The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 240 Pirate Empire Opportunity
Sun Deng has been running around for a few days, not to mention seeing Sun Shao again, even Prime Minister Yu Fan has not seen him, he was directly stunned by Da Honglu Kong Zhukan.Old Master Confucius is doing a lot of leisure. The envoys who came to Yue State either wanted to do business with Yue State, or they wanted to join forces with the King of Yue to do something. Anyway, they were all seeking Yue State. This Da Honglu naturally became a noble person in the eyes of all the envoys, and he dared not say that he would respond to every request. Generally speaking, there were not many people who dared to reason with him.This matter was done so smoothly, it made the old master feel a little regretful, it is really lonely that there is no opponent for this knowledge.

This time, Sun Deng came to ask the teacher for his crimes, which just satisfied the old master's long-standing strong fighting spirit. As soon as Sun Deng and his think tank Xie Jing opened their mouths, the old master counterattacked with reason and evidence.As a disciple of a sage, Kong Zhu has studied Confucian classics all his life, so when dealing with characters like Sun Deng and Xie Jing, is it just like pinching snails with three fingers-handy?So Kong Zhu taught Sun Deng a good lesson for a few days, from the spirit of a saint to the small words and righteousness, he made Sun Deng feel ashamed, and felt that he was simply despicable. After studying with Xie Jing for a night, he left with high spirits, and returned dejectedly again. Kong Zhu was more and more courageous as he fought, but Sun Deng began to regret that he came to Qiantang after being beaten again and again.

Even Kong Zhu can't pass this level, so why talk about competing with Yu Fan?Yu Fanna is famous for being unreasonable and unrelenting, even his old son Sun Quan dared to yell in front of his face. Now that he is the prime minister of Yue, he was the one who came up with this strategy to lure the people of Wu. Sun Deng went to question him. How could he be calm?

Sun Deng felt timid from the bottom of his heart, and he regretted the way he and Sun Shao showed up that day. If he had known that the courtiers of Yue State were so difficult to deal with, he might as well talk to Sun Shao directly.But when Sun Shao wanted to come to Sun Shao again, he couldn’t see him anymore——Sun Shao was on tour, and Yu Fan had made great achievements in the past few months, so he asked Sun Shao to go out and check his work performance. Sun Shao was not in Qiantang City .

Sun Deng was dumbfounded, and had no choice but to wait in Qiantangcheng.He had just been taught a lesson by Kong Zhu that day, and returned to the post with a heavy heart, only to find that Zhou Xun was waiting for him.

"Boying, why are you here?" Sun Deng was stunned for a moment, stepping on the door with one foot and the other outside.These days, being dizzy by Kong Zhu, Sun Deng even forgot about the Zhou family, and also forgot his original intention of competing with Sun Shao for jealousy.

"I heard a piece of news." Zhou Xun got up and saluted, and said respectfully, "I specially report it to the prince."

"What's the news?" Sun Deng regained his princely demeanor, walked to the main seat and sat down, waved his hand, signaling Zhou Xun to sit down and talk.Zhou Xun sat down very cautiously, was silent for a moment, and then slowly said: "Something happened in Rinan County."

"Rinan County?" Sun Deng didn't remember which county Rinan County was for a moment, and it took a while to understand. "What happened to Nichinan County?"

"A caravan in Rinan County was robbed in Funan Kingdom, and two people died. The news was reported to Rinan Governor Wei Ping. Wei Ping mishandled it and clashed with Funan Kingdom. Right now, Funan Kingdom has assembled an army of [-] and is besieging it. Xijuan City."

"Wei Ping?" Xie Jing thought for a while and suddenly asked, "Is it the Rinan prefect recommended by the King of Yue?"

"Exactly." Zhou Xun nodded, then fell silent.

Xie Jing rolled his eyes and glanced at Sun Deng. Sun Deng was wondering why there was a war in Rinan County of Wu State, but Yue Kingdom knew about it first. After Xie Jing reminded him, he would feel sorry. It turns out that Rinan County The prefect was actually Sun Shao's man.When he saw Xie Jing reminding him with his eyes, he couldn't help being curious, so he pretended to be nonchalant and nodded: "Thank you Boying, I understand. How are your brother's wedding preparations going?"

