Chapter 767: Burning Zhangs Mansion, Old and Spicy
In order not to cause panic among all parties in the city for the time being, Sun Quan's departure from the palace seemed very low-key.
There is no emperor's chariot, no emperor's banner, and only a few guards.
This is in sharp contrast to Sun Quan's previous travels, where everyone was cheered and supported.
Because of this, when an ordinary car drove through the streets of Jianye City, no one would have thought that the person sitting in this car would actually be their emperor Sun Quan.
Sun Quan, who was hidden in the chariot, looked ashen.
Especially after Sun Quan opened the car curtain and saw the red lanterns hung high on both sides of the street.
Red means joy.
But now that bright red color fell into Sun Quan's eyes, it completely changed its appearance.
ridicule!
The bright red fluttering in the wind seemed to represent Mi Yang's endless ridicule towards him.
When he thought of this, Sun Quan's stern words came from the car:
"Send an order to Captain Sili and ask him to dismantle all the lanterns in the city.
Leave no one behind!”
Although the pain in his heart has eased a lot now, Sun Quan's accent is still hoarse.
The hoarse accent invisibly deepened the murderous intent, which made Sun Chao tremble outside the car.
Sun Chao is Sun Quan's nephew and has served as the commander of the Yulin Army in the palace for many years. He knows Sun Quan too well.
Sun Chao knew that Sun Quan was on the verge of going berserk and killing anyone at any time.
In order not to anger Sun Quan, Sun Chao quickly responded: "I obey your order."
After Sun Chao responded to Sun Quan, he found that the car fell into an eerie silence again.
It was so quiet that Sun Chao and even Sun Quan's breathing seemed almost inaudible.
This made Sun Chao feel even more at a loss.
Fortunately, Sun Quan's destination was not far from the palace, so Sun Chao was not frightened for long. He drove Sun Quan's car to the outside of a magnificent mansion.
From the grand appearance of this mansion, we can see that the people who live in this mansion must have extraordinary status.
This is also true.
The person living in this mansion is none other than Zhang Zhao, the most important minister of Soochow.
But when Sun Chao drove outside Zhang Zhao's residence, what caught his eyes were not only the two tall palaces symbolizing the family's heritage, but also a mound of earth.
That mound of earth was just outside the gate of Zhang's Mansion, blocking the daily entry and exit of people inside.
After seeing the mound, Sun Chao unconsciously remembered an edict issued by Sun Quan not long ago.
I don't know why Zhang Zhao offended Sun Quan that day. The angry Sun Quan ordered Zhang Zhao to lead his army and seal the gate of Zhang's mansion with earth after Zhang Zhao returned to his mansion.
Sun Quan's move meant that Zhang Zhao no longer had to go out and he didn't want to see Zhang Zhao again.
It can be said to be very decisive.
And if you want to go deeper, Sun Quan's move has the intention of using imperial power to humiliate Zhang Zhao.
The Zhang family has a great business, and there are many servants in the house. Under normal circumstances, a mound of earth cannot stop the hundreds of people in the Zhang family.
However, this mound was brought here by Sun Quan's imperial order. How could an ordinary servant dare to move it away privately?
Unless Zhang Zhao is willing to surrender to Sun Quan.
But this is impossible.
Zhang Zhao has an upright character and will never be forced by power. Sun Quan knows this very well.
Sun Quan, who knew Zhang Zhao well, knew that the mounds he set up could successfully completely block the unyielding Zhang Zhao in the palace.
In this way, how can Zhang Zhao continue to interfere in government affairs in the future?
Of course, Zhang's Mansion is so big. In addition to the main entrance, there is also a back door. There is no mound of dirt outside the back door of Zhang's Mansion.
But Sun Quan also knew that with Zhang Zhao's reputation in the world, how could he be someone who would take the back door?
If Zhang Zhao really leaves, then Zhang Zhao's reputation will take a hit. How can Zhang Zhao continue to support Sun Deng then?
In terms of political skills, Sun Quan was indeed the best in the world.
He will not harm Zhang Zhao on the surface, but he can put Zhang Zhao into a dilemma through "an act of will".
Do you want your own fame or your loyalty to Sun Ce?
This was not only Sun Quan's persecution of Zhang Zhao, but also his humiliation of Zhang Zhao.
Facts have proved that Zhang Zhao was designed by Sun Quan and successfully fell into a dilemma.
Since Sun Quan sealed the gate of Zhang's Mansion with a pile of earth, Zhang Zhao, who was unable to go out, has been gradually declining in influence between the government and the public.
Originally, if things developed as planned by Sun Quan, he could have solved Zhang Zhao's big trouble almost quietly.
But things are unpredictable!
At present, the war in Chaisang is critical. Except for Zhang Zhao, no one in Jianye City can make suggestions for Sun Quan.
For the sake of state affairs, Sun Quan, who had previously put down his bold words and "never see Zhang Zhao again in this life", had to take the initiative to look for Zhang Zhao.
Sun Quan knew that with his arrival, the humiliation he had done to Zhang Zhao would be doubled back on him.
