He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 113 Immortals?

Mi Zhu was annoyed by his younger brother's embarrassing appearance. He then turned his head and saw Lu Guan. He figured that Lu Wan must have come for something important. Mi Zhu said in a gentle but unquestionable tone, "Zifang, go out for a while. I need to have a chat with Chief of Staff Lu."

"But elder brother—" Mi Fang wanted to say something to his elder brother, but then he heard Mi Zhu smile and say one word to him: "Get lost."

Mi Fang was still very afraid of his older brother. When he saw that Mi Zhu had already lost his temper, he ran out without daring to utter a sound, forgetting to even close the door.

Seeing his younger brother's erratic behavior, Mi Zhu closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt that death wasn't so difficult after all. He thought: Forget it, after I finish explaining things to Chief of Staff Lu, I'll find a rope and strangle Mi Fang, this troublemaker, first, and then I'll end my own life.

Lu Wan walked to the door and looked around. Seeing no one nearby, he gently closed the door, placed the things he was carrying near Mi Zhu's head, and asked in a kind tone, "Zizhong, how are you feeling now?"

Mi Zhu didn't answer the question directly, but replied abruptly, "I didn't expect you to come to see me at this time."

"Actually, my lord also wanted to come, but I persuaded him not to. Right now, we still have to consider public opinion. Once the situation has improved after a while, my lord can come to see you."

"How could my lord—?" Upon hearing Lu Wan's words, Mi Zhu sat up in shock, as if he were on his deathbed. In his view, his crimes were already undeniable, so why would Liu Bei come to see him?

After enduring so much verbal torture, even Mi Zhu himself believed that he had indeed committed some wrongdoing, and that it was a blessing that he was still alive for the rest of his life.

Seeing Mi Zhu's bewildered expression, Lu Wan couldn't help but laugh. It seemed Mi Zhu had been so preoccupied with mental exhaustion lately that he hadn't considered the many strange aspects involved. He then prompted, "You still haven't figured it out after all this time? Think it over carefully. You have at least three things to say."

Mi Zhu glanced at Lu Wan, then lowered his head and hummed for a while before saying, "Hmm—I've thought it through. I shouldn't have secretly met with my subordinates at night."

You don't understand anything!

How could such an obvious situation not be seen by now? Lu Wan found it hard to imagine how Mi Zhu survived in the Shu Han court afterwards. It couldn't be that everyone didn't want to deal with him because of his seniority, could it?

"That's not it." Lu Wan shook her head, indicating that this was not the answer she had in mind.

Mi Zhu turned his head to the side, looked at Lu Wan with surprise, thought for a moment, and tentatively said, "I voluntarily resign from my positions as Commander-in-Chief of the Logistics Department and Prefect of Xuzhou."

"That's not it either."

Mi Zhu was completely confused. He couldn't think of anything else to say: "Then I don't understand. Do I have to hand over the Mi family's caravan to pass through?"

Lu Suo was confirmed. Mi Zhu was really just a senior official with little real power. So, Zhuge Liang helped him resolve the political turmoil after the establishment of Shu Han. This man was really a businessman who had not yet adapted to officialdom. All his actions were based on his experience as a businessman.

"What are you thinking? What—never mind, I'll just be blunt with you, you've been completely set up this time."

Mi Zhu couldn't understand this. If he held a high and powerful position, he could understand if others wanted to get rid of him. But anyone who knew anything about this position knew that it was a difficult job. Why would anyone bother him?

"Why are they messing with me? I haven't done anything to them. They can't possibly be after my position as the logistics commander. Seriously, if anyone wants to take over this job, you'd better agree to it for me."

Finally, someone is coming to replace him at work? Great! I don't have to suffer anymore!

I want to build a house by the sea, facing the ocean, where spring is warm and flowers bloom.

Mi Zhu was thrilled. He had long wanted to quit his logistics job—it was poorly paid, demanding, and far from home. Now that someone was willing to take on this hot potato, he couldn't wait to hand over the job and go back to his carefree life.