"It's going well, and the wedding will be held in three days."

"Then... will King Yue come back?"

"Yes." Zhou Xun smiled a bit reluctantly. When Zhou Yin got married, from the king of Yue to the queen mother, basically everyone with a certain status in Qiantang City came to celebrate. He didn't even show his face, and only sent Sun Deng to show his face.

"Well, then we'll bother with a glass of wine." Sun Deng twitched the corners of his mouth, showing a hint of a smile, but there was no smile at all.Zhou Xun sighed secretly, but did not get up. He bowed again and said: "Prince, Ri Nan County belongs to Jiaozhou of Wu State. After the king receives the news, he will definitely send someone to ask the prince's meaning. Please make preparations for the prince. it is good."

"Does Boying have any suggestions?" Seeing that Zhou Xun seemed to have something to say, Sun Deng couldn't help being curious, and asked with a smile while greeting people to serve tea.Zhou Xun glanced at Xie Jing with an unhappy face, but he pretended not to see it. He said cautiously: "The crown prince must know that Zhuya's self-produced grain is limited, and most of the grain has to be purchased. It is one of the most important grain purchasing points, and even now Hepu and Jiaozhi prefectures also sell grain to Zhuya, Nichinan can account for half of Zhuya's grain purchases."

Sun Deng's brows trembled, a little unhappy, and then he felt overwhelmed, and the smile on his face immediately became more sincere.

"In addition to buying food, Xijuan City is also the meeting place between Funan Kingdom and barbarian merchants traveling to and from Zhuya. The annual merchant tax is the highest among the six counties in Jiaozhou. Although Wei Ping was recommended by the King of Yue, he concealed a lot of tax revenue. But the taxes paid over the past few years are still very impressive." Zhou Xun's voice was sonorous and powerful, his tone became more and more stable, his face showed a confident light, his usual cautious expression also faded a lot, and his whole person became In good spirits.

"Prince, if Ninan is damaged, Jiuzhen and Jiaozhi will definitely be affected, and the commercial tax of these three counties accounts for [-]% of the six counties of Jiaozhou. The commercial tax of Jiaozhou is now an indispensable item for the state of Wu. If Jiaozhou is not stable, the strength of Wu State will be greatly affected." Zhou Xun paused here, glanced at Sun Deng who was contemplating, and said: "If Wu State does not send troops, I am worried that the State of Yue will take advantage of the vacancy. If you enter, you will take these three counties into your pocket and further monopolize the business in the South China Sea."

Sun Deng's brows trembled, his eyelids raised, and the two sharp eyes flashed away: "Vietnam will send troops?"

"Yes." Xie Jing snatched a sentence: "If you don't take Rinan back, where will Zhu Ya buy grain from? Without grain, Zhuya's prosperity will become a cloud of the past and cannot be recovered, so the King of Yue will definitely take Rinan back at any cost." South."

"So, don't we have a chance?" Sun Deng smiled very easily.

Zhou Xun was taken aback for a moment, as if he didn't expect Sun Deng to have such a reaction. He obviously hesitated for a moment, his originally resolute expression became a little embarrassed, and he squeezed his hand on his thigh subconsciously, and then he said again: " Prince, I think this is indeed a good opportunity, a good opportunity for the prince and the King of Yue to fight side by side."

Sun Deng showed a surprised expression, and was about to ask, but Zhou Xun continued: "If the state of Wu does not send troops to attack Funan, after the King of Yue takes Rinan back from Funan, will Rinan still belong to Jiaozhou?"

Sun Deng was very annoyed at first. The opportunity he mentioned and the opportunity Zhou Xun said obviously had different meanings. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of Vietnam's South China Sea military use to obtain the household registration of the common people. However, Zhou Xun suggested that he and Sun Shao send troops to Jiaozhou to fight side by side.Are you still fighting side by side at this time?As soon as he saw Zhou Xun, Sun Deng thought of Zhou Yu, Sun Shao even stole my woman, and I still fight side by side with him?

