Chapter 313: Raising One Million Troops on the West Lake
Liu Zhang suddenly became inexplicably angry and slammed the case: "It's unreasonable. Fan Lixiang dared to lie to me, saying that there was a lot of grain in Jiangdong and could help the refugees in Jiangling. She also said that Jingzhou and Jiangdong were both Chu people and had the same spirit. If
If we don't have enough food left in Jiangdong, we won't be able to restrain the refugees, and they may invade Jiangdong. It's really unreasonable, come on."
"exist."
"I sent an order to Fan Lixiang, saying that Mr. Zijing said that there is no food left in Jiangdong and that the refugees should be quiet. If Jiangling mob causes any losses to Jiangdong, I will be the first to kill her. Fan Lixiang is really more and more unhappy.
That’s true.”
"yes."
The soldiers were about to leave, but Lu Su stopped him quickly. He felt so miserable that he couldn't express it. He twitched the corner of his mouth and said to Liu Zhang: "Uncle Huang, Uncle Huang, Mr. Fan is right. We do have some surplus food in Jiangdong, but it's just not as much as fifty thousand shi."
More, probably thirty thousand dan." Lu Su clenched his fists.
"Oh, that's it." Liu Zhang nodded: "Since Jiangdong only has 30,000 shi, we naturally don't dare to buy more, otherwise what will the people in Jiangdong eat? Right? But the difficulty is that we Jiangling refugees need exactly 50,000 shi, and at least four
Wan Shi, if you can't give me this amount, you know those unscrupulous people."
Liu Zhang took a sip of wine and felt extremely melancholy. Lu Su's previous view of Liu Zhang was that he was stubborn. After coming to Chengdu, he came to the conclusion that he was cautious on the outside and generous on the inside. Now he had a third impression, that of a scoundrel.
He should have figured it out a long time ago. He should have known it when Liu Zhang gave him the porcelain he bought with his own money.
"I suddenly remembered." Lu Su said: "I remember that Chai Sang also stored 10,000 shi of grain, which was originally intended to be used to relieve the Jiangling victims. But now Governor Wei Wen is attacking Chai Sang. If the emperor orders it,
If we stop attacking, we might be able to survive."
Liu Zhang smiled inwardly, but he did not expect that Lu Su would threaten him in turn. He suddenly said to Lu Su with a lonely look: "Zijing, do you think Wei Wen's invasion of Jiangdong was my order?"
"You misunderstood me." Liu Zhang slapped Lu Su on the shoulder. The wine glass in Lu Su's hand shook, and Liu Zhang said: "Zijing, you are also a smart man. When Wei Wen attacked Jiangdong, I had just arrived in Chengdu.
How can I give an order? Huang Yueying is good at making decisions. Didn’t I withdraw her?
However, due to a moment of negligence, the newly appointed Jingzhou Mu Fan Lixiang did not have the power to restrain the navy. This led to Wei Wen being unscrupulous. Don't worry, Zijing, I will issue an order to recall Wei Wen back immediately, but you know that now Jingzhou
It’s not going to be peaceful anymore, if Xinqi dies on the road..."
"Uncle Emperor, I think the food must still be there." Lu Su said firmly.
"real?"
"real."
"Mr. Zijing is indeed an honest man. Come on, have another drink." Liu Zhang picked up the jug and poured another drink for Lu Su. He winked at Wang Lei beside him, and Wang Lei handed over a notice.
Liu Zhang picked up the notice, read it once, and pushed it in front of Lu Su. Lu Su took it in confusion and asked casually: "Uncle Emperor, what is this?"
"Old letter, Mr. Zijing just needs to go back and ask Wu Hou to stamp his seal." Liu Zhang said.
After learning the lesson just now, Lu Su suddenly became vigilant, put down his wine glass, picked up the notice and read it carefully. The beginning listed what he had said before.
Jiangdong is open to all products of Sichuan merchants, and no boycott is allowed, and no additional taxes other than store tax are charged.
