Mi Fang

Historical Record

Mi Fang, courtesy name unknown, was a native of 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. He was the younger brother of Mi Zhu, and in his early years he followed his elder brother in pledging service to Liu Bei. After Tao Qian, Governor of Xu Province, died, Mi Zhu, following Tao Qian's dying wish, welcomed Liu Bei at Xiaopei. In the first year of the Jian'an era (196 CE), when Liu Bei sent troops to campaign against Yuan Shu, Lü Bu took the opportunity to seize Xiapi and captured Liu Bei's wife and children. Liu Bei moved his army to Haixi in Guangling, and in this dire crisis Mi Zhu married off his own younger sister to Liu Bei as his lady and provided two thousand servants along with gold, silver, and currency, greatly relieving the predicament of Liu Bei's faction at the time^[1].

Afterward, Cao Cao 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." However, Mi Fang and his elder brother Mi Zhu both gave up the offices Cao Cao had conferred and chose to follow Liu Bei in his wanderings^[1]. 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, and was treated by Liu Bei with the courtesy due an honored guest; though he never commanded specific affairs, his rewards were generous beyond compare. Mi Fang, meanwhile, was appointed Administrator of Nan Commandery and worked alongside Guan Yu^[2].

However, during his tenure in Nan Commandery, Mi Fang did not get along well with Guan Yu and secretly harbored disloyal intentions. In the end, he betrayed Liu Bei's faction and surrendered to Sun Quan, directly leading to Guan Yu's defeat and death^[2]. Mi Fang's betrayal dealt a heavy blow to Liu Bei's faction; his elder brother Mi Zhu therefore bound himself to request punishment, but Liu Bei comforted him, saying that a brother's fault did not extend to him, and treated him as before. Even so, Mi Zhu still fell ill from shame and grief and died more than a year later^[2]. Mi Fang's subsequent fate is not recorded in detail in the histories, but his act of surrendering to Sun Quan was without doubt the greatest stain of his life.

In the Novel

(No novel material)

Key Relationships

* Liu Bei's faction (serves): In his early years Mi Fang followed his elder brother Mi Zhu in pledging service to Liu Bei. In the early hardships of Liu Bei's faction, Mi Zhu once exhausted his family fortune to aid Liu Bei, and Mi Fang likewise followed his brother in giving up the appointments Cao Cao had offered, to follow Liu Bei^[1]. In the end, however, he betrayed Liu Bei and surrendered to Sun Quan^[2].
* Guan Yu (rival_of): While serving as Administrator of Nan Commandery, Mi Fang worked alongside Guan Yu. However, the two were on bad personal terms and their relationship was strained; Mi Fang ultimately chose to betray over his conflict with Guan Yu and surrendered to Sun Quan, directly leading to Guan Yu's defeat and death^[2].
* Sun Quan (serves): Because of his discord with Guan Yu, Mi Fang ultimately betrayed Liu Bei and surrendered to Sun Quan, becoming one of Sun Quan's subordinates^[2].
* Mi Zhu (brother_of): Mi Fang was Mi Zhu's younger brother. Mi Zhu was utterly loyal to Liu Bei and had given him immense aid in times of crisis many times, for which he received the highest courtesy from Liu Bei. Mi Fang's betrayal brought immense shame and grief to Mi Zhu, ultimately causing Mi Zhu to fall ill from shame and resentment and die^[2].

Iconic Scenes

* Following his brother in pledging service to Liu Bei: Mi Fang and his elder brother Mi Zhu together gave up the offices Cao Cao had conferred and followed Liu Bei in his wanderings, reflecting his family's support in the early entrepreneurial stage of Liu Bei's career^[1].
* Serving as Administrator of Nan Commandery alongside Guan Yu: Mi Fang was appointed Administrator of Nan Commandery and garrisoned Jing Province together with Guan Yu. This was an important post in his life and also laid the groundwork for his later betrayal^[2].
* Betraying Liu Bei and surrendering to Sun Quan: Because of personal discord and double-mindedness with Guan Yu, Mi Fang ultimately chose to betray Liu Bei and surrender to Sun Quan—an act that directly led to Guan Yu's defeat and death and became a decisive turning point in his personal history^[2]. His betrayal not only changed the strategic landscape of Jing Province but also inflicted an irreparable loss on Liu Bei's faction, and indirectly led to the death of his elder brother Mi Zhu^[2].