Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 604 The Prince Flees
Jiangdong, east of Jianye City, on the top of the mountain.

The sky gradually darkens, and the night sky is bright and starry.

The humid east wind blew slowly, and a giant cylindrical Kongming lantern wrapped in silk, with a diameter of more than ten feet and a height of nearly two feet, slowly rose.

Prince Liu Jing put his hands behind his back and squinted his eyes as he looked into the distance at the Kongming lanterns floating away to the west.

The night wind blew behind him, and his cloak stuck tightly to his waist and back.

After standing there for a long time, he took a long breath and asked Gu Yong and Lu Yi who were not far away: "Is this a Kongming lantern?"

Gu Yong nodded: "As the prince has seen, this is the Kongming lantern made by Huang. The Grand Marshal named it after the courtesy name of Huang's husband Zhuge Kongming because of its shape."

Lu Yi waved to the guards on the side, and the two guards pulled the ropes, gradually pulling the floating Kongming lantern back to above their heads.

He also stepped forward to take the rope and tried it, then said, "It weighs about seven or eight pounds, enough to lift a rabbit."

Liu Jing still looked up and saw that the flame of the grease ball was about to go out. He had made up his mind and said to Gu Yong, "I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Yuan Tan, to improve the Kongming lantern. This thing cannot be lacking in the future naval battles between the two armies."

"Yes, I understand."

Gu Yong agreed, as he really couldn't leave. Otherwise, when Sun Quan was in power in Jiangdong, he would have gone to Guanzhong to compete for the inheritance of Cai's school of thought.

Although Zhuge Jin and others who were sent to copy Cai Gong's posthumous letter, they did not get the Golden Book, which made him very regretful.

Liu Jing looked at Lu Yi again and said, "Mr. Boyan, I want to go to Guanzhong to study. Would you like to go with me?"

It is no secret that they father and son have a good personal relationship with the Grand Marshal of Guanzhong.

If his father had not been forced to become emperor due to the pressure, there would not be the current situation of opposition.

Lu Yi was surprised at Liu Jing's courage and innocence, but he also understood Liu Jing's choice. He said, "Your Highness, I will be heading to the southern part of Kuaiji soon to fight the Shanyue with He Qi, Huang Gai, and Zhu Zhi. It will be difficult to get away. This is a national affair, and we should not be distracted."

He also understood the bottom line of Guanzhong and did not think that Liu Jing would be detained or encounter any risks if he went to Guanzhong.

With the pride of the Grand Marshal, he did not bother to detain Liu Jing.

Liu Jing had not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony. Although he was an excellent person, he was essentially indecisive and pedantic. This was probably the reason why Guanzhong released Liu Jing.

It’s just that Liu Jing thinks that taking Lu Yi to Guanzhong would have some benefits.

Lu Yi is very smart, and his ability to adapt to changing circumstances is unmatched among the civil and military officials in Jiangdong.

If you go to Guanzhong, you will be able to find many clues.

Unlike me, my goals are too obvious and my insight is insufficient.

He wanted to persuade him, but he felt that if Lu Yi agreed, he would be interfered with by the court.

As for Liu Jing himself, many people actually disliked this prince who was close to Guanzhong, but they did not dare to offend him too much.

There is a huge contradiction within the southeastern court. On the one hand, they want to find a wise and brave hero who can lead the court to fight against Guanzhong; on the other hand, such a hero will instinctively seek centralization, which conflicts with the fundamental interests of the big families and heroes.

Liu Jing has already shown these traits. It is normal for young people to be naive and kind. As they experience more, they will naturally change.

In terms of military affairs and studying, Liu Jing has talent and the right learning attitude.

However, he had a good relationship with the Grand Marshal of Guanzhong, which made many people very conflicted. They wanted to follow Liu Jing and land safely, but they were also afraid that Liu Jing would centralize power in the future, or that after completing the centralization with blood, he would betray the court and be the first to surrender to Guanzhong.

Therefore, the people around Liu Jing were complex. There were surrenderists who supported him to maintain close relations with Guanzhong, war factions who supported him to rule the court with power in the future, and there was also no shortage of people who just wanted to get by.

As an emperor, Liu Fu did not have much freedom, but Liu Jing was very free. All factions hoped that Liu Jing could develop along the expected path.

Prime Minister Zhang Zhao's stance was very twisted. On the one hand, he advocated tough internal governance, which was suppressed by Liu Fu, who held a lenient political philosophy. On the other hand, Zhang Zhao was very soft towards foreign countries and even refused to cooperate with Cao Cao, King of Qi, Yuan Shang, King of Zhao, Huang Zu, King of E, and the State of Changsha.

Just retain the Jianghuai region, protect the territory and the people, and wait for changes in the times.

