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

Chapter 132 The Heart of a Gentleman
On the Qingyi River, Li Yan clutched his slightly swollen abdomen, his face somber.

How did things get to this point?
If Huang Yuan had simply blocked the mountain pass exit as planned, he could have presented Liu Bei, who had just become emperor, with a dazzling gift.

In the future, whether he enters the central government or goes out to govern a region, he will have the opportunity.

Can be biased.

Huang Yuan is so incompetent.

High-end custom-made items are so cunning.

What surprised him most was...

Mi Wei was exceptionally skilled in both military strategy and practical work.

Not only did they swiftly quell the banditry in Shu Commandery, but they also left themselves no room to maneuver.

In comparison, under the emperor's eyes, Mi Wei had become a meritorious official, while he himself had become a criminal general.

I am afraid of comparison in everything!
All our past efforts will likely be wasted, like the waters of this great river flowing eastward!

As I pondered, a figure on horseback came chasing from the shore.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be his own son, Li Feng.

Seeing that the water was shallow, Li Feng simply spurred his horse into the water.

Only when they were close to the bow of the boat did he rein in his horse and stop to prevent his father from getting wet, and he said urgently:

"The gentleman is still suffering from dysentery; why force him to go on a campaign? If something goes wrong, the losses will outweigh the gains!"

"What do you know!" Li Yan said sternly.

"If we cannot capture Gao Ding before Mi Wei, then my father and I will likely be exterminated along with our entire clan!"

Li Feng paused upon hearing this.

He then smiled wryly:
"His Majesty has always been lenient. As long as you repent in time, even if you are executed, your relatives may not be implicated."

"Besides, I think that although Mi Fengche sent troops to pursue Gao Ding, it was mostly to appease the local people, and not necessarily to compete with you for credit!"

Li Yan's face lit up with joy after hearing only the first half of the sentence:
"So Mi Wei really came to pursue Gao Ding? Or did he come in person?"

Li Feng: "He did not come in person. Instead, he dispatched a detachment of his troops, which I heard were General Zhang's subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's expression darkened once again.

Even my abdomen seemed to be aching a little.

He did have dysentery, but it wasn't so severe that he couldn't get out of bed.

The reason he deliberately asked Mi Wei to send troops to quell the rebellion was because he had a scheme in mind.

If Miwei refuses to help, it means he is disregarding the overall situation, and he will have room to maneuver later.

However, if one turns around to chase after high-end custom-made items, it will inevitably be slower than taking the first step.

It also delayed the opportunity to deal with the Maoniuyi.

In this way, he would be credited with the merits, while Mi Wei would be blamed for the faults.

It's just a pity...

After a moment of reflection, Li Yan realized that he had no other way out but to continue pursuing Gao Ding.

So he sent his son back to Yandao to guard the city and try his best to delay Mi Wei's southward advance.

Then he turned around and headed eastward with the current.

……

A day later, Ma Su returned empty-handed.

But he looked unusually excited:
"Supervisor, Yan Daocheng is adamant and refuses to be transferred. I suggest that Wang Ping's troops attack the city immediately. I am willing to join the military command!"

Upon hearing this, and seeing Ma Su's disheveled appearance,

Ma Dai couldn't help but laugh:
"Is Youchang planning to retaliate after suffering a loss at Li Zhengfang's hands?"

Even Zhang Yi looked at him strangely, wondering if his actions had provoked Ma Su.

In reality, I was merely taking advantage of Mi Wei's momentum and acting accordingly.

However, Ma Su ignored their words and glances, and said to Mi Wei:

"I believe Li Zhengfang is not in Yandao at all right now!"

"If he were here, he would treat the supervising envoy with courtesy in order to seek leniency in punishment."

"On the contrary, it means that the city is bluffing to cover up the fact that Li Zhengfang is not here!"

Hearing this, Mi Wei finally came to his senses.

He had actually thought of this from the very beginning.

However, I just felt something was off when I heard that Ma Su was going to be Wang Ping's deputy.

However, as Ma Su said.

Yan Daocheng's reaction, on the contrary, exposed the problem for those who had already figured out Li Yan's tactics.

Therefore, in response to Ma Su's request, troops were directly dispatched to Yandao City.

Subsequently, things turned out exactly as Ma Su had predicted.

As soon as Wang Ping's army arrived and made the gesture of locking down the city, the people in the city immediately surrendered.

Miwei once again captured a city without bloodshed.

By this time, most of Han Jia County had been recovered.