But Zhou Xun's last sentence caught his attention. If Wu Guo didn't save Ri Nan, then Ri Nan would no longer belong to Wu Guo. What's more serious, with Sun Shao's character, he might drive tigers and wolfs away. With Jiuzhen and Jiaozhi included in his pocket, plus the South China Sea that he has forced to go there, more than half of Jiaozhou belongs to him.Although Wu State has Yangzhou and Jiaozhou, most of Yangzhou has been carved up by the generals, and only Jiaozhou is mainly controlled by the court. Once Jiaozhou is swallowed by Yue State, it will be worse.

Thinking of the serious consequences, Sun Deng couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle, and his eyes when he looked at Zhou Xun became much kinder and grateful.Zhou Xun is a loyal minister, and his younger brother is a guard in Yue State. He still thinks about Wu State and does not forget his duty.Originally, with his embarrassing status, it was normal for him not to tell him the news. Maybe he could make a good impression in front of Sun Shao, but he didn't do that. He not only told him the news, but also risked causing trouble. His danger of getting angry points to the point.

The change in Sun Deng's expression fell into the eyes of Zhou Xun and Xie Jing. Zhou Xun heaved a sigh of relief and retreated, but Xie Jing's face became cloudy.When Sun Deng turned to him for advice, Xie Jing smiled and asked Sun Deng, "Prince, do you still remember the Battle of Liaodong?"

"I remember, of course I remember." Sun Deng looked at Xie Jing puzzled, wondering why he suddenly mentioned the battle of Liaodong at this time.

"Prince, in the battle of Liaodong, the prince only assisted from the sidelines. It was extremely dangerous. If we go to Jiaozhou again this time, can the prince still enjoy the benefits? Besides, the prince is in conflict with Yue, and he will definitely not take care of you like before. Yes. Jiaozhou is dangerous, Bu Shijun fought for more than ten years, and managed to stabilize Jiaozhou. The crown prince goes, wins the battle, and you are still the crown prince, but loses..."

Xie Jing grinned silently and did not continue, but that meaningful smile made Sun Deng shudder.Xie Jing's words are very solid, you are already the crown prince of the Wu Kingdom, you can't be promoted again if you win, what if you lose?The worst is damage to reputation, and the worst is death.In the final analysis, such a thing is not what a prince should do.

Sun Deng was in a dilemma.

"Let's report it to the King of Wu. I think the King of Wu should receive the military report in a few days. The prince only needs to report the possible reaction of the King of Yue to the King. As for the matter of asking for a fight, I think it's not appropriate. Big mistake."

Sun Deng nodded, his face gloomy and ugly.He immediately wrote an urgent letter to Sun Quan, and at the same time reported the news to Zhuge Jin. Three days later, Zhuge Ke suddenly appeared in Qiantang in a busy manner.When he saw Zhuge Ke, Sun Deng was startled. Zhuge Ke's eyes were darkened, his face was covered with dust, he was a little unsteady when he walked, and his legs were shaking. It was obvious that he had galloped all the way here.

"Yuan Xun, who is this?" Sun Deng and Xie Jing were very surprised.

"Prince, is the news from Jiaozhou true?" Zhuge Ke asked in a hoarse voice, with anxious eyes shining.

"True." Sun Deng nodded. He had already obtained the exact information through Kong Zhu. Kong Zhu was instructed by Sun Shao to ask Sun Deng if he wanted to go south with him.

"Prince, I have already withheld your letter to the king." Zhuge Ke sat down on the table, lifted the teapot on the table, poured a stomachful of herbal tea into his mouth first, and then wiped his mouth and said: "If it is true, we must strive for the opportunity to go out."

Xie Jing's face was a little weird, he looked at Zhuge Ke, then at Sun Deng, and remained silent.Zhuge Ke is so courageous as the prince, he dared to withhold the news Sun Deng reported to Sun Quan, and it was such a military matter.Sun Deng didn't change his face, and his eyes were very calm. He seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with Zhuge Ke's doing so. He waited quietly until Zhuge Ke spoke, and then he asked with a smile: "Yuan Xun wants to go out? "

Zhuge Ke took a look at him, shook his head, first heaved a long sigh of relief, and stabilized his mood: "Prince, do you think there will be war in my country of Wu?"

