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

Chapter 77 Pride, but not entirely pride

Zhuge Ke fled in panic, nearly falling into the water.

While running, he kept muttering something like "50%".

This raises suspicions.

But in any case, once he left, Miwei was finally able to set sail smoothly and return west to Jiangling.

We'll skip over how Miwei tried to get close to various future big shots along the way.

When passing through Shengjiangzhou.

A large fleet of ships flying the "Lu" flag passed by in the opposite direction.

Miwei went to the bow of the ship to look out.

Unfortunately, the spring rain made it difficult to see Lu Xun's figure clearly.

But I couldn't help but recall an interesting story I recently heard from Jiangling News.

It is said that when Lu Xun withdrew his troops, he planned to burn down the warehouse city in the southern suburbs of Gong'an, but he failed because of a timely spring rain.

Therefore, Liu Bei specially ordered someone to send Lu Xun a box of flint and charcoal.

He also wrote a letter, saying that the spring was still chilly and that the general should prepare more charcoal for fire.

Taunting directly fills it up.

It is unknown whether Lu Xun will be able to become the "fake Grand Commander of the Yellow Axe" of Eastern Wu after this defeat.
To be honest, Mi Wei was quite looking forward to seeing how Lu Xun would perform when he transferred to the Jianghuai battlefield.

After all, if allies are too incompetent, they cannot effectively restrain Cao Cao's army.

We can only believe that gold will always shine.

In short, a few days later, Mi Wei and his party returned to Jiangling, successfully completing their mission.

The governor's office had already arranged a grand victory celebration banquet.

All the prominent figures from Jingzhou were present.

Mi Wei finally met the "Imperial Uncle Liu" who was not actually the Imperial Uncle.

Unlike Guan Yu, who was separated from his family in two places when he was young.

Mi Zhu and his family have followed Liu Bei since Xuzhou, for twenty-four or twenty-five years now.

The original owner was a nephew or niece who grew up under Liu Bei's very nose.

Therefore.

When he saw Liu Bei, who was white-haired and looked very old.

Childhood memories resurfaced, and a strange sadness welled up inside me.

However, upon further reflection...

This ruler, who had spent half his life on the battlefield, was already a sixty-year-old man (by Chinese reckoning) at the beginning of the year.

According to the ancient saying that "a person who is fifty years old is not considered to have died young," he has already earned ten years.

It wouldn't be surprising if he suddenly passed away one day.

He felt somewhat relieved.

Without saying a word, Liu Bei grabbed Mi Wei's hand and asked about his physical condition.

Initially, Fei Shi was asked to take Mi Weidong to Jiangling for medical treatment along the way.

It all started with a letter from Mi Fang.

But it was Liu Bei who made the final decision.

Mi Wei dared not be careless and dealt with the situation appropriately.

At this moment, Liu Bei did indeed possess some of the gentle and venerable demeanor of "Uncle Liu" from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

……

Of course, Liu Bei was not merely Mi Wei's elder.

After a brief chat, the conversation naturally turned back to national affairs.

The first priority is to reward those who have made contributions.

As expected, Ma Liang was appointed Prefect of Wuling, with an additional miscellaneous title of General of the Palace Guard, and his rank rose to 2,000 shi (a unit of grain).

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will gain experience in local areas for a few years and achieve some success in governance.

He could then naturally return to the central government and join the ranks of high-ranking officials.

For a moment, everyone seemed to see Zhuge Liang before the Battle of Red Cliffs, returning with the alliance and reinforcements from Jiangdong.

After the chief envoy, it was the deputy envoy Mi Wei's turn.

Liu Bei suddenly became mysterious, beckoning Mi Wei forward and asking:
"A great battle is like a great wave washing away the sand."

“Currently, there are many vacancies in the counties and prefectures of Jingzhou for officials below the rank of two thousand shi.”

“In particular, the four counties of Jiangxia are located in a strategic location, with Jingling being the most important.”

"I propose that Jingling be temporarily established as the seat of Jiangxia Commandery, and that a magistrate of a thousand bushels of grain be appointed here. Who do you think is suitable for this position?"

As soon as he said this, all eyes fell on Mi Wei.

Mi Wei's heart skipped a beat.

Old Liu asked this question, so he probably wants me to be the magistrate of Jingling.
After all, let's set aside the fact that the title of "Xuanxin Zhonglang" was only temporarily bestowed for the purpose of the mission.

Mi Wei was originally a subordinate commander of a thousand-stone unit.

The promotion from 1,000 koku to 1,000 koku was a natural progression.

The problem is that Jiangxia is now a battleground on all sides!

Mi Wei had been negotiating with Ma Liang to acquire land some time ago, and had already thoroughly understood the situation in Jiangxia.

Generally speaking, Jiangxia County is now divided into three parts.

South of the Yangtze River, along with the area around Xiakou (Hankou) north of the river, was the base of Sun Quan's long-standing rule in Jingzhou, which needs no further explanation.

The Jiangbei region is further divided into the Han River basin in the west and the upper reaches of the Huai River in the north.

The former now belongs to Liu Bei.

The latter changed his surname to Cao after Cao Cao marched south to Jingzhou.

In other words, it's a so-called "three-legged balance of power".

This was already evident within Jiangxia County.

Even if Liu Bei had not intervened in the original history, the Wei and Wu families had clashed many times in Jiangxia territory over the years.

