Chapter 746 Sun Quan’s Ambition
Sun Quan actually didn’t have much confidence that the Shu State, which regarded itself as the orthodox Han Dynasty, would not agree to its proposal to honor the two emperors simultaneously.
Even he was ready to fall out with Shu.
In his opinion, Wei State suffered two consecutive defeats last year, coupled with Cao Xiu's death, Wei State will be unable to move south in a short period of time.
From the layout of the Wei army in Hefei, it can be seen that the Wei state has even shrunk its defense line and tightly guarded key passes.
The State of Wu no longer has the same pressure as before to prevent the State of Wei from crossing the Yangtze River and going south at any time.
If it doesn't work out in the end, it's not non-negotiable to make peace with Wei.
In any case, with the current situation of the Wei State, and the fact that Wei Emperor Cao Rui's foundation is unstable and he is still young, I believe he will not refuse his good intentions.
At that time, the Wei State can attack Longyou and Hanzhong with all its strength. If it adds more troops to Baqiu to increase pressure on the Shu State, what is the difference between this situation and Liu Bei's defeat a few years ago?
If it really gets to that point, Shu will naturally recognize the reality and obediently send people over to make peace with itself again.
So the Kingdom of Shu not only sent people out to celebrate his ascension to the throne, but also made it clear that the alliance between Shu and Wu would be officially announced to the world.
It’s really beyond people’s expectations.
This is an alliance in the name of the country, and it is no longer the previous verbal agreement.
If you betray your alliance again, you will be abandoned by everyone in the world.
Sun Quan thought a lot in a short period of time.
“What do you think of this proposal, Your Majesty?”
Chen Zhen from below asked.
Sun Quan picked up the letter of credence and read it carefully from beginning to end.
Judging from the current situation of the three countries, the formal announcement of the alliance between the two countries is actually more beneficial to Wu State.
Because if Wu wanted to march westward into Shu, not only would they have to go upstream, but Yong'an's terrain would be too dangerous to get around.
But if the Shu Kingdom wants to move eastward, it only needs to go down the river.
After the formal alliance was formed in the name of the two countries, it also meant that Shu recognized Wu's ownership of Jingzhou.
It's just that Sun Quan survived Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Cao Pi to death, so he can be regarded as a tolerant figure.
How could he express his position so easily?
He pretended to ponder for a while, and then he said, "Han and Wu are allies, and everyone knows it. Now if we want to formally inform the emperor and the queen of the country, we have to take some time to prepare."
“And the matter of dividing the world among them is related to the national destiny of the two countries. In a hurry, Wu State is not prepared, so it must be discussed carefully.”
Chen Zhen nodded, "This is natural. Then the foreign minister will stay in the guest house to wait for your majesty's good news."
Sent people to send the Shu envoys out of the court, Sun Quan dismissed the court and ordered his chamberlain to summon Lu Xun, Gu Yong and other important ministers into the palace for discussion.
After giving the certificate of credence of Shu to several people to read, Sun Quan asked: "How should you, gentlemen, view this matter?"
“Now the world is divided into three pillars, and Wei occupies eight points of the world. It is reasonable for Wu and Shu to form an alliance to fight against the powerful Wei.”
As the prime minister of Wu State, Gu Yong was the first to speak, "Furthermore, Wu and Shu have already had an alliance. The two countries formally swore an alliance, but it was just in real name."
“Your Majesty ascended the throne of Dabao and swore an alliance with Shu. This move can just show that Wu is standing side by side with Shu.”
Sun Quan listened and nodded secretly.
Even if he didn't admit it on the surface, he knew one thing in his heart: among the three kingdoms, Wu State lacked the legal principles to claim emperor.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t have emphasized repeatedly in the enthronement edict that the Han Dynasty did not exist.
Because the monarchs and ministers of the Wu Kingdom were nominally Han ministers.
If the Han Dynasty still exists and he rashly proclaims himself emperor, what is the difference between that and the Cao thieves he claims to defeat?
So the Han Dynasty must have ceased to exist now.
Although the Shu Kingdom in the west was named Han, it only occupied one state. How could it be regarded as the Huanghuang Han Dynasty?
Now that the Shu Kingdom has officially recognized the two emperors of Shu and Wu as equals, they finally have some confidence.
“What’s Boyan’s opinion?”
Sun Quan asked Lu Xun.
Lu Xun agreed: "The Prime Minister is right. Going to the altar to swear an alliance is just a name for the Wu-Shu Alliance."
"Since the prime minister and the general said the same thing, then the matter cannot be wrong."
Sun Quan nodded, with a look of hesitation on his face, "It's just about dividing the world among them. What do you think of this division?"
In the book of credence of the Kingdom of Shu, the world was divided, and Shu took the land of Yongliang to the west of Hanguguan, and the three states of Bing, Ji, and You north of the river.
And Wu took the four prefectures of Yu, Qing, Xu, and Yan to the west of Hangu Pass and south of the river.
If we can really join forces to destroy Wei in the future, this division is very reasonable.
Even the State of Wu took advantage.
