My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 129 Taishi intercepts Hu
Mi Zhu was actually skilled in archery and horsemanship, but he never had the opportunity to show it.

Before Liu Bei arrived, he was a Prefectural Attendant, and after he arrived, he was still a Prefectural Attendant. Later, when he fled with Liu Bei, his younger brother Mi Fang followed him in almost every battle, but he was put on a pedestal.

Although Liu Bei always treated him as an honored guest, there was only respect, not intimacy. For a subject, this was a significant sign of lost opportunity.

If you don't appear in front of your superiors often, how will they remember you? How will they think of you when there's an opportunity? How will they give you an opportunity out of trust?

Liu Feng always felt that Mi Zhu's personal abilities far surpassed Mi Fang's. Just the fact that he could not show his emotions and was shrewd and calculating made him completely different from Mi Fang.

Perhaps it was because Mi Zhu was too capable and shrewd that his father couldn't see through him, which is why he dealt with it so coldly?
After all, the Mi family's troops were quite capable fighters, so they were put in charge of Mi Fang, but their battle record was clearly not very good.

On the contrary, after Mi Fang surrendered to Eastern Wu, whether he improved, had a breakthrough, or was in a suitable environment, he actually did quite well under Sun Quan and made many military achievements.

Mi Fang won several victories in his campaigns against the Yue people in Eastern Wu, capturing many of them.

He then followed He Qi's light army in a raid on Qichun, capturing the prefect of Qichun, Jin Zong, a traitorous general of Eastern Wu, and was even commended by Sun Quan.

Unfortunately, Mi Fang made a mistake that led to eternal regret.

When Lü Meng launched a surprise attack on Jiangling, Mi Fang initially intended to defend the city, but was persuaded by Yu Fan through Fu Shiren.

Therefore, many things in history were truly decided by a single thought.

This further highlights the preciousness of those heroic figures.

After Mi Zhu finished shooting, seeing his score, a hint of pride flashed across his usually kind and gentle face.

If the position of the young master's teacher hadn't been so valuable, Mi Zhu might not have been willing to step in.

He was well-versed in the art of advancement and retreat. He had already assumed the position of Prefectural Governor, making him the most powerful official in the prefecture. His family was also the wealthiest in the prefecture, and Haidong County had practically become the Mi family's private domain. In addition, there were tens of thousands of salt workers, thousands of servants, and hundreds of elite troops. With these forces combined, even Mi Zhu himself would be wary if he were the Prefect.

If Liu Feng had performed worse—no, not as well as he is now—Mi Zhu could have tolerated it.

But with Liu Feng performing so well and his younger brother having just told him about the marriage alliance between the two families, Mi Zhu decided it was time to show his skills.

From now on, the Mi family will be related by marriage. The Liu family has always treated relatives by marriage differently. Although, in a closer look, the fates of these families are not good, most of them are still their own fault.

Regardless of whether it's the Lü family, the Huo family, or the Liang family, they all first acted recklessly and courted their own demise before being killed in return.

Therefore, the Liu family had a good reputation, and everyone loved to be related to them by marriage. Whether it was marrying a daughter of the Liu family or marrying a girl to the Liu family, everyone was quite enthusiastic.

The Empress's position, in particular, was a coveted prize among many military merits and nobles, who were willing to offer massive dowries in their bids to obtain it.

Unlike a certain emperor in later generations who was a brilliant strategist and a master of both literature and martial arts, he couldn't even get his daughter married off without being looked down upon and being asked to return her.

"Excellent! Brother, you're a master archer!"

Mi Fang jumped up from her seat, shouting and clapping loudly, creating a wave of enthusiasm.

Mi Zhu's archery skills were indeed impressive, already astonishing everyone present, no wonder Mi Fang was so excited. In his view, how could he, as the younger brother, not help support his elder brother who had made such a splash?

Upon seeing this, Mi Zhu frowned slightly and quietly turned to look at Liu Bei.

But then he saw Liu Bei looking at the arena with a smile on his face, clapping his hands as if he had no grudge at all, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were all skilled archers, but they were merely skilled archers, far less proficient than Mi Zhu.

After careful consideration, they all gave up the idea of ​​continuing the game.

Just when everyone thought the prize would surely go to the Mi family, the burly Shandong man who had been watching coldly from the sidelines without taking the stage stood up.

“My lord, your archery skills are superb. I am eager to try my hand at it.”

Liu Bei looked closely and realized that the man was none other than Taishi Ci.

Liu Bei laughed heartily and said, "Ziyi, why do you need to ask me for permission? You may go there yourself."

