Zhang Zhao has been the representative of the civil servants under Sun Jian since his time.
It's not because Zhang Zhao can't lead troops, but because of Zhang Zhao's noble status - for the entire Jiangdong, Zhang Zhao has always been the representative of their noble clan.
As long as Zhang Zhao is still in the court, it means that the power of the noble clan is still at its peak.
And Zhang Zhao, who seemed to be "supporting the moon", also relied on his strong confidence to win countless benefits for the wealthy families in the court.
Under such a mutually reinforcing situation, the emerging group headed by Zhou Yu and Lu Su, with Sun Quan as the core, seemed to inevitably touch the cake of the Jiangdong gentry.
Jiangnan is relatively peaceful, and so is Jiangdong.
If Cao Cao had not marched to Chibi and made it clear that he wanted to defeat Soochow in a battle, it is very likely that these aristocratic families would still be planning to negotiate peacefully with Cao Cao, thinking that they would be able to quell Soochow without resorting to war.
crisis.
Want to fight - they are definitely not the first from aristocratic families to stand up.
Want to surrender - but they are more active than anyone else.
But when the time came to take advantage of the situation, they clamored to regain the power of the tiger and Ben, conquer the traitor Cao Cao, and save the great Han from disaster.
In the past, they had to fight back and forth with Zhou Yu for every horse and arrow. When they saw the opportunity to win Hefei, which they had longed for in one fell swoop, they were more generous than anyone else.
One hundred thousand soldiers and horses were gathered in a blink of an eye.
So, why is Zhou Yu willing to be a wedding dress?
He was simply forced to have no choice. Even he didn't know that the surrender faction headed by Zhang Zhao could still muster 100,000 troops at this time - so what else could he say?
He felt sorry... he felt sorry for his soldiers who had no choice but to become cannon fodder. Regretful, regretful that not only could they not capture Xiangyang, but they also allowed Sun Quan to straighten his back and stand upright in the court of Jiangdong - this was Sun Ce
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were as close as brothers. How could he be willing to accept his brother's last wish before it was fulfilled?
Therefore, when Zhou Yu faced off against Cao Cao, it was not that he did not feel distressed, but that he had no way to feel distressed.
He understood that as long as Hefei was captured by Zhang Zhao, from now on...I am afraid that Sun Quan's status above the court would only become even more humble.
Zhang Zhao said Yi Bu Er, Bu Zhi, Gu Yong, Yu Fan, etc., and a large number of civil servants supported by aristocratic families will completely control the court.
Until then…
I'm afraid that Soochow will never be able to turn around again, so don't ever think about plotting to conquer the Central Plains and conquer the world.
As desolate as Zhou Yu was, at this moment, he actually had the thought in his heart: If Zhang Zhao lost, maybe their situation would be better.
Little did he know that his unintentional enjoyment would quietly sprout the seeds of this thing on a front that stretches thousands of miles.
——
Wancheng was captured. It should be said that Wancheng was just a formality.
Cao Cao's garrison in Wancheng knew that he could not defeat Sun Quan's menacing army of 100,000, so he wisely chose to abandon the city to save his troops.
Three thousand people quickly retreated to Hefei, where Jiang Ji was guarding. After the meeting, Jiang Ji's military strength was estimated to be just over 10,000.
But... there are only 10,000 people, which is still not enough.
Zhang Zhao stood on the city wall of Wancheng, smiled and raised his glass, drinking happily with the generals behind him who supported the family.
Sun Quan, who stood aside and stared stiffly at the moonlight, seemed to have no confidence at all.
Pan Zhang, as the only general who might be facing Sun Quan at this time, stood aside and said nothing - Sun Quan did not have the confidence to command the army, and he, Pan Zhang, had no confidence to dissuade Sun Quan.
In the final analysis, he is just a general, and his effect on the situation is minimal.
Before Pan Zhang could speak, Sun Quan seemed to notice Pan Zhang's presence. Looking back, Sun Quan smiled sadly.
"Wen Gui, do you think we can win the battle in Hefei?"
"Go back...back to my lord..."
Pan Zhang could not say depressing words such as that they were going to lose, so no matter how Sun Quan asked, Pan Zhang would only answer:
"Our army will win——"
"Yes...our army will win..."
Sun Quan smiled and shook his head... Holding the wine cup, he looked at Pan Zhang with a serious look on his face, and suddenly felt the same way——
"Tell me...when the emperor was around Dong Zhuo, did he ask the same question?"
"Ah! Lord... Lord, what are you talking about!"
Pan Zhang was frightened. When he looked at Sun Quan, he noticed the melancholy on Sun Quan's face, as if he was about to cry.
"Haha... It's nothing. I just remembered that when I followed my father, my father once told me about the emperor's situation when he said he wanted to rescue the emperor who was imprisoned like a puppet..."
"I was young at that time and didn't know the truth. I just felt that the emperor was so pitiful... I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye..."
"In a blink of an eye, I also..."
Pan Zhang trembled all over and hurriedly pulled Sun Quan into the house——
The wine in Sun Quan's hand was scattered all over the floor, but Sun Quan didn't show any sign of being angry.
Wine is not intoxicating, people are intoxicated themselves. Under the reflection of the lights in the room, Sun Quan's eyes were particularly blurred.
Pan Zhang frowned and observed the group of civil servants singing loudly outside the house. Seeing that no one seemed to have noticed what Sun Quan said, Pan Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"My lord...is humble and incompetent...and cannot solve my lord's problems...but...my lord, please remember that the Governor and General Zijing are still fighting for my lord's cause in Xiangyang..."
"During this period, I can only wrong my lord... Mr. Zhang Ge and the others are also thinking about the future of Soochow... The battle in Hefei... Even if Mr. Zhang Ge and the others don't fight, when the troops and horses are strong, the governor will fight -"
Pan Zhang's words are very clear...Sun Quan is indeed a bit pessimistic now. Even he, Pan Zhang, knows that when the time is not right, he must avoid his edge.
Now if he talks in a depressing way, it implies that Zhang Zhao and the others behave like Dong Zhuo... Let alone recharging his energy, now Zhang Zhao can directly put Sun Quan under house arrest...
"No matter what... my lord... you still need to remember that the achievements in the Battle of Chibi will always be our trump card... Mr. Zhang Ge and the others won't recognize it, but the people of Jiangdong will -"
“Cough cough cough cough——”
Pan Zhang spoke sincerely, but Sun Quan suddenly coughed after being silent for a long time.
This made Pan Zhang a little confused...but he didn't expect that a moment later, a voice came from behind, which made Pan Zhang feel cold all over and almost suffocated.
"My lord, and General Pan, why don't you join us in the moonlight to have a drink together?"
"Looking into the distance from this attic, you can already see the mountains. Beyond the mountains, Hefei is right in front of you...General Pan...you seem a little unhappy?"
"No... no... what the hell! Mr. Zhang Ge was joking again. I am just taking this job because I am worried about rushing on the road tomorrow. After being drunk, I am not clear-headed. It would be bad if something goes wrong... I don't mean to spoil the fun——"
Pan Zhang stood up quickly and turned around, only to see Zhang Zhao with an indifferent expression.
The aura exuded by Zhang Zhao made Pan Zhang take a few steps back - he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, only to find that Zhang Zhao was eye-to-eye with Sun Quan who was sitting on the ground.
The temperature seems to have dropped a lot, even though the fire is still lit in the house...