Lu Wan certainly didn't want him to run away. In terms of logistics, Mi Zhu's abilities were unparalleled. Before Zhuge Liang arrived, Mi Zhu was Liu Bei's Xiao He, responsible for storing and distributing supplies.

"Nobody wants to do your job. Once you've recovered, you'll be transferred from your original position, but you'll basically still be doing the same old work."

"Based on our current investigation, Sima Fu sees you as the weakest link among the local officials in Xuzhou, and therefore targeted you. In other words, this is a completely undeserved disaster for you."

"We didn't originally intend to do anything to you, but who knew that it would suddenly come out that your subordinates had a secret meeting with you? Now that things have come to this, you can only say that you're just unlucky."

Mi Zhu, still somewhat bewildered, asked, "Since this is an undeserved disaster for me, why aren't the officials in Xuzhou on my side?"

"Nonsense, you're in the wrong, how can they speak up for you? Secret gatherings are extremely sensitive. If they're going to exonerate you, then there's no point in talking about laws in Xuzhou. Everyone will just form cliques, and there'll be no point in talking about unity in Xuzhou."

Lu Wan shook her head. Mi Zhu's political acumen was far too low. Such a person was not suitable to be a manager; he would be better off becoming a technocrat.

"Just focus on recovering during this time. Once things calm down, you can still dedicate your life to restoring the Han Dynasty."

"Can't I just retire?"

"In principle, it's possible; you can submit an application to our lord." "In principle, it's possible," which is practically equivalent to "it's not possible." Furthermore, submitting an application to Liu Bei is itself highly feasible. Being able to apply is one thing; whether Liu Bei approves it is another matter entirely.

Lu Wan patted Mi Zhu on the shoulder, tucked the blanket around him, and prepared to leave. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a flustered Mi Fang. This guy had somehow gotten close and had been eavesdropping at the door the whole time.

Seeing that the Lu residence had opened, he hurriedly pretended to be very busy, looking at the medical journal in his hand. Lu Wan didn't point it out, just greeted him and left.

Seeing Lu Wan walk away, Mi Fang snorted heavily, turned around, went inside, and asked her brother, "Brother, what did he say to you?"

"It's nothing, they just comforted me."

Having learned his lesson once, Mi Zhu decided that from now on, he would never again reveal secrets to anyone. From this day forward, he would become the discreet Mi Zhu.

Mi Zhu's resolute emotions didn't last long before he began interrogating his younger brother. His brother's behavior was a bit off today. Usually, he would sit here with him for a while and then leave, but today he stayed here instead of doing anything unusual.

If a child is quiet, they're definitely up to no good.

Mi Zhu suddenly seemed flustered and hurriedly asked, "What brings you here today? How much money did you lose this time?"

"Brother, I'm not a child anymore," Mi Fang retorted at first, then excitedly said to Mi Zhu, "Brother, I've recently discovered a way to make money, would you like to hear about it?"

Thankfully, this kid hasn't actually done anything yet. Back then, he made a bet with someone in the square, saying, "Go ahead and tell me, even if I don't want to hear it, you'll find another opportunity to tell me."

Mi Fang nodded heavily and smiled shyly. He did indeed have this plan, because what he had heard was extremely important: "I heard that a 'miracle worker' recently came to the city. As long as you give him your money, he can earn it back several times over. Many people have invested their entire fortunes. I think he might actually be a real miracle worker. Xiapi is like a paradise on earth now; it's not unusual for two miracle workers to appear here."

"Do you think we should put some money in too?" Mi Fang couldn't help but be tempted. As long as they put money in, they didn't have to do anything and just wait for others to come and share the profits. Where else could they find such a good job?

Compared to Mi Fang, who was already somewhat eager to try, Mi Zhu instinctively felt that something was wrong. It wasn't that he saw anything strange about it, but rather that his younger brother's judgment was exceptionally poor.

Every business he spearheaded failed without exception; every matter he took charge of ended in failure.

If he were to run a business step by step, his younger brother would actually be very capable and able to make a lot of money. But if he were to negotiate business deals on his own, he would most likely be cheated and end up losing everything.

