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

Chapter 9 uses inappropriate metaphors and contains hidden veiled meanings.

Without a doubt, Mi Wei's comparison of Fei Shi to Xiao He was an extremely shameless act of flattery.

After all, Xiao He was one of the most exemplary civil officials during the Han Dynasty.

Is this something that can be easily compared to?

Is he a contemporary Xiao He?
It's not that people look down on Fei Shi, it's just that your flattery was too undignified.

Even Fei Shi, rather embarrassed, defended himself:
"Don't flatter me to death, you brat!"

"Among Your Majesty's subordinates, the only one who can be called 'Xiao He' is the strategist general Zhuge Kongming!"

"My talents are far inferior to those of strategist Zhuge Liang; at best, I can only be a follower of Xiao He's rules!"

Fei Shi's self-defense was neither humble nor arrogant, and it was not unexpected.

The reason for not being arrogant is that he passed the position of Xiao He to Zhuge Liang, which can be seen as both humility and pragmatism.

The reason why he was not humble was that although Cao Can was not as good as Xiao He, he was still one of the most meritorious officials in the early Han Dynasty.

The story of "Xiao Gui Cao Sui" is itself a positive one.

While being modest, he also praised himself slightly.

Not to mention that Cao Shen was not always stationed in the rear; he also led troops to conquer cities and territories, proving himself to be both a scholar and a warrior.

This has a subtle connection to Fei Shi's current official position, "Prefect of Yizhou".

So it's not surprising.

"What Master Fei said is very true. I was being presumptuous!"

Mi Wei promptly admitted his mistake.

But I've been waiting for this line all along:
"Speaking of Cao Shen, I remember that he once assisted Han Xin in attacking the states of Zhao and Qi."

"Since you aspire to be like Cao Can, why don't you volunteer to stay in Jingzhou and assist General Guan?"

Fei Shi frowned upon hearing this:
"I am a man from Jianwei in Yizhou, and I have no reputation in Jingzhou. How can I assist General Guan?"

"You ignorant brat, don't speak nonsense."

Miwei looked completely unconcerned:
"It's alright. Cao Shen wasn't from Qi, but he eventually became the Prime Minister of Qi, didn't he?"

"The strategist Zhuge once farmed in Nanyang; who in Shu does not praise him now?"

Next, Mi Wei launched into another rambling tirade of quotations from classical texts.

At first glance, it may seem like some fallacies, but in fact, none of them are practical.

This caused the guests to burst into laughter, leaving Fei Shi extremely embarrassed.

Finally, Fei Shi seemed unable to stand his awkward antics and kicked him out on the spot.

So Mi Wei got up to apologize and left the banquet hall in a huff, citing the need to "change clothes".

Changing clothes is a euphemism for going to the toilet.

After quickly resolving the minor issue, Miwei didn't rush to leave the outhouse. Instead, he moved to a ventilated area nearby and waited quietly.

Soon after, footsteps could be heard.

Upon closer inspection, it was Fei Shi, whose face was slightly flushed!
He really understood my hint!

Mi Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Don't be fooled by his rambling; all that talk about Xiao He and Cao Can is just empty rhetoric.

The core objective is simple: to have Fei Shi stay behind to assist Guan Yu.

But as Fei Shi said, how could a scholar from Yizhou, who had just arrived, possibly assist Guan Yu?

This is out of step with current social norms and customs.

Although Mi Wei was young, he had followed a shrewd person like Mi Zhu all over the country and had seen a lot. How could he not understand such social etiquette?

It's understandable that the people in Jingzhou are unfamiliar with Miwei.

Fei Shi has been in Yizhou all along, so he must know about it.

Therefore, we should be alert to Miwei's unusual behavior.

This vigilance was precisely the method that Mi Wei had just come up with on the spur of the moment to attract Fei Shi's attention right under the noses of the two inspectors.

"Awei, why are you lingering in the changing room?"

"The boy is waiting for Master Fei!"

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

"What happened?" Fei Shi asked directly. Mi Wei stopped wasting words and explained the potential crisis in Jiangling one by one, and handed over the documents and evidence that Guan Xing had prepared in advance to Fei Shi.

