jdhmnovel Chapter 433 Mi Fang and Fu Shiren's Fear
Chapter 433 Mi Fang and Fu Shiren's Fear
Mi Fang and Fu Shiren's recent relationship is like that of a scumbag couple in later generations. They argue today and make up tomorrow. After arguing back and forth, they finally realize that they can't live without each other and can only make do with each other.
The root of their argument was that Guan Yu was alive, and not only was he alive, he was thriving, which terrified them both.
The better Guan Yu lived, the stronger their fear became, and naturally, the more they needed to vent. It was Mi Fang who first challenged Fu Shiren, questioning why Fu Shiren had written a letter urging him to surrender the city to Wu. He said that if it weren't for Fu Shiren's letter, he would never have surrendered the city.
This sounds like a deliberate attempt to find fault and shift the blame. Fu Shiren naturally wouldn't buy it and retorted, "What does your surrender have to do with my letter? If you really don't want to surrender, it's no use even if your brother Mi Zhu writes a letter, let alone me, Fu Shiren. Don't try to shift the responsibility for the surrender onto me."
"And what did you do that made Guan Yu dislike you? Don't you know? I was instigated by you to resell military supplies and rations. Would I have dared to do this without your backing as the second brother-in-law of the King of Hanzhong? You blame others for your own failures. Don't think that Guan Yu will let you off the hook by shifting the blame to me. If Guan Yu really comes back, we're both doomed. Neither of us can escape. You know Guan Yunchang better than I do. Don't think your brother can protect you."
Speechless after being scolded, Mi Fang could only slink away.
Afterwards, he originally planned to sever ties with Fu Shiren and write to his older brother to plead for mercy, hoping that Mi Zhu could spare his life. However, when the news of Han Dang and Xu Sheng's deaths reached Jiangling, he knew that even his older brother could not be relied upon. If the Guan family father and son really defeated the Wu army and took back Jiangdong, given Guan Yu's temperament, not only his older brother Mi Zhu, but even his brother-in-law Liu Bei's pleas would be useless.
Therefore, Mi Fang's fear grew stronger day by day. Under such circumstances, he had to find someone to talk to, otherwise he would go crazy. But looking at the whole Jiangling City, who else could he confide his bitterness to besides Fu Shiren?
Fu Shiren also had a need to confide in someone to relieve his fears, and the only person he could confide in was Mi Fang. So, like a scumbag who wanted to find a better partner but couldn't find a better one, they could only make do for the time being. Over time, the two pitiful souls who shared the same plight became close friends who could talk about anything.
At this moment, Fu Shiren was sitting at a table across from Mi Fang in Mi Fang's residence. After a few drinks, Fu Shiren sighed and said, "We brothers have watched Guan Xing grow up. How come we never realized that this kid had the potential to be Huo Qubing? Even Han Dang and Xu Sheng are no match for him."
"If he really defeats Lu Xun and comes to Jiangling, what will we brothers do? What will happen to our children? We can't have worked hard all our lives and end up being wiped out and having no descendants."
He no longer prays for survival; he'd be grateful if his family wouldn't be left without descendants.
Mi Fang gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "I've thought about this a lot these days. After much thought, there's only one way to survive: surrender to Cao Cao. Right now, only Cao Cao can protect us two brothers; no one else can."
Fu Shiren was slightly taken aback and said in astonishment, "We just betrayed the King of Hanzhong and then betrayed Sun Quan. Aren't we just utterly traitors?"
Mi Fang said, "That's better than losing your life. Since you've already become a traitor, what difference does it make whether you do it once or twice?"
Fu Shiren said with a wry smile, "What you say is true, but it may not work. Sun Quan is guarding against us like we're thieves. Most of the servants in our household are Sun Quan's spies. If we really betray Sun Quan, we'll probably be dealt with by him before we even take any action."
"Even if we manage to leave the city, so what? Cao Cao doesn't take just any trash. He might kill us on sight. After all, we're not very valuable. In fact, we might even damage Cao Cao's reputation. What would Cao Cao want with us?"
It has to be said that Fu Shiren has a very clear understanding of his own position; at least he knows he's trash.
Moreover, his concerns were not without reason. Their reputations were worse than rats in the street, and they had no use to Cao Cao. What would Cao Cao want with them? The King of Wei was not a junk collector.
