Chapter 241 Sun Quan humiliated and formed an alliance
In Chaisang County, Yuzhang, it is the end of April, the rainy season in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
It was raining lightly in the sky. On the eaves of the central hall of Chaisang County Government Office, the rainwater slid down along the brackets and pattered in the courtyard, then flowed into the drainage channel next to it and flowed out of the house.
Sun Quan was sitting cross-legged on the corridor outside the central hall, looking down at the rainwater that had gathered into a stream in the courtyard and flowing to the lower areas, with a hint of silence flashing in his eyes.
When Sun Qian arrived in Jiangdong and found Zhang Zhao as a lobbyist, he knew that Sun Quan would definitely not agree, so he sent someone to tell Zhou Yu and Lu Su. After the two discussed it, they talked with Sun Quan for a long time, and finally Sun Quan reluctantly agreed. .
At this moment, Sun Quan was sitting in the corridor, with a rather unwilling expression on his face. Next to him, Zhou Yu looked a little pale. He coughed twice and said, "Sun Qian should arrive at Chaisang today. Is Wu Hou still thinking about this matter?"
"I'm not willing to give in."
Sun Quan let out a long sigh: "My father was killed by Huang Zu, and my brother's long-cherished wish is about to be fulfilled in my hands. However, I have to let Huang Zu go over and over again. How can I swallow this sigh of relief?"
Zhou Yu advised: "Jingzhou is in internal strife. This is our best opportunity to annex Jingzhou. If we attack Huang Zu now, we will help Liu Cong clear the obstacles. If Huang Zu dies, the Jiangxia Navy will be destroyed. Then we will face Liu Cong." Cong's army of more than 100,000 people may be difficult to maintain. For the sake of Jiangdong's great cause, Wu Hou should be patient first."
"I know."
Sun Quan frowned and said this, but he must still be very reluctant in his heart.
Lu Su said with a smile: "Marquis Wu does not have to worry about not being able to avenge Marquis Wucheng. Although Liu Qi teamed up with Liu Bei to deal with Liu Cong this time, Liu Qi will definitely not have an easy time. Once the war is coming to an end, we can raid Jiangxia again. .”
"Um."
Sun Quan had no objection to Lu Su's proposal to betray the alliance. Instead, he said: "I'm just worried about Liu Bei. This man is a hero, but he is not much better than Liu Cong and Liu Qi. He said he was helping Liu Qi regain his position, but in fact he probably wanted to seize Jingzhou. , what will happen if he wins Jingzhou?"
Zhou Yu said in a deep voice: "So we must not let Liu Bei succeed. If we are on the side, Liu Bei and Liu Qi will not dare to let go of their hands and feet to fight Liu Cong. We agree to form an alliance with them, and when they fight with each other, that is It’s time for us fishermen to profit.”
"Is it possible that Liu Bei doesn't know this?"
Sun Quan asked.
Zhou Yu said with a smile: "Of course he knows, but what can he do? If we don't retreat, Liu Qi will definitely lose in the face of the attack between us and Liu Cong, so he can only choose to please us."
Lu Su said: "When the envoy comes, Wu Hou can pretend to reluctantly agree to the matter, but he must insist that he is only an alliance with Liu Bei, not Liu Qi and Huang Zu, and must explain that after they defeat Liu Cong, we I will definitely attack Huang Zu and avenge Marquis Wucheng. This will give me an excuse to intervene in Jingzhou affairs, and it will not be considered a betrayal of the alliance."
The situation in Jingzhou is now in a mess. If Jiangdong gets involved again and attacks Jiangxia, Liu Qi will definitely lose.
More importantly, facing the two-sided attack from Xiangyang and Jiangdong, Liu Qi is likely to abandon Jiangxia directly and either defect to Liu Bei or run to Jingnan.
Both of these situations are things Jiangdong doesn't want to see.
Once Liu Qi escapes and Jiangdong moves into Jiangxia, they will face frontal pressure from Xiangyang.
After all, for Liu Cong, Liu Qi is the one who wants to steal his position, and Jiangdong wants to destroy him. They are mortal enemies with irresolvable conflicts, and there will definitely be a direct conflict.
