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

Chapter 68 You are a great general, and so is he.
"Wenwei, I had not heard of you being a deputy envoy before. Could it be that His Majesty knows that Wei Caide is not up to the task and has changed his mind at the last minute?"

Upon hearing Mi Wei's humble question, the young man whom he called "Wenwei" had not yet responded.

Ma Liang, standing nearby, was already laughing:
"Fei Wenwei isn't a deputy envoy at all; he's the reinforcement I brought here!"

Mi Wei asked, puzzled: "Reinforcements?"

Ma Liang laughed and said, "Sun Charioteer is known for his love of drinking and his enormous capacity for alcohol. He often gets his guests drunk at banquets and enjoys watching their ugly behavior."

"But I am really not a good drinker, and I am afraid that I will fail my mission."

"We had no choice but to ask Fei Wenwei, who is also a heavy drinker, to come and help us out!"

Upon hearing this, Mi Wei was astonished that Sun Quan actually had such a perverted hobby.

On the one hand, he was amazed by the young man beside him, who seemed more and more pleasing to the eye the more he looked at him.

Fei Wenwei, also known as Fei Yi, was regarded by Mi Wei as one of the new big shots and was one of the so-called four ministers of Shu Han.

He stepped forward and added:
“Mi Jun may not know this, but Sun Chariot Cavalry’s bad habit is already well-known throughout Jiangdong.”

"Just like that Duke Zheng of Chen Commandery who went to Jiangling to meet the King before."

"This man is quite generous, yet he was still fooled by his master's pretense."

"Fortunately, Lord Zheng was quick-witted, otherwise he would have lost his composure in public."

Ma Liang shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this, then solemnly addressed the two young men:
"In my opinion, Sun Charioteer's actions were not necessarily just for amusement,"

"Perhaps he was using a bit of drunkenness to test his subordinates and guests."

"When you meet him later, remember to be careful with your words and actions!"

Isn't this just the so-called obedience test of the drinking culture of the past?

Mi Wei suddenly realized.

He quickly agreed along with Fei Yi.

At this moment, Fei Yi changed the subject and said:
"To be honest, I was inspired by Lord Mi to volunteer this time!"

"Back then, you were in Shu, but your talents went unnoticed."

"I never imagined that a single appointment to a post outside the capital would allow me to stand out so quickly, like an awl placed in a bag!"

Mi Wei thought to himself, "Don't overestimate me, big brother."

Is it that I don't want to go back to Sichuan and be an ordinary rich kid?

It was all because my uncle betrayed me and I was tricked by those old thugs in Jiangling in Jingzhou that I had no choice but to rebel!
He then habitually tried to cover it up by saying:

"Who in Sichuan doesn't know that Wenwei, along with Xu Shulong of Runan and Dong Xiuzhao (Dong Yun) of Nanjun, are considered among the most outstanding talents of their time?"

"It's only because the three of you didn't encounter the previous misfortunes, otherwise you would definitely have done better than me!"

Upon hearing this, Fei Yi chuckled and shook his head without saying anything.

Ma Liang raised his signature white eyebrows and clicked his tongue in admiration:
"Previously, the gentlemen of Jiangling all said that after Mi Jia Awei fell seriously ill, he became humble and virtuous, which I did not quite believe at first."

"Looking at it today, we should really take a fresh look!"

Miwei was speechless for a moment.

Guys, can I take back what I just said?
……

Spring waters are rising, which is good for sailing.

Soon, the mission successfully arrived at the foot of Baqiu Mountain on the east bank of Dongting Lake.

The person in charge of receiving them was Zhuge Jin, the Sima under Sun Quan.

That is, Zhuge Liang's own brother.

However, in his previous life, Mi Wei only read the general outlines of books and did not seek out the details.

I never knew that Zhuge Jin had such a donkey-like face.

He was often ridiculed by Sun Quan for this.

Mi Wei thought to himself, "This shouldn't be. The 'Prime Minister' in the original owner's memories was so handsome and dashing."

Is gene expression really that mysterious?

However, after he saw the slightly chubby boy with a crooked nose, broad forehead, and big mouth behind Zhuge Jin...

Then I suddenly realized that Zhuge Jin was actually not bad looking.

The two, one old and one young, with such distinctive appearances, naturally attracted everyone's attention immediately.

"He is indeed here!"

Fei Yi suddenly stepped forward, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He seemed to be experiencing an almost uncontrollable excitement?
Mi Wei followed his gaze and saw the slightly chubby boy who was about his age.

Curious, he asked, "Who is this person?"

Fei Yi: "Zhuge Ziyu's son, Zhuge Ke!"

