The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 242
Sun Quan gently threw Sun Deng's letter on the table, curled his lips, turned around with his hands behind his back, and was lost in thought looking at the huge map on the wall.His eyes fell on the position of Rinan County, and he slowly followed the long and narrow arc downward, bent over Jiuzhen, and slid to Jiaozhi, the irony at the corner of his mouth became stronger.

"Ziyu, do you think those barbarians from Funan Kingdom can attack northward from Rinan County to Jiuzhen and Jiaozhi?"

Zhuge Jin's mouth was bitter, but his heart was uneasy. Zhuge Ke left in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to say hello to him. He didn't know that his son had arrived until he received the urgent letter from Zhuge Ke. Tang, and the prince decided to send troops to fight against Funan Kingdom with Sun Shao and take back Rinan County. He asked Zhuge Jin to speak to Sun Quan to ensure that he would agree with their decision.

Although Zhuge Jin is loyal, he is not stupid. He has seen Zhuge Ke's desire to take this opportunity to seize military power. In the long run, this is of course a good thing, but in the short term, Zhuge Jin has a deep fear Sensation: Military power is a very sensitive matter, if Sun Quan doesn't take the initiative to give it, how can you ask for it?Especially when it was proposed by Sun Deng, what is the difference between that and seizing power?
From Sun Quan's words, Zhuge Jin heard an ominous taste.

"Your Majesty, I think they are too young and easily bewitched by others to take on important responsibilities." Zhuge Jin replied calmly: "The barbarians came to Nichinan just to harass and rob. If it is beneficial, they will come, and if they are not beneficial, they will leave. It was an accident to capture Xijuan City, how could it be possible to continue to attack Jiuzhen and even Jiaozhi in the north? To recover Rinan County, why send troops, you only need to order Mubuzi Mountain in Jiaozhou."

"Young?" Sun Quan turned his head to look at Zhuge Jin, nodded and said with a smile, "They are indeed young, young people, with courage and drive, even if they have no experience, but experience must be accumulated slowly. , How can we accumulate experience? Let them go, see the scenery of Jiaozhou, and see if it is the same as what is written in the book."

Zhuge Jin gasped. He instinctively wanted to ask Sun Quan what his intentions were, but he swallowed the words again. He was never used to confronting Sun Quan head-on, especially when it involved his son, but he was very Worried, Zhuge Ke was young and numb, he only knew to seize the opportunity to seize military power, but he didn't want to think about it, how could he seize military power?At present, which soldier in Jiangdong does not belong to him, and who is willing to transfer his soldier to Zhuge Ke?

"Buzishan can't go away in Changsha, let Lu Dinggong go to Jiaozhou to serve as the governor, and the prince will supervise the army." Sun Quan said lightly, paused for a moment, and added: "Yuan is talented, let him assist the prince to make contributions. "

Zhuge Jin was terrified when he heard that. Sun Quan sent Sun Deng to Jiaozhou, but withdrew Bu Zhi from Jiaozhou. He must send Lu Dai to Jiaozhou, and he was demoted from Jiaozhou pastor to governor. It can be seen as giving way to the prince so that Lu Dai's power is too heavy, which affects the authority of the prince, but this can also be understood as Sun Quan put the heavy responsibility on Sun Deng's shoulders, but did not help him. What else does Sun Deng have besides an identity?Sun Quan did not send another soldier to him, but entrusted him with the task of recovering Rinan.

"Your Majesty, Lord Lu Ding is good at fighting, so it's fine to go to Jiaozhou if he has him. The crown prince has a high status, so it is not appropriate to come to the front line in person, lest..."

"Noble status?" Sun Quan interrupted Zhuge Jin's words: "He is only a prince now, no matter how noble he is, can he be more noble than the King of Yue? Didn't the King of Yue lead the army across the sea and pacify Yizhou? He has always admired the King of Yue, of course. You should follow the example of the King of Yue, besides, there will be no problem with the King of Yue this time."

Zhuge Jin didn't dare to say any more, he heard strong anger from Sun Quan's words, and at the same time he was surprised to find that Sun Quan, who had been bedridden all this time, was in very good spirits today, speaking full of anger, and he didn't look sick at all?The more Zhuge Jin thought about it, the more frightened she became, so Wei Wei agreed.Sun Quan then asked people to come in to draft an edict, and sent a letter back to Sun Deng, agreeing with his plan, and asked him to leave for Jiaozhou immediately.