Because even if the Shu Kingdom captured the land of Yongliang, it would be far more difficult to cross the Great Hebei to capture the three states of Hebei than it would be for the Wu Kingdom to capture the four states from Jingzhou and Yangzhou northward.
Gu Yongzheng, who didn't think anything was wrong, wanted to nod, but Lu Xun suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, what else do you have in mind?"
Sun Quan looked at Lu Xun, his eyes flickering vaguely, but there was no change on his face.
"Yes. Since Boyan can see that I have other thoughts in my mind, can he possibly guess what I am thinking?"
Lu Xun had no idea and said bluntly: "Does your Majesty want Youzhou?"
Sun Quan finally looked shocked: "How did you know?"
Lu Xun smiled confidently: "Since Gongsun Yuan usurped his uncle's position last year and ruled the land of Liaodong, he has been secretly sending people to contact our country of Wu."
"Your Majesty, there are still some good horses from Liaodong in your palace. So I think that the king may have borrowed the power of Liaodong for the purpose of thief Cao Cao."
Sun Quan's face changed slightly at first, and then he smiled: "Sure enough, Boyan knows my heart! Does Boyan think this method is acceptable?"
Lu Xun seemed to have considered this issue a long time ago: "Your Majesty is very worried. We, the State of Wu, are good at boats and can sail northward to connect with Liaodong."
"The Gongsun family has been in Liaodong for a long time and has been in the same family for three generations. Although they clearly submitted to Wei, they actually appointed themselves as officials because of the obstacles of the mountains and rivers."
“Since Gongsun Yuan has been in charge of Liaodong, he has taken the initiative to send good horses to His Majesty, which is enough to prove his determination and will not be subordinate to Wei for a long time.”
“This is why we call it distant friendship and close attack. Your Majesty’s plan is indeed far-reaching.”
Sun Quan was very happy after hearing what Lu Xun said.
The little bit of unhappiness that someone had just revealed my inner thoughts also dissipated.
"Since Boyan said this, how about I give Gongsun Yuan a heavy gift in order to make good friends, and then I can buy good war horses from Liaodong?"
When Lu Xun heard what Sun Quan said, he quickly dissuaded him and said, "Your Majesty, it is okay to induce Gongsun Yuan to rebel against Wei; but it is not okay to treat him too harshly!"
Sun Quan frowned after hearing this: "If you don't treat me with kindness, how can people from far away conspire with me?"
"Your Majesty, Liaodong is close to the Kingdom of Wei and far away from the Kingdom of Wu. Once something happens, it will be impossible to save him, and Gongsun Yuan is suspected of going back and forth between Wei and Wu."
“If you give him generous gifts and buy horses from there, the treasures, money and food that the fleet will carry will be immeasurable.”
"When Gongsun Yuan really wants to change his mind, the treasures, money and food will no longer be in the possession of Wu. It would be better to just send envoys with integrity and edicts, and give them titles."
“We will wait and see what he does in the future, and if it is confirmed that he really rebelled against Wei and returned to Wu, then we will discuss it separately.”
Sun Quan was rather disapproving of this statement.
Gongsun Yuan is also a dominant figure after all. If you really want to surrender to him, wouldn't it be considered as insulting him by talking white teeth in vain?
What's more, I am still a dignified emperor now. If I am granted a title and no reward is given, the world will only say that I am stingy. How can I win the hearts of the people in the future?
At present, Liaodong and Wu are only tentatively communicating with each other, and it is far from time to discuss this matter.
So Sun Quan was noncommittal about Lu Xun and turned the topic back to the most important matter at hand: "What does Boyan think of Shu's intention to divide Youzhou?"
This time it was Lu Xun's turn to disagree.
When you really want to get Youzhou, you are afraid that Wei Guo will have perished.
Does Your Majesty still really think that the two kingdoms of Shu and Wu can divide the world into two parts safely?
It's just that he knew that Sun Quan had just ascended the throne and wanted to do something, so it was understandable that he wanted to swallow Wei.
“If your Majesty has such ambitions, then it would be better to let the envoy from Shu divide Youzhou to Wu. I think he will not have any objections.”
Lu Xun suggested.
“Good.”
Sun Quan nodded.
The next day, Sun Quan sent his palace servants with gifts to greet Zhang Zhao at his home.
“Great father, great father, someone has been sent from the palace.”
Zhang Zhao's grandson Zhang Zhen ran into the back house in a panic and shouted loudly.
Zhang Zhao, who had white hair and beard, was sitting in the room annotating the "Chun Qiu Zuo Shi Biography" when he heard his grandson shouting.
But suddenly he remembered something, and then sat back down, pretending that he didn't hear anything.
“My eldest father, someone came from the palace and said that your majesty has given me something.”
Zhang Zhen ran into the room and repeated it again in a hurried tone.
Zhang Zhao finished writing a paragraph, then raised his head and scolded: "It's just a visitor from the palace, why are you panicking?"
“A gentleman behaves with moderation. What do you think you look like now?”
Zhang Zhen did not expect that his eldest father would not respond at all to the people coming from the palace, but instead scolded him.
At the moment Na Na doesn’t know what to say.
