Late Han Zhao Tang

Chengdu, the governor's residence.

"How is the magistrate's condition?"

When Sun Quan and Fa Zheng arrived at the mansion, they stopped the physician who was coming out of the house and asked him questions.

"Envoy~"

The physician hesitated for a moment, then said, "The assassin coated the arrowheads with a poison, and the arrowheads in the arms have already been removed. However, the arrowhead in the cheek is near the head, and my medical skills are insufficient, so I dare not remove it without authorization. The situation is uncertain now, and we need to see if there is a physician who dares to remove the arrowhead in the cheek."

"Has the poison from the arrowhead been neutralized?" Sun Quan asked.

The physician said, "I have prescribed the medicine and instructed the servants to prepare it, but it is unknown whether it will cure the poison, nor whether the magistrate can drink it."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan looked extremely worried, abandoned the physician, and hurried into the house.

Upon entering the room, they saw Sun Ce lying on the couch, while the weeping women were driven out.

"Brother!"

Sun Quan rushed to the side of the bed in two quick steps and called out softly.

"Zhongmou!"

Sun Ce's arrow was embedded in his left cheek. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wound was red and swollen, making it almost impossible for Sun Ce to speak loudly. He could only whisper so as not to aggravate the wound.

“Brother, you have committed too many killings. Now you have been assassinated by your own disciples. I should take this as a warning!” Sun Ce said in a low voice.

Sun Quan wiped away his tears and wept, saying, "Brother, you should take care of your health so that you can achieve great things in the future."

Sun Ce grasped Sun Quan's hand and said, "To restore the Sun family, to control all of Ba and Shu, and to launch a northern expedition against China is my ambition. However, I am now in decline and regret that I cannot continue my father's ambition. Zhongmou is intelligent and his ambition is no less than mine. From now on, you will be the one to lead the army."

Sun Quan was moved to tears, a sight that made everyone exclaim how brotherly and respectful they were!
Gently patting Sun Quan's back, Sun Ce let out a long sigh and asked, "Have Xu Jing, Wang Shang, and Xu Kun arrived yet?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I have already sent someone to urge them on, and the three gentlemen are still on their way!" Han Dang said, bowing.

"Ok!"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Jing, Wang Shang, and Xu Kun arrived one after another.

Upon seeing Sun Ce lying on his sickbed, the three of them were all taken aback. Regardless of their inner thoughts, their faces all revealed sorrow.

"My lord!"

Sun Ce looked at Xu Jing and said, "I regret that I did not heed your advice, and instead I have suffered this calamity!"

Xu Jing said sadly, "Your Excellency has rendered meritorious service in Bashu, and you are surely protected by Heaven. I believe you will recover!"

Sun Ce shook his head and said, "The arrow wound is getting worse and harder to heal, and I feel that my life is coming to an end. I have summoned you all here today to entrust you with important matters."

As he spoke, Sun Ce looked at the six people beside the couch and said, “The world is in chaos. Zhang Yu has unified China, but Liaodong, Jiaoling, Jiangzuo, and Nan Chu are not yet at peace. My Bashu region has the dangers of towering mountains and the abundance of fertile land. The southern regions have submitted, which is enough to establish a separatist regime. Unfortunately, I am about to die midway and it is difficult to lead you all on a northern expedition to China.”

"If I were to die suddenly, my son would still be young, and among my brothers, only Zhongmou is the eldest. I only hope that you all can assist Zhongmou and treat the women and children of my Sun family well!"

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively looked at Sun Quan, who was silently weeping.

"Zhongmou, step forward!"

Sun Ce beckoned Sun Quan forward, handed him the prepared seal of office, and said weakly, "When my father passed away, he bestowed the seal of office upon me, and now I shall pass it upon you. In leading the troops of Ba and Shu, making decisive moves between armies, and contending with the world, you are not as good as me. However, in selecting the virtuous and capable, and in ensuring that everyone does their best to protect Ba and Shu, I am not as good as you."

