mtl008 Chapter 699: Lu Xun's Advice on Jingzhou's Unrest
Chapter 699: Lu Xun's Advice on Jingzhou's Unrest
Chapter 699: Lu Xun's Advice on Jingzhou's Unrest
Not long ago, Zhang Zhao, an important official of Jiangdong, was dismissed from all official positions by Sun Quan on the grounds of "disrespect".
After Zhang Zhao, the elder statesman who was entrusted with the care of the young emperor, lost all his positions, Lu Xun, who came later to take his place, quietly became the leader of all the ministers in Jiangdong at that time.
But since the beginning of the grand court meeting, Lu Xun, who was ranked first among all the ministers, had not uttered a word.
Lu Xun, who was standing in the front row, was not far away from Sun Quan, and Sun Quan could clearly see the expression on his face.
Just now, Sun Quan had been observing Lu Xun's expression.
Sun Quan had high hopes for Lu Xun. He did not want Lu Xun to be like most of the other court officials who would be afraid before the battle.
What comforted Sun Quan was that Lu Xun did not disappoint his high hopes.
However, Sun Quan never saw any other unusual expression on Lu Xun’s face, such as excitement of having met a worthy rival.
Calm. From beginning to end, Lu Xun's expression was as calm as a pool of clear water.
Sun Quan was puzzled by this.
Now is the time for Sun Quan to resolve the doubts in his heart.
Because at this moment, everyone in the hall, because of Sun Quan's words, turned their eyes to Lu Xun.
Lu Xun had no way of rejecting this heavy expectation, nor could he continue to act indifferent.
Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Lu Xun slowly came to the center of the hall holding a board.
Facing Sun Quan's expectant gaze, Lu Xun spoke loudly:
"I believe that Mi Yang came here to march eastward."
Lu Xun's first sentence set the tone for Mi Yang's journey eastward.
His words made everyone in the hall's hearts rise to their throats.
As the top figure in the current Eastern Wu military, Lu Xun was also the first contributor to the Eastern Wu's capture of Hefei. His judgment of the situation had an extraordinary impact on the court officials.
For a moment, the nervousness in the hearts of all the court officials was infinitely magnified, as if Mi Yang's troops would reach over their heads in the next moment.
However, Sun Quan's mood calmed down at this time.
Because Sun Quan noticed that Lu Xun's face remained calm when he said this.
Sun Quan knew very well that Lu Xun was not an arrogant person. The fact that he remained calm when he thought Mi Yang was coming for the Eastern Expedition showed that he already had a plan in mind.
As expected, Lu Xun continued:
"But I think Mi Yang will not rush to resort to war."
When Lu Xun's words spread throughout the hall, everyone in the hall, including Sun Quan, showed surprise on their faces.
Soon a minister came out from the train and asked:
"What does Bo Yan mean by this?
Since Boyan believed that Mi Bandit came with evil intentions, and based on Mi Bandit's past performance, how could he lead 60,000 elite troops to live in peace and stop fighting in front of the thousands of miles of Jingxiang territory?"
The minister who came out to express his confusion was Bu Zhi.
Bu Zhi, courtesy name Zishan, was from Linhuai, Xuzhou.
In his early years, Bu Zhi moved to Jiangdong to avoid the chaos, served as Sun Quan's chief secretary, and later served as the chief of Haiyan.
Because he was a close confidant of Sun Quan, Bu Zhi's promotion process was quite fast.
In addition, Bu Zhi himself was very talented and had made many contributions in pacifying Jiaozhou and suppressing rebellions in various places. Therefore, after Sun Quan became emperor, he appointed Bu Zhi as the right general.
Judging from Bu Zhi's past, he was undoubtedly a man who knew military affairs.
Since the 24th year of Jian'an, who among those who know about military affairs in the world has not conducted in-depth research on Mi Yang?
Bu Zhi is one of the famous "Mi Yangtong" in the Eastern Wu court.
