Chapter 838 Troubled Times
No matter how oblivious Lu Xun was to the many calculations in the court, he could still vaguely understand the prince's worries.
Because since ancient times, there has never been a person whose master has been inside, while his successor has always been away from home.
If a favored person follows his master, it is a serious threat to the successor.
Even if the owner does not have this intention, and even the favored person does not have this intention, who can guarantee what the people below will think? How to do it?
Even though the prince is now close to the third prince, it is because the third prince is still young.
As time goes by, the prince becomes more and more estranged from His Majesty when he is away from home; the third prince becomes closer to His Majesty when he is inside.
Coupled with the fact that the third prince's biological mother is also His Majesty's favorite concubine, no one can say whether the third prince will have a feud with the prince for the sake of the throne.
After all, people’s hearts are unpredictable!
What’s more, it’s a matter of heaven’s family.
If nothing else, let’s talk about Jiangxia where the prince is now.
This place was where Liu Qi, the eldest son of Liu Biao, took refuge.
Liu Biao favored his second son Liu Cong and despised his eldest son Liu Qi, forcing Liu Qi to stay away from Jiangxia.
In the end, brothers Liu Qi and Liu Cong turned against each other, and their foundation was given away. Is it sad? Sad?
If the land of a state is like this, how about restoring the throne?
Whether His Highness the Crown Prince really wants to give way to the Third Prince, or he is testing His Majesty, or he is trying to avoid brothers becoming enemies and leaving a way out for himself.
Lu Xundu felt that he had an obligation to prevent this situation from getting worse.
If the matter of national reserve is not handled well, it will lead to turmoil in the country, which is not a blessing to the country.
With this in mind, he hurried back to Jianye and asked to see Sun Quan as soon as possible.
Hearing Lu Xun’s military report, Sun Quan quickly received Lu Xun.
After reading the military report submitted by Lu Xun, Sun Quan sighed:
"The ministers of Shu were in danger, but they still fought hard and defeated the Wei thieves. Look at me, the minister of Wu, who has the emperor's mandate, but only wastes money and food, and the lives of the soldiers..."
Lu Xun was startled.
He didn’t understand why His Majesty suddenly said such words.
Since he is in charge of everything east of Yuzhang, the only war in the west at present is the Wuxi barbarian rebellion in Wuling.
Now that Lu Dai and Pan Jun have led the army to squeeze the rebellious barbarians into Wuling territory, they can successfully quell the rebellion, so it is impossible to use the words of wasting the lives of the soldiers on them.
As for the east, there should be no war.
Because if His Majesty wants to use troops against Hefei, he will definitely communicate with himself. There is no reason why he is still unaware of the outcome of the war.
Although he saw the confused look on Lu Xun's face, Sun Quan didn't want to say more.
He put the silk cloth on the table and asked:
“Bo Yan, as soon as this urgent message comes, I believe a letter from the Emperor of Shu will arrive soon.”
He smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid you'll have to show off to me again. What do you think we should do?"
Sun Quan, who began to take charge of Jiangdong at the age of eighteen, and finally ascended to the position of Dabao, experienced countless ups and downs.
Logically speaking, neither the emperor of Wei nor the emperor of Shu were just juniors to him.
What’s more, how can a mere letter of credentials make him worry?
But Sun Quan is the emperor after all, and his vision is naturally different from ordinary people.
Why was he able to confidently ask Liu Bei for Jingzhou over and over again in the past?
Firstly, the Wu state was stronger than the Shu people at that time, and secondly, during the Battle of Chibi, Jiangdong was the main contributor.
So even if Liu Bei himself took several counties in Jingnan, he would still give the territory that should be given to Soochow.
Now the Wu-Shu alliance has agreed to divide the world equally.
If the Shu people contribute a lot of force and defeat the Wei thieves, and when they ask for Yuzhou, will they give it to themselves?