Although Jiangdong defeated Huang Zu, Xiangyang was still a behemoth to them, so the best option for Jiangdong to maximize his interests was to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and then come out to take advantage when Liu Cong, Liu Bei and Liu Qi's coalition forces were defeated.
In order to have a reasonable and legal excuse, when forming an alliance with Liu Bei, they stated in advance that the hatred between Jiangdong and Huang Zu was irresolvable. After they defeated Liu Cong, they would immediately attack Jiangxia.
In this way, they have an excuse to enter Jingzhou, and at the same time, it cannot be regarded as a violation of the covenant. After all, they signed a contract with Liu Bei, and did not sign a contract with Liu Qi not to attack Jiangxia.
"Um."
After hearing Lu Su's words, Sun Quan nodded slightly.
This is indeed a good way to annex Jiangxia, take a peek at Jingzhou, and grasp the right name.
While the three people were talking, an attendant came in from outside and said, "Marquis Wu, General Zuo's envoy has arrived."
"Let him in."
Sun Quan narrowed his eyes. Although he was very reluctant, for the sake of the greater good, he could only keep Huang Zu's head for the time being and wait for it to be repaid in the future!
After a while, Sun Qian came down the corridor from the side. At this moment, Sun Quan and the others had entered the middle hall. When he entered the hall and saw the young man sitting on the main seat, he knew it was Sun Quan, so he raised his hands to him and said: "General Zuo.
I am engaged in the work of Zhonglang Sun Qian and pay homage to the Marquis of Wu."
"Oh."
Sun Quan forced a smile and asked, "Why does Sun Chang come to Jiangdong to do this for you?"
Sun Qian said: "Because the lord of Jingzhou died of illness, the second son Liu Cong and the eldest son Liu Qi were fighting. Our lord, General Zuo, understood the righteousness and decided to help the eldest son. He hoped to become allies with the Marquis of Wu and not attack each other.
"
Sun Quan sneered and said: "Hasn't the old thief Liu Biao already proclaimed himself emperor? Back then, His Majesty personally called General Zuo his uncle. How come General Zuo is going to betray the imperial court?"
"My lord is not betraying the imperial court."
Sun Qian argued vigorously: "The emperor's uncle has never surrendered to the king of Chu."
"oh?"
Sun Quan said suspiciously: "That being the case, I have never seen General Zuo raise an army when Liu Biao was alive, but now he wants to intervene in Jingzhou's affairs? Could it be that General Zuo is planning to take the opportunity to annex Jingzhou?"
Sun Qian said seriously: "My lord has no such intention. He did not raise an army because the King of Chu was kind to my lord after all. Although he betrayed the court and proclaimed himself emperor, my lord thought of the friendship between the same clan and did not send troops in the end."
It is said that the support given to the eldest son today is also because the eldest son has always opposed the King of Chu’s proclaiming himself emperor and is willing to help the eldest son regain Jingzhou.”
"hehe."
Sun Quan smiled noncommittally and said, "General Zuo is a man of benevolence and righteousness."
"It's natural. Our lord's reputation for benevolence and righteousness spreads far and wide. What happened in Jingzhou is because our lord hopes to stop the war and turn it into a pity, and persuade the second son to give up the throne of the false emperor and surrender to the imperial court."
Sun Qian heard what Sun Quan meant, but he pretended not to know: "Now General Zuo has declared his eldest son to be the shepherd of Jingzhou, explained the whole story to the court, and condemned Liu Cong as a false emperor who rebelled against the court, which shows the heart of our lord.
If Wu Hou still loves the Han Dynasty, he should call off his troops and make a truce and stop attacking Jiangxia."
"How can our father's hatred end here?"
Sun Quan pretended to be furious and said: "Old Huang Zu, I will definitely kill him to avenge my father!"
"Wu Hou."
Sun Qian sighed and said, "I hope that Marquis Wu will know about my mastery of boxing."
"snort."
Sun Quan snorted coldly and said: "If you want me to give up my father's hatred, you should at least show sincerity. How can you want me to withdraw my troops in just a few words?"