Only the Maoniu Yi tribe at the southernmost tip remained.

Miwei did not rush south.

Instead, they first summoned Li Feng, who had stayed behind to guard the city in place of his father. Everyone assumed that Li Feng would defend his father.

But Li Feng frankly said:

“This disaster caused by Gao Ding is the fault of my father-in-law. As his son, I dare not disobey.”

"Now that we have been defeated and captured, our crime is unforgivable. I request that the supervising officer punish us according to military law."

After speaking, he knelt down with his hands at his sides.

He looked like he was about to be slaughtered.

Ma Su, who had intended to take the opportunity to make a few sarcastic remarks, was speechless upon seeing this and looked at Mi Wei.

Mi Wei: "Your death will bring me relief, but it will leave your father with even more infamy."

Li Feng was overjoyed: "Does the supervising officer mean that he is willing to give my son and me a chance to redeem ourselves through meritorious service?"

Mi Wei shook his head: "Only His Majesty can judge your father's crimes."

"I'm giving you a chance to atone for your sins because I consider you a filial son."

Li Feng was immediately discouraged:

"How can a son be considered filial if he cannot save his father?"

Miwei: "No."

"I believe there are two ways for a filial son to save his father."

"One type is to save their life, which can also be called filial piety, but it is the lowest form of filial piety."

"Another option is to make amends for his mistakes, to bring peace to the region, and to salvage his reputation for posterity."

"If this can be done, even if your father is ultimately executed, you will still be a filial son who has not failed your sovereign and father, nor the people."

"The choice is yours to make!"

After saying this, he ordered Li Feng to be placed under house arrest, and then went to incorporate and reorganize the troops left in the city by Li Yan.

The next day, after breakfast, Li Feng came to see me again, sporting dark circles under his eyes.

"Although my father went ahead, he suffered from severe abdominal pain and had to stop after walking twenty li each day."

"If the military supervisor orders Ma Dexin's troops to march quickly to pursue him, they may be able to capture Gao Ding before he does."

This means complete surrender.

However, Mi Wei waved his hand and said, "No need to chase."

"My military orders to Ma Dexin were to prioritize pacifying the local area and then capture Gao Ding."

"As for your father, he must be focused on chasing down the thieves to minimize the damage they cause to Jianwei."

"Although it was a private matter, the outcome was beneficial to the local area and the overall situation, so I didn't need to compete for it."

Upon hearing this, Li Feng stood there stunned for a long time.

Suddenly, he gained a more intuitive understanding of the saying "to judge a gentleman by the standards of a petty person."

This does not mean that a virtuous person always suffers losses and repays evil with kindness.

Rather, it means that a wise person views problems from a higher and more comprehensive perspective.

They always manage to grasp the main contradictions.

Therefore, we will not lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains.

No wonder my father always failed when facing Miwei, miscalculating every step of the way, ultimately suffering a crushing defeat.

The two sides are not even on the same level!

Had I known this would happen, I would have risked my reputation for being unfilial to tie my father up before the horse and make him bow down and confess his sins!

Even a proud man like Ma Su was impressed by Mi Wei's demeanor.

Even my own father might be able to do it!

Of course, it's too late to say anything now.

A grave mistake has been made.

Right now, all we can do is try our best to make contributions and leave a way out for our family and relatives.

So he volunteered to be the vanguard in the south to quell the Maoniu Yi, and to take them down in one fell swoop while they were off guard.

Mi Wei readily agreed, allowing Li Feng to lead his father's troops southward as before.

However, Li Feng failed to become the vanguard.

Even after the troops were dispatched the following day, Mi Wei still did not rush south to attack cities and seize strongholds.

Instead, he ordered all units to maintain strict discipline and then marched south in great fanfare.

Just like when they captured Han Jia City.

After approaching the large camp where the Maoniu Yi King was located.

Miwei ordered his troops to set up camp where they were, neither attacking nor sending messengers to communicate.

Instead, they made the soldiers march in formation every day under the enemy's nose, practicing various offensive and defensive formations.

After several days, the Maoniu Yi king finally could not restrain himself and sent an envoy to request negotiations.

Mi Wei then summoned Ma Su and Zhang Yi, ordering them to bring Lang Li into the stronghold to "force the emperor to abdicate."

Before their departure, he gave Ma Su and Zhang Yi each a brocade pouch, instructing them to open it when they encountered difficulties.

Seeing his mysterious demeanor, the two suspected he might be hiding something, so they accepted the order and left.

(End of this chapter)