Mi Fang said, "So we need to submit a sufficiently substantial pledge of allegiance, so that Cao Cao can see our value and be willing to protect us, while also securing an official position from Cao Cao to live out our remaining years in peace."
"The only thing we can offer that Cao Cao would find interesting is Jiangling City. If we hand over Jiangling to Cao Cao, he will definitely ignore us, since we pose no threat to him."
Mi Fang was also very clear about his own position, so he did not expect to exchange Jiangling for high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, but only wanted to save his life.
Fu Shiren closed his eyes, caught in a mental struggle. Although this matter had potential, it was too dangerous. If he was not careful, he would be killed by Sun Quan before he even met Cao Cao. But what other options were there now?
Taking a gamble offers a glimmer of hope, while not taking a gamble means certain death.
Thinking of this, Fu Shiren felt a deep sense of regret. He was from Guangyang in Youzhou and was one of the earliest veterans to follow Liu Bei and was deeply trusted by Liu Bei. If Liu Bei did not trust him, he would not have entrusted him with such an important place as Gong'an. So why didn't he just follow Liu Bei and enjoy the good life? Why did he have to be so foolish as to surrender the city to Wu? Now he is so worried that he can't even sleep well.
Fu Shiren truly regretted it, but unfortunately, there's nothing in this world that can be done without regret. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Then let's fight it out. I'll do whatever you want."
Mi Fang said, "Naturally, we should win over Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan. They were also traitors who betrayed Guan Yu, but they hid behind the scenes and made us take the blame. But do you think Guan Yu will let them go after he returns to Jingzhou?"
“In the past, Guan Yu might have let them go to stabilize Jingzhou, but don’t forget that Guan Xing, that little thief, has been carrying out so-called land reform in Jiangdong. After tasting the benefits of land reform, Guan Yu will definitely continue to promote it after returning to Jingzhou. And the first thing to do to promote land reform is to overthrow aristocratic families like Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan who own a lot of land. So the aristocratic families of Jingzhou are now in the same boat as us. If we die, they can’t escape either. Even if they live, they will be exiled to the frontier and impoverished overnight. Do you think they would be willing to do that?”
Fu Shiren was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Great idea! Sun Quan has no foundation in Jingzhou and has suffered repeated defeats, losing the hearts and minds of his troops and the people. He is no longer a threat. If the gentry of Jingzhou unite, they are indeed very likely to defeat Sun Quan. But I'm afraid that Pan Jun and Huang Chengyan will continue to wait and see. I guess they won't make a move until Lu Xun's battle report comes back, since the gentry of Jingzhou still need Sun Quan right now."
The gentry of Jingzhou did indeed need Sun Quan to defend against Liu Bei or Cao Cao, because they feared both Liu Bei's purge and Cao Cao's troubles.
Needless to say, Liu Bei would definitely implement land reform after reclaiming Jingzhou, and at that time, he would not let go of the Jingzhou gentry, whether from the perspective of sentiment or interests.
Although Cao Cao did not implement land reform, he would never allow the Jingzhou gentry to continue to live in their hometown and act arrogantly. At the very least, he would have to move them to Luoyang to lure them away from their stronghold. After all, Cao Cao was an ambitious man and not so easy to talk to.
In contrast, Sun Quan was the easiest to talk to, and only by staying under Sun Quan's rule could the gentry of Jingzhou continue to enjoy privileges they had never enjoyed before.
Therefore, the gentry of Jingzhou have now become the most loyal to Sun Quan. Unless Sun Quan is truly beyond redemption, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, the gentry of Jingzhou will not betray him.
Mi Fang sighed, "That's my concern too. If Lu Xun had been defeated or killed like Han Dang and Xu Sheng, the gentry of Jingzhou would have been completely disillusioned with Sun Quan."
This is the thought process of a petty person; they are willing to sacrifice everything for themselves.
Although it's absurd to place your hopes on others, Mi Fang's wish came true this time. As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted, "You two don't need to worry. News has just come back from the front that the Eastern Expeditionary Army has been completely wiped out, and even Lu Xun may have been captured."
The two looked up at the same time and saw Gu Yong grabbing the gatekeeper's collar and walking quickly toward them.