"In the battle of Xiaoguan, I am afraid that Liangzhou has become the possession of the Shu Kingdom. By then, the Shu people will no longer have any worries and can concentrate their forces. They can seize Longyou and move down to Guanzhong. The Wei thieves may not be able to hold it!"
At this point, Sun Quan frowned even more because he thought of a possibility.
If the Shu people take Guanzhong, they can send troops directly from Guanzhong. What if they really want them to take Wanluo and Yuzhou again?
Is it possible that he should borrow Wanluo and Yuzhou from the Shu people, just like Liu Bei borrowed Nanjun from him?
When he thought of this possibility, Sun Quan suddenly felt uneasy!
Is it possible that what I did to Liu Bei back then should be reversed?
As soon as he thought about this, Sun Quan subconsciously stood up and said through gritted teeth:
“Hefei and Xiangyang must be captured, otherwise, our country of Wu will have to shrink to the south of the Yangtze River forever!”
Lu Xun was still thinking about who His Majesty was referring to when he said "It's just a waste of money and food, and a waste of the lives of the soldiers", but Sun Quan suddenly said this as if he was hysterical.
He couldn't help but be stunned: "Your Majesty..."
“Oh, nothing, nothing…”
Sun Quan realized that he had lost his composure, sat down again, and collected his emotions:
"Bo Yan, the Wei thieves suffered a huge defeat in Guanzhong, which is comparable to the defeat of Longyou. Do you think we can respond from the east like the battle of Shiting?"
When Lu Xun heard this, he immediately understood that His Majesty was not willing to let the people of Shu excel in their work.
He quickly advised:
"Your Majesty, you can't! The battle at Shiting was a result of the concerted efforts of the Wu Kingdom and long-term planning to achieve a great victory. If we rush to the north at this time, I'm afraid there will be some oversights."
"And now that the barbarian rebellion in Wuling has not been settled, Jingzhou must not move rashly; and the Wei thieves guarding Hefei are favored by veteran generals."
"This person has followed Cao Cao in his early years. He is different from Cao Xiu, so this matter needs to be considered in the long run."
Sun Quan naturally knew that what Lu Xun said was reasonable, so he nodded and said:
“I also know that Hefei should not be taken lightly, but the Shu people defeated the Wei thieves at Xiaoguan. I think now the people of Wei will be in a state of confusion. In my opinion, we should test it out first. It should be okay.”
“Otherwise, Wu and Shu had just sworn an alliance, and the Shu people won a great victory, but there was no movement in our country of Wu, which would be a bit ugly.”
Sun Quan put Lu Xun in Wuchang. Apart from the whole Wu Kingdom, Lu Xun was the only one who could guard Jingzhou, and also because he knew that he was not clear about many things in the court.
So he explained to Lu Xun what he was thinking.
After Lu Xun heard this, he finally understood.
When the king is worried, he, as a minister, naturally has to find ways to relieve his worries.
I saw him pondering for a while, and then he said:
"If your Majesty wants to test it, I have a plan."
When Sun Quan heard this, he was very happy:
“I know that Bo Yan is good at military strength, please come quickly.”
“I think that the people of the Wei State are just as your Majesty said, and Cao Rui has learned the lesson from the Battle of Shiting and will not let the Hefei Wei thieves attack easily.”
Lu Xun said slowly while thinking about it:
"How about your Majesty threatening to capture Hefei and at the same time putting on a show to scare the Wei thieves. In this way, we can test out the Wei thieves' arrangements in the Jianghuai area after Cao Xiu's death."
"At the same time, it can also show to the Shu people that our country Wu also has the intention to advance northward."
Sun Quan sat up straight and stroked his beard, feeling a little confused:
“Is it just a threat and a pretense? I’m afraid it may not be able to hide it from Zhuge Kongming.”
Lu Xun smiled slightly:
"What is false is true, what is true is false. This is the first time His Majesty has sent troops to the north after he ascended the throne. The Wei thieves will definitely not dare to take it lightly."
