The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 554 That’s it
"Your Majesty! What have I done wrong?! Why won't you allow me to go to war?"

Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing knelt in front of Sun Xiu. Both of them looked haggard, especially Puyang Xing, who had tears in his eyes.

Sun Xiu's edict made the two men panic and they felt betrayed.

The two men hurried to the palace to meet Sun Xiu, hoping that Sun Xiu could give them an explanation.

They also didn't understand why they were suddenly being targeted when they were clearly working wholeheartedly for the emperor.

Puyang Xing was fine. Ever since the rebellions broke out in various places, Puyang Xing had been mentally prepared. He knew why the emperor wanted to dismiss him, and people in the court had a lot of opinions about him.

Puyang Xing had long expected that the emperor would punish him and was mentally prepared, so he was relieved after hearing the emperor's edict.

He was not dissatisfied with this, but being dismissed was already very good, and it allowed him to reflect on himself, which meant that there was still a possibility of re-promotion, but he still had to come.

After all, it is necessary to cry to the emperor and express one's loyalty and grievances.

But Zhang Bu obviously couldn't accept it.

When you were controlled by Sun Chen, I risked my life to rescue you. Now that we have just pacified the situation at home, why do you start to distrust me?
This time, Guanqiu Jian gathered a large army and pointed his sword at Jianye. Zhang Bu thought this was a good opportunity for him to make a name for himself.

If you're talking about a land battle, Zhang Bu might be afraid, but if you're talking about a naval battle, do the people of Wei still remember the Battle of Red Cliff?!

How could someone like Guanqiu Jian know how to fight a naval battle? Naval battles are completely different from land battles!

Zhang Budu had already made plans to defeat the enemy's General of Chariots and Cavalry and become famous in China.

As a result, just when he was halfway ready, the emperor suddenly dismissed him.

If the emperor asked someone like Ding Feng or Shi Ji to replace him, Zhang Bu would not think there was anything wrong with it.

But why would you let someone who is far inferior to you go into battle in your place?!
Zhang Bu's face turned red, and he felt humiliated.

Sun Xiu looked calmly at Zhang Bu in front of him, sighed deeply, and explained, "You have never done that. It's just that General Lu feels that you are too dismissive of the Wei people and have no combat experience, so you are not suitable to be the commander."

Zhang Bu was immediately furious. "Your Majesty, is the General Lu you're talking about the General Zhengbei? If that's what he's suggesting, I'm willing to stay in Jianye!"

The General who Conquers the North that Zhang Bu mentioned was Lu Kang's cousin Lu Kai.

The growth trajectories of Lu Kai and Lu Kang are completely different. He really worked his way up from the bottom. He was originally just a county magistrate. Later, he was transferred several times and promoted to county governor. From county governor, he was promoted to captain for his meritorious service. Then he became a governor and was promoted to general for his meritorious service. After Sun Xiu ascended the throne, he became the General of the Northern Expedition.

He is straightforward and strong-willed. He is the kind of person who says what he thinks and is deeply respected by everyone.

Sun Xiu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Guanqiu Jian's attack with a large army is not something to be taken lightly. Furthermore, General Lu is at the front lines, so he can naturally see more than we can. This is just a matter of going out on the expedition. You don't have to be so reckless. In future expeditions northward, you will naturally be the lead."

Sun Xiu tried to appease Zhang Bu for a long time, but Zhang Bu still felt angry.

But he also knew that this anger could not be vented on his own emperor, so he said aggrievedly: "Your Majesty, Guanqiu Jian and others are not familiar with naval warfare. I think Lu Kang and others are afraid that we can achieve success!"

Sun Xiu shook his head and said nothing more. He looked at Puyang Xing standing beside him.

Puyang Xing quickly spoke up, "Your Majesty, I will return to the palace today to reflect on my actions. After I leave, I hope Your Majesty will take good care of yourself."

His voice was trembling, and the sadness was clearly expressed.

Sun Xiu probably knew that he was pretending, but he still gently told him that it was good that he was aware of his mistakes and not to worry too much.

After the two men left together, Sun Xiu rubbed his forehead and then sent someone to call in the other generals.

After Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing walked out, the grievance and sadness on their faces disappeared without a trace.

Puyang Xing said fearfully, "It's okay, His Majesty didn't intend to pursue the matter further."

Zhang Bu glanced at him and said, "You'd better stay home for the time being. No matter what, it's a fact that rebellions have occurred in various places."

Although Sun Xiu had ordered this, the emperor would definitely not be blamed in the end. Puyang Xing knew this, and he talked to Zhang Bu about the situation of those generals again, and they walked further and further away.

At this moment, Sun Xiu sat in the upper seat, closed his eyes, and looked a little gloomy.

His favored eunuch quickly placed the prepared tea in front of him and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Wei people will definitely not be our enemies."

Sun Xiu opened his eyes, glanced at him, but didn't say much.

In Lu Kang's eyes, he, the incompetent emperor, listened to slander, allowed powerful officials to exploit the people, and caused the rebellion. But in Sun Xiu's eyes, the situation was different.

