Chapter 539
Chapter 539
“General Mi!” The defenders on the wall were shocked to see Mi Fang.
“Long time no see. Is everyone doing well?” Mi Fang laughed and greeted the defenders in a relaxed manner.
“General! Weren’t you dead?” The defenders on the wall asked in confusion. In Yuzhou, it was said that all three members of the Mi Family have already perished.
“That’s right, I am already dead!” Mi Fang laughed indifferently.
“General! Are you a ghost?” One defender asked in fear.
“Of course not! Have you ever seen a ghost appear in broad daylight?” Mi Fang laughed.
“Oh right.” The defender nodded. How could there be ghosts during the day? He was just scaring himself.
“Imperial Uncle Liu’s subordinate Mi Fang is dead. The Mi Fang you see here is the His Highness the King of Shu’s subordinate.” Mi Fang said to the defenders.
“Guo Huai. How are you recently?” Mi Fang asked one of the defenders.
“General. I am doing well!” Guo Huai replied. He was Yingshang’s general. Before this, he was one of Mi Fang’s assistant. When Yingshang was being captured, Mi Fang knew he could not escape and so he ordered Guo Huai to leave while he stayed behind. As Guo Huai led the defeated soldiers well and was able to form a new defensive army with the help of the citizens, he was made a general by Liu Bei.
“Mi Fang Mi Zifang! How dare you return here after betraying the Lord?” The governor shouted angrily after seeing Mi Fang getting along with the defenders. It did not matter who Mi Fang was working for. If Mi Fang did not betray Liu Bei, the governor would lose his post. Therefore, Mi Fang was his enemy.
“I betrayed Liu Bei?” Mi Fang sneered angrily the moment Liu Bei was mentioned. “Liu Bei is the one that betrayed me!”
When Mi Fang was captured, his sister Lady Mi was with him. He was resolved to die to prevent himself from implicating his brother but Liu Mang used Lady Mi as a hostage to prevent him from killing himself.
During his captivity, he wrote a letter to his brother saying to not care about his survival. He believed that Liu Bei would at least redeem Lady Mi as she was his wife. However, Lady Mi was later proclaimed dead by Liu Bei. It was such a good story too. One died fighting while the other committed suicide from grief. In return, the Mi Family were given three titles.
If that was all, it would not be too bad. His brother was still around. However, Liu Bei did not even spare his brother. This caused Mi Fang to thoroughly lose his faith in Liu Bei.
In the past, the Mi Family had given their vast wealth to Liu Bei. Now, they only had one housekeeper. Liu Bei’s return gift were three titles and the near extinction of the Mi Family.
Fortunately, His Highness the King of Shu helped his brother escape. His brother was now the Chief of Commerce in Yangzhou, and was in charge of all their commercial affairs. His brother was now also Marquis Guang. The Mi Family can rise again. Mi Fang now realized that Liu Bei only wanted their money. Once the money was used up, they would be thrown aside. On the other hand, Liu Mang wanted their talents.
“General?” The defenders did not know what to say.
“He is not your general! He is a traitor!” The governor shouted.
“You are right! I am a traitor! I want to personally kill Liu Bei with my own two hands! I want to see if his blood is red or black!” Mi Fang bared his anger outward.
“Kill him! Release the arrows!” The governor ordered but no one paid him any attention. Had the person below the walls been anybody else, they would have followed the order. However, this was Mi Fang, their old general.
“Do you all want to rebel?” The governor asked angrily. He took out his sword and put it at the neck of one of the defenders. “Shoot that traitor!”
“Sir! That man is our general!” The defenders still hesitated.
“He is a traitor! He is not your general! Shoot him or you will die!”
“I…” The defender was still unable to do it.
“Then die!” The governor cut the defender’s neck with his sword, spilling blood everywhere. He then moved on to threaten the next person.
“Shoot him!”
“Y…Yes!” This defender was frightened after seeing what happened to the last person. He took out his bow and shot an arrow. However, it was without strength. The arrow hit the ground before it could even reach Mi Fang.
“You as well! Just die!” The man’s bad performance was obviously on purpose as even the common citizens could shoot more powerful arrows. As a result, the governor killed another defender.
“You! And you!” The governor had a malevolent expression. The soldiers he pointed at quickly moved to avoid him.
“Guo Huai! Surrender!” Mi Fang laughed from below the walls. “You all have no chance to win. Milord’s army still have soldiers coming from the rear. On the other hand, that Big Eared Liu is already trapped! I am also sure you know that Yingshang barely have any provisions left!”
“Enough!” Guo Huai replied. “General! Leave! Since the city does not have any provisions, Milord will send more!”
“Guo Huai! Are you still dreaming? You have already been abandoned just like me! Liu Bei is already unable to endure after the defeat at Fancheng! Even Runan is running out of provisions! You are only here to buy Liu Bei time!” Mi Fang shouted again.
“Abandoned?” Guo Huai felt uncomfortable. Everyone hated traitors the most.
“Guo Huai! Think carefully! General Ge Jun and General Zhang Hu’s words are correct. If you all surrender, Yingshang would belong to Milord! Milord will not allow the people to suffer. They would also be able to enjoy the thirty percent tax set by Milord! Previously, Milord had captured Yingshang once. Now, he brought an even bigger army! How long do you think you can hold out? Once Yingshang is captured through battle, it would become a pile of scorched earth!” Mi Fang persuaded.
“General…” Guo Huai struggled with his decision. Mi Fang may be his general but Liu Bei was his Lord. In the end, the final decisive factor was the hopeful expressions of the other defenders.
Guo Huai sighed. “General Mi Fang. I surrender.” Guo Huai could only say this. The defenders had no fighting spirit left especially after Mi Fang appeared. The benefits and consequences also influenced their fighting spirit. It was also true that Yingshang had fallen once. On top of that, their catapult machines have not yet been repaired.
“Guo Huai! Are you trying to betray the Lord? Good! Then I shall kill you first!” The governor said and then struck at Guo Huai with his sword. However, how could a civil official win against a general? He only managed to kill the two soldiers because no one dared to retaliate against a person of his position. Guo Huai was not the same as them.
“Forgive me governor. I will be using your head!” Guo Huai stated and slashed the governor. Since he was going to surrender, he might as well go all the way.
“Guo Huai! You…!” The governor pointed at Guo Huai in disbelief before taking his last breath. His head was send flying and landed in Guo Huai’s hand. “Yingshang’s governor is dead! Open the gates!” The soldiers acted.
“Old Gao! How was it?” Zhang Liao asked as he watched the city gates being opened. He wanted to see Gao Shun’s reaction.
“Mm.” Gao Shun nodded and brought his army towards Yingshang’s entrance.
“Just ‘Mm’?” Zhang Liao asked. If you are going to show your approval, at least say a little more.
Gao Shun turned to look at Zhang Liao and replied. “Not stupid.”
“Pft!” The nearby Zhang Hu and Ge Jun laughed. Zhang Liao was the only one with a stifled expression.
“Old Gao! You better remember this!”