"All matters concerning Sichuan and Chongqing are now entrusted to your command. Do not fail the expectations of your father and me!"

"Yi Gong bestowed the seal upon Zhongmou, and all his sons bowed in respect!"

Han Dang hung the seal symbolizing the governor of Yizhou on Sun Quan's waist.

Upon seeing this, the remaining four men bowed and said, "Greetings, Governor of Yizhou!"

After everyone paid their respects, Sun Ce said to Xu Jing, "If Zhongmou is incompetent, you may take it for yourself. If the world is about to be unified, the people of Ba and Shu will be restless. It is the right path to slowly return north. Do not take the step of conquering Shu."

"promise!"

Xu Jing served Sun Ce simply because Bashu was a peaceful place and he felt that Sun Ce and his son treated people reasonably well. However, now that Sun Ce has entrusted him with an important task, he suddenly feels the weight on his shoulders and dares not fail to wholeheartedly assist Sun Quan.

Then, Sun Ce looked at Fa Zheng and said, "Sir, you have the talent of Liang Ping, but unfortunately I cannot follow your strategy to launch a northern expedition against China and achieve hegemony. I hope you will assist my brother well in the future. If Zhongmou encounters any indecisive matters, he can consult the military advisor for a grand plan, and he will surely get good advice."

"Greetings, strategist!" Sun Quan stopped crying and bowed to Fa Zheng.

"Your Excellency is too courteous!"

Seeing Sun Ce entrust him with such a task, Fa Zheng was deeply moved.

"I am the General-in-Chief, in charge of all the armies in Ba and Shu. Zhongmou is not familiar with military affairs. If any rebellion breaks out, I will trouble you to lead the army to quell it," Sun Ce instructed Xu Kun.

"promise!"

Xu Kun accepted the offer without any hesitation.

"Where is the document?!"

"I am here!"

Wang Shang squeezed to the side of the bed, awaiting Sun Ce's instructions.

Wang Shang, courtesy name Wenbiao, was from Qi County, Guanghan Commandery. His great-grandfather was Wang Tang, the Commandant of the Capital Region. Both his grandfather and father served as officials. Therefore, the Wang family was one of the most prominent families not only in Guanghan but also in Sichuan.

Wang Shang was renowned for his talent and learning from a young age, and his reputation was prominent in the region. He initially served Liu Yan, but his official position was not prominent. After Sun Jian conquered Ba and Shu, he was appointed as the Chief Administrator, and recommended many talented people to the Sun family, which earned him the great favor of Sun Ce.

“You are a native of Shu, and Zhongmou has succeeded to the throne. If you cannot win over the people, I will trouble you to do more for the Sun family!” Sun Ce said.

"I obey!" Wang Shang replied.

After arranging everything, Sun Ce, citing fatigue, dismissed everyone and left Sun Quan to handle diplomatic matters himself.

When Fa Zheng left, he had some concerns and deliberately stayed behind to ask, "My lord, although Sun Quan has great ambitions, his decisiveness is not as good as yours, nor is it as good as Prince Yi. Prince Yi is very similar to you, my lord. Why not choose him to succeed as governor?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce suppressed his discomfort and explained, "Sun Yi is hot-tempered and easily angered, and he has not shown much kindness. He is far inferior to Zhongmou. Moreover, I was defeated because of my rashness, how can I repeat the same mistake? Zhongmou may not have great military talent, but he has wisdom that is unmatched by ordinary people. Entrusting him with important tasks would be a blessing for Bashu and for our Sun family!"

"Your Excellency possesses profound wisdom and foresight, which I cannot match!"

Seeing that Sun Ce's words made sense, Fa Zheng bowed respectfully and slowly took his leave.

Outside, Sun Quan was discussing important matters with others. When he saw Fa Zheng, he asked him about the important matters.

“Military Advisor, my elder brother is seriously ill and bedridden, while envoys from Liu and Cao are in the city. What are your thoughts on this?” Sun Quan asked.

Fa Zheng humbly asked, "What are your opinions, gentlemen?"