Seeing his elder father scolding him, then lowering his head and continuing to write, Zhang Zhen scratched his head and head anxiously, but did not dare to say more.
Zhang Zhao didn't put down his pen until he finished writing the last sentence, then stood up and walked slowly towards the front house.
Zhang Zhen was pounding in his heart. He secretly thought that the eldest father had been ordered by His Majesty to stay at home. Now if he neglects the angel like this, will he get into trouble again?
With this thought in mind, he followed his elder father all the way to the front courtyard. Unexpectedly, when the chamberlain saw his elder father, he actually saluted him first: "I have seen General Fu Wu."
Zhang Zhao stepped aside and stepped aside with a sneer on his face: "I am just an idler, how can I deserve such a great gift?"
The servants in the palace laughed together: "General Fu Wu was joking. Your Majesty gave this order before you left the palace."
"General Fu Wu is said to be your Majesty's mentor. When your slaves see General Fu Wu, they must salute and greet him on his behalf."
There was an "Ah" sound coming from the side, full of disbelief.
It turned out that Zhang Zhen, who had been worried for a long time, couldn't help but open his mouth and scream when he saw the waiter's attitude and heard these words.
Zhang Zhao turned around and glared at the unfulfilled grandson.
Which chamberlain who can come out of the palace is not a good person?
He just pretended that he heard nothing or saw nothing, and only conveyed the emperor's attitude and oral instructions to Zhang Zhao:
“Assist General Wu, Your Majesty has said that he has not seen the old general for a long time and is very longing for him.”
"Your Majesty now regrets very much what he did before. If the old general is free, he might as well go to the palace to see His Majesty and comfort His Majesty's thoughts."
Zhang Zhao finally had a look on his face this time: "Did your Majesty really say that?"
The chamberlain said in fear: "The old general's words are really embarrassing to me. How dare I pretend to convey His Majesty's wishes?"
Zhang Zhao sighed: "Your Majesty, you can actually do this. As a minister, how dare I delay for a moment?"
“I would like to ask the envoy to go back and send a message. I am always waiting for your Majesty’s summons.”
When the chamberlain heard this, he quickly said, "I dare not hide this from the old general. The car sent by the palace is already waiting outside the door."
“If the old general is willing to enter the palace immediately, Your Majesty will not be happy enough.”
Zhang Zhao was even more surprised when he heard this, and at the same time he was moved in his heart.
When Sun Ce, Prince Huan of Changsha, passed away, he entrusted His Majesty to him.
Over the past thirty years, I can be considered as doing my best and dare not slack off.
Watching him take over Jiangdong from a young age, go through many things, and finally grow into a generation of emperors.
It is really like a loving father watching his son grow up and establish a career, at least in terms of feelings and mood, there is no difference.
Although His Majesty broke his heart by what he said and did after he ascended the throne.
But among the loving fathers in this world, which one would really blame his own children?
In the car, Zhang Zhao's mind was agitated along the way. Thinking of Sun Quan's previous and current actions, he felt a mixture of sadness and joy in his heart.
Until the car stopped, I heard a voice outside: "Old General, we're here."
Zhang Zhao woke up with a start.
He opened the curtain to get the carriage, and saw another chariot with a small yellow gate, waiting there for a long time.
The chamberlain helped him onto the chariot, and he went straight into the palace without stopping.
“Mr. Zhang, you are finally here!”
Sun Quan personally stood at the door to greet Zhang Zhao. Before the small yellow gate could stop, he personally helped Zhang Zhao inside and asked him to take a seat.
Zhang Zhao saw Sun Quan like this, his eyes burned, and he saluted Sun Quan deeply: "Your Majesty is the common ruler of the world, how dare I sit on your Majesty's seat?"
After saying that, he wanted to sit down.
Sun Quan knelt down and stopped, "Back then, I treated Duke Zhang like a teacher, and Duke Zhang treated me like a son. When a son makes a mistake, whether the father scolds him or hits him, he always has to regulate his words and actions."
“Now that I have made a mistake, does Mr. Zhang want to give up on me?”
Sun Quan’s words and deeds forced Zhang Zhao to be on the throne.
After Zhang Zhao sat down, he looked up to the sky and sighed:
“In the past, the Queen Mother and King Huan both entrusted Your Majesty to the old ministers, instead of entrusting the old ministers to Your Majesty. This old minister wanted to show his integrity and repay his kindness.”
"However, the veteran has little knowledge and poor thinking, and made many omissions during the period, so he often acted disobedient to His Majesty. It was not intentional, but just showing his loyalty."
"Now Your Majesty will not think that I was wrong before, and I will be called upon again to serve you. The old minister can only be loyal and benefit, and spend his life."
Sun Quan heard this and thanked him.
Sun Quan also told Zhang Zhao about the envoy from Shu and asked Zhang Zhao to formulate the procedures and rules for setting up an altar and swearing an alliance.
PS: Sorry, my happy sand sculpture book friends, my updates may not be stable during this period. It will be until the end of the month. Now I have to go to the hospital for physical therapy every day.
(End of this chapter)