And his previous carefully planned efforts to weaken Zhang Zhao's power will all come to nothing in an instant.
But Sun Quan had no choice.
When the car stopped, Sun Quan put down the hand that had been covering his chest.
Even if he drinks poison to quench his thirst, he must drink this glass of wine from Zhang Mansion today!
Sun Quan, who was thinking about this, gave up all his thoughts and got out of the car with the help of Sun Chao.
When Sun Quan's eyes were fixed on the mound of earth outside Zhang's Mansion, Sun Chao immediately understood and ordered his men to step forward and remove the mound that had blocked Zhang's Mansion for several months.
Soon after, when there was nothing blocking the front door of Zhang Mansion, Sun Quan signaled Sun Chao to come forward and knock on the door.
But what Sun Quan didn't expect was that after Sun Chao knocked on the door for a long time, the door to Zhang's mansion still didn't open.
Sun Quan did not think that everyone in Zhang's house was deaf.
Sun Quan realized that even if he was willing to "show kindness" to see Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao did not want to see him.
After knowing Zhang Zhao's intention, Sun Quan's already ugly expression became even worse.
The angry Sun Quan asked Sun Chao to send people to climb up the high wall of Zhang's mansion to see what was going on inside.
Sun Chao quickly followed Sun Quan's orders.
When the guards who climbed up the high wall came back, Sun Chao had a look of shock on his face when he heard the guard's report.
Sun Quan saw the shock on Sun Chao's face at a glance.
He quickly asked: "What is the situation inside the mansion?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Facing Sun Quan’s inquiry, Sun Chao organized a well-organized reply:
"The gate of Zhang Mansion is also blocked by a mound of earth on the inside of the gate."
After Sun Chao said these words, he did not dare to look directly at Sun Quan again.
As Sun Chao expected, when Sun Quan heard what he said, his eyes almost burst into flames.
Sun Quan was so angry that he covered his chest again.
"What a great Zhang Zhao, what a great Zhang Zhao!"
Sun Quan's tone at this time already contained some murderous intent.
As the saying goes, thunder, rain and dew are all due to your kindness.
He can block the gate of Zhang's Mansion, and he can also unlock the gate of Zhang's Mansion.
Because he is an emperor and can do whatever he wants, but as a minister, Zhang Zhao can only suffer.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhao completely ignored the way of being a minister - you don't need to block my door, I will block the door myself. You don't want to see me, and I don't want to see you.
Zhang Zhao's approach was full of rebelliousness, and it also revealed invisibly that he was not afraid of Sun Quan at all, or rather looked down upon him.
How could Sun Quan endure this?
Sun Quan was so angry that he directly ordered:
"Burn the gate of Zhang's Mansion. Today I want to see if he is really not afraid of death!"
As soon as Sun Quan's order came out, Sun Chao was immediately frightened out of his wits.
Sun Quan is the emperor, he can control Zhang Zhao's life or death at will.
But if I were to force Zhang Zhao to death with my own hands today, would those disciples and former officials of Zhang Zhao in both the government and the public not be able to eat him alive?
Sun Chao was worried about Zhang Zhao's influence between the government and the public, so he did not dare to move for a while.
But then Sun Quan's look scared Sun Chao into doing it.
The look in Sun Quan's eyes was telling Sun Chao: If he doesn't get burned, he will be the one who dies.
Under the threat of Sun Quan's eyes, Sun Chao had no choice but to order people to light the door of Zhang's mansion with torches.
The wooden structure door quickly burned under the flames.
The black smoke produced by the burning rose into the sky and attracted the attention of people around.
Those who can be neighbors with Zhang Zhao are basically high-ranking officials in the government.
After they saw black smoke rising from Zhang's residence, they immediately came outside Zhang's residence to observe the situation.
At this time, they saw that the person who burned Zhang's mansion was Sun Quan.
As human beings, they all understood Sun Quan's intention at once.
Just when they thought Zhang Zhao would have to come out because of Sun Quan's move, as the flames spread more and more, there was no movement at the gate of Zhang's mansion.
Such a situation made them all think that Zhang Zhao was going to be burned alive by Sun Quan in the palace today.
But what Sun Quan did next surprised them.
Seeing the flames getting more intense, Sun Quan was so angry that his whole body was trembling before Zhang Zhao came out.
Sun Quan really wanted to burn Zhang Zhao to death with just such a fire.
But Sun Quan was a qualified emperor, and his reason told him that he absolutely could not do this.
In the end, the reason in his heart prevailed, and Sun Quan had no choice but to order Sun Chao to lead people to put out the fire.
Seeing Sun Chao step forward to put out the fire under Sun Quan's instruction, officials and servants in the surrounding mansions also promptly joined the fire-fighting team.
With the concerted efforts of everyone, the fire outside Zhang's residence was quickly put out.
After the fire was extinguished, what was left outside Zhang's house were burnt black wooden pillars.
Looking at the black wooden pillars, Sun Quan felt burning pain on his face.
