With his own brothers and sisters on one side and his father-in-law who has been neglecting him for many years, this multiple-choice question does not seem to be difficult. And judging from the current situation, whether Liu Bei can withstand the crusade of the imperial court is still two theories, once the capture of Bashu fails, Liu Bei will be blocked in Shu, and there is no way out.

Now Mi Zhu doesn't want to bury Liu Bei very much. The reason why Liu Bei was chosen at the beginning was because Mi Zhu wanted to get rid of the identity of the Mi family businessman by assisting Liu Bei. In order to help Liu Bei, Mi Zhu did not hesitate to turn against his brothers and destroy his family to support, but what he got was not satisfactory.

When he could no longer get any funding from Mi Zhu, although Liu Bei did not speak ill of Mi Zhu, his attitude did change sharply, and he no longer saw the enthusiasm of wanting to sleep with Mi Zhu in the past. Mi Zhu realized at that time that he could be valued by Liu Bei, but Liu Bei took a fancy to the Mi family's savings for many years, rather than himself. It's ridiculous that I mistakenly thought that I had met the master, and in the end, the bamboo basket was empty.

Mi Zhu followed Liu Bei, not because he had nowhere to go, but because he felt shameless to see his brother. Because he didn't listen to his brother Mi Fang's persuasion, the Mi family in Xuzhou disappeared, and as the culprit, what face did he have to see Mi Fang.

followed Liu Bei all the way through the hardships, but fortunately, Mi Zhu was good at financial management, and Liu Bei's subordinates lacked talents like Mi Zhu who were good at managing logistics, so Mi Zhu also found a place under Liu Bei. But as Liu Bei gradually recovered his vitality and gained a firm foothold in Jingnan, the rights that originally belonged to Mi Zhu were given to others by Liu Bei one by one, and in the end, Mi Zhu changed from being in charge of the overall situation to only being in charge of the materials in Jiangling.

This time he was promoted by the line of fire, but it was only because Liu Bei's subordinates were temporarily unavailable, Mi Zhu was not grateful to Liu Bei for this, but completely recognized Liu Bei's hypocrisy. Nominally, he is the county guard of Gangneung, but in addition to the power to allocate Gangneung's materials, the military power has nothing to do with him at all. If a responsible general was sent to Jiangling, Mi Zhu would admit it, but Liu Bei just sent Fu Shiren, a veteran soldier, named Assistant, but Mi Zhu's feeling was that this Fu Shiren came to Jiangling to monitor him on behalf of Liu Bei.

Fu Shiren's qualifications are very old, except for Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Jian Yong, even if Fu Shiren has followed Liu Bei for the longest time, even Xiahou Bo, who has been separated in Xuzhou and is still missing, is not as good as Fu Shiren. Since Liu Bei raised troops to help the imperial court conquer the Yellow Turban, Fu Shiren has been following Liu Bei. Many of the people who followed Liu Bei in the early years like Fu Shiren have grown old at this time, but Fu Shiren is still alive and well.

It's not that he's strong, it's that this person is very cunning and good at protecting himself. As long as the situation is not good when fighting, Fu Shiren will be the first to slip away, which even Liu Bei can't compare. However, because of his habit of escaping, although Liu Bei did not drive him away, he did not reuse him. Before being promoted by the line of fire like Mi Zhu, Fu Shiren was just an ordinary soldier, and the people who defected to Liu Bei with him rose with Liu Bei, and now the worst has become a captain.

is such a person who usually eats, drinks, prostitutes, gambles, and cheats and cheats during wartime, but now he is on the same level as Mi Zhu, and in a sense, he is even a head taller than Mi Zhu, which makes Mi Zhu feel as if he has swallowed a green-headed fly raw.

Mi Zhu didn't have anyone to talk to before, and he could only hold back any thoughts in his heart, but now that his brother is here, Mi Zhu has the opportunity to pour out his heart. The reputation of betraying the lord and seeking glory is indeed not good, but the problem is that Liu Bei's target at this time is the imperial court, the official and legitimate ruler, and Liu Bei's behavior is rebellion. If Mi Zhu follows, it is a rebellion and a thief! Although the winner is the king and the loser is Kou, today's court is no longer what it used to be, anyway, Mi Zhu is not optimistic about Liu Bei.

Now that there is a chance to get rid of the identity of a traitor, Mi Zhu would be stupid if he didn't catch it, so Mi Zhu agreed under the persuasion of his brother. However, it was a little difficult to let Mi Zhu take Jiangling to surrender to the imperial court. Mi Zhu has no military power, so he can't do it with more than 100 nursing homes in his family. The Mi family is a big family in Xuzhou, but after leaving Xuzhou, the Mi family has become a rootless wanderer, and naturally there is no extra financial resources to support private soldiers. Even the more than 100 people around Mi Zhu are now born from families, and their loyalty is no problem, but the number is a little small.