Xu Jing said, “With roads cut off, Han has lost the empire, and the governors of the province are like the feudal lords of the Seven Kingdoms. Now Tang is like Qin, with the potential to dominate the world. Now Cao Cao and Liu Bei are seeking an alliance, how can we refuse? If we do not, Yizhou will be isolated, and the situation will be perilous!”

Wang Shang hesitated for a moment and said, "If the lord is in danger, Sichuan and Chongqing will be thrown into turmoil. Without external assistance, and if the Tang people invade again, Yizhou may be in danger of being destroyed!"

Xu Kun remained silent, clearly not in a hurry to express his opinion.

Sun Quan pondered for a moment and said, "Before my brother was seriously injured, I was willing to ally with Cao Cao and Liu Bei to resist Zhang Yu. But now my brother is seriously injured and on the verge of death. If anything unfortunate happens to him, I fear that Ba and Shu will be in turmoil. Seeing that the three families are forming an alliance and that Ba and Shu are beset by internal and external troubles, I fear that Zhang Yu will attack us first. Cao Cao and Liu Bei are far away in Wu and Chu. How can they come to our aid in the west?"

"Therefore, in my opinion, it would be better to refuse Cao Cao and Liu Bei's offer to form an alliance, send an envoy to Chang'an, follow the example of Goujian, request an official position, present a grand gift, befriend Tang Qing, and win Zhang Yu's favor."

"Zhang Yu, seeing the flattery of my Bashu, will feel no worries and will surely lead his troops to attack Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Cao Cao and Liu Bei have more than 100,000 troops, while Zhang Yu controls the whole country. If the two fight, my province can sit back and watch the tigers fight. At that time, Bashu will be stable and Cao Cao and Liu Bei will be exhausted. Then we can form an alliance with them and use the strength of the three to resist Zhang Yu."

A hint of surprise flashed in Fa Zheng's eyes. He hadn't expected Sun Quan to be so fickle, changing his attitude two ways in just one day. Such a diplomatic approach was purely driven by self-interest; it was truly rare to see someone so young possessing such wisdom.

"The general's strategy is good, but I fear Zhang Yu will not fall for it," Wang Shang said worriedly.

When Sun Ce was still alive, people did not dare to call him Sun Quan, but only the general with the surname Hu.

Fa Zheng said, "General's opinion is wise. Judging from Zhang Yu's movements, he is stationed in Jingzhou, diligently training his navy, intending to annex Wu and Yue and unify the world. There is no need for a navy to attack Ba and Shu. I fear that Zhang Yu will attack Ba and Shu before his navy is fully developed. Therefore, if we follow Goujian's example and serve Fuchai, we can lure Fuchai to launch a northern expedition to the Central Plains, thus accumulating national strength so that we can take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to attack Hanzhong again."

"As for how to get Zhang Yu to attack Cao Cao and Liu Bei first, we might as well follow the example of Zhang Lu. When Zhang Yu conquered Longyou, he asked when Hanzhong would surrender. Yan Pu replied that when the Central Plains were unified, Hanzhong would surrender on its own. Therefore, General, you can send an envoy to Chang'an and say that when Wu and Yue are unified, Ba and Shu will follow Dou Rong's example and submit. Zhang Yu will be overjoyed to hear this and will surely rush to attack Wu and Yue."

"Wu and Yue have the natural defenses of the Yangtze River. Although the Tang soldiers are skilled, they are not good at naval warfare. Therefore, if Zhang Yu rashly launches a southern expedition, he may be in danger of being overthrown. If Zhang Yu attacks slowly and gradually, when the situation becomes critical, our Sichuan and Chongqing naval forces can sail down the river and defeat the powerful enemy, causing the Tang people to suffer a great defeat."

"General, your insight is brilliant!"

"The strategist is truly wise!"

Seeing that Fa Zheng's arguments were reasonable and well-founded, everyone was convinced and developed even greater respect for Sun Quan, who had just strongly advocated sending Cao Cao and Liu Bei's envoys back east. (End of Chapter)