Mi Zhu was not fooled by the prospect described by Mi Fang, but began to wonder what kind of trick this suddenly appearing immortal was up to.

Xuzhou, War Criminals Management Center.

This place was originally just a powerful man's fortress, but after its former owner was purged for alleged treason, the fortress became public property.

This place held military personnel from all sides since the war began, including officers, strategists, and intelligence agents—a veritable melting pot of talents. Of course, bandits didn't receive this treatment; most were killed on the spot. Only those bandits who surrendered and weren't guilty of serious crimes were spared death, but they still had to perform hard labor as atonement.

Liu Bei imprisoned them here to facilitate unified management and to prevent spies from other warlords from using the complex environment to rescue them.

Life here is actually not bad; they have enough to eat and wear, and although they have to work, it's relatively easy. They also have some free time each day to do as they please, during which time the war criminals can play chess, read books, or even chat with the guards.

There are strict rules, after all, this is a war criminal management center, not some resort. Here, everyone is forced to train their bodies, learn skills, and write reports stating what they have done and how they realized their mistakes.

In a room, the warden of the war criminal management center threw the notebook he was holding back onto the table in front of Changxi and said in a deep voice, "This material must be rewritten."

Chang Xi stubbornly insisted that there was nothing wrong with his report. So, when questioned by the warden, he maintained that his report was flawless: "As the commander-in-chief, I don't know the specifics."

The warden, with his hands behind his back, slowly paced around Chang Xi, his bright eyes fixed on Chang Xi's back: "So, you knew about the scorched-earth policy outside Jiqiu City, right? You felt this city was difficult to defend and decided to slow down the lord's attack. What did you do then?"

"Relocate the existing population into the city."

"Anything else?"

Chang Xi's imposing manner immediately diminished. He moved his lips a few times before finally speaking: "The surrounding villages were all burned to the ground."

The warden walked to the desk, pointed at Changxi's report with his finger, and asked sternly, "Why didn't you include these things in the report?"

"It was that deputy who did it himself! I didn't give the order."

Such reasons clearly failed to convince the warden, who slammed his fist on the table in anger and shouted, "You publicly posted notices saying you would compensate the people, but you didn't pay a single penny. You decided to severely punish that deputy general, but in the end, nothing came of it."

"Instead of trying to correct your mistakes, you're using this as an excuse to insult people. That's wrong!" After criticizing Changxi, the warden left, disappointed and frustrated.

Wang Si then entered from outside. He was the head of Cao Cao's intelligence station in Xuzhou. He was captured during the second defeat and was eventually imprisoned here, becoming Chang Xi's roommate.

He had clearly overheard some conversation at the door, so he immediately asked Chang Xi, "The warden said you swore? Who did you swore at?"

Chang Xi slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth as he said, "Zang Ba!"

"Hey? You two have been friends for a long time. What's going on—"

Chang Xi also regarded Zang Ba as a brother. Time flowed backward in his mind, and he recalled once again the dozens of days and nights he spent in Jiqiu City.

When his subordinates asked him to withdraw from the city and break out, Changxi refused without hesitation. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "If we withdraw, Kaiyang will become a dead end. The boss entrusted me with such an important city as Jiqiu. We have to be responsible to the boss."

His personal guards rushed in, "General, Liu Bei has sent a messenger with a letter."

Chang Xi took the letter, and as he was about to open it, he casually asked his subordinate, "What did Lord Liu say?"

"They said General Zang was already negotiating with Liu Bei's army, demanding that we lay down our weapons and open the city gates immediately."

Upon hearing this, Changxi didn't even bother to read the letter. He snapped all the bamboo slips with writing on them in a few quick movements and threw them on the ground.

"Everyone, listen to my orders! If I am killed in battle, Vice General Xiao will take over command and we will continue fighting!"

As the images in his mind faded, Chang Xi's consciousness drifted back to the war criminal management center. His voice was heavy with grief and rage as he said, "Using my sacrifice as bargaining chips to seize their wealth and power!"