By the way, Sun Quan also agreed to Sun Luban's request to march south with the prince. He ordered Zhou Xun to be a partial general and led 2000 troops to protect the princess.

When Sun Deng received the order, he also received a letter from Zhuge Jin. Zhuge Jin didn't say much in the letter, but only earnestly taught Zhuge Ke to protect the prince and not to be a hero, so as not to delay the prince's future.Sun Deng felt Zhuge Jin's worry between the lines, and after carefully considering Sun Quan's series of arrangements, they also saw a strong murderous intent.

Sun Deng regretted it. At the beginning, his biggest reliance was Buzhi. Buzhi had been operating in Jiaozhou for many years, and he had more than [-] elite soldiers. With Buzhi's help, he could calm Rinan smoothly. To be honest, Sun Deng didn't think How difficult are those Yi people in Funan to deal with? Maybe when they arrived in Rinan, the Yi people had already fled.The reason why he promised Sun Luban to go to Jiaozhou together was that he hoped to use Sun Luban's Bu family blood to get closer to Bu Zhi, but he never expected that Sun Quan agreed to all his requests, but did not transfer Bu Zhi back to Jiaozhou , He even went one step further, canceling Bu Zhi's status as Jiaozhou pastor, and reassigning Lu Dai as Jiaozhou governor.In this way, the responsibility fell directly on him, the supervising army who did not have a single soldier in his hands.He is not even as good as Princess Sun Luban, Sun Luban is protected by two thousand private soldiers led by Zhou Xun, and he only has two aides, Xie Jing and Zhuge Ke.

Zhuge Ke also had some headaches. He didn't expect things to turn out like this, but he was still full of confidence that he could accomplish such a feat with his own efforts.

"Prince, with Lu Dinggong going to Jiaozhou, it is enough to defend Rinan County." Zhuge Ke said calmly: "Not to mention the army of the King of Yue, but the troops under Lu Dinggong and Zhou Boying are enough to repel the barbarians in Rinan." gone."

"I don't think so." Xie Jing shook his head disapprovingly: "I heard that both the prime minister of Yue and the doctor Yushi agreed to send troops to Rinan." He glanced at Zhuge Ke, and the beard on the corner of his mouth trembled: "Japanese Nanwo is the territory of the state of Wu, and to the state of Yue, the dead are only a few businessmen, so why did they mobilize their troops? I am afraid that this battle cannot be counted on the state of Yue."

Sun Deng squinted his eyes and looked at Xie Jing's complicated expression, but at this moment he couldn't care less about distinguishing his personal spirit. After losing such a big help as Bu Zhi, he couldn't help but doubt whether Sun Shao could send troops to Jiaozhou.As Xie Jing said, in the change of Japan and South, what Yue lost was only a few merchants and some goods. Perhaps the purpose is to occupy Nichinan, avenging the death of the merchant is just a cover.Now that the Prime Minister and Doctor Yushi have expressed their opposition, can he still be so firm?

It seems that this trip to Jiaozhou can only rely on myself.

……

Sun Shao looked at Prime Minister Yu Fan and Yushi doctor Lu Ji who were serious and resolutely unwilling to give in, and frowned and said nothing.He had expected that these two people would oppose sending troops, but he didn't expect them to be so determined.Yu Fan waved his big sleeves and made a speech so impassioned that the spit star could almost wash his face.He said that Yue State has attracted nearly [-] households in the past few months. They have just settled in Yue State, and their doubts have not completely subsided. At this time, stability should be the main priority. It’s not too late to go out, but now we have to go out in a hurry, not only is it difficult to prepare materials, but also if there is a setback, I’m afraid these people’s confidence in the country of Yue will be severely hit, and the large amount of financial and material resources we invested in the early stage will be in vain.If you want to fight, you can fight again in two years, but not now.

Lu Ji didn't have that many words, but what he said was as hard as a thrown stone, and there was no room for discussion. If you want to send troops, you can. Please remove me from the post of doctor censor first. I would rather go to Zhuya Academy went to study, and couldn't bear to see the king's efforts in vain. The Yue Kingdom, which had just shown a good momentum of development, suffered a major setback.