Mi Zhu has the dignity of being an eldest brother, and he doesn't want to rely on his brother Mi Fang's care to live in the future. Although the Chang'an Mi family is also the family business of the Mi family, it has little to do with Mi Zhu, it is the family business that Mi Fang has accumulated little by little with Mi Zhen, and Mi Zhu does not want to snatch it by virtue of his brother's identity.

And Mi Fang understood Mi Zhu's thoughts, and the brothers found that there were many problems that needed to be solved in front of the two of them, first of all, the problem of manpower. Mi Fang can solve the problem of manpower, but he doesn't have anyone who can lead the troops, let alone Mi Zhu, there is no such person in Jiangling at the moment, so Mi Zhu can't find it even if he wants to.

"Zifang, don't be discouraged, think about it again......" Mi Zhu comforted Mi Fang.

"Big brother, second brother, if you can't think of a clue, you might as well ask him." Mi Zhen, who had been sitting on the side for a while, couldn't help but remind.

Mi Zhu and Mi Fang both knew who Mi Zhen was referring to, Mi Zhu was still suspicious, but Mi Fang slapped her thigh and suddenly realized: "Yes, the little sister reminded me." Brother, that Xu Shu and we are not outsiders, and he is indeed better than us in this brain-using thing, let's go and discuss with him. ”

"Can he be trusted?"

"The eldest brother can't trust Xu Shu, can't he still trust the younger sister?" Mi Fang said as she pulled up Mi Zhu and walked to the backyard.

Xu Shu was reading a book in the room, and he was very surprised when he saw Mi Zhen, but after Mi Zhen explained his intentions, he guessed that it would not be long before Mi Zhu would come in person.

"Xu Shu has seen my brother."

"No courtesy, no courtesy, we will be a family in the future, Yuan Zhi doesn't have to be polite." Mi Zhu hurriedly replied.

With the bond of Mi Zhen, after Mi Zhu expressed his determination to abandon the secret and turn to the light, Xu Shu nodded and said: "Brother knows that righteousness is a good thing, and I believe that the lord will welcome his brother in the future." The elder brother can rest assured that the lord has never discriminated against businessmen, and if the elder brother wants to revive the family business in the future, he can let it go, as long as he abides by the law, no one dares to make things difficult for the elder brother. ”

“…… What if I want to be an official? ”

"Then it depends on the brother's ability? The lord often said that for one term as an official, for the benefit of one party, the official represents the face of the court, doing well is duty, and not doing well is dereliction of duty. If the elder brother intends to take the career path, he still needs to do what he can, and he must not be reckless and mislead others and himself. ”

"Yuan Zhi ......" Mi Zhen saw that Xu Shu said bluntly, and was worried that Mi Zhu would not be able to get over it, so she hurriedly interrupted.

"Zhen'er, I didn't mean to embarrass my brother, I just told the truth. The lord has always attached great importance to the rule of officials, and if the elder brother makes a mistake as a local official in the future, the lord will not show face at all, and it will be useless for anyone to intercede at that time. Xu Shu explained to Mi Zhen when he heard this.

"Zhen'er, don't say Yuan Zhi, he will say this to me for my good, this is not to treat my brother as an outsider." Mi Zhu waved his hand to stop Mi Zhendao. Then he said to Xu Shu: "Yuan Zhi, whether you are an official or a businessman, that is all in the future, and it is too early to say a little." Let's talk about the present......"

"Okay, let's talk about the present. I have already told Zhen'er about the current situation, the lord has waved his army south, and has defeated Guan Yu at Queweipo and besieged him in Zaoyang. At present, there are no adjustable soldiers in Jingbei except for Jiangxia, which means that the opportunity for my brother to make meritorious service has come. ”

"Oh? Can you elaborate on it? Mi Zhu asked with interest when he heard this.

"Good. The reason why I said that my brother's opportunity has come is because I expected that Guan Yu would not sit still, and once Jiang Xia could not come with reinforcements, he would definitely choose to break through. After breaking through, there were only two places he could go, either to join Liu Bei in Shu, or to return to Jingnan to transfer troops to fight again. With Guan Yu's temperament, he probably wouldn't choose to go to Liu Bei. And if you want to take Jingnan, this Jiangling is a must-pass place. ”

"But now that the people and horses of Jiangling are in the hands of Fu Shiren, I just want to take Jiangling for the imperial court." Mi Zhu said embarrassedly.

