Mi Han

Chapter 709: A Small Person Has a Big Change

Chapter 709: A Small Person Has a Big Change

Under the protection of Mi Yang's men along the way, Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng successfully returned to the territory of the Wu Dynasty.

When Zhu Huan stepped on the land outside Yong'an City, the heart that had been hanging in the air all the way was finally at ease.

When Jiangxia prefect Hu Zong learned the news of Zhu Huan's return, he hurried out of the city to welcome Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng into the city.

Hu Zong, whose courtesy name was Weize, was originally from Runan County, Yuzhou.

Hu Zong lost his father at a young age and came to Jiangdong when he was a teenager to escape the war.

When Sun Ce initially pacified Jiangdong, Hu Zong became a disciple because of his reputation and was one of Sun Quan's study companions.

Relying on this relationship, since Sun Quan inherited the Jiangdong foundation, he began to use Hu Zong.

Sun Quan initially appointed Hu Zong as Jin Cao official, and later promoted him to E Chang.

After the Battle of Chibi, Sun Quan recruited Hu Zong to Jianye and made him one of his secretaries in charge of military and political affairs.

After the Battle of Gong'an, Sun Quan renamed Shaxian to Yong'an.

In order to ensure that Yong'an City could always serve as a barrier for Jiangdong, Sun Quan appointed his confidant Hu Zong as the governor of Jiangxia and in charge of Yong'an City.

Judging from Hu Zong's resume in the first half of his life, he was one of Sun Quan's most trusted confidants.

But when he met Hu Zong, Zhu Huan did not give him a good look.

The reason for this was not only Zhu Huan's self-important character, but also because Hu Zong belonged to the Jiangbei scholar class. In terms of political interests, he had a natural conflict with Zhu Huan, who was a Jiangdong scholar.

Hu Zong naturally knew why Zhu Huan disliked him, but due to Lu Xun's orders, Hu Zong did not openly conflict with Zhu Huan.

Hu Zong, who remembered Lu Xun's instructions, held a celebration banquet for Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng after welcoming Zhu Huan into Yong'an City.

In order to boost his own morale, Lu Xun made public the contents of the declaration of war he wrote to Mi Yang as soon as possible.

Therefore, before Zhu Huan returned, most people in the Wu Dynasty believed that Zhu Huan's trip would be dangerous.

But what many people didn't expect was that Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng returned safely in the end.

Although it is not clear why Mi Yang let Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng come back after being abused.

But since Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng went there at risk, it is naturally a happy thing that they were able to return safely in the end.

At least if this matter is slightly embellished, Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng can be portrayed as people who are not afraid of violence, which will greatly boost the morale of the Wu army.

Since it is a happy event, it is only natural to hold a banquet to celebrate.

Hu Zong's idea was good, but he overlooked one point, which was Zhu Huan's character.

After Zhu Huan returned to Yong'an, he found that everyone in the city looked at him with admiration. This situation to a great extent contributed to Zhu Huan's already arrogant temperament.

The arrogant Zhu Huan discovered when he attended the banquet that his seat was arranged below Hu Zong, which made him very unhappy.

Relying on Lu Xun's talent and family background, his status was higher than his own, so Zhu Huan didn't say anything.

But as a lucky minister, what virtue and ability does Hu Zong have?

As he drank more wine, the half-drunk Zhu Huan discovered something even more intolerable.

Zhu Huan, who was reeking of alcohol, looked around the banquet table and after making sure that he was not mistaken, he turned cold and asked Hu Zong, who was sitting at the top of the table:

"Where is Han Zong?"

When Hu Zong heard Zhu Huan asking about Han Zong's whereabouts, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Han Zong is Han Dang's eldest son.

Han Dang died of illness at the beginning of this year. According to the custom of Eastern Wu, Han Zong inherited Han Dang's troops.

After Sun Quan learned of Han Dang's death, he was impressed by Han Dang's status as a hero of the three dynasties of Eastern Wu, so he issued an edict to appoint Han Zong as General Hengjiang, and to guard Yong'an together with Hu Zong.

Relying solely on the legacy left by Han Dang, Han Zong's political career in Eastern Wu should have been very smooth.

But in fact it is not the case.

This is not because Sun Quan is unsympathetic to his meritorious officials, but because Han Zong's style is too bad.

When Han Dang was alive, he often led troops outside. Over time, he neglected to discipline Han Zong.

With a distinguished family background and neglect of education by the elders, it is normal for the second generation who grew up in such a situation to have somewhat bad personalities.

But among so many second-generation singers in Dongwu, the worst performance in Korean variety shows can be ranked in the top three.

As early as when Han Dang was alive, Han Zong was known for his ugly and promiscuous behavior - Han Zong liked to play with women of his own race.

After Han Dang's death, Han Zong, who inherited a large number of troops, became even more lawless.