Sun Deng shook his head slowly: "After the military elimination meeting, the people all over the world hope for peace, and the four kings are busy restoring their strength. They should not attack each other in three to five years."

"In this case, why did you give up this opportunity to fight in Jiaozhou?" Zhuge Ke asked honestly and bluntly: "The crown prince is already fifteen, and he will be crowned soon. The king's body has been restless, and there is no chance for the prince Not much more. The military power of the Wu Kingdom is in the hands of the generals. The relationship between them and the king is not so much a relationship between a monarch and a minister, as it is a master-slave relationship. Now these generals are also serving the king, not the state of Wu. If the crown prince succeeds, the state of Wu is bound to be in jeopardy. As long as Wei, Shuyue provokes a little, the state of Wu may fall apart and disappear into nothingness."

"Is it so serious, Yuan Xun, are you too nervous?" Xie Jing couldn't help reminding.

"Shufa, what have you been thinking these days, why haven't you noticed such an important thing?" Zhuge Ke turned his head and scolded in a stern voice: "Haven't you noticed the crisis in Wu Kingdom at all? The King of Yue deceived me, Why hasn’t the king taken action yet? He wanted to rectify the administration of officials, but Zhang Wen did the opposite and impeached the prime minister. Why? Isn’t it because the prime minister is not from Jiangdong? The dispute between Jiangdong and Huaisi is just a matter of civil servants What about the generals? The situation of the generals is even more serious, they are sitting on heavy troops, they have many connections with the King of Yue, and they are unwilling to start a war with the Kingdom of Yue, and the King has only the name of the King of Wu, so he can only swallow his anger..."

Zhuge Ke fired at Xie Jing without thinking. Not only was Xie Jing speechless and blushing, but even Sun Deng was a little restless.Xie Jing and Zhuge Ke are two important advisers beside him. Compared with Zhuge Ke who is all-rounder in civil and military affairs, Xie Jing pays more attention to strategy. This time when he came to Qiantang, he did not bring Zhuge Ke with him. Considering this aspect, I didn't expect Zhuge Ke to accuse Xie Jing of negligence in person. From a certain perspective, he was also accusing Sun Deng of being ignorant.

But I have to say that what Zhuge Ke said is basically true.If you don't talk about Yue Guo, a freak who has no rules, then among the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu, Wu Guo has the greatest internal hidden danger.No matter how big or small a country is, power struggles are inevitable. If civil servants fight again, the harm they cause is limited, but military commanders are not. They hold heavy troops. Once they disagree, the consequences will be disastrous. It can be learned that everyone has a relatively unified understanding of this, and the control of generals is very strict.Among them, Wei State was the most effective, and Cao Cao's generals controlled him more tightly than any other of the Three Kingdoms.Don't look at Zhang Liao and others who are known as five good generals, but their strength is limited. Even if they don't consider the hostages in Yecheng, they don't have the strength to rebel.In the 30th year of Jian'an, Zhang Liao and Le Jin had five good generals and one general Li Dian. Hefei had a total of 20 troops. Cao Wei's generals varied in strength, but they were usually below 7000. In the name of generals, the troops are allocated in units of generals, such as Yu Jin saving Fancheng and Xu Huang attacking Xiangyang. The army in his hands is assembled in this way. During wartime, these generals are under their unified command, and they will return to their headquarters as soon as the war is over. However, the only ones who can command heavy troops for a long time are important clan ministers like Xiahou Dun, Xiahouyuan, and Cao Ren.Except for these people, any general who wanted to rebel would not be able to cause much impact.

The situation in the Kingdom of Shu is slightly different. Liu Bei used the method of interoperating with personal feelings and systems to command the troops, and his strength has never been greater. The total strength of Shu is now less than [-]. Except for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who command troops, Most of the power is still in Liu Bei's own hands. Once Liu Bei dies, those generals will continue to be loyal to his successor Liu Chan. With Guan Yu and Zhang Fei assisting, there will be no major turmoil in Shu.