Jiangdong "sold" 43,000 koku of food to the refugees from Gangneung, totaling 900,000 trophies, but Jiangdong could obtain a Gangneung Friendship Plaque and erect a monument to commemorate it.
The two sides are not allowed to attack each other for five years.
Until I saw: "Sun Quan must swear an oath on the Wucheng Tower to clear up the past feud with the Sichuan Army, and become a mortal enemy of Cao Cao who usurped the imperial court. He vowed to work with the Sichuan Army to rescue the emperor and help the Han Dynasty."
Lu Su frowned. If Sun Quan really swore a rightful oath in front of the people on the city tower, then there would be no room for change with Cao Cao, at least it would not be that easy. This is contrary to the purpose of Jiangdong's balance and preservation of both ends.
.
"Uncle Emperor, we, the Marquis of Wu, are absolutely loyal to the Han Dynasty and are at odds with the national traitor Cao Cao. Is there no need to take this oath?"
"Since I am absolutely loyal to the great man, why not take an oath? This will not only show the loyalty of Wu Hou, but also make the people of Jiangdong support Wu Hou even more."
Liu Zhang held the wine glass and spoke slowly while drinking.
Lu Su had no choice but to continue reading, but the next article touched Lu Su's nerves even more. It clearly stated that Baqiu would be sold to the Jiangdong Navy and used as a freight port for Shu merchants to land in Jiangdong.
Lu Su's brows jumped, and he slapped the notice on the table. Finally, he couldn't bear it any longer. He slowly clenched his fist on the table and said to Liu Zhang with suppressed anger: "Uncle, you are going too far, aren't you? Land
This is fundamental. If Baqiu is ceded, how will I, the Marquis of Wu, face the people of Jiangdong and rule the eighty-one counties of Jiangdong?"
"It's eighty counties." Fazheng corrected on the side.
"You..." Lu Su's face turned red with anger.
Lu Su could not give in on this issue under any circumstances, otherwise he would not be able to explain to Sun Quan at all. First, it would weaken Sun Quan's prestige in Jiangdong. Second, it would anger the war faction. Third, it would also increase the sense of crisis among the peace faction.
Although Baqiu is only a county, its geographical location is very important. It is the neck of Jiangdong from Jingzhou. Zhou Yu trained and dispatched troops here. Cheng Pu's troops are still stationed here.
Jiangdong holds Baqiu. If you retreat, you can protect Jiangdong. If you advance, you can attack Jingxiang.
If the Sichuan Army occupies Baqiu, it will not only be a distribution point for merchants' goods, but also it will be easy for the Sichuan Army to land in Jiangdong. Then Jiangdong's navy will become a decoration in front of Jingxiang. If Jiangdong wants to send troops to Jingxiang, it will have to worry about being attacked from both sides.
.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Liu Zhang drank in silence and remained silent.
Wei Yan suddenly said in a loud voice: "Baqiu doesn't care. If Sun Quan doesn't understand current affairs, Jiangdong is in my pocket."
Lu Su was so angry that he froze in his seat, his fingers trembled, and he really wanted to leave. However, he was well aware of the strength gap between the two sides, and he was the representative of the peace faction. If he went back like this, the war between Jiangdong and Sichuan troops would not be possible.
It is broken, this is the thing that the Jiangdong family fears the most.
The problem now is that facts force us to negotiate for peace, but Liu Zhang's conditions for peace are too harsh.
"Wei Yan, please don't be rude." Liu Zhang said in a deep voice, then took a deep breath and said: "The conversation with Mr. Zijing today was not very pleasant, but the wine was refreshing. I wrote a poem to cheer Mr. Zijing up.
"
"Okay, okay, Lord Marquis, please."
"Please, Lord Marquis."
The civil servants all looked at Liu Zhang. Now the Sichuan military officers and soldiers knew that their lord still had literary talent, but he didn't usually write poetry. It was rare that he was in the mood today. Everyone listened carefully.
