The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 280 Pirate Empire Difficult Choice
When Sun Quan and Sun Deng met each other, they were stunned.Sun Quan stayed in Rinan for more than a year. Although he didn't go to battle in person, he stayed with the soldiers every day, eating coarse grains and doing rough work. He looked majestic, with a calm and confident smile on his dark skin.The prince's military uniform, which he hadn't worn for about a year, was obviously tight on his body. With a movement of his hand, he could see his bulging chest rising and falling, and endless vitality radiated from his whole body.

Sun Quan was much older, and he hadn't seen him for a year. His black hair turned gray and his face looked thinner. When he saw Sun Deng, he was reading documents. With some gray sideburns, she looks particularly haggard.

Father is old.At that moment, Sun Deng suddenly had the urge to pounce on his father and cry bitterly.But before he moved, Sun Quan laughed: "My crown prince is back. This great victory in Japan has greatly boosted the prestige of our country of Wu. Congratulations."

Sun Deng immediately suppressed his impulse, and bowed on the ground to pay homage: "My son Deng pays homage to the king."

"Zigao, get up." Sun Quan put down the pen in his hand and clapped his hands with a smile: "Ah Li, why don't you come out to see your brother? You want to see him every day, but why are you hiding when he comes back?" ?”

Sun Deng's eyes tightened, and then he smiled again. He looked at Sun Li, who was showing half of his small face from behind the curtain, with a nervous expression, and praised: "A Li grows up so fast. I haven't seen you for a year. He is just handsome. Xiaolang."

Sun Quan chuckled, beckoned Sun Li to come to his side, patted his head lovingly and said, "Yes, not only is he growing fast, he is also good at reading and martial arts, he is an all-rounder in both civil and military affairs Good boy. I brought him by my side to teach him, and when he was exhausted from military affairs, it was much easier to see him."

Sun Deng's face remained unchanged, he looked at Sun Li gently, rubbed his hands, and said embarrassedly: "Father, I don't know that my younger brother is by my father's side, and he didn't bring a gift. It's extremely rude."

Sun Quan laughed, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "That's not okay. As an elder brother, you have conquered thousands of miles and returned with a big victory. How can you not have a gift for your younger brother? If you don't bring it to me, I don't blame you. But don’t give it to Ah Li, that’s not okay.”

Sun Deng touched his head in embarrassment, then patted his head suddenly, and said with a smile: "My father has an edict, how dare my son refuse to obey it. It happens that one of the accompanying gifts is for the father, so I will pass it on to Ah Li, please." The father forgives my son and minister for the crime of not asking." Then, he took a brocade box from the entourage behind him, handed it to Sun Li with both hands, and said with a smile: "Brother, take a look, do you like it?"

Sun Li looked at the brocade box in embarrassment, then glanced at Sun Quan anxiously, and murmured, "Father, I..."

Sun Quan smiled faintly: "Since it was given to you by your elder brother, you just accept it. Open it and see what kind of rare treasure it is."

Sun Li responded, knelt down beside Sun Quan, and opened the copper clasp on the brocade box. With a "pop", the brocade box flipped open, revealing a dragon-shaped jade belt hook that was as green as it could drip leaf juice. , not to mention the quality of the carving, just look at the transparent and pure texture of the piece, you can know that it is a piece of high-quality jade.Sun Li yelled in surprise, held it in his hand in a hurry, and showed it to Sun Quan happily. After a while, he said reluctantly: "I dare not enjoy such a beautiful jade, so I'd better ask my father to keep it." .”

Sun Quan narrowed his eyes, and gently pushed back: "It's just a piece of jade, since you like it, I will give it to you."

Sun Li nodded quickly, and quickly thanked Sun Deng. Sun Deng accepted it with a smile. Seeing Sun Li hurried towards the back tent with the brocade box, he felt a little sour in his heart.He didn't need to look behind, just by looking at Sun Li's expression, he knew that Mrs. Wang must be behind the tent.

A feeling of disappointment welled up in his heart. Although Sun Deng wanted to hold back his tears, he still couldn't hold back. Two crystal clear teardrops slid down his cheeks.Sun Quan saw it, but smiled lightly: "Why, you have fought a bloody battle with the Funan people with your army in your hand, and you haven't been afraid. Why are you showing a childish attitude now?"