But the state of Wu is different. The main forces of the state of Wu are scattered in the hands of the generals. Most of these soldiers are their private soldiers, which can be inherited from father to son. Generally, they would not move. They only surrendered to Sun Quan himself, not the state of Wu, and of course not including the crown prince Sun Deng.The friendship between them and Sun Quan is not entirely a relationship between monarchs and ministers, but more of a relationship between monarchs and ministers and friends. If you treat me well, I will obey you. If you are not kind to me, I will treat you Unrighteous.Therefore, the state of Wu has the worst control over the generals. Of course there are obedient ones, such as Lu Meng, and there are also many disobedient ones, such as He Qi and his like.When Sun Ce passed away and Sun Quan took over, many veterans did not take him seriously. After more than ten years, Sun Quan finally won their hearts slowly. In addition, he trained some newcomers such as Lu Su, Lu Meng, and Jiang Qinzhi. Human beings took their place, and finally gradually controlled the situation, but these people are very independent, once they feel that Sun Quan treats them less well than before, they may become disobedient at any time.

Not long ago, Jin Zong, the opera general, staged a big drama of fleeing abroad.

Jin Zong is an unknown general. Many people are a little curious. He has not made any achievements. How did he become a garrison general in such an important position as Xikou? In fact, Jin Zong was able to achieve this step entirely because of him. It is Sun Quan's old general, and Sun Quan believes in him.Later, for unknown reasons, Sun Quan issued an edict to reprimand him. As a result, Jinzong turned his face and surrendered to Wei State with his troops and the city. Slapped, Sun Quan was so angry that he almost fainted.

So, if Sun Deng wants to succeed to the throne as King Wu, can he do it if he doesn't have the military power to control the situation?Can he inherit military power from Sun Quan?Even Sun Quan himself cannot fully control these military powers, so how can they be passed on to Sun Deng?

If Sun Deng wants to secure the throne of King Wu, the only feasible way is to seize the opportunity to establish his own military power, and to establish military power, as long as he has the strength in his hands, it is possible to deter others, and to control the light with the heavy. As for breaking up with a bang.The most difficult opportunity for people to find a handle is fighting. Almost all the generals in Jiangdong accumulated their strength through fighting.Now that the world is peaceful, the Battle of Jiaozhou is a golden opportunity, but Xie Jing did not remind Sun Deng to take advantage of this opportunity in time, but just reported to Sun Quan to settle the matter. Isn't this negligence or what?How could Zhuge Ke not be angry?
After listening to Zhuge Ke's analysis, Sun Deng suddenly realized that Xie Jing was even more ashamed. He lowered his head and remained silent, wishing he could slap himself twice.

"If my guess is right, once your majesty decides to use troops against Jiaozhou, there must be many people who will take the initiative to ask for battle. Because Jiaozhou is full of mountains and forests, and Danyang's mountain soldiers are best at fighting in mountains and forests. How many of my generals in Wu are not Mainly the Shanyue soldiers?"

"But, we don't have any soldiers?" Sun Deng said in embarrassment: "If other generals go to Jiaozhou, they can take their own troops. What about me, I don't have anything? Should I go empty-handed?"

Although Xie Jing was very embarrassed, he still expressed his worries: "Yuan Xun, the battle is dangerous, and he will come to the battle in person as a prince. If something happens, what will we do?"

"The prince went to Jiaozhou to command the battle, not for him to come to the battle in person. In my opinion, he can just sit in Hepu. Of course, things like fighting in front of the battle are left to us." Zhuge Ke had been prepared for a long time, and he turned to Sun Dengdao: "The queen and Mrs. Bu have always gotten along very well. Mrs. Bu has no children, so she will not become the prince's enemy. Therefore, the prince can rely on the power of Bu Zhi. In addition, the prince can also ask the king of Yue for help, even if he does not help You, as long as he doesn't make it difficult for you, this matter is considered half successful."

"Then who will lead the army?" Sun Deng still hesitated: "Zhou Xun?"

"He can't." Zhuge Ke shook his head and puffed out his chest: "I am not talented, and I am willing to fight for the prince."

Looking at Zhuge Ke with burning eyes, Sun Deng suddenly smiled: "Yuan Xun, does your father, General Zuo, know that you are coming?"

Zhuge Ke's eyes were a little flustered, he hesitated for a moment and said: "No, I came in a hurry, and I didn't have time to inform him."

(End of this chapter)