"Brother, don't worry, in this Gangneung City, there are two people who can help my brother succeed." Xu Shu said to Mi Zhu with a smile.

"Who?" Mi Zhu hurriedly asked.

"Dare to ask my brother, where are the two generals Hu Che'er and Wei Yan, who were captured by Liu Beijun before, now?"

“！” Mi Zhu suddenly realized, and couldn't help but blame himself for why he didn't think of those two. After Wei Yan and Hu Che'er were captured by Liu Beijun, in order to avoid the Han army from sending people to rescue them, Liu Bei ordered someone to escort them to Jiangling for custody when he withdrew his troops from Wancheng. Liu Bei originally planned to find an opportunity to say that the two of them would surrender, but he didn't want to be entangled in everything and couldn't spare time, so Wei Yan and Hu Che'er were also "idle" in Jiangling.

Now reminded by Xu Shuyi, Mi Zhu suddenly remembered. He was from Liu Bei's side before, and it was of course difficult to find Wei Yan and Hu Che'er for help, but now that he had decided to take refuge in the imperial court, Wei Yan and Hu Che'er naturally had no reason not to help him.

Although he didn't have military power in his hands, it was not difficult for Mi Zhu to meet the two prisoners. And Fu Shiren is not a qualified monitor. Before he came to Jiangling, Fu Shiren was just an ordinary soldier in the army, and even if he had the opportunity to spend it, he didn't have the capital. But now it's different, he is the second-in-command in Gangneung City, holding the only armed force in Gangneung, and there are many people who want to tie him up. And Fu Shiren is like a bun entering the city, looking at everything fresh, he has long thrown the task of monitoring Mi Zhu out of the clouds, sleeping in flowers and willows all day long, and enjoying it.

……

"It's Dingguo?" In Zaoyang County, Guan Yu asked out loud after hearing footsteps.

"Father, it's a child."

"What's the matter? But Jiangxia's reinforcements arrived? Guan Yu hurriedly asked.

“…… No. There has been no movement outside the city. ”

"What's that?"

“…… Sima in the army came to report that the grain and grass in the city were already insufficient, and at most it could be used for ten days of soldiers and horses. ”

"Ten days!?" Guan Yu couldn't sit still now. Jiangxia's reinforcements have been delayed, and Liaohua, who went to ask for help, has not returned, and now there is a shortage of grain and grass in the city.

“…… Father, should we consider a way out now? Guan Ping asked tentatively.

“…… Do you have any suggestions? Hearing this, Guan Yu glanced at Guan Ping and asked.

"Father, instead of sitting and waiting, let's fight. While the officers and men in the army still have the strength to fight, let's break through. ”

"Breakout? The Han army outside the city was heavily surrounded, and it was not easy to break through. ”

"But father, if you continue to sit and wait like this, once the food and grass are exhausted, the Han army will not have to attack the city, as long as you wait a few more days, you can come to collect our corpses without spending a single soldier." Sekihei said urgently.

“…… Go and call the lieutenant general. Guan Yu pondered for a moment and instructed Guan Pingdao.

What Guan Ping said made sense, and by now, Guan Yu also realized that it was unrealistic to continue to wait for Jiangxia's reinforcements, and Jiangxia's Liu Feng planned to die nine times out of ten. Rather than waiting for death here, it is better to choose to break through, if you can escape back to Jingnan, it is not impossible to make a comeback.

Zaoyang was besieged by the Han army for many days, Guan Yu's army was already panicked, if it weren't for Guan Yu's prestige accumulated on weekdays, ordinary soldiers would have surrendered to the Han army outside the city. And now Guan Yu took the initiative to prepare to break through, and the soldiers finally found a way to live, although this way of life is very dangerous, but at least it is a road, it is better than waiting for death here all the time.

Queweipo was defeated, and there were only about 3,000 people who followed Guan Yu to Zaoyang, and after deciding to break through, Guan Yu ordered the granary to be opened and the supply was opened. Because if you kill it, you will still have a chance to eat, and if you can't kill it, then the food will be useless to the dead.

On the treetops of the moon, the west gate of Zaoyang slowly opened, and Guan Yujun, who had eaten and drunk enough and rested for a few hours, quietly went out of the city and headed in the direction of Xiangyang. Guan Yu was the last to leave Zaoyang, and glanced back at the straw men he had ordered to place at the head of the city, Guan Yu said to Guan Ping beside him: "Dingguo, let's go." ”

"Hmm...... Father, we'll kill you sooner or later. Guan Ping nodded in agreement, and comforted Guan Yu again.

