Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3278 Touching Conscience

Perhaps when every dynasty is about to fall, there are always people who will be shocked and shout out a warning, such as shouting, "The Han Dynasty is almost over! It's over!"

But even if everyone heard this voice, they would still do different things.

Then in every dynasty, different kinds of people would shout when they sensed danger, but still no one listened.

Perhaps it is because he has cried wolf too many times and has attracted a lot of ridicule.

  Look at that idiot!

Sun Jian died halfway through his journey, and Sun Ce died before he could rise. Perhaps it was a coincidence to some extent, but for the Shandong gentry and the scholars in Jiangdong who admired prophecies, this might represent a meaning -

  The Sun family doesn’t have that destiny!

In fact, from the perspective of an outsider, the bickering in Jiangdong was not a big deal, but more of a farce. But in the eyes of the people involved at the time, these were the most correct things.

Is this atmosphere of "factional strife" in Jiangdong entirely caused by the Sun family?

Obviously not.

In the early days of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang lacked knowledge and had no idea how to govern the country. Even though he understood people's hearts and nature, he could not enforce the rules and regulations alone every day, so he inevitably became a peach in the hands of the children of the gentry.

Emperor Wu of Han wanted to solve this problem, but he didn't know how to solve it, so Dong Zhongshu gave him a walking stick. Emperor Wu of Han immediately felt that walking on three legs would be stable, but he didn't expect that although walking on three legs was indeed stable, he would never be able to run again, and he even forgot how to walk on two legs.

During the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, the government also wanted to curb the growing local aristocratic families, but the Party Ban only triggered greater party struggles. Some keyboard warriors in later generations called for a clever strategy of pulling one faction against another, but in fact, without an advanced program, it was nothing but a pipe dream. Just like the Guo Party in later generations also shouted the heroic slogan of "100,000 young people and 100,000 blood", and there were also a small number of people who were concerned about governing the country with integrity, but they could not get rid of the shackles of class and could not jump up.

The struggles in Jiangdong are generally limited to verbal fights.

But there is blood occasionally.

When intellectuals quarrel, they basically just fight if they are not convinced, which can also result in death.

The general way is to first occupy the moral high ground, claiming to be a gentleman and positioning the opponent as a villain. Regardless of whether there is evidence of a crime, first say that the opponent has bad intentions. This kind of heart-piercing argument is speechless. When intellectuals act like hooligans, they use the most high-sounding reasons to do the most filthy and despicable things, just like some experts say that air pollution is caused by bicycles, and that farmers can buy houses in the city and drive back to the countryside to farm...

The key point is that these literati and aristocrats, who are similar to the experts of later generations, happen to hold more or less power in the country and influence the allocation of national resources, so the harm is very great.

  So, can these literati and aristocrats who could not be killed or eliminated in later generations be completely eliminated in Jiangdong during the Han Dynasty?

Therefore, it is not surprising that Sun Quan has such an extremely contradictory attitude towards Zhou Yu. Sun Quan's extreme lack of security caused him to suspect that everyone was out to harm him, and also made Sun Quan hold on to the power in his hands tightly, unwilling to let go, because this was his last straw.

Sun Quan and Liu Bei are completely different.

Liu Bei had a rough life and only gained power in his old age. He could take and let go of power. After Sun Quan's death, would he leave power to his own children or to his brother's posthumous son?

Obviously, Sun Quan couldn't let it go. Even though Sun Quan inherited his power from his elder brother, he believed that this power was his and must be passed on to his children, and he regarded this as a guiding principle.

If Sun Quan had not been left with no other options, he would not have dared to delegate power to Zhou Yu.

Because he was afraid, he was afraid that what Sun Ce had said before would really become a reality.

He was afraid of losing power and losing everything. Although he would say that it was for the Sun family's foundation, he actually knew in his heart that it was only for himself!

When Sun Ce fought in Jiangdong in the early years, it was undoubtedly a brilliant move.

But soon, Sun Ce made a stupid move.

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is said that Sun Ce exchanged the imperial seal for Yuan Shu's troops, but in fact the reason why Yuan Shu agreed to let Sun Ce go to Jiangdong was that Sun Ce said that his father had done a favor to the Jiangdong gentry before, and he could take Jiangdong for Yuan Shu without any effort, and Yuan Shu would not have to invest much, so Yuan Shu returned Sun Ce's troops to him and did not give him any additional troops.

