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

Chapter 75 Discussing the Northern Expedition While Brewing Tea

"You don't seem surprised?"

Zhuge Ke raised an eyebrow as he looked at Mi Wei, who sat calmly as a mountain.

“After that night you disappeared for a long time, I knew you would cause trouble sooner or later.”

Mi Wei responded calmly.

"Tell me, is this 'oranges from the south become trifoliate oranges in the north' or 'playing the zither and striking the earthenware pot'?"

Zhuge Ke gave a light chuckle, but first pointed to the young boy behind him and said:
“This is my younger brother, Zhuge Qiao.”

"My uncle (Zhuge Liang) had no sons, so he asked the master for A Qiao as his heir."

"A Qiao should have entered Shu last year, but it was delayed because the two families were fighting."

"Now that the alliance is established, he can follow you westward."

"No objections, right?"

Miwei, of course, had no objection.

It was just a favor.

Not to mention that the "Prime Minister" has always been his number one favorite.

What reason is there not to help with this small favor?

He then looked at Zhuge Qiao with a smile.

Without waiting for his elder brother's prompting, the latter took the initiative to step forward and greet him with utmost respect.

Mi Wei secretly admired his temperament and manners.

The expression of the mind-body gene is indeed mysterious.

pat.

Zhuge Ke slammed a roll of silk onto the wooden table in front of Mi Wei.

Seeing this, Zhuge Qiao obediently stepped aside, took out utensils to boil water and cook tea porridge.

This refers to the distinctive tea drinks of Jiangdong.

Zhuge Ke then took the opportunity to sit opposite Mi Wei.

"Do you know what my master said about the three of you after the grand banquet?"

Mi Wei first smiled and nodded at Zhuge Qiao, then turned to his brother with a composed expression.

"I do not want to know."

"If your father insults my master in his words, should I refute him?"

"To not rebuke is to be disloyal."

"It is impolite for a son to scold his father."

Zhuge Ke was momentarily stunned.

But his younger brother next to him actually nodded slightly in agreement.

He was immediately enraged and said:

"This does not concern your Lord, but only the character of the three of you!"

Then, without waiting for Miwei's response, he impatiently continued:

"The master said that before the banquet, he believed that the one who would succeed his uncle in assisting Liu Bei and his son would be Ma Jichang with white eyebrows."

"Later, seeing Fei Wenwei's extraordinary demeanor, I concluded that he would one day surpass me."

"But after the grand banquet, he asserted that the future of the western neighbor would likely depend on you, Mi Wei!"

At this point, Zhuge Ke finally showed a completely different expression:
"Although Bai Mei is a good man, I have never been afraid of him."

"Fei Wenwei is extraordinary; to be compared with him is not an insult to me."

"But why should you be above the two of us? I refuse to accept this!"

Mi Wei remained unfazed and said:

"You need not get upset about this."

"I have always considered myself far inferior to Ma and Fei; it is only because you gentlemen have praised me that I am being so kind."

"In my opinion, your father may not really think highly of me; he is just taking this opportunity to encourage you brothers."

Zhuge Ke paused again upon hearing this.

Zhuge Qiao's eyes lit up slightly, as if he was somewhat impressed by Mi Wei's humble and unassuming attitude.

Zhuge Ke became even angrier:
Whether it's highly regarded or not, we'll find out once we try.

"I've heard you have the ability to strategize and plan?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and unfolded the silk cloth on the table.

Mi Wei stared intently.

It turned out to be a simplified map encompassing multiple prefectures including Jing, Yi, Yong, Liang, Yang, and Jiao.

Zhuge Ke: "Today, let us use the world as our chessboard, each making three moves to determine who is superior!"

He then took out a bag of brightly colored pebbles from his sleeve and placed it next to the silk painting.

Three green and three red, exactly six pieces.

Mi Wei looked at the other party's commanding posture.

I also saw six chess pieces that looked like Yuhua stones.

Speechless for a moment.

Good heavens, this kid must be suffering from chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)!

However, seeing that Zhuge Qiao next to him seemed quite interested, he couldn't bring himself to make a scene.
Alright, for the sake of the "Prime Minister".

Today, I'll play with pebbles with the little rascal.

He then said, "Please go first."

Zhuge Ke immediately picked up a blue pebble and dropped it onto a spot on the map.

Southern part of Yizhou.

Or rather, the South Central Region.

Zhuge Ke followed suit, raising his voice:
“The barbarians of the South have always been unruly and covetous of the wealth of the Central Plains, and they occupy dangerous mountain passes. So they sometimes submit and sometimes rebel.”

"You have only held Yizhou for five or six years. Before you could pacify the southern regions, you had to contend with Cao Wei for Hanzhong in the north. You have no time to look south." "Even if my lord refuses the allegiance of Yong Kai and his ilk, the southern regions will still be in chaos sooner or later."