Sun Deng bowed down in front of Sun Quan, sobbing and said: "My son is not filial. He has traveled thousands of miles, so he can't show his filial piety in front of his father. Father, you have been tired for more than a year."

Sun Quan smiled silently, looking at Sun Deng who was kneeling in front of him and sobbing. It took a long time before he smiled, reached out and pulled Sun Deng up, carefully looked at Sun Deng's face, opened his mouth to speak, but sighed involuntarily: " Time makes people old. Zigao, when you grow up, I will naturally grow old. This is something that no one can resist. Zigao, don’t be sad, come and tell me about your battle in Funan , I only saw a victory report, but I didn't know the details, so I was very worried. Now that you have returned safely, I am relieved. You performed well in the two wars, and I am very relieved, Zi Gao, you are better than me in terms of military ability."

Sun Deng quickly shook his head: "Father, how can I be so self-restraining? My son was lucky enough to win in Funan, not because I was good at using troops, but because General Lu, Zhuge Ke and the generals used their lives to repay the kindness of father. In addition, there is also the Queen of Yue. It also helped a lot.”

"Guan Feng?" Sun Quan raised his eyebrows, looking a little surprised.In the victory report Sun Deng wrote back, the first contribution was Lu Dai, and the second contribution was Zhuge Ke. He said that Yue State was helpful, but he did not mention Guan Feng.If Guan Feng appeared on the Nichinan battlefield, then the Yue Guo Gang would be no small favor.

"Yes." Sun Deng nodded: "This time we were able to defeat the Funan Army and capture Fan Chang alive. The Yue Kingdom's Liannu was the first achievement." Sun Deng briefly described the battle. Although he was not present at the time, But Zhuge Ke had reported the process to him in detail, and he spoke clearly and clearly.He deliberately talked about the power of Liannu, and finally told Sun Quan that Sun Shao was going to sell him a batch of Liannu, but because of the rivalry between Wu and Shu, he neither wanted Wu to be frustrated, nor could he see Guan Yu suffer, so I can only sell none of them, just support some food.

"How can he sell such a powerful ordnance?" Sun Quan leaned back, gently stroking the armrest with his fingers: "Could it be an excuse?"

Sun Deng was quiet for a moment, then echoed: "Father is very worried. However, with King Yue's disposition, since he mentioned selling, he must have other plans. What's more, what he wants to sell is not one or two, but Four hundred pieces are almost the sum of the current crossbows of the Yue Kingdom. Er Chen thought that he probably had better crossbows, so he sold these batches of crossbows. At the beginning, he asked for 50 yuan a piece. Four hundred, a total of [-] million yuan, is not a small sum."

Sun Quan's eyes narrowed, his heart skipped a beat, and he seemed to stop for a moment.The meaning behind Sun Deng's words shocked him.The power of the current Liannu is already so great, but Sun Shao still has to deal with it. It must be because he has a more powerful Liannu. The strength of the Yue Kingdom has grown so fast, and the Wu Kingdom has already fallen behind. The gap is getting bigger and bigger, is there any chance of equalizing in the future?To put it closer, Sun Shao has now made a fortune. To win Funan is to win a large granary, which costs [-] shimi. With such strong economic strength, coupled with amazingly powerful weapons, if he Cooperating with Guan Yu and attacking Wu Guo's back, what chance does Wu Guo have to resist?
This day is over.

Sun Quan felt bitter in his mouth. He had hoped that Sun Deng would help him when he came back, but he didn't expect Sun Deng to tell him such a bad news as soon as they met.When he thought about Sun Shao's relationship with Guan Yu and Cao Cao, he was extremely depressed. Sun Shao had a good relationship with everyone, but he had a bad relationship with his uncle. Not only did he become independent, but he also kept putting pressure on him.Yue Guo is now like a thorn, piercing deeply into his back, hurting his heart and lungs, but he can't reach it, he can't scratch it, he can't pull it out.