Liu Zhang looked at the bronze wine bottle in front of him, drank it in one gulp, stood up, drew his sword with a swish, and chanted loudly: "
The sword is in its scabbard, and the bow is lying down.
The country is broken, and the treacherous ministers enter the sky.
If thousands of miles of carriages and letters are all mixed up, how can the Han Dynasty have separate borders?
Drawing the sword and unfurling the bow, showing arrogance, the iron horse, the building and the boat went down to the east of the Yangtze River.
Raise one million troops to the West Lake and mount the first peak of Mount Wu."
Liu Zhang finished reciting solemnly. The atmosphere was strong and the whole audience could hear the needle drop. It was not only the momentum in the poem, but also pointed directly to Jiangdong between the lines. Lu Su looked at Liu Zhang. His heart skipped a beat, and his expression was inexplicably complicated.
"Thousands of miles of carriages and letters are all mixed up. How can the Han Dynasty have separate borders?"
Drawing the sword and unfurling the bow, showing arrogance, the iron horse, the building and the boat went down to the east of the Yangtze River.
Raise one million troops to the West Lake and mount the first peak of Mount Wu."
At this moment, Lu Su fully believed that if he did not agree to Liu Zhang's conditions, Liu Zhang, the butcher who was fearless and not even afraid of his family, would most likely send his troops to the east to unify the south before Cao Cao unified the north.
Isn't this exactly Zhou Yu's plan for Jiangdong?
"Pa." Veteran Huang Zhong suddenly clapped his hands and stood up, and said to Lu Su: "Lu Zijing, my Lord Shu is polite to you because you are also a wise man from Jiangdong. Don't think that our Sichuan army is afraid of Jiangdong. All we need is a word from Lord Shu."
With the order, our Sichuan Army, with 80,000 naval troops and more than 400,000 infantry troops, will immediately conquer the east of the Yangtze River."
"I, Wei Yan, would like to be the vanguard of the Eastern Expedition. If I cannot capture Wucheng, I swear I will not return the capital." Wei Yan suddenly stood up, the armor scales on his body rustling.
"I swear not to return everything."
"I swear not to return everything."
The generals were infected by Liu Zhang's poem, and they all became impassioned and glared at Lu Su. Lu Su knew that this was the Sichuan army openly threatening himself and the entire Jiangdong.
But what can I do?
Lu Su froze on the spot, Liu Zhang returned his sword to its sheath, sat down as if nothing had happened, picked up the wine glass, looked down at the table and said to Lu Su who was standing there: "Mr. Zijing, I was just drunk and improvising, if there is anything rude,
, please don’t blame me, can we talk about the details now?”
Lu Su didn't reply.
Liu Zhang smiled and said: "It seems that Mr. Zijing doesn't want to talk anymore. Well, I, Liu Zhang, will not embarrass others. Mr. Zijing, please come back and tell Wu Hou that I will find a time to go to Wucheng to visit him personally."
.”
Liu Zhang looked at Lu Su with a faint smile. Lu Su's heart skipped a beat and he sat down again. At this moment, Lu Su felt humiliated, the humiliation of an envoy from a weak country.
However, the prosperity and tranquility of Jiangdong as a whole and the preservation of the family are nothing compared to personal honor and disgrace.
"Uncle Emperor." Lu Su struggled to say two words, "This report makes us very embarrassed. Baqiu's geographical location is important. If it is handed over to the Sichuan Army, even if I can accept it, Zhou Yu will not accept it."
This is unacceptable, and neither can Jiangdong’s generals, large and small.
In addition, Jiangdong is already short of food. If it is announced that 40,000 shi of grain will be sold to Jingzhou at such a low price, even if Wuhou agrees, the people of Jiangdong cannot agree."
"These are all easy to handle." Liu Zhang said casually: "Baqiu has an important geographical location, and it only guards half of Luling County and Lujiang County. Can we still fly across Poyang Lake if we have this port? As far as I know, Zhou Yutun
The place where the army is located is the mouth of Poyang Lake. It seems that we do not really threaten the core of Jiangdong, right?