Commenting on the conscience, what Yu Fan and Lu Ji said are both correct. The country of Yue really should not make big moves under such a situation of rapid development. The so-called "stability over everything else" sounds clichéd, but it is very real The truth is, for a ruler, stability is the most important thing at any time. What does it matter if a few businessmen die?Think about the big man, the Xianbei people in the frontier have been making trouble for so long, disturbing the border every year, but they have not been able to shake the foundation of the big man, but with the Yellow Turban, the world is in chaos.

However, Sun Shao had Sun Shao's thoughts, so he didn't argue with them. He just wiped his face with his sleeve, and interrupted Yu Fan with a frown: "Prime Minister, you must have gotten angry recently. This tone is very serious."

Yu Fan blushed, only to realize that he was too excited just now, and sprayed saliva all over Sun Shao's face.He took a step back in embarrassment, bowed and saluted: "The old minister has nothing to say, please forgive me. It's just that the old minister is loyal to the country and speaks from the bottom of his heart. Please think twice."

"I didn't say you were wrong." Sun Shao waved his hands, signaling Yu Fan and Lu Ji not to be nervous: "It's completely normal to have different opinions. The lights don't turn on or off, and the reasoning is unclear. What's the matter? If you have different opinions, everyone should discuss it together, this is the principle I have always emphasized, and there is nothing wrong with you.”

Yu Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Although he is straightforward and unwilling to follow others, it would be more or less disadvantageous for him to anger a monarch like Sun Shao. It is very rare for him to ignore his temper.It's just that since he is in the aspect, he must be loyal to his duties. He knows that this is wrong, but he is concerned about his own safety and doesn't speak up. That is not his principle of life.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I don't support conquest, but according to the news we've received, Funan is far more populated than Yizhou. It's easy to start a war, but it's up to you to end it. Your Majesty, for the sake of a few merchants, Is it worth sacrificing the lives of countless soldiers, is it worth it?" Yu Fan further persuaded him earnestly: "I think that the king will raise his troops and store up his strength. After waiting for two or three years, the Yue Kingdom will have abundant household registration, and at least an additional [-] troops can be added. With enough soldiers and food, wouldn't it be more appropriate to attack Funan again?"

"Prime Minister, what you said is of course reasonable, but I also have my reasons." Sun Shao stood up, walked up to Yu Fan, and looked at Yu Fan earnestly: "I said before, the court of my Yue Kingdom is not When we have a disagreement, it doesn't mean that you must listen to me, and it doesn't mean that I must listen to you. Let's choose what is good, okay?"

Yu Fan was stunned for a moment, wondering what exactly Sun Shao wanted to say, if he didn't do what he said, and he didn't do what he said, what should he do?
"Prime Minister, I want you to convene an enlarged meeting, not only Sangong, but also Jiuqing. You should publish the topic first, so that the people of my country of Yue know what is going on. If they have any opinions, You can also express it, you can give advice to your prime minister's mansion and Yushi's mansion, and you can also give advice to me. If necessary, you can invite those aristocratic families who are not officials to participate in the discussion. If there are many people who support you, you can listen to whoever is right, okay?"

Yu Fan frowned. He had never encountered such a thing. It is understandable to invite the three princes and nine ministers to participate in the discussion of national affairs. It is also understandable for the officials to express their opinions. It is not unheard of to attend a formal meeting, but it is a rare major event, such as the Salt and Iron Conference. Of course it is a good thing that Sun Shao does not make a speech, but such an event has to be so grand, isn’t it a little bit pass?

Yu Fan glanced at Lu Ji, and Lu Ji frowned slightly, the two exchanged glances, and finally agreed.Now they have the opposite opinion from Sun Shao. If they stick to the end, they will listen to Sun Shao in all likelihood. Since Sun Shao is willing to hold this enlarged meeting, let’s hold it. No matter what the final result is, at least it can be delayed for a while.

"I obey the imperial edict." Yu turned back a step and bowed to salute.

"Prime Minister, you can make arrangements first. Doctor Yushi stay here, I have something to say to you." Sun Shao smiled and waved to Lu Ji.Yu Fan looked at Sun Shao vigilantly. Sun Shao let him go first, but left Lu Ji behind. Could it be that he wanted to defeat them one by one?He glanced at Lu Ji, but Lu Ji smiled calmly: "Prime Minister, you don't have to wink at me, am I, Lu Ji, a villain who goes with the wind?"

