My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 128 The Flower Falls into the Mi Family
Shi Yi was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised that Liu Bei actually dared to give him such an important position, but he was delighted that Liu Bei's decision must have been based on his appreciation of his talent.

If Liu Bei viewed Yi as merely an ordinary person with mediocre talent, why would he entrust him with such an important position?
Shi Yi also knew that accepting the position in Langya would be a hot potato, and that it would inevitably attract the hostility of the local scholars in Xuzhou.

No matter who you are or whether you have talent or not, the scholars of Xuzhou will only see that you have taken their place.

Shi Yi took a deep breath. Why should she give up the opportunity she had finally gotten?

Moreover, if we give in now, the image of being willing to take responsibility that I just mentioned will be completely ruined, and Liu Bei and everyone present will regard us as two-faced villains.

Shi Yi rose from his seat, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed deeply to Liu Bei, performing the rites of a subject to a ruler. He slowly but firmly replied, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Your Excellency. Now that I have received your command, I will do my utmost to fulfill my mission."

"Great!"

Liu Bei was very pleased: "Ziyu, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise and return to your seat."

"Gentlemen, today we are honored to have two virtuous men serving us, and we should celebrate this occasion. It just so happens that Mi Zizhong's younger brother, Mi Zifang, will also be arriving in Tancheng this afternoon to take up his post as the Prefect of Langya Commandery. He happens to be a colleague of mine, so it would be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other."

Liu Bei became more and more pleased as he spoke: "I have already sent word to invite Mi Zizhong, Chen Yuanlong, Jian Xianhe, Liu Ziyang, Liu Weishuo and others who are all in Tancheng. It would be perfect to invite them to join us for a banquet."

After saying that, he didn't forget Liu Feng: "Feng'er, you can send someone to invite Wen Xiang and Wen Gui. Oh, and remember to invite You Ping and Gong Yi as well. Tonight, your father will hold a grand banquet for all the officials."

Liu Feng respectfully agreed, which drew curious glances from Taishi Ci and Shi Yi.

On their way there, they learned that the young man who helped Liu Bei out of his predicament was none other than his eldest son, Liu Feng.

Taishi Ci and Shi Yi were also very curious about Liu Feng.

After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would definitely be serving under Liu Bei in the future.

In the current situation, wars are frequent, and anyone with a bit of insight can see that we are now in a time of great strife.

What follows is likely to be a battle among many dragons, and whoever emerges victorious will become the next true dragon. Liu Bei already shows signs of becoming the next Emperor Guangwu.

Although Xuzhou suffered from war, it still had a population of over 1.6 million, not including the considerable number of refugees and bandits from various places.

When Chen Deng invited Liu Bei to Xu, he said that he was willing to gather 100,000 troops and could provide the lord with 100,000 infantry and cavalry. This would allow him to either assist the lord and the people, establish the Five Hegemons, or establish a separatist regime to defend the borders and leave his name on history.

This is no exaggeration. Xuzhou does indeed have the foundation for this, and Liu Bei has already begun to strengthen his rule in Xuzhou. Once he completes the integration, he will truly have 100,000 infantry and cavalry, and the power to sweep across the world.

Taishi Ci had some doubts before he came, but when he heard that Liu Bei had captured Kaiyang in half a month, recovered Zang Ba, forced Xiao Jian to surrender, and taken Langya before he actually set off south, he truly admired his mother's foresight.

Fortunately, he had already accepted Liu Bei's offer of service. If he had refused before, wouldn't he be regretting it to death now?
The same governor, but with completely different strengths.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Liu Yao now controls two commanderies in Jiangdong, and his paper strength is even greater than that of Liu Bei when he only had one and a half commanderies.

In reality, Liu Yao's true strength was probably less than 20% of Liu Bei's, and that's even including the powerful clans who supported him; otherwise, the difference would have been even greater.

Taishi Ci felt a lingering fear. He was ashamed of his actions, which involved choosing the far over the near, the weak over the strong, and the profit over righteousness. He secretly vowed to perform great deeds to repay Liu Bei.

Liu Feng smiled at Taishi Ci and Shi Yi, then got up and left.

Taishi Ci and Shi Yi whispered to each other, both very curious about Liu Feng.

Is a mere fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy already allowed to enter the halls of power and participate in government affairs?

Was it Liu Bei's careful nurturing, or Liu Feng's precocious talent, or both?
Up until now, they still thought Liu Feng was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Although he looked like he was thirteen or fourteen, his mature appearance made them instinctively guess that he was older.