Facing his son's comfort, Guan Yu smiled reluctantly, didn't say anything more, and urged the horse to catch up with the team that had already gone first. said that it was a breakthrough, but Guan Yu was not stupid enough to have a hard time with the Han army. At present, the enemy is strong and I am weak, and if I can avoid it, I will avoid it, and I went to Xiangyang because Guan Yu hoped to find a boat there and return to Jiangling along the Xiangjiang River. Only when he arrived in Jiangling did Guan Yu think that his line of work was safe.

The Han army besieging Zaoyang seemed to be asleep, allowing Guan Yu to sneak through the defense area with his men and horses, but there were many good things, and when they saw that they were about to completely pass through the Han army's defense area, the whereabouts of Guan Yu and his party were still discovered by the Han army scouts.

Seeing that his whereabouts were exposed, Guan Yu didn't need to continue to hide, and immediately rushed to the front with arrows, followed by his eldest son Guan Ping, and then followed by the five hundred knife players who followed Guan Yu's expedition to the east and west, and finally Guan Yu's army. The Han army followed closely behind. Even if Guan Yu is an enemy of 10,000 people, he can't take care of everyone, he can only watch the people and horses behind him being blocked by the Han cavalry, and when he finally got rid of the Han army's pursuit temporarily, only Guan Ping and less than a hundred sword players were still by Guan Yu's side.

This situation made Guan Yu feel sad. The heroic words when the army was first dispatched were in my ears, but now they are so miserable that there are less than 100 people around them. The contrast between the front and back is too great, so that an iron-clad man like Guan Yu can't help but lose confidence in the future.

"It's General Guan in front?" Just when Guan Yu was sad and sad, he suddenly turned out from behind the dirt slope and quickly approached while asking loudly.

"Who's coming?" Guan Ping hurriedly stepped forward to intercept the visitor and asked.

"Major General, don't get me wrong, my subordinate is under the command of Mr. Zhao Lei, and I was ordered to find General Guan's whereabouts." The visitor hurriedly explained.

"Is Xiangyang okay? Where is Zhao Lei now? As soon as Guan Yu heard that the person who came was sent by Zhao Lei, he hurriedly asked.

"General Guan, Xiangyang has been sacrificed to the imperial court, and Mr. Zhao Lei led the remnants to retreat to Maicheng."

Although Guan Yu had been mentally prepared in advance, he couldn't help but be disappointed when he heard that Xiangyang was lost. Seeing that the visitor was looking at him, he asked again: "Zhao Leike said how to lead me and others to the meeting?" ”

"By boat. Mr. Zhao Lei secretly ordered someone to hide a big boat nearby before Xiangyang was lost, and we only need to take the boat down the river to reach Maicheng. ”

“…… Lead the way in front of the head. ”

"Father, beware of deception." When Guan Ping heard this, he hurriedly reminded Guan Yu in a low voice.

"Dingguo, at this step in the field today, what else is there to be afraid of. You, lead the way. ”

"Thank you General Guan for your trust, please come with the villain."

Indeed, as the people said, the ship was hidden nearby, and the size was more than enough to accommodate Guan Yu's hand. Guan Ping rushed to the boat first, and led people to search the ship first, and saw that there was no one else on the ship except for the dozen or so boatmen who were responsible for driving the boat, Guan Ping was relieved.

The big ship was offshore, going straight down the river, Guan Yu stood at the bow of the boat, watching the river rolling, and his thoughts fluctuated. Looking back on the beginning, Guan Yu couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. I underestimated the enemy! I always think that I am unparalleled in the world, but I forget the old saying that the strong have their own strong players.

The fiasco of Queweipo made Guan Yu finally realize that their brother's opponent this time was different from the past, and Guan Yu felt uncertain about whether he could defeat this matter. Originally, Guan Yu planned to return to Jingnan and reorganize his men and horses to go north again to fight with the Han army, but when he was finally out of danger, Guan Yu, who had calmed down, suddenly found that it was difficult to defeat his opponent.

slapped his cheek hard, Guan Yu tried not to get distracted, and heard Guan Ping ask in surprise, "Father, what's wrong?" ”

"It's okay, I want to sober up for my father. Dingguo, did you say that your father insisted on sending troops this time, was it a mistake from the beginning? ”

"Father......" Guan Ping looked at Guan Yu in surprise, in Guan Ping's impression, when did his father examine himself.

Seeing Guan Ping's surprised look, Guan Yu couldn't help but shake his head and smile, and didn't speak again. The father and son stood silently at the bow of the boat, looking at the river and thinking about their own thoughts.