A large number of famous generals have achieved great results here.

For example, Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Wen Pin, and Zhang He of Cao Wei.

For example, Lu Xun, Zhuge Jin, Zhu Ran, and Pan Zhang of Eastern Wu.

As for the deceased generals such as Zhou Yu, Lü Meng, Gan Ning, and Ling Tong, there's no need to mention them.

Mi Wei thought to himself, "How could I possibly compete with a general of this caliber? If you leave this crucial place to me, Lao Liu, how can you sleep at night?"

He then prepared to politely decline as usual.

But as the words were about to come out, a sudden thought struck her.

Slow!

You can't just offer your concession directly!

After being overestimated multiple times, Miwei finally realized the truth.

The Han Chinese scholar-officials have always valued humility and deference.

To be granted the title of king or marquis, or appointed as a general, is a basic requirement; declining the appointment three times is the most basic procedure.

If you decline ten times, you will be famous throughout the country and go down in history.

If you can decline a hundred times, wouldn't you be a saint of this world?
Not to mention, Lao Liu despises people who exaggerate.

Let's continue to be humble.

Does that mean the position of magistrate of Jingling County will definitely fall to me?
So this time we'll do the opposite!

Therefore, Miwei immediately changed his tune:

"Your Majesty is wise; who else but me should be the magistrate of Jingling! Hahahaha..."

This time, I won't be modest!

Be proud!
Be arrogant!

Upon hearing this, the officials of Jiangling exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions strange.

Liu Bei, however, remained unfazed and asked again in a deep voice:
"Leaving aside you, Fei Wenwei accompanied you on your mission to Baqiu. Do you think he is capable enough to be a county magistrate?"

Fei Yi?

Could it be that Lao Liu has considered appointing Fei Yi as the magistrate of Jingling?
Miwei felt that he had finally become arrogant this time.

They actually dared to compete with Fei Yi for the position of county magistrate.

What level is Fei Yi at, and what level am I at?
Of course, there are some faults to be found.

For example, Fei Yi's ancestral home was Meng County, Jiangxia Prefecture.

According to the "Three Mutual Recognition Law" established during the reign of Emperor Huan, the chief officials of prefectures, counties, and districts were required to avoid contact with people from their hometowns or even relatives by marriage.

But why should I nitpick Fei Yi?
Wasn't everything I did just to curry favor with powerful figures?
sidewalk:

"Fei Wenwei's talent is ten times that of me. It is a waste of his talents to be a county magistrate in a border region. He should be promoted to the rank of Minister!"

Fei Yi was young and inexperienced, and was not the fully developed version he became later.

Otherwise, Mi Wei would have dared to recommend him as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!
Upon hearing this, Fei Yi naturally bowed repeatedly in humility.

Mi Wei thought to himself that things were now in his element.

This way, one can neither offend Fei Yi nor allow Liu Bei to overestimate himself.

I guess they'll eventually choose a less important county to settle me in?

"Yun Chang, what do you think?"

Liu Bei stopped looking at Mi Wei and turned to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and slowly nodded:
"Humble yet courageous."

"Your Majesty's judgment of people is as excellent as ever!"

No!

Second Master, wait a minute!

Old Liu, wait a minute!

Miwei thought he had misheard.

I agree that I am willing to take on responsibilities.

After all, this is the kind of persona they're trying to create this way.

But how does one become humble and measured?

I was so proud!

At this moment, Liu Bei announced to everyone:
"Since Yun Chang agrees, then it's settled."

"He is hereby appointed as the Western Commandant of Jiangxia, on a probationary term of one year!"

what? !

Mi Wei was greatly alarmed.

I almost couldn't keep my expression straight.

He realized he had misunderstood the situation from the very beginning.

It is said that the position of "Duwei" originated from the Commandant of the Prefecture in the Qin Dynasty and the early Han Dynasty.

In the early years, the Commandant of the Commandery was the deputy to the Prefect of the Commandery and was mainly responsible for military affairs.

However, during the Later Han Dynasty, the functions of the Commandant of the Commandery, or rather the Commandant of the Capital, were gradually encroached upon by the Prefect of the Commandery.

Inner prefectures often do not have such offices.

Only in border counties and "vassal states" inhabited by Qiang, Hu, and other barbarian tribes were officials appointed as appropriate, and these officials were no longer deputy governors.

For example, Xi Hong's brother, Xi Zhen, was previously the Northern Commandant of Lingling County.

At present, Jiangxia County is, of course, a border county for Liu Bei's group.

But this is not the point.

The key point is that the rank of a Commandant was equivalent to that of a 2,000-stone official!
Although it is the lowest tier among the 2,000 koku, it is still high enough to reach the 2,000 koku level!
If I remember correctly, this was the level the original owner reached in his entire life.

Moreover, it must have been arranged for him after he had accumulated a certain amount of seniority and reached a certain age, out of respect for his parents!
Miwei finally realized the problem.

He thought he was arrogant enough for vying to become a county magistrate with a salary of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain measure).

Unexpectedly, in the eyes of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, he was actually worthy of a salary equivalent to two thousand shi!

then.

His self-perceived pride.

In the eyes of Liu and Guan.

On the contrary, it was a low-key and pragmatic approach.

In other words.

He's been overrated yet again!
……

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(End of this chapter)