Taishi Ci bowed respectfully, accepted the order, turned around, and called out to the attendants outside the hall, "Is there anyone skilled in running?"

One of the attendants stepped forward: "I am good at running."

The other attendants also nodded in agreement with the man's words.

Taishi Ci was overjoyed. He walked to the side of the hall and instructed him, "Go to one end, hold a torch in front of you, and when I call from inside the hall, run forward and cross the main hall."

After he finished speaking, Taishi Ci asked to confirm, "Did you understand?"

The attendant nodded repeatedly, "I understand."

Taishi Ci nodded in satisfaction and ordered, "Good! Go now. If you do well, I will reward you handsomely."

Upon hearing that there was a reward, the attendant immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Please rest assured, I will not fail in my mission."

Taishi Ci returned to the hall, took out a strong bow, tested it briefly, and then, holding the bow in his left hand, took three arrows from the quiver with his right hand and stuck them into the wooden planks on the ground. He then took out three more arrows and held them between his fingers.

Everyone in the hall was puzzled, but seeing that Liu Bei did not speak, they all quietly watched Taishi Ci's actions.

Only Liu Feng, Mi Zhu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and a few others noticed something amiss and vaguely guessed what archery skills Taishi Ci wanted to demonstrate.

Seeing that Taishi Ci was ready, everyone in the hall held their breath and waited for the crucial moment to arrive.

"run!"

Taishi Ci suddenly shouted, like a thunderclap in spring. Upon hearing the order, the attendant immediately followed Taishi Ci's instructions, holding a torch and running at full speed. In just a few breaths, he could cross the hall.

Taishi Ci raised his left hand, drew his bow, and fired three arrows in quick succession with his right, all of which struck the torch in the attendant's hand. The powerful impact caused the attendant to stagger involuntarily.

That wasn't all. Taishi Ci scooped up the three arrows that had just been stuck in the ground with his right hand, and then filed out again, hitting the torches with all of them.

From where Taishi Ci stood, to the outer gate of the main hall, there was a courtyard several dozen steps away, and together they were a hundred steps away.

Taishi Ci managed to hit six arrows in such a short time, and these were moving targets. The difficulty was a level higher than that of Mi Zhu, which can be described as miraculous.

Liu Bei beckoned the attendant to come closer, extinguished the torch, and took a look.

The arrows that Taishi Ci shot out were arranged in neat rows, with even the spacing between them being exactly the same, which was truly astonishing.

The hall erupted in commotion, with everyone whispering amongst themselves. Even Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun were full of praise.

The higher their skill level, the more they understand the difficulty of this set of movements.

Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, and Jiang Qin looked at each other in dismay. They had thought their archery skills were quite good, but now they realized that the gap between them and their opponents was enormous.

The four couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing they had been like frogs in a well, unable to recognize a hero.

Arriving in Xuzhou, I realized how vast the world is and how many heroes have emerged. Leaving aside everything else, just consider the two brothers beside Liu Shijun…
Liu Shijun is surrounded by talented people, yet he still dares to recruit us. He is truly eager to seek out talent, and his future looks promising.

Unbeknownst to them, Xu Sheng and the other three had completed a new round of self-taming and were even more grateful to Liu Bei and his son.

Mi Fang, who had just been cheering for Mi Zhu, turned bright red, but had to admit that Tai Shi Ci's archery skills were indeed superior to his brother's.

Where did this Qingzhou boy come from? He has such excellent archery skills, and I've never even heard of him before.

The Central Plains are truly a land of hidden talents and outstanding individuals.

Mi Zhu sighed, a fleeting look of regret crossing his face before he regained his composure.

After straightening his clothes, Mi Zhu stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute to Taishi Ci, and said, "Ziyi, your archery skills are unmatched. I, Zhu, am humbled and admit defeat."

Taishi Ci hurriedly returned the greeting: "Your Excellency is a scholar, and your archery skills are already outstanding. I really have no confidence in winning. I can only try my best. By the grace of Heaven, I only managed to beat you by a fraction. I dare not accept Your Excellency's praise."

Taishi Ci held Mi Zhu in high esteem; someone who could serve as the Prefect of a Prefecture was definitely not an ordinary person.

He had already won a hand since he was new to the area, so there was no need to be aggressive. Moreover, Mi Zhu had shown a friendly attitude, and Taishi Ci was very grateful.

Mi Zhu smiled amicably, said nothing more, and silently retreated.

Liu Bei watched all this with a smile. After Mi Zhu stepped aside, he stepped forward, took Taishi Ci's hand, and exclaimed, "Ziyi, your skill is truly divine!"

