Mi Fang

Historical Record

Mi Fang, courtesy name Zifang, was a native of Donghai Commandery who rose to Grand Administrator of Nan Commandery in Liu Bei's group. His elder brother was Mi Zhu. While Liu Bei was campaigning in Shu, Mi Fang remained behind to guard Jing Province under Guan Yu. However, there was a rift between him and Guan Yu. When Sun Quan took the opportunity to attack Jing Province, Mi Fang, together with Shi Ren (courtesy name Junyi, a native of Guangyang, then serving as a general and garrisoning Gongan), betrayed Liu Bei and surrendered to Sun Quan. This act directly led to Guan Yu's downfall and death. Around the same time as Mi Fang, several other officials of Liu Bei's group surrendered to Wu when Jing Province fell—for example, Hao Pu, Grand Administrator of Lingling, who was lured by the Wu general Lü Meng into opening his gates and surrendering; and Pan Jun (courtesy name Chengming, a native of Wuling), who had served as Inspector-in-Chief of Jing Province in charge of the rearguard, who was likewise on bad terms with Guan Yu and in the end also went over to Wu after Sun Quan seized Jing Province. Hao Pu later rose to Commandant of Justice, and Pan Jun rose to Grand Master of Ceremonies and was enfeoffed; but the specific office and fate of Mi Fang after his surrender to Sun Quan are not recorded in detail in the sources ^c:2995.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Mi Fang's image is rendered more fully and dramatically, especially in the course of his betrayal of Liu Bei's group, displaying the hesitation and ultimate cowardice in his character. He first appears during Liu Bei's garrisoning of Xiaopei, when, together with his elder brother Mi Zhu, he was ordered to guard the central army and protect Liu Bei's household ^c:2996. Thereafter he campaigned with Liu Bei many times—for example, when Cao Cao's great army pursued Liu Bei, he, together with Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and others, escorted Liu Bei's wife and children in flight ^c:6060. On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, when Zhuge Liang burned Bowang Slope and Xinye, Mi Fang was also ordered to take part in the military action, leading troops together with Liu Feng to set an ambush at Queweipo in coordination with Zhuge Liang's plan ^c:2997.

What Mi Fang is best known for in the novel is his betrayal, together with Shi Ren, during Guan Yu's northern campaign. The novel describes his surrender to Sun Quan in detail: when Guan Yu campaigned north against Xiangyang and Fancheng, he ordered Mi Fang to guard Nan Commandery and Shi Ren to guard Gongan. Guan Yu threatened to punish the two for dereliction of duty, breeding resentment in them. When Sun Quan sent Lü Meng to seize Jing Province, Shi Ren surrendered first and urged Mi Fang to surrender to Wu as well. Mi Fang at first still had a loyal mind, saying, "We brothers have long served the Prince of Hanzhong—how can we turn against him in a single day?" ^c:6062. However, after Shi Ren had killed Guan Yu's envoy and pointed out that once Guan Yu returned he would certainly not spare them lightly, and with Lü Meng's great army pressing the walls, Mi Fang in the end went out of the city and surrendered together with Shi Ren. Sun Quan welcomed their surrender and richly rewarded them ^c:6062.

After Guan Yu was killed, Liu Bei went east to attack Wu in revenge. Hearing in the Wu camp the resentful cries of the Shu soldiers against them, Mi Fang and Shi Ren, fearing for their lives, secretly plotted to assassinate Ma Zhong (the general who in the novel captured Guan Yu), and, carrying his head, went to the Shu camp to beg pardon. They tried to plead that they had "surrendered to Wu only out of necessity," and sought leniency on the grounds that Liu Bei was their nephew's relation. But Liu Bei flew into a rage, deeming that they had come only when they saw the situation grow perilous, glibly trying to escape blame; and before Guan Yu's memorial tablet, he ordered Guan Xing to strip Mi Fang and Shi Ren of their clothes and personally cut them to pieces with a knife in sacrifice to Guan Yu ^c:3001. This forms a sharp contrast with the historical record, in which Mi Fang's fate after surrender is left unclear; through this episode the novel intensifies the wretched end of the betrayer to extol loyalty and righteousness. In the novel, Mi Fang was also once mistakenly thought to have surrendered to Cao Cao, showing that his image in others' eyes was not firm ^c:2998.

Key Relationships

* Sun Quan (defected_to): Mi Fang, together with Shi Ren, betrayed Liu Bei and surrendered to Sun Quan, leading to Guan Yu's downfall and the loss of Jing Province. In the novel, Sun Quan richly rewarded their surrender ^c:6062.
* Mi Zhu (sibling_of): Mi Fang was Mi Zhu's younger brother. In the novel, the two were once ordered together to guard Liu Bei's central army ^c:2996.
* Liu Bei's faction (serves): Mi Fang was early on an important aide and general of Liu Bei, taking part in many battles and responsible for important defenses. Liu Bei's second wife was Mi Zhu's younger sister, so Mi Fang was related to Liu Bei as a brother-in-law (novel only).
* Zhuge Liang (serves): When Zhuge Liang first emerged, Mi Fang also followed his command, taking part in battles such as the burning of Xinye ^c:2997.
* Guan Yu (has_feud_with): The historical record notes a rift between Mi Fang and Guan Yu ^c:2995. In the novel, Guan Yu's threat to punish Mi Fang and Shi Ren for dereliction of duty was one of the direct causes of their eventual surrender to Wu ^c:6062.
* Shi Ren (ally_in_defection): The two were allies in jointly betraying Liu Bei and surrendering to Sun Quan, and in the novel were put to death together by Liu Bei ^c:3001.

Iconic Scenes

* Guarding the Central Army: In Chapter 18 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, while Liu Bei was at Xiaopei, Mi Fang, together with his elder brother Mi Zhu, was ordered to guard the central army and protect Liu Bei's wife and children ^c:2996. This shows Mi Fang's early standing and duties within Liu Bei's group.
* The Burning of Xinye: In Chapter 40 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Zhuge Liang burned Xinye, Mi Fang, together with Liu Feng, led troops to set an ambush at Queweipo in coordination with Zhuge Liang's plan to intercept the Cao army ^c:2997. This reflects his participation in the early military actions of Liu Bei's group.
* Betraying Guan Yu, Surrendering to Wu: This is the most crucial turning point of Mi Fang's life, given great weight in both the sources and the novel. In Chapter 76 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, under Shi Ren's persuasion and with Lü Meng's troops at the walls, Mi Fang finally abandoned his loyalty to Liu Bei and surrendered to Sun Quan together with Shi Ren, directly leading to the loss of Jing Province and Guan Yu's downfall ^c:6062.
* Cut to Pieces by Liu Bei in Sacrifice to Guan Yu (novel only): In Chapter 83 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Liu Bei went east to attack Wu in revenge for Guan Yu, Mi Fang and Shi Ren, after assassinating Ma Zhong, carried his head to the Shu camp to beg pardon, but were angrily denounced by Liu Bei as glibly trying to escape blame, and in the end were cut to pieces by Guan Xing on Liu Bei's order before Guan Yu's spirit-tablet in sacrifice to him ^c:3001. This scene is the novel's dramatic treatment of Mi Fang's end, greatly strengthening his image as a betrayer and his wretched downfall.