"I have heard that he, along with the sons of Zhang Zibu (Zhang Zhao) and Gu Yuantan (Gu Yong), are all friends of Sun Deng, the heir apparent of the chariot and cavalry."

"Of these three sons, Zhuge Ke is the best."

"On this trip eastward, I'm determined to have a good meeting with this person!"

Miwei immediately understood.

He remembered that Fei Yi was also one of the close attendants that Liu Bei had selected for Liu Shan.

If history remains unchanged, and Liu Shan is appointed Crown Prince in the future, Fei Yi will become a subject of Liu Shan's Eastern Palace.

And in the more distant future, Fei Yi became the Grand General of the Shu Han, and Zhuge Ke became the Grand General of the Eastern Wu.

One was Zhuge Liang's successor, and the other was Lu Xun's successor.

Their life trajectories, while not entirely unrelated, are remarkably similar.

At this moment, the slightly chubby boy named Zhuge Ke noticed their gazes.

He first glanced at Ma Liang and Fei Yi in the lead, then his gaze fell on Mi Wei behind them.

She then whispered something to her father, seemingly confirming something.

When their gaze returned, it carried a more scrutinizing and provocative tone.

Mi Wei thought to himself, "No... go and provoke Fei Yi."

You guys are in the same league!

He immediately and quietly retreated behind the crowd.

Soon, the boat docked at the shore.

Ma Liang stepped forward first, using a rather interesting title:

"Brother Ziyu, how have you been?"

Mi Wei vaguely remembered that Ma Liang had always respected Zhuge Liang as his elder brother, and they addressed each other as brothers in private.

Zhuge Jin was not only Zhuge Liang's elder brother, but he also served as Sun Quan's envoy to meet Liu Bei.

It's likely that the two sides have some kind of relationship.

As expected, Zhuge Jin responded with "Brother Ji Chang".

It's like a spring breeze.

Only after exchanging pleasantries with Ma Liang did the man suddenly lose his smile and speak seriously:

"General of the Flying Cavalry, holding the authority of an imperial envoy and serving as the Governor of Jingzhou, and the Commandant under the Marquis of Nanchang, Zhuge Jin, courtesy name Ziyu, respectfully welcomes the friendly envoy!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the group, including Ma Liang, turned pale.

The problem lies in the long list of titles that Zhuge Jin solemnly presented.

Now, what was Sun Quan's title of general before?
General of Chariots and Cavalry.

It was Liu Bei who unilaterally submitted the memorial on his behalf.

Who was the Governor of Jingzhou, whom both the Liu and Sun families had previously acknowledged?
Liu Bei.

And now.

Sun Quan not only changed him to the more prestigious title of "General of the Cavalry".

They even snatched away the governor of Jingzhou.

They even faked holidays.

Whose "festival" are you faking?
Who was the General of the Flying Cavalry?
Who appointed him as the Governor of Jingzhou?

Marquis of Nanchang?

They were all intelligent people; with a little thought, they came up with the answer.

Ma Liang's expression turned slightly cold as he said:
Where is Cao Mengde's messenger?

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said:

"The King of Wei's envoy is discussing the matter of buying horses with a captain under my lord's command."

"My lord is well aware of the discord between your lord and the King of Wei, and to guard against any unforeseen circumstances, he has already made proper arrangements for the Wei envoy. My worthy brother, please do not make things difficult for me!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Liang's expression calmed down somewhat.

Of course, it wasn't because the other party kept calling me "brother" that I was easily swayed.

Rather, it means that they had just landed when the other side suddenly caused this incident.

It was clearly a deliberate attempt to elevate Cao Cao's reputation to put pressure on the opponent, in order to negotiate a better deal later.

Generals, governors, titles, and horses are all bargaining chips at the negotiating table.

And this comes down to the bottom line.

It was because Sun Quan had already suffered a military defeat that was beyond repair.

Is this the only way they can save face by resorting to such petty tricks?
However, Cao Wei was ultimately a formidable enemy that could not be underestimated and could not be ignored.

Let's deal with it for now and ignore it for the time being.

……

After settling in at the post station, Ma Liang immediately sent someone to the city to inquire.

Soon someone saw Cao Cao's envoy's staff at the post station on the other side of the city.

They were about to inquire further about the envoy's identity and origins.

Zhuge Jin then invited them to a banquet.

The chief envoy Ma Liang, the deputy envoy Mi Wei, and Fei Yi, who accompanied him, were all among those invited.

Mi Wei knew the visitor was up to no good, so he kept a watchful eye and sent his subordinates, including Pan, Xi, and Zhan, to inquire about Cao Cao's envoy.

Then he went to the banquet with Ma Liang and others.

(End of this chapter)