"Your Majesty will only wait until the Wei thieves gather, and then pretend to retreat again. If the Wei thieves follow suit and retreat, your majesty will make a surprise attack on Hefei and catch the Wei thieves off guard."
“If the thieves hesitate, your Majesty will send people to pretend to surrender. There is a high probability that the Wei thieves will fall into the trap.”
Sun Quan was overjoyed after hearing this:
“This is a great plan! It’s like meeting at the same time in the battle with Shiting! If Man Chong is really fooled, Hefei will be under my control by then!”
The shadow left by Zhang Liao on Sun Quan was so strong that to this day, Hefei is still a hurdle that he cannot overcome.
So he said nothing, but in his heart he wanted to capture Hefei all the time to get a glimpse of the Central Plains.
Lu Xun quickly took the opportunity and said:
"Your Majesty, destroying the bandits is not a day's work. We must strengthen the country for a long time. The people in the mountains and rivers will cause harm to the country for a long time, and the local officials cannot bear their disturbance."
"Therefore, it is better to conquer Shanyue sooner rather than later. Now that Zhuge Ke is willing to lead the army, why don't Your Majesty respond?"
"If it can be done, it will bring disaster to our country of Wu. If it can't be done, Zhuge Ke will not be a veteran in the army and will not hurt the popularity of the people."
Sun Quan said: "I'm afraid it will be a waste of money and food."
Lu Xun persuaded again: "Three years ago, I went to your Majesty to persuade the generals to open up more fields in Jingzhou. In addition, there are new agricultural tools passed down from Shu. Now there is no shortage of grain in Jingzhou."
"I heard that Zhuge Ke's strategy to conquer Shanyue in Danyang was to use both pacification and suppression, which is very different from the previous strategy of just suppressing."
“How about we first order him to stay and guard in the border county? With the new farm tools, he will be able to raise food by himself soon, and then let him go into the depths of Danyang. How about that?”
Sun Quan saw Lu Xun taking the initiative to support someone, which was rare. Then he remembered that Zhuge Jin was old, and he felt something in his heart:
“Since you said so, it doesn’t matter if I let Zhuge Ke give it a try.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
"If Zhuge Ke can really accomplish this, it means that he is also a good talent. What you did today can be regarded as a talent for the country, and I should thank you for it."
Sun Quan smiled.
After the two of them had finished talking, Sun Quan hosted a banquet for Lu Xun in the palace, and then he was released from the palace.
Lu Xun came out of the palace and did not go back to his own house directly. Instead, he turned around and went to the prime minister's house.
The prime minister of Wu State at this time was Gu Yong. He was taciturn and fair and selfless, and was highly valued by Sun Quan.
Lu Xun knew that when it came to knowing the military strength, he was as confident as anyone in Wu.
But when it comes to matters in the court, he is somewhat lacking, so he did not mention the prince's affairs easily in the palace before.
For such a big matter, you still need to consult the important officials in the court.
He considered himself to be concerned about national affairs, so he believed that Gu Yong would not refuse his request.
Gu Yong heard that the general had come to visit, and he quickly came out to greet him personally:
“Why did Boyan arrive so suddenly?”
The four surnames in Jiangdong are Lu, Zhu, Gu and Zhang. The four families have always interacted with each other.
In addition, the current representatives of the Lu family and the Gu family are Lu Xun and Gu Yong, so they are officials in the same court and have a good personal relationship.
However, Gu Yong was older, so Lu Xun generally treated him as an elder.
“Xun has been away from Jianye for a long time. It’s rare to come back this time, so I came to visit the Prime Minister.”
“Let’s talk first.”
One is the general who guards half of the territory, and the other is the prime minister who manages the entire country. The two naturally had some exchanges, and each talked about the affairs of the DPRK and Jingzhou.
Lu Xun asked Gu Yong to screen everyone away, and then he brought the topic to the prince.
