Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

After the banquet, the stockade gradually fell silent.

Barbarian soldiers patrolled the stockade walls, their torches flickering in the night wind.

Liu Feng didn't sleep. He climbed alone to the highest watchtower of the stockade, leaning on the railing and gazing at the layered mountain ridges under the moonlight. In the distance, in a certain direction, was Wuling; further away were Yidu, Jiangling, and Xiangyang. Each place name was a chess piece, and he was placing them one by one on the chessboard.

Footsteps came from the wooden stairs. Liu Feng didn't turn around, but he knew who it was—the footsteps were steady and slow, carrying the caution unique to the elderly.

"Uncle can't sleep either?"

Liu Feng turned around.

Mi Zhu walked to his side and placed his hands on the railing. The moonlight shone on his slightly graying beard and hair, making the wrinkles on his face appear even deeper.

He drank several bowls of rice wine at the banquet, and his face still had a slight flush of alcohol, but his gaze was clear, so clear that it was somewhat heavy.

"My lord, today, when you are on the platform discussing trade and the registration of citizens..."

Mi Zhu gazed into the distance and slowly said, "I suddenly thought of your father, the King of Hanzhong. Back in Xuzhou, he also made a similar promise to the people. The difference is that your father promised benevolence and righteousness, while you promised a way to survive. Benevolence and righteousness are sometimes too distant, but a way to survive is real and tangible, something you'll see tomorrow."

Liu Feng didn't reply. He knew Mi Zhu wasn't there to reminisce. Sure enough, Mi Zhu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a long sigh.

The sigh wasn't loud, but it seemed to have been squeezed out from the deepest part of the body.

"The Mi family is probably nearing its end."

His voice was low, almost carried away by the night wind. "When the news of Zifang's (Mi Fang's courtesy name) surrender to Eastern Wu reached Chengdu, our lord remained silent for a whole day. He didn't blame me. But I know that everyone in the court is watching. The Jingzhou faction and the Dongzhou faction are both waiting for the Mi family to fall. Mi Fang is none other than my own brother. He surrendered Jiangling, harmed Lord Guan, and harmed Jingzhou. This debt will be settled sooner or later."

Liu Feng listened quietly.

He offered no words of comfort. Mi Zhu was not one to need comfort—he was an old man who had followed Liu Bei since the uprising in Xuzhou, who had witnessed the fall of cities, the collapse of armies, and the death of his beloved sister, Lady Mi, in the chaos of battle. He needed no words of comfort.

"uncle."

Liu Feng spoke, his voice low but clear, "Forgive my bluntness. Lady Mi passed away early, severing the kinship ties between the Mi family and the King of Hanzhong. Since the Chan brother is not Lady Mi's son, no matter who governs in the future, the Mi family will never be able to enter the core. Mi Fang's defection only adds insult to injury. The current situation is not a crisis for the Mi family, but a precipice."

Mi Zhu's fingers tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white.

"But a cliff is not necessarily a dead end."

Liu Feng turned to face Mi Zhu. "I remember, when the Mi family was in Xuzhou, they were a powerful merchant family in the East China Sea. Their businesses spanned Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu provinces, dealing in everything from salt and iron to cloth and grain. Back then, when Father's foothold in Xuzhou was not yet secure, it was you, Uncle, who contributed your entire fortune to fund the army, which enabled us to build our current empire. Now the Mi family is troubled in the court, but Uncle, don't forget—the roots of the Mi family are not only in the court. They are in the trade routes."

"The trade I mentioned on stage today is not a temporary measure. Salt and iron from Hanzhong, and Shu brocade, are transported down the Han River, through Shangyong and into Zigui, continuously flowing into Wuxi. The copper, rhinoceros hides, medicinal herbs, and even iron ore and warhorses from Wuxi then return to Shu along the same route."

"This trade route is extremely profitable. It needs someone to oversee it. This person must understand business, be knowledgeable about commodities, and be trustworthy. Uncle—among all the officials in the court, who is more suitable than you?"

Mi Zhu's breathing quickened slightly.

Born into a merchant family, he knew the weight of Liu Feng's words. The Wuxi Trade Market was no small business—it was the first official trade route between Shu Han and the mountainous region of Jingnan, involving strategic materials such as salt, iron, copper, and warhorses.

Whoever controls this trade route controls the most vibrant lifeline of the Shu Han's economic landscape.

"I have something else to say," Liu Feng continued, lowering his voice even further. "Uncle, please look this way."

He drew a line on the railing with his finger, the meaning of which might be incomprehensible to outsiders.

But Mi Zhu, skilled in commerce, immediately recognized the winding line as the direction of the Han River. It led from Hanzhong down the Han River, passing through Fancheng and Rangcheng, all the way to Jiangxia.

"Both banks of the Han River are now entirely in our hands. Merchant ships can travel from Hanzhong to Xiangyang in ten days. From Xiangyang to Hanzhong, it takes no more than fifteen days. This waterway is not only a supply route but also a trade route."

Liu Feng's gaze was intense.

