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

Chapter 13 Who Isn't Trying to Survive in Chaotic Times?

Guan Xing almost slammed the door and left.

Fortunately, Miwei grabbed his sleeve in time.

However, Mi Wei also felt Guan Xing's body trembling incessantly.

The shaking continued until I went outside and it still hadn't stopped.

In his previous life, he had read on a certain account that claimed to be a sports medicine publication that some people are born with more adrenaline than others, making them particularly suitable for combat sports.

Is this inherited from Guan Yu?
After letting his mind wander for a moment, seeing that Guan Xing was still indignant, and remembering that he had come today to make a good impression, he said:

"Mr. Guan, I'm so sorry!"

"Not only did I not help at all, but I also took the gift you prepared for Ji Ji's apprenticeship!"

Guan Xing waved his hand and said:
"My Lord, there's no need for this!"

"If you hadn't helped me out of that predicament, I wouldn't have been able to figure out what this person was really thinking!"

"I thought he was a virtuous and upright man like Fei Sima, but I never expected... sigh!"

Although Mi Wei was somewhat speechless, he was not surprised.

After all, he already knew about Poon Chun's "dark history".

"How about I go back and get the tuition fee back? After this commotion, it will be difficult for me to come and study the scriptures in the future."

After all, you can only rely on one powerful figure.

Since we've chosen Guan Yu's side, we must show that we're firmly committed.

Guan Xing calmed down a bit, thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying:

"That's alright."

"In the pursuit of knowledge, the master leads you through the door, but the practice depends on the individual. If you truly wish to study the scriptures, you can seek a good teacher later."

“This man surnamed Pan is quite famous in Jingzhou. If you forcibly take back the apprenticeship gift, it may damage your own reputation. In any case, out of respect for General Anhan, he won’t slander you behind your back.”

Got it, this is like paying money to buy a diploma.

It wasn't even my own money that I was spending.

Mi Wei suddenly realized.

The thrill of getting something for free is immediately apparent.

No, that's not right!

How could I, a wealthy second-generation heir, feel happy just by getting something for free!
This doesn't fit the image of a rich second-generation. I should feel ashamed and reflect on my actions!
After thinking for a moment, he said with a sincere expression:
"Guan Jun's words are wrong!"

"In these chaotic times, with the Han dynasty crumbling, studying the classics cannot save the people. If we must learn, we must learn General Guan's skill in defeating ten thousand men!"

Guan Xing paused, then burst into laughter:
"What you say, Lord Mi, is absolutely right!"

"How can people like you and me, who aspire to conquer the world, become pedantic scholars who spend their lives buried in books? We should learn to be warriors capable of defeating ten thousand men!"

Guan Xing clearly enjoyed the flattery, and his complexion improved considerably.

……

The next day.

The two went to the governor's mansion again and used the talisman to transfer all the guards away.

Don't be in vain!
An old man is still a man!
Pan Jun did not stop him, clearly not taking the elderly and weak half-singer seriously.

After mobilizing the troops, Guan Xing prepared to take the man back to the general's mansion, but unexpectedly encountered the runaway slave who had been beaten in the street the day before on the way.

At this time, he and about thirty or forty runaway slaves were bound hand and foot, lined up in a column, and whipped forward like livestock by the manor steward.

Although these escaped slaves looked pale and sickly, they were mostly between twenty and thirty years old.

They are the most valuable "young and middle-aged" people right now.

Mi Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to ask Guan Xing:
Why did these people run away? Could it be that they, like the man from yesterday, believe they can still reclaim their original land?

Guan Xing pondered for a moment and said:
"I'm afraid not."

"In chaotic times, it is already difficult to find a way to make a living."

"In fact, most slave traders sold themselves into slavery to make a living, and not all of them were forced into it."

"The reason these people fled was probably because of the different treatment they received from each family, and they wanted to find a different owner."

At this point, Guan Xing sighed slightly:

"That being said, with war raging year after year and people living in constant fear, six or seven out of ten of these people will not live to see next year. It would be the same no matter which family they come from."

Mi Wei thought of the scholar-officials living in luxury, while the people in front of him were "six or seven out of ten" living in poverty, and his impression of the former naturally worsened.

sidewalk:

"What if you join the army?"

