Mi Fang

Mi Fang (onyomi: Bi Hō) is an official under Liu Bei, best known for refusing reinforcements to Guan Yu at the Battle of Fan Castle. Historically, Mi Fang has the distinction of serving all Three Kingdoms. He was also the younger brother of Mi Zhu, who served Shu as well.

Roles in Games
Mi Fang appears as an officer of Shu in the Dynasty Warriors series. He often serves as a general for Tao Qian and then Liu Bei during the latter's early battles. His most important role comes at Fan Castle, where he and Fu Shiren defect to the allied forces of Wu and Wei, resulting in Guan Yu's death. In certain games, his defection is preventable if playing on the Shu side by performing certain missions. He appears again at Yiling, fighting for the Wu army.

In Dynasty Warriors 4, Mi Fang is a more involved character in the Campaign against Liu Bei. When the player subdues him once, he is fed misinformation which is relayed back to his lord. His second capture has him reveal Mi Zhu ambush attack on the allied main camp. The third time is when he finally decides to defect and trick Liu Bei into opening the castle gates.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Mi Fang is given low overall stats. He is generally regarded as an unloyal officer who easily defects to other forces. He serves Tao Qian early on and later Liu Bei.

Quotes

 * "We don't stand a chance! Maybe if we kill Guan Yu, they'll go easy on us?"
 * "When I heard Fu Shiren had defected, I made up my mind. I, too, will fight for Wu from now on."

Voice Actors

 * S. Scott Bullock - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English)
 * Hiroyuki Satō - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Historical Information
Mi Fang was a member of the wealthy Mi family of Qu County in Xu Province and was the younger brother of Mi Zhu. Together with the Chen clan, Mi Fang's family served under Xu's governor Tao Qian. Following Tao Qian's death, Liu Bei inherited the position of governor thanks to the Mi family. Liu Bei married Mi Zhu's and Mi Fang's sister and the two brothers joined him.

In 196, the warlord Yuan Shu led an invasion of Xu Province. Mi Zhu and Mi Fang followed Liu Bei's army in an attempt to repel him. Zhang Fei, who was left behind to guard Xiapi, killed Tao Qian's former vassal Cao Bao after a quarrel, causing a revolt in the city. Lu Bu, who was allowed by Liu Bei to stay in Xu Province after his defeat by Cao Cao, used the opportunity to capture Xiapi and force Zhang Fei to flee. The families of Liu Bei and Mi Fang were captured as well. This caused the defection of many soldiers of Liu Bei's army and he was defeated by Yuan Shu's general Ji Ling. Liu Bei retreated to Haixi and was forced to make a truce with Lu Bu, who accepted. Liu Bei moved his camp to Xiaopei.

At Xiaopei, the Mi brothers encouraged Liu Bei to rebuild his army. Lu Bu became concerned and attacked, forcing Liu Bei to seek refugee under Cao Cao. Cao Cao offered Mi Zhu and Mi Fang governships in Xu Province, but the two refused and stayed loyal to Liu Bei. Later, after Lu Bu's defeat, Liu Bei returned to Xu and rebelled against Cao Cao, leading to an invasion by the latter and Liu Bei's subsequent defeat. Liu Bei fled to Liu Biao in Jing Province and was defeated by Cao Cao numerous times. After the battle of Chibi, Liu Bei conquered the southern part of Jing and Mi Fang was appointed Administrator of Nanjun. When Liu Bei set out to conquer Yi Province, Mi Fang stayed behind in Jing under the command of Guan Yu.

In 219, Mi Fang accidentally set some of Shu's encampments ablaze, resulting in the loss of equipment. When Guan Yu attacked Fan Castle, he threatened Mi Fang with punishment for this error should he return victorious. Mi Fang from then on feared Guan Yu and received letters from Sun Quan to surrender to Wu. Mi Fang refused at first, but after Lu Meng led a surprise attack on Jing and conquered numerous commanderies in the south, Shi Ren managed to persuade Mi Fang to surrender. Guan Yu was captured and executed, Mi Zhu was ashamed by Mi Fang's betrayal and died of illness and Mi Fang was derided for his betrayal by Yang Xi of Shu and even Yu Fan of Wu.

In 223, the Wu general Jin Zong rebelled at Qichun and defected to Wei. Mi Fang served under the command of He Qi who set out to defeat the rebellion. The mission was a success, Jin Zong was captured and Qichun retaken. Mi Fang lived out the rest of his life in Wu.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the novel, Mi Fang often accompanied his lord Liu Bei during his early days at Xu Province and Xinye. At Changban, he was shot in the face by Cao Cao's men, but he returned to Liu Bei nontheless to report Zhao Yun's supposed betrayal to Cao Cao. He later served under Guan Yu at Jing Province and was threatened with Fu Shiren to be punished for their failures. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren defected to Wu at Fan Castle, aiding in Guan Yu's demise, but later at Yiling they returned to Shu in an attempt to defect back only to be executed for their betrayal.