Mi Zhu

Historical Record

Mi Zhu, courtesy name Zizhong, was of ancestral origin from Qu County in Donghai. His family had engaged in trade for generations, with a fortune of countless wealth, more than ten thousand servants, and assets numbering in the hundreds of millions^[1]. During the tenure of Tao Qian as Governor of Xu Province, Mi Zhu was recruited as Attendant Officer of the Separate Carriage. When Tao Qian was gravely ill, he said plainly to Mi Zhu: "None but Liu Bei can bring peace to this province." After Tao Qian died, Mi Zhu, following his dying wish, led the people of Xu Province to Xiaopei to welcome Liu Bei and to support him as the successor Governor of Xu Province. At first Liu Bei demurred, but on the urging of Chen Deng and Kong Rong, he ultimately accepted Xu Province^[2].

In the first year of the Jian'an era (196 CE), when Liu Bei sent troops to resist Yuan Shu, Lü Bu took advantage of the opening to attack Xiapi and captured Liu Bei's wife and children. Liu Bei was forced to retreat and fight at Haixi in Guangling. In this dire predicament, Mi Zhu married off his own younger sister to Liu Bei as his lady, and donated two thousand servants along with gold, silver, and currency to fund Liu Bei's army, enabling Liu Bei's power to recover^[1].

Cao Cao later submitted a memorial recommending Mi Zhu as Administrator of Ying Commandery, praising him as "ever faithful and upright in conduct, illustrious in both civil and military matters"^[1]. Mi Zhu's younger brother Mi Fang was also once appointed Chancellor of Pengcheng. However, the two brothers both resigned their offices and chose to follow Liu Bei. When Liu Bei was about to go to Jing Province, he sent Mi Zhu ahead to make contact with Liu Biao. After Liu Bei pacified Yi Province, Mi Zhu was appointed General Who Pacifies the Han, his standing above that of the General of the Army Advisor^[1].

Mi Zhu was dignified, generous, and refined in character, but was not skilled at commanding troops in battle. Therefore, Liu Bei always treated him with the courtesy due an honored guest and never let him actually command an army, while the rewards and favors bestowed on him surpassed all others^[1]. Later, Mi Fang served as Administrator of Nan Commandery and worked alongside Guan Yu. However, Mi Fang and Guan Yu got along badly, and Mi Fang ultimately betrayed Guan Yu and surrendered to Sun Quan, leading to Guan Yu's defeat and death. After the event, Mi Zhu felt deeply ashamed and bound himself to request punishment. Liu Bei comforted him, saying that a brother's faults should not implicate him, and continued to treat him generously as before. Mi Zhu fell ill from shame and grief, and died more than a year later^[3]. His son Mi Wei rose to be General of the Gentlemen-of-the-Household of the Rapid Tigers, and his grandson Mi Zhao served as Inspector of the Tiger Cavalry. From Mi Zhu himself down to Mi Zhao, the Mi family were all skilled in archery and horsemanship^[3].

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the image of Mi Zhu basically conforms to the historical record, appearing mainly as an early important supporter and advisor of Liu Bei's faction. He first appears in Chapter 16, discussing countermeasures together with Liu Bei and Sun Qian^[4]. When Lü Bu attacked Xu Province, Sun Qian advised Liu Bei to take refuge with Cao Cao and use Cao Cao's strength to defeat Lü Bu, and Mi Zhu raised no objection to this, showing his loyalty to Liu Bei and his clear-eyed grasp of the situation^[4].

The novel also emphasizes Mi Zhu's generous aid to Liu Bei in times of hardship, including offering up his family wealth and marrying his younger sister to Liu Bei—episodes that accord with the historical record and further reinforce his image as a man of loyalty and righteousness. However, the novel devotes relatively little to Mi Zhu's specific strategy and military talent, instead casting him more as a loyal civil official providing economic and political support to Liu Bei's faction. As for the trait that "command was not his strength," the novel does not elaborate much, focusing instead on his "dignified, generous, and refined" character^[1].

The novel also faithfully reproduces the episode in which Mi Fang's betrayal of Guan Yu led Mi Zhu to die of shame, which in the novel is an important reflection of internal conflict and tragedy within Liu Bei's faction, and further highlights Mi Zhu's loyalty, righteousness, and noble character^[3].

Key Relationships

* Tao Qian's Faction (serves): Mi Zhu initially served under Tao Qian as Attendant Officer of the Separate Carriage. Before Tao Qian died, he entrusted Xu Province to Liu Bei, with Mi Zhu charged with welcoming and inviting him^[2].
* Liu Bei's faction (defected_to): After Tao Qian died, Mi Zhu led the people of Xu Province to welcome Liu Bei as their lord and followed Liu Bei for the rest of his life, becoming an early core member and important supporter of Liu Bei's faction^[2].
* Liu Bei (serves): Mi Zhu was utterly loyal to Liu Bei, exhausting his family wealth to aid him in his hardest times and offering his sister as his lady; he was a vital pillar of Liu Bei. Liu Bei in turn "treated him with the courtesy due an honored guest, with rewards and favors beyond compare"^[1].
* Mi Fang (kin_of): Mi Fang was Mi Zhu's younger brother. Mi Fang's betrayal led to Guan Yu's defeat, bringing immense shame and grief to Mi Zhu, ultimately causing him to fall ill from shame and resentment and die^[3].
* Cao Cao (potential relationship): Cao Cao once submitted a memorial recommending Mi Zhu as Administrator of Ying Commandery, but Mi Zhu resigned the office to follow Liu Bei^[1].

Iconic Scenes

* Welcoming his lord by command: After Tao Qian died of illness, Mi Zhu, following his dying wish, led the people of Xu Province to Xiaopei to welcome Liu Bei and strongly urged him to take charge of Xu Province, laying the foundation for the establishment of Liu Bei's early power^[2].
* Exhausting his fortune to aid Liu Bei: At the critical moment when Liu Bei had been attacked by Lü Bu, lost his wife and children, and was short of military funds, Mi Zhu not only married his sister to Liu Bei but also donated a great number of servants, gold, silver, and currency, enabling Liu Bei's army to recover and weather the crisis^[1].
* Binding himself to request punishment: After his younger brother Mi Fang betrayed Guan Yu, leading to Guan Yu's defeat and death, Mi Zhu felt deeply ashamed and bound himself to request punishment from Liu Bei. Liu Bei comforted him, but Mi Zhu ultimately still died of illness brought on by shame and resentment^[3].
* Breaking out of Xu Province: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Lü Bu besieged Xu Province, Mi Zhu together with Sun Qian advised Liu Bei to break out and take refuge with Cao Cao, and charged out of the encirclement together with Liu Bei^[4] (novel only).