Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1422 Loyalty
When Lady Xiahou heard Mi Zhu's words, she quickly stood up and said, "Thank you, General."

She knew that Mi Zhu came over and obviously had something to say to Madam Mi, so she said goodbye and left. Mi Fang saw Madam Xiahou leaving, hesitated for a while, and asked, "Is there anything unusual about Madam Xiahou?"

Mrs. Mi didn't react for a moment and asked in confusion, "Nothing unusual, huh?"

"She seems to be in a good mood these days, much better than in previous years."

Mi Zhu lowered his voice and said, "I'm not talking about this, I'm talking about her and the Emperor of Jin."

Mrs. Mi was shocked and quickly explained, "Why would my elder brother think so?"

"Although she stayed at my place, I have been accompanying the king day and night these days, and Madam Xiahou has never appeared. It was only today that she realized that she was about to leave that she came to say goodbye to me."

"Why do you think so, brother?"

Mi Fang heard this and shook his head, saying, "Maybe I am overthinking it. Don't blame me, little sister. The reputation of the Jin emperor is very important, especially for the widow."

Madam Mi heard this and said helplessly, "Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs these years, running around everywhere, and even the ladies in the harem rarely see each other. This kind of thing should not happen anymore."

"I don't think Your Majesty would get involved with Madam Xiahou. This is about the relationship between the two countries, and Your Majesty is very clear about it."

Mi Zhu listened and nodded, "Since my little sister said so, I feel relieved."

He lowered his voice and said, "Little sister, please don't blame me for being suspicious. The new King of Hannan will be selecting a queen in two years. Everyone speculates that he will choose between the daughters of Generals Guan and Zhang."

"If Madam Xiahou and Emperor Jin were involved at this time, it might cause changes in the government and the country."

Madam Mi suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Thank you for your reminder, brother. I will find a chance to remind Your Majesty."

Mi Zhu shook his head and said, "No, there is no need to say it. Madam Xiahou is going back anyway. What if the Emperor of Jin really has that in mind?"

Mrs. Mi bit her head helplessly, thinking that after all, her brother was still worried.

She said, "Brother, are you going back just like that?"

"Brother, have you ever thought about where to go in the future? Why not come to Jin State?"

Mi Zhu sighed, "I followed Lord Xuande in the beginning, and I was grateful for his kindness. Your second brother caused such a big mess, but he didn't pursue it. Naturally, I will go all the way with Hannan."

"As for Jin State, they already have a younger brother and a younger sister. They don't need me who is already half buried in the ground."

"What my second brother has done over the years has impressed me. I didn't expect that the person who has brought the most glory to the Mi family in these generations is him."

Mrs. Mi said, "It's just that the environment in the Japanese islands is quite bad. In the letters from my second brother, he often complained that the locals couldn't even build a house properly. The so-called imperial palace was just a pile of wood, and it often leaked wind and rain."

Mi Zhu laughed, "It's not easy to blaze a trail that no one has ever walked before."

"He can endure hardships, so he can keep going."

"The one I feel most at ease with is my little sister. The Jin Emperor is actually a very simple person. He will never forget those who have helped him. It has not been easy for my little sister to manage the business route these years, so I feel very at ease with her high status."

"Now that I can see my little sister, I don't have any worries anymore."

Mi Zhen felt sad and bowed, "Please take care of yourself, brother. We may meet again in the future."

Mi Zhu laughed, returned the greeting, and got on the carriage.

Mrs. Mi chased out and waved goodbye to the moving carriage. Seeing this, Mi Zhu felt very sad. He hardened his heart, lowered the curtains, sat in the carriage and never looked back.

He sighed heavily. The Mi family had made the right bet. Although betting on the State of Jin was somewhat of a coincidence, now that they had found a big tree to lean on, perhaps they could at least continue safely for several generations.

He always felt that something was wrong, and then he remembered what Mrs. Mi had just said.

Did Madam Xiahou come to say goodbye after she learned that the diplomatic envoys were leaving?

Where did she get the news?
Mi Zhu's body trembled, and he quickly stopped thinking, thinking that it was rare to be confused, could he still pursue it further?

He returned to the posthouse and began to pack his luggage, preparing to set off the next day.

Although there was almost no progress in the political relations between the two countries during the visit of the Hannan envoys, great progress was made in the development of other trade routes, ore mining and smelting, and the joint development of Jiaozhou and the Southern Barbarians.

In particular, the State of Jin showed great sincerity in cooperating with the State of Jin to open up trade routes and open up the route to Jiaozhi. This was undoubtedly a timely help for the State of Hannan, which occupied Jingzhou but had to deal with occasional harassment and invasion by the southern barbarians and had tight military expenditures.

The northern Hu and southern barbarians have always been two major external threats. If Hannan Kingdom can open up Jiaozhi with Jin State, it will be tantamount to wiping out the southern barbarian forces in disguise and ensuring the stability of the border. Naturally, Hannan Kingdom will not refuse such a thing.

The next day, Yuan Xi came to see off the envoys. Standing on the dock, he said to Liu Xie and others who came to say goodbye, "The mountains are high and the rivers are long. We will meet again in the future. Our friendship is as strong as the flowing river. Take care, everyone."

Liu Xie and others returned the greetings one by one and boarded the boat. The last one to come on board was Lady Xiahou, who was still wearing linen mourning clothes. She came over and saluted sideways. Yuan Xi raised his hand to return the greeting and looked over.

Madam Xiahou trembled, turned her head away to avoid meeting Yuan Xi's gaze, and hurriedly turned around to get on the boat.