Yu Fan grinned in embarrassment, turned around and left.Sun Shao asked Lu Ji to sit closer, and without opening his mouth, he looked Lu Ji's face up and down. Lu Ji sat upright, stern, and ignored Sun Shao's gaze.Sun Shao looked at it for a while, then burst out laughing: "Grand Lu, how are you doing recently?"

Lu Ji smiled faintly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine recently."

"Well, it seems that the soup is still useful." Sun Shao twisted the tassel of the ribbon and smiled happily: "I just don't know how it tastes?"

Lu Ji didn't feel sorry for it all of a sudden, he glanced at Sun Shao in surprise, and said suspiciously: "My lord, what did you say... Tang?"

"Didn't you drink the tonic soup?" Sun Shao squeezed his eyes.

Lu Ji thought for a while, his fair face turned red, he stammered a few times, and said nothing, after a while, he raised his head again: "Great... Great King , this is a private matter..."

"Why are you so nervous?" Sun Shao said with a smile: "You think I want to use this relationship to get you to support me?"

Lu Ji didn't say a word, he looked at Sun Shao suspiciously, that's exactly what he was worried about.This matter was a misunderstanding. He originally had a wife and a concubine. His wife stayed in Wu County and gave birth to his eldest daughter Lu Shan. The concubine he took when he was in Yulin gave birth to his son Lu Rui and daughter Lu Yusheng.However, my concubine died when I was in Yulin, and my wife also passed away the year before last. Now he is alone, and he should be renewed or take another concubine. When it comes to this matter, it just so happens that the eldest daughter Lu Shan has been by his side to help him with affairs, taking care of his life at the same time, so there is no urgency for the sequel.Last year he followed Sun Shao to Zhuya, and his elder sister, Mrs. Lu, decided to marry his younger daughter Lu Yusheng, who was left in Jianye, to Zhang Wen's younger brother, Zhang Bai. Only then did he realize that his eldest daughter was already twenty. It's time to get married too.

When I was in Zhuya, because of a thorough investigation of Zhuya's account affairs over the past few years, the people in the Yushifu, from him, the doctor of the censor, to all the staff were very busy, and everyone lost a lot of weight. , just happened to be seen by Sun Shangxiang who came to look for Lu Shan.At that time, Sun Shangxiang had just won the battle in Yizhou, and he was in a very good mood. Seeing their miserable appearance, he proudly brought the female soldiers from Feihuying to make soup for them to nourish their bodies.But I didn't expect that Sun Shangxiang had a good heart, but his craftsmanship was very poor. Although the soup was made with a lot of ingredients, the taste was not generally bad, and the faces of all the subordinates were more uncomfortable than taking medicine.Lu Ji also found it unpleasant to drink, but he was well-trained, even if he really took the medicine, he could still keep his face calm.It's just that he didn't expect that this gave Sun Shangxiang great courage. If he keeps on working hard, he will continue to live and cook soup. Inadvertently, the soup that was originally made for everyone in the Yushi Mansion will become his exclusive use. When he wakes up When I came here, it was too late to explain, even his daughter Lu Shan didn't believe it, let alone other cronies, everyone's reason was that the soup was so bad, if it wasn't interesting, how could you drink it ?
Lu Ji was depressed for a while, but he soon discovered that Sun Shangxiang is actually quite good. Although the cooking skills of this soup are not good, but he is very careful, and the cooking skills are improving day by day, and the effect is not bad. After drinking her After the soup was boiled, Lu Ji's foot disease, which was often painful, gradually got better.Afterwards he inquired and found out that Sun Shangxiang heard that he had a foot problem, so he specially asked the imperial physician Ling Dong Feng for a prescription, and searched for medicinal materials everywhere, but it took a lot of effort, but Sun Shangxiang never mentioned it in front of him.

Lu Ji felt a strange warmth, and also felt a kind of carefulness from this woman who had always been as tough as a tiger.He would make mistakes, acquiesced to this fact, and was thinking about when to ask Sun Shao, but he didn't expect Sun Shao to propose it on his own initiative, and he had such an expression.

"Don't worry, I won't blackmail you with this kind of thing." Sun Shao chuckled: "I just want to ask if you really like my aunt. As you know, my aunt had a period of unsuccessful marriage Marriage, I don't want it to be her wishful thinking, causing any misunderstanding."