He slapped himself twice in front of everyone today.
How can it not hurt?
Sun Quan's behavior just now made Sun Quan realize how stubborn Zhang Zhao really was.
This made Sun Quan immediately change his approach.
Sun Quan knew that Zhang Zhao had a weakness. Although it was shameless to take advantage of that weakness, Sun Quan didn't care so much now.
Sun Quan took out a memorial from his arms and asked Sun Chao to shoot it into the palace.
Sun Quan knew that when this memorial was handed over to Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao would definitely come out to see him.
Sun Quan's judgment was correct. A few quarters of an hour after Sun Chao shot the memorial into Zhang's mansion, the door to Zhang's mansion slowly opened under the watchful eyes of everyone.
At this moment, Zhang Zhao, who had not appeared in front of others for a long time, walked step by step from the palace to Sun Quan with the support of his eldest son Zhang Cheng.
After Zhang Zhao came to Sun Quan, he raised his rickety body, stared at Sun Quan closely and said:
"He is your nephew."
What was the memorial that Sun Quan showed to Zhang Zhao?
It is a memorial to impeach Sun Shao for his crimes.
This memorial was sent to Sun Quan as early as when Sun Quan ascended the throne, someone speculated on the holy intention.
Sun Quan kept it all this time just to deal with Zhang Zhao one day.
Whether the content of the memorial is true or false is not important. What is important is that this memorial gave Sun Quan a reason to punish Sun Shao.
It is impossible for Zhang Zhao to put Sun Shao in danger.
After hearing Zhang Zhao's words, Sun Quan sneered and said:
"I don't see you, Sun Deng?"
Sun Deng was Sun Quan's eldest son, and he had received a lot of favor from Sun Quan.
But now when Sun Quan read this name, his tone was full of coldness.
Sun Quan's answer made Zhang Zhao cough violently.
Zhang Zhao really didn't expect that Sun Quan could be so ruthless.
After coughing violently, in order to protect Sun Shao, Zhang Zhao turned around and took Sun Quan towards the palace, no matter how reluctant he was.
Zhang Zhao guessed what kind of difficulty Sun Quan must have encountered.
When Zhang Zhao brought Sun Quan to the lobby of the palace, Zhang Zhao dispersed the crowd, but he did not invite Sun Quan to sit down like a minister.
After sitting down, Zhang Zhao asked indifferently:
"Are you here because of the loss of our army's mausoleum?"
As soon as Zhang Zhao said these words, a cold light suddenly flashed in Sun Quan's eyes.
The fall of Zhouling occurred after he blocked Zhang Zhao's gate.
Unexpectedly, even though the door was blocked, Zhang Zhao could still know everything about the things he deliberately suppressed.
In Sun Quan's heart, he was a little more afraid of Zhang Zhao.
However, now that Sun Quan had something to ask for from Zhang Zhao, he could only soften his tone and speak out about the Han army's intimidation of Chai Sang.
After hearing the latest information, Zhang Zhao was so shocked that he couldn't hold the crutch in his hand.
"Mi Yang, you are trying to dig up the foundation of my dynasty!"
Zhang Zhao revealed Mi Yang's purpose in one sentence, and also revealed the deepest fear in Sun Quan's heart.
Seeing that Zhang Zhaoneng hit the mark, Sun Quan felt a little comforted in his heart.
Old and spicy, this is the best evaluation of Zhang Zhao.
It was worth it for him to endure the humiliation to come to Zhang Zhao today.
When Zhang Zhao was shocked, Sun Quan directly stated his plan:
"I plan to issue an edict to Generals Lu Fan and Lu Dai, asking them to lead their troops to aid Chaisang."
Although Sun Quan was not well versed in military strategy, he had his own ideas.
Sun Quan had thought of a countermeasure before coming. He came to Zhang Zhao mainly to ask Zhang Zhao if he had a better way.
After Sun Quan finished speaking, he waited for Zhang Zhao to come up with a good plan.
But a while passed, and Zhang Zhao still didn't speak.
While this made Sun Quan anxious, he couldn't help but threaten again:
“If firewood is lost, the foundation of Wu will be unstable.
Mr. Zhang, today is different from the past.
If Chibi surrendered, Sun Shao might not lose his position as marquis.
But today, how can Sun Shao, who is a member of the Great Wu clan, have a good end?"
Sun Quan's words directly revealed the real reason why Lord Zhang Zhao surrendered.
This is also the biggest rift between Sun Quan and Zhang Zhao.
Sun Quan was shameless, and what he said made sense.
After listening to Sun Quan's words, Zhang Zhao was not angry but still sighed and said:
"Have you ever thought that what Mi Yang wants is for you to mobilize an army to help Chai Sang?"
As soon as Zhang Zhao said these words, Sun Quan immediately felt uneasy.
"What Mr. Zhang means is that the thieves want to surround the area for reinforcements?"
After realizing this, Sun Quan looked at Zhang Zhao with pleading eyes, hoping that Zhang Zhao could explain his confusion.