So from this perspective, conquering Jiangdong was the highlight of Sun Ce's life.

But Sun Ce is too realistic...

Perhaps in later generations, being more realistic is a good thing, and can even be a praised virtue, but unfortunately in the Han Dynasty, what matters is loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness.

So in the eyes of the literati and aristocrats in Jiangdong, Sun Quan's father killed the prefect for no reason, and his brother killed the aristocrats for no reason. Now this damn Sun family bastard says he wants to be honest and trustworthy, and pursue truth, goodness and beauty. Who will believe him?

Perhaps when Sun Ce was dying, he also knew that he was leaving Sun Quan with a mess, so Sun Ce once said to Zhang Zhao, "If Zhongmou is not in charge, you can take it yourself!"

In fact, it is the same as what Liu Bei said in Baidi City. The reason why Mr. Luo deleted Sun Ce's words was to make this sentence Liu Bei's copyright, otherwise there would be no shocking effect of entrusting his son to the care of others in Baidi City.

On this basis, Sun Quan's contradictory feelings towards Zhou Yu are very easy to understand.

The same was true of Sun Quan's attitude towards Zhang Zhao.

He trusted Zhou Yu, but was also wary of him.

It's not about being wary of Zhou Yu as a person, but about being wary of all the military forces that Zhou Yu represents.

  Sun Quan knew very well that if he allowed these generals to grow in power, he might be able to control them while Zhou Yu was alive, but what if Zhou Yu died? By then, the arrogant generals with too much military power would conspire to nominate Zhou Yu's children to take the throne, and then would Sun Quan have to step down obediently?

If such a situation really happened, what would Sun Quan use to confront the military?

  Take the top of the head?

Even if Zhou Yu was indeed trustworthy and would not betray the Sun family, what about Zhou Yu's brothers, children and relatives? Sun Quan was afraid, because he felt that the two words "Zhou Yu" did not refer to one person, but a large group of people!

Sun Ce and Liu Bei both had the courage to tell the world that if their heirs were not up to the task, then "you can take it yourself!"

But Sun Quan didn't have the courage to do so. He could only shout, "Check your conscience!"

In fact, even now, Sun Quan still has the opportunity to restore the confidence of the Jiangdong gentry.

But...

……

……

Zhou Yu was touching his chest at that moment.

It's not that I really have to ask myself, but his illness has been recurring for a long time.

As the saying goes, men are afraid of coughing and women are afraid of diarrhea.

In order to cure his illness, Zhou Yu took elixirs. Although they could temporarily stimulate his physical potential, they actually drained his vital energy. His condition became more serious once the effect of the medicine wore off.

  Taking medicine randomly can really kill you!

At this moment, in the study room in the inner courtyard of the mansion, Zhou Yu was sitting opposite Lu Su, who had rushed over in a hurry, and both of them had grim expressions.

Zhou Yu looked ugly because of his illness, while Lu Su looked ugly because of his worry.

The decoration expenses in the Zhou family study are naturally among the best in Jiangdong. Whether it is hanging on the wall, placed on the table, or the most inconspicuous dust-removing item in the corner, they are all meticulously carved.

But at this moment, the two of them turned a blind eye to these objects, with only sadness and sorrow in their eyes.

"Jiangdong..." After an unknown amount of time, Lu Su finally sighed, "How could these people be like this! How could they be like this!"

  If Sun Quan knew what Zhu Zhi was doing, how could Zhou Yu and Lu Su not understand?

Zhu Zhi was trying to preserve himself and the status of the Zhu family.

However, in order to preserve himself, Zhu Zhi's current actions are tantamount to selling out Jiangdong.

He gave up the future of Jiangdong just to make the Zhu family live a better life.

To be honest, there is certainly something wrong with Jiangdong’s system.

This is also a problem left over from the previous generation of the Sun family.

Because Sun Jian didn't understand politics, Sun Ce didn't understand it either. It was not until he was beaten to a pulp that he was able to turn back, but it was already too late to reverse the situation.

Zhou Yu was also aware of the flaws in Jiangdong's system, so he had been trying to reduce the influence of the older generation as much as possible, even including himself.