This scene also caught Liu Bei's eye, filling him with immense pride.

In the afternoon, Mi Zifang arrived in Tancheng with the convoy.

Outside the city gate, a large crowd of people were waiting.

The leader was none other than Liu Bei.

Meanwhile, his elder brother was half a step behind, serving Liu Bei.

Mi Fang dared not act any longer and quickly dismounted from his horse, running towards Liu Bei and his elder brother.

"My lord, Fang deserves to die a thousand deaths, why should I trouble you to personally welcome her?"

Mi Fang ran all the way to Liu Bei, bowed deeply, and apologized repeatedly.

“Zifang, today all the wise men have gathered, and you are the last one. I will naturally come to greet you personally.”

Liu Bei warmly took Mi Fang's hand, holding it in his left hand and gently patting the back of his hand with his right: "Besides, you have come here to shoulder an important responsibility. I am entrusting Langya County to you, Zifang."

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Your Excellency. I will do my utmost to appease the local people and not disappoint you."

Mi Fang was respectful and polite, and her reply was also very appropriate.

Many people may not know that Mi Fang was also a very capable fighter. He was not only an excellent archer, but also a skilled commander.

Historically, because of his position as the head of the family, Mi Zhu was treated as an honored guest by Liu Bei most of the time and dared not do any work.

But Mi Fang had no such concerns. He followed Liu Bei in his campaigns, traveling to almost every part of the Central Plains.

A detailed list of the battles Mi Fang participated in includes: resisting Yuan Shu in the south, fleeing to Haixi, living in seclusion in Xiaopei, assassinating Che Zhou, seeking reinforcements in Yecheng, fighting in Runan, killing Cai Yang, stationing in Xinye, and the defeat at Changban.

Mi Fang participated in every single one of Liu Bei's bloody battles, which began in Xuzhou and raged across much of the Central Plains.

In reality, the relationship between Mi Fang and Liu Bei was even stronger than that between Mi Zhu.

Liu Bei respected and valued Mi Zhu, but he was not close to him. However, he had a deep friendship with Mi Fang, sharing hardships and facing life and death together.

This is why Liu Bei left Mi Fang in Jiangling as the Prefect of Nan Commandery after entering Shu. This position was extremely important, as he was one of the three giants of Jingzhou. It is no exaggeration to say that Mi Fang had the ability to counterbalance Guan Yu at that time.

It was precisely because of this ability that Mi Fang and Guan Yu had a very unpleasant relationship, and there was a great deal of conflict between them.

If the situation continues as it is, it will actually be a balance, ensuring Liu Bei's ownership of Jingzhou.

However, Liu Bei later did many foolish things, which caused the balance to break down and Mi Fang to rebel.

Liu Feng had a rather complicated opinion about Mi Fang.

They hated his betrayal, which led to Guan Yu's crushing defeat and death, and also caused Shu Han to lose its best chance to rebuild the Han dynasty.

Yet, I also sympathize with his plight; amidst my anger and disgust, I feel a pang of pity for his helpless choice.

I only hope that in this life, I can keep him far away from the Second Master, and I think he will not betray me again.

At this time, Mi Fang was in the prime of his youth, in his early twenties. His elder brother was the top official in Xuzhou, his father was the richest man in Haidong, his younger sister was stunningly beautiful and charming, and he himself was full of vigor and confidence, eager to make a name for himself in Langya.

Liu Bei's fondness for Mi Fang at this time stemmed from his respect for Mi Zhu; it could be said that he loved Mi Fang because of Mi Zhu.

Seeing Mi Fang so energetic, he was also very pleased. He turned to Mi Zhu and said, "Your brother is full of vigor and high spirits. He is capable of governing a great prefecture in the future."

Mi Zhu humbly replied, "This is all thanks to Your Excellency's kindness. My brother and I will always remember it. We do not seek advancement, but only wish to do something for Your Excellency and for our hometown. That would be enough for us."

Mi Fang naturally bowed his head in obeisance, following his elder brother's lead, and said, "What my brother said is exactly what I thought."

"OK OK."

Liu Bei grew increasingly close to the Mi family. On the one hand, the two families were about to become in-laws, even if it was just as a concubine. In that case, the Mi family would still be related to the Liu family by marriage, which was naturally different from before.

Secondly, the Mi family's performance over the past six months has been exceptionally outstanding, completely different from its historical record.