That Lu Xing was not of common origin.

The big families cherish their private soldiers very much and put their own interests first. There are not many people left in the Wu Kingdom. The private slaves of the big families are just private slaves. Although I am an emperor with real power, if I really turn against the big families, who knows what the result will be.

Sun Xiu wanted to promote as many people as possible who had no connection to the big families, had clean backgrounds, and could be used to compete with them. However, such people were too difficult to find. Talents often came from big families, and even those from humble backgrounds would be brought into the big families' ranks as soon as they showed their potential.

But the situation is a little different now. Judging from the hesitant look of the deputy general, Lu Kang must have said something even more excessive, which made the deputy general dare not speak directly.

This also shows that he has indeed been pushed to the extreme and needs to make appropriate adjustments. If he continues to cause harm like this, something big will happen.

However, he still wanted to see the generals recommended by Lu Kang.

He didn't dare to trust Lu Kang completely. After all, although there was some kinship between their two families, there had also been some minor conflicts.

Many generals in Jianye came to pay homage to Sun Xiu.

They are generals Wei Miao, Shi Shuo, Wu Yan, Liu Ping and others.

Wei Miao and Shi Shuo were old men who had followed Sun Xiu to capture Sun Chen, while Wu Yan was a veteran general of the Wu State. His military achievements over the years were mediocre and there was nothing worth mentioning. As for Liu Ping, he was sent back by Liu Zan at the risk of his life.

Sun Xiu looked at these people with suspicion in his eyes.

He didn't understand why Sun Xiu felt that these people were more reliable than Zhang Bu?

He cleared his throat and looked at Wei Miao first. He asked, "General Wei, if you were to take command, how would you defeat Guanqiu Jian?"

Wei Miao was stunned for a moment. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He just sighed.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and do not know how to defeat them."

Sun Xiu was suddenly a little disappointed.

This person was the one who got rid of Sun Chen and was quite helpful. Therefore, when Lu Kang mentioned these people and asked Sun Xiu to replace Zhang Bu, Sun Xiu once thought that he would have some good ideas.

Unexpectedly, the answer I got was like this.

Then why did Lu Kang want to replace someone himself?
Sun Xiu looked at the others and said, "If you have any ideas, please share them with us. Let's discuss it together."

The generals looked at each other for a few seconds, but their eyes finally stayed on Wei Miao.

Wei Miao bowed again to Sun Xiu and then said, "Your Majesty, several of us have discussed the possibility of fighting the Wei people in the past."

"We came up with a conclusion."

"I just don't dare to tell your Majesty directly."

Sun Xiu said calmly, "Would I punish you for your words? I pardon you today. Just speak your mind."

Wei Miao took a deep breath and then spoke boldly, "Your Majesty, I believe that given the current situation, it is impossible to defeat the Wei army. All we can do is contain the enemy's attack and prevent them from breaking through our defenses so quickly."

"Northern Jing has been lost, and the open plains of southern Jing have been captured by the enemy. Our army can only occupy advantageous terrain to delay the enemy's attack."

"A rebellion has broken out in Jiaozhou, but we have few troops to send to the rescue. Jianye cannot split its forces at this moment, and the enemy will sooner or later capture Jiaozhi County. From then on, the enemy will be able to continuously dispatch troops from Nanzhong to Jiaozhou. By then, the situation of the entire Wu Kingdom will be extremely dire."

"The enemy is surrounded by troops in multiple directions. We can only adopt a comprehensive defensive approach to continue delaying the attack."

"Guanqiu Jian has quite a few naval forces now, many of them are elite troops who fled over from the time of Emperor Chen. They also include naval commanders like Tang Zi. Even if they are not as strong as us, they cannot be said to be incapable of fighting. Their morale is extremely high. If we fight them with contempt, I'm afraid we will suffer a great loss."

"Therefore, the best way now is to adopt a special strategy to stop the enemy's advance."

Sun Xiu listened to the other party's explanation very calmly and never interrupted him.

What Wei Miao said was indeed an exaggeration. According to him, it seemed that the State of Wu was completely hopeless and could only hide its head and wait for death, not daring to think of attacking again.

But Sun Xiu was not angry at all, because he knew that the other party was telling the truth.

The kid next door issued an edict in Luoyang on the first day, and within ten days Huainan was able to act according to his edict.

But what about me? I issued an edict in Jianye, but Jingnan ignored it completely!
Under such circumstances, Sun Xiu also knew that he could only delay and see if there would be any good opportunities for Wei in the future. Although it now seemed that his side was more likely to give the opportunity, he would still do what he could.

Sun Xiu's mentality was still good. Although he was anxious about the future, he was not as frightened and afraid as Liu Chan.

At this moment, he also understood why Lu Kang asked him to use these generals in front of him.

"You are quite right, General Wei. I leave the navy in your charge. We don't ask for victory over the enemy, but as long as we can hold them off and successfully defend them, that's all. You can use any strategy or method you choose. I will not interfere!"

"only!!!"

(End of this chapter)