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

Chapter 118 A single coin yields two sides
Immediately, Mi Wei recounted Zhang Yi's scheme from that night.

He then walked to the map and roughly traced the ancient Maoniu Road.

Then he continued:
"If Zhang Boqi can win over the Maoniu Yi and bring them to surrender, Gao Ding will lose external support, which will be beneficial for Li Xingye to send troops to destroy him."

"Conversely, if the Maoniu tribe saw that Gao Ding was defeated by Li Xingye, they would realize that they were outnumbered and weak, and would be more likely to submit to him."

"These two methods, one is to cut off its roots and the other is to prune its branches and leaves, complement each other and do not conflict."

"This is what they mean by 'two sides of the same coin'!"

After a slight pause, Mi Wei said to Li Hui:
"Once Gao Ding is eliminated and the old trade route is reopened, not only will we have another channel to acquire warhorses, but we can also attract the mountain people to join us through the profits of commerce."

“Take the Maoniu Yi for example. Their tribe is located on the trade route. Merchants coming and going from the south and north can certainly make a living by sitting there.”

“When the other ethnic groups in the south see that the Maoniu Yi people have mountains of gold and silver, even if they do not follow suit, they probably will not be too resistant to them.”

"If the imperial court were to send troops to garrison the area again under the pretext of opening up and protecting trade routes, they might just reluctantly agree."

"While this matter may not be guaranteed to be a complete success, if four or five out of ten tribes agree to trade, then half of the troubles in the south can be resolved without having to mobilize a large army... Isn't this precisely the gradual approach advocated by Prefect Li?"

"This is also 'two sides of the same coin'!"

Mi Wei turned back to Liu Bei and waved the hundred coins in his hand:
"Once the barbarians have tasted the benefits of trade routes, they will probably beg the court to issue more 'Zhibaiqian' in order to facilitate the movement of merchants and the transport of goods."

"If that day ever comes, the barbarians will be more than just submitting, more than just pledging allegiance to the north... Wouldn't this be like casting a coin and getting both sides?"

At this point, Liao Li was utterly stunned and speechless.

Even Li Hui, Song Yuan, Ma Su, Wu Yi, and others stared at Mi Wei in disbelief.

It feels like I'm meeting this young man of two thousand koku for the first time today.

Even Liu Ba, who had been like a wooden doll, couldn't help but glance at him slightly.

Liu Bei, however, remained calm and said:

"You came up with all of these yourself?"

Miwei thought to himself, "I'm just a Frankenstein's monster, except that everything is stitched together."

He then took the opportunity to recommend Zhang Yi:
"It is not so much my own idea as an inspiration from Zhang Boqi, who is a true hero. I hope Your Majesty will consider this!"

Liu Bei immediately turned to Li Hui:

"The state has such a talented person; why don't you recommend him to me?"

Li Hui was lost in thought when he heard this and apologized:
"I only knew that Zhang Boqi was brave and strong, but I did not know that he was also talented. I think I have failed in my duty!"

Liu Bei chuckled, not blaming him, and said:

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Since you have talented people under your command, you should make good use of them and keep an eye on the South for me."

Li Hui hurriedly agreed.

At this moment, seeing that Liu Bei seemed to intend to promote Li Hui, Song Yuan hurriedly said:
"While Mi Fengche's argument is generally correct, it has one fatal flaw!"

"Some of you may not know this, but Prefect Huang Yuan of Hanjia is violent and ungrateful, making it difficult for him to win over the people. He is completely incapable of pacifying the Maoniu Yi!"

"And Zhang Boqi is just a native of Nanchong in Brazil, and only a minor official. Although he is brave and strong, how can he win the hearts of the Maoniu barbarians? We can't let him replace Huang Yuan as the governor of the prefecture, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Minister Liu Ba suddenly spoke, addressing Mi Wei:

"Huang Yuan was transferred from the position of Commandant to Prefect less than a year ago. Although he has no merits, he has also made no mistakes."

"If Your Majesty forcibly takes away his position, I fear he will find it difficult to win over the people in the future, and it will damage the reputation of a man of propriety."

Is Liu Ba reminding me that I need to find a suitable reason to kick out the incompetent Huang Yuan?
It was hard to tell whether the cold-faced Minister of State was offering a well-intentioned reminder or simply speaking the truth.

But this didn't stop Miwei from having a new idea after a little thought.

He then replied:

"Does Lord Ling also believe that this Lord Huang is unfit to be a prefect of a prefecture?"

Liu Ba pursed his lips and did not answer.

However, not answering at this point is tantamount to admitting it.

So he turned to Song Yuandao:
"Does the Prefect mean that their manpower is inferior to that of the Maoniu tribe?"

Song Yuan scoffed:
"Not just Maoniu, but even Yandao, north of Maoniu, is probably no match for it!"

"Two years ago, Gao Ding crossed prefectures and raided northwards, taking advantage of the Maoniu route to reach Yandao."