Historically, while they did offer support, it was only at the political level. Economically, it wasn't until Liu Bei was defeated at Guangling and retreated to Haixi, where his officials and soldiers were resorting to cannibalism, that the Mi family invested their entire fortune in Liu Bei, using marriage as a condition.

Who was Liu Bei?

He is a hero.

How can anyone stand this kind of treatment?
Not to mention that Liu Bei subsequently lost Xuzhou completely and was instead assigned to Xiaopei by Lü Bu, which was a double humiliation.

This is why Liu Bei is so successful. If it were Cao Cao or Sun Quan, they wouldn't even need to enter Shu; they could have simply killed Che Zhou and then sent the Mi family their family genealogy to them when they took control of Xuzhou.

This is also one of Liu Bei's strengths, a shining point that sets him apart from other warlords of the era.

Liu Feng obediently followed beside Liu Bei, unusually remaining silent. After all, the situation was rather awkward; he didn't know how to address Er Mi, so he simply pretended to be clueless.

Mi Fang glanced at Liu Feng with a strange look. He clearly remembered how adept this eldest son of the magistrate was when they met on the road. He had managed to extract all the iron armor from him and made him responsible for transporting it to Tancheng, while also ensuring that the news would not be leaked.

The way he talked back then was nothing like a teenager; he looked more like a strategist.

Mi Fang's temperament was completely different from that of his elder brother Mi Zhu. The latter was calm, low-key, humble and diligent, while Mi Fang's personality was more distinctive. He was quick to take revenge and loved socializing.

Seeing Liu Feng so obedient, Mi Fang winked at him suggestively, as if asking why he was being so docile.

Liu Feng secretly made a mental note of Mi Fang's actions, but he didn't show it on his face.

Upon returning to the prefectural capital, Liu Feng saw Xu Sheng, Zhou Tai, and two others waiting outside the capital.

He whispered something to Liu Bei and then went over.

"Wenxiang, why haven't you all entered the manor yet?"

Xu Sheng was somewhat reserved; even he, a powerful figure, was a little nervous, so Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, and Jiang Qin were naturally even more anxious.

“Young Master, I heard that the state government is hosting a banquet tonight to entertain renowned scholars. We are merely martial artists; is it inappropriate for us to attend such a gathering?”

Liu Feng laughed. He could tell that Xu Sheng's words were truly from the heart, stemming from the inferiority complex of a martial artist and a powerful figure.

When facing the aristocratic class, powerful families always felt that the other party was unapproachable. This was an ecosystem shaped by the officialdom of the Han Dynasty over hundreds of years, and no one could change it in a short time.

However, Liu Feng also saw longing, smugness, and excitement in the eyes of Xu Sheng and the others; clearly, they were happy and proud of this deep down.

“Wenxiang, Wengui, Youping, Gongyi.”

Liu Feng looked around at the four men before him seriously and said solemnly, “You are all heroes, highly regarded by my father, and will one day become important generals of Xuzhou. Regardless of your past status, that is all in the past. From now on, you must not underestimate yourselves. Now come with me into the mansion.”

Xu Sheng and his three companions were moved to tears and repeatedly agreed, overjoyed.

At banquets like this, let alone Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, who were merely military commanders, even a colonel like Xu Sheng would have to consider his relationship with the governor to determine whether he would have a seat.

There was only one reason why the four of them were able to enter the mansion to attend the banquet: they were the trusted confidants of Liu Bei and his son.

This alone was enough to make the four men feel excited and grateful to Liu Bei and his son.

The banquet was originally a great success, and those who attended were all Liu Bei's trusted confidants and local officials.

This was the first time Liu Feng had seen Liu Yan. This unlucky fellow had spent his whole life slacking off, yet he had somehow managed to become a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), ranking only below Li Yan, and was even granted the title of Marquis of Duxiang.

This man was not only greedy for pleasure and lazy, but he also failed to recognize his place in the world. Ultimately, a series of tragedies led to his death by falsely accusing Liu Shan.

Liu Feng had absolutely no sympathy for this person, and Liu Shan's punishment of him was not only fair but also quite tolerant.

This person's death was entirely his own fault.

However, upon meeting him recently, I found Liu Yan to be handsome, elegant, and charismatic, completely unlike the mad dog he would become in the future.

Liu Feng sighed, hoping this person would have a good outcome in the future.

During the banquet, it was unclear whether Liu Bei was genuinely drunk or had ulterior motives.

He actually wanted to find a horsemanship teacher for Liu Feng.