It is true that everyone is selfish, but if one uses this statement as an excuse to do sneaky things, whose fault is it?

Does Zhou Yu have selfish motives? Yes, he does.

But at least Zhou Yu did not put his own selfish desires above the Sun family's foundation.

Lu Su also had selfish motives, but he would not sacrifice public interests for selfish motives, so Zhou Yu and Lu Su could chat and get along well. But the problem was that Zhou Yu and Lu Su met a lord who also had selfish motives, Sun Quan.

"I'll go see my lord..." Zhou Yu coughed twice and said softly.

His body was actually very weak and he couldn't even speak loudly, otherwise he would easily cause severe coughing.

According to this situation, if Sun Quan had any difficult questions, he should have come to ask for advice, but now it has become Zhou Yu who has to take the initiative to go to ask for instructions.

"Gongjin! Your body... just rest here and take care of yourself! I'll go first!" Lu Su stood up and walked out without saying anything else, "Come here! Prepare the horses!"

Zhou Yu stretched out his hand to call out, but all he could do was cough. When he finished coughing, Lu Su was gone. He could only close his eyes and sigh.

Sigh faintly.

……

……

"Zi Jing wants to see someone?"

Sun Quan frowned.

After a moment of silence, Sun Quan nodded and said, "Please come in!"

When Lu Su saw Sun Quan, he bowed to the ground and said, "My lord! I am in trouble!"

Even if Sun Quan pretended to be calm, his heart beat fast and his face twitched when he heard this. He forced a smile and said, "Zijing, are you kidding? Jiangdong... Jiangdong is not that difficult?"

Lu Su raised his head, his face serious, "It's not Jiangdong that is in trouble, it's my lord that is in trouble!"

Sun Quan's expression finally changed, "But is there anyone plotting a rebellion?!"

Lu Su shook his head and said, "There is no rebellion."

"Oh..." Sun Quan sat down again, "Then... where do you start talking about this difficult topic? Come on, Zijing, sit down first, and we'll talk later."

Lu Su thanked him, then walked to the side and sat down. "Now that Fei and Cao are arguing, what do you think, my lord?"

Sun Quan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No conclusion has been reached yet."

"Who do you think can win, sir?" Lu Su asked again.

Sun Quan sighed, "I thought that Prime Minister Cao had a million men and could use the emperor's name to conquer Guanzhong, which would be a win. But now... it seems that Fei's cavalry is really tenacious and is fighting Cao's army in Hedong. Cao's army has been on a long expedition and may not have enough food and grass... Now it seems that Fei's cavalry has a better chance of winning..."

Lu Su said in a deep voice: "If this is the case, Zhu Junli's attack on Jiangling may appear to have gained a county, but in fact, he has harmed the lord!"

"How...how can you say that?" Sun Quan felt a little proud when he saw Lu Su impeaching Zhu Zhi. After all, Zhu Zhi represented the military's veteran system. Lu Su's clear statement that Zhu Zhi was guilty meant that Lu Su would not wear the same robe as Zhu Zhi.

That's good.

Lu Su said again: "If Zhu Junli takes Jiangling, it will cut off the retreat of the lord. This matter not only offends the prime minister, but also makes the lord go back on his word and break his oath and alliance, making the lord bear the name of injustice. If there is a crisis in the future, who can help? Now if the world is united, everyone in Jiangdong can surrender, except the lord. "

Sun Quan let out a long breath.

Just like the Battle of Chibi in history, the literati and nobles in Jiangdong did not like Sun Quan, so they did not care about his future.

"What should we do now?" Sun Quan asked.

"My lord, you should ally with Cao to resist Fei!" Lu Su said in a deep voice, "Most of the princes in the world have perished, only Fei and Cao survived in Jiangbei. Now Cao has been fighting for a long time and Fei is strong. If my lord wants to keep Jiangdong, he should ally with Cao."

Sun Quan frowned and said, "Now Fei and Cao are fighting. If Cao's army wins, they can advance to Guanzhong and take over Longyou in the north. After they recover, Jiangdong will be in danger. How can we resist Cao then?"

In the previous strategic layout, Jiangdong actually had the intention of stabbing Cao Cao in the back. The purpose was to let Fei and Cao fight each other in the north, giving Jiangdong the opportunity and time to develop.

But the problem now is that Cao Cao is far from as powerful as he appears.