"The powerful families in Xiangyang—the Xi, Kuai, and Pang families—have all cooperated with our army. Xi Zhen is now commanding the Po Shuo Flying Army under my command, and the Xi family's merchant ships are all over the Han River. If the Mi family can join forces with these powerful families to establish a caravan, using commercial exchanges as a cover to gather information and plant spies along the way, the Mi family's business can become our army's eyes and ears and spies throughout the world."

"This is also a unique skill of my uncle, which others cannot do even if they want to. In this way, the trade route itself is an intelligence network, and the intelligence network itself is the trade route. The two are interdependent and cannot be separated by anyone."

Mi Zhu raised his head.

Under the moonlight, a long-lost gleam gradually appeared in the eyes of this middle-aged scholar. It was the instinctive reaction of a businessman sensing an opportunity, and also the sudden realization, of someone marginalized on the political margins, that a path had led him back to the center stage.

"Feng'er".

Mi Zhu's voice was somewhat hoarse, "You're telling me all this, I'm afraid it's not just about finding a way out for my Mi family."

His gaze sharpened as he met Liu Feng's eyes. Some things didn't need to be said outright, but some things needed to be confirmed.

Liu Feng remained silent for a moment, then calmly met Mi Zhu's gaze.

"I dare not deceive you, Uncle. Liu Shan is in Chengdu. He is the son of the King, with Zhuge Liang as his advisor and Lady Wu's family as his support."

"Although I command tens of thousands of troops in Jingzhou and my prestige within the army is growing daily, and even Lord Guan's attitude towards me has changed, I lack one thing—money and provisions."

"Military supplies, provisions, armor, and weapons—all of these cost money. Chengdu can only allocate a limited amount of provisions and salaries. If we want to expand our army and prepare for war, we must raise the money ourselves. If the Mi family can control the trade routes, take advantage of the salt and iron trade, control the Han River trade route, and control the merchants and informants all over the world—then those people in the Yizhou court will not be able to silence my nephew."

He paused, then spoke with immense weight: "Uncle Mi knows that I come from a prominent family in Jingnan, with long-standing ties to various clans in Jingzhou, and I am already sworn brothers with Ma Jichang, the future leader of the Jingzhou faction. If you are willing to help, the trade routes and the army, the Jingzhou faction and the Xuzhou faction—these are two complementary cards. I dare not presume to seize the throne, but if the Mi family and I unite, we will each have a foothold and will not be at the mercy of others."

The observation deck remained quiet for a long time.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, casting long shadows of the two figures. Mi Zhu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the cloudiness in them had vanished, replaced by a shrewd and decisive light.

"Commander Kou".

He suddenly said a name.

Liu Feng was slightly taken aback.

"I observed Kou Wei carefully at the banquet just now. He is strong and well-mannered, disciplines his troops strictly but not harshly, and his soldiers both respect and love him. He has the talent of a great general. More importantly—he is extremely loyal to you."

Mi Zhu turned to look at Liu Feng, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

"Although Zifang has rebelled, he still has a daughter in Chengdu who is of marriageable age and not yet betrothed. If you, my nephew, do not mind this marriage, I am willing to betroth this daughter to Kou Wei in the name of the head of the Mi family. In this way, the Kou family will become related to the Mi family by marriage. And Feng'er and the Mi family will be close relatives."

Liu Feng's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he immediately understood.

This is an alliance, and an alliance based on marriage ties is often stronger than any other covenant.

Mi Zhu wanted more than just trade routes; he wanted to tightly bind the fate of the Mi family to that of Liu Feng. This was also a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy—Kou Wei, a general under Liu Feng, had married Mi Fang's daughter, thus giving Mi Fang a chance to return to the fold. And if Mi Fang could rejoin the service, even if only by secretly passing on messages, it would be a huge boost to Shu Han's intelligence network in the Jiangling region.

"Uncle's plan is excellent." Liu Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute. "There is only one thing, however: this matter must be agreed upon by Commander Kou himself. How can I, your nephew, force my subordinate's private affairs?"

Mi Zhu nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes. Not using marriage as leverage to coerce subordinates—this sense of propriety isn't something every young general possesses.

"Nephew, rest assured. Although I come from a merchant family, I know that matters of marriage cannot be forced. I will speak with Commander Kou myself tomorrow."

Liu Feng pondered for a moment, then added, "Also, regarding Mi Zifang, I happen to have someone in my possession, Sun Jiao. He is Sun Quan's cousin and holds a high position in the Jie Fan Army. If we use Sun Jiao as a hostage to exchange for Mi Zifang, giving him a chance to rejoin the cause, it might be more effective than simply writing a letter to persuade him. Of course, this matter is extremely risky and requires careful planning."

Mi Zhu nodded.

"I'll first write a letter home to sound him out. If he still has any regrets, then we'll make further plans."

As night deepened, the lights in the stockade towers went out one by one. Only the moonlight and the sound of the wind remained on the watchtower.

Liu Feng and Mi Zhu stood side by side, gazing at the mountains below shrouded in moonlight.