To be honest, the fact that Sun Quan let Han Zong guard Yong'an reflects his trust and expectations for Han Zong.

But after receiving this appointment, what did Han Zong do?

He actually sent his troops to disguise themselves as bandits and rob merchant ships passing by on the Yangtze River.

What is not in line with the industry norms is that he not only robs people of their money, but also likes to kill people.

Han Zong originally thought that what he did was very secretive, but what he didn't expect was that these evil deeds he did had already spread throughout Jiangxia County.

Because of the incident of harming others and stealing their money, Han Zong and Zhu Huan have had a grudge for a long time.

You must know that the Zhu family of Wujun was originally a wealthy family in Jiangdong.

Many of the merchant ships traveling on the Yangtze River had close ties with the Zhu family of Wujun.

Han Zong also knew this, so he deliberately did not attend the banquet today to avoid meeting Zhu Huan at the banquet and causing major friction.

Hu Zong was well aware of Han Zong's concerns.

When Han Dang was alive, he had promoted Hu Zong, so even though he was unwilling, Hu Zong still defended Han Zong after being embarrassed:

"General Han is not feeling well today, I hope Xiu Mu will not blame me."

Feeling unwell?

Zhu Huan is not a fool.

When he saw Hu Zong hesitating, he knew that Hu Zong was lying.

"How come he never felt unwell when he was murdering people on the river?"

Zhu Huan blurted out these words under the influence of alcohol.

Zhu Huan's words instantly froze the atmosphere at the banquet.

Anyone can feel the resentment in Zhu Huan's mouth.

This is not Zhu Huan’s fault.

Not to mention that there was an old grudge between Zhu Huan and Han Zong, in the eyes of Zhu Huan, who had a high opinion of himself, he, as a meritorious minister of the Wu State, had returned, but Han Zong was too arrogant to attend the banquet.

Isn't this a blatant lack of respect for oneself?

When Zhu Huan saw that Hu Zong did not even think of making up for his loss after he expressed his grievances, he felt that he was looked down upon by Hu Zong and Han Zong.

If he could still tolerate this, he would not be Zhu Huan.

Zhu Huan, who was drunk, was so angry that he overturned the food table in front of him.

When the wine and food on the table were scattered all over the floor, Zhu Huan, with red eyes, looked at the imperial seal behind Hu Zong, which symbolized the military power of the Jiefanbing Army. He said in a cold tone:

"The general once promised me that when I return, I will lead the troops!

Even if he is seriously ill in bed, I want him to come and visit me in person!"

After saying this harsh remark, Zhu Huan left the banquet without looking back.

Zhu Huan's decisive departure was beyond the expectations of everyone at the banquet.

Looking at Zhu Huan's departing back, they couldn't help but look at each other.

But at the same time, a question arose in their minds: Was what Zhu Huan just said true?

"What!

Did the Zhu kid really say that?"

In a military camp outside Yong'an City, a stern-faced man slammed the table in anger and shouted at his confidants below.

This man is none other than Han Zong.

Faced with Han Zong's questioning, the confidant who knew Han Zong's murderous nature did not dare to hesitate at all.

"Absolutely true!

I heard it myself at the banquet."

After hearing the answer from his confidant, Han Zong's face showed deep panic and he fell to the ground uncontrollably.

Han Zong knew that no matter how courageous Zhu Huan was, he could not falsely convey Lu Xun's order.

The predecessor of the Jiefan Army was the personal army of Sun Ce, the former Marquis of Wu.

The Jiefanbing was officially established after the Battle of Gong'an.

After Sun Quan suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Gong'an, he was worried and ordered Han Dang to go to Danyang County to recruit brave warriors based on the personal troops left by Sun Ce, so as to form the Jiefan Army.

The meaning of Jiefanbing is: "invincible in battle and able to resolve crisis."

Since the establishment of the Jiefan Army, Han Dang has been the commander of this powerful force.

After several years of command, the Jiefan soldiers gradually became Han Dang's personal troops.

It is not Han Dang's fault for being selfish. The reality is that the military system of the Eastern Wu is a private military system. Under such a system, turning public property into private property is almost inevitable.

Although after Han Dang's death, Sun Quan issued an edict to divide the Jiefan troops into two, commanding Hu Zong and Han Zong respectively.

However, Hu Zong's talent in commanding troops was not strong, and the time was still short, so thousands of Jiefan soldiers still bore the mark of "Han's troops".

Han Zong knew very well that the powerful Jiefanbing was his only means of survival after Han Dang's death.

But now, Lu Xun wanted to take away his only support for survival. How could Han Zong not feel panic?

In particular, Han Zong knew that the evil things he had done before had already made many people in the court dissatisfied with him.

Although Sun Quan had never issued an edict to blame him for those things, how could Han Zong guarantee that Sun Quan was not waiting for a suitable opportunity?