Zhang Zhao was by no means alone. People from Xuhuai, Yanzhou and Yuzhou all supported him.

After all, Zhang Zhao still followed the route of Sun Ce's period, which was to squeeze and crack down on the big families in Jiangdong, compromise with the outside world, defend if he could, and surrender if he couldn't... Anyway, after changing jobs, it didn't affect Zhang Zhao's position as a minister.

Now, in order to please Guanzhong, Zhang Zhao even sent his son to Guanzhong to study.

Guanzhong was not expelled, and Zhang Zhao was not recalled.

Lu Yi was helpless to have such a prime minister in the court. It was fine if the scholars in northern Jiang supported Zhang Zhao, but many local scholars in eastern Jiang also supported Zhang Zhao... and there were even people who flattered him.

In the previous battle for Jingzhou, it was Zhang Zhao who agreed to go to war, and it was also Zhang Zhao who refused to withdraw his troops.

What can Lu Yi do?
We can only fight the Shanyue and accumulate strength.

No matter how the situation changes in the future, he will always be treated preferentially because of his merits in conquering the Shanyue and the elite soldiers and population of the Shanyue.

As for the affairs of the court, he also sensed the internal conflicts that were accumulating and about to erupt, and did not want to get deeply involved.

Their thoughts are confused, their positions are unsteady and they are changing all the time, which makes it difficult for those in charge on the front line to follow them.

During this period of time, he has come to realize that the problem of the court is not with Zhang Zhao alone, the most crucial thing is the attitude of Emperor Liu Fu.

Fundamentally speaking, Liu Fu was unwilling to become emperor and did not have the determination to perish along with his enemies.

The emperor is acting so badly, and the prince wants to go to Guanzhong to watch the fun. What else can Lu Yi do?
The more brilliant the foreign wars Guanzhong waged and the more effective the rest of the officials and people, the more weakened Liu Fu's will to fight against Guanzhong became.

This made it impossible for Jingzhou to fight, as they could not afford to provoke them, so they had no choice but to fight the Shanyue.

I am too lazy to care about how the battlefield in Jingzhou changes. Out of sight, out of mind.

Liu Jing failed to invite Lu Yi, so she returned to the East Palace. The so-called East Palace is currently built on a limited scale.

In the East Palace, Liu Jing was alone in a quiet room, playing with a bronze gear from the pre-Qin period in his hand.

In the past two years, as women from prominent families in Jiangdong were brought into the imperial court, he, who was originally an only son, now has a group of younger brothers and sisters.

As an emperor, Liu Fu has lost his privacy.

He was always accompanied by imperial censors, and his bedroom was surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids at night.

There are many things between them that cannot be communicated with words anymore and can only be expressed through hints and guessing.

Zhang Zhao sent his eldest son to Guanzhong to explore the way in winter, which was actually to pave the way for him.

The big families in Jiangdong will definitely fight back. If the people in Jiangbei cannot suppress them, then changing the emperor will be in line with the tradition of the Later Han Dynasty.

The fact that Sun Ben, Xu Kun and other former Jiangdong soldiers were instigated to rebel was due to the fact that they had suffered oppression.

After these old Jiangdong troops betrayed and fled, the army controlled by the Jiangbei people became fewer and fewer, and the speed at which the Jiangdong big families annexed and encroached on the registered households also became increasingly faster.

If the situation requires, changing the emperor becomes inevitable.

Those little brothers in their cradles had no deep feelings for their father; and since their mother’s family was a prominent family in Jiangdong, they were considered their own people in the eyes of the people of Jiangdong.

As for me, if the situation changes, I will inevitably be doomed.

Don’t be fooled by the large number of supporters...when it comes to the vital interests of the big families, how can they care about this little friendship when they are going all out?
Liu Jing even suspected that the people around him were guiding him to flee to Guanzhong, so that he could follow him to Guanzhong as a loyal minister.

His escape even met the common needs of Liu Fu, Zhang Zhao, the scholars in northern Jiangnan, and the big families in eastern Jiangnan.

After leaving Jiangdong, many families also left their own seeds in Guanzhong.

Then everyone from top to bottom can let go and fight fiercely.

No matter who wins, they will be able to eliminate chronic problems and improve the efficiency of the court.

If I run away, it means that my father will face all kinds of attacks.

Regarding the current situation in the palace, Liu Jing could only sigh secretly.

If they leave with the seeds of each family, they can still survive; if they don’t leave, both father and son will die, and there will be no hope for anyone.

The southeastern court will be like a leaky battleship in the ocean, and rats and whatever else will drown together.

The prince of the pseudo-dynasty in the southeast turned to the light and recognized the Jian'an court as the legitimate government.

As a role model, he will definitely be properly resettled.

(End of this chapter)