Tiger Owl

Chapter 247 Two Messengers (Part 2)
Gan Ning slowly said, "This is Cao Cao's tactic: to use a soft approach to destroy Jiangdong's will to resist, to confuse and deceive them, and to break up the cooperation between Jiangdong and us."

"This should be!"

Lu Su agreed with his lord's prediction, "They will definitely try every means to sabotage our possible alliance with Jiangdong and defeat us one by one!"

Gan Ning paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. After a while, he looked at the roof and said, "It's not difficult to disrupt the cooperation between our two families. Sun Quan has never been sincere about the cooperation between our two families. That's not what I'm worried about."

Gan Ning sighed softly, "I'm worried that Jia Xu's real purpose is to persuade Jiangdong to join forces against us."

Lu Su gasped, "Lord Chu, is that possible?"

Gan Ning smiled faintly, "It's entirely possible. I know Jia Xu's methods too well. He will use us as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Jiangdong to force Jiangdong to send troops, especially Jiangdong's navy to cooperate with Cao Cao's army to concentrate their forces to destroy us, and then turn around and swallow Jiangdong whole."

"But the Jiangdong navy might not agree, especially Zhou Yu, who is not that stupid. There are also Lü Fan and Zhang Zhao, who will understand Cao Cao's intentions and will not easily agree to join forces with Cao Cao to deal with us."

Gan Ning nodded. "That's possible, but we must prepare for the worst."

The day before Lü Fan arrived in Chaisang, Cao Cao's envoy Jia Xu also arrived in Dantu County. Sun Quan sent his strategist Zhang Zhao as his plenipotentiary representative to the dock to welcome Jia Xu.

Zhang Zhao also invited Jia Xu to the prestigious guesthouse. Jia Xu had made ample preparations and had a basic understanding of the positions of each important official in Jiangdong.

The anti-Cao faction consisted only of Lü Fan and Zhou Yu, while the surrender faction included a large group of civil officials. Zhang Zhao was a centrist, as were the Xu family and Wu Guotai. The so-called centrists were those who sought to resolve the issue of Jiangdong's ownership through negotiations without bloodshed, which was exactly what Jia Xu wanted.

The two sides took their seats in the hall, and Jia Xu slowly said, "Military Advisor Zhang, let's have an open and frank discussion!"

"That's what we've been hoping for too!" Zhang Zhao said with a smile, a smile that, while not one of flattery, was one of vulnerability.

Jia Xu saw this and understood it perfectly. A hint of smugness appeared on his lips as he continued, "I believe you all know that Prime Minister Cao is preparing to mobilize 500,000 troops for a southern expedition. 100,000 vanguard troops have already arrived in Hefei, and the remaining troops will all arrive before the spring of next year."

Zhang Zhao was surprised and suspicious. He didn't know what Jia Xu meant by those words, or even the purpose of Jia Xu's mission to Jiangdong.

Zhang Zhao simply nodded silently, and Jia Xu added, "In fact, we are preparing to attack Gan Ning, and we are not considering Jiangdong for the time being."

"Wait a minute!"

Zhang Zhao suddenly realized, "I don't understand what Jia Gong is saying. If you are planning to attack Gan Ning, then why take the Hefei route instead of the Xiangyang route? Shouldn't the attack on Yuzhang County be via Xiangyang?"

Jia Xu shook his head. "That's because the warships we built in Xuchang can't go to Xiangyang and can only go via the Hefei route. Also, a large amount of grain and supplies can only be transported to the Yangtze River via the Hefei route. In addition, all of our warships in Nanjun have been lost and can't go via the Xiangyang route."

"I see!"

Zhang Zhao muttered something to himself, then asked, "So how do you plan to attack Gan Ning?"

"First, unify Jiangbei, then the army will directly attack Chaisang on the other side of the Yangtze River from Lujiang County."

Zhang Zhao seemed unconvinced by Jia Xu's words. He frowned and asked, "I still don't understand why Cao Cao's army doesn't plan to attack Jiangdong?"

Jia Xu smiled faintly, "Because Jiangdong is too weak, we look down on it. You are always scheming against each other and will never achieve anything great. Sun Ben alone is enough to restrain you, so there is no need to rush."

