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

Chapter 113 New Position

Mi Wei: "What, has this matter been dragged into the hands of strategist Zhuge?"

“Kongming did not comment on this matter,” Mi Zhu shook his head.

"It was because Li Zhengfang knew he was outnumbered and outmatched that he sought help from Ma Youchang."

Li Yan hooked up with Ma Su... What a bizarre combination that would ruin Zhuge Liang!

Mi Wei's expression was momentarily tense.

I can't help but say:
"I heard on the way that Ma Youchang has been dismissed from his post because he refused to go to the prefecture to take up his post?"

Mi Zhu nodded and said, "He is arrogant and thinks he is not appreciated, so he recently went to seek help from Zhuge Liang."

"Kongming cherished his talent, so he treated him as an honored guest and kept him by his side at all times."

"Li Zhengfang probably saw this point, which is why he hit it off with Ma Youchang."

It turns out they wanted to make progress together.

This time, Miwei understood.

Then he wondered if there was any way to help his father.

But after much thought, he realized that the crux of the problem was that Li Yan was too eager to improve.

Unfortunately, there isn't much room for him to improve right now.

Then we can only try our luck with crooked and unorthodox methods.

Just like the recent widely circulated story of "the Yellow Dragon appearing in Chishui, Wuyang".

On the surface, this appears to be an auspicious omen created by a local government in response to the prevailing trend of "urging the emperor to ascend the throne."

But upon closer examination, who orchestrated this major news story?
It should be noted that Wuyang County was the seat of Jianwei Commandery.

The current governor of Jianwei is Li Yan.

Your Majesty, I desperately want to improve.JPG
However, after Liu Bei established Yizhou, due to various coincidences...

This person is currently the only border general with a record of victories against the southern barbarians.

On the issue of South China.

It's definitely not light.

Seeing that both father and son were silent, Mi Fang hurriedly said:

"Recently, everyone has been saying that my elder brother advocates a slow approach to conquering the south, while Zhuge Liang advocates a swift war. This matter has become Mi Anhan challenging Zhuge Liang!"

"Shi Shan, you've always been good at planning, quickly think of a way to save your father!"

"Shut up!" Mi Zhu shouted angrily as he turned around.

He then said to his son:
"Your father has no talent for leadership, the King knows it, Zhuge Liang knows it, all the officials in Shu know it, there is absolutely no question of him challenging us!"

"Li Zhengfang is ultimately an outsider, and Ma Youchang is a commoner. As long as I stay at home, they can't do anything to me."

"Once His Majesty makes a decision in the future, the slight criticism will naturally pass, and it will be of no consequence."

And said:

"You've finally carved out a place for yourself in Jingzhou, so don't get involved in the mess in the south."

"Get some rest early. You'll be meeting the King tomorrow morning, so don't be late!"

Mi Wei didn't have any better ideas at the moment, so he took his leave.

……

The following day, Mi Wei, carrying the prepared "account book" and the box of "auspicious omens" entrusted to him by Guan Yu, officially entered the court.

The palace wasn't far from home; we arrived quickly.

At this time, the palace was also overcrowded.

Officials from all over the place rushed to submit their reports.

According to the old system of the Han Dynasty, the imperial report had to be completed at the end of the year, and then the Three Dukes would give a general report to the emperor at the grand court assembly at the beginning of the year.

At present, let alone the Three Dukes, even the title of "Son of Heaven" has not been determined.

We'll just have to make do for now.

Something is better than nothing.

In short, it took Mi Wei almost an hour to finally deliver the "calendar" and the "auspicious omen".

He then received an imperial edict and was moved to a side hall.

Upon entering, Liu Bei was holding a "plan book" and flipping through it.

Beside him stood an elderly official with a refined appearance, writing and taking notes expressionlessly.

Mi Wei looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't quite place the man's name.

Before he could think further, Liu Bei had already put down the letter, looked up and said, "Do you know why a mediocre person like me troubles himself?"

Mi Wei immediately put aside his extraneous thoughts and said seriously:
“In the past, the State of Yong took advantage of the famine in the State of Chu and launched an eastward invasion, but unexpectedly it was destroyed by the allied forces of King Zhuang of Chu.”

