold the Mi family's legacy."

"But as the eldest son, you have the responsibility to carry on the bloodline."

"Now that the wars on all sides have temporarily ceased, you should hurry up and get married and have children to leave an heir for yourself, so that your parents can rest assured."

All that buildup was actually to pave the way for its birth.

This time, Miwei understood.

All he could do was repeatedly agree.

The three then chatted about their experiences over the past year, with Miwei mainly sharing his own experiences.

As darkness fell, Mi Zhu told Mi Wei to go and rest early, citing the reason that he still had to report back to the king the next day.

Just as Mi Wei stood up to take his leave, he noticed Mi Fang standing beside him looking hesitant to speak.

A thought struck him, and he sat down again, saying:
"It's rare for the child to come home, so this is a good opportunity to help the adults out!"

Mi Zhu glared at Mi Fang and sighed.

"It's not a big deal."

"Wasn't Zhang Junsi kidnapped by Yong Kai the year before last?"

"Recently, when the gentlemen discussed the past, they mentioned those restless local leaders in the south, who were like festering sores on the hands and feet."

"Some people advocate that we should take advantage of the fact that there is no foreign war and quickly go south to remove the festering sore to avoid future troubles."

"Some people believe that the troubles in the south cannot be resolved in a short time. It would be better to use the king's prestige to suppress the villains and then deal with the problem slowly."

Mi Wei asked curiously, "What is your opinion, sir?"

Mi Zhu smiled wryly: "What decision do I, as your father, have?"

"It was just a few days ago when I visited Wu Ziyuan and heard him discuss the strategy for pacifying the south. I casually echoed his words... I never expected that this would cause trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei immediately thought of the corresponding person.

Wu Ziyuan is Wu Yi, currently serving as the Protector-General Who Combats Rebellion, ranking below Mi Zhu.

However, he had a younger sister, Lady Wu, who was Liu Bei's queen and the nominal legal mother of his heir, Liu Shan.

Compared to the Mi family, Wu Yi is the real rightful maternal relative general at present.

Even Wu Ban, the naval commander under Guan Yu, is a member of the Wu family.

However, based on Miwei's understanding of his father, it's unlikely that any dramatic story of relatives vying for favor would occur.

And as expected, Mi Zhu continued:
"His Majesty intends to appoint Wu Ziyuan as the Governor of Guanzhong, so his mind is focused on the Northern Expedition. When it comes to the strategy for the Southern Region, he naturally leans towards a gradual approach." "Several generals, including General Zhang Yide of the Right, General Ma Mengqi of the Left, and Li De'ang, the Prefect of Yizhou, all share this view."

"Then, of course, I, as your father, agree with this view!"

Mi Zhu paused slightly, then smiled wryly:
"But I never expected that Li Zhengfang would suddenly submit a memorial accusing me of being an incompetent general who has ruined the country!"

Is Li Yan trying to cause trouble?
And openly challenged Mi Zhu?
Miwei: "Why is that?"

Mi Zhu: "You don't know this, but Deng Fang, the prefect of Zhuti, recently requested to return home due to illness. He was originally also serving as the governor of Yijiang in the south, but now we need to choose another general."

"His Majesty originally favored Vice Minister Li. However, Li Zhengfang also had his own ideas, so he submitted a memorial requesting permission to fight, advocating for a swift victory!"

"It just so happens that my father's rank is above Wu Ziyuan's, and Li Zhengfang doesn't dare to provoke Generals Zhang and Ma, so he's using my father as a scapegoat!"

It turns out they were taken advantage of.

Mi Wei suddenly realized something, but then doubted Li Yan's motives for doing this.

After all, according to the history of his previous life, as the second most important minister among those entrusted with the care of the young emperor, he should have had a broader vision.

Wait a minute!

Mi Wei suddenly realized something.

The problem lies in the fact that history has changed!

Furthermore, of the so-called five great generals of the Shu Han dynasty, Wu Yi's position as governor of Guanzhong was merely nominal and need not be mentioned further.

Of the remaining four assignments, the one with the most authority was Wei Yan, who was in charge of Hanzhong.

After all, it was the front line for the Northern Expedition and the defense against Cao Wei, and it was unparalleled.

Below Hanzhong, the most important task was to supervise Badong and Yong'an.

Because that was the front line to defend against an invasion by Eastern Wu.

After Emperor Baidi entrusted his son to him, Li Yan served as the Protector-General of the Central Capital for several years.

Further down the list are the Governor of Jiangzhou and the Governor of Yijiang.

One was a second-line war zone behind Yong'an, and the other was tasked with pacifying the southern region.

These are all "internal" settings.

Its importance is naturally lower.

However, in this life, because Jingzhou was not lost, the situation is quite different.

The entire strategic depth of over a thousand miles, from Baidi City eastward to Jiangling, lies within Guan Yu's Jingzhou territory, and is entirely under Liu Bei's control.

There was no strategic need to defend against Sun Quan.

It's simply because Yong'an has such superior natural conditions that it's like a place where one man can hold off ten thousand.

It's so good that it would be a shame not to set up a checkpoint there.

Therefore, the position of "Guan Duwei" will likely be retained, but it will only be a mid-to-lower-ranking officer.

Li Yan was far beyond that level and would never even look at him.

Furthermore, because the Battle of Yiling never took place.

That place is still called "Yufu" to this day.

Even the name "Yong'an" doesn't exist.

And based on the same reasoning.

Jiangzhou's strategic importance is no longer what it once was.

Now let's get back to the present.

Li Yan was no match for Wei Yan as the governor of Hanzhong.

The remaining locations of the Northern Expedition.

Both Zhang Fei and Ma Chao, two highly regarded generals, are still alive.

Zhao Yun, Huang Quan, Wu Yi, and even Zhang Yi, the prefect of Zitong, are all good candidates.

Anyway, before all of these people die, it's definitely not going to be Li Yan's turn to lead the Northern Expedition.

Furthermore, considering that Liu Ba had just taken over as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Li Yan was also unable to become the top official in the cabinet.

After all that calculation...

If Li Yan wants to "improve"...

There really is only the Governor of Yijiang left to worry about.

So... this time it's my turn to mess things up?
Miwei felt strange for a moment.

He then said, "Since Your Excellency has no intention of fighting, I suppose Li Zhengfang is also powerless to fight alone."

"I've heard that Strategist Zhuge and Li Zhengfang have a good personal relationship. Why don't we ask him to mediate?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu sighed again.

(End of this chapter)