He would not say that the prince took the initiative to talk about it. Instead, he said that it was his concern for the prince:
"Since ancient times, I have never heard of a prince being away from home all the time while the master is at home. Now that your majesty has arranged it like this, I personally think that there is something wrong with it."
“For the sake of the country’s stability, I would like to ask the Prime Minister to persuade His Majesty. I am willing to join Jiwei.”
After hearing this, Gu Yong frowned, but he did not agree immediately. After a while, he sighed:
“What Bo Yan said makes sense, but he just chose a bad time!”
Lu Xun was stunned: "Xun doesn't understand what the prime minister said."
Gu Yong shook his head and whispered:
"Bo Yan knows, your majesty just killed someone a few days ago?"
“But the Wei thieves are secretly planning to hide in Fan?”
Lu Xun thought for a moment and then remembered something.
Yinfan was a man who crossed the river and came to join him because of his extraordinary bearing, good eloquence, and good sociability.
First gained His Majesty's trust, and later had extensive contacts with important officials in the DPRK.
Since the self-defense general Quan Cong, many courtiers treated him with respect.
Even Zhu Ju, the general of the left, said that he had the talent of a king's assistant.
Even Tingwei Hao Pu publicly complained about him, saying that he was the only one who should serve as Tingwei and he would like to serve under him.
Unexpectedly, in December last year, Yinfan was planning to cause chaos. Fortunately, it was discovered in advance and it was not allowed to cause chaos.
Even so, many ministers in the DPRK were also implicated.
The first person to be affected was Tingwei Haopu, who was reprimanded by Sun Quan:
“You have been praising Yinfan profusely and blaming the court on his behalf, saying that it was the court that made him lose his talents, which made Yinfan rebel. It is all your fault!”
So Hao Pu, one of the Nine Qings, was forced to commit suicide.
"As for the second person who was implicated, he was General Zhu Zifan (also known as Zhu Ju). Alas, he should be called General Zuo now. He has been imprisoned at home and is not allowed to go out."
Speaking of this, Gu Yong's face became a little ugly:
“This matter has already made everyone in the court feel in danger. I never thought that a few days ago, Wei Wen, Zhuge Zhi, whom Your Majesty sent overseas last year, happened to be back again.”
“Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi are back?”
Hearing the news, Lu Xun was a little surprised.
When Sun Quan sent two men to lead the fleet to sea, he, Shangshu, strongly opposed it.
“It would be great if I could come back, it wouldn’t be in vain...”
Speaking of this, Lu Xun suddenly remembered what Sun Quan had said to him at the beginning when he entered the palace.
“What’s so good!”
Gu Yong shook his head and smiled bitterly:
"At the beginning, more than ten thousand soldiers went to sea, but now only half of them have returned. Only thousands of wild people from Yizhou have returned. It is a waste of money and food, and the lives of the soldiers!"
“His Majesty was furious and ordered the two men to be imprisoned. Two days ago, he was punished for violating the edict and failing to achieve any results.”
Lu Xun couldn't help but lost his voice after hearing this:
“I didn’t expect that so many things happened in the court these days?”
No wonder His Majesty agreed to Zhuge Ke's matter so easily. I think this is part of the reason.
After all, when Your Majesty sent more than 10,000 soldiers to sea, it was on the pretext of plundering overseas people to supplement the Wu Kingdom.
Now that he has spent so much money, food and soldiers' lives, but only got thousands of civilians in exchange, it is better to let Zhuge Ke go ahead and do it. At least he guarantees that he can get 40,000 soldiers.
"Yes, there is some chaos in the court now, and His Majesty has been in a bad mood. If you mention this kind of thing at this time, I'm afraid it will backfire!"
Gu Yong shook his head and said.
When Lu Xun heard this, his face became even more worried:
"What should we do? After all, if the matter of the prince remains undecided for a long time, I'm afraid..."
Gu Yong pondered for a while and then said: "Although the matter of the prince should not be mentioned rashly now, there is someone who can test it for the prince."
"who?"
“The second prince.”
(End of this chapter)