Sun Qian immediately said: "Now there is great chaos in the south, and Zhang Lu in Xichuan has devoured his lord. My lord, thinking of his friendship with the same clan, decided to go to Xichuan to help. However, he encountered the eldest son's incident on the way, and had no choice but to stop in Zigui. If Wu Hou is interested, The eldest son has promised that as long as he defeats Liu Cong, Jiaozhou will be surrendered to the Marquis of Wu."
Jiaozhou?
Sun Quan, Zhou Yu and Lu Su looked at each other and wanted to laugh in their hearts.
Liu Bei's meaning is very simple. Now that Zhang Lu wants to destroy Liu Zhang, he intends to help, but he will probably wait for Zhang Lu to destroy Liu Zhang, and then attack Zhang Lu and occupy Yizhou in the name of helping his fellow clan.
As for Jingzhou, he obviously wanted Liu Qi to get it, so that Yizhou in the south would belong to him Liu Bei, Jingzhou would become a close ally of Liu Qi, and Sun Quan would continue to be in Jiangdong.
But if you want to prevent Sun Quan from sending troops, you obviously need to give him some sweetness, and giving him the state will naturally become that benefit.
Where is Jiaozhou?
Later Guangdong, Guangxi and most of Vietnam.
It sounds good, but in the late Han Dynasty, Jiaozhou was a place where birds did not shit.
So this distribution is no different from insulting Sun Quan.
Sun Quan laughed angrily and said cheerfully: "General Zuo and Liu Qi were generous enough to hand over Jiaozhou to me."
"Did Marquis Wu agree to form an alliance?"
Sun Qian asked.
Sun Quan said coldly: "What if I don't agree?"
"well."
Sun Qian sighed and said: "Then the eldest son will have no choice but to retreat to Jingnan. It doesn't matter if Jiangxia is given to the Marquis of Wu. When the time comes, my lord and the eldest son will defend Changsha, and they will just sit and watch the fight between the Marquis of Wu and the second son." "
"you!"
Sun Quan was passive for a while and became even more angry.
This is actually the main reason why Jiangdong is now forced to agree to an alliance.
Where is Jiangxia?
This is the city of Wuhan in later generations.
Wuhan City, Jingzhou City, Xiangyang City.
In the Han Dynasty, they were Xiakou, Jiangling and Xiangyang.
These three places form a triangle. Once Liu Qi withdraws from Jiangxia and retreats to Jingnan, Sun Quan's army will be directly adjacent to Liu Cong's army in Xiangyang.
At that time, Liu Qi was separated from the northern part of Jingzhou by the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake, so it was not that easy to fight Liu Cong.
Instead, Sun Quan bore the brunt of Liu Cong's way south to defeat Liu Qi and regain Jingnan.
Will the two sides start a war by then?
If a war breaks out, it will be Liu Qi and Liu Bei who sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and tigers.
If there is no war, Sun Quan will not be able to do anything. Liu Cong may not take the initiative to send people to attack him.
So it's a dilemma.
He agreed to form an alliance, but felt very sad and insulted.
They gave him Jiaozhou, which sounds good, but Jiaozhou is not as important as a county in Jiangxia.
This situation is like a dog being thrown a bone, which is very unpleasant.
If you don't agree, it will be even more uncomfortable.
Because Liu Qi's forces withdrew from Jiangxia, the vacuum in Jiangxia was bound to be filled by Liu Cong's army, and then he and Liu Cong would have to fight.
Unless Liu Cong was stupid enough not to send troops to Jiangxia, or he withdrew his troops to Anqing, the forces on both sides were completely bordering each other, and Sun Quan was on the right side of the road from Xiangyang southward from the Han River to attack Jingnan, so a battle between the two sides was inevitable.
Therefore, Liu Bei obviously had a hold on Sun Quan and knew that he would definitely agree to form an alliance, which made him feel confident.
"Wu Hou, please don't get angry."
At this moment, Lu Su stood up and persuaded: "Please let me ask the envoy."
"snort."
Sun Quan turned his head.
He was really aggrieved about this matter.
