The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 568 Escape
"leave?"

Lu Kang frowned suddenly and subconsciously looked outside the door.

"Brother, I personally think it's inappropriate."

Lu Kai shook his head, "Youjie, I have my own difficulties."

Lu Jianxian was still a little dazed due to exhaustion, but now he had regained consciousness. He said, "Brother, I know Wu is in a difficult situation now, and we should consider the interests of our clan. However, if you leave now, it will give others a handle to use against you, and the entire clan will suffer."

In recent years, as the Wu Kingdom showed signs of decline, a large number of children from wealthy families began to flee. For example, the young children of the Quan family, the Zhu family, and the Zhang family basically all ran away.

The logic is very simple. The Wu Kingdom is about to be destroyed, and the basket is about to break. So a few eggs have to be moved, right?

Otherwise, when the Wei people come and attack, everything will be ruined.

They had no roots in Wei. Just look at Shu. Those families in Shu who had relatives to support them, such as the Zhuge, Huang, and Zhang families, did not suffer any liquidation. Their land and manpower were retained. On the contrary, those big families that had no roots in Wei were tormented by the officials sent there, and their numbers shrank severely.

Naturally, they also had to prepare a retreat for their clans before destroying the country.

But the problem is that Lu Kai is not a young member of the clan.

He is the General of the Northern Expedition!!
What a blow it would be if a general who conquered the north ran away?
It was equivalent to Hu Zun of Wei suddenly surrendering to Wu, which had a huge impact.

If Lu Kai ran away like this, their family would definitely be held accountable.

Lu Kang said seriously, "This kind of thing can be handled by the younger disciples, but we can't do it alone. If my brother leaves, the impact will be too great."

Lu Kai looked up at Lu Kang.

"Youjie, tell me the truth, how long do you think the Wu Kingdom can hold out?"

Lu Kang was stunned for a moment and hesitated to speak.

Facing his brother's gaze, Lu Kang sighed and stretched out two fingers.

"Two years."

Lu Kai shook his head. "Perhaps they won't even last two years. What you've said is a conclusion drawn from a military perspective, but if you look at it from the perspective of the government, you'll find that the Wu Kingdom can't hold out for much longer."

Lu Kai said seriously, "Your Majesty can't hold on for much longer."

"Your Majesty has a cough. I've noticed his face is getting paler these days. The imperial physician often stays in the palace, and the ministers have already begun discussing some important matters in private."

"Soon, a big storm will arise in the temple."

Lu Kang was shocked when he heard Lu Kai's words. He once again recalled the scene of meeting the emperor today and the emperor's tired and pale face.

"But Your Majesty is still so young."

"The Wu Kingdom is beyond redemption. Youjie, I was planning to put aside my displeasure and work with Zhang Bu and the others to accomplish great things and support the country, but do you know what he said?"

"Forget it. In short, the Wu Kingdom is beyond help and is doomed to destruction. Zhang Bu and others have ambitions but lack the corresponding talents. This is a very dangerous situation. However, His Majesty does not trust us and is always wary of us. He uses Zhang Bu, Puyang Xing and others to maintain a balance in the court."

"I also heard that His Majesty is planning to re-promote Puyang Xing and make him the Prime Minister."

Lu Kai looked up and said, "You have even been appointed as the governor. This is still a check and balance for His Majesty. You are in charge of the external affairs, while Zhang Bu and Puyang Xing are in charge of the internal affairs."

"But I don't want you to be reused."

Lu Kang looked at him in surprise.

Lu Kai continued, "You are the most talented person in the clan, and you are young. You will definitely lead the clan to rise in the future. If His Majesty makes you the governor, then you will have no way out. Anyone can surrender, but you cannot surrender. In the end, you will die at the hands of these villains."

"If I leave Wu, then perhaps you can save your life."

At this moment, Lu Kang finally understood what his cousin was thinking.

He is prepared to sacrifice his reputation to save his own!

Lu Kang frowned, "Brother, perhaps things haven't gotten this bad yet."

"If the emperor were wise and the ministers were united, would I still have such thoughts? But given the current situation, even if you die fighting for Wu, you will not be respected at all. Think about Wei Miao and others. Wu Yan died fighting for his country, but what did the ministers say about him?"

Lu Kai said angrily, "Zhang Bu and his men have been telling the outside world all day that we are plotting a rebellion and that we are betraying the State of Wu."

"Your Majesty may not believe him even if he says it several times, but he says it every day. When Your Majesty finds out that I'm leaving, will he still trust you, the commander-in-chief of a large army?!"

Lu Kang fell silent.

Lu Kai laughed. "Later, you will send someone to report to the emperor, saying that I was trying to drag you into rebellion, but you didn't comply."

"I'm ready. I'll write to you when we get to Wei."

Lu Kang remained silent, but Lu Kai had already stood up and left.