"Theorists believe that the Yong state, having lived in the mountains for a long time, was unaware of the overlords outside the mountains and, due to its own cleverness, led to its downfall."

"But I believe that even if Yong does not take the initiative to attack, it will be swallowed up by a powerful country sooner or later, either Chu or Qin."

After a slight pause, seeing that the old clerk had also stopped writing and looked up, Mi Wei continued:
"Ultimately, Shangyong Mountain is dangerous and land is scarce. Without expanding outward, it is not enough to support tens of thousands of people."

"It's simply a matter of choosing between actively submitting or being passively destroyed; it's one of two options."

Liu Bei said:
"So, you've already bestowed upon the Shen family the title of 'Provincial Outstanding Scholar'?"

Mi Weidao:
"To save tens of thousands of soldiers and provisions every day with just a nominal title, I believe it is worthwhile!"

Liu Bei stared intently and said:
"So you also believe that the approach to the South should be one of appeasement and gradual development?"

Wow... is Lao Liu's associative thinking really that strong?

Mi Wei immediately replied, "I am not familiar with the customs and conditions of the people in the south, and I dare not speak presumptuously."

Liu Bei: "Then how about we go to the south and take a look ourselves?"

Mi Wei wanted to be humble and say that he didn't have that ability.

But remembering her father's predicament last night, she changed her words:

"Your Majesty and I have been deeply favored by Your Majesty. So, wherever Your Majesty needs us, we will go!"

Liu Bei: "Aren't you afraid of the rampant barbarian bandits?"

Mi Wei: "Your Majesty, I am perfectly suited to kill the traitors, just like in Jiangling and Wuling!"

Liu Bei: "Aren't you afraid of getting the roads blocked?"

Mi Wei: "Your Majesty, I am just about to clear the way, just like in Shangyong and Xicheng!"

"good!"

Liu Bei finally smiled and said to the person beside him:
“Zi Chu, drafted an edict, dismissed the Western Commandant of Jiangxia, and promoted Mi Wei to Commandant of the Imperial Carriage.”

The old man, who was none other than Liu Ba, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, immediately unfolded the bamboo slips and began writing the imperial edict.

Miwei almost strained his back.

But it wasn't because they recognized yet another super-powerful Liu Ba.

Instead, they were confused by Lao Liu's inconsistent statements.

In fact, Liu Bei discussed his new appointment with Guan Xing and others quite a bit along the way.

He will likely return to Jingzhou to serve as a commandant further north.

Or they could go to Sichuan, then head north or south, and take up a post in any place they chose.

When Liu Bei pressed him for an answer, he thought he was really going to fight the Nanman.

Unexpectedly, he was given a rather rare appointment.

It is said that the position of Fengche Duwei originated from Emperor Wu of Han, and its rank was equivalent to that of a 2,000-stone official.

Its original meaning refers to the attendant official in charge of managing the imperial carriage when the emperor travels.

Together with the Imperial Son-in-Law and the Cavalry Commandant, they were known as the Three Commandants.

Of course.

Just as the Third Bureau Officers were no longer simply palace guards, but rather reserve officials of the empire.

The Minister was no longer the emperor's errand boy, but a powerful official in charge of the inner workings of the government.

In this era, the title of "San Duwei" actually became a higher-ranking title of "San Shu Lang".

If we had to make a comparison, it would be more like the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace under Cao Pi.

They appeared to have no actual duties, but in reality, they were the emperor's attendants and advisors, and also served as a reserve of high-ranking officials.

When needed in the future, one can take up a post outside the capital, starting with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), or become a high-ranking official in charge of a region.

Among them, the position of Fengche Duwei was the highest among the three Duwei.

The reason.

Besides being nominally in charge of the emperor's main carriage, which was more legitimate than the imperial son-in-law captain in charge of the secondary carriage and the cavalry captain in charge of the accompanying knights, the other two positions were not officially recognized.

Furthermore, historically, powerful minister Huo Guang and famous general Dou Gu both held this position.

There are some unspoken historical traditions involved.

In short, from now on, Miwei will become "Mifengche".

It's time to begin a new life where serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

(End of this chapter)