Lu Ji was very embarrassed. He didn't know how to answer Sun Shao. He was 37 years old, he was middle-aged, and he didn't have the impulsiveness of young people, and his feelings were very real. Sun Shangxiang was also married once. What happened, but the other party's thoughts can be guessed to a certain extent.

"Your Majesty, I... I am... to the Fifth General..."

Looking at Lu Ji who was as shy as a boy in love, Sun Shao laughed loudly, and he pressed Lu Ji's shoulder: "If you are embarrassed to say it, then you can express it by nodding or shaking your head, if you agree, you can nod, if you disagree, Just shake your head, and I will tell my aunt what you mean truthfully. No one can delay anyone, don't you think?"

Lu Ji nodded nervously.After thinking for a while, he tapped twice vigorously again, as if he was afraid that Sun Shao would go back on his word.

Sun Shao smiled, patted Lu Ji on the shoulder twice, and then sat back on his seat. He pondered for a moment, and when he raised his head again, there was no trace of joking in his expression, but very serious: "Mr. Lu, you are all adults. I believe that you will not play tricks on marriage. I understand what you mean. I will ask her what she thinks. If you really have no misunderstanding and you agree with each other, then I will Please Queen Mother preside over the marriage, and do this happy event as soon as possible, if not, then make it clear as soon as possible to avoid misunderstanding."

"This is exactly what I want to ask the king." Lu Ji saluted and said sincerely.

"Okay, this is a family matter, let's put it aside first." Sun Shao said solemnly: "Let's talk about business matters. Lu Gong, you should think about it seriously before telling me, do you have the confidence to do well in the position of Doctor Yushi?" ?”

Lu Ji frowned, his eyes suddenly became serious, and he stared at Sun Shao without blinking.Sun Shao looked at him quietly, his eyes were calm and composed, and there was no trace of dodge. It was obvious that he had considered this question carefully.

Lu Ji pondered for a long while, and finally said: "Your Majesty, I... feel like walking on thin ice, trembling."

"Why?" Before Lu Ji finished speaking, Sun Shao asked.

"Your Majesty..." Lu Ji took a deep breath, his fair face suddenly turned red, he raised his head suddenly, and looked at Sun Shao with piercing eyes: "My lord, those people are too greedy and shameless, they have always When you are not satisfied, no matter how many benefits you give them, they will not be satisfied. Majesty, it has only been more than two years, and I have a few thick boxes of files in the Royal Doctor's House. They...they are too courageous When I grow up, as long as I have money, I dare to sell anything, I dare to ask for any money."

"Why have you never heard of it?" Sun Shao didn't show any nervous expression. He took a sip from his teacup, his eyes were cold and serious: "Two year-end audits, the report you gave me never showed even a trace Mouth, why is that?"

"Chen..." Lu Ji looked at Sun Shao, and suddenly fell to the ground, kowtowed his head twice, and when he raised his head again, tears were streaming down his face: "I'm afraid that a moment of carelessness will ruin the great good in front of me." The situation, although they are not greedy enough, is still within the scope of my control. I want to resolve these crises invisibly, but, my lord, I am ashamed. Although I have studied the Book of Changes intensively, I can't do it lightly. I... I am so proud of you, I am ashamed of your trust in the King."

"Are you afraid that these pustules will be punctured and rotten?" Sun Shao helped Lu Ji up, still asking calmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty has been going on an expedition, and I'm afraid that if you act too hastily, your plan will be messed up. Your Majesty, this minister does not support His Majesty's conquest at this time, and it is precisely because of this concern. The crusade against Funan Kingdom is not a matter of a year or a half. If there is chaos in Qian Tang, wouldn't the king become a tree without roots?"

"Grand Lu, your heart is good, but you worry too much." Sun Shao smiled faintly: "A few profit-seeking people can shake the foundation of our country? Heal the sick and save the sick, learn from the past and learn from the future, sooner rather than later. The more you look forward and backward, the easier it is to cause troubles. Stability is more important than everything else. However, if the inside is already rotten, can just making the outer layer look bright can cover up the essence of the matter? Whitewashing the peace is a sign of guilt. Lu Gong, the gap between Confucian classics and world affairs is not small."

(End of this chapter)