"It depends on which general you follow."

Guan Xingdao.

"If it were my master, unless all supplies were exhausted, he would never let his soldiers go hungry, much less treat them like slaves. If any soldier was injured or sick, he would call a doctor to treat them..." Is this the same Guan Yu who was arrogant and cruel to his subordinates?

Mi Wei couldn't tell whether this personality trait was a good thing or a bad thing.

But that doesn't prevent him from doing what he's about to do:

"Lord Guan, since you're short of able-bodied men anyway, why not just keep all these slaves and use them as your retainers!"

Guan Xing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said:
"Lord Deer, you want to save these people? That's truly commendable."

"But aren't you afraid of offending Pan Zhizhong?"

Mi Wei laughed:

"So be it."

"I noticed it last night."

“Pan Zhizhong is confident in his status and reputation, but you and I are of lower seniority and have less reputation.”

"As the art of war says, one should avoid the strong and attack the weak."

"Since treating him with courtesy is not working, why not follow General Guan's example and use absolute force and overwhelming power to coerce him into submission!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Xing narrowed his eyes, and without saying a word, turned around and ordered his guards to step forward and seize the person.

He probably had a lot of pent-up anger from last night and had nowhere to vent it.

It has to be said, the regular army is really fierce.

Although their numbers were not greater than those of the Pan family, they were mostly elderly and weak.

But as soon as they formed ranks and gave a shout, the group of managers immediately went weak in the knees.

Then, with just one charge, the manor stewards who had just been swaggering over the escaped slaves scattered like birds and beasts.

As a result, all thirty or forty young men were captured by Guan Xing.

"Haha, that felt great!"

Guan Xinghong returned to his shop, his gloomy mood from the previous night completely gone.

Mi Wei couldn't help but sigh that the other party was indeed Guan Yu's son.

Even after studying the scriptures, he still possessed the soul of a fierce general.

"Lord Mi, what's next? Should we go to the Pan family's estate to snatch someone away?"

"Not urgent."

"It would be easy to seize the Pan family, but if that happens, the other families will feel insecure and be more likely to side with Sun Quan."

Guan Xing thought about it and agreed:
"Then why did you ask me to seize these runaway slaves just now?"

“To test them.” Mi Wei pointed to the governor’s mansion behind him, its gates tightly shut.

“We snatched people right under his nose, and he didn’t stop us.”

"This shows that his real weakness lies not in his estates or his young men."
"I still need to confirm a few things... Banana Zhong!"

Jiao Zhong was the same gatekeeper from the prefectural government office yesterday.

Guan Xing had just conscripted him as a retainer using a talisman.

"What are your orders, sir?"

"Let me ask you, you've been working in front of the governor's mansion all these years, do you know the details of Pan Zhizhong's family?"

Jiao Zhongdao:
"I dare not say for sure, but I have some understanding of the people I meet and see off every day."

Miwei: "Tell me about it."

"only!"

"In fact, before Pan Zhizhong became famous, his family was not prominent; they were just an average family in Wuling County."

"But once he became a county official, he punished corruption with swift and decisive measures, which made him famous throughout the prefecture and county. From then on, he rose higher and higher... and his family naturally followed suit."

Upon hearing this, Miwei seemed to understand something:
"You mean, Pan Zhizhong values ​​his reputation among the gentry the most, putting it first in everything, even at the cost of offending General Guan?"

Jiao Zhong thought for a moment and said:
"They certainly value reputation, but they might not offend General Guan for it."

Miwei: "What do you mean?"

“I don’t understand grand principles, but the local gentry and the common people in the countryside actually have little difference in their desires.”

"It's nothing more than trying to preserve oneself and one's clan in chaotic times."

“A person with a little ambition might serve a strongman and seek an official position.”

"In the early years, the strongman of Jingzhou was Liu Zhennan, then it was Prime Minister Cao, then General Zhou, then Governor Liu... Oh, King of Hanzhong."

"Now he has become General Guan."

"But in the end, isn't serving under a strongman a way to preserve one's clan?"

"People with lofty ambitions are ultimately a minority."

(End of this chapter)