Based on Bu Zhi's understanding of Mi Yang, he believes that Mi Yang has the remarkable sharpness of a young man.
Looking back from the 24th year of Jian'an to the present, only about seven years have passed, but Mi Yang has fought in succession such famous battles as the Battle of Gong'an, the Battle of Xicheng, the Battle of Xiangfan, the Battle of Liangzhou, and the Battle of Guanzhong.
From this we can see that Mi Yang is definitely a person who cannot sit still.
Despite being such a determined man, Lu Xun said that he would not immediately launch an attack on Jiangdong after leading his army to Jingzhou.
Bu Zhi naturally didn't believe it.
Not only Bu Zhi did not believe it, it was obvious that many people in the court also questioned Lu Xun's views.
Facing Bu Zhi's doubts, Lu Xun bowed to Sun Quan on the throne, then turned to face the ministers and said:
"In war, there is always a sound before the actual attack. According to common sense, now Mi Yang is taking advantage of the momentum of the Northern Expedition to attack Wu, which is easy to shock people and is the time to sweep the country.
However, after the Northern Expedition, the Han army was exhausted and could not be used easily.
In addition, Jingzhou had been in ruins for a long time, the navy was not in good condition, and the 60,000 soldiers led by Mi Yang were mostly elite soldiers from Liang and Yi. They were exhausted and could not even fight on land, let alone on water. "
After Lu Xun finished speaking, he saw that many of the court officials still had worried expressions on their faces, so he continued:
"The Battle of Guanzhong was no small battle; although Mi Yang won, his army was defeated and his generals killed, leaving the granaries empty and the people displaced, and it took several years to recover.
On the other hand, our army had rested for several years, and in the Battle of Hefei, we suffered very little loss and expanded our territory by thousands of miles. Our soldiers were in high spirits.
Therefore, they have the momentum to win, but I have the advantage of weather, so I win.
Furthermore:
They reformed their military system. Although their five armies were strong, their generals had replaced their soldiers with new ones, and their military strength had not yet recovered, so they won the second victory.
They are good at land warfare, while we are good at water warfare. The vast rivers protect our territory, which is the third victory.
Luoyang, the Yellow River, Yiyang, and Jiangling, the enemy should each have their own defenses, and their forces will be divided into four, while our army can concentrate its strength on one, and thus win the battle against all four.
From Kuaiji to Wujun, there are ten thousand mu of rice fields. If we go to Jiangxia, there will be a thousand mu of ripe rice. If we follow them, we can support them for several years, which is five times better. "
"Our army has won five victories and is so talented that we will not suddenly raise a large army just because of a momentary surge of enthusiasm!
Even though Mi Yang was as arrogant as Cao Cao in the past, he still insisted on marching eastward.
With these five victories, I am confident that Mi Yang will be able to follow in Cao Cao's footsteps!"
When Lu Xun finished speaking of his strategy in a very confident manner, all the ministers in the hall showed expressions of shock on their faces.
Even Sun Quan could not hide his inner surprise and stood up from the throne unconsciously.
"Although Cao was named as the Han Prime Minister, he was actually a traitor to the Han.
Moreover, Cao Cao himself is sending himself to death, so how can we welcome him?
"General, it is time to capture Cao today!"
Somehow, after listening to Lu Xun's advice, Sun Quan's thoughts drifted back to that afternoon more than ten years ago.
That year, Cao Cao led 200,000 elite troops to the south, and the atmosphere in the palace that day was as heavy and uneasy as it is today.
But just when all the ministers were at a loss, a hero in white clothes and a blue scarf appeared.
He was just like Lu Xun today, with a calm face analyzing the current situation and distinguishing the pros and cons for Sun Quan and the ministers in the hall.
"I only need 30,000 elite soldiers, and I am willing to help you defeat them!"
In the end, that man set the tone for resistance for hundreds of Jiangdong monarchs and ministers with a statement that was so heroic.