"At that time, how will your lord join forces with my lord to launch a northern expedition?"

Mi Wei originally thought the other side would make an issue of Jingzhou.

Unexpectedly, the move to Yizhou was aimed at the Northern Expedition.

Clearly prepared.

So I briefly recalled my experiences in both lifetimes, as well as some insights I gained from personally experiencing the war.

He quickly picked up a red pebble and snapped it open.

It landed not far to the "due north" of Qingzi.

Zhuge Ke looked up blankly, puzzled for a moment.

Because this map of the provinces and prefectures is very rudimentary.

Only some of the major cities and prefectures are marked.

Most counties are left blank.

"This place is Jianwei County in Yizhou."

Mi Wei offered a brief explanation.

Zhuge Ke: "Qianwei... I do remember that Fei Shi, the Duke of Fei, is from Qianwei... So what?"

Mi Wei: "Sichuan has many fertile fields, while the south has many dangerous mountains."

"Most of the wealth of Yizhou is located in Shu."

"And Qianwei is the vital passage connecting the north and the south."

Zhuge Ke suddenly realized:
"You mean, if we can't deal with the South for the time being, we should cut off their throat and retreat to protect the wealth of Sichuan?"

"But can your lord truly hold this place?"
Miwei: "Yes, and we have already secured our position."

"Two years ago, when my lord was fighting for Hanzhong in the north, as you said, there were several rebellions in the south, which also affected the area around Jianwei."

"At that time, Li Yan, the prefect of Jianwei, organized local righteous men to suppress the rebels without costing our lord a single soldier."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ke nodded in agreement, a rare occurrence.

“I’ve heard that Li Zhengfang was quite capable when he served as an official in Nanyang County… so I suppose you have a point.”

"However, this is ultimately a conservative approach."

"So I'll consider myself half a point ahead of you, how about that?"

Miwei didn't understand how the opponent calculated the win-loss relationship.

Let's stick to the facts," he said, shaking his head.

"If chaos breaks out in the south, we will not be considered to have won, but you will likely lose as well."

Zhuge Ke naturally objected: "Why?"

Miwei: "Do you know how your lord obtained the 'Shu horse' that he has been so eagerly seeking?"

Zhuge Ke presented a testimonial, but did not understand.

Mi Wei: "Then let me ask you another question. Do you know why the Shu horse is called the Shu horse?"

Zhuge Ke chuckled: "That horse comes from Shu, so it should be called a Shu horse! What else could it be?"

“That’s not true at all,” Mi Wei shook his head.

"As I just said, Sichuan has abundant fertile land and has been known as the Land of Abundance since ancient times."

"Then please tell me."

"Such fertile land, such a land of plenty, why not use it to grow grain and mulberry trees, but instead use it to raise horses?"

"Even if there are foolish men and women who don't know the value of grain and cloth, they are still a minority, aren't they?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ke thought for a moment and found himself unable to refute it.

I couldn't help but wonder: "Where did those Shu horses come from?"

Mi Wei: "Shu horses are originally Qiang horses! They are Hu horses!"

"They may originate from Yongliang, or from small, uncivilized kingdoms west of Hanjia Commandery!"

"Because Yizhou is connected to Shu Road in both the north and south, Hu merchants bring horses into Shu to exchange for the grain and cloth they urgently need."

"This horse came from the Shu Road and was then sold from the Shu Road to Guanzhong and even Guandong."

"Few merchants from other places have bothered to investigate its origins, which is why it has always been referred to as Sichuan horse!"

Is that so?!
Zhuge Ke was clearly hearing this for the first time and couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise.

"But even so, what does it have to do with my lord?"

"How could it be unrelated?" Mi Wei scoffed.

"When the south was in turmoil, the roads to Shu were blocked, and the flow of horses naturally decreased."

"My Lord is already not satisfied with what he has, so how could he possibly have anything to exchange with your Lord?"

"At that time, your lord will probably have no choice but to risk going out to sea to find horses!"

Unrest has always been a major taboo in trade, both in ancient and modern times.

In fact, the issue of the Southern Shu Road didn't arise until after Zhuge Liang's era.

A general from southern China named Zhang Yi reopened the old yak trail.

That's how the problem was solved.

That ancient yak trail was very likely the origin of the later tea-horse trade.

Zhuge Ke finally lost his voice.

Rather than saying he was persuaded.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that he was amazed by Mi Wei's insight.

It's like the shock of a frog in a well suddenly jumping out of the well.

After a moment of distraction, he said, "So, the first move... is it considered a draw?"

Miwei was too lazy to bother with it.

Remind:
"The ship is about to set sail, please place your second piece."

(End of this chapter)