Baqiu is just a convenience for us Shu merchants to gather and disperse goods. Since the two sides have entered into an alliance, they have stated that they will not start a war. Does Lu Zijing think that I, Liu Zhang, are so short-sighted that after occupying Baqiu, he openly tore up the alliance and plotted against one and a half of your counties?
?
If Wu Hou cannot explain it to the people, we can change this article and say that it will be handed over to us as the freight port, but the ownership rights are still in the hands of Wu Hou. Isn't this very appropriate?
As for the generals big and small in Jiangdong, haha, if they could succeed, Mr. Zijing would not be here drinking and talking with me.
If they are still not convinced, Mr. Zijing can just not publish this proclamation and let them try again. If they win, Mr. Zijing will never have to publish this proclamation. Right?"
Lu Su was silent, and Liu Zhang drank a glass of wine and said: "As for other grains and so on, this item can be deleted from the notice, or it can be modified.
When the time comes when Marquis Wu delivers the grain and we give the money, it is not up to Marquis Wu to decide how much we will give. Whether it will be tens of millions or tens of millions, we will just follow your instructions."
Everyone stared at Liu Zhang with wide eyes. Fa Zheng, Huang Quan and others couldn't help but admire him. Lu Su couldn't laugh or cry. Liu Zhang was very indifferent. Isn't this trick commonly used by those who issue invoices in later generations?
"How about it, Mr. Zijing, have you thought about it clearly? If you have thought about it clearly, we will continue to drink. If not, I, Liu Zhang, also promise you that no matter what happens to the Sichuan Army and Jiangdong in the future, you, Mr. Zijing, will
He is my friend, Liu Zhang."
Lu Su smiled bitterly, and after a long while, he took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I, Lu Su, have agreed on behalf of Marquis Wu for the time being, but I still have to let Marquis Wu see it."
"This is easy to handle." Liu Zhang said: "This notice will be modified according to Mr. Zijing's wishes. Baqiu will be changed to a cargo port lease. The lease period will be five years. In terms of food, the price will not be explained first.
Mr. Zijing only needs to take it back and give it to Wuhou, who will stamp it, and then spread it to six counties and eighty-one counties in Jiangdong. He will strive to post more than two copies in every street and village. It will be completed before the Mid-Autumn Festival. No problem, right?
?”
Lu Su looked at Liu Zhang in shock and understood what Liu Zhang meant. Liu Zhang wanted to make this announcement known to every household in Jiangdong. It was a done deal and there was no possibility of turning back.
Lu Su now finally understood that from the polite words at the beginning, to the vague conditions later, to the threat of force, and then to "enlightenment" himself, Liu Zhang was pressuring him step by step until he was in the current situation.
But I had already agreed before, so what could I do to refuse now?
"Uncle Emperor, this is really difficult. It's not that we don't want to post it. It's just that there are so many pieces of cloth in such a hurry. Not only does it cost a lot of money, but even if you copy it, it will take several months, let alone post it."
"Oh, really?" Liu Zhang smiled, "Jiangdong and Jing Yi share the same spirit. In this case, we will do the work for Jiangdong. We can copy Jiangdong's memorandum. Before Mr. Zijing leaves Shuzhong,
Be sure to copy it well."
Lu Su looked at Liu Zhang in surprise. In his opinion, it was impossible to copy so many confessions so quickly, but he was not sure, so he reluctantly agreed, thinking about how to explain to Sun Quan when he went back.
Liu Zhang was very happy when he saw Lu Su's agreement. He stood up holding Lu Su's hand and said loudly to the civil and military officials: "From now on, Mr. Zijing is our best friend in the Sichuan Army. Come, let's all drink to Mr. Zijing."
." Liu Zhang raised his wine glass, and all the civil and military personnel of the Sichuan army raised their glasses to Lu Su.