"Gong Jin."
Sun Quan couldn't help but mutter the man's name.
At the same time, Sun Quan's gaze towards Lu Xun became more and more eager.
Not only Sun Quan, but also the ministers who had participated in the council that decided the life and death of Jiangdong, now looked at Lu Xun with a kind of nostalgia and surprise.
Could Lu Boyan really be compared to Gongjin? !
When this thought came to mind, the ministers' feelings of uneasiness were instantly dispelled.
After an unknown amount of time, when Sun Quan recovered from his shock and nostalgia, he asked Lu Xun in the hall:
"Bo Yan thought, what will happen if we don't fight the bandits quickly after they arrive in Jingzhou?"
Lu Xun had already thought of the answer to this question in his mind.
After a moment, Lu Xun bowed and replied:
“I believe that with Mi Yang’s talent, when he arrives in Jingzhou, he will adopt the kingly way and prioritize the accumulation of national strength.
One is to boil salt and develop smelting for military and agricultural use, and also to build boats, train the navy, and prepare for downstream activities.
The second is to send envoys to inform us of the benefits and disadvantages, to seduce our people and disrupt our foundation.
Third, he treated Sun Deng well, showed his benevolence, and pacified the people by making friends with distant people.
With these three actions launched simultaneously, and Mi Yang leading a large force stationed at the border, as time goes by, it is inevitable that some people in the territory will rebel and want to surrender to them!"
“Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty should select trusted men to serve as border generals, and let all border generals be under the command of one person, and then give that person the power of life and death.
In this way, even if things get urgent, there won’t be a disaster in the end! "
After telling Sun Quan all the strategies in his mind, Lu Xun bowed deeply to him.
And as Lu Xun bowed, Sun Quan looked at Lu Xun with even more joy.
In terms of personal military strategy, Sun Quan was really average.
But the reason why Sun Quan was able to maintain his Jiangdong base for decades was that he had a very special talent.
That is, he is good at identifying talents and even better at distinguishing the advantages and disadvantages of various strategies.
In Sun Quan's view, the response strategy proposed by Lu Xun was undoubtedly very appropriate.
Sun Quan took a deep look at Lu Xun, then turned his gaze to the ministers in the hall and asked loudly:
"What do you think of Bo Yan's strategy?"
After hearing Sun Quan's question, the officials of the Eastern Wu in the hall looked up at Lu Xun's tall figure.
Although the ministers are not as talented as Lu Xun, they are not stupid.
Lu Xun has analyzed the pros and cons so clearly, how could they not know that what Lu Xun said was the best strategy for Dongwu at the moment?
"I second the proposal!"
For a moment, all the ministers agreed with Lu Xun's strategy.
If you really have the talent of Gongjin, then we are willing to believe you once.
Sun Quan, who was sitting on the throne, saw that all the ministers agreed in unison, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
Sun Quan was not only happy that Lu Xun had offered him a good strategy, he was also happy that under Lu Xun's good strategy, the tone of his ministers became firm.
People's hearts are the key to determining victory or defeat.
But Sun Quan knew that as a monarch, he still needed to provide an insurance for Lu Xun's good strategy.
Sun Quan picked up the tiger talisman from the imperial desk. Holding the tiger talisman in his hand, Sun Quan walked down the steps step by step towards Lu Xun.
Soon after, Sun Quan walked in front of Lu Xun.
Then Sun Quan took the initiative to hand the tiger talisman to Lu Xun:
"Back then, I personally handed this tiger talisman to Gongjin."
Sun Quan's words clearly revealed his trust and expectations for Lu Xun.
After Sun Quan finished speaking, he officially issued an edict:
"Today I appoint Lu Xun as the general, in charge of all military affairs at home and abroad.
From today on, all the troops of Dongwu will be at the disposal of the general.
All the generals commanding troops in the Eastern Wu were under the command of the general.