Then, Liu Bei beckoned to Liu Feng: "Feng'er, come here."

Liu Feng hurried over and bowed to Liu Bei and Taishi Ci respectively.

The hall gradually quieted down. The scene just now had a huge impact on everyone present, and many people were still in shock.

Liu Bei looked at his eldest son with pride and said with a smile, "Feng'er, this is a famous archery and horsemanship instructor that I have found for you. What do you think?" Taishi Ci was a little nervous. He was new to the place, but he had heard some rumors.

The Mi family and the young man before them had an extremely close relationship, and there had been rumors that the two families were about to get engaged. The Mi family's support for Liu Bei had also astonished many people, truly showing their complete lack of reservation.

I heard that the Mi family made a great contribution to the campaign in Langya, and the Mi family supplied all the food for the entire operation.

Taishi Ci was not ignorant of military affairs; he was educated, including in military strategy. However, he lacked a renowned teacher and family tradition, so he was considered a powerful local figure rather than a member of the gentry.

He knew very well how much food such an operation would require, and how valuable that food was at this moment.

In fact, Taishi Ci originally did not want to take action, otherwise he would have already joined the fray.

Although Liu Feng's reputation as a master of archery and horsemanship was indeed very appealing to him, Taishi Ci knew that he was a newcomer and one of only three people from Qingzhou in the entire Xuzhou group, which put him in a very awkward position.

Therefore, keeping a low profile, seeking to establish merit first, and establishing a stable foothold are the top priorities.

But he never expected that Liu Bei would actually encourage him.

From the very beginning of the competition, Liu Bei kept looking at him and smiling at him.

Taishi Ci didn't understand its meaning at first, but gradually he realized it.

Just as he was hesitating, Mi Zhu appeared, his archery skills surpassing all others, and it seemed he was about to win.

Just then, a close attendant who was responsible for serving Liu Bei food and wine nearby came to his side and whispered, "My lord asks why you don't go down and show your skills."

Taishi Ci was now certain that he hadn't been overthinking things.

Since Liu Bei has given such a clear hint, how could he possibly pretend to be deaf and dumb?

Regardless, Liu Bei was Taishi Ci's lord, and his ruler in Xuzhou.

The others are merely the peaks of the world, and Taishi Ci saw this very clearly.

Sure enough, Liu Bei was very happy when Taishi Ci won the championship.

I wonder if the young master before me is equally happy.

"Teacher, please accept my bow."

To Taishi Ci's surprise, Liu Feng actually performed the traditional master-disciple bow to him.

Taishi Ci had considered that the young master might be dissatisfied with him, and he had also considered that the young master would treat him kindly, but he never expected this to happen.

Such etiquette is usually reserved for teachers of classic texts. Given Liu Feng's status, why would he need to be so deferential to a mere teacher like Yigong Ma?

But Liu Feng did exactly that.

Moreover, it was done very naturally, without any hesitation or awkwardness, and there was clearly no sense of reluctance.

"Teacher's archery skills are amazing! From today onwards, your reputation as a master archer will surely spread far and wide and be known to the world."

Liu Feng's eyes shone brightly, and everything he said was a fervent praise for Taishi Ci.

However, things turned out just as he said: Taishi Ci's hundred archery attempts in Qingzhou were no match for tonight's performance.

Because everyone present was an important official of Xuzhou, and a local gentry and powerful family.

These talented individuals control the power of public opinion; only what they approve of is true.

Liu Feng sneered inwardly, deciding to let these people be smug for a while. Only after the low-cost blank paper was released would he launch a devastating attack and seize control of public opinion from them.

Taishi Ci hurriedly returned the bow: "I was fortunate to win, but I am deeply grateful for the kindness of you, my lord and young master. I will do my best to teach you the art of archery."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and smiled, quite pleased.

Just then, Zhang Sanye stepped forward: "Brother, although my archery skills are far inferior to Ziyi's, my horsemanship is in no way inferior to his. I see that Ziyi has just arrived and has many things to do. Why don't we just have him teach my nephew archery, and leave all the horsemanship to me?"

Zhang Sanye had always liked Liu Feng, and the fact that Liu Bei constantly boasted about his son to the two brothers made Zhang Sanye think highly of Liu Feng.

Since that's the case, it's reasonable for me, as the uncle, to give my nephew some riding lessons, right?
“What Brother Zhang said is very true. However, it is not enough to just know how to ride and shoot. Horse combat and spear fighting are the most important skills and must be learned. I am not talented, but I am willing to teach you everything I know.”