The most difficult thing is, how to fight this battle?Since Sun Shao doesn't want them to fight, he will definitely think of all ways. Sun Deng also said that Sun Shao has already played the emperor and asked Cao Cao to mediate together. Then this battle can no longer be fought, otherwise, Wu will be defeated. Surrounded on three sides, it is like a flat boat in the sea, which may be overturned by wind and waves at any time.But if he just withdrew like this, his face would be lost. It would be better to send Zhang Yi back to Chengdu when he first arrived in Jianye.

dilemma!Sun Quan was silent, his blue eyes were full of pain and unwillingness.He is not a person who does not know how to advance or retreat, and he has done many things with his head bowed and forbearance, but that does not mean that he is a weak person. On the contrary, he is a very strong person. The reason why he can endure humiliation is because he hopes to be famous one day , that's why he endured it for a while, but now he found that he didn't seem to have a bright day at all.Among the four kingdoms, Cao Cao has strength and Liu Bei has reputation. What does he have?He has enemies!Sun Shao was originally just a minor ailment of mange, but now it has become a serious problem in his confidant. No matter what tricks he lays out, what nets he casts, Sun Shao breaks through the encirclement without any effort, and finally throws water beads on his face.

"Will he send troops to threaten our back?" Sun Quan said to himself.

Sun Deng didn't speak, but his expression gave the answer: If he insists on not retreating, Sun Shao's threat of sending troops is inevitable.

"I heard that Gu Yu is very prestigious as the royal doctor in Qiantang. Last time, he ruined the reputation of the Sheng Zhou family and almost lost everything. Even Yu Zhongxiang almost stumbled." Sun Quan sighed: "Do you know what Gu Tan is doing over there?"

Sun Deng knew what Sun Quan was thinking. The Gu family was on two boats, and now they were flourishing in Yue, making it very difficult for Sun Quan.Sun Shao is dead. In terms of ability and prestige, Gu Yong is a very suitable candidate, but his son and grandson are officials in Yue State. If he himself becomes the prime minister in Wu State, then the Gu family will hold important positions in Wu Yue , the strength will expand rapidly, if he cannot be the prime minister, it will appear that Sun Quan is not as good as Sun Shao, and in the end it is very likely that Gu Yong will be forced to leave the country of Wu. Once Gu Yong leaves, it is not just the Gu family who is leaving, it may be just the beginning. Both the Lu family and the Zhang family may leave together.At that time, can Wu Guo still gain a foothold in Jiangdong?

Sun Deng understands Sun Quan's current mood very well, but there are not many choices left for them. If they insist on continuing to restrict the development of Jiangdong people's power, then Jiangdong people will abandon them. It will be beyond the scope of control, and the tail will not fall.The lesser of two evils, the only thing we can do now is to make concessions to the Jiangdong people and try to control the situation within a certain range.

However, this is only Sun Deng's opinion, and Sun Quan may not be able to adopt it.

"Zigao, how is Zhuge Ke's ability to use troops?" Sun Quan asked suddenly, his brows that were originally frowning were loosened, as if he had made a certain decision.Sun Deng hesitated for a moment, and said cautiously: "I have talent, but after all, I am young, and I still need more training from my father."

"Okay then, you can preside over the battle in Chaisang, let Zhuge Ke and Lu Xun assist you, and the elite you brought will be handed over to Zhuge Ke to lead." Sun Quan suddenly stood up and said very simply: "I'm going back to Jianye , Discuss with the ministers about the candidate for the prime minister. The position of prime minister is always pending, and it is not suitable after all."

Sun Deng was overjoyed and quickly got up to thank him.Of course he knew that Sun Quan made such an arrangement, not only to give Zhuge Ke a chance, but also to express a concession to Jiangdong. The Lu family is also a big family in Jiangdong. He and Zhuge Ke are his right and left hands at the same time. The assistant of these two people, as long as he can settle the relationship between them, he will have a good time between Jiangdong and Huaisi people.

Sun Quan acted vigorously and quickly communicated the decision.As soon as Lu Su, the governor stationed in Lukou, received the news, he immediately understood the meaning. Zhuge Jin and his son had become the representatives of the Huaisi courtiers, and he, the governor, should retire.He immediately asked people to invite Chang Shi Zhang Cheng, and asked him to draft a memorial to resign from the governor and return to Jianye to recuperate.When Zhang Cheng heard this, he was stunned. After thinking about it for a while, he picked up the pen and wrote it without adding any points, and sent it to Lu Su with both hands.