The martial artists were thrilled. Even the Second Master opened his eyes wide with interest, while the Third Master wanted to make a decision right away.

In fact, Liu Feng was quite clear in his heart that when it came to horsemanship, it would be difficult to determine who was the best among the experts present.

Whether it's Second Master, Third Master, Fourth Uncle Zhao, Taishi Ci, or others, they are all top-notch horsemen, and even Xu Sheng has excellent riding skills.

Zhou Tai, Pan Zhang, and Jiang Qin, on the other hand, were skilled at boating, but were only half as good at horseback riding.

There was nothing that could be done about it, since horses were too expensive in the south and were particularly troublesome to raise.

The hot weather makes horses prone to illness, and the mortality rate after illness is quite alarming. In the south, those who can afford to keep horses must have a family background and wealth that is at least several times greater than that of people in the north.

But Liu Bei's assessment this time included archery, and it was archery that was combined with horsemanship, so wasn't that just mounted archery?
This is incomparable.

Throughout the Three Kingdoms period, there were few people who could be described as skilled archers, and only two of them were present at Liu Bei's banquet.

One was Taishi Ci, and the other was naturally Mi Zhu and Mi Zizhong.

Taishi Ziyi could truly say, "Please, Mi Zhu and Mi Zizhong, stand up. Everyone else here is useless."

Taishi Ci's archery skills are truly recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, and he was also praised for several brilliant victories.

Even Mi Zhu was no match for Taishi Ci.

Because Mi Zhu's record only mentions that he was skilled in riding and archery, while Taishi Ci, in addition to having long arms and being good at archery, also had the four words "his arrows never missed."

This shows how incredibly skilled Taishi Ci was at archery on horseback; it's like hitting the bullseye every time.

So Liu Feng secretly felt something was wrong.

Others may not know, but Liu Feng knows far too much.

Considering that Taishi Ci has only just arrived today, Liu Bei already wants to find a riding and archery instructor for Liu Feng. Why didn't he mention it before?

Could it be that my father has secretly chosen Taishi Ziyi to be his riding and archery instructor?

Liu Feng gradually came to his senses and felt a surge of emotion.

His father still loved him; he said he wouldn't help and that Liu Feng should win him over himself.

But in reality, he was worried that Liu Feng would mess things up, so he secretly found a reasonable excuse for him. His fatherly love was truly as strong as a mountain.

It must be said that Liu Bei's move was quite brilliant.

For someone like Taishi Ziyi, benefits alone are not enough; one also needs to win him over with personal relationships.

The bond between master and disciple is a wonderful emotional connection, and one has to admit that Liu Bei was indeed a wise and shrewd old man.

Wen has no first, Wu has no second.

Since Liu Bei has made the request, how could these warriors not compete with each other?
Everyone was impatient for tomorrow and wanted to have a shooting contest first.

Liu Bei, not content with the spectacle, immediately ordered the fetching of bows and arrows and a target, placing the target in the courtyard, about 140 or 150 meters away from the hall.

This distance was already quite far, and Xu Sheng, Zhou Tai, and the others had already given up. Although they could also shoot arrows, they were only good at foot archery, and the distance was not that far.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, on the other hand, were all eager to try.

They weren't entirely motivated by competitiveness; rather, they all wanted this valuable opportunity to educate their nephew and strengthen their bond with him.

It must be said that although archery was not Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, or Zhao Yun's forte, their results were still very impressive.

At a distance of about a hundred paces, they both hit the bullseye, making it difficult to determine a winner.

At this moment, someone unexpectedly stood up; it was none other than Mi Zhu.

Everyone present was somewhat surprised. Only a few scholars from Xuzhou who knew of Mi Zhu's superb archery skills could only chuckle. They never expected that Mi Zizhong, such a calm and refined person, would also have a time when he wanted to show off.

However, these scholars from Xuzhou were not right. Mi Zhu was not trying to show off; he genuinely wanted to become Liu Feng's archery and horsemanship instructor.

Mi Zhu stepped forward, picked up the bow and arrows, turned his back to the target, bent over and exerted force, first twisting his body to the left, then to the right, and then to the left again, and arrows flew out from both sides like a string of arrows, all of them hitting the target.

When Mi Zhu finished shooting, everyone looked and saw that not a single arrow had missed the target; all of them had hit the bullseye.

Everyone was greatly amazed, especially Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. They never expected that Mi Zhu, a civil official, would have better archery skills than them. It seemed that the title of Liu Feng's teacher was about to fall into the hands of the Mi family.

(End of this chapter)