Mrs. Mi, who was standing by, saw that Mrs. Xiahou was so anxious that she didn't even say hello to her, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, could it be that Brother Chang really guessed something?
After the fleet left, Madam Mi followed Yuan Xi into the carriage. Finally, she couldn't help asking, "Did your majesty say anything to Madam Xiahou?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I did." "When the Zhang family's daughter grows up, they will consider marrying each other."

Madam Mi said, "Your Majesty, don't you know that the Guan and Zhang families are the top choices for the King of Hannan to choose a princess?"

Yuan Xi said leisurely: "Of course I know."

"But my child is no worse than Liu Chan, so why can't I fight for him?"

"In the past, I poached people to steal talents, but now I poach people to steal my daughter-in-law. It's exciting just to think about it."

Madam Mi rolled her eyes at Yuan Xi, and then she heard Yuan Xi say, "By the way, now that things in Nanchang are settled, let's go to Dong'an and then return to Yecheng from Shouchun."

Mrs. Mi listened and asked in confusion, "Has Dong'an Port made any major progress in the past two years?"

"I remember you are still looking for a route that will bring you stable profits, right?"

Yuan Xi said: "There are endless state affairs to deal with if I go back. It is more interesting to conquer the world. To govern the world, you really need to be able to endure loneliness."

Madam Mi understood what was going on. It seemed like there was another Madam Cai over there who could endure the loneliness?

However, Your Majesty and Cai Mao have just met, and the relationship between the two sides should have changed. Am I overthinking it?
While the Emperor of Jin was running around, the Emperor of Wei, Cao Pi, was finally approaching Chengdu after traveling thousands of miles.

Because it was the rainy season, the convoy had to stop and go after passing Hanzhong. It was quite arduous and took a lot of effort to wade through the mud. Finally, we arrived two or three hundred miles north of Chengdu.

At that time, Sima Yi had already arrived in Chengdu and stabilized the situation with thundering means. Upon learning that Cao Pi's carriage was coming, he hurriedly led his troops to greet him.

He greeted Cao Pi and said, "Your Majesty, you have worked hard on the journey. I am late in welcoming you. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Cao Pi was moved, and took Sima Yi's hand and said: "Zhongda is indeed the pillar of Wei and my right hand."

"How's it going in Chengdu?"

Sima Yi spoke up and said, "Now that the city is stable, I have also sent trusted Wei army personnel to control the city gates and monitor the Yizhou officials to prevent them from making any unusual moves."

Cao Pi listened and nodded, saying, "I feel very confident that Zhongda can do the job."

"It's in Chang'an, eh."

Sima Yi saw Cao Pi's expression and felt something was wrong. He asked, "Could it be that Chang'an was lost?"

Seeing Cao Pi nodding without saying anything, Sima Yi was also a little puzzled. How could it be lost so quickly?

Sima Yi anticipated the best case scenario, which was that they would still have time to rush back to support Chang'an. In this way, the Wei State would be able to put a nail in Guanzhong, and Yizhou would be safe for several years.

Now that Chang'an has been lost, the enemy will certainly attack Hanzhong from Wuzhangyuan. What if that place collapses again?
He asked tentatively: "What about the two generals in Chang'an and Cao Yu?"

Cao Pi said indifferently: "I also received the news the day before yesterday. Both of them died in the battle."

"The Jin army sent their coffins to Wuzhangyuan first to mobilize the morale of our Wei army. Now Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang are stationed there to block the Jin army's advance. At the same time, they transported the coffins here and they will arrive soon."

After hearing this, Sima Yi felt quite unhappy. If he continued to die like this, would the Wei Kingdom still have generals available in a few years?
In other words, how many years can the State of Wei last?

He thought for a moment and said, "Wuzhangyuan cannot be lost. If the two generals cannot resist, Hanzhong will be difficult to defend and Chengdu will also be threatened, just like when I followed General Xiahou into Yizhou."

"I would like to lead the army to Hanzhong to meet the two generals. At the same time, we will build a fortress in the area to prevent the Jin army from advancing southward."

After hearing this, Cao Pi sighed and said, "The one who understands me is Zhongda."

"But since he is stationed in Hanzhong, Zhongda may not be able to go home for several years."

Sima Yi said: "For the sake of the Great Wei, I will not refuse death. The situation is urgent, so I will leave now."

Cao Pi nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Zhongda. I will appoint you as the military advisor and general, replacing the governor of Hanzhong, and you will be in charge of all Hanzhong affairs."

Sima Yi agreed, and then he heard Cao Pi say, "After Zhongda leaves, who will be in charge of the overall situation? Is there anything else we need to pay attention to?"

Sima Yi thought for a moment and said, "The local officials in Yizhou are conflicting with each other, and many people are not so willing to resist the Jin State."

"During this period, Your Majesty should not take drastic measures. You can appease them and let them take the initiative to surrender and jointly resist the foreign enemy."

"As for the selection of candidates, Wei State is full of talented people, so I won't comment on it."

"Another thing we need to be vigilant about is that the border between Yizhou West Road and Jingzhou is under the control of Hannan State. We must be on guard. Your Majesty should make preparations early and send a capable commander in advance to prevent the enemy from taking the initiative."

Cao Pi asked, "Who does Zhongda think is suitable?"

Sima Yi said: "I am stupid, Your Majesty, please ask Master Zhong and Minister Chen."

Cao Pi watched Sima Yi leading his troops towards Hanzhong, and an idea came to his mind.

As a minister, was Sima Yi too perfect?
Have there ever been such competent and loyal ministers in history?
(End of this chapter)