Tiger Owl

Chapter 253 Last chance

The following morning, Lu Su accompanied Zheng Zhao to meet Gan Ning.

Gan Ning invited the two of them to sit down, and then asked Zheng Zhao with concern, "Can your wife's illness be cured?"

Zheng Zhao whispered, "My wife's illness stems from a miscarriage. She has a very weak constitution and needs to take medication for many years, which has been going on for five years now."

"Is it absolutely necessary to use ginseng?"

Zheng Zhao nodded gently, "My wife's health is very poor every autumn and winter. Sometimes she can't take it anymore and has to take ginseng. One ginseng root can last for about half a month. After spring, her health improves and she can take regular medicine."

"Have you considered taking up an official post in Jiaozhou? Jiaozhou has a hot climate, and it's warm all year round. Wouldn't that be good for your wife's condition?"

Zheng Zhao lowered his head and said, "I don't know. I asked a doctor before, and the doctor said that if my wife goes to an unfamiliar environment, she might not adapt, and her condition might worsen."

Gan Ning nodded. “Then let’s think of another way. Actually, a ginseng root only costs a few hundred coins in Liaodong. After traveling thousands of miles to get here, the price will increase tenfold. Next year, we will go to Liaodong to purchase medicinal herbs and furs. We can sell them to you at the Liaodong price and increase your salary. You can easily afford two ginseng roots a month.”

Zheng Zhao's eyes reddened with emotion, and he choked out, "Thank you, Marquis of Chu!"

Gan Ning then smiled and said, "Military Advisor Lu will take care of the ginseng you need this year. Now let's talk about serious business!"

Gan Ning's smile vanished, and he said solemnly, "Your name has already been submitted to Cao Cao by Wang Yao, so you cannot change posts. However, you can provide Wang Yao with the intelligence we have arranged, and Wang Yao has agreed to cooperate. This matter is of great importance and will be handled by the Inner Guard. You just need to cooperate."

Zheng Zhao nodded slightly, "This subordinate will definitely cooperate fully!"

After Zheng Zhao left, Gan Ning said to Lu Su, "Cao Cao was willing to spend five hundred taels of gold to obtain intelligence. We must make full use of false intelligence to deal a heavy blow to Cao Cao's army at Queyue City and prevent Cao Cao's army from crossing the river to attack Jiangdong."

Lu Su nodded silently. He understood perfectly that the Marquis of Chu was not saving Jiangdong, but saving himself. As long as Cao Cao's army could not cross the Yangtze River, they would not be able to attack Yuzhang County by land.

As for Jiangdong, it can only be a dish, the only difference being whose table it's on.

.........

Jiangdong and Jia Xu finally reached an agreement. Cao Cao made concessions on four demands. The first demand, that Sun Quan go to Ye City to pay homage to the emperor every year, was removed. Instead, Sun Quan's two brothers, Sun Kuang and Sun Lang, were held hostage in Ye City and required to marry women from the Cao clan. Sun Quan himself was also required to marry Cao Cao's daughter and make her his principal wife.

Articles 2 and 3 remain unchanged: one concerns the power to appoint personnel, and the other concerns the total number of troops. Article 4 changes the annual tribute of grain and cloth to 300,000 dan of tung oil.

Sun Quan agreed to all four conditions. He had long harbored deep hatred for his wife Xu Fen because of Bu Lianshi's death, but he couldn't depose her because of the Xu family's reputation. Now he could finally use the excuse of marrying Cao Cao's daughter to depose his jealous wife Xu Fen.

Of course, there was also the crucial agreement they had reached earlier: the Jiangdong army must never betray the Cao army when it attacked Yuzhang County.

Finally, Sun Quan agreed to allow Cao Cao to send a long-term envoy to Jiangdong to monitor whether Jiangdong violated the agreement.

Sun Quan made so many concessions, but in return, he only received two promises from Cao Cao: not to attack Jiangdong for seven years, and not to provide military support to Sun Ben.

Inside the official residence, Sun Quan stared intently at the two agreements on the long table. These were formal agreements, requiring his signature and seal. He was intimately familiar with every clause, even every word, yet he hesitated at the final signing stage. He imagined the feeling of impending doom when Gan Ning was eliminated. What if Cao Cao broke his promise after Gan Ning's demise?
Furthermore, Cao Cao's promise not to provide military support to Sun Ben was too vague. What exactly constitutes "military support"?
"Does Lord Wu still have any doubts?" Zhang Zhao asked in a low voice.

Sun Quan tapped the table lightly and said, "The part about Sun Ben is a bit vague. What exactly does it mean that we don't support Sun Ben militarily?"

"I asked Jia Xu, and he said he does not support the army or military equipment, not including money and provisions."

Sun Quan pondered for a moment and said, "That's fine, but I need to make it clear in the agreement. How about this: you and Jia Xu discuss it and sign a supplementary agreement, specifically targeting Sun Ben."

Zhang Zhao nodded, "This subordinate understands!"

Sun Quan then said to Lü Fan, who was standing beside him, "Contact Gan Ning again and make one last effort. If he is willing to hand over Bu Zhi, I can agree to station troops in Danyang County to cooperate in resisting Cao Cao."

At the last moment, Sun Quan also had a sudden realization. He was unwilling to face a situation where the loss of one of his own would lead to the loss of the other, so he decided to give Gan Ning one last chance.

…………

Jia Xu was like a fisherman about to catch a big fish, feeling both excited and a little nervous. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes at the last moment, or all his previous efforts would be in vain.

This agreement was, of course, a complete fraud. He never consulted Cao Cao; all the conditions were fabricated by him. In order to gain Jiang Du's trust, he even took it upon himself to propose that Cao Cao's daughter marry Sun Quan, all to make it seem real.

After a moment of contemplation, Jia Xu smiled at Zhang Zhao and said, "Our military support for Sun Ben only lasted once, and then it stopped. At most, we provided some financial and food support, but that was very limited. Sun Ben made money by selling salt and used it to develop his military."

“But you also sell him pig iron and leather!” Zhang Zhao pointed out incisively.

Jia Xu smiled and said, "It's just normal trade. There are a lot of old weapons and armor in the civilian population. In order to recover these civilian weapons and armor, we allow merchants to engage in the purchase. Currently, many merchants are buying old weapons and armor and then selling them to us. But whether they will sell some to Sun Ben privately is unknown."

"Does Master Jia mean that these are folk activities?"

Jia Xu nodded. "We can only promise that the government will not sell weapons and armor to Sun Ben, but we really can't stop the private sales among the people."

After a pause, Jia Xu said sincerely, "Please trust us, Military Advisor Zhang. We also do not want Sun Ben to get out of control. We must also control Sun Ben's growth, otherwise we will be raising a tiger that will become a threat, and he will become a second Gan Ning."

Zhang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Alright! Let's put these things in writing, sign a supplementary agreement, and then Lord Wu can officially approve them."

Jia Xu almost agreed, but he stopped himself in time. He said slowly, "I can only say it verbally, but if it is put into writing as a clause, it must be approved by Prime Minister Cao. I will write to Prime Minister Cao immediately to ask for his instructions."

Although Jia Xu was eager to sign the agreement immediately, he knew very well that haste makes waste. If he aroused suspicion in Jiangdong, he would be doomed at the last moment.

At this point, Zhang Zhao completely trusted Jia Xu, and he said happily, "Let's wait patiently for a few days and hope to receive good news from Prime Minister Cao."

(End of this chapter)