"Huang Yuan was a captain at the time but was unable to defend against the bandits. He was only able to be relieved thanks to Li Xingye's rescue from another prefecture!"

Snapped!
Deer clapped his hands and said:

"That's not right!"

"Hanjia Commandery was originally a subordinate state of Shu Commandery, specializing in governing barbarian affairs."

"Since Huang Yuan cannot control the barbarians, why not separate those two counties from Han Jia Commandery and re-establish them as a vassal state, with Li Xingye, who is capable of governing this area, concurrently serving as the vassal state's commandant, or directly merge them into Jianwei Commandery?"

"Wouldn't this allow everyone to make the best use of their talents, without delaying the affairs of the prefecture, and without damaging the King's reputation for respecting scholars?"

Then, pointing at Song Yuandao:
“If Li Xingye is really too busy, I think Prefect Song is quite resourceful. Why not promote him to Commandant?”

Upon hearing this, Song Yuan's expression changed several times.

After a long pause, he said to Liu Bei:

"Your Majesty, I am not very capable, but General Xingye is indeed more than capable of managing a hundred miles; he is more than capable of guarding two prefectures. Mi Fengche's words are correct!" He actually betrayed his country on the spot!

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow and said:
"Then what about winning hearts and minds?"

Song Yuan smiled wryly and said:
"These are empty words, not as substantial and methodical as what Commandant Mi said."

"Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Only Ma Su's face was as white as paper.

The momentum built up with all one's wisdom was actually neutralized by someone else?
At this moment, Liu Bei turned back to Mi Wei, and said with a half-smile:

"Who inspired your plan, sir?"

"Let me guess, is it Zhang Boqi, or your father's connections?"

This... Is Lao Liu implying that he knows I was the one who first brought up the intelligence about the chaos last year?

But I'm very tight-lipped, and Lao Zhang and my dad aren't gossips either.

Could it be that Lao Liu just guessed based on his understanding of everyone's personality?

Wow... Old Liu is terrifyingly powerful?!

This matter must not be admitted!
Then, turning his gaze, he pointed at Ma Su and said:
"It's Ma Youchang's 'winning hearts and minds' strategy!"

Ma Su was taken aback upon hearing this.

The assembled officials were taken aback.

Liu Bei wasn't stunned; he was immediately amused.

Then the imposing figure of the deer said:
"If you ask me, if this plan is worth a hundred coins, Zhang Boqi should take fifty, Ma Youchang fifty, my father ten, and I, who am merely copying someone else's idea, should be penny-deducted!"

Upon hearing the words "inverted," Liu Bei burst into laughter and pointed at Mi Wei, shaking his head repeatedly.

The courtiers burst into laughter, and even Liu Ba's lips curled up slightly.

Only Ma Su stared intently at Mi Wei, his face turning pale and then red, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

The tense atmosphere between the two sides was eased by Mi Wei's double-dealing and Song Qi's immediate betrayal.

Subsequently.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Bei appointed Li Hui as the Left Governor of Yijiang.

He supervised the three prefectures of Zangke, Yizhou, and Yongchang.

He governed in Pingyi County, Zangke Commandery.

Li Yan was also appointed as the Right Governor of Yijiang.

He oversaw the three commanderies of Jianwei, Yuexi, and Zhuti, plus the two counties of Yandao and Maoniu in the southern part of Hanjia.

He continued to govern in Jianwei Wuyang.

The strategy for the south was thus decided.

……

As Mi Wei was leaving the Ministry of Personnel, Ma Su caught up with him and stopped him, saying:

"That night you preferred to stay in the courtyard with Zhang Boqi and enjoy the cool breeze, rather than talk to me in the warm room. Did you think I was inferior to him?"

But Mi Wei shook his head and said:
That night I dreamt of an ancient sage from Sichuan, and I asked him: Among the philosophers of Sichuan, who is superior and who is inferior?

The ancient sages replied: Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

"I think this statement is correct."

"You come from a distinguished family, are knowledgeable and have great talent and quick thinking, but you lack courage and bravery."

“Zhang Boqi is bold and decisive, and his future is promising, but he is limited by his background and limited vision, and his plans come a little late.”

"If you all learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses, and work together with one heart, why should we worry about not being able to achieve a hundred-coin plan and establish a business that will last for a hundred generations?"

With that, Mi Wei stuffed something into Ma Su's hand, then took his leave.

Ma Su stared at the "Zhibai Wuzhu" coin in his hand.

He was stunned for a moment.

He bowed deeply to Mi Wei's retreating figure.

When he looked up again, a resolute look appeared on his face.

On the other side, after everyone had left...

Liu Bei turned to stand in front of a screen and said with a smile:

"Does this 'Pacifying the South Strategy' meet your approval, 'Lord Lawyer'?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a handsome civil official emerged from behind the screen and bowed to Liu Bei, saying:

Good strategies are easy to come by, but good people are hard to find.

"If Fa Xiaozhi could know this in the afterlife, he would surely be pleased that Your Majesty has found such a fine man!"

(End of this chapter)