Although Zhou Yu's initial estimate was wrong, he was a first-class figure after all. He quickly determined, based on various intelligence, that Cao Cao was now at a great disadvantage. In particular, the news conveyed back by his spies in Yuzhou made Zhou Yu feel that Fei Qian was unfathomable and a powerful enemy of the time.

In the Han Dynasty, there were indeed few children of the aristocracy who understood the concept of confidentiality.

Although the information Zhou Yu received was of unknown origin and of very poor timeliness, he was still able to find out some of Fei Qian's flaws from it.

Especially the matter of the Treaty of Shanshan made Zhou Yu sigh.

At first, Zhou Yu, like the other children of Shandong noble families, thought that Fei Qian was just bragging. But he never expected that he would actually receive the letter of surrender from Shanshan Kingdom and the signed Treaty of Shanshan King's City.

Afterwards, the Duan family of Longyou brought people from the Western Regions to Xu County, causing a sensation.

The Jiangdong spies naturally saw it with their own eyes and heard it with their own ears.

Zhou Yu judged that it was not that Cao Cao did not want to cover up the Shanshan incident, but that it was simply impossible to cover it up.

And from a certain perspective, when the Shanshan Kingdom's treaty was delivered to Xu County, it proved that Fei Qian had been prepared...

This preparation is not just aimed at the Western Regions.

Therefore, Zhou Yu imagined that if he were Cao Cao, the first thing he would consider after learning the news would be to withdraw his troops.

But Cao Cao just refused to withdraw his troops!

Then Zhou Yu understood that it was not that Cao Cao did not want to retreat, but it was very likely that it was simply difficult for Cao Cao to retreat!

Zhou Yu also understood the nature of the Jiangdong gentry, so after making some inquiries about the situation of the gentry and literati in Shandong, Zhou Yu confirmed one thing.

If Cao Cao loses this battle, I'm afraid his life will end in Heluo...

For Jiangdong, there is still a big river that can be regarded as a natural barrier. But for Shandong, is there any place that can stop Fei Qian's cavalry like a big river?

No, no!

So Cao Cao could only grit his teeth and hold on. Cao Cao sent Shanshan and others from the Western Regions to Xu County, perhaps to let the Shandong gentry and literati know that Fei Qian was now strong and powerful, and it would only take a moment for him to destroy the country and slaughter the nation. Only loyalty and unity could resist.

But it is obvious that the children of Shandong noble families are exactly the same as the people in Jiangdong...

If you max out your internal fighting skills, you'd be too embarrassed to see people if you're one level short. But if you're fighting an outsider, your kneeling skills would be maxed out, and saving a foreign dick would be worth a lifetime medal of honor for a medical student who becomes an official.

"Prime Minister Cao..." Sun Quan was still a little hesitant after listening to Lu Su's analysis, "Is it really like this... Hmm, so decadent?"

This can't be done, right?

It is no wonder that Sun Quan would be suspicious, because no matter in Shandong or Jiangdong, these counselors always like to say that Sun Quan's forehead is black and disaster is coming. At first, Sun Quan was frightened, but later he found that these idiots regarded Sun Quan as an idiot, so his suspicion naturally became more and more serious, and his immunity to the so-called disaster was getting higher and higher.

Moreover, unlike Zhou Yu and Lu Su who focused more on military considerations, Sun Quan's thinking mode focuses more on politics.

"Then, according to Zijing's opinion, what should we do?" Sun Quan did not directly express his thoughts.

Lu Su said in a deep voice: "My Lord, please immediately dismiss Zhu Junli from his post as the commander-in-chief and return Jiangling to Cao's army! Let's revise the alliance and fight against the Hussars together!"

Sun Quan stood up and walked around the hall with his hands behind his back.

It was not difficult to remove Zhu Zhi, because Zhu Zhi had suffered a defeat and had attacked Jiangling without authorization. Sun Quan had some ideas about how to deal with Zhu Zhi, but the problem was how to reconcile with Cao Cao and make peace...

  Isn't this like stabbing Cao Cao in the anus and then saying sorry, my hand slipped?

"If my lord has this intention, I am willing to be your envoy and go north to revise the alliance!" Lu Su said, cupping his hands.

"Hmm..." Sun Quan pondered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "How is the governor's condition?"