Lu Su looked at Sun Qian and said: "We all understand what your envoy means, but I hope your envoy knows that the civil strife in Jingzhou has nothing to do with Jiangdong. My lord is determined to kill Huang Zu and avenge his father, even if Liu Qi withdraws What can we do if we leave Jiangxia? If we stop our troops and return to Anqing, will Liu Cong still chase us to Yuzhang? So in the end, Liu Cong and Liu Qi will inevitably fight to the death."
"Hmm"
Sun Qian pondered without saying anything. If Jiangdong was cruel and retreated back to Anqing, Liu Cong would feel that there was no threat and it would be impossible to send pursuers, so they would not have no chance to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the tigers.
Lu Su continued: "But just because my lord only wants Huang Zu's head to avenge his father, this matter cannot be discussed. In addition to Jiaozhou, if Liu Qi offers Huang Zu and bundles him and sends him to Jiangdong, not only will my lord not be able to He will attack Jiangxia, but instead send troops to help Liu Qi recapture Jingzhou. What do you think, your envoy?"
"First of all, I can't decide on this matter. Secondly, General Huang is the leader of Jiangxia Navy. Because of General Huang's full support, the eldest son can resist Liu Cong. I believe that the eldest son will not agree."
Sun Qian flatly refused and said: "If Marquis Wu wants the eldest son to offer General Huang as an offering, I'm afraid it won't work."
"If that's the case, then it's out of the question."
Lu Su said regretfully: "Anyway, the battle between Liu Cong and Liu Qi only damaged Jingzhou. Jiangdong can just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. After Liu Qi is defeated, even if we don't send troops, Liu Cong will not let it go." Huang Zu, if someone avenges Marquis Wucheng, why wouldn’t we do it?”
Sun Qian hesitated for a moment, then said after a while: "Then according to the captain's wishes, Jiangdong plans to withdraw his troops to Anqing and watch the eldest son fight with Liu Cong? Jingnan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there is the danger of Qingcao Lake. With Jiangxia Navy I'm afraid I will disappoint Marquis Wu with his abilities."
"No matter how disappointed I am, it is still better than not being able to avenge my father's murder."
Sun Quan said calmly: "As I said before, I am determined to kill Huang Zu. As a son, I cannot avenge my father. Let alone Jiaozhou, what if you give me Jingnan?"
Sun Qian frowned.
As Xiaoqing expected, Shen Chen told him when he came that Sun Quan would definitely stick to the matter of avenging his father. It seemed that Sun Quan really wanted to gain greater benefits.
Thinking of this, Sun Qian decided to retreat in order to advance. He stood up and said, "In that case, I can only go back and report to General Zuo and ask him to write a letter to the eldest son. Let the eldest son retreat to Jingnan first. My Lord. At this time, we sent troops to Xichuan to assist Yizhou pastoralists."
Ready to leave now?
Sun Quan, Lu Su, Zhou Yu and the others suddenly felt their hearts sink.
If he really goes in this direction, then Liu Qi will retreat to Jingnan, because Jingnan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and Dongting Lake is steep. Liu Cong may not be able to capture Changsha within three to five years relying on the Jiangxia navy.
When Liu Bei successfully captures Yizhou, they will only be able to watch helplessly from Jiangdong. Isn't that the worst outcome?
Because at that point, Jiangdong could not attack Jiangxia.
Liu Cong will definitely send a large army to replace the Jiangxia Navy. Although he has many troops, it will be difficult to fight in Jingnan. Secondly, he will divide his troops to defend Jiangdong. Let alone annexing Jingzhou, even killing Huang Zu for revenge will not be possible. It's a long way off.
Is this what Sun Quan wants?
However, at this time, Sun Quan remained silent, and his eyes were about to burst into flames.
He was actually very angry now, and he had the idea in his mind to order his left and right men to capture Sun Qian and threaten him with swords and axes.
But Sun Quan, who is naturally forbearing, understands that if he does this, once the alliance breaks down, things may develop in the worst direction.
So at this time, he could only choose to grit his teeth and say nothing.
Since he didn't speak, his subordinates would naturally do the work for him. Lu Su quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please go slowly."