Lu Kang didn't know how long he had been waiting. Perhaps Lu Kai had already left. He stood up and looked in the direction of the palace. According to the plan, he should go and report to the emperor that Lu Kai had failed in his attempt to rebel against him and had escaped.

However, for some reason, Lu Kang stood there for a long time without moving.

An indescribable tiredness enveloped Lu Kang's body and mind.

He felt like he didn't even have the strength to take another step.

He stood there, hesitating for a long time.

Finally, he smiled disdainfully, turned around and walked towards the dormitory.

Never mind, let's get some sleep first. The big families in Wu were also very powerful. Even in the current situation where iron chains were stretched across the river, they could still mobilize their connections to send themselves and their families out of Jianye. They boarded a small boat, bypassing the battle between the two sides, and headed straight towards Qingxu.

On the way, Lu Kai and his entourage were discovered by the Wei fleet.

It was a huge fleet, with several tower ships at its head and speedboats hovering around it.

When the Wei people learned the identity of the person on the boat, they were stunned and hurriedly sent the person to the tower ship.

"General Zhengbei?"

Hu Zun almost spit out the wine in his mouth. He quickly stood up and led everyone out of the cabin.

Hu Zun walked quickly to the deck, and when he looked up, he saw Lu Kai being escorted by soldiers.

Lu Kai looked at the elderly general in armor in front of him with a bit of surprise, but he still bowed and greeted him, "Lu Kai greets the general."

Hu Zun was silent for a moment, then asked, "Wu's Northern Expedition General Lu Kai?"

"General Zhengbei."

"Hahahaha!"

Hu Zun suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

Is it God's will that I become a general?

Guanqiu Jian was the main commander of this battle, and Hu Zun was responsible for serving as reinforcement on the side. However, because the main force was fighting smoothly, he had no chance to be of any use.

Who would have thought that while I was quietly waiting for the war to end, I would run into Wu's General Zheng Bei!

He hurried forward and took Lu Kai's hand, "I am Hu Zun!"

Lu Kai was horrified, "It turned out to be the General of Cavalry!"

"How can you be so rude to General Lu?!"

Hu Zun scolded the soldiers and then pulled Lu Kai into the cabin.

Hu Zun pulled Lu Kai to sit in the upper seat, but Lu Kai didn't dare to do so. After some back-and-forth courtesy, Lu Kai finally sat next to Hu Zun.

Hu Zun said, "I have heard of the general's reputation and have admired him for a long time. I never thought that I would be able to meet him here today!"

Lu Kai felt a little ashamed at this moment. He said, "How dare I talk about reputation? I came here to seek refuge, and I only ask that you take me in."

"Hahaha, General, you've turned from evil to good. This is a blessing for the world. I'll send someone to escort you to Luoyang right away. If His Majesty knew about this, he would surely be extremely happy."

Hu Zun did not ask the other party why he wanted to surrender. He held a banquet for Lu Kai on the ship. When Lu Kai was drunk, he ordered the entire army to return.

Hu Zun could hardly hide the smile on his face.

He has been really lucky in recent years, with military achievements coming to him one after another.

Although he did not capture the General Zhengbei himself, he did surrender his Qingzhou Legion, so this contribution is certainly indispensable.

This one person alone made greater contributions than Guanqiu Jian's defeat of the three fleets of Wu.

It’s at the level of the Four Signs.

At this moment, Hu Zun had already begun to imagine the good days when he would be promoted to the rank of general.

Soon, the news spread among the Wei people, which immediately caused a great shock. Even if a general of the Northern Expedition was captured, no one would be surprised, after all, there was a precedent, but this time it was an active surrender.

What does it mean when a general who conquers the north surrenders voluntarily?

The people of Wei spread the news everywhere, making it known to everyone.

It was not until this time that Jianye learned of Lu Kai's escape.

Lu Kang stayed at home all day these days, not going anywhere, and just slept and rested every day.

One day, he was sleeping in the mansion when he heard hurried footsteps coming from outside.

Hearing the footsteps, Lu Kang slowly sat up and stretched.

Just come now?

My brother was right. The Wu Kingdom is really going to perish.

Just as Lu Kang was yawning, Zhang Bu led a group of fierce soldiers into the house.

When they saw Lu Kang sitting on the bed, Zhang Bu was obviously relieved.

Zhang Bu frowned and said seriously, "General! Your brother Lu Kai has defected!"

Lu Kang looked at him blankly, "How could such a thing happen?"

"Hey, General, I heard that Lu Kai came to visit you before he escaped. Did you agree to escape together?"

Lu Kang was very calm. "I have nothing to say to you. What do you want?"

Zhang Bu narrowed his eyes and said, "General, please follow me to the palace!"

Lu Kang calmly stood up, changed his clothes, and walked among the soldiers. There was no fear or worry in his eyes. He said goodbye to his family with a chuckle and headed towards the palace.

(End of this chapter)