Even Zhao Yun joined in. He also had a very good impression of Liu Feng. Unlike Zhang Sanye's inexplicable love, Zhao Yun was quite satisfied with Liu Feng's style of doing things and considered him to be Liu Bei's best successor.

A careful examination of Liu Feng's actions since entering Xuzhou reveals that his efforts included providing relief to disaster victims, adopting orphans, training soldiers, raising grain, and assisting Liu Bei in establishing civilian settlements. Each of these actions was aimed at restoring people's livelihoods and allowing the people to recuperate.

For Zhao Yun, Liu Feng's actions were exactly what he wanted to do.

Zhao Yun was a hero with his own vision and beliefs.

With so many heroes in the world, why did he choose Gongsun Zan over Yuan Shao? Wasn't it because Yuan Shao exploited the people too ruthlessly?

Why did he later follow only Liu Bei? Wasn't it because Liu Bei cared about the people?
Regardless of his abilities, Liu Bei never massacred ordinary people. Wherever he went, he cracked down on powerful clans and restored the livelihood of the people.

Even when he was serving under Cao Cao and only held the nominal position of Governor of Yu Province, Liu Bei devoted himself to serving the people and won the hearts of many in Yu Province. This shows that Liu Bei truly loved the people like his own children, and was not being hypocritical.

Compared to Liu Bei, Cao Cao was far more schizophrenic and acted brutally. Just because he wanted to restrict Sun Quan, he actually tried to create a no-man's land in southern Xuzhou, which scared hundreds of thousands of local people into fleeing to Eastern Wu to join Sun Quan.

This shows how bad Cao Cao's reputation was among the people.

Therefore, when Zhao Yun saw that Zhang Sanye had started, he couldn't resist the urge to speak, and even with his composure, he couldn't help but interrupt.

When Guan Yu saw this situation, he knew it wouldn't do, and his narrowed eyes widened.

I accept my loss, but you all want to run away without my consent. Have you considered my feelings?

As the second eldest brother, how can I fall behind others?
“Brother, what Third Brother and Zilong said makes a lot of sense. However, there is an order of seniority, and it is only reasonable for me to teach them.”

Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun were shocked, thinking to themselves, "Second Brother, how could you be so heartless?"

Even Taishi Ci and Liu Bei were stunned and speechless for a moment.

In fact, Guan Yu felt somewhat ashamed after he finished speaking, but since his face was already red and his eyes were narrowed, no one could tell that there was anything special about him, and they just thought he was calm and composed.

Just then, Mi Zhu returned and stood on the periphery, saying leisurely, "If Ziyi is busy with military affairs, I can share the burden for you."

Mi Zhu's actions greatly surprised Liu Bei and his son, and even aroused the restless desire of Tian Yu, Xu Sheng, Zhou Tai and others.

Indeed, we are easily defeated by you northerners in cavalry archery, but you are no match for us in naval warfare in the south.

Especially Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, these two were genuine river bandits, collecting tolls on the great rivers and lakes, acting like waterborne lords.

Without some naval warfare capability, how could they possibly handle this?

Being a naval warfare instructor for the young master should be more than enough, right?
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were a little excited. They weren't after any empty fame; it was just that the young master had been so good to them, and they wanted to repay him.

Whether someone is a teacher or not, that's not important.

Taishi Ci panicked a little when he saw this.

I didn't want to keep a low profile just now because I was worried about attracting trouble.

Now that we've already made our move and defeated Bièjī Mi Zhū, it would be too much of a loss to lose our position as teachers now.

“I am full of energy and it is my duty to serve you, my lord. I dare not trouble you, Prefect.”

Liu Bei was speechless for a moment, while Liu Feng was experiencing both pain and pleasure.

The atmosphere in the arena was becoming increasingly uneasy. Not only the martial artists, but even renowned scholars from Xuzhou like Chen Deng were beginning to think that since the Duke intended to cultivate his son, martial arts were secondary; ultimately, he should focus on learning the classics.

If that's the case, why not take this opportunity to finalize it all at once?
Seeing that even the famous scholars were about to rally around him, Liu Bei glared at Liu Feng resentfully. It was all because of this rebellious son that so much trouble had been caused. He really owed him a debt.

Although Liu Feng was very dissatisfied and wanted to protest, his protest was brutally suppressed.

In the end, Liu Bei felt sorry for his son and stepped forward to shield him from the group of domineering uncles.

"We'll discuss this matter later; for now, everyone should enjoy a good drink."

That night, there was a joyous feast, but beneath the clinking of glasses, undercurrents were brewing.

(End of this chapter)