The generals can hold the power of life and death without reporting or reviewing. "
As soon as Sun Quan finished speaking, all the ministers in the hall looked at Lu Xun with incredible eyes.
Even Zhou Yu in those days never got such great power from Sun Quan!
Even Lu Xun showed shock on his face for the first time after hearing Sun Quan's edict.
Being cautious, he wanted to decline at the first opportunity.
But before Lu Xun could speak, Sun Quan reached out and grabbed Lu Xun's hand tightly and said:
"To march on the battlefield under orders, to follow instructions and strategies, to resist evil, one must have great power to do so.
As for the power of life and death, it is appropriate to follow the law and be expedient.
Now the Mi bandits are marching eastward with great momentum and are in urgent need of Bo Yan.
If Bo Yan waits for the country's orders, and travels back and forth, prolonging the journey day and night, wouldn't he be harming the country?
According to the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, if a minister goes beyond the borders and can bring peace to the country and benefit the state, he may be given full authority.
Now that Wu is allied with Shu, we cannot stick to our old ways and miss opportunities.
The military strategy says that one should not seek fame when advancing and should not avoid guilt when retreating. I hope that Bo Yan will follow the integrity of the ancients and never feel guilty about harming the country. "
As he spoke, Sun Quan's grip on Lu Xun's hand became increasingly tight.
It is true that Sun Quan has many shortcomings that are criticized, but it is undeniable that despite those shortcomings, Sun Quan can still become one of the three pillars of the world, and he does have some shining points that are different from ordinary people.
Seeing that Sun Quan had said so much, Lu Xun could no longer refuse.
So, under Sun Quan's trusting gaze, Lu Xun bowed deeply to Sun Quan:
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.
As long as I am here, Mi Yang will never be able to cross Jiangxia!"
After hearing Lu Xun's promise, Sun Quan's face was filled with smiles.
When the ministers in the hall saw this scene of respect between the emperor and his subjects, they all smiled from the bottom of their hearts.
Only one person is not.
Zhou Qian, with a smile on his face, looked at Lu Xun's back, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Lu Boyan, this looks a bit tricky!"
In June of the sixth year of the Zhangwu reign of the Han Dynasty, after more than a month's journey, Mi Yang finally led 60,000 Tiance troops to the outskirts of Jiangling City.
The civil and military officials of Jingzhou, who had received the news in advance, waited outside the city early to welcome Mi Yang's arrival.
Every official in Jingzhou had an excited smile on his face and was looking forward to it anxiously.
If we were to discuss which state in the Han Dynasty has the deepest feelings for Mi Yang, apart from Liangzhou, it would definitely be Jingzhou.
Although Mi Yang seldom came to Jingzhou since the first year of Zhangwu, it is well known to the world that the Battle of Gong'an, which made Mi Yang famous, took place in Jingzhou.
As Mi Yang's first battle, the Battle of Gong'an had a crucial impact on Mi Yang's life, but it also changed the fate of the people of Jingzhou.
If Mi Yang had not defended Gong'an, the iron hoof of Cao Wei and the sharp claws of Eastern Wu would have completely divided Jingzhou, and both sides had the reputation of massacring the people.
From this point of view, Mi Yang's victory in the battle against Gong'an can be said to have protected the lives of many people in Jingzhou.
In this case, how could the people and scholars of Jingzhou not be grateful to Mi Yang?
What's more, the meaning of the first time is always extraordinary, especially for someone like Mi Yang.
Anyway, no matter what people from other states think, the people of Jingzhou believe that Mi Yang is a great hero from their state.
What about Liangzhou?
At most, he is the second son.
The dispute over "legal legitimacy" does not accept any rebuttal!
Just as many Jingzhou officials were craning their necks in wait, a messenger on horseback came galloping back from a distance and arrived in front of them.
At the same time, the messenger's report made the officials of Jingzhou extremely agitated:
"The Grand Marshal's carriage has traveled several miles away!"
Bai Lu, finally home!
(End of this chapter)