But Gan Ning's side is different. He's grown too fast. He seized Jiaozhou in just a few months. If we don't destroy him now, we'll have no chance.

And then there's Liu Bei. He's always been a major concern for Prime Minister Cao. The urgency to eliminate him far surpasses that for Jiangdong, even surpasses that for Gan Ning. Therefore, Jiangdong can only rank behind Liu Bei and Gan Ning; consider it again in five or ten years!" Jia Xu's blatant insult caused Zhang Zhao's face to flush slightly. Suppressing his intense displeasure, he coldly replied, "Mr. Jia, you've insulted me enough. Now tell me, what is the purpose of your trip?"

"negotiation!"

Jia Xu casually uttered two words: "Know yourself and know your enemy." He was well aware of the various political demands within Jiangdong. The surrender faction comprised half of the population, mainly composed of the major aristocratic families of Jiangdong. High-ranking officials such as Yu Fan, Gu Yong, and Lu Ji, who represented the interests of the Jiangdong aristocratic families, all advocated surrender.

The centrists comprised 30% of the group, with key figures such as Zhang Zhao, Xu Zhen, and Wu Guotai advocating for a negotiated solution to the crisis.

The pro-war faction comprised 20% of the group, mainly composed of Lü Fan, Zhou Yu, and military generals. These individuals advocated for a resolute resistance against Cao Cao. However, even among the pro-war faction, not everyone was willing to join forces with Gan Ning.

Jia Xu's mission this time was aimed at the centrists. If he could capture the centrists, he would also capture the surrender faction, who would naturally be willing to negotiate.

Sure enough, when Zhang Zhao heard the word 'negotiation,' his eyes lit up, and most of his previous dissatisfaction immediately dissipated. Compared to negotiation, a few humiliating words were nothing.

"Why do we need to negotiate?" Zhang Zhao asked, still somewhat puzzled.

"We must launch a full-scale attack on Yuzhang County and annihilate Gan Ning!"

Jia Xu said calmly, "We don't want Jiangdong to betray us. This is the same reason why Gan Ning allied with you to attack Changsha County."

Zhang Zhao remained silent. He had enough political experience to know that once Cao Cao's army destroyed Gan Ning, they were more likely to turn their attention to Jiangdong rather than attacking Liu Bei.

However, the temptation of negotiation made Zhang Zhao, who knew it might be a sweet poison, unable to resist accepting it. Perhaps Zhang Zhao had a sliver of hope that he could really solve the problem through negotiation?

Zhang Zhao's own political stance led him to amplify this sliver of hope, turning it into a possibility and a feasibility.

Zhang Zhao nodded slowly, "Please rest well, Mr. Jia. I will contact you again as soon as possible!"

Zhang Zhao left in a hurry. Jia Xu stood with his hands behind his back, watching his retreating figure, a clear sneer on his lips. They actually believed the words he had made up on the spot.

Zhang Zhao found Sun Quan and, upon hearing that Cao Cao's army was considering negotiating with Jiangdong, Sun Quan's spirits lifted, and he quickly asked, "Is he serious?"

Zhang Zhao nodded. "They need to focus all their efforts on dealing with Gan Ning, so they need to keep us in check to prevent us from betraying them. He said it was like Gan Ning forming an alliance with us before attacking Changsha County. I think there is some truth to this statement."

Sun Quan was somewhat worried, "What if he eliminates Gan Ning and then turns around to deal with us?"

Zhang Zhao smiled and said, "Gan Ning is not so easy to destroy. His navy is far stronger than Cao Cao's army. It is very likely that Gan Ning will completely destroy Cao Cao's navy, causing Cao Cao to lose the ability to advance south. Wouldn't we be safe then?"

Sun Quan suddenly understood and nodded slightly, "The strategist's negotiation is actually just a way to temporarily stand aside and watch Cao Cao and Gan Ning fight like a clam and a clam!"

Zhang Zhao nodded. "Absolutely right."

Sun Quan narrowed his eyes and sneered, "If Gan Ning discovers that Cao Cao's army is targeting him, he will definitely ask me for help. At that time, will he hand Bu Zhi over to us?"

"Should we negotiate with Cao Cao?" Zhang Zhao asked again.

Sun Quan nodded decisively, "Negotiations, and keep me informed of any developments!"

(End of this chapter)