Sun Qian turned around and cupped his hands and said, "I wonder what else the captain has to do?"
"Does General Zuo really intend to watch the eldest son being defeated by us and Liu Cong and escape?"
Lu Su suddenly said: "Your Majesty, don't forget, my lord just wants to kill Huang Zu, and Liu Cong will definitely be willing to form an alliance with my lord. When he gets Jingnan, I want Huang Zu's head, and no one will lose."
"Wu Hou is truly filial."
Sun Qian sighed: "To avenge my father, I don't even want to have Jiaozhou."
"It's natural."
Lu Su said in a deep voice: "I hope your envoy understands my lord's determination."
Sun Qian said: "In this case, how can the Marquis of Wu agree to form an alliance?"
Lu Su and Zhou Yu looked at each other and said: "First, Jiaozhou must return to Jiangdong. Second, Jiangdong will not send troops to attack Jiangxia, but this is only temporary. Once things change, we will still send troops."
"Then what's the difference between forming an alliance and not forming an alliance?"
Sun Qian spread his hands and said.
Lu Su smiled and said: "At least we will not send troops when Liu Cong attacks Jiangxia. If Liu Qi defeats Liu Cong and takes Jingzhou, then General Zuo has no reason to ask Wu Hou not to send troops to avenge his father."
"Hmm"
Sun Qian nodded slightly and said: "That's true. If the eldest son takes Jingzhou, Wu Hou will attack Jiangxia. It is indeed only right to kill General Huang to avenge his father. If this is the case, then we can use this as an alliance and conclude an alliance. , what does Marquis Wu think?"
"Then so be it."
Sun Quan threw up his sleeves and left. This alliance made him feel even more humiliated.
As soon as he left, Lu Su said with a hint of apology: "My lord has always been determined to kill Huang Zu. I hope your envoy can understand my lord's filial piety to avenge his father."
"Of course I understand."
Sun Qian was not in a hurry anymore, nodded with a smile and said: "I will write down the alliance letter when I get back, and ask Wu Marquis to stamp it when the time comes. I will go back and hand it over to General Zuo."
"It's natural."
Lu Su said: "But this is the only covenant, I'm afraid it won't work."
"I will write two copies. At that time, Jiangdong can send someone to follow me to Zigui. General Zuo will stamp it with the official seal and then bring it back to Jiangdong."
Sun Qian said.
"This is best, then so be it."
Lu Su nodded.
Although Sun Quan was indeed aggrieved by this alliance, it was also the best result.
After the covenant was signed, Jiangdong stood still and waited to see the situation.
Liu Qi and Liu Cong fought to the death. When both sides were hurt, they had an excuse to send troops. This would maximize the benefits for Jiangdong.
What's more, Liu Qi actually gave Jiaozhou to them. Even though Jiaozhou was useless and useless, it was better than nothing.
Zhou Yu said nothing during the whole process and just watched with cold eyes.
Sun Qian and Lu Su talked about other things, then left and went back to prepare the alliance letter.
After he left, Zhou Yu said softly: "This Liu Bei may have the intention to annex Jingzhou."
"yes."
Lu Su looked at Sun Qian's leaving figure and said softly: "If he really only wanted Xichuan, he could go to Yizhou now. Why would he stay in Jingzhou? It's just because he is afraid that Liu Qi will be annexed by Liu Cong and it will be difficult to turn back. It’s just Jingzhou, this Liu Bei should not be underestimated.”
"When the time comes, it will depend on who has the means."
Zhou Yu coughed twice more. During the Battle of Yixian in the 10th year of Jian'an, he was washed away by floods. Although he survived by chance, he had sequelae. His lungs were damaged due to drowning and he has not recovered yet.
Originally, he should have taken a good rest, but now it was the key to whether Sun Quan could capture the south, so Zhou Yu could only hold on to his strength and continue fighting.
I feel like I'm going unconscious. I have a fever and my throat hurts like swallowing a razor blade. It's really uncomfortable. Now that we are fully open, everyone really needs to protect themselves. It may not kill you, but if you get infected, you will lose half your life. The difference is that you must pay attention to protect yourself! Remember!