Lu Su looked at the article written by Zhang Chengdai and sighed: "Zhong Si, your father and younger brother are both officials in Yue State, so don't stay here anymore, go to Yue State, with your ability, you will soon be able to Useful."

Zhang Cheng was not polite, and nodded with a smile: "Commander, I will accompany you back to Jianye, and I have to clean up the house, and then I will go to Qiantang to find opportunities. Commander, what do you plan? Do you want to leave Jianye? Maybe change the environment, It is more beneficial to your body. There are several medical craftsmen in Zhuya Daoshu Academy in Yue Kingdom, and their medical skills are quite unique, and the South China Sea is rich in spices, which are said to be very good for curing diseases."

Lu Su laughed: "Thank you Zhong Si, I know my own body, but it's not a disease, it's an old injury. When I was young, I didn't know how to pay attention to my body, and I let my temper go my way. Now that I'm old, it's all come out, isn't it? What kind of medicine stone can cure it. Zhou Gongjin died young, and I have lived many years longer than him, which is enough."

"The governor..."

Lu Su raised his hand, interrupted Zhang Cheng, and said with a smile: "If it is convenient for you, take Lin Zhi away. He has been with me for so many years, but I have not been able to recommend him to be an official. I am really sorry. Stop him."

Hearing what he said, Zhang Cheng knew that he had already made up his mind, and it would be useless to talk more.On the same day, they packed up their bags and went to Chaisang to ask Sun Deng, the newly appointed military superintendent, to resign. Sun Deng was surprised and rushed to Lu Su's residence in person, and tried to persuade him for a long time, but Lu Su declined on the grounds of illness. Sun Deng was detained.

When Zhuge Ke heard about this, he rushed to Zhang Cheng's residence and persuaded Zhang Cheng to stay.Zhuge Ke's elder sister is Zhang Cheng's wife. She just gave birth to a daughter a few years ago, and the relationship between husband and wife is good.Zhuge Ke said to Zhang Cheng, although I am still under Lu Xun, my father may not be able to become prime minister this time, but we will definitely achieve our goal in the future.The Lu family has Lu Ji in Yue State, the King will definitely not trust him unreservedly, and Lu Xun will definitely give way in the end.Now we need to gather talents from Huaisi, how can you leave?
Zhang Cheng blocked Zhuge Ke to death with a single sentence. He said to Zhuge Ke, yes, Lu Ji is in Yue State, and Lu Xun will not gain the unreserved trust of the king, but my father and brothers are also in Yue State, and they are in the Yue State. Official position is much more important than Lu Ji, can Your Majesty trust me?
Zhuge Ke was speechless, and could only watch Zhang Chengyang leave helplessly.Not reconciled, he wrote another urgent letter and asked someone to send it to Zhuge Jin and his sister as quickly as possible, asking them to persuade Zhang Cheng again.When Zhang Cheng returned to Jianye's home, his wife Zhuge had already received the news, but before she could say a few words, Zhang Cheng interrupted her: "Madam, do you think Yuan Xun has a bright future?"

Zhuge looked at Zhang Cheng inexplicably, not quite understanding why Zhang Cheng said this.Zhang Cheng is famous for being good at knowing people, but the meaning in his sentence shows that he is not optimistic about Zhuge Ke who is in the limelight.

"If your Zhuge family is going to be defeated, it must be defeated by Yuan Xun." Zhang Cheng smiled lightly: "If you believe me, pack your bags immediately and leave Jianye with me to Qiantang as soon as possible, if you don't believe me , I can write you a letter of divorce, and we will go our separate ways from now on."

Zhuge was hesitant, she knew Zhang Cheng's words were not a joke.Zhang Cheng had already made up his mind to leave the state of Wu, and their family had nothing to do with the King of Yue. It was because of this that Sun Quan trusted her. The marriage between her and Zhang Cheng had lost its original political significance.

"I'll go with you." Zhuge groaned for a long time, then sighed: "I'm going to say goodbye to my father and mother."

"It should." Zhang Cheng agreed.