Jiangdong and the Sichuan Army finally reached an agreement. First, Jiangdong provided maximum convenience for Shu merchants to do business in Jiangdong. Jiangdong had the obligation to protect Shu merchants and had no right to dispose of Shu merchants.
Second, Jiangdong provided 43,000 stones of food and grass to the Jiangling refugees.
Third, Jiangdong leased Baqiu to the Sichuan Army.
Fourth, both sides regarded Cao Cao as their common enemy and jointly swore to kill Cao Cao and rescue the emperor.
Fifth, both sides shall not attack each other within five years.
Three days later, under Lu Su's astonished eyes, Sichuan soldiers came over carrying two boxes, each box containing 10,000 paper notices. Lu Su was shocked. The printing technology in Sichuan has not been spread yet, and all the people
He only knew that the prices of white paper and books had dropped significantly, but he didn't know why. Of course Lu Su was surprised.
In order to express his friendship and admiration for Lu Su, Liu Zhang led Sichuan and Shu merchants to see Lu Su off. The merchants were extremely enthusiastic and gave Lu Su a large number of gifts. In addition to white porcelain, Qiong bamboo sticks and other specialties, they also used Sichuan brocade to give to Sun Quan and Zhou Yu.
Waiting for clothes made by Jiangdong civil servants and generals.
Liu Zhang picked up a python robe made for Sun Quan and looked at it. It was indeed exquisite and domineering. He said to Yin Bai beside him: "Go back and make one for me too."
Yin Bai quickly nodded in agreement.
Liu Zhang sent Lu Su twenty miles away. As the leader of a party, he was also an imperial uncle, a noble and a marquis, which was an unprecedented high standard.
Lu Su cupped his hands and said, "Uncle Emperor, just send it here. Uncle Emperor has many things to do, so Lu Su won't leave now."
Liu Zhang looked at Lu Su and said with emotion: "Zijing, the Jiangdong and Sichuan armies can live in peace and jointly fight against the national thief Cao Cao. It is all thanks to your efforts. You are truly a hero of the Han Dynasty. I am also grateful. From now on, there will be no war in the river. This is
It is a blessing to the people of the whole south, let's say goodbye now, Mr. Jingyi will always welcome you in the future."
"Let's just say goodbye."
Lu Su turned around and looked at the endless long road on the plain ahead. He looked melancholy for a moment. Did he successfully negotiate a peace?
It seems that the two sides have indeed ceased fighting, and he has also received high-level hospitality. This not only gives him face, but Liu Zhang also gives Sun Quan and the people of the Jiangdong family enough face. Liu Zhang looks very sincere from the outside.
Peace talks.
But when I go back, I still have a lot of headaches. How to tell Sun Quan and how to appease the main war faction are all problems.
Liu Zhang watched Lu Su go away with the heavy convoy loaded with gifts. The creaking sound became more and more distant. Looking at Lu Su's back from a distance, he said to Fa Zheng: "This man is a great talent in Jiangdong. It's a pity that he is bound by the conservative ideas of the family."
, you must not use it."
Fazheng nodded and said: "If Jiangdong is captured in the future, this person will definitely be a major threat."
………
Lu Su brought the covenant back, which indeed caused an uproar, but it was only in the court. Now that Zhou Yu is out of the field, the main war faction cannot raise its head. Moreover, Lu Su simply avoided generals such as Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and only brought civil servants and Sun Quan with him.
Negotiate.
In the end, Jiangdong acted with ease, and as a last resort, Sun Quan finally signed the covenant and posted six counties and eighty-one counties in Jiangdong.
It's just that all the terms in it were modified by the great scholar Zhang Zhao, and the meaning is still the same, but the perception of the people in Jiangdong has completely changed.
ps: #tyrantLiu Zhang# The poem in this chapter is adapted from the financier Wan Yanliang's "The First Peak of Wushan Mountain". Thanks to Jiang Yujie km and Lin Buxu for the reward.