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

Chapter 119 My Son Has the Potential of a Prime Minister

This person is none other than the military advisor and general who was absent from today's court assembly, Zhuge Kongming!
Liu Bei tossed the so-called "Leftover Strategies of Fa Zheng" to Zhuge Liang, saying:

"Now you know why I asserted that Ma Su's words were exaggerated, don't you?"

"He has high aspirations, but is inept at everyday affairs."

"Quick-witted, but lacking in responsibility."

"He was exceptionally eloquent, unmatched by anyone, and even his brother couldn't control him."

"It was Mi Shishan's concession today that was more effective than ten words of advice from his brother!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang smiled and said:
"Then I must congratulate Your Majesty on acquiring three outstanding talents in a single day!"

Liu Bei: "Which three?"

Zhuge Liang:
"One of them is Zhang Boqi, a talent for pacifying the south."

"Secondly, Ma Youchang was brave after learning his shame."

Third, learn from others' strengths and weaknesses and learn from their good qualities.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and then said:
"As the saying goes, 'He who knows people is wise.' To receive such praise from a wise man like you, it seems that Shishan has a promising future."

Zhuge Liang: "Since His Majesty also believes the future is promising, why not appoint him as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince?"

Liu Bei pondered for a moment and said:

"The Crown Prince's palace has no shortage of good teachers, but the country lacks good ministers."

Zhuge Liang readily accepted good advice.
"It seems His Majesty intends to make great use of Shi Shan... So, shall he first serve as an attendant, like Ji Chang?"

Liu Bei knew that Kongming had guessed his thoughts, and laughed, "Excellent!"

……

That night, at the Deer's residence.

Mi Fang: "What did I say before? As long as Master Shan takes action, things will get better, but my brother just won't believe me!"

Mi Zhu: "Shut up!"

Then he turned to his son, both pleased and suspicious:

"Therefore, you recommended both Zhang and Ma to the King at the same time?"

Mi Wei: "Zhang Boqi and Ma Youchang each have their strengths. As long as they are in the right positions and play to their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses, they will surely achieve great things in the future."

"Now that you know their strengths and weaknesses, why not establish a good relationship in advance?"

Mi Zhu nodded repeatedly, showing his approval.

But the next moment, she suddenly squinted and looked at her son.

He stared at Mi Wei until he felt uneasy, then said:

"You've only known Zhang Boqi for a little over a month, and your acquaintance with Ma Youchang is merely a nodding acquaintance."

How can one judge a person's merits or demerits in such a short time?

Hiss... Is this what they mean by "no one knows a son better than his father"?
Then Mi Wei, without changing his expression, said:
"Nothing more than listening to their words and observing their actions."

After a long while, Mi Zhu looked away and told his son to hurry back to his room to find his daughter-in-law.

Then he turned back and stared at Mi Fang.

The latter hurriedly pointed to his tightly closed mouth.

But then I heard Mi Zhu say:
"Two years ago, you wrote back saying that our family was going to produce a military talent, but I was still half-believing it."

"I only believed it when one victory after another came from Jingzhou."

"But only today do I realize that our family needs more than just a general!"

At this point, Mi Zhu could barely contain his excitement, and shrugged slightly:

"He has the discernment to recognize talent and the magnanimity to tolerate others... My son has the potential to become a prime minister!"

Snapped!
Mi Fang suddenly slapped her thigh:
"You're only finding out now, brother!"

……

Several days later, good news came from the north.

Ma Chao successfully led the leader of that Qiang tribe back south.

Liu Bei was overjoyed and decided to personally travel north to Luo County to welcome Ma Chao and his entourage.

As for why it was Luoxian County and not other places...

Of course, it's because of the character "雒" and the river with the same name next to it.

It's hard not to think of the more famous Luo River.

And the great Han capital located next to it.

This is like someone pointing at a small, broken tree when they were a child and saying that it was the "feathered canopy carriage" used by the emperor.

If he were just a country bumpkin.

Naturally, no one would care.

At most, one could say that children speak without thinking.

But what if he were the King of Hanzhong today?

That is because the King is following in the footsteps of the late Emperor, destined by Heaven, and there were auspicious signs and omens in the past.

What, you're saying I'm just being wise after the event?
You know the shit!

This shows the king's early years when he was hiding his true power and concealing his divine might.

How could we mortals with our limited vision possibly perceive the true form of a dragon?

In short, Mi Wei had heard this kind of talk too much lately, so he figured it out immediately. He prepared the carriages and horses well in advance, and sent people to arrange post stations along the way, before accompanying the emperor on his northern tour.

Upon arriving in Luocheng, Ma Chao indeed brought with him the leader of the Qiang tribe.

There were several hundred Qiang nobles accompanying them.