When Zhuge went home and told Zhuge Jin what Zhang Cheng had said, Zhuge Jin frowned for a long time and didn't say a word.Although Zhang Cheng is his son-in-law, Zhang Cheng is only four years younger than him. They have known each other for many years, and he admires Zhang Cheng's knowledge of people very much.It's just that Zhang Cheng's comment on Zhuge Ke now makes him very uncomfortable. Right now Zhuge Ke is all his hope, and it doesn't look like the root of the ruin of the family.

Zhang Cheng cleaned up the household items as quickly as possible, left a farewell letter for someone to give to Sun Quan, took Cao Gen, Shangguan Xuefei and Lin Zhiqing and drove straight to Qiantang, and there were many surprises along the way. He didn't stop until Wu County, when he stopped in the post pavilion outside the city.

Zhang Wen, who had already received the news, greeted him outside the pavilion.

This post pavilion is the one where Sun Shao sang "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road" when Sun Shao said goodbye to Zhou Xun.It's just that those people were no longer those people. Sun Shaoli became the king of the country, Zhou Xun became the general of Yue, but Zhang Wen, who was called a young hero with Zhou Xun, was under house arrest, and his future was dark.

"Zhong Si, are you leaving too?" Zhang Wen showed a bitter smile as soon as he saw Zhang Cheng.

"Yes, I'm leaving." Zhang Cheng was not polite, and said straight to the point: "And you, do you want to go with me?"

"I'm not you." Zhang Wen shook his head: "Your father and brothers are all in Yue State. Jianye's family property is not to be taken seriously. I can't do it. There are hundreds of people in my Zhang family. How can I move it? What? Besides, you and the King of Yue are brothers, but I...hehe, but..."

"Huishu, how many years of imprisonment has made you like this?" Zhang Cheng shook his head repeatedly, and said unceremoniously: "You not only misjudged yourself, but also misjudged King Yue."

Zhang Wen is silent.It's not that he didn't think about going to the country of Yue, but when he thought about how he used Sun Shao back then and finally abandoned Sun Shao, he felt guilty.In addition, Shen Xuan, who was desperate at the time, is now an important minister of the Yue Kingdom, but now he is a person under house arrest, completely turned over, making him feel a little ashamed to face his old friend.Zhang Cheng asked him to meet here, of course he knew Zhang Cheng's intentions, but after much deliberation, he couldn't compare himself with Zhang Cheng, Zhang Cheng would definitely be reused soon after going to Yue, but he might not.This time Lu Xun became the governor, assisting the prince Sun Deng, and leading the army to fight against Guan Yu, and Lu Xun's nephew Gu Cheng is his brother-in-law, maybe Lu Xun will give him a chance.Gu Yong, who valued him very much, was likely to become the prime minister, and he would not help out at all. After thinking about it for a long time, he decided to stay and have a look.

Seeing that Zhang Wen came alone, Zhang Cheng probably knew about his decision, and after a few words of persuasion, he had to say goodbye regretfully.

"Zhang Huishu looks smart, but he is really confused." Leaving Changting, Lin Zhi said unabashedly: "He still has unrealistic fantasies about King Wu, he is really stupid."

"It's not his fault." Zhang Cheng shook his head with deep sympathy: "These Jiangdong clans all have their family business in the country of Wu. It's not as convenient as us. They can leave after a little tidying up. They want to leave, not only because there are many people, but also The most important thing is that the land cannot be moved away, and if we leave the state of Wu, at least half of our property will be lost, so how can we make such an easy decision before the last step."

"I don't think so." Shangguan Xuefei snorted coldly: "The country of Yue is vast and sparsely populated, when will it be short of land? He just has no confidence in the King of Yue, and he is afraid that the King of Yue will neglect him, so he looks forward and backward. There is a way of calculating too much, That's what it means. He is doomed to be a cautious person all his life and can't do bold things."

"Miss Xuefei has wanted to go to Yue Country for a long time, right?" Cao Gen, who had been silent all this time, suppressed a smile.

"Don't blame me, don't you too?" Shangguan Xuefei glanced at Cao Gen and smiled heartily: "Actually, I feel sorry for Mr. Zhang. With Mr. Zhang's ability, if he had gone to Yue earlier, he would at least He is a prefect of a county, maybe even a shepherd of a state is possible. Why have you stayed in Wu country for a few years, it is still a long history."

(End of this chapter)