That time might be when his military power was taken away from him.

Thinking of the rumors he had heard in the past about Zhang Zhao shedding tears in the hall, and how Sun Quan treated Sun Deng, Han Zong found it difficult to muster any expectation or trust in Sun Quan.

Given Zhang Zhao's important status and Sun Deng's close relationship, Sun Quan was willing to abandon them, let alone the fact that he had no relationship with Sun Quan at all?

Even if Sun Quan really didn't want to attack him, once he lost control of the Jiefan soldiers, would he be able to withstand the frame-up of his enemies without the protection of military power?

At this time, Han Zong remembered Zhu Huan's words that his confidant had just repeated to him.

impossible!

Han Zong soon realized that if he really allowed Lu Xun to take away his military power, his future would be no different from that of a lamb to be slaughtered.

Does Han Zong want to die?

That's definitely not what you want.

So a bold idea gradually emerged in Han Zong's mind - to find another wise master!

Han Zong is currently in Yong'an. Given Yong'an's geographical location, he can surrender to either the Han Dynasty or Cao Wei.

And who should we choose as this wise leader?

While thinking about this question, Han Zong suddenly remembered Zhu Huan's safe return.

Han Zong had seen the contents of Lu Xun's declaration of war with his own eyes.

Han Zong originally thought that given the image that Mi Yang had previously had in Jiangdong, after seeing the contents of the letter of war, he would definitely not be able to hold back his anger and kill Zhu Huan and Xu Sheng to vent his anger.

But it turned out not to be.

This is enough to show that Mi Yang's image has been maliciously vilified in the past.

Sima Mi is a man of virtue!

Just imagine, Mi Yang could be magnanimous enough to let go of someone who sent him a verbal attack, let alone himself who intended to set things right?

Once it succeeds, not only will you be able to save your life, you will probably be able to get a high position and a generous salary.

In addition, Cao Wei and Eastern Wu are currently in an alliance. If he surrenders to Cao Wei, Cao Wei may not accept him for the sake of the overall interests of the alliance.

For villains, they consider the interests involved and often have additional talent bonuses.

Almost in an instant, Han Zong chose a wise leader for himself in his heart.

And Han Zong is also a decisive person.

Han Zong immediately bowed his head to the desk, picked up the brush and wrote a sincere letter.

After putting down the brush in his hand, Han Zong carefully checked the contents of the letter again.

Not bad, lick enough!

Han Zong was quite satisfied with what he wrote.

After seeing that there was no problem, Han Zong called over a confidant.

Han Zong carefully handed the letter to his confidant, and then instructed:

“Send this letter to Xiangyang as quickly as possible.

Remember, if you are lucky enough to meet Grand Marshal Mi, you must be respectful!"

After hearing Han Zong's instructions, his confidants did not show any surprise.

This is not because this confidant does not know that Han Zong's actions are collaborating with the enemy.

It’s because this confidant knows too many secrets of Korean variety shows.

Han Zong even dared to rob ships loaded with tribute that were being transported to Jianye. Is there anything else that his lord could not do?

The confidant carefully took the letter from Han Zong's hand, bowed solemnly to Han Zong, and then quickly left the tent.

Looking at the back of his confidant leaving, Han Zong prayed silently in his heart:

"Da Sima, you must believe me!"

A few days later, Jiangxia County, Xiakou.

Lu Xun, who had just returned to Xiakou from Jianye, summoned Xu Sheng as soon as possible.

After Xu Sheng arrived, Lu Xun asked him about what he had seen and heard during the time he was with Zhu Huan.

In response to Lu Xun's questions, Xu Sheng began to answer them one by one.

While listening, Lu Xun was reviewing the documents on the case.

When Lu Xun heard that Mi Yang did not get angry in the face of his verbal challenge, he nodded imperceptibly.

Although Lu Xun felt a little regretful that Mi Yang did not fall into his trap, he felt in his heart that with Mi Yang's intelligence, he should have done so.

Originally, after saying all this, Xu Sheng had nothing more to say.

But in order to tell everything he knew, Xu Sheng gradually talked about Zhu Huan's performance at the Yong'an banquet.

It was this talk that made the originally calm Lu Xun suddenly raise his head.

"You mean, Xu Mu mentioned in public that I wanted him to be the governor of relief?"

Xu Sheng didn't understand why Lu Xun took this matter so seriously.

After all, although Zhu Huan's behavior was a bit reckless, it has always been his character, isn't it?

However, in response to Lu Xun's question, Xu Sheng nodded affirmatively.

After seeing Xu Sheng nod, the brush in Lu Xun's hand fell directly to the ground.

"Zhu Huan you bastard!"

Lu Xun, who had always been well-mannered, got angry in front of outsiders for the first time.

(End of this chapter)