Finally, I bow deeply in respect:
"Now, only Master Fei can save Jingzhou from this dire situation!"

After reading the document, Fei Shi's expression was no longer as composed as before.

After thinking for a while, he said:
"To avoid any unforeseen complications, I will set off north tonight to see General Guan. Would you like to come with me?"

Mi Wei knew that the other party was worried about his safety, after all, he was "putting righteousness before family".

If the truth comes out, Mi Fang may retaliate.

But he still firmly shook his head and said:
“Guan Jun’s actions have already alerted my uncle, and I have been getting close to Guan Jun recently.”

"Leaving now would not only arouse suspicion, but could also bring disaster upon Master Fei, thus jeopardizing the important matter!"

"Therefore, please do not worry about my safety, Lord Fei, and quickly go to ask General Guan to return with his troops to rescue me."

"And I will remain in Jiangling to assist Lord Guan in defending against the enemy!"

Upon hearing Mi Wei's words, Fei Shi's face immediately lit up with admiration:

"it is good!"

"As expected of the son of Mi Zizhong, he possesses the spirit of a virtuous man!"

"I thought my greatest achievement during this mission to Jingzhou was persuading General Guan to accept the king's order, and secondly, getting to know some of the famous scholars of Jingzhou."

"I never expected to see such a rising star as you under His Majesty's command tonight. This trip has truly been worthwhile!"

A virtuous woman?

Where can I find a virtuous man?

I just want to curry favor with you, Mr. Fei!
Mi Wei felt a great sense of unease.

He finally understood how Fei Shi felt when he was being praised so rudely.

The two then discussed some details of the operation.

Fei Shi thought it too suspicious to return directly to Guan Yu's camp by the same route.

It would be better to take a boat from Jiangling upstream as before, creating the illusion of returning to Yizhou.

When they reached Zhijiang County upstream, they would then seize the opportunity to switch to the Ju and Zhang rivers, which flow north and south, and detour through Maicheng, Dangyang, and Changban to reach Guan Yu's camp.

Mi Wei recalled that after Guan Yu learned that Jiangling had been captured, he retreated towards Maicheng, which was the opposite route.

"However, this will inevitably delay things for a while. Considering the time it will take for the main army to break camp and head south, all things considered, you will have to hold out here for at least half a month!"

Fei Shi concluded.

"Half a month it is. With Lord Deer's help, I refuse to believe we can't defend this city!"

A passionate voice rang out.

The two turned around and saw Guan Xing's tall and slender figure approaching under the moonlight.

He nodded to Mi Wei first, then continued to Fei Shi:

"To be honest, Mr. Fei, the number of troops I can mobilize, including the garrison soldiers outside the city, is no more than a thousand, and they are all old and weak."

"Next, I plan to levy slaves, provisions, weapons and other supplies from various ethnic groups and families to strengthen the defenses."

"But this will inevitably affect the interests of the local gentry and powerful families. I wonder what advice you have for me, Master Fei?"

“This is easy,” Fei Shi said, stroking his beard.

"Although I am not familiar with the affairs of Jingzhou, I have heard Your Majesty mention that Pan Jun, the Chief Administrator of Jingzhou, is quite capable and renowned, which is why Your Majesty specifically appointed him to guard Jingzhou. Why don't you ask him for help?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Xing and Mi Wei exchanged a glance, hesitating to speak.

Fei Shi was slightly surprised: "What, am I wrong?"

Fei Shi cannot be said to be wrong.

Mi Wei roughly guessed what was going on and sighed inwardly.

Firstly, according to the Han system, among the many assistants under the governor (prefect), the governor's assistant and the chief administrator held the highest positions.

This is equivalent to the position of a Gongcao (a minor official) in the prefectural government.

Now, Liu Bei himself holds the position of Governor of Jingzhou, and the former Prefect of the State has already followed Liu Bei into Shu.

Therefore, Pan Zhizhong was indeed, in theory, the highest-ranking person in charge of the Jingzhou prefecture.

However, the reason it is described as theoretical is because Guan Yu is an additional character here.

(End of this chapter)