Miwei even saw people bringing cattle and horses to exchange for grain and cloth.

Those in the know say they are in an alliance.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were there to promote products.

That night, Liu Bei held a grand banquet for the Qiang people and bestowed upon them a host of beneficial but costly official positions on the spot.

He then formally invited the other party to participate in the ceremony of his enthronement as emperor, to swear an oath of allegiance by blood, to jointly support the Han Dynasty and fight against the traitor Cao.

The other party probably saw that Liu Bei's army was truly magnificent, and that Ma Chao had actually submitted to him, so they agreed without hesitation.

The following day, Liu Bei held another banquet to separately commend Ma Chao.

Miwei was also called to accompany them.

At this time, Ma Chao held the official positions of Acting General of the Left and Marquis of Duting.

He has been without a leader since the Battle of Hanzhong.

With the situation in Yongliang and Qiang just beginning to improve, and the need for capable people at that time, Liu Bei intended to appoint Ma Chao.

However, before the words of reward could be uttered, Ma Chao, with his half-white hair, knelt on the ground and wept, saying:

"I am forty-seven years old, with no achievements to be made and no revenge to be taken for my family. I am already withered and emaciated."

"A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner from Sichuan says that I only have two more years left to live!"

And said:

"My entire clan of over two hundred members was slaughtered by Mengde. Now, only my cousin Ma Dai remains as a blood relative."

"I have no other wish in my remaining life, but I beg Your Majesty to remember my humble service and grant me some protection so that my brother will not be without descendants after my death!"

After saying this, he repeatedly kowtowed, making a loud thud on the floor.

Everyone who saw this was deeply moved.

Liu Bei personally stepped forward to help Ma Chao up, saying:

"I see that the general is as vigorous as ever; do not be misled by the words of quack doctors!"

"When we launch our northern expedition in the future, I will definitely appoint you as the vanguard general to lead the charge and capture cities for me!"

Ma Chao continued to sob.

Liu Bei could only point to Ma Dai behind him and say:
"I hereby appoint your brother as Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, to serve alongside Mi Shishan before the Emperor!"

Ma Chao paused in his sobbing and shook his head repeatedly, saying:
"Your humble servant lacks the talent and ability to ride alongside Mi Fengche!"

Liu Bei had no choice but to look around.

Soon someone offered a suggestion:

"General Guan's second son has married the princess, but has not yet been granted an official position."

"Why doesn't Your Majesty promote him to Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant and Ma Dai to Cavalry Commandant? Their ranks will be below Mi Fengche, and they will be under his command."

The one who spoke was none other than Huang Quan, the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard who had accompanied the emperor.

Liu Bei readily accepted the good advice and immediately appointed Ma Dai as Cavalry Commandant.

He then called Mi Wei over to become sworn brothers with Ma Dai, saying that after returning to Chengdu, he would also call Guan Xing over to become sworn brothers together.

Ma Chao then stopped crying and sat down again.

Miwei was completely bewildered on the spot.

It's not a question of whether it's overestimated or not.

Old Liu was clearly trying to appease his general; he still had that much insight.

The key point is that Ma Dai was Ma Chao's cousin.

If I accept this younger brother as my sworn brother, wouldn't I become his peer?

But Ma Chao is of the same generation as Liu Bei and Guan Yu, while he himself is Guan Yu's son-in-law and Liu Bei's wife's nephew (Lady Mi)... This generational confusion is insane!
However, Liu Bei and Ma Chao didn't care about these details at all.

They soon began discussing their past achievements.

This story says that King Wu of Zhou cleverly defeated Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin at the Battle of Bowang, making him famous throughout Wan and Luo.

That person said that the general once led a coalition of 100,000 troops against Cao Cao, and his power shook Guanzhong.

As for the actual leader of the 100,000-strong allied army... who is Han Sui? I don't know him.

I only know that Ma Mengqi is renowned in the north, his might is evident... What, in the end he was still defeated. Alas, it's all Han's fault for not using your strategy, a regrettable defeat to Cao Cao!
The two veterans chatted more and more enthusiastically, and in the end, Liu Bei even asked Mi Wei to ask Ma Chao for advice on military strategy.

Miwei then came to his senses and was overjoyed.

I consulted him on everything I had learned and thought about, especially on the subject of mounted combat.

At this moment, Ma Chao asked:

"Has Shi Shan ever read any military books?"

Mi Wei truthfully said:
"I have read 'The Art of War of Wu', 'The Art of War of Qi', and 'The Sima Method'. I am currently reading 'The Six Secret Teachings'."

Ma Chao simply nodded slightly when he heard the first few books.

But I heard the last one, "Six Secret Teachings".

His brows furrowed suddenly.

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(End of this chapter)